I went a little overboard in convincing him. If I had to go to church, and I had to participate in the Easter Concert, then I was going to get the solo. “I knew I was the best one for the job.”

“And you were amazing,” she confirms. “I get teary thinking about it.”

Mom loved anytime I was acting or singing, but especially loved when I was acting or singing about Jesus. “And He walks with me,” I sing now. “And He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own.” I repeat the lines as she hums along. For this scene, I am my mother’s daughter. I will do anything to stay in New York and go to SPA. Aunt Lil dances and almost cracks me up, but I stay focused. When we sing the last note, Mom and I smile at each other.

“Miss you, baby girl,” she says sweetly.

My body cringes at baby girl, but my face remains composed. “Miss you, too, Mom.”

“Aunt Lil treating you okay?” she asks.

“She’s making me eat the grossest things,” I admit.

Aunt Lil leans against me, getting her face in the camera. “They’re called vegetables. Did you not have them in Pennsylvania?”

“I tried my best,” Mom says. “Say hi to Randy.” As Mom passes the phone to him, my aunt gets out of the camera’s range. Aunt Lil and Randy never got along.

A mustache takes up half the screen. “Hey, kiddo,” he says.

“Hi, Randy,” I say. And now I’m out of things to say to him.

“You behaving yourself? There’s some weirdos in New York.”

“I live with one,” I try to joke.

“Don’t I know it,” Randy says. Aunt Lil rolls her eyes.

I can hear Fox News in the background. Randy and I never had much to discuss. I wish Mom hadn’t passed him the phone. I’m struggling for the next thing to say. “How’s work?”

“Same ol’ every day. Liberals trying to mess up our taxes, but we stopped them.”

“Thank god,” I say sarcastically.

“Darn right,” he agrees. “All right, kiddo, stay out of trouble. Your mom is worried about you. Bye.” He hands the phone back before I can say bye.

“Mom, you don’t have to worry; I’m here making our dreams come true.”

“I know, but I’m still your mom. I love you so much, sweetie.”

“I love you and miss you,” I say, then hang up the phone. Even though my parents don’t accept me and possibly want to send me to conversion therapy, I can’t help but love my mom and want her to love me and not her version of me.

Aunt Lil sits back down on the bed. “Damn liberals and their damn taxes,” she says, mocking Randy. She does a dramatic facepalm. “I forgot to ask about the show! How was it?”