A Soldier's Guide to Single Parenting

The Importance of Discipline Part 5

I hung up the phone and stared into the frightened boy's eyes.

It seemed preposterous. I had known Simon since he was a young boy and he had never acted like a homosexual. He wasn't the most masculine of boys but he certainly wasn't girly either. At first, I suspected it was another lie to cover for something more sinister, but I couldn't think of anything that could be any worse.

It wasn't what I was expecting but it made sense. It explained why his father had acted the way he did and why he didn't want me to know about it.

"Why?" It was a stupid question to ask but I couldn't understand why anyone would want to be that way. It was completely alien to me; I had never met a homosexual before and Simon was just a boy. Why would he choose that lifestyle?

Unable to get an answer I turned to David. "You knew about this?" I said accusingly and he nodded.

"I've been trying to tell you for ages but you're never here." His eyes were filled with tears which he was fighting to hold back. He knew how much I hated seeing boys cry. I pushed back my chair and walked over to the window. The storm had all but passed over and I couldn't see any damage other than a few stray flower pots by the side of the house.

Probably for the first time in my adult life, I was lost for words. I had never had to deal with anything like this before and never thought I would have to. I turned my attention back to Simon, the cause of all the problems and glared at him from across the room.

"How long have you been like this?"

"As long as I can remember."

It wasn't what I wanted to hear and I turned away shaking my head. As long as he could remember was a long time.

'Does that mean he had always been that way? In our house with my kids. WITH DAVID'!

"It doesn't make sense. I can't understand why? Have you no decency?"

"I didn't choose to be this way. But I'm not ashamed of who I am either." His voice was laced with emotion and he was becoming frustrated by my questioning.

I laughed. He had changed in my estimations. I had always regarded Simon as a good kid who was making the most of a bad situation.

'How cab anyone not be ashamed of being homosexual'?

"Well if you're not ashamed then why didn't you tell me this earlier? Or a few years ago, since you've known for so long." He certainly didn't look like someone happy with who he was; sitting at the table with his head bowed, scared to even look at me. He made a pathetic sight. This normally quite chirpy boy consumed with shame and humiliation.

I sat back down opposite him and studied his face. He still carried the scars from his previous encounter with his dad but otherwise Simon looked like a perfectly normal healthy teenage boy.

Short dark-brown neatly trimmed hair with blue-gray eyes against a tanned and slightly bruised face. He was a handsome boy but I could see no hint of a homosexual in him. It was disturbing. Had he not confessed, it would have been impossible to tell.

"Wait a minute, is this something to do with your religion? Has someone done something to you that you might want to tell the police about?"

"I don't understand."

"Has anyone touched you...inappropriately?" He stared at me and then looked to David for advice.

"No, it's nothing like that," said Simon. "They have very strict rules regarding homosexuality. They don't believe in it."

"Neither do I, Simon. I think it's wrong too." I turned to my son, demanding the right answer. "Don't you, David?" But he didn't reply.

"I should go!" said Simon. He stood up and turned toward the door but David grabbed his arm and stopped him.