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lecture, he gave me a ride home.
 Walk? Why didn t my father bring you?
Erin saw Katie s face getting red, and she put her hands up.  I didn t want a
ride. I wanted to clear my head.
 Is it clear?
 Not really. What s going on here?
 Your mom and I have just been talking about the benefits of you and me
living in Boston.
Erin released her grip and turned to look at Gail.  Really? Why?
 I just&  She seemed much less sure of herself now that Erin was home, and
her voice trailed off to such a whisper that Erin wasn t sure if her mother had
completed the sentence.
 Go on, Katie urged.
Gail moved around on the sofa, looking like she was trying to get comfortable.
 I think you d both thrive in Boston. Katie has a good social network and there s
so much more to do.
Erin was sitting on the arm of the sofa, and she put her arm around Katie
and tugged her close.  We both want that, Mom, but there s no way to have that
happen without getting stuck with a lot of debt. That s not how I want to start
our life together.
Katie smiled up at her and then turned back to Gail.  For the time being we ll
keep doing what we ve been doing. Going back and forth on the weekends.
 Oh, that will be hard for both of you. I d hate to only see Dan on the
weekends.
 Yes, it s hard, Erin said.  But I don t mind driving to Boston. It s so nice to
see Katie that I d go to Miami. She snuck a shy glance at her lover.
Katie chimed in,  I can do a lot of my work on the phone, I can come up here
for three or even four day weekends.
 How often do you think that would be? Gail asked.
 It s hard to say. I d have to retrain some clients. But I could probably do it
twice a month.
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The Lies That Bind
 Starting a relationship is hard enough when you re in the same place, Gail
said.  Wouldn t it be better to have some debt?
 Erin doesn t think so, Katie said.  And if she s not comfortable, I don t want
to force the issue.
 I don t want this to be my decision, Erin said.  But I m really uncomfortable
with the thought of sticking Katie with a high mortgage payment. If she
refinanced her apartment, she d be stuck with high payments for thirty years.
Gently patting Erin s knee, Katie said,  Technically, we d be stuck with them.
And as soon as you start earning a good living, the higher payments won t be an
issue at all. Actually, they re not an issue now. I can easily afford them and not
alter my lifestyle.
Erin dropped her head, looking mildly chagrined.  I know, I know. I m just
really averse to having you be responsible for my bad decisions.
 With gas prices like they are you ll probably wind up paying as much to the
oil companies as you would for the higher mortgage, Gail said.  Not to mention
the toll driving that much can put on you. Your job is stressful enough, Katie.
Wouldn t it be better to have Erin do most of the driving?
Erin s gaze sharpened, and she looked at her mother pointedly.  Isn t my job
stressful? It sounds like you don t want Katie to visit Essex.
 Honey! Gail flushed and looked exasperated.  That s a ridiculous thing to
even think. I want you to do what s best for both of you.
 There s something else going on. You re really making a case for us to spend
more time in Boston, and that s not like you. What else is on your mind?
Gail sighed dramatically.  It s just this town. You know how provincial the old
guard can be. That s just another form of stress that you two don t need.
 You mean& because we re gay? Katie asked.
 Yes. And Erin, you can say what you want, but if you felt entirely comfortable
being out here, you would have told more people.
 I ve wondered about that myself, Katie said.  But Erin claims she just likes
her privacy about everything.
 Okay, it s more than just that, Erin admitted.  You know I don t like to invite
trouble. If I can slide by, I do. But when I can t, I do what I have to do. I know a
lot of people in town will be uncomfortable with my being gay. I know I ll lose
some patients. I know Madge will make a federal case out of it not so much
because I m gay, but because I didn t tell her. But everybody who matters to me
knows. It won t be that big a deal.
 It s not just& random people in town who will have an opinion about this,
Gail said.  When you make a public statement, it tends to affect everyone close
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to you.
Katie s cheeks were already pink, and her voice was rising in volume and
timber.  If you re referring to my father& 
 I didn t say a word about him, Gail insisted, her skin losing color as quickly
as Katie s was gaining it.  All I said was that having people in town gossip behind
your backs can be hard for everyone. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]