Our New Normal

  Tori filled with gratitude for her mother. Though she had been insulted by Gwendolyn’s attempt to help her once she was kicked out, she hadn’t realized how much courage it must have taken to both give Tori the money and to sign the consent form against her father’s wishes.

  After a few more gut-wrenching minutes of silence, Judge Warner motioned for everyone to stand. “I have reviewed all of the evidence. All of the documentation provided by Miss Reynolds and Ms. Summers effectively demonstrates that Miss Reynolds is capable of living independently. She has no criminal record. There was a recent suspension at her high school—the same day that she was evicted from her parents’ home—but this is the only incident of misconduct that her school had on record. She has maintained acceptable grades and attendance in school, has obtained steady employment, and pays due monies to her landlord in a timely fashion.

  “As her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds could have compelled Miss Reynolds to attend the aforementioned treatment center; however, they did not choose to act on this. Instead, they evicted her from her home and left Miss Reynolds to her own devices. Were it not for the state law’s threshold age of thirteen, I would no doubt see Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds in a separate hearing for child abandonment as a result of their actions.”

  Timothy almost said something, but Gwendolyn held him back.

  “Having said that, Mrs. Reynolds has given consent for emancipation. This is a legally binding form, and it outweighs any of the complaints or objections that Mr. Reynolds may have after the fact. The parental consent, combined with Miss Reynolds’ evidence, makes it clear what the court’s decision will be. I hereby grant Victoria Reynolds emancipation status effective immediately. This court is adjourned.”

  As he sounded his gavel, the verdict hit home. Tori squealed, jumping in the air and hugging Cynthia and Chloe as they all began crying with happiness. “Thank you so much!” Tori exclaimed.

  Though they had already begun celebrating as they exited the court building, they could hear Tori’s parents screaming at each other from down the hall. Gwendolyn was pleading for Timothy’s forgiveness, and Timothy kept screaming that she had condemned their daughter to hell.

  It might have been the overwhelming sensation of triumph—or perhaps it was the feeling that things were finally going her way—but Tori found herself rushing towards the noise, craving to speak to her parents one last time. “Timothy!” Tori called as she approached her father.

  Her father stopped in his tracks as he heard her call him by his first name, and he snarled. “Victoria! How dare you disrespect me!”

  Tori sneered. “Whatever,” she said dismissively. “I just wanted to say goodbye.”

  A vein bulged on Timothy’s temple. “Stay away from us, Victoria,” he hissed through gritted teeth. “I will have you prosecuted as an adult for trespassing if you ever set foot on our property again.”

  She glared at her father. “Don’t worry; you’ll never see me again.” She turned to her mother. “I wanted to thank you, mom, for helping me.”

  She nodded, frowning, as Timothy clutched her arm firmly. She nudged away from his grasp and approached her daughter. “I don’t believe in your lifestyle, Victoria, please know that. I agree with your father about that much, and I worry about your eternal soul. I wish we all would have behaved differently, but we have to live with our choices. We all will have to answer to God for our behaviors, and I hope we will all meet again in the afterlife.” She kissed her daughter gently on the cheek and embraced her. “Be safe.”

  Tori’s heart sank as childhood memories flooded her mind. “Goodbye, mom,” she said, her voice cracking. She hurried back to Cynthia and Chloe before her parents saw the tears in her eyes. They embraced her, trying to keep the mood light as they reminded her of her victory. Timothy and Gwendolyn slipped away as Tori’s back was turned, and Tori knew that it would be the last time she’d see them.

  * * *

  Tori tried to stay positive as they walked to the car. She was ecstatic that she’d be in control of her own life, but with this knowledge also came the realization that her parents would never be a part of her life ever again. She still felt too young to be on her own, that 17 was too young to be without her parents. Tori wished that there was a way to talk sense into them, but she knew that it would be impossible. Besides, it was too late now; she was emancipated. She wouldn’t have the paperwork for a few weeks to prove it, but it was finally over. She was in control of her own life, and there was nothing anyone could do to prevent it.

