Flamingo Fun by Emily Chadwick

“Do you want to say that again?” My father’s voice was like ice.

I sucked in a breath and ducked my head. “Dad, I’m gay.”

The slap came out of nowhere, so fast I didn’t feel it until it had already happened. My cheek burned.

“No son of mine is going to be a bloody fairy!”

I tried to look up, but my head felt too heavy to stare at anything but the floor.

“Look, Dad… I can’t change this.”

“It’s unnatural, that’s what it is!”

“It’s not unnatural,” I protested without thinking. “There’s been gay penguins. And gay flamingos! It was in the paper.”

My father ignored me.

“How am I going to live with this shame, eh? Did you think about that before you started bending over for random men?!”

I winced.

“Dad, I have a boyfriend. I wouldn’t have sex with random men. It’s dangerous.”

My father didn’t reply. After a long moment of silence, I dared to look up. A vein throbbed in his temple, threatening to explode.

“Dad?” I ventured. My voice cracked and broke.

“You’re not my son,” my father said, and stormed out of the room.