Vera, Homecoming, and a Revelation

Beca walked through the living room and saw Vera camped out on the sofa, book in hand. She turned to look at the child. "V, why aren't you getting ready?" Her sisters were upstairs, dressing for the Homecoming dance. This was the first year Vera was able to go – she was a freshman.

"I'm not going," she said simply.

Beca frowned and sat on the sofa next to her daughter. "Why?"

Vera shrugged. "I just don't want to."

"That couldn't have been decided before I bought you a new dress?" She was teasing, but Vera didn't seem to catch on to that.

"I'll wear it for something else. I just don't want to go," she said, her voice soft. Beca could hear it edging against tears.

"Love, what's going on? What about Brian? Didn't he ask you to be his date?"

"I really don't want to talk about it," Vera said, her voice sharper and tears beginning to fall. "I'm not going."

"Okay," Beca said gently. "Okay." She reached for Vera but the child drew away, so Beca pecked her cheek instead. "I have to run something upstairs to your mom. I'll be back in a bit." Vera nodded and Beca stood, walking up the front stairs to Poppy's room where Chloe and Poppy were in the bathroom, working on the younger woman's makeup. Bella was on her stomach on Poppy's bed – in her ball gown – hair and makeup done - and reading a book.

Beca closed the door gently as she stepped inside the bedroom. "Did everyone else know that Vera wasn't going?"

The music lowered and Chloe poked her head out of the bathroom. "What?"

Beca's expression was pinched. "Vera just told me she's not going."

"Yeah," Bella said, sighing and setting aside her book, turning on her side to look at her mothers. "We tried to get her to tell you – but she's stubborn."

"You don't say," Beca replied sarcastically. "What happened?"

"We don't know much," Poppy told her, coming to stand in the bathroom doorway. "We tried to talk to her – but she just froze up."

"From what I heard around school – there are rumors Brian asked her out as a joke," Bella told her mothers.

"Did he?" Beca hissed.

"I don't think so," Bella responded. "He seems pretty decent. Some of his friends are jerks, though. So maybe they made that insinuation – or started the rumor. But she was really paranoid about it. She told him on Wednesday that she wasn't going."

"I asked Ben to look into it, he thought Brian was legit," Poppy informed them. Beca and Chloe exchanged concerned glances but tried their best to pay attention to the twins, who were preparing for the dance. They were ready less than an hour later when their dates, along with several friends, arrived to take pictures. Chloe's garden was a sought-after backdrop, so they also entertained other parents until the kids left in their limo for dinner and the dance.

Once the girls had left for the dance and their home was again empty of anyone but family, Chloe turned to see Beca looking up the stairs. "You're not going to let this be, are you?"

Beca shrugged. "It doesn't feel right. There's something else she's not telling us. She's been distant the past few months – and now this."

"Becs, she's a teenager. Distant is their primary setting. And she has your genes," Chloe reminded her.

"Vera has never been like that, though."

"Okay," Chloe said.

"Okay what?"

"Okay, let's go talk to her. My plan for the evening is ruined anyway."

"What was your plan for the evening?"

"We were supposed to be alone for four hours – what do you think my plans were, Becs?"

"Oh," Beca said, blushing. Even after twenty years of marriage, she still got embarrassed about sex.

She made tea and dug Vera's favorite cookies out of the freezer before they went to her door and knocked. Their youngest daughter was waiting – she knew them well enough to know they'd weren't going to leave her alone.

Once they sat on Vera's sofa and clutched warm cups of tea, they tried to bridge the subject again. "Why didn't you want to go with Brian?" Beca asked, gently. Vera shrugged. Beca rubbed her shoulders and felt the tension. "I think you know."

"Honey, it's okay – no matter what it is," Chloe assured her. "Did he do something? Or say something?"

Vera wiped her eyes and shook her head. "I just don't like him," she said, finally.

"What do you mean?" Beca prodded.

"I tried," Vera said. "He seemed nice. And everyone said he was cute. So when he asked me, I said yes. But I didn't really want to go with him."

"Who did you want to go with?"

"No one." More tears gathered and she wiped them away. It was infuriating her; she hated crying in front of others – even her moms. "I don't get it – but I just don't like anyone. All the other kids talk about boys being cute or hot – and I just don't see it. And even a few of them check out other girls – but I'm not interested in that either."

"Love, it takes time. You're still very young."

"Mama, I've never been interested. I never had crushes like other kids – I never had the kind of boyfriend or girlfriend you just held hands with on the playground. I barely look at other people."

"Honey, I don't think that's out of the ordinary at your age," Chloe said.

"Yes, it is," Vera assured her. "I pay attention. I hear other people. Trust me, I'm the odd one out."

"What are you thinking?" Beca asked, softly. She knew her daughter had formed a theory. Vera was always several steps ahead of everyone else.

"I think I'm asexual," Vera told them.

"There's nothing wrong with that," Beca assured her. "If that's the case. I do think you may be jumping the gun. But if that is still how you feel in a few years, that's okay."

"How is that okay? I don't want to spend my life alone."

"You can still have relationships," Beca said. "Sex and love are not the same things. And you're not the first – or only – person not interested in sex."

Beca and Chloe found a support group nearby – and suggested to Vera that they check it out. She agreed – and they went to the community center where the meeting was being held. There was a meeting for teens – and one for parents who wanted to stay. Vera looked hesitant, but there was a teen boy standing in the doorway who introduced himself right away.

"Hey, I'm Geoff. Welcome."

"Hi. I'm Vera."

"Do you want to come in? I can introduce you around –"

"I'm not sure –"

"Everyone is really cool," he assured her. "You don't have to be sure about anything. I'm definitely not." Vera bit her lip in consideration and looked at her moms before looking back at Geoff and nodding. She followed him into the room and Beca and Chloe watched. They waited in the hall for a few moments to make sure Vera didn't rocket back out. When she didn't, they wandered their way into another room where about a dozen adults were sitting in folding chairs, some clutching questionable looking coffee and others looking quite pleased with their pre-meeting Starbucks purchases.

"Hi!" A woman said as soon as they walked in. She stood and walked over, offering her hand. "I'm Kaitlyn. I kind of coordinate this meeting. Welcome!"

"Chloe," she said, shaking the woman's hand. "And my wife, Beca." Beca nodded at her and offered a small smile.

"Your first meeting?"

"Yes," Chloe answered with a timid smile. "Our youngest daughter just told us last week that she thought she might be asexual – so we wanted to give her some space to figure it out. But we thought we probably should learn something about it too." The parents in the room had children ranging in age from 12 to 21. They spoke about their fears – their children being alone, mainly. It wasn't the end of the conversation – but it was a beginning that wasn't as scary as any of them had imagined.