The on-going story of life, love and the joys and hardships of being different.
Centered around a little boy in Northern California, the struggles he must face to become his true self and the lives he touches along his journey to being the woman he knows he is.
An alphabetical listing of the cast of Through the years, including minor cast (and adults too)
Cooper
Frank Cooper
Husband to Shelly Cooper and brother of Hank Cooper, Lynn Williams and Brother-in-law to Lance Williams and Uncle to Jamie and Rachel Williams. He is also a good friend to Maggie and William Patterson and the Godfather to Tracy and Vance Patterson. The Patterson children refer to him as Uncle, just as an honorary title. Frank is very tall, and he is friendly and warm. He is also a car buff, and owns a ‘64 Ponticac GTO.
Shelly Cooper
Wife to Frank Cooper. Also Sister-in-law to Hank Cooper, Lance and Lynn Williams and Aunt to Jamie and Rachel Williams. She is the Godmother to Tracy and Vance Patterson, but both Patterson children refer to her as Aunt Shelly. She is Maggie’s oldest friend, having known Maggie since Middle school in Castro Valley. Shelly is about four and a half feet tall.
Hallmark
Molly Hallmark
Molly Hallmark is the wife to Lionel Hallmark and the mother to Scott, Robert and Gina. Molly is the reason Gina left home at a young age. She is the daughter of Lewis Horton, who fancies himself a preacher and her parents took part in her “treatment” when she was found with her girlfriend at a young age. This treatment has turned her against anyone who is Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual or Transgendered.
Han
Brooke Han
The youngest child of Karen Han. She is the only living Grandchild of Lok and Jaio Han. She is trying to change who she was. As a young girl, she was mean spirited and a constant harrasser of Sage Miller. When she was in the second grade, she was involved in a car crash. She was in the back seat, while her brother and Uncle were in the front. The wreack killed her brother and uncle, and it also left her paralyzed from the waist down. Her legs are gone, just below her knee. She is the second eldest of Tracy’s friends.
Jaio Han
The Wife of Lok, Mother to Karen and Grandmother to Brooke. Jaio is quiet, unless when wisdom is needed, or just an answer. Born in China and now a citiczen of the US, she makes her living working as a Tai Chi instructor. She is the teacher to Tracy Patterson. She also helps at her husband’s acupuncture shop and is on good terms with many of the Asian markets in the Livermore and Dublin areas.
Karen Han
Daughter to a pair of martial artists, Jaio and Lok Han. Mother to Brooke. Karen makes her living working the books for an unnamed buisness. She is not a coach of her daughter’s sports, but she is a big cheerleader. She also is adept at fighting, yet never trains anyone.
Lok Han
Husband of Jaio, Father to Karen and Grandfather to Brooke. Like the Chinese masters of the movies, Lok han is a quiet man, with a firm hand when he teaches. He is well versed in Wing chan and Tai Chi. He also acts as Brooke’s wheelchair sports coach and is one of two teachers to Tracy Patterson.
Higgins
Emily May Higgins
Mary Beth Higgins
Lowery
Peter
Miller
Andromeda
The youngest child of Carl and Persephone Miller. Six is about six years younger than Sage and full of life. She is the youngest Niece to Lillian and Harvey Parker, sister to Sage and Moonglow and Cousin to Casey and Stacey Parker.
Carl Miller
Accountant and husband to Persephone Miller, father to Moonglow (Moony or Marcus) Sage and Andromeda. Brother in law to Lillian Parker and Harvey Parker. Uncle to Casey and Stacey Parker. Down to earth with an interest in camping, and old cars. Believes TV will rot out a brain
Moonglow Miller (Marcus or Moony)
The eldest Miller child, born in a cabin near Truckee California. Son of Carl and Persephone. Brother to Sage and Andromeda. Cousin to Casey and Stacey Parker. A lover of sports, including football (49’s fan) Baseball (Giants) and Basketball (play more then watch.) He enjoys the outdoors and goes hunting with his Uncle Harvey Parker.
Persephone Miller
The wife to Carl Miller and Sister to Lilian Parker and sister-in-law to Harvey Parker. She is the mother of Moonglow, Sage and Andromeda. She is also the Aunt of Casey and Stacey Parker. Persephone keeps an open mind to other religions and she does not force any of her children into one certain line of thinking.
Sage Miller
The middle child of Carl and Persephone Miller. Sister to Moonglow and Andromeda. Cousin to Casey and Stacey, niece to Lilian and Harvey Parker. She is the only redhead in the Miller clan and is fluent in sign language. Sage is also intersexed, and was almost made a boy by the first doctor who seen her after her birth. Was born in the same cabin her brother was born in. One of Tracy’s closest friends and the thinker of the group.
Parker
Casey Parker
The eldest child of Lilian and adopted daughter of Harvey. She was born out of wedlock, and her father died just after her birth. Also the half sister of Stacey. She is the niece of Carl and Persephone Miller and cousin to Moonglow, Andromeda and Sage Miller. She is the deaf one of Tracy’s group. She has a love for drawing and hanging out.
Harvey
Husband to Lilian and father to both Casey (adopted) and Stacey. He is the Brother-in-law to Persephone and Carl and an uncle to all three Miller children, Moonglow, Sage and Andromeda. He works for the California Highway Patrol and love to hunt, fish and any other thing that lets him get out and into the woods.
Lilian
Wife of Harvey and mother of Casey and Stacey. Sister to Persephone and Joey, who lives in Vermont..
Stacey
Patterson
Conner
Maggie
Modine
Tracy
Bory Troy Allen Patterson, Troy slowly broke out of his shell and became Tracy,
with the love and guidence from Maggie and Modine Patterson.
Vance
William
Richter
Bernice
Marion
Rogers
Bart (Bartholomew) Rogers
Partner to Lance William in their law firm. Normally the man who takes the criminal cases, leaving the rest for Lance. Friendly and good with kids, but very sharp and a tab unorthodox. He is also very Gay, but hides it while on the job.
Williams
Lance
The husband to Lynn Williams and the father of Jamie and Rachel. He is also the Brother-in-law to Hank Cooper, Frank Cooper and Shelly Cooper. Lance is a Lawyer with a practice in Livermore California, that he co-owns with Bart Rogers. Very Christian man, but not one of the overbearing ones.
Lynn
Wife of Lance and
Rachel
Addams
Doctor Addams
Tracy’s new doctor in Dublin. Also the doctor of Sage.
Green
Carly Green
A nurse at Oroville hospital and one of the few ones who called Tracy by her girl name while in the hospital.
Higgins
Barry
Father to Emily May and Mary beth
Mother of Emily and Mary Beth
Kimble
Alex
Amber
Johnny
Leonard
Klein
Keith Klein
Deputy Sheriff for Butte county. First encountered Tracy at Palermo Union Elementary school. Still young, but very open and friendly. A just the facts kind of officer. Currently engaged to Carly Green
Krenshaw
Ivan Krenshaw
The therapist for Sage, Tracy, and many other children like them.
Leone
Mark Leone
One of four owners of Big Mama’s Deli and Bakery. He is the eldest child of Sophia Leone.
Mama Leone
Sophie Leone
Millett
Bruce
A true monster. Bruce in the hoodlum brother to Clark and he has a rap sheet at thirteen. Stories surround him that he has raped before and in an attack on Tracy, he tried to again. In their last fight, Tracy managed to keep Bruce from hurting Modine Patterson, while injured and fighting two others, just long enough for help to arrive.
Clark
Patterson
Carter
The only son of Tom Patterson. Nephew to Maggie and William Patterson and Brother to Olivia, Joy and Amber. A military man, not much is known about him at this time.
Olivia
The youngest of Tom Patterson.
Tom
Paulson
Bath Paulson
one of four owners to Big Mama’a bakery and deli in Livermore California. Went to school with Maggie and Shelly in Castro Valley. A large woman who isn't ashamed of her size. A lover of anything that tastes good.
Williams
Jamie
Eldest daughter of Lance and Lynn Williams and the older sister to Rachel. Not much is know of Jamie at this moment.
The story of Troy Patterson and his family. His struggles to find himself and bring peace to his life
1982
Northern California
Troy Patterson stood in the kitchen and watched as his mother's car pull out of the driveway that early August morning. His father was already gone off on a week long fishing trip with his friends. His older brother, and constant tormentor, Vance, was with his mother to go to hang out with friends for the weekend. In the background he could hear the beginnings of another cartoon. Yet, unlike most eleven year old, he wasn't paying attention to the TV anymore. He had been waiting patiently for the house to empty....well maybe not too patiently.
He was barely able to keep still as his mother and brother were getting ready to go. Now that she was gone, he waited that extra couple of seconds before he darted into his mothers room. His heart raced in anticipation as he opened up his mothers closet. There it was, a treasure trove of clothes. Skirts, dresses, blouses. He didn't know where to start, so he ran his fingers over the fabric, feeling tingles of excitement race down his spine.
He pulled out one that had become his favorite, an navy blue skirt. He grabbed for the matching blouse and then began to strip out of his shorts and shirt. He didn't change his underwear. He had no sisters to borrow from and he was smaller then his mother. Plus he knew his mother kept the drawers to her dresser in a way that she knew when anything was moved.
He pulled on the skirt but it hung around his hips, so as usual he cheated by using a belt to keep it on. As he drew the belt tight, his now free hand ran up the frilly blouse. He couldn't help doing this. Every chance he had he found himself in his mothers room and it always ended with him in her clothes. One he had pulled the blouse on, he ran his fingers through his short curly hair, fluffing it out. He looked at the makeup that his mother kept on her night stand. He knew it was foolish to even try. Once he had used the lipstick and somehow, just by where he left it, she knew. As he moved in front of the mirror, he kept fluffing his hair, taking stock of the boy, who which fluff of his hair, slowly became an eleven year old girl.
Troy wasn't the tallest kid in his class. In fact he was just about average all around. He was around four and a half feet tall, and almost ninety pounds, being slightly overweight. His father made sure that his hair was kept short, which was a blessing of sorts, as Tory's hair was naturally curly, so the more he teased it, the more it curled. When he was done he gave the mirror a shy smile and turned slightly to the side, looking at the profile of the cute girl he saw there.
He was so drawn into his own little world that he hadn't heard the door open. It was only when the TV shut off that he knew he was in trouble. The house his parents lived in was small, with just two bedrooms and a single bath. It had been a farmhouse built around the end of the first World War. The layout was a simple one, almost a square , with a wall in the center. From the main and only door, you stepped into the living room. To the right was the kitchen. A left turn from there took you to the hall that had the room that he shared with Vance. Past that was a bathroom. But straight from the front door to the house was his parent's room. His parents had no door to their room, just curtains that hung there. A door on one wall of the main bedroom led to the shared bathroom.
There was only one choice on who had come home. His mother hadn't been gone long enough and his father was gone, this left his Paternal Grandfather who lived next door with his grandmother. He was the one family member the young boy hated with a passion. The roots of his self esteem problems could be traced to the older man, who had often informed the boy he was only born to give free labor on the farm. He knew he would be caught if he stayed where he was, so in a fit of desperation he grabbed his clothes from the bed and ran into the bathroom. He knew if he could change before he was caught, he was home free.
As he pushed the door that led to the hall open he saw his grandmother, wearing a house coat, leaning on a cane and watching him. She raised an eyebrow and just watched him. She wasn't too old, just around sixty, but osteoporosis had made it hard for her to get around. She rarely left the house, other then to go see her doctors. But despite this weakness, she was the true voice of the family. If she spoke, it happened. No one, not even her own almost forty year old son would dare cross her. But she was also a typical grandmother and her love for her grandchildren showed often. He dropped his clothes and flung himself into his room and on his bed.
Troy curled up in a ball and began to sob into his pillow. It was all over, he knew it. She'd tell his mother, who would tell his father. Then Vance and his grandfather would hear. It was only a matter of time. He could hear the sounds of something being drug down the hall, then into his room. The sounds continued, muffled by the carpet, till it stopped by his bed. He didn't move, till a hand touched his shoulder and he flinched.
“It's okay, Troy. I'm not mad at you.” The older woman's voice was soothing. She rubbed his shoulder , trying to comfort him as best as she could. “Come on and sit up, I'd like to talk to you.”
He stay still, his heart pounding away in his chest. He knew it was pointless, but he still didn't want her to see him like this. He summoned up his courage, hoping he could discourage her and send her away. “No. I don't want to and you can't make me.”
She let out a sigh and shook her head, then let go of his shoulder and sat up. “Troy, Allen Patterson, I asked you kindly. Do not make me tell you. You know what happens when I get mad, please, don't push me.”
He had flinched from the use of all three names, but for her to threaten that she'd get mad. He had no choice. So he rolled over and sat up, but kept his eyes on the floor of his bedroom.”
“There, that's much better.” She said and flashed him that Grandmotherly smile that had always relaxed him. “I've had my suspicions for a while, you mom has too. That's why she sent me over here.”
He looked up, but only briefly. “Mom sent you? She knows about...” He trialed off and looked at the floor again. “About me wearing her clothes?”
“Yes, She's been noticing that each time she's left you home, her closet gets rearranged.” His grandmother replied. She leaned forward and wiped the tears out of his eyes. “But she's not mad, neither am I.”
“Are you going to tell Vance and Dad and Grandpa?” He asked.
“No child. I'm not that mean.” She gave a little laugh, the kind that all grandmothers had. “I just want to know a few things. We used to talk all the time, but lately, you hide away from the world. I'm scared for you. So can we talk?”
He thought about it for a while. She was right, they used to talk all the time when he'd visit for a couple hours each day, but that had changed a couple years back, when he had first put on a skirt. He missed his grandmothers talk, so he nodded and whispered. “Yes.”
“Well I guess my first question is do you want to be a girl?” She asked.
He shook his head and kept watching that one spot on the floor. “No. I like being a boy, I just....” He sighed and looked up. “Promise you're not mad and won't yell?”
His grandmother nodded. “I promise.”
He waited for a second, then continued. “I like being a boy, I just like wearing girls clothes too. It's...” He began to cry again, this time she was ready and offered him a tissue. His gaze fell back to the floor once more.
“Take your time.” She said, waiting for him to calm down.
Troy sighed again and shook his head. “It's...when I wear this, I pretend that I'm not Troy. I act like there''s no Vance, no Dad. No one yelling at me because I cry too much. No one yelling at me because I can't catch a baseball. No boy's beating me up.....” He began sobbing again.
From the living room the door opened up and his mothers voice called out. “Troy, Sweetie?”
“He's in his room, Maggie.” Troy's Grandma called out.
The little boy was still on the bed, bent over a bit more as his sobs increased. Maggie stopped at the door way for a moment. “Modine, is he okay?” Maggie asked.
“He could really use his mother right now.” Modine replied.
Maggie sat on the bed next to him and hugged the little boy tightly to her side, While Modine went over the conversation so far. When she was finished Maggie kissed Troy's forehead. “Sweetie, I am sorry about Vance, and God knows your father tries, he really does. He's just set in his ways.” She kissed him once more. “I'm afraid that you may get caught by your brother one of these times.”
Modine nodded. “Knowing Vance he's take total advance of it.” She leaned back in her seat, then smiled. “Troy, how often do you like wearing the girls clothes? About once a week?”
Troy nodded and looked at her. “Usually when Mom is shopping and Vance and Dad are gone.”
“I see.....” She began to rub her chin while she thought for a moment, then her smile showed as she leaned forward, looking at the child on the bed. “What if I let you come over to my place and dress up once a month. Your Grandfather takes a trip to Reno for gambling once a month. He's gone for most of the day, so you could stay there till he comes home if you want.”
Troy smiled. “I'd like that.” Then his smile faded. “Wait, just once a month?”
“For now. Maybe we can work out a new place to go after awhile. This way you can relax and Vance won't be allowed over.” Modine put a hand on his shoulder. “So what do you think?”
He smiled again. “I'd love to.”
September 1982
Northern California
A grueling four weeks of hell had passed for little Troy. Vance had gotten worse, picking on his brother every chance he got, and as always, Troy's dad just ignored it. But Troy had that beacon of hope. He just had to make it to the week end to be able to unwind at his Grandmothers place. And he had
To keep her own clothes in good shape, his mother had gone to the local store and picked up girls clothes, including panties and a bra for the boy, this way she could keep her own clothes in her closet. The clothes were then stashed inside one of the closets that his grandmother had in her room. He hadn't seen then yet, just a brief description from his mother.
To save time and questions from Vance, he spent Friday night at his grandmothers, using her guest bed. He was forced to wear his boy pajamas, mostly because his Grandfather hadn't left for his trip yet. But when he awoke on Saturday he found a nightgown laid out on the bed, with a note attached to it.
Sweetie,
If you want to lounge around the house today, wear this, if not there is a cute summer
dress hanging in the closet. Panties and a bra on the dresser you you. Let me know when
you're awake and I'll start breakfast.
Grandma Modine
He looked at the nightgown. It was a nice powder blue color, with a cartoon cat on the front. He saw the yellow summer dress hanging in the closet and he began to weigh his options. A quick glance to the clock showed that it was just a little past seven. A part of him had been bummed out that he couldn't wear the night gown the night before, so he decided to wear that then shower after breakfast and then put on the dress.
In a matter of minutes he had shed his pajamas and was still pulling the blue nightgown over the white panties as he came around the corner into the kitchen. He saw her at the table drinking a cup of coffee and attempting to finish the crossword puzzle. Troy waited for her to pull the pencil away from the paper before he walked over and hugged her. “Morning Grandma.”
“Hello Sweetie.” She said, putting her pencil down long enough to hug the young child and give him a kiss on the forehead. “I see you picked the nightgown.”
“Well I figured I could wear this, then after breakfast I could shower and wear the dress.” He replied.
“That sounds like a good idea.” Modine said with a nod. “You know, the first thing we should do is get you a name.” She pulled out a chair at the table and patted the seat.
He took the hint and sat down. “I got a name.” He replied.
“But Troy is a boy's name.” She replied. “We need a girls name for you.”
He sat there for a little while, thinking about all the girls he knew and all of their names, wondering which one he liked the best. After a few minutes he looked up and smiled. “What about Tracy?”
“I like that.” His grandmother said with a nod. She stood up and moved to the refrigerator. “Come on Tracy, let's make breakfast. You can help me.”
“Okay.” His smile brightened as he stood up, and his body language shifted slightly. His shoulders weren't slumped like his boy self had done. The smile was there after it had formed. And as his grandmother turned on the radio, he began to sway his hips to the music. Tracy was in the house.
The radio was set to an oldies channel, not that it mattered much. The main music the station played was only from thirty years earlier. She tired to hum along with some of the music as her grandmother did the singing. Neither Tracy, or Troy, had ever done any cooking, So Modine took the time to teach her grandchild the basics of making eggs and bacon.
It was an easy meal, but for her first time cooking, she didn't want to push it. So the two of them work at a pace that little Tracy could handle. At first the eggs were to be sunny side up, but a few mishaps turned them into scrambled. Through it all the little girl never lost her smile.
“Very good. I guess we should have started with scrambled anyway, then work up to the hard stuff.” Her Grandmother said. Tracy just nodded and poked at the eggs with the spatula again. “Yeah. I've wanted to learn how to cook, 'cause Mom is working all the time and then she get's home and has to make dinner, it's just so unfair to her.”
“Well tell you what. You can't just jump in the kitchen and think you know what to do. How about every weekend, plus Monday and Friday nights, you and I go over the basics of cooking and then in a month or two we can see if your mother will let you slowly take over, okay?” Her Grandmother asked.
“That sound good.” Tracy replied with a nod.
“Good. How about we invite your mother over for lunch? We can make something nice for her. Maybe a nice pasta salad?” Modine asked her granddaughter as she began to butter toast.
“Yeah.” Tracy nodded again, while lifting the pan off the stove and putting the eggs on two plate.
Modine put her knife down and grabbed the nearby phone and dialed. Tracy could hardly keep from dancing around as she put the plates on the table and set about pouring juice for them.
“Maggie? Yes, it's Modine.” Tracy didn't feel bad as she listening in. Normally she liked to leave the room when people were on the phone, but this time it was about her. “No, no she's been a totally angel today. Yes, She. Tracy? Your daughter?” Tracy's face lit up with another smile as she watched her grandmother for a moment, then she returned to putting the juice back in the fridge. “We were wondering if you would like to join us for a light lunch. Just the three of us, so you can meet Tracy properly.”
The little girl took her seat at the table and she waited for her Grandmother before she touched her plate. Modine kept nodding while she was on the phone. Yes, so Noon? Okay, we'll be ready for you.”
Her grandmother hung up the phone and she sat down next to Tracy. “Well young lady, let's see how your first attempt went.”
Tracy watched her grandmother as the older woman took a bite. “Not bad, take a bite.” Tracy took a bite and chewed it, then looked up as she saw her grandmother looking at her. “Well, what do you think?”
“It's okay. But it's....kind of blah.” Tracy said.
“What do you think is missing?” Modine asked.
“I don't know?” Tracy shrugged.
“Tell me, did you use any spices?”
Tracy slumped her shoulders and put her fork down. “No.” She grumbled. “I messed it up.”
“Hey.” Modine put a hand on her shoulder. “No one gets it right their first time. Each time you cook, you have that possibility of making mistakes. But that's how some of the better recipes come to be, all because of one little goof. You like my meatloaf, right?”
“Yeah.” Tracy nodded.
“I tried to prefect that for years, but one day I made a mistake and added a different spice. It used to be dry and nasty, but now, I don't worry about leftovers. All cooking is half experimentation.” Modine smiled. “You understand what I'm saying?”
“I think so.” Tracy replied.
“Let me put a different way.” Modine leaned back in the chair for a moment, then nodded to herself. “Do you remember the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?”
“Yes, I love that movie.” Tracy smiled.
“Remember the song with all the old people? Roses of success?” Modine asked.
“Yeah, the one where they try to build another car?”
“That's the one. The main point of that song is that in failure, you have success.” Modine replied, watching her grandchild’s face. “If you learn from your mistakes, you learn to correct them next time.” She let that sink in for a moment, then leaned forward, her eyes twinkling. “So, what did we learn?”
“Ummmmm.” Tracy thought about it for a moment, then she pointed to the spice rack. “Use spices?”
“That is one lesson you could get today. Lesson two is that if you're in doubt on what you're cooking, ask someone.” Modine said. “See, eggs are easy. Just get up and get the salt and pepper shakers and we can add till were happy. But next time, you wont forget the spices.”
“Okay.” Tracy got up and grabbed the two thin shakers from the resting place on the stove. As she sat down, her grandmother gave her a hug. “What was that for?
“That was for proving you're willing to learn and not just get frustrated and walk away from something.” Modine waited as the little girl used the salt, then handed it to her. “It's easy to give up, but somethings are worth seeing through to the end. Like cooking. You know why cooking is so important?”
“Um...” Tracy looked at her grandmother like she was crazy. “We'd starve if we didn't cook?”
“That's one aspect of food. Another aspect is that it brings people together.” Modine smiled again.
“How?” Tracy handed her the pepper shaker.
“We're both at the table right now, aren't we?” The older woman asked in a sage like voice.
“Yeah.” Tracy nodded.
“Now if I had just let you have cereal, do you think we would have taken the time to talk while making the breakfast?”
“No.”
Modine nodded. “See. Food can comfort, heal, relax and so much more.” She leaned in close to Tracy. “What is your favorite part of cookies, other then the eating?”
“The smell?” Tracy asked.
“And when you smell cookies being baked, what do you think of?”
“That one Christmas when I had pneumonia and you brought some cookies to me.” Tracy smiled.
“Your first thought when you smell apple pie?” Modine asked.
“Thanksgiving. Dad always insists on Apple pie. And everyone is always here.” Tracy replied.
“So you equate food to memories too. See how much food can mean to people? So each time you cook, you could be making a memory for someone.”
“I never thought of it like that.” Tracy said with a grin.
“Well, looks like you got something new to think about.”
“Yep.” Tracy nodded.
“Come on, let's eat, there's more time to talk after we do dishes.” Modine said.
The two of them ate in semi silence, giving Tracy the chance to think about what she had learned about food and life. The little girl stayed quiet as she started to put the dishes into the sink. Modine picked up her paper and began working on the crossword puzzle again.
“Now what I told you about making mistakes, that's not just for food. Take that karate class you're taking. You have to practice, right?”
Tracy looked to her grandmother and nodded. “Yeah.”
“And some of the stuff you couldn't do when you started the class, you can do now, right?” Modine sat her pencil down for a second. “Like balance? You seemed to fall on your butt a lot, but you're better now, right?”
“Yep.” Tracy smiled at that. She had been training as hard as she could. Her father had pushed for both of his sons to take a class on some kind of fighting skill. His brother had gone with boxing, like Troy's father had taken when he was a kid. Troy had gone a different route. He had watched the different martial artists and liked what he saw in Kung Fu. So after may weeks of looking for something he could enjoy, he found it in a class one town away, Chen Style of Tai chi.
His father wasn't impressed. There was almost no contact in it, no like in boxing, but he still let the boy stay with it. Less then six months later, Vance had enough of people actually hitting him and he dropped out of the boxing classes that he was taking, but his tough guy attitude stayed around. That was the one saving grace to it all. His father had thanked him for sticking with it. And it was helping him out too.
“So, if you make a mistake in class, do you give up?” She asked.
“No.” Tracy shook her head.
“And why not?” Modine gave her that big smile again.
“Because I'd never learn? How can I get good if I stop. Plus I like it.” She smiled.
“Then baby, if you like it, that's all that matters.” Modine chuckled. “You should get cleaned up young lady. Got to look your best for your mother today.”
Tracy's cheeks turned a bright red color as she stepped from the sink, stopping by her grandmother long enough to hug the older lady. “Thank you Grandma, for everything.”
“You're welcome.” Modine said, putting a hand on the girls back. “You're very welcome.”
A smile spread across her lips as she stepped in. “Hello Tracy.” She stopped just in front of the girl and hugged her. “You look beautiful.” She whispered into Tracy's ear.
The girl's face was bright with pride and her smile spread from ear to ear. “Thank you Mama.”
“And so polite too. How did I get so lucky to have a beautiful girl with manners?” She asked, looking over to her mother-in-law.
“Don't ask me. Maybe she's been in there all this time, she just needed the chance to come out.” Modine said as she went to the cupboard and pulled out a loaf of freshly made bread. She waited for Tracy to turn back to her and she cut a slice off of the loaf. She then offered the knife to her. “Here you go young lady. Five more slices, just like the one I did.”
September 1982
Northern California
It was nearing lunch time and Tracy was starting to get nervous. She had been hanging out with her grandmother all day so far and things were just fine. She had watched some TV and even tired her hand at painting, one of the few hobbies that her grandmother really enjoyed. Tracy wasn't too good at it, but she had enjoyed trying. In the end, what should have been a picture of trees, looked like a bunch of brown and green caterpillars. They had laughed about it, and for once, Tracy didn't dwell on how bad she was. They had stopped just briefly to make the pasta salad. Tracy did the work, with her grandmother watching over her shoulder, ready to help out when needed. It needed two hours of cooling time in the refrigerator. So after that they returned to their easels and continued on their different pictures. Well, one picture and one grouping of brightly colored shapes.
Now the art supplies were gone for the day and they had retreated to the kitchen once more. “So what else are we making?” Tracy asked.
“Well I figured we could make some grilled chicken salad sandwiches. They should go well with the pasta salad.”
“Okay, how do we do make that?” Tracy asked.
“Good question.” Modine pulled a box out of the cupboard and flipped it open and began looking through index cards. “With this.” She handed Tracy the card and let the child read. “You'll find everything you need in the fridge, or in the spices cupboard. Think you can manage?”
Tracy nodded. “Yeah.” She began pulling the ingredients from the 'fridge, stopping to read the index card each time. She worked at the counter, her grandmother stepping in to show her the best way to use the knives when needed. As Tracy was almost finished there was a knock at the door and her grandmother went to answer it. “Straighten that dress young lady, and clean your hands.” she said on her way out of the kitchen.
Tracy could hear her mother at the door as she washed her hands, it was one thing she had always loved. Her ears were good, so even from her place in the kitchen she could hear her her mother and grandmother exchanging pleasantries, then she heard. “Come on Maggie, I'll introduce you to your daughter.”
Tracy quickly dried off her hands and stood there as the two women came into the kitchen. Her heart was racing, hoping that her mother was totally okay with what she was doing. She stood there as her mother looked her over, then Tracy said in a quiet voice, speaking slightly higher then Troy would. She lowered her head a bit, but kept her eyes on her mom. “Hello Mama.” Troy had never called her that. In fact his greetings would have been just a simple mom and always hi, never hello. And Maggie caught it too.
A smile spread across her lips as she stepped in. “Hello Tracy.” She stopped just in front of the girl and hugged her. “You look beautiful.” She whispered into Tracy's ear.
The girl's face was bright with pride and her smile spread from ear to ear. “Thank you Mama.”
“And so polite too. How did I get so lucky to have a beautiful girl with manners?” She asked, looking over to her mother-in-law.
“Don't ask me. Maybe she's been in there all this time, she just needed the chance to come out.” Modine said as she went to the cupboard and pulled out a loaf of freshly made bread. She waited for Tracy to turn back to her and she cut a slice off of the loaf. She then offered the knife to her. “Here you go young lady. Five more slices, just like the one I did.”
Maggie watched her daughter cut the bread. It wasn't perfect, in fact a couple of the slices were quite thick, the other three were a mix of half think and very thin. As Tracy finished the cutting, her grandmother handed her the bowl with the chicken salad in it.
“What would you say to eating outside on the back porch?” Modine asked.
Tracy's head whipped to her grandmother, her eyes were wide with panic, but her mother cut her off as she saw the child’s face. “I don't mind, but we should ask the young lady.”
Modine turned around and smiled at Tracy. “Well, would you like to enjoy some mild summer weather from the porch?”
“But...but...” Tracy's heart began to race and her hands started to shake. “What if someone sees me.”
Her mother dropped to one knee and shook her head. “Sweetheart, no one can see you back there. No one goes in the ravine and those that do wont see you through trees that line the backyard. No one can see the porch from the road, but if you're that scared, we can stay in here.”
“We can?” Tracy asked, feeling a bit better.
“We can. We want you to be comfortable with yourself. We know you're safe back there, but you need to feel it too.” Maggie replied.
“Tracy, I understand your fear, but know that I will never ask you to do something that will get you hurt, or compromise your secret.” Her grandmother said in that comforting tone all grandmothers have.
Tracy thought about it for a moment, then she looked outside. It wasn't too warm and there was a breeze out. She had never been invited to sit with her grandmother when she was Troy, not on the back porch but then her grandmother had so many bad days with her osteoporosis. The back porch was her grandmothers sanctuary. Even Her grandfather stayed off of it, unless he was going to the grill that was in the back yard, or fixing something on it.
Tracy spread some of the chicken salad onto a slice of bread and she meekly asked. “No one will see us?”
“Not at all. No one comes into the back yard, ever.” Modine replied.
“I....I think I want to sit out there.” Tracy looked at her grandmother and mom. “If it's okay.”
“Sweetheart, it's definitely okay.” The older woman answered with that grandmotherly smile.
Tracy put down the knife and moved to hug her grandmother, then her mom. “Thank you.”
Modine gave her another hug and kissed her cheek. “You're welcome. Now we should finish this and get it out to the table, don't you think?”
“Okay.” Tracy seemed to pick up her speed while fixing the sandwiches, while her mother helped her grandmother take the paste salad outside, along with plates, forks, glasses and a pitcher of tea. A few minutes later Tracy was walking onto the back porch, a plate with the sandwiches on it in her hands.
She sat the plate on the table and was about to sit when her mother stopped her. “Wait, you can't just sit down. As you sit, smooth out the bottom of your dress, so it isn't ruffled under you. And remember, a lady sits with her legs together.” Tracy nodded and did as she was told, automatically crossing her legs just above the ankles.
Maggie beamed at her. “Very good sweetheart.”
“Thank you Mama.” Tracy said as she watched her grandmother putting some of the pasta salad on her plate. Then her mother dished some out. She sat there, watching as her mother took a bite, then nodded. “Wow. This is good, Modine.”
“Thank you, but I didn't make it.” Modine gestured with a sweep of her hand at Tracy.
“You made this?” Maggie asked.
“Yes, Mama. I made the chicken stuff for the sandwiches too.” The girl smiled brightly.
“Really? I didn't know you could cook.” Tracy’s mother held that surprised look on her face as she looked at her child again.
“Grandma Modine helped me, we made eggs, but I forgot the salt and pepper.” Tracy's smiled faded a bit. “But she told me I need to learn from the mistakes.”
“And I meant that.” Modine said with a nod.
“So why did you want to cook?” Maggie asked her daughter.
“Because, if I learn how, on the days you work late, I can have dinner ready when you get home.” Tracy said, hoping she wasn't crossing the line in what was acceptable. “Could I?”
Maggie put her fork down and tapped her fingers of one hand on the table. “You'd be willing to help with the cooking, even though Vance would most likely tease you?”
“Yeah.” She nodded.
“Would it be Tracy, or Troy cooking?” Maggie asked. “Because if Vance saw you like that, then we'd have problems.”
“I'd be Troy.” And with that her shoulders began to slump.
“Sorry baby, but you know he'd spread it around school if he saw you like this. I can only protect you so much.”
“I know Mama.” Tracy's head lowered and she put her hands in her lap.
“No, none of that now.” Modine looked across the table. Tracy's head rose slightly. “You were in a happy mood earlier. I don't want you to lose that now. First we'll work on you getting to be a good cook, then we'll expand to cooking on your own. And as for Vance, we'll just play it safe. Clothes don't make the cook.”
Tracy nodded and her mother put a hand on her shoulder. “I would love for you to help, but before I let you loose on your own, we'll work together a few times, okay?”
“Okay.” Tracy said with a nod.
Modine smiled as the life seemed to return to the little girl. “I meant what I said too. You come over, Friday through Monday and I'll show you a few pointers, okay?”
Tracy's smile returned and she nodded again. “Yes, Grandma. I'd like that.”
“Good. Now lets enjoy this wonderful lunch you made us.” Grandma Modine said as she picked out one of the sandwiches.
“Joy.” Troy's sarcastic tone wasn't lost on Peter. Together the two boys walked up to the line, waiting to get on to the ride home. Peter moved off and got on his bus, leaving Troy alone with his jerk brother. Steps away from the bus, Troy felt someone shove his side and he fell to the ground.
“Ooooohhhh.” A tall, thin boy sneered down at him. “Did the wittle baby fall?”
Troy scrambled to his feet and glared at his attacker. “Go to hell Vance.” He spat out.
His brother stood half a foot taller, which gave him the ability to loom over the smaller Patterson boy. Vance's arm cocked back as though he were going to throw a punch, making Troy bring up his arms to block. “Fag.” His brother laughed at him before getting on the bus. At the top of the steps he stopped and looked at his brother who was just watching him. “Come on little baby. Maybe we should get you home and change your diapers!” The kids on the bus started to laugh loudly.
October 1st 1982
Northern California
It was yet another day of school. One good thing was that is was Friday. Another good thing for Troy was that his brother, Vance, was in the middle school, so he didn't have to worry about him making his school life a living hell anymore, well for at least a year when he went into middle school. He wasn't free of his brother yet, not by a long shot. Both the Elementary and middle schools were at the same place, just in different parts of the school.
So he didn't have to be next to his bother in classes, but Vance could still find him before and after school, as they had different times for lunch and recess. Troy had to ride the bus with his brother and that was a living hell too. Only two miles from the school to their house, but their mother always made them take the bus.
Troy's mind wasn't on his classes though. He paid attention, as best as he could. He did the class work, but he just wanted, needed to get home so Tracy could come out. That wasn't the only problem. His grandfather would be home this weekend, so that killed any chance of him being able to relax as his alter-ego. As the last bell rang, he stepped out in the usual mass exodus and made his way to the bus stop.
A boy about his age fell in step next to him. The boy was a bit bigger, both in height and in weight. He wore an Dukes of Hazzard shirt and had a dark blue pack over his shoulders. “Hey Peter.” Troy smiled at his friend. The two of them had gone through school together since the second grade. Now three years later, they had grown to be like brothers. But this had been the first year when they weren't in the same class.
“Hey Troy, doing anything today?” The bigger kid asked.
“Going home and hiding from Vance. He's been a jerk lately.” Troy replied.
“I don't see why you just don't stand up to him. He's not that much stronger then you. You got that kung fu stuff you know and he couldn't even box.” Peter asked as they stood off to the side and waited for the buses.
“It's Dad. Vance can hit me and if I say anything, I get in trouble for tattling.” Troy shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. “Yet if I hit him back, Vance runs off and tells Dad and I get in trouble, but he doesn't. It sucks. If I wanted to hurt Vance, I could, but I wont. I just want him to leave me alone. We used to get along, but I don't know why he hates me now.” Troy sat on the ground near a wall.
“So Vance can do what he wants and you can't? That sucks.” Peter sat next to him.
“Wanna come hang out at my place? Maybe you can avoid your brother till your parents are home?” Peter suggested.
Troy shook his head. “No, I'll get in trouble if I don't ask and Mom is busy and can't take personal calls at work and Dad doesn't have a phone that he can use.” A bell rang on the middle school let out, more kids began to pile up around the bus stop area.
“Oh. Sorry.” Peter said, sighing as he did.
“It's okay.” Troy shrugged and lowered his head.
“May be I could come over?” Peter asked.
“No without asking first. You know how my parents are.”
Peter nodded. “Yeah, I know.” Several long buses pulled up and Peter looked up. “Hey, our rides are here.”
“Joy.” Troy's sarcastic tone wasn't lost on Peter. Together the two boys walked up to the line, waiting to get on to the ride home. Peter moved off and got on his bus, leaving Troy alone with his jerk brother. Steps away from the bus, Troy felt someone shove his side and he fell to the ground.
“Ooooohhhh.” A tall, thin boy sneered down at him. “Did the wittle baby fall?”
Troy scrambled to his feet and glared at his attacker. “Go to hell Vance.” He spat out.
His brother stood half a foot taller, which gave him the ability to loom over the smaller Patterson boy. Vance's arm cocked back as though he were going to throw a punch, making Troy bring up his arms to block. “Fag.” His brother laughed at him before getting on the bus. At the top of the steps he stopped and looked at his brother who was just watching him. “Come on little baby. Maybe we should get you home and change your diapers!” The kids on the bus started to laugh loudly.
Troy could barely hear the bus driver trying to get the kids to settle down, but he didn't care. He turned from the bus stop and began to walk to the other end of the school.
“Awww the Baby's gonna cry!” He heard his brother call out.
But Troy didn't care. He stormed passed the other kids who were now laughing at him. He pushed past a few teachers too. He didn't know where he was going, he just needed to get away from all of the kids at the bus stop. He went out to the playground and made his way to an empty swing set. He could see the kids on his bus still watching him, Vance was in the back, but he didn't care what he was doing.
He got to thinking about life as he sat there. What did he want when he was Tracy. Did he want to keep her around? He was happy being a boy, except dealing with his brother, father and Grandfather. But would they accept him as Tracy? But then he wasn't wanting to make Tracy full time, then Troy's problems would be Tracy's.
He got up after a few minutes and began to walk home. He walked at a decent pace, thinking over why Vance could hate him so much. He couldn't come up with any good answers, so he thought of other things, like cooking and what skirt he'd wear the next time Tracy came out.
The closer to the house he got, the sadder he became. Soon he'd be in Vance's clutches again, subject to his every whim and no doubt Vance would tell on him for missing the bus. He knew there would be hell to pay for walking. But he couldn't get on the bus after what Vance had done.
He just wanted to be a normal boy, was that so wrong? Did he have to have a sibling who enjoyed making his life a living hell. Or a father that wouldn't listen. He turned onto the road he lived on and was passed by his school bus, making him think there would be no problems. So as he reached the field by his parent's house he jumped the fence, hoping to come up from behind, in case Vance was out there.
He stopped by the old barn that lay near the house and sure enough, he could see Vance in the front yard, throwing rocks at something. Two of his friends from school were with him With his hearing as good as it was, he could hear everything the three boys was saying from his hiding spot.
“That little shit is gonna get me in trouble.” Vance turned to face a smaller friend.
“It's his own fault that he walked away from the bus.” The friend said.
“Yeah. I didn't make the little fag leave. But I'll be the one in trouble.” His brother flung another rock, hitting the wall of the house with a loud bang. “So gonna kick his ass.”
Troy heard enough and with tears in his eyes he skirted around the property. He felt tired from the stress of the day and he just wanted to lay down and cry, but if he went in the house, Vance and his friends would follow. So he went to his grandmothers place and knocked on the front door, but no one answered. He peeked through a window and saw no lights, no TV and no motion, then he remembered that Fridays was his grandmothers usual day for Doctors appointments.
He hopped off the porch in time to hear another rock hit the side of his parents house. He knew going home was stupid, so he went around to the backyard of his grandmothers place. There he saw it, he porch. He'd be safe back here, he knew it. And his grandfather had just put up a porch swing and that looked comforting.
He stepped up on the porch and the sights and smells of his lunch date with his mother came back, making him smile for a moment, then the sound of a rock breaking a window jarred him from his memories. He could hear his brothers friends panic then he heard footsteps running away. Troy put his backpack on the swing, then laid his head down on it and closed his eyes for a moment.
------------------------------
[The home of Maggie and William Patterson]
It was almost seven when Maggie came home slightly before her husband and stepped into the house. She gave a look around the room. Usually her sons were watching TV, but neither of them were there. Then her gaze fell on the window of the couch. The very broken window. “VANCE!!!” She screamed out. Not just because he was always the trouble maker, but because when they were home alone, he was to be in charge.
Her eldest son stepped into the living room and looked at his mother with a very guilty look on his face. “What happened to the window?!? He flinched at the tone of her voice and his head dropped a bit.
“Frankie threw a rock and broke it.” He said, referring to his smaller friend.
“Is that so?” Maggie glared at her son and he just stood there. She went over to the phone and began to dial Frankie's parent's house. “We'll see about that.”
The color drained from his face as she began to speak. He could only hear a part of the conversation, but he knew he was dead meat. “Carol? This is Maggie Patterson. I was wondering if I could have a word with your son.” He took a seat as he listened to his mother talk to Frankie's mother, then to Frankie. When she hung up she took a deep breath before slamming the phone down.
“Okay, one more time. Tell me who broke my window Vance.” Maggie said, not turning to look at him. He knew it was only going to get worse if he didn't confess. Before he could reply, his mother cut him off. “Or do I need to call Bruce and make sure it wasn't him first?”
He looked at his feet for a moment as the door opened up and his father walked in. “Hey Son, honey.” He pulled Maggie in for a kiss, then he realized that She was pissed. “What's wrong sweetheart?”
Maggie pointed to the missing window and then at her son. “Someone broke the window and he already claimed that Frankie broke it, but Frankie said it was Vance.”
William, Troy's father, seemed to grow an inch as his anger rose. “Why the hell did you bust a window!” he yelled at his eldest child.
If it was one thing he was good at, it was lying. At least he thought he was good, but his mother could always see through it. He did his best sad child face and looked to his dad, tears in his eyes. “Well I came home, but Troy had missed the bus and I knew I'd get in trouble for it so I was mad and I threw a rock, but it slipped and the window broke and I came in and cleaned it up, then he never came home yet...”
“WAIT!” Maggie yelled over his rambling and the boy stopped. “Where is Troy?!? My god, school got out four hours ago!”
Vance stood up and puffed out his chest, sure that he wasn't in trouble anymore and his brother was doomed. “I don't know. He was in line for the bus, but then he left.”
“HE LEFT?!? WHERE IS MY SON!!!” Maggie loomed over Vance and he flinched again and sat down in his seat.
“Calm down Maggie. Maybe he's at his friends place.” William said.
She looked from her husband to her eldest son. “For your sake, he better be at Peters.” She went back to the phone and dialed.
While she talked in the background, William stood over his son. As was his normal with Vance, he played the role of good cop. “Being worried about your brother is one thing, but those windows are expensive.”
“I know dad, I didn't mean to break it.” Vance kept up the crocodile tears. “I just didn't know what to do and I got worried.”
“I understand son. Just be careful next time.” William said.
Before Vance could reply, Maggie's voice rang out. “HE DID WHAT!?!”
Maggie turned and glared at her eldest son and pointed out one finger, telling him to stay where he was. William stood there, now deeply confused. They stayed where they were as Maggie held a quick conversation, then hung the phone up.
She took a breath or two to compose herself then she stood by her husbands side. “That was Peter I just spoke too. Last he saw of your brother, you had shoved him to the ground and were teasing him in front of all the kids at the bus stop. Say's he watched Troy walk off, but didn't see where he went to. But he's not there.” She stepped closer and got in his face. “If anything happened to him, I will take it out of your hide.”
“I'll should go looking for him.” William said.
“I'll go with you Dad.” Vance said, hoping to be spared from his mothers wrath.
“Oh no. You stay here and man the phone, in case someone calls. Peter's mother is going to look for him too.” Maggie replied, putting a hand up to stop her son. “You sit. No TV till we're home, then we discuss your punishment.”
“Yes Mom.” He said, lowering his head again.
“I'll call Mom, maybe she's seen him.” William said, picking up the phone. “It rang a few times, then he heard his mothers voice. “Hello, Mom? It's William. Have you seen Troy?”
“Troy? No, he hasn't stopped by tonight and we were supposed to be cooking together. I just figured that you guys needed him over there.” The older woman replied. “Is something wrong?”
“From what Maggie learned, I guess Vance said something to him and he walked off from the school, no one's seen him since the school.” He looked up to see Maggie giving him the look.
“Connor.” He heard his mother talking to his Dad. “Maggie and William need some help. Troy ran off from school and no one has seen him yet. Yeah, he got out at three.” There was a pause, then muffled talking, then Modine spoke again. “Son, You're dad's going to take the back roads, you take the main ones and meet at the school, then call here, okay?”
“Okay Mom.” William said. “We'll call when we get there. There's still that pay phone at the school.”
-------------------------------------------
[Modine's house]
“Good luck Son.” She said into the phone. As she hung up she began to worry that she may never see her grandchild again, either side of him. She watched as her husband went out the door and from next door she could hear her Son's car start up. The two vehicles sped off towards the small town were the school was at.
She went into the kitchen and stopped by the window and said a little prayer. “God, please let no harm come to Troy. Let him come home safe and sound, please? I know I'm not the best Christian, but Troy hasn't hurt no one, don't let anyone harm him.”
She stood there for a moment, taking a few deep breaths, when she swore she heard something. She leaned closer to the window and listened harder. She could barely make out the sounds of someone snoring. She headed to the backdoor. She didn't want to get her hopes up, but maybe, just maybe.....
She stepped out onto the porch and saw the young boy on her porch swing, his back to her and still sleeping. She walked over to him and shook his shoulder. “Troy? Come on Troy, baby, wake up.”
He stirred for a moment, then turned his head to see her. “Grandma?” He blinked his eyes a couple of times and sat up.
She leaned over and hugged him tightly. “Oh I'm so glad your okay.” She held him like that for a moment or two, then she let him go. “We need to get by the phone.” She said as she turned to the door.
“Why? What's wrong?” He asked.
“Your parents are out looking for you. It's past seven in the evening and their worried.” She held the door open for him. “Come on, we'll get some food in you first, before they get here and you can tell me what happened.”
He followed her inside and began to tell her what happened as quickly as he could. He made sure to tell her that there was no problems on his walk home, only at the school and when he saw Vance. Then he began telling her about how Vance could hit him, but he can't fight back.
“I know sweetie. I've seen it and you're father is just too blinded by Vance and his lying to see the truth.” She pulled out some bread and peanut butter and began to make him a sandwich when the phone rang.
Modine put the knife she was using down and picked up the phone. “Hello, this is Modine Patterson.”
“Mom, we're at the school Dad didn't see anything either. Have you heard anything?” William asked, worry filling his voice.
“I found him on my back porch, passed out on the swing. I'm feeding him now and finding out from him what happened, so come on back and Send your father home too, have him pick up some ice cream too, we're out of the good stuff.” Modine said.
She heard her son's voice, as he tried to muffle it. It was no longer filled with worry, but anger. “He's been on Mom's back porch all this time.”
Modine hung up the phone, and called Vance to let him know what was going on. She then finished Troy's sandwich. The boy at in silence, till he stopped halfway though the sandwich and he looked at her. “I'm in trouble, aren't I?”
“Maybe.” She shrugged. “Not as much as Vance will be.”
This is actually a two parter, I just wanted to split it up so it wasn't a monster to read. This is the first showing of Vance, William and Connor. And yes, Vance is pulled almost directly from my own brother.
“Oh God baby, why didn't you let anyone know you were home. You got us all worried.” Maggie said, kissing his cheek.
“I was sleeping.” He said meekly.
“Where the HELL have you been!” William screamed as he got just outside of the kitchen.
Modine stood up slowly and blocked his way into the kitchen. “Now I know your hearing is still good. I told you where he has been. Asleep on my porch swing. So don't you dare yell at him for that.”
“Mom, let me handle this.” He snarled at her
“You can handle it, but you wont yell in my house, not till I'm dead and gone, understand me?” Troy's grandmother was shorter then his father, but she didn't bat an eye as she stood there. “Now he was on the property, but he couldn't really tell anyone he was here if he was sleeping, now can he.”
October 1st 1982
Northern California
:Continued:
Modine hung up the phone, and called Vance to let him know what was going on. She then finished Troy's sandwich. The boy at in silence, till he stopped halfway though the sandwich and he looked at her. “I'm in trouble, aren't I?”
“Maybe.” She shrugged. “Not as much as Vance will be.”
“Why, because of the window?” Troy asked.
“That and for running you off from the bus.” Modine replied.
“But Dad will take his side, he always takes his side.” Troy's shoulders slumped as he put the half eaten sandwich on a paper plate.
“I know.” She replied. “But trust me, he's got another thing coming. You're not facing him alone this time.”
A few minutes later the door opened up and Troy's mother raced in, rushing to his side to hold him tightly. He heard his father coming in and he began to shake.
“Oh God baby, why didn't you let anyone know you were home. You got us all worried.” Maggie said, kissing his cheek.
“I was sleeping.” He said meekly.
“Where the HELL have you been!” William screamed as he got just outside of the kitchen.
Modine stood up slowly and blocked his way into the kitchen. “Now I know your hearing is still good. I told you where he has been. Asleep on my porch swing. So don't you dare yell at him for that.”
“Mom, let me handle this.” He snarled at her
“You can handle it, but you wont yell in my house, not till I'm dead and gone, understand me?” Troy's grandmother was shorter then his father, but she didn't bat an eye as she stood there. “Now he was on the property, but he couldn't really tell anyone he was here if he was sleeping, now can he.”
“Mom, that's not the point. He walked away from the bus stop. We had no idea where he was at.” William replied, his voice losing his anger.
“True, that was bad. But according to him he got to the edge of the farm as the bus was heading the other way.” Modine replied. She turned to the boy who was finishing his food and looked to his mother. “Did you need to call anyone else?”
“Yeah, I need to call Peter's parents.” Maggie said. “But the number is at the house.”
“Well finish that food boy. I was going to send you to bed without dinner, but I can't do that anymore.” William said, shaking his head and glaring at his mother.
“And are you going to send Vance to bed without food?” Modine asked.
“Well it would be unfair now, wouldn't it?” William asked.
“Would it? He did attack Troy at the bus stop, taunted him till he left. Can you blame your son for not wanting to be around someone who is teasing him or beating him up? And when he came home, did Vance have his friends with him? I know you two have a thing about unsupervised kids on the property. Troy watched them, all three of them. Did he not break a window?” Modine put her hands on her hips and glared back at her son. “So far all Troy is in trouble for, in my eyes, is the fact he walked home and I can't blame him for that and for falling asleep.”
She glanced down at Troy and smiled. “Don't go to bed tonight, you may get in trouble.”
The boy failed to suppress a snicker, but William didn't hear it. “Mom, we didn't want them walking till he was old enough. What if something happened?”
She kept her attention on her grandchild. “Tell me Sweetie, when you go to your friends house, do you walk or ride a bike?” She asked.
“Sometimes, if Mom and Dad can't take me.” He said with a nod.
“Good, and doesn't he live in the other direction, past the school?” She raised an eyebrow.
“Yes. About a couple miles past.” Troy replied, his mind working to see where she was headed.
She turned to face her son again. “So it's okay for him to ride his bike to a friends house which is past the school, but he can't walk home from school, and that's a shorter distance?”
“Well...I...” William closed his mouth for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts.
“You're right Modine.” Maggie said, standing up and looking at her husband and his mother. “It is a shorter distance. Plus he is a bit more grown up then his brother.”
“More grown up? What about all the times that he punches Vance?” William looked to Maggie, then at his Son.
“Really? Are you that stupid?!?” Modine spat out, causing him to whip his head back and look at her. “I've watched what happens. Vance punches him and runs off. If Troy says anything, you yell at Troy for tattling. You've told him to act like a man. To not let it happen, yet when he defends himself, he gets in trouble. You know your eldest likes to punch him in the kidneys? Whats the most Troy has done? A few throws? I think that kidney damage is a bit worse then a throw to the ground.”
The old woman stood her ground and glared at her son as he just watched her. “You let Vance run wild because of him playing in sports, but Troy is on a tight leash.”
“She's right.” Maggie walked over and stood next to her mother-in-law. “You do treat Vance differently then Troy. I've never said anything till now, but I should have.” She looked over her shoulder to her youngest Son. “I'm sorry baby.”
“It's okay Mom.” Troy said, keeping his attention on what was left of his sandwich.
“Have you even tired to talk to your son? To find a middle ground? Something the two of you can do together?” Maggie asked. “Or, because he isn't into sports, you just gave up on him, hoping he'll become a man on his own?”
“I....” He thought about it for awhile. He tired to think of the last time he had done anything with just Troy. All his free time was with Vance.
“Now I'm not saying we're too tough on Troy, god knows I let him get away with stuff, but between the two of them, he's doing better in school. His friends are nicer then Vance's.” Maggie put a hand on her husbands shoulder. “I'm easier on Troy and give him stuff because he helps around the house, always has. Vance? We have to threaten just to get him to do the dishes.”
William remained quiet, but slowly nodded as he realized she was right. “William, you want Troy to grow up, but you baby Vance. You turn a blind eye to his little stunts. Between the two of them, Vance should be the good one. The one setting the example.”
“Yeah.” He said with a sigh.
“Look, I'm not saying he shouldn't be in trouble for not telling people that he was going to walk home, but I can't blame him for why he walked. If someone was pushing me and teasing me, I'd leave too.” Maggie looked at her husband. “And I've watched you do the same, so don't blame him for that.”
“Tell you what. Go get Vance, come over and Tory and I can warm up some left-overs.” Modine said, moving to the refrigerator. “Let's get a little food in us and maybe we'll all calm down. Then I can suggest some punishments for both boys, okay?”
“Okay Mom.” William knew it was pointless to argue with his mother. So he headed for the door.
Connor came into the kitchen with a paper grocery bag in hand. He began pulling out cartons of ice cream and setting them in the freezer. “Everything okay here?”
“For now Dear.” Modine said, giving him a peck on the cheek. “Thank you for going to look for him.”
His grandfather looked at him and nodded his head. “Just glad he's safe.” It was one of the few times that Connor had treated him nicely and he liked it.
“Me too.” Modine said, then she tapped Troy's chair. “Come on young man, we got leftovers to heat up.” Maggie started to move to the stove and Modine held a hand up. “Consider this a start to his punishment.”
“Okay.” Maggie said with a smile.
Troy got up and with his grandmothers instruction, he began heating up the food, except for the pasta salad that he had made the weekend before. A few moments later William came back in, with his eldest in tow. Vance held his head down, trying to not make eye contact with his mother.
Troy began placing food on the table and Modine grabbed the plates. “Help yourselves.” She told them. As the family slowly reached for the food, she took a seat and began. “I try to stay out of your business, normally. But today I had to step in and for good reasons.” She said to her son. “I am sorry, it's not that I don't think you can't raise your sons, but sometimes you need an outside perspective. So I'd like to offer a thought on punishments, if you'd consider them.”
Both Vance and Troy looked at their plates. William didn't reply, but Maggie nodded. “Go ahead.”
“Well, first I want to hear Vance's side of the story. Then I'll tell you what I came up with.” She looked at the elder child in the room. “So, young man, tell me what happened, from the end of school to now.”
“Well.” He began, trying for his most pathetic look he could muster.
Modine just fixed him with that gaze that all mothers and grandmothers get. The one that says. “I don't believe your going to try and lie to me.”
He slumped in his seat and began his tale. “Well, I was walking to the bus and I tripped, accidentally pushing Troy to the ground. Then he didn't get on the bus...and then OW.” The screamed out seconds after a slap hit him in the back of the head. Maggie glared at him.
She held one finger in his face. “We've got two people who say you pushed him to the ground and then teased him. Stop lying.”
He nodded slowly and then started again. “Okay, I kind teased him a little and he walked off. It wasn't bad at all.”
“Oh, calling him a baby and saying he needs diapers in front of his friends and classmates wasn't bad?” Maggie turned her chair towards her son.
“Maggie, it's okay, I know when he's lying to me.” Modine said, causing Vance to look at her, his jaw dropping open. “Please continue.”
“Okay.” He said. “Well we got home and he wasn't there so I knew I'd get in trouble and I was trowing rocks and one accidentally hit the window.”
“And you blamed someone else for that.” Maggie reminded him.
“Yeah, I blamed Frankie.” He said, looking at his hands.
“Some friend you are.” She said with a disapproving shake of her head. “Is that all?”
“Well I was worried about Troy.” He looked up, trying for the innocent look, and failed miserably.
“Worried about him, or worried that you were going to get in trouble because of what you did?” Modine let the statement hang, then she called out to her husband “Connor, can you come in here?”
A few seconds later Connor walked into the room and leaned against the door frame. Modine looked from him to her son. “We try to stay out of your business and when it comes to punishment for the kids, but I have a few ideas, Connor has been busy in his shed and then there's work in the field.”
She looked at Vance, he kept his gaze on his lap. “Vance, you have a big problem with your lying. Plus you're a bully to your brother. Yet when he defends himself, you go crying to your dad, not really fair is it.” When the older boy looked up in surprise, she nodded. “Yes, I've seen you do it.”
Troy began to smile till she looked at him. “You shouldn't go wandering off without telling people where you are. Plus, you know to be the bigger person and to walk away from a fight, but I can't yell at you for defending yourself, anyone would do that.”
She looked back to her own son. “So here is my idea. More chores for both of them.” To her side, both boys groaned. “For Vance, since he is the stronger of the two, I think him working in the field and around the house would be a good thing. Put that destructive side to him to work in a good way. There's lawn work. The leaves will start to fall soon. He can mow the lawns, weed the gardens and flower bed, rake the leaves. He can help Connor clean the garage. The olives will be ripe soon too, so he can help there as well.”
Vance looked up. They had always helped with the olives, but their grandfather had paid them for it, giving them money to spend on Christmas gifts. “Will I still get paid for what I pick?” He asked.
“I don't see why not.” She replied.
“What about me? Can I still pick the olives too?” Troy asked. He didn't like the work, but the money they got paid was always good.
“I'm not sure. It depends on if you have free time.” She turned to face Troy. “For you I suggest something a bit different. You helped me in here today and last weekend, so for you I want help in cleaning my house once a month. Plus, if your mother agrees, I think you should take over a bigger role in the house. Cleaning a room of the house once a week, but not their bedroom.” Vance began to smile at him, till his grandmother continued. “But you'll have help in your room. It would be unfair to clean your room all alone if someone else is making it dirty all the time.” Troy smiled at his brother.
“I also want to teach you how to cook. I've talked to your mother many times and when she comes home from work she doesn't want to cook. So you and I and you and your mother will be teaching you how to cook.” She looked at Maggie and raised an eyebrow. “That seem fair to you?”
Maggie nodded, but kept the smile from her lips. They had already agreed on that job, but it worked. Now Vance couldn't claim favoritism. “Works for me. I hate eating so close to bed time anyway.”
“But the dishes can be done by both of them. If you're home and Troy doesn't cook, then he can do them, but if you work, it's Vance's job. So do both punishments seem fair? I feel it's better to make them do something productive, rather then tan their hides and send them off to bed with no food. That only breeds anger and resentment.”
William nodded slowly, then looked at his mother. “Okay, I'll agree with it. More then what I was going to do.” His gaze fell to his boys. “But you're both grounded for two weeks as well.”
“Both of them?” Maggie turned to face her husband. “We discussed why Troy left.”
“Trying to be fair.” He said, to which his wife just glared at him. “Fine, you're right. Vance, you're grounded for two weeks. Troy, one week. And before we go home, you two can clean up this mess.”
“Unless Troy cooked, which he did.” Modine replied.
“It's fine Grandma. I can dry the dishes.” Troy replied. “I'm not above doing my part.”
Here's part 2. This is not the end of Vance's attitude, but only the beginning. I know the Grandma coming to his defense with a plan they already had seems hokey, but hey, it worked for me as a kid.
He slipped into the nightgown and slowly Tracy began to be emerge. When she was fully there, she went into the kitchen where her grandmother was waiting, already working on her crossword. Tracy stopped by her grandmother long enough to give her a light kiss on the cheek. “Morning Grandma.” She said as she moved to the cupboard that held the skillets.
“Good morning to you too, young lady.” Modine replied, not looking up from her paper. “You need help?”
“Maybe.” Tracy replied as she pulled out a skillet. “But can I try it on my own first?”
“Sure thing sweetie. You just let me know when you need help.”
October 9th 1982
Northern California
Troy woke up early that Saturday morning in the guest room of his Grandparents house. His Grandfather was gone, not on a monthly trip to Reno, but to visit a sister of his out of town and again he had come over on Friday night to spend the night. Like the last time he woke up to find a nightgown on the end of the bed. But this time the note was a bit different.
Tracy
You may wear this if you want, but with your brother being over here to work in the field, I'll leave that decision to you. Some of your boy clothes are in the dresser, or if you want there is a skirt in the closet with a nice matching shirt. I'll do my best to keep Vance out of the house. Your mother is home, so he'll have lunch there.
Love Grandma Modine
It was the second week of their new chores. He wasn't totally cooking on his own yet, but his role at his house had changed. He had set up a schedule. The living room on Monday, the kitchen on Wednesday and their room on Thursday. Then he'd come over and on Friday evening he had to clean the guest room of his grandma's place and the bathroom. Saturday was the dining room and kitchen and Sunday the living room. At first he thought that it was going to be impossible, cleaning the same room each week, then he grandma and mother told him the secret. If it was cleaned weekly, the job would get easier.
At first, like all children, he didn't believe them. But the night before, they were proven right. Cleaning the guest room had gone so fast that they had moved to cleaning the bathroom and kitchen. It was true that his grandmother kept a cleaner house, but he was hopeful that he'd be able to get his parents place into shape like that.
He slipped into the nightgown and slowly Tracy began to be emerge. When she was fully there, she went into the kitchen where her grandmother was waiting, already working on her crossword. Tracy stopped by her grandmother long enough to give her a light kiss on the cheek. “Morning Grandma.” She said as she moved to the cupboard that held the skillets.
“Good morning to you too, young lady.” Modine replied, not looking up from her paper. “You need help?”
“Maybe.” Tracy replied as she pulled out a skillet. “But can I try it on my own first?”
“Sure thing sweetie. You just let me know when you need help.”
“Okay Grandma.” Tracy began moving around the kitchen, grabbing the eggs and bacon from the fridge and bread from the cupboard. “Hey, Grandma? Was I wrong? For walking home last week?”
Modine put her pencil down and turned her chair to face her grandchild. “Yes and No. You weren't wrong for walking away from your brother, but you were wrong for leaving without telling people you'd walk home. Other then that, I don't think you're wrong. That's why I helped you out.”
“Oh.” Tracy replied.
“But it's not going to be a cake walk for you either. I just figured keeping you two apart was the best bet. So cleaning is the best bet for you.”
“But Vance thinks I got off easy.” She replied.
“Yes, because he can't admit he was wrong.” Her grandmother got up and want to her side. “Tracy, its not your fault. You are not to blame for his actions, nor can he be blamed for yours.”
“I guess.” Tracy gave a shrug as she began frying up bacon.
“I know you wont believe me now, but Tracy, you can't control your brother. You can only control yourself.” Modine put her hand on her shoulder.
“He....” Tracy shook her head and put the spatula down. “He just makes me mad.”
“That's the problems with siblings.” Modine said. “They often just make you mad.”
“Can't I just get a dog instead?” Tracy gave a short laugh.
“I’m afraid that's just not going to happen.” Modine shook her head and put two slices of bread into the toaster.
Tracy began to think about the day she walked home and what was going through her mind. “Grandma, should I stop being Tracy?”
“Do you want to stop?” Modine asked.
“Well...not really I guess.” Tracy replied. “But with Vance over here working, what if he sees me?”
“Well that's a chance you'll have to take, but we can work on making sure he doesn't see you.”
“If he sees me, I am so screwed.” Tracy put her hands on a counter and leaned forward, drooping her head. “He'll tell all the kids in the school.”
“So do you want to stop it then? Do you want Tracy to go away?” Modine asked. She moved the pan from the burner, then pulled her grandchild in for a hug.
Tracy melted into her arms. “What do you think?”
Modine shook her head. “That choice isn't mine. Sweetie, only you can determine if you no longer want to be Tracy. But either way, Tracy or Troy, I love you the same.”
Tracy hugged her grandma tighter. “Maybe I should though. Unless Vance is out of town.”
“Whichever you wish to do.” Modine kissed Tracy's forehead. “Come on now, lets finish breakfast, I'm starving.”
"I love being Tracy, but I was thinking that maybe it's for the best that I just leave Tracy behind." The girl said.
“Like I said sweetie, whatever you want, I will support you.” The toast popped up and Modine began to butter it. “Would you stick with the cooking? Your punishment did including cooking and cleaning. You still good with that?”
“Yeah.” She nodded. “I like the cooking. I don't mind the cleaning.”
Modine nodded. “Everyone should clean. It's not just a woman's job.”
“Neither is cooking, right?” Tracy asked.
“There are many good male chefs.” Modine said. “So what will you do with Tracy's clothes?”
“I don't know. Goodwill maybe?” Tracy replied with a shrug.
“Maybe we can hold on to them. Just in case you want to come back.”
“Maybe, Grandma.” Tracy nodded. “Maybe I'll be back.”
I know it's a bit short, but I felt a little more time between Tracy/Troy and Modine was needed. The storms are coming, not everything can be sunshine and roses.
Peter could feel that they were uncomfortable, so he began to go to the side of the house, turning his head to talk to them once more as he went. “Well ladies, have a nice.....” His steps stopped and he turned to look at Tracy again. He stood there for a moment, then asked. “Troy? Is that you?”
The young boy didn't reply. Instead, the young girl who was there knew she was caught, so she jumped from the table and flung the backdoor opened, running to the safety of the guest bedroom. Peter stood there for a moment, unsure what to do. Modine and Maggie both stood up, the older woman patting Troy's mother on the arm. “I got her.”
October 31 1982
Northern California
Over three weeks had passed since his last outing as Tracy. He had followed though with the idea to just let Tracy go. The risks were too great and with Vance working at his Grandfathers house, he was bound to be caught. So he had puttered through life as it were, slowly becoming that depressed child that he had been. He quickly felt the need for the release that being Tracy gave him. It wasn't perverse, but it was an escape. One that he was needing badly.
Now it was Halloween and Troy was at a loss as what to do. Well it was the day before. With Halloween being Sunday, most of the parties were set on Saturday. His chores had all been done on Thursday and Friday so he could relax for the weekend. He had been offered the chance to go with Peter to a cousins party. All the costume thoughts that he came up with were for girls. He had ruled out being cheerleaders and princesses. It wasn't that he didn't want to do it, but he didn't want others to see him in a dress. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to go to the party at all.
He had been lucky enough to be able to spend the weekend at his Grandmothers. His Grandfather was out of town for the weekend with his father, both headed to Las Vegas for the weekend, planning to return on Monday. Vance was off to his friends for the weekend, planning to return on Sunday after the Trick-or-treating. So it had hurt to not be Tracy for the weekend. He so wanted that release that she could give him.
His mother had come over just past nine in the morning, after she had dropped off Vance. Once again he had the fun of hanging out with his mother and grandmother on his own. But the closer it got to get ready for the party, he began to think about what he wanted to do.
It was almost three o'clock when he called up Peter. He sat there, feeling guilty about not going to the party, but then, Peter was the only person he would know there. “Hey Peter?” Troy said as his friend picked up the phone.
“Hey Troy. You ready to come over now?” Peter's voice was bright and chipper over the phone and Troy began to feel guilty for what he was about to do.
He let out a low sigh and shook his head, even though his friend couldn't see the action. “No. I'm just not feeling up to it tonight.”
“You sick?” Peter asked.
Troy began to feel worse for letting his friend down. “Kinda...well not really, I feel fine, I just don't know anyone that will be there. I just...” He let out another sigh. “Look, I just don't feel like being around strangers right now.”
“But I'll be here.” Peter reminded him.
“I know, but things have been rough the past few days. I just want to relax and with a group of people I don't know....” Troy let the statement hang for a moment.
“I understand. It sucks, but I understand.” He could hear the disappointment in Peter's voice. “Maybe we can go out tomorrow and get some candy?”
“Maybe.” Troy replied.
“Cool. Well I think I'll get going.” Peter said. “Feel better man.”
“I will.” Troy said before he hung up. As he walked back into the kitchen he felt worse. He had never let Peter down before, but now he had. He felt like a jerk. He was the one person his friend would know there and no he blew him off. He walked out of the kitchen and headed for the guest bedroom.
He flopped down on the bed, laying on his side and facing the wall. He began to think about every thing from the past few day. Between Vance and him getting in trouble that one day, to his decision to leave Tracy behind, his life was turning into a giant pile of suck.
A few minutes later, Modine came into the room. “Hey kiddo. You ready to make dinner?”
He shook his head. “I'm not really hungry.” He replied.
“You okay?” She came into the room and stopped by the bed and put her hand on his forehead.
“I'm fine. I'm just thinking about stuff.” He said to the wall.
“Like Tracy?” She asked.
“Yeah. Grandma, I just don't know what to do.” He said. “Part of me wanted to stop so Vance wouldn't find me, but I miss being her.”
“This is going to be something you have to solve for yourself. But either way, your mother and I love you.” Modine said as she bent down and kissed his forehead. “Tell you what, I'll start dinner. You relax, okay. If you need to think, then think. We'll tell you when the food is ready.”
“Okay Grandma.” He replied. He heard her leave the room, then a few minutes later he heard he open up the 'fridge. After a few more minutes he rolled over. He looked into the open closet across from the bed. There it hung. The yellow sundress he had worn back in August. It hung there, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't take his eyes off of it. He had the need to wear it. He knew that. Life had sucked so far and a part of him was deeply regretting the decision to get rid of Tracy, to forget that Troy and his problems existed. He rolled off of the bed and went to shut the bedroom door.
Ten minutes later, while Modine was busy at the counter, preparing food and his mother Maggie, was at the table making a salad, Tracy walked in, wearing the yellow sundress. Her almost neck length hair was pulled into two small pigtails. She stopped just by the table and looked at her grandmother. “Can I help?” The young girl asked.
Both women looked at her in surprise. But her grandmother recovered first. “Sure sweetie.” Modine stepped back from the stove. “Come on Tracy, I'll show you how to make my meatloaf.” She smiled. “And au gratin potatoes.”
She gave her grandmother a shy smile and stepped up to the counter. “Is it easy?” She asked.
Modine shrugged. “It depends. With the two of us, we can make quick work of this.”
“Okay.” Tracy replied.
“First thing we have is a problem.” Modine said looking at the child. “We have two items that will go in the oven. One needs to cook for an hour and a half at four hundred degrees. The other only takes an hour and twenty minutes, but only cooks at three hundred and fifty degrees.” She raised one eyebrow. “So tell me, how can we do this, without cooking one, then the other.”
“Um...” Tracy stood there, biting her lower lip. “Cook them both together?”
“Okay, how would we do that. One needs a higher temp and longer time in the oven.” The older woman asked, then she waited again.
“Do the higher temp one first? The put in the other halfway though?” Tracy guessed.
“That's a good guess, young lady.” Modine smiled. “We'll start with the potatoes first, then put in the meatloaf.”
“Okay.” Tracy grinned. She began working on the first dish, while being coached from her grandmother.
Maggie looked over at her child, who was now smiling ear to ear, something she had not seen in about three weeks. “It's good to see you smile again.”
“Thank you Mama.” The girl replied as she mixed the ingredients.
“I didn't think we were going to see Tracy again.” Maggie stated, as she finished up her salad.
“I...I wasn't going to, but then I got to thinking. Vance is gone and Grandpa is gone for the weekend and I had to.” Tracy said, her smile fading for a moment.
“Had too?” Maggie asked her.
“Yeah. It's...” Tracy sighed. “When I'm Tracy, it's like I can act like there's no Vance. Tracy has no siblings. She has no cares in the world.”
“I understand.” Maggie said with a grin. “Tracy is your release valve. So the pressure of life wont build up.”
She thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “I think so.” She replied.
Maggie got up and waited for her daughter to stop what she was doing. “Well, as long as you're happy, I'm happy.”
“Thank you Mama.” Tracy replied.
“So you're not going to the party?” Modine asked.
“No. I only know Peter. Besides hanging out with you two can be fun too.” Tracy smiled at them. “I can go out with him tomorrow.”
“Well then. Maybe we should see what's on TV tonight.” Modine left the room. Tracy continued what she was doing as her grandmother came back in with a TV guide. “We could make popcorn and watch a movie, or something. Ah, The Wizard of Oz. It's a classic. It's on at eight tonight.”
“That sounds good to me.” Tracy replied.
“Well then, let's get cracking on this dinner.” Modine put down the TV guide and began helping Tracy with any cutting she'd have to do. Maggie began helping from her other side and Tracy wasn't going to complain at all.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After dinner and dishes, the three ladies went out to the back porch to enjoy the Autumn weather and wait for the moving to start. They still had a couple of hours to go, so Modine had brought out three slices of an apple pie that had baked the day before.
“So has Tracy been getting better at cooking?” Maggie asked as she set her fork down on her empty plate.
“You tell me.” Modine smiled. “She made that pie.”
“Really?” Maggie asked.
Tracy smiled. For a moment she swore she had heard knocking, but she figured it to be her imagination. “Well Grandma helped me out, I just put it together.” The girl blushed from the attention.
“Well, you are getting better.” Her mother said. “Soon I'll let you have full rein in the kitchen.”
“Thank you Mama.” Her blush seemed to get brighter.
“Maybe some day you'll be entrusted with my special recipes.” Maggie leaned forward. “All those things your Nana Bernice used to make when we lived in LA.”
“Really? Do you have her cookie recipe ?” Tracy sat up, a smile plastered to her face and she began to bounce slightly. “I love those cookies.”
None of them realized that Peter had been standing there for a few moments. “Excuse me, Mrs Patterson.” He called out to them as he stopped by the side of the house. “Grandma Patterson.” He nodded to both women with a smile and took another couple of steps. His gaze fell on Tracy and he paused for a moment as he tried to figure out who she was. “Hello.” He gave her a smile. Her eyes went wide and her heart started to race, Modine put her hand over Tracy's to try and calm her down.
None of the women talked as he looked back to Maggie. “I stopped by to see if Troy wanted to hang out instead. I know we were going to the party, but when he said no, I decided to not to go myself.” He had a nagging feeling that the girl looked familiar. “Is he around?”
Maggie almost gestured to her child, but then she realized that this information could be bad. A quick lie sprung into her head. Tracy stayed in her seat, looking down at her lap. “He's not feeling well. Dinner didn't agree with him.” Maggie said with a grin.
“Oh.” Peter sighed. “Well, let him know I stopped by.”
“I will.” Maggie said.
“Thank you Mrs. Patterson, Grandma Modine.” He looked at Tracy and smiled again, then he took a couple of steps closer. “Hi, I'm Peter, you must be one of Troy's cousins.”
Troy had hoped that he wouldn't recognize who he was. She didn't talk and she kept her gaze on her lap. She only gave a slight nod and kept quiet.
“Do you need a ride home?” Maggie said as she noticed her child's tension build.
“Nah, I got my bike.” He said with a grin.
“Oh, okay.” She replied.
Peter could feel that they were uncomfortable, so he began to go to the side of the house, turning his head to talk to them once more as he went. “Well ladies, have a nice.....” His steps stopped and he turned to look at Tracy again. He stood there for a moment, then asked. “Troy? Is that you?”
The young boy didn't reply. Instead, the young girl who was there knew she was caught, so she jumped from the table and flung the backdoor opened, running to the safety of the guest bedroom. Peter stood there for a moment, unsure what to do. Modine and Maggie both stood up, the older woman patting Troy's mother on the arm. “I got her.”
“Thank you Mom.” Maggie began down the steps and sighed as she walked up to Peter. “Peter, I think we need to talk.” She gestured to the steps of the porch. She sat down and waited for the younger boy to come over.
As he sat next to her he hooked a thumb to the door. “That was Troy, right?”
Maggie had to nod. Peter was Troys friend and she was desperately hanging on to the hope that he'd still be after this. “Yes.”
“Was that his costume?” Peter asked. He was considered mentally challenged when it came to school. He had been in the classes for what many of the nice adults referred to as the slow kids, but there was more to him then a disability. When it came to reading people and manual labor, he was a sharp kid. “Or is it something different?”
Maggie nodded. “Peter, first things first, I need your promise that you will not say anything, especially to Vance or Troy's father. Can I have your word?”
The boy turned to face her better and he nodded. “Yeah. I won't tell Vance anything about anything.”
“Good. I'm not going to try and deny it. You're too quick on some things.” Maggie replied. “That was Troy, well she calls herself Tracy. It's not a costume.”
“Is she a cross-dresser?” He asked.
Maggie raised an eyebrow and blinked a couple of times. “Cross-dresser?”
“Yeah, you know, dudes who wear women's clothes?” Peter looked at her as though everyone knew about it. “Or is he one of those Transsexuals?”
“Um....” Maggie was getting more confused by the boy. “How do you know all of this?”
“I got a half brother in San Francisco who's a drag queen.” Peter said with a shrug. “He used to live with a guy that was becoming a girl, but hadn't got his thingy taken off yet.” Peter blushed at the slight mention of the male parts, no matter that they weren't mentioned by name.
“I'm not sure what she is. What she told us this evening was that Tracy was her chance to act like a different person. When She's Tracy, she is an only child. There's no Vance, no William, just her and me.” Maggie thought about it for a moment, then she shifted so she could face him better. “At least that's how I took it.”
“That's cool. I always thought Troy seemed too nice for a boy. He has a thing about getting dirty, plus he's not into sports and rough housing.”
“But he likes being Troy too.” Maggie shrugged.
“No he doesn't.” Peter said with a shake of his head
Maggie cocked her head slightly and looked at him strangely. “What do you mean he's not happy?”
“Before I said anything, Tracy was blushing and smiling. At school and when we hang out he's hasn't smiled in over a year or two now.” Peter replied. “Well, not real ones anyway. I know, when mom got divorced, she acted like she smiled, but she never did.”
Maggie sat and thought about it for a few moments and she realized Peter was right. “But is it all because he wants to be her, or is Vance a factor too?”
[Meanwhile inside]
Modine went to the guest bedroom, where the source of the soft crying was coming from. As she came in she saw Tracy's head buried in the pillow. Her yellow sundress had already been removed, leaving the young child in just a pair of panties and a bra. The older woman sat on the edge of the bed and put a hand on her grandchild's shoulder. “It'll be okay Sweetheart.”
“No...” Tracy raise her head a bit and between sobs she shook her head and uttered. “No it wont. I'm dead.” She let her head fall back into the pillow again.
“How do you know?” Modine asked. “You don't know if he'll hate you or not.”
She lifted her head once more. “My only friend just saw me as a girl! I'm DEAD! He'll tell the school!”
“NOW YOUNG LADY!” Modine snapped, not because she was mad, but to grab the child attention. Tracy's eyes drifted to her and she waited for the punishment. Her grandmother continued “I do not let people yell at me in my house.” Modine said in a quiet, calm tone. “Second, you don't know what he'll do. Only he can tell you what he'll do, in words and action.”
“But he saw me in a dress.” Tracy motioned to the discarded garment.
“And if he says anything, you can say it was a Halloween costume.”
“You don't understand.” Tracy put her face against the pillow and began to cry some more.
“Maybe, but maybe you're not giving Peter a chance.” Modine said as she stood up. “I'll be outside with your mother, if you want to be social, okay.” She didn't get a response, so she headed for the backdoor.
As Modine stepped out onto the back porch, Peter turned to look at her, then the door. “She's not coming out?” He asked.
“No. I tried, but she's afraid you'll tell the school and everyone else.”
“I won't.” He slumped his shoulders.
“Peter, think of it this way, she's scared. You found a secret and she don't know if you'll stay there for her or not.” Maggie replied.
“She's got a point.” Modine said.
“Can I talk to her?” Peter said, standing up.
“I don't know if that's a good idea.” Modine sated to say, shaking her head.
“Mom, He's got family members like Tracy. Maybe he can help her out?” Maggie stood up. “It's worth a try at least.”
The older woman took a few moments to think about it, then she nodded. “Let's try. Come on young man.”
Modine lead him into the house and to the guest bedroom, stopping him long enough to step in and throw a sheet over her grandchild. She walked out of the room, but stayed within ear shot in case of trouble. Peter stepped into the room and tapped Tracy's feet. “Hey.” He said in a soft voice. “Can I talk to you?”
“Go Away. You'll just tell everyone anyway.” She said lifting her head.
“Please?” He pleaded, sitting on the floor. “I promise I wont tell anyone anything.”
“Right.” Tracy let her head fall back on the pillow. “Like I trust you.” Her voice was muffled be the pillow, but he understood her.
“What if I told you something that you could tell people if I tell them about you?” Peter asked.
“Like what?” Tracy looked at him.
He let out a sigh and looked to the floor, his cheeks turned a deep shade of red, as he got the courage to let out his secret. “I...um...I wet the bed.”
Tracy scoffed at him. “Everyone wet the bed as a kid.”
“Not as a kid.” He replied, his eyes moved to a spot on the floor and stayed there. “I mean I wet the bed nightly. Last night, the night before.” A single tear escaped his right eye. He had just given her a piece of information that he wasn't proud of, something he always tried to hide. “That's...that's why you've never stayed over for the night. That's why I won't stay over here.”
Tracy thought about it for a moment and she realized he was right. In all the years he had known her, they never spent the night together. She always had to go home, or he did. She wasn't sure how to respond, other then to roll on to her side and watch him.
Peter pulled himself together, before he ran off in embarrassment and he looked up. “I have a half brother who wears women's clothes in shows they put on in bars. He's a drag queen. He had a friend who was born a boy but wanted to be a girl. I promise I'll never tell anyone.”
Tracy slowly sat up and kept watching him. He noticed that the sheet had dropped, showing her bra and almost her lap. On reflex, Peter turned away and held a hand up. “Um, cover please?”
“What?” She asked.
“You're bra. I can see it.” He answered.
She looked down and shrieked, yanking up the sheet. “Weirdo” She said.
“Yep.” He stood up, grabbing her dress as he did, then he handed it to her. “I came over because I wanted to hang out with you. The only reason I invited you to go to that party was I thought you'd have fun, but if you weren't there, I would have hated it.”
“I still don't want to go.” She said, taking the dress.
“I know. That's why I'd like to hang out with you, tonight.” Peter walked to the door and stepped out, but only closed it a little. “Maybe watch a movie or something here, if your grandma will let me?” He offered.
“Well, we were going to Watch the Wizard of Oz, it should be on soon. Ask and see if you can stay, I'm sure she'll say yes.” She replied. Then she bit her lower lip. “Um....Who do you want? Tracy or Troy?”
He looked back into the room and smiled at her. “I want you to be happy. Be whoever makes you happy.”
“Vance, please just go.” Tracy pleaded.
“That's a great idea!” His wicked grin got bigger. “I'll go....and call Bruce and Frankie. They'd love to hear this!”
“Please don't.” She began to make her way down the steps, tears began to race down her cheeks. “Don't tell anyone.”
“Too late for that, Fag. It's all your fault anyway.” Vance turned and ran out of the yard as Tracy made it to the bottom step. She fell to her knees and began crying hard.
When he heard Vance's voice Peter had already been moving to the door, But the older boy was gone by time he got to her side. Modine stepped out and looked around for trouble, concern on her face. “Tracy, what happened.”
“Vance just seen her.” Peter replied, helping Tracy to her feet. “He's going to call his punk friends.”
Please note, there is a few harsh words in here so I left the rating at PG15. It also has Petticoat Punishment
November 13th 1982
Northern California
It was another Reno trip for Conner, so Tracy had come out once more. But this time she had a friend. Modine had allowed Peter to hang out with Tracy. After Halloween, she knew Peter was on her grandchild’s side. So she had allowed Peter to come over and hang out as Tracy did her chores. She did feel a bit bad because Vance was will forced to work alone, as much as Tracy needed a friend, it still wasn't fair that she got a friend for the day and Vance didn't.
But then Modine wasn't a fan of the two boys that Vance hung out with. One had been held back for a year in school for fighting. She had even heard from people that he had already had several run-ins with the law. The other boy, Frankie, wasn't much better. From the rumors she heard they both had bad tempers, and just plain bad apples, but then those were just rumors. They were also a grade above Vance and older too. Either way, she didn't want them on her property when Conner was gone.
The morning had gone it's usual way, Troy waking up and becoming Tracy so she could make breakfast. Peter had showed up in time for food. After that they made quick work of the remaining house work, Peter pitching in even though he didn't have to. At lunch, the three of them retreated to the back porch. For the middle of November, it was warmer then normal, with a slight breeze in the trees. So she wanted one last lunch with her granddaughter on her porch, before they had to stop for the winter.
Because her work was mostly done for the weekend, Tracy decided to sit on the back porch when Peter helped Modine take the dishes into the house. She was all alone in her thoughts of the day that she didn't pay attention to the sound of the gate being opened.
“Hey Grandma, I'm finished with.....What the hell?” Vance's voice pulled Tracy from her little dream world. She looked up from the table to see her brother at the side of the backyard, staring at her. He knew who she was. Eleven years of knowing him did that.
Tracy looked up with a star and froze when she saw him. “Vance?”
“Look at the little fag!” Vance taunted from the yard, a wicked grin spread onto his lips. “Now I know why you get it so easy, sissy fag.” His insults weren't good, but they still hurt.
“Vance, please just go.” Tracy pleaded.
“That's a great idea!” His wicked grin got bigger. “I'll go.....and call Bruce and Frankie. They'd love to hear this!”
“Please don't.” She got up and began to make her way down the steps, tears began to race down her cheeks. “Don't tell anyone.”
“Too late for that, Fag. It's all your fault anyway.” Vance turned and ran out of the yard as Tracy made it to the bottom step. She fell to her knees and began crying hard.
When he heard Vance's voice Peter had already been moving to the door, But the older boy was gone by time he got outside. Modine stepped out and looked around, concern on her face. “Tracy, what happened.”
“Vance just seen her.” Peter replied, helping Tracy to her feet. “He's going to call his punk friends.”
“Damn.” Modine rarely cursed, but this was a good time for one. “So he's knows.” She said, not to anyone, but aloud. She thought about it for a moment, then she turned to the door. “Tracy, get changed. I know you don't want to be Troy, but we need to deflect this now. Peter, I need some help and fast. Troy, when you're changed, come over to your place.”
Peter helped Tracy to the door, then he followed the older woman. “So what are we going to do?” He asked as she led him into her bedroom.
“Oh, something I planned on a while ago.” She replied with a smile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maggie was just pulling her car to a stop in front of their house as Modine and Peter came walking over. Peter held a garment bag over his shoulder and a show box in one arm. The only thing Modine had was a very angry look on her face and a bag on her shoulder. Maggie raised an eyebrow as they got closer. “What's going on?” She asked.
“Vance just found Tracy and he came over to call his friends.” Modine said.
“Damn.” Maggie replied. “I'll blister his hide if he does.”
“I think he already is.” Modine said as they walked to the front door. “But grandma has a plan.”
“Sorry. I didn't think it would be a problem to take off, but I needed some stuff from the store for dinner.” Maggie stated.
“Maggie, you shouldn't have to apologize. It's Vance he needs to apologize to his sister for getting her to cry.” They opened the door and found Vance on the phone
“Yeah, in a fucking dress! Isn't that awesome! Told you he was a little queer!” Vance laughed into the phone as he talked to Bruce. He stood over the phone,. His back to the door. “Yeah, hurry over, Frankie's on his way. Teach the little queer to wear a dress.”
Maggie’s temper flared, but Modine stopped her from moving. She held up a finger over her lips to keep Troy's mother quiet and they waited.
“Yeah, See you in a few.” Vance hung up the phone and he turned around, his jaw dropping as he saw his mother, grandmother and Peter, and none of them were happy. “Um....Hi.”
“Don't you fucking hi me.” Maggie stepped closer to him. “You just had to tell your punk friends about Troy, didn't you?” Her fists balled up and she looked ready to swing.
“It's not my fault the little fag wears a dress!” Vance shouted back. Maggie opened her hand up and slapped him across the face. He staggered back as Modine walked forward.
“Maggie. Don't hit him.” The older woman replied. Maggie glared at her and she pointed to Vance. “I need him blemish free, so this looks like his idea.”
Maggie was now confused and angry. “What is his idea.”
Vance looked up at his grandmother a bit worried. Modine just smiled wider. “Peter, can you step outside please. Vance needs some privacy while he changes. And make sure Troy doesn't come in either. Be ready if those punks start something though.” She turned and took the garment bag from Peter as he put the shoe box on a coffee table, then left.
“What do you mean?” Vance asked, looking at what Peter had brought in. “Change into what?”
“Oh.” Modine began to open the bag. Vance's eyes got wide with fear as she just smiled from his reaction. “Just this.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Troy was by the apple tree that grew next to his parent's house. Peter was reaching up and picking a couple apples as Bruce and Frankie pulled up on their bikes. Peter handed Troy an apple and gave him a comforting smile and nod of the head. It was a look that said it all. "I got your back. I'll march through hell to protect you and here, enjoy this apple and the show." Troy smiled back. They had been informed of part of the plan, but they still weren't sure what his grandmother was doing to Vance, but from the swearing, it was going to be good.
Bruce hopped off his bike, letting it fall onto it's side. He walked over to the two friends and began laughing. “Aw, didn't like your dress, fagot?”
Frankie came up laughing. “Is this your boyfriend?”
“Oh shut up.” Peter said, puffing out his chest to Bruce.
“Make me retard.” Bruce said as he shoved Peter backwards.
As Peter began to move forward, Maggie’s voice stopped him. “Peter! You will not fight, you understand me!” The boy nodded and stepped back. She pointed a finger at Bruce. “You can stop that shit or you can leave my house now.” Bruce just glared at her. He took a step or two away from Peter as two more people stepped out of the house.
Troy's jaw dropped as he saw his brother. Vance was dressed in a frilly pink dress that had a large bow just over his ass. His hair was pulled into pig tails and there was makeup on his face. At first Modine had held his ear, but then she gave him a shove to make him get fully out of the door. “Hey, Maggie, your 'Daughter' is ready now. Doesn't Veronica just look darling?” She looked over to Bruce and Frankie and feigned a shocked expression. She looked at her grandson. “OH. Oh no, I...I didn't know there was anyone else here. I'm so sorry Veronica.”
His cheeks went slightly red, but they got darker as Bruce and Frankie began laughing at him. “Cute dress 'Veronica.'” Bruce said as he laughed.
“I DIDN'T PUT THIS ON!” Vance roared.
“Could have fooled me.” Frankie said with a laugh.
Vance stormed back into the house and Maggie just shook her head. She looked at Bruce and Frankie and shrugged. “I'm sorry you came over, but you may want to head home, I think my daughter needs some alone time with her mommy.” She turned to face Peter and Troy. “Troy, can you get the food out of my car please?”
“Sure mom.” He said with a smile.
“So you both wear dresses?” Bruce asked as he got onto his bike.
“Um, I'm wearing pants and a boys shirt.” Troy replied, gesturing to his clothes.
“You took it off.” Frankie said. “Vance said you were wearing a dress."
“He also said you broke the window last month. Hell, he lies so much, Mom can never believe him.” Troy replied.
Frankie looked at Bruce and they didn't say a word. They knew of Vance's problems in the truth department. Without another word they just got on their bikes and took off.
“Man, that was nice.” Peter said as they opened the back doors of the car and started pulling out grocery bags.
As his hands were full, Troy went to the door and managed to work the knob, then he stepped in. Vance was sitting in a chair, glaring at him. Modine slapped his cheek and Vance looked back to her.
“This isn't his fault. You pushed it by calling your friends.” The older woman said.
“They'll know I didn't do this.” He said smugly.
“Really? With all the times you lie to us?” Maggie said.
He grumbled for a moment, then looked at his mother. “Can I get out of this now?”
“No.” Modine replied. “Welcome to your new punishment.” The woman's lips pulled back into a feral smile.
“What? You can't do this.” Vance began to stand up, but his mother pushed him back into his chair.
“Yes. Yes she can. I support her and I will make sure your father agrees to it too.” Maggie said.
“For the next three weeks when your home, you will be in a dress. Except Thanksgiving. Don't need to explain Petticoat Punishment to the rest of the family.” Modine replied as she sat down on the couch. “You will wear a dress or skirt while you do your chores too. You destroy them and it's another week. You tell your father about Troy and it's a year. You tell the school....well, that wont happen, will it.”
“Oh, why not.” Vance tried to sound tough as he shot her a defiant look.
“Stand up and I'll show you why.” The older woman began to open the bag she had carried over. Vance stood up and she pulled out a camera. Before he could react, she snapped his picture. “You won't talk because I'll give Troy a copy of this. Then you have no proof and he will. So no one will believe you.”
“You can't do that!” He shrieked.
“But you could?!?” Maggie snapped at him. “You don't want people to see you, but you wanted your punk friends to come over and beat up your brother?!? Face it, that's what would have happened!”
Modine snapped another picture and Vance turned away from her. “That was different.” He replied quietly.
Maggie grabbed his shoulder and spun him around as his grandmother snapped one more picture. His mother pointed a finger at his face. “You tell anyone at school and you'll be going to school, daily, in this dress. I can make it happen, so don't push me.” He paled at the threat. She had known his principal for years. He knew that Mr Harper was into different forms of punishment.
“So now that we understand each other, I'm going back to my place. Vance I expect you to finish your chores too. But you can wear a skirt for that. I just happen to have some in your size.” Modine said. “Troy, when you're finished you can come back. We still got some cleaning left to do.”
“Okay Grandma.” He replied as he went back out for more groceries. “I'll be there in a few minutes.” As she passed him though, his voice dropped to a whisper and he gave her hand a light squeeze. “Thank you.”
“Anything for my granddaughter.” She replied.
Ah I love it when the bullies get what's coming to them. This is not the end of Vance the jerk, but soon.
Troy grabbed a smaller bag and followed his father out to the car. The Autumn weather made him shiver slightly as he stepped outside. William stopped and put the bags he was carrying in, then took the one Troy had and put it in the back seat. He turned to his son and leaned against the side of the car. “I don't want to repeat your mother, but be good.”
“I will Dad.” Troy said.
“And I want to thank you Troy.” William said.
“For what?” Troy cocked his head to the side.
“You've been nothing but nice to Vance this week while your grandma has him in that dress. I still feel bad for laughing, but I wasn't ready for it.” He bent down and put a hand on his son's shoulder. “Thank you for being the bigger man.”
November 21st 1982
Northern California
Troy woke up in his own bed just after seven. There was sounds of movement from the living room. He knew it was his parents, getting ready to take off on a yearly couples retreat they had started going to a couple years back. He knew that he'd be sharing a room with Vance at his Grandmothers later that night, mostly because they thought he was too young to leave alone and Vance wasn't responsible enough.
He thought about what needed to be done at his grandmothers place. He had done up most of his chores the night before, leaving the dining room and living room left to do. They had decided to go the extra mile and move all the furniture to get the deep clean so the house was ready for Thanksgiving.
He got out of the bed and went to the dresser to grab his clothes before he took a shower. A good half an hour later, he was coming out of the bathroom as his brother was headed past him, still looking like he was half awake and wearing a nightgown that his grandmother had sent over for him as part of his punishment. Troy put a hand up and stopped him. “Hey, when your ready, come on over to Grandma's. I'm going to go in a bit and make some breakfast for them. I'll wait till you get there and I'll fry you up some sausage and eggs.”
“I...” Vance blinked, surprised at his brothers kindness, even after what he had tried to do. “I was just going to have cereal.” He said.
“Suit yourself. Just figured you'd enjoy a nice warm meal, in case you and grandpa are working outside today.” He started down the hall and as he got to the kitchen, his mother came around the corner.
“Okay, we're almost out of here. You two be good for your grand parents.” She kissed Troy on the cheek, then walked down the hall to where her eldest was at.
As she gave Vance a hug, their father walked into the kitchen, looked at Troy and hooked a thumb to the living room. “Hey big guy, want to help me load the car?”
Troy grabbed a smaller bag and followed his father out to the car. The Autumn weather made him shiver slightly as he stepped outside. William stopped and put the bags he was carrying in, then took the one Troy had and put it in the back seat. He turned to his son and leaned against the side of the car. “I don't want to repeat your mother, but be good.”
“I will Dad.” Troy said.
“And I want to thank you Troy.” William said.
“For what?” Troy cocked his head to the side.
“You've been nothing but nice to Vance this week while your grandma has him in that dress. I still feel bad for laughing, but I wasn't ready for it.” He bent down and put a hand on his son's shoulder. “Thank you for being the bigger man.”
Troy blushed and looked to the ground. “Just being nice.”
“I think that's the point. If you had this punishment, he'd be teasing you left and right.” William pulled his son in for a big hug. “And that makes you the bigger person. You're willing to forget and forgive.”
“I try.” He replied. The door opened up and his mother stepped out.
“Now be good. Your mother and I got a long drive in front of us.” He stood up and went to the car. Maggie stopped by her son once more and gave him a hug too.
“Bye Son.” She went over and slid into the passenger seat, leaving him in the driveway to watch them drive off.
He went back in and grabbed his coat, in case he ended outside again. In the bathroom he could hear the shower going. He thought about waiting for Vance but he wanted to let Vance have some peace, so he headed to his grandparents place. As he got to the top step, he knocked, then pushed the door open slightly. “It's Troy.” He called out.
“Come on in Troy.” He heard his grandmother say. He went to the kitchen, where his grandmother was at the table, working on her crossword puzzle. His grandfather was reading the sports section of the paper and nursing a cup of coffee.
It was now just past seven, so he decided to get working on the breakfast. He was halfway though making the sausage when there was another knock at the front door. Then he heard it open and Vance called out. “Can I come in? It's Vance.”
“Sure Vance, we're in the kitchen.” Modine called out.
Troy kept himself busy as his brother walked in, not bothering to look at what clothes he had put on, but he looked when he grandfather let out a short laugh. There stood his brother in a short red skirt with matching red shirt. “My god boy, what are you wearing that for?” Conner asked.
Troy could see his grandmother glare at his grandfather and he also saw Vance slump his shoulders. “I told you why.” Modine hissed at him.
As Vance was turning to go, Conner got up. “I'm Sorry Vance, I shouldn't have laughed.”
“It's fine.” The older boy replied as he plopped, very unladylike, into a free chair.
A thick silence fell on the room as Troy started to set out plates for everyone. The meal continued in silence, till Conner looked up. He wanted to apologize again, but he knew Vance was a hard nut to crack. “Well Vance, we'll be skipping working outside today. We're going to help in here, moving the heavy stuff so they can clean for Thanksgiving.”
“Okay.” Vance replied in a monotone voice. He slowly ate, not bothering to look up at any of them.
A part of Troy felt bad for what Vance was feeling,. He knew the fear that his brother felt all too well. He also knew the pain of being laughed at. He wanted to hug him and tell him that it would be okay, but he knew his brother would only get mad. So Troy joined in on the silence.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was almost noon when they had finished with the cleaning. Then came another silent meal. Sure, it was only sandwiches, but it felt awkward to Troy to eat in silence in that house. After Lunch, his grandfather took off to do the grocery shopping, something Vance would have helped with, but in his current dress, he refused to leave the property.
Troy took his grandmother to the side. “Grandma, can I talk to you?”
“Sure sweetie, what about.” She asked as they stepped into her bedroom.
“Vance.” He replied.
“You're feeling bad about what happened, aren't you?”
Troy nodded. “It's not just Grandpa, Dad laughed at him on Monday. He's barely eating and he's been hiding in the bedroom.” The little boy let out a sigh. “Is there anyway we can cut the punishment short?”
“Do you think he learned his lesson?” Modine asked.
“I don't know.” Troy shrugged. “But he knows what it's like to be laughed at.”
“I'll talk to him, but I want you to do me a favor." She leaned in, just in case Vance was listening and whispered in his ear.
A few moments later, Modine came walking into the living room, followed by Troy. Vance looked up from the TV for a moment, then he raised an eyebrow as his brother left the house.
Modine sat on the couch next to her grandson and turned to face him. “Vance, can I talk to you?” She asked in that grandmotherly tone she had.
“What?” He looked at her for a moment, then his eyes went back to the TV.
“You hate this, right?” She gestured to the skirt and shirt.
“What do you think?” He asked. “I hate it. I feel stupid.”
“And when your grandfather laughed at you, how did that feel?” She asked.
“I hated it.” Tears formed at the corner of his eyes and he looked away from her.
“What did your father do when he saw you?” She leaned against the back of the couch.
“He laughed.” Vance shook his head. “He thought it was funny.”
“I see. And what did you do?” Modine asked.
“I ran to my room and cried. Then I felt stupid for crying and I cried some more.” He replied.
“Have your friends talked to you lately?” She kept her tone comforting as she questioned him, trying to keep him talking.
“They keep laughing at me. Calling me fag and wimp and sissy.” He looked to her. “I thought they were my friends.”
“I know I can't pick your friends, but you can do so much better then them.” She sighed. "Losing friends was never a good thing and she had caused it, even though he was better off without them. Now do you understand why I made you wear this?”
“Because I was teasing Troy.” He replied.
“That is a starter. If Bruce and Frankie had seen him in a dress, they would have kept it up for a long time. They could have been worse.” She put a hand on his shoulder and turned him so she could see his face. The tears had made a path down his cheeks.
“Why does he do it? Why does he wear the dresses?”
Modine shrugged again. “I don't know all the reasons. He says it's a stress relief. He puts on the dress and he becomes someone else. No father, no brother, just the people who love her.”
“He thinks I hate him, doesn't he?” Vance asked.
“You are mean to him. He's had many days where he's just been in tears after dealing with you.” She nodded.
“I don't know why I do it. At times it's like he gets whatever he wants. Like these chores, he gets to come over here and hang out with you and cook and stuff, but I have to work in the field with grandpa.”
“It's not that easy for him. He's learning how to be a better cook so he can take over your mothers cooking at the house. That way she can relax a bit.” Modine shook her head. “Remember, he has to clean the houses each week.”
“It just seems unfair.” Vance muttered.
“What would you suggest?” Modine asked.
“Less work?” He said with a halfway, hopeful grin.
“The work is to help you be responsible.” She replied. “He's cleaning the house and making dinner. He does that almost daily. You only help in the field Saturday and Sunday. Plus dishes when he cooks. Isn't it unfair if you get to do less then he does?”
Vance wanted to say no, but he knew that was the wrong answer. “Yeah, it is.”
“What if we talked your parents into an allowance?” Modine suggested. “I could ask Conner about one for when you help him too.”
“Really?” He leaned forward. “That would be cool.”
“But that's still in the 'I need to ask' column. So don’t go thinking it's a set plan.” She said with a grin.
There was a knock at the door and it opened slightly. “Is it okay?” Troy asked.
“Yes, you can come in Troy.” Modine replied before turning her attention to Vance again. “So you know, I'm ending your punishment today. I'm ending it because your brother felt bed for your Grandfather and Father both laughing at you. He asked for me to end it.” Vance looked to Troy as he came in with a pair of pants and a shirt in his arms.
“You did?”
Troy nodded. “Yeah. It sucks to be laughed at for wearing something different, or being different.”
Vance started to stand, but Modine stopped him. “This doesn't mean you can just tell people about Troy. I still have that picture of you. I don't want to use it, but if you spread a rumor about Troy in a dress, or try to get those two kids over here to see him, I will punish you somehow.”
“Not the dress thing again, please?” Vance pleaded.
“How about you just focus on being a good brother and not telling anyone about Troy. Then you won't have to worry about getting in trouble for it.” She smiled and gestured to his brother. “Now you owe him a thank you, then get dressed. We can have some of the pie that's in the fridge when your changed.”
“Cool.” Vance stood up. He went over to his brother and the two of them shared one of those awkward hugs where neither is sure they want to follow through with the thought. He finally gave Troy a short, light hug, then took his clothes. “Thank you.” He said in a quiet voice.
“You're welcome, big brother.” Troy said with a smile.
"But...um..." Vance was at a loss for words. "Why did you want it to end?"
"Because." Troy's smile got bigger. "I may hate how you treat me, but your my brother. If I can't forgive you, what type of person am I? Besides, I think you get how it feels now."
Vance nodded as he started to go to the guest bedroom. "I do."
"Good. Just remember that the next time you want to tease me."
"I will." Vance said, giving him a sincere smile, then he headed off to change.
He ran towards the hall, but it was still packed with kids going in both directions, so instead of fighting the crowds, he ran for the playground, shoving his way through the crowd. He knew he could make it past one of the wings and make a bee line for his classroom. As he passed some of the seventh grade room, he barreled into someone. Both kids hit the ground, the lager one grabbing at him.
“Troy?” His brother said. “Who the hell you running from?”
Bruce and Frankie came running around the corner and they slid to a stop. “Well if it isn't Troy's big sister.”
“Back off Bruce.” Vance said, getting to his feet and putting Troy behind him.
“Isn't that cute, big sisters is protecting little sister.” Bruce sneered at them. “Guess we'll kick both of your asses.”
November 24 1982
Northern California
The teasing he had expected. But they had no proof in their taunts. Neither one had seen him in a dress, so Troy kept up his usual routine. Even Vance had also become the target of Bruce's verbal assaults but his brother didn't relent. Both siblings acted like Bruce was wrong and it was working.
But things got worse for Troy one day as he was headed from the cafeteria and back to his classes. It was the one time of the school day where the middle and elementary schools crossed paths. He never understood why the older kids were closer to the cafeteria, or why the younger ones ended up with classes by the bus stop. His class was in the middle of the school. There were no real halls, just a roof with open sides between each wing of the school. Troy walked out of a side door to the cafeteria and past a few of the open eight grade room and paused when he saw a person moving about the room, stopping at some of the desks. Then he realized it was Bruce.
The bigger kid opened up a couple of the desks, then he opened up a backpack and pulled out something, what it was, Troy didn't see, but he did watch as Bruce put it into his coat pocket. Then the bigger boy pulled something out of yet another pack and pocketed that too.
A second figure stepping into Troy's line of site and grabbed at him. “What the fuck you think you're doing!” Troy's instincts kicked in and he deflected the grab, then thrust a hand into Frankie's chest, sending him staggering backwards, then he did the one thing that all smaller kids do.
He ran.
He ran towards the hall, but it was still packed with kids going in both directions, so instead of fighting the crowds, he ran for the playground, shoving his way through the crowd. He knew he could make it past one of the wings and make a bee line for his classroom. As he passed some of the seventh grade room, he barreled into someone. Both kids hit the ground, the lager one grabbing at him.
“Troy?” His brother said. “Who the hell you running from?”
Bruce and Frankie came running around the corner and they slid to a stop. “Well if it isn't Troy's big sister.”
“Back off Bruce.” Vance said, getting to his feet and putting Troy behind him.
“Isn't that cute, big sisters is protecting little sister.” Bruce sneered at them. “Guess we'll kick both of your asses.”
“Try it Bruce.” Vance brought his hands up in a boxers stance.
The bigger boy didn't flinch, instead he rushed Vance, swinging low into his gut. Frankie had rushed to Vance's side, passing Vance and grabbing for Troy once more, but the little kid was ready. He used the bigger boy's speed, stepping to the side, then twisted while putting a hand on Frankie's back, causing his assailant to stumble and roll on the ground.
Vance was sent staggering back, stumbling a couple of steps till he fell into Troy, causing both boys to hit the ground. While pinned under Vance, Troy watched as Frankie scrambled to his feet and Bruce stepped closer. A group of kids began to swarm around them, yelling and chanting. As Bruce's foot began to cock back, A voice boomed loud.
“CUT IT OUT!” A teacher shoved his way though the circle of on-lookers and pulled Bruce back. He cast a glance at the assembled students. “Go back to your classes, NOW!”
The group slowly departed. The teacher glared at all four of the boys in question. “All four of you, get up, we're headed to the principals office.” Vance groaned, but he rolled over and stood up, He held out a hand for his brother to take, which he did. The two Patterson boys headed to the office, while the teacher waited for Bruce and Frankie.
As the two brothers entered the hall outside the office, Troy looked to Vance, shaking just a bit. He had never been in enough trouble to be sent to the office. “Are we in trouble?” He asked.
“Who knows. We were fighting.” Vance replied. “But it was self defense.”
“Can I help you boys?” A friendly looking older lady said, looking over the large receptionist desk in the main office.
“Yeah. We were sent here by Mr. Carter.” Vance replied.
“Oh.” She looked up and into the hall and saw Mr. Carter walking behind two more boys. “Take a seat boys, I'll let him know.” Vance and Troy took a seat on an empty bench and Troy kept shaking in fear. She got up and was headed into the office as Bruce pushed the door open and stepped in, glaring at Vance and Troy. He turned to sit on the benches that the brothers were on when Mr. Carter Stepped in the way. “No. You sit over there.” The teacher pointed to another bench.
The boys sat down as Mr. Harper came out of his office, followed by his secretary. He was a tall, thin man. There was little hair on the top of his head and from one look at him, you knew he didn't tolerate trouble from anyone.
He looked at all four boys, shaking his head at Bruce and Frankie, then he looked at the teacher. “Mr. Carter? What happened.”
“They were fighting. These two against the Patterson boys.”
“I see. Well, come into my office.” He opened up a little gate that led into his office and gestured for the four boys to proceed. Then Mr. Carter stepped in. Inside the officer there was little in the way of furnishing. Two chairs were on the near side of the desk, on the other side was a larger chair. The walls were lined in pictures of the school and the different school sports teams.
Mr. Harper passed them and took a seat at his desk, then he looked to Mr. Carter. “Well, did you see what happened?”
“Well not the start of the fight, I just saw him.” He pointed to Bruce. “punch Vance. He fell into his brother. I think Frankie was about to attack him from the other side, looked like he had tripped.”
“He threw me!” Frankie yelled, pointing at Troy. Troy's eyes went wide and he began to think of all the stories that the younger kids get told on what happens if you get sent to the office. Some of them revolved around a paddle that was three feet long and covered in spikes. He knew he didn't want to get beat. But if he told the truth, he'd get beat from other kids around the school.
“Yeah! They started it!” Bruce pointed at the two brothers too.
“Troy threw you?” Mr. Harper asked, sounding not at all convinced. “That Troy, the little guy?”
“Yeah him!” Frankie replied.
“Okay. One at a time. Mr. Harper looked at Troy. “Who started it.”
Troy swallowed hard. He had also heard about what happens to kids who tell on others, but if he didn't, he was in big trouble for fighting. “They were chasing me and I ran into Vance. I didn't start anything.” He said, voice quavering in fear.
“And did you throw him?” Mr. Harper asked.
“Not really.” Troy replied. “I just stepped out of the way when he ran at me. He tripped himself, it's a basic move.” Troy said.
“And did you fight?” Mr. Harper moved his gaze to Vance.
“Yes sir.” He held his head down. “I was only keeping Troy safe from Bruce. I didn't even hit him though.”
“They're lying!” Bruce snapped. “They started it. I watched Troy pick Frankie up and throw him.”
Mr. Harper held back the laughter. “Young Mr. Millet, do you have any idea how stupid that sounds?”
“Well he did.” Bruce growled.
“Mr. Millet, I've seen Troy in this office once in the past five years that he's been here and that wasn't for fighting. You're in here what? Twice a month, if not more for fighting? I'm more inclined to believe the student I have less trouble from. But seeings as how I've got to remain an impartial judge, I want to hear from all of you.”
He looked to Troy. “Vance said you were running. Why?”
“They were chasing me.” Troy said, looking at his feet. He didn't want to be known as a snitch, but he knew it may come up.
“I see. And why were they chasing you?” Mr. Harper asked.
Troy looked up for a moment. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Bruce glaring at him. “I saw Bruce take something.” He said.
“Take what and from where?”
“I was headed back from lunch when I passed one of the eight grade classes. Him and Frankie were taking stuff out of packs and desks.”
“He's lying!” Bruce yelled.
Mr. Harper held up a hand for silence and then pressed a button on a black box that sat on the edge of his desk. “Mrs. Stevens, can you call The parents of The Patterson boys, Mr. Millet and Mr. Conway please. And can you also call Mr. McCoy to cover Mr. Carter's class please?”
“Yes Sir.” a tinny voice replied through the speaker.
“Sorry to keep you here, it's gotten a bit stickier then a fight.” Mr. Harper said with a nod of his head to the teacher.
“I understand.” Mr. Carter leaned against the wall and waited.
“Now boys, we can make this go a lot faster if you all start with the truth.” Mr. Harper kept his gaze on Bruce. “Were you taking anything from one of the class rooms?”
“NO!” Bruce yelled.
“Okay, I see how this will end. Mr. Carter, please Take Vance and Troy to the nurses station. We'll keep these two separated till the parents and cops get here.” The Principal picked up the phone.
“Cops?” Bruce asked, a bit worried.
“Yes. If there has been theft on the school grounds, then I have to inform them. Unless you'd like to tell me anything.” Mr. Harper put a finger on the cradle, hanging the phone up, but he held the handset at the ready.
“He's fucking lying.” Bruce pointed at Troy again.
“Troy, do you have proof?” Mr. Harper asked.
“He put it in his coat pocket.” Troy said.
“I see.” The principal looked to Bruce. “Would you like to empty your pockets now? If you give me a show of faith, I may be able to keep from calling the cops. The most your looking at could be expulsion, not jail time.” Neither boy made a move. “Think about it Gentlemen. You empty your pockets and the most you may face is expulsion.” He leveled his gaze on Bruce. “I know of your record. Do you really want to break your probation? You'll end up in the Juvenile detention facility again.” Mr. Harper gave him his best poker face stare and it paid off.
Bruce's face lost it's color. He put his hand into his pocket, then he placed a small cloth covered case on the desk, followed with a cheap necklace. Frankie stepped up and placed a few more items on the desk.
“Troy, Vance, please wait for your parents in the nurses office.” He looked to the other two boys. “Please sit, you'll wait in here.”
Half an hour later, Troy, found himself in the Principals office again, this time with his mother and brother. Bruce and his mother stood off to the side and Frankie's father stood on the other side of the room.
Mr. Harper had finished tell the parents about the fight, then he went into the why of how it happened, including showing the items that their sons had taken. Both Frankie's and Bruce's parents started in on their children, but Mr. Harper stopped it.
“Now I will tend to the matter of the fight first.” He looked at Maggie and gestured to her sons. “While they may have been protecting themselves and I applaud Vance in defending his brother, they still fought.” He looked at Troy for a moment, then back at his mother. “Even if the only thing done was a simple redirect of an attacker. School rules are unforgiving in this, to both parties. So Vance and Troy are suspended from school for three days, but with Thanksgiving tomorrow and no school Friday and today is almost over, that means they return next Thursday.”
“Okay.” She sighed. “Is that all?”
“Yes it is Maggie. Thank you for coming on such short notice.” Mr. Harper replied. He wrote out two slips of paper and handed them to each boy. “Boys, go collect your stuff and give these to your teachers.”
“Yes sir.” The boys replied, then they left, with their mother behind them. A few minutes later they were in the car and headed home. Maggie had been quiet since they left the office and Troy was getting worried that more trouble was about to befall them.
“Mom?” Troy asked. “Are you mad at us.”
“Not really Sweetheart.” She sighed. “I'm a bit mad, but not at you. I've always told you fighting isn't the answer. But I can understand why those boys chased you. So, no I'm not mad at you.”
“Will Dad be mad?” Troy asked.
“I don't know sweetheart.” Maggie shrugged her shoulders. “I just don't know.”
“I hear there was some trouble at school today. Would you like to tell me what happened?” William asked as Troy took a seat. His face showed no emotions, but the boys could tell how he forced himself to speak in a calm to that he wasn't pleased. The big man shut off the TV, forcing Vance to pay attention to him. He stood in front of them, arms crossed and looking none to happy.
Troy looked up at his dad, trying to not think about the trouble he was in. “We got in a fight today.”
“With each other?” He began tapping one foot, glaring from one boy, then to the next and back again.
“No. We fought with Bruce and Frankie.” Troy replied.
William looked at Vance. “I thought they were your friends.”
November 24 1982
Northern California
When the boys first got home, Maggie went over to her mother-in-laws to explain what had happened and that the boys were home early, then she went back to work or so the boys had thought. Vance had stepped out of the house to walk around the property and think. Troy just went to his room and lay on the bed, waiting for the punishment that he knew was coming.
At just around three, Troy got up to make dinner. He went with Lasagna, his fathers favorite in the vain attempt that his father would go easy on them. When that was finished, he went back to his room to sit and think some more. He knew he was in the right, at least on telling about Bruce and Frankie stealing. He didn't feel like he was in the right, but what could he do.
He began to think how Tracy would have handled the situation and he came up with the same response. Stealing was wrong. He knew that, hell, children over six years old knew that. Now he had not only his father, but Bruce and Frankie to worry about. It was a little bit after five when his brother came into the house and Troy got out of bed to check on dinner. Then the two siblings went to the living room to watch some TV, hoping for something good till their parent's came home. A part of Troy was hoping his grandmother would show up, but she hadn't.
At half past five, they heard two cars pull up in the drive and Troy began to shake. This had been his first time that he ever got in trouble at school. He knew his father would be furious. He could barely hear talking through the windows, then he watched as his mother led their father away to talk.
It was when Troy got up to put the garlic bread in the over that his parents came back in. His mother stepped into the kitchen and gestured to him with a finger, so he set a timer, dropped his head down and walked slowly into the living room.
“I hear there was some trouble at school today. Would you like to tell me what happened?” William asked as Troy took a seat. The big man shut off the TV, forcing Vance to pay attention to him. He stood in front of them, arms crossed and looking none to happy.
Troy looked up at his dad, trying to not think about the trouble he was in. “We got in a fight today.”
“With each other?” He began tapping one foot, looking from one boy, then to the next and back again.
“No. We fought with Bruce and Frankie.” Troy replied.
William looked at Vance. “I thought they were your friends.”
“They were, till Grandma made me wear that dress and they came over and saw me in it.” Vance stated. “Now they tease me about it all the time.”
“And that's why you fought?” He asked.
Troy shook his head. “No. Bruce and Frankie chased me because I saw them stealing stuff in an open class room.”
“I think I see. So they chased you. You found Vance, then the two of you kicked their collective butts?” William arched an eyebrow.
“No, I ran into Vance, I was trying to get to my classroom.” Troy replied.
“But you found Vance and beat them up?” William waited patiently. He began drumming his fingers to one arm on a bicep. Both boys had seen this before, usually before they ended up with a spanking and no dinner.
“No, he ran into me, knocked us both to the ground. By time I got up, Bruce was there. Heck, Bruce hit me, I didn't even have a chance to swing back. Troy didn't even hit Frankie, he just moved out of the way.” Vance supplied. “But I wasn't going to let them beat Troy up.”
“Okay.” Their father nodded. He was silent for a few moments, then he walked out of the house, gesturing to Maggie to follow him. They were gone for a few minutes. Troy couldn't pick up on any whispers.
When William returned he went to the kitchen and got a glass of tea, letting the boys wait so they got more nervous. “Your mother confirms the story, at least according to Mr. Harper. I believe you.” He said, giving them a small smile. Then he placed a hand on Troy's shoulder. “It's hard to tell someone, even a principal, something like that but you did good Troy.” His youngest began to blush.
“Thank you Dad.” Troy said.
“A lot of the kids at the school won't think it's good and you may have cost yourself some friends, but if they can't stick with you for doing what's right, then you don't need them as friends. “
He let go of Troy, then rested the same hand on his other son's shoulder. “And Vance. You've been bad at beating Troy up yourself. I know I've ignored a lot of that myself, but your mother's been helping me with that.” William gave them, a sad smile and a shake of his head. “I really have dropped the ball with you two at times.”
Neither boy answered and Maggie spoke up. “We've been so busy trying to make sure we have money to live that you've both done a lot of growing up on your own.”
William nodded. “And we're a long time in saying this. We're both proud of you. Vance, you placed yourself between him and your friends. It takes a big person to forgo his friends in order to protect someone else. No doubt that they'll hate you now.”
“I know dad.” Vance replied. “I think they already do.”
Their father took a deep breath. He looked at Maggie and shrugged, she returned the gesture and then he looked back at his sons. “I can't see a reason to punish you two. You both did what's right. You defended family and you let someone know that they were stealing. You've been suspended from school for three days for doing whats right. I think that's a stupid rule, but I can see a reason behind it. So I wont make it worse.” William watched as both boys visibly relaxed. “I'm not saying this will work each time you're fighting at school. But this time I won't punish you.”
His sons looked at him in shock, it had been the one outcome they never expected to hear. “Thank you Dad.” The boys replied in unison.
“Just don't make a habit of this.” He stood up. A bell rang in the kitchen and Troy looked up, then raced off to pull dinner out of the over. When he returned, he took his seat on the couch again.
William looked at both of them. “We'll eat in a moment. But for now don't think you'll just lay around the house till next Thursday. We still expect you to do your normal chores. And now you two have a reason to work on that bedroom of yours. Plus I think your grandparents may need a little help next door with Thanksgiving.”
“But we helped this past weekend.” Vance stated. “We vacuumed and everything.”
“Well, we need something to keep you two out of trouble.” William replied.
“Actually dear, I had a thought about that.” Maggie said from the door. “I know you got some double shifts coming up this weekend. I have that appointment on Monday with that neurology Specialist in San Francisco. Maybe I could take them with me.” She suggested with a smile.
“Okay, that could work. You both want to go?” William asked his boys.
“Yeah!” Troy nodded and bounced on his bed. He was just happy at the thought of being with his mother for a day.
“I guess. Where all are you going?” Vance asked his mother.
“Well I got an eight AM appointment and I don't want to be up at four to make it in time. So I'll leave on Sunday and stay at your Aunt Shelly's.”
“Aunt Shelly and Uncle Frank?” He asked. “Yeah, I'll go.”
Troy smiled. He liked Aunt Shelly and Uncle Frank, although they weren't really related. Aunt Shelly had gone through high school with his mother. They had know each other for longer then she had been married. A stay at their house meant junk food, as Uncle Frank had a weakness for it. It did come with the down side that Aunt Shelly liked to keep her house very tidy. There was no running around inside, no eating away from the table. But it still didn't matter. They were good people. And they had an Atari and a computer with games.
Then he had a thought. One reason he rarely left his Grandmothers backyard was because he'd be seen. No one knew him there, except his Aunt and Uncle. But for the drive down, they'd be passing strangers. So he had the chance that he could go as Tracy and change in...of all places....The town Tracy. It was near Livermore, where his Aunt and Uncle lived. He could leave the house as Tracy, Change in the town Tracy. Then while in San Francisco, he could be Tracy again. No one would know him, no one would bug him. Of course he'd be stuck in Troy mode while at his Aunt and Uncle's place.
“Tell you what.” William smiled at them. “You two made me proud today by sticking up for each other and doing the right thing. I know I've not been that good of a father, but I want to make it up to you.” He looked to his wife. “See if Shelly would let you come up Friday night. Spend the weekend and hit the malls or something. Go and have fun. Head back after your appointment on Monday.”
She nodded and turned to head into the kitchen. “She said yes when I called her after talking to you at work.”
The boys sat there, trying to figure out what happened. “Wait.” Vance said. “You mean...You mean you already talked about this?” He asked.
“Yep.” William replied with a smile. “She stopped by work after dropping you two off here.”
“I...We...” Vance looked at his brother. “We thought you were mad at us.”
“At first I was.” William said as he gestured for his boys to head for the kitchen. “Then she explained what happened. I was mad at the school and I called the Principal, but he said the matter was in the school boards hands and with the holiday they wouldn't be there till at least Monday and we wouldn't be seen till Tuesday. Kind of pointless to fight it then.”
Vance started to set the table and Troy began pouring cups of tea. “So you weren't mad at us. At all?” Vance asked.
“No. If I was, you wouldn't be going to the Bay Area.” William replied as he took his seat. “But like I said, don't make this a habit. Tomorrow I still expect you two to do the dishes after Thanksgiving diner and make sure what ever chores you have with your grandparents are either done before you leave, or get done on your return.”
“Yes Dad.” Both boys replied again.
“And after dinner and dishes tonight I'd like to get some fire wood inside, before it gets too cold at night.” William said. “So could you help Vance with the dishes Troy?”
That was the one down side to their house, in Troy's eyes. There was no air conditioning or heat. They had a large evaporative cooler in the window. And in the winter they relied on an old wood burning stove. With winter getting close they were stock piling wood in a shed outside and moving a lot inside to be ready.
“Okay Dad.” The little boy replied.
Maggie put the lasagna on the table and the boys took their seats against the wall. “Well then Boys...” William stated. “Let's eat.”
“And you're worried that you're doing something that may hurt him later?” Shelly asked.
“Yeah.” Maggie choked on her reply. She wanted to help her son, but this had been a growing fear. She didn't want him being a mental wreck in the future, something he could blame on her.
“I see. Does he do it because he wants to be a girl? Or does he get some form of enjoyment out of the dresses? Maybe sexual pleasure.”
“He's only eleven. He doesn't even know about that yet.” Maggie groaned. “At least I hope he doesn't. I'm not ready for my baby to grow up that soon.”
This is one of the first chapters that will focus on a different character. Namely Maggie, Troy's mother. Troy is shown, but I felt like bringing in Maggie to hear her side of the story.
November 25th 1982
Northern California
Maggie stepped out of her mother-in-laws house and headed back to her own. She wanted to place a call before her boys or husband came over. She needed privacy, even though the call would be about one of them. She was stopped at the front gate as her youngest son came racing out of the house to stop her.
“Mom!” Troy called out, almost tripping on the steps. He managed to find his footing and kept jogging to her. “Mom, can I ask you a question?” He began to bounce in one place, waiting very impatiently.
“Sure kiddo, what's up?” Maggie asked him, trying not to laugh at his excitement.
He stepped closer and lowered his voice. “I...I was wondering.” He looked back at the house and made sure no one was outside. “I was wondering if Tracy could ride down tomorrow? At least until the Town of Tracy?” He did his best puppy dog eye look and waited again.
“I don't see why not. You want to be Tracy while your down there?” She asked.
“Maybe at the Presidio and in San Francisco?” He began to smile.
“But you don't like to leave the house here, why there?” She raised one eyebrow, genuinely curious.
“Because, no one knows Troy there.” He replied.
“What about your Aunt and Uncle?”
His enthusiasm died off a bit. His voice was almost a mumble as he spoke again. “I'll be Troy there.” Then he perked up again. “but when we take off we could stop in Dublin, then I'm Tracy, till we come home.”
“I don't see why not. Your dad will be gone when we leave, so you can shower and leave the house as Tracy.” She said,
“Cool.” He heard the door open and he turned to see his brother looking out at him.
“You took the drying towel.” Vance called to him. “I can't finish without you.”
Troy looked at his hands and saw that his brother was right. Maggie laughed. “You better get back in there and save me a slice of pie, I'll be back in a few minutes.”
“Okay Mom.” Troy hugged her, then ran back for the house.
Maggie continued on to her house. She took a seat in William's chair, which had the phone by it and then dialed Shelly's number. She waited while it rang, twirling the phone cord with one finger.
A happy voice answered the call. “Happy Thanksgiving. Cooper Residence, Shelly speaking.” In the background Maggie could hear talking.
Maggie smiled at that. Her friend was always big into the holidays, even though most of her family were either gone, or on the other side of the country, so she usually had friends over who were in the same boat. “Shelly, this is Maggie.”
“Maggie!” Shelly exclaimed. “It's not bad news is it? I mean you just called yesterday. Not that I object from a call today.”
Maggie almost sighed, but instead she let out a laugh. “Not bad news at all. I just wanted to let you in on a few things.”
“Dare I ask?” The other woman said.
“Look, well...maybe...actually I need some advice on things. It's....It's about Troy.” Shelly could hear the uncertainty in her friends voice.
There was sound of movement, then it went quiet and Shelly spoke again. “There, sorry I got away from the crowd.” She said. “Whats wrong with Troy?”
Maggie sighed. “I don't know how to say this.”
“Start from the beginning. We can work through the issue together.” Shelly replied.
“Okay.” Maggie settled back in the chair. She took a few breaths to both calm the nerves and summon her courage. “I've had suspicions that Troy was wearing my clothes for a while. Back in August, Modine found him in a skirt. Since then we've let him wear girls clothes, but only when he was at Modine's and when Conner wasn’t home.”
“I see.” Shelly said. “Does anyone else know? Like William and Vance?”
“Vance knows. He almost caused some problems a week or so back, but he seems to be getting better.” Maggie said. “William doesn't know yet. Neither does Conner.”
“And you're afraid of what they'll do when they find out?” Shelly asked.
“Well That too. I'm just not sure what to do. Do I let him keep wearing the girls clothes?” Maggie shook her head and sighed again. “We bought him his own girl clothes, stuff that fits him.”
“And you're worried that you're doing something that may hurt him later?” Shelly asked.
“Yeah.” Maggie choked on her reply. She wanted to help her son, but this had been a growing fear. She didn't want him being a mental wreck in the future, something he could blame on her.
“I see. Does he do it because he wants to be a girl? Or does he get some form of enjoyment out of the dresses? Maybe sexual pleasure.”
“He's only eleven. He doesn't even know about that yet.” Maggie groaned. “At least I hope he doesn't. I'm not ready for my baby to grow up that soon.”
“It'll happen soon Maggie, no matter how much you don't want it to happen.” Shelly said. “So has he told you why he does it?”
“He said he does it as a relief. When he's Tracy, he doesn't have the problems that Troy does. There's no Vance, or William or Conner. Just Tracy, Modine and Me.”
“I see. So it's a release, like a role he plays to relax.” Shelly tried to work it out slowly.
“In a sense. But his friend noticed that he's happier as Tracy. I've seen it, so has Modine.” Maggie said. “But he's afraid to go outside, in case people see him.”
“I can understand that. It's a scary world out there.”
“There's more Shelly.” Maggie sat forward, looking at the clock, making sure she hadn't been gone too long. “He wants to go tomorrow as Tracy.”
“So I should expect to see your daughter tomorrow?” Shelly asked. There was no harsh tones in her voice, but a sense of joy.
“I don't know.” Maggie replied. “She wants to leave the house, but she's willing to change into Troy when we get to Tracy...well Tracy the town.”
Shelly gave a slight laugh. “Maggie, what do you think of Tracy? The girl I mean?”
“Well she's well mannered, friendly, fun. She's taken over the cooking here in the house. She's been doing the house work too. She's been a breath of fresh air.” Maggie stated.
“Maggs? You hear what your saying?” Shelly asked. “You've referred to your youngest as a she.”
Maggie leaned forward, shaking her head. “Maybe a part of me enjoys having a daughter. It's the one thing that I've always regretted, no daughters and now I have one.”
“Tell you what. What if you could talk her into being Tracy when she's here? I know Frank won't mind, hell his brother is gay and Tracy isn't the first Transsexual we've met.”
Maggie thought about it for a moment. “Well, I can ask her, but I'm not too sure she'll go for it.”
“Offer it to her, if not we can offer when she's here.” Shelly said. Maggie could hear a light tapping noise over the phone, then a hushed voice, then Shelly spoke up again. “Maggs, I got to let you go, they need me back in the party. But let me stress one thing, okay?”
“Sure.” Maggie replied.
“No matter what, that child is the same one you've raised. Don't start thinking you did something wrong. All the lessons of right and wrong? All the times you've tucked him or her in at night, that is all the same child.” Shelly paused for a minute. “There is nothing wrong or sick about him. He's just different, just like the rest of us. But the best part, is he gets to discover himself or herself and you get to be there with her, or him. Understand?”
“I think so.” Maggie answered.
“Look, I do need to get moving. We can talk more tomorrow when you get here.”
“Okay. Thank you Shelly.”
“You're welcome Maggie and Happy Thanksgiving.” Shelly said.
“You too Shelly. Give my love to Frank.” Maggie said before she hung up the phone. She sat there for a moment, thinking about the possibilities. She stood up, seeing how she had been gone just under eight minutes and she went out the front door. She came to a halt as she saw her husband leaning against the back of her car.
“William.” She was slightly stunned that he was there and now slightly worried. “Everything okay?”
“I came over to get my pennies. Dad wants to play pinochle tonight after we have pie. Not that I'm surprised, it's almost tradition.” He tried to smile. It was the one thing that William, his brother and his father did at each holiday that the family got together. The three of them would sit down for a game of pinochle. They often put money on the game, but only pennies. “I would have come in, but you were on the phone.”
"Why not?" She raised an eyebrow. “You live here too. You've heard me on the phone before.”
He took a deep breath and shook his head. “I never could lie to you, could I?”
“Not really.” She answered with a smile. “So tell me what's going on.”
He gestured to the door. “I heard you through the door.”
Here is another cliff hanger. I didn't want it turning out to be a killer to read. So coming soon, the thrilling conclusion....what will William do???
A frown appeared on William's face. His voice was a whisper again. “I have been pretty bad to him, Vance too. Hell, I'd be surprised if he doesn't hate me by now.”
“He loves you. He's just afraid that you'd punish him for this.” Maggie said.
“A few months back, before mom called me on it at her place, I would have. But I'm trying to get better.” He squeezed his wife once more. “So, no letting on that I know. I think I can do that.”
November 25th 1982
Northern California
Continued:
He gestured to the door. “I heard you through the door.”
Maggie's stomach dropped and her smile faded but she did her best to not look worried. “What...what did you hear?”
When he spoke, his voice was quiet. “I heard you talking about Troy. Something about him being....Tracy. About him being like a daughter to you? I think that's what you were meaning. I'm not sure.” He looked at his wife, yet she couldn't figure out which emotion he wore on his face. “Tell me the truth Maggie. What's going on with our son? Is he gay? Or is it something like that?”
There was a few moments of silence while she tired to figure out what to say. “It's Something like that.” She replied, her head drooping a bit. She knew it was pointless to lie. But something in William seemed different. A year ago, or even month ago, he would have stormed in, demanding to know what was going on, then he would have just gone straight to Troy and made the boy change his ways. But he was asking questions and that was good. “He's....I don't know. He's....” A thought occurred to her and she looked up at her husband. “What are your thoughts about him, right now? Honest thoughts, just tell them to me.”
He let out a long breath of air, gathering his thoughts on Troy. “Till I heard that, I thought he was just a bit weak, you know, like a push over, even with his fighting thing he takes. But now, I can't stop thinking maybe he's gay. Part of me is disappointed in him for wanting to dress as a girl you know, being a sissy. Another part is angry at myself for not being a better role model for him.”
“What do you mean?” She asked. “How did you fail him as a role model?”
“I tried to raise him right. You know, good and bad and all that. How to be a man. Stuff like that.” William shrugged.
“You think what he's doing is bad?” She asked.
“Well....yeah.” He said. “I mean I guess...I don't know. It's just that we've always been taught that gays are bad, you know, evil.”
Maggie nodded. “And that was usually close minded church people who can't practice what they preach.”
“I guess.” William replied.
She sighed and shook her head. “William, recall the last time we went to a church? Just before you took us out of it? There were those two women who shared a house and the church turned against them, just because they shared a home? They weren't even a couple.” Maggie leaned against the car. “They all called them evil, hell, one of the people at the front of that self-righteous mob was an adulterer. Then there was the guy who stole from the church treasury. That's two of the ten commandments. Troy hasn't broken any, well other then the no lies one but who can honestly say they never broke that. He's pushed the honor they father and mother but all kids do, but he does listen. Hell, he's better then Vance is half the time.”
Maggie turned to face him. “A day ago you said you were proud of him, for letting people know someone was stealing. Were you telling the truth?” She asked.
“Yeah.” He said with a nod.
“And he's been good to your mother and father, plus with us. He's also picked up a lot of extra work around the house to help out. You said you were proud about that too, right?” Maggie began to smile as she thought about what Shelly had said. Troy and Tracy were the same person. So no matter what he wore, the core was the same loving child.
William nodded. “Yeah, I....”
Maggie had to make him see. He was still talking, not yelling, so there was a chance. She cut him off before he could continue. “And something you didn't know. He's been wearing girls clothes for a long time now. Maybe years, I only got proof in August.” She took one of his hands in hers. “He's a good kid, always has been. What we see on the outside? That's just window dressing. As you always told them when they were younger, it's what's on the inside that counts. Did you mean that?”
William nodded. She was right, he had often used the argument about what's on the inside with his kids. He put his arms around his wife, and pulled her close. He thought about it for a moment. Maybe there really was something to it. “You're right. But what do we do?”
“I'm not sure. I just know that inside that beautiful child beats a heart of gold. Troy or Tracy, it doesn't matter. What matters is his or her actions.” She replied, putting her head against William's chest. “But I'll talk to Shelly about this. They know people like Troy and they know a lot of psychologists. Maybe we can get one of them to help us find him some help up here. But for now, he'll need both his parents.”
“Should we be allowing this?” William asked.
“I don't know, but think of this. In the past four months, he's been happier, more productive around the house and he's actually mended fences with his brother.” Maggie looked into his eyes. “Maybe he knows what he wants in life. Maybe he doesn't.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, he says he does this as to relax, so he has none of Troy's worries. But the more he does it, the happier he gets. His self esteem seems to be getting better. Heck, he's more sure of himself, at least that’s what I see.”
“Should we talk to him?” William asked.
“Not yet. He's still worried about things. He's afraid that you'll not understand. He's afraid what you'll do when you find out.” Maggie stated.
A frown appeared on William's face. His voice was a whisper again. “I have been pretty bad to him, Vance too. Hell, I'd be surprised if he doesn't hate me by now.”
“He loves you. He's just afraid that you'd punish him for this.” Maggie said.
“A few months back, before mom called me on it at her place, I would have. But I'm trying to get better.” He squeezed his wife once more. “So, no letting on that I know. I think I can do that.”
“Also, no telling your father.”
“Figured on that one.” William smiled at her. He leaned closer and kissed her gently. “I'll follow your lead on this.”
“Thank you William.” She kissed him back.
“Come on. I need to grab my pennies and we need to get back before they send the search parties.” He said with a laugh.
“I'll meet you over there. I'll save you a slice of the apple pie.” She said as he let her go and began moving to the door.
“Thanks Maggie.” He opened the door and stopped before he stepped in. “And thank you for telling me too.”
William woke up a few minutes before his alarm went off. He had barely slept the night before. He sat on the edge of the bed for a few moments, thinking about what he had learned the night before. Since he had talked to his wife his focus was shot. He couldn't concentrate on his card game with his brother and father. Then he had rolled through the night, trying to think about what he should do.
His youngest child was pulling bacon from the frying pan as he came into the kitchen. The young boy was wearing a pair of flannel pajama bottoms and a white t-shirt. He watched as Troy cracked a couple of eggs into the pan and then reached over to the coffee pot to fill a cup for his father. He handed it to his father, handle first.
“Thanks Son. You know you didn't have to do this.” William said before taking a sip, then moving to the toaster. The least he could do was make toast as his child made him breakfast. He wanted to ask his son about what he was feeling. About anything that was going on. He felt so helpless. His child needed help, at least he thought so but he promised Maggie.
Troy watched his skillet as his father began making toast. “I know. It's just you got a long day and I wanted to help you have a good day.”
“Any time I get to see my family is a great day.” William leaned over to hug his son. “Especially when it's my children who make me proud.”
Troy looked at him and smiled. Then he turned to get in the fridge. As he turned and squatted down to reach in the back of the fridge, his father saw his shirt ride up, showing a pair of pink panties with yellow flowers on them. William turned to face the toaster again, not wanting Troy to know he had seen.
William still didn't know what to do. The thought of his son wanting to be a girl wasn't something he understood. He needed advice, but he wasn't sure of who he could turn to. He knew his father’s response would be something like “beat it out of him.” Or some other way to make him a man. He stared at the toaster, deep in thought.
Troy stood up with, holding a melon and he put it on a cutting board. He gave his father a quick glance and asked. “Hey Dad.” He said, pulling a knife from the cutting block. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I guess.” William lied. “Just not really looking forward to work today, but at least it's Christmas money.”
“Cool.” Troy smiled.
He stopped cutting the melon long enough to remove the two eggs from the pan onto a plate that sat on the counter. He moved it to the table for his dad. “Hey, thanks for letting us go to the Bay Area.” Troy said.
“Well have fun, but be good for your Aunt and Uncle. And I meant what I said, no getting in fights just to get out of school.” He gave a light laugh. He thought about it, Maggie had a point. His boy was wearing girls clothes, but he had still done what was right. Some how he had managed to help out his brother. He wasn't sure if him dressing up was going to make him gay, but he still love his child and his wife was right. Either Tracy or Troy, both would need their father.
“You going to eat anything?” William asked his son.
“Maybe in a bit. I figure I could wait till Mom and Vance are up, then I'd make ours.” He replied as he poured a glass of juice, then took a seat at the table. “I'm sure he doesn't want to get up till noon anyway.”
“He is like that, isn't he?” William laughed quietly before taking a bite.
“Except Christmas.” Troy answered.
“You're not innocent there either, young man. I still recall getting up one morning when you were six or seven and you were playing with the wrapped boxes under the tree.”
Troy smiled at the memory. “Just once.”
“Four times.” William corrected him, holding up four fingers. “One time I recall you were found using one of your brothers presents as a pillow.”
Troy chuckled at the memory. “That wasn't the best pillow, either.”
William smiled at his son, then he put his fork down. He sighed and his smile faded. “You know Troy, I really dropped the ball with you two. I've been so busy pushing you to be like I was when I was a kid, but your nothing like me. You and Vance are so different. And I am so proud of both of you.” He wiped at his eye before a tear could show.
“Thank you Dad.” Troy replied.
William reached across the table and touched his son's hand. He had promised not to say anything to Troy, but he had one option. “I know I haven't been the best person to talk to, but I'm trying. So if there is anything you ever need to talk about, and you feel like sharing with me, I'd be honored to listen.
Troy froze for a moment, his mind racing to recall any time that his father could have seen anything. Then a voice of reason seemed to speak in his mind. “He's trying. Maybe we should meet him halfway.”
“I will Dad.” He replied, but he had looked down as he spoke.
Before his father could say anything else, Maggie came into the kitchen, wearing a flannel nightgown. “You made your father breakfast?” She asked her youngest.
“Yep.” He smiled up at her. "I'll make some for you if you want.”
She bent down and kissed Troy's cheek. “I'd like that but you don't have too.” She said as moved to kiss her husband. “You're almost running late.” She said, looking to a clock on the wall.
William turned and looked at the clock. “Crap.” He turned and took a few hurried bites, finishing off the plate. He stood up and hugged his wife. “Drive safe.” He told her.
“I will.” She replied.
William stopped by his son, long enough to ruffle Troy's hair which was getting longer then he normally allowed. “You be good and I'll see you both on Monday.”
“Bye Dad.” Troy watched his father head to the living room to get the stuff he needed for work, then he was out the door. He was silent for a few moments, then his mother reached over and touched his cheek.
“Hey, you okay?” She asked.
Troy nodded. “Yeah. Just thinking.” He replied.
“About what?”
“I'm just wondering if I should ever tell Dad about Tracy.” He looked at his mother. “I'm just wondering if he knows.”
Maggie raised an eyebrow. “Why do you think that?”
“Last night at Grandma's, he kept watching me while he played cards. He always looked like something was on his mind. Then this morning, right before you came in he said I could tell him anything.”
Maggie nodded as she thought about it. She was wondering how close he got to telling Troy what he knew. “Do you want to tell him?”
Troy bit his lower lip. “I don't know. What if he kicks me out of the house?”
“He won't kick you out of the house. You can trust me on that.” Maggie gave him a comforting smile. “But sweetie, only tell him when you're ready.”
Troy thought about it, then he got up to start making her breakfast. “Yeah. What if he finds out something?”
“Then we deal with it then. No point in worrying about the future.” Maggie got up to get a cup of coffee. “But I think he loves you so much, that when you talk to him and tell him how you feel, he'll be your biggest supporter.”
Troy looked at her. The look he gave her showed he didn't believe her. “Really?” He asked.
“Sweetie, he loves you. There are ways we can get him to see that your the same child he's known all these years.”
Troy stopped as he was about to crack an egg open. “Do we have to tell him soon?”
“No sweetie, you make the time table here. This is about your comfort, okay?” She stopped at his side long enough to hug him.
“Okay Mom.” He said while nodding. “I'll think about it.”
“That's all anyone can ask.” Maggie replied.
Over the next few posts, I'll be switching view points from Maggie Shelly and Frank, to William and then Tracy... and who knows, maybe I'll throw Vance in there too. But this is all helping to build Troy's story.
“So no Tracy?” Shelly asked.
“No, and I told her it'd be okay.” Maggie sighed.
“It that why he was so glum?” Shelly glanced to the door, making sure it was still shut.
Maggie nodded. “Tracy was so lively on the way down here. I think she talked from home to Tracy, the town, where she changed. Once she changed, Troy was miserable.” She shook her head. “Maybe I shouldn't have let her be Tracy for the ride.”
November 26th 1982
Northern California/Livermore California
Maggie and her children had left just past nine. She had dressed for comfort, as did Vance, both of them in jeans and a t-shirt. Tracy was in a dark blue skirt and a white shirt. Tracy had packed two bags, one of Troy's clothes and one with Tracy's that she had pulled from her grandmothers house. Currently the young girl sat in the backseat. Vance had taken over the passenger seat. He had made the deal with Tracy that he could drive to Livermore and then to San Francisco in the front seat, but she got the front seat all the way home on Monday.
For the trip so far, the young girl had talked, non-stop. Vance was nose deep in a book, trying to ignore her rambling. “And I was thinking maybe we could try that for dinner on Tuesday, what do you think?” Tracy looked at the mirror, smiling at her mother.
Maggie smiled back. “I think that's a good idea.” She looked back to the road. “Kiddo, you still want to change back? If so we need to pull over at the next off ramp.”
“Can we?” Tracy's smile faltered. Her shoulders slumped as she sat in her seat, a frown began to form on her lips. “Please?”
“Sure sweetie.” Maggie told her child. “You could wear that to Aunt Shelly's if you want.”
“No.” Tracy shook her head. Her voice was much quieter. “I should change back.”
“But do you want to?” Maggie asked. “I'm sure Shelly wont mind what you wear.”
“I better not.” Tracy replied. “Uncle Frank may not like it.”
“I don't think he'd care.” Maggie said, trying to be as subtle as possible. She didn't want to just openly say they knew, but they did.
“I'll just change.” Tracy said as she pulled her bag of Troy's clothes from the floorboards.
Maggie pulled off the highway and found the first gas station she could find. She looked at the building, then in the mirror at her child. “Kiddo, the bathroom is on the inside of the building.”
“What?” Tracy asked. She looked through the big windows of the store and saw her mother was right. “I can't change in there. People would see me.” Her breathing sped up.
“Baby.” Maggie put the car in park and turned to touch her daughters knee. “Relax. We can get you to change without going inside.”
“W...we can?” Tracy asked.
“Yeah. I'll pull up behind the building. You can change in the backseat. Just a quick change. You've changed at the beach and you had on less then underwear at one point.” Maggie said in that motherly tone that commanded respect and soothed at the same time.
Tracy looked at her for a moment, then in the bag of Troy clothes. “Okay.” She said as she pulled out a pair of jeans and a shirt.
Fifteen minutes later they were back on the road, a much quieter Troy was now riding behind his brother. The next twenty miles passed in silence. Maggie kept looking back at her child, who just rode, staring at his hands that he held in his lap.
“You okay back there kiddo?” She asked. As they reached the outskirts of Livermore California. She pulled off the highway and headed for her friends house.
When Troy spoke, the joy that Tracy had in her voice was gone. He didn't look up at all. “Yeah mom.”
“I'm sorry Troy.” She said, before putting her full attention on the road.
Vance turned to look at his brother, who began to lay down on the back seat. The older brother looked at their mother and shrugged. “Is there anything we can do?” He asked her.
Maggie sighed. “I don't know.”
A few minutes later they pulled into the parking lot of a bunch of Townhouses. Troy waited for his mother to park before opening up the back door. He slid out with his bag of boy clothes, the skirt and blouse in a plastic bag. He hovered by the truck and as his mother opened it up, he reached over and stuffed the plastic bag into Tracy's bag.
Vance and his mother retrieved their bags and the three of them walked around the townhouses to the front door of Shelly and Frank's place. Troy stood behind them, his eyes focused on the ground. He wished he had the courage to have been Tracy here, but he knew that Frank and his Father were as close as his mother and Aunt Shelly were. He could only guess how fast his father would know.
Maggie rang the doorbell and a minute later the door opened up, showing a slightly chubby woman who was just under five foot tall. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail and she worn a simple floral print muumuu. “Maggie!” She stepped out and Maggie bent slightly at the knees so they could hug.
“Shelly!” Maggie stood up and smiled, then looked in the house. “Frank's not here?”
“He had some running around to do today.” Shelly said as Maggie moved slightly, allowing Vance to step up. “Hello Vance.” He bent slightly too, but less then his mother had.
“Aunt Shelly.” He gave her a smile as she kissed his cheek. It was the one thing that both boys liked about her. She may kiss their cheeks, but she never pinched their cheeks like some of their other relatives did.
Shelly stepped out to the glum looking boy at the end of the line. The two of them were about the same height. He was one of the few people that she was taller then. “Hello Troy.” She put her arms around him and kissed his cheek.
“Hello.” He replied, trying to muster some excitement in his voice, but he failed.
She noticed, but never said anything. “Well come on in.” She gestured to the door. “Vance? Can you and Troy take your bags to the Guest bedroom, the one your mother stays in? I'd like to talk to Maggie for a moment.”
“Sure.” Vance held out a hand as his mother offered him her bag. The two boys walked inside and went up the stairwell to the second floor. Shelly closed the front door and looked at Maggie.
“So no Tracy?” Shelly asked.
“No, and I told her it'd be okay.” Maggie sighed.
“It that why he was so glum?” Shelly glanced to the door, making sure it was still shut.
Maggie nodded. “Tracy was so lively on the way down here. I think she talked from home to Tracy, the town, where she changed. Once she changed, Troy was miserable.” She shook her head. “Maybe I shouldn't have let her be Tracy for the ride.”
“Why not?” Shelly shrugged. “Maybe he needed to be her for the ride to get his confidence. You know how many people like him are scared to even leave their homes?”
“But what do we do now? It's like someone flipped a switch when he got those jeans on.” Maggie wiped at her eyes before a tear could run down her cheek. “I....” She drew in a breath and shut her eyes for a moment. “I just want my baby happy.”
Shelly hugged her again. “Do you trust me?”
Maggie nodded. “Yeah.”
“Then let me try something. I'll play it by ear, but I got an idea.” Shelly gestured to the door. “Come on, lets get inside.”
It was late in the afternoon when Shelly and Maggie went up the stairs to the room that Troy and Vance were sharing. Both Maggie and Vance had been downstairs since they had arrived, but Troy had stayed upstairs. According to Vance he had been lying on the bed since he put his bag down, looking at the wall.
They went to the second guest bedroom and they saw Troy laying on his side, back to the door. Shelly walked into the room and touched his shoulder. “Hey, you okay?”
“Yeah.” He said without moving his head to look at her. “Just feeling blah.”
“I can understand. Everyone had bad days.” Shelly said as she sat on the edge of the bed. “You want to talk about it?”
He tired to shake his head, but as he was lying down, the movement was halted by the pillow. “Not really.”
“Baby, it's okay.” Maggie said. This caused Troy to roll over and look at his mother and aunt.
His Aunt put a hand on his shoulder. “I'm not going to lie to you. I never have before.” He made eye contact with her and she gave a comforting smile. “Your mother called me yesterday. She told me about what was going on.”
Troy looked at his mother, tears forming in his eyes. The anger came fast for the young child. “You told her? You said you wouldn't tell no one! You lied to me!” He rolled back over and faced the wall. “Just leave me alone.”
“Troy.” Shelly began to speak.
“Just leave me, please?” He made a sniffling sound as he lay there. He could feel her get up from the edge of the bad.
“No.” Shelly replied in a soft tone. “I want you to listen to what I have to say, then I'll leave you alone.” She was quiet for a moment, he didn't reply, so she continued. “I was hoping to see Tracy here this weekend. It's not that we don't want to see Troy, but I hear that my niece, Tracy, is a fun and friendly girl. Your mother told me because she trusts my judgment. If you're worried that I'll attack you for being Tracy, you're wrong. Frank won't either. His brother is gay and we both have friends like you.”
“I wanted to meet my niece. I even have some clothes that I feel Tracy may like.” Shelly said as she got up. “Just take a look in the closet in the other guest bedroom if you want. But mostly, just be who you want to be here. I want you happy, not mopey. We'll be downstairs if you want to join us.”
Shelly walked out of the room, gently shutting the door. As they got to the bottom step, Maggie spoke quietly. “Think she'll do it?”
“Who knows Maggs.” Shelly replied. “I mean it. I want her happy and right now, she's not.”
“It's all my fault.” Maggie shook her head. “I should have told her that you two were okay with this. I tried, but she was scared.”
“I just hope I didn't screw things up.” Shelly said as the two women took seats in the living room. Maggie took a love seat, Vance was leaned back in a chair, while Shelly had a couch to herself. They all sat there for a while, watching TV with Vance.
Half an hour later, they could hear movement in the upstairs bedroom, but neither women moved. Twenty minutes after that, Tracy made her way down the stairs. She had on a purple dress that had been in the closet. Her hair was pulled into pigtails and held there with purple hair scrunchies. Shelly looked over and nodded, giving her a big smile. She stopped at the bottom of the steps, Her mothers back was to her, so she draped her arms around her mothers neck and kissed her cheek. “I'm sorry Mama.” She whispered.
“Why?” Maggie turned her head to face the girl better.
“For getting mad.” Tracy replied.
“Honey, everyone get's mad.” Maggie said. “I can't fault you for that.”
“Thank you Mama.” She said.
“Well, let's see my niece.” Shelly turned from the TV, so did Vance. Tracy came around the loveseat and stopped, turning in a circle for them.
“Whoa, nice dress.” Vance replied.
Tracy smiled at him. “Thanks. It was in that closet.”
“I'm glad you came down.” Shelly said as Tracy moved closer. The little woman got off her couch and put her arms around her niece. “I know it may seem scary, but if you let fear control you, then you'll miss a whole world out there.”
“I guess.” Tracy replied.
“It's true.” Shelly replied. “Now do you think you'll be able to face your Uncle Frank?”
“Will he tell Dad?” Tracy bit her lower lip.
“No. I won't let him.” Shelly replied. Maggie stayed quiet. She had already informed Shelly about her talk with William, but Tracy still had no idea. “But he may have a surprise for you too, when he gets here.”
“Really?” Tracy looked wary. “Like what?”
“I'll wait, in case he couldn't get it.” Shelly said. “No point in getting your hopes up. But I need to make one thing perfectly clear. Will you listen to me?”
“Yeah.” Tracy shook her head.
“No, I mean really listen to me.” Shelly replied. “Listen and believe me.”
Tracy thought about it for a moment, then she replied. “Yeah, I'll listen.”
“And believe?”
Tracy smiled. “Yeah, I'll believe.”
“Here's what I got to say.” Shelly led Tracy to the couch and they sat down. She turned to face Tracy and she spoke clearly. “You are safe here. No one will attack you for being who you want to be in my house. If they do, I break their legs. Understand me?”
Tracy nodded. “Yes.”
“You don't need to hide when your Uncle comes home. You can be Tracy full time while your here. Do you want that? All the way till your almost home on Monday. Do you want that?” She asked, smiling as she did.”
Tracy's smile returned and got bright. “Yeah.”
“Good.” Shelly put a hand on Tracy's shoulder. “Now would you be willing to go out to eat with us while you're here?” Tracy's smile faded a bit, then Shelly spoke up again. “Remember, you're planning on going to Frisco like that. You'll be eating out with tons of strangers, walking with them and trust me young lady.” Shelly's smile widened. “You totally look like an eleven year old girl. No one will suspect.”
Tracy thought about it for a moment or two. She had planned to be Tracy, but hadn't planned on eating while in San Francisco. Then she remembered the trip down and stopping at a McDonald’s to use the bathroom. No one had questioned her there.
“Okay. I'll go.” She replied.
“Good. We're having Pizza tonight, but one of these nights, we'll be eating out.”
Tracy was about to reply when the sound of a key in the door lock hit her ears. She turned to face the door, going slightly pale. Shelly seen it and squeezed with the hand that rested on her shoulder. “Relax. It's going to be okay.”
A moment later A tall man, standing about six and a half feet tall walked in. Tracy knew some people found it funny that he was tall and thin and Shelly was short and chubby, but having known them all her life, she never cared. His hair was kept short and he never wore a beard of mustache. He had a large duffel bag over one shoulder and a couple boxes of pizza in his arms. He scanned the room, then moved to the table that sat near the kitchen entrance to set down the food and bag.
As he came back he offered a hand to Vance. “Young man.” He said as Vance looked up, smiled and shook it. “I got something to show you tomorrow.” The older man said with a big grin.
“Awesome.” Vance smiled at him, before turning his attention to the TV again.
Then he moved to Maggie. “Maggie, it's good to see you.” He gave her a light hug. When he let her go, he moved around the coffee table in the center of the room till he stood next to Tracy, who had begun to shake.
“And this must be my beautiful niece.” He bent down slightly and brushed a lock of hair from her face. “Can I get a hug young lady?” Tracy blushed as she slowly stood up and put her arms around him.
“Hello Uncle Frank.” Tracy said in a soft voice.
As he let her go, he dropped to one knee and smiled, looking her over. “Hello Tracy.”
“You pick up the other item?” Shelly asked, looking from him to the duffel bag, then back.
He pointed to the door. “Still outside.”
“What....what's outside?” Tracy asked as the door was pushed open.
“Yeah, I know that now. I was young and stupid and I messed up big.” Rachel said. “But I understand, at least I think I do.” She patted at the seat once more, this time Tracy sat down.
“How? I barely understand it. I...I just want to feel right.” Tracy said. “I used to think that being Tracy was a release, the chance to not be Troy.” She shook her head and looked at her feet. “Now....hell I hated the fact I felt that I needed to be Troy when I was here. I can't wait for the weekends where my Grandfather is out of town so Tracy can be out.” Her eyes misted up and she just sat there.
“Hey. No need for the tears.” Rachel slid closer and slipped an arm around Tracy.
Tracy leaned into Rachel. “I don't know what's wrong with me.”
“I do.” Rachel replied. This caused Tracy to look up at her. “You're finding yourself.”
November 26th 1982
Livermore California
The door opened all the way and two girls, one who looked slightly familiar to Tracy, came in. The familiar one was a bit taller then she was, but about her body size. She wore a black skirt and white top. Then Tracy recalled who she was. Rachel, Frank's youngest niece. It had been almost three years since the last time they had seen each other. The girl next to her had pale skin and bright red hair. She wore a pair of girls jeans with pink flowers on the front and back, a baggy floral shirt and a pair of glasses.
Tracy began to try and hide in the couch when Rachel saw her. She gasped and ran over to Tracy, looking her up and down. “I was right, you look so cute in that.” She squealed out. “Did you like it? The rest of the clothes I mean?”
Tracy looked slightly confused, so she turned to her Aunt. Shelly just smiled. “Rachel overheard me when I talked to your mother. Those clothes upstairs were hers. She brought them over this morning.”
“Oh.” Tracy replied.
Rachel smiled at her. “I thought you'd like them. They don't fit me too well anymore.” The girl took a seat next to Tracy and her friend moved closer into the room. “I was wondering if you'd like to hang out tonight, if you don't got anything going on that is.”
Tracy wasn't sure what to do. A part of her wanted to say yes. She had never been invited to hang out with the girls, not before. And most of the ones she knew wouldn't let her anyway. She looked to her mother who shrugged. “It's you choice. Well you, Shelly and Frank.”
“Oh We're fine with it.” Shelly said.
“Please say yes.” Rachel began to hop in place.
“I've never really hung out with a girl before.” Tracy admitted before biting her lower lip.
“That's not true.” Rachel said. “You've hung out with me and my sister, Jamie, before.”
Tracy turned to her Aunt, then leaned closer. “She...she knows about me?” The girl whispered.
“She did over hear.” Shelly whispered back, not that it mattered.
“I know, but I don't care. Remember, I met you before.” Rachel whispered into her ear. “But that wasn't the real you.” She leaned back and gestured to Tracy. “This is the real you.”
“What do you mean?” Tracy asked. “I'm always the real me.”
Rachel gave a light chuckle. “No.....” She looked around the room, then at Tracy. “Can I talk to you alone? Outside really quick?”
Tracy looked unsure, but her mother was right there and she wanted to know what Rachel had meant. Plus if it gave her the chance to hang out with two girls, she'd do it. “Okay.” She replied. Rachel stood up and offered her a hand, then the two girls went out the sliding door to the patio, shutting the door behind them so they had privacy.
Rachel moved to the far end of the patio, aware that those inside were somewhat watching. She sat on a covered seat swing and patted the other side. “Thank you for wanting to listen.”
“It..it's no problem.” Tracy just stood there, questions galore running though her mind. “But what did you mean, that wasn't the real me?”
“You don't remember, do you?” Rachel asked, looking at her closely. She sighed, “Six or so years ago, when you, Vance my sister and I were playing in the park across the street from here? I remember you saying to me that you were a girl. I never really understood what was going on. I remember asking you about it three years ago, but you got mad at me.”
Tracy looked back in her memories, well, Troy's memories and there is was. Something she had done her best to forget about. Rachel had said something and Vance had heard. He had teased Troy for the next three weeks. But the more she though about it, the more she recalled being in a small park, swinging on a swing set and talking with Rachel. “I got mad because Vance heard and he teased me.”
“Yeah, I know that now. I was young and stupid and I messed up big.” Rachel said. “But I understand, at least I think I do.” She patted at the seat once more, this time Tracy sat down.
“How? I barely understand it. I...I just want to feel right.” Tracy said. “I used to think that being Tracy was a release, the chance to not be Troy.” She shook her head and looked at her feet. “Now....hell I hated the fact I felt that I thought I needed to be Troy when I was here. I can't wait for the weekends where my Grandfather is out of town so Tracy can be out.” Her eyes misted up and she just sat there.
“Hey. No need for the tears.” Rachel slid closer and slipped an arm around Tracy.
Tracy leaned into Rachel. “I don't know what's wrong with me.”
“I do.” Rachel replied. This caused Tracy to look up at her. “You're finding yourself.”
“I am?” She sniffled.
“I think so.” Rachel replied. “I want you to meet someone. Will you?”
“They wont make fun of me, will they?” Tracy asked.
“Not at all.” Rachel turned to face the large sliding glass window and she began waving till she caught her Uncle's attention.
He came over to the door and slid it open. “You two okay out here?”
“Yeah, could you send Sage out here?” Rachel asked.
“Yeah, we'll keep the pizza warm for you two, just don't take too long, I'm starving,” He gave them a smile before ducking back inside.
“He is the coolest Uncle ever.” Rachel said. Tracy just nodded.
The thin girl slid the door open and stepped out, shutting it behind her. “Hey.” She said as she walked over to them.
“Tracy, this is Sage.” Rachel gestured to the girl with them. “She's totally cool.”
“Sage?” Tracy raised one eyebrow.
“Not my choice. My parents were hippies in the sixties.” She laughed. “You should meet my brother Moonglow and my sister Andromeda, they got it worse. At least my name means wise.”
“Or an herb.” Tracy smiled.
“That too.” The girl nodded.
“Look, neither of us will judge you. I told Sage about you already Tracy. She's the one who helped me understand what the hell I did to you three years ago.” Rachel said, moving Tracy to the center of the seat of Sage could sit down.
“She...understands?” Tracy was confused. “How? I don't understand it myself.”
Sage reached for Tracy's hands and she held them. She wasn't sure she wanted to give her the full story, not without a lot of explaining. So she went with what Tracy knew. “I understand because I was born a boy too.”
Tracy looked closely at the other girl. She couldn't see it. “So...” She was at a loss for a moment, then her mind began working on the easy questions first. “Sage is your girls name?”
“Nope. I go by Sage if I'm a boy too.” She replied with a smile. “I've met a few other hippy kids and Sage can be either boy or girl name, so why change.”
“You got an easy one. I got stuck with Troy.” Tracy replied.
“Yeah. But you got to pick your real name, right?” Sage asked.
“No my parents....oh OH. You mean Tracy?” She asked, the other two girls nodded. “Yeah, I picked it.”
“See. You got an awesome name.” Sage smiled at her.
“So, you used to be a boy?” Tracy asked as more questions filtered from her mind.
“I'm different. Nothings been removed or changed yet. I just don't conform to one way of thinking.” Sage took a seat, but held one hand up and she tired to look smart or mystical. “Sage is who he, or she, wishes to be. I like to be on both sides of the fence. At least for now, till I choose.”
Tracy nodded as she thought about what she had said, some of it passing over her head. “I used to think that I only dressed like this to relax. But it's become more.”
“Like maybe, Tracy is who you should have been?” Sage asked.
“Yeah. See we stopped in Tracy...” The two other girls began to snicker. Tracy shook her head and smiled. “The town, and I changed back into Troy and I hated it. I didn't want to be in those clothes anymore.” Tracy replied.
“So then just be Tracy.” Sage replied. “Your mother knows. Seems like your brother is okay with it too.”
“Mom's been super cool. Vance...I don't know. He's been okay, but I'm waiting for him to hate me again.”
Sage nodded. “Brothers are like that.” She agreed.
“So what do you think? Can we hang out? Maybe a sleepover?” Rachel asked.
“You mean...You'd want to hang out with me? Even thought I'm not really a girl?” Tracy asked.
Sage held up a hand to stop Rachel. “Um, Tracy, there's two of us here born different. She's slept over at my place a lot. Heck, we got like three other friends who'd have been here tonight, but their out of town visiting relatives. So tonight it's just be us, three normal girls having fun.”
“Three...normal...” Tracy repeated and her eyes began to tear up even more. “I don't think any of the girls back home would even talk to me.”
Sage stood, then pulled her to her feet. Her arms wrapped around Tracy, Then Rachel stood and hugged Tracy from the other side. “Who cares about them. If they can't accept you, you don’t need 'em.” Sage stated. While they hugged the sound of a stomach gurgling broke the mood. The three girls began to snicker. “Okay, I think one of us needs to eat.” She said with a laugh.
The hug broke up and the three girls headed inside. Maggie and Vance were sitting at the table with Shelly. Frank was eating in the kitchen, hovering over the counter. “Everything better?” Maggie asked her daughter as the three girls took a seat. Tracy was still wiping at her eyes as she sat.
“Yeah.” She smiled at Sage and Rachel, then she looked at her mother and Aunt. “Can we have a sleepover?” She asked. She decided to play her best chance for getting it approved. “I've never had one before and they don't mind about the Troy thing.”
“I don't mind. In fact I expected it.” Shelly replied.
“Awesome possum.” Sage replied. This caused both Vance and Tracy to stare at her. She smiled at them. “What? I did say I have hippy parents.”
“So what are you three going to do?” Maggie asked.
“Well there's MTV, if Aunt Shelly don't mind.”
“I don't.” The shorter woman replied.
“Awesome.” Rachel said with a grin.
“What's MTV?” Tracy asked. Both Rachel and Sage's jaw dropped as both of them faced her.
“You're joking, right?” Rachel asked.
“The Cable music channel?” Sage prodded her.
“We don't have cable. We only have like two channels back at home.” Tracy blushed and held her head down in shame.
“That's okay. We'll introduce you to it tonight.” Rachel got up and opened up the duffel bag that lay close. She pulled out a bottle of pills, and opened it up. She removed one and then dropped the pills back in the bag. She moved it closer to the table as she took her medication. She noticed Tracy was watching her.
“Are you sick?” Tracy asked.
“Naw.” Rachel shook her head. “It's for my Epilepsy. I get Petit Mal seizures.”
“Oh, is that something I can get?” Tracy asked.
Rachel laughed. “Not unless you take part of my brain.”
“Sweetie, that's what I got, but I have the Grand Mal seizures.”
“Oooohhh. I forgot what that was called.” Then Tracy looked into the bag. “What's all's in there?”
Rachel pulled out a pink plastic box. “Makeup. If you're mother is okay, we can give each other makeovers.”
“As long as it can wash off.” Maggie replied. “I'm not a fan of girls under sixteen wearing makeup, but for this one night, I'll break that rule.”
“Thank you Mama.” Tracy said.
“I also got my Walkman and a bunch of tapes in here. I don't know what you listen to, but I got a lot of new stuff, like the Go-Go's and Cyndi Lauper.”
“Are they good?” Tracy asked.
Sage smiled. “They're great. You've never heard their music?”
“I...I kind of control the music at the house.” Maggie said. “I don't want them hearing bad influences.” And it was true. She controlled their television viewing too, to a point. Not that you had a lot of choice with just two channels.
“My mom's the same way.” Rachel replied. “She'll listen to a tape before I get to have it.”
“Well, then, I guess it's okay. But back home I'll still want to hear what your listening to.” Maggie said, looking to her daughter, then she looked at her son. “That goes for you as well. Let me hear it and we can discuss if I'll allow it.”
“Okay Mama.” Tracy answered again.
“Yeah.” Vance said as he stuffed a piece of pizza in his mouth.
An hour or two later Tracy sat on a stool in the bathroom. She wore a borrowed nightgown, having left all of her Tracy sleepwear back home. So she ended up with a tie-dyed T-shirt that went to just above her knees from Sage. The other two girls stood behind her, working on her hair while they gave her advice on the makeup.
“Remember, a little is a lot.” Sage said as she showed her how to apply the blush.
“Says the hippy girl.” Rachel replied.
“I'd rather have a little makeup on, then look like a clown.” The redhead stuck her tongue out to the mirror.
“So who all knows about Tracy?” Rachel asked, before sticking her tongue out at Sage.
“Well, Mom, Vance, my grandma, my best friend Peter.” Tracy counted off each person on her fingers. “Aunt Shelly and Uncle Frank, plus you two.”
“What does Peter think?” Sage asked. “Is he okay with it?”
“Yeah.” Tracy nodded. “He's been really cool about it.”
“What about your Grandma?”
“She helped Bring Tracy to life. She's been there for all the big problems.” Tracy replied.
Sage put a hand on Tracy's shoulder. “Wrong. She didn't bring Tracy to life, she just helped bring her out into the open.”
Tracy smiled. “Yeah. I see that now.”
Sage looked at her reflection and leaned in close. “You look pretty.”
Tracy's cheeks turned a deep red and she seemed to shrink in place. “Thanks.”
“Come on Vance. I got something to show you.” He stood up and led Vance through the kitchen to the garage. He shut the door to the kitchen and flipped on the light switch. There in the center of the garage was a large car shaped lump under a tarp. “Now I got a few rules involving this. No eating. And no sitting on it.”
With that, Frank pulled the trap off, revealing a light blue mid sixties muscle car. He folded the tarp up the best he could and put it in a corner. “This is my baby. A nineteen sixty five Pontiac GTO.” He gestured to the drivers door. “Go ahead. Hop on in.”
Vance stood there for a moment, mesmerized by the gleaming beauty. Then he slowly went to the drivers door and opened it up. “This is cool.” He said as he slid into the drivers seat.
This chapter will focus on the two Patterson kids. A mix of Vance an Tracy and the fun they have around the Livermore/Dublin areas
November 27th 1982
Livermore California
The sun peeked through the window of the room that Vance was to share with Tracy. He didn't want to get up, but the smell of bacon cooking made sure he wasn't getting any more sleep. He looked around, he noticed her bed was empty. Then he remembered the other two girls who had come over the evening before. He rolled out of the bed, adjusting his pajamas and he headed for the kitchen, planning to stop at the bathroom first.
He passed his Aunt's bedroom and he could hear his mother talking to his Aunt through the closed door, but he didn't stop to listen. As he made his way down the steps he could hear the two other girls talking with his sister. In the living room he could see a sleeping bag and a couple of blankets and pillows. His Uncle Frank sat in a chair, facing the TV, drinking coffee and occasionally looking at a newspaper. Vance waved at the older man and headed to the kitchen, stopping at the door as he saw the three girls taking up most of the kitchen.
All three were still in their nightgowns. Tracy was in front of the stove, still wearing the tie-dyed nightgown she had the night before. Closest to the kitchen door was Sage, who was also wearing a tie-dyed nightgown. She worked the toaster, pulling toast and buttering them, then starting more. On the other side of the tiny kitchen, Rachel was busy pulling eggs from the 'fridge, was in a bright pink nightgown.
“Hey Vance, you want something to drink?” Rachel asked. This caused the other two girls to look in his direction and smile. He was still older then them, but he began to consider an upside to this. If Tracy was to be around more often, that meant more girls in the house. He could handle that.
“Sure. Is there apple juice?” He asked.
“Yep.” Rachel pulled a cup from the cupboard and filled it, then passed it off to Sage, who handed it to him.
“Here ya go.” She said with a grin. He took the offered cup and went to the table. Sage peeked her head around the door frame. “Hey, Mr. Frank. Your foods up.”
“Ah, good.” Frank got up and went to the table. He sat across from Vance and put his coffee down. He knew better then to argue with three women.
“Can we put MTV back on?” Sage asked with a huge grin.
“For now. But when Shelly comes down, she may take over the TV.” He replied.
Sage brought out another plate and left it in front of Vance, then she went to the TV and switched the channel.
After the guys had finished their breakfast, Shelly and Maggie came down the steps. The two guys moved to the living room, leaving the kitchen table free for the girls. As they watched one of the early morning videos, Frank looked at Vance. “So, what's your plan for the day?”
“I don't know. Are you doing anything?” Vance asked.
“Well Shelly is taking your mother and the girls shopping. So I was wondering if you'd like to hang out with me.”
“Sure, doing what?” Vance asked.
“Come on Vance. I got something to show you.” He stood up and led Vance through the kitchen to the garage. He shut the door to the kitchen and flipped on the light switch. There in the center of the garage was a large car shaped lump under a tarp. “Now I got a few rules involving this. No eating. And no sitting on it.”
With that, Frank pulled the trap off, revealing a light blue mid sixties muscle car. He folded the tarp up the best he could and put it in a corner. “This is my baby. A nineteen sixty five Pontiac GTO.” He gestured to the drivers door. “Go ahead. Hop on in.”
Vance stood there for a moment, mesmerized by the gleaming beauty. Then he slowly went to the drivers door and opened it up. “This is cool.” He said as he slid into the drivers seat.
“I know. I had one of these a few years after they first came out. My Dad helped me get it. But back then I was a stupid kid and I wrecked it. So I found one some years back and for the past five years, I've been rebuilding it here in the garage.” Frank replied. “I figured you may want to cruise around today, plus there's a get together happening for one of the car clubs in town. I figured you'd want to do that, more then going shopping with your sister and Mother.”
“Yeah.” Vance replied as his fingers felt the steering wheel. “I'd like that. I hate shopping.”
“I hear ya.” Frank stood up. “Well then, you best go upstairs and get changed. Take a shower if you want, before the girls take the hot water. Grab a coat, in case it rains. We'll meet up with them for dinner.”
“Okay.” Vance replied, reluctantly getting out from behind the wheel. “Can I drive it later?” He said, smiling as big as he could.
“Ummmm. No. ” Frank looked at him and shook his head. “You're thirteen and you can't legally drive yet.”
“Awww.” And with that Vance headed back into the house.
The girls all piled into the back of Shelly's station wagon as a case of the cold feet hit Tracy for the tenth time in the past hour. “What if people know I'm not a girl?” She asked.
Sage chuckled. “Are you going to strip?”
“No.” Tracy said as her cheeks turned a deep red.
“Well then don't worry about it. I'm at the mall with Rachel a lot and no one knows about me.” The redhead replied.
“Yeah. It's going to be busy, so no one will care about just you, other then us.” Rachel replied. “Just remember to watch which restroom you go into.”
“Yeah. That would cause a little trouble.” Sage replied. “So you looking for anything?”
“Not really. I don't have too much money with me.” Tracy said. “I don't get my money for shopping till next week I think. Maybe the week after.”
Maggie turned from her seat to look at the three girls. “I may be willing to help you out if you find something. Then you can pay me back when you get your money.”
“Awesome!” Tracy beamed from the back seat.
“Remember, after we're done, we're catching up with your Uncle and Vance for dinner.” Her Aunt Shelly stated.
“When do you two have to go home?” Tracy looked to the two girls on either side of her.
Rachel frowned. “We begged our moms and Aunt Shelly to let us stay another night, but My mom said no.”
“Aw.” Tracy slumped in her seat.
Rachel smiled at her. “So I asked her if you could come over to our place. And she said yes. I even asked your mom while you were in the shower.”
“I can go?” Tracy leaned forward.
Maggie nodded. “Yes. You seemed to be having fun last night. So why not. Besides, this beats you moping in your room because all you have is Vance to hang out with.”
“Cool.” Tracy said again. “So when do we go over?” Tracy asked.
Shelly glanced into the rear-view mirror for a moment. “After dinner. We'll stop by my place and get your stuff and their stuff too. Tomorrow, Persephone, Sage's mom will have you back at my place after noon.”
“Wait, Sage's mother?” Tracy asked. “Why not Rachel's mom?”
“We got Church at eight. She's not going to make you go, but she won't let me miss it.” Rachel replied. "So when you get up, you can walk down the street to Sage's house."
“Oh.” Tracy frowned some more.
“Hey, it's not the last time we'll see you. You mother said the next time she comes, she'll try to bring you and maybe in the summer we can hang out too.” Rachel stated. “Besides, it's not like you live in New York, plus we can always call.”
“Or write.” Sage put a hand on her shoulder. “And you get to meet my mother. That will be fun.”
“Maybe next time we can get the rest of the group to meet you.” Rachel said.
“Are they fun, like you two?” Tracy looked from one girl, to the next.
“They're....” Sage thought about it for a moment. “They're interesting.”
“So what do you think?” Frank asked as he raced his classic muscle car down the highway, behind him were several others from the car club, all headed out for a drive. His nephew sat in the passenger seat, huge smile on his face. A car pulled up next to them, the driving honked till both Frank and Vance looked in his direction, then the man in the other car flashed them a thumbs up and slowly pulled away from them.
“This is awesome.” Vance replied. “You know that guy?”
“Not at all, but a lot of people love the older cars, that happens all the time. You should see the Friday night cruises in the summer.” Frank looked in his mirrors, then with a big grin, he dropped the car down a gear and stomped his foot to the floor. The engine roared and the car streaked forward, passing the man who had just passed them like he was standing still. Vance began to laugh wildly in the passenger seat. Frank shifted into the next gear and merged lanes. Behind them, a few of the others took up the chase.
“This is so much better then shopping!” Vance exclaimed.
“Isn’t it!” Frank waited a couple of miles till he took his foot off the gas and headed for the off ramp. “Hey, you hungry?” He asked as they slowed down for a traffic light.
“Yeah. But I thought you said no eating in the car?” Vance replied.
“We'll eat outside. I know a great hotdog place.” Frank said, headed into the town of Dublin. As they got to a red light, one of the other cars, a thirty two coupe pulled up along side and Frank rolled down the window. “Hey, the kid is hungry. Want to grab a bite?”
“Caspers?” The man in the other car asked.
“Yeah.” Frank and Vance watched as the man in the other car turned and called out to the car behind him. Word spread through out their convoy.
Frank looked to Vance. “Better then a phone.” He joked. “Wait till you see what happens when we stop.”
“What will happen?” Vance asked.
“You'll see.” Frank smiled as they pulled into the lot and backed into a parking space near the road. The other cars slowly pulled in and copied them. It was getting a bit windy as Vance and Frank got out of the car, so the teen pulled his windbreaker out and threw it on. They went in and ordered, then as they got their food, they all took up a spot outside, near their cars. People passing by began pulling in at the last second and soon a large group was looking over all of the old muscle cars.
After a while Frank pulled Vance away from the crowd. They sat at a picnic table where they could still see the cars. “Hey, I wanted to talk to you about all of this.”
“The cars?” Vance smiled as he watched the crowds.
“No, the whole thing with your...” Frank wasn't sure how to call his sibling. “Well with Tracy and Troy.”
“Oh.” Vance lost his smile. “I...don't know.”
“You don't know what?” Uncle Frank asked.
Vance sighed. “A part of me doesn't care. If he wants to wear a dress, let him. But Mom and Grandma seem to care for him more then me. They let him get away with more.”
“Do they? I hear he's doing more around the house. Are you doing much in the fields for the winter?”
Vance looked down. “Not really.”
“I don't think they love him more then you. But the situation that he or she is in is a bit harder then your life. So yeah, they may dote on him more. But don't think they hate you.” Frank replied. “Have you seen any good things about her being Tracy?”
“Well if he...I mean she gets more girl friends, that would be cool to have girls at the house.” Vance smiled. “That Sage was cute.”
Frank raised an eyebrow, but let his next comment slide. He knew the truth about the redhead, but he wasn't sure that it was to be public knowledge. “I guess so.” He smiled. “Have you thought about the benefits to her staying Tracy?”
“Like more girls at the house?” Vance asked.
“No, like her becoming more confident? More of her own person. A sister who'd love you?” Frank offered.
“I haven't really thought about that.” The teen shook his head. “A part of me just isn't sure, you know?”
“Yeah. I know.” Frank put a hand on Vance's shoulder. “Your brother...sister...” He took a deep breath. “From what your mother and Aunt told me this morning, Tracy may be around a lot more. She's finding herself and she may need her brother in the years to come.”
“What do you mean?” Vance asked.
“Simple. She's going to have a tough time as she grows. She'll need all of us to help her find herself.” Frank replied. “Tell you what, I'll let you think about what I've said. We'll talk more tomorrow, while we're driving.”
“Tomorrow? What's tomorrow?” Vance asked.
“I got a friend that has season tickets to the Forty Niner's. They play New Orleans tomorrow.”
“Really? I get to go to a game?!? At Candlestick?!?” Vance slowly stood up, a shocked look on his face.
“Yep.” Frank stated. “Come on kiddo. Let's get going. We can cruise a bit more, if that's okay with you.”
“Yeah.” Vance stood up and straightened his coat. “I'd like that.”
As they walked to the car, Frank cast a glance at him "Oh and if your aunt and mother ask, I never broke the speed limit once. Got it?" He gave the teen a conspiratorial grin.
Vance smiled back. He knew the trouble Uncle Frank would be in, then he'd never get to ride in the car again. "Right. Safe all the way here." He stated.
William woke up around seven on Sunday morning to a quiet house. He went through the usual morning routine. Bathroom, breakfast and he was now sitting in front of the TV, feeling slightly unnerved from the silence his house had. He needed to talk to his wife and son. But they were no where around.
He sat there for what felt like an eternity, till he finally stood up and got dressed. A few minutes later he was standing on the porch to his parents house. He knocked, unsure if his parents were awake. He waited for a minute and was about to leave when the door opened up. His mother looked out at him and smiled. “Hello Son.”
“Hey Mom.” He replied, slumping his shoulders as he did.
“Everything okay?” She asked. She knew that Maggie had told him about Tracy. So she knew the battle he was having in his mind, at least she thought she knew.
“Nah. I....” He sighed. “I don't know. But I was going to see if you could have Dad keep an eye on my place. I need to talk to Maggie and Troy and they're in Livermore.”
As promised, a little time with William and a glimpse at Modines house.
November 27 1982
Northern California
William wasn't sure how he made it through his double shift, much less his second one in two days. Through out the day his thoughts remained on his youngest son. He wasn't sure what to do, or if he should do anything at all. If he went with how he was raised, he'd take to using the belt to straighten the child out. Back in the early sixties boys didn't wear dresses, not without consequences. If he had done it, his father would have beat him, or sent him to an asylum to get straightened out. Or he would have just left the kid to his own devices against the other boys his age.
Maggie and Modine had taken the time, on several occasions now, to remind him that it wasn't the sixties. Things were different. So he was willing to let Maggie take the reins on this. She seemed to have a plan. But to him, the plan was moving too slow for his tastes.
He was headed for the office of the mill to clock out. It had been a long tiring day. He just wanted to go home and sleep, but he knew he'd end up thinking about his son again. He was just to the door when a thin man came jogging up. His hair was white, what hair was left. Time had been kind to his features. He was one of the few bosses that most of the regular workers actually liked. “Hey Will.” He slowed his pace till he fell into step with William. “Can I have a word.”
“Yeah Steven, what's up?” Will asked without stopping.
“That was going to be my question.” He gestured Will to step into an office. As he shut the door, Will leaned against the wall. “Are you okay? You've been out of it for the past two days. Hell, you almost cause several accidents in the past five hours. So what's happening?” He crossed the room and sat on the edge of his desk.
William sighed. “Trouble at home.” He said. “Been trying to think things through.”
“Anything I can do to help?” Steve asked.
“I don't even know what I can do.” Will replied.
“Look, I can't have you in a forklift like this. It's nothing personal, but I just can't let you do it.” Steven drummed his fingers on the desk. “You still got some sick time, right?”
“I haven't taken a sick day in well over ten years.” Will replied.
“Take one, please.” Steve suggested. “You still have Monday and Tuesday off, this gives you three days to talk to your wife, or the kids, whoever is causing the problem. Then you can come back on Wednesday.”
“Steve, it was just today...” William began, but his supervisor cut him off.
“Yesterday too.” Steven pointed out. “Look, I'm begging. Take the day off. It's not going to kill you. But the way you're headed, someone will get hurt. You're a great worker and a good man. But even good men get to have bad days.”
“Yeah.” William sighed.
“How much sleep did you get last night? Thursday night?” Steven asked.
“Not much, just kept tossing and turning.”
Steven nodded. “Then it's settled. Go home, get some sleep, don't come in tomorrow. You do and I send you home. Talk to the wife and kids, get some peace. Okay?”
William nodded. He didn't want to complicate matters and tell his boss that it wouldn't be possible till Tuesday, so he just stood up and held out a hand. “Thanks.” Steve shook it and smiled warmly at him.
“No problem. I'll put you down for a sick day now.” Steven turned to his desk and pulled out a white sheet of paper and began writing. “Go on home and find your head.”
November 28th 1982
William woke up around seven on Sunday morning to a quiet house. He went through the usual morning routine. Bathroom, breakfast and he was now sitting in front of the TV, feeling slightly unnerved from the silence his house had. He needed to talk to his wife and son. But they were no where around.
He sat there for what felt like an eternity, till he finally stood up and got dressed. A few minutes later he was standing on the porch to his parents house. He knocked, unsure if his parents were awake. He waited for a minute and was about to leave when the door opened up. His mother looked out at him and smiled. “Hello Son.”
“Hey Mom.” He replied, slumping his shoulders as he did.
“Everything okay?” She asked. She knew that Maggie had told him about Tracy. So she knew the battle he was having in his mind, at least she thought she knew.
“Nah. I....” He sighed. “I don't know. But I was going to see if you could have Dad keep an eye on my place. I need to talk to Maggie and Troy and they're in Livermore.”
Modine stepped out onto the porch and she shut the door. “I see. She told me you knew. Can I ask, what are you going to say?”
“I don't know. I've been thinking about it the past two days. Hell, I almost ran a guy over at work last night with the forklift.” He leaned against the door frame.
“Son, what will you do? Troy is in a bad place right now. Will you support him? Or shun him?” Modine asked.
He shook his head. “I don't want to lose my child. I don't totally understand everything, mostly because Maggie and I haven't talked much, but I don't want to lose Troy, or Tracy or whatever he goes by.”
“Then be there for her, or him, whichever he chooses. Don't push, just be there.” She replied.
“Thanks Mom.” He stood up and hugged her. As he turned to go he stopped on the top step. “Thanks for helping him so far. Thanks for being there.”
“It's my job. Grandma's never get a break.” She smiled at him. “Just drive safe.”
He nodded. “I will Mom.” He said as he headed for the gate.
Modine went back to the kitchen, aware that there was talking in the guest bedroom. One of her other sons children had come up for the holiday and had to stay with them. Joy had managed to make it up from LA, was halfway across the world in the Army and unable to make it home in time. She had even manged to bring one of Modine's great-grandchildren, Angie, who was just two years younger then Troy. Conner passed her with two suitcases, presumably headed for Joy's car.
She took her place at the kitchen table and resumed her crossword puzzle. A few moments later, Joy and her daughter came into the kitchen. “Hey Grandma. Just wanted to say bye.” Joy leaned down and hugged the older woman. “It's a long drive home and I want to get there before night.”
“You drive safe.” Modine hugged her back, then she leaned over and hugged Angie, her great grandchild. “And you be good.”
“I will.” Both Joy and her daughter said at the same time, which made the old woman smile.
She watched them both head for the door. A moment later Conner came in. He passed the kitchen and disappeared into the back of the house. He came back to the kitchen and dropped a nightgown and pair of girls panties on the table.
“Would you like to tell me what the hell this is about?” He asked. He was holding onto his temper, but just barely.
“It looked like Angie left some clothes.” Modine replied. “Catch them before she gets too far.”
He shook his head. “No. She brought it to me Friday morning. It's not hers. I've just been waiting till they left to ask you about it. Tell me Modine, is this Troy's?”
“Now why would you think it's his?” She asked.
“Because, he's the only one who uses that room on a weekly basis.” He held up the nightgown and let it fall open. “And it's about his size. And his brother wasn't sleeping over here, so it's not from that punishment.” Modine knew she was trapped. It was either lie or tell the truth and hope for the best. She sighed and put down her pencil, hoping she was about to make the right choice.
“Troy got a similar punishment.” Modine replied.
Conner regarded her for a moment, then he nodded. “I thought you'd say that. But while you were outside yesterday, I saw the other clothes in your closet. Vance kept that crap at his parents place. So tell me Modine, is my grandson a queer?”
“Would it matter if he was?” Modine glared at him.
“Modine, I will not allow a queer in my family.” Conner stood there, countering her glare with one of his own.
“What if he was? And I'm not saying he is, but what would you do? Kick his parent's off of property they own? Take him out back and beat him to death?” Modine stood up, her voice filled with anger.
“Maybe a good beating would straighten him out!” Conner growled. “He needs to learn to be a man! Not some dress wearing fagot!”
Modine took a step towards him, her voice and hands now shaking with rage. “You lay one hand on that boy and I won't defend you when the cops come and I'll make sure they show.”
He looked at her for a moment, then he backed up from her. “Fine. But I don't want that....that queer anywhere in my house.”
“It's. My. House. too.” She stated each word clearly. “Don't forget that.”
“Dammit it Modine! If you coddle that child he'll get worse!” Conner screamed. “It's dresses now, but what if he turns into a rapist because of it! Attacking women and children. You want to be a part of that!”
“OH! And what if taking him out back and beating the sense into him just makes him into an overbearing, close minded jackass?!? Will you be proud of him when he's in jail for attacking someone on the street just because of how he looks, or talks!”
“Dammit it. Now you're just being stupid!” He blurted out. He froze as the words left his lips. Between the two of them, she was the smarts, he was the brawn.
“Do I even know you?” She asked.
“Modine.” He swallowed hard and forced his anger back. “Look, I'm...I'm sorry, I didn't mean that.”
“Out. Now.” She took a step towards him. “Don't even come back in here till you've realized your mistake and I don't mean calling me stupid.”
“You're kicking me out?” He asked. “Where will I go? Who will keep an eye on you?” He asked, hoping to find a weak point.
“You've got a wood burning stove in your shed. Looks like you'll be there for a while.” Modine stated.
“Modine. Please, you need me in here.” He said.
“Do I? Do I really need a man who's more then willing to attack a boy who's forty years younger and smaller, just because you have outdated ideals?” Modine glared at him. “Just get out, now.” She hissed at him.
A little under four hours later William was pulling off the highway in Livermore. He had wished that he had called before he left, but it was still early and he didn't want to wake anyone. He knew it was bad idea to go and this could blow up in his face, but he needed to talk to his youngest child. His mind was finally made up on how to deal with his youngest child. He also didn't want Vance to feel left out, so he was thinking of things he could do with both children while he was there.
He pulled onto the main road Shelly and Frank lived off of and he begin to really worry about his decision. As he pulled into the parking lot for their town-homes, he didn't see Frank's normal daily driver. He thought about turning around and heading home, but he had to see Troy. He left the bag he has hastily packed in the passenger seat and he went around to the front door. He knocked, not too loudly, the scared part of him hoping that no one would have heard it and he could put it off till later.
He heard talking from the inside and then the door opened up, showing a very surprised Shelly at the door. “William?” She was stunned for a moment, he kept silent. “Come on in.” She said and she stepped to the side.
He stepped as his wife stood up from one of the nearby couches. “Is everything okay?” She asked. “I thought you worked today?”
“I did.” He replied, before letting out a deep breath. “But there was some problems yesterday and Steven begged me to take a sick day.”
Maggie blinked at that. She knew his record at work. He hadn't taken a day off due to illness in a long time, so this had to be bad. “What happened?”
“I couldn't focus. I kept thinking about what we talked about the other day.” He looked around the room, then at the stairs. “I almost cause a few accidents last night. So Steven made me take a day off, so I could get my head on.”
“You didn't....?” Maggie let the two words hang there. He didn't need anything else.
“No, I didn't hurt anyone.”
Maggie walked over and wrapped her arms around her husband. “Come on and sit down.”
“You hungry William? I got some eggs left in the fridge.” Shelly asked.
As if on cue, his stomach rumbled. He gave a slight nod. “I barely ate this morning, I couldn't focus.”
“Eggs it is then.” Shelly headed off to the kitchen.
“Come on and sit at the table, we can talk there.” Maggie said, leading him into the living room, then to the table.
“Is he here?” William asked as they passed the couches.
“No. Neither of them are here.” Maggie replied.
“Really? They off with Frank?”
“Just Vance. He has a friend with season tickets to the Forty Niners. They had a place for the two of them, so Frank took Vance.” Maggie said.
“Then where's Troy? Or is it Tracy?” He asked.
“It's Tracy this weekend and she's off with friends.” Maggie said with a smile.
“Friends? He, I mean she made friends over the weekend?” William blinked a couple of times. “Wow.”
“It was Rachel, Frank's niece? They've met many times. She heard Shelly talking to me the other day and she brought over a friend. A girl named Sage. They stayed here on Friday night. Then they stayed at Rachel's last night. Tracy will be back around noon today.”
“And you let her go?” William asked. “with people she barely knows?
“Shelly vouched for Sage and her parents. So I feel comfortable, plus she's only about half a mile from here and Frank's sister trusts those people with her two daughters.” Maggie said as she got up to get him a cup of coffee. “And you know how much guff she gave us when we offered to take them to lunch three years ago.”
William thought about it and chuckled. “I've never had a person who wasn't a cop take down all the information on my drivers license before.”
“Yeah, I remember.” Maggie smiled, then it faded. “So, why the surprise visit? I don't mind that you came here, but I'm not sure what's going on.”
“I wanted to talk to Tracy.” He said. “I've come up to a decision concerning her.”
"Oh?" Maggie failed to keep the concern out of her voice.
"Yeah." He nodded. "I'm giving her my full support."
Sage led Tracy down the street as Rachel passed them in her mothers van. Tracy felt bad for being able to still have fun, but she wasn't that religious and Rachel's mom refused to push her beliefs on her. Rachel waved and the two girls waved back.
“So was it fun?” Sage asked.
“What? Waving?” Tracy replied, looking at her new friend. She had gone over some of the stuff that Sage had said the past few days, things were slowly wonder what Sage's true story was.
Sage began to chuckle. “No you goof. A sleepover? Heck Two sleepovers?”
“That was great. You two are so much fun.” Tracy said. “I kinda wish I was a real girl like you two.”
Sage laughed. “Tracy, I'm as much of a girl as you are...well maybe more, but the way you act? The way you carry yourself? Total girl.”
November 27th 1982
Livermore CA
Tracy lay on a blanket in the center of Rachel's room, with another blanket draped over her. Sage and Rachel had joined her on the floor. Both of them having stolen more blankets. “Man, today was fun.” Sage said as she lay on her back, looking up at the ceiling.
“Oh yeah.” Rachel replied.
“I...” Tracy's voice wavered a little. “Thank you for inviting me.” She said, her voice cracking.
Sage heard it and she moved over, laying next to Tracy. “Hey, you okay?”
“It's just that you two are so accepting of me.” Tracy replied as she looked into Sage's eyes. From behind her, Rachel lay down and the two girls wrapped their arms over her. “You've answered so many questions. I don't think I can repay you two.”
“Hey, you need friends and we're here for you.” Rachel said as she moved closer.
“Just be our friend and were even.” Sage replied.
In all of her life, Tracy only had one friend, Peter. But now she had two more friends and they accepted her as Tracy. Now with them and her mother and grandmother, she was getting a lot of people to support her. She began to shed tears of joy. She reached out to Sage and pulled her closer as she backed into Rachel. “Thank you. Thank you both.”
November 28th 1982
Livermore CA
Sage led Tracy down the street as Rachel passed them in her mothers van. Tracy felt bad for being able to still have fun, but she wasn't that religious and Rachel's mom refused to push her beliefs on her. Rachel waved and the two girls waved back.
“So was it fun?” Sage asked.
“What? Waving?” Tracy replied, looking at her new friend. She had gone over some of the stuff that Sage had said the past few days, things were slowly wonder what Sage's true story was.
Sage began to chuckle. “No you goof. A sleepover? Heck Two sleepovers?”
“That was great. You two are so much fun.” Tracy said. “I kinda wish I was a real girl like you two.”
Sage laughed. “Tracy, I'm as much of a girl as you are...well maybe more, but the way you act? The way you carry yourself? Total girl.”
Tracy stumbled, but caught herself. There is was again, she had heard it. “Really?”
“Yeah, Total girl.” Sage replied.
“Cool” Tracy replied. “So...um.” She looked at the ground for a moment, then up at her new friend. “Are you just like me? I'm a boy, but I don't want to be. Things you've said, you said you could be a boy or a girl. ”
“I'm...” Sage paused as they turned onto a street that led them into a trailer park, just down the road from Rachel's place. “Can we discuss it in the house?” Sage asked. “It's really personal and I don't want people hearing about it. Too many people don't understand this.”
Tracy nodded ”Yeah. I would have asked yesterday, but I wasn't sure if it was okay.”
“Oh Rachel knows. Hell, her mom and my mom have been friends for years.”
“That's cool.” Tracy noticed where they were. “You live in a trailer park?”
Sage's cheeks turned a bit red and for the first time since Tracy met her, she saw shame on Sage's face. “Yeah. It's not as cool as Rachel's place, or even your Aunt's place, but it's home.”
“I think it's cool. My Grandma and Uncle Tom both have trailers, although they live on farms.” She chuckled. “You should see my parents place. It's so old, there's holes in the floor. My mom used to joke that it's air conditioned in the winter time. And we've had animals come crawling up through the bathroom floorboards.”
Sage turned to look at her. “Really?”
”Yep, I had a possum come up through the floorboards while I was going to the bathroom. And it really sucks because I share a room with Vance and it's almost as big as Aunt Shelly's bathroom. The one with a shower.”
“Ugh. That could get messy if you keep being a girl.” Sage stated. “I kinda have it good. I have both a sister and a brother, but I share with my sister. She just a few years younger. Although there was a time when I shared with Moonglow.”
Tracy's curiosity got the best of her. “Okay, I got to know. Does he go by that at school?”
“Not all the time. His Middle name is Marcus. So he went by that when the other kids picked on him.” Sage replied. “Mom's going to help him get a name change, if he wants it, but to me he'll always be my Moony.”
“Moony?” Tracy asked.
“Yep. He's my Moony, I'm his Goldie.” They stepped onto a driveway with a VW bus parked next to a trailer.
“Goldie?” Tracy lifted an eyebrow. “How does he get that from Sage?”
Sage stopped at the top of the steps to a trailer. “My Middle name is Marigold.” she opened the door and stepped in. “And Andromeda is Romy to Moony and I.”
“Cool.” They stopped just inside the door and Sage called out.
“Mom, I'm home.”
A thin woman in her mid forties peeked around a corner. She had a warm smile and crystal blue eyes, plus red hair that fell past her shoulders. “Hello darling.” When she saw Tracy, she stepped into the living room and walked over, extending her hand. “And you must be Tracy. I'm Sage's mom, Persephone. Sage told me about you over the phone.”
Tracy blushed and took the hand lightly and shook it gently. “Hi.”
“Are you two hungry?” Persephone asked.
“Nah, Rachel's mom fed us before they went to church.” Sage replied. "I was just going to talk to Tracy about that thing we share in common."
“Good. At least she has someone to help her." Persephone said. "Thirsty? I got soda's in the fridge and kool-aid, but you'll have to ask Romy about that. She's all about the kool-aid.”
“Maybe a soda?” Tracy asked.
“Sage, go ahead and grab some. I've got to get back to my sewing, so you two just let me know when it's time to take you home. Oh and send your sister to me when you see her, that will give you some privacy.”
“Sure thing, Mom.” Sage said as she led Tracy from the living room to the kitchen. Tracy took a quick stock of the main room and noticed something missing. As they stopped in the kitchen she hooked a thumb back to the living room. “You don't have a TV?”
“Nope. Dad swears it rots the mind. So we just have the radio, and lots of board games. Plus I love to read.”
“Oh. That's kinda cool. I know my mom limits how much we watch, claims the same thing, but Dad is always turning it on.” Tracy nodded. She looked around the kitchen, which was like any other kitchen, nothing out of place at all.
Sage reached into the refrigerator. “So, we have Shasta cola. You ever have that?”
Tracy nodded. “My Grandpa likes it. You got Grape?”
“Ah.” Sage reached in and pulled out two cans. “A girl after my own heart.” She handed Tracy a can then gestured to the hall. “Come on, I'll show you my room.”
“Okay.” Tracy said, not opening up her soda yet.
Tracy followed Sage to a room with a large picture of a moon on it. “That's my brothers room. I think he's off with friends today.” One the other side of the hall was two doors. One was open, showing a bathroom, the other was also open, and a bed could be seen. On the door was a picture of the herb Sage and hand drawn picture of a star. She pushed the door open and a small blur plowed into Sage's waist. The girl had long brown hair and wore a simple shirt and shorts combo.
“GOWIE!” The little girl screamed as she hugged her sister.
Tracy took a step back as Sage patted at the girls back. “Romy, this is my friend Tracy. Tracy, this is Andromeda.”
The little girl turned face her and cocked her head. Tracy could see she was no older then five. She looked back to her sister. “Gowie? She doesn't wook wike a boy. Why did Wachel say she was a boy?”
It took Tracy a moment to notice the child wasn't using the letters R or L, but Sage didn't miss a beat. She bent down to look her sister in the eye. “She's like me.”
“Oooooohhhhh.” The girl held the simple word out. “So she's pawt boy too?”
“Something like that.” Sage chuckled. “But remember, this is a secret, like with me, so no one else can know.”
“Okay!” Then the little girl bounded back into the room.
Just before Sage could step in, Tracy grabbed her arm and stopped her. “She knows about you?”
Sage nodded. “She's a five year old. Hard to hide everything from her when she sleeps in the same room and hasn’t fully learned the whole knocking before you go into the bathroom rule.”
Tracy nodded as the logic of that made sense. Sage led her into the room. Two beds were against the far wall, one on each side of the room. Between them was a large dresser. A closet was set into the wall that was shared with the bathroom. One bed was filled with stuffed animals, and hand drawn pictures all over the wall. The other side of the room had posters of bands and a single stuffed animal on the bed, a large dog. It was also the only bed that showed recent use.
“You used my bed last night.” Sage said, trying to sound angry. “You slept with Mr. Woof!” She turned on her sister who wasn't phased by the tone her sister used.
“I was scared an you wasn't home.” The little girl stuck her lip out before she went back to the paper she had on her bed. She held a crayons in one hand and began making a new picture for the wall.
“Hey, Mom wants to see you.” Sage told her sister. “I think she's getting your dress finished.” The little girl didn't say a word, she just jumped from the bed, letting the crayons fall onto the paper as she streaked out of the room
“Come on.” Sage went to her bed and she sat down, tossing the stuffed dog against the headboard. “Have a seat.” She patted the end of the bed, then put her soda on the dresser.
Tracy opened hers and took a sip, then placed hers next to Sage's and took the offered seat. “So....” She had more questions now, but she wasn't sure how to proceed.
“You want to know about what I said?” Sage asked. Tracy nodded and her new friend smiled. “This could get confusing, I know it confuses me too. I didn't mean to tell you only part of the story, but it's hard to follow my story at times.”
Sage took a deep breath and continued. “Okay, when I was born there was something different about me. I was born with...how did the doctor put it. Ambiguous genitalia.” She reached over and opened her can and took a quick sip. “I was born at a cabin that my parent's were staying at in the mountains, during a huge snowstorm. When Mom took me to a doctor, they tried to insist I was a girl and tried to force them to make me go through operations. Another doctor said that they could sew up the opening or something like that. I'm not really sure...Mom knows the whole story.”
“That's close enough.” Sage's mother said as she stood in the doorway. She stepped in and shut the door to the bedroom. “I sent your sister to Abigail's, I figured you'd want some help with this.” Persephone moved to the other bed and she sat down, facing her daughter, but her head was dropped and her hands were in her lap. “The doctor tried to tell me you had to have the surgery done, hell, they almost forced it. They kept arguing which way to push you too. But I stood my ground. There was so many things that I felt uncomfortable about, I wasn't going to let them force me. So we found a new doctor, one who listened. And with him, we came up with a new plan.”
“I get to choose.” Sage said looking to Tracy. “I mean the boy parts are nothing to rave about, at least I don't think so. So Mom decided that from a young age I got to choose who I wanted to be. If I wanted to be a boy, I could dress as a boy, if I wanted to be a girl, I dressed as a girl.”
“See, the doctor told us she needed to be put into at least one sex. For school and other records.” Persephone cut in. “So We had her go to school as Sage, the girl, but I explained it to her daily. She had the right to choose who she is. There was no pressure. Not from me or her father.”
“They said they could do the surgery, but the Doctor wanted to wait till I hit puberty. This way I have had time to come up to a decision.” Sage replied.
Tracy looked at the girl. “Have you? I mean chosen who you are?”
“I'm a girl.” She stated. “I haven't even done anything as a boy in a years, just because I didn't want to. I never really thought of myself as a boy.”
“Is this what you meant by your all girl too? Maybe more?” Tracy asked.
Sage nodded. “It's hard to explain and don't ask me to show you, please. Even Rachel hasn't seen.” Her cheeks had begun to turn a shade of red that matched her hair.
“it's okay, I wasn't going to ask.” Tracy replied.
“Thanks.” Sage replied. Tracy leaned over and hugged her friend. “What was that for?”
“For telling me the truth.” Tracy rested her head against Sage's shoulder. “Thank you.”
“You're welcome. If you got any questions, I'll answer what I can. But this is why I said I understand.” Sage said.
Tracy nodded. “If I have them, I'll ask.”
The front door opened up and they heard the sounds of little feet running towards the room. Persephone got up. “Well, Romy's back. If you two need me, I'll be sewing. I'll try and keep her out of your hair.”
“Thanks Mom.” Sage said.
Her mother leaned over and kissed her forehead. “It's what I'm here for.”
As her mother stepped out of the room, she grabbed the little girl before she could come back in, then she shut the door again. After a few moments Sage looked at Tracy. A look of concern crossing her features. “You're not weirded out by me now, are you?”
“No.” Tracy smiled and put her arms around the other girl again. “Before, I had mom and Grandma who thought they understood and Peter who kinds knew. But you....You know what it's like.”
Sage smiled at that. “Rachel and the others know, but that's it, well and your Aunt and Uncle. But for most people, I'm just a girl who used to be a tomboy.”
“That's cool.” Tracy replied. “I still don't know what I am.”
Sage giggled. “Silly. You're Tracy. That's all you need to be.”
It was just past noon as Persephone drove the two girls back to Shelly's house. They had even picked up Rachel who had come running over after church before they left the trailer park. The three girls sat in the back of the VW bus, taking the short trip to talk some more. Tracy was just listening to them as Sage's mom brought the bus to a halt. She reached over and pulled the door open.
She froze as she looked at the car next to the bus. He eyes began to fill with tears and her breathing quickened. “Oh shit.” Tracy swore as she began to shake.
Rachel looked at her, then at the car. “What's wrong? You know that car?”
Tracy moved away from the door and she began to cry. As she aimed to sit on the seat, she missed, landing with a thud on the floorboard of the bus. “It's my dads.” She managed to say. “He's gonna kill me.” She lay down and curled into a ball and began to sob.
“I don't understand.” Persephone said, looking from Tracy to the two girls.
“Mom, her dad doesn’t know about Tracy.” Sage stated.
“Oh no.” Her mother undid her seat belt and sat there, thinking of a plan. “Tracy, do you have boy clothes with you?”
“Mom's car.” She sobbed out.
“Crap. I doubt Sage's boy stuff will fit you, that's all smaller then she is now. And Moon's clothes are way to big.” Persephone was quiet for a minute more. Then she pointed to Rachel. “Shelly's your aunt. Go inside, tell her mother you need the keys. Come back out and grab the bag, we'll do a fast change in the bus.”
“Right.” Rachel said as she jumped out of the bus and jogged off to the house. Sage had gotten close enough to hold Tracy.
“Hey, he won't hurt you.” Sage said. “Not while I'm here.”
“It wont matter.” Tracy put her head against Sage's chest. “He'll just do it at home.”
To Tracy it felt like an eternity, yet only a matter of minutes had passed from when Rachael left. Persephone turned and tapped her daughters shoulder, then she pointed to the door lock on the sliding door. Sage took the hint and she locked it, then went back to trying to console her friend as her mother got out.
She watched her mother walk across the green lawn of the town home community to stop a taller man who was walking with Rachel. She could see Maggie standing at the back of the town homes watching what was happening. Beneath her hands, Tracy kept crying, still curled up into a ball in front of the seat.
After a minute or two, Maggie moved close, standing next to Rachel. The man walked with Persephone to the van. Sage sat there as her mother gestured for her to open the lock, mouthing the words. “It's okay.”
“Come on.” She whispered to her daughter and held out a hand. Sage slowly climbed out of the bus, glaring at Tracy's dad. The older woman touched Tracy's leg. “Give him a chance.” She said, then she began to lead her daughter away. “I'll be in earshot.”
William didn't say anything, he just nodded. He wasn't sure what his child had told them, but he knew by his past actions, it must not be good. He stood there by the door as he watched his child, look at him with one eye, fear all over her face, then she tired to press under the seat. His heart began to break, seeing that much fear in his child, aimed straight at him. He had guessed that at times, his children seen him as a monster, and now he knew it was true.
He wiped at one of his own tears as he leaned against the side of the bus. “Sweetie, I'm not mad at you. I'm not going to yell, or scream, or even hit you.” He sniffled once, then wiped a finger across his cheek. “I know I haven't been the best parent. But Tracy, I love you. You're my child and I love you no matter what.”
The use of her girl name caused the one visible eye to look in his direction. He swallowed and shook his head. “I've been unfair to you and I can understand why you wouldn't trust me. I've probably ruined a great day just by being here. I know your worried about what I'll do. A million thoughts must be racing through your mind. But I won't hurt you.” He said.
More tears fell from his eyes and Tracy grew silent, listening to him and watching with one wary eye. “I can't even claim I understand what you're feeling, or going through. But I want you to know, I'm here for you. If you wish to be Tracy, or Troy, you're still my child. And I love you. No matter who you want to be, I support you.”
He stood there for a few moments, nothing but silence passed between then. His head hung down in shame as the proof of his rotten parenting skills were shown to the other woman and her child. He had messed it all up by coming to where she was. “I'm sorry Tracy. I'm sorry I failed you.” He whispered, turned and began to walk away, very slowly. He was about to pass the women who had talked to him when she held up a hand, then pointed to the bus. He turned and saw his daughter for the first time, wearing a now rumpled blue skirt and a white shirt, now showing some sort of stain on it. Her eyes showed that she had been crying and her hair wasn't combed back like Troy's had been. In fact, William couldn't see any of his son standing there. She took a step away from the van and asked.
“Do you mean it?” Her voice quavered, as if she was about to burst into tears again. “About supporting me?” She asked.
“Yeah.” He nodded. “I should have been doing it all along and I was wrong not to. But you have my full support now.” He waited a moment, then added. “Like you should have had all this time.”
“What if I don't want to be Troy again?” She took a step closer.
“Then I'll have the best daughter in the world, one who I'll protect with my last breath and support with every fiber of my being.” He went to one knee. “Baby, I know you have no reason to trust me. But give me the chance, please?” He wiped away another tear.
Behind him, Tracy watched as Rachel nodded and gave her a thumbs up. By his car, Sage nodded as well. She had never seen her dad cry, not like this. And the look on his face was genuine. “And you'll never hurt me again?”
“Not for being who you really are.” He stayed on the one knee.
Tracy looked to her mother who was mimicking Rachel and Sage. She began walking towards him, but the urge to get a comforting hug was too great. She ran towards him, hugging him tightly at the waist.
“I love you Tracy.” His tone was that soothing tone that all dads could use. He put his arms around her and held on tightly.
“I love you too Daddy.” She answered back.
“I only did it at times. When you worked in the field. When Mom ran to the store really quick. It's not like I wore the skirt all the time.”
“Makes sense.” William replied. “And do you do it to relax?”
Tracy looked to the floor. “I used to think that. But the other day, when we stopped in Tracy.” Her friends began to snicker and she ignored them. “I thought Aunt Shelly didn't know and they'd hate me, so I became Troy for the time I'd be here and I hated it. I stayed up in the guest room, not wanting to to anything till Monday.”
“What happened?” William asked, genuinely curious.
“I happened.” Shelly said with a grin. “I told her that I knew and didn't care. A while later, Tracy showed up and then the girls came over to hang out with her.
“And that's been fun.” Tracy's smile brightened as she looked at her new friends.
“Must have, she's been around them for almost two days straight.” Persephone said with a grin. “Not that I'm complaining. She's a well behaved young lady.”
November 28th 1982
Livermore CA
As Tracy stood there wrapped in her father's embrace, out in the open for anyone to see, the emotions got the best of her and she began to cry again. Her father wiped a few of the tears off of her cheek and he gave her an odd look. “What's wrong?” William asked.
“N-nothing.” She stammered between the tears. “I'm just happy.” Her head went against his chest again, then two more sets of arms engulfed them.
She felt two bodies, one's she guessed to be Sage and Rachel against her back, then Sage's voice whispered in her ear. “See, it can work out.”
The group hug ended as the two other girls, who had began to cry on their own backed away from the father and his daughter. Maggie ran over, scooping Tracy up and then hugging Will, putting their daughter between them. “I am so proud of both of you.” She said. “But let's get this inside, before the neighbors ask questions.”
“Yeah.” William agreed. Rachel and Sage pulled Tracy away, leaving the adults the chance to walk together.
Persephone walked over and smiled at William. “Thank you.” She hugged him, then his wife.
“For what?” William asked as Persephone had began to follow her daughter.
She looked over her shoulders and smiled. “For proving to me how much you love your daughter.”
“I always have, I just never said anything.” He replied.
“Then maybe you should say it more often. Don't forget your boy as well. Both will need love and support.”
He nodded. “Yeah. I think I got a lot to learn about being a good father.”
She slowed down and fell in step with the couple. “How do you feel about all of this?”
“I'm not sure. I'll support her, but I have no idea what she's going through. I'm...” He shook his head. “This is all new territory to me. I have so many questions and I don't know where to go for the answers.”
“Come inside and I'll help with as much as I can. I've got a lot of experience in this subject.” Persephone replied.
“You know someone like Tracy?” He asked.
“My daughter, Sage.” She pointed to her daughter that was walking just in front of them, both her and Rachel were walking with their arms around Tracy. The red-headed girl turned and smiled at him, pushing up her glasses just slightly.
“Really?” He blinked a couple of times as he looked at the girl. “I...wow, I couldn't tell.”
Sage let go of Tracy and began walking backwards, watching William closely. “I'm a bit different, but she and I are the same, at least where it counts .” She tapped her chest, just over her heart.
A few minutes later William sat on the love seat, his wife sat next to him. Shelly had taken over the couch with two of the three girls and Persephone was in one of the chairs. Tracy sat on the floor in front of her parents, leaned back and letting her shoulders rest between them.
“So how long have you been dressing like a girl?” William asked his daughter. He put a hand on her shoulder as she looked back at him.
“A few years.” She blushed and looked at the floor.
“And no one caught you?” William had a hint of surprise in his voice.
“I only did it at times. When you worked in the field. When Mom ran to the store really quick. It's not like I wore the skirt all the time.”
“Makes sense.” William replied. “And do you do it to relax?”
Tracy looked to the floor. “I used to think that. But the other day, when we stopped in Tracy.” Her friends began to snicker and she ignored them. “I thought Aunt Shelly didn't know and they'd hate me, so I became Troy for the time I'd be here and I hated it. I stayed up in the guest room, not wanting to to anything till Monday.”
“What happened?” William asked, genuinely curious.
“I happened.” Shelly said with a grin. “I told her that I knew and didn't care. A while later, Tracy showed up and then the girls came over to hang out with her.
“And that's been fun.” Tracy's smile brightened as she looked at her new friends.
“Must have, she's been around them for almost two days straight.” Persephone said with a grin. “Not that I'm complaining. She's a well behaved young lady.”
“Thanks.” Tracy said, her smile being replaced with a blush.
“You're welcome Tracy. Anytime you're in town, just call and you can hang out with Sage.”
“Groovy.” Sage replied, causing William to look at her with a raised eyebrow. “Sorry, hippy parents.”
William was about to reply, but he shook the comment away. His time in the Army during Viet Nam gave him a bad view on the hippy movement, instead he moved to a new line of questions. “So, what about school?” He asked his daughter.
Her shoulders slumped down and she hung her head, but they could hear her voice. “I have to be Troy. I don't think they'd let me be Tracy.”
William nodded. He was sure that she was right. “What about your daughter?” He asked Persephone. “Sage was it?”
Persephone looked to her daughter, who shut her eyes and nodded. “It's cool Mom. He's asking and it may help.”
Persephone got up and moved to her daughter. Rachel scooted over and Persephone sat down, pulling her daughter in tight. “Sage is a different story.” She had the child’s permission and she respected her daughter, but questions were asked and William was trying to understand. She took a deep breath and let it out, facing William. “Sage is different. When she was born, she could have been a him, or a her. The doctors tried to force a change, but I refused. We decided to let her make her own choices in life. So, yes she's like Tracy, born in a body that isn't totally a female one, but she's closer to the end goal then Tracy.”
“So she's partly a girl now? That's why she dresses as one? What about school?” He asked again.
“Well, when she was born, she needed a name and a sex for public records. So reluctantly, I labeled her a girl. But when we left the doctor, I let her be who she wants. If she wanted to dress and act as a boy, she has the choice and her brother has a second bed in his room for her, so does her sister.” “She goes to school as a girl, because she's legally a girl. And she wants to remain as one. But if she had said she was a boy, I'd support that too.”
“And her father and siblings are good with this?” William asked.
“Yeah. As far as her sister Andromeda is concerned, she's the greatest thing in the world. And her bother Moony is totally on her side. He's even taken her side when some boys tired to pick on her.” Persephone replied.
“Here's hoping Vance is like that.” William said with a shake of his head.
“Well he's been good for a week or two now.” Maggie replied.
“I want to know.” William gave his daughters shoulder a light squeeze. “Do you dress like this at my mothers place?”
Tracy nodded. “Yeah, but only when you and Grandpa are out of town.”
“I see. How would you like to be Tracy at home.” He asked.
Tracy turned around, her face brighter then he had seen in a while. “Please?”
“I think it's okay, but I'd like to talk to someone about this as well.” William said.
“I know a few good people around here, but that doesn't help you at home. Although they may know someone up there.” Persephone replied. “I can ask the doctor the next time Sage has an appointment. It's next week I think?”
“Yeah.” Sage nodded, her smile had returned.
“What about Vance?” Tracy asked.
“Well he can talk to the doctor too I guess. Maybe we all should.” William replied.
Tracy shook her head. “No Dad. I want to be a girl. I should be a girl. Girl's don’t share rooms with their brothers.”
He thought about it and nodded. “Tell you what, we find a shrink and he agrees with you, then we'll find a way to make this work.”
“Really?” She asked.
“Yeah. But remember, you may still have to be Troy when your grandfather is around.” William stated. “But when your at home you can be yourself, okay?”
Without warning she launched herself at her father. Her arms wrapped around his waist and she held tightly. “Thank you Daddy.”
“It's no problem baby.” He put his hands on her back. He held her for a few minutes, then he looked from Persephone to Shelly. “When is Frank due back?”
“Well if the game gets over on time, about four or five, maybe as late as six, depending on traffic. But he'll call from a pay phone when he's leaving.”
“Good.” William nodded, then he looked to Sage and her mother. “How would you like to go out to eat? You and your family, Our treat?”
Persephone looked to her daughter who was nodding wildly. She laughed. “I'll have to call Carl and the kids, but I'm sure it should be fine.”
He looked to his wife. “We can see if Frank will join us with Vance and we can hit that place over by the highway the kids like.”
“What about Rachel?” Maggie asked.
“I'll call her mother.” Shelly replied. “She'll understand.”
"Invite her." William said. "Make it one huge group."
"I offer the invite." Shelly got up and headed to the phone.
Tracy stood up and looked at her clothes. “I think I'll change. This dress is wrinkled and the shirt is dirty.”
As she headed for the steps, Rachel and Sage got up. “We'll help!” With that the three girls went up the stairs.
Maggie leaned over to her husband and kissed him. “Thank you William.”
It had taken three tables pushed together to fit their group. The guys, Frank, William, Vance, Moony, Lance, Rachel's father and Carl, Sage's father had taken one table while Vance and Frank controlled the conversation at that table with talk of the football game. Tracy's mother, Aunt Shelly, Rachel's mother and Persephone talk about their time in school in the bay area.
That left the four girls on their own, trying to talk in the middle of the table without over riding the other two conversations. “This is cool.” Sage said, leaning over the table. “Who knew your dad would be so awesome about this.”
“I know. And I get to be Tracy at home too. This rocks.” Tracy replied.
“Yep. And your mother said she'll try to make sure you get to see us as much as possible, so that's good too.” Rachel replied.
“Hey, maybe we could go camping in the summer?” Sage's smile shown brightly.
“Camping?” Rachel asked. “Like in the woods with bugs and crazy animals?”
“What about my backyard?” Tracy asked. “We got fifteen acres of olive trees, plus a ravine behind us.”
“Doesn't that include the animals and bugs again?” Rachel asked, her smile fading.
“Come on Rachel, you can have fun and not be at an expensive hotel.” Sage replied.
“Yeah, but hotels are fun.” Rachel huffed out. “Think of the swimming pools.”
“I can't swim.” Tracy replied.
“Really?” Sage leaned in and whispered. “Like you swim like a rock, or because your afraid people may see something?”
“I swim like a rock.” Tracy replied. “And it sucks cause there is a lake by the town we live in.”
A hand touched her shoulder and she looked over to her father. “Young ladies shouldn't say suck.” He stated, before standing up. “But on that note, we should get going. Your friends have school tomorrow. And it's almost seven.”
“Awww.” Tracy said as she reluctantly stood.
Maggie put a hand on her daughters shoulder. “Don't pout. I've got their phone numbers and addresses in my purse. I gave Persephone ours and she has a copy for the girls.”
“Oh, cool.” Tracy said as the group made their way outside.
When they got to the car and the adults began to say their farewells, Tracy hugged Sage. “Thank you for hanging out with me.”
“It was fun. I wouldn't have missed this for the world.” Sage replied as she hugged Tracy back.
“And thanks for the clothes.” Tracy said as she hugged Rachel.
“No problem. I'm just glad they got a good home to go to.” Rachel hugged her back.
“Come on kiddo.” William said, stopping just behind her. He looked at the two girls. “If you two get the chance to come to our place, the doors always open.”
“Thanks.” The two girls replied before slowly heading over to where Persephone had left her bus. Tracy stood by the back of her fathers car as Frank and Shelly got into theirs and they took off. She kept an eye on her new friends as they piled into the bus, along with Sage's family.
As the bus fired up, her dad tapped her shoulder and pointed to the door of the car. “Come on, we got a busy day tomorrow.”
November 29th 1982
Tracy CA
It had been a good trip to and from San Francisco, despite the rain that was almost non stop. It had made sure that the two kids didn't want to go walking around too much. So after Maggie's appointment and a quick early lunch in China town they had left San Francisco. They managed to beat anymore rush hour traffic and get to William's car. Tracy now sat in the front seat of her Dad's car as they topped the hill that led into the town of Tracy. The backseat was full of clothes that Rachel had left for her at Shelly's place.
“Hey, you doing okay over there?” William asked his daughter.
“Tracy nodded and gave him a small smile. “Yeah. Gonna miss Rachel and Sage though.”
“Well the good thing is you can see them again.” He replied. “It's not like it's in LA. It'll be just a three hour trip to drop you off.”
“Drop me off?” She asked.
“Yeah.” He smiled at her. “When you were showering yesterday, You're mother and that Persephone woman made a plan for a couple of weeks from now. You mom and I will take you down there on Friday the seventeenth after school and then we'll get you on the twenty third. You'll be staying with Sage, Rachel and your Aunt and Uncle.”
Tracy's eyes got huge. “Really?”
“You're Aunt swears they're good people and you seem to enjoy yourself around the girls, so why not?”
“Thank you Dad.” Tracy fought to keep more tears of joy out of her eyes.
“Don't thank me, Kiddo, thank your Mom and your Aunt and that Persephone woman.” He said with a grin.
“Oh I will.” She smiled at him.
“This may be a Christmas present though, with the cost of getting you down there.” He stated.
She thought about it. It was costly to drive and she would be down there for three full days and two half days, so it all worked out. “That's the best present I could get.” A tear streaked down her cheek. “A few days with my new best friends. Thank you Daddy.”
“You're welcome...” He wasn't sure what to call her. It had always been big guy for either boy but now the rules had changed. So he went with the best alternative. “Princess.”
Her smile grew brighter and she seemed to sit taller in the seat. Her heart beat strongly, a feeling she wished that feeling would never go away.
It was just after five when the two cars carrying Tracy and her family pulled into their driveway. Maggie, Tracy and Vance went into the house, each with their suitcases, as William went over to his mothers to let her know he was home. Tracy hadn't changed into Troy and a part of her was worried about her grandfather seeing her, but she decided that she needed to get her clothes out of her dads car. She was not too concerned at people seeing her when they drove by, their road wasn't that popular.
Tracy was making her fourth trip from the car, putting the clothes into a pile on the couch as William stepped in, holding what was left in the car. His mother stood behind him. Tracy turned to see her and smiled brightly. “Grandma!”
“Hello young lady. Your father told me about the new changes. It is nice to see you with a smile on your face.” She said as she came into the house. “There's been some changes next door as well.”
“Is everything okay?” Tracy asked.
“Let me tell everyone at once.” She said.
William went into the kitchen and called down the hall to his son. “Vance, we need you in the living room.”
Maggie came into the master bedroom, followed by Vance from the kitchen. They all took a seat as Modine sat on the couch next to her granddaughter. “So you know, Conner found Tracy's clothes. You left them in the dresser and Angie showed them to him. He found the rest in my closet. He had a fit about it and I threw him out.”
“You threw Dad out of the house?” William asked.
