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New Meaning:

Sugar and Spice

By Ariel Montine

Will Tony choose Sugar and Spice in the end?

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New Meaning:

Sugar and Spice

By Ariel Montine

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New Meaning

All thru life there are choices that can give new meaning to our lives. There is no one larger factor in our lives than what gender we express.

• To a preteen before sexuality comes into it, the new meaning may be a choice between snails pails and puppy dog tails or sugar and spice.

 

• To a tween it may be a choice between rough and tumble or ribbons and curls.

 

• To a teen it may be a choice between grit and grunge or makeup and curves.

Each is a challenge in and of itself.

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Sugar and Spice

Tony, who wants a new computer that will play the latest video game, is asked by Jenny, his sister, to replace a sick friend at a special sale. The catch is that Tony will have to become a girl scout to help. Will Tony choose Sugar and Spice in the end?

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Part One ~ Resuscitation 

 

What could possibly happen to Tony so that he would be willing to do anything for his sister Jenny?

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I had my slingshot, ‘Wrist Rocket’ , and was firing smooth stones from the lake’s edge at some tin cans that Mom had given to me after okaying the spot where I intended to set up to do some target practice.

Fwoooosh! Clang! A direct hit and the tin can flew off the tree stump towards the woods.

We were so lucky that Mom had booked the cabin down at Laura S. Walker state park for the MLK holiday weekend. It was a glorious 84 degrees outside when back in Atlanta, the high was going to be 59. Tomorrow it was supposed to be near 90 and we could even go in swimming! Jenny, my sister, was off doing things to earn Girl Scout Badges and she was really happy as well.

I loaded up the ‘Wrist Rocket’ with another smooth stone and pulled back as I concentrated to aim it just right.

At just the wrong time, my concentration was disrupted as my shoulder was tapped.

"Aiiiiieeee!" Fwoooossshhh!

The stone went way wide so there wasn’t a clang. I turned around and saw Jenny.

"Tony, please play with me."

I did do my best to play with Jenny. She was my sister after all. I had even played some of her girly games with her once upon a time. I had gotten too old for that to be cute anymore. Fortunately there was stuff we could do together now that wasn’t really a boy or a girl game but just kid’s games. I wanted to be cross at her disrupting my aim but I could never stay upset with Jenny. We were closer than any brother and sister that I had ever known about.

"Okay, Munchkin! But remember, you gotta pick something that both boys and girls can play. Let’s play something outside as well, okay?"

"Okay, Tony. Why don’t we go to the lake side and skip rocks?"

"Sure, Jenny. I’d enjoy that."

Jenny had a real talent for skipping rocks, not just for a girl, but for anyone. We started by cooperating to find the best rocks. I knew just the weight that Jenny liked and she knew the weight that I liked so we would trade off before starting so that each of us would have the best chance to do our best. We didn’t really compete when we threw rocks to skip them either, and instead we just congratulated or commiserated with the other as each rock was thrown.

After Jenny had thrown a rock which was amazing and kinda skipped about 10 or 11 times, We both were out of rocks.

"Woo Whee!"

"Way to go, Jenny! That was sensational! Thanks for suggesting this! I have really enjoyed it! Do you wanna go find some more rocks?"

"Wait, Tony! Here comes Mom"

Mom was carrying a picture of lemonade out on the dock.

"Children, please join me out on the dock. I have some lemonade for us!"

"Yes, Mom"

"Comin’ Momma"

We sat around the metal table with the built in bench seats and the umbrella on top. Mom poured each of us a glass of lemonade.

"I believe, that I will stay here by the lakeside and read for a while. Tony, you can take Jenny out in the canoe on the lake if you are careful and stay in sight of me."

"I’d love to go out in the canoe! What about you, Jenny?"

"I’d love to go out in the canoe, too!"

"Okay, children. First you both have to put on your life vests and have me check them to make sure they are secure."

I went over to get the life vests first out of the wooden box on the dock. I handed one to Jenny to put on and then. I put mine on. I brought back two oars from the box and closed it.

"Jenny, your vest is checked out. Please take those oars from Tony so I can check his vest."

"Yes, Momma!"

Jenny took the oars and Mom checked my life vest.

"Yours is okay too, Tony. I’ll steady the canoe while you two get in and situated."

Jenny carried the oars to the dock beside the canoe. Momma held the canoe while I got in and sat down. Next it was Jenny’s turn as I helped her into the canoe. Soon she was sat down as well. Mom handed a oar to both Jenny and I.

"Are you all set, both of you?"

"Yes Mom!"

"Okay Momma!"

"I’ll undo the rope from the dock and give you all a push off. Be careful Children!"

Momma did just that and we waved goodbye to her. She settled into her chair reading and sipping lemonade after a while. It was such a calm and peaceful time in the morning with the hint of a breeze as Jenny and I paddled on the lake. We waved to our Mother who was faithfully watching us.

"Come on, Tony, paddle! I want to get to the other side of the lake!"

"Okay, Jenny, but we have to stay together in order to do much better."

"I have just the thing!"

Jenny started the Radio Disney CD in her boom box and put on a song which just screamed girl and cutesy but it had a beat.

"Oh, Jenny! Don’t you have anything a bit more, you know, less girly."

"Come on, Tony. This song has the best beat of any on the CD. Let out your inner girl and go with the flow!"

"Jenny, I don’t have an inner girl to let out. Anyway, I have to admit it has a nice beat! Let’s paddle!"

We were right in since with the music playing and we were able to move at a pretty good clip thru the water and soon we came to the other side of the lake. I didn’t see the stump hidden just below the water’s surface till it was too late.

"Tony, Watch out! There’s a ..." Thud!

The canoe tumbled over throwing Jenny free to make a quick dive into the water where she appeared to land okay. However I stayed closer to the boat as it somersaulted. I heard a loud crack as my oar smacked me in the head and stunned me. I was tossed down when I crashed head first into the stump and then there was nothing.

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My eyes fluttered open, there was a dry,musty taste in my mouth. I appeared to be lying in a bed in a hospital room. I smiled when I saw my sister and mother by my bedside.

"Tony! You’re awake! Momma, He’s awake!"

"What happened!"

"Tony, I am so glad you are awake. You gave us all quite a scare!"

"Where am I?"

"We took you to the hospital over in Waycross, just a few miles away.. You have to stay in bed for a while, Tony. Your head took quite a beating. They have to make sure you are okay. Jenny, please get the nurse, I’m sure that they will realized that Tony is awake and come in soon to check on him, anyway."

"I’ll get the nurse, Momma."

"Thank you, Jenny!"

Jenny left and Momma came in close and gave me a big hug and kiss as though something horrible had just been averted."

"Momma?"

"Tony, you would have died without Jenny knowing just what to do. Do you remember being in the boat paddling with Jenny?"

"Yeah, we were paddling to the other side of the lake to one of Jenny’s cutesy, girly songs. We hit a hidden stump and the canoe capsized. Jenny was thrown clear but I was knocked out."

"If it were not for Jenny and what she learned with her Girl Scout lifesaving badge, you would have died Tony."

"Gosh!"

"Jenny dove down and saw you caught in that submerged tree stump’s roots and out like a light. She pulled you free and got you to shore. She started CPR on you and kept you alive until I and the help that I had called when I saw the boat capsize reached you."

"Oh my! I’m really glad that Jenny was there to save me. I’m sorry for scaring you, Mom."

"It’s okay, Tony! I’m just so glad that you are okay. Can I get you anything?"

"Could I have some water?"

"Sure!"

There was a large insulated container the size of a ‘Big Gulp’ on the table by my bed. Mom poured out some water and ice into a smaller glass and held it to my lips so that I could drink it. I took a sip and then took the glass from Mom and took a couple more. I handed it back to Mom to put back on the bedside table.

"Thanks, Mom! That was just what I needed!

Jenny came back with a nurse in tow. Another nurse and a doctor came in soon afterward. The Doctor spoke to Mom and Jenny.

"I’d like you both to leave while I examine Tony. You can come back in when I’m thru."

"Bye, Son!"

"Bye, Tony!"

My sister and Mom left the room as requested. The Doctor had not quite told the truth. While it was true that Mom and Jenny could come back into the room when the Doctor finished his examination while the nurses assisted, I on the other hand had to leave the room to get another test, this time an MRI. Thru the exam I started feeling stronger and by the time that they sent me off for the MRI, I was just restless. Finally they brought me back to the room and I was reunited with my Sister and Mother.

"It’s so good for me to see you both. I didn’t think I would ever get back here."

"It’s great to see you too, Tony!"

"You look better, Tony. Are you feeling any better?"

"Jenny, its great to see you too! I’m feeling much better, Mom! When can I get out of here?"

"They need to keep you overnight, Tony for observation, but in the morning we can get you out of here"

"That’s great, Mom! Does that mean that the knock on my noggin is okay?"

"Tony, they have looked at that blow to your head and it looks like that there wasn’t any permanent damage, thank goodness. Now that you are in the clear, and while you are in the hospital, I’m going to get them to do some tests on that wound on your bottom that doesn't seem to want to heal all the way. I’m going to make arrangements for that now. Jenny, please stay here and look after your brother."

"Sure, Momma!

Mom left us and it gave Jenny and I the first chance to be alone since I had woken up.

"Oh, Jenny! How can I ever thank you for saving my life?"

Jenny grinned at me in a mischievous way and I wondered what would come next. Jenny’s voice took on a low tone as if she were trying to imitate some gangster on TV.

"There will come a day, maybe not today, or maybe not tomorrow, but soon, that I will ask you for something and you will have to give it to me!"

"Oh Jenny, don’t you think you are being a little too dramatic?"

"Maybe, Do you promise, Tony?"

"I promise, Jenny. I love you and I would do anything for you. If it’s something you really want then I’ll do my best and not complain, what ever it is that you want me to do."

Momma came back in with a smile on her face.

"I’ve made the arrangements, Tony. You need your rest so I believe Jenny and I can leave for right now. We’ll be back by to check on you. I’m going to tell you a secret, Tony. You would think that a hospital would be a great place to rest but it’s not. They will be taking you out to do tests during the day and even at night they will wake you up periodically to see how you are doing. The best thing to do is get all the short naps that you can in between them caring for you and checking on you."

"Thanks, Mom! I will take all the naps that I can because I sure want to get out of here in the morning."

"Goodnight, Tony. Sleep well!"

"I will y’all. Good night!"

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I heard as if I were dreaming in the twilight between waking and sleeping two voices. I still had my eyes closed and was lying still so I’m sure they thought that I was still asleep. Maybe I was still asleep and I was dreaming the voices.

"Doctor, have you been able to determine if there is anything worse with Tony’s wound on his bottom?"

"Please call me, Cindy, Teri. I feel we can speak freely now, since Tony is clearly asleep."

"Cindy, according to what I was told when Tony was a baby, the time is approaching when something must be done."

"Yes, it’s clear that a choice will need to be made within the next year."

"I’ve watched for signs but I hadn’t seen anything that I thought was conclusive."

"Perhaps, it’s time to make something happen even if it is a bit disruptive. Ut oh! excuse me for a moment, Teri"

"Of course. Cindy. What is that which you are injecting in Tony’s IV?"

"It’s a sedative. Tony really needs to get some good sleep now that we know that all is well. That sedative will allow Tony more than a catnap and I’ll leave word with the nursing staff to rely only on the remote monitoring for the next check. I want to wait to make sure Tony reacts well to the sedative then we can go somewhere else to continue."

"How should we shape a situation so that we will know what choice is best?"

"I’m sure that something will occur to us, when we all get back home. We’ll just have to put our thinking caps on. I’ve become Jenny’s ........"

The voices became too muffled to hear anymore as I sunk deeper into sleep and then there was nothing.

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Well, I woke up and was released from the hospital. Mom did clear up for me that confusing talk about my wound on my bottom that I had overheard in twilight sleep. She had to correct me on some things because, I guess I didn’t remember it completely right. She didn’t get upset with me but tried to explain it the way that I would understand instead of doctor talk like they were using.

"Mom, I overheard you and Doctor Cindy talking while I was supposed to be sleeping and I don’t understand what I heard. The jist of what I got was that something needs to be done about my wound on my bottom within the next year."

"Tony, You don’t have to worry about that. I’ve told you before that we need to take care of your wound on your bottom so that it is healed. Nothing we have tried so far has done it. In the next year you might begin changing from a boy into a man. When that starts happening, It will be much harder to heal your wound. The Doctor reminded me of that and we talked about what method we might use to heal it. In the end I want nothing more than for my little Tony to be whole."

"Thank you, Mom, for explaining it to me so I could understand. Doctor Cindy is really smart! I’m sure she’ll come up with the best way to make me whole, while it is easiest to do."

"I love you, Tony! I’m sure that Doctor Cindy will find the best way to make you whole too!"

We even had a day of fun after I was released before we had to load up in the car to make the trip back to Atlanta. Both Mom and Jenny were a bit more protective of me for a while. What puzzled me was that Jenny never asserted herself in order to take advantage of the debt that I owed her. Finally, Winter gave way to Spring and Spring gave way to School being let out for the year.

It was out of the blue when my sister came to me with a sad story of need without once mentioning the debt I owed her. Even before I heard what she wanted, I knew that I could not refuse her.

Part Two ~ Temptation

 

Does Tony understand the real price of getting that new computer to run his game?

 

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"To-ny! Wouldn't you like to do this for me! Please!" She had those sad puppy dog eyes that I could not refuse. I knew I would give in no matter what it was but I could withhold my acceptance till I knew what she had in mind.

"Do what, sis?"

"You just have to sell cookies. Gretchen was my selling partner but she's sick with the bug going round."

"I'm so sorry Gretchen is sick. So many kids are sick with that bug that not many families are untouched." I knocked on wood since so far our family were one of the few where the bug had not hit.

"The girls in my Girl Scout Troup are sending her a get well card. You can put a note in it too. Do you wanna?"

"Maybe. Where are you going to sell cookies? In front of Walmart?"

"No, we have a much better place to sell them and we get to go to a basketball game too."

"Which basketball game?"

"The WNBA game on Friday at Philips Arena. They said that we could send 10 kids to sell cookies at the game."

"The WNBA game? Jenny, is this your Girls Scout Troop selling Girl Scout cookies at the game?"

"Yes, this is our big fund raiser for the year. Missing even one person will mean quite a difference in our sales especially from what should be very willing customers."

"Why doesn't another girl from your troop take Gretchen's place?"

"All the rest but me and the other eight girls are sick too. We tried asking girls outside the troop but everyone who isn't sick is going to the sold out Jonas Brothers concert that Radio Disney is promoting."

"If I agree to go sell cookies, what's the catch?"

"They are only letting Girl Scouts in Uniform inside Philips Arena to sell the cookies, You'll have to be a convincing Girl Scout not only to get in but to be effective selling cookies."

"When you put it that way, how could I refuse?" I rolled my eyes at her so she knew I was being sarcastic.

"Only if getting that new laptop you have your eyes on doesn't mean anything to you, Anthony."

"Sis, That's a wonderful prize, but it's meaningless if you can't deliver."

"I can do just fine with your one year old laptop for my school work. But you need the latest laptop in order to play that brand new computer game that is all the rage with your friends. Next week is my birthday and Mom is going to buy me a brand new computer like she did for you on your birthday last year. I'll even throw in a copy of that computer game you want to play on it."

"Will Mom allow you to trade with me? It's still meaningless if she makes us trade back."

"Well then it's me that you ought to be asking about this!"

"Mom, will you let Jenny trade her new laptop to me in exchange for me being a Girl Scout to sell cookies?"

"I'll let you trade if you give your all to be the best Antonia that you can be."

"Mom, you know me when I do something, I'll give it my all. It's a short time for so drastic a change. What if I'm not good enough to pass as a girl?"

"That's why you have to start now and live as Antonia 24/7 thru the WNBA game and continuing until the sales contest is over. If you do your best and either Jenny or I decide that its not good enough then I'll do what it takes for your computer to be upgraded to play that computer game that you want to play anyway."

"It's a deal! Turn me into a Girl Scout!"

"Well let's talk about this first for a monent, girls!"

"Huh?"

"Exactly, Antonia. Being a girl starts with you accepting yourself as a girl inspite of what you happen to look like.

Mom motioned us over to sit in the living room. She took her customary seat in the little rocker and Jennifer sat down first naturally for a girl, smoothing her skirt under her, and sitting with her legs together and crossing them at the ankles. I didn't have a skirt, yet but I copied her smooth way of sitting down and I kept my legs together and crossed them at the ankles too.

"Mom, is this like method acting? I put everything in being the person I am portraying so that nothing of the old me comes out and detracts from my presentation."

"Exactly Antonia, it comes first from your mind and along the way you will learn how to really be comfortable and will want to do things in keeping with the person you are portraying. You did things nicely copying Jennifer's way of sitting down. You observed that the way that Tony would do it no longer fit and that's good. However to be completely natural, you'll have to be more than just a copy of other females, you will have to find something original to you which fits in with the feminine person you now are portraying. "

"I get that, Mom. May I copy girls till I understand how to do it, if I had grown up as Antonia?"

"Of course, Antonia. And there are some things that you can copy since we all do like that. Girls of a certain age tend to call their Mothers, Momma, as Jennifer does. What do you feel like you should call me, Antonia?"

"I should call you Momma, too and that makes it seem like I am more one of the family and one of the girls. What does it really mean to be one of the girls, Momma?"

"Being one of the girls means that you are part of a sisterhood, not just with your sister Jennifer, but with all women. You'll feel a little closer to those like Jennifer and I who are related to you by blood and that's normal. We girls cooperated with each other and greet each other with a smile even if we are strangers. We get a smile in return becasue we are all connected even if we haven't really met yet.

"Wow, Momma! That seems a whole lot better than anything that I have experienced as a boy. If I tried to greet other boys with a smile I might have been beaten up for it. Being a girl seems a whole lot better, Momma."

"Well there are other things to think about when you've grown up to be a woman. Since you are still a girl and your body isn't ready to start that journey toward being a woman, we won't have to worry about them yet. As a child, this is the fun part of your life, and even more so living that childhood as a girl."

"Momma, you told me that I am made differently down there from Jenny. That's why we don't get to take baths together like Jenny told me that her friends, the twins, Evie and Wynona, do that."

"We'll have to do something about that, just for the time that you are Antonia. However, at this age the rest of your body is more like Jennifer's body. And we'll have to do something about your hair."

"How can that be, Momma? I thought that boys were made of snails and pails and puppy dog tails?"

"What is meant by 'being made of' in the nursery rhyme is really what is in their minds which is played out in their actions. By making the leap to being Antonia, you give your life a new meaning. Like the girls in the rhyme, you are now made of sugar and spice and everything nice. It starts with having that kind of mindset and that flows over into your actions."

"So my life has a new meaning, Momma? When I decided to think as a girl then I will start acting as a girl. I guess that might start with my hair. It really is wild and unkept."

"Unlike Jennifer's neatly cut and kept hair, yours has been allowed to go wild and long, and you don't do anything to take care of it."

"Can I get my hair cut like Jennifer's, Momma? Is it okay for sisters to have hair cuts the same? Would you mind if my hair was cut like yours, Jenny?"

"Of course not, silly. I feel like it is sweet that my big sister wants to copy my style. You'll see that having just one element the same does not make it so that you have to copy everything. You'll have so many more options on how you look as a girl than you did as a boy. I love you, Sister!"

"I love you too, Sister"

We leaned in together and had a big soft hug. Then we gracefully untwined and were back sitting nicely side by side and a little closer together.

"It's okay if their mother cuts their hair and she only can do good with one style, at your ages, Antonia. If it were when you were older, you could get a haircut at my beauty salon."

"That sounds like fun for you Jenny? What style would you pick if you had everything at the salon to choose from?"

"I'm not sure, Antonia. I hope that I can find something that suits me as well as the hair cut that Momma gives me. She may only know one cut but she knows that one really wonderfully."

"Thank you, Sweetie. I want both of you girls to look your best."

"So how do I start being the best girl that I can be, Momma?"

"Well, I guess we had better start with a bubble bath. You can wash off all those boy smells and start smelling like a girl. This is different from your sister's bubble bath since she likes strawberries and we'll try you out at the start with cucumber melon. The shampoo and conditioner and all of the skin care products that I got for you all have that same scent so you will smell like Antonia instead of like Jennifer or me. Each girl should have her own scent and this is just the way to start you off with your very own."

"Thank you for going to all that trouble, for me. Cucumber Melon was the scent that I liked when you had me smelling all of those shampoo smells because you said you wanted to try something new and you wanted my opinion since Jenny was off at a sleepover at Evie and Wynona's house. Thank you for remembering, Momma."

"You are welcome, Sweetie. I also got you one set of girl's clothing transposing your boy's sizes. You can put on the underclothes and robe after your bath and come out to the Kitchen and I will cut your hair while it is still damp, like I do Jennifer's."

"So after I get my hair cut, then I get to put on the girl's clothes. That will be really nice. I have made up my mind that I am a girl, so wearing girl's clothes should be natural for me now."

"It will be different, for you sweetie, but different can be good. You've done so well accepting yourself as a girl in your mind. It will be interesting to see how things go when you look like a girl on the outside too. Looking like a girl and being a girl in your mind should help you learn to do things like a girl would."

"I can't wait to start. Will you get what I need for me, Mommy?"

"Sweetie, it's all laid out in my bedroom and in my bathroom. If you were not willing to help your sister, I didn't want you to know about the preparations I made. If you had said no, everything would have gone back to the store, and nothing further said about it. You'll have a nice private place to yourself, to take your bath and get dressed. I'll be near enough to answer questions or to come in to help you if you need it."

"Thank you, Momma. I'm really looking forward to seeing how I turn out as a girl."

"Off you go to my room then, Sweetie"

And that is how it started. They started with just turning me into a girl, The girl scout would come later on, I guessed. Momma and Jenny, had been lulled into a false sence of security, with my easy acceptance of the deal. I really wanted to help my sister, there was just not enough time to drag my feet and complain. If I did that then, I would not have time enough to give it my all. Even doing my best, there may not be time enough. I felt mischevious and guessed if I controled myself to do things willingly, it would give me a chance at some really satisfying mischief when they least expected it. I would make my mischief planning part of my training, by doing it like a girl.

Part Three ~ Demonstration

Does a bath in sweet smelling scents, a cute new girl's haircut and new girl's clothing make the difference for Antonia?

 

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I went to Momma's bedroom and found laid out on the bed a girl's outfit. Inside the bathroom was girl's underclothes and a girl's robe. Laid out on the table in the bathroom was Dove shampoo and conditioner, shower gel and bubble bath, Facial and body cream moisturizer. They all had that cucumber melon wonderful smell that I adored. Along beside the products were hand written instructions to a girl named Betty about how and when to use each product. I was perplexed by that so I went out of the bathroom and out of Momma's room to find her sitting in a rocking chair reading in the hall right outside her door.

" Momma, Everything is wonderful that you provided. Thank you. May I ask a question?"

"You just did and you may ask another one as well."

I rolled my eyes at her. "Momma! I'd like to ask who Betty is to whom you wrote the instructions."

"We didn't get that far in our talk, Antonia. As a boy you were given the name Anthony Robert but if you had been born a girl you would have been named, Beatrice Antonia in honor of my great aunt."

"Momma, I hadn't realized that Antonia was part of my name had I been born a girl. It's kinda nice to be named for my great aunt. Does the nickname Betty come from Beatrice?"

"Yes, Sweetie and Betty was your great aunt's nickname too. We have been calling you Antonia which sounds just enough different from Anthony that it's clear that we are speaking to a girl. However being called Antonia all the time is rather formal and shortening it to Toni sounds like your boy nickname so that could be confusing. By using Betty for your nickname, it's still clear that we are speaking to a girl."

"That makes sence. Thank you Momma. It will take a bit getting used to but I think I can answer to Betty."

"Thank You, Betty. This way Toni is still a nickname for you, too. if one of us messes up and calls you Tony, we can pretend that it really was Toni that we called you."

"I guess it's about time that I quit smelling like a icky boy. Thank you again for everything you provided for me."

"You are welcome, Betty. You can call me if you need my help in there."

"Thanks, Momma!" I went into Momma's room, closing the door behind me and into the bathroom. Momma's written instructions were very precise and I followed them to the letter. I had a very fun time with the tub filled with water with the bubbles and wonderful smell of the bubble bath. I had a princess bath thingie that I lathered up with the shower gel and was able to wash everywhere. I followed Momma's instructions on washing and conditioning my hair. She even had diagrams on how to wrap one towel around my head like a turban and the other around my body. Since I was a girl now, I had to keep my nipples covered like every other girl does. That was strange but it felt right for me now.

