A tall man with graying hair entered the Laundromat on the phone.
"Yes Honey, I know that Bram and Simon are coming back from uni this evening and that the broken washing machine is bad timing." The man paused. "But I'm warning you I'm not going back this weekend to wash their bed sheets."
"Why would I come back? Oh Honey, they are young, deeply in love, and they have not seen each other for several weeks. What do you think is going to happen in that room this weekend?"
Jack realizes where he was, that not everyone is so comfortable talking about sex, even less between two men. He quickly finished his call and went back to a chair to wait.
"So ... Your son is gay?" cautiously ask Armando.
"Is that a problem?"
"My son just came out and I may have reacted poorly."
"What did you say?"
"Nothing, I left the house."
Armando sees the expression on the other man.
"The leaving was already planned" he explained. We were announcing the children that their mother and I needed time separated and Victor came out. I haven't seen him since, and I may be postponed it.
"I am repeating my question: Is that a problem for you?"
"I grew up in a strong religious family. It will be a problem with my parents."
"Forget your parents or your friends or neighbors, what do YOU think?"
"He is my son, I love him, but I have been educated, learning that it is a sin. That is not the future I wanted for him."
"You know, coming out takes a lot of courage especially when you grew up in a religious saying that who you like is a sin. How do you think he feels? That his dad is not talking to him anymore? He is probably imagining the worst scenario in his head. He needs to hear that you love him and that there is nothing wrong with him.
Tell him that you needed a little time to readjust to the new reality, that you prefer to stay silent instead saying of the wrong thing. Tell him that it is not the life you projected for him, but gay or straight children lead the life they want. And being a parent is a constant readjustment.
Tell him that you love him, no matter what. Tell him that he will have to be patient with you, because for him, he probably questions himself since a while but for you, it is new, that he should not get too angry if you say something offensive but he will have to explain you and educate you. And in a few months, when a neighbor asks you if your son has a girlfriend, you will laugh because you would not be able to imagine your son with a girl anymore."
"Ok, thanks man. You seem to know how to handle it."
"When I am uncomfortable, I make offensive jokes, and that's what happened when my son came out. My wife is a child psychologist, so after our son coming out, I had a nice lecture about it."
A beep announced the end of Armando's laundry.
"I have to go, thank you a lot. I think I am going to spend the evening at home."
Armando pulled out his phone and sent the family group conversion on Whats App : "family dinner tonight, I'm bringing take away."