Right on time. Neil had been ready for almost an hour, and he was nervous. When his mom asked why, he’d said he was going to a movie with a friend, which she followed up with the obligatory, “What are you going to see?” Needless to say, the emotions playing on her face when Neil said Gone with the Wind—rather than the latest Marvel Universe or Fast & Furious adventure—were quite spectacular, and he wondered what she’d think if she knew it was a date with another man. Not that Neil had ever made a secret of being gay, but he had also never mentioned having a crush on a boy or a girl, or anything else that could’ve been taken as a signal that he was indeed grown up and ready to date. Mixed with the fear and over-protectiveness toward their disabled oldest son, Neil’s parents struggled with the concept of letting go. They didn’t mention it, or try to stop Neil from pursuing his dreams, but he knew how they felt from their reactions to the things that happened to him and their concern when he suggested trying something new, like making his own way to school.