“He's in his shed. He has a wood burning stove in there, so he wont freeze. But he's out of the house until his attitude towards my granddaughter changes.” Modine stated. She put an arm around Tracy. “He refuses to catch up with the times and until he does, I don't want him being anywhere near Tracy.”
“I understand.” William replied.
“Is he mad at me?” Tracy asked.
“Tracy, don't you even try to shoulder the blame on this. He's the one with out-dated morals, so this is all his fault.”
“Oh.” She said.
“Look, I didn't want to rain on your good day, but I had to warn you.” Modine hugged her granddaughter again. “Look, I have something on the stove, so I need to get back. If Conner gives Tracy any problems, call me.”
“We will Mom.” William replied.
“Good.” She got up and headed for the door. “See you on Friday Tracy.” She said before she walked outside.
Tracy sat there stunned. She wasn't sure how to handle the news. Her grandfather knew, but something in her grandmothers tone had scared her. Her mother seemed to notice and she pulled her back to reality.
“Hey, Tracy? You want to help me get dinner prepared? Something nice and easy?”
“Sure Mom.” Tracy said as she stood up. “I'd love to.”
Sorry for the jumping around, but I felt the story was droning on so I skipped. And a visit to Weather Underground let me see what type of weather San Fran had that day, so sorry, no fun on the town. But I feel she came out better for it.
WARNING!!!!!!!! THIS CHAPTER IS MUCH DARKER THEN THE PAST NINTEEN. IT HAS ELEMENTS OF ATTEMPTED RAPE AND AN ATTACK, SO PLEASE, PROCEDE WITH CAUTION
The rating has been raised to reflect the violence and I am sorry to anyone this offends.
December 1st 1982
Northern California
It was the last day of Troy's suspension. Even thought she didn't want to be Troy anymore, Tracy still knew he was a necessary evil. She also knew she had to be him in school. It would be asking too much to try and be Tracy there. Her mother had managed to find a therapist willing to see her, but the first appointment wasn't until later in the month, the day she'd go to visit Sage and Rachel.
She wanted to be Tracy outside of the house, away from the farm and not just in the Bay area. But that wasn't possible, not in the tiny red-neck town they lived in. Rumors would fly, so would the insults and maybe the bullets. So instead of being in town, Tracy decided that she would go for a walk, through their olive orchard. There was usually very little traffic on the road that they lived on, so that was good.
Soon she found herself walking through the dry parts of the orchard in a red skirt, with bright red leggings and a black shirt. Her hair was pulled into pigtails. Her thoughts remained on her new friends in Livermore. They had helped more then she guessed they knew. She slowly began to make plans and ideas for things they could do in the summer.
Her thoughts were shattered as she heard Bruce.
“Well I was hoping to find you all alone, but this is too damn good. The little fag does wear dresses. Maybe he wants to be a girl. Am I right? You wanna be a girl, fag?” She looked up and saw Bruce, Frankie and two other boys she had seen at school, but didn't know. All of them were either leering or glaring at her. The one of the kids she didn't know looked tiny compared to the other three kids, but he had a wild look on his face, just as Bruce and Frankie did. The fourth one looked unsure.
She stopped in her tracks as the four boys started moving towards her. “Fucking snitch. I was just going to kick your ass. No one snitches on me.” He gave her a leering smile that chilled her to the bone. “Maybe I'll take it out of your ass, too. Maybe we'll all take it out of your ass.” She had heard a lot of stories about Bruce, how he was a thief, that she had seen first hand. She knew he had a thing for beating up people. His temper was quite known at the school. And everyone knew he had a record with the police. But one rumor that had been spread a year or two before it died off quickly, something about him sexually attacking a young girl. There had been no proof, just stories. Something had happened and everyone was quick to forget it. But it was that one story that was coming back to scare her. She went into a defensive stance as the four boys split up, leaving Bruce coming right at her and the other three from behind and her sides. Bruce began to chuckle. He knew it was Troy, just by the look on his face and hte instant drop into a fighting stance. Plus how many girls Troy's size were on that ranch. “You really think you can take all of us?”
Tracy tired to keep her voice steady, but her heart was pumping and she was scared. It was late enough that her parents were home and Peter was to show up soon to hang out. She just had to get to the house. So her training kicked in and she tired to defuse the situation and stay calm. “Bruce, just let me go. I don't care who you tell about the skirt, just let me walk out of here and no one gets hurt.”
The bigger boy took a step closer, looking like he was thinking about it, then smiled and shook his head. But it wasn't a friendly smile. Tracy felt it was what other fish saw when a shark came near. Nothing but teeth and attitude. “Ummmm. No. You screwed up when you told them what you saw. And you wont make that mistake this time, will you?”
Bruce faked a lunge forward, causing Tracy to move. The wild looking boy to her side latched on an arm, then he slipped behind her and put his arms behind her in a full nelson. Frankie sent a quick punch into her gut. She grunted in pain as Bruce stepped closer. He pulled out a pocket knife and opened it up.
Tracy squirmed, but the kid holding her arched his back, taking her feet off of the ground. Bruce put the blade against her throat and pushed it slightly. “Fight me and I'll fucking cut ya.” Her eyes were wide with fear and he pulled the knife back, then he slapped her cheek. ”See, you can make a good choice.”
She was thinking of ways to escape, she needed to get out of the hold. Her thoughts were interrupted as Bruce put the knife at the bottom of her shirt and he moved it upwards, cutting her shirt open. “Look. The fag has a bra on.”
“Hey man, I just thought we were gonna scare him.” The forth boy began to look nervous. He cast a glace to her and it looked almost compassionate.
“If you can't handle it. Then fucking leave, but don't say shit. You talk and I hurt you.” Bruce said, barely looking to the other boy as he began cutting into the skirt that Tracy was wearing. “This fag is gonna get what he deserves!”
“Dude! Look at you! You really gonna do that to him!” The other boy pointed in Tracy's direction. She could see that fear was all over his face. “Who's the fag here!”
Bruce turned to face him, swinging with his empty hand. The blow caught him on the chin and the boy hit the ground. Tracy began to squirm, making the boy who held her to let her feet touch the ground as he adjusted his grip. Tracy took a quick step back and rolled her shoulders, causing her attacker to flip over her. She flexed her arms and popped his grip, then kicked a leg into Frankie’s gut as he moved towards her.
She rolled to her feet as Bruce turned back and she snapped a kick out, catching him weakly in the crotch. He screamed out and staggered back. The boy she flipped reached out and grabbed her ankle. She staggered and pitched face first onto the dirt as Frankie and Bruce were rising up, both of them swearing. She kicked a couple more times at the hand that held her and managed to hear a light pop sound from the boys wrist. He screamed and let go of her ankle. She got to her feet as fast as she could.
Tracy turned and took off in a dead sprint. She headed for her place, but the younger kid got to his feet and managed to slip past her forcing Tracy to change her escape route. She made a wide arc, running for her grandmothers backyard, hoping she was home. She screamed as she began out run them, but in climbing the fence she began to lose her lead. She made it almost over the fence, but Frankie grabbed her foot. Tracy kicked her leg, but it didn't work well. Frankie let her go as Bruce was climbing the chain-link fence. She hit the ground with a thud, but as he saw Bruce moving towards her, she got up and ran, headed to the backdoor.
The third boy came out of nowhere and shoved her hard, sending her staggering again and hitting the ground. All three boys were pissed, even though they had been the ones to start the attack. “Think you're funny! No body kicks me in the nuts and gets away with it.” Bruce lashed out at Troy, but Tracy caught the blow and deflected it, sending the bigger boy staggering away.
The other boy bounced in, throwing a strike that Tracy blocked easily. She pushed back and turned to sidestep Frankie. The nameless wild child ran back and lashed out with a kick that got close to Tracy's crotch.
Tracy blocked her crotch as Frankie kicked at her again. She made a quick sidestep and swept her arms and one leg, which managed to deprive Frankie of his footing. She then made a quick move away from Frankie and the other boy, but she wasn't ready for Bruce, who came up from behind and put her in a bear hug. He lifted the her off the ground as she began thrashing around, then he threw Tracy to the ground. Before she could act, Frankie sent a kick to his face.
Tracy managed to block her face, but she wasn't ready for Bruce's kick to her crotch. “Nobody kicks me in the nuts!” His vision went white as stars exploded into view, while she shrieked out in pain.
The next kick hit him in the upper chest, then another She swore she heard a popping sound and a lance of pain wracked her body. “Fucking Fag!” Bruce screamed again as he kicked out to her face. Then a second kick to the crotch.
Tracy's arms moved again and Frankie sent one more kick to her crotch, as hard as she could. Stars exploded into his field of vision. A another set of kicks went towards her face, one connecting over a cheek. She tried to curl into a ball as feet assaulted her from three directions. Bruce kicked at her side again. “Hold the fag!” He glared at Frankie and the other boy. The two of them grabbed her, an arm and leg each, then then kept her on the ground. Bruce cocked his leg back and his foot connected into Tracy's crotch once more and another scream left her lips, one that was heard a block away.
Peter had come over to hang out with his friend, but as he had reached Tracy's front door he had heard a scream rang out and Maggie flung the door open. She paused for a moment as she tired to focus on who was screaming and Peter looked at her. “Where's Troy?!?” He asked.
Then a second voice filled the air, it was the unmistakable voice of her Mother-in-law. “LEAVE HIM ALONE!” Maggie stared at Peter, then she turned and yelled into the house.
“William! Trouble at your mothers place!” With that, Maggie began running for Modine's house. Peter was already jumping one of the fences that separated the two homes.
A second voice rang out. “SHUT UP BITCH!” And that was followed with a scream of pain from her Mother-in-law.
Conner was standing on the porch to the neighbors house, having helped with some cows that got out of the pens, when he heard Tracy's scream, Vance was next to him. He looked through the bare trees, towards his house and saw his youngest grandchild on the ground and being attacked by three boys that he didn't know. Vance had already turned and was watching too. His vision turned red as he watched his wife come out and scream, then was attacked. “Call the cops!” He snapped at the neighbor, as he broke into a dead run, Vance behind him.
Frankie had let go of Tracy when Bruce hit Modine, so did the other boy. They both stood up, forgetting their first target as Bruce began kicking at the older woman who had tried to hit him with a rolling pin. “Maybe I'll beat you with this bitch.” Instead he slapped her across the cheek, hard. She screamed out again and staggered back.
Tracy heard her grandmother scream and her blood boiled. Though her vision was marred by something liquid over her right eye, she could see the look of pain on Modine's face she she hit the ground, holding her arm. The impact with the ground brought another scream. Another scream parted Tracy's lips, not one of pain, but of pure rage.
The small child summoned all of her anger, strength and courage and she began to hold onto it. He could hear a voice yelling in her mind, like a Drill Sargent. ~GET UP, NOW!!!~ The voice in his head screamed. ~THAT BOY ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH TO BE AROUND HER. HE'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO TOUCH HER!!! GET UP AND PROTECT HER, NOW!!!~ She rolled till she was on all fours and then started the agonizing climb to her feet. The pain threatened to tack her back to the ground, but she had to prevail, Modine was counting on her
The pain tore through her body, causing her to scream again, but like before, it was akin to a battle roar. She began to focus her pain and anger on Bruce. She couldn't rest until he was down, broken and bleeding. Frankie turned as she got to just one knee. He tired to kick again, but Tracy blocked his leg and almost fell over, but she sent a quick, weak punch to Frankie's knee.
She didn't even watch as Frankie fell backwards, holding himself. Tracy screamed in pain as she stood up fully. The second boy stepped in, swinging. Tracy brought up an arm, stepping with him. She screamed in pain as she twisted with him, slapping his back and causing him to stumble past him and to the ground.
He glared at Bruce who had turned to sneer at her. “LEAVE HER ALONE!!!” She took a pain-filled step closer to Bruce. Sweat began to bead up on his forehead, his teeth grinding as hard as they could, his hands made into fists so tight that the knuckles had turned a ghost white. He took another step, swaying as he stood there panting. Her strength was fading fast. She could only hope that someone had heard her. Someone had to be coming, or Bruce was going to hurt her Grandmother.
“So the little fagot thinks he can fight.” Bruce took a step towards Tracy. “Gonna fucking kill you.”
Bruce's attention was all on Tracy, he hadn't heard someone vault the fence to the backyard, nor had he heard the boy running towards him, but he felt the impact. Peter dropped his shoulders low, catching Bruce just at the waist. His momentum forced Bruce onto his shoulder, at which point he raised up, causing him to flip backwards onto the ground.
“TROY! LOOKOUT!!!” Peter screamed as he slowed, then he bolted towards Tracy, but passing him and slamming into Frankie who had grabbed a rock and was moving to strike Tracy. The two boys hit the ground and Tracy spun to see what happened, causing her to scream once more and this time she fell back to the ground. The impact forced one more scream out before the pain had grown too much for her to handle and the darkness took her.
Peter rolled away from Frankie and to his feet. His target was doing the same, just a bit slower. As Frankie stood up, Peter threw a series of punches, a jab to the gut, followed by a punch to the face and a hook to the belly. Then he threw his weight at Frankie and hit the ground.
The third boy had decided to cut his losses and run. He was halfway over the fence when Conner yelled out. “Vance!” And he pointed to the boy. Vance poured on the speed and ducking into the field to come around the boy. Bruce had manged to get back to his feet and was about to rush Peter, when a set of fingernails raked his face. Maggie swung again, placing herself between him and her family.
“THAT'S IT YOU FUCKING BITCH!” Bruce screamed as he swung at Maggie, catching her on the cheek. She fell down and he started to loom over her. He cocked his leg back, ready to kick at her face, only to be blown off of his feet by a crushing right hand to the face.
Conner stood over the boy and shoved a foot into his chest. “You get up and I will end you, punk!” The old man growled.
Peter shoved Frankie backwards to the ground as he tired to stand up. Peter stood between the boy and his friend. “I dare ya. Try me.”
“Tracy!” They all heard Maggie scream as she saw her child on the ground.
“MOM!” Tracy's father raced over, shotgun in hand. “TRACY!” He went to Frankie and worked the slide on the weapon and he shoved the barrel against Frankie's head. “You better hope she's alright, or you won't live to see tonight.” William put a bit more pressure against Frankie's head, causing the boy to wince in pain. He forced his voice to calm down and he spoke clearly. “Peter, go and call the cops. I got this covered.” He growled. He didn't take his eyes off of his target, a lesson learned in the war.
“Lilly is calling them already.” Conner replied.
Peter began to go to the house and stopped but cast a glance to his friend. “He okay?”
“I don’t know.” Maggie said, trying to move her daughter. As she shifted her, she began to sob quietly. “I just don't know. But go inside and call to make sure an ambulance is on the way.”
“Okay.” Peter replied.
Conner looked at him. "Use the phone in the kitchen." He said before he looked around the backyard saw Vance fighting the third boy, behind his parent's house. He watched as Vance sent a quick right to the boys face, followed by a kick to the gut. As the third attacker slumped to the ground, he called out. “Vance, keep him there.”
“Okay Grandpa.” Vance called back as he threw a kick of his own into the kids body. Almost ten minutes passed till they heard the sounds of the sirens.
Maggie sat at the side of Tracy's hospital bed. It was evening now, the sun had set in the sky already. She knew it was just past nine, or was it eight in the evening. She didn't know for sure, it didn't matter. Her bruised cheek had been looked at, but that didn't matter either. She knew Modine had been admitted for the night, due to possible internal injuries. She worried about the older woman, but her main concern was the still form that lay on the bed next to her.
She knew it could be a few hours till her child work up. The doctors had done a lot of work on her. But Maggie was determined to be there when she woke up. She wanted to be the one to tell her child what had happened. She had kept the emotions held back, she needed to be strong for Tracy.
William had been by earlier with Peter and Vance, but he had taken them home. He tried to get her to leave as well, but she refused to leave her daughter all alone. She knew she needed to talk to someone though and the silence was slowly getting to her. So she scooted her chair over and picked up the telephone and began to dial.
A few moments later a familiar, friendly voice sounded in her ear. “Cooper Residence, Shelly speaking.” Maggie couldn't hold the emotions back anymore and she began to cry into the phone. “Hello?” Shelly asked.
“Sorry.” Maggie managed to say. “Sorry Shelly.”
The tone on the other end of the phone went serious. “Maggie, what happened?
“My baby.” Maggie managed to get out.
“Tracy? What happened to her?” Shelly asked.
“They hurt her.” Maggie sobbed into the phone. “They hurt my baby.”
Sorry for the pronoun switching, but as some people know of Tracy and others don't I tired to keep it with how they see and refer to Troy/Tracy. I do promise that the next few chaptrers will get better, I just fewlt this was needed to help get the Bruce story line finished.
Hurt and scared, Tracy is faced with the uphill climb and the hard choices that face her. Will she have the strength to live as Tracy, or shall fear force Troy back into the foreground.
Tracy lay back slowly, a look of confusion all over her face. “Water.” She said in a raspy voice. Conner held up a glass with a straw and he let Tracy take a drink. Then he pulled it away in mid drink. She tired to follow the straw, but he held her back again.
“Sorry, but the nurse said you could drink a little when you woke, but they want to check on you before you have too much.”
His grandchild moaned, but she lay back and looked at the other side of the bed, then back at her grandfather. “Mom isn't here?”
“She's with Modine in the cafeteria. She needed a break. We've been taking turns with you and Modine.” He said, then he sighed. “Tell me Troy, what do you remember?”
December 2nd 1982
Oroville Hospital
Tracy awoke in a room that wasn't hers, nor was it her grandmothers guest bedroom. One eye opened, then the second one opened up, but some hair was covering her eyes and her vision seemed to be a bit hazy. She reached one hand up to investigate and immediately felt something on her wrist. She brushed her hair aside and found the vision problems were still there a little. “What the heck?” Her voice was rough and groggy and her throat was dry. She looked around the room and realized she was in a hospital. Then her gaze fell on a figure she never thought she'd see sitting by a hospital bed. At least not for her.
Conner opened up his eyes from his nap as he heard his grandchild moving around and he leaned forward, gently putting a hand against the young child's chest to keep her on the bed. “Don't move. You don't need to put any pressure on the site.” He said in a soft tone. “The doctors say you're in bed for at least a day.” As she lay back on the bed, she realized that there was a growing pain in her chest and she wasn't going to complain.
Tracy lay back slowly, a look of confusion all over her face. “Water.” She said in a raspy voice. Conner held up a glass with a straw and he let Tracy take a drink. Then he pulled it away in mid drink. She tired to follow the straw, but he held her back again.
“Sorry, but the nurse said you could drink a little when you woke, but they want to check on you before you have too much.”
His grandchild moaned, but she lay back again and looked at the other side of the bed, then back at her grandfather. “Mom isn't here?”
“She's with Modine in the cafeteria. She needed a break. We've been taking turns with you and Modine.” He said, then he sighed. “Tell me Troy, what do you remember?”
She was starting to hate being called that, but she was in no shape to correct him. “I was in the fields walking, I think...yeah. Then I decided to go to the house.” Tracy sat there, letting the memories come slowly back. “Bruce was outside with Frankie and two other kids. They......” Her face darkened and she looked away. She could recall the sound of the fabric being cut and the tone of Bruce's voice. She didn't want to relive that, not at the current moment at least. “They chased me, I ran for my house, but they beat me there and then I ran for your place, but they caught me.” A tear formed in her eye.
“Take your time.” Conner said, then he placed a gentle hand on Tracy's. That caused the child to look even more confused.
She took a breath and continued with her memories. “They started hitting me.....” She sat there, shaking her head. “I don't remember anything else. What happened? Why am I here?”
Conner moved his seat with one hand so he could face Tracy, but his other hand held onto the child. “Troy, or is it Tracy.” He sighed. He nodded to himself. Modine had told him how to deal with this and he had already failed. “Tracy, I got a few things I need to say, and I'll try and help fill in the blanks for you, okay?”
Tracy nodded, unsure what to do now that he was using her female name. “Yeah.”
“I know you know that I know about the dresses and stuff.” He said. Tracy just nodded. “At first I was angry. All my life I've thought that men who wear dresses were weak. I know I've been a jerk to you for years, just because you're not like most boys your age. I was so afraid that my Grandson, the good one mind you, was going to become a fag that I started to hate you.” He wiped a few tears out of his eyes and shook his head.
“I even talked to your father about it after you got back from Livermore and he defended you. I was going to find a way to make a man out of you, somehow. But then I watched you being attacked.” Conner stopped and a chill ran up Tracy's spine. “Troy...sorry. Tracy, you may not remember, but one of those boys hurt your grandmother. I was already running to get to you, but I wasn't going to make it in time...” He turned away for a moment, wiping at his eyes once more. He slowly looked back, his eyes showing more sadness then she had even seen. “Where they hurt you, most guys wouldn't have been able to stand for hours. I know that from personal experience. But you found the strength to stand up. Hell, you still fought.”
He looked in Tracy's eyes and gave a sad smile. “I learned something yesterday. I should have know it all these years, but I learned it for the first time yesterday. You judge a man......or woman, by what's inside, not the cover. You were hurt and you still were ready to protect your grandmother. By all rights, you shouldn't have even been standing when you were. So I don't care what you want to be in life, boy, girl, man or woman. You proved yourself to me yesterday. You're the type of person I wish I could be.” He gave Tracy's hand a light squeeze. “No matter how you dress. I just hope you can forgive me for all the years that I've been a hateful jackass to you.”
“I can Grandpa.” Tracy squeezed his hand back.
“There's the man I married.” A soft voice called from the doorway, causing both Tracy and her grandfather to turn and look. There in a wheelchair sat Modine, a cast on one arm and a large bandage on her cheek. Maggie was behind her and wheeled the older woman in. Conner bent down to kiss his wife as she stopped at Tracy's bedside.
“Grandpa, you said they hurt me?” Tracy asked, she was trying to make her mind work, but the drugs for the pain was proving a great hindrance. “Where?”
“I......” Conner replied. He rested in his seat and began to cry, thinking about all the hassles he had given the child and all the troubles his life had in store for him now.
“Grandpa, how bad is it.” Tracy asked, but Conner didn't reply. Instead the next voice she heard was her Grandmothers.
“I'll never lie to you. It was bad, Sweetie.” She put a hand over his and gave it a light squeeze. “They broke a rib or two and you got a massive bruise on your face, possible damage to the eye. Your wrist is possibly sprained. They also...” She shook her head and turned away for a moment.
She heard movement from the door and looked to see, through his blurry vision that was slowly getting better, her father walking in. “Sweetie....” Maggie began to tear up as she moved to the seat on Tracy's other side. “They had to remove a testicle. Those boys had hurt you so bad, there was no saving it.” She began to sob and William moved to put an arm around her.
“But don't I have one left?” She asked, having very limited knowledge of the human anatomy. Everything she had learned so far had come from a health book her mother had, that and the magazines and books that William thought he had hidden from two nosy children. Their school only taught sex education to the eighth grade. She failed to think about the benefits for Tracy through this event. Her thoughts were coming slow, mainly from the drugs, but as she sat there, she became aware of a pain down there, starting off slow and gradually building up.
“No.” William replied. He locked his jaw so he couldn't burst into tears. “When you were born there was a problem and one was removed before you were a year old.”
“Oh.” Was the only reply that Tracy could come up with.
“Ah, I see our young hero is awake.” A woman in a nurses uniform walked in with a clipboard in hand.
“What? Hero?” Tracy asked trying to sit up slightly. “I'm no hero.”
“I beg to differ.” The woman smiled. “You defended your grandmother when you were hurt. You put yourself in harms way to protect another. That's a hero in my book.” She stepped closer to the bed.
Tracy smiled at her and lay back in the bed. “Who are you?”
“I'm your nurse, well one of several. I'm Carly. I need to check you out and make sure your feeling better. Is that okay with you?”
“We'll be outside.” Conner said as he moved to to wheel his wife out of the room.
“You need us here?” William asked Tracy.
“If you can?” Tracy looked from William to her mother to the nurse
“It's fine.” Carly replied. “Due to the nature of the injuries, It may be better if you stay for the first few check ups.” She pulled a curtain around so it blocked the bed from the door.
“I can do that.” Maggie replied. “I was able to get a few days off of work.”
“How long have I been here?” Tracy asked.
“Well it's only eight in the morning now. You came in yesterday afternoon and you've been sleeping since the surgery.” Maggie replied.
“What about school?” Tracy looked from her Mom to her Dad.
“I called them a few minutes ago. They know where you are and that it may be a couple of days till you get released. Vance will bring your homework with him today when he's done.” Maggie replied.
“Oh.” She relaxed a bit.
“Okay kiddo, I need to check on the dressings, so don't worry, okay?” The nurse said.
“Okay.” She lay her head back as she felt the sheet being lifted. She didn't want to get into the whole Tracy or Troy mess with the hospital. She blushed as she felt a pair of hands touching her in places that a limited few had touched, most of them were either medical professionals or family. Then something occurred to her.
“Mom?” She asked, her voice trembling from fear. “Um....”
“What is it?” Her mother asked, moving a bit closer and lowering her voice.
“Does everyone know what I was wearing yesterday afternoon?” Tracy asked, fear embedded in her voice.
“Yes.” Maggie replied with a slight nod.
“People are gonna find out...I'm dead.” She began to hyperventilate in the bed.
Carly pulled the sheet back over her and looked to the young kid in the bed as she pulled off a pair of gloves. “Relax. Start breathing slower.” Her voice was firm, but soothing. “I need you to breathe slower. Do as I say now. Breathe in and hold. Till I say release.”
Tracy breathed in and Carly held up one finger, then a second. “Release but don't breath in till I tell you.” Tracy let it out and Carly stood there, watching and holding up one finger, then the next. “Now breath in and hold it for a count of three.”
Tracy followed her orders and the process took several minutes, until her breathing was slowed. Carly put a hand on Tracy's shoulder. “As for what you were wearing, we're all under doctor patient confidentiality. That means we can't tell anyone about anything without the threat of a major law suit. So your secret is safe here. None of us will treat you different due to a simple change of clothes.”
“Really?” Tracy asked, not sounding at all convinced.
“I promise, none of us will say a word.” Carly held up a blood pressure cuff. “Now relax, 'cause I need to do a couple more tests, okay?”
“Okay.” Tracy said and lay back on the bed, looking to her parents.
“It's gonna be okay.” Maggie tired to reassure her.
“What if that other kid says anything?” Tracy looked at her mom, her breaths were beginning to pick up their pace again.
“Now enough of that.” Carly said in a firm tone while giving her a stare. “Breathe slowly or we make you go to sleep, got it?”
“Sweetie, Bruce, Frankie and that Kenny kid are in juvenile hall. They all had prior records an were on some form of probation. There may be a court case, but don't worry about that or them, they're all gone for now. “
“No. There was a fourth kid.” Tracy replied. “They caught me in the field, there was a guy who tried to stop Bruce, but I don't know his name.”
“A fourth?” William looked to his wife, hints of worry flashed across his face. “Does he go to school with you?”
“Yeah.” Tracy nodded.
“What are you thinking Will?” Maggie asked.
“The cops said it's a cut and dried case. It's already looking good for her. I mean they attacked her and Mom on the property, without being invited. They could have killed both of them, so yeah...” William replied. “But this fourth kid. That could cause problems for Tracy...um Troy at school.”
Maggie nodded and thought about it. “Baby, if we managed to get copies of the school pictures, could you point out this boy?”
“I think so?” Tracy nodded.
“I'm on it.” William bent down and kissed his child’s forehead. “You hang tough and you should be out shortly.”
“Thanks Dad.” She watched as he walked around the curtain and could hear him walking out the door.
“Tracy?” Carly asked, this caused Tracy to look at her. “I think it's a beautiful name. I got to admit, when you first came up, I thought you were a girl, till I heard what the injuries were. That and the confusion on the paperwork.”
Maggie blushed. “Sorry, I was a bit preoccupied.”
“It's fine. No one expects to go to the ER. It's not something you can plan for.” Carly replied, then she looked at the child in the bed. “Tell you what, when it's just you and I, I'll call you Tracy, but only if you want.”
Tracy thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, I'd like that.”
“Well then Tracy.” She paused as the young girl in the bed beamed at her. “I'll let the doctor know you're awake. She'll be in to check you out soon, okay?”
“Okay.” Tracy nodded.
“Well, I need to get going, but after the doctor sees you, we'll see about getting some liquids in your before you can have anything to eat.”
"Cool." Tracy watched Carly open up the curtain and walk out. “Mom, what do we do now?”
“We take things one step at a time.” Maggie replied. “That's all we can do.”
Tracy sat there in her bed less then half an hour later. The door had been shut this time to keep the doctors voice from traveling into the hall. Only Maggie was in the room with her, but at least someone was there for her. She was feeling a bit uncomfortable as the doctor poked and prodded at the incision site. Finally the doctor stood up. “I know your mother explained what we had to do, I wasn't going to cover it again, but I felt you needed to know.” She pulled up a chair and sat next to Tracy. “There was a lot of damage to the one remaining testicle. There was no way to save it. There was also some tissue damage to the penis, but with time, we feel that will heal.”
She looked down to see that Tracy had looked down and was blushing a bright red. “Sorry to embarrass you with this, but you do need to know, it is your body.” She smiled gently at the girl in the bed. “With the nature of the surgery we have a few rules that you need to follow. First is no heavy lifting for a couple of weeks. I'll set the limit at five pounds for now. We'll have a follow up appointment in a couple of weeks to see how you're healing. Second is that you'll need to move around a bit. Limit climbs up the stairs to two trips a day for the first week.”
Tracy nodded as the Doctor continued. “Starting tomorrow we'll have you walk the halls. Due to your other injuries, we'll be keeping you in bed one more night. When you sit, no crossing your legs. Sit with legs open. And most importantly. No driving for a week.”
Tracy chuckled. “I can't drive yet.”
“Well, don't pick this week to learn. That can wait a week.” The doctor joked again. “I've got a list of other things but your mother can hold on to those. Normal things, no pushing yourself. If it hurts, stop doing it.”
“Okay.” Tracy nodded. “Um...I was wondering....” Her gaze fell and she found it hard to maintain eye contact with the doctor.
“She's worried about what she was wearing when she came in. The nurse tried to reassure her, but she's worried.” Maggie supplied.
“Ah. I see.” The Doctor stood up and looked down at her young patient. “I don't mind what you were wearing, and we can't divulge that information with anyone. So don't worry.”
“Thank you.” Tracy replied, though she didn't believe her too much.
“But as your doctor, it is my job to help as best as I can.” She looked to Maggie. “Has he been wearing girls clothes much?” When neither Maggie or Tracy replied, she added. “Any thing you say doesn't leave this room.”
“Yeah.” Maggie finally replied. “She..I mean he wants to be a girl.”
“I see.” She pulled out a small tablet and scribbled down a number, then handed it to Maggie. “This is the number for a friend of mine in Chico. Give her a call, she a psychologist who deals with these gender issues a lot and she may be able to help you out.
Maggie began to chuckle. “Actually, I've already called. We got the number from a referral in the Bay Area.
“Makes sense, she did live there for a while.” The doctor smiled. “Well, we'll make sure that the nurses get some clear liquids in here for you. When you can keep those down, we'll move to food. No soda for a few days I'm afraid.”
“Awww.” Tracy slumped back into her bed. “I wanted a grape soda.”
“Sorry, but the more you listen, the sooner you get better.” The doctor replied. “I'll be in tomorrow to check on you, but if something comes up, let the nurse know and they can contact me.”
“Okay, we will.” Maggie replied. She watched the Doctor head for the door. “Well, that went well.” She said, turning back to her daughter.
“Yeah.” Tracy faced her mother as she lay there, then in a quiet voice, she asked. “Mom? Was I stupid for going outside like I did?”
“I don't think so baby. They were there either way. They started something, they may have if you were Troy at the time.” Maggie replied. She had seen her daughters shirt, the clean cut up the middle and the cut along the skirt. She had an idea what almost happened, but she didn't want to bring it up. Tracy was going to have enough of a hard time to deal with.
“I just feel stupid for it.” Tracy shook her head. “So totally stupid.”
“It's okay kiddo. We all make mistakes, and no one could have expected Bruce to be on the property.” Maggie handed her daughter a cup with a straw. “No one could have known he'd attack you there.”
“What about school?” Tracy asked. “What if that kid talks?” She took a drink and lay her head back
“Honey, we'll fight this one battle at a time. But if he said anything, it could go bad for him too. He was there as well.” Maggie said.
“What do you mean?” Tracy sat up slightly, till pain danced across her chest and she lay back.
“Think of it this way. Three boys attacked you. If he was there, he's at least an accessory. That means he had a part in it and is just as guilty.” Maggie replied. “So he may not call any attention to himself.”
“And if he says anything?” Tracy looked at her mother.
“Then we handle it legally. That's all we can do.” Maggie said as she gripped her daughters hand gently.
“Peter?” She blinked a couple of times.
“Yep.” He nodded. “Come on, lets walk.”
She gripped the walker and slowly made her way down the hall. “You came to visit me?”
“Yeah. I wanted to skip school, but Mom wouldn't let me.” He said with a shrug. “And they wouldn't let me out of their sight yesterday. I was here Wednesday night, but you were out of it and the nurses made me go home.”
“Oh. Thank you for coming, even if they made you leave.” Tracy said with a smile.
“i had to see ya. After that fight....” He wiped at his eyes before a tear could form.
December 3rd 1982
Oroville Hospital
Tracy was released from her bed-rest, long enough to get up and go to the bathroom and to try and walk. The doctors needed her to walk to help her get better faster. She needed it too. Being stuck in a bed and with nothing good on TV to watch was driving her crazy. She had already dealt with the Sheriff department and left a statement, so this left her with more nothing to do. So she was let loose in the pediatric ward with her mother and instructions to take it easy. They had offered a walker, so she didn't try to up the pace and hurt herself, but like with most children, she thought she was invincible and she refused it. That was before she made it halfway around the ward.
She was resting while her mother went to get the small walker. Her hand against the wall, mostly because she was afraid if she sat down she wouldn't want to get up. Someone stepped to her side and pushed the walker in front of her. “Here you go.” The voice wasn't her mothers and it cause her to snap her head to see who it was. A move she instantly regretted as pain danced up her ribcage.
There he stood, her knight in shining T-shirt. Peter. He had a look on concern on his face. “Your mom said to bring this to you. I said I'd walk with you.” He replied to an unasked question. “I think she needed to grab something to eat, or something.”
“Peter?” She blinked a couple of times.
“Yep.” He nodded. “Come on, lets walk.”
She gripped the walker and slowly made her way down the hall. “You came to visit me?”
“Yeah. I wanted to skip school, but Mom wouldn't let me.” He said with a shrug. “And they wouldn't let me out of their sight yesterday. I was here Wednesday night, but you were out of it and the nurses made me go home and then you woke up.”
“Oh. Thank you for coming, even if they made you leave.” Tracy said with a smile.
“I had to see ya. After that fight....” He wiped at his eyes before a tear could form.
She took a careful breath, not wanting to hurt her ribs by breathing in too deep. “How was school?”
“It sucked not having you there.” He answered. “Took to long to get over with. I missed having you there to talk to for lunch.” His gaze never left the floor and his voice sounded like he was about to cry.
“Did anyone say anything about me being gone?” Tracy asked.
“There were all sorts of rumors. Someone heard that Bruce had planned to go to your place and now some of them think your dead. Someone saw Bruce in a cop car so they think he did kill you. I tried to tell them that you were okay, but only a few people believed it. Mary Beth Higgins saw you come in here, but she tried to insist you were dead.
Tracy froze in mid step. Mary Beth was a huge gossip at school. “Did she say what I was wearing?”
“No, she said you had shorts on that were blood red, so you had to be dead.” Peter replied with a chuckle.
“Sounds like her.” Tracy replied.
“I thought so too.” Peter lowered his head as they began to walk again. “When I saw what they had done to you I got mad. I wanted to break them, I wanted them to scream.” He stopped and turned away from her.
“Peter. It's okay.” She said, putting a hand on his shoulder.
“No it's not.” He shook his head. “They hurt you. I should have been there to protect you.”
She put her other arm around him and hugged him lightly from the side. “You were there when it counted.” As she leaned against him, she noticed how tired she was. “Hey, help me back to my bed. I think I could use a nap.”
“Okay.” He said, letting her set the pace down the hall. After they were half way to the room he looked at her. “Hey um...” He looked to the floor and thought about how to ask his next question
She looked at him for a moment. “What?” She asked.
He leaned in a whispered, unsure who knew what. “I want to know. Are you Tracy now? I heard your parents call you that at your grandma's and I don't want to insult you.”
“Can I ask you a question first?” She asked as they began walking again. .
“Yeah.” He nodded
“Would you miss me if I was no longer Troy?”
They walked down the hall as he thought about it. As they neared the door he finally answered. “I...I don't know.” He said. “Aren't you Troy and Tracy?”
“I don't know anymore.” She replied as they went into the room. “The more I'm forced to be Troy, the more I hate it.”
“Oh.” He answered and his cheeks began to turn a slight red color.
“Did you mean what you had said the day you found me? About being who makes me happy?” She asked.
“Yeah.” He replied as they stopped by her bed. He turned to look away. “At least I thought I did. But the more I'm around Tracy, the more I like being around her.”
“But at my Grandma's, you called me Troy?” She raised an eyebrow.
“Because, I wasn't sure...I was scared and I hated myself for yelling that. You were dressed at Tracy, but there....” He plopped into a seat and began to shake his head. “I didn't mean to hurt you if I did.”
“You didn't hurt me.” Tracy replied. “And to answer your question, It's Tracy now. At least till I talk to a doctor who knows about these things.”
Peter looked up and his cheeks were still a deep red. “Good. I hope I can hang out with Tracy more.”
“Why?” She asked.
“Because. I think you're cute when you're in your skirts and stuff.” Peter replied. I kinda like hanging out with Tracy, 'cause your the cutest girl I know.”
“I...” She was stunned for a moment, then her mind kicked into gear. “Thank you.” She bent down, ignoring the pain that raced in her ribcage and she kissed his cheek. “That's for being there to save me.”
He looked up as she kissed his cheek once more. “And that's for saying I'm cute.” A huge smile crept across his lips. He touched the cheek she had kissed and he sat there. “Now help me get into this bed.”
“Okay.” He let her do a lot of the work, only helping to support her when she turned and tired to slid onto the bed. “I never heard, how bad did they hurt you? Other then what I see.”
She lay back on the bed and reached for her cup. “Bad.” She gripped the cup, but looked at him. “Want me to tell you?”
He thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “Please.”
“Get comfortable.” She said as she grabbed a rolled up towel and placed the sheet over her. He watched as she placed the towel under the sheet, then moved it a little, wincing in discomfort. “It's not pretty.” And she began to tell him everything the doctor had told her.
Tracy became aware that she lay in bed, a feeling in her hand was slowly forcing her back into the land of consciousness. She brushed at her hand with her free hand and it came in contact with something else. She felt another hand slowly press against hers, then one pressed against her other hand. She slowly opened her eyes, and immediately shut them because of the light. A hand rested over her eyes and a voice spoke softly. “Try it a bit slower.”
She sat there and the hand slowly moved as she got used to the light. She followed the arm to the body it was attached to Tracy's jaw dropped open as she tried to figure out why the person she was looking at was sitting at her bed. “Sage?” She finally managed to say.
“Yep.” Sage replied.
“Sage?” Tracy blinked a couple of times, she gripped her hand, just to make sure she was really there.
“Um....I said yep.” Sage replied. “Maybe I should go get the doctor. You must have got too many hits to the head.” From the other side of her bed she heard a giggle. So she turned her head to see who else was there.
“Rachel?” Tracy said, looking to her other side. She looked back to Sage and behind her she saw her mother standing in the doorway with Sage's mother and Rachel's mother. “What are you two doing here?”
Sage smiled brighter. “Well Mom likes to go and just wander into hospitals all over the state to see if we know the people there and just our luck, you're in this one!”
“Really?” Tracy looked surprised.
Sage chuckled. “No you goof, we're here 'cause your here.”
“How did you know where I was?”
“Well the night you got attacked, your mother called your Aunt Shelly. She called my Mom and Rachel's mother to let us know. We begged our mothers to let us come up and skip school yesterday, but they wouldn't let us skip. So we managed to let them let us come up today.” Sage replied.
“Thank god it was just a half day of school.” Rachel stated.
“Your mom said you may be going home later today or tomorrow, so we wanted to be here to help.” Sage said. “Even if we have to go home on Sunday.”
“Really?” Tracy looked surprised, then she glanced at her mother who just nodded. “Wow.”
“Yep. Casey, Stacey and Brooke wanted to come and meet you, but Casey and Stacey's mom said no, not till she got to meet you and your parents. Brooke's got a game tonight, so she couldn't come. But they'll see you in a couple of weeks, if you still come down.”
“So who is Casey, Stacey and Brooke?” Tracy was trying to catch up with the conversation.
“The friends we mentioned when you were in Livermore?” Sage stated.
“You never used a name.” Tracy looked at her.
“I thought we did.” Rachel replied.
“It doesn't matter, I'm just glad you made it.” She held out an arm and Sage leaned in and lightly hugged her, then she turned to hug Rachel.
“So are we. We got to see Peter before he left. He's kinda cute. He was sitting there, holding your hand as you slept.” Rachel said with a huge grin. “He said you're bored. So he's going go home and get a board game and see if his mother will bring him back. If not, we got tomorrow to play.”
“Where are you staying tonight?” Tracy asked.
“They won't let us stay here, so your Grandma and Grandpa said our Moms could use their guest bedroom and we'll sleep on the floor. Or we may take over your bed in your place.”
“Cool.” Tracy replied.
“And tomorrow, the girls can sleep on the couch in our house if they want.” Maggie said as she, Rachel's mother and Persephone walked into the room. “Or tonight if we can release you.”
“Any chance of that?” Tracy looked at her mother.
“Depends on the doctor. Not much more they can do for the ribs and the wrist, but the other....That's what they got to watch.” Maggie replied.
“What about Grandma? Is she home?” Tracy sat up a little.
“No. They wanted to make sure there was no other problems, she may be in till tomorrow, but I was thinking of taking the girls and their mothers to meet her in a bit, if you want to go.”
“Wait, she wasn't in bed yesterday?” Tracy asked.
“She had to get some tests done, so we hit the cafeteria on the way back and she needed to see you.”
Tracy had started to smile, then it faded. “I don't know if I can go. I'm kinda tired. I'm not sure if I can walk that far. Still tired from my walk earlier.”
“We'll borrow a wheelchair and you can walk as much as you can, then you ride.” Maggie stated. “I'll go round one up, if you want to talk to the girls for a while.”
“Okay.” Tracy smiled at her mother. “I'd love that.
“Well, then you stay here and we'll be back.” Maggie headed to the door, followed by the other two mothers.
“So, how bad is it?” Sage asked as soon as the mothers had left the room. “Your mom almost said something else, but she didn't. What all happened?”
“Bad. I feel like someone is jumping on my ribs when I breathe. MY wrist is sprained. They were also afraid that I had eye damage. But I don't.”
“Okay, what didn't your mother tell us? The thing they got to watch?” Sage asked. Tracy closed her eyes and just lay there. “Come on, we wont tease you or anything, you should know that.”
Tracy tired to turn away, but she ended up looking at Rachel, so she just looked at the ceiling. It seemed easier to tell them without looking at them. “I was kicked...they had to remove a testicle.” Her cheeks went bright red.
“Oh shit.” Sage replied. “So that's what your mother meant when she was talking to my mom.”
“What do you mean?” Tracy asked.
“She said they were shocked that you had gotten to your feet to protect your granny.” Sage replied. “At least your halfway to your goal.” She smiled at Tracy.
Tracy rolled her head till she faced Sage and shook her head. “Nope. I only had one.”
Sage leaned forward and hugged her lightly. “I so sorry. I hope they lock the bastard that hurt you away for life.”
“He may be. This isn't his first arrest.” Tracy replied.
“And all for wearing a skirt?” Rachel asked.
“No.” She looked at Rachel and shook her head again. “This was the guy I caught stealing at the school? The reason I was out of school last weekend?”
“That dickhead? So this had nothing to do with Tracy?” Sage asked.
“Nothing.” She replied. “Nothing at all.” It was a partial lie. Her being Tracy almost became a big thing, but she wasn't ready to share that. Not with anyone.
“Hey kiddo.” Her mothers voice sounded from the doorway. “We got your chariot, but the doctor is coming, so we need to wait on the visit.”
“Good.” Tracy smiled. Maybe I can get out of here.” She said with a smile.
“Hopefully.” Maggie replied.
“We need to get going. Troy will be checking out here shortly.” Maggie said, moving the chair past Mary Beth.
The young girl began walking with them. “Are you going to be in school Monday?”
“Maybe. It depends on how I feel by then.” Tracy replied.
“So what happened?” The girl asked again.
“I'd rather not talk about it. It's kinda personal.” Tracy said.
“So it's true? Bruce cut your...well you know, your thingy off.” She blushed as she said it.
Tracy's cheeks went just as red. “Who said that?” She asked.
“I heard it someplace.” The girl replied as she looked to the floor.
Maggie chuckled. “No, he didn't cut it off. If he had, Troy would be dead.”
December 3rd 1982
Oroville Hospital
The doctor had just finished her checkup of Tracy. Maggie had stayed in the room, but did her best to give her some privacy. Her friends and their mothers had waited outside, to also preserve Tracy's dignity. Tracy smiled at them as her mother began calling their house so her father could bring her some clothes. The two girls ran over, both had huge grins.
“So?” Rachel asked.
“I can go home.” Tracy replied, smiling back.
“She can go home, but she has to take it easy for a day or two, so no walking everywhere and no playing. You'll have to be content with her lying about.” Maggie clarified.
“Aww, Mom.” Tracy whined.
“Hey, you heard the doctor. You really want to be back here for pushing yourself? You know how tired you got just walking part of the halls here. You'll take it easy and we'll go from there.” Maggie moved to where she had put the wheel chair. “So come on, let's go see your Grandma before we go home.”
Tracy slowly got off of the bed and stood up, and she walked over to the wheelchair using very slow, small steps. Sage began to snicker, causing Tracy to stop. “What?”
Rachel went to her side and reached behind her, closing the gown a bit better. “Lets just say, if you had walked to your grandma, you would have given the whole place a great show.” Tracy's cheeks went bright red.
“It's okay, but you think they'd let you have underwear. Or something.” Sage replied.
“Not really. Something about rubbing against the site of the operation.” Tracy said.
Once Rachel was done tying the gown together, she sat in the chair and was wheeled out into the hall. It was an uneventful ride to the floor above in the elevator. They went down the hall and into Modine's room. Tracy's grandma was in one bed. The second bed by the window was empty, but showed signs of someone having been in it a little while earlier.
The older women smiled as she saw Tracy come into her room. “You look like you're doing better.”
Tracy's smile lit up the room. “I get to go home. I got to take it easy though. Do you get to go home too?”
“Yes. The x ray of my hip came back good. They just needed to know that everything was okay on the insides.” She said.
“Oh, is it?” Tracy asked.
“As far as they know. But you know how things can pop up.” Modine said.
“I'm sorry you're here. It's all my fault for leading them to your place.” Tracy dropped her head down and sat there looking at her lap. Modine gestured for Maggie to roll her closer.
“Alright, none of that. No moping” Modine said, then she deflected what could have been a bit of waterworks. “Now I see you brought guests, so maybe you should be polite and introduce them”
“Okay.” Tracy said as she turned in her wheelchair. Sage and Rachel stepped in and their mothers followed them. Tracy made quick introductions for everyone.
“So you're the young ladies my Granddaughter talked about when she got home.” Modine said, offering her hand out, the one not in the cast. At the mention of her being the granddaughter, Tracy smiled brighter.
“Yep.” Sage replied. “We tired to bring our other friends with us, but their mother said no.”
“It's good to meet you all.” Modine smiled at them. “I'm glad Tracy has some good friends to help her through with this.”
“We tired to get here yesterday, but our mothers said no.” Rachel replied.
“And with good reason.” Rachel's mother touched her daughters shoulder. “You still need your education.”
“You missed Conner. He's in the pharmacy, getting my new prescriptions filled.” Modine said.
Tracy looked to Sage and Rachel. “He actually said he was sorry, for everything he's done.” In their two days of sleepovers, she had told them all about her family, including her dad and grandfather.
“Really?” Rachel asked.
“Yep. He said he was proud of me for defending my Grandma.” She replied. “And I should be who I want.”
A nurse stepped in behind the girls before they could continue the questions. “Modine? We need to do another check up before you get released, okay?”
“Well, I think that's my cue to let you young ladies get going. We can talk later when I get home.” Modine smiled.
“Cool. I'd like that.” Tracy replied. She let her mother wheel her out of the room, taking a moment to wave at her grandmother before the curtain was pulled around the bed.
They were almost to the elevator when a younger girl about Tracy's age stepped out of one of the rooms. She gasped as soon as she saw Tracy in the wheel chair. ”Troy? I thought you were dead. So Peter was telling the truth?”
“Mary Beth, I'm not dead. Just a little hurt.” She replied with a roll of her eyes.
“But your clothes, they were blood red.” Mary Beth shook her head, as though the action could help her brain work better.
“That's because they were red.” Tracy shook her head.
“Boys don't wear bright red pants.” She said. She didn't continue the statement. She knew what he had been wearing. But instead of blurting it out she didn't say what she saw, she wasn't sure how to deal with this.
“I'll have you know it was my shorts. His got ruined in the fight. The other three guys tired to cut him bad, so he needed something to wear when he came to the hospital.” Rachel replied.
Mary Beth thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “Oh...yeah that makes sense.” But she didn't believe it.
“Yep.” Rachel replied.
“So did Bruce really try to kill you?” Mary Beth asked.
“I'm sorry.” Maggie cut in. “We can't talk about that yet. Legal issues.”
“Oh...I'm sorry.” Mary Beth slumped her shoulders.
“We need to get going. Troy will be checking out here shortly.” Maggie said, moving the chair past Mary Beth.
The young girl began walking with them. “Are you going to be in school Monday?”
“Maybe. It depends on how I feel by then.” Tracy replied.
“So what happened?” The girl asked again.
“I'd rather not talk about it. It's kinda personal.” Tracy said.
“So it's true? Bruce cut your...well you know, your thingy off.” She blushed as she said it.
Tracy's cheeks went just as red. “Who said that?” She asked.
“I heard it someplace.” The girl replied as she looked to the floor.
Maggie chuckled. “No, he didn't cut it off. If he had, Troy would be dead.”
“Really?” She asked.
“Yes. But once again, you'll have to excuse us. We got a nurse waiting for us in Troy's room.”
“Oh....sorry.” Mary Beth replied. “I'll see you in school on Monday.”
“Okay. Bye Mary Beth.”Tracy replied.
They walked over and Sage ran ahead to call on the elevator. When they got in the elevator and the doors shut, Rachel looked to Tracy. “Is she really that clueless?”
“Yep.” Tracy nodded. “She's the biggest gossip in the school. I bet she's the one who said my thing was cut off.”
“Oh shit.” Rachel said as she began to rock on her heels.
Tracy turned to face her. “What?”
“You said she's the biggest gossip and I just told her that you were wearing my shorts. I just admitted you were wearing girls clothes.” Rachel looked to the floor. “I'm sorry Tracy.”
“Crap.”
“Language young lady.” Maggie leaned forward so her daughter could see her face. “We'll handle this when it happens. Till then there's no point in worrying about it.”
“Okay Mom.” She replied.
An hour later Tracy sat in the middle seat of Persephone's VW Bus, taking over one whole seat, with her legs on the bench. She wasn't happy with the sweats and lack of underwear, but she didn't want to push things too far. Rachel and Sage behind her. Her mother had taken over the passenger seat. Rachel's mom was with William.
As they quickly got out of the small town Tracy lived by, Sage tapped her shoulder. “That was it? That was the town you live in?”
“Not really. That's the bigger town we live near and we were just on the outskirts of it. Wait till you see where we live.” She pointed to a road as they turned at an intersection. “That way leads to the lake. Lots of camping up there.”
“See, we so gotta come here in the summer.” Sage said, then she looked to Rachel before the other girl could say anything. “Camping wont kill you.”
“It may.” She replied. “I may get eaten by a rabid chipmunk or a venomous duck.”
Tracy laughed, till she gasped and held her sides. “No making me laugh.”
“So, is Peter coming over tonight?” Sage batted her eyelashes at Tracy.
“Yes. I called his place when you were in the bathroom Tracy. Your Dad is picking him up on the way to the school.” Maggie answered for her.
“School? Why are we going there?” Tracy asked.
“You're Dad got Mr. Harper to agree to let you look at the pictures to see if we could see the fourth boy who attacked you. There was a basketball game tonight, so he'll be there till seven. That gives us about two hours. Plus Your father is going there for Vance's game. He already called the sheriff’s department so they can have someone there to take down any more information. ”
“You talked to the cops already?” Rachel asked. “Was it like in the movies? Did they use the room with the bright light and stuff?”
“I talked to them after I woke up on Friday. And I was in bed, they couldn't move me till later.” Tracy replied. “No, it was just a lot of questions over and over till the nurses and doctor got mad and kicked him out because they were making me mad and I couldn't move at all.”
“Wow. Think they'll do that here?” Rachel asked.
“Who knows?” Tracy shrugged.
“If they do, I will take you away from them.” Maggie replied. “They got one report, they don't need two. And you need your rest.”
Tracy nodded. “So act like I'm tired? Shouldn't be hard.” She pointed to Sage and Rachel. “What about them?”
“Well there's several hundred kids in your school I was thinking you could give them a description to all of us and we could look too.” Maggie gestured to Persephone. “It's kind of rude to just take them home and make them wait for us.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Tracy replied.
“Okay girls, I doubt you'll remember, but this road on your right leads to our house. It dumps out on this road in a mile or so too.” Maggie said, pointing to the road. Persephone turned at it.
“I thought we were going to the school?” Tracy said, now extremely confused.
“We are, but I thought Persephone and the girls would like to leave their stuff at the house, as opposed to just leaving it in the back of the bus. Plus it gives your father enough time to go grab Peter.”
“Oh.”
“Okay, take it easy. Just up ahead the road is a forced turn to the left. You miss it and we're in the ravine.” Maggie said.
“Nothing like pressure to make you don't screw up.” Sage's mother said with a smile. She slowed down as they hit the turn. When they straightened out she picked up the speed. “Which one?”
“It's on the other side of that hill.” Maggie pointed to a big hill on the road. As they started down one side, Sage began giggling.
“She's like this on roller coasters too.” Rachel said shaking her head.
“COWS!” Sage began bouncing and pointing to the right side of the road.
“That's Lilly Scott's place. She's our neighbor.” Maggie said. The buses motor got louder as Persephone put her foot down. She let up near the top of the hill. “Just past this mobile home on the right. That's Modine's place.”
“Whoa, look at the old truck.” Rachel said, looking at a truck with more rust and dust on it then paint. “Uncle Frank would love that.”
“He does, he tired to get Conner to sell it before, but Conner uses it for farm work.” Maggie stated.
“Hey, what are those trees?” Rachel asked as Maggie pointed to a drive next to Modine's place and Persephone pulled in.
“Well the trees with no leaves are pecan trees. The ones with the leaves are olive trees.” Maggie replied as the bus pulled to a stop. “We also have three pomegranate tress here, one apple tree, one green apple and a fig tree. Not sure who planted some of those, but they must have been hungry for fruit.”
As Maggie got out and slid the back door open, Tracy blushed from embarrassment as the sight of her house. It was old and rundown. It badly needed a paint job, new windows and a ton of other work. “You want to wait?” Maggie asked her. “Or can you handle getting in and out a few times tonight.”
“I'm Okay in here.” She replied, her happy tone was now long gone. There were times she hated the house. Usually when someone was over to visit her.
Sage hopped out and was followed by Rachel. Sage began looking over the house and she understood why Tracy didn't mind her place in Livermore. She looked around the outside, then stepped to the side of the house. “Cool.” Her eyes went wide. “Rachel. Look, they got big birds here.”
Maggie raised an eyebrow and moved to the side of the house. She chuckled when she saw what Sage saw. “Meet the wild turkeys. Usually we have like twenty of them.” She gestured to the trees. “We get a lot of deer here too. And make sure the cats don't have the white stripe down their back if you try and pet them at night, those are skunks. But lets get your stuff put up for now. We can't keep the Principal waiting. I promise to let you look around tomorrow.”
“Cool.” Sage said with a smile.
Ten minutes later, Tracy found herself slowly walking into the main office of her school. Sage and Rachel were to either side and Peter was rushing ahead to open up the doors. They had added Vance into their group, who was playing in the basketball game. Mr. Harper met them in the lobby as he stood in the doorway watching the set up for the basketball game. The offices, both the principal and nurses, were connected to the auditorium that served as cafeteria too, plus it had the stage for the drama class and the band room was connected to that.
He turned as he heard the movement and he stopped and considered the group that Tracy had with her. “Well, you know you didn't need all this backup Mr Patterson.” He said, walking over to Troy and offering his hand. “How you doing, son?”
“I hurt. I feel like someone is dancing on my...my crotch.” She blushed brightly.
“That's normal. I had a brother that went through the same thing a couple years back because of cancer.” He replied.
“You know what happened?” Tracy asked, very nervously.
“I had to tell him and the nurse for when you came back to school, in case of problems.” Maggie piped in.
“Don't worry, the nature of your surgery will be kept from the mass populace of the school. Even the teachers will only know that you had something major done as a result of the attack, but with the rumors, it wont be hard to guess at what it was.”
“Oh.” Tracy replied. She didn't want it being too well known. But with stories like the one that Mary Beth had told then, someone was bound to make up something like what really happened.
“I've got the pictures in the office. Let me get the Deputy.” He went back to the auditorium and waved at someone, then he walked over to Tracy and her friends and family. “So what's with the big group?”
“These are friends of hers from out of town. They heard about the attack and they wanted to visit. Be a bit rude to just leave them at our place for a couple of hours.” Maggie replied.
“It would be.” Mr Harper agreed, ignoring Maggie's choice of words. Tracy was too busy being in pain to hear what she had said and the only recognition that William gave was a quick glance towards his wife, just the eyes, not a full move of the head.
“I was wondering if they could help us and cut down on the looking time. Tra...” Maggie's vocal filter caught the slip in time and she tired to save it. “oy. Can give them a description and we can look that way.”
Mr. Harper looked at her for a moment, wondering what she had started to say, but he just waved it off. He had been hearing strange rumors all over the school for the past two days. Something about Troy being maimed, and being dead. There were more, one of which he already had confirmation on and now he felt he needed to talk to them in private. “That's good. But before we begin, can I talk to you, your husband and Troy please?”
Maggie looked to a confused William, who just shrugged. “Sure.”
Mr. Harper led them into his office. The rest of the group stood in the outer office. On instinct he went around his desk and pulled out his chair. He had sat down as he watched William stand behind his wife, offering the other seat to his child. Tracy winced in pain as she sat down. The Principal waited a moment, then he started.
“I just wanted to let you know about some of the rumors that we've heard concerning your son in the past two days.” He watched as Tracy shifted in the seat, the child’s face was a mask of pain. “They run the gambit from stories of your son being dead to Bruce cutting off body parts.” He watched as Tracy kept fidgeting in the seat. “There even rumors that your son fought off ten guys single handed.”
He stood up as Tracy moved in her seat once more, grunting in pain. “Troy, get up for a moment.” He stood up and wheeled his chair around the desk. “I should have thought about the pain and those chairs. Try this out, but only for tonight.”
Tracy had stood up slowly, then she looked to her parents who nodded. Once she had the approval, she sat back in the seat and smiled. The seat had better padding then the other seat. In fact it was one of the most comfortable work types seats she had ever sat in. “Thank you, Sir. This is comfy. ”
“Being Principal does come with some good benefits.” He smiled as he moved to sit on the edge of his desk. “There's also a rumor going around that Troy was wearing a dress on the day Bruce attacked him. I'm not sure who is spreading it, but I have instructions with all the teachers to help stop it. It's a slander lawsuit in the making.” Maggie looked at William, who just kept his poker face going. The blood rushed from Tracy's face as it held a look of shocked fear, something Mr. Harper caught.
“Has anyone said who started it?” Maggie asked.
“Maggie, you know how these things work. Each kid will say they heard it from someone else. We can't suspend half the school, not till we know who is spreading the rumor. If I had to guess, it's either the boy you want to find today, or it's Bruce's brother, Clark. He worships the ground Bruce walked on, so getting him to admit it would be hard.”
“I understand.” William replied, nodding his head.
Mr. Harper paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to proceed. “Maggie, William, I don't care what Troy does in his spare time, if the rumor is true. As long as his schooling doesn't falter, that's my main concern. Well, That and his safety. He's a bright student. Polite and friendly. I've never had any trouble with him, other then the incident last week, but my hands were tied on that.”
He took a deep breath, then sat to where he could see both Tracy and her mother. “I would urge you to exercise a little more caution though.”
“What do you mean?” Maggie asked.
“I know I'm out on a limb here, but bear with me. In the hall you almost refereed to your child with another name and you said those were her, not his friends. You used the female pronoun. And just a moment ago, when I mentioned the rumor of the dress, your son lost the color in his face and looked like a scared animal.”
Before anyone could speak, Mr. Harper held a hand up. “Like I said, I don't care what he does as long as he is in a safe environment. But Troy, things like this can land you in a world of hurt if your not careful. You got to learn to control your facial reactions.” He stood up and looked to Maggie and William. “I should also tell, my wife was in the ER the night Troy went in. She was there with her mother. She knew you on sight, Maggie. And she remembered Troy from the Christmas program last year she saw what he was wearing. It's a small hospital, there's no back door to go though, so if anyone else was in the waiting room, they could have seen Troy in a skirt.”
Tracy's heart sank and she began to cry. Mr, Harper turned to face her, dropping to one knee. “Hey, what's with the tears?”
“Everyone's gonna find out.” She said between sniffles.
“Not from me they wont. And Karen wont tell either. She has a niece in New York like you, she's about nineteen and lives in Albany.” He smiled at her. “Your secret is safe with us. But this is why you need to work on your facial expressions. You got to be able to pull off the poker face your father has. If not people just got to ask you about dresses and you'll give it away.”
“You...” Tracy blinked and then wiped some tears out of her eyes. “You don't mind?”
“Well you can't wear them here, but at home? I don't mind. You don't seem to be suffering any mental issues from it, no more then the usual kid stuff, so I don't need to call the county people.” there was a knocking at the door and he stood up. “Look, anytime you need to talk, my door is open. I may not totally understand, but I'm behind you. I don't know about the other teachers, but I'm on your side.”
“Thank you.” Maggie said as she stood up.
“It's no problem,.” He opened the door to find the Deputy. “Sorry, had to cover a couple of school related things.”
“Oh, I totally understand. I just wanted to see if we can get working on this. I've got dispatch wondering what's taking me so long and I hate being in trouble.” He replied.
“Sure. We'll take over my office for privacy.” Mr. Harper turned around and smiled at Tracy. “Go ahead and keep the chair for now. Be best for you.”
“Should I do this?” Tracy asked, looking to her parents.
“What do you mean?” Maggie asked. “He attacked you, didn't he?”
“Well not really.” She replied.
“But he was there at the time of attack and he knew that it was going to happen, correct?” The Deputy asked.
“I don't know a part of him seemed surprised at what all Bruce wanted to do." Tracy replied.
"But he can help keep those other boys in jail. I'd do it just to be safe." Maggie stated.
She sat there as everyone filed into the office. “Okay, Troy, tell them what your looking for.” Maggie said, as Mr. Harper put the pictures on his desk.
“There was a fourth kid there on Wednesday. He left early, Bruce attacked him when he decided not to do what Bruce said. He's about my age, a bit older. Brown hair and kind of a bland face.”
“Wait.” Peter said, he moved closer to the desk. “Was he wearing a black Queen t-shirt?”
Tracy looked at him confused and nodded. “Yeah, how did you know?”
“That fucking son of a bitch.” Peter swore, gaining him the motherly stares from Maggie and Rachel's mother. He blushed. “Sorry. I saw him walking down your road, mumbling to himself. I just figured he had relatives there.” Peter locked his eyes on Tracy and his fists began to ball up. When he spoke again, his voice was strained and he looked ready for a fight. “Did he hurt you?”
“No. In fact Bruce and his friends first found me behind the barn. He was with them, but when it was shown that Bruce was going to hurt me, he left, after Bruce hit him.” She leaned back in the chair, all eyes were on her. “If he hadn't objected to what Bruce was going to do, I wouldn't have had the chance to run and get to Grandma's place.” After a second, she scoffed and added. “Not that getting there helped much.”
“Alright, on Track people, focus.” Mr. Harper looked to Peter. “Mr. lowery, can you point out who he is? Have you seen him around the school before?”
Peter nodded. “I think he's either in the sixth or seventh grade.”
“That narrows it down.” The Deputy remarked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Actually, it does. We have all grades here, first through eighth, but there's only three classes of each grade, so that gives us six homerooms to check out, and that’s better then twenty-four.” Mr. Harper stated.
The Deputy looked at Tracy. “And why did you fell the need to hide this information?”
William was about to speak, When Maggie stood up an glared at the Deputy. “We've spoke to your department once since she woke up. Your people felt the need to ask questions to a child who had just been through a major surgery and was still on pain killers. She didn't even recall the other guy till later.” It was a lie, but Tracy had enough problems.
“So why do you need to find this kid?” The Deputy asked. “You've got your mother, friend, Grandfather and Grandmother to say they attacked you.”
“We want to make sure that son of a bitch stays in jail.” William replied. “And this kid could help with that.”
“I understand.” The Deputy nodded. “I'll let you all work, let me know when you got an ID.” He walked out of the crowded office, talking into his radio as he went to find a chair in the outer office.
Mr. Harper spread out the class pictures of the sixth and seventh grades and everyone let peter look over them.
Sage and Rachel stood next to Tracy as Peter and Tracy looked over the pictures. Peter stopped and tapped one of them. “him.” He passed it to Tracy who nodded.
“Yeah. That's him.” The others moved from the desk so Mr. Harper could get a look
“Hmmmm.” He scanned the list of names at the bottom, drumming his fingers on the desk. “Jerry Rivers. I remember him now. New kid, just moved to the school district in August.” He picked up the pictures, then went to find the Deputy.
“Now what?” Tracy asked.
“Now we put it in the Law's hands.” William replied. “That's all we can do.”
The game was going on in the auditorium and Tracy didn't want to deal with the crowd in there, so instead she asked to go for a walk on the school grounds. Peter had gone with her in case of troubles and Sage and Rachel went along too. Persephone and Rachel's mother had stayed near the office with Maggie and William.
As they reached the far end of the school Sage shook her head. “Man, that's it? You're school is this small?”
“Wow, our school seems huge compared to this and that’s just an elementary school.” Rachel added.
“Well there's not a lot of people here.” Tracy said. “It's just farm lands.”
“I expected to see cows and horses grazing on the football field.” Sage said with a laugh.
“It's not that small.” Tracy replied.
“Compared to home it is.” Rachel looked at her and shrugged. “But it's okay.”
Tracy stopped by the bus stop and leaned against a wall. “Okay, lets go back and see if your mother can take us home.”
“Cool. Can we play a board game when we get home?” Sage gave her a big smile.
“Sure, I could use so fun in my life.” Tracy answered as she began the long walk to the office. Halfway there a couple of girls came running up and Tracy recognized Mary Beth and her older sister Emily May.
"You got out of the hospital?" Mary Beth said as she fell in step next to Troy, pushing Peter out of his spot. Her sister walked next to her.
"Yep." Tracy nodded.
"Were you visiting someone up there? We had gone to see my Granny. She got sick the other day and they wanted to keep an eye on her."
"My Grandma got hurt when I did." Tracy replied.
"Why are you walking so slow?" Emily May asked.
"I got hurt?" Tracy looked at her and then back at the goal of the office doors. They were so far away and she hoped she could make it.
"Oh." Emily replied. "You gonna be back on Monday?"
"Maybe. I'll be in pain, but I'll try."
"So who are they?" Emily May asked, pointing to the other two girls.
"Yeah, I forgot to ask earlier." Mary Beth said.
Tracy slowed to a stop and gestured to her friends. "This is Sage and Rachel." then she gestured to Emily May. "This is Emily May, Mary Beth's sister"
"Hi. Do you go to school here?" Emily asked.
"No, we go to Rancho Las Positas Elementary." Rachel replied.
"Where's that at?" Mary Beth asked.
"Livermore, in the Bay Area." Sage replied.
"You live in the Bay Area? We got family all over down there. We wanna move, but our Dad likes it here." Emily shrugged her shoulders. "But when I'm older, I'll move there."
"It is nice down there." Sage agreed.
Tracy began walking again, causing the five kids to walk with her.
"So is one of you his girl friend?" Emily May asked.
Tracy almost stumbled, but she caught herself and pain erupted in both her ribs and her crotch. Sage answered with a grin. "Neither of us are lucky enough to have him as a boyfriend."
"We're gonna be in the Bay Area around Christmas, maybe we should hang out? Our brother was going to go, but he wants to hang out with a different uncle and go skiing." Mary Beth said, taking a piece of paper out of her tiny purse. She pulled out a pen and began to write. "This is our Aunt's number, call it if you wanna hang out."
"Well I'll see." Sage said as she took the paper. "May be out of town visiting family in Vermont."
"Then her." Mary Beth took the paper back and pushed it to Rachel who took it.
"I'll see. Not really sure what Attila the Mom will have planned." Rachel said with a smile. "But we'll see." She pulled out a piece o paper from her own purse and wrote a number down. "Call that if you want, we may be home."
"Thanks." Mary Beth smiled at her.
Tracy reached the door, then she turned around and rested against the wall. "Okay, I need to go home."
"You okay?" Peter asked.
"Just tired. Been a long day and I need a nap." She replied.
"I gotcha." He opened up the door and let Tracy walk in. She stopped at her mother and the other mothers.
"Can we take off now?" She asked.
"Yeah." Maggie said after looking to Persephone and Rachel's mom.
"Cool." She turned to look at Mary Beth and her sister. "I may see you on Monday. If I can make it to school."
"Cool." the two girls smiled, then went into watch the basketball game. Tracy slowly lead the group to the bus as her mother stopped to tell her father that they were leaving. When they reached the bus, Tracy looked to Rachel. "Why did you take their number? You really wanna hang out with them?"
"Not really, they seem a bit clueless for my tastes, but if I hadn't they'd use that to claim you have stuck up friends." Rachel replied. "Plus if I get to talking to them, I can see if they are starting rumors about you. See, I have a point to this."
Tracy stopped and hugged her. "Thank you Rachel." She looked at the other girl. "You too Sage."
As the game was ending, Emily May and Mary Beth walked ahead of their brother and parents to the car. The older girl looked at her sister. "Are you sure it was a skirt?" She asked.
"Emily, I know what a skirt looks like. Troy's hiding something. Then that Rachel girl said his clothes were ruined and he was wearing her stuff. She's bigger then he is. This fit too nice for it to not be his." Mary Beth replied.
"I see. And it is odd for a boy his age to be that comfortable with two girls." She nodded. "Hell Wally hates being by girls right now and he's older then Troy." She cast a glance to her twin brother.
"See what I mean? Troy is hiding something, something juicy." Mary Beth smiled wide.
"Just remember, you go blabbing this around and he could get hurt." Her sister said. "You know that."
"Yeah, but you got to admit, with his hair getting longer, he does look like a girl."
Emily May nodded. "Yeah, he does."
More fun with our little heroine. Tune in next bat-time for a bit of farm life for Sage and Rachel.
This contains an attack and almost rape. Please be warned I have altered the rating to reflect that, sorry if it seems high, just being safe.
But fear not, our Brave Tracy may be fine.........
And I'd like to give a big thank you to Djkauf for the editing. Thank you very much.
December 3rd 1982
Northern California
Tracy sat on the couch in her parent’s house, Sage sat next to her. Vance and Rachel were sitting on the other side of the coffee table, their backs to the pot belly stove. The fire crackled inside the cast iron stove, giving heat to the room. Tracy had already put on a pair of flannel pajama bottoms and thick socks. She wore a thicker nightgown. Rachel and Sage had yet to change for the night, neither had Vance. But Tracy had taken the time, just to get out of the sweat pants. Two extra sleeping bags were on a cot that sat next to the couch.
Cards were in five piles on the coffee table as the four kids played the card game of War. The game's speed was also being dictated by the sounds of the TV. Vance had begged for Dukes of Hazzard, which the other three girls given the okay for. They had stopped the board games for the night when Peter had been taken home. Tracy had hoped he'd stay, but she understood his problem and she didn't want for him to be embarrassed in front of the girls.
Maggie was in the kitchen, talking with Persephone and Rachel's mother. It made her feel good to hear their laughter fill the house. Vance had been getting better, but he and Tracy still had their arguments, but then what pair of siblings could say they never had problems.
“You cheating twerp.” Sage said as she watched Vance pick up another group of cards. The pile in front of him slowly growing.
“It's not cheating. It's a skill.” Vance replied with a smile. His gaze fell on Sage as he sat there, then a goofy grin began to spread across his lips. Sage watched and raised an eyebrow.
Rachel giggled and held a hand in front of his face, when he didn't react, she snapped her fingers, causing him to flinch. “Hey, Space Cadet, pay attention to the game.”
He didn't reply, he only turned a deep shade of red. The three girls began laughing, which caused Tracy to pull a pillow to her chest and hold it while the pain in her rib cage came back for an encore.
Their laughter was interrupted by the front door opening up. William came in and shut the door quickly to keep the cold air on the inside. “Still up?” He said, looking at his daughter.
“Yeah. I'm tired, but after two days in bed I don't wanna sleep yet.” Tracy replied.
“I can understand.” He moved over to the wood burning stove and opened it up. The girls watched as he moved the wood inside around with a poker, then he added another log. “After Viet Nam I was stuck in a bed for almost three weeks after they finished working on my knee.” The four children cringed, as did Maggie.
“Yuck.” Tracy replied.
“Hey, it happened. So how late are you planning to stay up?” He asked.
“As long as we can?” Vance replied. The three girls nodded as he spoke.
“Okay, no school tomorrow, but I'm not sure what their mothers would say, so let's call it quits at ten, that gives you an hour.” William said.
“It's okay by us.” Persephone stated from the kitchen. “We're not doing much tomorrow, other than the dinner with your mother.”
“Dinner with Grandma?” Tracy asked.
William smiled. “Well we decided that with a large group here and the mothers staying over there that one big meal at Mom and Dad's place would be best. Be like Christmas, just no turkey.”
“Awww. That means I'll be doing dishes alone.” Vance replied as he slumped his shoulders.
“Well Tracy can't help you, not with her restrictions.” William replied as he moved to his chair and sat down. “But tell you what, I'll give you a hand, maybe we can get them done faster.”
“Really?” Vance asked. William nodded and his son smiled. The young boy had hoped that Sage would have helped. He wasn't sure why, but there was something about her he liked. But any help was welcome. “Cool.”
As the show drew to a close, Rachel shook her head and pointed to the TV. “I have no idea why they got rid of Bo and Luke. These two new guys just aren't the same.”
“Yeah. John Schneider was just sooo cute.” Sage said with a contented sigh.
“Could have been money issues, contract obligations, or personal issues. There's lots of reasons that people give up on shows like that.” William replied as he got up to go to the TV.
“How do you know that?” Tracy asked.
“I worked with Dad at MGM in LA for a while. I never worked in TV, just movies, but some things are the same for either.” He stopped and looked at the kids. “Up for some Knight Rider?”
“Yeah!” Came the reply.
"Good, I didn't want to watch Dallas." William said with a grin.
“David Hasselhoff is cute too.” Rachel stated.
“I love the car.” Vance said.
“You say that about the General Lee.” Tracy replied.
“That's cool too.” Vance smiled at his sister.
“And the Bat-mobile from that old show.”
“It was cool too.”
“And the truck from the Fall Guy, Fonzie's bike and the bikes from ChiPs.” William continued.
“Well, they're all cool.” Vance began to blush from the embarrassment.
“I can't argue that.” William replied. “I always liked the car from the Munsters and Black Beauty from the Green Hornet.”
“Herbie's pretty cool too.” Tracy said. As the show started, all four kids fell silent, their card game now forgotten.
The sun shone brightly on Tracy as she looked around at what seemed to be a clear Autumn afternoon. She had no idea where she was. It was just a meadow somewhere. In the distance she could hear the sounds of birds chirping, cows mooing and ducks quacking. She walked through the meadow, heading for a path that led through the trees. A breeze moved through the branches, causing the leaves to rattle and fall. She loved the Autumn, the changing leaves were the best, but around her home, she only saw a few. So she took her time to see the bright yellows, oranges and red's floating past her on the breeze.
As she stood there, a cloud began to blot out the sun. The wind picked up and this time, instead of hearing leaves rustle, she swore she heard a voice.
“Fag.” It seemed to whisper. She stopped and looked around. The sunlight was quickly going away. A shiver ran up her spine. She looked in the direction that she had come from and saw nothing but darkness. She turned in the direction that she had been going in and there stood a figure a short distance ahead of her. Behind him was nothing but darkness. She couldn't make out who he was, but something about him scared her. The breeze called to her again. “Fag.”
Tracy was blocked. She wanted to run to the meadow, but it was in the darkness. And the man coming at her seemed to be bringing some darkness with him. She turned and began running into the woods to her side. She didn't get far when her foot caught a root to a gnarled old oak tree.
She panicked, trying to get to her feet. The figure was getting closer, just walking at a slow pace, but he was still catching her. “So gonna love this.” The figure said. As she got to her feet, she saw his face and her blood ran cold. Bruce had that same leering smile he had when he had seen her on the property the first time. Two more figures appeared at his side, Frankie and Kenny.
She had tried to run, but Bruce moved with inhuman speed. He grabbed her by the arm and threw her to the ground, instantly following her down and pinning her under his body. “You want this.” He hissed in her ear. “It's the only reason you dress like this, Fag.”
“Bruce no...” She pleaded, but he only laughed at her. She could hear the other two step up to her side and she watched as they shed their clothes. She tried to struggle, but the other two, now naked boys, pinned her arms down.
Bruce's calloused hands tore at her top, ripping it to shreds. She tired to cry out, but fear strangled her voice. Bruce kept ripping at her shirt as she lay there sobbing. One hand dipped below her waist and yanked up her skirt and with a fast pull, the cloth tore from her waist, cutting into her sides. He reached down and grabbed her panties, then tore them free from her body as well. “Gonna love this fag.” His voice growled in her ear. “We all are.” He stayed sitting on her back, but he sat up, then his shirt hit the ground near her. The pressure from her back went away and she thought it was over. But that thought was killed as she heard the sounds of a zipper being pulled down. She couldn't see him, but her imagination ran wild as his pants hit the ground.
“DON'T” She tried to scream out but it was muffled between the sobs. She felt his naked body lay on top of hers, one of his hands between her shoulder blades. He shoved her till her chest hit the ground. She could feel him moving behind her and she knew what was about to happen. She felt felt sick as his hands began to grope at her butt.
“Please Bruce, don't.” She begged again. He slapped her on the side of the cheek. Then he showed her the knife that he had pressed to her throat once before.
“Shut up Fag.” He growled. “Beg for it and I may let you live.”
“Please don't.” She sobbed out.
“Wrong answer.” The knife pressed into her throat once more, not enough to cut, but to let her know it was there. His other hand kept exploring her backside and crotch. “Now once more. Beg for it.” Her sobs got worse as he lay there. She didn't want to die. “Beg or I kill your Grandma and mother. Tell me I can do whatever I want to you or they die.”
She rested her head against the dirt, the knife still against her throat. She wanted to tell him no, but he had the upper hand. She didn't want her grandmother or mother being hurt because she resisted. Shame filled her as she forced herself to speak again. “Do whatever you want to me, just don't hurt my Grandma.”
“We'll see.” His voice said as he pulled the knife away from her. He shoved his weight down on her full and began to laugh. She could feel him above her, every last disgusting part of him. She could feel the warmth of his male parts resting just on her butt. She felt him preparing, taking his time to extend the mental anguish she was feeling. As he got her ready, he laughed in her ear. “Ready to be treated like a woman now?”
“Tracy?” She heard a girl’s voice in her ear and she felt herself being shaken. Yet, Bruce was still there. “Wake up.” The voice said again. “Damn it Tracy, wake up.”
As Bruce thrust forward, she screamed out as loud as she could. A hand touched her cheek as she woke up and began thrashing and swinging, kicking screaming and crying. Her mind was foggy as she woke up, but she saw Sage sitting on the edge of the bed, worry in her eyes. Without warning, Tracy lurched forward, whimpering from the pain, but she tried to hold onto Sage. She began to cry harder from the pain. Sage helped her back and lay with her, letting her friend curl into a ball, Tracy's head against her chest. Rachel was getting off the cot as they lay down.
“Lie down Tracy.” Sage said in a calm voice.
William burst out of his bedroom, wearing pajama bottoms and holding his shotgun. His free hand hit the lights, forcing all three girls to cover their eyes. He kept it pointed towards the ground as he scanned the room, looking for anyone attacking his daughter or her friends. “What's going on!” He looked over to the two girls who were now next to his daughter. Maggie stood just behind him
“She had a nightmare.” Sage said as Rachel got up on the bed with them
Vance rushed out of the kitchen, wearing a pair of boxers and holding a baseball bat over his shoulders, ready to swing. “Who was screaming? What's wrong?”
“Just a nightmare, son. Go on back to bed.” William said as he set the safety on his weapon and walked back into the bedroom, setting it just inside the doorway to his bedroom. The house had begun to get chilly, so he went over to the wood stove and opened it, tossing another piece of wood and some paper onto the slowly dwindling fire. Then he shut the door and went back to his room.
“It wasn't Sage was it?” Vance asked.
“Vance, it was Tracy, go back to bed, you shouldn't be running around like that with three young girls anyway.” Maggie said as she went to the pull-out bed. Vance gave a look to Sage and he blushed, then scampered back into the hall.
Rachel moved out of the way as Maggie sat down. “You okay kiddo?” She said as she sat there. She hadn't coddled either of her kids after a nightmare in a long time, but this one she had been expecting, She thought back to Tracy's cut clothing. Questions were begging to be asked, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to push the subject. She sat on the bed and leaned over till she was just behind her daughter.
“No.” Tracy replied.
“It was just a dream, it cant hurt you now.” Maggie said as she massaged Tracy's shoulder.
“It was so real.” Tracy shook as she recalled the last few moments of the dream
“I know baby. But if you talk about it we can try and work it out. Maybe it wont bug you as much.”
Tracy shook her head as she lay there, her head rested against Sage's chest. “I don't wanna talk about it.”
“Sweetie, this isn't the first night you've dreamed this, is it?” Maggie asked. Tracy just shook her head.
Sage moved her head so she could look at Tracy's face, which was buried against her chest. “You were dreaming about Bruce, weren't you?” Tracy was still for a few moments, so Sage continued. “You cried out a few times about him stopping.” Rachel sat on the end of the bed, just watching her friends and Maggie.
“She did?” Maggie asked, now looking to the other girl.
Sage nodded. “Yeah.”
“Baby, when Bruce found you that day, did he try to...” Maggie swallowed hard and she was forced to shut her eyes. She lay down all the way, resting against her daughter and putting an arm over her side. A cry almost choked her voice. “Bruce tried to rape you, didn't he?” Tracy remembered that afternoon and Bruce's comments about having a piece of her. The crying increased and her body was wracked by sobs.
“Yes.” She finally replied. “I’m so sorry Mama.”
Sage's eyes went wide at the reply. She looked to Maggie who looked like she had no idea what to do. Then her eyes rested on her friend. Rachel wasn't sure what she could do, other than to be there.
“Tracy, none of us are mad at you. You had no control over the situation.” Maggie said as her daughter slowly peeled away from Sage and rolled over to hug her mother, crying against Maggie's chest.
Inside the bedroom, William sat there on the edge of the bed, his temper rising as he eavesdropped on his wife and daughter. A thousand ideas of what to do to Bruce filled his mind, none of them were pretty. In the hall way, Vance listened, unsure what he could do.
“He didn't get far, did he?” Maggie asked. She wasn't a shrink, and she wasn't sure if she should be bugging her daughter, but the mother part of her wanted to help and talking it over seemed like the best bet.
“No.” Tracy replied.
The pieces fit into place as Maggie thought about it. “That Jerry kid, he stopped Bruce, didn't he?”
The sobs began to die down a little. “No, he tried. But when Bruce hit him that's when I ran.”
“Good girl.” Maggie replied.
She looked up at her mother. “But I had to kick him in the....” She blushed. “You know....there, just to get away.”
“I see.” Maggie couldn’t help but smile. “Very quick thinking.”
She lowered her gaze again and rested her head against her mothers chest once more. “It's my fault they attacked me.”
“No.” Maggie put a finger under her daughters chin and lifted it gently so they could see eye to eye. “It is not your fault. He tried to attack you. Anything you did was in self defense. He was on the property, and I sure as fuck didn't invite that little bastard. So none of this is your fault.”
“But I was outside in a skirt.” Tracy replied, shaking her head. “Maybe I should just stop being Tracy.”
“Kiddo, I only want you to stop being Tracy if it is what you want to do. But don't do it because of Bruce. Being Tracy is something only you can determine.” Maggie kissed her daughters forehead. “Tell you what. Try and get some sleep. We can talk more in the morning. You've had a rough week, no point in making decisions when you’re tired and worn out.”
Tracy was quiet for a few moments, enjoying the feel of her mothers arms around her. She finally nodded. “Okay Mama.”
“Good. Now get some sleep and we'll talk in the morning.” Maggie slowly untangled herself from her daughter. She kissed Tracy's cheek and whispered. “Sweet dreams. Remember, nothing will happen to you in this house, not as long as I'm alive.”
Those words filled Tracy with a bit of confidence. “Okay Mama.” She watched her mother stand up and head to her bedroom. Sage began to sit up and get off the bed. Tracy rolled over, ignoring the quick lance of pain, and grabbed at her hand. “No.” She whispered. “Please, stay.” She looked to Rachel. “Both of you, please?”
Rachel got up and went to Tracy's free side and sat on the bed. “Okay.” She said as Tracy lifted up the blanket to let her slide under it. Sage lifted her own side and slid under.
“Just remember, we're here for you too.” Sage said as she leaned forward and kissed Tracy on the cheek. “Boy or girl, we'll be here for you.”
“Thank you.” Tracy replied as she lay there, waiting for the darkness to come for her again.
“Everything okay, Son?” Conner asked. “I thought I heard crying in your house, haven't seen Tracy next door either.”
William was quiet for a few moments as Vance took his first swing. “No Dad, it's not.”
“What's wrong?” The older man asked.
“We learned something last night and it's tearing Tracy up.” William replied.
“What's that?”
William leaned the ax against the house and led his father away from the house. “Dad, the other day when she was attacked in your back yard it started behind the barn.” He pointed to the large structure that was on his property.
“Yeah, she said that. Then she ran, right?” Conner asked.
“It's more, Dad.” William led his father to the corner of the barn and he stopped, then they both watched Vance cutting wood. William let out a sigh and shook his head. “They attempted to rape her.”
A glimpse into Tracy the next morning, and how William takes care of his anger issues. Plus because it makes me laugh, more of Vance and Sage
A special thanks to DJKauf for the editing
December 4th 1982
Northern California
Tracy opened up her eyes and found herself still in Sage's arms. She kept her head against Sage's chest. As she lay there she could recall her bad dream. She could still hear Bruce and feel his body lying on her and she began to sniffle, with the tears fast approaching.
“It's okay, just let it out.” Sage said, but her eyes stayed shut. She pulled Tracy in a bit more. A part of Tracy began to think that they had this conversation earlier. Her hand moved along Tracy's back, in a back and forth motion, one that helped calm her friend down. “Don't let this bottle up, just let it all out.” As if on command her tears began to flow faster. The sobbing got louder as she recalled the dream and her attack. She had felt so useless, so weak.
Sage just stayed put, but she opened her eyes and began brushing the hair out of Tracy's face. She decided to try something her mother did whenever she cried. Her voice kept that soft tone of concern as she kept talking. “Picture your pain, grief, and all the shame you feel as the tears. Each moment of weakness is another tear. Each regret over the past few days is a tear. Let 'em all out. Get the pain out of your body. Wash the grief out, get rid of the shame. It's not your fault.” Her voice dropped to a whisper as she kissed Tracy's forehead and repeated her statement. “It's not your fault.”
William stood away from the house, ax in hand. He couldn't stand to hear his daughter's occasional sobs through the very thin windows of the house anymore. He had tried to comfort her, but he wasn't sure how to deal with it. So he had to deal with the frustration that he was feeling. He had gone outside to chop of some of the wood for the fire place. He had also pulled his son with him, to give the girls their space. The other girl was off helping his mother because Tracy was unable to.
He was watching Vance take a big swing into one of the logs as Tracy still sobbed in the house when his father walked up. Conner stopped by William as they watched Vance cut another log. The older man stayed quiet for a few moments, till Vance finished and grabbed another log.
“Everything okay, Son?” Conner asked. “I thought I heard crying in your house, haven't seen Tracy next door either.”
William was quiet for a few moments as Vance took his first swing. “No Dad, it's not.”
“What's wrong?” The older man asked.
“We learned something last night and it's tearing Tracy up.” William replied.
“What's that?”
William leaned the ax against the house and led his father away from the house. “Dad, the other day when she was attacked in your back yard it started behind the barn.” He pointed to the large structure that was on his property.
“Yeah, she said that. Then she ran, right?” Conner asked.
“It's more, Dad.” William led his father to the corner of the barn and he stopped, then they both watched Vance cutting wood. William let out a sigh and shook his head. “They attempted to rape her.”
Conner turned and faced his son, his blood began to boil. “They what?!?” He snarled.
“That Bruce kid, the one that hurt Mom? He tried to rape her.” William balled his hands up and grunted in frustration. “He was just going to scare her, but when they saw her in the skirt, he cut her shirt open and was going to share her with his friends.”
“That little bastard.” Conner took a step away from his son, trying to calm down, when that failed, his swung his fist into the old wood of the barn. No enough to hurt his hand, but strong enough to make a loud boom.
“I know Dad.” William balled up his fists again, but he never swung.
“What about that fourth asshole? Was he a part of it?”
“No Dad. He actually tried to stop it.” William said. “When Bruce hit him, Tracy made her break. I guess she kicked him in the nuts, that's why he attacked her.”
“I see.” He looked at Vance once again. “So is that why my granddaughter is crying right now?”
“She had a bad dream last night. It's been a bad night. She kept waking up and crying through the night and into the morning. Her friend Sage, the redhead, is in there with her.” William replied.
“I see. Think we should cancel dinner?” Conner asked.
“No. She wants to talk to Mom when she gets over there.” William started walking towards Vance. “She needs to talk to Mom, she needs something to cheer her up.”
“I understand.” They stopped near Vance as he finished with another log. “Hey, can I give that a try?” Conner asked.
“Sure, Grandpa.” Vance walked over and offered the handle of the ax to Conner, then he went over and leaned against the house.
Conner put a log on the chopping block and looked to his son. “They tried to rape her?”
“Yeah.” William answered.
“And they hurt my wife, daughter-in-law and granddaughter?” Conner didn't look this time, keeping his attention on the log, but William still answered.
“Yeah.”
“Those sons ah bitches!” Conner let his anger grow, then he focused it all on the log before him. He swung the ax through the air and hit the log in one fluid motion. The force of the impact split it on the first try. He looked at the wood, then to his son and Grandson. “How much of this wood do we need to cut today?” He reached for another log and set it on the chopping block.
“I was going to stop when I wasn't angry anymore.” William replied.
“I can understand.” Conner got into the starting position again and swung the ax once more, splitting the new log in one shot. “Vance, Set up a second, bigger stump on the other side of the pile. No point in doing this one at a time.”
William nodded as he saw what his father was doing. He picked up his ax and moved to the pile. “I so want to hurt that kid.” He said.
“What about Tracy? How is she feeling?”
“She's not doing good. She's thinking she should stop being Tracy, just because of that jackass.” William replied.
“Man...that's bad.” Conner said as he looked to his son, who only nodded. “She's just finding herself, the last thing she needs is to question if she is wrong for feeling like she feels. I don't totally understand all of this, but she's happy, isn't she?”
“I know, Dad.” William shrugged. “But I don't know what to do. This is Maggie and Mom's area of expertise, that and the girls. They could help her too.”
Tracy's tears stopped and she just lay there in Sage's arms. The two girls lay perfectly still, just the sounds of their breathing and the occasional chopping of wood from outside could be heard. “Feeling better now?” She asked in that same tone of voice.
“A little. Where did you ever think of that cry the pain out thing?” Tracy asked.
Sage smiled. Talking was good, as long as it didn't become crying again. “Mom. She reads a lot of books about all sorts of meta physical stuff. It's like willing the pain to leave your body.”
“Have you done it before?”
Sage gave a slight nod. “Yeah.”
“Really?” Tracy asked.
“Yep. Been a while though.” Sage knew the next question, so she just cut out the waiting for it. “Last time I did it was a couple of years back, one of the times I dressed up as Boy Sage. We went to the mall and we were seen by kids from school. They started to pick on me, by time I got home I was a wreck.”
“Oh. That sucks. Do they still pick on you?” Tracy asked.
“Not really, I moved to a new school system.” She replied.
“Oh.” Tracy looked up at her friend and raised one eyebrow. “Um, where is everyone?”
“Our moms are out getting food for dinner tonight. That chopping sound you hear is your Dad and brother chopping down the orchard and Rachel is off at your grandmother’s place, helping clean up.” Sage replied.
“What time is it?” Tracy asked.
Sage reached an arm back and grabbed a thin watch. “Almost ten.”
“You let me sleep this long?” Tracy began to sit up, but Sage pushed her back against the mattress.
“Yes, you needed it. You've been awake several times during the night.” Sage replied.
“Just once, when I had....you know.” Tracy lowered her head.
“No, that was the first time. You've been awake several times during the night. You were out of it, badly. I told your mother I could handle it.” Sage brushed some of Tracy's hair back.
“Thank you.” Tracy said.
Sage kissed her forehead once more. “Now, I was wondering if I could take a quick shower? Or do you need me here for a bit more?”
“I think I'm fine.” Tracy replied.
“Good.” Sage hugged Tracy once more and Tracy became aware of something that hadn't totally registered about her friends state of dress. “Each time I've tried to get up, either your brother has been in here and watching me, or you started to have a bad dream.”
“That's why your topless?” Tracy asked.
“Yes. Your pervert of a brother keeps coming in to sneak peeks of me. Your Dad finally locked the door to give us some peace and quiet.” Sage shook her head as she chuckled.
“Sounds like Vance.” Tracy replied with forced chuckle.
“Hey, your mother said she'll help change the dressings on your surgery site when she gets back. And to remind you no showers today, but we can do a sponge bath. Want to do that when I'm done?” Sage asked.
“Sure.” Tracy replied. “I may need help though. I can't even comb my hair or touch my feet without pain in the ribs”
“Wanna wait for your mother then? Or do you trust me?” Sage Brushed some more of her hair aside. “I just want you comfortable.”
Tracy thought about it for a moment. She didn't want Sage to see her male parts, even though Sage had them too. “Could I wait for my Mom?”
“No problem. I'll take a fast shower, then we should go for a walk, just to let your dad know it's safe in here.” Sage rolled over and stood up, showing her bare back and a bright red pair of panties to Tracy. She bent down and grabbed a bag that lay by the couch.
“Okay.” Tracy lay flat on her back. “I'll get up in a bit.”
“Good, see that you take it easy too.” Sage said, holding the bag to her chest, looking at the door as though Vance would come bursting through at any moment.
Half an hour later, Tracy and Sage slowly made their way around the house to where her Dad and brother were. Sage didn't hold her arm, she just walked a half a step behind, in case Tracy tripped. She was shocked to see her Grandfather there as well. The amount of chopped wood shocked her, too. They stopped for a moment as her father swung the ax, splitting a log half way down. He picked up the ax, the log still stuck on the end and he swung in down again, splitting the log on the second try. Vance was trying to do the same thing, with less than stellar results.
Conner was sitting on the end of a trailer that they had for their tractor. He caught the movement out of the corner of his eyes and he looked to see his granddaughter making her way to him. He gave her the best smile he could muster, then patted the bed of the trailer and stood up. “Here you go, young lady.”
“Thanks Grandpa.” Tracy said as she sat down.
Conner looked to the other girl. “You should have let your hair dry a bit more. Don't need you getting a cold from wet hair.”
“Nah, I go out with wet hair all the time at home. Heck it's colder there at times.” Sage smiled as she took a seat.
“Okay, just don't want you getting sick while you’re here.” Conner sat on the tire to the trailer and they watched Vance and William each grab a log. As Vance looked up, he saw Sage and his cheeks went red.
“Hi, Sage.” He said, wearing a goofy grin as he picked up his ax again. She just smiled and gave him a small wave.
“Ah, I see now.” Conner said.
“See what?” Tracy asked.
“Why your brother keeps staring at the house every few chops.” Conner said with a chuckle.
They watched as Vance lifted his ax in the air, with his attention more on Sage then on the wood. He brought it down, missing both the wood and the chopping block and sticking it in the soft ground.
“Maybe we should take a walk, so he's not distracted.” Conner said as the laughter began to get louder. "Like this, he may chop his feet off."
Tracy watched her father put his ax down and he began to laugh. “Boy, I think you're done for the day. At least with the cutting. Now for the stacking.”
“Maybe I should help Sage. You know, help her with Tracy.” Vance said with a grin, his eyes on the redhead.
“It's okay Vance, I'll walk with them.” Conner said. “Son, could I take some of this for my shed? I got a few projects I want to work on for the winter.”
“Sure. We'll stack some in the trailer for you.” William said as he went over and collected Vance's ax from the ground.
Tracy leaned over to Sage and smiled. “You got him so distracted.”
“I know.” She chuckled. “Kind of fun. Good thing it's not summer time and I'm not wearing a swim suit.”
“Oh, that could be fun.” Tracy smiled back.
“Girls, that's just mean.” Conner said, trying to keep a straight face, then a smile started to form. “Poor boy wouldn't know what to do. I'm willing to take pictures of him when you do it. Just to remind him later.” He stood up and offered Tracy his hand, which she took and slowly stood up. He looked to William. “I'll walk with them and I'll help when I get back here.”
“Okay, Dad.” William said as he and Vance began moving the cut wood to a part of the barn where they stored the wood.
The sun was still in the sky when Tracy had sat down on the porch swing on her grandmothers back porch. Sage and Rachel were on either side of her and the mothers, plus her grandmother sat with them, but at the table. Maggie had asked Tracy if she wanted to talk about the night before with the other women. At first she didn't, but some encouragement from Sage and Rachel helped her to see it would be for the best. So they had all gone over the whole events on the day of her attack, plus the nightmare she suffered through.
When they were done, Modine got up and moved to the swing. Rachel got up and let the older woman take her place. “Sweetie, so you are thinking about not being Tracy again?” Her grandmother asked.
“Yeah.” Tracy replied, her eyes on her lap.
Modine put a finger under her chin and gently moved her head till they were facing each other. “Tracy, I told you once, only you can make the decision to start or stop being Tracy. If you want to just walk away from Tracy, then you have to make that decision. You, no one else, just you.”
“I know. It just seems like a good idea right now.” Tracy replied. “Maybe I should just do it?”
“Or maybe you should make the decision on your own?” Modine offered with a raised eyebrow.
“What do you mean? I am making the decision.” Tracy looked at her grandmother, confusion on her face.
“Are you?” She asked. “Or is that boy, Bruce, making that choice. Him and the one that got away? To me it sounds like you're letting them make your choice through fear.”
“But what if they tell someone? What if Bruce get's out and comes back?” Tracy shook her head. “I just don't know what to do.”
“Let me ask you this. Does being Tracy make you happy?” Modine asked.
“Yeah, I guess.” Tracy replied.
“Then why stop?”
“Because Bruce knows?” Tracy answered.
“But he's in jail.” Modine replied. “For a very long time I think. So why worry about him?”
Tracy looked at the floor. “What about the other boy. Mr. Harper said that someone was spreading the rumor at school that I wear girls clothes.”
“So?” Modine asked. This caused Tracy to look at her like she was crazy. “Three years ago, someone spread the rumor that you wet your pants on a field trip, but you hadn’t. Think of this, Tracy. You can use this rumor to your advantage.”
“How?” She asked.
“First you'd need to talk to this Rivers' kid. Make sure he won’t tell no one and if he does, just play it off like Bruce told him to say that. Think of it this way. You managed to get one of the bad boys at the school arrested, possibly for a long time. You can say this is him trying to get back at you for stopping him from hurting me.” She smiled at her granddaughter.
“But isn't that lying?” Tracy asked.
“Yeah, but sometimes a lie is needed to protect people.” Modine smiled. “But that's not an excuse to lie to me all the time. Just this once, because it protects you from being attacked.”
“So I just tell people that I wasn't in a dress? That Bruce made it up?” Tracy asked.
“Yes, but only if you get teased about it.” Modine replied.
“Okay, so you’re saying I shouldn't stop being Tracy?” She asked.
“I'm saying that the decision of being Tracy is all on you. If you want to stop being Tracy, then stop. But remember that time around Halloween?”
“What about it?” Tracy asked.
“You stopped being Tracy for a week or two, were you happy? Did you feel whole?” Modine put an arm around her granddaughter.
Tracy thought about it for a moment, then shook her head. “No. I hated it. The more I'm Tracy, the more I hate being Troy.”
“Then why stop?” Modine asked.
“Because people could attack me?” Tracy replied.
“People can attack you for anything.” Rachel stated. “I got a cousin that was raped, just because the guy wanted to.”
“I know lots of people who were attacked for being themselves.” Persephone said. “Many of them are black. That's not something you can just change.”
“She's right.” Maggie cut in. “What's she's saying sweetie, is that there are assholes all over.” As her mother spoke and swore, Tracy's cheeks went red, she had never heard her mother swear so casually. “People who'd attack you for doing what you think, just because you're different.”
“I love my Grandson Troy and my Granddaughter Tracy equally.” Modine stated. “Please don't let other people push you into choosing how to live. You'll never be happy that way.”
Sage tapped her shoulder and nodded. “If I allowed others to rule my life, I'd be a boy by now and I'd hate myself. I live how I wanna live and fuck the world.”
“Sage! Language, young lady.” Persephone pointed at her daughter.
“Sorry, Mom.” Sage shrunk down in her seat.
“Don't make a hasty decision that you'll regret in the years to come.” Modine stood up. “Take a little while to explore yourself before you totally get rid of one side of yourself. You're still planning on going to Livermore in a week or two, right?”
Tracy nodded. “Yeah?”
“That will give you a week among girls to see if Tracy is what you want to be.” Modine moved back to her seat and Rachel got up and sat next to Tracy again.
“What if they find out about me?” She asked.
“They won't care.” Sage replied.
“How do you know?”
“They know about me and they could care less. Stacey and Casey are my cousins. They've known I'm different since we were all in diapers.”
Tracy looked skeptical, till she looked to Persephone who nodded. “They do. Heck, they were there when Sage was in boy mode a few times. None of them will care about it at all.”
“You sure?” Tracy didn't believe them. Not completely.
“Oh yeah, you'll fit in, trust me.” Sage gave a smile with her cryptic reply.
"Boy mode?" Modine asked. "You're like my Granddaughter?"
Sage blushed but looked up at her. "No ma'am. I'm different. I was born with both sets of parts. The doctors wanted to push for one sex or the other, but Mom told them no. She's let me live how I want to figure out who I am."
"And you've picked girl?" Modine guessed.
"I think so. I hadn't come up with a set in stone decision, but I haven't acted like a boy in more then a year or so."
"Interesting." The old woman nodded. "Could we talk more tomorrow?" She stood up and went to the door.
"Sure. I don't mind talking. I won't show you though, but I can talk about it." Sage replied.
"That's more then fair." Modine stated. “Come on ladies, there's apple pie inside with our names on it.” She looked to Tracy. “Come on sweetie, this is a decision that you can wait on. You need some happiness tonight....and pie.”
Ah yes, Apple pie makes everything better. unless it's bad apple pie.
He walked out of the office, headed for his class with another note in hand. He wasn't setting any record pace today. Most of the kids dodged around him, some not really noticing him, until he got near the fifth grade classes. Then she could hear the whispers start up.
“That's him....”
“I thought he was dead.....”
“I heard he killed four guys in that fight....”
“I heard his thing was cut off....”
“....yeah, he took on Bruce, Frankie and Kenny after they cut him open.....”
“.....fought ten guys and won....yeah him.....”
“...oh?....Well he got shot, that's why he's walking slow....that's what I heard....”
Tracy did her best not to burst into laughter. He moved on down a hall, headed for his class. A familiar figure fell in step next to him. “Hey Peter.”
And now for that first few days where she comes back to school
And once again, big thanks to DjKauf for the editing
December 6th 1982
Palermo School
After a week and a half of being Tracy, it had been hard for her to become Troy once more, but Troy had to be the one who went to school. So she had dressed in the loosest pants she could, mostly because of the surgery. Her mother had went with her to the office, just to leave a note with all of the doctor's information on it. After that she left, leaving Troy in the school all alone.
He walked out of the office, headed for his class with another note in hand. He wasn't setting any record pace today. Most of the kids dodged around him, some not really noticing him, until he got near the fifth grade classes. Then she could hear the whispers start up.
“That's him....”
“I thought he was dead.....”
“I heard he killed four guys in that fight....”
“I heard his thing was cut off....”
“....yeah, he took on Bruce, Frankie and Kenny after they cut him open.....”
“.....fought ten guys and won....yeah him.....”
“...oh?....Well he got shot, that's why he's walking slow....that's what I heard....”
Tracy did her best not to burst into laughter. He moved on down a hall, headed for his class. A familiar figure fell in step next to him. “Hey Peter.”
“Hey. You doing better today?” The bigger kid asked.
“I'm still sore, but moving faster today.” Tracy replied. Then he heard it.
“I heard he was in a dress.” Tracy had been working with his parents on masking his facial reactions and she was hoping she got it right. Before she could worry a new figure stepped up on his left side. He looked at the crowd and chuckled.
“Please, I was in the hospital with my Mom and Grandma when he was brought in.” Mary Beth replied to the speaker as she walked up. “He was wearing jeans and a torn shirt and they were bloody.”
Tracy looked at her and she just smiled. “Thanks.” He whispered.
“No problem.” Mary Beth said as they stopped at a classroom.
“Well, I should get going.” Peter said. “I'll meet you for recess.”
“I can't play, so I'll be working on schoolwork or something.” Tracy slumped his shoulders.
“That's cool.” Peter said before he walked off.
Tracy walked into the classroom. Mary Beth headed to a seat and Tracy just stood there waiting while the teacher was busy writing on the chalkboard. The older man turned around and smiled. “Ah. Mr. Patterson. I see you're back. Feeling better?”
Tracy handed him the note of Doctor restrictions and shrugged. “Not really, Mr. McCoy, But I'll manage.” She often wondered about her teacher. There were two Mr. McCoy's at the school. They were twins and there had been times where she wondered if she had the wrong Mr. McCoy teaching her class.
The older man read the note and nodded. “I see. So no recess and no excessive walking till Friday? I think we can manage that.” He handed the note back to Tracy. “Do you need to hold on to this, I'd rather not keep it in here, the drawers don't lock.”
“I'll take it.” Tracy replied. "They got one in the office too."
“So can you talk about what happened? Or is it still being investigated?” He asked.
“I can talk about it, but I don't want to. And I don't want to talk about this.” She held up the note. She tried to talk as little about the event, as she had started to call it, as she could. It was still robbing her of sleep each night.
“I can understand that. Well remember, if you want to talk, just come see me.” The older man smiled. “Now for the hard part. Did you manage to get the homework done?”
“Yes sir.” Tracy reached into her backpack and pulled out several sheets of paper. “That was the best part to being stuck in a bed for a couple of days. Lots of time to kill.”
“Been there myself. Being stuck in a hospital bed is never fun.” He quickly flipped through the papers, then set them down. “Now for the good question. I handed your brother a permission slip for the field trip to the dam on friday. Are you going and do you have it?”
“Yes sir.” She pulled the paper out and handed that to him as well. “Although I'm not sure how well I'll with stairs, if there are any. And they say I should walk, just not too much.”
“Still sore I take it?” He asked.
“Yes.” Tracy nodded.
“We can play it by ear. The trip isn't till Friday, so that gives you a week to get better.” He opened his desk and put the permission slip into a folder. Then he looked up at her again. “It's good to see you back young man.”
“Thank you sir.” Tracy didn't show any displeasure to being called a boy, but he was hating it, even though she had yet to make a firm decision on Tracy's true fate. He turned and went to her usual desk and for once she was glad he had taken one near the teacher’s desk. Not only was it near the board, but it was by the door. That way he had less walking at lunch time.
Mr. McCoy watched him take his seat and he began to think of what could have happened, then he added in the rumors and he got a sinking suspicion of how much pain she was really in.
As the students trickled in, she heard more of the whispers. She couldn't help but smile at the shocked expressions on people’s faces when they saw her sitting there and not dead at all. ~School will be fun~ She thought to herself as the late bell rang.
The day progressed along slower than normal. At the first recess, Peter came into the room and hung out with him, instead of going to the playground. Instead of sitting though, Tracy made several laps of the classroom, still moving slowly.
“At least you're moving.” Peter said with a nod.
“Yeah, but that hard wood seat is killing me. I can't wait to get home and onto the couch.” Tracy replied.
“Sit on your coat.” Mary Beth said from the doorway. She walked in and went to her seat. “If it hurts to sit, then sit on your coat, that gives you some padding.”
Tracy stopped and thought about it for a moment, then he grinned. “Yeah. I'll do that. Thanks.”
“You're welcome.” Mary Beth watched him walk again. “So what happened? Where were you hurt?”
“Mary Beth, I still don't want to talk about it.”
“Aw, I won't tell no one. I just wanna know.” She whined.
“And I don't wanna talk about it.” Tracy stated. “Would you want to talk about personal things that get done to you at the doctor?”
Her face went a bit red and she lowered her gaze to the floor. “Not really. Not with a boy at least.”
“Then there we are.” Tracy replied, having missed the end of her statement. Outside the classroom a bell rang and Peter stood up.
“I'll meet you for lunch. You brought lunch, right?” He said.
“Yeah, I brought a sandwich.” Tracy pointed to her bag. “I figured that I'd cheat until I felt like walking up there in a crowd of people.”
“Wanna eat here?” He asked.
Tracy shook her head. “Nah. Let's go to the benches near the library. It's not too far to walk.”
“Okay. I'll meet you here then.” Peter said as he headed for the door.
Tracy was in her own little world as she slowly made her way to the bench that she was to meet Peter at. So she didn't notice the other kid who was headed in the other direction. He was also deep in thought. Due to her slow speed, Tracy stumbled a few steps backwards, her legs struggling to make sure she didn't fall. The other kid mirrored her movements. When they stopped trying to right themselves, she looked up and saw him
Jerry Rivers just stared at her and his brain locked up for a moment. Tracy's brain kicked into gear and he looked to the ground. “Sorry, I was thinking.”
“Yeah.” Jerry averted his gaze as well. “Me too.”
Memories of Bruce danced through his mind. The questions raced through her mind, things that he had been going over during the weekend. There were things he needed to know and other things that he was curious about. But he was at the school, so either the county hadn't arrested him, or they let him go. “I...um...what I mean is...” There was also fear in her face, something he could see.
Jerry sighed. “You don't have to worry about me.”
“W-what? Why?” She asked.
“Because as soon as my Dad gets back from his business trip, I'm being sent to a military school.” Jerry replied.
“Why?” He asked again.
“You fucking kidding me?” He glared at her. “Because of last week. He said if I screw up once more I was going there. You telling the cops was once more.” Jerry's fists balled up, then he shook his head and held in a breath for a five count, then he released it.
“I'm sorry. They needed all the information.” He lied. He didn't know why he lied, but it seemed right at the time. “I was on so many pain pills I have no idea who all talked to me.” Then he wondered, but he wasn't sure why. “When will he be back?”
“Friday. He's in Maine. Look, I better get going, before the teachers think I'm going to attack you again.” He turned and headed away from her before she could ask him more questions.
Tracy sat on the couch as she did her homework. Usually their parents forced them to do homework at the table, but she had begged to not be stuck on a hard wooden seat anymore that day, so her father let her use the couch, as long as she faced away from the TV. As she worked on her Math homework, she looked up at her father and waited for a commercial break. “Dad?”
“Yes Sweetie?” He replied, not pulling his attention from the Monday Night Football game on TV.
“Dad, is it normal to think you did the wrong thing when you think it was the right thing?” She asked.
“What? What do you mean?” He turned his attention from the beer ad that was playing.
“I was thinking about that kid, the Jerry kid?” Tracy shut the book and sat upright.
“What about him?” William leaned forward. “You think you made a mistake?”
“Maybe?” She sighed. “I kinda ran into him at lunch today and he said I didn't have to worry about him because his dad was sending him to a military school.”
“Well he was with Bruce, they were going to attack you.” William replied. “He may not get jail time, but maybe this will help him pick out better friends in the future.”
“Dad, he tried to stop them.” Tracy stated. “The more I think about it, he got worried when Bruce started....” Her eyes fell to her lap and she went silent. He knew what she was talking about.
“True, but maybe that was remorse over his actions?”
“I guess.” She said, her shoulders slumping.
He shook his head and leaned back in his chair. “Okay, we'll play this your way. What do you want to do?”
“Can we maybe talk to his dad and tell him what happened? Mr. Harper said he was new, maybe he just needs better friends?” He could see that look in her eye as she looked up at him. The look that said she wanted to try this. “Maybe we could talk to Mr. Harper to see if he could arrange a meeting with his dad and us?”
William nodded as the game started up again. “Okay. You tell me what day and we'll do this.” He wanted to say he hoped she wasn't screwing up. He had heard her each night since she had come home. Each night she woke up screaming and crying.
She didn't cry this time, instead she smiled at him. “Thank you Daddy. He'll be there to Transfer Jerry on Friday”
“Okay, we'll see what we can do, but no promises.” William replied as she picked up her book again.
December 7th
Tracy went outside for lunch again, like the past two days. School was still progressing like it always did, slowly. She had been thinking of what her grandmother had said about Bruce choosing if she would remain Tracy. She had decided to wait till after the Christmas break to come up with a decision on her other self.
Peter walked through the crowd of kids and sat next to her. “Hey. How you doing?” He asked.
“I hurt and I don't want to be here, but this is better then Daytime TV.” Tracy replied.
“What about class? How is that going?”
Tracy chuckled. “I keep hearing the whispers from people trying to figure out what happened to me. And God knows Mary Beth wants the juicy information.” She chuckled some more. “I keep seeing them stare at me when they think I'm not watching and when I got up to use the restroom, I heard more gasps at how slow I was moving.”
“Sounds fun. Wish I was in your class.” Peter said.
As they sat there, a couple of more kids walked by and the whispers started again.
“….I saw him walk slowly. He had to have been stabbed in the crotch.”
“I heard they cut it off.....”
“I heard he was wearing a dress!” Someone shouted. A second later Clark Millett stood in front of them. “Isn't that right faggot.”
Tracy had been practicing with her Grandmother and father for a couple of days now, even Peter had been clued in. So neither of them got a shocked look on their face, although it was close for Tracy. Instead he just blinked and shook his head as Clark stood there.
“What are you talking about?” Tracy asked, trying to sound annoyed.
“I heard you were in a dress, dancing around the yard like the fag you are.” Clark sneered at her. The kids around her began to laugh.
“Let me guess, your brother told you that?” She asked.
A couple of other big kids came up to Clark's side and they just glared at Tracy. She knew them as Clark's cousins. “Look, it's the little dress wearing fag.” One of them called out.
Tracy looked at the blue jeans and A-Team t-shirt she had on, then she looked to Peter. “This looks like a dress?”
“I guess.” He shrugged. “But he's got the same thing on.”
“Face it fag, we all know you wear dresses.” Clark took another step closer and smacked her sandwich out of her hand. His cousins stood next to her and towered over both of them.
Peter saw red for a split second as he stood up. “Apologize now.” He said in a quiet voice as he put himself between Tracy and Clark's little group.
“Make us, retard.” Clark replied.
“I'd like to see him try.” One of the bigger boys said.
The other one laughed. “Must be protecting his girlfriend.”
Peter's hands flashed out and grabbed Clark with one hand, then twisted his hand in the kids shirt, his other hand grabbed onto the bigger of the cousins. With a grunt, Peter lifted both of them off of the ground. Not far, but enough to make sure their feet cleared the ground. Clark's eyes went wide with fear as he realized that Peter held them both. “You sure you want to say that? Cause if you do, I'll let him kick your ass like he did your brother. I'm not the one you have to worry about.”
“So you're gonna protect the dress wearing fag?” Clark said with a nervous squeak to his voice..
“Who says he was in a dress?” Peter asked. “You? Were you there that day, because I was and all I saw was him kicking your brothers and his friend’s asses.” Some of the kids who were closer began to listen as Peter talked.
“I heard he was wearing one.” Clark stated. “Bruce told me.”
Peter released his grip and both boys hit the ground, then staggered back. Tracy leaned around. “So, your brother, who attacked my Grandmother and me said I was in a dress?”
“He knows what he saw.” Clark said as he stood up.
“Right. He knows he saw a kid three years younger then him and his friends kick all of their asses.” Tracy stood up. Her voice increased in volume. “So he decided to spread a rumor that I was in a dress to make me look bad.” She looked at the students who were watching her now. “Yep, that worked. And let me guess, you'll now claim you were there too.”
“Fuck you faggot. I believe him before I'll believe you.” Clark spat out.
“So you'll believe a liar and a thief and a criminal over me?” Tracy replied.
“Look you little Faggot, I know you were in a dress. Bruce knows it too.” Clark glared at her. “I tell the whole school if I have to.”
“So you've been spreading that stupid lie?” Tracy asked. She didn't expect Clark to fall for the bait and her jaw almost dropped when he answered.
“Of course I told everyone the TRUTH.” He stressed the last word. “And I'll tell the rest of the school, till someone kicks your fagot ass.”
“No, Mr. Millett, I don't think you will.” A new voice said. All five of the kids turned to see Mr. Harper walking over to the group. “Mr. Lowery, Mr. Patterson, I do think you two should get to your classes. Mr. Millet, you and your friends can come with me and we can discuss what's going to happen for spreading slanderous rumors in school.”
Clark stared at him for a moment, then he glared at Tracy. “This ain't over, fag.”
“MR. MILLETT! MY OFFICE NOW!” Mr. Harper bellowed.
Clark turned and walked off towards the office, with his cousins and Mr. Harper in tow. Peter looked to Tracy and shook his head. “A dress?” He said with a huge grin on his face. He spoke loud enough to catch the ear of everyone near them. “That's the best lie Bruce can come up with? First he couldn't kick your ass, with help and without cheating. Now he has to try and spread that stupid lie? May as well say you're an alien.”
“Well, he does have a small brain.” Tracy reached over and grabbed his lunch, then stood up slowly, looking like he was thinking. “Oh My God.” What if...what if he said I was in a dress because he thinks I'm cute? Ugh...and Clark wants to see me in a dress too....they're both gay?” A look of disgust crossed his face. “Ugh. I'm gonna be sick now.”
The two friends walked off, leaving the other kids in their class to try and determine the truth.
Please note: The mixing of pronouns is intentional. Poor kid is still on the fence over who she is.
I had a bunch of fun trying to think like a kid and thinking of hte different stories that would crop up after someone is attacked. Next up, part two of the week of school... or is it
Both men looked to Mary Beth and she seemed to shrink down a little. “I was going back towards my class after lunch. I had seen Clark and his cousins try and pick a fight with Troy, then I watched Peter and Troy yell at each other. I don't know about what, but Peter was mad that Troy was pushing himself.” She didn't mention that she heard what name he called Troy. That was just one more question that Mary Beth had for Troy. “I was gonna walk with Troy to the class, but Bobby Anderson tripped him and kept walking.”
“Looks like Mr. Anderson and I need to have a talk about personal space.” Mr. Harper replied.
The door to the nurses office opened up and she looked at the two men, her face losing color fast, then her gaze fell on the secretary. “Call an ambulance, now.”
The secretary grabbed her phone and began dialing. Mr. Harper walked over and lowered his voice. “Is it bad?”
“He's pulled out all the stitches. I've got him holding his legs together and holding gauze at the incision site, but he's still bleeding and I can't do anything for him here.”
“Crap.” Mr. Harper turned and went around the desk. “I'll try his father as well.” He turned his attention to the teacher and Mary Beth. “You should get to class young lady, I'll talk to you later.”
“Okay, sir.” She looked into the nurse’s office and couldn't see the bed Troy was on, due to the dividing curtain. A part of her really wanted to know what was going on with Troy.
This poor kid will learn at some point.......maybe
A special thanks to Djkauf for the editing again
December 7th 1982
Palermo School
Tracy stood with Peter for a moment, watching Clark go to the office. She shrugged and sighed. “What the hell did I do to that family?” She wasn't sure why both brothers hated her, they just did.
“Who knows. Maybe they just hate you?” Peter replied as they began to walk back to their classrooms.
“That's comforting.” She gave a slight chuckle, followed by a grunt.
“You okay?” Peter asked.
Tracy looked at him for a moment, then back at the ground as they walked. She didn't want to talk about it, but he was a friend. “Just sore. Yesterday I ran into Jerry Rivers and almost fell. I had to step quickly to avoid hitting the ground. I hurt a bit more then usual this morning.”
“Maybe you should take it easy.” Peter stated as he looked to her. “I mean you were with Sage and Rachel all weekend. You didn't lie down much, even when your mother tried to remind you.”
“Yeah.” She didn't want to talk about it, mostly because he was right. She had done her best on Saturday to be with Sage and Rachel as much as she could.
“Plus you've been walking at every recess, and after school yesterday.” As he continued her temper began to flare. She had thought that he'd understand not wanted to be cooped up. It was as though he wanted her locked away and bored. “The doctor said you'd have to take it easy or you'll end up back there.”
“PETER!” She stopped walking and just glowered at him. “I know what she said.” She thought how He was beginning to sound like her mother and father. She was tired of being in a bed and doing nothing.
Peter stopped and looked at her. He cared for her. He cared for Troy as well, but the more he was around her, the less he could see Troy. And good girls like Tracy needed to be protected. “Damn it Tracy, then do what they said.” He hissed at her.
No one seemed to notice his use of the wrong name. Many of them had ignored the two friends. But his use of the name at that school pissed her off. “I don't need a babysitter!” She snapped at him.
He wasn't sure what to do. She was throwing away her health. He knew she needed to take it easy and the last thing he wanted was for her to be in the hospital again. It had torn his heart out to see her there the first time. But he could tell by her attitude that she wouldn't listen. He had seen that defiant look in Vance before.
He didn't care that people were watching. He hated to be yelled at. But a part of him still saw Tracy, so he couldn't strike her, nor would he scream back. “I am just trying to help.”
“I don't need your help.” She growled, then she turned and walked off faster then she should have been moving.
She was still grumbling to herself as she got near her class. She was pissed at Peter for wanting to baby her. She wanted to hang out with him, with her friends, but clearly he didn't get that. Rachel and Sage offered her something he couldn't. The chance to be like a real girl and she didn't want to waste that. He was as bad as her parents. They hadn't wanted her to do more then just sit in bed, too. Everyone was treating her like a baby and it was getting old.
She was so into her thoughts that she didn't notice the foot that got into her way. All she knew was that her right leg snagged on something and she took several stumbling steps forward. Pain erupted in her groin as she attempted to catch her footing, but she couldn't. The pain forced her to scream out and then she fell forward. Throwing her hands out in front of her to stop the fall.
Tracy hit hard, skinning her palms and knees and screaming out again as new pain flared to life in her sprained wrist and ribcage. Her chest met the ground and she grunted and lay there for a second as people began to laugh at her. She went to get up, moving even slower now and it was a struggle, so she dropped back to the ground and lay there. She barely noticed the person dropping to their knees at her side.
“Troy?!? You okay?” Mary Beth said as she knelt there A look of worry was on her face. She turned to face one of the boys who was walking in the other direction. “BOBBY ANDERSON, YOU JERK!” She screamed.
Mr. McCoy came out of his class and did a quick look around for the source of the yelling. When he saw the figure on the ground he rushed over. “Patterson, shit.” He muttered. “What happened?”
“He was just tripped. And he fell hard.” Mary Beth said as she touched Troy's shoulder.
“It's going to be okay.” He said to the child on the ground. Tracy lay there, trying her best not to cry and failing miserably. “Miss. Higgins, go tell the nurse I'm bringing Troy up there, now.”
“Why? What's wrong?” Mary Beth asked.
“GO Now!” He glared at her for a moment, till she got up and ran to the office. “The rest of you GET TO CLASS! NOW”
“Troy?” He snapped his fingers and a pair of tear stained eyes stared at him. “Where does it hurt?”
“D-d-down there.” She sobbed out, and pointed with a finger to her crotch.
“Can you walk?” He asked in a calm tone.
“I don't know.” She tried to roll over and planted her hands. Then she started to stand up, using the Teacher to help. Her face contorted in pain as she stood all the way up. Sweat was beading off her forehead and the blood was rushing from her face. She waited a second, then took a step and froze in place. “No....it hurts.” The crying started to intensify.
Behind him another person came running up, the Librarian, Kelly Kline. “Rodney? What's wrong?”
“Kelly, I got to take Mr. Patterson to the nurses office, can you watch my class for a moment?”
“Yeah, I got it covered.”
“Troy, I'm going to carry you, is that okay?” He watched as the child gave a slight nod. Rodney put an arm behind Troy's back. He slid the other arm behind Troy’s butt, then he stooped on his legs and lifted the child with a grunt.
Peter had gone to the bathroom after his fight with Tracy and was stepping out as Mr. McCoy walked past him with Troy rested in his arms. Peter could hear his friend crying as the teacher headed to the office. “What happened?” He asked, worry in his voice.
“Not now, Mr. Lowery.” Mr. McCoy looked over and his hard gaze softened. He knew the two were close friends. He had heard the rumors that he had been there when Troy had been attacked and that he had spent several of the past few days helping his friend. “Peter, you need to get to class. The nurse will take good care of him, okay?”
The guilt had begun to well up in Peter. He hadn't been there when Tracy needed him and now somehow, she was hurt again. All because he had deiced to baby her. “I...” He reached out to touch Tracy. “Are you sure?” He asked in a quiet voice.
“Yes.” Rodney replied. “Go to class and before the bell rings.”
Every part of Peter screamed to stay by her side, but the teacher had spoken. He didn't need to be in trouble for going against a teacher And maybe Tracy was still pissed at him. So he took a few steps, then stopped and turned around to watch Mr. McCoy walk away with his friend.
Mr. McCoy approached the door as Mr. Harper and the school Nurse, Mrs. Thomas were on their way out. The Principal swung a door open and let the man pass through. “How bad is it?” Behind them a very worried Mary Beth stood at the door to the main offices.
“He said his crotch hurt.” Mr. McCoy said as he took Troy to the open door of the nurses office. “He couldn't walk at all. Took one step and he was in pain.”
“I'll call his parents.” Mr. Harper stated as he jogged off to the main office.
As Rodney sat Troy on one of the two beds in the nurses office, Mary Beth came in a watched from the door. “Is he gonna be okay?” She asked.
“I'll check him out, sweetie.” The older school nurse replied.
As Mr. McCoy pulled his arms out from under Troy, Mary Beth gasped and pointed. “Is that blood?” Her voice quavered with fear. “Is he bleeding?”
Mr. McCoy looked to his arm and then at the nurse. “Clean your arm.” The nurse pointed to a sink. “Then step out, I need to check our young patient.”
Rodney complied and as he was drying off his arm, he gestured to Mary Beth to leave the room. They stopped by secretary's desk as Mr. Harper put the phone down and shook his head. “Mother's on her way now.” He said with a sigh. “Mind telling me what happened?”
“Maybe we should speak in your office?” Mr. McCoy replied.
“Can't , I have Clark Millet in the office right now.” The Principal said with a shake of his head. “So just the cliff notes, what happened?”
Both men looked to Mary Beth and she seemed to shrink down a little. “I was going back towards my class after lunch. I had seen Clark and his cousins try and pick a fight with Troy, then I watched Peter and Troy yell at each other. I don't know about what, but Peter was mad that Troy was pushing himself.” She didn't mention that she heard what name he called Troy. That was just one more question that Mary Beth had for Troy. “I was gonna walk with Troy to the class, but Bobby Anderson tripped him and kept walking.”
“Looks like Mr. Anderson and I need to have a talk about personal space.” Mr. Harper replied.
The door to the nurses office opened up and she looked at the two men, her face losing color fast, then her gaze fell on the secretary. “Call an ambulance, now.”
The secretary grabbed her phone and began dialing. Mr. Harper walked over and lowered his voice. “Is it bad?”
“He's pulled out all the stitches. I've got him holding his legs together and holding gauze at the incision site, but he's still bleeding and I can't do anything for him here.”
“Crap.” Mr. Harper turned and went around the desk. “I'll try his father as well.” He turned his attention to the teacher and Mary Beth. “You should get to class young lady, I'll talk to you later.”
“Okay, sir.” She looked into the nurse’s office and couldn't see the bed Troy was on, due to the dividing curtain. A part of her really wanted to know what was going on with Troy. She had never really hung around him before, or talked to him. But something about him seemed safe. Like she could really get to know him like a friend.
Maggie came running into the school's office, almost flinging the door off it's hinges. Her breathing was in quick breaths as she looked at the Principal. “Where is he?”
Mr. Harper was already moving around the desk and pointed to the nurses office. “In there. Maggie....”
She didn't stop to talk, just just bolted inside. “Baby, are you okay?” She stopped at the bedside and she reached for her child’s free hand.
“Mrs. Patterson?” A voice spoke up from behind her.
“Evelyn, right?” Maggie asked as she looked to see the nurse.
“Yes.” She replied.
“What happened?” Maggie turned her attention back to her child that lay still on the bed, crying.
“He was tripped, tore the stitches out. We have an ambulance on the way right now. We've got a hold of your husband and he'll meet you at the hospital.” The nurse said as she held out a thermometer. Tracy opened her mouth as it was placed under her tongue and the nurse looked at a watch.
“He was tripped!” Maggie glared at her. “What type of school is this! This shouldn’t have happened! Not to someone who just had done what he did!”
“Margaret.” Mr. Harper said as he entered the room and shut the door. This got her attention. No one called her by her full name. “We have a school full of kids here. It's hard to watch all seven hundred kids all the time.”
“He just had an Orchiectomy done! This could have hurt or killed him!”
“Maggie, please, I know this. The student who did this will be spoken to with his parents later. If you want I can arrange for you or your husband to be here.”
“Thank you. I'd like to give that little punk a piece of my mind.” She turned her attention back to her child.
“Well Troy isn't innocent either. There was redness around the incision site and a bit of an infection starting. He's admitted to pushing himself a bit more over the weekend to hang out with friends.”
She groaned. “Troy. You promised you'd take it easy.” He didn't reply. He couldn't. But as the thermometer was removed, he turned his head to face the pillow.
There was a knock at the door and it opened an inch. “Sir?” The secretary said. “The ambulance is here.”
December 8th 1982
Tracy lay in the hospital bed once more, staring at the ceiling and wondering why they couldn't put posters or something up there. Anything had to be better then just plain white tile. She winced in pain as she felt a finger move across her wound. She had been there overnight again. They had managed to get her in right away to fix the broken stitches problem, then they made her lie still for a day to help with the healing.
“Mind telling me how you ended up here again?” Doctor Angela Davis asked.
“I was tripped. I tried to not fall, but I did and it hurt.” She replied.
“And where were you tripped?” The Doctor continued her exam of her patient.
“School.” She replied.
“Did you take it easy the past few days? I did say light activity for the first week, that's today. The redness around the wound shows me that you've been moving more then you should.” The Doctor pulled the sheet back over Tracy and gave her the best Doctor glare she could.
“No.” Tracy shook her head. “I was going to, but my friends were up and I just wanted to hang out with them.”
“I should have known they would make you push yourself.” Maggie stated.
“Mom, they tried to keep me in bed. But I wanted to hang out with them, before they had to go home. It's not their fault.” Tracy shut her eyes so she wouldn't see the glares from both women.
“So you just decided to ignore my advice and push the pain back.” The doctor sighed.
“Sorry.” Tracy whispered.
“Don't tell me sorry. I'm not the one in pain.” She shot back. “I'm just the Doctor. But this time when you go home, I'm putting you on bed-rest for a week, maybe two.”
“Two weeks?” Tracy thought about it, then her eyes shot open and she looked at the Doctor. “I...I can't”
“Why can't you?” The doctor asked. “Is there something more pressing then your health that will happen in the next two weeks?”
“I'm supposed to go see my friends after school on Friday next week.” Tracy lay her head back. She wanted to hang out with Sage and Rachel more then anything. The chance to be one of the girls was riding on her being in the Bay area.
“Your mother told me about it. But if these are the same girls who let you push yourself, should we let you go and try it again?” The doctor leaned against the bed and took her hand. “Look, I hate being the bad guy, but you keep pushing yourself and we'll have a major problem. There can be infections, pain that wont go away for the rest of your life and problems with going to the bathroom.” this got the child’s attention.
“Tracy lay there, thinking about what she had said. “So I have to lie in bed for two weeks?”
“Well with the damage to your ribs giving you trouble in walking and stairs and now your wrist is sprained again I say yes. But I'd like to see you next week and we can make an evaluation there.” The Doctor stood up straight as her young patient groaned. “I know you had plans and no one wants to spend Christmas vacation in bed, but this is for the best. We'll see on next Wednesday, but for now, no leaving your bed except for the bathroom, to get something to eat or drink and two walks, but till you feel sore, nothing more. So no hour long walks. And we're still on clear liquids.”
“Okay.” Tracy's voice had that defeated tone. She dreaded calling Rachel and Sage. All her plans to go have fun were now dashed. Two weeks in her bed, no TV, no fun at all.
“We'll keep you over night tonight, then you go home tomorrow, if I give the okay. Once there it's to bed for you. Understand me?”
“Yes.” Tracy replied in that same defeated tone.
“Good. Now I'll leave you be. Let the nurse know if you start to hurt again, okay? And we'll skip the walks for today, but let them know with the call button when you need to use the bathroom.” the doctor pulled up the rails on the side of the bed and then clicked them into place. “No climbing down on your own.”
Daytime TV sucked. But the news was worse for an eleven year old. Tracy knew that already, but now she had to live it all over again. She knew that it was almost six in the evening, both with the clock on the wall and the fact that the sky was dark. Not that it had been a sunny day. Clouds had covered the sky for most of the morning and afternoon, with drizzle off and on the whole day.
She only had a couple of books to keep her entertained, not including her school books. But she didn't see the fun in relaxing with math. Her parents had gone home for the evening, mostly because she got tired of them telling her that she should have taken it easy. So she lay there all alone. It was late and Peter hadn't stopped by, so the fear that she had run him off for good was there as well, even though she was still angry with him for how he treated her.
She lay back in her bed and had just begun to wonder why her life sucked for the hundredth time that day when there was a knock at the doorway. “Can I come in?” A timid voice called out.
She sat up enough to see over the bed railings and saw Mary Beth. She knew there would be another round of twenty questions, but she was aching for human contact that wasn't a nurse. “Sure.” She said as she lay back down.
“I was so worried about you when I saw that blood.” Mary Beth looked like she was on the edge of tears.
“It's nothing.” She replied.
“But you were hurt. I thought you were going to die.” Mary Beth sat in the seat next to the bed.
“I pulled some stitches when I got tripped.” Tracy replied.
“Oh. So it's from when Bruce hurt you?”
Tracy nodded her head and sighed. There was no stopping Mary Beth, she was slowly learning that. “Yeah.”
“So, what did he do to you?” She asked her usual question once more.
Tracy chuckled and groaned as she held her ribs. “You never stop, do you?”
“I'm just curious.” Mary Beth smiled at her.
“I still don't want to talk about it.” Tracy answered.
“Okay.” Mary Beth nodded and leaned back in the chair. This confused Tracy.
“Okay? Not used to you giving up on something.” She lifted her head and raised an eyebrow.
“Meh, You wont tell me, why ask anymore?” Mary Beth shrugged. “So are you going to be in school tomorrow?”
“No. I'm out of school for a week, maybe till the break.” Tracy replied.
“Do you need your homework?” Mary Beth asked.
“No, Vance is getting that for me. But thank you.” She shook her head. “Not that I really want it anyway.”
Mary Beth chuckled. “Yeah, school does suck.” She leaned forward in her chair, her eyes gleaming with excitement. This worried Tracy. “So, Can I ask a question?”
“I may not answer, but sure, ask away.” Tracy replied. She was waiting for the stream of questions to start again, even though Mary Beth had seemed to give up a minute before, but her fears were quickly laid to rest when they got interrupted, just in time.
“Mary Beth?” A woman's voice called to her from the doorway. “We should get going.”
“Aw, Mom. I wanna talk some more.” Mary Beth replied.
“I know, but we still got to pick up your father. Maybe you can talk to your friend later in the week.”
Mary Beth smiled at Tracy and nodded. “Could I? I can get the address from Vance tomorrow.”
“Sure I guess.” Tracy shrugged. “I won't be doing much anyway.”
“Cool.”
“Hey, Mary Beth?” The other girl stopped halfway in the room. “Could you turn on the TV? Maybe see if they got MTV?”
“Oh, they do!” She went over and grabbed a chair and dragged it to the TV and turned it on.
“Not too loud though.” Tracy said as Mary Beth turned it up. “Thanks.”
“See ya later.” Mary Beth smiled at her and she followed her mother out of the door, leaving Tracy to the sounds of the Go-Go's.
It was almost eight in the evening when Peter stuck his head into the room. The sounds of MTV were still playing on the TV and Tracy sat there, watching each video intently. He walked over and stopped just by her bed and turned to watch the videos. After it was done he turned and looked at her. “The Tom-Tom club? I never heard of them.”
“They're kinda cool.” She said as she looked at him. A part of her was still mad at him for saying the wrong name, then there was the fact he babied her, even though her current location proved he was right. “Why are you here?”
He looked to the floor. He was still feeling guilty for not being there for her. It had torn him up to see her carried away again. “I...I wanted to know how you were doing.”
“I was just a little sore.” She replied as she looked back to the TV, trying to stay mad at him for some reason. “Nothing to worry about.”
“You were brought here. It's something to worry about.” He moved to a seat by her bed and he plopped into it. “When I saw you in Mr. McCoy's arms....” He trailed off for a moment, then her attention was pulled from the TV when she heard a sniffle. She could see fresh tears running down his cheeks.
“Peter?” She asked, her anger now rushing away. “Are you okay?”
“No.” He said before he sniffled again. “I screwed up and made you mad, then you got hurt. If I had been there I could have caught you.” He began to cry and she put a hand out to touch his shoulder.
“Hey. If you hadn't been there, Clark would have kicked my ass.” She said.
“But you still got hurt.” He replied.
“Only because someone tripped me.”
“But I could have been there for you.” He cried out. He looked up at her and tears kept falling. “It's my fault you got hurt. The day Bruce got to you, I stayed to watch something on the TV. I was late because of a stupid cartoon. You got hurt because of me!”
“Peter, it's not your fault.” She said.
Neither of them seen Carly walk in with a clipboard in hand. “Is everything okay in here?” She asked.
“Sorry, Carly.” Tracy looked at her, then gestured to Peter. “We'll keep it down.”
“He's not bugging you?” The nurse asked.
“No.” Tracy smiled.
“Well, I do need to break this up. You need to take a walk and visiting hours are over in about two minutes.” Carly said, pointing to the clock.
“Aww.” Tracy said, her anger now a distant memory. “Can't we hang out a bit longer? Maybe watch a couple more videos?”
“Okay, two more videos, then he's got to go and you need a walk.” Carly said. “Gives me time to check up on next door.”
“Thank you, Carly.” Tracy said as the nurse walked out of the room. She gave Peter's shoulder a slight squeeze. “I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier. You were right about me hurting myself.”
“I don't wanna be right. I just want you by me and healthy.” Peter said wiping the tears from his eyes as another video started playing. “I hate seeing you in here.”
“Me too.” Tracy answered.
So much for going to the Bay area and being one of the girls. Next up, Tracy gets bored at home.
Tracy was woken from her slumber by the ringing of the phone inches from her head. She grunted as she turned on her side and blindly reached for the infernal device that had ruined her sleep. She didn't hear anyone running for the phone, so she guessed that she was still all alone in the house. She groped for the phone with her left hand, which she wasn't used to using. She almost dropped it before she secured her grip on it. She held it to her ear and tried to say “Hello? Who is this?” But in came out as gibberish.
There was the chuckle of a young girl on the other end of the phone. “Is that English?” She heard Rachel's voice ask.
“Rachel?” She mumbled into the phone.
“And Sage.” A second voice said.
“She's at my place because we wanted to call and see how you were doing.” Rachel answered the yet to be asked question.
“So....." Sage gave a slight pause for dramatic effect and then asked. "how you doing?”
This poor girl may win at some point.
Thanks to Djkauf for the editing.
December 10th 1982
Northern California
It was mid afternoon on Friday when the family had finally got their youngest child out of the hospital. The hospital had kept her one more day to let her rest a bit more. She was partly glad to be away from there. Sure she lost the ability to watch MTV, but the food would be a damn sight better. She could only have soup for now and clear liquids, but it was better then water and bland chicken soup. She had begged her parents to make one quick detour before they went home. She had to make things right with Mr. Rivers and Jerry.
So she found herself slowly walking up to the office, making this one of two walks for the day It was her hope that Mr. Rivers was still there. Her mother moved ahead of her to catch the door for her. The secretary gasped as they entered the office. Troy just smiled at her and gave a wave to the nurse, before her mother made her sit at a bench.
“Hello, we're here to talk to Mr. Harper and a Mr. Rivers.” William said.
“Ah, they're inside, I'll go let him know you're here.” The Secretary got up and went into the Principals office.
“You sure about this honey?” Maggie asked.
“Yes Mom. It feels right.” Tracy replied.
“You can head back.” The Secretary said as she came out of the office. She opened up the little swinging door to let them through.
William let his wife and child go first, then he followed then into the small office. Behind the desk sat Mr. Harper. In front of the desk stood Jerry Rivers and a mountain of a man with a short military haircut. The Principal stood up and smiled. “Ah, young Mr. Patterson. Feeling better I hope?”
“No Sir.” Tracy replied. “I still feel sore.”
“That's to be expected.” Mr. Harper replied. He gestured to the free seat and William and Maggie let their son take the seat. This got the man who was watching them to raise an eyebrow and give him a look that Tracy wasn't to sure of. It seemed half anger and half confusion. But any questions he had were interrupted by the Principal.
“I was asked to have you and your son here by young Troy and his father.” He gestured to the child in question. “Troy, it's your floor.”
“What? What floor? What do you mean?” Tracy asked
Mr. Harper chuckled. “You can speak now.”
“Oh.” She blushed from the embarrassment, then looked at Mr. Rivers. “I asked to see if you could come in because I wanted to talk to you about your son.”
Before she could continue, Mr. Rivers interrupted her. “What did he do this time.” He grumbled, then he glared at his son who was still standing in the same spot.
“Nothing. He did nothing wrong.” Tracy said and then let out a big sigh. She wasn't ready for it to be this difficult. And the pain she was feeling didn't help matters. Her father seen her slump, so he took over.
“Mr. Rivers, I'm William Patterson, Troy's father.” William offered a hand out to the other man. “This is my wife Maggie. Our son would like to speak to you, not about what your son did, but what he didn't do.”
“John Rivers. Pleased to meet you, but what do you mean?” He took the hand and shook it.
“It was our property that your son was at when he was with the Millett kid.” William replied.
“Ah, I understand now.” He looked at William and nodded. “You want to make sure that I am going to punish my son, right?”
Tracy shook her head and spoke up. “No sir. I heard that you were going to send your son to a Military school.”
“I am. It's the best thing for him. I mean he helped to attack your grandmother, mother and you, why shouldn't I?”
“Because he didn't.” Tracy replied.
“What do you mean? He was there, wasn't he?”
“He was sir, but he didn't attack me or anyone else.” Tracy turned to face him better. “If it hadn't been for your son, I would have.....” She trailed off as a shiver ran up her spine and a tear raced down her cheek as her nightmares replayed in her head again. “Let's just say it would have been worse.”
William nudged his wife and gestured to Tracy. “Troy, would you like me to explain it to him?” He saw her head move in a quick nod and he motioned to the door. “John, could I speak to you outside? This is kinda private.”
“Sure I guess.” He stood up, not really sure what was going on, but he was willing to listen.
Troy sat in the chair, waiting for the worst. Jerry looked at him, confusion all over his face. “What are you trying to do? I'm already going away, isn't that good enough?”
“I'm trying to save you from going away. You didn't do anything and the more I think about it, had you not stopped Bruce, I....” Another tear ran down his cheek. “It would have been worse, a lot worse.” Troy went silent for a moment and shut his eyes.
“Troy is sure that you helped buy him that second he needed to escape. In the end he still got hurt, but had you not stopped Bruce, it could have been worse.” Maggie supplied as she put an arm around her child.
“Really?” Jerry asked.
“Troy...Maggie, may I ask what happened?” Mr. Harper asked. “It wont leave this room.”
Maggie bent over till she could see Tracy's eyes. “Can I tell him? He should know in case of troubles and it gives you someone to talk to in case of problems.”
“Sure.” She nodded, but turned her gaze back to her lap.
“When Bruce came to the farm, he found Troy and was just going to beat him up. But he saw what Troy was wearing and he got mean.” Maggie said. She knew that both parties knew about the skirt, so this wasn't news to them, plus it was better to tell the truth. “Bruce tired to rape him.”
“What?!?” Mr. Harper was shocked. He had known of the boy's violent streak, but rape wasn't something he had expected.
“It's true sir.” Jerry replied. All he could feel was shame for his actions in the attack so his gaze went to the floor. “He was....he was going to share Troy with all of us.”
“And did he?” The Principal asked.
“No. According to Troy, Jerry here managed to distract Bruce for a moment, giving Troy that chance to break free.” Maggie replied.
“I just thought he was going to scare Troy, hell I didn't even know why he wanted to hurt Troy until Monday.” Jerry shook his head, his gaze still on the carpet in front of him. “When he cut Troy's shirt off and started to cut the skirt, I had to stop it. I...I was stupid. Ever since we moved here, no one talks to me. I had no friends till Bruce showed up and I just couldn't tell him no.”
“I understand.” Maggie nodded. “Our oldest, Vance, was a friend of his too.”
“He said that. He was going to beat him up too I think.” Jerry agreed.
“Jerry, I don't hate you. If you hadn't been there, it could have been worse.” Tracy said.
“I'm no hero.” He replied. “Hell, you still got hurt.”
“That's because Bruce chased him after he broke free. It was three on one, not good odds for anyone.” Maggie stated.
The door opened up and Mr. Rivers walked in with William. Mr Rivers took his seat again and turned to face Troy. “Your father told me what happened. He also told me that you don't blame my son, is that right?”
“Correct, Sir.” Tracy replied in a soft voice. “If he hadn't been there, it could have been a lot worse.”
“You're father said something like that.” John said with a nod. “Troy, I was raised by a military man. I grew up moving base to base. And my dad was a stickler for the rules. If I had been a part of any fight that wasn't to defend myself, I'd have been beat with my father’s belt. Normally I would have done the same thing, but your father says that you don't want him to be punished because he helped you. I had also planned on sending him to a military school so they could straighten him out. But your father said you didn't want that.”
“No sir. He didn't do anything wrong.” Tracy replied. “And wouldn't it be sending the wrong message if you punish him for helping someone?”
“But he was on your property.” John interjected.
“And he helped.” Maggie cut in. “John, my eldest was a friend of Bruce. That had a way of getting kids to follow him. All your son needs is friends, good friends.”
“And he could get them at a military school.” John replied.
“But then he'd hate you and you’re still punishing him for nothing.” Tracy stated. “I know a few older kids that are cool. Heck, he could hang out with Vance.”
John held up his hands to stop both the child and her mother. “Okay. I won't send him to the school, this time.” He turned to face his son. “But one more screw up in the next year and you go, understand me?”
“Yes, Sir.” The boy replied.
“That's settled then.” He held out a hand to Troy. “Thank you for speaking out young man. It takes a big man to stand up for what he believes in.”
“Thank you, sir.” Tracy said with a slight smile as she shook his hand.
John turned to his son. “Mr. Patterson has offered to help you with your free time. If you want that is.”
“How so?” Jerry asked, now a bit nervous.
“We have fifteen acres of olive trees. I also have a lot of work outside that needs to be done and I'm down one child, until the doctor lifts his restrictions. How would you like to help around the farm. We'd be willing to pay you for your time, not much, but it's something.” William stated.
“Sure, I guess.” He replied.
“Be just on the weekends, that way you can do your schoolwork.” William said.
“Okay.” Jerry nodded.
“Good. We'll see you tomorrow.” He held out a hand and Jerry shook it.
“So I can tear up the transfer of paperwork request?” Mr. Harper asked.
“Please.” John said with a smile.
Tracy waited till the adults were done talking and she got up and headed for the door. She held a slower pace towards the car then her parents and Mr. Rivers. Jerry held back and began to walk with her.
Jerry cleared his throat. “Hey, um thanks.”
“No problem. I mean it, I'd have been a lot worse off if you hadn't said anything.”
Jerry looked at how slowly she moved. “Are you hurt worse because of me?”
“No. I got tripped the other day and the stitches were torn out. I’ve been in the hospital since then.” Tracy replied.
“Ouch. Where did he hurt you?” Jerry asked.
“Everyone wants to know that.” Tracy chuckled and then she gasped as her ribs reminded her of how much they hurt. She didn't want to talk about it, but she needed something from him and she was willing to trade, an answer for a promise.
She stopped and waited for him to face her. “I'll tell you, but I need you to promise something.”
“Promise what?” He asked.
“Well two things, actually. First is don't tell Mary Beth Higgins.” She smiled at him.
“Yeah, she's been bugging me for information, too.” He chuckled. “Deal.”
“The second promise is to not tell a soul about what I was wearing that day.” Tracy said.
“Well you did keep me out of military school. I so didn't want to go there.” Jerry said. “I promise.”
Tracy took a step close and dropped her voice. “They broke three ribs and sprained my wrist. But that's not the bad part.” She said. “They kicked me in the crotch so many times that they destroyed my testicles.”
His face got a bit green. “Did it hurt?” He asked.
“Hell yeah.” Tracy nodded. “I still hurt. Heck, I can barely walk half the time. It feels like someone is kicking my nuts every time I step and they kick hard.”
Jerry winced in pain. “Ow. Okay, enough of that. No wonder you can't help around your farm.” He waited for the phantom pain to leave, till he looked over to make sure the parents were still talking, as he leaned forwards and whispered. “Why do you do it? The skirt I mean? Why do you wear them?”
She sighed. She had given him one thing for two promises, plus he was asking and not freaking out. Plus she had his promise. “At first I did it to escape. See Vance used to pick on me and my Grandpa hated me. So I dressed up and acted like there was no Vance, no Dad and no Grandpa.” She said.
“At first? So why do you do it now?” He asked.
“Because I think I should have been a girl.” She replied.
“Really?” He took a step back and began to examine her closely. Then he thought about how he would seem Troy around the school. “Okay, I can see that. Do you go by Troy when you're like that?”
“No. I call myself Tracy.” She said with a smile
“I see. So who are you now?” He asked.
“I'm Troy right now and he's in a world of pain.” She said with a chuckle that made her wince in pain. “Now you did promise you wouldn't tell a soul.”
“I wont. Besides, I saw what you did to Bruce, Frankie and Kenny.” He said with a shake of his head. “I don't think I want to piss you off. You were pretty awesome in that fight.”
“Heh. Fat lot of good that did.”
“Yeah. I've been kicking myself for not siding with you when you first started fighting.” He sighed. “But next time I'll be at your side.”
“Hopefully there won’t be a next time.” She looked up and saw her mother waving for her to come over.
“Come on kiddo, we still got to get to work.” Maggie called to her.
“Come on, before my Dad gets pissed too.” Jerry said.
A short while later they finally made it home. William opened up the door to the house and let Tracy step in first. Then Maggie went in and followed her daughter.
“Okay kiddo, you heard the doc. Time for bed.” William said, resting a hand on her shoulder. She fidgeted with her sweat clothes and just sighed. “Dad will check up on you every couple of hours while we're at work.”
“You can't stay?” She asked.
“No, we took enough time off this year, and if I want that extra spending money for Christmas, I got to work.” He replied. “Plus your mom has exhausted her sick time, so we have to go to work, or we join the unemployed.”
“Oh. Okay.” Tracy began walking to her room, only to stop in the kitchen doorway. “So I have to stay in bed, in my room?”
“Yes. No getting up or we end up at the hospital again. And I'll make sure you don't see your friends for a long while if that happens.”
“But it's boring in there.” She whined.
“I'm sorry, but you're the one who pushed the limits.” William stated.
“Could I use the pull out couch in here? So I got the TV to keep me company?” Tracy asked.
William looked to his wife who was right behind her daughter. She shrugged. “What's the harm? Less chance of her getting up. Plus two weeks in bed and nothing to do while people are gone will get boring. God knows you hated it when you were in the VA hospital after 'Nam”
“Okay. Tell you what, go to the bathroom and I'll pull out the couch. Maggie, bring her blankets and pillows.” William said as he pulled the coffee table away from the couch.
Ten minutes later Tracy was walking into the living room, her mother walking with her to make sure she didn't overdo it. “Okay, go ahead and lie down. We've got a fire going and Dad will check on you in an hour to keep the fire going so you don't get cold.”
Tracy sat down carefully on the bed and Maggie helped swing her feet up to the mattress. “Mom, I can do that.” She groaned.
“Maybe, and maybe you'll hurt yourself again.” Maggie moved the phone over to the end table by the couch. “Here, in case of problems, call your grandparents. And I let Shelly know to let the girls know you’re home.”
Tracy's look turned sour. “You told them I couldn't come?”
“No, not yet.” Maggie said with a shake of her head. “We've got that appointment on next Wednesday. So we can find out then.”
“Oh. Okay.” Tracy lay back on the bed as her mother went to the TV and switched it on. “Sorry, but it's just soap operas right now. Some of the game shows should be on soon. I've put a couple of your books on the end table for you.”
“Thank you, Mama.”
Tracy was woken from her slumber by the ringing of the phone inches from her head. She grunted as she turned on her side and blindly reached for the infernal device that had ruined her sleep. She didn't hear anyone running for the phone, so she guessed that she was still all alone in the house. She groped for the phone with her left hand, which she wasn't used to using. She almost dropped it before she secured her grip on it. She held it to her ear and tried to say “Hello? Who is this?” But in came out as gibberish.
There was the chuckle of a young girl on the other end of the phone. “Is that English?” She heard Rachel's voice ask.
“Rachel?” She mumbled into the phone.
“And Sage.” A second voice said.
“She's at my place because we wanted to call and see how you were doing.” Rachel answered the yet to be asked question.
“So....." Sage gave a slight pause for dramatic effect and then asked. "how you doing?”
“I hurt?” Tracy replied, sounding less groggy as she sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
“And whose fault is that?” Sage asked, a hint of disapproval in her voice.
“I was tripped. That's how the stitches came out.” Tracy said with a sigh.
“And what about when we were up there?” Rachel asked. “It's our fault you kept getting out of bed.”
“It's...I mean...” Tracy sighed again. “I wanted to hang out with you and it's boring in bed.”
“But you could cause problems in your body. We don't want to lose you so soon after we found you.” Rachel stated.
“Please, don't push yourself for us. We're not going anywhere and neither are the girls.” Sage added. “There's a full summer of fun coming up too.”
“Yeah, I guess.” She replied.
“Look we've bugged you enough about that.” Rachel said. “Anything you want for Christmas?”
Tracy thought about it for a moment. “Clothes? Maybe some jewelery?”
“How about some music?” Rachel asked. “Hear anything new lately? Or is your mother still watching what you hear.”
“She's been letting me listen to those tapes you brought up last week. She still wants to hear the stuff first, but so far the Go-go's are okay, same with that Rod Stewart tape you brought up.”
“What about Journey and The Clash?” Sage asked.
“She's not too wild about the Clash, but it works for now.”
"It's not hard rock." Rachel replied.
"I did get to watch MTV almost non stop while I was in the hospital this time. There's some cool videos out there." Tracy stated.
"Oh," She heard Rachel give a contented sigh. "That one guy in Duran Duran is too cute. And John Cougar is cute too."
Sage began to giggle and chant. "Rachel like's Johnny Cougar! Rachel likes Johnny Cougar!" Then there was a muffled thump sound and Sage's laughter got louder for a moment.
"What are you two doing?" Tracy asked.
"I'm beating Sage with a pillow from the couch. She had it coming." Rachel replied and there was another muffled thump.
"Good. Beat her once for me." Tracy said, half a second later, one last thump was heard.
“Done. We could always just save money and take you to the movies when you come down too.” Rachel asked.
“That could be fun.” Tracy replied.
“Hey! What about Marriott's Great America?!?” Sage exclaimed. “I mean we'd need our parents too, but that could be fun!”
“What's that?”
“It's an amusement park South of Frisco! It's got roller coasters and other rides and it's so much fun...or there's the Winchester Mystery House?” Sage's voice bubbled with excitement.
“Mystery House?” Tracy repeated. “Um, what's that?”
“It's this place that some old lady built and had to keep building or she thought that spirits would kill her. The place is huge. It's got all sorts of stuff like stairwells to nowhere, doors that open to brick walls and a huge maze made of hedges.” She could almost see Sage smile. “We went last year, it was cool.”
“Um...are there real spirits there?” Tracy asked.
“Who knows. That's the mystery.” Sage said in a spooky voice. What she didn't know was Sage had been wiggling her fingers in an almost mystic move, trying to enhance the words. In the background Tracy could hear someone talking to the girls, then Sage spoke up. “Hey, We'll try to call tomorrow or Sunday, We're going to my aunt's place.”
“What about Rachel?” Tracy asked.
“Sorry, headed to my Grandma's house for the weekend. But we'll try to call tomorrow or Sunday.” The other girl repeated.
“Oh, okay.” Tracy said as Vance stepped into the house. “Talk to you later. Bye Sage, Bye Rachel.”
“That's Sage on the phone? Tell her hi from me.” Vance said with a huge smile.
“Sage, Vance says to say Hi.” Tracy said with a huge grin.
“Ugh. Tell him I say hi.” She replied.
“Bye Tracy.”
She heard the phone click and then the dial tone sounded in her ear. Tracy looked to her brother as she hung up the phone. “She said hi, but they had to leave in a hurry, had to go to an Aunt's place.”
“Aw. I wanted to talk to her and see how she's doing.” Vance said as he headed to the kitchen.
“I'm sure we'll see her again.” Tracy lay back in the bed and decided not to tease him about having a crush on her friend.
“Yeah, I guess.” Then he stopped and came back to the living room, his lips pulled back into a huge grin. “Hey! I could go with them if you get to go down there. You know, when they drop you off?”
“Maybe. I'm not sure if I get to go.” Tracy stated. “I have to be a good girl to go.”
“Be good then.” Vance hooked a thumb to the kitchen. “You need anything? Water? Some soup?”
Tracy smiled at him. “Water is good. And could you check on the fire, it's getting chilly in here.”
He stopped to put fire in the stove before he headed to the kitchen. Once he was out of sight, she heard him exclaim from the sink. “HEEEEYYYYY!” A moment later he was walking towards her with the water. “How about I go with you? You know, to make sure you don't over do it?”
“Um, would you be watching me, or Sage?” She asked taking the glass.
“Well um...You I guess.” He blushed and quickly turned away from her.
“Vance, it'll be a sleepover. Each night we may be at a different house. I don't know if the other girl’s parents would let a boy be there.” Tracy picked up the glass to take a drink.
“What about you then? I know you want to be Tracy, but you're still a boy.” He stated. “What if they get mad when they find out?”
At first she wanted to yell at him, but then she thought about it and he was right. What if they found out? But then they knew Sage. It was a question to ask, if she got to go. “I...” She shrugged. “I don't know.”
“Maybe you should have Mom and Dad ask then? And I can go help.” He said before walking to their bedroom.
“I'll think about it.” Tracy said with a shake of her head.
December 15th 1982
On Wednesday morning she awoke to the usual sounds of the morning getting going. Her father was headed off to work and Vance was headed for school with some of her homework to give to her teacher. Tracy had been in the bed almost non stop except for bathroom breaks and two fifteen minute walks daily since Friday. It had been like a type of torture to her. The highlight to her weekend was the phone call from Sage and Rachel on Sunday where they talked more about music and places to go to.
Her mother stopped by her side and handed her a cup of water. “Okay. I'll be back at noon, your appointment is at one. We'll get lunch while we're out, okay?”
“Okay, Mama.” She replied.
“Is it Tracy today?” Maggie asked with a smile.
“Well, while we're here it is.” She said. “Even if I'm just in sweats. Should I change for the appointment?”
“No, go for comfort. No one will care if you're in sweats. We can get take out if you want, so no one will see your sweats.” Her mother brushed some of the hair out of her face. “It beats wearing tight pants and hurting yourself.
“Okay Mama.” She took a drink then sat the glass down and prepared to watch morning TV. “I'll see you at noon.”
“That's good. Now don't push yourself and we'll see if we can get you to your friends this weekend.” Maggie said.
“Hey Mom?” Tracy asked, taking her attention from the TV for a moment. She had waited to discuss the question her brother had raised in her mind. “Mom, if I can go, should I go down there?”
“Honey, you've been looking forward to that for the past two weeks now. Why wouldn't you go?” Maggie sat on the edge of the bed.
“Vance said that they may find out I'm a boy. What if they do? What if their parent's find out.”
“Well we could ask Persephone, she seems to know the parents the best. But Sage's cousins know about her, so I doubt they'd care about you.” Maggie said. “We could always have her tell the parents, that way we can see if it's okay.”
Tracy nodded. “Okay.”
“Good. Then we'll figure out what's going on with you first. I know two girls who'll be calling about four this afternoon, so we need to get the final answer from the doctor first.” Maggie stood up. “Till then try and relax and only get up when you need to go to the bathroom.”
“Okay, Mama.” She said and went back to the TV. “Have a good day at work.”
“I'll try, Tracy, you be good while you're here.” Maggie said as she gathered her purse.
“I will, Mama.” She replied.
Tracy lay on another examination bed for what felt like an eternity. She had once more been put into a skimpy gown again. Doctor Davis was busy checking out her young patient once more. Tracy lay there, still wondering why they didn't ever have anything cool on the ceiling. So she began to count the pin holes in the tiles.
“Okay. Things are looking a bit better then last week.” The doctor said as she got up and pulled off her gloves. She went across the room and looked at the records
“So does that mean I can go to visit my friends?” Tracy asked.
“I'd advise against it.” The Doctor replied. Tracy raised her head and looked like she was ready to burst into tears. “Unless you can promise me you'll walk just thirty minutes, twice a day for the next week and no lifting.”
“I can promise the lifting part.” Tracy said, not making eye contact. “But can I only walk thirty minutes? Or can it be more?”
“You need to limit yourself, so no. If you can't keep it at two thirty minute walks, then no, you shouldn't go.”
“Dammit.” She let her head fall back. “I just wanna be with my friends.” This time the tears began to fall. Her chance to be one of the girls was ruined.
“We discussed this before. If you push yourself, you could be a lot worse off.” Doctor Davis said.
“I know.” She replied as she began to cry.
“Sweetie, it's not the end of the world.” Maggie put a hand on her shoulder.
“Mom, my one chance to be one of the girls.” She shut her eyes tight. “Stupid Bruce. Stupid Bobby.”
The Doctor looked at Maggie. “Who are Bruce and Bobby?”
“Bruce is the boy who put her in to the hospital the first time. Bobby is the kid who tripped her last week.” Maggie replied.
“Oh. You know kiddo, there is one more person to blame.” The Doctor looked down at her. “You pushed yourself, so part of the blame is yours, too.”
“Just isn't fair.” She muttered as she lay there.
“Doctor, could I speak to you outside?” Maggie asked.
“Sure.” She followed Maggie out of the exam room and shut the door.
“I was afraid this would happen.” Maggie said.
“I'm being honest. If he goes down there, he'll be tempted to walk and dance and play with his friends.” She looked both ways in the hallway, then lowered her voice once she was sure the hall was clear. “He is still going to see the Doctor about wanting to be a girl?”
“That's Friday.” Maggie replied with a nod. “We were going to go there before we took her to Livermore.”
“I see.” Doctor Davis leaned against the wall. “I know she should see the other Doctor, but honestly, if he is wanting to be one of the girls, the chance of him trying to keep up with a couple of healthy girls could put a bigger strain on his body.”
“Is there anything we can do?” Maggie asked.
“Aside from tying her down to where she can't walk, dance, run and jump, not much.”
Maggie turned and looked down the hall. She wasn't looking forward to telling Tracy that the trip was off. Then her eyes landed on something at the end of the hall. She turned around and smiled.
I really don't mean to make this one a cliffhanger, but when I was writing it, I hit page 12 at this point and figured I had enough for one post and the rest can go into the next one.
Her heart began to race as she hoped it was her friends and she reached over for the phone and picked it up, still wishing for the use of her right hand. “Hello?” She called into the phone.
“HI TRACY!” A group of voices yelled into the phone, making her pull the earpiece away from her ear. She waited a second and slowly put the ear piece back, waiting to be yelled at again.
“Um....hi.” She said. “Who is this?”
“It's us you goof!” Sage replied.
“Sounds like more than just you and Rachel.” Tracy sat up in the pull out bed and put her back against the sofa cushions. “Who all is there?”
“Well there's me, Rachel, Brooke, you haven't met her yet, Stacey and Casey and you haven’t met them either.”
“Oh. Cool.” Tracy's attitude picked up as she sat there.
“So, did we wake you up this time?” Sage asked.
More fun with Tracy and her chance to be with the girls.
A big thanks to Djkauf for the editing.
December 15th 1982
Northern California
:Continued:
Maggie turned and looked down the hall. She wasn't looking forward to telling Tracy that the trip was off. Then her eyes landed on something at the end of the hall. She turned around and smiled. “What if we were to rent a wheelchair? Would that help?”
Doctor Davis thought about it for a moment and she slowly nodded. “Yeah. Get a good cushion under him. You'd have to make sure that when he's not in the chair, he's lying down or sitting like how we told him the first time. And we limit the walks to ten minutes a day. He'll need someone to push him. That wrist of his is too weak right now to work the wheels.”
“I think I can do that. I can send the information to the people he was going to stay with.” Maggie said.
“I also think it would be best to do that for his Doctor appointment on Friday as well.” The Doctor added.
“Thank you, this will mean a lot to him.” Maggie said with a smile.
Tracy had gone straight to the pull out bed when they got home. She was determined to take it easy so she'd get to go. Even though the doctor had given her the green light to go in a wheelchair, she was afraid her parents would say no if she pushed herself.
So she lay there, this time with the TV off. She had decided to read a book instead and picked up one of the Chronicles of Narnia. She was halfway though the book when the phone rang. She put the book down and looked at the clock, which showed it was just past three thirty.
Her heart began to race as she hoped it was her friends and she reached over for the phone and picked it up, still wishing for the use of her right hand. “Hello?” She called into the phone.
“HI TRACY!” A group of voices yelled into the phone, making her pull the earpiece away from her ear. She waited a second and slowly put the ear piece back, waiting to be yelled at again.
“Um....hi.” She said. “Who is this?”
“It's us you big goof!” Sage replied.
“Sounds like more than just you and Rachel.” Tracy sat up in the pull out bed and put her back against the sofa cushions. “Who all is there?”
“Well there's me, Rachel, Brooke, you haven't met her yet, Stacey and Casey and you haven’t met them either.”
“Oh. Cool.” Tracy's attitude picked up as she sat there.
“So, did we wake you up this time?” Sage asked.
“No, I was reading the Lion the witch and the wardrobe.” Tracy replied,. “While waiting for you to call.”
“Good book. You should read the Hobbit if you like that. And Lord of the rings.” Sage said. “So, can you come?”
“The doctor said I have to take it easy and she wasn't going to let me go down. But Mom suggested a wheelchair and the Doctor agreed. So yeah, I'm coming down.” Tracy said, then she waited for Sage to tell everyone. A round of screaming cheers forced her to pull the phone away again.
“Groovy.” Sage stated. “So you can go to like the malls and stuff?”
“Well the doctor doesn't want me pushing myself. So I can only be in it for a few hours at a time, unless I got a good cushion.” Tracy stated.
“I see. Well we maybe able to find you a good cushion for that wheelchair. I happen to know a few people.” Sage repeated what she had been told to the other girls, then spoke into the phone again. “So, Tracy, can you walk? Or is it still limited?”
“Two fifteen minute walks a day and trips to the bathroom.” Tracy replied. “No jumping or running and no horseplay.”
“Makes sense....okay, okay.” Sage's voice got a bit more muffled then she spoke once more. “Look they're trying to take the phone from me, so here's Rachel.”
Before Tracy could respond, Rachel's voice spoke up. “Wheelchair? That's no fun, but then it's Christmas time. The malls will be packed and with a wheelchair we can push you through the crowds and run over the feet of whoever gets in our way.”
“Great, I'm a battering ram.” Tracy said with a chuckle that forced her to groan and hold her sides.
“So, sides still hurt?” Rachel asked.
“Yeah. I'll also need someone to push the chair, ‘cause my wrist still hurts from the second sprain.”
“We can manage that.” Rachel said, and Tracy could almost hear the smile in her voice.
“Maybe we can go catch a movie or something.” Tracy stated.
“That would be cool....yeah, yeah...” Rachel got muffled for a moment, then she came back. “Hey, Brooke wants to talk to you
“Okay.” Tracy said and she waited till a new voice came on the phone.
“Hello, Tracy?” She couldn't place the accent, it sounded slightly Asian, but she wasn't sure. There was only one Asian kid at her school and she rarely talked to him.
“Yeah, this Brooke?” She asked.
“Yep. Sage and Rachel told us all about you getting hurt while defending your grandmother. That's super cool that you defended her. Not many girls can fight, or are willing to fight three men.”
“They were boys.” Tracy said. “Kids from my school.”
“Ah, I see.” Brooke replied. “Still cool. I mean come on, you fought three assholes. How many girls can say that.”
“Yeah.”
“So what style do you use? Karate? Kung Fu? Kick boxing?”
“Tai Chi, but I was thinking of learning Wing Chun too.” Tracy said with a smile that the other girl couldn't see.
“That's cool. Bruce Lee learned that first, so it's some killer stuff. Hey, you're still hurt, right?” Brooke asked.
“Yeah, got stuck into a wheelchair because of the pain and me pulling out stitches at school.” Tracy answered.
“Ouch. Wheelchairs suck, but the secret is to not let it be your identity.” Brooke replied. “And think of it, for you it's temporary.”
“Yeah, hopefully I get out of it around Christmas.”
“Tell you what, would you be willing to try something?” Brooke asked.
“Like what?” Tracy was a bit nervous at the question. She had no idea who Brooke was, or what type of person she could be.
“My Grandfather does acupuncture. He works it on me when I feel a lot of pain. Maybe that could help you?” Brooke suggested.
“Isn't that the needle thing? Where they stab you with needles?” Tracy began to feel a little worried. She hated needles.
“It is, but trust me, it's not as bad as you think. In fact I love to have it done.” Brooke replied. “He's also can do a wicked massage that helps.”
“Oh?” Tracy wasn't sure about all of it, then she thought of the pain. “Can I think about it?”
“Sure.” She swore she could hear Brooke smile. “Hey, I gotta...I gotta go pee, can I talk to you Friday?”
“Sure.” Tracy answered.
“Here's Stacey.” Brooke said before the phone was passed again.
“Hi Tracy!” A new voice called into the phone.
“Stacey?” Tracy asked.
“Of course.” The girl replied. “I got my sister here too, but she can't talk. She says hi.”
“Oh. Tell her hi for me.” Tracy said.
“Okay. So how are you doing? You ready to come down and have fun?”
“I can't do too much, or I'll be stuck in a hospital again.” Tracy said.
“Yeah, I heard. That's no fun, but we got lots of board games, plus there's MTV.”
“Yeah. I like MTV.” Tracy said.
“So do we.” In the background she could hear a voice that she thought was Persephone. “Hey, we got to get going. Want me to tell them all goodbye?”
“Please?”
Stacey spoke again, but her voice was a bit quieter. “Tracy says bye everyone.”
Then Tracy yanked the phone from her ear as she heard “BYE TRACY!” screamed into the phone. A moment later it was just a dial tone. Tracy looked at the handset before hanging it up.
"I'm gonna go deaf with them.” She mused to herself as she picked up her book again.
December 17th 1982
It was just after one in the afternoon as Maggie pushed her daughter out of the Psychiatrist's office and toward her car. In the wheelchair, Tracy sat there fuming about what the doctor had said and what she hadn't. “I can't believe she kept calling me Troy.”
“Baby, she may have been testing you.” Maggie said.
“And questioning why I was in a skirt?” Tracy balls up a fist and beat it against the arm rest.
“Sweetie, she was just doing her job. She has to make sure.” Maggie pulled the wheelchair up to her car and set the brakes so her daughter could get out.
Tracy looked at her mom before she got out of the chair. “And what was that whole thing about not seeing kids my age?”
“Sweetie, she's just afraid that most kids are doing this as a way to annoy their parents.” Maggie replied. “But she did promise to keep seeing you. And she did promise to try and help you with the nightmares, isn't that good?”
“Yeah, I guess.” Tracy replied. “As long as she doesn't see me just for that.” Tracy said as she slid into the passenger seat.
She waited as her mother opened up the backdoor and lifted the wheelchair enough to set it behind Tracy's seat. She had almost hurt herself trying to remove it from the trunk once. A moment later, Maggie slid into the drivers seat and looked at her daughter. “I promise, baby, if you don't like what she's doing, we can find a new person, but give it a few sessions.”
“Okay.”
“Are you hungry, or do you want to just go get your Dad and head for Livermore and eat in Marysville?”
“Let's eat in Marysville.” Tracy said as she started to watch the town of Chico pass by her window. Tracy was quiet for the few minutes that it took them to get to the freeway. “Mama?”
“Yes, Tracy?”
Tracy smiled and looked at her mother, who didn't look back, due to traffic. “Do you think I just want attention?”
“Well, I don't think so, but I'm not the professional.” Maggie shrugged. “It's not my area of expertise.”
“Would you hate it if Tracy became a full time thing?” The child asked.
“I love you.” Maggie put a hand on her daughters lap. “No matter if you're Troy or Tracy, I love you with all my heart.”
“I love you too Mama.” Tracy replied. “So do I really have to take that wheelchair with me to Livermore?”
“Yes. This way you don't push yourself.” Maggie looked at her for a second, then back at the road. She already knew something about the wheelchair that Tracy didn't. She knew something about all three of the girls that her daughter was to meet. But she wanted Tracy to be surprised. “And as per you wishes, I called Persephone and she gave me the numbers to the other parents. They know about you and they also know about your recent injuries.”
“Do the girls know?” Tracy asked.
Maggie shook her head. “No. We're going to leave that to you. I only told the parents because we're letting you near their daughters.”
Tracy let out a light chuckle that was followed by a groan of pain. “Thanks Mama, now I feel like I got some illness.”
“It could be worse.” Maggie smiled at her.
“Speaking of worse, did Vance try and talk you into letting him stay with me?” Tracy asked.
“Yes he did and I said no. Then he asked your father and I said no again.” Maggie patted her daughters leg. “They're your friends and you're at least a girl, or want to be. He's a boy and God knows he wouldn't give Sage a moment’s rest.”
“Yeah. He is kinda hung up on her.” Tracy looked out the window again. “So is he riding down with us?”
“Unfortunately yes. He's most likely home already. It was only a half day of school today.”
Tracy groaned. “Awwww. But I was going to lie in the backseat.”
“I know. We're taking your grandfather’s car and he'll be under orders to let you lie down as much as you can.” Maggie stated. “Or I can just let you take the front seat and lie down.”
“Would, you?”
“Yes. Your father agrees with me on that too.” Maggie chuckled. “Besides, you really want us to leave Vance home? There may not be a house when we get there.”
Tracy chuckled and groaned while holding her ribs. “True. Then he'd have a new reason to go with you to pick me up.”
“Poor poor Sage.” Maggie said with a smile.
“Yep.” Tracy nodded.
“If there's any problems tonight, Call Shelly and Frank. We'll be there for the night because your father doesn't want to drive six hours after a ten hour work day.” Maggie said as they made it to the outskirts of Chico and into farmland.
“Really? That's cool.”
William pulled his father’s Cadillac up to Shelly and Frank's townhouse. They had taken the bigger car for the smoother ride and more storage space in the trunk. As promised, Maggie had let Tracy take the front seat so she could lay it down to enjoy a couple of hours of rest. She was still in her skirt and blouse so there was no need to change when they got to the house.
She woke to her father tapping her arm. “Hey kiddo, we're here.”
She pulled the handle and let the seat sit upright. Her mother and father were already getting out. When the seat moved Vance got out too.
She opened up her door and saw Rachel looking around the fence that surrounded Shelly and Frank’s patio. She smiled as Rachel ducked out of view. She opened up her door as her father came up to the side of the car with the wheelchair. Vance was already headed to the townhouse when his father stopped him.
“Vance, Can you get the bags?”
Vance turned around and groaned. “Awww.”
“Hey, your bag is in there too. Now go help your mother.”
“But Dad....” Vance started to complain, then he heard the sounds of running feet. He turned to see Rachel, Sage and two other girls race past him. “Okay. I can help.” He said as he started back to the car. A fifth girl came out of the back gate and neither Tracy or her brother saw her.
TRACY!” Sage and Rachel yelled as they got close racing across the shared lawn to the town-homes. William had begun to push the wheelchair down the sidewalk, but stopped as his daughter was swarmed with preteen girls. He looked up in time to see the fifth girl, with definite Asian features rocketing towards them in a wheelchair, her hand's hitting the wheels like a pro racer. But unlike her friends, she couldn't cheat and take the grass. A hint of sadness passed over his face, but all the attention was on his daughter, so no one caught it. A group of five women came out of the gate, including Shelly, Persephone and Lynn, Rachel's mother.
One of the two new girls had a full head of brown hair, pulled into pigtails. She smiled and gave Tracy a quick hug then stood up and pointed to herself. “Hi, I'm Stacey. This is my Sister Casey.” She pointed to a girl who had black hair, but with a streak of white hair on the top of her head. As Tracy looked at her she noticed that her eyes seemed a bit more apart then normal. Stacy tapped the girl who bent over and hugged Tracy, then she stood up and made eye contact with Sage. Her fingers and hands began to move at a rapid pace.
“What's she doing?” Tracy asked.
“Talking.” Sage replied. “She just said, Hello, I'm Casey. How are you?”
“Talking?” Tracy was now very confused.
Stacey smiled. “She's deaf. She's got Warrdenburg syndrome.” Tracy looked over as Sage pointed to her, then translated, then she pointed to Stacey and and translated what she had said as well.
“And Sage can do that...that...what's it called?” Tracy asked.
“Sign language? Yeah, we've grown up together and when she saw that Casey had a special way to talk, she wanted to learn it. We've been teaching Rachel and Brook too.” Once again she could see Sage translating.
“That's cool.”
“Yeah, it gives us a way to talk in class and not get in trouble.” Sage grinned.
Tracy giggled. “Tell her I said hello.” And Sage complied.
“TRACY!!!” The girl in the wheelchair came around the turn in the sidewalk and worked her wheels a couple more times to get back her speed, then she threw her arms up as though she was going to hug her, but she was still speeding towards them. The other two girls stepped out of the way and Tracy flung her arms up in preparation for the crash. William quickly moved around his daughter to catch the runaway girl. At the last moment, she gripped both her wheels and stopped inches away from William. She began to chuckle. “I love doing that.”
“That's not funny.” Tracy said as her heart began to slow down again. “You must be Brooke?
“The one and only.” She smiled. “And yes, it is funny.”
“So...you're...you're in a wheelchair too?” Tracy thought back to the phone call two days earlier. “That's what you mean by wheelchairs suck? Because you're in one too. How did you get in it?”
“I sat down.” Brook replied with a straight face.
Tracy blinked a couple of times, till the joke hit her and she groaned again. “Ugh, bad joke. I mean are you hurt like me?”
Brooke's smile faded. “No. I was in an accident. I'll save you the story for now, but it was bad and I don't have use of much below here.” She put a hand on her lap. I'll fill you in on the story in a bit, but for now, I want you to meet my mother.”
Tracy nodded, then she looked at Stacey. “And that's why you said Casey couldn't talk...I see.”
“Yep.” Stacey smiled. “Sage said you should meet us, before you meet our disabilities.”
The women came closer and Persephone went up to Maggie and gave her a hug, then she hugged William. “William, Maggie, I'd like you to meet my sister, Lillian. She's the mother of Casey and Stacey.” A blond haired woman walked up and offered her hand. "And the other lady is Karen, she's Brooke's mom."
Once the parent's had been introduced, Persephone looked to the girls and smiled. “You've met Tracy, these are her parents William and Maggie. The boy standing behind them and trying not to blush is their eldest, Vance.”
“It's getting a bit chilly out here. Maybe we should head inside and wait for the guys?” Shelly asked.
“The guys?” William repeated.
“Yeah. I figured it was best that the dads meet you two as well, well Stacey and Casey's dad at least." Persephone stated. "His shift should be ending in an hour or so?"
"Shift? Where does he work? Big factory?"
"No. He's a cop. He's a Lieutenant in the Highway Patrol." Lilian said with a measure of pride.
William smiled and nodded, knowing that the safety of his daughter would be seen to at their house. Then he looked to Karen. "What about your husband?"
Karen sighed and lowered her head slightly. "There is no husband. It's Just me and her grandparents. But I want my parent's to meet you too, they help me with Brooke, so they should get to know you too."
"I'd like to meet them." William said and held out his hand, deciding to not dwell on the lack of a father figure. After Karen shook it, he looked to Shelly. "So are we going out to eat?"
"There's a buffet down the road that's really good. We can split the cost, that way no one person is paying for twenty people. ”
Sage took over pushing her wheelchair as Tracy looked at her. “So that's what you meant? By saying I'd fit in?”
Sage just bent down and whispered into her ear. “Like I said, you'll fit in well with them. Each of us are different in our own little way, but that's what makes us so awesome. Casey is one hell of a painter. Stacey is a singer, Rachel has a thing for sewing and acting, Brooke is an athlete and I'm me and you're a hero. And each of us has a weak spot. Brooke is in the chair, Casey can't hear, Rachel hates her weight, I have fought with identity crisis, Stacey hates her teeth in the braces and you are related to Vance.”
“Wouldn't he be your weak spot?” Tracy giggled.
“No, cause he's going home with your parents.” Sage smiled.
"Yep." Tracy smiled. "Tomorrow."
"Crud." Sage grumbled as she walked on.
Sage was pushing Tracy up the driveway at Rachel's house. The other four girls were around them when Tracy began to giggle. “I still can't believe you did that to Vance.” She said with a smile.
“I'm innocent.” Sage held a hand over her heart and wore a shocked expression. “It's not my fault he wanted to go get you all drinks during dinner just because I asked.”
“But you asked him.” Rachel said, then she started to laugh. “And you kissed him.” The other girls all erupted at the same time.
“EEEWWWWW.” and that was followed by laughter.
“I only kissed him because my mom said I was being mean to him. She made me.” Sage replied.
“But you liked it.” Rachel said with a cackle. Then she started to chant in a sing-song voice. “Sage has a boyfriend, Sage has a boyfriend!”
“Come here you.” Sage let go of Tracy's chair and lunged at Rachel, laughing as she did. Tracy started to roll backwards as Stacey caught the chair.
They all watched Sage chase her friend around the lawn, then tackle her and begin to tickle her. “Take it back.” Sage said as her fingers ran along Rachel's side. “Take it back.”
Rachel began laughing and shaking her head. “No, no, no.” Finally she started to screech and attempted to roll away. “Okay, okay. I take it back. I take it back.”
“And you'll never claim he's my boyfriend again?” Sage tickled her once more.
“Never. I'll be good.” Rachel said as she slowly caught her breath. The two girls join the rest of the group and they walked in silence, until Rachel laughed and said. “So, Sage, When's the wedding? Vance will make a wonderful husband.” She took off again.
“You little!” Sage followed her as the two ran for Rachel's front door.
Tracy looked to Brooke who was smiling. “Hey, is that normal?”
“Rachel just started it after they got back from visiting you.” Brooke said. “Does he really have a crush on her?”
“You have no idea.” Tracy replied.
“I think I do. Never saw a boy that willing to get that many drinks at dinner for anyone.” Brooke smiled. “But he seems nice.”
“For a boy, he can be.” Tracy nodded. “For a brother, he can be a pain in the ass at times.”
Tune in next time as Tracy begins to enjoy her time with the girls. It's always nice to get away from a pesky brother like Vance
Tracy thought about her situation for a moment, then looked at her friends. “Sage, can I talk to you and Rachel for a moment.”
“Sure, what's up?” Rachel asked.
“Alone? Please?” Tracy asked as she stood up.”
The other two girls followed her to her chair, then they wheeled her to the hall. “What's up?”
“You really think that they won’t mind about me?” Tracy's voice dropped to a whisper.
“Tracy, they won’t care. You should tell them, just because it'll help you relax.” Sage replied, just as quietly.
“You think so?”
“Yes. And if you want, we'll be right there with you.” Rachel said, smiling at her.
“Okay. Let's do it.” Tracy said, then she let them push her back into the living room.
A big thank you to Djkauf for the Editing.
Nothing too Earth shattering this time, just fun with the girls.
December 17th 1982
Livermore CA
Tracy was loving life. She was inside Rachel's house for a second time to have a sleepover with the girls. The week had already been planned in advance for her. Three bigger sleepovers were planned. One at Rachel’s, one at Brooke's and one at Sage's. Then there were two nights that she would spend with Stacey and her sister Casey, then a night with Brooke and one with Sage.
The living room of Rachel's house was littered with sleeping bags, pillows, soda cans, six girls and two wheelchairs. Rachel's sister Jamie was off on a ski trip with friends, so it left the house all to the six girls. Each of the girls had already put on their pajamas and were sitting at a card table playing Monopoly, while MTV played in the background. It had only been a short while since they had left the restaurant, but the girls changed quickly, so they could get to the fun part of the night.
Tracy had yet to tell the girls her secret, and she was still a bit worried about letting them in on it. A part of her felt bad for not telling them. In a sense she was lying to them. She knew it could be a lot worse if they found out on their own. But she was afraid to lose her friends so soon after getting more of them.
“So...” She started, wanting to test the waters. She knew that they were all aware of Sage, so she wanted to know how they treated her when they first met her. “How did you all meet?”
Sage chuckled. “Well, you know how Rachel and I met. Casey and Stacey are my cousins and I've known them all my life. I introduced them to Rachel when I was in the first grade.”
“I knew Sage from kindergarten, but I was mean back then. I was a total spoiled brat.” Brooke said. “One day I found out she was dressed as a boy and I teased her about it. I made fun of her for two years.”
“Really? Then how did you become friends?” Tracy asked, now more worried about Brooke hating her if she came out to them.
“I got into the accident that put me here.” Brooke replied. “I was miserable when I first was in this damn chair. The more I was in it, the more I hated it. I lost all of my friends that I had, just because I wasn't whole anymore. Both my leg and my spine are toast.” She pulled back a blanket and let Tracy see her left leg missing from just below the knee. She did her best not to cry, but a hand wiped at the tears that were about to form. She put the blanket back over her leg and continued her story. “I got worse. I hated everyone. Then Sage came back into my life.”
“Oh, that's when she became your friend?” Tracy asked.
“No. I was even worse to her. I started calling her an 'it', just because she couldn't make up her mind if she was a boy or a girl. I never bothered to see the Sage underneath.” Brooke sniffled and backed her chair up. “I'll be right back.” She said as she began wheeling out of the living-room. Stacey got up to follow her.
“Give her a minute.” Sage said to her cousin. Then she looked to Tracy. “I saw her being all miserable and feeling sorry for herself, so I went to talk to her. For a month straight I'd try to talk to her and she'd insult me. I'd go home and cry to my mom and she'd tell me to follow my heart. She said that if I felt I had to talk to Brooke, if I felt she really needed my friendship, that I would find a way. But every time I got near her, Brooke had started yelling and swearing at me when I approached her and then she started to tell everyone I was a boy in a dress.” Sage began to sniffle and tears formed in her eye.
Rachel handed her a box of Kleenex and looked to Tracy. “I wasn't in their school at the time. I moved near Sage a while later. But I heard her on the phone, or when we'd hang out, talking about Brooke. I told her to just let it drop, that she wasn't worth the trouble.”
“And she didn't.” Tracy answered.
“No, she kept pushing.” Rachel replied.
“About six months or so after her accident, I came up to her again and she started yelling and screaming and insults, so I lost it” More tears raced down her cheek and Sage stood up an walked out of the room, going the opposite way from Brooke.
It was quiet for several minutes, just the sounds of sniffling could be heard from either room, then Tracy looked at each of the doorways that both girls had gone through, then at Rachel. “Should we go talk to them?” She asked.
“Let them be.” Rachel replied. “They get this way when they talk about it. I think the insults hurt Sage more then she wants to admit and Brooke hates who she used to be.”
“That's true. I was pretty stuck up at the time.” Brooke's voice answered from the doorway. “I was a bitch. I took that one big thing about her and used it against her. And I was wrong.” She rolled herself into the doorway and stopped at the card-table. She took a deep breath before she continued the story. “One day in October I was at a mostly empty park. When I saw Sage coming, I started to throw the usual insults towards her and Sage just snapped. She said...what was that.....” Brooke lost in thought for a moment, then Sage's voice cut in.
“You no good little bitch. I may have extra parts, but I can get them removed.” Sage stepped into the room and kept her gaze on the floor. “But at least I'm not a friendless freak in a wheelchair who'll never walk again.” She sniffled again.
“I was there for that one.” Rachel stated. “We had just moved to this house a month earlier and I had just started school with them. Hell I tried with Sage to befriend Brooke, but she attacked my weight as well. I remember watching Sage lose her cool and scream, then she looked at Brooke and said. 'At least I am trying to be a friend. I know how it is when people attack you for no reason at all.'”
Sage nodded and Brooke did too. Rachel continued. “Sage stormed off and I walked over to Brooke. I was ready to pull her from that chair and beat the tar out of her. I remember grabbing her shirt and lifting her forward and screaming in her face. 'Look, you no good jerk, she's just trying to be a friend when you needed one. We've been nothing but nice to you because we want to and you treat us like crap. She's just trying to be a friend you no good, legless freak. Maybe you should just die and make the world a better place.'” As she said it, Rachel dipped her head in shame.
“The two of them were so pissed, but they hit on something that had gone through my mind. When I first got told I'd never walk again, I felt crushed. My mother and grandparents had me in classes for tap and ballet. Preforming was going to be my life.” Brooke's tears returned, but she continued. “I went home and crawled up the stairs to my room and sat at the window thinking how sucky my life was. Then I looked out to see my old friends, playing in the street and laughing. They saw me, but none of them ever talked to me anymore.”
“At school the next week, Sage and I were just sitting outside, having lunch when Brooke rolled up and apologized.” Rachel stated. “We were stunned at first, and she rolled off, but before she could get too far, we stopped her. It took a few months, but we became great friends. That was over three years ago.”
Brooke looked right at Tracy. When she spoke her tone was almost hallow and lifeless. “It's a good thing they caught up to me. I was going to go home and kill myself that day. But they offered to let me hang out with them. So I said yes.”
“No you didn't.” Sage said, hugging Brooke. “You said no and we made you come over.”
“Wow.” Tracy said.
A new video broke the tension in the room and Rachel turned to see the Go-Go's on the screen. “I love this song!”
“I saw this twice when I was in the hospital last week.” Tracy said.
“What did those ass-holes do to you?” Brooke asked her. “I know you got hurt and something about stitches, but what did they do?”
“They....um.” Tracy wasn't sure what they knew, or what she could tell them. “they beat me up.”
“Ah. Must have been bad.” Brooke said.
Tracy thought about her situation for a moment, then looked at her friends. “Sage, can I talk to you and Rachel for a moment.”
“Sure, what's up?” Rachel asked.
“Alone? Please?” Tracy asked as she stood up.”
The other two girls followed her to her chair, then they wheeled her to the hall. “What's up?”
“You really think that they won’t mind about me?” Tracy's voice dropped to a whisper.
“Tracy, they won’t care. You should tell them, just because it'll help you relax.” Sage replied, just as quietly.
“You think so?”
“Yes. And if you want, we'll be right there with you.” Rachel said, smiling at her.
“Okay. Let's do it.” Tracy said, then she let them push her back into the living room.
She noticed that Stacey and Casey were busying signing to each other and Brooke looked at Sage and smiled. “She's catching her sister up on what we talked about.”
“Cool.” Sage replied, then squeezed Tracy's shoulders, bent down and whispered. “Go for it, we're right here with you.”
Tracy's stomach began to fill with butterflies and the feeling that she was going to puke came on strong. Brooke noticed and leaned over. “Hey. You okay?”
Tracy didn't answer, but Rachel leaned down and whispered. “You want us to tell them?”
“Please.” She whispered back. They needed to know, at least she thought they did, but she didn't have it in her to tell them.
“Hey, Tracy has something she wants to share with you guys, but she's scared.” Rachel stated, catching Stacey's attention. Sage began to translate for her cousin.
“What is it?” Brooke asked. “We're all friends here, right?”
Rachel looked to Tracy and put a hand on her shoulder. “You sure?” She didn't verbally reply, but she gave a slight nod. Her gaze fell to her lap. “Can I tell them everything? Including the attack?” Tracy nodded again, and tears fell into her lap
Before she continued, Rachel bent down and kissed Tracy's cheek. As she stood up, she noticed all eyes were on her. “Tracy isn't what she seems. I've known her since she was about six. But I didn't know her as Tracy. Back then she was Troy. She was born male.” Tracy didn't look up, but the room had gone quiet. Rachel continued. “She felt you needed to know, because you're spending the night with her.”
“So she's like Sage?” Brooke asked."I would have never guessed."
“No. She's different.” Rachel replied. “Sage has both sets of parts. Tracy has a boy's body, but the mind of a girl. You've all seen her so far tonight, she's not a boy in a skirt. She's a girl, her body just isn't right. And that's why she's afraid.”
Brooke rolled closer and put a hand on Tracy's knee. “Hey. I'm cool with Sage, so don't worry about me making fun of you. You say you’re a girl, that's all I need.”
Stacey got up and moved to the front of the wheelchair and dropped to her knees. “We're okay with Sage, we'll be just fine with you.”
Casey got up and was still signing with Sage. She stopped by the wheelchair and smiled at Tracy, before putting a hand on her good hand. Sage tapped Tracy's shoulder. “Casey said that she doesn't care. If I trust you, that's all she needs.”
“There is more.” Rachel said. This caused all the girls but Casey to look up. Sage got her attention and began translating as Rachel spoke.
“She came here after Thanksgiving. She got suspended from school for fighting. It wasn't a fight, but you know school rules. She found a kid stealing in a class and him and a friend tried to beat her up on school grounds. I had heard about Tracy though my Aunt and knew that she finally made a choice. See I had talked to her years ago when she said she was a girl and I messed it up there. After hanging out with us, she went home. I sent a lot of my older clothes with her. One day she was walking around in a skirt that I had sent down, on her parent's property and she was found by the kid that she caught stealing. From what I've heard, he was going to beat her up for telling on him. But when he saw the skirt, he tried something different.” She looked at each girl for a moment. “He tried to rape her.” There was a gasp from Stacey and Brooke.
Tracy began to cry as she recalled that day. Rachel put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “She managed to get loose, but they chased her and attacked her. They destroyed her...her testicle” Rachel's cheeks turned a bright red, but she continued. “broke a couple of ribs and sprained her wrist. The doctors had to remove the damaged...um...boy part. Last week, some asshole tripped her and she tore the stitches out.”
Tracy had begun to sob and Sage stopped her translation and pulled Tracy out of the room, leaving Stacey to continue translating the story. Sage stopped at a bathroom and she had Tracy get out of her chair. “Come on, let's clean you up.”
December 18th 1982
It was just around three AM when the scream shattered the peaceful slumber party. Tracy woke up, thrashing about in her sleeping bag. Sage and Rachel had started the evening near her, just in case this had happened. Rachel, being the bigger of the two, lay over her legs, to keep her from pulling out more stitches, then Sage lay against her and began talking to her. “Wake up, Tracy.”
When she noticed that Tracy had awakened, she opened the side of the sleeping bag slightly and slid in, wrapping her arms around her friend. Rachel slowly got up as Stacey and Brooke began looking at them. There was running down the hall and a hand slapped the light, temporally blinding all six girls. Rachel put a hand over her eyes and waited for them to get used to the light. She saw her Dad standing over them, concern on his face. “What happened?”
“She had her nightmare.” Rachel replied. Maggie had taken the time to explain to all the parents about her nightmares, so he nodded and went over to the girl.
“You okay, little lady?” He asked.
Tracy kept her back to Sage and just nodded. “Yeah. Sorry I woke you.”
“Don't be sorry, sweetheart.” He stood up and Brooke tugged at his ankle.
“Hey, while you’re here, could I get a lift to the bathroom?”
“Sure thing.” He smiled and lifted her up and into his arms.
As they left, Stacey moved over to them. “What's her nightmare about?”
Rachel didn't speak aloud, she just mouthed the words, “Bruce. Rape.”
Stacey nodded and sat down Indian style. “Anything we can do?”
“I'm doing it.” Sage replied. “Holding her till she feels better and falls asleep.” Inside the sleeping bag, Tracy had buried her head and was weeping.
“I got an idea.” Rachel said and she began to open up the sleeping bag all the way. She uncovered Sage and Tracy, then she moved to Sage's sleeping bag and opened that up and placed it over both girls.
Stacey watched Rachel work and let out a shriek when a hand touched her shoulder. She turned to see her sister looking at her, then she pointed to the other girls and began signing. Stacey moved to where she could reply to her sister.
“Tracy?” Stacey put a hand on her shoulder. “Casey says she’s sorry you have bad dreams.”
Between the tears, Tracy whispered out. “Thank you.”
Rachel held up one corner of the sleeping bag on Tracy's other side. “Space for one more.” She said gesturing to the open space. The two sisters looked at each other, Stacey quickly signing to her sister. Then Casey went over and slid under the covers. Sage moved Tracy over to get her backside under the sleeping bag.
“Come on, Tracy. You're with friends now. Nothing will hurt you tonight.” Sage said softly to her friend as she brushed some of the hair back from her eyes. “No one is going to get you here.”
The morning came and Tracy found herself still being held on both sides. She opened her eyes to see the white stripe in Casey's hair. She turned her head just enough to see Stacey behind her now.
Casey gave a groan and her eyes opened. She smiled at Tracy, then sat up and slid out from under the sleeping bag. Tracy rolled over and seen that Stacey was looking at her.
“Hey, you feeling better?” Stacey asked.
“A little.” Tracy replied.
“Good. Rachel's mom is making breakfast. Brooke and Rachel got up with Sage a little bit ago.” Stacey said as she slid out from under the covers. “Come on, I think the downstairs bathroom is open if you need it.” She offered a hand to Tracy.
As Tracy stood up, she looked to her wheelchair, then decided to just walk to the bathroom. She was halfway out of the living room when she heard Sage's voice call out to her. “This better count as one of your walks for the day.”
“Yes, mother.” Tracy grumbled.
Sage walked out of the kitchen and went over to her. “Tracy, I am not your mother, but I don't want to see you in the hospital. We have you for a week and I promised that we'd watch you, or we don't get to see you at all during the summer.”
“Who...who made you promise that?”
“Your mother and father.” Sage replied.
“Oh.” Tracy answered. Her parents had used that argument already, so she decided to be a good little girl at that point. They would have two months of fun if they could plan it right.
“We've been thinking of some plans that include you for the summer. Hell, we're thinking of stuff for Easter vacation, too. Don't make us lose you for that.” Sage replied, sadness in her eyes.
Tracy didn't know about the plans, not yet at least. But she did know that she wanted in on them. “Okay, I'll be good.”
“Go on. Breakfast will be ready soon, then you can hit the showers.” Sage said as she went back to the kitchen.
An hour later, Tracy found herself at the kitchen table with Sage, Rachel, Brooke and Stacey. Casey was in the shower. Tracy sat back in her seat, glad it wasn't the wheelchair. “So, what are we doing today?”
“Well tonight you're at my place.” Sage replied. “Everyone has something going on either tomorrow or tonight.”
“I've got church tomorrow and we're seeing my Dad's grandparent's tonight. But you get me Sunday night.” Rachel said.
“Casey and I are going to my Dad's family's house. But we'll see you tomorrow night too.” Stacey stated before taking a drink of orange juice.
“I've got a game tonight.” Brooke replied.
“A game? What do you play?” Tracy asked. She hadn't figured that Brooke didn't do much more then sit in the chair and hang with friends.
“Basketball.”
“You can....” Tracy blinked a couple of times. “You can play basketball? I thought you couldn't walk?”
“I can't, but there is a youth wheelchair basketball league. I'm a part of that.” Brooke smiled. “I also fence and I'm a good shot with a rifle. I want to get into archery too.”
“You can do all that?” Tracy was stunned.
Brooke nodded. “Remember what I said on the phone the first time we talked? Don't make the wheelchair your identity?” Tracy thought about it and nodded. “Well, when I couldn't walk I thought that all I'd be was this pitiful girl in the chair, then someone took me to a wheelchair basketball game.”
“Your mother?” Tracy guessed.
“Nope, Sage.” Brooke replied and Sage smiled. “She found a lot of sports that people in wheelchairs could do. I can't dance anymore, but I have other skills. I'm pretty wicked at fencing and I'm center for my basketball team.”
“Cool.” Tracy said.
Casey walked into the kitchen, her hair wrapped into a towel. She pointed to Sage, then pointed up. Sage got up and went to the living room and grabbed a bag. Stacey looked to Tracy shrugged. “Trust me, I'd love for you to hang out with us tonight, but the parents said no.”
“What do you do?” Stacey asked Tracy.
“I like to cook. I also do Tai Chi. I want to learn Wing Chun too. Other than that I read.” Tracy said with a shrug. “I'm not a big athlete.”
“That's a lie.” Brooke replied. “Kung Fu is like a sport, too. Don't think you're not an athlete.”
“But I'm nothing like you.” Tracy stated.
“True, but if we were all alike, this could be a boring friendship.” Brooke smiled at her.
A moment later there was the sound of the shower from upstairs. Rachel leaned across the table an dropped her voice. “Okay, I know they know, but Monday, we're planning a birthday party for Sage. Just thought you'd want to know. Her real birthday is
Tuesday, but she's going to be with family. I have something going on, so you'll be with Brooke on Tuesday.”
“Oh. Cool.” Tracy replied, and she looked to the table and began thinking.
“What's wrong?” Rachel asked.
“I didn't know. I didn't get her anything.” Tracy stated.
“Oh. Well, we're hitting the mall on Sunday. We can get something then.” Rachel sat back in her seat.
“Good.” Tracy replied. She didn't have a lot of money, but Sage had been there for her so far. “I may need help in picking something out.”
“We can do that.” Rachel said with a nod. From upstairs they heard the shower stop. “But don't say a word to her. We want to make her think we forgot.”
“I'll try.” Tracy replied.
That afternoon Sage pushed Tracy down the sidewalk to her house. The rest of the girls had taken off with their families. “Well, what do you think of them?”
“They're all cool.” Tracy replied.
“I thought you'd think so.” Sage was quiet for a moment as she headed into the trailer park she lived in. It was a cooler day and both girls had on windbreakers as they made their way to Sage's house. They reached the house and Tracy got out of the chair and made her way up the steps. “Go ahead and go in.”
Tracy stepped in and watched as Sage folded up the wheelchair and pulled it up the steps. She went in and was greeted by Persephone. “Hello, young lady.”
“Hello.” Tracy smiled at her.
“You feeling better yet?” Persephone led her to the kitchen as Sage came into the house.
“A little. I'm still a bit sore down there.” Tracy replied.
“Yeah, that's to be expected. Have a seat.” Persephone went to the fridge as Tracy took a seat. “You thirsty? Hungry maybe?”
“Could I have a soda?” Tracy asked.
“Only a clear soda.” Persephone replied. “Your mother already let us know about your diet restrictions.”
“Awwww.” Tracy grumbled. “I just want a grape soda.”
“Next week.” Persephone stated. “Then you can have what you want.”
Sage pushed the wheelchair into the kitchen and opened it up. “Hey Mom.”
“Baby. You got a plan for tonight?” Her mother asked.
“Just hanging out. Maybe a board game? Something that Romy can play with too?” Sage shrugged as she pulled out a chair and sat down.
“That sounds good. Your brother is out of town with your father for the night. So it's just us girls.”
“Groovy.” Sage smiled brightly. “This is gonna be fun.”
It was growing late when Sage carried her younger sister to bed. All three had changed into pajamas early in the evening. Tracy slowly walked behind them. She sat on Sage's bed as her friend tucked the young girl into bed.
Sage placed a stuffed bear into her sisters arms, then went and sat down next to Tracy. “Well, she's out fast.” Tracy said as the little girl began to snore.
“Yeah.” Sage said. “So, you want a sleeping bag? Or you just wanna share my bed?”
Tracy felt a little odd about sharing someone's bed. But the past few times that she had bad dreams, she had felt better when someone held her. So she took a wild leap of faith. She was hoping that having someone hold her would keep the bad dreams away.
“Could I share with you?” She asked, blushing as she said it. “Please?”
Sage pulled her into a hug. “Of course you can.”
“Thank you Sage.” Tracy said as she leaned into the hug.
There's more to come with Tracy's visit to the Bay area, stay turned next time for fun at the mall.
Tracy was silent for a moment, then she sighed. She didn't want to leave it like that. She was almost in the same boat as Sage. Guilt was welling up for the yelling and her actions. “It's okay.” Her voice cracked slightly. “Sage?”
Sage stopped, her hand on the door knob. “Yeah?”
“Sorry I yelled.” Tracy shut off the water and peeled back the curtain just enough to show her face. I...you mean well with it...I just didn't want.....”
Sage shut the door as Tracy let the curtain fall back in place. She could hear her friend start to cry. She walked in and grabbed a towel for her. “You didn't want someone to see you like you are?” She guessed.
“Yeah.” Tracy answered through the tears. “The past few months I've grown to hate that damn thing.”
“I know. That's how I've felt about mine for a while, too.” The crying began to get worse. Sage waited a moment, then she spoke again, her voice soft and full of concern. “Do you trust me? I won't do anything to hurt you.”
Thanks to Djkauf for the editing.
In this episode....Tracy is discovered
December 19th 1982
Livermore CA
Tracy awoke to the feel of Sage in her arms. Her arm lay over Sage's side and her chest was pressed against the redhead's back She let out a deep breath coupled with a yawn. Sage began to shift in the bed and rolled over to face her. She put an arm over Tracy and smiled warmly at her. “Morning. Sleep better?”
Tracy nodded as best as she could. “Yeah. I don't recall any dreams.”
“Good. But we should get up now.” Sage said as she lay there.
“Why?” Tracy asked as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
“'Romy got up an hour ago and she's been in here almost every ten minutes waiting for you to wake up.” Sage stated.
“Why? Why is she waiting for me?” Tracy asked.
“You played a game with her yesterday.” Sage replied as though Tracy should have known the answer all along. “She's hopeful it will happen again. Plus when we take off today, she gets to come with us till we get dropped off at Stacey and Casey's.”
“Oh.” Tracy stated. “What's going on today?”
“We're hitting the mall today. I figured I'd go with you to my cousins place. Hey, you got good mall clothes?” Sage asked.
“I'll just wear a skirt. Pants still hurt to wear. The stupid stitches hurt like hell in pants.” Tracy stated.
“I bet.” Sage replied with a nod.
Tracy tried to keep her eyes on Sage, but her gaze went to the pillow. “Hey, now that we're alone, could I ask some questions? I've wanted to ask them for a while, but I'm always a bit nervous in front of Rachel and you're the only one I know that's like me.”
“Sure. Well it depends on the questions if I'll answer, but ask away.” Sage replied.
Tracy blushed as she thought about the question she had. “How do you wear pants without it showing?”
“It? What showing?” Sage asked, lifting her head as though she'd get to see Tracy's face better. Tracy turned her head so one eye looked at her friend. She glared as best as she could. Her arm moved from between then and she pointed down to her crotch.
“It” Tracy said.
“Oh...OH” Comprehension hit Sage's face. “You haven't learned to tuck yet? I thought you knew that.”
“Tuck?” Tracy asked, as an eyebrow raised up.
“You know....” She raised up on to an elbow and she gave Tracy a look of disbelief. “You take your....your thing and put it between your legs.” Sage's cheeks turned as red as her hair. “There's tricks to keep it there after you put it there too.”
“Really?” Tracy's cheeks began to match Sage's. “Could you show me later?”
Without thinking, the redhead replied. “Yeah. But with your stitches, you may have to wait on tucking. I luck out because it's not that big. Speaking about skirts, have you ever shaved your legs before?” Sage asked.
“Um...yes, once. The day we went home from here after Thanksgiving.” Tracy raised up on an elbow to match her friend. “Why do you ask?”
Sage smiled. “Just making sure of what hasn't been covered. It took mom a while to show me and I didn't know if you were having the same problem with your mother. But then my mom is a hippy.”
“No...” Tracy lay on her back and tried to shrug. “It was weird. That was something that Mom wanted to show me. I think she's really loving this whole daughter thing.”
“I've noticed that moms an dads are like that. They want a child that they can give their secrets to. Dad's want that boy to take fishing and throw the football with. Mom's need that little girl who wants to cook, sew and wear a beautiful wedding dress someday.” Sage lay on her back as well.
“Yeah.” Tracy replied.
The door to the bedroom opened up and Andromeda came in and looked at the two girls on the bed. Once she saw that they were awake, she began climbing onto the bed. As she got closer, her smile brightened and she lay down between Sage and Tracy. “Wet's pway” The little girl called out.
Tracy still hadn't gotten used to the girls mangled form of the English language, but it didn't slow Sage down. “No. First breakfast, then we play, then a shower.”
“I took bath yest'day” The little girl put out her lower lip. “I wanna pway now.”
Sage sat up and tried to look as mean as she could. “Well then, eat first, then shower, then mall. Then....maybe you and I can play a game.”
“But you gotta go with her.” 'Romy pouted, pointing at Tracy.
“Maybe.” Sage replied. “Who knows where we'll go to today.”
“Oh.” The wind seemed to go straight out of Andromeda's sails, for half a second, then she looked at her sister. “But can we pway a game before we go to the maw?”
Tracy was enjoying the hot water of the shower on her back. Two weeks of sponge baths had started to annoy her. She had done her best to stand in the same spot, for fear of falling and pulling out more stitches. She turned to shut off the water. Her elbow hit a bottle of shampoo that sat on a tiny shelf. At first she tried to grab at the bottle, but she stopped herself and lifted her foot out of the way instead.
The plastic bottle hit with a loud crash in the tub. Seconds later the bathroom door was flung open and someone ran in. “Tracy!” Sage called out, then she pulled the curtain back to see her friend still standing. “Oh thank god.” Sage breathed a sigh of relief.
Tracy just stood there, slightly shocked that Sage had showed up so fast. Both girls began to blush as they realized that Tracy was still naked. Tracy shrieked and grabbed at the curtain and flung it back in front of her. She got mad and screamed. “What are you doing!” It wasn't that she was naked that bothered her. But a part of her was ashamed that someone seen her in this body, with that thing between her legs. The more she was Tracy, the more that bugged her.
Persephone appeared in the doorway and looked at the figure behind the curtain and her daughter. “Everything okay in here?”
“Yes.” Tracy's slightly angry voice called out. Inside the shower she stood there, one arm over her chest, one over her crotch, even though she was blocked by the curtain. “I just knocked a bottle of shampoo off the wall.”
“Okay. Just take it easy sweetie. We don't need you falling in there.” Persephone replied.
“I'll be better. Not going to pick the bottle up though.” Tracy stated, but she hid the annoyance she felt by being babied again.
“No, just leave it there.” She looked to her daughter. “Come on Sage, give her some privacy.”
Sage turned as her mother walked out of the bathroom. “Sorry for bursting in.....and the curtain thing. I just thought you had fallen.”
Tracy was silent for a moment, then she sighed. She didn't want to leave it like that. She was almost in the same boat as Sage. Guilt was welling up for the yelling and her actions. “It's okay.” Her voice cracked slightly. “Sage?”
Sage stopped, her hand on the door knob. “Yeah?”
“Sorry I yelled.” Tracy shut off the water and peeled back the curtain just enough to show her face. I...you meant well with it...I just didn't want.....”
Sage shut the door as Tracy let the curtain fall back in place. She could hear her friend start to cry. She walked in and grabbed a towel for her. “You didn't want someone to see you like you are?” She guessed.
“Yeah.” Tracy answered through the tears. “The past few months I've grown to hate that damn thing.”
“I know. That's how I've felt about mine for a while, too.” The crying began to get worse. Sage waited a moment, then she spoke again, her voice soft and full of concern. “Do you trust me? I won't do anything to hurt you.”
Tracy nodded, but her friend couldn't see that. “Yeah.” She finally replied.
Sage slowly opened up the curtain, yet kept her attention towards the nearby wall and then shut her eyes. She took the towel and opened it up and held it out for Tracy. “Come here.”
Tracy stood there for a moment, blocking her body with her arms once again, then she stepped into the towel. Sage took a step back as she stepped out of the tub. Then when she was on the shower mat, Sage fixed the towel around her and turned to look her in the eyes. “It's gonna be okay.” Sage pulled her into a hug, one that Tracy didn't fight.
Tracy put her arms around Sage and rested her head on the redhead's shoulder. “Why was I born this way?”
“I don't know.” Sage replied, hugging her tight. She had asked herself the same question for years and was still waiting on an answer. “I just don't know.”
The girls were all dropped off at the mall by their mothers. Sage had offered the chance to not go, after Tracy's breakdown in the bathroom, but Tracy wanted to hang out with her new friends. She needed to be herself and with her friends. Being Tracy was the highlight of her life and she didn't want to miss it.
Tracy had hitched a ride with Persephone, who was elsewhere, opting to let the girls have some space. Tracy was in her wheelchair with Stacey pushing her. She had been worried about being in the wheelchair out in public, but being around Brooke made her feel better about it. Plus it had been pointed out that in the wheelchair she'd be less likely to be pushed over and hurt.
So the six girls spent the next two hours going from shop to shop. Much of their time was spend in the music store and any good clothing store. After the shopping and with purchases in hand, they headed for the food court, unaware that they had been watched for most of the time that they were in the mall. Stacey and Sage moved two tables together so all six of them could sit together. They pushed two of the chairs out of the way and let Brooke and Tracy roll up, one on each end of the sets of tables. Rachel, Sage and Stacey went for the food while Brooke took over the signing with Casey. “So what do you think of this?” Brooke asked.
“This...food court?” Tracy looked around the room. “Pretty cool. Our closest mall doesn't have one yet.”
“I like it, 'cause that means I don't have to wheel all over the parking lot for a place to eat.” Brooke replied.
Rachel Sage and Stacey came back with three trays of food and put them on the tables. The six girls tore into the food, while the sounds of Christmas music played about them. They began to watch the crowds go past. After twenty minutes of just eating and watching Tracy looked to a large clock on a nearby wall. “Hey, it's almost three.”
“That's cool. We should be meeting with our mothers soon.” Rachel said. The girls all stood up and Stacey took care of the trash as Sage began pushing Tracy towards the exit.
“Maybe we should just call this a sleepover night? I mean none of us have anything going on tonight.” Stacey suggested as she caught up with the group.
“Yeah, I'm all for it.” Brooke replied.
“I don't have anything planned.” Rachel replied.
“I think all of our parents were expecting this anyway.” Sage stated. “Let's go call them.”
“Good idea.” Rachel turned around and led the way to the pay phones. Tracy sat to the side with Casey while Sage, Stacey, Rachel and Brooke made their calls. When they were done, they headed for the main door of the mall again.
“Hey, how did your game go last night?” Tracy asked.
Brooke chuckled. “We lost by two points, but it was a great game. Got one hell of a workout.”
“Awesome.” Tracy smiled at her as reached the door and stepped outside to wait for their ride. The six girls sat there, waiting for Sage's mother to show up. They began discussing recent music videos and lost track of the time till a voice called out to them.
“Hey!” Two girls walked over and Sage and Rachel's jaws dropped. Tracy turned in her chair and her heart tried to stop.
Rachel looked at the two girls as they got closer. She didn't know how they got there, but it could only go bad for her friend. “Mary Beth, right? And Emily May?”
“That's us.” Mary Beth said as they stopped just in front of the group. “I was gonna call you and see if you wanted to hang out tomorrow, but I left your number at home.”
“That's okay.” Rachel replied. Her mind was racing, trying to think of a way to get Tracy out of there.
“Hi.” Mary Beth said to Sage. I thought you were going to Vermont?
“That got canceled.” Sage said. “They decided to come out here after Christmas.”
“Oh, cool.” Mary Beth said.
“Not really, I was looking forward to the snow.” Stacey stated.
“You're sisters?” Mary Beth said, looking between Sage and Stacey.
Stacey chuckled. “Nope. She's my cousin. My mom and her mom are sisters, Uncle Joey is their brother.” She pointed to the girl with the white streak in her black hair. “This is my sister, Casey. I'm Stacey.”
“Hi.” Mary Beth's eyes fell on Tracy. She knew his face, mostly because of the bruise that was slowly going away on his right cheek and the wrist in the brace. She thought back to the conversation she had overheard between Peter and Troy and it all fell into place. Her mouth began moving before her brain could filter anything out. “And you're Tracy.” Her lips pulled into a smile, not a mean or feral one, but a warm and friendly grin.
“You...you know?” Tracy stammered. Sage and Rachel only barley held their shock. Her heart began to pound and she knew she was up the creek. Everyone at school was going to know and she'd be dead when school started.
Emily looked to her sister, eyebrow raised. “Who is Tracy?” She asked.
“She is.” Mary Beth replied, gesturing to Tracy.
“So...um, how do you know her?” Emily May asked. She had been wondering why her sister was following the girls all afternoon, and it still made no sense.
“You know her, too.” Mary Beth replied.
“I do?” Emily looked at the girl in the wheelchair and it hit her. “Troy?!?” Tears began to run down Tracy's face and she bent over in her seat.
“Not so loud!” Sage moved around the wheelchair and stood in front of the two sisters. “Are you two that stupid? Do you want her to get hurt?”
“Okay...What's going on?” Brooke asked, deeply confused by the two new girls.
“These two go to school with Troy.” Rachel replied.
“Oh shit.” Brooke answered. “They didn't know?”
“Stacey, can you get Tracy away from here for a moment, I wanna talk to these two.” Sage said, holding in her anger as best as she could as she stood there.
“Sure.” Stacey replied as she grabbed the handles of the wheelchair and pushed Tracy down the sidewalk.
“You can't just go yelling out names like that. Do you want her to be hurt?!?” Sage snapped at the sisters.
“I didn't mean to, I was just shocked.” Emily looked and sounded like a scolded child.
“If the wrong type person heard that, there could be a big problem.” Sage glared at Mary Beth. “How did you find out?!?”
“I heard Peter call him that at school. And I know he was wearing a skirt at the hospital.” Mary Beth began to imitate her sister, both of them seeming to shrink in size next to Sage. “I didn't mean to hurt her feelings or anything. I wanted to ask her about it for a week or so now, but she got hurt at school again and I tried at the hospital, but I had to leave.”
“Ever think that maybe this is something she wanted to keep hidden?!?” Sage half yelled as she stepped forward.
Rachel looked around and saw a few adults looking their way. She put a hand on her friends shoulder and stepped up to her side. “Sage, people are watching.” Sage glared at her and she didn't flinch. “For Tracy's sake. Tone. It. Down.” She spoke each word clearly and just glared at her friend.
Sage took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. Rachel looked to the two sisters. “Why did you come up to us out here? Trying to ruin her day? Make fun of her?”
“Troy seems like..” Mary Beth started, but was cut off by Rachel, Brooke and Sage.
“Tracy.” All three said.
“What?” Mary Beth asked.
“Look down there.” Rachel said. “There is no Troy today, just Tracy. Don't use the words he, him, his or Troy around her, it's rude.”
“Oh.” Mary Beth blinked a couple of times. She waited a moment, till Sage made a rolling hand gesture, telling her to get on with the story. “He...She's always been a nice person, but I was always stuck in my group of friends. The few times we've worked on projects for class together, she's always been helpful. Then after he..she got attacked I felt bad because I had never been nice to him. Plus I was curious about the skirt. I know what I saw at the hospital.”
Mary Beth looked past them to where Stacey was on one knee and hugging Tracy. “I didn't mean to hurt her feelings, It's just that after seeing her hanging out with you, I thought she'd want to hang out with us back home too. I got a lot of girl friends that go to school with us, she could be a part of our group.. She seems like she's really fun to be around.”
“She is, but she's also fragile.” Sage replied.
“So what is she?” Emily asked, not realizing how rude the statement was. Sage, Rachel and Brooke all leveled their gazes onto the older girl. And if looks could have killed, she would have been a greasy smear on the sidewalk.
“She's a girl.” Sage hissed at her.
“But Troy is a boy.” Emily May replied.
“Yes. And Tracy is how she should have been born.” Sage held up a hand to stop other questions. “Look, can we talk about this elsewhere? This isn't something that everyone should hear.”
Emily shrugged. “Sure, I guess.”
“Can...” Mary Beth looked to her feet an sighed. “Could we tell her we're sorry? Please?”
“Let me ask her. Stay here.” Sage didn't wait for a response, she turned and walked to where her cousin was. Her mind was working on a way to calm both Tracy down and figure out what to do with those girls.
Stacey was on one knee, holding Tracy's shoulder when Sage walked up. She started to drop to her knees and Stacey moved out of the way. “Tracy?” Sage spoke quietly, in a very comforting tone.
“What?” She asked before she sniffled.
“You okay?” Sage asked.
“My life is ruined.” Tracy began to cry again. Sage leaned forward and Tracy wrapped her arms around her friend.
“You're life isn't ruined. They want to apologize for what they've done.”
“I-it d-doesn't m-ma-matter.” Tracy sobbed out. “T-the sch-school...they'll te-tell everyone.”
“Let it out.” Sage patted her back as an idea popped into her mind. “But I think we can show them how that would be a mistake.”
“H-how.” Tracy sobbed out.
Sage moved Tracy's head so she could see in her eyes. “You'll have to trust me.” She said. “But we'll tell them everything. Including Bruce.”
“Why?” Tracy wiped at her eyes with her good hand.
“To show them what will happen when someone finds out.” Sage replied. But telling the story was only a part of her plan.
“O-okay.” Tracy sniffled. “She k-keeps as-asking 'bout it.”
“So we tell them.” Sage wiped a tear off her cheek. “But they want to talk to you. Can they?” Tracy nodded and Sage looked over to Rachel and gestured for them to come over. “Be strong. Rachel and I won't let them hurt you.”
“Okay.” She replied as Mary Beth and her sister slowly walked over with Rachel, Brooke and Casey.
Sage got up as Stacey turned her wheelchair around. Both Mary Beth and her sister couldn't look Tracy in the face. Tracy sat there while her classmate slowly made circles on the pavement with her shoe. “Um...Tracy? I'm sorry for embarrassing you out here. It was stupid to follow you out here, I just wanted to...I thought that maybe you'd want to hang out, I didn't mean to upset you.”
“Yeah...” Emily May managed to look up for a moment, then she looked back to the ground again. “Sorry for calling you the wrong name.”
“You didn't know.” Tracy replied. “It's okay.” She wiped at her eyes once more.
The sounds of Persephone's VW bus pulled Sage's attention from the girls for a moment. She pulled her cousin aside and began whispering.
As the bus pulled in a handicapped parking spot, Sage looked back to the two girls. “Who are you staying with?” Sage asked.
“Our Aunt.” Mary Beth replied.
“She live in Livermore?” All eight of the girls began going over to the parked van. Half a second later a blue ford pulled up and parked near the Van.
“No, Dublin.” Emily answered, “Why?”
“Even better. I was wondering if she'd let you come over to my Cousin's place for a sleepover.” Lilian got out of the car and went to the bus and slid the door open as Brooke and Casey got near. “Aunt Lillian! Mom! I gotta talk to you!” Sage called out an went over to her. From inside the bus, they could see 'Romy waving at all of them.
While Sage was talking to her mother and Aunt, Mary Beth tried to smile at Tracy. “I am sorry for being mean. But you are really pretty like that.”
“Thank you.” Tracy replied.
A horn sounded and Emily May looked to the lot, then tapped her sister on the shoulder. “Hey, we should get going, our Aunt is here.”
Sage ran back over. “Hold on a minute. Can we see if you can come over?”
“Sure I guess.” Mary Beth shrugged.
“You'd want to spend time with us? After how we treated Tracy?” Emily May asked.
“Yes. You need to meet the real Tracy. And a sleepover is just the thing.” Sage said and that caused Rachel to look at her. “Mom, could you lend me a hand?”
Persephone nodded. Sage pushed the wheelchair over to a black station wagon, with Stacey, Casey and Rachel in tow. Mary Beth smiled and waved at the lady who had just parked when they got close. “Hi, Aunt Jill.”
“Hello young lady. Who are your friends?” The woman stayed in her car, but blinked in surprise at Sage. “Sage....Sage Miller”
Sage's smile brightened. “Mrs. Conley!!”
“How are you doing young...” Jill did a quick scan of what Sage was wearing, then she looked at the girl. “lady?”
“Great. Just great.” At this point the other girls were all confused.
“Um, Sage, who is this?” Rachel asked.
“Yeah, how do you know our Aunt.” Mary Beth looked between the girl and her aunt.
Sage smiled. “She's the receptionists at my therapist.”
“Wow.” Emily May said.
“It sure is a small world.” Jill said as she got out of her car and gave Sage a hug. “So how did you meet my nieces?”
“Actually, they go to school with my friend, Tracy.” Sage put a hand on Tracy's shoulder.
“Oh.” Jill looked at Tracy and nodded. “It is a small world then.”
“We were wondering if we could invite them over to our place for a sleepover....Well my cousin's place, but I think you've met my Aunt Lilian before.”
At this point the two women had come over to see what was going on. “Ah, yes, I remember. Hello Lilian, hello Persephone. I take it you're aware what she's asking?”
“To have the girls spend the night with them?” Lilian asked.
“And you're okay with it?” Jill asked.
“I think so. I mean Tracy has had a bad couple of weeks, so the more friends the better, right?” Lillian replied. Persephone leaned in and whispered into Sage's ear, who just nodded.
“There is something else.” Sage said. “But can I talk to you alone about it? Well, you and Tracy? It does concern her.”
“Come on girls, let's give them some space.” Persephone led Rachel, Casey and Stacey away from the others. Sage began to push Tracy away from the car, with the older lady following. When they got halfway down the lot, she stopped and looked to Jill.
“Ma'am, Tracy is almost like me. She was born into a boy's body.” Sage started off.
“I see. But you can't really tell that.” Jill replied after looking at Tracy very closely.
“At the start of the month she was attacked, badly. Your nieces found out about her and Tracy is worried that they'll spread the fact she's here in a dress at school.” Sage stated. “We don't really know how they heard, but Mary Beth said she heard it from a friend. We want to make sure they understand the dangers that Tracy faces if they tell their friends what they saw.”
“I could talk to them if you want.” Jill stated.
“True. But if we do that, then they think Tracy is either stuck up or something. They know and that makes them a danger to Tracy. But if we tell them what happened to her and show them something. Then, maybe then they'll see what could happen.”
“Like what?” Jill asked.
Sage looked at Tracy, then she went around the wheelchair and raised up and whispered into the old lady's ear. After a few moments she stopped and Jill just gasped. “Oh, I see.”