  “We have to celebrate!” Chloe declared, putting her arm around Tori. “I’m glad that it’s over—and that you won!”

  “What am I going to do with myself now that I don’t have to worry about being emancipated?” Tori joked.

  Chloe smiled. “We can start our sanding project on your furniture for starters!”

  “All I know is that I’m going to apply for City College as soon as I get home,” Tori said. “I just hope it’s not too late to be eligible for financial aid.”

  “And there’s always prom to think about, too,” Chloe added.

  Tori smacked herself on the forehead with her palm. “Holy crap! That’s only a month or so away, isn’t it? We don’t even have dresses picked out or anything yet!”

  Chloe smiled. “We still have plenty of time! Let’s just concentrate on your victory for now, okay?”

  Tori nodded, grasping Chloe’s hand. She stared out of the window as they left the city, her mind swirling as she processed everything that had just happened. For a moment, she didn’t notice that they were heading in the opposite direction from their house.

  Tori’s brow furrowed as she finally got a bearing on her surroundings. “Um, hold on a minute. Where are we going?”

  Chloe closed her cell phone, winking at Tori. “I told you: we’re going to celebrate.”

  “Where?” Tori asked.

  “You’ll see,” Chloe teased secretively.

  Tori leaned forward and poked her head between the front seats. “Cynthia, where are you taking us?”

  Cynthia chuckled. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you,” she teased.

  Tori sighed, leaning back in her seat. Chloe’s phone was exceptionally active, dinging every few minutes with a new text message. Tori giggled as she kept trying to peek at Chloe’s screen, but Chloe kept it tilted away from Tori’s curious eyes. Chloe refused to indicate with whom she was communicating, but the playful sparkle in her eyes only made Tori more excited to reach their destination.

  After a few more minutes, they pulled into a parking lot which Tori recognized: the restaurant where she and Chloe had their first date.

  “Scott’s Spot!” Tori exclaimed, hugging Chloe. “I was hoping we might come here.”

  Chloe nodded. “As you said before, this place has lots of good memories for us, and I thought it was high time we made more.”

  “Definitely!” Tori agreed as they walked to the door.

  Tori’s brow furrowed as Cynthia and Chloe walked past the hostess without a word. She followed them quietly, wondering what was next. They made their way to a private room in the back of the restaurant, and Tori noticed balloons adorning the room as they approached.

  “After you!” Chloe declared, motioning for Tori to enter the room.

  Tori did as instructed, and she noticed that the room was already occupied.

  “SURPRISE!” they bellowed.

  Stunned, Tori looked around the room. Multicolored balloons were tied to each chair, and a banner hung across the back wall with CONGRATULATIONS in bold, sparkling colors. As she focused on the attendees, she realized she was surrounded by a sea of familiar faces: Kristen, Lisa, Tina, Mark, Meghan, Tara, Randy, Rick, and Troy.

  “Wow!” Tori exclaimed, her heart fluttering. “What’s all this?”

  “We wanted to celebrate your win in court today,” Meghan explained.

  “We all know how badly you’ve wanted this and how muc
h we’ve wanted you to win,” Randy added. “We’re so glad the courts saw you for the brilliant, responsible young adult that you are.”

  “We also wanted to you know that, no matter what, you have a lot of people who love and support you just the way you are,” Troy said.

  “We’re going to be here for you, always, no matter what,” Lisa declared.

  Tori was frozen in the room’s doorway, taken aback by their kindness. Tears of joy and gratitude streamed down her face. “I can’t believe this!” she cried as she hugged everyone near to her. “Thank you all so much, really! This is great! I can’t thank you enough for putting this together for me!” She wiped the tears from her eyes as she made her way around the room and greeted everyone.

  As they settled down to order food, Tori seated in the middle of a long table so that she could converse with everyone, the sadness that she’d felt over losing her parents melted away. She didn’t have to struggle for anyone’s acceptance anymore; she had everything that she needed right in front of her. She refused to be upset over her parents’ decision to kick her out any longer; they’d be the ones suffering the consequences as they missed out on their daughter’s life.

