The year is 2004, and the air in the small, wood-paneled living room is thick with the scent of hairspray and nervous energy. Twenty-two-year-old Leo is wearing a shirt with too many sequins, pacing the carpet while his mother, Mary, finishes her tea.
"Mama," he says, his heart racing. "The song... that's where I've been going. That's who I am."
Mary looks at her son, then at the vibrant, chaotic street ahead of them. She reaches over and turns the volume knob back up as the track loops. Scissor Sisters - Take Your Mama
He’s spent weeks trying to find the words to tell her he’s gay, but every time he starts, the air leaves his lungs. Today, he’s given up on words. He’s going to use the rhythm.
They step out into the music, the secret finally out, dancing into a world that suddenly feels a whole lot brighter. The year is 2004, and the air in
By the time they reach the city lights, Mary is laughing, her head back, singing along to the falsetto chorus. The song acts as a bridge; the flamboyant, campy energy of the Scissor Sisters is stripping away the tension of the "sleepy town" they left behind.
As the final notes of the guitar solo fade, Leo pulls over under a neon sign. "The song
"Mama," he says, clicking a button on the stereo. "We’re going out."
