“Damn I’ve gotta stop that.” Marine officer said to another. “I promised my daughters I would work on it.”
My ears perked up as the only non-smoker enjoying the sunlight in the smoke pit.
“45…46 years, my whole life of gay bashing and I’m working on it.”
My heart aches for all the people has bashed.
His daughters are today’s hero.
I was sitting in class before the teacher started lecturing, talking about the weather.
“I just want to say…” Interrupted a girl I had never spoke with before. “That I find your voice very soothing and I’ve finally figured out why.”
I’m pretty sure I had a confused look on my face.
“Your voice sounds just like Ellen’s!” She explained.
She was not the first person to tell me this, in fact someone had mentioned it recently. Now, Ellen is one of the Gay Gods and I love her, so no insult there. The issue is I feel like her voice is higher than mine. Of course I recently read an article on how/why our voices sound different to us (I would try to explain the whys but would butcher it, so I’ll find the article instead).
That evening I told my girlfriend that someone else thought I sounded like Ellen.
“I really don’t hear it!” She marveled. After spending years in voice lessons and can play most instruments, she has a knack for voices. From rooms away she can pick out who is on the TV just by the sound of their voice.
“I think I know what it is!” She said finally. “I think they can hear the gay!”
“Wait… What?” I asked. “You think being gay has a sound?”
“It must because I have watched Ellen with you and never hear it, but some 10 people over the years have pointed it out.” She explained.
So, just in case you were wondering, Gay has a sound and it sounds like Ellen (and me)!
It was the last day of elementary for my younger two kids, graduating 3rd and 5th grade respectively. Thanks to my military commitments, I had missed every last day of school ever since me and their mother had started dating. It was the perfect day, not too hot, not too cold, no rain yet. We were so excited we even left the house early to meet other parents and grandparents in a coffee shop so we could all walk over together. We even went inside the coffee house knowing her ex was in there, a traditionally awkward meeting.
But none of that mattered and we walked over with all the other parents just in time. As 5th grade is the last year of elementary here, they have a special tradition of the entire school clapping the graduates out to their waiting parents.
Caught up in the mood of the assembled I grabbed my girlfriends hand, knowing that her middle baby’s last day of elementary was going to be a bit emotional and walked with her toward the door the kids would be exiting out of.
That’s when it happened, another mother saw us hand in hand and the smile I had been admiring on her face second before, popped, to be replaced by a hideous scowl. Used to this from 10years ago, I smiled brighter and kinder at her and walked past. I could feel her eyes following us as we walked away.
It is 2015, we are not the only gay parents in the area but just the sight of us holding hands destroyed someone else’s joy. I can’t comprehend that! We weren’t being lewd or even flirty, just a sad flavored happy as we took our parental position, cameras at the ready.
Sigh… I hope with all that I am, that this next generation can get this loving equally thing right!
Adult Flavored Chaos 