This is the fourth part of the "Lost and Found" triology (which makes it a tetralogy, sorry) for those who wanted to know the outcome of Jack and Penny's romance. It can be read independently, but it is better in context. For those who don't remember or haven't read the other parts, Jack falls in love with Penny, who is transgendered ("Lost and Found"), they break up ("Found and Lost") and they get back together ("Lost and Found Again"). It is more complicated and hopefully more enticing than the synopsis, but judge for yourself. In this part, Jack and Penny deal with the problems of preparing for their "mixed marriage." What does Jack tell people about his future wife and what happens when Penny brings Jack home to meet her parents?

By Missy Crystal

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After we got back together, well, okay, I apologized and Penny took me back, so it was kind of one sided, but she admitted she was scared so, umm, where was I? Anyway, the important thing was that I had a second chance. Penny wanted me to move in with her, an offer that I couldn't refuse, since it would save my stomach from the ravages of take out while insuring I had clean clothes, not to mention the other benefits of cohabiting. She made room for my things in her dresser and closet, which wasn't much of a concession considering that my plea for comfort over style did not prevent most of my wardrobe from being dropped off at Goodwill. We started going back to Ginger's. I really missed the girls. If they knew that we broke up, they were very discreet about it. Except for Lola. She still insisted on challenging my choice.

"What does Penny have that I don't have?" she asked provocatively. Actually, they both had the same thing, so it was kind of a hard question to answer. Maybe difficult would be a better choice of words. Penny answered for me by noting that Lola was considerably larger in the chest, although those weren't her exact words, and offered to even things up by removing her implants with a butter knife. Ginger's didn't serve food, so I was pretty sure she was kidding.

I still hadn't learned to appreciate egg white omelets filled with tofu, but watching Penny puttering around the kitchen in her nightgown made up for food that tasted like sawdust. One morning, I mentioned that I would be out with Dimitri on Saturday. "Why don't you come too?" I suggested.

"No, it's your special time with him," she declined.

"I have lots of special time with him. I want you to meet him," I persisted.

"I don't think it's a good idea, Jack."

"Why not?"

"Children are very sensitive to changes in relationships. You're a substitute father figure," she lectured me. "He may worry that you have someone else in your life who will replace him. I wouldn't want that to happen."

"Baloney, Penny" I challenged her. "I don't have a degree, but I can tell when someone's making an excuse, no matter how authoritative they may sound."

"What will you tell him about me, Jack?" she conceded.

"The truth. That you are my..." I wanted to say fiancee, but that was a word that I had avoided, "friend," I completed the sentence.

"Is that what I am?"

"No, of course not. You're more than that. I love you. You know that, Penny," I argued, "but this isn't about us. You can't get out of this conversation by changing the subject. Why isn't it a good idea for Dimitri to meet you?" I repeated.

"Truth or dare?"

"If the dare ends up in the bedroom, yes."

"You have a one track mind, Jack."

"I do not. My mind has lots of tracks. They just happen to all end up in the bedroom when your involved. Now answer my question."

"Then take the dare, Jack and let it go."

"No."

"You won't like the answer," she warned me.

"I'll take my chances."

"It's the same reason I wouldn't marry you."

"I thought you were over that."

"I am, when it comes to us," she agreed, "but not when it involves other people. Jack, I told you, I have my own world where I'm accepted. I don't have to make excuses or explain myself to anyone. Dimitri is going to tell his mother that he met me. She's going to be curious. I am open about who I am and I don't want you to hide it either. I don't know how Dimitri's mother will feel about you, if she knew about me. It's not worth taking the chance."

"Shouldn't I be the judge of that? I don't want us to live in different worlds, Penny. You have your life, I have mine and we meet in the bedroom." The bedroom again, Jack? "Maybe if we combined our worlds my tracks would end someplace else." Nice recovery. "Please, Penny, let's do this together. Whatever happens, we'll work it out. That's what you said before," I reminded her.

"If it means that much to you, Jack, then I will, on one condition."

"What condition?"

"The other part of what I said is that there is always a compromise. Speak to the social worker first. Betsy?" I nodded. "I think you are making a mistake, but this is her area of expertise. I'll go along with whatever she recommends."

"Fair enough. I'll call her when I get to the office. In the meantime, can we follow one of the tracks?"

Penny laughed. "I got up an hour earlier to do my makeup and hair. Not a chance, but I can ring up Lola. I'm sure she would love to get her caboose on your track."

"Umm, no, I, umm, actually, I forgot I have an appointment. I stood up. Gotta run. I gave her a kiss on the cheek and headed for the door."

"Jack."

"Yes?"

"Unless you're meeting Lola, you should put on some pants."

When I arrived at my office, fully attired I should add, I called Betsy. She was on another call. I left my name and number. About twenty minutes later the phone rang. I answered it. "Jack Blaine Investigations. Jack Blaine speaking."

"Hi, it's Betsy. How are you?"

"I'm fine, Betsy. You?"

"Good. I hear from Tanya that you and Dimitri are getting on well together. She's very happy with you as his big. Not that I doubted she would be," she added.

"That's great to hear. I really like Dimitri. He's a good kid. Actually, that's why I called."

"Oh? I was hoping you were calling to tell me that you and Ms. Johnson were getting married. You're not reneging on your offer to let me be best man are you? I already made a deal with my husband to borrow his tux. I offered to let him have a dress in exchange, but he turned it down. Too bad, he's got nice legs."

"Well, we are back together, but that's not why I called. Well, no, it is, sort of, its, umm, its, like, umm, sorry, this is difficult to explain." Betsy patiently waited to hear what I had to say. "I want Penny to meet Dimitri."

"Why is that a problem, Jack? 'Penny, this is Dimitri. Dimitri, say hi to Ms. Johnson.'"

"I didn't think it was a problem either, but Penny does. She's concerned about it interfering with our relationship, Dimitri and me, if he thinks I have an, umm, a girl, umm, a girlfriend. You know, maybe he would think that there was someone else that I would rather be with and I wouldn't have time for him."

"That's it?"

"Well, umm, no, not exactly."

"Go on, Jack."

"Penny expects that Dimitri will tell Tanya and Tanya will be curious. Penny insists that I tell Tanya the truth about her, if she aks. You know, that she's transgendered."

There was a pause. I waited patiently for Betsy to collect her thoughts.

"Ms. Johnson is right, Jack. A child who has lost a parent, either literally, by their passing away, or figuratively, by their walking out, becomes fearful that the other people they care about will go away too. It can be very traumatic for them emotionally if it happens or even if they only think it will happen."

"Oh, so she shouldn't meet Dimitri, then?"

"I didn't finish. Dimitri knows that his father will be coming back. You're just filling in for him. As far as I can see, Dimitri is a well adjusted boy and under the circumstances I doubt that he would worry about meeting Ms. Johnson."

"So you think it's okay?"

"You gave me two reasons. I can't address the second. Tanya is the only one that can tell you how she feels about it."

"So there's no problem as far as your concerned, right?"

"Officially, there's no problem. Unofficially, a word of warning, Jack, be careful." She paused. "That's two words. Anyway, it's up to Tanya to decide whether to keep you as Dimitri's big. From what I know of her, she is very traditional. That's why she felt that Dimitri should have a man in his life until his father could get here. Good reason, bad reason or no reason, if she decides you're not the right man for Dimitri, there's nothing I can do about it."

"Thanks, Betsy. I understand."

"Hold on, I'm not done. We have lots of littles and not enough volunteers. I would have no problem finding you another match. Dimitri's loss would be some other boy's gain. In the words of that famous philosopher Jiminy Cricket, 'let your conscience be your guide.'"

"Thanks again, Betsy, and, yes, you're still the best man." She laughed.

After I hung up, I thought about Betsy's warning. Dimitri and Penny were both important to me. I had every right to have them meet. If Tanya thought less of me because of Penny, it was her problem, not mine. My conscience would be clear. So much for Jiminy Cricket.

I wanted to call Penny and tell her, but I knew she had a busy schedule. I decided to wait until she got home. I spent the rest of the day doing routine paperwork. I finished up a report, put it in an envelope to mail and decided to leave work early, the benefit of being your own boss. On my way home, there was a guy peddling roses at a stop light. I bought a dozen for ten bucks. Then I figured, what the heck, so I stopped off at the liquor store and got a bottle of wine. It was nice to have a little spending money, now that Penny and I were sharing the expenses, and there wasn't anyone I would rather spend it on than her. When I got home, I put the roses in a vase and put the bottle of wine on the table with two glasses. Penny didn't trust me in the kitchen. I think she suspected I would slip butter into one of the recipes, not that we had any, but I had my secret sources. Okay, it wasn't a secret, there was a convenience store around the corner, so she probably had good reason for her suspicion.

I was sitting on the couch watching the six o'clock news when I heard Penny come in. I turned off the tv and went to greet her. As I puckered, she held our her arm. " Let me put down my briefcase and take off my jacket." After she finished, she turned to me. "Okay, now what did you do that deserves my affection?"

"I love you."

"Good enough." She threw her arms around me and we kissed for about an hour. No, I wasn't looking at my watch, since the hand to which it was attached was otherwise occupied. It was a very long kiss. When we let go, she went off to change. About fifteen minutes later she was back in a warmup outfit and her hair in a ponytail. She saw the roses and the wine.

"Oh, Jack, how thoughtful. Is it a special occasion?"

"In a way. I talked to Betsy."

"I take it from the celebration she approved?"

"Not exactly. She agreed with you in principle, but felt that Dimitri was different. His father is around, just not here right now. She didn't think that he would be worried about my having someone else in my life."

"Okay, I was wrong."

