The Marrying of ZIM

15. Carter Jones.

I didn't have to be at a bar right now but it felt easier than Richard's self serve bar. Kwashie had to leave in the middle of the week because her mother needed her, I haven't said anything about what I heard in the kitchen and I've been trying my best to act normal.

"We have an advantage" Richard had said to me.

"What's that?" I was genuinely clueless.

"She still doesn't have proof." He smiled.

He didn't have to think twice about it, he knew my mother would go against it the second she knew and this is why he didn't tell her about it and never planned on doing so. They signed a non disclosure form when the agreement was signed about the true nature of why they wanted to open the business and I had to sign a non disclosure about Kwashie's real sex.

"Scotch on the rocks," I said to the bartender asking for my fifth drink of the night.

My chin was resting on my arm on top of the bar just staring into the back glass. There was chatter all around me and hearty laughs from both men and women in the background, I really wanted to be happy but it seems as if happiness wasn't designed for the likes of me. I believed in love, love just doesn't believe in me.

I took the drink from the bartender and slowly brought it to my lips not lifting my chin from its current resting place on my arm.

"Whatever it is, you're not gonna find it at the bottom of that glass," someone said from beside me.

"I'm looking for ice, so you're wrong because once I'm through ice will still be at the bottom of this glass," I said not bothering to lift  my head to see who it was.

"You have a point," it was a feminine voice.

I tilted my head to the side to look in her direction and was greeted with a dark skin beauty with a wide smile on her face showing off her pearly whites.

"You have nice teeth," I complimented her.

"Thanks, my fiancé is a dentist." She said.

"That's nice."

"That's a really nice ring you have on your finger," she pointed out.

"Thank you very much," I counted my words as they left my lips.

"So who's the lucky girl?" She asked.

"It's actually a guy..." I said.

"Oh..."

"Yeah but they aren't the lucky one, I am." I smiled.

"I'm sorry for assuming your sexuality, I feel so stupid. It's just that you dress masculine so I assumed you were a stud or something... a lesbian..." she tried explaining herself.

"Yo, chill ma. It's cool. I just consider myself a person but if we have to label it then I'm androgynous." I said.

"I thought that label applied to lesbians," she said more to herself.

"It's doesn't mama, it's a combination of masculine and feminine traits, it's like gender ambiguity. Most persons just assume that androgynous females are lesbians because it's easier than accepting that sexuality is more fluid than man and woman. It's even the same in the homosexual community and it's stupid that they want to put a heteronormative take on their relationship." I finished my ramble.

"Why does it bother you so much if you're straight?" She asked me.

I took out my money clip and rested the money on the table using the empty scotch glass to weigh it down. I stood up from my seat in front of the bar and stared at the ignorant woman in front of me.