Straight Boys 27 Guys hug your guys. Emma: "Good day, bros. How are you doing?" Me: "I was fine until a while ago when you said you wanted to see me." Emma: "Well, I’m sorry. I haven’t seen you for some days now; I’ve just been busy. I went to see my uncle who’s sponsoring me. He wanted me to spend some time with him." Me: "Hmm. I understand. You should spend time with him." Emma: "You know how some rich men can be. They don’t just give you money for free—they want you to do things, even house chores." Me: "Yeah, I understand. My parents can be like that sometimes too. So, why am I here, and I’m safe?" Emma: "You’re safe, but I believe you know the reason why I wanted to see you." Me: "I want to know the reason. I won’t assume I know something if I don’t really know." Emma: "prexido presidento! You can be funny sometimes, you know." Me: "Well, let’s leave that aside. Why am I here? Talk." Emma: "I just wanted to say thank you for taking good care of Larry. I understand how it must have been. I know you didn’t know him before, but you really took good care of him. He’s even come to like and respect you—he calls you his father now." Me: "I seem to be a lot of people’s father these days! The problem is, I don’t even know how many children I have. Honestly, I just took care of him as best as I could. I didn’t even want him to stay with us at first. But when I realized we were like the only family he’s ever had or will have, I couldn’t just send him away. But you’re rich, and you said you knew him before—why didn’t he run to you to take care of him?" I pretended as if I didn’t know the circumstances of their relationship. Emma: "presido! My president, you’re the best president ever. I know you know what’s up; you just don’t want to say it. That’s why I like you, honestly. I actually left because I didn’t want him to start looking at me somehow, but I noticed he doesn’t even care about any of that because he told me he’s talked to you. I just wanted to come and say thank you." Me: "Is that all you wanted to say, or is there something else? I really need to go inside—I just came from my house." Emma: "I was wondering if you could let him crash in my room sometimes, like when I’m not around. I could give him a spare key and let him stay there, or when I’m around, he could stay with me." Me: "Emma, I can’t be the one to tell Larry who he should or shouldn’t have a relationship with. He’s a grown man and can make his own decisions. But about him sleeping in your room, I’m not comfortable with it. There are six of us staying together—sorry, now there are eight since my younger brother got admission. We all eat together, stay in the same room, and everything. If he stays in your room, one of us—or even myself—might visit him there. I don’t want a situation where something goes missing in your room and we all end up in trouble. That’s what I’m trying to avoid." Emma: "I totally understand what you’re saying. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t. But I want to promise you that nothing will go missing in my room as long as it’s you guys. I can control who enters the room, and I can ask him to do the same. I just want to find a way to also take care of him too." Me: "And also find a way to take care of him, abi? Or a way to ‘be entering him’ again. It seems like the boy didn’t agree this time. Mind you, that hole has suffered some recent casualties. I think you should let it rest for a while." He closed his eyes and burst out laughing. He couldn’t hold it in, so he turned away from me and leaned on the window while laughing uncontrollably. Me: "I know what I’m saying, even if you may not understand." Emma: "I do understand, and I know you understand even better. But, guy, how far? How are you comfortable around him—and even around me too? Honestly, I wanted to see you before, but I was ashamed and skeptical because I didn’t know how you’d react to what I wanted to talk about. Are you comfortable talking about this kind of thing with me? Are you low-key into guys?" Me: "Even if I were, I don’t think my issue would be escalated like this. But I don’t need to be into guys to understand. We all need to grow up and realize that some things have come to stay in this world, and we have to keep pushing forward. I won’t start condemning you for how you’ve chosen to live your life. As long as you don’t mislead me or anyone else, just do what you need to do for yourself. I’m good. But I do miss coming to your room to take the fan and watch movies on that big TV. When will I buy my own TV?" Emma: "See, bros, don’t think too much. Is a TV really your problem? I’ll get you one. I was also thinking—you said you guys need a generator, like a big one. I can get you that too, if you like." By whitman micheal join us on facebook ourstory tb. Me: "Do you want to