The story of you and I

CHAPTER 35

My alarm clock rang before the usual time, I took a quick shower and dressed in a dark gray pencil skirt, a navy blue sleeveless silk blouse, a jacket the same tone as my skirt and black heels, I grabbed my hair in a high bun, a little makeup, perfume and I was ready.

When I arrived at the hotel at 8:30 my parents were already waiting for me with a cup of coffee, I went up to them to say hello.

"Daughter, this is how you should always dress not in those ripped jeans of sloppy teenagers" my mother said raising her eyes from her newspaper to look me up and down over her reading glasses. I rolled my eyes and we walked to the buffet area with my father to grab some breakfast.

"Dad, I really don't know how you handle her, sometimes she is just... unbearable!" I told him, helping myself to some granola with yogurt, and eggs and bacon on another plate.

"She doesn't do it with bad intentions, honey. You know we love you, right?" I shrugged my shoulders and poured myself a strong cup of coffee. We returned to the table with the plates, my father had chosen for my mother an omelet of only whites with vegetables and for him, scrambled eggs with toast and ham.

Danna was taking a few rounds around the restaurant and she saw us having breakfast, I waved for her to come over and introduce her to my parents.

"Danna, these are my parents, Ted and Louise Montgomery. This is Danna, the head chef of the hotel, directly responsible for the new menu" I introduced them after giving Danna a hug.

"Nice to meet you and congratulations Danna, what we have tasted from the menu is exquisite" said Louise shaking her hand. She smiled proudly and greeted them both.

"Thank you and I'm sorry I couldn't make it yesterday for lunch, I had a previous commitment with my in-laws and if I didn't go I would have been in a lot of trouble" she smiled and then apologized because somebody called her from the kitchen.

"She seems nice, she's young and she seems to have her life in order already" said my mother, trying to annoy me even more. I raised my hand to my eyebrows.

"Yes, Danna is very talented, and we are lucky that she works here, she is 29 years old I think, and has been married for a couple of years with her wife Ellie" I said accentuating the word wife. My mother stopped chewing and raised her eyebrows. "Please don't say she doesn't look gay" She rolled her eyes and kept chewing.

"I wasn't going to say that, Emma" she said before sipping some of her coffee "And it's not that I'm homophobic or that I think it's bad, but I wouldn't like it either, I'm saying if it was someone in my family" I felt like a knife had pierced my stomach. My father kept silent focused on his breakfast.

"What do you mean?" I said swallowing hard, my father passed his gaze from my mother to me, like watching a tennis match. My mother looked at me like she didn't understand the question.

"Well, it must have been difficult for her parents, you want your children to have the easiest life possible, and being homosexual complicates things, even in these modern and tolerant times" she said, leaning back in her chair. "Besides, I think every parent wants grandchildren" she said, waving her hands.

"And you think gay people can't have children? Everything still works the same mother!" I said sounding a little irritated.

"Sure, but it's not the same, it could never be both, it wouldn't be conceived ... normally so to speak" I felt like I was breathing harder.

"Normally? ... Having a child is more than biology, is supporting them, making sure that they feel loved, precious. If a mother is a good mother, it doesn't matter if a kid is adopted, he will feel more loved than a biological child of parents who doesn't know how to be parents" I said very quickly and sharply. My mother looked at me in surprise. "And going back to the previous topic, no one has an easy life, it's hard for all of us, it's true that for some is harder than others but life is much easier if you have someone who fills your heart and supports you, be it man or woman" I was in shock too, I think I talked too much in the heat of the moment.