Sitting at his desk, bent over, Eric shivered and sobbed for several minutes like a small child as Mike stood next to him and hugged his shoulders.
“Would you like me to freshen your coffee?” Mike asked when he saw his friend was beginning to calm.
Eric nodded. Yet, his response really wasn’t needed since his partner had already grabbed his cup and was heading toward the mini-sink. He took a sip of the fresh hazelnut brew a minute later.
“Feel better?” Mike asked.
“Yes. Thanks,” Eric replied, even though his cheeks still remained a slight pinkish. “I’m sorry I became so emotional. That’s normally not me.”
Mike glanced at his friend and smiled. “No problem. You had a right to be upset. But I really wish you would share at least a little bit about the how, what, when and where. From the way this has affected you, I take it this was far more than just a typical ... for lack of better words ... physical and/or emotional abuse.”
“You’re right,” Eric said before pausing. “It was. However, what you’re imagining is far from being the worse part.”
Mike’s eyebrows rose. “How can that be? I don’t understand. What could possibly be worse?”
Eric looked at him and, once again, his cheeks reddened. However, this time instead of being a mild pink, they turned crimson – and he waited a moment before responding.
“Exactly what happened and the way it happened,” he eventually answered. “Things didn’t occur the way you think, Mike. Society’s rules, in this particular case, were definitely broken. But, it was done in such a way most people not only don’t understand – they wouldn’t accept the fact that something like this could occur.”
Question marks formed deep within Mike’s brown pupils and he blinked. “What do you mean?”
“Mike,” he said before pausing to take a sip of his coffee. “I’m not sure you really want me to go into this. And, if you do, you’re going to need to have an open mind because what happened is a truth, a concept, over ninety-nine percent of society cannot accept. Furthermore, because of the complexity involved – the victim involved, as in this case, me, for a long period of time ends up being deceived for months, if not years.”
Mike gazed at Eric as if what he had said had been spoken in Latin. Is Eric trying to say what it sounds like?
He paused and shook his head. No. It can’t be. ... Things like that just don’t happen.
“Are you sure you still want to hear this, my friend?” Eric asked after waiting several seconds for a response.
Mike’s answer did not immediately arrive.
“That’s what I thought,” Eric said, getting up from behind his desk. He then proceeded to look out the window at those hustling down the sidewalks as traffic moved at a snail’s crawl.
Now, why couldn’t I be like one of them? he thought, releasing a sigh. Did I ask to be different? Did I want to be different? ... I don’t think so.
Mike joined him in his observation.
“So what happened?” he asked after a minute or two had passed.
“You really want to know?” Eric seemed to be surprised.
“Yeah. That’s what I said, didn’t I? If I hadn’t, we wouldn’t have started this discussion.”
Eric warmly leaned toward his friend and gave him a light kiss.
“True,” he agreed before chuckling. “But you know this is hard for me to talk about. ... I can’t help but feel so stupid.”
Mike raised a single eyebrow. “Stupid? Why should you feel stupid? Is what you did dumb?”
Eric shook his head. “No. Not actually, especially since I was just a kid at the time.”
Mike displayed a puzzled look.
“I’m afraid you’re starting to lose me again. You first say you were stupid, and then you justify your actions because you were a kid. What gives?”
Eric semi-grinned and took a deep breath.
“Well,” he began. “The bottom line is like I said before, I was deceived. My so-called abuse was done in such a way, I did not realize I had been used and abused until years later – and by then, it was too late.”
“Oh?” Mike replied, partially understanding. “So what actually happened?”
Eric looked down and shook his head, and Mike could tell that his companion was about to get down to the nitty-gritty.
“You do know that I’m gay, don’t you?” Eric said, displaying an insecure smile.
Mike exploded into laughter. “Well. Duh. Isn’t that a bit obvious? I hate to think we’ve been married for umpteen years just to find out you weren’t. That really would be the pits.”
Eric joined him in laughter, and they gave each other a side-to-side hug.
“Everything actually started when I was either eight or just before I turned eight,” Eric began after they calmed down. “I had known for several years I was different. After all, most of my school friends liked stuff like playing ball and various other rough activities – not to mention, pulling the legs off any bug they might find. But for some strange reason, I never had an interest in that type of junk. ... Yet, I would pretend I did, just so my friends would keep hanging around. You know what I mean? ... The things I really liked doing was coloring, or helping my Mom cook dinner or a dessert.”
“More passive type of things,” Mike inserted.
Eric nodded his confirmation.
“So what happened when you were around eight?” Mike asked.
Eric sighed as if he didn’t want to answer.
“Well. An uncle of mine, who before then lived out of town, unexpectedly moved in. He claimed that because he was a recovering alcoholic he was having trouble finding a job and ...”