“Are we really having this discussion?” I asked as my best friend Adrian continued to plead his case. “I told you that I didn’t really want a big to-do about my birthday. So get off it already.”
“Ca-mer-on,” Adrian said dragging out my name and stomping his foot impatiently. “You only turn twenty-one once. Besides, your parents are out of town, right?” When I nodded, he continued. “See? They won’t care if you have a party or go out or something.”
My parents were away on business. Well my dad had business and my mom was most likely visiting every upscale boutique in town. She hadn’t gone with him before on his business trips. But since I’d come out to them when I was eighteen, she’d decided that Dad needed her more than I did. It had been a hard pill to swallow for them, their pride and joy playing for the other team. Eventually, they’d come to accept me and my lifestyle. But acceptance came with a price. And that price was spending a lot of time on my own. They figured I had college to keep me occupied.
“Nah, Adrian. I’ll just...
