My first ever civil partnership

Well, not my own, but the first which I have attended. Been invited to, even.

I qualify that just in case you should imagine I am bombarded by a slew of invitations on a monthly which I find some way to decline, but no: I haven't had an invitation before. Although were I bombarded with such a slew I should find as many ways as possible out of them. And not just on the basis of cost. I am not good for weddings. The last one I went the couple are already divorced and she has turned lesbian after finding out he had hidden a drug problem for years and was bonking the girl next door.

But anyway, this wasn't even a proper civil partnership. This was a reaffirmation of vows and reception. The couple had actually had a proper legal wedding in Toronto a couple of weeks before.

They had been together for over six years. Weddings are the perfect reminder to a chap like me of just exactly how single I am and how jealous I am of people who can sustain actual, real relationships. This wedding wasn't as bad as some actually. Usually I am the only person (at least amongst my friends) without a romantic "plus1". People take pity on me, and have to rearrange a table to seat five or seven instead of the six at every other table. But on this occasion there were practically two full tables of single people. And the one who did have a boyfriend couldn't bring him as the boyfriend was holidaying abroad.

That's one of my best friends who has a strange relationship with his boyfriend. They have been together over five years now, live together and are the most hopelessly romantic if you see them together. But that is it: it is rare to see them together. They each have very seperate lives, seperate groups of friends, almost never go out on nights out together, and have only holidayed together once in the time I have known them. But maybe that's why they work and appreciate so gladly the time they do spend with each other.

One of the good things about being single at weddings is that you are normally excused the embarrassment of having to partake in the dancing. Instead you get left sat at a table on your own. Woo.

Anyhow, on this occasion there were lots of other single people there. You would almost think that I would get a bonk out of that. Somehow I failed. In fact, worse than failing I managed to witness the two of whom I had designs go off WITH EACH OTHER.

Oh well, it could be worse. Someone that I fancied at uni could always have come up to me and asked how we never got it on with each other at university whilst his boyfriend of around ten years chatted idly a few yards away.

Oh yes, that happened too.