Hi, I’m River, here is the story of me coming out.
I am 6 foot 4 inches tall, 175 pounds, a ginger with dimples, and quite confused where the future will bring me.
Marty Love is a popular 6’5” tall blonde is a very outgoing, popular, and very laid-back who is also hiding who he is.
Larissa is a 34-year-old blonde substitute teacher. She is the daughter of my high school vice principal and is also a daughter of one of my high school teachers Mrs. Mickelson.
Abby and Clay Love are Matt’s parents. Clay is a surgeon as Abby is a very well-known real estate agent.
Leah is a blue hair goth who is 5’7” tall with hazel eyes. She seemed too friendly, actually friendly enough to think that she was into me and I’m glad that I was wrong.
I grew up in the system, the foster care system. I had no friends, never experienced love, or did I have a strong support system at all. I never felt safe anywhere in my life and I also felt like I could trust nobody. Simply put, I was a loner just scraping day by day. There were only 2 things that I had for me at the time — surviving high school, and my part-time job at Redland (think of a popular retail chain).
On this cold February Thursday night at 11:15 PM, I’m walking out of work and I notice a police car as well as a Ford bronco with Marty inside. I’m summoned by the police officer who truly scared the living daylights out of me. She asked me for my name and she told me that I no longer had a place to live. She tells me that my foster parents kicked me out of my house and burnt all of my belongings.
I cried, I could not stop crying. The officer assured me that while it looks like my world is over, it’s not. Marty comes out of his Bronco telling me that I’m going home with him. He holds me and hugs me making me feel safe. I had so many questions and at the time I didn’t really care what the answers were. I just needed to get away.
It was a very quiet ride to his house. He knew that I wasn’t ready to talk, and he was willing to listen when I was ready to. I asked him why he was doing this for me and he told me because that’s what friends do for each other.
When we arrived at his house, his parents who I never met before were sitting at the table. I expected to be grilled and yelled at. Instead, they welcomed me with open arms. They told me that while things do look rough right now, they’re gonna change. The 4 of us sat at the table and talked for 45 minutes. What happened that night was not part of the discussion, all it was was simply getting to know you discussion.
Abby made me a steak dinner before Clay called it a night. After the dinner was made, Abby went to bed just leaving me and Marty at the table. All I wanted to do was cry. However, all I did was bug Marty. In all seriousness, I got to learn a lot more about Marty. We spent 45 minutes talking about life. After I cleaned up the table, I follow Marty upstairs to his bedroom. I really had to use the bathroom and when I walk in, I’m surprised to find some clothes right next to a wash rag and towel.
I decide to take a shower and I enjoy it very well. I get dressed and put on a shirt and shorts and knock on Marty’s door. I walk into this immaculate room and I see Marty sitting at his desk. I don’t remember what he said to me, but whatever he said to me, made me smile like I’ve never smiled before. Long story short, he asked me if he could sleep with me or if I felt safer if he slept in the guest room. We ended up sleeping together. It started snowing around this time. And I fell asleep feeling safe.
It’s 930 Friday morning, there’s a knock on Marty’s door. I get up and open the door and there’s Abby. She asked me how I slept and I said like a baby. I asked Abby what time it was and she said it’s 930. I jumped and said, “I’m sorry for sleeping in so long, I should probably hurry up and get dressed for school.”
Abby looks at me, and says, “River, school has been canceled today. In case you’re wondering, Marty had to run an errand.” I smile. Abby tells me that I can join her at the table for breakfast in 15 minutes. She leaves the room. 15 minutes later, I go down to the kitchen and enjoy this awesome breakfast that she made for me. I thank Abby for the breakfast and I volunteer to do the dishes. Abby excuses herself.
Once I’m done with the dishes, I sit down at the table, ignoring the doorbell. I’m lost and thought and Abby tells me to join her in the living room. I notice Larissa sitting down at the couch. Abby excused herself to allow Larissa and I to talk.
Larissa says, “River, I know that you had a rough night last night and you’re probably wondering why I’m here.” I nod my head.
She says, “ I just wanted to let you know that you’re safe and you’re always going to be safe. I know you don’t trust people right now, I know that you’re scared, and I know you’re gonna make it.” The cat bites my tongue, and I just look at her. She says, “ you no longer have three social workers anymore, Odell will be your only social worker. He will come and see you next week. He’s going to see how well you’re adjusting to living with me and Leah.” I’m beyond confused, Larissa tells me that Leah is her daughter and they’re going to be my family.
Over the next 9 months, my life was changing into a very positive and fulfilling life. I began believing in myself, I began loving myself, I began feeling safe. I started to open up and learn to safely explore the world. A lot of the sadness disappeared as it got replaced by tons of positivity.
It’s now Christmas morning and I’d be lying to you if I told you that I slept well. I’d be lying to you if I told you that I enjoyed a knock at my Bedroom door at 6:45 AM. All I wanted to do was sleep. I open up the door, and Marty hugs me. Marty says, “Happy 18th Birthday sleepyhead, is it OK if I just let you sleep until you’re ready to face the day?” I asked him if he would sleep with me and he did. He nods his head.
It’s now 9:30 AM, I finally decide to get out of bed. Marty is sitting at my desk smiling. He says, “I hope you slept well.” I got up and sat next to him. We were talking about God knows what for the next 15 minutes. We both look at each other and I realize, I need to tell him the truth.
I look at Marty and say, “ Marty, I’m sorry for not telling you this sooner, I’m gay.” Marty laughs and says, “River, I already know and thank you for finally trusting me.”