marry him? You’re willing to throw gifts at us just to be with him. I don’t understand, Emma." Emma: "Hahaha,😂 please don’t make this look weird. I’m already feeling shy having this discussion with you. But I’m so proud of you like this—the way you handle things maturely makes me want to be like you when I grow up. Hahaha!" Me: "You guys, leave me alone. What do you want? I’ve asked this question so many times." Emma: "I just want him to be comfortable around me. I need him to be okay. I just want to take care of him, you know, like care for him." Me: "But you don’t want to marry him?" Emma: "Abeg, don’t make this thing look weird anymore! Haha, 😂please." Me: "Well, he’s an adult. Let him decide for himself. Whatever you guys decide, I just want him to be safe." Emma: "All right. I’ll speak to him again, but I already spoke to him and he asked me to reach out to you. That’s why I came to see you." Me: "What about that Felix guy who beat him up before? What are you going to do about him? What if he comes to this compound and starts beating everybody up or brings a group of boys to cause trouble here? What are you going to do about that? That’s the most important thing." Emma: "President, see, eh, this is how it works. If you see a guy you like, you approach him playfully and you guys will do stuff—if he’s into that. Not all guys are into it. There are ways some guys work, but I don’t know. I can’t explain in detail. Felix is just a guy I met on the road. He’s not even into this kind of thing. He’s just a thug—a street boy. I met him on the road, gave him a lift with his guys because I know one of them. Somehow, we went somewhere, had drinks, and realized we liked the same type of girls. Something led to something, and I did it with him. Since then, he’s been all over me because I used to give him small things for transport. I don’t know what came over him. He thinks we’re dating, and even the girls around me—he’s always cautioning them and asking them to behave. I don’t really understand." Me: "Emma, that’s a big problem. You have to take care of it because I don’t want anyone to hurt Larry again. He’s been hurt too much already. Right now, he needs to heal and focus on his life. There are so many things he needs to do. You need to either report Felix to the police and threaten him—I can help you with that. I can give you a police officer’s phone number and have him warned to stay off your back. Or you can handle it yourself and tell him to get off your back. You can’t have him disturbing people. We should’ve arrested him for laying hands on Larry. We need to give him a warning from the police—tell him if he comes anywhere near this building, he’ll be arrested." Emma: "I promise to take care of that. I promise I’ll protect him." Me: "Can I ask you one question?" Emma: "Yes, please." Me: "Why Larry? Why did you have to choose him? Why not someone else? What’s wrong with Felix, apart from him being from the streets? Why does it have to be Larry?" Emma: "Well, he’s a good guy. At first, I was scared of him. When I picked him up for the first time after he finished his church work along the road, I was just trying to give him a lift. But at the same time, I was trying to, you know, get close to him. To my surprise, he wasn’t too disturbed. I just wanted to be with him once and drop him off, but something was different about him. I couldn’t let him go. Honestly, since I met him, I’ve minimized everything I do. I didn’t even go back to Felix after meeting Larry. Felix only comes around because I stopped going to him." Me: "Why did you find it so hard to drop Felix and just focus on Larry?" Emma: "I have a complicated life. Since it’s complicated for me, it’s not easy to choose one person. But when you find that one person, you know. And when you know, you force yourself to make critical decisions—like me coming to approach you. I was very scared, but I think I know what to do now." Me: "Just get Felix off your back and off our backs. If Larry says he wants to be with you, then you won’t have any problems." Emma: "Thank you so much. I’m very grateful." Me: "Not yet though. We want to rent a room close to yours for Larry and one of us. You know we’re overcrowded now in just these two rooms and a match room. We might need your help with that. It’s mostly for Larry and Nathaniel, the other guy." Emma: "Just tell me anything you need. I’ll do it. I’ll pay for the room, furnish it, and put some beds in it. Your brother can use it—anyone can use it. But I’m not sure Larry will need it much because I want him to stay in my room most of the time. I won’t be around often because of my unconscious travels, and I want him to come to school from my house. I need to be in his house so I can take care of it for him. But we can still rent the room to give you guys