STATIC (LGBT)

EPILOGUE

Friday December 27th

Dear diary,

I must say that I was extremely happy when I found out that Alex and Zoë would be visiting for the winter break together. In three and a half years it has always been one of the parents going on a business trip and finding them in Europe, or one of the girls visiting for a special occassion during school time or for IMT work. They almost never come together. Alex, for example, hasn't been around since last March, and Zoë was here last end of May and beginning of June.

Most of the time, however, they're are completely absent for more than six months... and I have to admit, I've missed my daughter's presence at home. It's strange not to smell the cooking chicken bathed in barbecue sauce on a Friday evening. Or hear the moving plates in the kitchen. Or the stomping feet on the stairs when I make my way from the front door to the living room.

Maybe we didn't talk that much, and maybe that was my fault for intruding so much in her life, but things were getting better before she decided to take the local IMT Director's offer. When I heard I felt a mixture of pride and sadness. It was fantastic that she finally decided on her future – me and Tom had been worried that she wasn't making the decisions she had to be making. College. That important part. Or actually deciding to do a gap year. Something.

But she finally took her opportunity and it left me feeling like I had ignored too much of the process.

Tom is convinced that I couldn't help it. Or he tried to convince me. I mean, it's true that Zoë was practically the key of it all... and it's true that none of us can really predict what happens in our child's activities...

Yes, it is of no use to fuss about it right now. I already did in another notebook...

It's funny to know that Tom also has a diary. “Journal” - according to him.

But I find it really healthy for both of us. We might share everything but we do really need to write our thoughts down sometimes. It helps since you can look back on it and see how stupid you really act.

Anyways, they're here. They arrived on the 23rd. Right before Christmas Eve. Not that we celebrate the religious meaning but it did feel like a nice touch to be together... And there's also the fact that all of their friends are visiting this year. I bet that influenced their decision...

They've become so independent... Alex. Wow. I know she has a full scholarship but she's already paying for part of her apartment and living costs. We now only pay for about half of it since the part-time job she has seems to pay her very well... But she's renting the apartment with Zoë, anyways, so everything they do turns out to be much cheaper.

I remember when I heard that they were planning to go off together. I was seriously worried that they'd break up and then, what? Come back? Stay? Live in the dorms? I wasn't so sure about it... but they all convinced me to let them go. Let them do what they wanted to do since it wasn't our choice anymore.

Seems like it has worked though, and very well. Even in those six to seven months they met, we all so them mature a lot.

Now, Alex looks very happy every time I see her. Always with her black-rimmed glasses and slightly shy smile. And Zoë now riding her motorcycle again and being the spontaneous chick she is. I wonder when that energy is going to run out...

Never apparently. Even after the nine-hour flight they still went down to the studio, grabbed their guitars, and played next to the chiminey. They were going song after song to the point that me and Tom ended up visiting Patrick and Christelle.