T

of the friends I kept didn't read much beyond comments and posts on social media. For me, books were everything. I guessed that

ars went by, I came to learn that she was right after all. I was strong. My time in high school taught me that I was much stronger than I ever gave myself credit for. All these and

r, who wasn't, to go start a family with another woman. I remember my mother say

ever met her, but I knew her. I knew that beneath all those garments of pain and grief was

my looks. Being that I inherited my Dad's athletic genes, I got a lot of attention from girls at school. Many thought I was the most handsome guy at the s

down at the watch on my wri

friend of mine who was well in her seventies. Last night she told me via e-mail tell

was old enough to be my grandmother. I had quite a few of them.

s and got there in less

ng me into her embrace. "I didn't

table on the porch and walking into the kitch

ung man. Any woman will

illionth time, I'

"Well, the message is barely changed. Y

hether it was an issue many gay men faced because in my experience I found out that most guys I met were either no

a person I could call my boyfriend. Yeah, I know it wasn't something you would expect to hear from a twenty-seven-year-old man who had been p

oes with her eyes which meant sh

inquired, sitt

ng ahead of his birthday." She reached for a little wrapped box and handed it to

beamed at me. "Sure I will

him it's a cardig

wouldn't have known if

en known until I opened the store in the morning. It was Sherry, the w

handwritten note telling him how much he me

ed it," I said, trying to match

d he was crying. He was in the army and a

d then as she spoke wa

erfucker would even read it. To think that I actually doted on that man when I was a kid. I used to adore him even though he barely had a

knew he had fucked every prostitute in a thirty-mile radius of our home. He missed every of my birthday; he missed every one of my games in high school; he missed everything. And

ly knocked down a garbage ca

t, but my mind kept pondering about my Da

en worth trying." Mum said to me after I told her I wanted

s my father after all. Sadly,

. At that time, I was about to start my sophomore year at college. It had been years since I spok

those words so many times that they should have been etched on

lling. It was one thing to not have my current phone number, it was another

ited to see him. There wasn't any reason to be, but I remember havi

hether she was scared of Dad embarrassing her, or she was just scared of him. Something told me it had to b

nd I said it was all fine. If he didn't have anything, he had guts because what

ife asked, hoping to make

t I didn't want to of

you should cling to God." He drank some water before continuing. "The devil is making many young minds do stupid th

didn't know whether to get mad that he didn't know his

u remember Brent? The carpenter's

s, I do. Why ar

l well with that monster of a cock he has down there." I stopped to savour the soothing display of sheer fury in his eyes and I watched it as

ee she was very uncomfortable. He suddenly burst out in anger and asked me to leave his house. He kept saying he would ne

ly figure said, ta

e me more than a second to realise