Diagnosis Awkward

On my way to work I saw two adult women crossing the village's major thoroughfare, hand in hand, giggling. I laughed to myself when I replaced the two girls with two friends of mine, both of whom look like they were rejected from the WWE because they were too surly. It got me to thinking, looks aside, why was the image of two men holding hands so funny?

A few weeks ago I visited one of my favorite families. Favorite families are defined as those that feed me willingly. Anyway after dinner, first grader Nicole and two-and-a-half-year-old Samantha thought it would be fun if we played "Ring-Around-the-Rosie." With their mother, an aspiring cage fighter, busy chatting online with other "Mommies who Maim," the pool of players included both little girls, their pushover dad and me. Instantly, Dad grabbed one hand from each girl, and I followed suit making us: boy, girl, boy, girl. There, a perfect circle. Only Nicole wanted to hang with Mommy, so she ditched us. So the circle's membership dwindled to Daddy, me and a very eager-to-play Samantha. Daddy and I looked at each other in a long moment of confusion. Would we? Should we? Hold Hands?

Why the hesitation? Were we so adult? Considering I had stopped by to play video games, talk about comic books and watch cartoons with him, I don't think so. Were we so hetero? Raised on Sesame Street, graduated to Star Trek, we're both down with diversity. In fact, I'm fairly certain had RuPaul been in the middle of us we'd both have felt a lot more comfortable (And a little more fabulous). Ironically, I think what made us feel uncomfortable is that normally we're so comfortable with each other. It's all about context.

If I had challenged him to an arm wrestling match, I don't think there would be any hesitation and that's an embrace that results in flush faces, heavy breathing and a lot of sweating (And earns the approval of your estranged son, as taught by the movie Over the Top). If one of us were hanging on the edge of Mount Rushmore wouldn't the other reach out and drag our good friend to safety? (Just as lawyers for MGM and the Hitchcock estate would drag us to court for stealing an image from North by Northwest).

However, here the context had nothing to do with competition or danger, it had to do with making a little girl happy. So we did it. We felt a little funny, not at all helped by either our singing or our circular swaying. But we did it for Samantha and I for one thank her for it. Years form now when I attend her wedding I fully intend on walking up to her proud papa, reaching out my hand and leading him to the dance floor. My only question is: Who should lead?