Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 65346 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65346 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
I cocked my head. “What do you mean?”
“You know your grandparents, how religious they were. It was so hard living in that environment, feeling like you woke up and your very existence was a sin, only because of who you found attractive. I couldn’t do it. I stuffed it all down. It worked. For a little bit, but that’s only ever like putting a piece of tape on a cracked dam. It might stop some of the trickle, but that thing’s going to blow eventually.”
“Dad…”
“I married your mom, and I loved her, I really, really loved her.” He started to cry then. “And we had you, and I felt like my life was complete. Everything I ever wanted, I had.” He took in a breath, barely pulling himself together, and it made me start to come undone, my bottom lip trembling. I’d only ever seen my dad like this once before.
At my mom’s funeral.
“But I didn’t. Deep down, I knew something would always be missing. A light switch that needed to be flipped before I could truly see, ever really be happy.” He put his hands to his chest. “I’m flipping that switch, son. I’m turning on the light, and I’m coming out of the dark: Rex, I’m gay.”
That shocked me. An electric bolt right to the chest. I stammered for words before settling on “Wow. Wow.” And then a few seconds later, “Come here.” I stood and opened my arms, all the crap I’d felt between me and my dad disappearing in an instant. This moment catapulted us past all the bullshit, into entirely new territory.
“I love you, Dad.” I said, embracing him tightly—still completely shell-shocked, but beginning to feel a huge shift happening between my dad and me.
“Jeez, I’ve been wanting to say that for so long.” My dad’s smile seemed shades brighter, his eyes filled with a fresh light. “Is it always that nerve-racking?”
“It gets a little easier. It does.” I rubbed my face, having a hard time believing the turn of events. “Is that why you’ve been calling?”
My dad nodded. “It wasn’t something I could have ever done over text.”
“Fuck. I feel like such a dick.”
“Don’t—I understand. We needed to work our way here, but I’m really glad we did.”
“So, I’m guessing Sylvia knows this, too?”
My dad nodded, his eyes doing a slight roll. “She was the catalyst. When she emptied your bank account—”
“Wait, wait, that wasn’t you?”
“No.” My dad’s face was a picture of honesty. He may have been a career politician, but I’d grown up under his wing long enough to know when he told the truth or painted it with an exaggeration or two. “That’s the other reason I wanted to talk to you. After I received that email with the threat, I left my laptop open and she read it. She saw what was coming, and since she has access to the accounts, she transferred everything out of it. I wasn’t keeping a close eye on it—I don’t like to feel like I’m keeping track of you—so I didn’t notice until recently. That’s when I shifted everything back. And it’s when I told her I wanted a divorce.”
“Holy shit… I thought— This entire time. Fuck.”
“It’s okay. It’s all in the past, now.”
“But what about your Senate seat? This is… I mean, it’s going to cause some waves.”
My dad huffed a laugh and said, “A tidal wave.” He seemed a little more relaxed now that his burden had been lifted. “I’m ready for it. I’ve been working on a speech for weeks now, and I think I’ve got it done. There was just one thing left: Rex, son, do you want to stand on the stage with me? It’ll be televised, and I know you hate that kind of attention, so I’m okay with you sayin—”
“I’ll do it.” I answered before I could even second-guess it. “Let me know when and where.”
“Thank you, Rex.” My dad took me into another hug, and this time I wasn’t so slow with returning it.
Before I could fully totally okay about this reunion, there was one more question I needed to ask. Something that had been sticking in my side like a splinter.
“Dad, back when I was younger, six years ago, I went on a trip to Costa Rica.”
“Yeah, I remember, with the Golds.”
“Yup,” I said, hoping this next question didn’t undo all the progress we’d just managed to make. “You bought me a phone for that trip. Benji and I, we were getting close, until he got a text telling him basically to fuck off. It came from my phone, but I know I never sent it… Did you?”
“No, I would never—”
“Sylvia?”
My dad took a moment before nodding in agreement. “Sylvia. She bought the phone. She must have had some kind of way to read and reply to your messages. Fucking shit. I thought she did it to be kind, to win you over a little. I didn’t know she was spying on you.” I could see my dad’s face shift into a red hue. He was never one to get angry, but today definitely seemed different.