Last week, I introduced Andrew to my main college friends. We were getting together at our alma mater to watch a football game. Andrew was coming up to visit me and asked if he could come to the game.
I was nervous…I wanted to throw up at times. All I could think about was my friends not liking him…picking out his faults and all the other petty things my friends and I have done to one another when someone new was introduced to the group. This compounded with the fact that most of them were just getting comfortable with my being gay, played havoc with my nerves. I almost played sick so that the meeting wouldn’t happen.
Andrew is different from my friends. He can be whiny, and very particular (high maintenance). While my friends may be successful and have money, they still prefer dollar drafts (and sometimes this beer is so crappy that I don’t think it can be called beer, but when we have our mini-reunions, it’s what we drink). Andrew on the other hand likes imported beer and glasses of hundred dollar wine. My friends shed their suits and ties outside the office for sweats and denim. Andrew does yard work in designer duds. Heck, some of Andrew’s shoes cost more than most people’s outfits.
I was afraid that when my friends suggested nachos and beer at half-time, Andrew might demand champagne and berries. And my buddies would thump him and then thump me for bringing him.
But I was amazed when he balanced four pitchers of beer and a plate of hot wings and curly fries back to our table (our waitress was overwhelmed and nine hungry guys whining about the wait caused him to stand up and get our order). The waitress was so grateful for the help that she comped the curly fries. I smiled as he slurred through our football fight song after being taught the words by my drunken by school proud buddies.
Andrew beat my old roommates tequila shot record and he didn’t puke (even after he ate a numerous amount of wings, nachos and hot peppers). I think that may have been the clincher. He fit in with my friends and by the end of the weekend, he even understood some of our inside jokes.
I was worried about nothing.