“See, this is why we want to talk to them. Plus if they get the chance to hang out with Tracy here, they may not bug her at school and possibly slip around other people.” Sage stated.
“That makes sense.” Jill nodded slowly. “When? Tonight?”
“If it's okay? We're all going to be at my cousin's place tonight.” Sage replied.
“Let me talk to your Aunt and mother and I'll let you know, okay?” Jill said.
“Okay.” Sage pushed Tracy back to her mother and Aunt. “She wants to talk to you. I'll help Tracy get in the bus.”
“Thanks sweetheart.”
“Come on Tracy.” Sage said. “Let's get set to go.”
Tracy was silent till they reached the van. Then as she began to get up, with Rachel's help, she stopped and looked to Sage. “Think this is a good idea?”
“I don't know. They know about you already. But we can talk to them and tell them why it needs to be kept a secret. Plus this way, like I told Mrs. Conley, they may not bug you to hang out when you're at home.”
“God, I hope so. I doubt their Dad will understand.” Tracy replied.
Will it end well? Or is the end nigh?
“Yeah.” Mary Beth smiled. Then she looked to Tracy. “Is h..she okay?” She remembered the lecture about using the right words in time.
All the girls looked to see Tracy shaking in fear. The young girl knew her secret was going to get out. The school would know by time she got back. Sage leaned over and put a hand on Tracy's. “Hey, you okay.”
“No.” She whimpered.
Sage got up and moved to her side. “Tracy, trust me. They won’t harm you here.” She glared over her shoulder to the two girls. “And they won't talk about meeting you at school, will they?”
Both Mary Beth and her sister looked a little worried at the intensity of Sage's glare. “No.” Mary Beth said.
Thanks to Djkauf for the editing.
Please note, but to the almost graphic nature of this post, I upped the rating. I promise the fun stuff shall return someday.
December 19th 1982
Livermore CA
Persephone's bus pulled into a driveway, just behind Lillian’s car and the unloading of six pre-teens, one child and two wheelchairs began. Sage pulled up Tracy's wheelchair and they waited while she slowly got out of the bus, then Sage pushed it away. Behind them Rachel brought up Brooke's chair, leaving it right by the door to the bus and set the brakes. Tracy turned her head enough to see her new friend make own way out of the vehicle and put herself into the chair with no help at all. Brooke smiled at her and undid the brakes, holding one wheel as she did. Then she started after Tracy.
“See, the wheelchair isn't who I am. It's just an accessory.” Brooke said as she passed the two girls and stopped at the porch. “Till I get to a step. Then I'm stuck.”
As Lilian opened the front door, that held a huge wreath, Persephone came over to the two wheelchairs and she first pulled Brooke's chair up into the step, then into the house, then she repeated the process with Tracy.
Tracy looked at her with a part quizzical, part annoyed expression. “I could have gotten out of the chair.”
“Oh...sorry, get so used to Brooke.” Persephone replied. “But more time off your feet won’t kill you.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Tracy didn't argue anymore. She knew if she made too much of a fuss, her parents would hear and she'd get an earful when she got home.
Tracy was wheeled into the living room and then Sage went back to the van to help get the sleeping bags for the night. The house was decorated for the season. A giant Christmas tree loomed in one corner of the living room, near the couch. Strands of lights and tinsel ran across the room. Tracy took a look around the room and found a group of pictures on the wall. She leaned closer and began to get confused. In several of the pictures was a man who had a white streak of hair, like Casey, holding a baby with the same streak of white hair. Other pictures had a different man, one in a police uniform, holding the baby with the white stripe of hair and Lilian holding a second girl.
“Confused?” Brooke said as she wheeled over.
“Yeah....” Tracy kept looking at the pictures. “Is one of them their Dad?”
“They both are.” Brooke pointed to the guy with the white hair. “That's Casey's dad. She's a year and a half older then Stacey, but she don't look it. The other guy is Stacey's dad. He's been raising Casey as his own since he married their mom.”
“What happened to the other guy?” Tracy asked.
“Died. From what I heard, he had some form of cancer that people didn't catch. Died right about six months after Casey was born.” Brooke replied
“That sucks.” Tracy replied.
“Yeah, but Harvey is a great dad. You met him the other day. He's funny, too.. Plus he's a cop.” Brooke started to wheel away when she looked over her shoulder. “Speaking of Casey, we got to teach you sign language.”
“That would be so cool. Then I’ll know what you're all saying.” Tracy replied with a grin.
Stacey came in with Tracy's bag and rested in on one of the handles. “We'll be taking over the living room for the night again.”
“Your parents don't mind?” Tracy asked as she was pushed over to the couch.
“Nah, I think Dad expected me to take over the TV anyway. Rudolph is on tonight.” Stacey smiled at her.
Tracy blushed as she thought about the show. It was embarrassing. Here she was, almost a teen and she still loved all the holiday shows. She would make time to catch all of the good ones and she knew if kids at school heard, she'd be a laughing stock. “You all watch that?” She asked.
“Oh yeah. I love that show. Watch it every year.”
“I thought I was the only one who liked those.” Tracy managed to squeak out.
“You kidding. Wait till it gets started. Sage will sing along with all the songs and Rachel does a great Hermey the elf imitation. We know all the songs to Santa Claus is coming to town, and A year without Santa Claus, too. We're holiday crazy.” Stacey said. “Heck, we still go trick or treating, too.”
“Really?”
“Oh yeah. Went as a Princess this year.” Stacey said with a giggle. “Got a bunch of candy, too.”
“Cool.” Tracy replied with a huge grin.
“Speaking of candy, Mom was gonna make some cookies and stuff for tonight. Can you have cookies and hot chocolate?”
“I...I think so.” Tracy replied.
“Yes, she can.” Persephone said as she walked into the room. “Your mother mis-read the doctor's instructions. She said to say she's sorry about that, but they wanted to be safe. But you can have anything you want, just keep up on the water.”
“Awesome.” Tracy's eyes lit up as she began to plot the annihilation of any cookie that came near her.
The six girls were gathered around the coffee table, a game of monopoly sat on the card table. It was still early, almost dinner time, and the cookies were still in the process of being baked. The piles of paper money were neatly in front of Tracy, yet they were all small piles. Around the table everything seemed to look like her pile, except for Casey. The young girl had managed to roll doubles and buy up property that people just kept landing on.
There was a knock at the door and Lilian called from the kitchen. “Stacey, could you get that? It may be those other girls.”
“Sure, Mom.” Stacey got up and went for the door. A few moments later she returned.
“Hey they made it.” Stacey said as she led Emily May and Mary Beth into the living room. Both girls had a bag hung on their shoulders and a sleeping bag in their hands. Their Aunt Jill came into the living room and Stacey led her to the kitchen
“Girls.” Jill said as she passed through the room.
“So you can stay, I see.” Sage stated as they went back to their game as the two sisters came in a stopped by the card table. Across the table, Tracy was having a hard time controlling her nerves. Her eyes stayed glued to the board.
“Yeah. Aunt Jill just wanted to give your Mom some phone numbers and stuff.” Mary Beth replied.
“Not my Mom.” Sage gestured to her cousin Stacey as she re-entered the room. “Her mother.”
“I wasn't sure.” Mary Beth said.
“Here. Put your things on the other side of the couch. We'll be having dinner soon too.” Sage pointed to the couch. “We'd invite you in to the game, but we're in the middle of one.”
“We could always stop at dinner time and then do two games.” Rachel suggested.
“Would be better then just standing around and watching us have fun.” Brooke replied.
“We could break out a second game, and split into groups.”
“That works.” Sage said. She looked at the two sisters. “You do eat pizza, right?”
“Yeah.” Mary Beth smiled. Then she looked to Tracy. “Is h..she okay?” She remembered the lecture about using the right words in time.
All the girls looked to see Tracy shaking in fear. The young girl knew her secret was going to get out. The school would know by time she got back. Sage leaned over and put a hand on Tracy's. “Hey, you okay.”
“No.” She whimpered.
Sage got up and moved to her side. “Tracy, trust me. They won’t harm you here.” She glared over her shoulder to the two girls. “And they won't talk about meeting you at school, will they?”
Both Mary Beth and her sister looked a little worried at the intensity of Sage's glare. “No.” Mary Beth said. Emily May just shook her head. Then Mary Beth asked. “What if we just tell people we met a new friend, Tracy?”
“And then people may ask who she is.” Sage replied.
“Maybe we should tell them what happened?” Rachel said, looking at Sage and Tracy.
Sage looked to Tracy who shrugged. “Tracy, if they know what happened, it may help them understand why they need to keep quiet.”
“Okay.” Tracy whispered.
Rachel nodded then looked at Tracy. “You want out of here for a few minutes?”
“Please.” Tracy began to get out of her wheelchair. “I'll go to the bathroom or something.”
“Okay.” Sage said as they watched Tracy slowly walk out of the room, Then Rachel got up to follow her.
“I'll keep her away for a few minutes. We'll take her walk of the day or something.” Rachel said.
“Good idea.” Sage nodded. They were unaware that Lilian and Jill were now in the doorway, watching the girls.
Sage sat back in her chair and turned to face the new comers. “First things first. Are there gay kids in your school?”
Mary Beth shrugged, but Emily nodded. “Yeah, there’s one. At least I think he's gay.”
“Why?” Mary Beth asked.
Sage held up a finger to hold off her questions. “Has anyone found out about him?”
Emily nodded. “Yeah. Some of the boys heard about him. He came to school a couple days later with a black eye. He never said how he got it.”
“I see.” Sage leaned back in her seat. “How do your parent's and Grandparents react when they see Gay people in person or on TV.”
“Usually they swear at them. Dad thinks Fags should die, which is kinda stupid from a Church deacon.” Mary Beth replied.
“See, girls.” Jill spoke up from the kitchen, causing all the girls, except Casey to jump. “Not everyone is friendly to those who are different. I know your Grandpa still hates black people. I know he's against gay people. Your father is the same way.” She looked to Mary Beth who was slightly surprised. But when she looked to Emily May, she noticed a worried look on the girls face.
“People tend to attack what they don't know.” Lilian said as she stepped into the room. “My Casey is insulted all the times because she looks different and can't hear.”
“And if people heard about Tracy once being a boy, they'd attack her too.” Sage butted in.
“Is that what happened with Bruce?” Mary Beth asked.
“Kinda.” Sage replied. “Bruce was headed to her house just to beat up Troy for telling the Principal that he stole stuff.”
“So he did steal from that class?” Emily May asked and Sage nodded. “Damn. I knew he was a jerk, but man, that's low.” Emily May stated. “So what happened?”
“He got mean once he found Tracy in stead of Troy and he hurt him for being gay too, at least he thought he was gay.” Sage said.
Jill moved into the room and sat on a couch. “Girls, this is why no one can know what you know.” She was aware that Sage had left out a major part of the story, but she wasn't sure how much she was allowed to say. “First was this Bruce kid. Anyone else finds out and it could be bad, or worse.”
“I...I think it is.” Mary Beth replied.
“How so?” Jill asked.
Mary Beth had a worried look on her face. “Bruce told his brother, Clark. He was going around the school telling everyone that Troy was in a dress. He even tried to start something at lunch the day Troy...Tracy got hurt again. I saw what he had on, it wasn't a dress, it was a skirt. I saw him at the hospital.”
“And have you told anyone?” Jill asked.
“No. When Clark started the rumor, I told everyone he had on a pair of bloody shorts.” Mary Beth answered.
“Good. But now you see why no one can find out about it, right?” Jill asked. “You said Clark confronted her too?”
“Yeah. He would have beat him up, but Tro...Tracy's friend was there and he almost took on all three guys. They even did a good job of telling people that Clark was a moron.” Mary Beth stated with a small smile. “Then he got tripped and was hurt again.”
“Yeah.” Sage leaned forward. “That trip pulled out all her stitches.”
“So what happened to her? Where was she hurt?” Emily May asked.
“I don't know if that's for us to tell.” Stacey said, looking to her cousin
“Tracy gave me the okay for it.” Sage replied. She shut her eyes for a moment and pushed aside the anger, that came with the story about the attack on her friend. When she opened her eyes, she focused on Mary Beth. “They found Tracy on the property by a barn, she managed to get away and made it to her Grandmothers back yard and did a hell of a job defending herself at first, but it was three to one. In the end they sprained her wrist, which got hurt again when she was tripped. Two ribs were broken and there's very little they can do to fix that. They were also hurt when she was tripped too” Sage said. She turned her gaze from the other girl and her voice got a slight edge to it. “They also kicked her so hard and enough times that her testicles were destroyed. That's why she moves so slow. The day she was tripped? That asshole tore out the stitches.”
Lilian looked at her niece and pointed a finger. “Language, young lady. I'll let it pass this time, but next time I tell your mother.”
“Sorry, Aunt Lilian.” Sage said with a blush.
“Does it hurt her?” Mary Beth asked.
“Yeah. Each step she takes is full of pain. When she sits, stands, walks, sleeps? Everything causes pain.” Sage wasn't sure how much of it was true, but she was going for total effect in scaring them silent.
“So he beat her up for wearing a dress?” Emily asked, still looking a bit nervous.
“No. He beat her up because she fought back and because she tattled on him. The fact she was in the skirt only made him meaner.” Sage replied.
“Now you see why you can't say anything?” Jill asked. “Her life could be in danger in that town you live in.” Sage just looked at the two girls and nodded.
“Can we hang out with her when we're home?” Mary Beth asked.
Jill thought about it for a moment, then asked. “Can I ask why you'd want to hang out with her?”
“Well Troy always seemed like a nice guy.” This time she didn't alter the words. “But he was always so quiet. So reserved. When I was paired with him for assignments, he was so smart.” Mary Beth replied. “From what I saw at the mall, Tracy seems like she's a fun person and I thought she'd want some friends.”
“That sounds good.” Jill replied. “You'll give her the same respect that you want to be given?”
“Yeah.” Mary Beth and Emily both nodded as they spoke.
“Good. She's a human, no matter what she looks like. She's not a toy. She has feelings, just like you do.”
“What do you mean?”
Jill took a deep breath as she tired to figure out what to say and how. “There's unspoken rules for dealing with people. First of all, use your head. If she's dressed as her boy persona, use his names and male pronouns. If she's dressed as a girl, then treat her like one. And respect. Always respect.”
“She's just like you, but she was born a little different.” Sage added.
“That's another thing.” Jill drummed her finger on her knee. “Don't ask to see her naked. You wouldn't want people to just ask and see you like that, don't think she just wants to show you because you ask.” She waited while Mary Beth and Emily May nodded. “Plus, don't ask her about her private parts either. You already know more about her then she knows about you. Also, just because you know, don't keep asking her about it. Okay?”
“Yes Aunt Jill.” Mary Beth replied.
“Yeah.” Emily nodded.
“Good. Now I'll be by the phone. You bug her too much tonight and I'll get you. Or if she gets too upset with you around, I'll come get you. She's in a delicate mood, so please, be gentle with her. Be patient and understanding.”
“Yes Aunt Jill.” Both sisters replied.
Jill look to Lilian and smiled. “Thank you for letting them come over. I don't have children and they were getting bored with nothing to do while I work.”
“It's no problem.” Lilian stated. “Glad to have them over, if it helps out Tracy in the end.”
Tracy and Rachel made their way to the end of the block, moving at the slow pace that Tracy could manage. Once they reached the stop sign, Tracy put a hand out and leaned against it. “Do you think it's a good idea?” She asked.
“Having those two girls here?” Rachel watched as Tracy nodded. “I don't know, but Sage thinks so.”
“I'm...” Tracy shook her head and sighed. “I'm just afraid that they'll say something at school.”
“Well they could have if we didn't invite them. But I think Sage is right. This may be the chance we need to show them why they shouldn't talk.” Rachel replied. “I just hope she's right.”
“Me too. I'm just glad they don't know about Sage, too.”
Rachel nodded. “Yeah, that's not something she broadcasts. So we're all keeping it that way.”
Tracy looked over her shoulder and stood up straight. “Let's go back. I think I've had enough of a walk today, plus the pizza should be here soon.”
“I like how you think.” Rachel said with a smile.
The eight girls all sat around the TV as the famous holiday cartoon was finishing. True to what Stacey had said, Sage had begun to sing along with the movie as they all watched it. The pizza was a distant memory, but now each of them had a cup of hot chocolate and a few cookies each. Tracy had taken the chance to sit on the couch, instead of her wheelchair.
Sage had taken a spot next to her, with Rachel on the other side. Casey was the only one not watching, instead she was busy drawing in a sketch pad she held on her lap. Mary Beth and her sister sat on the floor in front of the couch. As the show hit the End, Sage got up and headed for the hall. “Leave it on. Frosty is next.” She called as she went for the bathroom.
Mary Beth took the time to turn around and smile at Tracy. “Thank you for letting us stay.”
“It's not a problem.” Tracy replied.
“I really am sorry for surprising you at the mall. Aunt Jill explained some things, so did Sage, you know, how things could have happened.” Mary Beth stated.
“I'm not mad, but you had me scared there at first.” Tracy said.
“What about now?” Mary Beth turned fully around to face her. “Are you okay with us now?”
Tracy thought about it for a moment. They had taken to her as Tracy quite well. Neither of them had slipped with the pronouns while they ate, or while they played the board games. In fact they had been quite polite. No questions about anything. But she was still unsure. “A little better. It just worries me that more people know. If people hear, I could be in deep shit.”
“Yeah. It was pretty stupid to come up to you like that. But at least you know and I haven't told anyone. Heck, Emily didn't even know till we saw you in the parking lot.” Mary Beth said.
“Really?” Tracy asked.
“Really.” Emily May said as Mary Beth stood up.
“Be right back.” Mary Beth said and she left the room.
Emily May turned to face Tracy better. “I kinda understand having a secret that you don't want people to know.”
“Really?” Tracy was slightly skeptical.
Emily May went over to where Tracy sat on the couch and leaned in to whisper in her ear. “You can't tell anyone....But I like girls. I'm just scared to say it at home.”
Tracy's eyes went wide as she let the information sink in. “Really?” She said back.
Emily nodded as she stood there. “Really.”
“Wow.” Tracy blinked a couple of times. It wasn't the same as her situation, but at least she had someone who was kind of like her at home.
Emily leaned in once more. “I know why you're scared, but you won't have to worry about me.”
“Thank you.” Tracy whispered back. “And thank you for the trust.”
“You're welcome, Tracy.” Emily May said. “You're more then welcome.”
“Do you think she'll say anything?” Tracy asked.
“I don't know, but I so hope not.” Emily May answered, but the look she gave didn't inspire confidence.
Something was wrong. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something was wrong. Tracy got off the bus, aware that everyone seemed to be whispering behind her back. She wasn't sure why, but more people were staring at her as she walked into the school. More people began to point and whisper, then she noticed a few angry faces.
She was halfway through the halls, still trying to figure out what was happening. Peter was nowhere to be seen and that worried her. She came around the corner where her class was and she stopped when she saw the crowd. At the front of the crowd was Mary Beth. At the distance she was, Tracy couldn't hear what she was saying, but it was clear she was either agitated or ecstatic.
She saw someone tap Mary Beth on the shoulder and the girl turned around and gave her a sinister grin. “See, I told you. HE wears dresses!”
“Mary Beth?!?” Tracy was confused. “What the hell are you talking about. I'm not wearing a dre....” Her train of though trailed off as she looked down to see a very bright pink sundress on. She looked at a nearby window and saw that her hair wasn't long anymore, it was the style her father always made Troy have. A military style cut.
“Boys can't be girls.” Mary Beth said as she walked closer. “Maybe I should let my friends teach you a lesson like we taught your friends?”
“What? What are you talking about?”Tracy took a step back. “What friend?”
As if on cue, the crowd parted on one side and Peter was thrown to the ground. His body was bloody and bruised.
“Peter?” she whispered.
“Not just him.” A voice from behind her spoke up. This sent a shiver down her spine. She turned around to see Bruce walking towards her. Kenny, Frankie to one side of the brothers and their cousins to the other side. One of the cousins gripped Emily May's hair in his hand. Her face had been struck several times. They shoved her forward and she took a couple of stumbling steps, then hit the ground.
“Mary Beth?” Emily's voice was cracked and shaking. “Why?”
“Sorry, sis. You're not like us, you're against us.” Mary Beth's voice had an edge to it. She stalked forward and stopped next to Tracy and put a hand on her shoulder. “Show her the other one.” As Tracy gave her a quick glance, Mary Beth's skin seemed to ripple, then her features changed. As they stood there, she slowly became Clark Millet.
Frankie reached behind him and he pulled back with a handful of red hair. He dragged a severely beaten Sage and shoved her to the ground Her clothes were torn, with her shirt cut open just like hers had been, just her underwear was left on below her waist. Sage lay on the ground, sobbing. Bruce stared at Tracy and he stepped over to the fallen redhead. “Little boys shouldn't try to be little girls.”
“Sage?" She called out. "What....what did you do to her?” Tracy tried to run, but her feet were glued to the spot. It was at this moment that she noticed the students had gathered into a circle around her and Bruce.
“Nothing yet. But she'll get the same thing we're gonna do to you.” Bruce took a step forward, so did his brother and their stooges. “You two want to be girls? We'll teach you what little girls should do.”
Tracy felt several of the students behind her grab at her arms and legs. She tried to struggle, she tried to scream, but it was hopeless. She was shoved to the ground as Bruce walked over. He dropped to one knee and sneered at her as he put a hand on her chest. “You're gonna love this.” He said as he torn the cloth over her chest open. Other hands began to shred the cloth from her body and she found her voice, screaming out as loud as she could.
As with the first night, Rachel and Sage were on her as the screaming and thrashing began. “Damn it girl, wake up!” Sage commanded. She held Tracy's head as best as she could. As Tracy noticed where she was, the screaming changed to sobbing.
All the girls, except Casey were wide awake and now staring at Tracy, Sage and Rachel. From the back of the house, they could hear running towards the living room. Harvey stepped into the living room, gun in one hand and a flashlight held alongside the pistol with the other hand. His daughter got up and stopped him. “It's okay Dad.” She said as she walked over. “Just a nightmare.”
“You sure?” He asked, flipping hte safety on his weapon watching as Rachel moved so Sage could slip next to her friend.
“Yeah. Ask Mom, she can fill you in.”
“Okay.” He stood there for a moment, then he slowly left the room.
“What happened?” Mary Beth asked as her and her sister just watched helpless from their own sleeping bags.
“Nightmares. She's had them since the attack.” Rachel replied.
Sage opened up her sleeping bag, then opened up Tracy's. She uncovered her friend, then brought hers over both of their bodies.
“It was different, wasn't it?” Sage asked Tracy. She just nodded. “I heard you call my name and Mary Beth's. Want to talk about it?”
“No” Tracy said between sobs.
Sage bit her lip, but still held her friend tightly. She was really curious now, after she had heard her named mentioned. “It's okay.” She whispered. “Just let it all out.”
“Will she be okay?” Mary Beth asked. “What are the dreams about?”
“Maybe.” Rachel answered. She sighed and then looked at the two sisters. “There's something else about the attack we didn't tell you.”
“Really? What was that?” Mary Beth asked.
“First of all, this doesn't leave this house. Got it. Second you don't say a word to Tracy....or Troy at school.” Rachel stated.
“Okay.” Mary Beth nodded.
“Yeah. I won't talk.” Emily May said.
“Good. Follow me.” Rachel got up and led them out of the living room so Tracy wouldn't hear the story and have another dream. She stopped at the den and took a second to compose herself, then she began to explain the whole attack to the two girls, giving them all the information she had about it. When she had finished both girls had stunned looks on their faces.
“He really tired to rape her?” Emily May asked.
“Yeah. It's been tearing her up, too.” Rachel replied.
“That's....but she's still a boy, right?” Mary Beth shook her head, trying to figure out how it was possible.
“Mary Beth, Just because she's a boy don't mean Bruce couldn't rape her.” Emily told her sister.
“Where....but how.....?” Mary Beth kept trying to work it out in her mind, then she froze. “You mean....in her?” She leaned over to her sister and whispered the rest of the statement to her sister. Emily nodded.
“I think so at least. But remember, no talking about this in front of her.” Emily May stated.
Mary Beth nodded. “Yeah, I won’t say a word.” She looked at the now double sleeping bag.
“Good.” Rachel replied. “Hopefully she can get back to sleep this time.”
Meanwhile in the living room, she was holding Sage with a death grip, not letting her move at all. Stacey had joined her cousin in holding her. Both girls were trying to get the sobbing to slow down. Emily May and Mary Beth were shocked to see the other two girls under the covers with her.
“Tracy?” Sage spoke quietly. “I wanna know what happened. I was in your dream, wasn't I?”
“Yeah.” Tracy managed to say as the sobbing stopped.
“Was I attacked?” Sage asked. Tracy nodded. “Was Mary Beth attacked?” This time Tracy shook her head. “But she was in the dream, right?”
Tracy nodded. “Yeah.” Her voice was almost a whisper.
“Tracy. Was Bruce in it again?” Sage asked. This spurred a new round of sobbing.
Sage wanted to ask more questions, but she didn't want to push it too far. So instead she rubbed her hand over Tracy's back in a comforting way. “Come on Tracy, let it out. You didn't do anything wrong that day. Just let it all out. Let the shame fall with your tears.” She whispered. “Just let it all out.”
I promise that I'll try to stay away from another dream episode for a while. She'll have them, but I am not writing it. Next time the week in Livermore CA continues.
“Really? What are they?” Tracy asked as she got to the steps. She paused for a moment, trying to summon the want to go up the stairs for a shower.
Mary Beth came out of the bathroom and went over to Tracy. “Hey, you sleep better?” She asked, her smile was huge and her eyes danced with joy.
“Well enough, I guess.” Tracy replied. She wasn't sure why, but the dream was bugging her. There was that part of her that was waiting for Mary Beth to attack.
“Awesome.” She leaned in and hugged Tracy, who flinched slightly at the touch. Mary Beth didn't say anything, but she had felt the flinch and Sage had seen it. Tracy couldn't see the worried look on both girls face. Mary Beth let go and hooked a thumb towards the living room. “I'll help put away the sleeping bags, if that's okay.”
Big thanks once again to Djkauf for the editing.
One more look into Tracy in Livermore.
December 20th 1982
Livermore CA
The sun was still considering peaking over the mountains of the Diablo Mountains when Tracy awoke to nature’s call. She still felt a body behind her, but none in front of her. There was still an arm over her side, but she didn't mind. She tried to roll over so it didn't hurt her or wake up who ever was holding her, but she failed on both accounts. The pain wasn't too bad, but when she stopped she was surprised to see Emily May holding her and smiling. “Hey there, Cutie.” She said.
“Emily? Where...where's Sage?” Tracy looked over her shoulder. “And Stacey?”
Emily brushed some of the hair out of her face. “Well Stacey's mom has her doing something right now with her sister. They got up about an hour ago. Rachel is helping Brooke up the stairs to the shower Sage got up earlier and you started to cry, so I slipped in to help comfort you....” She began to look a bit worried. “You're not mad, are you?”
Tracy shook her head and leaned into Emily and put her own arm around the girl. “No. But I do got to go to the bathroom.”
“May be a bit of a wait. Sage and Mary Beth were in line at last count a couple minutes ago. And the upstairs one has been in use for a bit now.” Emily May replied. As if on cue, Sage came back into the room.
“Hey, she's awake.” Sage bounded over to where the last two girls lay. “You mind?”
“No, not at all.” Tracy replied, unsure what she was supposed to mind. “Is the bathroom free?”
Sage slid under the top sleeping bag and put her arm over Tracy. “Not yet. But we'll tell you.”
“Why didn't anyone wake me?” Tracy asked.
“Because. After your nightmare, we all decided you should sleep till you got up on your own.” Emily May stated.
“But you may want to get up soon. Aunt Lilian is gonna cook breakfast for us before she has to take off for work.” Sage added
“What about you two? Is your Aunt coming to get you soon?” Tracy asked Emily May.
“Nah. She managed to ask if we could stay with you all till later and she'll get us at four.” Emily May replied. “Hope that's okay.”
“Sure.” Tracy said. “Not my house and you were both nice last night.”
“Good, 'cause we're going to do a board game blowout today.” Sage said.
Rachel walked into the living room. “The bathroom with the shower is open if you want it.”
“Please.” Tracy said as Emily May rolled out from under the sleeping bag. “I'll walk it.” Tracy said as she noticed Rachel moving to the wheelchair.
“Cool.” Sage replied as she slid out from under the sleeping bag too.
“I'll take a shower. I think I could use it.” Tracy stood up and went to grab her bag and Sage stopped her.
“I got it.” Sage said. “You deal with the stairs, I got the heavy stuff.”
“Yes, Mother.” Tracy replied with a huff as she headed out of the room.
“Hey, be good or we can't plan on you for the summer.” Sage reminded her as she picked up her own bag. “And we got some great plans a-brewin’.”
“Really? What are they?” Tracy asked as she got to the steps. She paused for a moment, trying to summon the want to go up the stairs for a shower.
Mary Beth came out of the bathroom and went over to Tracy. “Hey, you sleep better?” She asked, her smile was huge and her eyes danced with joy.
“Well enough, I guess.” Tracy replied. She wasn't sure why, but the dream was bugging her. There was that part of her that was waiting for Mary Beth to attack.
“Awesome.” She leaned in and hugged Tracy, who flinched slightly at the touch. Mary Beth didn't say anything, but she had felt the flinch and Sage had seen it. Tracy couldn't see the worried look on both girls face. Mary Beth let go and hooked a thumb towards the living room. “I'll help put away the sleeping bags, if that's okay.”
“Groovy.” Sage replied. “We'll get showered and we can work on breakfast and a game or two.”
“I'll let 'em know.” Mary Beth left the two of them to the stairs.
“Come on....back to Summer plans. I got plans, everyone else is thinking.” Sage said, trying to get Tracy's mind off of Mary Beth for a moment. “But we're all going to come up with a couple of ideas and see what we can make work.”
Sage took her time, tailing Tracy up the stairs. “What are you thinking?” Tracy asked.
“Well, I want to go camping. You got a lake near your house. That's one plan. We could either camp near the lake, or on your property and swim at the lake in the daytime.” Sage smiled, but Tracy was in front of her and too busy with the stairs to see it. “Or we could go to the cabin where I was born. My parents are friends with the owner.”
“That sounds cool.” Tracy nodded.
“It is. It's up near Donner Pass, north of Truckee There's even a small lake near by. Cold water, but it's not too deep. Then there's always Great America and Winchester Mystery house.” Sage added.
“Never been to either. Went to Disneyland once, but I was like eight at the time.” Tracy said as they kept going up. “Anyone else have a plan?”
“Rachel wants to do a shopping trip a day. Hit all the malls that she can, but that would cost more then camping.”
“Yeah.” Tracy nodded.
“What would you like to do this summer?” Sage asked.
“Hang out with you guys.” Tracy paused for a moment to catch her breath. “Too many stairs.” She muttered.
“Yeah.” Sage replied. “Sorry, forgot how many of us have stairs here. But when we made the plans, you weren't hurt.”
Tracy shrugged. “Can't win 'em all.” She finished the journey to the top as Harvey brought Brooke out of the bathroom and to the steps.
“Good, you're awake.” Brooke said with a smile.
“Yep.” Tracy nodded.
“Hey, let's get me down the steps before your arms get tired.” Brooke said, looking back to her ride for the moment.
“Yes, Milady.” Harvey said with a grin.
Tracy watched them head down the stairs, Harvey taking his time so he didn't fall. She headed to the bathroom and asked Sage. “I thought she hated getting help?”
“She does hate it, but with ten people under the roof she understands that she can get in the way and make things worse, plus it's a bitch moving her chair up and down the steps just for the shower.”
“Oh. I see.” Tracy replied as she went into the bathroom.
“Hey, now that we're alone, could we talk about last night?” Sage asked as she followed her in, dropping her bag at the door.
“I don't want to.” Tracy said. Images of the the dream came back and she couldn't look at Sage, not without seeing how she looked in that dream.
“Tracy, I saw how you flinched when Mary Beth touched you. She says she won't well anyone about you and for some reason, I believe her. So please, let me help you.” Sage moved closer and put her arms around her friend. “I heard you call my name, her name and Peter's name last night. You were dreaming about Bruce attacking you, weren't you?”
Tracy didn't reply, she just gave a slight nod as she started to cry. Sage turned her so she could face her. “Was it at the property again?” Sage asked. Tracy only shook her head. “Was it here?” Again there was a shake of the head. She was trying to figure out where all Tracy would think of being attacked. “School? Was it at school?”
“Yeah.” Tracy nodded as she cried.
“Bruce attacked you at the school?” Sage asked and Tracy nodded. “Tell me about it. It will help.”
Tracy leaned against her as Sage held her. As she got the tears under control, she began to tell her as much as she could about the dream. “I was at school, in a skirt and Mary Beth had told people, like told everyone. Then Bruce showed up with Peter and Emily May all beat up, plus you. They had beaten you and torn your clothes off. Then Mary Beth turned into Clark, Bruce's brother.”
Sage nodded and leaned back so she could wipe a tear from her friends eyes. “So then it wasn't Mary Beth.” She guessed. “Maybe your mind is thinking that because he knows and so does she, that she is a dangerous as he is.”
“Maybe.” Tracy tried to shrug.
“Give her a chance.” Sage said. “And face it, I'll never give that asshole a chance to lay his hands on me, and I doubt Peter will either.”
“Yeah.” Tracy put her head against Sage's shoulder. “But it just felt so real.” Her tears picked up again and she leaned into Sage's shoulder once more.
“I know.” Sage replied. “But it wasn't real. It was just a dream.”
“I hate feeling like this. So scared.” Tracy said as she stood up, then leaned against the sink.
“I know. Come on, let's get you showered and feeling better.” Sage went over and started the shower for her.
“Okay.” Tracy said.
As Tracy and Sage descended the stairs they could hear the sounds of music playing in the living room. They walked into the living room to find the stereo was on to a Christmas station. They were met by Rachel who bounced in place to the beat of Rockin' round the Christmas tree and only stopped when she saw Sage and Tracy. “Hey, instead of two games, why not do one game and we can team up.” She stepped closer and saw that Tracy still looked a bit down. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” Tracy nodded.
“Still thinking about last night?” Rachel asked.
“Yeah.” Tracy nodded.
“Is that why you two have been upstairs for a while?”
“Yeah.” Sage nodded.
“I was starting to think the two of you showered together.” Rachel said with a grin.
Tracy's cheeks went bright red. She had never really had a feeling yet for boys or girls. “We only talked. She just stayed in there while I showered. I....I needed to talk.”
“I was only teasing, but good.” Rachel pulled Tracy into a hug. “We're all here for you. You ever need to talk and Sage isn't there, I'll listen. I may not know exactly what you're going through, but I'm a great listener.”
“She's not the only one.” Stacey said as Rachel let go of Tracy and was replaced by Stacey. “We're all here for you.”
“But you've only met me few days ago.” Tracy stated.
“So. Does that mean that we can't call you friend and welcome you with open arms?” Stacey countered. She gestured around at her sister and Brooke. “If we didn't want to hang out with you, trust me, you wouldn't have been here last night.”
“What Stacey's saying is you're a good person, and that's the type of friends we like.” Brooke said with a huge grin. “But if your dream is bugging you that much, maybe we should just forget the board games?”
“I still wanna play.” Tracy replied. A part of her felt good for talking with Sage and it had helped that first night at home as well. She didn't want to be too much of a downer. Plus if they all knew, then maybe they could help in the future.
“Well then let's go to the dining room. We decided to play either Clue and just have two groups of two, or Monopoly.”
“Can we do Clue?”Tracy asked.
“Sure!” Rachel turned and started to head for the kitchen when Tracy called out to her. “But breakfast should be done here in a moment.”
“Rachel? Could you stay for a minute?” Tracy looked around the room. “Could...could I talk to all of you? Sage is right, I want to talk about that dream.”
Tracy sat at the dining room table, next to Mary Beth. Two of the girls had teamed up with two others, so each of them could play. Tracy had only played Clue a few times before, so she was glad for someone to remind her of the rules. So together the two of them controlled Mrs. Scarlet. Casey had teamed up with her sister and when they wanted to talk, they turned their backs on the table. Christmas music played on the radio, helping keep the mood light and fun.
Tracy had suggested being with Mary Beth after telling all of them about her dream. She was hoping to avoid any bad blood just in case. Eight cans of soda sat around the table along with a plate of cookies that had been liberated from their hiding spot in the kitchen. Tracy leaned over to Mary Beth and whispered into her ear. “Thank you for being so...understanding about this.”
“No problem.” She replied in a whisper. “I really won’t tell anyone. I am sorry about the dreams.”
“Me too.” Tracy tired to chuckle. She stopped for a moment, watching the game, then she grabbed the pencil and made a couple of notes on the paper in two categories. A simple B for Brooke in the category for the kitchen and a question mark for the knife.
“Really?” Mary Beth asked, looking at the paper for a moment. Tracy nodded.
“Really.” Tracy side with a nod. She reached for a cookie and smiled. “And maybe when we're home we could hang out sometime. Have to be at my place, but still.”
“I'd like that.” Mary Beth said as the dice were pushed in front of them. She took them and rolled. As she reached out to touch the little red piece, she looked at Tracy. “Where to?”
Tracy was counting spaces out from their piece, then she looked to the paper they had. “Billiard room.” She replied and Mary Beth moved the piece.
“What and who?” Mary Beth asked.
Tracy smiled and nodded. They had been staying off the knife idea for a while now, letting everyone else suggest it. “Knife and Mrs. White.” She whispered. There were only a few question marks she had left on the board. One was Mrs. White, one was the knife and the last two were the billiard room and the library. They held onto the Mr. Green, Professor Plum cards and the hall.
“Okay. My beautiful team-mate thinks it was the mean Mrs. White with the knife in the billiard room.”
"Hey!" Sage said. "I'm innocent."
"We'll see, Mrs. White." Mary Beth said with a grin
They waited as the other girls each looked at their cards. It went from Casey and Stacey who had nothing, but the room cards. Then it moved around the table till it got to Rachel who showed them the billiard room card. Tracy checked off the room and nodded. “Accuse.” She whispered.
“Really?” Mary Beth asked. “You sure?”
“Yep.” Tracy nodded.
“Okay, we would like to make an accusation.” She looked to Tracy who smiled.
“We think it was that evil Mrs White, with the knife, in the library.” Tracy stated.
"Oh I'm Evil now?" Sage replied.
"Yep." Tracy chuckled. "Evil in the library with a knife."
“Well, take a look.” Sage said. "You'll see it was Mr. Green all this time."
Mary Beth pulled the little envelope over and under the table she pulled the cards out and showed Tracy.
“Well?” Rachel asked.
Mary Beth laid the cards out on the table and smiled. “She was right.”
“Damn.” Sage swore as she leaned back in her chair. “So damn close. I was thinking it was the conservatory.”
“Couldn't have been.” Emily May said with a smile and she showed the card. “You all kept going into the hall, so I never had to show it to you. Well, all but those two.”
“So? Another game of this? Or something else?” Rachel asked as she looked to a clock on the wall. “It's just past ten, so we still got a couple hours to lunch and even more time till their Aunt gets here.”
“Once more, then lunch followed by Monopoly?” Sage offered. The rest of the girls just nodded.
It was just after four in the afternoon when Persephone, Andromeda, Lilian and Jill all showed up at the house. The loading of the two cars took very little time and it left the eight girls a moment or two outside while the older ladies talked inside. Tracy watched as the other seven girls all hugged and exchanged information. She walked over to Mary Beth and put her arms around her. “You got my phone number, right?”
“Yeah.” Mary Beth replied. “Wish we could have had more time, but we can wait till we're home.”
“Cool.” Tracy let her go as Emily May came over and Mary Beth began making rounds.
“Hey, you ever need to talk and I'm there. I may not understand everything, but I think we're in the same boat.” She whispered.
“Thank you, Emily.”
“It's no problem, Tracy.”
The girls all slowly made their way into Persephone's house. As they did, Tracy couldn't help but notice that there was no tree in the house. Instead several boxes were on the floor of the living room. Both Rachel's parent's place and Stacey's house had Christmas trees, but not here. She stopped Sage in the doorway as they brought up her chair and opened it up.
“Hey, I...I don't mean to insult you, but do you celebrate Christmas?” She asked.
“Oh yeah!” Sage beamed. “best holiday of the year.”
“But you don't have a tree.” Tracy stated.
“That's one of the things we do on my birthday. We put up the tree, but because it's tomorrow and you'll all be here tonight, we're setting it up after dinner and before cake.” Sage stated.
“You didn't want a birthday party?” Tracy asked.
“You kidding? This is my birthday party. We put the tree up every year on my birthday, then play games till it's late and eat cake. It's like a tradition.”
“Cool.”
'Romy came racing in and began dancing around the girls. “PIZZA PIZZA PIZZA!” She shouted while she danced.
“Wanna guess what dinner is?” Sage asked with a grin.
“Pizza?” Tracy asked, to which the little girl began cheering.
“Kinda my fault. Each year on our birthday, Mom let's us pick the meal. 'Romy heard pizza and she went into happy kid mode.” Sage said with a chuckle.
“It's cool.” Tracy said with a smile as they headed to the kitchen.
“So how about that grape soda that you've been dying for?” Sage asked with a huge grin.
“I'd love it.” Tracy replied.
The six girls were setting up their sleeping bags in the living room. Andromeda had begged to be able to spend the night with them as well, but she was unable to stay awake. So the little girl had already been put into her sleeping bag and was lying near the tree. The rest of the girls began unrolling their bags and lying them about the room. As Tracy opened up hers, Stacey stopped her and unzipped it all the way. “Hey, I was wondering if you'd...you know....” She leaned in and whispered into Tracy's ear. “Want someone to hold you tonight?”
“Sure.” Tracy said with a nod. She had felt safe in Sage's arms a night or two before, so she was willing to try it again.
Stacey smiled and took her sleeping bag and unzipped it. She waited for Tracy to lay down, then she pulled hers over both of them and put an arm around Tracy. “I'm glad you came.” She said.
“Me too.” Tracy replied. “It would have sucked the past few days at home.”
“I can only imagine.” Stacey nodded. “I hear there's nothing there.”
“Yeah, it is pretty dead there. Nothing like here.” Tracy said before she let out a big yawn.
“Not many places are.” Stacey smiled. “Go ahead and sleep, I've got you covered for tonight.”
“Thanks, Stacey.” Tracy rested her head against the other girls chest and waited for sleep to claim her.
Two more days in Livermore, then it's back home.
On her desk was a photo from the year before. It had been taken just around Halloween. She had been focusing on it a lot the past few days while her youngest was off with friends. In it was her husband, looking like he always did. A small smile on his lips and a hand on her shoulder. Then her older child, Vance, had his usual goofy grin on. But her son Troy was another story. She could recall her mother-in-law telling him to look up and smile. After several pleas, he finally did. But anyone could tell the smile was forced and his eyes were still focused on the ground.
She reached into her purse and pulled a newer picture out of her wallet. This one had been taken in Livermore by her friend Shelly. It was just before she had gone to San Francisco for her Doctor's appointment a month before. William was in it, as was Vance. Instead of Troy, the glum looking boy, Tracy stood in his usual spot. Her smile seemed to be infectious. Her husband, son and herself all wore a smile just like it. Maggie rested the picture on her desk and picked up her sandwich. She began thinking about how things had changed when Tracy came out. The confidence, the happy demeanor. She could remember the trip to Livermore, the first one. The young girl had talked non-stop till they reached Tracy, the town. After a few hours of hell, when the child thought she should be Troy while at Shelly's place, Tracy came back and was brighter then before.
Thanks once more to Djkauf for the editing
This time we look into the lives of William, Maggie and Vance
December 20th 1982
Northern California
Vance woke up to the sounds of someone knocking on his bedroom door. He glanced over to the window and saw the sun was still rising in the sky. He glanced to the clock that sat on the dresser and groaned. “It's only seven.”
“Yeah, it's only seven.” William repeated from the doorway. “You told your Grandfather that you'd help him reorganize that shed this week. Your mother left for work already and I'm about to head out for mine. I wanted to make sure you didn't sleep in and make him come over to wake you up.” He paused for a moment, then added. “Again.”
“Can't I just nap for a few more minutes?”
“No. You promised that you'd be over there at seven thirty. And If I know my mother, she'll have food for you.” William shook the frame of the bunk bed. “So come on, get those feet on the ground, you got fifteen minutes to get next door and eat.”
“Fine.” Vance grumbled. He swung his feet over the edge and sat up. He was hoping that his father would leave, but William stood there and looked at his watch. After a few moments he hopped off of the bed. “There, I'm up.”
“Good.” Conner's voice called from the hallway. Vance stopped in his tracks at looked at his dad
“Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you, he's here already.” William smiled. “Get dressed kid and have a good day.”
“Okay Dad.” Vance did a fast change of clothes from his pajamas to a pair of torn jeans and an old shirt. He skipped the shower, mostly because he didn't want to take one then get dirty. Ten minutes later he found himself in his grandparent's kitchen, a plate of eggs and bacon in front of him. As he ate, his grandfather read the paper. Between bites, Vance asked. “What are we doing today?”
“I was thinking that maybe we could organize the shed a bit better then what it is. It may be a couple day affair. I know it's cold out today, but we got the stove in there. I wanna set up the table saws and a workbench.” Conner put down his paper and took a drink from his coffee cup.
“Okay.” Vance said with a nod, before he dug into his food again.
The phone started to ring and Modine went over and picked it up. “Patterson’s, Modine speaking.” She was quiet for a second, then she smiled. “Hello, Lilly. How are you?”
Vance only glanced up for a moment, then he went back to his eating. He kept listening to his grandmother. “Again? All of them?” She was silent for a moment. Then she nodded. “I'll ask.” She cupped her hand over the handset and looked at her husband. “Conner, Lilly's cows got out again. She was wondering if you'd help catch them. Some of them are in our field.”
“What do you think Vance?” Conner asked his grandson.
“Yeah.” Vance said. He was glad for the chance and he had two reasons. The first was Lilly always paid off kindness in either pies or cookies and the second was corralling cows was a lot more fun then cleaning a shed.
“They said yes.” Modine said into the phone. She was quiet for another couple of moments before she looked at her husband again. “She says they're not in the road, but they're between our two properties.”
“Good.” Conner began to stand up. “Come on Vance. Let's get the cows in.”
Vance shifted his focus from the eggs to the bacon and quickly took the last few strips and began shoving them in his mouth. He got up and followed his grandfather out of the house.
Vance was beginning to re-think his views of how easy it was to get the cows back into their pen. He had spent ten minutes chasing the same cow. Each time they'd get close to the pen, it would run off again. He had begun to regret ever agreeing to helping at all today. His pants were muddy from one too many falls while trying to keep up with the cows, his shoes were soaked.
He knew his sibling had it easy. He was just hanging out with friends. His inwardly kicked himself. ~No, it's she now!~ His inner voice said. ~But why ain't she here fighting these stupid cows.~
~Because she got hurt, fighting our old friend.~ He answered himself.
~Why didn't Mom let me go down with her?~ He asked himself again. He didn't reply. He didn't have the chance to. One of the cows came running at him. He panicked and screamed, throwing his arms out wide and raced at it, causing it to stop and turn it's direction.
A couple of the other cows joined its lead and walked into the pen. His inner voices kept quiet as his grandfather began moving the rest of the cows in his direction and he scared them into the pen.
“About freaking time.” He said out loud as the last cow went inside.
“I hear ya.” His grandfather agreed. “Come on. Let's fix this fence real fast so we don't do this again this month.”
An older lady, near sixty years old came out. Her hair was pulled up into a bun and she wore a house coat. “Thank you so much. I don't know why my son insists on me having these stupid things. After Hank died I can barely take care of them on my own.”
“We're just glad they didn't get hit.” Conner said as he began pulling up the trample wires..
“I don't think I could afford someone's car.” She said with a shake of her head. “I'm sorry to call you two again, but you're the closest people I know that were home.”
“It's okay, Lilly.” Conner picked up a fallen fence post and tired to push it into place.
“Well, we won’t have to worry about this again. I've called up Hoss.” She said with a sigh.
Vance looked up for a moment, then back to the work on the fence. Hoss was the nickname of the local butcher who made house calls. He owned a shop in town with a giant walk in freezer that people could rent lockers out of. They also had the largest pickles for sale, he had ever seen. When his parents had owned cows, a few years earlier, they had used his services when it came time to take care of the cows.
“You sure? I mean we can go to town and get the stuff to fix the fence proper.” Conner said.
“I'm sure. This is what? The fifth time in the past few months?” Lilly asked. “It's time. I already told my son what I was planning and told him no more cows.”
“Well, we can at least fix the fence to hold till he gets here.”
“Thank you.” She started to leave when she stopped. “And for your help I'll send some of the meat your way. God knows I can't eat ten cows worth.”
“Well you don't have to, but thank you.” Conner smiled at her.
“Nonsense. You two and Vance's family have helped me out far too many times. It's the least I can do.” She said. “Vance, let your parents know I'm sending some their way too. I've got a freezer if they don't have space, or maybe Hoss has a spot in his freezer.
Maggie was seated at her desk with her lunch spread out in front of her. The cleaning service she worked for was doing good business, for a small, locally owned company. A lot of it was weekly or monthly clients, so she rarely had to answer the phones, except for the occasional new client or problems. That left her lots of time to do the billing. Her hours were long, from early morning to about five in the afternoon, but she only worked four days in the week, usually giving her Friday, Saturday and Sunday off.
There were no other receptionists there, so she was forced to take her lunch breaks at her desk, unless the boss was willing to cover the phones. He was a working boss, out cleaning with the rest of the workers, so he was rarely there, except Fridays. But when she got busy, she spread out her lunch to make up for it.
On her desk was a photo from the year before. It had been taken just around Halloween. She had been focusing on it a lot the past few days while her youngest was off with friends. In it was her husband, looking like he always did. A small smile on his lips and a hand on her shoulder. Then her older child, Vance, had his usual goofy grin on. But her son Troy was another story. She could recall her mother-in-law telling him to look up and smile. After several pleas, he finally did. But anyone could tell the smile was forced and his eyes were still focused on the ground.
She reached into her purse and pulled a newer picture out of her wallet. This one had been taken in Livermore by her friend Shelly. It was just before she had gone to San Francisco for her Doctor's appointment a month before. William was in it, as was Vance. Instead of Troy, the glum looking boy, Tracy stood in his usual spot. Her smile seemed to be infectious. Her husband, son and herself all wore a smile just like it. Maggie rested the picture on her desk and picked up her sandwich. She began thinking about how things had changed when Tracy came out. The confidence, the happy demeanor. She could remember the trip to Livermore, the first one. The young girl had talked non-stop till they reached Tracy, the town. After a few hours of hell, when the child thought she should be Troy while at Shelly's place, Tracy came back and was brighter then before.
She tucked the photo back into her wallet and put it back in her purse. And went back to her sandwich as the front door to the office opened up. Her boss strode in. He was an older man, just near fifty. The first glance at him always made people think of Santa Claus. He was fat. Not huge, but round in the belly. His hair was short and white and he had grown a beard, which he did at the start of September. He'd shave after the first of the year, but it was his way of spreading Christmas cheer. The fact he wore a Santa hat didn't hurt the look either. The only thing missing was the rest of the suit. Instead of bright red, he had a gray jumpsuit with a blue patch that bore his company’s name. Below that was his name. “Chris.”
“Maggie.” His voice was deep and filled with cheer. He pulled out an envelope and handed it to her. “Three more payments in there. You can wait on the deposit. I'll hit the bank on the way home after work.”
“Oh, thank you Santa.” She replied with a smile.
“Ho ho ho.” He smiled. “I just figured you've been working hard and I got things to do in town, so I can hit the bank while I'm there.”
“Thank you very much.”
“But there's one more thing.” He went to the closet that also served as his office and came back a few minutes later. “I know I was gone by time you got here and I don't feel good about just leaving these out. But could you get these to the guys as they come in?” He handed her several envelopes. “It's a bonus for the hard work they've done. I figured get them out now, in case we all got more shopping to do.”
“Sure.” She took them and placed them in her desk.
“And here's yours.” He handed her a greeting card shaped envelope. “It's my way of saying thank you.” He held out his other hand
She took the card and shook his hand. “Thank you, Chris.”
“Hey, it's Mr. Kringle to good girls.” He said and gave a good Santa laugh. “Speaking of good kids, how's your youngest.”
“Good.” She stopped herself before she slipped. Chris was one of many who didn't know about Tracy. He knew about the attacks and the extra stitches, but nothing else. “He's in Livermore visiting family friends.”
“Still getting better?” Chris asked.
Maggie nodded. “Slowly. But he'll be able to go back to school after the break.”
“Good. Sorry he got hurt.” He handed her one more envelope. “This is for your family, from my wife.” He said. “It's more for the kids, but the card is to all of you.”
“Thank you.” Maggie said. This time she went around the desk and broke a rule of contact she kept at work. She rarely did more then a hand shake, but this called for more. So she hugged Chris. “Thank you very much.”
“You're welcome.” He said. As Maggie let him go he smiled once more. “Well I need to get moving again. Got another job. If you want, you can leave at five.”
“Thank you.” She sat back at her desk and put the cards into her purse. “I'll let Troy know you asked about him.”
“Good. And tell him to be nice.” The old man headed for the door. “Not too late to change my list.” He joked as he headed out.
William had finished his shift and was on his way to the door of the mill when his boss, Steven came jogging up. “William!” He called out. “Hold up a minute!”
William stopped and waited as the man came over. “Steven. I thought you were gone already.”
“Headed out when I get home. We packed the car last night.” William started walking and the other man fell in step. “Headed to Reno tonight to pick up the wife's cousin, then it's all the way to Phoenix.”
“A bit far to drive after a full day of work, isn't it?” William looked at him for a moment, then they continued on to their cars.
“Well, I meant stay there for the night, then to Phoenix.” Steven clarified.
“Ah. Sounds like a plan.” They reached Steven's car an William stopped. “So how can I help you?”
“I was just wondering how your youngest was doing? It was the youngest that got attacked, right?” Steven asked.
William wasn't surprised that he knew. The whole plant managed to find out the day after the attack. Many of the men that worked there were on Troy's side, mostly because of the amount of information they had. William was sure it would be different if they knew what his child had been wearing. He had made sure to up-play the fact that Troy had defended his grandmother and mother, keeping all mention of Tracy to himself.
“Yeah, it was Troy.” William nodded.
“He also got hurt again, right? One of the ladies in the main office, Susan, has a kid that goes to school with him.”
“Yeah. Someone tripped him and tore out his stitches.” William replied.
“Ow. They suspend that ass?” Steven asked.
“Yeah, but not long enough.” William stated. “It's our own fault for letting Troy go back without a wheelchair, or something. Not that he could have worked it alone with just one good wrist.”
“What all happened to him, if you don't mind me asking?” Steven leaned against his car.
“I don't mind, but Troy may. Although I think he'll understand.” William took a deep breath, and let it out. The mental pains of that day were still with him. “He had a sprained wrist, pretty bad too. Plus they broke a few ribs.”
“Oh...I don't envy the pain he's in. I had broken ribs at his age too and it sucked. Was during the summer time.” Steven stated. “But at least that's easily cured, if he takes it easy. To hear what Susan was saying, it was worse.”
“It was.” William nodded. “This doesn't leave the two of us, Okay?”
“You got my word. If it's personal, maybe you should keep it to yourself.” Steven said.
“I...I need to tell someone. I know I can talk to Maggie, but she's just as emotional about this. They hurt my child, all because he caught them stealing.”
“Wait, stealing?” Steven looked up at the sky for a moment, trying to recall some of the stories he had heard.
“Yeah. He caught a kid and his friend stealing in a class. They fought and Troy and Vance got suspended, that was around Thanksgiving.”
“Ahhhh.” Steven drew out the word as he remembered the day he had called William into his office. “That's when you were having troubles with your kids, right?”
“Yeah.” William nodded.
“I hope you weren't mad that he stopped the thieving.”
William smiled and shook his head. “No. My sons made me proud that day. Troy for stopping a thief and Vance for finally sticking up for his brother. There were just other issues as well going on that I needed to work out.”
“I'm guessing you got them figured out?” Steven asked.
“Yeah.”
“So, these kids he caught stealing were the ones that came to your house?” William nodded. “So they thought they'd get revenge on his tattling on them? Steven asked, trying to figure out the whole situation.
“Yep.” William said.
“So other than the bad wrist and ribs, what else did they do?”
“They hurt him bad enough to force the doctors into an emergency orchiectomy.” William stated.
Steven's face turned a slight green color and he blinked in surprise. “Please tell me that asshole kid is in jail.”
William nodded again. “Yeah. They also attacked my mother.”
“Your...Your mother?” Steven's look of shock stayed.
“Yeah. She came out to defend Troy when they had him down.” Tears formed in William's eyes as he forced himself to recall that day. “But when they hit her, Troy got pissed. They had already done the damage to him, so how he managed to stand again is beyond me. But he managed to fight off two of them in that state, until his friend, my wife and my father got there.”
“Wow.” Steven shook his head in disbelief. If it had been anyone else, he would have refused to believe it. But it went along with some of the stories that Susan said she heard from her kids. “So when he got tripped...he tore out those stitches?”
“Yeah. All of them came out.” William answered.
“Damn.” Steven ran a hand through his hair as he tired to place himself in Troy's shoes. “Well I'll admit it, you got one strong kid there. You must be damn proud. Placing his own safety on the line for his grandmother. Wow.”
“I am proud. Troy....Troy is the kind of person I want him to be.” William said.
“Well you tell him I hope he gets better.” Steven gave William a smile.
“I will.” William nodded.
Steven stood up straight and held out his hand. “You have a good Christmas and I'll see you after the new year.”
“Yeah, see you then.” William shook Steven's hand. “Thanks for listening.”
“Not a problem. Now we should get home, before our wives send out the search parties.”
William chuckled. “Yeah. Drive safe.” He waited till his boss was in the car, then he headed for his own.
William sat at the kitchen table with his wife and Vance for dinner. Each of them seemed to have set seating arrangements. Maggie and Tracy sat on the side of the table nearest the stove. Tracy used to sit closest to the window, but since she had taken over the cooking, Maggie and her switched seats. And on the days that Maggie cooked, Tracy usually helped with dinner and dishes. Vance always took the window on the side of the table with his father. One of the up points to Tracy and Maggie switching seats was Vance couldn't start kicking wars under the table anymore, not without hitting the center support of the table.
With no Tracy there, dinner was set back till Maggie got home. It had been an easy dinner, just hotdogs in Mac and cheese. They had ate in almost silence. The only sounds that filled the kitchen were from them eating and a little radio that was playing Christmas music.
Halfway through the meal, Maggie reached over and touched her husband’s hand. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” He nodded as he looked up at her. “Why?”
“Because, you keep staring at Tracy's chair.” Maggie stated. “Missing her?”
“Yeah. It's just been way too quiet the past few days.” He hooked a thumb to his eldest child. “Even Vance has been too quiet.”
“Not my fault.” He said through a mouth of food. “Been helping Grandpa all day then I come home and I'm beat.”
“Good. Hard work has it's up-points.” William said with a grin.
“So are we all going to get Tro...Tracy in Livermore?” Vance asked, looking up from his food.
“Why?” William smiled at him. “Want to go see a certain little redhead?” Vance's cheeks burned a bright red and he put his attention on to his plate.
“I don't know.” Maggie replied. “I may be taking your Grandmother with me. Your Dad has to work.”
“Can I go?” Vance asked.
“I'll need to talk to Tracy about that.” Maggie replied. “If Modine goes, she'll need the front seat and Tracy may need to stretch out in the back.”
“But she will need help moving stuff.” Vance said.
“And Sage may be there.” William chuckled.
“We'll see, Vance.” Maggie said.
Next time will be Tracy's last few days in Livermore, then it's Christmas!
“Good. I don't think anyone else is awake yet.”
“Wrong.” Sage whispered near them, but loud enough for them to hear. “'Romy's been bugging me for a little bit now.”
The little girl loudly scampered over to her cousin and Tracy, then without asking, she lifted one corner of the sleeping bag and slid in and hugged Tracy. “Pway?” She said, and not in a whisper.
This caused a groan from Brooke. This was followed by a growl aimed at the little girl. “Midget, you woke me up.”
“I not mi'git.” The little girl replied.
Sage and Stacey snickered. Rachel rolled over and looked at them. “Face it, the runt's awake, no more sleeping today.”
“Not a wunt.” She stayed curled up next to Tracy.
“But Rachel, it's not even seven.” Brooke groaned. “The only lucky one here is Casey. She doesn't get to hear the kid.”
A big Thank you to Djkauf for the editing again.
More on the life of Tracy. A nice easy day this time.
NOTE: Rating slightly higher due to nudity in story
December 21st 1982
Livermore CA
Tracy woke the next morning, still in Stacey's arms. It was still dark outside the house, so Tracy didn't want to make too much noise and wake everyone up yet. It had been another night free of dreams, at least the bad ones. She was beginning to worry about going home and not having anyone who'd hold her through the night. Stacey's eyes opened up as she felt Tracy moving around.
“Hey.” She whispered. “Sleep better last night?”
“Yeah.” Tracy nodded.
“Good. I don't think anyone else is awake yet.”
“Wrong.” Sage whispered near them, but loud enough for them to hear. “'Romy's been bugging me for a little bit now.”
The little girl loudly scampered over to her cousin and Tracy, then without asking, she lifted one corner of the sleeping bag and slid in and hugged Tracy. “Pway?” She said, and not in a whisper.
This caused a groan from Brooke. This was followed by a growl aimed at the little girl. “Midget, you woke me up.”
“I not mi'git.” The little girl replied.
Sage and Stacey snickered. Rachel rolled over and looked at them. “Face it, the runt's awake, no more sleeping today.”
“Not a wunt.” She stayed curled up next to Tracy.
“But Rachel, it's not even seven.” Brooke groaned. “The only lucky one here is Casey. She doesn't get to hear the kid.”
“Oh, really?” Stacey picked up a cushion from the couch and flung it at her sister, then lay back down and tried to act like she was sleeping.
The pillow struck Casey's side and she, bounced in place, then jerked up and looked around the room with wide eyes. The other girls all pointed to her sister who looked like she was sleeping. Sage got her attention and began signing to her. Casey nodded. She slid out of her sleeping bag wearing just a nightshirt that went to her knees. She crossed the room and preceded to sit down next to her sister. Then her hands went under the sleeping bag and she began to tickle her.
As Stacey began to squirm under the attack, Casey flipped the sleeping bag off her sister, then sat on her waist and kept up the barrage of tickling.
“Okay...okay.” Stacey squealed, even though her attacker couldn't hear it. Sage tapped her shoulder and quickly signed something, causing Casey to stop and get off her sister.
“Well, if you girls are awake now.” Persephone said as she leaned into the living room from the kitchen. “I'll get breakfast started.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Sage said with a smile.
“But you may want to keep it down. Let your dad get a little more sleep.” Persephone was about to go back to the kitchen when she stopped. “Oh...Sage? Happy birthday.”
This caused the other girls to copy the statement and Sage smiled. “Thanks.”
Tracy sat up and looked at Sage. “I thought that was last night?”
“Nope, it's today, but because my Uncle will be in town from Vermont, we're all going to my Grandparent’s house for my birthday. Last night was just for me and my friends.” Sage replied.
“Oh.” Tracy started to stand up.
Sage got up and went to her, dropping her voice to a whisper. “I figured you wouldn't want to meet more people. Plus they live in the hills, south of Monterey. , I don't know if your parents would allow that. So Brooke offered to show you her place, plus tomorrow night we're sleeping over there.”
“That's cool. Are Brooke's parents cool?” Tracy asked.
“You tell me? It's just her mom.” Sage stated. "There is no dad."
“Oh yeah. I forgot.” Tracy chuckled.
“You'll love her grandparents.” Sage said.
“Oh are they visiting?”
“No. They live with Brooke and her mother so they can help out.” Sage led the way to the hall where the bathroom was. “Her Grandpa is like one of those dudes from the kung fu movies. Old and wise just without the long beard.”
“Really?” Tracy smile brightened.
“Oh yeah. He's like super cool. He does that needle thing, the acupuncture? And he does massage. He's a hell of a cook, so's his wife. Plus, he teaches some forms of kung fu at his dojo thing. His wife teaches that Tai Chi that you do.”
“Awesome." Tracy smiled at the though of possibly learning more forms of fighting. She nodded slowly, also thinking of the different foods she could try. "I may get some new recipe ideas for home.”
“That's good. Now hurry before the crowds get mean.” Sage said, pushing her into the bathroom.
Tracy sat at the kitchen table, enjoying a cup of hot chocolate, while waiting for everyone to finish their showers and changing. She wasn't alone at the table, she was just on a mental auto pilot. Her mind went over the fun of the past few days. She began thinking about the future, about having to go back to school. She was so lost in thought that she didn't see or hear Persephone come in and sit down.
She jumped when a hand touched her free hand. “You okay in there?” Sage's mother asked.
“Don't do that.” Tracy tried to look angry, but failed. Persephone just smiled.
“Sorry. I just wanted to know if you want to talk a walk with me? I need to check the mail box at the office.” The older lady stood up and offered a hand to Tracy.
“Sure.” Tracy stood up. “Let me get my coat.” Tracy slowly headed to the living room and grabbed her coat. Sage watched her and smiled.
Persephone waited at the door as Tracy came walking up. The young girl looked over her shoulder to her new friends, then back at Sage's mother with a quizzical look. “I already told them I'd like to speak to you for a minute. I promise it's nothing bad.”
“Oh. Okay.” Tracy said, still a bit worried. She followed Persephone out the door and took her time going down the steps.
“I hear the dreams are still bugging you.” Persephone said as they headed down the road of the trailer park.
“Yeah. But not last night, or the other night here.” Tracy replied. “But then Sage and Stacey held me.”
“But you won't get that at home, will you?”
Tracy chuckled, and tried to ignore the pain in her ribs. “Only if I can convince Vance to hold me and that would be a bit creepy.”
“I see the problem.” Persephone chuckled with her. “How have you been feeling?”
“Sore still, but I'm getting better.” Tracy replied.
“Good, but not what I meant.” She lowered her voice and whispered into Tracy's ear. “I meant how are you feeling with being one of the girls?” Persephone and Tracy came to a stop.
“I love it.”She said back in a hushed tone. Her smile spoke volumes of the joy she felt. “I'm just.....”
Persephone noticed Tracy's happy attitude seemed to fall. “Just what Sweetie?”
“I don't want it to end.” Tracy stated. “I get to go home and it's Troy who is going to be at my Grandparent's place on Christmas day, just because of relations. Then when school starts again, Troy gets to go, not me.”
“I can only imagine.” Persephone said. “You've tasted the life you want, only to be forced into the one you hate.”
“Yeah.” She looked at the older woman. “So what do I do?”
“I don't know.” The only women replied. “How about that doctor you spoke to the other day? The Psychiatrist?”
“Ugh.” Tracy groaned and shook her head. If any of her happy mood had been left, it was gone now. “I hate that woman.”
Persephone didn't tell her that she had already spoken to Maggie. She wanted Tracy's own take on things. “That bad?”
“She kept calling me Troy.” Tracy sighed. “Then she kept asking why I was in the skirt, even though I told her about the stitches and how much it hurts down there.”
Persephone dropped to one knee and looked Tracy in the eyes. “Was that the only reason you had the skirt on?”
“Well no. I wanted to go as Tracy. I even told her I felt better as Tracy and she kept calling me Troy.”
“Sometimes even the professionals can't get it right.” Persephone stated.
They stated walking again and Tracy was glad that it was still early and cool enough that most people were still in their houses. “What's going to happen this summer?” Tracy asked. “I get to be me all summer, then I'm stuck back as Troy when school starts.”
“I don't know.” Persephone put a hand on Tracy's shoulder. “Are you sure this is what you want?”
“More than anything.” Tracy stated.
Persephone smiled. “At least you’re sure.” Her mind was already working through plans and ideas, but she wanted to pass them by the parents, that way Tracy wouldn't get her hopes up too high. “Come on, let's get the mail and get back before they come looking for us.”
It was just past ten in the morning when Karen, Brooke's mother showed up to collect her daughter and Tracy. Rachel had gone her own way due to family plans and Stacey and Casey were going with their cousin, so it left Tracy in Brooke's care for the day.
They headed to the highway and Brooke leaned forward “Mom? Where are we going?”
“I've got some shopping to do before we go home. And I figured you girls would like to catch lunch out.” Karen replied.
“Really? Where at?” Brooke asked.
“Big Boy.” Karen said as she headed towards Dublin.
“Awesome.” Brooke smiled.
“Anywhere you two want to go to?” Karen glanced in the mirror at the girls, then back at the road.
“Not really.” Tracy replied.
“Music store?” Brooke gave her mother a huge grin.
“We'll see how busy the mall is before we go inside, okay?” Karen said as they got off the highway.
[Back in the Town of Oroville]
Maggie sat at her desk, once again enjoying the quiet of the office while she ate her lunch. Once again she had both pictures of her family on her desk. She didn't know why she kept comparing them. She had seen it in Tracy's face already.
She was halfway through her sandwich when the phone rang. She chewed quickly as she picked up the handset, swallowed and spoke. “Wright Cleaning, This is Maggie, how may I help you?”
“Maggie, this is Persephone.” The voice on the other end said. Maggie's mother mode kicked in fast and she dropped the rest of her sandwich back onto the Ziploc bag.
“What's wrong? Is Tracy okay? Do I need to come get her?” Maggie reached for a pen and paper, in case she needed an address.
“Slow down Maggie. There's nothing wrong. I just wanted to talk to you.” Persephone chuckled slightly. She knew she would have reacted the same way.
“She's not being a pest, is she?”
“Not at all. In fact Lilian and Lynn have all said she's been on her best behavior. She's due at Karen's tonight. There's been no complaints from us, or we would have called Shelly by now.” Persephone stated.
“Oh that's good.” Maggie relaxed. “So...um...why the call then?”
“I wanted to talk to you about your daughter. I know you're at work and I don't want to get you in trouble, so I was wondering if I could have a few moments with you at my place, before you go to pick her up on Thursday? She's opened up to me a little and I wanted to pass on the information to you.”
“Sure, I guess. We'll be in town tomorrow evening and staying with Shelly. Modine is coming with us and she doesn't feel like a six hour trip.” Maggie said.
“I can understand. Well then maybe I'll go see you when all the girls are at Karen's tomorrow evening.” Persephone stated.
“You sure it's nothing bad? Because if it's bad you can call when I get home tonight.” Maggie said.
“I would, but we've got a family thing going on tonight, that's why I called now.” Persephone replied.
“Oh....where's Tracy at?”
“She's with Brooke's family. You got the address the other day. Lilian and I are taking our girls to the family thing and that left Rachel and Brooke. Rachel also had something going on, so Brooke offered a night at her place. It was either that or Shelly's and we thought Tracy would like another night with the girls...well one of them at least.”
“Well I just wouldn't want to have her wear out her welcome too quickly.” Maggie said.
“She isn't. Trust me, the girls are taking to her like ducks to water.” Maggie could hear background chatter and Persephone was quiet for a moment. The phone became muffled, then she heard the other woman again. “Maggie? I need to get going. I'll see you at Shelly's tomorrow?”
“Sure.” Maggie replied. “Thank you for the call, Persephone.”
Even though she wasn't exactly sure where she was at first, that changed when they had passed the trailer park that Sage lived in. Tracy had been slightly surprised to find that Brooke only lived about a quarter of a mile from Rachel and her house bordered the Trailer park Sage lived in. They pulled into the drive of a two story home on a cul-de-sac. It seemed to be a quiet road, even though it was just a stone’s throw to the highway. To their side looked a large two story home, with a small structure on the top and a barn in the back and a for sale sign on the lawn.
Tracy watched as Brooke raced her way up the ramp attached to the porch. Karen pushed Tracy up the ramp as an older gentleman of Asian descent came out and smiled at them. “Grandfather!” Brooke said in an excited voice. She leaned forward and the old man gave her a hug.
He began to speak in Chinese. Brooke giggled and responded, speaking as quickly as the old man did. After a moment or two, he looked towards Tracy. “You must be Tracy.” His voice was thick with accent as he talked. His smile never wavered. He gave her a slight bow and held it, till she mirrored him, as best as she could in the chair.
“Yes sir, I am.” She replied.
“And with good manners, too. You must make your parents very proud.” He kept smiling at her.
“I try my best, sir.” She nodded.
“I am Lok, but you may call me Mr. Han. I am Karen's father and Brooke's grandfather."
“Come on, Father.” Karen said. “Let's get them inside and I'll grab their bags.”
“I've got her.” He said as he moved to grab Tracy's wheelchair. He began pushing her inside and watching his granddaughter race into the house. “So tell me, are there any foods you won't eat? You do eat rice, right? We eat a lot of Noodle and rice dishes here.”
“I love rice.” She looked over her shoulder and smiled. “Mom used to make a noodle dish for the longest time, but then she got busy with work and she can't cook as much, so I am taking over the cooking in the house. When I asked her for it, she can't find the recipe anywhere, which sucks because she got it from a Chinese restaurant near our place.”
“Well maybe I could help you remember the recipe and you can cook it at home.”
“That would be great!” Tracy beamed from her seat.
“My Granddaughter tells me you also study Tai Chi?” He asked.
“Yes, sir, since I was about seven or eight.” She replied.
“Very good. And Brooke told me you got hurt while fighting at the start of the month?” He pushed her wheelchair into the kitchen. He pulled out three cups from the cupboard and looked at her. “You drink tea?”
“Yes, sir.” Tracy nodded. She leaned back in her chair, unaware that Brooke was next to her. “It wasn't really a fight.” She started, then she corrected herself. “Well it was, but I didn't want it.”
“Tell me about it.” He said as he started to heat up a tea kettle on the stove.
“Well it's kind of a long story. It started before the fight in December.” Tracy stated.
“Then start there. All stories should start at the beginning.” He spoke, using a very grandfatherly tone.
So Tracy began to tell him the story about Bruce and finding him stealing from the classrooms around Thanksgiving. She covered, if only briefly, her visit to Livermore and meeting Rachel and Sage. She went on to talk about the attack, skipping the part of the attempted rape.
When she finished Brooke rolled up and put a hand on her arm, causing Tracy to jump in her seat. “Tracy, tell him all of the story.”
She looked at Brooke. “Wh...why?”
“He can help with the nightmares.” Brooke replied. “I used to have them all the time after the accident.”
“My Granddaughter has told me of night terrors that are bothering you, but she didn't say what caused them.” He said as he kept working on the tea.
Tracy sighed and began to tell him the parts she had skipped. She decided it was pointless to fight it. He knew they were happening and if he had a way to help, she'd take it. She decided to explain the dreams as well. In the telling of the tale, he could see the guilt she felt about the attack. She stopped when she noticed that the old man had pushed a cup in front of her.
“You feel guilty for fighting back, don't you?” The old man asked.
“Yes, a little.” Tracy lowered her gaze to the cup of steaming tea.
“Don't. It's true that fighting should be the last resort, but even a hare bites when it's cornered.”
Tracy looked up and stared at him with a quizzical expression for a moment. “What?”
"Even a hare bites when it is cornered.” Brooke's grandfather repeated. “It means that even the most gentle of creatures will defend themselves when they have to.”
Tracy thought about it for a moment, then she took a drink. As she put the cup down, she looked up. “Soooo.” She held onto the vowel sound for a moment as her mind worked over what he was saying. “What you're saying is it was okay to fight then?”
“In that situation, yes. You tried to talk them out of a fight, correct?” Lok asked.
“Yes sir. I tried, but Bruce....he wanted....” Tracy bit her lip and looked away.
“Some people won't listen to reason. Had he listened to you, I doubt you'd be in that chair and he wouldn't be in jail....well not because of his attack on you. But he didn't. That's something you can't help. You have no power over the decisions of others. You did what anyone would have done. You defended yourself and tried to run, but they followed.”
Tracy nodded and her gaze went back to the cup. She took another drink and Lok continued. “Have you spoken to your teacher yet?”
“The Principal of my school knows. I don't know if the teachers know everything yet.” Tracy replied.
“Not that teacher. Your Tai Chi Master.” Lok picked up his own cup with one hand.
“Not yet. I've been doing a lot of lying around and healing after getting tripped.” Tracy stated.
“Then when you get home, you should set a meeting to talk to him. Tell him everything you told me and see if he agrees. But don't take the blame for this. You have no reason to feel shame.” He stated.
“Really?” Tracy asked.
Instead of answering right away, Lok leaned over the table and flicked Tracy's cheek. She sat up, startled and stared at him. He cocked his head slightly to one side and asked. “Did you have any control over me doing that?”
“No.” Tracy shook her head.
“Should you feel guilty for it?” He asked.
Tracy thought about it for a moment and shook her head again. “No, I guess not.”
“Then why should you take blame for the boy who attacked you?”
Tracy thought about it for a moment. She knew stealing was wrong. Despite what people would think about her for tattling, she was glad she told the Principal. But it was the skirt that seemed to drive Bruce crazy. “Because I had on a skirt?”
“Girls wear them.” He replied with a gesture of his hand. “Should he be allowed to attack any women who wears one?”
Tracy thought about it for a moment. “No, I guess not. But...” She paused and looked to Brooke, then at the old man. “I wasn't born a girl.” She knew the parents all knew about her male parts, but she didn't know if Brooke's grandparents knew.
“And.....?” The old man waited for a better answer. When none came, he leaned forward and smiled. “It doesn't matter what you were wearing. He was going to attack you either way. Why else would he have shown up with three friends. You yourself said that one left when he saw what the boy planned, after they saw the skirt. So no matter what, he was planning to hurt you. You have the right to defend yourself. It wouldn’t have mattered if you had on shorts, a skirt, a dress, or nothing. He was going to attack you.”
Tracy stayed quiet as she worked it over in her mind. He had said he was going to kick her ass anyway. She could recall the look on his face when he had said it. Lok could see the comprehension cross her face and he smiled, then put a hand on one of hers. “You understand now.”
“Yeah.” She nodded and her lips pulled into a small smile. “So I shouldn't feel guilty? But then why won’t the dreams go away.”
“That's a bit different. Your dreams may not be about guilt. You were attacked.” He said as he took the tea pot and re-filled his cup. “It is like soldiers who go to war. They have dreams about what happened.”
“Can you stop them?” Tracy asked.
“That I can't do. But we can try and help you deal with them. Or find ways to control them.” He replied. “But for now, enjoy the tea and relax. Have some fun and we can talk after dinner.”
“Okay. Thank you sir.” Tracy said with a smile.
It was after dinner and Tracy, Brooke, Lok and his wife, Jiao sat at the table with recipe cards all over the table. Tracy sat there with a notebook, while Brooke read off the ingredients and directions that were in Chinese. Tracy had three piles going, one was the stuff she wanted and another other was stuff she really wanted. The third was things that she was sure would never make it at their place. So far six recipes had made it into the really want pile. She wanted to stop at just one more, the rest she could get in the summer.
They had already started with the beef chow fun that they had for dinner. Tracy looked up from the most recent of recipes that had been told to her and she leaned back in her seat. “Thank you again for this.” She said to Lok and his wife.
“We don't mind. Hopefully you can find a place near your hometown that can sell some of the harder to find ingredients, but I have hope.” Lok said as he got up to fix some tea. “One more thing. I will give a list to your mother. It is teas and herbs that will help curb the nightmares, but remember, you have to be a part of this too. You got to be strong of mind for them to work, okay?”
“Yes sir.” She nodded at him.
“And when you are able to exercise again, do so before bed. Tire yourself out. That will help the tea work.”
“I will.” She replied with a nod.
“Hey, this one has promise.” Brooke held up a card for Tracy to see.
“I can't read that. What does it say?”
“It's Fried pork with spring onions.” Brooke said, as she looked over the ingredients. “I love this one. You get to soak the pork in rice wine, then fry it up.”
“Wine? I don't think my parents will let me have that. I don't think they'll let us drink yet.” Tracy stated.
“You don't drink it. You cook with it.” Brooke replied.
“Tracy.” Lok called from the stove. “The alcohol burns off. You just have the flavor. I can explain it to your mother if you think she'd be against it, but she may know about cooking with it already.”
“Well, if it burns off, then we should be fine.” Tracy stated. “What's the ingredients?” She asked as she picked up her pencil.
As Brooke read off the ingredients, Tracy took the notes as quickly as she could. Lok brought the tea pot over to the table and filled up four cups. She waited for Brooke to finish, then she put down her pencil and picked up the cup and took a drink. “Thank you, sir.”
“You're welcome.” He replied as he took his seat again. “Come on, let’s find one more recipe for you. I have a good one for you.” He began shuffling through the stack. “Ah, yes. Braised Beef, Shan-see style.” He said, his accent becoming a bit thicker.
“Shan-see?” Tracy looked up from her cup. “What's that?”
“A province in Northern China.” Lok replied. “It is spelled differently, but that's how it's pronounced.” He handed the card to his granddaughter and let the girls get busy with the translation.
Tracy was walking into Brooke's bedroom after a quick change into a sleep shirt that went to just above her knees. A second or two later, Brooke rolled into the room. Her's was the only room on the first floor of the house. The room was a bit larger then Rachel's or Sage's. It had been the den, until her accident. Now it had a double bed on one wall, a desk with no chair, plus a TV in one corner. The walls were a forest green. Tracy's wheelchair was in there already.
Brooke went past her, patting her hip as she passed. “You know you don't have to hide in the bathroom to change. I'm not going to judge or comment.”
“I....” Tracy sat in her wheelchair, just to keep out of the way. She watched her feet for a moment, wishing she hadn't been born the way she was. “I just don't want people seeing my body like this.”
“None of us will care.” Brooke replied, stopping by her dresser. “But I can understand. Sage is the same way.”
Tracy looked up as Brooke pulled off her shirt, showing a white bra underneath. She removed that too and tossed both garments into a nearby hamper. Tracy's eyes stayed on her friends chest for a moment. As Brooke started to lift up one side of her hips to remove her jeans. Tracy's cheeks went red, but she couldn't look away. She wasn't sure why. Then from below her waist, she felt a slight stirring, as something began to grow. She only turned her head when Brooke looked over at her.
“Oh....Sorry Tracy.” Brooke said with a chuckle. “I'm just used to being around Rachel, Casey and Stacey. We've changed in front of each other, a lot. I'll warn ya when I'm done.”
Tracy looked over as Brooke slid her jeans off. She got a good view of her profile. “Sorry, I'm...” She looked away again. “I've...it's stupid I guess.”
“No. You don't want that body, it's not stupid. I can understand that. And not everyone is comfortable being with naked people, or being naked themselves.” Brooke looked over as Tracy tried to sneak another peek.
“Like you?” Tracy asked as she could see Brooke's mostly bare hips through the gaps on the side of the wheelchair.
Brooke shrugged. “I didn't have much choice. After my accident, I saw so many doctors and those gowns they give you don't cover much. I learned to just put up with it. But Rachel, Stacey and Casey are different. They don't view me as a piece of meat. I'm not just an account. They are my friends who I love dearly.” She turned to face Tracy better and Tracy blushed as she realized that she was just wearing panties. Tracy's eyes did a quick once over of the mostly naked girl, pausing at key parts that she didn't have on her own body. “And honestly, you are one of my friends now.” Brooke placed her pants onto her lap.
“It's...I've never seen a naked person before, well that I remember. And at school some of the boys are all talking about how hot a girl looks and Sage and Rachel talk about the cute boys, I....” Tracy trailed off and looked to the floor, but her eyes kept drifting back up. She covered her lap with her hands. “I don't know what I like.”
Comprehension crossed Brooke's face and she nodded as the thoughts worked their way out. “So, you want to know if you like girls?”
Tracy nodded. “You're not mad, are you?”
“No, not really.” Brooke said as she tossed her jeans into the hamper and pulled out her sleep clothes from the dresser. “So, do you like girls?”
“I don't know.” Tracy answered as she looked at Brooke again. “I mean you look good, but I'm more jealous that you look that good, you know, with the boobs and stuff and I don't have it.” Tracy looked away as her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red. But there was a part of her that enjoyed seeing Brooke naked. Her eyes drifted back to her friend once more.
Brooke pulled a pair of pajama pants up her legs, taking the time to lift up in the wheelchair, then she slid on her night gown, then rolled over to Tracy. “Then we're even.” She said. “You got your legs and I don't.” She realized what she had said as she said it and guilt began to well up in her.
“Oh...I mean...I didn't....” Tracy sighed and slumped down in her chair. “I didn't mean to make it seem like there was nothing wrong with you...”
Brooke leaned over and put a hand against her cheek. “It's okay I shouldn't have said what I said, well not like how I did. I know what you're saying.” She backed up her chair and held her arms out. “Come here.” Tracy got out of her wheelchair and leaned forward, into the hug that Brooke offered.
They were quiet for a few moments, till she stood up. “Thank you for not being mad.”
“No problem. I gave up being mad over stupid shit a while ago. At least when it comes to my legs.” Brooke smiled brightly, then she fought the urge to blush as she noticed a slight bulge in Tracy's crotch and she began to suspect that her friend hadn't been completely honest with her, but she decided to not push the subject. “Besides, I bet I'm a better basketball player then you are.”
“I wouldn't doubt it.” Tracy replied.
“So, would you like to share my bed tonight?” Brooke asked, her cheeks turning a deeper shade of red as she realized what she had said. Tracy saw the change in color, but didn't say anything. “You seem to sleep better in peoples arms.”
“If you don't mind.” Tracy replied.
“Not at all, but you get the wall. It's easier for me to roll into my chair.” Brooke stated.
“Will your mom and Grandparents mind? I mean I'm not fully a girl yet.” Tracy said.
Brooke nodded. “I told them when you were changing. Stacey and Sage's mothers have told them about the dreams. So Mom expected it. Grandmother was a bit leery, but mom told her that you couldn't do anything if you wanted. But we got to keep our clothes on.”
Tracy snickered. “Not a problem.”
“Awww. I'm not cute enough for you?” Brooke teased. Tracy's mouth opened up and she was about to speak when Brooke put a finger over her lips. “Kidding. It was a joke.”
“Oh.” Tracy gave a quiet sigh of relief.
The two girls went over to the bed, pulled back the blankets and sheets. Then Tracy climbed in. watched as Brooke got out of her chair on her own and shifted her body, using her arms to the bed. When she moved to help, Brooke glared for a second and shook her head. “I got this.”
“Okay.” Tracy said. She watched in amazement as Brooke moved fully on the bed without a problem. Then she looked up. “Brooke? Want me to get the light?”
“Crud.” Brooke said. “Please?”
Tracy crawled over the bed and reached to the light switch near the end of the bed. When the light was out she was surprised to find there was a nightlight near the bed. Brooke saw her looking at it. She waited till Tracy laid back down.
“Sorry about the nightlight, I use it so I can find the wheelchair in the middle of the night if I need the bathroom.”
“Oh. That's cool. Beats reaching around in the dark.” Tracy smiled at her. “I swear Vance likes to get up and move stuff around when I'm sleeping.”
“Sounds like something a brother would do.” Brooke replied in a sad tone.
Brooke laid on her side, reached down to physically move a leg, then she touched Tracy's side. Tracy moved in closer and held the other girl. “Thank you for this.”
“No problem. I'd rather hold you then have my mom and grandparents come bursting into the room if you had a dream.” Brooke stated.
Tracy lat there for a moment, looking over Brooke as the other girl stared back at her. “Can I ask a question?” Tracy said after a few moments.
“What is it?” Brooke asked.
“Do you like girls?” Tracy asked. “I don't care, I was just wondering 'cause we were talking 'bout it earlier.”
Brooke smiled again. “I think so.” She stated. “I mean I have guys I have feelings for too, so I think I like both.”
“I wish I knew what I was feeling.” Tracy replied.
“Give it time. I'm almost twelve. I've had time to figure things out while I got better.” Brooke said. “Besides, you got more going on than who you like.”
“I guess you're right.” Tracy stated.
“It's my gift.” Brooke giggled.
December 22nd 1982
Livermore CA
Tracy woke up before the sun and had to answer the call of nature. She was thankful that the house wasn't full of people so she wouldn't have to wait. As she sat up, she noticed that Brooke wasn't in bed with her and her wheelchair was already out of the room. She quietly made her way to the bathroom and stepped in. A few minutes later, as she stepped out of the bathroom, Brooke came rolling up to her, still in just a nightgown and pajama pants.
The girl in the chair smiled at her. “Hey, I wanna show you something.”
“Okay....” Tracy looked at her, wondering what it could be. She followed Brooke through the house and into the kitchen. Once there they went to the sliding glass door and she gestured for Tracy to come closer.
Brooke carefully opened up the door and rolled out onto the porch. Tracy followed, stopping long enough to shut the sliding door. They went to the end of the porch and Tracy could see Brooke's grandmother, Jiao, in the middle of the yard, going through the paces of Tai Chi. She wore the type of uniform that Tracy wore to her own classes, the loose pants and the shirt that buttoned down in the front, like the ones Bruce Lee seemed to wear in every movie, but Jiao's was silk. The thing that really caught her attention, was the fan that was in the old woman's hand. Tracy knew people could use weapons in Tai Chi, but she had never seen a fan being used.
She became mesmerized by the movements. The gentle swaying of the hands, then a fast popping of the wrist, causing the fan to snap out. Brooke was watching, and trying to mimic the movements of her grandmother, but without the leg movements, it seemed out of place. They stood there in silence watching the older lady do her workout.
Tracy watched, wishing she could have joined in. Once more she swore internally at Bruce. She could have been having a lot of fun the past few days, but she had felt like she was dragging everyone down. Sure, She knew Brooke was in a chair too, but she had control over it. With her wrist just finally getting better, she could barely move it on her own.
“I wish I could do that stuff.” Brooke whispered loud enough for Tracy to hear. “I mean I can move my arms, but it's not the same.”
Tracy looked at her for a moment. She felt guilty for what had happened, even though it wasn't her fault. “I'm sorry.”
“It's okay.” Brooke replied. “I try to act like it doesn't bother me, but it does.”
“You didn't have to bring me out here.” Tracy said.
“I don't mind. You said you’re into that and I doubt you'd ever seen someone use a fan before.”
“Thank you. It is...” she watched for a moment and she smiled. “It's really cool. My teacher wont let me work with weapons yet.”
“Give it time.” Brooke said.
“Yeah. I just hate waiting” Tracy sighed.
“Me too.” Brooke nodded.
Ok, so I lied. One more day of Livermore, then off to Palermo CA.
“I had a talk with her yesterday morning. She actually opened up to me and I felt you needed to know about it.” Shelly came out and handed a can of soda to her. Persephone opened it up and took a quick sip. “She's had so much fun the past few days, she's dreading having to be Troy for Christmas.”
“When the family is up?” Maggie asked.
“Yeah. She understands that Troy is a necessary evil, but she hates it. She gets to be who she wants now, but when school starts again, she has to hide herself under the guise of Troy and she hates it.”
“I don't know if there's much we can do for her.” Maggie replied. “If we let her go to that school, as Tracy, the abuse she'd suffer...” Maggie let the sentence hang. The others knew the possibilities.
“How did the meeting with that therapist go before you came down?”
Maggie shook her head. “It didn't. She spent most of the time calling her Troy and asking why he had worn a skirt.”
“Maggie? Could I offer a suggestion?” Persephone asked as she leaned back in the couch.
Thanks to Djkauf for the Editing
Last part of Livermore for a while. But not the end of Tracy and her friends
Note: Rating gone up slightly due to a little issue brought in at the end
December 22nd 1982
Livermore CA
It had been a good drive down to Livermore. Maggie had talked Modine into getting out of the house. She just knew that the older lady needed to take it easy. They had left just after noon, so Maggie was able to put a few hours in at work. She allowed Vance to ride along, mostly so someone could strong arm the wheelchair into the trunk. The talk on the way down was the typical stuff. Family, friends, the upcoming holidays and teasing Vance about Sage.
They pulled into the parking lot for Shelly's townhouse and Maggie shut off the car. A couple of parking spots over sat Lynn's car, Lilian's car and Persephone's bus. Maggie smiled at that and got out of the car. “Son, I need you to grab our bags, okay?”
“Sure, Mom.” He replied as he got out of the car and went to the trunk. He followed his grandmother and mother around to the front door of the house.
“Should have guessed they'd all be here.” Maggie said as she knocked.
“Who?” Modine asked.
“Persephone, Lynn and Lilian.” Maggie replied “I just expected Persephone.”
“Maybe they all wanted to talk, away from the girls.” Modine shrugged.
“Possibly.” Maggie gave a slight nod as they heard the door lock being undone.
“Maggie.” Persephone said as she opened up the door to Shelly's house. “Modine.” Vance came up and she could see what he was wearing. A nice button down shirt and clean khaki pants. “Hello Vance. May you look nice today. But Sage isn't here.” He didn't reply, but his cheeks turned a bright red.
“”Where are the girls?” Maggie asked.
“They're at the local high school right now, watching Brooke and her team practice, so we have some time.” Persephone held the door to the house open and gestured inside.
“Team?” Maggie asked.
“Basketball. She's on a youth league team.” Persephone replied.
“Youth team? It's not connected to the school?” Modine asked as she went in.
“Brooke is a paraplegic. She's on a team for paraplegic kids. They are quite good. I think they're near the top of their age level for the central part of the state.”
“Oh. I see.” Modine nodded. “sounds like an interesting girl.”
“She's pretty interesting. But then all of them are.” Persephone said with a grin.
Modine went inside and Maggie stopped at Persephone for a moment. “How has she been?”
“She's had a few bad nights, from what I was told.” Persephone replied.
“Oh.” Maggie was silent for a moment . “I'll take it the nightmares have stayed?”
“Yes.” Lilian answered from the living room.
“Yeah. They got worse, too. She ran into two girls that she goes to school with. That girl from the hospital? Mary...Mary something, I forgot the other part to her name.” Persephone said.
“Mary Beth?” Maggie asked.
“Yeah, that's her.” Lilian said with a nod
“Crap. So she knows about Tracy?” Maggie asked.
Persephone went to one of the couches and took a seat. Modine and Maggie followed. “Yeah, but there's good news. Their Aunt is the receptionist for Sage's therapist. Lilian and her all talked to the girls to show them why they needed to keep quiet.”
“That's good. So they won't talk?” Maggie leaned back in her seat.
“Not that I know of.” Lilian replied. “I know your daughter had a new dream and it was about people finding out.”
“I can understand that.” Maggie said.
“Would you like anything to drink?” Shelly asked from the kitchen. “We can discuss the past few days with a nice snack.”
“That would be great.” Modine smiled at the shorter woman. “You need help with that?”
“I got it Modine, but thank you.” Shelly replied. She looked at the boy near the door. “Vance, I'll get you a soda, if you can get those bags to the guest rooms.”
“Okay.” He said as he started up the steps. Maggie and Modine took seats on the loveseat closest to the door.
“So has Tracy been good?” Maggie asked.
“Good as gold at my place.” Lynn replied. “The dream woke us up, but it's okay.”
“She had one at my place, too.” Lilian replied. “But we also had those other girls there. From what Sage told me, she dreamed that she was at school and everyone knew.”
“She didn't have one at my place.” Persephone stated. “Not bad enough to cause her to wake up.”
“Really?” Maggie asked. “What happened differently?”
“Sage held her the first night they were at my place. I looked in on them as I was about to go to bed and Tracy was curled up into a ball in her arms. Not last night, but Monday night, Stacey held her. She slept the whole night in their arms. It's a safe bet that being held is helping calm her mind.”
“That's good, but I don't know about that when we get home.” Maggie said.
“Well, Lok, he's Brooke's grandfather, he's trying herbal remedies and Chinese wisdom to help her out.” Persephone replied.
“I know the girls have got her something for Christmas. They were hoping it will take the place of one of them.” Lynn stated.
“What is it?” Maggie asked.
“A large stuffed bear.” Lynn said with a smile.
“Here's hoping.” Maggie nodded.
“But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about.” Persephone leaned forward. “Maggie, what would happen if Tracy stays? How would you and William handle it?”
“Honestly, I think we could take it very well.” Maggie replied. “Why?”
“I had a talk with her yesterday morning. She actually opened up to me and I felt you needed to know about it.” Shelly came out and handed a can of soda to her. Persephone opened it up and took a quick sip. “She's had so much fun the past few days, she's dreading having to be Troy for Christmas.”
“When the family is up?” Maggie asked.
“Yeah. She understands that Troy is a necessary evil, but she hates it. She gets to be who she wants now, but when school starts again, she has to hide herself under the guise of Troy and she hates it.”
“I don't know if there's much we can do for her.” Maggie replied. “If we let her go to that school, as Tracy, the abuse she'd suffer...” Maggie let the sentence hang. The others knew the possibilities.
“How did the meeting with that therapist go before you came down?”
Maggie shook her head. “It didn't. She spent most of the time calling her Troy and asking why he had worn a skirt.”
“Maggie? Could I offer a suggestion?” Persephone asked as she leaned back in the couch.
“Sure.” Maggie replied. “Anything if it helps my child.”
The girls made their way back into the house with a very tired Brooke. They made their way into the kitchen and sat about the table. Rachel and Sage took over and grabbed glasses for everyone out of the cupboard, then began filling them with water and handing them out. As Tracy got hers, the phone rang and Brooke looked around the room for her mother. It rang a second time and Brooke wheeled herself over to the phone and picked it up. “Han residence. Brooke speaking.” The rest of the girls just sat at the table while Brooke talked. They all looked over when they heard her say. “Yeah, she's here.” She held the phone out and smiled. “Tracy, phone's for you.”
Tracy got up and slowly went to the phone, then took it from Brooke and cautiously held it to her ear, as though whoever was on the other end was going to attack her. “Hello? This is Tracy.”
“Well hello, young lady.” Maggie's voice sounded in her ear. “How are you doing?”
Tracy smiled brightly. “I'm fine, Mama. We just got back from a basketball game.”
“So I heard.” Her mother stated. “Have you been enjoying yourself?”
“Yes. I've had lots of fun so far.”
“I heard that too.” Maggie was silent for a moment, then she asked. “Sweetie, do you have anything planned for tomorrow morning?”
“Not really. Why?” Tracy asked.
“I'm actually in town and I was wondering if you'd like to talk to someone...someone who maybe can help us out with you wanting to be Tracy.” Maggie said.
“Like another therapist?” Tracy groaned for a moment and her shoulders slumped. “I...will they be like that woman in Chico?”
“I asked the same question, but Persephone told me to have you ask Sage what she thinks of her therapist.” Maggie replied.
“Um....okay?” Tracy held the phone away from her ear and looked at Sage and the girls who were all looking at her, wondering what was going on. “Sage? My mom asked me to ask you what you think of your therapist?”
“Doctor Ivan?” The happiness in her voice was matched with her bright smile. “He's totally awesome. Why? Is your mom going to take you to him?”
“I don't know.” Tracy put the phone against her ear and sat on a stool next to the phone. “She likes him. Why?”
“Because you have an appointment tomorrow morning at eight. Persephone managed to talk him into coming in early for you.” Maggie replied. “I know it's short notice, but she explained a lot of what has been happening in your life to him.”
“Really?” Tracy's spirits picked up again. “So I may be able to be Tracy all the time?”
“One step at a time dear. But this should be a better step then the last one.” Maggie told her.
“So are you coming to get me tonight?” Tracy asked. By this time Sage had come over to the phone and was waiting patiently.
Maggie chuckled. “Not at all. We'll pick you up at about eight. Then we'll try for a lunch with all your friends before we leave town, okay?”
Sage began tapping her shoulder till she looked at her. “Are you leaving?”
“No. But she's got me an appointment tomorrow morning with your therapist guy.” Tracy smiled at her. “I get to stay for the night, then we can all have lunch before I leave for home.”
“Ask your mother if I can go.” Sage said, she held her hands up in a begging motion.
“Sage wants to know if she can come along. In fact she's begging.” Tracy asked. “Can she? I mean she knows him, may help out.”
“Persephone said to expect that.” Maggie chuckled. Tracy could hear the phone moving and her mother called out. “You're right, Sage asked.” There was a few voices in the background, then Maggie spoke up again. “Her mother said yes.”
“Awesome.” Tracy nodded her head at Sage who hugged her tightly.
“And as an added surprise, your Grandmother is with me.” Maggie stated.
“Grandma too?!?” Tracy squealed with delight. She looked to her friends at the table who were looking on in confusion. “My grandma is in town with my mother. You get to meet her tomorrow!”
Once she was sure her daughter was paying attention again, Maggie chuckled over the phone. “Tracy, I need to let you go. I'll see you and Sage at seven tomorrow morning. But before you hang up, put Karen on the phone, Persephone wants to talk to her.”
December 23rd 1982
It was just before seven in the morning when Maggie and Persephone pulled up to Karen's house. Modine had stayed with Shelly and Vance. They went up to the door and as Maggie's finger was about to touch the doorbell, when the door whipped open, revealing Sage. “You're here!”
“Um...yeah.” Maggie said, blinking at the door. “Where's Tracy?”
“She's getting ready. She's almost done.”” Sage turned and gestured them to follow. Karen came around the corner and smiled at them.
“Maggie!” She went over an hugged the woman. “I keep good thoughts for her appointment today. Just let us know if this becomes a monthly thing and we can find ways to put Tracy up for a night. I know my Father has taken a shine to her.”
“Really?” Maggie looked stunned.
“Oh yeah. He does a lot of the cooking in the house and Brooke has never taken an interest in it. So to have a girl to pass on family recipes to, means he's happy.”
“She hasn't been bugging him for recipes, has she?” Maggie asked.
“Not at all. They got to talking about food the other day and it went on to different recipes and stuff like that.” Karen led them to the living room where the girls are sat.
Tracy had her back to the door, while Brooke and Stacey each worked on doing her hair up in braided pigtails that fell almost to her neckline. “And we're done.” Brooke said as she rolled her wheelchair back.
Tracy stood up and turned around, then she moved as fast as she could, which wasn't all that fast. She wrapped her arms around her mother and hugged her tightly. “Hello, Mama!”
“Hello, baby.” Maggie replied. “Having fun I see?”
“Oh yeah.” Tracy nodded. “So how do I look?” She asked. She had on her nicest skirt and a matching shirt. There was no makeup on her face.
“Very pretty.” Maggie said with a smile.
“Thank you.” She let go of her mother and swayed her hips to each side.
“But we should get going.” Maggie said. “I promise to drop you off when we're done.”
“Okay, Mama.”
Tracy sat in a chair next to Sage. There was no music playing over the speakers in the waiting room. It was just quiet. Tracy was glad that they were the only ones there at the moment. Her stomach was doing flips as she sat there, worrying about what would happen. Sage sat there, reading one of the many magazines that littered the table in the center of the waiting room.
“It's going to be fine.” Sage said as she looked over to her friend once more.
“I know, but why did he want to see my Mother first?” Tracy asked.
“He does that with my Mom too. He wants to hear from an adult, then he'll talk to you, then you and your mother.”
“Okay. But why did your mother go in too?” Tracy asked.
“I think it's about what you talked about the other day.” Sage replied. “I really don't know.”
“Do you think he'll let you go in with me?”
Sage shrugged as Persephone came out. “Who knows?” The older woman walked over and took a seat next to her daughter. “Is it her turn yet?” Sage asked.
“No. He wanted to talk to Maggie alone before he talks to Tracy.” Persephone picked up a magazine on woman’s health and began flipping pages.
“Do you think he'll let me go in there with Tracy?” Sage asked.
“You can ask, but I wouldn't push it. I'll bet he wants to hear from her and see how she is on her own.”
Tracy leaned past Persephone. “Why did you go in there with Mom?”
Persephone put the magazine on her lap and looked at Tracy. “To be honest, I wanted to tell him about our talk the other day.”
“Oh.” Tracy replied. “Should I tell him anything?”
“Yes.” Persephone smiled at her. “Tell him the truth. Tell him how you feel about everything. And nothing less then that.”
Maggie came out of the back office, dabbing at her eyes with a Kleenex. The Doctor, a man with salt and pepper hair came out with her an pointed to a bathroom. “You can clean up in there.” He said in a whisper. “I'll call you back in a few minutes, okay?”
“Okay.” Maggie sniffled.
“Tracy?” The man gestured to her. “Come on back.”
“Can Sage come with me?” Tracy asked.
“In a little bit.” He replied. He watched her expression fall a bit and he went over to her and dropped to one knee. “I'll bring her in, but I want to cover some things with just you, okay? No one knows you better, than you.”
“It's okay. I can wait my turn.” Sage gave her a nod. “Go on, tell him everything.”
Tracy gave her a halfhearted smile and followed the doctor into the back office. On one side of the room was a desk. The other side had a couch and a chair facing another chair. He took the chair facing the couch and gestured for her to take the couch. She straightened out her skirt before she sat down. Her legs crossed just above the ankles.
“So, Tell me a little about yourself, Tracy.” He said as he pulled out a notebook and began to write. “Just the little things right now. What do you like to do, friends, family, stuff like that.” He watched her out for little clues and gestures.
“Okay.” Tracy replied. She leaned back in the chair, trying to relax and failing at it. “I like to cook. My Grandma and Mama have been teaching me how to. I like to ride my bike, but I can't right now.”
He nodded slightly. “Because of your injury?”
“Yeah. Did Mom tell you about that?” She asked.
“She covered some of it, but we'll get to that soon. Right now I want to know about you. Do you do anything else? Sports? Reading? Skydiving?” He smiled at the last one and she chuckled.
“No I don't skydive. I mean I read. I like to read too. I ride my bike too. I don't really do any sports, other than Tai Chi.” Tracy replied. He noticed her smile dipped, but got stronger.
“Tell me about that. Why did you pick that style.”
“Well Dad made my brother and me take up a style of fighting. Vance picked boxing, mostly because my dad did that back when he was younger. I didn't want to learn any of that, so I picked Tai Chi because it could be a fighting style, but mostly it focuses on yourself.”
“I see. And do you like it?” Ivan asked.
“I do now. At first it was tough. But I got better. I saw a different form of it while I was at a friend’s house and I wanna learn that too.” Tracy stated.
“I'd like to hear about your family. Tell me about your mother and then how you feel she's been with you being Tracy.”
“She's great.” Tracy smiled brightly. “She's always been there when I needed her, well unless she was working. But I love her, a lot.”
“And now that you're Tracy? Has that relationship gotten stronger?” He asked again.
Tracy's smile stayed and she nodded briskly. “Oh yeah. On the weekends, we cook together, we hang out and talk. She was going to teach me how to sew here after the new year.” Her cheeks turned a deep red. “she even taught me to shave my legs.”
“And when she first found about Tracy, how did you think she'd act?”
“I thought she'd be mad. I really did. But my Grandmother said she knew.” Tracy replied.
He leaned forward. “So your Grandparents knew all along too?”
“No, just my grandmother. In fact my Grandpa didn't find out till we were in Livermore around Thanksgiving.”
“And your Grandmother is okay with this?” He asked.
“Oh yeah! She helped with money to buy me some clothes and for the first few months after they found me, I was able to be Tracy at her place with no problems, as long as Grandpa was out of town.” Tracy smiled. She was waiting for the all clear from the doctor so she could spend the night at her grandmother’s place again.
“So who's clothes did you use before your grandmother bought you the new stuff?”
“My mother’s.” Tracy blushed from embarrassment.
“And did you put all this together today?” He gestured to her clothes.
“All but the hair. My girlfriends, Stacey and Brooke braided my pigtails.”
“Well it's good to have friends who are willing to help. Now back to your Grandfather for a moment. He wasn't in on this then? How did he act when he found out?” Ivan made a few quick notes, but kept his attention on Tracy.
Tracy's smile faded once more. “Grandma said he was mad. She never said what he said, but I was told to stay away from him. She even kicked him out of their house, until he was nice to me again.”
Ivan nodded. “And has he made peace?”
“After the attack.” Tracy replied.
Ivan held up the finger to stop her again. “Okay. What about your father?”
Tracy scrunched up her nose as she thought about it. “Dad confused me.” She stated.
“How so?”
Tracy bit her lower lip, trying to figure out how to word her thoughts. “He's always pushed us to be a man. To not show emotions and stuff. So I hid Tracy from him. But he found out and met me in Livermore at our Aunt's place. He said he was okay with me being Tracy. He even made Vance ride with Mom when we came home from San Francisco that weekend.”
“And he doesn't do that often?”
“No. Usually he hangs out with Vance, cause they like sports and camping and stuff.” Tracy replied.,
“And how did you like that?” Ivan asked.
“I loved it.” Tracy smiled brightly. “He called me his daughter all day and even called me Princess.”
Ivan chuckled. “Very good. Now how about your brother. How has he been.”
“Well when he first found out, he told his friends. They're the ones who beat me up. But Grandma made him wear a dress for a week or so and then he got nice.” Tracy shrugged. “He's been okay, I guess. I mean he mostly wanted to hang out with me once I came down here, because he has the hots for Sage.”
Ivan's eyebrow went up and he scribbled down a note. “Tell me about school and your friends there.”
“I only got one friend at school really. That's Peter.” She smiled again and sat up. “He's known me as Troy, but likes me like this.”
“So no other friends at school?” Ivan cocked his head to the side.
“Well, there are a couple of girls that I know from school. We met them at a mall around here. They're the nieces of the lady in the front office.”
“Oh....So you met Mary Beth and Emily May.” He nodded. “How about your new friends? Do they know about you? Both the ones here and back home.”
“Oh yeah. Sage and Rachel said Stacey, Casey and Brooke would understand and I didn't believe them, but when we told them, they were totally fine about it. Mary Beth had heard Peter slip up and call me Tracy at school. They found us at the mall and they seem okay.”
“Good for you. True friends are rare to find.” Ivan tapped his pencil against the tablet for a moment, then took a deep breath. “I would like to talk about your attack now. I know it started before the date of the attack, so I'd like to hear it all, if that's okay with you. But give me a moment.” He got up and went to the door. A few moments later, Maggie, Sage and Persephone came in. Her mother and Sage sat on either side of her, Persephone took the chair next to her. “Okay. Tell me what happened that day.”
“It actually started before that day, so I'll start there.” Tracy nodded and gave a deep sigh. She began to tell him the story of how she found Bruce and Frankie stealing in the classroom. She took the time to point out that they were Vance's old friends. She covered the trip to Livermore and Meeting of Sage and Rachel. He watched as her mood went from dark, to happy, then back to dark.
She wanted to skip the part of the attempted rape, but she remembered what Persephone and Sage had told her. She told the story, every little detail. She continued with the stories of her nightmares and her confrontation with Clark. She told him about Mary Beth and Emily May and the nightmare she had when they slept over. By time she was done, tears were streaking down her face.
“The first thing I want to say is this. You are not to blame.” Ivan leaned forward and kept his eyes on her. “Sure, you were outside, but you are not to blame for them attacking you.”
“Okay.” Tracy sniffled.
“Tracy, he was a bad kid, out to hurt you for what you said to the Principal. You yourself said that. You can't blame yourself for his actions, just from what you wore that day.”
“That's what Lok said.” Tracy stated.
“Lok?” Ivan asked.
“A friend’s grandfather. Old wise Chinese guy.” Sage said.
“Then I can't be wrong if someone else agrees with me.” He handed her a box of Kleenex, then sat back and waited for her to relax a little.
“I'm trying. But I'm so afraid.” She said.
“Life is rarely easy. That goes double for something you want badly.” He stated. “But Tracy, how would you feel if I told you that you had to leave here and never be Tracy again?”
“I'd hate it. I don't want to be Troy. I hate being Troy.” She looked up and her gaze caught Ivan's. “I'd rather die, than be Troy again.”
Maggie held back a gasp, but she hugged her daughter tighter. Ivan looked from Tracy, to Maggie. “What about you? What if I made her go back to being Troy?”
“I only want my child happy. And when she's her true self, when she's Tracy, she's happy.” Maggie replied.
“Good.” He wrote down another note. Then he leaned back in his seat. “Tracy, I want you to do me a favor.”
“What?” She warily asked.
“Do you have a diary?”
“No.” She shook her head.
“When you get the chance, I want you to get one. I want you to write it in daily. Write about whatever you want to. School, friends, life in general. Just write daily. If you have to write more, then go ahead.” He looked to Maggie. “Do you think you'd be able to bring her down here once a month?”
“I'm not sure. I could get together with my husband and check the finances. But I think it may be possible.” Maggie replied.
“Well I want to see her next month.” He shifted his gaze to Tracy who held a straight face. “Bring your diary.”
“Okay.” Tracy nodded.
Ivan looked back at Maggie. “If you can't make it here, I may be able to meet you in Sacramento. But I'd rather not hold meetings in a restaurant or a park. I like the privacy of an office.”
Persephone cut in. “If she needs to get here, I'm sure we can work something out.”
“Good.” Ivan looked to Tracy. “You'll have to be Troy at school and around people who don't know, but I think it would be bad to force you to be Troy all the time. So I want you to keep being Tracy when you feel safe. Around your family and friends that know.”
Tracy and Sage began to squeal in delight. Maggie began to chuckle. The two girls got up and Tracy moved as quickly as she could to hug Ivan. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
They had pulled up to Karen's house and before Maggie could shut off the car, the door exploded outwards and four girls came rushing out. Maggie just began chuckling as they swarmed around the backdoor, helping Tracy out of the car.
“How did it go?!?” Rachel asked, half jumping in place.
“I get to stay Tracy!” She bounced for a moment, till she remembered her mother was watching her. The others began squealing.
“Come on girls, let's get you all inside.” Maggie said as she went to the trunk and pulled out Tracy's wheelchair. She waited while her daughter got in, then she pushed her up and into the house. “Tracy, we'll be back in an hour or three. Then we’ll grab lunch before we leave town, okay?”
“Okay, Mama.” Tracy said as Sage took over the job of pushing her.
Tracy watched as her mother and Persephone both left, then Sage took her to the living room where all the girls were seating by the coffee table. On the table was a large, wrapped object, almost two foot tall. All five of them called out “Merry Christmas!” As she came into the room. Sage stopped her by the table and set her brakes.
“That's...that's for me?” She asked, tears of joy beginning to form.
Rachel read the tag and then nodded. “Only one Tracy here right now, That's you.”
“But I didn't get you guys anything.” She stated.
“Hey, you came up here. That's good enough.” Brooke answered.
“Come on, open it.” Stacey pushed it closer to her and then stepped back.
Tracy stared at the package for a moment and read the tag. “To Tracy, from your new friends” A tear raced down her cheek.
Sage leaned over. “Come on. We all pitched in to get you this.”
Tracy began ripping the paper, till she saw the nose of a brown stuffed bear. She finished pulling the bear out of his paper prison an held him up. She smiled at it and then hugged it tightly. “Thank you.” She said, her voice cracking slightly.
“This was all of our idea.” Rachel said. “You seemed to sleep better when someone holds you. But when you go home, you won’t have that.”
Sage put a hand on her shoulder. “So we decided to improvise. Plus, you don't have any stuffed animals, so we had to fix that.”
“Thank you.” Tracy said, standing up. The girls began to surround her in a giant group hug.
Tracy let Vance walk their grandmother home, while she went into the house with her mother, her bag slung over her shoulder and her teddy bear in her arms. Maggie brought in the dinner they had picked up from KFC. The trip back had been good, but she was already missing her new friends. Tracy took her bag off her shoulder as her father came out of the kitchen with a fresh glass of water.
“Well hello, stranger.” He said with a smile.
“Hi, Daddy.” She replied and went to hug him, squeezing the teddy bear between the two of them.
“And who's your little friend?” He asked.
“You like him? I got him from My friends.” She replied as she let go of her father.
“Well he sure is nice. Did you thank them?” He asked as she headed for her bedroom.
“Yeah.” She stopped in the doorway. “They got him because of my nightmares.”
“They think a bear will stop them?”William watched her for a moment. “I mean he does look tough.”
“Well.....” He cheek began to burn red as she turned away from him. “We kinda found I don't get bad dreams when someone holds me. So we're hoping that Mr. Cuddles helps keep them away.”
“I see. Well I hope it works.” He replied. “Go and put your stuff on your bed. We can unpack you later.”
“Okay, Daddy.” She turned and slowly walked to her room. Maggie came out of the kitchen and he looked at her. “Mr Cuddles?” He whispered.
“She named him.” Maggie whispered back. “He got to ride in the center of the back seat, in a seat belt too.”
“Cute.” He chuckled. “So how did the appointment go today?”
“It went well. But you should wait for your daughter to fill you in.” Maggie said. “She can fill you in after dinner.”
“Okay. I guess I can wait a little bit more.” He nodded. “It's just nice to have her back here.”
“Yeah, it was getting too damn quiet around here.” Maggie agreed.
December 24th 1982
Northern California
It was just before nine in the morning of Christmas eve and the house was quiet, except for the sounds of Christmas music and the occasional pot or pan clinking. Tracy had already taken her shower and was dressed for the day in a denim skirt with a blue shirt. But due to the cold house she had on a flannel shirt for warmth. She was in the kitchen with her mother, helping with prep work for the family dinner on Christmas.
She still wasn't allowed to lift anything, so mostly she was reading recipe books, pealing potatoes and helping with the apple pies and cookies. She was doing her best to follow the doctor's instructions, even though it had been two weeks since the last check up and she was feeling better, but the next check up wasn't till the Monday after Christmas.
Her mother had let her stop using the wheelchair, mostly due to the small size of the kitchen. Tracy had taken over the kitchen table, with a trash can in front of her and a large bowl for the potatoes on the table. Her mother was at the counter, looking over what she had in the cupboard. “So what do you think, Tracy?” Her mother asked, pulling her daughters attention from her work. “Apple, cherry or pumpkin?”
“How many people will be there?” Tracy asked.
“Let's see.” Maggie began counting on her fingers. “The four of us, your grandparents, Amber and her family, Olivia. Carter couldn't get leave to come home and neither could Walter.” Maggie looked at her. “So fifteen or us.”
Tracy gave a light groan, one she hoped her mother didn't hear. “How about all three? We can have leftovers. Plus that many kids....”
“True.” Maggie began pulling stuff out of the cupboards. “So what's with the groan?”
“Amber's coming up.” Tracy replied.
“You used to like Amber.” Maggie stated.
“Mom, I love Amber, but I can't stand Alex. And Little Johnny is just as bad.” Tracy replied. She never had any problem with her cousins, none of them. But Amber had married a man who believed that women belonged in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant. She could still remember the fight they had one year at Christmas when Amber said she had found a job. It got worse when she started making more then her husband. Amber's son, Alex was worse then Vance had been and his father always looked the other way when he was in trouble.
“Just think of it this way. It's one day, then they leave on Sunday. Plus it's Christmas, we have to make sacrifices for family.” Maggie said with a shrug.
“I guess. But does this mean that he'll be doing dishes with Vance this year?” Tracy asked.
“They both should. I mean you've been doing them since you were nine. Why can't they.” Maggie pulled out a pie dish when a car pulled up into the driveway. Maggie looked through the window over the stove. “Wonder who that is?” She said, trying to get a good view. A moment later, someone knocked at the door. “I'll be right back.”
Tracy kept peeling as her mother walked into the living room and opened up the door. She heard her mother say. “Peter! Come on in.” Tracy put the half peeled potato in the bowl and got out of her seat, went to the sink to quickly clean her hands. She hurried into the living room to find Peter standing there.
“Peter!” Tracy tried to hurry over to him and threw her arms around him in a tight hug. “I didn't expect to see you today.”
“We're going to my Grandparents and I won't be home until after Christmas, so I wanted to give you your Christmas present now.” He held out a thin, rectangular box. “Merry Christmas, Tracy.”
She took it and looked at the wrapped box. “Can I open it now?” She asked, looking from Peter to her mother.
“Well it's up to him.” Maggie said as she went into the kitchen.
“Would you?” He asked. “I kinda wanna see your face when you see it.”
She didn't waste any time. She tore the paper and found a thin, black jewelry case there. She opened it up, very slowly and gasped as the light's reflected on a small gold chain and a ruby red gem in the middle of a silver pendant.
“You...you don't like it?” He hesitantly asked. “I know I couldn't afford a real ruby and it is your birth stone....” Before he could continue, she cut him off.
“It's beautiful.” Her voice was almost a whisper. She ran her fingers over the gem an tears began to form in her eyes. She wrapped her arms around Peter once more. “Thank you.” This time her voice cracked and she pulled away from the hug and wiped tears from her eyes.
“I figured you didn't have any earrings or necklaces and stuff and pretty girls should wear jewelry.” Peter stated.
“You think I'm pretty?” Tracy asked.
“The prettiest girl I know.” Peter's cheek turned a deep shade of red. “Can I put it on you?”
“Please?” She smiled, then took it out of the box and handed it to him and turned around. She could see her mother watching them from the doorway, a huge smile on her lips.
“There.” Peter said after a few moments. She turned around, and a sudden case of shyness came over her. She bit her lower lip, crossed one foot behind the other and her head was lowered, but her gaze stayed on Peter. “Does it look good?”
“It looks awesome.” He replied.
She suddenly stood up and went to the tree. “Before I forget, I got this for you.” She grabbed a larger package, grimaced a little from pain as she took it over to him. She held it out for him. “Open it.”
He raised an eyebrow, then slowly pulled the paper off. In his hands sat a new tackle box. “Thank you.” He said. “I've needed a new tackle box for a while.”
“Open it.” She smiled brighter. He did and his smile brightened as he rifled though a bunch of lures, and weights that she had put in there for him. Then he lifted up a tray and found a piece of paper. He picked it up and began reading. “Two free passes to the movies? Awesome!” He put an arm around her and hugged her as tightly as he could. “Thank you.”
“I know you like your fishing gear and you've been looking at that box for months now.” She said with a grin.
“You saw that?” He said, a bit embarrassed.
“Um, I've been with you each time we were at the sporting goods store.” Tracy said.
“Hey...um.” Peter closed the tackle box and looked at her. “Can I introduce you to my mother?” He asked.
“She knows me.” Tracy replied.
“No. She knows Troy. Don't be mad, but I told her about you and she's totally cool with it.” Peter said.
“You told her about me?” A look of worry crossed her face. Peter put a hand against her cheek and nodded.
“She wanted to know who I bought the necklace for.” He stated. “So, can I introduce you to her? Please?”
Tracy looked to her mother, who just shrugged. “Up to you sweetheart, but if she knows about you, then you should at least be nice enough to say hello.”
“I'll have her come in...” Peter looked to Maggie. “If that's okay with you.”
“Fine by me. It's better then Tracy being outside too much.” Maggie stated.
Peter went outside and Maggie came over to her daughter, who was inspecting the necklace once more. “Isn’t it pretty, Mama?”
“Yes it is.” Maggie said as she looked at it. She heard Peter knock and the door and she just chuckled. “You were just in here Peter, come on in.”
Peter came in with his mother. Tracy tried to take a step back, but ended up pressing against her mother. Peter smiled at Tracy and gestured to her, then looked at his mother. “Mom, this is Tracy.”
“I guessed as much.” She smiled as she stepped closer. She held out a hand. “It's nice to finally see you smile, Tracy.”
“We've met before, but thank you, Ma'am.”
“And polite, too.” She smiled at Maggie. “You should be proud of your daughter.”
“Trust me. She makes me proud on a daily basis. But then so does Vance.”
“Trust me, I can understand. Both of my sons make me proud.” Claire replied.
“Would you like a cup of tea? Or hot chocolate?” Maggie asked.
“I'd love some, but we need to get moving.” She replied. “My parents will worry if we're late.”
“I can understand that.” Maggie nodded. “How about when you get home. We can have a nice cup of coffee while the kids hang out.”
“That sounds wonderful.” She put a hand on Tracy's shoulder. “You look very pretty.”
“Thank you.” Tracy said before giving her a big hug.
“Peter, I'll give you a moment, I'll meet you in the car.” His mother turned and headed for the door. As if on cue, Maggie went to the kitchen and Tracy found herself alone in the living room with Peter.
“Well, I....” He started to say. “I...um...” His cheeks kept their bright red color as he stood there, stammering his words.
“Peter.” Tracy looked up at him and smiled. “Thank you for the beautiful necklace. And Thank you for calling me pretty.”
“I meant it too.” He pulled her into a hug. Once again a familiar sensation began to occur below her waist, the last time she had felt it was at Brooke's house. She moved her hips so Peter wouldn't feel anything odd. A part of her wanted him to scoop her up, off her feet and carry her to her room. But a bigger part wanted him to just kiss her, and it wanted that kiss badly.
After a few moments, he heard his mother’s car start up and he slowly let go of Tracy. “I uh...I need to get going. I'll call when I get home.”
“I can't wait.” Tracy replied. She watched him go out the door, then she went into the kitchen, sat back in her chair at the table and gave out a contented sigh.
Awwwww. Isn't that sweet? Next up Christmas 1982
The log in the stove had begun to burn. It lit up the room through the tempered, frosted glass enough to show him Tracy walking towards him. She had a blanket in one hand and Mr. Cuddles in the other. Her hair was flattened on one side and sticking up on the other. She had on a thicker nightgown and flannel pajamas. He smiled at her as she stopped at the couch. The image reminded him of how Troy looked when he had been younger, before their Dad insisted that boys didn't need teddy bears after a certain age. She looked like a small child, security blanket in one hand, bear in the other. “Can we join you?” She whispered.
“Yeah.” He pulled his leg from off the couch and let his sister sit down. She put Mr. Cuddles against her chest, then put her blanket over her and her bear. Vance didn't know why he did what he did, but he reached over and whispered. “Come here.” Then helped her scoot over to his side of the couch, then pulled her against his side. She leaned against him and watched the firelight dancing on the Christmas Tree. “Sorry if I woke you up.” He said in a whisper.
A big thanks to Djkauf for the editing again.
More of Tracy at Christmas time.
Note: The rating has gone up because of Tracy recalling events at Brooke's place
December 24th 1982
Home of William and Maggie Patterson
Tracy sat at the table, peeling the potatoes and thinking about Peter. There was something there, she was sure of it. She loved that smile he got whenever he looked at her and the way he had treated her when he was over, despite her blowup at him half a month earlier. She had wanted to kiss him in the living room but she didn't and now she was kicking herself for it. She was still unsure if she liked girls or not. She had found it hard to not look at Brooke and she had a stirring in her body at the sight of her friend mostly naked. The one thing she was sure of, was that she liked Peter.
Tracy jumped when a hand touched her shoulder. Both peeler and potato went tumbling into the trash can and she sat there, staring at her mother who was fighting the urge to chuckle.
“You in there?” Maggie asked a knowing smile on her lips.
“What? In where?” Tracy asked, leaning forward to retrieve the potato peeler.
“I've been talking to you for five minutes. You've been in a haze since Peter left.” Maggie went back to the counter.
“No I wasn't.” Tracy said as she got up to clean the utensil.
“Really?” Maggie reached in and grabbed the potato Tracy had been peeling and showed it to her. Half of it had been peeled away. “You were working on this one side for the last three minutes alone. I thought you were going to be peeling your hand soon.” She tossed the potato back in the trash can and went to the sink to wash her hands.
“Okay, I'm a little distracted.” Tracy admitted.
“A little? You were more than a little distracted.” Maggie chuckled.
“I've just been thinking about stuff.” Tracy stated.
“Like what stuff?” Maggie asked.
“Like Peter...you know, boys and stuff.”
“Ah, I see. You know, if there's ever anything you want to talk about, I'm here for you. I know life is a bit confusing at your age and trust me, it help to have someone to confide in. Plus in your situation, life will be harder.”
Tracy felt a little weird having a discussion about boys with her mother. But her time in Livermore had shown her that talking about things did help. She went back to her seat and sat down, then grabbed another potato and sighed. “It's...It's kinda hard....” She stopped and looked to her mother. “Mom, when did you know you liked Dad?”
Maggie washed her hands and smiled. “Well, I didn't know at first. We actually dated for about two years before I knew for sure.” Maggie sat down at the table and faced her daughter. “We were good friends, then we became more.”
“And did you ever think maybe...” Tracy bit her lip for a second and summoned the courage to continue. “you liked girls?”
“Ah....well I have female friends, but I don't like them like that. You follow what I'm saying?” Maggie asked.
“Maybe?” Tracy replied, but the confusion on her face said it all.
“There's all sorts of love and like. You can like a movie, but you can't marry it. You can have friends you like, but some you have a deeper connection with and those friends you actually love like they are a part of your family. I love Shelly, but I don't love her like I love your father.” Maggie stated, then she looked at her daughter and asked. “Do you like girls?”
“I don't know. The other day when I was with Brooke, I kinda watched her undress, just because I was curious.” Her eyes seemed to go slightly out of focus, as though she was watching the show again.
“And what did you think?” Maggie asked.
“It's weird. I watched, but I didn't want to, you know, do anything with her.” Tracy replied, although a part of her felt that it may be a lie. She bit her lip and her heart raced a bit.
“I think I can understand that. You want to be a girl. So for you, watching her was just wishing that you looked like that, but there was nothing sexual in it.” Maggie said. She saw something in her daughter's eye, but decided to not push that subject.
“Yeah. It's just like that. I mean her chest isn't big, but she's got one, plus the parts I don't have and none of the ones I do. I like her, but not in that way.” Tracy looked up for a moment, still unsure if that was the truth. “Plus with them holding me all those nights, I never once wanted to...you know...touch them, or stuff like that. But I am kinda curious.”
Maggie nodded. “I see. And what about with Peter? You two were awful close out there in the living room.”
“I...” Tracy bit her lower lip and her gaze went to her lap. “I kinda wished that he would have kissed me.”
“Is that all?” Maggie asked.
“No. I kinda liked being held by him.” Tracy's voice became a whisper. “Before the attack, I kinda had a few dreams about him.” She looked away from her mother. “You know....those kinda dreams.
“Oh.” Maggie tired to keep a straight face, but she failed. “Can I ask something personal?”
“I guess.” Tracy said with a nod.
Maggie leaned back in her chair and watched her daughter closely. “In these dreams, were you a total girl? Or did it not go that far?”
Tracy blushed again and she smiled. “It was a lot of kissing and stuff.” She folded her arms over her chest and hugged her self as she thought about the dreams. “Well, he did feel under my shirt, but that was it.”
“Okay.” Maggie nodded. “But were you as you are now? Or total girl.”
“I was all girl.” Tracy replied, smiling as she did.
“And has he felt you under your clothes, in real life?” Maggie asked. There was no anger in her voice, just the sounds of a concerned mother.
“No. The most he does is hug me.” Tracy replied.
“But you want more?” Maggie asked.
“I used to, before I got hurt.” Tracy's cheek went red once more and she looked to her hands, which she folded and placed in her lap. “I mean I still like him, a lot, but the feelings have died down a little.”
“Sweetie, it's okay. What you're feeling is normal for a kid your age.” Maggie said with a smile. “Plus The doctors said you'd have a decreased sex drive, but you'll still look and want to be touched. That's part of being human.”
Her preteen mind heard it all, but it stuck on one word and she panicked. “But I've never had sex.” Tracy looked at her mother. “I haven't even been naked in front of another person, other than the doctor and you and Dad.”
Maggie paused for a moment, trying to figure out where the outburst had come from. “Where did that come from?” She asked.
“You were talking about sex and being touched and stuff.” Tracy said.
Maggie chuckled. “I said sex drive.” She got up and went to her daughter, then pulled her into a hug. “Sex drive is different then sex. The drive is how much you want it.”
“Oh.” Tracy sat there for a moment. “So I can have sex, but I may not have the want to have it?”
“Well, yeah.” Maggie said. She let go of the hug and stood up so she could see her daughter. “But you better wait, young lady. You're just eleven. That's a bit young to even think about sex.”
“I...” Tracy looked up at her mother and all traces of humor were gone from her face. “I don't want him seeing me like this.” She said. “I don't want anyone seeing my body like it is right now, not in a sexual way.”
“I understand.” Maggie leaned back over and kissed her cheek. As she stood up, she pointed at her and in the motherly tone stated. “But you know, as a mother, it's my job to keep my daughter pure and innocent.”
Tracy smiled at her and picked the potato up again. “Mom?” She asked as Maggie went back to the counter.
“Yes dear?”
Tracy held the peeler to the potato, but didn't start working on it yet. “Is the sex drive the thing that makes Vance do all that stuff around Sage? You know, how he puffs out his chest and how he tries to open doors and does all that stuff for her?”
Maggie laughed and looked at her. “No, sweetie. That's just him being a man. You can't fault him for that. Just wait till you get older and all the boys are circling you, strutting like peacocks and almost willing to do any stupid little thing to catch your attention.”
Tracy giggled at her mother. “You mean he's going to do that for a while? This could be fun.”
“You have no idea.” Maggie said as she started her work again.
William came home around noon, when the mill shut down for a week long rest. He walked into the kitchen to find his wife working on making a pie and his daughter was scooping cookie dough out onto a cookie sheet. “Hello, ladies.” He said as he went to the 'fridge and pulled out a can of soda.
“Daddy!” Tracy put the spoon down and went to her father, lifting her chin and holding out the necklace that Peter had given her. “See what I got!”
“That's nice. Who gave it to you?” He asked.
“Peter! He came over and gave it to me before he went to his grandparents.” Tracy beamed at him.
William looked at his wife and she nodded. “And did you thank him?”
“Yep. I hugged him.” Tracy said as she went back to the table. “I wanted him to kiss me, but he …..” She trailed off as she realized she had been speaking out loud.
“It's okay, baby.” William replied. “It's okay to kiss people you like. But anything else and I'll have to have a little talk with Peter.” William left the kitchen and Maggie chuckled. "In fact maybe we should get his lips registered as deadly weapons." William called from the living room.
“What does he mean?” Tracy asked. "Like touching and stuff?"
“Fathers get defensive when boys start kissing their daughters. It's a cave man thing, I think.”
From the living room William laughed. “Ugh! William club Peter. Club Peter till lips no longer work! Ugh”
Maggie chuckled, till she noticed a slightly worried look on her daughters face. Maggie pulled her into a hug. “Baby, he's just kidding.”
“Am not.” William answered back as the TV turned on.
Maggie nodded. “Yes he is.....mostly.”
December 25th 1982
Vance woke up to the sounds of moaning and light sobs. He lay there for a moment and realized it was coming from the bunk below him. He wanted to yell at his sister to shut the hell up, but a part of him knew she wasn't awake. He turned over in the bed and saw by the clock on their dresser that it was just past two in the morning.
He wanted to lay there and go back to sleep, but the pressure on his bladder put off that plan. So as quietly as he could, he dropped to the floor and his foot landed on something soft. He looked down and saw the arm to Tracy's new bear, Mr. Cuddles under his foot. A quick glance at the lower bunk showed her on her side, facing towards him, her arms empty and her pillow about to fall on the floor.
Vance moved one foot and picked up Mr. Cuddles, then slipped him back into his sisters arms. He thought against moving her head, for fear he'd wake her, but then his big brother side took over and he gently slid a hand under her head and raised it enough to slip the pillow under it.
She grumbled a couple of times, but the whimpering and crying stopped as her arms closed in around the bear. He smiled to himself and headed for the bathroom, unaware that he was now being watched. Despite the fact he had on his flannel pajamas, he could still feel the cold air of the house.
After he was done in the bathroom, he passed his bedroom and went to the living room. He walked much quieter. His parents were in the next room and he didn't want to wake them. His first stop was the wood burning stove. He slowly opened the door to the cast iron stove, hoping to make less noise then it did. He waited a moment an when he could still hear the snoring from his parents, he grabbed a poker and began moving the embers around and pushing the remains of a log that had been put in when William went to bed. Normally they didn't like to let the stove go all night with no supervision, but the temperatures were cold enough to freeze, so they made the exception.
He grabbed a larger piece of wood and placed it in the fireplace, then took a piece of newspaper an shoved it underneath. The paper caught and the glow filled the room as he shut the door. He thought about going to bed, but changed his mind. Instead he went to the couch and sat down, with his back against a corner. He faced the Christmas tree, watching as the light from the potbelly stove's frosted glass door flickered over the dark tree. He thought about plugging it in, but he knew that was risking it.
He was only partly aware of the sounds of the bathroom door being opened up as he pulled a blanket off the back of the couch and covered himself up. He sat there in the dimly lit room, just watching the tree. He thought about how quiet the house had been for the week that his sister was gone. Then he went back in his memories to when she was Troy and he recalled the same kind of quiet in the house, unless he had been picking on Troy. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Tracy was a happier, friendlier person then his brother had been. And a big part of him didn't mind.
Tracy had thrown their lives up in the air, that was true. Everything he had known, changed. Now there was talk of him no longer sharing a room with her. He wasn't sure who'd get kicked out of the bedroom, but he had a good guess. There was the possibilities of friends coming over and he was more then okay with a parade of beautiful young girls in the house.
Vance recalled how he tried to insist that Tracy did less work around the house, but as he sat there and noticed that the living room hadn't been touched in almost a month, same with the kitchen, that she did the cleaning. Dinners had been later, not just because Tracy had gone south for a week, but she wasn't able to cook, or lift stuff. And in the brief visits to his grandparents house, he saw that it was slowly getting dirty. Not piles of garbage dirty, but a fine layer of dust over the house, something that Tracy had kept up on.
He had offered to help his Grandfather get the house ready for Christmas, and the old man took the help. After cleaning the house, he was getting a new respect for his sister. With the rain, his work in the field had mostly stopped. And they had cleaned the shed, using help from Jerry Rivers for a day or two.
Then there was the guilt. He wasn't sure, but he had guessed that if he had stayed a friend with Bruce, he would have been directly involved with Tracy's attack. He knew he had a part of the blame anyway, for his phone call to Bruce and Frankie after he had first seen Tracy. He could still remember the flash of anger he felt when he saw what his former friends had done to his family. And now his sister was forced to relive it nightly.
Vance didn't know what the future held for his sister. He had heard his parents talking about the doctor visit she had when they were down there. He knew Tracy was around to stay for awhile. The one added bonus he saw was there was now monthly trips to Livermore, which meant he could see Sage more often.
The log in the stove had begun to burn. It lit up the room through the tempered, frosted glass enough to show him Tracy walking towards him. She had a blanket in one hand and Mr. Cuddles in the other. Her hair was flattened on one side and sticking up on the other. She had on a thicker nightgown and flannel pajamas. He smiled at her as she stopped at the couch. The image reminded him of how Troy looked when he had been younger, before their Dad insisted that boys didn't need teddy bears after a certain age. She looked like a small child, security blanket in one hand, bear in the other. “Can we join you?” She whispered.
“Yeah.” He pulled his leg from off the couch and let his sister sit down. She put Mr. Cuddles against her chest, then put her blanket over her and her bear. Vance didn't know why he did what he did, but he reached over and whispered. “Come here.” Then helped her scoot over to his side of the couch, then pulled her against his side. She leaned against him and watched the firelight dancing on the Christmas Tree. “Sorry if I woke you up.” He said in a whisper.
“You did, But I think I was having a dream, and I needed to pee.” She replied.
“You knocked your bear to the floor.” He nodded. “You were staring to cry, so I put him back in your arms. Plus you had almost shoved your pillow to the floor.”
“That's why you lifted my head?” Tracy asked, craning her neck to see his face.
“Yeah.” He nodded.
“Thank you.” She whispered.
Maggie rolled over and looked at her clock. She was shocked to see that it was seven o'clock and she had slept in for once. She lay there for a moment, trying to determine if she could hear her children. But the only sounds that filled the house were snores. She got up to go to the bathroom and pulled on her thick robe.
When she finished, she tiptoed through her bedroom and into the living room, where she stopped suddenly. Her hand went over her mouth so she wouldn't make a sound. Her children were both on the couch, leaned against each other, shoulders touching. Vance's blanket was pulled up to his chest, as was Tracy's. Mr. Cuddles sat between them. Maggie slipped back into her room. Moments later she came back out, holding her Polaroid camera.
She crept up to the couch, careful not to make a sound. Then she took the picture. The noise of the camera caused her youngest to start to stir. So she took another when the camera was ready. Tracy opened her eyes as the flash went off.
Tracy sat there blinking as she sat up straight, hearing her mother snicker as she headed for the kitchen. “Hey, wake up.” Tracy gently poked Vance in the ribs. “We slept in too late.”
“What?” He mumbled as his eyes opened up.
“It's just past seven.” Tracy said as she looked to the clock. “Come on. Mom's up already.”
The sounds and smells of coffee starting to brew began to creep out of the kitchen and Maggie came in and looked at her children. “Merry Christmas.”
They both kept they voices down. “Merry Christmas, Mom.” They wanted their Dad to wake up and tear into the presents, but there was a tradition to uphold. Ever since Vance had hit ten years of age, William taught him how to safely work around the fireplace. So Christmas mornings, William would claim he wouldn't get up till there was a fire. Vance got up and opened up the fireplace to get a nice fire going. It was a two pronged attack. Fire for warmth, coffee to wake him up. Then they would open the presents from their parents and friends and Santa. They came a family breakfast. It was a simple one, something their father learned in the Army. Chipped beef on toast, or as William called it, Shit on a shingle. After that it left the kids enough time to do the breakfast dishes, play with their toys, then the family could shower and head over to their Grandparents for Christmas dinner and more presents. Although Modine and Conner had a rule, no presents till after dinner and the dishes had to be done.
Tracy followed her mother into the kitchen, mostly to wait for the coffee. She reached into the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of apple juice, then poured two cups. She put on on the table as Vance came in and picked it up.
“So how early did you two get up?” Maggie asked.
“I woke up when she started to have a bad dream. Two in the morning I think.” Vance replied. He quickly told her about finding the bear on the floor and putting Tracy back on her pillow. Then he covered how he added wood to the fire and watched the firelight till Tracy came out.
“Yeah. And you two looked so cute on the couch like that.” She held up one of the pictures and showed it to Vance.
“Mom!” He whined. “Why did you take that picture?”
“Because, I'm a mom and I need stuff to show your girlfriends when you date.” Maggie said with a smile. “The baby pictures of you in the tub only go so far.”
“Awww. You won't do that....will you?” Vance asked.
“Well, it depends. But as a mother, it is my right.” She turned as the coffee maker finished brewing and she poured herself a cup.
Both children got up and nodded to each other. They headed out of the kitchen, and went straight for their parent's bedroom. Normally they would have run out of the room, but Tracy was still walking slowly. They crept into the bedroom and took up positions on either side of their father. Tracy sat on the edge of the bed, then turned around and crawled over to where he lay. Vance help up a hand and counted down from five. At one they both pounced on their father, screaming. “MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!”
William woke with a start, but was unable to move, as the kids had pinned him down under the blankets. After a few minutes of Vance bouncing on the bed he grumbled. “OKAY, okay. I'm awake.”
Vance got off the bed and Tracy crawled to the side to get off. William lay back down and shut his eyes. It was another of the traditions. William''s fight for sleep. “Wake me up in two hours. Christmas can wait till then.”
Vance jumped back on the bed and Tracy began tickling an exposed arm. “Okay, okay.” William said again. “But it's too cold out there.”
“Nope, I started a fire a while ago.” Vance replied.
“Okay....but I don't have my coffee yet.”
Maggie walked into the room and showed him a large steaming mug. “It's here, But I'll leave it by your chair.”
Before he could make a grab for it, she walked out of the room. “Fine, I'm awake.” He sat up in bed. “Let me go to the bathroom and I'll be out in a minute.”
Tracy and Vance both got up and left the room. Maggie was plugging in the tree as they came back out. Once they were in the living room, they heard their father open the bathroom door. Vance leaned over to Tracy and whispered in her ear. The young girl chuckled and nodded.
William opened the bathroom door as quietly as he could, then he sprinted across his bedroom while shouting. “Going back to bed, wake me for dinner!” He threw back the blankets only to find both of his children lying there giggling, waiting for his attempt for more sleep.
Tracy pointed to the doorway. “Out there. The coffee and fire are in the living room.”
“Can't I get just a few more minutes of sleep?” William held his hands together like he was begging.
The kids looked at each other, then shook their heads and replied in unison. “NO!”
“Fine, fine.” William went out of the bedroom and into the living room. “I want a glass of water too.” He said and he started to go for the kitchen. He ducked down the hall, past the kids bedroom and threw open their door that led to the family shared bathroom. He grabbed the second door that led to his bedroom and threw it open, only to come face to face with both of his children. Again.
“The cups are in the kitchen, Daddy, not in the bathroom.” Tracy stood there with her hands on her hips, lower lip stuck out in a pout.
“Come on.” Vance grabbed one hand, Tracy took the other they led him to his chair. Once he sat down, the kids turned their attention to the tree.
“Tracy, if you want, take the couch and I'll put your stuff on the coffee table.” Maggie said as her kids came close. Maggie turned to the tree and began pulling out presents. Vance took a seat on the floor, near the fireplace. Tracy sat on the couch and pulled Mr. Cuddles into her lap.
The process of tearing through the packages went faster than Tracy expect. Halfway though the carnage there was a knock at the door. Maggie got up. “Wonder who that could be.” She went to the door and opened it slightly. Tracy watched as her mother’s smile brightened up and she opened the door all the way. Modine and Conner stood on the porch. His arms held two brightly wrapped boxes.
“Merry Christmas.” They said with big grins.
“Come on in.” Maggie stepped out of the way and waited to shut the door behind them. “You want anything to drink? Coffee? Apple Juice?”
Modine looked to her husband who nodded. “Well we were just going to drop off a couple of gifts and go, but cup of coffee sounds wonderful. Black please.”
“I'll go for a cup too.” Conner said as he came in and put the two gifts on the floor by the tree.
William had gotten out of his chair and he gave his mother a hug, then shook his fathers hand and pulled him into a hug. “Something wrong? We didn't expect to see you until time to make dinner.”
“Well we got to thinking.” Modine went over to the couch. Tracy quickly pulled several of the books she had received off the cushion and put them on the coffee table to give her grandmother room. Conner went into the kitchen to help with coffee. “We had a couple of things for Tracy and we didn't know how to get them to her on Christmas without the family seeing them. Olivia is in the shower and Joy and Angie were still sleeping. So we brought these over.”
“Those are for me?” Tracy asked, her eyes locking on the boxes.
Modine noticed Vance slump his shoulders and she nodded. “Yes they are. Vance?” She called to her grandson. He looked over at her and she smiled at him. “We got stuff for you, but we couldn't give Tracy's stuff to Troy, could we?”
“I guess not.” Vance replied.
“I promise that you have as much stuff as Tracy and Troy combined.” She stated. This perked him up.
“So do I get to open them up now? Or do I have to wait till later?” Tracy asked.
“Now is fine. I want to see your face.” Modine said. Maggie came in and put a cup of coffee on the table in front of Modine. She went back to the tree as Conner came into the living room and took over Maggie's chair.
Maggie took the hint and picked up the larger of the boxes and handed it to her daughter. Tracy began tearing into the paper as Maggie handed her son one of the gifts from her and William. Tracy shrieked as she opened up a box to reveal a full length, pink dress with matching shoes at the bottom of the box.
“It's pretty.” She said as she ran her fingers over the material. She quickly put the box on the table and leaned over and hugged her grandmother. “Thank you.”
“You're welcome, dear.” Modine said as she hugged her back.
Tracy got up and hugged her Grandfather. “Thank you.”
“I'm glad you like it.” He said. Then he pulled out a pair of envelopes, one pink, one blue, from his coat pocket. “Hand the blue one to your brother.”
Tracy reached over an handed Vance his, then both kids opened up their envelopes and reached in. Conner chuckled as both of their jaws dropped and they looked at him. “It was Modine's idea. This is a thank you, on top of the allowance you've been getting for your work around the farm.”
“What did you get?” William asked. Tracy showed him the envelope with two one hundred dollar bills in it. He looked at his father and asked. “You sure, Dad?”
Conner smiled as both kids hugged, then moved to their grandmother. “More then sure. They have been a big help. I mean Tracy's been hurt, but we saw the work she had been doing when she couldn't do it anymore. And Vance has helped me around the property the past few months, so this is our way of saying thank you. Think of it as a Christmas bonus, like you get at work.”
“I see.” He looked to his kids. “You may want to put that some place safe, or we can open up an account at the credit union for both of you.”
“Okay Dad.” Both kids left the room and headed for their bedroom. Minutes later they were walking back into the living room. Maggie had Tracy's other box sitting at the coffee table waiting for her. She began opening it up and found what looked to be a tackle box. She opened it up and found different make up in it.
Tracy looked at it, then at her grandmother. “Thank you, but I don't know if Mom will let me have makeup.”
“We talked about this already.” Modine said.
“You're grandmother and I agree that you're a special case. I'll allow the make up, but I want to sit down and teach you how to use it. But it's for special occasions only.”
“Okay Mama.” Tracy said as she leaned over and hugged her grandmother. She got up and hugged her grandfather again.
They stayed as the pile slowly dwindled down. William began to stand up. “If you want, we can make a little extra breakfast.”
“No. We got to start on the dinner preparation soon.” Modine stood up. “But thank you for the offer.”
William seen his parents to the door then he headed to the kitchen. “Okay, kids. You need to clean up the living room and I'll start on breakfast.”
In unison both of his children called out. “Okay, Dad
I actually had to re-write this. It started out fun and went dark fast. So I felt a little sugar for the holidays was a good approach.
Part one to Christmas is over. Next up? The family dinner.
Troy smiled at her and gave a slight wave as he took a seat at the table. “Hi.”
Angie came over to him and her eyes seemed to glow with delight. “Hey...um...you know...” She rocked on her feet as she rambled in front of him, trying to find her words. She bit her lip, then just blurted out what was on her mind. “Were those your clothes I found on Thanksgiving, you know? The panties and nightgown?!? It looked like it could fit you!” Troy's cheeks were a bright red and he fought the urge to just run out of the room in fright. Olivia turned and looked at him with both eyebrows raised.
“ANGIE!” Joy glared at her daughter. “What did I tell you about asking questions like that! Now apologize to Troy!”
Angie looked like the typical scolded child. Her head was lowered and she sat in a chair. “Sorry, Troy.”
Tory wanted to say that it was his stuff, but he didn't know how his cousins would take it. “It's okay.” He told his cousin.
Thanks to Djkauf for the editing again. Now for a nice family meal....nothing can go wrong here.
December 25th 1982
Breakfast and dishes were already a memory. Yet another Christmas morning was over. All the fun of the day seemed to be sucked away and it wasn't even ten in the morning yet. Vance was in the living room, playing with one of his gifts. William was relaxing in his chair, reading the paper from the day before.
Maggie was already showered and dressed. She was headed to her Mother-in-law’s house to help with the dinner preparation. She stopped at her kids room to check in on her youngest who had wanted to go with her. She knocked at the door, then moved the door a crack. “You ready to go?”
Troy opened up the door. All the joy that Tracy showed that morning was gone and now a quiet, sullen boy stood in her place. “Yeah.”
“Baby, you don't have to go if you don't want to.” Maggie said.
“But I might learn something, plus I can't do much, but I can help a little.” Troy replied.
“But you're not happy. Why force yourself next door, early, if you're going to be miserable.” Maggie pulled her son into a hug.
“But I want to go.” Troy looked up at her, tears wanting to form in his green eyes. “I just wish I could be myself over there.”
“So do I. I know your grandparents wouldn't care, but I don't know about the rest of the family.” Maggie stated.
“I know.” Troy lowered his head.
Maggie stood up and went to the kitchen. She pulled out a pot of potatoes from the fridge and headed to the door with her son in Tow. “See you guys over there.” Maggie called to her husband. “Remember the pies.”
“I will.” William replied. “Three o'clock, right?”
“Yeah.” Maggie said as Troy opened up the door for her. “Troy, grab the cookies on the stove.”
“Okay, Mom.”
A few minutes later, Troy and Maggie walked into his grandparent's place, Troy holding the door for his mother who had the pot of potatoes in water. He had peeled them the day before. Only Conner sat in the seats reserved for the grandparents. In a corner the Tree stood proudly and the lights were already twinkling. Troy only waved at his grandfather and Maggie gave a slight smile, then they continued on to the kitchen. There they found Modine and Joy, one of Troy's cousins, Olivia, another of his cousins and Joy's daughter, Angie. The elder cousins were already dressed. But Angie had on a nightgown that bore a cartoon kitten and puppy on it. Modine was wearing her usual, a housecoat.
Maggie announced their presence by asking a question. “No Amber yet?” She walked into the kitchen and went to the stove and placed the pot of potatoes down.
Joy looked up from her work at the stove. “Amber is a little busy at Dad's place. But then with the two of us here, there was no room for her and the family. I guess her boys are being a pain this morning. She called to say she's running late, but we can start the cooking without her.” She looked over to the table and did a double take. “Troy's here?” This caused Olivia to look over her shoulder and raise her eyebrows.
Troy smiled at her and gave a slight wave as he took a seat at the table. “Hi.”
Angie came over to him and her eyes seemed to glow with delight. “Hey...um...you know...” She rocked on her feet as she rambled in front of him, trying to find her words. She bit her lip, then just blurted out what was on her mind. “Were those your clothes I found on Thanksgiving, you know? The panties and nightgown?!? It looked like it could fit you!” Troy's cheeks were a bright red and he fought the urge to just run out of the room in fright. Olivia turned and looked at him with both eyebrows raised.
“ANGIE!” Joy glared at her daughter. “What did I tell you about asking questions like that! Now apologize to Troy!”
Angie looked like the typical scolded child. Her head was lowered and she sat in a chair. “Sorry, Troy.”
Tory wanted to say that it was his stuff, but he didn't know how his cousins would take it. “It's okay.” He told his cousin.
“I'm sorry Troy, someone needs to learn she can't just ask questions all the time.” Joy said. “Maybe you'd feel better back at home. I mean all we're doing is getting dinner ready.”
“Oh that's okay.” Maggie said “He helps at our place by cooking on days I work, so he wants to learn more stuff.”
“Cool. I like a man who can cook.” Olivia said with a nod. She turned back to the dishes.
“Well, come on over here kiddo and we'll teach you the fun of scalloped corn.” Joy said, letting her daughter’s question just fade away. “First I need you to get the large cake pan from the cupboard under the stove.”
“Um....he can't do that.” Maggie said. “He's a watcher today. He can stir things, but bending and lifting are out.”
“He....” Joy raised an eyebrow. “He can't lift anything? Or bend?”
Modine looked at her and nodded. “Remember what I told you about the start of the month? That kid who attacked us?”
Joy and Olivia nodded, but only Joy spoke. “He's still hurt? That was a month ago.... What did they do to him....” She realized that the boy was still in the room. “What did they do to you?”
Troy blushed and Maggie took over. “I don't know if this is something for little ears.” Maggie let her gaze shift to Angie.
“Let's go outside for a moment.” Joy said.
Maggie nodded and she led the way as Joy, Modine and Olivia followed. Maggie stopped at the doorway to the laundry room that led to the back porch. “Troy, this concerns you, so it's only fair if you're there too.” Troy got up and followed his mother. Angie started to follow them, but Joy stopped her.
“Get dressed sweetie.”
“But can't I hear too?” Angie said with a hopeful smile. “I mean he'll be okay, right?”
“I'll listen first. If I feel you can hear it, then I'll tell you” Joy stated before she followed her family outside. “Now get dressed before anyone else comes over.”
It was still cold outside, very cold. But at least it wasn't raining. Not that it would have mattered with Modine's covered porch. Troy took a seat on the porch swing and his mother and Grandmother sat on either side of him.
“What all can I tell them?” Troy whispered to his mother.
Maggie leaned in close and whispered into his ears. “How much do you want to tell them?”
Modine leaned over and whispered to both. “Joy knows about the clothes, but not whose they were, well till Angie blurted it out. Although, I think she suspects.”
“You want me to tell them?” Maggie asked.
“Just the attack.” Troy replied.
“Okay.” She looked over at Joy and Olivia who had been watching, waiting. “Okay, to understand this, I have to tell you about the time before Thanksgiving.”
“When Troy and Vance had been suspended?” Joy asked.
“Yeah.” Maggie nodded. “They were suspended for fighting, but they only fought because Troy found one of Vance's old friends stealing from a classroom. The bigger boys chased him and almost beat him up, if it hadn't been for Vance.” Maggie took a deep breath and continued. “The day before Troy was to go back to school, that boy and three of his friends came to the property to find Troy and beat him up. They found him by our barn, but he managed to get away and he was forced to run here.” Maggie pointed to the lawn of the backyard.
“They caught him right there. It was three on one and Troy had already pissed one of them off by kicking him where it hurts.” Joy and Olivia both scrunched up their noses in discomfort. “They did the same to him, but worse. He had to go to the hospital for an emergency Orchiectomy. He also had a couple broken ribs and sprained wrist. About a week or two later, before he healed, someone at school tripped him and tore out the stitches. That's why he can't lift anything. Any lifting, or unnecessary squatting and bending can really hurt him in the future. The poor child doesn't need a hernia on top of all of this.”
“Wow. Those assholes.” Joy stated.
“Maggie is skipping on a couple of key points.” Modine stated. Troy looked at her with wide, fear filled eyes, but she put a hand on him and patted his shoulder. “After they had done their damage, I came out to stop them and the boys attacked me. Troy was already hurt and he still managed to stand up and fight them again, all to defend me.” She hugged her grandson tight. Troy wiped at his eyes and tried his best not to cry. “This is my hero.”
Wow....” Olivia was stunned. “You actually got up and fought...after they hurt you?”
“Yeah.” Tory's voice was a whisper.
“You are one strong kid.” Olivia smiled brightly at him. “I am impressed.”
They were all quiet for a moment, trying to ignore the cold winter morning. Joy finally spoke up. “Troy, I am sorry for what happened and I'm sorry Angie just blurted out her question. She doesn't understand she can't do that all the time. I must admit, I had been curious about that too. I'm not sure if your mother knows, but she should.”
“Okay, what's this about the clothes?” Olivia asked.
Joy looked at her and nodded. “That's right, you didn't make it for Thanksgiving.” She gestured to the direction of the guest bedroom. “Angie was going through the dresser in the guestroom and found a nightgown and pair of panties that were just a bit large for her. So she asked Grandpa. I never heard what came of that.” Joy looked to Troy. “Were those yours? I'm not angry or anything, just kinda confused and curious.”
Troy looked at his mother, who only whispered in his ear. “Baby, it's your choice.” Troy looked at Joy and nodded and took a huge leap of faith. He loved his cousins. Angie was okay as well, just a bit loud and had a tendency to talk a lot.
“Yeah.” He said. “I got more at home.”
Joy nodded slowly as she tried to figure it all out. The backdoor opened up at the same moment and Angie came out, still in her nightgown, her eyes wide with delight again.” I knew it! I knew it, I knew it” She began singing in place and dancing around.
“Angie!” Joy snapped. She pulled her daughter to her and sat her in her lap.
“Sorry Mom.” The little girl said. She tired to do her best pout to stop the inevitable punishment.
“You are supposed to be changing young lady!”
“Sorry Mom.” Angie said again, looking to the porch.
“How much did you hear?” Joy asked.
“I heard him saying he got hurt and that the boys beat up Grandma too,,,,,” She looked to her mother. “What's an Or...orchi...orchi-thingy? What he had?”
Joy sighed. She looked to Troy. “She wont stop bugging us unless we answer her, can I tell her?”
Troy nodded again. He was reminded of Mary Beth. “Yeah.”
Joy looked to her daughter and sighed. “Angie, an Orchiectimy is something only boys can have done, but it's a painful surgery. It removes some of their boy parts.”
“Is that why he moves so slowly?” The little girl asked.
“Yeah.” Joy nodded. She looked to Troy. “There's something I don't understand. Why would a boy want to dress like a girl?” Joy asked. “Troy, why do you do it?”
“At first I thought I was doing it to escape. I would act like there was no Vance and I had no Dad. Now....Now I don't think I'm supposed to be a boy.” Troy replied.
“But you were born a boy. I changed your diaper when you were younger, I know what I saw.” Joy stated with a chuckle. “I do know the difference between male and female.”
Olivia leaned back in her chair and held up a hand to stop Troy. “Joy, it is possible. He could be one of those Transsexuals.”
“Olivia, what if he's a cross-dresser? Like those people in Hollywood at night? The prostitutes at Hollywood and vine?” Joy asked. “I...I don't know if I want Angie being around that.” She looked at Maggie and Troy and blushed from embarrassment. “Not to sound like a jerk, but I got to look out for my daughter.”
“As a mother I can understand.” Maggie said. “But maybe you should get to know my child, as SHE is now. Not as the little boy you remember.”
“Joy, I'm not a mother.” Olivia said. “But Aunt Maggie is right. We need to get to know Troy....” She looked at the child in question. “No, that's not right. Troy's a boy's name, what do you call yourself?”
Troy's cheeks went a bright red and he looked to the porch, while he leaned against his mother. “Tracy.” He whispered.
“Tracy's a pretty name for you.” Angie said and Troy smiled at that.
“I like it.” Olivia looked at her sister. “We need to get to know Tracy. He's not at Hollywood and Vine. He's a small town kid. You grew up here for a year or two, so did I. You know the hell this town can put you through for being different.”
“Joy, I can understand your worry.” Maggie stated. “But my daughter just got back from visiting friends in the Bay Area. They know about her....extra parts, so do her parents. She was with five other girls, for almost six days on her own and nothing happened. Those girls love her down there and to them, she's just as female as the rest of them.”
“Can I ask a couple of questions?” Olivia inquired.
“Sure, I don't know what all I can answer though.” Maggie said.
“Do Grandpa and Uncle William know?”
“Yeah.” Maggie nodded. “William found out around Thanksgiving. He needed a few days to figure out his mind, but he's been supportive.”
“And Grandpa?” Olivia asked again.
“He took some time to work it out.” Modine replied. “At first he was against it. Thought Troy was gay and weak, but when he watched Troy risk his health for my safety, he realized that it's what's on the insides that count. Give me a moment, I need to show you all something.” She got up and went into the house, leaving Troy with his mother and cousins.
Olivia nodded and continued. “Does my father, or Amber and her family know?”
“No. The only one from your part of the family that know are the three of you.” Maggie said.
“I don't think we should let Amber and Leonard know. And the boys don't need to find out.” Olivia stated. “Joy, do you agree?”
Joy nodded her head. “Yeah. Leonard is a bit....”
“Caveman like?” Olivia filled in for her sister.
“I was going to say, old-fashioned. But Caveman works.” Joy nodded. “His thoughts on women and work are funny to say the least.” They all chuckled, except the two kids. It had been a couple years earlier when Leonard and his wife, Amber, got into a fight at Christmas over her getting a job. He had done the usual male thing and insisted that she needed to stay home and watch after the kids, but they were drowning in debt.
“You're taking this quite well.” Maggie said, looking to Olivia.
“I go to UCLA. I hang out with friends in Hollywood. Trust me, I'm hard to shock anymore.” Olivia stood up. “But I'm getting cold, so I am going back in. Maggie, Troy....Tracy, I wont tell anyone. You have my word on that.”
Modine came out and handed Olivia a picture, then a second one. “Look at these before you go in. The first is Troy at the fourth of July. The other is a picture from Maggie when they were in Livermore back in November.”
“Is that...” Olivia looked at the picture, then the first one and then at Troy. “Holy crap. You make a pretty girl.”
She handed the pictures to Joy who looked at them with her daughter. “Wow, you almost can't tell from the other picture. But with Troy's hair right now, you can.”
“Tracy looks pretty.” Angie said with a giggle.
“Notice something about the pictures?” Modine asked. This caused Olivia to look over them again with her sister and niece.
“Like what?” Joy asked.
“The face. Look at the faces in both pictures.” Modine stated.
“Troy...” Olivia scanned both pictures. “Troy is sad, but Tracy isn't?”
“Right.” Modine said. “Even since Tracy first came out, She has gotten stronger, braver and happier.”
“But maybe it's just the clothes that make her happy?” Joy suggested.
“I thought so too, but it's not the clothes.” Maggie said. “She's hidden who she should have been and it’s just coming out now. I've got her talking to a therapist in Livermore and he wants Troy to be Tracy when not at school.”
“Sounds about right.” Olivia nodded.
“There is something important we do need to say.” Maggie looked to Angie. “Angie, I know you love a good story and you love to talk, but we need to keep this a secret from the family. If Alex and Johnny found out, they would tease Troy non stop.” She stated. “So I need you to promise me that you will keep this a secret. If someone finds out, Troy could be hurt, worse then before.”
“She means it.” Joy said, turning her daughter to face her. She knew how her nephews could be. “You weren't even supposed to hear. You let yourself in on something that don't concern you. So you could accidentally get Troy hurt. So please, don't tell Aunt Amber, Uncle Leonard and the boys about this, okay?”
Maggie let go of her child and gestured to the door. “Baby, can you take Angie inside for a minute.” Joy shot Maggie a worried look.
“It's okay. I want to go in too.” Modine said. The older lady led the two kids inside and just before the door shut, the remaining adults out side heard Modine ask. “Who wants hot chocolate?” The two kids cheered loudly.
The door shut and Maggie reached out to stop Olivia from going in. “Olivia, Joy, there's something else I want to tell you. Something you need to know about Tracy and the attack.”
An hour later, Troy was watching his cousin Joy closely as she finished preparing the scalloped corn. He was leaning against the sink, trying his best to stay out of the way. He was still in a funk because Tracy couldn't be there, but he knew why. The two more forgiving members of his Uncle’s family knew, but the ones he feared had no clue.
Joy had been quiet since they had come in. She kept giving him odd glances. Several times he thought she was going to burst into tears around him. She was in the middle of mixing ingredients when she put down her spoon and just hugged him. “I know I promised your mother, but I'm sorry you went through that.” Both Olivia and Joy knew more. Maggie had taken them into confidence of what Bruce had attempted to do.
“Promised Mom what?” He asked.
“I wasn't supposed to bring up the attack.” Joy said. From behind them, Olivia wrapped her arms around the two.
“It takes a strong person to defend herself like that.” Olivia said. “And an even bigger one to do it injured.”
Joy kissed his cheek. “I'm not saying I understand, but I won't get in your way of you, being you. Your mother pointed out a few things, and I trust her.”
“Things like what?” Troy asked, cocking his head slightly to the side.
“Like you've always been this person. You're just finally being true to yourself.”
Before he could comment, the front door flew open and someone came running in, screaming.
“GREAT GRANDPA!” A young boy's voice called out.
“Hey Great Grandpa.” A second boy's voice sounded off, this one seemed a bit older then the first.
“Hey boys.” Troy heard his Grandfather say. Joy and Olivia let go of Troy as a new voice called out from the front door.
“Push the door open slower next time. It's not a race and you've already broken one door today.” Troy smiled as he heard his Cousin Amber. He wasn't pleased to hear that Alex and Johnny were there, but he had no control over that.
“Oh it's okay, Amber.” Conner replied.
“No grandpa, it's not. Thanks to the wonder duo here, they had to fix Dad's door because these two kept running in and out and slamming it all morning. Plus they knocked down a few of Dad's pictures and took off this morning to go wandering without telling anyone.”
“Sounds like a busy morning.” Conner replied.
“Come on you two. You're in the kitchen with me.” Amber said.
“It's kinda full in there.” Conner called after her. “They can hang out here with me if they want.” Both boys began to cheer
“No.” Amber said and the cheering changed to whining. “Sorry Grandpa, but they are getting punished for their behavior.”
Amber went into the kitchen to find her sister Olivia at the table making a green bean casserole and Modine and Maggie enjoying a cup of tea. She was stunned at the sight of her other sister at the stove with her daughter Angie and Troy.
“Aunt Maggie.” She hugged her aunt as she came in. Then she hugged Modine. “Grandma.”
“It's good to see you, young lady.” Modine said.
Amber turned to watch her two boys shed their coats and drop them on the floor. She growled and pointed to the coats. “Pick them up, now.” The boys picked them up and tossed then in a free seat. “Hang them on the back of the seat. I know you two are not this stupid.”
Amber took a deep breath as she turned towards the kitchen “Sorry I'm so late.” She turned to her boys and gestured to the two seats on the far side of the kitchen table where they had just hung their coats. “Sit and don't move or you're grounded till you turn thirty....if I let you live past tonight.”
“Can we have something to drink?” Alex asked., then his eyes fell on Troy. “Why's Troy at the stove?!? Is he cooking?!? That's a girls job?!?”
Without missing a beat, Johnny began to dance around and taunt Troy. “Troy is a girl, Troy is a girl Troy is a girl!”
“QUIET!!!” Amber screamed at them. She took a couple of breaths an pointed to the seats. “SIT DOWN AND SHUT YOUR MOUTHS!”
The boys froze for a moment, then they both took the empty seats.
Amber turned away for a moment, then went to where the cups were. She pulled out two and began filling them with water. Alex was the first to complain. “I want soda!”
“After the way you've been so far, you'll get water and enjoy it.” Amber growled at her children.
Johnny looked at two cups on the table and pointed to those. “What's that?” He pulled the mug closer and was staring at it. “Is this hot chocolate! I want hot chocolate!”
“I want some too!” Alex slammed his hand on the table. Maggie got up as she heard the plastic cup crack in her niece’s hand.
She put her hands on the girl who was just a few years younger then she was. “Amber, let's step outside for a minute.”
“Yeah.” Amber went with her Aunt to the door.
Angie went over to the table and grabbed the mug that Johnny was playing with. “That's mine.” She said. Then she grabbed the other mug and took them over to the sink and handed one to Troy.
“Why do they get hot chocolate?” Alex whined.
“Because they are helping out in the kitchen.” Olivia explained. “That and they didn't destroy Dad's house and run off this morning.”
“We'll be good if we can have some?” Alex asked, trying his best to look like a repentant child.
“Boy's, I think that ship has sailed.” Joy replied. “Water for now. That may change if you get better.”
“And as for Troy in here, lot's of men cook.” Olivia stated. “Hell, most restaurants pay male cooks more then female, plus a lot just won’t hire the women cooks. Troy's dad was a cook in the army.”
“That's different. They don't let women in the army.” Alex smugly replied.
“Who told you that?” Olivia looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Women have been in the armed forces for years.”
Both Boys were silent for several minutes. Neither wanted to suffer the wrath of their Aunts and Grandmother. But finally the silence begged to be broken. “But why's he in here?” Johnny asked. It's just girls in here.”
Joy looked at them and smiled. “Oh? You're counting yourself with the girls?”
“NO!” Both boys shouted.
“Not that you need to know, but he does the cooking at his house because Aunt Maggie and Uncle William work long hours. So Troy does most of the cleaning and cooking at the house. And Vance works outside the house in the field.”
“Troy does girl's jobs! Troy does girl;s jobs!” Johnny started chanting.
“Is it a girl's job?” Joy asked. “Think about it. If you lived alone, who do you think will clean your house?”
“Mom?” Alex asked.
“Fat chance on that kid. It would be her job to point out how dirty your place is, not clean it for you.” Joy said with a chuckle.
Maggie shut the door behind her and Amber and pulled her niece into a hug. “I know there's bad days. Boys just push the buttons like crazy. It's worse around the holidays. Just don't let them ruin your good time.”
“They've been non stop since we got in the car Thursday morning. Maggie, I'm so close.....” Amber held out a hand and made a fist, her arms shaking slightly. “This was going to be my chance to get away from them, till they broke the door and Leonard made them come here so they could fix the door and windows at the house.”
“We could have Vance come over and hang out with them. He has a football, they could play behind our place.” Maggie suggested.
“No, they need to be punished. Besides, I don't want to deal with them in and out all day. Play for five minutes and come running in just to have a drink, then run out.” Amber went to the seat at Modine's table and sat down. “I’m getting so close to snapping Aunt Maggie.”
“I know. I can see it.”
“No. It's not just today. I work forty hours a week to help make ends meet, go home and cook and do the dishes. I have two boys who treat me like I'm their servant and a husband who is so tired when he gets home that he doesn't back me up when I try to get them to listen.”
“Then make him listen.” Maggie said. “I got William to listen. Hell, I have Vance doing dishes nightly and on the nights that Troy doesn't cook, he helps with dishes.”
“Wait....” She held up a hand to stop her Aunt. “Troy....” She blinked a couple of times. “Troy cooks? You actually have Troy cooking for the house?”
“Well he still works on the easy stuff, and I do talk him through a lot of the tougher stuff, if Modine isn't around. She has been helping him learn too.” Maggie smiled at her. “I was running myself ragged. I'd get home at five, sometimes six and then it was half an hour, to an hour or more for dinner. Now? Now I get home at five thirty and dinner is on the table ten minutes later. Well, it was till he got hurt.” Maggie amended her statement. “But he does the cooking an the cleaning in the house.”
“He cleans the house too?”Amber chuckled and shook her head slightly. “How the hell did you pull that off.”
“He offered.” Maggie replied.
Amber chuckled again. “I don't see my demons offering anytime soon. But that would be nice.”
“I'll help you with this.” Maggie said.
“How?”
Maggie gave her a devilish grin and put a hand on Amber's shoulder. “Simple. Get me talking when Leonard is by us. I'll gladly tell the tail of how my kids have grown up and taken responsibilities around the house. Sure, they get an allowance, but they have to do the work to get it.”
Amber nodded and stood up. “I'll do that. Maybe we should make the little twerps do the dishes tonight, give Vance and Troy a break.”
“It would be just Vance.” Maggie replied.
“Why? What's wrong with Troy?” Amber asked. “Why can't he do them?”
“Two reasons. The first isn't a big reason, but it's important. Why did you, Joy and Olivia stop doing dishes at the big family meals?”
“Like Christmas and Thanksgiving?” Amber asked.
“Yeah. That and the Easters we eat together.” Maggie nodded.
Amber thought about it for a moment, then tapped at the air with a finger. “I think we asked you two to have them wash the dishes because we were helping in the kitchen. We did a lot of the cooking. Well, you and Modine too.”
“And it was only fair. That was about three years ago. Vance was ten and Troy was eight.” Maggie stated. “So why can't a new set of workers take over.”
“Makes sense. And it's not like Troy and Vance live here.” Amber said. “So Troy is helping in the kitchen and that gets him out of dishes.....” She was quiet for a moment and nodded. “Be a bit hypocritical if I say he still has to do them if I refuse to do them because I cooked.”
“Right.” Maggie said. “Troy would have helped though. But the other reason he cant is he was hurt at the start of the month.”
“Oh...when those boys beat him up?” Amber asked. “What all happened? I heard Grandma got hurt too.”
“Yes. I'll tell you, but don't ask him about it though, unless he offers the story himself, it still haunts his dreams at night.” Maggie said. Once Amber agreed, Maggie did a quick telling of the tale, skipping over the finer details about clothing, and what almost happened. She covered the start of the tale and the suspension, the attack and the hospital visit. Then she covered the trip he suffered.
When her aunt had finished, Amber's eyes were slightly wet from tears and she just shook her head. “I'm...I'm so sorry that he had that happen. He's one special boy to protect Grandma like that.”
“You have no idea.” Maggie replied.
Amber smiled at Maggie. “So, if I make the boys do the dishes, how can we keep Vance from doing them?”
“Vance helped set up the house by cleaning. He and Dad cleaned the house from top to bottom.” Maggie said.
“That settles it. I'll make them do the dishes.” Amber set her jaw and looked at the door.
“I think Vance will be happy.” Maggie said with a nod. “I didn't really want to say anything, but last year your two really ticked off my two. Each time they wanted a glass of water, they dirtied a new cup. How many plates did your sons use, just because they claimed it was dirty.”
“That's why....” Amber gritted her teeth. “Those little....”
“I know. Trust me. Vance and Troy were both dreading today.”
Amber nodded. “I can understand. They do it at home too.” Amber was quiet for a moment, then she smiled wide. “I have an idea. I'm not telling them they got the dishes, till just before they need to be done. Let them see how it feels. I'll talk to Leonard and tell him what's going on.”
“I won't tell the kids, that why they won’t slip up.” Maggie rubbed her shoulder. “Come on. Let's go save your sisters from those boys.”
Troy was at the table sitting next to Angie. The two children were busy setting up the bowl of Ambrosia fruit salad. They took turns putting in the ingredients into the bowl as Joy kept a close eye on them, making sure they were following the instructions.
“I want more water!” Alex slammed the cup on the table.
“Then get up and get more water.” Olivia said from her seat at the table. “No one's at the sink.”
Troy watched from the corner of his eye as Alex went to the sink, then pulled out a clean cup and placed the old one he had been using in the sink with the other dishes. Johnny quickly finished his glass, then ran over to fill up his cup, by getting a clean one too. Troy sighed deeply and just rolled his eyes. He didn't say a word as he watched them make more dishes for his brother. He knew it was unfair for Vance to do them all on his own, so he resolved to help.
Maggie came back in and Amber followed. Amber looked at her two kids and the two new cups in her hand. She didn't say a word, she just sighed and smiled at what they had planned for later. Joy began to work on a Green-bean casserole and within seconds, both boys started up again. “I hate green beans!”
“Then don't eat it.” Amber said as she stopped behind them. “But you will have something more then turkey, stuffing and pie.”
“Well I don't want anything Troy made.” Johnny said.
“Why not?” Amber asked, trying her hardest to not get mad.
“Because I don't want his wimp germs.” Johnny replied, folding his arms. “He can't even lift a bowl, so I don't want to be that weak.”
Amber bit her tongue before she could just snap at her children. “Troy, what all have you helped with....wait. Better question, what haven't you helped with?” asked.
Troy thought about it and counted off what had been made. “Let's see. I helped with the corn and, potatoes, the fruit salad.” He began counting off what all he had done on his fingers, then looked at his cousin. “I didn't make the turkey or stuffing and we bought the rolls at the store, so I didn't make those. I didn't make the green-bean casserole and Mom made the pies that dad will bring over later. I did help with the cookies.”
“I see.” Amber walked to the oven, which was separate from the range top. “Is it time to baste the turkey?”
Modine looked at her and smiled, then at the clock. “Why, yes it is.”
“Troy, how would you like to learn about basting a turkey?”
“Please?” Troy smiled brightly.
“Look at him smile!” Alex yelled. “He's a queer! He likes cooking! And he has a girl's haircut!” Troy's smile faded fast and he frown took its place.
Amber turned and glared at her eldest and Maggie moved over to her side. “I have a suggestion. I think William wanted to move some wood around before it rains. We can send them over there to work.” She said in a hushed tone.
Amber shut her eyes and took a few deep breaths. “Ask if he's willing to do it today.”
Maggie went to the phone in the living room and made the call, while Amber took Troy to the oven and showed him how to properly baste a turkey. “We'll be good.” Both boys stood up and moved to their mother. “It's Christmas, you can't make us work on Christmas.”
“Why not?” Amber asked. “We're all working in the kitchen, why can't you be productive for a couple of hours.”
Maggie came back into the kitchen and nodded. “He'll be outside with Vance. I told him what all they've been up to so far.”
“Do we have to go over?” Alex whined.
“There are three choices. It's either go over on your own, I drag you over, or I take you back to Dad's place and we head for Reno now.” She paused for a moment. “With no presents.”
“We'll go.” Alex grumbled.
“You making Troy go over?” Johnny asked his Aunt Maggie.
“No. Troy gets to stay here. He's helping, you're not. Besides, heavy lifting is out for him this month.” Amber replied for her. When they hadn't moved, she pointed to the door. “Go. Now.”
They stood still for another moment, then grumbled and headed for the door. Troy heard Alex mutter before they left. “No fair.” The was a bit of silence and Amber clearly heard “Fucking wimp.”
“I'll walk them over.” Maggie said. That way we don't need to bury the bodies so close to dinner.”
“Thank you Aunt Maggie.”
Troy and Angie were in the love seat that sat near the Christmas tree. Most of the dishes had been prepared, and the last of them were in the oven for that final stretch to dinner. Maggie had gone over to help gather up the food to bring over. Modine was in her usual seat, with Conner by her side in his own seat. Christmas music played softly in the background. Joy, Amber and Olivia were busy in the kitchen.
The two kids sat there, reading a couple of the books that Angie had brought with her. She had showed him the books she had brought. Troy went with The Mouse and the Motorcycle, while Angie was reading Beezus and Ramona. He had wanted to read the other book, but the fear of Amber asking him why, or the boys coming back inside kept him to something that could seem a bit manly. But so far, his cousins were still out helping his father with firewood.
“Troy?” Modine said as she stood up and went over to the loveseat. She stopped and took a seat on the couch and turned so she could face him.
He looked up from the book. “Yeah? Is it time to put something else in?”
“Not yet. I was wondering if I could have a word with you real quick.” He sat the book down on an end table and started to stand up. “It's okay. You can sit down. I just wanted your opinion on something.”
“Okay? What is it?” He asked.
“Angie, could I have a quick moment alone with Troy? I promise you can return to your reading in just a couple of minutes.”
As if on cue, Joy called out to her daughter. “Angie? Could I get a hand in the kitchen?”
“Okay Mom.” Angie got up and went out of the room, leaving Troy with his mother and Grandparents.
“Well, I was looking at the table and counting the number of adults. We have ten seats at the big table and only nine adults. I saw you counting the chairs earlier too.” Troy's heart began to pound. He had already counted the number of Adults and chairs himself and saw that there was an extra chair. He so wanted to be at the big table, not stuck with Alex and Johnny. Modine put a hand on Troy's knee. “You've been so helpful around here till you got hurt and I know when you're better that you'll be helping again. You've even helped today, when you didn't have to. I don't want you to think that I am just ignoring that. You've changed so much in the past few months and I love you dearly. But in all fairness, the eldest of the kids should get the chair. I want to make sure that you're not going to be angry if I let Vance have that seat.”
Modine continued before he answered. “I know Vance hasn't been the best, but he's trying. If he was still in the same state of mind he was in back in October, he wouldn't even be worthy of that seat. But he's been good. I know that Johnny and Alex have been pains in the butt, to everyone, and you and Angie have done more then we would have asked of you today, but it wouldn't be fair to put just one of you at the table.”
“I don't mind.” Troy replied. It wasn't totally true. He wanted that seat, but she was not offering it to him. She was offering it to his brother. His grandmother did have a point. Since his punishment, he had grown to be a nice young man. “It should go to him because he's older.”
“I know it sucks.” Modine said as she pulled him close. “I have six brothers and two sisters. I sat at the kids table after I was married.”
Troy was shocked. He was glad his family wasn't that big. “I just didn't want to deal with Alex and Johnny anymore.”
“I'm sorry. But it's Christmas, a time to forgive and forget.” Modine said with a smile.
“I know.” Troy sighed.
“Plus, they leave tomorrow.”
“Yeah.” Troy nodded.
The door opened up and Leonard and Troy's Uncle Tom came in, leading Alex and Johnny. After the men gave their greetings to Modine and Conner, Troy's uncle moved to the couch and took a seat and Leonard went to the kitchen to see his wife. Johnny went to the kitchen and began to demand a drink. Modine went back to the kitchen. Angie came out and took a seat next to Troy again and picked up her book so she could continue where she had left off.
Alex flopped down on the couch and kicked his feet up on the coffee table. “Angie, you could sit over here.” He patted at the seat of the couch next to him.
“Why? This seat is just fine.” She said as she sat on the love seat.
“You don't want to sit with a loser, do you?” He looked at Troy, smugness all over his face.
“Alex!” Amber snapped at her son from the kitchen.
“He's no loser, Alex. You are.” Angie said with a shake of her head.
“Hey, I was next door working. He's such a wimp that he couldn't even help.” Alex replied.
“Alex, are you starting trouble?” His father said as he walked back into the kitchen.
“No.” He called back. “Just offering Angie a seat by a real man, not a loser like Troy.”
“Son.” Leonard said from the kitchen. Before he could continue, Alex heard someone stomping out to the living room.
Amber came out and glared at him. She was followed by Modine, Joy and Olivia. “Young man, you have no idea what you're talking about.”
Maggie picked that moment to walk through the door and was followed by Vance and William. They looked around the room and Maggie asked. “Something wrong?”
“Just my son starting crap again.” Amber replied.
“I'm not starting anything! Why did we have to go help and Troy got to stay here!” Alex shouted.
“You were being punished. He was being helpful. So now shut your mouth and stop trying to start fights.”Amber replied.
Alex watched as his mother, and Aunts all went into the kitchen. Once he thought it was safe, he glared at Troy. “Wimp.”
Conner let out a long sigh and leaned forward in his chair. “Alex, Troy is no wimp. He stood up to three huge guys and defended your Great Grandmother, all while he was badly hurt.”
“I could have done the same, without being such a wimp” Alex scoffed.
“I doubt that.” Amber came back into the living room. “Remember last year at the ball park when Tony threw the baseball and it hit you where it hurts? He got kicked there, hard.”
Alex blushed a bit, but he did the usual macho thing, he denied it. “Well, yeah, but it didn't hurt that bad. I could have dealt with a kick with no problem.
Amber arched an eyebrow and tilted her head slightly to the side. “You could? I recall you cried about it for almost an hour and you wouldn't walk on your own for almost a day. You kept claiming that you were dying.”
“Well, yeah, it hurt, a little, but didn't he get hurt a month ago?”
“Yes and no. But son, he was hurt far worse then you. They had to operate. He got tripped after that an ripped out all the stitches and almost died from blood loss.” Amber laid it on thick, trying to shut her son up. “The fact that he's moving now impresses the doctors.”
“Okay, what did he have done?” Leonard asked. Amber leaned over and whispered in his ear and his face took on a green tint. He looked at Troy in surprise. “He...after they hurt him he still fought?” Amber nodded. Then his gaze fell on his son. “Trust me boy, let this drop. You can't beat what he did.”
Amber turned and looked from her husband to her Aunt Maggie. “Could we talk outside, please?” It wasn't how they had planned on approaching the subject, but she wanted to talk to her husband before it got too late and he just let the boys continue their disrespect for everyone.
“Still a wimp.” Alex muttered as the back boor shut.
Troy just shook his head, sighed and went back to the book.
Modine met Vance as he was coming out of the kitchen with a cup of water. She put a hand out and touched his shoulder to stop him. “Can I have a word alone please?”
“Um...sure.” Vance replied a bit worried.
“Just a moment, okay?” Modine smiled at him. “I promise it's not work and you're not in trouble.”
Vance put his cup down and followed his grandmother to the back porch. Modine shut the backdoor for privacy. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“What is it?” He asked.
“There's an extra seat at the big table. There's ten seats and nine adults.” She stated. He began to smile. All the kids sat at the kid table. They had waited patiently for their chance to sit there. He could recall a couple of family meals where his Cousin Olivia and her brother Carter had to sit at the kids table with him and the other kids, due to other, older family members who had come for dinner.
“That leaves a seat open for one kid. There's no way in hell Amber will let her kids have it, not after today.” Modine stated.
Vance chuckled. “Yeah. Dad was talking to Leonard earlier. Man they were useless when we were moving wood.”
“I heard.” Modine nodded. “Good thing they don't live on the property.”
“Yeah.” Vance agreed.
“Vance, I know you have been waiting for your chance to sit there. And by all rights, the seat is yours. You are the oldest out of the five of you kids.” Modine stared. Vance knew a big “but” was coming soon.
Modine put a hand on his shoulder and threw him off by not giving him a 'but'. “The seat is yours, if you want it. Honestly, if you hadn't changed your attitude and kept being a pain in the ass, I would have never would have offered it to you. To be honest, I actually asked Troy his feelings on letting you have the big seat. I was going to give it to him because he's still moving slow and the whole no lifting thing, it would have been just easier to put him at the big table. Plus Alex and Johnny have been royal pains to him all day. But after I asked him, he said you should have it.”
“He did?” Vance blinked in surprise. “If I were him, I would have taken it.”
“Yeah. I know. And I can't blame you for that. It's a part of growing older, that chance to eat with the adults at the big table.” She smiled and nodded. “It's a lesser known rite of passage.”
Vance nodded. “I've been waiting for the seat for a couple years. I thought at Thanksgiving time, but Great Aunt Betty and her family came.”
“I know.” Modine said. “So will you join us at the table? I think there's a spot near Grandpa open up.”
“I'll take it.” Vance smiled brightly.
“Well then let's get inside. Dinner should be done by now.” Modine said.
By time they stepped in, Vance noticed that Joy and Angie had quickly set up the plates around the big table. The adults moved the food over and began taking their seats. Johnny had done a quick count, then he counted the adults. “I wanna sit at the big table!” Johnny shouted, then he amended his statement. “I'm gonna sit at the big table!”
Alex ran up to his mother. “Why should he get the seat! I'm older then he is!”
“Neither of you will get that seat!” Amber snapped at her boys. “They way you two have acted today, you should be happy you're getting food at all!”
“Actually, if we go by age, Vance is older than both of you and so is Troy, even if it is just by a matter of a few months.” Modine stated. “So the seat is Vance's.”
“That's not fair!” Johnny and Alex cried out in unison.
“It isn't?” Amber asked. “So how would it be fair to them if someone younger then both of them got to sit there and they couldn't?” Neither boy could answer.
Troy shook his head and grabbed a plate and went to get his food, before his Grandfather would say the prayer. He was glad that Vance at least got the seat. It would have hurt more if Alex or Johnny had taken it.
The kids were at the table finishing up on their dinners. Vance had moved from the big table to the seat next to Troy, with Angie on his brother’s other side of the oddly shaped table. It was partly an oval, but attached to the wall. The adults had helped Vance move his food, so they could clean up the dining room table. As the last of the adults came in and put their plate in the stack of dishes next to the sink, Amber walked over and stood behind her two boys. “Okay boys, it's time for the dishes. Get them done right the first time so we don't have to wait on the presents.”
Vance looked up at her and sighed. He was slightly confused as to why she told him to do them right the first time. He wasn't new to the dishes. “It's just me. Troy can't help, not till the doctor says it's okay.” He grumbled.
“That's right. Hurry, I want my presents.” Alex said with a smug grin.
Vance ground his teeth, but but didn't say a word, instead he just glared at his cousin. Troy stood up. “No, I can help you. I'm not that hurt.”
“Vance, Troy, sit down.” Amber said. They stopped halfway up and looked at her funny. “When I said boys. I didn't mean you two.” She placed her hands on her sons’ shoulders and turned them to face her. “You two are doing dishes.”
“WHAT!” Alex screamed. “We don't live here!”
“Neither do they.” Amber replied.
“But they live closer!” Johnny jumped in.
“But they don't live here.” Amber replied.
Alex got up and bolted to the living room followed closely by his brother, Vance, Troy and Angie. “Dad! Do we have to do the dishes! It's Vance's job!”
“Your mother said dishes. Get in there and do them.” He growled. “It's not Vance's job. It's a job for the kids. You two earned this with your actions today.”
“But there's so many of them!” Alex replied.
“Maybe you shouldn't have grabbed a new glass each time you wanted a drink. And you shouldn't have been grabbing a new plate each time you got more food.” His mother stated. “Yeah, we all saw you doing that.”
“I don't wanna do them!” Johnny stomped his feet on the floor.
“Well I got a surprise for you. When we get home, you two will be doing more around the house.” Leonard said.
“But....” Alex began to complain. “Isn't that Mom's job!”
“Not anymore.” Leonard replied. “Vance and Troy both work around the house, why can't you? From what I heard from your Aunt Maggie, Troy cooks and cleans in the house, except their bedroom, that's both of their job. Vance helps out in the field.”
“But we don't have a field.” Alex answered, hoping he had found a loophole.
“But we have a kitchen and a dirty house. So when we get home, you two are taking on more jobs. Troy is just a few months older then you, Alex. If he can do more work, so can you.” Leonard said. “So you two need to stop stalling and get in that kitchen, before I get off this couch and blister your behinds.”
“Can't they help?” Alex asked.
“Why should they?” Amber replied. “Troy helped with dinner and that's the reason that we asked them to do the dishes after holiday meals. We had to cook and clean, it wasn't fair. Well Troy helped cook and Vance was over here this past week cleaning. So they did their share. And after last year with you two grabbing new cups and plates all the time, then bugging them as they did the dishes, it wasn't fair to them.”
“Can Angie help us?” Alex asked.
“Why? She was helping with the cooking too. If Troy doesn't have to because of that, why should she. Besides, you two want to prove that you're grown up? Take more responsibility.” Their mother said.
The boys stood their ground, till their father started to get up. They turned around and glared at Troy and Vance. “Should be your job.” Alex muttered.
Amber grabbed his ear and tweaked it. “That's more then enough lip from you. Get in that damn kitchen, now.” She hissed at them.
“Ow...OW OWOWOW” Alex screamed out. Amber let go of his ear and the two boys slowly made their way into the kitchen, stomping with each step.
Amber looked to her children. “You'll do them right, or we'll be working on it all night long if we have to.”
Maggie got up from her seat and went to Amber as she started to go back into the kitchen. “Go. Sit with your husband. I'll make sure they do it right.”
“You sure?” Amber asked. “They'll try to just speed through it.”
“Ask Vance and Troy what I did to them the first time they did dishes quickly.” Maggie said as she headed into the kitchen.
Amber looked to Troy and he smiled, answering her before she could ask the question. “Mom found a dirty dish and she made us wash all the dishes.”
“Really?” Amber asked.
“All the dishes in the house. Even the ones we didn't use. I have three cupboards of old things I hadn't used in a long time that got a well needed cleaning.” Maggie called from the kitchen. “It taught them how not to rush a job. And your sons will be under the same scrutiny.”
“MOM?!?”
“If she says to wash them again, you will wash them again, understand?” Leonard called to his children. “I've always said if you're going to do a job, do it right the first time.”
“So true.” Conner said and William and his brother both nodded their agreement.
Maggie took a rag and quickly wiped off the big dining table. “If anyone wants, the table out here is good to use.”
Vance looked to Troy and just smiled. “Cool. Wanna play a card game while we wait?”
“Sure.” Troy looked at Angie. “What about you?”
“Yeah, I'll play.”
“Hey, what about a board game? I'll join in if you want to play with the old people.” Olivia asked as she stood up. “We can pause for the presents, then go back to it afterward.”
“Yeah!” Vance and Troy exclaimed.
As they started up their game, gaining Joy in the process, Vance and Troy took turns watching Alex and Johnny turn and glare at them. This would prompt Maggie to point out the dishes were in the sink, then Leonard would yell from the living room.
As they played their game, Troy chuckled and looked up as he heard Johnny ask. “Where does this go?”
“It's a cup. Where do you think it goes?” Maggie asked.
“I don't know?” Johnny replied.
“Where did you pull it out of earlier?” Maggie asked.
Johnny opened up the cupboard and less then ten seconds later, he asked again. “Where does this go?”
“It's a cup. Where did the last one go?” Maggie gritted her teeth and glared at them.
Vance, Joy and Olivia joined in the watching as Amber came stomping in. “You two have been pulling cup after cup out of that cupboard. You know damn well where the cups go! You know where everything but the pots and pans go. So stop asking stupid questions, and get to work.”
As I wrote this, I had two lines from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation stuck in my head.
One was from Ellen. "I don't know what to say, except it's Christmas and we're all in misery."
The other was from Clark "WORSE? How could things get any worse? Take a look around here, Ellen. We're at the threshold of hell."
The adult's table was that goal I never managed to achieve when I lived at home. The year that my brother should have been able to get to sit there, our youngest cousin threw a total fit and he got to sit there. Then after that, each meal, all my cousins showed up and my youngest cousin kept throwing his fits so my brother and I were the only ones at the kids table. Total BS
“Okay. How about this. Girls first, then the eldest kids.”
“So that's Angie and Troy?” Alex asked.
“Alex!” Amber snapped.
“Look at his hair Mom. He has girl hair.” Alex pointed to his cousin. Troy smiled and fluffed his hair, then he leaned back in the loveseat and hammed up how comfortable it was.
“That's enough young man.” Leonard said to his son. “Let's just get through the presents without you being more of a pest then you already are.”
Big thanks to Djkauf for the editing again.
Part two of the family meal and a little time with Tracy
December 25th 1982
The board game was in full swing, just about an hour after dinner had finished. In the kitchen the sounds of plates clinking, and pots being slammed around could be heard. Troy and Vance took the time to smile at each other every time that Johnny and Alex insisted it shouldn't be them doing it. But their smiles grew extremely wide when they heard their mother call out.
“Stop!”
Alex and Johnny stopped what they were doing and looked at their Aunt Maggie who was at the table, her attention on the two boys. “Now have you been making sure the dishes were clean?”
Both boys nodded and replied. “Yes.”
“Then why have some left the sink?” Maggie asked as she got up an stood by Johnny.
“Where?” He asked.
“You tell me.” Maggie answered. From the table, Troy and Vance held back the snickers. They knew what was coming next. She had done it for them the one time they screwed up. A chance to find the dirty dish. They failed that time too.
“There's no dirty dishes.” Johnny said as he looked at the plate in his hand. He quickly turned it to his chest and scraped a bit of food off with a fingernail.
“Oh really?” Maggie asked. “So you didn't just scrape food off with a fingernail? I saw your wrist moving.” She opened up the cupboard that Johnny had been putting plates in and pulled out a stack of ten plates. There she slowly went through them, handing ones with dried on food back towards Alex. “This is turkey. This is mashed potatoes. Gravy here. And I know Modine doesn't use these plates on a daily basis.”
“I can re-do them.” Alex said. Maggie opened up the cupboard where the glasses were and showed them a lipstick stain on one cup.
“Oh, you'll re-do them.” Maggie said and she began to empty the cupboard.
“That's not fair!” Both boys cried out.
“You're right. It isn't fair to your Great Grandmother to have dirty dishes the next time she wants to entertain a large group.”
From the table, Olivia called out, mimicking the boys from last year. “Hurry up, I want my presents.” This caused Vance, Troy and Angie to snicker, gaining them a dirty look from Alex and Johnny.
“Well I'm not doing them!” Alex stomped his foot.
“Alex!” Leonard shouted from the living room. His steps seemed to thunder through the house as he walked into the kitchen. “You will do ALL the dishes and you will do them right.”
“But it will take forever!” Alex whined.
“Then maybe you shouldn't have been rushing.” He looked to the clock. “Besides, it's not six yet, so we have all night.”
As the boys were about to complain again. “Leonard? May I alter the rules a tad?” She went over to him and whispered into his ear, then she stepped back and asked. “Well?”
“Go for it.” He nodded and waited.
What happened next surprised both sets of boys. “Since this is Christmas and you have thirteen people waiting on you, I will only pull out the dishes you've claimed to have cleaned up till now.” Alex and Johnny looked relied. “But one more mistake and I empty every cupboard in this house.” Their expressions fell again.
“But there's a ton of dishes here.” Alex replied.
“I know. Ask Troy and Vance how long it took them the one time I emptied the cupboards at home.”
Vance didn't wait to be asked, he looked at Alex and smiled. “It took us from five at night till almost nine thirty.”
Maggie looked at them, then went back to her seat. “You're getting a break, something they didn't get, just because of the holiday.”
“Well....” Leonard looked at them. “Looks like you two should start cleaning.”
As the dishwashing was winding down, with no more mistakes, Conner had gone to the dining room and leaned over to Vance and whispered something to him, then he came to Troy and whispered to him.
“Don't tell your cousins about those envelopes you got at your place, okay? That wasn't Christmas money, not exactly.” Troy nodded and Conner patted his shoulder and headed to the living room.
“Well, they're done.” Maggie said as she headed into the living room and went for the love seat.
Troy went to the living room with his cousins, only to find most of the seats had been taken by the adults. As much as he enjoyed the couch, he was willing to sit with the kids. But he cheated and started to grab a chair from the kitchen table. Olivia stopped him and took it from him and took it to the living room for him.
He was about to sit down when William got up and tapped him on the shoulder. “Troy, take the spot by your mother. I'll take the chair.” Troy looked at him for a moment. “Come on, I know that's not very comfortable on you right now, go sit by your mother.”
As Troy sat in the spot of the love seat closest to the tree, Alex looked at his mother. “Why does he get the nice seat?!?”
“Because the seats are not that comfortable and he's been good, unlike two boys who are closely related to me.” Amber said as she sat down.
Amber was on the couch with her husband and father. Modine and Conner were in their usual seats. Joy sat on the floor, with her daughter right in front of her. Olivia took up a spot by the tree and she began to pick through the presents. “How should I do this?” She asked. “Eldest to youngest? Adults first?”
“No!” All five kids called out.
“Okay, youngest to eldest.” Olivia smiled at them. “Adults first, then kids later?”
“No!”
“Okay. How about this. Girls first, then the eldest kids.”
“So that's Angie and Troy?” Alex asked.
“Alex!” Amber snapped.
“Look at his hair Mom. He has girl hair.” Alex pointed to his cousin. Troy smiled and fluffed his hair, then he leaned back in the loveseat and hammed up how comfortable it was.
“That's enough young man.” Leonard said to his son. “Let's just get through the presents without you being more of a pest then you already are.”
“Angie, because of your help in the kitchen, you get the first gift. From your Great Grandma and Great Grandpa.” Olivia handed a small package to her and the girl began tearing through the paper.
She pulled the paper off and squealed. “It's a Ramona book!”
Then Olivia handed the next one to Troy. “See, he's a girl!” Alex said with a huge grin.
“No.” Olivia said. “He gets his because he helped us out today.” She turned her attention to Troy. “It's from Grandma and Grandpa.”
He tore the paper open and found a book. It was actually two books. He pulled them out an smiled.
“What did you get?” William asked.
“Books.” Troy held them up and showed The mouse and the Motorcycle and Runaway Ralph. Troy looked to Angie and picked her book up from the end table where he had put it earlier. “Guess I don't need to borrow yours now.” He said as he handed it to her.
Angie began giggling. “Cool. It's an awesome book.”
“THOSE ARE GIRL’S BOOKS!” Johnny screamed out.
“Johnny!” Amber snapped at her youngest.
“They are?” Leonard leaned forward. “I read The mouse and the Motorcycle when it came out and I think I was like twelve.”
“Oh.” Johnny turned back to face the tree and he got very quiet.
Leonard looked to Troy and smiled. “You'll love them. Great books.”
“Thanks.” Troy replied, giving his cousin a smile. It was a small victory at least against the evil forces of Johnny and Alex. But each one counted.
Troy sat back and instinctively leaned into his mother and watched as the gifts got sorted out. He watched in glee as Alex and Johnny got clothes. There were also some action figures, but he didn't pay too much attention to that. He watched as Vance got a watch from his grandparents, plus a few books of his own and a few action figures from the Empire strikes back. Troy wasn't too surprised to see that he got some as well. He smiled at his cousins and Uncle, wishing that they knew about Tracy. He wasn't happy with many of the gifts, but he wasn't going to get mad and ruin the night.
It was Angie's gifts that caught his eyes. Not only did she get stuff from her Great Grandparents. She got stuff from her Grandfather and Aunts and Uncles. By the end of the gift giving, she had several cute skirts, a couple of blouses, one nightgown with a pony on it and some hair accessories. Troy felt the jealousy rise up in him. He leaned back in the seat, angry that he didn't get any hair stuff.
Maggie seemed to notice the shift in his attitude and she saw where he was looking. She pulled him into a hug and kissed his cheek. “You got some of that at home.” She whispered into his ear.
“I know.” He replied.
“But you got some nice books.” Maggie said.
He looked to her and smiled a little. “Yeah.”
“I'll look for those Ramona books the next time we go to Chico, okay?”
Troy looked at her and smiled wide. “Please?”
“Alright, how about some of that pie now?” Olivia asked.
“One moment.” Conner said as he got up and pulled out several envelopes. He began handing them out, making sure he got the children first.
Troy got his and he opened it up and found a twenty dollar bill inside. He handed the card to his mother and whispered. “Could you put that in your purse?”
“Sure thing kiddo. You better say thank you for all of this.”
“I will Mom.” and Troy stood up to start the rounds of thank yous.
“Maggie, is that food in the fridge?” William asked.
“Yes, in Tupperware and on the top shelf.” She replied.
Vance, you want to go with me?” William stood up and looked at his son.
“Where to?” Vance asked as he let go from hugging his grandmother.
“I am taking some food to one of the guys at work, because he had to work tonight.”
“Yeah, I'll go. Can I have pie when we get back?” Vance looked to his mother.
Maggie chuckled. “I'll save you some. Apple, Pumpkin or cherry?”
“Apple. And a slice of Cherry, if no one eats it all.”
Vance sat in the passenger seat of his fathers car, a cardboard box sat on his lap with several containers inside. The sun had set already and they seemed to be the only people on the road. “Dad?”
“Yeah, Son?”
“Why are we doing this?” Vance asked. “Did they ask you to?”
“No. I offered.” William replied. “Tony is a new guy, and his family all went out of town. He couldn't get the time off to go with them. And Larry offered to work Christmas day so Joe could spend the day with his family. Larry's all alone since his wife passed away a few years ago. So I offered to bring them a meal because they are stuck guarding the mill. ”
“Oh.” Vance nodded. “So you're giving them what they missed out on?”
“Right. Larry still has a family, but they don't live around here. So if he had stayed home, it was going to be cold cuts for his dinner. This isn't taking the place of friends and family, but it helps.”
“I see.” Vance nodded again as they pulled into the lot of the mill William worked at. They stopped at the guardhouse and found a man in his late fifties at the door. He gave them a huge smile as they pulled to stop. Another man stepped out, this one in his early twenties, he smiled just as brightly.
William got out and offered his hand to one, then the other. “Larry. Tony.” He went around the car an took the box from his son and took it back over to the two men. “This is my oldest, Vance.” He said as Vance got out of the car.
“Hey kid.” Old Larry said.
“Hi.” Vance gave a small wave as he walked over to them. William offered the cardboard box to the two men.
“It's got some turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy in there. Plus I think Maggie saved some of the scalloped corn. Sorry but the fruit salad and green bean casserole never made it to the left over stage. There's also a two slices of cherry pie and two of apple. There's two paper plates and some plastic silverware in there too.”
“Thanks, William.” Tony took the box and set it inside the guard shack, while Larry stuck his hand out and William shook it, then he offered the hand to Vance who shook it too. Tony came out and shook their hands as well.
“Thanks, man. If you hadn't brought that it was going to be peanut butter and jelly for dinner.” Tony said. “Tell the wife and family thank you from me.”
“Me too.” Larry said. “Tell your wife and the others thank you for the food.
“I will. But I better get going. Enjoy the meal guys and leave the stuff in the box on that table in the break room.”
Vance waited for his dad, then got in the car and he buckled up. As they pulled away and headed home he was quiet for a moment, then he looked over to his dad and smiled. “I kinda like that.”
“What?” William asked.
“Bringing the food. I feel good about that.” Vance said.
“So do I, son. It was something I think I had to do.” William said.
“Why?”
“You may not remember, but eleven years ago, I was working on a Christmas day and someone brought me Christmas dinner, just because I wasn't able to get home to you and your mother and broth...sister.”
“Wow.” Vance said. “That would suck to be at work on Christmas.”
“It does, son. Even if you're single, it still sucks.”
Troy headed back to his parent's place with his brother and mother. It was just around Ten in the evening. His two cousins had finally been taken back to their Grandfather’s place and that left Troy the chance to play another board game with his brother, Cousin Angie and her mother, Joy and Olivia. He had several books under his arms, and a bag with his other gifts.
As they got closer to the house, Troy's smile began getting stronger. He knew that once he was inside the house, Troy was going away and Tracy was coming back out. He had no intention of being Troy any longer then he had to. Maggie opened up the door and the three of them shuffled inside. Troy made a bee-line for the bedroom, followed closely by his brother. Both boys began to unload their gifts onto their bed. Vance was sifting through his as Troy began to shed his clothes.
“Can I have a moment?” Troy asked. “I want to change really quick.”
“Troy, I've seen you change before.” Vance replied.
“Troy? I think you mean Tracy.” He answered back. Vance looked over his shoulder to see his sibling holding a nightgown and a pair of panties.
“Got it. I'll be in the kitchen.”
“Just be a few minutes.” Troy stated.
Vance went to the kitchen and opened up the fridge and began looking around for something. Maggie came into the kitchen and chuckled. “Hungry already? You've had how many slices of pie?”
“Just a couple.” He said. “I was just looking though. Tracy kicked me out of the bedroom to change.”
“Ah. I wondered when she was going to take off her male clothes.” Maggie opened up the Tupperware container of cookies and pulled two out. She passed one to her son and she sat at the table.
“Can't say as I blame her. Man, I used to be bad, but Alex and Johnny.....wow.” Vance shook his head as he took a seat.
“I know. I can't believe that Amber cracked a cup with just one hand.”
Vance looked at her and cocked his head, wondering when that had happened, but a bigger question loomed on his mind. “Mom, did you ask Amber to have them do the dishes?”
“Yes I did.” Maggie nodded. “You would have been doing them all alone and after last year’s stunt of a new cup and plate every time, I figured they deserved a taste of their own medicine.”
“When they kept grabbing cups at dinner, I was getting pissed.” Vance shook his head and sighed.
“Me too.” Tracy said as she came into the kitchen. “That was the first thing they did.”
“And the best part about it?” Maggie smiled brightly. “They did it to themselves.” Both of her boys chuckled.
“Mom?” Tracy sat in a chair next to Vance and grabbed at the cookie bin. “Were we ever that bad?”
“You two used to dirty a lot of dishes, but not like they did.” Maggie answered. “But I broke you two of that habit, what, three years ago now?”
“Yeah.” Vance agreed.
“Come on. One more cookie, then it's bed for you two.”
“Thanks Mom.” They both replied.
Their Grandparents were in bed already and Joy lay there in the guest bed, with her sister Olivia on a cot and Angie in a sleeping bag on the floor. The little girl was already snoring away, a large stuffed dog in her arms. Joy had been thinking about her cousin Troy all night an wondering if she was making mountains out of mole hills. She rolled over and looked to her sister. “Olivia.” She whispered. “Are you awake?”
“Yeah. What's up?” She whispered back.
“I keep thinking about Troy and that whole Tracy thing.” Joy said. “Am I wrong for being concerned for Angie? I mean I don't want to let someone that could hurt her anywhere near her.”
“Protecting your daughter is never wrong, but you should get to know Tracy before you condemn her.” Olivia said.
“But I wouldn't let her go with those cross-dressing hookers on Hollywood and vine. What if Troy is like that when he's Tracy?”
“Joy. First of all, Troy is only eleven. Second, he's been castrated. He'll have as much sex drive as a piece of wood.” Olivia sat up. “But if you don't trust me, why not hang out with him, or should I say her.”
“But what if he hurts my daughter?” Joy asked again.
“Joy, look at what happened. Aunt Maggie said that he was almost raped. He's been suffering nightmares since that day all dealing with that rape. I know I'm out on a very thin limb here, but trust me, I think Angie will be safe around him. He spent a week with five girls and they loved Tracy. None of them claimed that he did anything, or I'm sure we would have never seen Troy today. Grandma says she is a wonderful young lady.”
“So....you think I'm over-reacting?” Joy asked.
“No Joy. I think you're being the type of protective mother that I want to be when I have children.” Olivia said. “But don't just blindly judge. Let your heart and your mind meet in the middle. That kid has got a heart of gold, always has.”
December 26th 1982
It was still early when Tracy woke up. She found herself in the kitchen, still in her nightgown and trying to make as little noise as possible. She had been itching to cook something for a couple of weeks. So she planned on making some bacon for herself and a couple of eggs.
Her father didn't have work that morning, but his body didn't know that. So after a quick stop at the bathroom, he followed the smell of bacon and hot chocolate. He came into the kitchen, one eyebrow raised as he stopped by his daughter. “Hi, Daddy.”
“Young lady?” He stood by the stove as she cooked the bacon. “Are you supposed to be pushing yourself?”
“Daddy, I've rested. I'm fine.” She replied.
“And you're breaking the doctor's rules. She said no lifting. That's a fifteen pound cast iron skillet. It didn't just leap out of the cupboard and onto the stove.” William said. “You don't need to go hurting yourself.”
“I'm, good Daddy.” Tracy turned to give him the best puppy-dog eyes she could manage. “Honest.”
“Okay, but you get worse and you can kiss any plans for the summer goodbye.” He said as he sat down.
“What? WHY?” She whined.
William gave her a stern look. “A medical professional told you to do something to keep your health in good shape, but you keep pushing the rules. You hurt yourself and your summer is called off, understand?”
Tracy slumped her shoulders. “I just wanted to make breakfast. I feel so useless around here.” Her voice was almost a whisper when she talked. Hey big green eyes began to fill with tears an William knew at that point that he had screwed up.
~So much easier with boys.~ He thought to himself as he quickly stood up. ~No rampant emotions all the time.~ He pulled his daughter into a hug and kissed her forehead.
“I'm sorry, baby. I don't want you to cry, but I don't want you hurting yourself either and threatening to take away your summer seems to be the only way to keep you listening to the Doctor's orders.”
“I know Dad. I just want to be helpful again.” Tracy leaned her forehead against his chest and cried for a few moments. William held her with one arm an tended to the bacon with the other to keep it from burning.
“You are helpful, baby. You just got to take it easy till you get the green light, then we will let you get back to your old chores.”
“I...” She sighed. “I hate waiting, Daddy.”
“I know.” He kissed the top of her head. He changed the subject, hoping to quickly end the tears. “How did you sleep last night?”
“Well. Mr. Cuddles kept the dreams away again.”
“Good. If Mr. Cuddles can keep my little girl safe, then he can stay in the house.” William smiled at her.
Maggie walked in to see her daughter, with tears in her eyes, hugging her husband. “I miss something?”
“No.” William said. “I got on someone's case and made her cry, so there's no need to yell at her.”
“Got on her case?” Maggie asked as she went to the coffee maker. She was awake now, not point in going back to bed. “Why, what did she do?”
“Cooking.” William replied. “But I yelled at her already, so don't do it.”
“Baby. You didn't have to cook for us. Besides, we may have slept in.” Maggie said.
“Well, I was going to cook for myself, then as you all got up, I'd cook for you and while I waited, I was going to read one of my books.” Tracy said.
“Well thank you. I can help you now if you want.” Maggie said. “You keep on the bacon, I'll work the toast. If Vance wakes up, then we'll just make more.”
“I'll get the eggs.” William said as he let go of his daughter and reached for the fridge.
Olivia, Joy and Angie sat at the table with Modine and Conner. Conner was busy reading the newspaper. Modine had the crosswords in front of her while the girls all ate. After a few minutes of watching Joy out of the corner of her eye, Modine looked up and put her pencil down. “What's wrong young lady?”
“It's nothing, Grandma.” Joy replied.
“You're flicking eggs all over your plate with your fork and your mind is a million miles from here. What's going on?”
“It's....” Joy wanted to just push it under the rug, but her grandmother could be persistent. “I've been thinking about Troy and that Tracy thing of his.” This caused Conner to look up from the sports page.
“It's not a 'thing', but what has you bothered?” Modine asked.
“I'm....am I worried.....” Joy sighed deeply and put her fork down. “I'm trying to keep Angie protected, but I keep thinking that maybe Olivia is right and I may be blowing things out of proportion.”
“Maybe you should go see her today. I'd bet that it's Tracy who went to sleep over there last night and woke up this morning.” Modine said. “There's no shame in protecting your kids, but you got to let them make their own decisions on things too. If you choose everything, Angie will never learn to think for herself. I'm not saying you should just let her run wild, but don't hide her from the world. Plus, if you just fear what you never know, then you could be cutting someone very important out of your life.”
“See?” Olivia looked at her sister and stuck out her tongue.
“I think I understand.” Joy said with a nod.
“Joy, when I first found out about the Tracy thing, when Angie showed me the clothes, I went mad. I was ready to beat the gay out of Troy. But over the past month, it's hard to not see a young girl, even when he's Troy.” Conner said.
Olivia pointed a finger at her sister. “I know you watched him yesterday at dinner. Tell me his mannerisms weren't a girls.”
“Oh, they were. Good thing Johnny and Alex couldn't see him sitting with his legs crossed.” Joy said. “And I swear I saw him smiling when it was just us girls.”
“That happens.” Modine smiled at her. “I was shocked the first day I saw a genuine smile from Tracy. I hadn't seen one on Troy, not a genuine one at least, in a very long time.”
“He has been moody for a long time.” Olivia stated.
“And now, at least when he can be himself, the gloom is gone.” Modine said.
“Okay. I''ll go over and see him...er...her.” Joy looked at the clock. “Think they're up this early?”
“Seven? Maybe, but you may want to wait a couple of hours to make sure Vance is up.” Modine replied.
“Can I go?” Angie asked.
Olivia put a hand on her sisters shoulder. “You should let her go. Let her meet Tracy, too.”
Joy thought about it for a moment, then looked to her daughter and held out one finger and pointed it at her. “You can go, but don't bug Troy...Tracy too much. No ton of questions, got it?”
“Yes.” Angie smiled brightly.
It was just past nine in the morning and Tracy was sitting on the couch with one her books. She had received several from her Grandparents and a few from her parents. She was currently reading the Pippi Longstocking, one of the books her parents got for her. She had tired to curl her legs under her, but her wound prevented that. It was just still too uncomfortable. She had taken a shower for the day already. She was in a decent skirt, not one of her favorites, but it was still nice. The shirt she wore was one of her other Christmas presents. It was a deep blue color, with roses around the waist.
The phone rang and she looked up, making sure that her parents could get it. Her mother picked up the phone. “Patterson’s, Maggie speaking....Good morning Joy.” Tracy watched for a moment, then went back to her book. She only caught her mothers side of the conversation. “Just sitting around the house.....sure.....sure, we don't mind company.....no, we're all dressed now...Yes, Tracy is here.....yeah, anytime, just come over when you want to.” She was quiet for a little bit, then spoke again as she leaned towards the base of the phone. Tracy looked over and raised an eyebrow. “Okay. See you in a few minutes. Bye, Joy.”
When she hung up the phone, William looked away from the TV to her. “Joy's coming over?”
“Yes. She wanted to meet Tracy first hand.” Maggie looked over to her daughter. “Olivia and Angie are coming with her, I hope that it's okay.”
Tracy nodded. “Yes. I don't mind.”
William was confused. He looked from his daughter, to his wife. “How does she know about Tracy?”
“They found out yesterday.” Maggie turned in her chair to explain to her husband. “Angie had asked about the panties and nightgown she had found at Thanksgiving. She just blurted it out, thank God that Johnny and Alex hadn't shown up at that point. But Joy wanted to know about it too. So Tracy let them into the secret.”
“Are they okay with it?” William asked.
“Olivia is fine and I think Angie doesn't care. Joy is worried that Tracy will hurt her daughter. So I guess Olivia and her talked about it and Olivia said the best way to handle her fears was to come meet Tracy.” Maggie
Tracy got up and went to her room, taking her book with her. She wanted to look her best and prove that she wasn't a danger to anyone. She took a quick look around the room that she shared with her brother. It was a study in contrasts. Since there wasn't much room to work with, neither had their own side, it was just the bunk beds. But some areas were split. One half of the dresser was cleaned off, except for the box that held Tracy's makeup and a small jewelry box. There was only one boy's suit hanging on one side of the open closet. The rest of the bar was filled with Tracy’s clothes. The book case was the same. The lower three shelves were all in a neat order, each book put in there Alphabetically by Author, then title.
She put the book on her dresser as she flipped through the few pieces of jewelry. Her ears weren't pierced, but she had a couple pieces of clip on earrings. She held them to her ear, then decided to not over do it. She took a quick look in the mirror and made sure she was presentable. She could hear the knock at the door, then it opened up and she heard her cousins.
She could hear the talking, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. Her attention was on her hair. She wanted it to look just right. She was running a brush through her hair one more time when she heard giggling at her bedroom door, which caused her to jump. She looked at the door and she saw her mother and her cousins.
Maggie chuckled. “I was wondering where you went off too.”
“I....” Tracy blushed brightly and she looked at the floor. “I wanted to look good. You know.....” Her voice dropped and her shoulders slumped. “So you wouldn't think I was just a boy in a skirt.” The tears began to fall when Maggie came into the room and pulled her into a hug. Tracy's head rested against her mothers chest.
“Oh baby. You're not a boy in a skirt. Please don't cry, we shouldn't have laughed at you.”
Olivia came in and put her hand on Tracy's shoulder. “Kiddo, I only chuckled because you were doing such a girly thing. Primping your hair like you were? That reminds me of me years ago.”
“Years ago?” Joy stepped into the room. “How about this morning. You must have spent an hour in front of that mirror after your shower.”
“Hey. Enough of that.” Olivia gave her sister a halfhearted glare.
Angie came into the room and went up to Tracy, looking her over closely. “You look pretty.” She said
“Thank you.” Tracy blushed.
Angie looked around the room. When she stopped looking the questions came in a quick barrage. “You share the room with your brother? Aren't you afraid he'll see you? Did they remove your pee-pee? Is that what the Orchi....thingy you had done was? Did you have it done to be a girl? Can I see? Are you going to grow boobies soon? Are you a girl at school? Do you swim in a girls swim suit? Why aren't your ears pierced? Are you letting your hair grow out? Do you go to school as Tracy? Why were you Troy yesterday, when you look so pretty like Tracy?”
Tracy was stunned at the bluntness of some of the questions and she was doing her best to process them, most went by in rapid fashion. Joy stepped behind her daughter and covered her mouth with a hand. “Angie, you agreed.” She simply said as she looked at her child. “It's rude to ask a lot of those questions. You shouldn't ever ask about people's private parts. And you should never ask to see them. You wouldn't want Tro...” Joy caught the child in question begin to look at her and she corrected her mistake in time. “Tracy to see yours, would you?”
Angie pulled her mothers hand away from her mouth and being a typical kid with no filter over her mouth, she spoke freely again. “No. I wouldn't.”
“Then don't ask to see someone else.” Joy said. “Good girls never ask people that question.”
Angie looked around again and she squealed and lunged for the bed. Her arms wrapped around the soft fuzzy body of Mr. Cuddles. “He's cute!”
“It's Mr. Cuddles.” Tracy replied.
“Can I have him?” Angie asked.
“No!” Moved to rescue her little fuzzy friend. “I just got him and he helps me sleep. He keeps my nightmares away.” She sat on the bed with Angie and was trying to reach her bear
“What nightmares?” Angie turned to face her, holding the bear in her lap with a big hug. Tracy put her hand on the bear and was trying to slowly pull him to her.
“Angie, that's not a question to ask.” Joy said. “And that's her bear, so let go of him.”
“Does the bear help?” Olivia asked as Angie lowered her head and let Tracy take the bear back.
Tracy nodded. “In Livermore, my girlfriend held me at night and I didn't have the dreams. But they don't live here.”
“I'm just glad you're safe.” Joy said.
“Me too.” Angie stated as she wrapped her arms around Mr. Cuddles and Tracy.
“Hey, who's that?” Angie asked as she got off the bed and went to the dresser. There sat a picture of Tracy, Maggie and five other girls. Tracy got up and picked up the picture began pointed at each person.
“Well, you know me, and my mama. That's Rachel, Sage, Stacey and her sister Casey, they're Sage's cousins and the girl in the wheelchair is Brooke.” Tracy let Angie hold the picture for a moment. Joy and Olivia looked over her shoulder.
“That's one thing I have been wondering.” Olivia stood up and looked to Tracy. “How did you meet them?”
“My Uncle Frank....well he's not really my Uncle, but a friend of Mom's, well Rachel is his niece. She has known me since I was six or so. I told her years ago I wanted to be a girl, but when she asked me a couple years later, Vance heard and made fun of me so I kinda forgot that. But she heard about me from Aunt Shelly and she told Sage.” Tracy went to the bed and sat down.
“See, Rachel felt bad about asking me openly and she had Sage explain what she did wrong. So at Thanksgiving I went down and got to have two sleepovers with them, they were super cool. And then they had me meet the rest of them last week and it was fun.” Tracy looked up and smiled. “I loved being one of the girls, it was so cool.”
“How did Sage know what Rachel did wrong?” Joy asked.
Maggie leaned forward and whispered into her ear, then repeated it for Olivia. Both women looked at the picture, then at Maggie.
“Really?” Joy asked.
“From what Persephone said. Both sets, but she's living as a girl.” Maggie explained.
“Wow.” Joy just stared at the picture for a moment, then looked at Tracy. “And none of them had a problem with you? I mean with having....well, you know.”
“Not at all. They were all great.” Tracy replied.
Olivia elbowed her sister. “See. I think Angie will be just fine.”
“Yeah, okay. I was wrong. Don't rub it in too much.”
Just before ten there was a knock at the door. Vance got up from his mother’s seat, where he had been watching the football per-games. He opened up the door, then pulled it open all the way. “Hey Grandpa. Did I miss work today?”
“Not at all Vance. I wanted to catch the San Francisco game today. We can work tomorrow.” He smiled at his son.
“Then what's up?” William asked, getting out of his chair.
“Got an offer for all of you.” Conner said, looking to the kitchen where he saw them.
Conner went to the kitchen doorway, so Joy, Olivia and Maggie could hear him. Tracy had her own seat and Angie was in her mothers lap. “Modine was wondering if you all of you would like to join us for dinner tonight? Nothing too special, just all nine of us.”
They talked for a few moments, then Maggie nodded. “We'd love to.”
“Good. I'll tell her.” Conner smiled at them. “Ladies.” He turned and headed for the door, stopping to give Vance and William a glance. “See you all at four then.”
“Does Modine need us to bring anything?” Maggie asked from the kitchen doorway.
“I'll have her call and we can plan from there.”
“Thank you, Dad.” Maggie called after him as he left.
“So do you have any dolls?” Angie asked Tracy.
“No.” Tracy replied. “Haven't got a lot of girl’s toys. Actually, I don't think I have any.”
“Aww. We could have played with dolls or something.” Angie said, then she smiled. “I got some with my clothes at Great Grandma's place. You wanna see them when we go over there?”
“Sure.” Tracy smiled back.
Joy sat at the kitchen table with her Aunt, sister and Grandmother and watched as her daughter and cousin Tracy played with some of the dolls that Angie had brought along. She sat back in her chair as the two girls played, watching intently for any signs of trouble.
Olivia broke her concentration by putting a hand on her shoulder and chuckling. “Hey, you okay?” She asked.
“Yeah.” Joy nodded. “It just surprises me.”
“What does? Tracy?” Olivia asked.
“Yeah. All these years that I've seen Troy and he's barely smiled. That grin has been on Tracy's face since she picked up that doll.” Joy turned to look at the women at the table. “She's definitely a different person than what I expected.”
“Joy, you hear the phrase 'a boy in a dress' and you think hookers. They're not all standing on the corner of some street offering sex for money.”
“I know. I....” She sighed and lowered her head a bit. “I see that now.”
“She's a good girl.” Maggie said, looking to her own daughter. “I'm very proud of my daughter, we all are.”
And that's all for Christmas of 1982. Up next, more of Tracy meeting life head on
“Why?” He asked again, wiping at the tears in his eyes. His pain had become frustration, which was quickly boiling over into anger. “WHY?” He pushed back against her and forced his tears back long enough to scream. To him it was a simple question. But his mother couldn't answer it, she had failed in the past. He pushed against her and sat up on his own. “WHY!!!” He bellowed.
“WHY DID I HAVE TO BE BORN LIKE THIS?!?” He glared at her. “WHY DO I HAVE TO HAVE THIS....THIS THING BETWEEN MY LEGS?!? WHY CAN'T I BE A NORMAL GIRL!?!” The floodgate that held back the tears shattered, causing the young boy to bend slightly and sob uncontrollably.
The rating for this episode is slightly higher, due to the content within. I felt it was time for "the Talk"
Please bear with me, this one wasn't edited by an outside source, mostly because I am an impatient fool.
December 27th 1982
Tracy was sad. With each step that brought her closer to her house, her happy mood was shred away, as though someone was taking a potato peeler to her soul. It wasn't the fact that she was going home after spending time with Joy, Angie, Olivia, her mother and her grandmother. It was where she was going to be in an hour and how she had to go there.
Maggie had taken the day off of work and had been hanging out with her daughter as well, but that wasn't what made the girl sad. She wasn't upset by the fact that her father was at work. No, this was bigger that that. Tracy didn't want to go home, because she had to become Troy for a doctor's appointment. The only ray of sunshine from the whole deal was that she could get off her restrictions. But once again, Troy was the one with the appointment.
Tracy sighed as she entered the house and went to her bedroom. She didn't want to get out of her clothes. She loved these clothes. From the dark blue skirt, with tiny red roses that circled the bottom, to the light blue shirt, also with roses on it, to the blue shoes with pink glitter on them. She was happy with this look. Her hair was in pigtails, although it wasn't braided like her friends in Livermore had done for her.
Tracy went to the dresser and pulled out a pair of pants, underwear and a shirt for Troy, then tossed it on the bed. Then she sat on her bed and began to untie her shoelaces, then pulled off one shoe, then the other. Next came the socks. White ankle socks with little pom poms on the top.
