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to support yourself. All parents want what’s best for their

children, and we are no different. I wish you could stop seeing

us as the bad guys and hold up your end of the deal. I’ve been

pushing you to apply to law school because it’s time.”

“So, you not helping me has nothing to do with the fact that

I’m—”

“No!” Sandra’s eyes welled up with tears again. “I’m sorry

that your dad had to ask you to be discreet for the sake of his

career. You know that what he values personally isn’t always

what he is expected to represent for his party.”

Emily huffed. She’d heard this before too. All the

conversations with her parents over the past few years truly

felt like a broken record. “Oh really? As far as I know, his

party doesn’t stand for hate, and they’re not against anyone

having a gay daughter, so he’s just afraid that certain closed-

minded, hating, asshole individuals won’t vote for him. Maybe

he shouldn’t be pandering for their votes in the first place.”

Sandra stood up and smoothed wrinkles out of her baby

blue pants suit that weren’t even there. Emily had no idea how

someone as artistic as her mom could walk around wearing the

things she did. There was professional and then there was the

soulless wardrobe her mom preferred because she thought

that’s what she should look like as the wife of a possible future

senator.

“Law school. I want to see completed applications being

sent off by the end of the week. I want to review everything, to

make sure you’re not botching it on purpose. And as for your

father’s expectations and what we think about you as a person,

please don’t accuse us of not loving you for who you are.

That’s out of line and it’s not true. It would break your father’s