Author's Notes:
Before I get into the Legal stuff, I want to say thanks first to my Editor, Pete. He always does a wonderful job. Second, I want to thank my Readers. You guys are the best.
Okay, these characters are not meant to resemble any living or dead person. I make no apology to anyone who is offended by anything in this story.
If you don't agree with the idea of guys being in love, then find something else to read.
Let me know what you think of the story by emailing me at Hnstskr4@aol.com
Copyright 2009, 2010 by Chuck B.
- There may be elements in this chapter that were also in the Chapter 11.
Chapter 12
A Condition on Unconditional Love
It's the day after my parents tore my life apart. I'm at lunch with Cathy and Cody. Steve is off with one of his classes on a field trip. Cody asked me how things were going. I was going to lie and just say that everything was okay, but my mouth opened before my brain could stop it. I've tried hard not to think too much about what happened, but I guess it helps to talk about it. I told them what happened after school yesterday. The expression on Cathy's face was one of total disbelief. I'm sure that she thought my parents were sweet, kind folks. Guess, I thought the same thing too. Cody doesn't seem to know what to say. Right now, I am swallowing the pain. I'm trying to keep from crying.
"So where are you staying?" Cathy asks.
"I'm staying with my sister and her husband. They've been really cool to Steve and me during this whole mess."
Right now it feels so good knowing that Sara and Mark love me.
Cathy and Cody told me that everything will be okay and if I ever need anything I am to call or ask them. It's weird, right now I have a place to live, but I'm not sure it's enough.
"Thanks guys!" I said to them. I feel like my life is spinning wildly out of control. Wonder how often, someone will say that to me. I know that they mean what they say. Right now though, I am not sure what I need. All I know is that it feels like I'm walking inside a bad dream. Wish, I would just wake up. It's good to know that my friends are there for me. I need to find Mr. Smith before lunch is over so I can talk to him.
I just want to keep him up to speed on what's going on in my life. He eats lunch in his room, so I guess that I'll head there first. I walked up to Mr. Owens and got permission to head upstairs to Mr. Smith's classroom. From outside the room, I can see him chowing down on his food. I knock on his open door because I don't want to just enter his room. He looked up and smiled.
"Kesier get in here."
I stayed quiet until I sat down near his desk. He motioned for me to get a little bit closer so he could hear me.
"So what is going on? You don't usually come to see me unless it's important."
He took a bite of his lunch, but he quickly put his attention back on me.
"Remember the picture of Steve and me kissing? Well, Dale sent one to my mom."
Mr. Smith's lower jaw just dropped.
"My parents decided to kick me out of the house."
He just shook his head in disbelief.
"Are you living with Steve?"
"No, but that would be sweet. I'm living with my sister and her husband."
"Do they know about you?" Mr. Smith asked.
"Not only do they know about me, but they love Steve. Dad said that I could come back to live with them, if I walked away from Steve and never talked or chatted with him again. I would also have to quit being gay. I can't stop being gay and I can't just walk away from Steve."
"I don't even know what to say, honestly, but I want to share with you a bit of my story and maybe you'll find some relief in it or learn something from it"
For whatever reason, I got excited to hear what Mr. Smith had been through when he was younger.
Mr. Smith sat across from me, chewing his last bit of food before he started telling his story. I'm sure it had to do with his coming out story. Anyway, I can't wait to hear what he has to say. He swallowed and then took a drink before starting.
"Right after I came out to my parents, my mom cried for what seemed like forever and my dad stopped talking to me. They shipped me off to my grandparents who happened to live just a few blocks away. I didn't eat dinner that night, and I cried myself to sleep. I hardly spoke the next day, which was Saturday. By Sunday, my Grandpa called my mom because he was worried about me. After the phone call, my Grandpa and Grandma told me that they love me. My Grandpa hugged me, and my Grandma kissed me. Seven days later, my dad came to pick me up. He told me on the way home that he loves me, and always will. I guess they just needed an adjustment period. I've never had to look back once. I hope that your parents will come around."
I hope Mr. Smith is right. I really want to go home.
