I discovered Dad sitting in a chair on the back porch with an open bottle of beer in his hands. Coming up behind him, I said, "Seriously, Daddy, you need to get your drinking under control. Mom and I are concerned about the amount of time you spend drinking each week."
"I was planning to cut back before all of this happened. After learning I've spent the last 26 years sleeping next to a man, I'll probably end up drinking even more," he said, looking up at me.
Taking the seat next to Dad, I took the beer from him and said, "You've seen Mom naked enough times to know she's not a man. I'm not going to excuse the fact that she never told you, but you have to admit that her life now is better than it was in Brazil."
"I guess you're right about that; the truth is, she probably would have ended up working some Brazilian crime lord. At least here, the worst thing she has to deal with is running into a Karen when she goes shopping." Dad took a deep breath and then said, "But that doesn't explain why she lied to me. How can I ever trust her again when she's kept something this important from me?"
"She genuinely loves you; the fact that she isn't packing her bags proves it." As I took a breath and watched some birds fly by, I said, "Now that that's out of the way, I guess all that's left is to make things right between the two of us."
"Do you think you could just say you changed your mind?"
"No, I'm afraid not; I'm stuck this way for at least the next year." I grabbed my dad's hand and asked, "Do you really think that my decision to do this makes me less of a man, or were your emotions just getting the best of you?"
"I'm not sure, Holly," Dad said, his face sad. "Give me some time to figure this out."
"OK, Daddy; I'll give you as much time as you need."
Dad looked at me as I stood up from the chair and asked, "Why are you calling me Daddy constantly now? You quit calling me that when you were 6."
"It just feels natural now. I guess it's part of the mental conditioning; most girls call their father Daddy longer than boys do," I said, looking back at him.
*****************************
Surprisingly, it only took me an hour to put all of my new clothes away. In fact, I was outside putting the boxes in the recycling bin when Mom pulled into the driveway. I waved as she stepped out of the car. "I understand your father caused some trouble today? I'll tell you, after everything he's done in the last 24 hours, I wouldn't hesitate to leave him if I didn't love him so much."
"Great minds think alike, Mom," I told her as I hugged her. "I told him the same thing; he's lucky you didn't pack your bags and leave."
We walked through the garage together. "How was the rest of your day?" Mom asked as we entered the house.
"Considering everything I've been through, it's been remarkably uneventful. I'm still getting messages from people who either congratulate me on coming out or accuse me of being a pervert." I shuddered for a moment and then said, "Some of the more perverted messages asked me to send nudes. It seems that some of my so-called friends get a kick out of seeing trans women naked before they have surgery."
"Holly, please tell me you blocked them."
"Of course, mom; I blocked them the instant I saw their messages." Leaning against the kitchen counter, I said, "The last thing I want is to be associated with them in any way."
"Where's your father?" Mom asked, looking around the kitchen.
"He saw me in my new bikini and said he needed to go for a walk to get that image out of his head."
"You're already up to wearing a bikini?" Mom asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
"Don't overthink it, Mom; I was just curious what I'd look like."
The doorbell rang, interrupting our conversation. We walked through the house toward the front door. As we got closer, I noticed Carrie Robbins standing on the front porch. Shit, I thought, what’s she doing here?
"Well, hello, Carrie; it's nice to see you," Mom said as she opened the door.
"Hello, Mrs. Sheppard; I apologize for this unexpected visit, but there's something that Matthew needs to know." Carrie cleared her throat and said, "I believe someone hacked his social media accounts and posted pictures and a bogus story claiming he's transgender. I thought I'd stop by to see if I could help him straighten things out."
Mom cast a glance in my direction without making it too obvious. "There's nothing to straighten out, Carrie," I said as I stepped out from behind the door. I said, while doing a quick spin, "Those images are real, as you can see; I am a trans woman. But don't call me Matthew anymore; my name is Holly now."
Carrie's mouth dropped open. "Oh my God! I've always thought there was something unusual about you. But I was not expecting this."
"I did a lot of soul-searching after college and realized who I really was." I turned to face her, holding my arms at my sides, and said, "I've decided to come out now because my transition has progressed enough that I can no longer hide it."
"You can say that again," Carrie said as she examined me. Taking a moment to compose herself, she added, “Look; I know you’re dealing with a lot right now, but would you like to get a drink? There’s this bar I know down by the water; it’s gay-friendly so you don’t have to worry about being harassed.”
I turned my attention to Mom for a brief moment, as if asking her for permission. With a nod and a smile, she said, “Go, spend some time with your friend. It’s not like you’ll be missing much here anyway.”
With a smile, I turned back to Carrie and said, “Sure, why not. I’m not exactly dressed for the bar scene, so I’ll have to get changed. If you want, I can meet you there?”
“I’ll stay and wait, if it’s alright with you. That way only one of us needs to worry about driving.”   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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