ABSTRACT
If asked, twenty-some-odd years ago, if I'd ever thought I would live through a long-term relationship, I probably would have adamantly denied that possibility. I still haven't fully realized that I have, in fact, been in just such a relationship for a little more than seventeen years now. Our relationship had several strikes against it, even before it ever started. There are not only language difference, a major age difference, and religious differences—all of these are compounded with cultural differences and a pronounced difference in social backgrounds. If we believe the old adage that "opposites attract," then an example of just what this means can readily be seen in the relationship that has developed between Jack and myself. We did, of course, have a few similarities between us: we were both males, we both prefer to sleep with men, we are both considered relatively intelligent, we are both native-born Quebecois, and we are both bilingual. Between the two of us, our travel miles could probably circle the globe a few times around. There is relatively little in the way of compatibility between us, yet somehow our relationship has survived some tumultuous clashes.
