My Father's a Homo

Cancelling the Bar Mitzvah

A/N This was so fun to write, Jesus

I sat in the hospital corridor outside Whizzer's room. After a few minutes, Mom and Mendel followed me out. I thought they were going to attempt to broach the topic of my feelings or something. Instead, Mom started to talk about my bar mitzvah, of all things.

"Jason, honey, if you want to have a bar mitzvah, God knows, of course you can have one!" she began. "But I have to know what you want, and now. I've addressed the invitations, so I guess this is your chance to give me Hell."

She bumped me with her hip (which was awkward as I was still sitting), trying to diffuse the tension. Wasn't that usually more Mendel's thing?

I turned to her, a pleading look on my face. "Why can't we wait until Whizzer gets better, until he's out of hospital? He's my best friend, and that's what bar mitzvahs are all about! Having your friends there, close at hand!"

Mom and Mendel exchanged a look, before Mendel sat down on the floor beside me. Taking my hands in his, he began talking to me in a soothing tone. One of his therapist voices. God, I hate his therapist voices. It did somehow make the noise and hubbub of the hospital disappear momentarily, though.

"We can't be sure when he'll get better, dear. Or rather, if he'll ever get better. The hall for your bar mitzvah has been booked, as well as a band. But in the end, the choice is yours. There's no right or wrong answer, all you have to do is choose, and your mother and I will go along with it."

He sent me a smile meant to calm, but it somehow just made me angrier. I started screaming, similar to how Dad used to rant and rave, which, honestly, scares me. I don't want to ever be like the way he was.

"Oh, so, now it's all my decision? Let's have a party and act like nothing happened, right? Why don't you just make the dumb decision yourselves!"

By this point I was near tears. I just want Whizzer to be okay. I don't want him to be sick anymore.

Mendel put a hand on my shoulder and tepidly asked, "Then, we'll have the bar mitzvah?"

"No!" I yelled, turning from him and pushing his hand away.

"Then we'll cancel the bar mitzvah?" Mom tried.

"No!" I yelled, even louder than before. I got up again and ran away. I just wanted to be alone, why couldn't they see that?!

I almost thought I heard Mom saying that they would wait for my decision. I'm not making any decisions until Whizzer is better. I wiped away an angry tear as I rounded the corner, trying to put as much distance between us as I could.

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