Peace in St. Louis

Harley moved to St. Louis for better job opportunities. His move from Florida had been a leap of faith. He’d saved nowhere near enough to comfortably move. He hadn’t cared. He’d been thrown out after a fight with his dad. He’d told Owen what he needed to hear. Things Owen didn’t want to hear. He’d shamed him while he was at it. He’d left knowing what would happen after he left. Things he’d seen that others didn’t believe were happening. He knew they’d see what he dealt with on a daily basis. Things people saw less than a week after his departure. 

Six months passed in what felt like a few minutes to Harley. He’d been too busy with the life he’d made for himself. He’d been working as a Marketer for a Law Firm. An opportunity he took the same day it was offered to him. He’d applied everywhere else he knew he was qualified for. He’d taken a leap of faith by applying for it. He had no expectations of them even considering him. Until his answers impressed everyone at the Firm. Until he’d corrected everything they gave him in a way they knew would bring in more business. 

He’d focused on people he knew would need their services. People who, like him, weren’t often given the same considerations and help as the rest of society. He’d been an openly Gay and Disabled man. He’d not let his Disabilities prevent him from adapting to jobs he had in the past. He’d used his voice to speak out. He’d used his experience to shed light on what needed to be done. He used both to attract others to the Firm. Everyone saw from his perspective after he shared his story. They saw the harsh realities of his life firsthand. They’d accommodated him in whatever way that looked like. He’d helped make the changes that needed to be made to help people with Disabilities live more independently. 

He’d been able to see his relatives in Illinois far more since the move to St. Louis. He hadn’t seen them in fifteen years. Life had happened to him. And them. He’d not been able to come for a visit because of life happening. It’d been the same on their end. They’d made the one hour trip to St. Louis to help him move into the Loft he’d begun renting. He’d moved from the monthly rental into the Loft in two hours. They’d insisted on dropping the few belongings he had at the Loft and roaming around St. Louis the rest of the day. Something he didn’t mind doing. He’d wanted to see more of the city. They spent the entire day catching up with him. They were shocked to learn everything Owen had done six months prior. The lies, deceit, and downplaying his health issues. 

His life had become far happier than he’d ever thought possible. He knew his mother would be proud of him. He knew she’d made the last six months of his life happen in some way. Her death over twenty years prior from a Brain Aneurysm broke him in ways most didn’t understand. Life had been anything but easy since then. It had been one thing after another for the last twenty years. The friends that helped him move to St. Louis from rural Florida knew how much it’d meant to him to make the move. How much it meant to him that they were helping him. He was living the life he’d wanted. It was the Loft that brought him peace. He finally had peace in his life. Peace he’d never felt before. Peace he’d found that helped him move forward