Refugee Prison Break

Chapter 2

I was upset for days. I had only been kidding when I had asked if Jee-Say was single, implying I wanted to go on a date. Yes, he was good looking, but my heart belonged to Bas. Bas was funny, ditzy, and almost as handsome. Plus, we got on so well! I had long held the assumption in my heart that one day, when the time was right, we would officially become a couple.

When we chatted for the first time since the revelation, I asked questions I cringe thinking about today. Had someone corrupted him? Did he want to cure himself straight? Bas did his best to answer.

"When I first started feeling this way, I thought I was the only one in the whole of Malaysia. I had never knowingly met another gay person, you know, and from my understanding, all gay men lived in cities like San Francisco or New York. But then I met Jee-Say, and he taught me a lot. When we walk down streets, he constantly guesses whether each pair of guys we pass are like us or not. Sometimes it is so obvious, I wonder how I missed it before! But you never see us on TV or in movies. Technically, we're not even legally allowed to be together. It's depressing. But, you know, right now, I haven't been this happy in years."

While Bas and Jee-Say were together, Bas's desire to leave the country and to find a home far away disappeared. But when they eventually broke up, as young romances so often do, Bas became melancholy and despondent, and once again talked about escape.

"I should just buy a ticket and go. Go somewhere like California, where everyone is tolerant, and where it isn't as humid as here. It's so easy these days. All you need is a debit card and an internet connection. Right?"

"Beware of idealizing a place too much," I said,"I don't want you to be disappointed when you get there. And anyway, don't youneed a visa? What would you tell your parents?"