Swift as a Coursing River | Ongoing

22. Dappled sunlight

The charity event Vincent organises on Christmas Eve is not for gay people or trans people, like Edwin assumed. Well, not just. Vincent explained that it's for everyone who doesn't have anywhere else to go, but they do put in an effort to invite poor LGBT people, through advertising and whisper networks of LGBT people and prostitutes and doctors and street workers. They also pasted a paper version of the rainbow flag and the transgender flag onto a window on the street side and another next to the door — small enough that it's not glaring, but large enough that the people who need that reassurance will notice. If you're marginalised, you look for those signs, Vincent says.

The event takes place in the cafeteria of a school, which faces the street, but Edwin needs to go through the gate and cross the schoolyard to find the entrance. People are setting plates on the long tables and decorating the walls in a winter theme. Someone has put on bigband music through a speaker and one of the wall decorators twirls with a long red ribbon trailing through the air around her.

Finally, Edwin spots Vincent, who is talking — giving instructions — to the people around him, pointing and gesturing. He waves at Edwin. "Kitchen's over there!" Well, that's as clear a sign as any that Vincent is too busy to cater to Edwin's needs. He can introduce himself to a bunch of strangers.

The school has a decently large industrial kitchen. There are instructions and pictures of students on the wall, smiling with their teachers and classmates or cooking for a class. Several volunteers are setting up stations. Edwin knocks on the doorframe. "Hello."

The people near him look up and a short and stout guy wearing an apron with pink hearts exclaims brightly: "Hi! You're new! I'm Brent." His voice cracks on his name, as if he's in puberty.

"Edwin. I'm — Vincent asked me."

"Oh, you're Vincent's friend! Great! I hope you brought an apron because we have so much work and only a few hours."

Brent introduces him to all the kitchen volunteers, explaining what everyone's task is and what Edwin will be doing. They're presenting a 3-course meal, with soup, a main dish and dessert, with a vegetarian — vegan? — option for those who want it. Edwin gets his own station next to an elderly white woman who definitely has at least a decade even on him. They're the two oldest people in the kitchen, he guesses. Everyone else is more Vincent's age, or even younger. The event might not be only for LGBT people, but he suspects all the organisers and volunteers are some form of gay or transgender. Figures.

The woman's name is Annick. Edwin's other neighbour is a young Japanese guy named Tatsuo and on the other side of the kitchen isle, only one station has been filled with someone called Mona, who has a top knot and smoky eyes.

"I use xe/xem pronouns," xe says, pointing at the name tag pinned on xir apron. Edwin nods and smiles at xem, silent. At least he won't need to use those pronouns when directly addressing Mona because xe/xem seems even more confusing than they/them, even if he knew people had invented their own pronouns.

The four of them are responsible for roasting the seasoned turkey in the ovens. Edwin also has a large pot for making sauce and Annick and Mona will be making a vegetarian alternative for the turkey. Tatsuo is cooking potatoes in several enormous pots.

"The hardest part is keeping everything warm," he says. "We can't wait until the guests are here, but there are only so many burners."

They chat while cooking and Edwin relaxes. They're nice people. Fun. It doesn't feel like other times he's been surrounded by Vincent's friends, because Vincent is outside and they like him just for him. They like cooking, and Mona promises him a recipe for falafel in exchange for Edwin's broccoli soup.