When I was dry, I put on the moisturizer on my body and face. I smelled good from head to toe and now I smelled like a girl! I followed Momma's instructions on putting on the 2 pairs of panties to hide what was down there and the vest. I put on my robe and decided that coping with girl's clothes by myself even with instructions was a bit too much for me. I went out the door to my mother's bedroom and found her still reading in the hall.

"Oh! Who smells so good?"

"It's me, Betty! Can you help with the clothes? I followed the instructions with my bathing but my brain is on overload for all this new stuff."

"Betty, why don't we go down to the kitchen first and let me cut your hair. You should be warm enough with the cape I'll put over you to keep any of the hair that I cut off of you."

"Sweet, Momma. After you are thru, my hair will not only smell like girl's hair but look like girl's hair too."

Momma took off the towel and ran her fingers thru the still damp hair on my head.

"That new shampoo and conditioner did wonders for your hair. After I've cut and styled and dried your hair, I'll see if you need any hair products to make up for the abuse your hair took not being taken care of."

"I'll be sure to use the shampoo and conditioner when I bathe like you instructed to take care of my hair now, Momma."

"Betty, it will be your responsibility to brush and comb your hair out in the morning and check your appearance during the day to make sure it is still in place. I'll teach you how to use barrettes and other hair thingies to manage your hair so that it stays put when you are really active."

"Momma, I'll be glad to do that too."

I sat in the chair the way that I had seen Jenny do and Momma put the cape over me. She sectioned off my hair with clips and began to cut it. Momma had placed a mirror on the counter so I could see what she was doing just like she did for Jenny when she cut her hair. As Momma cut my hair we continued to talk.

"Momma, I want to be a girl that you can be proud of."

"I am proud of you, Betty. You are being a good sister to Jenny to help her with selling the girl scout cookies. I like that you are taking this seriously and without complaining."

"It was the reward that convinced me to help Momma. But once I decided I would do it, it just made sense to give it my all the way I do anything else. I really want to help Jenny and doing this half way or complaining making me miserable and both you and Jenny in the process does not seem good to me. Do you think I am getting caught up being 'one of the girls' and cooperating more now?"

"Could be. Learning cooperation is a good skill no matter what gender you are but it is very important for girls. "

Momma called upstairs, "Jenny, could you come down to the Kitchen, I'm cutting your sister's hair and we have some more things to talk about."

"Coming Momma!"

Jenny glided down the stairs traveling almost as quickly as I might have as a boy without the bounding and the noise.

"Antonia, you smell wonderful."

"Thanks, Sis. You can call me Betty for short. My name now is Beatrice Antonia just like it would have been if I had been born a girl."

"Okay, Betty! Momma is doing a wonderful job on your hair. She's just got a lot of work since it's been so unruly for so long."

"Girls, we need to be clear on our story now that we have Betty staying with us instead of Tony. Instead of being sisters, you girls are going to be half sisters for our cover story. You see for our cover story Tony has a different father than you do, Jenny"

"And Tony and Betty are twins separated at birth just like in Disney's 'The Parent Trap'! Right, Momma?"

Very good, Jenny. That's right and when I divorced Betty's Father, he got custody of Betty in the Divorce decree and I got custody of Tony."

" I guess Momma that I found out about having a brother and a Mother over the internet and got my Daddy to swap me for Tony temporarily so I could learn about my mother and Tony could learn about his father."

"Right again, Betty. And the reason why you are such a tomboy, is that you were raised by your father without a mother. As of right now the swap is made, Betty so you'll be here staying with your half sister, Jenny and I until you get swapped back with your brother, Tony"

I was so involved in the conversation that I had hardly noticed that as Momma was talking, she also was cutting my hair very professionally for the shag cut that both Jenny and I now shared. Momma held the mirror up for me so I could see all sides of my head. I began getting really full of energy because there was no doubt that the face looking back at me in the mirror was that of a girl. There was a real resemblance now that could not be denied between me and my sister.

"Now that you have admired yourself in the mirror, what do you think of your haircut, Betty?"

"I love it, Momma. I can't wait to get dressed in the clothes that you have laid out for me upstairs."

"Why don't you go ahead and get started and I will join you upstairs in a moment after this is tidied up."

Jenny took the cape off of me and folded it up to place in the laundry hamper while Momma put up her hair cutting tools and helps. I carefully got up and picked my way out of the kitchen as to not track anything and went up the stair and into my mother's bedroom. The instructions suggested that I take off my robe and put it in the laundry hamper in Momma's room. Next I was to put on some white knee socks by gathering each sock together before putting it on my toes so that I could cover my legs with them without just pulling them up by the ends. It was kinda like rolling them up my feet and legs. I had some shoes to put on which were patent leather black with a buckle that Momma called "'Mary Jane's" I was getting ready to put on the pink dress which Momma said was an A-line, when Momma came in."

"I see I am just in time to help you with your dress, Betty."

"Yes, Momma"

"Just raise your arms to the sky and stand tall and I will drop the dress over you."

"Okay!" The dress dropped over my head and my arms went into the sleeves. Momma tugged it down till it was nice and snug resting on my shoulders as it hung down around me.

"Before we go to the mirror, I have some accessories for you, First is your new patent leather purse which matches your shoes down to an identical buckle. Your new girl's wallet, brush, comb, and hair thingies are inside it. Around your neck, I am placing upon you a silver locket for you with a picture of me inside when I was a girl."

Momma placed the locket around my neck and fastened it and I let my purse hang by it's strap on my shoulder and end up by my side about waist high.

"Last I have a bit of Cucumber Mellon Scent for you. Just spray a puff of it into the air in front of you and step thru the mist to let it get on you without overwhelming you."

I did as I was told and it was such fun to be engulfed by the sweet scent.

"Betty, put on the cap and you can put it in your purse for later. Remember a little goes a long way and you don't ever want to get so much on you that you stink instead of smell nice."

"Thank you, Momma" Momma borrowed my brush and brushed out my hair in it's new style one last time then took me by the hand and led me to the mirror.

"Momma, is this a fake mirror. I see you in there but I don't see me. There is a cute girl standing beside you instead of me."

"Betty, the cute girl in the mirror is you! No Foolin'!"

"Wow! There is no doubt that I look like a girl now. That is if I don't give it all away by walking, talking or acting like a boy."

"Bright girl! Betty, that's why we didn't wait for Friday to let you become Betty for the first time. Jenny and I will have the chance to teach you how to walk and talk and act like a girl before Friday. If you can learn all that then the crash course on Girl Scouting will be a breeze for you."

"I really hope so Momma."

'Let's show your sister Jenny how you turned out, Betty!"

"What if Jenny laughs at me, Momma?"

"Betty, if she does then I'll end it now. More likely she will find something to laugh with you about. It seems that pretty girls like you and Jenny are always giggling about something. You'll see!"

"I feel proud to be your daughter, Momma. I hope that I learn the rest of what I need to know to do a good job for the girl scouts and for our family."

"As long as you do your best, Betty, that's all that I ask."

So hand in hand, my mother and I went gracefully down the stairs. I heard a gasp as we came into view of my sister, Jenny.

"Oh Betty! You have proven that you are a sister that I can be very proud of. Thank you so much for coming here to help me! I love you, Sis!

My heart filled with joy over the praise and love that my sister had given me.

"I love you too, Sis!"

The three of us gathered in front of the full length mirror with Jenny and I each with our arm around the other's waist in front and Momma benind us. I felt so much a part of them seeing the new girl in the mirror, me as Betty, than I ever had before.

"Momma, now I feel a real part of the family as though I really belong!"

"Sweetheart, you are always part of the family wheather you look like Tony or Betty. You are loved unconditionally, darling! It's just that as Betty, you've become part of something more. There is a link between Mother's and daughters and between sisters that is something special in the universe becasue it is a special part of the sisterhood that all women share. But the bond of family is special and you can enjoy that just as much as Tony as you can as Betty."

"I think I can understand now, Momma. I know that as Tony, I had a relationship on top of the family relationship being a son to you and being a brother to Jenny. I just didn't put the enthusiasm into those relationships then that I am doing now with my new relationships as Betty. When this is over and Tony comes back, I'm going to be the best Tony I can be too. A good son and brother so that even if it is not the same as what I have as Betty, it can be special in its own way too."

Instead of saying a word, Momma and Jenny wrapped me up in a big group hug. I would look from Momma to Jenny to the reflection of the three of us in the mirror. I had never felt as loved as I did that very moment. I felt so happy, I could bust. In fact I did burst out crying in a way that I had never done before. These were tears of joy! I'd seen them on Momma's and Jenny's cheeks, in fact something about me tearing up brought tears out in each of them. This was a perfect moment and I wanted to stay in it forever!

Part Four ~ Consideration

Will Betty have what it takes to put into practice the skills she is learning on how to act as a girl, when she goes on a shopping trip with her Momma and with Jenny, her sister?

 

---

 

 

 

I never thought that I could have such a close relationship with my sister and mother. It feels nice. I'm wondering when the other shoe will drop. Oh I see that look in Momma's eyes! Here it comes!

"Betty, you do realize that this is not just thru Friday? You'll have to stay part of the girl scout troop until the end of the sale for your sales to count with the rest of the girls."

"Yes, Momma. I know that I agreed to it. Please tell me the event at Philips Arena is near the end of the sale?"

"Actually the event at Philips Arena is our kick off of the Girl Scout Cookies sale this year. We learned from a previous year that it's not a good idea to have it at the end. We ordered too many at the end that year and took a loss. This way if the event is a bust then we have the rest of the sale to sell what we have ordered."

"Betty, the sale is over a month before school starts but you'll need to stay part of the troop until the big prizes are awarded at the Jamboree just before school starts."

"Momma, it's okay. Really it is. I wanna help, Jenny! I have a good feeling about this. Woo Hoo!"

"Are you sure you are in this for the entire summer, Betty? You are lucky that I had budgeted to completely replace your summer wardrobe this year since you had a growth spurt this spring and nothing hardly fits you any more. If I spend that money plus the emergency fund, then you'll have a summer wardrobe, Betty."

"I'm sure that I want to be Betty for the entire summer. I understand that once the money is spent, that it would be putting the family in a real bind if I break my promise and Tony comes back early."

"I'm glad that you are so committed to keeping your promise, Betty. It will be tough outfitting both you girls for summer especially since your father, Betty, didn't send any luggage with you so we'll have to start from scratch."

"Really Momma, I didn't realize that this would be so expensive."

"That's okay. Sweetie. We'll cut corners where we can. Since that dress fits, you can share some things with Jenny to boost both of your wardrobes. You can also share things like jewelry."

"That will be fun sharing things with Betty, Momma! I'm really glad that I have a sister at least for a while."

"I'm glad to be your sister, too. I didn't realize the kinds of things that I was missing out on. I guess I could share a bedroom with Jenny now."

"Nice try, Betty! We'll be making do with you using Tony's room for the summer. You see your Father, Betty, didn't send any of your things over with you. We can do a little decorating. paint and such. Nothing very expensive and nothing that can't be undone to welcome Tony back when he comes back home."

I did my best puppy dog eyes to express how disappointed I was that I would not get to share a room with my sister.

"Enough of those puppy dog eyes, young lady! If things work out so that i can get something to take care of your little problem then perhaps you might get to sleep in your sister's room on occasion."

"Thank you, Momma! I thought that Jenny and I had the same father. Is that part of the story real or pretend? Am I really Jenny’s half sister and the Daddy that I knew who died isn’t my Daddy at all?"

“Betty, technically you and Jenny are half sisters but where it really counts you are sisters since the daddy you knew was your real daddy even if he didn’t help me make you. Your birth father, Betty, was a vile man who left me as soon as you were born. As far as I can tell, he is still alive becasue your the money for your child support is still coming thru but I don’t know and don’t care to know where he is, Betty!”

“I don’t wanna know where that mean man is either Momma! I’m sorry he was mean to you and me both! I’m glad he can’t hurt us again!”. I stamped my foot and then dissolved into tears as I buried my head into Momma’s bosom as she knelt down to comfort me.

"Goodness, Girl! Those tomboy ways of yours are falling by the wayside fast. You are really picking up how to be a girly girl!"

My tears dried up at that. I didn’t know quite how to react so I rolled my eyes at her. "Oh Momma!"

"Well now that I am satisfied that you are really serious about this, we have some serious shopping to do. We won't try to get everything you'll need for the summer, but you'll need enough basics to get by on while we wait for some things to go on sale. This time we won't expect you to participate much, but you'll need to pay attention and be available for trying things on so we get the right fit for your clothes."

I began to be a little nervous at discovering that we were about to go out. I love my new dress but I really had not had much time to get used to it.

"It will be okay, Sis. Just act as if you were supposed to be there and everyone else there will give you the benefit of the doubt. Remember to smooth your dress underneath you when you sit and keep your legs together. Take shorter gliding steps just the way you did going down the stairs. Make sure you have good posture and stand and sit up straight. Oh and when you get into the car sit down on the seat first sideways then rotate your legs into the car on the floorboard and reverse it when you get out. Just look to me if you are unsure and I will guide you thru it. Try not to be self conscious. Shopping is really fun when you just relax. "

"I'm glad you are coming to help shop, Sis!"

"I would not miss it. Besides, I have a vested interest, For the first time, I could really get some hand me downs that I would really wear!"

"Thank you, Jenny for watching out after your sister. Betty, If you are unsure of something you can get help from me too. Don't take any of this seriously! You are going to make mistakes but everyone will give you the benefit of the doubt. Especially when they find out that you were raised without a mother by your father to be a tomboy"

"Thanks Momma. I'll try to relax and have fun!"

"Just for good measure, try sitting down and then getting up and walking around the room and repeating the process for a few times. When you go to the ladies room, watch for a line and wait your turn, make sure you close the stall door securely and make sure you sit when you urinate."

I did as I was told and practiced sitting and walking till Momma stopped me.

"You are a quick study, Betty! Your walk and also your seating yourself is graceful. I know that we've thrown a lot at you in a short amount of time but you'll be okay. The best thing for you now is to just get going outside the home over with. You learn by doing and your sister and I are here to catch any mistakes you might make and cover for you."

"I'm ready as I'll ever be! I guess."

We all walked out the door and it was a different sensation going outside. Part of it was that the breeze was finding me in places where I hadn't before, teasing my legs and playing at my neckline, However, walking gracefully was becoming more and more natural. I even remembered to sit down sideways on the car seat and swivel my feet in onto the floorboard. Mom grinned at me as fastened my seatbelt.

"You are doing wonderfully, Betty. Remember that you have joined the best team and we greet each girl and woman we meet with a smile. Remember that we always try to cooperate with other females. "

I grinned right back at her. "I remember, Momma. I can do this and I belong."

"That's the spirit, Sis!"

The funny thing was that as I relaxed more, more of this girl stuff was coming naturally to me. Self confidence seemed the key to coping out in public and I had enough self confidence for two girls. Of course I'd only walked a few yards to the car and just gotten inside it to ride so far. But still little goals add up to big ones. 

We arrived at the Mall. Momma turned around to speak to us since we were both in the back seat since neither of us were tall enough yet to sit in the front seat of the car since it was an older airbag system in it.

"Instead of trying to get you all the way to the end of Summer with clothes, let's get you to Friday.  I feel like that if you can do well enough to pull selling girl scout cookies, at the game, then you should be able to go the rest of the summer. Since there isn't anyone else to replace Jenny's selling partner, even if you don't make it to the end of the sale, it's okay.  We'll lose what ever you sell at the game but if you don't try at all, we have already lost those sales.  By you trying, its a chance to do better."

"That sounds good, Momma.   After Friday, maybe, I'll know more about what I like as a girl to be able to better help pick out things that I will enjoy wearing."

"That's my girl!  Betty just follow Jenny and do what she tells you.   Some things we'll just pick up more because I know your sizes.   Other things you'll need to try on anyway to be sure of the fit,"

"Lead on, Jenny!"

"Come on, Sis"

We went into the girls department of Target and straight to the underwear and Momma picked out 2 packs of Panties and a pack of vests and put them in the cart, She wheeled the cart around to the socks and got a pack of white socks and another assorted pack of various color socks.  While we were in the area, Momma went around to the ballet wear display and got an entire outfit for me to match the ones worn at Jenny's Ballet class.

"Am I taking Ballet with Jenny?"

"She has her class weekly on Thursdays.   I feel like it is a good idea if I sign you up.   Not only will you learn more about being graceful but you'll also get to meet some of Jenny's friends in the Girl Scout Troup who are taking the class with her."

"How will I explain being a complete novice?"

"Easy, your father who has had you all this time has never enrolled you in any traditional girls activities."

"Oh that's right.   I'm learning a bit about being graceful so perhaps by Thursday, I'll know enough to be a novice!"  I giggled and Jenny joined me and soon Momma was laughing too.

"You are doing well, Betty.   If everything goes well, we'll enroll you in Jenny's taekwondo class too on Tuesdays.  It's an all girls class taught by a woman instructor who also mixes in general self defense for Girls instruction, too.  I know that Tony  knows how to defend himself but you won't have Tony around to fight for you this summer.  By learning how to effectively fight like a girl, You'll be able to fit in for the summer better, Betty."

Mom started with some shorts, which were styled a bit differently from the shorts I was used to wearing and were in bright colors.  When I realized just how much of my legs were going to be exposed, I blushed a little.   Instead of just T shirts, there were tank tops and tops which were held up with mere strings leaving most of my shoulders bare.  And those were in bright colors too."

"Why all the bright colors, Momma?"

"I did your colors and you are a spring, sweetheart.   That means that if you have jewel tone colors next to your face, it brings out the best in your face.  Pastels, wash you out and some give you a yellowish jaundiced look.  We girls must look our best."

"Why, Momma?"

"It's expected of someone who respects themselves.  There is more that I have to say about that but it can wait for another time."

"Thank you, Momma!"

Momma put three white blouses into the cart starting with a casual one and then a sporty one and finally a dressy one.

"Jenny, I forgot to get some hose and knee highs for your sister.  I remembered them when I got the tights for the ballet outfit for her.  Do you know her size and would you go get some for me?"

"I know her size, Mother.  I'll get them for you!"  Jenny was off back into the hosiery aisle, in search of what Momma had directed her to get.

Momma took me over to a rack of dresses and began to pull a few out and hold them up to me to presort what looked like it might fit and what might look good on me.  I was beginning to get into the feel of things as I would start posing like a model to try to show off the dress as it was held up to me for the best effect.  . 

I froze up for a moment, since I caught out of the corner of my eye, Jenny walking side by side with a girl her age and an adult pushing a shopping cart.  As they got closer, I noticed that the girl was wearing sneakers without socks, a girl scout green pair of shorts and a lemon yellow top with the words "Good Morning Sunshine" across her chest and centered right below a stylized Sun with a happy face on it.  It was her best friend Krystal who Jenny called Krissy and her mother, the girl scout troop leader, Mrs. Moss. Opps, better make that Dr Moss. Oh Goodness!

Part Five ~ Convocation

 

Will Betty pass muster on her shoping trip when they run into Mrs Moss, the Scout troop leader?

 

---

I remembered just in time that I was not supposed to know them but I should be friendly because that is what girls do when the meet other girls.

"Hi Momma, Guess who I ran into? Krissy and her Mother!" She came close enough and put the knee highs and panty hose in her hands into the cart.

"Cindy, what a pleasant surprise! Your daughter, Krissy gets more beautiful every time I see her! Cindy, this is my daughter, Betty. Betty, this is Jenny's Scout Troop Leader, Mrs. Moss"

I did a half curtsy and took Mrs. Moss's hand that she offered to me. "I am very pleased to meet you, Betty!"

"I'm very pleased to meet you as well Mrs. Moss." I was glad that I had recovered most of my composure and was just thinking 'girl' and doing what felt right at the time.

"Teri, how is it that we haven't met your daughter before? She seems to be the right age for the Girl Scout Troup."

"Cindy, she is the right age. She's a year older than Jenny who is nine years old, which makes her Junior age but she lives far away with her father most of the time."

"I thought Jim was dead?"

"Jim, my second husband is dead but Carl Kessler, my first and ex husband is very much alive. The divorce was very messy, due to things I would rather not discuss in front of the girls. Jim was able to win sole custody of Betty in the settlement and I received sole custody of Tony. Betty, using clues, that her father inadvertently left so she could find them, found out she had a brother and mother alive. Carl and I discussed the situation and came up with this swap for the summer. Tony is with his father and Betty is here with me for the summer."

"Wow, that's quite a story! Betty, how do you like living with your mother and half sister?"

"It's a real eye opener! I've only just gotten here but already it feels like I fit in with my mother and half sister better. Daddy's the best father ever, but he doesn't know much about girls. I've been raised a tomboy, but I hope to discover just what it's like to be a girl!"

"Have you considered, joining our Junior Girl Scout Troup for the summer? We could really use another girl for the cookie event on Friday. We have an allotment of 10 girls to sell cookies at the WNBA game but our last girl, who was Jenny's sales partner, got sick and with the illness going around and the Jonas Brothers Concert at the same time, we haven't been able to scare up a girl that would both be at the sale and also would stay with the troop for the summer so our troop would get credit for the sales instead of it dropping out to the Metro Atlanta Region numbers."

"Jenny was talking to me about it when I arrived and I told her that I would be glad to be her partner. How do I go about joining the troop to participate in the cookie sale?"

"Well, that depends. Have you ever been a girl scout before, at any age group?"

"I've never been a girl scout before. I wanted to join many times but Daddy always had an excuse why I couldn't. I feel like he wanted to keep me a tomboy as much as possible."

"You'll need to get the basic cookie sale orientation and Girl Scout Orientation, before Friday. We can initiate you at the meeting Friday before the event, as long as we have gone over everything before hand. The Meeting will be very short since we'll be caravanning over to Philips Arena for the game. How is her schedule, Thursday, Teri?"

"I was going to get her started in Jenny's ballet class Thursday morning. She's got from lunch on free right now."

"Why don't Jenny and Betty come over on Thursday after Ballet. I can take time out to make sure she is up to speed on the cookie sale and go over some of the basics of Girl Scouting. She'll need the same uniform as Jenny has for the troop, white blouse, Girl Scout Green Sash and skirt. The troop will be wearing white dress socks and Mary Jane's for the cookie sale,"

"The White blouse isn't a problem and Target has skirts the right color in their school uniform department. I can go by the Girl Scout Supply Center in person and pick up a vest along with the starting out supplies that Jenny needed when she joined the troop last fall."

"That would be wonderful, if she could have all the supplies for Thursday. We could get her sash all set up with her own stuff instead of borrowing items to start her sash out."

All I could think to do is smile, smile, smile. I was dying inside of fear and hoping against hope that I would not be discovered. I knew that in order for me to do well, I would have to contain my fear and be confident .

"Betty, are you ready to be a Girl Scout?"

"Ready as I will ever be, Mrs. Moss. I can't wait till Thursday to get started. I will be very proud to help out at the cookie sales event."

"I can tell that you are going to be a girl who just naturally does all the things in the Girl Scout Oath and Law. Jenny, if you can lend Betty your manual until your Mother can get her one, she can start learning about the Girl Scouts."

"I will, Mrs. Moss!"

'Teri, it's been very fortunate to run into you and your girls here at Target. Krissy and I have what we came here to get, so we'll go check out. We have some other stops today before going home in time to get supper ready so Krissy's father can eat with us when he gets in from work."

"Thank you Cindy. The girls and I have a bit more shopping to do. I'll bring the girls over on Thursday after Ballet."

"See you all then. Bye Girls! Come along, Krissy." Krissy delayed just long enough to whisper something in Jenny's ear and give her a hug. Krissy whispered to me, "I'm so glad you are joining the troop! Bye Betty" I whispered back "I'm glad too! Bye, Krissy!" She gave me a little hug and off she went.

When Mrs. Moss and her daughter had turned toward the door and the registers at the end of the aisle and were out of sight, I sagged visibly and let out a breath as though I had been holding it such a long time.

"Courage, Betty!" Jenny came over and supported me in a big hug. "Krissy told me when she said goodbye that she was jealous of me for having such a nice sister who was willing to help out. From both Krissy's and Mrs Moss's body language, they took you to be exactly the girl that you are now."

"I agree with Jenny on that, Betty. Both of them treated you exactly the way that they would have treated any other girl. Our cover about you just now learning about me, makes them appreciate your service to the troop, that much more since you are giving up precious time at home to be out with the troop."

