Page 3 of Michael's Awakening
Peeking around the corner, I took a deep breath and then walked into the living room. “Mom? Dad?” My voice was a higher pitch than normal, so I cleared my throat trying to remain as calm as I could. They both looked up at me and my heart stopped beating, as if the tiny army of rapid drum-bangers suddenly decided the war was lost and it would be a good time to retreat. After shaking my head at the weird thought, I blurted out, “I like boys,” before they could say anything.
Those few seconds before they responded felt like an eternity. I was too nervous to look at my dad—I didn’t want to see the disappointment that I thought would be reflected in his blue eyes.
It was Mom who spoke first. “Honey, we have already suspected that and discussed it on several occasions.” She looked at my father, as he nodded his head. Looking back at me, she continued, “It’s really not that shocking to have you finally say it. Now, take a breath, sweetie, because you look kind of blue.”
I hadn't realized I'd been holding my breath.
Looking up with shock, I saw that she was smiling and looked perfectly at ease. “What? You aren't mad or upset?”
Dad had put down the remote control and was intently staring at me, his expression unreadable.
“Son,” he finally spoke with his voice calm and his expression soft, “We're gonna love you no matter what. That's what families do.”
And that was the end of that.
Dad went back to watching television and my mother started sipping her tea again.
Tears stung the corners of my eyes as I nodded and exited the room, feeling as though I had just faced down a firing squad only to have them pardon me at the last minute. Hell, I felt like the luckiest boy in the world.
I’d heard horror stories of other boys coming out as gay to their families and not all were as fortunate as me.
Earlier on in the school year, rumors had circulated about a boy who was a few years older than me named Jackson. Supposedly, he had told his parents he was gay and they had kicked him out of their house with nowhere else to go. No one ever knew what happened to him after that. Some say he went to live with his grandparents in the next city over, but no one ever knew for sure. His parents didn’t stay in town much longer after the rumors started. Some people said that they were too embarrassed to face everyone, knowing that they had ‘raised a sinner’, so they’d fled town the first chance they got.
I only hoped that wherever Jackson was now, he was finally happy and free to be who he was.
So, yes, I was beyond relieved that my parents accepted me. Deep down, I think I knew they would, but it still felt amazing to have them finally know the truth. A weight had been lifted from my shoulders that day. They loved me just the way I was, and I couldn’t have asked for anything more.
***
Freshly out of the shower, I pulled the towel around my lean hips and used my hand to wipe the steam from the mirror. I gently stroked the stubble along my chin as I looked at my reflection. I hadn't shaved for a few days, giving me a more rugged, manly appearance.
Sometimes, I was unrecognizable to people. Having two very different sides to yourself would do that, I supposed. One day, I could be wearing a cheetah print dress and stiletto shoes with a glamorous face of makeup and the next day, I could have a stubbled chin wearing a beanie hat, faded jeans, and a rock T-shirt.
It’s just who I was. A lot of people asked me how I identified, and I never knew how to respond. Gender fluid, gender queer, it really didn’t matter to me. I hated labels. Some people needed them, but I didn’t.
Cocking my head to the side, I ran a hand through my short, platinum blond hair and sighed. My darker blond roots were starting to grow on top and become more pronounced. A trip to the salon was definitely long overdue.
I blow dried the top of my hair and ran my hands through the short strands, attempting to calm the slight frizziness that had annoyingly decided to occur.You’ve got to be kidding me.My bangs weren’t hanging right, so I dragged out my straightener and switched it on, tapping my acrylic nails against the counter as I waited for it to heat.
While I was waiting, I decided I might as well shave. Getting together my shaving cream, razor, and after-shave exfoliates, I started the process to rid myself of the manly stubble. After that was done, I turned my head from side-to-side as I examined my face. No cuts and my skin was silky smooth.
Perfect.
The straightener was finally hot enough, so I took it and began working on the mess that was my hair. Once my bangs were tame and I was satisfied, I squirted some mousse into my hands and rubbed them together before running them through the back of my hair, causing my ends to stand up. The sides of my hair were cut shorter than the top, so not much work had to be done there. Along with being shorter, the sides were also darker than the platinum blond top, giving me an awesome two-toned look.
My hair was very versatile. Just like my style. I could mohawk it or let the back lay flat and just style my bangs by swooping them to the side. Both ways looked hot.
Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I studied my pale blue eyes. Sometimes, they were so light that they looked gray instead of blue. Since I had been tanning the past month, the paleness of my eyes against the tan of my skin made for an intriguing contrast.
I loved it.
It was something that made me even more unique. And gods knew I was definitely unique.And fabulous. With a smile, I left the steam of the bathroom and walked over to my huge closet.
My apartment was a little small, but for one person, it was a perfect fit. It was fairly priced at a whopping three-hundred-and-fifty dollars a month and was only a short drive to my job. Another plus of my apartment was that my closet was big and able to hold my large assortment of clothing, shoes, and handbags.
So, that was freaking fantastic in my opinion.
I worked at a store called Beauty Central that was located in a shopping pavilion, right between a women’s clothing store and a shoe store. I was a beautician, with my specialty in makeup, and I loved it.
