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under the table and melt into a pile of goo, never to return again.

“Oh. I…I suppose that, for her, that’s a good choice. If that’s what she

wants for her life…” Her mom trailed off, her face red. She couldn’t look at

Kiera and had to quietly resumed eating.

Kiera slowly glanced at her dad. His lips were pursed and it was clear

from the face he was making that he was not impressed with the way the

conversation was going.

“I see nothing wrong with same sex couples,” her dad finally said. “But I

think the endless parading and putting it out there in everyone’s face is

sometimes a little bit much.”

“They’re just trying to fight for the same rights that everyone else has,”

Kiera whispered. “Rights that people take for granted. I think that if it’s up

in people’s faces and it makes them uncomfortable, maybe it’s because it’s

different, or people haven’t really thought about it before, or because people

realize that they’re a little bit hypocritical or that there are others that are

experiencing a lot of hardship and hurt. That’s never comfortable.”

“I suppose so.” Kiera’s dad took a sip of his homemade lemonade. “I do

think that marriage is a little bit much. And adoption. Wouldn’t those kids

grow up quite confused, being raised without a father or mother figure?”

“Why would that be?” Kiera asked softly, not challenging, but genuinely

curious. “There are a ton of kids who come from homes where they are

raised solely by a mom or a dad. I think they turn out just fine. I don’t think

it really matters whether a child has two moms or two dads. And shouldn’t

two people who love each other get to enjoy the same expression of that

love as other people do?”

Her dad’s face took on a slightly helpless expression. Kiera was sorry for

having just blindsided them. Her dad looked more confused about the topic

of conversation than the actual question.

“I suppose so, but it doesn’t seem…natural.”

Kiera tried very hard to keep her emotions from showing on her face. She