“Youcould certainly talk some sense into him. If he could find someone like Bridget, I’d be ecstatic.”
I stopped, staring. “Like… a woman.”
She rolled her eyes. “I am aware we’re in the twenty-first century now. If he wants to date a man, that’s fine enough, I suppose. But if Mister Clark were half as intelligent and well-spoken as your girlfriend, with even a shadow the independent drive and clever perception, I would be more receptive.”
I stared a while longer. “You… er… like Bridget that much, then.”
She took a long breath, and her eyes wavered when she turned to me, putting her hand on my arm. I think we’d touched about five times in my life. I stiffened. “Victoria, I… I think you did well. I know I don’t say that much. But you knew what you wanted, and you went for it. You crossed the country for work, you reached your dreams, and you came back for love. And I cansee why. Bridget is charming, intelligent, hardworking, and she has a brilliant future.”
I blinked. “What?”
“From the moment I met her, I knew she was… she’s… well, she’s perfect. She’s showing up unafraid to own her care and compassion for you. She’s not trying to prove anything, just being powerfully, unapologetically herself. It didn’t take long to recognize how much she knows what she’s doing, what she’s talking about.”
“Mom… is this because she complimented the house?”
“Don’t be silly,” Mom said, with a tone that said yes. “It’s more than just that she complimented me. She knows all the right things to say at every moment. She’s an incredibly intelligent and well-spoken woman. I know you’ve had your bad experiences, but I think you’ve found the perfect person. I was… at first, when I realized what was going on with you and Bridget, I didn’t know what to think. I grew up very traditional. I was devastated to think you’d have some kind of… gay wedding with your lesbian lover. But I was a damn fool. I could never ask for anything better than Bridget as the person to love my daughter.”
I blinked, once, again, slowly. “Mom… Bridget and I aren’t dating.”
She looked, initially, like she didn’t register I’d said it, and then she transitioned to disbelief, and then a look of amazement. “You’re… you’ve already gotten engaged.”
“What? No! No. I’m—she’s just my roommate. We’re friends. That’s all it is.”
She sighed, squeezing my shoulder. “Victoria, it’s all right. You don’t need to hide anything. I love her, and she’s more than welcome.”
“No—I mean—thankyou, genuinely, I’m delighted to know that you think so, but she and I arenotdating.”
“It’s—”
“And we’re not engaged. Nor married.”
She stared, on and on, uncomfortably long, before I saw the moment her heart broke. “What do you mean?” she said, her voice small, forcing a smile and a laugh, visibly in denial. What the hell was happening?Howwas I devastating my traditional churchgoing mother bynotdating a woman right now?
“She’s a very good friend, and I’m really happy to know her, but… we’re not… we’re just friends.”
“But you were so eager to live with her,” she said, her voice thick, still smiling in disbelief, shaking her head. “I would have had objections to you living together before marriage, but… I just see how wonderful she is…”
“No—I mean, she is wonderful, but—we just live in the same apartment. With two bedrooms. We’ve never been in each other’s bedrooms.”
She nodded quickly. “The traditional approach. Waiting until you’re married.”
“Mom, what the—no. No! There is no courtship! Nothing! Bridget is myfriend!”
“You’re not gay, then?” she said, halfway to tears now. My traditionalist mother was having a breakdown that I wasn’t in a gay relationship with a lesbian porn creator. Maybe Nan had spiked the drinks with something more potent than usual.
“No. I mean… er…” I scratched the back of my head. “Well, I’m… I identify as bisexual, if you want to know, but I didn’t think…”
She lit up. “So you are with Bridget?”
“No!”
“Is she not gay?”
Oh, she definitely was. “I don’t… know.”
“So she might be. There’s a chance, right? That you two could be together?”
“Mom, I’m not looking to dateanybody. We’ve already talked about this before. Bridget’s… she’s lovely, and I mean, I don’t know, if she asked me on a date, well… I’m not looking to date anybody, but I’d be very flattered. I’m just not interested in romance.”
