David

I was surprised when I saw this photo recently, I don't know who this guy is, but he is the spitting image of my school boy crush, David.

This guy looks so much like him.

David and I started on the same day in grade 4 at our private boy's school. I had a 'thing' for him from that day until we graduated year 12.

We were friends, we had that camaraderie of starting together at the school the two of us. It gave us a bond, which I loved, of course. I never told him, I just fancied him quietly, to myself.

He was also a really nice guy. We were mates, yeah, sure, maybe he didn't have all the information.

We used to swim together. Pfffffff. Those blue speedos he used to wear.

I remember when something went wrong with a school camp we went on and he and I had to share a bed. We were, I guess, 17. I can still picture him in those olive coloured jocks as he got into bed next to me. I can still feel his heat beside me. I can still remember sliding my hand slowly towards his hip as I lay there until I stopped myself. Shook my head to myself and rolled over and went to sleep.

I was well into fucking Alex by then, anyway. David and Alex played on the football team together, and while I got to perve on both of them in their footy shorts, at least I got to slide my hands into Alex's.

Just after I finished uni, I was in the Bourke Street mall when some guy said, "hello Christian." I didn't know who he was and he looked a little hurt that I didn't recognise him. It was David, maybe five years after school, and he'd lost all of his hair. His father was an imposing bald man, chrome dome on top with hair around the sides and back, and David now looked just like him. 

My memory was that I couldn't have been more awful to him, as I was crushed and shocked and, I don't know, kind of speechless.

There was my beautiful David unrecognisable.

Funny all the memories an image can evoke.