"I guess I come across genuinely about that because it's true. Tony may know all about living with this family but it is a brand new experience that I, Betty, am having. I like the idea of service to the troop in order to be able to serve the community. I'm glad that it's no longer missing from my life."

Believe it or not, Momma actually was still holding up dresses on me and I was doing my best to enjoy the process even though the conversation was going on when it wasn't a spot where it was more polite to stand straight and face who was speaking, Momma had a number of dresses in the buggy for us to go over to the dressing room for me to try on.

When we arrived at the dressing room, we gathered up 5 dresses (the most that they would let us in with at a time) and Momma gave some more directions to Jenny to gather up some more items that she wanted for me. Momma went into the dressing room with me and helped me off with the dress that I was wearing and one by one, I tried on the five dresses and we found one out of that group that we both liked. This one was a solid Kelly green dress made out of silk and it was just wonderful with the details and the fact that the skirt puffed out because there was a built in petty-skirt underneath it. It was just the color that it brought out my green eyes and my golden blonde hair just shown out. "

"Betty, I admire your taste already. I haven't had to veto your decision once on the dresses you've tried on. Lets go back and see if we can find at least of the less formal occasion dresses that we like,"

"Thank you Momma!"

We left the rejects with the attendant who was nice enough to get right to us even though she was answering the phone too. The last five went with us into the dressing room. We found a sporty white dress, that we both loved and immediately decided to buy it. We found a pretty denim dress with roses embroidered at the hem which was just darling and we decided to buy that one too. The rest were tried on and rejected. I had stacked the deck with the 2 I liked best being on the top of the stack when we came into the dressing room.

'Betty, along with the things that I sent your sister after, you should be set."

We met Jenny who transferred the contents of the red basket she was carrying to our shopping cart. "You can really get a lot of items in that hand carry basket!."

"Betty, you have really good taste! I'm going to be borrowing from your closet, for some occasions as long as you aren't wearing them!"

"Thanks for the compliment, Jenny. I guess that is what sister's are for!"

We filled up the conveyor belt with our purchases. Jenny started removing the hangers for the purchases and I followed her example.

"Greetings, Ladies! How are you all today?"

If she saw anything out of the ordinary, she did not show it . She genuinely seemed interested in her work and glad to see us.

"Fine!" Jenny and I chorused.

"I'm doing quite well shopping with my daughters! How are you, my dear?"

"I feel great, and I'm glad that you and your daughters are doing well too

Momma went straight to the credit card reader and swiped her Target card.

"Do you have any Target Gift Cards or Rewards to use towards this purchase?"

"I do have a Target Reward and I also have several coupons."

She handed the busy cashier a bunch of coupons including her 10 percent off shopping spree day coupon. I was handy to collect the register receipt at the end while Momma and Jenny were gathering up the bags.

"Thank you Ladies, and I hope you all have a wonderful evening!"

"I hope you too, ma'am" I told her with a smile.

She grinned right back, "I'm planning on it!" I really liked that cashier and she treated me no differently than any other girl going thru her line. I hoped we would get her again the next time we shopped at Target.

I had been shooed to the front of the register so that I wouldn't see some of the surprises being scanned before they went into the bags. All told, Momma had managed to save over a fifty dollars from the coupons not counting the savings that she made by selecting sales and clearance merchandise. All told the receipt said that she had saved over $100 over regular retail prices.

Jenny pushed the cart over to the car, joyfully, as though it was the evidence of a triumph which I realized that it was just that. They had me to be seated in the car while they loaded the purchases in the trunk.

"Betty, how did you like your first real shopping trip?"

"Momma, it was a real joy and adventure. I am glad that you two were there with me. You really helped me when Krissy and her mother showed up!"

"I'm glad that you enjoyed it, Sweetheart. With the progress that you are making, I will predict that it is only the first of many outings that you will participate in this summer."

"That's a really good thing, Momma! I can't wait till I can get everything home and try everything on again!"

Momma and Jenny smiled warmly at me. Somehow I read the unspoken message in their eyes, "She gets it!"

I was really glad that I seemed to be doing things right but I also realized that I was fairly tired from everything that had happened already.. We carried everything upstairs and Mother and Jenny put it away for me. I guessed that the surprises had either been tucked away among my things or else were transferred elsewhere for an unveiling later.

Mother saw that I seemed exhausted and just running on adrenaline.

"Sweetheart, why don't you just lie down for a little while. Jenny and I will go downstairs and cook supper, You have had a physically and mentally exhausting day so you should rest for just a little bit."

"Thanks, Momma! I don't know why but I do seem tired, Thank you."

"Rest well Sweetheart. I'll call you when Supper is ready."

I closed my eyes and rested but sleep would not come. Something needed attention in my mind before it would allow me to completely calm down enough to sleep. I tried my best to let sleep come with every relaxation technique that I knew, yet I still lied on my bed awake.

Part Six ~ Revelation

 

How will Betty pass the time when she discovers that she's too tired to sleep following her first big day?

 

---

Part Seven ~ Deception

 

What will happen when Betty pretends to be a transgirl to help her friend Kimberly?

 

---

I woke up really refreshed on Thursday, with a renewed sence of purpose. I had a new sence of purpose after talking with my friend Joshua, who I had learned was really a Kimberly on her inside and longed to be a Kimberly on her outside. Not only would I take a Ballet lesson but after lunch, it was planned for me to have a girl scout orientataion with Mrs Moss. Sandwiched in between those things, Joshua would be coming over! I senced another day ahead where I would be too tired to fall asleep.

First thing like always, I went to the bathroom and took a bath, except it was a bubble bath and I was surrounded by wafts of sweet fragrances. After a long soak in the tub where I got clean, I got out and took one of the new pink fluffy bath towels and patted myself dry. I wrapped the new pink bathrobe around me and walked back into my room.

Well I guess it wasn't like always since Tony's underware and clothing had been packed up sometime in the night and in its place was all of the underclothes and clothing that Momma, Jenny and I had bought at Target were in it's place. I took out a vest and panties and put them on. Knowing what would come next, I selected the lavendar dress which was one of a pair of what Momma had called house dresses. She explained that it was a step above a nightgown but not quite what you would wear if you went out of the house. I put my arms inside the dress and then lifted my hands over my head and encouraged my arms to go to the arm holes and to lower the dress so that my head went thru the head hole. I didn't bother with anything else since it was time to call Momma to care for my wound. Fortunatly the intercom enabled me to call her without leaving my room.

"Good Morning, Momma. I'm ready for you to do the wound care."

"Good Morning, Betty. I'll be in directly. Why don't you pick out an outfit to wear? We have to go see Dr Moss this morning. She said that she had something that might help your special situation."

"Thank you Momma. I'll pick something out."

I went to the closet and I found that hanging in there was the twin in Lavendar of the nice red dress that I had worn yesterday to go shopping. I hung it on the hook where I usually put the clothes that I would change into after Momma cared for me only this would be the first time that I got to pick from my new clothes since I was now Betty. To this I added on the top of the chest of drawers another pair of panties, and some white knee socks. I looked in the new box of hair accessories and found a hair ribbon that matched my dress exactly and placed it on the top as well. I placed the mary janes close by so that they would be handy when I got dressed.

"Knock Knock!"

"Come in Momma!"

"There's my good girl! You have everything all laid out. I see that you picked out a lavendar dress as well as wearing lavendar now. How did you decide?"

"I had a lavendar feeling today, Momma and I look good in Lavendar too!"

"You made a great choice, Betty. Please get up on the bed for me and we'll tend to your bottom."

"Yes, Ma'am!"

I climbed back on the bed where I had laid out a disposable bed cover. under where my bottom would go. I pulled my dress back out of the way so Momma could get to my bottom easy.

"Good girl! Okay, I'll take care of this quick as I can. Dr Moss wants to see us so she'll work us in. She tells me that it will help in your wound care"

Momma removed my panties so that she could work on my bottom. I spread my legs like I always do so she could get to the bandage that she would have to remove to take care of my wound.

"How does the wound look, Momma?"

"It's looking better, Sweetie. I'll just clean it and medicate it like I always do."

It felt good to have everthing clean down there and when I smelled the medication, I knew that everything would be alright. Soon she had a new bandage in place and finished it up by having me lift my bottom so that she could get the cover sheet out and then handed me the fresh pair of panties so that I could put them on.

"Spit, spot and off we go! Get dressed, Betty, then call me and we'll be off for Dr Moss's office."

"Yes, Momma!"

She put up the supplies and left me alone in my room. Off went the house dress and hung up and then I put on the vest and slipped on my knee socks. On went the dress and my mary janes slipped on my feet. Next came my hair which I was lucky was long and straight so all I had to do was to brush it out and put the hair ribbon in my hair. I looked in the mirror and saw the pretty girl that I had become looking back at me. I wanted to pause to evaluate things some more but Momma had said we were in a hurry.

"Momma, I'm ready!"

"Great, Betty! Meet Jenny and I downstairs in the kitchen."

"Yes Ma'am!"

I went down stairs to the kitchen and found Mother and Jenny finishing up a breakfast of orange juice and Pop Tarts.

"Good Morning, Sis. Here's yours just out of the toaster!"

Jenny handed me a couple of blueberry Pop Tarts wrapped in a paper towel. Oh they smelled so good! Momma poured a glass of Orange Juice and handed it to me.

"You look wonderful, Betty. I'm afraid you'll have to eat in the car. The later we get there the more time it will take to work us in. Let's go, girls!"

I had my glass in one hand and my paper towel wrapped pop tarts in the other. Jenny opened the garage door for me and also the car door. She held my glass while I climed in the car. I remembered to sit down first then swing my legs in.

"Great going, Sis. Here's your OJ!"

"Thanks, Jenny."

Jenny closed my car door for me then she got in the car herself. I put down the glass in the holder and fastened my seat belt. When we were all ready, Momma opened the garage door and drove out into the delicious morning. I was busy with eating my breakfast but I got to listen in as Momma was talking to Jenny.

"Jenny, I have faith in you to keep your sister's secret. The less people who know about this, the better."

"Yes, Momma. I haven't even told my best friend about who Betty really is."

"I know it's hard to not tell your best friend. It's for the best since it's difficult to keep a secret like this even if they promise not to tell. Betty is doing something wonderful for you. You know how boys are. If this got out, they would make her life miserable, especially when she goes back to being Tony after all this is over."

"I wont tell a soul Momma. I know swearing someone to secrecy doesn't count for this. I love Betty for doing this for me and I would never do anything to hurt her. She's my sister!"

"I'm really glad that you understand, Jenny. Only you, Dr Moss and I know about it and I'd like to keep it that way if at all possible."

My eyes were getting misty at how Jenny really cared about me. I knew that I could count on her to keep her word. I had finished up the last of the OJ and Pop Tarts as we were pulling into the parking lot at Dr Moss' office.

"Good Betty! I see you are finished with breakfast. Remember our cover story and everythig will be alright. Hopefully we won't have a long wait. Out we go, Girls!"

Jenny and I opened our car doors at once and it seemed like a ballet movement how we both swung our legs out at the same time and got out of the car and closed our doors.

"Momma, Betty's really got it!"

"Of course, Sweetie. Even though she's been a Tom Boy before, she's showing now who she is for real."

"I like being a girly girl. It suits me."

That gave both Momma and Betty pause since they were wondering wheather I was playing things up in case we were observed or if it were because I really felt that way. I was just starting the plan of pretending to be a transgirl since Momma and Dr Moss had not provided a way out other than me for the girl scout troup to be mischevious and in the process I would try to pass on what ever help they gave me to Kimberly.

"Betty, you certainly have taken to being a girly girl really easily and that will help you to fit in with all the other girls."

I wondered what would come next but the conversation came to a halt when Momma signed us in. Jenny and I took seats in the waiting room. Amazingly we were the only ones there.

Momma came and sat down by us a few minutes later with a clip board in her lap.

"Momma, what are you doing?"

"I'm having to fill out your completed medical history, Betty. After all you are a brand new patient. It would have been simpler if your father had sent your medical records along too. Fortunatly, you and Tony have about the same medical history so I'll do my best filling them out."

"Thank you, Momma!"

As Momma with a sigh of relief finished the whole thing. a nurse came to the door.

"Betty?"

"Here!"

"You and your mother can come back to see Dr Moss now."

"Thank you!"

Momma and I followed her back. I got weighed and had my height and temperature measured. We went into the room which they always sent me to since Dr Moss usually took a look at my wound. It was the same room where women were examined and there was a lot of things on the wall about breast health and self exams. Also there were posters about bone health and preventing osteoparosis. There were some other posters about women getting infections down there and what do do for it. Before I had felt like an interloper but now I was just another girl getting an exam in there. My blood pressure and pulse were okay so the nurse left a hospital gown for me to change into. The nurse left us alone to wait for the doctor to see us. Momma helped me out of my clothes and hung them up nicely and I put on the hospital gown which for the first time was a pink one that felt a little softer against my skin.

"Momma, I don't know what it is but something is different now."

"What, Betty?"

"It's like I always knew I was different but now it seems that I have discovered what the difference is now."

"What is the difference, Betty?"

"Momma, I'm a girl on the inside. I've always been a girl on the inside and being one on the outside now just feels so right."

The look of concern on Mother's face before I started explaining turned to one of love. However before she could speak, we were interupted.

Knock! Knock!

"Come in!"

Dr Moss walked in with her labcoat and stethescope and looking like a doctor again instead of looking like a regualr person like she had at Target.

"Good morning, Betty's Momma. Good morning, Betty! How are you two?"

"We're fine Doctor! Betty, please tell Dr Moss what you just told me."

"It's like I always knew I was different but now it seems that I have discovered what the difference is now. The difference is that I'm a girl on the inside. I've always been a girl on the inside and being one on the outside now just feels so right."

"Are you sure about this, Betty?"

"As sure as I can be. I suppose that it could be becasue of the favor I'm doing for Jenny. Is there anyway to make sure?"

"Actually there is a special doctor called a therapist who helps us find out things like that. It's important to find out if it is something temporary or permanent. I could write a referal for your mother to take you to see her. She could help you to discover if this is something you want for always or if you are just getting so into being Betty."

I could tell that they believed me and that I would soon be getting help that I could pass on to Kimberly.

"Is there something wrong with me to feel that way?"

"Not at all Betty! There are some girls who are born made like a boy who discover they need to be girls on the outside. We call them transgirls. The therapist will be able to tell wheather or not you are a transgirl, Betty.".

"What ever we discover, you are still my child whether Tony or Betty. Come here Sweetie!"

Momma and I hugged one of those smother hugs I remembered from a long time ago before one day I as Tony decided that boys didn’t do that. I knew that I was totally loved. I almost blurted out then and there that I was tricking her. What made me keep silent was that I was doing this for my friend, Kimberly. I wish her parents were as understanding as my momma.

Time seemed to stop locked in my mother’s arms but I discovered it hadn’t when Momma let me go. My mother exchanged a knowing look with Dr Moss.

"I’ll come back in a few minutes so you two can be alone."

"Thank you, Doctor."

Dr Moss left us alone in the exam room. I had a couple of questions I was dying to ask Momma. I guess if I were really in this circumstance, I would want to know the answers to them too so I would still be able to keep up the trick I was playing on her.

"Momma, what happens if the therapist decides that I am really a transgirl?"

"Well you are already getting to live as Betty for the summer and that won’t change. However you don’t have a real identity as Betty for after the summer. All we have is a cover story. We’ll just have to find out what other families have done in this situation and pick the best way of dealing with it. The important thing for you to know right now is that if you don’t want to go back to being Tony at the end of the summer then we’ll find a way for Betty to stay."

"I love you Momma!"

"I love you too Betty!"

"What if the therapist won’t believe me and decudes that I’m really not a transgirl?"

I acted really anxious about it and had just barely got the words out before I came to tears. Mother smothered me in another hug.

"Let it all out, Sweetie! Momma is here for you!"

I cried on her shoulder for a while. Somehow crying did get it all out and make things better. Momma took my hands in hers as she finally got a chance to answer my question.

"Please don’t worry about that, Betty. How could the therapist not see the beautiful daughter that I have before me? Just be yourself and it will all work out. The therapist isn’t there to pass judgement on you or force you thru a set of tasks. The therapist is there to help you bring out your true self."

"Thank you, Momma!"

Mother smothered me in another smother hug. While lost in her arms, I could not help but wonder if this was really a game or was it real?

Part Eight ~ Protection

 

What else will happen while Betty is at Dr Moss's office?

 

---

Dr Moss knocked on the door, Momma looked down at me. We ended that wonderful hug and I looked into her eyes.

"Are you okay now sweetheart?"

"Yes, Momma."

"Good. Dr Moss, you can come in now!"

She came in carrying a card which she handed to my mother.

"I was lucky that I was able to get right thru to Dr Erika Johansen, the therapist that I am recommending that Betty sees. She is so busy that she’s booked solid but she agreed to see Betty on her day off.. Teri, I gave her a complete briefing on Betty’s situation, Your appointment is for 9 am on Saturday, Betty. Teri, here is the card with the details for Betty’s appointment."

Dr Moss handed the card she was carrying to Momma.

"Thank you, Dr Moss. Dr Johansen must be very good to be booked so solid."

"She has a real gift in helping girls like Betty. I’m glad she was willing to work her in. Retty, let's get on with what I discovered to help you."

"What is that, Doctor?"

"This is something new called an appliance that I'm going to put in place with surgical adhesive. It will allow you to urinate sitting like a girl as well as look like a girl does on her bottom. Best of all is that its made special so your wound will be protected so well that it won't need treatment while the appliance is in place."

"That's wonderful, Doctor! I'll be like a normal girl down there."

"We'll leave it in place for a week at first to see how well you are adjusting to having it. It takes a special solvent and procedure to remove it so you'll come back to my office when it needs to be done. I need you to get up on the exam table and put your feet into the stirrups, Betty"

I jumped up on the exam table and put my feet into the stirrups like I always did when the Doctor examined the wound on my bottom.

"First, I'm going to get your wound ready for the procedure then I'll apply and seal to your skin the appliance. Everything will be fine, Betty and when I'm thru you'll be able to pass as a girl even naked."

"Thank you, Doctor."

I could feel the Doctor removing the bandage and doing the kinds of things down there that she usually did when I had an exam. Next she showed me the appliance and what my bottom would look like afterward.

"This is what you'll look like, Betty. Just like all the other girls and no one will know the difference. If it ever comes loose, which it should not, I don't want the same one reapplied before it undergoes a special treatment at my office to sanitize it. I'm going to give a duplicate one to your mother that is sealed up. It has to be applied in a sterile manner or it may cause problems. I'll have another backup here for emergencies too."

"Thank you, Doctor! You seem to have thought of everything. I'm so glad you are helping me."

Even then something didn't feel right about the appliance covering up my wound. I didn't say anything but I wanted to go back on the internet to see if I was right about that being bad for me. I smiled a big smile as the Doctor used sterile gloves to remove the appliance from the clear plastic bag that I had seen it through. She applied the adhesive to the appliance and once everything down there was arranged just so, she put it into place and held it against my skin. It bonded so completely that it felt like a part of me.

"There its in place, Betty. The beauty of this is that the only care it needs in between is regular washing like any girl would wash her bottom. You won't have to worry about your wound care every day now. "

"That's great Doctor! What's next!"

I'd like you to get up and walk around the room for a moment. If that feels okay then you can get dressed and go home with your mother and sister."

"Thank you!"

I was able to get off of the exam table without any problem and walked around the exam room. The Doctor had me do a few stretches and nothing hurt. Finally she was satisfied.

"You can get dressed now, Betty. Go ahead and join your sister in the waiting room when you are done. Teri, I would like to talk to you in my office."

Both Dr Moss and my mother left and I got dressed in the clothing that I had removed and folded the gown up and placed it in the soiled receptacle like I always did. I was glad how well my panties fit now and everything felt amazingly normal. What was that about? I didn't ponder it further as I went thru the door into the waiting room and into my sister's arms for a big hug.

"Well?"

"It's official. It's a girl!"

"Congratulations, Betty!"

We both giggled and I enjoyed the moment. Soon Mother was out as well.

"Let's go girls! Betty, I have the replacement kit here in this bag for you. You have an appointment with Dr Moss to check on things in a week. Of course on Saturday at 9 am an appointment with your new therapist, Dr Erika Johansen."

"Momma, should I hold anything back from Dr Erika when I talk to her?"

"You can tell Dr Erika everything, sweetie. That's the only way that therapy works. She's your Doctor just like Dr Moss so she will keep it secret."

"That will be easier, Momma. I guess there will just be one more person who knows about me."

"One more thing, Betty. Dr Moss doesn't want you to be very active for a while so you are going to miss going to ballet with Jenny today. I'm going to give you some more computer time today that you can use when you get home."

"Thank you, Momma!"

The drive home was uneventful and I managed to get in and out of the car even better. I was taking even more to being a girl if that were possible. I hurried up to my room and pulled out the pink Barbie laptop. I wondered if I might catch Kimberly online. There were some things that I really wanted to talk to her about. It didn't take long on this new computer to log into Wizard101. This was beginning to be so much more fun playing this way with Kimberly with me knowing my best friend for real now. I wondered even after I went back to being Tony if the game that I had made all the fuss about would be something that I would even want to play, now."

"Kimberly, you're here!"

"Yeah, I tend to be on here a lot. I love to be my true self inside this game."

"I have news. I went to the doctor this morning and I put my plan into operation."

"How did you do that?"

"I told them that I always felt that I was different but now that I had become Betty, that I felt that I was a girl on the inside as well as being one on the outside feeling right to me."

"How did they react? Did they try to talk you out of it? Did they tease you? Did they call you names?"

"None of that. They just accepted what I told them as though they were expecting it. Isn't that weird. I have an appointment set up to see Dr Erika Johansen for therapy Saturday. They said she would help me find out if it was just a phase or if it was permanent that I felt that way."

"Wow! That's too cool. I wish I could be taken seriously like that. Hey, I know Dr Erika! She is on the approved list to treat transkids. She's really good! What else happened at the doctor?"

"They fitted me with an appliance that simulates a girl's bottom. The doctor has to put it on sterile with an adhesive that only she can remove. I have to sit down to pee and everything. Oh yeah, the doctor said that my wound being under it won't need to be treated while it's sealed. "

"Something isn't quite right but I really don't know what it is, Betty."

"I kinda get that feeling too, Kimberly. Please let me know if you figure out something. Your friend Joshua can come over before lunch. I have to take it easy so I’m not going to ballet with Jenny today."

"Okay! We can play for an hour then I’ll sign off and come over with your brother’s Ranma 1/2 . We can talk more while we play. I'll teleport to you so I can help you with your quests to catch you up to my level."

"That sounds great. And Kimberly, could I maybe call you a nick name. Maybe Kimmie?"

"Kimmie is a great nick name for me, Betty. Thank you! Energize!"

Kimmie teleported to me and we started playing Wizard101. With her help, my character was able to level at a much quicker pace. We had so much fun! The hour flew by so quickly.

"Kimmie, I guess that if Joshua is going to meet me accidentally, then you might like to sign off now."

"I hate to go back into the real world but it will be fun to see just what kind of girl you are, Betty?"

"I’m a nice girl! I am! Really!"

"Okay, I believe you! Joshua will see you soon. Bye Betty!"

"Bye, Kimmie!"

Kimmie logged off and so did I. I wanted to search the Internet for the use of appliances like mine for people who had deep tissue wounds like me. I didn’t see any announcement like I expected to, since cutting down the care involved while promoting healing would be a godsend to others in my predicament. Before I could do a more specific search I had to quit.. Actually Joshua didn’t live too far from me. What I planned to do was to accidentally on purpose get to the door before Momma or Jenny could answer it to make sure that Joshua and I met. After that our acting was supposed to convince them that we had fallen in love at first sight. I signed off my Barbie computer and the game. I walked out of my room down the stairs and into the hallway which intersected the entryway and led toward Momma’s bedroom. As I was just passing the entryway, the doorbell sounded. I doubled back and headed for the door.

"I’ve got it!"

"Okay Betty, you can let them in if you know them. Remember our security rules."

"Yes, Momma"

I looked thru the peephole and sure enough Joshua was at the door.

"It’s Joshua, Momma"

"Wait for me, Betty. We want to let Joshua in but you aren’t supposed to know him. I’m coming to let him in."

Momma came and opened the door and Joshua saw both of us. My eyes met Joshua and it was like we had seen each other for the first time. Joshua seemed pretty cute to me so it wouldn’t take much acting for me to be his girlfriend.

