Many thanks to Dee Sylvan for her valuable suggestions.

---

I was so amazed by my family’s easy acceptance of my dressing up that it took me a while to wrap my head around the idea.

To my surprise I did start wearing my girl clothes at home. They were calling to me. I began helping mom in the kitchen to be closer to her, and even Lindsey and I grew closer. Mom loved having me around as her daughter. And it wasn’t unusual for Mindy to sit down to dinner with the family, usually dressed much more nicely than they were!

Mary and I (as Mindy) continued to go places together and have wonderful make-out sessions. When we had the time alone there was heavy, heavy petting, but we weren’t ready for sex. We spent as much time as we could together, just enjoying each other’s company.

During the year I started to notice that our eyes didn’t seem to be at the same level, as they had always been. At first I thought it was that she was wearing heels, but really, she was having a late growth spurt. She probably grew three inches in that year, and she ended up giving me a lot of her clothes, because I remained the same height. It seemed as if she had gotten my growth spurt! But we left some clothes at her house so I could easily dress up there.

She was actually enjoying being taller than me, and it didn’t take too long before I somehow began to like the sensation of looking up at her. She knew it was a little unusual for a girl to grow taller at our age, but she really liked it; she had always felt just a little bit too short for her own taste. She became better at some school sports, and she liked being able to easily put her arm across my shoulders when we were walking together.

At school it was obvious we were together. But it was interesting to me that now that she was taller, she was getting asked out by guys more. She always turned them down, saying she already had a boyfriend.

At her house she had the inspiration to start teaching me to dance, giving me the girl’s part. She would usually ask me to wear a fancy dress during our practice, and there was one little taffeta number I really liked wearing. It was blue and simple, with little cap sleeves and a boat neckline, and it flared out from the waist. I felt very girly in it.

We were waltzing one day, and she looked down at me and said, “Mindy, you’re becoming a very graceful dancer.”

“I have a great teacher,” I smiled back at her.

She stopped dancing and pulled me over to the sofa, where she wrapped her arms around me.

“I just never get tired of you in dresses,” she said.

We smiled at each other, and kissed.

“Have you thought about what will happen when we graduate next year?” she asked.

“Not too much. I know I should probably pick out a college, but I still have no idea what I want to do. What about you?”

“I was thinking about going into Hospitality Management, maybe manage a hotel some day.”

“Interesting. I don’t think I knew you wanted to do that. I wish I knew what I wanted to do.”

“Well, if you don’t figure it out you can always be a maid in my hotel!” she laughed.

“What?! You don’t think I could handle the front desk?” I said in mock outrage.

-o0o-

That night, while lying in bed I was thinking about what Mary had said about college plans. Due to my, shall we say, height-challenged condition, I might find it difficult to find a job in, say, construction, or as a fireman. Not that I had much interest in either job. I had never had a burning desire for any sort of career in particular. But of course I was aware I’d have to come up with a plan for after school, even though that was almost two years away.

Then I wondered if her question was actually about my dressing up. If I went away to college that could become pretty difficult, and by now I really enjoyed it. There was also the fact that I was very much in love with Mary, and didn’t want to be separated from her.

-o0o-

The next day I knocked on Lindsey’s door. She was in her senior year.

“Come in.”

“Hey Linds. I want to ask you about your planning for college.”

“I’ve been sending applications out already,” she said.

“Yeah, but do you already know what you want to do?”

“I have an idea, yes. Something in the medical field. What’s really on your mind, Bobby?”

“It’s just that Mary was asking about my plans, and… I don’t have any. There’s no job I’ve always thought about doing. But, I mean, I don’t want to be a ditch digger for a career.”

“You mean there’s nothing you’ve seen in your life that got you interested enough to think about doing it?”

“That’s right. And, really, I don’t want to be separated from Mary either.”

“Ah,” she said. “That’s really what this is about, isn’t it?”

“I dunno. Maybe. She said she’s interested in running a hotel.”

“That’s usually a four-year degree. If you go to different schools, you’d be apart for a long time.”

“Yeah, it makes me sad to even think about it.” I said.