Once that was done she stood up and pulled off her top and placed it neatly on the bed. She craned her neck an sighed at the sight of her flat chest. She pulled her arms through the straps of the bra, a trick she learned from her mother, Then she pulled out two small rolled up nylons, to fill out the training bra, but not make her chest look too big. She grabbed at the base of the bra and turned it around to get at the clasp easier. When it was off and she had placed it on her bed, she turned and looked at the mirror. She wasn't aware that this had become ritual with her. A part of her wished, as she looked at her reflection, that she could see something. Any tiny change in her chest size would have been accepted. Sure, she had something, but not much. Even being able to fill a training bra would have made her ecstatic. Brooke had something, so did Stacey, Casey and Rachel. Even Sage had a chest forming, or so she thought. A small part of her wished that a Doctor would show up and tell her she was just like Sage, part boy, part girl, and get her closer to the goal she desired.
She sighed as she realized that this wasn't the day that she'd be visited by the boob fairy and went to work on stepping out of her skirt. Once it was off, she placed it on the pile of growing clothes, then she looked down. The panties she wore were a simple white number, with little pink clouds on them. But that wasn't what grabbed her attention. It was the unsightly bulge in them. It wasn't a big bulge, but it was still there, and to her, even the slight size of it was just too much.
She shut her eyes as she lowered her panties. She so wished that it would just fall off, but she knew it hadn't. Tears began to fell from her eyes as she let the cloth slide down her legs and to the floor. She bent down and picked it up, feeling that accursed part rubbing against a leg. The tears turned into light sobbing. She placed the panties on the bed, then grabbed at the clothes she had to wear and the flung them to the bedroom door, screaming at the top of her lungs.
As she fell onto her bed, grabbing at her pillow and sobbing into it, Maggie came rushing into the house. She went straight for her kids room. She froze only for a second when she saw her youngest child, naked on the bed an sobbing. She went in, tripping on the clothes that had been thrown into the doorway, then kneeling at the bottom bunk. She wrapped her arms around her youngest and pulled the sobbing, shaking child to her. “Baby, what's wrong? Are you hurt?”
It was Troy who rested his head against his mother’s chest and sobbed. The happy daughter Maggie had seen just minutes before, was now a miserable little boy again. He sobbed for several minutes, till he looked up and asked a simple question.
“Why?”
“Why what, baby?”
“Why?” He asked again, wiping at the tears in his eyes. His pain had become frustration, which was quickly boiling over into anger. “WHY?” He pushed back against her and forced his tears back long enough to scream. To him it was a simple question. But his mother couldn't answer it, she had failed in the past. He pushed against her and sat up on his own. “WHY!!!” He bellowed.
“WHY DID I HAVE TO BE BORN LIKE THIS?!?” He glared at her. “WHY DO I HAVE TO HAVE THIS....THIS THING BETWEEN MY LEGS?!? WHY CAN'T I BE A NORMAL GIRL!?!” The floodgate that held back the tears shattered, causing the young boy to bend slightly and sob uncontrollably.
Maggie reached out and pulled him back to her and held on tightly. Her own voice cracked as she held him tightly. “I don't know.” She placed a very gentle kiss on his forehead and whispered again. “I just don't know.”
Troy looked up at her thought tear stained eyes. “I just want to be a girl. Is that so wrong?”
“No. not it's not.” Maggie replied.
Troy leaned his head against his mother for a bit more, till he broke the silence without looking up. “I still got to go today, don't I?”
“Well, the sooner you go, the sooner you can start cooking again.” Maggie answered.
“I just.....” He shook his head. “I just don't want to wear that stuff.” He waved his hand at where he had thrown Troy's clothes.
“I know.”
“Do I have to?” Troy looked up with pleading eyes.
Maggie knew she was looking at a tough decision. She could either take charge and tell him to get dressed as Troy, but then he would hate her. Or she could let Tracy go to the appointment, but that would put her little girl in harms way. Or her third choice was to let her youngest make the choice on his, or her, own.
“Baby. I can't make this decision for you. I can only tell you that if you go how you want, people could see you and that could cause problems.” Maggie hugged him once more. “I want you happy, but I need you to be safe. No mother wants to see her children attacked for who they are. At least not this one.”
Troy watched her as she bent forward, kissed his forehead, then let go of him and stood up. “So, I should go as Troy?”
“Should? Yes. I know you hate it, but if people saw you, they may not understand.” Maggie said. “But I don't want to push you in either direction. Sometimes in life, we have to do things we hate, but it's how you handle it that defines who you are. You know that you're Tracy Patterson. But it's the struggle to fully become Tracy Patterson that will make your journey worth it.”
He sighed as she headed for the door. “I guess.”
“I'll be in the kitchen. Come out when you're ready and we can take off then.” Maggie said as she walked into the hall. She went to the 'fridge and pulled out a couple slices of cheese and unwrapped them. She felt bad for making him choose, but she couldn't bear her child hating her.
A few minutes later, Troy came out into the kitchen. He didn't look up at her, he just watched his feet for a moment. “I'm ready.” He said in a voice that seemed devoid of life.
It was at that moment Maggie made a decision. “Okay.” She stood up and fished the car keys out of her purse. “Can you go hop in the car. I need the bathroom. Go ahead and put the radio on what ever you want to listen to.”
“Sure.” He shrugged and headed for the front door. He climbed into the car and put the key in the ignition, then turned it one till the radio came to life. It only took him a moment to tune in one of the Top 40 channels. The radio began blaring out “Mickey” a song that would normally have Tracy dancing in the seat. But Troy just leaned back and shut his eyes.
A few moments later the radio had moved onto Man-eater. Maggie opened up the back seat of the car and put a bag in, then she shut the door and got in the drivers seat. “Well, Kiddo, let's get you taken care of.”
Troy lay on his back, eyes shut, while his mother was busy checking out the same spot on the wall she had been staring at for more then a few minutes now. The white gown that Troy had on was pulled up to his waist and the doctor was busy making one last inspection of his surgery site.
Well.” The Doctor said as she pulled his gown back to cover him up. “It looks like someone was good while they visited friends.”
“Yes.” He said with a nod. He slowly sat up as Maggie turned to face the Doctor.
“Well, I think we can raise the restriction.” She said. His smile started to come back, but she held up one gloved finger. “But not remove it.”
“What do you mean?” He asked.
She went to the counter and pulled off her gloves, then tossed then in a trashcan. As she began washing her hands, she spoke up. “I will lift the weight limit to twenty pounds for the next month. At the end of that, I want to see you one last time and we may lift it all together. But until then, you will take it easy and no sports of any kind. Understand?”
“Yes.” He nodded, giving her a slight smile.
“Good. But the usual things apply. If it hurts, stop. If it hurts bad, come and see me, okay?” This time she looked at Maggie who nodded. "You also don't need to use the bandages anymore. There was no blood and it looked quite healed to me."
“After the last time.....” Maggie started to say.
"I totally understand. Better safe than sorry." Doctor Davis said as she dried off her hands, then grabbed at a clipboard with two leaflets on it and went to the chair she had been sitting on. “Good. Now there is one last thing that I need to discuss today, with both of you.”
“Nothing bad is it?” Maggie asked.
“Not really. But with his current state, it's something that needs to be covered.” Doctor Davis looked at Troy and smiled. “Have you had sex education in school yet?”
Troy shook his head. “No. I heard that was for the eighth grade.”
“Seventh.” Maggie corrected. She looked to the Doctor. “Our other boy took it earlier this year.”
“Ah. I see. Troy, do you know anything about sex?”
Troy shrugged. “A little. I heard stuff from people at school and We....” He looked at his mother for a moment, then turned to not let her see his face. “We kinda found my Dad's books and magazines.”
“We've kinda put off the talk for Troy for a while. We've both been busy with work.....” Maggie said, lowering her gaze as though she was in trouble. “And don't get me started on how William gave Vance the talk.”
“Well, I'm not going to give you 'the talk.'” The doctor made the air quotes, then she took the two pamphlets and handed them to Troy. “That is your parents job. What I want to talk to you about is hormones. I got these from a couple of my colleagues and I figured with your....special situation, it would be best to show you both sides of this.”
“What do you mean?” Troy asked as he took the pamphlets. One was blue, with a picture of a young boy on it, the other one was pink, with a young girl on it. Both had the same title. “Puberty and you.”
She rolled her chair a bit closer to Troy. “Well I recall you wanting to be a girl. So I figured that you should hear what both girls and boys go through.” She watched as Troy flipped open the girls pamphlet and his face turned a bright red. He looked up her with huge eyes. He began to close the pamphlet and she stopped his hand. “Stop. There is nothing wrong with looking at that. You need to understand a few things so we know how to proceed.”
He didn't re-open the pamphlet, but she continued. “Hormones are what makes us....well us. You have a brother, right?”
“Yeah.” Troy nodded. “Vance.”
“Has he changed any in the past couple years? His voice maybe?” The Doctor asked.
Troy bounced in place and pointed at her. Making fun of Vance and his voice had become a bit of a hobby for Troy, but only when Vance wasn't around. “Yeah! His voice sounds funny at times. Like when he sings, it used to sound good, now it sounds like a cat is being stepped on.” Maggie began to snicker and the Doctor bit her lower lip for a second to fight the urge to join when Troy tired to imitate his brother.
The Doctor held up a hand and Troy stopped, a huge smile on his face. “How about hair on the face. Does he have any facial hair?”
Troy nodded. “A little. It looks like a small caterpillar is sleeping under his nose.” Maggie began laughing harder. The doctor had to turn away for a moment to clam herself.
Once The Doctor was sure they were both back to normal, she began the questions again. “What about your father? Does he have any facial hair?”
“No...well not normally. I mean in the morning, before he goes to work he doesn't, but when he gets home, his face is all scruffy.” Troy replied.
“Baby, that's a five o'clock shadow.” Maggie said. “He shaves in the morning before he goes to work.”
“Oh.”
“Troy? The facial hair and your brother's changing voice, that's testosterone. It's the male hormone.” The Doctor gently reached over and opened up the blue pamphlet. “It's made here.” She pointed to a picture and his cheeks went red again.
He looked away from her and the picture. “But I thought mine was destroyed.”
She nodded. “It was. Bare with me and we'll get to the point in a bit.”
“Okay.” He replied.
“Now, these friends of yours down south, are they all girls?” She asked.
“Yeah.” He nodded.
“Have you noticed how they are changing too? Their chests are getting bigger and their hips are getting wider?”
“I only met some of them a week or two ago.” Troy replied. He kept quiet on how he had seen Brooke naked.
“Ah. How about girls at school. Have you seen it there?”
Troy nodded. “Yeah.”
“Those changes are caused by Estrogen. Now I've simplified this. I could have gotten into all of the scientific stuff, but I don't want you confused.” She said. She leaned forward and held up a finger. “But keep in mind, that all men have estrogen and all women have some testosterone too.”
“Is that why.....” Troy's cheeks went a bright red again. “Why some guys look like they have boobies? I've got an Uncle who has big boobs.” He held out his hands in front of his chest to show how big they were. “They jiggle when he runs and stuff. Dad keeps joking that he needs a bra.”
Maggie began snickering again. She put her hand over her mouth and fought the urge to brust into laughter. Doctor Davis wiggled her hand in a kinda motion as she fought the urge to join in with laughter. “Some times that could be the reason. Other times it could be severe weight gain.”
“Oh.”
“Now, all women have testosterone too. I have it, so does your mother.” The Doctor stated. “It helps with muscle growth and bone strength.”
Troy did, as all kids do. He put all the information together and looked at the Doctor, a bit confused. “Is that why some women have facial hair?”
“Some do. Some it's really easy to see, others, not so much.”
Troy turned as began looking at his mother, very closely. She raised one eyebrow and pointed at him. “You say anything and I tickle you till you pee your pants, understood?”
He quickly looked back at the doctor. “Now the reason I brought this up was because of your accident. You don't have testes anymore, so no testosterone.”
“But I don't want to be a boy.” Troy replied.
“I know, but to be able to give you Estrogen, I would need the approval of a licensed therapist.” Doctor Davis said. “You have seen the one in Chico, right?”
Before Troy could answer, Maggie spoke up. “We went once, but neither of us were impressed by her, so I found a new one to take Tracy to.”
“Okay. Well, to get anything other then testosterone, we'll need his approval. I can hold off on any shots for a while, but you were getting to the point where you will need hormones. It's a part of growing up.”
“So we can wait then? For a few months, maybe?” Maggie asked.
“For now.” Doctor Davis looked at Troy, then Maggie. “Do either of you have any questions?”
Troy shook his head. Maggie shook her head, but answered. “If he has more questions on the hormones, I'll answer them, if I can't we'll give you a call.”
“Sounds good.” Doctor Davis stood up. “Well there is nothing more, I will let the youngster get dressed. I'll let the receptionist know and you can make an appointment on the way out.”
“Thank you.” Maggie said.
“No problem.” Doctor Davis smiled at Troy. “You take it easy and I'll see you soon.”
“Okay.” Troy answered, then he watched her leave.
Once the door shut, Maggie looked at Troy and smiled. “Well that went well.”
“I guess.” He replied, still a bit embarrassed at the turn of topics.
“Hey, you can start cooking again.” Maggie reminded him.
“Yeah.” He smiled at her.
“How would you like to go to Sacramento with me?”
“As Troy?” The smile faded.
“No silly. I was wondering if my daughter would like to go to Arden Fair Mall with me? They got some after Christmas sales going on today.” Maggie replied. “We can leave straight from here and hit the highway.”
“But my clothes are at home.” Troy said.
“Not all of them.” Maggie grabbed the leather bag she had put in the car and opened it up to show him the clothes he had been wearing earlier that morning. His eyes lit up and his smile returned in force. “Now you can either change in here, or the car.”
“In here? But what about people in the lobby?” He asked.
“Well, not in here, but in the building. You had wondered why I parked in the back?” Maggie asked. Then she handed the bag to him and stood up. “I parked back there because the back lot is usually just the doctors and there is almost no one out there.”
“So I can go straight to the car?” He asked as his mind worked out what she had planned. “But what about the lobby?” Maggie knew it was a justifiable fear. The building there were in was a large building filled with many different types of doctors. Each had their own lobbies, but the main bathrooms were in the halls that connected everything together.
“Simple. You put on the panties, shirt, bra and padding in here. Put on your coat to cover the blouse. Then put Troy's pants on along with his shoes. We stop at the bathroom and you switch the pants for a skirt and you can change your shoes and socks in the car.” She cocked her head to the side. “Sound like a plan?”
“Yeah!” He began pulling out the clothes as she headed to the door.
“I'll go set up the appointment and I'll meet you at the front desk, okay? Then on the way out of town, we'll grab some Burger King in the drive thru.”
“Cool.”
Maggie had decided that “the talk” had been put off long enough and with her daughter's budding feelings for Peter, plus her having seen one, or more, of her friends naked and was now questioning herself, it was well over-due. Her mother sighed as she summoned her courage to bring up sex. The one advantage she had was Tracy was a captive audience, so she tempted fate. She tapped her fingers on the steering-wheel and gave a quick glace at her daughter, then she looked back to the road. “Tracy, I'd like to talk with you, okay?”
Tracy raised an eyebrow, wondering what she could want to talk about. “What about?”
“I want to talk about sex.” Maggie blurted it out, hoping that the fast it was over, the better they'd both feel.
“Do we have to?” Tracy whined.
“Well, I could leave this talk to your father.” Maggie looked at her daughter for another moment, then back at the road. “But he only knows about the boy side of sex.” She sighed and when she spoke again, her voice was a grumble. “Plus his idea of the talk was to just let your brother read those magazines. You really want to talk to your father about sex?”
Tracy shook her head. “No.”
Maggie nodded and put a hand on her daughter's knee. “Baby, I know it's a bit embarrassing, but you need this. Between you and your brother, you need the talk more, because your coming at this from the middle. You have a girls spirit, but a boy's body.” Tracy blushed hard. Maggie continued. “I know you know about sex. I know those books of your fathers keep getting moved and I'm sure you've read some of them. So how much do you know?”
“Well, some.” The young girl replied.
“Do you understand the basics?” Maggie asked. “Like that's where babies come from?” Maggie waited as Tracy nodded.
“A man and a women have....you know...” Tracy could see her mother look over.
“Sex?” She asked.
“Yes.” Tracy began to examine her shoes.
“Tracy, it's just you and me in this car. Trust me, I'm as embarrassed as you are. But we need to have this talk.”
“I know....it's just....” Tracy looked up for a moment, then back at her shoes. “I'm embarrassed.”
“You're not alone sweetie.” Maggie replied. “But it's your body. You need to know about your body, not bury your head in the sand and think there is nothing there. Plus there is nothing wrong about sex. Some people will tell you it is a dirty act, but it can be the most beautiful thing you ever do.”
Tracy kept her gaze on her shoes. “It can?” She bit her lip and recalled some of the dreams she had about Peter.
“It can.” Maggie nodded. “You need to understand right now, sex can be used many ways, okay?”
“What do you mean?” Tracy asked.
Maggie began to blush a little. “Well there's what couples do. It brings the couple closer.”
“Like you and Dad?” Tracy couldn't look at her mother as she asked it. She had the basics of sex from books that her father had stashed in his bedroom. Vance had showed them to her a couple years earlier, after their father had showed then to her older brother. She had a hard time picturing her parent's doing any of the things she had read or seen. As far as she was concerned, her parent's didn't have those parts.
“Yes, exactly like that.” Maggie replied. “There's also people who do it for money, or other things like that.”
“Why...why do people have sex for money?” Tracy arched an eyebrow. It was a question that she had pondered before, but never had the nerve to ask.
Maggie sighed. “It's one of the oldest professions in the world. It's called prostitution. The people that do it, and it's not just women, do it for a number of reasons.”
Tracy looked to her mother. “Like what?”
The question made Maggie pause for a moment. She didn't know any hookers, not that she knew of, at least. “Money would be the biggest reason. Some do it to get money for drugs.....and remember what we've always told you, drugs you don't get from the doctor, or the drugstore are bad, understand?”
“Yes Mama.” Tracy replied. “But then why do people do drugs?”
“Because they get addicted. Once they had it once, it's hard to stop.” Maggie thought about it for a moment and nodded. “Do you like chocolate?”
“Yeah, you know I do.” Tracy nodded.
“And you know how hard it is to stop eating candy bars?” She watched Tracy nod again. “Being addicted is a lot like that. It gets to the point where you can't function without the stuff.”
“So people have sex to buy drugs?” Tracy surmised.
“Not all people. Some hookers may save it, but I don't know any that I can ask.” Maggie smiled. “Some of them are even addicted to sex, so they do that to help themselves out.”
“Really?” Tracy blinked a couple of times.
“Yes. Sex is a drug to some people and they can't get enough.”
“Really?” Tracy raised an eyebrow. “Like those women in the magazines?”
“Some of them do that for the money.” Maggie said.
“Oh.”
“There is another aspect of sex. I don't want to bring it up, but given the past, I feel it would be stupid not to.” Maggie pulled off the road and put the car into park. She turned to face her daughter better. As her mother spoke, Tracy began to look at her lap. “Some people use sex to hurt others. That's rape.”
“Like what Bruce tried to do?” Tracy guessed. Maggie reached out and touched her daughters hand.
“Yes, just like that.” Maggie nodded. “Something so beautiful and good, should never be a weapon. And that's why I think it hurts so much.”
“What do you mean?” Tracy asked.
Maggie undid her seat belt and slid over slightly and held her girl. “You know right from wrong and your body knows what it likes. So when someone forces you to have sex, they are taking something that you should like, something that should be cherished and twisting it into something evil.”
Maggie let go of her daughter, then took one of Tracy's hands in her and placed them over Tracy's heart. “Remember this, Sweetie.” She lifted Tracy's head up so the girl was looking right in her eyes. “This is your body. Only you can choose who you want to touch you. If others make you have someone touch yourself, then it's not your choice. And if you don't want to do it, then don’t.”
“What Bruce did was wrong. He didn't get far, but he took a part of you away that you'll never get back. He took away a piece of innocence that was yours to give away, when you wanted and to the right person.” Maggie watched as Tracy did her best not to cry. She let go of her daughters hand and pulled her into a hug.
The two women began to cry. Mother held daughter as the demon from a month earlier loomed over them again. After a few moments, Maggie gently kissed her daughters forehead then leg go of her. “I'm sorry I brought up the past, but....”
“I think I understand.” Tracy cut in. She bit her lower lip for a moment, then looked up at her mother. “I know how it felt, so the next time I feel that, I know to run away?”
“Yes.” Maggie nodded. She patted Tracy's hand. “It could be anyone who makes you feel like that. Baby, sex should always be consensual.”
Tracy sat there for a moment and scrunched up her nose as she tired to understand what her mother had said. “What does that mean?”
“It means that you give your consent. It means you want it.” Maggie said.
“Oh.” Tracy sat back in her seat. “So, if I don't want it, then it's non-consensual, even if they do?”
“Correct.” Maggie nodded. She put the car back in gear and pulled back onto the small two lane highway.
“So if Peter and I....”
“No.” Maggie cut her off, holding up one finger, but she had a smile on her lips. “Remember what I said the other day?”
“No.” Tracy replied.
“I said that eleven is a bit young for sex.” Maggie stated. “You better not even think about sex until you're old enough.”
“How old is that?” Tracy asked.
With out blinking or any hesitation, Maggie replied. “Thirty.”
“Moooom.” Tracy whined at her.
“Kidding.” Maggie smiled at her. “Eighteen is the legal limit. Anything under that and you can get into major trouble. That's called statutory rape. It means that at least one of you is under the age of consent, which is eighteen. So if you were to find a younger guy and you're eighteen, you can get arrested.”
Tracy thought about that for a moment and shook her head as things were getting confusing. “Wait...how is that different from regular rape?”
“You can both consent to it, but if one of you were under eighteen, then the older one can go to jail, if the parent's were to press charges.” Maggie looked at her daughter with a no nonsense glare. “And trust me, I will press charges if you're the younger one.”
Tracy looked to the floorboard as he mother looked back to the road. “Baby, there is no reason to rush into sex. It is honestly something left till you get older.” She put a hand on her daughters knee. “But can I ask a few questions?”
“I guess.” Tracy shrugged her shoulders.
“Have you ever touched yourself....down there?”
“MOOOOOMMMMM!” Tracy turned a bright red and stared at her mother in shock.
“Oh please, if you touched yourself, then your like everyone else.” Maggie stated, rolling her eyes as she said it. “Despite what people say, it's normal. So, have you?” When her daughter was quiet for a moment, she looked over and sighed. “Tracy, I don't like this any more then you, but it's a talk we should have had already. Plus the sooner it's done with, the less you have to hear it. And if you keep talking, I'll take you out to a nice restaurant tonight for dinner.” She waited a moment or two and re-asked her question. “So have you touched yourself down there?”
Tracy blushed and nodded. “Yes.” She said timidly.
“And did it feel good?”
Tracy sat there for a moment and shook her head. She wanted the subject to be over with, but they still had another forty minutes in the car and there was no escape. Plus she knew her mother would start the topic again on the way home, so she reluctantly answered. “Not really. I mean I did it, but I hated the fact that it was on my body, so I tried to imagine it wasn't that, but a girl's part that I was rubbing.”
“I see.” Maggie felt her own cheeks get red. “Have you ever had times where it got hard on it's own?”
"MOOOM!"
"Baby, you're not the onely one with a working body." Maggie said. "So?"
Tracy nodded. “The other day, when Peter came over.”
“I know.” Maggie stated.
Tracy's head whipped to her mother and her jaw dropped open. “What? How?”
“It was kinda showing when you came into the kitchen.” Maggie replied nervously. She hated this as much as Tracy, but as far as she could recall, she had seen a bulge there, and people finding out about Tracy stayed at the front of her mind. “Baby, you got to watch that. If you had been in public, you could be discovered.”
“Oh.” Tracy slumped her shoulders.
“It's not your fault, but if you're going to dress like a girl and don't want people to know what lies beneath your clothes, you have to keep that hidden.”
Tracy nodded. There was logic in that statement, no matter how weird it felt that her mother had said it. “Okay Mama.”
There was one more thing on her mind. The talk she had with her daughter a couple days before had raised a question. She had seen something in Tracy's eyes at one point, but she wanted to wait till after the holidays to ask about it. “Tracy, what did you really think about Brooke?” Maggie looked over at her daughter. “When she stripped in front of you, did you enjoy it?”
Tracy looked away and Maggie could see in the reflection of daughters embarrassed facial features. “I...” Tracy was quiet for a moment, then she looked to her mother, then her feet. “I couldn't stop peeking at her. There was just something....I don't know. But I kept looking.”
“It's okay baby.” Maggie said. “There are women who love women, then there are people who love both sexes.”
“Really?” Tracy asked.
“Really.” Maggie nodded. “Did you get excited with her too?”
Tracy kept looking at her feet and blushed again. “Yes.” She replied, in a voice no louder then a whisper.
“Did you do anything with her?” Maggie asked.
“MOOOOOM!” Tracy's head snapped to face her mother. “NO! Nothing happened!”
“Baby, I'm your mother. I don't mean to Pry, but I need to keep you safe.” Maggie stated.
“Nothing happened. She held me, but nothing happened.”
Maggie was silent for a moment as they merged from one highway to another. Then she looked at Tracy for a moment before looking at the road. She had about thirty more minutes before they hit the mall and she wanted to let Tracy relax there.
“Did you want anything to happen?” Maggie finally asked. “I know you said you had thoughts about Peter, have you had them about your other friends?”
“I don't know.” Tracy replied. “I mean I couldn't help but look at Brooke, but I didn't feel anything for Rachel, Sage, Casey or Stacey. And I had the chance with Sage. I was in the bathroom talking to her at Stacey's house while she showered.”
“That could mean a few things, but maybe you're still finding yourself.” Maggie said. “You don't have to push yourself into a relationship.”
“No?” Tracy looked up at her.
“Baby, you're only eleven. Twelve this coming July. There is not rule that you have to be in a committed relationship. So just promise me that you'll take it easy.”
“I will.” Tracy replied.
“And if you ever have questions, be it about your body, sex, or your feelings for people, please, don't hesitate to ask me.”
The drive to Sacramento had quickly became an awkward trip. It had even got worse when her mother decided to tell her about the monthly visitor that women get. Tracy had turned many shades of red in the car and was extremely relieved to see the mall parking lot. But Tracy was now safe in the confines of the Mall. Her mother had agreed to end the sex talk as they had entered the mall parking lot, and decided to treat her daughter to a special dinner at local Italian restaurant for being subjected to the talk.
Tracy followed her mother around the mall, enjoying the time alone with her mother, despite how busy the mall seemed to be. They had gone to several clothing stores so far and were on their way out of a shoe store when Maggie went to a bench near the center of the mall. Tracy was hoping to get her mother into the music store so she could buy a few new tapes.
“Let's see. Music store, then what?” Maggie asked. “The jewelry store?”
Tracy looked around. It wasn't a fancy store, like her Dad and Mom would shop at, but one aimed towards girls her age. “Please?”
“We can do that.” Maggie said as she got back up, grabbing her bags.
"Do you still want to hear teh music before I can buy it though?" Tracy asked.
"Well, we did have some of it on while we were driving, right? I mean what are you looking for today?"
"I don't know. Anything that seems cool." Tracy replied with a shrug.
Maggie nodded and recalled her time as a kid and running down to the store to buy Elvis records. "Do the Go-go's have anything new out?"
"No. You got me their newest album for Christmas." Tracy replied. "And the Billy Idol one too."
"What about Country music? Do you still listen to that?"
"Sometimes." Tracy smiled at her. "I liked that Elvira song from last year."
Maggie nodded. "That was pretty catchy." She agreed.
Neither Maggie, or her daughter were aware that they were being watched. From across the way, a camera with a telephoto lens was keeping track of the two women, as it had for a little while now. It had been a stroke of luck that he had found them there. He had almost missed them, till he saw Maggie. It wasn't his intention to follow them today. It had been a stroke of luck that he had even seen them there at all. Going to the mall wasn't at the top of his to-do list, but it beat hanging out at his Aunt's house.
He had risked detection a couple of times as he got close. He needed to make sure the girl he saw was who he thought it was. He had also risked losing sight of them when he ran back to his Aunt's house, who lived nearby, to get his Uncle's Single Lens Reflex camera so he could have proof. With proof, it would be hard for anyone to deny it. He went back to the store he had seen then at and found they were gone. The stalker didn't give up. He found them a few minutes later, while hanging out near the stores he had last seen them at.
He had caught the two women coming out of a bathroom, talking about Maggie's son, Vance. He had heard the girl, who Maggie called Tracy, called him brother. The pieces fell into place and their stalker could see a resemblance in the eyes to Troy, plus the slow, pain-filled walk that the girl had cinched the deal. Now Clark just wanted the pictures to prove to the rest of the school that his brother, Bruce, was right. Troy was a dress wearing fag.
The s*** has now hit the fan.
“Yeah. He was in a funk, wasn't he.” William agreed. Vance only nodded. “How are you handling the whole Tracy thing?”
Vance smiled at his dad. “Well, her having cute girlfriends helps.”
William smiled and shook his head. “Figured you’d go with that first.”
“Well, Sage is hot and that Stacey is kinda cute too.”
Thanks once again to Djkauf for the editing
Just another part to Tracy in Sacramento with her Mom and her brother and Father back home.
NOTE: I have raised the rating due to subject nature, but it's not too bad.
December 27th 1982
[Sacramento]
Maggie took Tracy into one last store and they went straight to the women’s section. They had been somewhat good throughout the shopping trip, having just a few bags each, but Maggie had a reason to bring her daughter to one last store. “Baby, there's one last thing we need to get here at the mall, and you get to pick it out.”
“What's that?” Tracy asked. She already had several tapes in her bag, along with some more shoes to go with a skirt she had at home. She had also picked up a few pieces of jewelry, things to go with the necklace she got from Peter. She wasn't aware of anything she had missed.
“A purse. I should have got you one sooner, but I forgot.” Maggie turned to face her daughter. While they had shopped, she had been thinking of ways that Tracy didn't fit the role of a little girl and she came up with the obvious answer. She wasn't a little girl, not on the outside at least. But the longer they had been in the mall, she noticed a trend with teen girls, and it reminded her of when she was younger. After she got her first period, her mother took her down and got her a purse, and Tracy was at that age herself. So to help hide her daughter's abnormality, she was going to give Tracy a well-needed prop. Plus, it would help with all the fun stuff like makeup and other essentials for a teen girl. “A purse is kinda like a rite of passage. I should have gone with you to get one in Livermore, but we were all a bit pressed for time. So we get to do it tonight.”
Tracy's face lit up as they went to the racks that held the different purses. The choices were staggering, and she began to wonder which one was right for her. “Just one?”
“Let's get two. One for that pretty pink dress of yours, so you can complete that outfit, and then a daily use purse.” Maggie suggested.
Neither of them saw the young lady, who was about twenty, come walking over. Her hair was pulled into a long pony tail and she had on the usual forced smile of a minimum wage employee, even though one could tell she was tired, from far too many hours of dealing with sale hounds through the holidays was peeking through. “Can I help you ladies today?” She asked in a forced friendly voice.
“Um, yes.” Maggie said. She decided to play up the age of her daughter. “We're here looking for a purse for my daughter, Tracy. She's reached the age that she kind of needs one now. Can't always be using mine, I won't always be with her when she needs stuff.”
The woman looked at Tracy and her smile seemed to turn more genuine. “Well, my name is Lucy, and I'll be happy to help you. Now, are you looking for any kind of purse? We have small purses, big purses, fancy ones and plain ones, plus we got ones over there that you could hide a seven course meal in.” She pointed to another rack that had large bags, bigger than her backpack she used for school. Tracy giggled at the thought of having a bag that big and she looked at the somewhat normal purses.
“Don't knock 'em. I got a girlfriend who has one and we take it when we go to the movies.” She bent down to whisper into Tracy's ear, but loud enough for Maggie to hear. “Beats paying the high prices for candy at the snack bar.”
“Really?” Tracy asked as she stood up. Then she looked at her mother who had a larger purse that she took to the movies. The more Tracy thought about it, the more she realized that each time she had gone with her mother, Maggie always seemed to have candy with her and she had never bought any at the concession stand.
Maggie nodded, giving her a smile as she patted at her purse. “Tracy, Why do you think I take mine. I always got some sort of snack food in my purse.”
“A purse is your life.” Lucy said. “So let's pick what type of purse you want.”
“We're thinking two purses. One for nice occasions and one for daily use.” Maggie stated.
“Like what type of nice occasions? Weddings and stuff?” Lucy asked.
“I got a pretty pink dress and I want a purse for that.” Tracy said, bouncing in place as she thought about the present her grandparents had given her.
“So a dressy purse? What about black?” She asked as she grabbed at a bag that wasn't too small, nor was it too big. It looked thinner then most bags and very shiny. She handed it to Tracy, who opened it up and looked inside. “It's got space for all the essentials. It is smaller then a few of the others, but this may be a good idea for a nice dress. You don't want to take away from the dress, do you?”
“I guess not.” Tracy replied.
“Do you like this one?” Maggie asked.
“Yeah.” Tracy nodded.
“That's one. What do you want for a daily use one?” Lucy turned back to the rack. “Maybe a bit bigger, so you can put all sorts of stuff in it?”
Tracy shrugged, then in typical kid fashion, she thought about it after the shrug and answered. “Sure.”
“Well, there is this one.” Maggie grabbed another bag, this one a bit bigger then the nice purse and with a longer strap.
“That one would be good for your everyday use.” Lucy said. “I have one of those, but in green.”
“Green?” Tracy perked up a bit. “Do you have blue?”
“Yeah.” She went to the other side of the rack and pulled one off and handed it to Tracy.
“This is so cool.” Tracy ran her fingers over the fabric and smiled at her mother. “Please?”
“That the one you want?”
Tracy nodded, then she saw the price tag. Her smile faded a bit and she looked up. “Wait....” She bit her lip. “Maybe I'll find a different one.”
“Why?” Maggie asked as Tracy went to put the bag back on the other side of the rack.
“It's kinda expensive.” Tracy stated.
Maggie Leaned over and looked at the price. “Baby, don't worry about price. Besides, if you treat them right, your purse can last for a long while.”
“She has a point.” Lucy smiled. “I have one that I got when I was bout eleven. I gave it to a younger cousin of mine.”
“Really? Cool.” Tracy smiled at her.
Maggie was quiet for a moment, thinking about the contents of her own purse, then she looked at Lucy. “Where are the ladies wallets?”
“Over this way.” She led them to a stand that had a large assortment of wallets.
Tracy looked at them, then at her mother. “I can't carry a wallet, I don't wear pants much.”
Maggie smiled, gestured to the wallets and said. “It goes in the purse. I keep mine in there.”
“Why do I need a wallet?” Tracy asked.
“Hold money? Hold ID's.” Maggie said.
Lucy grinned. “Hold the boyfriend’s credit cards, when you're older, of course.”
Maggie chuckled. “That too.” Tracy quickly look at the wallets, then pulled out one she liked. “You good with that?”
“Yeah.” Tracy nodded.
Lucy led them over to a free register and she put the bags on the shelf. “Anything else tonight, ladies?”
“No.” Maggie said. “I think we'll hit the rest of the stuff on the way home.”
“Stuff?” Tracy asked. “What stuff?”
“Well, you need things to put in a purse. We'll stop at a drugstore and get the essentials.” Maggie replied.
“Like what? Candy?” Tracy smiled at her.
“Well, not candy. But a lot of women carry pens, brushes, lip balm, lipstick and compacts.” Maggie counted each one on a finger. “Plus the feminine needs too.” She added. Tracy went a shade or two of red and looked at the floor. “Hey kiddo, it's a fact of life.” No point getting all red about it.” Her mother said.
“But what if I don't need it?” Tracy asked in a quiet voice, as she tried to remind her mother that it just wasn't possible.
“Tracy....” Lucy leaned over the counter and dropped her voice to a whisper. “Always carry some. You're friends may need one and be out of their own. Trust me, girlfriends can be such a lifesaver when you need one.”
Tracy looked at her, then at her mother who nodded. “It's true.”
“Tell you what. I know a good place to go to and it's close.” Lucy said.
“Well, we're headed to Mama Moretti's, the little restaurant up the road from here.” Maggie said. “But I don't recall where it was. I was going to ask before we left.”
“I can help with that. On your way out of here, head to the south, that will get you towards Mama Moretti's. You'll pass a drug store about a block from here, Carlson's drugs. It's on the same side of the road as the restaurant and in fact, you'll see the sign from the restaurant from the parking lot of the drug store.” Lucy said. “If a girl with black hair, about my height with the name of Patty is there, have her help you out. That's my sister.”
Maggie smiled at her as Lucy rang up the purses and wallet. “We will. Thank you very much.”
“It's not a problem.”
[Oroville]
Vance was in the passenger seat of his father's car as they headed into town. It had been a good day so far. He had managed to help his grandfather with more work on the shed. He had worked up a large thirst and a bigger hunger. So he been surprised to see that his mother and sister had never come home. The typical male side of him began to grumble about food, and who should be cooking, till his father had shown up and offered to take him out to eat.
He had been faced with the biggest of choices of the day. Where to eat. His choices were simple. A buffet, or a place with good steaks. He had to think about it, for several moments. Usually the steak place was never an option. But they also rarely ate out. In the end, the buffet won out, mostly for the large number of choices on desserts. Vance watched the scenery pass by, while the sun was slowly setting in the western sky.
William reached over and tapped his son's shoulder to get his attention. “Hey, just thought you'd want to know, Tracy got some of her restriction lifted, so she may be able to start cooking and cleaning again.”
Vance slowly looked at his father and raised one eyebrow. “How did you know that? Mom and Tracy never came home.”
“Your mother called me. They went to Sacramento after the appointment. Your mother wanted to check out some of the clothes specials.” William replied. “Plus she's going to um...well her and Tracy got to have a little girl talk.”
“Girl talk?” Vance looked at his Dad for a moment.
“Trust me boy, you really don't want to know. Like major girly things.” William stated.
“Okay.” Vance nodded slightly. “But Tracy can take over the cleaning again.”
“Up to a point. She still has a limit, but we can work around that.”
“Darn it.” Vance grumbled.
“Hey kiddo, give it time. If it had happened to you, I doubt you would be wanting to jump up and work.” His father said.
“I guess.”
William was quiet for a moment, then glanced at his son and back to the road. “Son, what are your thoughts about Tracy?”
“It's cool I guess.” Vance replied. “I mean when she's able to cook, she's getting good. Plus Troy was boring. I mean he just got so....” Vance was quiet for a moment, trying to figure out the right word. “Grumpy I guess.”
“Yeah. He was in a funk, wasn't he.” William agreed. Vance only nodded. “How are you handling the whole Tracy thing?”
Vance smiled at his dad. “Well, her having cute girlfriends helps.”
William smiled and shook his head. “Figured you’d go with that first.”
“Well, Sage is hot and that Stacey is kinda cute too.”
“True, but remember, they are your sister’s friends.” William stated. “It's often hard with siblings if they date a friend of the other sibling.”
“How so?” Vance asked.
“Well, say you and one of those girls date, then you have a bad breakup. Well now that girl won't want to come over to the house because you're there. And Tracy may get mad at you if you hurt them.”
“Hadn't thought about that.”
William nodded. “It's hard with siblings involved. Almost as bad as when you have a group of friends and you date one of them. The chance of your group falling about if you break up is really high.”
“Oh. So it's bad to date friends of mine and friends of Tracy's?” Vance asked.
“I'm not saying to not do it, but just know that when it's friends, or Tracy's friends, the stakes are higher. If it falls apart, you can lose several friends in the fallout” William said. “Now, how else do you feel about her?”
“Okay I guess.” Vance replied. “It did seem that she had the easier jobs, till I had to take over for her.”
“Well, you work the fields, twice a week and she's cleaning daily. Sure it may seem like she has it easy, but her life is tough.” William pulled into the restaurant parking lot.
“Yeah. I just don't understand it though.” Vance gave his shoulders a slight shrug and shook his head. “I know I'm a guy and I know I like girls. But I know Troy is a guy, but I can't understand why he'd want to be a girl.”
“Me either, but you can't deny that he's happier.” William shut the car off and looked at his son. “In the end, it's all about her being happy. She's not doing this to confuse us. She's finding herself somewhere under that boy's body.” William opened up his door. “Come on, lets get a bite to eat. Maybe we can get home in time to catch the game. It's Buffalo at Miami.”
[Sacramento]
Maggie held the door for her daughter and then followed her inside. She had never heard of the place before. It was a tiny, family owned place, the kind that seemed to thrive on word of mouth. It was listed in dining magazines for the town as a hidden treasure, and Maggie had only heard about it from Shelly. There were only about ten or so tables inside and Tracy was relieved to see that there were a couple of open tables. She was also glad that it wasn't one of the fancy places, where she would to have worn her nicest dress to get in.
A man in a nice dress pants, white shirt and a black tie came walking over. “Good evening, ladies.” He flashed them a huge smile. “Just the two of you tonight?”
“Yes.” Maggie said.
“Right this way.” He turned and led them to an empty booth. He left the menus as they took their seats.
A few moments later, an older woman walked up and smiled at them. “What would you like to drink. We have wines, beer, soda, tea and milk.”
“I'll have milk.” Tracy replied.
“Tea, unsweetened.” Maggie stated.
Tracy waited as the woman walked off and she leaned across the table and whispered. “Mom, why did I have to get that stuff?” She touched her purse. “I can't ever use it.”
“Consider it as precautionary tactic.” Maggie whispered back.
“What do you mean?”
Maggie reached across the table and grabbed Tracy's hand. “Say we get you living as a girl full time. If you’re around girls who don't know, it may seem odd if you miss certain things they have to deal with. So this can help throw anyone off the track that you may not be what you seem.”
“So if they look in my purse....” Tracy started to reply, then her lips pulled back in a smile and she chuckled. “It's going to keep Vance out of it too.”
Maggie nodded slowly. “See, another great reason.” She smiled brightly. “I still recall the first time he got into my purse. Man, he screamed like a baby.”
Tracy snickered. “Yeah. I remember.”
“So, other than the occasional blush, has it been a good day?”
“Yeah.” Tracy nodded back. “I've had fun. Thanks for bringing me.”
“No problem. Every daughter should go shopping for sales with her mother. It's good practice for when your older and on your own.”
The drive back seemed to drag on. They had already stopped for dinner, so all that was left was the trip home. He couldn't wait to get home. He knew what he wanted to do, but it would have to wait till tomorrow. He knew she would be in bed by time he got home. Or at least it would be too late to show up.
Peter wanted to see Tracy, even though he had just seen her a couple of days earlier. But in all fairness, he wanted to spend more time with her than just a few minutes. He had missed her while she had gone to see her new friends. He was a bit jealous of the girls, whom he had never met, all because they seemed to be all Tracy could talk about.
He wondered if she talked about him when she was with the girls. He often told himself that she had bigger things to talk about then just him. A part of him also wondered if he appeared in any of her dreams, like she did for his. No one knew about those. He kept those dreams to himself, and the resulting problems the following mornings.
Peter wanted to tell her how he felt. He wanted to, but he lacked the words to tell her about the floating feeling he felt when she walked into a room. Or the feeling of total happiness when she'd rest her head against his arm as they watched a movie. Then there were her eyes. Green, like a forest. He wanted to spend hours getting lost in her gaze.
But he had screwed it up. At least that's how he felt. The one chance he had to show her how he felt and he screwed it up. He had been there, in her living room and all he did was hug her. He knew he should have kissed her. He had wanted to kiss her, but he held back, mostly because Tracy's mother was in the next room.
He knew if he asked his mother what she'd say. He had made that mistake on the way down there. She had called it puppy love. He was young, he could admit that. Twelve, going on thirteen. He had been held back in school because they thought he was lazy. It had taken a while to find his learning disability. But now he was glad they had held him back for the year. He met Troy that way. With out Troy, he would have never met Tracy. As he thought about her, his heart sped up again.
~Next time.~ He thought to himself. ~Next time I am so kissing her.~
I just had to throw Peter in at the end. Soon the rumor mill will kick into full gear when school starts again. But first, New Years eve!
Both of them looked at Tracy, standing there in her bright pink nightgown, her hair done up in pigtails, as she stood there. When she spoke, her voice trembled. “Please stop fighting.” She pleaded.
“Tracy, we...we are not fighting.” Her mother started to say.
“You were both yelling.” Tracy's eyes filled with tears and it could be heard in her voice when she spoke. “Vance and I both heard you.”
“You're right, we were fighting.” Her father agreed. He gave a big sigh and moved to his youngest, and put an arm around her. “There are times that parents will fight. But that doesn’t mean that we hate you. Or Vance.”
Once again, the big thanks for the editing go to Djkauf
December 27th 1982
Tracy lay in her bed after the stressful but fun day she had. She didn't mind the shopping, in fact she loved it. She could have done without the Doctor's appointment, or even that talk from her mother. But it was bound to happen. Now the stress was coming back. It was bound to happen, too. She could hear her parents, doing the one thing all parents seem to do around the holidays. Argue.
She could hear the sounds of them raising their voices, but she couldn't hear what was being said. Quietly she slipped out of bed, unaware that her brother was also awake. She stood up and he put his legs over the side. He held a finger up to his lips and then hopped down. The two of them moved out of their room and to the kitchen. As they got closer, they could make out what their parents were saying.
William let out an annoyed sigh. “No Maggie, I'm not saying she shouldn't have anything nice, but she just got back from Livermore and the amount of money we're spent on those gifts from Christmas for both of them, plus the therapist, it adds up!”
As their mother spoke, they could hear a hint of anger behind the voice. “William, she needs that therapist! After what she told him in that office, I'd rather have her seeing someone before she kills herself, and if we force her to be Troy, that's what will happen!”
Tracy could feel Vance staring at her now. He had never been informed of the conversation that happened in that office. She had kept him out of the loop, mostly because she wasn't sure what he should know.
They could hear as their father tried to force his voice to be calm. It still came out harsh, but it wasn't a yell. “Maggie, I am not saying she doesn't get to go, I'm just saying we've spent a lot of money the past couple of months. We already got most of the credit cards maxed out. I know it's not all been just due to Tracy. But we have spent a lot of money in the past month or two.”
“Well it would be unfair if Tracy got more then Vance did! And I did my best to make sure I didn't do that!”
“I know.” Their father grumbled.
“And we couldn't help some of those bills!” Maggie angrily stated. “No one knew Tracy would get attacked!”
“I know that, too! Thank god the Military took care of some of the bills that the Medical insurance didn't get.” William agreed, with more bite in his voice then he intended. “But taking her shopping today? How is that fair to Vance? And after the money we spent on her so far? It just seems like a lot.”
“Aren't you planning on taking him camping for a week this summer?” Maggie replied.
“It's not the same!” William snapped back. “We have most of that stuff. But you bought how many new bits of clothing for Tracy? She just got some on Christmas.”
“She bought some of that.” Maggie replied.
“But not all of it. I saw the credit card slips.”
It wasn't the first time she had heard her parents argue about money. She doubted it would be the last. It was about her. That wasn't something new either. Each time her mother spent money on them, her father got angry. Normally, she had nothing she could do. But this time she made a choice.
Tracy went back to her room and fished around in her purse and pulled out the wallet to get at her money. She went back to the kitchen door where Vance was still listening to their parents, then she passed him and went to their bedroom. She knocked on the wall by the door, then stepped through the curtain that served as their door. Her father was near the bathroom door, dressed in flannel pajamas, while her mother sat on the edge of the bed, wearing a long nightgown.
Both of them looked at Tracy, standing there in her bright pink nightgown, her hair done up in pigtails, as she stood there. When she spoke, her voice trembled. “Please stop fighting.” She pleaded.
“Tracy, we...we are not fighting.” Her mother started to say.
“You were both yelling.” Tracy's eyes filled with tears and it could be heard in her voice when she spoke. “Vance and I both heard you.”
“You're right, we were fighting.” Her father agreed. He gave a big sigh and moved to his youngest, and put an arm around her. “There are times that parents will fight. But that doesn’t mean that we hate you. Or Vance.”
As William hugged Tracy, Maggie looked to the curtain that served as their bedroom door. She could hear him sneaking closer to listen better. “Vance, come on in here.”
A few moments passed, then Vance walked in and Maggie got up and hugged him. “We're not mad at either of you.”
“But you were arguing about us.” Vance pointed out.
“We...we were arguing about money.”
“But about it being spent on us.” Vance stated.
“Yes.” William nodded. “We've got a lot of bills and after Christmas, money is tight. We're just a bit shorter then we hoped for.”
“We may have to cut back on meals for a while.” Maggie said.
“We'll stop eating?” Vance asked.
“No. You get a lunch at the school. That's taken care of. But we may be eating Mac and cheese for a while.” Maggie replied. “We do have that meat from Lilly, but there won't be a lot of snack food in the house for a while.”
“Oh.” Vance replied.
“We'll all make sacrifices.” William said.
Tracy held out all the money she had received at Christmas. With her free hand, she took one of her father's hands and turned it over, palm facing up, then she placed her money down. “It's around one hundred and sixty dollars. I kinda spent some of it today.” She looked up him, tears still in her eyes. “I want you guys to have this. It can help buy food.”
William lowered his head and shook it. “Baby.”
“Dad, take it.” Tracy said. “You need it more then me.”
He took the bills and placed them in her hand, then slowly closed her hand around it. “No. This is your money. Money you earned for working so hard. I can't take that away from you.”
“But you need the money?” Tracy raised one eyebrow in confusion.
“We just need to cut back on the spending for a while. But I don't need the money enough to take it from my own children.” William stated. “Besides, you may find something you want when you go to visit that Doctor next time.”
“If it costs so much, maybe I should stop going?”
William let go of her and dropped to one knee, to get a better look at her face. “No. You need to see him. What kind of parent would I be if I forced you to stop doing something that was going to help keep you safe.”
“But it cost money, right?” Tracy asked.
“Yes. But for that, it may be covered by insurance. The gas to get down there is the hard part.” William leaned in and kissed his daughters cheek, then he stood up. “Now you two need to get to bed. I've got work in the morning, so does your mother. I promise we'll talk more about this tomorrow.”
“Yes Dad.” Vance said as he slowly stood up.
“Okay Dad.” Tracy said.
December 28th 1982
It looked like it was Troy who left the house that morning. Or at least, for a ways off, it looked like Troy, but it wasn't. Tracy wanted to go for a walk. She needed to stretch her legs and think, but after her attack a month earlier, she wasn't going to tempt fate too much. So she put on a pair of pants. Only a close look at her ankles would have shown a ring of pink flowers, plus one on each butt cheek. She had on her usual female undergarments, plus a blouse, but due to the cold, she wore a thicker coat that covered her top. Her hair was styled so it was gender neutral.
She went to the road in front of their house and began walking down it, traveling at a very sedated pace. After her attack, and the rain, she decided to stay out of the fields. As she passed her Grandparent's place, Vance fell in step next to her.
“Hey.” He said.
“Hey.” She replied back.
“Troy, or Tracy?” Vance asked in a whisper.
“Guess.” She looked at him with a wicked smile and he cocked his head to one side, then shrugged.
“Troy?”
“Wrong.” She stopped long enough to lift a leg of her pants up to show him the flowers. “Plus there's cute flowers on the butt, too.” Then she opened up her coat to show the blouse she had on.
“Is that safe?” He asked as they started walking again. “Being out here in the open?”
“Maybe, maybe not. But after being in the mall yesterday, I'm just so tired of being Troy everywhere.” She replied. They stopped at the top of the hill that lay between their Grandparent's place and Lilly Scott's house. Tracy turned around, not feeling up to the extra stress of walking up and down the hill.
Vance stayed with her. He had thought about the topic a few times before, ever since his Grandmother made him wear women's clothes for a while. “Guess I can understand that. I'd hate it if I had to be Vanessa all the time. Hated wearing that stuff. I'm a guy, I know that. And if you say you're a girl and a doctor or two can back you up, who am I to say differently.”
“Was it all bad?” Tracy asked. “Wearing all that stuff, was it all bad.”
“Not some of it. I mean going to the bathroom in a skirt is easy, just lift, adjust and aim.” Vance said with a huge smile.
Tracy stopped and looked at him in shock. “You were supposed to pull the skirt up. Not just lift it enough to pee. What if you would have hit the skirt?”
“Nah, it's too big for that.” He rubbing his knuckles on his shirt in a proud fashion.
“I don't need to hear this.” Tracy stated. “We are so not getting into a discussion of your body.”
“What about Sage's then?” He gave her a huge smile. “How big is her chest?”
“Not listening!!!” Tracy held her hands to her ears and began chanting. “LALALALALALA.”
Vance waited a few moments, till she stopped, then he looked at her and all the humor seemed to wash away from his face. “Hey, is it true what Mom said last night? About you saying you were going to kill yourself?”
“Kinda.” Tracy replied. They slowed the pace up as they passed their house and she put her hands in her pockets. “The more I can be myself, be Tracy, the more it hurts me to be Troy.” She looked over at him for a moment, then down the road. “And if I had to go back to being Troy, full time, I'd rather be dead. I hate who I am when I'm Troy.”
“I thought you said you did this to relax. To act as though there was no Dad, or me.” Vance stated.
“At first, I thought that was true. But the more I can be myself, the more I realize that I was hiding from myself. I was afraid.”
“Afraid of what?” Vance asked.
“Life.” She simply replied. One glance at her brother told her she had to expand on the reason. “I was afraid of losing the love of my family. Before Mom and Grandma found me, I hid it from them because I thought no one would understand. I used being Tracy to unwind. At first Tracy was a single girl, with a working mother. Once Grandma found me, I kept it up. But then Tracy was that chance to get away from you still and from Dad.”
Tracy stopped and turned to face her brother. “See, I knew you wouldn't take it well, and you proved that. But then you pulled your head out of your ass and look what that got you?”
“A sister who has cute friends?” He smiled at her.
“That too.” Tracy nodded. “But you got a sibling who is more sure of herself. See, when Dad found out, I was ecstatic that I could be Tracy at home full time. It was then that I realized that Tracy was a bit more than just a release.”
“I don't....I'm lost.” Vance admitted.
“I was hiding the true part of myself. I hid Tracy. At first from Everyone, then just you, Dad and Grandpa. But mostly I hid her from myself. Now I am who I should have been, with a few minor problems.”
“Like the boy bits?” Vance asked.
“That's part of it. No boobs either.” Tracy nodded at him. They turned around and began walking to the house. “I mean I still got to be Troy for school. And that sucks.”
“Yeah. I saw how you were at Christmas. It was nothing like that morning.” Vance said.
“Part of that was because I knew we'd have to deal with Johnny and Alex. And I was set to help you do the dishes.”
Vance chuckled. “Man, I about shit myself when Amber said they had to do it.”
“Oh, I know. If I had known, I would have been using a new cup each time I got something to drink.” Tracy smiled at him.
“Would have served them right.”
“After last year? Yes it would have.” Tracy agreed. “But each time they called me a girl, you know how much it hurt to not agree with them. To not just go home and put on my nicest skirt and show off my legs?”
“I can imagine. I mean if I had been in those clothes Grandma made me wear, I would have given anything to be able to say 'I'm a boy!'”
Tracy smiled brightly and pointed a finger at him. “You get it. You understand. I was that girl, hiding in boy's clothes and I was too scared to say, even to myself, 'I am woman, hear me roar.'” She turned her attention back to the road as they walked. “Now I just wait for the time where I can be Tracy full time.”
They walked towards their house. “You know, this all causes one major problem.” Vance stated.
“What's that?” Tracy asked.
“Well, according to the TV and movies, now that you're my little sister, don't I have to kick the ass of any guy who talks to you?”
“Well you can try.” Tracy replied. “But not Peter.”
“Okay. But if he kisses you, then I have to.” Vance stated.
“Why?”
Vance leaned over and hugged her. “It's in the big brother handbook. Section seven, dating and siblings.”
She leaned into the hug and let him hold her. “Thank you, Vance.” She said.
December 29th 1982
Tracy woke up in the guest bedroom of her grandparent's house, wearing one of her favorite nightgowns. She stretched and swung her feet off the bed. She had decided to stay at her Grandparent's house so she could help clean. She was slowly getting back into her cleaning chores at both houses. She still moved slowly, but not as slow as she was a month ago.
She took care of the call of nature and made her way to the kitchen, where she found both her grandparents sitting at the table, each with a part of the local newspaper. Her grandfather had the sports section, while Modine worked on the Crossword puzzle. Tracy stopped at the table long enough to give both of them a kiss and hug, then she went to the stove to prepare breakfast.
Modine looked over, glad that her granddaughter was getting back to what she loved to do. “You need a hand, sweetie?”
“No, I got this.” Tracy said with a smile. “I think I'll work on the kitchen and dining room after this, if it's okay.”
“Oh, it's okay, just don't over-do anything.” Her Grandmother said. “I know it was hard, the whole bed rest thing, but please, take your time.”
“I'm okay, Grandma.” Tracy replied. “Besides, I need to move and get my muscles back into working shape.”
“I understand, but realize that you are not our slave.” Modine said.
“I know. I like to do this.” Tracy answered her and she opened up the 'fridge to grab the eggs. “It's this or hang out with Vance. This wins hands down.”
“Hey now, he's gotten better.” Her Grandmother replied. “I watched the two of you walking and talking the other day. I haven't seen you two like that in years.”
“She's got a point.” Her Grandfather spoke up. “He's been getting better when we work too.”
“Okay, he's not that bad, but when all he does is ask about Sage, it's getting old.”
“Ah, the joys of siblings.” Conner said with a grin.
“Yeah, tell me about it.” Tracy grumbled.
December 31st 1982/January 1st 1983
The night was going great so far. Tracy's favorite group had been on the TV a bit earlier, and she was waiting for them to make their second appearance. The evening had been a good one. Both of her parents were home. She had already got the calls from her friends about the Go-go's being on a New Year's show. She was tired, but she had to watch.
Her brother was glued to the TV, watching one of the many rock bands. Her parent's were in the kitchen, taking in hushed tones. She knew they weren't fighting, mostly from the girlish giggle that came from her mother. Tracy was on the couch, with Peter by her side. She had managed to convince him to stay at the house for the night. But with two boys in the house, she had to convince her parents that she'd be in a different room, so when everyone went to bed, the couch was to be her bed again, with Peter taking over her's for a night.
She had sat close to him all night, only getting up to dance to the bands she really liked, despite the warnings from her parents to take it easy. But as the countdown started on the TV from forty, her parents came back in standing by the fireplace. She felt Peter lean close and she leaned against him. The ball kept dropping till it got close.
“Ten!”
Their attention was no longer on the screen. Peter took Tracy's hand in his as they sat on the couch. They could hear the people on the screen counting down to the new year. Peter's heart was beating like a drum. He was so close and he knew that if he were to do what he wanted, this was going to be his one chance.
“Nine!”
“Eight!”
“Seven!”
“Six!”
Behind them, Maggie and William had already stood up and embraced each other. This was a tradition of theirs. Maggie believed that a kiss as the clock stuck the new year helped to strengthen a relationship. As the clock wound down, they kissed and held it.
“Five!”
“Four!”
“Three!”
Peter placed a hand on her cheek and she turned her head to face him. He leaned in close to her. He couldn't help but smile at how happy she had been.
“Two!”
He leaned closer, determined to not shut his eyes. He could see the reflection of the TV in her eyes. He could smell the shampoo that she used and the cherry lip balm she loved to use. One arm went behind her back and he pulled her closer.
“One!”
His lips were less then an inch from hers. Her eyes began to shut as he gently pressed his lips to hers. The people on the TV screamed out “HAPPY NEW YEAR!” And it was followed by cheering, but the two kids were lost in their first kiss.
It was awkward, mostly because neither of them had any experience kissing. But something about his touch made Tracy relax, and tense up in some parts of her body at the same time. She opened her eyes to see him, then saw that both her parents were watching them. Her Mother gave her a smile, but her Father looked unhappy. Tracy broke off the kiss, then turned to fully hug Peter.
He leaned into the hug and whispered gently in her ear. “Happy New Year, Tracy.”
Tune in next time to the start of book 3: Through the years Two against the world. It picks up where this one leave off and answered those tough questions.
Tracy's life takes a turn. But will it be a turn for the worse? Or are things going to look up for our young lady?
She squeezed Mr. Cuddles the bear tightly, putting her mouth against his soft fuzzy body and let out a low squeal. She wanted to scream it from the highest mountain. She had been kissed! The only people to kiss her so far had been relatives. Her parents had sent them to bed shortly after the new year was rung in. Her father hadn't said anything about the kiss, but she could tell by the looks he was giving to both her and Peter, he wasn't happy. She lay there, thinking about how that kiss made her body tingle.
She heard movement from her parent's bedroom and a moment later, her father poked his head out of the curtain that was their bedroom door. He looked at her and she gave him a wave of her fingers, then his gaze swept around the room, as though he was searching for something. Or someone.
“William.” She heard her mother say. “You don't need to check up on her every ten minutes.”
Editing by Djkuaf. Thank you once again.
Post New Year fun with Tracy and Family
January 1st 1983
Tracy woke up and was slightly confused as to where she was for a moment. Then she remembered that she was on the pull out bed, in the living room. Her mind went over the events of the night before. She smiled as she recalled watching the different bands on the TV. Then her heart starting racing as she remembered the feeling of Peter kissing her.
She squeezed Mr. Cuddles the bear tightly, putting her mouth against his soft fuzzy body and let out a low squeal. She wanted to scream it from the highest mountain. The only people to kiss her so far had been relatives. Her parents had sent them to bed shortly after the new year was rung in. Her father hadn't said anything about the kiss, but she could tell by the looks he was giving to both her and Peter, he wasn't happy. She lay there, thinking about how that kiss made her body tingle.
She heard movement from her parent's bedroom and a moment later, her father poked his head out of the curtain that was their bedroom door. He looked at her and she gave him a wave of her fingers, then his gaze swept around the room, as though he was searching for something. Or someone.
“William.” She heard her mother say. “You don't need to check up on her every ten minutes.”
She raised an eyebrow, wondering what was going on as her father ducked his head back into his room.
From within the bedroom she could barely make out what they were saying. “Maggie, I was just making sure she was okay.”
Maggie chuckled softly. “Making sure she's okay, or alone?”
Tracy didn't listen to them anymore. She got up and headed to the bedroom, aware that as she walked across the floor, her father was watching her again. She shook her head, wondering what his problem was and made her way to the bathroom, stopping long enough to see Peter asleep on her bed. She decided against waking him, or kissing him while he slept, for fear her father would pop out of thin air. She headed to the bathroom, deciding that today, breakfast could wait till everyone was up.
While Tracy made breakfast, with Vance and Peter's help, William led his wife outside and shut the door. They walked to the side of the house away from the kitchen and he glared at her. “Okay, we have to do something. I walked into the kitchen and Peter was hugging Tracy. He stopped when he heard I was there.”
“Yeah. It's best to stop them before they get too far.” She agreed. “I know she won't go too far, but rumors can wreck a girl.”
“How? How do you know she won’t give in to his charms?” William asked.
“She doesn't want anyone to see her body the way it is. So her getting naked isn't going to happen.”
William arched an eyebrow. “Maggie, you can still have sex with your clothes on. We've proven that.”
“William, I doubt they're headed for the bedroom. It was just a kiss.” She watched as his jaw locked into place and she put a hand on his shoulder. “But there is a good side to waiting. In her condition, she needs to take it slow anyway.”
“Yeah and I know how teenage boys are. We need to talk to them.” He stated. “Before it gets too far out of hand. You know how one kiss can lead to more.”
Maggie sighed deeply she knew he was right. Plus as a father, he got to be more protective of his daughter. “Okay. I'll call his mother, because it's only fair if we're going to talk to him, she knows about it.”
“I'll deal with Peter. You talk to Tracy.” William said. “If you need help, I'll come in and help.”
“Okay, but what if you need help?” She asked.
“Oh, I won't need help.” He replied with a small smile.
“No shotguns.” She stated.
“I wasn't going to shoot him.” William said. “Just convince him.”
“No shotguns.” Maggie repeated. “Just talk to him, okay. Tact is better than force.”
He sighed, then it looked, for just a split second, that he was going to pout. He nodded and turned to the house. “Okay. After breakfast, then we split them up and talk to them. Then I want to put down some ground rules for both of them.”
Breakfast was over and Peter was at the kitchen table, looking at a pop music magazine that Tracy had bought on her shopping trip. She was pointing out all the bands that she wanted music from while he just sat there and smiled.
William walked up to the table and knocked on it to get their attention. “Hey Peter, I was wondering if I could talk with you for a moment.”
“Sure.” He got up and followed William. To the living room.
“We'll go outside. I want this to be private. So grab your coat.”
Peter grabbed his coat and put it on, then he followed William out into the cold morning. William started walking down the road and Peter jogged to catch up, then fell into step with him. After a few moments of silence, Peter had a feeling as to what the talk was going to be about. But before he could talk, William broke the uneasy silence.
“Peter. What do you think of my Daughter?” William looked at him for a moment while they walked, trying to judge his facial expressions.
Peter smiled brightly. “She's wonderful. She's friendly and happy. Ever since she started to be Tracy full time, she’s been fun to hang out with.”
“I can agree with that.” William said in a detached voice, showing neither anger or happiness. “What are your personal feelings about her. How do you feel about her.”
Peter stopped and thought about it for a moment, then he asked. “Are you asking if I like her? 'Cause my feelings and thoughts are the same thing, aren't they?”
William nodded. “Yes, do you like her as more than a friend?”
Peter lowered his gaze. He had been expecting the question. He nodded slowly and spoke quietly. “Yes Sir, I do.” He wasn't sure why he used that term for a man he had called Mr. Patterson for years, but at the moment, it felt right.
William wanted to smile at the respect in his words, but he stayed focused. “I thought so. Peter, you and I need to discuss that kiss that you two had last night.”
Peter lowered his head and quietly replied. “Yes, sir.”
“Now, I told Maggie that I wouldn't threaten you. God knows threatening you would just make you want her more. But I will warn you, you will treat my daughter with respect. I find out otherwise and I will end up in jail with Bruce, understand me?”
“Yes sir.” Peter nodded.
“I can't hate you. I try, mostly because it's a dad thing, but I can't. You came to my girl’s defense when Bruce attacked. Hell, you helped keep my mother from being hurt worse.” William held out his hand, in the offer of a handshake. Peter stared at it for a moment, not moving to take it. William wiggle the hand slightly, giving a sense of impatience. “Come on, I won't bite.”
Peter finally took the hand and William's clamped around his, tightly. Peter did his best to squeeze back, but he failed. The bigger man tugged him closer and looked down his nose at the boy. “You helped my family out, but God help you if you hurt that girl of mine, understand?”
“Yes sir.” He replied, trying not to wince in pain.
“Good. Now let’s go back to the house. We’ve got some rules for your two, okay?” He let go of Peter's hand and made sure he turned to walk with him.
Maggie watched from her chair in the living room as Peter left, then she got up and went to the kitchen table where Tracy was sitting. She quietly took a seat and waited for her daughter to look up. She watched as Tracy read through her magazine, not paying a bit of attention to her, so she decided to interrupt her. “Heck of a night last night, wasn't it?”
Tracy nodded. “I know! The Go-go's were so awesome and so were the other bands!”
“Yeah, they were pretty good.” Maggie nodded. “But I meant that kiss you got from Peter.”
Her cheek went red and she looked to the table, but her eyes drifted back to her mother. “It was great. I mean it was kinda weird, 'cause I don't think I've ever kissed anyone, but I liked it.”
“And your father saw it.” Maggie stated.
Tracy remember that Peter had just left with him and her mind began to picture a number of things that William could do to him. She started to get up and Maggie got up and stopped her. “Mama, he's gonna kill Peter.”
“No, he's not. But he is talking to him about that kiss.” Maggie stated. “We're talking to both of you.”
“He's not gonna hurt him, is he?” Tracy asked, tears filling her eyes. “He's the only friend I have here.”
“No, he won’t hurt him.” Maggie stated. Then she finished the statement in her head. ~At least I hope he doesn't.~
“Are you mad?”
“Well, I'm neither mad, nor happy. Your father's in the slightly upset category.” Maggie took her seat again and smiled at her daughter. “Sweetie, I know you're growing up, but we don't want you growing up too fast. Remember what we talked about on Christmas eve? How you didn't want anyone to see you naked?”
Tracy groaned. She didn't want the sex talk, once more in under a week. “Yeah, but it was just a kiss.”
Maggie nodded. “Yes it was 'just a kiss'. But your father and I know how 'just a kiss' can lead to 'just a little snuggle' and that leads to....” Her cheeks turned a bit red and she looked away for a moment. “Well, you know what that leads to. I have two examples so far.”
“Mama! I'm not going to have....” Tracy blushed. “You know...That!”
“Maybe, but baby, we got to be sure. Trust me, when a guy is looking you in the eye and telling you what you want to hear, your clothes just seemed to find their way to the floor. Trust me, I know this first hand. You get to the point where you need to feel them touching you.”
“MOM!” Tracy put her hands over her ears and looked away from her.
Maggie just waited patiently, till Tracy looked over and saw her mother was just sitting there, watching her. Tracy moved her hands slightly and Maggie smiled. “Now we can finish this conversation like two grown ups, or I can wait and get into the dirty details when Peter and your father are in here.”
Tracy took her hands down the rest of the way. “I'll be good.”
“Good. I know you say you won’t have sex, but I am also talking about your reputation. If you get known for kissing guys, or letting them feel you up, then the stories will get worse. You may give a guy a friendly peck on the cheek, but high school boys will insist you went all the way with them. I know it sucks, but women have it worse. If a guy sleeps around, he's a stud and all the guys want to be him. If a girl sleeps around, she's a slut and no one wants to know her.” Maggie put her hand on Tracy's. “And you don't have to do the deed, the stories can ruin you just as fast.”
“But Mama, it was just a kiss and Peter won’t brag.....” She paused for a moment, then, looking unsure, asked. “Will he?”
“I don't think so, but you never know.” Maggie answered. “But that's why you have to watch what you do.”
Tracy thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “I will.”
“Good. Plus, eleven is way too young to go kissing guys. If your brother can't date till sixteen, neither can you.” Maggie stated.
Tracy agreed. “Yes, Mama.” She knew it was hopeless to fight it now.
William opened up the door and let Peter walk in. He gestured to the couch. “Have a seat, young man.” William gestured to his wife and daughter. Tracy followed her mother into the living room and was about to sit on the couch, next to Peter when her Father held up a finger. “Sit apart and no holding hands.” He touched Maggie's arm and led her to the kitchen for a moment.
Tracy looked at him and dropped her eyes a bit. “Sorry you got in trouble.”
“No, I'm sorry I got you in trouble.”
“Daddy didn't hurt you, did he?” Tracy asked, eyes full of worry.
Peter shook his head. “No. He just talked.” He looked over as Tracy's parents entered the room.
They stopped by the coffee table and stood there. “Okay. We have a few ground rules to set down for you two.” Maggie stated. “First and foremost, there won't be anymore sleepovers. Sorry Peter, but it's not that we don't trust you, but if she starts going girl full time at school and word gets out that you spent the night, that will trash her reputation. It will make her look like a slut.”
Peter nodded and before they could speak she continued. “Second is that Peter can only be over here if we're here, or you're at your grandparents.”
“Mama. Nothing's gonna happen.” Tracy whined.
“Young lady, this is our house, these are our rules.” She replied. “We want you safe and both your father and I know how teen boys can be.” They both glared at Peter, then back at her. “We're not saying he can't come over at all, but if it's just you here, then the answer here is no.”
“Mooom.” Tracy whined, Peter put a hand on hers and shook his head.
“It's okay. I understand. I don't mind. Besides, we can hang out at school.” He said, this perked Tracy up, but only slightly.
“But.” William cut in. “It's not just Peter. It's any boy that isn't Vance.”
“What about him? Are you gonna make him keep girls away from here?” Tracy asked.
“Haven't had a problem with that, but yes. He can't have girl guests if we aren't home.” William said with a nod.
Maggie nodded in agreement with her husband. “We want you to be safe and yes, I know Peter will keep you safe, but we want to help keep any stories from starting. We're not mad, we're just looking out for you.”
“Yes Mama.” Tracy looked up for a moment. “Does this mean I can't have Sage and the others stay over if Vance is home? We know he likes her?”
“I....” Maggie looked at her husband and cocked her head. “She had a point.”
“We'll play that by ear, okay.” William stated. “Not fair to you if lose your friends because he likes one of them.”
“Thank you, Daddy.” She replied.
“I wanna stress, we're not mad at either of you.” Maggie started.
“Well....” William began to say, till Maggie brought her foot down on his.
“We are not mad. It's only natural that you want to explore the feelings you have. But please, be safe and think of the consequences.”
“Yes.” William stated. He looked at Peter. “All twelve gauges of them.”
Maggie looked at her husband and raised one eyebrow, but didn't scold him. She looked back to Peter. “We're not saying you can't come over anymore, we just want to be here, okay? My daughter is in a more delicate situation than most girls her age. Please, think of her, before you think with your libido.”
“Yes Ma'am.” He replied.
“Now, would you like to stay and watch some of the college games with William and Vance?” She asked. “Tracy made some salsa for it and we already have your mother’s okay.”
“I...I don't know.” He replied hesitantly.
“Come on, please?” Tracy pleaded. “It's good salsa and Daddy won't threaten you.”
“Peter, we've had our talk. As long as you don't go kissing Tracy, we've got no problem with you staying for a few games and maybe dinner.”
Tracy mouthed the word. “Please?” As she held up her hands as though she was praying.
“If it's not a problem.” He replied, feeling very uneasy.
“Come here.” She moved halfway around the table and held her arms out for him. He slowly got up and she hugged him. “I said we're not mad. Just take things slower, okay?”
“Yes Ma'am.” He said with a nod.
“You saved my mother-in-law and my daughter from harm. I'll be in your debt all my life for that. You're a good kid, just keep making good choices and nothing will change between us, okay?”
“Yes Ma'am.”
“Mrs. Patterson works, too. Ma'am makes me feel old.”
“Yes, Mrs. Patterson.” He said with a smile.
“Good.” She let go of him and held out her arms for her daughter. “Come here.” Tracy stood up and stepped into the hug. “the same goes for you, okay?”
“Yes, Mama.” She replied.
“There. All settled. Now I believe you two were looking at that magazine before we interrupted you.” William gave her a stern look but she raised one eyebrow, then led him to his chair. “Go on kids. You were reading before we interrupted you.”
Tracy looked from her parents, wondering if it were a ploy of some form, but she just shrugged and got up. “Come on.” She told Peter with a smile. “I got a few new tapes if you wanna hear them.”
“Sure.” He said as they got up.
“At the table.” William stated. “No listening to music in the bedroom.”
“Yes, Daddy.”
As they walked out of the room, William looked at his wife and whispered. “We're just going to go back to how it was?”
“Will, you know if we watch them every second, they will find a way to sneak off.” She whispered back, then smiled. “Besides, I want to make cookies.”
A grin spread across his lips as he knew the kids wouldn't be alone. “Have fun out there."
I just had to do that. The whole fun of Fathers and shotguns just can't be passed up.
“Troy, I told you before, if you need to talk to me, you can.” Mr. McCoy said.
“I know, sir.” Troy answered back.
“Are there problems at home? Problems with your brother, or parents?” The teacher asked, probing for a clue.
“No sir.” Troy looked up. “They've all been great, it's.....it's personal and I don't feel comfortable talking about it here.”
Mr. McCoy nodded slowly. “It has to do with your injuries after Thanksgiving, right?”
“In a way.” Troy answered. “But I don't want to talk about it.”
Big thanks to Djkauf for the Editing.
It's back to School time for Tracy. Or is it Troy?
January 3rd 1983
School had started up and Troy was once again in the funk that seemed to follow his boy side. Life was cruel. He had been having a hard time concentrating on class work. His eyes and mind began to wander to the clothes that the nearby girls were wearing. From the shoes, to their skirts, or pants with the colorful fringe on them. He had some of the skirts that some of the girls were wearing in his own closets. He even had a pair of the more popular shoes, but he couldn't wear them at the school. No, his life was hard enough. He knew if he came to school as himself, as Tracy, that he'd be fighting an uphill battle.
“Mr. Patterson?” A voice cut through his day dreaming. “Are you paying attention?”
“What?” He looked up, blinking a couple of times, while several classmates snickered at him.
“I asked if you could tell me what Harriet Tubman was famous for.” His teacher repeated.
Troy thought about it for a moment. It had been in one of the school work assignments he had read for while he was out. Then it dawned on him. “She was a slave, who freed slaves?”
Mr. McCoy was nodded slowly as he said it. He smiled and turned to the chalkboard and wrote that down. “Very good, Troy. Yes she was a slave. She was also a spy and a nurse. But she was known for her work in the underground railroad.”
Troy breathed a sigh of relief as the teacher turned his attention onto a different student, who was also suffering the same issues of not paying attention. The boy who sat behind him leaned forward and whispered. “Teacher’s pet.”
Troy ignored him and tried to force himself to focus on the lesson, which proved very hard. He was barely paying attention when the lunch bell rang. As everyone got up, he reached into his desk and pulled out the brown bag that held his lunch and stood up. He was halfway to the door when Mr. McCoy stopped him. “Troy, could I get a moment?”
Several of the kids passing him began to make the same noise. “OOOOHHHHH” But Troy ignored them.
He went over to the desk, slightly aware that someone was behind him. “Mary Beth, I need to speak to Troy for a moment, do you need something?”
“I was just going to wait for Troy.” She replied.
“Ah. Could you wait outside. And get the door on your way out.” He said.
“Okay.” She replied, and Troy could tell she wasn't happy. She slowly shuffled out the door, closing it as requested.
“So, Troy. What's wrong today? I've never seen you this absent minded in all the time I've known you.”
“Sorry, I've been a bit distracted.” He slumped his shoulders as he replied.
“Well after the events of the past month, I can't blame you. But I've caught your eyes and attention was all over the place. If this had been a test, I'd have to fail you for cheating.”
“I wouldn't cheat.” Troy softly replied. “I'm sorry I was looking around.”
“Troy, I told you before, if you need to talk to me, you can.” Mr. McCoy said.
“I know, sir.” Troy answered back.
“Are there problems at home? Problems with your brother, or parents?” The teacher asked, probing for a clue.
“No sir.” Troy looked up. “They've all been great, it's.....it's personal and I don't feel comfortable talking about it here.”
Mr. McCoy nodded slowly. “It has to do with your injuries after Thanksgiving, right?”
“In a way.” Troy answered. “But I don't want to talk about it.”
Mr. McCoy held up a hand in surrender. He knew some of the facts. Troy had stitches. They had been pulled out when he tripped and given where the blood had been on his arms and how he carried Troy, he knew it was the crotch area that was hurt. He wasn't sure of everything that could be wrong, but he began to think that there may be some truth in the rumors that had went around the school about body parts being removed. “Okay. I won't press the issue. But if you need to talk, just come see me, okay?”
“Okay sir.” Troy nodded.
“Now go eat and I'll see you back in here after lunch.”
Troy headed for the door and walked out. He wasn't surprised to find both Mary Beth and Peter waiting for him. “You didn't have to wait.” He said, looking to Mary Beth. She smiled and held up a brown bag.
“Thought I'd hang out with you today.” She stated.
“What about your friends?” He asked. “What will you tell them?”
“I told them you asked for help on some of the homework stuff that we had when you were hurt.”
“You didn't tell them where I was hurt, did you?” He asked.
“No.” Mary Beth replied. “I kept that a secret.”
“Good.” He breathed a sigh of relief.
“So what did Mr. McCoy want?” She asked.
“He wanted to know if everything was okay at home. He noticed I kept staring around.”
Mary Beth nodded. “Yeah, I saw that too. What were you looking at?”
Troy leaned in and whispered so just his two friends could hear. “Cynthia's shoes and her skirt. They're really pretty. I wished I could have worn mine. I got those shoes, but in blue.”
“I'm guessing you told Peter about me?” She asked. Troy nodded.
“I trust Peter with my life and now you have that trust, just because of what you know. But I told him how you found me in Livermore.” Troy stated. The three of them stopped by a bench near the library and sat down, Troy taking the middle.
“Hey, could I come over at some point and hang out?” Mary Beth asked. “I can bring Emily May, too.”
“I guess. You have my number.” Troy smiled at her.
“Cool. Maybe this weekend.”
Clark just watched as Troy sat there with Peter and Mary Beth. He knew he had to wait. Just pictures of Troy as a girl were one thing, but he wanted a couple of him dressed up at his house, that way he couldn't deny it. He wanted to ruin Troy, like he had ruined Bruce. His brother had a plan. Make the fun drag out. Ruin him at school. Pass the pictures around and then go beat him up. It was a simple enough plan.
“It's all that fag's fault Bruce is in jail.” He muttered, fighting back the urge to just walk over and beat Troy to a pulp. He stood by a tree, watching Troy, Peter and Mary Beth laughing and having a good time. It wasn't fair and he knew it. Troy got to have fun and his brother was locked away.
Rancho Las Positas Elementary, Livermore CA
Rachel waited for the class to clear out and she followed Brooke out onto the play ground. A few moments later, Sage came jogging up to them from her classroom. The weather was cloudy and it had been threatening to rain all day, but for the moment, it was just windy. The three girls went to a bench near the playground where Rachel and Sage took a seat.
“Oh man, I'm glad to be out of there.” Brooke said as she stretched in her chair.
“You're telling me.” Sage agreed with a nod. “So didn't want to come back today.”
“At least it's nice enough that the guys are playing basketball.” Rachel said as she watched some of the boys on the ball court. “Nothing beats cute boys.” None of them had noticed a couple of girls walking close to them.
“Oh look, like um, Orca thinks the guys would, like want her.” A thin girl with a trendy hair style remarked, using the Valley girl talk that had become very popular. “You're so grody, like gag me with a spoon.”
“Like grody to the max!” A second girl scoffed at Rachel. “Like barf me out.”
“Oh shut up, airhead.” Brooke snapped back.
“Like, make me, freak.” The girl towered over Brooke, who just sat there and raised one eyebrow.
“I don't make trash, I throw it out.” She replied back.
“Like, shut up gimp.” the first girl snapped at Brooke. “None of you will ever get a guy, I mean, like, look at you.”
“Totally, like oh my God, bag your face.” The other girl glared at her.
Sage put her hand on Brooke's shoulder. “Come on, let’s just go.”
“Yeah, like go. We don't need dweebs like you messing up out playground.”
Brooke started to roll towards the first girl when Rachel put a foot in front of her wheel to stop her. “Let's go. It's not worth it.”
“That's right lard ass.” One of the two girl quipped as Rachel took the handles of the wheelchair and pushed Brooke away. “Waddle away.”
Rachel began to let go of the wheelchair, but Sage grabbed her hand and held her there. “Not worth it.” She stated. “Let’s just go where the normal people are.”
Vance led Troy to the door of the house, then used his key and opened it up. Troy headed for their bedroom, stripping the moment he got inside. Vance was ready for this and he waited out of courtesy for his sister. Ten minutes passed and Tracy came walking out. The boy's clothes were gone, now replaced by a skirt and a pink T-shirt. She moved into the kitchen and began setting up dinner.
“Hey, I thought you were to take it easy?” Vance asked.
“I’m off the main restriction, I can do some stuff.” She replied. “I'm not doing a lot of bending and I sat all day in class. When recess hit, I didn't play at all, we just went to the library.”
“Oh, okay.” He said as he went to the living room and turned on the TV. Then he went and plopped down in his fathers chair.
“Hey, Vance?” Tracy came back out and leaned against the door frame for the kitchen. “Did Dad and Mom talk to you about New Years Eve?”
“You mean you and Peter kissing?” He asked, Tracy nodded. “Yeah. I'm to keep an eye on you, but I can't have girls over.” He stated.
“Dad wasn't too happy that he kissed me. How do you feel?” She asked.
“Not my lips.” He replied with a smile. “I don't mind, but if he attempts to do more, I will beat his ass for touching my kid sister.”
“You don't have to worry about that.” Tracy said as she went back into the kitchen. She raised her voice so he could hear. “I don't want him seeing my body like this anyway.”
“Still. It's in the big brother handbook.” Vance replied. “It's my job to defend your honor.”
Tracy walked back to the doorway and looked at him. A smile crossed her lips. “Thank you, Vance.”
“No problem, Sis.” He replied, making Tracy smile brighter.
[Livermore]
Sage had been sitting in the waiting room, working on a few bits of homework, while she listened to music on her walk-man. She was working on an English assignment, deeply engrossed in what she was doing. She wondered if she'd be able to get the chance to call Tracy that weekend, see how her New Years day went. All the parents decided that a call on the weekends was better then a call each day of the week. All of the girls reluctantly agreed to the deal, so all the girl were planning to be at one of the houses on Saturday. She was scribbling down a note of something to ask Tracy, when the Doctor walked over and tapped her shoulder.
She screamed and bounced in her seat, knocking her notebook out of her hands. Ivan held back a laugh as he gestured to the doors. “It's your turn young lady.”
“That's not funny.” She muttered.
“You're right. But I've been calling your name for a couple minutes now. Good thing I'm nice enough to get your attention.” He picked up her notebook and handed it to her. “Come on, you can finish your English work later.”
She took the offered book and stuck them in her backpack, then followed him to his office. “No mother?” He asked.
Sage shook her head, which he didn't see. “Nope. She took 'Romy to the doctor. She'll pick me up when I'm done here.”
“I see.” Ivan said as he shut the door behind her and went to take the chair he usually used. Sage sat on the couch, putting her pack next to her. “So, how was your holidays?”
“Good.” Sage replied. “Got a lot of clothes and music on Christmas. Plus having Tracy here for that week totally rocked.”
“Have you spoken to her since?” He asked.
“We called her on New Years Eve. The Go-Go's were playing on the TV and she loves them.”
“Good. It's nice that she has friends like you and the other girls to talk to.” The Doctor replied. “How are you handling being around her? With someone your age now, who is like you more than the other girls.”
“I'm good. Heck, I wish there was a way we could convince her parents to come up this way.”
“Well, they do have a life where they live.” He replied.
“Yeah, they do, but Tracy has to hide in the house. That sucks. She's so afraid that someone will find her and it will be all over.” Sage sighed. “It sucks 'cause we could bring her here and she'd have fun.”
“Well, life can't be all roses.” Ivan replied. “I mean you have to have issues still, right?”
“Yeah.” She nodded. “No one knows about me, but there's some real bitches at school.”
“Not really a nice thing to call someone, now is it?” The Doctor asked.
“No, but it's true. They go out of their way to insult Rachel over her weight and Brooke because of her wheelchair.” Sage stated.
“Do they insult you too?”
“They have in the past, but Brooke seems to be a bigger target to them.”
Ivan nodded and scribbled down a note or two, then asked. “Are they aware about you?”
“No. Mostly they tease me because of my Mothers VW bus.”
“Kids do that. They find a weakness and go to town with it.” The Doctor leaned back in his chair. “So how did you deal with it?”
Sage chuckled. “Brooke and Rachel were about to fight, but I pulled them away.”
“Smart girl. Nothing good ever comes out of fighting.”
“I try.” Sage leaned back in her chair. “It's weird, for years Brooke was my biggest hater, and now she's one of the first to come to my defense.”
“Does something about that bother you?” He asked.
“Not really, I've just been thinking about it because when Tracy was here, she asked how we all met.”
Ivan nodded slowly. He knew the story well, after seeing Sage for many years now. “I see. So you told her and now you're thinking there's something more to Brooke's motives?”
“Not really. She's been there to back me up when problems come up. Heck, she was ready to kick Mary Beth's ass with us when they called Tracy, Troy, at the mall.”
“Could be she's seen the error of what she did.” Ivan said. “She has gotten to know you and you've done everything to show her that you're her friend. Maybe all she needed was to see how the other half lives.”
“Yeah, that may be it.” Sage agreed. “She was really awesome when Tracy was here, hell she let her stay at her place for a night, just the two of them.”
“See.” Ivan smiled at her. “But there's something bugging you, isn’t there?”
Sage rested her head on the back of the chair she was in and looked at the ceiling. “Yeah.” She finally agreed.
Ivan was quiet for a few moments, giving her the chance to tell him without him asking, but she remained quiet. “Well?” He asked. “what's wrong?”
“It's me. What if someone sees it?” Sage asked. “There's so much I know that Tracy doesn't, like how to tuck. Granted, it's not that big that I worry about it, but still. I have all this know how, and she doesn't, but I'm always afraid someone will find out.”
“Well that is a risk that will always be there, till you're ready for the operation, but I think you should wait till you’re fully grown.” He said. “And are you totally sure that this is the way you want to go?”
“I've known I'm a girl for the past few years now. I haven't gone out as a boy since like first grade I think.” Sage stated, then her eyes lit up and she gave him a slight smile. “So....now that I'm twelve, can we get me started on the hormones?”
“You know, I was wondering how long you'd wait.” Ivan chuckled.
[Patterson home]
That night Tracy lay on her bed, diary opened up in front of her and pen in hand. She considered what to write. There were several things she could write about. She knew she hadn't touched it since she had bought it in Sacramento and the Doctor she had seen had told her to write daily, so she decided to start. She took her time while she wrote, making sure the letters were nice and neat.
I am so new to this, so here goes. School started back up and I already hate it. I want to be myself there, not Troy. I spent half of today looking at Cynthia's shoes and wishing I could have worn mine that look just like them. But no one would understand. Dad is still on my case about Peter kissing me. Peter called earlier and he watched me while I was on the phone, I think he's crazy. Waiting for Saturday to talk to my girl friends and see if their parents are just as bad. I've often wondered if Mom and Dad would be mad if I went to school wearing panties, but I’m afraid someone will try to give me a wedgie and see them. So I have to keep wearing that itchy underwear for boys. I hate that stuff. Now we got new things to think about, what with the stuff the doctor told me the other day, I got to find a way to get the therapist in Livermore to let me have girl hormones so I can start growing like a real girl. But if I start to grow boobs, will I still go to school here? It could be hard to hide them. I really don't know what to do or think anymore. I want to be Tracy, full time, I am Tracy, but I have to pretend to be Troy and I hate it. There's just so much to think about, I just wanna cry.
She didn't sign it, instead she just shut the book and rolled off her bed and tucked it into the drawer that her panties were in. She went back to her bed and flopped down, then she pulled the blankets over her. A few moments later, Vance came in and she wondered how long they would be sharing a room.
“You all changed? Or do I need to bug out of here?” He asked.
“Naw, I did that already.” She replied. “But thanks for asking.”
“No problem. You ready for bed?” He asked.
“Yeah.” Tracy replied. “Could you get the light?”
“Sure.” Vance turned off the lights, then climbed up to his bunk. “Night Sis.”
Next up, more fun with Tracy and crew.....and the storm is coming! Today's story was, like, totally gnarly and brought to you by, like, the words, like, Awesome and um, like grody.
But no voice could be heard on the other end, just heavy breathing. She listened for a moment, in case they had a mouth full of food or something, then hung the phone up. “Weird.” She stated and went back to her book. A few moments later, the phone rang again. She looked at it as she considered if she really wanted to pick it up. There was a good chance that her mother could be calling, she picked it up once more. “Hello? Patterson's residence.”
The person on the other end breathed heavily again. “Okay, this isn't funny.” Tracy said into the phone. "Either say something or don't call. So what do you want?”
It was quiet for a moment or two, then a voice spoke. It seemed to be a teen's voice, possibly older, one she didn't know. “I know.” Was all it said.
Thanks to Djkauf who did the editing
Back with more Tracy.
January 15th 1983
Tracy was glad the first two weeks of school was over. She had counted the days on the calender to see how long till Easter break. It would be her first big chance to get rid of Troy, for at least a week straight. She was moving faster, but was still waiting for the doctor's approval to go back to her Tai chi class.
She sat on the couch, wearing her nicest skirt as she read one of the books she got at Christmas, while she waited for Mary Beth and Emily May to show up. They had wanted to come the week before, but family obligations had gotten in the way, so they were making up for it. She had begged for her grandmother to let her put off her chores for a day, just so she could hang out with girls her age. She knew there would be more work the next day, but she didn't care. Sage and her other friends were set to call later in the afternoon, so she'd have all her friends to talk to.
She was halfway though a chapter when there was a knock at the door. Her brother was off helping her grandfather with Jerry Rivers and her father. Her mother was in the kitchen working on a jigsaw puzzle. So Tracy got up and went to the door and she opened it a crack. When she saw it was the two sisters, she opened the door wider and stepped out and hugged Emily May, then Mary Beth.
“Come on in!” Tracy said as she gestured to the door. “Can you stay long?”
“We got a couple hours.” Emily replied. “We couldn't tell Dad where we were going, so he thinks we're at the park.”
“Oh cool.” Tracy replied.
Maggie had got up from the kitchen table and went to the doorway. “Oh girls, I'm not sure if I feel comfortable with you lying to your parents to be here.”
“But if we told our Dad where we are, he'd ask questions. He won't like Tracy, I know that for sure.” Emily May said as she walked over to Maggie. “We want to hang out, but we can't tell him about Troy, or Tracy.”
“Please, Mom.” Tracy pleaded.
Maggie sighed. “Okay. For today I'll allow it. Next time we'll have to figure something else out, okay? If he finds out you've been lying, you could get in big trouble and I don't need any of that trouble.”
“Okay, Ma’am.” Emily May and Mary Beth both replied.
“Let me know when you need to take off and I can help get you home, if you want.” Maggie said as she went back to her puzzle.
“We will. Thank you, Ma'am.”
“Mrs. Patterson will be fine, girls.” Maggie said as she sat down. “Let me know if you get hungry, too.”
“We will, Mom.” Tracy smiled at her, then led the girls to her bedroom.
Clark had waited patiently. He didn't want to, but Bruce insisted that he needed proof of Troy in girls clothes at the Patterson house. So he had spent a couple days in the rain, walking over to Troy's house, till his determination had paid off. He was shocked to see Mary Beth and Emily May at the house. His mother knew the girl's father. And Clark knew, that their father would throw a fit with who they were hanging out with. Clark watched her closely, hands gripping the camera.
He managed to snap a couple of pictures before he decided that it was time to go home. He had fought the urge to just run over and beat Troy senseless. But he knew Troy's time was coming. The more he thought about Bruce's plan, the better it sounded. He needed the proof before the school would turn against him.
January 19h 1983
Tracy was enjoying the peace and quiet of an empty house. Her mother was working, which she normally didn't do on Friday, but she was offered the overtime and she took it. Her father was off at work and wouldn't be home for a little bit more. Vance was at a Basketball game for the school and Tracy had decided to just lie about the house and relax.
Dinner was already in the oven and she had the timers set so she didn't burn it. Now was just the waiting. She was halfway though a chapter when the phone rang, causing her to jump. She glared at the phone for scaring her, but it only rang again. She reached over and picked it up. “Patterson's.”
But no voice could be heard on the other end, just heavy breathing. She listened for a moment, in case they had a mouth full of food or something, then hung the phone up. “Weird.” She stated and went back to her book. A few moments later, the phone rang again. She looked at it as she considered if she really wanted to pick it up. There was a good chance that her mother could be calling, she picked it up once more. “Hello? Patterson's residence.”
The person on the other end breathed heavily again. “Okay, this isn't funny.” Tracy said into the phone. "Either say something or don't call. So what do you want?”
It was quiet for a moment or two, then a voice spoke. It seemed to be a teen's voice, possibly older, one she didn't know. “I know.” Was all it said.
“Um...” Tracy raised an eyebrow, wondering if it were just a prank. “That's nice.” Then she hung up. She watched the phone for a moment or two, but it didn't ring again. She sat back in the couch and just looked at the phone, wondering what it had been about.
Her contemplation was interrupted by two things. The sound of her mother pulling into the driveway and the sound of one of her timers going off in the kitchen.
As she was setting a pot on the stove to cook some vegetables, her mother came in. “Hello sweetie. How was school?”
“It was bad.” Tracy replied. She looked at her mother for a moment and sighed. “Why can't I just be me there?”
“Baby, I'd love to show off my daughter, but you know how people can be. Look at how Bruce acted. We don't need you getting attacked over being you.”
“I know. It just su...” she paused as she almost swore, her mother was looking straight at her with an eyebrow raised. “...stupid.” She continued. “It's all stupid.”
“Nice save.” Maggie replied. “I know it's not what you want, but sometimes we have to do things we hate to get the things we want.”
“Yeah.” Tracy agreed.
“Anything else happen today?” Maggie asked.
“Test for math and English.” Tracy looked up at her mother for a moment. “Plus got a weird call a few minutes ago. All they said was 'I know' and breathed really heavy.”
“Weird.” Maggie thought about what someone could know. "No other calls?”
“No.” Tracy replied.
In typical mother fashion, something gnawed at the back of her mind about the phone call. She wasn't sure what, but it seemed like something that could be unsafe for her child. “Tell you what, keep an eye out, if something seems fishy, don't hesitate to call your grandfather.”
“I will.”
“Good. Let me change and I'll help with dinner. Your father should be getting your brother anytime now.”
“Cool. Thanks, Mom.”
January 21st 1983
It was just after one in the afternoon, so the doctor's office was only partly busy, but once again, Maggie had parked behind the building and they used the back door to come in. Troy had been pulled from school early for his final check up from the doctor who oversaw his surgery. After that they had a three hour drive to Livermore to see the therapist.
Maggie had suggested that he do the same maneuver as last time. So a few moments earlier, after getting a clean bill of health, Troy had entered the public women's restroom in the office complex. But it was Tracy's heart that was pounding for the walk to the car. The fear of someone coming over to them and being someone who knew them was driving her crazy with fear.
Her mother unlocked the car and Tracy slid in and scrunched down so no one could see her. As Maggie started the car, she glanced at her daughter before putting the car in gear. “Three choices, kiddo. Burger King, Or McDonald’s. Or we eat somewhere in Marysville?”
“Marysville.” Tracy replied.
“Hey, they have that Ma and Pa place you like. Let's give that a try.” Maggie suggested.
Tracy's eyes lit up. “Please?” She quickly hopped into the backseat and switched out of her pants and into a skirt, then jumped into the passenger seat.
“Okay.” Maggie pulled out of the lot and onto the main road that lead to the highway. “I got you a change of clothes in the back. It's with my overnight bag too. I also pulled your diary. Hope that's okay.”
“Oh, I forgot about that.” Tracy sat up a bit as they passed through town. “So, are we just staying tonight down there?”
“For now, yeah. I know the girls are expecting you at Persephone's for the night.” Maggie replied.
“Cool.” Tracy reached behind her mothers seat and pulled open her backpack and grabbed one of her school books.
“Doing homework?” Maggie asked.
“Yep. I wanna spend all the time with my friends that I can.” Tracy answered.
“Sounds like a plan.” Maggie stated as she turned on the radio. “I'll warn you when we're near Paulie's burgers.”
“Cool, thanks Mom.”
Tracy was nose deep in her English book, waiting for her turn to see the doctor. She had torn through most of her homework on the drive down. There was just a few more pages to go and then she'd be finished. She needed to be finished, that way she didn't have to do it on the way home.
She was only partly away that someone had sat down on her other side. They had been sitting there for a few minutes now, but Tracy wanted to get the school work finished, so she ignored them. As the minutes passed, the person began to be more annoying. She knew this from the loud smacking they made as they chewed their gum and the heavy breathing they made through their nose.
Tracy still ignored it. She brought the schoolbook closer to her face and ground her teeth. But the smacking of gum got louder as the person next to her leaned over. Then a hand holding a piece of paper began moving across her line of site as she tried to read. Tracy whipped her head up and glared at the person next to her. “Please, can you leave me alone! I need to finish this!” She snapped.
Sage gave her a huge smile and she leaned closer and smacked her gum once more. “Sorry. Rachel dared me to do it.”
Tracy let out a squeal, then shoved her book out of her lap and jumped into Sage's arms. Rachel leaned around Sage and shook her head. “No, I didn't. I only said it would be funny if she did it.”
Tracy scrambled out of Sage's arms and to her feet, then she went and gave Rachel a hug. “What are you both doing here?” She looked around to see Rachel and Sage's mothers just coming into the office. Her own mother was in the process of picking up her daughter’s notebook before it got stepped on.
“Well, Mom figured we could be here for emotional support. Plus we talk to you on the weekends so we may help out, or something like that.” Sage said.
“Persephone called me yesterday.” Maggie said with a smile as she got up to trade hugs with the other mothers. “We're all banding together to help you out.”
Doctor Ivan, as the girls called him, walked over to them. “Mrs. Patterson.” He held out a hand to Maggie, who accepted it. Then he looked at Tracy. “Young Miss Patterson.” He held his hand out to her and she shook it as well.
Then he looked at Sage and raised an eyebrow. “Miss Miller? Or should I call you trouble today?”
“Just a little fun.” Sage said as she stood up. “Is it Tracy's turn?”
“It is, but I want to talk to her mother first, if that's okay.”
Maggie nodded. “Sure.”
“Could we come in?” Persephone asked. “We've been keeping tabs on the girls and their talks. We may have knowledge Maggie doesn't.”
“I'll call you in a few, okay?”
“That's fine.” Persephone said as she took the seat Maggie had vacated.
“Plus that gives someone the chance to finish her homework.” He said, smiling at Tracy. “And you can make sure they don't bug her too much.”
“Thanks.” Tracy replied as her mother handed her the notebook she had dropped.
Maggie followed the doctor back to his office and took the seat across from his. He sat down and smiled at her. “So, how have you been?”
The question took her by surprise. She was expecting to talk about her daughter and the past month, not herself. “I'm okay, I guess.”
“Just okay?” He reached over and picked up a notebook from his table and leaned forward and gave her his best disarming smile. “Bad holidays?”
“Been doing a lot of catching up on billing at work.” Maggie explained. “The holidays were okay. Both of the kids were really good.” Maggie replied.
“Trouble with the relations?”
Maggie chuckled. “Well there are a couple of them. Alex and Johnny. My eldest niece's kids. Man are they pains in the butt. Gave Troy a hard time. Good thing they never heard about Tracy.”
“How did she handle being Troy for the day?”
Maggie smiled. “That kinda fell apart. My other niece had her daughter there and she just blurted out about the clothes she found at Thanksgiving. So some of them know, not all of them.”
“I see.” Ivan scribbled another note down. “How did they take it?”
“Good. They hung out with Tracy a couple times before they left.”
“Very good. Any other difficulties from the holidays?”
“Other than money issues, not really.” Maggie replied. “Well, We had to give Tracy the talk because her friend and her shared a kiss on New Years Eve.”
“I see and how did that go?”
“Well, we actually gave her the talk twice in a week. We talked to the doctor and she brought up hormones, which Tracy wants to ask you about when she sees you. But I felt it was time for the big talk when we went to Sacramento.” Maggie cracked a little smile. “As for how it went, it was uncomfortable. I don't know how much to explain about one side of the fence or the other. I can tell her all about PMS, but it's pointless. And she needs to learn about certain body parts getting excited, before she's found out.”
“True. But how is your daughter acting around the friend she kissed? Are they close?” Ivan asked.
“Too close. Peter was the one who was there when she got attacked. I'm just afraid she's clinging to him because he shows interest in her as Tracy.” Maggie explained.
“Not an uncommon thing to do. What did you and your husband do about it?”
Maggie sighed. “We put down rules. Peter can't be there unless an adult is with her. But in the same aspect, Vance can't have girls there.”
“Fair. A little hard on Tracy if you’re gone and her friends all show up.” The Doctor replied.
“Well, that's something we got to work on, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.” Maggie looked up at him and debated on what all he should know, finally she decided on full disclosure. “She's also admitted to watching one of her girl friends change when she was here. She played it off at first and she's not sure what to think, but she may be trying to find herself, sexually.”
“Did she say if she liked it?” He asked.
Maggie nodded. “Yeah. She said she did, but nothing happened.”
He made a mental note this time to ask the young girl her thoughts on the matter, then he moved on. “Are there still problems going on with her wanting to be Tracy all the time?” He asked.
Maggie sighed and nodded. “Every morning is a fight now. I have to make sure she's dressing as Troy and it hurts. She wants to be herself at school and I have to look in those eyes of hers and tell her she has to go as something she hates. I have to almost shove her to those door and push Troy off to school. I heard from his teacher that his attention is all over the place. When he gets home he changes and Tracy comes back out and the moody child is gone.” She sighed and shook her head. “Is it wrong that I've almost just let Tracy go to school. I hate fighting with her. I just want her happy.”
“But you need her safe.” The doctor replied. “I can sympathize with her pain, but what you told me last time, letting her go as Tracy could open her up to trouble. People can be mean, but kids are worse.”
“I know, but I just want my baby happy.” Maggie stated. “I've done everything I can think of. New clothes, music, anything that makes my baby happy.”
He wrote down another note, then decided to revisit something she had said about money problems. “I understand. Maggie, is your daughter causing problems between you and your husband?”
“Like forcing us to fight? No, she hasn't done anything like that.”
“You mentioned money problems. The holidays are a time that everyone overextends themselves. I'm guessing that happened?” He asked, Maggie looked to the floor and nodded slowly. “Did you spend more on Tracy then you agreed on?”
Maggie knew it was pointless to lie or fight, so she came clean. “I spent equally on both kids. But after a doctor's appointment, I took Tracy to the Arden Fair mall and bought her some stuff that was on sale. William got mad because I spent more money. But she needed a purse. It's easier to hide her with things like that.”
“Is this the first time you two have argued about money?”
Maggie shook her head. “No, we've fought before. This is the first time the kids walked in while we fought.”
“How did they take it?” He asked.
“Tracy tired to stop us. Vance was hiding in the living room.”
Ivan wrote down another note, then looked up. “Fighting affects kids differently. Some hide, some confront it, and the rest ignore it. Tell me, has your husband hit you or the kids out of anger?”
Maggie shook her head, while keeping eye contact. “Never. In fact the only times he's spanked the kids, was when they were younger and did something wrong. But he hasn't lifted a hand or belt to them in years. And he's never hit me. If he did, I'd leave his ass in a heartbeat.”
“That's a good sign. A lot of women stay in abusive relationships and it just breeds hatred. Right now, Tracy needs love and so does Vance. I understand that you want to get all the nicest things for your daughter. I can see how happy you are that she's comfortable being out, but sometimes women forget their sons.”
Maggie nodded and looked up at him “I try not to. It's just so hard.” She let out a big sigh. “When I was pregnant with Tracy I had hoped for a girl. I prayed for a little girl. I begged God to let it be a girl. We had a boy, someone to learn about life from William. I wanted someone to teach all about being a woman. Then Troy came out and my hopes were dashed. Don't get me wrong, I loved Troy with all my heart, I had just wanted a girl so bad.”
Ivan nodded slowly and filled in the gaps. “Then Tracy came about?”
“Yeah.” Maggie agreed. “At first I was worried it was a phase, but the more she wants to be herself, the more I love it. She's that daughter I always wanted and I never knew it till just a few months ago.”
“Well it is good that you've accepted her as your daughter. Do you know how many people in her situation never look for help? Many of them hide who they are and try their best to conform. Others end their own lives. Tracy has the unique situation of having a very large support group. That's almost unheard of.”
Maggie smiled and shrugged. “I can't speak for the others, but she's hard to hate.”
Tracy was trying to read and talk to her friends when Ivan and her mother both came out. The older therapist came over and smiled at her. “Your turn, kiddo.” Tracy shut her book and slipped it into her bag as the doctor hooked a thumb to her friends. “They let you get any work done?”
“Some.” Tracy replied.
“Good. But I doubt you'll get much more done.” He smiled at the other two girls. “Isn't that right, Trouble?” He said to Sage.
“Hey, just because we got plans for an all night slumber party doesn't mean we can't help her with homework.”
“Right.” He replied, not at all convinced. “Good to see you got a plan.”
As Tracy stood up, Rachel spoke up. “Can we go in with her?”
“I'd like a few minutes with Tracy, then I'll bring in everyone.”
Tracy followed him into the room and she took the seat that she had taken the last time. He sat across from her and picked up his notepad. “Well young lady, have a good holiday?”
“It was good.” She nodded. “Except for the whole Troy thing.”
“Having to be Troy for the holiday?”
Tracy nodded again. “That and getting a lot of boy presents. Angie, that's my cousin's daughter, she had a bunch of stuff and I got jealous that I didn't get to have the pretty stuff.”
Ivan looked up from his notebook and smiled at her. “It does happen, but did you make a fuss?”
“No. Mom saw me and she helped pick out more stuff a couple days later. But Grandma and Grandpa brought me a dress,. They brought it over in the morning, before anyone went to their house.” Tracy's smile brightened and she sat up straight.
Ivan smiled and gave a slight nod. “That's good. Tell me about the New Years? Any thing good happen?”
“Well, The Go-Go's played on the television?” Tracy replied.
“I see. And you like them?”
“Yeah!” Tracy beamed again.
Ivan decided to cut to the point. “I heard from your mother that she had to give you the talk?”
Tracy slumped in her seat and stared at the floor. . “Yeah.” She grumbled. Once after the Doctor told me about hormones.....” Her head whipped up. “That reminds me. I need to ask you about getting me permission for hormones. The doctor says I need them.”
“We'll discuss that when your mother is here.” Ivan wrote a note to remind himself and he leaned back in his seat. “So about that talk you had? Pretty embarrassing stuff?”
Tracy nodded. “Yep.”
“It can be bad, but in your situation, you need to have it.” Ivan replied. “So why did your mother give you that talk? I hear it wasn't just about hormones.”
Tracy blushed and looked to the floor once more. “I....” Her voice became a whisper. “I kinda kissed a friend on new years day and I watched Brooke changing when I was up here.” A smile crossed her lips as she though back to the two occasions.
He raised an eyebrow. “I see. And how did kissing your friend at home feel?”
“It felt great.” Tracy let out a contented sigh, then she slumped in the chair. “But Mom and Dad said he can't be at the house when they aren't there.”
“They're your parents. It sucks when they make rules, but they make them to keep you safe.” Ivan replied.
“I know, it just sucks.”
“Tell me about the other friend.”
“Brooke?” She asked and he nodded. “She's a friend of Sage and Rachel. She's in a wheelchair, but a lot of fun. She plays basketball and was totally nice to me.”
“How did it feel to see her changing?”
Her cheeks went a shade darker. “Weird. I have always been interested in boys, but when I saw her naked, I couldn't look away.”
“Well, you may be finding yourself. You're young and there's a whole world out there that will surprise you. You may think you don't like something, but when you try it, you may love it.” Ivan stated. “That goes for every aspect of life.”
“You sound like my Dad when I was younger and hated green beans.”
“Universal truths are funny that way.”
Tracy walked out of the office next to her mother, her pack slung over her shoulder. She hadn't said much since to either of her friends as they walked towards Maggie's car. Maggie could tell that her daughter was annoyed and she knew why, but she figured she'd get her daughter talking to her, just in case she was wrong. “Penny for your thoughts?”
“It's just...” Tracy stopped and looked to her mother. “Is this guy going to work?”
“What do you mean?” Maggie asked.
“We have to see another therapist? Wasn't one good enough?”
Sage turned around and went to her friend. “If it makes you feel better, so do I.” She gave Tracy a small smile. “They have to do it.”
Persephone put her hand on the young girl. “It's like when a doctor gets a second one in for his opinion on a tricky surgery., They need to make sure that this is the best thing for you, or if it can cause more harm then good.”
“And Dad has to be here? He's working so much, what if he can't make it?” Tracy asked her mother.
“Ivan said he wants to talk to your father, but you weren't listening when he said it's not vital to you getting hormones. He also wants to talk to Vance. He's trying to see what type of people you have around you.” Maggie replied. “That's all. It's not some plan to make you be miserable.”
“Oh.” Tracy replied.
“Come on. Let's get your stuff so Persephone and Lynn can get you out of here.” Maggie led her to the car. She opened the backdoor then let her daughter remove her stuff. Maggie chuckled and held out a hand.
“What?” Tracy asked.
“Leave your pack with me. That way you won't forget it. Plus I doubt you'll be working hard tonight.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Tracy said as she handed over her backpack.”
“Be good, kiddo.”
Tracy hugged her mother and smiled. “I will, Mom.”
January 26th 1983
Wednesday morning had started off about the same as the prior two weeks had been. Troy was still wishing he could go as his real self. Every morning it was the same. From him being forced into boys clothes and shoved out the door to meet his school bus, to him shuffling his feet the entire way there and then the quiet ride to the school. In class, his eyes were once again wandering around the classroom. He struggled to keep his eyes on his own desk during a pop quiz, and he managed to do it, just barely.
He kept thinking about his visit to the therapist, and the appointment that was set in a week and a half with his full family and a second doctor. He was hesitant about talking to a second person, but everyone insisted it had to be done. Then there had been the night over with Tracy's friends. It wasn't like at Christmas. All the girls managed to fit into Rachel's bedroom. It had been a late night of watching TV and playing games. But after her long day, Tracy had fallen asleep before midnight. Now she had to wait another week and a half to see her friends again.
When the bell for lunch rang he grabbed the lunch sack he carried and followed Peter to a new spot, one near the play ground. “So how you holding up?” Peter asked as he pulled out his lunch.
Troy shrugged. “It sucks.” He replied. “I'd rather be in my nice clothes.”
“I bet.” He replied.
“I hate this, Peter.” Troy shook his head. “I found me and now I have to hide that because people are stupid.”
“Yep.” Peter nodded.
“You know how bad I want to just walk in here, in a skirt and a blouse?”
“Bad?” Peter asked.
“Bad.” Troy replied with a nod. “I have to hide at the house. If I go to my Grandma's place, I got to move quickly, or someone may see me. It just sucks.”
“Yep.” Peter agreed again.
Troy glanced at him for a moment and held back a chuckle. “Then there's my friend who can't say more then two words at a time.”
Peter smiled at him and nodded as he said. “Yep.”
“Oh you're funny.” Came Troy's sarcastic reply
“Yep.” He chuckled. “I am.”
He shook his head and started on his lunch. They watched as more of their classmates came out to the playground and the two passed the hour they had for lunch, just talking and enjoying each others company.
When lunch was almost over, they both stood up and began walking towards the classrooms. Troy stopped long enough to throw away his trash, then continued on to his classroom. As Peter walked on to his class, Troy went into his class, glad to see he was the first one there. As he went to his desk he saw a piece of paper sticking out of the edge of his backpack. He raised an eyebrow, knowing that he had closed it when he pulled his notebook out earlier.
He grabbed and pulled two pieces of paper. Each was a photo. His heart stopped as his eyes focused on a picture of him, dressed as Tracy in the clothes he wore at the Mall in Sacramento. The other clearly showed him at the door to his parent's house, hugging Emily May. He stared at the picture for a moment, his heart pounding in his chest. In the bottom of the one of him at the mall, in block letter was the words. “Nice dress, fag”
He stood there, mortified that someone knew. His breath began to pick up and he jumped when a hand touched his shoulder. He spun and begun to drop into a defensive posture, despite the fact he wasn't supposed to be fighting. He had to blink a couple of times when he saw that it was just Mary Beth.
“Troy?” She asked, stepping back from him. “What's wrong?”
“Did you do this?” He asked, voice wavering as he stood, holding out the picture.
She took it, frowned and shook her head. “No, I didn't.” She looked up at his face. “Where did you get it?”
“Someone put it in my pack.”
Mary Beth's eyebrows went up and she was stunned. “Your pack?”
“It wasn't you then?” Troy asked once more.
“No, it wasn't.” She answered back. As someone came in to the room, she shoved the picture back in his hands. “Put it away.” She whispered. He went to open up his desk and saw a few more of the same pictures in there.
“Oh Crap.” He said.
“Quick.” Mary Beth reached in and grabbed at them, then wadded them up. “Just sit down.” She shoved the pictures into his pack.
Troy did as she instructed. He just sat there, shaking. Each time someone would come into the room, he knew they were staring right at him. At least he swore that they were. As they sat down, he could feel each of them watching him. It was all over and he knew it. He wanted to run away, but his father had been working with him on how to not give it away. So he forced his fear down and tried to act like nothing was wrong.
The recess bell rang and Troy just sat in his seat, too scared to move. Mary Beth had held back and watched her friends leave the room. Mr. McCoy had noticed something had been going on since they all came back from lunch. So he decided to check up on his student. "What's wrong?"
Troy was too scared to tell him the truth. He knew someone knew, but he wasn't sure who. Th phone call he had received earlier in the week now made sense. He tried to think if it could have been the teacher, but decided that the voice sounded younger then that. He looked up and shook his head. "Not feeling well." Troy replied.
"Do you need to go to the nurse?" The teacher asked.
"No. I don't think she can do anything." Troy replied.
"Well...." He had left Troy in the room alone before, just after his first return to school. He would have stayed, but nature was dancing upon his bladder. "Tell you what, just sit here and put your head on the desk or something. If you feel worse when I get back, we'll send you to the nurses office."
"Okay." Troy answered.
Mr. McCoy's gaze switched to Mary Beth. "You going to stay with him?"
She took a seat next to Troy. "Sure, I'll hang out with him."
"Thank you." Mr. McCoy smiled at them and left the room.
After a few moments, Peter walked in and looked at him. “Hey, you wanna hang out by the swings?”
“No.” Troy replied, his voice almost a whisper.
“What's wrong?” Peter stopped by his desk and watched his friend who was busy staring at his hands.
“Can I show him?” Mary Beth asked Troy. The young boy nodded. Mary Beth dug into his pack and pulled out one of the pictures. "This was in his backpack and his desk."
Peter looked at it and then at Troy. “Did you tell anyone? Like the teacher or the Principal?”
“No. We found it after lunch.” Troy replied.
“So no idea who left it?”
“No.” Troy sat there, just staring at the desk. “I don't know if I should tell anyone. Mr. McCoy doesn't know. And I don't know what Mr. Harper can do.”
“At least tell your parents.” Peter stated. “Please tell them.”
“I will.” Troy replied.
Next up, the hits keep coming
A few steps out of the door Peter fell in step next to him. “Come on.” Peter commanded and put a hand on Troy's shoulder to guide him to the office. The bigger kid had been thinking about the pictures and what to do all through his past few lessons and he could only come up with one course of action. He knew it would be a fight to get Troy to go, but he was sure it was the right thing to do.
“Where are we...” Troy stated to say, till he realized where Peter was going. “Peter, I don't want to go to the office.”
Peter stopped and turned to face Troy. He lowered his voice so only Mary Beth and Troy could hear him. “You need to tell the principal. He knows about you, so you need to tell him that someone is trying to cause problems.”
“He's right, Troy. If Mr. Harper knows, then he should know about the picture.” Mary Beth stated in a whisper.
Big thanks to Djkauf for the editing
We pick up where we left off, Tracy in class, after the pictures have been left.
January 26th 1983
As the last bell for school rang, Troy waited for everyone to get up. He was still worried that whoever had left him the picture was in his own class. Mary Beth waited till all but Troy, the teacher and herself remained and she came over to him as he slowly stood up. Mr. McCoy came over as well. “You still not feeling well.”
“I'll be fine, it's nothing.” Troy said as he avoided the teacher’s gaze.
“Well, go home and take it easy.” Mr. McCoy said, not sure what to think. “No point in burning yourself out when you get home. Don't want to miss more school though.”
“Thank you sir.” Troy said as he grabbed his stuff and headed for the door.
A few steps out of the door Peter fell in step next to him. “Come on.” Peter commanded and put a hand on Troy's shoulder to guide him to the office. The bigger kid had been thinking about the pictures and what to do all through his past few lessons and he could only come up with one course of action. He knew it would be a fight to get Troy to go, but he was sure it was the right thing to do.
“Where are we...” Troy stated to say, till he realized where Peter was going. “Peter, I don't want to go to the office.”
Peter stopped and turned to face Troy. He lowered his voice so only Mary Beth and Troy could hear him. “You need to tell the principal. He knows about you, so you need to tell him that someone is trying to cause problems.”
“He's right, Troy. If Mr. Harper knows, then he should know about the picture.” Mary Beth stated in a whisper.
“What can he do about it?” Troy asked.
“Who knows, but I'm taking you there.” Peter looked down at Troy. “You know your mother would want you to go.”
“Peter, I don’t want more trouble.” Troy replied.
Peter just stared at him. “You got trouble already. You need to tell someone, and if you don't tell him, I will; then I'll make sure your mother knows too.”
“Peter....” Troy started to argue with him, but Mary Beth cut him off.
“I'll go with Peter and tell him. No matter what, We'll tell him. Please come with us.”
Troy looked at both of them and realized he was outnumbered. He sighed, but followed his friends as Peter led the way to the office. As they passed the seventh grade classes, which were getting out, Emily May saw her sister and came jogging over. “Hey, what's going on?” She asked as she saw the determined look on Peter's face.
Mary Beth leaned over and whispered in her ear. Her sister gasped and then looked at Troy. “You want me to find Vance?”
Before Troy could answer, Peter did. “Yes. Tell him we'll be in the office.”
“Peter.” Troy growled.
Peter stopped once more and glared at his friend. “If they are leaving you the pictures, they may be doing the same to Vance. I may not like him, but he should be told about what's going on.”
“He's right.” Emily May stated. “I'll go find him.”
“You can't.” Troy stated. “He's in Chico for that basketball tournament. They left already.”
“Crap.” Mary Beth replied. Peter started walking again and reached the doors to the offices and cafeteria. He pulled the door open for Troy and the two girls. Troy seemed to walk slower, but Mary Beth grabbed one arm and dragged him along.
“You tell him, or we do.” Emily May replied as they walked Troy into the principal's outer office.
“Can I help you?” The secretary asked as they came in.
“We need to speak to Mr. Harper.” Mary Beth said.
“I'm sorry, but he's in Chico at that Basketball tournament.” the old secretary replied. “Mr. Nelson is also the vice Principal, can he help?”
Peter looked at Troy who just shook his head and spoke up. “No, We'll speak to Mr. Harper tomorrow.” None of the kids at the school liked Mr. Nelson. He had a reputation for hating children, yet he worked with them. Troy didn't want his secret in any other hands, so he could wait.
“I'll make an appointment if you want? Tomorrow around lunchtime for your grades?”
“Yes.” Peter answered.
“Okay, Patterson, Lowery and Higgins.” The old woman said as she wrote. She looked up and smiled. “There, all good.”
“Thank you.” Troy said as he turned and headed for the door.
Peter caught him as he walked out of the hall that connected the offices and cafeteria. “You could have told Mr. Nelson.”
“No.” Troy said. “Mr. Harper knows about me, no one else does. I don't want that hassle.”
“He's right, Peter.” Emily May said. “Mr. Nelson isn't the nicest guy here.”
“Fine. But I'm making sure you get on that bus.” Peter stated.
“We'll ride with him.” Mary Beth stated.
“Yeah, but isn't your stop way before his?”
“Yeah, but we'll check up on him when we get home.” Emily May said.
“I'll see if my mother can drive me over there. At least then your father won’t want to kill me.”
The ride on the bus was uneventful, but nerve racking. Troy sat near the front, worried that whoever had left him the note was with him. Emily May and her Sister had stayed near him till their stop. Then Troy rode in silence till his stop. He shuffled off the bus and stopped every few steps, making sure that no one was following him to the house.
When he got home, he noticed his Grandparents were gone, and with his mother not due back for an hour or two, he was left all alone. He quickly entered his house and locked the door behind him, then he put the door chain on and set the dead bolt. After the picture he had received, his nerves were all on end. He put his backpack on the couch. He plopped down on the couched and began to cry lightly. His hands shook as he reached into the pack and pulled out the pictures that he had found in his pack and desk. He was going to change when he got home, at least that had been his plan that morning, but now that someone knew, it changed everything.
He screamed and jumped when the phone rang. He hadn't been expecting a call. He reached out and picked up the phone and held it to his ear, hoping that it was Sage, or Rachel and the girls, but he forgot it wasn't Friday and the chances of them calling were slim to none. “H-hello?” He tentatively asked.
“Hello, fag.” A voice grated over the line. It sounded young, but not one that he knew. “That's a nice dress you had on.”
His heart pounded as he sat there. His life was over and he knew it. “W-who is this?” He asked.
“Wouldn't you like to know.” The voice replied. “I told you that I knew.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“I'm going to have so much fun with you, fag.” The voice replied. “Maybe I should just come over there now and beat the shit out of you. Teach you your place in life.”
Troy slammed the phone down and he sat there, shaking. Seconds later it rang again and he looked at it. He began to pray that it was Sage this time, or his mother. He even hoped for Peter to call. “H-h-hello?” Her voice quavered with fear.
“I'm going to get you, Fag.” The voice replied. Tracy began to cry and slammed the receiver down, but her hands fumbled it and it dropped on the floor. Moments later there was a knock at the door. Tracy attempted to be quiet, but her tears wouldn't stop. Whoever it was knocked again.
Troy got up and looked for something to protect herself. Tears were starting to race down his cheek as the phone began to sound out the fact that it was off the hook. He went to the stove and picked up the ax that her father kept for chopping wood. If they came in the house, he wasn't giving up without a fight. He tired to steady his nerves and he called out as the person knocked a third time. “W-who is it?”
“It's Mary Beth and Emily May.” A female voice called out. “Can we come in?”
Troy dropped the ax and ran to the door. He opened it up and saw her two schoolmates there, then he launched himself into Emily's arms, sobbing against her shoulder.
“Whoa, what's wrong. Is this about those pictures?” Emily asked as she held Troy. Her crying friend nodded slightly. “Come on, let's get you in the house.”
“What happened?” Mary Beth asked, stopping to see the fallen ax on the floor. She heard the phone buzzing, so she went over and put in to the cradle. Seconds later the phone rang again and Troy began to cry harder. Mary Beth picked it up, watching her friend, as she spoke. “Hello?”
“Oh so the little fag has a friend. You know he's just a pathetic little fag in a dress, right?” The voice asked.
“Who is this?” Mary Beth asked.
“Ain't telling.” He replied.
“You put those pictures in his bag, didn't you?”
“What do you think?” The voice asked.
“Look fucker, just leave Troy alone, or I'll tear your nuts off and feed 'em to you.” The voice laughed, and Mary Beth hung up the phone. “This happened before?”
“Just a f-few m-minutes ago.” Troy sobbed out.
“Are your grandparents home?” Emily May asked.
“No.” Troy shook his head.
The phone rang again and Mary Beth reached down and grabbed the receiver. “Look you pathetic little fucker. You call Troy once more and I swear I will find you and bash your stupid skull in! You understand me?!?”
“Um?” A female voice spoke on the other end of the line. “What? Who is this? Is Tracy there?”
“No, you first!” Mary Beth snapped back. “Who the fuck is this?!?”
“It's Sage, is this Mary Beth?”
Mary Beth's attitude softened quickly. “Sage?” She breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh thank God. Yeah, it's Mary Beth.”
“What's going on there?” Sage asked. “I hear crying, is that Tracy?”
“I wish I knew. Emily and I just got here and some asshole called.” Mary Beth replied. “Tracy was crying when she opened up the door.”
“Could be a wrong number and he's just fucking with ya. Stay safe though.” Sage answered.
“Sage, he knows about Tracy.” Mary Beth stated. “Someone left pictures in her backpack and desk at school today. It's of Tracy. No one else saw them, but they were there.”
“Oh, Crap.” Sage was quiet for a moment, then Mary Beth could hear tapping on the other end. “Give me a minute.”
“Okay.” Mary Beth replied. She looked over to Tracy who was watching, but still crying into her sisters shoulder.
A moment or two later, a new voice came on the line. “Mary Beth, this is Persephone, Sage's mother. She just told me about the calls and pictures. Do me a favor and take Tracy to her grandparents they live in the trailer next door, okay. Then have them call Maggie.”
“Ma'am, she said they aren't home.” Mary Beth stated.
“Shit.” Persephone was quiet for a moment, then she spoke up, forcing her anger back. “What about her parents?”
“Hey, when is your Dad coming home? Or your mother?” Mary Beth asked.
“Dad's at that game in Chico with Vance. Mom's at work.”
“Ma'am, Her father's in Chico, with Vance at a school ball game, Her mother's at work.”
Through the phone, Mary Beth could hear the motherly concern of Persephone as she spoke. “Do me this favor. Lock the door and keep an eye on Tracy. I'll have Sage call in a few and we'll try to talk to Tracy, okay? I'll call Maggie at work and let her know what's up. If anyone knocks on the door, don't answer it, okay?”
“Yes Ma’am.”
Persephone hung up on the scared girls, wishing that she lived closer. She realized she was still standing as she began to pace while the phone rang. After three rings, someone picked it up. But when the voice spoke, it was an older woman, someone Persephone didn't know. “Wright cleaning services, how can I help you?”
“Um...hi...” Persephone started. “I was wondering if Maggie Patterson was in?”
“I'm Sorry, she's out of the office today, can I help you with something?”
“My name is Persephone Miller, I'm a friend of hers from the bay area. I need to get a message to her. I need her to call her house. I just talked to her youngest and there is a major problem going on there. So if you could get her the message when she gets in?”
“Problem at home? Well, she won't be back here for an hour or so. We're short-handed and she's taking a couple of the cleaning jobs to help out. But I'll leave a note for when she stops in.”
“Please and thank you.” Persephone replied.
“No problem at all.” The older woman stated.
Peter had tried calling Tracy's place a few times when he got home, but he got a busy signal or no answer. This worried him. His mother was at work still, so that left him home alone. He quickly scribbled a note saying where he went, then hopped on his bike and made the trek thought the rain to his friends house. He knew William would kill him for being there when no adults were around, but he didn't care. His friend was going to need him.
So twenty minutes later he was hopping off his bike, making sure to cast a quick glance to see if Troy's grandparent's were home. He saw no car, so he knocked. He listened closely and thought he heard someone on the other side. But not just one person, a couple of people. He knocked again and put his ear against the door.
“Troy? It's Peter, you home?” He called out. Then he lowered his voice and called again. “Tracy, it's me, you okay in there?”
The door opened up and Emily stood there. Behind her was Mary Beth. Troy was in his father's chair, talking on the phone. Peter could see the tracks of tears on his friends face, but he didn't want to interrupt the phone conversation. He looked at the older of the two sisters. “What happened? Why is he crying?”
“Who ever left the pictures called here before we showed up.” Emily May replied, shutting the door as Peter stepped in, then she locked it.
“Yeah. I talked to him. Total asshole. No idea who he is though.” Mary Beth stated.
“So it's a him.” Peter nodded slowly, thinking to himself. “Bet you it's Clark Millet.”
“But how did he get those pictures?” Emily May asked. “Someone had to know Tracy when she was Arden Fair mall. Plus they know where he lives, cause he took a picture of me hugging Tracy at that door.” she gestured to the front door.
“The Millet Family knows about the Patterson house. I've seen Bruce here a few times and he brought Clark once.” Peter said. He hooked a thumb towards Troy. “Who is he talking to? Or is he Tracy right now?”
“Troy still. He's too scared to go get dressed.” Mary Beth explained. “And it's Sage, Tracy's friend from the Bay Area. They called earlier cause she's seeing some doctor and had news for him. She called after I had hung up on the asshole. I tore her head off over the phone.”
Peter smiled. “Thank you, well for yelling at that guy, not for yelling at Sage.”
“Won't you get in trouble for being here?” Emily May asked. “Tracy told us about the rules that her mother and father put down.”
“Worth it.” Peter stated. “My friend got threatened. If someone were to come over and do something, I'd feel bad if I hadn't come over. Besides, right now, her safety is higher priority.”
“Are her Grandparents home yet?”
“Didn't see them.” Peter replied. “But we'll hear them then they pull up.”
“Good. I don't know how long we can stay. Dad will want us home around dinner time.” Mary Beth said.
“Take off when you have to. I'll stay here.”
Troy had just hung up the phone with Sage when the phone rang again. He yelped and jumped in his seat. Emily May and Mary Beth had already left, so Peter went over and picked up the phone, to save his friend from any hassles. “Patterson's house, can I help you?”
“Um..Hello...Peter?” Maggie’s voice came from the other end of the line. “First of all, what are you doing there with no Adults.”
“There's been a problem or two. Someone put pictures of Tracy in a skirt in Troy's backpack and desk, at school and they were calling the house, threatening him...her.”
“Oh God. Is she...” Maggie started to reach that panicky mother mode fast, but Peter cut her off.
“She's okay, just jumpy. But Tracy is scared, so it's Troy right now.” Peter explained.
“Put my child on, please.”
“It's your Mom.” Peter handed his friend the phone and then went to look out the window to see if the Grandparent's had gotten home yet. Troy spoke up, voice still shaking.
“Hello?”
“Hey, I'm not back in town yet, I took some of the cleaning contracts today because we're short handed. I got a call from Persephone telling me to call home, but the line has been busy.” Maggie stated.
“Sorry. Sage was talking to me while I calmed down.” Troy replied.
“What happened?” Maggie asked.
“Someone put pictures of me in a skirt in my backpack. It was when we went to the mall in Sacramento.”
“Damn.” Maggie muttered. She knew there was a slight chance of people seeing her daughter, but she never figured that she'd be caught that far out of town. “Peter said someone called?”
“Yeah. They kept calling, then Mary Beth and Emily May showed up and Sage called.”
Maggie sighed, knowing it would be a bit longer till she got home. “Okay, have your grandparents gotten home yet?”
“I don't know...Peter, are they home yet?”
“No... wait. Yeah, looks like he's pulling in.” Peter replied.
“They just got home.”
“Okay, go next door. Stay there till I get home, okay? Take Peter if you want and tell your Grandfather everything.”
Maggie only knocked once as she got to the door of her in-law's house, then she stepped inside. She looked at her father-in-law who gestured to the kitchen. “Modine and Tracy are cooking some dinner.”
“Thanks.” Maggie rushed into the kitchen. Maggie knew what her youngest was wearing was Troy's clothes, but it didn't matter to her. This was her daughter, there was no doubt about that. When Tracy saw her mother, the two rushed into each others arms. Maggie kissed the top of her daughters head and held her for a moment. “You okay?”
“No.” Tracy shook her head. “Better, but not okay.”
“Did you tell anyone?”
Tracy shook her head. “Mary Beth and Emily May know, so does Peter.”
“Can I see the pictures? Did you bring them over here?”
She went to the kitchen table where her backpack sat. It had been Peter's idea to take the pack, along with the pictures, so the grandparents knew what happened. Tracy knew if she didn't show her mother, her grandmother would. So the young girl pulled out the two pictures and handed them to her mother.
“I meant your teacher. Did he see it, or Mr. Harper?” Maggie asked.
“No.” Tracy shook her head. “I didn't tell Mr. McCoy, and Mr. Harper is at that basketball game in Chico.”
“I'll get a hold of him tonight, or at the school tomorrow.”
“We got an appointment set up.” Tracy said. “Peter did that.”
“Good. Remind me to thank him for staying, too.” Maggie then focused on the pictures and she had to bite her tongue from uttering something bad. She could see the stores of the Arden Fair mall behind her daughter. The thought that someone followed them there chilled her to the bone, but she didn't want her daughter to see the fear.
Modine seemed to pick up on it. She moved from the stove and put a hand on her Daughter in law. “Are William and Vance going to be home for dinner?”
“No, they're eating out.” Maggie replied though gritted teeth. She wanted to find the person who had taken the pictures and beat him, or her, within an inch of their life.
“Then relax. We've got enough for two more. No point in being at the house alone right now.”
Maggie and Tracy had waited for William and Vance to get home before they went home themselves. They were met at the door by William who arched one eyebrow and looked from his wife, who looked very angry, to his scared child. “What's wrong? Started to worry when no one was here.”
“I forgot to leave a note, but we need to talk.” Maggie gestured to Tracy to sit on the couch.
“Did something happen today?” William asked. “Was Peter here?”
“He was, but this is bigger then that and I agree that this time he should have been here.” Maggie went to the kitchen and called down the hall to her kids room. “Vance, we need you in the living room.”
“Okay, Mom.” A voice called back. As she went to the couch where her daughter sat, she held out a hand and Tracy handed over her backpack. Maggie fished out the pictures as Vance entered the room.
Maggie handed the two pictures to her husband. “These were left in Tracy's backpack and desk during lunch today.”
The blood drained slightly from William's face as he stared at the pictures. He knew one was taken at the house, but the second one puzzled him. “Where was this one taken at?”
“Arden Fair mall.” Maggie replied.
“So that day after her appointment?”
Maggie nodded. “Has to be. That was the skirt she had on that day.”
“Damn.” William looked at his daughter. “Who put them in your bag?”
“Don't know.” She replied back. By this point, Vance was moving towards his father and craning his neck to see the pictures.
“What are they?” He asked.
William sighed, then handed the pictures to Vance. “Did you tell your teacher? Or the Principal?”
“No. Mr. McCoy doesn’t know.”
“Mr. Harper was at the basketball game with us.” Vance supplied. “Nice dress fag?” He repeated the words on the picture in a questioning tone. “And they left them for you?”
“Yeah.” Tracy nodded.
“After they left them, did anyone talk to you differently?” William asked.
“I don't know. I...I was afraid that everyone knew already.” Tracy said.
“Who all knows about these?”
“Peter, Mary Beth and Emily May.” Tracy replied.
William looked at her for a moment, working over the last two names. “Mary and Emily....OH, those girls that came over last week.”
Tracy nodded. “Yeah. They came over after school, so did Peter.”
William slumped his shoulders and glared at his daughter. “Now I told you about having Peter here with no adults.”
Maggie cut him off, holding up a hand to stop any fatherly tirades. “William, whoever left the pictures started calling the house.”
“Here?” He asked.
“Yeah.” Tracy nodded again.
Before William could make a comment, Maggie jumped in. “I'm glad Peter was here and if this keeps up, I'd rather there be people here when she gets home.”
William was going to argue it, but he saw the wisdom behind her thought. “Tell me everything.” He said as he sat in his chair. Tracy started, telling him everything that she recalled from school, then going on to when she got home and the calls she received. She watched as he gripped his chair in anger, his knuckles going white as he focused on a point by the door.
Maggie took over, filling in the parts she knew, which wasn't much. When they were done, Vance had taken a seat by his sister and both parents were in their chairs. William tapped his fingers on the arm rest of his chair. “New rules for you two.” He said soft voice. “When you get home, if we are not home, go next door. That is for both of you.”
“Both of us? I didn't get anything...” Vance started to say, but his father cut his off.
“I want you together. This may be nothing, but after that Bruce asshole attacked Tracy once, I won't take chances with either of my children.” William rocked in his chair a few times, then he stopped and leaned forward. “Tracy, this isn't your fault. We knew someone could find you, but I hoped it wouldn't be this soon.” He held out his arms. “Come here.”
She slowly got up and went to him. He pulled her into a hug and held her tightly. “You said you got a meeting tomorrow?”
Tracy nodded. “Yeah Lunch time.”
“Good. I'll let work know I need to be there.” William stated.
“Thank you, Daddy.”
“No problem, Princess.”
Tracy looked up at him. “But do I have to go tomorrow? School I mean. What if that person leaves another picture.”
William sighed and looked at his wife. “I don't know. There's not much we can do. Either way you have to go to school.” He stated.
“But Dad.” She started to stand as she whined.
“No buts. You have to go to school, there's a law about that.” William said. “Just act like nothing is wrong.”
“There's always home schooling.” Maggie offered. “You know how kids can be. We let her go back, and they'll tear her apart.”
“Maggie, who'd teach her? We need the money your job pulls in.”
Maggie nodded at him. “Yeah, but Your Mom could do it.”
“Grandma?” Tracy's face lit up. “Could we do that?”
“Stop.” William held out a hand. “We'll ask tomorrow. I'll discuss it with your mother and grandmother too. We have to get her okay on that as well, if the school system would allow her to do it.”
Tracy slumped her shoulders and leaned against her father. “Okay.” She replied.
Morning hit and Tracy lay in bed for a few extra minutes. She could hear her mother talking to her father, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. Vance was already in the shower when she stood up and moved into the kitchen. Her mother was at the table, drinking coffee. Her father looked up for a moment, then back at his own cup.
“Do I have to go?” Tracy pleaded as she stood by the table.
Maggie nodded her head slightly. “You need to get ready to go. I tried to call the school, but no one answered yet. I'll try before the bus is to get here. But you may need to go. We'll figure things out when we go in for the meeting.”
“Fine.” Tracy grumbled. As she turned to leave, her father reached out and grabbed her hand.
“Baby, we want you safe, but if you miss too much school, they can hold you back, or get the law involved.”
“Daaad.” She started to whine.
William stood up and glared down at his daughter. He hated being the bad guy, but she had to go, at least he thought she should. “Tracy. You're going to get ready to go, get dressed, as Troy and get ready for school. We'll find a better alternative today, but for now, you have to go.”
“Can’t I just stay home?”
“William, living room, please?” Maggie said as she stood up and standing between the two of them.
“Fine.” He said as he stood up, then he looked at his youngest. “But you still need to get dressed.”
“Okay, Daddy.” Tracy stated as she slowly walked to her bedroom.
William followed his wife to the living room and she just shook her head. “William, sending her there may be a bad idea. I'll try and call in sick for her, but in her current state, you really think sending her to school while someone is leaving pictures of her there is a wise idea?”
“Maggie, if we can't get the home schooling started, she's going to have to return.”
“But right now, we send that child there, she'll be more worried about who is going to do what, that she won’t watch the teacher.”
William sighed, but he saw the logic in her argument. “Fine, call the school. Let them know she's sick or something and I'll meet you there for the meeting.”
Clark watched the clock from his seat, a grin on his face. He barely watched the teacher as he sat there, planning his next move. Lunch was coming soon and he had to follow the plan. Halfway though a science lesson, he held up his hand and the teacher stopped and looked at him. “Yes, Clark?”
“I gotta go to the bathroom.” He began bouncing in the seat.”
The teacher looked to the clock, then at Clark. “Lunch is only forty minutes away, are you sure it can't wait?”
“No.” Clark said in a half grunt, half groan that all kids seem to make when they desperately need a bathroom.
“Okay. The teacher sighed and went to his desk and grabbed a piece of wood that served as the classes hall pass. “There and straight back.” He stated.
“Thank you sir.” Clark jumped up, grabbed his coat that hung on the back of his seat and threw it on, then he went to the teacher and got the pass. He kept up the strained look on his face till he was out of the class. He passed by Troy's room and saw that Troy's desk was empty. He felt slightly cheated, but his plan was still going to continue. He walked towards the bathroom, then stopped and looked around. Once he was sure no teachers were watching him, he went on to the seventh grade classes.
He went to the door of the next class that Vance would had and he peeked in, making sure that no teachers were in there, then he quickly slipped in and began pulling several pictures out of his coat pocket. He placed a few of them on the desks nearest the door, then he slipped back out and went to the next room, where Emily May had her next class. He looked in once again and when he was sure the teacher wasn't in there, he slipped in and left a few pictures on the desk nearest the door, these had a shot that he didn’t leave with Troy, It showed a good view of Tracy and Emily May.
He hopped out of the classroom, then made his way back to his classroom, proud of a job well done. But it wasn't over. He had one more set to give out that would wait till lunch. He wanted to do it on a day that Troy was at school, but he couldn't wait.
Emily May went to her class and found her teacher holding a stack of what looked like papers. She started to go to her desk when the teacher called out to her. “Emily, could I speak to you for a moment?”
Emily went over to his desk. “Yes, Mr. Walkley?”
“Emily, I found something and I need you to run these to the principal’s office.”
“Me? Why me?” She asked.
“I found these on a few of the desks. Someone left these for the kids. I need you to get these to Mr. Harper.” He gestured for her to move closer and he showed her the pictures that he had found in his room.
Her jaw dropped open as she saw a clear shot of her and Tracy. The words at the bottom were in black ink. “Emily May's little fag friend, Troy Patterson.”
She put a hand over her mouth and gasped. “Oh, Crap.”
“Now you see why I want you to take them.” He stated and handed her the hall pass. “Go now, tell the Mrs. Olsen that you can only give these to Mr. Harper.”
“Yes, Sir.” Emily May turned and almost sprinted out of the class as the last of the student's trickled in.
Vance walked into his class, wondering if he should have asked for the period off to be in the office with his brother. He had been wondering who the person who had called the house was. He knew if he had heard the voice, he could have figured out who it was.
He wondered if it was Clark. Bruce's brother seemed to be the only person who had a growing hatred for his brother. Vance knew it wasn't Troy's fault, but no one would ever convince Clark that. His pondering was interrupted by someone who burst into laughter. One of them stepped closer to him “OH my God and you live with that?” Vance looked up and saw several people holding pictures in their hands, but he couldn't see what they were of.
A short woman walked in and cleared her throat. “I do believe you all still know how to find your seats?”
Vance wondered what they were talking about, but he slowly headed to his seat. The little lady began her prepared lesson on the Korean War and Vance did his best to pay attention.
It was about ten minutes into the lesson when a boy who sat behind him passed him snickered. “So do you have your own dress too?” He asked in a whisper.
Vance looked back and growled, in a hushed tone. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“You know...” The boy turned the picture of Tracy so Vance could see it.
Vance's eyes popped open as he looked at the picture. He reached out and snagged the photo before the other boy could pull it away. The words at the bottom were printed in black block letters. “Troy Patterson, Vance's faggot brother.”
He didn't realize he was halfway out of his seat and grabbing his backpack, till the teacher spoke up. “Vance, can you take your seat please?”
“Ma'am, I need to go to the office.” He replied.
“You could have gone during lunch. I'm sure whatever it is can wait till the next break.”
“But Ma'am...” Vance started to plead.
“Vance Patterson.” She said through clinched teeth. “You just had forty five minutes to take care of any personal business. If you don't take your seat, we'll be seeing the principal about detention.”
“Mrs. Burns, it can't wait.” Vance said.
“Seat now!” She raised her voice which caused the kids in her room to fall silent. Vance knew his parents would be in the office by this point and with the new picture, he knew he had to let the principal know about it right away. He didn’t want detention, but he had to show the pictures to Mr. Harper.
“Ma'am, I have something the Principal needs to see.” Vance replied.
“Vance, it can wait. Take your seat now.” She growled at him.
He looked at the picture in his hand, then at the teacher. He was still unsure of Tracy at times. There were up points and he couldn't deny that his sibling was happier as Tracy. These pictures were setting out to destroy what happiness she had found and he began to understand the true meaning of being the older brother. He was to protect her and he was damned in the teacher was going to stop him.
“No, it can't.” He replied and started walking to the door.
“Mr. Patterson! Take your seat now, or it's detention for a week!”
“Fine.” He replied and kept walking to the door.
She glared at her class. “None of you move a muscle, I will be right back."
Yep, another To be continued.
Thanks to Djkauf for the editing
We join in on the day Tracy has her meeting with the Principal. A look in at Sage, Brooke and Rachel too.
Meanwhile....
Rancho Las Positas Elementary, Livermore CA
It was lunchtime and Sage walked with Brooke and Rachel up to the cafeteria. Brooke had come to school later then the rest of them, mostly because of a doctor’s appointment. She sped up to Sage and tried to stop her for a moment. “Hey, Rachel said you had news for us. Something about Tracy?”
Rachel looked to her friend when she heard no answer and she saw Sage walking with her eyes on the ground in front of her and clearly deep in thought. She tapped the redhead on the shoulder and asked as her friend made eye contact. “You okay?”
Sage looked at them and realized that she had been focused on her thoughts the whole way up. “No.”
Brooke stopped and turned to face her. “What's wrong? Not those drugs from the doctor, is it?”
“The hormones? No. The doctor wanted to wait a couple more years, in case I start making my own female hormones.” Sage shook her head. “I called Tracy last night to tell her that I was got them yesterday and I got bad news.”
Brooke gave her a big grin and chuckled. “Vance is moving down here and living with your parents?”
Sage looked at her, then thought about it. She shook her head and sighed. “Worse then that, if you can believe it.”
“Her parent's won’t let her be Tracy anymore?” Rachel asked.
“Nope.” Sage replied as they got into the long lunch line. She turned to face then and whispered. “Someone saw her and took pictures. They left them for her in her desk and backpack, plus they called her house and threatened her.”
“Oh, shit.” Brooke replied as her smile faded away.
“I'll tell you what I know when we get a table, okay?” Sage said as she turned back around. Less then ten minutes later, they were huddled together, away from everyone else at the table and Sage gave then a fast rundown on what she knew.
As she finished, she sat upright and Rachel shook her head. “They don't know who did it, do they?”
“She didn't know the voice.” Sage replied.
“They making her go back to school today?” Brooke asked.
“No clue. But she said they had an appointment to see the Principal. He knows about her, so hopefully things can get worked out.”
“Thank God Mary Beth and her sister went there.” Rachel added. “Peter too.”
“That won’t end well.” Brooke said with a forced smile. “Her dad finds out he was there with no adults and he'll roast Peter alive.”
“Man. It would be so much easier if she lived down here. A lot more schools to pick from.” Rachel stated. "Plus friends who care about her."
“I know, I just hope she stays safe.” Sage replied. “I asked Mom if we could go up this weekend, but we have plans.”
“Maybe we should ask our Moms for next weekend?” Brooke smiled wide. “Like go on Friday after school, there is that staff development day on Monday, so we could have the full weekend.”
“I'll ask; you all ask.” Rachel said with a smile and a nod.
“Groovy. I'll see if Casey and Stacey can get away too.” Sage said.
Northern California
Troy followed his mother into the main office of the school and he took a seat at the bench. Maggie went to the receptionist’s desk. “I believe my son has an appointment with Mr. Harper today?”
The older lady looked at her schedule book, then back up at Maggie. “Ah, yes. You're a few minutes early. He's got someone inside right now, but he'll see you in a few.” She looked to Troy. “Are Mr. Lowery and the Higgins’s girls coming too?”
“Maybe?” Troy shrugged. He knew it was almost lunchtime for the fourth, fifth and sixth grades, the cafeteria was currently empty. The bell had rung a few minutes earlier, calling the end of the middle school's classes lunch period. They sat there for a few minutes and a second bell rang, this was for Troy's grades lunch period.
William walked through the door and smiled at his son and wife. “Are we early?” He asked.
Maggie nodded. “Yeah.” She replied as he sat down.
“Good.” William sat down on the other side of his child.
Emily May came into the office, her pack and purse still over her shoulder and the pictures in her hand. She went to the desk and looked at the older woman. “I was sent here by Mr. Walkley to give something to Mr. Harper.”
“Well, he's got the Pattersons next. I can give it to him now if you want.” She offered.
“Oh.” Emily May glanced over her shoulder and saw Troy and his parents and she smiled at them. “I'll wait.”
The older woman smiled as she went back to her work and Emily May went to Troy. A moment later, the door opened up and Mary Beth came in, followed by Peter. They stopped and stood near Troy and his parent's. “Emily, why are you here? I thought you had a class?”
“This is why.” She stated and showed all of them the pictures. “Mr. Walkley found them in his classroom.”
“Crap.” William muttered. Maggie held back a curse and Troy just slumped in his seat. He could see the writing on the wall now.
The door to the office opened up and a student that Troy didn't know came out with his mother and Mr. Harper. He paid little attention as they made a little small talk, then the mother and child left. Mr. Harper moved to the Patterson's and held out a hand for William. “Mr. Patterson, it's good to see you.”
“Thank you for seeing us.” William gave him a smile as he stood up and shook the hand.
“Maggie.” Mr. Harper held out a hand to her.
“Hello. Sorry to intrude on you like this.” Maggie stated.
"Nonsense, it's my job to be here to talk to the parents." Then he looked to Emily May. “Shouldn't you be in class young lady?”
“Um...I'm with Troy, I have something that concerns why he's here today.” She replied as she held up her hall pass. “Mr. Walkley gave me permission to come here.”
“Well then...” He went to the swinging gate door that kept the kids from getting behind the desk and held it open for the group. “Come on back.”
Troy got up and followed his mother, father and friends into the principal’s office. When they got in, Troy stayed standing, with his friends, while his parents took the two chairs.
Mr. Harper looked at Troy, then at Maggie. “I thought Troy was sick today?” He asked.
“The reason I called in for him today is why we're here.” Maggie stated. She reached into her purse and pulled out the pictures and passed them over. “Troy found these in his desk yesterday.”
“And my backpack.” Troy added.
“Oh my.” Mr. Harper said as he looked over the pictures. He bit his tongue so he didn't swear in front of the children. “I think I understand.”
“No, you don't.” William replied. “Yesterday, when Troy got home, Someone started calling the house and threatening him.”
“Do you know who it is?” Mr. Harper asked.
“No.” Troy's voice was strained, as he fought the urge to burst into tears. Mary Beth put an arm around him.
“I went there after school with my sister.” Mary Beth cut in. “I answered one of the calls too. It's an older boy, but I don't know the voice.”
“And has he called back since?”
“I don't know. When I got home, Troy was at his grandparent’s house.” Maggie stated. “We went home and unplugged the phone till this morning.”
“I see. When were these left for you?”
“Lunch yesterday.” Troy replied.
“I went into the classroom and saw Troy holding them.” Mary Beth added.
“Sir?” Emily May cut in. “Mr. Walkley found these in his room just a few minutes ago and had me bring them to you.”
Mr. Harper took the stack of pictures, then flipped thought them, till he saw enough to realize they were all the same thing. He looked to Troy and asked. “Has anyone threatened you, face to face?”
“Over the phone doesn't count?” William asked, a bit of anger in his voice.
“I'm thinking that if someone threatened him face to face, they may have been the person who left the pictures.” The Principal replied.
Troy shook his head. “No one said anything to me the past few days about that.” He gestured to the pictures. “they just threatened to kick my as...butt over the phone.”
“There was Clark.” Peter piped up. “Before Troy got hurt here at the school,Clark was telling people that Bruce saw him in a dress.”
“But do we have proof that Clark left these pictures?” Mr. Harper asked.
“Does it matter?” William asked.
“Without knowing who left them, I really can't punish them.” Mr. Harper said. “We can't watch just one child all the time. I'm not sure how much we could do here without knowing who the guilty party is.”
“So what can we do then?” William asked with an annoyed tone. “Send my child back into a hostile environment?”
Maggie put a hand on her husband’s shoulder to try and calm him down. Then she glanced at Mr. Harper. “Could we possibly put Troy into home schooling?”
Mr. Harper leaned back in his chair and looked from Maggie to William, then at Troy, then finally back to Maggie. “That is a possibility, and it may be the best idea, but don't you both work?”
“We do, but can anyone do the teaching?” Maggie asked. “If so, we could have my mother-in-law teach him.”
Before he could answer Maggie, there was a knock at the door. He turned over all the pictures, then called out. “Yes?”
The door opened slightly and his secretary poked her head in. “I don't mean to interrupt you, but I have Mrs. Burns and Vance Patterson all out here.
Mr. Harper raised an eyebrow, but got up and headed to the main office. As he stepped out, he was immediately assaulted verbally by the short Mrs. Burns. “Mr. Harper, I need to get back to my class, but I need Mr. Patterson here put on detention for getting out of his seat and leaving the class after I told him to sit down.”
“Sir, I had to come here.” Vance said, pleading with his eyes. “It's about Troy.”
“What about Troy?” Mr. Harper asked.
Vance leaned forward and whispered. “The pictures from yesterday.” He hoped that his parents had already covered the pictures. Then he passed the picture he had pulled from the other boy over to Mr. Harper, image down, so neither the teacher, or the secretary could see what it was.
Mr. Harper looked at it as Mrs. Burns sighed. “I don't care what this is about, he left my room after I told him to get in his seat. He needs to be punished for insubordination.”
Mr. Harper ignore the little woman and he looked at Vance. “Where was this? Who had it?”
“In her room. Some of the other kids have them and were teasing me about it.” Vance replied.
“No one teased him.” She snapped back.
Mr. Harper looked at her and she backed down. He looked to the picture once more, then at her and made a snap decision. “Janice, I need you to get back to your class. I'll be there in a few minutes. Don't let any of them leave until I get there, understood?”
“Fine, and what about him?” She pointed at Vance.
“He has his reasons for coming here I will deal with him for that.” Mr. Harper replied. As she was about to speak again, he held out a hand and stopped her. “I'll discuss it with you, but right now, I have some other business to attend to. So please, return to your class and I'll be there shortly.”
She huffed out an angry breath, then stormed out of the office. Mr. Harper watched the teacher leave, then he put a hand on Vance's shoulder. “I'll discuss your situation with Mrs. Burns later. But for now, come on back, your parents are here.”
Vance followed the principal back and when Maggie saw him, she raised an eyebrow.
“Before you say anything, I had Vance come back here because of these.” He handed the picture that Vance had given him. He looked to Emily May, then wrote out a quick hall pass, forgetting she already had one. “I'm going to send you back to class. Tell Mr. Walkley that if he finds more of these pictures, to send them to me straight away.”
Emily May gave Troy a quick hug, then took her two hall passes and left. Mr. Harper focused on Peter and Mary Beth. “I'd like to discuss Troy's options with his parents. That you for coming here for him, but you two need to get going, or you'll miss out on lunch.”
Peter looked to Troy who just nodded. “Call me when school is over. I want to know what happened.”
As Peter started to turn. William got up and put a hand on Peter's shoulder, stopping him. “One moment, Peter.” He had wanted to do this away from the others, but he didn't want to any of the kids wondering what was going on. He held out his hand, in the offer of a hand shake. “I want to thank you for staying with Troy yesterday. Thank you for making sure nothing happened.”
“Um...” Peter was stunned as he looked at the offered hand, then he slowly gripped it. “No problem. I would have kicked myself if I hadn't gone over there.”
“Thank you. We may change the rules again and I'll let you know, personally, okay?”
“Okay.” Peter smiled slightly. “Thank you sir.”
“Now get going. Go get some lunch.” William said with a smile.
Peter left the room, after giving Troy a smile, then Mary Beth hugged her friend once more, then William offered her a handshake as well. “That goes for you as well. And give my thanks to your sister for coming over as well.”
“I will sir. I'm just glad nothing happened.”
William nodded. “That makes two of us, little lady.”
William took his seat as Mary Beth left, then he looked at his wife, who was looking at the pictures Troy's teacher had brought in. The anger rose in him once more. The decision was made, he knew that now. When he spoke, he forced his voice to remain calm. “How do we get Troy into Home schooling?”
“Normally there’s a couple of days to get it approved, but I can call in a favor.” Mr. Harper stated.
“Do we need anything special to teach him? Like any teaching degrees?” Maggie asked.
“Not that I'm aware of, but there will be tests, run by the school district. I'm sorry, but for those, Troy will have to show up, but given the circumstances, I'm sure we can have those held in here, or in the teacher’s lounge.” Mr. Harper watched as Troy slumped his shoulders. “Hey, tests will be a part of life.”
“I know.”
Mr. Harper looked to the clock, then he stood up. “Now if you don't mind, I need to go to Mrs. Burn's class before it lets out. I'll only be a few minutes. I want to make sure that no more of the pictures are there. Vance, You can stay in here and we'll discuss any punishments for leaving the class when I return.”
“Okay.” He replied as he felt both his parents look at him.
When the Principal had left the room, William turned to fully face his eldest. “Punishments?” He asked.
Vance sighed and gestured to the pictures. “Someone was teasing me, then he showed me the picture. I grabbed it and came to tell Mr. Harper, 'cause I knew you two would be here. I thought he should know that new pictures had been left.
“That doesn't explain the punishment part of it.” William stated.
Vance nodded. “I got up and Mrs. Burns got mad and told me to sit down, but I didn't 'cause this is important. So I asked for permission to go to the office, but she wouldn't let me, so I left the room.”
William took it all in and nodded slowly. “Well, you did what you felt was right. True, you disobeyed a teacher, but something like this was important. But next time, you could have waited till after the class. Then you could have brought the picture up.”
Vance lowered his gaze. “Yes Dad. I'm sorry.”
“Don't be. You did what you did to protect family, right?” William asked and his son nodded. “Well then, that's all I needed to hear.”
“You Okay?” Maggie asked as she looked to her youngest.
“No.” Troy shook his head. “This whole thing sucks.”
Maggie pointed a finger at him, but only half-heartedly scolded him. “Language.”
“Sorry, it's just, why can't Tracy come to school?” He asked. “And now someone is putting pictures all around school.”
“It's okay. We're going to home-school you. This won't even be an issue anymore.” Maggie gave him her best smile.
“I hope so.” He answered back.
Mr. Harper walked into Mrs. Burn’s class and stood to the side, then cleared his throat to catch her attention. “Janice, could I have a moment of your class time?”
“Sure.” She replied, not at all happy that he interrupted her. After all, this was her class, her kingdom. How could she rule over it if people kept compromising her authority.
“Listen up, class.” Mr. Harper spoke loud enough to be heard by all. “I know there are pictures in this class of another student at this school. The administration of this school will be treating these pictures as a threat to that child, any siblings of said child and any friends mentioned in the pictures. If you have one, hold your hand up and I will come collect them.”
Not a hand went up in the room. “Do I need to threaten with a class-wide detention because no one wants to come forward? I'd also like to mention that anyone in sports will be barred from playing if they are found in possession of those pictures.”
As he said it, a couple of hands went up and Mr. Harper moved forward to collect the photos. “Thank you. Any one else?” He asked, then waited a few minutes as no one else moved. “Okay. Like I said, those photo's are being treated as threatening material. Any student caught with them will be suspended for at least three days, if not longer. Any of you in extracurricular activities will be barred from participating to the end of the school year. If you find any photos with threatening messages on them, bring them to the office, straight away.”
Curiosity got to Mrs. Burns as Mr. Harper went to the door. “Continue reading and I will be right back in.” She went outside and shut the door behind her. A quick couple of steps helped her catch up to the principal. “What is all this about?” She asked.
Mr. Harper stopped and turned to face her. He knew he was going to send out a note to all teachers. They would be instrumental in finding the culprit. “Someone is passing pictures of Vance Patterson’s brother around with threatening notes aimed at Troy and at least three other students.”
“Troy...? Is he the kid that got hurt in December? The one that Millet kid attacked?” Mrs. Burns asked.
“The same.” Mr. Harper replied.
Then she put the easy pieces of the puzzle together. “That's why Vance said he had to leave, he had to tell you.”
“Correct. I've got his parents in my office right now.” Mr. Harper replied.
“What are these pictures of?” Mrs. Burns asked.
Mr. Harper thought about it for a moment. He knew that two teachers now knew. And if he was to put out a note to all of them to stop the photos, knowing what they were looking for could help. He turned the picture over and showed her.
She raised an eyebrow and shrugged. “It's a young girl. Why target Vance?”
“No.” Mr. Harper replied. “That's Troy."
Her tone changed and when she spoke, there was disbelief and a hint of disgust in her voice. “Wait, he wears girl’s clothes?”
He sighed. He knew there were a few backward thinking members of his staff and as long as they kept their opinion to themselves and their actions didn't harm a child, there was little he could do. But Mr. Harper could tell by her face that she wasn't happy to be a part of this. “Janice, for all we know, it was taken at Halloween. And what he wears isn't our problem. The fact that someone is openly threatening not one, but at least three children and they are leaving the pictures at the school, that makes it out concern.”
She read the words at the bottom, then looked at him and shook her head. “That isn't a threat. It's just pointing out that Troy wears girl’s clothes.”
“He received a phone call while at home yesterday and they threatened to attack him.” Mr. Harper replied. “He got the pictures here at the school, so did two other students. That makes it our problem and something I have to report to the sheriff's office.”
“I see.”
“I'll be holding a staff meeting after school, but for now, you need to get back to your class and I need to go to the office.” Mr. Harper turned to leave, then he stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Janice, our personal feelings have no place in this. So if you see a picture or any threatening notes, then bring them to me.”
She huffed out a breath and turned back to her classroom door. She knew he was right, but in defending the little boy, she hated that. If he wanted to prance around like a girl, it was her belief that he should fight his own fights. “Fine.” She stated as she opened it up and stepped in.
Mr. Harper was almost back to the office when Mr. McCoy came running up. "Alvin!" He shouted. The Principal turned and raised an eyebrow. Mr. McCoy took a moment to catch his breath. "S-sorry, out of shape."
"What's wrong?" Mr. Harper asked him.
"I just went to my room to grab some papers to grade while I ate, I totally forgot them when the bell for lunch rang, but when I went into the class, someone had left these on one of the desks." He looked around to make sure no kids were watching, then he handed over a few pictures, each with the words "Troy Patterson is a dress wearing fag." written in black ink at the bottom.
"On a desk?" Mr. Harper raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, Troy's desk, actually." Rodney replied. "Is this why he was sick today? He seemed out of it after lunch yesterday."
"I shouldn't answer that, but yes. He's received phone calls too, threatening ones last night. This isn't the only pictures around. Vance, his brother, got one from another student in a different class and Mr. Walkley found some in his class, each targeting Troy and other students that Troy knows."
"Crap." Mr. McCoy muttered.
"Yeah. There will be a meeting after school, I'll announce it shortly, but for now, if you see any of those pictures, bring them to right away."
"Okay. I'll keep an eye out." Mr. McCoy replied.
"Thank you Rodney." Mr. Harper said before he turned and went back to the office. He stopped at the secretary’s desk long enough to make an announcement to all teachers about the meeting over the PA system, then he went to his office, while his secretary gave him a bewildered look. He went in and nodded at the Patterson family as he took his seat. “There were a few more pictures.” He stated as he looked up. “So you all know, I'll be holding a staff meeting after school today and I need to get everyone on board about collecting those pictures. One more thing. The pictures were left here and you have been threatened, at least I see it that way. I'm sorry for any inconvenience, but I need to notify the sheriff’s department.”
“Do you have to?” Troy asked, his voice was strained with fear. He didn't want this becoming bigger then it was.
“Troy, if people found out that I didn't inform the cops when a student was harassed both here and at home, I could lose my job. And with the notes going to your brother and the Higgins girl, I have to tell someone. I'll do my best to keep you out of it, okay.”
Troy didn't look up. He began staring at his feet. “Okay.” he stated, not believing him at all.
“Okay. Now as for home schooling. Will this be just Troy, or Vance too.” Mr. Harper looked to Vance, then Maggie.
Maggie looked to her eldest and then at her husband. “It would be safer, I mean he's getting the notes too.”
“Can I still play sports?” Vance asked.
“I don't think so.” Mr. Harper replied. “I believe that you need to be a student at the school, but I can look into it.”
“Vance, I know you like sports, but this may be safer.” Maggie said as she leaned over and put a hand on his shoulder.
“But Mom, I like being on the team.”
William cut her off before she could continue. “Maggie, what if the pictures stop after Troy leaves? We could leave Vance in for now, so Mom only has to worry about teaching one kid, then if things get worse, we can pull Vance.”
“Could we?” Vance asked, his eyes shining with hope. “I don't wont to leave the basketball team and baseball is starting soon. Plus there's soccer.”
Maggie thought about it for a moment or two, then she looked to her husband and nodded slightly. “Okay.” She stated, but held up one finger. “But one problem and he gets pulled, understand?”
“Deal.” William agreed.
Mr. Harper waited for the couple to finish, then he smiled and leaned forward in his chair, reaching for his Rolodex with the important numbers for the school district. “Now that that is settled, I'll get a hold of the district office. We can have someone come over and start the paperwork.”
William leaned over to Maggie and whispered into her ear. She shrugged and looked to Mr. Harper. “Do we both need to be here? He needs to get back to work and if it's paperwork, I tend to deal with that.”
“That should be fine. We only need one of you here for the paperwork.” The Principal looked to the clock, then to Vance. “Your class should be letting out soon, so at the bell, go ahead and take off. I'll take over your detention from Mrs. Burns and we'll discuss it later, okay?”
“Okay.” Vance replied and he smiled at his brother. “See you at home, lucky bum.”
“Later, Vance.” Troy replied.
William stood and both he and his eldest left the room. Maggie patted the seat and looked to Troy. “May as well get comfortable.” She replied.
There will be more, I just don't want to overwhelm people with large chapters
Troy leaned back and watched the scenery pass by. After a couple of miles, he spoke up without looking at his mother. “Mom, is it wrong?” He asked, then he slowly turned his head to face her.
“Is what wrong?” Maggie asked as she drove.
“Being Tracy, I mean. All of this, these pictures, the phone calls....should I just stop?”
“Baby, like your grandmother said, you should never let anyone make your choices for you.” Maggie patted her child’s knee. “And if you stop being yourself because of some asshole and his pictures, then you're letting him make a choice for you.” She turned onto their road and kept driving.
Once again, Big thanks to Djkauf for the editing
More of the fallout from the pictures.
:Continued
Vance was headed out of the bathroom that was by the offices as the bell sounded, ending what would have been his current class. He knew he had five minutes to get to his next class. As he passed it, he could see the lunchroom had emptied a few minutes earlier and he knew Peter and Mary Beth would be back in their classes by now.
He was almost to his next class when one of the boys from that he had seen in Mrs. Burn's class stopped in his path. He sneered at Vance and in a mocking voice, one that kids use in the first grade as though their opponent was a baby, he spoke so everyone could hear him. “Did wittle baby have to tell the principal? 'Fraid we'd hurt your fagot brother?”
“So, do you wear dresses with your fag brother?” Another asked.
“You share a room with him, don't you?” A third asked. “So the two of you sleep together?”
“Just drop it.” Vance said as he tried to move around them, but they moved and stayed in his path.
“What's wrong, you want in here? This is a no fag room. You sleep with one, so that makes you one.” The first boy said as he shoved against Vance's chest, causing him to take a step or two back.
“Alright, back off now before I kick all of your asses.” Vance puffed out his chest and readied himself for a fight, but he didn't get the chance to defend himself, or his family.
A shadow fell over all of them as Mr. Walkley stood there. “Boys, you can come into the room. I don't intend on holding class in the doorway.” It was his way of defusing the situation. They knew he was watching and he knew yelling at them would get no where, so he defused it with humor. “I doubt we could all fit in one doorway.” He gave then a smile and stepped out of the way, but he made sure they all noticed that he was still standing nearby. Vance stood his ground as the other two boys glared at him, knowing that they were blaming him for this as well. When it was clear, Mr. Walkley looked to Vance and nodded slightly. “You have any troubles, just come see me. I may not know what's going on with your brother, but I abhor fighting.”
“Thank you, sir.” Vance said in an almost whisper as he went to his desk. He kept his eyes down, waiting for that stray foot to try and trip him.
The bell rang, signaling the last recess of the day and Troy looked to his mother. The lady from the main office had been delayed a bit and was finally there, finishing the papers to get Troy into home schooling. “Mom, could I go to Mr. McCoy's room and get my stuff out of my desk?”
She looked to Mr. Harper who was helping Maggie finish up the last of the paperwork. “We're done here.” He stated. “But, Troy, are you sure you want to go in there?” This caused the lady from the school board office to raise an eyebrow and cast an inquisitive look to the Principal.
“Can I ask what happened?” She asked.
“There's been some threatening notes and pictures being sent to Troy and his family and friends here at the school.” Mr. Harper explained.
“Maybe it will blow over in a little while?”
Mr. Harper shook his head slightly, staying away from the truth of the conversation. “There have been phone calls, too. Bad ones, so his parents want to keep him away from here and near them.”
“Oh. That's why the home-schooling?” The lady asked.
Maggie spoke up with a nod. “Yes. We feel it is the best and safest.”
“Well, you got to do what you can when the kids are in danger.” The lady replied. “What are they threatening him over.”
Maggie looked to Troy, then frowned at the other woman. “That's personal. I'd rather not go into it with someone I don't know. No offense, it's just not something I want to share with everyone.”
She nodded. “Okay, I can respect that. God knows if someone threatened my children, I'd want to keep them safe too.”
“Thank you.” Maggie said. She looked to her son and put a hand on his shoulder. “Tell you what. I'll go get your stuff.” Maggie said with a smile. Then she looked to Mr. Harper. “If you don't mind me leaving Troy here for a moment.”
“Not at all.”
“Are we done?” Maggie shifter her gaze to the other woman.
“Yep. As of now, Troy is home-schooled. We'll get a hold of you for when the testing will take place and here....” She pulled out a paper from a satchel. “This is the subjects that he needs to be focusing on. If there's any questions, you can always call the school board office and ask for me. I'll let you know what is required.” She pulled out another piece of paper. “These are listings of places that you can get school books from. They sell the teachers copies too.”
“Thank you.” Maggie offered her hand to the other woman, who shook it.
“Not a problem. You two have a wonderful afternoon and I'll talk to you later.”
Maggie stood as the other woman left the office and she patted Troy on the shoulder. “I'll be right back, kiddo.”
Maggie was headed to the room while recess was still in full swing. She went straight to her son’s class and looked inside, knocking on the door frame when she saw the teacher was inside at his desk. “Can I come in?”
Rodney looked up and tired to place the face of the woman. He had seen her around a month or so earlier and he gestured her inside. “Maggie, right? Troy's mother?”
“Yes.” She nodded while she came in.
Rodney had expected to see one of the Pattersons. He wasn't sure which it would be, but as Maggie came closer, he thought it seemed logical that it was the mother. ~Dad's probably at work in the mill.~ He thought to himself. He recalled an English lesson where the kids each wrote down what their parents did. He knew between the two of them, Maggie had the more flexible schedule. “I'm going to guess this is about those pictures we found?”
“In a way, yes.” Maggie said with a nod.
“I must admit, I only found them an hour ago, I didn't expect to see you this soon.” He said as he leaned back in his chair.
“To be honest, we were already here.” Maggie forced a smile. “But I didn't hear that you had found them.”
“Yeah, I caught Alvin at lunch time.” Rodney replied. “I felt he needed to see them.”
“Thank you.” Maggie’s smile got warmer as she felt a wave of relief pass through her. Here was a teacher and he wasn't preaching to her about her son or the pictures.
“So, what can I help you with?” He asked.
“I need to clean out Troy's stuff from his desk.” Maggie stated.
“Is he moving classes?”
Maggie shook her head. “No, we're putting him in home-schooling. Those pictures you seen were just the tip of the iceberg.”
“Trouble from another direction?” Rodney asked. He knew about the phone calls, but he wasn't going to let on that he knew.
Maggie was hesitant for a moment, then she nodded. “Yes. There was some threatening phone calls yesterday.”
“So this is why he wasn't feeling good after lunch yesterday.” Rodney got up and went over to Troy's desk with Maggie. As Maggie opened it up and began to pull out the non-school owned stuff, Rodney sat on the top of a desk nearby. “Maggie, can I ask a question? I'll understand if I'm out of place. Trust me when I say I'm not judging, I just want to understand what I saw in those pictures.”
Maggie stopped pulling out her son’s stuff and placing it in her purse long enough to look at his teacher. “It depends on the question.” She replied. “I may answer, but if it's personal, I need you to understand.”
“Totally.” Rodney stated. He got up and went to the door, then shut it, giving them some privacy. “I've been thinking for a while that something was wrong with your son. Like maybe there was abuse at home or something, but he always insisted that nothing was wrong. He's been quiet and kept to himself, unless Peter was around, then after he came back after Christmas, he lightened up around Mary Beth too.”
He went to the corner of his desk and sat down, facing her. “When I saw the girl in that picture, I had a hard time believing it was Troy, mostly from the huge smile on her face, but I finally saw him in the eyes. Then I got to thinking. That wasn't taken around here, Chico's mall doesn't have that store that you stood in front of. Plus there was an ad in a window for a New Year’s sale, so it had to be after Christmas. So this wasn't a Halloween costume, was it?”
Maggie didn't respond, she went back to cleaning out her child's desk. “Maggie, I know this is hard, but believe me when I say, I won't judge him. This has the scientist in me curious.”
Maggie sighed and looked up. She knew rumors would start to fly and Mr. McCoy was asking questions, that was a good start. She took the leap of faith and answered. “No, it's not a costume.”
“Troy picked that out himself?” He asked, not sure how to proceed with the questions.
Maggie nodded. “He did.”
“I see. So those pictures? Was that the first time he dressed like a girl in public? He seemed so unafraid and normal people would have seemed timid or withdrawn.”
“No.” Maggie answered. “She spent a week in Livermore with friends her age as a girl. That was before Christmas.”
“Interesting.” Mr. McCoy sat up straight on the end of the desk and cocked his head to the side, trying to recall something from a month ago. “So the stories about Bruce? The ones of Troy in a dress?”
Maggie shut the desk and shook her head. “I'd rather not talk about that. That day isn't a good topic for me.”
“I can respect that.” He said. The bell signaling the end of recess rang and Maggie jumped slightly. Mr. McCoy got up, offering his hand to her. He had more questions, but he knew the students would start coming in and he didn't want to let them overhear anything. “Well, In case I don't see you, or your youngest again, It's been good knowing you.”
Maggie hesitated a moment, then she shook the offered hand. “Thank you. You may see him again. Something about monthly tests.”
“Ah yes. Well, maybe I'll see him then.”
“Possibly.” Maggie said as the door opened up and a few students trickled in. “Thank you again, Rodney.”
“Not a problem Maggie. Tell Troy I said hi.”
Maggie stopped by the door, long enough to let some of the kids in. “I will.” When she was outside, a small girl stepped in her way. Mary Beth stepped up and hugged her, then whispered.
“Tell Tracy we'll try to see her soon”
Maggie nodded and gave the girl a quick hug back. “I will.”
Maggie pulled out of the school's parking lot. Troy looked at her, as they drove home. “Do you have to go to work?”
“I was going to use some sick-time, but I figured I'd just take an hour off for the meeting. I'll drop you off at home and go back to work, then on the way home, I'll buy those books.”
“Oh, cool” Troy leaned back and watched the scenery pass by. After a couple of miles, he spoke up without looking at his mother. “Mom, is it wrong?” He asked, then he slowly turned his head to face her.
“Is what wrong?” Maggie asked as she drove.
“Being Tracy, I mean. All of this, these pictures....should I just stop?”
“Baby, like your grandmother said, you should never let anyone make your choices for you.” Maggie patted her child’s knee. “And if you stop being yourself because of some asshole and his pictures, then you're letting him or her make a choice for you.” She turned onto their road and kept driving.
Troy's jaw dropped as his mother swore. It took him a moment or two to gather his mind up and shake his head, before he responded. “But what if people find out?”
“People know.” Maggie replied. “Who knows how many people saw those pictures.”
“But what if more people find out, like in town?”
“I don't know. I do know that being yourself makes you happy and to me that's all that matters. If we force you to be Troy, just because of some closed minded idiots, then we're no better then they are.”
Troy leaned back in his seat and thought for a few moments. “So you want me to keep being Tracy?”
Maggie sighed and pulled the car off the road and into their driveway. “Baby, only you can choose to be Tracy. This isn't about what you think is best for the family. This is about what's best for you. We all get affected by choices the others make, but you can't live your life trying to keep us safe, or everyone else happy. You have to live for yourself.”
“So, I...” He leaned back in his seat and shook his head. “I don't know what to do.”
“Baby, no one needs an answer today. I'll take you to your grandmother’s, then I got to go to work. While you're there, think about it. You have time.” She turned off the car and opened up the door. “Now do you want to change, or are you good like that?”
“I'm good like this.” Troy replied after a few moments. “I'm...I'm a bit nervous. After those pictures, I'm afraid someone else will see me.”
“Okay. No one's pushing you. Let's get you to your grandparents and then I'll see you later.”
“Okay Mom.” Troy replied, then he leaned over and hugged her. “Thank you.
“For what?”
Troy smiled at her. “For being you.”
Emily May and her sister got off the bus and walked down the driveway to their house. Mary Beth had kept quiet ever since she had went back to class. Emily May threw an arm around her sister and pulled her close. “Hey, what's wrong?”
Mary Beth sighed and leaned into her sister as they walked. “I just feel bad for Tracy. I wish I could tell who that voice was, but I can't.”
“I feel bad too. It's funny, for the past few years, I always wondered why Troy seemed so dead to the world. I mean he smiled and played, but nothing like how Tracy was.” Emily May stated.
“Yeah. And Tracy is a cute girl, isn't she.”
Emily May nodded. “No one would know those pictures were of, if, if Troy's name wasn't written on each one.”
Mary Beth made a fist and growled. “I find out who did that and I'll smash his nuts flat.”
Emily May raised an eyebrow, then chuckled. “Flat?” She asked as they got to the door. She reached to pull it open, but it was already moving. As she saw her father, she smiled at him and let go of her sister. “Hey, Dad.”
“Don't hey Dad me. I want you two in the living-room and I want you there now.” He turned and stormed away and the two sisters just looked at each other, unsure what was going on. They slowly made their way into the living-room and their dad just pointed at the couch. “Sit, I have a few questions for you both.”
The sisters gave each other a strange look, but sat down. Their father pulled out an envelope and produced a picture from it and turn it to face them. Both girls could see the now familiar picture of Tracy and Emily hugging. Once again, black ink was used on the bottom. “This is a boy in a dress, not a girl.”
As they looked up at their father, they could see he wasn't happy. “I got this in the mail today. Care to explain where you went a couple weeks ago? The last time you wore that outfit was when you went to see that friend a week or two ago.”
“We were visiting a friend.” Emily May stated.
“I know that.” He said through clinched teeth. “Is there anything I need to know? Like is that friend really a fag in a dress?” He fought to keep his anger in check. He swore he had raised his daughters better then this.
“Dad, it's not like that.” Emily replied. “Tracy is a girl.”
“Then what does this mean?” He pointed to the words at the bottom of the picture.
“It's...well.” Emily started, looking for the right words.
“Is this a boy, in a dress?
“Not exactly.” Mary Beth replied.
Their father clinched his teeth together and glared at her. “What the fuck does that mean? Is this a boy or not.”
“No.” Mary Beth started to answer, but then she amended. “Well, kind of but not totally.”
The big man grunted out an angry breath and turned away from them for a moment. “Let me make this simple for you two.” He turned and faced them. “Does the person in this picture have boy parts? And you better tell me the truth, I will know if you lie to me. And you both know what happens if you lie to me”
Emily May looked at her sister and they both lowered their heads. “Yes.” The older sister stated.
“So it's a fag in a dress.”
“Dad, he was born a boy, but he should have been a girl.” Emily blurted out.
Their father took in a deep breath and held it as he glared at his two children. Then he let it out and spoke, mostly to himself. “I knew I should have never let you go to your Aunt's house. I don't need that kind of element around my daughters.”
Mary Beth began speaking, mouthing engaging as quickly as it could. “Dad, there's nothing wrong with Tracy....”
“STOP!” He held a hand up and bore his gaze onto his youngest. “First of all, it's a boy, so don't call it a girl. Secondly, you have any idea what could have happened. For all you know, that fag could have raped you. He's probably using the dresses to get close to girls his age so he can attack you.”
“Dad, it's not like that!” Emily snapped. “He won’t do that!”
Their father pointed a finger at her, jamming it in her face and growled. “You don't know that. Perverts like that strike at those they call friends.”
“Dad! He won’t do that. He can't do that!”
“You don't know that!” Their father yelled. “As of now, that freak is off limits, understand me?” Neither daughter replied at first, instead they slumped in their seats and looked to the floor. They knew it was pointless to argue with him when he was in a mood. “UNDERSTAND?”
“Yes, Daddy.” Mary Beth replied.
“You both are grounded for the next two weeks for lying to me when you left that day. When you get to go to your friend’s houses, I will be calling them to make sure you're there.” He crumpled up the picture and threw it to a trash can, instead of going in, it hit the side and fell to the floor. Their father glared at it, the stomped over and picked it up, a sour look on his face as he touched the picture, as though he'd catch something. Then he dropped it in the can. As he stood up and looked at them, he pointed a finger at one child for a moment, then the other. “I don't want you anywhere around him at school, understand?”
Both girls kept their gaze on the floor and replied. “Yes, Daddy.”
“Good. Now get on your homework. You'll both have extra chores for lying to me as well.” With that he left the room, leaving the two sisters to sit in silence.
Mr. Harper walked into the staff lunchroom as the teachers assembled. He held onto one each of the pictures they had taken from students, so he could give the teachers an idea what was going on. He knew there would be more like Mrs. Burns, but he was hoping for more like Mr. McCoy and Mr. Walkley. It was packed, but he didn't want to do this twice. He stopped near the door and cleared his throat to catch all the teachers attentions. “Thank you all for staying late. I know a lot of you have things to do, but this will only take a few moments, then you're all free to finish up your days.”
He looked around the room as he held a breath for a moment, then he released it and started talking. “Yesterday at lunch a student had pictures left in his desk and backpack while he was at lunch. This afternoon, several more pictures were found, this time aimed at a sibling of said child and a friend. I also found out that the child has received threatening phone calls at home. So, because of the fact he received the pictures while on school grounds, I had to inform the county sheriffs. Plus, with other children included, my hands are tied.” He took a moment to catch his breath as he scanned the room. So far the only angry one he saw was Ms. Burns.
“I am tasking all of you, that if you find any of these pictures, you need to bring them to the office right-away.”
One of the teachers in the back raised a hand and asked. “What are these pictures of?”
Before Mr. Harper could reply, Mrs. Burns spat. “A boy in a dress.”
Alvin glared at her and raised an eyebrow. “Janice.” He warned and let it drop there. He looked back to the room and handed the pictures to the teachers closest to them. “They are of a boy in a dress, but let me stress something right now. Our personal feelings on this matter Do. Not. Matter.” He stressed each word as he looked around the room. “If we decide that because this child's clothing choices, we don't have to do anything, I can think of at least four people who would suffer from antagonism because of it. This is in our hands and we will deal with it."
“Troy Patterson?” One of the eighth grade teachers asked as she looked at the pictures. “Is this that kid that got attacked in November?”
“The same.” Mr. Harper replied.
Another teacher pipped up. “Wasn't there a rumor about him in a dress back then? Maybe this is why he got attacked?”
“Before we go off on speculation, I don't know. That is a matter for the courts, not us. All that concerns us is that a student in this school is leaving these pictures, which I, and the school board will be treating as threatening, on school property.”
“Why should we do this?” Janice Burns asked. “He made this mess by prancing around in a skirt in public, why should we have to protect him?”
Mr. Harper sighed and shook his head. “Because, it's not just him that has been threatened.”
“Well if they knew about his....” Her lips curled and when she spoke, her voice dripped of distastes. “perversion, then they should have stopped hanging out with him. Why should we protect everyone he knows?”
Mr. Harper glared at her and she seemed to shrink in her seat. “Because, Janice, just because they know him, doesn't mean they control him. If we go with your thinking, each kid he talks to, or is friendly to is a target and we shouldn't lift a finger to help them. So that puts his whole classroom in danger, all of his grade and most of the school. That puts anyone he talks to on the list. And the last time I checked, we're here to give the children a safe place to get a good education. If we start ignoring certain children, we may as well start looking for a new job.”
He looked around the room and held up his hand. As he spoke, he ticked off the reasons with his fingers. “Fact one, At no point has Troy Patterson came into the school and broken our dress policy. We don't have one, other then torn clothes, very dirty clothes and lewd or nasty phrases on shirts. And he's never broken that rule.”
A second finger went up. “Troy, and at least one of the students who received these pictures are what would be considered a model student. Good grades and causes very little trouble.”
“What about that fight in November?” Mr. Carter asked. He recalled it well, having been the teacher to break it up. “I recall Troy and his brother fighting with Bruce and that Frankie kid.”
“If you recall, Bruce was caught stealing and he attacked Troy, who ran and ran into his brother.” Mr. Harper answered. “You caught the end of Troy defending himself.” He waited a moment, then held up a third finger. “Third, what he does hasn't affected his health, or his welfare so I can't call the social services. And I do believe that he is actively seeing a therapist due to the attack in November.”
“Fourth, no matter what we believe, we are not here to teach the children our personal morals. They get right and wrong speech at home. We're here to enforce the rules of the school and give each child the best Education that we can.
Mr. Carter tapped a finger on the table, then pointed at a picture. “That’s why he got attacked, isn't it?”
Mr. Harper shrugged. “I don't know that and speculation won’t really matter at this point.”
“Wait...Doesn't Bruce have a younger brother?” Mr. Carter asked.
“Clark, yes.” The principal nodded.
“Could he be the one spreading the pictures?”
Mr. Harper shrugged. “I'm not sure, and honestly, that's a matter for the cops now. Our job is simple. Give a good education and make sure those pictures stay out of the hands of the students.”
“Okay.” Mr. Carter nodded. “What about Troy. Will he still be attending classes? I mean we can't watch one child all the time.”
“And we won't have to.” Mr. Harper answered. “As of this afternoon, Troy Patterson has been moved to home-schooling. Until they can figure out who is calling the house and threatening him, his parent's aren't taking the chance that he'll be attacked again, not so soon after the last one.”
“So then why the meeting?” Janice asked. “If the....child.” She spoke the word and her face showed her growing distaste for Troy and his fetish. “no longer goes here, why worry?”
“Because, there are at least four children left that are connected to him, two of which have been threatened already. Until it either dies off on its own, or we catch who's doing it, we're collecting pictures.”
“Which four kids?” Mr. McCoy asked.
“Vance Patterson is staying in the school. Only Troy is leaving. And as you can see from that one picture, Emily May Higgins has been targeted. With that, her sister Mary Beth will most likely become a target and then there's Peter Lowery.”
Mr. McCoy chuckled. “Can't forget Peter, Those two are inseparable.”
“Precisely. So, until this ends, we have a responsibility to keep all children, even those who are friends with children we may not agree with, safe.” Mr. Harper looked around the room once more. “Any questions?”
“I'll be guessing that we're keeping this quiet” A small teacher in the back asked.
“As quiet as we can. We don't need the person responsible knowing we're watching.” Mr. Harper replied.
It was six in the evening and Tracy sat at the table with her parents, grandparents and brother. They had done one big meal together to go over with Tracy's grandparents what had happened during the meeting. When Maggie finished, Modine spoke up. “So, Monday through Thursday, we have Tracy from morning until you get home and Vance when he gets home from school?”
“Please?” Maggie asked.
“Maggie, I agreed to do the teaching for Tracy. I knew she'd be over here, so it's not a problem. Same goes for Vance.” Modine replied. “I'd rather they be safe, than trust that nothing will happen.”
“Thank you Mom.” Maggie replied.
“Do we have anything to teach her with? Any rules to follow?”
Maggie opened up a bag that sat in front of her and pulled out its contents. “This has the list of what she needs to know for the testing at the school.”
Modine looked it over and nodded slowly. “Okay, I can do this.”
“Thank you. You're a lifesaver with this.”
“Dear, it's not a problem. She needs her education and the schools out. I'm glad to help.
Honest, It'll pass this day soon.
Emily May looked to Mary Beth and shrugged. Both girl pulled their blankets up to cover themselves and Mary Beth called out. “Come on in, Wally.”
The boy walked in. He was Emily's twin, but looked nothing like her. His hair was a light blonde and he stood half a foot taller then she did. He was also their father's favorite, but that was because he was the only boy. He stopped just inside the door and let it shut lightly. “I was, um...I was wondering, is it true?” He asked.
“Is what true?” Emily May asked.
“There were some pictures around the school and some kids were talking, plus I heard Dad telling mom that a picture was sent here.” Wally leaned against the door. “They said they were of Vance Patterson's brother, right? Wearing a dress?”
Thanks to Djkauf for the editing
More of Tracy's life, post pictures. Also the return of Wally, Emily's brother mentioned just once!
Robert Hallmark walked into the living room of his parents’ split level ranch home. It had been an eventful day for him, full of questioning his beliefs and he decided to go to two of the four people who had never led him astray in his life. He was sure he'd talk to the third before the night was through and he'd see the preacher on Sunday, he always did. He wasn't sure if his brother cared though. Scotty always seemed to do what he wanted, which usually angered his parents, but Robert did his best to be the good son. That usually got him beat up by his foul-mouthed brother. And no one ever spoke of his sister anymore. Robert did his best to never mention her, no matter how much he missed her. He knew she had chosen to live in sin, at least that was what his mother told him, and according to his mother, if he were to talk to her, that would fill him with sin.
The house was tidy, not a scrap out of place. The walls had a fresh coat of white paint and the floors had new carpet. There was a TV. In the living room, just under a cross and near the picture of Jesus, but it was rarely on when him or his brother were home. Only long enough for the weather on the local TV station, and a weekly TV broadcast from a church in Texas. His parents kept him from watching too much TV, claiming it was a road to perversion and rotted his brain. Although his brother would often have it on, when he thought the parents were away.
He stopped in front of them and took a deep breath, not wanting to disturb them from their reading. He let the breath out and looked to the floor, shame began to fill him for having touched the picture in the first place. “Mom, Dad? Can I talk to you?”
His father put down his book and smiled at the boy. “Sure, son. What's wrong?”
“Someone was passing around pictures at school today of another student and....I'm confused as what I should do. I don’t know how to react to the student in the picture, because I'm pretty sure he's wrong for doing what they took the picture of, even though he's been nothing but nice to me.”
“It wasn't a dirty picture, was it?” His mother asked in a scolding tone. “Because if it was, then you should never look at one of those.”
“I...I don't know Mom.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a picture that someone had handed him on the playground at lunchtime. He remembered when Troy had gone to their church. He only rarely seen Troy on the playground, usually just at lunch time. He only vaguely recalled the Pattersons leaving the church, but he was to young to recall why.
His mother reached over and took the picture. She read the top and bottom. In large print, it read. “Troy Patterson.” At the bottom, in the same block lettering it read “Dress wearing fag!” He wasn't sure when his brother had shown up, but Scotty's voice filled the room as he spoke loudly.
“Is that of Troy? I heard he had his penis cut off and someone caught him touching Bruce's own pe....”
SCOTTY!” His mother roared, cutting of his rambling. “You know we don't allow that potty talk here.”
“Okay, what's the picture of?” Lionel asked. She showed the picture to her husband and he looked at it for a moment, then at her and shrugged. “It's a little girl?” He replied. “Why claim that's....what was it? Troy?”
“Patterson....didn't they go to church with us a few years back?” Molly sat in her chair, still holding the picture. “Mandy? Maggie....Yeah, Maggie and William.”
Her husband looked to her and bit his lower lip as he tried to recall. “Yeah. Them and two kids. Vincent?”
“Vance and Troy.” Scotty pipped up. This got him a glare from his parents, mostly for interrupting them, but he just stood there.
“Is this Troy?” She asked, no intending it to anyone in the room.
“I think it is. I heard other pictures were left all over school.” Robert replied. “Plus, Troy was out of school today.”
Scotty moved over and looked at the picture and nodded. “That's him.”
His mother looked up and raised an eyebrow. “How do you know?”
“Back in November, some kid named Bruce went to his house and beat him up. I heard it was 'cause he found Bruce stealing from classrooms at lunchtime. Then later he got tripped. And Troy's been growing his hair out. He...heck, it looks like that when he's at school sometimes." He said, pointing to the picture. "I've even seem him playing with it, kinda like the girls at school do. Plus, that's Mrs. Patterson, don't you remember? I seen her with Vance in the office in November and she was walking through the school today.”
“Really.” Molly forced herself to not smile. She had not seen Maggie in years, but as she looked at the other woman, she recalled her face. She knew she had two bad children, but to left them run as wild as Troy was...She had never allowed that. It had happened with her daughter, but she fought it all the way, but when all was lost, she kicked her daughter out.
“Yeah, one of the stories that went around was that Bruce found him in a dress and tried to beat him up.” Scotty shrugged. “Guess he was in one.”
Molly folded up the picture and looked to her sons. “Robert, you were right to bring this to us. She looked to her husband, who shrugged and let her take control of the situation. “From now on, I don't want either of you to have any contact with the Patterson boys. If their mother lets them go into public, dressing like a girl, which is completely against God's rules...” She added, pointing at her youngest son to make a point. “then who knows what type of little perverts they raised. I want you two safe and away from bad influences like them.”
“Mom, they're not bad.” Scotty replied. “I also heard that Troy got hurt, protecting his mother and grandmother.”
“Scotty.” Her tone took a sharp edge and she glared at him. “No contact at all.”
“Fine, whatever.” He muttered. He turned walked out of the room.
“Well....” Molly leaned back in her seat and drummed her fingers on the chair, as she wondered if she should punish Scotty for his attitude. “Robert, promise me you won't be anywhere around those two boys.”
“I promise, Mom.”
“Good, now go make sure the trash is out and you can have a couple of cookies, okay?”
“Okay.”
“And Robert, remember to mention this tonight when you pray. God is very specific about this in the bible.”
“Thank you, Mom.” Robert said as he turned and left the room.
Emily May and Mary Beth lay in their beds in the quiet room. They had both gone to bed early, to avoid their father. Both girls lay in their beds, neither one could sleep. They could hear him fire up his car and take off, on his way for his usual graveyard shift at the cannery. They knew their mother would be in bed already, having to get into the nearby old folks home early for her own shift, leaving the kids at home in the morning.
“I so want to find out who did this.” Mary Beth stated.
“You and me both.” Emily May replied. “At least you weren't mentioned directly in the pictures.”
“Yeah.”
Neither girl had been aware that their conversation was being overheard, till a light tapping at their door caught their attention. Both girls went very quiet, till they heard their brother, Wally on the other side of the door. “Emily May? Mary Beth, can I come in for a moment?”
Emily May looked to Mary Beth and shrugged. Both girl pulled their blankets up to cover themselves and Mary Beth called out. “Come on in, Wally.”
The boy walked in. He was Emily's twin, but looked nothing like her. His hair was a light blonde and he stood half a foot taller then she did. He was also their father's favorite, but that was because he was the only boy. He stopped just inside the door and let it shut lightly. “I was, um...I was wondering, is it true?” He asked.
“Is what true?” Emily May asked.
“There were some pictures around the school and some kids were talking, plus I heard Dad telling mom that a picture was sent here.” Wally leaned against the door. “They said they were of Vance Patterson's brother, right? Wearing a dress?”
“You saw one of them?” Emily May asked as she sat up in bed.
“Yeah.” He nodded.
“Which one?”
“Is it true?” He asked.
“Which picture did you see?” Emily May asked again.
“I only saw a brief glimpse of one of you hugging a girl.” He looked to his elder sister, a sad expression on his face. “Is that really Vance's brother?”
It wasn't her place to answer that, but the rumors would be flying, she knew that much. So she decided to feel out the situation. She knew her father spent a lot of time with him, so her fear was that Wally would turn out to be as closed-minded as their father. “What do you think?”
He shrugged. “I don't know. I mean I only say a glimpse, but it looked like a little girl.” He leaned against the door. “But after Bruce attacked him, there were rumors about him in a dress. I heard he tried to say it was a lie, but now with those pictures, I don't know what to think.”
“What did you think of him after Bruce attacked him?” Emily May asked.
“I heard some when people asked Vance about it. He protected his mom and Granny, that was pretty cool.” Wally replied.
“He hurt himself badly when he did that. He could have just stayed on the ground and let them hurt her, but he got up and fought.”Emily May stated.
“How hurt was he?” Wally asked.
“I can't really say.” Emily May said.
“You don't know?” Wally asked. He looked at Mary Beth who looked down at her hands. “What about you? Do you know? I know he's in your class.”
“We can't say, because it's none of our business.” Emily May said. “But knowing he hurt himself to save his grandmother from Bruce attacking her. What do you think of that? Do you think he's weak?”
“No. I saw him walking around the school when he got back, before he got tripped. He must have been hurt bad.”
“Wally, it's worse then that. He dreams of that fight almost nightly. It wasn't just a fight. Bruce did a lot more to him.” Emily May said. “Now, do you think he's a bad guy? Like he'll attack people or girls?”
Wally thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. “I don't know, but I doubt it.”
“Trust me, I doubt he'd hurt anyone without a great reason, and that's to protect people he loves.”
“So is he the one in that dress?”
Emily May sighed. She knew the whole school would know. With Troy leaving the school that would be all the proof that whoever had left the pictures would need to prove Troy was in a dress. “It was him.”
Instead of yelling, or ranting, Wally stunned both of his sisters with a question. “Why?”
“Why what?” Emily May asked.
“Why does he do it then?”
Emily May bit her lip, considering how to explain it. “You know what Aunt June does, right? Well the doctor that she works for?”
Wally bit his lower lip for a moment and shrugged. “He's a shrink, right?”
“Kinda.” Emily May answered. “He actually helps people who were born wrong.”
“Wrong?” Wally asked.
“Say someone was born as a boy, but the soul says female. He sees people like that. Or the people who have both sets of privates. I heard he even sees people who like people of the same sex.”
Wally nodded slowly as it sunk in. He knew his fathers stand on the subject, but he didn't feel that way at all. “So, Troy should have been a girl? Or he has both sets of private parts?”
“He should have been born a girl.” Emily answered. “In fact he's seen the Ivan guy that Aunt June works for.”
“So, does he go by Troy when he's a girl?”
“No, her name's Tracy.” Emily May answered.
“Oh.” Wally said, then he stood straight, “Wait, the same Tracy you spent time with in Dublin? Along with those other girls you told Mom about?”
“Yeah.” Emily Amy answered. They had gone over their trip when they returned home at dinner one night, including telling about a sleepover with a group of girls their age.
His mind quickly raced over the past couple of months and he tapped a finger in the air. “So, those girls were up here in December and around Troy. So they know about Troy?”
“Yeah. That's how we found Troy. We bumped into them and their other friends at a mall.”
“Wow.” Wally stated. “So, they don't mind that he was...born the way he was?”
"She." Emily replied.
“What?” He asked.
“You're in on the secret too, now, so learn the rules. It's not he, not if he's in girl mode. He, him, his and Troy are all the wrong words, it's rude.” Emily said, paraphrasing Rachel and Sage from a month earlier.
“Okay. I can do that. But what rules do you mean?” Wally asked.
Emily May smiled. “Simple. Treat Tracy with respect. She's not a bad person. She's just different.”
“Just like all of us.” Mary Beth added.
“So...” Wally went back and leaned against the wall. “What about Vance? Does he know? I mean does he dress in skirts and stuff?”
“He knows, but he doesn't wear the girls clothes.” Emily May answered. “Would it matter if he did? I know you're on the basketball team with him. If he did that, would you not want to be around him?”
“I guess not.” Wally replied. He was silent for a few moments, his eyes found a piece of the carpet very interesting. When he spoke, his voice got quiet, for fear that their parents would hear them. “Would you two have been this comfortable around me if I was different?”
“You saying you should have been a girl?” Emily May moved to the edge of her bed.
“No, nothing like that. But what if, I was different? What if I, you know, liked boys or something?”
“Do you?” Emily May asked.
“No.” He quickly answered, a look of fear crossed his moonlit face. “I was just asking, you know, like what if.”
“Wally, if you were gay, I wouldn't mind, not at all. You're still the same person, no matter who you love.” Emily May replied.
“I wouldn't mind either.” Mary Beth stated.
“But Dad's always saying how gay people are evil and will hurt you.” Wally said.
“Yep.” Emily Nodded. “And just how many have really hurt him?” She let the question hang for a moment then continued. “It's easy to fear what you don't know. Those girls we hung out with, two of them get picked on for who they are. One's in a wheelchair because of an accident, but she was super cool. There's another who was born with some weird birth thingy and can’t hear. But she was pretty cool, even though her sister had to talk for her.”
“Dad hates black people too, Leon's on the basketball team, isn't he nice?” Mary Beth asked.
Wally was silent again, then he nodded. “Yeah, he is, isn't he.”
“See, if we just follow Dad's advice, we'll miss out on some really nice people in life.” Emily May stated. “Had we gone with Dad's way of thinking, we wouldn't be friends with one of the toughest girls we know.”
“I guess.” Wally shrugged.
“We should get to sleep though, before Mom hears us and wakes up.”
“Yeah.” Wally stood up again and grabbed the door handle. As he started to open the door, he paused and looked back at his sisters. “Thanks.”
“You're welcome, Wally.” Emily May said as she lay back in her bed. “Night.”
Emily watched her brother leave, then when she thought the cost was clear she looked to Mary Beth. She dropped her voice to a whisper. "Did you catch that? What he said I mean."
"I think so...." Mary Beth rolled over to Face her sister better. "Is Wally gay?"
"I don't know..." Emily May chuckled at the though of her parent's two eldest kids gay. "But the same rules apply for him as them do Tracy, understand?"
"Yes." Mary Beth groaned out. "I won't tease him or tell anyone."
"Good. Also we let him deal with this on his own. With Dad breathing down his neck, he can't be himself if he is."
Mary Beth just lay there for a moment, then asked. "Why do people hate others? Why can't we all just get along?"
"I don't know. I just don't know." Emily May answered.
Maggie couldn't remember when she had started reading her old bible again. She knew it had been sometime in the past couple of months, ever since her concerns about her youngest wearing her clothes had been confirmed. She hadn't poured all her free-time into reading it, but she knew she had picked it up a bit more each night as the months had progressed. She knew why she did it. Everything that she had been told when she was raised said what her youngest was doing was wrong. She wanted to support her child, after all, having a happy kid was better then having to deal with the loss of the child, when they couldn't cope with depression of not being able to be who they really were and took their life.
She found herself in the book of Deuteronomy. And as she pored over the book, for what seem to be the tenth time that month, she began to let other parts of the book settle in. She wasn't focused on the parts of the bible that told her Tracy was evil and God hated her. She kept re-reading the parts, from the same book about things most people never recalled. She knew most people tended to throw the more commonly known stuff around, but some of the other stuff, less than a page away tended to get ignored.
Maggie put her bible down and was silent for a moment. She could hear snoring coming from both her bedroom and her children's. She got up and out of her chair, and slowly went to her knees to pray. It had been so long since she had done so, but tonight, after the events of the past few days, she felt it was needed. She kept her voice a whisper, as to not disturb her family.
“Lord, I know it's been a long time since I've taken the time to speak to you. It's been an even longer time since I've visited a church. I know I've gone astray from the teaching that was instilled in me as a girl. I haven't seen the insides of a church in years, not because of me, or William. We tried to stay at the last one, but when we saw all those people turn on those two ladies.....”
She trailed off and tried to rally her thoughts into something a bit more to the point. “Lord, I need help. I don't know what to do with my youngest. Everything I was taught, tells me that she...he is wrong for what he does, but is he truly evil? He hasn't broken the ten commandments, well except for lying, but who hasn't done that. He honors his parents, we've rarely had problems from him. He's good to the people around him. He's polite and friendly. He's just not right as a boy.”
She stopped for a moment more, trying, and still failing to control her thoughts. “Lord, I need to know how to help my child, I need strength. I need answers. Everything I read tells me he's an abomination, but in the same books I have read, tells me that other people I know are worthy of that title. Please Lord, grant me the strength to help my child. I want her happy.” She paused for a moment, then spoke one more word. “Amen”
Friday morning hit and Tracy's first instinct was to get up and get dressed for school. She rolled out of bed and was almost to the door, Troy's clothes in hand when she stopped. She saw the books her mother bought on the bookcase. Then she remembered that she was now being home-schooled. She turned and was considering going back to bed when a thought crossed her mind. She made a quick stop to answer the call of nature, then she headed to the kitchen.
~I don't have to go, but I can at least be nice to them.~ She thought as she opened up the fridge and grabbed the eggs and bacon. She had the coffee going and was working on the eggs as her father came into the kitchen. Without being asked, she sat a plate of eggs and bacon on the table for him. “Eat, I'll get your coffee.”
He looked to his youngest. He knew it was Tracy, even though she wasn't wearing her usual sleepwear. “Honey, you don't have to do that. I can get my own coffee.”
“I know Daddy, I just want to be helpful. I don't have to go to school, so I may as well do something useful.”
He reached over and hugged his youngest. “Baby, you do your chores each week, you cook on the nights that your mother isn't home. You're useful.”
“I know, but....” Tracy sighed and leaned into her father. “I feel guilty for everything that happened, you know, with school and everything.”
“Baby, you had nothing to do with that.” William said. “No one would know that someone would take pictures of you in Sacramento.
“I know, I still feel guilty.” Tracy replied.
“There's nothing you could have done, so don't feel guilty.” William put a finger under her chin and gently moved her head so she looked right at him. “If you had posed for those pictures, and I mean went to whoever had spread these around and asked him to take them, then you'd be to blame. But this was taken without your consent. So this. Isn't. Your. Fault.” He stressed each word, then smiled at her. “Understand?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“So, no nightgown?” He asked as he let go of her so he could sit down.
“No. I'm still afraid that someone will see.”
Her father nodded. “I can understand. You're not having the best of luck, are you?”
Tracy shook her head and didn't answer at first. Then she looked over to her father, as tears seemed to form in her eyes from nowhere. “Why would someone do this?” She asked. “Why would someone go out of their way to ruin my life?”
“Baby, some people are just assholes. There's no sugarcoating it. Some people get off on ruining someone's life.”
A tear ran down her face as she looked to her father, with pleading eyes, hoping for a good answer. “Why?”
“Some people hurt others to make themselves feel better.” William reached out and touched his daughters hand. “they use any weakness in a person and exploit it to make them feel better about their own faults. Others do it to get some sort of power over you.”
“Power?” Tracy asked, wiping at her eyes.
“Yeah. It's like feeling like royalty, or a God. They think they can crush you under their heel. It makes them feel bigger then you.” William leaned closer to his youngest and smiled. “Everybody does it to some extent in their lives.”
“I haven't done it.....” Tracy started to say, then she looked at her father, who arched one eyebrow. “Have I?”
“Baby, we've all done it. Sometimes it's something you say to someone in the heat of an argument.” He squeezed her hand. “It's when you regret what you said, that's good. You don't continually lord yourself over someone. Heck, when Vance was in that dress, you had every chance to make fun of him, but you didn't.” As though he heard the cue of his name, they heard Vance get up and head for the bathroom. The sounds of the shower starting could be heard through the walls.
“But when he saw me in mine...” Tracy started to say, letting her mind catch up. “He did.”
“At first, but now he's totally okay with it.” He father stated.
“He is?”
William chuckled. “You still share a room and he lets you get dressed alone. I'd say that's understanding. He hasn't made fun of you since your grandmother punished him. He's actually getting better around the house. He's a better man for what he had to do, at least I think so.”
A moment later, Maggie came into the room and went to the coffee maker. “Up early?” She looked to her daughter.
“I just thought I'd make breakfast for Vance and Dad.” Tracy smiled. “You want some?”
“Sure. I'd love some. You do that, I'll get the toast.” Maggie moved to the toaster and dropped in two slices of bread.
“So what wild plans do you two ladies have today?” William asked.
“Well, we are going to your mothers and laying out a school plan for Tracy. Maybe find out where she is in stuff.”
“Good. Now will you be keeping up the cleaning on the weekend? Or have you thought about tying it into when you're at Mom's doing schoolwork?”
“I hadn't....you think I should?” Tracy asked.
Her father nodded. “Baby, you'll be over there, four days a week with school work and here for one day. Why lose your only two days off. Find a way to make cleaning and schoolwork mix, that way you can be home when Sage and the girls call. Plus that way you can stay here on the weekend. Do a couple chores on Friday and you're set.”
A few moments later, they heard someone walking down the hall, stopping at the kids room for just a moment, then the steps came closer and Vance stepped into the kitchen. He was on autopilot as he went to the cupboard and began pulling a box of cereal out of the cupboard when his mother tapped him on the shoulder. “You want that? We got eggs and bacon.”
Vance turned around, still looking like he had just woken up. “Sure.” He said with a small grin as he saw the eggs.
Tracy made a quick plate and set it at the table in her usual seat. “There, I'll eat when you're done.”
“Thanks.” Vance perked up a bit.
“So, since your mother is going to be home on Fridays, you can come here on Friday afternoons.” William told his eldest as Vance shoveled food into his mouth. “But Monday through Thursday, you need to go to your grandparents’ house after school.”
“What about dinner?” Tracy asked. “I was cooking dinner early so it's ready when you get home.”
“An hour won't kill us. I'd rather you be safe, than have warm food at five. Or you can ask Dad to come over with you.”
“Okay.” Tracy said with a nod.
William looked up at the clock. “Crap, I need to get going.” He took a few quick bites and grabbed his plate, taking it to the trash can. After putting it in the sink, he stopped at his wife and gave her a kiss, then he hugged his daughter. He patted Vance on the shoulder. “You be good.” Then he headed for the front door.
“Now remember Vance, any problems and just let me know.” Maggie stated. “I don't need you getting hassled over this too.”
“I'll be fine, mom.” Vance replied between mouthfuls of food.
“So you say, but I'm a mom, it's my job to worry.” Maggie stated. “But eat up, you don't want to miss the bus.”
Vance was quiet as he rode the bus. Ahead of him he could see Emily May and Mary Beth turn ever now and then to look at him and give a smile of hope. He saw their brother sitting near them, watching the scenery pass by. Some of hte others on the front of the bus kept turning to stare at him, but he did his best to ignore him. Behind him he could hear people laughing at something and the occasional wad of paper would pass by him. Then something slightly wet hit him near the ear. He took in a deep breath and held it for a moment, not wanting to give whoever the satisfaction of knowing they were actually bugging him.
After a few seconds, he reached up and wiped off the back of his ear, only to have it hit once more by another spit wad. Then the kicking started. At first it was nothing, but the closer the school got, the harder the kid behind him kicked the seat. To counter this, Vance leaned forward. After a few moments of them kicking the seat, but not hitting his back, they stopped, then one leaned over the seat and flicked his ear as hard as he could.
“Whats wrong, your fag brother miss the bus?” one of the boys behind him said with a snicker.
“He couldn't find a pretty dress for school?” Another said with a chuckle.
The bus pulled to a stop and he stood up, before he could get into the isle, one of the boys behind him, shoved past him and thrust an arm out, pushing him back into his seat.
Vance waited till they were mostly off the bus, then he got up and followed them off the bus. He had only taken a few steps when he found his right foot hitting something solid and he fell, face first to the sidewalk. He landing on his hands and they exploded in a flurry of pain. He fought back the urge to swear. He was getting back up when he felt someone push his side, sending him to the ground again. Several kids began laughing and the laughter was stopped by a voice. “That's enough!”
“Bobby Anderson, it seems to me like you have a problem with tripping people.” The teachers voice seemed to get an edge to it. “Office, now. I'll be there in a few minutes.”
“But I didn't do anything.” The boy replied, keeping a straight face, like he had a month earlier when he tripped an injured Troy. “He fell on his own.”
“After getting tripped by your foot, then you shoved him back down. Office, now.” The teacher pointed and waited for the student to comply. After a few moments, Bobby slowly walked away.
The teacher came walking over to Vance and offered him a hand. “Let me help you, Mr. Patterson. “
Vance took it and looked at the person as he stood up. “Mr. McCoy?” He said, looking at Troy's now former teacher.
“How's your hands. You fell kinda hard.”
Vance turned his hands over and saw his palms were a bright red, where some of the skin had been removed. “They hurt.”
“Go wash them. If it's bad, go to the nurses office.” Mr. McCoy smiled at him. “May need you to talk to the principal, but for now, take care of those hands.”
“Yes, Sir.” Vance said. He started walking towards one of the closer bathrooms and some of the nearby kids began teasing him.
“Awww, look at the little baby.”
“Gonna cry baby?”
“Bet he misses his little sister.”
“Both of 'em are fags, look how he's dressed.!”
“Matt, you've got the same thing on.”
Vance ignored them and went for the nearest bathroom he could get to, wading though the crowd of taunting students and keeping his eyes to the ground, in case someone else tired to trip him.
Clark watched with glee as Vance walked though the cat-calls and laughter. The plan was going well. He still didn't see Troy and that only meant that he had quit school, or was hiding, either way, it was still a victory. Clark walked on towards the cafeteria, hoping for a chance to find Peter and ruin his day. He knew his cousins would be there. He knew he could take Peter, after all, Peter was just a retard, but he knew it was best to travel with muscle. As he passed by a bathroom, the door opened up and a pair of hands reached out and latched onto his shoulders, then yanked him inside, letting the door shut behind them.
He was spun around, then slammed into a wall, knocking the breath out of his. The hands switched from his shoulders, to his coat. He looked up to see Peter staring daggers at him, then with a grunt, Peter lifted him off the ground, turning his hips so Clark couldn't kick anything important. When he spoke, it was an almost growl as he pressed against Clark's chest, causing him to wince in pain. “Did you put those pictures in Troy's pack?”
“What...what pictures.” Clark groaned out.
Peter pulled him away from the wall a few inches, then he slammed him against it again. “You know which pictures!”
“You mean the ones proving he's a fag?” Clark asked, managing to sneer at his tormentor. “That wasn't me, but I saw some yesterday. What's it to you? You his boyfriend?”
Peter froze as the door opened up. He began to lower Clark, till Vance stepped in. “What the hell?” Vance asked, stunned at the sight. “What are you doing?” He asked Peter.
“Vance, watch the door. Clark and I are having a talk about pictures.” Peter dropped Clark to his feet, then pined him against the wall, with an arm across his throat. The other boy began to squirm as Peter patted at his pockets. “Where are they?”
“What?” Clark began to try and escape, which proved pointless.
“The fucking pictures!” Peter growled.
“I ain't got 'em!” Clark stated.
Vance took a step towards Peter, wishing to trade spots with him, but instead he put a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, he ain't worth it.”
Peter glared at Vance, then after a few moments, he let Clark go, then quickly grabbed at his coat again. “I find out it was you and I beat the shit out of you, got it.”
“Fuck you, retard. My cousins and I will beat you stupid.”
Peter looked above Clark and smiled, then he lifted him up, catching a part of Clark's coat on a corner of the bathroom stall. Vance put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. “It's not worth it. No point in us getting in trouble over Clark.”
“But what about the pictures?” Peter growled at Vance.
“Peter, I know you're pissed, so am I. But trust me, this isn't a good idea.” Vance replied. He leaned closer and lowered his voice to a whisper. “If you won’t do this for me, do it for her okay?”
Peter held on to Clark for a moment more, then he pulled the tiny kid off the corner of the stall and pulled him in close and glared at him. “I'm watching you. I think for one moment you did this, I will beat the shit out of you and your cousins.” Before Clark could respond, Peter dropped him to his feet, then gave him a push and headed for the door.
Vance gave his hands a quick rinse, then wiped them off on his shirt as he stepped into the hallway. “Why the hell did you stop me?” Peter growled as he faced off with Vance.
“You think Tracy wants you getting in trouble over Clark?” Vance asked in a hushed tone. “We don't know it's him and until we do, just remember that anything we do to him, he may throw towards my family.”
Peter was silent for a moment and he thought about it. Vance was right. After the trouble with Bruce, Clark had become an annoyance to Tracy. He could only imagine it being worse. “Fine.” He grumbled.
Emily May walked up, and stopped by the two boys that looked almost ready to fight. “Hey Vance. I need you to pass a note on to Tra..Troy for me.” She took a folded piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it over.
“What is it?” Vance asked as he jammed it in his pocket.
“Just a note, but it's personal for her, so don't read it, okay?” Emily stated. Then she sighed and slumped her shoulders. “Whoever sent that picture sent it to the house, too. Dad got it in the mail and he says we can't talk to Tracy again. Ever.”
“Why?” Vance asked.
“Cause Dad hates gay people and he insists that Tracy is doing this just to get us comfortable, then she'll rape us.”
“That's horse Shit.” Vance said. “Any idea who sent it?”
“No. Dad didn't say. He was pissed at the picture, the one of me hugging her.”
“Did you get the picture? We could give that to Mr. Harper.” Vance said. “The Sheriff’s office is involved. They could do something. I mean isn't the mail protected by the FBI or something?”
“No...damn. I wasn't thinking about it.” Emily May said. "I'll check the trashcan when I get home today." She looked up to Vance, half looking like she was about to pout. She could see her brother down the hall with Mary Beth and a few of their friends. “Vance, there's more. Wally was asking about Tracy and Troy yesterday. He heard about the pictures and doesn’t know what to think.”
“It can't get much worse. Will he try to start shit with her?”
“I don't think so.” She thought about the conversation the night before and the questions about her own twin that was starting to pop up in her mind. “I think he's okay.”
“Good. I'll make sure she gets this.” Vance said, putting the letter into his pocket.
“Now he's hassling Emily and Mary Beth, can I kick Clark's ass now?” Peter asked.
Vance sighed. “When we find out it was Clark, you get to kick his ass, after Tracy gets her turn.”
“Deal.” Peter forced a smile. “Although, after her, there won’t be much left to kick.”
More on the way as the effects of the pictures pick up speed.
Conner nodded, then he pulled Tracy into a hug. “Sorry about the wrong name.”
“It's okay.” Tracy answered as she hugged him back.
“Is this permanent?” Conner asked. “The boy’s clothes, I mean.”
“I don't know. I'm just so afraid.” Tracy replied. “I don't want it to be.”
“Well, hopefully you'll get over that fear. I want to see my pretty granddaughter smile again.”
Edited by Djkauf
More of Tracy, post pictures and Vance too
January 28th 1983
Molly Hallmark waited for her husband and children to leave the house before she turned down her television, and went to the phone. Despite what she told her kids about TV rotting the mind, she couldn't live without her soap operas. She just had to tell someone the juicy news she had and she had a couple hours before her stories started. In her mind, more people needed to know. The more that knew, the more people could help root out the evil perversion that lived in their community. She knew it needed to be done, to help keep the other kids safe from the freaks who were against God’s plan. She dialed, then waited as the phone rang. She heard the click and a voice answered. “Olsens, June speaking.”
“June, it's Molly. You will never believe what I found out last night.” Alice kept her smile away, only barely. “Do you remember Maggie Patterson? She and her husband William went to the church for a few years, then they left when those lesbians left?”
June thought about it for a moment, then she spoke. “Yes, I remember, should be about forty now, two kids, which I'd say....around ten and twelve?”
“The same. Robert found a picture at school of them yesterday and brought it home.” She fought to keep from shouting it into the phone. After all, it wasn't her children that were the filthy little perverts at least not the two who lived at home.
“A picture of what?”
“Of Troy, the youngest, wearing a dress. In public.” Molly replied. “The best part is that his mother was right there with him so she knows. I don’t think it was a Halloween costume either. Looks like the stores were advertising New Years sales.”
“Didn't I read something about them in the paper a month ago?” June asked. Molly could hear tapping on the other end of the phone and she was sure she had interrupted the woman doing a crossword puzzle. “I swear I saw something about Troy, his mother and grandmother being attacked, because I remember I almost called them to see how they were doing.”
“Scotty said something about that. I guess he found some kid stealing, or that's what Troy claimed. Claims the boy went to beat him up for tattling.” Molly smiled big, even though the other woman didn't see it. “But June, I think maybe that boy knew about Troy's...clothing perversion.”
“Possible.” The other woman scoffed. “I can't believe she lets him do it.”
“And in public.” Molly stated. “I don't know about you, but I don't want that kind of person around my children. Scotty may be a wild child, but he doesn't need that kind of temptation and perversion around him.”
“Well, I don't have any kids Troy's age anymore...” June stated.
“But you have a granddaughter. I think they'll be at the same high school in a couple of years.” Molly said. “June, think of little Cindy, you want that kind of person around her? You don't know what's in his mind. He may try to attack her dressed like that.”
“Maybe.” The older woman said. “It's isn't right, either way.”
“And if he's doing that, he's not right, in the head I mean.”
“True. Maybe we should talk to Maggie about it. She should have a stronger hand in dealing with her children.”
“My thoughts excitably.” Molly replied.
“Should we tell Pastor Stevens?”
“We'll talk to her first. We send over Pastor Stevens and she may not listen at all. At least we can talk with her, mothers to mother. Honestly, I don't care what her children do, but if she allows that kind of perversion from her son, I don't want that type of person in my community.” Molly said. “Think of what could happen. What if more freaks come here? June, this used to be a nice, quiet town.”
“Yeah. Just tell me when. The sooner we make this happen, the safer this town can be for the rest of us.”
“Let me call a few people. I think a unified front is best.”
“Okay, just tell me when.”
It was just after eight in the morning when Maggie and her youngest knocked on the door to her in-laws house. The door opened slightly and Conner looked out. When he saw then he smiled, and held the door open for them to come in. “Maggie. Tr...” He trailed off as he looked at his grandchild. He wasn't sure which name to go with. There was the child he had come to know as Tracy, but dressed as Troy. No smile could be seen and he watched as the child nervously looked over his shoulder as a car went down the road. “Troy?” He guessed
“No, She's Tracy.” Maggie said as she let Tracy go in. “But after those pictures, she's worried to go outside as herself.
Conner nodded, then he pulled Tracy into a hug. “Sorry about the wrong name.”
“It's okay.” Tracy answered as she hugged him back.
“Is this permanent?” Conner asked. “The boy’s clothes, I mean.”
“I don't know. I'm just so afraid.” Tracy replied. “I don't want it to be.”
“Well, hopefully you'll get over that fear. I want to see my pretty granddaughter smile again.”
Tracy looked up and gave him a warm smile. “Maybe.”
“Well, like I have always said.” Modine said as she came into the living-room. “You can't let others dictate your life. I know it's tough, but those pictures are out there already, so people know. So you should let yourself have some happiness. It's better then being miserable for the rest of your life.”
“I know, Grandma.” Tracy said.
“But enough of that. Let's get these lesson plans into place, okay?” Modine smiled at them. “And maybe if we get them done fast enough, we can whip up a little lunch for the four of us. Think my Granddaughter can help me with that?”
Tracy's smile brightened slightly. “Yeah. I can help.”
It was almost lunch where there was a knock at the door. The lesson plans had been set and Tracy had done some of her weekly cleaning. She was planning on doing the rest after lunch. But for now they were focused on making lunch for themselves and Conner. “I got it.” Conner said from the sink, where he was filling up a glass of water. The three women just kept about their work on lunch till they heard Conner open the door, then ask. “Afternoon Officer, can I help you?” this caused Maggie to turn and look towards the living-room. Tracy just stood there, a worried look crossed her face.
Modine headed for the living-room as Tracy and Maggie heard the officer speak. “Hello, I'm Deputy Kline. I'm looking for a Maggie or William Patterson. My records show they live next door, but no one seems to be home. I noticed the name on your mail box and figured you're family.”
“William is my son. Can I ask what this is about?” Conner asked.
“We're following up on a report filed by the Principal at Palermo Elementary school. I can't really say more then that.”
Tracy watched her mother move towards the living-room and she found herself following, but stopping just before she got to where the deputy could see her.
“Is this about the pictures?” Maggie asked.
“Ah, Mrs. Patterson.” The deputy's voice seemed to take on a cheerful tone.
“Do I know you..” She trailed off for a moment, then it came to her. “That's right, at the school, after the attack.” Maggie said. “If this is about the pictures, my in-law's know already.”
Tracy peeked around the door and watched as he seemed to relax a bit. As he made eye contact wit her she pulled her head back and just stood there, afraid that for some reason he'd blame it all on her, even though she was presenting as Troy. She went to the kitchen and stood near the stove, keeping her back to them.
“Please come in.” Modine said. “You want something to drink? Water? Coffee?”
“Well, I shouldn't be here long, but thank you for the offer.” He replied as they led him into the kitchen.
“So how can I help you?” Maggie asked.
He almost answered, till Troy turned around, his hair whipping around him in an almost girlish fashion. “Shouldn't he be in school?” The officer asked.
“He's in home schooling now.” Maggie stated. “Our eldest wanted to stay in for the sports.”
“Ah.” The deputy said As Modine and Conner took a seat, he took one as well. Maggie gestured to her youngest to come over and pulled out a chair. She waited till he was seated, then put an arm around his shoulders. The Deputy waited till all of them were seated. “We were contacted yesterday afternoon by Alvin Harper, the Principal at your son's school about some pictures and he told us that there had been threats made at the home as well?”
“Correct.” Maggie replied.
“And they're tied into the pictures that were left at the school?”
“Did you see those?” Troy blurted out, a look of fear crossing his face. If it had not been for his mothers arm, he would have bolted.
“Yes, I saw them. I was the one who spoke to Mr. Harper yesterday afternoon.” The deputy replied. He looked to the young child and held up a hand to stop any questions. “I'm not here to judge. I know some of the other guys may have their own thoughts on the subject, but if you're not breaking a law, I don't care.”
“Oh.” Tracy said.
“Thank you.” Maggie replied. “We didn't want this to get out, but with pictures left all over the school, it's hard to keep it a secret.”
“I can understand.” The deputy said with a nod. “Since it's just been at the school, we're thinking that it's from one of the students there. Did you recognize the voice as anyone you've gone to school with?”
Tracy shook her head. “No. It sounded older. It was a guy, but like he was older then me.”
“So it could be an older brother, or cousin maybe....” The deputy thought out loud. He wrote down a quick note and asked for a run down of what had been said.
“Well, so far he said he was going to come to the house and beat me up and show me my place.” Tracy replied. “He called three times on Wednesday, I only picked up twice, a friend answered the third call.”
