Arthur’s blue eyes flashed, and Paula stood up, toe to toe with Spencer.  “You are not gay.”

            “Mom, if it doesn’t happen now, it’s going to happen later.  Maybe you should get used to it.”  Spencer began to walk away, and Paula grabbed her.  “Are you going to slap me again?  Are you going to ship me off to boarding school?  Go for it!  There will be lots of girls there, won’t there mom?”  Spencer yelled, tears flooding down her beautiful face.  Paula stepped back. 

            “Paula…”  Arthur said softly. 

            “I’m sorry Dad, I know you wanted this to go better, but it’s not going too….”  Spencer announced.  The discussion began to fall apart, yelling and finger pointing at each other. 

            “…you will not walk away…”

            “…this isn’t how we raised you…”

            “…you have no idea what I’m feeling…”

            “ENOUGH!”  Arthur yelled loudly.  Spencer and Paula were standing toe to toe to each other.  Both red in the face, both angry. 

            “I’m in love with Ashley.”  Spencer said in an adult tone.

            “This goes against everything we’ve raised you to believe in.”  Paula stated.  “You have come to church with us, every single Sunday, Midnight Mass for Christmas.  You cannot be gay.”

            Arthur stood behind Spencer, rubbing his sad face.  “Paula… this isn’t about religion…”

            “I love her Mom.  If you think you have to cast me out because of that, then…  well…”  Spencer finally broke, tears spilling from her blue eyes.  “I can’t help who I am…”  Spencer turned right into her father’s waiting arms.  He held her close, rubbing the back of her head as she shivered in his arms.

            “Paula, enough of this…  We can’t make her into what we want her to be.”  Arthur stated.

            “She’s not going to be gay…”  Paula blared.  Clay winced at the top of the stairs, hearing every single word being said and quietly relaying to Glenn what was going on.

            “You shouldn’t be cheating!”  Spencer broke away from her father, storming up the stairs, past open-mouthed Clay, and into her room. 

            Arthur just looked at his wife, then down at his shoes and walked into the kitchen to find the bottle of whiskey he’d stashed there.  Paula quietly left the house, and the Carlin children each sat in their respective rooms, thinking, dealing and wondering where all of this left them