Page 89 of The Fireman and the Flirt

“Dad, are you sure you had a good time? You seemed…” Jolene shrugged her shoulders.

“What?”

“Quiet.”

It was true. I didn’t say much at dinner. Fortunately, Cal filled any and all silence, as did Quentin and Josh with their rundown on their latest video game obsession.

“I was too busy eating to talk.”

Jolene studied me for a minute, as if she were peeling back the lie layer by layer.

“I’m tired from work. All those long shifts are catching up to me.”

She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped herself.

“What is it, Jo?”

“Did you and Cary have a fight?”

A sharp pain hit my stomach at the mention of him. I was prepared for Cal to bring him up, but not my daughter.

“No…” I began, stammering for an answer, and hating that lying to my daughter was my go-to choice.

I could feel the thoughts vibrating in her head. I appreciated how transparent her emotions were at this stage because I knew that wouldn’t always be the case. She shut her eyes and exhaled a nervous breath through her nose.

“You miss him, Dad. You miss him like you miss a boyfriend.”

And there it was. The room shifted just a little, a new reality being born. All my worrying about how to come out to Jolene when she already knew.

There came a point in every child’s life when they realized their parents were flawed, imperfect individuals. I’d wanted to be her strong, wise, all-knowing dad forever, but I had to let go of that dream, let myself be human, and hope that she still loved me.

“I do,” I said. “I miss him. We liked each other. We liked each other a lot.”

“You guys texted all the time, and youhatetexting. And when we were looking at the stars, you were totally flirting with each other.” A giggle trailed her observation. “I’m in middle school, Dad. I know what flirting looks like.”

I could feel my eyes crinkle with a bright, relieved smile.

“I know this is a surprise. It’s a new side I’m discovering about myself. Sometimes, a man who has had feelings for women his whole life one day starts to have feelings for another man.”

She rolled her eyes. “Dad, I know how being bisexual works.”

“You know what that is?”

“Yeah. We learned about it in health class. Plus a bunch of kids in my grade are queer.”

Man, times had changed. If only Cary could’ve gone to school today. He wouldn’t have felt so isolated, so alone. Hell, neither would I.

“And apparently, there’s a bunch of gay teachers in the high school. Like an abnormally high amount.”

“So you’re okay with this?”

She nodded yes. “Of course, Dad. You need to be you.”

I pulled her into a smothering hug.

“I like Cary. He makes you happy. Happier than you were with Mom.”

“What makes you say that?”

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