Make It Fit
Patrick: Pride Committee at noon.
Mike: I’m not sure I’m ready for that.
Patrick: So, I shouldn’t have told Gladys you’re coming?
Mike: You didn’t.
Patrick: She squealed.
Mike: I hate you.
Patrick: I’ll be home soon. We’ll hang. <3 <3
“Get out of the house,” I mumbled. “Go play with your friends.”
Rose had never said those words before. Every visit had been her determined to milk every second with me.
From board games to puzzles to her afternoon programs, I rarely left the house if she weren’t with me.
Now she shooed me out. Part of me wondered if it were a setup and I’d bump into Sammy on the porch steps.
A walk through the green and not a single person clocked me. I wouldn’t be shocked if he packed his bags and made a run for the border. I hoped he stayed, but I prepared myself for another dose of tragic reality. The depression hung in the air, refusing to evaporate.
Patrick’s texts ensured I wouldn’t have time to dwell.
I crossed the road, heading toward Twice-Told Tales.
I expected the Quilting Guild with rainbow flags.
As I approached, there were more bodies than I had expected.
It appeared as if every business and the guild were in attendance.
Behind them, I spotted the bears, nearly a dozen burly men looking like bouncers at the club.
I worked my way through the thirty people in attendance.
I half-expected to see Sammy dragged into the town’s shenanigans.
It’d only take Lacie or Amanda smelling romance, and they’d make him part of the spectacle.
Thinking of how I ended things last night, I nearly repeated the escape act.
Before I could turn around and flee, the door opened with a jingle.
Patrick’s head popped out. “I wasn’t sure you’d come.”
He greeted me with a hug. Arms wrapped around, giving me a squeeze while he kissed my forehead. I would never admit it, but he did give the best hugs. Over the years, they had become a bastion of safety. He lingered until I returned the squeeze.
“I’m not sure I’m ready for this.”
“You are.” I’m glad one of us had confidence. “Think of it like a Wednesday at Spectrum, except with little ol’ ladies and less leather.”
The thought of Gladys in a harness was not on my bingo card today. Now I’d think of it every time I spotted her on the street. Patrick didn’t let me linger, holding the door open and waving me inside.
As soon as I entered, aged wood and mothballs filled my nostrils.
Jon spotted me and flagged me over. I navigated through Twice-Told Tales, the large trunks, antique desks, and an armoire.
I nearly choked when I spotted his shirt.
In rainbow colors, a small bear had bulging cheeks.
If that wasn’t overt enough, the “Taste the Rainbow” beneath it made my eyes widen.
“Be ready for it,” he whispered. “Firefly is about to get extra gay.”
“If you’re done back there,” Gladys chirped. “We still haven’t figured out where the band is going.”
“I’m still in favor of the patio near the river,” said a woman I didn’t recognize.
“No,” said a younger man in a plaid button-down. “You’ll never hear the show tunes from there.”
“If we move it too close to the dance area—” Gladys looked over her shoulder to the bears. “Which do you prefer: dance music or show tunes?”
I almost laughed at her determination to be inclusive. The queer people in this room spoke for all our people. They eyed each other, not speaking. Tyler nodded as if they shared their thoughts. I gasped when it came out as a unanimous decree for show tunes.
“The gays have spoken,” Gladys said. “We’ll move the DJ to the Legion.”
They were serious. The people of Firefly were putting on a bona fide Pride event. I thought there’d be a few pickup trucks with feather boas. A band and a DJ? I wondered which of the bears had been feeding the guild ideas.
“Laura, do we have confirmation on face painting?”
Bobby’s sister gave two thumbs up. “The drama kids are excited. Just don’t expect more than squiggly rainbows.”
Gladys let out a long sigh and turned to Lacie. I didn’t know her well, but we spent some time expelling demons from Firefly. Just another Tuesday in this small town. She had quickly become a legend as she embodied everything Maine in record time.
“Okay, so the flash mob.” Lacie jumped to her feet. “You’ve each been sent the link. If you don’t know your choreography by now, you’re not practicing. While the antlers aren’t required, I’ll be disappointed.”
I leaned forward and eyed her bestie, Nick. “Antlers?” I mouthed.
He held up his hand. There was no point in getting in the way of this wrecking ball. Lacie had more energy than a toddler on a sugar high. The only thing we could do was sit back until she tuckered herself out.
“Chris.” Gladys pointed. “You have some good news for us?”
