I didn't want to come out right then, and I didn't like the way Amy was forcing my hand. But I also knew that if she hadn't picked up my phone, then someone else could've seen it-- most notably my mom-- which would've been even worse.
Only one thing was clear. Between my family and the Kap Eps, I just couldn't avoid the truth anymore. The real question was how to go about it.
I stayed up late watching coming-out stories on YouTube. There were an awful lot of videos out there, since almost all the gay vloggers had done an episode about it. Nick and Jay-- the couple who kept traveling the world-- had a pretty sad story: their families had practically disowned them. The guy who called himself the Hillbilly Homo had actually had a much easier time. Other videos ran the gamut: some guys got emotional as they talked, but others were totally relaxed. Practically all of them said they felt better in the end, and I could only hope I'd feel the same way.
I also spent a lot of time talking to Chad. He gave me more details about his talks with his family, both when he'd originally told them, and in the months that had followed. It sounded like his mom had come around, but his dad was still struggling. Yet Chad kept his chin up, like a lot of the vloggers.
I needed encouragement more than anything else; and in that department, he seemed to know exactly what to say. He told me I could do it, and that I'd be fine, and that he'd be there for me no matter what happened. With every word he said, I felt myself loving him more and more.
Finally, on my last night at home, I worked up the courage to do it. We'd just gotten back from the mall: my mom had wanted to go shopping, but the stores were too crowded, so we'd gone to see a movie instead.
I sat down in the kitchen. I didn't say anything at first, but I did look over at Amy, and she looked right back. Mom was pulling leftovers out of the fridge; she seemed to have no idea what was about to hit her.
"So," I finally said, "about that school stuff we were talking about... there's something else I haven't told you."
Mom didn't flinch at first. "Oh?" she said. "What do you mean?"
"Well, it's not about school, exactly. I mean, it's actually about me...." My words suddenly caught in my throat. I felt a weird mix of nervousness, embarrassment, and confusion. I'd thought about this moment so many times, and I'd assumed I was prepared. But I was surprised at how hard it was to actually go through with it.
Mom set down her tupperware. "Are you all right?"
I took a deep breath, and I choked down a lump in my throat. I knew my face was turning red, which only made me feel worse.
Amy put her hand on my shoulder. "Scott...."
I pushed her hand away, and I blinked away my tears. Then I forced myself to get it together, and I blurted out the words I'd been trying to avoid. "I'm gay."
The room went silent. It was almost like none of us wanted to breathe. Mom seemed to be caught completely off guard; she just stared into my eyes.
"I have a boyfriend," I finally said. "That's why I haven't told you much lately."
Mom cleared her throat. "Y-you're saying you don't like girls? I mean, at all?"
"Not like that," I said. I'd expected to feel a weight off my shoulders, but the results were pretty mixed. It did feel liberating to tell them the truth, and to know I wouldn't need to hide anymore. But it was still painfully awkward.
"Well," she said, then paused again. She seemed to be choking back tears herself. "How long have you known?"
"I dunno," I said. "I mean, definitely the past year or so... I guess if I'm being honest with myself, probably longer than that. But I didn't want to admit it till this summer--"
"You mean the summer you spent here?"
I took a deep breath. I really didn't want to talk about that. Revealing my sexuality was nerve-wracking enough. I couldn't bear to admit I'd slept around.
"I mean, you never mentioned anything the whole time--"
"I didn't want to," I said, "at least till the time was right."
"I'm your mother," she snapped. "You can tell me anything. Absolutely anything, anytime. Understand?"
"I didn't mean it like that. It's just--"
"It's just what?"
I sighed. I felt like I was letting her down in a very big way. She'd given me so much advice growing up, going back to childhood lessons about the birds and the bees. But she'd always assumed I was straight: she'd told me how complicated girls were, and what would happen if I ever knocked someone up. Occasionally she'd talked about meeting the right woman and settling down. It was weird to think she'd been on the wrong track the whole time, which meant a lot of her advice was pretty much useless. "Never mind," I finally said.
"Well, I...." She turned to my dad. "Don't you have something to say?"
Dad seemed weirded out too, but he seemed to brush it off. "Well, he did like Judy Garland as a kid--"
"David!" she said. "What's the matter with you?"
"Well it's true," he said. "Remember how much he made us watch
Wizard of Oz
?"
"Your child just told you he's gay, and that's the first thing you think of?"
I put up my hands. "Mom, it's fine. Just let it go."
She turned to Amy. "So what about you?"
"I already told him what I think," Amy said.
Mom seemed surprised at that answer. She looked back at me. "You told Amy already?"
"It wasn't my doing," I said. "She figured it out."
"How?"
I rolled my eyes. "Mom, is that really important right now?"
A tear rolled down her cheek. She tried to stop it, but she ended up just smearing her mascara. "Look," she finally said. "Everything about you is important to me. My job is to take care of you... it always has been, since the day you were born, and even before that."
"Oh geez Mom--"
"I just... I want you to know how much I love you," she said, "and that's never going to change."
I sighed. My mother had always had a way of driving me crazy, yet somehow she still managed to say the right things. "I love you too," I finally said.
She looked around the kitchen. "I'm sorry," she said, "I wasn't expecting this."
My dad cleared his throat. "Not that there's anything wrong with that!"
"David!" she said. "Now is not the time for a
Seinfeld