Page 4 of After Midnight

The dads looked at one another and Daddy Allen sat back down. This was it.

“I’m not going back to school!” I blurted out, louder than I intended.

Before I knew it, dad smirked and Papa K let out a frustrated sigh.

“What?” I asked.

“Oh nothing, honey, it’s just Papa K now owes me a month of foot massages.”

I looked at them strangely when dad admitted they’d bet on how much longer I lasted in college before I decided to take the comedy gig full time.

“What?” I asked again, frustrated my big dramatic unfolding had been ruined by them already knowing.

“Well, honey, you haven’t been making the most stellar grades,” Papa K said.

“Wait, I did okay,” I said wondering why the hell I was suddenly defending my grades.

“Okay, is right,” Dad said. “But you haven’t shown any passion for anything but those comedy sketches.”

“And it’s not like I didn’t see that same burn in your dad’s eyes when he started to perform.”

“So, what, you’re not upset?” I asked.

“Upset? No,” Papa K said. “Concerned? Yeah, a little. I mean, we all knew I’d struggle with this the most, but, sweetheart, if you decide you hate comedy and want to do something else with your life, you can always go back to college.”

“What your Papa is trying to tell you is, he’s come to terms with it.”

I leaned back in my chair and sighed. Then I got suspicious. Could it really be this easy?

“Wait, did you two do anything to influence the club? Dad?” I asked, turning an alarmed look at my locally famous drag queen father.

“No!” Daddy Allen said emphatically, putting up his hand. “We told you we wouldn’t do that again.”

I sighed, but a serious case of imposter syndrome had already kicked in. I’d wanted to be in the local community theater play when I was eleven. I ended up getting a part way above my acting skill. One night this snooty girl about three years older than I yelled that I sucked then told me if it wasn’t for my dads buying my way in, I wouldn’t have had a part at all.

I’d confronted my guilty parents and ended up quitting. They said they’d never do it again, but once bitten so many, many more times shy.

“Okay,” I finally said. “So, as of now, I’m a college dropout.”

“Oh, but you aren’t just a college dropout, sweety,” Papa K said. I cocked my eyebrow and he chuckled. “Well, okay, you are, but you’re also pursuing your dreams. That’s what we want for you, sweetheart.”

As both my dads hugged me and told me how proud they were, I couldn’t help but get the happy, warm feeling I always got when they did this. I really was privileged. Not just with money but with two men who’d always loved me with all they had.

***

“Papa K, seriously, I don’t care about appearances. Stop with all the ‘You’re a Pearson’ stuff. If I’m going to make it as a comedian, it’s probably better if I play it down.” I’d already decided that in no way would I intentionally use the Pearson name to boost my career. I needed to do this on my own.

“Oh, you and your precious public persona. I swear, you’re worse than your mother.”

“Mother, is it?” Dad said as he walked into the kitchen. “Kalen Pearson, I’m more man than you could ever want, in or out of a dress.”

Dad didn’t even try hiding a self-satisfied smirk and Papa K shook his head. “I’ve already lost this argument, haven’t I?”

“Yes,” Dad and I both said at the same time.

“Well, you know we have to continue to make a good impression if we’re going to continue being the top real estate firm in this town. So, be funny all you want, Dillon, but keep that fact in mind.”

“Babe,” Dad said to Papa K. “Ninety percent of our clients are gay families. We’ve snagged most of them because I’m the famous diva I am, so if our son wants to follow in my high-heeled footsteps with a life on the stage, we should consider ourselves lucky. Maybe he’ll even help us expand our clientele.” Dad glanced at me with that mischievous twinkle in his eye that conveyed he was gonna push it just a little further, and bent down to kiss Papa K sweetly on the cheek. “So, chill out.”

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