When Ms Lawrence picked me up the next morning I was still all excited about riding Rocket. When I got in the car she gave me a few minutes to settle down, but after that she got this real serious look on her face like she did when she was teaching.

“Rodney did you going home for the holiday?”

“No maim. I never go home, haven’t been there since school started.”

“Are you parents out of the country?”

“No maim. They just don’t want me living there.”

 It got real quiet and I could tell she was thinking about what to say next ‘cause that’s what she did in class when some boy did something wrong with a horse. She never yelled just got quiet before she said anything.

“Do you mind if I ask you why?”

I didn’t know what to say so I just told her. “Because I’m queer.”

She smiled and sighed like I had just solved all her problems. It seemed strange to me how a kid could do that especially after what I just told her. I still wasn’t sure what was gonna happen. But right up ahead was a stop sign and when we stopped we stopped. Miss Lawrence looked over at me kinda the way I wish my mother did.

“So am I Rodney so am I. I was planning to talk to you about yesterday when Miss Greene kissed me goodbye and hoped you understood.”

I told her how much I liked Miss Greene.

“You know Miss Greene’s my favorite teacher besides for you. It seemed like even in third grade she already knew how I felt about certain boys in our class.”

“Why do you say that, Rodney?”

 “I’d stare at different boys in our class. She told me even though I liked looking at them I had to pay attention. I never told her anything she just new. She new too not to tell my parents, ‘cause they told me she said I was daydreaming.

“When I saw you two hug and kiss I hoped two women could be queer. I didn’t see any reason why not.”

I thought I’d said the wrong thing ‘cause she started to cry. I didn’t know what to do so I figured I’d do what I always wanted my mother to do when I was sad, I slid over on the seat and hugged her.

We just sat there right in the middle of the road until a car pulled up behind us and beeped their horn. And you know what happened? As we pulled away Miss Lawrence put her arm around me and looked down right into my eyes and said, “Thank you Rodney.”

You know it made me feel so good when she said that and the way she had her arm around me. I thought this is what it would be like to have a real mother.