enough space." By whiteman micheal join us on facebook ourstory tb. Me: "yes ooo. One. room, two—I still need the generator and television. Hahaha!" Emma: "Don’t worry, I got you. I promise I got you. Any other thing?" Me: "And you know we don’t buy food here. Me and the boys—we cook our meals, so some food stuff will be okay. I won’t tell you what to buy; just go and do shopping and bring it for us." Emma: "I got you, I got you. Thank you so much."hahahah Me: since you said ask I am asking ooo. He gave me a tight hug. He smelled nice—like flowers—and his perfume was expensive. Then he left. I went into the room and slept for some time. I woke up to see my brother beside me. I didn’t want to ask him where Martin had taken him. I wanted him to bond well with Martin. When I woke up and yawned, he looked at my side. Obi: "Welcome, big bro. I see you had a lot of happy moments at home." Me: "See your head. Have you eaten?" Obi: "Yes, I have. Yes, I have. How is everyone at home." Me: "They’re fine, fine." Obi: "Any message for me in particular?" Me: "Dad said you should not join bad gangs, and Mom said you should read your books so that you’re going to do well and do better than me." Obi: "Hahaha, I know Mom said I should study hard, but Mom didn’t say I should do better than you. So you better do better than me!" Me: "I hope you’re having fun with everything that’s happening." Obi: "Yeah, yeah. It’s nice. Martin took me out, and I saw some parts of the school. Everything is okay. Why do you ask?" Me: "Well, just checking on my brother." Obi: "Do you know Martin has refused to tell me what happened between you two?" Me: "Nothing happened. Did he say anything happened?" Obi: "Nothing happened. Every day he tells me you’re angry at him. Besides, since you introduced me to him, you barely speak to him. I think you need to go and speak with him." Me: "I know Martin. Tell me the truth—did he try to do anything with you?" Obi: "Hahaha, no, no! He’s just being a boy, you know. He’s alone, an only child. He didn’t grow up like us having brothers, so I’ll do my best to be the best brother he’ll ever have—unlike the ones he had who aren’t talking to him anymore." Me: "I’ve heard you. I’ll go to his room now and speak with him. Will that be okay with you?" Obi: "That’ll make me have a very good, nice sleep and not a worrisome sleep like last night." Me: "Come on, tell me what happened last night. Did he give you head?" Obi: "Hahaha, Big Bro, so you’ve been collecting head from your own brother?" Me: "Mumu, I asked you a question." Obi: "Hahaha, no, no! He didn’t. We didn’t do anything." Me: "I will Go and speak with him right now, and find something to make yourself useful." Obi: "Okay, okay. Thank you, bro." I stood up lazily. I wanted to ease myself, but Mustapha was in the toilet. I went into Ejiro’s room, but he was having his bath. So I went to Martin’s room. I knocked, and he opened the door. I entered without saying anything to him and went straight to his bathroom to ease myself. When I came out, I locked the door and sat on his bed. Martin: "What have I done now?" Me: "Just come here and stop talking nonsense." He walked slowly towards me, shaking. He was quite afraid. Me: "Why are you afraid? Stop feeling fear and just come." He came close but sat apart. Me: "Oh, Martin. What’s wrong with you? Come closer. Come and hug me. I want to hold you tight. Just forget everything that happened and come meet me like you always did before." He cried while hugging me. Me: "Martin, why are you crying? What’s wrong?" Martin: "I thought you’d never hold me again. I thought you’d never come close to me again." Me: "No, no, you silly boy. I was busy. Didn’t you see my brother was around? You’re a very foolish boy. What have you told him?" Martin: "I didn’t tell him anything much. I just played funny with him. He seems nice—nicer than you. He knows what he wants and made his stand before time. I spoke with him. Unlike me playing with you every time, yet you still wouldn’t budge." Me: "I don’t think that’s what happened. The last time I was here, you were like, 'Ah, ah, gently.'" Martin: "Shut up your mouth!" Me: "Of course, I’m going to shut up before you slap me like you did before! Hahaha!" Martin: "Thank you for coming. Thank you for allowing me to give you this hug. I feel a bit relieved now, Big Bro. I really like you. Please don’t leave me again." Me: "Yeah, I also want to apologize to you. I’m very sorry for the way I acted. I was stupid and foolish. I’m the older person here, so I’m supposed to act more maturely. I’m very sorry." I gave him a kiss, and we held each other for about a minute. Martin: "So what’s going to happen now?" Me: "I just want you to know something—feel free to hug me whenever you see me. Whatever you see me doing with my brother, feel