The masses were shocked by the announcement. Hit hard to their very core they turned up their noses and refused to see; as two rational yet young women raised their clasped hands and confessed, "This is love and there is nothing you can do to change it!" the crowd erupted in outrage. All screaming their accusations at the couple. The young women were oblivious to their bigotry and ignored all their voices, because they knew that the only ones that mattered wouldn't care what they decided to be. They scanned the crowd for the few that weren't yelling like banshees about this confession. Even their pastor was joining in claiming that he could pray it all away. Amoungst the crowd the couple saw few who weren't protesting. A single friend here and there lit the way to acceptance. Even their own parents were hollering, their mother's crying, and wondering what they'd done wrong.

   The couple's morale was tettering on the edge of nonexistance. Their lack of forgiveness heart wrenching. Now they stood alone desperately searching for a person who cared enough to recognized that even though they were different they still had the same dreams. They still wished for that happily ever after. It wasn't until the defiant crowd brought the girls to tears did they notice the hand on their shoulders. Surprised they quickly turned around to be face to face with none other than the pastor's wife and son. Although he still ranted and raved about the "illness" the young girls had contracted his family was standing behind the couple; protecting them from his harsh words.

   They recognized what no one else could see. They saw that just as anyone else is when they confess to something that the brave couple who's fingers were still entwined with each other were only afraid. They simply needed some peace of mind knowing that someone, anyone was able to see how completely terrified yet courageous they were. To speak their mind to an audience who would indefinately shun them. The pastor's wife's eyes were sparkling with sympathy. Her son's with the same message.

   Tears once again welled up. Not because of the lack of support but of the richness of the little support they had. Against all odds against the man of the house's wishes the pastor's wife and son stood firmly by the confused couple. Now all four of them were numb to the roaring protests. A little boy no older than thirteen walked cautiously up to the girls who themselves had only seen nineteen years. He took their hands even as his family grabbed for him to come back. With just as much bravery as the young couple had demonstrated the boy looked them in the eye and said, "You are my hero." Just feet away his mother bursted into fits of uncontrollable sobbing. She also claimed that she could pray it all away, to her own son she promised that he would be forgiven for the sin he committed although the penalty was great.

   He glanced to his mother and said, "What I have is not a sin it is only love. Who is at fault here? You who cannot love your own son because of this "sin" that you only fear is a "sin" beacause you're afraid. Or me who has done nothing wrong but committed the "sin" of love." His mother still couldn't see his reasoning and still she cried. Out of the crowd another boy walked up to the now group of five. He took the other boy's hand and stood there; a barrier of protection. The first boy's mother sobbed louder pleading for him to come back, for him to see his wrong doing.

   Her words were silenced by her husband. He too joined his only son and walked to the side of no return. When his hysterical wife asked why he simply said, "We cannot hate our child for finding love. We can only support him as you would if his love was towards a girl." The now group of seven strong stood together and took the demoralizing blows that the world would forever spew at them. They took the firey tongue of the hateful comments that would follow them where ever they went. They took all this torture of not being accepted because they had found who they were. They had found someone worth dying for and if it came to that they would gladly give there life to save one another.