Everything Has Historial Importance

Chapter Two

When I get home both of my dads were waiting on the front stoop with my sister.

"Hey! Do you have bread?" Papa asks.

"Yeah," Dad says.

"In my backpack." I look over to Sophie. "You had something to tell me?" She nods.

"Yeah, I'll tell you after dinner."

"Mkay." I walk my bike to the backyard.

"Hey! Marlo! You have dishes tonight!" Dad yells after me. I groan.

"Don't groan!"

Dinner is quiet. The clink of forks is pretty much the only noise. We're having spaghetti. The kitchen smells like tomato sauce.

People say my sister and I don't look alike. Pretty much all we have in common is our nose. Small, and kind of pointy but not really. But she has blond hair, mine is cinnamon and blue. She has brown eyes, mine are really really green. She's only a few inches shorter than me, but her attitude makes her seem smaller. She wears dresses a lot. Today she has a pale blue fading into black knee length dress. I would too. If I were her.

"I have an announcement to make." Papa breaks the fork clinking silence. "It's Sophie's three year anniversary of birth."

Sophie is actually thirteen. But Sophie is three. And right now, she's blushing. And twirling her fingers in her hair.

"Yeah, can we not make a big deal out of this?"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever you feel is best," Dad pats Sophie's knee—who doesn't flinch.

"This brings me to what I was gonna tell you, Marlo. I might as well tell you now."

"What?"

"I would rather you not tell your friends about... me being transgender."

I nod. "I figured. I won't tell them unless you deem it necessary." I smile.

"You're so proper," Sophie says sarcastically.

"Well, you have to be. Especially around a young lady like yourself." I smirk. She bursts into laughter.

"Oh no, Marlo, you've got her started again! You're too funny for your own good!" Dad pinches my cheek. Sophie is snorting.

"Uh, I wasn't that funny was I?"

"No, but you know Sophie." Dad smiles. "But you two should start getting ready for school tomorrow."

"Oh, yeah. That." I pick my plate up and bring it to the sink, along with all the other dishes at the table.
"Remember, you have dishes," Sophie pokes my shoulder, giggling. She runs off.

"Oh. So, I found this note on my chair today and it's kind of confusing. I'll show it to you after I finish with these," I say, waving my arms at the pile of tomato saucy dishes. "Rook--Jasper's grandma said that I should see if there are any more notes. And to tell her if there are. Oh, yeah! Did you know she's lesbian?" Both of my dads nod. "You did? How--why--didn't I know?"

"Do you really need to know?" Dad raises an eyebrow, his arms folded across his chest.

"I guess not. But anyway, the note is for someone named Mary. Do you know her?"

"Yeah we did. We all just had coffee the other day." Papa smiles. "It's not the same Mary though, right?"

"Probably not." I pick up a scrubbing brush and put more soap on it, and then continue doing the dishes. Papa walks into the dining room, probably to work on his newest project. Some sort of box as of right now. Dad walks into his bedroom, and closes the door behind him.