Loving Cousin

"Wait, you think I'm gay?" I glanced at the couch and started giggling, which turned to full on laughter, and every time I saw her perplexed expression, another wave crashed over me. Pretty soon Mom was smiling and then laughing right along with me.

"Stop, Kate," she said, reaching around to hug me. "Stop, I'm sorry!"

"Oh, God, Mom, my sides hurt now." I clung to her as the chuckles tapered off at last.

"Well, you never date for very long. I thought maybe you just kept trying for appearances' sake."

"No, Mom, trust me on this. You don't want the details, but I can assure you, I've dated enough to confirm my preferences." Don't look at the couch, don't look at the couch, I chanted to myself. "Why didn't you just ask me?"

"I don't know. I never had the nerve."

"C'mon, are you kidding me? Is this the same woman who spent an hour drawing me diagrams when I was twelve and wanted to know how sex worked?"

"You have no idea how hard that was for me," she said as she fanned herself. "I was so