“So, why do you do it?” she asks me. I stop pouring juice and turn to look at her.
“I’m sorry, what are you talking about?” I ask, confused.
“The lesbian thingie. Why date another girl when you can have any man you want?” she asks again. She was my childhood friend but we also grew apart.
Today she chose to send me a text saying she missed hanging out. I told her she could come over. I set the jug of juice on the table and stare at her.
“What’s it like with a girl? What kind of satisfaction does being with a girl give you?” she takes the jug and pours herself juice.
“What’s it like with a boy? What kind of satisfaction does being with a boy give you?” I ask sarcastically.
“You can’t ask me that, I asked you first!” she argues.
“Answer me!” I snap.
“Well, that’s how it’s supposed to be; a man and a woman. That’s how the bible and God made it out to be,” she sips her juice.
“The bible?” I repeat. She nods.
“The bible teaches us about religion and loving one another. There are so many things the bible forbids. Disrespecting your parents is a sin, adultery is a sin, why choose the one thing that suits you? Why pull the bible card when it suits you?” I ask her, calmly.
She shrugs, “It’s different. It’s just the bible doesn’t want same sex relationships,” she sighs.
“Pre-marital sex is a sin, that doesn’t stop you from sleeping with your boyfriend, does it?” I ask. She shakes her head. “Good. Now, I’m not going to allow your homophobic tendencies,” I take a sip of my juice.
“It’s just unnatural, I’m not being homophobic,” she defends.
“I don’t care. Don’t question me. A relationship is between love and love, not between a man and a woman,” I respond.
“But still, why choose a woman there are so many men in the world? Maybe you just haven’t found the right one?” she shrugs.
“Choose? You think I ‘chose’ to be gay? Nobody wakes up and decides that, ‘Hey! Today I want to be gay! I want to be judged and crucified for who I am’. Being gay isn’t a choice, and it’s definitely not about finding the ‘right’ boy yet,” I stand up, taking my glass.
She nods, absent-mindedly. “I’ll never understand.”
“I don’t expect you to. I don’t need your approval either,” I turn to face her. She stands up too.
“You’re right. The bible forbids a lot of things, but that doesn’t stop us from doing them. If love is God, and God is love, then why is the gay kind of love crucified?” I shrug.
I shrug and say, “I’ll never know.”
“Well then, I’m glad we got to talk. I hope I can come over sometime again?” She puts her glass in the sink.
“Maybe you can.” I nod, closing the door behind her.
***
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