  She hugged Chloe once more. “Thank you so much for this, baby,” she said.

  Chloe nodded. “Not a problem, my dear. I’m glad we could arrange this for you. I figured you’d need a pick-me-up, and I thought you needed to see all the people who are here for you—and know that we all love you. Especially me.”

  Tori blushed. “I love you too, Chloe,” she squeaked, excited to finally say it out loud. “Just one thing, though: what if I would have lost the hearing?”

  Chloe grinned. “Not that there was a chance in hell of that happening, but we would’ve been here, anyway, for the same reasons. We just would’ve hidden the balloons and banner.”

  Chapter 40

  The following Monday was uneventful for Timothy as he sat at his oversized, mahogany executive desk and reviewed an expense report on his computer. Waiting for his receptionist to return with his afternoon coffee, the events of the court hearing and ruling were a dim memory.

  Once his secretary returned, his coffee mug in one hand and a newspaper in another, he reached for his mug without taking his eyes from the report. “Ah, thank you, Abagail,” he said absentmindedly, anticipating the warmth of the mug as it made contact with the palm of his hand.

  She usually handed him the mug and left the room without a word, but this time she withheld his coffee as she stood in front of his desk. He looked away from his computer, trying to conceal his annoyance at the break in routine, when he noticed her glower and the rage in her eyes. His eyebrow raised. “Is everything okay?”

  She tossed the local newspaper onto his desk, the headline immediately catching his eye:

  Local Business Tycoon Promotes Diversity, Despises Gay Community

  Timothy’s eyes widened. “How is this possible?” he asked as he retrieved the paper. He noticed an old photo of himself under the title, and he slipped on his glasses to read the text:

  For over two decades, HyperSpeed Technologies, one of the leading U.S. companies in the telecommunications industry, has amassed awards for its celebration of diversity as well as its stance against discrimination based on age, race, color, ethnicity, disability, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity. An eminent sponsor of various local non-profit organizations and events including 15K walks, benefit concerts, clothing drives, and awareness fundraisers, HyperSpeed boasts 12 consecutive years in International Diversity’s Top 10 Diversity Inclusive Corporations as well as several other accolades for LGBTQ awareness, disability inclusion, and female empowerment in the workplace.

  Unfortunately, HyperSpeed’s stance against diversity seems to only apply if the person is not directly affiliated with the company or its employees. Perhaps HyperSpeed Technologies should implement a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy for their employees before anyone gets the idea that they can be diverse without any negative impact.

  According to sources in the City Courthouse, 49-year-old Timothy Reynolds, founder and CEO of HyperSpeed Technologies, has unrepentantly admitted to evicting his underage daughter after discovering that she is a lesbian. A deeply devout Christian, the CEO was quoted saying that homosexuality is “a reckless, unhealthy lifestyle” and “the path to hell” during a recent court case. During the court case, he also declared that his daughter’s sexual orientation resulted in “dishonor and embarrassment” to his family. According to court records, his daughter was forced to leave the Reynolds’ residence on January 23rd and has been on her own ever since. She was granted emancipation rights on March 26th.

  Judge Warner, who presided over the court hearing, was quoted in the courtroom stating that “were it not for the state law’s threshold age of thirteen, I would no doubt see Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds in a separate hearing for child abandonment as a result of their actions.

  Hyperspeed Technologies has refused to comment on Mr. Reynolds’ comments at this time.

  Timothy slammed down the paper, fury in his eyes. “How could this be in the news so quickly? It’s only been a few days!”

  Abagail’s eyes became slits. “So it’s true, then?” she demanded. “Everything you said in that article is true?”

  Timothy sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes. “It doesn’t matter what I said in court,” he said dismissively. “It doesn’t concern you, anyway—you’re married to a man!”

