Dave

I had first met him at high school. We were introduced by a mutual friend, and we hit things off pretty quickly, once it was discovered that we both had a common interest in video games. Dave also lived pretty close to me, and, well, lets just say we spent many an hour playing computer games, mostly multi-player shoot-em-ups or strategy games.

Dave is an only child, which might partially explain why he has had a constant need to have a girlfriend. And, in the decades that I have known him, he's had quite a few, whereas I can count mine on a single hand. Most of them though had one thing in common, they didn't like me. Why? It was simply for the fact that they perceived me as a “bad influence” in that I would, a) deprive them of time from him and b) be the one to take him out, get him drunk and possibly have him hanging out with other women. The first part was true, but the second part, well, if anything, Dave would be the one to take me out and get me drunk.

As for me trying to get it on with any of his exes? Well, no, not really. Dave's interests in women and mine are very, very different. There has only ever been one of his exes that I was ever interested in, the rest of them, well, as I said, most of them didn't like me to begin with, so why should I go out with them? In actual fact, Dave even went out with one of my exes.

But we had some good times, even if it was just getting drunk and sitting around playing PC games. I tried to get Dave involved in some of my other interests, like the wargames club, but he wasn't really interested. Work and girlfriends kept him pretty busy most of the time.

He was engaged once, a few years back when he was still living in Tamworth. I was to be the best man, but the wedding was called off. (It was a blessing in disguise really, the fiancé and myself both had a strong dislike for each other.) He even has a daughter, who must be 12 years old now, called Yasmine.

Dave is currently living in Port Macquarie, and manages a petrol station there. He is seeing someone, yet another single mum, who strangely enough seems okay, but her son is a right a pain in the proverbial. I haven't seen him for well over a year or so now, but I still chat to him online on occasions. The picture was taken on the night of my brother's (first) engagement party back in 1996. He hasn't changed much since then, except, like me, his hair is a little grayer.