"No, not wrong Penny, just half right. Betsy couldn't predict how Tanya would react. She made it clear that it was a risk I would have to take. I thought about it, I don't see a problem. You're as much a woman as she is."

"Except that I have the wrong plumbing in my panties."

"Really? The last time I checked there was nothing wrong with it. I could check again."

"Jack, be serious, please. You know what I mean. You're special. There aren't many men like you. There aren't many people like you. I should know. It's what I deal with every day, humiliation, rejection, hatred."

In my mind I pictured Dawn's father turning her away and poor Lavender in the hospital.

"Penny, this is my decision and I am willing to take the consequences," I insisted.

"In that case, I have another condition."

"You said that you would do it on one condition. Now its two conditions."

"It's a woman's prerogative to change her mind," she countered.

"What about the problem with the plumbing in your panties?"

"Why is it that you only remember what I say when I contradict myself?"

"Because, you're ten times smarter than me and I could never come up with it on my own." It's impossible to argue with a compliment. "Okay, two conditions," I conceded. "What's the second?"

"I want you to speak to Tanya first. If she says no, then at least Dimitri won't be in the middle of it. It's not right to let him think that it was his fault if something goes wrong after he meets me."

"Fair enough, Penny. I'll give her a call tomorrow."

When I got to the office the next morning, I picked up the phone, but then I figured Tanya was busy. Dimitri would be off to school by now, but she probably had housework or laundry or whatever to do after he left. I decided to wait until after ten. I went back to reviewing a video of a cheating husband I caught having some afternoon delight with a woman at a motel. You'd think that he would try to be less conspicuous, but these executive types were always arrogant. Not that I cared. I made my living off guys like him. I kept glancing up at the clock. At ten thirty I decided it was a good time to call.

The phone rang a few times. I thought that Tanya might have gone out. I was about to hang up and call later when I heard her accented voice.

"Allyo."

It took me a few seconds to put the phone back to my mouth.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Tanya, it's, Jack. Did I call at a bad time?"

"No, was doing dishes. Wet hands not good for holding phone. How you?"

"I'm fine, thanks. I have something I need to talk to you about."

"Dimitri is problem, yes?"

"No, there's no problem." I paused, trying to think of how to say it?"

"Jack?"

"Yes, Tanya. It's, well, it's, umm, hard to talk to you about it on the phone. You know, umm, with the difference in languages. I mean you speak English fine," I didn't want her to think I was criticizing her, " but what I have to say, well, it's kind of complicated. It would be better if we could get together. Could I come over?"

"You want come now?"

"Yes, if you don't mind."

"Okay, is good now."

"Great Tanya. I'll see you in about twenty minutes. Okay?"

"Dah. Yes."

I hung up, locked up the office and drove to Tanya's house. I knocked on the door. She opened it and invited me in. I notice she was dressed casually, comfortable shoes, slacks and a shirt, blouse I guess you would call it, because it was loose fitting and had some type of decoration, embroidery. It looked European. I followed her into the family room. She sat on the couch. I sat in an armchair facing her.

"You want tea, Jack? Cake? Good cake, from Russian bakery."

"No, thank you. I'd rather just talk."

She waited to hear what I had to say.

"I, umm, I have a friend, Tanya, a, umm, a girl, a girlfriend," I started out awkwardly. "I want her to meet Dimitri, if that's okay."

She gave me a puzzled look, shrugged her shoulders and replied, "Okay. You want tea and cake now."

I took a deep breath and went on. "There's more Tanya. My girlfriend, her name is Penny, Penny Johnson, she's, well she's more than just a girlfriend. I love her. I want to marry her. She's transgendered."

"Trans-a-gen?," Tanya tried to pronounce the word.

"Trans-gen-dered," I pronounced slowly.

"Spell please."

I recited the letters.

Tanya shook her hread. "Don't know word, how you say it?" I pronounced it for her again. "Wait." She walked over to a small desk and got a paperback book. I guessed it was a Russian-English dictionary. She started to thumb through the pages. She stopped and studied a page, running her finger down and then doing it again. "Not word in Russian," she concluded.

"It means that she's a woman, but she used to be a man." Geez Jack, not used to be. " I mean, well she's still a man, but she considers herself a woman and so do I," I corrected myself.

I could see that between the language barrier and the topic of the conversation, Tanya was having a hard time following what I was trying to tell her. I waited while she tried to sort it out. Finally, I could see her eyes widen.

"You have boyfriend, Jack?"

"Penny is the director of a social service agency." I decided it wouldn't help to describe the nature of her clients. "She is smart, she has two degrees, she is respected in her profession," I defended her, although it didn't answer Tanya's question.

"Yes, but he is man, this person? Penskyah, that ending for woman in Russian."

"Not Pen," I paused, "skyah, Tanya, just Penny. It's the same word as the copper coin that's worth one cent, we call it a penny too." That really confused her, a woman who was a man named after a coin. Penny was the one with the communication skills. She could explain it much better. Then the lightbulb went off.

"Tanya, I'm not good at this. It's important that you understand. Could I bring Penny to meet you? Then you could decide for yourself."

"You want to bring him here?"

"I want to bring her," I emphasized the 'her,' "yes, to meet you."

"Okay," she agreed skeptically, "you bring boyfriend,. When he come?"

I obviously had not done a good job of convincing Tanya that Penny was a woman or maybe it was just the way the Russian language uses masculine pronouns. I suppose it didn't matter. Penny would be able to make her understand. Would she, Jack? She told you, she doesn't have to excuse or explain herself to anyone. Why would she make an exception?

"Like I said, Tanya, she is has an important job. I will speak to her and see when she has time. When would be good for you?"

"Dimitri go to school in morning, come home three o'clock. He have math tutor on Thursday after school, come home five o'clock. You call, let me know." She thought for a few seconds. "Not say anything to Dimitri, Jack."

"No, of course not Tanya. That was why I spoke to you first."

"Okay, you call me."

"I will."

She got up and escorted me to the door. I could see that she was still concerned about our conversation. We didn't exchange the usual pleasantries. She just opened the door and I left. What were you expecting, Jack, I questioned myself as I drove back to my office, and why have you dragged Penny into this when she told you she didn't want to be involved. Congratulations on messing things up with everyone you care about. The road to hell, Jack, you're doing a great job paving it.

I moped around the office the rest of the day. I though about calling Penny, but this wasn't something that could be discussed on the phone during the workday. It would have to wait until we were together and I gave her the opportunity to say 'I told you so' a couple of dozen times. At four o'clock I had enough and decided to go home and wait for her. Wine and roses wouldn't work this time. I hadn't slept on the couch yet, but there was a first time for everything, as I found out after I started dating Penny, which had nothing to do with the problem I created, but was a comforting recollection. Well, you've gone through a lot of cliches getting yourself into this. Maybe 'love conquers all' would be the one that gets you out of it.

I brought our newspaper up from the lobby and started on the crossword puzzle while I waited for Penny. I couldn't concentrate. Instead, I kept rehearsing what I would say to Penny to convince her to help me. How about simply, Penny, Tanya wants to meet you? No, that's not true. It was your idea. Okay, I debated with myself, how about, Penny, Tanya doesn't understand what it means to be transgendred. That was true, but it didn't ask Penny to help me. What about, Penny, I tried to explain about you to Tanya, but couldn't, so would you? Better, although not exactly a compelling plea for help. I gave up trying to rehearse what I would say. I paced, angry with myself for being so cocksure. I winced at my unintentional pun. Finally, I heard Penny open the door. A minute later, she came into the room.

"Hi, Jack, how was your day?"

"Frustrating," I complained.

"Oh, Jack, I'm sorry," she said sympathetically, coming over and putting her arms around my waist."

"Is there anything I can do to make it better?" she asked suggestively.

"Being with you makes it better," I replied, pulling her against me. We held each other for a minute. She stood back and looked at me.

"What's the problem?"

"I met with Tanya today."

"You went to see her?" she asked with surprise.

"Yes. I thought it would be better if I told her about you face to face."

"And?"

"And, and I couldn't make her understand. Between the language difficulty and my being an idiot, all she got out of it was that I had a boyfriend," I told her dejectedly.

"You happen to be the idiot I love. What can I do?"

"I, I, I'm sorry, Penny, I, well, I asked her to meet you. I know I should have asked you first, but, I, I don't know, nobody could meet you and not understand.

"Not understand what?"

"That you're not a man."

"Oh, so if I show up in a party dress and heels, she'll change her mind about me?"

"No, its not how you look, Penny, its who you are. You, you can't help being what you were born, but that doesn't mean you have to live your life that way."

Penny looked at me curiously.

"What?"

"That is the best I have ever heard it said, Jack!", she exclaimed. "I'm serious. I am going to write it down and use it as our slogan."

"Out of the mouths of idiots, I guess."

"Okay, you have redeemed yourself. Along with the other rewards I intend to bestow on you, I will meet with Tanya. When?"

That went a lot better than I thought it would.

"I, umm, she, umm, doesn't want Dimitri home. He is out from four until five o'clock on Thursday, so I told her I would check with you. I, I, said you were very busy, so we could do it another time," I offered apologetically.

"Jack, I would move heaven and earth for you. Moving a few appointments is easier."

"Are you sure?"

"Am I sure I love you?"

"Are you sure you don't mind changing your appointments."

"Are you sure you're an idiot?"

"Very sure."

"I'm sure that I don't mind."

"That I'm an idiot?"

"No, changing my appointments for you."

I couldn't help myself. I took her and hugged her and our lips found each other.

"Mmmm, Jack, slow down. I'm hungry. You don't want to make love on an empty stomach, do you?"

