The Ribbon Campaign

two || of ribbons and declerations

When our family wakes up on Monday morning, it's, for the most part, just like any other Monday morning. Fiona is gulping down a glass of milk, I'm waiting for my bagel to toast, my father is already at work and my mother is waiting to drive us to school. Ryan is going through different boxes of cereal, he and Caiden playing the games and solving the puzzles on the back of them.

I yawn loudly, stretching my arms above my head as I slide into the kitchen. I make my way over to the table, saying a good morning to Caiden. I grab a bowl and slide into the seat beside them, stealing the cereal from them and pouring a generous amount into my green bowl.

"How'd you sleep?" I ask them, wiggling my eyebrows. Caiden's face turns a bright shade of red, his eyes instantly finding the ground at my innuendo, but Ryan just laughs wholeheartedly.

"Great," Ryan says, stealing the cereal back. Caiden purses his lips, still blushing. My mother notices and laughs too.

Caiden manages a small smile, but I can tell it's strained. Whatever happened yesterday is obviously still taking his toll on him. Well, of course it is; his parents had outright told him they didn't want him because of who he was. I stare at Ryan's happy face, always smiling, and try to imagine how he would look if my parents didn't accept if it he came out. There wouldn't be the light in his hazel eyes that there is now whenever he smiles, that's for sure.

My mother sits down at the table once my father is able to handle getting Fiona her breakfast. She faces Caiden, and begins to talk to him and Ryan about what they want to do next, and how to approach Caiden's situation. I sit there, quietly eating my cereal, trying not to make it too obvious that I'm listening in on their conversation.

"I can call your father, if you'd like," my mother offers, and Caiden instantly looks panicked, but tries his hardest to hide it. Not that it does much; Caiden has always been insanely easy to read. My mother notices and says, "Or maybe your mother. Did she seem angry too?"

Caiden thinks about it for a second, wincing at what seems like bad memories. "Not so much. She didn't really say anything at all, actually..."

"How about I call her, then?" my mother offers. "She might be easier to talk to. Keep in mind Caiden, you can stay here as long as you need. I'm not trying to get rid of here. I just want to try and solve this. Can you tell me more of what happened yesterday?"

Caiden nods, looking down at his lap. "Um, yeah. We were getting ready for church, but I really didn't want to go because there were a couple of kids there who kept talking trash about homosexuality, and it made me really... uncomfortable, I guess. Um, I asked my parents if we could sit on the other side, but they said no, so I asked to just stay home and said I wasn't feeling well. My dad asked why it bothered me so much, and then things just started getting worse and worse. We were fighting, and it sort of just... I guess I just... blurted it out."

I don't know if my mother notices, but I see Ryan reach for Caiden's hand underneath the table and squeeze it tightly.

"What did he say?" she asks. "Just the gist of it."

"That what I was is sinful," Caiden says, his voice getting quieter and quieter. "He couldn't have a gay in the house, apparently. He told me to get out, and that I could consider myself no longer his son. My mom didn't say much, just stood by him and watched."

My mother looks pained. She squeezes Caiden's arm. "Okay, Caiden. How about you skip at on school today?"

Caiden shakes his head. "My parents will get the call that I skipped, and they'll be really angry."

I almost cry at that. All Caiden wants is his parents to be happy with him.

"We can explain your situation to the school," my mother continues. "They have a right to know. We'll get this sorted out, okay, Caiden? But you've been through a lot after yesterday, and I think you just need some rest. Ryan, on the other hand," she sends her son a glare, "You're already running late. Go get your butt in acceptable looking clothing before you started failing calculus too."