Lindsey moved over and put her arm around me. “I know you two have a pretty nice thing going on. It should be able to survive college, and you’ll see her on vacations, if she goes out of the city. And you’d keep in touch with phone calls and e-mail.”

The mere thought of us living in different cities brought tears to my eyes.

“Aww, come on now, Bobby. It’ll turn out okay.”

“I just don’t want to lose her,” I said. Thoughts of us drifting apart flitted through my head, making me cry more.

She hugged me and grabbed a tissue for me.

“Listen, little sis, don’t start concentrating on all the worst things that can happen! You know what mom says, ‘you never know what lies ahead.’”

“I know. I was just imagining living in different cities and I let it get to me. Hey, you called me ‘little sis’ and I’m not even dressed.”

“Well, Mindy, I don’t know how to say this, but I think in some ways you’re becoming more Mindy than Bobby. I’m not sure I could imagine having this conversation with my brother. When you are dressed as Mindy, I don’t feel like you’re a boy in any way now; you’re just my little sister.”

That made me sit up and take notice. I had always thought I’d separated my two personas pretty well. Was I acting all girly while in boy mode?? Lindsey read my mind.

“Now don’t get too worried about it. It’s not that evident, usually, but that there is some bleed-over is probably a natural side-effect.”

“Oh man! Maybe I should rethink this whole Mindy thing. I don’t think I want to become half and half.”

She smiled at me.

“You know what, sis? I think the whole experience has been really good for you. I think you’re a happier person now, a bit more confident, a bit more well-rounded, and I know I have loved having you as a little sister.”

I smiled back and hugged her.

“Thanks, Lindsey. I have to admit I’ve enjoyed being your sister too.”

-o0o-

Later that day I talked to mom about the college thing.

“I just have no idea at all what I’d like to do for a living.”

“Well, you don’t need to decide today, but maybe I should remind you that when you were very young you used to enjoy pretending to use Lindsey’s Easy Bake oven, and you’d say you were making cakes and pies. Maybe working as a baker?”

I thought about that for a minute. I’d forgotten doing it, but I remember liking to pretend.

“You might also try making a list of everything you like doing, and are good at.”

“That’s a good idea! Thanks, Mom,” I smiled at her.

“Sure, honey.”

I went back to my room and tried making a list of what I was good at. Not many things were coming to mind. I was good at being Mindy, but that sure didn’t seem like a paying occupation. I wasn’t more than average in any sport. I could draw a little. I’d never played an instrument. I wasn’t strong in science or math.

The more I thought about things, the more down I got. The only things coming to mind were the things I couldn’t do. But… there must be something I was good at.

Maybe there was something I hadn’t tried yet that I would be good at. I’d never tried selling anything. I could do really basic repairs on stuff.

This wasn’t getting me anywhere, and I was discouraged.

-o0o-

At school I went to see my guidance counselor and asked how I could figure out a future career. The counselor asked me to come in after school to do an interest inventory test, and when I did, it turned out I had an aptitude, or interest, in speech therapy or in working in a library. Baking and food didn’t figure at all in my results.

The counselor made arrangements for me to observe a speech therapist in action, and I could go to the library on my own.

Mary had a club meeting after school, so she and I walked home together. I told her about my test results.

“Speech Therapy, eh? That sounds like it could be pretty interesting. And I know you like to read, so maybe a library would be really good for you.”

“I guess it might be, but I should know more after I observe each of them in action. But Mary, what really has me down is wondering how I could possibly get along without you if we go to colleges in different cities,” I said, looking up at her.

“I’ve thought about it too, Bobby. I would miss you and Mindy more than I can say. Of course it’s a little early to start applying yet, so I don’t know where I’ll end up going, but there’s always the chance we could go to the same college.”

“That would be really wonderful,” I smiled, imagining us living together somewhere.

“That reminds me, Mary, Lindsey said to me that she can tell Mindy is kind of bleeding over in to Bobby’s life. That has me a little worried, and I’m starting to wonder if I should stop dressing up.”

