Definitely not a fad

Last week we sent out the wedding invitations to our Australian friends and family. It was a relief to finish the damn things, but it was also a little nerve-wracking to send them to my parents and brothers. Although they all knew about the wedding, receiving a formal-looking invitation is another matter. It makes things official, somehow. I was worried about how they might take it.

Mum called on Monday night to tell me she'd received the invitation, and that it was lovely. "I don't know what Dad thinks about it, though," she said.

I am used to this by know, of course. "Oh well," I said, "I'd like you all to come to the Brisbane celebration. It would mean a lot to me."

"Oh yes, Dad will come, and Aaron [my brother]. Aaron's excited already."

Mum is ill, and has been ill for a long time, so she doesn't know if she'll be well enough to make it to the party. She is also reluctant to leave the pets. This is not as much of an insult as it sounds; this is just the way she thinks. A lot depends, too, on her health at the time of the party. So we'll just have to wait and see.

Tonight I spoke to Mum on the phone again and she told me some momentous news. Last night she outed me to her best friend. Mum's friend, who has known me since I was born, suspected as much. She was at my brother's wedding last year, the wedding Heather and I attended together. It seemed pretty likely that we were a couple. Mum's friend took the news in her stride, like she's taken most things. Mum told someone that her daughter is a lesbian. And the world didn't fall apart.

I am so proud of my Mum tonight.