Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2012 23:09:46 -0400 (EDT)
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Feeling Comfortable In My Own Skin, chapter 7

Feeling Comfortable In My Own Skin.
Copyright 2011 by billwstories
Chapter 7: Coming Out.

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with the family, but now I began to dread what I
had to do next.  Friday morning, after breakfast, I approached my parents.

"Mom.  Dad.  May I speak with you in private, please?" I asked.

They at me looked confused, but nodded their consent.

"Why don't we go outside, dear," Mom suggested, after a brief delay.

She did this because there probably wasn't any place in the house where we'd
actually be left alone.  Even their bedroom was not sacrosanct, because their
grandchildren (my nieces and nephews) always seemed to barge in there
whenever they were around.  Therefore, we slipped on our jackets and went
outside.  As soon as we were alone, my father spoke.

"What's this all about?" he wanted to know.

"I have something to tell you, but I didn't want to do it in front of everyone else
just yet," I began.  "Mom.  Dad.  I love you both very much and hope you still love
me after you hear what I have to say.  I'm gay and I have a boyfriend."

They didn't react to what I had just told them and only looked at each other for a
moment or two.  After a few seconds, my mother spoke.

"Well, dear, we've always kind of suspected it," she began.  "You know, once you
began to mature that is."

"What?  Do I have a sign on my forehead or something?" I asked, surprised.  I
couldn't believe they already knew this.

"Not exactly, dear," my mother answered.  "We just kind of thought you might be
gay, because you never had a girlfriend or even seemed interested in girls."

Yeah, like I shouldn't have been able to figure that one out on my own.

"We don't mind, son," my father added, and that was the second time he'd called
me son since I'd been home and he hasn't done that in ages.  "I know we were
hoping you'd give us grandchildren, because your children would carry on the
family name, but it's not that big of a deal."

"Well, there's still a chance I might give you grandchildren yet," I countered,
which earned another confused stare from both of them.  "My boyfriend and I
have discussed this and we'd both like to have a family some day.  We've agreed
that we would donate sperm and use a surrogate to give birth, but then we'd
raise the children ourselves."

"Donate sperm," my father repeated, in a droll monotone voice.  "How, um,
clinical."

"It may not sound like a very romantic way to procreate, but the child or children
born when I do it will still carry half of their DNA from me," I explained.  "That
means they'll be just as much my children as any child born as a result of a
heterosexual sex act and they'll also carry on the family name."

"It just sounds, well... unnatural," my father commented, "but if it gives us
grandchildren to carry on the family name, then I can live with it."

"I have a question about that, dear," my mother stated next.  "You said you and
your boyfriend both intend to donate sperm.  So will the children born from your
sperm have your last name?

"Not exactly, mom," I answered.  "We've decided that any child born this way will
be given a hyphenated surname, so they'll have the same last name as the
children that result when my boyfriend does this too.  That way the various
siblings will grow up without the stigma of not having the same surname as each
other.  I think my boyfriend and I will probably do the same, to keep everything
consistent."

"I guess that sounds reasonable," she agreed.

"So what did you say this fellow's name was?" my dad asked.

I don't think he could bring himself to say the word 'boyfriend.'

"His full name is Aiden Fox Perry," I announced.

"Sounds pretty sophisticated," my dad observed, but I wasn't sure if his comment
was meant to be sarcastic.

"So what order would this hyphenated name take?" my mother wondered.

"We've agreed to use Wallace-Perry," I confirmed.

"At least we get top billing," Dad chucked.  "So what can you tell us about his
parents?"

"Aiden comes from a very good family," I replied.  "His father is a noted
psychologist and his mother is a teacher."

"Well, at least it sounds like you were smart enough to find a guy with brains and
money," Dad joked.

"I fell in love with Aiden before I knew about any of that," I confirmed.  "He is
handsome, smart and a really nice guy.  I know you're going to love him when
you finally get to meet him."

"Well, it may work out about the same as if you had a girlfriend," my father drolly
replied, "and we may LIKE him, but I'm not sure about the love part."

"I'm sure he's very sweet and we'll welcome him with open arms," my mother
added, "just like we did your sisters' husbands."

