Malachi’s Word

“Hello?”
“Mal?”
“Hey Danny! You okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Is something wrong?”
“No.”
Silence stretched after that small word. There wasn’t much time when Danny had the chance to make a phone call. He usually called his father, but every once in a while called Mal. But this call…
“Danny? Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I am, but Mal, there’s something I need to tell you, something I need to tell someone. It’s eating me up. You’re the only one I trust.”
Okay, Danny had him worried. “You know you can tell me anything at all.”
“I… Yeah. Let me just…” There were several more moments of silence before Danny’s voice filled the line again. “I had to make sure no one was around, that no one could hear.”
“Sure.”
“Mal, I’m…” Danny sighed and that one sound tore at Mal. His friend was hurting and there was nothing he could do about it being so far away from where Danny was stationed for boot camp. “Mal, I’m gay.”
It was Mal who initiated the silence on the line between them now. Mal’s face heated and he settled heavily on the stool next to the breakfast bar in his kitchen.
Danny was gay? He had so many questions and didn’t know where to start and he didn’t want to say the wrong thing. Danny could be sensitive about personal things and could take things the way they were meant, or blow things out of proportion.
“Mal? Mal, please say something.”
Mal heard the uncertainty in his best friend’s voice, the fear. He’d only heard that sound one other time and that was back when they’d lost their mothers on the same day.
“Me, too.” The words surprised him as they came out of his mouth. That was not what he’d planned to say at all.
“What?”
“Me, too.”
“You mean…?”
“Yeah. I’m gay, too.”
“Are you just saying that to make me feel better?”
“Seriously? You know me better than that, Daniel.”
“So, we’re both gay?”
Mal understood the surprise and was happy that it had replaced the fear. “I guess so.”
“I… I didn’t know.”
“I’m not trying to take your moment, Danny.”
“You didn’t. Have you told anyone else?”
“No. I hadn’t planned to tell anyone. At least not… I don’t know.”
“Me, neither, but like I said… It started eating at me and I just…”
“I get it.”
“We’re good?”
“We’re always good, Danny. No matter what. We’re always good.”