“Bobby, since you started doing this, I’ve done some research online, and what I’ve found is that you probably can’t stop. In most cases when a man stops his dressing, he becomes unhappy and eventually finds a way to do it again. Or he feels guilty about doing it and throws all his female clothes away. Soon enough he starts collecting them again. I’m really sorry if I got you into something you’re now having problems with,” she said, looking very worried.

We walked along in silence for a while.

“Mary, you didn’t force me to do this. You know that I like it and I don’t really want to stop, but I don’t want to be half girl/half boy either.”

She put her arm around my shoulders and squeezed.

“We’ll figure out how to deal with this, somehow,” she said.

We continued on to her house. I should mention that a few months after Mindy appeared we told Mary’s parents about the whole dressing-up thing. Since their weekend course was coming to an end, we knew it wouldn’t be practical to hide from them in their own house, although we could have just moved our operations to my house. Mary did most of the talking, and I thought she was very eloquent and persuasive. Her folks were surprised, but after speaking with my parents they decided it was harmless enough. Her mother just seemed relieved Mary wasn’t a Lesbian, even if it looked that way. The way her dad looked at me, though, made me think he was thinking Mary would never get very serious about someone like me, a boy in girls’ clothes.

-o0o-

When I spent a few hours with a speech therapist, I found it interesting, but I didn’t think it was anything I’d like to do myself. However, when the therapist told me that one of the many things she did was help with voice feminization, I ended up telling her I was a part-time girl, and she spent some time with me showing me how to change my voice to sound more naturally like a girl. I wasn’t bad to begin with, but I left with voice training exercises and more confidence in my Mindy persona.

The library, on the other hand, I had always loved. One summer I had volunteered there as a shelf reader, and as dull as it sounds, I still found it interesting. I looked at hundreds of books while I was supposed to be working.

At the library I spoke to a reference librarian, who referred me to the library director. She was kind enough to spend some time with me discussing what librarians do these days. Their job was no longer just about books and had a lot to do with computers. It sounded pretty cool to me, and I ultimately decided that would be my major. It was great to not have to worry about which direction to go anymore! And if I wasn’t enjoying the classes, I’d think of something else.

Though I didn’t want to take any time away from the time Mary and I spent together, I managed to get myself a part-time shelving job at the library, to get used to the atmosphere. Mary got herself a part-time job too, in sales at a department store. That year passed very quickly.

Lindsey went off to college, and I was surprised how sad I was to say goodbye to her. She was a really good sister.

During our senior year Mary and I started applying to colleges, trying to find one that would accommodate both of our majors. We did a lot of research, but sadly didn’t manage to find one that would meet both our needs. We realized that meant there was a possibility that our relationship could fall apart or fizzle out, but we both still wanted to follow our dreams.

That year I found myself wanting to be Mindy as much as possible. It was like a craving. As soon as I got home from school or from my job I’d rush to my room and change. Somehow I just felt more relaxed as Mindy. I’m sure mom noticed she was seeing a lot more of Mindy, and I’m sure she was concerned.

“Mindy,” she said to me one day. “I think it might be time for us to go see a gender therapist.”

“What? Why would we do that?”

“Because I’m seeing a lot more of my daughter than my son, and I can tell you are more relaxed, more comfortable as Mindy. I know you can’t wait to get home each day and change. So we need to find out what this will mean for you.”

“Okay, Mom, if you think so.”

-o0o-

The therapist we went to see had us in together and then separately. She asked me a million questions, and the same for mom. Ultimately she came up with a diagnosis of gender dysphoria.

“Did my girlfriend getting me into a dress have anything to do with this?”

“No. Although that may have been the trigger this is kind of built in, so to speak, and would have shown up in some form at some point in your life.”

“But what am I supposed to do about it?”

“My job is to help you decide what makes you the most comfortable—whatever form that takes—and adapt to it.”

“Recently he has been rushing home and changing as soon as possible,” put in mom.

“I’ve just been feeling more relaxed when I’m Mindy,” I said, sort of defensively. “At least lately.”

-o0o-

I began to see the therapist on a regular basis. She helped me make sense of what I was becoming. When I told her what Lindsey had said about me being more rounded, she explained how in some people the two halves—male and female—that make them up can only freely express half of who they are.

