{ #5 } Eclipse Of The Moon (MxM || 18+)

Chapter 3 - Coming-Out Birthday

Eclipse Of The Moon ~ Book 1 of Aaron
Chapter 3
Coming-Out Birthday

Sunday 14 October 2001

"The Lord be with you," Father Joseph eventually concludes.

Thank God! It's over!

"And also with you," the congregation replies solemnly. Me included because I am seated between my parents.

As often as I can, I try to settle at a different pew from my family's, especially if it allows me to sit next to pretty boys – and then holding hands with cute guys becomes the best part of the mass – but not today. Today, I must be on my best behavior not to ruin all my efforts of the past two days for I secretly hope to be rewarded with a lifted sanction. My father actually smiled with genuine fondness when I followed them and although I internally cringed, I didn't complain when he enjoined me to sit between him and my mother.

The last hour has been long and painful. Standing, kneeling, sitting while praying, reading scriptures and singing. I have often been told that I have a nice voice and I love music, but not this sort of music. What I love is rock with a predilection for pop rock. Although I have a portable CD player on which I am supposed to listen to liturgical music offered by my parents, I mostly rely on Joshua's tastes and the CDs I borrow from him, and I'm glad we have the same tastes, even if I have my own favorites. These artists are Linkin Park, Pearl Jam, Nirvana and Green Day to name but a few, and none that you would hear in a church.

"May almighty God bless you, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit," Father Joseph then says, blessing the whole room with the Sign of the Cross.

"Amen."

"You may leave in peace to love and serve the Lord," he finally says.

Hallelujah!

"Thanks be to God," everybody replies, and my own voice is almost cheerful as the choir starts the last hymn.

While Father Joseph and the altar servers slowly leave, the congregation patiently waits for the choir to finish their God Has Chosen Me, some of us clapping our hands, and since I'm on my full kiss-ass mode, I even join in this last singing. Upon exiting the pew, I face the altar and genuflect, remaining solemn as I do the Sign of the Cross, and as my parents follow behind, I don't fail to dip my hand into the holy water and to sign myself again before I walk out of the church. Close surveillance obliges.

Outside, there is a little wait to shake the Priest's hand, but I don't mind, I am already feeling much better now that I am back in the open air. I swear that mass is getting on my nerves, this is just not for me and I can't wait for adulthood to lead the life I want. To think I already spent an hour here yesterday to confess my sins to Father Joseph!

Of course, I didn't divulge anything about my attraction to males or what I have done with Isaiah over the past two weeks, I just confessed that I lied and disrespected my parents. The clergyman, although usually nice and rather attuned to youngsters, remains very strict in his beliefs and narrow-minded, so there was no point broaching my homosexuality. The lecture on the fourth and eight commandments were enough and he yet assigned me with penance; more prayers to obtain God's forgiveness and chores at home to get my parents'. O' joy...

Since all my sisters are walking ahead with my father, gushing on how beautiful this mass was, I adapt my stride to my mother's slower pace as we head back home. For a long moment, she remains silent, certainly lost in her meditation while I lose myself in my thoughts. The return to school on Thursday was painful in many ways.

First there was Mark. On Thursday morning, my friend was ready and waiting for me, around the corner of our street so that we could walk to school together, not anything less I would expect from him. I had briefly considered being late, but it would have only drawn further problems with my parents and postponed an ineluctable conversation with my stubborn mate. This is just Mark. He can't let a situation sink downhill when he feels that something is off and he will hassle you until you've spilled the beans. He always says that it avoids relationships to decay, and he is probably right.