With Friends Like These

by Heather Klassen

“Guess what, Marco?” Daniel said.

“What?” Marco asked, twirling the phone cord around his finger.

“They’re starting a Boy Scout troop at school, and my dad is thinking about being a leader,” Daniel said. “You’ll join, too, won’t you?”

“Um . . . maybe,” Marco answered. “Look, I’ll have to call you back. I think my dad wants me.”

Marco stared at the phone after he hung up. Boy Scouts? Marco remembered Dad talking about the problem with Boy Scouts once at dinner.

“What’s up, Marco?”

Marco turned around to see his father watching him.

“I was just talking to Daniel, and . . .” Marco paused. “Dad, they’re starting a Boy Scout troop at our school, and Daniel’s father might be a leader, and he wants me to join. But I remember you telling me about how the Boy Scouts are against gay people, or something like that.”

Marco’s father sat down on the couch and motioned for Marco to sit next to him.

“That’s true,” he said. “Since I’m gay, I wouldn’t be allowed to be a troop leader. And depending on what the troop decides, I might not be allowed to come to any of the troop activities.”

“Like you couldn’t go camping with me?” Marco asked.

“Probably not,” his father answered.

“That’s crazy,” Marco said.

“I would have to agree with that,” his father replied, squeezing Marco’s shoulder. “But Marco, I know Daniel is your best friend, and I’d hate for you to miss any of the fun. The decision whether or not to join is up to you. I’m gonna go start dinner now.”

Marco frowned as his father left the room. There is no decision to make, Marco thought. I don’t care what I’d miss, because it wouldn’t be fun if Dad couldn’t come, too. Besides, I don’t want to hang out with people who have stupid attitudes like that.

Marco picked up the phone and pushed the buttons for Daniel’s number.

“Daniel, I won’t join Boy Scouts with you,” Marco said. “They would discriminate against my dad because he’s gay.”

“They would?” Daniel asked. “I didn’t know that. That’s stupid.”

“But I know you want to join,” Marco said. “And I want you to know it’s okay with me. I don’t want you to miss all the fun because of me.”

“I’ll call you later, okay?” Daniel said. Then he hung up.

Marco punched the pillows on the couch over and over. Stupid Boy Scouts, he thought. It’s so unfair. I want to go camping and stuff, too. Now Daniel gets to have all the fun.

“Could you go see who’s at the door?” Marco’s father called from the kitchen as the doorbell rang.

Marco threw a pillow onto the floor as he crossed the room. Opening the door, he found Daniel and his father standing there.

“Who is it?” Marco’s father asked as he walked into the room. “Oh, hi Nick. Hi Daniel. Come in.”

“Daniel reminded me about the Boy Scouts’ policy on gays,” Daniel’s father said. “I had honestly forgotten all about that. So I wanted to come over in person to tell both of you that we totally disagree with it, and we definitely won’t be joining the Boy Scouts.”

“You don’t have to do that for us,” Marco’s father said.

“We feel we do,” Daniel’s father replied. “We would never belong to a group that discriminates. And well, Daniel and I were talking, and we came up with an idea.”

“Let’s form our own group,” Daniel blurted out. “We don’t need the stupid Boy Scouts to have fun. I know we have other friends who would join, too, Marco. And we could have meetings and go camping on the weekends and everything.”

“Could we, Dad?” Marco looked up at his father.

“Break out the tents,” his father replied. “We’re going camping.”

Marco smiled at his father, and then turned back and smiled at his friend Daniel. His unbelievably great friend Daniel, who would never leave him out of the fun, even if they had to make it for themselves.

Marco watched as his father and Daniel’s father shook hands, and started to discuss the details of the new group. With friends like these guys, Marco thought, Dad and I have it made.