NORMAL LIFE: Bree Turns 40!

What a night it was last night! The culmination of months of dread (on Bree's part), Bree's 40th birthday turned out to be a huge success and not as bad as he had anticipated.

We woke up early in the morning, and I made us fried eggs for breakfast. As we ate, he opened his cards and his presents. Of course, I saved the best for last which was a Tag Heuer Formula One watch, a tasteful quality watch full of features I'll never fully comprehend which, in hindsight, somehow encompasses Bree's own sophistication and complexity. Bree conveyed his delight by repeatedly trying on the watch and glancing at it from every possible angle.

Bree had to finish preparing for the evening's party; rather than get in caterers or organise a venue, we decided to handle everything ourselves. While I cleaned, Bree baked wonderful pies and made a gorgeous chocolate cake. In the afternoon, we headed to a nearby fire station where one of Bree's friends was celebrating her own 40th brithday with relatives and family.

When we arrived, we were the happy gay couple, smartly pressed and dressed, bearing flowers for the birthday girl. Otherwise, the room was full of tired-looking straight Mum's and Dad's who had put on what resembled pyjama's for this special event and, to make things worse, the place was full of screaming kids!

After a late afternoon nap (you need them at this time of year because the darkness just exhausts you), we got up with the final preparations to do; lighting the candles, putting the CDs in place, making the first round of welcome cocktails. I was really in the mood to party and, over the next eight hours, Bree and I worked our way around the room with twenty guests to entertain; there were cocktails to start, followed by wine with the dinner and coffee with the cake followed by a series of strong bowls of punch!

The first people started to leave around 11pm, after which time I gave a speech to the ten or so remaining guests:-

I shouldn't tell you this, but Bree has been dreading this day. It's easy for me to say don't worry, it will be fine. But it's true, it will be fine. Tomorrow is just another day with another milestone looming in the distance, be it your 50th or your 60th! Bree has achieved alot in his life so far and he always has a plan to build on top of what is already there. This very approach has been a very positive influence on me.

Rather than think of Bree as a 40 year old, I tend to think of him as two twenty year olds rolled into one, especially when he's in one of his playful moods. Like all of us, he has his cranky moments, but his energy and his sometimes annoying but humourous playfulness is what separates him from other 40 year olds.

As for the wrinkles he is constantly referring to, I saw a card in a shop in Liverpool recently which really captures the very essence of Bree. It said that wrinkles merely indicate where the smiles have been; after nearly five years together, we are still smiling! And I know that inside he's smiling now because he has friends around him to help him celebrate the first of many special birthdays!

After that, I opened the mini-bar, an opportunity for people to have what they wanted. At 3am, my friend Zack (read about him here), his girlfriend and I retreated to the kitchen where we heated up some of the food we had started on seven hours earlier! As we ate, we laughed and joked about our night out, when Zack and I ended up in a gay bar! Hilarious!

The night ended just before 4am, when three of Bree's friends left and Zack and his girlfriend left. After a quick clean up, we landed back in bed, quite pleased with ourselves and feeling surprisingly good. Bree said that he was glad that the whole thing was over. So am I, I said, so am I! It was at that point that I decided that I wouldn't have a party for my 30th; instead, I would rather go away for my birthday. After all, why should we entertain people like this all the time (see here)??