Page 28 of Shifting Gears

“That’s the June specialty flavour, for Pride month,” Dani explains, grabbing Eleanor a plastic spoon. “They do new ones all the time.”

“Oh! Right,” Eleanor says, sticking the spoon into her sorbet. “Sorry. Um—thank you.”

Dani guides her back outside to occupy one of the now-empty picnic tables. The day is warm, perfect weather for something cold, and when Eleanor takes her own first bite, she can’t stifle the surprised noise that slips out.

“Whaddya think?” Dani says. She’s already halfway finished with her first flavour, steadily working her way through three scoops.

“Oh my God.” Eleanor groans, licking her spoon. “It’samazing.” It’s fruity and creamy and delicious, a flavour she can’t quite place, and Eleanor immediately goes for another spoonful. She looks up from her second bite to see Dani staring at her with a dazed look on her face; melted ice cream is dripping down Dani’s cone onto her wrist.

“Dani?” Eleanor says.

Dani snaps out of whatever trance she’d been in. She takes an enormous bite of ice cream, and Eleanor’s concern melts into laughter when Dani immediately winces in a telltale brain-freeze face.

“Speaking of Pride,” Dani says when she finally gets through the mouthful, pointing at Eleanor’s cup, “it’s coming up this weekend. Are you gonna be there?”

“You do Pride here?” Eleanor is starting to feel like nothing should shock her anymore about this town, but even so, sheknows there are whole cities elsewhere that don’t have Pride celebrations. She herself hasn’t been to one in years.

“Of course! We don’t have a parade or anything, but we always have a big party at the River Run. Half-price drinks for all the gays,” Dani says casually.

Eleanor snorts into her bowl. “All of us? How many could there be?”

* * *

Just as Dani promised, the Riverwalk Pride Party happens a few days later.

Eleanor pushes open the door of the River Run to find a completely different bar. It’s been festooned with streamers and paper chains in bright colours, and the old stage in the corner cleaned up and decorated with decals and sparkly curtains. There’s a green feather boa wrapped around the mic stand, and Dani is standing under a huge arch made of connected balloons, wearing pristine white jeans and a clean ribbed tank top under a blue-and-red checkered flannel. There’s no hat today, but she does have several feathers sticking out of her ponytail in the arrangement of the Pride flag.

Eleanor feels warm suddenly. It’s not until she’s already amidst the group that she realizes she’s the only person in the room not wearing some kind of Pride paraphernalia.

“Nora, hey! Over here!” Dani calls out from across the bar.

Eleanor smooths down her hair self-consciously as Dani jogs toward her. She’s pulled into a warm hug right away—her first from Dani, and yet it feels immediately comfortable—and Eleanor is a little breathless when she responds.

“Thanks for inviting me. Why do you look like Freddie Mercury?”

Dani just laughs, putting a gentle hand on Eleanor’s back and guiding her toward their usual table.

It’s not a corporate parade or a crowded, pulsing club like Eleanor is used to but a compact, rowdy gathering of friends. Among a small crowd of people Eleanor doesn’t know yet stands Mila, dressed in what looks like a lovingly homemade outfit of pink-and-blue pastels; Owen and Ryan wear matching shirts, and Naomi is near the jukebox in a gorgeous yellow dress that has Sarah hovering nearby, trying not to stare. Even Jenny is serving drinks in a rainbow romper.

“This is the highest concentration of gay people I’ve ever seen in a town with a population of 2,500,” Eleanor remarks. It’s apparently loud enough for the whole bar to hear because the observation causes a long, loud cheer to erupt from the partygoers that lasts until Eleanor sits down.

A few drinks later, when more people join their table, Eleanor is forced to scoot so close to Dani that their thighs press together. The heat of Dani’s skin sears through those white jeans, and Eleanor is feeling warmer than ever.

“Want a flag?” Mila yells over the music, throwing a sticker book down onto the table in front of Eleanor. Everything from the bear flag to a littleallysticker is available, and there’s an appraising look in Mila’s eye that tells Eleanor that this is her way of asking withoutasking. Giving her the chance to deflect, if she needs it.

Everyone else at the table seems to be pretending not to watch, but, for once, Eleanor doesn’t mind. With a sure, slightly tipsy hand, she plucks the lesbian flag from the sticker sheet and slaps it to her shirt.

There’s a welcoming cheer from the table in response.

“I knew it,” Mila crows, punching the air. Naomi reaches over for a high-five. Dani, beside her, just smiles as she passes Eleanor a fresh drink.

Mila looks like she wants to continue gloating over having successfully called her shot, but she’s distracted by someone elsearriving: She squeals in delight in mid-conversation, sprinting to the door and jumping into the arms of a short, handsome man who catches her in a passionate kiss. He’s holding a large glass jug in one hand which he almost drops when he wraps his arms around her taller frame.

“Mila’s husband,” Dani explains, leaning close to talk over the music. “He doesn’t come out much, but he always tries to make it to Pride.”

“Not a drinker?”

“No, they run a farm just outside town. He’s usually too busy to hang out in the summer. Plus, he’s pretty shy. He’s totally crazy about her, though.”

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