Chapter Thirty Five

Theo

After dinner, I leave my seat to go around other tables, saying hello to my extended family. It’s not very pleasant, but it’s something Father asked me to do, a social obligation, so I have to comply.

I asked Sam to come along, but he said he’d rather die before meeting all those posh people, so he and his friends stayed seated at the table, abusing the open bar. I walk around the lawn, following the paths of roses that have been set between the tables. I start with my three aunts, old traditional ladies.

One of them grabs my arm, “We’ve seen the arm candy you’ve brought, Theo,” she says, animatedly.

I feel myself flushing, “Yeah, that’s my boyfriend.”

I’m surprised by how little they care about my queerness.

Aunt Mary coughs and elbows her sister, “What a stud. So gorgeous. What does he do for a living?”

I lean down so I don’t have to shout over the music, “He’s a vet, he graduated university not too long ago,”

“A