“But why am I more well-rounded as Mindy. If I’m becoming a more rounded person shouldn’t that show up in both sides of me?”

“That’s a good question. My theory is that since you lean more towards Mindy, Bobby supplements that side of you, rather than the reverse. You’ve said you are more comfortable as Mindy.”

“Yeah. I am.”

“Well then, don’t worry about it. Just go with it."

-o0o-

After we graduated high school I started living as Mindy full time. Anti-androgens weren’t necessary. I didn’t have a very high testosterone level and wasn’t likely to get hairy or “shoot up” as I had once feared. But she did start me on a regimen of Estrogen patches to help my body achieve a more feminine shape and feeling. She also recommended a prescription of estradiol that would accomplish that while still giving me the option of discontinuing and returning to my male features if I didn’t continue for an extended period of time.

My family was incredibly supportive. I was still getting that negative vibe from Mary’s father, but I think both of us somehow thought he would eventually come around. He never actually said anything; it was more in the looks he’d give me.

I was accepted at a local college, as Mindy, but Mary ended up at State University, about forty-five minutes’ drive from our hometown. She was excited about their programs, and still was interested in Hospitality Management. Both of us were mourning the idea of being apart, even as we enjoyed each other’s company that summer.

Once classes started we visited back and forth a bit; she’d come home on some weekends, and our relationship survived. We were always both excited to see each other in person again.

In the summer we both had jobs, but still saw each other as often as we could.

-o0o-

During our second year of college things started out okay. By now I had my own little breasts, and some kind of figure, both of which I really liked.

In October one week I had three days off, so I decided to go surprise Mary. It had been more than a month since we had seen each other, and I was looking forward to a nice but short visit. It was a pleasant drive to her college, no need to go on the highway. I dressed simply but nicely for her, in a skirt and blouse, with a light jacket over it.

At the college I found a place to park, and started walking. The campus was very pretty, and had a lot of old trees and beautiful old buildings. I knew Mary’s schedule and I had visited before, so I knew about where she should be.

But as I got closer to the building I was heading towards my steps slowed down, and then stopped. There was a couple ahead of me, heading in the same direction I was, and the girl looked a lot like Mary, at least from the back. They were near the entrance, and stopped. She turned enough for me to see it was indeed Mary, put her arms around his neck and they kissed, and it wasn’t a platonic kiss. My world just crumbled, and I slowly turned away. The blood drained from my head and I felt numb and faint. I ran on to the grass and found a bench, where I just sat and sobbed, my heart broken.

I was and wasn’t angry with Mary. It was too bad she didn’t think she could at least tell me she had found someone else after all this time, instead of just letting me just hang. She obviously wanted a guy who looked like a guy, and the guy she was kissing was tall and well-built. Handsome even. We lived miles apart and she wanted some nearby loving. I got that, and we both knew that our relationship ending was a real possibility under the circumstances. Nevertheless, it still hurt. A lot. I put my face in my hands and leaned over, tears leaking between my fingers. Maybe her mother’s attitude about lesbians came through to Mary, and it couldn’t have helped that her dad didn’t really seem to approve of me.

‘Hey. You okay?” a gentle voice startled me. I looked up through my tears and saw an attractive but sort of tough-looking girl in front of me. She had short dark hair, and wore a black leather motorcycle-type jacket.

“I’m okay, thank you,” I said, unconvincingly.

She sat down next to me and looked me in the eyes.

“You can tell me what it’s about, since I’m a stranger, and can’t judge.”

What the heck. I had nothing to lose, since I’d just lost the biggest thing ever.

“I just saw my girlfriend kissing some guy,” I said, and started crying all over again.

Sizing up the situation, she took my hand in hers and rubbed it with her thumb.

“That had to be really hard to see,” she said.

“It was… just, shocking. I mean, I can understand. We live in different cities and she wanted some… companionship, I guess you could call it. I don’t know if it’s better this way or if she had actually told me, like, face to face.”

“It’s never going to be easy, no matter how,” she said.

I pulled some tissues out of my purse, wiped my face and blew my nose.

