" LOVEBIRDS " + STENBROUGH [discontinued]

02

it's officially impossible to fold a paper airplane.

stan has been trying for hours. but now his desk is covered in crumpled papers, trash filled with crushed balls of paper, dark curls in disarray from tugging them in frustration. his carpet and bed are decorated with poorly made paper airplanes that he tried to throw but couldn't make it far enough.

how is he meant to toss one over the gap if he can't fold one that goes even a foot without torpedoing into his carpet?

he sighs, and decides he might as well give up, when there's a knock at the door. it opens a moment later.

"stanley, i– what in god's name are you doing?" angie stands with her hands on her hips, head cocked in perplexity at the mess of sad paper airplane attempts scattering his room.

"i'm trying to make a paper airplane," he says, and turns red with embarrassment when he realizes how dumb that sounds out loud. angie raises an eyebrow in confusion but says nothing about it.

instead, she says, "i's going to introduce myself to our surrounding neighbors and bring over cookies. i wanted to see if you wanted to join me."

"sure, is heather coming, too?" angie bites her lip in guilt, and stan's eyebrows furrow. "what, she isn't? she's home, isn't she?"

"well–"

"you are going to tell them that you're married to a woman, right?" angie sighs.

"of course, i am. i'm not ashamed of it. but i think it would be easier for people to understand the idea and accept it if they only met one of us at a time," she explains.

"if people can't accept two queer people living here, imagine their reactions when they meet the gay son, too," he says with a snort. angie rolls her eyes lovingly.

"we'll be fine, darling. it'll just take some time."

"you shouldn't have to accommodate for other people's ignorance."

"i know, hun," angie says, and smiles sadly. "sometimes, it just has to be that way."

and when she leaves, stan frowns. he slips on his loafers and is downstairs in a minute. heather is sitting on the couch, legs tucked under her, wearing pajama pants and staring intently at the show playing on the television. she's a school teacher, and being early summer, she's off from work, of course.

she's watching a true crime show, and stan likes them, so he plops down next to her while angie finishes the cookies in the kitchen. he goes to grab some popcorn and she gives him a look.

"may i help you?"

"i'm taking some popcorn," he says, then grins, as he stuffs some in his mouth.

"goddamn it," she mutters, watching him like he's a neanderthal. "angie, babe! we raised a monster!" she calls into the kitchen.

"tell me something i don't know," angie says, as she walks in. her dark coil-like curls sit in a tight ponytail, baby hairs gelled in delicate swirls on her hairline. in her hand is a plate of cookies with some plastic wrap over the top.

"hey!" stan protests.

"c'mon, bud. let's go." she leans down to give heather a quick kiss. "bye, love. be back in a little bit."

"don't rush! i want you to get as much neighborhood gossip as you can," heather gushes. angie rolls her eyes at the redhead and pushes stan—who stands a head and a half taller—out the door in front of her.