I avoided the few gay friends that Ron and I had known, but found that I had nothing in common with my straight friends, who were all now, for the most part, married.

It was the solitary yet social Kusaki who became my closest friend. We never discussed Ron, who Kusaki now rarely saw-and I was never able to tell him about Ron. There were times when I wanted to but I had hung back. It was not because I was ashamed that Kusaki would know I was homosexual. I felt certain this would not disturb him. It was that I never wanted him to feel that he Kusaki-was a mental substitute (a sublimate, so to speak) for my physical lover.

Now I stood with the Tristan in my hands.

Kusaki got up and took the Callas "Norma" off the phonograph.

"Do you want to play it," he said.

"You knew Ron was my lover?"

"You never had a lover," he said. "You were his lover. I'm your first lover." He reached forward for the album which I handed him and put on the first record.

"Oh?" I said, "is that my present?"

"Yes," he said.

"It's a very nice present," I said.

Kusaki bent down at the hi-fi adjusting the dials and then looked up at me and winked.

"And how about my present?" he said. "Would you like a blind boy?" I said.

IT'S NOT NEW!

Only the magnetized, detachable fig leaf is new on this replica of the "Sleeping Satyr." Originally created 2,200 years ago by an unknown Grecian sculptor, we have interpreted his work into a 9 inch tall replica ideally suited for use as bookends, but attractive also when displayed singly.

PARKLYN PRODUCTS, Dep't. 1

1011 Swarthmore Ave.

Pacific Palisades, Calif. 90272

NAME

Tarnished dark bronze finish

Sngl. $12.95 ( ); Pair $23.95 ( ) Antique ivory finish

Sngl. $12.95 ( ); Pair $23.95 ( ) Unfinished-apply your own finish

Sngl. $9.95 (); Pair $18.65 () Matching detachable fig leafs $1.85 each ( )

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ZONE........ STATE..

Add $1.15 per order to cover shipping and insurance charges within the United States.

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