HOME | DD

Description
He had no idea how long he had been running through the woods, but it had turned dark. He had stopped crying by now and only his red eyes showed any sign of his crying. He stopped when he came upon a small clearing with a live fire pit. A few paces in front of him there was an old man next to the fire with his back turned to him.

Without facing him, the old man said, "You seem tired, come have a seat and rest."
Indeed he was tired, taking a seat adjacent to the old man. "Thank you for letting me have a seat." He said.

"It is no problem. It's nice to have company every now and then." The old man replied. "But tell me, why are you out here in the first place and crying. You're a little far from the town."

He was ashamed that his recent crying was noticeable and surprised from realizing he was so far away from town. Wanting someone to talk to, he willing opened up to the old man. "Because of my sexual orientation, everyone rejects me. I have dealt with it for awhile, but something happened today that just pushed me over the edge and caused me to run until I couldn't run anymore."

"It is good that you have not changed yourself just to be accepted. It is hard to stand against the thorns and barbs of prejudice, especially when you think you are alone. But you are not alone; there are others of your kind who face the same prejudice as you do. I survived it, by joining with my tribesmen and other Native Americans who faced the same prejudice as I did, and we took company in each other's misery, knowing that we didn't face it alone."

It may have been his imagination, but the old man's seemed to revive him and make the fire glow brighter . "Thank you for that, and I believe your right." He got up and started the way he came. He couldn't see him, but he felt like the old man was smiling and was there on purpose to tell him exactly what he needed to hear.