Copyright © 2012 by Grant Bentley . All Rights Reserved . If any nice person , nasty person , place , event , happening , thing , or sport , seems familiar , it is purely coincidental I 'm Jamie Thomas and , at the time this all started , I 'd been gay for seventeen years and ' emo ' or at least dressed the part for the past three years . I totally loved the emo look and the emotional , sensitive , angsty stereotype that goes along with it . Not to mention the fact that it drove my parents around the bend . Which , for them , was a fairly short trip . I 've known I was gay since I was twelve or thirteen . Because my parents would have killed me if they found out , I thought I was doing a reasonably good job of closet dwelling . Still though , a lot of kids were pretty much convinced I was gay and often dropped hints to that effect . Hints that I ignored or laughed off . Thankfully , however they saw me , I was seldom hassled or picked on . Partly , I think , because I was very careful not to give anyone a reason to think I was ' perving ' on them . And , partly because I was the ' class clown ' . I was a master of the one - liners and could find the funny side of almost any situation . Being ' small for my age ' , I learned that if I was entertaining and funny , other kids would rather laugh with me than at me . I think I got along with a lot with the teachers and kids alike because of my small size , baby face , vivid blue eyes , and permanent smile . In fact , I was once described as being elfish . Life was good . And then there was Chip . That 's right , Chip . He was everything I wasn 't . He was the personification of the tall , dark , handsome jock . He was also totally ' full of himself ' , and was probably the most arrogant , ignorant , conceited jerk I have ever met . He was the kind of guy who was always surrounded by people but didn 't have a single real friend , just worshippers and cling - ons . If he dropped his pants and commanded , ' kiss my ass , ' there would have been a fight to see who would get to do it . If the coach hadn 't walked in , he probably would have kicked the crap out of me right there and then . I wish he had , because that would have been so much better than what happened later . Unfortunately , I lived two blocks from him , on the same street , so on my way home I had to walk past his house . A couple of weeks after the locker room confrontation , Chip caught up to me in front of his house , grabbed me by the back of my neck , and before I could even think to react , he forced me inside with him . My feet hardly touched the ground until I was in his room . He told me I was his . When I resisted , he backhanded me across the face and told me , either I did what he said , or he would beat the shit out of me . I still resisted , so he did just that . In fact , he beat me so badly I lost consciousness . Then , apparently , he raped me . I 'm not sure if he thought he had killed me or if he hoped that I would die without prompt medical attention , but the next thing I knew , I was lying in a ditch on some back road west of the city . Even though I hurt so much I couldn 't move , I knew I had to get help . I tried to get up but I must have passed out again . The next conscious realization I had , I was in the hospital , however I had no idea how I got there . I found out later that some kids , who were out biking , had found me and called 911 on their cell . Within ten minutes , an ambulance was there and fifteen minutes later I was in the hospital ER . I had three broken ribs , a collapsed lung , a concussion , a ruptured spleen , bruised kidneys and numerous other injuries . I had to have surgery twice and spent seven weeks in hospital . During the first week , I don 't remember seeing any visitors , not even my parents . But then I was in and out of consciousness for the first few days , so I wouldn 't have remembered anyway . The only people I remember seeing other than medical staff were a couple of police officers , and that wasn 't until after I was moved from Intensive Care at the end of the second week . They simply took a statement of what I could remember and left . Of course , I remember seeing my best friend Randy and his parents . In fact , Randy was there every day . I think he did more to help me get through it all than anyone , including the counsellors . It wasn 't until the third week that others began to come in to see me . I had several teachers and friends from school drop in . But I still never saw my parents . I asked about them but no one seemed to have a reasonable answer as to why they never came to see me . I was actually starting to worry that something had happened to them . Finally , a social worker came in about the middle of the third week . I don 't know if she was putting it off because it was such a difficult thing she had to do , or if she was waiting until she was sure . At any rate , I was lying there recovering from multiple injuries , two surgeries , and being raped when this poor lady had to explain to me that , on top of everything else , my parents had given up all parental rights to me . According the social worker , my parents had been in to see me the day I was admitted . As the doctor explained my injuries , they were devastated that someone would do that to their ' precious little boy ' . That is , until he suggested there was evidence that I had also been raped . Then their concern turned to anger . First , they insisted that the doctor had made some terrible mistake . When the doctor assured them he hadn 't made a mistake and explained the evidence that led to his conclusion , they wouldn 't accept it . At least my father wouldn 't . He was determined that it was not possible and whatever my father