This quickie is, as closely as I can make it, a transcription of a vivid dream I had last night. As to what that means, or where it came from, I can’t say. Fear of being supplanted by a younger man? Anyhow, I will never feel the same about going to a conference again!
Alpha, Beta.
Everybody knows about conference affairs. They add excitement and euphoria to a boring event. They are ephemeral.
I met Clare at the Conference. She was a lovely brunette of fifty-odd, with long hair and wearing expensive designer clothes as if she’d been born to them. Which she had.
With my white hair and dark suits, or in my jeans, I was professorial, urbane, fit-looking. I could make conversation she wanted, about art, politics, science, travel, even wines. I was the best, and I won her as my prize. We held hands, we kissed, we…. well you know the rest.
At the Conference we all heard of young Paxton. He was headed for a top university, the dux of his school, a sporting hero, winner of the inter-college debating prize, and had performed brilliantly in the lead role of his expensive school’s end-of-semester musical.
Not actually handsome, he was a fine young man who wore confidence and competence like a shining cloak. I was amused when he sat next to Clare and began to chat her up. The Conference was ending with an impromtu concert in which Clare and I were spectators only. It was not our thing.
Paxton, known as either ‘Pax’or ‘Tex’ to his friends, took the stage and danced, for his item. Where he learned I don’t know, but his dancing expressed his nature and his future. It said, ‘I am male, I am a warrior, I am a future leader’ and it reeked of hormones and sexuality. He kept his eyes on Clare, and his desire and intent to have her was powerfully stated.
Afterwards, he came and sat next to Clare again. For a moment I was amused. This lad, a rival? To me? And then a moment later I saw from her body language that Clare was no longer mine.
Instantly I knew that I could challenge him and would lose, and look an old fool. To do the gentlemanly thing and concede was the only way to save face.
They left together, and later, at the Conference Dinner, I saw them at the head table, obviously holding hands, and obviously lovers.
I knew then that my role was to be for ever the beta male.
© Malcolm Miller 21 March 2113
Malcolm Miller's Poems 
interesting story, I guess since many .(.not all.).middle aged or older men want a younger female so as a mature aged female I can relate to why women are bolder these days & seeking the company of younger men , good for them, men seem to get away with it but we still get “that” look from many quarters great to see times may be changing. 🙂 sorry you missed out though my friend :::::
That story is only true in that is an account of a dream. I didn’t miss out. Actually, the nearest I have been to that situation, I took women from under the nose of the same friend on two different occasions. The poor chap must have been annoyed with me.
May not be a bad thing. Beta males are often smarter and slip in unnoticed while the Alpha males are battling it out. Well it works for sea-elephants according to this doco I saw.
Speaking of relevant documentries, I saw this other study of a baboon pack. It was a strictly alpha male, hierachical society, brutally maintained by the top males. But then this disease swept thru the baboon community that funnily enough, mainly targeted the alpha males. Seems their bolder foraging into human camps and rubbish tips put them more at risk from contacting a certain virus. After a couple of years the pack’s character was transformed. It had become a gentle, matriachal society the gentler “beta” males, who spent more time engaged in social grooming than the alphas, which was partly why they survived, playing an active role in child rearing…instead of just eating them. .
Very interesting comment, Reverend! Similar views were expressed by a member of the Erotica Readers and Writers Association, where I posted the story a couple of days ago. I used to have female cats, and I noticed that while the scarred toms were dukeing it out, smaller males would slip in and copulate with the ‘queen’. Long live beta males! Alphas should actually die out, since they are generally ‘one-shots’ whose chance of actually getting a woman pregnant have fallen drastically since sex became almost wholly recreational instead of reproductive as a result of pharmacology.