A silly choice to give me. "I am very flexible when it comes to the kind of stomachs I make love on."

Penny laughed. "Well, hold the thought while I put some water on to boil. Is linguine, tossed with oil and black pepper, okay?" She took out a big pot, filled it with water and put it on the stove. " It will take about twenty minutes for the water to come to a boil. I'm pretty sure I can get you to come to a boil in that time too."

"That sounds great."

"The pasta?"

"What pasta?"

The next day I called Tanya. I was worried that she had thought about it and changed her mind. "Hi, Tanya, it's Jack. Umm, ah, is Thursday around four o'clock still good for you? You know, for me to stop by with my umm, ah, my girl, my, umm, friend, ah, Penny?" I asked trying to make it sound like it was no big deal. I waited nervously for her answer.

"Okay."

I wasn't prepared for such a simple response. It took me a moment to recover my composure. "Oh, yes, well, umm, thanks. See you Thursday. Bye." I hung up the phone and breathed a sign of relief. So far so good, Jack, I reassured myself. I called Penny's office.

"Hi, its Jack, Jack Blaine. Is Penny, Ms. Johnson, is she in?"

"Yes, I know which Jack is calling for Penny Johnson," the receptionist curtly answered. "Please hold." I got a minute's worth of unidentifiable music. "Okay," she picked up the call. "She's in a meeting. What's the message? Please hold." Another minute of easy listening. I reminded myself to lure Janice, that was her name, into a closet at the next office event and remove her tongue, making a mental note to buy a very big pair of scissors. "Okay," she picked up the call again. "Go ahead."

"Janice, please, don't put me on hold again. Just tell Penny that Thursday is good. Do you have that?"

The phone went dead. Dull scissors, I corrected my shopping list.

The rest of the week went by quickly. Wednesday night we hung out at Ginger's. Thursday morning, I noticed that Penny was wearing a dress instead of he usual suit. I looked at her appreciatively. She smiled back. There was no need for words and we had a strict no smooching in the morning policy so that she wouldn't have to redo her makeup. It wasn't my favorite house rule, but my restraint had its delayed compensations. I told her I would pick her up around three thirty. She nodded and left. I got myself dressed. Finding pants and a shirt to go with them was easy. I was messy. Penny was neat. I would drop clothes on the floor. Penny would remind me to hang them up. If I didn't, she would do it without complaint. Her patience with me was why I loved her. No, I would have loved her anyway.

I got to the office and tried to get some work done, but I was too anxious. I don't know why. The worst that could happen was that I would get another little. I was sure we'd hit it off. If not, Betsy told me they had a long waiting list for bigs. No, Jack, that's not the worst that can happen. Tanya could embarrass Penny. Could she? Penny was pretty confident about herself. Why would she care what Tanya thought of her? She has feelings, Jack. Okay, but if she was afraid of getting her feelings hurt, she would have said no. She did. You wouldn't take no for an answer. She's doing it for you. She always puts you ahead of herself. Wouldn't it be nice if you thought of her first? Damn, I hate it when I'm right about me being wrong. I should cancel the meeting.

I picked up the phone to call Tanya. As I was dialing, I thought about how I would explain the sudden change to Penny. I hung up. You arranged the meeting without consulting her. Now you're going to cancel it without consulting her. You just don't learn from your mistakes, Jack. If you're equal partners in a relationship, then you make decisions together. What if I told her it was Tanya who canceled the meeting, I thought. Yes, Jack, that's it. Lie to the person you love. Okay, Jiminy Cricket, you're right, it's a bad idea.

I was too worried to work, so I closed up and went for a walk. There was a small park a few blocks from my office. I sat on a bench and watched a squirrel. The nice thing about them is that you can't tell the boy squirrel from the girl squirrel. At least I couldn't. I guess the squirrels can or there wouldn't be baby squirrels. Except for that, it really didn't matter whether they were boys or girls. All they needed to do was stash enough acorns for the winter. Squirrels had it easy. I looked at my watch. It was only twelve thirty. I still had three hours to kill before I picked up Penny. I thought about lunch. A loaded chili dog would distract me. I remembered an old tv commercial, something about a drugstore product and trading a headache for an upset stomach. It my case, it probably would have been a good thing, although I doubted Penny would consider dragon breath a social advantage.

If I couldn't have lunch, at least the squirrel could. I went across the street to a convenience store and bought a jar of peanuts. I considerately got the unsalted ones, so that he or she wouldn't have to go out for water in the middle of the winter. Back at the bench, I cracked open the jar and tossed a few peanuts on the ground. It took the squirrel a bit of scurrying around before he discovered them. I decided it was a him and that his wife was home taking care of the kids. Then again, maybe he was a bachelor squirrel and would entice some girl squirrel with his wealth of peanuts. That was me, a mating service for squirrels, even if I couldn't do it for myself. Did squirrels have mates or just dates? I thought about my children's books, but I could only remember bunnies. I continued to throw nuts on the ground. The squirrel would pack them away in his cheeks and scamper off. We repeated the scenario a couple of dozen times. I decided I better stop before he had a heart attack from running back and forth. I didn't want another victim of my good intentions.

I still had a couple of hours left, so I went back to my office. I shuffled papers and made a few phone calls. Around three o'clock I decided to head over to Penny's office. It was only a ten minute drive, so I waited in the parking lot. At three thirty I went in. Penny was just coming out, so I didn't have deal with Janice. Penny saw me and came over.

"Hi." The no smooching rule was still in effect. "Ready?"

"Yes, lets go."

I took her arm, turning to give Janice a smile to lure her into a false sense of security. We walked to the car. I went around and opened the door for her. Penny slid in. I started the car and headed for Tanya's. Neither of us spoke. As we drove, Penny took a compact out of her pocketbook and began to fuss with her makeup. She put a couple of different applications on her lips and used a tissue to correct some microscopic imperfection. I knew better than to comment. We got to Tanya's house about ten of four.

"It's too early, Penny. I don't want to run into Dimitri." Penny nodded her agreement. I pulled over about a block away and turned off the motor. We watched the house. About four o'clock a car pulled into the driveway. I assumed it was Tanya coming back from dropping off Dimitri. I recognized her as she walked to the back door and went in. "Let's give her a couple of minutes to get settled." We waited five minutes. I drove up, parked in front of the house and we walked to the front door. I rang the bell. Penny was standing behind me, so when Tanya opened the door she would see me first. We stood at the door for a couple of minutes. I rang the bell again. The locked clicked and the door opened.

"Hello, Jack," Tanya greeted me. She looked around. Penny moved from behind me. Tanya still looked past her to the car and then back to me.

"Where boyfriend?"

Penny came forward. Tanya looked at her, then at me and then back to her. She was obviously confused. Penny took control of the situation.

"Hello, I'm Penny Johnson." She extended her hand.

"This is Penny," I confirmed.

Tanya was polite enough to take Penny's hand. I noticed her look down. For some reason, women are preoccupied with each other's manicures. Her nail polish only added to the confusion. "May we come in?" I asked as a reminder to Tanya that her guests were still on the front step.

"Oh, yes, please come." She directed us to the living room.

Penny slid her hands underneath her, smoothing her dress, and sat down in an armchair. She put her pocketbook in her lap, adjusted her dress to cover her knees and crossed her ankles. I sat across from her on the couch. From the expression on Tanya's face, I guessed that she was trying to figure out whether this was some kind of a joke or she misunderstood me."

"You want tea?" she addressed Penny, ignoring me.

"No thank you. Not right now. I'd rather just talk. Perhaps later." Tanya sat down on the other end of the couch opposite Penny. "What you see, Tanya, the clothes, my figure, I take hormones, and these, she put her hands under her breasts, are gel forms. Even though I wasn't born a woman, I've have always felt like one. All of this," she moved her hand over her hair, her face and her body," is just so others will feel the same way about me."

Tanya thought for a while and then challenged her. "Why you want be woman? In Russia, men, women, same job. Man get promotion. Man go out, woman stay home. Man is better."

Penny reached down and picked up her purse. She reached in and took out a small silver container. "These pill are my hormones, but do you know what magic is Tanya?"

"Magic? Is when things go away. Poof," she pretended to wave a wand.

"Yes, it can be making things disappear or one thing can be magically changed into something else. A wand into a bouquet of flowers. Can you pretend, Tanya, that these are magic pills. If you take one, you will become a man. Not just look like a man. You will be a man." She held the box out. "Do you want to be a man Tanya, if you could?"

Tanya was having difficulty following Penny's reasoning. She thought about it and then shook her head.

"Why not? Isn't being a man better than being a woman?"

"I woman. Woman can't be man."

"Neither can I."

Tanya thought some more. Then she smiled. Finally, she turned towards me.

"I like your boyfriend, Jack. He can meet Dimitri."

I wasn't sure if Tanya hadn't understood or she didn't care or if there was some Russian language issue with gender specific words. It really didn't matter. Penny and I looked at each other and shrugged. The purpose of our visit had been accomplished.

"We have tea. Cake too," Tanya insisted. She motioned to Penny. "Come," inviting her into the woman's domain of the kitchen to help with the refreshments. That implicit recognition as an equal brought a big smile to Penny's face. As I waited, I heard the sound of china being set out, the whistle of a tea kettle and talking, although I couldn't make out what they were saying. About five minutes later they returned with Penny carrying a tray on which were arranged three cups of steaming tea and a plate with slices of cake, small plates, napkins and forks. She set it on the coffee table. Tanya offered me a cup, which I politely accepted, being a coffee addict, and then she served the cake. While we sipped our tea, Penny asked Tanya to tell me what she had said about Russia.

