The repercussions of someone finding out that Billy was taking hormones were just too great. What would be his dad’s reaction? Would he be kicked out of the house? The shame that would be put on the family would be tremendous. Could he get more hormones once his supply dwindled? So many questions and so much pressure!
Billy knew that he had big ideals of who he wanted to be, but there was a tremendous wall that blocked his path. He accepted the reality that he would have to wait.
The next day he dumped the hormones into a trash can on the way to school. Although very reluctant, he realized that it was the only option.
Billy was a popular kid in school. He was a good looking boy with sandy blonde hair, blue eyes and a nice body which grabbed the girl’s attention.
He tended to pick and choose his friends carefully though.
Jenna and he were best friends since 1st grade. Some called them boyfriend and girlfriend because they were so close. Neither of them minded that title. They were very inseparable.
Adam was another long time friend. The two were polar opposites. Where Billy’s home-life was structured and rigid, Adam’s was very liberal and loose. Adam, being a rather plain-looking boy, envied Billy’s good looks and the way the girls would talk about him. As the three sat at the lunch table, Billy realized what a big mistake he was making by taking the hormones. The gravity of how much his life would change sunk in. He wasn’t ready to face all the attention, the ridicule, the change in status.
Over the next couple weeks Billy adjusted to the thought that he would remain a boy for the foreseeable future. The thought of what he was planning on doing with the hormones made him shake his head in disbelief. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
He wasn’t sure how long it would take for the hormones to wear off. He figured that he should be regaining his strength any day now.
The daily exercises continued to be very hard on Billy. His dad and brothers would push him to his limit which was way less than it used to be. In fact, his little brother seemed to be able to perform the drills with more ease then he.
Billy’s mom saw the daily struggles by her son and comforted him after all the taunting by the males in the family. She could see him giving a full effort and began to feel worried about the health of her boy. Her sons were all so masculine and excelled in anything physical. Why was Billy having so many issues?
Dad pulled Billy into his office.
“Son, you seem to be having trouble with your exercise. What seems to be the problem?”
“I don’t know dad. I’m trying my best. I think I might have been sick or something because I am pretty sure my strength is returning.”
“Hmmm. Okay, well I want to see you give it more effort. A couple months ago you were doing 25 push ups and today you could only do 12. In my opinion you are taking it too easy on yourself. You’re getting lazy.”
“Yes dad. I will do better. I promise.”
“I’ll hold you to that promise. Now your mom and I need to talk to all of you.”
With that, the whole family gathered in the living room.
Then the bombshell dropped.
“Sons, the country has called me to duty. I wanted to hold off on telling all of you until the end. I am heading to Afghanistan in 2 days. I will be gone for a year and it will be up to you boys to take care of your mom and the house. I expect things to remain as I have laid them out…no exceptions understood?”
“Yes dad”
“Good. There is nothing more honorable than being called to serve your country. I am extremely proud to serve. I will be keeping in close touch and expect things to remain tight around here. Understood?”
“Yes dad”
Dad was going away for a year? It was so odd to Billy how no one showed any emotion. It was like this had to be done so just accept it and move on. Even his mom was stone-faced.
A year with no dad? He thought for a second about throwing away the hormones. Should he have kept them? With dad gone this could have been a great opportunity!
NO WAY!
Billy wasn’t ready to take that road. Maybe he wouldn’t have to work out as much though which would be great for keeping his body softer.
Billy felt a wave of relief.
Sure he loved his dad, but a little less structure in the house would be a good thing.