  “Yes, and so are both of my fathers,” she replied angrily. “They’ve been together for nearly 30 years, and they have raised me to be a successful, heterosexual woman regardless of their sexual preference. They’re amazing people. They volunteer at the local homeless shelter, go to church every Sunday, and treat me like gold. They were the perfect parents growing up: I had everything I needed—including their love and support in every endeavor I had—and taught me to appreciate the little things in life. They’ve been with me through every relationship I’ve ever had, including my marriage. I rarely noticed that my biological mother wasn’t in the picture, and I’ve always been thankful that I wound up with such amazing people as my parents. Do you mean to tell me that a couple so loving and so devoted to their family, community, and one another are going to hell just because they’re not a man and a woman?”

  Timothy’s eyes widened. He never knew that his receptionist’s parents were gay, and he couldn’t stop the look of disgust from spreading across his face. What church would even accept them, anyway? “In the eyes of the Lord—”

  “You obviously have no idea what the Lord wants!” she yelled. “Throwing your underage daughter out on the streets like that! You should be ashamed of yourself! How can you preach diversity here and then kick your daughter out for being diverse?”

  “Now see here, Abagail!” Timothy exclaimed, his face reddening. “You’ve been my receptionist for a decade, so I am going to ignore your outburst. However, if you think I will ever allow you to speak to me in that way again—”

  “You won’t have to,” she said sternly. She slammed his coffee cup on the desk with a loud thud, the liquid splashing on nearby paperwork. “I quit.”

  Timothy stood up from his chair so quickly that it rolled back and hit the wall. “Don’t be rash, Abagail!” he exclaimed. “I understand that you’re upset, but that’s no reason to make careless decisions.”

  “Careless?” She scoffed. “You obviously don’t know what caring about someone is like! I had pride in this company because I thought it was a place that looked out for people like my parents, but I was wrong. I can no longer be proud of this company, nor can I continue to work for someone who believes that my fathers will go to hell because they love each other.” She stormed out of the room.

  Timothy returned to his chair, a knot in his stomach. He knew that Abagail was easily replaceable, but that wasn’t the point. He felt pity for her soul; by supporting her parents’ sin
ful ways, she was being dragged down to the lake of fire along with them. Though he was sure that others felt the same way she did, he wondered how many others read the article and were praising him for his decision to stand up for God.

  As he cleaned the spilled coffee from his desk and papers, his phone rang. He waited through a few rings for Abagail to answer the call before it occurred to him that he no longer had a secretary. He held the receiver to his ear with his shoulder as he continued to clean up the spill. “HyperSpeed Technologies. Timothy Reynolds speaking.”

  “Tim? Hello. This is Anthony Markle from the board of directors.”

  Timothy gulped involuntarily; the board only called when there was an urgent matter, and he had a feeling that he already knew what the call was about. “Oh, yes. Hello, Anthony. How are you this afternoon?”

  There was a pause. “Timothy, I’m going to have to ask you to come to the boardroom for an emergency meeting. Can your receptionist arrange to have the rest of your meetings canceled for today?”

  Timothy sighed, the knot in his stomach pulling tighter. “Well, she just resigned, so that’s impossible at the moment…”

  “That’s okay, Tim. I’ll just have my receptionist come down and take care of it. I’ll see you in ten minutes.” He hung up the phone before Timothy could respond.

  Timothy thanked Anthony’s receptionist for her help before hurrying to the boardroom. Seated at one end of the long conference table were Anthony and three other board members in a half-circle. Behind them were the televised faces of the board members, their incorporeal heads glowing from individual monitors.

  Timothy sat at the other end of the table, trying to radiate an attitude of confidence and superiority. “Good afternoon, gentlemen,” he greeted in a formal tone. The others mumbled courtesies back.

  Anthony cleared his throat. “Mr. Reynolds, we called this emergency board meeting due to recent events that have come to our attention.” He slid over a copy of the same newspaper that Abagail had shown him. “Are you familiar with this article?”