Date: Thu, 2 Jun 2022 18:11:56 -0400
From: James Karvonen <jameskarvonen5@gmail.com>
Subject: Andys Story: The Search for Meaning -8

    The Gay Pride Parade which would be marching through downtown Atlanta
was all part of Gay Pride month which normally takes place during the
month of October.The parade was scheduled to start around 11:00 in the
morning eventually ending up in Piedmont Park around 3:00 in the
afternoon which was about a four mile march from the parades point of
origin. There was a Gay Pride Arts and Craft festival going on in
Piedmont Park on the day of the parade which was very popular and was
always well attended.
     I left the apartment early that morning so that
I would be able to get a good place to watch the parade as it passed by.
Since I didn't have my own bicycle I rented a bicycle at one of these
bicycle and electric scooter stands that can be found all over the city
of Atlanta at just about every corner and block. Already the sidewalks on
both sides of the street were becoming crowded with pedestrians who were
there to watch the parade. Multi- color flags and banners had been strung
up all over Atlanta to recognize gay pride month. I had been hoping that
either my father or Matt would be with me to watch the parade as but that
wasn't going to happen this year. My father was in Savannah on a one of
his very frequent business trips and Matt was at Georgia Tech taking his
midterm exams which left me on my own. I was 14 and had been taking care
of myself over the last year or so when my father and Matt weren't around
so this was nothing unusual for me. Nana still came to the apartment
every day to take care of the housework and cooking so over the last two
years nothing changed as far as Nana was concerned. When Nana, Matt and
my father weren't around I took care of myself. Both Matt and my father
trusted me which made me feel good being a teenager who was trustworthy
in their eyes. That morning I decided to get as close to Piedmont Park as
I possibly could so that I could attend the the Gay Pride Arts and crafts
festival later on that afternoon and probably into the evening. At those
festivals there was a lot that one could do from sampling food at the
numerous food from all over the world at the numerous food stands to
watching live bands and dance performances that usually took place at
these festivals. The Arts and Crafts festival at Piedmont Park stayed
open until midnight so I had plenty of time to look around, explore,
visit some of the exhibits and sample food. I money to burn so I would be
pretty well off that evening.  After dark there would be a fireworks
display that I was looking forwards to watching. Firework displays in
Piedmont Park was always well attended and very popular. So basically I
had my night all planned out. Since no one would be home that evening I
was in no hurry to get back to the apartment since there was so much I
could do.
    As I was walking my bicycle slowly through the crowd that
was beginning to build up along the sidewalks lining  Piedmont Avenue I
saw a young boy standing besides his bicycle. He was the cutest boy that
I had ever seen and my heart actually did a flip flop deep within my
chest as I was looking him over. Curly reddish brown hair covered the of
his head framing his smooth almost cherubic face. He had a snub nose that
had a few freckles crossing the bridge of his nose which I have always
found attractive in young boys his age. His moist ruby red lips looked
more then sensuous. To me they looked almost inviting. He was dressed in
a white tank top T-shirt and blue knee shorts. He stood about 4' 10" with
an almost perfect boyish physique. Even though I was 14 years old I found
this youngster who was much younger then me extremely attractive. In my
eyes he was beautiful, someone who I would definitely enjoy having a
relationship with sometimes in the not to distant future. I had no
boyfriend of my own at school because at school mainly because being gay
I  kept to myself mainly staying in the closet. I already had one bad
experience with two older boys back when I was 10 years old which was the
main reason why I didn't want my sexual orientation be known. After that
incident I didn't want my peers or any of my teachers in school to know
that I was gay.
    This boy who had caught my eye had his rented bicycle leaning up
against a lamppost. Apparently this was the spot that he wanted to be at
when the parade passed by. What surprised me the most about this young
boy was that he was here by himself. There were no adults or any other
teenagers or boys with him. So the question that I had in my mind was why
was this boy who couldn't have been more then 9 or 10 years old even
here, unless of course he was like me, gay also? That could have been a
very good possibility because back when I was his age I already knew that
I was gay. Cautiously I  walked my bicycle towards him. I wasn't all that
sure how I should to go about introducing myself to him. I didn't want
him to think that I was trying to pick him up or something like that. I
wanted him for a friend, nothing more nothing less. He looked over in my
direction. And for a few brief moments our eyes connected. He had the
most gorgeous emerald green eyes that I had ever seen. Already I was
falling in love with him and we hadn't even met yet. When he saw me
staring at him he smiled, a smile that could have melted an iceberg. That
smile was the one invitation that I needed to try and get to know him.
    "Hey there." I said stopping my bicycle besides him.
    "Hey." He answered shyly in a sweet unchanged voice.
    "You here to watch the parade?" I asked.
    "Uh huh, what about you?"
    "Yep, you know they have these parades on once a year."
    "During Gay Pride month, which in Atlanta is in October right?" He
asked.
    I nodded. "That's right. My father likes to attend these parades.
Usually I would attend the parade with him but he's not here right now.
He's on a business trip in Savannah and won't be back for a couple of
days. Is this your  first time attending one of these parades?"
    The boy nodded. "Wasn't really doing anything else today. I heard
about this parade on the radio so I thought I would go ahead and check it
out."
