years, Dad.”
From daddy to dad
in thirty seconds. We were
strangers, after all.
I Got in a Car with a Stranger
A ’92 Geo, pink under
primer, not quite a
princely coach. Dad and
I attempted small talk.
How’s your sister?
“Gay.”
Sequestered on a California
campus. When she outed,
I cringed. Mom cried.
You called her queer.
How’s your mother?
“Older.”
Prettier, gift-wrapped
in 40ish self-esteem, a
wannabe writer and workout
fanatic, sweating ice.
How’s what’s-his-name?
“Indifferent.”
Either that or flat in my
face, yet oddly always
there exactly when I
need him. Unlike you.
And how are you?
“Okay.”
Near-sighted. Hormonal.