SUMMER VACATION 2011

(Quinn)

"Quinnie, how about Miami?" Mom was looking for a place to spend the summer's vacation in somewhere that we could afford.

She left dad after discovered his affair with a tattooed woman. I've always suspected my father was unfaithful, but adventurous, well, that was news. The divorce process was finished after a short negotiation. My mother kept the house, her car, and got a small pension. The money was shorter and we couldn't maintain the same standard of living anymore. When mom told me all the things that happened in my absence, I could feel she regretted about my expulsion and the divorce. My father had better lawyers and kept all his money while she lost almost everything when signed the papers.

Gradually, mom began to live the new reality. We could no longer afford maids, or consuming as before. Mom and I discussed about sell the house for a smaller one. But she still wanted to make a sacrifice and pay a trip to celebrate my 17th birthday.

"Or maybe we could save the money. What do you think?" I suggested.

"No way. Let's travel together, hit the road. We deserve it after the year we had." She looked once more to the options on the computer. "We've never been in Niagara Falls. It's not too expensive to spend three days in the city and we still can go to Canada."

"What about Chicago? It's a great city not far by driving. It should be considered."

Mom went back to the computer and typed the city name.

"Sounds good."

I wasn't that interested in traveling. I would rather stay in my little corner of the world. Having a daughter, held her, looked at her face and gave her up for adoption was the hardest things I've ever done. It's worse than the pain of the labor. Physical pain goes fast. This pain leads a life.

Puck disappeared after the classes ended. No phone calls. Nothing. If that was how he said he loved me, imagine if he hated me? The only friends in the choir who called me were Mercedes and Rachel. Rachel's call was a big surprise indeed. I didn't think she'd mind. We ended up laughing because her mother had just adopted my daughter. Bitter laugh. Still, a laugh.

The divorce didn't erase the scandal of my teen pregnancy among The Penns, my maternal family. My grandfather is a preacher and he was still upset with me. He didn't care if I was a teen mom. What bothered him more was that I didn't marry the guy. Then, because I gave my daughter for adoption, he called me a quitter, as I recorded. My aunts and cousins rarely talked with me, but I am used to it. Frannie called me twice. She will spend a week in Ohio in late summer to see my mother and me. I still can't forgive her for turned her back on me when I was pregnant. On the other hand, I shouldn't be surprised: Frannie was a dad's girl.

"Chicago!" Mom said out loud. "I am researching the city. Oh, Quinnie, there is so much to see there. We will have a full week."

"And can we afford?"

"Well, I still have some saves."

"Mom…"

"I want to travel. I deserve it, ok? We had a difficult year and we need to recover our energy. The best way is leave this city and rest your mind just a little bit."

"When are we going again?" I resigned myself.

"In your birthday's week, of course. Oh, Quinnie, we will be able to visit museums, sights and even dinner at a nice restaurant. Maybe you will find a good guy to date."

"Dating?" I laughed with an acid taste in the mouth. The only one I dated these last months was with my dildo Lady Barbra and we were exclusive.

"What's so funny?" She put her hand to her waist. "You should flirt, yes. You are young and need to meet new guys. You won't make the same mistakes now that you're more experienced."

"Like… get pregnant?" I teased.

"For example."

"I don't want a man in my life."

"You're disappointed now, but you will want one. It is a matter of time. "

"How can you be so sure?"

"A woman shouldn't be alone, Quinnie. Especially a young and beautiful like you. Sooner or later, you will miss having a boyfriend and a normal life."

"Really? What about you? Do you already missing a man at your side?" My mother looked at me with a memorable frown.

"I'm in a different stage of life and I just got out of a 25 years marriage."

"But you do still have flesh and blood in the veins, and desires. You're beautiful and should date again. You should live a little, mom"

"You still have to learn about life, Quinnie."

"Yes, I do. But, at least, I know what I don't want to do right now."

"If you don't want a boyfriend and enjoy your youth, what would you do?"

"I don't know, mom. Maybe I get a job."

