It is, I wanted to say, but I got the sense Gale didn’t agree, and I didn’t want to encourage an argument.
“What happened at the seminary?”
Gale sighed. “Matthew happened.”
When he didn’t go on, I playfully poked his ribs. “Do I need to hunt down Matthew and beat him up?”
Gale softly laughed. “No. It’s in the past.” Then he continued his story. “I kept to myself mostly. I’d never learned to make friends, so I studied, prayed, went to service, and did my pastoral work like a good seminarian. I liked it.
“Then I met Matthew. He had many friends and was part of the popular crowd. When he randomly started talking to me one day, I was confused… and leery. He would find me in the library or sign up for the same rotation of chores in the morning. We ended up doing the same apostolic work one month, and I knew it wasn’t coincidental. I enjoyed his company and our conversations. No one had ever paid much attention to me before, so it was new. Fresh. Invigorating. We liked the same books, and he seemed genuinely interested in me as a person. For the first time in my life, I caught a vibe that Matthew was hiding the same secret.”
“But?”
“But if his friends were around, he pretended I didn’t exist.”
“I would have thought devout, God-loving people wouldn’t segregate.”
“You’re talking about eighteen- and nineteen-year-old boys. They haven’t changed much from high school, but they have learned to be subtler with their abuse.”
“So, Matthew had a thing for you.”
“Yes. I never told him I was gay. I have no idea how he figured me out, but—”
I snorted, interrupting his story.
“What?”
“You have a vibe, Gale. I’m not saying this to freak you out, but I sensed you were gay in the bathroom at CineVision.”
“How?”
“The way you looked at me. I know you don’t want to hear this, but I bet half the people here suspect you’re gay, and I also bet it was the crux of the abuse you endured in high school.”
Gale grew still. “It was. I always denied it. I always tried to act like the other boys, but it made no difference. I was called the f-word more times than I could count, and I don’t mean fuck.”
“It’s so weird to hear you swear, but I knew what you meant. I’m sorry you had to deal with that. Kids are cruel.”
“Adults aren’t any better.”
I shuffled closer, resting a hand on his hip. “Let me guess. Matthew got under your skin. You were attracted to him. He got you to reveal your secret, then threw it in your face. He outed you.”
“Sort of. The attraction went both ways. He was gay, not pretending. His fear was as great as mine. Things between us progressed beyond friendship. It was incredibly sinful and inappropriate considering where we were and the choices we’d made about our future, but…”
“It sounds kind of hot to me. Now I need all the details.” I hoped joking around didn’t backfire.
Gale huffed a quiet laugh. “Don’t be crude. It amounted to two minor make-out sessions behind the church. All kissing. Clothing on. No touching below the belt.”
“Cassocks? Clerical collars? I need a visual. Why is this so kinky?”
Gale laughed and punched my arm. “You’re going straight to hell.”
“I wasn’t the one making out with a future priest behind the church. Tell me more.”
“I hate you.” The smile in his voice negated the claim. “I’m telling a serious story with an unhappy ending, and you’re turning it into a scandal.”
“Hey now. Two seminarians getting down and dirty behind the churchisscandalous.”
“We didn’t get down and dirty, and the fun ended when we got caught the second time.”
