My TINY LOVE STORY
A Fateful Crosswalk
"Everyone thinks you're gay." Panic consumes 14-year-old me. I pray and hear: "Find a girlfriend." I date the most popular girl in high school until I graduate in 1983. The homophobia of that time leaves a deep scar, and I spend my life healing it. Dozens of ill-fated relationships with guys ensue. After I give up on love at 45, I pass a man in a crosswalk who asks, "Leaving so soon?" I reply: "What do you want to know? I'm single." We've been together 14 years. Hope springs eternal. - Michael Hauser
