I was still maintaining a relationship with my parents and siblings. But I only saw them for part of a day most of the time when they did visit.

I think that when my brother and/or sister came they came for part of the day only, as well. I guess they were too good for us or so it seemed to me at the time. I could be wrong in the way I am interpreting these events.

While I had sought their advice regarding the moral dilemma of living with Lynn and how we couldn't get married, it seemed clear that they understood I had no other options available to me. And it seemed infinitely clear that we were living as husband and wife and that we made love routinely (almost every day).

Then we went to visit for Christmas, and Lynn suggested that we sleep in different beds because we were under their roof. Symbolically, this felt so uncomfortable. It cheapened the relationship, made it seem less than the union of two becoming one body and one soul.

In my mind, we had been married in the eyes of God. When Lynn said that we should sleep in different beds at my parent's house around Christmas, that seemed to only confuse me.

In retrospect, if I had said that they must see us as two people who are committed to one another like any husband and wife, she would have been open to my reasoning. I should have said, "well, if they dishonor our union, I am not going there!"

I should have said to them that if they want me to visit for the holidays, we will be sleeping together like any married couple.

I would be so affectionate with Lynn everywhere and all the time. I had seen my parents kiss, but it was so perfunctory. I am not saying that a couple should make out in front of others, but they should look like the kiss says something like Lynn and I did. We took the time to meet each other's gaze and slowly moved toward one another, letting our lips meet and pause for just a moment.

I don't remember my brother ever showing that kind of affection when he brought his wife for the holidays.

I am just saying that as a shy person I was doing things that are not "normal" for a shy person.

With Lynn and me, it was inescapable and unavoidable... for us to hold one another, hold hands. I also loved this because it was a declaration that said, "I love Lynn!"

Actually, I NEEDED to be close to her and feel her body when I was visiting for Christmas. I had felt uncomfortable with the entire arrangement and it sickened me that I didn't protest when Lynn suggested sleeping in different beds.

In my mind, this was not any less holy than the union of my parents, or grandparents, or less holy than any union of any husband and wife. If anything, this was more special than what I had seen. In my extended family, I never saw anything that said, "I can tell they are in love."

You might wonder why I am even saying this, dear reader. It's not to denigrate others but to exult the depth, breadth, and holiness of the union of Lynn and Bruce.

I do know some things about how couples make love. As a psychotherapist that is something that is discussed. I learned about the male and female sexual responses. I studied master's and Johnson's research on activities that are practiced by couples.

What was unique about our relationship, the one Lynn and I had was that neither one of us expected the other person to have any experience in this area or to be sexually compatible. It was more of an area of discovery for both of us.

Some though not all gay men do enjoy anal sex. Often among heterosexual couples, this is more pleasurable to the male because they think the anal passage is tighter. While some females may want this, it is more common for males to ask for this.

This was not something I was seeking in my relationship with Lynn nor was she.

Speaking of same-sex relationships, oral sex is another way that people express love and is commonly practiced by gay men. I would learn this from my clients.

Oral sex is practiced quite commonly by heterosexual men and women as well.

Anyway, I knew that this fluid is made up largely of the same components as mucus. That fact made oral sex seem unappealing. Previously, I mentioned when Lynn was in the hospital or at the clinic and she was asked to provide a mucus sample, I noted that I had a weak stomach, meaning it made me queasy.

These observations about mucus meant that I did not expect, nor did Lynn expect oral sex despite the fact that this is "normal" and commonly enjoyed by the recipient and the giver, regardless of sexual orientation. Those who do speak about these things with researchers or their therapists are the source of my knowledge.

No part of our bodies was "taboo" though. We both endeavored to explore anything that would increase the pleasure of one another in bringing about an orgasm. So, we did everything short of activities that would involve tasting each other's bodily fluids.

But it was more of a case of exploration and discovering what brought us the greatest pleasure and what we were both comfortable doing.

I felt so lucky that this was happening. I felt lucky to know that I wasn't expected to do anything with some level of competency as I had heard discussed when I was a psychotherapist providing couples therapy or with my individual clients.

I felt lucky also that we weren't talking about sexual competency.

Sex was for us a way of expressing our love and it was intense and intensely pleasurable as a result of the love that we felt for each other.

However, it is true that some people mistake this extreme pleasure for love. There is a big difference between making love with a spouse than just plain sex, though it is easy to get confused by the feelings.

I'm a romantic and I believe in the concept of the two becoming one and are united forever, which is as long as we exist.