free to ask for yours. Feel free to be around me. Speak to me when you want to, alright?" Martin: "Yes, yes. Thank you so much." After about an awkward minute of silence, he asked a question. By whiteman micheal join us facebook ourstory tb Martin: Are we going to do it again? Me: Do you want that? Martin: Honestly, I don't know. I'm not sure because now your brother is here. I feel like you are related to me by blood, and something he said to me: "Blood brothers don't do stuff like that." Me: ahh martin so you exposed yourself to him? Puff. Martin: he looks like you am sorry i didnt tell him we did it. Me; really, and you think he wouldn’t guess that by now? Martin: I am sorry. Me: Am I your big bro, or do you want me to be your lover? Martin: Why can't you be my big bro and lover at the same time? Me: Because it's going to be awkward. I can't shout out to you or tell you what to do because I am your lover. It will be a toxic relationship. Besides, I've told you many times I already have someone, and I still care for you. So, doing the two of them is going to be weird. I honestly dont want to live a life of having sex with two people, before you know it the third person will come in and my life will start diminishing, with multiple partners. See Martin, Let me be your elder brother, and I will love you and care for you. My brother is also going to love you and care for you. Let us be your family. What do you say? He kissed me. Me: Haha, this guy! I'm asking you something, and you're kissing me! Haha! Martin: And I understand, and I like the option that you have chosen. I would like to choose that too. It's just one problem: I need someone to do the other part with. Me: Can't it wait? Like for you to be in 200 level or something? Martin: I don't know. I feel like… I took a deep breath and let out a deep sigh of relief. Me: You need to stop being a baby, and you need to be a man. I don't even know what to tell you anymore, but that's what I have to say. Martin: Okay, no problem. Me: I need to go and see what I can do. I think my name is on the list to prepare our meals for these four days. Martin: I know, but don't worry. Let me have the warmth of your body for a little while. Haha, yeah, I miss you. Me: I miss you too. And Martin, you can hug me in front of my brother. You don't need to hide to hug anymore and jump on me whenever you want, but don't be silly. Haha! Haha! Martin: Nah, I won't. And he kissed me again. Me: Do you know why Larry was beaten that day we found him, and he was rushed to the hospital? Martin: I heard it was a guy that he called Felix, but I don't know the main reason . Me: It's because Larry was sleeping with a guy that Felix calls his boyfriend, and so Felix ordered other boys to beat him up. Martin: OMG, why are you telling me this? Me: Because my boyfriend may find people to come and beat you up. Hahahaha! Martin: Let them come. No one can touch me. My other brother and my twin brother are right beside me. Me: Haha! Hahaha! Haha! Martin, the last time I was here, I saw a picture of you and your mom and something written behind it: "Love from Kay." Who is Kay? Martin: You mean the last time you came and deflowered me? Hahaha! Me: Oh, this boy! Behave normally now, like a real human being for once! Haha! Hahaha! Martin: So, I am a fake human being, right? So, you had a fake human being? Haha! Haha! Me: Haha! Hahaha! Tell me! Martin: That was when I was writing my WAEC exam. I took that picture with my mom, and she sent it to somebody. That was when things started changing a bit for us. She started having more money, and I guess maybe they increased our salary also, but after that picture came, things started changing for us, and honestly, I do not know who sent that picture, but I know we took it. Me: You know we have a lot of guys here now with small resources looking out for who your real dad is. You need to find out. Martin: What do I need that for? He's probably somewhere with his new family, happy. I don't want to destroy anyone's life. Please, he should stay wherever he is, and I'm happy here with you as my family. Me: I understand, but what if my dad was your father, and you are now doing stuff with me? Isn't that funny? We need to know these things so we don't make more mistakes in the future. Martin: I honestly don't want to know him. I feel like he is a big f**l... for abandoning us, for abandoning my mom. I hate him. If I see him, I will hate him more. Me: Okay, so let me tell you how this works now. See, whatever story that makes you hate him, it's your mother's version of the story. You have not heard his own version of the story, and you are just hating him. You need to learn and hear from both sides, then make a firm decision. Besides, if he's alive and maybe rich and powerful, you did have a better