I banged my forehead on the table for what was probably the millionth time that day and cried. copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡauDCEZ6qFu
I had nothing. Absolutely nothing. copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡjO6Ci50iVL
Nothing that would meet my boss' expectations. copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡiwwkmR1kIK
It seemed as if there was nothing I could do to save my job now. copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡY29s2bnv3R
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 protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2xd9V76us2
Every two seconds I got a text from him, as he complained about his daily life.copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡfZWBmEqzrI
But at least he wasn't going to lose his entire job altogether. Unlike me. copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡnqw1bxVgxa
Staring at the blank Word document, I exhaled. copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡbj3u6OdHcX
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 protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡR5mCGSvJ7D
I struck a glance at the screen:copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡB7SPUaB40b
Matilda copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡot3M0p4u6R
Matilda? I thought. The girl from school? I still have her number...?copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0bRsdic83
I picked it up. copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡZD2z43SKFT
"Hello?"copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡpDBEjlqlVS
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 protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡuYDfmQ1vzS
"Darren? You there?"copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡj7K6XhyyAH
"Oh-h-h, yeah..."copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡiM2qn7B78Y
"Hi..."copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbqzXKcsdC
"I haven't seen you for... Ages."copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡOwEKI1iAGY
She giggled. copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡlPTZNBcAqH
"I wanted to catch up with you. I found your number in my phone and decided... Why not?"copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡMInNYBloRd
"Why not?"copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡb57rgE1chB
"So, uh..."copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡjNEmRWncgO
She paused, as if she had nothing else to say. I was the one to eventually break the silence. copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡvA70zE8BCy
"I miss our school days."copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡpfAfhXbA8a
"Yes. The good old days, as it were. Before we became adults..."copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ZuT2uCiaQ
"I have a lot of regrets. But they were good times."copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9L034cPnta
"Good..."copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2McMnSH1TZ
I could feel the hesitancy in her voice, as if she there was something on her mind. copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡclQFuDOfPp
"This isn't about the whole... Crush on me thing, is it?"copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡWbbCejREh6
"Oh! I..." Matilda replied quickly, and then stopped. "Can I tell you something?" she whispered. copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡyTvWSG3q8z
"Of course. You can tell me anything you want!"copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡLssGNfaJbn
"Hmm."copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡoamVQfR9Wr
Another pause, this time as if she was composing her answer carefully. copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0YnycgKJgk
"I never did have a crush on you."copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡwZqLrHEYKH
"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 protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡS76pYjcDEh
"I was trying to hide something."copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡix5CNYOEEF
"You... were?"copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡsiqKSN5p5L
"And it wasn't my feelings for you. I'm sorry."copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡTvIjH6AsLm
"Oh... That's... Completely fine!"copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡAa0GI9iKg9
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 protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡqiGQCvLHPl
I could hear rustling from the other side of the line. copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡeO96MWyyzx
"Matilda... You okay?"copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡlqSaGyzgWW
"... "copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡHDcO32evq2
"Matilda?" copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5Fmzptex1
"Aren't you going to ask me... Why?"copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡt0Izueck87
"Why what?"copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡXlOBpGrWdX
"Why I was trying to hide something. What was I trying to hide. That," she said. copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5IXCUoyfmW
"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 protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡTcjXCnOQaW
"I want to tell someone. I think maybe... If I tell the right person, I might start to feel... Better about it."copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡNE4vR0CeSe
"Okay, then. If you want to tell me, fire away."copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡtV8xUkfDJL
"Please... Keep it secret?"copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡHTCtEImxKt
"Of course."copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡNufLI3eb1R
"Okay... Here goes..."copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡlxRppm3B19
She took a breath. copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1LUr9aHPz8
"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 protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡnqxWfy3Jkp
Pause. copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡVf8SabEkuD
"The truth, which is...?" I asked quietly. copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡkoT7AD3d6a
"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 protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡRgpGEPOolO
"How can you be so sure?" I asked, a little pointlessly, already knowing the answer. copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡwXae059EM8
"I'm... Uh..."copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡACw1FsaBmH
Her voice was so quiet now, it was barely audible. copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡuniEyHzRUO
"Lesbian."copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHhGJzb49x
"Yes."copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡO7va56keZ5
"Hey, guess what?"copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡJFB7mr47ms
"...what?"copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡGrXRDQVDAg
I inhaled and tried to sound cheerful. copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡQF7mxT019Q
"So am I! Well, not lesbian, but..."copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Y7indr7M2
She sounded like she was going to burst into tears. copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡQzhbYqbvKw
"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 protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡipnK4Pfr9z
She sounded very indignant. copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡrsVnpCpxcy
"What... Whatever are you talking about?"copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡY3okOfytS5
"Huh? What? You mean... You were serious?"copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡevNtrInfl7
"Deadly serious. I'm gay."copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡn797GEUQiV
"Serious serious?"copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡM5RMOeAOzN
"Serious serious."copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4g8wrosgZ5
"So..."copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡVME0JOP2im
"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 protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡWdZC7ADJDz
I stopped abruptly. copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡVUvNCy6A2U
"There are, of course, the haters out there..."copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡZbjPK5PzFb
"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 protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡNMwevTf7JQ
"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 protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡjC3cPIeHZK
"United."copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡZjfbHcCBWB
"United." copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡHkxHKd5pl5
Pause. copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRjDU9KBya
Then...copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡXfBhf7Jxvh
"Thank you so much... Darren."copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5a4rEw8Wyi
I smiled. copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡBN1z54iE32
"Thank you too."copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡWKpEq4VVuo
I put the phone down and couldn't help but grin.copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡKhw0UIDl9c
My conversation with Matilda had just given me the inspiration I had needed for my article. copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡsROT9QSNub
In a nutshell? copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡXzVGETNh3c
Matilda had just saved my job. copyright protection389ＰＥＮＡＮＡYTQET4gUxh
ns18.234.247.75da2
