Romeo & Juliet 2024

People at the LGBTQIA demonstration for gender recognition were livid on both sides. Deafening screams rose from one side to drown out the preachings of the other. Hand-made signs bounced through a sea of angry faces as each party passionately voiced their opinion on the matter, each one trying to make the other one see their side. Separated by a fence, two former friends, Brian Capulet and Jason Montague, vehemently argued their positions on the subject. Brian’s daughter was once called Julian and recognized as a boy. Brian supported her throughout her hormone therapy starting at the age of fifteen, with plans for surgery in the future. Jason could not accept their decisions. It ended their thirty-year friendship. As the two raged on, Jason insisting that Brian’s daughter was mentally ill and that Brian had failed her as a father, their children, Romeo and Juliet, snuck down the fence-line to talk privately.

Lacing their fingers through the fence, Romeo said, “I miss you, Juliet.”

“I miss you too. I wish your father would accept me for who I am and let us be. You need to come out so we can tell everyone about us. So, you’re pansexual. Is your family really going to disown you for that?”

“I don’t know what they will do. I don’t know what they can do. I’m only seventeen-years-old,” Romeo said as he unlaced his fingers.

“You have been my best friend since I could crawl, my lover for two years. I’m tired of hiding in the shadows and loving you in secret. They are going to find out eventually. It’s best they hear it from you.”

“I know. I’ll…”

“Romeo, get away from it,” Jason shouted as he emerged from the crowd. “I told you to never talk to it again!”

Juliet backed away from the fence, her eyes filling with tears, her lips quivering.

“She’s not an it, dad. Stop being so rude and hateful.”

“Juliet, there you are. What’s wrong honey,” Brian asked as he pushed his way out of the crowd.

“It’s nothing, dad, can we just go?”

Brian looked up at Jason, suspecting he had a part to play in his daughter’s unhappiness. He started for the fence, but his wife, Olivia, caught him by the arm. “Let it go. It’s time to leave, babe” she said, and they walked off, Brian scowling at Jason over his shoulder.

Jason scowled back until they disappeared. Then he turned his attention to his son as he led his family back to the car. “What do you think you were doing?”

“We’ve been friends our whole lives, dad. I’m not going to stop talking to her just because you have gender issues.”

“I don’t have gender issues. God made two genders, male…”

“And man made a third. I’m not going to pretend I know everything about gender identity because I don’t, but people are hormonally and surgically changing their gender to their preferred gender. So, at the very least there is a transgender. That’s just the reality of the world we live in today.”

“I knew that little mutant would infect you, affect the way you think. You two are still talking all the time, aren’t you? Hand over your phone and I’m taking your computer when we get home too.”

“Mom?”

“You heard your father. Hand it over,” Alicia Montague said, reaching into the back seat.

~*~

The following Monday, Romeo drove across town to Juliet's school. She walked out of the building heading towards the bus as usual when he called out to her. Her face lit up with surprise and she started to skip towards him. The skip broke into a run, and she leapt into his arms. Romeo hugged her tightly, spinning her around, kissing her passionately before putting her down.

“I’m so happy to see you,” Juliet squealed, “but aren’t you scared you’re going to get caught?”

“Nah, I needed to see you. I figured I could at least give you a ride home,” Romeo said, opening the car door for her.

 “Do you think we can do something before you take me home, please,” Juliet asked with pleading eyes.

“How about we walk the park. I’ll grab some cereal and you can feed the ducks.”

The park in autumn had a beautiful landscape filled with trees of vivid fall colors that cast plenty of shade on the trails during warm, sunny days. The two youngsters walked hand-in-hand back to the lake where they grabbed a bench on the shore. Romeo smiled at Juliet’s giddiness when the ducks would gobble up their food. She got even more excited as more ducks swam across the lake looking for a treat. He saw in her the kid he grew up with, someone who had been feminine all their life. He leaned over and kissed her cheek.

“I love you,” he told her.

Juliet looked at him and smiled. She snuggled into the crook of his arm and said, “I love you too.”

“I’m sorry, Juliet, but my parents took my cellphone and computer. I won’t be able to talk to you at nights anymore.”

She looked up at him and asked, “Why? Is it because you were talking to me Saturday?”

“No. I stood up for you. Dad didn’t like that, and I don’t think mom was so happy either.”

Juliet snuggled back in with a grin on her face and said, “It was sweet that you stood up for me.” 

Romeo kissed her on top of the head and grabbed a fist full of cereal. He started feeding the ducks with her as they sat in silence, enjoying the moment.

~*~

When Romeo dropped Juliet off at home it was after dark. The two teens said goodnight with a kiss. Juliet frolicked up the sidewalk to the front door. She was light on her feet, the happiest she had been in a long time. That all changed when she was greeted at the front door by her father.

“Where have you been, young lady? You were supposed to be home hours ago. You missed dinner and we were worried sick.”

“Geez, dad, I’m fine. Romeo picked me up from school and we had the most wonderful time at the park.”

“Wonderful? Juliet, you sound like you have a crush on the boy. Do not let yourself get too head-over-heels for him. We don’t need any more problems with that family.”

“Too late, daddy. Romeo and I have been more than friends for two years now.”

“Since when is… oh never mind. Juliet, this is not good. Jason doesn’t know yet, does he?”

“Romeo is going to tell him… eventually.”

“This can’t happen. I won’t allow it. You’re young. You’ll find someone else. We just cannot be associated with that family.”

“You can’t stop me from seeing him! You can’t make me fall out of love!”

“I can sure as hell try. You’re grounded. I want your cellphone and tablet. From now on, your mother will pick you up from school.”