Tanya turned to me. "In Russia, always hate. People live in city hate people live in country, Russians hate Chechans. People one religion hate other religion. Not good. We come here. Very hard. My husband stay for parents. I not want Dimitri to hate. He grow up to be good man like you, Jack."

Her compliment took me off guard. I looked at Penny, she nodded her agreement.

"Thank you, Tanya. I'm not sure I deserve it, but it is very kind think of you to say so." I self-consciously looked down, noticing that my watch showed it was quarter of five. "Umm, it's getting late. We should be going before Dimitri gets home. Don't you have to pick him up?"

Tanya shook her head. "I drive, other mother pick up. Dimitri, you meet him," she offered Penny. We looked at each other. If the idea was not to reveal that Penny was transgendered, Tanya's referring to her as the opposite of what she appeared would certainly give her away.

"Thank you, Tanya," Penny interceded, "but I really think it would be better if we met more casually."

"Okay. Jack, you visit Dimitri. Penny come visit me."

"That's up to Penny, Tanya."

I'd like that very much," Penny agreed, "but I don't think it's a good idea for me to come with Jack. They should have their special time together. We can have ours. I can call and meet you when Jack is with Dimitri."

Tanya nodded her agreement.

"Goodbye, Tanya."

Penny moved forward and put her arms out. Tanya moved forward and the women hugged. Penny gave her a kiss on the cheek. Tanya kissed her on both cheeks. They separated. I took Penny's arm and we walked to the car. She turned and waved. Tanya waved back. I got in, started the car and we drove off. After a few minutes, Penny released her seatbelt, an unusual act of civil disobedience, at least for her, and slid over.

"I'm sorry, Jack."

"I'm sorry you're sorry, but things turned out well, so why are you sorry?"

"I'm not sorry about meeting Tanya, Jack."

"Well then, I'm sorry for whatever I did to make you sorry."

"You didn't do anything to make me sorry. You make me very happy."

"How can you be happy and sorry at the same time?"

"Not sorry for myself, Jack. I was apologizing to you."

"Me?"

"Yes. I almost lost you. That can't ever happen. I want us to be together forever. It's what you said and what Tanya proved that made me realize I was foolish to turn down your proposal."

"What?" I turned to her and the car swerved.

"Jack, watch the road. I don't want to get married in the ICU.

"Married?"

"Are you taking back your offer to marry me?"

"Penny, for crying out loud, I've just been waiting for the right moment. I, I," I stammered, "I didn't think you were ready."

"I wasn't, but I am now. All this time, Jack, I thought I had to be rid of Skyler to become Penny. I was wrong. You said it Jack. I can't help being who I was born, but that doesn't mean I can't live my life as who I am. Tanya referred to me as male, but she accepted me as a woman. Skyler and Penny, they're not two different people. They're both me. Without one, there wouldn't be the other."

"Remember," she went on excitedly, "I told you how hard it was for me to go home, because of all the reminders of Skyler? Well," she went on, the question apparently being rhetorical, " it's not a problem any longer. Of course my parents remember me as their son and my sisters as their brother. That's who I am and who I will always be to them, but they accept me as Penny. I want you to meet them, Jack."

"Me, meet your parents? I, ah, umm, I, ah, don't think I'm ready for that."

"Every woman brings her prospective husband home to meet her parents. They'll love you, Jack, just like I do."

"You said we can't get married in this state," I equivocated.

"Technicalities will not get you out of it. One of us has to be a man about this," she said with a laugh. "I nominate you."

"Seconded, if we can start practicing for our honeymoon when we get home."

"Deal."

I took my hand off the wheel and put my arm around her. "Penny, I love you."

"And I love you, Jack," she responded with a contented sigh.

"Penny."

"Yes, Jack."

"Forever isn't long enough."

"Well," she replied snuggling against me, "let's begin with forever and go on from there."

"Deal."

The next week was the best ever. Penny was happy, excited and affectionate, although not always in that order. She made arrangements for the same minister to officiate at the commitment ceremony who held the memorial service for Dawn. One end and one beginning seemed right to me. I tried to encourage Penny to wear a bridal gown. I pictured her in white satin and lace with a wreath of flowers in her hair and a veil. She said no, it wasn't appropriate. "Doesn't every little girl dream of being a bride and walking down the aisle in a beautiful wedding dress?" I argued.

"Not having been a little girl, I can't answer that question," Penny retorted. Her concession was a bridal nightgown, "just for you Jack." I had no complaints with the consolation prize.

On Thursday, she announced that we were having dinner with her parents and sisters on Sunday.

"What, so soon!" I exclaimed. "I'm not ready. I umm, I, ah, umm," I tried to come up with an excuse. "I don't have anything to wear," was the best I could do.

"You have lots of clothes, Jack," Penny contradicted me.

"Ah, umm, not really nice clothes to meet your family."

"What happened to your preference for comfort over style?"

"Really, Penny, how many times do I have to prove I'm an idiot, before you stop listening to me?"

She motioned for me to bend down and whispered in my ear, "one million, two hundred and sixty-two thousand, seven hundred and eleven. You're not even close, but don't give up." Then she kissed my ear and made it ring. Before I could recover and protest, she concluded with, "I will take you shopping on Saturday, if that's what it takes to get you to meet my family."

Ah hah, for once you are going to win this cat and mouse game, I assured myself, coming up with the perfect excuse. "Oh, I have a visit with Dimitri planned for Saturday," I reminded her so, "so we can't go shopping." One for the mouse.

"The stores at the mall are open until ten on Saturday, Jack. There will be plenty of time for us to shop after your visit," she purred.

Cat wins by letting mouse think he escaped and then pouncing. Mouse should learn to say, "yes, dear," to cat.

Saturday came and Penny was waiting when I got home. "What about dinner?" I inquired, hoping to stall long enough that it would be too late.

"There's a food court at the mall," Penny countered. "You can grab a bite there."

"A food court, great. I've been dying for a double cheeseburger with fries and a chocolate shake, mmm," I threatened, playing on Penny's nutritional prejudices.

"Sounds great, Jack. You deserve a reward."

So much for reverse psychology. Cat two, mouse zero.

Penny drove to the mall and parked. She took my arm and we went in. Keeping hold of me, she navigated through the maze of stores. Most of them were for women. The one with the sexy underwear in the window caught my eye and I stopped.

"Jack, really," Penny said sternly, "we are shopping for you." She looked at the window and then at me. "I don't think they have your size. Would you like to go in and I can ask?" She teased me. We moved on.

Once in the department store, Penny checked the directory. Seeing that she didn't know where we were going, I wondered about the last time that she shopped for men's clothes or maybe it was boy's clothes. It struck me that I didn't know when she began dressing as a woman. She had sisters. They were younger, so probably their clothes would have been too small. Did she ask her mother to buy clothes for her or did she wait until she was old enough to shop for herself. Not that it made any difference. I was quite happy with the result.

My thoughts were interrupted by Penny tugging on my arm.

"Come on, Jack. The men's department is on the third floor. Let's go."

"A penny for your thoughts," I punned to myself.

We took the escalator. When we arrived at our destination, Penny released me. She went over to a table and began to browse. I started looking at suits. I picked out a dark blue pinstripe. Penny noticed my selection and came over.

"Jack?"

"What?"

"Why are you looking at suits?"

"Why shouldn't I be?" I answered defensively.

"I'm sure you will look very handsome, but everyone else will be dressed casually."

Penny frowned. I thought it was because of her disapproval of my selection. I gave her a sheepish look. Her face softened and she shook her head.

"I'm not the wardrobe warden," she conceded apologetically, "wear whatever you like."

"Then we have a problem, because my wardrobe needs supervision." I hung the suit back on the rack.

Penny hugged my arm and directed me over to the table with sweaters. She picked up one with shades of tan and grey in diamond patterns."

"This argyle would like nice with charcoal slacks," she recommended. "Do you like it?"

"Yes."

She looked around and spotted a salesman lounging against a counter. I assumed it had been a long day and he was thinking about getting home, popping a cold one and putting his feet up on the coffee table while he watched the sports recap. Penny had no such consideration.

"Excuse me," she roused him, "we need some help."

He came over. Penny told him that we, it was kind of her to include me, wanted some slacks to go with the sweater, charcoal she thought.

"Wool or cotton, Mam?"

"Cotton. What do you think, Jack?"

"Umm, cotton, yes, that would be good."

"What size?"

"Jack?"

"34 waist, 33 or 34 leg, usually."

He went over to a table, looked through one of the stacks and returned with a pair. He held them out for her approval.

"We don't have time to have them hemmed, um, cuffed," she corrected herself, "so we better make sure they are right. Are those the shoes you are going to wear with them, Jack?"

"Oh, umm, yeah, I guess so."

"Why don't you try them on."

I hated trying on clothes, but I wanted to look good for Penny's family, so I made the concession. The salesman handed me the pants and directed me to the dressing rooms. I put them on. They looked okay to me, but I wanted to consult Penny. I walked out. She was waiting. The salesman had gone back to his counter.

"The length seems good. You're the one who has to wear them, what do you think?

"I think they're okay."

"Go change and I will pay."

"Penny, no," I asserted my manly pride. "You don't need to buy clothes for me."

"I don't need to, but I want to. Please, Jack, it would make me happy."

No Penny, I don't want to make you happy. Mouse surrenders to cat. "Yes, dear."

"What?"

"I said good idea. I'll go change."

She gave me a big smile and went off to complete the transaction. When I came out, she was waiting. I handed her the pants. She took them over to the sales counter, the salesman removed the security button, put them in a bag and handed it to Penny. We started to leave.

"You know, I should probably get a shirt too."

"You have shirts and with the sweater on all you'll see is the collar."

