Confession
Dr. Brian Swiss was used to traveling to South Park by now. This world renowned child psychologist had been called to this little mountain town at least a dozen times over his long twelve year career. The children of South Park have had some particularly venomous problems: from a boy feeling like he was too girly, to a teenager who's parents were brutality murdered and turned into chili that he ate. By the sixth or seventh time, the sheer awe of the children's problems no longer phased him. This time, he was contacted by the Stotch family in an email.
"Dear Dr. Swiss
Recently, our little boy Butters hasn't been acting like himself. He used to be happy, fun-loving, and outgoing among many other positive characteristics. But around two months ago, he started to retract from his friends. He never talks to us or them anymore, and stays locked in his room all day. Its gotten to the point where we have to bring him his meals. Please help us doctor, our little boy needs help
Thank you for reading
Mr. and Mrs. Stotch"
Once his plane from Chicago landed in Denver, Dr. Swiss hailed a taxi to South Park. In the cab, Dr. Swiss noticed a local news paper.
"Excuse me sir, but can I see that newspaper?" Dr. Swiss said in his smooth calm voice.
"Sure buddy." Dr. Swiss then realized it was a local South Park paper the cabbie must have gotten while there. There wasn't much in the paper, just your average obituaries, advertisements, and the day's weather forecast; that being fucking cold. But there was an article featuring the school.
"...the school is a wonderful place for your child to go. Consider signing your child in South Park Elementary today."
Under the message about joining the school, there was a picture of the fourth grade class. Dr. Swiss saw some familiar faces: Tweek Tweak, Wendy Testaburger, Eric Cartman, and Craig Tucker. Oh how those children boggled the good doctor's mind. On the edge of the bleachers they were sitting on was a small blonde boy with a turquoise jacket and baby blue eyes. The boy wasn't smiling, he looked as if he didn't want to be there. That's something he'd expect from Craig, but this kid looks so adorable. That must be Butters.
The ride was awkwardly quiet, but Dr. Swiss enjoyed the silence for once. He loved the small town feel of South Park. A fifteen minute ride later, the cabbie dropped the doctor off at the edge of town. There it was, South Park. It had only been six months since he was there, but a lot can happen in that span of time, particularly in this little town. The sun was dawning over the town, soon the children would be roaming the streets on this brisk Saturday morning. Dr. Swiss walked further into town, people were entering there shops to open up, one of these being Tweek Bros Coffeehouse. He followed the short-haired the man into the shop along with his son Tweek. Dr. Swiss took his seat at one of the tables until the man was ready.
"Dr. Swiss?" The man, Mr. Tweak, asked. "You're back in town I see."
"What?!" Tweek yelped "I keep telling you people that the therapy doesn't work!"
"Don't worry Tweek, he's not here for you, Now get in back and start up the brewer." The blonde haired and sloppily dressed kid did as his father told him.
"So what brings you back into town doctor?"
"One of the children has become an extrovert, and his parents asked for my help."
"Yeah, Tweek keeps talking about that kid, and how he's possessed and how he's going to unleash hell itself on the town."
"Well that does sound like something Tweek would say." The two men chuckled and the doctor ordered a frappe. After the doctor finished his drink, he made his way to the residential area. On a two-way street lay identical houses, only differing from the paint on each one. Dr. Swiss had called the Stotch family after he received the email, and they told him they lived in a red-beige house with and SUV parked outside. Soon enough he found was looking for, and knocked on the door. A middle aged women with long blonde hair answered the door.
"Good morning ma'am, I'm Dr. Brian Swiss." The two shook hands and the women eagerly led the doctor inside.
"Stephen, he's here!" The woman announced. Just then, a man in an drab olive-green shirt and white tie walked into the living room.
"Good to me you doctor, I'm Stephen and this is my wife Linda." The married couple sat on the couch and Dr. Swiss just sat on the floor in front of them.
"Doc, you do know there's a chair right next to you, right?"
"Don't worry about me" The doctor said stretching his arms "I prefer it this way. So I read in the email your son has become reclusive?"
"Yes doctor" Linda said "We're very worried about him, his friends are worried about him, he needs your help."
"I will do my very best ma'am." The three got up. Stephen went into the kitchen and handed Dr. Swiss a plate of scrambled eggs and toast.