    I wanted to ask right then and there if he thought that he might be
gay, but I decided not venture into that direction, not yet at least.
Deep down inside I hoped that he would bring that subject up. "What's
your name?" I asked.
    "Kevin Harris, what's your name?"
   "Andrew, Andrew St. Monk but I like to be called Andy."
    "You have a British accent, you from England?"
    "No, I never been there but that's where my mum and father are from."
I answered.
    "Are you gay?" He then asked popping the question that I wanted to
ask him.
     I wasn't sure whether I should tell him the truth about myself or
not. Since we just met and were now talking for the first time with each
other I was afraid that I might turn him off to me by outright  admitting
to him that I was gay.
    Noticing my hesitation about all this he said, "I don't care if your
gay or not. I'm think I'm gay so to me it's no big deal if your gay or
not."
    When he admitted to me that he was gay that changed everything for
the better as far as I was concerned. That was exactly what I wanted to
hear.  "Yes, I'm gay." I admitted taking deep breath of relief.
     By now the sun was above the city skyline and it was beginning to
get a little hot outside, hot in more ways then one, I thought.
    "How old are you?" He asked.
    "Fourteen, what about you?"
    "I'm ten, but I'll be eleven in  three months, December 21st to be
exact."
    "And your parents, they don't mind you coming to downtown Atlanta by
yourself."
    "They don't mind. I'm pretty responsible and they trust me." Kevin
replied.
    As we were talking we heard the sirens. Looking up Peachtree Street
we could see several policemen on motorcycles with flashing lights and
sirens blaring slowly down the street towards us. The parade was about to
pass by.
   "Well here comes the parade." I said with excitement in my voice. All
along the sidewalks on both sides of the street pedestrians started
cheering and waving the flags that they were carrying. At a very slow
pace the parade passed by us. Six of the leading twelve police
motorcycles had the multicolored Gay pride flags  attached to the back of
their seats. Behind the police escort were the marchers, Black, White,
Native American, Hispanic they were all there thousands of them, waving
flags, carrying banners dancing and singing. They were all in union with
each other because they were all proud to be gay. Cheers and laughter
erupted from both the bystanders watching the parade and marchers
themselves. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. Passing us by the
marchers danced, and twirled, waving flags and banners both male, female
and transgenders. Many of the male marchers we're shirtless. They were
waving  their T-shirts in circular motions above their heads and they
were waving them with pride. But that was what this parade was all about,
Gay Pride. Some of the males wore jockstraps and nothing else trying to
show off as much skin as they possibly could without getting arrested.
They were carrying everything from balloons, huge feathers and fans to
banners and flags. All in all the parade that was passing us by was very
erotic and arousing in it's own way. Several marching bands  followed. In
between the  marching bands were floats beautiful colorful floats some
covered with balloons and ribbons. Antique cars with the multicolored
flags flying from open windows passed by that intermingled with the
floats. And of course there were the dancers, many who were transgender
waving umbrellas and flags with huge smiles on their faces. Some of the
dancers marched in rhythm to the beat of bongos and drums that who were
musicians who were marching with them played. There were the acrobats and
the clowns that added life to this parade. But what surprised me most of
all were the many kids that were marching proudly in the parade either
with parents or by themselves. They were definitely making a political
statement for the Gay rights advocates young or old who lived in the
Atlanta and the surrounding communities. The energy from the marchers was
great and people were definitely having a good time. It was if the whole
LBGTQ community had turned out just to be in this parade and represent
who they are despite the public criticism.
    While the parade was passing by I was able to know Kevin a lot
better. He asked me where I lived, and I told him not all that far from
here, in an apartment right off of 10th Street. He told me that he lived
in a small apartment complex just off of Ponce De Leon near the Atlanta
Transitional Center about a mile away or so. He also told me that he had
a little brother named Gary who was only 8 years old.
    "He could be a real pest sometimes." He smiled.
     "I wished I had a little brother, I'm a single child." I admitted.
    "Who knows, maybe I can be your little brother that you want being
that you're four years older then I am." Kevin said.
    The statement that he just made right then and there sort of melted
my heart. I could already feel a connection between us. I wanted to hug
him right then and there. "I would like that very much." I said, with
tears welling up in my eyes.
     Near the end of the parade we noticed several shirtless kids,
several our age riding bicycles and scooters zigzagging in and out
between the marchers.
    "Hey, you want to join them?" Kevin suggested. He had already pulled
off his shirt and was bare chested. Getting onto his bicycle he started
waving his T-shirt in the air.
    Sure, why not. Let's do it." I said excitedly. I went ahead and
joined him. With a hoot and holler we took off on our bicycles to follow
the parade as it marched it's way down towards Piedmont Park. Within an
hour and a half Kevin and I had become best of friends. This was my
dream, to have a close friendship and relationship with a gay boy who was
younger then me and it looked like that dream was about to materialize.
In my eyes being an only child, Kevin was the little brother that I had
never had. And what made this so sweet to me was the fact that he was the
Kevin was the one who actually brought this up and started this
friendship going. A friendship that would last only two brief years. I
could not wait to get to know him even better in the weeks that would
follow....