"Hi Joshua, Come in and sit in the living room with us. There’s something I guess we need to tell you about Tony. By the way, Joshua, this is Tony’s sister, Betty, that it appears that you can’t take your eyes off. And Betty this is Joshua, Tony’s friend."

"Sorry! Was I staring? Betty, please forgive me. You just seem like a girl that I would like to get to know better. I hope that you won’t hold it against me that I’m friends with your brother, Tony?"

"Not at all, Joshua. I’m afraid I was looking intently at you too. You look really cute to me."

"I’m glad that you two hit it off so quickly. Tony will be pleased. We have some things to talk about, the three of us."

Momma, Joshua and I took seats in the living room. I took great care to smooth my skirt underneath me as I sat and I let my legs curl around like they taught the character in The Princess Diaries, Mia, when they were teaching her to be a princess. All the time both Joshua and I never took our eyes off the other. Is this what love at first sight is like? I know Tony had seen Joshua many times before but this was the first time that Betty had seen him and looking at things thru her eyes made all the difference.

"I’m afraid that Tony won’t be joining us, Joshua. Betty, here, uncovered the mystery that revealed that she had a mother and a brother. My first husband and I split up the twins when we divorced just after Betty and Tony were born."

"Unfortunately, I uncovered the fact thru some clues that Daddy inadvertently left instead of meeting Tony in person like in the Parent Trap. I made Daddy admit the truth and call Momma. They decided that even though it was reasonable that I would want to know my mother and he his father that they didn’t want us to get attached to each other. You see they still plan to keep us separated. But they put each of us on a plane and we landed with the parent that we hadn’t know. We’re switched for the summer and then they will switch us back."

"Betty, your father and I have good reason to keep you apart for now. Now that you both know, I’ll work on him. Anyway when you both are of age in eight years, you’ll know where to find the other and neither one of us will be able to stop you."

"Momma, I know that you are doing this for our own good for reasons known only to you and Daddy but it is very frustrating."

"Betty, Thank you for your patience. Now that you know why my long lost daughter is here, Joshua, could you clear up the mystery why you came over?"

"Mrs Hasting, I came to return Tony’s DVD. He let me borrow it to watch it when we didn’t get a chance to see it together. I could show Betty where Tony kept it so he would be able to find it when he gets back."

"Could Joshua stay a while and play with me in Tony’s room, Momma?"

"Mrs. Hastings, my parents don’t expect me home for awhile since I expected to stay to play with Tony."

"I guess it would be alright, Joshua. I’ll call and explain that its Betty here now instead of Tony and ask them if it is okay for you to stay. Until they decide the two of you can play in Tony’s room. And Joshua, I have different rules for Betty than I did for Tony with you. The door has to remain open at all times. Do you understand?"

"Yes Ma’am!"

"Okay, you two can play in Tony’s room. I’ll call for you two when I have a decision from your parents, Joshua."

I gracefully got up and Joshua followed me on the way to my room. All the while we couldn’t keep our eyes off the other. What was even weirder was that in reality I was a boy pretending to be a girl while Kimberly was a girl pretending to be a boy. Somehow, I knew that even if it were Tony looking at Kimberly, that we would have the same attraction. This new development sure made things interesting. I couldn’t wait to hear what Kimberly thought when we were up in my room.

Part Nine ~ Collaboration

 

What will happen when Betty and Joshua meet in person?

 

---

We were both in my room with the room door open as requested. Kimme was looking around for changes to my not too girly room. I showed her the girl’s clothes which now filled my closet and drawers and the new Barbie computer on my desk. There was one surprise however. In the place of Tony’s pair of monster truck posters, There was a Hannah Montana and a Jonas Brothers poster in their place. I smiled when I realized that Jenny had just enough time to make the switch while everyone else was talking downstairs. Even though I knew exactly where it went, Joshua pointed out to me the place where Tony kept the Ronma 1/2 DVD that he was returning .

"Let’s talk." I said quietly to Kimmie when we had finished exploring the room. The two of us sat side by side on the edge of my bed facing away from the door with our heads close together whispering so that we could not be overheard.

"Wow, Betty! I can’t believe how well you turned out as a girl! It’s like night and day looking at you. It’s more than just the looks, which are pretty impressive, but its the way that you move and act. I’m rather envious of your success."

"Thank you, Kimmie. I wish there were some way for me to help you out more than I am already. I’ve got that appointment Saturday with the therapist. I really want to talk to her so I can find a way to help you."

"You are a good friend, Betty."

"I’ve been thinking about what we were talking about and it does seem to me that both my Momma and Dr Moss were really a bit more receptive to my ruse about being a transgirl than I would have expected. I would have thought that one or the other of them would have talked to me about the downside's of being a transgirl just to see if I was just having fun at their expense."

"Please tell me how Jenny, acted again."

"She didn’t want to talk me out of it. But with her, I could see in her eyes that she might be blaming herself for being the one to ask me to fill in as a girl scout on Friday night at the WNBA game and because of that for the summer."

"It seems like she’s been very supportive of you. I’ve been thinking about what you’ve said and if I don’t take some risk, I’ll never get the help that I need to be my true self. Maybe I could tell her, I’m really a girl and together we could figure out what to do next. I could still pretend that I don’t know you are not a twin."

"I don’t know about that, Kimmie. I think that if you tell her that you are a girl, that you should tell her that you know my secret as well. She’s pretty sharp. She’ll know."

"I’d rather not out you even to her, Betty."

"Okay, Kimmie. Lets go see if Jenny is in her room!"

"Okay!"

Kimmie, disguised as Joshua, followed me out to Jenny’s room door. I knocked and Jenny opened the door for us.

"Hi Betty! Oh, Hi Joshua! I guess you know by now that Tony is gone for the summer. What would you two like?"

Behind her I could look in her room and see the blank spots on her wall where the posters had been hanging before she switched them.

"Jenny, could you come back to my room with Joshua and I. Momma said that we could play in my room with the door open while she checked with his parents to see if it was still okay if he stayed a while."

"I guess I could do that." She started to follow both Joshua and I . As soon as we were all out in the hall where there was plenty of room I turned and smothered Jenny in a hug. When we broke the hug, Jenny rolled her eyes at me.

"What was that for! I really enjoyed that unexpected hug!"

"I saw where the new posters in my room came from, Jenny! Thank you for helping me fit in a new place."

"I want to do my best for my new half sister! You should have seen how much a tom boy, she was when she first came but I’m introducing her to the nice things about being a girl."

"Betty is your half sister? I thought that you and Tony were brother and sister and since Betty is Tony’s twin, doesn’t that make her your full sister?"

"Tony and I are full brother and sister because my birth father adopted Tony. Betty wasn’t adopted as well so she’s my half sister."

"Okay!"

Joshua showed his eagerness in his face as well as a change from the fun we were having to being completely serious. Both Jenny and I noticed the change, but only I knew what was coming next.

"Jenny, is it okay if I tell you a secret?"

"It’s okay, Joshua. I’ll keep your secret. Why don’t you sit close between me and Betty on her bed so we can whisper and not be overheard."

"Thank you, Jenny. That’s a good idea."

Joshua arranged himself between Jenny and I with us each being close to him.

"Jenny, I’m a transgirl. I’ve always been a girl on the inside but I want to find a way for me to be a girl on the outside as well as the inside. My girl name is Kimberly but Betty calls me Kimmie. We met online and that is why I came over today to meet her in person."

"Kimmie, your secret is safe with me. There’s something more, isn’t there. The reason you met Betty online is that somehow you discovered her secret."

"What secret?"

"Come on, Kimmie, I can tell you are just playing coy to not spill Betty’s secret. You realized that she is really Tony and that’s why you really came over. Hey! Wait just a minute! Betty, was your confession of being a transgirl something you decided to do because you felt that you could somehow help Kimmie that way?"

"We are busted, Kimmie! I told you we needed to tell her everything because she’s the smartest person our age that I know. Yes, Jenny, I confessed to being a transgirl to help Kimmie and I recognized her online on Wizard 101. That’s why she knows so much about the game but has such a low level character. She plays all the time as Kimberly online except the few times she has had to play as Joshua when we played together before. Your turn, Kimmie"

"Yes, I recognized Betty on Wizard 101 was actually Tony. I didn’t make her confess she was a transgirl to help me. That was her idea!"

"Wow! This solves everything! All we have to do is put Kimmie thru a crash course on being a girl. She can join our girl scout troop for real and take Betty’s place at the WNBA game and I can get my brother Tony back! I’m sure all the girls will pitch in to help you, Kimmie!"

Jenny smothered Kimmie in a hug and I joined in and made it a group hug. It was a nice moment! I was proud of my sister for accepting my friend as a girl without missing a beat.

"Uhhhh Jenny, My parents might literally try to kill me if I tell them I’m really a girl. They are very prejudiced. You should hear the things that they say about people different from them. I want to do it in a safe way and that could take a lot of time. I was thinking that maybe if they could see me fit in as a girl, before anyone else knew I was making the change, then it would help."

"I’m sorry, Kimmie. I guess that means that we can’t get you to be a girl scout for the WNBA game. Sorry, Betty! I really appreciate the sacrifice you are making for me. I guess when Momma accepted Betty’s confession of being a transgirl without a question that any parent would do the same thing"

"Actually, it’s very uncommon for a parent to do what Betty’s Mother did and not question at all when she’s told something like that. I’m curious. Jenny, who suggested first that when there was a vacancy that Mrs Moss could not fill for the WNBA game that Tony might be able to be a girl scout for that game which would mean he’d have to be one for the summer in order for his sales to count?"

"Mrs Moss told Momma and I that she had done everything that she could to find a girl in our age group that could fill in for the WNBA game. It was Momma who volunteered that Tony might be willing to do it but only if I asked him. I couldn’t think of anyone else to ask so I did what Momma and Mrs Moss wanted me to do in asking you, Betty"

"I’m glad to help out, Jenny. It’s just kinda weird that neither Momma or Mrs Moss, did what we essentially were supposed to have done in our cover story."

"What is that, Betty?"

"To look for out of town girl cousins or other relatives, who are Junior Girl Scout age, who could come here and live with their family here for the summer and join the girl scout troop for the Cookie Sale. It would be much easier than the training they have had to give to Betty to be both a girl and a girl scout. Kimmie reads stories about transgirls on the internet and in them it always sounds like the boy who becomes a girl for a while has to do it because there is no one else to do it. Most often, it’s not that no one else could do it but that for some reason they want the boy to be a girl for a while and maybe even for good."

"Oh Tony! I never would have played along with Momma and Mrs Moss if I thought they were trying to make you into a girl for good. I love my brother. Yes, It’s been really nice having you, Betty, as a sister. You believe me don’t you?"

I wrapped up Jenny in a big hug which put all her misgivings aside because she knew I still loved her.

"Jenny, regardless of how this turns out, I’ll always love you.. I like being Betty and helping you even though if Momma or Mrs Moss had looked outside of town they would have found someone who could have filled in better than I can. I don’t think its fair to penalize the girl scout troop just because the adults involved didn’t do what they could. In the beginning I wasn’t the only choice but without them getting a replacement, eventually the time will be too short and it will be me or no one and I won’t let the Girl Scout Troop down."

"Betty, I wouldn’t have thought it of Momma or Mrs Moss but for some reason they want you to be a girl for the summer. I can’t imagine why. It seems to me that you ought to wait to talk to that Therapist, Betty so that an adult that we can trust knows what is going on by you telling her the truth about why you said you were a transgirl. You can ask her to help find a way to get Kimmie some help."

"I think that Jenny is right. Talking to Dr Johansen about my problem may be the best way to help me. Then you need to tell your Momma and Dr Moss that you were faking being a transgirl to find a way to help me. I know that I said that I didn’t think anything permanent could be done to you at this age but it’s not worth taking that chance now that we know that it all came from them and Jenny just went along because they didn’t give her another choice."

‘Kimmie, Is there any reasons given in those stories why a parent would want to turn their son into a daughter?"

"The main excuse is when the boys behave badly. Tony was on his best behavior always. I can’t think of a reason to prefer a daughter over a son unless some man caused some harm to either of them and they blame all men for it."

"Okay, so we are all agreed that we’ll keep Kimmie’s secret except that I will tell Dr Johansen about her on my appointment with her and also tell her all about me faking being a transgirl to help Kimmie."

"Kimmie, that goes for me too. I won’t tell anyone about you and I will really hope that Dr Johansen will be able to help once she knows about this."

"Thank you, Betty! Thank you, Jenny! You are the best friends a girl could ever have!"

Of course that led to another group hug which we all ended with giggles all around. It felt good because we had a plan to do something to help. Just then, Momma came to the door.

"Joshua, your mother agreed to let you stay a little while but she’s going to pick you up to take you out to lunch. I told her that we were going out to lunch because Betty needs to meet with the Girl Scout Troop Leader this afternoon to let her know what is expected of her in joining the Girl Scout Troop for the summer."

"Thank you, Mrs Hasting. I never knew that playing with girls could be as fun as playing with boys. I’m really sorry that Tony left without letting me know but I am very glad that allowed me to meet his sisters. Both Betty and Jenny aren’t half bad once you give them a chance."

"Congratulations, Joshua for discovering something that it will take most other boys years to catch on to. I’ll be glad to welcome you here again if Betty invites you back. You three have been good and I trust you to continue to do the same. Just remember that the door stays open at all times. Joshua, I’ll call for you when your mother get here to take you to lunch."

When we decided that Momma was back downstairs we began to get together to whisper again.

"What do you girls want to do now?"

"Could you go get your "Mystery Date" game, Jenny? I’d love to play that!"

"Kimmie, I feel like we would be safer playing Monopoly. However progressive that Momma thinks you are liking girls now, the cat will be out of the bag if she comes up to call you and finds you to be playing a girl’s game as a girl."

"I guess you are right! I wish I could do something as a girl!"

"Well you can’t undress with the door open but you could wear a dress over your other clothes."

Jenny mischievously came around behind Kimmie and snatched off her baseball cap which is where Joshua kept all the brunette ringlets of long hair that was so nice that even the girls envied it. Only this time instead of the hair jumping free, it revealed that Joshua now had a crew cut.

"Daddy told Momma that I looked too much like a girl so she took me to get this crew cut this morning! Oh goodness!" Kimmie dissolved into tears. Jenny placed the baseball cap back on her head but the damage had been done. We both did our best to comfort Kimmie. She choked back a last sob and then was able to talk.

"Thanks, y’all. You are both good friends!"

"Oh Kimmie! I never would have done that if I had known. I have something that may help." Jenny went out towards her room.

"I think Jenny really understands what you are going thru now. She will keep your secret."

"What will I do, Betty? I’ll never pass as a girl with a crew cut!"

"I have something that might help. Close your eyes Kimmie and put your hands over your head."

"Okay."

Kimmie did as she was told and Jenny revealed the two items that she had behind her back. One was her prettiest party dress and the other was her Hannah Montana wig. She lowered the dress over Kimmie and then put the wig on her head and adjusted it. Then we led her to the full length mirror which was a new addition to my room.

"You can put down your arms and open your eyes!"

Kimmie looked in the mirror and saw a girl reflected there. She spoke both hushed and with amazement.

"Is that really me?"

"It’s you, Kimmie. I’m sorry that you can’t leave it on for long since that would be worse than the mystery date game. I just wanted you to know that in spite of getting your hair cut, you can still be a beautiful girl!"

"I am beautiful, aren’t I!"

"Yes, you are Kimmie!"

Kimmie took one last look and then lifted her hands so the party dress could be lifted off of her. Jenny took the wig off while I pulled the dress over her head. Jenny was ready to put the baseball cap back on so that Joshua was again in the mirror when he opened his eyes again.

"Thank you, Betty! Thank you .... Where’s Jenny?"

"She left to put things away. She’ll be back."

"For the first time, I got to see Kimberly become real in my reflection in the mirror. I will get thru this so that one day every morning her reflection will greet me when I get up."

"That’s the spirit, Kimmie! I wish it were longer and better!"

"Jenny, Thank you so much! I’ll treasure this moment always. I know that there wasn’t time for more. It gives me hope that one day that I won’t have to hide and be my real self openly."

Just then Momma began to call us all down stairs.

"Joshua, your mother is here! Betty and Jenny, please come down as well since we need to leave too."

Both Jenny and I gave Joshua the thumbs up that nothing was amiss. Joshua and I held hands going down the stairs and Jenny followed behind us.

"Terri, It looks like Joshua and Betty are boyfriend and girlfriend, I have a feeling that you’ll be seeing a lot of him over here from now on as well as us having Betty over at our house. They sure start young these days! I can’t imagine a nicer girl for Joshua to be with. Betty is so feminine now that I never would have guessed that her father kept her as a tomboy. Betty, I’m very glad to meet you. "

"Thank you, Mrs Warner! I’m a very lucky girl to find someone as nice as Joshua. I look forward to getting together again soon."

"My dear Betty, you are always welcome at our house to visit Joshua. I’m glad that with Tony gone for the summer, he’s found someone else that he likes being with."

"Good bye to you Terri and to your wonderful girls! Come along Joshua, let’s go!"

"Coming, Mom!"

We escorted Mrs Warner and Joshua to the door and bid them goodbye. When they had gotten into their car and left then Jenny and I went out to our car while Momma locked up behind us. I did my best to be a very demure young lady as I got into the car and I had gotten so good at it that neither Momma nor Jenny could give me any more pointers, I was doing so well.

"Well, young lady, It looks like its time for that discussion that every mother has with her daughter, BOYS!"

"What about boys, Momma?"

"It starts with you letting a boy hold your hand, but where will it end? That’s what we need to talk about, young lady!"

"Yes, mother."

I could see the delight that Momma had in her eyes as she talked to me. What indeed had I gotten myself into? Where will it end?

Part Ten ~ Reputation

 

What will Betty find out when her mother tells her about BOYS?

 

---

It really had me guessing why Momma was so delighted when presented with a brand new daughter she didn’t realize she had until today, who also revealed that she had a boyfriend.. I was a bit numb myself and I was in the middle of the deception that was going on. Most of the time I could make a good guess of what Momma was thinking by the expression on her face. I really could not tell what she was thinking right now.

"Sweeties ... Betty ...Jenny... " Momma stopped and her face lost all that confidence and enthusiasm for a moment. Suddenly as if she had a light bulb go off above her head, she smiled, It was more than just the corners of her mouth turning up, her whole face beamed a brilliant warm loving smile.

"Girls. Yes! Girls, this is not the setting that I envisioned having this talk with you, Jenny. Betty, I could never have imagined having this talk with you at all. At least before today. When you were born, Jenny, I planned what I would say to you on this day. You girls wont hear that talk now. I’m just going to hit the high points for both of you and later you’ll each get the full version that I planned for Jenny individually. When I think...."

All of a sudden it was like a sun shower because something that must have been really sad eclipsed her face and then it was bright as before just as suddenly.

"Anyway, Betty you need to know some things now, even more than Jenny since you have so little experience actually interacting as a girl since everyone thought you were a boy for almost your entire life. Both you girls will soon be turning into young women. For you Jenny, it will be when nature wakes up and sends you into puberty. For you Betty, it will be when we are able to give you a little help."

"But what does that have to do with BOYS?"

"I’m getting to that, Betty. These changes are to prepare your bodies to become adults. You’ll remember about what I told each of you how babies are made and that it’s something that adult men and women get together to do. What I didn’t tell you then is that a child’s body on the way to growing into an adult can do some adult things like making a baby way before they are fully mature adults."

"Do you mean that I don’t have to be really old like you, Momma to make a baby?"

"Jenny, girls only a few years older than you, by behaving in adult ways, have made a baby, and one time is enough for a baby to be made."

"Momma, will I be able to make a baby like Jenny?"

"Betty, I’m afraid that what they can do right now to make you into a real girl doesn’t go that far yet. Making a baby is not the only challenge when boys and girls act in adult ways. One thing is your good reputation. Jenny do you know what your good reputation is?"

"That’s what you get when someone says good things about you. People say I am a good girl and that’s a good reputation."

"That’s right. Betty, do you know what it means for a girl to have a bad reputation?"

"That’s when people say bad things about her. Some older guys said once that a girl was easy and others said she was a bad girl."

"That’s right, Betty! There is a way for a girl not to make a baby when she behaves with a boy in an adult way which are most often pills that a doctor can give you. Jenny, when your body starts changing, I want you to talk with your doctor about getting those pills. But having those pills, Jenny or you not being able to make a baby, Betty is not an excuse to behave in an adult way with a boy, because acting in an adult way with boys can give a girl a bad reputation."

"But, Momma, the older boys who boast about doing adult things with girls are looked up to by the other boys. Why don’t they get a bad reputation like the girls?"

"Betty, that’s one of the unfair things about being a girl because boys were able to make the rules in their favor. But a girl having a good reputation is the moral way to act. We girls should not become equal with boys by dropping down to their bad standards. Instead we should do the best we can to raise the boys up to the good standard that we already have."

"How long will it be before boys and girls are judged the same?"

"Our great great grandmothers started us toward equality. You know we are not there yet. perhaps your grand daughters may live in a world where boys and girls are judged by the same standard."

"My granddaughter too, Momma?"

"Betty, we don’t know what the future holds. What seems impossible now may soon be only difficult and later on perhaps even easy. I can’t promise you anything, but I feel like that one day you will have a daughter, too"

"I guess I had better pay close attention so I can tell her all the things that she needs to know like you are telling me now."

"That’s right, Jenny. There is one more thing that you both need to know which can happen even if making a baby is not successful for what ever reason. When a boy and girl behave in an adult way to try to make a baby, you can catch diseases and some are so bad that you can even die from them because they can’t be cured yet.: The pill that I told you about before doesn't prevent you from catching those diseases."

"How can we be sure to be safe from those diseases?"

"Betty the only way to be sure is to not to act in an adult way to try to make a baby. But you really don’t have to worry much about that yet. Nothing much can happen when the boy and girl both keep all their clothes on. I want you both to know that taking your clothes off around a boy could lead to acting in adult way. That’s why you should not take your clothes off around a boy."

"I won’t take my clothes off around a boy, Momma. Ewwww!"

"Thank you Jenny!"

"I won’t take my clothes off around a boy, Momma, either. Joshua respects me and he would never ask me to do that but I would never do it even if he asked."

"Thank you, Betty!"

"You both are my very good girls and I am very proud of both of you. I can see that both of you will grow up to be young women with a good reputation"

My sister and I answered at the same time. "Thank you, Momma!"

"I never had any doubt that you girls would do the right thing, once you knew what the right thing was for real."

"Thank you for explaining everything, Momma. Now I know not only how to be a good girl, but I choose being a good girl for myself because now I know that its the best thing for me."

"I am so proud of you Betty, how did someone like you who is so new to being a girl get so wise, so fast."

"I guess it’s true what they say about girls, maturing quicker than boys, and being smarter than boys too."

"I’m glad you know that Betty, but we girls keep that secret from all the boys. We let them think what we want them to think."

"Then I’m really glad that I am one of the girls now even if things are not completely fair yet. I guess there is so much more to learn when you are a girl than I ever imagined."

"That’s right, Betty. But you have Jenny, Dr Moss and I to help you learn all those things. You can learn all kinds of things from girls your age. That’s why I am especially glad not that you are joining Jenny’s Girl Scout Troop. Not every thing that you’ll learn is something a good girl would do. So both of you girls, please come to me if something new that you learn from one of the other girls doesn’t feel right. We’ll discuss it and I’ll tell you all I know about it so you can decide for yourself it you feel like it’s something that a good girl would do."

"I’ll come to you if there is ever anything that I’m uneasy about, Momma."

"Thank you, Betty. You can tell me anything. I won’t get mad at you. I will help you find out what the best way is for you to act."

"I’ll come to you, Momma, too!"

"Thank you, Jenny!"

"I am really blessed to have two fine girls, like you both."

"Momma, would you have been disappointed if I wasn’t a transgirl and wanted to go back to being Tony?"

"I would never have been disappointed in you if you were not a transgirl. As for being Tony, I guess we’ll never know what kind of boy you could have been if you were not born a transgirl. Even though you looked like Tony, since you are a transgirl, Betty, it was always Betty that you were deep down. If you were a boy instead of a transgirl, then you would have been the best Tony that you could be and I would always have been proud of you. I wouldn’t be able to tell you girl secrets since you would not be able to understand them like you do now since you are a transgirl. Instead if you were really a boy, I would get a man to tell you all the boy secrets that you need to know."

"How can you really know what kind of girl that I really am, Momma? I haven’t been a girl on the outside for long."