"They're kind of worn, Penny. What would you parents think?"

"Dressed in your new outfit and with me on your arm, I'm sure they will think that you have exceptionally good taste in clothes and women, but it's up to you. Maybe something in one of the colors of the sweater," she suggested.

"Okay, but I'm paying for it."

We went back and looked through the shirts. She picked out one in light beige and compared it to the sweater."

"This goes."

I brought it up to the sales counter and paid for it. As we were heading through the mall, my stomach grumbled, reminding me I had skipped dinner.

"What about getting something to eat? I'm really hungry. You said we could stop at the food court," I reminded her.

"Yes, we can do that."

I could tell from her voice that she wasn't happy about it. "What's wrong with the food court?" as if I didn't know.

"Forever isn't on the menu."

"Let's go home."

"Oh, Jack," Penny said appreciatively, "you'd give up a cheeseburger, fries and a shake for me?

"I give up anything in the world for you."

"I don't deserve you."

"Nobody deserves me, but I'm yours anyway."

"Yes, well, finders keepers."

And loser weepers, I reminded myself.

We continued through the mall to the parking lot, found the car and headed back to the apartment.

"Jack, would you like a pizza?"

"Are you serious," I asked skeptically.

"Uh huh. I know a great place on the way home. They make their own stone ground whole wheat crust with organic tomato sauce and soy cheese. We can top it off with roasted veggies."

"Okay, sounds good," I agreed as enthusiastically as possible, given my expectation that the box would taste better than its contents. Real mice don't eat soy cheese.

The next morning we slept late. Well, actually, we were both anxious so we slept in the biblical sense, like in Joseph slept with Sarah and begat Abraham, although I never could keep the genealogy straight, and she, Penny that is, couldn't get begotten, which is good, unless you're trying to beget, which we weren't. Afterwards, Penny got up and started breakfast. I put on my robe and headed down to the lobby to get the Sunday paper.

"Jack, where are you going?"

"To get the paper?" I answered cautiously.

"In your bathrobe? What if one of one of the neighbors sees you?"

"I'm sure they've seen a man in a bathrobe. If they haven't, then they're in for a treat."

"Jack, seriously, please put on some clothes."

"How about if I just carry some boxing gloves and tell them I'm a contender off to defend my title. I have my boxers on." I opened my robe and flashed my underwear.

"Jack, we don't have any boxing gloves and I doubt anyone would take you seriously with big red hearts on your trunks."

"Well, you bought them for me," I reminded her.

"Yes, but I didn't intend to share them." Penny put her hands on her hips and playfully scolded me. "Really, Jack, in the time it took you to think up this elaborate excuse, you could have changed and gotten the paper."

"I know, but it wouldn't be as much fun." I went back to the bedroom and put on a warm-up suit. On my way back to the door, Penny stopped me.

"Jack!"

"What?"

"You're barefoot."

"You didn't say anything about my feet."

Penny shook her head in exasperation.

Having retrieved the Sunday paper without further incident, I sorted it into the relevant sections, sports, comics, tv and the crossword for me and the rest of for her. Penny finished cleaning up from breakfast. We didn't have to be at her parents until five o'clock. It was about a forty-five minute drive, since there wouldn't be any rush hour traffic on a Sunday. I started on the crossword.

"Jack, why don't you shower and shave?"

"Why? We have lots of time."

"I know, but I can't do my hair and makeup if the bathroom's all steamy."

There was only the one small bathroom, which we shared. Usually, there was no problem, because Penny got up earlier and left for work before I did. It required more coordination on weekends. I put down the crossword and my pencil.

"Not a problem."

My shaving cream and razor took up a corner of the vanity. The rest of counter and the top of the toilet tank were covered with an assortment of implements to shape, curl and brush, together with a containers in various shapes and sizes. As far as I was concerned, Penny was perfect, but that didn't stop her from trying to improve on perfection. Having spent the fifteen minutes necessary for my own personal grooming, I swapped places with her and got dressed, which required another ten minutes without the complications of a knotting a tie so the ends came out even.

I returned to the living room . By the time I finished the crossword, Penny was ready. She came out and modeled, walking slowly, swinging her hips and holding her arms out to the side. She always wore skirts or dresses and heels to work. I assume it made her feel more feminine, not that she needed it. Today she had on dark blue tailored pants, a purplish sweater with a scooped neck and low heels. I whistled appreciatively, provoking a smile.

"Do I look okay, Jack," she posed the question Eve asked Adam after consuming the forbidden fruit and to which no man has yet come up with the correct answer.

"Umm, I, well, no."

"No? Oh, I can change. Maybe a blouse instead of the sweater? Would that look better?"

"It's not what you have on. You look great, but there's something missing."

"Missing?"

She put her hands to her ears to check her earrings then down to her neck."

"Oh, for goodness sake, Jack, you are so observant. I forgot to put on my necklace. I'll be right back." She turned and started back towards the bedroom.

"Wait, Penny, it's not your necklace."

She stopped and turned back with a puzzled look on her face.

"Jack, what is it. Please, tell me so I can finish getting dressed. I don't want to be late."

"We have plenty of time."

She rolled her eyes. "Jack Blaine," she never used my full name unless she was mad at me, "if you are playing games, today of all days, so help me," she threatened.

"It's your finger, Penny."

"My finger?"

She held out her hands and checked her nails.

"What about my fingers?"

"Not fingers, plural, finger, singular." I reached into my pocket and took at a small blue velvet box. I handed it to her. She looked at the box, she looked at me, she looked at the box, her lip began to quiver and her hand shook.

"Jack, you couldn't, you shouldn't, you didn't, you, you..."

"Open it, Penny," I interrupted her.

She opened the box and gasped.

"Oh, Oh, Jack, Oh, Jack."

I can't remember Penny ever being at a loss of words before. I congratulated myself on pulling off the surprise.

"Put it on, Penny."

"I, I, can't, Jack, my hands are shaking."

She handed me the box.

"You do it, please."

I took out the ring. She held out her left hand. I slipped it on her ring finger. She held her hand out with her fingers spread to admire it.

"I wasn't sure about the size. The jewelry store gave me one of those ring measuring sticks to check one of your rings, but I had to guess which one you wore on that finger."

"It's perfect, Jack. I love it and I love you. This is the best day of my life and now you've messed up my makeup," she accused me with tears in her eyes. "Oh, what the heck," she rushed forward and gave me a hundred passionate kisses, give or take a few dozen. I wasn't keeping count. Finally, she got control of her emotions and headed off to the bathroom to repair the damage. After her amorous appreciation, I needed to rearrange myself as well. Eventually, we were both presentable enough to go out in public.

"You should drive," I recommended, "since you know how to go."

We got in her car and headed for the highway. Penny had both hands on the wheel and I could see her glancing at her left hand every few minutes. I sat with a contented smile on my face.

"It's beautiful, Jack," she complimented me.

"It's a real diamond, Penny. I wanted you to have the best. You deserve it."

"Jack, don't you dare make me cry again."

She was quiet for a few minutes and then I could see her get a funny look on her face.

"Jack?"

"Yes, Penny?"

"Why wasn't your car in its parking space?"

"My car?"

"Yes, your car. The one you drive to work everyday."

"Oh, that car."

"Yes, Jack, that car. Where is it?"

"I, umm, I, you know, it was a piece of junk. It was in the shop more than it was on the road. What with the cost of repairs and gas, I figured I'd be better off using public transportation. I can catch a bus right outside the building and it stops a couple of blocks from my office. I need to get more exercise," I justified my decision.

"And what about when you need to do surveillance? You can't do that on a bus."

"Ahh, I can rent a car and charge it to my client," quick thinking, Jack.

"Jack, you aren't fooling me. Your clients aren't going to pay you extra. Seriously, Jack, what in the world were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I love you more than anything and that I would have sold a kidney to buy you a ring, but you would have killed me for having an internal organ removed without consulting you, so the car was a better choice."

Penny started to cry. She pulled over to the side of the road and stopped. Releasing her seatbelt, she put her arms around me. Maybe you're not as big an idiot as you think you are, Jack. Finally, she composed herself. Taking out a compact, she turned her head from side to side observing herself.

"Well, Jack, are you satisfied. I'm a mess again," she sniffled.

"Yes, very satisfied, thank you, and you still look beautiful to me."

"If you make me cry again, Jack, you're going to get it."

"Really? You mean we can go home and make love?"

That got a big smile.

"You don't know the half of it, but first things first."

I wondered which half of it was the one I didn't know and looked forward to finding out.

"Let's switch places," Penny suggested. "You drive while I restore my appearance. Just keep going until the exit for Beaverbrook, turn left at the bottom of the ramp onto Route 28 and keep going for about five miles. There's a convenience store on the right. You can pull in. I'll be done by then and we can switch back."

I drove while Penny rehabilitated her makeup. She had finished by the time I pulled into the parking lot. Giving herself a final review in the rear-view mirror, she gave a nod of approval. I turned off the motor, got out and walked around to the passenger's side. Penny slid over behind the wheel. I got in and she pulled out.

After about five minutes of silence, I began, "Penny, you never..."

"Please, Jack, please don't say anything that will make me cry again," she cautioned me.

"Uh, no, I was going to say that you never told me about your family." I was pretty sure that was a safe topic.

"Oh, yes, I can do that," she agreed. " Helen, my mother, is an elementary special ed teacher. Art, my father, it's Arthur, but he likes to be called Art, teaches high school science. Chrissy, that's her name, people always think that its short for Christine, teaches first grade and Janet is the human resource director for a technology company. That's my family. You know, Jack," Penny turned the conversation to me, " you've never told me anything about your family."

