Welcome Home
“You ready?”
I eyed Spectrum’s newest bouncer. “Bruno, I was born ready.”
With a shake of the head, the auburn hair fell along my shoulders. The dangling diamonds in each ear whipped back and forth. Nearly three months after my retirement, I announced my “Welcome Back Tour.” It was only fitting to bring Mabel Syrup back to the last stage she graced.
“You look beautiful,” he said.
His chest filled out his black t-shirt, and the tattoos made him even more scrumptious. I cupped his face, turned his head, and left a bright red print of lipstick on his cheek.
“If you weren’t a taken man…” I snapped my teeth and added a quiet roar.
“Same goes for you.” He winked. “Knock them dead.”
I checked my corset, making sure the ladies hadn’t gone rogue. I could barely breathe, but the red with black stripes down to matching leather pants and blood-red heels made for a show-stopping combination. Mabel had come to slay.
Bruno held the door open with a slight bow. I waited while the DJ switched songs. The song… my song filled the club. I ignored the goosebumps along my arms. The chill down my spine left me grinning. Everything about this felt right.
The song roared to life. “Who’s the prettiest girl in the room?”
“That ain’t no question,” the crowd shouted.
I barged into the club, heels stomping against the linoleum. As soon as I entered, heads swiveled from the stage. When patrons spotted me, they cheered. With a hand in the air, I held the pose. The regulars knew exactly the moment I waited for.
“There is only one queen!” I shouted.
The crowd parted, and there it waited: the stage.
It might be the destination, the return to triumph, but Mabel wouldn’t be Mabel without those who supported her.
With one flirtatious wink after another, I moved between my adoring fans and loving family.
I blew Amanda a kiss while she swayed with her arms wrapped around Tessa’s waist. I repeated it for Jon and Tyler, Jason and Simon, but there were two bears who deserved special attention.
When I approached Seamus, I stopped dancing.
He stood like a statue, as if the beat of the music couldn’t penetrate that gruff exterior.
Patrick stepped between us, wrapping his arms around my chest. He squeezed hard enough to force the wind from my lungs.
None of this would have been possible without him.
“I love you, too.” I laughed.
He set me down, and I walked to the stage when a hand caught my wrist. Before I could spot the owner, they jerked me back.
I spun about until I stood chest to heaving bosom with Seamus.
His hand moved to the small of my back as he held up the other.
For a second, we danced as if we were the only people in the room.
“Never stop being you,” he whispered in my ear.
Before I could reply, he spun me under his hand and, with a slight push, sent me toward the stage.
I twirled, dipped, and vogued as I made my way to the stage.
As I moved, the crowd closed the aisle behind me, urging me forward.
There wasn’t a worry in my mind as I let the electricity of the crowd flow through me.
I was ten feet from the stage when my biggest fan stepped into my path.
Sammy wore blue jeans and a flannel with the sleeves ripped off.
I didn’t need to ask if the bears had helped him pick out his ensemble.
His head bobbed to the music. He had never received the gift of rhythm. It made him even more adorable.
He hooked a finger, signaling me closer.
“Who? Me?” I feigned innocence. Somebody from behind gave me a nudge forward. “Hey!” I barked, “I’m having a moment.”
I shimmied closer. He didn’t have time to react as I dropped to a squat.
My hands climbed his pants to his shirt.
I slowly slid my head along his body, giving the crowd a little show as I paused at his crotch.
When I reached his lips, I went in for a kiss and pulled away before making contact.
Spinning around, I wiggled my butt against his package while the crowd roared.
I turned around, putting my arms on his shoulders.
His face had turned three shades of red, and he couldn’t fight the grin.
This might not be his preferred way to spend the evening, but he tried.
When I planned my comeback, he promised to be at every show.
Despite his resisting glitter spray, the queens had him covered in sparkling flecks.
I leaned in for a kiss, and the world spun.
Sammy held me hovering above the sticky floor.
I glanced down… he had dipped me. My boyfriend, the light of my life, had gone from falling with me, to falling for me, and now supporting me.
The third try had been the charm. In those eyes, I saw Mabel’s pristine makeup, but I knew he saw more than a pretty face.
“Kiss her!” screamed Anita Cox.
“We’re having a moment,” he shouted.
“Kiss her. Kiss her. Kiss her.” The crowd’s chanting nearly overpowered the music.
