A Different Life

Clyde loved foreign cities. The Parisian waiter didn’t bat an eye when he saw the rings on his and Thomas’ fingers, and they could sit hand in hand outside a restaurant and share a kiss, surrounded by strangers and blissfully free, pretending they lived a different life. Clyde reveled in the joy that no one knew him. In the brisk breeze, surrounded by falling golden autumn leaves and beside his lover, he thought he saw a glimpse of heaven. Then, his wife returned to the table, smiling unknowingly, and he realized he knew as little about himself as anyone else.