After listening to Kate's parents ramble on through dinner about every detail of their sight-seeing adventure—blatantly attempting to avoid all other conversation—they made it back home in time for Lacey's arrival. She was on her very best behavior, the epitome of sweetness and maturity. John and Susan couldn't help but immediately take to her, particularly Susan. The three sat at the dining room table for a while as Megan and Kate set up the sofa bed.
"What was Kate like when she was my age?" Lacey beamed curiously.
"Well," Susan smiled. "She wasn't quite as…sophisticated…as you are, I'm afraid."
"She was a rabble-rouser," John grumbled, even though his face was softer than it had been.
"A what?" Lacey smirked.
"Oh, she was just a little tom-boyish, a little rebellious, you know. She'd come home all muddied up and on a tear about some thing or other."
"Really?" Lacey glowed. "That sounds pretty cool."
"Not when you're trying to raise a young lady," John mumbled again, almost under his breath.
"We didn't always see eye-to-eye," Susan noted, still smiling, trying to maintain pleasantries. "She liked to pretend she was in charge."
"And now she is in charge," Lacey grinned. "She's great at what she does. So you see, maybe it wasn't such a bad thing after all?"
John kept his mouth shut. Susan blinked.
"You're all set, kiddo," Megan announced as she and Kate came around the corner.
"Thanks, guys," Lacey yawned, standing. It was only 8:30, but Megan had texted her earlier, filling her in on what the rest of the weekend would be like: early to bed, early to rise, and no talking about her and Kate's relationship until Kate was ready. Lacey felt sort of bad about the last part, but was sure everything would turn out okay. If her dad had come around, why shouldn't Kate's?
John stood and excused himself unceremoniously, while Susan remained seated.
"It's really nice to meet you," Lacey surprised Susan with a hug.
"Same here," Susan smiled, hugging her back a little awkwardly. "I look forward to spending more time together tomorrow."
Lacey gave her mom and Kate extra big hugs before heading into the living room.
"She's lovely," Susan spoke softly to Megan. "Absolutely lovely."
"Thank you," Megan smiled, a little sadly. She had overheard bits and pieces of their conversation and only wished John and Susan could recognize that the same spark Kate apparently had when she was a teenager was part of what made Lacey so fantastic.
"Is it true?" Megan asked Kate once they were in bed.
"What?"
"Were you really such a rebel back then?"
Kate rolled over, letting Megan spoon her.
"I was," Kate yawned. "Until I learned I needed to control that side of myself if I wanted to make it this far…away from them."
Megan lay awake for a while, trying to imagine how any parent could stifle the best parts of their child.
The next day, everyone was up bright and early, including Lacey. It was a little hectic as they all shared bathroom time, but by 8:30 John and Susan were headed down the street to the nearest Catholic church. Susan had quietly suggested Kate go with them, but Kate declined as kindly as she could, opting to hang back with Megan and Lacey to prepare brunch. At one point, while Kate was stirring a bowl of batter for biscuits, Lacey came up behind her and hugged her tightly.
"What's this for?" Kate laughed.
"Just to let you know how much I love you," Lacey replied.
Kate stopped stirring. She wiped off her hands and turned around, bending down so she could be at eye level with the young girl. This time, she really couldn't stop her eyes from welling up. Lacey just smiled.
"Is it as much as I love you?" Kate whispered as she wrapped her arms around her and squeezed.
"More."
"How about we call it even?"
"Deal," Lacey grinned.
Megan sniffled loudly. The two snapped their heads to look at her, remembering she was there too, almost a complete sobbing mess as she watched them.
"Come here, mom," Lacey giggled.
The three hugged each other for a few minutes until they decided they'd better get back to work.
By 10:30, Kate's parents returned and were very pleased with the spread that had been laid out for them. Buttermilk biscuits with gravy, a honey baked ham, eggs scrambled with dill, fruit salad, home fries and grits, along with fresh squeezed orange juice and a hot pot of coffee.
"My word," John finally seemed happy about something as he dug in.
"Thanks, dad," Kate smiled. "I'll take that as a compliment."
They feasted for well over an hour. Afterwards, Susan tried to help clean, but Kate and Megan insisted she move to the living room with the others. John sprawled out on the couch, content to take a bit of a post-smorgasbord snooze, while Lacey brought out her set of dominoes and tried to teach Susan how to play. The two laughed throughout the afternoon as they continued to bond.
At some point, Kate disappeared to use the restroom. When she opened the door, Megan pushed her back in and kissed her, backing her up against the wall, letting her hands roam freely.
"What are you doing?" Kate whispered.
"Just thanking you," Megan smirked.
"For brunch?" Kate mused.
"For everything," Megan breathed, kissing her one last time before heading back into the living room. Kate licked her lips and adjusted herself, then followed.
Later in the day, John woke up and turned on the television, immediately flipping it to Fox News. The current headline read "Transgender Murder Trial Rescheduled for Mid-October."
"Hard to believe this is news," John scoffed, intending his remarks for Susan, though it caught the attention of everyone.
"That's the trial Kate's been working on," Lacey reported. "She was in Pittsburgh for over two weeks before it got postponed."
"Huh," John huffed. "Strange world we live in, I tell you. Even the freaks get their fifteen minutes."
Megan felt like the walls were shaking. She tensed up, ready to jump in, but Lacey beat her to it.
"Um," Lacey started again. "I don't think its right to call someone a freak. Especially someone who was killed just for being..."
