6
ALEX
"Leo, let's go, buddy," I called out as I opened the front door of my ex-wife's house.
"Hey, Mel, is he ready?"
She gave a big sigh. "He was, but then he could feel the tag in his shirt. I cut it out, but he said he could still feel it."
"That sounds about right."
Leo came bounding down the stairs in his favorite My Little Pony T-Shirt.
"Hey, bud, you ready for school?"
"Yep," he said as he plopped down on the stairs and slipped his shoes on.
I couldn't help but smile as he got up, went over, and gave Mel a big hug. "Bye, Mel," he said.
"Bye, baby. Your mama's picking you up today since I’m working the late shift."
"Yep, then you're staying at my house," I said as I guided him out the door.
We loaded into the car from our shared driveway.
Sharing a driveway with my ex-wife and her new wife could be awkward, but we had decided when we separated that wewould be a village for Leo, and that's just what we'd done. I married Becca when they were young. Nineteen to be exact.
It was what everyone did in the church we grew up in. And then we got pregnant two months after we got married. Life had been a struggle, but then things started to change.
Once I was out of my father's house, I started to question how I grew up. I started to see the hypocrisy. I started to see the way women were treated. Once it started, it quickly crumbled.
Two years later, my wife told me she was a lesbian, and then two years after that, she married Mel. They lived in a small house, and I owned a duplex next door.
There had been lots of therapy and lots of work to deconstruct the beliefs we both grew up with, but we'd come out the other side. Now we had a good relationship, a wonderful community, and the best little boy to exist in the entire world.
“Seatbelt, bud,” I reminded him as we climbed into the car.
Leo clicked the buckle with a triumphant grin. “I did it before you said it!”
“You sure did.” I ruffled his hair.
He giggled, swinging his legs as I backed out of the driveway.
Our morning playlist kicked in, his current obsession was an interesting mash-up of showtunes and classic rock. As the opening chords ofImpossiblefromCinderellafilled the car, he started humming along, off-key and proud.
“Are you ready for rehearsal tonight?” I asked.
He nodded so hard his headphones slipped. “I’m gonna be a mouse! But not a quiet mouse. A rock ’n’ roll mouse.”
“That’s the best kind,” I said, grinning.
He turned toward me, eyes wide. “You think it’s okay if I wear my tutu again?”
I glanced over at him, bright, unfiltered, completely himself, and my chest warmed. “Buddy, I think it’sperfect.You wear whatever makes you happy.”
“Sometimes people stare.”
I hesitated, but only for a breath. “Yeah. People stare because they wish they were brave enough to be you.”