said , my mother went along with . One thing you have to understand is that my parents are very proud , very conservative and very religious . All their lives , they had been told , by their church , their Republican politicians , and to some extent by the media , that to be good God - fearing conservative Americans , it would be impossible to have a gay son . Combine their beliefs with a small measure of naïvety , or a large measure of stupidity , and you have the recipe for some fairly dodgy thought processes . Somehow in his wisdom , what little he had , my father had decided that a man could rape a woman , but a man could not ' be ' raped nor could he rape another man . Brutally beaten - yes . That was acceptable . Raped - no . That was not acceptable . No ' man ' would allow himself to be taken ' that way ' unless he was predisposed to homosexual tendencies . To make matters worse , two days after I was admitted to hospital , my name had appeared under the front - page headline ' Brutally Beaten and Raped ' . So obviously I was gay , and as far as they were concerned , it was headline news . At that point , I guess to save face with their friends and the church , and maybe even themselves , they felt they had no choice but to disown me . I did say ' dodgy ' thought processes , didn 't I ? I tried desperately to get hold of them . I wanted to convince them that I didn 't want to have sex with this guy , to make them understand that I had been unconscious when he raped me . Eventually , though , I realized it would be pointless . Although it had nothing to do with my being raped , I was gay and in time they would simply disown me anyway . I decided , ' screw them ' . If they didn 't want me as their son , I didn 't want them as my parents . Now , I not only had to deal with the trauma of being beaten and raped but disowned as well . I hardly slept that night or for the next couple of nights . The counsellors at the hospital , the social worker , but most of all Randy , were great though , and they got me through it . A week before I was to be released , one of the police officers came by to interview me one last time . He told me that Chip had been arrested and charged . The DNA tests from their home proved that I had been there . They had found traces of my blood on the carpet and wall in his bedroom . A DNA test on swabs taken from me had proven that he did have sex with me . The tire tracks they found where I had been dumped matched his dad 's car tires . Also , the soil sample from the edge of the road where I was found and the soil samples taken from their car 's tires matched . The officer said the evidence was so overwhelming he didn 't have a chance . After nearly seven weeks , I was told I would be ready to be released in a couple of days . Randy 's parents had made it clear that they would be more than willing to take me in , but they already had five kids and a small three bedroom house . Social services made it clear that they felt that Randy 's parents taking me in would be an extra burden they really didn 't need . His parents argued the point , but didn 't get very far . My social worker thought it would be a great idea too , but she didn 't have the final say , so staying with Randy 's family was not an option . She came to see me the day I was to be released and told me that she was looking for a foster home for me , but not all foster homes were willing to take in teens my age . She told me that she would keep looking , but since she hadn 't found a foster family yet , I would be going to a small group home . It turned out to be really good . There were five boys altogether ranging in age from fifteen to seventeen . A couple of the other guys were also gay so we outnumbered the straight boys three to two . The other guys were very accepting anyway , so it didn 't matter . I wasn 't to start school for the first week I was there . They wanted me to heal a bit more physically . I was also still seeing a counsellor everyday to help me deal with everything I had been through . He also wanted to give me a few extra days to make sure I was emotionally ready to go back to school . It was Saturday morning when I was called downstairs at the home . When I turned the corner into the living room , I was swept into what I think was supposed to be a gentle hug , but it hurt like hell , and I could hardly breathe . It actually scared the crap out of me , that is , until I heard my brother 's voice . Let me explain . My brother , Jonas , is fourteen years older than me ( I was an accident ) . He worked for a large computer company and he and his wife , Sharon , had been living in Europe for the last six months . My social worker had been trying to find him since my parents gave me up . She didn 't say anything to me as she wasn 't sure his reaction would be any different than my parents . However , as soon as he was informed of what happened , he and Sharon were on a plane home . He asked her not to tell me as he wanted to surprise me . He did . " Oh my God Jamie , " he said as he finally released me and stepped back to look at me , " How you doin ' kiddo ? " He always called me that . Even at seventeen , I loved it . I don 't know why , but for some reason , it meant he loved me . Dumb , huh ? He then pulled me into another more gentle hug . I glanced to my right and saw Sharon smiling at me with tears running down her cheeks . I smiled back and she blew me a kiss . I also saw my social worker standing there , smiling with a tear or two as well . My heart dropped when I felt him release his grip on me . I expected to see his eyes full of disappointment . I didn 't . I saw a smile and nothing but love . I never thought I would be able to say I was going home again . I