Todd's Letter to Aunt Eppy

Dear Troubled Ties Todd -

If you need a real easy way to tell everyone the truth, send 'em all a link to the EpiGuide! I mean, you do realize that your secret's not gonna be all that secret once this is published, right?

Mmm'kay, let's assume that folks in Sunrise Bay aren't real big on surfin' the Web. So what's my main advice? Well, what is it that people say these days -- if ya can't stand the gas, let it out!

That's what you need to do, honey. Let this pain and anxiety out. The more you keep it inside, the more you're gonna want to explode, and the last thing you need is to stand in the middle of the street screaming "I'm Gay!!!!"

But you know what? You are gay! Embrace that, Triple T! You're trying to be everything to everyone else, and you keep looking at the whole world and basing your actions off what they think. You'll never get anywhere that way, trust me. So to heck with 'em. Think for yourself!

You don't revolve around the world, nor does the world revolve around you. You're there in this game of life interacting with other players, except you're bendin' over backwards (pardon the expression) to keep others happy. That's not the way to play the game, much less win.

So why aren't you happy? Because you haven't said a gosh darn thing to anyone. Here's a cliche that your mama might've told you (if she wasn't a nasty bigotted witch, that is): If you can't trust your friends with the truth, they're not really your friends. And same goes for your family. If they truly loves you, in time they'll accept you for you and not because of this box they've put you in. I'm guessin' your mama's a lost cause, sorry to say. But with everyone else? There's hope.

What I say is this: go to the hospital and apologize to Gabi about your behavior -- but mention to her why you just can't reciprocate those feelings. Hey, the poor girl's unconscious, so it should be safe to start there! My spiritual guide will say that she'll be listening, so when she wakes up she just might have digested the truth.

Once that's done, slowly start sharing the news with other people. The important thing here is to make sure you're the one to bring the news ... and not the grapevine.

As for Luke? You need to tread carefully here. I say, treat him like the good friend he is. If he's worth as much as your heart tells you, he'll accept your feelings without freakin' out. In time, who knows? Maybe something better could come out of all this.

Y'know, Todd, it's actually a good thing that you're not with someone right now. This mess'd be a lot messier than it should be if another person in the crossfire. And this is gonna seem like a war zone for a little while, sorry to say. For things to get better, they have to get a lot worse first. So let it out, let everything come crashing down! Then dust yourself off and take the time to pick up the pieces, mend friendships/relationships, and wait for people to get over the initial shockwaves. In time they'll figure out that nothing's changed about you 'cept your preference in love.

Wishing you plenty of better days in Sunrise Bay,

~~ Ephilia