Free Disclosures - SF4 by Susan X Meagher

you, too!"
    Brendan came loping up to the small gathering, flashing the patented O’Flaherty grin. "We had a hell of time finding a place to park," he began, but did a double take when he saw he was alone. "I can’t believe I lost him again!" he groaned, standing on his tiptoes to look around.
    "Conor’s here too?" Ryan asked, amazed that her brothers would make the effort to join them.
    "Of course," Brendan said, as though this was their normal habit. "But he’s carrying a distraction with him that keeps delaying him."
    Seconds later, a smiling Conor popped from the crowd, carrying a giggling Caitlin on his shoulders. "Just my luck," he groused. "Every woman at this darned thing runs over to see the baby—and every one of them is a lesbian! I can’t catch a break!"
    Ryan nearly knocked the breath out of him with the hug she enveloped him in. "You are the best brothers in the world," she whispered fiercely.
    "We would have come before, but you were…"
    "Always on the motorcycle," she finished for him.
    "Plus, we had to bring Caitlin to her first parade." Ryan reached up and snatched the giggling baby, holding her in front of her body to carefully observe her. The youngest member of the clan wore a pink T-shirt emblazoned "Baby Woman," recently purchased for her by her beaming cousin.
    "Got your new shirt on, don‘cha baby?" Ryan cooed to the adorable tot.
    Making like she understood the thread of the conversation, Caitlin giggled and slapped at Ryan’s face, making both participants laugh together.
    Maeve went to talk with one of the leaders of the group and came back with Tshirts for the boys. "I think you two might want to wear these." She chuckled as she held them up for inspection. One read, "My sister’s gay and that’s okay," while the other proclaimed, "Straight, but not narrow."
    Conor immediately grabbed the latter, insisting, "I’ve been cruised more times than I can count, just walking over here. I want to make things perfectly clear!"
    Ryan laughed at his antics, knowing that her brother’s popularity would not be dimmed one bit by his proclamation that he was straight. In fact, some of her closest male friends were attracted exclusively to straight men. You can run, but you can’t hide , she silently smirked.
     
    A few minutes after noon, they were given the signal to take off, marching together as a family under the banner "Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays."
    The ovation they had received on their bikes paled in comparison to the reception they now received. PFLAG was one of the most beloved groups in the entire community, and the enthusiasm of the crowd certainly supported that claim. Maeve had been a member since the year Michael disclosed that he was gay, and she remained very active in the local chapter even now, 11 years after his death. She often told Ryan that the group was the major factor in getting her through the pain of his illness and death, since so many other mothers in the group were struggling with the same issue. Martin had never joined, mainly since he didn’t struggle much with the news of his daughter’s lesbianism. But seeing the impact the group had on the assembled crowd, he began to rethink his decision. Leaning over to his sister-in-law he commented, "I think I just might have to join you at your next meeting, Mrs. Driscoll."
    Startled by this declaration, she beamed up at him and said, "It would be my pleasure, Mr. O’Flaherty."
     
    The parade route seemed significantly longer on foot than it had on the bikes, and by the time they reached the Civic Center they were all exhausted, except for the youngest member of the crowd. Caitlin had ridden on every pair of shoulders except for Maeve’s, so she was as fresh as a daisy.
    The boys both had things to do, so they were anxious to get going. They agreed to take the bikes home in the truck so that Ryan and Jamie could just hop on Muni for the ride home.
    Logistics settled, the five remaining participants sat down