“And the friend’s name?” The deputy asked.
“Mary Beth Higgins. She and her sister, Emily May came over after school to see how I was doing.”
“Higgins? She also received one of the pictures, I believe.” He wrote down another note. “Have you received any calls since?”
Maggie shrugged. “We may have, but after I heard what happened, we unplugged the phone till Thursday morning. Yesterday there were a few calls that I got, but no one said a word.”
“Okay. Have there been any other threats? Like at school or around the property?”
“Not yet.” Maggie answered.
“Do you think this is related to the incident in December?” He asked. “Have you received any threats about that?”
Tracy thought about it for a moment, then shook her head. “Just from Bruce's brother Clark. He was telling everyone that I had been in a dress when Bruce attacked me.”
“What's his last name?”
“Millet.” Tracy replied.
“Okay, we'll look into it.” The deputy said. “As for the phone calls, I can offer three suggestions. The first is to ignore them.”
“That will be hard.” Maggie replied.
“Yeah. The second is to get an unlisted number and change your phone number.” The Deputy continued.
“That would help, but that leaves the kid who is doing this out there.”
“We'll do what we can, but finding this kid may prove hard, that leaves the third option, we tap your phone.”
“Would that work?” Maggie asked.
“It could, but it would be more intrusive to your family.” The Deputy said. “But we'd need to get approval before we could do it. I do think changing the number and making it unlisted may be your best bet. They may give up when they can't call anymore.”
“Honestly, I want this asshole caught.” Maggie said. The use of her language made Tracy give her mother a shocked look.
“I can understand. I'll keep in touch and see what we can dig up.”
“Are you going to question that Clark kid?” Maggie asked.
“Yes, he's on the list now. I also need to talk to the Higgins girl, just to see if she's had any threats.”
“Good.” Maggie said. “Those girls don't need any troubles from this. None of us do.”
Emily May and Mary Beth walked down the driveway to their house. Neither had really spoken since they had got off the bus. Emily May swore she felt all eyes on her as they headed home and she was now glad that they had a couple of days away from the other kids. As they reached the front door a squad car came down their driveway. Emily May looked to her sister, who was just as confused as she was. When it came to a stop, the Deputy got out and smiled at the two girls. “Afternoon ladies. Is one of you Emily May Higgins?”
“I am.” Emily May replied. “Am I in trouble?”
“No, not at all.” Deputy Kline said. “But need to ask you a few questions. Is one of your parents home?”
“I...I don't know. I can check though.” Emily turned to the door and tired it. It swung open and she walked in. “Mom? Dad? Are you home? There's a cop who has a few questions out here.”
Their mother walked out of the kitchen, while she heard her father coming from the living-room. He glared at his daughters for a moment, then glanced to the deputy and then back to his eldest daughter. He walked past her and stopped at the door, which was still slightly open. Emily May grabbed her sister and whispered into her ear as her father began talking.
“What's the matter? Did my daughters do something?”
“Not at all sir. I'm following up on a report from the principal of your daughters school.” He said. “Yesterday she received pictures with a threatening note aimed at her, and I need to ask her a few questions about it.”
“This isn’t about the boy in the dress, is it?”
“It's about a series of pictures that have been left at the school. The school is treating them as a threat and your daughter was mentioned in one, as was two other kids. They are of a child in a dress, but I can't say much more then that.” Deputy Kline replied.
“Look, she's not his friend anymore. I wont let my daughters hang out with that type of person.” He began to close the door, but the deputy caught it.
Deputy Kline could see he was dealing with a closed-minded person, just like some of the other deputys, like the ones who passed on the case. So he decided to hit the father where it would do the most good, his children. “Mr. Higgins, you may not want your daughter hanging out with that type of person, but someone is threatening her along with him, so any information I can get from your daughter can help catch the person doing this and hopefully keep your children safe.”
Mr. Higgins thought about it for a moment. His wife stopped at his side and put a hand on his arm. “Let her talk. If she's being drawn into this, I'd rather they catch the guy before they hurt my daughter.”
“Fine.” He said. “Emily, tell him what you know. I'm going back to my show.” He turned and headed into the living room as Mary Beth came back to her sister. Together Mary Beth stood with her sister and Mother.
“Emily, I heard you received those pictures in a class of yours, correct?”
“Yes sir. Mr. Walkley's class. Someone had left them on a desk.” Emily May replied.
Deputy Kline looked to Mary Beth. “Has anyone left you a picture?”
“No.” Mary Beth replied.
“Girls, has anyone threatened you, or made threats towards Troy Patterson that you know of?”
“No, not that I've seen.” Emily May replied.
“Clark Millet was going around saying Troy was in a dress, before Troy got hurt the second time.” Mary Beth stated.
“He was hurt a second time?” The Deputy asked.
Mary Beth nodded quickly. “Yeah, someone tripped him, just before Christmas break. He fell and tore out stitches and hurt his wrist again.”
“I see.” He wrote down a quick note. “No other then that, no one has threatened you?”
“No.” Both girls replied.
“Now, I heard that you were at Troy's house when he received a call and one of you answered it.”
“I did.” Mary Beth answered.
“Can I ask what the person said and do you know the voice.”
Mary Beth shook her head. “I don't know the voice. But he said that Troy was just a fag in a dress and I asked who he was and why he did it and he just laughed.”
“I see. And is that all?”
Mary Beth blushed. “Well, I kinda got mad and slammed the phone down before he could say anything else.”
“Okay. Well I may be back if more questions come up. Till then keep your eyes open, okay?” The Deputy said.
“Umm...Sir?” Mary Beth said. She held out her hands and showed him the picture that their father had thrown away the day before, along with the envelope. “Dad got this in the mail yesterday.”
The Deputy smoothed out the picture, then he nodded, mostly for himself. He glanced at the envelope and sighed. “Thank you girls. Like I said, I may be in contact again, till then, be safe.”
“We will sir.” Both girls said in unison.
Vance made his way from his last class to the locker room to get ready for one of the last few basketball practices he'd have that school year. He wasn't the last of the players in, but he was noticed as he came in. Players in varying states of dress all got up, except one, and they all began grumbling and moving away from Vance as fast as they could. Vance sighed and rolled his eyes. Wally Higgins stayed where he was in the middle of a bench, still tying his sneakers.
“Look out, he'll try to touch you while you're changing.” One of the boys called out.
“Hey, Vance, do you wear panties like your sister?” Another asked.
“That ain’t his sister, it's his fag brother!” A third chimed in. Vance ignored them and went to his locker, worked the combo on the lock and tossed his pack in and pulled out his gym clothes and placed them on the same bench Wally sat on. As he pulled off his shirt, one of the boys spoke again.
“Better move Wally, he's gonna butt-fuck ya.” The first boy stated.
Wally finished tying his shoes and stood up. “says the guys who are naked and huddled in a corner together.” He stood up and quickly looked away. He was still unsure of the feelings he felt, but he knew that now wasn't the time to explore them.
This caused the boys to spread out, but none of them got close to Vance. He looked over as he began to strip out of his jeans. He stopped , raised an eyebrow and asked. “You all going to change? Or are you just getting off by watching me strip?” He moved so he was blocked by his locker door and stripped the rest of the way out of his clothes, then he pulled on his gym clothes.
A few of the boys hadn't moved yet and the coach walked in. He sighed as he looked at the assembled boys. “What are you waiting for? Practice starts in five minutes.” Wally walked past the coach as Vance pulled on his shirt, then locked his locker door.
“They all think Vance is going to attack them.” Wally said with a shake of his head as he headed outside. Vance began tying his shoes as the coach sighed, then shook his head.
“I don't care what you think. Vance is a member of this team, A member who helped us win the past few games, so instead of acting like little children and playing the cootie game, get dressed and get your backsides in the gym.” He turned to head out the door, pulling a bag out basketballs out of a closet “Patterson, take these to the gym.” He turned to the rest of the boys. “Last five of you there are running an extra ten laps, got it?”
Vance took the bag and threw it over his shoulder, then he did his best to chase after Wally who was almost to the office doors that led to the cafeteria. Normally he would have walked with some of the others, but he decided to go on his own this time. As he got close he smiled at Emily's twin. “Thanks.” He said and the two boys went in and headed to what served as a cafeteria and a gym. Wally just smiled in reply. Vance put the bag of balls down and opened it up and pulled one out. “Here.” He said, passing the ball to Wally, who caught it, then started practicing his dribbling.
After the team had come in the drills began and Vance gave it his best. Halfway though the practice, the trouble started. While running down the court, working on his dribbling, one of the other boys tripped him, causing him to hit the floor and skid.
Vance was barely able to keep from getting up and punching the kid. He got up and was running down the court when a pair of hands hit his back causing him to stumble. Once he got going again, someone else slammed into his side, causing him to stumble again. A few minutes later, another foot tripped him, this time a whistle sounded in the room and everyone froze. “That's it! Everyone take a knee, now!” The coach called out as he stormed over.
“Okay, I have had enough of the tripping and shoving. I don't know what your problem is, but it needs to end today. We got one more game to play and I want to go out with a win.” He began to pace back and forth as he scolded them. “I want to know what happened to my team? We're sixteen and three. Where is that great teamwork that we've practiced all season long? Anyone?”
No one spoke up again and not a head moved. “Boys, I don't care what pictures you saw around this school. I don't care what rumors you've heard about other students. When you're on my court, I want teamwork. Remember, there is no I in team. To win our last game, we have to give it our all. We start falling apart now and we may as well just stay home next week. Is that what you want? To show the school that none of you can truly work together? Or are you willing to get over your problems and start giving me you all on this court?”
This time he got a few nods of the head. “I don't know what you have against Patterson. He's been on this team since tryouts. Without his playing, I doubt we would have won our last two games. Face it, the last game, it was his last second throw that caught us the winning points. None of you had a problem with him then.”
The coach took a few steps, then he turned and paced back the other way. “This is a winning team and you should be proud of yourselves, all of you. But I find it hard to be proud of you when you act like first graders with the name calling and pushing. You're all teenagers. Almost adults, so start acting like it. Ten laps of the gym....Plus an extra ten from the people who got here last.” No one moved at first, then he gestured to the walls. “GO!”
Maggie and Tracy were back in their own kitchen, getting ready to make dinner for Vance and William. They still had an hour before her father was due to get off work and Vance was catching a ride with him after the team practice, but they wanted to have a nice, big meal when they got there. So they had started after they got back from her grandparents. Tracy still wasn't happy that the Sheriffs department had seen the pictures, nor did she expect much help from them.
Their work was interrupted by the ringing of the phone. Maggie patted her daughter on the shoulder. “I'll get it, you call if you need help.” Her mother didn't have to say what they were both thinking. They were both thinking someone had decided to pick on Vance and she was finally getting the phone-call.
“Patterson's.” She heard her mother say into the phone. Tracy looked at a clock on a shelf near the stove and realized it wasn't about her brother when her mother spoke. “Hello Mom!” As Maggie spoke this caught her daughter’s attention. She turned to look out into the living-room, but she couldn't see her mother in her seat. Her other grandparents rarely called. Her mother’s parents lived several states away, somewhere in the state of Wyoming. She could still recall a visit to their farm when she had been seven. But they normally only called around Birthdays and the major holidays.
She peeked her head out and looked at her mother, raising an eyebrow. “It's okay, I'll be in there in a bit.” Maggie said. “No, not you Mom. We're making dinner. No, Well Vance is at school still, but we had to take Tra...” Maggie had grown so used to having a daughter, that the word Tracy seemed to come faster to her lips then Troy did. She had been forcing herself to remember, but she still made the slip. As Tracy's eyes went wide, Maggie covered herself. “Troy out of school. I'm Sorry Mom, I'm trying to do several things at once.”
Tracy stood there, unsure if her grandmother bought it, so she waited, listening to the conversation as her heart pounded in her chest. “No, we're not sure if it has to do with the attack. Someone started to call the house with threatening messages and they are leaving pictures in several classrooms all aimed at Troy or his friends. We talked to the Sheriff earlier today, but I'm not sure what all they can do for us.”
Tracy slowly stepped back into the kitchen, now afraid of what would happen from her other grandparents. She knew her paternal Grandmother had been okay, but it had taken her being attacked to change her grandfathers opinion. She just wasn't sure how the other Grandparents would react.
Tracy began working on the food prep, doing her best to ignore her mother, for fear she'd hear another slip. After a few minutes she heard her mother hang up the phone and come back into the kitchen. Tracy scowled at her.
“I can't believe you slipped like that!” Tracy snapped.
“Baby, I'm sorry, but I doubt your Grandmother caught it. She never questioned me so don't worry.”
Tears filled into her eyes as she began to stick out her lower lip. “Mom, it isn't the first time. You slipped in front of Mr. Harper, too. Why do you do that?”
“Tracy, I don't mean to. I have a hard time not calling you Tracy.” Maggie moved to her daughter, then she pulled the child into a hug. “I don't mean to keep slipping, but it's so hard not to tell people about my polite, pretty daughter.”
“I just...what if they hate me? I already got some asshole calling me, what if they hate me worse then Grandpa did?”
“Language, young lady.” Maggie scolded. “But we don't have to tell them.”
Tracy was quiet for a moment and she went back to making dinner, finally she stopped and looked at her mother. “What did they want?”
“Well, it looks like that vacation they had planned this summer is being changed. Your Grandfather wanted to retire early, so they are getting out of Wyoming while the snow isn't bad. They may stay a week or two, then go visit your aunt Alice in LA. Then they'll go see your uncle Dan in Arizona.”
“So I gotta be Troy for as long as they are here?
“Well, Mom said they're bringing their camper, so you should be fine at night.”
“But it's a week of boy’s clothes.” Tracy whined.
“I still got to talk to your father, but if I say no, they may wonder what's going on here.”
Vance sat at the table after dinner and dishes, working on his homework. He reached into his pack for a notebook and came across the note that he had moved from his pocket during the day. He looked at it, then recalled his talk with Emily May. He looked up to see his mother and sister at the counter, working on making cookies.
“Hey Tracy?” he said. She looked over at him and smiled.
“No, the cookies aren't done yet.” She said without looking up.
Vance chuckled and then shook his head. “No not that, I mean I still want a cookie, but I got this for you today.”
Tracy took a step closer, looking at the envelope he held. When she spoke, her voice had a wary tone to it. “What is it?”
“It's a letter from Emily May and her sister.”
“Oh.” Tracy bounded over and snatched the envelope from him, then she tore it open and began reading the note.
Dear Tracy.
I'm not sure how to break this to you, but our father found out about you. The person who left you those pictures, sent one to my house with a note that the girl in the picture was a boy. So we've been grounded for going over to your house. Mary Beth is fuming about it. She wants to know who it is so she can kick his butt.
Dad thinks you're doing this and being our friend, just so you can rape us. I know, as does Mary Beth, that he's stupid, but Dad hates everything. He's going to be calling each house we go to, when he lets us, so getting over to your place may be a bit hard.
This isn't the end of our friendship. My dad can take a flying leap. We are still your friends, we'll just need to figure out how to meet up again. But this is why I don't want him knowing about me. I'm afraid of what he'd do if he found his daughter liked girls and not boys.
Well, I hope to figure out a way to see you soon. We both loved being at your place the other day and want to do it again.
Love, your friends
Emily May and Mary BethP.S.
Mary Beth had a great idea. Ask Vance if he'd mind us sending letters through him, it's one way to keep in touch.
Tracy folded the letter as frustration welled up in her and she blurted out, before her vocal filter could catch it. “God Fucking Dammit!”
“Tracy.” Maggie scolded. “I don't allow that type of language in this house. I'll let it slide this time, but you're not too old to wash your mouth out with soap.”
Tracy blushed from embarrassment. “Sorry ,Mom, it's just this letter.”
“What's it say?” Maggie asked.
“Whoever took those pictures sent one to Emily May's dad. He won’t let them come over here, cause he thinks I'm going to rape them.”
“That's...Total bullshit.” Maggie said as she rinsed her hands in the sink, then she dried them off and took the letter from her daughter and read it.
Vance stopped his homework again and looked up. “I told her to get that picture and take it to Mr. Harper. He may be able to do something else. Isn't the mail watched by the FBI?”
Maggie looked at him, raised an eyebrow, then smiled and nodded. “I think it is. Hopefully she can get it to him.” Once she read the letter, she gave it back to Tracy. “I'm sorry he's doing this to you sweetheart.”
“It just su... .” She stopped and looked at her mother who began to raise both eyebrows. “I hate it I mean. What did I ever do to the person who took those pictures?”
“I don't know, Baby.” Maggie gave Tracy a quick hug, then went back to mixing the cookie dough. “I'm sorry it's being done though.”
Tracy read the letter again, then sat in her seat and smiled at Vance. “Vance? You know you're the greatest big brother ever, right?” William walked past his two children and stopped long enough at the bowl of cookie dough and pulled out a bit of the uncooked dough and popped it in his mouth. As he reached for a second bite, Maggie playfully smacked at his hand.
“I am?” Vance asked.
“And I love you lots, too.”
Vance began to study her features, trying to figure out what she was getting at. William laughed. “Watch it boy, she's buttering you up.”
“Daddy.” Tracy said in that whiny voice, then she smiled at Vance. “If I give you letters for Emily May And Mary Beth, could you give them to them? And maybe bring theirs to me?”
“Sure I guess.” He said with a shrug.
William laughed again. “What's wrong with you boy, barter for something.”
“Oh, yeah....” Vance looked to the cookies that his mother was making. “I want the first cookies out of the oven.” William chuckled and shook his head.
“Okay.” Tracy agreed, knowing full well that each of them would have some of the first batch.
“Then, yeah, I'll take your letters to them.”
“Thank you Vance.” Tracy said.
As William headed back to the living-room, he put a hand on his sons shoulder. “Son, we need to teach you have to wheel and deal with women.”
Maggie patted her shoulder. “You want to write out a note now, or wait till tomorrow so we can do the cookies together?”
“I'll help with the cookies.” Tracy said with a smile. “I'll write a letter before bed, so I don’t forget.”
The cookies were done and Tracy was ready for bed, wearing a nightgown for the first time since the pictures came out. She was still scared, but she realized that no one would see her this late at night, and she missed the feel of it. She sat at the table, pen in hand, trying to think of the best way to respond to her friends. A part of her was hurt that they couldn't come over anymore, but she knew it wasn't their fault. She knew many people would hate her for what she was. She tapped her pen against her notepad a couple of times, then she started to write.
Dear Emily May and Mary Beth,
Thank you for the note. Vance says he'll run the letters back and forth for us. I'm glad too, you two are the only girls I am friendly with here in town. I wish that Sage and the others lived up here, but what can you do? I am sorry about your father. I wish he wasn't a jerk, but once again, what can we do.
We talked to a Sheriff’s deputy today, he doesn't seem hopeful, so Mom is thinking of changing our phone number and making it unlisted. If she does, I'll have Vance tell you the number.
Tell Mary Beth that I'll miss being in class with her. I wish this hadn't happened. But I really wish I could be myself and people would just let me be.
Well, before I get mad, again, I'm going stop writing. I hope to see you both soon.
Love, your friend Tracy
She put her pen down and read the letter again, then once more. As she was tearing the paper out of the notebook, she heard someone walking into the kitchen. She stopped and looked up to see her father smiling at her. “You okay in here?”
“Yeah, Daddy.” She replied.
“I'm sorry about your friends. I know there's some small minded idiots out there, but to take away two of your friends, it hurts.” William said.
“Yeah.” She agreed again, this time nodding. “It hurts, but I don't want them in trouble.”
“They're probably hurting too.” William put a hand on her shoulder. “But you never know what tomorrow will bring. Their father may let them come over again.”
“I hope so, or it's going to get lonely here.” Tracy shook her head. “I wish that we lived closer to Rachel and Sage too.”
“I know. If I had my way, you'd have an army of friends and never be lonely again. But I don't have that magic wand to wave.”
“I know Daddy.” Tracy wrapped her arms around him. “It just....I hate this. What did I do to this person? I haven't hurt anyone by wearing what I want?”
As she leaned her head against him, he could hear her start to sniffle. “I know baby. Like I said before, some people get off on hurting others. It's not you, but them.”
“It's them, but I still get the nasty end of the stick.” Tracy stated, making sure to leave the swear words out.
“I know.” He patted her back. “While I got you talking, are you going to be okay if your Grandparents are here for a few days?”
“I don't know Daddy.” Tracy replied. “I'd have to be Troy while they're here. I guess I could still be in my nightgowns at night, but what if they see me? What if they hate me like Grandpa Conner did?”
“We won't know that till they get here.” William stated. “Are you wanting to let them meet Tracy”
“Maybe?” Tracy shrugged. “What if we wait and I show them Tracy before they leave?”
“That's a possibility.” William nodded. “Why don't you get to bed and we can think about it over the weekend when we've rested, okay?”
“Okay.” Tracy stood up and hugged her father once again. “Thank you Daddy.”
“For what sweetheart?”
“For being the best Daddy ever.” Tracy said with a grin.
Yay, Friday the 28th is over!!! Now to move the story on again. Will more of the brown stuff decorate the fan? Or is life going to look up now?
“Come here, Baby.” Maggie said with a warm smile. Tracy came in, wearing a skirt for the first time since the pictures had been passed out. She walked over and Maggie put an arm around her. “I noticed something in my Jewelry box today and I felt you needed to see it too.”
“I swear, I haven't been in your jewelry.” Tracy said with a worried look on her face.
“I believe you. I'm not saying you were, but it's time I showed you something.” Maggie held out her hand and showed Tracy the necklace. “This is yours.”
“It's mine?” Tracy shook her head slightly. “I only got the necklace from Peter and the few things you bought me at Christmas.”
Thanks to both Djkauf for the Editing and Rev. Anam Chara for help with the religious stuff
Tracy's back and the heat is still on.
January 29th 1983
Clark made his way down the driveway to a house set off of the main road. The front yard looked like a graveyard for cars. Several junkers of the same year and model sat around, in various states of dismantlement. Near the house was another car of the same year and model, but this one was in pristine shape.
Clark fought the urge to trace his finger along the frame, he knew the owner wouldn't care for it. Instead he went to the door and knocked. A few moments later a person who looked around twenty answered the door and grunted by way of acknowledgment. Clark smiled and adjusted the pack that hung on one shoulder. “Hey Billy, can I come in?”
“Yeah.” The older teen grunted, then he stepped to the side and let Clark pass. “What you need?”
“I need to leave these with you for a while.” Clark said and handed the pack to him.
“What is it?”
“Those pictures.” Clark said with a smile. “I got a few more done, but I want to send some to his parents.”
“The Fag's parents?” The teen asked. Clark nodded. “Well, I can get the dad's to him, how you doing his mom?”
“I mailed it to her work.” Clark gave him a smug smile. “I'd send one to the house, but I think it's stupid idea. But I've given one to a kid who goes to his Kung Fu school, he's getting all the kids to threaten to quit.”
“'Kay, but why bring 'em here?”
Clark grunted. “Little faggot called the cops. Told them I was threatening him before Christmas. I got nervous and want them out of the house.”
“I can hold 'em.” He said with a nod. “Need the pack?”
“For school, yeah.”
“Kay.” Billy took the pack and headed out of the house and across the yard to a giant barn that acted as a garage and storage shed that Billy's father used at times He opened the door and ushered Clark in, then he stepped in and turned on the lights to his makeshift garage. He always enjoyed being in Billy's garage, from the posters of the women in swimsuits, to the centerfolds from the nudie magazines that Billy had carefully pulled out and placed on the walls, to the pictures of muscle cars. The only thing about the garage he hated was the thick smoke smell that hung in the air. He knew it wasn't from normal cigarettes, like his grandmother smoked, but from pot. He watched as Billy tipped the pack over and spilled the contents out onto a cot that lay in one corner. Then he tossed the pack back to Clark.
“You better get goin'. If they watching you, they may follow you or somethin'.”
“Okay, Thanks Billy.”
“Hey, no problem. Bruce is family, anything to teach that little faggot snitch his place, I'm up for it, just don't tell Dad, he won’t understand.”
“Yeah. See ya Billy.” Clark said as he headed to the door.
Breakfast was already over and Vance had headed out the door to help his Grandfather and Jerry Rivers in cleaning up the barn. Maggie could hear her daughter, in the living-room running the vacuum cleaner. She decided that wearing a nightgown all day wasn't going to cut it so after breakfast she had gone to get in her clothes. As she sat at the edge of the bed she looked at the top of her dresser and her eyes stopped at the jewelry box that William had sent her from when he visited Japan, while on leave, during his tour of Duty in Viet Nam.
It wasn't her plan to wear jewelry that day, but something compelled her to open it up. She looked at the assortment of jewelry that lay inside and she began to hear her Grandmother’s words from when she was a little girl.
~This is for you Maggie. And when you have a daughter and you think she's old enough, you can pass it along to her. When she has children, she can pass it to her daughter, or granddaughter.~
She picked up the piece, a simple silver necklace and a smile crossed her lips as she remember the day she received it. She only barely noticed the vacuum shut off so she called out. “Tracy? Can you come in here please?”
A few moments later, Tracy poked her head though the curtain that served as the bedroom door. “You called?”
“Come here, Baby.” Maggie said with a warm smile. Tracy came in, wearing a skirt for the first time since the pictures had been passed out. She walked over and Maggie put an arm around her. “I noticed something in my Jewelry box today and I felt you needed to see it too.”
“I swear, I haven't been in your jewelry.” Tracy said with a worried look on her face.
“I believe you. I'm not saying you were, but it's time I showed you something.” Maggie held out her hand and showed Tracy the necklace. “This is yours.”
“It's mine?” Tracy shook her head slightly. “I only got the necklace from Peter and the few things you bought me at Christmas.”
“When I was your age this was the first piece of jewelry I ever got.” Maggie turned to face her daughter a bit better. “My Grandmother told me that if and when I had a daughter, when she got old enough, I was to give it to her. I feel you're old enough now, so it's yours.” Maggie placed the necklace into her daughters hand.
Tracy ran a finger along it, but she was slightly confused. “She gave it to you to give it away?”
“It's a mother thing. Every mother has jewelry that they want to give to their daughters. It's a way of passing on the story of your family.”
Tracy looked at her. “So...this is mine? No joke?”
Maggie gently put her hand over the necklace. “It's no joke. This is all yours. In fact I may have a couple more things to send your way.”
Tracy's eyes lit up as she leaned forward to look at the jewelry box. “Really?”
“Really. I need to go through it and maybe some night, you and I can do that.” Maggie put an arm around her daughter and pulled her close. “See it was my job to pass this down to my daughter, but when I thought I only had boys, I had forgotten about it. I was set to give it to any granddaughters I may have been blessed with.” She kissed Tracy's cheek. “I never realized till this past summer that I had a daughter all along.”
Tracy blushed brightly. Maggie cocked her head slightly, then looked at each of Tracy's ear. “That's something else we need to do for you.”
“What?”
Maggie ran a finger over Tracy’s ear. “Earrings. Almost all girls your age have them. I got a few of those in here too, for you.”
“Really?”
“Yes.” Maggie replied. “We'll have to look into getting your ears pierced when we go to your next appointment down south, if you want.”
“I want t....” Tracy's train of thought stopped as she realized that with both ears pierced she couldn't hide very well. “Can I think about it?”
“Yes. We're not taking you right now, so you got a couple of weeks to think.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Tracy said, then she looked at the necklace. “And thanks for this too.” She grabbed it with both hands and held it to her neck, then looked in a mirror, just to see how she looked. “This is pretty.”
“Yes it is, just like my daughter.”
With her cleaning done, Tracy had curled up on the couch with a book. She had made a promise to herself that she wasn't leaving the house. The chores at her grandparents were finished and she had the whole weekend to herself, other than some cleaning in her parent’s house. The phone-calls hadn't stopped, but her parents were taking them all now, making the kids who called afraid to say anything.
So when the phone rang, she only looked up from her book for a second, as her father picked it up. “Hello.” He said with forced cheer into the phone. She watched as he listened, then he smiled and handed it to her. “It's for you kiddo. It's Sage and the girls.”
Tracy's smile lit up and she reached over and took the phone from her father. “Hi!!!”
“Well you sound happy. We just thought we'd see how school went yesterday. We would have called yesterday, but everyone had something going on.” Sage stated.
“It didn't happen.” Tracy replied. “I'm being home-schooled now.”
“Home-schooled?” Sage repeated back. Tracy knew it wasn't for her sake, but the other girls on the other end of the phone. “That's good. Any more phone calls?”
“Yeah.” Tracy agreed. “Mom and Dad got a couple of them this morning. “They didn't say anything, though.”
“That sucks, at least you don’t have to deal with them anymore at school.” Sage stated.
“I still have tests that I have to go to school for.” Tracy replied. “But the Principal will keep me in the staff lunchroom for the tests so I don't have to deal with people.”
“Oh. Well, that's a small step forward.” Sage stated. There was talking in the background, then she spoke up. “Hey, we were thinking here. What if we all come up on this coming Friday? We can hang out and stuff. There's a staff day on Monday, so we don't have school and Mom said we had to ask your parents.”
“I can ask my parents.” Tracy asked. “Let me see if we got plans.”
“Sure.” Sage answered. “It would be all of us. Stacey and Casey got school on Monday though so they'd leave Sunday night.”
Tracy held the phone away from her ear and looked from one parent to the other. “Mom, can Sage, Rachel and the others come up on Friday? Please?” She held the phone between her hands as she began to look like she was begging. “Pretty please?”
Maggie thought about it for a moment. “I don't see why not. William? You got any problems with that?”
“How many people? I mean the five girls could fit out here. Add parents and that's a lot of space?” William replied in a questioning tone.
“Here, Can I have the phone?” Maggie asked.
“Sure.” Tracy handed her the phone and sat back.
“Sage, it's Maggie. I'd like to talk to your mother.” Tracy sat back as her mother went into mom mode and set up the plans. After a few moments she looked to Tracy as she hung up the phone. “I'm going to talk to your grandparents, Persephone will have Sage call back in a few, okay?”
After Maggie had made her calls, Tracy waited for the phone to ring. When it did she launched herself over the end of the couch before her father could move. “Tracy wait, I'll get...” Was all he said before she picked it up and spoke in an excited voice.
“Hi Sage, what did they say!”
“Awww, was the fag expecting a call?” The now familiar and hated voice said. “I'm going to teach you a lesson for what you did fag. I heard you called the cops, fag. You sent them to the wrong house, didn't you? Maybe you'll get smart and not call them this time. Maybe I'll come over there now and teach your whole family a lesson. I ain't afraid of your dad. I'll beat the shit out of him and your stupid brother too. Maybe I'll make them watch as I beat the shit out of you and your mama too. But I'll have my fun with you two first. Wanna hear what's going to happen to you? Of course you do.”
Tracy's eyes filled with tears as the voice continued. She had just wanted one day without a threat, or being reminded of the threat. She wanted to be herself. She was afraid, but a part of her was getting tired of hiding. The stress of the past few days welled up. She wanted to hang up, but her hand refused to work. She wanted it to stop, but the man continued. “I'll come over there and show you what happens to little fags who wear dresses, then I'll teach your mama a lesson for letting you do it. Maybe I'll make you watch. You wanna be a girl so bad, we'll show teach you what's it's like to be a woman.”
Maggie had seen the look on her daughters face and had leaned in and listened to the man on the other end of the phone. In one quick motion, she grabbed the phone from her daughter and held it to her mouth, as she produced a small silver whistle from the nearby end table. She sucked in a quick breath, then blew the whistle as hard as she could into the phone.
Tracy and William winced in pain and they both jammed the ends of their index fingers into their ears and turned away from the whistle. When Maggie stopped, she held the phone back to her ear and growled. “Look you stupid fuck. You may not be aware of this, but this phone is being listened to by the sheriff’s department. They can trace this and find you. You set foot on this property and I swear, I will kill you if you hurt my child before they can stop you.” She slammed the phone down with a primal scream of frustration. She looked to her daughter who was starting to cry.
William looked to her as she scooped Tracy into a hug. “Was that necessary?”
“Maybe not, but it sure as fuck felt good!” Maggie said as Tracy sobbed into her chest.
“Did you have to blow the whistle?”
“No. But that little fucker will think twice before he calls here again.”
“That's true.” William replied with a shake of his head.
“I know you keep saying money is tight, but that number gets changed on Monday.”
“Okay.” He replied.
Maggie didn't stop. “And we're getting an unlisted number.”
“Maggie, that cost more each...”
“Fuck the money William!” She snapped. “You want your daughter to grow up in fear of the phone? Do you? Maybe you'd like to know what he was saying before I blew the whistle.” She glared at him, but he only lowered his gaze. “He was going into great detail of what he planned to do when he comes over here, not just to Tracy, but to me as well. She already lives that hell because of Bruce, you want it to happen again? Do you want both of us to live that? Do you William?!?”
William nodded in defeat. “Okay. Monday it changes?”
“I'll call.” Maggie said, just then the phone started to ring. William reached out and picked it up, before Maggie could.
“Look you fucker, I swear I will kill you if you touch my family?!?” He snapped into the phone. His facial features softened and he released a sigh of relief. “Sorry Sage. No, I'm not mad at you, we just got another call.” He was silent for a moment, then he nodded. “Yeah, Maggie heard it too...From what Maggie said, it was bad...I'll ask.” He covered the receiver with the palm of his hand and looked to Tracy, who was cradled in Maggie's arms. “It's Sage again, you wanna talk?” Tracy nodded her head and held out her hand. William handed her the phone and he got up, headed to the kitchen.
“Hello?” Tracy asked between sniffles.
“Hey, you okay?” Sage asked in a concerned tone.
“No.” Tracy replied, her voice cracking from the fear and frustration.
“It's gonna be okay.” Sage said.
“No it's not.” Tracy sobbed out. “The cops can't stop it.”
“I'm so sorry.” Sage said. “Damn I wish you lived here.”
“I just want people to leave me alone.” Another sob shook her body and Maggie just held her tightly.
“I am tired of the hiding and the threats. I just want to be me.”
“That's it, we're definitely coming up next week.” Sage said. Tracy could hear talking in the background and a bunch of whispering. “Can my mom talk to yours?”
“I guess.” Tracy said, then she handed the phone to her mother. “Persephone wants to talk.”
Maggie took the phone. “Hello?” She was quiet for a second, then she nodded. “Yeah, another one. Bad, like real bad...Wait a moment.” She tapped her daughter on the shoulder. “Baby, can you go to your room for a moment, I don't want to upset you anymore.”
Tracy didn't want to leave her mother and William saw it. He came back to his daughter and put a hand out for her. “Come on, let's look at those books of yours and you can tell me what ones you need next.”
“Okay, Daddy.” Tracy said slowly slid off of her mothers lap. She didn't want to leave the safety of her mother, but she knew what her mom was about to say.
The two of them walked through the kitchen and to Tracy's room. They stopped at the bookcase and Tracy stood there, then William pulled her into a hug. “I'm sorry this asshole is still out there baby.”
“I just wanna be me, Daddy.”
“You mean be Tracy all the time?” He asked. She nodded.
“I'm getting tired of this, Daddy. These phone-calls, the pictures. I just want to be me, but I'm afraid. I've already had to fight Vance and Grandpa. Why do I got to fight the world.”
William held her tight. “Baby, if this is what you want, then we're behind you. I know I've not been the best about it, but I love you and you got my support now.”
“Can we move?” She asked, her eyes filled with tears and the scene tugged at William's heart. “I know money's tight, but we could move to Livermore. Sage is there and no one knows us there.”
“I don't know baby.” He answered.
“Daddy, I'm tired of the calls. I just want to be me. Everyone knows about it, but I still got to hide. I don't want to hide.”
William sighed as he hugged his daughter tighter. “I'll....I'll talk it over with your mother.”
“Thank you, Daddy.” It wasn't the answer she wanted, but it was better then nothing.
Tracy sat at the couch, with her grandmother. Modine had come over after the second phone call, when Conner, Vance and Jerry had gone into town for shopping. Together the two of them went over the J.C. Penny catalog, looking for new clothes for Tracy. She had finally calmed down from the threatening call she had taken earlier.
William was busy watching a winter sporting event on TV, while Maggie was reading in her chair. None of them had noticed that she had picked up her bible and was reading from that. There was a knock at the door and Maggie looked to William as she got up. “I got it.” She went to the door and placed herself to open the door far enough to step out, but not let who-ever it was to see Tracy.
Maggie opened the door to see a group of faces she hadn't seen in years. At the front of the group was Molly Hallmark. To her side was June Olsen. Two other women stood behind them, Wendy Hurt in jeans and wearing an almost masculine haircut and the last was Kimberly Caborn. She had recalled seeing the young girl go into high-school, just a few years earlier. “Hello. Can I help you?” Maggie said as she recognized the woman on her doorstep. The last time she had seen three of these women, they had been working on getting the two ladies out of the church they used to attend.
“Hello Maggie, We were wondering if we could talk to you and your husband for a minute.”
“I suppose so, can I ask what this is about?” Maggie asked, even though she had a good idea what it was.
“My boys told me of some nasty rumors going around the school and we just wanted to see if there was any truth to them.”
“What rumors are those?” Maggie asked warily.
“They said Troy was found in a dress? They also said he had been attacked here on the farm, so was your mother in law. Plus someone was passing pictures around last week.” Molly said. “We felt we needed to come over and talk to you and find out what happened.”
June spoke up, giving Maggie her best comforting smile. “I was planning on stopping by when your mother-in-law and son were attacked, but you know how busy the holidays get.”
Maggie was about to send them on their way, recalling their treatment of the two ladies that had left the church before she took her family out and several bible verses that she had read over the past few months sprang to mind. She focused on one in particular, 'Love your enemies and pray for those that persecute you.' She sighed. “One moment.” She said, then she stepped in and closed the door.
She went over to her husband and filled him in on who it was. She leaned in close so only her family could hear her and she whispered. “Will, it may be dumb, but if we can talk to them, maybe we won’t have to deal with the problems they raised for those ladies. Besides, it's not like they can run us out of the church.”
“I don't know, Maggie.” He whispered back. “Didn't work too well for those ladies.”
“Will, it may be for the best. God only knows what trouble they can cause us if we make them mad.” Maggie whispered back.
“Remember how they went all over and cost those ladies their jobs? Do we want to make them mad? We send them away and I promise that's what will happen.”
“How do we know this won't blow up in our face?” William asked.
Modine leaned over and whispered. “I think you should do it. Tell them what happened and show them Troy's side.”
“How?” Maggie asked.
“If they ask, tell them about Troy, tell them about the injuries, They don't need to know that this was happening before the attack.” Modine said. “They also don't need to know he's still got one last bit of maleness on him. Make it sound like this was the only logical choice.”
“Isn't lying bad?” Tracy asked.
“Yes, it is. But is it lying if you leave it to their imagination?” Modine replied.
Maggie put a hand on Tracy's shoulder. “Baby, go to your room if you want, but honestly, I think them meeting you may be the best bet.”
“Should I put on my boy clothes?” Tracy asked.
Maggie shrugged. “Wear what you think is best, okay? I trust you and you got my support for whatever you choose.”
Tracy got up and ran to the kitchen, then headed towards the bedroom she shared with her brother.
Maggie went to the door an opened it up. “Come on in.” She said as she held the door open wide enough to let the four women come in. “William, could you grab a couple of chairs?”
“Yeah.” He said as he got up from his chair. On his way to the kitchen, he shut off the TV.
“Modine.” June said as she stepped in. “It's good to see you. I see you weren't hurt too bad in December.”
“Well, I was, but it's been almost two months.”
“So, what about Troy has you worried?” Maggie asked as William brought two chairs in, then he went and got the last two from the kitchen.
“Well to be honest, it's the fact that he was seen in girls clothes in public.” Molly stated.
“And this worries you, why?” Maggie asked.
“Honestly, we're worried for the kids in town. How do we know there's not something wrong in your son's head that makes him want to dress like that? Something could cause him to be out of sorts and attack people for no reason. Plus, think of Troy's soul.” Molly pulled a bible out of her purse and flipped to a bookmarked place. “It's in the bible, Maggie. It's from Deuteronomy, chapter twenty two, verse five. No man should wear a woman's clothes.” She looked up from her bible and looked at Maggie. “We're not here to pass judgment, we're here as mothers, looking out for the welfare of the town and it's children.”
“And yet you’re passing judgment on my child's mental state?” Maggie asked. “I promise you there are no mental issues with my children, either one of them.”
“Maggie, we're worried about the safety of our own children. As a mother you can understand how important it is to see your kids stay safe, can't you?” Molly said, pleading as best as she could.
“Honestly, we have no idea what's going on in your son's mind to convince him to dress like that, but whatever it is, it can't be good. And I'd rather not have someone who's that unstable in school with my boys.”
“I'd hate to tell you, but there were unstable people in that school for the past couple of years. Three of them attacked my family just two months ago and someone else there is now calling my house and threatening us all over again, this time they are threatening to rape and kill me and Troy. So if you can find that unstable person, then not only will my children be safe, but your boys will be safe too and you'll have my gratitude, but trust me, that person isn't in this house....or at least they don't live here.”
“Maggie, just how safe are we from someone who dresses up as the opposite sex and acts like he's something he's not?”
“Tell me, how much danger was there from those two ladies you ran out of the church?” Maggie asked. “As I recall, you used the same argument about keeping the town safe when you ran those two women out of the church and set about destroying any chance they had of keeping work in this town.”
“Maggie, you know the type of people those kinda of women attract. Or what about the people your son will attract?”
“Honestly, I don't. Do you? Did you even talk to them? Or did you just hate them because they lived together?” Maggie glared at Molly. “And so far, all my child has attracted is people who have tried to kill him, persecute him and others who think they know how his life should run or what is in his head.”
Molly held up her bible. “Maggie, it's in the bible. Gays and lesbians are wrong. It also says that men should not wear women's clothes!”
“That bit about men wearing women's clothing, it goes both ways. You missed the first part of the verse.” Maggie flipped her bible to the page and read loudly. “The woman shall not wear that which pertain unto a man, neither shall a man wear a woman's garment, for these are an abomination to the lord. “
“And your child wears girls clothing!”
“WHAT DO YOU CALL THAT!” Maggie screamed at her as she pointed to Wendy Hurt. “She's wearing pants! If a man can't wear a dress, then why can a woman wear a man's pants. How about that masculine haircut that she has.”
“Times have changed Maggie. Women can wear pants.” Molly replied.
“Can she?!?” Maggie held up the bible to Molly's face. “It's in the bible that she can't! You come into my home, call my child an abomination, then one of you sits there breaking the same verse that you claim he is? If I recall, you used to wear pants a lot too.”
“Well, it's not the same!” Molly said.
Maggie arched an eyebrow. “Why isn't it?!? Could it be that your argument would be over?!?” William stayed in his seat, aware that both women were getting worked up, but he knew better then to get in the middle of a cat fight. “You want to quote Deuteronomy, how about this, just three verses after the one you used on Troy.”
Maggie's temper flared as she snapped at Molly. “When thou buildest a new house, thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine house, if any man fall from thence!” Maggie looked up from the bible and glared at Molly. “That's a nice house you had built several years ago. Where's your battlements?”
“What?” Molly stammered.
“Battlements. Parapets, that lip on a roof so people don't fall off? It's in the bible, why don't you have any on your house?”
“Well, some of those parts were written thousands of years ago and aren't a part of God’s law.” Molly smugly replied.
“So you feel you can pick and choose what to throw at me, just so it suits your needs? This was all written thousands of years ago, just not certain parts!” She got up and went to Molly, then pointed to Molly's bible, just an inch or so away from where Molly had quoted from. “It's three verses away, that means it may have been written moments before!”
“Stop fighting.” A timid voice called from the kitchen. But neither woman heard it. Modine looked up and saw a shadow on the floor that crossed the doorway.
Molly didn't stop, but she stumbled in her verbal fight, but her mind went back to what she saw as the most likely event. “What if your child attacks one of our children, or grandchildren?!? That would involve us!”
“And yet you're here, threatening my child when he hasn't done anything to any of your kids or Grand-kids?!?”
“It's only a matter of time!”
“STOP FIGHTING!!!” A child’s voice screamed from the kitchen. A moment later Tracy stepped out, still in her skirt and blouse. Her hair was now in pigtails and she looked around the room. She looked angry, but on the verge of tears. “STOP IT, BOTH OF YOU!!! JUST STOP!!!”
All the women looked at her in surprise. If they had not seen the picture and been told who it was, none of them would have thought she wasn't a preteen girl. Molly recovered the fastest of all the women. “I have never been yelled at by a child!” She glared at Maggie. “Clearly you need to work on the commandment about honoring adults!”
“It’s honor thy father and mother.” Tracy replied, her hands shaking in fear and anger. Her eyes narrowed as she kept her focus on Molly. She wanted to run, but a part of her pictured Molly as the person who kept calling and she wanted to unleash all of frustration. “You're not my mother, or my father. I honor them as best as I can. All I have to do for you is treat you with respect, if you do the same for me.”
“It also says that little boys can't be little girls!” Molly snarled. Maggie got up and stood by her daughter.
Tracy kept glaring at Molly. “There's a reason I do this and no, it's not your concern.”
“As long as you go to school with my children, it's my concern!”
“NO IT'S NOT!” Tracy screamed. She stood there, her breath had spread up and her fists were balled so tight, the knuckles had gone white. “I'm home-schooled now! It's not your problem!”
“As long as you're in this town, It's my concern!” Molly tried to step around Maggie, but she was blocked.
“THIS ISN'T JUST YOUR TOWN!!!” Tracy screamed once more. “YOU DON'T OWN IT ALL!!!”
“This is against the Lord!” Molly roared.
“Maybe, but isn't that between God and Me?” Tracy asked.
“I'm not trying to judge you, Molly. And I'll be praying tonight for what I did, but you come in here, passing judgment on my child without knowing why she did what she did? How about looking a bit more into the bible. First Samuel sixteen seven.” Maggie held her bible up to read it. “But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look on his appearance, or height of stature, for I have rejected him. For the lord sees not as man sees. Man looks on the outward appearance, The Lord looks at the heart.'” Maggie closed her bible with one hand and pointed at her youngest, who stood behind her. “That means it's not what's on the outside that counts, but the inside.”
Tracy stood there as Maggie continued, gesturing to her daughter once more. “That child of mine has a heart of gold. He gave up his health to defend his grandmother. He risked his life and now, because of what happened, she, not he, now has two options, one is killing herself and you know that's a sin. The other is to take what happiness she can get from the life that she was offered. There's almost nothing male body wise on him anymore, so stop comparing my daughter to your sons. After all, how do you know that this isn't part of the Lord's plan to test my child. I can tell you that that child of mine has the soul of a little girl, not a boy. There's been nothing boyish about him for years, so what if she was breaking that verse you love so much by dressing as a boy all these years!”
Modine took a sip from her cup of tea then cleared her throat. “I've always found Saint Paul's words to be quite true.” The older woman stated. “Look at Romans three, verse twenty three.” Modine took another sip of tea as Tracy quietly walked over to her.
Maggie began flipping pages to get to the mentioned verse. She read it as Molly Hallmark did and she smiled. Then she read it aloud for the other women. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
“Well in the bible Jesus says that the devil can quote scripture!” Molly retorted.
“AND IT'S ABOUT TIME SHE LEFT MY HOUSE!!!” Maggie roared. “You want people to live to what the bible says, then you better start in your own family. Don't bring your hate into my house. What happened to Love thy neighbor? What happened to Judge not lest ye be judged? I tired to be nice and I humbly apologize for judging you, but it's hard when you don't know the full story and you come down here, threatening my family like those people who had been calling, threatening my child! Now get out of my house!”
Maggie stood there, pointing at the door and slowly the four women stood up. She watched as they slowly filed out. Molly stopped at the door and glared at Maggie. “This isn't over. I wont rest as long as that abomination is in my town. I will find a way to run you out town or make you wish you had!”
William had stood by this point and had stood next to his wife and child. “Can I hold you to that? We already got an open case with the sheriff’s department for the threats that we've received against Troy's, Maggie's, Vance's and one other girl's life. Plus someone has called and threatened to kill both her and Maggie. I'm sure they'd love to talk to you about threatening the same child. Maybe they can question you about the threats and those pictures. You have kids who went to school with Troy, that could implicate them in this.” He gave her a big smile and Molly's eyes went wide, then she rushed outside.
As they heard the cars pull away, Modine began to chuckle. Slowly the chuckle became louder. This caused Tracy and her parents to look questioningly at her grandmother. “Um....Mom?” William asked. “You okay?”
“Sorry, it always cracks me up when people use that quote.”
“What quote?” William asked.
“And the Devil can quote scripture.” Modine chuckled again. “The full quote is, The Devil can quote scripture for his own purposes. An evil soul producing holy witness is like a villain with a smiling cheek.”
Maggie arched an eyebrow and shook her head slowly. “Why does that seem familiar?”
“It should be. It's From the Shakespeare play, Merchant of Venice.” Modine smiled brightly as she looked to her granddaughter and held out her arms to hug Tracy. The young girl leaned into the hug as Modine spoke again. “There's another famous quote from Shakespeare that I feel relates to you.”
“Really? What is it?” Tracy asked.
“It's from Hamlet.” She pulled her granddaughter in close. “This above all, to thine own self be true and it must follow, as night follow day, thou canst not be false to any man.”
Tracy was quiet for a moment, then she bit her lip and shook her head. “What does that mean?”
“I think it means that you need to be honest to yourself.” Modine said. “For you, I think it means this. Dressing up like Troy, isn't being true to yourself. You've found yourself in Tracy. When you dress as Troy, you're not being true to the girl that you are. So if you can't be true to yourself, how can you be true to others.”
Tracy stood there in the embrace, trying to figure out what she meant, finally she looked at her grandmother. “So, each time I'm Troy, I'm a liar?”
“Let me ask you this, if clothes didn't matter, should I call you Tracy or Troy?”
“Tracy.” The young child replied with a smile. “I've always been Tracy.”
“Then why has Tracy tried to pass herself off as Troy.” Modine asked. “You remember when Vance used to lie all the time?” Tracy nodded. “You could never tell if he was telling the truth or not, right?”
“No, sometimes I still wonder if he lies to me.” Tracy stated.
“See, he wasn't true to himself, so he wasn't true to anyone else and now you can't believe him.” Modine brushed some of the long hair out of the child’s face. “How can I trust you if you go and lie to people saying you're a boy named Troy, if you don't believe it yourself?”
“I have a question.” Maggie asked as she dropped to a knee to see her daughter’s face better. “Is this permanent now? I mean you just stepped out against people who oppose you, dressed like an eleven year old girl.”
Tracy nodded. “While you talked, I realized how sick I am of the hiding. I don't want to be Troy, ever again.”
“Well, some hiding may be worth it, but we'll trust your judgment on when you want to hide.” Maggie hugged her daughter and kissed her cheek.
That evening Tracy sat at the table and waited for her father and brother to go outside and get more firewood. Once she was sure her Dad was outside, she put down her book that she had been reading and looked to her mother who was making a cake. “Mom, can we move?”
“What, Baby?”
“Can we move?” Tracy asked again. “Out of town, to somewhere safe. Livermore is safe, Sage hasn't had any troubles there.”
“Baby, you're worried about the man calling, aren't you?” Maggie asked.
“Yeah and those church ladies.”
“I know.” Maggie said with a nod of her head. “I can talk to your father about it, but we'd be on hard times.”
“I know money's tight. I know that, but down there I could go to school as a girl. Sage does it, why can't I?” Tracy pleaded. “Mom, what if those ladies mess with your jobs and you lose them? What if word of those pictures gets out and Dad loses his job? Then we're no better off.”
Maggie had to nod and agree to the wisdom in her words. “Yeah. I'll talk to him tonight, before he goes to bed, okay?”
“Thank you Mom. I know it would be tough, but we can make it, I know we can.” Tracy got up and hugged her mother. "I'm gonna take a shower, but can I help with icing the cake later?"
"Sure sweetheart." Maggie said with a smile. She watched her daughter head to the bathroom before she went to the living-room to get to the phone. Maggie heard the shower start up and she knew that Vance and William were still stacking wood outside so she decided to look into Tracy's request. She picked up the phone and dialed. A few moments later there was the sound of someone picking it up, followed by her friends voice.
“Coopers, Shelly speaking.”
“Shell, it's Mags.”
“Maggie! How are you? How's the kids?” She could hear the shorter woman moving around and then Shelly sounded confused. “Something wrong? Or is there a new appointment coming up and you need a place to stay.”
“No, no appointment, but I got a situation I need to pass by you.” Maggie said. She quickly laid out what was happening, including the pictures and the calls and the church ladies.
Shelly gave a forced chuckle. “That daughter of yours just isn't having a good year, is she?”
“No.” Maggie replied. “Look, William doesn't know I'm calling you, but I want to cover my bases early.”
“What do you need? I'm sure we can help you no matter what.” Shelly said.
Maggie leaned back in her seat. “I want to know if it gets worse and someone attacks her, can we please send her down to you? I don't want her growing up in fear of the phone and school. And I know you would keep her safe.”
“One moment.” Shelly said, then Maggie heard her friend tell the story to Frank. A moment later Shelly spoke up again. “Okay, Frank says yes. You need to send her away, send her to us. I mean we are her Godparents after all. We can get together with Persephone, Karen and Lynn and look to getting her in school with the girls.”
Maggie couldn't help but give a smile of Triumph at how things were working out. Shelly wasn't really an Aunt to the kids, but she had been Maggie's best friend when she went to school in the Bay Area as a child. That friendship had faultered when Maggie was forced to move as a girl, but when she refound Shelly, it flourished as they got older, so much that Maggie asked her to be the Godparents of both Vance and Tracy. But the kids had referred to them as Aunt and Uncle for years, and the Coopers loved it. “We may do that. I think this is going to happen either way, but if you were to hold her for us, that gives us a chance to move later, in the case of an attack.”
“What about Vance?” Shelly asked.
“For now he's in school, but if it gets bad, I'll send him too, if you don't mind.”
“Maggie, I'd rather have living nephews and nieces, then just memories of their funerals.”
“Thank you Shelly.”
“Anytime and next time call us sooner.”
“I will. I'll call you if we have to send her down at all.”
“I want to be the second call.”
“Second call?”
“Yeah, call the cops, then call me.” Shelly stated.
Maggie walked into her bedroom with her husband. As far as she knew, her children were both sleeping in their room. She pulled the curtain that served as their door shut and sat on the edge of the bed. “So, I thought I'd tell you what Tracy asked me today, when you were outside getting firewood.”
He sighed and looked at her. “Let me guess, she wants to move?”
“Yeah.” Maggie said with a nod. “She wants to move bad and honestly, I think she may be right. I think I screwed up by letting those ladies in today, but if we hadn't, it could have been worse. Either way, they'll be trouble. Then there's the asshole who is calling.”
“Yeah. What all did he tell her?”
“Basically that he's going to rape and kill me, and he'll make her watch as he does it, then he'll rape her. Then he'll kill you and Vance and rape her once more then finally kill her.” Maggie stated.
William sat down and took several breaths to calm himself. “Maggie, money is already tight. I just don't know how we could do it. I don't like this anymore then you, we're barely breaking even on the bills.”
“Well, we could always send her to Shelly and Frank. They could watch her and she'd be safe down there. And then I could move and finally you could move. Besides, what if those ladies cost us our jobs? Money would really be tight when we’re unemployed and they go all over town saying we're morally corrupt..”
“We'd need to send them money, to help pay for her. It wouldn't be fair to them to just leave her in their care for free.”
“Would it be cheaper to have to bury her and me, or her and Vance because someone decides to follow through with his sick threat?” Maggie asked.
“Maggie, that's not a fair question.”
“William, I know money is tight, but promise me, one more attack on her, here or in town and we send her someplace safe.” Maggie said, hugging him and doing her best to melt his heart. And it worked.
“Okay. Okay. One bit of trouble and we send her down. But we should talk to Shelly and Frank first.”
“Did that when she took her shower.” Maggie said with a smile. “Shelly said yes, if it comes to it we can send both kids.”
“If that happens, we'll owe then more then we can ever pay back.”
“I know, but she's claiming as their God-parent, she'd rather help raise them then help bury them.”
“Okay. One more attack, or if Molly gets worse, then she's gone and we'll look into Vance going too.”
“Thank you, William.” Maggie said, then she leaned in and kissed his cheek.
Now I would like to state, I know not all Church going people are like this, but the part of Molly is actually pulled from my Childhood and the thing of the two ladies being run from the church because they thought they were lesbians and would attack the kids in the church did happen.
My Dad actually stood up for them (the two ladies who lived together that is) and it became open season on him, in which several of the people against the two ladies who lived together insisted that he, my father, molested their children in a youth group meeting, but the kids denied it. Finally my dad told them if they had proof to tell the cops and if they kept it up he would sue them, then we left the church. From what I heard later, we were the only ones who left during that time.
“Mama?” Tracy's voice cut through her solitude and Maggie fought from giving a shriek of fright, as she jumped in her seat. When she looked up she noticed Tracy had managed to make it all the way to her chair without being heard.
“What's wrong, Tracy?”
“I had a bad dream and couldn't go back to sleep.” Tracy stated. “Not after today. Not after those ladies came here, or that call.”
“I'm sorry. You want to try some warm tea or milk?”
“No...I....” Tracy swallowed as she looked down at her feet. “Mama? Am I an abomination?”
Edited by Djkauf with some input and advice from Rev. Anam Chara
It's time for a bit of character building. A glimpse into how the Patterson's see religion and One of Maggie's darkest secrets. I have the rating up a bit due to subject matter.
William had gone to bed, as had her children, or so she thought. That left Maggie some time to sit and read from her bible again. She kept replaying the days events over in her mind, mostly her encounter with Molly Hallmark. She knew she had crossed the lines by getting mad at Molly. She feared how it would come back to bite them in the backside.
Instead of looking for scripture that concerned her daughter, this time she focused on forgiveness. She wasn't aware that she was reading aloud, even if it was softly. “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may for one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
“Mama?” Tracy's voice cut through her solitude and Maggie fought from giving a shriek of fright, as she jumped in her seat. When she looked up she noticed Tracy had managed to make it all the way to her chair without being heard.
“What's wrong, Tracy?”
“I had a bad dream and couldn't go back to sleep.” Tracy stated. “Not after today. Not after those ladies came here, or that call.”
“I'm sorry. You want to try some warm tea or milk?”
“No...I....” Tracy swallowed as she looked down at her feet. “Mama? Am I an abomination?”
“What?” Maggie asked. “Why would you ask that?”
“That bible verse that Mrs. Hallmark quoted. About men in woman’s clothes being an abomination.”
“Baby, it also said that women who wear men’s clothes are just as bad. Do you think I'm an abomination, too?”
“Why would you be?” Tracy asked as she looked up.
“I wear pants at times. I've had short hair once that looked almost masculine before.” Maggie stated as she reached out and pulled her daughter towards her, letting Tracy sit on one knee. “Tracy, the bible says a lot of things. But like your Grandmother said, we're all sinners. I feel that in the end, it's how you've acted all your life that counts. The most important one to me is this, Judging lest ye be judged? I don't recall where it is in the bible, but basically it says that before you judge someone, take the time to look at yourself.” She flipped though different bookmarks she had in place and began reading. “Ah here it is. Matthew Seven.” She adjusted her daughter and began reading.
“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: And with what measure ye mete, it shall be measure to ye again.” Maggie held her place with a finger, but she looked to her daughter. “There's more, but I want to stop there right now. To me, that means that if you go and judge people with compassion, when it's time for the Lord to judge you, he shall have compassion in his heart when he judges you.”
“So...if you're nice, he'll be nice?”
“Yes. A simple but good way to look at it.” Maggie looked back at her bible. “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thine brothers eye, but consider not the beam that is in thine own eye. Or how will thou say to thy brother, 'let me pull the mote from thine eye': And, behold a beam is in thine own eye. Thou Hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye, and then thou shall see clearly to cast out the mote from Thine Brothers eye.”
Maggie looked back at her daughter. “The idea here, is that you should realize that you are not perfect, neither is the other person, we've all made mistakes, everyone of us. So when you find someone and you start to judge their actions, remember the mistakes you made in your life before you pass a judgment on them.”
“I also think that the less time you spend worrying about other peoples problems, the more time you have to work on your own shortcomings.” Maggie stated. “But like I said a moment ago I also feel that when you're given the chance to judge someone, if you do it with compassion, when it comes time for you to meet God, he'll judge your actions with compassion as well. Yet if you're cruel, and look down on people as you judge them and you refuse to believe that there's any good in them, the Lord shall judge you just as harsh. I feel that the bible is a book of compassion, not hatred.”
“So, I should be nice, but what if someone is judging me?”
“The bible says to love your enemies and to pray for those who persecute you.” Maggie replied. “So when someone is judging you, let them and pray for them later. If they believe something so deeply, there's little hope that you can change their mind.”
“Like Mrs. Hallmark?” Tracy Asked.
“Yeah. Like her.” Maggie agreed, then she sighed. “And that was my fault for letting her in here, but if we hadn't, I think she could have been a lot worse and honestly, I am not expecting her to play nicely.”
Tracy didn't want to think of how Mrs. Hallmark could be if she got mean, instead she let out a long breath and went back to her original question. “So, I'm not an abomination?”
“Tracy, the bible was written thousands of years ago. People were a bit stricter with how they viewed things. In the same book that she was quoting, there are parts that state a man with damaged private parts can not enter the congregation of the Lord. Or people whose parents are not married can not enter the church. Or that virgins must marry the first person they sleep with and people can't re-marry. There's another book that states all people with anything wrong, be it in their sight, or body, like say a hunchback, or a blind-man can't enter the church.”
“So, people born with stuff, like Casey....she couldn't go to church? Or even Brooke with her wheelchair?”
“I think some of that is a bit outdated though. I want to say that some of it was meant for people who were the religious leaders, at least that's what I heard. There are a lot of rules in there and if people followed them to the letter, the world would be very different.”
“How?”
“Well, being stoned to death was a big thing back then. Children who didn't listen? Women who sold their body for sex, thieves, they all got treated about the same, with rocks. And women weren't supposed to be a part of it all. We were to be quiet and let the men run the world.”
“So, I should have been stoned for wearing a skirt?”
“Maybe not. I did say you have the soul of a girl. The more I see you as yourself, the more I'm convinced that you are a girl.” She held up a finger to help her make her point. “So if you have the soul of a girl...and the lord can see what you truly are on the inside...and he sees a young girl inside you...And you wear men's clothes.....” She waited for her child to connect the points of logic.
“Then I'm an abomination, if I wear men's clothes?” Tracy answered, her smile getting wide as she did.
Maggie kissed Tracy's cheek, proud of her daughter once more. “That's how I'm seeing it. See, there's other things, stuff that Molly must have never looked at. The bible says to love thy neighbor.” Maggie sighed. “That's where I messed up. I went on the attack, I didn't forgive them for anything they did or said about you and the family. Instead I met their anger with anger and that was wrong of me.” Maggie pulled her daughter in and hugged her. “But tonight, just before I go to bed, I'll pray, like I do every night and pray that the Lord forgive me for my actions today.”
“And he'll forgive you for that?”
“That’s my belief, it's how I was raised. I feel bad for what I did and I want to make peace with it.”
“So if some of it seems outdated, what parts do we follow?” Tracy asked.
“I'd say the ten commandments are still the best guideline for how people should act. And there's not a one of us that can claim they didn't break one of the ten commandments. But it's when you ask for forgiveness and you truly mean it, the Lord can look into your heart and he can forgive you of all your sins.”
“Have I sinned?”
“We all have. Remember the bit about he who has not sinned. Like your Grandmother said, no man is without sin. According to the Ten Commandments, each time you don't listen to your father and I, that's a sin. Each time you steal, even if it's something small, it's a sin.”
“Wow, Vance is in trouble, isn't he.” Tracy said with a chuckle.
“Maybe. But as long as he asks for forgiveness and truly feels repentant, then the Lord will grant the forgiveness.”
Tracy was quiet for a few moments, till she looked up at her mother and asked. “Mama, have you ever broken one of the ten Commandments? Other than lying?”
Maggie opened up her bible and began flipping to where the Ten Commandments were, in a back index. “When you get older, the more ten commandments you tend to come across. I can honestly say, I've never killed anyone.” She gave a little smile. Her daughter smiled and looked at the bible and began reading. “But I have lied and when I was younger, like Vance and you, I had troubles listening to my parents too.” She let that sink into her daughters head as they read the commandments. Then Tracy looked up at her.
“Images, that's like the golden cow that the Jews had, right? From that book in the bible when the Jews left Egypt?” Tracy asked, remembering the stories from the bible from years earlier when she had been to a church.
“Correct. God didn't want them to worship any other God. It goes with the commandment about not having any other God before him, so he passed down a law that said no other idols should be worshiped.”
“What about the sabbath? Have we broken that?”
“Well, you don't work, but in a sense one could claim you have by cleaning your grandmothers house on Sundays.”
“So when Dad has had to work on Sundays, it's breaking that commandment?”
“Yeah. He does it to help put food on the table, but if we were to follow the bible by the letter, then he's a sinner for working on Sunday.”
“And taking the Lord's name in vain?” Tracy looked at her mother for a moment. “Do I do that?”
“When you're mad and you swear, using the Lord's name, that is taking it in vain.”
Tracy read some more, then looked at her mother again. “What does false witness mean? I always thought it was that you shouldn't lie?”
“Hmmm, you're right.” Maggie thought about it for a moment and nodded at the wisdom of the statement. “Well, false witness could mean like when someone asks you something. Like....Ah yes, like when Mr. Harper asked you what you saw at the school when Bruce stole? Well if you had said he stole something, but he hadn't, that's false witness. Or if you had said that he hadn't stolen, when he had, that's also false witness. I believe it means to not gossip about others too.”
“Oh.” Tracy said. She looked at the page once more. “What's covet?”
“That means you want something, and it belongs to someone else.” Maggie held up a finger. “But don't get this confused with theft. You may covet something, but that doesn't mean you have stolen it. But if you did, then it's two sins you have caused. But now there are parts of the bible that say that if you covet it, then in your heart, you have already stolen it”
“I think I've done that, the covet thing I mean.”
“We all have, even me.” Maggie stated. “For kids, it may be a new bike that someone has, or a pair of pretty shoes that some girl has and you wish you could have it for yourself, or for younger kids, it's that cookie that you really want, but the kid across the table from you has it. For adults it's even bigger. Men who want a younger, cute girl, are coveting. When someone wants their neighbors car, or house or like a boat, that's coveting.
“But the bible says to not covet your neighbors stuff....so is it okay to covet things that belong to someone who is not a neighbor? Like if they live across town?”
“I would say no. When this was written, there were a lot less people in the world and cities were smaller. So I feel that it means you shouldn't want anything owned by your neighbors.” Maggie replied. “It also says that you should you should treat your neighbor as you want to be treated. So does that mean you can be mean to people across town? Or should you treat them with the respect that you want to be given.”
“So neighbor could be like anyone then.” Tracy said as she took the answer and thought about how she had spoken to Molly about giving her respect.
“I think neighbor refers to everyone that isn't you. Plus it says neighbor, but it doesn't say the man across the street, next door, or across town or even in another country, so I would consider neighbor as everyone.”
“So, we should be nice to everyone in the world?”
Maggie nodded. “Yes. You should always strive to be a kind person and treat everyone like you want to be treated.”
“Why are some people mean then? Like Bruce and that guy who calls?”
“Some people don't have any love in their hearts, so they lash out at the ones who have it. You're a special girl. You got support from both your dad and I, your Grandparents and your brother. Plus you have a group of friends and their parents. Some people don't have that, so instead of trying to be a friend, they lash out because they feel you are rubbing it in their face, or that you think you're better then they are, even if you don't think that.”
“Oh.” Tracy was quite as she processed that as well and she began reading from the bible. “What's adultery?” She asked.
“That's where a man or a wife sleeps with someone that they are not married to.”
“Oh.” Tracy was quiet as she looked at the page, then she looked up to her mother. “So, covet and adultery can be together too? Like stealing and coveting and lying and false witness? If you want your neighbor’s wife and you sleep with her, that's adultery and coveting? Right?”
“Right.” Maggie said with a proud smile. She knew her children were smart, but this was helping to cement that feeling. Then her moment was shattered with a simple question.
Tracy looked to her Mother. “Mama? You said you coveted stuff.....Have you ever committed adultery?” The question had left her lips before her mind could stop her.
The question had blindsided Maggie and her jaw dropped slightly. She was quiet for a few moments till Tracy asked the question again, having seen the surprised look on her mother’s face. A part of her guessed that she had found out something her mother thought was hidden as shame and guilt crossed her mothers face and Maggie began to look away. “Mama, you...you did, didn't you?”
Maggie wanted to lie, but she was afraid that the young girl would find out and ruin the trust the two of them had. Plus what would that teach her daughter about the bible, if her own mother lied to her while telling her lying was a sin. The next sentence she said to her daughter was one of the hardest she had to say, but she felt that she needed to hear it. “I did, once about nine months after Vance had been born. It was while your father was away in Viet Nam.” Maggie couldn't look her daughter in the eye.
Tracy moved on her mothers knee, but didn't get up fully. “You had sex with someone that wasn't Dad? Does he know?”
Maggie nodded sadly, still not looking to her daughter. “He knows.”
Tracy slowly stood up, taking a step away, but watching her mother. Her voice filled with a surge of emotions, mostly shock and a sense of being unsure of things. She knew she had been born after the war, but now a question came to her mind. To her it was now a very big question. “Is Dad really my Dad?” She knew that he was, at least she hoped he was, but after years of her brother telling her she was adopted, that fear came racing back at her.
“Yes.” Maggie replied. She sighed and just agreed with herself to tell Tracy the full story. “Tracy, this was nine months after Vance was born. Your father had been shipped out almost a week after Vance's birth. You were born about nine months after he returned to the states, so yes, William is your father.”
“Why Mama? Didn't you love Daddy?”
“I do love him and I did at the time too, but he had been gone and I was lonely....” She sighed. She knew her daughter wasn't old enough to understand how distance can cause the pain of loneliness to exasperate. She reached out and gently touched Tracy's hand, then she folded her fingers around it. “Baby, I hadn't seen your father in nine months. I was living alone trying to raise Vance on what little money your grandparents could send me, along with your father’s pay from the military. I never set out to hurt your father. But there was a man who lived in the same apartment building and he was always kind to me and good with Vance. While your father was away, he would come over and work on the place, because the maintenance man was always taking his time around there.”
Tracy stayed very still. A part of her was still shocked that her mother had slept with someone that wasn't her father. A smaller part still wondered if William was her father.
Maggie swallowed hard and continued. “He was handsome and I'll admit it, I had a crush on him. I coveted him.” Maggie said, using the bible for her daughter as a reference. “I went to his house one night to cook him a meal, in thanks for the work he had done for me around the apartment.”
Tracy could see tears start to fall from her mother's eye and a part of her felt guilty for asking a question that hurt her mother so badly. Maggie took a free hand and wiped the tears away. “But honestly, I went there for other reasons. We had a nice meal and he had some wine. I had been drinking since I had gotten there. I was trying to quiet the thoughts running through my mind. I couldn't help but see the man as a means to an end. He was someone who was willing to give me something I needed. The touch of a man, the chance to be held by strong arms and given the release that I so desperately needed.”
“One thing led to another and he eventually led me to the bed. I lay there, naked on this man's bed and guilt and shame began to well up in me because I was cheating on my husband. Before we went all the way, I ended up running from his bedroom, and running back to my apartment. Once I got inside the guilt and shame over whelmed me and I ended up on the living room floor, clutching a picture of your father and crying myself to sleep.” Maggie sniffled. “The next morning your Grandma Bernice came home with Vance and she found me curled up on the floor, still still naked and holding your fathers picture and feeling like a worthless whore for what I had done.”
Tracy processed what her mother had said, but her mind caught something that didn't seem like it fit. “You....you said before you went all the way....so....if you didn't do anything, why feel guilty?”
“Tracy, I know you've read the books your father has. There are things more then just normal intercourse. There's other things you can do and....” Maggie looked away from her daughter as the feelings of that day twelve years earlier came back to haunt her. Tracy just watched as her mother sat there, still holding her hand and crying.
“Tracy, I'm not proud of what I did. And honestly I'll never be over it. But I love your father and you two kids. I wouldn't want my life to be any different. I've never strayed again. Each time I've seen a guy who is handsome, I just remember I have the greatest man in the world in my life and that he and I have the two best children in the world. I'm sorry if this makes me seem worse to you. I never should have done it, but I was tempted and I sinned. I've begged the Lord plenty of times to forgive me, as I asked your father too.” Maggie looked at her daughter. “I never meant to hurt him and in a way, I hurt you, so can you forgive me?”
Tracy realized how bad her mother was hurting, so she leaned forward and put her arms around her mother. “I'm sorry Mama, I shouldn't have asked that.” She held on tight and whispered in her ear. “I can forgive you.”
“It's okay. I just... it's not my proudest moment.” Maggie replied. pulling her daughter in tight.
Her father came out of the bedroom, where he had been listening and he put a hand on Tracy's shoulder. Tracy felt the hand and she looked up at him. He didn't smile, he just stood there with the same sad expression that her mother wore. “Tracy, you have to understand, war changes people on both sides. It's happened for years.”
“How?”
William was quiet for a moment, then he dropped to a knee by his daughter and wife. “You remember the song that came out this past July? 'War is hell on the home front too?' The country song?”
“Yeah.” Tracy nodded.
“Did you ever understand it?” William asked. “What the song is really saying?”
“It's about a boy who stays with a woman and....” She blushed a bright red. “Sleeps with her?”
“Yeah. But it's about how a woman gets lonely while her husband was off at war. She didn't want to cheat on her husband, that's why she tipped over his picture, but she needed to be held and he wasn't there.” Her father. He decided to try the talk from a different angle. “Baby, you like Peter, right?”
Tracy nodded, even though she knew that her father knew how she felt about Peter. “Yeah.”
“You missed not seeing him at school the past couple of days, right?”
“Yeah, I don't miss school, but I liked spending time with him.”
“Do you love him?” Her father asked.
Tracy blushed and looked to the floor. “Yeah. I think so, maybe?” She finally answered.
“Baby, when you get older, and if you're still with him, that love will get bigger. There will be a physical side to love as well, and a lot of people, men and women both, feel the need to be touched, held and loved, not just in word, but in deed.”
“You mean sex.”
“Yeah.” William put an arm around his daughter. “And it's hard when you're separated from the person you love for a couple of years.” When his daughter didn't respond, he continued. “Baby, there's a reason I forgave your mother.
“What was it?”
“She wasn't the only one who strayed.” William stated.
“You slept with someone else too?”
William went to his chair and sat down, then he held his arms out and Tracy slowly walked over and sat on his knee. “Baby, I had been in 'Nam for more then a year when I went on leave. While there I went past a whore house and I'll admit it, I was lonely for the touch of a woman. I'm not proud that I went in, or that I paid for it, but when the girl came in, I couldn't bring myself to touch her. I ended up just talking to her. I must have told her all about your mother and Vance and our plans for when I returned from the war, but she had no idea what I said, at least I don't think she did. But do you know why I didn't do anything?”
“No, why didn't you?”
“Your Mother. I couldn't stand to hurt the woman of my dreams.” He stated. “I felt so bad for what I did that I left the brothel and just started walking the streets. I think I walked all night, because I don't recall going to a hotel. The next day I found myself at a little shop and I found the best present for her. You know her jewelry box, the fancy jade colored one? I bought that the next morning.”
“When did she find out and when did you find out about her?” Tracy asked.
“I had to tell him.” Maggie said as she moved to her daughter. “The guilt welled up in me so bad that I couldn't look him in the eyes when he got back. So one day, about a week after he got home from the hospital, I sent Vance off with my parents and told him everything that happened.”
“Was he mad?” Tracy asked as she looked to her mother.
“Yeah, I was.” William answered, causing Tracy to look his way. “We had a nasty fight that night. But I started to call her a no-good whore, when I saw that jewelery box and I couldn’t find the words anymore. I left the house for a couple of hours to cool off and came back to find your mother, holding my picture and lying on the couch and sobbing. So I told her my story. She wasn't much happier, but we both realized that we had temptation and we walked away from what was in front of us so we could be true to the one we loved.”
“And you made up, right?” Tracy asked, not realizing how stupid the question was since they were still together.
“Yeah.” William answered. “I realized that I wanted your mother more than anything and I was willing to fight to keep her. It wasn't easy, but we worked through our problems together.”
“I felt the same. Your father means the world to me and damned if I was going to lose him for something we both did. But the best part is how he made up to me and what happened afterward.”
“How did you make up with her?” Tracy asked.
“I had her parents watch Vance one more night, then I had her put on her nicest dress, and we started the evening at the best restaurant I could afford, then we went to the movies and caught a couple of romantic movies. There were a couple of war movies out, but I wanted that evening to be about your mother and she loves the romantic comidies.”
“I loved every minute of it.” Maggie stated. “We would have gone dancing, but he was still in his leg cast from the war.”
William smiled at the memory of that night. “Then we came home and...well I've always thought the best part of fighting was the making up afterward.”
“What do you mean? Make up how?”
Maggie smiled and put a hand on her child's shoulder. “Well about nine months after that night, you were born.”
Tracy blushed as she realized what they meant. “Oh.”
William hugged her and Maggie moved over and dropped to a knee and wrapped her arms around both her husband and daughter. William kissed Tracy's cheek, then he looked in her eyes to get her attention. “Baby, You need to realize that we all make mistakes, so don't hate your mother for things that happened. No one is perfect and we don't expect you to be either. We try to do what's right and best for you. Like your Grandmother said earlier, we are all sinners, but it's asking for forgiveness that can save you.”
“Mom said that too.”
“You should listen to your Mom, she's a smart woman, so's your Grandma.” William said with a nod to his wife. “But that's what she meant by the Judging not thing. We've both sinned, so we try to not lord over other people. We've both asked the Lord for forgiveness and we've asked it from each other. I have to say, I am glad I stayed with your mother. I am proud to have two wonderful children that I love dearly.” William kissed her cheek again. “You make us both proud. So does Vance.”
“He's right.” Maggie said with a grin. “You both make us proud, we don't say that much, but it's true.”
“I try my best.” Tracy said.
“As long as you give it your all and do your best to be a decent person to everyone, what more could we ask.” William said.
“Thank you.”
“Now get back to bed. Don't worry about the guy on the phone or Mrs. Hallmark.” Maggie said. “Unless you need that warm milk.”
“Nah. I'll be fine.” Tracy stated.
“Good night baby.” Maggie said as she kissed her daughters cheek, then stood up.
“Night Mama.”
“Night Sweetie.” William said, then he kissed her other cheek. “Try to get some sleep. We can always talk in the morning.”
“Okay. Thanks Daddy.”
Now keep in mind, Maggie's view on religion is about how mine was before I left the church. I know it's a bit simple, but that's how she sees stuff. I felt the need to do this to work on Maggie's...and William's characters a bit more.
Sunday had passed without much excitement. The phone was ignored for most of the day, unless William was the one to answer it. Tracy had finished up her cleaning of the house the day before and was at the kitchen table with her mother, going over all the jewelery in her mother's jewelery box. Each piece she pulled out came with the story of how she got it.
“This necklace...I remember this one.” Maggie smiled as she held up a very thin gold chain. “This was the first piece of jewelery that your father gave to me. I think it was at our sixth month anniversary.”
“Really?” Tracy asked as she looked at it.
“Yeah. He was so nervous.” Maggie chuckled. “And this....” She sighed as her hands pulled out a bracelet made with silver chains. “This was one of the pieces he got me on our wedding day.”
Editing by Djkauf
More of Tracy and the pictures from hell!!!
January 29th 1983
Bruce sat in an office that the County therapist used at the detention center when he had to come in to deal with the hardest of cases. It was part of the county’s idea to help show the kids where they were messing up in their lives. This was one of the few times that Kenny and Frankie were separated from him. He had been seeing the man since a week after he got put in there. Of his friends, he was the one who wouldn't shut up in the arraignment and gladly admitted to attacking Troy. He tried to insist that he was innocent, even though he had admitted to the attack. His court appointed attorney managed to get him to take a plea bargain; as had Kenny and Frankie.
He wasn't at the top of the food chain when they had got in there. In fact, he wasn't ready for the welcome he got the first day. When all the guards seemed to turn their back, he wound up on the wrong end of several fists. So had Kenny and Frankie. The third day, when their attackers came for them, Bruce, Kenny and Frankie were ready and in front of many of the kids in the yard, Bruce beat the leader senseless, with the aid of piece of the bed he had removed and hid under his shirt.
Once the lead boy was on the ground, he began to taunt him, calling him Troy, which confused the other boys. Then he tried to do to the other boy, what he tried to do to Troy. He had stripped his would be attackers pants off and was about to undo his own when the guards came and broke it up. He had spent a week in a solitary cell to cool down, then he was let back into the main population. Two months had passed and the bruises had gone away, but his anger at Troy Patterson hadn't.
After his first time of fighting back, many of the others left him alone. He got it in his mind that to keep the fear, he had to make regular attacks on some of the newer kids and some of the bigger kids. He had attacked one of the new kids and that landed him in the office he was in now.
Recently, a boy, a couple years younger than had come in for car theft and Bruce put his sights on the boy. He was chunky, but bigger then Troy Patterson was, his hair was a bit shorter too. But he was close enough to looking like Troy for Bruce. But that didn't stop Bruce from catching him in a dark part of the facility and forcing himself on the boy. They later found the unconscious boy, beaten and raped. They didn't have proof it was him yet, but they had him at the top of the suspect list.
He hadn't heard from his brother in a few days, or any of the rest of his family. He didn't expect to hear from his mother. She didn't understand how the world worked. He knew if he listened to her, he would have been going to the church services that the state provided for them. He would have confessed his sins.
He wasn't sure what Clark would think about him keeping the fear the way he did. The people who called him the fag didn't understand that Bruce had to do it to keep people afraid of him.
“Bruce, pay attention.” The counselor said. “I asked you if you feel any remorse for your actions? Do you enjoy being in solitary?”
“No, but it's the price I pay to keep people afraid.” Bruce snarled.
“Do you at least understand that this is all your own doing? Your attack on Troy Patterson is what caused you to be put here.”
Bruce shifted quickly in his seat, leaning towards the counselor and causing the guard that was in the room for the counselors protection to move towards him. “That little faggot snitch had it coming. No one rats me out.”
“So you still claim to be the innocent one? Do you at least admit that stealing at the school was wrong.”
“What was wrong was me getting caught by a little dress wearing faggot.”
“Bruce, violence is what got you put in here. It's why we have to see each other every week. Can't you take responsibility for any of your actions?”
“None of this is my fucking fault you idiot. If it hadn't been for the little fag, I would have never been put here.”
“Okay.” The counselor said with a sigh. “We're done, you won’t listen.” He stood up and motioned to the guard. "He's all your’s."
"Later, Pansy." Bruce called as the man walked out of the room.
Clark lay on his bed, looking up at the ceiling, wondering what his next move would be. He knew he wouldn't have started this if Bruce hadn't asked him. He also knew that it really was all Troy's fault. If he hadn't ratted out his brother to the principal, then Bruce would have never gone to his house and he would have never been arrested. He thought about how he pulled his cousins into the plan, using Stan and Hank to spread pictures around the school and he had Billy call Troy's house.
With the pictures at his cousin's house, he was sure he was safe from the cops. He had kept the negatives, just so he could make more pictures if he needed to, but he had that hidden, taped to the bottom of the frame of his bed.
He wanted to just go to Troy's place and show him his place. It wasn't the fact that he wore dresses, that just made him a weak sissy, and he knew that everyone knew a sissy couldn't fight. No, his biggest issue was his brother Bruce. He missed his brother. Bruce had been there when their mother was off at work. He had been there when his father took off a few years back. And now, because of Troy, Bruce was gone.
He sighed lightly as he lay there. He knew Bruce's actions had hurt their mother, and Clark was torn in loyalty between his mom who he knew loved him, but she seemed to work far too much and his brother who had been there in the hard times.
He rolled over onto his side and stared at the bed that his brother had used, until his arrest. He couldn't help the tears. He was alone and it hurt him. He just wanted his brother back.
January 30th 1983
Sunday had passed without much excitement. The phone was ignored for most of the day, unless William was the one to answer it. Tracy had finished up her cleaning of the house the day before and was at the kitchen table with her mother, going over all the jewelery in her mother's jewelery box. Each piece she pulled out came with the story of how she got it.
“This necklace...I remember this one.” Maggie smiled as she held up a very thin gold chain. “This was the first piece of jewelery that your father gave to me. I think it was at our sixth month anniversary.”
“Really?” Tracy asked as she looked at it.
“Yeah. He was so nervous.” Maggie chuckled. “And this....” She sighed as her hands pulled out a bracelet made with silver chains. “This was one of the pieces he got me on our wedding day.”
“What about that?” Tracy pointed to another necklace.
“That one....” Maggie smiled again. “That was a gift from your Aunt Shelly on my wedding day.”
“Ah....these are yours.” Maggie said as she pulled out a pair of earrings with very small diamonds on them. “They were given to me by my Grandmother, something else for my daughter to have when she got old enough.”
“Are those diamonds?”
“Yes. These may not be large, but this is something that isn't meant for normal everyday wear.” Maggie stated. “In fact, when we get your ears pierced, you can wear these with that pink dress you have.”
“Cool.” Tracy said as she put the earrings in her jewelry box. “What about that?” Tracy asked, pointing to a necklace with two stones on pendants on it.
“This is mine. This is actually a gift from your father and these two birthstones are actually for you and your brother. He bought it just after you were born.”
“Cool.” Tracy said.
“And when you get older, you can do the same thing.”
"But Mama, I can't have children." Tracy reminded her.
"Baby, you can always adopt. Never say never." Maggie stated.
January 31st 1983
Monday morning William pulled into the mill in silent contemplation. His drive to work every day gave him time to think, and today was no exception. He thought about the few days before and about the current situation with his youngest. He was willing to call Tracy being home-schooled a victory, a small one, but still a victory. Granted, it was Troy who would have to go to the school for tests, but at least she got out of the main population of the school. They still didn't know who had the pictures, and while that was important, he was trying to not dwell on it.
He knew worrying about it would only piss him off. At least the teachers would be working to pick up the pictures. He got out of his car, and fell in step with a few of the other workers. He headed to the office and grabbed his time-card. As he punched it in the time-clock, his boss Steven walked up and cocked his head slightly. “Everything work out okay with the schools last week?”
“Kind of.” William sighed. “Someone has been threatening Troy and we decided to pull him out of school and home-school him.”
“Really? This about that kid who attacked him?”
William shrugged as he headed to the room that housed the lockers that held his safety gear. “Who knows. Someone left threatening pictures for him at the school. Then someone called him at the house and threatened to murder him, my wife and my other son. Now we're part of an ongoing police investigation.”
“Shit....” Steven blinked a few times and he shook his head. “Maybe homeschooling is for the best. Teachers can't watch him all the time, plus that would ostracize him from everyone. Your parents live close, so someone can watch him and keep him safe.”
“Yeah.” William nodded. “Poor kid, he did the right thing and all he gets is shit on for it. How's that for a life lesson.” He didn't want to get into the real story. This was one that Steven knew and it helped gain support for Troy.
“Sad, but true.” Steven agreed. They had reached the office and he stopped. “Well, I need to get to the office and get some paperwork done, be seeing ya.” Steven clapped a hand on William's shoulder, then he headed inside
William went to his locker and undid the lock that kept his stuff safe. As he opened it up a piece of paper fell from the little slots in the door to the floor. He bent over to pick it up. As his eyes focused on the now familiar picture of Tracy and Maggie, he read the note at the bottom that was in a different handwriting. “Daddy's little faggot.”
William closed his eyes and crumpled the picture in his hands, then he pulled his safety gear and tossed the picture back into the locked and slammed it shut. As he put the lock back on, he looked in both directions to see if anyone was paying attention to him, but most of the people were gathering their own gear.
~It didn't happen.~ He told himself. He thought back on the conversation he had Friday with his youngest and he made the decision. ~I won't give whoever did that the satisfaction.~
He was three steps away from his locker when he stopped and began to wonder. ~Who the hell did that? They have to have a kid who goes to school with mine.~ He began thinking of all the people who had children and as he made his way to the forklift, he shortened it to the few people he knew that had kids who went to Troy's school. ~Can't be the lady in the office, I would have heard from her by now.~ Then a thought occurred to him. ~I figure this out and we find out who's threatening him.~ He smiled to himself as he fired up the machine.
~We figure out who it is and we send that information to the school and the sheriff’s office, problem over.~ William thought. It was that simple to him. An easy fix for a problem like that. He knew he'd lean on his wife for what to do. But he didn't want to make things worse and tell her he had gotten the picture. ~Last thing they need to worry about is more people knowing. I'll tell them if it gets worse.~ He thought to himself as he drove through the mill.
Peter walked from the bus stop and was headed for the cafeteria for something else to eat when he began to hear kids around him snicker. He did his best to ignore them, till a boy from his class stepped in his way. “So, your little girlfriend stopped going to school?”
“What are you talking about, Jason?” Peter asked, keeping his tone neutral.
Jason showed him the now famous picture of Tracy and Maggie at the mall, this time the words read. “Troy Patterson, Peter Lowery's fag girlfriend.”
“PETER IS DATING A FAG IN A DRESS!” Jason yelled out, causing most of the kids nearby to look, point and laugh. Peter made a quick step forward and snagged the paper out of Jason's hand. He was about to head for the office when a voice stopped him.
“I'll take that young man.” Mr. Walkley said, holding his hand out. Peter handed the picture over and Jason blurted out.
“He was passing these out, I saw him!”
The teacher read the picture, then gave Jason a look that said he wasn't believing him. “Right.....And he was implicating himself?” Mr. Walkley said with a shake of his head. “No, I'm not going to buy that. Not when I saw you ram the picture in his face. So let’s go up to the office Mr. Case and we can discuss where you got this picture.”
“Do I need to go, too?” Peter asked.
“May be best. Sorry if you miss breakfast, but we need to clear this up.”
Ten minutes later, Peter sat in the chair in the principal’s office with Jason in another chair. He sat there, shaking his head as Jason tried to claim that Peter had spread the pictures around. Finally when the Principal threatened him with the possibility of going to jail for having evidence in a crime, the boy broke down and admitted he found the pictures on Friday but had wanted to tease Peter.
After his parents were called and he was sent to the main part of the office, Mr. Harper looked to Peter. “So you know, you're not in trouble. But could you let me warn the Pattersons?”
“Yes sir.” Peter said with a nod. “I won't tell them. Are you going to tell the cops?”
“I can just call. But now you're involved and I should let your mother know. Have you told her about any of this?” Mr. Harper asked.
“Yes. She knows all about the pictures.” Peter said. “Mom will be pissed that I'm being threatened. But there's nothing we can do.”
“Unfortunately.” Mr. Harper agreed.
“Can I go to breakfast now?” Peter asked.
“Go on. If we need you again, we'll call you back up here.”
Febuary 1st 1983
Maggie was back at her desk on Tuesday and was thankful she didn't have much to do, but the downfall was in her boredom, she got to think and her thoughts focused on Tracy's problems. She was aware that one more child had been pulled into the mess with the pictures, but she wasn't shocked that it was Peter, to her the shocking part was that he had been left out till now. Her solitude was disturbed when the mailman came in. “Hello, Maggie. Got anything going out?”
“No Henry. We got the bills taken care of last week. Give me two more weeks and it'll get heavy again.”
He looked at the desk and laughed. “Well, warn me and I'll be sure to wear my weight belt then.” He handed her a stack of envelopes and turned and left the building.
Maggie began flipping through the mail, till one envelope caught her eye. She raised an eyebrow as she read the hand-written words on it and shook her head. She could tell it was the work of a child, one who didn't bother to use the proper spelling of the company name.
Right Cleanin
Office person.....very important!
Maggie set the other mail aside and grabbed a letter opener. She wasn’t the boss of the company, but she was usually the only one in the office, so it fell into her job to open it. She opened up the envelope and reached in to pull out a folded piece of paper.
Her blood began to boil when she saw the picture. Once more she saw the picture of her and Tracy from their trip to Arden Fair Mall. At the Bottom in black ink, was the words “Mrs. Patterson's son is a dress wearing fag.”
She slammed her hand down on the desk and let out a frustrated scream, followed by a string of words that a lady should never say in public. When she calmed down, she sat, looking at the photo. After a few moments, she decided what needed to be done. She reached over an picked up the phone-book and and quickly flipped through it for the government section.
She got the number she wanted and dialed the phone, then waited. A few moments later a voice come over the phone. “Butte county Sheriff’s department, how may I help you?”
“Yes, This is Maggie Patterson, I need to speak to Deputy Kline about an on-going case involving my child Troy Patterson.”
“One moment.”
As she sat there, she flipped through the mail and found one more letter, with the same writing, this time sent to the owner. She opened this one up to find yet another picture, also proclaiming her son wore dresses. Maggie sat there, waiting for the person to come back on the phone and trying not to scream in frustration.
Maggie was still sitting at her desk, talking to Deputy Kline when the door flew open and her boss rushed in. “Maggie? Something happen?” Chris asked worriedly, as he looked from Maggie to the deputy and back.
“It's not a problem, just a piece of threatening mail that I opened up.”
“Someone sent threatening mail against us?” He asked, arching an eyebrow in confusion.
“No, this is aimed at my children. I'll explain it in a minute.” She replied. She didn't want to cover it at all but she had said too much. She had hoped the Deputy would have been gone by the time anyone had shown up, but that was out of her control now. So instead of dealing with him, she looked to the Deputy. “Deputy Kline, do you need anything else?”
“No. I got all the information. Like the last time, if you have more problems, call me so we can keep up on this.” He put on his hat. “I'll check up on this Molly Hallmark connection too. You may be right and it may be nothing, but one can never tell.”
“Thank you. Could I keep one of these? So William knows what's going on?” Maggie asked. “You got one of them and I doubt this is the end of them.”
“Go ahead, we’ve already got a stack of them and I can collect that one later if we need it.” The Deputy replied.
“Thank you.” Maggie said She watched the deputy leave the building and then she could feel Chris looking at her.
“So....what's going on. I'm going to guess that this has something to do with you pulling Troy out of school?” He asked as he settled into a seat.
Maggie nodded. “Yes, but it actually stems back to that first attack and him getting suspended.”
“You know how he was attacked by the kid he caught stealing, right?” She said and Chris nodded. “That boy hurt him bad in that fight, all three of them did. Well after that fight, we found out he wouldn't have a chance at a normal life as a male. I never told you what happened, but his testicles were destroyed in the attack and there was a bit of tissue damage to the penis.”
She took a deep breath and handed him the picture that had been addressed to him that she had opened. He had given her permission to open his mail years back, mostly because he was always working all over and it was easier if she just did it. “This was taken of me and my youngest, without our knowledge, at the Arden Fair Mall after one of his doctors appointments. You may as well see it, in case more get sent and I'm not here.”
Chris pulled it out and studied the picture for a moment, then he looked at Maggie. “This is Troy?”
Maggie nodded. “Yeah.”
“Without the charming little message and the fact you just said it's him, I'd never know. But then, I haven't seen Troy in a year or so, so I wouldn’t have known.” Chris handed her the picture back. “So, why the dress?”
“My baby doesn't have the chance at a normal....” Maggie stopped and shook her head. She felt bad for lying to a man who had given her a job when no one else was hiring at the time. She had been there almost as long as William had been at his job. “No that's not totally true.” Maggie got up and went to the door and locked it. “Sorry, I don't want anyone walking in on something that doesn't concern them. It's personal and concerns my family and no one else. Hell, Troy would flip if he heard you're about to find out.”
“Okay, I can understand that. If it's bad don't tell me then.”
“No Chris. If someone is sending letters here, you need to know so you are ready in-case your wife works the desk and opens one.” Maggie went back to her seat and sat down. “I'll understand if you want to fire me afterward too, this isn't something a lot of people can deal with.” Maggie took a deep breath while Chris just watched her. “This is hard for me, so let me finish before you ask questions, okay?”
“Okay.” Chris said with a nod.
Finally Maggie collected herself and she began the tale. “I had always thought Troy was wearing my clothes, certain things would be out of place after I had gone to the store, or into town for something. But it only happened when he was home alone. Finally in August My mother-in-law and I came up with a plan and when I took Vance to a friends house, Modine came over to the house and found him in one of my skirts.”
“We allowed him to do it, 'cause face it, he had been doing it for a while, maybe years by this point. If we tired to stop him, we would have just made it so he wanted to do it more. So on weekends that Conner, my Father-in-law, was out of town, Troy stayed with Modine and became Tracy. One day I asked him why he did it and he said it was a release. Troy got picked on by Vance all the time, hell Vance could beat him up and never get in trouble cause William always took Vance's side. So When Troy became Tracy, in her mind it was just Tracy, me and her grandmother. There was no angry father, no angry grandfather and no pesky brother.”
She paused a moment to see if Chris looked angry, but she couldn't read his emotions. “One day Peter, Troy’s friend since the first grade showed up. He found Tracy and was totally okay with it. He pointed out that Tracy hated being Troy, even if she didn't know it. It took me a few days to realize he was right. When Troy was out, he was quiet and moody and he hated sports, except his Tai Chi. He did his chores, but when Tracy is there, she is bright, energetic, full of life. She took up cleaning both my house and her grandparents house. She's been cooking for the house when she can.”
“Well, Vance found out about Tracy and he went to tell his friends. Modine had been ready for this and she put Vance into a dress for three weeks.”
“Petticoat punishment.” Chris stated.
Maggie nodded. “Yeah. William laughed at him the first night he saw it, then Conner did. It was Tracy who asked her grandmother to end Vance's punishment. But not before Vance's friends Bruce and Frankie had seen him in the dress and been told about Tracy in hers. They started to taunt him at school. “One day, while going back to his class, Troy passed by the seventh grade classes and caught Bruce and Frankie stealing in a class. He ran and ran into Vance, which is where they got suspended for those three days over Thanksgiving. It was then that Vance and Troy or Tracy began getting closer.”
“So his old friends attacked him?” Chris asked, despite having been asked to wait.
“Yeah.” She replied. “Now you know about Troy getting attacked on the property, but you don't know about the trip to Livermore.”
“After Thanksgiving, you did seem preoccupied at times. And I'd see you looking at pictures on your desk when you thought you were alone.”
“Please, I'll get to it.” Maggie stated.
“Sorry.” Chris blushed from embarrassment.
“When we went to Livermore the day after Thanksgiving, Tracy was the one who got in the car with me and Vance. William found out about Tracy on Thanksgiving and he wasn't sure what to do. But he let me take control. I had told my friend Shelly, who I have known since I was in school and she said Tracy was welcome to stay in her house. But when we got to Tracy, the town, she changed back into Troy. I could tell the difference immediately. Troy was in a funk all the way to Shelly’s place. Finally Shelly had to tell him she knew and didn't mind seeing her god-daughter.”
“About an hour later, Tracy came down the steps and then she met two girls around her age. Tracy spent the night, well two nights, with them and they treated her as a normal girl. Or course one of them was also born differently.”
“How so?”
“She has both male and female parts, but she lives as a girl.”
“Oh, I think I saw something about that once on the TV.”
“Please, let me finish.” Maggie held up the hand to stop him and she continued. “When we left, Those two girls had totally accepted her as Tracy and invited her to stay with them in Livermore before Christmas, but the day before Troy was to return to school, Bruce and Frankie came back to the house and attacked. I told you some of the fight, but not all of it.”
Maggie steadied her nerves, to keep from crying over what was a dark day in her families history. “They didn't find Troy on the property. Tracy had gone for a walk in the fields, wearing a skirt and blouse. When Bruce found her, he tried to rape my baby. He cut her top off and was cutting off the skirt with a knife when one of the boys decided to leave and Bruce attacked him. Tracy fought back, kicking Bruce where it hurts and hitting the other two boys. She ran and almost made it to the house when they got in front of her. She ended up at my mother-in-law's house.”
“Now before I continue, I must tell you this. After Thanksgiving, Conner, My Father-in-law found Tracy's clothes in his house and he was mad, he wanted to beat the gay out of Troy, but Modine kicked him out of the house.” She paused for a moment to check Chris's face again, but there was still no anger. “Okay, back to Bruce. The three boys left caught Tracy behind my mother-in-law's house and began beating on him. In that fight, they destroyed his testicles. Modine came out to protect him and she's almost sixty with osteoporosis. She got hurt by Bruce and That caused my Tracy to get up, despite how bad they had hurt her. If you've ever been hit there, you know the pain. She managed to get up and fight, that's when Peter, Conner, William and I came into the yard. Vance took care of a boy who tried to run. By that point, any chance of a normal life for Troy was gone. It was that fight that brought Conner closer to Tracy, his granddaughter.”
Maggie had pulled a Kleenex out of her purse and dabbed at her eyes. “I see.” Chris replied. “So his chance of being a normal male is gone, so this is the only other choice to a normal life?”
“There's actually more.” Maggie stated. “When she was in Livermore before Christmas, I took her to a therapist and he told me that she has something called Gender dysphoria.” Chris gave her a strange look that meant he had no idea what that was. “Basically, She's a girl, but she was born in a boys body. So, after that attack and that visit, she's been Tracy full time at home. Plus when we went to the Arden Fair mall, which is where that photo was taken.”
“Does she go to school as Tracy?”
“No, Troy went and near the time we pulled him, each day was a fight to get Troy out the door.”
“What about that?” He gestured to the picture.
“We figured that Sacramento was safe, but we were wrong.” Maggie stated. “Now whoever took those is calling the house and threatening to rape and kill both her and me, plus we pulled her out of school because they left pictures all over the school and there's no way she'd avoid the teasing.”
“How many people know?”
“A lot. There were a lot of pictures at the school and we don't know how many more made it home with kids. But people that know the full story, that's the family, friends down south and now you.” We've already been visited by people from a church we haven't gone to in years and they've already informed us that they don't want Tracy in their town.”
“Their town? I forgot it was owned by one church.” Chris said with a scoff. “What do the others knows? Like the church people?”
“The kids at school know that he's wearing dresses. As for the Church ladies, we weren't able to tell them much. They came to hate him and won’t listen to reason. Kept insisting that it's against God's will.”
“Because he talks to them nightly, telling them that hatred is just fine.” Came Chris's sarcastic reply
“Who knows, with these ladies, they may just think that they ARE God.”
“Some people just can't read the good book and see the whole picture. It's not a tool of hate. According to it, we're all sinners. The people who hate are worse than the rest in my book.” Chris said. “I know I've sinned, but I know it's not my job to judge anyone.”
Maggie was silent for a few moments, then she asked, in an almost hushed tone. “So does this mean I'm not fired?”
“For what? You have a child that is going through something you can't control. Why fire you. Besides, I wouldn't have a decent reason. As far as I care, your job is still yours. And as for Troy...or Tracy, I don't care what he or she does, I can't fire you over her work ethic. Besides you said she cleans both your house and your in-law’s houses, so she has a better work ethic then some of my employees” He smiled at his little joke. “That child is special. She's put others safety before hers. She's been good to you. So the only thing I have to say is when you get home, give that special daughter of yours a big hug, okay?”
“I can do that.”
“Thank you for telling me. It must have been difficult.” Chris said.
“You have no idea..”
William and Vance were already seated at the table as Maggie and Tracy put a pan of meatloaf on the table, then she followed it with a wire basket that held eight baked potatoes wrapped in tinfoil. Maggie had been quiet since she got home. She had stayed near Tracy the whole time the girl was in the kitchen, as though something was going to happen to her as she made dinner. When the ladies went to take their seats, Maggie had Tracy take the one by the wall so she was trapped in a corner, stuck against the wall and with her back to the stove so Tracy couldn't run.
After a few moments, Maggie put her fork down and spoke. “I have some bad news from my work today.”
“What happened?” William asked.
“A letter came in the mail to work. It was another picture. There was one sent to Chris and one to the office boss. I opened them both, like I do all the mail and I had to call the Sheriff.”
“Not your work too.” Tracy whined. She let the fork drop from her fingers as she sat back in the chair.
“There's more.” Maggie stated. “As I gave the deputy the pictures and my report, Chris came in and started asking questions.”
William put his fork down and leaned back. Only Vance kept eating. “What did he ask?”
“He wanted to know what happened. I told him about the pictures being sent around.” Maggie stopped and turned to face her daughter as best as she could. “Tracy, I told Chris everything.”
“WHAT?!?” Tracy almost screamed. The she dropped her head to the table with a thud in an overly dramatic fashion.
“Calm down, young lady!” Maggie snapped. She waited a moment then held up one finger to keep her daughter quiet as Tracy looked at her. “He knows and he doesn't care. He's still on your side. In fact I told him about the ladies from the church and he got pissed about them too. I was afraid he'd fire me if he found a picture on a day I don't work.”
“And he really doesn't care?” William asked.
“He said it's not his place to judge, but as long as Tracy is a good kid, that's all that matters.” Maggie was about to turn back when she stopped. “Oh he said to give you something.”
“What?” Tracy warily asked.
“This.” Maggie said as she leaned over and hugged her.
“So he doesn't mind this?” She gestured to herself.
Maggie shook her head. “It's what’s inside that counts.”
Tracy looked at her plate, then at her mother. “Cool.”
“I told him though, just in case someone opened up the letters on my days off. He needed to know someone was mailing them and what was inside.”
That made sense to Tracy and she nodded. “Okay. So you’re not in trouble?”
“Not at all.” Maggie picked up her fork and began picking at her food. She decided to change the subject to save her child from stress.
“Good.” Tracy replied.
They ate in silence for a few minutes, till Maggie looked at her and smiled, hoping to take her mind off of things. “You know, I was also doing some thinking about groceries and stuff and with you home more, I want you to go shopping with me. You cook it, you may as well learn how to pick the good stuff at the store.”
“But I've gone with you before.” Tracy stated.
“Tracy, when you've gone in the past, you've been moping around and not really paying attention. This time I want my daughter to go and pay attention to what to get and what not to get.”
“You mean...go like this in town?”
“We could go to Chico or Gridley if you want, but yes, you need to learn how to pick out foods, it's something you'll need when you live on your own.” Maggie stated. “Besides, we can go to a store we rarely go to in Oroville. There are four of them. We just pick the one we rarely go to and we're fine. We go during school time and no kids would be there and not that many Adults know about you, I think.”
“Okay. I think I can do that.” Tracy hesitantly replied.
Maggie looked to William. “Oh, I changed the phone number yesterday and they said it should be permanent, so later I'll call your mother and have her call the new number, to make sure.”
“Good.”
“Then tonight, if it's changed, you...” She looked to her daughter. “can call your friends and give then the new information after your Tai chi class tonight, okay?”
“Cool.” Tracy said with a smile.
It was Troy who got out of his mothers car and walked over to the school where he practiced his tai chi. Maggie was about to put the car in gear when the teacher came out and flagged her down, stopping Troy at the door.
Maggie got out of the car and walked over, confusion on her face. “Is something wrong?” She asked as she got close to the teacher.
“We...We, um...There's a slight problem concerning your son Troy.” The man said. He seemed to be very uncomfortable as he talked to them. “I'm not sure what's going on, but we have received complaints from at least twenty of the students that attend here stating that they wont keep coming here if Troy continues to be a student.”
“What? Why?” Maggie asked, but Troy just slumped his shoulders.
“They said they can't be around someone like Troy, so they threatened to leave my school.” The man replied, obviously worried about the outcome of the conversation. “Honestly, I can't afford to lose twenty students over one. Plus Troy has been gone for almost two months. I'm sure you understand.”
“This is bullshit.” Maggie stated.
“I'm sorry Ma'am, but I got to look out for my bottom line.”
“Can you at least tell me why you're targeting my child?”
It was at this point that Troy stopped listening and just walked back to the car and climbed in. It took Maggie a couple of minutes till she joined him, rammed the key in the ignition and slammed the car into reverse, backed out of the spot, then dropped it in drive and chirped the wheels on her way out of the lot.
It took a block for Maggie to tell her child what she had learned. “I think a student here got a picture too.”
Troy's blood boiled and he began punching the door and dashboard, while screaming out every profanity he knew as they stopped at a red light. When he stopped Maggie looked at him.
“Fell better?”
“No.” Troy grumbled. “This person is ruining my life.” He grabbed the seat handle and dropped backwards, till he was lying down. “My life is over.”
“It's not over. It's just that Troy's is over and when you go home, the need to dress as him will be going away. This is the start for Tracy's life. That was Troy's school. That was Troy's stupid, pigheaded, arrogant, pencil-dicked teacher. The next school you find will be Tracy's school, with Tracy's instructors, understand?”
“Yeah.” Troy replied. “But it still sucks.”
Yeah, it does.” Maggie agreed.
Tracy had been given special permission to make her phone calls that evening to her friends. She just had to watch how much time she spent on the phone. She had already called Sage, Stacey and Rachel. She had just dialed the number and less then two rings later, she heard the other end get picked up. “I got it, Mom!” A voice called out. Then, much softer, “Han residence, Brooke speaking.”
“Hello Brooke, it's Tracy.”
“Hey Tracy! Nothing bad happen has it?”
“Well kinda, but the main reason I'm calling is that we got a new phone number.”
“Oh, Awesome, so that asshole can't call anymore.” Brooke stated. Behind her Tracy could hear an adult scolding Brooke for her language.
“Yeah.” Tracy replied, then she quickly rattled off the new number.
“So, what else happened?”
“Well whoever did it, also sent a picture to Mom's work.” Tracy replied. “We still don't know who.”
“Man, this would be so much better if you lived here.” Brooke stated.
“Yeah.” Tracy agreed. “After those ladies came by on Saturday, it's just going downhill.” After her run in with Molly, Tracy had made one more call to her friends, mostly to calm down again.
“What ladies?” Brooke asked. “I had to leave Sage's for a training thing after we called you the first time.”
“Church ladies came over and told my parents that I'm evil and I'm going to rape all the kids in town.”
“That's stupid.” Brooke said, then her voice dropped to a whisper. “I mean I slept next to you, almost naked, and you didn't touch me once.”
“Yeah, on her way out she insisted that I don't belong in her town.”
“That's one thing I can agree on her with.” Brooke replied.
Tracy felt an invisible slap hit her face, as though Brooke truly did hate people like her and Sage. “What the hell does that mean?!?” Tracy snapped into the phone, this caused Maggie to give her a look that Tracy almost ignored.
“I mean you don't belong there. You belong here, with your friends.”
Tracy blushed from the embarrassment. “Oh. I'm sorry, I thought you agreed with them.”
“No. Not at all.” Brooke stated. Then there were sounds of movement and Brooke asked. “Hey, it's almost seven thirty, what are you doing at home? I thought you had your Tai Chi from seven to eight on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”
“I...I don't go anymore.” Tracy almost whispered back. But Brooke heard it clearly.
“You quit? Why?”
“Someone found out and he told the other kids of the school. They all threatened to quit. They are not in my tai chi class but they take a different class there, but the teacher couldn't stand to lose twenty students at once, not over one student, so the teacher asked if I would look for a new school. He even pointed out that I haven't been there in almost two months. He knows I was hurt, but he didn't care.”
“I'm sorry, Tracy.”
“It's okay.” Tracy replied. “Just sucks.” Maggie shot her another look, but when she seen the depressed look on her daughter’s face, she let the swearing slide again.
“Hey, I could always talk to my Grandfather. He may be able to teach you? Or Grandmother could.”
“But you live down there.” Tracy stated the obvious. “I would only see him a few hours each month.”
“True, but that's better then nothing.”
“Maybe....” Tracy sighed. “Brooke, can I call you back on the weekend?”
“No.” Brooke said. “Remember, we're coming up for the weekend?”
“Oh yeah. Well, I just want to go to bed, and I need to get off the phone to save some money.”
“I'll see you on Friday. Hug Mr. Cuddles for me.”
“I will, Thanks Brooke.”
William headed to the bedroom with his wife. The kids were already asleep and He had one last thing to show her before he went to sleep as well. He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out the folded picture that he had found in his locker at work and handed it to her. “I didn't want to worry her at dinner.”
She looked at it and then at him. “Where was it left at?”
“My locker at work.” William replied.
“Today?”
William shook his head. “Yesterday....” He held up a hand to stop her from launching into a tirade about hiding it. “I didn't say anything because I'm watching the people at work, to see if anyone is acting strange, plus I'm trying to recall who all has children that go to Vance's school. Then we can call the cops.”
“Any ideas?” Maggie asked.
“Well I know of a couple people, but one of them is in Idaho for his father's funeral and he's been there since Thursday. In fact he should be back tomorrow. The other is a lady who works the office and she's a huge gossip. If this had been her, she would have just asked me face to face, not gone into the locker room, plus I get to work before her and leave after her and she don't work weekends. So I think she's clear. But it may not be a parent. It could be a brother or something.”
“Yeah...” Maggie nodded her head. “Next time you need to say something sooner. I could have told the deputy today.”
“I didn't know you were getting letters there.” William replied.
“The part that makes me laugh is how they addressed it. They sent it to right cleaning. Spelled like you would spell right hand and it was labeled for the Office Boss. They must not know I check all the mail there.”
“Was it the same Deputy?” William asked. “Was it Kline?”
“Yeah, it was him. He didn't have any information yet, but he said to call him if something else comes up.”
“For now let’s keep quiet on the one from my work. I want to see if someone slips.” William said. “I will call him directly if I get another.
“Okay. I'm not wild about it, but okay...” Maggie said with a nod. “But for now, get some sleep. I want to get a little reading in.”
And the ball keeps rolling. Poor Tracy, at some point, things should look up.
“No. I'm following up on an investigation and I need to ask you a few questions.”
“What investigation?” Molly asked, wondering what juicy information she could get out of the conversation.
“I'm here concerning threats being mailed mail to the work place of Maggie Patterson and called to her house.”
Molly's blood began to boil and she rolled her eyes. “What did that little freak and his family claim!?!” She yelled.
“Ma'am, please stay calm.” The Deputy held up a hand to stop her tirade. “I was informed that you were at their residence over the weekend and threatened them.”
Big thanks to Djkauf for the Editing
More of the saga of Tracy Patterson
February 2nd 1983
Wednesday morning started off as any other for Molly Hallmark. Getting up, and making sure her sons and husband got off to school and work, then she went to the living room to wait for her soap operas, waiting till all were gone, before she turned on the T.V. The early morning news shows were almost over where there was a knock at the door. She got up and went to open the door. When she saw the Sheriff, she began to think that something had happened to her children.
“Pardon me Ma'am, I'm Deputy Kline with the Butte County Sheriff’s office. Are you Molly Hallmark?”
“Yes, can I ask what this is about? Nothing happened at the school, did it?”
“No. I'm following up on an investigation and I need to ask you a few questions.”
“What investigation?” Molly asked, wondering what juicy information she could get out of the conversation.
“I'm here concerning threats being mailed mail to the work place of Maggie Patterson and called to her house.”
Molly's blood began to boil and she rolled her eyes. “What did that little freak and his family claim!?!” She yelled.
“Ma'am, please stay calm.” The Deputy held up a hand to stop her tirade. “I was informed that you were at their residence over the weekend and threatened them.”
“I'm sorry, but as per the bible, that little freak is sinning and I don't want to risk my children being attacked by him when he decides he wants to hurt someone. But I never threatened him.”
“Do you have proof that he wants to hurt someone?” Deputy Kline asked.
“What? What proof would I need?!? He wears dresses! He's wearing girls clothes! There's got to be something wrong in his head to make him think that's okay! And instead of making sure he's not hurting people, you come to my house and harass me?”
“Ma'am, I'm here because there is an open investigation going on because Troy Patterson and his mother, plus three other people have received threatening calls and pictures about someone wanting to rape and kill them.” He noticed a look of surprise cross her face, for she had no idea. Then it faded back to a mask of anger. “We were informed that you left their place the other day, threatening them on the way out. That makes it part of the investigation now. What Troy Patterson does is his own thing, till he hurts someone, which he has not. And I can't arrest him until he commits a crime, which, as I just stated, he has not.”
“It's only a matter of time. You should know how those people are? They want you to think they're just fine, then they start with the kids, touching them and raping them. He'll be just like the rest of the freaks. They never know when to stop, always claiming to be your friend....”
“And do you have proof that he's raped anyone?” Deputy Kline asked.
“Well no, but...”
Kline held up a hand and interrupted her. “Do you have proof that he has tried to rape anyone, or touched them in a lewd manner?”
“Well no, but....”
Deputy Kline interrupted her again before she could continue. “Ma'am, If I were you, I wouldn't go spreading it around that he is a rapist. If the Pattersons heard you, or got wind that you were spreading these lies, they could sue for Defamation of character and slander and there is a great chance they could win.”
“They could sue me, when they have the abomination?!?”
Deputy Kline nodded. “Yes. If you're telling people that the child is a rapist and he isn't, then yes, they could sue you for defamation of character, slander and if you write it down, libel. You're damaging his reputation and doing it vindictively. But I'm not here about legal advice, I need to ask you about what happened at the Patterson house on the weekend.”
She huffed out a breath and glared at him. “What about it?”
“First of all, were you there on Saturday the twenty-ninth?” Deputy Kline asked. “And were you with June Olsen, Wendy Hurt and Kimberly Caborn?
“Yes, I went there, but we didn't do anything to the little freak.”
He kept going, not bothering to stop her ranting about her thoughts on the child. He wasn't sure why she had the hatred for the child, in his couple of meetings with Troy, he thought the child was a nice kid, and polite too. “While you were there, did you engage in a debate over Troy Patterson with his mother, about him, a verbal debate that grew heated, but stayed verbal?”
“Yes.” She growled. “But I have my reasons!”
Deputy Kline kept asking questions, not letting her go off on anther rant. “And did you repeatedly claim that Troy Patterson was going to attack children in the town and rape them?”
“Yes! How do we know he isn't!?!”
“Ma'am, please, keep calm. I just got a couple more questions.” Deputy Kline looked to his notebook. “When you were told to leave, did you threaten Troy Patterson, Maggie Patterson, Modine Patterson or William Patterson in any way?”
“No.” Molly replied.
“No? You didn't tell them that you wouldn't rest till the, how was it put, 'that abomination was out of your town' Then you threatened to run them out of town or make them wish they had left?”
Molly shook her head. A part of her wanted to deny it, but the logical part told her that if someone was threatening them, she was the biggest culprit at the moment. “Well I said that, but I wasn't going to attack them! I just want that thing out of my town! I can't believe that you would come here and pester me when that thing is allowed to run around with the chance to hurt children!”
“Ma'am, please, stay calm.” Deptuy Kline said again. “Have you mailed any pictures with threats, or phoned the Pattersons at all and keep in mind, we can pull your phone records.”
“No. My son brought home a picture, but I didn't send any to anyone.” Molly replied through clinched teeth. “Nor have I called those people.”
“Could I please have the picture. We need it for the records.”
“I threw it out already, the trash was picked up on Friday.” It was a lie, but he didn't need to know that.
Deputy Kline was sure that was the truth and he knew the more he pushed for answers, the madder she would get and that wouldn't get him anywhere. “Okay. I would advise you to keep your distance from the Patterson's. They could take anything you do as having hostile intent and you could end up in legal trouble.”
“Fine. I'll leave that little freak alone.” Molly grumbled. Deputy Kline didn't believe her, but he was sure she wasn't a party to the pictures. He also knew that until she did something, there wasn't much he could do.
February 4th 1983
William walked into the lunch-room at the mill to find it very packed. This wasn't out of the ordinary. But this time everyone seemed to be watching him as he walked up to the end of the line. He could hear the snickers behind him, but he did his best to ignore them. He had no idea what the big joke was as he grabbed his food and put it on his tray. Then he saw a picture, hanging where the cashier was. It was a copy of the picture that had been left in Tracy's backpack. The same one that had been passed out to almost everyone at school. The picture of his daughter Tracy, wearing her skirt and hanging out with her mother at the mall. At the top of the picture was the child's name. “Troy Patterson” Written in permanent marker, with an arrow pointing to his child. At the bottom of the picture was written “Daddy's little faggot.” Once again he could tell that the writing wasn't the same as the one Tracy got at school, but it was same writing as what he found in his locker.
“I didn't do that.” The tiny woman who worked at the lunch line said, in a timid voice.
“You didn't stop it either.” William replied as he reached over and yanked on the picture, tearing it away from the tape that held it. “Who did it?” He asked, as he barely managed to keep his voice calm.
“I...I didn't see.” She replied, but one look at William's face told her he wasn't buying it. “Please, don't get me involved in this.” She said.
“Too late for that, isn't it.” William stated, then he turned around to glare at his fellow workers. He took a deep breath as he faced the entire room. He knew there were several people watching him now, more than before. Kids at the school he could understand, but when his co-workers getting in on what was a school yard stunt, that pissed him off. He raised his voice so he could be heard in the room, without difficulty. The logical part of him screamed to not say a word and let the cops handle it, but this was his child they were messing with and he had enough. Plus this way, he could get an idea of who was in the room with him. “Okay, I don't know which of you assholes put this up, but it's not funny.” He glared around the room.
“None of you realized how stupid this makes you all look. Picking on an eleven year old? Really? Are we all in grade school here? This makes you feel like men? Throwing insults at someone twenty years younger then you? This child has seen more trouble and pain in eleven years than a lot of you have seen your whole lives. And you all feel you're better then him. The pictures being passed around the school I can see, but here? At a place of work where grownups are? It's pathetic. You're all worse then a bunch of little preschoolers.” William growled as he walked out of the room.
Billy waited for William to leave before he got up from his table and headed for the bathroom. He couldn't help but smile after William's little speech. He knew there was no way in hell that anyone could catch him. He figured the cashier was threatened well enough so she wouldn't talk. He was glad that Clark had involved him in the plan to get even with the Pattersons. He had no more than stepped into the bathroom when he felt someone shove him into a wall.
He spun around to see his father, the man who had helped him to get the job at the mill, in an attempt to get his son to clean up his act. His father held him against the wall with an arm over his throat. “Alright, you little prick. I want to know if you had anything to do with that.” The older man growled.
“With what?” Billy asked, trying to get away from his father.
“You know what. Did you leave that picture of William's kid?” Larry asked, adding pressure to the arm. “I know you were pissed when Bruce got arrested.”
“That little faggot gets what he deserves.” Billy replied. “No one fucks with my family. But I didn't leave no picture.”
“If I find you're lying, I will take you to the jail and shove your ass into a cell on my own, got it?”
Billy shoved at his father and he managed to separate the two of them. “I didn't do it! Jesus, I think you'd support your own fucking family before some snitch.”
“I'd support my family if he wasn't a drug using, waste of life.” Larry replied. “Hanging out with your hoodlum friends and where's that gonna get ya? A nice cell by Bruce for doing something stupid.” Larry shook his head. “I don't know why I even bother with you.” Then he turned and walked out of the bathroom, leaving Billy to rub at his throat and glare at the back of his head.
William made his way to the office and went inside. “I need to make a call.” He said, looking to Steven who was inside.
“Go a head. Nothing wrong I hope?”
“Well, yeah, there is.” He said. “I need to call the Sheriff’s Department about the ongoing investigation about the threats my youngest is getting. Someone is leaving the threats here now and the Sheriffs need all the leads they can get.”
“Wait, someone left a threat here?”
“Two so far, the first was on Monday, someone left it in my locker. The newest one was hanging in the lunch-room for everyone to see.”
“How are they threatening your child? If we know, we can stop this.”
“We can stop this by finding the man threatening to rape and murder my family. We can have the man who is mailing threats to my wife's work jailed so the rest of the world can be a bit safer.” William snapped back. Then he took a deep breath to calm down and weighed his options. He knew that it was only a matter of time before Steven and the rest of management saw a picture, he was sure that there would be more, until the man was caught. On the other hand, if he told Steven, he had the chance of stopping wild speculation. So he took a leap of faith. “Remember his attack?”
“Yeah. You still thinking this is connected?”
“Yeah. I know it is.” William said. “Remember what I told you, about his surgeries?”
“Yeah, I remember.”
“I never told you the whole story, mostly for Troy's sake.” Instead of going with the truth, William was hoping a well crafted lie would help stop questions. He sighed and showed the picture to Steven. “After his surgeries and the one that followed him being tripped at school, the doctors agreed that the chances of Troy ever having a normal life as a man are gone, so they are having him become a girl.”
“Wait...what?” Steven asked, blinking a couple of times as he looked at the picture. “That's your son?”
“Yes, my son, soon to be daughter.” William stated. “There's not a lot of choice. Trust me, I looked. I begged. I've screamed at God to find a way." Steven had no idea that William had been behind it for months now and William was okay with that. "See, He could get the hormones, but most of what a man has down there is gone. Destroyed by three teenage monsters. Had he stayed in school, by the time he had to take Physical Education, someone would find out when he would have to take a shower and the teasing would be bad. Not that having threats against your life is better, but right now, it's only an asshole or two.”
“I don't know William, calling the cops to come down here, some of the others could say you're making it a hostile work environment.”
Anger flared up in William for a moment and he tried to rein it in before he went off on a rant. When he did speak, it was through clinched teeth. “Really? How about me? I could claim that right now. I have to put up with someone threatening to rape and murder my wife and youngest, plus murder my oldest and myself and I can't say anything? Well the Cops already know, so the last thing I'm going to do is just sit on this and get arrested for hiding evidence from them. I'm not just sitting idly by, when the target of the threats are my family.” He glared at Steven. “So either let me make the report and not get in trouble with the law for hiding evidence, or stop me and you can have it on your head when someone rapes and kills my family.”
Steven backed away from the phone as he thought about how it would be to be in the same situation. “Go ahead.”
“Thank you.” William said as politely as he could, which wasn't that much, while he picked up the phone.
Maggie was at her chair, reading, while Tracy was at her in-laws, cleaning so she could have the weekend off to hang out with her friends. She stopped as the phone started to ring and she picked it up.
“Hello?” She said into the phone. She knew only a handful of people had the new number, but she still wasn't saying her last name over the phone, just in case the man had found the new number.
“Hey Maggie, it's me.” She heard her husband’s voice say. She could hear something in it, something that didn't sit right with her.
“What happened?” She asked.
“Someone left a picture in the lunch-room. I called the cops already and they should be here shortly to investigate it.”
“Dammit.” Maggie muttered. “William, I know we said one more attack, but I really feel that moving is the best idea right now.”
“Yeah. I think I agree with you.”
“We get a hold of Shelly after the girls leave. I don't want to worry her.”
“Okay. I'll try calling Shelly later.” Maggie said. “But I agree. I don't want to worry Tracy. She's finally happy for once this week and I don't want to ruin this.”
“Okay. I'll be home after the game tonight.” William stated.
“Love you and stay sharp. We can still catch this asshole.”
“I know Babe. I know.” William replied.
By time his shift was almost over, the story had swept the mill, and the fact that the cops had shown up didn't help matters, but William didn't care anymore. He was aware that a new crew was working already as he had parked the forklift and many of them had heard the story of the picture and his rant. So as he walked past one of the machines, headed for the locker-room, some of the younger guys decided to taunt him.
“Hey, how's your little queer son?” One of the younger guys at the mill asked William in a taunting tone.
“Better not tease him, he may go tell the cops.” A second man, barely old enough to vote added, in a mocking, baby like tone. William just arched an eyebrow and stood there, not saying a word.
“Well. How is it to have a little fag for a son? What's wrong, not man enough to smack the little fairy in line? Teach him what it is to be a man?”
“Yeah, but maybe he gets off on that stuff. Maybe it's Will's fault that the boy wears dresses.” Another man added. “Maybe Will likes to dress up his son, gets off on a fantasy of touching little girls.”
The three men laughed and William just stood his ground, not saying a word. “Maybe he dresses up with his son!?!” More laughter erupted and it still got no response from William. He just committed their names and faces to memory.
“Well say something! Not going to defend your little faggot son?!?” The second man shouted at William who finally replied while pointing at the machine the man was to be watching as the manager for his area was running over to them.
“Your machine is backed up.” William forced a smile as a few boards hit the ground. He didn't feel like smiling, in fact he wanted to introduce the their faces to his fist. But this was better. He didn't need to be fired, or arrested for defending his daughter, not till the bad guy was caught. “Good luck catching up with the rest of the line.” Then he turned and walked away, while many of the people who were watching began laughing at the pile up the other two had caused. Boards began hitting the ground, causing more people to look.
William was headed out of the mill when he heard the sound of someone running in what sounded like tap shoes. “William!” A voice called out. He stopped and turned to see Susan who worked in the main office trying to run over to him in high heels. “William, can I speak to you?” She asked as she got closer.
He sighed, not wanting to get into a conversation with one of the biggest gossips in the mill. “What is it? I'm running late, my son has a ball game I want to catch.”
“Me too, My Ronnie is playing tonight, too.” She said. “Is what I heard right?” Susan asked as she dropped her voice into conspiratorial type whisper. “The other day my Son came home and said he saw a picture of your son in a dress and now I hear that the cops had to come here today and investigate a picture of the same thing. Is it all true?”
He knew the information was out there now and it was hopeless to fight it. “There are pictures out there, but someone is using them to intimidate my child and they're threatening to rape and murder my wife and children. The cops are looking into it and now that someone has put one up here, they have to investigate.”
“And they sent them to the school too?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, it's not my son. I'd blister his butt if he threatened to kill people.” She leaned in closer. “You have any idea who did it? I mean how did they get it here? Maybe the kid has parents that work here?”
“I don't know, I've been wracking my brain to figure it out.”
“Well I know Leroy has a daughter and a son that goes to the same school, but he has been gone till today. There are a couple others, but both of them haven't worked yesterday or today.”
“Yeah, I ruled him and you out already.” William said with a nod.
“Hmmm. I can try and come up with a few names over the weekend, if you want. But what if it is like a family friend? Be harder to find him if the man isn't related.”
The suggestion stopped William. He hadn't thought about that. “Crap. I never thought about that.”
“I'll keep an eye out for you, okay?”
“T-thank you Susan.” He replied. He wasn't ready for that, not from a notorious gossip. But any help was appreciated.
William walked into the school and headed for the office. He found just Mr. Harper inside. He shut the door as he caught the Principal's attention. “Alvin, could I speak to you for a moment?”
“What's wrong Mr. Patterson?”
“Well you may not know it, but someone sent one of the pictures to Maggie's work on Tuesday. On Monday I had a picture left in my locker at work, but today there was one hanging in the lunch room for everyone to see.”
“Oh shit.” The Principal muttered. “William, have you and Maggie thought about getting Troy out of town?” Mr. Harper asked.
“Yeah. We're sending him to his God-parents. I feel we're at the start of this and it's going to get worse.”
“Things tend to get worse before they get better.”
William nodded. “Yeah. That's what scares me.”
“I can understand.”
“Alvin, I need to know, do you know many people that have children that go here and work at the mill?”
“Off hand? Not many. But give me the weekend and I may be able to come up with a few names.”
“Could you? That could really help us catch the guy responsible, before he follows through on his threats.”
“There's been more?” Alvin asked and William nodded.
He lowered his voice and leaned in close. “He's threatened to not only attack Troy, but to attack and rape both Maggie and Troy, then kill Maggie and make Troy watch, then kill Vance and myself and then finally kill Troy.”
“Oh dear God, that's barbaric.” Alvin said as he turned a shade of green.
“I know, that's why I want this guy strung up as fast as possible. Before he follows through with his threat.”
“Tell you what. I'll start looking through the records now and see If I can come up with anything. I'll try and have a few names for you before the game is over, okay?”
“Well, I can mark a couple off the list.” William reached out and picked up a pad and a pencil. He quickly wrote the names of the people he and Susan had ruled out. “I know these people are innocent, just because they were out of town, at least I think they're innocent. But we got them on the list already.”
“Okay. I can work with this.” Alvin said.
“Thank you Alvin. Thank you very much.”
Persephone was in the lead with her VW bus, which was filled with five teens, plus her youngest in the passenger seat, one wheel chair and five sleeping bags. The girls had been singing with the radio since they had left Sacramento and each of them seemed to bounce in their seat, each time they pulled off one highway and onto another. She signaled way before her turn for the truck behind her and slowed down, then pulled off the tiny highway and began driving past farms. She gave a quick look in the mirror to make sure that Harvey had turned with her.
“She live close to here?” Brooke said, trying to look out the window, but not seeing much due to the darkness.
“About ten miles, we have to pass by the school Tracy went to, up till last week.” Persephone said.
Stacey sat by on of the windows in the back seat, trying to peer out into the darkening night sky. “Are those....trees? I thought these were farms, like cows and stuff.”
“There are cows in the area, but most of these farms have olive orchards.” Persephone replied.
“Do her parents own cows?” Stacey asked. “Can we milk one of them?”
“No, they don't own cows. Maggie said they used to, but they got rid of them a while back.” Persephone said.
“Their neighbor has cows though.” Sage said with a huge smile. “And Tracy isn't hurt, so we can walk down and see them.”
“Maybe, but remember young lady, unlike you, she can't go as Tracy everywhere.” Persephone replied.
“Yeah.” Sage agreed. “I know, kinda wish she was.”
“So does she, but remember, this is a different world up here. Pace is slower and people are more.....” Persephone was quiet for a moment, trying to figure out the right words.”Rigid in their beliefs.”
“Hey, maybe we can get Emily May and Mary Beth to come over too?” Stacey suggested.
“No chance.” Sage replied with a shake of her head. “Whoever sent the pictures, sent one to their dad and Tracy said they can't see her ever again.”
“That jerk sent one to them? Why?”Stacey asked.
“Simple, whoever must have known about their father and how he feels.” Sage answered. “They've also targeted Vance and Emily at the school and Peter too.”
“Damn. So they are trying to take away her friends?” Stacey guessed.
“Yeah, I think so.” Sage answered. “But it's not stopping Emily May and Mary Beth. I guess they've been sending a letter a day to Tracy. And Peter doesn't care about the pictures either.”
“Darn it, It would have been cool to get all of us together.” Stacey grumbled. “I mean we only met them once, but I've mailed them a couple of times and they seemed cool.”
“Yeah, I've sent a couple letters too.” Sage said, a couple of the other girls nodded in agreement.
“Girls?” Persephone called out. She pointed to the drivers side of the van. “Coming up on the left side is the school that Tracy went to and Vance still goes to.”
As they passed it, they noticed all the cars there. “Wow, it's small.” Brooke said.
“Why is everyone there?” Stacey asked.
“Basketball game. Tracy said Vance had one today. Last one of the season I think.” Rachel said.
“We're pulling a prank on Vance when he gets home, too.” Sage grinned.
Persephone looked in the rear-view mirror and looked at her daughter, who only saw her mothers face, slightly lit by the dashboard. “I don't know about this. You know my feelings on playing with someone’s feelings young lady.”
“It wasn't my idea.” Sage said. “Even his parents are in on this. His Dad's keeping him away from the house for a bit so we can set it up.”
“Okay, what's the prank?” Persephone asked. Rachel began to giggle, then she laid out the plan. Persephone did her best to not let a smile cross her face. “Okay, I'll allow this, but you need to realize that this boy has feelings for you and at some point, you need to let him down, gently.”
“Tell him the truth?” Sage asked.
“That may help. God knows no one likes the 'lets be friends' talk.” Her mother stated. “He's good with Tracy, he shouldn't have issues with you.”
Tracy and Maggie were alone in the house, both of them in the living room with the TV off. Each of them had a book and were taking advantage of the quiet house to get a little reading done. Maggie sat in her chair and Tracy sat on the couch, leaning against the arm of the couch, with her legs curled under her. Vance was at his last game of the season and William had gone to watch him. Every few moments, Tracy would look to the clock, then turn her head, move the curtain and peek out the window. After about the tenth time in just as many minutes, Maggie waited till she went to do it again.
“A watched pot never boils.” She said in her wise mother voice, not looking away from her book.
“I know” Tracy whined. “but I want them here now.”
“I know baby, but you got to remember, two of the girls go to different schools. They had to go into Fremont to get Casey. That's half an hour away from Livermore, if not more because of Traffic.” Maggie reminded her. “Plus they had to get clothes and stuff like that.”
“I know, but I just want them up here.” Tracy whined. “The day's almost over, plus Vance should be home soon.”
“Oh yeah.” Maggie said with a devilish grin, having heard about the joke. “Now you didn't tell him, did you that they were coming up?”
“No.” Tracy smiled back.
“Good, this is going to be worth it.” Maggie smiled.
“Who all is coming?”
Maggie put down her book and began counting off the people, on her fingers. “Well, Persephone and the girls, including Andromeda, plus Harvey and Lok and Moonglow.”
“Lok is coming up? Harvey too?”
“Yeah, Karen had plans, so Lok decided to come up last moment. And Harvey had a couple vacation days and I guess Lilian had work going on.”
“Oh.” Tracy said. “Well, at least Lok's coming, you'll like him, he's pretty cool. You said Mooney's coming?” Tracy asked.
“Yeah, I guess Harvey is taking this trip as a reason to test out a new trailer he bought for hunting season. So him, Moonglow and Lok will be testing the beds, and Persephone and Andromeda will be next door.”
Tracy was about to respond when she heard the unmistakable sound of a VW motor coming down the road and getting louder. A few moments later was the sound of tires hitting the driveway. She whipped around and looked through the curtains once more and saw a truck pulling a trailer stop near their driveway. She got up and went to the door, and threw it open to see a second vehicle already in front of the house.
“Wait!” Maggie said as her daughter started to go outside. She got up and rushed over, to her daughter. “Let's make sure it's the right people before we rush into the darkness.” The porchlight had been left on, but at night, in the country, that only helped just so much.
Maggie stopped behind her daughter, looking at Persephone's van in front of their house. “I think that's...” A light came on in the van and she saw, Persephone and the girls all waving, then one of them went for the door and she could hear Persephone telling them to wait a moment. Maggie heard the sounds of someone walking from the truck and she looked over to see Harvey, Lok and Mooney all coming towards her.
“Maggie?” Persephone rolled down her window and pointed to the driveway by her in-laws. “Want me to park over there?”
“Yeah, Next to Conner's car will be fine. He knows about it.”
“Okay.” She was about to put it into gear when she turned and spoke to the girls. “Sit down, you can wait two more minutes.”
Tracy started to walk along the fence line of the houses till she reached where Persephone was pulling in.
As soon as Persephone had the van in park, the side door flew open and four of the five preteen girls jumped out. Sage held back long enough to get Brooke's wheelchair. Tracy found herself swarmed by Casey, Stacey and Rachel. A moment later, Andromeda came running up and hugged her too, then she looked up and then around. “Can I pet cows?”
“We don't have any cows. We have olive trees.”
“Can I have an olive?!?”
“No, we picked those already, plus they got to be treated. They taste nasty raw. We mostly have oil olives here.”
The girl frowned, then her attitude picked up again. “Gowie said you have big birds”
“The turkeys.” Sage clarified.
“Oh. Well we don't have them, they're wild. They live in our field, but they sleep at night, so we can't look for them until tomorrow.”
The little girl stuck out her lip and began to pout. “Oh.”
“Hey, if we're up early enough them, we may get to see deer back there too.” Tracy told the little girl with a smile.
“Hey, could we take her to see the cows tomorrow? You think your neighbor would be okay with that?” Sage asked.
“Um....” Tracy started, then she stopped, trying to figure out how to tell her friend about the cows and the extra meat in a locker for them down town. “Mrs. Scott doesn’t have those anymore.” From behind her she heard her Grandparent's door open up. They had left their porch light on for the new arrivals. She waved at her grandparents as both of them came out and down the steps.
“She don't? What happened?” Sage asked.
“They got out while I was with you all. She....um....got rid of them.”
“Oh, darn it. I wanted to pet a cow.”
“The neighbor around the corner has goats, we could see about looking at those.”
“Goats are cool too I guess.” Sage replied sounding a bit down.
“They got sheep too.” Tracy said.
“Sheep are cute.” Rachel said as Conner led Modine over to the girls.
“Oh, hey, you all met my Grandma back before Christmas.” Tracy said. “This is my Grandpa Conner.”
“Girls.” Conner looked at the girls and only Brooke caught the look on Conner's face and just for a split second, one that said he wasn't comfortable, but Brooke didn't say anything. She was used to people hating her because of her wheelchair.
“Grandpa, you remember Rachel and Sage, right?” Tracy asked.
“Yes I do. It's good to see you girls again. You too, Persephone.” Conner replied. He looked to Tracy. “I guess your brother will be tripping on his tongue again?”
“Yep.” Tracy giggled. “We have a plan too.” She quickly laid out the joke and he laughed.
“That's just mean young lady. Mean, mean mean....I approve.” Conner said with a smile. “So who are these other girls?”
“This is Sage's sister, Andromeda.” Tracy said, putting a hand on the little girls head. “And these are Stacey and Casey, they're Sage's cousins. Their father is over there. And this girl is Brooke, her Grandpa Lok is over there too. Plus Sage's brother is up here too.” Brooke wasn't sure, but she swore she saw the uncomfortable look on Conner's face once more, but it faded just as fast, so she just ignored it and prepared to have fun with her friend.
“It's good to meet you all.” Conner said, then he gently touched his wife’s shoulder. “I'll go see if they need help with that trailer.”
“Okay.” Modine said as she leaned out to hug Persephone. “It's good to see you again.”
“You too, Modine.” She put a hand on her youngest. “This is Andromeda, she's going to be with me. The guys are testing out Harvey's new trailer.”
“I thought one of the other mothers was coming.”
Persephone shook her head. “Lynn, Karen and Lilian either had stuff to do or wanted a break, so did Carl, my Husband.
“Come on, let's grab your stuff and get inside, before Vance gets home.” Tracy said, walking ot the side door of the bus.
The front room was filled with preteen girls again, as they set up the prank they had for Vance. They knew the time was getting close, so Moony, 'Romy, Harvey and Lok were all outside, hiding in the trailer, or at Tracy's grandparents place. Sage stood in the center of the room, wearing just the bottoms to a two piece swimsuit that was close to her skin tone and a long shirt.
The girls giggled as Sage stood there. “Okay, why am I all alone in this?”
In her silliest voice she could do, Rachel replied. “Because he LOVES you.” Then she began making kissing noises.
“Keep it up funny girl.” Sage threatened with a grin. “I'll make you kiss him this time. This was partly your idea.”
“I'd join you, but getting dressed in a hurry in this chair doesn't happen.” Brooke replied.
"Come on, I can't do this alone. Think of the fun if we all snap his brain."
Rachel sighed. "Okay, I'll help you. But you owe me big."
“Whose trailer?” Vance asked as they got out of the car. He saw the Truck and the van at his grandparents place. “Think Grandma and Grandpa are here already?”
“Who knows, let's go in and find out?” William said as he shut off the motor
He let his son lead the way and he had to chuckle when the door opened and his son stopped at the sight that was in front of him. William looked down to his feet as he laughed.
Vance's jaw dropped as he saw the mostly naked backsides of Sage, Stacey, Casey and Rachel. But his eyes didn't see the seams of the swim suit on Sage, nor could he see the one on Stacey, not that he was looking too hard at her. Then one of them shrieked and all four of the mostly naked girls darted out of the room, two headed for the kitchen before ducking down the hall, and Casey and Stacey went for his parents room.
Vance stood there for a moment while William fought the urge to burst into laughter. “Sage....Sage was naked?”
“Yep, So was Rachel, Stacey and Casey. They were comparing bodies to show Tracy what she had to look forward to.” Brooke stated.
“They were naked.... in our house?” Vance asked again as William pushed him into the house.
“Yep.” Tracy said.
“Where are they now?”
“Maybe getting dressed in our room.” Tracy replied. That was followed by Sage's voice.
“Tracy, can you bring my clothes in here? Rachel's too, we're in your room.”
“I can do it.”Vance said as his smile grew.
"Tracy? Can you bring my clothes in here? Casey's too?" Stacey's voice called out from her parents bedroom.
"Hey, you take theirs and I'll take Sage's." Vance offered.
“Nah, she asked me.” Tracy said with a grin.
“I don't mind. I promise I won’t look.” Vance said.
“Now that is a load of bullshit.” William said with a chuckle as he finally looked up.
“Please Tracy...We're getting cold here.” Sage said with a whine in her voice.
“Tell you what, cover Vance's eyes and we'll come out and just grab it fast.” Rachel said. “Sage can wrap up in a towel and come out.”
“Okay girls, I'll cover his eyes” William put his hands over Vance's eyes and the boy tried to move the hands.
He heard the pitter patter of Sage hurrying to the room, then he heard her gasp. “Crud, the towel fell.”
Vance pried the hand away from his eyes and he focused on Sage, who stood there, facing him, but wearing a two piece swim suit. “But.....”
“Sorry, I had to.” Sage said with a devilish grin.” She grabbed her clothes, plus Stacey's, Casey's and Rachel's, then skipped off to William and Maggie's room, pushing through the curtains, giggling as she went. They could hear Rachel moving through the house, by way of the doors in the bathroom.
“They were really naked in the house?” He asked, trying to picture the scene in his mind of the four mostly naked girls in his mind.
“Yep, well mostly naked.” Tracy said as she went to move into the bedroom.
“Give them a minute.” Maggie told her. “It wont kill you to wait.”
“But they're my friends...”
“And they're changing, so give them a little privacy.” Maggie said.
“Okay.” Tracy grumbled. Brooke rolled over and grabbed her hand.
“Hey, you still got me to bug.”
“Yeah.” Tracy nodded.
“Wait, so Sage is here? For like the night?”
“Well she's not going right back home.” Tracy replied.
“Sage, Rachel, Brooke, Stacey and Casey are staying the next couple of nights.” Maggie stated. “Stacey and Casey go home with their father, Officer Parker on Sunday and the rest leave with Lok and Moonglow on Monday.”
“Moonglow is here?”
“Yep.” Tracy said. “He's outside with Mister Parker and Lok.”
"Lok?" William asked. Brooke noticed something on William's face, a look of sadness. Like with Conner, she figured it was because of her chair.
"Yeah, My Grandfather." Brooke said with a smile, ignoring William's strange look. "He's a Kung Fu master."
William thought about that for a moment and how they had pronounced his name. Each time he heard the name, it sounded like Lock. He blinked a couple of times. "He's Master Lok? Like the padlock company?"
Brooke giggled. "Yep. Mom always jokes that he could change his name, so he could be Master Card."
Next up, more fun with Tracy and the girls
“I know telling you to go straight to bed is pointless, so just keep it down, and don't stay up too late. okay?”
"Thanks, Daddy." Tracy said with a smile.
"Just be good, okay? Or I’ll let Vance sleep in here with you girls."
"Daddy!" Tracy playfully whined.
"Sage would never get to sleep." Rachel said with a giggle.
Editing by Djkauf
Another look in on Tracy and friends.
February 4th 1983
Mooney, Harvey, and Lok had all come in to hang out with William and Vance, to know them better; Persephone and Romy had come over, as had Tracy's grandparents. The guys were busy watching the Dukes of Hazzard, and talking about sports and anything else that caught their fancy. The ladies all went to the kitchen to take over the kitchen table and a couple of the folding chairs, too. As much as Tracy wanted to watch the TV, her friends were more important.
Her grandmother suggested a board game, something that they could play, but still talk with each other. As they had done at Sage's house in December, one of them took Romy as a team mate, while Persephone, Maggie and Modine just watched. Maggie had brought out a kid favorite, Chutes and Ladders, and the girls each took up a place at the table.
So Tracy ended up with Romy in her lap as they played the game. Half an hour had passed as they started on a second round, while Maggie had been talking with Persephone when Modine caught their attention with a wave of her hand. She pointed to the table where Tracy sat, the little girl slowly falling asleep in her arms. Romy's head was bobbing slightly as she fought to stay awake. Each time the girl shifted her weight, Tracy moved with her, letting the girl rest against her chest. Maggie was impressed that Tracy juggled her attention between the game and holding the child as though she had always dealt with children.
Tracy's leg was slowly losing feeling, but she didn't want to upset the girl by putting her down and making her think she wasn't invited to play anymore.
"Tracy, do you want me to take her?" Persephone quietly asked.
"Naw, she's not that heavy, unless it's time for her to go to bed."
"In another half an hour, but I don't want her to get in the way of your fun", Persephone said.
"I'm not tired", The little girl mumbled.
"I don't mind. I don't have a baby sister, so this is kinda cool, like practice, if I ever do have a baby sister."
Maggie arched an eyebrow, but decided to not question her daughter about the statement. Instead, she came up with a plan for the girls. "I have an idea for when this is done." Maggie said, making the girls to all look at her, except for Casey, who had to look around and figure out what was going on.
"What's that?" Tracy asked.
"Would you like to see something really cool tonight?" Maggie asked. "Before Romy goes to bed."
"Sure, what is it?" Sage replied.
"We can show you the stars" Maggie replied. "You can't see them that well in Livermore, but you can out here. It’s a clear night, so we should be able to see some of them."
"We could go now, if the girls don't mind, and then we could go put Romy to bed." Persephone suggested.
The girls all looked around the table and each of them nodded. “Sure.” Tracy finally said. They all stood up after Persephone took her daughter, and they got a strange look from the guys as they passed the TV.
“We're gonna go look at the stars.” Maggie said.
“Oh. Have fun.” William replied. Then he looked at the guys. “Unless you want to see them too.”
“Sure.” Moony replied.
Harvey just nodded. He quickly explained to his slightly confused deaf daughter what was going on and she nodded.
“I think I'm going to go home and get ready for bed.” Modine said and her husband got up an grabbed his flashlight. "We'll see you all tomorrow."
They all stepped outside and Maggie led everyone outside with a flashlight, past Harvey's trailer, and behind the house. She shut off the light and the girls stood there. “Now just wait a few minutes for your eyes to adjust to this.” She said. “And you'll be able to see the night sky.”
They stood there in the darkness. Several minutes passed and in the cold February night, as their eyes slowly got used to the darkness, they could make out the tiny pin pricks of light in the sky. Just a few, then the longer they stood there, the more seemed to show up.
“Wow.....are all of those stars?” Sage asked. "It's like a blur, like someone smeared their finger across the sky."
“Yep.” Maggie replied. “You should see it in August when the Perseid meteor shower happens. That's a wonderful show.”
“Kinda makes you feel small.” Rachel stated.
“Yeah.” Stacey replied.
“See, this is why you should go camping, Rachel.” Sage said. “Just imagine, lying on the ground, watching the stars overhead.”
“With the bugs that eat you alive? No thank you.” Rachel replied.
"Come on now. Camping isn't all bad." Harvey said. "It can be quite fun. There is more to life than the mall."
"For you, maybe." Rachel replied with a chuckle. "But then you don't shop much."
"True. I leave the shopping to my girls."
Persephone shifted her youngest and sighed. "Well, I think this is bed time for me. Romy's starting to snore."
Maggie chuckled lightly. "Well come on girls. Let's get you all inside. We'll see you tomorrow morning, Persephone."
It was just past ten at night when William got up as Maggie shut off the TV and he went to the fireplace. Moony had decided to hang out with Vance at the last minute, so he ended up in Tracy's bed, instead of the trailer. After their quick venture in star watching, the girls had played another game, picking something a bit more complex. Persephone had already gone next door with Romy. The pull out bed had been made and Brooke was already laying down on it. Rachel had also taken the pullout. Other sleeping bags were littered around the room, including Tracy's.
William looked at the collective preteens. “Okay girls, I'd like to keep a little path in here to get through. I'll put another log in the fireplace, but don't put anymore in. It'll get a bit cool tonight, but just stay in the sleeping bags, okay?”
Five of the girls nodded, then Stacey relayed the message to Casey.
“I know telling you to go straight to bed is pointless, so just keep it down, and don't stay up too late. okay?”
"Thanks, Daddy." Tracy said with a smile.
"Just be good, okay? Or I’ll let Vance sleep in here with you girls."
"Daddy!" Tracy playfully whined.
"Sage would never get to sleep." Rachel said with a giggle.
Once William had gone to his room, Sage rolled over in her sleeping bag and smiled up at them, the light from the fireplace reflecting in her eyes and on her face. “So wanna tell ghost stories?”
"Creepy." Rachel said with a snicker. "Could you not have the firelight on your face when you do that?"
"Let's tell the story about the cute redhead who keeps being followed by the brother of a friend of hers." Stacey said as she began to laugh. She moved the pillow to her face and laughed into that.
"Yeah yeah, he saw your naked backside too." Sage reminded her.
"I was wearing panties and a bra." Stacey stuck out her tongue. "Not like you, miss naked butt."
"I was not totally naked."
"Bet he didn't see it that way." Rachel said with a giggle.
“Bet she's gonna be a great dream for him tonight.” Brooke said with a chuckle.
“Please, I don't want to think what he's doing in his room with the dreams of Sage.” Tracy said. “Worries me when I'm in the room with him.”
“I can understand.” Sage replied. “Being the only other one of us with a brother....”
“I'm just glad you all made it up here.” Tracy butted in, to stop the talk of brothers.
“Hey, it's kinda cool up here. Like camping in a cabin.” Stacey said. “Besides, you needed us to visit, you were going crazy on your own.”
Tracy nodded in agreement.
“Let's not talk about the sad stuff.” Sage said. “I want tonight to be fun.”
“Yeah, like Christmas time.” Tracy said in agreement.
“I still can't believe how quiet it is out here.” Stacey said. “Does anyone drive down this road?”
“Some.” Tracy said. “The ones who use it as a race track.”
"A race track?" Stacey asked.
"There's a big dip past my grandparents place and people love to speed through that, but the corner of the road is a sharp turn and if you miss it, you end up in the ravine." Tracy explained.
"Oh." Came Stacey's reply.
“Must be boring to live here all the time.” Rachel said. "When we were up in December it seemed like it could be boring."
“It can be.”
“I couldn't live here.” Brooke stated. “My wheelchair couldn't take it.”
"I can't live here, there's no mall. Rachel stated.
-break
Vance got up in his usual post slumber daze and he wandered into the kitchen when he paused in his tracks. At the stove, like usual, was his sister, but the other girls he had forgotten about were there, all of them still in nightgowns that fell past their knees. His mother was at the table with Brooke, both of them buttering pancakes. The girls looked at him. He noticed Tracy's eyes go wide and her jaw dropped. Rachel looked and began giggling.
The other girls turned to look and Stacey caught Casey's attention. “Um, Vance, maybe you should try today with pants?” Sage said with a giggle.
“Wha?” He sleepily muttered.
“Vance, you should put pajama bottoms, instead of just boxers, when the girls are spending the night." His mother stated. “It's the proper thing to do.”
He looked down and the shock seemed to wake him up a bit. He turned and headed for his bedroom as the girls all began to giggle. Rachel snickered as she tried to whisper. “Looks like someone had a good dream last night.” They all burst into laughter, except for Maggie who just shook her head.
Stacey began fighting the laughter. “Wanna b-bet it was about a n-n-nake Sage.”
“Oh, Be quiet.” Sage said in a playful tone.
Brooke reached over and pinched her butt. “It's that cute butt of hers.”
Sage squirmed away from Brooke and tried to look mad, but failed. “Stop!”
Rachel flipped up the back of Sage's nightgown, just slightly. “He'll like it better this way.”
“I swear I'll get in your packs and let him have the pick of your panties.” Sage glared at her cousin and friends and each of them backed down as they saw the expression on her face showing they were about to go too far. “Please drop it now.” Sage said through clinched teeth.
“Okay.” Rachel said as she pulled Sage into a hug, which Stacey joined. Brooke just squeezed her hand.
“You all okay?” Tracy asked.
“We will be.” Rachel said. “Just don't want hard feelings.” She said to Sage, who just leaned into the hug for a moment, then they broke it off and Sage went back to work at the stove with Tracy, making her wonder what was going on.
After Lok and the other adults had eaten, he walked up to Tracy's parents “William, Maggie, I would like to talk for a moment, outside, please.”
“Sure, nothing wrog, is there?” Maggie asked.
“No, I just wanted to talk about Tracy's classes in Tai Chi.” Lok said.
“Okay.” William said as he stood up.
As they all left the house, they stopped near the street. Lok turned to talk to them. “Brooke told me about her last teacher. How he made her quit. That is not the sign of a good teacher.”
“Yeah.” Maggie scoffed. “I wanted to smack the jerk.”
“Does Tracy enjoy it? The classes I mean?”
“Yeah. She practiced whenever she could.” Maggie said with a nod.
“What if I provide a solution?” Lok said with a smile. "We could let her become a student of my school."
“You would teach her?” Maggie asked.
“No. Jaio would. At our school, Jaio teaches Chen style of Tai Chi. I teach Wing Chan and a couple of other styles. But Jaio would be willing to take her as a student. We know she is a good girl and that is the kind of student we want. Not ones who make demands of the teacher.”
“Maybe we should offer it to her?” Maggie asked William.
“Yeah.” He said with a nod. “She does seem to enjoy it.
Maggie looked to Lok. “There is something that Tracy and the other parents don't know yet, but William and I agree that if there is another attack, we will send Tracy to live with Shelly and Frank. I will give two weeks notice and then William will follow with Vance.”
Lok nodded in agreement to the soundness of the plan, but then he asked. “Have you thought that it may not get better?”
“Yeah.” William said with a sad nod. “I went to bed thinking that sending her with Persephone may be our best bet. Ever since they started leaving pictures at my work, I think the writing is on the wall. But we wanted her to have a weekend with her friends, before we worry her.”
“Then I shall let you tell her that.” Lok stated. "But I want to offer to teach her."
“Thank you.” William replied. “But I'm not sure how we'll afford the classes.”
“Perhaps we can find a solution together.”
Breakfast was over as Sage waited till most of the girls had used the bathroom when she grabbed Tracy and led her to her bedroom. “Pants, grab a pair now.”
Tracy did as she was told, then Sage led her to the bathroom and locked both the door that led to Tracy's parents room and to the hall that led to the kitchen. “Um....what's going on?”
“You asked me about tucking at Christmas. I said I'd show you sometime. Today became sometime.” Sage replied. She handed something to Tracy, then she turned away. “Strip. You can leave your shirt on, but take the rest off. That thing I gave you is a gaff and it is now your best friend.”
“Um, okay?” Tracy said as she slowly shed out of her clothes. She tapped Sage on the shoulder. “How does this work?
Without turning around, Sage replied. “Okay, take your thing and lay it against the skin between your legs then pull the gaff on the rest of the way. It's going to squish it a bit You may need to adjust yourself too. The gaff goes under your panties. When you get your panties on, tell me.”
It took several minutes till Tracy could summon the courage to pull on the gaff thing and did as Sage had instructed. Finally she bit her lip. “Okay, panties are on.”
Sage turned around, making sure to keep her eyes locked on Tracy's. She took a couple of breaths and brought up the will to look down. She knew how much she hated people, even if they were doctors seeing her in less then this, even the joke they had played on Vance the night before had been hard for her to pull off. Rachel had begged her to do it, and in the end she had only agreed to it because it seemed funny. She had almost lost it though as her friends had kept pinching and exposing her but, but she knew they meant no harm.
She knew what Tracy was feeling and she was trying to make it as painless as possible. She slowly lowered her eyes and she took a step back and a grin passed over her lips as she looked, then she looked Tracy in the eyes again. “Very good for a first time. Maybe a little adjusting, but that's something you get better at with time. I'll wait at the door as you put on the pants.”
“Cool.” Tracy was blushing. She was glad when Sage stepped away. Tracy put on the pants and zipped them up.. Then she grabbed a tiny mirror and held it out so she could see how she looked. She smiled when she couldn't see a bulge, no matter how small it was to begin with. "Hey Sage?" She called out
"Yeah?"
Tracy stayed where she was, but decided to question the use of the gaff. "Is this what you use? Like when you go swimming?"
Sage blushed but she didn't go back to Tracy, letting her have her privacy. "Yeah, I use something like that too, but mine isn't that big, so my gaff is smaller."
"Oh, cool. At least I know it works." Tracy went to Sage and she tapped her on the shoulder. “Done.”
“Well? Can we turn you into a jeans girl?”
“I still like my skirts.” Tracy said, then she hugged Sage. “But thank you.” She whispered.
“You're welcome. There are other tricks, like tape and stuff like that to hold it in place, but that gaff is for the best. Easier to go to the bathroom I think.”
“Plus if we're outside, I'd rather be in jeans, just in case someone sees me.”
“I can understand that.” Sage replied. “Man I wish you lived by us.”
"Me too." Tracy said with a nod of her head.
The girls walked behind Tracy's parents house and they stood in silence. Brooke and Casey stood near the end of the foot path as Tracy pointed out the flock of wild turkeys that were busy looking for food just about thirty feet from the house. “See.” Tracy said in a whisper, as she pointed the birds out to Romy. “Turkeys.”
“I wanna pet 'em.” The little girl said, then she took off running towards the birds.
“Romy!” Sage started after her, but just after two steps, the large birds all turned and took several steps, then began to flap their wings and the flock took off towards the trees that lined the back part of the property.
Sage slowed down, then she just stopped and stood there, All the other girls had the same expression, their jaws hung open. All but Tracy. Sage looked at Tracy. “They fly?”
Tracy nodded. “Yep.”
“Turkeys can FLY?!?” Sage asked again. They heard Modine laughing from her back porch and looked over to see her out watching the large birds as well. Tracy began to lead them over to her. Casey began pushing Brooke over, taking the nicest path she could.
“Wild turkeys can. The ones you have on farms for Thanksgiving can’t cause they get too fat from eating the feed.” Tracy clarified. “But these turkeys can fly and they do it well. In fact I heard they sleep in the trees.”
“Hey.” Rachel said as she pointed to the field. “Is that a deer?”
Off in the distance at the edge of the trees stood not one, but three deer. All of them had been grazing, but were currently looking around for trouble because of the flying turkeys. Tracy nodded. “Yep. That's a deer.”
“Where? I wanna see!” 'Romy began jumping up and down. Sage picked her up and placed her on her hip, then pointed.
“They're big.” 'Romy stated. “I wanna see sheep!”
“We'll see them when we get back. Mom wants to show you all the lake.” Tracy said as they stopped at Modine's fence.
“Cool.” Sage said.
“Hey, Grandma.”
“Tracy, Girls? Having fun making the turkeys fly away?”
“They've never seen wild turkeys.” Tracy stated. “And later we'll take them to see the Turner's sheep after we go to the dam.”
“That's nice.”
“Maybe Mister Hollister will have his horses out too?” Tracy thought aloud.
“I could call them and see if you could go look at them. Be more polite then, calling them to the fence.”
"Could you?"
Modine nodded. "For my Granddaughter I could."
Lok had waited for Tracy and the girls to come back in from looking at the turkeys. Her parents were already there, waiting for them. Persephone and Harvey were there as well. “Tracy, could we talk to you for a minute?” Maggie asked. Tracy began to worry that she was in trouble for something.
“You want us to leave?” Sage asked, not sure what was happening.
“Actually, you can stay.” William asked. “There's a few things we want to cover.” As the girls all came out, William nodded to Lok. “She's all yours.”
“Tracy, your parents told me about you losing your Tai Chi class.”
"Yeah." Tracy said, her happy mood completely going away.
“Tell me Tracy, were you happy with the last school?
"Well it was okay, I guess. I mean I didn't want to quit, but if he's gonna be a jerk, then I'd rather not go there....."
"And in not supporting you, your teacher has dishonored himself as a teacher."
"He said he couldn't afford to lose twenty students because of one, something about his bottom line."
"Money should not be the reason to keep a student. You keep a student because he or she brings honor to your school. You keep a student because that person pushes him or herself to be the best they can. Students who make demands of their teacher and order him around, those are not the type of students I would keep. Those are not the type of person that makes for a good learning environment." Lok looked staright at her and smiled. “I keep students like you. Ones who honor their family, and friends.”
"Like...like me?” Tracy asked, sounding more then confused. Then it hit her. “I could really be your student?"
"Yes. Jaio teaches the Tai Chi in my school and I teach a couple other styles. She is more then willing to teach you.”
“But I don't live down there, how could I learn when I only see you once a month?” Tracy asked.
William decided to make a spur of the moment choice and he hoped his wife wouldn't kill him later for not consulting her. Since the picture in his locker and the lunchroom, he guessed that a bigger storm was coming. He knew what Tracy heard over the phone was just a threat, but one that someone could easily accomplish and he refused to watch his wife or children die from his inaction. “What if you lived down there?”
“Lived down there?” Tracy repeated. “What do you mean?”
“Tracy, your mother and I have made an agreement that we would send you to your Aunt's to live if someone attacked you again. But I think your mother can agree with me, that we'd rather have you safe, so we're going to send you down there after this weekend.”
“I totally agree. In fact, Shelly agrees to it too. ” Maggie said and all the girls erupted into a roar of happy screams. The smile returned to Tracy’s face and it almost lit up the room.
“We'll help you pack!” Sage said as they stood and began to pull Tracy up.
“Girls.” William said, trying to get them under control as they began to drag Tracy to her room. “GIRLS!!!” William shouted, loud enough to catch their attention. “We'd like to finish before you do anything else.” The girls all came back into the room and stood there.
“Tracy, you'd be going without your father or me.” Maggie said. “At least for the first couple of weeks, so I can give my two weeks notice to Chris, this way I can get my sick time and vacation pay.”
“Alone?” Tracy asked, her happiness now gone, replaced with fear.
“For just a couple of weeks. Then I move down too.” Maggie replied
“What about Vance and Dad?”
“Vance goes with you. Your father will stay so he can sell the property. Or work something out. Once the school year is over for.” Maggie stated and her father nodded. “Unless they can catch this guy, then Vance will stay so he can stay in sports.”
Tracy thought about it, then looked to Lok, the happiness on her face sliding away slightly as she thought about what her father said the weekend before about moving and money. “I don't know if I can be a student though. If we move, money may be tight.”
“Could I have a few days to think of a suitable offer to help you?”
“Sure, I guess.”
“Then I shall talk to your parents and you should have fun.”
“When we go to the dam, we'll stop by a store and get some boxes to pack your stuff.” William said. “Your mother can call Shelly and warn her you’re coming.”
Tracy went over and hugged both of her parents. “Thank you.” She said.
The girls all piled into Persephone's bus. Harvey took his Suburban, filled with the other adults, plus Vance, Jerry and Moony and they all headed through the nearest town and to the dam that sat to the east.
Persephone pulled her VW bus to a stop at the top of the dam. Only a few people were out, mostly those jogging on the dam. On the lake, only a few people were out fishing.
“Wow”, Sage said as she stepped out of the VW bus and pushed her glasses up her nose. “That's a huge lake.”
“Yeah, but if you think that's big, you should see the side of the dam. Check this out.” Tracy said and she waited for a car to pass before she led her friends to the other side of the dam, with a great view of the valley around the town.
“wow.” Stacey said as she looked over the edge. “What's that? Like a power plant?” She said, pointing to the base of the dam.
“Yeah, there's a huge plant under us. It generates power for as far south as Sacramento I think.
“Whoa, look at the water running over there.” Rachel pointed off towards the other end of the dam. “What's that, like a river?”
“That's the spillway.” William stated. “For when the dam gets too full, they open that up and close off the road over there. “Open it too much and it floods to the south, so they have to watch how much they open it.”
“This is like the largest Earth dam in America, or something big, I forget what it was though. My class got to go there for a school trip this year, but that was when I was hurt and I had to stay home. We did get to see the Fish hatchery too.” Tracy stated.
“Fish hatchery?” Brooke asked.
“Yeah, it's over that way.” Tracy pointed off in the distance. “Each year the salmon swim back to spawn and this place makes sure some of them get the chance. It's cool because there is a viewing window there and you can see them swim by. I saw a fish that was longer then Romy is tall.”
“Damn, but my Dad would love to fish near there.” Stacey said.
“You can't. During that time of the year, they limit how close you can fish.”
“Man, Salmon would be nice.” Harvey said with a grin. “And if they all go at once, would have been easy to get some.”
“Yeah, the river goes black from the amount of fish in it.” Tracy said.
“Holy carp.” Harvey replied, using a very bad fish joke. “Just dip the net in the water and no need for bait.”
“Hey, is that mountain over that way really flat?” Sage asked, pointing off in the distance.
Tracy nodded. “There's like two or three mountains there. It's called Table Mountain. There was a volcano or something there thousands of years ago and when it blew, the mountain was flattened on top. It's cool in the spring, wild flowers grow all over.”
“Why is there a big O on the side? I saw it when we were riding up here.” Sage asked.
“O for Oroville, the town nearby the mountain.” Tracy stated. “I heard students of a local school put it up there in the Sixties.”
“How close is the nearest mall?” Rachel asked. “Think we could go to that?”
“It's in Chico, the North Valley Plaza. That's like over half an hour away.”
Rachel groaned. “Darn it.”
“It's not a good mall. It's kinda boring. The Peach Tree Mall in Marysville is just as bad.” Tracy looked at Rachel and shrugged. “At least compared to the Malls around you, it's bad.”
“We'll consider it.” Maggie said. “But I would feel bad if we spend all of Persephone's gas to get there.”
Figured on a bit of fluff, got to have a bit of fun with the girls.
“Well, you wanted to go to the mall in Chico, so we're going to the North Valley Plaza and maybe to downtown and wander around near Chico State and grab a fast lunch before we go to the big toy store and come home.”
“Wait, like near the University? CSUC?” Brooke asked.
“You know about the University?” Maggie was shocked, none of them seemed to know anything about the area, till now.
“Yeah, there's a wheelchair race up here in a few weeks and I was thinking of entering for the junior races. Is the College near the downtown area?” Brooke stated.
“Yes, it's actually part of downtown.” Maggie replied.
“Could we see a bit of it?”
Editing by Djkuaf
Picking up from where the last one left off, our young ladies enjoy the countryside and progress is made!
February 5th 1983
Larry O'Brien had his suspicions about his son. He knew Billy had been close to his cousins Bruce and Clark. He also suspected that his hair-brained son would have something to do with the picture that had been left at work. He headed across the property to the barn that served as a garage. He had wanted to check it out sooner, but he had promised his wife a nice breakfast, which turned into a shopping trip. He was glad to see his son wasn't home, so that gave him a few minutes to work.
He stepped in and groped for a light switch. There was the usual smell of pot, but it didn't seem fresh this time. He hated them using his property for their drug use. It was just another reason that he was going to use to kick Billy to the streets, no matter how much it hurt his wife to alienate his only son. After a quick search of the barn, his suspicions were confirmed when he found a picture, the same one that had been left in the cafeteria at work. This one had X's over Troy's eyes, knives drawn by the child’s throat and in black ink, the note at the bottom this time read “Die Fag, die!” He turned the picture away in disgust at the pictures and words and lewd pictures drawn over Troy's mother. He looked down and several of the pictures seemed to be drawn on the same way.
“Dammit.” He muttered, then he turned and ran out of the shed and into the house. He was old school, he knew that. He recalled that if someone had been weak, or seemed weak when he was younger, they would beat him up, now he was more of a live and let live person, the war helped see to that. But with the friends his son kept, he thought that murder was a good possibility and that wasn't acceptable by even his older standards. He knew Billy had been pissed when Bruce had been arrested and had made several comments about the snitch needing to be killed but he thought it was Billy just blowing off steam. Now he knew otherwise.
He slid to a stop by the phone and grabbed the phone book. It only took him a few moments to find the number he was after. “Come on.” He said as the phone rang. But after two rings, the operator came on the line. “The number you're trying to reach is no longer in service. Please check the numb...” He put the phone down and then picked it up again. After two rings he got the same answer.
Then he noticed the number above it, with an address right next to William's. He said a silent prayer, in the hopes that Billy hadn't headed there and he tried that one. A few moments later, he heard. “Patterson residence, this is Modine.”
He tried to hold his worry in as he spoke, but he couldn't “Ma'am, you don't know me, but I'm looking for William Patterson, he works at the local mill. I tried the number in the phone-book, but it doesn’t work anymore. Are you related to him? I only ask because your address is next to his.”
“I'm his mother. Can I ask who this is?”
“My name is Larry O’Brien. I work with him at the mill and I got important news for him about the picture he had at work. Can I speak to him please? It’s important.”
“One moment, he's outside.” The old lady replied. The line was silent for several minutes. “Come on...come on.” He started to impatiently say under his breath. “Hurry up, dammit.” Then he heard the phone pick up.
“This is William, is this Larry?”
“Yes, it is, William.”
When he spoke, William found it hard to keep the anger out of his voice. “What do you mean by you have information about those pictures”
“Look, after your speech at work, I noticed my deadbeat son was laughing with one of his friends. I went to the barn we use here as a garage and I found more of those pictures.”
“So your lazy ass, deadbeat son threatened my wife and child?!?” William growled. “He's the one who threatened to rape and murder my wife and children?!?”
“He what?!?” Larry was stunned, he had no clue how bad the threats were.
“That son of a bitch has been calling here and threatening to rape and murder my wife and youngest, then to kill my oldest and me.” William stated, unable to hide the anger in his voice. “That's why I called the cops on Friday!”
“I didn't know.....William, there was a picture of your kid and wife, with all sorts of stuff written on it, none....none of it's good. There's a stack of them. I'm going to call the cops and show them this crap.”
“So why call me? Why not just call the cops?”
“In case he comes that way. I want you to know who left it for you. I'm not” Larry replied. “He's at work, but god knows how his mind works.”
“Okay.” William let out a breath to try and calm himself. He rubbed at his temple with his free hand. “Look, call the Sheriff's department and ask for Deputy Keith Kline, he's been in charge of the investigation so far. Tell them it concerns the Patterson case.”
“I can do that.”
“And Larry? Thanks for the call.” William said. His wife and daughter were headed to the Mall in Chico and he didn't expect to see them back any time soon. But he knew he had to tell them the news when they got home. One main battle in the war was over, but that still left Molly. He was sure that he was doing the right thing by sending his daughter away. He was also aware that Maggie had called Shelly before they left for the mall, to make sure they were ready to get Tracy at the end of the weekend.
But a part of William wasn't ready to relax, not until the fat lady had sung and his family was safe from the town. He just had to stay vigilant until then.
“So where are we going?” Rachel asked as Persephone pulled Harvey's truck onto the main highway. She had taken his Suburban because she could get all the girls and Maggie into the vehicle without a problem
“Well, you wanted to go to the mall in Chico, so we're going to the North Valley Plaza and maybe to downtown and wander around near Chico State and grab a fast lunch before we go to the big toy store and come home.”
“Wait, like near the University?” Brooke asked.
“You know about the University?” Maggie was shocked, none of them seemed to know anything about the area, till now.
“Yeah, there's a wheelchair race up here in a few weeks and I was thinking of entering for the junior races. Is the College near the downtown area?” Brooke stated.
“Yes, it's actually part of downtown.” Maggie replied.
“Could we see a bit of it?”
“We'll see. I think we can get near it, but I'd like to stay out of the main part of the campus, the roads are a bit confusing.”
“Okay.” Brooke said.
The truck sped along the highway and Maggie pointed to the mountains. “Sage, there's the mountains you asked about earlier.”
“Wicked! They are flat.” Sage said as she leaned over Stacey to see out the window.
“Yeah and on the back side of them is the backside of the lake where we were. It's actually very big.”
“Cool!” Sage said as they began passing fields of sheep and cows.
“Hey! Another lake!” Stacey said, causing all the girls to look her way.
“That's the Forebay. It's kinda a run off that was turned into a swimming area and the spot past that is saved for boats.”
“And on the way back, I'll take you past the Afterbay, it's where the water from here goes.”
“So it's all safe for swimming? Safer than by the Dam?” Brooke asked.
“Yeah.”
“Oh man, we should come up here for the summer and go swimming. Beats being inside in a pool.”
“You can swim?” Tracy asked. “I thought your legs didn't work?”
“Tracy!” Maggie snapped. “That's not a polite question.”
“It's okay, Mrs. Patterson I get a lot of people who are shocked that I do so much. Heck, I think I'm more active in the wheelchair then I was before the accident.” Brooke replied as she held Tracy's hand to show she wasn't mad. “I swim, not as fast as a lot of people, but I can swim. It really helps with my back, too.”
“We need to teach Tracy how to swim.” Sage said. “That way when Summer hits, we can take her with us to swimming pools and stuff.”
“I....” Tracy looked to the floorboards. “I don't know.”
Sage leaned over and whispered. “We can get a smaller Gaff for you. We got ways to hide you from people. Please, let us help you out.”
“Can I think about it?” Tracy asked.
“Sure. We got a few months.”
Frank and Shelly were busy working on the smaller of the two guest bedrooms that they had, preparing it for Tracy's arrival. Frank had been using the closet as a catch-all and now he was paying for that by having to empty out all the boxes of books and magazines he had stored in there.
“Did Maggie say when they'd bring her here?” He asked.
“No, just that she may come with Persephone and the girls.” Shelly was busy cleaning the windows on the inside. The room was usually spotless, but she wanted it to look her best when her Godchild came to stay, no matter how short of a stay it would be.
“And they're moving as soon as they can?”
“Yeah, expect Maggie in a couple of weeks And Vance and William in June, unless something happens and they send Vance, too.” Shelly replied. “I hope you don't mind that I offered Tracy a place.”
Frank shook his head. “Not at all. If this guy is threatening to kill her, plus a group of crazy people trying to run them out of town, I'd rather be ready now. Besides, like you told her, I want living God-children not dead ones.”
“There will have to be a few changes around here. Like no more eating out all the time.”
“It wont kill us to eat at home. Besides, we may save a little money that way.” Franks said in agreement. “We also got to be ready to be part of the sleepover circuit.”
“Yeah.” Shelly nodded. “I was thinking, what if we help William and Maggie get a home when they get down here?”
“You mean buy them one? We have the money, I can't see why not....”
Shelly shook her head and hands to stop him. “No, William wouldn’t go for that. He's too proud. But what if we could help get the down payment and he just payed us back later?”
“Maybe. We'll have to pitch him the idea when we see them next. I wouldn't want someone just handing me stuff either. I'd rather work for it and earn it the hard way.” Frank said.
“Well, then we'll see if one of them come's up with Persephone and we'll play it by ear.”
Moonglow, Vance and Jerry Rivers had left the house when they got back, leaving the girls to go to the mall in Harvey's bigger Truck. Moony had borrowed Troy's bike and the three of them sped off towards the little farming town. Conner had given the boys the day off so they could show Moony around the small town they lived near and the different farms. Vance and Jerry led Moony thought their school, which didn't have any gates to speak of.
“I can't believe your school is so small. I thought Rachel and Sage were just kidding around when they said it was tiny.” Moony said as they raced through. “Mine is like twice this size and it's just sixth, seventh and eighth grades.”
“You're in a bigger town.” Jerry replied. “This isn't the smallest school I've been to in the past few years, but it's close.”
After they got to the main street, the one Moony had been on the night before, the boys stopped and Vance pointed to a mini mart across the street. “Hey, want a soda and a candy bar? My treat.”
“Yeah.” Moony replied.
The three boys waited for a break in the traffic and then they headed to the little Ma and Pa store that sold everything from candy and soda to veggies and meat. They left their bikes leaned against the store's front wall, next to another bike and the three boys headed inside.
Moony followed Vance's lead to the back cooler and each boy reached in and pulled out a glass bottle.
“They got a bottle opener here?” Moony asked.
“Yeah, it's by the door, we'll show you on the way out.” Vance replied.
They went to the candy isle and saw Peter there, grabbing a couple of candy bars. The bigger kid looked up and smiled when he saw Vance. “Hey Vance.” Then his mood soured a bit. “Jerry.” He wasn't sure how to treat Jerry, after the attack on Tracy two months earlier. He knew Tracy seemed to trust him, but a part of him still hated the boy.
“Hey Peter. Headed over to my place?”
“Yeah. I figured the afternoon would be better.”
“Yeah, they're in Chico right now, so they should be home later.” He turned to his riding companions. “This is Peter, Tracy's friend.” Mooney nodded in acknowledgment.
“Yeah, I was grabbing some of her favorite candy. Not sure what those friends of hers like.” Peter said
Mooney began counting off with his free hand what each of the girls liked. “Sage likes lemon-heads, Romy likes chocolate of any type, Rachel is all about anything cinnamon, Stacey likes Hershey bars, Casey loves Baby Ruth bars and Brooke likes lifesavers the five fruit one.”
“How do you know that?”
“Peter, this is Moo..” Vance started to say.
Before he could say the name, Moony cut him off. “Marcus or Moony will do.”
“Hey Marcus.” Peter said with a smile, deciding to stay away from the nickname, till he knew the boy better.
Vance hooked a thumb at Moony. “This is Sage's brother. You remember Sage from the start of December, right?”
“Yeah, that red-head you kept drooling over?” Peter asked with a grin, Vance blushed.
“Yeah, that would be her.” Moony said with a chuckle. “You should have seen what they did to him last night.”
“What?” Peter asked with a huge grin on his face.
Moony quickly told them about Sage and the girls running around mostly naked and Peter began to laugh. “It was awesome. When he first went into the house, I thought his jaw would hit the floor.”
“It wasn't that bad.” Vance said, even though he had began to blush.
“They had on swim suits that were mostly skin tones, but the look of shock on his face... At least I think they had them on, would be a bit weird looking at my cousins and sister.”
“That's awesome, so they got him good?” Peter chuckled.
“You should have seen it first hand. I was watching from the side of the house. Funniest thing ever.”
“So you decided to come up with the girls, too?” Peter asked.
“Dad's out of town for the weekend doing something work related and there was no one in town to leave me with, so Mom said I had to come. Besides, we're breaking in my uncle’s trailer. Got to get it ready for the summer.”
“He camp a lot?”
“He tries when he's not working and cause all he has is daughters, I get to go with him.” Moony said with a grin. “He's taken me hunting too. Plus I've been with him on his job a couple of times.”
“Job? What does he do?”
“He's Highway Patrol.”
“You've done a ride along with Highway Patrol?” Peter said in amazement.
“Yeah. They didn't let him do much, because I was with him, but I still got to turn on the siren and we went on a few calls, but only as back up.”
They all went up and paid for their candy and sodas, then as they started to head outside, each of the boys stopped at the door and showed Moony the bottle opener that was attached to the wall, with a trash can under it. As they opened up the bottles, Peter caught each cap. The four boys all went outside and they leaned against the wall by their bikes, watching the main street while they drank their sodas.
“I love a cold soda in a bottle.” Vance said. So much better then in a can.”
“I heard they want to put them into plastic bottles.” Moony stated.
“Plastic? Would they still have the bottle caps? That's the best part, in my mind.” Peter said. “I got an uncle who collects them and he gives me a nickel for each one, a quarter if it’s something he don't have.
“Who knows. Honestly, how would it taste.” Moony asked. “I mean some canned soda just tastes funny to me.”
“It's better in a fountain.” Jerry said. “Like at Seven eleven.”
This caused the other three boys to nod and reply. “Yeah.”
“I like the Slurpee's” Vance stated. Again the boys all agreed.
“I like ice cream from those machines at the buffets. The soft serve stuff?” Peter leaned against the wall. “I also love it when you get to pick the toppings. My mom hates it cause I fill half the bowl with sprinkles.”
“Well they do put it there to be ate.” Moony stated.
Maggie walked along side her daughter as the girls all left the restaurant in the downtown part of Chico. They had already gone to the mall and to see some of the stores in downtown Chico, including the toy-store. Plus there had been a quick trip into the College campus. All this time she had noticed that her daughter hadn't smiled much. A part of her wondered if it was because she was in Troy's clothes, or if she was just worried about being in public.
She pulled her daughter away from the group as they got close to Harvey's truck and she put a hand on Tracy's shoulder. “You okay Sweetie?”
“Just thinking.” Tracy replied.
“About? You've been awful quiet.”
Tracy sighed and shrugged. “The move and how much I'd miss you. Then there's a bunch of questions, like can I go to school as Tracy, can I get the hormones if you're not there. And leaving here without you just feels wrong.”
“Maybe I can go. I should anyway, just to make sure we get everything in order. In fact, what if I take a couple days off and take you down on Monday and we see if we can get all the questions answered before I leave? Would that work?”
“Yeah.” Tracy said with a nod of her head. “You and Dad aren't mad at me for this, are you?”
“Tracy, no one knew that someone would see us. I don't blame you and neither does your father.”
“I just keep thinking that all of this is my fault.”
Maggie pulled her daughter into a hug. “Stop. Stop blaming yourself. You didn't take those pictures and you didn't make Bruce attack you. Stop taking the blame for everyone, okay? You are my good girl and not some little trouble maker.”
Keith Kline got out of his squad car along with another Deputy and they walked up to the house, but before they could knock, Larry opened up the door and stepped out. It had been a couple of hours since he called and he was getting worried that they wouldn't get there before his son did and the evidence would disappear. The Deputy removed his hat. “Larry O'Brien?”
“Yeah. Are you Deputy Kline?”
“Yes. This is Deputy Larson. You said you had information about the Patterson case?”
“Follow me.” Larry led them across the property to the barn. “We use this barn mostly as storage and a place to work on the vehicles out of the weather. It's my barn but my son has been using it to work on a motor for the cars.”
“Do we have your approval to search the barn?”
“But if the son uses it, isn't it the son’s property?” Deputy Larson asked.
“This is my garage, I let my son use it sometimes, mostly to keep his motor he's working on out of the rain. Other then that, ninety percent of the things in there are mine, except the pictures I found and any drugs you come across. I can't stand drug use.”
“Shared space, he can invite us in to look around.” Keith said. “Plus it's his property and he is the main user of it, so yeah, he can invite us in.”
“I will warn you, you're gonna smell pot. I don't smoke and I hate that he does it here, but it's not mine.”
“Noted.” Deputy Kline said.
Larry opened the door and led them in and over to where he found the pictures. “There they are. I just found them an hour or two ago. If William hadn't said something at work yesterday, I would have never known or thought to look for these.”
“You looked for these?” Deputy Kline asked, sounding slightly skeptical.
“William Patterson told us all off in the lunch-room and I saw my son laughing with his friends and I figured that he was stupid enough to do something stupid.”
“Like what? How would you know that he had something to do about this?”
“See, he has a cousin that goes to school with the Patterson boys. Clark Millet. He's the brother of the kid that attacked the Patterson family in December.” Larry stated. Deputy Kline nodded slowly. He knew in his gut that Clark had been lying, but he needed more then gut instinct to get a warrant. “Well, back in December, Billy kept saying how someone should kill the snitch, meaning William's youngest. He wanted to hurt the boy himself, but I just figured he was being stupid and blowing off steam. So after William yelled at everyone, and mentioned the pictures at the school, I noticed that Billy was mocking him. Call it a gut feeling, but I figured he was connected somehow.”
“Where is your son now?”
“If he really went, he's at work, if not, who knows?” Larry replied.
“If he comes home, call our dispatch and we'll come back for him. But we'll try to get him at his job.”
Persephone had pulled up, parking Harvey's truck near his trailer. As the girls started to unload, another truck hauling a trailer pulled up by the house and came to a stop. Sage was busy pulling Brooke's wheelchair out of the back, as Rachel pulled the couple of bags of things they had bought out as well.
“Okay. That's weird. Wonder if they're lost.” Maggie said. Then her eyes went to the license plate. She knew the Wyoming License plate from the picture of the man on the horse and she mental kicked herself for forgetting. “Oh crap. I completely forgot.”
“You know them?” Persephone asked.
Maggie nodded, trying to think of how to handle the situation. “Yeah. Those are my parents.”
Mwa hahaha! A cliff hanger! And with all the parts come screaming together into one massive train-wreck! How will the girls keep Tracy a secret? Will the Grandparents find out? Will Maggie and her family be disowned? Will Billy get caught before he causes any troubles? What about Clark and where is he? How will the writer keep all this going and not go mad in the process? How much wood could a woodchuck chuck?
Thanks, once again to DJkauf for the Edits.
After a month long wait, the continuation of Through the years.
How shall things go down? Billy's involvement is known, Clark is still out there, Molly Hallmark is still out there, and now her Grandparents are out there. Things are slowly shaping her future, but will it be a good one and will our young Tracy make it to see twelve years old?
:: Continued::
Persephone had pulled up, parking Harvey's truck near his trailer. As the girls started to unload, a another truck hauling a trailer pulled up by the house and came to a stop. Sage was busy pulling Brooke's wheelchair out of the back, as Rachel pulled out the couple of bags of things they had bought as well.
“Okay. That's weird. Wonder if they're lost.” Maggie said. Then her eyes went to the license plate. She knew the Wyoming License plate with the picture of the man on the horse and she mentally kicked herself for forgetting. “Oh crap. I completely forgot.”
“You know them?” Persephone asked.
Maggie nodded, trying to think of how to handle the situation. “Yeah. Those are my parents. They wanted out of Wyoming for the winter and I said they could come out. We've been so busy with everything that I forgot.”
“Grandma and Grandpa?” Tracy asked as she watched the drivers door open and her grandfather got out of the truck. She could hear the passenger side door open as well.
“Yep.” Maggie turned to face the girls and lowered her voice. “Girls, until I get the chance to talk to my parents, please don't call Tracy by her name. It's Troy, at least until I can break this to them. Understand?” Each of them nodded and she watched any happiness that Tracy had just melt away like ice in the sun.
“You going to need any help?” Persephone asked.
“Maybe, but I may have to do this alone, or my mom will think I'm ganging up on her. I'll have to play it by ear.”
Maggie walked over to her parents. “Mom, Dad.” She hugged each of them. “I've been so busy, I totally forgot you were due up this week.”
“I hope we're not intruding. We didn't expect to see anyone else here.” Her father said.
“Just some friends of the kids, up from the Bay Area, and their families.” Maggie said, carefully watching what she said.
“Do you want us to leave? We could head to Los Angeles and see your sister first.”
“No Dad, you're welcome here, We just need to put your trailer elsewhere. Harvey will be taking off tomorrow night with two of the girls.”
“Do you think Conner will mind us parking over there?”
“Tell you what, give me a few minutes and I'll move my car. We can put your trailer in front of the house for the next day or two.”
“Okay.”
Tracy watched as her mother moved her car and by time her grandfather was pulling in, her Dad had come over and was standing next to her. “You going to be okay?”
“I guess.” Tracy said. “Mom said she'll try to talk to Grandma, but who knows.”
William nodded. “Your Grandmother can be a bit stubborn. So let your mother work on the hows and whys and you just focus on fun with your friends. Just remember, you've only got a few days to worry about it, then you go to Shelly's”
“Yeah.” Tracy smiled at him. “You're right.”
“Of Course.”
Clark was at the home of his cousins, Stan and Hank when he heard something that made him stop the card came they were playing. It had just been a mention of his cousin and an arrest at his place of work. Clark's mind began working and the only reason he could come up with was that Troy had done something. So he decided to figure out if he was wrong.
Clark dialed his Uncle Larry's home and after a couple of rings, the phone was picked up. “O’Brien's, how can I help you?”
“Uncle Larry? It's Clark. Did Billy just get arrested?”
“Yes, he did. Clark.” Larry replied.
“Why?” Clark asked.
“I think you may know why, Clark. Sending threats through the mail is a crime, plus threatening four people over the phone and breaking his probation by carrying a knife and having drugs in his possession.”
“But he didn't send those.” Clark replied without thinking. “It's not his fault, it's the fag’s fault.”
Larry decided to test the theory he had of the pictures’ origins. “Tell me the truth boy, are you the one he got those pictures from?”
“He didn't do anything wrong. It's all the fag's fault.” Clark stated again.
He heard the old man on the other end of the phone sigh. “Clark, you know they'll catch you. Don't do anything stupid. You broke a federal law. If you mailed those threats you could look at some major jail time.”
Clark heard his Uncle still talking as he hung up the phone. He looked to his cousins. “They arrested Billy because of those pictures. Little fag called the cops on him.” It wasn't what he had been told, but it was what he believed. “I say we go over there and beat the shit out of the little fag. His brother too.”
“What if the retard is there?”
“Then we kick all three of their asses.” Clark stated.
Deputies Kline and Olsen had received the warrant, although he had to push and bend the facts to get the D.A. to go along with putting the search warrant out on an eleven year old's stuff. An hour later and they were already in Clark Millet’s bedroom. They had left a third Deputy to deal with Clark's distraught mother as they searched the boys room. They had been at it for half an hour and hadn't found anything of importance until Kate Olsen let out a whistle. “Found something.” She said.
Keith Kline looked over and saw her holding a couple of negatives and a picture with Tracy and her mother on it. He took the negative and held it up to the light and smiled. “We got him.”
After searching the boys room and finding more evidence, namely four envelopes, already filled out, two for Maggie's work, one for the Patterson home and one for Troy's grandparents, they put it all into evidence baggies and went to his mother in the kitchen. “Ma'am, where is your son, Clark?”
“He's off with his cousins, Stan and Hank.” She replied, then she slouched in her seat, aware that her only other son had messed up. “Why? What did he do this time?”
“Ma'am. Someone has been leaving threatening pictures for another student at your Son's school. We found the negatives for those pictures in your son's room. People have implicated your son as well.” Deputy Kline held up a hand to stop her from talking. “Ma'am, we're not arresting you, but I must advise you to not say anything till you can get a lawyer for both you and your son, is that understood?”
“I....I understand, but answer me one question. This child he threatened, is this the same boy that Bruce attacked back in December?”
“I can't say, Ma'am.” Deputy Kline said. But she got the answer from his face.
Mrs. Millet guessed she was right from his response. “I should have known. I should have known that Bruce would talk him into something stupid. I tried my best with him, but he never listened. He could never take the blame for his actions....”
“Ma'am, I need you to stay quiet. Don't implicate yourself until you get a lawyer, okay?”
Molly had the house to herself as she sat at the kitchen table, trying to find a way to deal with the Patterson problem. She knew the kind of person that Troy would become. She knew the loathsome, vile pervert he was shaping up to be. At least she thought she did. Dressing and acting like he was a girl, it was wrong, she knew it. Anyone who read a bible knew it. It was no different than a person from her past. As she sat there, glaring at the picture of Tracy and Maggie at the store, she began to think of her childhood. Of the good friend she lost the summer she turned fourteen.
Molly knew she would have never done it. Nothing that vile. Even her parents had told her it wasn't her fault. They had spent months explaining how her old friend Cathy and the devil had tricked Molly into thinking the feelings she felt for the other girl were real. And it had felt that way. Each kiss her old friend had given her, each embrace. Each touch when they were at the lake, the feel of her fingers against her skin. At the time, none of it felt bad, but once her parents had explained how she had sinned, and how the Devil made her do it. They told her how people like that would only prey on the weak and the trusting. They told her how her friend Cathy was just getting her to lower her defenses so she could hurt her. Her parents insisted that's what those people did. Thanks to the conditioning from her parents, Molly realized how perverted and dangerous queers and dykes could be. Ever since then, she had done her best to shun and expose Gays and Dykes. Each time she felt an urge for another woman, she knew it was the devil and that woman trying to lure her into sin. She knew how they could sway someone and she guessed that Troy would be a thousand times worse.
She guessed the girl’s clothes were used to lure someone into a false sense of security, to feel that they had nothing to fear from him. Then he could attack them. Molly had to get him out of the town, before he set his sights on Robert, or Scotty. Or worse yet, an unsuspecting girl who he befriended. She could see a path of broken lives starting to form, all by the hands of one little freak.
She had to save the children of the town from the perversion that was Troy Patterson, and she would do it any way she could.
Clark walked towards Tracy and her friends, his cousins staying behind him. “Hey Fag!”
Tracy turned around to see Clark, his two cousins and Bobby Anderson walking towards them. She was still wearing Troy's pants and one of Troy's shirts, but she figured Clark wouldn't let it drop if she pointed that out. So instead, in her nicest tone of voice, she told him. “Go away Clark.”
“Fag, you fucked up by by having my cousin arrested. Now I'm gonna kick your ass.”
“I didn't have anyone arrested. If someone got arrested, then it's his own fault, just like your brother.” She looked over her shoulder to Sage, 'Romy, Rachel and Brooke. “Get inside, lock the door. Stacey, go get my Dad.” She walked with Rachel and the others, but kept her back to her friends . Stacey took off, Casey started following her.
Peter had been hanging out with Mooney, Vance and Jerry still, but the boys saw Sage and Rachel helping Brooke up the step to the house and they jogged over. Clark kept advancing, gesturing to his cousins and Bobby to stand back. “Gonna kick your ass till your mom can't recognize you.”
“Clark, why are you here? Why are you doing this?”
“Because you got Bruce arrested. And now you had Billy arrested, claiming he sent those pictures. All of this has been my doing. The pictures. I even had my cousin call you on the phone. And it worked. Now you don't even have Emily and Mary Beth to be your friends. Made you so scared you won’t even go to school. Maybe I should tell your little girlfriends what time of little dress wearing freak you are. By the time I'm done no one will want to be your friend. ” He said.
“Clark, just go away. This isn't going to end the way you want it to.” She stated.
“You in the hospital for getting Bruce arrested? Yes it will.” He growled, then he started his attack. He rushed her and Tracy waited till the last second, then she twisted her body as Clark's fist hit her, then she brought her arm up, catching his in the crook of her elbow. She twisted back, almost instantly and slammed her left hand against his chest. As he started to stumble, she let go of his arm, letting him hit the ground. She was aware that the door had shut and her friends were safely inside.
“Get him!” Clark commanded. Stan and Hank moved forward, but were cut off by Peter and Vance. Mooney and Jerry moved to help Tracy.
Bobby came running at Tracy, but she blocked his first punch, ducked under his second punch and sent a blow to his gut. The bigger teen staggered back, gasping for breath. In this span of time, Clark was back on his feet.
“I got this guys. ” She said to Mooney and Jerry as they stood by her side. “Peter, Vance, let them go.” Tracy glared at Clark. “I want you to take your friend and cousins, and get off the property. I want you to get the hell out of my life before I get mad and beat the shit out of you, understand?”
“I ain't scared of you.” Clark said as he mustered up as much bravado as he could.
“Clark, just go. Don't push your luck, this isn't worth it.” In the distance, she could hear sirens, but she was focused on the fight, so she didn't hear them clearly. “I don't want to fight you.”
“Scared? You should be.” He tried to muster his bravado again and he puffed out his chest.
He ran at her again, this time she blocked his punch, gripped his wrist, then simply slapped his face. “I mean it Clark, back off now!”
“A slap?!? Bruce said you fought like a girl. Said you kicked his nuts! Lets see how you like it!” Clark's foot got past Tracy's defense and connected with Tracy's crotch, but it didn't have the intended result. She felt pain, but nothing like Bruce had done to her. She grimaced, but held her ground. Clark stared at her in surprise for a moment, then he decided to try it again. Clark kicked a second time and Tracy caught his foot and lifted it up and began walking him to a spot in the driveway.
“Is it my turn now?!? Can I kick your crotch two times, as hard as I can?” She asked as she forced him to hop backwards. He failed to keep the surprise and fear from his face. He was sure he'd put Troy down with that kick. “You can't even kick me hard enough to hurt me, and you think you have a chance of beating me? You and Bobby can't even take me together. I'm being nice right now Clark. Stop this stupidity.” She pulled up and kicked out with a foot, connecting with his one leg that was touching the ground, sending him to his ass once more. Moony and Jerry stood between her and Bobby, so there was no sneak attacks. “Did your brother tell you how after they hurt me, I stood up and kept fighting all three of them?
“He said you were on the ground crying like a baby!” Clark started to move, trying to get to his feet quickly. She moved over and shoved her foot down on his chest and added some weight.
“Of course he said that. How dare the truth come out. Clark, I just want to hang out with my friends and my grandparents and forget you even exist. So I'm gonna take my foot away and go inside, but I swear to God, you get up and I will put you down so hard your kids will feel it.” To show she wasn't kidding, she pulled her foot back an inch, then shoved hard on his gut, causing him to grunt. “I want you to leave and take your little friends with you.” She now heard the sirens a bit clearer. “Maybe they won't catch you before you get off the property.”
Bobby Anderson heard the sirens and he began to pale. He turned and started sprinting down the road, ducking into the trees to avoid being caught. By this point, Stacey, and Casey were watching from the safety of the fenced in yard that Modine and Conner had. Harvey had been jogging over with Maggie and William. The front door was open and Sage, Brooke and Rachel watched from the house. Lok stood in the yard with Persephone, Modine and Conner. Harvey was about to run after Billy when Maggie caught his arm. “No stay here, just in case. Let him run.”
Tracy lifted her foot up and took a could of steps back, then she waited to see what Clark would do. “This ain't over Fag!” Clark snarled. His anger prevented him from thinking straight. He got to his feet and rushed Tracy, but Jerry stepped in his way and with one good punch, he knocked Clark off his feet.
“Thanks, Jerry.” Tracy said as she pushed her way in front of Jerry as the cruisers slid to a halt in front of the house. “You lose, Clark. And it's not my fault this time.” Clark started to get up, in his anger he failed to comprehend that the police had arrived. He started to stalk towards Tracy, till a voice boomed out.
“Freeze!” The Familiar voice of Deputy Kline shouted.
Tracy put her hands in the air, till the Deputy motioned that she could lower them. “You okay?” Deputy Kline asked.
“Yeah.” Tracy replied. “He barely touched me.”
“Deputy Kline, we want to press charges against that boy and his friends for trespassing, and assault.” William stated.
“We'll add that to the charges he's already facing for sending threats through the mail.”
Her parents talked to the deputy for a few more minutes and Tracy tuned them out. With Clark gone, she guessed they only had one last worry, Molly Hallmark. That made it easier to be ready for a possible attack. After a few minutes, the deputy left and her parents came over to her. By this point, Bernice and Marion had come out of their trailer, and the girls had come out of the house.
“So does this mean I have to stay?” Tracy asked as the cop car left the property.
“No. I still think it's better to get you out of town.” William replied. “After how Molly treated those ladies a few years back, I think we'd be playing with fire to stay.”
“I agree.” Maggie said. “The therapist is there, and the girls.”
“So can I stay then?” Vance asked his parents. The teasing would die down, at least he hoped it would, but he was ready to join the baseball team if he could. “Till the end of the school year? Clark's gone and he knows Bobby is just a blow hard and the coach let me on the soccer team.”
“It may be best.” Maggie replied. “That way you two can start packing when school is almost finished.”
As Tracy was led inside by her friends, Bernice came over to Maggie. Their nap had been interrupted but the sudden fight and now her curiosity was running wild.
“So what was that all about?” Maggie’s mother asked.
Maggie led her parents away from Tracy and William, so Tracy could relax and not have to live the past again.“You remember back in December when Troy was attacked and he defended Modine from the group of boys he caught stealing?”
“Yeah, I remember you telling me about it, why?” Her mother replied.
“That boy who Troy just smacked around is the younger brother of the main attacker and he's been sending threats to Troy at School, that's why we had him home-schooled, but they also sent them to a girl he knows and Troy's friend at school plus he mailed threats to my work and someone left them at William's work. We found out that the man who sent them to William's work was the one who had threatened to come over here and rape and murder Troy and myself and kill Vance and William.”
“Good God, why did he say that?”
Maggie sighed. “He's a fool? Also he is the older cousin to Troy's attacker.”
“So he was calling because of his cousin. I see.” Bernice said with the nod of her head. “Why the fag remarks?”
Maggie almost spilled the beans, but she looked away and shrugged. “Who knows. This kid is trying everything he can to turn people against Troy and it's working. We're taking Troy out of here because some of the stories that boy was spreading have made their way to a group of church ladies we knew when we went to church.”
“What type of stories?”
Maggie sighed. “Mostly that Troy will rape and murder all the kids in town. But the woman insists that Troy is gay, thanks to some pictures and she is mounting a personal campaign against my family.”
“And there's no way to talk to them?”
“No.” Maggie stated. “And we tried. Molly Hallmark is a force of nature, and she's already ran other people out of town.”
“Ran them....what is this? The old West?”
“Honestly Mom, I don't know. I just know I want Troy out of here and in June, Vance and William will come down and join us. Gives me a couple months to find a home.”
“I'm sorry you have to move. I always thought you liked it here.” Bernice stated. “But let us know if you need help. We could always come out to help move ya.”
“I may hold you to that.” Maggie said, giving her mother a smile. But for now, I want to check up on Troy, okay?”
“Okay.”
Lok waited till just after dinner to pull Tracy from her friends just once more. “For someone with just a few years of training, you fight decently, even if he had no skill at all.”
“You're not mad that I fought, are you?”
“I said before, even a hare bites when cornered.” Lok replied. They walked around the backside of Modine's home and they stopped at Modine's porch, where Tracy took a seat on the second to bottom step. Lok leaned against the porch. “You did try to send him away, several times. He refused to take that option. You were headed to safety yourself and you made me proud by making sure that Brooke, Sage, her sister, and Rachel got into the house safely.”
“They're my friends. I can't let them get hurt. Not over me.”
“It takes a big person to defend people instead of thinking only of themselves. You have done it before, by protecting your grandmother. And now your friends.” Lok said with a smile. “You are a good person for doing that.”
“Thanks.”
“And when we get you to Livermore, I want to take you to Jaio for a refresher course and see where in her class you can fit.”
“Thank you.” Tracy said with a smile.
Bernice was walking down the hall to the bathroom of her daughters home, while Maggie was busy at her mother in law's place, as were William, the boys and all the girls. Bernice had wanted to come over to get a shower and head to bed, mostly because she was tired from the days drive and the lack of a nap that afternoon, due to the fight that had happened on the property. Normally she was used to going to bed at nine in the evening and her body was still used to the time in Wyoming which was only an hour ahead. But it had been a long day for her and sleep was needed.
She noticed something in the closet belonging to her two grandsons, just out of the corner of her eyes as she passed the bedroom door and She stopped, backed up a step and leaned inside. There hanging in the closet were several skirts, blouses and a couple of dresses and a stack of boxes, stuffed inside the closet.
Bernice stepped inside and took a closer look at them. She gently moved one of the blouses to get a look at the size. Something wasn't adding up right. She could see some boys clothes, but more than half of the bar in the closet was filled with girls clothes. She waited a moment and listened to see if her daughter or anyone else had come over. She knew this was none of her concern, but the nosy side of her decided to investigate something. On the floor by the dresser were five packs, two of them had the names of two of the girls that were next door. “Why would they hang up their stuff.....” She asked aloud. “And why are all of Troy's friends girls?”
On the dresser was a picture of the same five girls that were at the property, plus Modine, Maggie and a third girl. Something compelled Bernice to take a closer look at the picture. And as she stared at the unnamed child, she realized she was staring at her youngest grandson, in a dress and with pigtails. Things started to fell into place. She had thought that Maggie said something a week or two earlier, like calling her child a different name. And she swore the bigger girl named Rachel had whispered the name Tracy. And they had all heard the little six year old call Troy something that started with Trace, but the redhead had spoken over her sister. Then there was the fag comment from the punk who had attacked earlier.
“He wears girls clothes?” Bernice said, unaware she was speaking aloud. “why...what would compel....” She trailed off as she heard the sound of the gate to Modine's property. She glanced out the window to the boys room and saw Maggie, Persephone and the girls coming towards the house. She did a quick look around the room, just to make sure nothing was out of place, then she slipped out of the room and into the bathroom. She knew she should talk to her daughter, but she had to get Maggie alone.
Casey and Stacey were busy with Brooke, packing up the books in the bookcase. Tracy had showed them where her books were and where Vance's was. Rachel and Sage were taking the time to neatly fold all of her stuff as they pulled it out of the closet and put it in a box. 'Romy sat on the bed, holding Tracy's bear, as Persephone and Maggie talked in the kitchen.
Tracy was glad they had waited, so her grandmother didn't have the chance to see what was really in there, but she knew that she had to wear Troy's pajamas, in case her grandparents came in early the next morning. It would be too hard to hide her nightgown. Tracy focused on the dresser, making sure to leave her boy clothes in there so she had things to wear the next day or two. Her Grandparents were already in bed in their trailer for the evening and Vance was up watching TV, leaving the girls the chance to get things done.
“I still can't believe how good you fight.” Rachel stated.
“I may not be that good.” Tracy replied. “Clark just can't fight at all.”
“True.” Sage said with a giggle. “'Romy could have beat him.”
The little girl nodded and giggled back and balled up her tiny fist. Tracy chuckled and Brooke shook her head. “Don't sell yourself short. You were as good as some of the students at my Grandparents’ school.” Brooke stated.
Tracy leaned her back against the dresser. “I guess. I'm just glad that he's gone. Too bad he already screwed up any chance of Emily May and Mary Beth coming over.”
“Yeah.” Sage nodded in agreement.
“Hey, we should write some letters for them.” Rachel said, her eyes twinkling. “So they knew we were here and wanted to hang out.”
“I got some paper.” Tracy said, pointing to the dresser. “The binder with the pink cover, we could use that. Each of us could send a letter to them and Vance can give it to them on Monday.”
“Cool, but after we're done, okay?” Sage suggested. “May as well finish this now, while you got the help.”
Her husband lay next to her, already fast asleep, but Bernice lay there, still thinking about the picture she had seen in her grandchildren's room, and the clothes. She knew that Maggie knew, but she wasn't sure how she should approach it. She was also sure that William knew, just from having the clothes in the house and Conner seemed nicer to Troy, but Modine wasn't positive if he knew or not. She wasn't sure if Marion knew, or cared. He seemed to be the laid back one of the two of them. Every part of her told her it was wrong. Boys were boys. Sure, she knew her other daughter, Margret's sister had slept with women, she had found that out ages before and she knew that's why she had never remarried after her husband passed away. She was sure that there was another woman in the picture, but that was a lot different than dressing up as the opposite sex.
Bernice lay there, unsure of how to handle this. It wasn't her home, but she was sure that she could help steer Troy back onto the right path. Then she recalled something from the past few months and she quietly whispered. “That's why.” The pieces fell into place and Bernice knew she had to talk to Maggie, for the sake of her daughter and grandchild. Before Troy left for Livermore.
Two problems down, now how shall the Grandmother act? What of Molly Hallmark? What of Maggie's past? Will William's work treat him differently after Billy's arrest? So many questions.....
“I'm tired of hiding. I hate these clothes. I hate Troy.”
Tracy got up and began pulling off the shirt she had on, pulling it over her shoulders. Sage stood with her. “Stacey, get the door. Rachel, get a skirt from the closet and a matching blouse.” Sage asked their friends in hushed tones. Sage stopped her before she could completely remove her pants.
“Okay.” Rachel nodded.
Sage pulled Tracy into a hug. “So can I assume that Troy just said his final goodbye?”
Thanks to Djakuf for the edits
The story continues, the next day, Sunday. Soon this weekend shall be over.
Also keeping the rating where it is for the subject matter with William's story
February 6th 1983
Bernice had wanted to talk to Maggie all morning, but either her children and the girls who were visiting, were near by her, or Maggie was running stuff to and from Modine's house. Finally she caught her on the way back to her house. She had no clue where the girls had gone to. She knew her husband was sleeping in the trailer. William was with the Chinese guy and the other parent and they were somewhere looking at the farm work Conner was doing. Persephone was with her youngest daughter, hanging out with Modine. She she took her chance, while she had it. As Maggie reached the front door, Bernice came around her trailer.
“Margret, could we talk inside for a moment?”
“Sure Mom.” Maggie said, not wanting to correct her on the use of the name just yet. She hated the name Margret. Hated it with a passion. But it was never wise to antagonize her mother and with a possible week to the visit, she wanted it to go as smoothly as possible. And her mother loved the name Margret and the Maggie/ Margret fight had been going on since Maggie was a teen. She led her mother inside and her mom pointed to the chairs.
Bernice waited till they both were seated in the e-z-chairs before she started. “Margret, When I was headed to the shower last night, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye in your kids room and I have to know, Why is there a bunch of girls clothes in your boy's room? Those girls couldn't have brought that many clothes. And if they did, why are they hung up in your child’s closet and why are there girl’s panties in the dresser, along with a couple of nightgowns?”
Maggie felt outrage first and she snapped at her mother, instead of trying to remain calm. “You searched their room?!? Why?!?”
“I saw the clothes hanging in the closet last night and I was understandably curious about the dresses in the closet. I may have searched a bit too much. But after seeing the clothes, I feel I have a right to know what's going on with my grandchildren. I need to know they are safe. But I thought about it all night, Margret, I figured it out why this is going on and this can't be healthy for him. Just because of his surgery, that doesn’t make him a girl. You're not helping. Someone had to buy him those clothes Maggie, and you shouldn't have done that, He's your son, and doing this and living in the past like you tend to do, you'll mess up his mind.”
“Mom, don't call me Margret, I hate that name, call me Maggie, you know that.” And in that phrase, Bernice knew she had angered her daughter. The logical part of her knew that the chance for a good, healthy, productive talk was gone. This was how many of their fights had started before. Maggie had always let her mother get her way, till the name was invoked. But both women had a temper and when angered, they didn't like to give up. Maggie's eyes locked onto her mother, but she stayed in her seat. “And I am not living in the past!””
“Maggie.” Her mother sighed, using her daughter’s preferred name. “What he's doing isn't healthy and you're not helping. I know you've wanted a daughter, even since Alyson died, but forcing your son to be a girl isn't healthy for either of you.”
“This isn't me living out what could have happened, Mother!” Maggie snapped. “Tracy has been to several professionals and they all say the same thing. That my youngest is a girl, trapped in a boy’s body. They're even thinking of giving her hormones for girls.”
“Marg...Maggie, this isn't healthy. Troy is a boy, not a girl.”
“Mother, It's Tracy now. Professionals have checked her out. They say this is the best for her.”
Tracy had been in the house with her friends the whole time, in the bedroom finishing up on the packing she had to do. They had all gone quiet when she had heard her mother and Grandmother talking. She wanted to curl up on her bed, but she had grown sick of hiding. Even being in the boy’s clothes for just the past couple of days was making her angry and depressed. Now her Grandmother didn't want her to continue in the life she wanted.
She sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the boxes of clothes they had packed already. “I'm tired of this.” Troy whispered.
“What?” Sage asked in a whisper.
“I'm tired of hiding. I hate these clothes. I hate Troy.”
Tracy got up and began pulling off the shirt he had on, pulling it over his shoulders. Sage stood with her. “Stacey, get the door. Rachel, get a skirt from the closet and a matching blouse.” Sage asked their friends in hushed tones. Sage stopped her before she could completely remove her pants.
“Okay.” Rachel nodded.
Sage pulled Tracy into a hug. “So can I assume that Troy just said his final goodbye?”
“Yeah.” She nodded. “She's going to meet the real me and I don't care what she thinks.”
“Come on then, We'll help you get ready.” Sage grabbed a blanket off her bed and held it up to give Tracy the privacy she needed. Rachel went to the boxes and dug out a nice skirt and top.
While the two women were arguing, Tracy walked into the living-room, wearing one of her nicest skirts and shirts, tears were still going down her cheek, but she held her head high. The girls had done a quick job in turning her hair into a feminine style. Three steps into the living room she got worried and bolted for her mothers chair. Maggie saw her at the last moment and moved as Tracy hopped up into Maggie's lap. She leaned her head against her mothers chest, who was stunned at first at the arrival of her daughter. But after a moment she began to stroke her daughter’s hair and she looked at her mother.
“Mom, meet Tracy, your Granddaughter and face it, she's staying, whether you like it or not.” Maggie said, having calmed down some, since her daughter came out. “The first little while I thought it was a stage. I thought she wouldn't go as far as she did, but honestly, this little girl is here to stay.”
“Maggie, Troy is a boy and this can't be healthy for his mind.”
“Mom, Troy is a depressed little boy, who has told me that if he has to live one more day as Troy, he'll take his own life. You've seen him mope around since you've gotten here, he was absolutely miserable.” Tracy nodded as she looked at her grandmother. “Mom, this isn't a snub at you or Dad, this is who my child is.”
Maggie sighed and looked to the clock, then to her daughter. She knew her anger wasn't helping the cause. She knew she needed help. So changed subjects to give her some thinking time. “Baby, it's almost lunch time, would you help me make lunch for us and your Grandparents, and your friends?”
“It's okay, we can always get something later.” Her mother said, trying to end the conversation. “We got stuff in the trailer.”
“Mom, I want to talk. I need to talk.” Maggie hugged her daughter. “We need to talk, okay? Running away from this won't make it go away. You've found out, you may as well hear how it got this far.”
“Okay.”
Maggie went to Sage and whispered into her ear. The redhead nodded then left the house, sprinting for Modine's place.
Vance, Jerry and Mooney were off on bikes again, while Conner walked around, showing William, Lok and Harvey his idea place for a garden. Conner knew he was favoring Harvey as he talked and guilt was digging at him. It wasn't that he hated Lok, but his time in World War two had helped him become leery of Asians, or at least that was the lie he hid behind. He knew he had been cold to the man's crippled granddaughter, too.
They stopped in one corner of the yard and Conner's conscience finally got the best of him and he knew he should do something. He had been thinking about how he felt for treating Tracy, and now here he was, doing it again. He turned to Lok, then he held out a hand to Lok. “Sir, I'm sorry. I've been a jerk to you. It may not seem that way, but I'm been ignoring you, or just giving you a bad attitude and that's wrong of me.” He said.
“Think nothing of it.” Lok said, shaking his hand.
“I've always been negative towards most Asians, because of events in World War two.” Conner stated. “But that's no excuse for treating anyone badly. If William and Maggie are okay with you, that should be good enough for me. And hiding behind the War is an excuse. William was in Vietnam and he doesn't have a problem.”
“Sometimes hatred blinds us, and it is rarely ever a logical hate.”
“Yeah. I almost lost out on a granddaughter and a wife from my own stupidity.” Conner said with a nod.
“And how did it change?” Lok asked.
“Well, Modine kicked me out of the house when Tracy came back from Livermore after Thanksgiving. It wasn't till her attack that I realized that I was being stupid. I thought she was a weak person, a worthless queer, until I watched her take on three kids, all bigger then her, to defend my Modine. I'm not sure what it was, there was a quality in her that impressed me. She could have run, but instead, she defended her grandmother, while injured.”
“She is a special child.” Lok Agreed.
“And she was the reason that I've been getting better. I should have never been rude to you these past few days. Your Granddaughter either.”
“She is not the reason. She is just the one who set you on the right path. She may have helped you see the error of your ways and now you can see your regret, you are changing your attitude. I would say that unlike those who never learn to accept those who are different, you are on your way.” Lok replied with a smile. “As for my Brooke, she is used to people treating her badly, not from her skin, but because of her legs. Yet she rarely lets it get to her.”
Conner gave a nod. “But I would still like to apologize to her as well.”
William sighed. “I'll admit that I have no problem with you, but your granddaughter....” He trailed off for a moment. “She reminds me of what could have been. I've been a bit cold with her.”
“What do you mean?” Lok asked.
“When I was in Vietnam, one of the camps I was stationed at was near a small village. There was an orphanage on the outskirts. And a lot of us soldiers would go over and give the kids things like candy, shirts and stuff like that. I was stationed there for about six months and there was this small girl, maybe a year and a half old. She had the greatest little smile. I had actually talked to my CO to get the paperwork started to see if Maggie and I could adopt her. See, Maggie had wanted a daughter and although she wouldn't have been ours, we could have loved her all the same.”
William steeled himself for the next part of the story. It was the part that hit him with regret and anger and was the reason that he rarely spoke of it. “At the time, the Johnny Cash song “A boy named Sue” was out and I thought Susan was a great name, so that's what I called her. We had some of the red tape finished and the CO was just going to alter some paperwork so we could claim she was really my daughter and get her out of the county. But it never happened.”
William leaned against one of the many olive trees. “A battalion of North Vietnamese stormed the town and by time we managed to push them back, we found they had hit the orphanage.” Tears began to drop down William's cheeks. “Any child that had anything American was murdered. The girls were treated worse.” He didn't have to say anything about what worse was, each of the men there knew what could happen to women in wartime. “I had never wanted to hurt another human being like that in my life, not until Tracy's attack and attempted rape by Bruce, but when I found that little broken girl, my little angel, I wanted to hunt every last one of those bastards down and give them the eye for an eye treatment. She wasn't even two years old. I can't even listen to that song anymore, because all I can see is that little girls face.”
William looked to Lok. “I don't hate Brooke, but seeing her in person and hanging out with Tracy made me think about how things could have been. She makes me wonder what type of child Susan would have been. She would be about thirteen by now.”
“War has a way of changing a man's principles and hurting those who may not wish to be involved.” Lok said. “But to defend the defenseless, that is the sign of a good person, and something your daughter gets from you.”
“I think she gets some of it from her mother, too.” William admitted.
“Either way, she is a special child and to have wanted to get a child out of a bad situation, you are a good man.”
“Thanks.” William replied.
Twenty minutes later, after lunch had been prepared, Maggie sent her daughter to the trailer out front to wake her father from his nap. She was glad that Persephone was there, so someone could help her explain what was going on. She had one chance at this and hopefully she wouldn't anger her mother in the process. Again.
Tracy was fighting the nerves as she went to the door of the trailer and knocked. She knew her mother and grandmother were watching from the kitchen window, but she was still worried about letting herself be know to her grandfather like this. Also she was outside, in her girls clothes and the last time she wandered the property like that, it didn't end well. She could hear movement inside the trailer and a moment or two the door opened and her Grandfather looked out at her and smiled. “Hello young lady, how can I help you?”
“I...um...uh...” Tracy bit her lower lip for a moment and lowered her head, welling up the courage and then she blurted out what she was told to say. “They said it's lunch time inside and I was to let you know.”
“Okay. Well let them know I'll be right there.” He said with a smile. He was too tired to realize that he was hearing his own grandchild.
Tracy nodded and went back in the house where she saw her mother and Grandmother both standing there at the window over the stove. Maggie was closing it to keep the heat in the house. Maggie was smiling, but Bernice had a shocked look on her face. Tracy helped her friends in setting up the table.
Marion went to the kitchen, nodding to his wife and daughter, who were the only ones in the room. He looked back into the living room, then down the hall towards half bath. Finally he looked to his daughter. “Maggie?”
“Yeah, Dad?”
“Who was that little girl who knocked at the door? She another friend of Troy's? I didn't see her in that group of girls before, but she did seem familiar.”
Maggie smiled and shook her head. “Tracy, come out please.” Tracy emerged from her bedroom, her friends all waited in there to see what would happen. This time she had started to shake unsure of what her grandfather would do. As she got close, Maggie put a hand on her shoulder. “Dad, I'd like you to meet Tracy, your granddaughter.”
“Granddaughter? You adopted another child?” He asked. “Where's she been the past day?”
“Not adopted Dad, and she's been here the past few days.” Maggie stated. “ In fact, Tracy has been here all along, even back in Wyoming a few years back.”
He turned and studied the child, not picking up on what she meant at first. He recalled the visit, when Maggie had driven Vance and Troy out for a month long visit. He recalled the visit well, then his lips pulled back in a smile as he saw the necklace his mother-in-law had given Maggie when she was eleven. “Troy?”
“No Grandpa.” Tracy said as she shook her head. “It's not Troy anymore, it's Tracy now.”
His emotions hovered around confusion then he seemed to think about something and finally he reached out and hugged the girl. “Well Tracy, you are quite pretty. I do believe you said that lunch was ready?”
“How can you be so calm about this?” Bernice asked her husband in dismay, as he held out a chair for his Wife. As she took it, he moved and held one out for Persephone, then he held out of for his daughter. The girls went to a card table sitting nearby.
“Well Bernice, first of all, I'm hungry. Secondly, where has hatred of something or someone got anyone in the past? And last, this isn't our house, so what can I really do about it? But honestly I'm surprised that you're surprised.” He stated as Maggie sat down, then he went to his own seat. “Face facts, even when they were in Wyoming, Troy wasn't the most boyish kid there. That's what Maggie meant by Tracy had been the one there? Isn't it?” He asked, looking to his daughter.
“Right. I think this has been happening for a long time, we just never noticed it till last August.” Maggie replied.
Marion looked to his wife. “Let me ask you a question. When they were at the house in Wyoming, who did Troy spend more time with?”
Bernice was quiet for a moment, then she remembered. “With Maggie and me.” Bernice finally said.
“I tried to take Troy hunting, but he was interested in flowers and butterflys. I just thought it was his age showing through. I guess I was wrong.” He looked to his daughter. “Care to clue me in on this Maggie?”
“I would love to. I've made Mom wait, it's only fair you hear it too. Actually, Persephone can help too, because she's dealing with the same thing.” Maggie replied, gesturing to Persephone. “Conner and Modine know already, and so does Shelly and Frank and yes this has something to do with why Tracy is home-schooled and being moved to Livermore, But let me get the whole story out before you ask questions.”
Tracy tried to focus on her food as her mother began the story, starting with her suspicions that Tracy had been wearing her clothes for a couple of years. She covered how Modine had found her in August and the deal that allowed Tracy to visit on the weekends. She went over the story of Vance and Troy's suspension from school, then the trip to Livermore, meeting with Sage and Rachel and William's acceptance.
As she began the story of Bruce's attack, the little girl began to cry lightly, causing Sage to put an arm around her. But Maggie kept going, making sure to not leave nothing out. She let Persephone tell of Tracy's visit to her friends before Christmas. The girls only barely managed to keep from talking about the visit. Maggie took control of the conversation back and finally finished with the pictures and the threats and their upcoming move to Livermore, her daughter had regained her control of her emotions.
When she had finished, Maggie got up and left the room for a few minutes, but neither grandparent spoke, leaving a strange silence in the room. When Maggie returned, she had two pictures. She handed them to her mother and gestured to her father to look as well. “This one was from last fourth of July. This was in Livermore, just after Thanksgiving. Notice anything?”
“Just that he's in girls clothes in one?” Maggie's mother offered.
“No Bernice, It's the smile.” Marion stated. “Right there.”
“Yeah. The smile is almost always on my daughters lips.” Maggie picked up the other picture. “These girls here are Tracy's friends and they accept her as a girl.” Without being asked, all the girls began nodded. “The parents of the girls accept Tracy as a girl. My baby stayed there for a week and there were no problems at all.”
“None?” Marion asked.
“None at all.” Persephone replied. “She was at my house two nights and my sisters as well. None of the parents had a problem with Tracy. See, these girls have dealt with this before.” Persephone stated, she gestured to Sage. “See my eldest girl was born with both sets of parts and I refused to let the doctors cut her up because they felt like Gods. So none of them have a problem with Sage and none have a problem with Tracy.”
“You should take him to a psychologist or something.” Bernice suggested.
“We have and he is supporting Tracy. We see him once a month. The next appointment is in two weeks and that will have a second therapist there to get approval for hormones. If you want to go I will give you the address. Although we may see him when we move Tracy down this week.” Maggie replied. “He's the doctor she went to see in December while she visited her friends.”
“Then you should get a second opinion.”
“Doctor Ivan is a good Doctor. He's been super cool to me all this time.” Sage stated.
“Mom, a professional has seen Tracy. Even the Doctor who preformed the Orchiectomy helped and offered Tracy the chance to see a Therapist to make sure what to do. She could have just forced us to pump testosterone into her, but she gave Tracy the choice.”
“What about the bible. Maggie, this is against what it says in the bible. Maybe you should all go to Church?” Her mother said. Tracy rolled her eyes but decided to just finish her lunch.
“See that's the argument that those crazy ladies from the church are using. They claim that wearing these clothes will make Tracy want to rape and kill the kids in the town. To be honest, I have been thinking of going to a church when we move to the Bay Area, but honestly Mom, the bible says a lot of things and contradicts itself, a lot. I've seen you wearing pants and short hair, the same verse that the church ladies used against her can work both ways. If you want to go with a biblical stand point, what about Judge not? Or love thy neighbor like you wish to be loved? There are a lot of things in the bible, but should we follow them all? Should I take Vance out back and stone him to death for the times he's lied to me? Should I be stoned to death for anytime I may have ever taken the Lord's name in vain?” She held up her sandwich. “This is ham, that's a no-no in the first part of the bible. I've eaten shell fish before, the house doesn't have battlements on it. Face it Mom, the first part of the bible has a list of rules that people barely pay attention to.” She gave her mother a look that only she, her parents and her daughter understood her next statement. “Should those people who cheat on a spouse be put to death? This is a good child and there's nothing wrong with her, just a birth defect.”
Her mother thought about that and was silent for a minute or two. “I don't know Margret....this just seems wrong.” Bernice finally said.
Maggie leveled a steady look at her mother. Without looking away she addressed her father and daughter. “Tracy, could you and your Grandfather please go outside for a moment. Girls, could you go with them? Please, take your sandwiches, but my mother and I need to have a talk. Tracy nodded and everyone grabbed their food and headed for the door.
