Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 82010 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82010 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
“Ladies and gentlemen, the one and only, Sawyer Knight!” he called out to the audience. They clapped and cheered for me as I made my way onto the set, offering them a smile and a wave before sitting down on the couch adjacent to Levi’s desk.
Levi broke me in slowly, asking me the usual list of questions about the band and our plans, many of which I was forced to dodge after our meeting this morning.
“So,” Levi started, his face turning serious. I guessed now we were getting to the reason I was actually here. “You’ve had quite a tough couple of months. There’s been a lot of press, a lot of rumours surrounding you and your sexuality. Would you like to share your side of the story with us?”
“I’ve fallen in love, that’s really all there is to tell,” I admitted, feeling unexpectedly proud. “Yes, I’ve fallen in love with another man. He’s been my best friend since we were kids, he knows me absolutely, my best parts and my worse. If loving him makes people turn away from me, so be it. He makes me happy, end of story. End of rumours.”
“You talk of people turning away from you, are you referring to your mother?”
What the hell?
“We’ve actually been given an advanced copy of tomorrow’s Daily Record, which has an interview with your mother inside.”
I saw Claire appear at the side of the stage, off camera and out of view of the audience. She was slicing her throat with her flattened hand, silently signalling them to cease filming. Clearly, this revelation was as much of a surprise to her as it was to me, and that she was most certainly not happy about. She looked directly at me, assessing my reaction with her eyes. I nodded once, ensuring her that I was okay to continue. It was evident from the scowl on her face though, that someone would be getting some serious shit off her very soon.
“Are you aware of what it says?” Levi continued.
“No,” I stated, taking a deep breath in preparation.
“She calls you and your lifestyle an abomination. She says that she has disowned you, that you are no longer her son. How would you like to respond to that?”
“If she’s watching, I would like to say…” I turned to the camera facing me, talking directly to her. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry you can’t bring yourself to understand, or accept me. I’m sorry I’m not enough for you, but I will never be sorry for falling in love, for finding the kind of connection some people spend their whole lives trying to find without success. I might no longer be a son to you, but you will always be my mum.”
The audience clapped and Levi smiled encouragingly at me. When I looked to the back of the set I saw Jake standing there, dressed in a crisp black suit, as usual, leaning against one of the prop walls. I smiled unconsciously, tears pricking the back of my eyes. Levi’s voice brought my attention back to him as he asked his final question.
“So, tell me. What’s it like being Sawyer Knight?”
“Awesome. Of course it is. I’m a very lucky guy.”
I gave the same robotic answer I’d been trained to give a thousand times, but for the very first time in my existence, I meant every single world.
The End