One

Caden loosened his grip on the back of the chair resting before him as his mothers expression became the exact opposite of that he'd anticipated. He had asked her to come into the dining room so that they could talk, and told her that he had something important to tell her. She'd rushed in practically stepping on his heels, expecting that he was surely going to reveal to her some devastating issue, like: "I'm addicted to cocaine," or "I'm going to be a father." It wasn't anything like that, though.

The light from the dining room chandellier poured down onto the both of them. It didn't really cause much of a change in temperature, but because of the heat of the situation, Caden was sweating. He had had an idea of what Ava's reaction might be, based on the negetive stories and experiences told to him by boys in a similar situation. He had guessed that she would most likely become teary and wide-eyed while letting him know how sinful he is and how ashamed of him she is.

His heart was racing when he motioned for her to sit down on the opposite side of the room. This way, if she suddenly decided to turn violent and jump in his direction in an attempt to attack him with her teeth and nails, there would be a table between them to stall her and give him time to escape. She'd sat down, still wearing her face of worry. Caden had dragged his feet as he walked to the other side of the table. With his hand he'd clasped onto one of the polished, dark wooden chairs that was pushed in under the table. He was nervous. Really nervous. He had taken a deep breath and tightened his grip on the back of the dining room chair. It was then that he'd confessed. "Mom, I like boys."

Caden couldn't believe the way she had reacted. The slight grin that took over her stressed and worried appearance was a complete surprise! "I know," she said. Wait. She knows? What? How? "What!?" Caden questioned excitedly. "How could you know!? I've never told anybody but Ken!" "Well, I wasn't certain, Cay, but I had an idea. You're almost sixteen and you've never really shown any interest in girls." It was true that Caden had never really had an interest in girls, but that doesn't mean he didn't experiment. It had taken him quite a while to come to terms with his sexuality, and in the process he had come to the conclusion that forcing himself to be attracted to girls was not an option. Still, Ava knew nothing of his short-term experiences with the opposite sex.

"So you're not, like, mad at me then?" Caden asked uneasily.
"No!" asserted his mother. "Why would I be?"
"It's just that most people - a lot of parents - don't find people like me really.. acceptable, I guess."
"It's true that a lot of people think like that, but Cay, you're my son. I've known you since day one. I know you. Just because you decided to tell me that you're gay does not mean that you've suddenly become a completely different person in my eyes! You're still my son, my Caden."

Caden smiled. He was glad she understood. And he was kind of glad that she had a suspicion about his sexual orientation ahead of time. It meant that she had time to think about it, and accept it herself.

Now that Caden actually thought about it, he wasn't sure that his mother would have been upset even if she hadn't had the feeling that he was interested in boys long before Caden's confession. She wasn't the kind of person to randomly go wild and blow up, especially if it was over something that was as simple as a difference between one person and another. And he was sure that she'd come to understand that if he was gay - which she now knew was true - it wasn't like he chose to be. Afterall, who in their right mind would choose to be gay in an area where the idea of two boys sharing love is detested by the majority? Caden felt lucky to be blessed with such understanding friends and family.

Caden and Ava - who, by the way, is his mother, in case you didn't pick that up already - left the small dining room after exchanging only a few more words. As Caden left, he let out a deep sigh of relief. He realized before stepping out of the dining room that the temperature seemed to have dropped significantly, but had stopped falling at a very comfortable level. The conversation had gone well.

Caden was glad to have the support of his mother. He had felt uncomfortable before, like no one really knew him. Now that he had revealed his homosexuality to his closest friend, Kenneth, and Ava, he felt like they truly knew him. They knew the real him. They knew Caden.