"Betty, in time by being your true self, on the outside and the inside, you will make yourself known unquestionably what kind of girl that you are. I really only know what kind of girl you are now, by what kind of person that you were when you were outwardly Tony. But the way that you acted when you were Tony would make you a good person whether you were really a boy or girl inside. Does that answer your question, Sweetheart?"

"I feel like I understand now, Momma. Thanks!"

"I’m really glad that I’ve always been a girl on the inside and outside. I can’t even imagine what you are going thru, Sis. I would want to help anyone who was a transgirl make their life easier."

"Where did that come from, Jenny? Do you know someone else who is a transgirl?"

"I think I know someone, Momma but I don’t have her permission to tell anyone else who she is?"

While I was relieved to know that Jenny did not tell on Kimmie, I was a bit nervous about Momma knowing that there was a transgirl around even if she didn't know her name. I just hoped that Momma would not put 2 and 2 together and come up with Kimmie.

"Is the person you think may be a transgirl, in danger now?"

"No. She’s safe right now."

"Then I won’t ask you to tell her secret, If she ever is in danger, you must tell me, Jenny. Helping someone in danger is much more important than keeping their secret."

"I understand Momma. If I feel she is in danger, I will tell you everything."

"Thank you, Jenny. I am very proud of you. You are growing into more of a young women I can be really proud of every day."

I couldn’t even try to get my misgiving across to Jenny while Momma was around. I couldn’t risk Momma discovering them too and that would give her one more thing to use to figure out who it was. I guessed that unless Momma got a big clue like that, then she would never suspect that the same person that she thought was my boyfriend was really going to be my girl friend after the summer when we both were put right.

It was funny how things turned out that we both showed on the outside a gender opposite what we were on the inside. All of the talk about boys and girls and reputation started me to wondering. What if I were really a transgirl and stayed Betty, would that make me a bad girl if I still loved Kimmie? It seemed like some people thought that two girls going together was a bad thing just because they both were girls. I could not understand how they could think that because love was the important thing and not what gender the two people are. It looked like Kimmie’s secret would be known sooner rather than later to keep her out of danger. Even if I were to admit my deception to Momma and Dr Moss, to everyone else I would be Betty for the summer. I would have to learn to deal with the people who thought girls loving each other was bad. I would never let that keep me away from being with Kimmie.

Then there was this other thing that kept nagging at me that I didn’t really want to think about. What if I discovered that I was really a transgirl and not just faking it. Kimmie did say that some transgirls realized it later than others. Just because I had not figured that out yet, didn’t mean that I wasn’t one. What I would be doing was like what Kimmie called the Real Life Test. Living as a girl all the time for months. At the end of that, I figured that I would be pretty sure that even if I fitted in great as a girl that I really was a boy or else that I really was a girl and should stay one the rest of my life. I pretty much knew that I would be back to being Tony when this was all over. Unlike the answer I would have given before this happened, I wasn’t 100% sure now. And to top it all off, if I did turn out to be a girl, that was not the end. I also had to make sure that if I did turn out to be a girl, that I would be thought of as a good girl. That much I had promised Momma, and while I was Betty, how ever long it would be, I would be the best girl that I could be.

I was almost relieved that the trip in the car was ending when I realized that I had gone from the frying pan into the fire. Now, as if being a girl wasn’t enough, I was to learn how to be a Girl Scout as well. At least, I knew that being a good Girl Scout would help me be a good girl, so like everything before I was prepared to do it for Jenny, and Kimmie, and now with my promise to be a good girl, for Momma.

Part Eleven ~ Reception

 

Could it be that one of Betty's new Girl Scout Troop has a crush on Tony?

 

---

Jenny looked around with puzzlement as Momma turned off into a direction that she didn’t expect..

"Momma, I thought we were going to Dr Moss’s house so that Betty could learn about the Girl Scouts. Where are we going?"

"Sweethearts, there has been a change in plans. Dr. Moss has found a new public meeting place for the Girl Scout Troop. Even though the troop has been comfortable in the meeting room in her home. She wanted to find a new free public place so the Troop would continue to have a meeting place if for some reason she had to give up being the Girl Scout Troop Leader. One place that she was checking on was available for her to see this afternoon. She asked for us to meet her there instead of at her home."

"Okay, Where are we going?"

"We’re going to the main firehouse in town. They have a meeting room that they let civic groups use. It sounds perfect for the Girl Scout Troup to use. We’d have to bring in the meeting room decorations and put them up before each meeting. Other than that the space is perfect. There are chairs and tables for crafts and a sink area to clean up as well."

"That sounds wonderful. What’s it like?"

"It has a child friendly decoration with a fire safety theme. On one wall is a mural that shows friendly firemen and on the other wall it has a mock up fire engine with real parts from a fire engine in it. There is a screen to do projected video and presentations. All in all its great. All they really want is a contribution to a fire safety charity in return for use of the room which we would want to do anyway."

"That’s really nice, Momma. I’m glad that Dr Moss was able to find such a nice place for us to meet."

"Oh and a reminder to both of you to not give out an address for Tony’s father, Carl Kessler, that Tony’s supposed to be staying with for the summer. Just say that Carl values his privacy and has asked you not to give out his address."

"Okay, Momma. That will be easy to do since we don’t know where he lives anyway."

"That’s my good girls!"

As we drove up into the parking lot behind the fire station, it was empty of cars. The lights were out in the meeting room which had a separate door to the outside.

"Looks like no one is here yet. What do we do now?"

"We can go around to the front and ask the fireman to let us into the meeting room from its other door inside the building. Dr Moss said to speak to a Fireman named Thomas Moore if we were to arrive before she did. Girls, follow me."

Jenny and I followed Momma around to the front of the fire station and she knocked on the door and we were met by a fireman.

"Hello, I’m Teri Hastings and these are my daughters, Betty and Jenny. We were supposed to meet Dr Cindy Moss here. A fireman named Thomas Moore was supposed to let us into the meeting room to see it."

"Hello, Mrs Hastings. I’m expecting you. I’m Thomas Moore. I can let you into the meeting room to wait for Dr Moss to arrive. If you all will follow me."

"Thank you, sir."

He led us to a door and unlocked it and opened it. It was pitch black inside as we three tried to see inside the room. a dim sliver of light let thru the door illuminated the other door and the switch plate for the lights there.

"Ladies, I’m afraid that the only light switch is the one you can dimly see by the other door. Just a ...."

"Errr Ahhhh Oooo! Engine 51, Squad 51 Dispatch to 111 Martin Lane. EMS in contact. Time Out 1:41 PM"

Fireman Moore was already running to get ready to go out on the fire call. He called over his shoulder, "Got to go!"

"Girls, let’s wait in the room. Can one of you go turn on the lights?"

"I will, Momma."

"I’ll go too! Betty, if we hold hands and go it won’t seem so scary till we get the lights turned on."

"Thanks, Sis!"

"Thank you, Girls!"

I took Jenny’s hand and together we braved the dark to get to the other side of the room and the light switch. Before we had gotten too far, all of the sudden the lights came on by themselves and we were surrounded by the sound of girls screaming out,

‘Surprise!’

I could not help it! I squealed right back at them and Jenny joined right in with me. I looked around and saw the room as Momma had described it but in addition there were various banners announcing the Junior Girl Scout Troop #121. Eight cheering girls surrounded us and we found ourselves in a wonderful group hug! Looking back at Momma and the lack of surprise on her face, told me that we had been set up for this surprise. I felt really loved to think that they had all gone to so much trouble to welcome me. Jenny was just as surprised as I was so I knew that she had not been let in on it either.

"Okay Girls! Let Betty and Jenny catch their breaths. Go take a seat in the circle and we’ll make the introductions for everyone."

"You heard Dr Moss. Let’s take our seats girls!"

Not only was I amazed that one of the girls had spoken up like that and the other girls immediately complied but I was also amazed by her appearance. She had a strikingly beautiful and her Girl Scout Uniform had been tastefully augmented in a manner to make a real fashion statement. On top of everything else she seemed to be a bit older than the other girls since she had already begun to develop a figure.

I whispered to Jenny, "What’s got into Paris Triton? I’ve never seen her act like that."

"She’s all sweetness and light around a mixed crowd but we’re all girls here and she assumes the role of queen bee among us."

I wanted to learn more but with the look that Momma gave me, I knew I needed to take my seat and be quiet.

"Girls, I would like you all to meet Betty Hastings. She’s Jenny’s sister and Mrs Hasting’s daughter. It’s an interesting story how she comes to be with us, now when we need her the most. Many of you may know Tony Hastings, Jenny’s brother. What you don’t know is that he is fraternal twins with Betty. When Betty and Tony were born, Mrs Hastings divorced their father, soon afterward. In the divorce settlement, they decided to split up the twins and Betty was raised by her father and Tony by his mother. Recently Betty uncovered the fact that she had a mother and twin brother. Understandably, she wanted to visit her mother and Tony his father. Their parents agreed to a swap for the summer, so Betty is going to be a part of our Girl Scout Troop while she is here. Lucky for us, Betty makes the 10th girl in our allotment for the WNBA Cookie sale tomorrow. I hope that you all will make her welcome. She wasn’t able to be a Girl Scout where she has been living so she’ll need all her help to get her acquainted with us and the way we do things. Betty would you like to say something to the girls?"

"Thank you Mrs. Moss, I’d like to do that. Hi Girls! I’m Betty Hastings and I’m very glad to be here. It’s been wonderful being with my Mother and Sister and I look forward to being friends with all of you here. My Daddy has raised me to be a Tomboy and I am enjoying discovering the joys of being a girl. I am very thankful to be close enough to be around other people since Daddy is a hermit. I’ve also never gotten to be on the internet before so communicating with people and learning things that way is new to me. Thank you for such a warm welcome. I guess that is all that I have."

"I don’t you to be left out Jenny, so you can go next and then we’ll continue introducing ourselves around the circle till everyone has introduced themselves."

"Hi, I’m Jenny Hastings! I’m so glad to finally meet and be with my sister, Betty. Even as short a time that I have known her, I feel like she will be a great asset to our Girl Scout Troop. As much as I love you, Betty, I also love my brother, Tony. I’m going to be glad when he gets to come back home at the end of the summer. It really is hard because they don’t have phone or internet there so I haven't been able to talk to him since he started living with his Daddy"

"Hi, I’m Krissy Moss. I’m our Troop Leader’s daughter. I love to shop and I’d love to help you shop, Betty. When Mom and I ran into you at Target, you seemed to be catching on to shopping just fine. I’m really interested in Medicine and I’d like to be a Doctor like my Mom when I grow up."

"Hello, Betty! I’m Rebecca Moray. My family comes from the Highlands of Scotland. I really enjoy going to Highland games and I’m involved with traditional Scottish dancing."

"Hola, Betty! I’m Adonia Gomez. My family comes from Mexico. I enjoy cooking, especially Mexican dishes."

"Hey, Betty! I’m Keisha Jones. My father is an architect. I really enjoy seeing buildings built in different styles. I feel like I would love to design homes for people which use energy saving technology."

"Hi Betty! I’m Ariel Walker. My parents say that they took one look at my fiery red hair which I get from my Mother and named me after Disney’s Ariel, The Little Mermaid. I enjoy collecting Little Mermaid items. I even have a China doll that my Aunt bought for me of Ariel in her wedding dress which is my most prized possession."

"Hello Betty. I’m Keiko Kendo and I’m of Japanese American decent. I enjoy Japanese Culture and I enjoy traditional dress and the art of our ceremonies."

"Greetings, Betty. I’m Paris Triton. I’m the daughter of Horace Triton, CEO of Triton Industries. I’m the oldest of the girls here and I’m going to be having a huge birthday party next Tuesday that you and all of the girls of our troop are invited to. I’ll be turning eleven but I’ve got special permission to stay with the troop thru the cookie sale. I know that I am speaking for all the girls by saying that you are welcome here, Betty. Anything that we can do to make your stay easier, just ask. Thank you."

"Hi Betty! I’m Buffy Livingston and I enjoy slaying vampires. No not really but you should have seen your face. I am a fan of the series and most science fiction and fantasy television and films. I really loved the new Star Trek movie and I’m making my own red mini dress. I thought Uhura rocked in that movie!

"Thank you Girls! There is refreshments on the table over there and you can get acquainted."

I had hardly gotten up before Paris had come over and put a hand around my shoulder to lead me to a quiet corner of the room. I looked longingly towards the table which had Girl Scout cookies and Punch on it but that was not to be yet.

"Betty, I’m so glad that I can talk to you. You can help me avoid a major disaster."

"What is that, Paris?"

"I’ve got a major crush on Tony. Your brother is a hunk! I just have to have him at my birthday party. I realize that he’s having a chance of a lifetime getting to know his Dad but he can spare a day to be with me on my special day. I can get him a seat on the Triton Corporate Jet so that he can fly out here for the party and fly back right afterward. It will be great. Where do you live with your father, Betty?"

"I’m sorry Paris but my father, Carl Kessler is very private person. I’d get in trouble if I gave the address to anyone."

"That’s not very cool of him, Betty but I don’t want you to get in trouble. Maybe there is another way. Just a second, please."

Paris pulled out her cell phone and pressed a speed dial key.

"Hello, Thomas. Could you do a trace on Carl Kessler, Tony Hasting’s father. He’s a hermit and so he’ll be off the beaten path. ..... Thanks I’ll hold..... Wonderful ... Thank you.. Good bye"

"Hello Daddy. I just have to have Tony Hastings at my birthday party but he’s off at his father’s for the summer. Could you have someone contact his father and offer transportation to my party and back on the corporate jet. Thomas has the address and the details that he found on Tony’s father Carl Kessler...... Thank you, Daddy. You’re the best daddy in the world. Love and Kisses, Byeie!"

"Betty, it’s all set and you can honestly say that you had nothing to do with it. I know that you’ll be glad to have your brother around even if its only for the party, I know that I will!"

I put on my sweetest smile. "I love my brother and it will be so good to be with him. Thank you, Paris!"

I excused myself and found Jenny talking with Momma.

"Momma, I just came from Paris. She’s got a crush on Tony. She tracked down his father and she’s going to offer to fly him down for her birthday party on Tuesday! What are we going to do?"

I looked over at Jenny and she was surprised but Momma looked absolutely terrified. With no answer forthcoming, I wondered if my time as Betty was about to be over before it even got started good.

Part Twelve ~ Exposition

Will Betty play Nancy Drew to discover why her mother was terrified?

 

---

I had forgotten for the moment when I considered that my father knowing what we had done would give away my secret that I had already made the confession that I was a transgirl. I would not have to give up being Betty. My secret would be out, it would be really difficult to return to being Tony since it would be more than my Mother, Sister, and Doctor would know about my confession of being a transgirl that I would have to confess that it was a hoax to help Kimmie.

Momma had composed herself and her face was calm. Jenny seemed more at ease seeing that Momma now had a big smile on her face."

"Jenny, I’ll make this okay for your sister. Could you give us a moment while I talk with your sister?"

"Sure Momma!"

Jenny went over to the refreshment table and picked out something else to snack on. Momma drew me close to her and pulled back the hair from one of my ears and began to whisper into it.

"Betty, I don’t want you to worry about this. You are my daughter and your father has no rights since he was stripped of them in the divorce. You are a very brave girl to want to stay your true self. With you already covertly living as a girl, I hoped you might be spared the indignities that girls in your situation sometimes have to endure. Eventually we would have had to own up that the story of you being twins was a cover if you stayed after the Summer and Tony never came home. If it happens that Carl spills the beans then we’ll just have to deal with it sooner. I love you, my daughter and I won’t let anything happen to you."

I turned my head to be face to face with Momma and put my arms around her to hug her. She enveloped me and I felt safe and loved.

"I love you, Momma. Thank you for showing your love to me always."

I heard a chorus of ‘ Awwwwwah’ around me as the girls reacted to our mother/ daughter display of affection. Momma went over and whispered something to Jenny and smothered her in a hug just like she had given me. All the girls gave another chorus of ‘Awwwwwah’ and I joined in as well.

Paris came over to me and gave me a hug.

"I imagine that it really means something to you to have your mother’s love after being without her in your life for so long."

I looked her in the eyes and spoke from my heart. While I felt no more or less loved now as I did as Tony, a mother - daughter kind of love is really special.

"My time being here sharing mother and daughter time has been the most amazing experience in my life, I don’t know anything about Tony since our parents sent us off on planes at the same time. What’s so special about him that you have to have him back here for your birthday party."

"Tony is amazingly bright for a boy. He’s so cute because he’s athletic with a very special quality about his face. His eyes are so expressive that I could lose my self in them. Not only is he bright with knowledge and common sense but he has a quick wit for humor. The funny thing that he comes up with are really amazing."

"It sounds like you have it bad for my brother. Does he know?"

"I have a serious crush on him. I haven’t come right out and told him. Of course I’ve done the usual things to show him that I am attracted to him. I feel like he picked up on them. The only thing is that since I am such an icon he might have been waiting for me to just come out and say it. I wasn’t sure I was ready and that he was the one. Knowing he is gone means that if I didn’t do something to show how much I cared for him, could make me lose him. I don’t want that to happen."

I had picked up on those signs that Paris had made that she thought I was an okay guy. It made me feel good that I had the approval of the girl I now knew as the ‘Queen Bee". Without an obvious invitation that she wanted more, I chose to wait to make sure she really meant it. Well I knew that she really meant it now when it was too late to do anything about it.

"If he’s the kind of guy that you say he is, then your invitation will let him know that you are serious about him. Even if Daddy prevents him from accepting your offer now, he’ll know how you feel. Is it possible that another girl at school has come along and snagged him?"

"I made it very clear to all the girls at school that Tony was my choice and to leave him alone. Things happen that a girl can’t help, so if another girl beat me to him, then I would wish them the best. I’d be disappointed in myself if not acting soon enough lost me a great guy like your brother."

There was one girl at school who would not have gotten that message, Kimmie, since the girls didn’t realize that the boy that they thought of as Joshua was really a girl.

"Well I hope that things work out for you. When will we know if Tony is able to accept the invitation?"

"Daddy already put in an order to deliver my message and offer to yours and Tony’s Father tomorrow. Even though they will stand by for an immediate reply to return with it, if Tony’s father doesn’t do that then we may not know until Tony either shows up with permission to fly down or doesn’t show. That’s the trouble with that cabin being in the middle of no where, communication is really difficult. With me living with everything on speed dial this kind of wait is so frustrating."

Just then a woman walked thru the door looking like she stepped out of a history book. She was tall with blonde hair and blue eyes wearing an Italian Ren gown in blue with rich brocade incorporated in the bodice which was laced up to give her some nice cleavage. Paris gave me a wink with an expression that conveyed ‘Duty calls!" as she gave my hand a squeeze and left me to find out about our guest who had arrived.

While Paris and I were talking I noticed that Momma immediately found a quiet corner of the room and made a cell phone call. She had just finished and was walking over to Dr Moss when our mysterious stranger came into the room. Momma had a chance to whisper something in her ear since Paris got to the stranger first with a greeting.

"Hello, Miss. I’m Junior Girl Scout Paris Triton, and you are?"

"Expected. I’ve heard about you, Paris, dear. The girls looked up to me, too when I was your age so I know the pressures. Be a dear and one queen bee to another, give me the space to reach the girls on my own. While you are at it, you might give the same courtesy to Dr Moss. She may not reach them as quickly but in the end it’s best to give respect since when you are older, you’ll want it too."

Paris started out being very shocked at the manner which the woman addressed her. After a bit, you could see a deep respect as Paris regarded the woman. A bit more contritely she addressed the woman again with an expression on her face that I could only regard as a true welcome.

"Yes, Ma’am. Dr Moss is right over there talking wish Mrs Hastings."

"Thank you, Paris."

As Paris turned away and the woman walked toward Dr Moss, both had the same expression of confidence. It was the same one that the woman had when she entered the room but somehow Paris had made some kind of leap of maturity and was echoing the woman’s expression. I wasn’t sure if it was there to stay on Paris but I counted even a temporary change something positive. When the woman approached Momma and Dr Moss’s conversation ended, as Dr Moss stepped forward to greet the woman.

"Alicia! It’s so good to see you! Thanks for coming. Alicia, this is Jenny and Betty’s mother,Teri. Teri this is my good friend from the SCA, Alicia."

"It’s so good to meet you, Alicia. I’m well aware of the great works of the SCA. What are you going to teach the girls today?"

"Hi Cindy! I’m glad to meet you, too Teri. The girls will learn simple dressmaking and an introduction to the SCA."

"Alicia’s been a Minister of Children which is roughly their equivalent to Troop leader. Alicia, could I impose on you to supervise the children while you teach. Teri and I have something that has just come up that I’d like to take care of as quick as I can."

"I’d be glad to, Cindy. Your position has challenges that mine doesn’t but I should be able to manage for a while. You’ll be back in to do the Girl Scout things when I conclude?"

"Of course, Alicia. I’ll introduce you to the girls and let you get started then.."

Momma walked across the front to wait at the door to the outside while Dr Moss and the woman she called, Alicia stopped in the center. The girls out of curiosity hushed as they anticipated being addressed."

"Girls! I’d like to introduce our guest."

For once Paris did not speak to take control of things but just beamed with as much anticipation as any of the girls with what was to come next.

"Girls, this is Lady Alicia of Dunbar. She’s come from a group called the SCA that brings history to life. She’ll explain about the SCA and lead you all in a crafts project where you will all get to make a dress that might have been worn in the Middle Ages. Lady Alicia!"

"Thank you, Junior Girl Scout Troop Leader Moss. As she said, I am called Lady Alicia of Dunbar within the SCA. SCA stands for the Society for Creative Anachronism. Anachronism means that we reach back in time to bring back to life another culture which in our case is Medieval or Middle ages. Creative means that instead of bringing back all of the things from that time, we only bring back the good things and we use modern technology to stay safe as we recreate the best of the Middle Ages. Let’s stop for a moment and find out what kind of questions that you might have and I’ll work the answers into the introduction that I’m going to give you before we start work on your own garb, which is what we call clothing that recreates something that a person might have worn back then. If you have a question, please raise your hand. When I call on you, you may drop your hand and Tell me who you are before you ask your question."

As Lady Alicia paused to look for hands to rise from among us girls, Mother and Dr Moss disappeared out the door to the outside. An idea formed in my head as I raised my hand first.

Lady Alicia called on me and I answered not with a question that she anticipated.

"I’m Betty Hastings. May I please be excused to go to the restroom?"

"Yes, you may, Betty."

I crossed to the front of the room in the direction where I had guessed the unmarked door led to the restroom. Lady Alicia had started calling on the other girls and everyone had their attention on Lady Alicia and she on the other girls. When I was sure I was out of her peripheral vision I cut quickly over to exit thru the door to the rest of the fire station. I quietly closed the door behind me. With the firemen out on call there was no one in the engine bay I passed thru. I exited thru the door to the outside and slowly creeped quietly to the edge of the wall where it turned at the corner. I guess that instead of the Hardy Boys where I would just jump into something and sort it out later, I was channeling Nancy Drew as I hoped that Momma and Dr Moss would discuss openly what had terrified her. There were no windows on that end of the room so I was able to creep by on the outside without being observed from the room where Lady Alicia and the girl scouts were engaged in conversation.

Beyond the corner, out of my vision was the door to the outside of the meeting room. I heard three voices as it appeared another woman had joined them in their discussion.

"Maria, thank you for coming on such short notice."

"Glad to Teri. Hi Cindy. All that I got over the phone is that this involves, Tony and his birth father. Except it’s not Tony but it’s Betty now?"

"I’ll take that last question, Maria. As you know since it was the beginning of Teri and Carl’s breakup, Tony was born intersexed. Teri acted on my advice to not rush to surgery and blocked Carl’s attempt to prematurely render Tony solely a male. We talked about using the fiction of a deep tissue wound to cover hir female parts so as not to confront the reality before ready. That’s worked out so far, but as you know puberty is the critical time both developmentally as well as with the risk of cancer and other complications so that a choice needed to be made and corrections finally made."

I was reeling when I heard the news that I was intersexed. Kimmie had told me about girls like them who had both male and female parts. I now knew what I would find under the appliance that made me look like a girl down there. I was really both a boy and girl down there. I knew that it did not seem right that they could cover up a wound like I was supposed to have with an appliance. I was beginning to really be angry that something this big had been kept from me for so long. I wasn’t a baby now!