“Tessa pulled some strings. The Bangor Daily is going to be doing a feature in a couple of days. They’ve already run a story about I Am the First.” He gave Amanda a high-five over her head. “Though I’m not sure why the promotion photos had to be me in a rainbow speedo?”
Three women giggled. Everybody knew Gloria had a crush on the former Hollywood star. “Those promoted something, alright.” Gloria snorted.
Chris hid his face, shaking his head. “Gloria, you’re in trouble.” A woman Grammy’s age made him blush. “She also got the Queer Agenda to come. They’ll be covering and setting up a booth.”
“A booth?” Gladys said. “Do we have enough room?”
“We’ll put them next to the cotton candy machine,” another woman added.
“Just to be clear,” Lacie interjected as if she craved the spotlight, “antlers are not required.” The wink at the end, and the pointing at Sheryl, made her subtext clear. She sat back on the antique leather couch and returned to guzzling her Moxie.
“This will be great for tourism. What about the—” Gladys froze. She searched the audience for an ally. Looking at the men, she thought better of it. “Can I say that?” Gladys shoved the clipboard in front of Amanda.
“Dykes on Bikes?” Amanda laughed. “Yes. Maybe. You can’t. I can. Louisa and her friends will be there.”
“She’s growing,” Patrick said, wiping a fake tear from his eye.
Chris coughed. “Tessa has a beautiful Harley.”
Amanda shot Chris a look that told a three-volume story. It made me happy to know I wasn’t the only one Firefly meddled with. He shaped his hands like a heart, and she spun back around, ignoring him.
The conversation kept going, and I quickly discovered who comprised this ragtag group of organizers.
Shop owners. The school. Legion council.
The Quilting Guild. Half the Selectperson Board were in attendance.
For all their efforts, it was watching Gladys navigate the conversation that made my heart swell.
For a woman who took control of every event, she didn’t make room for us at the table; she insisted we sit and join.
“Now,” she said. Despite it being summer, she still wore a cardigan. She wiggled to the edge of the antique sofa and turned toward the bears. “I need to address the elephant in the room.”
Her eyes locked onto me. I gulped. Dread set in.
“Mike,” she said.
“Me?”
“Yes, you.”
Patrick’s hand reached for mine. I’m not sure if it was for comfort or to keep me from bolting for the door. When Jon wrapped his arm around mine, escape stopped being an option. I needed to reconsider who I kept as friends.
“We’d love to have your friends attend.”
“The ladies,” Patrick whispered.
I nodded as if I had a choice in the matter.
“After they saved our summer festival, we want to honor them.”
I bit my lip. Firefly remembered. The kings and queens weren’t only a solution to a dilemma.
They had come to the town’s rescue. At the time, I thought the festival looked like a gay pride celebration.
The Glitterati didn’t require a thank you.
They came to the call of their sister and helped without question.
Firefly wouldn’t let that go without notice.
She pressed the clipboard to her chest, waiting for my answer. Patrick squeezed my hand, bringing me back to reality. Knowing they were getting red carpet treatment, the Glitterati would show in their most audacious outfits, ready to party.
I nodded. “I’ll invite them.”
“One more thing.” Her smile stretched from ear to ear.
“It wouldn’t be a proper Pride without a marshal.
” I tensed, and Patrick’s hand held firm.
“Mabel has become like family. From reading to the kids at the library to getting the Glitterati to help us with the festival, we owe her. We would love it if we could honor her as Firefly’s first Pride marshal. ”
The death grip made sense.
“We got her a sash.” Gladys checked over her shoulder.
“And a scepter,” Sheryl added.
There wasn’t a malicious bone in Gladys’s body.
For all her gossiping and putting her nose into the business of every resident, she always had good intentions.
She considered herself the matriarch of the town, and with her position on the Selectperson Board, it was at least partially true.
The smile on her face, just like when she asked for Amanda’s help, was her being genuine.
Every pronoun had been carefully placed, which made it sting even more.
“I—”
Her eyes sparkled, and I could almost see Mabel’s reflection. I came here to escape, and yet her presence lingered. It was both endearing and heartbreaking. How did I reply in a way that said thank you for the honor, but no?
Twice in two days, I chose the coward’s way out. I broke away from Patrick’s grip and reached into my pocket. Pulling out my phone, I gestured to the screen.
“I’ll get back to you.” I pretended to answer a call. “It’s work, I can’t miss this.”
I shook free from Jon, pushed past Patrick, and made it out the front door. I fought to keep my composure. Without a doubt, all thirty sets of eyes followed, unsure what my lack of an answer meant. I didn’t stop walking until I reached the alley between her storefront and the next.