This story was told to me by a friend who insists it is mostly true. Mostly! He highly recommends trying this if you have not done so already.
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When I was 16 years old, my mother said to me; and I quote "I hope the devil feeds off your flesh himself and you spend an eternity suffering in the flames of Hell." This was her response when I told her I was gay. What a great lady, aye?
Throughout her berating me and throwing my belongings out the front door, she managed to tell me that I was just like my father. I was stunned to learn that the man I thought died when I was an infant; who my mother had always refused to discuss or give me any information about, was alive and well and get this, A HOMOSEXUAL. Apparently, he discovered his true self after being married to my mother for one month. He left and never came back.
I convinced my mother to give me his name and then walked out the door. The whole episode lasted no more than 20 minutes. Those 20 minutes were the last I ever saw of her.
I gathered my belongings from the front yard then continued down the street. I never looked back and I never cried. My mother had always treated me with contempt and I had a feeling I was on my way to meet the man that caused her such anguish. If anything, I felt sorry for her since she was obviously unable to get on with her life and be happy.
I went to the local library and Googled my father's name, Jeffrey Imos. I was lucky. One hit and it listed a telephone number and address. I pulled my mobile phone from my pocket, hoping that my mother had not already cancelled the service in the short time I was gone. It showed full signal strength, so I took a deep breath and dialed the number listed.
When the line picked up, I felt like I was going to throw up. My heart pounded so hard, I expected the other patrons of library to report me for excessive noise. I could feel trickles of sweat roll down my neck, dampening the collar of my Tommy shirt. Through the haze in my head, I realized that the party on the other line was saying, "Hello." I swallowed and asked for Jeffrey Imos. "This is he", the other party replied.
"Mr. Imos, my name is Terry." Suddenly I felt calm and that everything would be alright with the world. "I'm sorry, let me start again, my name is Terry Imos and I am your son.
Present Day
That day occurred nearly 13 years ago. I lost my mother and found my father within one hour. My father took me in to his home and raised my as if I had been with him my whole life. His live-in partner, Richard, adopted me as his own. They were appalled at my mother's actions. My father was equally upset that she never told him she was pregnant with me.
All of those memories trampled through my head as I stood at my mothers grave. She died alone, with no one to hold her hand or comfort her in those last minutes. A few years before, when my father had passed on, I called her to let her know. She laughed and said, "Good. May he burn he Hell and you join him," then she hung up. I stayed at her graveside for a few moments longer before whispering into the wind, "I forgive you Mom, I hope you rest in peace."
Back at my apartment, I realized I was truly alone. At 29, both my parents were deceased, my father's partner Richard was killed in a car accident one year before my father passed. I always thought not having Richard was just too unbearable for him and he gave up on living.
Now you might think; what about boyfriends, lovers, friends, etc... I had none. I dated two men in my early twenties. Both were short lived and produced no desire to seek further companionship.