#790 words

[asheewrites]

RaphMazinates4

"I tried to pawn you off to my new roommate," I said, sitting down at the counter with a tiny sulk. Mister Loew stiffened. Even if just for a moment. Likely to check that really no one else was here right now. Then he turned and handed me my usual coffee: "For the dude accusing me of seeing nothing but a sex object in you, this was... awkward. Hello Mazin, I hope you are having a nice day!" I huffed. And took the tiniest sip of coffee, then I said: "... see, I have no problem in getting to know people." 

He continued to clean the coffee maker then: "You know? I am listening, you'll alert me if you actually want participation in this monologue" It was just as well, I did feel sulky, so I said: "You, for example, are a stickler for rules. You keep things nice and tidy and orderly. You think a job well done is worth it. You like when people listen and think they should listen to you. You have a certain authority, you like to exert it, but are tired of it at the end of the day. You need someone to command you around a little, someone to please. You want a real relationship... and you are quite sexually repressed" He cleared his throat there: "I can throw you out, you know?" "But in a cute way. Very interesting when you get experimental," I shrugged, easily. And the tip of his ears grew darker. Difficult to see with his complexion, but I got some experience. But now he decided to get mean: "... I can put salt in your coffee" Which was fair. "So, well, my roommate is also a stickler for rules! And he does commandeer people in certain areas. And he is nothing but polite to my lady guests, never flirts back when they see him in the morning, all impeccable and gentlemanly. So I suggested you, because... as I told you just now, that might have worked!" He lifted and shook the salt a little. "Anyway. He was not interested, but insisted I put the cleaning schedule back where I found it, told me he appreciates your sense of order, did remember you" Henoch nodded: "He is a respectable young man" "You appreciate quite a few not-respectable features of young m-NOnonoono, not the coffee! I'll shut up!" I pulled it towards me when he approached it, bringing crystalline doom to my beverage. Holding the cup close to my chest, I huffed: "He never sleeps and he cleans up messes and he's polite and he studies all the time and he eats whatever I give him without complaint and he's just... there. He doesn't give me a hard time, ever. It's just easy to live with him. And if I try to give him a little bit of a hard time, it barely affects him" A button is pressed and the machine starts to make the huffing noises it does when cleaning itself. He turned around and looked at me for a moment: "You're mad that you don't get a rise out of him" "It's fun to rile people up! And you get to know them better!" I might have gotten a little agitated, there, but ended with just a tiny grumble. Henoch was way too amused: "Well, he apparently gets a rise out of you" "... it's frustrating. He gets a little terse sometimes, sure, but nothing flusters him and nothing actually agitates him. He's just... there. Like a robot," and it was annoying. My barista had sat down now (sans salt-weapon) and nursed his own tea, looking at me patiently. I looked back, getting more annoyed by the second. After a long sip, he finally said: "Oh! I can talk now?" Well, I had that one coming, didn't I? After one more pause, he said, after clearing his thought: "He was a very sensible and friendly young man when I met him. Very polite, too. He told me of some concerns and specifically requested the upmost floor, was delighted when there was a space in your flat. So... make of that what you will. But how about your talk to him? He doesn't see like an unreasonable person and that much frustration can not be good for you" I stared at him: "... you would like me some more frustra-NO!" I stared at the poor coffee in my hands. "There. Have a very *sweet* day, so you can calm down. And not bother any innocent bystanders too much" Maybe I deserved my sweetened coffee. Maybe. "Thanks" "See you later. Maybe," he had the audacity to smirk at me. ... I probably did need to talk to my roommate.

[coffin-flop]

MY EDITORIAL ON GAY MARRIAGE.

As of February 13th, 2012, Washington State is the 7th state in the USA to sign legislation for the legalization of same sex marriage. To some Americans, this is an act promoting evil deeds; to others, like me, this is a sign of hope for the future.

            Gay marriage is a very pressing issue in the LGBTQ+ community, but it should be an issue to anybody who claims to promote civil rights in general. The Constitution of the United States says, “… all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain undeniable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” This quote can probably be interpreted to say many things, but it is basically saying that all humans are equal and deserve the same basic rights. To deny those engaged in homosexual relationships the right to marry is giving those in heterosexual relationships more rights; therefore the longer the government denies gays the right to marry, the longer the US government is being blatantly hypocritical of exactly what this country is founded on. Today, many people shake their heads and act as if liberties like this do not apply to the LGBTQ+ community, but about 60 years ago white males were shaking their heads when people thought that colored people and women deserved equal rights and liberties.

            Many of the people who are opposed to same sex marriage are also highly religious people. This is completely understandable, considering there are some religious texts that disagree with same sex couples, but this should have absolutely nothing to do with the legalization of same sex marriage. In the USA, we keep the Church and State separated, but if we use religion to validate our reasoning for not allowing homosexuals to be married, we are yet again being hypocritical. In addition to the fact religion should not even be involved in the process of law making, there is also the fact that if America does not legalize gay marriage for religious purposes, then many other things should be illegal. If we think of Christianity or Judaism while considering laws then abortion, working on the Sabbath day and using God’s name in vain should all be illegal. Since all of these “sins” are currently legal the United States, then there is an obvious continuity issue in American legislation.

            A huge issue to those who don’t support gay marriage is the nature of their intercourse. There are plenty of people in this would that agree that homosexual intercourse is unnatural and wrong, either for how it’s preformed or for the fact that it can not result in the production of children. If this belief were what determined the legitimacy of marriage, then any infertile couples, couples who use birth control, or couples who like to engage in any sexual act that is not intercourse should be denied the right to marriage. Since those marriages are considered legitimate in the eyes of the United State’s government, then denying same sex couples the right to marry is discriminatory and hypocritical.

            There are also a lot of people in America who are not educated on exactly why marriage is so important and they believe that it simply does not matter. In reality, there are plenty of rights that marriage gives you that you can not obtain any other way. One of the most important privileges that you get with marriage is being considered a family member of the person. This may not seem like a big deal, but there are a few circumstances where this matters immeasurably. If a man gets in a bad car accident and is put in the ICU and they’re so injured that family members can visit them, then even somebody who’s been in a relationship with them for 50 years can not see them unless they are married, even if they have no other friends or family members in their lives. Other rights that only come with marriage are social security, certain tax benefits and health insurance. Marriage is also a way of officially verifying a marriage, and not having same sex marriage be legal is the same as telling same sex couples that their love is not important and is not real.

            Although the process would be much faster without any hatred or ignorance, it seems as if America is stepping in the right direction. There are now seven states where same sex marriage is legal and more are seriously considering it. No matter what the gender or sex of two people in a consensual relationship, love is love and I believe that to be a fact that is not debatable