Wow!  This went a whole lot easier and much better than I ever expected.
Maybe if they'd shown this side of themselves before, we might have gotten
along better and I wouldn't have been so embarrassed by them.  Well, maybe
that's not exactly accurate.  I'd have to assume my dad would still have been
gruff and crass, and my mom probably wouldn't have taken any better care of her
physical appearance and done a better job of keeping the house presentable, so
maybe things wouldn't have changed that much.

Before we went inside, I debated about how I was going to tell everyone else
about this.  I knew I was going to have to inform my sisters too, but I wasn't so
sure about their husbands.  Maybe I'll just tell my sisters and let them tell their
husbands when they think it's best.  That works for me, so I hope it also works for
them.

Before they went inside, I asked Mom if she'd ask the girls to meet me outside,
without their husbands.  She agreed, so I stayed outdoors and waited.  A few
minutes later my sisters came out and strolled up to me.

"What's up, squirt?" my oldest sister began.

They've all called me squirt ever since I was little.  The thing is, I've always hated
that name, because it was based on the fact that I've never been as tall as them.

"I've already broken the news to Mom and Dad, so now I want to tell you as well,"
I explained.  "I'm gay and I have a boyfriend."

The oldest and youngest sisters looked at me and tried to stifle their laughter.

"Congratulations on the boyfriend," my middle sister stated, "but we've all kind of
known you were gay since you were 13 or 14."

"Does the whole freaking world know about me?" I screamed.  "I come home
dreading the fact that I have to tell you this and all of you seem to know about it
already."

"We didn't know about the boyfriend, squirt," my older sister added.

"And well, duh," the younger one said elegantly.  "What were we supposed to
think, since you never brought any girls home?  Most teenage boys talk about
girls all the time, but you never said a word about any of them.  We just kind of
figured you were either gay or planning to become a priest."

"How could I have been so dumb?" I wondered, aloud.  I shouldn't have.

"You were thinking with the wrong head," the youngest sister responded, even
though I didn't want any of them to answer.  "Just like most guys."

The three of them tee-heed over that comment.

"Well, at least no one got upset, screamed, threw a tantrum or punched me," I
joked.

"We could punch you, if you want," my middle sister offered.

"Funny," I responded, drolly.  "I suspect your husbands know too then."

"Well, they've suspected it as well," the oldest answered, "so we just told them
that's what we've always thought too."

"Damn!  I can't believe this," I nearly shouted.  "All this time I've been dreading
telling you and worried about how you'd react, but you've known about it all
along."

"It's hard to keep secrets from the ones you love and who love you too," the
middle sister told me.  "You're our brother, so we didn't really care.  We even had
to stand up to a few people who tried to make jokes about it."

"Yes, I once slapped my date across the face when he told me he was glad I
wasn't queer like my brother," the oldest sister admitted.  I also noted she didn't
call me squirt this time either.

"So the whole school knew too?" I asked, completely humiliated.

All of this time I thought I'd been keeping a secret, but it appears as if it never
was a secret at all.  It seems I must have been walking around with a billboard
that announced I was gay.

"Not everyone," the middle sister added, "but quite a few of them did.  It was
especially apparent to anyone that knew us well.  You weren't very good at
hiding it and we even caught you staring at the kid down the street quite a few
times, especially when he wore those skimpy little shorts he was so fond of.  We
thought he was trying to get your attention to do something, but you never made
a move on him.  All you ever did was stare."

"I can't believe this," I whined.  "Everyone else was able to see and interpret the
clues about me, yet I failed to recognize when someone was giving me a signal
and it was staring me right in the face.  And all that time I thought I was just lucky
he lived down the street."

"And would find a reason to come all the way up here to ride his bike or
skateboard?" my youngest sister teased.

Damn, I guess I was a real idiot when it came to all of this stuff.

"Well, thank you for defending my honor and accepting me for who I am," I told
them, as sincerely as I could.

"It's not a big deal and we're just glad you found someone," the middle sister
answered.  "I can't wait to meet him."

"Besides, we've talked this over before and decided it wasn't that you made a
choice or anything," the oldest sister added.  "Since you'd never really dated
anyone or had a relationship with person from either sex, how could you choose?
Since it appeared you were just stuck with it, we felt it would be cruel NOT to
accept you for who you are."

