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You are who you are, and I love the person you are. If you’re gay, you’ve been gay this whole time, and I loved you then, so I’ll love you now.”
“There’s nothing you could ever tell me that would make me abandon you.”
“Because it’s who you are and who you’re meant to be.”
“I couldn’t have handled that either, but if you ever keep something like this from me again, it’ll really hurt me. Promise me you won’t hide getting hurt from me again, ever. Promise, Zach.”
“He trusts you, Brady. The kind of trust that most people will never give. Be sure to treasure that and not do anything to break it. I’m not sure you could get it back if you did.”
I’m only cautioning you because I see the bond you have with Zach, and I’m not sure you truly understand what it would mean to lose that. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime kind of friendship…love…and so many go through life searching for what you’ve found so young. Many never find it.”
“You’ve given him a lot of space in here. Take care of your heart, Son, because that boy in the kitchen is most of it.”
I scoot over and spoon him, knowing he won’t relax otherwise. He takes my hand and holds it to his chest in this sweet way that makes me smile.
“He’s right. You walked into our lives, and we knew you were ours even then.”
It was a leap of faith moving our family here, but we both agreed when Brady brought you home that Owen had sent us here for you. We needed you as much as you needed us. You filled up this hole and healed a lot of the hurt we were all going through. We truly believe that Owen sent you to us.”
It sinks in that they truly want me. I’m not a charity case or bothering them. They want me.
“So I’m issuing a challenge to all the students here to stand up and show that we are the generation that will be heard. We will make our high school years the years that changed lives for the better—all our lives.”
“I didn’t do it for you. I did it for Zach and because I wanted to spend time with him,” he says pointedly, clearly not happy with my choice of words.
“He’s gone, baby. I promise you’re safe now. Come back to me… I promise I’ll be right here with you.” Baby. He’s never called me baby before.
“Zach’s everything that is good in this world, and maybe some people think he needs to grow up or should get used to the bad stuff, but he’s had enough bad stuff for a lifetime. He deals with it in his own way…and that’s by being sensitive to everyone. He feels things stronger than most, and with that, he needs the happy stuff, or he’ll drown in all the wrong kind of emotions.”
People who have no one have PTSD…and it may not be ideal for him, but he will get through it. It’s not any different if it happened at work while you weren’t there. You can’t always be a minute away for the rest of your life. Besides, he rarely has them, and you can’t sit around waiting for the next one just because it might happen.”
You can’t control people and what they do, only your reaction to their behavior. Don’t give them a single part of you, not even your anger. Feel it for a moment, but then move on. They are of no meaning or value in your life. They only have power if you give it to them, so don’t. It’s over and done with. Learn from it and move on.”
“You have to stop this, Zach. You are worth so much more than loving someone whom you can never be with. You’re worth so much more than wasting away in this house until
he comes
home. How can you ever expect him to see you differently if you don’t find...
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I don’t think he has any idea how much I’ve thought of him and missed him or what I would do to make him happy. I’d give him the moon if I could.