"I remember that time to my horror. When Carl was thwarted he could not face the possibility of what he called an imperfect child. He went crazy and beat you unmercifully immediately after you got hir home from the hospital. Fortunately I was coming over to offer my help with your new baby and I heard the assault and called 911. We got you to the hospital just in time to save your life. I testified and Carl was convicted of Attempted Murder which earned him a 15 year sentence. I was able to win sole custody and no visitation rights for you for Tony/Betty in exchange for no child support. I sued him civilly and was able to strip him of his remaining wealth in the award the court made for your injuries. We shouldn’t have to worry about him for a while yet."

Oh my goodness! All of a sudden I could no longer be mad at my Momma. The beating she took to protect me and do what was best for me. Even though I was really not liking being kept in the dark for so long, I could only feel love for my Mother now. There was that funny pronoun that she used for me, hir. I guessed that it was supposed to be him and her combined just like I guessed I was now. Wow! It was really hard for me to get used to that! Now I knew that the payment that Momma received wasn’t really child support but the payment for her injuries. Now I knew why Momma was terrified that he knew that I was being Betty. If he had not changed, and he did that to Momma, what would he do to us now? Since it was clear that Miss Maria was Momma’s lawyer, I hoped together they would find a way to stop him from harming us.

"He’s out, Maria. Paris Triton was able to locate him where he had to live in a remote area to not be in a jurisdiction which would have to report his transgressions. I wasn’t notified of his release."

"Nor was I, Teri. I’m sorry. While I check this out tell me how Paris Triton got involved and what you did to give hir a chance at being a girl?"

"I examined Tony after his accident where his sister, Jenny saved him from drowning. I found that we were running out of time so far as potential complications as well as the onset of puberty. We had to find a way for Tony to experience what it was like to be a girl so that Tony/Betty could make an informed choice. We had some bad luck with both illness taking out part of our Girl Scout Troop and a Jonas Brothers concert on the night when we had the big sale at the WNBA game that would be our best fund raising chance this summer. Instead of bringing a girl in from outside for the summer which is what we would normally do when we fell one shy of our allotment, I suggested to Jenny to ask Tony to be a girl scout for the WNBA game. Of course in order to not bring in ringers for a major sale, any girl has to be a part of the troop at the end in order for her sales to count toward the contest so Tony would have to be a girl for the summer. At the end of the summer, after she had experienced life as a girl as normally as we could manage, we’d tell hir everything and let hir make hir choice."

I had a feeling that Jenny wasn’t involved. She was just the messenger. How could I be hurt at what Momma and Dr Moss wanted since they weren’t going to force me to be a girl. If they wanted to do that Momma could have just had surgery on me and be done with it. I guess the way they did it wasn’t perfect but was there any good way to do this?. For most of my life I had been at peace not knowing what was coming. Now I did and.... Opps. I think that my confession means that they think that I have already made my choice. I would have to get with Kimmie and see what she thinks I should do about that.

"Yes the release was legal. He was able to get an early release based on ‘good time’s He was released a year ago. The original restraining order is still in effect for you and Tony. I’ll get that extended to cover Jenny. I don’t want you to panic. I’ll get the detective agency that I have on retainer to stake you out and if they see Carl break the restraining order, he will have also violated his parole and he’ll go back to prison. I’ll need to...."

She kept on talking but my attention was turned away from them with the soft hand that rested on my shoulder. I slowly turned around and looked up into Lady Alicia’s face. She leaned down and whispered, "Back inside, young lady." I wilted and complied humbly. I knew that I was in trouble but with what I had heard, I didn’t regret my listening in to their conversation. Lady Alicia followed me thru the door into the fire station and quietly closed the door without a sound. There was a wooden love seat with cushions right inside the door and she directed me to sit down and she sat beside me."

"Betty, It’s not nice to listen in to others conversations. I had used my IPhone to tap into the security cameras so I had you under supervision the entire time you left the room. I’ve gotten the other girls started on their T- Dresses so they can attend an SCA event this summer. I hoped that you would come back on your own. You really should tell your mother what you heard but I’m going to leave that up to you and your honor."

"Thank you, Ma’am!"

I was so confused with all the information that I had gotten. I’m sure that there was more to the story and perhaps I would learn that when I told Momma what I knew. I was excited that I would soon have such a life changing choice, I was concerned that perhaps they would act on the choice that I had made when I did not think there would be any immediate consequences, In spite of all this emotion I had to be strong and concentrate on the task at hand otherwise I would not have to tell Momma what I knew because she would see it on my face.

As I came thru the door Jenny got up and hugged me.

"Are you okay, Sis? What happened?"

"She went looking for the bathroom that the firemen used. Betty, in the future, you should go to the one in here."

Lady Alicia opened the restroom door where I should have gone if I really needed to go.

"You can partner with your sister and I’ll show you both how to get started on your T Dresses."

"Momma brought T shirts for both of us to use as patterns and left them with me."

I had fun taking my turn to lay the T shirt down on the doubled cloth as we traced around it with sewing chalk. Then Lady Alicia showed me how to use the yard stick to measure how long the dress should be to come to my shoe tops. I drew the bottom line which was wider so the skirt would flair at the bottom. then I used the yard stick to connect the lines from the T shirt down to the bottom. Next I had to cut it out and that was fun. Finally we got to use the sewing machine to sew the 2 halves together. The last part was to pick out a trim to compliment the solid colored cotton material. There was a piece to go around the hem at the bottom, around the end of the sleeve and around the neckline. Lady Alicia explained that the trim was not just for it to look nicer but to strengthen the dress at the critical points so it would last longer since clothing back then had to last a very long time. When we were all done we all pulled our T dresses on over our clothes and modeled them. Just about that time Momma and Dr Moss came back in to the room.

"Thank you, Lady Alicia, for working with the girls to get them all into garb. Lady Alicia and I have cooked up a few other chances for you all to learn about the Middle Ages this summer. I especially like the chance for you girls to participate in an SCA weekend but before that happens, we’ll have to get at least one of your parents into garb as well to accompany you. Let’s give Lady Alicia a show of thanks!"

All of us came up orderly but got involved quickly in a big group hug surrounding Lady Alicia. We followed Paris as she led us with a response that she had taught that Jenny had filled me in on.

"Good Morrow, Lady Alicia!. Till we meet again!"

"Good Morrow, Girls! Till we meet again!"

When it was all said and done I didn’t really pay close attention to what was said. Dr Moss briefed us all on the Cookie sale.

She told us all of the rules for our conduct while we were at Philip's Arena and the specifics on how a girl scout sells cookies. There was a booklet covering everything that she said that she gave each of us. She told us about the activities that we were going to do this summer as well as the special educational activities that we had to do so we could be off of school for the week of the Jamboree. We each were given a calendar which not only had the activities marked but had an explanation on what each one was. I was so glad to have the written material because it all went over my head.

After Dr Moss dismissed the rest of the girls, she gave me a Girl Scout Manual. She went over with me the history of the Girl Scouts with it being started by Juliette Low from Georgia and told me about the Girl Scout Pledge. Also about the badges that I could earn and how to go about earning them. I was glad that I had the manual to study because even though Dr Moss made it very interesting I was still trying to make sense out of what I had overheard. I just hoped that I could get home soon to chat on the computer with Kimmie so I could try to understand everything that I now knew.

I must have had that glazed over look in my eyes even though I was fighting to stay alert to what was happening. The lesson on the Girl Scouts was over and Momma was chatting softly with Dr Moss. Jenny put her arm around me and looked into my eyes.

"Betty, what’s wrong?"

Part Thirteen ~ Introduction

How will Betty cope with all the things she overheard?

---

Jenny was looking at me with a great deal of concern after asking me what was wrong. When I didn’t answer right away she whispered in my ear.

"Is it because Paris has a crush on you and you can’t be with her now? Oh dear, Momma wants to take us home. Come to my room when we get home and we’ll talk."

I smiled at Jenny and nodded yes. My world had turned upside down but Jenny’s love for me was a constant that I could grab hold of. I wondered what it would be like to be Jenny’s sister for real but I knew that she would love me no matter what I chose.

"Girls, it was a pleasure having you both at the Girl Scouts meeting today. Betty, I could tell that you had a lot on your mind while I was going over everything. I recommend that you get together with Jenny this evening and tomorrow morning to go back over everything so you’ll be ready to sell cookies tomorrow night at the WNBA game. I’ll see you both tomorrow here when we gather to caravan to the game. Thank you both."

"Thank you Dr Moss!"

"See you tomorrow!"

"Come on girls, let’s go home!"

"Okay, Momma."

"Coming, Momma."

Jenny and I piled in the car. This time we both sat in the back since Momma thought it was safer unless there was a reason for one of us to be in the front seat. I thought that perhaps I might get a chance to whisper to Jenny but instead once we were settled in the car, Momma had some questions for me.

"Betty, I’m really proud of you. It must have been really difficult for you to listen to Paris go on about Tony and her crush on him."

"It wasn’t easy but I did it by thinking of Tony as a separate person, even though he really was me, I could tell that she was sincere. I wish that she could have said something before we started this because I was clue less about how she felt."

"Do you wish that you could come back as Tony and talk with Paris face to face about how she feels?"

"I don’t know that coming back as Tony would be good, but I feel bad that Paris doesn’t know that Tony is gone completely and I’m in his place. I don’t know how to do that without telling her what’s happening. I guess that eventually I’ll have to face everyone and let them know that there are no twins and there only is me."

"Even though it will be hard for you, We need to let the fiction remain at least until Dr Erika gets to talk with you. I know that you are sure about this but coming out to everyone will be difficult and Dr Erika can help us find out if you are really ready to do that and how to have success in doing it."

"I’ll play my part since this is what we agreed was best. No plan is perfect and there is no way any of us could have predicted that Paris had a secret crush on me as Tony."

"I know that you are really a girl and you and Joshua have developed something, but do you think that you could return Paris’s love even as Betty?"

"I don’t know, Momma. I really like Joshua and I started feeling that way first. I don’t know that I have room for Paris in my heart too or that I would care for her enough to let Joshua go."

"That’s an honest answer. So right now do you want to end this all and go back to being Tony?"

"No Momma. I really need to be Betty now, and not just for Jenny and the Girl Scout Troop. I’m going to be really glad to be able to talk to Dr Erika about all of this."

"That’s my Girl! I just needed to ask so you knew that you still had a choice to back out if you needed to do that."

"Thank you, Momma. Can I go and play in Jenny’s room when we get home?"

"Sure Sweetie. We have a little time before you girls will come help me prepare supper. You two can have fun."

"Thanks, Momma!"

"Thank you Momma!"

"You are welcome, Girls!"

When the car stoped at home, Jenny and I got to the front door first and waited for Momma to open it up. Then we quickly but still ladylike went up the stairs. I stopped by my room to get my laptop and then went over to Jenny’s room and closed the door.

"So give, Sis. What’s going on?"

"Paris uncovered something that Momma didn’t think anyone could when we came up with that cover story. This has some bad stuff, Sis, Can you stay brave for me while I tell it?"

"Yes, Betty. I want to know so I can help"

"Okay, I wasn’t really looking for the fireman’s bathroom when I was gone. Momma and Dr Moss were talking with a woman named Maria. I took a page out of Nancy Drew and listened around a corner. I couldn’t see them and they couldn’t see me."

"Okay, what did you find out?"

"First, I found out that I am really intersexed, I have both girl and boy parts but I have never seen my girl parts since Momma covered them with a bandage and told us that it was a deep tissue wound."

"Oh Betty, what does that mean?"

"It can’t stay that way forever. If I don’t make a choice and they do surgery it can mean cancer or other bad stuff. Even when I do choose there will be risks others don’t have. The good part is that I might be able to have children which ever choice that I make."

"But Betty, Momma and Dr Moss think you have already made your choice since you confessed to be a transgirl to help Kimmie."

"I know. If I had known that I really was intersexed and would have to really make a choice I would never have done that. A transgirl may have her puberty delayed but they don’t do anything permanent till she’s 18 so I thought I had time to help Kimmie and then come clean. For an intersexed child they can do surgery any time, even as a baby."

"Why would they do that to you as a baby, Betty? You could never let them know which gender you really were then."

"The doctors and parents who want to force it thinking that by doing surgery then it would make them into a ‘perfect’ child."

"That’s horrible, Betty!"

"This is the bad part, Carl Kessler, my birth father wanted to do that to me as a baby. He wanted a boy but Momma blocked him and I was left whole. He was insanely angry at Momma and when she came home from the hospital with me, Carl almost beat her to death."

"Oh goodness, Betty!"

"That’s why she was terrified when Paris had located him and sent word that he was to send Tony to be with his twin sister for the day for her birthday party. She thought that he was still in prison for attempted murder but he’s out on parole. Momma’s lawyer, Maria sent people to watch us and if he gets close to us he’ll violate his parole and get sent back to prison. There was already a protection order that included Momma and me and Maria is going to get you on it too. Maria assured Momma that the people that are watching us know their jobs and that they would catch him if he comes around."

"That’s terrible, Betty! Momma must love you a lot in order to protect you like that, "

"She would have done the same thing for you if you needed it, Jenny. She loves both of us the same."

"I know. So what do you want to do now?"

"I want to go into Wizard 101 and see if Kimmie is playing. I need to get her advice on all this that I’ve learned."

"Okay, I’ll just sit along with you and read your conversation. Is that okay?"

"Sure, Sis. I’ll just let Kimmie know you are here too."

"Please tell her hi from me when you get signed on and chatting"

"Okay."

I signed in as Brittany Unicornblossom and looked at my friends list and found Kimberly Rainbowbloom signed on, I entered the code and got into chat with Kimberly.

Brittany> Hi Kimmie, Jenny is here and says Hi!

Kimberly> Hi Betty, Hi Jenny, What’s going on?

Brittany> I overheard a conversation between Momma and Dr Moss. I’m intersexed. That’s why they wanted me to have a try at being a girl. I’m going to have to choose soon so they can fix me so I don’t get cancer.

Kimberly> How do you feel about knowing that, Betty?

Brittany> I started out being mad at Momma for not telling me but I’m over that now. She had something really bad happen to her when I was a baby to protect me. How could I get mad at her after I found out that? You know I thought something wasn’t quite right when they put that appliance on me and I was right.

Kimberly> Betty, I can’t let you pretend for me anymore to be a transgirl. As intersexed they will have to do surgery on you soon and you need to make the right choice for you. I’ll tell your mother that I’m the real transgirl that you were trying to help. That way she’ll believe you. Since she is a parent of a child in kinda the same boat, I feel comfortable coming out to her and maybe she can figure a way for me to safely come out to my parents.

Brittany> How do you want to do this, Kimmie?

Kimberly> I’d like to come over and for Jenny to fix me up as Kimmie again and tell her like that. I’d feel calmer being able to be my true self when I told your mother. I feel that being dressed right, she’d know that I was serious about this too.

"Tell Kimmie that I will be glad to help her. You can help too, casue you are getting good at being my sister, Betty"

"Thanks Jenny. I’ll tell her"

Brittany> Kimmie, Jenny said she could help and that I’m getting good enough that I could help you too. Please get permission to stay over to dinner, Okay?

Kimberly> Thanks Jenny! I’ll get permission to stay over for dinner and come right over. Kimmie out!

Brittany> See you soon Kimmie! Betty out!

"Let’s pick out something special for Kimmie, She can get dressed in my room so we can fix her up right."

Jenny has that divider screen in her room so that Kimmie could go behind it to change clothes completely .

"That’s a great idea, Jenny! I guess we both need to get changed out of our Girl Scout outfits."

"Okay, why don’t you go down and tell Momma that Joshua is coming over and ask if he can stay for dinner before his parents call?"

"You are full of great ideas, Jenny. I’ll go do that right now."

I gave Jenny a quick hug and then went down stairs and saw Momma in the kitchen staring at the open food cupboards.

"Hi Sweetheart! I see you really like being a Girl Scout. You haven’t changed out of your outfit yet."

"Hi Momma! Yeah, I like being a Girl Scout. Thanks for helping me help Jenny so the troop can do good in the cookie sale."

"I’m glad to help you do anything that you really want to do. What’s up? You look like you want to ask me something?"

"Momma, is it okay if Joshua comes over and stays for dinner?"

"Of course, Sweetheart. But it’s really up to his parents."

"Joshua is asking his parents and they will call you to ask you if it is alright for him to come over."

"That’s fine Betty, Why don’t you go up and change into something nice for him. When you are finished, bring your sister Jenny down with you and we’ll put you both in aprons and you can help me make dinner."

"I’d love to do that! Thanks Momma. I’ll be back with Jenny after I change."

I wanted to look my best, not just because Momma expected it but I just wanted to. When I took my shower, I really wondered what I looked like really under the appliance. I guessed that while I was confessing what I knew, I should really tell Momma what I overheard like Lady Alicia said that I should. I knew it would change things but how could Momma help me if I didn’t tell her everything. Keeping it from her no matter how I found out would be like Momma keeping the secret for me and I wanted everything out in the open.

I took my favorite red a-line dress out of the closet and after putting on my panties and vest, I dropped it on over me. It fit like a dream and I tied the bow ribbon behind me to finish it. I put on white knee socks and finished it off with my Mary Jane's. I was lucky that all I needed was a quick brush thru my hair and a barrette to keep the hair out of my face. I took a look at myself in the mirror and was satisfied that I was a very beautiful girl and ready to greet Joshua soon to be Kimberly when he arrived. I went and got Jenny and together we went down stairs to the kitchen to hear the end of a phone conversation Momma was having.

"...be glad to have Joshua over and for him to stay for dinner. Betty and Jenny really enjoy him being over and he seems to enjoy himself here. Joshua is a perfect gentleman and a joy to have around. I’ll expect him soon and that you will come to bring him home at 8 PM, Thank you, Becky! Bye bye"

"Hi Momma, we are here ready to help."

"Hi Girls, you can help me with dinner till Joshua gets here. You should entertain your guest while I finish dinner. I’ll call you all down when I have finished dinner. Betty, you can help me make the salad while Jenny you can help me by peeling the potatoes. Please put on the aprons that I have laid out for you."

Momma had draped the aprons across the chairs we usually took at the dinner table. These were new aprons with our names embroidered on them across the bib at the front."

"Yes Momma! Thank you for the new apron. I love it!"

"I love mine too! Momma where is the peeler?"

"Its in this drawer, Jenny. Here you are!:"

Jenny began to peel potatoes and I began to make the salad. We were both just finishing up when the doorbell rang.

"Leave your aprons with me girls. Betty please let Joshua in."

We both handed our aprons to Momma and we went to the door together. I opened the door and let Joshua in.

"Hi Joshua! I’m so glad you could come. Momma said we could go upstairs and play while she finishes dinner."

"Hi Betty and Jenny. I’m really glad to be here. Let’s go!"

Jenny and I led Joshua to Jenny’s room where we had everything laid out for Kimmie to change clothes.

"Oh Girls! This is wonderful! I can’t wait to get started!"

We had laid out an outfit identical to mine except the dress was pink instead of red. I thought she would like the pink one better. I directed her behind the screen and she began to change into the outfit. Soon Kimmie had put everything on except the wig that Jenny and I helped her on with it. Jenny brushed out her hair and then led her with eyes closed over to her full length mirror.

"Open your eyes, Kimmie!"

She opened her eyes and was really happy to see the girl who was her reflection in the mirror.

"This is even better than before! I’d love to stay up here and enjoy my reflection but we need to go down so I can tell your mother."

Mother called upstairs. "Dinner is ready!"

I called down, "Coming" and to Kimmie, "Are you ready?"

"Make it so!"

We giggled and descended the stairs together with Kimmie and I side by side and Jenny following afterward. As we entered the dining croon with Jenny and I on either side of Kimmie, we came face to face with Momma.

"Momma, this is Kimberly. This is her true self. She’s a transgirl"

"Momma, Kimmie is the transgirl that I told you about and she’s in trouble and needs our help."

"Kimberly, or would you rather Kimmie, I will be very glad to help you. Lets go into the living room to talk. Dinner can wait for a little while."

"Kimmie and thank you Mrs Hastings."

"Call me Teri and tell me all about it."

I was very proud of Momma right now. I knew that Kimmie would receive the help that she needed. I knew that I would have to admit my deception and what I overheard but it would be good to get all the secrets out in the open. I needed all the help I could get too since I was floored that before long I would really have to decide whether I would be a girl for real.

Part Fourteen ~ Tension

How much will Betty reveal while Kimmie tells Teri about herself?

 

---

We had gathered in the living room. Momma in her comfortable recliner faced the three of us, Jenny and I on either side of Kimmie with both of us holding one of her hands. Kimmie seemed calm and contented just being able to be her real self openly for the first time in her life.

"Teri, in my earliest memories, I’ve always been a girl. I’d see other girls and wonder why I wasn’t treated the same way. Eventually, I grew out of my acting like a girl being cute and my parents would show they were frustrated with me. They told me that I was a boy and that I had to act like a boy. I learned to hide it from them and do a good enough job acting like a boy that they were not as frustrated with me. I’ve been afraid to bring it up again. I’ve heard stories of parents that would disown a child over being different like me. Once I tell them, I can’t un-tell them. I haven’t had another adult that would be taken seriously to feel this out for me. I kinda hope that they would see that this is different than just play and want to help me."

"Kimmie, why do you call yourself a transgirl?"

"This is more than just a game to me, Teri. I don’t dress as a girl to have fun or fool people. I dress as a girl because that is who I really am inside. I’m happy about wearing a dress but that is just because it has been denied to me for so long. What I really want is to live every day as a girl and eventually for this to be common place and ordinary."

"Kimmie, how do you know that you are really a girl?"

"I just know, just like I know my name and everything else about myself. I didn’t decide it one day. It just always was. In the beginning, I thought I was the only one. Then I hacked my way past the child blocks and discovered real information from doctors about this. I discovered that there are a whole spectrum of people who have different issues with Gender Identity. I learned that as a whole we are all called Transgendered and there are many colors within us and among them are the transgirls and transboys, crossdressers and intersexed. From reading the accounts of doctors, I found that I most closely identify with the transgirls."

"That’s a lot for a girl your age to be carrying along with her, much less all the time since you were a toddler. I’m glad that you felt comfortable enough to be able to share this with me. I believe that I can help."

"Thank you, Teri. Both Betty and Jenny have been wonderful. With my background, you can understand how I saw thru Betty’s cover story. I know that she was Tony. When I discovered how she was going to be a girl for the summer, I felt comfortable for the first time to open up and show my true self to her."

"Momma, I’m afraid that I haven’t been truthful about something. Up to now, Kimmie has been reluctant to get an adult to help her. I thought that if I told you that I was a transgirl that you would help me and I could take what I learned to help Kimmie. I’m so sorry that I deceived you."

"Do you understand now, Betty why it was wrong to deci eve me? Doing the wrong thing for the right reason, always has consequences. "

"I know, Momma and I am so sorry. I thought that I was pretty smart since Kimme said that nothing permanent can be done for a girl till she is an adult. I didn’t think about the other things that you might be able to do that would make it difficult for me to return to being Tony. Momma, if I ask you anything, would you be honest with me?"

"Of course sweetheart. If I don’t think that you are ready to hear the answer, I’ll tell you that we ought to wait. I make mistakes myself but I will do my best to be honest with you."

"Momma, am I intersexed?"

"What do you mean by intersexed, Betty? Are you asking that because you’ve always been a boy and now you are a girl?"

"Intersexed means to me, having both girl parts and boy parts. Is my wound, not a wound and really my girl parts?"

"Betty, I guess since you are able to ask that question that you are ready to hear the answer. Yes, you are intersexed and what I called your wound is your girl parts. I am sorry for deceiving you about this. For a time, you simply could not have understood but that time has long past. I thought that I was protecting you and I was looking for a sign that you desired a girl’s life but the longer that things went on, the more difficult and the more consequences there was for deceiving you. In the end, Dr Moss told me that we were running out of time and that you would have to make a choice. How could you know who you wanted to be for the rest of your life if you had not experienced what it is like to be a girl? We used the situation that occurred with the girl scouts to let you be a girl for the summer. It was all our idea and we just got Jenny to ask you about it. We could have brought another girl in for the summer to handle it. We still can if you don’t want to be a girl for the summer without any cost to the troop. Once the WNBA game comes then we are locked into it though for the troop to get the benefits from the sales at the game. What do you want to do, Betty? Do you want to go back to being Tony?"

"I want to be Betty for the summer. If I am to have to make a choice, I want to have the chance that you have given me to be a normal girl. I’m glad to help Jenny and the Girl Scout Troop out even if it wasn’t something only I could do really. I also want to know the truth about my bottom."