"Yes, I know. There' nothing much to tell, which is why I never told you."

"You're not getting off that easy. Please, I want to know about my future in-laws."

"Hardly. Agnes, my mother, she hated her name. She though it sounded too old fashioned and changed it to Angela, not legally, but she always called herself that. If I wanted to make her mad, I'd use her real name. That was usually good for a couple of whacks with whatever she could get her hands on, if she could catch me. She worked as a waitress until she got married. My father was Jack. He was a salesman. He died in an automobile accident when I was little. Just one car." I shrugged. "The police officer who came to the apartment said he fell asleep and went off the road. I was Jack, junior, but since he died I'm not junior anymore."

"I'm sorry about your father, Jack," Penny interjected. "It must have been hard growing up without one. I bet that's one reason you enjoy being a big brother."

"I never really thought of it that way. I suppose so. Anyway, Mom went back to waitressing to support us. She remarried when I was in high school. I didn't like Chuck, her new husband. I used to call him Chuckles. Agnes and Chuckles. They, well he, threw me out when I turned eighteen. I've been on my own ever since."

"Do you see your mother?"

"No. They moved to Florida and good riddance."

"Jack, how can you say that about your own mother."

"You would too, if you knew her. She did what she had to while my father was alive. After he died, it was all about her."

"I'm sorry that you had such a sad childhood, Jack."

"Don't be. I wouldn't change anything in my life. It brought us together."

"Jack," Penny sniffled, " you promised you wouldn't make me cry again."

"You are the one who wanted to know about me."

"True," Penny sighed. Then she brightened up. "Look Jack, we're almost there."

We turned onto a tree lined side street. On either side were beautiful houses. Some were two stories and others were one, but they all had well kept lawns with bushes and flowers. Penny kept going until the road ended in a cul-de-sac.

"This is it, Jack," she announced, as we pulled into the driveway of a light grey house with black shutters and a matching front door.

I got out and Penny joined me. She hooked her arm in mine. We walked to the front door. There was a doorbell, but she used the brass lion's head knocker, rapping three times. I guessed it was a family thing. When there was no answer, she rapped three times again. Almost immediately the bolt clicked and the door opened.

"Penny, dear," an attractive woman greeted her with open arms. She looked to be in her fifties, shorter than Penny, brunette hair held up by some type of clip and well dressed in grey pants, a cream colored collared shirt with a black sweater over it and a pearl necklace. They hugged. Penny let go and turned towards me, taking my arm and guiding me forward.

"Mommy, this is Jack," she introduced me.

"Hello, Jack, welcome. It's nice to meet you" she said warmly.

I put out my hand. She ignored it, putting her arms around me and kissing me on the cheek.

"Uh, hi, Mrs. Johnson," I managed to get out after she stood back.

"Helen, please."

"Uh, Helen."

Excellent start, Jack. Very suave. It's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for inviting me to your beautiful home. 'Hi' was the best you could do to impress her? I glanced at Penny, but she didn't seem particularly concerned by my lack of social skills.

"Come in." She stood back and held the door.

Penny kept me in tow as we entered a foyer. There was a doorway on either side, a set of stairs straight ahead and a hallway to the left. The wood floor was covered with an oriental rug and another long oriental rug went down the hallway. Against one wall there was a small dark wood table with a mirror above it and beside it was a large vase with an oriental design holding an umbrella.

"Penny, dear, Daddy's in the living room. Why don't you take Jack in and introduce him, then help me in the kitchen?"

I doubted that Mrs. Johnson was incapable of preparing dinner without Penny and assumed that it was a considerate way to give Mr. Johnson and me time to get acquainted.

Penny hesitated, looking at me for confirmation that I didn't mind being alone with her father. I gave her a small nod. She smiled and took my arm, escorting me through the doorway on the right. It was a large room with a fireplace in the center of the outside wall. I noticed the pictures on the mantle, particularly the family group with two young girls and a boy. At the far end of the room, Mr. Johnson was sitting in an upholstered arm chair. He stood up when he saw us come in. Penny brought me over to him.

"Daddy, this is Jack."

She released my arm and I put out my hand. Not having to deal with unanticipated affection, I was better prepared.

"Hello, Mr. Johnson. I'm pleased to meet you."

He shook my hand. Not a bone crushing he man challenge, but firm enough so that it was obviously a test. I returned the manly grip.

He released my hand with a small nod of acknowledgment. I complimented myself and hoped that Penny noticed. I didn't want to lose eye contact, so I couldn't look at her to see.

"Daddy, mommy wants me to help her in the kitchen."

Penny turned and left. Mr. Johnson motioned for me to sit on the couch and waited for me to get settled. We sat smiling politely at each other.

"Uh, Mr. Johnson, uh, Penny, she," I began to make conversation, "she told me that you named her after a tv show. I mean, uh, not after the show. After one of the people, the characters, in the show and, well, you know," doh, Jack, of course he knows, come on, "she took a different name from the show," and the point is what, Jack? "Well, uh, I was wondering, I'd really like to know more about it. She said you had the videotapes. Do you think I could borrow them?"

Mr. Johnson looked surprised.

"You know, Jack, I haven't thought about the 'Sky King' show for years. So Penny remembered."

"Yes, sir."

"She and I spent a lot of time together watching them," he reminisced.

I noted that he referred to Penny as 'she', even though she was a he at the time.

"I'm not sure what I did with the videos, but I'm sure I can find them for you. Remind me before you leave and I'll look for them."

"I will, sir."

Our conversation was interrupted by the door knocker. Mr. Johnson got up.

"That must be Chrissy and Janet. Excuse me Jack."

I started to get up. He put out his hand to stop me.

"Stay there. I'll be right back."

I listened to pleasant greetings and then Mr. Johnson returned with a woman on each arm. I couldn't tell who was who, so I politely stood up and waited for an introduction. They let go of their father's arm.

"Jack, this is Chrissy." He looked towards the blonde on his right.

"Hello.

Turning to the brunette on his left, "and this is Janet."

"Hello."

They were both very pretty. Chrissy was the more dramatic of the two, with shoulder length hair and bangs framing her face. I doubted that it did much for her first graders, but their fathers probably got poked in the ribs by their wives for being too attentive at the parent-teacher conferences. Janet looked more professional. Her hair was shorter and she wore less jewelry and makeup. Even so, she must have had her share of attentive male executives.

"Where's Penny?" Janet asked.

"In the kitchen with your mother helping her with dinner," Mr. Johnson answered.

Chrissy and Janet looked at each other in silent twin speak. I assumed they were agreeing that whatever was going on, it wasn't culinary. They both gave a small shrug and turned to me.

"Well, Jack," Chrissy purred, moving forward and cuddling my arm, "Penny certainly has good taste in men. Mmmm," she sighed.

I assumed this was also a test of my gender preference. Either that or Chrissy just liked to be provocative. Since I'd never considered myself much of a ladies man, although that may not be the appropriate turn of phrase under the circumstances, I suspected it was the former. I looked at Janet for a clue.

"Really, Chrissy, do get off the poor man."

I couldn't tell if they were in cahoots and doing the good sister, bad sister act, or Janet was sticking up for Penny's interest. It didn't matter. I played along.

"It's okay, Janet, I'm used to beautiful women throwing themselves at me."

Chrissy looked at Janet and neither could keep a straight face.

"See, I told you he wouldn't fall for it, Chrissy."

At this point, Mr. Johnson interceded.

"Really, girls, enough. Jack is a guest and I expect you to treat him accordingly." Obviously, Mr. Johnson still had authority. Chrissy and Janet were contrite.

"We're sorry, Jack," Janet apologized for both of them. "Let's begin again." She held out her hand. "Hello, I'm Janet."

"Hello, Janet, I'm Jack." I waited for Chrissy to take her turn.

"Hello, Jack, I'm Chrissy."

"How do you do, Chrissy. I am pleased to make your acquaintance," I replied formally, in contrast to her intimacy earlier. Both women broke into big smiles. Their enjoyment of our meeting was interrupted by the arrival of Penny and her mother. Additional greetings and hugs were exchanged. Then Chrissy spied Penny's engagement ring.

"Look, she's got a ring!" she exclaimed excitedly.

Janet took Penny's hand and admired the ring. "It's beautiful. Congratulations, Sis."

"Congratulations to you both," Chrissy added.

"I take it you have met my sisters, Jack?"

"Your father introduced them."

Chrissy and Janet couldn't keep a straight face. Penny gave me a strange look.

"What have you two been up to?" she challenged them.

"Up to? Us, Penny, why whatever do you mean?" Janet replied, trying to sound innocent.

"Have you two been giving, Jack a hard time?"

"I tried, but I don't think so," Chrissy confessed with a pretend pout.

She and Janet broke into laughs again. Penny shook her head at her sister's foolishness.

"All right, everyone, lets go into the dining room. Dinner's ready," Mrs. Johnson refocused the conversation.

Mrs. Johnson led the way. Penny took my arm and we followed her from the living room, across the entry hall and through the opposite doorway. There was a long dining table with a white linen tablecloth set with china, crystal and silverware. There were real cloth napkins at each place setting. In the center were two candlesticks, a glass pitcher of ice water and a dish with carrot and celery sticks. Mr. Johnson took the seat at the end of the table in front of the windows. Penny led me to far side of the table. Chrissy and Janet sat opposite us, leaving the chair at the end near the door, which I assumed was most convenient to the kitchen, for Mrs. Johnson. Once everyone was seated, Mrs. Johnson left and returned with a big tureen. She came over to serve me first.

"Jack, this is split pea soup with barley. It's one of Penny's favorites and I know she won't eat the main course. Would you like some?" She held the ladle waiting for my answer.

