Ecie & Esme III: Forever and a Day

Four

'Are you ready Verd?' Sofie asked. 'You don't have to do this if you don't want to.'

'I'm ready,' Verde nodded. 'I'm going to be nineteen in a week. I've got to do this, nothing can change my mind.'

'Well we're all behind you one hundred percent,' Jonathon said patting Verde's back. 'This will be very hard for you and you'll need all the support you can get.'

'Thanks,' Verde nodded. 'You've both been like second parents to me.'

'We're going to come in with you,' Jonathon said nodding at Sofie.

'Yeah,' Sofie said. 'We'll be there.'

'We were going to go in with him,' Esme said.

'I think it'd be best if you both stayed out here,' Jonathon said. 'This is a sensitive subject for all of us.'

'But dad...' Ecie said.

'Listen to him please,' Sofie said. 'We'll take care of this.'

'This totally sucks,' Ecie said as she sat in Jonathon's kitchen. 'I wanted to go in with Verd when he told his parents. They're going to be so mad and not understanding at all.'

'I know,' Esme said. 'They are going to lay right into him and we won't be there to comfort or console him.'

Clive walked into the kitchen carrying two brown grocery bags in his arms and set them down on the granite worktop.

'Why are you both looking so glum?' Clive asked.

'Verd's telling his parents and we weren't allowed to come in,' Esme sighed sadly. 'We're just worried.'

'It'll be fine,' Clive said. 'Jonathon and Sofie are there and they'll make sure everything is okay.'

Esme and Ecie looked doubtful.

'How about I whisk up something to eat quickly,' Clive said opening cupboards. 'Food always cheers you both up.'

'I think Verd might have a thing for Lauren,' Ecie said as Clive started making chocolate brownies. 'They've been getting really close lately.'

'Yeah,' Esme nodded. 'They'd be a cute couple. Do you think she knows about him though?'

'I don't know,' Ecie said. 'I don't think we've ever said anything.'

'How do you think she'll react when she finds out?' Esme said. 'I mean, you hear all the stuff she says about her parents.'

'She's different to her parents,' Ecie said. 'I think she knows how the world really works.'

'Imagine if mom and dad were different like that,' Esme said. 'I don't think I could.'

'Me neither,' Ecie agreed. 'That's just too crazy.'

'What are you guys going to do after this?' Clive asked mixing together some ingredients.

'I think we're going out for dinner or something,' Esme replied. 'But we've got to get back tonight, so it might be some place in LA.'

'How many days a week are you actually at school?' Clive asked.

'Three days,' Ecie replied. 'But it's always a drag having to get there on time and stuff.'

'So where will Verd be going?'

'UCLA,' Esme replied. 'He didn't even tell us he was transferring.'

'But you're happy he's finally back,' Clive said. 'That's always good.'

'I suppose,' Esme sighed. 'I really hope everything is going okay.'

'Same,' Ecie sighed. 'I wish we could've been there for him.'

'You need to go upstairs and pack your things,' Verde's mother, Gloria said. 'You're no longer welcome in this house.'

'Anything you don't take, we'll burn,' said his father, Tate. 'We never want to see you again.'

'You'd be better off dead,' Gloria said burning her eyes, filled with disgust, into Verde's. 'You are nothing to us.'

Sofie squeezed Verde's shoulder and looked at him with sad eyes.

Verde hung his head slightly then silently left the room and went up to his bedroom to pack up the rest of his things.

'You're saying goodbye to your son,' Jonathon said stepping forward. 'Your own son who you nursed from a baby. You're so prepared to just shut him off?'

'He's not our son anymore Jonathon,' Tate said. 'I think you'd do the same if it was your flesh and blood.'

'I think you'll find that we wouldn't be so condemning,' Jonathon said. 'We'd understand; we'd be there to help and support them.'

'But Gloria,' Sofie tried. 'He needs you. How could you just do that to him?'

Gloria looked at Sofie stunned and confused by her compassion and sadness. 'How could we do that to him? How could you do that to him? How could he do that to us?'

'You never want to see him again?'

'I don't see how you could possibly accept such a disgusting, revolting sodomite into your home,' Gloria said. 'I can't believe you knew about this for all these years and you never once even mentioned anything. You let us keep such infecting vermin in our home and you both accepted him. What kind of people are you?!'

'You made him believe that what he was, was alright and acceptable,' Tate said. 'He's unclean and dirty. I can't even look at him. To think of all the grotesque and deceitful things he's done... and under this very roof. I want to physically throw up just thinking about it. I am so sickened and filled with such repugnance over this.'

'It's disgusting,' Gloria said. 'We did our job but I guess he wanted to abandon everything he knew.'

'You're wrong,' Jonathon said. 'He hasn't abandoned anything; you've abandoned him.'

'Don't feel too bad,' Sofie said. 'We'll happily do your job better.'

Jonathon and Sofie joined hands then left the room and went up to see that Verde had packed up his whole bedroom.

'Come on Verd,' Jonathon said picking up a big duffel bag and patting his shoulder. 'Let's go home.'

Sofie smiled at Verde and picked up some of his other stuff; and they left his house for the last time, together.