can 't tell you how good it felt to hear those words . Home , it turned out , was a huge new four bedroom condo on the tenth floor of a luxury high rise . I couldn 't believe it when my brother showed me my room . It was as big as half my parents ' house . It had a queen size bed , desk with a laptop computer and cell phone sitting on it , a stereo and thirty six inch television with a PS3 . I even had my own balcony . I phoned Randy soon after I got there to let him know where I was and what had happened with Jonas coming home from Europe . He was over within twenty minutes and we spent the day visiting with Jonas and Sharon , talking and fooling around ( not that way ) and playing the PS3 . He had known Jonas most of his life and I know Jonas saw him as another little brother . Randy and I had been best friends since kindergarten . He was the first person I told I was gay . He isn 't by the way . He treated it as if I had just told him I was short . Kinda like , okay , tell me something I didn 't already know and that was it . As I said , he was at the hospital every day and I think he did as much to help me deal with everything as the counsellors did . I knew I could tell him anything and he would listen so I told him everything and he listened . He held me , he comforted me , and he cried with me . He made sure I knew that he would always be there for me , that I would always be his best friend , and nothing would ever change that . After everything that had happened , having one person who cared and who I knew I could count on no matter what , did more to pull me through than anything else . It was Wednesday afternoon when we decided I could return to school Thursday . We decided a two day week would be good to start with . I would get the feel of being back and the other kids would get the feel of having me back . As usual , Randy and I would walk to school together . Of course , we weren 't living next door to each other any more , so Randy had to walk seven blocks to get to our building , before we continued on another five blocks to the school . It seemed like it was taking him forever to get here though . I was afraid we were going to be late but Jonas convinced me we wouldn 't be late . Randy finally got here about eight fifteen . When we left the condo we had fifteen minutes before the first bell . I didn 't know what to expect when I entered the school . My rape and the Chip 's arrest had made front - page news . I can tell you what I didn 't expect . I didn 't expect a huge banner in the main entry welcoming me back . Nor did I expect half the school population to be there , cheering and clapping as I walked in the door . It was the first time in this whole horrific ordeal that I really broke down . I was standing there with a huge smile and bawling my eyes out at the same time . Now I knew why Randy was taking so long . Just as he was about to put his arm around my shoulders I turned and smacked him on the arm . " You asshole , " I whispered to him . He just grinned . It was then that Jonas and Sharon walked in behind us and Jonas put his arms around both of us . Even they were in on it . The principal , Mr . Johnson , came forward , shook my hand and welcomed me back as did all my teachers . Then , everyone basically surrounded me . I got more hugs , gentle hugs that is , in the next ten minutes than I got in the first seventeen years of my life . I say gentle because everyone had been warned I still had some healing to do and to be very careful around me . What we didn 't know was that they had organized a rape awareness assembly before Jonas had called them on Wednesday to say I would be back the next day . The welcome back banner had already been prepared so it was ready for whenever I decided to come back and getting all the kids together was easy . However , they weren 't sure how I would react to the assembly . After everything settled down , Mr . Johnson took Jonas , Sharon , Randy and me into his office where we met a crisis counsellor , and a police spokesman . He apologized that the assembly had coincided with my return . It certainly hadn 't been planned that way . He said he and the staff had decided that they wanted the students to know that rape could happen to anyone , to give them some idea of the consequences , and to show them some ways to defend themselves . He asked me if I felt up to attending the assembly . He made it very clear that it was my choice and if I didn 't feel up to it , they would simply send everyone to their first class and the day would proceed as usual . They would still have an awareness program and assembly , but it would be at a later date . That would give me the chance to think about whether or not I wanted to attend or even be directly involved . However , I assured him I was up to it and would be more than willing to attend and even take part in it . Mr . Johnson thanked me and told me he thought , that under the circumstances , I was very brave and selfless for being willing to help my fellow students . We were then led into the gym where chairs were set up . The police spokesman , the crisis counsellor , and of course Mr . Johnson , took centre stage . They all spoke about what rape is and how it can affect the victim . They even had a demonstration of some simple self - defence moves . As they were wrapping it up , I asked if I could speak . They weren 't sure I should , but I told them I wanted everyone to know how it was for me , an actual victim . It was okay to speak in generalities but I wanted them to know how I felt . I wanted them to know what it had done to me . After a short debate , I was given permission . I spoke for almost thirty - five minutes . I told them everything from the initial terror