Once the door had shut, Maggie got up and moved to the other side of the table. She looked at her mother, not in anger, but just a firm look. “Mother, I don't claim to know what's going on in Tracy's head. Yes, I enjoy having a daughter. Yes a part of me would rather have Tracy then Troy because the girl is much more open and friendly, plus she's more confident. She's proven herself as a good daughter and as a great grandchild when she risked her health and defended Modine while injured. The same injuries have made sure that she will never have children, or a normal male life, ever.”
“Mom, it's simple. Tracy is here to stay. You have three options. First is you can get up and leave, writing off this family as a total loss and never have any contact with us ever again. And let me tell you, that one will rip my heart out and crush my child, but don't you dare stand between my child and her happiness. The second choice is that you refuse to accept it but let her live her life and never bring it up in a derogatory way and enjoy the rest of your visit. The last is that you can accept that this is what Tracy wants and it's what the Doctors, trained professionals, think is best for her and learn to love your Granddaughter. She has five friends who totally accept her as a girl, one of them knows what she is going through because she is dealing with it too. I know this isn't normal, but what is?”
“I can almost bet you that right now Dad and her friends are trying to console her and get her to stop crying because she wanted you two to meet her and she was worried that this would happen. So she was ready to hide in the guise of Troy, just to keep you from getting mad because she is tired of being attacked for what she is. She was willing to forgo her happiness, just to keep you happy, so don't even think she's being selfish in this.” Maggie stood up and pushed her chair in. “I'll give you a few minutes to think about it, but I think my daughter needs me.”
Maggie made it to the doorway when she stopped. “Honestly, she needs her Grandmother, too. All girls should know their Grandmothers, but only go to her if you have no problem with my daughter.”
Tracy, her friends and her Grandfather all left the house and started walking past the house and towards the field and the barn. Marion reached over and put an arm around her shoulders. “Tracy, I'm sorry. I know your grandmother can be a bit old fashioned and stubborn. It's supposed to be the man who doesn't understand, but like I said, I'm not too shocked. I have a few questions, and if it's okay I would love to talk, but we don't have to.”
“You don't hate me, do you?” She asked.
He smiled and shook his head. “Tracy, if I hated you, would we be talking?”
“I....I guess not.” Tracy replied.
“Can I ask, is this permanent? I mean will you be getting that surgery that the woman in New York got?”
“Who's that?”
“I forget her name, but she is basically a woman in a man's body, or she was, then she got a surgery and is now a woman.”
“Christine Jorgensen.” Sage answered.
“Yeah, her.” He nodded. “So are you going to do that? Become all woman?”
“I think....I don't know.” Tracy shrugged. “I mean I want to. There's been a couple of times, while making dinner, when no one is in the house with me, I've looked at a knife in my hand and just thought about how easy it would be to just cut it off.”
“Cut what off? Your....” He let the question hang, but pointed below her waist line.
“Yeah.” She said with a nod. Rachel and Sage gasped and she felt another arm wrap around her waist. “But I'm just too afraid of messing up, so I haven't done it.”
“Good.” Marion put a hand on her shoulder and turned her to face him. “Baby, you ever feel like that again, promise me you'll talk to someone. There's so much that could go wrong. You cut off your..... thing and you could bleed to death before anyone can get to you. There's a major vein in that.”
“But I hate the damn thing.” Tracy said. Marion began to blush at the topic. It wasn't a conversation he had ever though he'd have with a grandchild. “I want to just rip the stupid thing off.”
“I can see that.” He pulled her in and hugged her tightly. When he let her go, he kissed her cheek. “Come on, tell me about these girls you've befriended. They must be special if they are this protective of you.”
“They are.” Tracy said as she looked at her friends. “And each of them is awesome in their own right. Brooke is an athlete, even though she's in the wheelchair. Casey can't hear, but she loves to draw, Rachel loves to sing, Stacey is super cool and Sage helps me out when I talk to her.”
“That's good.” Marion said. “I'm glad she had friends like you girls. Everyone needs friends in life to enjoy the trip with.”
“Thanks.” The girls replied.
“So, does this mean you like boys?” Marion asked his granddaughter.
“I like one boy.” Tracy answered, not wanting to tell her friends about her thoughts of Brooke stripping. “I'm not sure if it's just boys I like.”
“Well, you are eleven, so let things work themselves out and you can pick later. Like when you're sixteen and your mother lets you date.”
“Mom said I had to wait till I was thirty.” Tracy chuckled. “They were already trying to keep Peter away from me when I am home.”
“A typical parent thing to do when it comes to a daughter.” Marion said. He heard footsteps so he turned and saw his daughter. “Everything okay?”
“I just wanted to make sure my baby was okay.”
“As good as gold.” Her father said. “In fact we've been talking.”
Persephone went into the house after Maggie had left and she found Bernice at the table. “Mrs. Richter, I know you have no reason to listen to me, but please, hear me out. I know the pains of having a child like Tracy.” Persephone took a seat across from her. “There is nothing wrong with Tracy. The child you knew is still there. The lessons of right and wrong are still there. This change wont make Tracy into some kind of crazy ax murderer. She is a scared little girl, who got put in the wrong body.”
“It just seems wrong. Boys should be boys.” Bernice stated, but she was having a hard time figuring out what was right and wrong. “Not dressing up as a little girl.”
“My eldest, the redhead has both sets of parts. She has a penis and a vagina. How normal is that?” Persephone asked. “Sure, the Penis isn't that large, and the Vagina is partly closed off, but tell me how she would fit into the whole boys are boys and girls are girls. Please, I've often wondered if I was wrong for pulling her away from that Doctor who just wanted to choose what she was going to be.”
“I....don't know.” Bernice thought about it for a moment then looked at Persephone. “She really has both parts?”
“Yeah. And she's starting hormones because her body isn't producing them like it should.” Persephone stated. “She has been a boy and a girl. She hasn't lived like a boy in ages now. But in her heart, she's a girl. The same goes for Tracy. I've had a group of five girls staying at my house now, about once a month for little over three years. Tracy is just like they are. She's not a boy in a dress. In fact I've never seen any boy mannerisms in her at all. Have you? Ones that are natural, not forced?”
“You know....for once I am at a loss of what to do.” Bernice shook her head slowly. “Maggie gave me three options. Leave and never speak to them again, tolerate it or love Tracy, but I really don't know what to do.”
“Well, what do you want to do? If you leave, will you ever return? If the answer is no, can you say goodbye to your daughter and her family for the rest of their lives? And are you willing to take them away from your husband too? Ma'am, have you ever used the argument that it's what’s on the inside of a person that you should judge?” Persephone watched as Bernice nodded. “We all have, but this is one of those moments where you see that statement in action. You're seeing Troy the boy and refusing to see Tracy the girl. Sure, if Tracy were to strip, you would see a young boy standing there, but you watched her walk out of the house. You watched her make lunch. Did you see a boy there? Or a scared little girl who is worried that she just caused her Grandmother to hate her mother and her family for the rest of their lives.”
“I'm....I'm not used to this.”
“I know. Girls like Tracy can have that effect on you, but it doesn't mean they are bad children.” Persephone stated.
I'm almost finished with that one weekend. Then Tracy can move onto the Polka festival.....wait, no, that can't be right.
On a personal note, the story that William tells of the girl in Vietnam actually happened to my Father. There was an orphanage he had actually talked to Mom, through letters, about adopting a girl that he had named Sue, but the Vietnamese army came in and killed a lot of the people in the town, including the children at the orphanage.
There will be at least one or two more posts that cover this weekend, then we move on again.
Thanks to Djkauf for the edits
Continuing once more, this time we say goodbye to an old friend.
Also, due to not wanting to give away the good parts, there is no teaser this time.
More of Tracy, the Girls, The Parents and the rest.
They had decided to walk to the Turners farm and see the sheep while they were out. Tracy had worried about being seen in a skirt at first, but then she remembered how much she wanted to just get rid of Troy. A part of her hoped that no one would know her, so she decided to just blend in with her friends. It was when they were on their way back that Tracy decided to ask a question that had been bugging her since she heard her mother arguing with her grandmother. “Mom?” Tracy stopped and looked at her. “Who is Alyson?”
Maggie sighed. She had guessed that Tracy had heard, since she had been in the house when the argument started. The was another part of her past that she tried to hide from. Unlike her infidelity, this wasn't something she was ashamed of, instead this was something that tore her heart out every time she thought about it. She had decided to stop hiding things from her daughter. Her father looked at her, then patted her shoulder. “We'll give you two some space. Come on girls, let's go back and look for the turkeys.”
“Thank you, Dad.” Maggie said and they watched him lead the girls away. Maggie was quiet for a few minutes, as she tried to get the strength to talk about her past again. She led Tracy over to a tree that had a low hanging branch that stuck mostly straight out. She helped her daughter up onto the perch and then leaned against the tree. “When I was just fifteen, I met a guy that I thought was the one. This was a couple of years before I met your father.”
Maggie shut her eyes for a moment, not wishing to look at her daughter who was no doubt rethinking her thoughts about her mother once more. “He told me all the things I wanted to hear. I melted each time he looked me in the eyes. I just loved how he made me feel, but I always stopped him before we got too far. I used to sneak out of the house to see him and that drove mom crazy. Then one night we had gone off to a popular make-out spot. Things got hot....and as much as I wanted to, I couldn't say no.”
“Did he rape you?”
Maggie sighed.“No. By time we we were undressed I was willing. But then it was over so fast that it wasn't worth the problems that happened after that.”
“Like what problems? Grandma?”
Maggie opened up her eyes and saw her daughter was still watching her. “The next day at school he had spread around the rumor of how easy I was.”
“Easy how?” Tracy said.
“Easy means a girl will let anyone have sex with her.”
“He told lies? That's not right.”
“Yeah, but that's how guys are.” Maggie said. “But things went downhill from there. About six weeks later I started to get sick. After two weeks of that, I managed to get the nerve up to tell my mother what had happened. After a really heated argument, She took me into the doctor and we learned I was pregnant.”
“Alyson?” Tracy asked. Maggie nodded.
“Yeah. We ended up moving to LA after we found I was pregnant. I was going to start my junior year of high school when school started, and the baby was due to be born in the end of August. See back then, unwed teen mothers were usually shunned, so we moved to save me from that.” Maggie had began to cry and Tracy hopped off the branch and put her arms around her mother. “In the middle of July, a month and a half early, I went into premature labor....there were problems....She...when she was born....” Maggie began to cry harder.
“It's okay, Mama.” Tracy said as she held her mother. She had begun to shed her own tears. “It's okay. You don't have to say anymore.”
“You...you deserve to know....” Maggie said as she managed to stop the sobbing. They stood there for several minutes, as daughter held mother. Finally Maggie continued her story. “When she was born she had a birth defect....There was a problem with...with her lungs...” Maggie's sobs came back as she sagged to her knees from the weight of the old torment. “I n-n-never even got to h-hold my little girl.”
Tracy held on to her mother as the two of them ended up on their knees in the grass. Neither of them said a word for several minutes. Maggie rested her head against her daughters shoulders and just cried, while Tracy held her head and just tried to soothe her.
“Mama, it's okay.” Tracy said after almost five minutes had passed. “I'm sorry she didn't make it. I would have loved an older sister.”
“I bet you would have made a wonderful little sister.”
“Mom, is this what you meant by you knew how people would treat me if they thought Peter and I did something?” The last words brought a deep blush to Tracy’s cheeks.
Her mother let out a sniffle as the wiped the tears from her eyes. “Yes. I was labeled a whore to that school. I was the reason we had to leave. Hell, my sister hated me because of it, but things worked out in the end. I found your Father in LA.” Maggie began to stand up, then she helped her daughter up and brushed off her knees. “Tracy?”
“Yeah Mama?”
“I know this is like two massive secrets I've dropped on you in the last month and I got to know....do you love me any less?”
Tracy thought about it for half a second, then she wrapped her arms around her mother again. “No Mama. I still love you. Like Dad said the other time, we all make mistakes, right? And If I can't forgive, what type of person am I?”
Maggie wiped at the tears running from her eyes, but she gave her daughter a proud smile. “What did I do to deserve a great daughter like you?”
“Lucky, I guess.” Tracy said, smiling back, then the smile faded. “But what if Grandma is still mad?”
“Honestly, if she can't accept you, then it's her loss. You shouldn't live your life to make someone else happy.” Maggie replied, wiping at the last of the tears on her cheek. “But for now let's go catch up with your grandfather so he knows we're okay.” She held out her hand and Tracy took it, then the two ladies headed back to the house. They saw Marion pointing out birds flying off in the distance to the girls.
They stopped by them and Marion looked, taking quick stock of them. “You both okay?”
“Yeah. Just skeletons from the past.” Maggie replied. They started walking towards the house. Then only to find that the truck her parents owned was gone. Tracy began to cry again. Persephone was walking over to where they were
“None of that now.” Persephone said.
“She left?” Tracy asked, looking from her mother, to Grandfather to Persephone. “She hates me?”
“Tracy, I can't answer that, but she said she had some things to think about and she will be back.” Persephone said.
Marion nodded slowly. “I've known your Grandmother long enough to say we need to let her think about this. Trying to push her into liking you will just make her hate you. So please, don't concern yourself about the hows and whys. Just come in and we can talk if you want.”
But Tracy didn't hear him, she was more focused on her grandmothers absence. Tears started to fall once more and before either of them could stop her, she bolted for the house. Maggie shook her head. “Dammit. This is my fault.”
“No. You know how your mother can be.”
Maggie looked at him, then gestured to the house. “Dad, I basically told her to either like Tracy, deal with it quietly, or leave. This is my fault.”
“She told me that.” Persephone admitted. “But I talked to her after you all left. I think I gave her some food for thought.”
Her father was quite for a moment, then he nodded again. “But you were in the right. This is your house, and as guests, we should be respectful to the people who live here. But I think she needs to come to a decision on her own. Besides, she won't leave the trailer here, and I hope she won't leave me here.” He tried to joke, but it fell flat.
“Girls, can you go check up on Tracy, please?” Maggie asked. The girls nodded and headed for the house.
Bernice pulled her truck to a stop in a parking lot that overlooked the river. She had been driving for more then two hours and her mind was busy going over everything she knew. Her grandchild, the next to the eldest, was dressing as a girl. Everything she knew said it was wrong. But she kept thinking about Persephone's child and how if one child could be born differently, why couldn't two?
She started to think of the past and how the little boy was when he was a child. She slowly recalled each time that she had been around him. Each time she realized something. What her husband said was right. Troy had always hung out with them, and rarely with her husband. Then she began to think of little Troy and how at one point, she had noticed his girlish actions. Or how easily he had gotten along with his cousins who were both girls.
Bernice turned off the motor and she leaned back in her seat, just starting out of the windshield. She wasn't sure what she should do. She knew that if she left, she could ruin her marriage, by forcing her husband to lose contact with one of his daughters. She could crush her daughter at the same time and just acting nice for the sake of being nice never worked out. She had to figure it out. She needed an answer and she needed it soon.
Tracy and her friends followed Stacey and Casey to their father's truck. He had offered to take her stuff, but the arrival of her Grandparents meant that she was going to stay, to at least see her Grandfather, since her Grandmother left. Plus, Maggie wanted to be the one who took her daughter down.
“Thanks for coming up.” Tracy said as she hugged Stacey. “It was good seeing you.”
“Hey, don't sound like this is goodbye. Remember, we'll see you in a few days.” Stacey said “Maybe not the day you get there, but next weekend, We got plans.”
Rachel smiled. “I think Stacey asked her dad to use their place.”
“Yep.” Stacey replied. “You'll love it. We got a surprise or two there.”
“Thursday you’re mine, though.” Brooke stated with a smile. “I think Grandfather wants to take you to the school and see how good you skills are and what class you'll be in.”
“Yeah, your Grandmother will be my teacher, at least that's what he said.”
“Yeah, she does the Tai Chi, he's more of Wing chun.”
Stacey tapped Tracy's arm to get her attention. “You give those letters to Vance?”
“Yep. He put them in his pack and he'll give them to Mary Beth and Emily May tomorrow at school.” Tracy answered.
“Good.” Stacey answered. Casey came over and simply hugged Tracy, then Harvey stopped by them, after checking up in the trailer. “Well, little lady, I'll see you in a few days, along with the rest of these trouble makers.”
Tracy hugged Harvey, aware that her parents had come over to them. She watched as her friends climbed into the back seat of the truck, and Mooney who had school the next morning got in the passenger seat She gave one last wave as Harvey pulled out. The girls all started walking to the house.
An hour after their friends had left for home, Tracy was at a card table playing a board game with her friends. Her father headed out to get more wood for the fireplace and Marion was with Conner and Lok looking over tools in the sheds with Vance. She had told Peter she was leaving, but he was busy till later that afternoon.
“Hey.” Sage said as they watched William walk out of the house. She had seen him give Brooke a sad look, this being the second one she had seen, and she finally wanted to know what was going on. She was unaware that William was only on the side of the house, going over to the shed to grab firewood, and could hear then through the thin windows of the house. “Tracy? Is your Dad okay with us being here?”
“Yeah, why?” Tracy asked.
“It's weird, but he keeps giving Brooke strange looks.”
“Looks like how?”
“It could just be my wheelchair.” Brooke said.
Sage nodded slightly. “That could be, he does seem to look sad when he looks at you.”
“I saw that too.” Brooke stated. “But then I get the 'Oh the poor little crippled girl' look so much that I just try to ignore it.”
William had gone and grabbed an armload of wood and when he came into the house, the girls had all gone quiet as he gently put the wood down. When he stood up he had convinced himself to let the girls know his secret, “Brooke, Girls, I heard you all through the window a few minutes ago and....well, you're right Sage. I have been a bit strained around Brooke.” He went to his chair and sat down.
“You have seemed a bit sad.” Brooke answered.
“There's a reason to that. It's nothing that any of you girls did. In fact having a house full of kids has turned out to be rather fun. But there's a sad story involved with why I've been sad.” William said. “I was in Vietnam for the war and almost adopted a young baby there in Nineteen seventy. But as we got the paperwork settled, a group of enemy soldiers attacked the city that held the orphanage she lived in. In the attack she was killed.” He purposely gave them a watered down version of the story, not wanting to tell them the whole story and upsetting them. “Another month or two and I would have adopted that child and sent to her Maggie to live a good life. The reason this concerns you is that she would be about your age about now.”
“Oh.” Brooke said and now the sad looks from him made sense. “So I'm reminding you of her?”
He nodded. “Yes. You're reminding me of that wonderful little angel. It's nothing you did, nor do you need to change anything. Just keep being yourself and I'm sorry if I made you feel bad the past few days.”
“It's....” Brooke thought about something for a moment, then she looked up at him. “I kinda know the feelings. Mom told me my father died in 'Nam. He was in the Marines. He was an orphan so we never knew his parents, and his adoptive parents have died years ago. Plus when I got hurt...well, see my mom had a son and a daughter, not just a daughter.” Brooke stated. “My Uncle Lu was driving the car and Li, my brother, was in the front seat when we were hit. I was the only one who lived.”
“I'm sorry, I didn't know.” William said. Tracy had been surprised by the news too, having never heard Brooke tell the whole story of the accident.
“Mom and I don't talk about it much. It still hurts after all these years.”
“I can understand. I don't talk about it much either. I mean, Maggie knows, but the kids didn't, not till now.” William stated and Tracy wondered if he knew about Alyson.
Brooke gave him a little, sad smile. “Mr. Patterson, if she had lived, she would have had a wonderful father.” Brooke held her arms out, waiting for a hug. William got up and complied and as he let her go, the young girl looked up at him. “To be honest, if I could pick a father for me, I'd want a cool guy, like you.”
“Thank you, Brooke.” William said. “I'll let you girls get back to hanging out. I want to get some more wood in here for tonight.”
Maggie picked up the phone and dialed Chris's home number and waited for him to pick up. The more she thought about it, the more things she figured she had to do with Tracy and the faster she did it, the quicker she could be home and working on getting moved herself.
“Chris Wright, Can I help you?”
“Chris, it's Maggie and I need to talk to you.”
“Problems? You normally don't call on a Sunday.” Chris stated.
“You remember how I said I was going to be sending my youngest away if things kept happening and move ourselves?” Maggie asked, but she didn't wait for an answer. “We've caught the guilty parties, but the Church lady is still out there, so we're thinking she's going to stop at nothing. So I'm going to work on Monday, but can I get Tuesday through Friday off, then work my final two weeks?”
Chris sighed. He had been hopeful that she could stay, mostly because of how nice the family was, but he knew that this was how the world could work. “Okay. You sure you don't want tomorrow off?”
“Let me think about it, okay?” Maggie replied.
“Maggie, take it off. You've got things going on. Just take the week off and come back the next week, okay? If you got to move the kids, then that means getting stuff taken care of legally, like school and making sure the new place can take her to the hospital.”
“Good point. Thank you Chris.”
“You're welcome and good luck in whatever goes on.”
“The way things are going, I just may need that luck.” Maggie said with a forced chuckle.
“I'll see you next week Maggie.”
Tracy and her friends all headed over to her grandmothers place. She had stayed in her skirt and nice shirt, instead of changing for the fifty foot walk. When they got to the porch, she was slightly confused to see Lok, her father, her Grandfather Marion and her Grandfather Conner standing on the porch, watching them. When they stopped, Lok spoke up. “Girls, could I ask you to go inside? Mister Patterson would like to speak to Brooke for a moment.” The girls shrugged and all went up the steps, followed by Marion and William.
Conner stepped off the porch and dropped to one knee by Brooke. “Young lady, I don't know if you've noticed, but in the past couple of days, I've been rude to both you and your grandfather. Not openly, but I have ignored you and been treating you badly. I have apologized to him already and I want to apologize to you as well.”
Brooke shook his hand. She wasn't sure if he had a story like William's, but she was now understandably curious. “I get it all the time. People judge me from the chair, not who I am.”
Conner let go of her hand. “No. It's not the chair. I will admit, seeing you in that chair and hearing from Modine and Persephone what sports you do is nothing short of amazing. What I mean is my own stupid small minded bigotry. I've always been harsh on Asians and I used to blame it on the war, but the fact was I was just a hate filled man. I hated Tracy when I heard about the dresses, till I watched her defend her grandmother. And I needed to see that lesson again, that I shouldn't hate someone for how they look. You are a good kid. Persephone says you are a gifted student and a great athlete, and Tracy says you’re a great person and that's all that should matter.”
“Thanks.” Brooke said. “But it's okay. I know how some people can hate others for no reason at all.”
“But it's still wrong.” Conner said. “And hiding behind excuses is also wrong. So can you find it in your heart to forgive me?”
“Yeah. No harm, no foul.” She stated. “You want to be nice, then we can be nice.”
“Thanks.” He bent down and gently hugged her. “Now would you like a hand up the steps?”
“Yes please.” She said. Without being asked, she turned her chair around and waited for him and her grandfather to lift her up the stairs.
“Maybe we could talk about some of the sports you do.” Conner said as they put her chair down. “I hear you play basketball.”
“I do. We were near the top of our age group this year. Next year we want to be number one.” Brooke stated.
“That's a good goal to keep. No shame in trying to do the best you can. But I must admit, I've never heard of someone in a wheelchair playing basketball.”
“Oh? Well, then I should tell you everything I can do.” Brooke said with a chuckle. “Prepare to be surprised.”
Tracy stood on the porch, her hands in her pockets to keep them warm from the winter wind that was blowing. Peter had come over to hang out for a few hours, and she had wanted to say goodbye to him one last time. Of course she knew her friends and her parents were watching. She knew her father was behind the door, waiting for them to kiss. He was waiting for his mother to get done talking with her parents, before the two friends were separated for good.
"I'm sorry I have to leave." She told him, doing her best to not cry.
"It's better this way." Peter replied. "That crazy lady is still out there, plus how many people took pictures home. I can understand why your parents are doing this. I don't like it, but I can understand it."
"Yeah." Tracy said and she leaned against him. He put his arms around her as she looked up. "You can always have Vance send letters to me."
"I could. I don't write much, but for you I can."
"Thanks. And thanks for being cool about this."
Peter smiled at her. "Tracy, I want you safe, that's all that matters." With that, he bent down and kissed her on the lips. At that exact moment, the door handle wiggled slightly and they broke off the embrace.
"Dad." She muttered.
"I know." The door opened up and Peter's mother came out, wished Tracy good luck and went to the car. She was aware her father was out there with them now. Peter hugged her once more as his mother started her car.
"You need to get going. You got school tomorrow."
"It isn't the same without you." Peter said. "But I'll manage." He turned and headed to his mothers car, afraid to try another kiss with her father on the porch. Tracy watched as Peter rode away, going out of his life for what she figured would be forever. As that thought hit her, she began to cry and William pulled her into a hug.
"I'm sure he feels the same way Baby. No one ever likes to leave a friend."
Marion was starting to worry about his wife. It was just past nine in the evening, California time. She had yet to return from her soul searching. He breathed a sigh of relief as he heard his truck pull up. It took a few minutes for her to get out and come around the trailer, then climb in. She noticed him sitting at the tiny little table by the door, a glass of water in his hand. He waited till she was in before he spoke. “You okay?”
Bernice nodded her head. “Yeah. I just needed to think. You know how I get.”
“I know. You still angry?” He asked she she pulled off her shirt and slipped into her night clothes.
She shook her head. “No. Is Maggie?”
“No. She's not sure how to do this, though. She is regretting giving you an ultimatum.” Marion stated.
“But she is right for defending on her children.” Bernice said. “I recall giving one to my grandmother after Maggie got pregnant.”
“Your family has been quick to anger, and you recall how long it took to get your grandmother to talk to you again after that?”
“Almost ten years, and then that was just a few months before her death. So many things I could have said in that time.” Bernice sat on the edge of the bed, to face him better. “Troy was never here, was he?”
“The more I think about it, the more I have to say no.” He got up, and began changing for bed.
“Yeah.” Bernice nodded as she pulled back the covers and lay down. “I've been thinking and I just can't remember him ever being a boy. Every memory I can recall, he seems so girly.”
“Same here.” Marion admitted.
“And Maggie.....I should have never thrown Alyson in her face like that. I know how much that hurts her.”
“She hurts, but a hurt like that never goes away, we both know that.” Marion said.
“I'm going to talk to them in the morning.” Bernice stated. “First thing.”
“Good.” Marion said. “They may be up now, if you wanted to go in.”
“I should, but letting Maggie calm down is as important as me calming down.”
“Well, I won’t push you.” He stated. “Get some sleep and we'll talk to them in the morning.”
“Okay. Night, Marion.”
“Night, Bernice.”
Maggie was up and in the kitchen as she saw her mother slip into her trailer, unaware that she was being watched. When Bernice hadn't returned home that evening, Tracy went into a fit of crying again. As the door of the trailer shut, Maggie shook her head, aware that Tracy was looking out the living-room window and she started to cry again.
“Dammit Mom.” Maggie whispered. “Of all the times to be pig-headed.” She muttered, before moving to the living-room to try and soothe her child.
A couple of hours had passed since she had returned to her daughters farm and Bernice couldn't sleep. She lay in her bed, thinking about her grandchild in the house, and of the past. Finally she figured she had to do something. She had to apologize. She got up and grabbed a robe from the time closet in the trailer and headed out of the door and to her daughter’s home.
Bernice stepped into the house as quietly as she could. To save from filling up their septic tank on the trailer, William and Maggie had allowed them to use their bathroom anytime they wanted, which meant the front door was unlocked. Two night lights were plugged in to illuminate the living-room, just slightly, one near the kitchen and one near Maggie and William's bedroom. She could make out the wheelchair by the pullout bed and the form of the Chinese girl lying there, plus one other figure, the redhead. Two other forms were huddled together, using two sleeping bags, zipped together. She went to that one and dropped to one knee and she studied the two faces, unaware that the Chinese girl and redhead were now both watching her.
Bernice touched Tracy's cheek and the girl woke up, flinching slightly. Then her eyes looked around as she startled to see the person standing there. “Grandma?” Tracy asked. Bernice put a finger over her mouth to signal her granddaughter to be quiet for a moment. She was now aware that the other girl, the bigger of them, was also awake.
When Bernice spoke, it was in a whisper, but in the silence of the house, the girls all heard it. “Tracy, you must think I'm a mean, vicious woman. But I was wrong. I've been thinking and even when I got back here, I couldn't stop thinking. The truth was always there. The times you'd place with your cousins, Cheryl and Heidi, the times you hung out with your Aunt and Mother, and your cousins and myself. Or that time in Wyoming. You really are a girl. It's been there all this time, hasn't it. And if a girl like your friend can have parts of both sexes, why can't a girl be born as a boy?”
Bernice bent down and kissed Tracy's cheek and as she pulled back, Tracy moved out of the sleeping bag, showing a long light colored nightgown. She sat up and held her arms out and Bernice took the hint. She hugged her granddaughter for several seconds. As she stood up she whispered again. “We can talk more in the morning, I just had to say that I'm sorry now.”
“Thank you.” Tracy replied.
“Now, get back to sleep young lady. And sorry for waking you too, young lady.” Bernice stated. Rachel just nodded and put her head back on the pillow and waited to Tracy to slide back into the sleeping bag.
It was when Bernice looked up, she noticed that Maggie was standing at the door to her bedroom, smiling. She walked over to her mother and hugged her. “Thank you Mom.” She whispered. “I hoped you'd come around.”
“We can talk in the morning too. Right now I need to powder my nose and get back to sleep.”
“Okay.” Maggie said, hugging her mother just once more. “And thank you for proving me wrong.”
Almost done with that weekend. So close......
“Dad? Do you mind?” Maggie asked her father.
“Not at all. We talked about it this morning. I can help Conner around the property and she can help make sure that everything is in order down there.”
“Also, I haven't seen Shelly in almost ten years.” Bernice admitted. “I've missed her being around all the time, like when we lived in Castro Valley, when you were Tracy's age.”
Big thanks to Djkauf for the edits
A big one this time. Tracy on the day of her departure. William at work. And a surprise visit from Molly Hallmark
Monday morning came and found Tracy in the kitchen once again. Sage and Rachel were waiting on a shower and Brooke had showered the night before. Maggie was up early taking a turn in the shower. Her grandparents were up too, being used to an early start to their day, and wanting to give William and Vance a send off to work and school. Bernice was helping Tracy, who was busy making breakfast for William and Vance. Marion was in the seat that Vance normally took, so Vance and William could sit at the end of the table and get out the door in time for their days.
Bernice put a plate of eggs at William's spot at the table as he came in. Sage simply pointed to the chair as she brought over a cup of coffee. “You are my guest, young lady. You don't have to serve me.” William said. “That goes the same for you, Mom.”
“I know, but I'm just helping Tracy.” Sage replied.
“Yeah Daddy. After this we're going to load the car.” Tracy said.
“And I wanted to spend a little time with my Granddaughter, is that so wrong?” Bernice said as she held the plate as Tracy put some eggs on it for her grandfather and William stopped for a moment, unsure of what had happened while he slept.
“Um.....”
“It's all been apologized for, William.” His mother-in-law said. “And now I am trying to make up for lost time and get to know my granddaughter.”
“I see.” William nodded as he picked up a fork, as his son came staggering out of the bathroom, hair a mess from his night, as he headed to the bedroom. He was still in partial zombie mode as he went to the bathroom. Lok was just stepping into the house, after working on his early morning routine for half an hour.
“Come on in. have a bite to eat.” William gestured to the table. “I thought you slept in Tracy's bed?”
“I did, but I get up at five in the morning every morning and work out, but because the house is not mine, I waited till six, then I went outside to do my usual routine.”
“I see.” William said. A plate was placed in front of Lok, who gave his thanks to the girls, then he moved to the spot by the wall.
Maggie came in, surprised to see the kitchen full. “Maybe I'll go enjoy my coffee in the living-room.”
Maggie, could I go with you?” Bernice asked. “To Livermore, I mean. I have all these years worth of catching up I need to do with my Granddaughter and if you take her down there today, I won't get it. Plus who knows when I'll ever make it to the Bay area.”
“Dad? Do you mind?” Maggie asked her father.
“Not at all. We talked about it this morning. I can help Conner around the property and she can help make sure that everything is in order down there.”
“Also, I haven't seen Shelly in almost ten years.” Bernice admitted. “I've missed her being around all the time, like when we lived in Castro Valley.”
“Has it been that long?” Maggie asked
“It was for Vance's second or third birthday.” Bernice said.
Maggie nodded slowly. “It has been a while.”
William looked at the clock and he started to stand up. “Well, breakfast was good. Thank you young ladies. And you too, Mom.” William went to each of the girls and hugged them. He pulled a bag out of the refrigerator, then he turned to his daughter. “See me to the door?” Tracy nodded.
Tracy walked to the front door with her father and he stopped, turned and dropped to one knee. “Five months little girl. That's how long till I'm down there.”
“Five months.” Tracy repeated. “Five long months.” She couldn't stop the tears from forming around her eyes. William pulled her in close for a hug.
“I know, baby.” William said as he wiped at his own tears. “I wish you didn't have to go like this.”
“I wish you didn't need to stay.” Tracy answered.
“I know.”
Tracy touched the paper bag with his lunch. “I made you a special lunch for today. I used some of the roast from last night for a sandwich.”
“I'm gonna miss you little girl. You spoil me way too much.”
“I'll miss you more, Daddy.” Tracy replied.
“I doubt it.” He kissed her cheek, then stood up, not wanting to leave for work, but he didn't want to get in trouble for being late.
“Call me on the weekends?” Tracy asked.
“Every weekend.” William agreed.
“Have a good day at work, Daddy. See you when.....” She trailed off. Maggie came over and hugged her husband, then they both pulled Tracy into the one last embrace. William let them go, aware that his wife and youngest were walking out of the house with him.
Tracy stood on the porch, in her pajamas as her father went to his car and slowly pulled out. She leaned into her mother and began to cry. Maggie took her back into the kitchen, to make sure Vance left in time.
Tracy went to the door with Vance, still teared up from her fathers departure. “Got the letters?”
“Yeah. I'll give them to Emily May when I get off the bus.” Vance replied.
Without warning, Tracy hugged him. “See you in five months.”
“Yeah, see you then.”
“Have a good day Vance.”
“Don't have all the fun without me.” Vance said.
“I won't.” Tracy replied.
Maggie touched his shoulder. “You need to get going. Have fun and go to your grandparents when you get home. Grandpa will be over there helping out and my Mom is coming with me, so you and your Dad will be eating there, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Be good and see you in a week.”
“Okay, Mom.” Vance hugged his mother, then he left to start his day of school.”
It was almost eight in the morning when Modine and Conner had come over to help load the vehicles. Modine watched as the girls and the both of Tracy's grandfathers and Lok, loaded the two vehicles. Most of her larger boxes were put into Persephone's van, which was only going to hold Persephone, Andromeda and Lok and Brooke's wheelchair. The girls were staying with Tracy, putting Brooke in the middle of the front bench seat and to help out on space, Conner had loaned them his Cadillac. Tracy had wanted to wear a skirt, but Rachel and Sage both pointed out the possibility of getting it dirty or ruined, or her legs scratched up while moving stuff, so she went with the only pants she had, Troy’s, and a light blue shirt.
Tracy walked up to Modine and she gently hugged the older woman. “I'm gonna miss you.” The girl said as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
“There's always Christmas and Thanksgiving. Plus Easter is coming fast.” Modine replied.
“If I can come up for those. I mean I can ask.” Tracy said
“Also, I can take her down there to visit.” Conner said as he walked over to them. Tracy looked up and she saw the tracks of tears in his eyes. She knew her grandmother would cry, but she didn't expect it from her grandfather. She gave him a hug and he held her for several seconds. “This isn't good bye, it's just going to be a longer trip to come see us.”
“Yeah.” Tracy said as she started to cry again.
“Come on. Let's get you in the car.” Conner said and he led Modine and Tracy to his vehicle. “Girls, it was good seeing you and anytime you want to return, just let us know.” He turned to Lok and held out a hand. “Sir, it was good meeting you and your granddaughter. Anytime you need to escape the big city, we'll be glad for the company.”
“Thank you.” Lok replied.
Modine watched as they helped Brooke into the car, then loaded her wheelchair into the van. Each of the girls slid into the backseat and all of them waved as Maggie pulled out. Conner waited with his wife and Tracy's other grandfather, for a few moments, till they had gone. Modine dabbed at her eye with a handkerchief.
Vance got off the bus and he was doing his best to not cry. It hadn't occurred to him till that morning, how much he'd miss his sister. As he waited for Emily May and Mary Beth to get off the bus, Peter came over to him. “You okay?” Peter asked as he looked over Vance.
“Yeah. Just can't believe it's come to this.”
Peter nodded as the Higgins children departed the bus. “I know.”
Vance stopped Emily May as she and her siblings got close and he reached into his pack and pulled out a stack of letters. Emily pulled out one of her own, as did her sister. “These are from Tracy and her friends. They were up for the weekend.”
“Brooke, Sage, Rachel and Stacey?” Mary Beth asked.
“And the quiet girl.” Vance added.
“Casey, she's the deaf one.” Emily May replied.
“Yeah. Her.” Vance agreed.
“Who ever sent that picture ruined everything. I’d so love to kick his ass.” Mary Beth muttered.
“That would be Clark Millet.” Vance stated. “And Tracy did a good enough job on Saturday when he came to the house. She beat the stuffing out of him and Bobby Anderson at the same time.”
“So it was Clark? Who made the phone calls? That wasn't his voice.” Mary Beth leaned forward, wanting all the information.
“That was his cousin, A guy who worked with my Dad.” Vance replied. “But there's more. Mom and Dad have decided to send Tracy away for her own good. She leaves for Livermore today. I'll gladly send the letters back and forth, but in June, Dad and I are moving, too. Mom is leaving in a few weeks.”
Both of the girls stood there, unsure what to do. Emily finally spoke up. “Has she left yet?”
“She was to leave this morning, so who knows. I'd say yes, though.”
“Dammit. Clark ruined everything.”
“Yeah.” Vance nodded. “But at least he's in jail, where he belongs.”
“Him and that waste of a brother.” Peter added.
Tracy was busy picking out a candy-bar and a soda, not at all paying attention to the people in the store. She knew Sage, Brooke, Andromeda and Rachel were in there with her. Their mothers were busy washing windows to the vehicles.
Sage giggled as she picked up some candy and went over to Tracy. Rachel and Brooke were already at the counter, waiting on them. Andromeda came bounding over and she hugged Tracy, but didn't say a name. She held up a candy bar and a soda. “This okay?”
“Get away from her you freak!” Molly shouted as she ran over to where Tracy and the Miller girls were. She grabbed Sage and pulled her hard away from Tracy, but let her go, causing Sage to take a couple of stumbling steps and crash into the candy rack. Then she yanked 'Romy away who started screaming as the woman touched her. The six year old hit the floor, landing on her butt, and quickly began backing away from them, crying as she did.
“It was only a matter of time, you freak! I know you couldn't be trusted!” Molly screamed as she brought a backhand across Tracy's face. “Maybe you'll learn your lesson this time!” Tracy had been so stunned by her arrival that she missed blocking the first hit, but she managed to duck the second blow. The older woman's hand gripped her arm, then she swung again. “Freaks like you can't be trusted! Freaks like you should be locked away! And that one's still just a baby!!!” Tracy covered her face with her free arm and dropped to the floor as the store attendant and a couple of the people in the store tried to pull Molly away from Tracy.
Molly slapped at one man, catching him across the nose, then a hand clamped onto her shoulder and dug in, while another bore a finger into the wrist of the hand that held Tracy. The scared child looked up to see her Grandmother standing there. As Molly let go, Bernice gave her a simple shove away from the girls. Molly staggered, hit the floor and then scrambled to her feet. “Leave me alone! Someone has to stop that freak!”
Bernice walked over, glaring daggers at Molly. She pushed the woman away from her grandchild and her eyes closed to slits. “I don't know who you are, but no one attacks my grandchildren with me around.” She balled up her fists as Sage went over to Tracy, and Molly started to move to stop her,
“That little freak was touching those girls! You want the little freak to rape those little girls?!?”
“Bitch, that child you’re calling a freak is my grandchild and those girls are friends of the family.” Bernice took a step closer and Tracy could see the difference in the two women. Her grandmother had always seemed larger than life, at about six foot three and well into the two hundred pound range, most of it muscle from doing manual labor. She towered over the skinny five foot five Molly. “Insult my family again and you're asking to have your stupid ass beat senseless.”
Persephone had come in, and she went to over to the kids and picked up Tracy and pulled both her and Sage away from the two women. 'Romy came running over to them. “Don't let the freak near that little girl! He's gonna hurt her!”
Andromeda buried her head against her mother, but by this point Rachel and Brooke had come over and Rachel was holding Tracy, as was Sage. Brooke sat in front of them, waiting to see what would happen.
“NO!!! GET AWAY FROM HIM!!!” Molly tried to fake Bernice out by acting like she was going to go on the bigger woman's left side. She lunged to the right, and as she got even with Bernice, the bigger woman caught her shoulder, then she turned in a circle, letting go of Molly so she went stumbling towards the doors, “What did I tell you about touching my family?!?”
Molly stopped at the door of the store, only to find Maggie, who had a scowl to match her mother’s in front of one of the double doors and Lok in front of the other one, the only one to look passive in the entire store, yet somehow that just made him look dangerous. Several of the patrons stood around, making sure she had no where to run and Molly began screaming at them. “Don't defend the rapist! Did any of you see how he touched her?!?” She pointed to where Sage was now holding Tracy, both children too afraid to cry. “Let go of the freak! None of our children are safe from this child!!! He's like the rest of them! You think he's innocent, but he's a monster waiting to strike!!! It's only a matter of time before he tricks that girl into thinking he's harmless, then he rapes her!!! All his kind are like that!! Every last one of them!!!”
A pair of sheriff’s officers came into the store, both of them touching a gun with one hand. Molly saw them and by this point she was visibly unhinged. “Arrest that freak!!! It was assaulting that girl here in the store and he'll rape the others too!!!” When the officers hadn't moved she gestured to Tracy. “No one is safe!!! That child is a murdering rapist!!! He'll trick them all and rape them before killing them!!! It tricks them to get in close!!! We're all in danger!!!”
As Molly was pulled to the ground, Maggie moved to her daughter and pulled her into a hug. “Look. She allows it! That woman is guilty, too!!!” Lok had moved to where the girls were and stood next to Bernice, blocking Molly's view of the girls. Maggie and Persephone did their best to calm down Tracy and Sage, who had both found the ability to cry again. Rachel and Brooke stayed close to them, which caused another rant from Molly.
After Molly was finally shoved into a car, she kept ranting and screaming at the store, one of the two deputies came over, as another squad car pulled in. “Ma'am, can we ask you what happened?” One of the Deputies said to Bernice. “We saw you touching her.”
“My grandchild was on the ground and she was hitting and kicking him. I did grab her, but it was to push her away from my grandchild. Then I got between him and her, nothing more then that. But when she tried to rush my grandson and Persephone's children, I simply grabbed her and turned. I wasn't letting her near those kids again.”
The deputy nodded, having heard the same version of the story now at least six times. “Okay, and you have no idea who she is?”
“I don't, but I'm here from Wyoming. I'm only helping my daughter take my grandchild to live in Livermore. That's why we stopped here for fuel.”
“I see. “Mrs. Patterson, do you know her? She's claiming this is all your doing.”
“I know her, but I had nothing to do with this. I only needed gas in my car.” Maggie stated. “She's Molly Hallmark and if you ask Deputy Kline, he knows that we have already received one threat from Mrs. Hallmark. She threatened to run us out of town, no matter what.”
As if on cue, Deputy Kline came walking over. “Ask me what?” He asked, then he saw Tracy and Maggie. “Mrs. Patterson.” And Maggie prepared to tell the events of what had happened one more time.
William was about to climb back on his forklift, after his break and start working again, when Steven walked over to him. “William, a moment please.”
“What's up?” William asked.
“I need you to come with me to Mr. Bailey's office. He wants to talk to you about Friday and the absence of Billy O'Brien.”
William nodded and he got a feeling deep in his gut. “I want my Union rep and I want him here now.” he stated.
“Mrs. Patterson, Mrs. Richter, we need to ask if you want to press charges.”
“I think my husband will agree, we want to press charges against Molly Hallmark.” Maggie stated. “She crossed the line by striking my child.”
“I want to press charges against her for shoving my girl into the candy rack.” Persephone gestured to Sage.
And for pushing my other girl.” Sage lifted her shirt slightly to show the red mark, from where she had been shoved into the rack.
“Here is the number of the report. Go to a hospital and get that examined and use the Police report if there's trouble with the doctor.”
“Is there a way we can speed it up?” Maggie asked. “Persephone needs to get the other two girls with us back home before their parents worry.”
“Hey.” The familiar voice of Deputy Kline sounded off. “I'll go with them and see about getting them in and out quickly.”
Bernice looked to the first of the deputies. “Is she going to be in jail? Because I still have a grandchild here and if she's openly threatening my daughter’s family, I want to make sure my eldest Grandchild will be safe from her mental instabilities.”
“Actually with her ranting, and attacking the other girls, we may just take her to County Mental Health.” the Deputy replied. “But I would also suggest a Restraining Order, with both of your names on it.”
“Could she get one to cover her husband and other child?” Bernice asked.
“Yeah. It's really simple. You can go and file for a temporary one, or you can go down with a lawyer and he can do the work for you.”
“Thank you. We'll do that.”
“What about you Ma'am, do you want one on her?”
“Well, I live in Livermore, but.....my address is on the police report....to be safe I'll get one for Sage and Andromeda.”
Twenty minutes later, they were sitting at the hospital. The ER wasn't too busy and the girls were taken in to be seen rather quickly. Keith had stayed with them to get pictures of any bruising and possible wounds for the police report.
Maggie went to the nurses station and for the line of people to go away. “Could I borrow your phone. It's a local number, I just need to call my in-laws so they know what's going on and to get my son from the school bus, and my husband who works at the wood mill, so he knows what happened.”
“No problem.” The nurse at the counter said and gestured to where the phone was. Maggie walked around the counter to where the phone was.
She waited for it to ring and when someone picked up she started speaking. “My Name is Maggie Patterson. I need to get a message to my husband, his name is William, he drives a forklift.
Susan nodded, which was lost to Maggie. “I know him. What’s the message.”
“Tell him this. Our youngest and I were just attacked, by the lady who has been threatening us and she is headed to jail. Tell him it was the woman we expected it to be, he'll know who I mean. Also tell him that Sage and Andromeda were involved in the attack and both Persephone and I are headed to the hospital to get the kids checked out so there is a medical report for the lawsuit that we will press against the attacker. Then we'll leave town as planned and to call Shelly's tonight.”
“He'll understand this?”
“Yes, he will.” Maggie stated.
“Ma'am, I'm Susan. The other day he kinda filled me in on what's going on. I shouldn't tell you this, but he's currently getting chewed out because of problem on Friday and that call he made to the cops.”
“Damn it.” Maggie muttered.
“Mrs. Patterson, I'll slip in and try to help.
“Thank you.” Maggie said.
Inside the office, the conversation was going the way that William had expected it to. The one thing he had going on for him was that Larry O'Brien was his Union steward. “Mr. Patterson, it's simple. You called the police on a fellow worker and that creates a hostile work environment.”
“Excuse me, but I called the cops because some...
The Manager didn't let him finish. “You created a hostile work environment. We can't have that type of employee here.”
William stood up and glared at the tiny man in the nice suit. “I called because someone had been calling and sending threatening pictures to my family, plus three other children. I called because someone has been threatening to rape and murder my family, all of which is on a police report. This man, who did work here, said he would murder and rape my wife, while I and my youngest would be forced to watch, then he threatened to kill me, my other child and rape and murder my youngest. I called because there is an open investigation going on and if I didn't, that's withholding evidence and I'd rather not go to prison over that, and you can't make me break the law, it's in the employee handbook.”
“Mr. Bailey, none of your complaints against Mr. Patterson hold water. Trying to claim he is making a hostile work environment is a load of crap. Are you saying that if another manager threatened to rape and kill your family, you wouldn't feel like it's a hostile work environment when you saw pictures of your family with threats on them?” Larry asked. “Because if you try to follow through with that line of thinking, I wouldn't be shocked if the press caught wind of that. For him, this was a hostile environment when someone began threatening him last week, both here and at home. I hear they had to change their phone number and pull their children out of school because of the threats.” He was glad William had quickly filled him in on the events of the past few weekends, even is William didn't want to because it had been his son who started the whole problem.
The head manager thought for a moment and looked over a piece of paper, looking for anything he could find to make a point. “What about his absences? Didn't he take sick time with just a days notice?”
“Yes, I did.” William replied. At this point Larry also looked at the paper and shook his head.
“And if you look at the files, that was the first sick time he had taken in well over ten years. You try to fire him for that, you need to fire everyone in this mill who has taken any sick time over the past ten years with just a days notice. While I may not agree with William at times, he has been here for ten years, with no write ups. He's always on time and he has offered to cover for people when they have had family matters like funerals and weddings. This man is a model employee, better then a lot of the new guys out there.”
“How about the fact that he caused a huge mess on the floor on Friday and refused to clean it up?”
“You realize that William drives the forklifts, not works the line. Also he had clocked out by that point and you've fired people for working off the clock. Plus, it's not his fault that those three people were not paying attention to their station. Is it his job to observe every station in this mill? He didn't force them to antagonize him, and harass him, which made it a hostile workplace for William.” Larry arched an eyebrow. “Are you going to threaten any of them, or is it just him?”
“They haven't called the cops on anyone.”
“Mister Bailey, what he did was give information to the cops concerning an open case, one that has since been closed by the arrest of two people. One that could end up as a federal crime for sending threats through the mail. Or would you rather this man's family would have been murdered and raped? Is that the kind of boss you are? Or how about the fact that numerous laws were being broken? You don't care about that either? You believe that the criminal's should be allowed to just run free?”
“I never said that!”
“And as the father of the man who was threatening to rape and murder an eleven year old and a thirteen year old, I have to say I back William for his actions. I pity anyone who openly threatens my wife to my face.”
There was a knock at the door and a second later, Susan stepped in. “Mr. Bailey, I'm sorry to intrude, but I have an important message for William concerning his wife and youngest.” Before the man could object, she looked to William. “Your wife just called and said that they are at the hospital, getting your youngest and two kids named Sage and and Andromeda checked out. She said to say that the woman who was still attempting to attack your family caught them at a gas station and assaulted your son and the other two kids in full view of several people at the gas station, but she's currently headed to jail. The attacker, not your wife, that is. Maggie said not to worry. Troy is fine, just a little bruised and same with Sage and Andromeda. The cops just wanted a doctor's exam for the arrest record of the woman who assaulted them.” Susan stopped and took a quick breath. “She also said not to worry and call Shelly's tonight. She said you'd understand what that meant.”
“Yeah. I do.”
“Who is Shelly?” Mr. Bailey asked, now curious.
“Not that it matters to you, but she is the Godmother to my children. That's where my youngest is moving to. The plan was to get him out of town before anyone could make good on the threat to rape and murder him and my wife.” William stated, then he added. “At least it was just an attack, too bad the other children were involved. One of them is only six years old.”
“See Mr. Bailey. You're coming down on William and all he was doing was trying to protect his children. Would you rather people who are guilty of attacking innocent children are allowed to be set free, is that the face you want people associating with this company? Or would you want a man who is willing to protect his children, stand up for what he believes in to be the face the public sees when they think of us?”
“Okay, okay.” Mr. Bailey held up his hands in defeat. He could see the press nightmare that could happen from a story like this. “He's not fired.”
“And there's no other measures being taken against him? No write ups for not helping while off the clock?” Larry asked.
“None. Just don't go calling the cops on other workers.....”
“Mr. Bailey, you can't openly ask that members of your crew break the law like that. If someone sees a crime being committed, should they refuse to call, just because the guilty party works here? That's not the side of the company the public wants to see.”
“Fine, fine. There's no problems, no write ups. Just get back to work, the both of you and we'll treat this like it never happened, okay?”
William looked to the steward, then back at Mr. Bailey. “I'll treat it as though nothing happened, as long as I am not punished at a later date for any of this.”
Larry waited, watching Mister Bailey. “Nothing will happen because of the events of this past weekend.”
“Good. Now can I get back my forklift and finish out my shift?”
“Yes, go ahead.”
Susan walked out first, followed by William and Larry. William stopped at Susan's desk for a quick moment to thank her, then he walked with Larry to the main part of the mill.
“A friendly word of advice, watch your ass.” Larry said to William as they walked through the offices. “I may not totally understand what is going on with your family, and I am really pissed that my stupid son had the gall to threaten to rape and kill your family, but watch yourself. I wouldn't put it past Bailey to try and find anything he can to fire you. Just keep your nose to the grindstone, like normally. Treat this like nothing happened. Let the other a-holes insult you, just don't give into the bait for a fight, okay?”
“Okay.” William nodded slowly.
“And I am really sorry for everything that has happened.”
“Me too. Because of the pictures that some kid passed out, my son and wife are moving away from here. I'm moving in June to be with them.”
“I wouldn't announce that too loud.” Larry advised.
“I wont. They'll get my two week, when I'm ready.”
“Hey, one last thing. My son really messed up big, but if you sue him, you won't get anything from him. Everything he owned is actually in my name. So if you got the chance, I would like to make you an offer.”
“What kind of offer.”
“Well, lets get back to work, we'll discuss it later, okay?”
“Okay.”
While an x-ray was being run on both Sage and Andromeda, making sure nothing had been broken when she hit the rack, Bernice went to her daughter. “Maggie?”
“Yeah Mom?”
“Was that one of the church ladies? The ones you talked about yesterday?” Bernice asked.
“Yeah. That was the head one.” Maggie nodded.
“Is she usually that.....crazy?”
Maggie sighed. “I don't know. But as I think about it, she was quite rabid when preaching against a pair of women who lived together, just to save money. I never saw her attack them though.”
“You know, it reminds me of Mr. Lutz from Castro Valley. Remember him? Was fine till he saw someone holding a bag from a produce stand and then he claimed there was a body in it. Insisted that the mob was controlling all the produce stores and trying to kill off all the Irish people.”
“I remember him.....” Maggie thought about it for a moment. “Didn't he end up carted off to a mental institution?”
“Yeah. Schizophrenia I think.” Bernice stated.
“I wouldn't put that past Molly. She was ranting there at the end.”
“I'm just glad no one got hurt too bad. The little girl is fine, as are Sage and Tracy.”
Maggie nodded. “And I'll have Lance help me get a restraining order when we get down there.”
“Good.” Bernice said with a nod. “If anything, it should help keep her away.”
“One can hope.” Maggie agreed.
Three hours after they had left home they were finally reaching the highway to leave Oroville. It had taken an hour to calm Andromeda down. Tracy was still a bit jumpy, but once they hit the main highway, she began to relax. “Okay girls. Persephone agrees with me. We'll be stopping in Marysville for lunch. Can you two eat?” Maggie asked, looking in the mirror at Tracy and Sage.
“Yeah.” Both of them said with a nod.
“You both going to be okay?”
“I'm a little shook up.” Tracy admitted. “I had no idea she was even there.”
“Yeah. I was gonna see if you were ready and next thing I knew I was being thrown away from you.”
“And that crazy talk.” Rachel said. “She has no idea who you really are, does she? I mean you've slept in all of our arms and you never did anything to us.”
“Oh, Rachel, so you know, I had William's mother call your mother so she knows what happened and why we're running late.”
“Cool.” Rachel said.
“Hey, could we listen to the radio?” Brooke asked. Maggie shrugged.
“Sure, could help calm some nerves I guess. But not too loud.”
Brooke reached out and began fiddling with the radio. “Hey Sage, think we can pull KSJO?”
“No chance. It's out of San Jose and there's a bunch of mountains between us. Try for KFOG.”
“K Fog?” Bernice asked.
“San Francisco station with killer rock.” Brooke replied.
“I doubt it.” Bernice said. “That would be almost as far as San Jose.”
“Hey, go to Ninety nine point nine. That's modern stuff.” Tracy stated. “It's what I went to the last couple of times that Mom and I went down.”
Brooke began turning the knob and the car filled with the sounds of John Cougar's song Jack and Diane. The girls began clapping along with the musicians on the recording and Bernice chuckled lightly. Rachel began singing with the song. “Now this takes me back.”
“What?” Brooke asked.
“This takes me to the time when Marg...Maggie and her sister were about eleven and Elvis was all the rage.”
“Wait for Men at Work.” Maggie stated. “There's a flute part that will get stuck in your head for ages.”
“Men at Work rocks!” Sage exclaimed from the backseat. “So does Billy Joel.”
“Maggie, I remember having the song Only the lonely stuck in my head for months, but back then I always thought he was singing Tony Bologna.”
Maggie began snickering, then she started laughing. This caused the girls to start up. A simple truth helped lighten the mood that Molly had put on their day.
Believe it or not, Molly's turn in this story may just be starting. As for her ranting, a story of her past shall be told at some point. I actually looked up a lot of things before I finished this part. I promise her mental meltdown has a reason behind it
Tracy looked around the room. The room was big enough to fit two twin sized beds in it, plus a desk, thin, but tall dresser, bookcase and a bean-bag chair. Tracy pondered moving things around for a moment, but then decided against it. “I don't want to change your house all around.”
Frank got down on one knee and looked her in the eyes. “Tracy, this is your house, till your parents get here. You want to nail the beds to the ceiling, we'll do it. I don't know if it will hold, but we'll do it.” She giggled at the thought of a bed on the ceiling.
Thanks to Djkauf for the editing
Away from Oroville, free at least. Here is a short chapter, with a few guest stars.
ratings and warning are up for assualt on a minor, but fear not, it's not Tracy this time.
Maggie pulled around to the front of the townhouse and directed her mother as to which door to go to. Tracy slipped out of the car and stretched, Rachel and Sage got out as well. Tracy went to the truck and waited by it so she could get some of her bags. Maggie came over and put a hand on her shoulder. “Wait baby. Till we know they're here.” To her side, Persephone pulled up, blocking a driveway that had a for sale sign on it. Lok got out and grabbed the wheelchair for Brooke.
As if on on cue, the door opened and Shelly leaned out and hugged Bernice. “Bernice?!? It's good to see you! It's been way to long!!”
“Yes, it has.” Bernice replied, having to bend down to hug Shelly.
“She got her stuff in the car?”
“Yeah.” Bernice said, but we got another driveway blocked, so we should hurry.”
“Hey, they're here.” Shelly said into the door. Tracy watched as Stacey and Casey bolted out of the house, followed by her Uncle Frank, Lilian, Jaio, Karen Carl, Sage's father and Rachel's parents all came out to help.
Lance looked in the trunk, then at Persephone's van. “I say we form a line. We can get it all inside, then do the line on the stairwell, so no one is going up and down the stairs a bunch of times. When the car is empty, we move it to the back lot and start on the bus.”
“Sounds good to me.” Maggie stated.
The unloading began, starting with a line that took the stuff into the house. They took a break when all the boxes where inside and both vehicles moved to the back lot. Frank took that moment to lead Tracy to the bedroom door. “Now since this is going to be your room for the next few months, do you want to change this around?” Frank asked Tracy. “The other bed can stay in here, in case one of the girls wants to come over, or when Vance comes down. But since you may be here for a couple of months, we want you comfortable.”
Tracy looked around the room. The room was big enough to fit two twin sized beds in it, plus a desk, thin, but tall dresser, bookcase and a bean-bag chair. Tracy pondered moving things around for a moment, but then decided against it. “I don't want to change your house all around.”
Frank got down on one knee and looked her in the eyes. “Tracy, this is your house, till your parents get here. You want to nail the beds to the ceiling, we'll do it. I don't know if it will hold, but we'll do it.” She giggled at the thought of a bed on the ceiling.
“I'd need a seat belt to go to bed.”
“Yes, you would.” Frank agreed.
“I like where it is. I like how that bed gets the morning sun in the winter, and that one gets it in the summer.”
“Well then, lets get a line started. I want you in here, this way you know where you want what.”
“Okay.”
As the girls all worked on unpacking Tracy's stuff, and Frank and Lok took off to gather up pizza for dinner, Maggie had introduced her mother to everyone and gave the quick explanation of who was related to who, then she and Bernice pulled Lance to the side. She had already called Ivan to see if he had a problem with an addition to the people who came with her to the meeting.
“I'm guessing that Shelly told you I needed to talk to you?”
“Yeah. Something about an attack? Not sure how that involves me though.” Lance stated.
“It's like this. We stopped for gas and Tracy went in to pay, but she was in Troy's clothes. Well while inside, the woman who is giving us problems started to verbally abuse her, then she grabbed at Tracy and began screaming at her and she totally lost it. She also shoved both 'Romy and Sage. Sage was thrown into a candy rack. The cop said I could get a restraining order and I would like to hire your services to do that, if you could.”
“I'll guess you want William and Vance on it too?”
“Yes.” Maggie said in agreement. “See, I'm afraid that she'll turn her attack to the rest of the family. We watched her run two women out of town and ruined their lives. We may be moving, but we don’t want to rush it. And I sure don't want to give her a reason to go after William and Vance after I move.”
“Well, we can go up there and file a temporary restraining order, one that blankets the whole family. That will cover you till the actual court date to get the permanent one filed.
Would you be able to go with us to Oroville to get the paperwork done? Maybe like Wednesday or Thursday when we leave?”
“I can look, if I can't, I can send someone in my place to do it.”
“Okay.” Maggie said with a nod. “Actually, I have a list of things that Mom and I have been thinking over that I want to run past you. Could I ask you if you're available at nine tomorrow morning? I have an appointment with Tracy's therapist then and we can go over the list because I think I want both of you there for it, in case I miss something. Stuff like power of attorney and school and things like that.”
Lance went to a briefcase by the door and he pulled out a schedule. “Sure, I'm free tomorrow morning.”
“Oh, thank you, Lance.”
“No problem. I'm glad to help.” He determined to give Maggie a lesser fee, even though he knew Shelly had already informed him she would pay for any legal advice Tracy needed. “Maybe we should call the girls down. Pizza should be here soon.”
Molly sat on the couch in the doctor's office at the mental health facility in Chico. She could hear the man talking, but she had tuned him out. The only thing on her mind was how everyone had protected the little freak. How that woman allowed the little freak to touch those little girls. Her blood boiled when she thought about it and she felt sick to her stomach, thinking of the lewd things that Troy was no doubt doing to those girls at that very minute.
She had to find a way out of the place she was in and she had to find a way to make sure that Troy wouldn't hurt any other children. As she sat there, a plan began to form and she smiled inwardly at how simple it was. She just needed to get out of where she was first, then the little freak would pay for hurting those girls.
William got home after his stressful day and he headed into the house. His in-law's trailer was there, but as he tried the front door, he found it locked. He pulled out his key, unlocked the door and stepped in. He had grown used to the smell of dinner being cooked greeting him at the door when he got home, but this was the first day, since Tracy got better, that it was absent. He looked to the kitchen, hoping to see his wife, or his daughter, but there was no usual talking at the stove. No small talk at the table while dinner finished. Even Vance was absent.
He went to Maggie's chair and he eased into the seat, then reached over to her phone-book and looked up Shelly's phone number. He dialed and waited.
“Coopers, Shelly speaking.”
“Shelly, it's William. Maggie said to call there and get the full story of what happened.”
“Ah, just a moment.” Shelly said. “Mags, it's William,”
A moment later he heard something touch the phone, then his wife’s voice came over the line. “William?”
“Yeah. You all okay?” He asked.
“Yeah. We made the rest of the trip hassle free. The girls are here and helped unload Tracy's stuff.”
“Sage and 'Romy?”
“They're shook up, but doing better, now.” Maggie stated.
“Good. Have you thought about a restraining order or something, in case Molly gets out?” William asked.
“Actually, I have talked to Lance and he said he would try to follow us up on Thursday, if he can, if not he'll send someone to do that. We can take care of it then and tomorrow he'll meet us at the therapist and help set things up for Tracy down here.”
“Good.” William said. “How is Tracy?”
“Right now? She's upstairs with all the girls, and they are unpacking her stuff as quickly as they can.” Maggie said with a chuckle. “I think they don't want tonight to end, but they all got school tomorrow. Speaking of days, what happened with work?”
William sighed. “They threatened and in the end I made them see my side of the fight, with Larry O’Brien, he's my union steward.”
“Good. As long as you didn't lose your job.”
“Not yet, but I wouldn't put it past them to find little things to write me up over, so I got to keep my nose clean till June.”
“Okay. So be ready for the ax to fall?” Maggie asked.
“Yeah, just in case.” William stated.
“Okay.”
"Hey, see what Lance thinks of this." William said. Then he laid out a plan that Larry had offered to him. "When you get the chance, see if he thinks if it’s good. Maybe Frank, too. Actually I could use Frank because he knows about that kind of thing."
"Tell you what, I'll talk to them. Maybe if Lance goes up on Thursday or Friday, we can have Frank come too."
"That could work." William agreed.
There was a thundering of feet in the background and William could hear the sound of the children getting closer to the phone. Then it was muffled as though Maggie was covering the phone, then she asked. “William, you want to speak to your daughter?”
“Sure. I got a couple of minutes before I need to go to Mom's for dinner.”
“Daddy?” Tracy asked over the phone. “You enjoy your lunch?”
“Yes I did, young lady.”
“Good. I made it special for you.” Tracy said.
“Are you doing okay?” William asked.
“You mean because of Mrs. Hallmark?” Tracy guessed. “I'm okay. I mean I was shaking earlier, but now that I'm here, I'm fine.”
“That's all that matters. At least she didn't hurt you or the Miller girls.”
“Nope.” Tracy agreed. He heard the sound of the door opening an the girls got loud. “Hey Dad, Dinner's here can I let you go and call back this weekend?”
“Yeah. Be good, baby girl. Love ya.”
“You want to talk to Mom?”
“Nah.” William replied. “Let her relax too, just tell her I love you both and be safe.”
“Will do, Daddy.” Tracy replied. “Love you, bye.”
Tracy was curled up on the big couch, her legs under her, but her nightgown stretched to cover her knees. She was turned so she leaned into her grandmothers side . Her mother was on her other side and Shelly was sitting on the tiny love seat They had settled on Little House on the Prairie, for the entertainment of the night. Frank had to get up early for work the next morning, so he was in bed already. Bernice was staying up, just to get every chance she could to hang out with her newest granddaughter. The days events had worn on to the little girl and she found it hard to keep her eyes open. From getting up early and then the attack at the store, she had already been mentally exhausted.
She was glad it was over. She just had to wait three weeks and her mother would be there for her full time. Then five months and she could get her whole family back, and then they would find a place near her friends. She wasn't aware of it, but her head had been bobbing for several minutes and she tried to pay attention when her mother, Grandmother and Godmother talked at the commercials, but that was getting hard too.
Bernice leaned slightly forward and chuckled. “I think we lost her.”
Maggie leaned over and nodded. “Poor kid has had a big day.”
“I'll get her to bed. I'm getting tired too.” Bernice said as she moved an arm and shook her grandchild. “Tracy? Come on sweetie. Let's get you upstairs.”
Tracy lifted her head and nodded slightly. “We'll see you two ladies in the morning.” Bernice said as she helped her granddaughter to her feet, then followed the tired preteen up the stairs, making sure she didn't fall. When they reached the top of the stairs, Bernice guided Tracy into the bathroom, to avoid any problems in the night. A few minutes later she made sure the young girl made it to her new bedroom.
When Tracy reached the bed, she flopped onto it, in a most unladylike way, and Bernice was thankful she had pulled the covers back already. She leaned down and kissed Tracy's cheek as she pulled the covers up on the exhausted little child. “Good night Sweetie. Grandma loves you.”
Bernice walked to the door and shut off the light-switch, which served as a nightlight. There was barely any light coming in through the window, but she could still make out the form of her granddaughter. Bernice watched the little girl for a few moments. Many thoughts were in her mind. She wondered if her husband would come this way, after they left Oroville, just for a visit. She considered a visit here, after they visited her other daughter in L.A.
She sighed, then stepped out of the room and gently shut the door, so Tracy could get a good night’s sleep, free from worry and away from the people who had tried to hurt her too many times.
Bruce wasn't aware when he lost his reign of power, but he knew it had happened quickly and around the time his brother was admitted into the jail. He was doing his best to make sure nothing happened to Clark, and the news of who Clark was spread around the detention center fast. Now Bruce was faced with the teen who would disrupt his hold over the younger kids. And he was losing fast. The other boy slammed his fist into Bruce's face. Then he did it four more times. The fact he had started the fight off by cracking a piece of a bed-frame over Bruce's jaw helped him in the fight.
Bruce staggered back and the boy didn't hesitate, he followed, pummeling the bully's face. The other kid had played it smart and managed to get Bruce's friends away from him, leaving just his brother by his side. Then he blindsided Bruce as he walked towards the cells.
The pummeling went on for several minutes, as two guys held Clark and made him watch, two more stood on either side of them, to make sure Clark didn't go anywhere. The big teen never seemed to tire as he struck Bruce in the face and gut. Finally Bruce hit the ground and the teen caught him with a kick to the side, then another. Finally he flipped Bruce over, as though he weighed nothing.
“You think it's funny picking on people? Think you're a big man for raping my little brother?!? He think you're tough for putting him in the hospital?” The Teen hissed into Bruce's ear. “Guess you're gonna learn what it feels like to fuck with the wrong person.” He looked at his friends. “The little twit is all yours.”
Bruce watched with his one open eye as the four boys mobbed his brother, stripping him naked in the tiny cell. Clark began to sob as they forced him to his knees. “Now you get to see what's it's like to be raped.” The boy began to pull down Bruce’s pants and someone sat on his back to pin him down. “You have a lot of people waiting outside, so get ready for a long night.”
He was sore and numb, but he could feel it as the boy assaulted him from behind, and not with anything made of flesh. And one thought circled in his head as it happened.
~All the fag’s fault!~
I wanted to end with Bruce and Clark, just so people know that the brothers are both together and doing.....well not doing too well. But Tracy is now in Livermore. Her haters are in Butte County and they are slowly festering in hate.
“Good. It's good to know someone has your back in a fight. It's also nice that you made sure your friends got to safety. That's the sign of a good person, willing to put themselves in danger to help others.” Ivan said. “Now about your Grandmother. Was she okay with you as Tracy?”
“I don't know.” Tracy said. She shrugged and shook her head. “She wouldn't listen She kept saying I should see a new therapist and go to church and stop wearing the clothes, but Grandpa, her husband, said I was always this way. He recalled me as a kid in Wyoming when we visited and said I was girly then.”
“And obviously your Grandmother has come to terms?”
Tracy nodded again. “Yeah. She came in Sunday night and woke me up to say she was sorry for being a big mean person and she loved me. The next morning she helped me with breakfast and asked to come down here with Mom and me.”
Edited by Djkauf
Her first day away from Oroville. The fun of setting up a new life begins.
February 8th 1983
Tracy woke up before the sun had peeked over the mountains that morning. There was a little light in the room and it took her a moment to remember what had happened as she lay on her back and realized that she wasn't in the bunk-bed that she had slept in for several years now. She rolled over and saw her mother, sleeping peacefully in the twin bed and then she remembered the move. She smiled as she sat up, moving as quietly as she could. The clock on the end table said it was ten to six in the morning. She thought about sleeping a bit more, but she wanted to get up and use the bathroom.
She tiptoed out the room, opening the door as quietly as she could and went to where the bathroom was. But as she touched the handle, she heard the sound of running water. Her mind took a moment, till she realized it was her uncle, getting ready for his work day. She let out a breath and headed for the stairwell.
There were several night lights on the stairwell and she was surprised that there were a few in the living room that was shared with the dining space. She turned, passed through the kitchen and went to the half bath. On her way past, she noticed the coffee pot was already going.
Several minutes later, she was back in the kitchen and looking in the refrigerator. If she was home, it would have been full of choices for what to make for breakfast. But this fridge was empty. There was a half gallon of orange juice, a gallon of milk, and a few left overs, but not much else. The only thing it was missing was the tumbleweed.
Tracy shut the door and turned to face the cupboards where she knew Shelly kept the cereal. She had received full rights to eat whatever was in the house and her stomach was making itself known.
She was working on a bowl of cereal when her Uncle Frank came down the steps. She got up and went to the coffee pot, and poured him a cup. She placed it on the counter as he stepped into the kitchen.
“Couldn't sleep anymore?”
“No. I had to go to the bathroom, too.”
“Ah. Your Mom and Grandmother still sleeping?” Frank asked her.
“Mom is, not too sure about Grandma.” Tracy answered as she went back to her bowl of cereal.
“Got a busy day today?” Frank asked.
“Yeah.” She nodded. “Not really sure what all I got to do, but mom said something about Doctor Ivan's and a doctor's appointment that they managed to set up at the last minute. We're thinking about changing my name, too.”
“Good. And the bed, was it comfortable?”
“Yeah.” Tracy nodded again.
“Thinking of what you want in the house for food?” Frank asked.
Tracy's face lit up and she put her spoon down. “Yep. I got a bunch of recipes. You'll love 'em!”
“I'm sure we will.” Frank looked up at her, then at a clock. “Do yourself a favor and get a shower when you’re done eating. That way you don't have to wait for everyone else, okay? Your Aunt Shelly wont be up for another half an hour, if she keeps her normal schedule.
“Okay.”
“And be good, but remember, this is your home now. Just clean up any messes you make, and if you don't know where something is, ask.”
Tracy nodded. “Okay.”
A couple hours had passed and Tracy's day started with her first appointment, the therapist. Her mother had already seen Ivan and Lance was just arriving as Tracy was called back, leaving her Grandmother, Godmother and Mother to talk with Lance and Persephone. Tracy found herself on the couch again with a stern looking Dr. Ivan. As he sat down his look softened. “I want you to know, I heard about the attack. I also heard about the lady who assaulted you and the pictures.” He almost unleashed his stern voice on her, but he knew it would do more harm then good. “The next time anyone does anything like spreading pictures around, or attacking you, or those ladies trying to persecute you, I want to know right away, okay?”
Tracy hung her head like a child who was in trouble. “Okay.”
“Hey.” He leaned forward and with one finger, he lifted her chin so he could kind of see her eyes. “None of that. I only told you that because I could have helped. Heck, had I known about the pictures, I would have advised you on how to proceed. But I want you to tell me what you did, okay?”
“Not much really. I mean my friend, Peter, he made me go to the office, so did the nieces of the lady up front. See, someone put the pictures in my backpack. Peter wanted to talk to the principal, but he was gone to a basketball game. Peter set up a meeting for the next day.” Tracy sighed and slumped on the couch. “When I got home, Mary Beth and Emily May had come over, but just before they got there, someone called and started being mean on the phone.”
“Mean how? What did he say?”
“That he was going to beat up my family and kill me.” Tracy replied. “Mary Beth yelled at him and then hung up on him. The next day we told the principal what happened and I got into home schooling.”
“Did the calls stop?” Ivan asked, knowing the answer already.
“They got worse.” Tracy said, wiping at her eyes.
“What did he say Tracy?”
She sighed, doing her best to not cry. “He said he was going to rape Mom, then rape me and kill mom in front of me, then kill Vance and Dad before raping me and killing me.” Tears went down her cheek and Ivan handed her a tissue.
“Were you the only one to get a picture? Did they threaten anyone else?”
Tracy nodded. “They threatened Emily May and Mary Beth. Plus there were ones left for Peter and Vance.”
“I see. How did the other woman come into all of this?” Ivan asked.
“Her son, I think, one of them had to have taken a picture home.” Tracy said. “See, both of them go to my school.”
“I see. And did she call?”
Tracy shook her head. “No, she came over and I was wearing Troy's clothes because I was so worried that someone was going to come and kill us. Well Mom was talking to her and the woman insisted that I was going to rape all her children and every kid in town and then she used the bible to claim I was evil, before finally leaving.”
Ivan scribbled down a couple of notes. “Was that the last contact you had with her, until the gas station?”
“Yeah. She came up because Sage was hugging me and she shoved Sage into a candy rack and she pushed 'Romy, then started hitting me, until my Grandma threw her backwards.”
“Your Grandma Bernice? The one in the waiting room?” Ivan asked.
“Yeah.” Tracy nodded. “She wanted to get to know me better after what she said on Sunday when she found my clothes.”
“We’ll come back to this, but I want to work on what happened with the people and the pictures.”
Tracy sat up a little. “Well, Mom changed the phone number, so the calls stopped, but the kid who started the pictures sent one to a kid who went to the school where I learned Tai chi and all the people threatened to quit. Mom was pretty mad at that. She also got a letter at work and had to tell her boss, but he doesn't care, he still likes me. Dad got one too. I heard mom talking to him the day my friends all came up. I guess they put it in the lunch-room with my name on it and he got mad and yelled at all of them. But that helped.”
“Helped?”
Tracy nodded and leaned forward, no longer crying. “See one guy figured out that his son was the guy who was calling. I guess there were pictures at his house and the guy called Dad, but called the cops on his own son. Then we found out that it was all Clark Millet. He's the brother of the boy who attacked me in December. And after Billy got arrested, Clark came to the house and was going to beat up on me, but I had Rachel and Sage get Brooke into the house and had Stacey go get her father, who's a cop, and my Dad. Clark wouldn't leave, so I had to fight him. I didn't want to, but he wouldn't leave.”
“And he got arrested after that?”
“Yeah.” Tracy nodded. “And Vance, Peter, Jerry and Mooney all helped me.”
“Good. It's good to know someone has your back in a fight. It's also nice that you made sure your friends got to safety. That's the sign of a good person, willing to put themselves in danger to help others.” Ivan said. “Now about your Grandmother. Was she okay with you as Tracy?”
“I don't know.” Tracy said. She shrugged and shook her head. “She wouldn't listen She kept saying I should see a new therapist and go to church and stop wearing the clothes, but Grandpa, her husband, said I was always this way. He recalled me as a kid in Wyoming when we visited and said I was girly then.”
“And obviously your Grandmother has come to terms?”
Tracy nodded again. “Yeah. She came in Sunday night and woke me up to say she was sorry for being a big mean person and she loved me. The next morning she helped me with breakfast and asked to come down here with Mom and me.”
“It's good that she came around. Sometimes family can be the worst.” Ivan stated. “So, is that all that's happened? Are there any pressing issues on your mind?”
Tracy smiled and her eyes lit up. “Hormones?”
“Well, I was not expecting you till the eighteenth.” Ivan said and her shoulders slumped. “But your Mom called me on Sunday and said you were coming down and she wanted to have an appointment, so the other therapist is actually here today and we'll be bringing him in here in a few, then your mom said she wanted to put all our heads together and come up with a good plan for you.”
“Awesome!” Tracy said, almost bouncing out of her seat.
“So I take it there's nothing on your mind?”
Tracy sat down again. “Well, just that Mom is going to be away for two weeks, but Aunt Shelly is here, so that is good.”
“Well, just remember, she's not leaving you because of anything you did. Being able to move slowly is a good thing. Quick moves can strap a budget and that's never good.”
“Yeah, she said she wants to be down here as soon as possible, so she can look for a job. Then Dad and Vance come down in June.”
“Good. I bet they won't be able to wait either.” Ivan said. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder, meaning that they will both miss you.”
“Even Vance?”
“Even your brother.” Ivan agreed.
Tracy had met with the other man, who had questioned her alone, then with Ivan in the room. She liked him as well. He had more of a sense of humor, but he did his best to be a professional. They had yet to give her an answer on getting the hormones, but the meeting wasn't over yet. Her Grandmother, Godmother and Mother had come in, along with Persephone and Lance and all of them, including the second therapist were going over different problems that could arise. “I think a big step here is to change her name.” Maggie stated. “Don't we need to just go to the court house and request it?”
Lance shook his head. “No. To change her name, you'll need to follow a few steps. First is we go to the courts and we start the paperwork now and we can do that in a matter of minutes. In fact we can head over to the courthouse when we leave here, if you want. Once that's in, we have to post something in the paper once a week for four weeks and we have the court date to get the change legal. After that we can work on her birth certificate. And either you or William will have to be present at the court hearing to get it done and I advise having Ivan there too, plus getting a new doctor to agree with him that she's no longer a he would be a good start too. But I will drive you to the courthouse myself, after the meeting here.”
“Maggie, I already gave you the name of Sage's doctor. He may help.” Persephone offered. “That's who she's getting the shots from.”
“He's the one we called yesterday?”
“Yes, he is expecting us afterward. Either way, Tracy needs a doctor who can sympathize with her current state.” Persephone said.
“What about school? I don't think she could be Tracy at the school if her legal name is Troy.” Maggie groaned. “Troy would have to go till the end of the year and what about the next school year? Too many kids would know Troy by that point.”
“Then we work on getting her into home schooling in this district. It beats driving three hours so she can take a test.” Shelly stated. “I don't work, so I can take care of teaching her, and then when school starts in August, she goes as Tracy. Frank can work with her in math and science.”
“That may be the best bet.” Lance said with a nod. “And Frank does know his math and science, but what do you expect from a man who works in a laboratory. He's helped my girls when they need it.”
“Good.” Maggie nodded.
“About that woman in the gas station. Are you planning to sue that woman?” Lance asked.
“Honestly, the less contact I have with that bitch Hallmark, the better.”
“I can understand. I also don't know how well that case would work out. She could always say she thought she saw Tracy touch Sage and Sage told her to stop. But you have the advantage of several customers and with her shoving Sage and Andromeda, that makes it in your favor.”
Bernice leaned forward in her chair. “Well, Maggie, suing her would show you're not going to take her crap. You're already having charges pressed, so why not. I'm not usually one to push a personal law suit, but she attacked your child and Persephone's. She needs to be smacked down or she may get back up and come back at you. Also what about that little sawed off punk Tracy slapped around and the man who threatened you?”
“Well, we're looking into that, but Billy has nothing, neither does Clark's mother, I'd bet. Not sure how well a suit against Hallmark would do. But William did say in his call that he had a possible solution from Larry, Billy's father. If you can come up with us to file the restraining order, then he wants to run it by you and Frank.”
“Frank? Okay, now you got my curiosity piqued.”
“Billy O'Brien has old cars. A lot of them and he knows that Frank is in that car club, so he wants to see if Frank can come up and take a look at them and see what they are worth.”
“But to get that, you would have to sue Billy, and then it would only be a monetary amount.” Lance replied.
“No. See, Larry, Billy's father is the man who has bought those cars, he also has all the titles in his name, not Billy's. So that makes him the owner, correct?” Maggie asked. “I'm not a lawyer, but Billy's name shows nowhere on the pinks.”
“But Mom?” Tracy asked, trying to break into the conversation. “Doesn't a lot of this depend on me getting hormones? What if I can't? I don't want to go back to being Troy. I'd rather die first. I finally get to be the girl I am and not hide it.”
Allan leaned over tapped Tracy on the shoulder and as she turned to face him, he handed Tracy a piece of paper that looked like a prescription, but she didn't read it too closely. “What's this?”
“That's a listing of the vitamins you should start taking because of the lack of hormones in your body.” Allan replied. He pulled off a second piece of paper and gave it to Maggie. “This is for the blood test and hormones. You'll need to have blood drawn first though, then it's a wait to get the results.”
“How long will I need to wait?” Tracy asked, her face a mixture of happiness and sadness, just because of a possible wait.
“Maybe a week or so.” Allan replied. “They have to test the blood. That's about a good week’s wait, plus then you can have the appointment to get the hormones at the time you see Ivan next. You still are seeing him on the eighteenth, right?”
Tracy looked to her mother. “Are we?”
“Yes, this was an emergency meeting, but I kept that appointment too,”
“Cool.” Tracy said, looking to her prescriptions and she smiled.
Sage waited by the usual tree for Rachel and Brooke. The weather was a drizzle, which meant no hanging out on the playground at lunch. Instead the three girls made their way to the cafeteria. They waited in line for their food, then they went to find a table that was mostly empty. Brooke took her normal spot at the end of the table, and Rachel and Sage took a spot on either side.
“I can't believe she's finally here.” Rachel said with a grin.
“Be better when she's going to school with us next school year.” Sage added.
“At least she got away from that crazy woman. I still can't believe they she attacked all three of you in that store like that.” Rachel said, shaking her head in disbelief.
“I know. She just appeared out of nowhere and was almost foaming at the mouth. If that was anything like what the guy on the phone was doing I feel sorry for Tracy.” Sage said. “I had no idea what was going on, till she screamed. The next thing I know, I'm landing into a rack of Hershey bars.”
“And pushing 'Romy like that. I thought your mother would have torn her in two.”
“Mom only fights if she has to, but she saw that Tracy's grandma had it under control.”
“Think Tracy will come over after we get home from school?” Brooke asked.
“I don't know. I know they had a lot of stuff they wanted to do today.” Rachel replied. “They had the two doctors appointments, the court thing to change her name, shopping and Tracy's grandmother wanted to get to know her better.”
“Ah. Well I guess there's always tomorrow.” Brooke replied.
“She's at your grandfather’s school tomorrow, but I think that's in the evening.” Rachel stated. “Not sure if they talked to the school today or tomorrow.”
“How do you know this?” Sage asked.
“I was downstairs using that bathroom at Uncle Franks place. I overheard them.” Rachel replied with a grin. “You were in the bathroom, so I had to go downstairs.”
“Oh.”
“So cool, she gets to see Grandfather’s school. I think she will like it.” Brooke said with a light head nod.
“And know what else?” Rachel asked.
“What?” Both Sage and Brooke replied.
“Not this weekend, but next week, she's staying at my house from Monday till the weekend, well except for church. I guess she's coming over after Uncle Frank gets out of work on Monday.” Rachel smiled brightly.
“Why?” Sage asked.
“Aunt Shelly and Uncle Frank are taking off to Reno for their wedding anniversary. So she needs a place to stay and Mom offered to take her, but I'm not sure what she'll do in the afternoon and mornings...Other then that, she'll be at my place.”
“Cool. I guess the sleep over is at your place then?” Brooke asked and Rachel nodded. She looked up and sighed. “Sucks that she can't be here though.”
“She's here in spirit.” Sage replied. “Trust me, if she's at the doctors, I think she would rather be with all of us. I can't imagine she's having a good day at all. Doctor Ivan is going to be mad that she hasn't called him and Doctor Addams has to check her out, all the way.”
Tracy danced out of the therapists office that morning. Her mother watched as she danced and skipped all the way to Shelly's van and she waited for them to get over and unlock the doors. Lance came over to her and patted her shoulder. “One problem down. Next up, we start a name change; after that is the school district, then your doctor. So I have to ask, does Tracy have a middle name?”
“Kristin.” Tracy replied. “Mom told me months ago that it was the name I would have had if the hospital had been right and said I was a girl.”
“You spell that K-r-i-s-t-i-n?” Lance asked.
“Yeah.” Tracy quickly nodded, not questioning how he knew this already. “So what all do we need to do?”
“Well, we have to fill out a couple of forms. Once those are done, we pay a fee and file it, then we find out which newspapers we can put an ad in and for the next four weeks we make sure that ad is placed, then in a month we can have a court date to change your name legally.”
“What type of ad?” Tracy asked.
“Well, it says that as of a certain date, you shall no longer be Troy Patterson, but you will be Tracy.”
“Oh. Sounds easy. So do we go to the courthouse now?”
“Well, do you have the paperwork all filled out?”
“Uh....no.” Tracy began to slump her shoulders.
“Good thing then, that I did it before I got to the appointment. Your mother told me your middle name last night.” He reached into his briefcase, which he had put on the trunk of his car and pulled out several pieces of paper. Tracy looked it over then up at him.
“So we can go now?”
“Why not. It's only a few miles away from here.”
The court paperwork had been started, as had the newspaper ads and Persephone had showed them the way to Sage's doctor. They decided to try the homeschooling trip the next day, so they didn't totally wear out themselves with all the paperwork. Persephone had work to get to, so after showing them the way to the doctor, she headed back for Livermore.
Tracy was in a chair between her Godmother and her Grandmother as her mother went to the receptionist with the finished paperwork for her. Maggie still had Wiliam's health insurance, but Shelly was ready to back her up monetarily if the insurance denied her.
“Mom?” Tracy asked leaning over as her mother came back from filling out the papers. “What name did you put down.”
“I put down Tracy, but there is a note that your name isn't legally changed yet.” Maggie whispered back.
They waited for almost half an hour, till a nurse came out and announced. “Patterson? Tracy Patterson?”
Tracy, her mother and Godmother all stood up, leaving Bernice in the waiting room, and followed the nurse as she went into the tiny exam room, She knew that Sage went to this man and he was well aware of Sage's condition. She had heard her mother talking to Persephone, who had already talked to the doctor about her issue as well.
“Alright young lady.” The nurse said. “I just need to get a few things from you.” The woman seemed to be in her thirties and very friendly. “I need to get your height and weight for the record. So slip out of your shoes and step on over here.” Tracy slipped out of her shoes and went over to the dual purpose scale and she stood up tall as the woman pulled out the measuring rod to check her height. “That's a pretty skirt you have on.”
“Thank you.” Tracy said with a blush. “It was one that a friend of mine gave me. She had a few she can't wear, because she grew out of them.”
“It's good to have friends like that.” She read the information for a moment, then said. “Hmm. Four foot eight. A little short, for eleven, but still good.” Tracy moved as she put the bar back in place and began moving the weights. After a few moments, she looked up. “Eighty five pounds.”
“Okay, sit up on the edge of the bed and just relax. I need to check your blood pressure.” The nurse said as she pulled out the black cuff. Tracy rolled back her sleeve once she was settled on the bed. Once she had the readings, the nurse wrote it down. “A little high, but that happens when seeing a new doctor.” The Nurse went over and pulled a gown out of a small cupboard. “Okay Young lady, I want you to go and take off your skirt, shirt and a bra if your wearing it. You can keep your panties on, but the doctor may remove them so he can fully check you out, okay? If you want, you put your clothes on that little ledge over by the spare chair.” She pointed to a little ledge that seemed to serve no purpose, till now. “And the Doctor shall see you in a bit, okay.”
“Okay.”
Tracy looked at the gown, then up at her mother. Maggie could see the frustration in her daughter. The fear that the doctor would deny her and the shame that she had to show her body once more. “Sorry Baby, but this needs to happen and the sooner the better for you, okay? We'll step out and let you undress in private.”
“Okay.” Tracy said as her mother and Godmother went to the door and stepped out, then shut it. Armed with just the gown they gave her and she quickly stripped out of her skirt and her shirt, her eyes stayed on the door, even though she knew her mother was on the other side, keeping it shut.
“Okay, Mama.” Tracy called out and the door opened up and her mother and Shelly came in. Tracy went over and sat on the edge of the exam table. “I'm getting tired of doctor's beds.”
“I know Tracy, but this is important. Either way, you need hormones in your system. There was a knock at teh door and Shelly moved to open it, slightly so she could see out.
“Hello. I am Doctor Addams.” The doctor said as he walked into the room. He was an older man, Tracy guessed somewhere in his forties. His hair was already gray in places and he seemed to have a warm friendly smile. “I see we have a large support group for you.”
“I'm Tracy's mother, but I live north of here by about three hours. Shelly is Tracy's godmother, she'll be watching Tracy for the next two weeks, till I move down here. She also has my approval to bring her here, in case of problems.”
“I see.” The Doctor replied. “Will her presence make the young lady uncomfortable?”
Tracy blushed and Maggie shook her head. “Doctor Addams, Tracy is barely comfortable with her body when she's clothed. But she knows this is important to get her to where she wants to be.”
“Well tell you what. I'll step outside. We made sure he knew me and I will have the note to get Tracy seen in case of trouble.” Shelly said. She touched Tracy's hand. “Just be good and your Grandma and I will see you when you're done, okay?”
“Tracy nodded slowly. “Okay.”
Once Shelly was gone the Doctor pulled a stool over and sat in front of Tracy. “Now I want to do a few tests on you. The normal things. Breathe while I listen with the stethoscope, then an eye test. After that I'll walk you through each step of the tests I need to do, okay?”
Tracy nodded as the man started her with an eye test. Once he was sure she wasn't blind, he moved around the table and put the ice cold stethoscope on her back, making her gasp. “Sorry, I try to warm it up, but cold metal always feels like it is freezing to the bare skin.”
He pulled out the little hammer and tested her reflexes. Tracy sat through each test, slowly getting comfortable with the man. When he had exhausted all the normal check up requirements, he stood up and looked at Tracy. “Now is the hard part. I Need to run a few tests with your gown down. I have to check on development of your upper body, then I will have you remove your underwear.” He watched as Tracy's shoulders slumped and she sighed. “Sorry Tracy, but I need to give you a once over before I totally allow hormones. We want to do things right, not open the gates for more problems. Besides, you will be getting no less then I give to any girl your age. Understand? This is your health and your body, you have to do these check ups so your mother doesn't lose you way too early.”
"He is right, Tracy. I recall my check up at your age and it was rather embarrassing, but I'm glad it was done. I'd hate to lose you from something we could have caught." Maggie told her with a soft smile.
“Okay.” Tracy replied, but she couldn't look him in the eyes as she pulled the gown over her shoulders. The doctor did a few tests, lightly touching her body, but she didn't watch. She could feel his hands slightly lifting at where her chest was, but all she did was try to ignore it and hope he finished soon. With each test he did, he told her what he would do, and why. But that did little to help her fears of being seen like this.
“Very good. Now I'll let you get dressed. I'll wait outside while you do. We have a couple of things to cover before I have your blood pulled.”
“Okay.” Tracy answered, covering herself with the gown.
“I'll wait out in the hall.” He opened the door wide enough to slip out, but not reveal Tracy to anyone in the hall. Maggie grabbed Tracy's clothes and handed them to her, then she turned around and waited the few minutes for Tracy to dress. After that she called the Doctor back in; he was walking back down the hall as she opened the door.
The Doctor went to his stool and sat down, with Tracy on the edge of the bed and Maggie on a chair. “Mrs. Patterson, I have a question. In the attack that took Tracy's testicles, were both of them destroyed?”
“No.” Maggie shook her head. “See, when Tracy was born there was issues with one and the doctor's at the military base she was born at removed it when she was maybe one and a half, possibly two?”
“I see, so she had just the one for the past few years?”
“Yeah. And in the attack, the doctors told me that they were basically flattened from the stomping.” Maggie replied and the doctor got a bit green.
“Hmmm...” He said once he regained himself.
“Hmmm what?” Maggie asked.
“Were his testicles ever checked out by other doctors?”
“I....I don't recall. I was usually the ones with them at the doctor's, but, see my husband was in the Army, so we would take the kids to the local Air Force Base, but we only had a few appointments over the years. The kids were both really healthy, never had any problems.” Maggie slumped her shoulders and lowered her head, but lifted her gaze to see the doctor. “I messed up big, didn't I? I took her to the doctor for an appointment at five and six, even at eight. The one when Tracy turned ten felt rushed to me. But we haven't gone each year.”
“Honestly, a lot of people don't. The people with no insurance see me even less.
“Now Tracy, one thing that worries me is your weight. I'm not trying to make fun of you, but when men get castrated, they tend to put on weight. You're already over the average for your age group, not by much, just about ten pounds.” He turned on the stool to face her better. “Do you eat when you feel sad?”
“No. Not really.” Tracy replied.
“I'll admit that Tracy has always been a bit over the average. Maggie stated. One of the biggest problems is when we have dinner, there is usually a lot and Tracy and Vance, my eldest, both take decent amounts.”
“I see, this is something I would like to keep an eye on. Also, has your chest seemed like it’s growing? Keep in mind this is the first time I've met you, so I don't know. Have you ever had itching on your chest?”
“No.” Tracy replied. “Well, a little I guess, I just figured it was the clothes, see we started using a new laundry detergent. I just never thought about asking mom. They did seem a bit bigger over the past couple of month though. Like I don't have to pad the training bra as much to fill it out.”
“Is this normal?” Maggie asked.
“Well, you see, men and women both have estrogen and testosterone. In losing the supply of testosterone, whatever estrogen Tracy's body was making became the only hormone in her body so that could be helping to start Tracy on the path to breast growth. Keep in mind there may be some testosterone being made from glands, but nothing like what a boy of the age of eleven would have. And now all that is left is the glands making the estrogen.”
“They're growing?” Tracy asked, her eyes lighting up as she focused on the news of her boobs.
“If you were a normal twelve year old girl, I would say yes. It looks as though you are on the start of puberty. Being as you've taking a different route to get there, I have to guess. But I've seen this type of growth in young girls before.”
“But I could get boo...breasts this way?” She asked, her cheeks going a bright red.
“You could, but keep in mind, what your body produces is very little, so that's why it may have taken two months to get a slight growth, also the full dose of hormones will help in other things, like helping your hips grow out, and helping with bone structure, making sure your hair is fine and lady like.”
“So what all do we need to do to get the hormones going?”
“Well, I'll have the nurse come in, draw some blood and then we wait to see where her hormone levels are and in a week or two we have Tracy come in and we'll cover everything that we've come up with and give her a shot.”
“Good.”
“Well then, you be good, young lady, and I will see you next time.”
“So where to now?” Bernice asked. “The school?”
“We wanted to hold off on the school till tomorrow, that way Lance and Persephone could be there, just in case.” Maggie stated.
“Well, we haven't shopped yet.” Shelly admitted. “We were waiting to see what Tracy would eat, so we thought we could take her to the store. I was going to take care of it after all these appointments.”
“I got an idea.” Maggie said. “What if we took her. Mom wants to spend more time with her and I've wanted to show her the finer points of shopping. Plus I'd like to buy the groceries, for all you're doing for us.”
“Maggie, I won't take your money like that.”
“Then you'll take mine.” Bernice said.
“Bernice, I won't do that to you, either.” Shelly stated.
“Shelly, you're taking in my daughter for at least two weeks, then you get me. We're going to be a drain on your budget, so let me at least make one payment now.” Maggie said. Shelly thought about how she would feel in that situation and she nodded.
“Okay. Let's compromise. I'll let you get the groceries, but I'm buying lunch for the four of us.” Shelly stated. “And I won't take no for an answer. We can take my van. The groceries can fit in the back.”
“Okay.” Maggie agreed.
“Besides, after Tracy's morning, I'm sure she needs a bite to eat.” Shelly said and Tracy just nodded.
“Tell you what then, lets get lunch first, it's almost one, then we go shopping.”
“Okay. I know a store near the house.”
This isn't really a cliff hanger, but where I had it at was at almost 27 pages on my usual writing program, so I felt the need to break it up, also I think the other half needed work.
All is well. The wheels are turning, slowly, but it's still a turn
And yes, at the line "Tracy danced out of the therapists office", I did picture an eleven year old girl doing the "snoopy dance" out of pure joy.
“Tracy, it won't make you feel better, but they know about Sage as well.” Persephone said.
“Tracy, it's something they need to know about.” Lance stated.
“And the whole thing about using the bathroom in the nurses office?”
“What if another girl sees you without a skirt and panties?” Lance asked. “You’re a girl, in your head and your heart, but until we get your body to agree with them, you have to do things differently. You don't want someone spreading stories about you again, do you?”
Editing by Djkauf
Back to Tracy in Livermore and look in on William, too
Wednesday February 9th 1983
Maggie had an arm around her daughter’s shoulder as they left the offices for the school district. They had taken Lance and Persephone along with them, in case of problems. “Well, that's one more thing taken care of.”
“Yeah. And next year I can go with Sage and Rachel and Brooke.” Tracy smiled back at her.
“Yeah.”
Tracy looked up at her mother. “I just wish we didn't have to tell the superintendent guy about my....you know.”
“Tracy, it won't make you feel better, but they know about Sage as well.” Persephone said.
“Tracy, it's something they need to know about.” Lance stated.
“And the whole thing about using the bathroom in the nurses office?”
“What if another girl sees you without a skirt and panties?” Lance asked. “You’re a girl, in your head and your heart, but until we get your body to agree with them, you have to do things differently. You don't want someone spreading stories about you again, do you?”
“No.” Tracy said.
“Well, then you need to do things carefully.” Lance smiled at her. Not a mean smile, but one that helped to calm her down a bit. “No point in messing every thing up again. Also, if you got hurt and someone saw your birth defect, then we'd have a world of hurt and the school could try and force you to attend as a boy and the secret would be out again.”
“Yeah.” Tracy agreed.
“Come on, lets get you out of here. Lance and Persephone have their own lives to get to.” Maggie said as she gently patted Tracy's shoulder. She looked up to their guides. “Thank you both. Lance, please let me know how much the last two days has come up to, I may have to make payments, but it will be paid. And I'll find a way to make this up to you as well Persephone.”
“Maggie, I don't want to take your money. This was nothing.” Lance started to say.
“Lance, you took time out of work to do this. You're also helping me with the restraining order, so I will pay. I don't take charity.”
“Okay. Then I'll get an itemized list over to Shelly's tonight or tomorrow.”
“We'll come up with a plan and let Lynn know.” Shelly said.
Maggie had driven Tracy and her mother to the downtown area of Dublin, where Lok's school was located. It was almost four in the afternoon. They found a public parking spot and Maggie got out and fed the meter, enough for a few hours, then they headed towards the main road, where they were met by Brooke's Grandmother. She beckoned for them to follow.
Tracy carried a backpack over one shoulder, with her tai chi outfit in it. She walked in front of her mother and Grandmother, who were both looking around the downtown area that had changed from the last time had been there, years earlier. Jaio led them to a plain glass door, with small lobby on the other side and large windows on either sides. They entered one door and was faced two more. One on their left and one on the right. Jaio pointed to the door on the left. “That is Lok's acupuncture and massage business.”
“Okay.”
“This is our school. We could have come in the back way, but I wanted to show you the front entrance.” Jaio waved though the window to the lady who sat at a short desk in the other part of their shop. Then she unlocked the studio's door and went in. She gestured to a bathroom. “You can change in there. You can put your bag in the office in the back.”
“Will the class be showing up soon?” Tracy asked.
“Today it's about you. There will be a class of Lok's, but not for more than an hour. So for now, just you and I” Jaio replied. “I need to run you through all the forms and see what you know so I know where to start you, okay? And if you want to take a refresher course I'd be glad to work with you on some of the forms at the house.”
“Tracy, so you can focus, your grandmother and I will check out the downtown area, okay?”
“Okay, Mom.” Tracy said as she headed for the bathroom.
Jaio came over to them. “There is a diner at the end of the street. There's also a book store down there, too. Give me about one hour with her. I need to see her progress so far so I know where to put her and Lok wishes to practice with her as well.”
“Okay. We can do that.”
A few minutes later Tracy came out of the bathroom, her street clothes were now in her pack and she wore her jet black uniform Her hair was pulled into a ponytail. She looked down and realized her toenails were still painted. She bit her lower lip and ignored it.
She reached the edge of the mat and gave a slight bow, then she walked over and stopped near Jaio. The older woman was stretching. She gestured to Tracy. “Join me, please.”
Tracy started to do the stretches she had learned at her old class, making sure she was as flexible as she could be. She could feel what the lack of exercise over the past few months had done to her.
Once she was finished, she stood up and bowed to Jaio. “We will start with what you know, work our way through the forms and then move on to where you feel over your head, okay. If you don't know something, just tell me. But a question, how long had you studied.”
“Almost four years. It will be four years in a month or two.”
“Have you ever touched a weapon?”
“Never. I've seen the forms with swords and just one form with the staff and another with that sword looking thing on the staff.” Tracy pointed to where a kwandao rested on the wall. “And I had never seen someone use a fan, not till I was at your place over Christmas.”
“Okay. Well, I want to see where you are, so come child, let’s test you out. From there we'll see about weapons, but I want to know about the basic forms first.”
A long, grueling hour later, Tracy was feeling the exhaustion. She hadn't worked out like that in ages. She had done every form she knew, with Jaio stopping her at the end of each one to teach her the right way to hold her hands or move her feet, but luckily, it wasn't many times.
“Well, you’ve got the different forms down.”
Lok stepped onto the mat, wearing a suit that looked like it was taken from a Bruce Lee movie. He stopped near the two women and bowed. “Tracy.”
“Shifu Lok.” Tracy said as she bowed back.
“How far along is she?” He asked his wife.
“I'd say the intermediate at least. Maybe a class or two to recall what has been forgotten, or taught incorrectly, but I am confident in my new student’s spot in that class.”
Tracy smiled brightly. She was back in a class and she liked Lok and Jaio so that was two up sides to it. “Good.” Lok said. “Tracy, I want to work on actual physical combat with you.”
“Really?”
“Yes. While you have been doing Tai Chi for a while now and from what I understand a lot of that has been solo, you need more of a hands on training. You handled yourself decently in that fight, but a part of you seemed untested, you hesitated. I want you to be ready to respond should the same happen again. Also every girl should know how to defend against an attacker.”
While Lok was going over the moves he had shown Tracy, Bernice and Maggie stepped into his school and they went over to a group of chairs that lined one wall.
They were aware of several kids coming in as Lok kept having Tracy attack him. As he blocked each punch, he would reverse the situation and he would attack her. When he was finished, they bowed, then he went over to Jaio, and had her take Tracy back to her mother as Lok started speaking to his students, in Chinese.
“Tracy, we have something to ask of you.” Jaio said as she came over with Tracy and her mother. “We need you to open your mind to something else.”
“Else? Like what?” Tracy asked, worried.
“In my intermediate and advance classes, many of my students are of Chinese descent, or have studied with me for some time, so I teach in Chinese. I can teach in both languages, but would you like to learn Chinese, just so you can follow the class? Brooke speaks it as well.”
“I heard learning a language as a kid makes it easier.” Bernice stated.
“Also, in learning it, Brooke can teach you to read it, making it easier to copy our family recipes.” Jaio said and Tracy's eyes lit up.
“I'll do it.”
“Being bilingual helps when you go for a job later in life too.” Maggie added.
“Really?” Tracy asked.
“Yeah.” Her mother nodded. “With the huge Chinese community in the Bay Area, it could serve you well.”
“Spanish wouldn't be a bad third language either.” Bernice added.
Jaio smiled. “Now go home, relax and on this Friday, we have our first class at five. I know you want to spend time with the girls, but we can take you to where ever they are after the class.”
“Okay.” Tracy nodded.
“You have a wonderful evening, unless you want to stay?”
Tracy looked past her at the class that was starting to warm up. Then she remembered her mother and Grandmother were with her. “I would, but Grandma and Mom leave tomorrow. So I want to have some time with them.”
“I understand. Time with one's family is always important. You go, and have a peaceful evening.”
“Tracy, we're not leaving till Friday.” Maggie said, putting a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “So if you want to watch, you can.”
Tracy thought about it for a moment, then shook her head. “No. I can watch some other time. Besides, I'm tired.”
“Then we'll go.” Maggie said with a smile. “Thank you for everything, Jaio.”
“You are most welcome."
"I do have something on my mind though..." Maggie said as she pulled Jaio to the side, leaving Tracy to wonder what was going on.
They had no more than got on the highway that the sounds of snoring were heard from the backseat. Maggie chuckled and shook her head. “That poor kid is so exhausted from everything.”
“She has had a busy two days so far.” Bernice said as they drove back to Livermore. “Any plans for tomorrow?”
“Just spending time with Tracy. That and dinner at Lok's. That's what Jaio and I discussed before we left. We're going to work on a plan for Tracy to work off her lessons. Lance and I agree that Friday is the best day to go to court.”
“Makes sense, then the lawyer can file the paperwork and Frank can see what William was telling you about.” Bernice said, looking out the window. “It's funny how much you can miss this area. I mean it's no Castro Valley, but the whole Bay Area just has a certain feel to it. Like it's alive.”
“Yeah.” Maggie nodded. “Hey, maybe we could do that? Take Shelly and Tracy and show her where we all lived back in the sixties.”
“I wonder if Russell’s father's nursery is still up there. And that produce stand his family owned.”
Maggie smiled. “One way to find out. Let's talk to Shelly when we get home. But I'd like to keep Tracy awake for a while tonight. We don't need her getting up at three am or something crazy like that.”
“Yeah.” Bernice said as she looked out the window. “Has it been easy?”
“What? Moving my baby away from me?”
“No. I know that has to be hard. I mean meeting Tracy and helping her find who she was.” Bernice stated. “I'm not sure if I could have done it.”
“Well it was simple Mom, I either did it, or Tracy would have found a way to kill herself. She said as much at the first meeting I had with Ivan.”
“She feels this deeply?” Bernice asked.
“Yeah. You've watched her, does her actions scream out boy? Does anything she does make you think it's a boy in a skirt?” Maggie asked. looking at her mother only for a moment.
“No. It's just....well, I've never met anyone like Tracy before.” Bernice replied.
Maggie shook her head. The sun hadn't even started to set and Tracy's snores were getting louder in the back seat. “Actually Mom, Persephone told me that lots of people are like Tracy and many of them hide who they are, to protect themselves. Many get married, have kids and live long, sad lives. Others kill themselves.”
“And those girls have no issues at all. That is amazing.” Bernice said, shaking her head in shock of the situation.
Maggie nodded and smiled. “And they all love her. Heck, we've had to force Tracy to only call them on the weekends, or they'd be on the phone, long distance every day of the week.”
“So, one of the fathers is a lawyer and another is a cop. What do the other fathers do?”
“Well Carl, that's Sage's father, he works with money, investing mostly. Which is kinda funny, because they live in a trailer. Persephone said he's saving so all three kids have a college education.”
“Always a good plan.” Bernice said with a nod of her head. “And the Chinese girl? What does her father do?”
“According to Tracy, he died in Vietnam. I guess there was a brother too, but he died in the same car crash that took Brooke's legs.” Maggie said.
“That poor girl.” Bernice replied in a soft, almost whisper.
Maggie held up a finger. “Don't ever do that around her. Brooke is tired of people treating her like she's fragile. Heck, she fences, races and plays basketball.”
“Wow.” Bernice said. “You hear about that, but I've never meet someone who actually did it.”
“I know. I'm just glad she has them. The next two weeks will be hard on Tracy.” Maggie sighed. “I don't want my baby to go away, Mom, but I won’t let her get hurt again. Not like last time.”
“Maggie, it's just a week or two, then you move as well.”
“I know. It's just going to be a very long week or two.”
“I know, Maggie.” Bernice put a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “But it will feel just as bad for your daughter as well.”
Tracy sat in the back of Shelly's van as it drove west on Five eighty. She looked out the window at the passing scenery. “Where are we going?” Tracy asked again. She had heard them before, but she was still confused why.
“Castro Valley.” Shelly replied. “To the street where your mother and I were raised.”
“Oh.”
“And maybe we'll see a few other things, but that depends on how the traffic is.”
“Have you and William ever taken her to see the wood sculptures near the Bay?”
“Well the kids always fought when we go that way. They would argue for miles on who would get the seat that was near the bay.” MAggie said, then she chuckled.
A few moments later, Shelly began pulling off the highway. “Welcome to Castro Valley.”
Tracy sat up and watched as Shelly drove through the residential part of the town, and after almost ten minutes, Tracy heard her mother gasp and she looked up as they turned onto a street.
“Oh my God. None of the houses seem to have changed.” Bernice mused.
Shelly found an empty spot on the street and she pulled over. The four of them all got out of the van and Maggie smiled as she tapped her daughters shoulder. “That house right there, the brown one. I lived in that from three till I was fifteen.”
“I still remember the floor plan.” Bernice said.
“And Tracy, the white one is where I grew up.” Shelly added.
Tracy stood there as Shelly and her mother and Grandmother all began trying to remember names of neighbors, her Grandmother gasped. “Oh, it can't be.”
“Who? What?” Maggie asked, turning to look.
“Betty Jo” Bernice headed in the woman's direction. As she got close, she called out, to a woman who was busy moving lawn stuff in her front yard. “Betty Jo? Betty Jo Bialosky?!?”
“Yes?” The older woman said as she stood up and turned around. “Do I know.....” She went quiet as she realized who she was looking at. “Richter? Bernice Richter? Is that you?”
“Yes, it is.” Bernice said with a big smile. She stopped at the edge of the property.
“Wow, I never thought I'd see you in this neighborhood again. What's it been, twenty years?”
“Something like that.” Bernice said. “But to be honest, we're actually showing the old neighborhood to my granddaughter.”
“Granddaughter? From what child? Margret, Alice or Dan?”
Bernice gestured for them to come the rest of the way over. “Well, you remember Maggie, my eldest, this is Tracy, her youngest.”
“Margret. You look good. And you have a pretty daughter.”
“Thank you.” Maggie said.
“Thank you.” Tracy shyly replied.
“And you recall Shelly Hines? But it's Shelly Cooper now.”
“Yes, I do. Hello, Shelly.” Betty Jo looked back to Bernice. “Are you all moving back this way?”
“No. I'm not. Marion and I live in Wyoming now, we're helping out his mother, but Maggie is looking at moving to Livermore.”
“Are you still in L.A?”
Maggie shook her head. “No we moved from L.A. When my kids were still young. I wanted out of there, so we moved with my husbands family to farm land, north of here.”
“I see.” The woman brushed the dirt off her hands. “Where are my manners? Would you like to come in and have a cup of tea or something?”
The day had been a good day for Tracy. She had spent the entire afternoon with her Mother and Grandmother driving around the Bay Area. After Castro Valley, they had made the short strip to Berkeley to have lunch near the Lawrence Labs and they were treated to a surprise visit by Tracy's Uncle Frank.
Tracy found herself, along with her mother, Godmother and Grandmother at Brooke's place that afternoon at just after four. Lok opened up the door as they came up the walkway. “Come on in. Tracy, the girls are in the living room.”
“Girls?”
“Yes, Sage, Andromeda and Rachel, with Jaime, her sister.”
“Why are you all here?” Tracy asked as she came into the living room, where her friend's plus Jamie, Rachel's sister and 'Romy were, playing a video game on the TV. Tracy went over to the couch and sat down.
“We're here because dad wanted to talk to your mother about tomorrow. I guess he's headed up there with her and your grandma.” Rachel said. Mom is in the kitchen with Brooke's mom and Dad is still at work, he's getting papers together.”
Sage smiled as Tracy's face lit up. “I'm just here because Mom wants to go to the court thing tomorrow, too. Dad should be here soon with Mooney. Stacey and Casey couldn't make it. Their Mom and Dad had a bowling league tonight and they're with a sitter.”
“And I'm here because I live here.” Brooke said with a chuckle. “But I know Grandpa wants to talk to you and your mother, plus he wants you to see him in the kitchen. He said he wanted to show you a recipe and wanted to know if you would help with dinner.”
“I....” Tracy wanted to go, but her friends were in there playing games. She bit her lip and looked at the kitchen door.
“Hey, you and I can go.” Sage said. “I always wanted to learn to cook.”
“Um....sure.”
“Besides, you're down here now. No point in missing out on something you want, just because you can hang out with us. There's always time for that.” Sage stated.
William got out of his car at home and stretched his back. The lights were all off in his house, so he went up and unlocked the door anyway, wanting to get out of his work clothes before dinner. He had waited till exactly when his shift was to end to clock out. He had made sure he had clocked in that morning on time. He knew they were watching him hard. He had stopped eating in the cafeteria, and was bringing sandwiches from home. Nothing fancy, just enough to get him by for lunch.
Vance had been very reserved the past couple of days as well. He was sure the fact Tracy was gone was getting to him, even if he wouldn't admit it. The house was too quiet at night and to be honest, he was starting to miss the dinners that were on the table as he got home. He also missed his wife, but he knew she would be back soon.
One thing he was sure of, this was going to be a strain on all of them. War taught him how much it hurts to be away from those he loved, now it was his daughter’s turn, he only hoped that she was strong enough to last the two weeks till Maggie got down there. It wasn't long but with everything that Tracy had been through so far, it was still going to be tough.
William began pulling off his work clothes and he reached over and made a note on a calendar, to remind himself to call Tracy that weekend. He had the tools to talk to her and he refused to let his girl think he didn't care.
Her stuff had been all packed away and put up and as much as it felt like a home to her, something was wrong. She knew what it was though. She looked over to the other bed and saw her mother's suitcase on it. She knew this was the day her mother was going to leave her and a part of her was still worried that she would never come back. So Tracy vowed to spend every last moment with her that she could, till her mother and grandmother left, and she had.
Now it was time for them to leave. She heard movement in the other guest room and Tracy got up and grabbed her mother's suitcase, then headed for the bedroom door. There were few words exchanged between them as she followed her mother and grandmother down the stairwell, then out the door and to Conner's car. Tracy handed off her mother’s suit case, then waited as her mother loaded it into the car. Behind them, Frank came out with a bag of snacks for the ride down. It was his plan to ride with them to Lance's office, then with Lance up to Oroville.
Maggie turned and dropped to one knee, then pulled her daughter in for a hug. “Two weeks. Two weeks and I'll be down here, okay?”
“Okay.” Tracy replied, her voice cracking and tears now falling down her cheeks.
Bernice didn't force Maggie out of the way, instead, she hugged both her daughter and granddaughter. “You be good and I'll see if your Grandfather will come this way so we can visit before we return to Wyoming in the spring.”
“Okay.” Tracy said again.
“Come on Maggie. We need to get going if we want to catch up to Lance.”
“Yeah.” Maggie said as she cried herself. She kissed her daughter’s cheek, then slowly let her go and stood up. “I'll call you this weekend at Harvey's, okay? And you be good for everyone.”
“Okay.” Tracy repeated once more.
Her mother, Godfather and Grandmother all climbed in the car and her emotions threatened to make her sob uncontrollably, but she did her best to hold back the tears as her Grandmother started the car, then put it in gear. Maggie knew there was no way she could drive, not in the state she was in for leaving her youngest so far away from where she would be. As the car went backwards, Tracy realized that this was the last time she'd see her parents for a while. Then a thousand thoughts ran though her mind, many of them ending with her never seeing her parents again.
They almost reached the turn in the parking lot, halfway to the street and Tracy took off in a dead sprint, running along the sidewalk that led to a different spot at the main street, a spot they'd have to drive past. “TRACY!” Shelly yelled. But she kept running. Tracy reached the main road about the time her mother and Grandmother were almost to that spot. Tears were already streaking down her face as she waved goodbye to them. She could see her mother, turning in her seat to wave back, but her Grandmother just waved, and kept driving, knowing full well if they stopped, it would be even harder to leave her.
She was about to run after the car when they stopped for a stop sign, but the road was clear and Bernice made the turn and headed for the highway. Tracy sank to her knees and began crying as her mother drove out of her life, for what she feared would be the last time.
Shelly can jogging over and went to her side. “Come on, let's get you inside.”
“I'll never see them again.” Tracy managed to say as she was helped to her feet.
“You know that isn't true.” Shelly said said. “Just two weeks till you see your mother again. Two short weeks.” She made sure that Tracy went with her to the house. “Do you still want to go tonight to hang out with the girls? Maybe with them you can take your mind off of things for the night.”
Tracy nodded. “Yeah.”
“Well, then let's get you inside. Lilian called earlier and said she could pick you up, if you want. She has to take Casey to the doctor for an annual check up.”
“Okay.” Tracy replied, wiping at her eyes with her sleeve.
And now she's alone. More of our little girl coming soon
“I wish she didn't have to go. I wish she could move with me.” Tracy said, leaning her head against the window and just staring blankly at the passing scenery.
“I can bet that she wants the same thing.” Lilian said as they turned into a large sprawling campus. Tracy started looking around and saw several buildings and groups of kids, all ranging from six to eighteen walking around different parts of the campus.
Editing by Djkauf and secondary editing by Stanman63
More of Tracy and family.
February 11th 1983
Tracy sat in the front seat of the car as they navigated the city streets of Fremont, she wasn't feeling up to looking out the window too much, but she did anyway. She could only think of her mother driving out of her life and each time she thought about that, she began to cry.
As she stopped crying for what felt like the twentieth time in the past half hour, Lilian reached over and gave her knee a pat. “I know it hurts now Tracy, but soon your mother will be here and everything will look up. You still have your friends and if you want to talk, I'm willing to listen,” Lilian said as they drove to Casey's school.
“I wish she didn't have to go. I wish she could move with me,” Tracy said, leaning her head against the window and just staring blankly at the passing scenery.
“I can bet that she wants the same thing,” Lilian said as they turned into a large sprawling campus. Tracy started looking around and saw several buildings and groups of kids, all ranging from six to eighteen walking around different parts of the campus.
She looked around and she saw everyone using sign language. She knew she had to learn it at some point, if she was going to be around Casey more. Lilian turned once more and then stopped at a parking lot near a building with an office sign, ”Want to come in?”
“No. I'll just get in the backseat now.” Tracy said as they pulled in to a parking spot.
“You don't have to,” Lilian said. “But if you want to, I won’t argue.”
“Casey should be up front, it's your car, she's your daughter, ”Tracy said as she opened the door and transferred her bag to the backseat. Lilian watched her for a moment, then headed for the office. About ten minutes later, Lilian came out, with Casey next to her. Casey was wearing a coat with the school colors on it and she had a backpack. Her big art book was held under her arm.
Casey opened up the door to the passenger side of the back seat and she smiled at Tracy, then climbed in, scooted over, tossed her stuff into the front passenger seat, then hugged her friend.
Casey started to sign and Tracy shook her head, “I don't understand.” She said.
Before Lilian started the car, she turned to face Casey and got her attention. A quick conversation took place before Lilian looked to Tracy, “She says she is sorry your mom is gone. She hopes you feel better.”
“Oh,” Tracy said. “Tell her thank you.”
Lilian passed on the message, then signed again and Casey nodded, “Next stop Dublin.” Lilian stated as she pulled out of the parking spot and headed out of the school.
“Um,” Tracy finally broke the silence when they reached a highway that didn't look like she remembered. Plus the signs for Berkeley and Oakland made her question where they were headed. “Where are we going?”
“Casey has a doctor's appointment, then I'll get Stacey from school and after that we'll go grab the girls and take you to your class tonight.”
“But isn't Dublin behind us? Like near Livermore?”
“It is, but Casey likes the trip up the Nimitz Freeway. So when I pick her up at school, we go home this way, unless I hear a bad traffic report.”
“The Nimitz?” Tracy asked.
“Interstate eight eighty.”
“Is that the one that goes through Livermore?” Tracy asked. She looked over and saw that Casey was watching the passenger scenery, a lot of which was blocked by some walls on the side of the highway.
“No, that's five eighty,” Lilian explained. “And we took that earlier and will be on it in a little bit. We also took six eighty too.”
Tracy thought about it for a moment, then asked, “Is there a seven eighty? Kinda weird they skipped that one.”
“It's over by Benicia and Vallejo,” Lilian said with a nod of her head. “They do exist. There's even a Two, three and four eighty and a nine eighty, but that all over the Bay Area.”
“Oh. And they all connect to interstate eighty?” Tracy asked.
Lilian didn't mind the questions, it was keeping her from crying. To her it felt weird to be holding a conversation out loud as they left Casey's school for the deaf, but she was glad to keep Tracy from thinking about Maggie.
“In one way or another. Sometimes it's just a bridge or something like that.”
“We took an interstate eighty to Wyoming a few years ago. Wonder why they named it the same,” Tracy pondered aloud.
“Simple. It's the same highway.” Lilian replied, “The west end is in San Francisco and if I remember right, the east end is in New Jersey, on the other side of the county.”
“Wow. That's got to be a long drive,” Tracy said.
“It can be. Just imagine how long that trip would have taken back one hundred years ago? It could have been months and that's from the Mississippi river to California,” Lilian stated and Tracy recalled covering the westward expansion in school. “But now I'd say it would be about a week, maybe five days from coast to coast.”
“Wow,” Tracy said.
“And that's not traveling more then say twelve hours a day. So think of how hard the big rig drivers have it.”
“Being on the road all the time must be hard.”
“It can be. My father used to do that, but he stopped a few years back. And we've traveled by car to Vermont, to see my brother and that took almost a week to get there. But then we cheated and cut through Canada at Michigan.”
“Was it fun? The trip I mean?” Tracy asked.
“It had its moments,” Lilian answered. “But I'd do it again.”
Tracy had started watching the passing scenery with Casey and holding the conversation and her worries about her mother leaving were put on hold for a little while.
Lance walked with Frank, Carl, Persephone, Maggie and Bernice out of the courthouse. The Miller's had decided to follow the others up, even if it was just for a few hours, so they could make sure that charges were filed for the assault on Andromeda and Sage. “Well that's done. You've got the temporary one and we'll have to be here for the permanent one in ten days. Keep in mind though, if the Hallmark woman has been released from mental health, she can appear and even if she isn't, she can still appear, but under guard.”
“Can you make it up here for that?”
“Yeah, I'll call the office and leave a note that I need that day for travel.”
“Thank you, Lance.”
“Yes, Thank you.” Carl replied.
“What about the girls? Will they need to be here?” Persephone asked.
“I would say yes, just in case. Sage and Andromeda at least. It couldn't hurt to get Brooke and Rachel involved too.” Lance said. “Also, I would like to bring in Bart Rogers, he's more of my criminal lawyer for our firm, I deal mostly with family law.”
“Okay.”
“And this will help in winning the case against her for attacking the girls?” Carl asked.
“It should. Plus the reports from all the witnesses won't hurt. But for now, lets see if William is off work and if he can show us these things he wants Frank and me to see.”
“Could I tag along?” Carl asked. “Old cars are kind of a hobby to me. Nothing I can get into financially, but still cool to look at.”
Lance nodded. “Sure, Persephone, you mind?”
“Go ahead.” She said, then she kissed her husband. “See you at Maggie's later.”
Tracy stayed in the backseat with Casey as they pulled into the lane where Parents picked up their children at the school in Dublin. Tracy looked around and saw a bunch of people her age and she wondered what it would be like to be in a school and treated like one of the girls.
As they neared the main part of the sidewalk, Stacey came running over, one hand on her skirt to keep it from flipping up in the afternoon wind. She looked in the car and saw Casey and Tracy in the backseat and Casey's stuff in the front seat, so she pushed her stuff over the seat and climbed into the back, making Casey move to the middle of the seat. Lilian chuckled, knowing it was bound to happen. She waited as they moved through the line till they reached the main drive.
As Lilian pulled out from school that Stacey went to, they had only gone a mile or two when she heard the quick chirp of a squad-car's siren. Tracy whipped her head back and saw a car behind them. Lilian was pulling over as quickly as she could, then she put her car into park. Tracy looked to Stacy and asked. “Is she in trouble?”
“Naw, it's Dad. He does this if he sees her, may be telling her something important.”
A moment later, Harvey walked up, wearing his uniform. He smiled at the girls and bent down at the window. “Excuse me Ma'am, you know how fast you were going back there?”
Lilian grinned at her husband. “Well, I had to get you to pull me over somehow. How else would I give you my phone number.” She teased back.
“But you might be married, Ma'am. What would your husband think?”
“You're right, Officer. I am married to the most handsomest, sweetest, perfect man.” Lilian didn't lean out and kiss him. She knew if people saw that it could cause problems for the department. Instead she lightly touched his hand. “And he knows how to keep a smile on my face in every room of the house.”
“Ewwww.” Stacey said with a smile. “Yuck!”
“Says you, young lady.” Harvey said with a grin, he looked back to his wife.. “So do I need to bring anything home?”
“Well, we're having French bread pizza, so I think we're all taken care of there. I bought soda and chips, so we should be fine.”
“Okay. I'll be off at five and barring any problems, I should be home by five.” Harvey stated.
“Well Tracy has that class at five, so we'll be home after that.”
“Well, then, maybe I'll meet you there. But next time, watch that speed, or I'll have to frisk ya.”
“Promises, promises.” Lilian said with a smile.
Larry led William, Lance, Carl and Frank over to the garage where Billy's cars were. William had managed one week at work and he was surprised that he hadn't quit be cause it seemed to be open season on him at the mill. But he knew he had to hang tough till it was time to leave.
Larry stopped by one of the cars and turned to face them. “I don't want this shit on my property. I know he's an adult, so you could sue him, but honestly, he owns nothing. All the titles are in my name. All of them, including the junkers.”
Frank looked at William, Carl and his brother in law. “Guys, there's got to be at least a hundred thousand dollars here, just in cars and parts. I have an idea on how to deal with this though. Honestly, I wouldn't want to lose my chance at cars like these.”
“What's your idea?” Lance asked.
“We see if he'll sell the part cars. There's some good parts on some of these and you get a few hundred bucks here and there. That engine in the barn, well over six hundred dollars easy, if not more. But for that, he may need to put a lien on it. It's tricked out. I know people in my car club with a lot of spare cash that would jump at some of this stuff. Some of these cars are still usable, either for parts, or a couple of these frames look good enough to rebuild from the ground up. But I want the first chance at that car.” He pointed to a Seventy one Trans am “and that one over there.” He pointed to a Sixties Chevy Nova.
“Frank, Shelly will kill you if you get another car.” Lance said to his brother in law.
“It's not for me.”
“Then why get it?” Lance asked.
“I want to buy one of these, at a fair price to give to Tracy as something she can have and hold over that assholes head. Honestly, if I thought I could fix these, all of these, I'd try to get one for each girl. Be a good lesson in how to take care of a vehicle.”
“I don't know if I want my daughter having a muscle car, when she gets older that is.”
“Well William, we can always hold on to it and sell it later.” Frank said. “When it's tricked out, they can pull a pretty penny from a collector.”
“He is right.” Lance said. “Old cars are really popular right now.”
“He does have a point.” Carl stated. “While it may not be the same as an investment portfolio, a car in good condition can get you a decent sum. I heard of a guy in Livermore who restored a nineteen nineteen ford and someone offered him a hundred thousand dollars for it.”
“Damn.” William exclaimed. “That's crazy.”
“Well, let's see what he'll take, then we can see if he'd allow my car club to come take a look.” Frank said. “We could probably get Tracy a decent savings account started with what he sells here, but to be fair, if he bought this, we should think about a kickback to him on it, or at least see who paid for it.”
“Good point. No reason he should get screwed for something his kid did.” Carl said. “And as for savings for the kid, let me have a day or two and I can give you some good ideas on how to invest it and maybe get her a nice sum for college.” He looked to William. “But in the end, it is your call.”
Tracy followed Stacey into the house, dropping her backpack near a couch in the living-room. Stacey motioned for her to follow and as they went through the kitchen, she could hear a dog whining and barking and the sounds of claws on plastic.
“Duke!” Stacey called out as they entered the back room. Tracy looked in a large kennel and saw a large puppy, with some black on its face but the rest was brown. “Wanna go outside?” Stacey asked and the dog wagged its tail, and the back of its body, too.
“Come on,” Stacey grabbed a leash from a nearby hook, then she grabbed a scoop with a plastic bag on it. “Here, hold this for a moment.”
Tracy took the scoop, wondering what it was for as Stacey opened up the door to the cage like kennel and the ball of fur exploded out. It ran in a tight circle around the two girls, then stopped and sniffed at Tracy's bare ankles, then licked at them, making her jump and back away. The puppy then spun in another circle and finally Stacey caught it and put the collar on. She took the item from Tracy and gestured to the back door. “Wanna walk him with me?”
“Sure. Never been near a lot of dogs.”
“We'll take him down the street,” Stacey asked as they headed out into the backyard, past a large shed and around to a gate. They went to the road and walked down the sidewalk.
The little puppy darted back and forth along the sidewalk, sniffing at anything and everything and Tracy had to laugh as it looked like the tiny dog was pulling Stacey off balance. “What is he?”
“German Shepherd. Dad got him for us for Christmas. Says he'll be a big guard dog.” Stacey replied. “Duke's Mom is actually a police dog.”
“Neat. Do you have to take him someplace special?” Tracy asked, but Stacey could hear she wasn't too excited.
Stacey shook her head. “No, but we do have to pick up the poop, which is gross, but Dad says if we want him, we have to do it.”
As the puppy stopped to mark a bit of the sidewalk, Stacey looked to Tracy, then she hugged her.
“What was that for?” Tracy asked.
“You looked sad,” Stacey replied. “Missing your folks?”
“Yeah. I didn't want Mom to leave. But she says she'll be back soon.”
“She will.” Stacey said. “Two weeks.”
Tracy shrugged and shook her head as they started walking again. “What if she doesn't? What if she realizes I was more trouble then I'm worth?”
“She will be back,” Stacey said. “I know she will.”
“What if she thinks she can do better? What if all this is too much for her?”
“Tracy,” Stacey turned to face her and the puppy did its best to try and pull her along. “Your mom will be back. I know she will.”
“You know you don't have to buy me dinner,” Lance said as Maggie and William guided him towards a family restaurant in town. Behind them was Frank, Vance and both sets of Grandparents.
“We can get our own, too,” Carl said. “We didn't have to stay, we could have taken off. I'm sure our kids are driving Lilian and Lynn up the wall by now.”
“Lance, you did take time to drive up here to work for us, so making sure you get a good meal before you leave only seems fair. It's better then fast food on the way home,” Maggie said. “And Carl, you and Persephone were nice to my daughter in December, we can extend that hospitality to you as well.”
“Lance, Carl, they won't take no for an answer,” Frank added.
Maggie smiled at him, “Thank you for helping today, Lance. And thank you for watching her next week.”
“Next week?” William asked.
“Frank and Shelly will be out of town for their wedding anniversary. They're going to Reno from Monday to Thursday, for the cheaper rates. So Tracy is staying with Lance and Lynn and Rachel,” Maggie stated.
“Yeah, Rachel is looking forward to it. Not sure if the others will be over, but Rachel already has a ton of plans.”
“So, what of that Larry guy? Will he go for the idea of doing a sale to the car club?” Frank asked.
“He's open to the idea. Not too wild about that many people on his property, but if it gets the cars off of it, he'll do it,” William replied. “And I asked him about a possible cut and he said it wasn't necessary.”
“Good, but you should still think about it,” Lance said with a nod of his head.
“Yeah, I am. He may have to pay a little to get the lien on the engine, so we can chip in for that.”
“I can let the club know when I get home today. I'll have to let Shelly know my plans for those two cars, too.”
“Good.” William said. “But for now, let's get something to eat. I'm starved.”
Tracy felt very nervous. First of all, her friends were now in Jaio and Lok's school, there to watch her. Secondly, she was new here and knew no one. She was in her uniform from her old school, but it didn't have the name of the school on it. She just noticed that all the students were in green. She walked over to Jaio and bowed, “Shifu?
“Tracy?”
“Do I need a new uniform for the next class?”
“We can work on getting you one. Your old school had a different system, so I will allow it for now, but we can get you one ordered tonight, after class.”
“But I don't have money to buy it.”
Jaio nodded slowly, “We will take that out of the work you're doing for us around our house, okay?”
“Okay.” Tracy replied, having recalled the deal she made with Lok and Jaio about helping clean around their house and the school, in turn they would give her parents a discounted rate for her instruction and teach her Chinese and teach her to cook in a Chinese style.
“Now, relax and go find a spot. We shall start soon.”
Tracy turned and saw all of the class was now paying attention to her. She fought the fear to just run for the door. Instead she went to a part of the mat where no one was, but she wasn't alone for long. A girl walked up to her and began speaking, in Chinese, and Tracy just stood there, confused till the girl stopped.
“Um....what?” Tracy asked.
When the the girl, who looked to be a bit younger then her, spoke. It was in very choppy English, “You do not speak Mandarin?”
“No. I only speak English.”
“Oh. You know class is in Mandarin?”
“Yeah, but Shifu Jaio said she'll teach in both, for me, til Brooke can teach me.”
“Oh. That is good. Have you studied long?”
“Almost four years when I was seven, almost eight.”
“I am Min, My brother Ronald is in Shifu Lok's Wing Chan class.”
“Ronald?” Tracy asked, confused as to why the boy had a normal American name, but she thought about it and Brooke seemed like a normal American name as well. But the other girl seemed to know what she was thinking.
“He is my adopted brother. His parents adopted me as a young girl and now I live here.”
“Oh, cool.”
“Yes it is cool.” Min said. At that point, Jaio got everyone's attention and the girls stopped talking.
Tracy gave a bow as she walked off the mat and went to her friends. “That was so cool,” Stacey said.
“No wonder Clark couldn't handle you in a fight,” Rachel said.
“Honestly, I didn't want to fight Clark,” Tracy said. “I just wanted him to leave. I didn't want to fight anyone.”
“And that is a good thing,” Lok said as he walked over to them. “Those who can, but show restraint are usually rare. No good ever comes from fighting.”
“He has a point,” Harvey said.
Tracy was shocked to see him there, she had never seen him come in.
“Fights always end up with a sore loser. Like with Bruce,” he said to Tracy. “But sometimes you don't get a chance to walk away. I've had to arrest too many people who were too emotionally involved in something and anger led them to a pointless fight.”
“Very true.”
“Shifu Lok, Shifu Jaio said I need to discuss a new uniform.”
“Well, you are her student. But we can always talk with her in a few minutes, when the class leaves.”
Sage couldn't help but giggle as she led Tracy to the bathroom that Stacey shared with her sister. Dinner was over and Tracy had taken a shower earlier in the evening, after getting there from her tai chi class. She was very confused with Sage cleared the girls out of her room and handed Tracy a robe with the simple instructions to put it on.
Sage led the way into the bathroom and began pulling a couple of things out of the cupboard under the sink then she went to the tub. Sage looked to Tracy, who was just in a borrowed robe and smiled.
“I just took a shower.” Tracy said as Sage began working the water.
“You ever take a bath?”
“Not since I was a little kid.” Tracy replied. “All we had was a shower.”
“You've been all tensed up for the past few days. Plus that class, you haven't worked out like that in a while. Baths always help me relax.” Sage said as she opened up a bottle that Stacey told her about and held it under Tracy's nose. “Like it?”
Tracy sniffed in and she could smell the strong scent of flowers. “Yeah.”
“The water too hot?” Sage asked.
Tracy stuck a hand in and shook her head. “No, it's good. Maybe a bit cold. Are you sure this is okay?”
“Okay, we'll make it warmer, that way you're not freezing in five minutes.” Sage fiddled with the knobs and then added the bubble bath. “Yeah, I asked Stacey and she agreed. You're gonna love this.”
“I am?”
“Oh yeah. I love to relax in the bath.” Sage said as the bathtub filled.
“Sage?” Tracy asked as her friend opened up the door to leave. “Could....could we talk a little?”
“Sure. Anything wrong?”
“Well, not really, I just haven't had the chance to talk to you much, and you know what I'm going through the best.”
“True. We're usually with the others” Sage agreed.
“It's been so hard on me.” Tracy said as she looked over to her friend and once she was sure that Sage wasn't watching her, she slipped out of her robe and quickly stepped a foot in the water. Sage leaned over and turned the dimmer switch down, leaving the room only partly lit.
“I can only bet.”
“You know, sometimes it feels like the whole world is against me.” Tracy stated as she began to drop into the water, moving slowly so she didn't burn herself. “I had people wanting me to be Troy and I'm not happy about that, then I wanted to be Tracy and the whole town hated that. Sometimes I felt like two people. Like it was two of me against the world.”
“But now you're Tracy all the time. You even got the Doctors to agree with you.”
“But now it's just me and no parents against the world.” Tracy sat all the way down and forced herself not to yelp out from the heat of the water. Sage cast quick glance over and when she was sure Tracy was covered, she sat on a stool with her back against the wall.
“But you're not alone. You have me, and Sage. Plus Brooke, Stacey and Casey and our parents. Your Aunt Shelly and Uncle Frank love you too.” Tracy moved some of the bubbles to cover her chest.
“But I don't have my mom. Is it stupid? I've been away from her for a total of what, two, maybe three days and I just wanna crawl into bed and bawl my.....” Tracy began to cry and Sage got off her stool and moved it closer. When she sat down again, she put an arm over Tracy’s.
“First time away from your parents? I mean for an extended time, other than Christmas?”
“Yeah,” Tracy replied. “Christmas was the first time.”
“You never went to a summer camp or anything like that?” Sage asked.
“No. Never went to a camp,” Tracy stated. “And at Christmas you all kept me busy.”
Sage nodded as she finally understood. “And it was only a few days, this is weeks, isn't it?”
“Who knows,” Tracy replied. “She said two weeks, but...what if she decides that I was too much hassle? What if they just wanted me out of their life?” Tracy began to cry harder. “I ruined everything.”
“You didn't ruin anything,” Sage said. “Your mother will come back. I'm sure of that. Your dad misses you too, I'd bet.”
“But what if they don't come back?” Tracy asked.
“Tracy, don't think like that. I know she'll come back. Your mom is just that great of a person. Did she want to leave you today?”
“Well...” Tracy thought about it and shook her head. “No. She kept watching over her shoulder as my Grandma drove the car.”
“See, then that should be proof. She didn't want to let you go either. I bet she'll find a way to see you before the two weeks is up.”
I think she said she'll be at the doctor's for my check up and at Doctor Ivan's for that meeting on the twenty first too.”
Sage smiled at her, “See, and I bet she'll be there, waiting to walk in with you, like always.”
After her very relaxing bath, and the shower to get the soap off, Tracy had pulled on her night clothes and then she followed Sage to the living-room, where the others were watching MTV. At first she couldn't get into the videos, then after a few songs, she was bouncing along with the rest of them.
“Tracy? Could I talk to you for a moment?” Harvey asked as he stepped out of the kitchen.
“Um, sure,” Tracy got up and followed him back into the kitchen. She wanted to stay and watch the rest of the Billy Joel video that was playing, but she didn't want to make Harvey mad. She was a little worried to see both Harvey and Lilian in the kitchen, standing there looking at her and her mind began to think of a thousand things they could tell her. She began to worry that they would tell her that her mother either didn't want her, or had died on the trip home.
“Tracy,” Harvey dropped to one knee and he pulled the girl in for a hug. “I know things are hard for you, but until your mother is down here, I want you to treat this like your house too.”
“That goes for both of us,” Lilian said. “We know things are going to be rough, till Maggie gets here, so we're here for you. We know it's not the same, but we're still here..”
“Now I know you're feeling blue and you know what picks up my girls when they're down?” Harvey asked, Tracy shook her head.
“Root-beer floats. Would you like one?”
She shrugged, then nodded.
“Good. I like a decisive person,” Harvey joked. “I'll make you one. “Lil, could you bring the girls in?”
“Sure thing.”
Tracy woke up on on Saturday morning aware that someone held her in their arms. In from of her was the unmistakable mop of red hair that belonged to Sage. She leaned into who ever it was and just lay there. The person who held her held a bit tighter and she could feel them moving slightly. Finally she heard Rachel whisper, “Feeling better?”
Tracy nodded. Then she gently turned, taking her time so she wouldn't wake Sage, who was mostly awake anyway, “Did I have a bad dream?”
“You were crying in the night. So we decided to move closer and I undid your sleeping bag. You were out of it at the time.”
“Everyone still asleep?” Tracy asked.
“No. Stacey got up and took Duke out a few minutes ago. Casey and Brooke are still asleep, though. I think Sage is almost awake,” Tracy couldn't see it, but Sage nodded and opened up her eyes.
The back door opened and Tracy could hear the sounds of Stacey coming in and the sounds of paws on the tiled floor of the backroom.
The ball of fluff came running into the living-room and he darted for Brooke who was the closest to the kitchen. “Gah!” Brooke exclaimed as he started licking her face, she managed to push him away and the dog changed targets and went racing for Sage, who ducked down into her sleeping bag.
“Duke!” Rachel called out. “Here boy!”
Tracy wasn't sure where the dog was, till there was a nose next to her ear and he began to lick her cheek. “Duke!” Stacey said as she came into the living-room. “Come here boy.”
Tracy rolled back over and watched as Stacey tried to pull the dog back to the kitchen, “Is he always like that?”
“Well...” Rachel said with a chuckle. “We are on the floor, that puts us in his level.”
“Dad never let us have a dog,” Tracy said. “Wonder if he would, well, when we get a place here.”
“Who knows.” Rachel replied as they got up.
“So, um, what are we doing today?”
“Mall,” Rachel said with a grin. “And this time, there should be no sudden surprises to scare you.”
“Cool.”
The mall was busy, but not as busy as it had been the week before Christmas. Tracy walked along with her friends and Lilian, while the girls moved from clothing store to clothing store. She didn't look much, just at a few things here and there.
As they girls went into a store, Rachel led Tracy over to a rack of earrings, “Hey, you should see about getting some earrings. All the girls our age have them.”
“Mom said she was thinking about it,” Tracy replied. “I mean she has a few sets that belonged to her Grandma and I get them, but I have to wait for something, I don't remember what though.”
“Well, you can always ask when she moves down here,” Rachel pulled her a bit closer. “Hey, what do you want to do this week? Anything fun?”
“Well, I got my class on Tuesday and Friday. Plus I got my appointments on Friday too. Other than that, I don't know,” Tracy answered. “I thought your mom works?”
“She does, so for some of the time, you'll be with Brooke's grandma. She said she wanted to teach you some stuff, so it works out, but you're staying at our house till Aunt Shelly and Uncle Frank get home.”
“Cool,” Tracy said, mustering the best smile she could.
“Come on, let’s go check out the music store. Maybe that will cheer you up.” Rachel said, hooking her arm around Tracy's to lead her to the door of the shop.
And there you go. The meaning behind two against the world. One child being forced to be two people and pitting against all the jerks of the world. Of course, this may not be it at all :)
Up next Valentine's day, 1983
Tracy smiled. “So I can do it?”
“Yes. Let's start now. Also we're thinking of taking you out to a nice dinner tonight, okay? For Valentine’s Day.”
“Okay. That was what Uncle Frank was talking about?”
“Yes, it was. So a nice dress for dinner if you want, or a good skirt and blouse, nothing too fancy, just a nice one will do.”
Edited by Djkauf
Valentines day, 1983
February 14th 1983
Tracy woke up to the sun peeking though the window of her bedroom at her Godparent's house in Livermore. She had only been in town for a couple of days, since her mother and Grandmother left on Friday and the feeling of loneliness was growing each day. The fear of never seeing her mother again kept growing as well. She didn't want to leave her friends on Sunday, but she knew they had school and she didn't, at least not one that she had to leave the house for. So she looked forward to that evening, when she got to go to Rachel's for the week.
She got up and headed downstairs, making sure to just head to the half bath near the kitchen. When she was done, she pulled out some cereal and started her morning with a cold breakfast. She didn't have the desire to make anything that morning, other than something simple. Her Aunt soon joined her while her Uncle Frank was in the kitchen, getting a final cup of coffee before work.
“Happy Valentine’s day.” Frank said, as he came out of the kitchen. He stopped long enough to kiss his wife on the cheek. “Hey Shelly, isn't today that ladies garden club thing you had?”
Shelly looked over at the calender and she groaned. “Yes.”
“What club thingy?” Tracy asked.
“I promised a ladies garden club that I'm a part of to be at Valentine’s luncheon today at noon and I said I'd bring a dish too.”
“Oh.” Tracy said. “Um, I can stay here if you need.”
“Give me a moment Tracy, maybe you can come with me.” Shelly said as she held up a finger as she got up and went to the phone.
“I'd take her babe, but you know I'm all over the place at work.”
“I can stay here, you do have MTV.” Tracy said again. “I could read and stuff too.”
“I know, but this can be good to get you out and meet people. There are some ladies there you may enjoy talking to. Lots of recipe swapping goes on at times.” That seemed to perk her up, slightly. Shelly went to the phone and dialed as Tracy sat there, trying to pick at her food. “Chloe, It's Shelly. I should be able to make it, I just have a question to ask. My Godchild is currently living with me and she's here today. Yes, she's here now. Eleven, almost twelve. Could I? Please? Thank you. And what do I need to bring? A salad? Is anyone else bringing a salad? Lucy? Okay, I'll see what she is doing. Okay. What about a desert? Do we need something in that department? Paula? Isn't she in Nebraska this week. I swear there was a wedding going on? Tell you what, let me put my head together with my Goddaughter and we can work on a desert too, but it will be a back up, okay? Beth almost always brings in a dessert, so a little extra won’t hurt us.”
Shelly hung up the phone after a few more minutes and then looked to her Goddaughter. “Tracy, we need to get to the store and buy a salad and a desert from the deli for the luncheon.”
“When is it?” Tracy asked.
“Noon.”
Tracy looked at the clock, and saw it was almost seven in the morning, then she looked to the kitchen where she thought of the different foods that had been bought a few days earlier. The thought of cooking something made the pain of missing her parents go away, just a bit. “Could we make something?”
“I'm not much of a cook, Tracy.” Shelly admitted.
“Grandma Modine taught me a couple neat salad ideas and I wrote the directions down. I also know a few deserts I was going to make for you and Uncle Frank as a thank you.”
“Okay, get the directions and we'll see if there is time.”
Tracy hopped out of her seat and raced for the stairs, taking them two at a time. A few minutes later she came running down the steps, almost sliding down several steps at one point, with a notebook under one arm. She ran up to her aunt and opened the notebook. “Here. Chicken pasta salad, or a ham cubed salad, both have pasta. And the other one is here. Chocolate caramel bars.” Tracy flipped the pages to a section marked with a paperclip and a front page that proclaimed it the deserts section.
“Well on that note, ladies, I will see you both later. Remember, be ready to go by four thirty okay?”
“Okay.” Shelly replied, leaving Tracy to wonder what was going on. She looked over the ingredients of all three items and nodded slowly. “We have all of this?”
“Yes. I was going to make the salad for you, Mom and Grandma, but I never got the chance and we had that left over chicken breast from last night. Plus there's the ham from two nights ago. I wanted to make the caramel bars for Uncle Frank, because he loves candy.”
“Looks like the most cooking is about fifty minutes, not to mention the pasta. Give it a couple hours to cool and we can shower.”
Tracy smiled. “So I can do it?”
“Yes. Let's start now. Also we're thinking of taking you out to a nice dinner tonight, okay? For Valentine’s Day.”
“Okay. That was what Uncle Frank was talking about?”
“Yes, it was. So a nice dress for dinner if you want, or a good skirt and blouse, nothing too fancy, just a nice one will do.”
It was just turning noon as they pulled up at a gated driveway with a side parking lot. They went to the parking lot and Shelly pulled in. Shelly got out of the van and went to the sliding backdoor as Tracy got out. She stopped to make sure Tracy's dress looked okay. It wasn't her nice pink one, but a nice one Rachel had passed on to her. “Now this is a ladies gardening club. They may go on about their plants, just be polite and let them talk. One of the ladies loves her roses and they're almost as important as her children and grandchildren.” Shelly pulled the van door open and reached in and grabbed the dessert and handed it to Tracy. “There are some unwritten rules to parties like this, but when you take some food, don't fill the plate and eat what you take. Take small portions, in case it's not too good or you don't like the taste, that way you don't look like you're wasting food, okay? If Beth is here, I'll bet she brought a dessert too, and you should try it, just to be courteous, she'll do the same for yours. If there's another salad, try it. If you were to eat just what you brought then you'd look like a snob. Ready?”
“Sure.” Tracy said and they headed to a small gate that led into the community. As they passed by the homes, Tracy looked around and was amazed by the size of the homes. “Wow.” She managed to say. There weren't many nice cars in the driveways, so she figured that they were off doing whatever rich folks did.
“Wow indeed. Maybe we can see if Chloe would let us take a tour of her home. Normally, we have the luncheons in the clubhouse. We hold them at noon so the women that work and want to come, can and since it's Valentine’s day, she won't do a dinner at night. Chloe feels that is for the couples only.” Shelly said as they stopped at the clubhouse. See the house at the end with the two empty lots on either side?”
Tracy looked down and saw a monstrous home there. “Yeah.”
“That's Chloe's home. She's the club’s president this year.”
“Wow.” Tracy said again. As they reached the door to the clubhouse, someone who was going in, held the door for them. They navigated a hall, then entered into a large room, almost twice as big as Tracy's last classroom, but it was full of older ladies.
Tracy stood there, as her short Godmother deftly navigated the partly crowded room. A woman about her mother’s age came over and smiled at her. “You must be Shelly's godchild. You are a pretty one, aren't you.” Tracy only nodded in agreement. “And shy. So adorable. Come on sweetie, bring that to the main table, I'll show you the way.”
The lady turned as they got to the main table and that was when Shelly realized she had left Tracy behind. “Sorry Tracy. I'm used to just moving through the crowd.”
“It's okay.”
“Here, Sweetie.” The woman who had taken her over said. “Lets put this right over here. What did you bring?” She asked, this time looking to Shelly as she placed the desert on the table.
“Ask Tracy, she's the one who made these.” Shelly replied, forgetting that the child was not used to situations like this and she only realized when she saw Tracy blush from embarrassment of being put on the spot.
The other lady noticed her discomfort. “Tracy, no one will hurt you here. You'll find we're quite friendly.”
“I'm sorry, Tracy. I'm used to these women and I forgot how scary things can get for the first time in a large crowd.” Shelly said.
“It's okay.” Tracy replied. “Just, you know, with everything that has gone on.”
Shelly nodded. “I know.”
“Something bad?” The woman who was with them asked.
Shelly decided to go with a watered down version for Tracy's sake. She knew too much would lead to questions, but too little would also lead to questions. “Nothing that is her fault. She's staying with Frank and me. There were problems in her hometown and someone was threatening Tracy and her mother, so Tracy's parents sent her to live with us till they get to move down here and get her a better life. Maggie is due down in a couple of weeks and William and their son are due down in June.”
“Someone threatened her?” The woman looked shocked. “Someone threatened this sweet little girl?”
“Yes, see back in November, Tracy caught a boy stealing at school, they had a fight and Tracy and the boy got suspended from school. The day before Tracy was to return to school, the boy attacked her and her grandmother, who has osteoporosis and Tracy managed to defend her grandmother till her mother and father got there. Since then, the boy's brother has tried to attack Tracy on several occasions. And there's a cousin that tried stuff, so Tracy came to us, for her safety.”
“I see. And with that and the move, you’re missing your parents and scared?” The woman asked as she looked to Tracy. Tracy nodded in agreement. “Well Tracy, you are safe in here. This is a room filled with mama and grandma lions. We even have a couple of Great grandma lions in here. No one will hurt you at all.” She gave her a warm, motherly smile. “I'm Chloe. Can you trust me?”
Tracy looked up at her, and nodded. The woman leaned over and gave Tracy's shoulder a friendly pat. “Now, let's see what delicious dishes you made us?”
Tracy uncovered the salad and as she showed off her dishes, she got a bit of courage built up, along with some pride. “This is a pasta salad, with chicken breast, it also has tomatoes, some onions come cucumbers, and an Italian dressing. We made another salad, which is pasta as well. It also has cucumbers onions, tomatoes, but this has cubed ham and ranch dressing.”
“Both sound very good, Tracy. I'll have to try them.”
“Thank you.” Tracy politely replied.
“Now what was in the cake pan.”
Tracy smiled a bit. Of the dishes, it was her favorite. “That's chocolate caramel bars. It has the chocolate and caramel. It's my grandmother’s recipe and it is really chewy.”
“Oh that sounds yummy.” A woman who was standing behind Tracy said. Tracy had been unaware to the woman's arrival and she jumped. “Oh, I'm sorry, sweetie. I didn't mean to scare you like that.”
“I just didn't know you were there.” Tracy admitted as she turned to look at her.
“Well, I do tend to sneak up on good food.” The woman joked. Tracy took a quick look at her and noticed that she was rather chunky. “In fact, I've never met a lot of food I hated.”
Tracy giggled. “Me too.” She knew she wasn't thin, and she did her best to watch what she ate, but here was a woman who seemed to not be uptight about being big, like some of the people that Tracy had seen back home.
“Tracy, I'm Bethany.” Beth held out a hand, which Tracy gently shook.
“Hello, Ma'am.”
Bethany shook her head. “Tracy, You can call me Bethany, or Beth, if you want, I won't mind.”
Tracy shook her head. “My mother always told me to use an adult’s proper name, not their first name. She said it's a sign of respect.”
“Maggie is quite firm on that.” Shelly added. “She is doing her best to raise Tracy to be a very polite young lady.”
“I see. From the looks of the food, I would say she is also a wonderful cook.” Beth said.
“From what Maggie told me, she is. Tracy's paternal grandmother and her mother have been teaching her to cook since August, and she's learning rather quickly. I hear she is getting to be really good on her own.” Shelly boasted. “In fact, for the past few months, she was doing the cooking for her house, so her parents had dinner when they came home. When Tracy visited in November, she was making eggs for us, not scrambled, but over easy for Frank. I could never do over easy.”
“Really. That's impressive. Not many people can do over easy. Well then I will have to sample some of those salads and those bars your brought with you.” Beth smiled at Tracy. “I'm actually responsible for the pecan blondies over there. But then I cheat.” She leaned a bit closer. “I am part owner to bakery with a deli in the downtown area.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I mainly watch the bakery side of things. Doughnuts, cakes, cookies, other confections and pastries. My brother works the deli. Sandwiches and soups and stuff like that. Our mother and Grandmother run the office and help in the kitchen. Shelly knows it well. It's Big Mama's bakery and deli. I wanted to call it Big Mama's buns, but my friends said that would be a bit dirty.”
“Beth, now do you want a big shock?” Shelly asked.
“What?” The larger woman asked.
“Do you recall Margret Richter? Her parents were Bernice and Marion and they lived in Castro Valley, just across the street from my house.” Shelly smiled.
Beth was quiet for a moment as she thought back into her past, then she nodded slowly. “Margret....yeah. Brown hair, had a sister and a younger brother, her father worked at the airport in 'Frisco. He worked with my Uncle, if I remember right. Her mother did all sorts of jobs. She was about average in height, I think, but hre mother was a giant. And Margret preferred Maggie, right?”
Shelly nodded. “Yes, she still does. Tracy is Maggie's youngest. She's Bernice's second of four grandchildren. She is also my Goddaughter.”
“Oh my God. Maggie's daughter?” The woman studied Tracy's face and pulled up a mental image of Maggie as a child. “She kind of reminds me of Maggie when we were kids. In the eyes, I think.”
“Tracy, Beth went to school with your mother and I, in Castro Valley when we were younger. Till we hit high school, then Beth moved with her parents to Livermore, that was before your mother moved to Los Angles. Her mother and Grandmother actually started Big Mama's, Beth and her brother got partial ownership they got out of high school.”
“Really?”
“Really.” Beth said. “I've always loved cooking and my brother is good in the kitchen and, so he runs the deli counter.”
“Wow, that sounds neat.”
“It can be. You should stop by sometime and I'll introduce you to him and my mother, if she's there.” Beth said with a smile. “And when your mother moves here, tell her I'd like to see her again, it's been far too many years.”
The luncheon had been going on for more then forty five minutes and several women had shown up from different places of work and a few had taken off already. Some of the people who worked at the clubhouse had also stopped by to mingle. Tracy had listened to many people talking and had been introduced to a lot of the people in the club, but she wanted a break, so she sat in a corner. Betty seemed to gravitate towards Tracy. She could see Tracy still looked a bit nervous. “Don't be shy young lady. No one will hurt you here.”
Tracy looked at the older woman, who had to be older then both her grandmothers and she still felt a little out of place. “I just don't want to get in the way of the conversations.”
“Well then, what if we have one of our own?” The old woman asked. “I'm Betty and I heard your Godmother talking earlier. You're from farmland north of here?”
Tracy nodded. “Yeah, we lived in a farming area. We used to have cows, pigs and chickens, but the cows kept getting out, so mom had dad get rid of them. Dad got tired of the chickens and pigs But we did have fifteen acres of olive trees. Plus we also had one fig tree, three apple trees and three pomegranate trees, oh and three pecan trees.”
“Olive trees? Oil or eating?”
“Oil.” Tracy stated. “I remember trying one as a kid and it tasted nasty.”
“They have to cure them first, well the eating ones that it.” Betty replied. “I'm actually from farm lands, too. When I was really young, I lived in Ohio, then in the great depression, we moved to California and we worked any type of field that we could. That's how we traveled, moving from state to state.”
“Wow.” Tracy exclaimed.
“It was a hard life at times. Living on the road. Working enough to buy gas and get to the next town, then you did it all over again, but when the second war broke out, things had just started looking up. I remember my father went off to war and I was so young, but so scared we'd never see him again. He was stationed in Hawaii when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. But he came back and life looked up after that.”
Tracy listened politely as the woman told her story and how she had seen the bay area bloom between the forties and sixties. She kept listening as Betty told her how she was unable to have children, then of the early death of her husband, which left her all alone. Tracy slowly found comfort in listening to her and wondered how good a grandparent Betty would have been. She was unaware that the luncheon was slowly reaching its end.
When the luncheon was over and the dishes were placed back in Shelly's vehicle, Chloe took Tracy and Shelly to her home to give a brief tour. As they got closer to it, Tracy was impressed with the size of the outside of it. A two car garage, with extra wide doors. A large fifth wheel by the side of the home. The front lawn was almost perfect. Not a weed in sight and the shrubs she had were pruned to a square shape. To either side of the house was a large lot, about the size of the lot the home they were in front of sat on. It was mostly dirt, but there were bags of fertilizer, some potted trees and other plants that were year round.
“See that lot?” Shelly pointed to one of the empty lots Tracy was looking at. “Chloe's husband bought that and the one on the other side, this way they could have more space. She has plans on making a large garden that you can start walking through in one yard, cross through her front yard and end in that one. They're thinking of bird baths and other decorations. I guess their neighbors wanted to fight it, till she pointed out that it meant no neighbor on that side of their home and less people in the community. Plus it will be a community type thing, but she has the biggest say in what will be planted and where.”
“Neat.” Tracy said as they headed up the sidewalk to the home and Chloe let them in. The first thing Tracy saw was the high ceiling. Off to her left was a living-room, that seemed to have more space it in then her parents whole home. The carpet looked new and she didn't want to go in.
“Sweetie, take off your shoes.” Chloe said. “We do that to keep the carpet clean and fresh.”
“Oh, okay.” Tracy said as she bent down and undid the laces on her shoes. When she was out of them, Chloe led them through the living-room and then into a dining room that was almost as big as her parents’ living-room, with a pair of long tables stretching through the room. “Is that one table?”
“No, it's actually two of the same style. See, I have a huge family and we do all the holiday meals here.”
“How big?” Tracy asked, looking at the numerous chairs at the table.
“Six brothers, two sisters and several nieces and nephews and that's just my side of the family. My husband has three sisters and all nieces so far. Lets just say at Christmas time, that table is full and we have a second table for the younger children.”
Tracy wasn't sure how to reply. The woodwork on the tables and chairs was impressive and a part of her felt bad for the children. She knew they wanted to be at the adult table at her family meals. She could only just imagine if her Dad had more brothers and sisters. She then pictured several tables, spread out through her grandmother’s home, with some people being forced to eat in the living room. She had to force herself to keep from laughing at the thought of people eating Christmas dinner, sitting on the beds in the guest room.
“And this is my kitchen. My personal workspace.” Chloe said as she led them into a room that seemed to be just slightly smaller than the living-room. In the middle of the room sat a long island, with a row of chairs pushed under a lip of the counter top. On the top was a sink, and a block of knives. Chloe went off to the side, where a table was surrounded by a bunch of windows. Tracy guessed it was what people called the breakfast nook. A large, six burner stove was on the main counter, along with a grill, that looked like an indoor barbeque. And a refrigerator that seemed to dwarf the one in her parents’ home. An over was just under the mammoth stove-top, but what confused the girl, was a second oven, stuck into what could have been cupboard space.
“Wow.” Tracy said, looking around.
“It's a nice kitchen, I know. I had it designed to my liking. I love to cook at the holidays and when you are feeding almost forty people, you need to be able to cook a lot of food.”
“Why do you have two ovens?” Tracy asked as she looked around the island and saw a cutting board, resting in a cubby hole, just under the island.
“Tracy, I have nine children. Three of them are adopted, but they are still my children. So when Christmas time comes around, I have to be able to feed over forty people.”
“This room is so huge.” Tracy said, gesturing to the area where a table sat for smaller family meals. “I think my parents’ living room and bedroom could fit in the space of this kitchen and that sun room.”
Chloe knew at this point, the wrong words could make her seem like a snob, which was a lesson she tried to teach her children, so she went with the truth. “See Tracy, I also had the house built this big, mostly to house my twelve children.”
“Twelve?!?” Tracy was shocked. She had heard of big families, but after it being just her and her brother, she couldn't imagine having seven siblings.
“What can I say. I just love big families.” Chloe said with a smile. “Seven are mine, but then we adopted the other five and we had to get a bigger home.”
“Wow.” Tracy said, now in awe of the woman and her giant kitchen.
An hour and a half later, a very tired Tracy walked back to the van. She had not been ready for the rounds of going from woman to woman and telling her story, or being doted on by all the ladies her grandmother’s age, or in the age range of great-grandmothers. She wasn't ready for the almost hour long tour of the nice home. She was impressed at the house, but mostly in awe of the kitchen and how much space it had.
Her salads had gone over well, with just a little bit left over. Her dessert was gone, although she had managed to try a couple of Beth's blondies and some of the tiny sandwiches. She was still a little hungry too, something Shelly seemed to know.
“You want to grab something to eat? You didn't seem to get much.”
“Everyone kept talking to me. And the sandwiches are so tiny.” Tracy replied.
Shelly nodded as she unlocked the van's passenger door. “It happens. Luncheons seem to be like grazing for humans. I don't think I've ever left one and been full.”
“So, it's a gardening club, what do they do?”
Shelly had to stop and think about the answer and the best way to describe it. She unlocked her door and both ladies got into the van, but Shelly didn't start it right away. “Well, they get together, talk about their plants, they share ideas and during the year they have garden tours.”
“Garden tours?” Tracy asked.
Shelly nodded once again. There was so much she knew she had to show Tracy. Livermore was a bigger world then she was used to and she hoped that they could point her into the direction of greatness by time she got old enough. “That's where we go to a garden, either one worked on by city parks, or a member of the club and we take a tour.”
“And that's all?”
“Well, we do have monthly meetings. Third Monday of every month. In those we talk about plants, new gardening ideas, show pictures of gardens and a whole bunch of other things.”
“Cool.” Tracy said as Shelly started the van.
Shelly put it into gear and began pulling out. “Is this something you'd like to think about? They just don't talk about growing flowers. You will find that some of the ladies have very nice vegetable gardens. They have been known to trade vegetables before. Plus recipes do get traded at some of the meetings.”
“Could....could I think about it?”
“Sure. Now I want to know, would you like to try out Big Mama's? It's only a few minutes from here. We could get a sandwich at the deli and that could tide us over to dinner.”
“Okay.”
Five minutes later Shelly was pulling into the lot behind a line of stores that lined the main street through downtown. As Tracy got out, she noticed Beth a few cars over, who looked at them and laughed. “Hey Lady! Are you following me?”
“No. I just wanted to show Tracy the downtown and maybe get a small bite to eat to tide us over till dinner tonight.”
“Hey, Mark is here. Tracy, could I take in some of your salads, so he can try them?”
“Well, there's a little of the one with chicken left.”
“Could I let him try it? I did manage to smuggle one of your chocolate bars too, so he could give it a try.”
“Sure. You won't get in trouble for taking it in there, will you?” Tracy asked, pointing to a sign that told them of no outside food or drinks would be allowed.
“I'm a co owner and I can just say we've got to try a recipe that we may ask to buy from you.” Beth said. “So, yes, we can take it in.”
Beth led Tracy and Shelly though a small door with the name of the deli on it. As they walked down a long thin hall, they passed a bathroom, and a door marked for bakery staff only. She led them all the way through to the front of the deli. “Hey, Mark.”
Tracy looked over and she saw a big man, not tall, but plump, with dark hair, slicked back and covered by a hairnet. “Beth. Shelly.”
“Is Mom here?”
“Yeah, she's trying out a couple of new ideas she had, she and Grandma are in the back.”
“Good. This is going to blow her mind.”
“What?” Mark asked.
“Remember when we were kids and lived in Castro Valley, down the road from Shelly?”
“Yeah, what about it?” He asked. He looked over at the young girl who looked like someone from his past but he couldn't put a name to the face.
“Remember the Richter family? They lived across from Shelly? Bernice and Marion? They had two daughters, Margret, Alice and Dan?”
“Yeah. I remember them. She liked to be called Maggie, right? Dan was a pain in the ass, too.”
“Yep. This is Maggie's daughter, Tracy. Shelly's goddaughter.”
“Little Maggie's girl?” Mark said as he came around the counter. Tracy was glad the place was mostly empty, due to all the extra attention. “Wow, she kinda looks like her, doesn't she?”
“That's what I thought. And what's better, is she's a good little cook.” Beth held out the bowl. “This is a pasta salad with chicken. Give it a try. We'll let Mom and Grandma try some too, if Tracy don't mind?”
“I don't.”
“Here, come on and lets put you at the counter. That get's you closer to the kitchen.”
Mark went into the back and a few minutes later, two more woman had come out and Tracy's identity was revealed once more. Then they started tasting the salads. “This is nice. A nice, simple salad, with chicken and not overbearing on the dressing. How quickly did you make this?”
“Half an hour? I made a lot of pasta and split it between two salads.”
“Now try this. This is a chocolate and caramel bar, made with German chocolate cake.”
He took a bite, then he made the sound of a very contented man. “Now those are good.” He stated. Tracy smiled proudly.
“Could we possibly get the recipe from you?” Beth's mother asked as she tried one of the bars.
“I...um...well, it's not mine.”
Shelly saved Tracy from the decision. “The recipes are her grandmother’s, so we'd have to ask Modine the next time we talk to her, but I promise we'll ask.”
“Thank you. We'd even give her credit with the name.”
It was just past five in the evening and Tracy sat in the backseat of Frank's daily driver. She knew that her godparents were taking her to a nice place to eat, but her confusion began to grow when they headed East and out of Livermore. It got worse as they passed through the town of Tracy. Finally, ten miles out of Tracy, the town, Tracy, the girl, decided to question their destination.
“Um....Uncle Frank? I thought we were going out to eat? Why'd we leave town?”
Instead of answering, he turned up the radio a bit more and he began to act like he couldn't hear her, but smiling while he did it. Shelly playfully tapped him in the arm and gave him a halfhearted glare. He sighed and looked in the mirror. “We've heard of a nice restaurant out of town and I like to take your Aunt out to new places on Valentines day. Since you're here too, we decided a nice meal out at a classy place. I'll warn you, it's going to be a nice place, not like fast food or anything like that.”
“Oh, okay.” Tracy replied and she decided to just pay attention to the passing scenery. The trip seemed to fly by and she didn't realize that they had pulled into Sacramento, until she saw the downtown area with the old Train museum. A few moments later, they were pulling into a somewhat packed parking lot. Frank found a parking spot and turned the car off.
Frank got out and Shelly held up a hand and looked over her shoulder as Tracy was about to open her car door. “Wait, young lady. Let the gentlemen open your door.”
She watched her Uncle open up her Aunt's door, then she realized someone had opened her door. She sat and stared as her father held out a hand to help her out of the car. He stood there in a nice dress shirt and a tie. “Daddy!!!” She exclaimed as she rushed out of the car, in a very unladylike maneuver and hugged her father.
“Hello, young lady.” William said as he hugged his daughter, then kissed her forehead.
“Do I get a hug?” Maggie asked as she walked up to them. She was in a dress, something she rarely wore.
“Mom!” Tracy launched herself into her mothers arms. Vance walked over and Tracy gave out one last hug.
“You act like you haven't seen us in a week or so.” William said with a smile.
“Well, I haven't seen you in a week or so, Dad.” Tracy replied.
“Come on, let's go get inside.” William said, then he looked to his daughter. “So did you have a good day today?”
“Yeah. Aunt Shelly took me to a lunch thing where some garden club was meeting and I got to take a salad I made and my chocolate caramel bars.”
“Sounds like a busy day.”
“Busy and fun.” Tracy said with a happy smile. She reached out and took her father’s hand, letting Vance walk with their mother. “But this is the best part of the day, so far.”
William hadn’t realized just how much he had missed Tracy, till dinner. It had taken a trade with another forklift driver just to get him out of the door at work to make it in time. His schedule seemed to be changing on a daily basis. But he knew he could do it. He had to last till June, for his family.
But for the time being, he was glad to be sitting around a table with all of them again. Sure, Shelly and Frank were there too, but he made sure that he had both children on either side of him, just to remind himself why he had to endure. They had extended the offer to his parents and in-laws, but the four of them decided to have a quiet meal in Oroville.
Tracy had already gone over everything that had happened while Maggie and Bernice had been there and now she was busy going over the events of the weekend and her Tai Chi class and talking almost non-stop. “And they got the coolest little puppy. It's a German Shepherd or something like that. We got to walk it outside, we got to clean up after it, which is nasty, but it's a cute puppy. He woke up Brooke and Rachel by licking their faces the next morning and then he danced all over my sleeping bag. And I got to see something called a Nimitz freeway when we got Casey from school. It's a big school, everyone uses sign language there. I guess they have students that live there. Could you imagine living at school? That would be weird and what happened is you want to leave for the day and oh yeah, Brooke will teach me Mandarin, that's like Chinese, so I can stay in Shifu Jaio's class and they showed me a catalog of uniforms and we ordered one, I have to help around their house to pay for it, which is cool, cause Shifu Lok is teaching me how to stir fry on Tuesday, after class.”
William just shook his head when she finally stopped. “How do you do that?”
“What?” Tracy asked, now confused.
“You've been talking for almost five minutes straight. You don't breathe anymore?” William smiled at her, so she knew he was just joke, but she slumped her shoulders.
“I was just telling you everything that happened.” She said, looking like a child who had been scolded. “I just thought you'd want to hear.”
William moved over in his seat and he put an arm around her and pulled her close. “I wasn't making fun of you. I was just impressed that you could do it. I've missed this. Sitting at the table and talking to my beautiful daughter. I care a lot about you and if it makes you happy, then talk and. And soon, we'll be able to do this more often, all of us around the table in our own home in the bay area.”
Halfway back to Livermore, Tracy fell asleep in the backseat. Frank looked in his rear-view mirror and shook his head. “Poor kid, tired herself out again. At least Maggie will be down here in a couple of weeks.”
“And we know Rachel won’t give her much rest tonight.” Shelly stated.
“Yeah. Poor kid will probably fall asleep in the middle of a movie or something.” Frank said with a chuckle. “Are you sending her school stuff with her?”
“Yeah. Lynn and Jaio will try and help her out as much as they can while we're gone.”
“Good.” Frank nodded. “And when we get back, I'll take over the math. I'm good with it, that and science.”
“Thank you, Frank.” Shelly said and she put her hand over his.
Monday February 14th 1983 evening
Frank had stopped at their house long enough to get everyone's bags for the next few days, then they headed over to Lance's house. Tracy was met at the door by Rachel and her mother, and while the adults talked, Rachel dragged Tracy up to her room.
“Hey, you never met Mittens, did you?” Rachel said as she gestured to her bedroom. Across the hall was another room, with the door closed and loud music coming through it.
“Mittens?” Tracy asked as they entered the room, Tracy’s bed was already made, but a calico kitten was sleeping on the pillow.
“Meet Mittens. Mittens the kitten. We got her for Christmas. She likes my room and Jamie is doing homework, and Mittens attacks her as she writes.” Tracy was about to comment on not seeing her, but then she remembered being at Sage and Brooke's homes during her visit in January.
Tracy sat on the bed and the tiny kitten came over and sniffed at her. “Scratch behind her ears, she loves it.”
Tracy put down her pack and scratched the kitten's ears, making it purr loudly. The kitten then proceeded to climb into her lap and lay down. “Well, clearly you pass that test. She must love you.”
“Is she as wild as Stacey's dog?”
“Well, don't have any strings dangling down and you should be fine.” Rachel said with a nod of her head. “But she loves some of her cat toys. We can play if you want.”
“Maybe tomorrow.”
“You wanna go watch some MTV, if Dad isn't watching TV?”
“Sure, I guess.”
“Wanna get in your night clothes?” Rachel asked.
“Nah, I can wait.”
A little more fluff. Next up, back to the lives of Tracy and Maggie and how well they cope apart from each other
“Molly? Assaulted....she assaulted a child?” Lionel asked, now very confused. He leaned back in his seat, stunned. The only time she had ever struck a child was when Scotty wouldn't mind her. Then he remembered the day his daughter had left, he knew Molly had slapped her a couple of times, but that was at home and not some stranger. “What happened?”
“Well, we have some questions and we need some answers to fill in the blanks.” Deputy Cooley said.
“Okay. I answer what I can.”
The deputy opened up a small note pad. “First of all, has your wife had any contact with a woman named Maggie Patterson, or her child, Troy?”
Edited by Djkauf
This time I focus on Molly Hallmark,and her children. Tracy shall be back next post.
February 7th 1983
Lionel Hallmark sat at the desk in his office, working over the accounts and making sure everything was up to date. His work was interrupted when someone knocked at his office door. He looked up to see a secretary for his department standing there and two Sheriff’s deputies behind her. A mix of confusion and fear began to dance in his mind. He could only expect that there had been a problem and Molly had been hurt while doing her errands, or problems at school and the boys were hurt. He knew if it concerned his eldest, the daughter his wife refused to talk to or about, his brother would have called him. He waved at the secretary and she opened up the door..
“Mr. Hallmark? These officers want to talk to you.”
“Send them in.” He said, standing up.
“Mr. Hallmark? I'm Deputy Cooley of the Butte County Sheriff’s department. This is Deputy Combs. We're here concerning your wife, Molly Hallmark.”
“Oh God.” He whispered. His mind went into overdrive and he fell back into his seat. He had never received a visit from any law officer that wasn't a bad one, so his mind went for the worst. “Was there a wreck? Did she get hurt somewhere? Is she at the hospital?”
“Mr. Hallmark, please, slow down. I assure you there was no accident or anything like that. I can tell you that there was an altercation between your wife and a trio of children. When we got on the scene, your wife had just assaulted three children and we had to arrest her.”
“Molly? Assaulted....she assaulted a child?” Lionel asked, now very confused. He leaned back in his seat, stunned. The only time she had ever struck a child was when Scotty wouldn't mind her. Then he remembered the day his daughter had left, he knew Molly had slapped her a couple of times, but that was at home and not some stranger. “What happened?”
“Well, we have some questions and we need some answers to fill in the blanks.” Deputy Cooley said.
“Okay. I answer what I can.”
The deputy opened up a small note pad. “First of all, has your wife had any contact with a woman named Maggie Patterson, or her child, Troy?”
Lionel slumped his shoulders. He mentally kicked himself for not stopping her. He knew she could get bothered by gays and the way she had been ranting on the phone to her friends about Troy should have worried him, but he figured it would blow over. He didn't want to lie, for fear of going to jail, so he went with the truth. “Yes. My son brought home a picture of Troy about two weeks ago and Molly wasn't happy with it. I know she went to the Patterson home with ladies from the church to make sure that Troy wasn't a threat to other children in the town, but she told me that Maggie threw her out and was quite combative.”
“Picture?” The younger of the officers asked.
“Yeah, someone took pictures of the Pattersons and it's gotten bad.” The older of the two looked at Mr. Hallmark. “The picture you had was just the tip of the iceberg. Someone was sending them to the Patterson's work place and to the home, plus they left them at the school and sent them to different homes, all with threats on them. Are you aware that at least four people have gone on record saying that on that day your wife went to their home, she threatened to run the Patterson family out of town, no matter what?”
Lionel raised his eyebrows in surprise as he sank into his seat. “No. She never told me that.” He began to think of how worked up she had been four years earlier and he could only see troubles ahead for Maggie and her family.
“Mr. Hallmark, do you know a Billy O'Brien?”
Lionel thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. “No, the name doesn't sound familiar.”
“You may not be aware of this, but your wife has been questioned once before, by a different deputy. We will have to make sure there is no connection between your family and the O'Brien's and Millett's, because there have been previous threats towards the Patterson family over these pictures.”
Lionel shook his head in dismay. He wasn't sure what to do, if he could do anything. “Tell me, how badly did she hurt the children?”
“Well, one of our deputies is with them now, but it looked like bruises mostly and a big scare, but when she tried to separate the children, one was thrown into a candy rack and her sister was shoved to the floor. The younger of the two girls is almost six years old. From what your wife insisted, Troy was molesting those girls, but they were in a busy gas station and no one there saw Troy or those girls acting improperly. In fact several of the people only knew there were kids in the store, when your wife attacked them.”
“Is she in jail now? Can I post her bail or anything?”
“We have deputies taking her to County Mental health to make sure that she is sound because she was ranting and screaming at the child.”
“Would I be able to see her?” He asked.
Deputy Combs looked to his partner, who had dealt with the mental health facility more then he had. Deputy Cooley shook his head. “Maybe not. Usually the group in Chico wants a day or two to interview the patients and make sure that intimate family will not cause an outburst.” He pulled out a card and handed it to Mr. Hallmark. “But call that number. I have no doubt they will want to talk to you as well. You may know something that could help with her time there. You could try calling today, but I'm not sure when they'll be able to interview her.”
“Are there any charges being filed?”
Deputy Cooley nodded. “Yes. Because of the ages and the fact that your wife made two attempts to get to Troy Patterson, plus shoving the girl into the candy rack, both of the parents are pressing assault charges.”
“Does that mean jail time?”
“It could. You would have to talk to the District Attorney to figure out what could happen.”
“Okay. I'll see about contacting our lawyer for her.”
Lionel had made a quick call and made sure that the usual babysitter could go to the house and make sure the boys didn't get into trouble. He had no way of leaving work two hours early. Then he looked up the number for the Butte County Mental health in Chico. It only took a ring or two for someone to pick up the phone.
“Excuse me, My name is Lionel Hallmark and I was calling about my wife, Molly Hallmark. I hear she was taken there earlier this afternoon?”
“Ah, one moment please.” The voice said. After a moment or two, he heard someone pick up the phone.
“Hello, I am Doctor Knowles, is this Lionel Hallmark?”
“It is.” He replied. “I heard my wife was taken there?”
“Yes Sir. She is here right now, but we haven't had a chance to interview her yet.” The doctor replied.
“So when is the soonest I can see her?” Lionel asked.
“Give us a day. We have a seventy-two hour observation period and I would like to calm her down. If you can bring over some clothes, maybe we can have you visit her tomorrow.”
Lionel nodded then wrote out a quick note to take clothes. “You'll allow street clothes?”
“Yes, as long as it's not vulgar or suggestive.”
“No, none of her clothes are like that. Jewelry?”
“No, no jewelry is allowed except earrings, but even then, we try to keep our patients from wearing those. We do have what she was wearing in our safe, so there isn't a theft problem.”
Lionel nodded again and noted the jewelry rule. “Can I bring our children with us?”
“I'd like to observe just you with her first. With her attacking children, I need to make sure that all children, even your own, are safe.”
Again he made another note and a part of him wondered how he could get to Chico and not take the boys, or how to keep this from them. “Okay. Could I go there after work tomorrow? I do work until five.”
“Well, our normal visiting hours end at six, but we may extend it for you, just this once.” The Doctor said. “I also would like to speak to you. Sometimes the loved ones can bring in an interesting perspective that we don't get from the patient.”
“Okay. Well, I'll see about leaving work early then. That way I can get to the house....” Lionel paused and then asked. “Should I tell the boys?”
“I can't answer that, but I can say they could resent you if you hide this for too long. You could tell then she is under some stress and in currently not feeling well, which may be an accurate statement. But for now, you could tell them she is in a hospital. That is also true.”
“Okay. Thank you Doctor.”
Lionel got to the house and found his kids sitting at the table, while the girl from down the road cooked dinner. “Dad!” Robbie exclaimed as he shot out of his chair and ran over to hug his father. “Where is Mom? Is she sick or something?
“Your mom isn't feeling well right now...” He paused for a moment, and decided to go with what the doctor suggested. “She's at a hospital, getting some rest.”
Robbie interrupted his father before he could continue. “Can we go see her?”
Lionel shook his head. “Not yet. The doctors want her to relax a little bit, before she has visitors.”
“Oh.” Robbie said and he seemed to deflate a bit. Lionel felt bad about not telling him the whole truth, but even he didn't know the whole truth.
He went to his room and changed, headed back to the kitchen. He was quiet through dinner, then he had the boys do the dishes as he walked Marcy to the door. As they stepped out. The teen turned to him and asked. “Why did she do it?”
“What?” Came the intelligent response from Mr. Hallmark.
“My Dad was at the store. He said Mrs. Hallmark was yelling and screaming that some little kid was raping two girls in public. Said she was crazy and trying to attack anyone who got in the way.”
“I don't know, Marcy.” Lionel honestly replied. “I really don't know, but can you keep this a secret? Till we figure out what happened? The boys don't need to know this. And could you ask your father to not say anything? I don't need the boys being picked on at school for this.”
“I'll tell him. He's not one for gossip anyway, he only told me when you called to watch the boys.”
“Okay. Well you get home and I do need your help tomorrow too, okay?”
“Sure. I don't mind watching the boys.”
February 8th 1983
Scotty and Robbie broke off from the other kids that got off at their bus stop as they reached their gated driveway. The two boys waved to their neighbor, who was sitting on her porch, watching the kids return from school, like she always did. Robbie picked up the newspaper that sat in the paper box, then he pulled out the mail from the mail box and the two boys headed to the house.
“I wonder if we can see Mom today.”
“Who knows.” Scotty replied. “Maybe, maybe not.”
“I'm gonna change.” Robbie said as he put the paper and mail on the counter and he headed off for the bedroom. Scotty picked up the paper and began rummaging though it for the comic section. The boys knew that they had to get to it before their father, or the paper would disappear and they'd never get to see the funny pages.
Scotty looked at the front page article about an attack at a local gas station. He was about to flip the paper to the comics section when he caught a name that made him stop. He straightened out the paper and read it again. “Molly Hallmark.” He started at the top of the article and read down, seeing how she was arrested for assaulting a minor in public.
“Can I have the comics, please?” He heard his brother ask as the younger boy walked down the hall and Scotty quickly folded the paper to hide the article and handed his brother the comics section. He wasn't sure why he hid it, but now his mind was really starting to question what was going on.
Scotty had been trying to catch his father alone, as Lionel rounded up some clothes for his wife, but Robbie stayed in the room. Even when the babysitter called them for dinner, the younger boy stayed, till Lionel sent them to the kitchen. Scotty held back and waited for his Dad to step out of the house, and he followed.
“Dad?” Scotty asked as he followed his Dad to the car, holding the newspaper under his arm. “Where is mom, really?”
“I told you, she's in the hospital because she isn't feeling well.” Lionel said. He was about to get in the car and he paused. Scotty had never been on the best of terms with his mother, he was a daddy's boy. So he wondered where the concern came from. “Why?”
Scotty opened up the newspaper and unfolded it to show his father the article. “I saw this in the paper today. “ His dad scanned the story then he shook his head.
“Oh no.” Lionel uttered. He was sure the calls would start coming in from all the people in church, wondering what happened. “Has Robbie seen this? You know how much he adores your mother.”
“No. I...I hid it from him and just let him take the comic section.” Scotty replied.
“Okay. I'll let you know.” Lionel sighed. “I am taking clothes to your mother, but for right now, she's not in county jail. She's being checked out at county mental health.”
“The funny farm?”
Lionel nodded, but didn't correct his son. “Yeah. I was given permission to see her today, and the doctor wanted to talk to me.”
“What about us?”
Lionel shrugged. “We'll see. For now, they want to limit the amount of time she has with children. But do me a favor and make sure that Robbie doesn't find out. When I get home, I'll talk to both of you tonight, I promise.”
“Dad, why did she do it?” Scotty asked. “I mean it says she attacked a kid in public, possibly two. Why?”
“I don't know. But I'll find out.” Lionel said. “But for now, go get some dinner and I'll tell Robbie when I get home.”
Lionel stopped at the door, with the suitcase in hand. After ringing the bell, a man came over and used a two way system to find out who he was. He was let in, but they went to a desk first and the people opened up the suitcase, and checked through it, informing him they had to make sure that it was just clothes and not something that could be made into a weapon.
A moment or two later, a Doctor came over and held out a hand. “Mister Hallmark?”
“Yes...Doctor Knowles?” He asked as he shook the Doctor's hand.
“Yes. No doubt you wish to see your wife, but could I speak to you first. She's currently having dinner in the main cafeteria.”
“Has this been a problem before?” The Doctor asked. “An open conflict with people in public? I was informed she was yelling that the child would rape other kids?”
“No, that I recall. I mean she has spanked the boys, but only when they did something really bad. She's never....” He said, then trailed off as he recalled the ladies at the church. “Wait. There was a pair of ladies that went to church with us and Molly was a little on edge and did her best to get them to leave. But to be honest, I just thought they lived together. I didn't know if there was any relationship going on.”
“Could you explain that for me? What happened?”
“There were two women who went to our church about four or five years ago. They had both separated from their husbands and moved in together. I thought they were just living together to save money on bills. But Molly insisted that they were closer than that and living in sin. She was quite vocal against them and she did her best to get them to leave the church. She kept saying the children were in danger. Last I knew the ladies left town, but I don't know where they went to. But she never openly beat someone.”
“She was put in here for assaulting a child, but to be honest, she hasn't given me much information to work on. I can see her trying her best to not get mad, but it is still there.”
Lionel leaned back and shook his head. “From what I heard, I know the child she attacked. See, there was a picture that went around our son's school and Molly saw it. To say the least, Molly has never liked Gay and lesbians.”
"What was the picture of?”
“It was of a boy who used to go to our church and that family left when Molly helped run the two ladies out. But the boy was in a dress. I don't understand why she did anything. It was just a boy in a dress. We haven't even talked to that family in years...well, I haven't.”
“What do you mean by that?” The Doctor asked.
“Well, my son brought the picture home and showed it to Molly and me. Molly took control of the situation and told Robbie and Scotty to never talk to the boy or his brother again. But then I heard that she went to the Patterson house that Saturday and from what Molly Said, Maggie was hostile and threw her out of the house. But to be honest, I'm starting to second guess a lot of what Molly has said. I mean if someone came to our house and wanted to complain about Robbie, I know Molly would get upset.”
“Sure. Most mothers are very protective of their young.”
“But what I was told by the cops is that she threatened to run them out of town or make them wish they had left.”
“Okay, that does help. Anything else?”
“Not that I know of.” Lionel said with a shrug.
“Okay. Well, if you remember something, please, call me. But for now, let me get your wife.”
“Okay.” Lionel said. He waited in the room for a couple of minutes, till the door opened up and Molly stepped in. She gasped when she saw him.
Molly jogged to her husband, who was unsure of his feelings for her as of right now. He had been told what had happened at the gas station and he wasn't sure what had forced her to attack the child. He knew she was a bit high strung when it came to gays on TV, but he had never seen his wife attack a child. She had spanked Scotty and Robbie when they got out of line, but never someone else's child. He still embraced her as she fell against his chest.
“Oh Lionel, this is all a big misunderstanding. Tell the Doctor and see if I can go home. Please?”
“I can't.” He replied. “I asked and they said you have to be here seventy two hours, by law.”
“This isn't fair!” Molly exclaimed. “I didn't do anything wrong! I know what I saw!”
“Molly, relax. You have to calm down.” Lionel instructed. “They are not here to keep you a captive. But you have to be honest and talk to them.”
“Lionel, I just want to go home. This isn't my fault.”
He decided to change the topic, or she would keep begging him. “I did manage to bring you some clean clothes.”
“Oh thank you. These are in a good need of cleaning.” She said as he handed her the suitcase. “Do the boys know?”
“Well...” Lionel decided to lie and not get her worked up. “Not that I know. I only told them that you're in a hospital and in need of peace and quiet to get better.”
“I miss them.” She said. “I could barely get to sleep last night. I missed tucking them into bed.”
“Well, maybe we can get you out of here soon.” Lionel said. He didn't want to bring up the possible trial that would happen.
Lionel came into the house and he found his eldest at the kitchen table, doing some homework, while his youngest was reading from his bible. He stopped near Marcy and slipped her the pay for her babysitting and walked her to the door, then he went into the kitchen, where both of his children were at.
“Robbie, I need to talk to you about some things that are happening, Scotty found out already, but I want him in here.”
Lionel wasn't sure how to break this to his son. To Robbie, there was no greater person on the planet then his mother, aside from God. “Yesterday, while your mother was doing her errands, there was an incident at a gas station. Your mother has been under some stress the past couple of weeks and she got mad at someone and there was a fight. Your mother was arrested but she's not in jail.”
“But....but you said she was in the hospital....”
“She is in a hospital, son. They had to take your mother to the Mental health hospital in Chico. They think she's been under a lot of stress.” Lionel said. “Now don't go thinking that she doesn't love you, because she asked when she could see you, both of you. But I can't take you there until the doctors say it's okay. If I can, would you want to see her?”
Robbie thought about it for a moment, then nodded his head, so did his brother. “Yeah. So....she still loves us?”
“Yes, in fact she asked how you two were.”
“She did?” Robbie asked.
“Yes, she did.” His father replied. “I'll let you know the day I can take you there, but we can't go until the Doctor says it's okay.”
“Okay.” Robbie said. He was hurt. He missed his mother already and to know she wasn't even in town, that hurt him too, but he was sure his father was telling the truth. “Dad, did she do it? You said she fought someone?”
“We're not sure what happened. So until I find out from the police, I don't want to guess. I know it's in the paper, and kids at school may say something, but until they do, just go about your business.
“Can I see the paper?” Robbie asked. “Please?”
Lionel wanted to say no, but his sons had a right to know what other children would know. He handed the paper to his son, who read it, out loud an with help from his brother. When he stopped, he looked to his dad. “It says children, there were more than one?”
“Yes. There were three kids involved.” Lionel stated.
“Did they attack mom, or something like that?” Robbie asked.
“I don't know, son. I'm just not sure.”
Scotty cut off his brother from asking more questions. "Dad, who was it?"
Lionel sighed and decided to just tell them all of it. "It was Troy Patterson. I don't know the name of the other two kids, but your mother attacked Troy."
"Troy? From the picture?" Robbie asked, and his father nodded.
"Yes, that Troy."
"Did she attack him because he was wearing a dress?"
Lionel shrugged. "I just don't know."
"Can we see her?"
"I'll see about tomorrow, okay?" Lionel said.
The phone rang and Lionel leaned over in his seat and picked up. The usual joy was out of his voice, as he had received several calls asking if what they read in the papers was true. “Hallmark's.”
“Lionel, this is June, is it true? That story in the paper?”
“I'm afraid so, June. She was arrested yesterday.”
“Is she getting bail? Should I go to the jail and see how she's doing?”
He knew June was his wife's best friend even though there was an age difference of almost thirty years. He also knew that June had contacts though the county, including a son who was a judge, and Godparent to his Robbie and Scotty. So he decided to come clean, hoping that June had an answer to the questions he had. “June, she is in Chico, at the Mental Health. They took her because, from what the cops told me, she was ranting and trying to get at the child.”
“So it was a child....do you know who?” June asked. A part of her had guessed it already and she wasn't sure she wanted confirmation.
“It was Troy Patterson. But she also hurt two other kids, friends of Troy's.”
“Troy? Maggie Patterson's child?” June asked.
“The same. From what I heard, she saw Troy with two girls, one of them was six, the other twelve and she got mad when the girls hugged him and she threw one girl into a candy rack and shoved the other girl backwards, but neither was hurt too badly.”
“And Troy?”
“From what I heard, a few blows to the head, but he blocked them, till Troy's grandma stepped in and stopped Molly from hitting him.”
“Modine? She's so frail...”
“I just know what the officers told me.”
“How long is she going to be in mental health?”
Lionel shrugged, which she couldn't see, be he leaned back in his seat. “Who knows. The doctor knows she is hiding something and telling him what he wants to hear. They can hold her for seventy two hours, then after that is her arraignment.”
“Do you need help with bail?”
“June, I don't know if I want to. I mean she attacked three children in public, in full view of almost ten people. Do I want her around the boys? You know how mad Scotty makes her. What if something he does makes Molly slip?”
“But those are her boys, they are her life.”
“June, she attacked three children in public.” Lionel was about to continue, when he stopped and had to question one thing. “June, I need to know. When she left the Patterson home a couple of weeks ago, did she threaten the Pattersons? The Deputies said they have it on record that she threatened to run them out of town. Is she doing the same thing she did to those two woman a couple of years ago?” June was silent for several seconds and Lionel had to get her talking. “June, this is my wife we're talking about. Robbie's already broken up that it's in the paper that she hurt someone. He's starting to question everything she has ever told him. Please tell me. Did she threaten Maggie's family?”
After another moment of silence, June finally answered, in almost a whisper. “Yes. She did.”
“Why June? You've know her and her family for sometime. Why attack some child over wearing girls clothes?” Lionel asked, trying to find some reasoning as to his wife's hatred of gays. “Why is she doing this again? Four years ago, she got so involved in getting those women to leave the church while claiming she was trying to save the children of the town. Why is she doing this? Now that she attacked a child, how long till CPS comes to check on the boys?”
“I don't know, Lionel. I never thought she would have done that.”
“I visited her tonight.” Lionel admitted. “She wouldn't talk about it much, she just kept saying they got it all wrong. That she was protecting those girls. That's the same thing she said a few years back.” He added. “June, is this just the start?”
“I....I don't know.” She said. “I really don't know.”
February 9th 1983
“Now I want you to promise to be on your best behavior. No making fun of anyone, no pointing and try to keep to ourselves. We may have to talk to the doctor before or after we speak with your mother, okay. Can you two be good?”
Both of his boys nodded, so he pointed for the door. Robbie had a few pieces of paper with him, just notes to his mother on how much he missed her. Scotty had a letter as well, written at his father’s request.
Lionel pressed the call button and a man in white clothing came over and pressed the button that opened up the two way communication. “Yes?”
“I'm here to see Molly Hallmark? I'm her husband Lionel, these are our children, Scotty and Robbie. Doctor Knowles said it was okay to bring them.”
“Just one moment.” The man said. He went away from the door, but returned a few moments later and pressed a button that caused a loud clicking sound. “Step on in.” His voice called through the speakers. Lionel; opened the door and gestured for his kids to walk through, as the man turned to keep an eye on the people inside the main room that attached to the entryway.
“I'll take you to the visitation room. The doctor wants to speak to you all, then we'll bring your wife in. She's currently at dinner, so this gives you a few minutes to talk.”
Lionel had told the boys to not mention the attack, or ask when she was leaving. He didn't want risk her losing her temper and attacking the boys, or making her depressed. The visit went well and when they reached the end, She took the time to hug each of them and sent them on their way, while wishing she was going with them.
They were on their way out of the facility when Scotty asked his father. "Dad, did she really do it?"
"I don't know."
"Will she come back home?" He asked.
"I want her to come home." Robbie replied.
"Boys, it's all up to the courts. With what she did, she has to answer for hurting those children." Lionel said. "I know you love and miss your mother, but there are reasons we have laws in this county.
Scotty now wanted to talk to Vance to see if he knew what happened, but he was afraid that Vance would get mad at him for what his mother did. As they climbed in the car, he let his brother take the front seat. He leaned back and decided that he would talk to him, the next chance he had.
Tune in next time when we pick up with Tracy where we left off.
Out of Oroville and living with her friends. Tracy begins her new life, away from her brother and father. Away from the people who have hounded and attacked her, will things finally look up?
“Rachel.” Tracy said, in a soft, sweet voice. “Wake up, Rachel.”
“Five more minutes.” Rachel grumbled before rolling over in the bed.
“No. You got to get up now.” Tracy said as she got up and went to Rachel's bed. She sat on the edge of the bed and began to tickle at Rachel's ear. “You wouldn't be this tired if you hadn't stayed up all night.” Rachel turned over and tried to hide her ears from Tracy, so Tracy went to plan B and uncovered Rachel's feet and began tickling her toes.
Edited by Djkauf
Tracy returns! She's in Livermore, staying with friends and missing her mother, it can get better, right?
February 10th 1983
Molly's arraignment was being held off for one more day. She just wanted it over so she could prove her innocence. She was getting tired of the mental health facility. It was almost evening of the fourth day she was there as she went to the main room where everyone was watching TV. She took a seat far from the people she thought were the really crazy ones and sat there, missing her children and husband.
Molly saw the two women out of the corner of her eyes get close. They hugged, then the one woman kissed the other woman's cheek. She turned her head, aware that someone else had visitations with their children at that current moment. She could hear the screaming and begging of a young child, pleading that the women leave her alone, and a picture flashed in her mind of the two women kissing over the abused body of the child she had seen enter earlier. With that image, Molly's clam demeanor snapped.
“You freaks! You're all rapists and you'll burn in hell!!!” She screamed as she got to her feet, glaring daggers at the two women, both of whom now looked very startled. She rushed over to them and grabbed one of them by the arm and yanked her away, then she looked to the one who was a patient there. “You freaks do nothing but hurt everyone! You'll burn in hell!!!”
Several people from the staff jumped on Molly as she was about to backhand the woman on the couch. She was pulled to the floor, screaming obscenities at the two women, who were cousins and not lovers at all. And the kiss had not been of passion, but just a kiss one gives family. Molly was still screaming as she was pulled away from the main part of the room.
“Damn.” The main doctor on duty whispered. He didn't look forward to the call he would make, telling Molly's husband that there had been issues, and visitations would be stopping for a while.
February 15th 1983
Tracy woke up when Rachel's alarm clock went off and the first thing Rachel did was groan and slap at the snooze button. Tracy decided to sleep in a bit, so she rolled over, leaving her back against Rachel's Five minutes later the alarm went off again and this time someone tapped at Rachel's door. “Bathroom is yours, Rachel.” Jamie's voice said through the door. Rachel slapped her alarm button again and this time Tracy rolled over.
“Rachel.” Tracy said, in a soft, sweet voice. “Wake up, Rachel.”
“Five more minutes.” Rachel grumbled before rolling over in the bed.
“No. You got to get up now.” Tracy said as she got up and went to Rachel's bed. She sat on the edge of the bed and began to tickle at Rachel's ear. “You wouldn't be this tired if you hadn't stayed up all night.” Rachel turned over and tried to hide her ears from Tracy, so Tracy went to plan B and uncovered Rachel's feet and began tickling her toes.
“Argh!” She replied, as she balled up.
Tracy pulled Rachel on to her back and pulled up her nightgown, just high enough to expose her belly, she put her mouth over Rachel's belly and blew. One hand tickled Rachel's side. Rachel began squirming and thrashing on the bed, giggling and pleading, as she struggled with her friend. After a few seconds of Rachel pleading, she stopped and as she lifted up, she realized that Rachel wasn't wearing anything under the nightgown and from her position, she got a good view of her friend.
Tracy's cheeks went bright red, but like Brooke, she had a hard time turning away. As Rachel realized that Tracy was staring, she managed to bring her legs together, then covered her crotch with her hands, but couldn't find the words to snap Tracy out of her staring. Tracy saw she had covered herself and knew Rachel had seen her staring. Then she saw Rachel's eyes drift down and she knew that something had grown. She hadn't worn her gaff that night and in the struggle, she knew her pants had been pulled tight and she was making a slight tent in them. She panicked, feeling shame for having the male parts, for it growing in front of Rachel, and she hopped off the bed and ran out of the room, tears starting to stream down her cheeks.
Rachel sat up on the bed as her father called out for her to get a move on, wondering what had just happened. She got up, determined to ask Tracy what had happened. She stepped out an started to walk down the hall to the stairs, when Lance came out of his room and shooed her off to the bathroom. “Shower, now. You can get breakfast in a bit.”
Tracy had waited for Rachel to get in the shower to rush back into her room and gather her stuff for the day. After having seen her friend naked and having gained an erection because of it, she couldn't face Rachel. Logic was ruled out in her mind and she knew she had to leave and fast. It was the fear that Rachel would hate her for looking at her without permission. She quickly jumped into her clothes and grabbed the bag that held her books and tai chi uniform. She made her way down the steps, then she quickly went to the front door and left.
Lance had been in the kitchen with his wife and eldest child when they heard the feet running to the door and the door slam. He got up and went to the door and opened it up and looked out, but didn't see anyone. “That's weird.” He said. He tested the front door handle, to make sure it was locked. “Maybe Rachel was checking to see if the girls showed up?”
“I don't know, could be. I'll go see if Tracy is hungry.” Lynn said as she went up the steps.
She went to the bedroom and saw it was devoid of life. She peeked into Jamie's room and found it empty. She went to the bathroom and wondering if Rachel and Tracy were both in there. She tried the handle and found it was locked. She knocked. “Rachel?”
“Yeah?” A muffled voice replied.
“Is Tracy in there with you?”
“No.” Rachel replied back. “Why?”
“She’s not in your room, or downstairs.” Her mother stated. “Finish you shower, though, breakfast is ready.”
She turned and headed for the stairwell, as Rachel stood in the shower, wondering what was going on. Lynn looked to her husband and shook her head. “She's not up here. Could she have been the one to leave?”
“I'll call Karen.” Lance said.
Five minutes later, Tracy was standing at Brooke's door, crying because she figured that she was about to lose a friend for what she had done. She knocked and a moment later, Brooke opened up the door and looked at her. “Hey, come on in.” She turned to face the hall. “Mom, Tracy's here.”
Tracy walked into the house, crying intensifying. Karen came around the corner, phone in her hand. “Yeah, Lance, she's here. She's crying, but I'm not sure why. I'll talk to her and give you a call later.”
“Hey, you okay?” Brooke asked and Tracy just ignored her, letting her bag drop to the floor as she sat down on the floor, brought her knees to her chest, put her head on her knees and cried.
“Tracy, what's wrong?” Karen asked. “Are you hurt?” Tracy shook her head. “Did Rachel say something to upset you?” Again she shook her head. “You missing your parents?”
“I am.” She said between sniffles. “But that's not it.”
“Tracy, you got Lynn and Lance worried. They didn't know where you were.”
“I messed up!” She yelled, raising her head, tears had stained her cheeks. “I messed up and Rachel will hate me!” She began sobbing and Karen put an arm around her and tried to help her sit up. After a moment of that not working, Lok came over and picked up the preteen as though she were just a baby. He carried her to the living room and put her down on the couch, so the doorway was free for Brooke to get to school on time. He left the room as Karen sat on the floor near her. Brooke had wanted to stay, but Lok pulled her away.
“Tracy, what happened?” Karen asked, but Tracy was too busy crying to answer. “Tracy, calm down and let me know what happened.” But the girl wouldn't stop crying. She buried her head into a couch cushion and stayed there. Karen prompted her once more and Tracy finally answered.
"Stupid body." Tracy's voice managed to be heard, just slightly. "Cost me my friends. Stupid body."
Karen looked at the crying girl, very confused.
Lance was using the phone in his kitchen, listening to Karen. He could hear crying in the background. “I don't know, Lance. All she said was she messed up and Rachel will hate her now. She keeps saying she lost a friend and that her stupid body caused it.”
“One moment, Karen.” Lance said. He looked to his daughter. “Sweetie, what happened with Tracy this morning. She's at the Han's and she thinks you hate her now and something about her body causing it? Did you or her do something that the other didn't want?”
Rachel sighed. Even she didn't understand it. “I don't know. I hit my snooze, like always and she came over the second time and started to tickle my feet. I rolled over and then she rolled me on my back. She lifted my shirt and blew on my chest.”
“Okay. What else?” Lance asked.
“I don't sleep with panties on, Dad. She saw me naked and she saw me down there.” Rachel replied. Her cheeks went red at the subject matter. “Her, um....her thing, you know, her boy thingy got hard and she suddenly ran out of the room. I didn't yell at her or anything, honest. I didn't touch her and she only blew on my chest, nothing else, I promise. I was gonna follow her, but you had me take a shower, I didn't even know that she had left.” Rachel began to cry, as she realized it was her fault. It was her body that made Tracy excited and that made Tracy angry with herself.
“Lance, I think I know.” Lynn said. “Tracy ran because she saw Rachel naked and her body reacted like normal. She got embarrassed by that, because she hates her boy parts and she ran for safety.”
“That’s got to be it.” Lance agreed. He held the phone to his ear. “You hear that, Karen?”
“Yeah. Tracy saw Rachel and got excited. I can talk to her if you want. Or I can have Mom do it.”
“Please.” Lance said. “We'll cover Rachel here and maybe we should give Tracy some space. Just tell her that we don't hate her and she's still welcome here tonight.”
“Tracy?” Karen said, sitting on the floor next to the couch. “You know that no one is mad at you. You have Rachel scared because you ran off.”
“She'll hate me.....I hate this stupid thing!” Tracy brought her hands up, then slammed them into her crotch. Karen put her hands on Tracy's, to keep her from hurting herself. “I hate how it gets hard at the worst times! I just want it off me! I wanna cut it off!!!” She began crying again an Karen just scooped her up and into a hug.
“Shhhh.” She did her best to soothe the young girl. “It’s going to work itself out. Don't beat yourself up for something you can't control.”
Sage walked with Rachel and Brooke the mile to their school and halfway there the strange silence finally got the best of her. “Okay you two, what happened? Neither of you are listening to me. What went on that got you both shook up?”
“There was an issue this morning with Tracy.” Brooke stated.
Rachel shot her a mean look, not wanting to get into it again. Sage looked at Brooke. “Like what? Is she okay?”
“It’s not important.” Rachel said.
Brooke shook her head. “Rachel, Sage is the one person we should go to with these problems.”
Sage stopped in her tracks. “Alright, you two tell me what happened, or I don't talk to you both for the next week and we invite Tracy to stay at my house.”
Rachel sighed. “Fine.” And she quickly covered what had happened with Tracy that morning, including the tickle war and the aftermath. Brooke took over and told her how Tracy was hating her male parts at her house.
“Well, what her body did is normal.“ Sage said, after thinking about the story for a moment. “Mine does it too. And you couldn't have done much to stop it, Rachel. Stupid things are on automatic. I think Tracy just may like boys and girls, but then that's just me guessing. She is trying to discover herself.”
“I think she does.” Brooke stated. “At Christmas, she was watching me change, and I think she wanted to watch more, but she kept getting nervous, like I'd say something. I know it grew then, too.”
Sage nodded, then turned to Rachel. “Rach, you can't be your normal aggressive self. She's gonna be thinking you hate her and I'd bet that she's upset that she got hard in front of you. Nothing you could have done, it's just life. But remind her that you are her friend and you don't care what is on her body. It's the inner package that you know and love.”
Rachel nodded and then Sage pulled her into a hug. “And tomorrow.” Sage added with a light chuckle. “get up at the first alarm.”
Vance was enjoying a quiet day of school. So far no one had bugged him about his brother. Instead the talk had gone to Scotty Hallmark's mother and the stories of how many children she could attack at one time. He sat off in the field, at a bench near the baseball diamond and ate his lunch. He would have found Emily and eaten with her, but he was afraid of running off her friends. He was halfway through his sandwich when a shadow fell over him. He looked up to see Scotty Hallmark standing there, holding his own lunch.
“Hey, can I sit here?” Scotty asked Vance.
“It’s a free country.” Vance replied.
“Thanks.” Scotty said as he sat down. A dozen ideas on how to talk to Vance all popped into his head. He could discus the weather, like his Dad did when they were stuck near people his dad didn't care for. But he went the direct route. “Hey, I'm sorry for what my mom did. I don't know why she attacked your brother.”
“Who knows?” Vance replied. “Maybe she is crazy. I heard what happened and it wasn't good.”
“You know Vance, we're almost the same.” Scotty said. “You've been getting shit for Troy and I've been picked on because of how Robbie can be. Sure, it's not the same, but I know how it is to be picked on all the time.”
“Do you agree with what your brother does?” Vance asked.
“You mean the bible thing? I don't know. I mean I used to pick on him a lot, I still do, but I care about him, you know? I mean at times it feels like Mom only cares about him and Dad can get on my case when I'm mean to him, but now, with the whole attack thing, he doesn't have Mom and we've been talking more.”
“I used to have that problem too, but we're getting better now.”
“Better? Since the pictures of the dress thing?”
“Well, I mean before that. I used to be an ass to Troy, but since he started wearing the dresses, we had a few fights, then, well, then we got closer.” Vance said, then he took a bite of his sandwich.
“Does he just dress as one? A girl I mean. I mean why did he go to the mall like that? I don't think I'd ever be able to go out in public like that, not wearing a dress.”
“But if you were to wear a dress, would you look like a girl, like Troy does?” Scotty thought about it for a moment, till Vance asked another question. “When you first saw that picture, did you know it was Troy, or just think it was some girl, who looked a little like him.”
“Honestly?” Scotty asked, even though it was a rhetorical question, Vance still nodded his head. “I thought it was a girl. It was the note that made me look closely at his face and you can see Troy in the eyes.”
“Same with me the first time I saw him in a dress.” Vance replied.
“You know, after he got attacked, and then those pictures, I've wondered something.” Scotty turned to face Vance, by straddling the bench. Did Bruce really cut off his penis? Like everyone said? Is that why Troy does it?”
“Bruce didn't cut off his penis. But they did destroy his testicles.” Vance answered. “They kicked him so hard in the crotch, they crushed his nuts.”
“Ugh.” Scotty replied, scrunching up his nose in discomfort. “So, is that why he does it?”
“I don't know.” Vance said with the shake of his head. He knew Tracy's feelings about being a girl, but he wasn't sure he wanted Scotty to know, just in case Scotty had a big mouth. “I just know, when he is in a dress, he seems sure of himself. And he's not a pansy. Did you know that after Bruce, Kenny and Frankie crushed his nuts, broke his ribs and beat the tar out of him, he managed to get back up and protect our elderly grandma. He took on all three at once, while injured. I think he fought them for well over two minutes while hurt. It was only when my parents got to them that he let Bruce go and collapsed from the pain.”
“How much did he hurt? I remember stepping on a rake once and it hit me there. I couldn't move for an hour.”
“Well, a week in the hospital, then the two weeks of walking slow, until Bobby Anderson tripped him.”
“Yeah, then he went into the hospital again, right?” Scotty asked and Vance nodded.
“Bobby tore out his stitches. Troy could have bled to death if they hadn't taken him to the hospital.” Vance said, but then he smiled at Scotty. “But Troy got back at Bobby. Clark came over to the house not this past weekend, but the weekend before and Tracy fought both him and Bobby, at the same time. And won.”
“Well, Clark was a bit of a wimp. Always had Bruce to fight for him.”
“Well, he did show up with his cousins. But I think if we had let him, Troy would have taken them all out.”
“Really?” Scotty asked, clearly surprised.
“Yeah. Troy had friends up and he made sure that they got in the house so Clark couldn't hurt them, only him.” Vance stated. “He's learning martial arts from an old Chinese dude. Like straight from China. He looks like an older, shorter Bruce Lee. His granddaughter is a friend of Troy's. In fact she was there when your Mom went after Troy. I know the two girls she attacked. One of them is six and her sister was really cute.”
“You know, there are times I can't stand Mom. She has all these rules and expects us to live like the bible wants, but she must read a different bible. She's always gossiping about people, telling lies she has heard, she doesn't want us watching TV. But she does. She always thinks she is better, but I've done some reading and it's in the bible that you should treat others like you want to be treated, but she don't do that.”
“I know my mom has been reading her bible more, but after we left the church, we never went to another one.”
“Was it because of those women?” Scotty asked. “The lesbian ones?”
“Yeah. Your Mom threatened anyone who supported them, at least that's what I've heard my parents say when they talk about it. They were talking about it after she came to the house a couple weeks ago?”
“Mom was at your house?”
Vance nodded. “Yeah, she came over the weekend those pictures were spread around. I guess she threatened to run the family out of town.”
“Really?”
Yeah. She tried telling Mom and Dad that Tracy was a danger...”
“Who is Tracy?”
Vance stopped as he realized he had slipped. He sighed and decided that damage was done, but to tell Scotty anyway. “Tracy is Troy's new name. Tracy is my sister. She is living in the Bay Area now, not he. She will be going to a school as a girl in a year.”
“You know, it's weird, but the more I thought about Troy...er, Tracy, the more every thing he...she did seemed girlish.”
“Tracy thinks she should have been born a girl and we have several doctors that agree. So since Clark fucked things up here...”
“Clark? How did he mess it up?”
“Clark took those pictures, but he also sent them to my parents work and had his cousin calling the house.”
“Stan?”
“No, an older cousin. He was calling and telling Tracy that he was going to rape her, rape and murder Mom, kill Dad and me, then rape her again and finally kill her, after making her watch him kill us all.”
“That...that's sick.” Scotty replied.
“Well, Clark came to the house, but the cops had found out that it was him, so he is in jail for sending death threats through the mail and Tracy beat him bad and all she did was slap him like a little twit.”
“Wow....”
Vance nodded. “So Mom and Dad decide to send Tracy to the Godparents and then in June, Dad and I will move down. Kinda sucks, but after leaving Bruce as a friend, I haven't made many more friends.”
“There's always me.” Scotty said. “Although Mom said that we were not to speak to you or Tracy, ever again. But now she's in the funny farm....”
“You can't tell anyone about Tracy.” Vance warned Scotty. “I mean it. We're not out of here yet and last thing we need is to have more people try and murder my Mom.”
“I won't tell. Not even my stupid mother.”
Sage went into Doctor Ivan's office and sat on the couch as he went to his usual chair. “Hello young lady. You seem a bit distracted.” He said.
“Sorry, just thinking about a problem that happened earlier today.”
“Oh, tell me about it.” Ivan politely prodded.
“Well, it didn't really happen to me.” Sage said.
“Sage, it has you thinking. So it clearly has involved you. But if you don't wish to speak about it, I can accept that.”
Sage thought about it for a moment, then she looked up. “It's like this....” And she laid out the story as she had heard it from Rachel and Brooke. When she finished she looked up at him. “Now Rachel thinks Tracy hates her, no matter how much I've told her she isn't responsible for Tracy getting hard. She thinks because Tracy hates her body, and Rachel's body caused her to get hard, that Tracy will hate her. Tracy is at Brooke's thinking that people will hate her...And I just wonder what would happen if they saw me? Would Rachel freak out? Would Tracy run off if her body got excited for seeing me?” Sage looked up at him, sadness in her eyes. “Would anyone get excited to see me naked?”
“Sage, I'm sure that you will meet someone who is happy to be with you, no matter what you look like.” Ivan replied, leaning back in his chair. “But you're just twelve, that's a bit early to worry about that, don't you think?”
“Yeah.” Sage said with a nod.
“But you have real concerns. I can see this. You've been very nervous about your body for as long as I have known you.”
“Yeah.” Sage nodded. “I know it's not that big, but I really hate that my body looks like it does, you know, down there.”
“I know, Sage. There are things that can be done. Surgeries, but I think waiting another year for your body to grow is still a good bet.”
“But what if it grows in that time? Then I have more skin that's in the way....”
“Sage, I think we have ways to deal with it. But if you want, we can bring your mother in and we can discuss it all together. Would that be okay?”
Sage nodded. “Please.”
Class was over and Brooke rolled over to where Tracy was at. “Hey, Mom is gonna be a bit. Wanna go see the store fronts or something? Grandma is staying to help Grandpa with his class so Mom is your ride home.”
“Sure, I guess.” Tracy sadly replied.
“So, you feeling any better?” Brooke asked as they left the school.
“A little I guess.” Tracy replied. “Is Rachel okay? You saw her at school, right?”
“Yeah, she was there. She's worried that she did something wrong.”
“It wasn't her.” Tracy shook her head, then gestured down to her crotch. “Its this stupid body. Why me, Brooke? Why?”
“I know.” Brooke answered her back and she grabbed at Tracy's hand, making her friend stop walking. “Things happen. I don't have the answers. I just know that somethings you're faced with difficulty and it's like a test. It is how you deal with that problem that defines you. Take you for instance. You were born wrong but you've done your best to hold your head up high. You're a good friend and worried about others. You're a special girl.”
“She has a point.” Karen said, causing both girls to flinch.
“Mom! Don't do that!”
“Sorry. I saw you two and decided to see if you were ready to grab something to eat. I called Lynn and told her I'd make sure Tracy ate before we went back. Plus this way, we can enjoy a nice talk.”
Karen pulled up to Rachel's house and Tracy slid over to the door. “Thank you for the ride, Mrs. Han.”
“You're welcome, Tracy. I'm glad to be able to help.”
“You really think she won't mind?”
“Like I said at dinner, Rachel is worried about you. You scared her and she thinks you hate her for what happened to your body.” Karen said. “And if you cherish this friendship, you'll go in there and you two can talk and settle your problems now. I know you hate your body, but in running away from Rachel, that will just hurt you two and all the girls.”
“Okay.”
“See you tomorrow?” Brooke asked her.
Tracy nodded. “Yeah, after school, right?”
“Yeah. You with Grandma, or Rachel's Mom?”
“I don't know yet.” Tracy admitted.
“Lynn tomorrow, I think.” Karen stated.
“You're back!” Rachel said as the door flew open. She rushed to the car and opened up Tracy's door, then leaned in and hugged her tightly. When she finally let go of Tracy, she smiled at her, taking a moment to brush some hair out of her face. “How was class?”Tracy noticed out of the corner of her eye that Sage was there as well.
“It was good.” Tracy replied.
“Hey, Brooke!”
“Can I hang out, Mom?” Brooke asked. “Just for a little while?
“Sure. It will give me a moment to talk to Lynn.”
A few minutes later, Tracy, Rachel, Sage and Brooke all ended up in the living room and Tracy was scared as to what Rachel would do.
“Rachel, I'm sorry for freaking out on you this morning.” Tracy said, putting her arms around Rachel. “It's just that you have something I don't and I can't help looking at it. I asked Brooke and she said I could tell you that this past Christmas, I was at her house and I watched her strip for bed and couldn't help but watch. You two have the body parts I want....” Tracy began to cry and Rachel just held her close.
“It's okay.” Rachel said as Brooke held Tracy's hand. “I understand.”
“I didn't want things to be weird.” Tracy said. “Because I think you're both beautiful, too. That's why it got.....”
“That’s why you were excited?” Rachel stated in a questioning manner. And Tracy nodded at her, but looked to the floor.
“I shouldn't have left early and I'm sorry if I hurt you.”
“You scared me.” Rachel replied. “And I thought you hated me because I made you get hard.”
“I thought you'd hate me and I hated myself for this stupid thing.” Tracy felt Brooke hold one of her hands and Sage pressed up to her backside and the three of them held her.
Sage put her chin on Tracy's shoulder and spoke softly, but loud enough for Brooke and Rachel to hear. “Tracy. They went through this with me. We know you hate your body and we'll do what we can to help you out. Sure, it may not seem like much, but if we can help, then we will.”
“Yeah.” Rachel said.
“We won't hold it against you when you have issues.” Brooke stated. “We know it happens and you can't control it. We'll do our best to ignore it and you're still one of the girls.”
“Yeah.” Sage and Rachel agreed.
Tracy was stepping into the bedroom, after dressing for bed in the bathroom and she smiled at Rachel, who was already dressed in her night shirt.
Tracy lay down a moment later, the light switched off, then she felt the bed shift and Rachel slipped under the covers. “You don't mind, right?”
“No, I don't.” Tracy said as she reached over and touched Rachel's side. “And I promise, no raspberries.”
“Good, cause I'll return the favor.” Rachel said with a smile. Tracy flipped over and Rachel snuggled up against her back. “I'm so glad you're my friend.” Rachel said. “You're a lot of fun to be with.”
“Thanks.” Tracy squeezed a hand that lay over her side.
Up next, more fun with Tracy and some of Maggie and William
Maggie was at the stove, not really paying attention to the pork chops in the frying pan, even though she was looking right at them. It was when her mother put on an oven mitt and grabbed the frying pan and moved it to a free burner, that she realized something had happened. “Hey, I was watching those.”
“Watch them do what? Burn?” Bernice asked and Maggie blushed when she saw she had burned the chops. Vance was in the kitchen as well, opening up the windows to clear the smoke out. In the living-room, her father was opening up a couple of windows, despite the cold weather. William was walking into the kitchen with a fan. He placed it in a window so it sucked the smoke out the window by the table.
Edits by Djkauf
Time to focus on the Patterson women.
Wednesday February 16th 1983
Somewhere in the night the two girls had rolled over. Rachel's eyes opened slowly and she realized that she was in bed with Tracy still. She could feel the bare skin of Tracy's lower leg against her bare leg. She decided to just slip out of the bed and let her friend sleep. Tracy stirred as she slipped out of her arms, but began snoring again. She knew it was early, but she was hopeful that she could get in and out of the shower before her sister got up.
Thirty minutes later, Tracy's eyes opened as the door opened up, as Rachel stepped into the room, then she shut the door. Her hair was in a towel and she had a second one wrapped around her waist. Tracy rubbed at her eyes as she sat up in bed. Then she realized that her shirt had ridden up in the night exposing part of her chest. She sat up and adjusted her clothes, and noticed that Rachel wasn't even paying attention to her.
“You woke up before your alarm?” Tracy asked. “Not because of yesterday, was it?”
“No, not at all.” Rachel stated. “I got up early and wanted to spend time with you, before I have to go to school.”
“I think I'm here today.” Tracy replied, for no reason at all.
“Yeah. Mom has today off. And after school, we're thinking of heading to the park. Wanna go?”
“Sure.” Tracy half-heartedly replied. She looked into Rachel's eyes and asked. “Are we good? I mean after yesterday? I just recall falling asleep and then you were out of the bed. I didn't do anything in my sleep, did I?”
“We are very good.” Rachel said as she hugged Tracy. “And all you did was snore in your sleep.”
“You want me to leave as you dress?”
“Only if you want.” Rachel said. She picked up Mittens the kitten from her bed and held the little ball of fur to Tracy. “Or you can pet the boss here and I'll quickly get dressed.”
Tracy took the kitten and put it in her lap and began scratching at it's ears. “I wish I had a cat.” She said as the little kitten began to purr.
“Lot of responsibility. Just like a dog.” Rachel said as she half stepped into her closet to get dressed
“Yeah, and till we leave Aunt Shelly's house, we shouldn't get one.” Tracy said, as the kitten got up, turned in two complete circles, then rested on her lap, in the same spot it had just been in.
“How are you feeling today? Ready for lots of learning?”
“I'd still rather be with you three.” Tracy grumbled. Tracy looked up as she only a glimpse of Rachel's back as she put on a training bra.
“I know.” Rachel tossed the towel she had been covered up in onto a hamper and she went to Tracy, after grabbing a pair of girl’s pants and a shirt. She pulled on the shirt, then sat down next to her friend. “Next school year. Then we all go together.”
“Yeah. I can't wait.” Tracy replied. “I got to make sure they'll let me be in your grade.”
“Then focus on the school work. Focus hard.” Rachel stood up and pulled on her pants. “You gonna wear pants or a skirt to the park today?”
“Do you think I should wear pants?”
“Well, I looked out the window and it looked like rain today, so you may wanna wear pants, so your legs don't get all muddy.”
“Okay. I got a pair with me.”
Rachel's clock radio turned on and this time she had set it to music, instead of alarm. There was a break in the music as a commercial played, then the DJ announced the song and the drum started the song with the keyboard following a few seconds later. “Ooooh, hey you hear this one yet?” Rachel asked as she went to the radio and turned the volume up. “It's Africa from Toto.”
Tracy didn't say a word, instead she sat there, petting the kitten, and watching Rachel dance in her room. As the song ended and the DJ announced the title, he went through the quick report of the weather and traffic, giving Rachel some time to get her hair in order. As she was pulling on her shoes, another song started and Rachel gasped again. “Prince!!!”
“Prince?” Tracy asked as the song little red corvette started to play. "Like a royal guy?"
“Just listen, this guy is awesome. He has other songs, too.”
Tracy had wanted to walk with Rachel to Brooke's house, but she didn't want people wondering why she went back to Rachel's home, instead of going to school. So instead she walked her to the door and watched as her friends walked off.
“Mrs. Williams?” Tracy called out to her as she walked into the kitchen, her books for her schooling in her hands. “Could I do some laundry? I got something that needs to be cleaned and I want it for when Sage and Brooke come home today. They want to go to the park.”
“Sure, dear. You want to grab it and we can work on cleaning it now?”
“I think it needs to air dry, though.”
“Well, let’s see, okay?”
A few minutes later, Tracy brought down the gaff and showed it to Lynn. “Sweetie, you can't machine wash this. It would tear apart in the wash. Have you ever hand washed clothes?”
“No, is it hard?”
“No, but let me get things started and I'll show you. Do you have any other things that need to be washed?”
“Just my skirts and stuff, but I can wait for Aunt Shelly to come home.”
“Well, if you want to bring them down, you can. I know Rachel and Jamie both have stuff that needs to be cleaned.”
“I can help you, if you want...”
“Well, you also have school work to do.” Lynn reminded her.
“I know.” Tracy grumbled.
“Hey, school work is important. This way if they test you for next year, you can be in the same grade as your friends.” Lynn told her, then she changed the subject, to save on grumbling. “So, where are the legs to these nylons?”
“Sage called this a gaff.”
“A gaff?” Lynn asked as she started to show Tracy how to clean it.
“It....” Tracy looked down and her cheeks went red again. “It holds my boy parts in place, so it won’t be seen by people.”
