Dave - You probably think this blog is about you!

Last night I managed to get a selfie with Dave, a regular patron at The Newcome Arms. I have had many conversations with him since I started working for this local Fratton Pub and despite a shaky start, I have actually grown to like and respect him.

Dave is extremely opinionated and has a view on every subject. For the most part I agree with his perspective, especially where politics is concerned. Like Dave, I also have my own ideas and equally am not afraid to express my feelings. I am not typical of those who drink at The Newcome, I come from an altogether different World and followed a less conventional path and for that reason I can see many sides of an argument. The experiences I have had, that haven't always been easy, are a catalyst for my way of thinking and I will never avoid an argument, as I believe none of us should. If you accept you are right, then never flinch from speaking your mind!

Dave is never scared to 'tell you how it is' and for that reason I admire him. He will most certainly articulate how he feels, no matter what the consequences, I have had first hand experience of his tongue and lived to tell the tale. Below that hard exterior, there is a decent bloke inside, one who I look forward to seeing each time he comes in the bar, in stark contrast to my first few weeks as a barman.

We meet many contrasting characters in life and the truth is we can't always get on with everyone. When I first met Dave, I took an immediate dislike to him as a person. He was everything I wasn't and I chose to hide the real me, not wanting to reveal who I really was. Of course I am talking about my sexuality. When you work in a pub like The Newcome, it is correct to say, it can be challenging. Expressing my homosexuality was not something I was initially comfortable with, but today that has all changed and it is people like Dave who have allowed me to be who I am.

He's probably reading this thinking what the hell am I talking about, but without his judgements and beliefs, I wouldn't have been so open. Sometimes when people touch a nerve, it's just the push we need to finally 'Come Out,' for want of a different phrase. David's views on homosexuality are an open book, which has made it easier for me to be 'me' around him. Just because someone doesn't agree with my lifestyle, it doesn't mean I should immediately reject or dismiss them out of hand. I enjoy speaking with Dave for the person he is and something inside told me he is a good person, which indeed he is.

Friends and friendships are made of shared experiences and although we aren't close in any shape or form I would hope Dave and I have mutual respect for one another. In time who knows, we may actually get over the people we are and have a proper friendship; who could ask for more! Whatever happens in the future, the Newcome has had a big impact on  my life and cemented my roots firmly back home. The people who live and work in Fratton are hardworking, tolerant and fair. People like Dave are the backbone of community life and without them neighbourhoods up and down the country would be all the poorer. Thank God we are all different, thank God for diversity!