Oh, please tell me you expected that one. Even I expected that one.

I suppose I should have. I don’t know how it is that I keep forgetting that I am supposed to be getting into ‘let-go’ mode.

Oh, I know why you keep forgetting.

Then by all means, enlighten me.

It is really simple. You still don’t understand how it is that she is still willing to give that asshole a chance. So of course you are still in the mindset of there not being someone else.

Yeah well it sucks! It’s official by the way – I don’t like him and nothing is going to make me like him ever. Ashley is – of course – free to do what she wishes with him. But I’m not going to sit around and pretend like he’s got my approval. He has earned less than my approval, he’s earned my hatred.

Finally, I decide that I need to sleep off the horrendous headache that is only threatening to get worse. It took forever for me to fall asleep. And when I finally did fall asleep, it was anything but restful.

My subconscious played out everything I had been trying to avoid thinking about. And oh, lucky me, it played out in the form of a dream – so not only did I face the things I didn’t want to face, but I got to watch them too.

I was at the DMV with Ashley and we were waiting for hours. Nothing could have been as much of a good-luck charm as her. Finally, it was my turn to take the written test. Before I went to take it, Ashley held my hand and pulled me to her for a good-luck kiss. People began staring.

I passed the test without a problem. Upon announcing to Ashley that I passed, she kissed me again in a congratulatory manner. It was time for them to take my picture. The person behind the camera looked angry with me for some reason. I glanced into the waiting area and everyone else had the same expression.

After they printed my identification card, I gave it an once-over. Splayed across the card in big red letters was the word ‘faggot’. I looked at the person who took my picture and suddenly everyone was surrounding Ashley and me as if they were going to persecute me. The picture taker held a knife to my throat. I tried to reach for Ashley to help me, but as I reached out for her, she only shrugged and walked away. The only words left in her wake were, “No one ever claimed that this town was accepting.”