"Give this to Butters, the boy needs to eat." Dr. Swiss gladly accepted the plate and walked upstairs. One of the doors had a note on it that said please knock, so that must be Butters' room. The doctor knocked on the door.
"Hello? Is there anyone in there? I have some eggs and toast here for you." The only response Dr. Swiss got was the sound of the door unlocking.
"Alright, I'm coming in." Dr. Swiss slowly opened the door, and there on the bed in front of him was the boy from the newspaper, Butters Stotch.
"I got your food, if you want it." The boy took the plate and took a bite out of one of the pieces of toast. Dr. Swiss sat on the floor. "Just let me know when you're ready." It took Butters about fifteen minutes to eat, not saying a word to the doctor. Once he finished the last of his eggs, the boy finally spoke.
"You didn't need to come here."
"Well, you seem to be having problems, and you're parents have asked for my help.
"Oh, so now they're worried about me? Now they give a fuck? How novel."
"What's wrong with your parents?" Butters waited a bit before answering the question.
"They never think of MY best interests. Everything they do involving me is for Their best interest, not taking my opinion into consideration, like camp." Butters put his hand over his mouth, he had just spoke of camp.
"What did you do at camp? I always thought camp was fun."
"Its not the camp you're thinking about." Dr. Swiss knew immediately knew what Butters was talking about, Straight Camp.
"Let me ask you this if you will, do you like anyone at your school?"
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Just something for me to take into consideration." Butters pondered for a moment.
"Well, there's my friends Stan, Kyle, Eric, and Kenny. Besides them, no one really."
"Out of this group of kids, is there one you particularly like?"
"What are you getting at doc?"
"Butters, I know exactly what camp you were talking about. Your parents sent you to one of those "Pray the gay away" camps didn't they?" Butters sighed, knowing his secret had been revealed.
" Yeah, they did. I know they mean well, but they're just going to have to accept the fact that I'm as gay as a rainbow."
"When did they send you?"
"Two months ago."
"Your parents said this was around the time you excluded yourself. Is it the reason?"
"Yeah, I didn't want the other kids finding out, so I stopped talking to them."
"Okay, that wasn't so hard wasn't it."
"Well I'm talking to a non-judgmental professional, not my bigoted-ass, self denying parents."
"Self denying?"
"Yeah, I know full well my dad's bi. I even have proof." Butters walked over to his desk and opened a folder on top of it. In there were some pictures that Butters showed the doctor. In them where Butters' dad committing homosexual acts with other men.
"Well, that's...not what I was expecting to see this morning. Alright, here's my plan: We go downstairs together, and you come out. If your dad or mom object, or are not accepting, then I'll show them the photos. Deal?"
"Deal." The two walked back down the stairs and sat in the living room where Butters' parents waited.
"So" Stephen said "How'd it go?"
"Good" was Dr. Swiss' response. "I got hm to open up about something. Butters, you want to tell them?" Butters took a deep breath.
"Mom, Dad. I'm gay. I'm a queer, fag, fairy, and I'm proud." The two parents had a look of distress.
"No Butters" Stephen said " You're just... confused."
"Don't project on to other people Mr. Stotch, especially your own child."
"What does that mean?"
"You know full well what I'm talking about." Dr. Swiss handed him the incriminating photographs. The two parents were mortified.
"Stephen! I thought this was just a phase." Linda said to her husband.
"It is, I just haven't come out of it."
"Face it Mr. Stotch, the sooner you accept your bisexuality, the better. Your son depends on you, looks up to you. How can he look up to a man that's such a coward that he can't accept himself for who he is?" Stephen broke into tears.
"Linda...he's right, this isn't just a...phase." Linda patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't worry honey, its okay. And your son being gay is okay too."
"Butters" His father said "I'm so sorry for putting you through that awful camp. Can you forgive me?"
"Of course I can dad." The father and son embraced each other.
"Well it looks like my work is done here." Dr. Swiss, picking up his bag.
"Thank you for helping us doc" Stephen said "It means a lot." The doctor said his goodbyes and left the Stotch residence. As Dr. Swiss walked to his next appointment, he got a text, from Butters.
"My mom had your phone number on her desk. Thank you for helping me through such a confusing thing in my life. I will always remember you. Ps – Dad says you're cute."