"Little girl, you've got a lot to learn," John cut her off.
"Okay, that's it," Megan broke in, standing from her place at the table and moving into the living room. "I'm sorry, but I will not allow my daughter's ears be filled with that kind of poison."
"I beg your pardon?" John sat up.
"You heard me," Megan's face grew redder. She looked back at Kate, who was gripping on to the edge of the table with her fingernails, breathing hard.
"Kate, you going to let your roommate speak to me this way?"
"She's right, dad," Kate responded, taking a deep breath, closing her eyes, summoning all of her strength. "And…she's not just my roommate. She's…"
"I don't want to hear it!" he shouted, rising to his feet.
"Hear what?" Kate narrowed her eyes.
"John, take it easy," Susan spoke softly, glancing back at Lacey, who looked horrified.
"Lacey, go to your room, please," Megan told her.
"But mom…"
"Go," she said a little more firmly.
Lacey got up from the floor near the coffee table and ducked into her room, keeping the door open a crack.
"What don't you want to hear, dad?" Kate repeated.
"This is nonsense," John shook his head. "Susan, go in there and pack our things. We'll get a room near the airport."
"Oh, so you'd rather leave than talk about this? That's typical, really. You never want to talk about anything unless it's on your terms."
"I haven't said a goddamn word so far, have I?" John barked. "You want to turn your back on everything we stand for, every decent thing you were ever taught, all that was handed to you, that's fine. It's your life. But I don't have to sit here and listen to this woman…"
"Megan. Her name is Megan. And she's given me more than you and mom ever have."
"Kate…" Megan tried to pull her back from saying anything she might regret. Kate glared at her. Megan knew not to take it personally.
"Good!" he shouted. "You can stay here with her, go back to Pittsburgh and defend all the other freaks."
"I cannot believe how disgustingly closed-minded you are," Kate spoke through her teeth. "Even worse than I thought."
"Susan!" he shouted again. "Let's go!"
Susan finally stood and crossed to Lacey's room. Lacey opened the door before she could knock and stepped back into the living room.
"Please don't go," she said, looking back and forth between Susan and John.
"Lacey!" Megan shook.
"No, seriously!" the little girl yelled. "My father wasn't happy about it at first either, but now he is. He saw how happy my mom and Kate make each other and that I support them, and now he gets it. Please. It doesn't have to be like this."
John fumed silently. Kate had never seen his face turn so purple. She almost feared for his health, though she could not have been more furious with him. Susan finally put a hand on Lacey's shoulder.
"Lacey, honey, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid we have to go," she whispered, her signature smile finally fading. "Kate's made her choice."
"If by choice," Kate interrupted, still trembling. "You mean allowing myself to love and be loved, then yes. This is my choice."
"Over your family?" Susan turned around to look at her.
"This is my family," Kate seethed.
Susan bit her lip and nodded, holding back her own tears before letting go of Lacey's shoulder and stepping into the bedroom. John followed her in, and they closed the door while they packed. Megan, Kate and Lacey each stood frozen for several more minutes, until Kate finally got up from the table and began walking towards the master bedroom.
"Kate…" Megan spoke softly.
"I just need a few minutes," Kate whispered.
Megan nodded. As Kate passed Lacey, the girl reached out and squeezed her hand before letting her continue into the bedroom.
Lacey met her mother on the couch, where they sat silently until the Murphys appeared with their luggage. Megan looked up at them, eyes full of fire, but unwilling to say another word. John headed straight for the door and went into the hallway, while Susan trailed behind, sneaking one more glance at Lacey, then at Megan. The faintest hint of a smile flashed on her lips, almost apologetically, before she closed the door behind them.
Megan wanted to go in and talk to Kate, but she also wanted to respect her space. She prayed with everything she held dear that Kate wasn't angry with her. She told her she would do her best, but simply could not stand for that level of bigotry being launched in her daughter's presence, not where she could stop it. John may not have been attacking her and Kate directly, but his passive aggressive tirade against Regina Jackson, the transgender woman who was slain in Pittsburgh, was clearly the closest he could come to even acknowledging how he felt about them. She kissed Lacey on the forehead, terrified by how fearless she was in the face of adversity, and beyond proud all at the same time.
About ten minutes went by until Megan heard the bedroom door open. Her heart felt like it might explode until she felt the blonde's weight slip onto the couch beside her. Megan and Lacey both looked up at Kate's puffy eyes, the glistening streaks trailing down her face, which she had tried her best to wipe away before joining them.
"I'm sorry," Lacey offered sadly.
Kate shook her head, not wanting Lacey to be sorry, not wanting anyone to be sorry except the people who really needed to be. Her bottom lip trembled as she tried to stop herself from losing it again, but instead she wrapped her arms around both women and buried her face against Megan's neck. They stayed that way, huddled together, for most of the evening. Kate remained silent, curled up on the couch, forgoing dinner while the other two picked at leftovers. They flipped through the channels on TV until Lacey eventually got up and went to bed.
Back in their room, Megan for once in her life had no idea what she should say, and was determined not to say the wrong thing. The blonde crawled into bed and held on to Megan tighter than she ever had, almost as if she was afraid she'd lose her too. Megan wanted to tell her there was no chance in hell of that, but she hoped she already knew.
"Kate…" Megan finally tried.
"I can't," Kate whispered. "Not tonight."
"Okay."
"Thank you," Kate breathed as she slipped into half-consciousness. "For being here…with me."
"Always."