Our Future

I grabbed Gabriel’s hand and pulled him in the direction of my house. He didn’t resist but his pace was slow and unsure. People both stared and ignored us as we walked.

The walk was nerve-wrecking. But again I figured I should get this out of the way as quickly as possible.

As we approached the front Gabriel became more resistant.

“We’ll have to do it at some point,” I whispered stopping a meter from the door.

He knew that was true.

My parents would want to know the reason I broke up with Melody and I wasn’t good at lying any more now than I was then.

I lead him up to the door, opened it and walked in to accept my fate.

My parents were in the kitchen deciding what to make when we walked in.

“Hey, Nathan,” my mother called.

I didn’t reply.

“How was school? How did you do on that math quiz?” she continued.

“Nathan?” she called after no reply.

I let out a breath and stepped into view still holding Gabriel’s hand.

“Mom, I’m gay,” I stated.

My dad turned around at that moment.

“Nice, what do you want for supper?” he asks.

Mother looked on a little confused.

I looked at her nervously.

Dad joined in, awaiting her reaction.

I didn’t expect him to accept it so readily but I was glad he did.

‘I’ll talk to her,’ my Dad mouthed. ‘Don’t worry about it.’

I smiled nervously at him and squeezed Gabriel’s hand.

“Have you told Melody?” he asked sounding slightly concerned.

“Yeah, she said she’d need some time to adjust to it before we announced it,” I whisper.

“Well, be nice to each other and careful. And no random sex with other guys you don’t know, “he replied.

He was worried about us contracting STDs. We were committed to each other right now and we were both virgins.

“Don’t worry about others, Melody will come to see that this is who you are and that you were confused well dating her and it was good you told her instead of lying,” he replies.

“You’re not my son,” I heard my mother whisper.

I pulled Gabriel behind me and backed up a few steps.

It was the same as before, nothing had changed with her.

“What are you talking about, Jamie?” my father questions.

“My son isn’t gay, he’s straight and he loves a girl named Melody,” she whispers.

I kept Gabriel behind me.

“Jamie, it’s who he is. He can’t change it,” my father reminds her.

“Shut up,” she shouts grabbing a steak knife and charging at me and Gabriel.

Gabriel pulls me behind him but I hold on so we move at the same time. We stumble away from my mother.

My father realizes what’s going on and attempts to grab her but she lashes out at him as well.

My mother turns her attention back to us and charges again. I put a hand up and time freezes. I guess we didn’t have to wait to rediscover our new powers again.

I sign and look at my mother frozen midair with the knife in hand.

Gabriel releases my hand.

“She’s still the same,” I whisper.

“Sorry,” he whispered.

Gabriel’s father may have rejected him but he didn’t attempt to kill him.

I grabbed some rope from the garage and bound my mother’s hands. We sat her on the couch and I hit play on time after placing the knife back in its rack.

“Jamie, he is your son. How could you attempt to kill him?” my father exclaimed.

I think he ignored the change of scenery and was just glad we were both unharmed.

“It’s a sin,” she snapped. “Did he make you do this?” she asked nodding at Gabriel.

“I knew we should of band you from hanging out with him. He made you gay,” she curses.

They were going to band me from being Gabriel’s friend? When did this happen?

“He didn’t make me anything. I was born this way. I didn’t choose it. I love him. I can’t help it,” I exclaim annoyed.

It wasn’t Gabriel’s fault I was gay. It wasn’t anybody’s really. It was just who I was.

“Yes, he did. You were in love with Melody. He made you think you liked him for his own selfish reasons,” she continues.

I could see Gabriel tear up. He seemed to think he may have actually done this.

I squeezed his hand more trying to reach him.

I beckoned my father and he followed us into their bedroom. We closed the door so we didn’t have listen to my mother’s yelling to come back.

“What are we going to do?” I ask.

My father looked unsure and a little scared.

“I think you should stay at Gabriel’s till she calms down, okay?” he sighs.

I looked at him. Was he seriously making me leave instead of her? How did he know she wouldn’t attack him after we left?

“What if she tries to kill you?” I ask.

“I think she’s just confused. She probably just needs to calm down and think,” he reasons.

“Whatever,” I exclaim grabbing Gabriel’s hand and leading him to the front door.

My mother spits and curses after us.

Once we were outside I take a deep breath. This was going a lot worse here than before.

“None of what she said is true, you know that, right?” I whispered to Gabriel placing a hand on the side of his head.

“Yeah,” he whispers placing his head up against mine.

We shared a slow kiss and then starred at each other.

It couldn’t get any worse, right?