Page 63 of Cinematic Destinies
“And we love you.” A quiet moment passed and she added, “Will you please think about what I said?”
“I shall think of nothing else.”
“I’ll see you at the film’s premiere, if not sooner. Our whole family will be there to support Georgia, and you. Be well, my dear friend.”
“You too. Thank you,ma chérie. Thank you.”
AFTER ANOTHER SLEEPLESS NIGHT, ALBERTtried to make progress on his new work assignment but was too consumed with thoughts of Ryan. He decided to FaceTime Georgia.
She had just stumbled into her apartment after a long run, her face flushed and dripping with sweat. When she saw it was her brother, she answered, panting. “Hey, snot face.”
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Just got in from a run,” she sputtered. “Give me a second.” She guzzled a bottle of water and caught her breath. “I’m here. What’s up?”
“It’s about a guy.”
Georgia smiled. “Go on.”
“I’ve been seeing this guy, Ryan.”
“Is he hot? Did you fuck him?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Albert sighed. “It’s not like that. We were taking it slow, and I really like him; it’s just . . .”
“What’s wrong?” She softened her voice and said, “You can talk to me.”
“He broke up with me because I’m not open . . . especially with Dad.”
Georgia looked at him compassionately and said, “Sweetie, why don’t you just tell Dad? It’s not a big deal and he won’t care.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because Dad’s not a dick.”
“But what if—”
“I know you’re worried about it, but you don’t need to be. There’s no reason to twist yourself into knots. Let me get Betty in on this call. She’ll tell you the same thing.”
“Georgia, I’m not sure if she knows. I don’t—”
“Sorry, too late,” Georgia interrupted.
“Well, hey you two,” Betty said, wearing her blue scrubs. “I’m having the longest shift ever. You caught me ona break. I’m in the residents’ lounge about to eat a PowerBar from the vending machine. It’s not even the flavor I like. Yes, my life is sad.” When neither Georgia nor Albert reacted, she said, “Oh my God, is something wrong?”
“No, nothing’s wrong. Not really. It’s just . . .” Albert stammered.
Georgia jumped in. “Al’s gay. The guy he likes dumped him because he’s not out with Dad. Mom knows, but he’s afraid to tell Dad.”
“Georgia!” Albert wailed.
“Oh, Albert,” Betty said softly, a warm smile on her face. “Thank you for telling me.”
“That’s not exactly what happened,” he muttered.
“I don’t want to pressure you, but I really don’t think there’s any reason to be worried about telling Dad. I mean, he’s the greatest ever. I know we all feel that way,” Betty said. She looked at Albert tenderly through the screen and continued, “Look objectively at how he lives his life. He always treats everyone with respect. He and Mom have a diverse group of friends, many of whom are gay. Plus, he cares deeply about social justice and has great politics.”
“Yeah, that’s exactly what I said. He’s not a dick,” Georgia said with exasperation.
