Marshall's Love Adventure - Ch 12
#12 of Paw Patrol Love Tales
"Everest, any sign of Marshall over at Jake's Mountain?" Asked Ryder.
"Sorry, Ryder. I don't see Marshall anywhere, but I'll keep looking!"
Ryder asked the rest of the pups if they had found any clues as to where the spotted pup could be.
"He's not at the farm." Informed Rocky.
"Mayor Goodway and Mr. Porter haven't seen Marshall." Said Rubble.
"I haven't spotted anything from the sky..." A worried Skye told Ryder.
"Nothing at the beach or lighthouse..." Zuma was trying his hardest to search every corner, hoping to find Marshall.
"I'm still looking for him, Ryder sir!" Chase wasn't about to give up. He was determined to find his best friend. They had been through thick and thin times together. They were the two pups who had helped start Paw Patrol in the first place!
Marshall stared out into the ocean, sitting near the edge of a cliff. He had been sitting there for a while now. It wasn't long after he entered the forest that he had found that spot. He had turned his collar off to avoid receiving any calls. He didn't want to be found. His paw was in tremendous pain from the walking he had done. The pup's fur was really dirty, like he had spent rolling in mud for days. His eyes were red and stung from all the crying he had done. As he sat there, alone, he thought about his parents and how right they were.
Marshall wasn't sure how to break the news to his parents that he was gay. He had always felt different. When other guys would talk about how hot, sexy, or even cute girls were, the Dalmatian would daydream about some cute boy pup he had seen recently. He would get a goofy smile and even blush sometimes just from the daydreams. It often led to an awkward moment, as someone would call his name and he would have to explain why he was smiling cheerfully at nothing.
Although his parents were never really on good terms with gay people, Marshall had heard and read stories about how even the parents that you would never expect to be accepting of their gay child were completely fine with it. It took months for the spotted pup to prepare his breaking news, and he was hopeful that everything was going to be just fine. One afternoon while visiting with them he approached his parents, but began having second thoughts. Maybe this wasn't the time, but then again, he had worked so hard to prepare the courage to tell his parents. As he got closer to his parents, his heart started to race.
"Hi, Marshall sweetie!" Called his mom.
"Hey son! How's my fire pup man doing?" His dad pat his back.
"Oh my little boy is just like his father! All tough, manly, cool, and even works in the fire department!"
"Son, we just wanted to tell you how proud we are of you, working for the Paw Patrol and all!" Marshall could feel his dad rubbing his back.
Marshall nervously smiled. "Mom...dad...there's something very important I want to tell you guys."
"What is it dear?" His mom asked as she kissed her husband.
"Well first, I really love you guys, and I hope that you guys will too after this...I....I'm...." Marshall was having a tough time saying the sentence. "I'm gay..."
Everything seemed to stop instantly. Both of Marshall's parents grew cold stern expressions. Marshall could sense that something bad was going to happen, but there was no backing out now. It seemed like an eternity before the silence broke.
"Honey....you're joking right? You really aren't gay, are you?" His mother was concerned.
"No mom, it's true. I am gay." Another awkward silence followed until his parents started talking among each other. Marshall was lost in his thoughts and worries, he could only hope for the best. After a few minutes, he finally got a response from them.
"Son...we...we are speechless." His dad commented. "If you really are gay, then....you are a disgrace and a failure to us."
Marshall's heart sunk to the floor. It had never been crushed so badly before. He couldn't believe this was happening. He could feel tears forming.
"But....you guys just said how proud you were of me..."
"That was before we knew you were infected with the gay disease!"
"Marshall, you will never be able to accomplish anything or be truly successful because you are gay!" His parents were starting to get furious at the spotted pup. "Pack all your things and get out!"
Tears were rolling down his face. "Mom....dad....why?"
"We don't want to be your parents anymore." His dad answered back. "We would rather have you dead to us than keep you as a gay son."
"Well....if that's how you feel, then I guess this is goodbye..." Marshall grabbed his things before fleeing out the door. Once he was out of his parents house and into a quiet area, he laid down to cry. He had never felt hurt that much before in his life . He couldn't believe it. His parents would actually rather not have any child at all than have a gay one. Just the mere thought of remembering that again caused him to cry even more. It was then when he realized he had been a fool all along. He should've realized it sooner. Despite others being okay with their children being gay, none of that mattered because they weren't his parents. Karma doesn't always deliver what you deserve. Marshall was never a bad pup by any means, and yet he was the one who was just disowned. All his hard work had meant nothing in the end. It didn't matter how much he had tried. He could've done a million years worth of hard work and he would still be in the same spot as he was right now. As much as he had once loved his parents, he never looked back. From that moment on, he never saw or heard from them again. When Marshall arrived back at the lookout from supposedly "visiting his parents", he never shared what happened. He smiled just like usual, and no one could've guessed.
Coming back from the flashback, his parents were right. His love was never going to be returned. His clumsy nature was prone to cause accidents. And to top it all off, he had just made things worse for everyone at the Paw Patrol. He really felt like a loser who had not accomplished one thing in his life.
"Maybe it's better off if I just stop bothering everyone..." The Dalmatian thought out loud. "All I do is bring misery to those all around me...I shouldn't have been born in the first place. I should just stop bothering everyone for good...."
He looked down to the bottom of the cliff. It was at least a 100 foot drop. The pup was sure he could never survive that. As he looked down, more tears started to roll down his face. The clouds from before started a storm of fury, heavy rain pouring and drenching everything in seconds. If there ever was a moment, this would be it. His lowest point.
"I'm....sorry everyone..." Marshall sniffled. "I'm sorry mom....I'm sorry dad...I'm sorry to all the people of Adventure Bay.....I'm sorry to Ryder and all of the pups....but most importantly, I'm sorry Chase for letting you down as a best friend...and I'm sorry Zuma, for being such a bad friend, for making you hate me, for everything..." Marshall wiped his eyes. "Goodbye everyone...I love you all...and thanks for everything..."
Just as he was about to jump the cliff, he was tackled to the ground.