Conflicted

When are you getting married?

How come we have never seen any lady with you?

Most times he'd smile their questions away

At other times he would mumble something inaudible

But always they come at him

So he started dodging them

Family members are just too nosey

Leave me alone!

Some ladies at work also do it

Parade themselves around him

Can I buy you lunch?

What will you be having for lunch?

I bought two tickets, would you like to see a movie with me?

The ladies were relentless

Smiling at him like the three quarters of a watermelon

Fluttering eyelashes

Where he lives the story is the same

Beautiful neighbours striving to catch his eyes

Pushing to be in his space

Knock! Knock!! Knock!!!

Hi

Can I come in?

Sorry, do I know you?

Not yet, but you can if you want to

What is this harassment? He thinks

Sometimes he wants to hide

At church the story is the same

Silent whispers of a nameless attraction

A million words said in silence

A look, a smile, a brushing of the boobs against his back

Sometimes a whisper

What did pastor say?

Did you get the last Bible verse?

Did you drive?

Can I give you a ride home?

Being handsome made it worse

Having a good job put a target on his back

Having a good voice made him compelling

His life is ready for a loving wife

The departure of the self from the life

His mother called one day, crying

What is the problem?

Why are you still single?

At 34!

The consultations began

His mother called his cousins and sisters

Find a suitable wife for your brother

Don't leave him to his own devices

Since he seemed helpless as a man

Help him!

They were subtle, but he saw it

Their frantic efforts at selecting and introducing ladies to him

They pushed and pushed

He clocked 38

He was still single

One of his cousins told a friend

Can I introduce you to my cousin?

Check him out on facebook

His name is so and so

The friend liked what she saw

Cousin calls him, trying to set up a date

He got weary

Can i talk to you?

Cousin: Why not

He: I am gay

Cousin: JESUS!

He: I was introduced to this lifestyle years ago. I am HIV positive

I will just like you guys to let me breathe, tell everybody if you want or keep it a secret but I am tired of being hounded at every turn

Let me live my life in peace

Cousin turns to her husband, do you know so and so is gay? What do we do? How do we help him?

Cousin's Husband: Being gay is demonic, he would need a lot of counselling, listening to God's word, in filling of the Holy Spirit and a deliberate shift in mindset and consciousness

Cousin's Husband: HE HAS TO BE DETERMINED BY HIMSELF TO BE FREE! a THIRD PARTY CANNOT DETERMINE THAT FOR HIM OR ENFORCE SUCH ON HIM!

Cousin: So you are saying we are powerless?

Cousin's Husband: No. We have a duty to love and pray for him. We must provide spiritual support

Cousin's Husband: We must not judge him. We also must not condemn him. We must not ostracize him and we must not bash him. He is as human as any of us and must be loved the same way Jesus loves us all.

Cousin: I can never see him the same way again

Cousin's Husband: You must

It took his confession for her to see all the obvious signs she had noticed before but ignored

It had always been obvious

Love often select what it wants to see

She didn't tell anybody his secret

She told friends and family members to please leave him alone and let him breathe

They did

He was grateful

He had confided in the right person

Family members backed off

The secret was one of his greatest hindrance to freedom

He began to change his lifestyle choices

Frequented new places, made new friends

Worried less, had peace

Still working at it

The END