I Need The Gap

Secrets

I walked into the kitchen to see my family already settling down to dinner. My mom , dad , 2 sisters ( Kayla and Vanessa) and my brother ( Connor) with his best friend Jimmy sitting next to him.

I quietly sat down and was unnoticed for the first 10 minutes of dinner. Everyone seemed to have his or her own conversation as if they never had a youngest child or sibling. Which was me. Finally my thoughts and everyone else's conversations were interrupted by my father lightly tapping on his wine glass with his fork.

" Well today as you can see, " he began. " Your mother has made her special Lasagna which only is made on the days of special occasions." I had no idea where my dad was going with this but it might explain why my sister was smiling like an idiot when she told me it was time for dinner. So I tuned back in.

" Connor has an announcement to make " he finished.
" What is it? " my sister asked
"Ask your brother" .

My brother Connor stood up and so did Jimmy right after. I then realized they were holding hands. " Mom, dad "he began with a huge smile on his face. "I have made a huge decision and I love this person very much and I wish to spend the rest to my life with him."

"Him" my brother said " him " . I'm sure I wasn't the only one who heard that. But everyone else's expressions were neutral.

" Jimmy and I .... we're getting married." There was complete silence. My mouth was hanging wide open. And so was everyone else's.

" NO SON OF MINE IS GOING TO BE GAY! " my father yelled, loud enough to rattle the China cabinets. " But daddy," Connor said in a sad southern feminine voice. " You said we could be whatever we wanted ".

" BUT I DID NOT SAY ANYYYTHING ABOUT BEING GAAY ?" my father yelled once more. My brother and Jimmy started crying.

" Get out of my house you little pussys. " My brother and Jimmy sat still quietly crying in each other's company. " NOW" my dad screamed as it bounced off the walls. My brother and Jimmy ran off crying like little girls was they went out the door without thier shoes or any belongings. They only thing they carried with them was the food in their stomachs. That was the last time I saw them for a while.

While my mom , Kayla and I were still in shock, my sister Vanessa stood up and walked over to my dad's side of the table and put her hand on my dad's shoulder. He didn't usually like to be touched, but he must have been so distraught that he either didn't notice or didn't care.

" Dad they love- "
" I don't CARE !!" he said in dispare and anger.
" But- "
" Go to your rooms NOW !!"

And with that one last yell we all scurried up to our rooms. I tripped over some steps and stubbed my toe. After that I hopped into my room. I sat on my bed replaying what just happened in the kitchen. .. as I rubbed my stubbed toe.

I then heard my parents arguing from thier bedroom. So I quietly tip toed out of my room and listened by thier door. As my sister's did the same thing.

Dad: You knew?
Mom: Yes I did
Dad: For how long?
Mom: 3 years. ..
Dad : 3 YEARS! !?

After that the conversation went mute to my sisters and I . We all had a confused look on our faces. " Our brother Connor , has only loved Jimmy for one year, " Vanessa began "But if mom says 3 years, then he's been gay since he was a sophomore in high school. "

My sister and I gasp. " How come we've never knew " asked Kayla. " He was always very secretive " Vanessa added. And he was, from that day forward there were no secrets in my house. Every week we had to tell my dad who we liked or had a crush on. And ALL of our secrets were spilled. Except for my deepest secret, which was that I was trying to get what I've always wanted since my freshman year last year. I was trying to get the gap. But not any gap, a THIGH gap.