The rest of my day went really well. I was able to focus on my work and the days ahead. Mr. Smith made me feel a whole lot better. I don't know what else will happen, but for now things are good. I can't wait for school to be over so Steve and I can hang out.
Steve, Sarah, and I finished working on the room after school. Sarah bought a few posters to hang around the room. One is a great looking guy with his shirt off showing his wonderful abs. There is a poster with a ton of tarantula species on it. My personal favorite is a blown up picture of Steve and I. I am so ready to cry right now. It's so sweet. Do you know what picture it is? It's the one that Dale took of us. How ironic is that? Steve and I put my clothes in the closet. We rearranged the furniture in the room. Sarah went around putting in some plants in areas that needed a little bit of life. We added some finishing touches to the room. Just as we were finishing our work, a car pulled up into the driveway. Sarah looked out the window and announced:
"Mom and Dad are here."
Steve got intensely angry.
Before we could even get downstairs, Mom and Dad had let themselves into Sarah's house. They stopped by to drop off some more of my stuff that they found in the basement. Mom glared at Steve and whispered into Dad's ear. Steve became even more agitated, and I can't blame him one bit. I glanced at my mom and dad. Dad just looked away from me and my mom did the same exact thing. Mom gave my boyfriend a dirty look, which was totally uncalled for. Dad simply ignored him and plopped down in the living room. Sarah went into the kitchen to pull out the chicken for dinner tonight.
My mom didn't want to be in the same room as us, so she high tailed it into the kitchen. Dad just sat there in one of Sarah's chairs. Steve and I sat down on the stairs leading upstairs and waited. I'm not sure what we're waiting on, but here we are anyway. My mom's voice could be heard all the way into the living room.
"Sarah, that boy doesn't belong here!"
"That boy..." she is talking about is my guy. I'm sorry but he does belong here.
"Mom, he makes your son happy. In fact, I've never seen Eric happier."
Sarah is right, I've never been happier than I am right now. Steve doesn't complete me, but he does make me feel whole.
"It's unnatural for two guys to be in love. Did you see the picture? It's gross, not to mention embarrassing."
It was embarrassing, it was a private moment and Dale ruined it. I see nothing unnatural about us. Sarah just couldn't keep quiet. I really love my sister.
"It's not right for parents to kick their children out over something as silly as this."
"Sarah, we have to protect the other kids."
"Protect them from what, Mom?"
"Your brother's influence, I don't want Alexa (Alex) turning into a lesbian because she thinks your brother is cool. You need to send that other boy home."
"No, he's welcome in my home any day."
I didn't expect Sarah to talk like that to Mom. It's sort of out of character for her.
Dad looked at Steve and said, "I think you should leave!"
I looked at dad and asked, "Why should he leave?"
"You have to ask why? Look at the contention the two of you are causing in this house.
"We aren't the ones causing the contention. Mom started this mess."
Things went absolutely quiet. I've never seen Dad so mad and so disappointed. Maybe I should have left things alone, but there is no going back now. Steve and I got found out and now I have to deal with the aftermath. Besides, I really do love Steve. It's not my fault that my parents don't have open minds. Steve apparently had enough of my parents rudeness and was about to walk out the door, when Sarah came back into the living room.
"Steven, you need to just sit down."
He didn't listen though and he walked right out the door. Mark walked into the house. As Mark came in, Dad looked right at me and started talking again.
"I didn't want to say anything in front of your supposed friend. This will be the last time; I make this offer to you. If you stop seeing him, stop talking to him, and give up on this whole gay thing, then you can come back home."
I'm sorry, but that isn't happening. Maybe I need to tell him. Instead, I laughed and went up to my room. As I was walking up the stairs, I heard Mark chime in with his two cents.
"You know what? Eric hasn't done anything wrong and Steve hasn't done anything wrong."
I then could hear my Dad.
"Mark, you wouldn't understand, you're not L.D.S."
"I don't understand? From what I can see, your son was happy until some little shit ass kid took a picture of him and his boyfriend. You guys are the ones who got all upset and in his face. Maybe it's you who don't understand."
"Your opinion is just that, your opinion, and I won't hold it against you because you don't understand. Regardless of what you or Sarah say, he sinned by kissing that boy. I have nothing wrong with him being gay, but he shouldn't be calling himself gay or acting out on it."
