“Caleb, I don’t have time for your foolishness right now,” he says, rifling through a stack of papers on his desk. His glasses are perched on the bridge of his nose. “You weren’t mentally there at the Jefferson meeting, don’t think I didn’t notice. And now you stroll in here sulking like I didn’t just fund your little weekend getaway. Come on, Caleb,” he slams his hands on the desk, “Can’t you for once be serious about something in your life?”

I inhale slowly. Here it goes.

“I know. And I am. Dad… I quit,” I exhale.

He freezes. “No,” he grunts, looking back down at his papers.

“Dad, I have to. As much as I like what I do, I hate disappointing you even more.”

“And you don’t think this disappoints me?” he snaps.

I walk over to the desk and sit in the chair across from him, looking him straight in the eye.

“I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for me, especially after Mom left. You’ve always been there. But you were right. I do need to get serious. About myself. About my future. And I can’t do that if I’m being spoon-fed the whole way. Pushing me toward an engagement with Sarah was the final straw. You can’t puppet-master my whole life. I’m going to keep disappointing you if I don’t stand on my own two feet.”

He leans back in his chair and exhales. “And how do you suppose you’ll do that?”

“I talked to my roommate, Tony. He got me an interview at that high-end restaurant he works at as a server. It won’t pay nearly as much as what you were giving me, but I’ll get by while I search for another marketing job. I will need a reference though.” I search his eyes, hoping he’ll understand.

He stays still, unreadable. Then finally, “I pushed you too hard. I see that now. I never wanted you to quit. I just wanted you to be the best version of yourself.”

I blink. I never expected him to say that.

“I know, dad. And I do want to make you proud. But I think the only way I can do that is by standing on my own.”

He nods slowly and turns to look out the window.

“Let me cover your rent for the next few months while you get settled at your new job. I’ll help you get through this transition.”

My throat tightens. “Thanks but…dad… there’s something else.”

He looks confused.

“The reason I didn’t propose to Sarah… it wasn’t just because she’s over me. It’s also…” I pause. This is the moment. Now or never. “I’m bisexual. I like women… and I like men. I think I’ve always known, but I only came to terms with it this weekend when I…” My voice cracks. “When I realized I’m in love. I think I’ve always been in love with him.”

Silence. The air feels thick, and my vision starts to blur. “If you don’t want to be in my life anymore, that’s okay. It’ll suck…but I’ll be okay.”