Evan is at our table before me tonight and he’s already ordered our G&Ts.

“I was thinking of skipping the drink,” I tell him as I sip it and sigh contentedly. “But it seems that I’m on holiday and can be a little indulgent. Thank you.”

“It was just a single, wasn’t it?”

“Oh yes. I like the taste of the tonic more than the alcohol. A double would be too much.”

“Apparently the menu is supposed to be Italian-themed tonight,” he muses as he glances at the printed sheet. “Risotto, pasta and tiramisu.”

“You’ve been to Italy, haven’t you?”

“Yes, a few times. Always basically for work, but I do usually try to get a couple of days to relax and start the editing process before I come home. Italy is nice, I like the south more than the north for the most part, less cosmopolitan and more relaxed.”

“You edit on a laptop?”

“Yes, I have a Macbook.”

“Well, you have my commiserations. Do you have to have therapy to help you with that?”

“Not an Apple fan then?”

“I don’t mind them really, just a bit restrictive for my tastes. Good for developing, but not for the shared stuff I have to deal with. It is getting easier though and their laptops are impressively powerful. Indeed, I wish mine had the battery life that yours does.”

“Each to their own then?”

“Yes. On that subject, what other places did you like when on your travels?”

“Well, mostly cities really. Amsterdam, Hamburg, Stockholm and Barcelona stand out. Paris and Rome are a bit too cultural for me, but I see the attraction. New York was a bit too in-your-face for my liking.”

“And any that you really didn’t like?”

“London. I really hate London every time I have to go there.”

“What? Why?”

“Well, it seems just like home, probably because it is, but it takes itself a bit too seriously. And it’s crowded, noisy and a little unsafe. Good clubs though.”

“Well, I’ve never been to most of those places. I wasn’t keen on London either, but then I’m just a small-town guy from a small country in the middle of the sea.”

“What about you, Adam. Any places you really didn’t like?”

“Not really. There are a few places I’d like to go, but don’t feel that I can.”

“Such as?”

“Well, Uganda stands out. I’d love to see the mountain gorillas and possibly chimpanzees, but I can’t see myself ever being comfortable with going there. Most of what was once colonial eastern and southern Africa has pretty poor LGBTQ+ recognition and acceptance, but Uganda is always trying to take things to the next level of hatred and I really can’t condone such rabid homophobia.”

“Oh. And the rest of Africa?”

“Well, they all work mostly like the American armed forces used to be. Don’t ask and don’t tell. I’m not going to their countries to be gay. I’d be insane to hook-up in one of those places, they have HIV rates in double digits. But I do want to be myself. I’m not waving a rainbow banner, but I hate hiding who I am.”

“I suppose we have to accept different cultural norms sometimes.”

“Yes, but I’m not travelling to a place that will throw me in jail just for saying I’m gay or wearing a rainbow pin.”

“Is it really that bad?”

“In Uganda, yes. They’re even talking about bringing the death penalty back for gay sex crimes, whatever they are.”

“Is it all just political? I mean, are the general population behind it or just the politicians.”

“Well, a lot of it is politics, but conservative Christian sects, far more like cults than churches, seem to thrive there as well and that doesn’t help. Most of these countries are very religious, whether it is Islam or Christianity.”

“I feel I should know these things. I’m sorry.”

“Why do you feel you should know. It’s a very minor problem for a minority of people and we’ll never change their minds. I’m just not spending money on them by going there. It’s the only protest that I can readily make that might make a difference.”

“No, seriously. I should know. I’m gay too. It’s something that I really need to be aware of as a travel journalist, even for YouTube.”

“Well, you don’t present as gay, but I have a pretty shite gay radar, even at the best of times.”

“I could say the same about you, but I’d guessed when you only said partner yesterday when you were talking about recently splitting up.”

“Peter, yes, he was my boyfriend. I caught him in our bed with someone else.”

“You’re fucking kidding me?”

“No, full on movie cliché. Balls-deep in a seventeen-year-old fellow coke-head. As the saying goes, you couldn’t make this shit up.”

“Oh Adam. Now I see why you aren’t sorry to be rid of him. He sounds like a complete dick.”

“I’m only sorry it took me three years to realize.” We both lapse into silence and concentrate on our pasta.

“Should we have a change of subject?” Evan asks as we once more wait for dessert.

“Yes, that sounds like a good idea.”

“Are you going into Portree tomorrow?”

“I wasn’t going to at first, but I’m thinking about it more as time goes on. I would like some nice shots of the town. It looks quite picturesque in the itinerary.”

“Maybe you should put your name down after dinner.”

“I know you’ll be going; the transfer is an unmissable video opportunity.”

“Yes. Get some shots of the town for me?”

“Sure. We’ll compare notes at dinner tomorrow?”

“Yes. Or with a drink afterwards.”