…

(Rachel)

It was our first time in England, where we enjoyed not only the typical tourism in London, but also experienced a bit of the local lifestyle. All with the invaluable Lars Nicoln and his family help. He studied at OSU with daddy and the two remained close friends even after the adventurer biologist (now a professor at Cambridge) returned to his homeland. Daddy seemed so happy talking to his old friend. Papa didn't. Something strange was in the air between my dads. I know they had some marriage crises, but things this time seemed so out of place. I tried to talk about with Santana, but my sister was too focused on the trip.

Lars Nicoln and Susan have three kids: Eddie, the oldest, studied at Oxford University; Joss was a little older them me, and Carol, the youngest, was a pre-teen girl. In the company of the two older guys, Santana and I went to our first great rock festival: Reading. The only rock gigs we had gone so far was some collegiate festivals in Lima, where our friends from the jazz club used to play. Reading was another world. It was one of the most remarkable experiences in my young life and my sister's.

The Nicolns convinced our dads to allow us to spend a weekend in one of the most famous annual English Music Festivals. My dads were reluctant. We knew papa attended some great American festivals when he was on college. He had experiences with alcohol and sex on these occasions. Daddy wasn't a true rock fan, but he went to festivals and once told us about his experiences with drinks and drugs. He started smoking marijuana at 15 and only stopped when papa gave him an ultimatum. Daddy never said clearly, but it implied he experienced other substances on college.

Lars Nicoln ensured that his boys would take care of us and nothing bad would happen. Two days of debate later, Santana and I were traveling by car with Eddie, Joss, and Laura (Joss' best friend) to Reading. We listened only English band in the road and disused a lot about pop music. I've never thought my sister knew so many indie bands. She and Joss quickly developed a connection.

When we arrived in Reading, first we went to the hotel to register our entry. The boys had booked a room and three beds and we had to ask for extra mattresses. That was a strange experience sharing a room with people I've just met. I told myself it was the spirit of any rock festival.

When we got to the arena, my first time with a huge crowd of stranger types was terrifying. There was a guy with huge purple mohawk to put Noah's on shame. And also a girl with countless tattoos. Lima is a small city that never behaves types with half the strangeness like those. A crowd had gathered in front of the main stage where New Found Glory was on.

"Cool, isn't it?" Laura made a little talk pulled and offered me a can of beer.

"Unusual." I looked for my sister and she seemed very friendly with Joss.

"Don't you want a sip? Don't you drink?"

"I've drunk beer once."

"Then drink again. And if you are thirsty, it is best to take a sip of this beer because the line to buy drink is huge right now."

Laura had a point. I grabbed the can and took a sip. Then, another. And another one before returning the can. She grinned.

"I met a guy who has a tattoo of his mother painting." She casually pointed to a radon weird tattooed guy. "It took a month to finish, but it was so beautiful. Do you have tattoos?"

"No, I don't."

"I have two." She raised her shirt and revealed a delicate drawing of a star in tribal arrangements.

"What does it mean?"

"A tribute to my mother. My guiding star, you know? And I have one more here." She showed a rose on her shoulder. "I did with Joss and two other friends when we graduated from school this year."

"Are you going to college?"

"Westminster, do you know?" I waved negative. The only British Universities I heard about were Cambridge, Oxford and the Arts Institute of London. "I'll study in college of design and media, but I haven't decided the specific area yet. And you?"

"I still have two years of high school. I'll be a junior this year."

"Really?" She lit a cigarette. "How old are you again?"

"16 and a half."

"And your sister?"

"16 and a half... we're twins... complicated story."

"It has to do with your two dads, right?"

"It is!"

"It's so cool you have two dads. It's incredible. Really!"

Laura made me see the good side of those strangers in that huge rock festival. I found beauty in diversity, in the energy of the bands on stage, in the audience's excitement, in the small choreographies with raised arms . All were so beautiful. I was particularly delighted with the show Noah And The Wale in the second stage and had so much fun with the Offspring on the main stage.

Still on the first day, Santana tried her first marijuana's cigarette. I witnessed the scene. Joss lit the reefer, smoked a little, then offer it to us. Edie smoked, Laura refused, I refused, but Santana tried it. I waved her no, but she didn't listen to me. She shoked a little, Joss and Edie root for her, and then, she tried again.