through every step that had led to my being in the group home . Then I told them how my brother and sister - in - law had flown back from Europe and had taken me into their new home . As I spoke , I could see the many changes of emotion on everyone 's faces . I could see at least half of them , both girls and boys in tears more than once . When I finished , I got a standing ovation . Mr . Johnson still explained that the best thing the students could do for me now , was to treat me normally . If I wanted to talk about it , I would , and they were not to pepper me with questions . Jonas and Sharon came over and each gave me a big hug and asked me if I was okay before they left . Randy also gave me a hug before he ran off to get changed for P . E . As I was leaving the gym for what would now be our third period class , Bobby Taylor walked along side me and asked if he could talk to me later in private . Bobby was not really a friend , just an acquaintance , but I liked him so I said sure . He suggested that we could maybe meet after school and go to Burger Baron , grab a burger and talk . After school , I met Randy on the front steps of the school and told him what was going on . He immediately warned me to be careful . As he put it , " You 've had more to deal with than any guy our age should ever have to deal with . Don 't try to take on someone else 's problems as well . " We walked in silence to the Burger Baron . When we got there and found a table near the back , the waiter came over and took our orders . Once we had our food , he started to talk . " Like we heard in the assembly this morning , it doesn 't have to be violent or involve physical force like mine did . It can be any sexual activity that you don 't want or desire . " I replied . " If you don 't , you 'll have given control of your life to someone else . You need to decide you are worth more than that . You need to stand up for yourself . I think you already know that because you 've taken the first step by talking to me , " I told him . Just then the waiter came over to give us the bill . He glanced down at our joined hands , smiled and winked . It was just what we needed to help us relax us a little , because it made us both laugh as he walked away . We got up , paid the bill and left . Bobby then dialled his cell . As soon as he asked for Mr . Johnson , I knew things were going to happen and happen fast . He was the best and we all knew he would fight to the death for his kids . Bobby asked if he could come in to the office and talk . Even though it was more than an hour since school got out , within ten minutes , we were sitting in Mr . Johnson 's office . By the time we got there , Bobby was in tears and had a death grip on my left hand . As soon as Mr . Johnson saw us , he knew . After the morning assembly and noting the fact that Bobby was hanging on to me as if his life depended on it , there was little doubt as to what Bobby wanted to talk about . Once Bobby was finished , he had explained in detail that from the time he was thirteen , his uncle had been sexually abusing him . For almost an hour , Mr . Johnson and I sat listening to Bobby describe how his uncle forced him to have sex with him . Bobby 's parents go to the same church as mine and are just as conservative and religious . Both of them made it very clear how they felt about homosexuals . His uncle had discovered Bobby 's journal and read it . He knew Bobby was gay . By threatening to out him to his parents , his uncle had the power over him to get what he wanted . Bobby was so afraid of losing his parents ' love , he was willing to do whatever his uncle wanted to keep his silence . Mr . Johnson and I were both floored by the last part of Bobby 's story . He told us that over the last few months it had become more than he could bear . He had formulated a plan to kill himself . A plan which he was going to put into motion the following week . Fortunately , during the school assembly , unintentionally and unknowingly , I had given him hope and something he had never felt he had up until today . I had given him someone to reach out to , a friend who would listen . The next step was to give him the support he was going to need when all hell broke loose . Mr . Johnson made sure that Bobby understood what he had to do . Bobby broke down completely and it took us several minutes to calm him down again . Once he calmed down , he confessed that he was terrified of what would happen , but he knew it had to happen . His uncle had driven him to plan his own suicide and he had to be stopped . He looked at me , his eyes red and swollen from crying . I reached over and took his hand . I had no idea just how much help he was going to need . But I had promised I would stand by him to the end and a promise is a promise . However , I decided I needed some support too and called Jonas to come over . Mr . Johnson picked up the phone , looked at Bobby , squeezed his shoulder , smiled and began dialling . About fifteen minutes later , two police officers and Jonas walked into the office . There was no turning back now . Bobby had to repeat his story . The whole time I had my arm around his shoulders to let him know he was not alone . Jonas had his arm around me to let me know the same . After he had finished , he broke down again and began sobbing . I wrapped my arms around him and just held him until he calmed down again . As soon as he did and they had his signed statement , the police were ready to leave and arrest his uncle . As Bobby was telling his story to the police , the same social worker I had came into the office . Before the police left , they spoke to her for a few minutes . Then after they left , she moved in and knelt down in front of us . She explained