Chapter 14

I ignored every chirp from my phone as I gazed out the window, watching the winter landscapes go by. I needed to distance myself from school and everyone. Just for a bit.

I had sex with a guy last night.

I imagined saying that to Mom and Dad. Cringeworthy. Mom knew I was gay and acted fine about it. Dad probably knew but had never acknowledged it. That was…not reallyfine, but what was I to do?

My grandmother would appreciate hearing the news. Freida Bondi, Dad’s mother, was our family’s Anna Madrigal—mother to us all. She knew I was gay before I’d known what being gay meant. She used to ask me about boys I found attractive in school and around town when I was a kid, not yet old enough to feel self-conscious about answering.