“You know, I was afraid of something like this happening, of drifting apart. But I really hoped it wouldn’t.”

“Listen– Oh, what’s your name? Mine’s Les, short for Lesley.”

“Mindy.”

“Why don’t you let me buy you a cup of coffee or something, Mindy? You can talk more if you want and get some of this out of your system.”

I really wanted nothing more than to run away and just cry, but Les was being so nice to me, and I felt so fragile that I wasn’t really in any shape to drive.

“Okay, Les. Thank you.”

We got up and I found myself looking way up at her. She had to be a head taller than I was. Oh well, always doomed to be the shrimp.

She led me to a little coffeehouse, put me at a table and went to get a coffee for herself and a hot chocolate for me. I was still feeling like a stake was lodged in my heart, as well as a knife in my back. Thinking ahead, what do I do about Mary? Refuse to answer her letters? Call her and confront her with what I saw? Leave it up to her to tell me? I had no idea.

“Here you go, Mindy,” she said, placing the mug in front of me as she sat down opposite.

“Thank you,” I said, as my lip started quivering again. The pain was coming in waves. More tears slid down my cheeks.

“So, Mindy. How long were you and this girl together?”

“Um, we started dating when we were fifteen. I guess it was a pretty good run,” I said, trying to think just a teeny bit positive. “I really thought we loved each other…”

She smiled at me sympathetically.

“What do I do now? Am I supposed to pretend I don’t know?”

“I don’t really know what to tell you, Mindy. I’d probably go apeshit on her, if it was me.”

“No. I’m not really blaming her, although now that I think of it, probably telling me would have been a little better than me discovering it this way. But there are too many extenuating circumstances. I just don’t know whether I’m supposed to tell her I know or wait until she says something. We weren’t supposed to see each other until break; I just came up here to surprise her. I was the one surprised, though.”

“Wow, you have a really forgiving heart,” she said.

We sat there for an hour, just talking and not talking. She was so sympathetic. I liked her and felt comfortable with her, but I sure wasn’t in any condition to get into another relationship, let alone tell her I wasn’t all that I appeared to be. But I could tell she was interested in me, and trying to tone it down due to my distress.

Now I was feeling a bit less shaky.

“I think I’ll drive back home now, Les. You’ve been so kind to listen to me. Thanks. How much was my drink?”

“Forget it; it was on me. It was my pleasure to listen to you, girl. Can I ask you for your contact info?”

Again I thought, ‘what the heck,’ and we swapped numbers. We got up and I gave her a hug.

-o0o-

When I got home I found mom, and just thinking about what happened made me cry again.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

“I drove to Mary’s college to surprise her, and saw her kissing some guy,” I sobbed out.

Mom pulled me into a tight embrace.

“I’m so sorry, honey. It couldn’t have been a friendly kiss?”

“Absolutely not. Believe me I hoped so, but it wasn’t. This girl, Les, came to comfort me, and bought me a drink at the coffeehouse. She let me talk it out some, but I still feel like a truck ran over me.”

“How could Mary do that to you?”

“Mom, we’ve been apart, we knew this was a possibility, and it’s not surprising that she wanted some close-up-and-personal friend. I guess she also wanted an actual boy for a boyfriend. This guy was tall and handsome. Who knows how it happened? It happened and I will recover eventually, but right now it just hurts that she didn’t let me know.”

“Oh, honey,” she said, stroking my hair and making me feel better.

“But Mom, what I want to know is, what am I supposed to do? Pretend I didn’t see and wait for her to tell me? Let her know I did see and it’s all over?”

“Well, we’ve known Mary for a long time, and she’s never been an underhanded or sneaky person, to my knowledge. If she’s the woman I think she is, she will let you know, and it won’t be easy for her.”

I stayed in Mom’s embrace for a few more minutes.

“Thanks Mom. I love you.”

“I love you too, Mindy.”

I went to clean up my face, and then lay on my bed, contemplating my future without Mary. I had always imagined us together, and now I had to rebuild that image without her. Where would I ever find another woman as understanding, as okay with me and my gender issues? That almost made me start crying again, but I breathed deeply and decided to put my mind on something else, like… my schoolwork.

