<>This is an entry for the
750 Word Project 2025
.
I'd always prayed in my life.
That was just part of my family.
It was part of the town, the community and the adjacent city. We were just one big loving world of Christians, with the best churches and nicest schools.
But none of it felt right. Which was why I'd constantly prayed.
When my family fell apart, and the Donaldson's took me in as a friend of their son Adam, I was grateful. We'd grown up together and they'd seen the horrors of my life and wanted to be "good christians".
Despite being the same age, Adam had always been like a big brother- his good looks and charisma made him popular at school, popular enough to protect this tall, skinny, effeminate young man with a difficult life.
And I truly grew to love Adam with all my heart...and body.
Which is why I prayed.
But we were both properly socialized and partnered, steered towards marriage just as we hit 20. I was heartbroken when that meant Adam would move out with his wife, but grateful that his parents -knowing my means- let me keep an apartment in their basement with my wife Carol.
The Donaldson's home was a relic from the '70s, a split level with the basement apartment even with the outdoor pool. When I was encouraged to father a child, the awkwardness of the act was made even worse by the gauzy curtains and giant sliding glass doors that led out onto the patio. I remember counting thrusts and praying that nobody would see us.