life. Maybe you'd leave us in this university and go to a school abroad or something. Martin: You are just looking for ways to make me leave you. I am not leaving you. And he hugged me tightly. Me: Oh this boy, I'm serious here. You just be thinking nonsense in your head. I just want you to be much happier. Maybe if you find your dad, you'll understand how life works. You will have a reason to do all those things, and there are so many other things you can do with your brain than only thinking of this stuff. Martin: When I am ready, I will reach out to you for that, but for now, I don't want to rush it. I don't have an urge to know or see him. Me: Sometimes the road one takes to avoid their destiny is where they meet it. Martin: If you like, turn into an old man in the village speaking proverbs. I have said my own. And I looked at him. He looked just like my Obi, and I gave him a title. He tried to kiss me this time. I stood up, and I ran away from the room, trying to open the door, and he was chasing me. As I was trying to open the door, he was busy humping me from behind, tickling me, and grabbing my chest while I tried to open the door. And I opened the door, and I ran out. I bumped into my brother. Obi: Hahahaha, what's happening to you? Who is chasing you? Me: It is your brother. I think he wants to rape me. Obi: Hahahaha! Hahaha! Everyone go collect sha! Hahaha! Hahaha! Hahaha! As my brother and I were laughing in the passage, somebody came up to us. He looked like a thug or rapper. He had tattoos on his hands. He wore his sleeveless leather jacket over a T-shirt with big chains around his neck like a rapper. His hair was split all the way back, and he had five rings on different fingers with more tattoos on his neck. Displaying "who goes there," he was well-muzzled, just like us, though cute, but he looked scary, and he came up to us to ask… Felix: Good evening. Please, I dey look for Emma. I be Felix. By Whiteman Michael. Join us on Facebook: Ourstory TB. Morals: 1. Expressing Vulnerability as a Man: Keeping too much inside can weigh you down, even to the point of harming your health. Society often pressures men to avoid showing emotion, hugging, or expressing care for one another because it’s seen as "unmanly" or "gay." But as a man, you sometimes need a hug, to feel comfort, and to allow yourself to be vulnerable. You need to let yourself cry when needed. Feeling your emotions doesn’t make you weak; it makes you human. 2. Talk Things Out: Keeping malice doesn’t solve anything. Instead, sit down and have a conversation. Most times, you’ll discover things about the other person that you didn’t know before, and you’ll feel lighter and freer once things are resolved. Holding grudges only eats away at you from the inside. 3. Companionship and Connection: You and your friend can be in the same room, on top of each other, pressing your phones or just hanging out—it doesn’t mean anything has to happen beyond that. Humans aren’t meant to exist alone. We need connection, companionship, and sometimes just the presence of others. Isolating yourself too often can allow your inner demons to surface and take over. 4. Understanding Perspective: Don’t judge people or situations without knowing all sides of the story. You may be acting on assumptions based on limited information. Sometimes, hearing both sides brings clarity and peace. It allows for forgiveness and helps you move forward with empathy and understanding. 5. Boundaries and Balance: It’s important to establish healthy boundaries in relationships. Love and care don’t have to be romantic or possessive. Respecting each other’s space, emotions, and personal choices is what builds a supportive family or friendship. 6. Family Is More Than Blood: Sometimes, the people who truly care for you may not be related by blood but are just as valuable. Build your own family with those who love, support, and uplift you. Whether through chosen family or biological ties, love is what binds us. 7. Forgive Yourself and Others: Mistakes and regrets are part of life. Learn to forgive yourself and those who hurt you. Holding on to guilt or resentment only holds you back from growth and happiness. Forgiveness doesn’t mean you have to forget—it means you’re choosing freedom from the weight of bitterness. 8. Embrace Change: Life is unpredictable, and clinging to old habits or pain can stunt your progress. Embrace change, even when it’s scary or painful. Growth often comes from stepping into the unknown and letting go of old wounds. By Whiteman Michael Join us on Facebook: OurStory TB Our back-to-back stories have ended for now. Sponsorship ended today. See you when we return! To get us posting every day, we need your likes and comments to reach at least 200—or sponsor a story! It’s cheaper than a bottle of pure water.