I banged my forehead on the table for what was probably the millionth time that day and cried. copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡxFSY2Tuq5m
I had nothing. Absolutely nothing. copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡyNCCHOk05M
Nothing that would meet my boss' expectations. copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡujilv9affr
It seemed as if there was nothing I could do to save my job now. copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡtN7lM9ehAk
After our confessions yesterday, Antonio and I had exchanged numbers. It had turned out to be a very bad idea - for me, at least. copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡD97gLP45Pa
Every two seconds I got a text from him, as he complained about his daily life.copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡSjtbFYkPdA
But at least he wasn't going to lose his entire job altogether. Unlike me. copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡhGno2ayhr8
Staring at the blank Word document, I exhaled. copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡB4iJl3yq9o
Suddenly, my phone vibrated. I almost fell off my chair, hitting the side of my head hard on the edge of the table. I cursed aloud, grabbing the vibrating phone off the table and hauling myself up. copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡA1I3cn1xcf
I struck a glance at the screen:copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7tWvSYFqf6
Matilda copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡzRbRBwVaW4
Matilda? I thought. The girl from school? I still have her number...?copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡyw6gziDBQQ
I picked it up. copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡQXkMtcK8D0
"Hello?"copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡfcSq4uXZET
That was definitely Matilda. Her voice was almost exactly the same. We'd been in secondary school together, and we used to be close friends. Until...copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3cq9s0s6Bi
"Darren? You there?"copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡWrggdJtYS6
"Oh-h-h, yeah..."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ8iRznmwm0
"Hi..."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡqpcQzFQ1Lr
"I haven't seen you for... Ages."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡkITAZ7kt5d
She giggled. copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡz4lSWUfiqB
"I wanted to catch up with you. I found your number in my phone and decided... Why not?"copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡjR1vHAbyCX
"Why not?"copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0WGTxG0S96
"So, uh..."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5JbrB8lRqM
She paused, as if she had nothing else to say. I was the one to eventually break the silence. copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡtJDufl5rTI
"I miss our school days."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡoUF4NcKO5T
"Yes. The good old days, as it were. Before we became adults..."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡVaC6BeeX6F
"I have a lot of regrets. But they were good times."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡJzpn4FJa6C
"Good..."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡSuwxykKj9P
I could feel the hesitancy in her voice, as if she there was something on her mind. copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡd40PaC4pza
"This isn't about the whole... Crush on me thing, is it?"copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4jJuHO9qYf
"Oh! I..." Matilda replied quickly, and then stopped. "Can I tell you something?" she whispered. copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2RKzpjU9C3
"Of course. You can tell me anything you want!"copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡZP70FiCKHb
"Hmm."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡUMvEhcsqCr
Another pause, this time as if she was composing her answer carefully. copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡGFiqeIJ8Rm
"I never did have a crush on you."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡcRcjRRCuBj
"Then... How come you never denied it? Every time it was brought up, you'd turn away as if you were trying to... Hide something."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡGw6bbnnDO0
"I was trying to hide something."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5uFoVU6F2Y
"You... were?"copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1fQeyI5acH
"And it wasn't my feelings for you. I'm sorry."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡuSeA3pYr3M
"Oh... That's... Completely fine!"copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡr8h6xc0ES3
I tried to imagine her face now. Little Matilda, all grown up. Her smile... She may not have been my childhood crush, but all the same, she was attractive. And her smile was the best of all. She had always been the shyest of all of us, but on that rare occasion where she did smile, we all smiled with her. Matilda always seemed so depressed, she rarely ever did smile. copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡCTit8Rbd2n
I could hear rustling from the other side of the line. copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡVwf97iz5JC
"Matilda... You okay?"copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡSbL9himiWe
"... "copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡlz8E2gvdux
"Matilda?" copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡBq4QAb99hT
"Aren't you going to ask me... Why?"copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡLa4wkmPGEM