"Dr Moss can remove the appliance and let you see with mirrors exactly how you look and explain to you your options for putting things right depending on what choice that you make. We’ve put this off for as long as we can, Puberty can make all kinds of bad thing happen since you have 2 different systems competing to shape your body into an adult. There is also the possibility of cancer and a host of other medical problems just because you are intersexed. By acting at the end of the summer, we hope to avoid some of those problems. There is no way to avoid all of those problems even if you had a choice made for you at birth. Simply being intersex means that you’ll always have some medical problems."

"Momma, what do we do about Betty now?"

"For now since Betty wants to go thru with living as a girl for the summer, we just follow thru with that plan. In the mean time even though Betty isn’t really a transgirl, since she is intersexed, she will be facing a lot of the same challenges. I feel like she should keep her appointment with Dr Johansen so she have help dealing with the issues that she now has discovered. In addition, Dr Moss will be following her medical condition closely and being open with Betty about it. Is that okay with you, Betty?"

"Yes, Momma. I’d like that very much. What can we do for Kimmie?"

"For one thing, Kimmie can attend the sessions with Dr Johansen that you go to, even if she has to go to them as Joshua. Perhaps once there, Dr Johansen might have a place for Kimmie to change. I’ll feel out Kimmie’s parents on the subject. Perhaps with Dr Johansen’s help we can set up a way for Kimmie to tell her parents with Dr Johansen and I being present . Kimmie, you obviously know about the limitations for a child in your situation but there are some things that can be done now if we can get your parents on your side and willing to help. As much as I’d like to take you out and let you experience life as a girl, you really need to tell your parents before you do that."

"Thank you, Teri."

Kimmie got up and gave Momma a big hug which she returned. Both Jenny and I got up and turned it into a group hug which was so satisfying that it was difficult to release but eventually we did anyway.

"Kimmie, what made you want to reveal this to me, now? I would have thought that you might have waited to find out what help you could have had from Dr Johansen and get her help in telling me too."

‘Teri, I knew that you would be cool with it but I really did not feel comfortable rocking the boat with my parents. You were so good with helping Betty deal with the consequences of her choosing to be a girl to help her sister. I couldn’t see how it could hurt Betty to come out as a transgirl since not much can be done permanently till she becomes an adult. When Betty realized she was intersexed, I knew the same standards would not apply. I guessed that since Betty was approaching puberty that her decision could be carried out much quicker. She needs to be able to make a real choice and not have that made already because she was helping me. When I told you about me, then Betty could tell you that she had not made a choice yet. I know how much pain that I was in being trapped trying to live like a boy and I did not want Betty to feel that pain if she really is Tony. Hopefully by getting it out in the open both Betty and I can be helped."

"You two are such good friends to each other by being willing to help each other like that. In order to deal with issues like this, it’s very important to tell the truth to each other."

I was proud of both Kimmie and Momma for opening up like that. I was glad that even though Jenny still had to keep both of our secrets, she would no longer have to deci eve Momma. Even though I didn’t know what Kimmie would do to solve her challenge or what I would do to solve, my challenge, I knew enough to be confident that we would both get the help that we needed to meet our challenges.

I just knew that my face was showing all the thinking that I was doing. Now would be the best time to do what Lady Alicia suggested and let Momma know that I had been eavesdropping. With everything else looking up even though it had not yet been solved, my main worry was Carl, I could not think of him as my Daddy with all he had done that I now knew about, and what he would do with the information that I was trying out the choice that Momma had saved for me by not taking away my girl parts when I was a baby.

Momma didn’t question how I knew that I was intersexed, so I didn’t have to reveal that when I asked about it. I guess that I could have at some point gotten a mirror and took off the bandage and peeked at it but I hadn’t. With the addition of the appliance, I knew for sure what girl parts were since I had been able to see them thru a mirror clearly. I could have compared the two and realized that I had girl and boy parts. With Kimmie as a source and confidant, knowing that meant I was intersexed would be easy.

If I told on myself, then I would have more to go on than just what I had overheard. I felt really powerless and at a loss on what to do about the message that would eventually get to Carl. With what he had done to Momma, before, I had no way of knowing what Carl might do to both of us. Right now Momma had excluded me for my own good from what they were doing but even if I could not help, I wanted to know what they had come up with so I wouldn’t be as afraid.

"Betty, Sweetheart, what has gotten your face all twisted up with worry? I felt that you trusted me with both your and Kimmie’s challenges now. What’s wrong?"

Now or never! Should I tell her? And if I don’t tell her the truth, how can I explain the worry she saw on my face?

All of a sudden, a peace fell over me that I could see reflected in both Jenny’s and Kimmie’s reactions to me was showing on my face as well.

"Momma, It’s like this..."

Part Fifteen ~ Interruption

What was it that Betty wanted to say?

 

 

---

 I had made a decision and I had started telling Momma that it was like this and that’s as far as I went. I had noticed Kimmie squirming a bit but It wasn’t till she interrupted me that I realized that she had other things on her mind.

“I love you too, Betty! I know it’s not common for two girls to love each other but what I feel for you is real no matter whether you turn out to be a boy or a girl. If you turn out to be a girl, I guess that Paris will lose interest in you since she seems exclusively into boys,but the fact that you would be transitioning too even though it will be different can bring us together even closer. If you turn out to be a boy and you and Paris get together, I would be heart broken but I always want your happiness even if it isn’t with me. I just want you free to make the decision about your gender without making our relationship depend on it. I know how important a choice that is and I want you to be free to make the best choice for you first.”

“Kimmie, thank you for telling me all of that. I wasn’t going to bring up our love now but I’m glad it came up. Before I thought about myself as Tony masquerading as Betty and it was interesting that both of us were not what we seemed but that was gone soon.  I have come to think of my life as Betty as very real. I’m not sure what that means but I’m looking forward to finding out. Whatever form our relationship takes whether that be romantic or like siblings or close friends, I am sure that I will want you in my life some way.”.    

“Are you sure what kind of love that you feel, Kimmie?”

Momma seemed to know just the right thing to ask to clarify the situation and she had in this case come to the heart of the matter.

“This feeling is so strong but I don’t know what it means exactly? I feel like it is romantic love but I guess it could also be familial or friendship love too, just like Betty has said it could be. I know one thing for sure, that if when the summer is over that Tony returns, that Paris will have some competition while we work out just what our relation is going to be.”

“I would expect no less from you, Kimmie. You’ve always been the kind of person that I was glad to have my child associate with and even more so as I see you blooming and coming into your own. We can’t control what happens with matters of the heart, but you two would be a good match if that is what the fates have for you no matter if it is with either Tony or Betty.”

“Thank you, Teri. If Betty had not figured out that she was intersexed on her own, when were you planning on telling her? She’s a very bright girl, so she could have understood when she was old enough to go to Kindergarten. I can understand your wish for her to have a normal childhood but it was anything but normal anyway. I’m really sorry for thinking this but the way that you did it reminds me of some of the evil parents in some of the stories about children who confront challenges like Betty and I have who decide to force them into a decision that they would not ordinarily make.”

“Kimmie, my mother is not evil! She made it easy for Tony to choose to become Betty but she never forced her to do anything!”

“I’m sorry for upsetting you, Jenny. It’s just that what your mother has said so far, does not explain why she did what she did. I know that she isn’t an evil person. What could be so bad that you can’t tell the ones that you love.”

“There is more to the story, Kimmie. I guess that by leaving those doubts about what I did could be more harmful than letting my children know about what happened. However, since they don’t know what is coming, my children really can’t say whether or not they want you to hear it Kimmie. If you wouldn’t mind excusing us for a while, I’d like to tell them privately.”

“It’s okay, Kimmie. Jenny, may Kimmie play in your room with your things? I’m sure it would be a real treat for her to do so since she’s never had a chance to play like a little girl for real.”

“Kimmie, you can play with anything in my room. I’m not mad at you for the question you asked really. I know that you were just trying to be a good friend.”

Kimmie and Jenny had a big hug and then I hugged her too.

“Since it is okay with Jenny, Kimmie, you may play in her room till we get thru. I’ll send someone up to get you when we get finished.”

“Thank you, Teri!”

Kimmie actually skipped up the stairs with a light heart as we watched her disappear out of vision and hearing.

“I’m sorry again that it took a question to prompt me to reveal this to you both. It’s the last thing that I was protecting you from and I was wrong to keep it from you two for so long. I want you both to promise me that if you have a hard time handling this that you will tell me and I’ll get you some help to deal with it. This concerns a great evil that came upon our family so I am counting on you to be brave as I tell you. I would never let anything happen to you, I love you both!”

“We love you too Mommie!”

“We’ll be brave!”

I kinda thought that I knew what was coming next which was what I overheard. I hoped she was going to share it .

“This goes back to the time when Betty was born. Betty’s birth father, Carl, and I were alarmed when after the umbilical cord was cut when I delivered you, and instead of putting you into my arms they rushed you off for some tests. I was glad that Dr Moss is an OB/ Gyn now but then she was just a gynecologist. My obstetrician, Dr Russell handled the delivery. Dr Russell was of the opinion that once she found that Betty was intersexed that what had to happen was that a decision should be made immediately. Carl was extremely phobic that if anyone found out that a child of his was imperfect that everyone would laugh and shame him. On the other hand, Dr Moss had done her thesis on intersexed children and had found out that doctors had a poor track record on picking the right gender to remain in a formerly bi gendered child. She was convinced that the best course of action was to rear the child as normally as possible as intersexed until they had made a choice for themselves what they wished to do. The only controlling thing was that as an intersexed child approached puberty that a choice needed to be made to avoid some of the complications of being intersexed like cancer even though some consequences would remain no matter what was done when.”

“So Dr Moss told you both to wait to let me choose before surgery and Dr Russell wanted to rush me into surgery. What did he want to make me?”

“He wanted to turn you into a boy. It seemed like if there was any chance that the boy parts would work they chose boy going back to very old thinking that boys were more valuable than girls which is nonsense.”

“I know you left both, but is that why you chose to rear me as a boy first?”

“It’s a bit more complicated than that Betty, There is more to the story than you know yet but I promise to answer it once I tell you enough to understand the answer.”

“Thank you, Momma. I can be patient to hear the answer till I understand.”

I wondered if she did it partially because it was easier to cover up my girl parts and also because she feared Carl breaking out of prison and tripping out over his ‘son’ being raised as a girl, just like we were scared of now that he was going to find out that I was living as a girl now.                                                          
“Thank you, Betty. Fortunately, I went with Dr Moss’s advice to not use surgery and since She backed me up against Carl so that Dr Russell could not operate on you because unanimous consent and opinion of all the attending physicians had to be in cases that were not life threatening, Carl’s attempt to make you into his ‘son’ failed. I thought that Carl had accepted my decision for you because after he was thwarted, he seemed to turn into a model father, doting on both you and I. I only wished that I could have seen thru him because I would have never brought you home with him being present there. Carl seemed to accept you so much that I didn’t see the need to make any choice to rear you as a boy or a girl yet. I hoped that we could take a few days to let things get back to normal before we tackled that. We lived in a nice apartment complex then. Dr Moss had the apartment on one side of us and Carl’s friend, Jim Hastings lived on the other side of us. I knew Dr Moss was home and knew that we would be arriving home that day but I assumed that Jim was out of town since he had not visited at all while I was in the hospital. ”

“What happened when the three of you arrived home, Momma?”

“Jenny, things started off normal enough. I was able to get our little child down in her crib and she lay sleeping. When I came out Carl was all wild eyed and started screaming at me that he was the head of our household and how dare I oppose his wishes for his son. I still did not realize what Carl was capable of. He was showing a side of himself that I had never seen before. Before I could turn to back to get my baby and get out, Carl had stunned me with a fist to my temple. I screamed and tried to get away but as things came crashing down around me, Carl had me pinned and helpless and continued to beat me. Betty started crying for all the noise and I feared that Carl would go after her so I stopped trying to get away and instead tried to keep Carl’s attention beating me. It worked for long enough. I found out later that Dr Moss called 911 and had filled in Jim, who Carl had kept in the dark concerning Betty,  Jim kicked in the door and went after Carl to save me while Dr Moss went back to the nursery in order to get Betty to safety. When Carl had been subdued both the Police and EMS arrived. Betty ended up with Dr Moss’s husband and both Dr Moss and Jim stayed with me as I was transported to the hospital.”

“My goodness, Mother! I can’t believe that Carl was such a monster that he did that to you. I love you for protecting me, Momma!”

“I love you too, Mommie!”

The three of us shared a great big group hug. we all cried together for what Momma had gone thru. It really helped to share that moment with my Momma and Sister. In spite of the deception, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Momma loved me! Finally the tears were dried and we broke the hug. I still had questions so I started us back on the story with one.

“Momma,How bad were you hurt?”

“Dr Moss says that I should have died from my injuries but somehow I held on. I love you so much, Betty and I could not leave you with even the remotest possibility that Carl would get you if I died. As it was it took both Dr Moss and Jim to nurse me back to health. Dr Moss found this wonderful lawyer that helped with the personal legal things that I needed and the DA was wonderful when Carl was prosecuted for attempted murder and assault. Carl got sent to prison for so long that I felt that we were safe. I did not realize that our state in order to save money housing prisoners would put in a crazy rule saying that for every year of good time that 2 years would be cut from his sentence. That meant that he would only have to serve nine years. Anyway, I divorced Carl and exchanged him not having to pay child support for him giving up all rights to you which the court was inclined to accept due to Carl’s criminal record. Everything that I didn’t get in the divorce, I went after when I sued him civilly for my injuries that he caused. It’s those payments for my injuries that I get payment from Carl and not child support for Betty as I had claimed before. Again I am very sorry for deceiving you both and I hope that you will forgive me. Anyway this story is not all about bad things. While Jim was helping me recover, we fell very much in love and were married. Jenny you were conceived on our wedding night which is why you two girls are so close together in age but have different fathers. Jim loved you both very much and I miss him every day. You girls and him were blessings in my life in bleak times.”

“So why did you decide to raise me as Tony?”

“Just because someone is in prison is not any guarantee that they would stay there. We had a protective order against Carl for both Tony and I which I’ve gotten to extend to you now, Jenny. However, I knew that if Carl had broken out of prison to kidnap Tony, then he would ignore the protective order too. The only way it would work is if he had not broken any laws yet and that breaking the protective order would cancel his parole and him be taken back to prison. I thought that if Carl thought that I was raising Tony as my son and Tony’s special challenge kept secret that Carl would stay put in prison. Dr Moss came up with the fiction of treating Tony’s girl parts as though it were a deep tissue wound that refused to be healed. For a while Betty, there was no way you could understand which is why I deceived you. I am really sorry that I did not stick to my plan to tell you when you were old enough to understand. It was partly because I wanted to keep you safe and raising you secretly as Tony was working so far, it was partly because I knew that having to face the challenge that you were different would be difficult. I was looking for a sign, any sign that you were rejecting your life as Tony but neither I nor Dr Moss could find any so we let things continue as they were.”

“When did that change?”

“When you had that accident with the canoe, Dr Moss was able to run some scans on you that she hadn’t had access before with them being new technology. They confirmed that you were at risk and that a decision had to be made no later than the end of the summer. I didn’t want to upset your life but I felt that I had to do something. Dr Moss told me that if I let you experience life as a girl for a period of three months then it would be enough for you to experience life as a girl. I reasoned that doing it for the summer would be the least disruptive and that if you chose to remain Tony, that we could construct something plausible so that the experience would not hurt your standing with your peers. We had come up with the plan that you would be offered a spot as a girl scout to help the troop out, even before we knew about the H1N1 flu going around. We knew that the Jonas Brother’s concert on the same night would draw away other potential girls so that it seemed like you would be the only choice. Dr Moss had enough pull with the event organizers and the girl scouts that no matter how many girls it looked like we had going into the WNBA game that our allotment would be one more than the girls we presently had available. “

“Why couldn’t you just tell me when you found out, Momma?”

“I wanted you to be able to life as normal a girl’s life as you could during the three months. I felt that it would be complicating for you to deal with the knowledge that     you are intersexed. I guess I should have had more confidence in the strong child that I raised because you seem to be okay with knowing that you are intersexed, just like you were okay being Betty in the first place. Protecting you from Carl, by letting you experience life as a boy first was my decision. but I always intended on letting you experience life as a girl too but the longer I waited, the more difficult a time I had figuring out how to allow you to gracefully change back if you chose being a boy over being a girl.”

“Momma, you made it so easy for me to become a girl. You had everything ready for me. Kimmie says that there are stories where mothers want to make their sons into daughters since they only value daughters. Do you have a preference of which I choose and are you trying to make it come out that way?”

“Sweetheart, I don’t have an agenda in turning you into a girl because I only like girls. I love you as my child no matter which gender you choose to continue your life as being. I can understand the question since you are finding out so many things that I have kept from you. This is not one of those things but all I can do is prove to you thru my actions that I am not trying to make you into a girl. I’ve tried to make it easy for you since I really feel like you should try it out before making a permanent decision but if it is now or at the end of the summer and you decide you want to go back to being Tony, I’ll make that just as easy as I can too.”

“I believe you Momma. I’m glad that you understand why I had to ask and why you’ll have to earn my trust back after this. I just know that with all the secrets out in the open that as much as I know you love me, I will see very soon that I can trust you again.”

“I agree with Betty, Mommie. I know you love me and I am so glad that you have shared all of this with me even though you did decieve me for longer than was really necessary since I am a big girl now!”

“I love you both Sweethearts and thank you both for giving me another chance to earn your trust. Now is there anything else that you would like to go over before we bring Kimmie in from playing in Jenny’s room?”

“Well there is one thing, Momma. You know...”

Well this is where I came in. I wondered if I could get out what I intended to say now. I did not feel that Momma was forced into deceiving Jenny and I but now I know that there were other things to consider. Momma loves me so much that she didn’t want me hurt in any way. I’m growing up now and she can’t protect me from everything, including the consequences of Paris sending that message to Carl.   

Part Sixteen ~ Confession

Will Betty be able to cope when everything catches up to her?

 

---

 

"I'm sorry, Mommy! I spied on your meeting with Dr. Moss and your lawyer outside the firehouse meeting room. I was going to confess this before Kimmie got us distracted talking about who loves whom. I wanted to see what had upset you so much and I realize now that was the wrong way to find out how to help you. Lady Alicia caught me and she told me that I should tell you. I am so so sorry, Mommie! Would you please forgive me?"

"My goodness, Betty! Of course I forgive you! There has been way too much deception going on around here. I hope you girls will forgive me for deceiving you both, too"

:"I forgive you, Momma."

"I forgive you, Mommie. Thank you for forgiving me. I promise not to hide anything else from you. I am so lucky to have a Mommie who loves me so much."

"And I am lucky to have two such wonderful girls!"

It was such a relief that I had finally unburdened myself about the spying on Momma. With the worry removed, the other things that I had not dealt with yet really came flooding in on me. Not only was I burdened with the knowledge that I was a freak, Kimmie called it intersexed, but that drove my Daddie insane enough to hurt Mommie when it should have been me he attacked, the same Daddy who was about to know about my life as Betty. On top of all that I had to really decide if I were a boy or a girl or all kind of bad things would happen to me. The emotions welled up in me and the only thing that helped is that as Betty, I had no reason to bottle them up so I began to cry. At first I began to whimper but soon I started to whail.

"Sis, What's wrong?"

"Jenny, would you tell Kimmie that Betty has some issues of her own that we need to deal with now. Please ask her to be patient since this may take a while."

"Sure, Momma"

"You can tell me, Sweetie. Has every thing that you've found out weighed you down?"

"Oh Momma, I ..."

"What sweetie?"

"I'm a freak and I drove Daddy insane and he hurt you."

"Sweetie, you are not a freak. You've had a big shock but I'm going to get you the help you need, Sweetie."

Jenny came back into the room but instead of Kimmie, it was Joshua who came in with her.

"Mommie, If I’m not a freak why couldn’t you tell me?"

"Sweetie, I’m going to show you how beautiful and whole you are."

"Betty, you really are beautiful. I'm going to go home now and I hope that your Momma and sister can show you how beautiful you are just like you all showed me that I can be beautiful too."

"Thank you for understanding, Kimmie. I want you to come back soon so we can work on your issues. I'll walk you out."

"Thank you for helping me, Mrs Hastings. Take care, Betty".

"Jenny please keep your sister company. I’m going to walk Kimmie out and then get Dr Cindy and Dr Erika to come here to help."

"Yes Momma. I’m here for you Sis!"

Momma and Joshua left the room and Jenny hugged me close to her and stroked my hair. She urged me to let it all out and that Momma would make it okay. After a while, I had cried myself out. Jenny had a washcloth and dried my eyes. She knew a trick to make my puffy eyes all better and she sprayed me with a nice scent. I guess I was lucky that I wasn’t old enough to wear mascara or makeup yet. Jenny helped me straighten my dress and then led the two of us to a full length mirror.

"Sis, what do you see in the mirror?"

"I see two very pretty girls in matching jumpers tights and mary janes. They both have shag haircuts but one is a red head like her daddy and the other is a blonde like her momma. One has pretty green eyes and the other has pretty blue eyes. I guess the blue eyed blonde is me and the green eyed red head is you. "

"That’s right, sis. I’m not a freak and neither are you no matter if you choose to be Betty or Tony, you are still my sibling and I love you very much. You are perfect, Sis and Daddy had the problem not being okay with it. He chose to do the bad things, you didn’t make him. It wasn’t your fault. You could not have done anything, sis cause you were a newborn baby."

"You are right of course Sis. I know it in my head. I just have to learn how to feel it in my heart. I guess Dr Erika can help me with that."

"You really don’t have to freak about being a boy or a girl. You make a handsome boy and the best brother a girl could have and the best and most beautiful sister. You don’t have to decide immediatly, you do have time and you’ll have Dr Cindy and Dr Erika helping you find your own way so you’ll know its right."

"I’m begining to see that. I’m sorry for freaking out. I guess I was rushing things."

"It’s okay, I hope you know that I love you, you goof! It’s just when you are my sister, I get to tell you more with expectations but you know I love you as Tony too."

"I know you love me as Tony too, Jenny. You risked your life to rescue me as Tony. I love you so much, Jenny"

Momma returned with the two of us hugging and showing how much we love each other and she smiled at her two daughters.

"Betty, Sweetie! I see your sister helped you to calm down. Dr Cindy is coming over to take off the appliance and show you how beautiful you are for real. Dr Erika is on her way over too to talk to you. We are all going to work together to make things as easy as we can for you."

"Momma, thanks! I’m kinda glad I was Betty when it all caught up with me, Jenny helped me let it all out and then helped me clean up and showed me that I’m no different than her and that we are both your beautiful daughters. I’m glad that I’m going to have help to decide who I really am so we can avoid the bad things that could happen. I’m sure that there will be times when I lose it again along the way but I am glad that you both are there for me."

"Sweetie, I’m glad that Jenny was able to help you. I’m sorry that I didn’t trust you to deal with this before now. I’m very proud of you. Dr Cindy will be here soon since she lives close. Dr Erika will be here as soon as she can but she has further to go to get here."

The door bell rang and Jenny went to let Dr Cindy in. The two of them joined us in the living room.

"Thank you for coming, Dr Cindy. Jenny helped Betty and she’s calmer now."

"You are welcome, Teri. I’m ready to care for Betty. Jenny, it looks like you have been a good sister to her."

"Thank’s Dr Cindy. It’s easy to care for Betty because I love her so much."

"Betty, I know that you’ve had a big shock learming about yourself being intersexed. It is a natural condition even though it is not common. You are not a freak and we have the means to make things right for you."

"Thank you, Dr Cindy. Can you show me what I really look like?"

"Of course, Betty. I have the solvent, Why don’t we go to your room so I can show you in private?"

"I’d like that, Dr Cindy."

Dr Cindy followed me as I led her to my room. Momma and Jenny stayed behind in the living room to give us some privacy and to wait for Dr Erika’s arrival. Dr Cindy had me lay down on the bed after removing my clothes and putting on a hospital gown she had brought for me.

"Betty, I’m going to use the solvent to remove the appliance. We can leave it off for a while so you can get used to your body. I’ll teach you to put it in place and remove it yourself."

"Thank you, Dr Cindy. I am curious to see what I really look like."

"You really are beautiful, sweetheart. Once you decide which gender you want to be, we can fix it so you’ll develop normally."

Dr Cindy removed the appliance carefully and with a mirror showed me what I really looked like on my bottom. I had to agree that I did indeed look beautiful. I felt less like a freak knowing what I really looked like. Dr Cindy gave me a lesson on how to apply the solvent and glue to remove and apply the appliance, Once we finished we left it off just like she said, Dr Cindy left the room again for me to dress and when I had just about finished, I heard a knock on my door. I pulled on my last shoe and called out.