"Not everyone thinks that way," I confessed, "but I'm glad you do.  Thanks again
for being so supportive.

The remainder of my time at home was great.  No one treated me any differently,
not even my older and younger sister's husbands.  I also got my parents to agree
that I would come home for the Christmas break and then be able to leave on the
27th to go spend the rest of the vacation with Aiden.  This meant I'd be able to
celebrate New Year's Eve with him.  I thanked my parents many times for being
so understanding, so when I made the return trip to college I was feeling great.

The ride back on the bus was equally long and boring, so once again I slept as
much as I could before I reached campus.  I got off the bus at the terminal and
had just walked outside and crossed to the other side of the street when
someone grabbed my arm and shoved me up against a wall.  Before I had time
to react, I heard a deep voice speak.

"Give me all your money, kid," it demanded.

I glanced over my shoulder to see who had a hold of me, because I wanted to be
sure it wasn't someone I knew that was just playing a prank on me.  Even though
he tried to stay out of sight, I still caught a glimpse of his face.  When I didn't
recognize the guy, I knew this was no joke.

Since he realized I'd seen him, he now positioned himself so I could see his other
arm.  His hand was stuffed into his jacket pocket and he was moving it toward
me in a menacing fashion, to indicate he had a weapon.  Since I wanted him to
believe I was going to cooperate, I made it appear as if I was just going to reach
into my pocket and get my money for him.  Instead, I wheeled in the opposite
direction and slammed my elbow into his gut.  While he was still reeling from that
blow, I stomped down on his foot as hard as I could and then turned toward him,
so I could knee him in the groin.  The guy doubled over in pain after I did that.

"So you want me to hand over all my money," I screamed, in order to draw
attention to the situation.

I wasn't certain if the guy really had a gun or a knife, so I thought it would be best
to get others involved in helping me.  I could tell the thief was still in considerable
pain, but he was desperately trying to get up so he could escape.  Since I didn't
want him to get away, I moved behind him and kicked his leg, just behind the
knee.  The force of that blow made his leg buckle and sent him off balance, so he
ended up sprawled out on the cement.

"Now stay there," I yelled again, "and will someone please dial 911 and get the
police here to arrest this piece of crap?"

By this time, I had attracted a small crowd of spectators and a couple of the
huskier guys came over and stood on either side of the man to make sure he
didn't leave.  One even placed his foot on the thief's back and pinned him down,
after the guy kept trying to get up.  Then, the other man pulled the scumbag's
arms behind his back, so he couldn't use them to fight against us.

When the police finally showed up, the first thing the officer did was to slap the
guy in handcuffs and place him in the back of his patrol car.  Once he'd done
that, he began asking what had happened.  The others pointed at me, to indicate
I was the one who'd been attacked, so the officer moved in my direction.  As I
was giving him my statement, several people stopped by to tell him they had also
seen what had happen, so he asked them to wait until he finished speaking with
me and then he'd take their information.  They complied and I finished up with
the officer.

One of the two guys who had come to assist me stayed around until after I
finished speaking to the cop, so he could congratulate me for what I'd done.

"That guy was bigger than you, so I'm impressed by how you managed to take
him down," he told me.

I smiled and thought about how Aiden had told me I had to learn to stand up for
myself.

"I may still be a shrimp," I told him, "but I'm a shrimp who's learning to defend
himself and is no longer going to take crap from jerks like him."

The policeman overheard my comment and merely grinned and shook his head.
Some of those waiting to speak to him had also heard me and they began to
applaud my remark.

Once everything was cleared up, I headed off toward the campus.  When I got to
my room, Aiden was already there.  He greeted me very warmly and we kissed
for several minutes.  Once we broke apart, I told him how well everything had
gone at home and explained that I was all set to be with him for part of the
Christmas holiday.  He was thrilled by this news, so he hugged and kissed me
again.

Now that issue had been cleared up, I told him about the incident outside the bus
station.  He laughed and then mocked me.

"I'm Dr. Frankenstein and I've created a monster," he teased.

He continued making fun of me by imitating the way the Frankenstein monster
walked as he circled around the room and this got me laughing.  After a few
seconds he moved away from me, as he edged nearer to his computer so he
could type something on it.  Before long, I heard the familiar melody of
'Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting' playing from his speakers.  That's when I
really cracked up.

