“Not much,” Rory said.
“How’s it going with Bernard?” Sophia asked.
“It’s not going anywhere now.”
“What happened?” they all said in unison.
“Well, it was our date last Saturday…”
Rory went into detail about their date and how much fun they’d had. Mini golf, the stage play, and dinner. He thanked each of them for helping him with the setup. He came to the end of the date. They almost kissed. His heart fluttered as his lips approached Bernard’s. Then his mom arrived.
“Then he called her a controlling bitch,” Rory said.
“He said what?” Sophia put her hand to her mouth.
“Yeah,” Rory said, “so I left, and I haven’t talked to him since.”
“Has he tried contacting you?” Nicolas asked.
“No,” Rory said. “He’s probably never going to. I stormed away.”
They all sat there in silence. He met each of their gazes. They’d convinced him to ask Bernard out. He could blame them for this, but he wouldn’t. He’d had feelings for Bernard before they said anything to him. It was the push he needed, but it was a mistake. It was a bad idea from the start. The whole thing was absurd. He couldn’t be in a relationship with a man. Rory had to live alone. His mother would hound him about finding a nice young lady. So long as he wasn’t with a man, the church wouldn’t consider him an abomination and excommunicate him. What else could he do?
“Are you going to call him?” Jeff asked.
“I can’t call him,” Rory said. “He insulted my mother.”
“Bernard didn’t seem like a horrible person to me,” Davi said. “He seemed like a nice guy who cares about you.”
“He called my mother a bitch though. Who does that?”
“Someone who’s hurt,” Sophia said.
“Or someone who sees something wrong happening and is angry about it,” Nicolas said.
“She…” He stopped. She’d called him a faggot and accused Bernard of tricking him into going on a date.
“She pulled you away from him. You also said she told you never to see him and that he would corrupt you,” Jeff said.
“She also called him a horrific word. Who calls someone that?” Davi said.
“Remember that man in the park? The one who confronted you and Bernard for hugging?” Sophia asked.
“What about him?”
“What he said to you and Bernard? Your mother sounds like she was doing the same thing.”
“He made me question my faith.”
Why was Rory defending his mother? She’d done horrible things.
Am I defending her because she’s manipulated me into believing everything she says? My mother is in the wrong, not Bernard. What am I going to do?
“Oh please,” Nicolas said. “You were friends with him for years before that date. Did he ever hit on you?”
“No.”
“Did he ever try to get you into bed with him?” Jeff asked.