"I’m dressed Dr Cindy, you can come back in."

The door opened and Dr Cindy came in as well as another woman that I hadn’t met in person but I recognized from her picture on her website. It was Dr Erika!

"Betty, this is Dr Erika. Dr Erika, this beautiful girl before you is Betty."

"I’m very glad to meet you, Betty."

"I’m glad that you could come, Dr Erika. Thank you,"

"Betty, I’m going to check in with your mother and then go. I hope you both have a nice talk."

"Thanks Cindy. I’m going to chat with Betty in here and we’ll both come out to the living room when we finish."

"Thanks Erika, I’ll let Teri know. Bye Betty!"

Dr Cindy left and closed the door behind her. Dr Erika and I got comfortable. I sat on the edge of the bed and Dr Erika took my vanity chair and faced it toward me and sat down.

"Well, Betty, A lot has happened to you in a little time. Am I what you expected?"

"I guess when I heard that Dr Erika was going to see me, I pictured the actress from Being Erika. That was a great TV show and it was the image of a red haired jewish woman that I envisioned before I saw your picture on the website."

"I get a lot of that now, but I was Dr Erika before she was even though I am Dr Erika Johansen. My natural color is auburn too only it’s all turned grey now. "

"You are very easy to talk to so we should do fine together. Is it true that you went thru something like I’m going to have to go thru?"

"I am a transwoman, not intersexed, so some aspects of what you will go thru, I’ve also experianced."

"So how does this work. I don’t suppose it starts with a list of regrets and me time traveling does it."

"Not really, Betty. Let’s start with you telling me what’s troubling you, right now."

"Dr Erika, I started out feeling like such a freak today. My Daddy hurt my Momma just because I was intersexed and she prevented him from turning me into a boy then like the Dr wanted to when I was born. Momma hid that I was intersexed by coviering my bottom and saying it was a wound. I found out about both my daddy and me being intersexed today. At first I was distracted becasue I spied on Momma to find this out and I shouldn’t have done that and I felt guilty about it since I was discovered. Once I told on myself, the guilt no longer distracted me and the full weight of dealing with it all crashed in on me. I was so emotional that I blaimed myself for Momma being hurt."

"Betty, you were the most innocent person in the whole thing. You were a newborn infant. Others made decisions for you. You are lucky that your Momma cared enough for you that you now have the choice to be who you really are. Together we will discover just what is the best decision for you. I understand that you lived most of your life as Tony. How did you come to be Betty, at least for now?"

"Mom and Dr Cindy set up a chance for me to be a girl scout for the summer. It started with me taking the place of a sick girl so the troup could have all the girls they could to sell cookies at Philips Arena for the WNBA game. They let Jenny ask me to do it since they knew that with her saving my life that I could not deny her. It’s been okay. I got into it more when I discovered that my friend Joshua was really Kimmie. I pretended that I had decided I was a transgirl so I could find out things to help Kimmie since she was so scared of her parents that she hasn’t told them yet. When I met the girl scouts as Betty, I discovered that Paris had a crush on me as Tony but had not told me. She’s rich so she’s getting her Daddy to get Tony from my Daddy (which is where we said he had gone) so he can attend her birthday party. Momma was scared that once Daddy knew I was living as Betty that he might do something to harm our family again, Kimmie helped me figure out I was intersexed even before I spied on Momma and found out about it from her and what Daddy had done when i was a baby. I spied on Momma to find out but Lady Alicia discovered me and told me that I should tell Momma what I had done. I was scared for Momma and guilty about how I had found out so that distracted me. I told Momma after Kimmie told her that she was the real transgirl. I guess after I told what I had done every thing came down on me and that’s why Momma called you and Dr Cindy to help me.:"

"And how do you feel now, Betty?"

"I feel okay. I don’t feel like a freak since Dr Cindy showed me that I look like a girl down there too. I know that I still have to make a chioce between being a boy and girl so I can avoid some of the medical complications of me being intersexed by them being able to fix me right. My emotions are catching up to my mind as far as me being innocent of what happened when I was a baby. I’ve forgiven Momma for hiding things from me since she’s been protective of me and she just didn’t know when to let go."

"I feel like we’ve made a good start. Why don’t you have Kimmie come with you to your appointment and we can talk about how best to help her come out to her parents."

"Thank’s Dr Erika. I’ll be sure to have her come with us. I look forward to seeing you again."

"I look forward to our next chat Betty. I’ll go check in with your mother. Good bye Betty."

"Bye Dr Erika!"

Seventeen: Invitation

What surprise invitation will Betty recieve from Paris?

 

---

It seemed like ages but actually was a few seconds after Dr Erika had left that I heard a knock at the door.

"Betty, is it alright if I come in and talk to you?"

"Come in, Mom. I'd like that very much." I'd said Mom on purpose instead of Momma and I guess I reverted back to my 'Tony' voice. I felt that it would help me sort things out to be Tony for this conversation even though I still looked like Betty.

Mom came into the room and took a seat opposite me on my bed. "It's Tony now that I'm hearing even though I see Betty still."

"Mom, I would like to talk to you as Tony if that's okay? Can you imagine me as Tony or will I need to get changed for us to talk this way?"

"It's okay, Tony. I was expecting it long before the stress that you've been thru. I can relate to you as Tony so you don't need to try to look like Tony right now."

"Whew! I'm glad! I still want to help out Jenny so I'm not backing out of that but suddenly for me this is about the rest of my life and I'm a little scared."

"Tony, you are my big boy and I love you so much. You wouldn't be normal if you were not scared about this but remember that you have me, your sister and your doctors to help you thru this."

"Mom, will you love me if I'm your son and not your daughter?"

"Oh Tony! I love you! You've always been a good son to me. I want you to know that just because I wanted you to try out being Betty, it wasn't that you failed me as Tony. Just the opposite, I didn't want to fail you."

"Mom, you've been great thru this. My doubts are about me. If I am a boy deep down can I be 100% boy after I'm sorted knowing that I'm part girl now?. If I am a girl deep down can I be 100% girl afterward knowing that right now I'm part boy?

"Tony, you are young enough that going forward after you are sorted, you will have the experiances of the gender you discover that you really are. You can't do anything about your past and that makes you part boy and girl right now. While you can't change your past, you don't have to live there. Your present and future are what you choose to make them. You are my child and I have faith in you to overcome and thrive as you respond to this challenge. In a way it will take every thing that you have experianced as Tony and as Betty to get you thru this but who ever you decide that you must be, you will be stronger for going thru this experiance."

"Why did you choose to raise me as Tony, first, Mom?"

"It had nothing to do with who I thought you are or who I wanted you to be. I wanted some stability to your childhood so that meant choosing one gender to raise you as mostly with giving you some time at the end to experiance the other gender so you would discover when you were best able to do so who you really were. I wanted you to be safe and I thought that if I raised you as Tony that your father would leave us alone. In giving you some normality it was easier to cover up your girl parts than your boy parts to start with too. I knew that I might have gotten it wrong so the best I can do for you now is to make things right for you once you discover what is right for you."

"Thank you for loving me so much, Mom. I love you, Momma. Thank you for seeing me thru this. Oh Momma, I'm not sure yet but being Betty seems right to me."

The emotions overcame me and reverting back to presenting as Betty seemed right. I hugged Momma tight and buried my face in her shoulder and proceeded to cover her blouse with my tears. She hugged me back and comforted me by running her hand over my hair. It felt so good to have her close to me and soon I cried myself out."

"Are you okay now, Betty?"

"Yes ma'am. That was a bit intense. Thank you for working thru that with me, Momma. It seems to me that on the inside I may really be Betty but I'm glad to have more time to know myself so I am true to myself at the end."

"I'm proud of you as both Tony and Betty. I have faith in you to surpass expectations in how you deal with this challenge. I love you."

"I love you too Momma. Guess we ought to find out what Jenny has been doing."

"After you my dear."

I and Momma left the bedroom catching Jenny listening at the door and stubing her toe left bare by her sandals in the process..

"Oww! Tony? Betty? Who are you now?"

I reverted to Tony for just a moment to tease Jenny.

"Munchkin, it's me! How could it be anyone else?"

"Oh Tony!' I've missed you."

Jenny wraped me up in hug I remembered fondly as she made me feel like a big brother again instead of the equal I had been as Betty. All of a sudden I knew that teasing Jenny was the wrong thing to do. Her reaction helped me understand that neither Jenny or Momma had any agenda to this and it was truly all up to me. I looked at Momma and she nodded to me that she understood what had happened and would go with my lead even though I had just told her I was resuming being Betty. I had reverted to Tony to help me sort out some of my confusion but I guess I didn't realize that Jenny was going thru the same things as well.

"Munchkin, I'll always be here for you one way or another."

"I know, Tony, but it has always felt good to have a big brother so when things were reversed and I became the big sister it's been different."

"Different isn't bad is it, Munchkin?"

"No, it's just that you are special to me in different ways depending on when you have related to me as Betty or as Tony"

"In a way, I've been your sister all along, Jenny. I've got to figure out who I really am inside. Would you be too dissapointed if I discovered that Betty is who I really am?"

"Oh no, Tony! I want you to be who you really are. I want you to be healthy so I know you have to make a decision and I'll love you no matter if you choose to be Tony or Betty for good. It will be tough if you have to quit being Tony, but having you as Betty means that everything will turn out alright,"

"Jenny, thanks for helping me remember Tony, but I really need to be Betty now so I can figure out for sure who I really am."

"Oh of course ... Betty. I'm okay now. Are you okay?"

At her prompt I slipped back into acting as Betty. It seemed so natural to be Betty now. It no longer amazed me that I really might live out the rest of my life as Betty. I just had to be sure before that could happen.

"Oh, sis! I'm fine. We girls will stick together and get thru what ever comes next!"

"That's the spirit, Sis! Momma, thanks for letting Betty and I sort things out. What's next?"

"We all go down to Supper. I'll reheat everything quickly so we won't have any further delay. Betty you might like to check on her friend, Kimmie, after Supper. She kinda got lost in the shuffle when everything started happening. Ok Girls! Time for Supper!"

Momma warmed everything up quickly like she said with Jenny and I helping. We finially sat down to supper. It was none too soon since my tummy rumbling made herself known and there was nothing else going on to distract me from the urgency of eating.

"Betty, I am so proud of you. You must be starving yet you are taking such small bites and you are eating like a young woman would. Jenny, you should pay attention to your sister. She might teach you a few thing!"

"Oh Momma!"

 

Jenny rolled her eyes at Momma while giving my hand a squeeze with hers under the table. I was about to come to Jenny's defence when the phone rang.

 

Jenny got up and answered the phone and brought it to the table.

 

"You know the rules, Jenny! No personal calls durring meals. Politely tell your friend you'll call her back."

 

"Paris, please hold for me."

 

Jenny touched a button on the phone which must have been "Mute".

"Momma, It's Paris and this could concern us all. May I put it on speaker phone and continue the call?"

"Jenny, you may tell Paris that you can either continue the call on speaker phone or call her back after supper."

"Yes, Momma."

Jenny returned to the call after pressing a button which must have unmuted the call.

"Paris, sorry I put you on hold. Momma says that we can continue the call on speakerphone or I can call you after Supper."

"Thanks Paris. You are on speaker now with my Mother and my sister."

"Hi Mrs Hastings and Betty. Mrs Hastings I was hoping that you could bring Jenny and Betty to my house in an hour. I was able to get my Daddy to hurry up the delivery of my message to Tony's Father and he set up a special satalite video link so that we can see my invitiation to Tony delivered in person. I thought that Tony's sisters might like to see that happen too. I would have given you more notice but I just found out about this myself."

"Paris, the girls can go and I'll take them, You wouldn't mind if I were to witness the invitation too would you?"

"Of course, Mrs Hastings. Please forgive my overlooking you. I look forward to your arrival with your daughters. Jenny and Betty, see you soon."

"Thanks Paris"

"Thank you so much, Paris"

"Okay Paris. The girls and I will be over in time to witness the invitation with you. See you soon. Bye"

"Bye, Mrs Hastings."

Jenny hung up the phone and both of us looked to Momma in expectation.

"Girls, you'll just have to go over as you are. Let's eat as much as we can. I want to be there in time to see whatever Paris has to show us."

We nodded and began to eat very quickly while still paying attention to our manners. Ten minutes later we were finished eating and had saved a little time to touch up our appearances..

"Girls, I hope you are ready. We have to leave like now!"

"Coming Momma!"

We all settled into the car and were on our way to Paris' house. Momma seemed nervous while all I could think about is how I could handle it if my cover as Betty was blown.

"Girls, how ever this all goes down, keep calm and keep your heads held high. We have help to deal with this and with a little luck even if it seems hopeless, we may yet come up with something to get through this."

"Momma, do you think they really found Carl?"

"I hope not. What we have in our favor is that although this would take Carl by surprise if they have found him, in spite of everything he loves Tony in his own way."

"What should I do if I'm outed, Momma?"

"Deny it without offering an explanation, Betty, and above all be very calm and say as little as possible."

"Yes, Momma."

"Betty, when we get home, I would like for you to log into Wizard 101 and contact Kimme and see how she is doing. I feel bad that we invited her over for Supper and we didn't get around to it. I hope she's okay."

"Momma, she seemed okay when she left. She understands that we are going thru a lot right now. She was so thrilled to be accepted as her true self that we are willing to help her more. I believe Kimmie will be fine and thank you for letting me check on her."

We arrived and the three of us left the car and Momma rung the doorbell at Paris' frontdoor.

"Come in Mrs Hastings, Jenny and Betty. The show should start soon. I've patched the computer feed to our huge TV in the living room so we'll see it in HD and 3D and Imax so it will be just like we were there. Help yourself to the refreshments and take a seat."

"Thank you for your hospitality, Paris. Girls please do as Parris has asked."

"Thank you for inviting me, Paris. You're welcome, Betty. I imagine that you are as excited about seeing Tony as I am. After all you didn't get to even see each other when your parents swaped you. It all sounds like a Disney movie to me."

"I am excited about seeing Tony. I'm wondering how Daddy will react to your invitation. I hope that he doesn't take it as an excuse to swap us back. I've just gotten to know my Momma and Sister and I don't want to go home yet."

"Maybe something else can be worked out. I'm sure it will be okay, Betty."

"Paris, can you direct me to the Ladies room?"

"Sure Mrs Hastings. It's down the hall and the first door on the right."

"Thank you, Paris. I won't be gone long girls."

Momma left and disapeared down the hall leaving us to freely discuss things with Paris.

"What are you planning for Tony once you get him down here, Paris?"

"I'm going to show him how much I love him. I made a mistake and lost my chances with him once but I'm going to make every moment count now."

"I'm sure Tony will enjoy the attention even though I believe that he will be completely surprised."

"I hope that you'll be gentle with him and take things slow. I wouldn't want either of you to be hurt by another misunderstanding."

"Betty you have a good point there. I only want the best for Tony and I'm sure he'll agree with what I want for him."

"We'll see. What is that test pattern on the TV for?"

"The show is about to start. Everyone please take your seats and I'll dim the lights."

"Did I miss anything?"

"No. It's about to start."

Evidently they did find someone named Carl Kessler since the cap mounted camera was giving us a first person view of what the delivery man was seeing including a rustic home in the middle of nowhere with a name plate with his name on it over the mailbox. The glass door that he knocked on was reflective under the bright lights that illuminated the scene so that the camera could record it. The delivery man was a handsome young man named Steve Milton. An older man about Momma's age came to the door.

"Hello, I'm Steve Milton and I have a message for Carl Kessler. Are you him, sir?"

"Yes, I'm Carl Kessler. What is the message?"

"The message is an invitation from Paris Triton for Tony Kessler to attend her birthday party in Loganville. As the boy's guardian round trip transportation for both you and the boy will be provided at Trition Industries expense so that Tony can be escorted on the trip to go to the party. Paris is aware that your daughter, Betty (who was awarded to you in the divorse) was swapped for your son, Tony (who was awarded to your wife). Paris understands what the time being with your son after being separated from him but hopes that you will let him attend her birthday party. I am instructed to wait for a reply and if the invitation is accepted, direct you to the means provided to accept the invitation."

"I'm sorry but I've already sent Tony home. He got homesick and wanted to surprise his mother and sisters. You'll have to deliver your invitiation to him at his father's house in Loganville."

"Thank you sir, I hope that everything works out for you. I'll transmit your answer back."

The picture went blank.

"I guess it wont be a surprise now when Tony shows up back at your house. I hope that you'll let me know, Mrs Hastings, when he arrives so I can welcome him properly."

" Of course Paris. Thank you for your hospitality. I'd like to get the girls home now."

"Certainly Mrs Hastings, I'll show you and your daughters to the door. Have a good evening.

Jenny, Momma and I left after bidding Paris farewell. The three of us were in shock but we didn't let anything slip. We were just wondering what Carl would do now that he knew that I was trying out life as Betty. Of course there was also the matter on how both Tony and Betty were going to attend the birthday party. Momma said that our help specialized in making possible things thought impossible and I just had to have faith that she was right.

---

Eighteen: Substitution 

 

What can do to help Betty cope with being both Betty and Tony at Paris' party?

---

When we got home I signed into Wizard101 to chat with Kimmie. Momma said that she was going to have a conference call with Dr. Erica and Dr. Cindy to see how we were going to manage the situation with Paris' birthday party. I promised Momma. That I would not worry about it and leave things to her but that didn't mean that I wasn't going to tell my best girlfriend Kimmie all about it.

"Kimmie, I've just came back from Paris's house and we got to see what Carl my estranged father replied on inviting Tony to her birthday party. Carl said that Tony was homesick and was on his way home. Paris will be expecting Tony back and for both Tony and Betty to be at her party. It's a mess!"

"Breathe girl! How did you find out what Carl responded?"

"Paris had a live video feed of the whole thing so we saw it all from the messenger's point of view on Tee Vee."

"This is turning into a bad sitcom or one of those stories about girls like us on that website that I read stories on. Are you in danger? Did it look like Carl was angry when he realized that you are Betty now?"

"He's playing it cool. He didn't act angry but he didn't cover for me being Betty either. I guess we'll just have to see what he does."

"So right now the main thing is to get through Paris birthday party and then come up with a new cover story on where Tony is to get him out of town."

"Well if there is anything that I can do to help. Betty, I will do it."

Momma knocked on the door just then and I let her in.

"Betty do you have Kimmie in chat? Can I see what you girls are talking about?"

"Sure Momma!

Momma read what we were talking about and then she indicated that she would like to type to Kimmie and I let her slip into the seat where I had been sitting at the computer keyboard and then I stood up and looked over her shoulder at what she was typing."

"Kimmie, this is Betty's Momma typing now. Did you mean that when you said that you would like to help?"

"Sure I did, Ma'am! I'd love to help Betty deal with having to have both Betty and Tony be around at the same time."

"I was noticing that both you and Betty have the same shape face even though eye color hair color and other details are different so you don't look like twins but close enough that if you were wearing a Betty mask you may be able to impersonate her."

"I saw a Myth Busters episode where they tested a mask like they used in the Mission Impossible movies. The two problems they had been that their skulls were shaped differently and no matter how good the mask was up real close you could tell it was a fake."

"Dr Cindy says that we could compare an MRI of both you and Betty to check to see if your skulls are close enough. She says that her friends at the Jaime's Hope Foundation have a mask that consists of Betty's cells that would look real once they applied it. We decided that it would be better to duplicate Betty since people are not as familiar with her as they are with Tony. Of course it would mean that you would have to be Betty and a real girl 24/7 till we could get things sorted."

"It's a Deal! This could be just what I need to let my parents try letting me be a girl because of the emergency. It sounds like one of the stories I like to read but that's why its just got to work."

"I'm glad that you are going to help, Kimmie. It's lucky that Dr. Cindy is your doctor too so she had some scans of you both so she thinks it will work. Part of the process of making you into Betty will be getting detailed scans of both of you and you both spending some time over at the foundation so they can turn you into Betty. Is it okay with you if Betty and I come over along with Dr. Cindy and Dr. Erika to talk to your parents? Part of what we'd need to tell them is that you are a transgirl and this would be a way for you to try out being a girl secretly."

"It's a dream come true! Yes Yes Yes!"

"Okay Kimmie I'll give the keyboard back to Betty and see if we can get things rolling now."

"Thank you Ma'am!"

"Kimmie, it's Betty again. This will be so cool so you can be a girl for real. I just know that once they see how natural you are that they will get behind you and give the chance to have your own transition when this is over."

"I think so too. I never imagined I'd have a chance like this to have my dream come true and my parents agree to it too. What about you, Betty? You are going to have to be Tony and deal with Paris having the hots for you. I don't think she is going to stop now till you are her boyfriend. "

"Well I'll just have to do the best I can and hope that I can run faster than she does! ` Whew!"

Momma appeared at the door and motioned for me to sign off because we had to leave.

"Kimmie, I gotta go. Looks like your parents agreed to meet with everyone so we'll be there soon! 'Betty'! "

"I'll be looking for you, ‘Tony’! Bye Bye!"

Jenny wanted to go but Dr Erica was bringing an intern to stay with her while the four of us went to see Kimmie that is Joshua and 'his' parents. Momma convinced her that the less people involved talking to Kimmie’ s parents, the more likely that they would agree, Jenny was excited to meet Veronica and the two of them hit it off from the start. The four of us pilled into Momma's car to go over to visit Kimmie’ s parents.

We were welcomed in and we all took seats around their dining room table. Joshua's dad sat at the head of the table while my Momma sat opposite him. To Momma’s left were Dr Erica and Dr Cindy. To her right I sat next to Momma and Joshua and Joshua's Momma sat between Joshua and his father.

"Thank you, Mr and Mrs Warner for having us over and being willing to listen to us. You know about my daughter Betty from Joshua. The other ladies with me are Dr Cindy an MD and Dr Erica, a therapist."

"We're glad to meet you Dr Cindy and Dr Erika. On the phone you told me and my wife about Betty's situation but I don't see right now how we fit in to try to help."

"Terri, you also said there was something else you needed to tell us but you wanted to wait till we were face to face. Well we are face to face now so please tell us, now."

"It concern's your son, Joshua. He confided in me something that he didn't know how to talk to you about. Once Joshua realized that Betty was really Tony, he thought that I would understand. Joshua is a transgirl and she likes to be called Kimberly or Kimmie. Dr Erica talked to her enough to believe that Joshua really is a transgirl and to tell her that in order for things to go any further that she would have to tell you. That was s abort time ago and we thought it would be better for Kimme to tell you herself about you."

"Oh, Kimme! I've always known you were a girl but I was waiting for you to tell me. I love you sweetie and I always will no matter if you look like a boy or a girl."

"That goes for me too, Joshua, I mean Kimberly. I love you unconditionally. I'm sorry that you were afraid to tell us this but I'm glad that it’s out in the open so we can help you deal with this."

Oh Momma! Oh Daddy! I love you too! I'm sorry I was scared to tell you about this. I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have parents like you. Is it okay then if I help Betty and get to see what it's like to be a girl outside as well as on the inside?"

"Kimmie, Let’s let them tell us what they have in mind. It sounds like we can help each other out. I take it that you want Kimmie to become Betty long enough for you to send Tony away some where else besides his father where the deception won't be uncovered again."

"That's right. Thru the Jaime's hope foundation, and because our girls both have the same shaped skulls, we can disguise Kimmie as Betty so no one will be able to tell the difference since the mask will be made of Betty's own real cells."

"What would this involve for Kimmie? Dr Cindy?"

"I'd like to fly one or both of you up to John's Hopkins along with Betty and her mother. We'd get them to work their magic on Kimme to turn her into Betty's twin. Dr Erica would follow Kimmie closely and if there is any problem with the process mentally or physically then we'll abort the process and try something else."

"What about Carl? He could be a danger to Kimme while she is impersonating Betty."

"He's no where near us now and he would be more a danger to Tony, first. There is a restraining order still in place against him. I have a protection detail already in place for us, which would also include Kimmie as Betty. I'm hoping to resolve getting Tony out of town again quickly before Carl has a chance to get in the areal."

"Alright, give us a moment to discuss what we want to do. Kimmie please take care of our guests and we will be back soon."

Kimmie refilled our glasses with punch and served a slice of apple pie that was her momma's specialty to each of us with a scoop of hand-churned ice cream on top. It wasn't really that long before Kimmie’ s mother came back in to retrieve Kimmie to chat with them while we ate our deserts. It seemed like longer but a look at the clock revealed that it had been thirty minutes that had passed before the three of them came back into the room.

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