Genesis
 
For Otis and me, there were no people we could ever call friends. Our lives had been shaped to be different. To stand out from the crowd. But not in a good way. We’ve dealt with judgment and discrimination for simply loving each other, and after years of staying true to ourselves and not letting nasty looks and words turn us into people we weren’t, we never imagined to find people who accepted and understood us. And so we made the decision to move far away from home with our two little boys to start all over. Echo had quickly become my best friend. One I could trust and be open about my thoughts without feeling ashamed or misunderstood. Although Otis had always been okay not having a friend to talk to, it was clear that Echo’s three mountain men, Summit, Nordin, and Willem, were a perfect match to get him out of his shell. We made the right decision to move to Homer, and we were certain that we’d call that place our forever home.