Page 77 of Trick or Treat Nurse at My Feet
The deliberate obtuseness makes my blood boil. "Mom, I told you on the phone that Ethan is my boyfriend. You know we're dating."
"Well, you said you were 'seeing someone,' which is rather vague, dear," she replies. "After all, you've always had so many friends."
Dad clears his throat uncomfortably. "Amanda, I think Tyler was quite clear?—"
"I'm just trying to understand," she interrupts. "After all, Tyler has only dated girls before. Quite a few of them, actually. There was that lovely Jessica in high school, and then Amanda in freshman year. Oh, and of course, Cher. She is such a nice girl from a good family. I hoped you two might get back together."
Ethan goes very still beside me, his gaze fixed on his plate.
"Cher and I broke up for good reasons.” There’s no room for argument in my tone. "And we're not getting back together. I'm with Ethan now."
"Of course, dear," Mom says dismissively. "I'm just pointing out that this is quite a change from your normal pattern. Perhaps you're just... exploring."
"Mom," my voice has a hint of warning as my patience wears thin. "I'm not 'exploring.' I'm in a relationship with Ethan. A serious one."
An uncomfortable silence falls over the table. Dad attempts to salvage the situation. "So, Ethan, Tylermentioned you're involved in some campus organizations, too?"
Ethan looks up, his expression carefully composed. "Yes, I'm part of the Student Nursing Association. We organize health outreach events."
"That's wonderful," Dad says with genuine interest. "Community service is so important. Amanda used to volunteer at the children's hospital before she went back to work."
Mom nods stiffly. "Yes, very rewarding work, I’m sure.” Then, as if she can't help herself, she adds, "Tyler, did I tell you that I ran into Cher's mother at the club last month? She mentioned Cher is single again. Apparently, that boy from her political science class didn't work out."
Ethan’s shoulders hunch slightly as he pushes his pasta around his plate.
"Mom, enough," the words come out sharply, "I don't care about Cher's relationship status. I'm not interested in her."
"I'm just making conversation," she says innocently. "No need to be so defensive."
"You're not 'just making conversation," Anger bleeds through each word. "You're deliberately ignoring the fact that I'm dating Ethan."
"Tyler, keep your voice down," Mom hisses, glancing around the restaurant.
"Why? Are you embarrassed?" I challenge. "Because I'm not. I'm proud to be with Ethan, and I won't pretend otherwise to make you comfortable."
Dad places a calming hand on my arm. "Tyler, let's all take a breath?—"
"It's fine," Ethan interrupts quietly. "Really, it's okay."
But it's not okay. His expression reminds me ofsomething he told me once about his parents, how they'd gone from loving and supportive to cold and distant when he came out. How they'd tried to set him up with girls from church, pretending his sexuality was just a phase he needed to outgrow.
"It's not okay," I say firmly, looking at my mother. "Mom, I care about Ethan. A lot. This isn't a phase or an experiment. And if you can't respect my relationship, then?—"
"Then what?" Mom challenges. "You'll throw away your family for someone you've known for a month? Really, Tyler, I thought we raised you to be more sensible than that."
Before I can respond, Ethan stands abruptly. "Excuse me for a moment," he says, his voice tight. "I need to use the restroom."
As he walks away, I turn back to my mother. "Are you happy now? You've made him uncomfortable, possibly hurt him, all because you can't accept that I'm dating a man."
"That's not fair," Mom protests. "I'm just concerned that you're rushing into something you don't fully understand."
"No, you're hoping that if you ignore this long enough, it'll go away," I retort. "But it won't. My feelings for Ethan won't change."
Dad sighs heavily. "Amanda, we talked about this. Tyler is an adult. He can make his own choices about who to date."
"But he's never shown any interest in men before," Mom insists. "This is so sudden, so out of character."
"It wasn't sudden for me," I tell her, lowering my voice. "I've had these feelings before, but never felt safe exploring them. Now I have, and I've found someone who makes me happy. Really happy, Mom. Why can't that be enough for you?"
