He Likes Boys//It (2017)

t w e n t y s i x

Chapter Twenty Six:

She hated the sound of silence as they drove, and turned on the car radio to break it.

Bowie was singing to them through the speakers.

She sighed. Just at the right time, she thought. It's just the right time for that sort of song. Or rather, that sort of singer.

It was neither happy, nor sad, but rather something alien.

'People stared at the makeup on his face.' Bowie sang through the radio, his poetic words weaving their way in through Stan's ear and straight into his brain.

Hom quietly hummed along to David Bowie's Lady Stardust.

'They laughed at his long black hair, his animal grace.

'The boy in the bright blue jeans, jumped up on the stage.

'Lady Stardust sang his song of darkness and disgrace.' Bowie continued to sing loudly, reaching the hearts of plenty. It was an old record, but Stan had never heard it before.

Where had this type of music been all his life? This was what he'd been needing. Something to help him push through it all. Something that told him he wasn't alone in what he was facing. Lady Stardust had felt this darkness and disgrace, and Lady Stardust had pushed through. Just like he was pushing through now, making it through everything that was happening. This was music he could relate to. This was music that actually meant something.

'And he was alright, the band was all together.
Yes he was alright, the song went on forever
And he was awful nice
Really quite out of sight.' Bowie sang once more, this time as a person in the crowd, watching Lady Stardust preform, seeing as an act of reassurance, as a ray of hope from all the awful things going on around, he was alright.

That was what Hom needed. For him to be able to just wake up one day, and for everything to just be alright for once. For him and Stan to be perfectly legal. For them to not be seen as some sort of an abomination. One day, everything would be alright. He knew it. He believed it.

Everything would be alright.

'And he sang all night long
Femme fatales emerged from shadows
To watch this creature fair
Boys stood upon their chairs
To make their point of view
I smiled sadly for a love
I could not obey
Lady stardust sang his songs
Of darkness and dismay.'

Boys stood up on their chairs, Stan wondered, listening closely to the lyrics now, picturing it in his mind, the sad smile upon Bowie's face as he watches his love sing of darkness and dismay. He knows that he cannot love Lady Stardust. He's a man. They would never be accepted, and they wouldn't be allowed to marry. Those who didn't already hate Bowie would hate him even more. No one would listen to queer music.

'And he was alright, the band was altogether
Yes he was alright, the song went on forever
And he was awful nice
Really quite paradise.'

Hom listened closely to the lyrics as well, now feeling fairly intrigued by what David Bowie had to say. He'd never been much of a Bowie fan before, but upon hearing this song for the first time he felt like going out and buying every album the man had ever made. He wanted to find every treasure of a song David Bowie had.

'And he sang all night long
All night long
Oh how I sighed when they asked if I knew his name'

The last line made Stan almost certain that it was about a past male lover of Bowie's. He couldn't see how else the story would make sense. He'd seen pictures of Bowie before when passing by the record store. He was always dressed a bit more flamboyantly than most rock stars of the past.

'And he was alright, the band was altogether
Yes he was alright, the song went on forever
And he was awful nice
Really quite out of sight
He sang all night long'

As the track faded info nothing and Hom's mom turned down the volume on the radio, Hom had begun to sense there was something wrong, there was a sort of tension in the air, and his mother had been acting particularly strange that evening.

She parked the car, still a while far back from where Stan had told her the address was. Hom felt his heart rate pick up. Now he was absolutely certain that she had seen him and Stan walking down the street hand in hand, and if not then one of the neighbours had told her what they saw. Whichever it was, it was not a good thing.

Hom's mother turned around to face the boys in the backseat and looked wearily at her son.

"Listen, Hom, I know, that you and Stan were, um, holding hands..." She started, not quite sure how to approach her son with this issue. It wasn't even that she really had a problem with her son liking boys like that. She just had a problem with what the neighbours would say about it. Hell, they already said enough when she got divorced, and she didn't need to light the fire for new rumours to spread. People could say awful things sometimes.

"Mom, I'm gay." Hom admitted it straight out, rather than watching her continue to beat around the bush. "I like Stan. And he likes me. And we're together."

His mother sighed, but before she could say anything, Hom interrupted her again.

"I just want to say, that while this may be what I'm feeling now, and what I want right now, it could still change in the future."

His mother smiled at him. "Just be careful, honey. I don't want either of you getting hurt." She said simply, and then turned back to the road, starting the car and continuing the drive.

Hom had never been happier in his life. He'd expected it to go so much worse, but it didn't.

His mom still loved him, regardless.