-o0o-

Break wasn’t for another month. Was Mary going to wait until she saw me to tell me? Maybe I could prod her into telling me. No, maybe I should give her a week. Also, I had no idea how long she and the guy had already been involved.

We were still texting and e-mailing, but it was getting to me to pretend nothing was wrong after a week had passed. It pissed me off somewhat. We had always been straight with each other.

I decided to move things along.

“Mary, is there anything you’d like to tell me?” I sent her. That should tell her that I know there is something to tell me.

Not much later my phone rang.

“Mindy, what was that message about?”

“Please, Mary. Just tell me about it and don’t make me pretend I don’t know.”

“Oh Mindy. This is so hard. I never wanted it to happen, but this guy was in one of my classes and before I knew what hit me I just fell hard for him. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know how to tell you, so I kept putting it off.”

Even though I already knew the outline, it still hurt to hear the details. I still loved Mary, even though I couldn’t have her anymore.

“Mary, I’m very sad that you didn’t feel you could tell me, and after all the time we’ve been together it just really hurts. I know it couldn’t have been too easy to be my girlfriend all this time, especially with a guy who turns into a girl along the way. I don’t blame you for wanting someone who was all man.”

“No, Mindy, that wasn’t it at all. I didn’t stop loving you, hoping for something better. This took me by surprise, and I felt helpless to resist. How did you find out?”

“A little over a week ago I drove up to surprise you, and I happened to see you two kissing.

“Oh! I’m so sorry! I know that had to be awful for you to see. I wouldn’t have hurt you for the world.”

I could feel myself getting ready to cry.

“Mary, as I said, I don’t blame you or hate you. Listen, I have to go,” I said.

“But Mindy…”

“Mary, I really need to get going. Take care.” I ended the call and had another cry.

-o0o-

It was another two weeks before Les e-mailed me, asking how I was now.

I e-mailed back that Mary had officially told me and that I was trying to put the whole thing behind me and move on. I thanked her for asking. But I didn’t really know anything about Les, where she lived or anything else. I didn’t think I was ready yet to start a relationship with someone else. And if she went to Mary’s college, well, I didn’t think I was going to want to visit up there anymore.

-o0o-

I went back to my studies and tried to think of nothing else but school work. It was kind of nice living at home alone with my folks. They were both used to there being no more Bobby, and treated me as if I had been their daughter all along, and I was so grateful.

Any neighbors who actually knew our family assumed I had been a tomboy earlier, which I found confusing. I had never thought I acted feminine at all. I mean, yes, I was short and had longish hair, but I didn’t act in any way I would have thought might make people doubt I was all boy. Although I guess that since there were no other boys nearby, they probably either saw me playing with Lindsey, or with the girls next door. No, for me, the whole gender confusion thing started back with the opera. The counselor said otherwise, that it was innate. Anyhow, it didn’t matter. Here is where we were.

-o0o-

When the summer rolled around I had another e-mail from Les. She wanted to see me, and wondered where I lived. I debated about this, because although I liked her, I didn’t want to get into a relationship, then tell her my secret and have her dump me, or start hating on me. But an idea started to come to me, and I wrote back asking if she’d like to visit, have dinner and then watch a movie at my house.

She said she’d love to, so I sent her the address and we fixed a date a week away, when my folks would be out for the evening.

When she showed up at the door, I was actually happy to see her. She looked better than I remembered, and not quite as tough-looking. Maybe it’s harder to look tough in a flower print top and shorts? Boy, did she have long legs!

“Hey Mindy!” she said, bending down to kiss my cheek.

“Hey Les,” I said, kissing her back and blushing in spite of myself. “It’s nice to see you again. Come on in.”

We had a drink of water each while we chatted, and then went out to dinner at an Italian place, Dutch Treat. (No, the restaurant was not called Dutch Treat!) She told me a bit about herself. She was three years older than I was, and from a medium-sized town about an hour in the other direction from the university. She had a younger brother and I could see she was a kind of take-charge person. I liked her more and more.

Back at the house I pulled out the library copy of “Ma Vie En Rose,” about the young French transgender boy. “I’ve been wanting to see this,” I said. “I hope it’s okay with you.”