"Do you smoke pot?" I asked Laura.

"Sometimes, but I'm not in the mood to be stoned."

"I'm glad…" Santana laughed already stoned and it annoyed me.

"Don't worry." Laura held my hand. "She will be ok. It's just experimentation. Nothing bad will happen. We will keep an eye on her, ok?"

I kept an eye in my sister enough to see her disappeared for a few moments in the arena with Joss. I was sure they had sex in some hole. I almost panicked when Santana gone, but Laura calmed me down. She said she knew Joss time enough to know his not an idiot. I had my doubts.

On the second day of festival, everything was familiar: the audience, what once was the lawn, the concerts, the breaks, the lines for everything. But one thing was different: my proximity to Laura. She was a strange figure with a pale skin, paler than Quinn's, blue eyes and curly dark hair. In an exotic way, she was beautiful and fascinating. I became mesmerized by her spontaneity and intelligence.

"Broadway?" She laughed while and I drank some beer. "Of course the British are the best in the theater!"

"Blasphemy!" I said.

"Who are you to speak blasphemies? The greatest writer of the universe was English! Tell me an American that matches with the old Will? And our actors are also the best ones."

"Come on. You're just pushing it."

"Julie Andrews, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Sir Ian McKellen, Rachel Weisz, the cast of the Harry Potter movies!" She let out a belly laugh.

"Meryl Streep, Barbra Streisand, Gene Kelly, Judy Garland, Elizabeth Taylor..."

"Hey, I'm not an expert, but everybody knows that Elizabeth Taylor is English."

"Only born here, baby" I started laughing. We were tipsy with beer.

Bombay Bicycle Club started playing. Laura rocked an almost hypnotic way. She turned to me and smiled. Then, on the sound of "You Already Know", she put her lips on mine. I accepted. She wrapped me in her arms and deepened the kiss. I didn't know if it was the festival, the atmosphere, the beer, the music, or Laura herself, but I was floating as her tongue invaded my mouth.

"Said love was painted gold / like all things growing old / the paint peels and slowly falls / you already know / you already know / you already know" I hear the song.

Our flirtation lasted four amazing days. When we returned to London, Laura took me to places that locals liked to go. With her, I met Camden Town, where I found such exotic types as she and bought records and CDs like a lunatic. We walked hand in hand through the streets, we had ice cream, talked loudly, we kissed in public and I almost got a tattoo. I did things hardly I think to do in Lima with Finn. This big city freedom made me being more determined to get out of mediocrity and go to New York.

After we said goodbye in the evening before my family came back to United States, my penny dropped and I started to freak out of confusion and guilt. I had a boyfriend after all: Finn Hudson, the guy I fought so much to be with. Santana grabbed the collar of my shirt and pulled me against the wall.

"Listen well, minion. What we did in London, what we experienced in London, will stay in London. You had a great time here and miraculously didn't behave like Maria Von Trapp. So do yourself a favor: put it all in the back of your memory and don't feel guilty. You are 16 and you should be allowed to seize the moment at least once, por Dios."

"But what means I dated Laura? I never had attraction to the same sex before... Am I gay?"

"Your thing with Laura means you are not willing to limited yourself. So what you made out with a girl? That was a hottie one. Points to you, hobbit. We don't need to label ourselves. We have two dads, for God sake! One of them loved vaginas before date a guy. Don't think too much about it, Ray. We are what we are. That's it."

"... I think you're right."

"Of course I am! Now let's finish these damn suitcases because tomorrow morning we will be on the way back to losertown."

That was one of the best advice my sister ever gave me.

We arrived to our small Lima, Ohio, two weeks before starting a new school year. Until then, Santana returned to alternate between Brittany and Noah beds. And I continue my comfortable routine with Finn. On the weekend preceding our return to school, Finn spent the afternoon at my house and we enjoyed a good movie in the TV room with my papa making dinner and daddy taking care of the greenhouse. Santana was out at somebody's party. I was full of life, new experiences, and I still could enjoy the comfort of some certainties.

But something changed forever. I wasn't sure what.