The Interview

     Val opened the recoding app on her phone and set it beside the coffee mugs that stood on the glass top of the Ottoman. She had her notepad on the ready too, to jot down her own thoughts as the interview proceeded. Harriet Reeding, the activist was sitting beside her on the large sofa with her legs folded beneath her on the cushion. Val smiled at her, pleasantries exchanged and coffees half-drunk, it was time to get on with the questions. 

     "So, you love each other?"

     "Duh!"

     "I know, but please, do bear with me. When did you fall in love?"

     "Hmm..." A smile lights up her face, "It was the final year at college. She was such a bookish thing, and I was a total dunce then. I sought her out and asked her to tutor me, and in return I told her that she can come to the bars wherever I performed and have free drinks. And you know, one thing led to another and here we are, ten years later."

     Val's stubby pencil scribbled away on the pad while she listened. "You both got pregnant. Was that via IVF? 

     "Yeah. I gave birth to our son, Greg, 'n she, our daughter, Tess.

     "That's wonderful. How old are the two?"

     "Greg's four 'n Tess is two".

     "That's brave of you; to have another kid while the first one's still a toddler." Val was of the opinion that her two nephews and her niece were responsible for her younger sister's premature ageing.

     "Yeah, it was crazy at times, but we managed."

     "Okay, another silly question, but my editor's dying to know - who wears the pants in your relationship?"

     Harriet greeted the question with laughter. "Both of us," she said, mirth still lingering on her face, "I prefer jeans, and she wouldn't wear anything other than cotton."

     "That should satisfy her. So back to the serious questions. How did your parents take the news?" 

     "Mine were never around, and I doubt they even know I'm married. But hers were oof... You wouldn't believe the words her usually pleasant mum used. Her dad, though, was confused, and I was worried that he might collapse under the stress then, but he came around first, admittedly a couple of years later, but still that's something. Her mum still hasn't talked to her yet. That's one stubborn woman. And by the way, don't print that." 

     Val wrote down 'parents', and circled it. "Wow. That must have been quite some experience. How did Vanessa handle the rejection from her parents?"

     "God, it was awful. She cried every single night for months. And in the mornings, she'd wash up and go to work with dark circles around her eyes. She looked like a panda (Don't print this one too.) It wasn't right for a mother to say those things about her own daughter. It just isn't. What kind of a mother would resent her child's happiness? That's madness, that."

     "I can imagine. But truth be told, mothers are humans too, and it's not obligatory for them to love their children. I'm glad you both love yours."

     "Yeah, we do. I mean, why wouldn't we? Sure they throw tantrums but hey, they are just kids. It's up to us to teach them to be loving, caring and responsible. That's what a parent's there for."

     "Yes, quite right. Does your own childhood influence your thoughts on this?"

     "Sure. I mean, I had to fend for myself. I made a lot of mistakes. Sometimes I wonder how I even made it to adulthood. And then She happened. Man, She was such a rudder."

     "You were gay before you met her?"

     "Yup. She wasn't though. I bent her." She laughed as she said it.

     "You have voiced your support for same sex marriages. And you have led a few rallies too. What stage do you think our country is at right now, in accepting same sex couples?"

     "We have the media's attention and nearly everyone's aware. It will be quite some time before we are completely accepted. Yeah, we'll get there." 

     "Do you extend your support to the entire spectrum - BTQ?" 

     "Yeah, definitely!" Harriet's answer came fast, like she'd practised this, "People shouldn't be forced to conform to one thing or 'nother. Each of us is different. Tryin' to be anything else can be very frustrating and sometimes even hellish. We should be free to choose our own paths. Just because it isn't the same as that of the majority doesn't mean that they shouldn't. Love, man, it chooses for you. And if you lose it then what's the point of being a human?"

     "Love, such a precious thing." Val pushed up her glasses back up her nose. "Just to be clear, do you support consensual deviations? Multi-amory, BDSM, Swingers and such?"

     "Not my kinks, but yeah. It's the same thing. If that's what you want you should do it as long as the other person or persons are ok with it too. No one but those directly involved get to have a say. It's their life. The only one they've got. And to live it in agony of self denial is just not right."

     "I want to revisit a previous aspect of this interview. The parents. What do you think they felt when you both came out?"

     "Fear of the society." Harriet seemed to be in her element. "I believe her mother lashed out because she was afraid of what other people might say. She imagined that her daughter would become an outcast or something. And she's right up to an extent, but that's just a phase. People soon realise that we are still the same after some time. We are still capable of doing our jobs, paying the taxes, and stuff."

     "Yes, fear. It's such a potent motivator. And you are a parent, how do you feel now?"

     "I'll defend my babies' rights. I'll be supportive."

     Val nodded at Harriet's answer, and she took a sip of the lukewarm coffee while she considered how best to phrase her next question. "A hypothetical question. Let's say that your children fall in love with each other, would you allow that?"

     "What! No. I mean, no one falls in love with a sibling. Growing up together just sucks the romantic aspect out. That's just not possible."

     The outburst form Harriet was a mild surprise. "Why not? It has happened, is still happening. Besides it's just a hypothetical question." 

     "But they are brother and sister." Harriet sounded as if that clarified her point.

     "Bigoted straight people say something similar about same sex relationships. Kids are curious. They tend to explore their body and if one finds the other's body different there's bound to be even more curiosity. And assuming that you raise them in a sex positive environment it still doesn't change things."

     "Incest is not right. In any form."

     "Why do you think that? If it's consensual, what do you think is wrong with it?"

     "Hello, congenital diseases."

     "A simple problem to overcome. IVF. I'm sure, in about a decade or two, we will have advanced far enough to eliminate the possibility of a congenital disease. And moreover, not everyone who are in a relationship look forward to having a child."

     "You are twisting my words." Harriet crossed her arms and leaned back, eyeing Val with suspicion.
 
     Val knew Harriet was running out of defences, and she pressed in further, "No, I'm not. There are people out there, old and young, who walk around carrying the guilt of their thoughts and desires. Don't they deserve happiness? And imagine how much more productive they can be at work if they do not have those emotional burdens to carry, if their love was not a stigma any more."

     Having said her piece, she folded her little notepad with the pencil bookmarking the page and sat up erect, leaning towards Harriet a little, watching the woman intently for a reply, but Harriet disappointed her

     "Do you practice incest?"

     "No. The issue is, should we tolerate it?"