𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙚𝙡
"You should meet my parents" I mumble to Calum as we're both glancing at the dark sky out the window in the room, both of us sipping cold coffee in our reusable plastic cups. Calum almost chocked on his when I said that. I mean, we've been together for seven months or something, what do you do around that time in a relationship? Shouldn't you meet each other's parents?
"Okay. When do you want me to meet them? I thought you guys had problems going on between you" He comes from behind me, hugging me from my waist
"Yes, we do. But, they wanted to celebrate my twentieth birthday with me, said they even have a surprise" I whisper as I tilt my head backwards, giving Calum a peck on his lips, smiling when he grabs me closer to him, deepening the kiss
The next day, I wake up to Calum getting me breakfast in bed, well it's not your fancy breakfast, but for what we have, that's good. It's sweet of him and he knew I wouldn't like it if it was too fancy "I don't deserve that, other people are in need of food more than I am" Calum told me I would have said that same sentence if it were heart shaped eggs, bacon and pancakes, also known as, every cliché breakfast in bed.
"You're twenty years old. How are you not excited?" He exclaims, like a teenager's best friend on her sweet sixteenth birthday "And I'm gonna meet your parents today" He tries to sound excited, although he's nervous. I know he is. He's trying to hide his nerves behind his white bright smiles he's giving me everytime I look up at him.
"Maybe I'm just scared of growing up" I mumble, when I notice how I'm making him sad by making him the only one keeping the conversation going
He decides to ignore me, not wanting to get deep on my birthday. After I'm done with my cereal and coffee, both of us get ready to go meet my parents. I haven't seen them in a year or two, I text my cousin sometimes though.
I wear my binder underneath a white shirt and a grey sweater tucked in my black cargo pants and Calum just wears a grey shirt and cuffed blue jeans. He keeps saying it's too casual, you won't wear a suit when you meet your boyfriend's parents.
An hour later of driving, we're both sitting on my parent's dinner table. I told my cousin to come and she did, filling the awkward silence as always, chattering about nothings making everyone laugh at knock knock jokes, asking Calum about his life, and asks me how I've been doing like I didn't just text her about how nervous I was. My cousin was that one girl in the family that always had something to say. If a family gathering was awkward, she'd make a mess till she finds all the board and card games in whoever's house we're gathered in, sits us down and does a horrible job at explaining the rules. She's always one to have an opinion about anything, she'd tease you or make fun of you if she doesn't agree with your opinion.
My mom starts talking about my birthday surprise when everyone got bits of food on their plate and a few sips of their Pepsi in the long clear glass cup "we started a bank account for you since you were born and we've been putting savings there till today" she mumbles like twenty years of collecting money isn't a big deal. I almost spill the water that's filling my mouth on my sweater
"We collected 15,300 so far" my dad continues her sentence, and again I'm having a hard time swallowing the chewed steak in my mouth, and Calum is patting my back to stop my chocking.
"15,300?" I repeat, questioning if they're for real or not "for me? In my bank account?" I'm repeating what they said again. If I put that in the jar of money my friend's and I are trying to save for me to get my surgery that might make it. I might have the 24,900 I've been trying to save ever since I didn't like my body, ever since I didn't like how I was born, ever since I didn't like the body parts I was born with.
"Yes, 15,300" they repeat for probably the third time now. Both Calum and I are in shock almost like we're a straight couple that just got the news of us being pregnant. Calum knows what I'm thinking of "bub, isn't that enough for your surgery if we put it in the jar?" He whispers in my ear, and I nod.
"Can I take the money now?" I whisper and both my parents nod at me "Yes, Mike. You can and if it's enough for a surgery, we'd be more than happy to support you, baby" My mom mumbles. She used Michael. I almost jump out of my chair, hugging her while crying. I'm finally gonna do it.
"You wanna stay over the night, Mikey?" She asks, and I nod in her neck, unable to form words yet. I don't think I ever will be.
Both Calum and I stay overnight in my bedroom, both of us looking through stuff I had when I was a 13 year old, all the things I wrote, all the things I painted, the things I hung on my walls. My room was full of messes everywhere. It was the basic messy teenager's room. Calum and I decide to video chat the boys back at the home shelter to see if the money is actually enough after I have checked that the surgery does cost 24,900 dollars for the millionth time already.
"Hey, guys" Calum mumbles to Luke, Ashton, Louis, and Harry that are all sitting in the same room on the other side of the call.
They all make small conversations while I'm running around my room like a maniac, trying to look for a calculator to do all the maths I need to do. When I find one I put in 24,900-15300 and it gives me 9,600. I'm praying to God we have that amount in the jar. I've been working my ass off and all of my friends have been helping ever since I said I'm transgender. They all want me to have a smooth transition and they're doing all they can and putting in their savings, not even using the littlest bit for themselves.
"How much do we got in Mikey's surgery jar?" Calum cuts to the point right after they're done with the small conversations, and after Ashton kept telling us how his nightmares are getting better, telling us all about his his therapy appointments, and the friends he is making from group therapy. We're all more than happy for him. Ashton was the first one I made friends with out of all the guys, I remember the night he came in the shelter, shaking and getting scared when I touched him. I'm glad he found Luke. Luke truly saved him. They both save each other.
I hear Luke's soft steps on the beige ceramic tiles, running to the jar to count how much money we got. We're all concentrating with the whispers of numbers being counted like we're watching our favorite football team trying to score a goal in the last two seconds of the match.
"9,670. We still want 15,230 Mikey" He does the maths in his head. Why is he so smart? Calum nudges me in the arm when I didn't realize what numbers Luke has just said. That is even less than the money in my account, I can still have 70 dollars, even after the surgery.
"I'm getting the surgery" I whisper in disbelief, while Calum explains to the guys the 15,300 dollars in my bank account and where they came from. They all cheer and scream when they check that I can for real get the surgery, but it's like I'm zoned out in my own world, trying to get an appointment on the old laptop I have in my room. I scheduled an appointment for next week, the earliest appointment that's available within miles from the home shelter.
𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳
The hospital bed I'm laying on is pulled in a surgery room by two doctors after Calum told me how much he loves me and how much the guys support me. The drugs are in my system, but I know that they're out there, waiting for me. Calum's eyes are probably glued to the digital numbers on his phone's lockscreen waiting for the two to five hours to end and counting the six weeks that I'll recover in and planning how he will make me comfortable and force me to not tire myself in the home shelter. He'll probably let me lay in bed for the six weeks and not move a muscle, cuddle me before I go to sleep softly. I love him.
I don't remember anything from the surgery. I just remember my four days in the hospital, all the guys coming to check up on me everyday and Calum sleeping in the hospital to not leave me. He says he's only supervising, although I'm in a hospital. I know he's just doing it because he loves me, not for supervision, he's silly.
I also remember the fact that yes, Calum let me stay in bed for six weeks like I predicted he would, got me breakfast in bed everyday just like he did for the day I found out I'm getting bottom surgery, the most day I knew I was gonna feel like myself, like Michael.
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fucking finally, this chapter may be the longest I wrote
anyway, I really like it hehe
hope you did too
all the love xx
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