Cococococococococococococo

Stef pulled into the driveway of the house she'd lived in all her life. Her father had changed nothing. He hadn't touched the outside nor the inside. The only difference was it was quieter. Her mother had primary custody of her but, she was 16 when they split up so, it was up to her as far as visitation.

Stef had been a Daddy's girl tomboy when she was younger. She had always been athletic and since her Father never got the boy that he had wanted, she guessed she kinda stepped up and filled the shoes for him. Her father wasn't interested in the girlie things that she did like, wanting to look pretty, or play with dolls, or hang out with girlfriends but, if it was something more in line with climbing trees, getting herself dirtied up, playing rough, wrestling, or competing, he was her biggest supporter. To keep his attention, she gravitated toward things because when her father decided he was against something, there was just no room for compromise with him. For him, compromise was just a coward's way out.

Stef had spent every day of her life then, and now, trying to live up to standards that her Father had set down for her. And it had been an unhappy life until Lena. Brandon helped keep her entertained and make the day go by faster. But, loving Lena made her want the days to never end. Loving Lena gave her the strength to do this. She gave her the courage to make the choice to be happy.

"Dad?" she called out as she entered through the back patio into the kitchen. Nope, not a thing had been touched since she and her Mother moved out. It was like stepping into a time warp.

"Hey!" Her Dad called from the living room. She walked in and saw him with a beer and a western playing on the television. He had the remains of a sandwich sitting beside him. A crossword puzzle sitting nearby halfway finished. It was probably all that he had eaten. She really wished that he would take better care of himself after realizing that her Mother wasn't going to do it for him but, he felt never changing was a thing to be proud of. She sighed. This was not going to be easy.

"So, how're ya?" she asked while taking a seat in the recliner next to his after kissing him on the cheek.

"Oh, you know me, I'm always great." He turned down the volume on the tv. "So, what's up? Speak your peace or forever hold it."

She smiled. She definitely got her penchant for cheesy lines from her Dad. She took a deep breath, looked him in the eye and began, "Dad. Dad, Mike and I are getting a divorce. I filed the paperwork yesterday."

Her father began to look uncomfortable as he always did when things became emotionally charged. He had started to figure out that this wasn't going to be one of their usual superficial conversations. "Well, I guess you know what you're doing," he said awkwardly trying to get things over with.

But, she wasn't finished. And she couldn't let him distract or bully her either. "I do. I've known the same that you have that this has been a long time coming. Because I know that you knew before I did that I was a lesbian."

"Stef, are we back at that stuff again? You know they fixed you at that camp! Maybe you need some more help but-" Frank tried reorienting things back onto ground that he could control and handle.

"No Dad! Not this time! There is no fixing me because I was never broken. Not until you forced me to go to that camp anyway." By now she had tears streaming down her face. Watching her Father squirm was not easy for her. And knowing that he was just limited in his abilities to understand things didn't make it easier for her to have to face this.

"That camp is the reason you were able to find a man and be happy. That camp was the –" her father tried again.

"That camp is the reason why until recently, I had no idea what being happy was. That camp is the reason I hated myself. That camp is the reason, I felt I didn't deserve to be happiness." By this point, trying to get the words out past the sobs was literally physically painful. She stood up facing her Father down who was squirming around trying to look anywhere but at her. "Mike was never my idea. If you hadn't forced me into it, I would never have married him. I love Brandon and I don't regret one moment that brought me him. But, outside of him I've had nothing. Until now."

She squared her shoulders and looked at her father dead on. "I met someone who's shown me what happiness is. She's someone that I love who loves me. She's the most amazing woman I've ever met. And when I'm with her I'm complete. She's just- everything I could ever want or hope to have. I'm proud that she would even look at me as an equal."

She had said what she came there to say. She knew that her Dad needed to make the next move and hoped that he could. "I love you Dad. But, I can't live the life that you want me to. I have to live the life that makes me happy. And that includes the woman who is the love of my life. If you want me and Brandon to be a part of your life, you're going to need to accept that and her."

With that, she walked out. She knew things after this with her Dad would forever be different. She just hoped that he could learn that being different isn't being wrong.