"So, I think I owe it to you, Dad .."

For about a decade or so I had been too busy for a girlfriend to my family in Ohio. Driving away from my dad two years absolutely crushed me, and wasn't sure I ever really wanted to go out to Ohio again, or for a really long time at least. There was too much between us, in my mind, to just turn my back on that whole part of the family, but not enough to really make and keep any kind of connection, or even conversation. First semester of this last school year killed me again; my dad flat out asked where I saw myself after school, which is fine: grad. school, certifications, teaching, working, and then he asked about MARRIAGE, and I felt awful keeping him in the dark for so long; I had to tell him. At the last possible moment, after everyone but my dad and I had gone to bed on Sunday I innitiated a pretty serious conversation, starting with how much I appreciate what he's done for me.

BIG RE-CAP. OF MY PAST WITH MY DAD
I'm the product of a one night stand, flat out. My mom went ahead and had me, obviously, and my had seriously stepped up to the plate, and did his part to take care of me from Ohio, against the advice of his parents. In first grade my dad came out to Phoenix to see me at school, and then spend a few days with me, and aside from a few letters and phone calls, that was it until 5th grade, which is when my dad's wife, Tracy, thought it would be a good idea to have my mom and I fly out there. I guess there was a huge scramble on my grandparents' part to make sure the family out there knew who I was, and even that I existed, 'cause I had never really been mentioned up until that point. Long story short, I started going out to Ohio every other summer from this point on, my dad came out for my high school graduation, and talked to him on the phone maybe once or twice a month, but there wasn't ever a really strong bond between him and I.

END OF THE BIG RECAP

After the appreciation dialogue, my dad's last glass of wine, and my beer, I knew it was my only chance to get it out there, so said something along the lines of, "so I guess I owe it to you, Dad, I'm gay." and braced for the worst.
"Are you sure??"
-Yeah, Dad.
"You're sure??"
-Yeah.
"Wow."
That was pretty close to verbatim I imagine.

The dialogue went on between us for a while, and somehow, eventually marraige was brought up which is what solidified everything for me, my dad told me that he would support me with whatever decisions I make in the future, which is absolutely incredible. For anyone who doesn't know my dad, or much about my dad, basically everyone out there, he, and the rest of the family out there, is fairly conservative, and extremely religious; this could've been a complete landslide, I had no idea what to expect, but braced myself for the worst.

So that's that. Back in Phoenix when I was unpacking I gave my grandparents a, "by the way guys, you know I'm gay, right?"
-Yeah.