Eric and Lamar Dance (ePub)

Eric and Lamar Dance follows the main character Lamar from his childhood through adolescence and adulthood from the perspectives of his friendship and budding romantic interest with Eric. Along the way he confronts being neglected by his parents and being adopted emotionally by Eric's parents. His early experience is without racism and race seems unimportant until it becomes eroticized in adolescence. His upbringing is ideal in the sense that his adoptive parents are sex positive and affirming of any sexuality as it develops in childhood and adolescence. His interest and experience in sex are normalized by them and he is given freedom to be who he is. His "dance" with Eric is the long conflict and resolution of what kind of relationship they will have, being at times more like brothers, best friends, roommates, boyfriends, and lovers. Their relationship is always open in the sense that it involves other sexual partners, and the conflict is more about what kind of commitment they form if any, than about other partners. It involves two periods of estrangement that are not resolved until the end of the story. Also along the way Lamar develops a sub identity that is mostly closeted at first and later is normalized by connecting with like-minded friends and mentors. The sub identity has a further twist in being race play focused. The eroticism may somewhat overshadow the romance and the intention is to integrate them in a way that is realistic and balanced. The final unresolved issue is whether Lamar and Eric may become part of a group marriage and the final fruition of their very strong bonds with the group that is originally Lamar's mentors. That issue is the focus of a sequel.