that Bobby would have to go to the hospital with her for some tests that they hoped would support his story . In particular , since his uncle had come into his room that morning , they would be looking for samples of his uncle 's DNA . Since she had been involved with my parents , she asked Bobby how he thought his parents would react . He told her they would not react well . I added that Bobby 's parents were just like mine and even went to the same church . I was sure they would see it as partly Bobby 's fault or even totally his fault . No matter how it played out , they would assume he ' wanted ' it just like my parents assumed I ' wanted ' it . At this point , Jonas spoke up . He suggested we go with them to the hospital to support Bobby and afterwards , Bobby come home with us , at least for the night . Since we all agree that going to his home tonight was not an option for him , Jonas thought it would be better than taking him to a group home . With us , he would have the understanding and support he needed . The social worker agreed . She would contact his parents and let them know that he would be in her care tonight and for the foreseeable future , depending on their reaction to his uncle 's arrest . So Bobby would be coming home with us tonight . By the time we got home it was already nine o ' clock . Once we got there , Sharon gave Jonas a kiss and hugged him tight . He told her he would explain everything to her after we had a chance to eat . She gave both Bobby and I a big hug and said I better phone Randy as he had called here six times already . I explained that Randy was my best friend and asked Bobby if he would mind if I phoned him and let him know what was happening . I told him Randy knew we were meeting and was probably worried about me . Bobby agreed that it would be okay for me to tell Randy . I phoned Randy and told him about everything that had gone on . His first concern was that I was okay . I assured him I was . Then he laughed as he repeated my words , " He probably just needs someone to talk to . I won 't let myself get involved , " followed by , " I know you Jamie and I knew you would . Don 't forget , I 'm here … for both of you . See ya tomorrow . Good night man . Love ya . " Thankfully , Sharon kept dinner warm as we were all starving . After we ate , Bobby looked like he was ready to pass out . I asked him if he was tired and he replied that he felt totally exhausted . I asked him if he was ready for bed to which he replied , " Definitely . " I showed him where the bathroom was and one of the spare bedrooms . I took him into the bathroom and found him a new toothbrush and then left him to get ready for bed . After he came out of the bathroom I went in , brushed my teeth , did whatever , washed my hands and returned to my room . Bobby was still dressed and sitting on the end of my bed . I apologized to him for not having any pyjamas as I slept in my boxers . He replied that that was cool as he did too . I asked him if he needed anything . Once we were down to our boxers , I lifted the blankets and motioned for him to crawl under the covers . As soon as he did , I crawled in beside him . For the first several minutes , he lay there totally motionless . It was like he was afraid if he moved he might touch me or something . Finally , I reached over and held his hand . Then within a few minutes , he slid over and rolled to face me . I put my arm around him and he immediately cuddled into my side . It was about two minutes later that I heard his breathing become slow and regular and I knew he was asleep . I wasn 't far behind him . When morning came , and I woke up , we were lying in almost exactly the same position . Just then the phone rang . It was the social worker asking us if we could come down to her office at 1 : 00 . She said they were meeting with Bobby 's parents at 10 : 00 and she would be discussing the results of that meeting with us . Jonas told her it would be no problem , we could be there by 1 : 00 easily . He phoned the school to let them know what was going on and Mr . Johnson was more than understanding and told Jonas if there was anything he could do to let him know . I also phoned Randy and let him know what was happening and that I wouldn 't be in school . When we got there , the receptionist showed us into our worker 's office . The four of us sat down and waited for her . As we sat down , Bobby took my hand and held it . I gave his hand a little squeeze and smiled at him . About two minutes later , she came into the office and she didn 't look happy . It was not unexpected , as she explained Bobby 's parents and uncle 's reaction . The uncle , of course , denied everything . The parents sided with the uncle and found it impossible to believe their son would fabricate such lies . They made it clear that they thought he must be possessed or at least under some satanic influence . They wanted him to be immediately sent to a spiritual intervention centre . When the social worker explained to them that that was not going to happen , they got all defensive and began threatening to bring in their lawyer and start a law suit against her and her department . However , their attitude changed when she explained the medical report from the hospital and the police report ; specifically with reference to his uncle 's DNA samples and where they were found . At first they were simply shocked . Then they got back on the satanic thing and accused Bobby of coercing his uncle into committing these acts of perversion . They became adamant again that Bobby needed spiritual intervention . When the social worker tried to explain that Bobby had been sexually abused by his uncle against his will since he was thirteen , they wouldn 't believe