couldn’t have done any of this without my family. My wife, Sophie, and my daughter, Logan. You’re why I get up every morning, why I want to fight the good fight.” A smattering of applause as everyone’s attention turned to us.
With a big smile, Sophie waved. Logan’s was embarrassed, a small wave from the hip. When the focus returned to Charlie, Sophie looked at me, her smile wavering. “Don’t what?”
“As you may know, Sophie’s birthday is next week, and I couldn’t have a party without celebrating the woman who has supported me and propped me up all these years.”
“Do what I think you’re about to do.”
“Are you having second thoughts about us?”
“No. Never.”
The band struck up “Happy Birthday,” and a waitress walked onto the stage carrying a cake with two lit candles shaped like a three and a six.
“That’s my cue.” Sophie leaned down and kissed me on the lips. Some in the crowd gasped, while others soldiered on with the song, unsure what to do until finally the singing faded off like ellipses at the end of a sentence. She grinned at me and said, “There’s no turning back now.”
“Holy shit.” Logan covered her mouth, and half laughed.
In the ensuing silence, Jamie Luke blurted out loud enough for the entire room to hear, “Well, that explains a lot.”
Charlie froze, the mic held down at his side. The band stepped back into the shadows. Sophie whispered something in Charlie’s ear and took the mic from his hand. He smiled, turning on the Deadly Dimple, and kissed Sophie on the cheek. Charlie stepped lightly off the stage and stood by Avery and Mark, who were busy bombarding him with whispered questions. He held up a hand and kept his attention on Sophie, his face a mask of impassivity.
“Thank you, Charlie, and thank all of you for the birthday wishes.” Sophie fiddled with the top of the mic stand. “Whew. I wasn’t planning on doing this today, to be honest. So, I uh, don’t have prepared remarks. See, Charlie. I wouldn’t make a good politician’s wife after all.” The crowd’s laughter was as forced as Charlie’s ensuing smile. “The beginning is too far back, so I’ll start at the beginning of the end. This is the story y’all have been dying to hear since 1995. The full truth. Well, most of it.”
Sophie cleared her throat. “I fell in love with my best friend the September of my senior year. Somehow, I was brave enough to tell her the very night I realized. Sometimes, I wonder where that brash girl went. I haven’t seen her for years.”
“This is pretty damn brash, Soph,” Trent called out. Joe and Kim stood next to Trent, watching Sophie with expressions of fascination and respect. Joe put his arm around Kim and looked over at me. He smiled and nodded, and I knew Kim had told him about Sophie and me. Sophie had been right; with the rumor Logan started, and so many people knowing, it was only a matter of time before the whole town found out. Joe winked at me and returned his attention to Sophie.
Maybe coming out in Lynchfield wouldn’t be the disaster we feared. A quick glance around the room showed about an equal number of hostile and stunned expressions. Better than I expected.
“Good point. Imagine my surprise, and relief, when she told me the feeling was mutual.” Sophie met my eyes. “It was the best year of my life.” A ripple went through the crowd. I smiled and nodded. She inhaled and continued. “After graduation we were caught, threatened, shamed and separated. The details don’t matter, but the short version is, I was persuaded what Nora and I felt was wrong. Dirty. Sinful. We would go to hell unless we repented, changed our ways. I see a few of you nodding along. I know most of you agree, and I get it. I do. It’s difficult for you to understand, but gay people fall in love like you do. We love as deeply, and as long.” She met my eyes. “Longer.”
Sophie’s voice strengthened. “When Nora left I was angry, at myself mostly, for being a coward and not fighting for us. But, I also started to believe what I was being told about myself, and I told myself I wasn’t gay, it was just Nora I loved. We’d taken a close friendship and perverted it. When Charlie and I started spending time together and became a couple, it seemed to prove the point.”