Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 8

I'm twenty-five, and Mom and Dad control it. When I pointed out that Grandma and Pappy had left me that trust, he said that they'd just say that it paid for the first two years and it was now gone. We'd been splitting the tuition one-third me and two-thirds them, so I still had some left."
    "That's so fucking unfair. Were they your mom's or dad's parents?"
    "Mom's. I might try appealing to her once things have calmed down, but I'm not holding my breath. She hasn't tried to contact me at all, and it's been almost three months." He sighed and I was quiet for a couple of minutes. I finally couldn't stand the silence, though.
    "I'm really sorry, Kevin. Sometimes it takes time, you know? And well, sometimes parents just suck. Didn't you know how religious they were?"
    "Nope, I had no fucking idea." Kevin hit the steering wheel with his fist. "Growing up, we always went to church and it didn't seem like it was a big deal. But my freshman year, they started going to this new church. Mom and Dad talked about it a lot, but I guess I didn't realize that they took it that seriously. Dad's always been kind of a bigot but I think this church seemed to make it worse. We got along okay, though."
    "I guess you never went?"
    "No, I had no interest, especially since none of my friends went there, and I worked on Sundays. I was at the diner last summer, remember?"
    "Yeah, it's what helped you get the job you have now, and now our jobs too." The music played lightly in the background; Kevin's iPod must have been on a random mix because there didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for what played. My hand was still on his leg and I had been letting it sit there, not bringing any attention to it. It was comforting me so I hoped he had forgotten about it, or that it was at least bringing him some measure of comfort too.
    Kevin ran his right hand through his hair, raising it into sexy spikes that bent every which way. He huffed out a breath, and then said, "What I can't seem to wrap my mind around is how my parents can just drop me like that. After raising me for nineteen years? It's not like I've changed; I just like guys instead of girls, although they didn't know that." He hit the steering wheel again. "I should have just gone up to my room with Pete, and not let him talk me into doing it behind the garage. Then none of this would have happened, and I'd still be okay."
    "'Hindsight is twenty-twenty.' I guess you can never really know how people will react. Did your friends at least know you were gay?"
    "My close ones. Just a couple of 'em, though. Being in a small town, you don't want to stand out, especially in Texas. Pete, obviously, and Katy. You remember me talking about her? She's like my best friend."
    "Yeah. Does she know what happened?"
    "Of course; I called her as soon as I got to my room after the kitchen scene. My parents gave me some time to pack up my stuff, at least, and I was out of there pretty quick. They wouldn't even say goodbye, though, Jer. I could see Mom in the kitchen doing something but she just nodded and wouldn't look at me when I told her I was leaving. I didn't see Dad anywhere. Anyway, Katy told me to come straight over, so after I packed up the car, I went to her house and we went up to her room. She talked to me for a couple of hours and calmed me down before I hit the road, 'cause I was really upset and couldn't stop crying." Kevin was quiet for a few seconds as if reliving the scene, then sighed. "Katy and I still talk all the time, and she's been fantastic. I'm really excited because she's coming to see me just before her classes start in August."
    "Great! I'd like to meet her. She's at Tulane, right? In New Orleans? We should go visit her over Mardi Gras!"
    "Actually, she said that the parade in September was better. I forget what it's called… oh, Southern Decadence, I think. It's all gay people like us."
    "Damn, that sounds awesome. Maybe next year?"
    "Maybe."
    We both fell silent again; I was digesting what he told me. I couldn't imagine what it must have been like to have parents one minute, and the next be totally on my own. I mean, if you can't count on your family, who could you count on? At least I had a brother and sister, but Kevin was an only child. I'd be scared shitless trying to grasp what that meant, having to come up with money to pay for everything . Thank God mine were mine, and I vowed to be a better son from that moment on.
    "You okay?" I finally asked.
    He shrugged. "I will be,