Prologue
I always knew my wedding would be magical and elegant, regardless if I wanted it to be or not. A beautiful bride (that’s me), a handsome groom, my own father officiating the wedding as he held back his tears, my sister as my Maid of Honor, and my own mother beaming at me right in the front row. That was always destined to be my wedding, or at least that’s how I felt about it.
Funny thing about life, though? It always finds a way to kick you right in the hoohaw. Sometimes you find someone that you THINK is wonderful, and gorgeous, and “oh my God, we’re totally getting married!” And then one day they disappoint you in ways you never even thought possible, like my first boyfriend. Jackson Stewart was his name; I thought we’d be together forever, but he broke up with me so he could be with someone who was less into Star Trek and more into letting him touch her boobs.
I was just twelve when that happened. I uh, didn’t deal with it the way I would have wanted it. There was kicking, and screaming, and a whole lot of crying; I’ll be the first to admit I wasn’t mature about it. I didn’t know what other way to handle losing someone I cared about, just because I didn’t want to take that step with him.
My best friend in the whole world, Samantha Adebisi (Sam for short!) was my rock during that ordeal. She kept telling me he was a loser, and that she told all the other girls about what he did. Nothing happened to the guy, regardless, but, you know. Anyway, Sam told me something that, had I any sense, woulda stuck to me my whole life.
“You shouldn’t do something you don’t wanna do, just because other people expect you to,” was what she told me. It took me way, way too long for me to fully apply that.
Can I tell you the truth? I’m bisexual. I like boys AND girls. But for a long time, I only dated boys because, well, that’s what was expected of me. My dad’s a pastor, you see; our family is VERY religious, and our views on homosexuality are clear and negative. I couldn’t let them know that I liked girls, too!
And so I only dated boys, but the boys I dated were the kind I THOUGHT my parents would approve of. I dated a jock, and he wound up dumping me for another girl. I dated an older man, and he wound up being a creep. I dated an army guy, and...
...let’s not go there...
But hey, I’m being a bit of a snooze fest here, aren’t I? Thing is that, after a whole lot of trials and tribulations, I actually met someone who took my breath away! She’s a girl, and her name’s Daisy Derriwinkle! We’re girlfriends now! That’s right, we’re DATING!
I know what you’re thinking: how can a religious gal just go about turning her back on everything she believed in? Well, the truth is, I wanted to date her because she makes me smile. Daisy isn’t like all the guys I’ve ever dated; she’s someone willing to step way out of her comfort zone for me. She’s also someone who isn’t afraid to be who she is, and she doesn’t hide her true self, like I did. I want to be with her, and to be like her.
Getting with her has so far proven to be the best decision I ever made, and I’m hoping this is the relationship that lasts the rest of my life!
