It was a hot summer day
I sat in my air conditioned bedroom up cycling a pair of shorts I found in my dads closet
I heard some raised voices downstairs but nothing loud enough to hear over the air blowing through the machine in my window
Nothing new sound pollution wise coming from my large family
I heard a knock on my door and before I could even take the sewing needle from resting between my pursed lips
A trail of white thread flowing from the needle hole
My door opened
I look up to my older sister standing in front of me with a “I have something to tell you” face
I take the needle from between my lips and give her that iconic “can I help you?” look
She shyly says “so I’m in a new relationship... I have a girlfriend. I’m dating a girl”
I can’t help but just stare at her with wide eyes that must've looked like the same baby sister she met when she was five years old
My eyes started to well up with stinging tears and I began to sob
My sister looked at me and asked “what? Are you upset I’m dating a girl?”
All I could manage to do was shake my head no as my sobs intensified
She widened her eyes and a couple seconds later asked in
softer voice “do you like girls too?”
Whatever ounce of composure I had left completely melted away
I squeezed out a weak “yes” and my sister wrapped me up in her tattoo covered arms and let me release the 16 years worth of bottled up emotion
I made her promise not to tell our family because I wasn’t ready yet (I came out to them that following spring)
But I could still very likely be in the closet to this day if it weren’t for her interrupting my sewing session that hot afternoon
And I’ll forever be grateful for her paving the path for my own coming out journey
I sat in my air conditioned bedroom up cycling a pair of shorts I found in my dads closet
I heard some raised voices downstairs but nothing loud enough to hear over the air blowing through the machine in my window
Nothing new sound pollution wise coming from my large family
I heard a knock on my door and before I could even take the sewing needle from resting between my pursed lips
A trail of white thread flowing from the needle hole
My door opened
I look up to my older sister standing in front of me with a “I have something to tell you” face
I take the needle from between my lips and give her that iconic “can I help you?” look
She shyly says “so I’m in a new relationship... I have a girlfriend. I’m dating a girl”
I can’t help but just stare at her with wide eyes that must've looked like the same baby sister she met when she was five years old
My eyes started to well up with stinging tears and I began to sob
My sister looked at me and asked “what? Are you upset I’m dating a girl?”
All I could manage to do was shake my head no as my sobs intensified
She widened her eyes and a couple seconds later asked in
softer voice “do you like girls too?”
Whatever ounce of composure I had left completely melted away
I squeezed out a weak “yes” and my sister wrapped me up in her tattoo covered arms and let me release the 16 years worth of bottled up emotion
I made her promise not to tell our family because I wasn’t ready yet (I came out to them that following spring)
But I could still very likely be in the closet to this day if it weren’t for her interrupting my sewing session that hot afternoon
And I’ll forever be grateful for her paving the path for my own coming out journey