“I see. That's very smart.”
“I need to get more, but I'm not sure how to find them, or make them.” Tracy stated.
“Well, it looks like it is just pantyhose. And it looks like two pair. Tell me, Tracy, are they tight? Do they dig into your sides?”
“A little.” She replied.
“Would you like to do some shopping later and get a few more pairs? We can make you a couple of backups, in case one gets too stinky.” Lynn said. “I can call Persephone and make sure I know how to make them.”
“Could we? I have some money that I can use. It's part of my Christmas money.”
“I'll take you to the store in a bit. There's a pharmacy nearby.”
Maggie sat at her desk, half paying attention to the picture in front of her, the one with Tracy and all of her daughter’s friends. She had found it hard to focus on the job the past three days.
Chris had been in there for several minutes when he took a seat on the counter and he faced Maggie's desk. He finally cleared his throat to get her to realize she wasn't alone. “Maggie, Are you going to be able to make it the next week and a half?”
Maggie jumped. She hadn't heard him enter the building. He repeated his question and she answered with a nod of her head. “Yes.” Something in her voice told him that she didn't want to be there.
“Maggie, I'm going to let you quit at the end of your workweek, so tomorrow. My wife will come in and cover the desk until we get someone new.”
“You're firing me?”
“Maggie, I'm not firing you. It's just that you're not really here anymore. And being away from Tracy is tearing you apart. You said you're going to see her on Friday?”
Maggie nodded. “We have an appointment with two of her doctors.”
“And you have a place to stay already?”
“Yeah, with Tracy's Godparents.” Maggie said with a nod of her head.
“Then Maggie, move now. If you're this torn up from being away from her, think of how the kid is feeling.” Chris said. “Talk to William and tell him I'm willing to let you leave a week early and to make up for that missing week of work, I'll give you a Christmas bonus now. You've been here for almost ten years, so you can call it a severance check if you want and I'll even sweeten the deal with a glowing recommendation for any job you apply for after this.”
“You...you'd let me go a week early? And a Christmas bonus? But Christmas passed.”
“Call it severance then. I'd let you get to your child because I know how important this is to you.
Maggie almost flew out of her chair and hugged him.
Tracy was at the table with Lynn, there were clippings of pantyhose on the table when Rachel came home. Tracy's school work had been done for the day, even though Lynn felt there should have been more. Rachel stepped into the kitchen and smiled at her mom. “Hey, Mom, can we go to the park for a little, while it’s not raining anymore?”
“Homework?”
“I got a little. Can I do it later?”
“I'll let you do it really quick now. Have the girls come here and you can go when you're done, but Tracy and I are in the middle of doing laundry and fixing something for her.”
“Laundry?” Rachel asked, looking to Tracy.
“My gaff was nasty. It needed to be cleaned.” Tracy replied. “So it's drying off and we're making another one, so I can go to the park and not have issues rise.” Rachel began to snicker and her mother shot her a dirty look.
“Sorry, Mom, but it is kinda funny.”
Tracy just nodded and smiled at Lynn. “Okay, but try to not tease her too much.” Lynn warned her daughter. Rachel went to the phone and made two quick calls, then she came back to the table.
A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door and Rachel went off to answer it. She heard Rachel, Sage and Brooke come into the kitchen as she cut the last pair of nylons.
“Okay. You go get dressed and I'll let these hang and dry. Then you can take care of them, when you get back.”
Tracy took one of the gaffs and headed for a nearby bathroom. Ten minutes later, she came out, wearing her jeans and a clean pink shirt.
Sage was looking over the gaffs they had made. “Cool, you both figured it out. I forgot to tell you how to make more. I should have said something.”
“Its okay. My other one was getting dirty and Mrs. Williams decided to help me with more. We talked to your mom and she guided us on how to do it.”
“Awesome.” Sage replied. She leaned in close and whispered into Tracy's ear. “Have you got it down to a science yet? The tuck, I mean.”
Tracy blushed. “Yeah, took some doing.” She whispered back.
“It does. But it's a good skill to hone now.” Sage stated.
Maggie was at the stove, not really paying attention to the pork chops in the frying pan, even though she was looking right at them. It was when her mother put on an oven mitt and grabbed the frying pan and moved it to a free burner, that she realized something had happened. “Hey, I was watching those.”
“Watch them do what? Burn?” Bernice asked and Maggie blushed when she saw she had burned the chops. Vance was in the kitchen as well, opening up the windows to clear the smoke out. In the living-room, her father was opening up a couple of windows, despite the cold weather. William was walking into the kitchen with a fan. He placed it in a window so it sucked the smoke out the window by the table.
When he had turned on the fan, William gently touched his wife's shoulder. “We can just do hot dogs or something, but what is wrong? You're not even here.”
“Just thinking.” Maggie said as she moved away from the stove, after shutting it off.
“Tracy?” William asked her.
“That and an offer Chris gave me today.” Maggie replied and she nodded.
“What type of offer?”
“He's willing to let me leave at the end of the week, instead of waiting through next week too. He's offered to pay me next week like a Christmas bonus.” She gave him a hopeful look and held his hands. “I want to go. I need to be there.”
“Okay.” William said with a nod of his head. “You can go. This means way too much to you to make you wait. We move you when we go for her meeting. I already have it off as vacation time.”
Thursday February 17th 1983
Tracy got into the car and sat between Jamie and Rachel. The day had been very uneventful, with her going to Brooke's house to do her school work. When she got back to Rachel's, they hung out, watching T.V. till dinner time. That was when Lance herded the girls to his car. “Where are we going?” She asked as they got in. “I thought Uncle Frank and Aunt Shelly didn't get home until tomorrow?”
“They won't be, but you are with us and we wanted to go out to eat tonight. There is a new place we wanted to try, so you're coming with us.” Lance said. “And actually, they will be home later this evening, they were going to catch a show at seven and drive home, but I don't want to wake you up at ten to take you over there. Frank will be home tomorrow, so they can get you to your meetings if your parents are running late.”
“What time are they?” Rachel asked.
“It's in Dublin at three thirty.” Tracy answered, then she added. “And the Doctor's appointment is at four thirty or later. Mom said he'd stay open for us.”
“Awesome. So you can get the girl hormones in your body?” Rachel asked and Tracy nodded.
“I wonder if Shelly and Frank are ready for that?” Lance asked.
“What do you mean?” Tracy leaned forward in her seat. “Will something happen?”
“Sweetie, he's trying to be funny.” Lynn said, glaring at her husband. “You're just going to be a bit emotional for a day or two.”
“And have a desire to eat chocolate.” Jamie added from her seat with a giggle.
Lynn turned and saw a mix of fear and confusion on Tracy's face. She reached back and patted the girl's knee. “It's totally safe. It's just hormones will play havoc on your emotions. But be thankful that you don't have to deal with the other part to it.”
“Yeah.” Jamie said. “Pads and periods are no fun at all.” She looked at her father who was driving and then she looked to Tracy and gave a little wicked smile. “I could tell you some stories about mine. Like the time I was wearing...”
“Okay. We can stop this conversation now.” Lance said, looking in the rear-view mirror at his eldest. “We don't need to get into that now or at dinner time. And you don't need to emotionally scar Tracy.”
“But we can talk later if you want, Tracy.” Lynn said. “But you should save your big questions for your mother.”
“Okay.” Tracy replied.
"For now, don't worry about it." Lance told her. "Women have dealt with hormones for years. It's nothing to be scared of. Just focus on dinner out with a friend and not about tomorrow."
Up next, Maggie comes to town.
“Well, we'll find out today.” Tracy scratched the cat's ears as she sat up. “I just hope that Mom comes up.”
“She promised she would.” Rachel replied as she went over, sat down next to her and put an arm around Tracy's shoulders. “She'll show up. She knows how important the doctor’s visit is today.”
“Yeah....” A tear slipped down Tracy cheek and she looked to the kitten and moved it to her lap. “But what if she...”
Rachel cut her off before she could continue. “Stop that. I know she is coming. You know it too, so stop worrying about it.”
“But what if she doesn't?”
Edited by Djkauf
A bit of Tracy and her family this time.
February 18th 1983
Tracy was up with the alarm again, this time she found Mittens the kitten sleeping on the pillow, inches from her face. She raised her head, shifting the pillow slightly and gaining her a dirty look from the kitten. She could see Rachel's bed was empty again.
She lay her head back down and started to pet the little ball of fur, making it purr, then get up and move closer to her. The door opened and Tracy looked over at Rachel who came in, drying off her hair. “I see the boss found a warm pillow to take over.” She said as she opened up the closet.
“Yeah. Wasn't happy when I moved my head, either.” Tracy replied.
“Happens.” Rachel stated. “So you ready for your appointments today?”
“Yeah. We get to see if I get hormones, so that's cool, but I'm a bit scared. What if they say no, or what if my body can't take them?”
“Then we find a new way to help you out.” Rachel replied. “Sage, Brooke and I are going to have our mothers meet you at your therapist. Then we'll meet you at the Emerald Dragon.”
“Are we doing a sleepover tonight?” Tracy asked.
“Maybe, why, something come up?”
Tracy shook her head, which disturbed the kitten and she was given another dirty look. “Not really, just that Dad may be coming and I want all the time with him I can get.”
“I can totally understand that.” Rachel said. “We can work something out. Remember, we can always ask Aunt Shelly and move to her place.”
“Yeah...wait, Brooke and the stairwell....”
“We take over the first floor and someone just helps her into the bathroom. Plus Aunt Shelly is really cool and she has cable too. Hey, is Vance coming?”
“Maybe? I don't know. If not, they'll send him to Grandma and Grandpa next door.”
“That would be nice for Sage.” Rachel said.
“Well, we'll find out today.” Tracy scratched the cat's ears as she sat up. “I just hope that Mom comes up.”
“She promised she would.” Rachel replied as she went over, sat down next to her and put an arm around Tracy's shoulders. “She'll show up. She knows how important the doctor’s visit is today.”
“Yeah....” A tear slipped down Tracy cheek and she looked to the kitten and moved it to her lap. “But what if she...”
Rachel cut her off before she could continue. “Stop that. I know she is coming. You know it too, so stop worrying about it.”
“But what if she doesn't?”
“Tracy, just have faith. She'll be here.” Rachel replied. “She loves you, she'll be here.”
Maggie and Bernice were in the kitchen killing time. Maggie had been realizing how empty the house had gotten without her daughter there. She had packed all of her clothes already and she was getting ready for her big move to Livermore, she just had to wait for her husband to get home from work. Her mother had helped her pack her car and was now at the stove, heating up a kettle for tea. Vance was at school, which was having a half-day for the Presidential holiday on Monday and William was in the yard with his father and Father-in-law. It was only nine in the morning and so far all that they had planned to do, they had done. That just left picking Vance up at Eleven, under the excuse that he had a doctor's appointment. They wanted him to come with, just to get him out of Oroville for the weekend.
There was the sound of a car pulling into the driveway and Maggie looked out the window. She could see a light blue Toyota that she didn't recognize in her driveway. She waited a moment till there was the sound of doors shutting and then a knock at her door. Maggie got up and went to the front door, and before she opened it up, she made sure the security chain was in place before she opened up the door just a crack. “Who is it?” She asked through the crack. As she looked through the crack, she could only see part of the person standing there. An arm and a light blue blouse.
“Maggie? It's Kimberly Caborn.” A female voice replied. “And my husband Herb is here with me.”
Maggie pulled the door open a bit more and saw the woman clearly. She noticed the younger woman and she realized that she was pregnant, something Maggie was shocked she had missed two weeks earlier. “What do you want?”
“I came to talk, Maggie.” Kim replied.
“I think you and your friends talked enough a couple of weeks ago. I don't need anymore preaching this month and neither do my children. Not from closed-minded elitists who believe themselves to be above everyone else then go attacking several children in a gas station.” She shut the door and she started to walk away, when she heard Kimberly speaking loud enough to carry though the door
“Maggie, I understand that you’re mad and I'm sorry.” She stopped when Kimberly paused. “Maggie, I was wrong to be a part of that the other day. I should have never gone along with it.”
There was a pause and Maggie walked back to the door, moving as quietly as she could. She swore she heard a frustrated sigh on the other side of the door, then the voice continued. “Maggie, I've come to apologize to both you and your family.”
Maggie looked at the door, and thought out loud. “Should I?” She asked in a quiet voice. Then Maggie thought back to the heated debate she had in her living room a few days earlier. She had been willing to throw around scripture as much as Molly Hallmark had.
Bernice put a hand on her shoulder. “Remember, Margret, To err is human, to forgive, divine.”
Maggie could hear the sounds of Kimberly and her husband walking over the gravel in the drive back to their car. She sucked in a deep breath and hoped that she wasn't making a big mistake. She went to the door, opened it and stepped out onto the porch.
As she looked at them, Kimberly stopped. Her husband saw her looking to the house, so he turned and saw Maggie Patterson standing there. “Kimberly, Herb, wait.”
Kimberly took a few steps towards the house, then stopped. “Maggie, I'm sorry. I had no right to come over here with them the other day and cast judgment on you. It's not my place to cast judgment on anyone, much less you and your child.” She lowered her head in shame and spoke softer. “I went home and prayed about it and I see the truth in what you said. None of us are without sin.”
Maggie gave them a small smile, then stepped back a step and gestured inside. “Please, come inside. Would you like something to drink? Coffee? Iced Tea? Hot tea. Water maybe?”
The couple came closer and Kimberly gave her a warm smile, then patted her swollen belly very lightly. “No coffee for me, but hot tea sounds wonderful.”
“I'll have the same.” Herb said with a smile as he followed his pregnant wife into the house.
Maggie gestured to the kitchen table. “Please, have a seat, I'll get the drinks.”
“I hope we're not intruding.” Kimberly said .
“No, not at all. I was just visiting with my mother, Bernice Richter. Mom, this is Kimberly and Herb Caborn. My Mom is here with my father from Wyoming and Mom was just helping pass the time before Vance comes home. I swear the house is way too quiet.” Maggie poured four cups of water, then she pulled out the tea bags.
“Quiet?”
“Yeah. Only Vance is here now.”
“Troy is gone?” Kimberly asked.
Maggie nodded. “We had to send Troy away for safety reasons.”
Kimberly looked to her husband and back to Maggie. “I think I can understand. It's not because of Molly, is it?”
“No....well kinda” Maggie shook her head as she bought the drinks out to the living-room. “Remember the picture that Molly was ranting about?” Kimberly nodded.
“The one Molly was ranting about that week before we came over here.” She told her husband.
“Ah.” He said with a slow nod as he comprehended what she meant.
“What do you mean by that?” Maggie asked.
“Molly took it to the bible study.” Kimberly replied. Bernice filled the mugs and placed them on the table.
Maggie ground her teeth, as did Bernice. Maggie decided to not dwell on it, now that Molly was in the mental institution. “Well, someone started calling here and each time he'd say awful things. Promised to rape and kill me, then rape Troy, kill Vance and William and finally rape Troy once more and kill him. Finally, a week after you came with Molly, we caught him, but the kid who took the pictures came over here and attacked my kids. Got his ass thoroughly kicked too.
“Wait...” Herb interrupted her, not understanding what was going on. “There were two people? One sending the pictures and one calling?”
“Yeah. See in December, Troy was attacked on the property by a boy he caught stealing at school. That boy had three friends with him, but one got smart and left. In the fight, they hurt Troy and in the end were arrested. Well the lead boy had a brother who managed to find Tracy...that's the name Troy goes by now.” She sighed and decided to go into the whole story. It wasn't going to matter in a few months and she was getting sick of hiding. She quickly covered the story of how she guessed that Tracy was wearing her clothes and how Modine found her. Then she covered how Tracy came out on the weekends and finally at Thanksgiving. She covered the attacks by Bruce and then the pictures and finally she stopped and took a drink from her cup.
Herb had listened to the story and had to ask, wanting to know the fate of the boys who had done the attacking. “They lock him up? The attackers I mean, and the man calling.”
“Yep.” Maggie nodded. “They were just going to question the older cousin, but the drugs they busted him with was nothing compared to what was in his house. This was his second arrest for drugs, plus he was breaking probation. So he's in jail for a few months now on probation charges and the real culprit is in Juvenile detention.”
“And that's why Troy, um, Tracy moved away?”
“Well, after those pictures got out, things have been rough for the family. Were you aware that Molly attacked Troy at a local gas station.”
“No. I mean there were vague stories going around and even June didn't have an answer. Someone insisted that she was put into mental health after being attacked, that it was your kid who attacked her.”
Maggie shook her head. “No. See, she saw Tracy, who was dressed as Troy at the time, in a store with a few of Tracy's girlfriends. As one of them, she's twelve, hugged him, as did the girl's six year old sister, Molly went crazy. She grabbed the older girl and pushed her away from Tracy, but Sage ended up slamming into a candy rack. She then shoved the six year old away and then my mother stopped her.”
“Modine?” Kimberly asked. “From our last visit?”
“No. Me.” Bernice replied with a snarl as she bared her teeth.
“There's something you need to know Maggie.” Herb spoke up. “Well a couple of things. The first is that Molly was showing that picture to the people in a bible study, like we said already. She going on and on about Troy being the Devil incarnate. She started in on a graphic story of how your child will attack and rape the children in town and how helpless everyone would be to stop it. She insisted that you were just as hostile and also unhinged during their visit, but Kimberly told me that Molly was worse.”
“I'll admit, I did get mad and I should have kept my mouth shut, but she was attacking my child....”
“Maggie, we understand. She's going on fear and trust me, she's crazy.” Herb said.
“Were you aware Molly has been in an institution before?” Kimberly asked.
“No....like a mental institution?”
Kimberly nodded. “I heard this from one of the people who didn't get into her little gang the last time, you know, with those two women. Well, from what I heard this person, Molly, had a thing with a girlfriend. Her parents thought she was sick in the head and sent her away for help. Keep in mind, this was the sixties and from what I was told, Molly came back a very different person. But you also have to know this. Her sister and her parents are just as bad. Her father fancies himself as a preacher, and he's a real fire and brimstone person. Her little sister is a sheep and follows what her parents tell her.”
“Maggie, you have to understand, that as someone who is training to be a psychologist myself, this scares the hell out of me.” Herb said.
Kimberly nodded in agreement with her husband. “From what I heard, they kept her in the institution for more then a year and each time they thought she had thoughts of another woman, she was subjected to electroshock therapy. When this happened, from what I was told, her mother and father would read passages from the bible that denounced gay and lesbian actions. I heard that running those woman out of town wasn't her first meeting of gays and lesbians since then. I also heard that she was ranting and raving at those people too.”
“If I had to guess, not having known her back then, I'd say that Molly has a persecution complex going on and paranoia. She's totally okay, until she knows of someone like your child, or a lesbian, then she's a raging beast. But she always claims she does things to protect children. So a part of me wonders if she suffers from something bigger.”
“Like what?”
“I don't know. Schizophrenia maybe?” Herb said as he shrugged his shoulders. “See sometimes a person who is schizophrenic, can operate like a normal person and if she's seeing someone, she could be on medicine for it. But there could be a trigger thing, in Molly's case, gays, lesbians and cross dressers.”
“And she can be dangerous?” Maggie asked.
“She did attack three children in a public place, didn't she?” Herb asked in reply to her question.
“I was stupid to join with her.” Kimberly said, shaking her head in shame. “But I was doing what I did for my baby. I really thought she was looking out for the interests of other parents, but I was wrong, Maggie. And I want to know if you can forgive me.”
Maggie reached across the table and touched Kimberly's hand. “Yes. I forgive you.”
Bernice and Marion stood by Maggie's car as she came out of the house. “I'm really sorry to do this to you two.” Maggie stated.
“Nonsense.” Marion replied. “You need to be with your child. We can always visit you when we leave your sister. From there it's interstate eighty all the way home.” He said with a smile. He pulled his daughter in for a hug. “You be good and now that I'm retired, maybe we can visit more.”
“I'd love that, Dad.”
“Maggie, you be safe and hug my granddaughter.” Marion kissed his daughters forehead and then he stepped back. Bernice scooped Maggie into a hug. Modine and Conner had already said their goodbys and were waiting near her car.
“I'll talk your father into visiting you, okay?” Bernice told her daughter. “But your sister is expecting us, so we'll head down there tomorrow.”
“Drive safe and call Shelly's number when you make it.”
“I will, Maggie.”
Marion and Bernice said goodbye to Vance and William, then they all watched as the family left the property.
Tracy had been watching out the window, waiting for their arrival. Shelly had given up on trying to do school work that morning. She found Tracy moving between her room and the stairwell which had a window that looked out to the spot in front of the garage.
Tracy was looking out the bedroom window when she saw her father and brother pull up and get out of the car. At first she wondered where her mother was, then she began to worry that her mother didn't want anything to do with her. She was about to start crying, when the doorbell rang and Tracy bolted out of the bedroom. As she reached the stairwell, she could see her mother’s car in front of the garage. She almost flew down the steps at the joy of her mother being there. She was halfway down the stairs as Shelly opened up the door. “Maggie! You made it.” She heard Tracy scrambling down the stairs and she moved out of the way as Tracy run up, hugging her mother tightly. “As you can see, someone has been waiting patiently for you.” Shelly joked.
Tears flowed from Tracy’s eyes as she hugged her mom. “I was so afraid you wouldn't come and you'd just forgot me.”
“Never Baby. Never.”
Maggie was on the verge of tears herself, so Shelly backed away as the two ladies hugged. A couple of moments later, Vance and William came around the corner and Tracy looked up, then let go of her mother and almost tackled her father.
“Well, little lady. Think you can help me get some stuff upstairs?” William asked his daughter.
“What stuff?” Tracy answered back.
“Your mother’s clothes.” William replied with a big smile. “We decided that she would move down here today and just save the trip again next week.”
Tracy looked at her mother and then hugged her. “You're here for good?!?”
“Yes, Baby. I am finally here.”
Tracy hugged her mother again and this time she sobbed for joy.
“Come on sweetie. We can cry in a bit. Let's get your mother’s car cleared out so we can move it to the back lot.” William told her and he put down the bag of luggage he had with him, so did Vance.
“Can we hit Caspers for a late lunch?” Tracy asked. “Mom knows where it's at. It's close to the Therapist too.” They had managed to empty Maggie's car in less then half an hour. Most of the boxes were in the upstairs room and would have to wait for Maggie to get around to opening them.
“They have good hotdogs” Maggie added. “And if Tracy is getting a shot and working out after that, she needs something to eat.”
“Sure.” William looked at Vance in the mirror. “I am going to bet that Tracy is going to be with the girls, are you okay with hanging out with the adults? We're planning on getting together and it may get boring, will that be okay?”
“Actually Moony asked if I wanted to spend the night at his place. I hope it's okay.” Vance said with a smile. “We're going to play some basketball at a nearby park, too.”
“Well, I don't know about the game in the park....” Maggie started
“Mom, it's right by their place.” Tracy said. “There's a court almost across the street from Brooke's, that's just a couple of blocks away. Besides, it may be dark when we get back and the park won’t let people in at night.”
“Oh yeah.” Maggie replied, recalling the park down the road from Brooke's.
Vance leaned forward so his parents could hear him better. “So can I stay?”
Maggie looked to William who shrugged. “May as well. They know each other and we know hanging with the adults is not fun at all.”
“Okay, you can stay the night.” Maggie said. “So which house will you be at, young lady?”
“Well, we were thinking of Sage's place cause her mother lets us run around naked there. I won't be naked, but they like it.” Tracy said as she went back to her book. “It was so much fun watching them run around naked last time.”
Vance's eyes bugged out of his head and he began to thank God for having Moony ask him to stay. “Really? They were all naked? Even Sage?”
Tracy looked at him and nodded. “Completely. And last time they were practicing kissing while we were naked.”
“Oh I'm definitely staying there now.”
Tracy began to giggle then it turned into a full laugh. “No...I was just kidding.” This caused William to laugh. “We don't get naked. I don't think Sage's mother would let us.”
“Awww.” Vance slumped in his seat.
“I'm not sure which house we're going to be at. Not sure what all is in the plans.” Tracy said. “I doubt we're staying at Sage's. Be far too many people. Maybe Brooke's, because last time was at Rachel's place and before that was Stacey and Casey's place.” She shrugged. “But it all depends on what plans have been made. You're leaving Sunday, right Dad?” Tracy asked.
“Yep, around four.” William answered. “That should be enough time to see if the gypsy’s want to buy you two.”
“Daddy.” Tracy said in a playful tone.
“You're right, it was the circus I think.”
“Well, cause if you leave Sunday, then I'll come home on Saturday so I can hang out with you.”
Next up, Fun with poor Vance, a meeting with all the parents and even more Tracy
“I kinda guessed they would, but I was mad.”
“Why were you mad?”
Vance went back to looking at his shoes. “I thought that Tracy had less work to do around the house. I had to help my Grandpa out in the fields, and all she had to do was work inside the house. Then I went over to the back porch to see if Grandma had any more work for me that day and there was Troy, resting on the back porch in a dress, just sitting around and having fun. I just got mad.”
“Anger often shuts down common sense.” Ivan said with a nod. “And thinking a sibling has it easier then you, that makes things bad. Did you ever find out if she had it worse?”
Edited by Djkauf
More of Tracy and her family
Tracy was in the doctor’s office with her mother. Her father was in the waiting room, not wanting to make his daughter uncomfortable. She had been unaware that they had changed the time of the appointment, so she was there for her hormones, before seeing Ivan and before food. She was grateful that it took very little time to move her mother's clothes into the house. And she was looking forward to something to eat, as her stomach kept rumbling while she sat in the exam room.
The doctor looked at her results, then at Maggie and her. “We ran the blood tests and found no hormones in her body, other than the little amount that would be made naturally. It seemed to be a bit heavy in testosterone, but nothing to be concerned over. What does concern me is the fact that the growth of your chest could be your weight. On one hand, I could say that it's just youth and you'll grow out of it, but on the other hand, I must think that you could be gaining weight, due to your castration.”
“And this is bad?” Maggie asked.
“It can be, if left unchecked. Do you exercise, young lady?”
“I do Tai Chi.” Tracy stated.
“Well, I want you to do more, like walk daily. I recall that in your file, you have a grandmother who has osteoporosis?”
Maggie nodded. “Yes. Tracy's paternal grandmother.”
“This is what I want you to do. I would like you to get together with your Tai Chi master, and have him or her give you a work out that you can do for half an hour each day. It could be more, but at least, I want you to do half an hour, daily. I also want you to start walking each day. Run or jog every other day. I don't mean that you have to do a marathon, start out slow. A mile for a little while, then when it is no longer a chore, step up to two, then three. This will help combat a possible weight gain. Also, you may need to watch your intake of calories. Now don't starve yourself, because that will cause more problems than it helps. But I want you to cut back on how much you eat. But as you work out more, you will increase your food intake. You're burning off what you eat, so you have to replace it. We may add weight lifting into this. Not like Olympic lifters, just enough to keep working your bones and keeping them strong, but you may wish to speak to your master about how to do it, so you don't lose flexibility for strength.”
“Okay.” Tracy nodded.
“I'll make sure your mother has a full list. But for now, I would like to give you your first dose of hormones.”
"Awesome." Tracy said as she turned her head from the needle that he had and she flinched as a needle poked her skin.
“And there you go. One dose of female hormones.” The doctor said as he turned around to face Maggie.
Tracy smiled as the Doctor handed a piece of paper to Maggie. “Keep an eye out for these symptoms, this is a list of known reactions to the hormones. You'll know the normal problems that will occur, so be ready.”
“Be ready for what?” Tracy asked.
“Mood swings.” Maggie answered. “But every girl deals with them.”
“Here is a list of vitamins she may need to keep up on, to help with her bones. And calcium is a must. Without testosterone in her body, she needs to help strengthen the bones somehow. She is still growing, so it is important that she gets enough calcium daily.”
“Thank you.” Maggie said and she walked out of the little room, to talk to the doctor more, and let Tracy dress.
Ten minutes later, after she had dressed and checked her hair in the bathroom mirror, Maggie and Tracy walked into the waiting room. William put down his magazine, tapped his son on the arm and stood up. He had met with the doctor, just to introduce himself, but he had wanted to leave Tracy some privacy. “Are we done?”
“Yes. I got a list of vitamins she needs to take, plus a list of things to watch for. But other then that, we're good to go.” Maggie stated.
“So, young lady, want to hit that hot dog place now?”
“Please, I haven't eaten since breakfast.” Tracy said as Vance stood and her parents started for the door.
“Okay. So where is this Caspers?”
“I can show you.” Vance said. “It's by the main highway.”
“How do you know?” William asked.
“Uncle Frank took me there when we were down here in November.”
The drive only took a few minutes, then one quick order later and William was sitting at a table, his wife across from him and his kids to either side. “So, how have things been?”
“For the past week?” Tracy asked with a chuckle and William nodded. “Good, I guess. I stayed with Rachel, till this morning and she has a kitten.” Tracy looked up from her food. “Can we get a kitten, when we get our own place?”
“We'll think about it.” William answered her, then gestured for her to continue.
“It was okay. I had my Tai Chi class on Tuesday and I hung out with Rachel, Sage and Brooke a few times during the week. Did some homework, helped cook at Rachel's. Not much else.” Tracy looked to her Dad. “What about you?” He knew that she had skipped her running from Rachel's house, but he didn't want to push her. He was sure Maggie would question her later, and he only know part of the story.
“Me? Well, I go home from work and wish I didn't have to go back. I miss my wonderful daughter and now I'll miss my beautiful wife. We eat at Mom and Dad's and that's about it.”
“I'm sorry I had to leave.” Tracy replied, looking up at him, eyes threatening to fill with tears.
“Stop that.” William commanded. He was thankful the restaurant was mostly empty, that way people wouldn't be questioning it if Tracy cried. “We brought you down here for your safety. This wasn't your fault. We've covered that before. And in four months, We'll be here too.”
“But I feel guilty.” Tracy stated.
William shook his head and gently spoke. “Tracy. No one would have known that Clark and Molly would attack you. Soon, both of them will be no more then a bad dream and we'll be down here, living a better life.”
Maggie nodded her agreement with her husband. “He's right. I really think that you're safer here. No Molly, No Clark and who knows how many other people Molly told about you.”
Tracy sighed and sat back in her seat. William knew he didn't want her in a bad mood all night, so he decided to cheer her up. “So, do you need anything for your Tai Chi class?”
“Shifu Jaio has ordered me a uniform and it should be here next week.”
“What about your old one?”
“It's the wrong color and it has the wrong markings on it. The color is a different rank in Shifu Jaio's class. Plus this is a different school and I'd rather not remember that jerk.”
William nodded as he put himself in her shoes. “I can understand that. Be like if I had worn someone else's rank in the Army. Did she tell you how much it would cost?”
“Helping clean her house a few times, and helping clean around the school on Tuesday nights, after Shifu Lok's class.”
“For how long?”
“Just a couple of weeks.” Tracy replied. “ She said they can insist it’s part of my training, so they don't get in trouble by having a minor work. Then the other work I do goes into taking money off the bill of the school.”
“Well, we'll help with that. They are charging the same as the other guy, and you like them more.” William replied. “And I must say, that Lok fellow is a nice man.”
It was quarter after three when Maggie had signed them in and Tracy was shocked to find none of her friends were there. She sat down and huffed out a breath. “Where are they?” She asked in a whisper.
“Hey, come on now. You know they just got out of school fifteen minutes ago.” Maggie said as she took a seat next to William. Vance had sat near Tracy, but leaving one seat space between them, hoping to steer Sage into it if she showed up.
“I know, I just want them here.” Tracy said as she slumped in her seat.
“They'll get here when they get here, honey.” William said as he picked up a health magazine from a nearby table. He wasn't used to being in this situation. The last time he had spoken to a shrink, he had been wounded in 'Nam and he hated the sessions he had. “Is this what you're like when they are in school?”
Tracy looked away and blushed. “No....”
“According to Shelly, it is. Or at least that's what Lynn and Jaio said. They had problems getting our young lady to focus on the homework any time after noon. But some of that could be because we were in another town.”
Tracy picked up the book she had brought with her and tried to read, but her attention was all over the place. It was hard to focus when she knew her friends were coming. She did her best to ignore her parents, knowing they were right.
At about three twenty-five, the door to the waiting room almost blew off its hinges as Rachel burst in. Sage held back long enough to hold the door for Brooke. By this point, Tracy was already out of her seat and in Rachel's arms. A few moments later, Persephone came in with Andromeda and Moony, who went to Vance and sat down next to him.
William and Maggie got up and greeted each of the girls. He made sure to give a big hug to Brooke, then he took his seat again. As they talked between themselves, the back door opened up and Doctor Ivan walked out. As he got close to Maggie, she turned and smiled, but Vance stayed seated. “Maggie, it’s good to see you again.”
“It's good to be here.” Maggie replied. William was wishing that he hadn't come down. He just wasn't a fan of the man's profession. It had nothing to do with the man himself, after all, his daughter liked him, so he couldn't be all bad. Maggie gestured to William. “I'd like you to meet my husband, William.”
“William, it's good to see you, I've heard a lot about you from your daughter, you must be proud of her.” Ivan held out his hand.
“I am. But then I'm proud of Vance as well.” William answered as he shook the man's hand.
“Speaking of our son, this is Vance.” Maggie said as she gestured to her eldest child.
“Vance.” Ivan held a hand out. “Hear a lot of good things about you too.”
“Thank you Sir.” Vance replied, shaking his hand.
“How did the basketball season go?”
Vance smiled brightly. “We finished seventeen and three. Second place in our district. Baseball is going to start soon for us, well the school is. The kids at school are trying to keep me from trying out.”
“Well keep your chin up and maybe you can move here and get on the new school team.” Ivan said, before he went to the four girls. “Tracy, it's good to see you again.”
“Doctor Ivan.” She said with a smile, while she shook his hand in a feminine way.
“Sage, Rachel.” The doctor said as he shook their hands. “And who might this beautiful young lady be?” He asked, looking at Brooke. He had a great guess, but he wanted to make sure.
Brooke looked up at him, her cheeks burned bright red at the term beautiful. “I'm Brooke.”
“It's good to meet you young lady.”
“Are you taking Tracy's parents first?” Sage asked.
“Like I normally do. Yes.” Ivan replied. “But today, I want to shake things up. So you may be out here for a bit.”
“That's okay, we got homework we can do.” Sage replied. “Plus my cousins may be here for Tracy, too.”
Ivan chuckled, then in an imitation of the movie Jaws, he looked to William and Maggie and in a worried tone, he said. “I'm gonna need a bigger boat.”
“Come on, you love us and you know it.” Sage playfully replied.
He gestured to Maggie and William. “If you two would like to come back...”
Tracy watched as her parents were led back to the room and she grabbed her brother and went over to Jill. “Ma'am. I'd like you to meet Vance, my brother. Vance, this is Mary Beth and Emily May's aunt.”
“Ma'am.” Vance said with a smile.
“Hello, Vance. How are you today?”
“Doing good, Ma'am.” Vance replied.
“That's good. Everything better up north?”
“I guess. Oh...I almost forgot.” Vance went over to his coat and pulled out a couple of envelopes. “These are for Tracy and her friends, but Emily said if I saw you, to give this to you, or have Tracy give it to you.” He handed a couple of envelopes to her. “Emily said there was a letter from her and Mary Beth in it.”
“Thank you. It means a lot to keep in contact with my family, no matter how stupid their father is being.”
“When we move down here, Peter has agreed to send the mail to us and Tracy can bring it in to you.”
“Well thank you. Thank you both.”
“Please, have a seat.” Ivan gestured to the couch as he took his usual seat across from it. He watched as William let Maggie sit first, then he sat next to her. “I must say it's good to finally meet you.”
“Well, I almost didn't come.” William admitted. “I had a bad experience with a shrink after 'Nam, .”
“I can understand. War is a traumatizing experience.” Ivan said, not wishing to correct him on the slang title of his profession.
“You're telling me.” William shook his head. “I heard about hell in the bible and that has been the closest I think I've come to seeing what it would be like. Did you serve?”
“Yes. I was a Captain with the ninety-fifth evac hospital. Psychiatric consultation. Got there in sixty eight and was there for the move to Monkey mountain and stayed till seventy.”
“I was a cook in a camp outside of Da Nang. I recall Hell's half acre very well.” William stated, using the nickname of the doctor's old camp. “I was only a Sergeant and a cook of a small camp, but I spent a couple of weeks at the ninety fifth after our camp came under fire. Took some shrapnel through my right knee.”
“Can I ask? Did you get drafted, or enlist?”
“I enlisted.” William said.
“Why? Most of the kids our age were trying anything they could do to get out of it.”
“My brother is older then me and he was already in the air force. He had four kids at that point and I had heard that if I went over, he'd be kept out of the fighting.”
“I see. Were either of your kids born then?” Ivan scratched out a quick note and William began to wonder how much he should tell.
“It's okay.” Maggie whispered when she saw his hesitation. “Trust me, William.”
William sighed and decided his wife was right, again. “Vance was. In fact that was the one thing that kept me going when I was there. I kept getting tapes that Maggie recorded each week. Sure, I got them a month or two later, but I got them. I heard Vance's first word over those tapes. Hell, I still got that tape.” William gave the doctor a small smile. “When I got hurt, I must have played that tape three or four times a day, just to give me the strength to keep going. But we had a plan ready if something happened to me. Both Maggie's parents and mine would have made sure she was taken care of. That never had to be used and Tracy was born about nine months after I first got home.”
“That's also normal.” Ivan said with a nod of his head. “Tell me, how has Troy becoming Tracy affected you? Were you sad, angry, supportive?”
“Well, I never knew, not until Thanksgiving. Then I heard Maggie talking to Shelly and I put the pieces of the conversation together. Maggie and I talked about it and I decided to trust Maggie and let Tracy do her thing.”
“Her thing?”
“Well, she was Tracy, but only at the house and only after school. I actually gave my permission to let her do it.”
“Most men would have fought this tooth and nail, but you didn't. Why?”
“Well, in September or October, Vance had been giving Tracy, well Troy, a hard time at school. Troy let the school and walked home, then he fell asleep on my mother's back porch. When My mom told us where he was, I went there to yell at him, but both Maggie and Mom pointed out how I had been treating Troy badly and letting Vance do everything he wanted. Well, my Mom offered an idea, where the boys did more work at the house and I went with it. I had no idea that it was Tracy doing the cooking and cleaning, not until Thanksgiving. But while Maggie was down here, the weekend after Thanksgiving, I got to doing some thinking and I realized she has always been acting like a girl and I knew I had to change my attitude, or lose a child and a wife.”
“Now I know many men relate to their male offspring better then the female and it gets a bit more strained when the girls get older. Are you spending time with her? Before the move, I mean?”
“Well....” William thought about it, then he hung his head. “Not much. I mean I'd talk with her each morning as she made breakfast, but Vance and I have always been closer. “
“Well, just remember to take some time each month for her as well. Each child needs to feel loved by both the mother and father. I'm not saying take her shopping, but maybe a meal at a fast-food place, just the two of you. Maybe a walk in the evening and let her open up to you. I know it will be harder, now that you're in another town, so phone calls on the weekends, stuff like that. Take time to mail her a letter. Write something from the heart for her.”
“I think I can do that.”
“Now, I would like to know, in the past two weeks, has anything major happened?”
“Not really.” Maggie said. “My Mom and I stayed here until Friday and from what Shelly said, it hurt Tracy a lot when we left. We did get the temporary restraining order filed and we have an appointment for this Friday to get the full order. We're not sure if Molly will be there, as far as I know, she's in the mental health facility in Chico.”
“We did get to see Tracy during the week.” William added, not wanting to seem like they just abandoned her. “On Valentine’s day. We had Frank and Shelly take her to Sacramento for dinner. We brought Vance and had a nice meal.”
“That sounds nice. I bet she loved it.” Ivan stated.
“She did. She sat between Maggie and myself and I don't think she stopped talking long enough to eat.” William chuckled as he thought about that visit.
“That's true. I was shocked that she had that much stuff to talk about. I had only been gone for three days.” Maggie said with a chuckle.
“And how was she after that? Did the other parents let you know if she was missing you?”
“From what I heard, she did.” Maggie replied. “Shelly and Frank had already planned on being out of town, so Tracy stayed with Rachel and I guess there were a few bad days. Lynn called me on Tuesday and told me that Tracy had left the house early in the morning, after something happened and she went to Brooke's, I guess she thought Rachel was mad or something.”
“Ah. Do you know everything that happened?” He asked, even though he knew some of the story from Sage
“I think so.” Maggie replied. She quickly told him what she knew and he nodded as she told her story. When she finished he made a quick couple of notes and leaned back.
“I try and approach the subject carefully, but it’s a talk that she needs to have with me.” Ivan said. “From what I can get, it is that she's worried that her body is going to run her friends off. But I don't think the girls are leaving.”
“I hope so. I've never seen Tracy this happy.” William stated.
“Have a seat Vance.”
“Yes sir.” He replied as he took the offered seat.
“Now you're probably wondering why I wanted to talk to you, right?”
“Yeah.” Vance said with a nod. “It's not like I can do anything. I'm just the brother.”
“Wrong, Vance. You can do a lot.” Ivan said. “You had two paths when you first found out about Tracy. Path one was bad. You could have made Tracy's life a living hell. Path two is good, you could have supported her, which you have and being one of many people who helped her two weeks ago proved that.”
“But I did do the bad one.” Vance said as he hung his head in shame. “I told my friend about Tracy, when she was Troy and that he wore dresses, he was the one who attacked Tracy in December. He came over 'cause we were going to beat up on Troy.”
“Okay, but what happened?” Ivan asked.
“Grandma Modine did. She made me wear a dress when Bruce and Frankie came over.”
“And how did they treat you?”
Vance shrugged. “They teased me. They kept teasing me at school too, till Troy caught Bruce stealing from a class, then they tried to beat us both up.”
“Did they?”
Vance shook his head and looked up. “Kinda. We got in trouble for fighting at school and got suspended for three days, but Bruce and Frankie got ten days suspension. That was at Thanksgiving.”
Ivan held up a hand to stop him. “Let me back up a bit here. Why did you tell your friends? Did you know that they'd want to hurt Tracy?”
“I kinda guessed they would, but I was mad.”
“Why were you mad?”
Vance went back to looking at his shoes. “I thought that Tracy had less work to do around the house. I had to help my Grandpa out in the fields, and all she had to do was work inside the house. Then I went over to the back porch to see if Grandma had any more work for me that day and there was Troy, resting on the back porch in a dress, just sitting around and having fun. I just got mad.”
“Anger often shuts down common sense.” Ivan said with a nod. “And thinking a sibling has it easier then you, that makes things bad. Did you ever find out if she had it worse?”
“When she was hurt, I noticed how dirty our house and my Grandparent’s house got. I realized how much she really did then.”
“How long did you have to wear the dresses?”
“Tracy talked to Grandma and had her stop it after a week. Both Dad and Grandpa had laughed at me and she felt bad for it.”
“How did you feel when they laughed at you?”
Vance sighed. “I hated it. It hurt bad, worse than any name I've been called.” Vance looked up at him. “But I got to thinking after that, that me telling Bruce and Frankie was just like Dad and Grandpa laughing at me.”
“Very mature of you to figure that out on your own.” Ivan said with a smile.
“Well, I had a lot of time to think over the Christmas break.” Vance replied.
“Thinking is always good. Not enough people do it though.” Ivan said with a smile.
“Dad said that before.”
“Yeah, Dad's get those hints of wisdom in the Dad cheat book. So, what about this most recent attack.”
“Yeah. I came in at the middle, with Tracy's friend, Peter, plus Jerry, who was there the last time Tracy got attacked, but he left because he didn't know Bruce was going to do that, and Moonglow, Sage's brother.”
“So you were where when it started?”
Vance leaned back in the couch. “We were hanging out at my Grandfather's house, while the girls were at our place. Then we heard Clark yelling at Tracy so we went over and made sure that it wasn't four on one.”
“Tell me, how have you been after all of the pictures and the phone-calls? Any nightmares?” The question caught Vance off guard. He had thought that this man was there to see Tracy and get his reactions about her, not to ask him about himself.
“I had a couple of dreams, but nothing too bad, nothing like Tracy.”
“Her dreams are back?”
“Well before she moved they were. I didn't tell you this, but the guy was calling and saying what he would do to her. I heard Mom tell Dad about it one night. I guess he was planning to show up and rape Tracy, after they raped Mom and make Tracy watch. Then they were going to make her watch as they killed Dad and me.” Vance stated. “I mean this was what he said. That guy was a pot head and a coke snorter, so who knows.”
“And I'm guessing that there were bad dreams because of this?”
“Yeah. She would wake up crying. Usually it was because she had dropped her bear on the floor.” Vance stated. “But normally, If I could, I'd stick it back in her arms and go back to bed.”
“Very thoughtful of you.” Ivan said. “Tell me, Vance, have you been adjusting to the absence of Tracy well?”
Vance shrugged. “Okay I guess. I mean she was making dinner and we ate at five each evening, but now we eat at the Grandparents, or when Mom gets home from work.”
“Any thing else? I recall that you shared a room with Troy, did you share one with Tracy?”
“Well, we had to. I mean I could have slept in the living room, but Mom and Dad didn't make me.”
“How did that make you feel?”
“Well, I was glad I didn't lose my room, but when she would come home from school and change, I always gave her space and waited in the kitchen.”
The Doctor scribbled down a note. “Why? After all, you had been in the same room as her for the past eleven years.”
“But it was Troy. This was different. Tracy is my sister and she deserves the chance to dress without her brother watching her.” Vance stated and Ivan smiled at him.
“That is a very mature attitude about this, Vance. You have the chance to watch your sister grow up to be a wonderful woman and you get the fun of being there and watching it happen.”
Vance smiled. “And I get the bonus of her cute friends too.”
“Yes, there is that too.” Ivan nodded. “And for a boy of your age, that can be quite important.”
“So young lady, how are you today?” Ivan asked Tracy. She was all alone in the room. He had planned on bringing in the family as a whole after this, then her friends, but he wanted to get to talk to her alone.
“I'm good.” She beamed at him. “Mom moved down today!”
“That is excellent news.” Ivan said with a nod. “How about the past week?”
“Well, we met with Mom and Dad for Valentines day. Aunt Shelly and Uncle Frank took me to Sacramento and we ate there. I also went to a garden club and met a bunch of ladies and got a couple of people to compliment on my cooking.”
“That is very good.” Ivan nodded and he wrote down a quick note. “What about Tuesday?”
“Well, I had to stay with Rachel, Aunt Shelly and Uncle Frank went to Reno.” He noticed that Tracy's attitude seemed to sour.
“And how did that go?” He asked her.
“Okay. I tried to do school work and Tuesday I spent with Brooke's mother.” Tracy replied.
“Tracy, you seem a bit down. Did something happen on Tuesday?”
Tracy didn't want to reply, but he seemed to know, so she nodded. “Yeah.”
“Tell me and we can work on it. Like I said, I can't help you, if I don't know what is wrong.”
“It....” Tracy started and she got quiet for a second or two, then she shook her head. “It’s stupid.”
“Tracy, something happened to you. And it is something bad enough to ruin your happy mood. This concerns me as your doctor and a friend. So please, help me, help you.”
Tracy was quick for a few moments and as he was about to change the subject, she sighed, then answered. “When I was at Rachel's the first morning, she kept hitting the snooze and I went over and tickled her, then I blew on her chest, just to wake her up. When I stopped I noticed that she was totally naked under her shirt.” Her cheeks went a bright red. “My thing got hard and I panicked.”
“Panicked how?”
“I left their house, while Rachel showered.”
Ivan leaned forward. “Why? Why did you leave, Tracy?”
Tracy sighed again. “I was upset that my stupid body did what it did. I started to think that she saw me and she would get mad and hate me, then my body would have cost me a friend.”
“I see.” Ivan wrote down another note. “And did she leave you?”
“No.” Tracy shook her head. “From what Sage told me, she was mad at herself for getting me excited and making me hate myself.”
Ivan waited for her to finish, then he put down his pad and pencil, so he could focus on her fully. “Tracy, your body will do things at the worst times in life. You will get gas in a church, you will burp at the worst times. Hiccups can bring a class to a halt. You only have so much control on this body. You can't stop blood flow. You will blush at the worst times you can think of. You will trip over nothing, but only when people are watching. Goofs like that happen. Rachel was just as worried about you as you were about her. Next time, and there will be a next time, stay and talk to her. I somehow doubt that a simple little problem like that will make Rachel hate you.”
“I guess.” Tracy answered, not totally convinced.
“Tracy, trust me. She's been your main supporter of the girls, along with Sage, since they met you. I'd bet she has you listed as one of her five best friends, just as you have her listed. So don't let this ruin that relationship.”
“Okay.” Tracy replied, a bit more sure.
More of Tracy to come and soon, more of Molly.
“It's a Valley girl thing. It's getting huge, but it sounds stupid.” Sage replied.
“Is she always like that, being a jerk, I mean?”
Sage, Brooke and Rachel all nodded. Brooke answered. “Always. Her and her friend.”
“So I left Clark and now I get that?” Tracy asked.
“Tracy, mean people are everywhere. That is a fact of life.” Sage stated.
Edited by Djkauf
Tracy and family for some more fun. This time, William debates his choices,and Tracy gets something done that all girls have.
Friday February 18th 1983
William sat in a chair, on the side of the class, where several other parents were seated. Persephone, Moony and all Tracy's friends were with them. Maggie was next to her husband, as they watched their daughter go through her class. William had never put much faith into this style, not until Tracy had defended her grandmother. She was still sore from her hormone shot, but her attitude was unwavering.
Almost an hour later, as kids came in for Lok's class, a tired and slightly sore Tracy walked over to them, bowed at the edge of the mat and sat down. Jaio came over and smiled at them. “She is doing well in her placement in the intermediate class. As for her Mandarin, she is learning the basic greetings, and Brooke is taking her time, so we don't overwhelm her.” To Maggie's side, Brooke nodded.
Lok came over and smiled at her. “Tracy, since your parents are here, and my class is showing up, we will work on the other techniques I have been teaching you on Tuesday.”
“Thank you, Shifu.”
“You are most welcome. So, go and have a fun night.”
“I will. Mom moved down here today.”
“Well, that is great news.” Lok replied.
“I know. Now to wait till June for Dad to move down.”
“Patience. One must learn patience in life, or waiting will drive you crazy.”
Maggie, Vance, and William followed Tracy and her friends into the Mall. They had time to spare before they needed to be elsewhere, so Persephone had driven the girls and Maggie, while William took Moony and Vance to the local mall in Pleasanton. Tracy had begged for earrings and she had the money to pay for it, so William told Maggie to cover half of the bill, if she wanted, or the whole bill, if it was cheap enough. As they entered the mall, Vance tried to get near Sage, but each time he did, the girls would dash off to a store, leaving him watching as they raced in.
William finally stopped by him and chuckled. “It's worse when you're the parent and the kids won’t stay near by.”
“I just want to hang out with her.” Vance said.
“You got to remember, she's Tracy’s friend and you never get in the middle of a group of girls, unless you wish to be trampled.” William said with a grin. “But I hear there's a sporting goods store here, so maybe you and I could go check that out while they get Tracy's ears pierced”
“Pierced?”
“Yeah. She's living as Tracy now, so earrings are important. Unless you want to wear some as well.”
“No.” Vance answered.
“Persephone, can we take your son, so he isn't hanging out in the jewelry store?”
“Please, I'm sure he'd hate it.”
Moony nodded. “Yes, I would.”
“Come on then. You know the way?”
“Yeah, past the food court.”
“Good. Maggie, meet us in the food court. We can get the girls dinner, because it is late enough.”
“I will.” Maggie said as she moved to catch up with her daughter and the girls. She found them as she looked into a jewelery shop for teens.
Tracy moved around the racks, her eyes going over all the earrings. Her friends stood with her as they held up each card, pushed her hair out of the way and let her look in the tiny plastic mirrors. The clerk walked over to Tracy's group and she looked to Persephone and Maggie. “Getting your daughters some earrings?”
“Well, my youngest is going to wait.” Persephone said, putting a hand on Andromeda. “But we're actually here for her daughter, the sandy blonde with the blue skirt. She wants to get her ears pierced.”
“Mom, could I get a pair too?” Sage asked, holding her hands out in a pleading manner.
“Okay.” Persephone turned to face the clerk. “We need to get her ears pierced too.”
“We have a special going on right now. One pair of earrings at regular price and a starter set, half price with a piercing. So if the two who are getting them want a few more minutes, just let me know when you're ready.”
“Okay.” The girls chorused together. Maggie looked around the shop, letting her daughter have her space, till a voice caught her attention.
“Mom!” Tracy said as she ran over and showed her four cards, each with different styles of earrings. “I need help. We've narrowed it down to these four and we're all thinking of getting one set that matches. The ones with the tiny stars. Should I get a birthstone for me?” She held the card up to her ear.
“I think pearls would look good on you, but remember, you'd have to wear the first set for a couple of weeks, before you take them out.”
“Oh. Well then, yeah, I'd like to get the stars and the pearls.” Tracy had turned to put the stuff back, she stopped half a step away. “Thanks, Mom.”
“No problem, sweetie.”
“So where are we going for the night?” Tracy asked Sage and Brooke as the girls sat at one of several tables pushed together in the food court. Vance and Moony were up at a counter, looking for more food. Her hands kept playing with her earrings and each time her mother would gently move her hands and tell her to stop.
“My place.” Sage replied. “Brooke's mom isn't feeling well and her Grandfather wants to keep us from getting it. So Brooke is staying with us until her mom gets better.” William began to chuckle and Tracy laughed, causing Brooke to give them a funny look.
“What?” Brooke asked.
“I kinda told Vance that we would be at your house because your mother lets us run around naked, just to see what he would do.”
Brooke's face broke in a big smile, then she began laughing. After a few minutes, she looked to Tracy. “We gotta have fun with him.”
Sage just groaned. “Noooo.”
“Now girls, don't tease him too much. I have to deal with him for the next few months all on my own.”
“I have to agree. I wouldn't tease him too much.” Persephone added. “You don't want to ruin his relationship with Tracy.”
“I'm sorry, Sage. I tried to ask Aunt Shelly, but they wanted to keep the house to the adults tonight, but she said tomorrow we could stay there, if you want.”
“That’s okay, I can survive. My bedroom door locks.” Sage replied, then she smiled. “Besides, we got a surprise now.”
“What?” Tracy asked.
“We have a TV and cable. Dad finally agreed that it doesn't rot the brain, but he wants us to watch some PBS each week, so we are cultured.” Sage rolled her eyes at the last part.
“Cool, so MTV?”
“Maybe. I know Moony is having Vance over, so who knows. We have to agree on the show.”
William's car pulled up to Sage's home. He had offered to take Vance and Moony, while the girls and Maggie rode with Persephone. As Persephone's VW bus pulled up, Vance looked over as the girls got out.
“Are the girls staying here tonight?” Vance asked. His father went over to Brooke and offered to carry her, which she nodded her approval.
“Yes.” William replied, as he picked Brooke out of her chair. “Your Aunt has something going on tonight, so do the Parker’s and William’s. So they are doing the sleepover here tonight.” He walked the few feet to the steps.
“Sleepover? I thought they were going to Brooke's?” Vance asked. "So Sage is going to be here?!?" He began to perk up.
“Brooke's mom is sick, and your Aunt, Uncle, Mom and I are stepping out for a bit.” William went up the steps, then in the house, where he waited for Brooke's chair to be brought into the house, then he placed her in it.
There was a knock at the door and Persephone answered it. Jamie, Rachel's sister walked in. “We're going to be gone for about an hour or two, but you can call the William's house if there is a problem.” Persephone told them.
“Okay Mom.” Sage and her brother replied.
“We've also called Jamie over, because Lance wants her out of the home for an hour or two. We'll dish out ice cream or something a bit later, but for now, just have fun. Vance, soda is in the fridge, help yourself.”
“Okay.” He said with a nod of his head.
William, Maggie were at Lance and Lynn's house with the parents of Sage and Stacey and Casey. Lok and his wife had just returned from their school in Dublin and they were there for Brooke. Shelly and Frank were there as well. Lynn was busy passing out sodas to the parents and William was getting ready for possible trouble, or news that his daughter hadn't told him yet.
Lance sat in a chair and faced the Pattersons. “William, Maggie, we wanted you two here because my wife and I, Harvey and Lilian, Carl and Persephone and Karen and her parents have been talking over an idea for the past couple of months, ever since Christmas. We know how much the girls are looking forward to hanging out for spring break, but instead of letting Rachel have us go all over the Bay area for mall shopping, we came up with an idea.”
“What type of idea?” Maggie asked.
“See, we were going to take Jamie and Rachel on a trip for Easter break, but Rachel said they had plans and she didn't want to miss out on Tracy's first Easter break. The others were having the same issue.”
Harvey chuckled. “Stacey was throwing the same problem up at us once Tracy took off in December.”
“Same with Sage and 'Romy.” Persephone added.
“Brooke has been better. She knows she has competitions and if she is not good, we don't let her go.” Lok stated.
“Where are you thinking of going?” William asked. He was afraid of being put on the spot and if it involved money, he would have to find a way to politely decline.
“Disneyland.” Lance stated.
“I don't know, it's kinda expensive.” William replied. He didn't want to be rude and he didn't want to ruin their ideas, but he knew that would be more money then they had at the moment. “what with Maggie moving, it may be hard for us to make it, but don't let us ruin your vacation.”
“And as the Godparents to Tracy and Vance, we owe them several years of gifts, so we'll pay their way, hotel bill, and help you with your tickets into the park.” Shelly stated. “William, that job is going to run you into the ground the next few months, take this chance to have some fun. You said you already asked for the time off, right?”
“Yeah, I figured I was bringing Tracy down here for Easter to hang out with the girls.”
“Well, then just show up and we'll bring you with us.” Lance stated. “You push yourself too hard and you may start to resent your children for the move. Relax. I know how hard it is to ask for help, but remember, you have money coming in from those cars that the O'Brien guy is selling for you.”
“True. I keep forgetting those.”
Lance turned to face the others. “Lok, can you and Jaio take time off of work?”
“With the school, we may take the week off of training, but what if just Karen went, to save on money and rooms.”
“So you're all in for this idea?” William asked.
“This beats my idea of just finding a campground up north.” Harvey stated. “The girls weren't too happy about sleeping in the trailer.”
“We do have an issue.” Lilian stated.
“What's that?” Lance asked.
“Well, there are how many of us? I mean including Mooney, Jamie and Vance? I'm guessing we're taking them with us. So what does that total to?”
“Twenty three.” William replied rather quickly. Math had been his strong point and he knew he had done the count for all the families before. “That's with the three oldest, Lok and Jaio, plus Karen and Shelly and Frank.”
“Twenty two. I took some time off work already and wanted to save the rest of my time off till September and December.” Frank stated.
“Twenty two people then. We have to transport that many people.” Lilian said.
“Well, my truck holds nine, as does yours. That's eighteen” Harvey told his wife. “I think Karen's van can hold six, so it may be out, so we can focus on leaving the luggage with that vehicle. The trucks don't have much storage space.”
“I have a van.” Shelly stated. “I can take seven people, including me, or I can take three others and fill the back with bags, so Brooke will be in the vehicle with her wheelchair.”
“Let's take Shelly's van, Take my truck, Lilian's truck and we keep the girls in one truck, except Jamie, unless she wants to be there.”
“When would we go?” Lance asked. “Later Friday, after school got out?”
“I couldn't go, not on the Friday.” William said. “I have work until Saturday afternoon and Vance has a full day the Friday before. Even if I could get the weekend off, we wouldn't get here till seven, that means Disney at midnight, if not later.”
“Okay, Monday then. Harvey, that work?”
“I'm off from Friday to Sunday the next week.”
“So more then a week? Good.” Lance said with a smile.
“I do have Sunday off, so we can travel then, or Saturday.” William said.
“We may not go.” Lok said, patting his wife’s hand. “But we would make sure that Brooke can go. She needs happiness in her life. But could we think about it?”
“Please do, we have a month and a half. But I would like to call a tourist place, so we can get the tickets and book the hotel early” Lance replied, then he looked to Carl and Persephone. “You two are good to go, right?”
“Yes. I'm just trying to think if we want to subject Mickey and Donald to my two girls. 'Romy is a total Donald nut.” Carl smiled brightly. “Actually, Persephone and I had been kicking around this idea for a while. We can use the tax money and go with that.”
William's eyes lit up. “I forgot about tax refunds.”
“We got it covered, William.” Shelly reminded him. “Save taxes for other expenses, like a moving van.”
“The Doctor and Therapist is on the eighteenth, so that's one saving grace.” Maggie stated.
“Two less stops?” Harvey asked.
“That too, but hopefully she won't be high on the hormones and in a mood when we go.”
“Here's hoping.” Lance nodded. “Lets just remember that Tracy isn't the only one we have to worry about with hormones. What about the court thing, Maggie, that's Friday, right?”
“Yeah, Early morning.” Maggie answered.
“I wish I could be here for that.” William grumbled. “Stupid job.”
“We know.” Maggie patted his arm. “I know you want to be here.”
“William, no one is looking down on you.” Shelly stated. “You're doing what you feel is right and instead of switching Vance mid school year, you're waiting.” William thought about her statement and he really wondered if they were doing what was best for Vance.
“Okay. So starting Friday before we go, we get the kids packed, we can load up on Friday and be ready for Saturday. William, when are you due to be off?”
“Noon. Also lately they've been doing their best to piss me off. Six on, then six, then four, then eight. ” He replied.
“So, if there were no issues, you could be here by three if you come straight down?” Lance asked and William nodded.
“I got a thought.” Carl said. “What if, the person with the smallest amount of people waits for William. When William gets to that person, we take off for Disneyland.”
“No. We all go together, in case one of us has car problems.” Harvey said.
“I got to side with Harvey on that. Together is safest.” Lance said and William agreed.
“One caravan is better. That way we all get there at once and all the parents are with their children.” William said with a nod.
“Very good. So we leave in a large group. William will bring Vance to Shelly's. We meet at Shelly's and we load up from there.”
“Yeah.”
Shelly leaned forward. “So do we tell the girls now?”
“We should, that way they will all be on their best behavior.” Lance stated. “And the older ones too.”
“Tomorrow.” Harvey replied. “After I get off work, we can meet at Persephone's.”
“No. They're going to my place. So meet there and we can have a pizza or something.” Shelly replied.
“Tomorrow at Shelly's for pizza and carnage.” Lance said with a chuckle.
Harvey leaned forward and cleared his throat. “I would like to offer something to Vance and Moony. Disney may seem childish to them, so what if this summer, I offer to take them camping? I can take Carl and William too, that way the boys get to hang out with their fathers.”
“That could work.” Carl said. “Moony and I do need to hang out more.”
“Same with Vance and me, but we shouldn't forget our daughters.”
Carl smiled at William. “Will, we're going to be at Disneyland with our daughters. Your son will be with my daughter. So I think we have the girls covered.”
“Poor Sage.” Maggie chuckled. “So much for it being the happiest place on Earth.”
“I have a thought.” Persephone chimed in. “For when we get there, since Vance and Mooney are the only boys in this group, what if Tracy comes our way for a couple of nights, so we have Tracy, Sage and 'Romy, then we switch, so the boys can share a bed and the girls can share one too.”
Maggie nodded at the logic. “Good idea. We could do that.”
“Would it be wrong to admit that I've thought about moving now and not waiting for June?” William asked, while he sat at the table in a restaurant with his wife, Shelly and Frank. “They are doing their best to fire me. Why not save them the problems and just quit, move Vance down to this school system and have Dad watch our stuff. We can just as easily drive up, pack the house up and move.”
“William, we're always ready to help you move.” Frank replied. “Well, on the weekends would be easier. But we're there for you.”
“We can do it, but what brought this on?” Maggie asked.
“Work, mostly. The managers are by the time clock, almost daily, and they are getting nit-picky if I clock in or out, a minute early or late. So far the union is covering my backside, but I'm almost to the point of saying it just isn't worth it. Then there's issues on the floor and if I am driving, they make me stop and help, then they get on my ass for not doing my job. It's getting to be more than I want to deal with.”
Maggie lightly touched his hand. “William, none of us can tell you what to do. I know Tracy would love it if you were to move with us. But I can't speak for Vance. I know he is mad because the boys on the teams won't let him play in the sports, but that can't be his only reason to move. You have to do what feels right for you.”
“What feels right is having my family together, not split between two towns and hours apart.”
"William, I love you and I want you with me, but if you have to wait till June, then so be it. But if you choose to move now, I will make sure Vance is enrolled here and I can get that taken care of rather quickly."
Saturday 19th February 1983
“Go Vance!” Brooke yelled from their sideline show of the two on two game that Moony had set up.
Vance had been paired with Moony, while they went against two boys that Moony went to school with.
Vance faked a pass to Mooney, then he rushed the basket, getting closer to the basket, but the boy covering him stayed between him and the basket. Vance quickly passed to Mooney, then ducked past the boy as Moony made the shot. It hit the edge of the basket and bounced towards him. He scrambled to get the ball as the boy who was covering him rushed for it too. Vance got his fingers on it, then he spun and passed it back to Moony who took yet another shot.
This time the ball hit the backboard and bounced into the hoop. As it dropped to the ground, Tracy and her friends all cheered.
“Hey no fair.” One of the other boys said. “We don't have our own cheerleaders.”
“Just one of the perks to having sisters with friends.” Moony said with a grin. “It's not my fault that your parents just gave you brothers.”
“Although it would be funny to put your brother in a skirt to cheer us.” the other boy said with a chuckle.
“So I know which one is his sister, which one is yours?” The one that had called himself Bryce asked Vance.
“That one.” Vance pointed to Tracy. “The one with the blue skirt.”
“The one next to his sister?”
“Yeah.” Vance said.
“She got a boyfriend?”
“Yeah.” Vance said. “Big mean kid, about her age. He actually helped out when she got attacked.” He chuckled. “Actually he was there both times she got attacked.”
“Who attacked her?” Bryce asked.
“First time was an asshole from school. Someone who used to be my friend. Him and two other kids tried to attack her. They manged to hurt her, then they fucked up.”
“What did they do?”
Vance smiled. “When she was hurt, like hurt so bad she had to get emergency surgery afterward, she got up and fought all three of them and beat the shit out of two of them because they attacked our Grandma. No one touches our Grandma.”
Moony nodded. “Yeah. I heard she was moving damn slow when she visited in December.”
“Then two weeks ago, the younger brother of the guy who attacked her in December came to the property, but this time Tracy beat the snot out of him and one other guy, at the same time, while Tracy's boyfriend and I held back the two big dudes who came with them and Moony had Tracy's back with one other guy. She kicked some major ass that day.”
“The other guy, his name is Jerry, he was pretty cool.”
Vance nodded. “He's been all over the world. His Dad's in the Army.”
“Peter was pretty cool, for an outdoors type.”
The fourth looked to his watch really fast. “Well, come on, let's get playing. I got to get going in an hour or so.”
“Sure, I got time.” Vance said.
The girls were walking the nearby park, making sure to keep out of the bigger puddles. The game was over and they knew they had to be back at Persephone's place, so the girls could go to Shelly's for the night. Moony and Vance were following them, but giving them some space. They had almost reached the entrance of the park, when a voice disturbed their day.
“Look, it's like, Orca, the gimp, the, um, freak and like, Porker pigtails.” One of the two girls who had become the constant thorn in Rachel, Sage and Brooke's side said with a laugh. They all turned to see just the one girl standing there.
“Porker Pigtails?” Tracy asked, looking to Rachel
“Meet Yvette.” Rachel replied. “Together with a friend of hers, they share a brain-cell. But I think it’s on vacation today.”
“Like, um, shut up Orca.” Yvette told her.
“Like, um.” Rachel started to reply, doing her best to copy the valley speak, then she dropped it and spoke one word normally, but with a lot of annoyance. “No.”
“Come on, I don't want more problems.” Tracy said. “Let’s just go down the road or something.”
“Yeah.” Brooke agreed with a nod. “No point in being insulted everywhere we go.”
Sage put her hand on Rachel's shoulder, so she wouldn't get worked up. “Yvette, we're just hanging out with our friend. We don't want any problems.”
“Well, then, like, um, stay out of my, um, park.”
“Sure, we'll stay out of your park, but this public one is still fair game.” Rachel replied.
“Let’s just go.” Tracy stated. “Last thing we need is more problems.”
“What's going on?” Vance asked as he got closer with Moony.
“Nothing. Yvette was just leaving.” Sage stated, then they started to walk for the entrance again.
Yvette looked at the two boys and her cheeks went a bit red, then she turned and ran off. She didn't want to have problems with older boys, not cute ones like they were.
“So is there a reason she speaks like that?” Tracy asked as they reached Brooke's street. “Is she mentally retarded or something? I don't want to be mean, but she sounds like she is.”
“It's a Valley girl thing. It's getting huge, but it sounds stupid.” Sage replied.
“Is she always like that, being a jerk, I mean?”
Sage, Brooke and Rachel all nodded. Brooke answered. “Always. Her and her friend.”
“So I left Clark and now I get that?” Tracy asked.
“Tracy, mean people are everywhere. That is a fact of life.” Sage stated.
“Come on, let’s get to the house. It must be time to go by now.”
The girls all piled out of Persephone's VW bus and headed for the door of Shelly's house. Tracy led the way. She tried the doorknob and found it locked, so she knocked, then they waited. William opened it up, looked outside and started to close it. “No thanks, we gave at the office.” He said with a chuckle. He shut the door, then locked it.
Tracy knocked again and she heard her the door unlock, but it only opened up a crack. “Hello?” William asked, but he tried to speak in a voice higher then normal.
“Daddy, it's us. Can we come in?”
“Us who? I'm not expecting an us. We're expecting a group of them, but not a group of Us. Are you sure this is the right house?” He shut the door and locked it again.
A confused Vance, Moony and Jamie came around the corner. Sage looked at her brother as Harvey and Lilian walked around the garage. “What's going on?” Sage asked.
“Just a talk with everyone.” Harvey replied. “Nothing bad.”
Tracy grumbled and knocked one more time. “Daddy, can we come in?”
The door opened once more and William peeked his head out. “Are you selling Avon? Maybe candy for school?”
“Daddy. Come on, we all got our bags and stuff.” Tracy whined. “And its raining out here.”
It was only a mist, but it was still mean of him. “Okay.” He said, opening up the front door and stepping to the side. “Were you good last night?” He asked, looking at Persephone.
“She was good and so was your boy.”
William and Maggie both pulled the parents and Shelly outside leaving all the kids, including Jamie, Vance and Moony to wonder what was going on. “Persephone, do you know what school district Vance would be in, if he were to move and live in Shelly's house?”
“Yeah, he would be in Moony's. Why?”
“I'm considering moving him down now. Sure, it could cause some problems, being three months to the end of the school year, but I don't know if I can take it.” William stated.
“Being away from the wife and daughter?” Persephone asked him.
“That, and work. They really are trying to get me fired. If I go now, I don't have that fired mark on my work record. I get fired and it’s just a bit harder to get a job.”
Persephone nodded at the logic he had. She just wanted to help examine all things, in case he didn't think of them. “But what about moving? Will you store your stuff, until you can find a place?”
“Well, there is a storage place near your house. And God knows Tracy will want to go to school with her friends and Vance could use someone like your son, since he knows a bit of what Tracy is going through.” Maggie stated.
Persephone nodded. “Well, let’s talk about it after pizza. We can let the kids watch the TV or something and we can cover the main issues you may face.”
“Yeah, Jamie wants to go to a friends house, so her ride is showing up shortly.” Lynn stated.
Shelly stood up from the swinging seat they had on their covered porch. “Frank has left for the pizza, but he said to start without him.”
“Come on, let’s go make their days.” Persephone said with a smile.
They all walked in and made the kids all take seats in the small living-room. “Okay, we have all of us here to ask you all an important question.” Lance started. He looked to his two daughters. “We were thinking of taking a family trip for Spring break. By luck, Stacey, Casey and Vance all share your days off from school, so I offered my idea to the other parents.”
“What decision?” Rachel asked. “We were going to try and go to as many malls as we could that week.”
“Well, you could, or would you rather go to Disneyland?” Her father asked. It took a moment, then all the girls started to squeal.
“All of us?” Sage asked. And when the parents nodded, the girls squealed again.
“Me too?” 'Romy asked and her mother nodded, this caused the little girl to dance around in one place.
“Now, we know Disney may seem for younger kids.” Harvey told Vance and Mooney. “So this summer, while your father is moving here, Vance, and when Carl takes a week off for the summer, I'm taking you boys camping in the mountains for a week.”
“Vance, this means on the Saturday before your spring break, you need to make sure you are packed for a week and ready to go when I get home. I'll be picking you up and we're headed straight down here and then we're headed for Disneyland once we get here.”
“Okay.”
"Then it's settled and you all want to go?"
Moony and Vance shrugged, but Jamie, her sister and the rest of the girls all erupted in cheers.
“Vance, Tracy? Could we speak to the two of you in private?” William asked.
His children walked over and he led them upstairs to the bedroom that Tracy had taken over. “There are two main things we want to cover, before Carl takes you back to his house, Vance.”
“Are we in trouble?” Tracy asked.
“No, you're not in trouble.” William said with a shake of his head. “Vance, I have been considering moving down here a bit earlier. Work is really riding my backside and I think it’s only a matter of weeks before they find a reason to fire me. So would you be upset if we moved you down here earlier?”
“I guess not. It’s not like I got a lot of friends at school anymore. I mean Emily May talks to me, but not that much. And Peter did say he'd mail the letters for us.” Vance said with a shrug. “Moony did say that baseball was starting soon, so I'd be able to try out for that team, at least.”
“So is that a yes?” William asked.
“Yeah. I'd move. But what about the rest of the stuff? Could I take a day off of school for it?”
“I think we'd start with the clothes and stuff like that, so we don't fill Aunt Shelly's house, then we work on the rest in the summer.”
“So you'd move sooner?” Tracy asked, like next week?”
“Well, I have to give work two weeks notice, but the sooner I can do it, the better.”
“Awesome.” She replied, a huge smile on her lips.
William looked at her. “This is thing number two. Tracy, you mother and I are looking at going to the church that the William’s attend. Rachel is going to be with them, so would you like to go?”
“It will just be us, and the Williams. The Parkers go to their own church, Brooke has things to do and the Millers don't go to a church.”
“Sure, I guess.”
“Vance?”
“Do I have to?” He asked.
“No. You don't have to go, but we may ask again, in a few months, that is.”
“Then could I hang out with Moony some more?”
“Sure. We can allow that, if Persephone doesn't mind. We can ask her in a bit.”
When Vance had taken off and the girls had taken over the living-room, Rachel and Sage pulled her to the side. “So, what did your parents want?”
“Well, they wanted to see if I'd go to church tomorrow.” Tracy replied. “I guess Brooke, Stacey and Casey have stuff going on, so I was thinking about it.”
“Please.” Rachel held her hands up, begging to Tracy. “Please, come with me.”
“Can I think about it?” Tracy asked. “After Molly, I'm scared to get near churches for fear someone will attack me.”
“Okay, you can think about it.”
“Dad's also thinking about moving down early.” Tracy stated.
Sage gasped and Rachel hugged her. “See, it will work out!” Rachel said as her arms wrapped around her.
Soon, all will be right, next up, Church!
“Did you know that I do blame myself for what happened in December?” Modine asked her husband. “And I feel guilty for this whole crazy Molly situation too.”
“Modine, how is any of this your fault?” Conner asked.
“Well,” Modine looked up at him and she frowned, while shaking her head. “I went to Maggie’s and found Tracy that one morning. I gave Tracy a chance to come out, but only here and only when you were gone. But I could see that each time she came out, putting her back was getting harder. In October she decided to be just Troy, so Vance couldn’t find out and a part of me was relieved. I was so afraid that something would happen and that since I gave Tracy the chance to be out, it would be my fault. Then Thanksgiving happened and you found out, because of Bruce.” Modine wiped a tear from her eye.
Edits and help by Djkauf and the Rev. Anam Chara (including some well needed advice on the religious side of the story
A bit of fun with the Patterson family, and church
Saturday 19th 1983
Modine sat at the table in the kitchen, while her husband worked on making her dinner. The silence was slowly getting to them. The house next door had been quiet, since Maggie’s parents left early that morning. William was in the Bay area and not due back till Sunday evening. Modine was slowly dreading to see June approach. She didn’t want to lose all contact with her son and his family.
“Conner, do you think we were greedy by having William move his family next door, all those years ago? I mean we almost begged him to move with us. I hated L.A. so much and now…”
“No,” Conner answered, then he looked over to her. “What brought that question on?”
“Well, with Tracy and Maggie being moved away, and soon Vance and William, I wonder if we’re to blame for them moving from the L.A. area.”
Conner shook his head and answered her. “Baby, they moved from there because they wanted to. William wanted to get back on his feet after his injuries, but in a slower environment. And I’m sure that if they had known about Tracy before now, they would have done everything to put her through school as Tracy, so no one knew any better.”
Modine sighed. “Is it wrong that I wish that a doctor would find something and say she is like her friend, Sage?”
“Not at all. In fact, I bet Tracy is begging for that too,” Conner answered her and he nodded.
“Did you know that I do blame myself for what happened in December?” Modine asked her husband. “And I feel guilty for this whole crazy Molly situation too.”
“Modine, how is any of this your fault?” Conner asked.
“Well,” Modine looked up at him and she frowned, while shaking her head. “I went to Maggie’s and found Tracy that one morning. I gave Tracy a chance to come out, but only here and only when you were gone. But I could see that each time she came out, putting her back was getting harder. In October she decided to be just Troy, so Vance couldn’t find out and a part of me was relieved. I was so afraid that something would happen and that since I gave Tracy the chance to be out, it would be my fault. Then Thanksgiving happened and you found out, because of Bruce.” Modine wiped a tear from her eye.
Conner took dinner off the burner and he took a seat next to her. “I talked to William just around the first of the year and he said that in a talk with the new shrink guy, Tracy said that if Tracy had to be Troy, she would kill herself. In helping Tracy come out, you may have saved that girl’s life,”
“But look at all the trouble she has to put up with,” Modine stated.
“What trouble, Modine?” Conner asked. “Tracy is now in Livermore, living with her friends and living as a girl. No one knows of Troy and, if they did, she is living with Shelly and they could throw them off. She is safer there and no matter how much you think it, you did not cause Molly or Bruce to attack Tracy. I may not totally understand what is going on in her head, but I know she is not to blame for Molly or Bruce and neither are you and Maggie. People like them are just looking for an excuse to attack someone and then blame their victim for their actions.”
Modine sighed, shook her head, then said. “But I still feel guilty.”
“And I bet Tracy hates herself for bringing Bruce and his little jerks this way and the fact you got hurt defending her. But things happen and we can’t always control them. So you have to learn to let go.” Conner shook his head. “Why am I telling you this? You’re the level-headed one of us.”
“I guess. But even the Dalai Lama can have his off days, right?” Modine asked with a small, sad smile.
“Modine, no one said you have to be perfect. I love you, imperfections and all. But don’t dwell on the things that you had no control over. This move of theirs? This move would have happened sooner or later. Do you really think a girl like Tracy would have made it in school in a few years? I’m sure most schools won’t let her change with the girls and to make her change with the boys could cause a ton of problems. Taking Tracy to a new town to be herself, that may be for the best. And its three hours away. The two of us can make that drive and I’m sure they’d love to have us there around Thanksgiving, or Easter. This isn’t the end.”
“I know,” Modine replied.
Conner took her hand and gently squeezed it. “Come on, let’s get some food in you and maybe we can come up with an idea for a vacation in a month or two. Maybe we can help William and Vance move away.”
“Yeah. I think I’d like to help them, even if I can’t do much.” Modine gave him a sad smile and a slow nod of her head.
“That’s a start. Now you relax and I’ll get dinner finished.”
Sunday February 20th 1983
Tracy was walking down the steps of Rachel’s house. Sage was with her and they had just waited as Rachel quickly got dressed. The three of them were headed for the living-room, to tell their parents they were ready. They had come over to Lance and Lynn’s house early, that way Rachel could get dressed for church. Tracy had put on one of her dresses, not the pink one, but a nice one with nice shoes. They had stopped long enough for Sage to grab a nice dress and ask her parents if she could go. Brooke was with her Grandparents, and Stacey and Casey were on their way to the church their father went to.
The three girls were almost to the ground floor when Tracy finally voiced her concern. Rachel had known something was going on, so she waited to see if Tracy would speak. Finally she was rewarded and Tracy stopped at the bottom of the steps and looked to Sage and Rachel. “What if they know? What if people attack me?”
“I gotta admit I’m a bit worried too,” Sage stated.
“Relax, no one is going to attack you. Either of you. No one attacks little girls during church; God doesn't like that,” Rachel said trying to soothe them.
Tracy was unaware her father was now in the doorway to the living-room, watching them. Maggie was with him as well, as was Jamie. Tracy shook her head. “But Rachel, I’m not a girl. Well, not physically anyway.”
“Sweetie,” William spoke, causing his daughter to jump in fright. He didn't waste any time, he kept speaking. “As your father, my word is law, correct?”
“I guess.”
“The correct answer is yes. If I say do it, you usually have to do it or get in trouble, right?”
“Yeah,” Tracy said with a nod.
“Then when I say you’re a girl, you have to believe it.” William gave her a smile. “Besides, I’m with you. Someone has a problem with you and I set them straight. But honestly, I’m not telling anyone about your birth defect and neither will your mother or Rachel’s family.”
“Really?” Tracy asked as she looked from Rachel to Jamie. Both girls nodded in agreement.
“We know what could happen. Rachel told me about what you've been dealing with. I heard her and Sage talking about the crazy woman in the store,” Jamie said.
Lance had been listening to the conversation and he decided to help his daughter out. “Tracy, where we’re going, it’s not your normal, run-of-the-mill church. Lynn and Frank’s brother goes there and he is openly gay. There are others like him. This is a church built on love and acceptance. It’s not one that will condemn you for being you.”
“See?” William stated. “And if you like it, we can come more often.”
“I think you’ll enjoy it,” Lynn stated. “You just have to trust us that nothing will happen to you.”
Maggie bent down and touched Tracy’s shoulder, to get her attention. She whispered in her daughter’s ear. “You going to be okay in the youth services?”
“Yeah. Rachel said it’s just half an hour or so,” Tracy whispered back and nodded.
“Then you’re with us for the rest of the service. And after that, we’re going out for lunch. We’ll meet with the Millers and get Vance. From there, we’ll go to Shelly’s and get things in order, before I leave,” William stated. “And I believe that Harvey and his girls are meeting us for lunch. The girls are spending another night with you.”
And that one statement helped to perk Tracy up and make her forget her fears, even if just for a few minutes. “Awesome!”
The church was on the outskirts of Livermore, and it sat on a piece of land just about an acre big. There was only one building. It was in a large L shape, with a parking lot in the front and a side lot as well. It wasn't as big as the last church she had gone to, but it was a decent size. The lawns that were usually taken care of were gone for the winter. The only thing that was green were the shrubs along the road and fence line. Lynn pulled her van into a parking spot and William pulled up next to her. Tracy was still worried, but her father got out, opened up her door and offered her a hand. “Come on. I’ll keep you safe.”
As everyone went inside, the adults and the children all seemed to part ways and Tracy began to get worried that something would happen. William jogged over to her an put a hand on her shoulder. “We'll be inside. You get worried you come straight to me, but I don't think anything will happen.”
“Okay, Daddy,” She replied. Tracy followed Rachel down the main hall of the building, as their parents went into the large chapel area. There were several doors along the inside of the hall and Rachel told her which each one was for.
A few girls ran up to her. “Hey, Rachel! Who are they?”
“This is Tracy and Sage,” Rachel said. Then she gestured to the other two girls. “This is Wendy and Halley. They’re Reverend Banks’ girls.”
“Tracy? The Tracy? Like, the one who was attacked on her property a couple weeks ago and made sure you and the other friends got to safety?” Halley asked.
Wendy started with the next question, before the first one was answered. “And the one who was attacked in December and who hung out with you near Christmas?”
“This is her,” Rachel said. Tracy began to wonder what Rachel had told them.
Both girls looked at her with surprise and excitement. Wendy started the questioning again. “Rachel told us that some kids tried to beat you up and you beat two of them at once a couple of weeks ago.”
“Honestly, neither could fight,” Tracy said with a shrug, trying to think of a way to get off the subject.
“Wow! And I thought Oakland was bad when we lived there,” Halley replied.
“Why did they do it?” Wendy asked.
Tracy decided to give a quick telling, but not cover the whole story. “Well, see, back in November I caught a kid stealing. He attacked me on my parents’ property because he almost got sent to jail for stealing at school. It isn’t the first time he was arrested. Well, him and two of his friends tried to kill me and then when I got away, they caught me and beat me. My Grandmother came out to stop them but she has really brittle bones so they hurt her. I managed to get up and fight them away from her, but ended up in the hospital for almost four days after that. Then when I got back to school, someone tripped me and tore out all the stitches I had from the surgeries I had."
She took a deep breath and finished the story detailing just the key points of Billy, Clark and Bruce and how they were all related.
“Wow, so you can fight?” Wendy asked.
“Yeah,” Tracy said with a nod. “I learned Tai chi.” She wasn't ready for the thousand questions and a part of her remembered how her cousin Angie had been at Christmas.
Wendy stepped closer. “Rachel said you’d rather live here, is that true?”
“Yeah. I got more friends here than back at home. And Mom and Dad moved me down here last week.”
A shadow fell on them from the doorway. “Come on everyone, find a seat. Let’s get the class started.” Tracy looked and saw a woman that looked just a bit older than her mother. She looked to Tracy and Sage, then cocked her head slightly. “You’re both new here. I’m Abigail, the fifth grade Sunday school teacher.”
“Ma’am, this is my friend, Tracy, from Oroville,” Rachel said. “And my friend from school, Sage.”
“Ohhhhh!” She drew the word out. “So these are two of the girls you’ve spoken so highly of?” Both Tracy and Sage blushed at being so well known. A part of Tracy was still worried that people would find out what she had been born as.
“Yes Ma’am,” Tracy replied.
“So, are you here for a visit?” Abigail asked Tracy.
“I moved down here last week, but my parents may start coming here each week.”
“Well, then in that case, welcome!” The teacher happily exclaimed as she smiled at Tracy, then she looked at Sage. “And do you go to a different church?”
Sage shook her head. “No. My mother is letting my siblings and me all make our own choices in life. She taught us right and wrong, but she is letting me come, to see if it feels right for me.”
“I see. Well, welcome to you as well!” The teacher gestured to the door. “Please step inside, and we can start the class.”
As the adult services broke up, the preacher had found his way to Lynn and her husband. Then he smiled at Maggie and William and held out his hand. “Hello! It’s good to see new faces at our church.”
“Well, it’s just for the weekend, at least for me," William stated, shaking the man's hand. “We actually live north of Sacramento, about three hours away. But we are moving here, and when we do, you may see us more.”
“Well, if you do move, please feel free to join our family, you’ll find we’re a very loving church.” The man smiled. “I’m Ian Banks, the pastor here.”
“I’m William Patterson, this is my wife Maggie.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” the Reverend Banks said with his warm smile.
“Our daughter Tracy is here as well. She’s with her friend Rachel, Lance and Lynn’s daughter.”
“Wait, Tracy? Tracy Patterson? That friend of Rachel?” The minister asked.
“You heard of her?” Maggie asked with a smile. He wasn’t the first person who seemed to know of the tale of Tracy, bully fighter, defender of the weak and young.
“I have heard of all of you through Lynn’s daughter, Rachel. She has been speaking about how brave your daughter was in facing down two attackers two weeks ago on your property while making sure her friends, including one in a wheelchair got to safety. Plus, she spoke of another attack back before Christmas. Something about defending her grandmother?”
“That would be our daughter. She defended William’s mother when some boys tried to beat them both up,” Maggie agreed. “She’s with Rachel in the Sunday school.”
“Well, stop by on your way out. I’d love to meet this girl who Rachel speaks so highly of,” the Reverend Banks said with a slight nod of his head.
“We will,” William said with a smile.
“If you will excuse me, I got to make sure I’m ready for the sermon.” As he headed towards the front of the main hall, the children all walked in and started looking for their parents.
To Tracy, the preacher was an average man. Not too tall, not too fat and his face just seemed plain. Tracy wasn’t sure she had ever seen a person who just looked so plain. What he lacked in looks, he made up in charm and charisma. He had a wonderful speaking voice and it wasn’t one of those that would put you to sleep in a matter of minutes. His whole attitude was upbeat and friendly. He had a way of captivating the congregation. The half hour sermon went fast and soon she was listening as he gave the final prayer for the morning service, her head bowed and eyes closed. The congregation all said "Amen," then the pastor said a few more words and people started to stand up.
As everyone stood up, Tracy’s parents held her back, before she could run off with Rachel and the girls. “Hold on, sweetie. We want you to meet the preacher. If we’re going to come here more often, he should meet you now.”
She was a bit worried that the man would guess she had boy parts and attack her–like Molly had–but she trusted her father that nothing would happen. Rachel had insisted that people like her wouldn’t be hurt there. She had even pointed out a few men that Rachel claimed were openly gay, or women who were lesbians. But Tracy’s fear wouldn’t go away.
It took several minutes as the parishioners thinned out. Many of them stopped to say hello to Tracy and her parents. Finally they were headed out the door when they stopped and William held his hand out to the Reverend again. “I must say, it was nice to be back in a church again. You have a way with the crowd.”
“I had a great homiletics professor at seminary,” the Rev. Banks stated with a chuckle. “Helps to reach people if they don’t fall asleep on me!”
“Too true,” William replied and both he and Maggie chuckled as they thought about some of the preachers they had seen in the past and how bland they were at speaking. William put his hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “This is our youngest, Tracy. Tracy, this is Reverend Banks.”
“It’s good to finally meet you, Tracy,” the Rev. Banks said as he held his hand out. “I must say, when Rachel told me of this girl who can stand up to three boys who are bigger then her, and being injured at the same time just to protect her grandmother, I pictured you a bit bigger and taller, Like a Valkyrie from the old tales. Guess it’s what’s on the inside that counts, right?”
Tracy gave a shy smile. “Yeah.”
William put a hand on her shoulder. “We’re quite proud of her for defending my mother. Mom has osteoporosis and she doesn’t move to well. And to see Tracy get back up, after a major injury, well, she was driven to protect my mother that day.”
Then Maggie added, “Then she made sure that her friends got into the house safely, when the brother of the boy who attacked William’s mom came back for revenge. She stayed between them and the girls.”
“Normally fighting is not something that the Bible allows, but Psalm Eighty-Two, verse four, says to rescue the weak and needy: ‘Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked,’” the pastor told her. “There may be a lot of verses that state not to fight, but there are some that say if you don’t defend the weak, you are just as guilty as those who harm them.”
“My Grandma said that,” Tracy said with a small smile. “But I never wanted to fight them. I just couldn’t let them hurt my grandma and I wasn’t going to let Brooke, Andromeda and Casey get hurt a couple of weeks ago. They were there to beat me up, not my friends.”
The Reverend Banks patted her on the shoulder. “Young lady, you have a good heart. Never, ever, lose that.”
“I’ll try not to.” Tracy’s smile got brighter.
Next up, more fun with Tracy, Vance, Maggie and William…
“Walk me to the car?” William asked his daughter and she held his hand as they walked to the back parking lot. He put his bag into the back seat and turned to face her. “Now you be a good girl and I'll see you in two weeks.”
“So much for five months, huh?” Tracy said with a smile.
“I like this plan better.” William stated. He turned and pulled his daughter into a hug. “This way I don't miss out on five months of my baby's life.”
Tracy blushed at being called a baby. “Daddy, I'm not a baby.” She whined, but she couldn't be angry.
Editing by DJkauf
Tracy is back and its time to get her life moving along
Sunday February 20th 1983
Sunday morning hit and Vance was at the park with Mooney, but the other two guys weren't there. Instead the two of them were just playing any game that came to mind, mostly HORSE. They had been playing for several minutes when they first noticed they were being watched. The two of them ignored it and continued their game, but Yvette sat on the swing with her older cousin, Mary, nearby with her friends, playing field hockey in the partly wet grass. Yvette's attention was on the boys as they played basketball, and nothing else. But as their game finally ended, she decided to get closer.
She was near the two boys, trying to build up the courage to say hello. Her attention was on them so much, that she was not paying attention to the path she was walking, so when she slipped on a bit of mud and fell, she shrieked out with fright, which caught the boy's attention.
The boy she didn't know was over to her first. He bent down and held out a hand. “You okay?”
Her cheeks were bright red and she was embarrassed from slipping like a child and even worse, they had seen her in the mud, and not to mention how she had treated Mooney's sister the day before. With them close to her, she got nervous and she scrambled to her feet, with the boy's help. “Um...thanks.” She said. Her eyes looked for a way out of her embarrassment and she could see her house across the street from the park. Without a warning, she took off in a rush, passing between with Vance and Mooney, who just traded confused looks.
Yvette had made a bee-line for her house, and when she got in, she made sure to lock the door and then she headed straight for her bedroom. It wasn't just her bedroom, but the one she shared with the cousin she went to school with, Heather, who was the younger sister of Mary. Heather was the other thorn in the side of Rachel, Sage and Brooke, but no one at the school seemed to know of their relation, except the staff. Both their mothers lived in the large house, to share on the bills. Today was the day that Heather was forced to visit her paternal grandparents, as she had a different father then her sister Mary.
But Yvette's mind wasn't on the girls she tormented, or her family. Instead her mind was stuck on the boys she had seen at the park. The ones who had come to Sage's defense. The ones who had seen her down in the mud. She knew of Sage's brother, but the other one was a mystery to her, but both of them had caused feelings to well up in her, feelings that made her blush all over. She didn't want to rush away from them, but after she was mean to Sage and her friends the day before, and after making a fool of herself, she could hardly stay there.
But there was another reason she didn't get close to many people. A secret she hid very well. She stood in front of the mirror in her room and she could see the mud all over her clothes, then she pulled the zipper of her jeans down. She slid the muddy jeans off and followed them with her slightly damp panties she was wearing down and as she did, she exposed parts of herself known only to her family, and doctors.
She stepped out of the jeans, the pulled off her shirt and took off the bra that she stuffed to hide her flat chest, and looked into the mirror. It was just a simple mirror, but it never lied to her yet. It could only show her the truth of how she looked.
She looked at her body, thought about the way she treated the kids at school and how she teased them for their weaknesses and how she held a bigger secret then any of them could ever guess. She stood there and began to cry, then she went to her bed and flopped down.
Several minutes past till she heard a faint knocking at her door and it opened just a crack “Yvette?” Her cousin Mary asked. “Are you okay?”
“Go 'way.” She said, in between sobs.
“I don't think so. You worried me when you ran from the park after those boys came over. You confused the heck out of them by running away. They just wanted to make sure you were okay.” Mary stepped in and went to her bed. Her cousin lay, completely naked, on her side and curled into a ball, her knees against her chest and a pillow in her arms. She sobbed into the fabric of the pillow, muffling her cries.
There was a knock at the door and it opened just a crack. “Don't open it all the way, she's not decent.” Mary called out. She grabbed a blanket and put it on her cousin, so her secret would be kept safe.
A voice replied. “Okay. Hey, Mary? Yvette, those boys want to make sure everything is okay. Can I tell them you're okay?”
“I'm fine.” Yvette replied and Mary looked to the door.
“Could you tell the others I'll be a few minutes?” Mary asked her friend at the door.
“Sure thing.” The voice at the door replied. Then the door shut and they heard someone walking away.
Mary lay behind the girl and cradled her body, letting the young girl lie there and cry. Several minutes passed as she sobbed into the pillow.
“Tell me what happened.” Mary finally said as the sobs died out.
“I hate my body.” The little girl replied, then she sniffled and wiped at her nose.
“All women have days like that. You're not alone.” Mary said, reaching back to grab a box of Kleenex.
As she turned to face her cousin again, Yvette rolled over, her head flopping against her other pillow. Her eyes were red from the crying and she just looked annoyed at Mary. “Do other woman have to deal with boy parts on their body too?” With one free hand, she gestured to her crotch, where she was cursed with male parts. She was sure that she was the only kid her age that had been born wrong. She had known since she was a child she was a girl, but her father never believed it. But finally he left and her mother took her to a man in Dublin, who agreed. That had been when she had entered second grade.
“No. But all woman have some part of their body that they hate. For me, it's my butt and my jaw.” Mary stated.
“There's times I hate being me. I hate that I have a boy's body.” Yvette said again. “And other times, I hate hanging out with Heather.”
“Why do you hate hanging out with Heather. I thought you loved her?”
“I do. She's family and I love her but ever since the last school, she keeps telling me I should just be mean and make sure no one gets too close. She swears that people are going to hurt me if I let them get close.”
“Is that what this is about? Is this about your old school? Is that where those boys are from?” Mary asked.
The question was a subject that Yvette still had nightmares about. She had only been gone from there for a few years, but she recalled how she had to leave in a hurry. Her father had felt the need to tell the school and many of the bigger kids, so one day, parents were trying to keep her from the school, but the kids were worse. They had caught up to Yvette and Heather after school and attacked them. It wasn't a bad attack, having been mostly elementary school kids, but many brothers had joined in on the fun and both of them had their hair cut in places, before the staff broke it up. The cops didn't do much, only warn the older kids who had no reason to be on the elementary school campus, but it was enough that both her mother and Heather's mother moved to Livermore. That was better, because Heather's mother worked out of Livermore in the first place.
“No. The one isn't. I'm not sure about the other one.” Yvette sighed, then she sat up. “I don't know what to do half the time.” She flopped back onto the bed, in a dramatic fashion. “I hate my body and how I was born, I hate that Heather is so scared that she will get attacked again and she won't let me have friends outside of her and I hate that each time I see someone that's cute, she gives them attitude and they hate us. And even worse is she got me into the habit of being mean to people, out of reflex.”
“So, what brought this on?” Mary asked.
Yvette groaned, as though her cousin couldn't see what the problem was.. “He was kinda cute. They both were. And when they helped me, I remembered what I had done yesterday.....” She stated, as though Mary knew who she was speaking about.
“Now you got my attention.” Mary said as she turned away, so Yvette could adjust herself and sit up on the bed. “So both of them were good looking and you insulted them yesterday?
“Not them....” She sighed and decided to tell the whole story. “Yesterday at the park, I was being mean to some girls from school. One of the boys is a brother to one of the girls. But I don't know the other boy.” Yvette said.
Mary nodded in comprehension. “And now you're kicking yourself because of what?”
“Well, I was mean, and what if they won't tell me who he is? And what if he does like me and then he finds out I wasn't born right, then what? And what if he does like me, but he hates me for making fun of those girls?”
“Alright, you know the first thing you should do, is stop being mean to everyone. I know you hang out with Heather and you could start a big fight if you go against her, but in a year, you'll be on your own at the school and she can't protect you all the time. Not to mention, she needs to learn to trust people too. You are a bright and beautiful girl. I know I'm family, so that may not count, but everyone I know likes you, if you'd lose that chip on your shoulder.” Mary said, in a not too stern voice. “But you should start with something easy. Go to those girls, the sister to the one boy, and offer an olive branch. Apologize to them. You don't have to tell them your secret, but be nice.”
“What if they figure it out?”
“Then play it one day at a time. But go to them and say you’re sorry.”
“I guess that could work.” Yvette said.
“It beats insulting them. There is strength in numbers. And having a lot of friends means you have a lot of shoulders to cry on.”
Yvette looked to her cousin and decided to unload something else that had been bugging her. “You know there are times where I'm worried that Heather will just start picking on me? She does it so quickly to other people, what is keeping her from insulting me?”
“Tell her that.” Mary said. “Tell her that each time she run's down someone's body, she is insulting you as well. Make her see the pain you feel. She needs to know and you both need to talk about it, before you begin to hate her and troubles start.”
“Yeah.....”
“Now get a shower and dressed. The girls will be headed here soon. We're going out to grab some lunch and you're not staying here to mope. Not while your Mom is at work and mine is elsewhere.”
“Okay.” Yvette said with a shrug of her shoulders.
“And then we go to the mall.”
This perked Yvette up. “The music store?”
“Weeeellll....” Mary drew the word out for a moment, then she nodded. “It is in the mall. We could stop for a couple of minutes.”
“Cool” Yvette said, a smile forming on her lips.
“Feel better?” Mary asked.
“Yeah. A little better.” Yvette replied.
“Well, then go get ready. I'll keep the girls entertained in the living-room.”
I'll take a fast shower, okay?” Yvette said.
“Good, and get the muddy clothes into the wash room, or our Moms will kill us.”
She looked over to where her muddy jeans were and she nodded. “Okay.”
Mary rolled off the bed and headed for the door. “And wear something fun, okay?”
“Okay....and Mary?” Yvette called to her cousin. “Thanks for coming home.”
“No problem, Yvette, now get ready. The girls will be here in a little bit.”
Persephone's van pulled up to the buffet and Vance and Mooney came walking up to them from Carl's car. “William. Good to see you again.” Carl said with his hand outstretched.
“You too, Carl.” William smiled, shook Carl's hand and decided to go with a joke. “It feels like just a day since the last time I saw you.”
“How time seems to fly.” Carl replied with a smile.
“So, how was my son?”
“He was good. I feel sorry for him though.” Persephone replied, then she chuckled. “See, the girls were gone this morning, and since last night Vance and Mooney played a board game with Andromeda and this morning, at seven, she wanted to play again and she woke them up.”
Tracy chuckled. “She did that at Christmas time too.”
“Why?” Vance asked.
“She wants to play with the big kids.” Sage replied. “She is six years younger then I am, she wants to be cool too.”
“Oh.” Vance said.
William stopped Vance as he noticed a slightly thoughtful look on his face. “You okay, Son?”
“Yeah, we just had a run in with this girl who was giving Sage and them a hard time on Saturday and she like freaked out on us.” Vance said.
“Yeah, she tripped and when Vance helped her out of the mud, she ran off to her house.” Mooney added.
“Yvette?” Sage asked.
Vance nodded. “Yeah, the girl that was picking on all of you.”
Rachel groaned and shook her head. “She's a pain at times. I swear she goes out of her way to be mean.”
“Yeah, but Heather is worse.” Sage stated. “Yvette normally just follows what she does.”
William gestured to the door. “Well, let’s get something to eat and we can discuss it later, okay?”
They got back to Shelly's town house and William and Maggie went to the bedroom that Tracy was using. They had their kids sit on one bed and they took the other one. “Now, your mother is going to be coming to Oroville on Tuesday. Tomorrow she will go to the school here and see about getting Vance enrolled. But she may need to go get his records from the school.”
“I think I will, so they know where he'll fit in at.” Maggie replied. “But I was thinking of going there first thing in the morning and seeing about enrolling him. I'm not sure if they'll be closed for the holiday or not, but I can still go there. And if they are open, I can call Palermo and see if they are open. I know it's six hours round trip, but if I can get the paperwork and be back in time to drop it off, I'll do it. For now, we have to treat it like Vance has to go to Palermo.”
“Vance, it is important that you talk to us here.” William said, getting his son's attention. “Do you have a problem in moving in the next week or two? This will mean losing all your friends and starting over.”
“What friends? Emily May is Tracy's friend, so is Peter. There is Jerry, but he is in the elementary times, not middle school, so I don't see him at all except before and after school.” Vance honestly replied. “I move now and there is a chance I can join the team for whatever sport is next.”
William held up a finger to stop his son and make a point. “But remember, you may not get the chance to join or play. Don't put your answer of moving all on sports.”
“I know that, Dad. But I'm all alone at school. I....” He looked to his feet. “I didn't want to say anything, but they've been teasing me. They haven't since Mrs. Hallmark attacked Tracy, but some of the kids are trying to turn the school against me again.”
“So by moving, this gives you a clean slate?” Maggie asked.
Vance nodded and replied. “Yeah. One where Troy never existed and I can be whoever I want to be.”
“Okay. Well then, we work on moving you now.” William said and he looked to his wife, who nodded her agreement. “We can pack things up over the next few nights. Then when we're ready, we get a U-haul.”
“What about your work?” Maggie asked.
“Easy, I put in my two weeks tomorrow. They fire me before that, then I leave and we have to tighten our belts. If I have to, I'll skip the Disney Trip and look for a job.”
There was a knock at the door and they looked over to see Frank standing there with Shelly. “William, I know this is a private family talk, but we already said the trip to Disney is on us. Also, don't forget that some of those cars are being sold and the money is going to you. Why not use that to tide you guys over and if there is enough, put it into a down payment on a home? Or it can get an apartment?”
“I keep forgetting those.” He replied.
“What cars?” Tracy asked.
“You remember Billy O'Brien? The man who was calling the house?” William asked his daughter and she nodded. There was no way she could forget what he had said to her. “He had a bunch of cars, old ones that would be worth a lot of money as parts. Well, his father gave them to us to sell and your Uncle Frank has told his car club, so they went there and many of them are in the process of making offers on the cars and the part cars.”
“I was going to hold on to one for you two, but I felt the money was more important. This can help get your life into order down here.” Frank stated. “We can worry about a car in a few years, when Vance gets old enough and proves he is responsible enough.”
“Yeah.” Maggie said with a nod. “A car is a big responsibility.”
William looked to his wife. “So it is settled then. Vance and I go home today, You follow tomorrow or the next day and we work on getting Vance enrolled here this week.”
Maggie nodded. “Yeah, I can do that.”
“Good. And Shelly can keep an eye on Tracy while we take care of everything else.” William stated.
“I can do that.” She said from the doorway.
“Walk me to the car?” William asked his daughter and she held his hand as they walked to the back parking lot. He put his bag into the back seat and turned to face her. “Now you be a good girl and I'll see you in two weeks.”
“So much for five months, huh?” Tracy said with a smile.
“I like this plan better.” William stated. He turned and pulled his daughter into a hug. “This way I don't miss out on five months of my baby's life.”
Tracy blushed at being called a baby. “Daddy, I'm not a baby.” She whined, but she couldn't be angry.
“Now hush. I can call you baby, princess, little girl, brat....any number of names and I get to pick which ones I use.”
Persephone's van pulled into the lot, and Sage and Rachel got out, both in their normal clothes. Harvey pulled in a few moments later and Stacey got out, followed by Casey. “Well, that is your cue to get headed inside. I got to get on the road, so I can make Vance pack up the house.”
“Hey, that's not fair.” Vance replied.
“I was joking. All of Tracy's stuff is already down here But you and I will be working on packing up half the house.” William told his son. “Besides, we got a plan for the moving day, we just need you to make sure your clothes are ready to go by tomorrow. Tracy and your mother will come back, help pack up the rest of the house and we can go from there.”
“Oh.” Vance said, glad he wasn't doing all the work on his own. “Cool.”
“Well, I will see you tomorrow.” He said, kissing his wife's cheek. “Or Tuesday. And you young lady....” He kissed Tracy's cheek. “I will see you in two weeks.”
“See you in two weeks.” Tracy said and she hugged her dad again.
“Two weeks, I promise.” William said as he patted her shoulder, then turned to get in his car.
Monday February 21st 1983
Maggie started her morning off at the phone, dialing the number for the local school district, but she was met with no answer. As she hung up, she looked at Shelly. “Maybe the office is closed for the holiday too?” The girls were in the kitchen, except for Stacey and Casey, who had set the breakfast table.
“Could be.” Shelly replied. “Wanna try Vance's school now?”
“Yeah. I think I need to.” She said with a nod.
Tracy was busy cooking breakfast as Maggie dialed the phone. After a more then half a minute, she shook her head and hung up. Then she tried another number and was met with the same lack of response. “No answer. I'll try tomorrow. But for now, I want to go out and get a few applications. While I'm out, I'll swing by the schools office and see if they are there.”
“Well, eat first. Then we can work on getting you some applications. Or just relax in the house.” Shelly replied and she pulled out a seat at the table. “Relax and we'll get it to you.”
“Okay.” Maggie said.
Shelly leaned back in her seat and faced Maggie. “Besides, maybe you should wait till the end of the week to put in applications. What with moving Vance, that court thing and possibly helping William move, you're going to be busy.”
“Yeah, but I feel that I should put in some now.”
“Well don't forget about Disneyland. Some companies don't like it when you want a vacation right after you hire in.”
“True, but I'd feel bad if I just sat around the house all day.”
“Maggie, Tracy has her friends here and I can talk with you. The girls are taking off near dinner and then we got things going on for us. Frank will be grabbing dinner on his way home from the lab. You can hang out with me and make sure the girls don't drive me crazy with that music thing on the cable.”
William waited till his first break, not wanting to give the managers a reason to fire him for lollygagging. He went into the office and had Susan call Steven out. When Steven came out, he looked a bit worried. “What is it this time?” He was getting tired of being in the middle of the war the higher ups were having with William. He wasn't even sure why they were doing it, other than to prove they were God's in their own minds.
“Nothing this time. I need to give you this. I have a copy for myself.” William stated as he handed the man a piece of paper.
“What is it?” He didn't want to pick it up, in case it was a law suit.
“My two weeks notice.” William replied. “With my family being attacked on the property twice, almost three times, and in stores, we're moving my family out of town and I'm going with them, before someone murders all of us, which they've tried more then once now.”
“I see.” Steven looked over the paper, which only said that he was giving his two week notice and the date he was no longer working for them. Had had seen the story in the newspaper and while it didn't name Maggie, or the children, he knew who it was. It was that article that made him realize how much was happening to William and his family. “I'll tell HR. We'll mail your last check, if you give us the new address.”
“You can, but I made a stop there before I came to you. I wanted to make sure they had the right address.”
“Good idea. Less chance of someone messing it up.” Steven said.
“Keep in mind, I'll still call my union rep if I feel the management is trying to screw me over. I am being nice enough to give two weeks and I am getting tired of the managers watching my every move.”
“I understand.” Steven replied. “And I'm sorry it came to this.”
“Me too, but my family means more to me then this job and what kind of a man am I if I let them get hurt when I can stop it?”
“Good question.”
“Thank you, Steven. I need to get back out there before the break is over.”
William walked out of the office and he felt a mix of sadness, for leaving a job he had been at for almost a decade, and happiness for taking a stand. He was prepared to just leave if the company forced his hand, but if they fired him, he had a chance to fight for unemployment. Plus he had well over two hundred and seventy hours of sick time that he had saved up, and that would be paid out with his last check and that would be a good severance check.
“So, which house are we going to be at next week?” Tracy asked. They were getting ready for the girls to leave. She knew they had school the next day and a part of her wanted to be with them, but she knew she had to wait.
“Can't be ours.” Stacey said with a shake of her head. “Grandma Parker's birthday is Saturday and we're celebrating it at our place.”
“We're meeting with Mom's family.” Rachel stated. “At least on Saturday.”
“We're not doing much on Friday, who knows?” Sage stated.
Brooke shook her head. “Sorry, it can't be me. I got a competition this weekend. We're thinking of going Friday night, but it's on Saturday.”
“Where at?” Sage asked.
“It's at UCLA.” Brooke replied.
Rachel pointed a finger out her and in a fake scolding tone she warned Brooke. “No going to Disneyland. We all go together.”
“Agreed.” Brooke said.
Sage giggled. “I so can't wait.”
“Me either.” Tracy agreed. “I think I was Romy's age the last time I went.”
“Cool, then you may remember some of the rides?” Rachel asked.
“Some, but it's been a while.” Tracy replied. “But I do remember the Pirates and the haunted Mansion.”
“Come on, Tell us...” Rachel said, moving closer to Tracy. “This way we know which ones we want to see first.”
The girls had taken off before dinnertime and Maggie was in the living-room, looking over the paper that she had picked up at a nearby store. She had waited till almost noon to go see if the school's office was open, but it wasn't, so she had gone back to Shelly's home, but not after picking up the paper and some ice cream for later. She worked her way though the want ads, making notes on a piece of paper, so she could recall which ones she wanted to go after.
“Wanna go with us?” Shelly asked, interrupting her writing. “It's a garden club and I think there's someone there you should meet.”
“You'll like this.” Tracy said as she put a cake pan on the counter to cool. “It was a lot of fun at the luncheon.”
“Maggie, you deserve a break. Come with us and you can say hi, then if you want, we can leave.”
“Please Mom?” Tracy gave her a hopeful smile and added. “It could be fun. We made more of the chewy square things.”
“Sure, I guess.” Maggie said with a shrug of her shoulders.
Maggie stayed with Tracy, who was busy trying to remember people's names, just so she could introduce people them her mother. She carried the cake pan of deserts to the table with paper plates and other goodies on it. Near the end of the table, Shelly spoke to a larger woman. As Tracy got close, she came over. “Hello Tracy.” Beth said and she pulled the girl into a hug.
“Hello, Mrs. Paulson.”
“I told you, it's Beth.” The larger woman said.
Tracy shook her head. “I'm sorry. But my mom is here and I can't use your first name, she doesn't like it when we call an adult by their first name.”
Beth looked to the woman with them. “Your mom? Maggie? Little Maggie Richter?”
“It was, but it's Patterson now? Do I....do I know you?” Maggie tried to think of everyone she knew named Beth or with a last name of Paulson, but she was coming up with blanks.
“Its been about twenty years, but yeah, I lived near you in Castro Valley, went to school with you and Shelly since the first grade......” Maggie still looked confused, so Beth gave her another clue. “I have a brother named Mark....”
It took Maggie a couple of moments, as she recalled her past, then she smiled. “Beth? Bethany Leone?”
“Well, it's Paulson now, but it's still me, Maggie.” The bigger woman pulled Maggie into a hug. “And I met your daughter last week. She's almost a spitting image of you at that age. Even Mark and our mother think so.”
“She met your brother and mother?” Maggie asked.
“Sure. After the luncheon, Shelly showed her where our shop is. We have a bakery in the downtown area of Livermore, its called Big Mama's.”
“Oh. I guess I should find it at some point. Didn't sight-see much today. Just moved here on Friday and I was trying to get a hold of two school systems to my move boy down here.”
“Well, when you get the chance, swing on by.”
“It may be a few days. I have to get my son moved down here next.”
“Well, you stop by when you can. I'm sure Mark would love to say hello.”
Shelly watched as another woman headed their way and Shelly stopped her.
“Chloe, this is Maggie, Tracy's mother.”
“Ah. So this is the woman raising a very courteous daughter. I must say, you have a wonderful little cook on your hands there.”
“Thank you.” Maggie said. “But my mother-in-law has been helpful in training her to cook as well.”
“I see. She is a wonderful young girl and many in the club enjoyed talking to her last week.”
An hour later, after club business had been taken care of and the food had been eaten, Maggie walked with Tracy and Shelly to the van. “That was fun.” Maggie said with a nod of her head. “And it was really nice to see Beth again, after all these years.”
“Well, you met most of the ladies. Chloe is currently the club president. They talk about gardens, flowers, vegetables, stuff like there. They also swap recipes too. Tracy was thinking of joining the club. With her home schooling, it would work for science I think. But it's also good for talking to people that aren't us. ”
“Yeah, that could be a great idea.” Maggie said as she got into Shelly's van, “I think this week and looking for work is going to be a wash. With the court date for the restraining order, getting Vance into school here, and who knows how long changing schools will take, I may be too busy to fill out applications.”
“Then wait for next week.” Shelly answered as she started up the van. “There are a few ideas I wanted to run past you, like does Alice know?”
“No, but I'm sure Mom told her all about it.”
“Well, we can always work on telling her ourselves.” Shelly replied. “What if we go to L.A. This weekend, then come the Disney trip, they can meet us there and the girls can see Tracy with her friends?”
“Thats a wonderful idea.” Maggie said she thought of the possibilities of it going well. “But with the court date, what if we look at next weekend?”
“What about William? Doesn't he move next week?”
“Maybe, plus he has a house to pack up and he may be alone.”
“Hey, Brooke said something about going there this weekend. She had a big sporting thing going on at the college. The UCLA place.” Tracy stated.
“Hey.....” Shelly cast a quick glance to Maggie. “Let's call Karen when we get home. Maybe we could go and watch Brooke compete and see Alice?”
“Sure.” Maggie replied. “Sounds like fun.”
More family to meet, more places to go. More Tracy to follow
At about six o’clock, a car pulled into the drive and Tracy ran to the window, just to see who it was. Once she saw her father get out of his car, a smile on his lips, she raced for the door. She flung it open and jumped out, leaping into William’s arms. “Daddy!!!”
“Hello, Princess.” He pulled her in close and kissed her cheek. “How have you been?”
“Good. I’ve missed you, though.” She said, then she added. “Missed you a lot.”
“A lot? Its only been four days.” He said with a grin, while he let go of her and started to go into the house.
“True, but I still miss you.”
Edited by DJkauf
Tracy returns and this time, they meet Molly at the courthouse about the restraining order. The ratings are up for threats and violence
Tuesday February 22nd 1983
Vance got off the bus and he went straight for Emily May and Mary Beth. “Hey, can I talk to you Jerry and Peter before class starts?” He asked. Emily May nodded and they started to look for Peter, who was getting off of his bus.
As Peter and Jerry came over to them, Vance pulled them to a less populated part of the playground. “Hey, I just thought I'd tell you all that I'll be leaving the school before the end of the year.”
“Like in the next few months?” Emily May asked. “We already know that.”
Vance shook his head. “Like in the next few days. My Mom is due here today to get paperwork taken care of and I may be moved down today or tomorrow.”
“Well....that sucks.” Jerry replied. He had few friends and now one more was leaving. Since he helped out in Tracy’s last fight, Peter had lightened up, just slightly, but Peter was still just one person. “What about your grandparents?”
“They are staying.” Vance replied. “It's just my parents, Tracy and me.” He knew that all of them knew who Tracy was, so he wasn't afraid to use her proper name.
“At least you'll get out of this boring town” Emily May stated.
“Yeah.” Vance agreed. “Peter, I need you to take care of mailing the letters. I know the girls will want to speak with Emily May and Mary Beth....speaking of which....” Vance took off his pack, opened it up and handed several letters to Emily May and Mary Beth. “I gave the one to your Aunt and she said she'll send letters to Peter to get it to you. I gave her Peter's address, I hope that was okay?” Peter nodded his approval.. “This is for Peter and one for Jerry.” Vance handed out two last letters.
“Cool, I feel included.” Jerry said with a grin.
“Come on, let’s go eat something and try to cheer up.” Mary Beth said as she looked at the letters in her hand.
“I agree. I'm hungry.” Vance said with a nod.
Maggie had been at the office of the middle school in Livermore as soon as it had opened at seven. She got the information and paperwork she needed and less than a half hour after that, she had rushed back to Shelly's home, to grab a snack for the road and to give her daughter a kiss. She knew if she was on the road by eight, she'd be at the school by eleven. That would be after a fast stop at the Air Force base and grabbing Vance's medical records. So she was hoping to get as much done as she could and after doing the paperwork for the school, she could go and start packing at the house. Her plan was to pull Vance on Wednesday and take him to Livermore. Then Thursday afternoon, she would head to Oroville, with Tracy and Shelly, and the three of them would pack up as much as they could. Then there was the court date for the restraining order on Friday. The multiple trips wouldn't please William, but they were necessary, and paid for by Shelly.
It was almost eleven forty-five in the morning when she walked into the school's office and asked to see Alvin Harper. It took about ten minutes till he walked out and she smiled. “Hello Alvin. I need to speak to you about Vance.”
“Come on back.”
Maggie followed him and took a seat on one side of the desk. “Alvin, this is kinda difficult, so I'm just going to tell you the whole story.” She quickly covered the fact that Clark had been arrested, something he knew about, but she covered Molly attacking Tracy, without naming names, but he had read the paper and heard the insults the kids were throwing to the Hallmark brothers, so he knew who she was talking about. Then she covered the fact that Tracy had been moved from the town. “So I'm here to see what I need from you to move Vance to the Bay Area.”
“At the end of the school year?”
“By the end of the week.” Maggie quickly replied. “He isn't happy and William is close to being fired for calling the cops on Clark's cousin. He was the one who was calling our house with the threats. He worked with William and I guess his garage was filled with pictures and threats.”
“So you found the adult responsible too....this is good news. It doesn't stop the bad news, but at least they caught him.” Alvin sighed. “Well, we can do it. It just involves you giving us a listing of the new school, in case the authorities question where he is. I trust you need his school records too?”
“Yes, I’ll need his records. I was going to pull him today, but William said to stay in town and just go tomorrow. I already got his medical records. So tomorrow, I can take him to the new school and sign him up there.”
“So we can consider his last day of school to be today, or the end of the week.”
“Today, for now. I'll call when I find out fully tomorrow.” Maggie replied. “I know that Friday we’ll be in town, we have a court date to get a restraining order out on the lady who attacked the kids in the store. Well, I will be, not Vance. Modine and Conner are getting one as well, since they were threatened as well. Plus friends from the Bay Area, since their children also got hurt.”
“Molly Hallmark?” Alvin asked and Maggie nodded.
Maggie sighed. “Yeah. She actually came to the house after those pictures were sent out and she did her best to tell us she was going to run us out of town, no matter what. I was stupid for trying to talk sense into her, but after the last time she dealt with something like this, I’d rather leave on my terms.”
“Last time?” Alvin asked, slightly curious.
Maggie leaned back and began to explain. “We went to a church with the Hallmarks and there was a pair of ladies who moved in together to save on the bills. Molly insisted they were lesbians, and did her best to ruin their lives. From what I have heard, she told their employers that they abused their children, did drugs, were thieves and all sorts of other lies. It wasn't pretty, so they left. Well, her sights are firmly on my family now.”
“I'm sorry. If we had known....” Alvin started to apologize, but Maggie stopped him.
“Alvin, the kids are happy, I know Tracy is. So that is all that matters. Vance has no friends since Bruce stopped hanging out with him, and he already knows three other boys in Livermore who like him. This way Tracy can have a chance at the life she wants to live, not the one she hated, and Vance can live without the constant teasing.”
“That makes sense. I am sad to see you leave, but I understand.” Alvin said. He stood up and held out a hand. Maggie stood and she shook it.
“Thank you, Alvin.”
Alvin smiled at her. “You are more than welcome. Now let’s go get your son’s records.”
Vance came home and he noticed his mother's car was sitting in the driveway. Instead of going to his grandparent’s place, he went to his house and tried the door, which was unlocked. He stepped into the sounds of Elvis Presley playing on the record player and the sight of his mother putting books into a box. His grandparents were in the room, each working on putting stuff in boxes. The smell of something cooking in the oven caught his attention. “Hello Vance.” She said. “You wanna give me a hand and get this stuff boxed up today?”
“Sure, I guess. Do I gotta do up my stuff?” He asked.
“Well, unless you wanna run around naked down there, but the cops won't allow that. Plus you only have some books and stuff. We can focus on the books and clothes, the rest can wait for the big move.”
“Come on, Vance.” Conner said. “You and I can go together and do up your room and leave your mom in here. We can load the car up when we’re done.”
“Cool. Thanks, Grandpa.” Vance said as they headed to the kitchen.
“Think nothing of it, young man.” Conner said as he put an arm around his grandson. As much as he didn't want to openly admit it, he was going to miss the children. And a part of him already was missing them.
Tracy walked into building that housed Lok’s school and business, just behind Jaio. Shelly had let her take Tracy, while Maggie was in Oroville, that way Shelly got a few hours to herself. As Tracy got in there, Brooke, who had been at her gym with her mother, seen her and can rushing over. “Are you really going?”
“What? You mean Disneyland?” Tracy asked. “Of course I'm going, you were there too.”
“No. To UCLA with Grandpa, Mom and me this weekend.” Brooke asked as Jaio went into the studio, where Karen was working through her Tai Chi forms.
“Oh, yeah. Mom wants to see family down there and Aunt Shelly thinks it’s best if Aunt Alice meets me now. This way they can meet us at Disneyland. I guess Grandma Bernice is dying to tell them” Tracy replied as she headed for the bathroom area.
“Cool. I'll see you when we go for the court thing. I hear that Rachel is coming too.” Brooke said, as she followed her friend.
“Yeah. You were both witnesses to our attack.” Tracy said with a nod.
“Mom is thinking of going down that morning, but she may go the night before, so we’re not in a rush.” Brooke stated.
Tracy opened up the door and stopped. She looked to Brooke, her lips turned into a large smile. “You know, we should see if Sage, Romy, Rachel and you can all come down with me, and we can just hang out at my place.”
“We should. I can ask Mom, when she’s done.” Brooke said. “Are you staying with us in LA?”
Tracy nodded. “I think My Mom is getting with your Mom and she's going to go with her to share the cost. Your mom was all over the idea.”
“Yeah. Grandpa usually gets his own room, so mom and I can change in peace.”
“Cool. The only thing is I will miss the friday night class.” Tracy stated.
Jaio stopped her. “Tracy, there is always Monday.” She smiled at the preteen.
“Awesome!” Tracy exclaimed.
“Now change. Class is soon.” Jaio said, shooing Tracy away. “Brooke can talk more later.”
Wednesday February 23rd 1983
Vance was in the front seat as his mother drove to Livermore. She had saved time by grabbing his medical records on the way down, so all she had to do was go to the new school and take care of everything there. The back of her car was loaded with his clothes, toys and books. The only thing left in his room had been a bed, a dresser, the bar in the closet and the curtains that covered the window. A lot of the living-room had been done after dinner, leaving just their Dad’s books and clothes, which William had been working on, and all of the kitchen stuff to pack, which Maggie was planning on doing when she returned the next day.
“Am I coming back on Friday?” He asked.
“No. You weren't at the store for the attack, so no need to come down for the court date. I'll just bring Tracy. But you and your Uncle will be alone from tomorrow night to Sunday. Aunt Shelly wants to take Tracy to meet your Aunt Alice, so they know about her and Tracy is helping Brooke with her race at UCLA. Persephone said you could come over and hang out with Moony, if you want. But that won’t be till Friday night. I think tomorrow and Friday afternoon, you’ll be at Lynn’s. Only Lance will be at the courts for Rachel.”
“What about school?” Vance asked. “Will I be going tomorrow?”
“I may see about getting you started on Monday, in case we need more stuff, okay? Or if there are tests you have to do.” Maggie replied.
“Tests?” Vance warily asked.
“Well, they do need to make sure the records aren’t false and that you can handle the classes..” Maggie stated.
“Oh. Hey, could we grab something to eat?” Vance asked, while watching as his old school passed by on his side of the car.
“I thought you’d want something more. We’ll hit something in Marysville. There’s a nice sit down diner that has breakfast there.”
“Awesome.” Vance said and he leaned back in his seat and watched as they drove away from his old life and into his new one.
Just after noon, when there was a knock at the door and Tracy got up and sprinted to answer it. Her day had been a busy one. Jaio had shown up that morning to work on some of the stuff that Tracy needed to learn for her classes. After that, she started on her schooling. Her work was spread out into three neat piles on the table. She had the history in front of her, and was saving Math and science till her Uncle got home.
She peeked through the peephole, then threw the door open and jumped out, surprising Vance. She hugged him tightly. “Hey!”
“Hey, Tracy.”
Tracy looked to her Mom. “Have you gone to the school?”
“We did. Vance has to take some tests, tomorrow, so they know where to place him. He took a couple today, but they knew moving can be traumatic. But he’s down here as of now.” Maggie said. Shelly came around the corner.
“You got his stuff?” Shelly asked.
“We do. Is Frank home?” Maggie said in reply.
“No. It's only noon. Want some help getting his stuff inside?”
“Yeah.” Maggie nodded. “Tracy, can you give us a hand?”
“Sure. I can do that.” Tracy looked to Vance. “I get the bed by the desk. I’ve been using it already.”
“Okay.”
Tracy smiled brightly. “And you have your own dresser. It was in the garage.”
“Cool.” Vance replied.
Thursday February 24th 1983
Tracy and her mother were back in the house that she had spent most of her life in. It felt weird to her to see her old bedroom mostly empty, with just the bunk bed left standing. It had been taken apart to form two separate beds and they were now sitting in the middle of the room. William and Conner were set to tear it apart and place it with the other stuff to be put into a u-haul.
The ladies were working on the kitchen and as each box was filled, it was moved to the living-room. All of the living room had been done, and that left William’s bedroom and the loose stuff in the bathroom, but that wouldn’t take long.
Tracy had already gone through each of the board games that were in the hall and placed them into the trunk of back of Shelly’s van. They were just finishing the kitchen, leaving enough dishes for dinner. They had planned on a late dinner, so Tracy’s friends could enjoy it with them.
At about six o’clock, a car pulled into the drive and Tracy ran to the window, just to see who it was. Once she saw her father get out of his car, a smile on his lips, she raced for the door. She flung it open and jumped out, leaping into William’s arms. “Daddy!!!”
“Hello, Princess.” He pulled her in close and kissed her cheek. “How have you been?”
“Good. I’ve missed you, though.” She said, then she added. “Missed you a lot.”
“A lot? Its only been four days.” He said with a grin, while he let go of her and started to go into the house.
“True, but I still miss you.”
William nodded, but took a sniff at the air. “Smells good. What’s for dinner?”
“We’re having stew. We wanted to make sure we have enough, for the others, so we have two crock-pots going.”
“Nice. Well, can I change out of my work clothes and we’ll talk more in a few minutes?” William asked, as he went to his wife and kissed her cheek, then hugged his mother and Shelly.
“I guess.” Came the glum reply from Tracy.
“Hey, young lady. You’re here all night. It’s not the last time you’ll see me. Besides, I have to pack up my room and I thought you could help with that, unless you’re going to be too busy hanging out with the girls.”
“I don’t know. But I’ll try to help.”
“Well, don’t ignore your friends. That wouldn’t be fair to them.”
“Okay, Daddy.” Tracy said, before hugging him once more.
Tracy and her friends all found themselves in her old room. They had pushed the old bunk beds against the walls and Tracy shared with Sage, while Brooke and Rachel took the other bed. The nightlight from the hall was helping to cast shadows in the room. It wasn’t a large room, but the lack of furniture made it seem that way.
“I can’t believe how empty this room is.” Tracy stated.
“It is kinda big. Almost as big as the room you’re in back home.” Rachel said.
Tracy chuckled. “Back home.” She mused. “I never thought of anywhere but here as home. Now it’s one more change.”
“A good one.” Sage said. “You get to go to school with us next year. And no one knows about you.”
“Sage is right.” Brooke added. “Plus, we’re all down there.”
“Yeah. I love it there. So much more to do there.” Tracy said as she lay her head against the pillow.
“Yeah.” Rachel said. “Shopping!”
A moment later, they heard Brooke’s mother come to the doorway. “Girls, we let you stay up late, but William is sleeping, so try and keep it a bit quiet.”
“Okay, Mom.” Brooke said.
"Sorry Mrs. Han." Rachel said. "Just talking."
"I know, just keep it down, so William can sleep." Karen said.
They waited a few moments, till they heard Karen walk away, then Sage giggled. “See Rachel, shopping will get you in trouble.”
“Funny.” Rachel replied back.
“It sucks that you two can’t be in Livermore tomorrow.” Sage said. “I mean, good luck on the race, but now I got to hide at Rachel’s all weekend.”
Rachel giggled back. “But Vance loves you.” This caused Brooke and Tracy to join in on the giggles.
“I know.” Sage sighed. She felt Tracy hug her tightly.
“Don’t focus on him. Just think about Disneyland in a month.” Tracy said as she hugged Sage tight. Besides, Uncle Frank will be home on Saturday, so he may go home. And next weekend, we’re doing the move.”
“Good. And then you’re a full time Bay Area girl.” Sage said as she snuggled into the hug.
“Yep. And this is going to be awesome. In a month, I will be Tracy, legally. We'll go to Disneyland and then we can make plans for the Summer."
"Yeah." The others all replied.
Friday February 25th 1983
Morning came and found Tracy at the stove, making sure her father had a breakfast, before he headed off to work. In the middle of her cooking, they heard a vehicle pull into the driveway. Tracy looked out the window over the stove. Her Grandmother's truck sat in the driveway.
“Grandma's here?” Tracy asked.
Maggie nodded. “Yeah, your Grandmother was there and If we need a witness, she can act as one. Plus, they will follow us down to LA.”
“Awesome.” Tracy waited as the stove, while her mother went to the door to let them in. Bernice and Marion both came in.
Her grandmother walked over to where Tracy was at and smiled at her granddaughter. “Hello, young lady."
“Hi Grandma.” Tracy answered back, then she gestured to the frying pan. "Want some eggs?"
"Sure. We could have a little snack."
Marion hugged his daughter, then patted Tracy’s shoulder.
A few moments later, another car pulled up. Tracy looked out and saw Lance in the drivers seat, with another man, who looked slightly younger than Lance, in the passenger seat. They both got out and once more Maggie opened up the door. “Lance, how was the trip?”
“Fine, except sleeping beauty didn’t like waking up at four this morning, so we could be here early.” Lance stated.
“Sorry. We didn’t ask for an early appointment. But there are hotels, or we could have put you up around here.” Maggie said.
“Its okay. I had a big party to attend last night and I can only blame me for staying late.” The man said. “But for now, let’s talk strategy for today.”
“And breakfast. Have you two eaten?” Maggie asked.
“Not yet.” Lance said. “We grabbed a little before we left town, but he is not a fast food fan.”
“Well, find a spot and we will get you some eggs.” Maggie said with a smile. She held her hand out to the stranger. “I’m Maggie Patterson, this is my husband, William. He would come with us, but he is watching what he does at work. They’ve been looking for any excuse to fire him.”
“Sounds sticky.” The man replied. “I’m Bart Rogers. My full name is Bartholomew, but I like Bart better.”
Maggie quickly introduced everyone in the house, including those who were seated in the living-room. When she finished, with the adults, she gestured to the stove. “I’m sure you know Rachel, but the redhead is Sage, she’s the Miller’s daughter.”
“The Miller’s are also getting a restraining order.” Lance added.
“The girl in the wheelchair is Brooke and she was at the store during the attack. She was near the girls and watching with Rachel. Her Grandfather and Mother are here with her.” Maggie went to Tracy and put her hand on Tracy’s shoulder. “This is my youngest. Tracy.”
“Sage, Tracy, Maggie, Persephone, as I said before, Bart is taking care of this. This is more of his type of case. And as Rachel’s father, I’d rather not represent her. I can do it, but I’d rather someone who isn’t related to all of this take the helm.” Lance put a hand on Tracy's shoulder. “Tracy, so you know, I told him about you and trust me when I say that he doesn't care. He supports you fully.
“He’s right. I know many people who were born as the wrong sex. The only important thing is what is between your ears, not your legs.” The man didn’t blush, but the girls did. “Having said that, I have to say this. Tracy, it's important that you and everyone else here watch your pronouns and names today. Girls, from the moment we leave the house, till we leave the courtroom, that is Troy, not Tracy.” He looked to Troy, who looked glum. “I know that hurts, Tracy, but we can't give this woman any ammo against you. Once this is over, you can be you again, until then, it is only Troy, him his and he. Okay?”
“Okay.” Tracy said as she lowered her head, as though her greatest dream had been crushed.
"Okay, everyone?" Bart asked again.
Everyone else just nodded and a few replies of yes were heard. Maggie began helping the girls with breakfast. William headed for the sink and he put his dishes away, then he patted Tracy’s shoulder. “Want to see me to the car with your mother?” His daughter smiled and nodded. Bernice took Maggie spot at the stove.
William went to his car, his lunch already packed. He put his lunch into the backseat, then turned and hugged his wife, than his daughter. “Be safe, and stop by, if you are out in time. I’ll be at my car for the breaks. Let me know the outcome. Leave a note on the seat if you have to. Call from LA when you get there.”
“He knows we’re going?” Tracy asked, looking to her mother.
“Yes, I know you’re going to help Brooke in her race. I also know that your Aunt Shelly is paying the way so I better not argue with her or I get yelled at.” He gave a big smile, so Tracy knew he was joking. “Be safe down there and no going to Disney, till I can be with you.”
“I promise.” Tracy said, putting a hand on her heart.
“Good, now I’ll see you two in a week or so.”
“Next Friday. We’ll come here, once Vance is out of school.”
“Okay.They have me scheduled till Saturday, but once that is done, I am out of here.”
“Good.” Tracy said. He hugged then again, then he got in his car. As he pulled out, this time, Tracy didn’t cry, she knew she could last one more week.
Maggie went into the kids old bedroom and she saw her child, sitting on the bed and looking at her feet. Her gaze was firmly aimed at the shiny boy’s shoes she had yet to get rid of. She wore a suit that fit a bit tight on her and her hair was long for a boy's cut. Maggie knew they would have to pin it back, or put it in a ponytail. Although the child looked like a boy, except for the long flowing hair, she knew in her heart that it was her daughter and nothing could change that feeling.
Without looking up, Tracy simply stated. “I hate this.”
“I know, baby. But think of it this way. We get there and get through this quickly, we can try and be back here by ten or so and you can wear what you want to.” Maggie put a hand on her child’s shoulder. “We need to get moving. But as soon as its done, I promise you, I want Tracy to be back at my side.”
“And its just an hour or two?”
“I promise. Once we’re out of the courthouse and get back here, you change, then we follow Brooke, Karen and Lok to LA. Your Grandparents too.”
“Good.” Tracy looked up and he smiled, but just slightly.
“Come on, Bart wants to get there a bit early. So we’re not running late.”
“Okay.” Tracy got up and followed Maggie out of the room.
Molly was being good. She had been out of the mental health facility for just a few days. They had let her go when she hadn’t showed any other outbursts. That had been two weeks earlier. There were few who fought her release, but the head man insisted and signed them, since she had been a model patient after her outburst. After that she was able to be released on bail, something her husband reluctantly paid. Lance had kept track of it, through the D.A’s office, but luckily they didn’t have to go to the arraignment. They were still waiting for the pre trial conferences and any other reasons they would have to come down, since Molly took a not guilty plea.
Molly knew she could beat the restraining order and if she did, it would help her case. And to put on a good show, she had just gone to visit an old family friend, and the Godfather to her sons, one of the judges for the county, June's son, Andrew. Before she got to his office, she witnessed something that made her stop and listen closely. She was still focused on what she had seen and heard from his office and it didn't phase her that she had not even spoken to him. Her mind was working over the juicy information she had just witnessed. Instead she slipped away before anyone had the chance to know she was there. She was to meet with her lawyer, but not for another ten minutes.
As Molly came around a corner of the hall that led to the judges chambers, she saw Maggie, her child and the redhead, plus many others all pass by. None of them had seen her, but to be safe, she stepped to the side, so she was next to the wall, but could still see them.. She stopped and just watched them. She knew she had to keep her distance, because of the temporary restraining order, or she could get in more trouble. She watched as Troy and the girls all talked. A part of her hated seeing him that close to the innocent girls, but she knew she was on thin ice and had to be good.
She could see the sadness in Troy’s face and for some reason, his sadness gave her a sick glee. She was doing fine in watching them walk by, until she watched as the redhead slipped her arm behind Troy’s back and the larger girl hugged him as well. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, all of it became a blur.
Once more she could hear crying and the sounds of a young girl pleading and the image of Troy standing over the redhead, her clothes in tatters and Troy forcing himself on her flashed in her mind. She could hear Troy’s sick laughter as the image in her head molested not only the redhead, but the other two as well. She could see the little monster that no one else could see and she knew she had to act.
Molly bolted towards them. None of them were ready for her when she screamed out just as she neared Tracy. “Leave that girl alone you sick little pervert!” The scream caught the attention of several people nearby, including some officers who had come in for different court dates. The girls turned as did Tracy, but none of them were ready for the fact that Molly was that close.
Molly plowed into Tracy, a string of obscenities flowing from her lips. Molly’s fist connected with Tracy, catching her over her right eye. The blow staggered her and when she fell, she caused Sage and Rachel to fall with her. Karen quickly pulled her daughter's wheelchair away from the mess of bodies.
As they landed, Tracy’s hand landed on the larger girls chest, and Molly saw it. “RAPIST!” She screamed out and hit Tracy once more, this time she managed to turn her head and she only grazed her cheek. Tracy brought up one arm and covered her face, as her other arm was trapped by Sage. Tracy curled into a ball and did her best to hide her face, as Molly kept swinging. She could hear the sounds of shouting, fighting and scuffling of feet and then what felt like a dozen people dancing over her and Molly, but through it all, she kept her face covered.
Then a hand grabbed her and pulled her away. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her and she could hear her mother soothing her. “I got you, Baby.”
She couldn't help but cry, burying her face into her mother's chest. She stopped, just long enough to see what was going on, as Molly let out another string of swearing. She watched the woman launch herself at her and her mother, but several cops wrestled her to the ground.
Then began the questioning from the police on the scene, and other officers, once who were on duty were called to take the reports. More then an hour passed, Till Bart looked up and at a clock. “Shit. Maggie, Persephone, Modine, we need to get to the courtroom. We got five minutes.”
The officer who was taking statements stopped him. “We need to finish taking statements. You need to wait.”
“Officer, could you come with us? We are here to get a restraining order for these children, against the woman you just arrested. This isn’t the first time she has attacked the Patterson child in public, or the redhead. We need to be there in fifteen minutes, or it could get tossed out.
One of the older cops came over. “Let’s see about getting these kids into a side room. I doubt they’ll let them in the courtroom at first, but we can question the children about what happened and then you won’t miss the appointment.”
“Thanks, officer.” Bart said. "This can help in our cases against her."
Tracy was left in a side room with Rachel, Brooke and Shelly. Each of the girls had spoken to the cops about the attack in the courthouse, each had given their statement, along with their parents and those who had seen what had happened. Each of them had gone in and spoken to the judge, not only covering the attack at the start of the month, but Molly's attack in the courthouse that morning and it was currently Sage's turn.
As they had sat there, each of the girls had started to cry, which set the others off. Shelly was doing her best to calm them down, with Lok’s help. Each time the crying fits started, the adults started asking questions about the upcoming trip to get them thinking about other things. When Sage had gone in, her father and mother went with her.
By time Sage came back, the crying had stopped and they were sitting with a few sodas on the table in front of them. Sage came in, shaking her head in disbelief. “You'll never believe this.” Sage said as she slipped into a chair. Her parents followed her into the room. “That woman was going to try and get a restraining order out against you, but to cover me.”
“What? What do you mean?” Tracy asked, very confused by what Sage had said.
Persephone spoke up as she took a chair. “Molly was going to claim that she was Sage's aunt and legal guardian and was going to put a restraining order out, keeping you from Sage. It was one of the many restraining orders she was trying to get today. Her lawyer told us. He showed us all the actions she tried to take. She was to see the judge right about now.”
“And did they say yes?”
“With both Sage's dad and myself here?” Persephone asked in response. “No. Bart and Molly’s lawyer went to the other judge, who tossed it out when he learned that we're not even related. Thankfully with her being removed from the courthouse and arrested, she wasn't able to fight the restraining order and now it really looks bad for her. The others were to keep Brooke and Rachel from you as well, but Rachel’s Dad and Brooke’s Mother helped stop those.”
“What did I even do?” Tracy asked.
“She was screaming that you were raping Sage, but Sage was just hugging you.” Rachel stated.
“I never did anything to her. Ever. I swear.” Tracy said, tears starting to fall from her eyes again, this caused her friends to start thinking about the attack and they started to cry. Once again the adults tried to stop them..
After about ten minutes, when the girls had finally stopped crying again, and were all talking about which rides at Disneyland they wanted to go on first, the door opened up and Maggie, her parents and In-laws all came in. Lance and Bart came in and took seats at the big table. Tracy didn't see them at first, instead she was talking with Brooke, then she felt her mom's hand on her shoulder.
“Mom!” Tracy turned and jumped into her arms. After hugging her for a moment, she looked up. “Can we go now? Or do we have to stay longer?”
“We gave the cops all the information they need to arrest Molly again. I heard that they are sending her to the mental health place again. But yeah, we're done. Do you want to go to the hospital, for your cheek and eye?”
“Do we have to?” Tracy asked.
Lance spoke up. “It may be for the best. One of the officers has agreed to come with us, so we can try and get in and out, in a hurry. Plus, if they come, we don’t have to come back to here to give them the report.”
“Then we can leave town” Tracy asked.
“We were thinking of having you meet us at our place.” Modine replied. “Mr. Rogers and Mr. Williams are invited too. But I think you girls could use something to eat, and that gives Tracy a place to change into her normal clothes.”
“Maggie, you should go. This way they got more proof for the court case and the second charge of assault.” Lance stated.
“Okay. Then we’ll go to the hospital and meet you all at Modine’s.”
Bart leaned back in his seat and looked to Maggie, before speaking. “Maggie, if I could, can I ride with you? Lance can go with someone and I’ll meet him at your in-laws. I want to make sure that a lawyer is there with you, for any tough questions.”
“Please do.” Maggie replied.
At some point, I promise this girl will get to Disneyland.
“Tracy, I know you're scared, but the sooner they know, the better. Your Grandmother will be there and she is dying to tell them. Your aunt could know already but Shelly and I agree that this is for the best. Plus, we’ve gotten a hold of Joy and Angie and while we’re at Brooke’s race, we’re gonna meet up with them. So when we’re at Alice’s, if you want to go, or she treats you bad, then we go. That instant. No waiting, just leaving.”
“Promise?” Tracy asked her, not totally believing her.
“Promise.” Maggie replied.
Edited by Djkauf
More of Tracy and Family.
Friday February 26th 1983
Vance sat in the living-room of Lynn’s house. He had been there since seven that morning, when his Uncle had dropped him off. He had been sitting at the TV for most of the morning, till he realized that they were repeating a lot of the music videos he had seen. There wasn't much on the TV that looked good and he was getting bored. He could hear Lynn moving around the house and he recalled something his mother told him before she left Thursday morning.
“Don’t be a pest tomorrow, and if you can, offer Lynn some help. It won’t kill you to help a little.”
He turned off the TV, then got up and started searching for her. It took him a few minutes to find her in the laundry room. She heard him as he rounded the corner and she looked up. “Something wrong, Vance?”
“No. I just wanted to see if you had anything you wanted to get done. I feel kinda bad just sitting around and watching TV all day.”
“Well, you don’t have to help. You’re a guest. There’s not a lot to do around here. The girls keep up on their chores. I guess there’s always the dishes from breakfast.” Lynn replied. “I was going to do those after I started the laundry.”
“Oh...well I can do them now, so they’re out of the way.”
“You don’t have to....” Lynn said again.
“I know. But I want to.” Vance replied. He really didn't want to, but he was growing bored with the TV. There would be nothing but music videos all day, other than the soap operas, which he would never watch.
“Okay, you do the dishes and I’ll join you in a bit. Then we can tidy up the house, if you still want to help.”
The phone started to ring and Lynn passed Vance and went to the phone in the kitchen. “Williams house, Lynn speaking.” Vance went to the sink and began rinsing off the dishes as he heard her speaking. “Hi, Honey. Yes, we’re good. And you? How did the case go?” There was a pause, then Vance heard Lynn say. “Again? She attacked them again? In the courtroom? Was she arrested?”
Vance was curious, but he knew better than to ask questions while she was talking. He turned his attention to the dishes and after a few minutes, Lynn finally hung up. She sighed as she headed for the laundry room.
“Mrs. Williams? Did something happen at the court thing?” Vance asked.
“Yeah.” Lynn replied. She stopped at the doorway and turned to face him. “From what Lance said, that Molly woman attacked Tracy again and she got hit a few times. Molly also knocked down Rachel and Sage. But they are all fine. Your mother and sister are at the hospital. They need to be checked out so there is a medical report in the arrest record.”
“Are they still going to L.A.?”
“Yeah. They are still going, or so Lance thinks. We’ll find out when he gets here.” Lynn said. “I thought you were hanging out with Moony and his friend this weekend?”
“Yeah. I just thought that maybe they’d have stuff that has to come up today.” Vance replied. “So if they needed help moving stuff, I could do that.”
“That’s next week. At least I think that’s what your Aunt said.” Lynn replied, before stepping into the laundry room.
“Yeah. But you never know.” Vance stated and Lynn knew how things could change.
“True, but you father is still there for a week and they need to rent, not only a Uhaul, but a storage place.”
“Yeah. I guess you’re right.” Vance replied back. “But still, I just thought maybe they’d just move it all today.”
“And hold onto it for the weekend?” Lynn asked, peeking her head around the corner. “No, I don’t think so. But don’t worry Vance. I’m sure they will let you know when you have to help.”
“Yeah. I know.” Vance replied back. “I know they will.”
They left the hospital and on the way to Modine’s house, Maggie looked at the clock, then she took an unexpected right hand turn. Tracy watched as they drove towards the highway, then to the road that led to where William worked.
“We’re going to Dad’s work?” Tracy asked.
“Yep.” Maggie said with a nod, then she quickly glanced at Bart. “I hope you don't mind, Bart. But it should be about his break time and he wanted to know what happened.”
“I totally agree.” Bart said with a nod, but he kept his attention on the small town that he had never been in before that day.
“This way, if he has questions, you can explain it.” Maggie added.
“I don’t mind.” Bart replied. “It is my job.”
Maggie pulled onto a side road, that paralleled the mill, then she went to the guard shack. She stopped at the guard shack and was waved in by one of the men who knew her. She pulled into the parking lot and headed towards the part of the lot that William always seemed to park in. As they got close to his car, she noticed he was on his way to the car. He started jogging to catch up to them.
William slowed down when he noticed Bart in the passenger seat and Shelly and Tracy in the back. Maggie parked behind his car, blocking him in. She shut off the motor and stepped out as he slowed to a walk and then stopped next to her. Bart got out of the passenger seat.
“Hey, how did it go?” William asked, as he hugged his wife..
“Bad and good, all at once.” Maggie said. Tracy slipped out, still looking like Troy. “Ask Bart, he can explain the court proceedings.”
“Well, Bart?” William asked. His daughter hugged him and he looked down and noticed what would be the start of a black eye. “What the hell? Who hit you?”
“That would be Molly.” Maggie said. Bart came around the car and stopped near William.
“She hit Tracy? While at the courthouse?” William asked.
“Yeah.” Maggie said with a nod.
Bart took over, while leaning against Maggie’s car. “ It’s like this, William. We got to the courthouse and as we were headed inside, the kids were walking together, but behind us. The Asian lady...”
“Karen.” Maggie chimed in.
“Yeah her. She was with the girls, pushing her daughter though the crowd. The rest of us were discussing what would happen and how I wanted to call on people when the hearing started. That Molly woman came out of nowhere and started attacking the kids. Mostly yours, but Rachel and Sage got knocked over. It took several cops, your mother-in-law, the old Asian man and your father to keep her away from the kids. When the kids were knocked over, Tracy’s hand hit Rachel’s chest and Molly began calling Tracy a rapist.”
“A rapist?” William asked.
“Yeah. Tracy did her best to protect her face, but Molly got a few shots in. She was arrested and by the sounds of it, it looks like she is going back to the mental institution. Not to mention that she broke the temporary restraining order, so she’ll have to answer for that. There is also the fact that she hurt Sage and there was a temp order on Sage as well. So yeah, the next time you see her should be for the trial.”
“I see. Thank you.” William looked at Tracy’s face closely. “You may want to get some ice, crush it up and put it in a bag, for your trip down. That should help slow down the black eye.” He looked up to his wife. “What about the restraining order?”
“We got it. So do your parents, the Miller’s, the Han’s and the Williams.” Maggie said.
“There is more.” Bart added, then he continued before being asked. “That woman tried to place a restraining order on Tracy, but it would have kept her from being near Rachel, Brooke and Sage.”
“Is....” William blinked a couple of times in surprise. He wasn’t expecting something that underhanded. “Is that legal?”
“Well, if she had been a relation, like she was claiming and she was the legal guardian, like she also claimed, then yes. But with the parents of each girl there, we got it thrown out. In fact it was her lawyer who had told us that she wanted to file them.” Bart added. “He had no idea that she wasn’t a relation to the girls.”
“So it’s all over?”
Bart shrugged and nodded. “Till her criminal trial, but with her outbursts, I would think she is going to go for a plea of insanity.”
“I can see her getting that.” Maggie said. “She was screaming, calling Tracy a rapist, and she was trying to bite and my mom and me, as we tried to get her off of the girls. She was like a rabid animal.”
Through the telling of the story, Tracy didn’t cry. Instead, she leaned against her father. William held out a hand to Bart. “Thank you for coming down.”
Bart took the hand and shook it firmly. “It was no problem. Kinda feels good to get out of the Bay Area. You do need to decide if you both wish to sue her in a civil court, for her actions. I can help with that, that way Lance can be called as a witness.”
“I think we should.” Maggie replied. “At least make sure Molly gets the medical bills for these last two trips to the hospital. The Miller’s should, too.”
“I agree.” William said with a nod. He looked at his watch. “I got about fifteen minutes. So I’d like to get back inside, so they can’t try and fire me for being late in clocking in. Rather be early than late in clocking back in.”
Maggie leaned in and kissed him. Then he hugged Tracy. “Thank you for coming.” He said to Bart. Shelly, you take good care of my ladies today.”
“I will.”
Tracy wasted no time when she got to her grandmothers place. She rushed in, grabbed her girl clothes, and raced for the back bedroom. The others were in the process of eating as she went to change.
It only took her a few minutes to change, during that time, Maggie reminded her to fold up Troy’s suit, so it could be used for the court dates, should she have to go. When she walked out, the adults were all at the dining room table and the kids were around the kitchen table. Modine hadn’t heated up much, but it was enough for all of them.
“So, you’re headed on Five all the way?” Lance asked Maggie as Tracy passed.
“Yeah. When you all cut off, Tracy, we’ll keep following Lok and my Parents, till we get into the heart of the city.” Maggie said. Tracy ignored the adults and she went to the table where her friends sat. She took a plate and went to the stove, where the food was. She was feeling hungry and the thought of food was helping her forget about what happened.
“Hey, you wanna see if you can ride with me?” Brooke asked as Tracy sat at the table. “At least until we get to, like LA, or something?”
“Sure. I guess.”
“Man. This blows. You two get to go have fun and we get stuck with Vance.” Sage stated.
“Aren’t we going to Stacey’s?” Rachel asked.
“No. She’s not feeling well, so her parents want to keep us away from it.” Sage replied.
“Then come to my place.” Rachel said with a smile. “Then there is no Vance.”
“True.” Sage said with a nod. “We should, just to keep me safe.”
As they headed to the car, after hugging Rachel and Sage, Tracy looked to her mother. “Do we have to see Aunt Alice?”
“Tracy, I know you're scared, but the sooner they know, the better. Your Grandmother will be there and she is dying to tell them. Your aunt could know already but Shelly and I agree that this is for the best. Plus, we’ve gotten a hold of Joy and Angie and while we’re at Brooke’s race, we’re gonna meet up with them. So when we’re at Alice’s, if you want to go, or she treats you bad, then we go. That instant. No waiting, just leaving.”
“Promise?” Tracy asked her, not totally believing her.
“Promise.” Maggie replied. “And when we’re there, we may ask Alice if the girls can join us at Disneyland, but only if you all get along over this weekend. We’re also thinking of seeing if Joy will meet us, so Angie can hang out with you too.”
Persephone came over from where she had been talking to Lance. “Since you’re heading in our direction and the girls are riding together until Los Angeles, why don’t we let Sage and Rachel go right with you to Tracy. You can get off before the off ramp to five eighty and fill up, then we take ours and head home.”
“Sure. It looks like Brooke is riding with Shelly, Tracy and Karen. I’m riding with my Mom and Dad wants to ride with Lok.”
“So, what do you all have planned for tonight?” Tracy asked Sage, as they passed through Marysville.
“We’re looking at Rachel’s place. Mom heard from Aunt Lillian and Stacey is sick and Casey was just getting over it.” Sage replied.
“Oh. Well, at least you're out of the house.” Tracy said with a chuckle.
“Yep. No Vance.” Sage answered with a giggle.
“Isn’t Vance hanging out with Uncle Frank today?” Rachel asked.
“I think Mom said he was going to hang out with Moony tonight, so they could have sleepover with those other boys, so Vance can meet new people.” Tracy replied.
“What about you two?” Sage asked, not wanting to think about Vance in her house.
“Well, Mom is taking me to Aunt Alice’s place and then we’re going to stay the night with Brooke and her mom at the hotel. Then the race and more hanging out. I think Joy is bringing her daughter Angie too. She’s kinda cool. She met Tracy at Christmas.”
“Good luck in your race.” Rachel said, reaching over the seat and patting Brooke’s shoulder.
Sage patted her arm. “Yeah. Show them what Livermore girls can do!”
“I intend to.” Brooke replied. “Just think. In another month, we’ll be headed down there, all together.”
“For Disneyland!” Sage exclaimed. “I can’t wait. ‘Romy can’t either. She’s saving her hugs up for Donald Duck.”
“She is?” Tracy and Brooke both asked.
“Yeah. She refused to hug Dad the other night before bed. She said Donald deserves her best hug.” Sage said with a chuckle.
From the front seat, Shelly chuckled, but the girls didn’t pay her any attention.
“I’m waiting for Mickey.” Tracy said.
“I wanna see Hook.” Sage stated. “Or Minnie.”
As the adults filled up the vehicles, Sage and Rachel were busy talking to Brooke and Tracy as they all came from the store with goodies for the trip. “Can you come over on Monday?” Sage asked Tracy.
“I’ll try. I know next weekend is out because we’re moving our stuff in Oroville.”
“Yeah.” Sage nodded. “Dad said something about maybe helping move the stuff from the truck to the storage, if your Dad wanted.”
“He should call Mom on Monday and ask. She could tell Dad.” Tracy replied.
They reached the van and Tracy put her stuff into the back. “Well, see you in a few days.” She hugged Sage, then Rachel.
“Remember, no going to Disney without us.” Sage stated again.
“We know.” Tracy replied. “We’ll just kidnap Mickey, but not ride any of the rides.”
“That’s mean.” Sage said, bending down to hug Brooke. “Have fun. And here’s hoping your cousins like you.”
“Yeah. I’m scared of that too.” Tracy said.
Rachel hugged her again. “They’ll love you. We love you, don’t we?”
“Yeah. Yeah you do.” Tracy said, getting one last hug in.
Rachel came home, and headed for the kitchen. She stopped as she saw Vance in the living-room, helping Lynn to move one of the couches.
“Hello, Pumpkin. How was the trip?”
“It was good. Dad went to the office to write up what happened.” Rachel replied as she put her night bag on the floor. “What’s going on?”
“Vance is helping out. We vacuumed the den and now we’re working on the living-room.” Lynn said.
“Oh. You didn’t do our rooms, did you?” Rachel asked.
“Nope, that is your job. Besides, do you want him moving things in your room?" Lynn asked her daughter.
"Well....not really." Rachel replied.
"He was bored and offered to help. But we're almost done and he's off to Sage's soon." Lynn said.
"Oh. Well, I wanna put my bag up." Rachel said, heading for the stairwell. "Sage will be over soon."
It was around seven thirty when Bernice and Maggie first reached Alice’s driveway. Marion pointed to Shelly, the best place to park on the street. Tracy looked up as her mother got out of the truck and she saw the curtains get moved from the living-room window. A moment later, the door opened up, as Shelly and Marion got out of their seats.
“Maggie! You made it!” Alice said as she came out of the modest little home she had with her daughters.Two girls, one older then Tracy, the other younger, both came out of the house and made for Bernice.
“Alice. It's been far too long.” Maggie said as she hugged her sister.
“It has been. I should have visited sooner.” Maggie replied.
“So, no William, or the kids?”
“Well, William is still in Oroville, and Vance just moved to Livermore last week. He’s getting settled into Shelly’s and starting school on Monday, but he wanted to stay, so he could hang out with his new friends.” Maggie said. She turned slightly around and gestured to her daughter to come closer. “But Shelly and Tracy managed to make it with me.”
“Tracy? Who's Tracy?” Alice asked. “And what about Troy?”
“Have the girls eaten dinner?” Marion asked.
“About five.” Alice replied. “We knew you were going to be late, so we didn’t wait.”
“Then, why don't I take Tracy, Heidi and Cheryl out for some ice cream.” Marion said as they all headed to the house. “Let you ladies talk a little bit. That and I want some ice cream.”
“I don’t mind.” Alice replied.
“Me either. Tracy had dinner already.” Maggie said. He started to guide the children to his truck, when Shelly gave him the keys to her van. They watched as he left, then they all went inside.
Alice watched the door shut, then she looked to her sister and her mother. “Okay, the only time Dad clears the kids out is when there is a talk coming. So what is going on?”
“There is something going on and it's about Tracy and Troy....” Maggie replied. “And I think it is something you should hear about from me.”
A short while and one quick telling of the past few months later, Alice was trying to wrap her head around the news. “So, my nephew Troy is no more and now he's a girl named Tracy? Am I getting this right?”
“Yeah. Mom found out and she had a bit of a meltdown.” Maggie said with a nod.
“But I was wrong.” Bernice said with a nod.
“I would have never known that was Troy....” Alice absentmindedly said.
“We know. She does hide well. But you haven't seen her in a few years.” Maggie started, cutting her sister off, who cut her off, before she could continue.
“This is what you were going on about.” Alice said as she looked to her mother. “Isn't it?”
“Yes.” Bernice answered, then she looked to Maggie and Shelly. “I've been trying to soften the blow for when it comes. I've been really pushing the whole what's on the inside speech with the girls and I've asked Alice what she thinks of people that live like Tracy does.”
“I've never had a problem with them. I've known a few guys who dress in drag. The girls have met many people like that and they’ve never had a problem, either. I know some others who like to dress up around the house. I've also met a few who want to become a woman and I've never really thought about what could happen if it were my own family.”
Maggie nodded and leaned back in her seat. “Alice, you have to remember, Tracy is still the same child. The same morals and stuff like that. The only difference is that she should have been born a girl, not a boy. She's even getting girl hormones. Got a shot last week when I moved to Livermore. We're not sure why, but her chest is starting to grow as well. The doctor thinks it may be from the castration and a lack of other hormones in the body. This isn't a little boy in drag. This is a young child who was born into the wrong body.”
“Fact is this, Alice. Troy was never much of a boy.” Bernice said. “I remembered back to his visit in Wyoming a few years ago and the boy that was there was never really there. He was quiet and he hated to do the boy stuff that Vance wanted to do. But that child spent as much time with Maggie and myself. Tracy knew what she was, but was too afraid to tell any of us.”
“What does William say? He always seemed to be a bit macho, can't expect him to be agreeing with this. Or is this why you two are not together?” Alice asked.
Maggie arched an eyebrow. “Alice, we're still together. He's all for Tracy. Ever since Vietnam, a part of him has always wanted a daughter and now he has one. He's in Oroville till next Saturday. Then he will be getting a Uhaul and we’ll go to help load it. He’s been boxing up what he can the past few days. Conner will be helping us in selling the farm while William is moving to Livermore. William is catching hell at work because of the pictures I told you about. Someone pasted one in the lunchroom there and he called the cops, now they want to fire him.” Maggie said.
“What about Vance?” Alice asked. “I mean boys can be mean with information like this.”
“Vance was a bit harder to deal with. When he first found out, he told his friends. The same ones who attacked Tracy, well Troy at the time and Modine. But they attacked him because he caught them stealing, not because of the dress. And that boy was the brother to the one that tried and failed to beat up Tracy when Mom was there.”
Bernice chuckled. “Little punk couldn't fight his way out of a wet bag Tracy slapped him around and the boy who was with him, at the same time. That was the funniest fight I've seen in awhile.”
“Funniest?” Alice asked. “Maggie said that Troy had a friend in a wheelchair and four other girls there. They could have been hurt.”
“It was the funniest because Tracy went up against these kids, one against four, well Vance and Tracy's friend Peter held off the other two, but she faced them down and won, against bigger kids, by slapping them. Backhand slapping mind you.” Bernice stated. “I am thankful the girls never got hurt, but the fight between Tracy and the punks was so one sided, you had to laugh.”
Maggie decided to help her mother out and explain it. “Alice, it's like a villain in a movie. The one who is so sure of his victory and then the hero does almost nothing to them and still wins because the villain is that inept.”
“Now the other attacks, that wasn't funny.” Bernice added.
“Other attacks? There have been more than two?” Alice asked. “Other than the boy from December?”
“The Gas station.” Bernice replied. “The reason we went to the court this morning.”
Maggie quickly covered the gas station too, so Alice decided to ask a question that had popped into her mind. “So she just threw those other two girls away from Tro....um Tracy, and started beating on hi...her?”
Bernice nodded. “Then I happened. No one attacks a member of my family while I'm there.”
The name was still new to Alice, but she was doing her best to remember and to get used to everything. “Wait, now does she hate Tracy, because she thinks Tracy is a lesbian? I have children, I don't go attacking kids. That's just stupid.”
Maggie shook her head in the negative, and she sighed. “She kept quoting the bible and how man can't wear women's clothes. Yet one of them was at my house, in jeans and a masculine haircut, and that verse goes both ways.”
“Some people just shouldn't call themselves a Christian.” Alice said.
Maggie nodded in agreement. “I found out that her father thinks he is a preacher and he is one of those wrath of God type people. All doom and gloom and we're all sinners, he's the only good one.”
“Wow. Nice family. You sure pick some good enemies.” Alice said with a forced chuckle.
“When we were at the courthouse this morning, she attacked Tracy again. They carted her off to jail, once more.” Bernice stated.
“Well, that’s good. I’m guessing that is how Tracy has the start of a black eye?”
“Yeah, and if we could get some ice for that. We’re trying to stop her eye from getting bad.” Maggie said with a nod. “There’s more. She tried getting restraining orders for all of Tracy’s friends, but each of them had a parent with them, so those got shot down.”
“Is she really that crazy?” Alice asked.
Bernice shrugged. “Who knows.”
“I want you to see something.” Maggie said as she pulled a picture out of her purse and handed it to her sister. “This was taken at Christmas time. Tracy is next to the girl in the wheelchair. Notice the smile on my daughters face?”
“Yeah. She looks happy, but then a lot of children look like that for pictures.”
“Now here's one of last fourth of July. Look at Troy's face.” Maggie passed the other picture over.
“Wow.” Alice said as she looked at the boy who barely lifted his eyes for the picture. “But maybe he was just sad that day?”
“No. I've gone over a lot of pictures while I packed my stuff up and I haven't seen a smile on Troy's face since he was a toddler. A lot of the pictures you can just tell it was forced.”
“Okay, you said he has friends?”
“Yes, five girls who love Tracy to death. And please, it's she and her now. Female pronouns. Call her Tracy. You say Troy, him or he and we'll crush her spirit.”
“Okay. I can do that.” Alice replied. “Sorry, it’s still new to me.”
“Actually, Brooke, the Asian girl in the wheelchair is down here for a wheelchair race. She races tomorrow and then after that, I was thinking she and her mother could join us at a restaurant or something. Something to let them see Tracy is a girl and how open and friendly she can be.”
“I think we can do that.” Alice said with a nod of her head.
“Tracy has five friends.” Bernice stated. “All of them are very nice girls. Each of them have seen some sort of discrimination in their lives.”
“We all have.” Alice replied.
Maggie leaned forward, putting her coffee cup on a coaster. “Yes. But Tracy has family who loves her. So she had it a bit better than some. I was told by Persephone, a mother to one of Tracy’s friends, many kids kill themselves because of their feelings and how their family treat them.”
“Maggie is right.” Shelly added. “They get treated badly and others get put into mental health places because their family thinks they are sick. But Tracy isn’t. She’s a good girl.”
“Just with a male body.” Maggie said. “But that can be taken care of too.”
Tracy was nervous. She wasn’t sure if she should tell her cousins, or if they would figure it out. So for now, she was just along for the ride, and the ice cream. Heidi looked to her grandfather, then pointed to the radio. “Can we turn on music?”
“I can’t see why not.” Marion said. “Just keep it down.”
Heidi was flipping through the stations and found a modern music channel. The sounds of the Go-Go's started playing and Tracy squealed. Heidi looked back to her and she smiled. "You like them too?"
"Oh yeah." Tracy said with a nod.
"Grandma was talking about a Tracy who saved her Grandmother from being attacked. Was that you?"
"Yeah." Tracy replied.
"And you saved your friends from a bunch of kids who were trying to attack you?" Cheryl asked her.
"Yeah, that was me too." Tracy said as her grandfather pulled into an ice cream parlor.
"That's cool." Heidi said as Marion pulled into a parking spot.
"Come on girls, let’s get some ice cream." Marion said.
Forty minutes later, Marion led the girls back into the house and they all went into the living-room where the adults were.
“So girls, you enjoy the ice cream?” Alice asked.
“Yes.” All three replied.
“Did you say thank you?” Alice asked her daughters.
“Thank you, Grandpa!” Alice's girls said, Tracy copied them, leaving off the Grandfather part. She wasn't sure how to proceed, but her Aunt and mother took control of that.
“So what do you girls think of Tracy?” Alice asked her daughters.
“She's cool. She likes good music, not like yours.” Cheryl, the younger girl said. “She is the same Tracy that Grandma said defended her grandmother from a bunch of bad people.”
“And defended her friends when people tried to attack her a week or two ago, like Grandma said.” Heidi added.
“Really.” Alice asked her daughters, trying to sound surprised.
Tracy nodded. “Yeah.”
“Girls, you know you've seen Tracy before, right?” Maggie said with a smile.
“We have? When?” Heidi asked.
Alice couldn’t hold in the surprise. So she took over. “Girls, you remember your cousin Troy? The one who was Vance's younger brother? The one who would play house with you two?”
“Yeah.” They both answered as they nodded.
Maggie took over, and decided to just let the whole truth out. She held out a hand and Tracy went to her. She sat next to her mother and leaned against her arm. “Well, Troy isn't here anymore. She's Tracy now.”
“Tracy....Tracy is Troy?!?” Heidi exclaimed.
“Heidi, remember what we've been talking about the past week?” Bernice asked and the girl nodded. “It's what's on the inside that counts. Tracy has always been a girl, but no one knew that. Her body may look male, but trust me when I say she is all girl on the inside.”
“Let me tell you two how this all came to be.” Maggie said and she started the story once more. When she was finished, both girls were looking at Tracy, who was looking at her feet and trying to be invisible.
“So, in the past hour, has either of you thought that maybe Tracy was a boy?” Bernice asked. Both girls shook their heads. “Good, that's because she is a girl, just born wrong.”
“Do you really have girls for friends?” Heidi asked.
“Don't you?” Tracy asked in reply.
Maggie decided to help her daughter out. “Brooke is down here too and she wants to hang out with all of you tomorrow, after her race. Now she is in a wheelchair, so she can't go climbing in the hills or anything like that, but she can go to the park, if there are sidewalks, or someone to push her.”
“She’s in a race?” Cheryl asked. “Can she run?”
Bernice chuckled. “There are wheelchair sports. She is in that tomorrow.”
“Yeah.” Tracy nodded. “She even does fencing, that’s like with swords and she plays basketball. They did good last year, from what she said.”
“Awesome!” Heidi replied.
“Plus she likes cool music too.” Tracy added. “But then, each of my friends are great. Even the ones in Oroville.”
“Girls, you are both okay with Donna, right?” Alice asked and her daughters both nodded. Alice looked to Maggie, her parents and Shelly. “Donna used to be Doug, but he finally went through the doctor’s appointments and is now living as a woman. They’ve known her for years and were totally okay with Donna.” She looked to her daughters. “This is the same thing, just that Tracy started younger.”
Heidi bit her lower lip as she thought about something and then she asked. “You remember back when you were here last? And we were playing house? And you seemed bummed out ‘cause we wouldn’t let you be the Mom?”
Tracy thought about it and it had been years earlier. The day was a blur. She could only barely remember back that far. “Kinda.” She finally said.
“You wanted to be a girl back then, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. But when Vance found out, I kinda hid it from myself. But I was wearing Mom’s skirts and stuff.” Tracy replied.
“So Grandma was right. You were always a girl?” Heidi asked, working through the news on her own.
“Yeah.” Tracy replied with a nod.
“Cool!” Heidi jumped up from her spot near her mother and she went to Tracy and held her arms out for a hug. Tracy got up and she stepped into the hug. A moment later Cheryl got up and rushed the two of them and joined in on the hug.
Alice chuckled. “If more people were this friendly.” She got up and waited for Tracy to be released from her daughters. “Can I get a hug from my niece too?”
Tracy had started to cry for joy, not streams of tears, but a few tears dropped down her cheek as she hugged her Aunt.
“How would you two like to meet Brooke tomorrow?” Alice asked her daughters and they just nodded. “Then good. Maggie, let me know where the race is and we’ll get over there.”
“UCLA.” Maggie stated. “We’re staying at the Holiday inn near there. I can give you the number when we get there.”
“Good. You do that.”
Maggie had taken off from Alice's house just after eight thirty and her, Shelly and Tracy made their way from Bell Gardens to the area near UCLA. The drive was short in miles, but traffic was still out as they moved across the LA area and it took half an hour to get there. The sun was down already and Tracy was impressed by the sheer amount of cars. Finally they reached the hotel and pulled in. Maggie had already had Karen call with the room number and that just left Maggie with the job of getting a room key. As they got into the room, Tracy saw a small folding bed near one of the other beds. The adults talked for a moment as Brooke looked over to Tracy.
“So how did it go?” Brooke asked
“They’re cool with me.” Tracy answered. “They have no problem at all and want to meet you tomorrow.”
Brooke smiled brightly. “Awesome!”
Tracy felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked to see her mother standing next to her. “Tracy, we’re going to put you on the cot for tonight.” Maggie said. “That way Brooke can be with her Mom and Shelly is older than you.”
“Okay. I don’t mind.” Tracy answered. She put her bag down, near the cot, then looked out the window that overlooked the highway. Once again the amount of cars out just surprised her. She looked back to her mother as she noticed the time. “Can I change in the bathroom, really quick?”
“Go on sweetie. We need to discuss a few things and I got to call Alice.”
Five minutes later, Tracy came out, ready for bed. Brooke patted the bed place on the bed next to her and Tracy went over and sat down.
Knight Rider began to play as the two girls watched. Their mothers and Shelley took care of preparations. As the first commercial started, Brooke looked to her friend on the other bed. “Ready for tomorrow?”
“Yeah. What all are you doing?” Tracy asked as she watched the old cartoon.
“Well it's racing and there is some fencing, but I'm just going to watch that. Not many kids in that yet. I may look at other sports for something to do. But the youth races are early in the morning.”
“Am I able to be with you?”
“Well, Grandfather is listed as my coach, you're listed as a helper, if you want. You can get drinks and stuff for us. Mom said you got more people to meet on Saturday after the race.”
“Yeah, we’re going to meet my cousins on my dad’s side.”
“So where are we hanging out?”
Maggie looked over from the small table that was in the room, that the adults were using to plan the weekend. “We'll be meeting Olivia at the university, where the race is happening and I think Joy is bringing Angie over too. From there we can go find a park or someplace like that.”
“More Cousins?” Brooke asked, not sure who was who anymore. “Were they the ones from today?”
“No. This is Dad's side of the family. I hung out with them after Christmas. Olivia is cool, so is Joy and her daughter is cool, but she is like a mile a minute.”
“Ah, like Rachel.” Brooke asked and Tracy nodded.
“Just like Rachel.” Tracy agreed. “And she is about Stacey’s age, actually.”
Brooke smiled as the commercial break ended. “You know, this is awesome. You're here, and in a month, we'll be here again and we get to go to Disneyland.”
The phone rang and Tracy looked to her mother, who starting to pull out her night clothes. She nodded to Tracy, who rolled towards the phone. Karen was stepping into the bathroom, for a shower. “Um, hello?” Tracy asked. “Oh, hey, Aunt Alice. One moment.” She pulled the phone away from her ear. “Mom, Aunt Alice wants to talk to you.”
Tracy watched her mom as they talked and she tried to not eavesdrop, but the phone was right next to her. Finally she heard her mother say. “Okay, Alice. We'll see you tomorrow. Yep, we'll meet you there.” Maggie nodded at Tracy and smiled. “Okay, night Alice.”
When her mom hung up, Tracy arched an eyebrow. “What's going on?”
“Your Aunt, cousins and Grandparents are going to go to meet us at the college. Mom wants to watch Brooke compete.”
“Awesome!” Brooke exclaimed. “Now I got to put on a great showing.”
“So they'll be with us all day? Cool.” Tracy replied. “Are we going home tomorrow evening?”
“Maybe. It depends on what Shelly wants to do. And Brooke and Karen, if they want to stay. Let me talk to Shelly and Karen, when she is out of the shower and we'll let you know. But for now, watch your show. Bed time is after Knight Rider.”
“Okay Mom.”
“Karen said the same goes for Brooke, too.” Maggie stated. “So you’re rested for tomorrow.”
“I know. I need my sleep so I can win!” Brooke exclaimed.
“I hope you do.” Maggie replied with a smile.
More with Tracy in LA coming soon.
Olivia jogged over and hugged Maggie as she stopped. “Hey, glad you made it.”
“Me too.” Maggie said. “And Joy? She's coming?”
“She is here with Angie. They’re inside the grounds already. They are with friends of mine.” Olivia turned and hugged Tracy. “Hello young lady. It's good to see you out in public like this.” She whispered into the girl’s ear.
“Thanks.” Tracy said, hugging her back.
Editing by Djkauf
A look in on Tracy, Brooke and their mothers in L.A, Yvette and her family, and another look into the story on the Hallmark's side. And introducing Lewis and Nancy Horton, Molly's parents.
Friday February 25th 1983
Lionel was sitting at his desk, work spread out in front of him. It had been a quiet morning so far and he had gotten a lot of his work done. He was focused on his work, so he wouldn't think about his family life. He was tired of the questions from his co-workers. Those were almost as bad as the people from his church, many of them claiming that he had not supported Molly when she had been falsely imprisoned.
So it was his work that let him relax. Let him concentrate on something other than being yelled at and blamed for everything in the world. But that peace was to end. The phone rang and Lionel reached out and picked it up. “Lionel Hallmark’s office. How can I help you?”
“Mr. Hallmark, this is Evan.” The voice of the family lawyer said over the line.
“Hey, Evan, have you heard about Molly’s court date? Did they give a date yet? Molly should be at the house, if you want to call her.” Lionel asked. The thought of his wife attacking children still chilled his blood, even though more than two weeks had passed. Lionel wasn’t happy with her being at the house alone with the children, but she insisted that she was better now. He had paid for the bail, just so the boys didn’t lose their mother.
The families lawyer spoke up. “Um...Lionel, there was trouble at the hearing today.”
“Hearing today? What hearing?” Lionel asked. “I thought the next hearing was the pretrial conference and that’s not for a few months.”
“You....She never told you?” A very confused Evan asked.
“Told me what?” Lionel asked.
“She had a hearing for a restraining order.”
“She did?” Lionel hadn’t known about her court date. “She never said anything.” He then asked, now a bit worried. “What happened?”
“Well, the family who was getting the restraining order was the one that she had the altercation with, the Pattersons. I was going to meet up with her at the courthouse, but she said she wanted to visit an old family friend that works there. A Judge Olsen?”
“Yeah, he is the Godfather to our boys.” Lionel answered.
“Ah. I see. Well, from what I got from the police, she attacked the Patterson child again, as they headed into the courthouse. I heard that she was claiming she saw him molesting the other kids who were with him, but no one else saw it. There were a few cops there and they never saw anything, until your wife started hitting that Troy kid and trying to bite him and his mother.”
“Not again.” Lionel groaned out. “How bad is it this time?”
“Well, she broke the temporary restraining order that was out on her. But since she was yelling and ranting again, she was put into Mental Health once more. There will be no bail and when she is deemed fit to be released, she is being sent to the county jail.”
“I understand. If there was a restraining order, she broke the law. But why? Why now? ” Lionel asked, rhetorically. “I guess I should have never paid the bail.....”
“Lionel, I know this is bad, but there is more.” Evan said.
“More?” Lionel leaned forward. “How can there be more? The kid isn’t dead, is he?”
“There were several restraining orders she wanted to file today. Each of them she claimed was for a relative. But I found out who the children were.”
“Who?” Lionel asked.
“A Brooke Han, Sage Miller, Andromeda Miller and a Rachel Williams.”
“I....” There was a pause as he thought about the named. Finally he replied. “I don’t know those names.” Lionel stated. “Who are they?”
“Those would be the friends of Troy Patterson. Molly was trying to place restraining orders on a child’s friends. I dropped them, because the parents of those children were there with Tracy.”
“Good.” There was a slight pause, then Lionel asked. “Evan, how is the child she hurt?”
“Scared. She got in a couple of punches and knocked over a pair of other children and almost hit a girl in a wheelchair, but the Patterson child is okay. Molly did try to bite both the mother and the child.”
“Has she changed her plea? Or plead for this attack?”
“Not yet, she needed to be sedated.” Evan said. “But with everything in place, she is going to jail for breaking the restraining order. Not much I can do there. Not to mention that Mental Health will hold on to her for a couple of days. When she is safe, they move her to the county jail.”
Lionel sighed, then he simply said. “Okay. Keep me informed. And thanks for calling.”
“Not a problem, Lionel. Sorry I didn’t have better news.” Evan stated.
“I know. It’s not your fault.” Lionel stated. “Thanks. I have some calls to make.”
He hung up on his lawyer, then Lionel looked at the small Calendar on his desk. His wife’s birthday was just a couple of days away and he knew his sister-in-law was due to come over, as were Molly’s parents. Now there was no reason to hold the party. He sighed and started dialing the phone, deciding to call her parents first. He was sure that they would be in their home in Sacramento.
He wasn’t a big fan of her father. To him, Lewis Horton seemed way too obsessed with Hell and had a bit of a chip on his shoulder when it came to who all would be saved. Lionel tolerated him, just because he was married to their daughter. He had only attended his father-in-law’s church once and that was enough to tell him the man was not the kind of preacher he wanted his kids to see. That didn’t change the fact that he was Molly’s father and if he had been in Lewis’s shoes, he would want to know if something had happened to his daughter.
The phone only rang a couple times before someone picked it up. “Horton’s.” A male voice said.
“Hey, this is Lionel. I wanted to talk to you really quick.”
“Hello Son. What’s going on? Are we still on for Molly’s birthday surprise? After the past few weeks, she needs something to take her mind off of stuff.”
Lionel leaned back in his seat and shook his head, even though his father-in-law couldn’t see it. “No, actually I called because there has been an issue.”
“Is she okay? Is she at the hospital?” The man automatically asked.
“No....well, yes and no. She’s not at the normal hospital, but they took her back to mental health.”
“Why!?!” His father-in-law asked in a loud tone of voice.
“She attacked a child at the courthouse today.” Lionel stated.
“Who? That same little brat from the last time?” Lewis Horton’s voice held a lot of anger, something Lionel knew the man had a lot of.
Lionel paused for a moment and he wondered just what Molly had told her parents. “She did attack the same child, but in full view of about twenty people, several of which were cops. They had to pull her away from the child, she was kicking, screaming and trying to bite the kids mother. They took her back to mental health.”
“Are you getting her out?!?” His tone was getting louder.
“No, I can’t.” Lionel said.
His father-in-law almost roared. “WHY NOT!?!”
“Because!” Lionel shouted. He knew there had been times where Molly’s dad ignored the little things she did. And Lewis was always critical of people he considered evil, even if they had been in the right. He was also arrogant and thought that only his family was smart. But since Lionel was not family by blood, clearly he was an idiot and this was showing that he was a coward, not willing to stand up for his wife.
Lionel sighed and continued. “Molly broke a restraining order. There is nothing I can do. When she is done at Mental Health, she will be moved to the county jail. There is no bail this time. She broke the law.”
”Well, maybe I should pay a visit to the health place and see if I can have her released into my care, if you don’t care enough to protect her.”
“It’s not that I don’t care. It’s that she broke the law and was arrested!” Lionel snapped. He waited a moment and tried to get himself to calm down. He knew that in snapping at the man, he had just angered him. Lewis Horton never liked being yelled at and he was sure that a sermon was being thought up and that gave him a few seconds to deflect him. “There is nothing I could have done! Till five minutes ago, I had no idea she had a court date today. I thought she was at home, cleaning the house! Instead I find out she lied to me and hid her court date and now is back in prison.”
Lewis was mad, but willing to question the situation. “What about that Judge she knows? Maybe he can get her off of this?”
“You’re not listening.” Lionel groaned. “She was arrested for assault. And when she is entered into the mental health building, they can keep her for up to three days to observe her. Since she broke the law, she will be going to jail and I doubt anyone can do anything about it. I could call Joe, but she broke a restraining order and assaulted three children, while on bail. That’s not looking good for her. And I really doubt that he wants to get involved with this, because him helping her could look bad on his career.”
“She is in Chico?” His father in law asked.
“Maybe. If they took her to Mental health, then yes. If she is at the jail, then no, she’s here in town.” Lionel replied.
“Why don’t you know?” His father-in-law asked him, accusingly.
“Because, this all happened like an hour ago. Her lawyer was tied up with court stuff and just called me less than five minutes ago.”
The old man sighed. He knew he wasn’t going to get anywhere with Lionel, not if he was out of the loop. “Fine. Keep me up to date, but I may try and see her. I doubt those places are doing her much good.”
“Go ahead. I don’t know if the boys can go. I’ll ask later. I want to call the others.”
Lewis Horton hung up with his son-in-law and he sat back in his chair, shaking his head. “Trouble in Oroville.” He said to his wife as she came out of the kitchen.
“What kind of trouble?” She asked.
“From what Lionel said, Molly was arrested an hour or so ago. I guess she attacked that freak child again.” Lewis said. “I am thinking of going to Chico to see her, if she is there. Do you want to come with me?”
“Yes. Let me get into something nicer.” She said.
“Lionel said she was attacking and biting the child, so she must have seen something, like she saw last time.” Lewis said. “Maybe the child was attacking another child and no one else saw it.”
“Maybe. Little freaks like that are all about assaulting children. She could have saved someone’s life today.” His wife proudly stated.
“That’s what I was thinking. This may just be a big misunderstanding.” He said as he stood up. “Come on, let’s get ready and we’ll go see her.”
“Will we stop in at Lionel’s and Eve’s?” She asked her husband, as she headed to the bedroom.
“Maybe not Lionel. You know how irrational he can get when things he doesn’t understand are happening. He’s already giving up on Molly. He keeps saying that nothing can get her out of the Mental Health building.” Lewis sighed. He knew Molly could have found a better man, one who could fight for her. He used to think that was Lionel, but now he had his doubts. “We may stop by, just to see the boys.”
After he had hung up with Lewis Horton, Lionel had spoken to the county mental health doctors and a part of him was glad that Molly was once again under the care of Doctor Knowles. He had been the only one who wanted to fight Molly’s release. So Lionel warned him that he was sure that Molly’s father was going to do what he wanted anyway.
Lionel’s next move was to call Molly's sister. He dialed her work phone number and after a couple of rings, there was a reply. He was sure she would be there. She was mostly a glorified secretary. She didn’t have the job of checking up on complaints. “Department of Children Protective Services, Evelyn Jones speaking.”
“Eve, this is Lionel. I wanted to call you and warn you about Molly.”
“What happened? Is she alright?”
“Not really. She had a court date for a restraining order, this is concerning the child she attacked a couple weeks ago. While at the courthouse, she attacked the same child again. They arrested her and took her to mental health. When she is out, they will send her to the jail, due to breaking a temporary restraining order.”
“Have you called Mom and Dad?” Eve asked.
“Yeah and your father seems to think I can get her out by pleading with the mental health people. But she screwed up. She really screwed up.”
“Are you sure? Maybe she saw the child doing something?” Eve asked.
“Eve, she attacked this child in full view of several cops. None of them saw the child do anything, they just watched your sister attack three kids. None of the kids said that the Patterson kid did anything. Evan said that Molly was kicking and trying to bite that child and his mother. Plus she had a restraining order out on her from the kids parents. So she’s going to jail, once Mental health lets her go.”
“Is there anything we can do?” Eve asked.
“I don’t know. She really put her foot in it and I didn’t even know she had a court date today.”
“She never told you?” Evelyn asked. “I heard about it when she got out a few days ago.”
“No. She never told me. Did you know that she tried to put protection orders on three girls, all friends of the kid she attacked?”
“She what?”
“Molly tried to get protection orders on three girls, to keep Troy from being near them, the problem is that Troy is their friend and she lied about being family. I guess the girls’ parents were there and asked for the orders to be withdrawn.”
Evelyn was silent for a few seconds, then she asked. “Have you told the boys?”
“No. I just found out and they are still at school. I’ll have to tell them when I get home.”
“What will you tell them?” Evelyn asked him.
“The truth. What else should I tell them?” Lionel stated. “Scotty found the story in the paper the last time and there is almost always a reporter at the courthouse, so I have no doubt that it will make the paper tomorrow. So I’ll have to break it that there was another altercation and Molly is at the hospital again.”
“You’re going to tell them that?!?” Evelyn replied, stunned at his honesty. “You’ll crush Robbie!”
“Eve, what can I tell them? That Molly was wrongfully arrested. The story could make it in the paper or on the TV. It’s hard to hide something like this.”
She could see the logic in his argument. “Yeah, you’re right. Maybe you should think about suing the papers for slander.”
Lance shook his head, once again aware that the other person couldn’t see. “It would be hard to sue for slander. On the first attack, it simply stated that she was involved in an altercation with a trio of minors. She was involved and it happened, so it would be hard to claim that was a lie. Slander would be them saying she did it, but was never there.”
“I suppose.” Eve replied. “Are you still going to church this weekend? I know it’s been getting a bit hard with everyone.”
“I’ll go, but I doubt it will get better overnight.” Lionel said. “But what can I do?”
“Keep your chin up. Molly will be out soon and then she can focus on being the best mom she is.”
“Well, I hope you’re right. Who knows how long she is in for.” Lionel said. He looked at his phone and saw another line blinking. “Eve, I got to get back to work, before I get chewed out, so I’ll see you on Sunday.”
It was almost two in the afternoon when Lewis and his wife reached Chico. He found a decent parking spot and the two of them headed for her front door. They got to the front door and he reached out and tugged on the door handle, but found it was locked. “They locked the door?” Lewis asked aloud. “I wonder why?”
“Lewis, over here.” His wife pointed to a call box with a note on it saying to page for attendant. He pressed the button and waited. A few moments later, a man came over and opened the door slightly. “Can I help you?”
“My name is Lewis Horton and this is my wife. We’re here to see our daughter, Molly Hallmark. I heard she was wrongfully detained here today.”
“Hallmark?” The man asked to make sure, and Lewis nodded. The man held up one finger. “One minute, I’ll get one of the doctor’s.” He quickly shut the door and went inside. It took about five minutes till another man, this one a bit older came to the door. He stepped out, then gestured them into an inner waiting room.
“You said you are the parent of Molly Hallmark?” The Doctor asked. “I’m Doctor Knowles, I am overseeing her stay.”
Lewis wanted to make a comment about being surrounded by idiots, from the fact they kept asking him her last name, but he decided to go with the direct approach. “Yes, she is my eldest daughter. I am Pastor Lewis Horton. This is my wife, Nancy. We wanted to see her and see about getting her released into our custody. Her husband seems to think you won’t allow it.”
“Actually sir, we can’t.” Doctor Knowles replied.
“But I’m her father!” Lewis angrily snapped back. “Why? Is something wrong that she can’t walk out of here? Is she ill?”
“Sir, I understand your frustration, but I can not discuss a patient to a stranger, without the patient's approval.” Doctor Knowles said. “There are laws forbidding me to do so.”
“But I’m her father. I think I know what is best for her!” the tone of Lewis’s voice was getting louder, but the doctor just let him yell. He was thankful that Lionel had called him just as Molly was being checked in, to warn him the parents were coming to try and release her.
“Sir, please, stay calm. Without Molly’s approval, I can not discuss any part of her stay here with someone else. I’m sorry, but that is the law.”
“Then ask Molly. She’ll let you tell us. I know she’d want to speak to us.” Lewis said, a bit calmer, but he tried to put on the air of authority.
Doctor Knowles shook his head. “I can’t do that. Mrs. Hallmark is currently involved elsewhere and we are currently restricting visits to her, possibly for a day or so.”
“Is there anyway we could have her released into our care?” Lewis asked again.
“No.” The doctor firmly replied, shrugging off Lewis’s attitude. “I’m afraid I can not release Molly into anyone’s custody.”
“Why not?”
“As with all arrivals, we have a seventy two hour observation period. After that I can not say what will happen, due to the law.” Doctor Knowles replied.
“So you’re refusing to let me in?” Lewis sternly asked.
“Yes. I am refusing your entrance.” The Doctor calmly answered. Lewis’s face began to turn red, from dealing with such a stubborn jerk who he thought, did not have his daughter’s best interest in mind.
“You can’t do that.”
“Mr. Horton, I can keep anyone from entering this building. And if you push me, I’ll have you arrested for trespassing.” The Doctor met his stern gaze with one of his own. “As for seeing your daughter, it is my job to see to her safety and the safety of the public who visit. As of right now, I am not allowing anyone to see her. That may change in a day.” He pulled a business card out of his pocket and held it out for Lewis to take. “You may call that number and inquire tomorrow, if she is available to see.”
“So we have to leave and we can’t see her?” Lewis asked. “But we drove in from Sacramento.”
“Sir, I’m sorry you drove in for nothing, but you can not see her right now. Please use that number tomorrow and we will tell you if she is able to have guests.”
Lewis was about to make a fuss, when he noticed a few of the larger orderlies were coming over to the door that kept him from the patients. “Fine, but I’m not happy and I will be talking to someone about getting her out of here.”
“Very well sir. I can’t stop you from doing that. But you need to leave, before you upset any of the other patients.” Doctor Knowles said.
“This isn’t over. I will see my daughter safely home.” Lewis threatened one last time.
The Doctor didn’t reply, he just waited for Lewis to take the hint and leave. It took a few moments and he turned and pushed through the outer door, his wife following him. As they got to the car, Lewis unlocked it, but didn’t climb in. “We need to find someone who can help us. Maybe a lawyer. I refuse to let Molly rot in here.”
“And not letting us see her. Who does he think he is?” His wife asked as they both climbed into their car.
“Clearly, he is a sad man, drunk with the power of his position. It is said that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, clearly that man is a shining example.” Lewis took a moment to calm his nerves. He knew he didn’t need a speeding ticket, not from another county.
Doctor Knowles waited at the door, watching as Lewis pulled out, and left. He turned and the orderly opened the door and let him in. One of his superiors came over to him. “What was that?”
“That was Molly Hallmark’s parents.” Doctor Knowles said. “He was trying to get me to release her into his care and didn’t like to be told no. I actually got a call from Molly’s husband, warning me he was on his way.”
“Does he know that after here, she is headed to the jail for the attack?” The doctor’s superior asked.
“Nope, and until I have Molly’s approval, I wasn’t going to tell them. I don’t want to be sued. He wanted to talk to her, but she’s still out cold from the sedative. There was no point. Not to mention him trying to insist he could take her.” Doctor Knowles shook his head. “He’s going to go ask a lawyer for help. So you know now.”
“Good, I hate surprises.” The other doctor said with a smile.
Lionel was home by time the boys got off their bus. Dinner was going to be an easy meal. He had already picked up pizza and was waiting at the table as they came in. Scotty and Robbie both passed by the kitchen on their way their rooms. Scotty stopped and looked in, at his father, who was reading the paper. The paper had managed to get a quick snippet of the attack in the paper. He knew he had no choice but to tell them.
“Dad, you got the paper already?” Scott asked as they both came back into the room. “Why are you here, already? What about work?”
“Boys, I want you to sit down. We need to have another talk.” Lionel said.
Scott went to a chair and pulled it out, then sat down. Robbie looked around the kitchen and noticed there was no sounds of his mother. “Dad, where’s mom?”
“Sit, Robbie. I’ll cover it.” Lionel said and his son did as he asked. “Today there was a court date for a restraining order, against your mom.”
“What’s that?” Robbie asked.
“Its a legal thing that says if someone is say, five hundred feet from you, and you have one against them, they can be arrested.”
“And Tracy was getting one against Mom?” Scotty asked.
His father nodded. “Yes. They had one that covered up to today, and were there to get a full time one, but when your mom went to the courthouse, she attacked the Patterson child again.”
“Is she back in Mental health?” Scotty asked.
“Yeah.” Lionel said with a nod. “And after that, she is headed for jail, because she broke the law.”
“Jail?” Robbie asked, as tears started to fall down his cheeks.
“I’m afraid so, Robbie.” Lionel replied with a nod. “But she still loves you.”
“Why did she attack Troy? Was she seeing him do something bad again?” Robbie asked.
“I don’t know.” Lionel got up and went to his youngest, then he pulled him into a hug. “I just don’t know. I only know that she did attack him, but the cops in the courthouse say he wasn’t doing anything to anyone.”
Robbie looked up at him. “Will she come home?”
“I don’t know. She broke the law and she has to pay for what she did.” Lionel said.
“I miss her.” Robbie said. He hugged his father tightly and Scott came over and hugged his father as well.
“I know you do.” Lionel couldn’t bring himself to say that he missed her. In fact with the two attacks, he was getting worried about his children being near her. But for now, he just wanted to comfort his boys.
Saturday February 26th 1983
Lok drove all of them to the University, to save on parking. He navigated the roads, headed for the event parking, while Brooke and Tracy were busy looking around at the different buildings.
As they pulled to a stop, Maggie got up and out, as Karen was headed for the back, to get Brooke’s chair. Both her racing chair and her regular chair were with them, so she wouldn’t ruin her racing chair.
As Tracy got out, she looked around and saw her mother flagging down Olivia, who was walking through the parking lot.
Olivia jogged over and hugged Maggie as she stopped. “Hey, glad you made it.”
“Me too.” Maggie said. “And Joy? She's coming?”
“She is here with Angie. They’re inside the grounds already. They are with friends of mine.” Olivia turned and hugged Tracy. “Hello young lady. It's good to see you out in public like this.” She whispered into the girl’s ear.
“Thanks.” Tracy said, hugging her back.
“We came for support for Brooke and to see my sister, so she gets to meet Tracy on our terms.” Maggie admitted, even though Olivia knew already. “And this is Shelly, I don't recall if you met her, but she is my best friend and Tracy's godmother.”
“We met, but that was years ago. I think Vance was two and Tracy was a baby. I was in middle school at the time.”
“And this is Brooke, Tracy’s friend, plus Karen, Brooke’s mother and Lok, Brooke’s grandfather.”
“Its good to meet all of you.” Olivia said. “I am Olivia, my dad and Uncle William are brothers.”
Lok gave a slight bow. “Good to meet you. Could you point us to where the contestants are to go?”
“Sure, a friend of mine is helping with the games officials. Head that way.” Olivia pointed towards a small gathering of people.
“Tracy, would you push that chair for me.” Lok asked.
“Sure!” Tracy grabbed Brooke’s racer and she followed Lok to where he had to go, as he pushed Brooke, to save her arms.
Lok was with Tracy and watching as the junior races were in progress. With only a few children racers, they were only doing one race for the kids, instead of a bracket. Tracy’s Mom and Brooke's mother were both in the stands, sitting with Olivia, Joy and Angie, plus her mother’s sister, and parents.
As the racers rounded one of the turns, almost on the home stretch, Tracy bounced in place, her skirt moving with her as she cheered out. “Go Brooke! Go!!!”
Lok smiled at her and shook his head. “So excitable.” He said to her, then he waited for Brooke to make her turn into the final leg of the race. In Chinese he yelled out. ~Now Brooke! NOW!!!~
Brooke didn't hear them, but she knew the hand signal her grandfather gave and she began working her hands over her wheels as fast as she could. She threw her whole essence into the race, working the wheels as best as she could.
When it was down to twenty feet to go, she could see a shape out of her peripheral vision. Another kid her age, doing his best to keep up with her. She was near empty, but she threw what she had into working her wheels as hard as she could.
As she crossed the finish line, even with the kid, she let her chair coast for a few feet, before she started to slow down. After a few more feet, she turned around and Tracy and Lok stood back, watching the boards to see where she had ended up at. As she neared him, he turned and held up two fingers.
“Second.” He said with a hint of pride. “By a matter of half second.”
“Damn.” Brooke muttered.
Lok got down on one knee and shook his head at her. “Not damn. Did you give your best?” He asked and she nodded. “Then that is all I can ask. This just means that next time you must give more and above all, be a gracious loser.”
“Yeah.” Brooke said as she started to wheel over to the boy who had beaten her. When she got close, she held out a hand. “Hey there.” She said with a smile. “That was a great race. Congratulations.”
“Thanks.” The boy replied. “You almost had me. I thought it was your race till the results.”
“I'm just glad I posted so high.” Brooke said with a smile.
“Yeah, me too.” The boy said.
“You race often?” Brooke asked.
“I just got into it. You been doing this long?”
Brooke nodded. “A couple of years now, but there are not a lot of races for kids. So I practice when I can. But I play in the basketball leagues back at home. We have enough kids there to make a few teams.”
“Where is that?” The boy asked. “If you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind.” Brooke said. “I live in Livermore. In the Bay area.”
“Oh. I’m near Monterey.” He replied.
“Find a league. I know we play a team from there, if you like basketball, that is.” Brooke said.
The boy nodded. “I might. It beats sitting here and feeling sorry for myself.”
“I know the feeling. A friend of mine had to scream in my face when I first got in the chair, then she had to keep me from doing something stupid.” Brooke said, once again grateful for Sage and how she didn’t give up.
“I hear that.” He smiled at her. “I’m Lucas, by the way..”
“Brooke.” She replied. “Let me introduce you to my fan club.” She said with a big smile.
Brooke and the boy slowly came over to where her Grandfather and Tracy were at. “Hey, Lucas, this is Tracy, one of my friends and Lok, my Grandfather.”
“That was a good race, young man.” Lok said.
“Thank you sir.” Lucas said. A woman came walking over to them. “Come on you two, we’re getting the top three winners to the circle, for pictures.”
Tracy's mother and grandparents led the others to where Tracy and Brooke were.
With a shout of “Tracy!!!” Angie darted over to her and two met in a big hug. Heidi and Cheryl followed and they hugged Tracy as well, leaving Tracy to do the introductions for the girls. When Maggie got there with the adults, she did the rest of the introductions. Then Maggie's parent's offered a thought.
“How about we go find some food for the girls, then we can find a park and the girls can hang out.”
Lok nodded. “I talked it over with Karen and Shelly. She said she is staying tonight and leaving with you, tomorrow, I will leave after lunch and Brooke and Karen can ride home with you tomorrow. I will take Brooke’s racer with me. I will give Shelly a ride to her van.”
“Okay.” Maggie said with a slight nod. “That works for us.”
As the day wound down, Maggie led the other adults away from the girls. “Okay, I wanted to let you know that we'll be back down in March. We're going to Disneyland on the twenty-fifth. We'll be coming down after the court date to change Tracy's name, and we're making Saturday the first day at the park. I didn't want to tease the girls with it if you can't come.”
“I already told Alice we'll cover her for that first day at the park.” Marion stated.
“I can get the second, if you don't mind us being there.” Alice replied.
“It's been a couple of years, but we're looking at Sunday, if you don't mind.” Joy said. “Angie kept talking about Tracy since Christmas, so she would love more time with her.”
“Good.” Maggie said with a nod and a smile.
“I heard that Nana and Papa are coming. Is that true?” Olivia asked.
Maggie shook her head. “No, they decided to not come. Modine’s back would hurt too much after that trip. I don't know about your father.”
Joy shook her head. “Nah, I think he has plans. Besides, do you want him to meet Tracy this way?”
“Well....” Bernice smiled at them. “Less chance of him getting mad in a park with thousands of people.”
Maggie nodded as did Shelly. “She has a point.” Marion said.
Maggie sighed. “Well, if he goes, he meets Tracy. I just don’t want to deal with Leonard. Not till Christmas. See, by time Christmas rolls around, Tracy will have been on hormones for ten months. She’s bound to have more breast development, so hiding her will be hard. Plus, she will be full time in school, so it will be impossible to bring her back. Bad enough she has to be Troy for the court dates. Once those are over, her life is hers. In September, she is going to be attending school as Tracy Kristen Patterson. ”
“Really?” Olivia said with a smile. “That’s awesome. So Tracy is here for good.”
Maggie nodded. “No going back now. If we did, we’d kill her. She already threatened to kill herself if we made her be Troy again.”
“You said that at Christmas. She really feels strongly about this, doesn’t she?” Joy asked.
“Yeah.” Maggie said with a nod. “She’s more sure of this, than anything else.”
Sunday February 27th 1983
Tracy woke to the sounds of horns on the highway. She sat up in bed and noticed that her mother, Aunt and Karen were near the bathroom, whispering. She noticed that Olivia was there with them. She looked over and saw that Brooke was awake already and missing from the room. Olivia saw her move first, so she gave Tracy a small finger wave. Karen saw that and turned to see Tracy sitting up, so she tapped Maggie’s shoulder and Maggie turned and smiled at her daughter.
Maggie went to her bed and sat on the edge. “Would you be up to visiting with Alice and her girls for breakfast today? We’ll meet them, Mom and Dad and Joy and Angie too. We could go to a mall when we’re done.”
“If we could get your sister to meet us there, we could go to the Beverly Center. That is eight floors, but they have elevators and a lot of stores to look at. Plus some good eating nearby. The other good one is near here, it’s Westfield Century City. That’s just a couple of miles from here. I don’t know about any in Bell Gardens.”
“I think this would work for her, but I can call.” Maggie said. “As soon as Brooke is out of the bathroom, you can take a shower and then we’ll get going.”
“Okay.” Tracy replied.
“And when you’re done, we’ll load the car up.”
Tracy waited by the van and Brooke got out and was put into her chair. Then the two of them waited for the adults. As they started to head to the elevator, they heard the sound of running and Tracy turned to see Angie coming towards her from one direction and Heidi and Cheryl from another. They met in a giant hug, then went to the elevator, after hugging Brooke. They continued on to the elevator that led them to the mall and waited for one to get to their floor.
As the door shut, Heidi broke the silence. “So, when are you leaving?”
“About one or two, so we don’t have a lot of Mall time. Mom said it should be a four to five hour trip home, and we may eat on the road. But Brooke has school tomorrow.” Tracy stated.
“Did they tell you?” Angie asked. “I’m gonna meet you at Disneyland!”
“We’re going, too!!” Heidi exclaimed. The girls began screaming and jumping in place, except for Brooke, who just screamed and bounced.
When the door opened up, Maggie chuckled, along with Karen and Alice, as the girls exploded out and into the mall.
“It’s almost as bad a Rachel and the mall.” Karen stated. “I hope you all brought your running shoes.”
“That bad?” Joy asked as the girls darted ahead of them.
“Well, if Rachel was here, she’d want a full day to shop. Each store, at least twice. Her mom is training her to be a great bargain hunter.”
“Girls, don’t run too far off.” Alice called after her two.
“You either, Angie.” Joy called out.”
As the girls bounded into one of the stores, Maggie slowed down her pace. I am glad that Angie, Heidi and Cheryl have all accepted Tracy. I worry about next Christmas.”
“Leonard and Amber?” Olivia asked.
“Yeah.” Maggie said with a nod. “That and your father. Although your father is more of a live and let live person.”
“Don’t forget Carter.” Olivia said, mentioning her brother, who was in the Army.
“Or Walter.” Joy said. “He’s bound to come home one of these holidays. I know Angie was begging to see her father last Christmas. But with him being on a ship, it just doesn’t happen.”
“I haven’t. We’ll have to deal with it at some time, but the good thing is that Conner and Modine are on Tracy’s side already. So Modine won’t let anything happen to her.”
As they followed the girls into a store, Joy asked. “Hey, you never said, how did the court thing go on Friday.”
“Bad. That woman attacked Tracy and tried to bite both her and me. Then she was going to put restraining orders on Tracy’s friends, so she couldn’t hang out with them.” Maggie said.
“Really? That can’t be legal.” Joy replied.
“It’s not.” Olivia answered.
Maggie nodded in agreement with her niece. “Olivia is right. We got them dropped, mostly because the parents of the other girls were there. Molly would have had no case.”
“So, Tracy is living in Livermore full time now?” Olivia asked.
“Yes. I am too.” Maggie stated.
“How is Uncle William taking being apart from you two?” Olivia asked.
“Three.” Maggie corrected her. “Vance moved down on Wednesday.”
“All three of you?” Joy asked. “And he was okay with this?”
Maggie shook her head. “Not really, but next Saturday, he moves down with the rest of our stuff. He was getting grief at work and had he stayed, he would have been fired.”
“Why?” Joy asked.
“He called the cops on a co-worker. Let me fill you in completely.” Maggie quickly covered what all had happened from December to February and when she was done, both of her niece’s were stunned.
Joy was the first to respond. “So he called and they were going to fire him because he called the cops?”
“Yeah. They claimed he was making it a hostile workplace.” Maggie stated. “But they wouldn’t listen that he was dealing with that too. I guess guys are teasing him daily while he is working. Finally the union guy stood up for him. But William wants to leave. Before anything happens.”
“I may be wrong.” Olivia said with a grin. “But I think something already happened.”
“More than once.” Maggie said with a chuckle. Her mother laughed.
“You should have seen the little punk who tried to beat her up at the start of February. Tracy took him and one other boy on, all on her own and all she did was backhand them.” Bernice smile proudly. “My granddaughter protected her friends, while facing four boys, all bigger than she was.”
“That is one good kid you have.” Olivia said and her sister nodded.
“Damn good and I wouldn't trade her for anything in the world.” Maggie replied. “She makes me proud almost daily.”
At twelve thirty, Maggie went up to where the girls were, and tapped Tracy on her shoulder. “Tracy, we should think about taking off. It’s twelve thirty and we need to get Brooke and Karen home.”
“I guess I gotta go.” Tracy glumly said, once she looked back to Angie, Heidi and Cheryl. “But we’ll be back next month.”
“Yep and we get to go to Disneyland!” Cheryl said and she began to dance around.
Alice walked over and patted her youngest on the shoulder. “Come on girls, let’s walk them to the parking lot.”
“You too Angie. We can get Olivia home and head back ourselves.” Joy said.
As they left the mall, this time the girls trailed behind the adults. Each of them walking slower than before, hoping to stretch out the little time that they had. They did the best to talk as much as possible, but finally they reached Shelly’s van. They stopped and began hugging each other and finally Heidi broke the slight silence that had started.
“Can we get your address? We can write to each other.” Heidi asked. “Both of you. You seem cool, Brooke.”
“Sure, I don’t mind.” Brooke said. “I have paper in my purse.”When they reached the van, the girls quickly traded their addresses, then the adults loaded Brooke into the van and Tracy got into the middle seat with her.
“See you all in a month.” Maggie said as she hugged her mother, then her sister.
“By, Tracy!” Olivia said. “See you at Disneyland.”
Time seemed to drag as the adults said their goodbyes, but finally the adults were in the vehicle with them and ready to head home.
Tracy and Brooke leaned over and looked out the window as Shelly backed out of the parking spot. They watched Heidi, Cheryl and Angie as Shelly pulled out, all five girls waving to each other, as hard as they could. As they turned the corner and lost sight of them, Tracy sat back in the seat. “This was a fun weekend.”
“Yeah. Just wait till the Disneyland trip. That is going to be awesome!” Brooke exclaimed.
“Yeah!” Tracy said, bouncing in her seat. “I’m so glad we moved.”
“Me too.” Brooke replied. “I told you it would be better when you were in Livermore. Didn’t I?”
“Yeah, you did.” Tracy nodded slightly. “You were all right on that.”
“See, I know what I’m talking about. Hey, I got some cards with me. Wanna play Go Fish, or something like that?” Brooke asked.
“Sure.” Tracy answered.
Yvette and her cousin had gone to the local park to hang out. On their way home is when her attention got snagged. She had noticed that there was a basketball game going on. There she could see the boy who had caught her attention earlier in the month. All the way to the house, she kept thinking about him, and tripping every few steps. Finally as they reached the house, her cousin had to ask.
“Okay, like, um, you've been a space cadet all week, now you can’t walk.” Heather said as she and Yvette walked into their house. “Like, um, what's going on?”
“Just thinking.” Yvette answered, not using the Valley talk.
“About what?”
“Those boys in the park.” Yvette replied, dreamily.
“You, like, know ‘em?” Heather warily asked.
Yvette nodded slightly. She could hear her mother and Aunt in the kitchen and she was sure her cousin was elsewhere, with friends. “One was a new guy and the other was the brother to the redhead, Sage, from school.”
“Sage? Oh the Freak?” Heather asked. They had never really stated why they called her that, other than Sage tended to act older than most kids their age and that was just weird. Or that her parents seemed to be dirt poor. Or just because they could.
“Do we have to do that?” Yvette asked. “Do we have to run them down all the time? Would it be bad if we were nice to them?”
“You really got to ask that? After our last school and after your Dad told the school you wanted to be a girl? Those jerks attacked both of us.” Heather said. It was her biggest fear, to be found out again and have to move once more.
“I know...but....” Yvette started to say more, but her cousin cut her off.
“Yvette, people hate people like you. No one can understand it so they get mean. But it's like Uncle Hank said, if you're mean to them first, it shows you won't stand for their crap.” Heather wasn’t aware, but both her mother and her aunt were busy listening in on the conversation.
“But he also said that there is strength in numbers. And what he said was that I should be strong, no matter what they say or do. He said that when I give in, that's when they win. So why can’t we have more friends?”
Heather got a hurt look on her face. “I'm not enough?”
“Heather, there was just two of us at the last school and look what happened there.” Yvette reminded her.
Heather was about to reply, when she thought about it. The teachers had stopped the fight before it got too bad, but some of the kids had their older siblings there to help out and in the end, several of Yvette's teeth had been knocked out, and Heather's hair had been cut in places.
“What if the Gimp, Orca and the Freak are just like the others? What if they can't handle a girl who was born into the wrong body.”
“Stop that. At least use their names.” Yvette pleaded.
“Why should I?” Heather asked.
“Look at me. I'm bigger then you are. Do you think I'm fat? Or am I stupid because you have more smarts? Am I retarded?” Yvette shook her head and turned away. “You know that each time you insult someone, I'm afraid that you'll insult me. It comes so easily to you.”
“I'll never insult you.” Heather said. “I promise you.”
“How can I believe that? You seem to get a thrill from insulting people. Why not just attack me?” Yvette asked. Tears were running down her cheek. It had been a real fear of hers, that Heather would abandon her at the first sign of trouble.
“I would never hurt you.” Heather’s expression was a kind one, but then her stubborn side took over. “But I still think we're better off alone.”
“What about next year, when you're going to the middle school and I'm at the school alone?” Yvette asked her cousin.
“I....I could look in from time to time....” Heather replied with her best offer.
“What about when I'm alone?” Yvette asked, tears were forming in her eyes. The thought of being alone was scary to her and her Cousins paranoia made it hard to combat the fear.. “Heather, what if they don't hurt me. I'm not saying them, I'm saying anyone really. You never know. Someone may be cool about me.”
Heather felt as though she was being abandoned and that hurt. “What if they do hurt you? Is this because you think I’m not good enough to hang around? That you’d be happier with the freaks? Is that where you belong?!?”
Yvette took a step back. She had heard what her cousin said, but her mind heard “You are a freak. That’s where you belong.”
“You think I’m a freak?!?” Yvette said. Tears were rushing down her cheek at that point and the mothers moved to stop them. “You hate me, don’t you?!?”
“I never said that.” But before she could say anymore, Yvette turned and ran away from her, almost plowing into Heather’s mom. She righted herself and ran for her bedroom.
“Young lady.” Heather’s mom glared at her. “Why did you just call her a freak? You know she’s sensitive about how she is.”
“I didn’t!” Heather exclaimed.
“You just asked her if she would be happier with people you consider freaks. You heard her say she thinks that you said she is a freak.” Heather’s mother said. “So now what do you think is going on in her mind.”
“Mom, she’s doesn’t understand how people can be!” Heather tried to reply, but her mother stopped her.
“Understand what? How people can attack someone like her? I think she got that message. She is also aware that next year, she will be all alone and you have done your best to alienate everyone from you two.
Heather’s mom pulled her into a hug and held on tightly, as Mary came into the house. With just a look from her mother, Mary made herself scarce. “Heather, I know that fight hurt you a lot. You’ve been the one main supporter of Yvette from the beginning and Uncle Doug was your favorite Uncle. You were hurt. Your picture of him as the perfect father was shattered when he told the school and they attacked both of you. But hiding away from life isn’t going to solve anything. Fear can be a bad thing to deal with and hiding from life will turn you bitter.”
“But mom....” Heather started to say, in an attempt to stop the speech.
“No buts, young lady.” Her mother said, stopping her excuses. “You know at the last few parent teacher meetings they have said the same thing. You are a gifted student, but when it comes to group participation, you are combative and rude. That’s what hurts your grade.”
“It does?” Heather asked.
“Yes. Your interactions with your class rate heavily on your grades. Plus, if you stay like this, the chances of you getting a job will drop significantly.” Her mother stated. “I am not saying to trust everyone, but at least open your eyes and your heart.”
“But what if they hurt me again?”
“Then you learn from that. What if you miss the love of your life by hiding? Living in what if’s can really drive a person crazy.”
Yvette’s mother was sitting on the edge of her bed, her daughter’s head in her lap and she was gently stroking her daughter’s hair. “I’m sure she didn’t mean to hurt you, Yvette. You know how scared she can get.”
“I know.” Yvette said between sobs.
“She loves you. She’s just worried. I can understand that, but you have to do what you feel is right for you. You can’t live by Heather’s rules.”
“I guess.” Yvette replied. She lay there and her crying slowed down. Her mother didn’t budge, instead she just kept doing what she could to calm her daughter. Finally Yvette looked up at her, wiped a tear or two away, then asked. “Why me? Why was I the only girl, born as a boy?”
“I’m sure you’re not the only one. And I’m sure that one day, we’ll meet more girls who were born like you.” Her mother said. “But till then, you need to stay strong. Okay? Can you do that for me?”
“I can try.”
“Good. Now would you like to help me in the kitchen?”
“Sure, I guess.” Yvette replied. She wasn’t a cook, by any stretch of anyone’s imagination. So her mother let her do the easy stuff, just so she could help.
There was a tapping at the door and Mary stepped in. “Hey, how is everything going?”
“We had some emotions, nothing to bad.”
“I kinda heard. Mom and Heather are talking down stairs.” Mary said. “Yvette, you ever tell her what you think? About how you’re scared she’ll tease you?”
“What do you mean?” Yvette’s mom asked.
“Last weekend, Yvette was having a good cry and she said she is worried that one day, Heather will start picking on her too.”
“You said that?” Yvette’s mother asked her daughter.
Yvette nodded. “Yeah. She does it so easily and I’m afraid that if I do something she hates, she’ll tease me too.”
“I don’t hate you.” Heather said. This caused Yvette to look over as did her mother and Mary. “I’m....I’m scared.” She admitted, trembling as she recalled that day a couple years earlier. She could still feel the terror she felt as the mob of kids rushed them, kicking and swinging. She could still smell the blood that ran from her nose after someone had hit her with a fist. She could hear the sounds of scissors that were used on both her head and Yvette’s. ‘
Heather’s voice trembled as she spoke again. “I’m scared that people will hurt us again. I don’t want that. I don’t wanna be hurt again.” She began to cry harder. “I hate being mean.....but I hate being afraid more.”
Yvette got off the bed and went to her cousin. She pulled Heather into a big hug. “Then we go slow. Okay. Let me talk to them. Please?”
“Do we have to?” Heather asked, pleading with her tear stained eyes.
“I think it could be good for us.” Yvette said.
“How? What can they help us with?” Heather asked, wiping at her eyes.
“Heather, Brooke is in a wheelchair, Rachel has a weight issue, and that other girl they were with in the park is kinda big too. Sage gets teased for her hair and her mother. They know what it’s like.”
“Do they?” Heather asked.
“Heather, we tease them daily. They know how it is to be teased.” Yvette replied back. “I hate it. I hate being mean just to hide.”
“One day you’ll get attacked for just being a bitch.” Mary stated.
“Mary, ladies don’t use that word!” Yvette’s mother snapped at her.
“Okay, but that’s what the others are going to be thinking about them. Too mean and they’ll think these two are the B-word.” Mary said.
“I don’t want to hate anyone.” Yvette said. "Not any more."
Heather sighed, sniffled, then she spoke softly. “I’m just scared, I’m sorry.”
“Then let me be strong first.” Yvette said, letting her cousin put her head on her shoulder. “I’ll be strong for both of us.”
There was silence for a moment, then she felt her cousin nod and heard her say. “Okay.
As I told Djkauf, Lewis Horton is a mixing of several people. Yes, he is like that famous Phelps guy, just without a congregation that large. He is also very arrogant, thinking everyone but him and his family are fools. Yes, he is totally under the frame of mind that Molly is being wronged.
“Vance, are you mad that you came down here?” Tracy asked.
He shook his head. Than he whispered. “Not really. I mean since Bruce stopped hanging out with me, I was bored. Jerry was there on the weekends, but other than that, I had no one. So coming down here, I can change that.”
“I miss Mary Beth and Emily May, plus Peter, but I think this is better.” She whispered. “More things to do.”
“A school that doesn’t know either of us.” Vance said in a whisper.
Edited by Djkauf
Tracy, Vance, Maggie and a glimpse into a side of Sage's family, yet to be shown
Sunday February 27th 1983
Tracy walked into the house, following her mother and Aunt Shelly. At the T.V. was Vance, watching Ripley’s Believe It Or Not. Frank was in his favorite chair, watching with him. As the ladies came in, Frank looked over. “How was the drive?”
“Long. Very long.” Shelly said.
“We heard about Friday. How are you all holding up?” He asked, looking to Maggie.
“Well, we’re good. The weekend helped her forget, I think.” Maggie said. She looked to her daughter. “That reminds me, put some ice on that eye again. Go up and change, then you can come down and hold some ice on it.”
“Okay, Mom.” Tracy said. She headed upstairs, knowing her mother was covering the attack in the courthouse. It took her twenty minutes to change for bed, and round up her dirty laundry. She headed down the stairs, laundry in hand. She passed the kitchen and stopped at the washing machine, that was next to a giant freezer.
“Tracy, hold off on wash till tomorrow and we’ll do it all. But grab some ice cream and we’ll dish that up.” Shelly said. Tracy put her laundry down, then went to the freezer and pulled out a half gallon of rocky road. She took it to the kitchen, where her mother handed her a bag of ice and her aunt shooed her off and into the dining room area.
She pulled out a chair at the table and started watching the show on the T.V. A few minutes later, her mother put a bowl of ice cream down and called Vance over. Vance sat down across from her. “Wow, she really gave you one heck of a shiner.”
“Yeah.” Tracy said, nodding her head. “I wish I would have known she was there.” She sat there, looking at her ice cream, then she looked up to her brother. “She was worse than last time. This time she tried to bite mom and me.”
“Wow.” Vance exclaimed.
“Yeah.” Tracy said, then she decided to drop the subject. “How was your weekend?”
“Hung out with Moony Friday and yesterday morning, then I hung out with Uncle Frank and his car club.”
“Ready for school tomorrow?” Tracy asked.
“Not really, but it’s better than Palermo.” Vance said.
Tracy nodded in agreement. “Yeah. I’ve seen the school from the outside and hey, you know Moony and Jamie.”
“Plus Kevin and Bryce.” Vance added. “Hey, how was L.A?”
“Busy. I don’t think I’ve seen that many cars on the road ever.” Tracy said with a laugh. “Even this morning, the road was busy.”
“Really?” Vance asked.
“Oh yeah. I woke up to the sound of horns the past two days.” Tracy said with a nod. “Lot of traffic. But we got to see a mall. Nice one, several stories tall.”
“Cool. Did you talk to Aunt Alice, Heidi and Cheryl?” Vance asked as he dipped the spoon into the ice cream.
“Yeah.” Tracy nodded as she scooped up a spoonful of ice cream. “They are okay with me and they are going to meet us at Disneyland. Angie too.”
“Really?” Vance asked and Tracy nodded. “Cool. That will be fun.”
“Mom’s mom and Dad will meet us there too.” Tracy added. “But not Grandma and Grandpa from Oroville.”
“Well, we did just see them for eleven years.” Vance said with a chuckle.
“But still it would have been nice to see them again.” Tracy said,
Maggie sat down at the table with them. “You saw your grandparents on Friday and you will see them on the weekend when we go to move.”
“Move....” Tracy got out of her seat and went to her Aunt Shelly. “Aunt Shelly. can I use your phone? I wanna call a friend of mine, so he knows that I will be in town next weekend.”
“Sure, just make it fast. We’re expecting a call for your uncle Frank.”
“Okay, thank you!” Tracy darted for the phone in the kitchen and she began dialing the number she knew very well. A few seconds later, Peter’s voice came over the speaker.
“Hello? Lowery house.”
“Peter, it’s Tracy.”
“Tracy! How are you, tell me everything that’s been going on!”
“Peter, I can’t talk long, my uncle is expecting a call. I wanted to say that I will be in town on Saturday and Sunday. We’re moving on Sunday and getting the last of the stuff from the old house. So can you let Emily May and Mary Beth know about it?”
“Sure, I can do that.” Peter said. She could hear the sadness in his voice.
“I wanna see you there too.” Tracy added.
“I wouldn't miss it for the world.” Peter replied.
Sage walked into her mother’s bedroom, just as Persephone was pulling on a clean shirt, her hair still damp from her shower. Moony and ‘Romy were off with their father. That left Sage’s chance to get to know more of her mother’s religion. Persephone looked to her daughter. “You’re sure, Baby? You want to go?”
“Yeah, Mom. You’ve let me make my own decisions for a while now. You’ve let me read every book I can get my hands on. I’ve read about the major religions. I’ve decided that I want to watch your monthly ritual.”
“You may have read them, but do you understand them?”
“Kinda. A lot of it just seems like the same story, from a different perspective.”
Persephone nodded. “I have heard that before. A lot of the stories seem to run in line with each other, but then there are things that differ. If you listen to what the Jewish people say, the Saviour has yet to be born.”
“And when I was at the church with Rachel, it just seemed like a lot of things are looked at badly. Like you can’t even breathe without making their God mad.”
“Their religion does seem to have a lot of rules, doesn’t it?” Persephone asked, aware that getting her daughter to ask questions and think could help Sage discover more about the different religions in the world.
“It does and when I’ve read the bible, it seems that some things are bad, then halfway through, it’s okay. But you don’t believe in that, do you?” Sage asked
“Sage, a better question is to ask what you believe.” Persephone said. Then she asked. “What do you think?”
“Well, a part of me doesn't know. I mean there must be something out there that watches over us. But if it’s like the Christian God, why doesn’t he stop things like when towns flood? What about hatred? I saw the passage that said love thy neighbor. Tracy and Rachel have even said it. Why....” Sage bit her lip, thinking of how to word what she was thinking.
She looked up at her mother. “What about those women like the one who attacked Tracy and me? She says she’s a Christian, but I thought they were supposed to be nice and love everyone. She’s attacking Tracy and threatening to do anything to get her out of town.”
Persephone patted Sage’s shoulder and shook her head, a slight frown on her face. “Sage, baby, you know that there are bad people in all walks of life. Christians, Muslims, Hindus even my religion. Each group has someone who makes the rest look bad. It’s how you act that matter.”
Sage seemed to cock her head slightly to the side and she asked. “How so? Like what you cast and stuff like that?”
“Sage, I believe that there are things bigger than us, who created us. I believe in a duality. A male and Female creator, ones who have been known by many names over the years. I believe that all life comes from them and returns to them. I believe in reincarnation. I believe in doing good, it will create good back to you and doing bad, will bring bad to you as well. I think we are all responsible for what we do in life and it is up to each of us to stand above the petty squabbles and try to promote peace in the world. I feel it is our responsibility to see past our hatred, anger and pride and be there to help others. That’s why I raised you the way I did. I wanted you to be responsible for your actions. You have to own up to your mistakes.”
“What about magic? You believe in that, right?” Sage asked
Persephone neither nodded nor shook her head, instead she kind of shrugged. “I believe that each of us has a power in us to tap into the Gods and Goddess to promote small changes on a personal level. I believe that we all have a power in us and we can do great things, but you have to be careful, sometimes ego, and anger can pervert a beautiful thing like magic and then you end up cursing someone and getting that curse back on you.”
Sage had been thinking one question that she just had to ask. “Mom, do you think magic works?”
Persephone nodded. “Yes. It’s not like you see in the cartoons, or in that dungeon game your Uncle played with you and you cousins, but I think it works. But what we do is more subtle. Quiet, but there. Like a whisper in a loud room. Like a light breeze on a warm day.”
