My Sister's Best Friend Ch. 03

Hearing the gasps, Aunt Gail stopped, turned to face the crowd, and announced in a very strong voice, "YES. I AM BISEXUAL! MANDY IS MY GIRLFRIEND, AND DAVE IS MY BOYFRIEND!" Her glare defied anyone to disparage that statement.

It was my father that stood up and settled the matter when he quietly said, "You all are celebrating a lesbian wedding here. You also have accepted that my daughter is gay. Now you are going to have a problem with you cousin Gail being bi-sexual? Seriously?" Aaaaaannnnnddd, the party continued with no more issues. No one even batted an eye after that when Robin quietly revealed her own bi-sexual preferences.

We were sitting with Aunt Gail, Mandy, and Dave later in the evening. Most of the guests had already left, and Linda and April were already in their Bridal Suite at the hotel. They would be flying out in the morning. Mom, Dad, and the rest of us were discussing some of the events of the evening. Aunt Gail had already informed us that we could stay at her house that night, since we had taken advantage of the free bar. None of us were really drunk, but we really shouldn't try to drive either. Mandy and Dave gave each other a knowing look, then turned to Aunt Gail.

"So, Gail. Dave and I couldn't help but notice that you caught one of the bouquets. As you are aware, tradition states that the one that catches the bouquet is the next to get married. Dave and I are both very interested in which one of us it is going to be."

We all broke out laughing at the sudden look of terror that came over Aunt Gail's face.

"Well, uuuummm, I, uuuuummm, but........She caught one too!" Aunt Gail sputtered and pointed at me.

"Hmmmm. Yes, I do recall seeing that happen. Anything that I should know about, Sweetie?" Tabitha replied looking at me.

I saw her questioning look turn to surprise when, instead of getting flustered, I just got a big smile on my face.

"Actually, there is." I replied. "I was planning on doing this tomorrow and not intrude on Linda's big day, but, since you are putting me on the spot." I reached into my clutch and pulled out a small velvet box. "Sorry, but there is no possible way that I'm getting on one knee in this dress and flashing everyone in the room. Tabitha, will you marry me and become my wife?"

She was stunned. She had only thought that she was teasing me about it, and she really hadn't expected me to ask her. Her eyes got huge, and her hands flew up to her mouth in surprise. After a minute of silence, I saw a tear form in her eye as she jumped into my arms and screamed "YES, YES, YES I WILL!"

I saw a look of relief on Aunt Gail's face because I had suddenly taken the attention away from her. Mandy located a couple of unopened bottles of Champaign that hadn't been used and filled everyone's glass for a toast. Later that night, Tabby demonstrated her excitement in our room. We ended up missing breakfast the next morning.

Epilogue:

The news of Aunt Gail's real life spread through the family like wildfire. To say that there were stunned reactions would be an understatement. Of course, there were those who turned their backs on her (as well as me and Robin), but most took the position of accepting us as we were. They didn't condone our lifestyles, but they looked past it. On our end, we never went overboard in flaunting our relationships in front of them.

Yeah, I know that there are a lot of those in the LBGT community that will accuse us of selling out, but we don't see it that way. I have to ask those who think that we are selling out the cause, what cause are you talking about? Our cause is LOVE. Love for our partners, and love for our families. If it takes toning down our displays of affection for our families to meet us half way, then that is not selling out. Would those that demand us to flaunt ourselves in the faces of those we love just to prove a point rather we lose the love and support of our families? We compromise for the sake of maintaining the relationships with our parents, uncles, aunts, and cousins. They understand that we are in relationships that they do not agree with, and they accept our partners. Why should we throw that away for some cause that really doesn't make that much of a difference to us? We still sit together at meals and when visiting. We hold hands a bit. We even give chaste kisses on the cheek when excited. We act the way any other couple acts in public. Just because we refrain from the slobbering tonsil hockey doesn't mean that we are selling out anything if it offends those we are around. It is simply common curtesy.

OK, enough on the rant. You want to know what happens. Well, Tabby and I did get married. Most of the family was there, including Aunt Gail, Robin, Mandy, Dave, Danny, and Kayla. Linda and April were there too. Yes, we did invite my sister. No, she didn't attend. She never even returned the RSVP. She has yet to communicate with either of us. When there are family gatherings, she makes a point of being as far away from us as possible. Obviously, she never comes to anything held at our house -- yes, we continually invite her through my parents. Usually, when Tabby and I are at my parents' home, Katie either doesn't come over or makes excuses and leaves as soon as she can. Her relationship with my parents is beginning to get rather strained, but they understand that it is her decision.

Aunt Gail did actually get 'married', although she it wasn't right away. I'm not going to spill the beans on who or how. After all, that is her story to tell.

THE END.