The Girl

by Tanya Lynn

We drove through town to my old house. It's funny how well I remembered the way. Mom and dad weren't home, but my younger self took me to where a key was hidden. We went in and up to my old room. Memories that I had buried came flooding back. I went straight to my stash spot in the attic off of my room and pulled out what I knew was there- a bag of clothing castoffs that Sarah had given me long ago. Then, it hit me. Sarah- of course! I turned to her and said, "it was you all those years ago! How did you find me after all of these years? Even my parents hadn't talked to me in 12 years". She said, "I always wondered what happened to you, but really never knew until you got assigned to the building where I was working where you were. I had watched as you were in your teens and gradually suppressed the memories and quit even talking to me. I know you have always wondered why I was attracted to you despite our differences. It's because I know the real you and love you. I always have". I just stood there with my mouth open. So did the younger me. Eventually we all broke out laughing when we saw it was the same expression. I kissed Sarah and said, "so even if I had become a girl, you would still have been in love with me? Wouldn't that make you a lesbian"? She said, "do you think I would care? It's you that I love, guy or girl". Now, I was crying, as was my younger self. I sat there looking at my clothes from long ago, thinking of how they felt, of how I had felt natural when I had them on. I cried harder for all of the lost years.

I then said, "so what do we do now? Obviously this was all orchestrated by someone to change the past. How do we figure how to do that"? Sarah said, "I may know part of the answer. Remember, I saw the aftermath of when you left. I eventually learned that your parents never got over it. they used to look back on that day when your dad caught you and say, 'we would rather have had him be happy, even if it meant his dressing up, or even being a girl.' You need to tell them the truth". I said, "I don't think I could even do that now. how can I expect my younger self to do it"? she said, "you have to convince him for his sake and yours. That must be the purpose of this".

Then, we heard noise downstairs. I heard a voice I would never hear again. My mom said, "we must have looked everywhere, including his tree fort. Where could he have gone, especially in a dress? Please God, don't let him have been picked up by some kind of freak. I would give anything to see him again. And who does that car out front belong to"? suddenly, my younger self bolted down the stairs. There was a commotion as my parents saw him, and then they were firing questions at him. He told them the truth, but they accused him of lying, and asked where he got the clothes from. I didn't know what to do, and then Sarah grabbed my arm and said, "there is only one way they will believe him- we need to face them. Let's go". I said, "are you crazy? What about the timeline and all that"? she said, "damn the timeline. We need to act now"! I gave in and went downstairs with her.

The first thing I noticed was that my dad and I now were the same age and looked almost identical. He did too. His jaw dropped and he said, "who are you? Are you really him at my age"? with tears streaming down my face, I could only nod. I told him everything that had happened and said, "if you don't listen now, this is how it will turn out. Things have to change, since there has been a second chance". My dad looked at my younger self and said, "its ok son, tell us the truth. We can handle it". he looked at Sarah and I for reassurance and said, "can you get Sarah to come over- the dress and some other clothes I have upstairs are ones she gave me. She knows about this". My mom called her mom and soon Sarah and parents came in. turns out she had told her parents, who were willing to help. My younger self then told the whole story again, including that he knew he was a girl inside. My parents were shocked, but didn't freak out. Then, Sarah's dad said, "the reason why we are so understanding is that Sarah was so kind and understanding is that her Aunt Jean used to be her Uncle John, my brother. We were blessed with understanding parents who helped her, and then the rest of us to understand. If you really want to help David deal with this, we can help as well. Anytime, anything you need". My dad asked my younger self, "we are all going to sit down and talk this out". He said, "if we are, can I put my dress back on, or another"? my dad asked, "how far have you gone? Do you put on makeup"? he said, "no, but I wish I could brush my hair like a girl's- may I"? he kind of sighed and said, "this will take some getting used to. Do you have a name for yourself"? he said, "yes, I like Tanya". He said, "okay Tanya, why don't you take young Sarah up with you to help you and come back down when you're finished".

He then turned to the elder Sarah and I and asked, "what now? I watch Star Trek. Will this change your lives, or will they be the same? Are you going to never have left, or what"? I said, "I wish I knew. I just knew that whoever caused this to happen, we had to take advantage of it and change the past". right then, we heard them on the stairs, and turned to look. my younger self was with Sarah, but now she looked all girl. A little makeup and a pretty pink dress did wonders, as well as her hair being done right. I know as I got all teary eyed that it had all been worth it. I looked at my dad and said, "there is your answer. She's glowing with happiness. Whether it changes me or not, it was worth it". he smiled and said, "for that smile to be on his face, I would do anything. Whatever happens to you, he will have every chance to be happy, as a girl or a boy".