"Yes, please, Mrs. Johnson, it smells delicious."

She made a small frown, which I assumed was because of my not being more familiar.

"Thank you, Helen," I redeemed myself, after she finished.

"Your welcome, Jack. Penny?"

"Yes, of course," she confirmed enthusiastically.

The main course was a roast, a rare treat, a little joke to myself, since meat of any persuasion was not allowed in Penny's kitchen. Baked potatoes and steamed broccoli, which I assumed were additional concessions to Penny's diet, and hot rolls completed the menu. I noticed a dish of butter and wondered if I should risk it. Not the cholesterol. Penny stabbing me in the hand with her fork as I reached for it. Hmm, then again, Mr. Johnson wouldn't be at risk if I asked him to pass it to me. While I was scheming, Mr. Johnson opened a bottle of wine and asked me if I'd like some. I accepted and he filled a glass, passing it to Penny who handed it to me and returned my empty glass. Everyone politely waited while the process was repeated until we all had wine. Looking to Mrs. Johnson, who nodded, he raised his glass.

"A toast to Penny and Jack. May they have a long and happy relationship."

I noticed that he did not use the words 'marriage' or 'engagement'. Considering that they must have reservations about me, it was understandable. I considered whether I should respond and decided I should. I stood up.

"Mr. Johnson, Mrs., uh, Helen, Chrissy and Janet, thank you for welcoming me to your home. I, uh, I, uh, I know you are wondering about me. Honestly, I don't know what I am. Until I met Penny, I thought I liked women. I still do." I looked at Penny. "I'm, sorry, but I need to say this." She gave me a curious look, not being able to anticipate what it was that required an apology in advance. "Until recently, Penny was, well, it was difficult for her to come home, because of how you remembered her." I glanced at Penny. She looked at me skeptically as to why I would reveal her confidence. " Penny came to understand that it isn't necessary for you to forget who she was. What matters is that you love her and accept her as she is. So do I."

I looked at Penny lovingly, hoping that she wouldn't be hurt by my disclosure. I could see that she was trying to control her emotions, but it was a losing battle. She made a little whimper, then a small sob and then burst into tears. Damn, Jack, well done. You've embarrassed her in front of her whole family. Penny stood up holding her napkin to her eyes. Ms. Johnson got up to comfort her. She put her arm around her shoulder and guided her around the table towards the hallway, disappearing up the upstairs. Chrissy and Janet followed after them, leaving me at the table with Mr. Johnson.

I was still standing after the women had left. Mr. Johnson got to his feet. Oh, oh, Jack, he's going to throw you out. It's a long walk home, assuming you still have a home, which is doubtful, but you deserve it. There's nothing you can do. Take it like a man. Strange, but that's how this all started I thought to myself, you being a man. Mr. Johnson raised his right hand. It took me a moment to realize that he was offering to shake. Could it be that he wasn't mad? Whatever the reason, I accepted his approval.

"Welcome to the family, Jack."

"Uh, thanks, thank you, Mr. Johnson."

He motioned for me to sit. "Call me Art. We might as well get started while it's hot. Who knows when the women will be back." He gave a shrug to express his lack of understanding. I hesitated. "No, really, here," he served me from the platter. "Potato and vegetable?"

"Yes, please." He added them to my plate and handed it to me. He gave himself an equally generous serving. Taking advantage of Penny's absence, I scored a role and buttered it, adding a big pat to my potato. Well done, Jack, another small joke to myself, you've ingratiated yourself with Penny's father and your digestive system.

"Go ahead, start," he repeated, lifting his wine glass and holding it out. I picked up my glass and returned the toast. He started to eat and I joined him, both to be polite and because I wasn't really sure if Penny would approve of the feast. Better to be contrite on a full stomach.

We were almost through the first helping when we heard the women coming down the stairs. I looked through the doorway and Penny was beside her mother with Chrissy and Janet behind them. They returned to their seats. I gave a look approximating a puppy who had piddled on the rug and was hoping to avoid being swatted with a newspaper, serving the dual purpose of apologizing for making her cry again and for my gluttony. She smiled back, which I took to mean either it wasn't necessary or I was forgiven, which of the two didn't matter, because it was followed by a kiss on my cheek. That got Chrissy and then Janet to ring their wine glasses with their knives. Penny looked at me, I looked at her and we complied with an impressive smooch. I wondered whether Mr. and Mrs. Johnson would approve and was delighted to hear them join in the applause. Of course, that encouraged the sisters to repeat their request, but Penny shook her head. They pretended to look disappointed.

"Please Chrissy and Janet, I need to let my emotions calm down. I don't want to redo my makeup a fourth time."

"Fourth?" questioned Chrissy.

"Really?" added Janet.

"Yes, four, really," Penny confirmed. "The first was when Jack gave me the ring. That was before we left to come here. The second was on our way, when I found out that Jack had sold his car to buy the ring and a third... ," she was interrupted by Janet.

"Jack sold his car? No way."

"Yes, he did Janet, for me, because I'm more important than ...," she broke off. "Oh for goodness sake." She dabbed at her eyes. "Please, can't we just eat our dinner?"

"Girls," Mrs. Johnson scolded them like naughty children, "enough. I do not want you upsetting your sister." There was no hesitation in her reference. "Now behave or else," she issued the traditional parental threat.

"Yes mother," Chrissy and Janet acknowledge in unison and then broke into laughs, obviously understanding that it was unlikely that they would be sent to their rooms without dessert if they disobeyed.

Mr. Johnson served the meal. I got a second helping. Penny took just the vegetables. The conversation during dinner was mostly about work. Everybody was fascinated by me being a PI until I disillusioned them with my boring exploits. Dessert was something I had never tasted. Mrs. Johnson called it Indian pudding. It was brown and about the consistency of oatmeal. I looked at Penny, wondering if it was something she liked. Except for the meat, the meal seemed to be planned for her. She explained that it was basically cornmeal and molasses, both natural ingredients, so it was a healthy dessert. Contrary to both its recipe and its appearance, it was delicious.

After dinner, Mr. Johnson invited me into the family room while the women cleaned up. Along one wall were cabinets above which were shelves full of books. Mr. Johnson went over to one of the cabinets, opened it and began to rummage around. He pulled out a number of albums and put them on the floor. Eventually, he found what he was looking for and took out a large box. "Aha," I knew they were here." He brought it over to show me. "These are all of the 'Sky King' episodes. They're collectors items." He handed me the box. "Here. You do have a VCR that can play these?"

"Yes. I use videos in my surveillance work, so I have a good one at my office. I'm going to bring it home so Penny and I can watch them. Thank you, Mr., um, Art, I'll be very careful with them."

"You're welcome, Jack."

"Mr., um, Art, could I, could I ask you... ?" I hesitated. He looked at me curiously.

"Go ahead, Jack, ask me what?"

"Well, I was wondering if I could look at some of the family albums while we were waiting?"

"You want to see Penny when she was... ," he broke off his sentence.

"When she was a boy," I finished it. "Yes, we, um, ah, we, well, you know, we sleep together. There are no secrets between us." Not exactly the most delicate way to reassure Penny's father, Jack, but he didn't seem to be bothered by our consorting.

"Oh, oh, ah yes, I, ah sure, if you want to." He waved his hand towards the albums meaning for me to make a selection. I picked up the one on top. I opened it and found pictures of Penny when I guessed she must have been about ten. She could have been older or younger, but she didn't look like a teenager and she didn't look like a little kid either. There they all were, the girls in party dresses and Penny, or then Skyler, dressed as a typical young boy. I thumbed through the album and then exchanged it for another and another. Mr. Johnson watched without comment. Younger or older, there was only Skyler.

I was still going though the albums when Penny came in. I could see Mrs. Johnson and the girls giving each other concerned looks. Penny turned and happily asked them to join me. With her approval, we spent over an hour reminiscing. I particularly liked the photo at the beach when they were little. Chrissy and Janet were in pink polka dot two piece bathing suits with a ruffled skirt covering the bottom and matching ruffled top. Penny was bare chested and wearing a pair of baggy brown trunks. Things had certainly changed since then. Around eight thirty Mrs. Johnson went to the kitchen and returned carrying a try with mugs, a carafe of coffee, a tea pot and the usual condiments. We chatted until about nine and then it was time to go, since we all had to work the next day.

Mr. and Mrs. Johnson walked us to the door. I said goodbye to Penny's parents and turned to Chrissy and Janet. The next thing I knew, Chrissy had me in a lip lock. I made the requisite initial struggle and then returned the kiss. "He definitely likes women," she announced. She stepped back and Janet took her place. "I concur, sister, although there is a more reliable measure."

"Sorry ladies," Penny interceded, "but there's only one person who is going to be measuring reliable around here." That got everyone laughing. We all left and walked to our cars. Penny wanted me to drive. I opened the door for her and she slid in. As I was walking around, Chrissy and Janet were waiting.

"Jack, you're a good sport to put up with us, but know this. Whatever Penny may think, as far as we're concerned she's our sister and anyone who says otherwise is going to have to come through us." They both raised their fists. They had to be the two nicest women I had ever met. This time we just gave warm hugs to each other.

Getting in the car, Penny asked me what we were talking about. "They said I was a lucky man, which I already knew." She wanted to know why they made fists. "Your little sisters are very protective," I covered up to avoid another emotional outbreak.

I needed to concentrate on following Penny's directions, so there was no further conversation until we got on the highway. "I really like your family. Thank you for bringing me to meet them."

"Why on earth wouldn't I want you to meet them. I love you and they love you too. You are very loveable. Besides, you're the son they wanted and thought they had," she said with a laugh."