“I’ve never heard of it,” she replied, and we sat down to watch.

We watched the whole sad story together. I was so enrapt that I hardly noticed when Les slipped her arm around me.

During the end credits I turned my face to her to try and read her expression. There were some tears there, as there were on my face.

“That was beautiful, and so sad,” she said.

“I hated it when the mother cut her hair,” I said.

“Yeah, that was awful. But I guess it was kind of a happy ending.”

So, she didn’t appear to be against transgender people. It also seemed like a good sign that she didn’t correct me and say “don’t you mean his hair?” Yes, that was good. Did that mean I wanted to tell her about me? Well, there was still time to think about that.

She still had her arm around me, and I was enjoying it being there. I liked the way she smelled, and I liked her. So I snuggled in a little and rested my head against her shoulder.

“Mindy, you must have sensed that I’m interested in you, and you’ve had some time to come to terms with your friend, Mary. I haven’t been able to get you off my mind since we met last year, and lately I’ve thought about you a lot. If you are also interested in me, I’m not exactly sure how we would work things. Right now I live near the college, so it would have to start out as a long-distance relationship.

“I graduated a month ago, and am not sure where my life will take me, but I would really like to start seeing you.”

Wow! That sounded pretty serious. And business-like. She must be really organized, a Planner. Maybe I’ll throw caution to the winds and just tell her now. Then she won’t have to waste time courting me when she finds out.

“Les, I hardly know you, but I do already like you, and I think I would really enjoy knowing you better, but there’s something you need to be aware of first.”

No one says that and then follows it with good news, and her expression looked like she was set for some sort of unpleasantness.

“The thing is…” God, this is so hard. “I’m… kind of like Ludovic.”

There was complete silence for ten seconds.

“What?? The kid in the movie? You’re a boy? No way!”

“No, I’m not a BOY, although I did start out as one. I’m a transgender girl.”

She stared at me for what felt like an hour, looking me up and down. In spite of myself, I could feel tears start to slide down my cheeks, as I waited for her real reaction.

“Okay, I guess that’s a No, then,” I mumbled, starting to get up.

Her long arm snaked around my middle and prevented me from standing.

“Who said No? I’m just trying to digest what you told me. You seem nothing like a boy. You are obviously a girl where it counts.”

She pulled me on to her lap and wrapped her arms around me.

“You just really stunned me. That’s why you wanted us to watch this movie, isn’t it.”

I nodded.

“Well, just so you know, I’m kind of Bi, so you being Trans isn’t a deal-breaker for me. I find you extremely cute and I’d like to get to know you better too.”

Fresh tears made their way down my face. Could this be that easy? I relaxed back into her, and she held me tighter. Then I loosened her arms enough to turn around and face her, straddling her. I put my arms around her neck and just held on.

-o0o-

When my parents got home they found us on the couch, arms wrapped around each other, just talking, along with the occasional kiss.

“Mom, Dad, this is Les. She was very kind to me on my last trip up to State University, last year.”

Les rose, surprising both my parents with her height.

“A pleasure to meet you,” she said to them, shaking their hands. “Your daughter and I had a very pleasant dinner followed by a movie. She’s pretty special.”

I guess my folks weren’t used to someone so formal, and it took a few seconds for my Dad to say, “Well, thank you. We think she’s special too. I’m Bill Nelson and this is Nan.”

“Is it okay if Les stays overnight in the guest room?” I asked.

Les looked at me in surprise. We hadn’t discussed her staying over.

“Les, it’s late to be driving all that way back tonight. Please stay,” I said.

She smiled. “Okay, I can stay.”

“Sure. We’d be glad to have you,” said Dad. “You’ve obviously made a very good impression on our little girl.”

I rolled my eyes at Les, but, hey, I am little.

My parents excused themselves, and we got back to snuggling and talking. (and kissing)

“So, when did you decide you were a girl, Mindy?”

“Les, you may not believe this, but it started with an opera.”

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The End.

STANDARD DISCLAIMER: I know nothing about therapy sessions, among many other things.