Leaf pulled themselves up into the sycamore tree, taking care not to lose their footing whilst thinking about the note from their grandmother this morning. It's they/them, Grandma, please... The branches they clung to began to get thinner and less stable to stand on, but they wanted to get as high as possible to feel as alone as they could before ranting on to the tree trunk to help.
Earlier today, an owl had arrived from home, written by their grandmother, asking how they were but really it was just an entire two-page postcard from her Christmas holidays in Italy. She really liked to boast about everything good in her life. Worst of all, the letter served as a perfect reminder that the woman did not accept the pronouns Leaf preferred, and had the audacity to consistently get them wrong on purpose.
"Why can't she just use them like Dad does!?" The poor little twig took the full force of their frustration. "I know she wants me to feel 'proud to be a girl' but I'm not a girl!" They slouched on a slim branch and clutched another, "Why must she be such a git!" When Leaf was little, the two had had a good relationship, and neither would ever argue or insult each other, but now as an eleven-year-old, they could see just how set in her ways she could be.
"The older generations, eh? Call themselves the greatest generation. Really, they're just stubborn!"Leaf leaned back, hoping to find a branch behind them, but when there wasn't, quickly took a tighter hold on another branch and sat back in their previous position.
"Should I reply to her? If so, what could I possibly say?" They looked to the tree trunk for advice, but found none within its bark. "I can't just write 'It's they/them, thank you very much' and expect to be welcomed into her house ever again!" I guess I'll just put up with it for now.