“This is so unfair,” Juliet exclaimed as she stormed off to her room and slammed the door.

 “She’s right, you know,” Olivia said. “She’ll go to great lengths to see that boy now. If I know Jason, he has already done the same thing to Romeo, and that is why he picked her up today.”

“Yeah, well, if I know Jason, he’ll have a solution to this little problem, and we’ll be out of one another’s lives for good.”

~*~

Romeo walked in the door, home from school, and threw his bookbag on the couch. He had swung by Juliet’s school to give her another ride just to watch her get in her mom’s car and drive off, so he felt a little frustrated when his father beckoned him into the den. When he entered the den, Brian was sitting in one of the big leather easy chairs. His father was in the other. Brian looked up at Romeo then diverted his eyes. Jason did not look at his son. He sat watching his ice melt in his glass of scotch.

“Have a seat, son.”

Confused, Romeo slowly lowered himself down onto the couch. “What’s going on?”

“I thought I was clear that you were to stay away from… Juliet.”

“Dad, I…”

“You picked… her… up from school and kept her out late, worrying her parents.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Capulet. I didn’t…” Romeo began.

“Do you want to explain to me when you decided you were gay,” Jason asked.

“I’m not gay. I’m pansexual. And I didn’t decide. I realized when I was fourteen.”

“And what is pansexual?”

“It’s a sexual orientation that is attracted to all genders and sexual orientations.”

“And you believe you’re one of these… pansexuals?”

“I know I am, dad,” Romeo said, scanning his father’s face for any sign of understanding, acceptance, empathy; any indication that he loved him.

“Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Brian, you know where the door is,” Jason said as he swirled the ice in his glass, never taking his eyes off it.

When Jason heard the front door close, he got up and struck his son in the face. “That’s for making me look like a hypocrite.”

Romeo rubbed his cheek, but his feelings were hurting more than his face. He watched his father down his scotch as he walked to the desk. Jason grabbed a printout from the printer and threw it on the coffee table in front of Romeo. Romeo looked at the first page.

“Boarding school? In Ohio! Dad, you can’t!”

“I already did. We leave in the morning. You’ll be seeing a therapist extensively while you’re there. No son of mine is going to suffer from this, this…. disease.”

~*~

Brian told Juliet what Jason's plans were. In a panic, Juliet leapt on her bike and pedaled hard to Romeo’s house. She knew him. She knew how he was going to react to his father’s decision. Brakes screeched and horns blared as Juliet weaved through traffic trying to get too Romeo as fast as she could. When she pulled into his yard, she could see the lights of an ambulance heading off in the other direction. Jason and a crying Alicia were about to get in their car when Juliet stopped them.

“Where is he? Where’s Romeo? What happened to him,” she asked, frantically, fearing the worst.

“What happened to him,” Jason repeated, his voice dripping with hatred. “You happened to him! You messed up his head and he killed himself, so I suggest you get as far away from me as possible, and if I ever see you again, I’m going to drag your face across the pavement!”

Fear forced Juliet onto her bike. She pedaled off as fast as she could, but sorrow and shock sat in a block over causing her to fall off her bike. She laid in the mud sobbing for her lost love, pulling her knees to her chest, the inconsolable pain releasing itself in loud cries of agony as she prayed for her own death. Tears flooded from her eyes until there was nothing left to cry, and her head pounded viciously. Slowly, she picked up her bike and began walking home, staring ahead into a world that was now void of color and light. Halfway home it began to rain. It was a cold fall rain, but she let it wash over her without a shiver. When she got home, her parents were shocked by her appearance.

“Honey, you’re sop and wet, covered in mud. What happened to you,” Olivia asked.

“He’s dead. Romeo’s dead. He killed himself,” Juliet said, walking past her parents like a zombie.

Brian stood up in disbelief. “Sweetie, I had no idea… I didn’t think… I’m so sorry.”

“I need a hot shower and some sleep,” Juliet said, dragging her feet down the hallway.

“Good idea, honey. We are here if you need to talk,” Olivia told her.

Juliet turned the shower on and opened the medicine cabinet. She found the opioids that were prescribed to her mother after surgery. There was three-quarters of a bottle left. Juliet swallowed them all. She took a quick shower and turned in for the night.

~*~

Brian held his crying wife as their daughter lay in a casket before them. A minister was saying nice things about their Juliet as their loved ones sniffled and cried. The doors at the back of the sanctuary opened loudly as Romeo walked in. He was weak and moving slowly, but with purpose. Several people in attendance gasped, having believed the boy was dead. Romeo walked up the aisle and past the minister without acknowledging him. He stopped where Juliet lay and looked down at her lovingly.

“Romeo, we thought you were dead,” Brian said, coming up behind him. “She thought you were dead.”

“I attempted suicide but lived. My dad lied. He was hoping it would keep her away.”

Brian's face turned red, flush with anger.

“Can I have a moment alone with her, please,” Romeo asked with tears in his eyes.

Brian takes a deep breath to calm himself and pats Romeo on the back. “Take your time, son.”

Romeo threw himself on Juliet and wept. After nearly a minute of crying, he reached around under his jacket and pulled out a gun, letting it hang at his side. Panic seized the sanctuary. Brian ran for Romeo, hoping to stop him, but he was too late. Romeo put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger. His body slumped down onto Juliet’s coffin causing it to tumble to the floor. The bodies of the two teens were sent rolling, Juliet’s head landing comfortably on Romeo’s chest.

~*~

It’s another demonstration and the sights are still the same. Hatred boils between both sides, but none so more than between Brian Capulet and Jason Montague. The two men stand opposite one another, motionless, staring coldly into each other’s soul, casting blame for the death of their children as chaos ensues around them.