Fifty Reasons to Stay (Book Three)

Chapter Thirty- Fall

(Donnie's POV)
I've come out to dozens of people and it's always the same thing. Silence, a sigh, questions. Either disapproval or approval. These people kind of just shook their heads at first and told Leo basically that he was ruining the family name and soiling their bloodline with a white boy. Well, I didn't know what they were saying at the time so I really couldn't bother getting upset. In fact, I had no idea what was going on until Leo took my hand and said something along the lines of "he's mine" which gave me the feeling he'd just come out. Gay marriage was not legal in Japan. We had no rights for anything at all. So yes, I wouldn't exactly blame them for not understanding how one of their own could do such a thing, but oh well.

The creepy old man known as Saki gave me the coldest glare while basically inspecting me, then shook his head. "Pitiful."
"Hey— do not talk about him like that." Leo said defensively, squeezing my hand. "Let's go."
"Okay, sounds great."

Nevertheless, we ended up staying once Leo's grandmother came outside and welcomed us in, telling me in broken English that we would be staying for the day, but nobody was very friendly to me. While all the men surrounded Leo, pestering him with questions about our lives, I was put to work immediately in the backyard, hanging up laundry to dry and then helping with dinner. One woman noticed my shaking hands and took the cutting knife from me, doing the work herself, mumbling the word lazy under her breath. Screw you. I was afraid and not allowed to hold a knife according to my therapist, Leo, and just about everyone I knew.

"Americans are all incredibly lazy. I don't know what possessed my nephew to marry one."
"It is called he loves me." I chewed on my lip.
"Yes, and I love the sound of you not being here." She quipped, exiting the kitchen.

I went to the guest bedroom after the kitchen incident to cool off, telling Leo to come upstairs as soon as possible. Of course the guest room was just an old sitting room of sorts and didn't even have beds, just mats on the floor as no one actually slept in here. There was one little window overlooking the river, no curtains or blinds. And a tiny bathroom with a shower head but no doors or curtain. Don't even get me started on the toilet because there was none. Sighing quietly, I closed the bathroom door and met Leo on the other side of it.

"What is it, Donnie?"

I inhaled a deep breath. "I not comfortable to stay here. Can we sleep at hotel tonight?" Because these people gave me the creeps. They didn't like me at all and I felt unwelcomed and unwanted. I was tired of feeling this way all the time.
"I think this room is fine for the night, don't you?" He rubbed my arms. "It's just for one night, then we can go back tomorrow morning, okay? I promise." Leo pecked a kiss on my forehead.
I looked up at him. "I guess, but I still not comfortable." Me saying comfortable sounded more like conforable, but I'm going to pretend I said it right, much as I have been for this entire story. "Maybe we go to bed early an' leave early." I suggested, holding onto his arm.
And he laughed because he thought it was a joke, but I wasn't joking. "You'll be fine. Just stay with me, okay, and if it gets too bad you can take a walk. There's plenty of things to see. Just tell me that you are going and when you'll be back so I don't have to worry."
"They hate me, you know."
"They do not hate you, Donnie. I mean, they might hate you, but I don't think so."

Dinner occurred about an hour and a half later and I sat as close to Leo as humanly possible. Wary of the eyes of at least twenty people who weren't happy about me being there. While we waited for their cook to bring the food out, I turned to Leo, trying to get his attention. "Hold my hand, Leo."

A nervous look crossed over his face but I felt his hand reach for mine under the table, so I immediately grabbed it to help my trembling ones. What if they noticed? They probably did. This was bad. Bad news. I'm going to die.