Alice and Dana were both collapsed on their backs, exhausted after their morning love-making. Panting Alice rolled over onto her side and snuggled up to Danas` side, and Dana wrapped her arm round her. They had gone to the bar last night but been so exhausted after their antics yesterday they had spooned each other and fallen fast asleep.

Alice – “Well we certainly made up for last night!”

Dana “Hell yeah!” She kissed Alices` head.

After a few minutes of silence, revelling in the afterglow of their passion, Alice decided to approach the subject she had wanted to ask Dana for a while.

Alice – “Dane honey, can I ask you about something?”

Dana – “Of course you can,” she said apprehensively.

Alice – “What happened with your family?”

Dana – “Oh right. I had known I was gay for a long time before I went to university but had denied it to myself until then. I met this girl there who was openly gay and we started as friends but then it became more than that. As is usually the way I thought it was serious and forever so decided it was time to come out to my mother, father and brother.

Growing up I had never been very close to my mother, she liked to associate herself with ‘affluent friends’ and I spent most of my time out of school being taken care of by a nanny. I was however very close to my father. I guess you would say I was a ‘daddy’s girl’. When he was not at work he would be out playing baseball or tennis with me at the park, or doing something sporty. My brother was a right pain in the arse. We wound each other up continually and got each other into trouble with our parents all the time. But we were so close, some said inseparable.

When I told my mother she was furious, disappointed … I guess ashamed. She said it was just a phase, almost rebellion against her and that it must stop straight away. No-one, especially her friends were to find out. She even went to the lengths of setting me up with possible young male suitors. I kept seeing my girlfriend but we were discreet.