Lackadaisical

Mitchel walked next to his parents in Wichita. His cousin had asked for Mitchel and his parents. They had to make a stop at the grocery store near their house. Apparently, there was an accident, and they spilled all the homemade potato salad. No gathering was complete for Eddington family without any potato salad.

They walked around the store, trying to find the right aisle. They were completely lost in the unfamiliar layout. There were people walking by them. All of them were minding their business without caring about us. A couple turned the corner, coming towards us. They were both guys, and their hands were connected. The blond one’s hair reached his shoulders. The other one had half of his head shaved, and it was a powder blue color. It appeared to have been faded.

Robert and Jennifer physically cringed when they saw the two kiss on the lips. When they were out of sight, they turned to me. “That is so disgusting,” Robert whispered. “It’s not natural.”

Mitchel stared at his father, shocked those words. Mitch knew that his parents were homophobic. It had never been in public like that. This made Mitch feel guiltier about himself and his odd feelings that he had. The urge to speak up and tell his father about the strange dreams that come to him at night became very apparent. His mouth was too dry for him to say anything.

“Two men aren’t supposed to be together,” Jennifer added, encouraging her husband. “That’s just a sin.”

There was an agreement, coming from Robert. It felt weird, being the son of two homophobic people. It just didn’t sit right with him. He just couldn’t find himself comfortable with his parents, and each time he spent with them, it got worse.

His parents looked at him, expecting him to agree with them. When Mitchel just walked down the aisle, they were shocked. They didn’t know what to say. They had always told Mitchel about why homosexuality was wrong, but it never got through to him. Well, it never appeared to sink into Mitchel’s head.

“Mitchel, how are things with Kelsey?” Jennifer asked, changing the subject.

“Things are fine, Mom,” he replied, annoyance lacing into his voice. Mitch didn’t want to talk about his girlfriend. He didn’t know where he stood with his girlfriend at that moment. He was too focused on what he had to tell them especially if he got into an out-of-state college. He knew that they wouldn’t like it, and he knew that there would be an argument about how he needed to go to a school in the state of Kansas.

“She hasn’t been over in a while,” Robert points out. He had been trying to have Kelsey over a lot more because Robert had the thought of his son marrying his best friend’s daughter. He had an image on how he wanted his son, and he wasn’t going to let it go easily.

“Yeah, she’s been busy with school,” Mitch lied, looking at his father. “Why the sudden interest?”

“I think she would make a wonderful addition to the family,” Jennifer said excitedly. This hadn’t been the first time that she said that to Mitchel. It’s just that this time it really made Mitch realize what his parents wanted in his life.

“We’re just high school sweethearts,” Mitch argued. “They never work out.”

Mitch tuned out the sound of his parents voices after that. He knew what they were saying about high school sweethearts because they were. They seemed to work out because Jennifer agreed with whatever Robert said. There was no true compromise, and that bothered Mitchel. He still didn’t get how his mom stayed with his father for so long.

***

His cousin, David Eddington, greeted them at the door. Jennifer held up the potato salad that they had bought, showing their accomplished mission. David smiled and said, “Thank you so much. The children spilled the one we made all over the floor.”

“It wasn’t a problem at all,” Mitchel’s mom replied. “I’m just glad that we could help out.”

David was a tall man with blond hair. He always had a kind heart towards everyone. It also seemed like David was the only one that wasn’t homophobic, other than Mitchel. Some of David’s friends were attracted to the same gender, and Mitchel had met most of them when he was younger back when David would babysit Mitch.

“Mitchel, you look so much older,” David commented when Mitchel’s parents walked into the kitchen, leaving the two of them alone. “Have any colleges in mind?”

Mitch told him about a few of the colleges that he applied to. He trusted David enough to tell him about the choice to try for colleges in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. David was impressed by this, and he was sure that his cousin could get into those colleges.

“College is so different compared to high school. You will probably fit in a little better up there than any place here,” David said. “You always seemed that Kansas wasn’t enough for you. You needed more than just a small town and a girlfriend you’ve known your whole life.”

Mitchel looked at his cousin, trying to figure out the last part of what he said. David had always encouraged Mitch to look at everything before doing what his parents wanted, and Mitch had tried that. It’s just that living in such a small town the choices weren’t exactly that big. It was either Kelsey, a girl that was a little too obsessed, or someone that was already taken.

“Listen, Mitch. You should go to a college outside of Kansas. You’ll see the world. You may even find something or someone better out there. Don’t be afraid to move on every now and then.” David patted Mitch’s shoulder before going into the kitchen.

It took Mitchel a second to take a step, but he eventually walked into the crowded kitchen. His family was scattered around the dining room and kitchen. Some were standing around talking, and a few were cooking. It looked like every family get-together than Mitchel has ever been to.