#sorry rob

Muffled shouting grew louder as he reached the steps.

That can't be mama, Robert thought. Mabel had a gentle and soft voice, only ever raising it to sing while she cooked or knit. But as he creaked the door open, the voice of a woman overpowered that of the man’s. 

“So that’s it then, George? Our daughter will grow up as a madwoman? 

“Mabel-” 

“I can’t let you send her away!”

Robert shoved his back to the wall, catching his breath. 

Send her away? But Ruth told me nothing was wrong, the doctor even said so!

He didn’t move a muscle. Too afraid his parents could hear his footsteps. But Mabel wouldn't notice if an elephant stormed into the house, she was so angry. 

 “Mabel,” His father sighed, clearly exasperated. “It wounds me to even start to consider sending her to the asylum, but it may be for the best.” 

 “George, please,” Mabel’s voice began to grow desperate. Robert heard her move towards her husband. “We must do what we can. Get her...get her under control. Please, George, let me try.” 

 The air was still for a moment, Robert and his mother holding their breath while George considered the offer. The boy’s panic grew with each passing second. They weren't sending Ruth away, they would never. 

His father broke the silence with another sigh. “Alright. Alright, we can try our best, but if it comes to it...you know what we have to do.”

 Mabels voice fell. “Yes, of course.”

“if you were on the COMPUTER, then-then why didn’t you just GOOGLE-” Robbie began, but froze as they realized-this was their CHANCE!

If the little brats had come to THEM about this topic, then maybe that meant they WERE ready for this conversation! If Robbie could EXPLAIN what nonbinary meant, then maybe, just maybe, they could stop getting MISGENDERED whenever they weren’t a MAN, like for example, TODAY-

“Nonbinary is...well, ahem, it’s a-it’s a-” Lord help them, they had NOT prepared an explanation for this, “-a gender,” they finished, wincing.

“A gender?? There’s a THIRD one??” Ziggy gasped. “Why didn’t anybody tell me?!”

“No no no, it’s not ONE gender, there’s BILLIONS OF-” they stopped, and took a breath. Basics, Robbie, basics, these kids don’t have a degree in gender theory.

Time for a crash course.

“FIRST of all,” they said, holding up one finger to the sky, “There aren’t ONLY two genders! There’s so many more than just THAT, but that’s not the point. The point is, ANY gender you can think of that isn’t completely BOY, or-or completely GIRL is called...nonbinary!”

“Woah,” Ziggy and Pixel said simultaneously.

“In FACT,” Robbie said, giddy from their undivided attention, “I am nonbinary!”

They threw out their arms in a flourish. “TA-DA!!!”

“Whaaaat?” gasped Pixel, looking up at them in awe.

“No way! I thought you were a boy,” said Ziggy.

“Well-sometimes,” Robbie admitted, “But not ALL the time, and that’s the part that counts! I am PART man, and part-part...something else.”

“What else?”

“I-I don’t know! It doesn’t matter! It’s my OWN gender, my own NONBINARY gender!” exclaimed Robbie in frustration.

They sighed.

“It changes from day to day, you see,” Robbie explained, “Sometimes...I am a MAN! And you must call me...HE! and HIM! But, if I am feeling more like...well, the-the something else, then don’t you DARE call me he! You have to call me...THEY. and THEM!”

“How do we know if you’re a boy or not?” demanded Ziggy.

“The same way you know ANYONE’S gender,” Robbie said, “by ASKING.”

They straightened up. “Go on. Ask me.”

“Okay, uh, Robbie? Are you a boy today?” Pixel asked.

“Oh! I’m SO glad you asked,” they said, placing a hand to their chest, “And the answer is-No! No, I am not.”

“Cool!! Does that mean we have to say that we-we talked to THEM instead of HIM today??” asked Ziggy, practically shouting.

“You’ve got it EXACTLY, Candy Child!” Robbie grinned, throwing him a thumbs up.

“Wow. I didn’t know there was more than two genders,” Pixel said thoughtfully.

“Oh, there is WAAAY more than that, my boy,” they grinned, putting a hand on Pixel’s shoulder and gesturing out with the other, “Gender...is like a SUNDAE bar! You can pick, and choose, and BE whatever you feel like you are! There are ENDLESS combinations of how to present yourself, and the best part is? NOBODY can tell you what to DO!”

“Wow!!! Could I be nonbinary too??” asked Ziggy, vibrating with excitement.

“What? Sure,” Robbie said, shrugging, “ANYBODY can be nonbinary.”

“Great! Come on, Pixel, lets go tell the others!” Ziggy said, pulling on Pixel’s hand as they both raced back to town.

Robbie looked out after them, and sighed a contented sigh.

Maybe they WOULD stock up on a few pronoun pins after all.

-

The next day, Robbie was out and about when he caught the eye Ziggy from across the sports field.

“HEY ROBBIE!” screamed Ziggy from across the field, “Are you a boy today??? Huh???”

Robbie couldn’t help but chuckle. He had never been asked his gender like THAT before.

“Uh, ahem, yes! Yes I am!!” Robbie said, flashing a thumbs up.

“Cool!!! Me too!!!” Ziggy yelled back.