"If you say so, but, I was wondering. Could we get married? I would really like to be a member of your family. I know we can't do it here, but someplace else? Then it would be official."

"A piece of paper isn't going to change how they feel, but, if it's important to you, I have lots of vacation time. We can get married legally, but as I recall you're out of automobiles to pay for it, so how about if we work on one wedding at a time?"

"I still have two kidneys," I joked.

"You still have two of a lot of body parts that are removable," she teased me back.

"Okay, I, well, I just felt so comfortable with them. Penny?"

"Yes, Jack?"

"Can I ask you a personal question?"

"You can ask me anything andI will give you an honest answer, but be careful. The truth doesn't always set you free. Sometimes it just makes you unhappy."

"Its not that kind of a question. When did you become transgendered?"

I was suprised by her quick response. "I can't answer that question"

"Oh, that's okay, you don't have to if you don't want to. I understand."

"No, not won't, I can't. There is no answer."

"Then I don't understand."

Penny went into her lecture mode. "There are three theories, biological, psychological and a combination of the two. Some people contend that through some prenatal influence we are born with a female brain in a male body. That is how many transgendered men and women describe themselves. It would be comforting to find out that being transgendered is the result of a developmental process over which we have no control. The problem with that theory is that animals, even primates, don't have gender preferences, at least as far as we know. Since we can't experiment on humans, there is no way to prove it. Others believe that it is behavioral. At some point in our early development we become imprinted with the opposite gender. The problem with that theory is that it would mean that we can be reoriented, which has not proven to work. Most likely, being transgendered is a combination. Many lower organisms are both male and female. It is only in higher animals that there are biologically separate sexes, but not necessarily psychologically. Perhaps for one reason or another some of us are not as good at suppressing our opposite gender as others. Does that answer you question?"

"No, not really."

"Now I don't understand."

"That wasn't my question."

"It wasn't? Then why did you let me go on."

"It was interesting. It just wasn't what I wanted to know."

"Okay, then what was it you did want to know?"

"Well, when I was looking through the photos in the albums I was curious to see if there were any with you as Penny. Sometimes for Halloween boys dress as girls. There weren't any, so I was wondering when you became Penny."

She laughed. "That's an easy question to answer. I was always envious of my sisters. No, envious isn't the right word," she corrected herself, "more like disappointed. They did the same things I did, but for some reason I couldn't do the things they did. I couldn't understand it, but there wasn't anything I could do about it. At least not then. In high school, I had friends who were girls, but I never had a girlfriend. There were pictures of me going to my proms, but my dates were for mutual convenience, A kiss on the cheek goodnite. Things changed when I got to college. There was a very active GLBT organization on campus."

"Those are the same initials as in your agency, right?"

"Yes, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgedered," she confirmed. "I'm not sure what got me involved with them initially, but it was like a light went on when I found out that there were others who felt like I did. They were supportive and I began to allow myself to become more openly feminine. I let my hair grow, started using skin preparations, not makeup, just to make me look softer, had manicures, although no colored nail polish, cleaned up my eyebrows and I started closet cross-dressing. I was still worried about coming out, but it was getting to be increasingly difficult for me to deny my feelings. When I went home for spring break, it was obvious that I had changed. I explained it to my family as best I could. It was very difficult. My parents were upset. I don't think it was as much their having to deal with it as their worrying about my having to deal with it. After that, well, Chrissy and Janet took to the idea of having a big sister." Penny laughed.

"I don't see what's so funny?"

"They insisted on taking me shopping for my first bra. It's the rite of passage into womanhood and they wanted to do it with me." The image of the two giggling teenagers taking their older brother shopping for a bra tickled me too. "Yes, it is classic, but at least I was spared the introduction to feminine protection products." That got both of us laughing. "When I went back to school, I began living as Penny. The GBLT helped me to make the necessary changes in my housing and class enrollment. Satisfied now?"

"I have always been satisfied, but now I'm no longer curious."

It was late when we got home, so my finding out the half of it that I didn't know had to be postponed. It turned out that I was familiar with that half after all, not that it wasn't fun to confirm it. The next week Penny was busy making the final arrangements. Her father generously offered to pay for the reception, considering the unanticipated expense of a third daughter. Penny said no. Although she celebrated diversity, it was not necessary for everyone to celebrate it together. Instead, he could pay for the rings we would exchange. The service was going to be on Saturday afternoon. Her office took up a collection and paid for a honeymoon that night in a very nice hotel, the bridal suite of course. Ginger's insisted on closing Sunday to hold a private party for us, even tough it was likely to be the same regulars who would be there if it was open. It was the thought that counted.

Saturday morning, Penny was up bright and early. As an expression of my devotion, I removed my meager male grooming equipment to the kitchen. On any other occasion, she would have been upset with my unsterile intrusion. I finished and got dressed. We had returned to the department store and I bought a suit. It was dark blue. I got a white shirt, a blue striped tie, black socks and new shoes too. The service was to begin at ten o'clock. Penny wanted to be at the church an hour early and it took about twenty minutes to get there. At a little after eight thirty, she emerged from the bedroom.

"Jack, how do I look?" she inquired, turning around so I could inspect her. She had on a cream colored dress with lace at the neck and cuffs, matching shoes and her hair and makeup were done to perfection. It wasn't a question that needed asking, but that didn't stop her. I knew she was going go ask me and I was ready. Yes, I had figured out the perfect answer and rehearsed it.

"You look like an angel."

"Really?"

This is where the rehearsal payed off. "If you looked any better, I couldn't control myself and you would have to start all over again."

"Jack, stop. You're just saying that."

Well, yes, but don't quit now. "Do you want me to prove it." I advanced towards her.

"Eek," she let out a little squeal and backed away, not sure if I was serious. "You wouldn't dare."

"Truth or dare?"

"Jack, I don't want to play games," she interposed. "Let's go or we'll be late. Oh, now you've got me all flustered. I forgot my purse. It's in the bedroom on the dresser. Be a dear and get it for me, please."

I dutifully fetched it and we walked to the door. "Penny, isn't it bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding?"

"Yes, but its worse luck if they only have one car and the groom misses the ceremony because she took it so he wouldn't see her and he had to walk to the church," she countered.

"I guess there are extenuating circumstances that require flexibility," I conceded as we waited for the elevator. "How about if I drive with my eyes shut?"

"I told you, I don't want to get married in the ICU," referring to the time I almost lost control of the car when she unexpectedly accepted my proposal.

"Actually, you'd look cute in one of those short hospital gowns with the opening up the back. Very convenient for the honeymoon."

"Then you don't want to see me in the nightgown I bought to wear tonight?"

"On second thought, I will be the most cautious of chauffeurs."

We pulled up to the front of the church. I got out, opened the door for Penny and she went in to meet with the minister. I drove around to the parking lot in back. Walking back, I waited on the steps for Penny's family to arrive. About ten minute later, a car pulled up and Mrs. Johnson, Crissy and Janet all got out. The sisters were both wearing matching fitted pink dresses with jackets. Mrs. Johnson had on a matching pink dress. The sister's previous display of affection was replaced by hand holding and light kisses on the cheek. We waited for Mr. Johnson to park and come in. I greeted him. The women went in to find Penny. Mr. Johnson and I stayed on the steps. A few minutes later another car pulled up. Betsy got out and opened the back door. She opened the back door. I was pleasantly surprised to see Tanya get out.

The women greeted me. I introduced them to Mr. Johnson. "Betsy is the social worker at the Big Brother Big Sisters agency that matched me with Dimitri, my little. My little brother," I added to clarify. "Tanya, is Dimitri's mother." They exchanged hellos. "Betsy is also going to be the best man." I turned to her. "Speaking of which, I thought you were going to wear your husband's tux."

"Considering the nature of the guests, I thought it would be disrespectful for me to pretend to be what some of them are and I'm not." I nodded my understanding and agreement.

"If you're going to stand up for Jack, then you should have this." Mr. Johnson reached into his pocket and took out a maroon velvet box. He handed it to her. She put it in her pocketbook. We all went in. Tanya found a seat. Betsy, Mr. Johnson and I went up to the altar. Penny wanted a more modern service, so she had a woman guitarist. As we took our places, she was singing the verse, "Oh, a man shall leave his mother, and a woman leave her home. They will travel on to where the two will be as one." I had this silly thought that there should be a transgendered version, because actually Penny didn't leave home as a woman, although she returned as one. When she had finished the song, the minster came out, followed by Penny, Mrs. Johnson and her sisters. It turns out that my answer to her earlier question about how she looked was true. She was an angel. The minister began. He used the words, "this couple," "take her to be your partner," and "commit," instead of the traditional service, but it didn't matter. I was proclaiming my love for her. He concluded with, "till death do you part." We both did. Betsy handed me the ring and I placed it on Penny's finger. The minister then pronounced us "life partners." There was a loud applause from the guests and of course I kissed my life partner like there would be no tomorrow, although there would be a lots of them.

We walked down the aisle to the well wishes and congratulations of our friends, punctuated with occasional blinding camera flashes recording the moment. Penny's family followed us. To my astonishment there was a long, white limousine waiting for us with the driver standing by the open rear door. I looked at Penny's family and her sisters nodded. We got in and drove off. There was a bucket with a bottle of champagne and two crystal glasses. We opened the bottle and raised a toast.

"Jack, look and see what my ring says inside." She wiggled it off of her finger and handed it to me. I carefully held it. The windows were tinted, so it was too dark for me to read the engraving. I found a button to turn on the side light. "JB to PJ" and the date. "Now, see what yours says." I handed her back her ring, which she slipped on her finger, then worked mine off. Holding it up I read, "PJ to JB Finders Keepers."

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