her . Even after she explained that Bobby had contemplated suicide because he couldn 't think of another way out , they still wouldn 't believe her . After all , his uncle had been an elder in the church for fifteen years . He would be incapable of such acts without Bobby 's Satanic influence . In the end , the head of the department of social services along with one of their lawyers , had to intervene and explain to Bobby 's parents that lawyer or no lawyer , they were being stripped of all parental rights and a restraining order was being placed against them by the courts . If they had any contact with Bobby whatsoever , or any so - called spiritual intervention was attempted by anyone , they would be arrested and would be facing time in jail . The minimum they would be charged with besides contempt of court and breaking the restraining order , would be tampering with a witness , aiding and abetting a criminal , and obstruction of justice . He suggested it should be good for five to ten years each . At that point , they both got up and stormed out of the office . The social worker looked over at Jonas with a questioning look . He looked at her for a minute , then at Sharon who nodded , then at me and I smiled , then back at her and he smiled . I don 't think I have seen anyone look more relieved than she did . " At least I avoided the dirty diaper stage . I did , didn 't I ? " Sharon asked looking directly at Bobby and me with a big grin . After everything was signed , the social worker took us to a storage room and showed us which boxes were Bobby 's . When Bobby asked her how they had persuaded his parents to give them his stuff , and asked how they got it so fast , she just smiled and told him it was amazing what you can do with a court order and two police officers to help you back it up . She then gave Jonas a check to buy Bobby any other things he needed . A half hour later we were on our way to the mall . One thing he needed was a laptop as he wasn 't allowed a computer at home . Instrument of the devil you know . First thing we did when we got to the mall was hit the food court . All of us where starving . I love mall food courts . The great thing about them is the variety . Whatever artery - clogging fast food you like , you can find it at the mall food court . Once everyone was full , we headed for the electronics store . An hour later , Bobby had his laptop and a cell phone and we were on our way home . As soon as we got home , we began packing Bobby 's boxes into the condo service elevator . Twenty five minutes later , we had it all stacked in one of the spare bedrooms which was now Bobby 's room . The two of us spent the next hour unpacking and putting everything away and set up his laptop so it would connect to the wireless router . I noticed that he had nothing but religious posters and statues or ornaments . I asked him if he wanted to put them all up . He picked a couple of posters that he liked and the rest of the stuff we put in the recycling . We decided then and there that we both needed to hunt up some new cool posters for our rooms . That would be tomorrow 's project at the mall . That and getting him an iPod . As we were sitting back admiring our work , Jonas yelled up the stairs that it was almost time for dinner . We both yelled , " Be right there as soon as I wash up . " We were almost in perfect unison which got everyone laughing . " I think we had twins , " Jonas joked as we walked into the kitchen . That made me take a good look at Bobby . Jonas was right in a way . We could definitely be brothers , maybe not twins , but brothers . Bobby was a bit more defined and several inches taller than me , but then who wasn 't . He had what is described as a swimmer 's build I guess . We both had brown hair , except mine was dyed black and had been for three years . We both had hazel eyes and dimples . Just then the phone rang . It was Randy . I invited him over and told him if he hurried he could have dinner with us . He was ringing the bell in the condo entrance ten minutes later . I buzzed him in and got a quick hug as I answered the door . He then looked over at Bobby , grinned and said hi as he reached out and they shook hands . As we ate , we filled Randy in on the mornings events . His expression changed from concerned , to angry , then to amused . It ended with a big grin as he mimicked my voice saying , " I won 't let myself get involved . " We explained to everyone about our conversation before I met up with Bobby . Jonas laughed and said , " That 's my little bro and just a part of the reason I love him so much . " I almost teared up at that but managed not to , as I grinned at him . After dinner , the three of us cleared the table and did the dishes before we went up to Bobby 's room to play with his computer . He was not totally unaware as far as using a computer was concerned as he had used one at school . But he hadn 't spent much time online and didn 't know a lot about surfing the net . By the time we were done however , he was ready to surf with the best of us . Before we realized it , it was nearly midnight , which explained why we were all getting tired . I wished Bobby goodnight and gave him a kiss on the cheek . As Randy and I headed down the hall he looked at me and grinned . It took me a second to realize what the grin meant and I was quick to let him know that I had no romantic inclination towards Bobby at all . As Randy was staying the night , when we got to the door of the spare room , I stretched up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before running to the safety of my room and locking the door behind me . The next morning we all slept in . It was almost 10 : 00 when I got out of bed . Randy was already up eating