Finally, I heard Mark say, "I'm not going to argue this with you. Let's get those...
I heard the front door open and someone stepped outside.
When I heard someone step outside, I immediately opened my window. I wanted to hear if anything was said.
Next I heard Mom's voice, "You need to stay away from my son!"
I wonder, with Steve being upset, if he'll say anything or just leave it alone.
"I love your son and I'm not going to break up with him. If he wants to leave me, then he can be the one to walk away."
I like how Steve put the power in my hand. He knows me well enough to know that I'm not going to back down. I may not like the situation, but I'm not going to walk away from him.
"I know my son better than you and I know he'll make the right choice."
"If you know him so well, then you would know that he hasn't changed."
What choice is Mom expecting me to make? I love Steve and I'm not going to walk away from him. My eyes gaze out the window at Steve. As I'm looking at the most perfect person in the universe, I see my dad walk out and get into the car. I'm sort of amazed that he didn't try taking a verbal jab at Steve. Mom is the last one to get into the car and once the door was closed, the car left. I thought I heard Steve give a sigh of relief. I am so proud of my guy right now.
I think my feelings for Steve are radiating from my face. It's literally making me glow right now. Even with my door closed, I can hear someone walking up the stairs. I answered the knock with a quick, "Come in." I looked at the door and watched as it opened. In came Sarah, she had a concerned look on her face. When she realized that I wasn't upset, she started to talk.
"Why so happy?"
"Steve actually stood up for me against Mom. It makes me love him even more to know that he cares for me. Sarah, he told Mom that he loves me!"
All Sarah could do was smile. It feels so good to know that he loves me. I already knew that he loved me, but I still loved hearing him say it. Maybe this whole experience will make Steve and me stronger.
"Honestly Erik, I can't believe our parents."
Supported by Steve's love, I felt strong; stronger than ever.
"Sarah, I had a feeling this might happen, just didn't expect it this soon."
She looked puzzled.
"How could you have known that you would be kicked out?"
I don't honestly know how; I knew that things would eventually lead to a disaster.
"Sarah, I just had a gut feeling that I would get kicked out. I also know that at some point, I'll get excommunicated. Trust me, it's coming."
Sarah patted me on the back.
"Let's hope that it doesn't come to that, but even if it does, I still love you. As for Mom and Dad, let's hope that they come around."
"It would be great if they did!"
Yeah, it could be nice, but I'm not holding my breath. Sarah walked out of the room. I heard her shout up that she was going to start dinner. Just when her footsteps stopped on the stairs, I heard another set coming up the stairs.
Steve appeared in the doorway. He entered my room and sat down on the bed. He's looking pretty lonely, so my body decides to sit down next to him.
"I don't understand how your parents can be like this," Steve said as he looked me at me. He was still looking pretty hurt.
"It's just the way they were taught. It's what they know."
I could tell that he didn't buy my answer.
"Look, it's just not a good excuse. People step out of their upbringing all the time. I don't expect them to throw away what they know, but they need to love their kids. Right now, they aren't showing their love for you."
He's now quiet just sitting on the bed. I don't blame him for being upset. He has every single reason to be mad at them. All I know is that right now, I am the luckiest guy in the world.
"Steve, I love you!"
We kiss and hug each other. I almost wish that we could stay like this forever. I quietly whispered in his ear. "You know that? I heard everything you said to my mom out there."
"Really?"
He sort of perked up a little bit.
"Yupe!" I kissed him on the cheek. I didn't hear Mark coming up the stairs, but he appeared at the doorway.
He knocked and then walked into the room. His face had this little smirk on it. Mark sat down in my computer chair.
"Was I interrupting anything?"
I wanted to say "Yes!" but Steve answered before I had a chance to say anything.
"No!"
"Guys, I am so sorry for my in-laws."
I can't figure out why he is sorry for my parents. I mean, he has no control over them. Again, Steve has beaten me to the punch.
"Mark, you have nothing to be sorry about!"
"Guys, I promise that I will never do that to my kids."
We looked at each other and smiled big time, and then when we launched a big time hug to Mark. Right now there is absolutely no tension in my room.