Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 8

reach for him.
    "I think they were stunned for a minute, which gave Pete and me a chance to fix ourselves up, but then Dad just exploded and starting pushing me around, yelling that no son of his was queer and he was going to teach me to be a 'man'. Pete was so scared they'd tell his folks that he took off like a rocket. We haven't talked since; he won't return my calls or texts, so I don't know what happened to him, or if my parents talked to his. Though they're not friends or anything, thank God."
    "What about your Mom? What did she do?"
    "She just turned away and walked back into the house without a word, but when I got away from Dad and ran through the kitchen to my room, she was sitting at the table and crying her eyes out. I thought my mom would be shocked but stand up for me, ya know? Guess I didn't know her as well as I thought. But she doesn't cross my dad very much, so maybe I shouldn't be so surprised." Kevin rubbed his arm across his eyes, and I felt kind of bad that I had brought up something that still hurt so much. I cared so much about him and hated seeing him in so much pain. I guess I hoped that by getting him to talk about it, he would maybe start feeling better. You know, the load shared and all that. Knowing I had to touch him somehow in comfort, I took a risk and put my hand behind his neck, rubbing it up and down. I hoped it came across as trying to be supportive, and not a perv taking advantage of his pain. After a very long minute, he sighed and relaxed while he leaned back into it, so I kept it going.
    I felt obligated to say, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want. I just thought that maybe it would help to get it out…."
    "Actually, it kinda does feel good to talk about it." He paused, then continued, "I didn't really think they would flip out as much as they did. I knew Dad would be pretty bad and definitely worse than Mom, but shit, Jerry, I thought Mom and me were close. But all she did was cry, so I ran upstairs and locked myself in my bedroom that night. I crawled into bed, and was so mad at Mom and hurt that I think I ended up crying myself to sleep. 'Course, Dad woke me up by banging on my door the next morning, telling me to come down to the kitchen. That's where we always have our family meetings, so I was kinda scared. But I went down and sat like the good boy I am, and Dad starting going on and on about how they were extremely disappointed in me, and how they tried to raise me to be a Christian, and to be ‘normal’, whatever the fuck that is. And that their church didn't accept queers, and it was an abomination against God, and all that crap."
    "Fuck, I really hate religion. I'm so damned glad that my parents don't believe in 'formal religion,' as Mom calls it. I always thought they were pretty geeky, being mad scientists and all, but deep down I know how lucky I am to have them."
    "And don't you forget it! You know, I even tried to argue that God made me this way, but Dad wasn't listening as usual, and was too busy telling me how awful I was. He finally just stood up, looked at me in absolute disgust, and said that they no longer had a son, and I was on my own unless I was willing to change. He was cutting me off as of that moment, unless I would talk to their priest and go to some fix-it camp their church runs. We all know how good those work."
    "Jeez, Kevin. That's awful." I felt so bad for him, I almost felt like crying. "Do you think they'll ever change their mind?"
    Kevin shrugged his shoulders. "I have no clue."
    "What about your mom? She didn't say anything?"
    "Nope, she just sat there like a statue, and wouldn't look at me. I tried to get her to talk to me and get some kind of reaction, but she kept turning away from me until Dad made me leave the room."
    "Well, maybe that means that she didn't agree but didn't dare say anything in front of your dad." My arm was starting to tingle and was getting tired from caressing his neck, so I brought it down and sort of casually landed on his leg. I squeezed his thigh, and left my hand there. He didn't look at me funny or anything, but just kept driving, so I gently rubbed his leg a few times. I watched him, making sure he wasn't too distracted by the discussion, but he seemed to have calmed down.
    To break the silence, I asked, "Can they even do that? I mean, cut you off? I thought you said college was paid for by your grandparents from a trust or something, so it's your money, right?"
    "Yeah, but it's in a trust until