"Why what?"copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡV0m4EpkaDP
"Why I was trying to hide something. What was I trying to hide. That," she said. copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡIefM5PYeZg
"Oh... I suppose... I'm a bit curious... But it's really none of my business, so if you don't want to tell me, you don't have to..."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8KrchLz7sd
"I want to tell someone. I think maybe... If I tell the right person, I might start to feel... Better about it."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡUnegrTGM4j
"Okay, then. If you want to tell me, fire away."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡCMxRzCHyRH
"Please... Keep it secret?"copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡPZsgcK1LRt
"Of course."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡYMRd2j6I6a
"Okay... Here goes..."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1IXzAwci53
She took a breath. copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡZU3rafbb03
"My friends made up the rumour about our crush. It was just with random boy - don't take it too personally. But they did it for me, to hide the truth..."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡFZPxcRQjAW
Pause. copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡuCFrcfYoy4
"The truth, which is...?" I asked quietly. copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡsxYwZ8LakM
"I don't think I'll ever get in a relationship with a man. I don't think... No... No, not for me. Never. I... Never really feel that connection, you know, when you feel like you're in love... I don't think I'll ever feel that with a man."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡd0L3xYVniv
"How can you be so sure?" I asked, a little pointlessly, already knowing the answer. copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡkM80ekfdJO
"I'm... Uh..."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡhclgIkpuvK
Her voice was so quiet now, it was barely audible. copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJK2Mh0HFj
"Lesbian."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡd06l0kGgyp
"Yes."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4PCq6lLvPg
"Hey, guess what?"copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡf5ZZ7Mh8tX
"...what?"copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡsGXy2YTIfr
I inhaled and tried to sound cheerful. copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8jhLKn6vSV
"So am I! Well, not lesbian, but..."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡL71L79xpi1
She sounded like she was going to burst into tears. copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡmKIkiKjbty
"Darren! I know you're trying to make me feel better, but... Don't you feel guilty? It took me a lot of courage to tell you this, and now you... You... Make fun of me!"copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡCBRUmBhs7a
She sounded very indignant. copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡoSipEpybOQ
"What... Whatever are you talking about?"copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbAVwTFP48
"Huh? What? You mean... You were serious?"copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡnHKfB6RTzY
"Deadly serious. I'm gay."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XQlnuLWGA
"Serious serious?"copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡMTLnOhhu7m
"Serious serious."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡCu3nJFuBy3
"So..."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡzC1qXpVIlC
"You're not alone in life. You see? There are so many other people out there too," I exclaimed. "There's no need to feel embarrassed! Well..." copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡj8v4wkmNOt
I stopped abruptly. copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9rYcOHSijr
"There are, of course, the haters out there..."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡmS3oj1NeK9
"Outside of school, I had friends too. But when I told them... Some of them reacted badly. Called me inhuman. Unnatural. Alien. And much, much worse... And I went to bed crying every night." She was whispering again. copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡR3hm8NHvAv
"I know, but..." I reassured her, gently. "But the main thing is, you're not alone. There are others out there too. And there are also the supporters. The people who don't hate us. Of course, there will always be someone who doesn't like us but we will face the haters together, okay? You and me, and other LGBT friends we can find, we will stand together."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡYKXXXMEP4Y
"United."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡhrQlQamEo7
"United." copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡNfa5CjTjOu
Pause. copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡPNeNKbzp0E
Then...copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡni6eDWoZAN
"Thank you so much... Darren."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6o3htGBn0q
I smiled. copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡRPd5DYgcnh
"Thank you too."copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡQLzWZcTobt
I put the phone down and couldn't help but grin.copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡciSfAmVbJV
My conversation with Matilda had just given me the inspiration I had needed for my article. copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡCALPFpNVBb
In a nutshell? copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡcsXLpXYil9
Matilda had just saved my job. copyright protection172ＰＥＮＡＮＡMxsEN31JfK
ns34.228.115.216da2
