Discerning The Duality Of A Triptych: Justin

There are things about Justin—the one who's occupying the left panel of this triptych—that are worth mentioning, but I'm not sure where to begin. So let's see... *hmmm*

Justin is an extremely vain homosexual. You can often catch him inside salons, having his hair colored and fixed and his nails meticulously done; at his regular high-end gym, keeping his body buffed and ripped; and in sophisticated malls, shopping for the latest trends in clothing and gadgetry. Because of his height, flawless looks, and mouthwatering body, he frequently joins male beauty pageants around Laguna. He has a resemblance with the sexy actor Wendell Ramos. He has his own fan page in Facebook, littering it with countless semi-nude selfies and self-gratifying status posts.

To put it out there, I hated his guts. Well, not because of his vanity—he has every right to be like that, it's his life anyway—but rather because he's a huge jerk. In contrast to his pleasing appearance, he's your typical douchebag-next-door: loud, egotistic, big-headed, and a hypocrite. He categorizes himself as a tripper (a straight guy who enjoys gay sex), so that he could freely discriminate and look down on effeminates, when in fact he's struggling with his own straight-acting skills and he's actually as queer as a drag queen in a cabaret. He's a big waste of oxygen, really.

Unfortunately, Justin once became Theo's apple of the eye. He has everything that Theo physically wants in a man. And it was too late when Theo realized Justin's rotten personality. He was the cause of Theo's suffering, which, sadly, lasted for a very long time.

They started as teammates at work a few years ago. When Justin was newly hired, Theo was the one assigned to train him. Like the hopelessly romantic little girl that Theo was, it didn't take him long to fall for the guy. And after making sure that he's got a shot, even for a little, at having Justin, he confessed. To his relief, Justin had no violent reactions. However, Justin bluntly told Theo that he could never reciprocate my friend's feelings. To which the lovestruck Theo replied with, "Gagawin ko ang lahat, mahalin mo lang din ako."

And that was when the abuse began, for almost a fucking year.

Their relationship (yes, they had one) was very one-sided; Theo had always been on the giving end, submitting to Justin's every whim. He supported his lover's penchant for vanity, shelling out cash for haircuts, skin treatments, and new clothes. Six months into their affair, half of his savings were gone. At work, Justin often made him do almost all of the tasks assigned to them. During sex, Theo's always the only one who provide service; Justin never returned the favor after shooting load. There were also instances when Justin would fuck him insensitively, then leaves him alone in bed afterward to take a shower. He was like a sex doll: discarded after its purpose was fulfilled. He also had an inkling that Justin might be cheating on him at times, but he never caught the motherfucker in the act. Unlike him, Justin never introduced Theo to acquaintances as a boyfriend, not even once, particularly to friends. He felt that Justin is ashamed of him, but he didn't have enough courage to confirm this.

As Justin became more and more desirable, Theo became more and more miserable. He lost a lot of weight, he was often sleep-deprived, his eyes showed despair, and pimples reigned all over his face. His work performance became poor, which was the reason he nearly got fired once. His relationships with family and friends were greatly affected as well. And in spite all of that, Justin never cared. Nada. Not even an ounce of concern.

The sad thing is, my friend became blinded with unconditional love. He failed to see the truth: the man he's obsessed with came from the depths of hell, sent to ruin his sweet life. Nonetheless, he was aware of the fact that their setup is taking its toll on him, but he could never bring himself to end it. Despite of the unfortunate situation he's in, he's still hoping that, someday, Justin would finally love him back—to see him as someone worthy of tender loving care.

At one point, Theo thought that he will never be able to crawl out of the pit that he himself had dug. It seemed he was nearing his breaking point, until, one day, someone else entered the picture.

To be continued...