"Very funny," I croaked out.

"Well, I'm glad to see you aren't going to let others push you around any longer,"
Aiden responded, before he offered me a word of caution.  "I'm proud that you
handled the attacker and defended yourself, but I know the first time you take
down a bully or someone bigger than yourself it can be a rush.  Please don't let it
go to your head.  Your success doesn't mean you're invincible and there's
always someone out there who can beat you, no matter how good you are, so
don't go looking for trouble.  Only take on the thugs who come at you or go after
someone else."

"Okay, I promise you I won't start anything," I agreed.  "I'm really glad you taught
me how to defend myself though, so I don't have to take anyone's shit any
longer.  I'm not going to let them pick on me or anyone else either."

Once I'd told him this, Aiden wrapped me up in a bear hug and began kissing me
again.  As we continued being affectionate, I thought about how much I owed
Aiden.  Not only had he made me feel comfortable about being gay and helped
convince me to come out to my family, but he's also taught me to defend myself
and not allow others to push me around any longer.  With his help and
encouragement, I have overcome so many obstacles, some of which I had
created for myself by building various mental barriers.  Now, my self-confidence
is soaring and I feel better about myself than I can ever remember.

Once all of the excitement from the day had died down, Aiden explained that he'd
gone ahead and cleared everything with his family concerning my visit.  He said
he did this because he was hoping I'd be able to spend some time with him at
Christmas and his father had offered to buy my airplane ticket, so I could fly from
my home to where they lived.  His father said he would also buy another ticket for
me, so I can return to campus with Aiden when our vacation ends.  I was blown
away.

"Aiden, I can't let him do all that for me," I objected.

"Yes, you can," Aiden countered.  "My dad offered and it was totally his idea.  He
can easily afford to do it, so just be quiet and accept it as our family's Christmas
present to you."

What could I say now?

Aiden then went on to tell me that since I'd be spending New Year's there, he
had also worked out some special plans for the two of us, but he wouldn't give
me any details.  He merely said I'd have to wait and see what he had in store.  I
was intrigued.

When we returned to our classes after the Thanksgiving break, things were going
really well for us and it seemed as if everything was falling into place.  I was even
doing much better in Spanish class and Aiden had absolutely nothing to do with
that – well, except for giving me the confidence to succeed.

We continued doing our workouts and Aiden taught me more moves, which I
practiced over and over again.  We also continued studying together and I was
even beginning to understand what Dr. Swift was talking about in psych class,
even before Aiden clarified it for me.  As finals approached, we studied even
harder, but I no longer looked forward to the exams with fear and trepidation.  I
was confident going in to every final and came out feeling as if I had done very
well.  Damn, that certainly is a switch.

During the last couple of days before classes ended, Aiden confronted me about
our plans.

"I hope you're all set to come out and spend time with me," he quipped.  "I'll be
there to pick you up at the airport when you land."

"Yes and I can't wait, but I am a little nervous about meeting your parents," I
admitted.

"Why?  You'll love them and they'll love you.  No big deal," Aiden assured me.

"But your dad's a psychologist and will know what I'm thinking and everything," I
blurted out and Aiden laughed.

"He's a psychologist, not a psychic," Aiden mocked.  "He can interpret your
behavior, but he certainly doesn't know what you're thinking."

I saw my mistake and realized how stupid my comment had been, so I decided to
move on to something else.

"You know, you're going to be a great psychologist just like him," I told Aiden.

"Except I'm going to be a child psychologist," Aiden stated.

"Oh?  Why a child psychologist?" I wondered.

"Well, Petey, I've had plenty of practice and done pretty well working with you,"
he teased.

I merely reached out and punched him in the shoulder for calling me Petey again.

"I told you I hate that name, so don't ever call me that," I scolded.

"Ah, so you're only reacting to the fact that I used that name for you," Aiden
pondered, "and not because of the fact that I was saying you had acted like a
child back then."

I punched him again.

"That too," I said, as Aiden dramatically began to rub his shoulder.

"Well, I definitely think I'm going to regret that I taught you how to defend
yourself," he informed me.

After saying this, he stuck his tongue out at me.  I don't know how he does it, but
Aiden can find the humor in almost any situation.

		*    *    *    *    *    *

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