The bass continued thumping. He leaned in and kissed me as if he had been starving for affection. There was nothing chaste about the way his tongue wrestled with mine. His grip tightened on my waist, pulling me tighter. As we kissed, I lifted a leg, heel pointing straight to the ceiling.
“I love you,” he whispered.
I fanned myself. “Now that’s how you treat a girl.”
With a quick pull, he had me on my feet, spinning about like a ballerina.
When I stopped, I put a hand to my chest, astounded by his newfound dance moves.
I felt he and Seamus had been practicing while Patrick and I gabbed by the fire.
He sank into the crowd. With a final blown kiss, I stepped onto the stage.
“Silence!” I shouted. The music cut. The crowd hushed.
All the anxiety leading up to this moment vanished with the beat of the music.
I had been nervous. Would they think I had pulled a publicity stunt just for the sake of returning?
I tried to tell myself it was no different from the time Mabel faked her own death for a “comeback.” It was different because I didn’t return the same person.
“My Kings and Queens and every human in-between,” I said. “Pride Month might be over, but our pride will never end.” They rejoiced.
I raised my hands, quieting the crowd. I needed to say something that had been building in my heart over the last few weeks.
“Give the girl a mic,” Lace shouted from the bar.
Patrick rushed onto the stage, snatching a mic from a stand and putting it in my hand.
“I didn’t come with a speech. I honestly didn’t know what I wanted to say—shocker, I know.
But seeing you all… I am honored and proud to be part of this family.
” I gestured to Amanda and Tessa. As the audience turned to watch, Tessa pecked Amanda on the cheek.
“We reconnect because we love.” I turned to Simon with his arm around Jason’s shoulders.
“Even when the world says otherwise, we never stand alone.” He pulled him in tighter.
In the back, I watched as Nick waved. Next to him, Charlie and Lacie waved their drinks in a salute. “I doubted myself. When I faltered, there were those who rushed to catch me.” I nodded to Seamus. Turning to Sammy, I gave a curtsey. “Some more literal than others.”
I paused while the words caught in my throat.
The last time I stood here, it had been to say farewell, not to them, but to a part of myself.
I denied living my truth because I refused to accept my authentic self.
It had taken the shenanigans of a small town and a loving, not-quite-gay bear to show me how wrong I had been.
Mike and Mabel stood here tonight. Whatever the next adventure in life, we were ready.
The bedazzled microphone pressed against my lips.
“I am not alone. I am a we.” The words came with a rush of confidence. “And we are proud.”
The music roared to life.
“Tonight we celebrate.”
Simon: Flawless. Lucas can’t wait to see you.
Jason: Congratulations.
Tyler: I expect to see you at the library.
Bobby: Tell Anita I still can’t twerk.
Nick: That was amazing!
Charlie: Great show. When’s the tattoo?
Seamus: I hate glitter.
Chris: Mabel, call me. Tessa has a project for you.
Jon: Girl, I can’t wait for next week.
Patrick: Welcome home.
“That was amazing,” I said, still intoxicated from their cheers. The three vodka tonics might also have something to do with the bubbly feeling. “It felt right. I’m so happy you came.”
Sammy slid his key into the lock. It had been a present last night, and the ease of use made me smile.
He had visited once already since Firefly.
It felt right to give him access to my apartment.
I had even cleaned out the spare bedroom, giving him access to a desk for his meetings.
If it meant seeing him more often, I’d give up a room.
The rest of the apartment, however, remained a disaster.
I clacked my way into the kitchen and tossed a jacket and purse on the table.
Two pieces of white pine sat on the side with the red bow still in place.
Unknown to him, I had gone back to the mill and “liberated” the wood he had found.
I had asked him to carve me something that would remind me of him when he was gone.
He had refused the idea of a replica of his penis.
I had been removing bobby pins since we got in the car, and the moment the wig came off, I let out a sigh of relief. I dumped the bobby pins inside the cap, ready to strip down and climb into bed. My heart might be full, but my body was exhausted.
Sammy stepped behind me, a hand on my back; he reached for my hand.
With a gentle nudge, I twirled under his arm.
He pulled me back until we were pressed together.
He wasn’t a dancer; the slight sway was all I’d get from this man’s hips.
It was the smile on his face that stole my attention.
Genuine glee. It made me want to scream from the rooftops.