realization that she didn’t want me. That’s the part that hurt the most. I didn’t know how I’d ever move on without her, but I came to terms with it.”
"Do you feel like you wasted your time with her?”
"If you asked me a few years ago, I'd probably say yeah, especially since nobody wanted us to be together. You never knew this, but Mary was sort of a party animal, a lot like Kitty, but even crazier.”
“She sounds like Mama, too.”
Faye bowed her head. “Between the three of them, I had a lot of migraines. Looking back on all that, I think I'm a better person for having Mary in my life. Hopefully she feels the same way about me. I think we learned a lot from each other in the time we were in a relationship. As much as I hate to admit it, we made some great memories.”
"But y’all had bad ones too, right?"
"Yeah, but who wants to think about that crap? I sure as hell don't. All we're here to do in this life is make memories for others to remember us by. So I choose to think about the better times I spent with Mary. And by doing that, I hope that's how people will think of me someday after I'm gone. Is that along the lines of what you were asking?"
"Yeah, sort of.”
“I see.” Faye tilted her head to the side. She knew her niece too well. "So are you gonna be straight with me or what?"
"What do you mean?"
“Who are we really talking about?”
“Aunt Mary, I thought.”
"You’re a dirty rotten liar, sugar. I’m waiting for you to say his name.”
“Whose?”
“Nik’s.”
Harper's heart almost fell out of her mouth, caught completely off guard. "Auntie, don't be ridiculous."
"Don’t play me, unless you really think I’m an idiot.”
“What are you gettin’ at?”
"I've always noticed the way you've looked at boys. Then all of a sudden this Nik guy comes along, and you’re with him day and night.” Faye sat up straight and smiled. “No matter how hard you try to hide it from your mama and me, I can tell he makes you happy. So let’s cut the bullshit…I know you like him."
Completely flustered, Harper’s mouth dropped. She was speechless.
"Can't say I'm wrong, can you?"
“No, that ain’t true, well maybe. I don't know, Auntie. This is weird to talk about."
"I've known you since you were born. It ain’t weird, just a little uncomfortable, but you'll probably feel better if you get it out. C’mon, ain’t that why you're really here?"
Harper bit her bottom lip, a terrible habit she’d acquired as a child. Then she nervously answered, "Maybe."
"Maybe, well that’s a start. So you like him. What's the problem?"
"Everything, Auntie, it's all confusin’. I don't know how I should be feelin’."
"What do you mean?"
"There's a part of me that finds him attractive, but I know it's wrong and I shouldn't like him, so I told Nik it’s better if we stopped spendin’ time together. Now it’s been almost a week since I’ve seen him.”
“And you’re missing him, ain’t you?”
“A little, yeah.”
"I don’t get it. Why can’t you like a boy?”
"It ain’t right. That’s what everyone says. We've already had bullies pickin’ on us and everything just ‘cause we’re straight. I feel like the longer we try bein’ together, the more dangerous it’s gonna get. It’s real hard for me to admit ‘cause you know I ain’t afraid of nothin’, but right now, I'm scared as hell."
"I see what you’re getting at.” Faye put her arm around Harper’s shoulders. “Look, if I tell you something, you promise you'll listen?”
"’Course.”
"People are always gonna tell you what's right and wrong according to what they think, but you need to believe in yourself and do what feels right for you.”
“How do I know what’s right for me?”
“You have to trust your instincts. That’s not always easy ‘cause it is beaten into people’s heads that they have to live a certain way—like if you don't marry someone of the same sex, have children, and find the
"Do you feel like you wasted your time with her?”
"If you asked me a few years ago, I'd probably say yeah, especially since nobody wanted us to be together. You never knew this, but Mary was sort of a party animal, a lot like Kitty, but even crazier.”
“She sounds like Mama, too.”
Faye bowed her head. “Between the three of them, I had a lot of migraines. Looking back on all that, I think I'm a better person for having Mary in my life. Hopefully she feels the same way about me. I think we learned a lot from each other in the time we were in a relationship. As much as I hate to admit it, we made some great memories.”
"But y’all had bad ones too, right?"
"Yeah, but who wants to think about that crap? I sure as hell don't. All we're here to do in this life is make memories for others to remember us by. So I choose to think about the better times I spent with Mary. And by doing that, I hope that's how people will think of me someday after I'm gone. Is that along the lines of what you were asking?"
"Yeah, sort of.”
“I see.” Faye tilted her head to the side. She knew her niece too well. "So are you gonna be straight with me or what?"
"What do you mean?"
“Who are we really talking about?”
“Aunt Mary, I thought.”
"You’re a dirty rotten liar, sugar. I’m waiting for you to say his name.”
“Whose?”
“Nik’s.”
Harper's heart almost fell out of her mouth, caught completely off guard. "Auntie, don't be ridiculous."
"Don’t play me, unless you really think I’m an idiot.”
“What are you gettin’ at?”
"I've always noticed the way you've looked at boys. Then all of a sudden this Nik guy comes along, and you’re with him day and night.” Faye sat up straight and smiled. “No matter how hard you try to hide it from your mama and me, I can tell he makes you happy. So let’s cut the bullshit…I know you like him."
Completely flustered, Harper’s mouth dropped. She was speechless.
"Can't say I'm wrong, can you?"
“No, that ain’t true, well maybe. I don't know, Auntie. This is weird to talk about."
"I've known you since you were born. It ain’t weird, just a little uncomfortable, but you'll probably feel better if you get it out. C’mon, ain’t that why you're really here?"
Harper bit her bottom lip, a terrible habit she’d acquired as a child. Then she nervously answered, "Maybe."
"Maybe, well that’s a start. So you like him. What's the problem?"
"Everything, Auntie, it's all confusin’. I don't know how I should be feelin’."
"What do you mean?"
"There's a part of me that finds him attractive, but I know it's wrong and I shouldn't like him, so I told Nik it’s better if we stopped spendin’ time together. Now it’s been almost a week since I’ve seen him.”
“And you’re missing him, ain’t you?”
“A little, yeah.”
"I don’t get it. Why can’t you like a boy?”
"It ain’t right. That’s what everyone says. We've already had bullies pickin’ on us and everything just ‘cause we’re straight. I feel like the longer we try bein’ together, the more dangerous it’s gonna get. It’s real hard for me to admit ‘cause you know I ain’t afraid of nothin’, but right now, I'm scared as hell."
"I see what you’re getting at.” Faye put her arm around Harper’s shoulders. “Look, if I tell you something, you promise you'll listen?”
"’Course.”
"People are always gonna tell you what's right and wrong according to what they think, but you need to believe in yourself and do what feels right for you.”
“How do I know what’s right for me?”
“You have to trust your instincts. That’s not always easy ‘cause it is beaten into people’s heads that they have to live a certain way—like if you don't marry someone of the same sex, have children, and find the
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