cereal . It was neatly 10 : 30 before Bobby showed up for breakfast . Within an hour , we were ready to hit the mall . We arrived at the mall about noon and just spent the first hour wandering from store to store looking at everything . We grabbed some food at the food court and then went back to do some serious shopping . Since we had already looked at nearly everything , we knew just where we were going and just what we wanted . We left the mall about an hour later . Bobby and I had half a dozen posters each , Bobby had his new iPod , and Randy had at least three CD 's and a couple of DVD 's . We got home just in time for Bobby to make another salad and for me to set the table for dinner again . Again , we cleared the table and did the dishes before we headed to our rooms . We went to my room first and the three of us decided the best arrangement for the posters on my wall . I of course leaned towards the emo theme and a couple of my favourite bands . We then did the same with Bobby 's room . His posters also included a couple of bands , one really cool abstract something or other and two of his favourite divers . Once we were done , we called Jonas and Sharon up to check out our handiwork . They were quite impressed or at least they said they were . We hung out for a couple of hours and got into some heated games on my PS3 before Randy had to go home . We went to the door to see him out . Just as he was going to close the door , he turned , grinned , and gave me a kiss on the cheek . Then laughing he said , " See ya , " and closed the door . I just stood there for a second , felt my cheek and then laughed . There was one more reason he was my best friend . When we were picking out the posters at the mall , Randy and I learned that Bobby was a member of the local diving club and on the school diving team . He even had a couple of trophies from diving competitions . I now had a new spectator sport since I would naturally be going to all his competitions . Brothers have to support one another right ? Boys in Speedos , hmmmmmm . We also learned during our time at the mall that he had his eye on one of his team mates . It was Jeff Rand . I knew Jeff from a couple of my classes . He wasn 't someone you would pick out as a model for a fashion magazine . He was kind of ordinary looking , maybe a touch nerdy but looks are secondary . He was one of the most decent , caring , genuine guys I knew . If you were looking for the perfect friend , he should be at the top of your list of prospects . Up until then , and with all the drama we had been dealing with lately , the topic of significant others had never come up . Now that I knew he was interested in Jeff , I would have to see if I could get them together . I knew Jeff was gay . Everyone knew Jeff was gay . He had come out two years ago when he was a freshman . I knew Bobby was gay , but I was one of a few people who did and I didn 't know if he wanted to come out . We had never talked about it . So that would be phase one . Talk to Bobby about coming out . We had gone back to Bobby 's room after Randy left to play on his computer some more . After about half an hour we got bored with it . I walked over , flopped down across Bobby 's bed and patted a spot beside me indicating that I wanted him to do the same . As soon as he did , I started phase one of my plan of action . " Everyone knows I 'm gay and now , all of a sudden , you 're living with me . Did you ever wonder if people are going to think you 're gay too ? " I asked him . " You know , the idea of coming out scared the hell out me before . But that was only because of my parents . Now , it doesn 't bother me . I know from seeing the way everyone treats Jeff , Terry , Matt , you , and the other kids who are out , that there is nothing to fear anymore . At least not at school . Besides I can only imagine what my parents are telling everyone about me , " he responded . " I don 't think I 'm going to ask Mr . Johnson to call an assembly but I 'm not going to hide it anymore . After everything I 've been through trying to hide who I am , if nothing else , I learned that it 's not worth it . Life is too short to live it in fear . So , yeah , I 'm going to join the out crowd , " he said grinning . I left his room feeling good that night . I felt like I really had a new brother . So much had changed for both of us and I knew that our lives were only going to get better . And they did . Bobby and Jeff did get together . They were well known as a couple through the rest of high school and into university . Today , Bobby , besides being my brother by choice , is a youth counsellor with social services and Jeff is a family doctor with the Southside Medical Clinic . I met the man of my dreams in university . He was on the university diving team with Bobby and Jeff . Boys in Speedos , hmmmm . His name is Mark . He 's now a paediatrician and works in the same clinic as Jeff . I decided to go for a degree in computing science . Developing computer games just seemed more emo to me than becoming a doctor or lawyer or teacher . Randy met the girl of his dreams in university as well . They were both in veterinary medicine when they met . Now they run a vet clinic here in town . They have two boys . Jamie is seven and Danny is five . They are the cutest little guys and best of all , we are Uncle Jamie and Uncle Mark . Of course there 's also Uncle Bobby , Uncle Jeff , Uncle Jonas and Auntie Sharon . And even though Mark is my partner for life and I love him more than life itself , Randy will always be my best friend . Jonas and Sharon have two girls now . Sandra who is sixteen and Bev who is fourteen . Jonas works on program development with me and Sharon works with us as a director on the ranch . Jonas and I developed and patented a couple of video games and an accounting program that made us wealthy beyond our wildest dreams and allowed us to pursue our wildest dream , the ranch . The ranch is just five miles from town . We have three houses on the ranch as well as a barn , corrals , hay shed , machine shop , and all that other ranch stuff . Our house is the biggest . It has ten bedrooms , six bathrooms , an indoor pool , a fully outfitted weight room , games room , dining room that seats thirty six , a commercial kitchen and a family room you could fit thirty people into comfortably , forty if they cuddle up . Bobby and Jeff 's house is in the same yard , just forty or fifty feet away from ours . It has six bedrooms and four bathrooms , a regular kitchen , a games room and a large family room . Jonas and Sharon 's house is the original four bedroom home that was on the ranch . It has it 's own yard and is about two hundred feet behind the other two . We also have an eight car garage with four apartments on the second floor for the live - in staff . We have a staff of six ; a cook , a housekeeper , a registered nurse , two counsellors to assist Bobby , and a ranch hand . We have fourteen horses , four Shetland ponies , two llamas , and two donkeys . Well , it 's simple . Although I still work on program development to some extent , I spend most of my time working with Bobby at social services dealing with ' displaced children ' , mainly teens . By that , I mean kids who have been kicked out of their homes or otherwise become homeless , usually because they are gay . We give them the chance to be loved and cared for , to finish high school and go to college or university , into an apprenticeship , or whatever suits them best . Some of them come to us through a program called Getting Back . Getting Back is a one - year program designed for long - term street kids who want to get off the street but need to work through the conversion process from street life back to ' regular ' life . The norms , behaviours , and expectations of street life are far different than the norms , behaviours , and expectations of ' regular ' life . In most cases , taking them directly from the street to the ranch would mean too many adjustments to make too quickly . Unfortunately , there is also the problem of addictions to deal with in some cases . If they have been on the street for a short period of time , they can often come directly to us . We tend to have more success than regular group homes or foster homes . Partly because we have the personnel but mostly because we have a large support group of their peers with much the same background as they do . It is our hope that no child should ever be homeless or have to live on the street . Unfortunately we can 't help them all . I wish we could . To date , including those presently with us , we have had forty seven kids stay with us . Neil was the youngest and has stayed with us the longest . He was eleven when he came to us . He 's now in his senior year of high school . We are the closest thing to a family he can remember . Other than the fourteen living with us at the moment , all but one of them has completed high school and gone on . The one that didn 't , Lance , is now our ranch hand . He completed high school and is happy doing what he 's doing so who are we to tell him otherwise . And he is great with the kids who all think the world of him . Right now , we have eleven in college , eight in university and six in apprenticeship programs as well as seven college or university graduates and , of course , our ranch hand . Seldom a week goes by without at least five or six of them coming home for the weekend , often with their boyfriends or girlfriends . It truly is ' home ' to all of them . It 's always fun when they all come home at the same time , like for Christmas or Thanksgiving . Lots of air mattresses and sleeping bags get put to good use . Of the ones living with us now , three are girls and eleven are boys . They range in age from fourteen to nineteen . The girls live with Bobby and Jeff and the boys live with Mark and I . We all eat together in the common dining room in our house . After dinner , everyone usually does their homework in their rooms . Afterwards they can spend their evening swimming , working out , playing in the games room or helping around the house and / or yard if it 's their ' work ' day . Some of them go riding or help Lance with the animals . There are also counselling sessions available on request - sometimes the request is theirs and sometimes it 's ours . We regularly have weekend trail rides and campouts for those who enjoy the outdoors . We also do trips to the theatre . We have both a movie theatre and two live dinner theatres in town . Trips to the mall are always fun . And , whether something is planned or not , it never gets boring . When we get a new addition to the group , the others always make sure that the they are made to feel like part of a family . It doesn 't usually take the newcomers long to feel at home with us and begin to look upon the others as brothers and sisters . It 's amazing to watch the transition from timid and fearful to confident and self assured or angry and wounded to calm and contented . I can 't say it 's always easy . There are often bumps and hurdles along the way . Some of them can be pretty big , but it 's worth it . That first genuine smile or hug is priceless . The ranch is our part of the dream . The rest of the dream is , of course , to keep them all off the streets . For that to come true , the way I see it ; we have helped or are helping forty seven kids ( so far ) and if each one of them helps just five other kids and so on , maybe one day … who knows .