A Descent into Darkness

Unexpected Coming Out

I push open the front door to my house as quietly as I can, believing my parents are asleep.

"Erin?" come's my father's voice from the study before I can even take my hand off the knob.

I close my eyes in frustration, wondering how I can be so stealthy as a serial killer, yet I can't even sneak into my own house. It's not like I have a curfew. I'm practically living with Eve right now. I just came by for clothes and would have preferred to avoid the awkward questions that would feature in any current conversation with my parents.

"Yeah, it's me," I call back, praying to the God I don't believe in that he just says okay and goes back to his work.

"Can you come here please? I'd like to talk to you about something."

Fuck.

"Sure."

I shut the door and head toward the house to his study, where he's sitting in his swivel chair waiting for me. He motions for me to have a seat in the chair opposite his desk.

"How formal," I note dryly while taking a seat.

In response, he stands up and comes around the desk to sit in the chair next to me.

"Look, Airy Beary," he says, referring to the weirdo nickname he's used ever since I was a kid. "You know your mother and I have never tried to control where you go, or what you do. We get it. You're going to do what you want, we can't stop that. Any parent of a teenager or young adult who thinks they can is kidding themselves."

I sit there listening, wondering where this is going.

"And you know that we did all that, despite what your mother went through. Most people like her would automatically be overprotective."

"I know Dad," I reply. "And I've always appreciated the trust you've both had in me." Internally, I reflect how I have been lying to them like crazy, but I still appreciate the trust.

"So, with that in mind, I do need to ask you a favour."

"What's that?"

He takes a deep breath, and I sit up in my chair, preparing for whatever it may be. "I need you to tell us, at the very least, the address of the guy you've been dating and staying with this past month. I realize that sounds invasive, but your mother has been growing more and more on edge not knowing where you are for so long. It was fine not knowing all the details when you came back here every night. But she's getting really worried, not seeing you for so long. And I can't put all the blame on her. I've been worried to." He takes my hand. "This is not a statement that we don't trust you, Erin. This is simply a by product of the fear we both have because of your mother's assault. And probably the pandemic too. We just need to know where you are de facto living. That's it."

"Oh." I admit to being surprised that the address is all he wants. He didn't even ask for the name of the so called 'guy' I'm sleeping with. I can't help but think back to my conversation with Eve earlier about my parents not knowing she's a girl. Should I tell him? I may as well. My concern before was if they threw me out, I'd have nowhere to live, and a serial killer really needs a home base. But now I have Eve's place as a backup. Fuck these two if they can't accept a part of me that 80% of Canada would support.

"Dad, I can't give you the address of the guy I'm dating and staying with," I declare, deciding to test his reaction.

"And why is that?" he asks, clearly noticing the specific wording of my answer, sounding more curious than hostile.

"Because I'm dating and staying with a girl." I wait for his response, noting that I don't feel particularly nervous. Is it because I don't care about what they think as much as I thought? Is it because I have so much else going on? What could it be?