“Mom…Dad…I…uh…I don’t know any other way to tell you this than to just say it. Mom, Dad, I’m gay.”

Silence.

Mom looked at Dad, Dad looked at Mom.

Silence.

I just stood there doing everything I could to keep from bursting into tears.

Silence.

I was about ready to completely lose it when Dad held his hand out.

Mom got up, got her purse, reached in, pulled something out, and dropped it into Dad’s hand.

Then Dad looked at me, flipped it across the room, and I instinctively caught it.

Then he stood up, walked over to me, pulled me into a hug, laughed, and said, “I won.”

“What?” I asked.

“I won the bet,” he stated.

I looked in my hand, and there was a Looney. That’s a dollar coin to you non-Canadians.

By this time Mom was standing beside us with her arm around me, laughing.

“You had a bet that I was gay?” I asked.

“Well, not exactly, it was a bet as to whether you’d come out before or after graduation,” Dad replied.

“Excuse me?” I questioned.

“We knew you were gay, so betting on that was out. That’s when your mom thought it would be fun to make a bet on when you’d get around to telling us.”

“How…when?” I had to ask.

“Well, one night when your mom and I were on the deck looking at the stars, your Mom looked over and saw D’Marco. He was naked and it seems he was cleaning something off his bedroom window. When he looked towards your bedroom window, smiled, waved, and walked away…and…well….”

‘Oh God, no,’ was my only thought.

“He was quite impressive for a fourteen-year-old,” Mom said with a grin.

“Mom! Geez!”  I exclaimed, as I thought I was going to die of embarrassment.

“Well, he was,” she responded.

“I didn’t need to hear that from you Mom,” I replied.

“I’m sorry honey,” she apologized, “I guess I didn’t really need to say anything. I mean, you already know that, right?”

“Mo-om! Stop it,” I pleaded.

“Why are you being so uptight David?” Dad asked.

“Uptight?” I asked, “My mother is talking about my boyfr….”

I tried to stop when I realized what I was about to say

“Your boyfriend’s…what do you call it now, junk?” Mom responded.

“Oh God…Mom…please,” I begged, before looking at Dad’s grin and asking, “You’re enjoying this aren’t you?”

“We know you’re gay. We know you and D’Marco are together. And now you know we know and now you know we’re cool with it,” Dad stated, “So lighten up, kiddo.”

“Really, honey. Listen to your dad,” Mom said, “Love is love, sex is sex. If you love each other and enjoy each other’s, well, you know…junk, it’s all good.”

‘Oh God, kill me now…please,’ I silently pleaded.

D’Marco knew I was coming out to Mom and Dad and when he hadn’t heard from me for more than half an hour, he decided to come over. Since we’ve been “best friends” for the last three years he no longer knocked, so the next thing I knew, he was standing beside me.

“Everything okay?” he asked looking at my I’m going to die of embarrassment expression, and Mom and Dad’s rather self-satisfied expressions.

“They already knew I’m gay, and they had a friggin’ bet going about when I’d come out,” I growled, holding my hand out and showing him the Looney.

“A Looney?” he questioned, looking at Mom and Dad, “You bet one crappy, miserable, little, Looney?”

When he started laughing, I poked him and accused, “You’re not helping.”

“Helping what?” he asked.

“Helping me get out of this conversation,” I responded, “Damn, it’s embarrassing enough without you joining in.”

“You’re embarrassed they knew you’re gay?” he asked.

“No. I’m embarrassed at the crap they’ve…well mostly what Mom’s saying about it…about us…especially about you,” I responded.

“So I’m guessing I shouldn’t ask?” he asked with a grin.

“No you shouldn’t,” I warned.

And that was it.

Well almost, D’Marco did kiss me before we went to my room, and right in front of Mom and Dad.

I’m still not sure if I felt relief when they laughed and Mom smacked the back of my head as we walked by, or if I actually felt pissed off with myself…three years of fear and hiding…and why?