Just then, there was a knock on the door. When my mom opened it, we finally had our answer. I, or an older, female version of me, was standing there with an older Sarah. I think we all knew the truth in an instant. I said, "it was you two, wasn't it? somehow you did it". my older version said, "yes. Everything, including Sarah finding you was part of the plan. We are from another dimension, where I told my parents at the start without any help. In that dimension, I grew up as a girl after that, and had a sex change at 18. As in this world, Sarah and I were in love, and people just think we are two lesbians. But, in my world, I have a knack for Quantum Physics. I developed a theory for a machine to travel to another dimension. Unfortunately, I could only go to one, this one. But, I found I could move in time in it. when I saw what had happened to you, I decided to try to change things for you, and this all was the result". I said, "will I become a girl now, because of this, when we return to the future"? he said, "no, as much as I have found out, these events have split off a new reality, where what happens here now will create a new future. You and Sarah will return to your own time. You and Sarah need to go through the tunnel outside of town and circle back. I think your mom and dad in your time want to see you very badly".

We said tearful goodbyes to them all and did as instructed. As we came out of the tunnel, we could tell by the car that we were back in our own time. Sarah turned the car back towards my parent's house and I said, "I don't know if I can handle this right now, after everything else". She said, "you're going, whether you think you're ready or not. This is long overdue". We arrived at the house and I went to the door and knocked. My dad, now fifty, answered the door and took one look at me and grabbed me in a bear hug. He yelled for my mom, and soon we were all laughing and crying at the same time. He pulled Sarah in and said, "after you told us you had found him, I knew you would bring him back someday". I should have been mad at her, but I couldn't be. She had acted out of love. He then said, "she told us why you left, and I will say what she must have told you. We love you, and if you want to become a woman, if that's who you think you are, you have our full support. Your mom has called Sarah's parents, who has told us their story, and we'll sit and talk".

Well, all I can say is that that conversation went beyond my wildest dreams. I never imagined that I would be so happy. Sarah and I told them the whole story, and in the magic of the moment, they believed us. They knew something beyond the ordinary was going on here. I told them that I was going to explore the part of me long buried, but I didn't know how fast things would change. They said, "take it slow. You're just beginning this now at 30, and it wont be easy. You have our full love and support". After a wonderful evening, Sarah and I took off for home. She said, "so how do you want to begin"? I said, "I guess you should measure me and we will go from there". We got back to my place and she took measurements, measuring me everywhere. She said, "let's go get a few things at Wal-Mart, and then tomorrow, we can go to the mall". We jumped back in the car and drove to the 24-hr. Wal-Mart. I knew where the lingerie part was- for some reason, which I now knew, I had always looked at it when I walked by it, a little fascinated by it. she grabbed a package of panties, a padded bra, and a short nightgown, and then went to the clothing section. She grabbed a blouse and skirt, and then said, "what's your height and weight"? when I answered, she picked out a pair of navy tights. We went to the register where they didn't blink an eye- they thought it was for her.

When we got home, we were exhausted. She told me to go into the bedroom and put on the nightgown and a pair of the panties. I said, "but I'll look ridiculous! I don't look anything like a girl right now"! she said, "that doesn't matter- you need to see how it feels". I did as she told me. I opened the pack of panties and saw they were nylon. I remembered that I had liked her nylon panties when I was little more than the cotton ones. Apparently, she had remembered as well. They were really snug around my penis, but felt wonderful I slid on the nightgown and found it fell only to my thighs. It still felt great, although there was obviously room on top for breasts I didn't have. I said, "ok, you can come in, although I think I look ridiculous". She came in and said, "never mind that, how do you feel"? I said, "it feels wonderful and natural". I held out the empty top of the gown and said, "I don't have anything here though. She said, "when you get up in the morning, I want you to put on the bra and fill it with socks. Put on the tights, and then the blouse and skirt. The mall doesn't open till noon tomorrow, and that will give you a chance to see how it feels". I panicked and said, "I'm not ready to go out"! she said, "of course not". We'll take this a step at a time. We'll pretend we're shopping for me. Now lets go to bed". She slid on her own nightgown and we laid down. I went right to sleep and dreamed dreams of what it was going to be like, being a woman.