I roll my eyes, because they always do this.
“I’m a hooker, Dad, and I’m not ashamed of it. Seriously, I’m not. Plenty of people work in the sex industry. Just check out OnlyFans or Pornhub. Chatlines. Strippers. Hardcore romance writers. Or an online pantie selling website. Some people even sell feet shavings to people who worship feet. It’s not something that needs the stigma of hush hush.”
There is a silence as my parents take that in.
“Come on,” I say. “Be proud of me for who I am, becauseIam. And I’m not afraid to show it. Not anymore.”
My parents’ eyes widen.
“We’ll always be proud of you for who you are, Ella!” Mum says. “No matter what.”
“Great.” I smile. “So embrace it with me. I’m not going to be hiding myself away. I don’t want to. Neither does Josh.”
Josh waves in the background in his plush new purple dressing gown that I bought him.
“Hey, guys,” he says. “Happy Christmas!”
“Merry Christmas!” they chorus back.
I take back over with my thread. “Don’t worry about me, either of you. I’m happy with who I am, and that’s an amazing position to be in.”
Dad nods at that. They were suffering along with me through my terrible woes and fears. They despise the way Connor kept me down, fooling them for years as he fooled me.
I take a breath. My eyes pricking with tears at the sight of them in the summer sun. I miss them.
“Happy Christmas to both of you,” I say. “I love you guys so much, and without you I wouldn’t be who I am. I never would have been in the first place. I wouldn’t be the person I’m proud of now. You let me be myself all the way through my childhood, and encouraged me every single step of the way. A lot of people never get that. I’m lucky.”
“No, we’re lucky,” Dad says, and wraps an arm around my mum. “We’re lucky we got a daughter like you. And we are proud. So do whatever you want on your social media stuff, just don’t get involved with any psychos, ok?”
“I won’t. Not unless they’re paying good money for it.”
“Hey, you,” Dad points a jokey finger at the screen. “We don’t want any of the details, thanks.”
“I know. Don’t worry, I won’t be giving you the ick anytime soon. That would give me a double ick right back.”
Dad can be worried about me getting involved with psychos or stalkers all he wants, but he’s barking up the wrong tree there. I wish I could tell them about the one person I am involved with outside of Josh – who they already love deeply as a potential son-in-law. I would love to beam with pure glee and tell them about my love for Heath Mason. I’m sure Mum remembers Nighttime Whispers. I think she still even watches it herself.
But now isn’t the time. Not yet.
Soon, though.
Hopefully.
I get a fresh flutter of butterflies at the thought.
I blow my parents a kiss, and bring the Christmas call to an end. We have Josh’s family extravaganza to get ready for, and Carly’s growing baby bump to gush over, and plenty of fizz and cheers to look forward to over the dinner table.
I’m so looking forward to it. Josh’s family are amazing. But there is something else looming on the horizon.
A Christmas present I never thought we’d be getting.
I get myself dressed up festively in a twinkling red dress with red stilettos. I laugh as Josh puts on his new Christmas jumper, so cliché with its green and white snowflake pattern that it’s cute as fuck. He’d look good in anything, even a torn bin liner, so he can pull it off. He smirks and pulls a star jump pose, then puts some ridiculous reindeer horns on his head.
“Are you for real?” I ask.
“Hell yeah, it’s Christmas!”
Somehow, I doubt he’ll be wearing those horns later this evening, but I might be mistaken.
