I'm Gay and I'm Leaving

How can I do this? There are so many ways! How can I even choose? One choice will probably make my family leave me forever and another might just save our relationship! How am I supposed to know this stuff? This isn't my fault! I can help being gay!

I do have a boyfriend. He's strong, tall and his smile makes a whole gang of butterflies on caffiene form in my stomach. He has blond hair, but it's bordering on white, and his teeth are perfect. I would ask him to pinch me so I know this whole relationship is real, but even his fingers are perfect. How did I land Jack Deans?

Jack and Elsie are the only two who know that I'm gay. We've been friends since nursery, but I only found out that Jack was bisexual three months ago. That's when I told him I was gay. We've been in love since then, I suppose. It's funny, loving your best friend from afar only to find out that they love you just as much. It makes my head spin!

"What if we have dinner with them on Saturday?" suggested Jack.

"You think that's the best way to tell them?" I asked, uncertain.

"Absolutely! Go on, Bobs, my parents and I will be there for you if you need us."

That's another thing. My parents don't like the fact that Jac's bisexual, but they didn't try and keep me away from him. Will things be different when it's their own son? I have no clue.

"Good. Where should we do this?"

"Pizza Hut?" Jack asked goofily.

I shook my head.

"McDonalds?"

I shook my head again.

"Pizza Express?"

"Bingo," I said with a smile.

* * *

My parents weren't happy to come to Pizza Express on Saturday, but when I told them my partner
would be there, their faces lit up. That look of hope alone made me feel sick inside. They had no idea.
The two were very talkable on the car ride there. They wanted to know everything that they could fit into their heads, but I didn't say a thing until we were outside the restaurant.

"Is the food good, Bobs, my boy?" my Dad asked.

"It is! My partner said they almost swalloed their plate whole when they came here last!" I said, trying to make it as gender neutral as possible. Too bad I was speaking Welsh, and Welsh has specific rules.

"Bobs! You need to catch up with your Welsh lessons*! You have to mutate aspirately when you're speaking about a girl!" my mum, the head of the Welsh department of my school.

"That's the thing... I know. I mutated softly on purpose."

My mum gasped suddenly, but it took a couple of seconds before my dad did the same. He just realised what I'd said. Jack came suddenly from the restaurant to greet me. He was wearing a perfectly blue suit and a smile as white as snow.

"Your partner's a boy? You have a boyfriend!?" My mum gasped again before realising: "Jack's your boyfriend!?"

I took a pause before saying to them: "Mum, Dad... I'm gay."

My mum was shocked. She didn't like this at all, I could see it in her eyes. My Dad, on the other hand, had much more hatred in his eyes. He was confused, but there was no doubt tha he was extremely uncomfortable with being in my company.

"Please, I can't help it..." I started.

"This doesn't change your son," Jack said suddenly. "He's still the sweetest person I know, and if you have a problem with my love for him, then I don't even want to be in the same room as you."

My dad left, just like that. Without a word. One minute he's here, with hatred written all over his face, and the other, he's gone. Despite this, my mum stayed. I wanted to run at her and hug her, even with all these people watching, but she wouldn't approve.

The night was awkward without my father. His chair was empty, and we all kept stealing glances at it. Despite all this, by the end of the night, Mum looked like she was starting to enjoy Jack's company, just like she did three months ago.

* * *

"I DON'T WANT MY SON GOING ON ROMANTIC DATES WITH SOMEONE LIKE JACK. BISEXUALS OBVIOUSLY JUST WANT ATTENTION!"

"I thought that too, honey, but I got a chance to meet the boy, and he's exactly the same now as he was before..."

"BEFORE WHAT, MARGOT?"

"...before he was bisexual. It doesn't change him one bit, and being gay doesn't change Bobs."

"YOU THINK THAT, MARGOT?"

I shook in my bed when my parents screamed at each other that night. I was glad that my mother had changed her views, but the way Dad spoke frightened me. Would he want to get rid of me as soon as possible? What would happen to me?

* * *
My mum woke me with tears streaming down her face.

"Bobs, I'm so sorry, but it looks like we're going to have to go."

"Mum, it's Sunday morning. What about church?"

"You're still a Christian even though you're gay?"

"Of course. My religion doesn't just change overnight, Mum. Where are we even going?"

My mum started to pack my stuff very quickly indeed. So fast that it looked like we weren't coming here again... There was no time to question her, so I grabbed some clothes and changed in the bathroom.
After a couple of hours, my mum and I had packed all of our stuff, and we were walking through the door when my father shouted from upstairs:

"AND STAY AWAY FROM MY HOUSE!"

The words hurt me, but it was time to move on to our new lives together.