One of the first lessons I learned when I embraced a gay lifestyle was that preconceived philosophies were a waste of time. Many gay men seemed to have a list of commandments when it came to sexual encounters. Comments like; too old, too fat, too skinny, too ugly, et cetera, are commonplace notions that get bandied.
Early on, I made the monumental discovery that looks had nothing to do with great sex. Often, when I got blown away by the physical appearance of an individual, a night of boredom awaited me. Conversely, the less remarkable men I had reservations about often turned out to be exceptional lovers. As they say, never judge a book by its cover.
One evening at a gay bar, I got introduced to a gay subculture that would forever change my life. As I sat sipping my beer, a hairy older man sat next to me and struck up a conversation. Willie, the man in question, was a dead ringer for Santa Claus. He had a substantial white beard, and from his arms and the hair popping out from the top of the polo shirt he was wearing, he was very hairy. Although he had a pleasant face, ashamedly, I have to admit, bulky Willie did not ring my bells.
Before long, a posse of similar-looking men entered the bar and swamped us in their bulkiness and fuzziness, and I felt like I was at a Yeti convention. What astonished me most was the affectionate interaction between these bears. A t-shirt that one of these bears was wearing amused me. It stated, ‘Cover me in honey and throw me to the bears.’
Most amazingly, they all seemed to have the hots for Willie and constantly pawed at him.
At this point in my life, I had no facial hair. Something I would remedy shortly after that. Nevertheless, have I did have reasonable body hair, which was not on display. What amazed me the most was that although I was reasonably handsome, all the bears were far more interested in hairy Willie, a man at least twenty-five years my senior.
The amusing interlude that followed almost had me splitting a gut. In an attempt to endear me to this ursine enclave, I lifted my shirt to display my substandard hairy stomach. As all the furry faces focussed on me, there was a pause before one of the bulkiest hairy creatures named Bernard made a consolatory comment.
“Well… At least, you have nice eyes!”
At this comment, furry heads all nodded in unison, and I had to restrain myself from bursting out laughing.
As I enjoyed their company, a man named Henri, who seemed fixated on Willie, garnered my attention. Henri was dark-skinned and fuckin’ handsome. Sadly, however, he paid me no attention.
As we continued to interact, an invitation to join this bear club at their cabin began to materialize. These bears had hired a cottage close by on their biker’s weekend and invited us to join them to have snacks from all the leftovers they had from their afternoon barbecue. Honestly, although I believed that the invitation was for Willie, Willie insisted that I be part of the deal.
Afterward, as we drove behind them in Willie’s vehicle, he made it clear that he was interested in me.
“Don’t you like bears?” I asked.
“Yeah, they are okay… But I find you more appealing,” Willie announced.