Page 103 of Rest In Pink

Because you’re not leaving this time.“Is this about the teaching job?”

Molly nodded. “I told the music teacher that I didn’t think I could do it because I was gay, and she said there’s two other gay teachers on the staff and nobody cares as long as you’re a good teacher.” She looked at me then. “I’m going to be a really good teacher.”

“I know you are,” I said, trying not to cry, too. She was so damn vulnerable.

“So, I had to tell my parents. I did Dad first, and he said he didn’t care who I slept with although he would prefer it was nobody because I was his little girl. And then your mom . . .”

She stopped and gulped and took a deep breath and I braced myself for whatever my mom had said now.

“Your mom said ‘This is wonderful. Now I’ll have three daughters some day’.”

Molly broke down again, and I thought,Okay, maybe I’ll forgive them.

“And then you went and told the Hag,” I said. “I suppose you had to.”

Molly nodded. “She’s not getting out for ten years. Maybe she’ll change.”

Yeah, because prison always makes people better,I thought, but I wouldn’t have to deal with that bitch for another ten years, so the hell with her.

“You were the last person I had to tell,” Molly said. “You were the one I was most afraid to lose.”

“I’m insulted,” I said, not kidding.

“You just never know how somebody’s going to react,” Molly said. “Especially somebody you’re close to. I had a good friend on the road, really good friend, and when she found out she dropped me cold. I didn’t see it coming, we were so close, but she just walked away as soon as she knew.”

“Maybe she was attracted to you,” I said. “Maybe it made her uncomfortable and she had to walk away because she didn’t like feeling that way.”

Molly blinked. “She didn’t hate me because I was vile and disgusting?”

“No,” I said gently. “I don’t know why she walked away, but nobody could possibly think you’re vile and disgusting. You are made of sunshine, lovely and wonderful.”

She burst into tears again, and Kitty came over with two hot fudge sundaes.

“I don’t know what the hell is going on here,” she said. “But if you’re both crying, you need ice cream.”

I touched my cheek. Hell, Iwascrying.

Molly lifted her face. “I’m gay, Kitty. I’m a lesbian. I like girls.”

“You know who would be good for you?” Kitty said. “That friend of Vince’s. Raina. She could use a dose of happiness. She’s like the opposite of you. Like Vince with Liz.”

“Hey,” I said.

Molly blinked. “You don’t care?”

“Why the hell would I care?” Kitty looked at her, eyes full of love and sympathy. “I’m not saying everybody around here will be okay with it, but there are a lot of people who aren’t okay with me. Fuck them. It’s their loss to not realize how awesome I am and bask in my glory.”

I didn’t know anybody who didn’t like Kitty, but then I wouldn’t. Anybody who didn’t like Kitty was the dregs of humanity. “I’m going to get you a t-shirt that says that,” I told Molly. “I Am Awesome, Bask in My Glory.”

Molly started to laugh and then she cried and then she laughed and cried.

“Eat your ice cream, kid,” Kitty said to her and went to feed somebody else.

“It’ll be okay,” I told her, not sure what else to do. Also, my ice cream was melting and I needed to get to it and stop this damn crying.

“It was the adults,” Molly said, wiping her eyes. “The people our age I wasn’t so worried about.”

“Except for me,” I said, still insulted.

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