“Like helping someone get better?” Sage asked.
“Yes, like sending healing thoughts to a sick friend.” Persephone said, nodding her head.
“Kind of like praying, like Rachel does?” Sage asked.
“Yes. See, in that way, a Christian is sending good will to someone, but asking someone else to heal the person in question. What I do I am personally aiming the healing power, I just ask the Gods and goddesses to help in the sending.”
Sage bit her lip as she thought about it for a moment. “I see. So you can heal and stuff.”
“You have seen what I do. You have used my bath herbs and oils before. You’ve practiced meditation with me before. You know a lot, for someone who isn’t in the craft. What I do is good, but it is between me and the God and Goddess. Others may look down on it, but that is because they don’t understand it.”
“Like Tracy? People don’t understand, so they hate her?” Sage asked.
“Yes, just like that.” Persephone looked at a clock. “Okay, we need to get going. That is, if you still want to learn.”
“Yeah.” Sage said with a nod.
“Okay, but you know the rules. You sit to the side and watch, but no getting into the circle, and no speaking while we are in the circle and busy, okay? When it’s over, before we come home, you can talk to the ladies, but I’ll tell you when.”
“Okay.” Sage replied. “Um, I...uh....”
Her mother stopped when she saw her daughter’s cheeks go a bright red. “What’s wrong, Sweetie?”
“Are they gonna be naked?” Sage asked. She had heard her mother and aunt talk about other rituals and she had heard they had been naked and that one was thing she was worried about.
“If they are naked, no one will force you to be naked. We understand how you feel about yourself. Plus, it’s about forty degrees right now, so it is cold. I doubt many of them will be running around in the cold night air, while naked.” Persephone stopped and smiled in that motherly way. “Also, you’re not a legal adult. That makes you way under age and I wouldn’t force you to be naked in front of anyone, other than a doctor.”
“Thanks.” Sage said, feeling relieved.
“I’m your mother and a Wiccan, not some evil monster.” Persephone put her hand on her daughter's cheek. “Just be good and quiet and I promise you can speak to the others later.”
“Okay.” Sage said again and followed her mother out of the house.
Persephone stopped to lock the door and she decided to give her daughter one more chance to back out. “Sage, if you want, you can stay home. I promise, all we are doing is the ritual for the full moon.”
“No, I wanna go. I wanna watch.” Sage said.
“Okay. Also, your cousin Casey is there. Lilian figure’s she is old enough to get to see this, and we’re trying to make sure that you’re thirteen before you join the coven. But when you’re there, you can not play around. You two have to be good.” Persephone locked the door, then checked it, then she headed for her VW bus. She unlocked the passenger door, then walked around. When she got into the driver’s seat, Sage was looking at her and as she put on her seat belt, Sage asked another question.
“What about Stacey?” Sage asked. “Will she be there?”
Persephone shook her head. “We’ll break Stacey into this when she gets about eleven and a half.”
“So in half a year?”
“Well....” Persephone held out a hand and wiggled it back and forth. “We agreed that you three would get exposed to this and then you can make your own choices. We may expose her now, and just let her come along, but only when you hit thirteen, can you join in the celebrations. But one big rule is that you can’t go telling people about this. No telling Rachel, Brooke or Tracy.”
“Why not?” Sage asked.
“Sage, not a lot of people understand this.” Persephone told her daughter.
“Why not?” It was a simple question, and one that was hard to answer at time. Persephone knew this. “It’s not illegal, is it?”
“Sage, you know how some people just hate something just to hate it. Its nothing you or I can do, they just hate us. Be it your red hair, your way of thinking, or how your body is.” Persephone said. “People blown things out of proportion. If you were to say your mother is a Wiccan who does magic, people would hear you say I am a witch and then they would get defensive, thinking I am here to rot your soul.
“Does Uncle Harvey know?”
Her mother nodded. “He knows and while he may not agree with it, he will not get in the way of your Aunt’s religion, unless he feels the girls are in danger.”
“And he’s never felt that was going to happen?” Sage asked.
“Not that I know of.” Persephone said. “Now let’s get going.”
“Where are we going?” Sage asked as her mother started her VW bus.
Persephone smiled. “It’s a secret. We’ll meet your Aunt, cousin and Grandma Baker there.” She put the old bus in reverse and pulled in to drive by their trailer.
Sage looked at her and shot her mother a huge grin. “Grandma?”
“Yeah, she stays up here on the full moons. She’ll be with your Great Aunt Agnes.” Persephone said with a nod.
“Aunt Agnes?!?” Sage asked, getting more excited.
“Yes. She’ll be there too.” Persephone said with a nod.
“What about Moony, Romy and Dad?” Sage asked, looking in the mirror at the house.
Persephone waited to answer her, until they pulled onto the main road. “Well, your Dad has no problem with me and my religious choices. He doesn’t push or pry and I don’t force my beliefs on him, although, his old hippy ways are still in tune with my thinking. Moony hasn’t really asked about it, nor does he seem interested. He knows about it, but I guess its just not cool enough. And as for ‘Romy, I would like to wait, until she is old enough to not tell everyone in her class that her mother dances around naked, in the woods, casting spells. That’s not a meeting with the school I look forward to. But you, you’re grown up and you understand the need for privacy.”
“Yeah.” Sage said with a nod. She leaned back in the seat as her mother headed down the road and stopped at a light to merge on the highway.
Sage had sat off to the side with her cousin and they watched, while Sage translated for Casey. When it was over, the girls were separated and Casey was talking to their grandmother. That left Sage and Persephone. But after a few minutes, Persephone excused herself and left the room. It was then an older woman came walking over, smiling at her.
“Aunt Agnes?!?” Sage said in surprise
“Sweet pea.” The woman said in her British accent. It had been almost three decades and she still had it, and was proud of her accent. It was a bit softer than when she first moved to America, decades earlier, but she still had it. Agnes leaned in, but didn’t do any of the cheek pinching her other great aunts did. Instead she hugged Sage, which Sage never minded. Agnes always smelled of fruit and flowers. “How are you, Sage?”
“Good.” Sage replied.
Aunt Agnes nodded. “Good. I see you finally wanted to see what it is we do here?”
“Yeah. Mom has let me ask questions and she lets me read things, but I wanted to see first hand.” Sage stated. “I never knew you went to her rituals.”
“I helped train your mother. Your Grandmother and I both. I trained your Aunt Lillian and your uncle Joey too. I learned from my mother, your Great Grandmother. She was a wonderful woman. Plus others in her circle.”
“Will Mom and Aunt Lillian teach me?” Sage asked.
“Sage, honey. Your mother has been teaching you for years. The herbs, the incense, the lessons about you having the power to change you. The talks about how you should treat the Earth and others. That’s all how your mother thinks. That is how we all think. She may have been a hippy for a while, but unlike many people she knew, she was that way, before it got big. She promised to not shove her thinking on you, but to give you access to all the information you wanted. Be it Judaism, Hindu, Buddhist, or Christian. She wanted you to make your own choices in life. That’s the reason she pulled you away from the hospital when you were a wee babe. She wanted you to make all your choices. She didn’t want to place your fate in the hands of a stranger that doesn’t know you.”
Sage nodded as she thought about what her Aunt said, then she asked a question that had puzzled her for some time. “I always wondered why, if Mom was a Wiccan, why she celebrated Christmas?”
“Well, there is a good reason for that. First of all, is that Yule is our Christmas and like Christians, we decorate an evergreen tree. We give gifts. We do a lot of things that Christians do. But the other reason is family. Your father’s family is Christian, he just doesn’t shove his political or religious views on you and your siblings. They are not hardline Christians. But they can get opinionated. If his family comes over, they would question the lack of a tree and presents. Also, you kids would be teased for not getting gifts. You’ve seen how the children who don’t celebrate Christmas get treated at school, right?” Her Aunt asked and Sage nodded.
“We have a girl from the Jehovah's witness that gets teased for it. Plus there is a boy who is Jewish, he gets teased too.” Sage looked to her aunt. “But why do you celebrate it? I mean you, Mom, Grandma, Aunt Lilian are all witches, why do you celebrate Christmas, if you don’t believe in it?”
Agnes chuckled. “I told you. We celebrate Yule. It is like a different version of Christmas. But still we give gifts for you kids. Your Uncle Joe in Vermont is the same. He has his own path. It’s like ours, but he has a wife who understands. She’s also very good about his hobbies, religion and political belief, so he doesn’t push his lifestyle on her. She doesn’t push her life on him. They found a good middle ground and the two of them love each other a lot.”
“Oh. Like letting him play the role playing games he brings out with him?” Sage asked.
“Yes. Just like that.” Agnes said.
“Oh.” Was the only thing Sage could reply with.
“We still hold our beliefs, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be nice and help other people with theirs, or give our family what the others have.”
“That’s nice.” Sage said.
“And that is what we want to give to you. That sense of playing fair. Helping others who may think differently and always be responsible for your actions.” Her aunt said. “But that’s enough talking for today. You need to get back with your mom. You have school in the morning.”
“Yeah.....”
“Baby.” Her Aunt Agnes said, as she hugged Sage. “You’ll see me again and if you come with your mother, you’ll see me in a month.”
“Okay. I’d like that.” Sage said and she hugged her Aunt back.
Tracy rolled over on the bed and looked at her brother, the glow of the night light barely showing him. “Hey.” She whispered to him. “You awake?”
“Yeah.” He answered back. The beds they were using were along the east and north walls of the room, both stopping at a table near the window. Tracy’s head was near Vance’s and the room was quiet. She knew her aunt and mother were both downstairs, watching T.V. and talking, and their Uncle Frank was in bed, so he could get up early and drive to his job in Berkeley.
“Vance, are you mad that you came down here?” Tracy asked.
He shook his head. Than he whispered. “Not really. I mean since Bruce stopped hanging out with me, I was bored. Jerry was there on the weekends, but other than that, I had no one. So coming down here, I can change that.”
“I miss Mary Beth and Emily May, plus Peter, but I think this is better.” She whispered. “More things to do.”
“A school that doesn’t know either of us.” Vance said in a whisper.
“Yeah. I am sorry for any of the bad things. Like the dress Grandma made you wear.”
“You had her stop. So I don’t mind.” Vance said. He rolled over and propped himself up on one elbow. “And God knows what I would have done if I would have stayed Bruce’s friend. I may have beat you up in December....”
“Vance....” Tracy didn’t what to say. She had hoped that Vance would have never been bad to her, but he used to be a jerk.
“Tracy, face it, I was mean to you and I tried to ruin your life.” He sat up and sighed. “I practically handed you to him, with telling him about your dress over the phone. I had been a jerk to you for so long, but you never cared. Heck, you helped me....”
Since their heads were near each other, she reached out and touched his arm. “Its okay. I love you too, big brother.”
“Thanks. I just hope I didn’t screw up your life too much.” Vance said.
“How did you screw it up?” Tracy asked him as she sat up in bed.
“I called Bruce. Bruce wanted to embarrass you in front of the school. But you caught him stealing and he got really mad.” Vance said, sitting up and facing her. “So in calling him, I gave him a reason to try and hurt you. Then he really wanted to hurt you after we both stood against him. Then Clark took pictures because you got his brother arrested.”
“Vance, you didn’t make him come to the property.” Tracy stated.
“Maybe not, but I still feel guilty.” Vance replied.
There was a tapping at the door and it opened up, showing Maggie standing there. “I know you two want to talk, but you have school in the morning, Vance, so you should get some sleep. Young lady, you should rest too.”
“Yes, Mom.” Both kids said.
“Good night, you two.”
“Night, Mom.” Both of her children said. She waited for them to lay down before she shut the door.
Once they heard her walk from the door, Tracy reached out, touched her brother’s shoulder again. “Vance, thanks for everything you have done. I’m glad to call you my brother.”
“Thanks.” He said in a hushed tone. “I’m glad to have you as a sister.”
Now I kicked around the idea of Persephone and family being Pagan for some time and felt the time was good to bring her out of the broom closet. Keep in mind, this is not a magic story, but just a story, involving a religion that exists.
Sage was already outside and waiting for Brooke and Rachel to join her for the recess. As the two of them came over, they went to a side part of the playground, near the classes, but near one of the basketball courts. As they watched the boys play, Sage saw Yvette coming over to them and she warned Brooke and Rachel.
“Hey, like, um.....” Yvette sighed and she dropped the Valley-speak. It had been just a day or so since she talked to her cousin. She had wanted to take Heather and apologize together, But today Heather was sick, due to nerves of possibly being attacked, so that gave Yvette a chance to speak freely to people. “Can I ask you all a question? Please?”
At the word please, Rachel and Brooke's jaws dropped and Sage just blinked a couple of times. When they didn't respond, she asked again. “Please, can I ask a question? I know I've been...well, I've been a jerk, and I really am sorry about it, but I want to know something.”
Edited by Djkauf
More of Tracy and those around her. A bit of fluff this time, but slowly adding to the story
Monday 28th 1983
Vance was a bit nervous as he was led into the main part of the school. The principal led Vance to his new home room. Vance had decided that he could go on his own, so the kids wouldn’t tease him for having his mother with him. As he went through the school, he passed Moony and the boys he had played basketball with and he gave them a small wave, but they kept moving. The principal led him to a room and gestured inside. Vance had a crude hand drawn map of which classes he had next and they had met with a few of the teachers on Thursday, but the home room teacher he was getting had been out sick.
The principal knocked on the frame to the room and he cleared his throat, before stepping in with Vance. “Lois, I want you to meet Vance Patterson. Vance just moved to town in the past day and they are starting him here. I have his records from his last school, and since you'll be his reading and English teacher, we felt you should meet him and if you want, test him. We're also placing him in your home room, because you have the space.”
“I understand.” the teacher said with a nod.
“Vance, this is Lois Rosewood.”
“Ma'am.” Vance said.
“Well Vance, there is only one open desk in my room, that one in the back. I'll trust that you're not going to talk in my class?” Lois asked.
“I don't know if the people I know are in this class.” Vance honestly replied.
This caused the teacher to question him. “What are the names of the people you know?”
“Moony...I mean Marcus Miller, Bryce Holcomb and Jamie Williams.” Vance stated.
She nodded. “Jamie is in my class. I believe that Marcus is in Mrs. Peabody's class. I don’t know about the other two.”
“Ah, okay.”
The Principal waited for a moment, then he spoke up. “If you have any problems, the number of his Godparents is listed as a contact number. The parents are in the process of moving down here and are currently out of town.”
“Well, I can do that.”
“Young man, it’s good to have you here as a student.” The Principal said with a smile.
“Thank you, sir.”
Jamie walked into her class and as she took her seat, she watched as Vance Patterson walked in and went past her to the open seat in the back. He smiled as he passed her. She turned in her seat. “Vance? What are you doing here?”
“I go to school here.” He replied with a smile.
“Started today?” She asked and he nodded. “Moony know yet?”
“Yeah, just had breakfast with him, Kevin and Bryce.”
“Nice.” Jamie said. As more of the class came in, many of them were baffled as to who he was. The teacher called them to order, then she quickly gestured to him.
“Everyone, this is Vance Patterson, he is in our home room and he'll be in many of your classes. He just moved into town in the past two days and is starting here today.” She stopped and gestured for Vance to stand up. “Vance, tell us a bit about yourself.”
“I just moved from a small town, it’s kinda a farming town, north of here about three hours. I like to play basketball, baseball and soccer. I play some football, but not much and I like track.”
“Very good. Any siblings in the school?”
“No. I have a sister who is in the elementary school.”
“I see. Well, have a seat and we'll start with roll call.”
Sage was already outside and waiting for Brooke and Rachel to join her for the recess. As the two of them came over, they went to a side part of the playground, near the classes, but near one of the basketball courts. As they watched the boys play, Sage saw Yvette coming over to them and she warned Brooke and Rachel.
“Hey, like, um.....” Yvette sighed and she dropped the Valley-speak. It had been just a day or so since she talked to her cousin. She had wanted to take Heather and apologize together, But today Heather was sick, due to nerves of possibly being attacked, so that gave Yvette a chance to speak freely to people. “Can I ask you all a question? Please?”
At the word please, Rachel and Brooke's jaws dropped and Sage just blinked a couple of times. When they didn't respond, she asked again. “Please, can I ask a question? I know I've been...well, I've been a jerk, and I really am sorry about it, but I want to know something.”
“What is it?” Sage asked, afraid the niceness was an act to lure them into an insult.
Yvette wanted to run away, afraid of what could happen. She began to picture all three of them just hitting her for being so mean, but she wanted to know who the boy was. “The weekend we met in the park. Who was the boy with your brother? The one with dark brown hair?”
Rachel decided to reply, and she was not as nice as Sage was going to be, but she wasn't rude, just truthful. “His name is Vance. He's Tracy's brother. She's the one you called Porker Pigtails. They just moved from a farm town up north.”
Yvette blushed in shame. “Oh...” And she kicked herself for shooting herself in the foot with her big mouth. She knew she had to turn over a new leaf, but she didn't want to lose a cousin in the process, but she also didn’t want to be attacked either.
“Tell her I'm sorry for that. I shouldn't have called her that. I shouldn't.....” Yvette couldn't look them in the eyes and she was doing all she could to not just run away, sobbing. She knew how it felt to be teased and insulted and she had been doing it to keep others from doing it to her. A tear streaked down her cheek and was quickly followed by another. “In fact I'm sorry for being mean to you three as well. I should have never said anything mean to you. I'm sorry for everything I've ever said to you all. Sorry....”
Before they could say anything Yvette turned and sprinted away. Sage just watched her, but Rachel looked to Brooke and shook her head in disbelief. “Okay, what just happened?”
“I don't know.” Sage said, “but I'm gonna go find her. She looked like she was about to cry.”
“Sage, she has done nothing but run us down with her friend. Why should we care?” Rachel asked.
“Because it’s the right thing to do and your bible tells you that.” Sage replied. “Turn the other cheek and be kind to those who run you down and all that. It's the nice thing to lend a hand when people need it.”
Brooke nodded. “If you two wouldn't let me be after I was a jerk to both of you, you think she will let Yvette be after she just did that to us?”
Rachel thought about it and shook her head as Sage and Brooke started to move away from her. “I guess not. I'll help, too.” She followed after her friends.
Sage came around the corner of the building to a little used area of the school. She was about to turn and leave when she heard the sounds of someone crying. It only took a moment of looking around until she noticed a pair of feet by the backside of the base of a tree.
“Yvette?” Sage asked as she stopped near the girl. “Are you okay?”
“No.” Yvette said, wiping at her eyes. “Just go away.”
Sage didn't give up. She moved closer and stopped near the tree. She could see the tears dripping off Yvette's cheeks.
Sage dropped to one knee by Yvette, but she didn't touch her. “Yvette, I'm willing to talk to you, If you want. I don't mind that you've been mean before. You look like you need someone to talk to.”
Yvette didn't say a word, so Sage sat down, near her and they just sat and listened as Yvette cried into her arms. After a few minutes, the bell rang, warning them they had five minutes to get to class.
“Come on, class is about to start again.” Sage said.
“I can't go in there like this.” Yvette said between sniffles. “They’ll tease me.”
“Then let’s take you to the office and you can sit in the nurse’s office.” Brooke said, making her presence known.
Yvette turned and saw Rachel was there as well. “Why are you all being nice?”
“Why shouldn't we be?” Sage asked. “Come on, let's take you to the office. Rachel, I got this, if you and Brooke want to go to class. I'll see you at lunch.”
“Okay.” Rachel said as they got close to their room. “We'll see you then.”
As Sage passed her class, the teacher stepped out. She saw the tears on Yvette and Sage's determination. “Is everything alright, Sage?”
“She's having a bad day and needs the nurse’s office.”
“Okay. Here, take this hall pass.” The teacher said. “Get back as quickly as you can.”
“Yes Ma'am.” Sage said as she pushed through her class.
When they got to the office, Sage opened up the door and held it for Yvette. The secretary stood up from her desk. “Can I help you girls?”
“She needs to sit in the nurse’s office for a little bit.
“Come on back.”
Sage led Yvette into the nurse’s office, and helped her climb up on the bed. Yvette was about to ask why Sage was being nice when the Nurse came in.
The Nurse looked over Yvette, not throughly, though. She was one of the few who knew about both girls and a part of her was shocked that the two girls had not became friends earlier. “What happened?”
“Just nerves and stress.” Sage said. “She just started crying and she isn’t feeling good.”
“I see. Well, you should get to class and I can take care of her.” The Nurse said.
“Okay.” Sage said with a nod. She looked to Yvette and gave her a sad little smile. “Feel better Yvette. We can talk at lunch or tomorrow.”
“Okay.” Yvette replied, but the guilt struck her again and she began to cry again. Sage took one more look before heading out of the nurses office.
Peter was bored. No Tracy to keep him company. Mary Beth had her own friends and he was still not too sure about Jerry. He had been spending his time in the library, reading and talking to the librarian. She was busy this time, so he found a table off to the side and he sat, reading a book, the best he could. He wasn’t the smartest child there, and his reading was a grade or two behind what he should have been in. While he read, A pair of shadows fell on him and he looked up to see Bobby Anderson, plus another boy his age.
“Well, look who it is.” Bobby said, pointing at Peter. “The fag’s boy friend.”
“Go away. I don’t want any trouble.” Peter said, turning his attention back to his book.
“Too bad, queer.” Bobby replied.
The two boys tried to puff out their chests and look intimidating, but Peter kept reading. “Please go away.”
“Why, so you can read your baby book, you big baby?” Bobby teased. Then he yanked it out of Peter’s hands.
As Peter stood up, the Librarian came over and cleared her throat. “Okay, Anderson, Winslow, you can leave.”
“We ain’t done nothing!” Bobby exclaimed.
“You just ripped a book out of his hand and tore one of the pages.” The Librarian said. “This young man was reading before you came in and disturbed him. So you may leave, now.”
Both of them knew she could call the office and get them into a lot of trouble, so Bobby decided to leave. But he wanted to threaten Peter just once more. “This ain’t over, baby.” Bobby said as they headed for the door.
Maggie walked into Big Mama’s deli at a little after noon. Like Lok’s martial arts studio and acupuncture shop, there was an entryway, with two doors inside, one to the left and one to the right, each clearly marked. The left was marked Big Mama’s Bakery and the right one was marked Big Mama’s deli. She had tried the bakery door, before reading the note that the bakery was closed and the deli was open. So she turned and went to the deli door. As far as she knew, her daughter was at home, doing her school work. Vance was busy with school. This left her with the fun of finding a job. She had a few applications with her, and she was ready to fill them out that night. Even with the vacation to Disneyland, she was sure she could get a job, she had ten years experience as a secretary, several years as a waitress and a few other odd jobs. So she was hopeful. But she wanted something part time, till she could get another job.
Beth had offered her a job, just for part time, and she thought it would be smart idea to take her up on the offer. She knew Shelly and Frank had offered to help out, but she hated to feel like a mooch. And the sooner she had a job, the sooner William could look for work and then they could move. She loved Shelly, but she had kept thinking of the old adage, visitors and fish begin to stink after three days. And she didn’t want to ruin a good friendship.
The bell rang as the door opened up to the deli. As she stepped in, she looked around and saw the door that led to the bakery from the inside was closed as well. There were a few tables, and a couple of booths, only a couple of places had people in them. The main counter of the deli had seats, like at a diner and a few more people sat there. Then there was the place to give your order and pay and as she stepped up, a man in front of her stepped away.
“Hello!” A chipper young lady behind the counter said. “Can we interest you in a salad or a sandwich today? Mark is in the back working on a wonderful vegetable soup. Very good for a cold day, like today.”
Maggie’s stomach rumbled and she realized she hadn’t ate since breakfast. She was hungry, but she wanted to inquire about a job, before she ate anything. “Maybe later. I had stopped by to see if Beth Paulson was here? I wanted to ask about a job.”
“Just a moment.” The girl turned to the side and leaned so she could see the kitchen. “Mark, is your sister here? We have a lady who wants an application.”
“Okay, just a moment.” He called out. A moment later, he stepped out, holding a piece of paper. “Who was it for?” He asked the girl and she pointed to Maggie.
“Oh My....” Maggie said with gasp. “You have barely changed, Mark.”
“Do I know you?” He asked.
She smiled and nodded. She wasn’t going to make it easy on him. “I hear you met my daughter, Tracy, on Valentines day. She was here with Shelly Cooper.” Maggie said.
“Shelly.....Tracy? Maggie?!?” His face broke out into a huge smile. “Little Maggie Richter?”
“Well, not so little anymore, and no longer Richter. Now I’m Maggie Patterson.”
“So I heard from your daughter. I must say, she is a spitting image of you as a girl.” Mark replied.
“Thank you. She is a very special little girl.”
“And a talented cook. I hear Beth is asking her for some recipes from her grandmother.”
Maggie nodded. “My mother-in-law has been helping me teach her to cook, so she was making dinner at our old house, so it was ready by time we got home. I hear from Shelly that she is still doing that. Tracy did say she would have to ask permission for the recipes.”
“Well, we enjoyed what she had made. I think it could sell very well here and we’d compensate her and your mother-in-law.”
“Well, Modine said that if you offered, to just give it to Tracy. She did the work of showing it off.”
“So you are looking for a job?” Mark asked.
“Well, I am looking for something part time, till we are fully moved down here, this way there isn’t a long period with no money.”
“Yes, I can understand that. We are looking for a bakery to deli worker, but Beth can tell you about that.”
“I do have my resume and a letter of recommendation from my last employer, but I’d need the letter back, he only gave me one.”
Mark looked at the people who were walking in, then he looked to Maggie. “Tell you what. I need to get back in the kitchen. She is in the office and busy for a few minutes. Give me the resume and the letter, I’ll give it to her and you can go fill out the application, if you’d like. You can take over one of the smaller tables.”
“You don’t mind me taking over a table?”
“Not at all.” Mark replied.
“Thank you.” Maggie said as she handed over the resume and letter of recommendation. She took the application, turned and headed for the table in a corner. She took a seat and started filling out the application. About ten minutes later, she looked up and saw Beth coming out to her. Beth stopped her from getting up and she slid into the other seat.
“Hello, Maggie.”
“Hello Beth. I hope you don’t mind me taking one of the tables.” Maggie said, putting the pen down.
“Not at all. I was hoping to see you, or at least your daughter.”
“She is at home, doing schoolwork.”
“Well, that is more important.” Beth said with a nod. She had already called Maggie’s old boss, Chris and got his glowing verbal recommendation, then there was the fact she had been there almost a decade with no issues. She just wanted to question Maggie on her lack of recent restaurant work. With Shelly’s vote of confidence too, she knew Maggie was a good person, she just needed someone who could handle the stress of a job like that.
Beth looked at the application, then at Maggie. “So, Mark gave me your resume and letter of recommendation. I wanted to ask you a couple of questions. The first is that you haven’t worked a restaurant since about nineteen sixty nine?”
“That’s correct. I have been working my last job full time since we moved to Oroville.” Maggie replied.
“The Wright cleaning place?”
“Yes.” Maggie said with a nod.
“What did you do there?” Beth asked.
“Secretarial work. Answer phones, send out bills, take payments from clients. Occasionally I had to take over for some of the workers and do some of the cleaning jobs.” Maggie replied.
“And you left to move here, right?” Beth asked, trying to recall what Tracy and Shelly had told her.
“Yes.” Maggie said with a nod.
“And when you worked the restaurant, what type was it? A diner? A fancy place, a fast food establishment?”
Maggie thought back and tried to think of how to best describe it. “It was a small family diner in Encino.” Maggie replied. “I bussed tables, was a waitress and even helped with running the till, when we got busy.”
“I see.” Beth looked at the paper, then back at Maggie. “When could you start?”
“Is tomorrow too soon?” Maggie said with a smile.
“Not at all.” Beth replied, then she leaned forward. “But I want to know. I know you have your kids, and I’m sure that you’ll want to look for something a bit more full time, which I can’t offer. What hours are you looking at? Our bakers get here kinda early. Two of them are here at three or four in the morning. They work till noon. We close the bakery at about eleven thirty and move to the deli. The deli starts at about ten thirty, and we could cross train you. We do have bakers, so the early morning is out, but if you wanted, you could start at like seven and move to the deli at eleven.”
“Could I work from say six or seven, til two, so I can still look elsewhere, and be home for the kids?”
“Sure. You’re just going to be part time for now. So you have a fluid schedule.” Beth replied, then she asked. “What about moving from the other town. Have you brought up all your stuff?”
“Well, we are moving this weekend. William gave his two weeks and that is up this weekend. I wanted to take the kids there on this Friday, after Vance gets out of school, then we’re going to load up a Uhaul on Saturday and move on Sunday.” Maggie said, then she added. “And in March, the Godparents of my kids have paid for us to go to Disneyland, so I’d be unavailable for a week.”
“What week?” Beth asked, pulling out a small calander.
“The twenty fifth of March, to the first of April. We also have a series of important appointments for Tracy on the twenty-fifth. So I need to be with her for those.”
“Nothing bad, I hope?” Beth asked, genuine concern in her voice.
“Well, nothing too bad, just getting a full check up and dealing with a therapist for her stress.” Maggie replied.
“Stress? In an eleven year old?” Beth raised an eyebrow. Then she recalled something and she began tapping a finger in the air. “Is this concerning why you all left? Tracy mentioned that someone was trying to hurt her.”
“Well, in a sense. There were some attacks, but the most recent happened at a court date this past Friday, where the woman who attacked her in a gas station attacked her and two other girls in a court of law. She ended up with a black eye from this attack.”
“Wow. She attacked Tracy in a courthouse?”
“Yeah and if you see Tracy, don’t bring it up. I think she is trying to hide her fear.” Maggie said. “But she knocked Tracy to the floor and was trying to bite her face. The woman was like a rabid dog.”
“I’ll keep quiet.” Beth said. “Is Tracy okay?”
Maggie nodded. “Black eye, and scared, but she is okay. And the Woman is in jail, for breaking a temporary restraining order.”
“That’s good.” Beth said with a slight nod. She leaned back in the chair. “The poor little girl of yours. Why would someone attack such a good child.”
“I don’t know....” Maggie said with a shrug. “That woman was just crazy. Ranting on how Tracy is a rapist and a murderer.”
“Wow. That’s out there.” Beth stated.
“Yeah” Maggie nodded again. “Could we change the subject. These attacks are getting hard to deal with and I’d just rather not focus on them.”
“I can respect that.” Beth said. She leaned forward, held out a hand and smiled. “We can talk more later, when you want, but for now I want to offer you a part time job.”
“Thank you.” Maggie said, smiling and shaking her hand.
Yvette sat in the waiting room to her therapist. She had been seeing Doctor Ivan for more than three years now and each time, she rarely talked. Today she was mentally absent, after her breakdown at the school. When her mother had picked her up, she had also set up a meeting with her therapist, due to the problems at school.
Her mother had already talked to the therapist, and now Yvette was sitting on the couch in his office, thinking about Sage and how she had been nice and crying over how she had treated people for the past few years. Finally after a few minutes of her just crying, Ivan spoke up.
“Yvette, each time you come here, I tell you that you can speak your mind, and you never do. Something is bugging you today, more than normally. I can help you, but you have to help me help you.”
“Something happened at school.” Yvette said.
“Did someone find out about you?” Ivan asked.
“No.....” Yvette replied. “But I....”
“What happened?”
Yvette didn’t look up, but she wiped at her eyes with her shirt sleeve. “There were some girls and I’ve been picking on them, but I’ve been feeling bad about it, so today I kinda apologized.” Yvette went quiet and she kept looking at her hands in her lap.
“How did it feel to say you were sorry?” Ivan finally asked, after several moments of silence.
“I...there's been like a weight on me and when I told them I was sorry and really meant it, I ran away. I know how it is to be treated like dirt and I was doing it to them. I figured they would hate me, but Sage followed me and sat with me while I cried.”
“Sage?” Ivan asked.
“Yeah, she goes to my school. Her friends Rachel and Brooke are our usual targets because Rachel is big, Brooke is in a wheelchair and Sage's family is poor.” Yvette said, her head hung in shame. “And Heather thinks it’s better to insult people, so they don’t find out about me.”
Ivan was only slightly aware that two of his patients were at the same school, but he wasn't going to tell either one about the other. He also knew that the Millers lived in poverty, but they weren’t poor, just that Carl was strict about spending money with no purpose. He continued with questioning Yvette. “So what happened after you cried?”
“Sage helped me up and she walked me to the nurse’s office, because recess was almost over.” Yvette said.
“Did she stay with you?” Ivan asked.
Yvette shook her head. “No. The nurse called my mom and she sent Sage back to class.” She looked up at him. “Why did she do that?”
“Because those other girls should be in class and your mother is a better choice in calming you down.” Ivan replied.
“No....” Yvette shook her head again. “Why did she help me? Sage I mean? We've been mean to her for two years now and she willingly helped me out when I was crying? Why would she do that?”
“Yvette, some people just have a good heart. You have one, but your cousin has you so afraid that something will happen, that you attack any kindness, because you think it's a ruse to hurt you.”
“Oh...” She thought about it and he was right. She looked up into her eyes. “What should I do? About Sage, I mean?”
“Well, you should talk to her, so she knows that you're being honest about what happened. You don’t have to tell her everything, but at least tell her you really are sorry.” Ivan suggested, then he added. “Telling her that you’ve been attacked and were afraid you’d be attacked again is a great place to start. You could explain that you thought you were doing what was best.”
“Do I have to tell her about...” Yvette gestured to her crotch. “About my parts?”
“No, I wouldn’t.” Ivan said. He began to think of a way of making sure that Sage and Yvette ended up with an appointment on the same day. He knew that could help show how alike they were. He also knew it could blow up in his face too. “Yvette, just tell them you were beat up once and you were being mean to keep from being beaten again. You don’t have to tell all, just be honest about what you do say. Because, sometimes people can surprise you.”
Tuesday March 1st 1983
Tracy was headed for the kitchen as she descended the stairs. When she got to the bottom, her mother was already dressed and ready to leave. She paused at the door and Tracy quickly got down the last few steps. She hugged and kissed her mother. “Want breakfast?”
“Can’t. I got to get going now. Beth wants me there about six thirty, so she can teach me the register in both the deli and the bakery.”
“Oh.” Tracy said, sounding slightly sad. “Well, have fun.”
“Smile, Tracy, soon you’ll be worrying about school and not if I am home.” Maggie patted her arm. “I’ll be home about noon and we can go grocery shopping with your aunt Shelly before Vance is home from school and before Tai Chi.”
“Okay.” Tracy said while she headed to the kitchen. She got in there and poured herself a bowl of cereal. She took her seat and was halfway through the bowl when Vance came down, mumbled something and he poured his own bowl.
“So....” Tracy started to say, when he seemed to wake up a little. “Ready for school?”
“Yeah. I guess.” Vance said. “I think they got baseball tryouts starting soon.”
“Cool. I hope you get it.” Tracy said.
“Me too. I just got to remember which classes I have today.” He said, then he took a bite and looked at the clock. “Darn it, half an hour to go.”
“Wake up when I do.” Tracy said with a grin.
“Meh.” He muttered as he shoveled in another spoonful.
As he left the table, Tracy got up, put her bowl in the sink and went to the desk where she kept her school work. She wanted to get started early, so she was ready for shopping later.
The shopping for another two weeks was done an Tracy was now headed to her Tai Chi class, with her mother. Her Aunt and Uncle were at home with Vance. She was ready for a good workout, then to go home and go to bed. But as she got to the door of Lok’s school, she heard the sounds of someone running towards them. She turned to see Stacey running to her and her father just behind her.
“Tracy!” Stacey said as she caught her in a running hug.
“Stacey!” Tracy exclaimed back as she hugged her back. Are you going to take the classes here too?”
“No, I actually came to give you this.” Stacey held out an envelope.
“What is it?” Tracy asked, opening the envelope. Inside was a pink piece of paper.
“An invite to my birthday, on the ninetieth.”
“At your house?” Tracy asked.
“Not all of it.” Stacey said. “We’re going to a roller rink in San Ramon, then we’ll go to my home, but my two friends from my school will be there and we’re having a sleepover.” Stacey followed Tracy into the studio, their parents were behind them. Harvey slipped Maggie an invite for Vance, so they could have enough kids for the minimum needed for the party room.
“Will....” Tracy stopped and looked to Stacey. “Will your friends be there for the sleepover?”
“Yeah.”
“I...um...I”
“Tracy.” Harvey said, getting her attention. “Are you worried that someone will find out about you?”
“Yeah.” Tracy said with a nod.
“I will keep you safe in my house.” Harvey stated.
“They’re good people and I really want you to meet them.” Stacey said, then she pouted her lip and looked at her friend with pleading eyes. “Please, no one will find out. Sage is coming, Rachel and Brooke too. It’s only two girls from school. Please?”
“Tracy, I think you should go.” Her mother said. “You can always call us if you get worried.”
“I could?”
“Yes.” Maggie said with a nod.
“Please?” Stacey pleaded again.
“Okay.” Tracy said with a nod.
“Thanks!” Stacey hugged Tracy.
“Are you staying for the class?” Tracy asked.
“No, we got things to do and Dad has to get me home. He has the evening shift tonight.” Stacey said with a shake of her head.
“Saturday then?” Tracy asked.
“Yeah. I think Rachel wants to go to her place, so we can plan what places in Disneyland we want to see first.”
Tracy chuckled and shook her head. “I vote pirates and the haunted mansion.”
“Come on Stacey, we should get going and Tracy needs to change.” Harvey said, knowing if they got started on the topic, they could talk all night.
“Okay, Dad.” Stacey said. She hugged Tracy. “See you on Friday.”
“Bye Stacey.” Tracy said.
Up next, more fun with Tracy, Vance and the rest. And now we are out of February 1983!
Tracy is back! One again she has returned.
Edited By Djkauf
No spoiler this time. Instead I ask that as you read this, you forget the Halloween one, for now. That was made as a look into her future. This is still back in the past, just a month before Disneyland. In fact this starts where the last one stopped, after her Tai chi class.
Tuesday evening March 1st 1983
While the car cruised through the night traffic, taking Maggie and Tracy back to Livermore, after a very exhausting Tai Chi class, Tracy could hear the song playing on the radio. It was an old one, Honey, by Bobby Goldsboro. She wasn’t really focused on the radio. nor did she have the energy or will to lean forward to change the channel to something a bit more modern. As they passed by the last Dublin off ramp, Tracy seemed to pick up on the words being sung.
“One day when I was not at home, while she was there and all alone, the Angels came. Now all I have are memories of Honey and I wake up nights and call her name. Now my life’s an empty stage....”
Tracy didn’t hear any more as she began to cry. Thoughts of losing Peter, or her father came rushing to her mind. She feared being alone. Sure, she had her mother, but something could happen. She feared that something would.
Maggie put a hand on hers, just for a moment. “It’s okay baby. It’s just a song. Let me change that.” Then she reached up and changed the channel.
She thought she would find a safe song on the country channel. But the sad sounds of a country guitar was there and before she could turn it, they heard George Jones cry out.
“He stopped loving her today. They placed a wreath upon his door.”
Maggie slapped the volume with one hand as Tracy began to bawl. Her first attempt just turned the volume up, not down. She quickly spun the knob and the song died off, but it was too late, Tracy was sobbing in the passenger seat.
Maggie checked the mirrors and she pulled off the road, turning on her hazards and putting the car into park. She leaned over and held her daughter, who was sobbing uncontrollably now.
“Tracy? What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know!” She sobbed out, leaning into her mother’s chest and cried. “It’s just so sad! He loved her and she left! Both of them!”
Maggie wasn’t sure what she could do. So all she did was to sit there, holding her daughter, until the crying stopped, while traffic kept passing by. Minutes passed and still Tracy remained crying. Finally, after nearly twenty minutes, when the fits of tears stopped, she looked her daughter in the eyes. “Baby? Are you okay now?”
“Sorry, Mom.”
“Baby, don’t be. Every woman needs a good cry every now and then.” She thought back, her memories went to the night before, when her, and her children, plus Shelly and Frank were watching the last episode of M*A*S*H. As the show came to a close, Tracy had been crying, and she had cried several times during the episode. But even Maggie had shed a few tears during the episode. Frank had left the room a couple of times too. So it wasn’t just her daughter. And she knew that if she had heard those songs, during her time of the month, she would have been a wreck. But it couldn’t be Tracy’s time of the month. As far as she knew, she would never get one. Plus, by now, the shots would have worn off. At least that’s what she suspected.
Maggie knew that they should get moving again, in case someone with less than honorable intentions stopped to help them. With a soft sigh, she sat up in her seat and put the car into gear, then continued on to Shelly’s home.
The evening didn’t get better for the young girl, and her emotions got the best of her, while watching T.V. Not only did she cry during a show, but during commercials. Finally her mother sent her off to bed, sure that she just needed a little sleep.
After a few minutes and before she headed to bed herself, Maggie went back downstairs, after checking on the kids, where Shelly was sitting at. Maggie sat down on the love seat, and sighed.
“Is Tracy asleep?”
“Yeah.” Maggie said.
“That was a weird evening. I’ve never seen her cry at a cat food commercial before.” Shelly stated. “Not even when you were still in Oroville and she was all alone here.”
“The past few hours she has been emotionally off kilter. On the way home, she just fell to pieces at that song, Honey? The old sad one? Then the George Jones one from a couple years ago.” Maggie shook her head. “I just thought maybe she was lonely, but her crying over that cat food commercial tonight? Something is wrong. I just don’t know what.”
“Well, Maggie, with everything that has gone on in her life, just for the past three months....That poor kid has been through the wringer.” Shelly put a hand on Maggie’s knee. “Maybe with leaving her home of ten years, losing her friends, and not having her father around, not to mention that Molly woman and all the stuff from her, she could just be dealing with emotions that have welled up.”
“I guess.” Maggie said, shaking her head. “But what if it’s more? I mean the hormones should have run their course by now. But what if there is some kind of problem with her having them?”
“Maybe you should call that doctor and get an appointment? See if he could run a test or two?”
“May be a good idea.”
“Oh yeah, before I forget, I have something going on tomorrow. I totally forgot it, with Tracy’s crying. But I can’t watch her tomorrow or Thursday.” Shelly paused for just a moment and added. “I already tried Persephone and Lynn, they are both working tomorrow. So is Karen. Lilian is out of town and Jaio and Lok are busy too.”
“Crud....” Maggie leaned back in the seat. “I work in the morning.”
“Call Beth. Maybe you can get out of work? Or maybe work something out? I know her mother lives upstairs from the bakery....”
“Hey....I wonder.....”
Wednesday March 2nd 1983
The dream was a nice one, something Tracy didn’t seem to get a lot of lately. This one was a nice quiet walk, just her and Peter. There were birds in the trees, singing, flowers blooming by her feet. And as she was walking along the sunlit path, hand in hand with Peter.
As his lips began to touch hers, something began to wake her up. A shaking sensation, one that rattled her until the dream was lost and she was peeking through the mop of dirty blonde hair.
“Tracy, I need you up and in the shower in five minutes.” Maggie said as she shook her daughter.
“What?” A sleepy Tracy asked.
“Your Aunt has something important she forgot about to do today. She can’t take you with her. So there will be no one here. I called Beth and got the approval to take you to the deli. She offered that after you do your schoolwork, you can help them make something for the deli.”
“Okay.” Tracy said. It was the first time in weeks that she had slept in, and Maggie watched as she rolled over, covering her bare shoulder. “See you later.”
Maggie chuckled, and then sighed. Then she began shaking her daughter again. “Sweetie, get up, please. I know you’re tired, but we need to get going. You need to be moving here really soon.” This caused Tracy to open her eyes again.
“Okay. Bye.” Tracy curled up and shut her eyes again.
Maggie shook her head as tapped her daughter on the shoulder. “Come on baby. I need you up. We’re spending the morning with Beth and her mother.” With her other hand, she began shaking her daughter.
The constant shaking and tapping were keeping her from her sleep. Her dream was now lost for good. Tracy’s temper snapped and she rolled over, glaring at her mother. “Okay! I’m awake! I wanna sleep!”
“Okay, you may be tired, but don’t you dare snap at me like that.” Maggie said, pointing a finger at her youngest child’s face. “Now you better remember that, but for now, get dressed. Beth is waiting to see you.”
“Beth who?” Tracy asked as she moved and rubbed at her eyes. She was tired and confused now, but still a bit angry from being woken up so early. At this point, Vance was watching them.
“Beth from the bakery. Beth Paulson. And her mother.”
“Mrs. Paulson and her Mom?” Tracy asked as she lay there. “Why are they coming here?”
“Sit up and I’ll tell you.”
Tracy sat up and Maggie sat on the edge of her bed. “Your Aunt has something important to tend to and she may be gone today and tomorrow. Beth won’t come here, but we’re going to the deli. You need to come with me and we can hang out with Beth today, until around one or two in the afternoon. It’s too early to call Persephone or Karen. So I’m taking you with me. Not to mention, Karen works today."
Tracy thought about it. Hanging out in the house alone could be fun. But a part of her thought that being in a restaurant all day could be even better. “Okay.” She said.
“Get up and get in the shower. Your Aunt and Uncle are gone already. So get going.” Maggie said as she got up. “Vance will need a shower too, so save him some hot water.”
“Okay Mom.” Tracy got up and she headed to the bathroom. Now that she was awake, a trip to the bathroom was becoming a pressing matter.
As Tracy stood in the shower, her hair clean and now she was just letting the water run down her back and relax her muscles. Her workout at Lok’s studio had been a good one the night before and she felt a little tense now that she was awake. Yet as she stood there, she began to think again, and the thought of her father just staying in Oroville crossed her mind. The thoughts of everything over the past few months came rushing back and she started to think that maybe she ran him off. She shut the water off and stepped out, grabbing at a towel hanging by the tub.
Little time was spent in the bathroom, drying off. Instead she quickly patted herself down, then headed for her shared room. She was hopeful that Vance would get up soon and get in the shower.
As Tracy walked past her mother, who could see something was bothering her youngest kid. The tear stained cheeks were a big tip off.
“Tracy, are you okay?”
“I don’t know.” Tracy replied, wiping at her cheeks and sniffling as she headed for her room. Vance passed her in the hall. “You think Dad will stay away? Because of me? Because of all of what I caused?”
Maggie smiled, warmly, and put a hand on Tracy’s shoulders. “No baby. He’s moving down at the end of the week. He called just the other day, remember? After the MASH finale? You two talked for half an hour.”
“Yeah. But will he still....” The tears were in her eyes and Maggie began to think back on how her daughter had been emotional the past two nights. Not all the time, but for the last show of MASH and then a sweet commercial. Something was up. And the mother part of Maggie was worried. From the breakdown in the car to her crying over the T.V. Something was wrong. She knew Tracy was still having a hard time, with nightmares of Bruce, Clark and even Molly. She was impressed that Tracy kept moving forward. But as she thought about it, there were other things. Little things that had almost passed her attention. She decided to put it out of her mind for now. She had to get to work, or she could lose the job just after getting it. She did make a mental note to call Doctor Addams, just to get an appointment.
“Well, get dressed. It may rain and it will be a high around the sixties, so you may wanna dress in pants.”
“Do I hafta?”
“Beth said she wants to do some cooking with you. Her and her mother. So you may want pants. But you’ll also need to bring your backpack and homework."
“Homework too?!?”
“Just some reading. Your Aunt told me what she was going to have you do today. So just History and English. That’s all.” Maggie said and this seemed to calm her daughter down. “And bring a book, in case you get done early.”
Tracy came down the steps, backpack over her shoulder, purse over the other one. She stopped to look at the clock long enough to realize it was almost seven. She figured she had been woken up at six, or so.
They headed to the door, almost right away, as Vance was finishing up his breakfast. His shower was fast, almost a fast step through the water, due to a lack of hot water. His ride was on its way. He was going to get a ride with the Millers to the school. He was a bit jealous that she was getting the whole day to spend at a restaurant, but he knew he had no choice.
The ride to the bakery was quick and uneventful. Just a matter of minutes was all it took to get from where they were staying to the downtown area. Maggie found a parking spot in a pay-by-the-day lot, near the bakery. They parked, got out and Tracy walked with Maggie to the main entrance.
Tracy was surprised at how empty the stores looked along the main road. “When does everything open?”
“Not for a couple of hours. If you want, we can go check the stores when I’m off of work.”
“Sure. We’ve never been down here that much.” Tracy said with a nod as they walked to the front door of the bakery. Tracy followed her mother to the bakery and as she stepped in.
As they went in, Maggie steered her to the bakery, where Beth was standing on the customer side of the counter. Maggie gave her a sheepish grin. “Sorry I’m late, Beth.”
“Nonsense. You called and I totally understand. Besides, you’re just learning, so we can keep you here an extra hour to make up for lost time.”
“Thank you.”
“Go and get back there. Douglas is back there with Mom. We will be having you learn the register over here today.”
“Okay.” Maggie said. She turned and hugged Tracy. “Be good.” She said, before kissing her daughter's cheek, which made Tracy blush from embarrassment. It would have been fine, but there were customers in the bakery.
Beth put a hand on Tracy’s shoulder. “Sweetie, you want a doughnut, or something to eat? We have some fresh from the oven.”
“I didn’t get breakfast, but can I have a cinnamon roll? I got some money on me.”
“Consider this one on the house. Okay?” Beth asked in reply. Tracy looked to her mother, who nodded, so Tracy nodded to Beth.
“Please?”
“We’ll get you a spot in the deli in a moment. I’d suggest the booth closest to the counter. That way people can’t see you from the sidewalk. They see you and they’ll try the door all morning, thinking we’re open early.”
“What about customers?” Tracy asked.
“Sweetie, there won’t be customers in there until about ten thirty. Then we start to have the lunch crowd trickling in. You have the deli to yourself for about three hours. Well, you and Mark. We’ll get you something else to eat, too. So you’re not just eating sugar for breakfast.”
“Okay.” Tracy meekly replied. Now that she was here, and there were a few adults in the place, all going for coffee and doughnuts and other things, she felt very much out of place and on the spot.
“Be right back.” Beth went to where the bakers were and she started moving to the back, while Tracy waited and watched her mother being trained on the register.
Beth came from the back of the bakery with a plate, a tray and a small pint of orange juice. “This way, sweetie.”
Beth sent her through the employee area and Tracy went into the darkened deli. It felt weird to be in there with only a handful of lights on and no customers.
Tracy took one of the booths near the counter of the darkened deli and she spread out her work in front of her. A the light above her was on and she kept her back to the main window.
As she took a bite, then started to read, Beth’s grandmother stepped out of the back office.
“So, what are we working on?” Mama Leone asked as she slid into the seat across from her.
“History.” Tracy replied. “I’m reading about gangsters and that Al Capone guy.”
“Ah, I remember those days....I was young and we lived on the west side of Chicago.” Beth’s grandmother said with a nod of her head. “A bad time. But it had its moments. Good music, lots of excitement.....” The old lady looked over the work. “Now do you need any help with this, or are you just reading things today?”
“I’m just reading. But Aunt Shelly will be working on it more tomorrow.”
“Well then. I’ll let you read and I can get back to the bakery.” Beth’s Grandmother said.
Tracy looked to her book, then at the old woman. “You don’t have to.”
The old lady smiled and shook her head. “Sweetie. I know you’re bored. But I have a job to do here. But I’ll be back in a little while. I promise. Besides, Mark is due in soon, too.”
Tracy sighed and nodded her head, just slightly. “Okay.” She said. Her voice was soft and with that the older lady turned to head for the bakery. She was gone before she could see the tears forming in Tracy’s eyes.
Tracy didn’t like this at all anymore. Not being at the Deli, but being alone. It was like everyone kept leaving her. She couldn’t help the feelings of loneliness and the tears kept falling. She leaned against the wall and started to crying. She sat there, leaning against the wall, softly crying and wishing that Sage could have been with her for the day, or Rachel and Brooke. She just wanted someone with her, just for a few minutes.
After about ten minutes of crying, she got up from her seat, grabbed her purse and found her way to the bathroom. She just needed a moment to collect herself and get the tears off her face. Crying for no reason was stupid and she didn’t want to look like a baby in front of any adults who would have come in there. What she didn't know was that for the past few minutes, Beth's Grandmother had seen her, between trips to the walk in cooler.
About two hours later, Tracy was done with her cinnamon roll, and the breakfast sandwich she had been given. Her history was history, but she was willing to put the rest of her work off, until later. Yet she didn't want to lose the fun of night time, so she did her writing assignment, just to get it done. After that her day was free. She hoped that Beth and Beth’s mother would be headed that way soon, so she could get into the fun part of her day.
Mark patted her shoulder. “Hey kiddo. You doing good today?”
“Yeah.” She said, shrugging her shoulders.
“Well, I’m gonna be right there.” He pointed to a window on the wall. “So if you wanna talk, I can hear ya through that.”
As she worked on her writing, a woman came in from the back of the deli, having used the employee’s entrance in the bakery. Her hair was disheveled from the late morning mist that was happening outside. Tracy looked up as she passed and the woman looked at her. She was near her mid twenties, or so Tracy through, but as she looked to Tracy, she got a look on her face that was either a sour look, or confused.
“Hey Eva. You ready for today? Looks like nice soup weather.” Mark said from his spot at the stove in the back. It was quiet enough that Tracy could hear them in the deli.
Yeah, its cold, but whose little girl is that?” Eva asked, looking back at the booth again.
“That’s Tracy, Maggie’s daughter.”
“Who’s Maggie?” the woman asked again.
“The new lady, she’s going to be doing odd shifts, while looking for work. You met her a week or so ago.”
Eva huffed out a breath, like this new turn of events directly affected her. She recalled Maggie from the week earlier, but she wasn’t aware they had become a daycare. “Okay, then why is her kid here? Too cheap for a sitter, so we get the privilege? And why isn’t she at school” Her tone quickly turned bitter.
“Well, Tracy is home schooled, but the lady who does the homeschooling had something big going on, today and tomorrow. Maggie had no one else to call because they are new to town. So Tracy will be here till about noon, or one this afternoon, then someone can get her, or Maggie takes off early.”
“What about cops and stuff? Like truant officers?” The attitude kept seeping through her speech and in her body language. Tracy did her best to ignore the woman, but with little noise in the place, it was difficult.
“Well, if a truant officer shows, Maggie said she has the paperwork handy and we can move Tracy to an office when we open up this side. But for now, the office is in use, while Mom works on payroll.”
“So we have to babysit some snot nosed little brat, while her mother tries to prove she is not a total drain on society?”
“HEY!” Tracy yelled. “Leave my mom alone!” ,
“Go.” Mark commanded as he pointed to a back hall and he followed Eva. He looked to Tracy and gave her a nod of his head. “Keep on with your writing, Tracy. I’ll talk to her.”
She waited a moment, then she nodded, still fuming that someone had insulted her mother. She looked back to her papers, but as she sat there, tears began to form. As far as she knew, she had never seen the woman before, and here she was, already judging them. It was Molly all over again.
Mark went to the hall, just past his stove and he stopped near Eva, who now looked like she was ready to cry. “Okay, first of all, we open in half an hour, so lose the bitchy attitude. Secondly, we can take care of cops when they show up. Third, Maggie has moved here just because of issues in their old town. Not that it matters to you, but there were people who were trying to rape and murder that sweet little girl out there, and her mother.”
“What?” Eva said, not sounding like she believed it.
“Someone was trying to get back at Tracy because she got someone arrested for attacking her and her grandmother on their old property. Tracy was hospitalized for a week and another week after that when someone tripped her and tore out her stitches. Then someone was calling and threatening to rape Tracy, rape and murder Maggie, murder Tracy’s dad and brother, while Tracy was forced to watch, then he was going to rape Tracy again and then kill her. So they are not a drain on society. That person was who threatened them was spreading rumors and Tracy was attacked twice, by church ladies, who believed the stories. The most recent attack was in a courthouse and she gave Tracy that black eye. Maggie is a good mother, who moved to a new town to protect her children from a growing mob as self-righteous assholes. So remember that. Hell, according to Maggie, Tracy was almost raped in that attack back in December, the one that put her in the hospital. She is a good kid and Maggie is proving to be a good worker.”
“What’s going on?” Beth asked. “We heard Tracy screaming from the bakery.”
“I’m working on that now.” Marc said. It was silent for a moment and they could hear the sounds of Tracy sobbing again.
“Well, Maggie is looking in on Tracy. You two got her in tears. So I want to know what you said to her.”
“I’ll handle this, but this is what happened.” And Mark quickly told her the story. Before Beth could speak, he turned to Eva.
“Now what crawled up your ass and died?” Mark asked. “Tell me or I send your ass home for a month with no pay.” When she was silent for a moment, Beth spoke, going with the good cop treatment.
“Eva, is something happened, we may be able to help. Even if it’s someone to talk to. So please, what is wrong?”
“Robert....” She said, in a quiet tone, but from Tracy’s seat, she heard them, but only barely through her tears. They weren’t too far down the hallway. Her Mother was in the booth with her, her arm around her crying daughter. Both of them were watching the new girl. Tracy tired to reign in her tears, just to hear what had happened. The girl continued. “He dumped me....Over the phone....”
"That horse's ass did what?!?" Beth exclaimed. "And over the phone? What an asshole." Maggie's expression hardened too.
“Oh...I understand now.” Mark said with a nod of his head. His gruff attitude slowly cooled.
“And he picked the worst week in the month too.” Eva grumbled. “Cramps and now this grief. Plus I gotta move back home now....”
“Yikes. I don’t need to know any more.” Mark said.
“Mark!” Beth snapped. “Be nice. She’s having a tough day.”
“I found out that the snake has been sleeping with my best friend, saying I told him it was fine. He even slept with my sister.”
“That jerk.” Beth said with a growl in her voice.
“Look, Beth, you help Eva, I got to get the lunch stuff ready.” Mark stated, not wishing to be a part of the womanly problems.
Once she was presentable again, Eva came into the main area, while Maggie was still out there. She went straight for the booth that Tracy was in.
“I’m sorry about earlier.” Eva said as she slipped into the seat opposite Tracy. “I kinda get extra bitchy once a month.....Well, you know how that goes, or you will.....” She trailed off and shook her head. “And today just hadn’t been the best. I didn’t have the best morning and it’s just getting worse and I should have never yelled at you or said what I said about your Mom. I’m really sorry.” She looked to Maggie. “To both of you, really. I was just being....well, a bitch.”
Tracy looked up and she could see tears in the woman’s eyes. She wasn’t sure, but she had been feeling like crying a lot too, so something made her want to listen. “What’s wrong?”
“Its nothing.” Eva said, shaking her head.
“You got mad at someone?” She had heard the conversation Eva and Mark had and she knew she shouldn’t say she heard, but as a kid, the vocal filter wasn’t quite working. “You said someone made you mad....”
“Yeah. It’s not important.”
“But you’re mad, doesn’t that make it important to you?” Tracy said. “I talk to my therapist about things that bug me. Maybe you could find someone to talk to for your problems.”
It was times like that that Maggie was proud of her daughter. Thinking of others and their problems too. She hugged Tracy a bit harder. “Tracy is right. Sitting on problems can cause you to feel even worse.” Maggie stated. “And while we’ve only known each other for just a week or so, I’d hate to see this eat at you.”
Eva thought about it for a moment, then she sighed and decided to tell them her story.
“I’m in a bad mood because I got dumped, for not sleeping with my boyfriend, but he was slee....” She trailed off as she realized that she was about to say sleeping with and decided to change it. “He was seeing someone else, my best friend. And my sister.” Eva said. “So when you get older, just remember that sometimes love can hurt.”
“I have a friend I like, but he is in another town now.” Tracy said with a nod. “It hurt to leave him there.”
“Trust me. I think I can understand. I’m from the midwest. We moved here when I was in High school. I left everyone back there....”
“I’m sorry.” Tracy said.
Eva reached across the table and took Tracy’s hands. “Sweetie. It’s not your fault, so don’t take the blame, okay.”
“Okay.” Tracy said with a small nod.
“Thank you for listening, but I better get to work now.”
Tracy started to move and her mother got the clue, so Maggie got out of the seat, while Tracy slid out. She hopped onto the seat and leaned over, hugging Eva. “I hope you feel better.”
Maggie smiled and put a hand on hers. “I do too. I know how love can hurt. All too well.”
As Maggie and Beth headed back to the bakery, Beth stopped her in the back hall, when she was sure that Tracy couldn't hear her. "Maggie, is something wrong with your daughter?"
"Why do you ask?" Maggie asked her.
"Well, one comment from Eva and she was sobbing into your shoulder. Earlier, Grandma swear she saw Tracy crying at the booth, but nothing was going on around her."
"I don't know, but could I call her doctors?" MAggie asked, then she added. "See, the last couple of nights, Tracy has been all over the emotional board. We watched MASH and she cried for that..."
"So did I."
"But did you cry for cat food commercials too?" Maggie asked her boss.
"Um....no." Beth said with a shake of her head.
"Then last night, she was sobbing in the car, over old sad songs." Maggie stated, again, with a shake of her head, as though this would help her thing. "I want to call her doctor and make sure all is well."
"Use the office phone. We'll get you started in here, when we're done with the bakery. Just join me there."
"I will. And thank you Beth."
It was getting closer to ten and Tracy had totally given up on her school work. It was still with her, just now it was forgotten. Instead she was reading one of her books.
Beth came over and patted Tracy’s shoulder. “I am headed to the back kitchen. Want to join me and we can look over that recipe?”
She was about to get up and go ask her mom, when Maggie walked into the deli. “It’s okay, Tracy, I called Modine and she said you could show them.”Maggie handed her daughter a couple of pieces of paper.. “Here are the recipes.”
“Sure!” Tracy quickly shut her books and pushed them into a bag. She took it and followed Beth to the back kitchen, stopping by the office long enough to put her books inside..
“Now, do you want to help me make these?” Beth asked. “We’re going to use the oven back here, but if anyone asks, we were upstairs, okay? And after a test batch, I made more down here.”
“Why?”
“Because if someone heard a minor was working our oven while we’re open, we could get in trouble. It’s a labor law thing.”
“A labor law?”
“Child labor. You’re too young to be working in a restaurant. So we’re doing this upstairs, got it? Or we, your mother and you could get in trouble.”
“But why aren't we up there?” Tracy asked.
“More space here and the oven down here is better.” Beth stated.
Tracy shrugged. Either way she didn't mind. It wasn't school work and this could be fun. "Okay."
As they were boiling the noodles, Tracy was mixing the ingredients for the chewy bars.
“Can I give one to Eva, as a taste test?” Tracy asked. "Please?"
“Sure, Tracy. You can do that.”
Tracy put one of the chewy bars on a napkin and she headed for the counter area
“Eva, you wanna try this? It’s a bar my grandmother used to make for big family get togethers.”
Eva nodded, took the bar, bit off a small piece, then another. “Oh my God, this is good.” The chocolate was good, and very much needed. She finished the bar and looked to Tracy. “You did that?”
“Grandma’s recipe, but I made it.”
“Well, Tracy, that was a wonderful snack. I loved it.” Eva said with a big smile, which made Tracy smile.
“Eva, we’re going to put these up for sale at the counter.” Beth’s mother said. “I want you to try these salad ideas too.” She brought out a small bowl and handed it to Eva.
After she was done, Eva nodded, while chewing, then she pointed at the first bowl. “I loved the chicken one. Ham was good, but I am a chicken fan.” She looked from Tracy to her boss. “Are these another one of Tracy’s recipes?”
“Well, her grandmother’s, but we've gotten the okay to make them here. We’re only making half bowls today, to see if they catch on, but we have a listing of all the ingredients for you.”
It was a little past eleven and her mother was now working in the deli, working the counter with Eva. She was also running back and forth, from the walk-in refrigerator to the counter. Tracy was sitting in the same booth again. She had wanted to stay at the counter, but Beth had told her to stay in the booth, unless they got too busy.
She hadn’t picked her own salad for lunch. This time she went with a soup and sandwich combo, and a side of chips. They even let her pay for her own meal, which made it taste a bit better, or so she thought. Her attention was on her food and a magazine that had articles on some of the more popular bands. She was so engrossed in a story about Pat Benatar, that she didn't notice the cops come in.
Her mother was also in the fridge, getting more lettuce, so she was unaware of their arrival too. The only one who was there and seen them, was Eva.
The two cops headed for the counter, but when they saw her, they stopped heading for the counter, gestured to Tracy, and headed her way. Eva saw this and turned to get Mark’s attention. The two cops were a man and woman team. He was a white male and the woman was short, but latino.
“Excuse me young lady.” The male cop said as he stopped at Tracy’s table. “Shouldn't you be in school right now? And do you have a guardian or parent with you?”
“I’m Home schooled. But my Mom is in the bakery.” At least Tracy thought she was there. She wasn't sure where her mother kept wondering off too.
“The bakery is closed now.” The male cop replied, arching an eyebrow. “And why are you just sitting out here? And if you’re home schooled, Shouldn't you be home, doing schoolwork?”
Tracy started to get nervous. She couldn't see her mother, and now cops were questioning her. Once again, fear started to well up in her. She thought about what could happen. Jail. A work camp somewhere. And the little girl began to shake.
Ha! A cliff hanger! Sorry to do that, but this chapter was growing out of control and needed to be stopped. So now, what will become of Tracy? Tune in next time and no, it shouldn't be a year from now.
Tears started to pour from Tracy’s eyes and she began sobbing for now, out of fear. Fear of being taken away from her mother. The more she sat there, the more she wished she had never come with her mother. The more, meant more of the customers looked her way.
Eva had left the counter, as there were no other people at the counter. Even though she had questioned Tracy’s reason to be there, seeing the girl cry was more than enough reason to go to her rescue. She went to the booth where a now scared Tracy was. “Her mother is in the cooler, right now, grabbing more lettuce. She has the papers to show she is home schooled. Tracy has been here for the morning, but she and Grandma Leone were upstairs, doing her school work. Tracy came down for lunch and her mom should be off of work soon.”
Editing by Djkauf
A return to Tracy at the deli. When last we saw her, she was starting to cry. And we return, before the next teardrop falls.
Tears started to pour from Tracy’s eyes and she began sobbing for now, out of fear. Fear of being taken away from her mother. The more she sat there, the more she wished she had never come with her mother. The more, meant more of the customers looked her way.
Eva had left the counter, as there were no other people at the counter. Even though she had questioned Tracy’s reason to be there, seeing the girl cry was more than enough reason to go to her rescue. She went to the booth where a now scared Tracy was. “Her mother is in the cooler, right now, grabbing more lettuce. She has the papers to show she is home schooled. Tracy has been here for the morning, but she and Grandma Leone were upstairs, doing her school work. Tracy came down for lunch and her mom should be off of work soon.”
“Jonathan Paulson!” Beth’s mother yelled at the officer. “How dare you make that poor little girl cry like that!” She walked past the counter and towards the cops.
Officer Paulson flinched at the sound of his mother-in-law yelling at him. The latino officer didn’t smirk or smile, she did however look from the little girl, to the adults, then back. Now Tracy was crying into Eva's shoulder.
Mark came out of the kitchen, Beth behind him. “Why did you get her crying?” Mark asked. He had already grabbed Maggie and warned her the cops were there, before he noticed it was his brother in law. He had also warned him mother and Grandmother, plus his sister.
“Ask John, he did it.” Eva replied.
“You made Tracy cry?!?” Beth snapped at her husband. “How dare you make some innocent girl cry, you big jerk!”
“Beth, please. We’re just trying to determine why this young girl is sitting here, eating, as opposed to being at school.”
“You could have asked someone. Bad enough this poor little girl has been on an emotional roller coaster all day, thanks to monthly hormones, threats, and a move from her old home. Now you have to go and make her cry again.” Beth said, glaring at her husband.
“This is Tracy. She is home schooled.” Mark said. “Tracy, this is officer John Paulson. He’s my brother in law. He is Beth’s husband. The other one is Officer Hernandez.”
Hernandez, spoke up. “So, if she is home schooled, why is she here? Why not at home?”
“This is for her home ec training.” Eva stated, her arm around Tracy.. “She was doing English and history reading earlier, with Grandma Leone. but to make sure she was a good grounding in home ec, her mother wanted to make sure she could cook. Well, the person who usually teaches her is out of town, so Tracy had to come with her mom, so she wasn’t left home alone. Grandma Leone was with her in the upstairs apartment, until lunchtime.”
“I see.” The female cop said. By this point, Maggie was there, with her papers.
“Is there a problem?” Maggie asked. “Did Tracy do something wrong? Why is she crying?”
“John made her cry.” Eva said, casting a glare at the cop. She got up and Maggie slid into the seat next to her daughter.
“Is this your daughter?” The female cop asked.
“Yes, Tracy is my youngest. Did she do something wrong?” Maggie said with a nod.
John spoke up first. “We’re trying to determine what is going on. Why is this child here, during school hours.”
“John....” Beth leveled her husband the cop, a stare. “Mark told you. She is home schooled. That means she doesn’t have set hours. It also means she doesn’t have to be in any one particular place. I know you have dealt with home schooled children before. Eva told you that she was with Grandma, upstairs, until lunch time.”
Beth’s grandmother came into the main room. She had been listening in on what was going and and she was thankful that Eva spoke so loudly. “Is there a problem with Tracy? I only left her for a moment.”
“So she was under supervision the whole time?” The female cop asked and Beth’s grandmother nodded. Hernandez could see the situation was getting out of hand and now some of the ladies who were eating their lunches, were glaring at the cops for making the young girl cry.
“Yes, until I needed the bathroom.” Beth’s grandmother said. “We’ve been doing her history, English and home ec classes today. Then I figured she could have lunch without an old lady lording over her. Plus, when mother nature calls, at my age, you don’t tend to ignore it.”
“Home ec?” The female cop asked.
“You know. Cooking, checkbook balancing, stuff like that. How to take care of the house? Well, today was cooking.” Eva stated.
“Well, today we worked on basic recipes, like a cake and those bars at the counter.”
“The bars? She made those? Here in the restaurant?” Hernandez asked, arching an eyebrow.
“Kind of. She made a small batch with myself, Carla, and Beth, up in my apartment. The one upstairs. We wanted to see if we could use something like that in the deli. We would have never had her working in the main kitchen. With Mark in there, the four of us would have gotten in his way and he’d be in an even fouler temper.” Beth’s grandmother said, then she added. “Plus, it would be very illegal.”
“So, how did the candy get down here?” The female cop asked again.
“That’s easy. See, I’ve had one before and with Tracy’s blessing, Mom and I came down here and we made more for the store, once she gave us the recipe. We’re actually buying the recipe from her. That’s why they’re named after Tracy.”
“I see.”
“We also bought her chicken and ham salad ideas. Just to keep our menu fresh.”
John was aware that the women in the restaurant were staring and the men seemed a little miffed too. He wanted to put the situation to bed and quickly. “Rosa, it’s okay. I’m sure the girl is in safe hands and as a homeschooled child, she doesn’t have to be in any one place. There is no law stating where a home schooled child can be taught. And as for being in a restaurant, she could have done the cooking upstairs, in the apartment, like they said.”
“Do you really think we’d let a child, who should be at school, just sit out in the open?” Beth asked. “Knowing full well that you were headed here today? You should know that your own wife would have called the police for a wayward child. But Tracy isn't that. She’s been as good as gold.”
“I guess not.” Hernandez said with a shake of her head.
“I have the papers with me, but could we discuss this elsewhere?”
"Sure, I guess." John said. Beth gestured to the back and Maggie led them to the bakery.
When they got there, Maggie held out her home schooling papers. “These are the papers the school system gave me. It’s all legal like. I still have the papers from her last school, as well, if you need those.”
“These should suffice, for now.” John said. The officers looked over the papers. Then they handed them back. “Honestly, if there were some kind of issue, they would send a letter first, then a truant officer. So if you got these, this is good by us. Wait.” He paused for a moment. “Why are these listed as Troy and not Tracy?”
And Maggie started the lie she had been working on. She was thankful for meeting Sage, because it was that girl’s story that gave her the idea. “Back in Oroville, at the end of last November, Tracy was attacked by some boys. She ended up in the hospital. During a surgery, they found ladies parts in her. Ovaries, uterus. The whole nine yards. They also noticed that Tracy is slowly developing like a girl her age. Being male, it turns out, was a mistake they made at birth. What would have passed as a testicle was smashed and I guess, it never worked. So now Tracy is Tracy, and until we get the name change finalized in a few weeks, she has to be listed as a boy. That’s why she isn’t in school. So the reason we’ve down here was because of this change. There were issues and people don’t believe it. We had a crazy church lady trying to run us out of town and ruin our lives up there. They think she is a boy, even with medical proof. I also have the papers for the name change on me.”
John and Rosa both nodded, while looking at each other. After a moment of silence, John spoke up. “Okay. I can understand why you’d keep this quiet. We’ll consider this investigated and I'll make a call to the school, and not press the subject. I do suggest that when the name change is done, you change all her school papers.”
"We were going to. Do you need to speak to my lawyers, to make sure it's all on the level?"
"It could be best." Rosa said with a nod.
"Okay. Their business card is in with these papers."
“You won’t say anything? I don’t want to have to move again.” Maggie said.
“Did you move because of this?” Rosa asked.
“Yes. Three attempts on my daughters life was three too many." Maggie stated. "Someone knew that Tracy had been a boy, found out about the girl thing and started to spread a campaign of lies and threats. My lawyers can tell you more.”
"John. We can deal with the lawyers after lunch. We'll check up on it and I'll consider this closed."
"Yeah." John nodded. "There's no way in the world that girl is a boy."
"Not with those waterworks." Rosa said. "I got three daughters and she burst into tears like they do."
"Come on Maggie. We'll let you get back to work, but we'd like to make it up to Tracy and talk to her, so she isn't scared of us, or other cops."
"Okay. Beth trusts you. So can I. I just ask that you don't tell anyone about her birth sex. Please."
"We won't." Rosa said with a nod. "On the lives of my daughters, we won't."
They headed back to the deli and all three went to the booth that Tracy was in. Now Grandmother Leone was in the seat with Tracy, hugging her. Eva was at the counter.
“Tracy, since your mother is busy and this seems to be the only open booth, can we sit with you?” Officer Hernandez said. “We’d like to apologize for making you cry.”
“Am I under arrest?” the little girl asked, and John chuckled, but he got a glare from his wife.
“We promise you’re not being arrested. We just want to be in a booth. It works better for us.” John said. “Plus, the tables are taken too and we’ve got another pair of cops coming in soon.”
Maggie gave her a comforting nod, and Tracy smiled back. “Sure. I don’t mind.” Tracy said with a shrug. She pulled her stuff closer to her and moved to where she was sitting next to the wall. The two cops went to the counter to order their food and after a few minutes, they came back and sat down, Rosa sitting on her side. Grandmother Leone had left her again, but was hanging out near the counter.
“This is good.” the female officer said with a nod of her head, after taking a bite of one of Tracy's salads.
“Which did you get?” Tracy asked.
“Chicken salad.” The lady officer replied. “And it is delicious.”
“These little chocolate bars are great too.” John Paulson added.
“Thanks. It started out as my Grandma’s recipe, but I made changes.”
“So, how do you like Home schooling?”
“I miss hanging out with my friends, but I like the freedom. Although my last school was up north.” Tracy said. “With home schooling,I can get up and go to the bathroom, and not have to beg for permission. I can pick what subject to do first.”
She hadn't noticed the other cops come in, but they stopped at the booth. Another man and woman team, this time the woman was black, and the man was older, and of Asian descent. “Hey, you feeding the kids you find now?” The male cop, said. He had no accent, but had a very thin mustache. This caused Tracy to look up from her soup.
Rosa shook her head. “Nope. This little girl was here when we showed. She is homeschooled and this is her home ec lessons. Well, upstairs was her home school lessons. Ask for the chicken salad Natasha. You’ll love it.”
“Or the Chocolate caramel bars. Those are also good.” John added.
“Will do.” The two new officers turned to the counter and within five minutes, they were back.
The lady cop slid in, next to John, while the male grabbed a nearby chair and pulled it over.
“So tell me young lady, who gave you the black eye?” Natasha asked. “Looks like its fading, but it must have been big when you got it.
“Some crazy woman.” Tracy replied. “She tried to bite me too.”
“This wasn’t a parent or something that hit you? Maybe a brother or sister?” Again Natasha kept asking the questions.
“No. Dad was still at work and Mom got bit by the woman and hit too. She tried to bite us and my Grandmother.” Then Tracy smiled. “And my brother couldn’t beat me in a fight if he tried.”
Natasha suppressed a chuckle, but continued. “Where did she attack you at?”
“At a court appearance.”
“You were at court and got attacked? Were they after someone else and you got in the way?” John asked.
“No.” Tracy put her spoon down. “See, she attacked me once in early February, and we got one of those order things on her. The thing that says she can’t be near me.”
“Restraining order?” John asked. The story that Maggie and Rosa was now beginning to some into the light. With a daughter who echo’d a story of an attack, it could be rehearsed, but something told him the girl was being honest.
“Yeah, that.” Tracy said with a nod. “But it was a temporary one. When we went to Oroville for the real one, she attacked me in the courthouse and hurt me and a friend of mine, Sage Miller. That’s one of the girls she attacked the first time, too. She had also come to our house and threatened to run us out of town and threatened to make our life horrible. There was another guy who was calling and threatening to rape Mom and I and murder my whole family, but they never knew each other. They took the woman away and put her in the mental hospital place. She kept yelling that I was going to hurt other kids and rape and murder. It was all kinda crazy.”
“Why did she attack you in the first place?”
Before Tracy could reply, Maggie had walked over, surprised to see her daughter in with now four cops. “She was under the thought that my daughter was a rapist and a murderer.”
“She what?” All four officers asked.
“The woman was very religious, and delusional and there was a picture of my daughter hugging another girl. From that picture, she insisted my daughter is a lesbian and she believes that lesbian meant rapist. She also thinks that lesbians are cold blooded killers. Same with gays. I heard that she has had mental issues before, but this isn't the first time she attacked Tracy. Heck, it’s not the first time she attacked anyone she thought was a lesbian. We’ve put out a personal suit against her for the second attack. And if you need proof, I can get a hold of my lawyer.”
“The same two on the buisness card you gave us?” John asked. He didn’t want to, but now that the story was out there, they’d have to confirm it. “No offence, but it is our job.”
“I understand.” Maggie said with a nod. "It's the same two. Bart has been taking most of the case work for us."
"Bart? Rogers?" Natasha asked.
Maggie nodded, just slightly. "Yes. We've only known him for a short while, but we like him. We hired him and Lance Williams."
"Both are very good men." Natasha said.
"Yes. Tracy is friends with Lance's youngest. He's the in-law to Tracy's Godmother." Maggie stated.
"Ah, so he's like family." John asked her. Tracy was glad her mother was taking the hard questions. It kept her from revealing too much.
"Distant. But yeah."
When she finished, the Asian male cop took over. “So was this all around here?”
“No, a town north of here, called Oroville. North of Sacramento and in the foothills.”
“I’ve heard of it.” The Asian cop said with a nod. “Small town, lake nearby. Large earth dam.”
“Yeah, thats the one.” Maggie said with a nod.
“Were you visiting there?” The Asian cop asked her.
“We lived there for ten years, until someone was spreading rumors about my child, so we left town. There were threats on Tracy’ life, mine too, and I am determined to keep my daughter safe. My Lawyers can attest to this. We’ve kept them informed on the threats.”
“So was the woman the one spreading rumors?” Natasha asked.
“Actually, no. Like Tracy siad, there was another person. this was a man. He was spreading the rumors.. She only tried other things, like getting a restraining order on Tracy so she couldn’t be with her friends. And attacking Tracy and her friends in public. Plus threatening us in our own home. She heard the rumor second hand from her kids, they got it at school and she took it as the truth.”
“What?” John asked. “Bring that by me again. The restraining order thing.”
“When we got the full restraining order. She tried to get one that covered Tracy’s friends, so Tracy can’t be around them.” Maggie stated.
“Wait, she wanted one on Tracy’s friends, so Tracy couldn’t see them?” John asked, looking to make sure he was hearing her right. He had seen many people try and use the restraining orders to their advantage, but this was a twist he had never seen used before.
Maggie nodded. More of the people were doing their best to listen in, but not look like they were. “Yep. Claimed she was their guardian.”
“So was it a lie? I’m guessing it was thrown out? That doesn’t seem too legal.”
“It did. Since her first attack also managed to get two of the other girls hurt, their parents got a restraining order on her too. We had all the parents of her friends with us that day. It kinda worked in our favor. And with her being arrested before the hearing, we got them thrown out. Plus, two of the kids she tried to cover, are two that she hurt.”
“And this wasn’t the person threatening her? How bad was that person?” Natasha asked.
“He was actually a kid. Well, one of them was” Maggie quickly gave a brief telling of the attack from Bruce, Clark and the calls from the cousin, but she kept Tracy’s birth sex quiet. John knew, and so did Rosa, but Maggie knew stuff about them that could equally hurt their lives. So it evened out.
Natasha quickly put the pieces together. “So that kid spread pictures and rumors, sent threats through the mail and the crazy lady got one mailed to her?”
“No, the brother of the first attacker took them to the school Tracy went to. They were in the same grade, different classes. And the crazy lady’s kids go there too.”
Natasha nodded. “Ah, now that makes sense. So that’s how it got spread around.”
“And in a situation like that, I can see why you moved.”Officer Hernandez stated. “We’ll still need to check it out, though.”
“I totally understand." Maggie said with a smile and a nod of her head.
“Is there a number or address we can check up on you at?” John asked. “In case we need to ask any more questions?”
“Beth has it. But I’m willing to give it again.” She quickly wrote down her address and Shelly’s number.
“Thank you, Maggie. We’ll keep in touch. I’ll be sure to let you know what’s going on.” John said.
“Thank you.” Maggie replied. She was about to turn to go when Tracy spoke up.
“Are we leaving?” Tracy asked.
“Not yet. I want to see what all Beth wants me to learn, so you can sit here and not pester the nice cops too much. When your lunch is over, see what Mrs. Leone wants you to do.”
“It’s no bother. She’s a very well behaved child.” John said.
“Thank you. With all she has been put through, I’m surprised she is so talkative to strangers.”
“They’re nice, Mom.” Tracy said with a smile. “Like Keith.”
“Keith?” John asked.
“I’ll let Tracy fill you in. I got to get back to work.”
“So, who’s Keith?” Natasha asked. “A boyfriend?”
“No.” Tracy giggled. “He’s old. He’s like thirty. But he’s the cop who came to my first attack and the one who helped find the man calling me and the boy sending the pictures. He was also there for the crazy lady.”
“I see. At least you had a helpful experience with the police. Sometimes the police can seem very scary to a kid.”
“Like earlier?” Tracy asked.
“Yes. Like earlier.” John said with a nod, but he also blushed.
“Earlier?” Natasha asked John.
“We made a young lady cry and we got yelled at in front of the deli.” John replied.
“Cry?” Natasha asked.
“Hormones.” Hernandez stated, in a quiet voice. “Monthly ones.”
“Ah!” Natasha said, looking to Tracy and giving a motherly nod.
Tracy wanted to change the subject, so she asked a basic question. “So, what are all of your names?”
“I’m John Paulson. This is Rosa Hernandez, That is Natasha Billings, and he’s Katsu Maki.”
“Chinese?” Tracy asked. “I’m learning to speak it for my Tai Chi class.”
“No. I’m Japanese descent, but American by birth.”
“Cool. I should try and learn Japanese too.”
“Hey, don’t forget Spanish. The Bay Area has a large hispanic population.” Rosa stated. “If you’re going to stay here for a while, Spanish isn’t a bad language to learn.”
“I guess, I could try to learn both.” Tracy said with a shrug.
“Being multi-lingual could help you land any number of jobs, when you get older.” Natasha said with a smile. “I know Spanish, English and French.”
The rest of the hour had passed by with your average small talk. The officers took the time to get to know Tracy, as much as she would tell them. But it ended when Officer Paulson looked at the clock. “Well, that’s our lunch hour.” Mr. Paulson said with a nod. “We need to get back out there and protect and serve.”
“Another five hours till home.” Rosa stated. Natasha got up and let John out, and Rosa got up.
“Bye Officer Paulson, Officer Hernandez!” Tracy said with a wave. Katsu slid into the seat next to Tracy, but he kept a bit of distance between her and him.
“So, tell me young lady, what subjects do you like the best?” Natasha asked.
“I kinda like history and English. I hate math.” Tracy stated.
“I hear that. Math is the worst.” Natasha said with a grin. “And home ec, you seem to love that?”
Tracy nodded. “I love cooking. Back home I was doing a lot of the cooking, with mom’s help that is.“
“I love the eating.” Officer Maki said.
“Me too.” Tracy said with a giggle.
“So if Mama Leone is teaching you history, who teaches the other subjects?”
“Well, she only helped. My Aunt usually does all the teaching. Except science and Math.”
“Why not those?” Officer Maki asked.
“Her husband, Uncle Frank, he does those. See he works at that Government lab in Berkeley and he really knows science and Math. And he makes it fun.”
“Well, a scientist would be a good person to teach science.” Officer Maki said. “But is it really possible to make math fun?”
“He kinda does.” Tracy said, shrugging her shoulders.”But he’s not really a scientist. He works on computers.”
“I see. But if he has a good grounding in it, that makes him the best choice to teach you.” Officer Maki stated.
“And do you get enough exercise?” Natasha asked.
Tracy nodded again. She was starting to feel like a little dog she had seen in the back of a car once. “Yeah. I take Tai chi and Mom and I are walking every now and then.”
Natasha smiled and patted her hand. “Good. Never stop working out. Your health is very important to a child.”
“Yeah. I know.” Tracy nodded.
The weather was cold and misty as Maggie and Tracy walked the main road, starting on the side that the deli was on. There were several restaurants, although for Bakeries, Beth’s was the only one. There was another store that worked in the sandwich trade, but nothing else. “Seems busy.” Tracy noted.
“Only subs. Nothing else.”
‘A hair cutting place?” Tracy said, pointing to the store.
“Yep. Maybe we can get you styled, when we have the money.”
“Neat. But I like it long.”
“Hey, an ice cream shop. And this makes four pizza places?”
“Yeah. I don’t see how all of these can keep going strong.”
“What’s this?” Tracy asked, pointing to a darkened door.
“I don’t...Hmmm...” Maggie read the sign over the door. “Emil’s?”
“Hey. A menu.” Tracy pointed to a sign on a window near the door.
“Looks like italian food." They had reached the end of hte road, so they turned around. Tracy now paid attention to the other side of the street, but they didn't cross over.
“Hey. The same bank you have back home.” Tracy said, pointing to a place just down the street from where they were, and across the road from the bank.
“Yep. Already moving some of the account information.” Maggie said.
"So we're really moving?"
"Yep. Into what could be a better life than what we had before." Maggie stated as she put an arm around her daughter's should. "Come on, let's get out of this weather and go get your brother."
Ha! Nice cops are deflected by angry mother-in-law! More Tracy coming soon.
With Edits by Anam Chara
As they entered the house, Vance went running up the stairs, so he could ditch his backpack. As he thundered up the stairs, the phone started to ring, Maggie moved to answer it. A moment later, she peered around the corner. “Hey kiddo, the phone is for you.”
Tracy walked over to it and looked at it. “Who is it?”
“Stacey.”
That put a rush her movement. Tracy grabbed the phone and spoke. “Hello? Stacey?”
“Hey Tracy, I know you’ll see me this weekend, but something has changed.”
“What?”
“Well, I forgot Brooke and the roller skating thing may be a bad idea. She could only watch, so Dad found a pizza place that does parties, or a few other places. We’ll let you know on Saturday.”
“We’re moving Saturday. We're leaving Friday afternoon, when Vance is out of school.”
“I know, silly. I’m coming with you. So is Sage and Casey. Rachel too, I think.”
“Okay. Cool.” Tracy said. There was a noise in the background and Stacey sighed.
“Hey, I gotta go. Dad needs the phone and I got homework to do.”
“Oh. Ok.” Tracy said. “Talk to you later.”
March 3rd 1983
Once again, Tracy was with her mother at the deli. This time she vowed she was going to spend more time in the apartment when the deli opened up, just to avoid police issues. But for now she was in her booth, in the deli and enjoying a light danish and reading from her history book. Mark and Beth were both in the kitchen of the deli, plus their mother and grandmother. Eva was a bit early and she was also back there, but Tracy was focused on her work.
At a little before ten in the morning, A man in an expensive business suit walked into the deli through the employee's entrance. Beth came over to him and he hugged her, than kissed each of her cheeks. Mark was out from behind the counter and he was also hugged, then each cheek was kissed. The man resumed his path for the counter. Halfway to the counter, he stopped, looked to Tracy, arched an eyebrow, then continued.
«Buon giorno!» His accent came on fast and Tracy was lost as she tried to pick up on the accent and the language. She was sure she had heard it on some T.V. show at some point. He began talking with Eva and Beth as he sat on a stool by the counter. Finally, after gesturing to Tracy, she had to ask.
“Um...what’s he saying?”
Eve smiled at her. “Tracy, this is Mr. Leone, Mark and Beth’s uncle, and he was asking who you were. He helps me learn Italian.” She said. “I wanna go to Rome some day.”
“Oh. Is he from Italy?”
“No, but he does do business over there.” Mr. Leone said, referring to himself in the third person. He had no accent at all and that surprised Tracy. “Hello young lady.”
“Hello sir.”
There was a shuffling behind the counter and he turned to see his mother. “Cara Mamma!” Mr. Leone said as he slid off of the seat, got up, kissed the cheeks of Grandma Leone and then hugged her.
“Are you a mobster? Like in those movies?”
The man laughed. “No, young lady. I’m a legitimate businessman. I actually am....how to put this....” He leaned back in his seat. “Think of me as an investor. I help startup companies, and then I retain my share for helping them. I invest my money as well. I own properties and other investments that help me make money. All of it is very legal.”
“So, you live around here?”
“Actually, I do business all over the world. But I have a yacht and penthouse in San Francisco and a condo in New York city. But I have a vacation home in Italy, too.”
Tracy gestured to the room around her. “Do you own this place?”
“Well, no. But I did help with money, so my mother could start up the bakery. That was years ago.” He stated. “But I don’t like to think I own this place. The loan there was one of love, to my mother, so she could do what she loved. With that investment, she has helped her daughter in law and my niece and nephew.” He walked over to her. "Could I sit down?" He asked.
"Sure. I don't mind."
Maggie walked in, just to check on Tracy, only to find her talking to a strange man. Beth seen her look and guessed what her question was. “Maggie, this is my Uncle, Anthony Leone. He’s Dad’s brother.” Beth said, then she turned to her Uncle Tony. “Uncle Tony, this is Maggie, Tracy’s mother.”
“Enchanted. Now I see where she gets her good looks from.” The man said to Maggie, with a charming smile. “You have a very bright and friendly daughter.”
“Thank you. She’s a really sweet girl, even after our move down here.”
“That’s good. At least she kept her cheer after a move. That can always be hand on the younger ones.”
Tracy was enjoying her lunch, while sitting across from Mr. Leone. So far she found him to be charming, with a very cute smile and a good laugh. But their visit ended when Noon rolled around. He headed out for a big meeting, giving Tracy one last smile before he left.
She sat there for a moment, watching the man leave, then she turned to her salad and homework.
“So.” Beth said as she sat in the bench seat. “You seemed to hit it off with my uncle?”
“Yeah.” She nodded. He is really funny. And he was telling me about the places he has seen.” Tracy replied. “He’s been to Rome and London, England.”
"Yeah. He does Travel a lot. Is that all you talked about?" Beth asked Tracy. The young girl wasn't sure, but Beth seemed to be worried about something.
"Yeah. He must have a lonely life. Moving around like that all the time." As Tracy said it, Beth could see a tear begin to fall.
Beth leaned over the table and gently held Tracy's hands. "None of that now. This is a no crying day, understand?"
Tracy wiped at her eyes. "Yeah."
"Now your mother is almost done. She'll be out to join you in a nice lunch in a few minutes, okay? So until then, no crying."
"Yes Ma'am." Tracy said, as she did her best to smile.
March 4th 1983
Tracy had been pacing around Shelly’s place when two o’clock hit. Waiting impatiently for her brother to get there, so they could go down to Oroville. Her mother had already placed the bags of clothes for both of her kids, plus herself into Shelly’s van. Now all she had to do was deal with her pacing daughter. She knew that school was out and Persephone was bringing Vance home. But they had to wait for them to catch all of the girls, plus Stacey and Casey.This meant more waiting.
It was almost five o'clock she heard a rapid fire knock on the door. Maggie was up and caught her daughter before she could race to the door and fling it open. She gently opened the door to see Persephone, Sage, Rachel and ‘Romy standing there. Tracy slid to a stop by her side. They could see her VB bus and Brooke was at the back window, waving at Tracy.
“Harvey’s around back with Carl. Carl will take our truck, Harvey and Lilian will take the boys. I figure I’ll have the girls. You want to go with me, or Shelly? Lok said we could take Brooke, but he can’t cancel too many classes.”
"I'll ride with Shelly. So she has company too."
“Come on. Let’s get a move on. Your husband will be home by now. I doubt Conner and him want to move everything alone.” Shelly said as she headed to the door.
One more time the Patterson’s old house was filled with girls. Shelly and a couple of the parents were staying at Modine’s, while Tracy and her parents stayed in the old home. The U haul was already in the drive and partly loaded with the bigger items, like the sofa’s and beds. Conner had been loading the light things before the girls had arrived. When William got home at Two, he started to help too. When the girls had arrived, it was well past eight in the evening. The sun had set and the parents decided to wait till morning to start with the last of the stuff.
Dinner had happened at Nine, with some fast food from a local chicken place. After that, William gestured to the door and Tracy walked outside with him.
“Am I in trouble?” Tracy asked as they started walking down the road.
“Not at all.” William said as he put an arm around her shoulder. “I wanted to talk to you. I’ve heard you’ve had some hard times lately and wanted to make sure you’re alright.”
“Just sad is all.” Tracy said as they walked out the door.
"A lot of sad times, from what I've heard." He replied.
"I've been missing you and my friends up here." Tracy replied.
William didn't want to start a cry fest, so he ignored her friends comments. Instead he went to the reason he called her outside. “You know, I’ve done a lot of thinking about the first time I found out about Tracy.” Her father said as they walked along the road. He put an arm around her as they walked. His other hand held onto a bright flashlight.
“What do you mean?” Tracy asked, worried that he would stop her, after he had given her his blessing.
“I found out about you on Thanksgiving. That next morning, you were making me breakfast and you bent down to get something from the fridge and your shirt rode up and I could see the pink panties you had on. The ones with the little yellow flowers.” William shook his head. “It was at that moment that I realized that you weren’t the little boy I had raised. I wasn’t sure how to talk to you about it. I wanted to hug you and tell you I supported you, but I was still confused....”
“I was thinking about everything so much the next day or two, that I almost caused several accidents at work.” William stated. “I was so out of it, Steven sent me home. The next morning, I went to Livermore. I had made the choice to support you, but I had never thought about what you would do.”
William stopped a little ways from the old house and the two of them looked towards the back field. The sun was down already and her friends were all in the house, doing anything they could. “When Persephone met me at the townhouse, I was feeling a mix of emotions. Part of me wondered what you had told her, and then I realized you were scared of how I had been.” William reached up and wiped at his eyes. “When I looked in that vehicle and saw you lying there, crying, afraid of what I would do, it broke my heart. I knew you saw me as nothing more than an ogre. A monster. I vowed to myself that I would do what I could, but even then, I let you down.” He started her back towards the house.
“How?”
“Well, instead of moving then, you got attacked. Then I made a big fuss about money...” He trailed off and looked to the fields.
“Don’t Dad’s do that?” Tracy asked.
“It seems like it.” William said with a nod. “But what I am trying to say, is I should have put your well being first, not worry about money.”
“But you always worry about money. You always told us that it is better to save, then spend on pointless stuff.”
Heh.” William said with a chuckle. “At least you listened. Your brother still likes to spend.”
William turned to face his daughter, then he got down on one knee and looked her in the eye. “What I am saying is that I support you. We may have to tighten our belts for a while, till we can get out on our own, but when we do, I will do what I can to help you along with your new self. Is that good with you?”
“Yes Daddy!” Tracy leapt into his arms and hugged him.
“Now keep in mind, this isn’t me saying we’ll be at the mall every week, buying you all the clothes in the world, or music tapes every week, but I mean things like your medicine, your doctor visits. Stuff like that.”
“Thank you Daddy.” She said again, this time she leaned closer and kissed his cheek. “I need that more than clothes.”
“So grown up.” He patted her shoulder, then he stood up. “But for now, lets get back inside, before the girls get worried. We have a long drive and a move tomorrow, so you should get to bed early.”
March 5th 1983
Tracy stood in her now empty bedroom in the old house. Each step though the old wooden house seemed to echo now, a testament to how empty and lonely it had gotten after she had left. She looked around the room and in her mind, she could still see where her dresser had been just two days before. Then there was the bunk bed that should have been against one wall, with the bookcase at the end of that. She wasn't focused on the sounds of someone walking towards her. Instead, she was focused on the millions of memories of that room. The sights and sounds of her and her brother playing as children. The smell of the house on a cool Christmas morning as they woke up and planned their attack on their father, just to get him out of bed so they could get to the presents.
She wasn't sure when she had started to cry, till she felt the tears drip off her cheekbone. She wiped at her eyes with one hand, then turned and saw her mother and Father, in the doorway. Maggie put an arm around Tracy and William put an arm around both of them.
“I know baby.” She put a hand on her back. “Moving does this to ya..”
“So many years here. So many memories.” Tracy said.
William nodded as Vance walked around the corner. “What's wrong?” Her brother asked.
“Just thinking of the memories in the house.” William stated.
“Yeah.” Vance said with a nod. “I’ve been thinking too.”
Peter peeked into the doorway. “Mr. Patterson, Mrs. Patterson? The girls checked the cupboards and We got everything from the shed loaded into the....” As the four of them turned to face him, he saw the tears and he realized he was intruding. “I...I'm sorry, I'll wait outside.”
“It's okay, Peter.” Maggie said as she reached a hand out and pulled the bigger child over to her. “Come here.” She pulled Peter into a group hug with her and his daughter. After a few moments, she looked to Peter. “Everything's out?”
“Yeah.” Peter replied.
“Okay.” William looked to his daughter and released the hug. “Tell everyone to give us a few moments and we'll meet you all next door for lunch, okay?”
“Okay.” Peter said, then he slowly made his way out of the bedroom. They could hear him walking across the floor, till he reached the front door and left the house.
The Pattersons stayed in the doorway to the kid's empty bedroom, almost waiting for something. Her eyes went to the window and she saw something perched on the top of the window sill. Finally Tracy fought to hold back a slight chuckle, which was followed by a sniffle and the sounds of her choking back some tears.
“What's wrong kiddo?” William asked.
“Just remembering something. A few years ago, Mom bought Vance some hot-wheels for Christmas?” Track asked as she smiled at her family. “You tried telling Vance that it was rattlesnake eggs and had that thing in the box with them, so it rattled when he shook it?”
Maggie thought back, then began to chuckle too, wiping at her own tears. “He was so scared of that box. I had to open it for him. He always called that his snake cars.”
“Was not.” Vance grumbled.
“Yeah. You got him that tackle box and said it was the tank to keep them in.” Tracy said with a grin, as more tears fell. She walked over to the windowsill and reached up to grab it, but she was too short.
Maggie stepped over and picked up the car and handed it to her. “Yeah. That was a good Christmas.”
“They all were.” Tracy said with a nod as she passed the car onto her brother.
Her mother gave her one more hug. “Come on, before they worry about us.”
The U-haul was loaded, as was the truck that Sage's father owned. Some of the back of Shelly's van had the more fragile things. Several vehicles were lined up along the road, waiting for their passengers.
Tracy went to Peter and Jerry Rivers first and she hugged them. “Be safe you two. Know that I still care about my friends here.”
“We care too.” Jerry said as he got his hug.
As she hugged Peter, he bent down and kissed her lips. When he pulled away he tried to smile. “I'll miss you, but keep writing, I can get the messages back and forth for everyone.
“I will.” Peter replied.
She turned to the three Higgins children that had snuck over. Wally had gone with his sisters, to say goodbye to Vance and to make sure they had an alibi for their father. “Mary Beth, Emily May? I know we've barely hung out, but you're still my friends. I'll write every chance I get. I'll send them to Peter to give to you.”
Sage, and her Livermore friends had already given them hugs. So this left Tracy to say goodbye to each of them.
Finally she reached her Grandparents. “I don’t want to go.” She said as she hugged her grandmother.
“It’s safer for you this way. “ Modine said as she gently hugged the young girl.
“Yes. It is.” Conner held his arms open and Tracy fell into a hug. After a few moments, he patted her side. “Alright. You need to get going.”
She nodded. Tears were already running down her cheeks. She turned and walked with her parents to Persephone’s VW bus and climbed in. Brooke was loaded in and Tracy watched her friends and Grandparents stand there. As her parents closed up the last of the vehildres, Peter, Jerry and the three Higgins kids all got on their bikes. Due to the speed of the bus, Persephone was the last to leave the driveway. As she did, Peter gave chase on his bike.
Peter's legs pumped his bike pedals as hard as he could, doing his best to keep up with the van on the side road that used to lead to Tracy's home. They were almost halfway to the main road with he felt his chain come loose. His feet spun wildly as he began coasting. He started screaming in frustration. Wally Higgins and his sisters stopped by him as Tracy slowly rode out of his life.
Persephone kept driving as she watched Tracy turn in her seat to keep an eye on Peter as the vehicles began to pull away from him. Once he disappeared completely, Tracy began to sob and Persephone watched as Sage and Rachel pulled her into a hug. She wiped away a tear of her own, but she kept going, despite how it was tearing at her heart to separate the two young friends.
Peter got off his bike, then grabbed the center bar with one hand and threw it into a field that was next to the road. He started to walk away from the group when Mary Beth came running up to him and pulled him into a hug. He fought it at first, but finally he rested his head against hers and sobbed. “I know.” Mary Beth said as tears fell down her cheeks. “I know it hurts. We're going to miss her too.”
“Stupid Clark.”: He muttered. “Stupid town.”
“I know. Life sucks.” Mary Beth replied. “It’s just not fair.”
The trip to Marysville was a hard one for Persephone. Every couple of minutes, Tracy would start to cry again. The girls did their best to keep her from crying, but it seemed futile. Each time she cried, it tugged on Persephone's heart strings. Yet she knew she couldn't go back. Finally around Sacramento, they paused at a fast food restaurant for something to eat. While she didn’t feel like eating, Maggie didn’t give Tracy a choice.
By time they reached Tracy, the town, Tracy the girl was doing better.
As much as no one wanted to do it, they still headed to a storage place when they got into town, just before four in the afternoon. The kids were pushed off to the side, while the adults formed a line, making sure the unloading process was fast. Shelly was in the unit, helping orginize where things would be kept.
As parts of her life were placed into the storage unit, she couldn't help but cry again. Like this was all her life boiled down to. A few boxes in a small metal shed. Persephone did her best to calm the girl, until they were done. After that, it was decided to skip eating out and they traveled to Shelly's for delivered pizza.
Sunday March 6th 1983
Tracy was rushing down the steps in another dress. Her dress shoes in her hand and her purse strap over her shoulder. Maggie and William were both already waiting at the bottom of the stairs. “Um, is Vance coming with us?” Tracy asked, when she noticed her Aunt and Uncle were both dressed nicely.
Vance came down the steps in his nice dress pants and a dress shirt with a tie. “It’s just this week, right?” Vance asked. “I don’t have to go weekly?”
“Not if you don’t want to. And if you don’t want to go today you don’t have to. But the good thing is Jamie should be in your class.” MAggie told him.
“That’s good, I guess.” Vance replied.
“Keep in mind that after church, we are going to lunch with the Millers.”
Vance smiled at his parents and asked. “Will Sage be going to church with us?”
“No.” Tracy shook her head. “Just Rachel and Jamie.”
“Are Uncle Frank and Aunt Shelly going with us?” Vance asked.
“No, we have our own place to be, but we will see you back here tonight for dinner.”
The ride to the church was a fast one, now that William knew where it was. They got out of the car and the parents seemed to split with the kids as they entered. Vance followed Jamie and Tracy down the hall. Tracy ducked into a side door with Rachel and Vance kept following Jamie.
“Tracy! You came back!” Halley exclaimed.
“Yep.” Tracy replied.
“You look tired.”
“We are. We moved the last of the stuff yesterday. We’re beat.”
“I’ll bet. You have a house?”
“Not yet. We’re staying with Rachel’s Aunt and uncle still. But soon, when Dad and Mom get jobs, we’ll start looking for an apartment.”
A teacher stepped out and called to the girls. "Alright everyone. Step on in for class."
Jamie patted Vance's shoulder as Tracy and Rachel stepped into the side class room.
Once again Tracy sat with her parents as the preacher went through his sermon. It was another one about helping others and being there when needed. After the service, William kept a hand on both his kids, as they waited for the crowds to thin. Finally when it was clear, they headed for the door. There they were met with the preacher.
Ian smiled at the Pattersons. "Welcome back, William, Maggie.” Reverend Banks said to William and Maggie, on their way out. “We missed you last Sunday.”
“Well, we decided to change our moving date and we moved everything up this past weekend and Tomorrow, I will start looking for work.” William stated. “The last job was looking for any reason to fire me and I just couldn’t stand to be away from my family.”
“All good reasons to move.” Ian Banks said. “Tell me, who is the young man? Is that your son?”
“Yes, this is Vance.” William turned to face his son. “Vance, this is Reverend Ian Banks.”
“Hello sir.” Vance said.
“Are we going to see you here each week?”
“Maybe sir. I may come.” Vance replied.
“Very good. Well, it was wonderful to meet you and we hope to see you next week.” Ian said, holding out a hand for Vance, which he shook.
“Hello Tracy, I heard you had a bit of excitement last week?”
“Yeah. From that lady in the courthouse to seeing family in L.A. it was bad and good.”
“At least its going away.” Pastor Ian said. “Your black eye I mean.”
“Yeah. Now if the other things will go away.” Tracy grumbled. This left Ian feeling slightly confused.
March 6th 1983
Lewis Horton had taken the time out of his busy Sunday to see his daughter once more. She had been locked up since Friday and he wanted her out, so he went to the Mental health building in chico once more and waited at the door.
“Hello, I am here to see my daughter, Molly Hallmark.”
“She is here, just a moment.” The voice on the speaker said. They were buzzed in and after a few moments, they saw their daughter come over to them. She looked tired, and a bit angry. The three of them sat down on a nearby couch and began to talk. While they visited, Lewis formed a plan in his mind. He just had to speak to the head doctor, not one of his lackeys. So when the visit was done, Lewis sought out the doctor in charge.
“Excuse me, Doctor Forest?”
“Yes, it was Mr. Horton, right?”
“Yes. Reverend, actually.” Lewis corrected him.
“Ah, then reverend, how can I help you?”
“I’d like to have Molly released to me, and I’ll keep up on her care.
The doctor shook his head. “I’m sorry sir, but I can’t release her into your custody.”
“I am here father and an upstanding member of my community.
“But you are not from Chico and we have our orders. We can not release her.” Doctor Forest knew he had tired the same thing the week before. He had met this type of person many times before. Someone who thought they were above the system.
“This isn’t fair! You can’t do this!”
“I’m sorry you feel that way sir, but our hands are tied. We are only holding her until she is able to be transferred to the county jail. We can’t release her to anyone.”
“Fine, two can play this game.” He said, turning to head to his car. He pushed his way through the locking doors and out to his car. Unaware that his departure had caused some of the guards to stand at the ready, in case he tired to remove Molly. His wife jogged to catch up with him. “Lewis, dear, what are we going to do?”
“Go to the court and petition a judge to let Molly free.” Lewis said. “She’s innocent. I can feel it.That monster of a child is to blame for all of this. We’ll just have to make those court idiots see this. With any means possible, before he hurts someone.”
I pick up in Livermore, just the same day as the last post. If you feel the need to go back and read those, I'll wait right here for you. I couldn't pick a good part to make as a preview, so I'll just leave it all down below.
March 6th 1983
It had started just past lunch. The family had gone out to eat after church and everything had been just fine. Until it hit Tracy. Almost two hours after lunch her stomach started to rumble, then she felt nauseous. After an hour or two of misery at Home, Maggie got her dressed and headed for Letterman in San Francisco.
Tracy sat in the E.R., dressed in boy’s sweats and a boy’s sweat top. Her head felt like it was on fire. So did her backside. She was so in misery, she had little time to lament on her clothes. Any time she tired, she started to get sick. There was no time to read. No time to walk. Just time to sit and be miserable.
After going to see the doctor, then waiting as a test was run, finally about eight in the evening, A doctor came up to her in the tiny curtained off area in the E.R.. “Mrs. Patterson, it’s just food poisoning. Not much we can do here, but we’ll give you something to give him and things should work themselves out. If there isn’t a change in a day, seek us out again. Please keep him hydrated and I’d watch what you eat.”
The two of them headed for the car that was in the lot of Lettermen Army Medical Center. Maggie had brought Tracy there to avoid waiting in a normal ER. Plus to save from the hospital bill. This now meant a long trip through San Francisco on the way home.
“Glad we got a good working heater. Feel that breeze coming off the bay. Bet it's in the forties right now.” Maggie said as she unlocked Tracy’s side of the car, then went around to her side.
“Mmmm.” Tracy said as she got into the car. The young girl didn't care. She just wanted to feel better. Her mother had made her go to a bathroom until something happened before they left, so they had a better chance of getting to the bridge.
“Alright. We head for the bridge, but I’ll ask two off ramps prior to the bridge if you need a bathroom. Okay?”
“Yeah mom.” Tracy said with a nod as they both got into the car.
Maggie started up the car and turned the heater down. She’d keep it down until the car got warm, so they didn’t freeze from the cold air first. “You still got the towel under you, but warn me if you need to stop, okay? Not that we can on the bridge.”
“Okay, Mom.” Tracy said as she set the seat back a little.
“At least we got out before midnight. City changes at midnight. Too many weirdos out.” Maggie stated. Then she added. “That said, lock your door please.”
Tracy did as she said and then the two of them headed for Livermore. The city still had a lot of life to it, for being after eight in the evening.. A lot of cars were on the road and several people were out walking. Some of the stores were closed, but liquor stores, restaurants and gas stations still had their lights on. Tracy just watched as the town passed them. “Mom, do you think I can sleep on the couch? In case someone is in the upstairs bathroom?”
“If Shelly is still up, we’ll ask. Either way it may be wisest.” Maggie replied. “Food poisoning is nothing to play with.”
There was a silence for a little bit, then Tracy asked. “So was there a lot to do here when you were a girl?”
“Well, mall’s weren’t much of a thing yet. But we had a place in San Francisco. It was called Playland at the beach. On the ocean side of San Francisco. Had all sorts of rides and was fun. There was the one near Monterey. Santa Cruz Boardwalk. We didn’t go there often. A place in Oakland. Children’s Fairyland. We took you when you were like four or so. But other than that, I don’t recall off hand. Keep in mind, at around sixteen, we moved to Los Angeles and there is Disneyland. San Jose had a place called Frontier village, but that went away in the early eighties.”
“Yeah. I kind of remember that place.” Tracy replied. Her mother sped up to get around a slow moving car. “The city has grown a lot in the past thirty years, so some stuff has come and gone. I’m impressed that some of my old landmarks still exist. Maggie stated as they went up Gough Street.
“You spend much time in San Francisco?” Tracy asked.
“Only if Mom and Dad had to come over. Never came on my own.” Maggie said to her as they drove up the steep road. “I only had my licence about a year before we moved and the house only had two cars. One was moms, one was dads.” She was thankful for the questions. This way she could hear if Tracy was about to get sick, and it meant she was awake to warn her.
“So if I get my licence, I’ll have to share with you guys?” Tracy asked.
Maggie nodded as she stopped at a traffic light. “And Vance. But you still got about five years till you can take the test.”
Tracy looked out the window and up towards the tall homes. “Aww. That’s not fair.”
“Then save up and buy a car when you get a licence. Also get insurance.” Maggie told her with a smile. “Life isn’t fair.”
Tracy was about to reply when she gasped. “Holy crap, there’s a naked woman in a window. About four floors up.”
“Happens.” Maggie said with a chuckle. “Think they are invisible up there. So they change and never shut a curtain. Or they like to be watched.”
"Weird. I think I'd be scared to do that." Tracy stated.
"Different people act different." Maggie said. "Some have no issue with nudity. And so you know, when we stop, I’m getting something light for me to eat over the bridge. And a water for you.” Maggie told her daughter.
“Okay. I am feeling thirsty.” Tracy replied.
It was almost ten in the evening, when William made his way down the stairs of Shelly's house to see the flicker and glow of the television. He had just looked in on his kids and found only one of them in bed. He had already spoken to Maggie and Shelly. Both were good with Tracy being on the couch, what with her possible need for a bathroom. But he wasn’t happy that it was almost eleven and she was watching television. As he came down the steps, he could hear the T.V. He wanted to tell his daughter to shut it off and go to sleep, but he could hear her crying over something. After the past week, he didn’t want full blown crying fits to happen.He knew she had been feeling sick as they had gone to bed, but he was hopeful that it has run its course. She was sitting on the love seat, with her back to the steps. As he came down, the last two steps creaked. This cause Tracy to look over at him for just a moment, then she looked back to her movie.
“Hey there. Mind if I sit down?” He asked in a whisper.
“Sure.” She whispered back.
“So, what are you watching?” William asked her.
“Some weird movie about King Arthur. It’s really funny.” Tracy replied, still whispering. “It just started. They just ran into some guy who started making fun of how he got his sword.”
“If it’s funny, why are you crying?”
“My stomach still hurts.” She said as a few more tears raced down her cheeks.
While he could have told her to go to bed, instead he put a blanket over her and pulled her in close to him. He knew could have told her to sleep, even if it was on the love seat. Then the two of them began to watch the movie. After her past week, maybe this was something she needed.
"Feeling better?" He asked Tracy.
She shrugged her shoulders. "Kinda, I guess. Haven't ran for the bathroom for ten minutes or so. Barely made it over the bridge and almost didn’t make it home."
"I heard.. Food poisoning is not a fun experience." William said with a nod. “But is your stomach feeling queasy?”
“Yeah.” Tracy said. “But each time I lay down, I gotta get up, so I’ve just stayed up. Plus the cramps in my belly hurt.”
“Tell you what. For tonight, we’ll say midnight is your bedtime. Just lean back and take it easy.” William said to her as he put an arm around her.
No more than five minutes later, Tracy bolted from the living room and she raced through the kitchen. He could hear the sounds of her getting sick once more. This was going to be a long night for her.
William heard Frank coming down the stairs and he sat up and realized that the T.V. was still on. His daughter was resting against his side, and a blanket covered both of them. In front of him was the giant window and a crack in the curtain showed that the sun was not ready to show itself just yet.
“Hey.” William whispered. “Is it five already?”
“Almost five thirty. I noticed the T.V. was on, so I stayed upstairs for a while. I just need to get my coffee.” Frank replied. “Maggie is getting out of the shower about now.”
“I should wake sleeping beauty and have her get up to bed.” William said to him.
“Yeah. But I wouldn’t let her sleep in today.” Frank said. “Be a fight to get her back to bed tonight.”
“Tonight I’ll put my foot down. No sitting up watching TV.” William said. “But from the time I came down, she used the bathroom at least ten times before I went to sleep.”
“Yeah. Think she got it here?” Frank asked.
“I think it was that lunch. I had some of her stuff and it tasted a bit off. I didn't eat much of it, thankfully.” He gently shook Tracy’s arm. “Hey kiddo. Get up and get ready to go to your own bed. Everyone is getting up for the day.”
William got up and stretched his back as his daughter got up and headed for the bathroom. She wasn’t running, nor has she said anything about an accident. So the food poisoning had run its course, or so he hoped. A few minutes passed and he heard his wife coming down the stairs.
As Tracy came out of the bathroom, Maggie was passing the couch. “Feeling better?”
“Yeah.” She said, nodding her head.
“We’ll I’m off to work. You be good to your Aunt and Father.”
“I will, mom.” Tracy said as she stretched then headed up the stairs
“Will, did she sleep down here?” Maggie asked him. “Shelly said it was okay.”
“Yeah. She was down here at eleven, watching some British comedy movie. I was gonna send her to bed, but she was crying half the time from the pain in her stomach. She ran to the bathroom over ten times in the hour I was awake.” William said as the sounds of his daughter’s footsteps could be heard going to her bed. “Next thing I knew, Frank was coming down the steps a few minutes ago.”
“You slept down here then?” She asked.
“Not out of choice. Just got into making sure she didn’t make much noise.” William stated. “Then I fell asleep.”
“Well, I’d keep her from sleeping too long. She already got five hours.” Maggie said to him.
“I know.” William replied. “Off to work?”
“In a few. I wanted to get something to eat first.” Maggie said as she headed for the kitchen.
William was moving around the house when Tracy came back down the stairs. It was just a bit past eight in the morning. She had showered and was feeling a lot better then she had the night before. As she got to the table, she noticed her father was looking at want ads in the daily paper.
“Hey Daddy. Any luck?” Tracy as she passed the table to go get some eggs to eat.
“Not yet, but a lot of good places to start.” He said, still looking at the want ads.
“You know....” Shelly said, peeking her head out from the kitchen. “There is a temp agency in town. They have all sorts of jobs that you can do. Go down tomorrow. Easier to take time to go to Disney.”
“Plus Sometimes those places are the only way into a good job.” William replied.
Tracy poked her head out from the kitchen. “Really? Why?”
“This way the company doesn’t have to have someone doing interviews. They have an outside company do that and they keep who they like. It really saves money.” William stated.
“Sounds weird.” Tracy said as she started cooking her eggs.
March 8th
Tracy found herself in the doctor’s office once more that week. The doctor had been out of the office the week before, due to a death in the family. So this had been the soonest Maggie was able to slip her in. Tracy’s emotions were back in check, but Maggie was still worried. But since she had work, This left William as the one to take her.
“Patterson? Tracy?”
“Come on kiddo.” William said as the two of them stood up.
They got into the back and Tracy was left to change, before having her height and weight recorded. Then William and her sat in the room and waited for the doctor to come in.
“Hello young lady. I heard you have a not so fun night on Sunday?” Doctor Addams said as he entered the room.
“Tracy nodded at him and looked to her bare feet, which were swinging off the edge of the bed. “Yeah. Got sick and couldn’t stop going to the bathroom.”
“She got food poisoning.” William told the doctor. “Was late in the evening, but we think it came from where we ate lunch at.”
“Now since Maggie called last week, I doubt this meeting today was for that? Care to enlighten me?” Doctor Addams asked
William nodded. “It’s like this, Doctor. Tracy got that shot from you in February. Then the first week of March, her emotions were all over the board. Like crying at cat food commercials, and crying at old sad songs. It was worse then around the time you gave her the shot.”
“Interesting.” Doctor Addams said. “Tracy, If I recall, your last lab test showed a lot of testosterone in you. I’d like to draw more blood for another test. To test your levels again.” He paused for a moment. “Has she been moody past few days?”
“Just when dealing with her food poisoning.” William answered.
“Hmmm. That’s to be expected. For now let me get another test ran and then we can figure out what in the world is going on.”
Her Tai chi class was over and Tracy was tired once more. Her father had taken her this time, so he could spend time alone with her and bond. Vance was at home, hopefully doing the homework he had ignored until dinner.
He sat in the chairs meant for the parents as his daughter came jogging over. She paused at the edge of the mat, turned and bowed, then she turned again continued to him.
“I got some light cleaning to do. Be about half an hour or so. Is it okay?” Tracy asked him.
“Sweetie, you agreed to it. I won’t stop you from paying off a debt. So go ahead. I’ll sit here and wait. At first he sat in the chair as Tracy cleaned. Then he got up and went over to her and started to help. It began with sweeping and moving mats. After that came the light dusting of the studio. William promised himself that with as hard as she worked, she was getting something special on the way home.
Friday March 11th 1983
It was just after nine in the morning when the phone rang and Shelly moved to answer it. “Hello, Coppers residence. Yes. Yes he is here.” She held the phone away from her face and looked to William. “Will, it’s one of the temp places.”
Tracy looked up from her school work as her father answered the phone. “Yes, this is William.” He said. “Yes. I can be there in about thirty minutes. Bring my certificate? I can do that. Really? That’s great!” William said his goodbye and hung up the phone. He went to Tracy who was now watching him.
“They hired you?” Tracy asked. She had gotten used to him being at home every day. In fact in a little while, she was going to make lunch for the three of them. Part of her didn’t want him to return to work.
“Well, one group has, it looks like. Starting out, but at least I can start on a forklift.” He bent down and kissed her forehead.
“Okay. I hope it works out.” She said glumly.
“Hey, be happy for me. We need this so we can find our own place, one close to your friends.” He said.
“I know. Just got used to you here all the time.” Tracy said, they she sighed. “Good luck.”
“I’ll be back, kiddo.” William said, before he kissed her forehead once more.
She watched as he ran up the stairs. About five minutes later, he came back down, dressed nicely. His certifications for forklift driving in his hands. He headed for the door. “Be back later.” He called as he went out the door.
Shelly watched as Tracy just sat there, watching the door and ignoring the schoolwork she had. “Tracy, you know he was going to get a job, right?”
“Yeah, I guess. I was enjoying our time together.” Tracy replied. “Finally it was him and I, not just Him, Vance and sometimes me.” She sighed again. “I know they need money to pay bills.”
“Hey now. I hear he is planning on taking you to your class, just you and him one of the two nights in a week. So you’re not losing time with him. Just have to wait.”
Saturday March 12th 1983
Tracy had come to Big Mama’s deli with her mother who was killing time till William could join them. Both William and Vance had gone to do some quick shopping that was needed for Will’s new job. Shirts and pants mostly. After that William had taken Vance to a sporting goods store to check out camping gear.
Tracy had been happy to see Mr. Leone in there when she arrived. Currently he was busy in the office with his mother. Tracy had spoken to him for a short time, but Beth seemed to hover nearby as she did. But for now, as she waited on her family, she was alone in the booth, just her and her magazines on current music acts.
Maggie was taking care of a personal errand at another business, and that left Tracy there in a booth, keeping it held for them. From the booth behind her, Tracy could smell the alcohol on the man who sat there. And it was worse for Eva who was busy walking around and cleaning. Each time she would pass by, he would harass her.
After the man ignored Eva’s requests to stop patting her ass, Tracy finally snapped. She shut her magazine and huffed out a breath. She slid out of the seat as Eva was walking past and stepped in the way, not wishing to catch his arm, but to stop him from harassing her friend. Anthony had been coming back from the office and was about to act himself, but Tracy moved faster.
The man’s hand stopped as it made contact with Tracy's crotch and she gasped. Then she screamed and her hand gripped his wrist, and her other hand lashed out, slapping the man in the face.
“What the hell!” The man’s face went dark red. He brought his arm back, in an attempt to strike Tracy.
“Hold it right there!” A voice called from the door. Tracy glanced to see the cops from the week before, Officer Maki and Billings.
“Mister, we were walking in as you had your hand on the crotch of an eleven year old girl.” Officer Maki said. “You really think you can explain yourself out of this one?”
"Back off pigs! You don't wanna mess with me!" The man growled out. He reached out to grab Tracy, but she hopped backwards.
They kept moving forward. Officer Maki wasn’t ready for it, neither was officer Natasha Billings. The man seemed to get pissed when he saw the cops. He turned and punched officer Maki in the face, his fist cracking the cop’s nose in one hit. Then he kicked out catching Natasha in the gut and pushing her into a nearby table.
“Now for you, you little bitch! No one hits me.” He said as he turned to face Tracy. "And definitely not a snot nose little bitch."
His arm went back, but her training came into play. She brought up her arms and deflected the first punch as Andrew and Eva moved to save her, but the next second proved that she didn’t need their help.
Tracy kicked out, her foot having to go up higher than normal to connect with his crotch, but as it did, it got the response she wanted. He staggered, screamed out and dropped to one knee. After that she pressed her attack, throwing two kicks, both aimed for his face, one connected with his nose, the other with his cheek. She stepped forward and launched a knife hand jab to his throat as officer Maki was getting to his feet again. Officer Billings had come up and put her arms around Tracy and pulled him backwards, so her attack missed him by inches. Officer Maki, Andrew Leone and Eva all jumped the drunk man. Thankfully there were few people in the deli, but the ones who were there were stunned from the turn of events. Mostly it had just been a few groups of women. Each of them were slowly coming to their senses now.
William found his daughter sitting at the booth and he had just seen his wife in the bakery, so he slid into the seat and put an arm around his daughter’s shoulder. She was down. Worse then she had been at home. And while Vance was busy at the convenience store, using his allowance money on candy for that night, he had a few minutes..
“Hey, you okay?” He asked as he wrapped her in a hug.
Before she could answer, someone stepped up and put his hands on the table. It was the shadow of a man looming over him that got him to look up. “Mister, get your hands off my godchild” Mr. Leone said through clenched teeth and with an Italian accent. He stood next to the table, glaring at William.
“Mr. Leone, its fine, this is my Daddy.” Tracy said with a smile.
“He is?” Tony kept his gaze on William, waiting for a response.
“I am, and I don’t recall Tracy having another godparent." William said with a bigger smile. He looked to his daughter. “can you explain how this happened?”
“We’ve had a fun day so far.”
“Is He really your Dad?” Eva asked Tracy, from her place behind the counter. In her hands, she held a phone.
“Yep. And that’s Vance, my brother.” She pointed to the window, where Vance was coming in from street.
“Well, in that case....You just missed the cops.” Eva said.
“The cops?” Is Tracy in trouble?”
“Tracy isn’t. But the guy who grabbed your daughter's crotch is having some explaining to do.” Eva said, trying not to laugh.
"What?!? Who grabbed Tracy’s crotch!?!" For Tracy, it was scary to see how fast her father could go from happy to angry.
Eva, and Mr. Leone went into a quick telling of what happened. And William just sat there, shaking his head.
“So he grabbed Tracy by mistake?” William asked.
“Not mistake, as much as your daughter intercepted his hand, and he got her fist in his face and some local cops saw it. They got a bit roughed up by him, he was drunk. Then he turned on Tracy. I was going to defend her, but I didn’t need to.” Mr. Leone said. “I must admit, I was going to do the same, but Tracy beat me to the punch. Literally.”
Maggie came in and the story was shared once more. She looked to her daughter. “Wow, you had all your allotted excitement for the month, haven’t you?”
Tracy giggled. “Yep.” She looked over to Andrew, who was sitting at the counter. “Please Mr. Leone? You could pull a table over....”
“Tracy, I’d be taking three seats from Beth and its the later lunch hour, so no. I can still talk, from the counter, but for now, I will let you all eat in peace. Besides, I have paperwork to do and I’m going to use mother’s office.”
As William, Maggie, Vance and Tracy sat there, enjoying their meal, the cops started to come in.
“Hey Tracy.” They called to the young girl.
Tracy waved at them and smiled. “Hi Officer Paulson. Hi Officer Hernandez.”
“Maggie.” Officer Paulson said.
“Hello John, Rosa, I want you both to meet my husband, William. And the boy is our oldest, Vance."
“Maggie, Officer Maki asked us to get Tracy’s statement. No problems with that, is there?”
"Nope. None at all." Maggie replied.
March 14th
“Excuse me, are you Maggie Patterson?” A voice asked her from the other side of the counter. She looked to see a tall black man, standing at over six foot tall there, and wearing a police uniform.
“I am, can I help you?” Maggie asked the dark skinned cop standing in the bakery.
“I’d like to speak to you about your daughter. Tracy is your daughter, right?”
“Yes she is. Is there a problem? I’m guessing this is about Saturday?”
“In a way, yes. We had to do a check into Tracy's schooling. Well, Officer Hernandez did say she called the school and checked it out, but I just wanted to make sure that you know that someone had complained that there was a child here during school hours.” Captain Hill said. “Of course, it was the same man who grabbed your daughter. But he’s already in trouble for public intoxication and assault of a police officer. Assault of a minor. But I wanted you to know he made a complaint to us and threatened to call CPS. I’ve spoken to CPS on your behalf.
“Are we in trouble?” Maggie asked. “Because I was under the impression that It was up to us on how to teach her, as long as she learned from the subject matter that the school district said she needed to know. She does put in many hours, daily, in different subject...Plus the fact his attack of my daughter was a Saturday. No school that day.”
“Well, Tracy is home-schooled, but there is no rules stating that home schooled children must remain at home. Officer Paulson and his partner did say they checked it out and spoke to Tracy's lawyers. Plus you are right. It was a Saturday. CPS decided to let the case drop without much hassle.”
"Good. I'm getting tired of her being attacked and she has to pay the price in the end." Maggie said to him.
March 15th
Tracy looked up from her homework and saw a tall black man standing there with a nice uniform and markings the others didn’t have. Behind him were Officer Paulson and Officer Hernandez. “I’m not in trouble, am I?” She knew her aunt had answered the door, she just wasn’t expecting to see three cops in the apartment.
“Not at all, young lady.” The Black man answered.
“Tracy, this is Captain Hill.” Rosa said.
“Captain? Like a Military captain?” Tracy asked. So far in her life, she had only met a few black people, Natasha being one of them. But this man seemed not too happy to be there.
“Rank is about the same concept, but as a Captain, it means that I am in command of these young people here.” Captain Hill said to her. “I’m the Captain of the Livermore police department.”
“Please, have a seat, if you can.” Shelly said to them.
“Now I’ve spoken to your mother yesterday, and I have personally stopped a complaint from the man who attacked you and Officers Maki and Billings. He tried to call CPS on you. But don’t worry. He didn’t get far. As for you, he threatened to sue, but that had been taken away and you won’t have to worry about him. Not that you couldn’t handle him.”
What he didn’t tell her, at the request of her mother, was that the man who had attacked her and the officers was in a prison hospital. After his attack, prisons found out and he had been beaten within an inch of his life. This had happened just after his visit to Maggie the day before. Currently he lay attached to machines, trying to keep him alive for the court appearances. He knew Tracy had trained in some kind of martial art, but he also knew she was lucky. The man had been wanted for a string of other crimes, mostly assault and one of them had been one of his own child. He knew she had been very lucky. But her mother asked them to downplay it and not tell her too many details.
“So I’m not in trouble?”
“:Well, not really. You did defend yourself. But next time, let the police deal with the bad guys, okay?” Captain Hill said to her with a smile. “They do get paid to stop criminals. Be a bit unfair if you did their work and they didn’t have to do anything.”
She smiled back. “I will. But I will defend myself too.”
“I understand.” Captain hill said as he stood up.
“Do you all want something to eat? Maybe a snack bar or something?” Tracy asked.
“Like those caramel chocolate bars?” Officer Paulson asked.
“I tried something new. Wanna test them for me?”
Well, once more Tracy is moving along. Like with the others, I'll try to get to this story once a week, or once every two weeks. But for now I hope you enjoyed.
Tracy pushed on the door in front of her and it swung open. and they stopped as they realized that they weren't alone. It only took Tracy a moment to realize she was looking at Yvette, the girl who had insulted her weeks earlier. But what really caught her attention was the fact that below her belt-line, Yvette was built just like she was. Sage was equally stunned at the sight.
Yvette was stunned by the appearance of someone else in the room, she thought she would have been alone. When her mind caught up to her, she gave a shriek of fright and turned, and tried to hold her clothes in front of her crotch, her arm reaching back and trying to shut the door that she thought she had locked. .
“Sorry.” Tracy quickly said as she reached forward and pulled the door shut.
They heard the sounds of Yvette moving in the changing room, then what sounded like someone falling to the tile floor, then they heard the sounds of crying, again. Sage looked to Tracy, who felt bad. They both knew the shame and fear the girl felt. Tracy and Sage both headed into the room, shutting the door behind them. Tracy was going to lock the door for privacy, but the lock didn’t seem to work right. Sage took her towel and as she got close, she draped it over Yvette.
“Go away....just please don't hurt me.”
Tracy has returned. More fun in her life.
March 16th 1983
Tracy had been shocked at noon to find out she had an appointment with Doctor Addams in three hours. She had always believed that appointments took weeks or months to get. Yet the doctor called them that morning. At three in the afternoon, Maggie and Tracy stepped into the office of Dr. Addams. After a few minutes, they were called back. But instead of having Tracy undress, the nurse just told them that the doctor would be right in.
The doctor knocked, then he opened the door slightly. “Ah, Maggie and Tracy, can I step in?”
“Come on in.” Maggie said to him.
I’ll make this fast. When we reran the blood work, we found something in it.” The doctor told them.
“Something what?” Maggie asked.
“Well, According to this paper from the last blood test, it says that Tracy’s blood had hormones, about the level of a girl entering puberty. But by now, that shot should be gone.” He paused for a moment and Maggie asked.
“What does this mean?”
Dr. Addams shook his head. “I don’t know as of yet. I have a few ideas, but for now I set an appointment up today for you to see a specialist. They are right down the road and they are expecting you. Just head down there from here and walk right in.” He passed her a business card.
“What kind of specialist?” Maggie asked before she looked at the card.
“This is a colleague of mine. He is an ob/gyn. He is going to run an ultrasound on Tracy.”
“What will that do?” Maggie asked. “Does it even work?”
Tracy however asked a different question, as another one was bounding around in her head. “What’s an ob...thingy?”
Dr. Addams looked to Maggie first. “Ultrasound technology has improved over the years. Maybe, just maybe, we can see inside our young lady, so we don’t have to operate on her to check something. But I am wondering if there is more to Tracy than meets the eye.”
“What do you mean?” Tracy asked.
Yet Maggie caught on faster. “Are you saying there could be other parts in her? Female parts?”
“That’s what we are going to find out.” Then he looked to Tracy. “And Tracy, Ob/gyn stands for obstetrician and gynecologist. Both are doctors that help women. One is more for babies though. Like when a woman is pregnant.”
“Oh.” Tracy replied.
“It’s a walk in appointment. The office is just a mile down the road. I suggest going there now. They should be waiting for you.”
“We’ll leave right now.” Maggie started to get up. “Who do we go to for the results.”
“I’ll have them send them here, if you don’t mind.” Doctor Addams said to them
:”Thanks.” Maggie stated. “Let’s go kiddo.” Tracy was still a bit curious about why she would go to such a doctor when her other question popped into her head as the doctor walked out of the room.
Tracy ran out of the room and quickly caught the doctor. “Doctor Addams! I have a question.” She looked over her shoulder at her mother. “A private one. About my boy parts.”
Tracy lay almost naked on the bed, a towel over her budding breasts. Her panties were still on, just rolled down to cover her male parts and just her belly was exposed, but she still felt weird about being in front of someone and showing so much skin. Doctor Addams had been right. They had gone in almost right away. Maggie had to finish the paperwork in the back room where the device was at.
As Maggie did the paperwork, the The nurse who ran the machine spread the jelly over her stomach. “All right, young lady, lets run this. Now you may get a tickling sensation, and I know the gel is cold, but lay still and we’ll do our looking
As she waved the wand about, Tracy kept trying to crane her neck to see what was inside her. A hand pressed on her forehead. “Lay still so we don’t have to do this again. You move and it messes up the readings. Got it?”
“Sorry.” Tracy said as she blushed a deep red.
“I know you’re excited. But I need good clear pictures and you moving will ruin that.” The nurse said. “You can talk, but don’t bend your torso.”
March 17th 1983
Tracy went into Big Mama’s deli at about nine in the morning. Shelly was with her as she was dropping her off for a bit to work on things with Grandma Leone. Shelly had waited till that morning to let her know Grandma Leone had wanted to do some cooking with her that day. After the day before, Tracy was glad to not be in another doctor’s office. A part of her was hopeful they would hear something soon. Hopefully great news.
“There’s my little helper. Ready to go upstairs?” Grandma Leone asked.
Yeah! I got new ideas!” Tracy exclaimed as she followed Mrs. Leone to the stairwell.
Shelly called to her from the doorway. “Tracy, I’ll be back in an hour or two.”
“Bye Aunt Shelly!” Tracy called to her as they went upstairs.
At eleven Tracy was in the booth near the deli counter with Shelly. Her mother was in the back of the deli, but Tracy wasn’t bugging her. So far her mind kept going back to the doctor’s office yesterday and the weird test they ran. She was hopeful that things would work in her favor. The door opened up and Officer Maki and Officer Billings stepped in with another pair of cops, both of them female. “Tracy!” They went up and ordered their food quickly.
“Hey, how is your nose?” Tracy asked as the two cops she knew sat down with her.
“Hurts. He only broke it a little. Just hurts to sneeze, blow my nose and smell things.” The Asian cop said with a smile as he got up and helped one of the other cops move a table over.
“How are you holding up?” That had to be scary for you.” Natasha Billings asked as the other two cops came over and sat down.
“A little. I’m just glad my training kicked in.” Tracy said with a shrug.
The other two cops had heard by now what had happened, and who the man was and what his priors had been. They had been impressed that she had gone up against such a monster. Natasha gestured to the two female officers. “Tracy, these are officer’s Cunningham and Henderson.”
“Hello.” Tracy said to them.
"Young lady." Officer Henderson said to her.
The door chime rang again and someone else walked in. Tracy looked up and smiled. Tracy called out to him. “Captain Hill! Pull up a seat when you get your stuff!”
“Oh... Okay. I can do that.” He nodded to her and headed for the deli counter. As he made his order, the other officers got up to go get the food.
As they all sat down, Captain Hill had Officer Maki get up and he slid in. Tracy gave him a funny look. “Can’t he sit there?”
“Well, yes. But as he may have to run out the door for a call, I feel it’s easier if I sit here. I don’t have meetings until one this afternoon.”
As the lunch hour progressed, the five cops, Shelly and Tracy all kept the conversation light. Tracy kept touching on the fact that she was headed for Disneyland soon. Both groups of cops got calls on their radios. They headed for the door, food in hand and that left Captain hill to move the other table away from them. He moved to the other side of the table, across from Tracy.
“It’s sad they don’t get to finish their food.” Tracy said to him.
Captain Hill nodded to her and said. “A fact of life. When I was a beat cop, I barely got to eat a meal in peace. But I was doing my job to keep people like you safe, so I could forego a meal or two.”
“It happens a lot?” Tracy asked.
“Yeah. Sometimes they have to wait to get home to have a full meal. But if they don’t go, someone's life could be on the line. Would you rather have cops with full stomachs and people in danger, or hungry cops and crime being watched.”
Tracy thought about it for a moment and answered. “I guess you’re right. Seems wrong.”
Captain Hill nodded to her. “What about doctors. Have you ever been to an emergency room?”
Tracy nodded. “A couple times.”
“Same concept. Doctors may go most of the day on little food or sleep. All in the name of keeping others alive.” Captain Hill said, continuing his line of thought.
“That seems harsh. A day without sleep?” Tracy asked.
Captain Hill ignored her question and finished his thought. “Emergency people, police, firefighters and medical personnel make a sacrifice of comfort to help keep the country safe. Same with the military. If it wasn’t for the actions of the emergency teams and military, this country would not run nearly as smoothly as it does.”
Tracy sat in the bedroom with Rachel. They were waiting for Sage to go to the park, but she was at Dr. Ivan’s. So Tracy was just hanging out and listening to music on the radio. She looked to her friend who was reading a magazine article about some newer bands and started speaking. “So yesterday I spoke to the doctor about something.”
“What about?” Rachel asked her, without looking up.
“I asked him about my...” Tracy blushed. “Well, I asked about my thing. You know how I ran off that one day? I haven’t seen it get hard since. Not that I look at it often.”
“Yeah, I remember.” Rachel replied as she looked up.
“He said it shouldn’t have happened. Without testicles, I shouldn’t get hard.” Tracy was blushing hard, but for some reason she needed to tell her this. Maybe Rachel saw something that could help with this mystery. She didn’t want the object on her, but she had to know if it was really working like it should. No matter what she had done in the past. “He said it could have been in my mind and that I just guessed it had. So I wanted to know, didn’t you see it?”
“I don’t know. I mean I always thought it had.I swear I saw something, but what if you were just sitting weird?” Rachel said with a shrug. “It doesn’t matter. You’re still a girl to me.”
“I thought it got hard... But that doesn't matter. Mom and I had another appointment and this one they took a thing and looked inside my belly. I guess I’m making hormones like you do.” Tracy stated.
Rachel was silent for a moment, then asked. “So you’re like Sage?”
“Maybe.” Tracy said with a shrug. “We did a thing and maybe we’ll hear before Disneyland.”
From downstairs they could hear the door open. And the sounds of someone running up the stairs. “Yeah that would be cool.” Rachel said as the door opened up.
Sage stepped in “So, are we still going to the park?”
“Yeah. You ask Brooke?” Rachel asked her.
Sage shook her head. “Training thing. She’ll see us tomorrow.”
“What’s tomorrow?” Tracy asked.
“Tomorrow we have a day off for teacher enrichment. So we’re going to the pool place in town. The pool is inside, so it’s heated. Plus you don’t have to swim. You can just relax in the pool.”
“Oh...I...uh...”
“Tracy, I go all the time.” Sage told her. “We’ll all be there and you can even have some fun.”
Tracy looked at her lap. “But I can’t swim.”
“Stay in the shallow end.” Rachel suggested.
“I don’t have a swimsuit.” Tracy said, hoping to end the discussion. She didn’t want that much of her body on display again.
“I know a place.” Rachel said. “And I know your size. So if I can get you a suit, a new one, all one piece that doesn’t show much skin, can you go and trust us?”
“I don’t know.” Tracy began to whine. Sage put an arm around her shoulder and asked.
“Do you trust me?”
Tracy nodded after a moment of thinking about it, then said. “Yeah. You’ve been good to me.”
Sage smiled at her. “I swim. I’m in a small suit too. So if I say everything will be fine, then do you believe me?”
“Please, we won’t let anything happen to you.” Rachel added.
Tracy looked from one to the other and finally said. “Okay, I’ll go, but I need a suit.”
“I’ll have one by pool time tomorrow.” Rachel said with a grin. “A good one too.”
March 18th 1983
It wasn’t even noon on Friday and Tracy was with her father who wasn't needed that day at his temp job. Her mother was still working. Sage and Rachel were with their own mothers, and were planning to meet her at the center. Tracy still wasn’t wild about the idea, but to play around in the water, that had sounded fun. She just had to watch how much she played, as she still had her tai-chi class that night, plus a sleepover at Brooke’s.
As they pulled in, so did Lynn and her friends. Tracy waited for her father to get out. When she did, she was met by Rachel who handed her a bag and said. “There you go. Let’s go in and find a stall to change in.”
“My belly will be exposed?” Tracy asked as she looked at the swimsuit in the shopping bag. Rachel led the way to the building. Brooke was being taken out of her Grandfather’s van. “And I don’t swim” This weekend was planned to be a long one.
“Come on Tracy. It's a one piece suit and all you have to do is sit in the shallow end. Usually this place isn't packed in the winter and you can help get Brooke out of the water, but I think Lok will help with that.” Sage took her to the side as they walked to the main entrance. “And that other gaff should work, just make sure to tuck, but the tape won't hold, so in a bit we can make sure we're still good.”
It's not that big, anyway.” Tracy said quietly as they moved to the door of the huge complex that had a pool. As they entered in and Persephone paid for their four hour session, Tracy looked to Sage. “Sage, why couldn't I change at the house?”
“Because we didn't have the swimsuit from Rachel yet.” Sage replied. “She just got it from the store. They had them out already.”
"Already? March just started." Tracy shook her head.
“Fact of life.” Persephone said to them. “Clothes are always out in the wrong season.”
“Come on, let’s go change.” Rachel said, leading the way to the ladies changing rooms.
Tracy was surprised at two things. First was with school out, this place wasn’t filled. The second was how big the changing room was. Rachel had gone to a booth near the main door. It didn’t matter how fast they got changed. They had to wait until the bell rang to get in the water. That would be another fifteen minutes. Sage and Tracy headed towards the back, where even fewer people would go.
Tracy pushed on the door in front of her and it swung open. and they stopped as they realized that they weren't alone. It only took Tracy a moment to realize she was looking at Yvette, the girl who had insulted her weeks earlier. But what really caught her attention was the fact that below her belt-line, Yvette was built just like she was. Sage was equally stunned at the sight.
Yvette was stunned by the appearance of someone else in the room, she thought she would have been alone. When her mind caught up to her, she gave a shriek of fright and turned, and tried to hold her clothes in front of her crotch, her arm reaching back and trying to shut the door that she thought she had locked. .
“Sorry.” Tracy quickly said as she reached forward and pulled the door shut.
They heard the sounds of Yvette moving in the changing room, then what sounded like someone falling to the tile floor, then they heard the sounds of crying, again. Sage looked to Tracy, who felt bad. They both knew the shame and fear the girl felt. Tracy and Sage both headed into the booth, shutting the door behind them. Tracy was going to lock the door for privacy, but the lock didn’t seem to work right. Sage took her towel and as she got close, she draped it over Yvette.
“Go away....just please don't hurt me.”
“We won't hurt you. And we won't let anyone one else hurt you either.” Tracy said, but she wasn't sure why she had said it. Yet she meant it. After all, this girl had run her down just a few weeks prior, just to be mean.
“Yvette, I won't tell anyone.” Sage said.
“I can't believe you, not after the last time.....” She began to cry and Sage realized that there was more to her breakdown at the school a few weeks earlier.
“Yvette, we don't care. You say you're a girl and that's all we need.” Tracy stated and Sage nodded.
“Yeah. You're a girl, despite what is on your body.” Sage said to her and this time Tracy nodded.
“How can I trust you? How do I know that you won't just tell everyone?” Yvette said, through her tears, then she added. “Just like my dad did.”
“Yvette, I'm like you. I was born a boy too.” Tracy whispered. She wasn’t sure why she said it. But she knew the pain and torment Yvette felt. Plus the only other person like her was Sage. She wasn’t sure if she would ever meet anyone else like herself again.
Yvette eyed her warily, as though waiting for an attack, or insults. In the back of her mind, she knew if insults were lobbed, she deserved them. After her actions the past few years, she deserved anything that happened to her.
“Right....You’re pretty, not like me. I’m just a stupid boy....”
Tracy took a deep breath and tried to think how she would be if someone had walked in on her. She decided that her best course of action was to show Yvette how alike they were. With one hand she pulled up her skirt, and the other hand grabbed her panties and gaff and she pulled them down enough to expose her own crotch, just enough to show them the truth. Her cheeks went bright red as she stood there, exposed to both her friend and Yvette. “Yvette, Sage won't say a word, because she knows that I'm just like you.” Yvette looked to Tracy and she was surprised. She wiped at a few tears in her eyes as Tracy pulled her panties and gaff back up, letting her skirt drop enough to adjust herself.
“You're a boy too....” Yvette said. “Well, born a boy too?”
“Yes, she's a girl. We both are, we're just born wrong, like you were.” Sage offered.
Yvette looked to Sage and her jaw dropped slightly, but she managed to ask. “You're like me too?”
“Kinda. I was born with both sets of parts.” Sage said. “I have a penis and a slight opening.”
“No....you were a girl all the time.” Yvette was shaking her head.
Sage blushed and looked away. “Please, don’t make me show you.”
“I don't believe you. How will I know that you won't use this at school? I don’t wanna get hurt, not like last time.....”
Sage sighed. Fair was fair. She had gotten to see more of Yvette then she had ever expected. She steeled herself, stood and exposed herself, but Tracy looked away.
Tracy sat on the floor next to Yvette. “I won't say a word because I know what happens when people find out. I was attacked in my hometown, and some woman came over and started telling people that I was going to rape and murder all the children in the town. She attacked Sage and I in a gas station and at the court appearance to get a restraining order, she had to be hauled away by a bunch of cops, cause she tried to get me again. I had a black eye because of her. Heck, she tried to bite me.”
“Hey, Yvette?” A voice that Sage knew well called out and a moment later, Heather knocked on the door to the changing room which caused it to swing open. As Heather saw them in there, her attitude went frosty. “Like, Oh my God, what do you want, Freak?” She noticed the stains of tears on her cousin's cheeks and she went to the offensive. “What did you do to my cousin?!?”
“Cousin?” Sage asked, not knowing of their relationship.
“Nothing, Heather.” Yvette said. “They didn't do anything, other than scare me and help me out after that.”
She noticed, as Yvette shifted, that she was naked under the towel that wasn’t hers. “They know, don't they?!?” Heather asked, her valley-speak totally forgotten. “They know about your body?!?”
Yvette nodded. “They saw me changing.”
Heather turned towards Sage. “You better not tell anyone.” She balled up her fists as she took a step closer. Tracy got up and put herself between the two girls.
“Please don't fight. We won't tell anyone.” Tracy stated.
“Bullshit. We've been tricked and hurt before.” Heather said.
“Heather, Tracy is like I am. She was born the same way.” Yvette said, not sure if Tracy wanted to keep it a secret, but she knew it could help stop her cousin. “And Sage is cool with her, so I am cool with them.”
“So, porky is a boy in a dress, is he?” It was scary how fast she moved into an insult mode.
Yvette stood up, angry at Heather for how she started to attack someone like her. Sure, she didn’t know Tracy, and the last time they met, she had insulted her. Yvette however wanted to stop being a bitch towards everyone. This was the one chance to keep things getting better.
“Dammit Heather! Stop that!” She stepped forward and the towel fell down, but Yvette was getting angry at her cousin, the fear that Heather really hated what she was still lingered in her mind. She wrapped her arms around her cousin and Tracy and Sage both blushed as they realized that Yvette was totally naked. “Heather, any insults like that, that you aim at her, you are aiming them at me.” Heather looked Yvette in the eyes, as her cousin kept speaking. She blushed once she realized that her cousin was naked. “You call her a boy and I'll know that you secretly hate what I am, too. I'm just the same.”
“Yvette, I don't hate you, but you know what happens when people know....” Heather replied.
Sage picked up the towel and as Yvette kept holding her cousin around the waist, Sage did her best to cover up Yvette.
“I know it too.” Tracy said. “In the past four months, I've been attacked more than three times and threatened several times from the cousin of one of my attackers. One of them threatened to rape and kill my whole family and me. Another of them attacked Sage, her sister and me in a store, just because I was born into the wrong body. My dad almost lost his job because of me. Heck, the woman who attacked Sage and me, she attacked me again at a court case to get a restraining order on her.”
“I'm not saying you have to be nice, but don't go blabbing the secret, cause if you do, you're no better than those jerks who beat us up. And as bad as my father.” Then Yvette added. She realized that Sage was trying to put a towel on her, so she loosened her grip on Heather and grabbed the towel instead. “And if you tell people about her, what's stopping them from telling them about me? And face it, she doesn't go to our school. So I'd get beat up and have to move and she could just fade away again.”
“Look, I don't want trouble. I just want to live my life in peace.” Tracy said, to which Yvette added.
“And that's all I want too.” Yvette added.
Heather sighed. “Fine, but if you hurt her, I will spread your secret around.”
“Heather, just stop, please.” Yvette pleaded. She moved over to her cousin, while adjusting her towel and pulled Heather into another hug. “She won't say anything, because I can get her in trouble too. So please, don't be mean. They want to be nice. They won't make fun of us.”
“How can we trust the freak?!?”
“Her name is Sage!” Yvette snapped.
“Heather, I’m a bit like Yvette, and a bit like you. I got both sex organs.”
“What?!?” Heather asked her warily. Yvette nodded to her.
“I don’t believe you.”
“You can talk to my mother if you don’t believe me. Or Yvette.” Sage said. “Heather, we're holding out the olive branch here, we're not saying that you have to be our best friends, but we can at least be friendly and we could hang out at times. Having friends to lean on is good for Yvette and you. And Tracy and Yvette could share stories and help each other out. They each know how hard their lives can be.”
“Oh really? Did she get attacked?” Heather asked in a snotty tone of voice that tried to prove that no attack was as bad as the one she suffered with her cousin.
“Yes. I said that already." Tracy replied. “By a former friend of my brothers and he tried to rape me on my parents property. He cut off my shirt, bra and was cutting off my skirt when I managed to slip away. I got to my grandmother's place and they tried to hurt me there, but Grandma came out to stop them. I was hurt badly but I still defended my grandmother when they tried to kill her for defending me.”
“She's telling the truth here.” Sage stated. “I saw her in the hospital after the attack and they messed her up kinda hard. They crushed her testicles. She'll never be male again. Then there was the lady who tried to shove me into a candy rack, beat my little sister and then she tried to murder Tracy in a gas station. In full view of ten people. Tracy's grandmother came in and beat the shit out of her.”
“My maternal grandmother, the Paternal is the one I protected, and she has osteoporosis.”
“The brother of the guy who tried to rape her tried beating her up in February and she fought him and three other guys, so we could get Brooke and my little sister to safety. That crazy woman attacked Tracy at the end of February in a courthouse too. So yeah, she’s been beat up.”
“See. I’m not alone here.” Yvette stated.
“Hey, could we get dressed? Sage asked. “So we're not wasting pool time when it starts. Plus Yvette can put on more than a towel?”
“Sure, I don't mind.” Heather went to a bench and sat down in the cramped space.
“Um, I know you've seen me, but could you give us space?” Yvette asked. “You wouldn't change in front of Sage or Tracy, so why should they change in front of you?”
“Tell you what, Tracy and I will find another changing stall and you two can be in here.” The two of them left the tiny cubicle and Tracy was glad to see no one else was in there. To be honest very few people had been there when they pulled up.
Heather wasn't looking happy when they stepped out of the changing room, but Yvette went to her and hugged her. “Thank you. But please Trust me. This can work. The more of us, the better.”
“How can you be sure she is what she said? How can you be sure she is a boy?”
“She showed me.” Yvette stated. “They both did and I don’t care. If I’m a girl, despite my outward appearance, so are they.”
Tracy and Sage stopped by Heather, as the two came out of the changing room. “A truce.” Sage said as she held her hand out. “Like I said in there. You don't have to be our best friend, but at least give us a chance. What if you two come with us tonight. We're staying at Brooke's place and my cousins will be there too. They all know about Tracy and I. But they don’t have to know about you, just that you two need friends."
“It’s best if we don’t have people near us.” Heather began to say, but Sage cut her off.
"Everyone needs someone." The redhead told them.
"Hey!" Rachel called towards the back. "Fifteen minutes till swim time. Let's get going."
Tracy was in her swimsuit, but she stayed out of the pool. She took a spot on a bench with Yvette and the two of them sat there, exchanging stories with Heather and Sage
“So you're like me, just with a worse attack?” Yvette asked.
“I don't think any attack is a good one.” Tracy replied. “But it does happen.”
There was a bell sounded as a second lifeguard stepped into the room.
Heather came over to them and gestured to the water. “Um, like, you gonna go swimming?”
“I can't swim.” Tracy admitted. “But I'll stay in the shallow end. But you all can go swimming.”
The door on the far end opened up and Harvey walked in, with Stacey and Casey in tow, both already in their swimsuits.
Yvette jumped into the water, while Tracy walked around the edge and slowly stepped into the water. Brooke was already in the water and swimming laps
Yvette's mother walked into the large pool area. Her sister met her as she came in. “You'll never believe this.” The woman said and she pointed to where Yvette was sitting with a large group of girls and Heather was there too. It was a half time break where everyone was out of the pool for thirty minutes so they could test the water and everyone could make sure they felt well. “I came in and Yvette was talking to them. I guess there was a slight problem in the changing room and they saw Yvette naked.”
“Oh no.” Yvette's mother started to slump her shoulders.
“It's okay. Yvette didn't say who, but she said she is not the first girl like that that those girls have seen. Yvette said one of them is just like her. I don’t know which one.”
Yvette came running up to them. “Hey Mom, I was wondering if Heather and I could stay at someone else's house tonight?”
“I don’t know...”
Yvette wasn't going to let this chance slip away. "Come on, we can talk to Tracy and her dad."
Yvette led her mother to a quiet part of the center's indoor pool area. “Mom, I met Tracy in the changing room and she is like me. Born into the wrong body. So is Sage and they both go to Doctor Ivan in Dublin, too. Tracy's dad is here, so is Sage's mom and they offered to meet you, so you know they are okay people. Those are Tracy's friends, Rachel, Brooke and Sage we go to school with." She pointed to the bench where Tracy's friends were all sitting, watching them. "Casey and Stacey are Sage's cousins from Dublin. They had no problem with Sage of Tracy.”
Tracy quickly told her dad, Persephone and Yvette and Heather’s mother the short story of her life, quietly so no one else heard it. She also covered what had happened in the changing room.
“You exposed yourselves?” Persephone asked and both girls nodded.
“Hmm, not sure how I feel about that.....” William stated.
“Daddy, it was important, plus we saw her. She thought we’d hurt her.”
“Sage!” Rachel called from across the room. “The pool is open again!”
The girls all stood there, but Yvette’s mother shooed them off. “You all go swim. I need to speak to them really quick.”
“This is my sister. Heather’s mother.”
“I’m Persephone Miller, The redhead’s mother. My daughter was with Tracy at the time.”
“My daughter is the one staying near the side. Tracy.” William said to them. “My wife isn’t here right now.”
“So my sister told me.” The woman said with a nod. “She also said that your daughter said she is okay with....well, how Yvette is?”
“Yes. In fact, Yvette and Tracy are the same.” William said to them as they sat down away from other parents.
“The same?” Heather’s mother asked.
“Yes. Tracy finally had the nerve to come out this past year and began living as a girl.”
“My daughter Sage, the redhead, is like them, in that she has both sets of genitals. So she kinda has an idea of the internal torment your daughter feels. The girls wanted to hang out together tonight. They offered a sleepover to Heather and Yvette. They’ll be at Brooke’s house, which is just down the road from your house, I believe.”
“Well, I don't know about her being at another person's home....” Yvette's mother said. “I mean you can understand, right? With our daughters being....well being the same, I'm sure that you keep a closer eye on her then normal parents.”
William nodded. “I totally understand. I was afraid until Persephone told us that the girls knew about Sage and were fine with Tracy. We had Tracy's Godmother keeping an eye out for her too.”
“Why don't we go eat something to eat. We could find a pizza place or something.” William suggested. “There is bad blood it seems between your girls and the others, so why not help find some middle ground. Tracy has a class soon, but let's meet at six, okay?.”
And so we have come to an end. But fear not, I won't wait another year to post a chapter.
“I see that grin. You got something different, don’t you?” Beth asked.
“Yep. A new variation on the chewy bar things. Plus some more goodies and salads.” Tracy stated.
“I swear.” Chloe said, with a shake of her head. “Between the two of you, we’re all going to become diabetics.”
Tracy chuckled. “Eat just a few.”
“Yeah, what my helper said.” Beth replied.
It's been three years, but hopefully I can get back into writing. Here it is, picking up from the last chapter, more Tracy!
Once again, if you feel the need, go back and re-read the old ones, I had to.
March 18th 1983
The pizza idea had been changed at the last minute. They didn’t want to do two pizza nights in a row. Tracy was in the backseat of her father’s car as he drove to Brooke’s home. After swimming and her tai chi, she was ready for bed. At least the day was going well. Her night bag was already with them. She couldn’t wait till bedtime.
They pulled up near the house and Karen stepped out. Then waved at them to enter. Tracy got out of the car and grabbed her bag and headed for the home. Her parents trailed after her. Tracy was shocked to see Heather and Yvette get out with their mothers and they followed the group.
William stepped into the house. He wasn’t sure if he had ever been in the Han home before. Little touches around the house gave it an Oriental feel. “Shoes by the door please.” Karen said as they all entered. Tracy took off her shoes and headed for the living room, where she could hear her friends. William and Maggie were guided into the dining room.
After a few minutes, with Lok leaving to get food, the conversation started. William and Maggie gave Heather and Yvette’s mothers an abridged version of Tracy. Persephone told them about Sage. While the kids were watching music videos in the living room.
“I'm just amazed that you stayed.” Yvette's mother said to William. “When my ex heard about Yvette, he ran as fast as he could, but not before telling everyone in Oakland her secret. That's how we ended up here. Had no one else to go to and I love the Bay area too much to leave it. Not to mention he got killed in a drug deal gone wrong just after that.”
William shrugged. “I'll be honest. If Maggie hadn't smacked my nose around Halloween of last year, for favoring one child over the other. That when I heard about Tracy on Thanksgiving, I would have been mad and would have probably punished her for being herself. But I was shown that I was playing favorites and being a complete moron. But since Thanksgiving, I have found that I have the best little daughter that I could have ever asked for.”
“I wish Doug could have stayed and seen what a good daughter Yvette has become.” Connie said with a sigh. “Though the attitude they have had...that will be their undoing. I know it was to stay safe, but someone was bound to fight back.”
“That is his loss.” William said. “I am glad I didn't leave. I'm also glad I never forced Tracy to be what she isn't.” He was silent for a moment, then said. “Well, I did. For years I tired to make Tracy a man, but once Maggie opened my eyes, the pieces all fell into place.””
They were interrupted by Sage, Stacey, Tracy and Yvette coming into the room.
Yvette went to her mother. “Mom, Stacey gave me an invite to a birthday party and a sleepover tomorrow. Could we go? Both Heather and I?”
“Tracy will be there for the night.” Maggie said. “You've met Stacey's father. He's the cop.”
“Ah.....The one from Dublin?” Yvette’s mother asked.
“Yes.” Stacey replied.
“Mom, we could use this.” Yvette said. “Both Heather and I.”
Her sister leaned close. "I'd say go just to the party. If they make it through bowling and no problems, let's let them make the decision."
March 19th 1983
Tracy had hitched a ride with Sage, but her parents had brought Vance and Mooney to the party. They were slowly getting ready for the start of their time to bowl. Tracy had her shoes already. So did the others. Harvey had rented a room in the back and there was a table filled with presents already. A local pizza place would be bringing in a bunch of pizza’s, but they had to get the drinks from the bowling alley.
Yvette and Heather came walking into the bowling alley. Sage and Tracy broke away from their friends to get their attention. Heather didn’t want to come along. She still thought the whole thing would blow up in their face.
“Hey, are you both staying the whole night?”
“”I...” Yvette looked worried. “I don’t know. It took an hour just to get Heather to come and I don’t want to face things without her.“
Tracy smiled, then looked at Heather who was really feeling bad for how she had treated Sage, Brooke and Rachel all those years. Tracy tapped her on the shoulder, causing her to look up. When she did, Tracy hugged her. The girl stiffened. “Thanks for coming. Wanna get some bowling shoes?”
“Just make it bowling.” Sage told Heather. “Once it’s over, you don’t have to feel like we’re holding you hostage.” As she got her shoes, she saw Harvey leading Stacey over to a lane with her friends from school, whom Tracy had yet to meet.
“Okay, so it’s fair, we’re putting all the names into a hat. Stacey is one name. The head of team two is...” Harvey pulled out a name. “Brooke.” He began calling names. One by one they got picked and Tracy ended up with Stacey, Casey, Sage and Mavis, a friend of hers from school. Stacey’s other two friends, Nancy and Greta, were put on the other team but they were in the same alley and could talk while seated, though it only had three seats per land
In the next set of lanes, William, Harvey, Lance and Carl. Plus Mooney, Romy and Vance, all of whom wanted to bowl as well. Msggie, Persephone and Lynn had all joined in as well. The rest of the mothers, and Jamie were all behind them at tall, free standing tables with drinks for everyone.
As the bowling happened and the girls got into the game, Tracy could see moments where Heather’s face held a slight smile. Same with yvette. None of them were great at the game. But they had fun trying to get the ball down the lane. The others began to cheer on whoever was up. The only one who was even close to good, was Brooke, who had to remove a part of her chair, belt herself in and throw from the side.
The guys on the other hand were cut throat and trying to one up each other. Tracy had known her parents used to bowl. So seeing them up against Lynn, Lance, and the boys was fun.
Heather’s mother showed up near the end of the three hours. As Yvette and Heather went to leave, Tracy and Sage walked with them to the main door of the bowling alley.
“Maybe next time? Please?” Tracy asked. Heather just shrugged. “You were nice...”
“I guess?” Heather replied.
“You’re worried that something will happen?” Sage asked as they walked to the car.
“Yeah.” Yvette said.
“I’d keep you safe, but I won’t force you.” Tracy told them. “But this isn’t the last time. We can do this again. At your pace.”
“Tracy’s right. We’re not pushing you. But we’re here for you.” Sage stated
As they arrived at the house, Tracy had to admit to herself that she was a bit worried. Until she realized that Stacey’s other friends were what the bully's Palermo would have labeled nerds. One of them talked with Sage on the way back to the Parker house about an old T.V. show named Star trek. Both had thick glasses on and one seemed to have a speech problem. She had seen Star Trek a few times, at her uncle’s home. And recently her father had taken them to the movie Star Trek II the wrath of Khan. The other seemed in her shell and didn’t speak much.
Yet as the later part went on, Tracy realized she had nothing to fear. By the time she put her head to the pillow, she could barely keep her eyes open. The night had gone by, with them watching movies on a VCR machine. All movies that Stacey had picked. And popcorn. Lots of popcorn.
March 20th 1983
Morning came and as the sun began to filter into the house, the sound of a dog running into the living room could be heard, but not by the sleeping girls. Tracy had been awake and already had gone to the bathroom when Lilian let the dog back in the house. Tracy was busy reading as the puppy came padding over.
She stayed in a corner, with the puppy over her lap, reading quietly as her friends and the other girls slept. She was hoping that this could become the norm. Just hanging out with her friends, reading and petting the dog.
She had been glad nothing had happened. Not that she expected it. Stacey’s friends were interesting. Polar opposites from Brooke and Rachel. Neither of them were athletic, and none were huge on shopping. But they did love to read.
And Tracy realized that if her friend group increased by two or three, that would not be a bad thing.
Sunday afternoon came and Tracy was dropped off at Shelly’s house by Harvey. Harvey and his daughters walked Tracy to the front door. They knocked and waited. As it opened up, William gestured for them to come inside. “Wanna come in?”
“We would, But Lil’s family is getting together for Stacy’s birthday. We gotta get going. It’s near Monterey.”
William nodded to him. “Well, in that case, thanks for bringing her out of your way. I could have come and got her.”
“Had to drop off the others as well.” Harvey stated. “But for now, have a good evening and I’ll see you Friday, if nothing big comes up between then and now.”
“See ya then.” William told him. Tracy turned and hugged Stacey, then Casey.
“Bye. See you soon.” Tracy said.
March 21th 1983
Tracy was sitting in the waiting room at Dr. Ivan's office, waiting for her turn. Her appointment was early in the day this time. Her parents were both at work and she was with her Aunt Shelly. The room was mostly empty, except for one other kid who was sitting on a chair by a table, coloring a picture. Tracy could see he was younger, but wasn’t sure how much younger
The rest of the weekend had been horrible. The waiting to get all her legal stuff done and go to Disneyland. She had pushed herself hard to get everything ready. She even had a book or two ready to read if they had down time. She was unsure if she could make it to Friday without going mad from the waiting.
“Hi. I'm Tracy, how are you?”
The young boy looked up, but only barely. He was feeling out of place in his skirt, with his shaved head. “I'm fine.”
“That's a pretty skirt you have on.”
“I guess.” The kid replied.
“What's your name?” Tracy asked.
“Carl.” He replied, then he looked up. “But I wanna be Carrie.”
“I’m Tracy. How old are you?” She asked.
Carl, soon to be Carrie replied, while looking up for a moment. “I’m nine.”
“Cool.” Tracy replied. “You been coming here often?”
Carrie shook their head. “No. Third time.”
“Dr. Ivan is great. You’ll like him. Just remember to tell him everything that is wrong and he can try and help.” Tracy said with a smile
She was gonna say more, but her name was called. She got up and followed the good doctor back.
“Tracy, I saw you talking to Carrie. You know Sage. What would you say if I were to start up a bi-monthly meeting, so all you kids could get together and talk about your problems and stuff. There's only a handful of you so far, but I think talking in a group can help you.” Ivan said to her as she sat in a chair.
“Sure, I guess.”
“No one will force you, but there is strength in numbers. So you and Sage can think about it and give me a call when you get back from Disneyland. I'm actually going to see if your parents want in on a parents support group, too.”
Tracy thought about it, then nodded. “Yeah, I can do that.”
“Good. Now I don’t want to push you too much. I know you have a garden meeting tonight. How do you feel about that?”
“Great. We’re going home and making treats to tease Mrs. Paulson with. Plus Dad may go and meet some of the ladies. But I get to talk with Betty and the other grannies.”
“Well, have fun. That’s the main thing.” Ivan said with a smile.
“Oh. “Tracy reached into her purse. “Mom said to give you this. It's the court time and day.”
Tracy was at the oven as her father came into the kitchen and watched as she pulled out a cake pan. And placed it on the burner to the stovetop. “So, what’s all this for?”
“Garden club. Aunt Shelly signed me up so I can count this as science and I’m getting out some.” Tracy said with a smile. “I’m trying one of Grandma’s other desserts tonight, just to tease Mrs. Paulson.”
“Leave any for me, or do I get teased too?” He asked, playfully.
Tracy pointed to a second pan that was already cooling off. “Right there. Just cover the dish when you’re done with it. Save some for Uncle Frank.”
“We can do that.” William said with a nod. Vance looked up from his homework and nodded.
“Vance, I want that homework done, before you start on the T.V. and remember the dishes. Tracy already did a lot of them, you just have the soup bowls from dinner and the cups.” Maggie said to them as Shelly was coming down the steps.
“Okay Mom.”
Shelly led Tracy and Maggie into the clubhouse where they were doing the meeting. The older ladies greated Shelly first and said hello to Maggie as she came in with one dish. Betty moved closer to the table Tracy was going for. “Hello young lady. It’s so good you keep coming. Flowers and plants are important things. As are gardens.”
“Hello Mrs. Betty!” Tracy exclaimed. The old lady held her arms out and Tracy leaned in for a hug. Then she moved on, leaving Tracy waiting by the table. Beth came over with her own pan.
“I see that grin. You got something different, don’t you?” Beth asked.
“Yep. A new variation on the chewy bar things. Plus some more goodies and salads.” Tracy stated.
“I swear.” Chloe said, with a shake of her head. “Between the two of you, we’re all going to become diabetics.”
Tracy chuckled. “Eat just a few.”
“Yeah, what my helper said.” Beth replied.
The meating started and Tracy went to a corner seat and sat with her mother. It was fun to learn about different plans of growing. She also learned about an idea for a group garden. That led to voting for what vegetables to grow in it.
Tracy was enjoying this, though it didn’t teach her much about growing. Though Shelly had been right. She was getting the chance to trade recipes with people.
I have said this many times in the past, but hopefully I can kick start this story again. Life has been tough, but I really want to keep this going.
I do have a few pages ready to go and hopefully I can get into a habit of posting.
“Yes. Well, first of all, when the doctor got the results of Tracy’s blood test back, there was an issue. And her ultrasound thing.” Maggie said as she passed Shelly a baked potato, and took one for herself. She pushed the plate to her son. Tracy was serving Shelly a slice of meatloaf.
“The results from like two weeks ago?” William asked.
“Yes.” Maggie nodded.
“What issue? And does it pertain to Tracy’s....emotional problems?”
“It does. In fact, it was a big cause.” Maggie said. Tracy had passed her father the potatoes and Vance was getting a slice of meatloaf. Tracy had made enough for a second one, in case someone wanted seconds.
“The report they sent about Tracy’s hormone level that first time was wrong. They sent a copy of a boy with a similar name, he goes to Doc Addams too. They mixed up the results. Doc Addams found it and realized that on the eighteenth, Tracy got a second dose. Now it isn’t enough to start puberty, or so he thinks. But they are stopping the hormone shots.
“A second dose? Where did the first one come from?”
“Tracy.” Maggie stated.
Here's another Tracy. This one is a bit longer and we got some trouble brewing, hence the cautions.
March 24th 1983
Lewis Horton and his wife stood in Judge Andrew Joseph Olsen’s office. The judge was the Godfather to their grandchildren, Scotty and Robbie. He also happened to be the son of June Olsen
The Horton’s were only there because no matter how hard they tried, the entire county refused to release Molly into their care. And a private talk with her, one that they had finally been able to get, at the mental health facility uncovered a bunch of information, including a way to get her out of there and possibly punish the evil child in Molly’s town.
“We want the charges on Molly dropped and that stupid restraining order taken away too.”
“You need to take this up with the District Attorney’s office. I’m not overseeing that case.” Judge Olsen said. “I’m in the traffic courts, not in the criminal. courts”
“No, see we know that you’ll help us, or we’ll ruin your career.” Mr. Horton stated. He flashed a smile that wasn’t anything good. Judge Olsen was sure this was the look that snakes give before biting people.
“Lewis, I can not do anything. I am not a part of that case. And again I'm in traffic courts.”
“How about this? You get Molly out of that jail, or we have Amy Smith go to the papers and tell them how a family court judge slept with her and impregnated her, when she was just fifteen years old. Think you’ll still be sitting there, lording over people after that happens?”
Fear flashed across the Judge’s face, but he tried to get his poker face back, but the Horton’s had seen it. “What are you talking about?!?”
“You know what I am talking about. You slept with a minor, just so she could get a lesser sentence and now she is pregnant. I also know that in February, she was here to tell you that she was pregnant and Molly overheard it. I also know that if you refuse, we take her to the papers and we watch your life go down in flames.”
“You’re crazy.” Andrew muttered.
“Oh, we have a plan and we can get the finger of blame taken away from you.” Lewis said. “But first, you need to get Molly released into my custody. And I want it done today.”
~~~~****~~~~
Tracy went into Doctor Addams’s exam room. It was just past three in the afternoon. After about ten minutes there was a knock at the door and Doctor Addams stepped in, then he held the door and asked. “You don’t mind Ivan being in here as well, do you?” As far as she knew, this was a last minute appointment. Again. But it was to tell her things they found out after her last appointment. And the inclusion of her therapist was amazing.
Tracy shook her head. She sat on a bed, while her mother sat in a chair by the bed. “We’re okay.” Maggie said. Clearly something big was found to include him. Ivan went to a far corner of the room and leaned against the wall. William had wanted to be there, but he had been called into a temp job for the day.
Doctor Addams spoke up. “Okay. We found some stuff. The Ultrasound was good. And we also got the second set of blood tests back.” He placed it on a white screen and turned a light on. “This here shows Tracy’s insides. This is her ovaries and her uterus.”
Maggie’s head popped up. “What?”
“Ovaries? Like real girl parts?” Tracy asked.
“Like honest real girl parts.” Doctor Addams replied.
“There’s no chance the test is wrong?” Maggie asked. She knew if it was, Tracy would be crushed.
“We'd like to do an exploratory surgery, just to check and see the status, before we do much more. Then down the road, if Tracy wants this, we open the uterus up and maybe she even has a monthly cycle.” Both Tracy and her father blushed. “Would you want that? And I mean you have to be sure, little lady.”
“I’m sure.” Tracy stated.
“Tracy, this is important. We will do some more counseling sessions, but we need to make sure that you’re okay with becoming a girl. Once done, there may be no going back.” Ivan told her. “By law, we have to do this.”
“Doctor Ivan, I’d rather be dead than a boy.” Tracy echoed something she had said a few months earlier.
“I get that. But we need to do this to the letter of the law. Plus if we work it right, you may get the military to do it.” Ivan told her, looking at Maggie as he covered the last part.
“So how did we not know this? Why was her first blood test showing she was a boy?” Maggie asked.
“That’s on the lab. I have another patient with almost the same first and last name. The lab mixed the paperwork and I am at fault for not seeing it at first.”
“You’re at fault?” Tracy asked. “But I want to be a girl. So everything is great.” She looked to her mother. “Isn’t it?”
“How is this even possible?” Maggie asked. “I know Sage has it, but how is this even a thing?”
“Well, honestly, She has something close to what they classify as a micro penis. It’s a bit bigger, but not by much. And maybe, just maybe Tracy’s testicles were never good. It’s too late to tell. All of that was destroyed months ago. But keep in mind this is all guess work.”
“So what does this mean for us?” Maggie asked
“Well honestly this makes things better. With an ultrasound, and if we can get the right person, we may be able to get the military to do the surgery so it’s no bill for you.” Doctor Addams said to her.
“And this means that Tracy’s life is going the way she wants to.” Ivan stated.
Tracy smiled. “Cool.” Then she looked at Doctor Addams. “How are we gonna make me a girl then?”
“It will take a surgery and there is a man in Colorado that we can get out here for that. If the Army won’t do it.”
“Do you think they would?” Maggie asked.
“I don’t know.” Doc Addams said
Ivan just shrugged. “First time I’ve had a case like this with military people. So we shall find out.”
~~**~~**~~
When Tracy had arrived at her aunt and uncle’s home around four, she had started cooking dinner. Her father was out, working a temp job. She was told he would be back, roughly when Frank was. She had already gotten some stuff and was making a favorite for her family. Meatloaf and baked potatoes. She was hoping to time it so Frank was there as well. She was going to wait and surprise the girls on the trip to Disneyland.
Her father and Frank both arrived shortly after five thirty in the evening. Tracy was pulling the meatloaf's out of the oven as her father stepped in. “Hey Dad. Dinner in a few. Uncle Frank just went upstairs. We’re having meatloaf. It'll be on the table in a few minutes.”
“Good. I’m starving.” He said with a smile. He headed for the stairs. “Just give me a few minutes to change.”
After a few minutes, Frank and William had come downstairs and the food was on the table. Frank sat at the head of one end of the table and Shelly was at the other. Maggie sat to Shelly’s left. Across from her was Tracy. On Frank's left and Tracy’s right side was William, with Vance in the final seat, between his mom and Uncle Frank. There were two meatloafs on a plate that was closer to Frank's seat. Baked potatoes, butter, sour cream and chives was near the ladies. In the center of the table was a bowl of steamed broccoli. There was a store bought pie on the kitchen counter, as they didn’t have the time to make one after the appointment. And while Tracy was worried about gaining weight, this was going to be the last meal with all six of them for the next week, and it was a day to celebrate.
As it was their home, Frank too the first slice of meatloaf, then he moved the plate to William
Before anyone could ask, Maggie decided to break the news. She could see her daughter was bouncing in her seat. “William, we had an interesting day today.”
William asked as he pulled a slice of meatloaf. “Really? How so? Was it what the Doctor wanted to talk to you about?” He pushed the pan to his daughter, who took a small piece.
“Yes. Well, first of all, when the doctor got the results of Tracy’s blood test back, there was an issue. And her ultrasound thing.” Maggie said as she passed Shelly a baked potato, and took one for herself. She pushed the plate to her son. Tracy was serving Shelly a slice of meatloaf.
“The results from like two weeks ago?” William asked.
“Yes.” Maggie nodded.
“What issue? And does it pertain to Tracy’s....emotional problems?”
“It does. In fact, it was a big cause.” Maggie said. Tracy had passed her father the potatoes and Vance was getting a slice of meatloaf. Tracy had made enough for a second one, in case someone wanted seconds.
“The report they sent about Tracy’s hormone level that first time was wrong. They sent a copy of a boy with a similar name, he goes to Doc Addams too. They mixed up the results. Doc Addams found it and realized that on the eighteenth, Tracy got a second dose. Now it isn’t enough to start puberty, or so he thinks. But they are stopping the hormone shots.
“A second dose? Where did the first one come from?”
“Tracy.” Maggie stated.
“What do you mean?” William raised an eyebrow, shaking his head, as though that could make him understand better.
“We went to a specialist that Doc Addams suggested and she ran an ultrasound last week. Doctor Addams had the results too.....” Maggie paused for a moment.
“What? Is it bad?” William had grabbed a potato and he placed it on his plate.. He looked at his daughter, who was smiling very brightly.
“Not exactly, but it is better than good.” Maggie said with a grin
“Dad, I got girl parts!" Tracy said, a huge smile on her face.
“What? Like your chest?”
“No, William.” Maggie paused to look at the rest of the people at the table. “Sorry everyone, but I need to get this out there.” She continued. “She has a uterus, ovaries and other parts. Or at least they said she has them. The images are hard to see. They want to do a surgery, to see if there is a possibility of cancer, but to also see how much of the parts are there. And Doctor Addams said they can do a surgery to open the vagina.”
Frank had ignored what they had said, William got a bit squeamish, but then he had to know his next question. “But what about the testicles? What about what got crushed?”
Maggie went into explaining what she had learned from Doctor Addams and what he had found out from the Doctor in Oroville. By time she was finished. William was tapping his finger on the table and looking at Tracy, shaking his head in surprise.
“Well?” Maggie asked him, after several minutes of silence.
“Well, this sure changes things.” He said with a nod.
“I know.” Maggie agreed, nodding as she said it.
“I have a thought. Could we get the doctor to speak to a military doctor? If we have to do a surgery, we can get it done that way and save some major money.” William offered the idea
“Yeah, I was thinking that as well. Ivan said he wasn’t sure if they could cover that.” Maggie said with a nod. “Hospital stays can get pricey.”
“Hospital stay?” Tracy asked. “Again?”
“Well, if they open the passage, then yes. But even for surgery too.” Maggie said, turning to face her. “See, from what Doctor Addams said, they need to make sure that neither your ovaries or any of your male parts could be cancerous. So they have to take a sample. That means they have to operate on you, but I will make sure that Disney happens first.”
“Ewww.” Vance said.
“Well, this is good news and it really means that we need a three bedroom place.” William said.
“Yeah.” Tracy replied with a nod of her head.
“Let’s table this talk for now. Please.” Shelly said. “But this does mean you can attend school next year.”
“Yep.” Tracy said with a grin. “And I get to do it with my friends.”
~~**~~**~~
That night as Tracy lay in her bed, she couldn’t go to sleep. Vance was already snoring. Tomorrow would be a huge day. With her court date to legally change her name and the trip to Disneyland, she was going to be busy. But her mind kept going back to what she had learned. She was a girl. A real girl. And she could finally live like one. The world was looking up. She had already done her packing for the trip, as had everyone else. She had even helped Vance with dishes. And she had been able to watch a little of MTV as they did dishes.
From downstairs, she could hear her parents and godparents talking softly. “We need to find a place. One with at least three bedrooms and close to here.” Her mother said to their father.
“Yeah. At least in the same school systems as both the Miller kids.” William replied. “Maybe I can get full time at that place I’ve been at twice. I think they’re about to fire some people. It’s not fancy, but maybe there is a good place where the Millers live.”
“I was thinking that. Most homes are going to be expensive and take both of us to pay for.” Maggie’s voice came back
“You know we will help any way we can.” Shelly stated. “And before you fight it, William, you can’t do everything alone in life.”
She could hear her father’s voice. “Yeah, I know.” She was shocked that her father wasn’t fighting it.
“Well folks. I need to go to bed. I got to work in the morning.” Frank said. “I hope you all have a safe trip to Disney.”
Tracy tried to stay up a bit more, but her eyes had begun to get heavy.
~~**~~**~~
Friday march 25th 1983
Tracy waited for her turn with her parents. It seemed all the cases in the morning had parents with lawyers. But they were being called in alphabetical order. Lance was to her side as they got called, and her parents were right behind her. Ivan and Doctor Adams were with them as well and suddenly she began to worry that her name change would get ignored, and she would have to live as a boy. She was glad that for the most part, the courtroom was empty and they were the last people in the group that had been called at Ten thirty. Of course it was only a group of four. The first two had gone quickly. The third case took a bit of time. Finally Her name was called. Her parents stood up, as did she. They followed Lance up to the podium. She paused to look in the seating area and was glad that no other people were left in there.
It started with Lance covering the reason for the visit. She tried to keep up with the legal speech, but it was all over her head. She could understand parts of it, like Lance saying she wanted to change her name and her birth certificate. After a few minutes, she thought she was going to be called, but Doctor Ivan stepped up and began speaking.
Most of what Ivan said she understood, all she could keep thinking about was what if she couldn’t get the name change. What if the Judge said she had to be a boy. She bit her lip and absentmindedly played with her hair.
Then when Doctor Addams told the court about her female parts, and how they were maturing. She blushed and tried to not think about it. How her inner workings were being made public knowledge. Then she heard the judge clear his throat.
“Young...um lady” Judge Rayne stopped and he looked at Tracy. He pointed to the stand with the microphone. Her mother tapped her shoulder to get her attention. “Tracy, could you stand closer to the microphone?”
“Yes sir.” She said, A bailiff came over and pulled out a stool for her to stand on. This brought her almost to the same height as her mother.
“Now, do you understand what is going on here?” The judge asked.
“Kind of, your Honor Sir.” Tracy replied with a shrug. “I don’t know the legal words, or the big medical words, but we are getting my name changed.”
Maggie looked at her. “And change your birth certificate to read female.”
“Yeah and making my papers say girl.” Tracy said to the judge.
“And you are okay with this? Do you want this? All of what is happening to you?”
Tracy looked to Lance who chuckled. “You weren’t listening?” Lance asked and Tracy shook her head.
“Too many huge fancy words. I got confused.” Tracy admitted.
Lance looked at her, but smiled. “As you know, your doctor found out that you’re a girl inside, so we’re just getting the legal papers to show that too. Name and birth certificate”
“Yes sir. I am positive that I want these changes. I want the name changed too.” Tracy said, looking at the judge.
“Why? I mean is there any chance you want to still be a boy?” The judge asked.
“Your Honor, sir, for years I have felt like a girl, but at one point, I thought it was like a release, something where I could imagine my mean brother and my father didn’t exist. I’d sneak off to mom’s closet and wear her clothes when I thought no one was home.” She looked at her dad and blushed because she was bearing so many secrets. “See, Sir, I thought they both hated me and when I got beat up, My brother defended me. And Dad has been behind me since I first told him I was a girl. Now with what's inside me, I feel I knew somehow, all along, and now I want to be complete, inside and out.” She paused for a moment, then she added. “Sir, if I had to be a boy again, I would do anything I could to stop it. I never want to be a boy again. I don’t want to live if I had to be a boy again.”
The judge heard her, but continued asking other questions. “And you’ve been living like this for how long?”
“Since February.” Tracy replied.
“Actually....” Maggie said as she stepped forward. “Tracy has been Tracy most of the time since at least last August. When she was home, and William and his father were gone, Tracy would stay at my Mother-in-law’s house and spend the day as Tracy. The Monday after Thanksgiving she started being Tracy all the time when home and she hated going to school as Troy. When she got put into homeschooling, she was Tracy full time, all under the watchful eye of Doctor Ivan Krenshaw.”
“I see.”
“And you want your legal name to read Tracy Kristen Patterson?”
Tracy nodded again, but she couldn’t help but smile. “Yes sir. I want it more than anything. This way I can go to school with my friends next year.”
The judge nodded slightly, Then he frowned as he looked down and he wrote something down, pausing to look at the clock. Then he took a leap of faith. “Then, by the power vested in me, from the state of California, at the time of eleven twenty, on March the twenty-fifth. In the year of nineteen eighty three, I approve your name change. Young lady, as of now, you are Tracy Kristen Patterson. I am also approving the petition to change your birth certificate. Counselor, you may have a bit of a hurdle because she was born in another county.”
“She was born on a military base. But we’re ready to fight each step, sir.” Lance said to him.
Tracy’s eyes sparkled with delight. Between going to Disneyland and the name change, she was on top of the world. She started to bounce in place and almost slipped off the stool, but her dad put a hand on her shoulder to keep her from falling.
“Relax, don’t fall.” William said.
She waited for the legal part of the proceeding to finish, but soon it was over and her joy had to come out. Tracy turned from the space she had been standing at with her parents and Lance. She was so excited that her name changed that she couldn't help but launch into a cartwheel, while in the courtroom. This was followed by a backflip. William called after her. “Tracy, not in here!”
But as Maggie looked to the judge, the fear that Tracy could get in trouble for treating a courtroom like a playground, she saw him laughing and shaking his head. He gave them a wave of her hand to show he wasn’t going to call her back and with the display, he knew he had made the right decision. The court reporter chuckled and shook her head.
When Tracy was back on her feet, she looked to her Dad. “Sorry, I was really excited.”
“So I see.” William said with a chuckle. “Let's save the celebration for Disney, okay?”
As the room was emptied, the court reporter looked up to the judge. "There is no way in the world that she was a boy.".
"I know. Kinda reminded me of my daughter when she was that age. Including cartwheels in a courtroom."
“I must admit, I don’t know much about the world. But that was no boy in a dress.” The bailiff said with a shake of his head.
~~**~~**~~
William and Maggie led Tracy, who was dancing out of the courthouse, much to the amusement of the people passing by. As she got outside the courthouse, she saw Harvey walking towards them, with Casey and Stacey. Tracy darted towards them and caught Stacey in a running hug.
“Is it approved?” Stacey asked.
“Yep. I'm Tracy Kristin Patterson as of today! And my birth certificate will read female too!” Harvey quickly translated for Casey, as Stacey and Tracy were jumping up and down, while hugging. When he finished, Casey joined the bouncy hug.
“Well congratulations, Tracy. But I think we need to get to Livermore. We got to pick everyone up.” Harvey said.
“Where's the wife?” William asked him.
“She went to Persephone's earlier, with Shelly, to load clothing.”
“Why did you come here?” William asked as they headed for William’s car.
“Well, Stacey’s school is just a couple of miles from here and I knew that you should be done by now. So I thought I’d see how it went before we headed to Livermore. Already got the girls' stuff packed for the trip.”
“Well, I'd like to make a stop, on the way out of town.” Maggie stated. “Beth said she would have my paycheck ready by noon.”
“So the deli and the bank?”
“Please?” Maggie asked. “The bank is right near there, in the downtown part of Livermore. Shelly knows I want to get it today.”
“I think we can do that. Plus with a deli, the girls can get something real to eat, instead of the snack foods” Harvey said. “Do you two need to get your son?”
“No, he is walking home with Moony and Jamie. He will meet us at Shelly’s place. We loaded all our clothes into Shelly's van earlier.”
“Can Tracy ride with us to Livermore? Please?” Stacey pleaded.
“I guess, if Maggie and William don't mind.”
“We don't.” William said. “Besides, we have Lance, so he gets the back seat to himself.”
“I get to feel important.” Lance said. “My choice of seats. I'll be like a rich man, riding in style.” He exclaimed, almost childlike, to which everyone laughed.
Doctor Ivan walked with them to the car. “Well, young lady. Have fun at Disneyland and don't forget your schooling. Next year you can now join Sage, Rachel and Brooke at school.”
“I know.” Tracy beamed with joy. She reached out and hugged Ivan. “Thank you.”
“You're welcome. Now you better get going, before Mickey decides to close the park for the week.”
“Young lady, you have fun.” Doctor Addams said with a smile and Tracy hugged him too. “When you return we’ll work on getting you looked at and setting up the surgery.”
“Awesome!”
Something seemed off to Marcy. Molly was standing at the front door to her home. As far as she knew, the court date had not happened yet. So how she got out was beyond her. Lionel was gone on a trip and she was to watch the boys for a few days. But now Molly was there and insisted she could take care of everything.
“It's okay. I’ve been let go and all the charges were dropped.” Molly said as she led Marcy to the door. “I’ve got this. I need some time with my boys.”
The boys came home from the half day of school and were surprised to see their Grandparents' car in the drive.
“Mom!” Robbie ran over and jumped into his mother's hug.
Something ate at Marcy the whole way home. She had known about the attack and somehow, Molly getting out early just seemed fishy. She just didn’t know what to do. Lionel was out of the country for a work conference and would not return for at least a couple days. She had no idea what to do anymore.
Either way, she had to call him.
William's car pulled up to Shelly's, taking one of Shelly's normal parking spots. To his side he could see Lilian's suburban and Shelly's van, Plus they had added Lynn's van at the last moment, for more storage. They were all gathered in front of the vehicles. Sage, Rachel and Brooke joined Stacey and Casey with Tracy. Jamie just stood with Mooney, and Vance
“Well?” Sage asked.
“It’s approved. I’m a girl on paper and my name is legally Tracy now!” Tracy said as she started to bounce in place. Her friends, except for Brooke, joined her. “And guess what? That doctor’s appointment yesterday? The doctor said I have all the female stuff in me, like Sage does!” They began to bounce again.
“Cool. So next year you get to go to school with us?” Brooke asked.
“Yep!” Tracy bounced some more.
~~**~~**~~**~~
Tracy and the girls all piled out of Lilian's truck. As they stood around, another vehicle pulled up and Persephone turned and looked, then smiled at the passengers in the vehicle. She tapped her sister on the shoulder, who also looked. “Sage, Moony, ‘Romy, Stacey, Grandma and Grandpa Baker are here. Your Aunt Agnes too.”Sage grabbed Casey’s attention, then the Miller and Parker kids went running off to see their grandparents and Aunt.
The large group headed from the back parking lot and around the building. They headed into the entryway of Big Mama's bakery and deli., passing by a few tables that had been placed outside so people could enjoy the good weather. Maggie followed them inside. Beth was in the process of locking the bakery to go into the deli. “Hello Mrs. Paulson. These are my friends.” Tracy quickly introduced all of her friends.
“A large group. Why are you here? I thought that you were going to Disneyland today?”
“We are.” Maggie said. “But we wanted to get them all something to eat, none of them had lunch at school today, and I wanted to grab my paycheck. With the bank just across the road, I can put it into the account and come back for something.”
“Mom’s in the office and she has it in there.” Beth replied.
“Thanks Beth.” Maggie said and she headed into the back.
“Hey Tracy!” A voice rang out and she looked over to see Officer Henderson and Officer Cunningham sitting in a booth. In another booth was Captain Hill.
“Hi!” Tracy bounded over. “How are you?”
“Good and you?” Officer Cunningham asked.
“Great! We’re about to go to Disneyland!”
“That’s great. I haven’t been there since I was a little girl.” Officer Cunningham said with a smile. “I bet my girls would love it....”
“Oh yeah. I remember the last time I went, like six years ago.” Tracy said. “I was a little girl and loved it.” She looked to the older Captain. “Hello Sir. How are you today.”
“Good. But it looks like you’re doing just a bit better than me.” He said with a smile. “Enjoy L.A. and be a good girl.”
“I will.” Tracy replied as Eva came out from the kitchen with food for customers.
Harvey walked over and began talking shop while the girls all ordered their meals. The six girls, plus Vance, Jamie and Mooney all took over the bar type seating at the deli. The parents grabbed a couple of tables. Each of them ordered and went back to talking
As their meal ended, Beth went up to the three tables that the adults were using. “I was wondering, do you have snacks for the girls? Disneyland is a good five or so hours away.”
“Some, we filled the vehicles up and the ladies bought snacks for the kids.” Harvey said, looking to the other fathers for confirmation. They all nodded.
“I got a bunch of baked goods that I'll just toss out tonight. They were cooked this morning. They are the cleaner ones, no cream filled or stuff like that.”
“Sure, if you don’t mind. Do you want anything for it?”
“Well, it was due to be tossed, if you don’t mind charity.”
“Tracy, you and the girls wanna come on back and we can pick up some goodies for the road?”
“Sure!” Tracy got up and led her friends to the back.
“You sure you don’t want anything for this?” Harvey asked.
“Nothing, but if you want to pay something, I’ll make it half off cause this isn’t even a day old.” Beth told him.
“Sold.”
~~~***~~***~~~
Scotty stepped back, tears forming in his eyes. He held his right arm with his left and where it had been hit with the belt hurt badly. He had never seen his mother this crazy, but now he was worried about being left with her. And then there was his Grandparents, he knew they were there, but they weren’t stopping this attack. Instead they encouraged it.
“HIT HIM!” Molly screamed at Scotty. “HIT YOUR BROTHER!!!”
Robbie was curled into a ball on the floor while his mother whipped his brother with a belt. He had never seen her this mad, even when Scotty had done something bad. His lip was already split, his nose bleeding and his eye had been hit, but Scotty had only done it after his mother had whipped him. Now he was refusing.
Molly turned to Robbie, and her face looked sad, but determined. “I’m sorry baby, but this is necessary to stop an evil person.”
Her hand with the belt went back and he covered his face as she swung. Scotty was curled into a corner of the locked room, too afraid to stop his mother.
~~~~****~*~****~~~~
Back in Oroville, something was wrong and Keith Klein knew it. He sat back in his chair, calling the number he had for the Pattersons, but no one had been answering. He had already stopped by the Patterson place, but no one was there. He knew he had to warn them somehow. He wasn’t sure where to begin, or what to say, nor was he sure how things had reached the point they had reached.
He just knew there was trouble coming for the family and coming quickly. He was feeling helpless and wished there was a good answer on how to reach them, but so far, he was striking out. He wasn’t aware of the connections that Molly had in the county, just that she had been released from jail. He had heard that the restraining orders had been removed too
_____________
Well it's gonna get a bit dark from here. Will Molly turn her evil to the town? How will this effect Tracy?
“Yes. It was all Troy’s fault.” Molly’s glee was very evident. A sick smile had been on her face for a little while now. Her parents were helping with the story to the deputy, while the boys were huddled in a room together.
“You know, just a couple of boys fighting won’t be enough to arrest and jail him for long, if he has a clean record.” The deputy said. “You need something bigger.”
“Like what?” Louis Horton asked. In his mind this was open and shut. If the courts were God fearing. “Isn’t this bad enough?”
“Not really. With their ages...boys fight all the time. But sexual assault could work, like you’re doing with Amy. But what about another kid?”
“Like Robbie?” Molly Inquired. “We’ve beat both boys.” She said so nonchalantly.
The deputy shook his head. “I was thinking about a girl. You attack a little girl and people lose their minds.”
“We already have Amy. Why do we need another?” Molly’s mother asked.
Tracy has some dark times a-coming. But she is also going to have a fun time at the Happiest place on Earth.
Harvey pulled the adults to one of the empty tables in the deli. He unfolded a map of California. “Here's my thought. We stay on Five all the way to LA. About five or six, we pull off and find something like a Denny's or something like that and feed the kids, then gas, so we’re filled all the way, then head to Disney.”
“Works for me.” Carl agreed, nodding his head. “By that point, 'Romy will be starving, even with snacks. And who knows how many bathroom stops we will need.”
“And if it’s anywhere before nine at night, there will still be traffic.” William stated, using his knowledge of the area. After all, he and Maggie had lived there for a short few years. “So stopping just over the Grapevine could be our best bet.”
“In Santa Clarita?” Carl inquired.
“Yeah.” William nodded his head. “And the kids can stretch and so can we. That should be the four or five hour mark. Then an hour or so to Disney.” He looked at Harvey. “As for bathrooms, at least when we went through a few years back, there were a few truck stops along the way. Like I said, that was a few years back, but I doubt those go away very fast.”
“Yeah. But we call the shot on that. If it looks shady, we won't get near it.” Lance spoke up. To his side the wives all nodded.
“And when we get to the hotel we’re at, keeping the girls together may already be hard.” Lillian stated.
“We’ll lay down the law when we are headed there.” Harvey offered with a shrug. “Threaten to bring them home early.”
“That would work.” Persephone stated. “I know the girls will want to sit together. After a while we all can change vehicles as well.”
“We can stay in a line and if someone needs a bathroom we can flash our lights at the car in front of us.” Shelly offered.
Harvey looked at her and arched an eyebrow. “But if I’m in the front, who do I get to warn?”
Shelly smiled. “Your truck is the hold it truck.”
Harvey began to laugh. “Let me guess, tie it in a knot?”
“Maybe. If it helps, then do it.” Shelly replied back.
“Well, lets get going. Before the kids realize we have been here for almost thirty minutes.” Carl suggested.
Harvey folded the map up as the other parents gathered the kids. Being in downtown had it’s bad side. They had to park nearly a block away.
~~**~~
At the Hallmark home, a deputy was taking a report from her. He was a distant relation on her parents side of the family. He knew it was a false one. But to make this stick, they needed to do the report. She also knew he was very anti-gay and he wasn’t the cleanest person in the sheriff’s department.
“Troy Patterson, right?” He asked and Molly nodded. “Two t’s”
“Yes. It was all Troy’s fault.” Molly’s glee was very evident. A sick smile had been on her face for a little while now. Her parents were helping with the story to the deputy, while the boys were huddled in a room together.
“You know, just a couple of boys fighting won’t be enough to arrest and jail him for long, if he has a clean record.” The deputy said. “You need something bigger.”
“Like what?” Louis Horton asked. In his mind this was open and shut. If the courts were God fearing. “Isn’t this bad enough?”
“Not really. With their ages...boys fight all the time. But sexual assault could work, like you’re doing with Amy. But what about another kid?”
“Like Robbie?” Molly Inquired. “We’ve beat both boys.” She said so nonchalantly.
The deputy shook his head. “I was thinking about a girl. You attack a little girl and people lose their minds.”
“We already have Amy. Why do we need another?” Molly’s mother asked.
“Simple. If Amy starts showing, her story could be gone and he could get an appeal. Plus claiming it happened this weekend and then her having a baby in September could get him freed.” The deputy stated
Molly began to think about the little girls she knew and June’s granddaughter came to mind. She held up one finger. “I got one. I can make this work.” In the back room, they could hear both of her boys still crying.
“Good. You’ll need evidence. Good evidence. Something that can’t be fought.” The deputy offered.
Lilian began to question if she wanted to be driving the truck with all of the girls as they started singing “it's a small world” for the tenth time since they had left Livermore. And they had only gotten out of Tracy and were merging with Interstate five. She knew this would be a very long trip. Just the six in the back was bad, but they also had ‘Romy sitting between her and her sister. Casey had taken the far back seat and was there with Sage and Tracy. Casey had a sketch pad out and was drawing something. Ahead of them was Stacey, Rachel and Brooke by the door. Magazines aimed at girls their age were on both seats. She looked at Persophone, who just shrugged her shoulders and smiled. “Just go along with it. Or we could turn up the oldies channel and drive them to a revolt.
“Girls, I have a box of tapes under my seat. If you can agree on one, I’ll play it.” Lillian called back to them.
Sage leaned down and pulled out a large box. She pulled the lid off and there were many tapes in there.
“The stranger!” Sage exclaimed, pulling one out. “Side one is awesome!”
“No fair, what about Trouble in Paradise?!? It has I love L.A.!” Stacey pouted, holding up that cassette.
Hey, John Denver!” Rachel had also grabbed a cassette. She was holding up the tape and giggling. “That’s like Sage’s Dad’s favorite stuff. That could put us to sleep.”
“She’s got a few beach boys tapes in there as well.” Stacy added.
Tracy blushed. Her father listened to Denver as well. If she was honest, she loved the music as well. There were a few oldies in the box. One or two Elvis cassettes in there. Stuff her mother would have gone with.
The girls put it to a vote and the Stranger was passed forward.
“Which side first?” Persophone asked. “We go with one side, then the next tape comes up.”
“Side one.” Sage called out, after looking at the track listing.
In the back of Harvey’s Truck, William was seated behind his son and Marcus, and next to Lok. Lok reached into a bag and pulled out a small travel chess game. “Ever play chess?” He asked with a thick accent.
“A few times. I’m no master at the game.” William said.
“Neither am I. Just a game to pass time.”
"I thought you weren't coming?" William inquired, thinking back to the night they were asked about going.
Lok shrugged. "Most students are gone for break. No need for school this week."
He put the pieces in place, thankful for the tiny magnetic version of the game. Ahead of them, Vance, and Mooney were looking at sports illustrated. Jamie sat next to a window and was reading from a teen magazine she had brought.
"What about you? You find good job yet?" Lok asked.
"Looking. Been working that temp agency. But I'd rather have something full time. But I was waiting for this trip to end." William answered,
"You know, William, We can see if we know people that are looking." Harvey said from up front. "If you don't mind going out of Livermore."
"I know I may have to." William said. "Afterall, it's a huge area I have to pick from. I just don't want to be traveling for several hours a day."
Carl nodded and turned to see him. "Understandable. What about the BART system? Park it and leave it till you get back. Save on gas money and get a monthly pass. Or ride in with Frank and just go from there."
"Frank may have suggested that. I figure when I get back, I put my nose to the grindstone and look as hard as I can. I'll start with Livermore, then move to Tracy and Dublin. After that I'll just spread out. I know I'd rather not work retail. I've got the training to drive a forklift and I can do work in like a mill."
"Keep in mind, for a job like that, you may have to go to the ports. Like Oakland, or near Benicia." Carl shrugged. "But would retail be bad, if it is paying the bills?"
William sighed as he moved one of his pieces. "I guess not. Money is money and when I'm employed, I can move on from there."
June was shocked to see Molly at her front door. As far as she knew, Molly would be in prison for a very long time. “Molly...you’re out?”
“Yes, they decided to drop the charges. Nothing was going to last in court.” Molly lied as she gestured them in. June noticed the Horton’s were behind her. In the car sat two little heads.
Molly wasted no time. “June, I need your help. Well, yours and Cindy’s, if we are to end the evil in our town. And I know you will help me.”
“What evil?” June asked. Then she wondered out loud. “You don’t mean the Patterson's do you?””
“Yes we do.” Said Molly’s father.
“No. You were already in court and the deputy warned me about threatening the Patterson's after you threatened to run them out of town.”
“June. You really think your husband would like it if we told him about how you’ve had not just one affair, but two? And maybe the IRS would like to know about how you cheat on your taxes?”
“You wouldn’t.” June said back, fear began to creep into her mind. While she had cheated. The taxes were done by her husband. Not that it would matter much to the government.
“Help me, and I’ll forget everything.” Molly said with an evil grin going across her face.
~~~***~~~
The sun had set on the four vehicle caravan as they topped the Grapevine pass and was headed down into the greater Los Angeles Metro area. Lilian had expected it and when the girls gasped at the number of lights shining out across the valley she chuckled. In front of her was her Husband’s vehicle, with William now in the passenger seat. Behind her was Shelly, with Maggie, Karen and Jaio. Behind them was Lynn and Lance and all of the luggage. Sage's grandparents took up the end of the caravan
“There it is!” Stacey began to jump around in her seat. The other girls began to cheer.
Persophone cleared her throat and shook her head. She spoke loudly for the girls. “Girls, that’s Magic mountain. We have to go though most of LA to get to Disney.”
“That’s not Disney?” Rachel looked confused. It was large and had rides.
Persephone chuckled. “Nope, even the billboard said it wasn’t it. Besides, we haven’t even reached where we are having dinner.”
“Will we be there in a bit?” Sage asked.
“Dinner, yes. Hotel? No. We're only in the northern part of the LA area. We have to go through it to get to Anaheim.” Lilian answered.
“Does Aunt Shelly know which way to go?” Rachel pondered as the vehicles began to take the off ramp. She looked behind them to see the other three vehicles follow them. She was shocked to have seen Sage’s aunt and grandparents show up. She knew Tracy’s grandparents would be there as well.
“Yes. Maggie is guiding her, but Harvey is taking the lead, William is telling him the way. They lived down here, so he remembers most of the route. Tracy’s mother will be coming with us.” Ahead of them, Harvey was heading for a nearby Denny’s restaurant. The kids were hungry, as were the adults. William had gotten out when they stopped and jogged inside so they could set up enough tables for everyone.
As everyone got out of the vehicle, they all gave a short stretch, except for brooke, who waited for her chair to stretch. Even though they were on the outskirts of the LA metro area, the feel of the city was different. If felt much busier than Livermore. William was standing by the door as they all walked over. “Fifteen minutes, they hope.”
“Good. I need a bathroom.” Carl stated. This caused the kids to realize they should go as well. As the last of the group was returning, the waitress called them over and led them to a group of six tables in the back area of the restaurant all pushed together. The girls all sat together, with Andromeda sitting with them in a booster seat. Tracy was happy with this. Life was clearly looking up. Even if her father was gesturing to the kids menu for her.
An hour or more after they had returned to the road, they were in heavy traffic. Tracy was busy singing along to the music, from a station she remembered her cousins listened to. It was modern stuff and all the girls were busy singing. They had gone through most of Los Angeles, or so it felt.
Due to how dark it was, the girls had given up on their reading and art. Now they were watching the traffic and the scenery go by. The area was super busy. All the girls looked forward as they heard the turn signal. Shelly had passed them earlier and now they were behind two vehicles.
Rachel and a couple of the others looked over their shoulders to see the other vehicles in their caravan were also turning. Of course, many other vehicles were also turning.
“Oh My God.” Sage said as she started to bounce in her seat, shaking her cousin Stacey. With her free hand she pointed to a big Disneyland sign. “We’re here, we're here!”
All the girls in the back, and ‘Romy, in the front, began screaming at the top of their lungs.
Lilian rolled her eyes as they broke into “It's a small world” Once more. Persephone turned in her seat and called out to them. “Girls. Remember. No running off. Stay with us and bring in your own bags. We all have our own stuff.”
~~^@^~~
Molly chased Cindy down the hall and she shoved her into the bedroom.
From the living room, the boys could hear the sounds of Cindy screaming as though someone was hurting her. June turned away from the sounds, afraid of how Molly could ruin her marriage and her life, but aware she was allowing her granddaughter to be hurt worse..
June wasn’t sure who Molly was anymore. Even her parents weren’t doing anything to stop this. But then, neither was she.
Trying to keep the girls together while they all checked in was hard. Even the older kids wanted to run and look around. The pure joy of being there was great. And the thought of being able to see their favorite characters was almost too much for them to bear. While several of them had seemed tired before they got there, every one under the age of eighteen was now on their second wind. It took a while to get them all checked in. And Carl had gotten with his travel agent to try and get them all on one floor. That had worked, with just two rooms down the hall from the others.
After checking in, the girls all formed a single file line and began marching to their rooms. While they marched, they began to sing, which helped other little kids near them to start up.
“We’re following the leader, the leader, the leader
Te-dum te-de
Tiddly doe da day
Soon the whole lobby was a mass of kids singing loudly.
Harvey looked to William and Lance as they got on one of the elevators. “Think they sell beer here for the fathers?”
“Nope.” William replied. “Besides, it's just a little singing. Maybe this will tire them out.”
Lilian chuckled. “William, you weren't forced to hear It's a small world for almost an hour straight.”
They could hear singing coming from the elevator shaft as the girls were on another elevator. Shelly chucked, glad she had gotten on with most of the guys.
As the elevator stopped, they got out and waited for the whole group to meet them. Then they began walking the halls. Once again the girls began to sing, with Rachel marching at the front of the line.
“Lance Williams?” A voice called out, causing Lance and the rest of the group to look down a hallway. This caused all of the girls to stop.
“Reverend Banks?!?” Lance exclaimed in surprise. “I wasn't expecting to see anyone else I knew down here.”
“The kids had a break, so we decided to treat them to Disneyland.” Reverend Banks replied. He looked at William and Maggie. “Hello Maggie. William? How does the work search?
“Well, I will admit that I waited the past couple of weeks. I’ve been working at a temp place, but nothing seems to be lasting. Thankfully We had my check from work for my sick time I never used and that was better than a normal paycheck. Over ten years and no days taken till this past November.” William stated, then he chuckled. “Wish they would have split it up though. They really took out a lot of it for the taxes.”
“Yeah, that does happen.” Ian replied back. “But when you get home, you can start your search in Earnest and if you want, I can send some ideas your way. I do happen to know several of the men who go to the church are hiring.”
“That would be wonderful.” William answered with a smile. A part of him wanted to do the work search on his own, but he would be stupid to turn down help. Especially with the amount of people that went to his church. And those people knew people and those people knew people.
“Maybe we’ll see you tomorrow.”
Reverend Banks nodded. “Well, we’re here for a few days. The girls wanted to go see the sights, but I’m not too sure.”
“There is a cool mall north of Los Angeles. It's the Beverly Center.” Tracy said and Brooke nodded.
“Big one.” Brooke added.
“Hello Tracy.” Reverend Banks said, nodding his head to her.
“Reverend.” She replied back.
“And hello Vance. It's good to see you again.”
“And who are the rest of your friends, Tracy?”
“This is Sage and her parents, Mister and Mrs Miller. Casey and Stacey and their Parents, the Parkers, Brooke and her mother and grandparents, the Hans. And You know Rachel’s parents....oh yeah, Mooney and ‘Romy are Sage’s siblings.”
“Wow. Big group.” The preacher said. “Well, young ladies, you all be good and listen to your parents.”
Saturday morning hit and Tracy seemed to wake up before the sun had risen. All of the girls were in the room with her parents. None of them had wanted to go to sleep the night before. They were all too wired. She cast a glance to the window and saw no light coming from the bottom of the curtain. Sage was laying next to her, wide awake and 'Romy had been awake for a few minutes. Someone knocked at the doors and Tracy bounced off the floor and ran to the door.
“Tracy!” Maggie said as she sat up in the bed, while Tracy was touching the door. “Look through the peephole first.”
Tracy stood on her tiptoes and looked out. “Looks like Vance.”
Her mother nodded. “Open it.”
“Hey, I need my bag. I left it here.” Vance said as he went to his bag. The night before the Patterson’s had ended up with all the kids under fourteen, leaving the Miller’s with the boys.
“Dad, it’s time to go get breakfast.” Tracy said to William.
“Nah, we can wait a few hours.” William said. “I need my sleep.”
“That’s what Mister Miller and Mister Harvey said.” Vance replied.
Tracy looked at Vance and smiled. “Like Christmas time?”
“Yeah.”
Tracy leaned over and whispered the plan and then Tracy and her friends, plus Vance and Romy attacked William's bed and they began bouncing on it. After this they would have to attack the other dad’s.
“Wake up Daddy!” Tracy said as they started shaking him. Brooke sat back and chuckled.
“Okay, okay. I'm up.” William said. Tracy shook her head as Sage started to get off the bed.
“Feet on the floor Daddy, or we keep bouncing.”
“I'm awake.” He stated again. He headed for the empty bathroom.
“Come on! Let's go to my parents now!” Sage said, “Then Rachel's and Stacey's!”
William looked out of the bathroom and smiled when he didn't see the girls. He stepped out and took a step to where his bed was and he could see the mattress cover was lumpy, as though seven little bodies were under it, because they were. He could hear giggling from under the covers. Tracy flipped the covers back and looked at him. “No more sleep. Get dressed. We got to wake the others!”
“Nope, it's nap time.” William said as he began to push on the bodies under the covers.
“That’s what my dad said.” Rachel grumbled. Then there was a knock at the door. Maggie went to it and looked out. Then she opened the door to see the other families there. Shelly had stayed with her parents and she had gotten a suite with two bedrooms. She had also helped Lilian and Persephone find another with two bedrooms. William chuckled and left the mass of kids alone.
Once all of the kids were seated on the floor and listening, Persephone took over. They were all facing the kids, to let the kids know they all felt the same.
“Now here are the rules.” Persephone said. “We're going to stay together. I know you want to run around and see everything, but we're here for the week and don't have to leave till Sunday. So no running off. We may look at Knott's Berry farm or other places this week, too. I was thinking of a mall for the girls on Tuesday or Wednesday. Rule two is for 'Romy. Stay with an adult at all times. An adult will be with the girls at all times, just to help Brooke transfer faster, okay?”
Brooke nodded. “So I can ride the rides?”
“We'll do our best to make sure you can.” William stated. He flashed her a smile, as did her Grandfather.
When Persephone was done, Lance looked to Harvey, Carl and William, who all nodded. “Well.” Harvey said as he moved to the bed. “The fathers and I have decided that we can wait, till we all get a nap in.”
“No!!” The children, including Jamie, Vance and Mooney all shouted.
“Well then, let's all head for food. We need to eat so you have energy to run us ragged. We still have to get tickets to get in though.”
“What about ticket books?” William asked. “We still have to buy E-tickets?”
Carl shook his head. “Nah, the travel agent I talked to said they stopped those last year. So it's one price to get in and ride any ride as much as you want.”
“Good, that was the biggest rip off, at least I always thought so.”
“What about the others?” Persephone asked. “Maggie's family?”
“They called this morning. Joy and Olivia are in the local area and will meet us on Mainstreet USA. Alice, My parents and the girls are going to hang out near the main gates. Both will be there about nine or nine thirty”
William spoke up. “Plus my parents will be there as well.”
“Grandma and Grandpa are here too?!?” Tracey and Vance both asked.
“Yep. They are headed to Phoenix on Monday. They wanted to spend some time with Olivia and Joy. before going to see your Great Aunt Betty.”
As they got to the main ticket gate, Tracy felt a hand on her shoulder, so she turned to look and stopped as she saw her Grandmother Bernice, her Grandfather Marion and her aunt and cousins. They began hugging as the parents pushed through the ticket booth. Once through the main gate, they went towards the large flower bed but not under the railroad track.
After the introductions of the adults were made, the girls all banded together. “So you're her cousin from her mom's side?” Sage asked.
Heidi nodded her head. “Yeah.”
“And you're the ones that Brooke met?” Rachel asked, Heidi nodded again.
“We met Brooke when she came here for that sporting thingy.” Heidi said.
“That's cool. I'm Sage, this is Stacey, her sister Casey and they are my cousins. Plus Rachel and Brooke and the little girl over with my parents is my sister Andromeda, but we call her 'Romy.”
“We heard the radio station you told Tracy about. It’s almost as good as some we have in the bay area.” Rachel blurted out.
"You wish. L.A. music is the best." Heidi said with a grin. Then a voice pulled Tracy's attention away.
“Tracy!” Angie shouted and she darted over to where Tracy was at.
“Everyone, this is Angie, she’s from Dad’s side. Her mother is the one with dark hair, over there and the other one is Olivia, my cousin.”
“Now let me see if I can do this.” Olivia said. “Brooke, Sage, Stacey, Rachel, Casey and Andromeda?” She said, after pointing to each girl.
“How did you do that?” Tracy asked in amazement.
“You spoke about them nonstop at Christmas.” Olivia said. Tracy was aware her parents and Joy had come closer.
“I did?”
”You did.” Maggie said with a nod. “But for now, let's head into the park, okay?”
“Angie, you can be with them, just try and stay near us.” Joy said. Behind them, Connor was wheeling Modine in a wheelchair. She could walk, but she didn’t want to tire herself out.
“Heidi, Cheryl, same thing.”
To keep together, Brooke let Stacey push her chair, mostly to save her arms.
~~&&~~
It had taken nearly three hours to get into the area with the haunted mansion and the pirates. Brooke hadn’t seen many things she could ride. The adults were afraid she could fall out of the teacups and the Matterhorn. William walked over and patted Brooke on the shoulder. ”You wanna go on the pirates?”
“It's Okay. The line's long. I can just watch or something.”
“Come on.” William said and he got into line with her. Unbeknownst to her, Harvey had split from the group and made sure they could take her wheelchair in there.
Thirty minutes later, William got close to the loading area. He still pushed Brooke and Tracy and her other friends were all behind him. As they got to the “William, switch her off to me.” Harvey said and he held out his hands. We'll do a switch at the boat, you get in and I hand her off to you.”
It took another agonizing forty minutes to get to where they were together. To each of the kids, it felt like a lifetime. They had let a few people pass by them so most of their group would be together. Lok got to the front and used his foot to keep the boat from moving. William step[ped in as the other girls got in behind them. Harvey passed off Brooke, then as William sat her down, he stepped in and Lok hopped in with them.
The girls were singing along with the song by the time they reached it and Brooke sat in the front seat, now partly wet and laughing loudly.
Brooke waited for William to get up, then Harvey lifted her and William moved her to the wheelchair. “Next up, haunted mansion” William said as he began pushing her. All of the kids fell in line behind them. It made William feel good to see the usually stoic Brooke finally breaking out of her shell.
Deputy Barnes pulled up to the address given to him by Molly for the Patterson's, and he saw no one around. He walked up to the house she described and knocked, but after a minute, no one answered. He walked around the house and all the windows had the curtains drawn, but he could barely see through the white curtains in the kitchen and the kitchen looked empty.
He walked next door and knocked there, but still he got no answer. “Weird.”
Half an hour later the Deputy was in the Judge's office. This judge was dealing with him directly. He didn't have to go to the DA this time. Plus this meant they already had a prefabricated plea made up. “I can only tell you that the Patterson house is empty and it looks like it has been that way for some time. The house next door belongs to William Patterson’s parents and no one answered there, but there is still furniture there.”
“I want that kid. I need him arrested, do you understand?” The Judge said in a firm tone. He knew if he waited too long, he could end up in prison himself and he’d be treated badly for his own crimes.
“Well, till someone is there, I am at a loss of where they are.”
“Keep stopping there daily.” Judge Olsen ordered.
At the gates, Alice and her parents broke away from the group, with Maggie and her family, plus Shelly, who were almost like family.
“It was good to see you again Maggie.” Alice said, pulling her sister in for a hug.
“You too. We're in the Bay Area now, so it's closer to visit. Who knows, maybe we should try Thanksgiving some year.”
“You know, that would be nice. All the girls ever go to their dad's parents on Thanksgiving and Christmas.”
They fell in line behind the others, all the children were exhausted. Andromeda was the only one who ended up being carried, passed out and drooling slightly on her father's shoulder. Even Vance and Mooney were beat. After a day of trying to keep up with the girls.
“Tomorrow, I wanna go on Pirates twenty times!” Sage announced.
"Me too!" Brooke exclaimed. Harvey looked at William and shrugged.
“Well, we do have a good system going on.” Harvey stated. “And they let us take her on the teacups.”
March 29th
Day four dawned and William led Vance away from the girls. On day three they went to Knott’s Berry Farm. Today they were planning on making Rachel happy.
“Where are we going?” Tracy asked.
“Well, Olivia said she had something to show you all when we go to the Beverly Center today. She said you’d like this.”
Olivia had Lilian stop a little ways down the road, then the girls all followed her down the road to a fountain at the side of a busy road. Olivia turned and gestured to it. “Girls, this is the Electric fountain. Want a picture?”
“That’s cool, I guess.” Tracy replied. She couldn’t tell what was so important about the fountain. But it was a gasp from Sage that caught her attention.
“Tracy, this is the fountain! THE Fountain!!!” Safe forced her to look at it.
“Which one?!?”
“From the video, our lips are sealed by the Go-go's!” Sage said, looking around at the fountain they had seen, countless times. “The one they danced in!”
Tracy walked around it until she could see the street behind it and saw the buildings they saw in the video. “Holy cow!” She exclaimed. To her, this was holy ground.
“Want your pictures now?” Olivia asked them.
William, Vance, Lance, Carl, Moony and Harvey all got out of Harvey’s truck and the boys saw where they were. The entire trip they had been in the back, just watching the city pass by, but neither of them knew where they were at, until they saw the building.
“Wait? What? This is the forum?!?” Vance was surprised. He turned to see his father. “We’re going to see the Lakers?!?”
“Really?!?” Mooney asked. While he wasn’t a Lakers fan, he was a fan of basketball.
“Yes. We thought you boys, and us dad’s all needed something...not as girly?” Lance offered.
“Cool.” Vance said.
“Keep in mind, boys. This is just a game and one drink. We don’t have a lot of money for memorabilia.”
"Hey, we get to see the Lakers. That's cool enough."
Vance and William stepped into the hotel room and Tracy looked up from the T.V. One one bed was Sage, Andromeda, Rachel and Jamie. The other bed had Casey, Stacey and Tracy. Maggie was elsewhere, enjoying some adult time. So they left Jamie in charge of all the girls and the ladies were all in Persephone’s room, which was next to them. “So who won?”
“Lakers. One twenty seven to one oh nine. Played the clippers!” Vance exclaimed. “It was a great game too!”
On the last day of their Trip, Tracy felt sad. They had gone to see the Mall for Rachel. Plus they had fun at Knott’s berry farm. And at least four days at Disneyland. Plus a day of going to the ocean to watch the crazy surfers. She felt sad to leave all of it. But to also be leaving her grandparents, and other relations. Modine and Conner had already left and had only really stayed one day at Disney. But she felt bad for other reasons. She hadn’t been feeling well since the day before and she had stayed in the hotel, resting as she was really sick. . She had woken that morning with a headache and red, itchy eyes. For now she was riding away from her friends. As far as she knew, her grandparents would be headed home to Wyoming and another set of grandparents would be going back to Oroville soon. This meant it would be awhile till she saw either set again.
When she returned home, her life of homeschooling could continue. But she had her friends and everything was looking up in the world. The soon to be future surgery did scare her. But she could deal with it when it happened. She closed her eyes as the van traveled on. Her mother was in the front seat and her Dad was in the backseat with Vance and she had been lying down on the far back seat. She was sad she couldn’t be with her friends, but her mother insisted when they heard her eyes felt itchy and watery.
Trouble is brewing. Big trouble.
This area to be filled in when I reach this book. Currently being used for holder to Halloween story
Editing by Djkauf
This is kind of a one shot Tracy story, but will fit in when I reach October 31st of 1983. I have added some new people, and yes, Tracy will meet them in the coming chapters of Through the years. I have done my best to keep spoilers out, but this post focuses on her feelings in October.
Tracy looked in the full length mirror hanging on the closet door and she took a moment to see how everything looked. From the fancy looking costume shoes, to the cheap princess dress, all Sage’s idea, including the plastic crown, she looked the part of a princess. Except for one thing. She was missing her smile. And as she smiled, she realized something important.
This was her costume today. Not the frilly princess dress, the fancy-looking shoes, the scepter, or the crown, but a smile. It was the opposite of how she felt. She hadn’t felt like smiling in months now, despite how many good things had happened to and for her. She didn’t want to be out looking for candy tonight. She wanted to hide, to run away and never be seen by people again, but her mother insisted she would be safe this time and that she needed to not become a hermit.
As she came down the steps in Shelly’s home, she looked to the kitchen table, where Harvey and one of the officers who frequented Beth’s deli were sitting. They were talking with her parents, and the parents of her friends, laying down the ground rules. This was how her life had progressed. Guarded, constantly watched. It made her feel like a prisoner. Again.
She had looked to the sofa, where Rachel was busy watching MTV with a pair of little girls next to her, when she heard the sound of the clip being slid into Harvey’s gun, and Rosa Hernandez worked the action on her gun. Her smiled faded as she looked up again as both cops slid their weapons into holsters. Harvey was sporting his on his back, under his coat, Rosa had her’s in a shoulder harness.
There was a knock at the door and William went to check it. Tracy was at least a bit happy that her father was there and would be walking with them. He looked through the peep hole, then he opened the door and a pair of local lady officers who used to see her at the deli came in, each of them in street clothes and one of them had her children with her, as did Rosa. Each of these cops were aware about her, and her current situation. Some of the male cops knew, but only a few still talked to her.
She hated how her life had come to this. She felt like a criminal. Tracy knew that everywhere she went, there was someone watching her, waiting to strike. They had proven this with their detailed account of her life, each time she had to deal with them. That was why she no longer lived at Shelly’s place and was now just visiting. However, she knew the bad people were there, so it wasn’t a surprise, just that feeling of constant terror in knowing they were out there, waiting, watching.
They hadn’t stopped since April and she was getting physically sick from living in fear and regret. And with having a constant guard on her, she wasn’t feeling all that free. She knew her mother checked on her almost every hour at night. She could hear the door to her room open each time, at least on the nights she slept in her bed. Other nights, Tracy managed to find her way into her parents bed, only when the dreams were really bad
And their bed seemed split, just from the events of the past few months. Her parents were busy arguing about what was best and how to deal with everything, so each day there was a new screaming match and Tracy felt guilt over that as well. She still saw Jaio, but now for special training sessions on the weekend and only at Jaio’s and Lok’s house. Every part of her life seemed micro-managed and she was never given the choice about anything anymore.
Her friends, plus Yvette, Heather and Carrie all came into the room from the kitchen, and Tracy began to worry how they could be hurt, being this close to her. Tracy knew she’d have to leave them, in order to keep them safe. If her new antagonists were following her, and knew almost every little move she made, she knew that they could find out about Sage, Yvette or even Carrie. And then they could become big targets to the lowlifes. So Tracy had made the decision that afternoon, to stop hanging around them after Halloween, and her parents had been speaking to the man in the state about moving them, until it was all safe for her again.
She was still a million miles away when her Dad put his hand on her shoulder and made sure she was ready. She never replied, she just shrugged. He was getting used to the silent treatment, as were her friends, but that didn’t stop Sage from hugging her and letting her know they’d keep her safe.
Either way, Tracy’s life was a shambles and she hated it. Her friends gathered around her and she had to put the costume on again. Her lips pulled back into a smile she didn’t feel, and she tried to look happy, but she wasn’t. They knew it. Each person in the room could see how false that smile was. They knew she was sad and quickly nearing the end of her rope. After All, everything that had happened to her would have been a lot for an adult. For a kid, it was a hundred times worse.
Yet Tracy knew she had to smile. If not for her, then for her friends, so they wouldn’t worry anymore.
I know it is a bit of a jump, but I so wanted Tracy in on the contest. Yes there are new people coming soon and hopefully a new chapter or three, so you all get to see how these people are meet each other.