Small Town Boy

Chapter 29

Sofia was waiting on the porch when Parker and I arrived back home. We hadn't even been gone for 24 hours, yet it still felt like a year had passed. The moment Parker stopped, Sofia rushed up to the car, ripped open the passenger door, and hugged me. She didn't say anything, and she didn't cry, but I could tell that she was on the verge of tears from her reflection in the rearview mirror. 

Slowly, she got out of the car and allowed me to exit. Parker had gotten out and walked around. Sofia hugged him too, before the three of us composed our house, and went inside, Sofia taking the lead. 

Mom and Dad were sitting at the kitchen table, stone-faced and expressionless. On the other side, there were two chairs, and at the head, where Dad usually sat, was a stack of paper and another chair. They didn't speak as we approached, not even acknowledging the presence of their two youngest children. Dad didn't look at me,  his eyes fixated on the centre of the table, as if he was trying to decipher a message that had been etched into its surface. Sofia took the seat at the head, while Parker and I sat next to each other, across from our parents. 

The awkwardness made me want to die. These were people I knew so well, yet at the same time, it felt as if they were complete strangers. I glanced over at Parker, who was leaning back in his chair, his arms crossed, and glaring right into our mother's eyes. She too averted her gaze. 

"Mom, Dad, Parker, Landon." Sofia began, her voice smooth. "I think we can all agree that the current situation is untenable, and we have to sort something out."

No one said anything. The four of us were now all looking at her. The one thing we all agreed on was that she needed to keep talking. 

"I think it's quite clear that we all have positions that we aren't moving from, so we need to have an agreement that allows everyone to go about their business in a way that impacts us the least." She stated. Dad scowled. Mom gave her an unimpressed look, but Sofia continued before either of them could interject. "Parker and I have been talking, and we have come up with a set of rules for you two and Landon to follow."

"That's hardly fair." Mom began as soon as Sofia finished her sentence. "Landon is just a kid. We are his parents, and he should listen to us."

"I think that once you've read the proposal, you'll be more inclined to support it." She countered. Obviously, it sucked that I had to give up anything. In a just world, nothing in my life should have to change, but the world isn't just, and it wasn't like I had many realisitic alternatives. Sofia hadn't told Mom and Dad that I'd also seen the proposal, although they probably assumed that I'd seen it. Even so, the less they thought I had to do with it, the better.

"Fine," Dad said curtly. "Go through it for me." 

"Okay, number one," She began. "Landon is allowed to live in this house until he goes to college. I don't think that should even be controversial." 

"Well, he can't continue behaving in this... in this unnatural way." Mom huffed. "Not under this roof."

"Well, he can't change that, whether you like it or not," Parker interjected.

"I don't need homosexual activities taking place in this house," Mom argued. "I won't stand for it!" 

"Mom! Can you please wait until you've heard the whole thing before you jump to any conclusions?" Sofia asked. I tried to keep a straight face, but it wasn't exactly a pleasant experience to hear my own mother say these things about me. 

"Okay." She nodded after taking a deep breath. 

"What I mean by Landon living here is that he is allowed to live here, without you and Dad constantly trying to make him like girls. You don't have to agree with it, you don't even have to talk about it." Sofia explained.