Remember Me Not, My Love by J.D. Walker

 When Terry turned eighteen, he would end up homeless and alone, abandoned by family and friends for being gay. Though it took him years, he found his feet again.

Then a man from his past knocks him right back down again, dredging up a memory of the time Terry stood by and did nothing as that same man was assaulted for being gay, driving home to Terry that he will never be worthy of friendship or family. But the man who brought back the past is also the person most willing to fight for their future.

This is a very short story. Too short, really. This is the story of Terry, who was kicked out of his home because he was gay, and has been through living on the streets and now is just thankful he has a roof over his head. It’s also the story of redemption for a man who doesn’t believe he deserves it. Ishmael and he have a past. A past he had forgotten. When he was in high school, his buddies beat up Ishmael so badly that he had to be hospitalized. Terry was too terrified to stop them. But that event made him come out of the closet.

Even with as short as this story was, it had possibility. However, it had a lot of faults. Mainly, it was told with a lot of telling rather than showing. We hear they dated, but didn’t really see too much of it. We hear that he told Ishmael of his time on the streets, but only see it once. The plot is fantastic, but I shouldn’t give it more than 3 stars because there was little depth. I know Ishmael had a fohawk and tons of holes in his ears along with tats on his arms. But I cannot recall what Terry looks like, except the fact his hair was long that he tended to pull back into a ponytail.

But even with its faults, here is why I gave it 4 stars. The concept captivated me. Even though it took less than 20 minutes to read it, I was left with the total desire to read more about Terry and Ishmael. I want to watch as Ishmael teaches Terry that he is worth better than his crummy apartment, his hideous boss, and his inability to make friends. I want to see the two of them grow as men. And yes, I’d love to see him get to the point where he is proud of himself and when his parents actually recognize him, he is able to brush them off. Basically, I really want more. And I hope J.D. Walker gives it to us.

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