<

Three Girls Book One Chapter Four Mendelssohn and Misunderstandings! by Andrea Lena DiMaggio

Previously, in the office of Caryn Bisceglia, psychologist…

"I can't tell you what to do, honey...just what you face with each choice and how things might be. I can say this. Even in the midst of all your anguish, as Yuki you are so much brighter and alive than when I saw you as Luke. Now that just may mean that you're more relaxed, or that Luke has so much more to face since he's who you've been for so long. But you must know that it's who you are and will become that is important."

"You may have to give up things and such...and that will be painful and difficult, but either way, you won't have to give up any part of yourself as long as you choose what's best for you." Caryn smiled as Yuki smiled at her. Whatever the girl chose, she was going to be alright.

And…in the hallway at school the same week...

"Ted...I...you...you know...Cam...Camie Santangelo? You know?”

"Oh...hell no, Luke...No...NO." Tears came to Teddy's eyes as he walked away. He was upset and angry and scared; there were a lot of things that Teddy could face, but finding out his best friend was, "a fucking fag,' as he would tell his teammates later, was too much to bear. Years of friendship were unable to mitigate a lifetime of ignorance, misinformation and fear.

At the Takahashi home...several days later...

The girl sat down at the piano. She wore a new outfit her mother had purchased only the day before. Perhaps a bit much; her mother wasn't used to buying clothes for her, and she may have over-compensated. A blue gown; unlike anything in her mother’s wardrobe.

“This is too fancy, Mom,” she had said but her mother insisted the day would come when a blue gown would light up a stage as she played Brahms or Beethoven or Saint-Saens for the first time. She imagined herself at Carnagie Hall playing a Bechstein or a Steinway instead of her Yamaha spinet in her living room.

The music matched her mood; Mendellsohn’s Concerto No. 1 in G Minor. Almost as frenetic as her life was becoming, it wasn’t quite angry but did evoke somewhat of a perturbed mood; as if it was as disappointed with life as she was. Truth be told, Mendelssohn was more triumphant and hopeful than the girl ever imagined her life would be. Years of neglect by her father followed by a final sad departing rejection had damaged her ability to feel what the music imparted. But her life was going to gain a hopeful strength that can only come from weathering a storm rather than sitting in a safe harbor.

C Wing, Perth Amboy High School, Friday afternoon…

Luke hurried down the hall after a girl toting a large black artwork portfolio. She was dressed in a blue denim maxi skirt and charcoal cardigan, which made her resemble a 21st century Georgia O'Keefe. Her sleeves were pulled up, revealing old scars from the elbow to the wrist on her right arm.

“Hey, Camie? Camie?" Luke called out to Cam as she walked down the hall. She garnered more than a bit of attention from the students crowding the hallway as they finished the day.

“Luke, right?” She smiled warmly; happy for at least one friendly face in a sea of rejection.

“Yeah…for now.” The girl tilted her head until Luke continued, “It might change soon…to Yuki.”

“Your Dad ever come back?” If Camie was anything, she certainly candid.

“No…He moved back to Osaka with my grandparents after he lost his job in London.

“That sucks.” The girl half-smiled in commiseration; her own father had left shortly after she came out to him and her Mom in her Junior year. She was on the verge of completing a year living as a girl, and at eighteen, she would have her reassignment surgery sometime within the next twelve months. It was a year of hell; Luke was aware that teasing had been de rigeur from more than a few of Camie's classmates, with a shoving attack by some peers at the beginning of her this year; suspensions and policy clarifications had alleviated the bullying, but the teasing continued.

“Yeah…but I didn’t have it nearly as bad as you, Cam. I’m sorry…I should have said something sooner.”

“Well, since we never talk, and you could probably tutor me in chemistry and physics, I’m guessing you have some questions. I kinda thought you were going through the same stuff….you tell your Mom yet?”

“Yeah…and how did you know…what made you…” Luke got worried.

“I was sitting in Dr. Brennan’s waiting room last week when you came in…you didn’t notice me because Dr. B took you right away. Unless you’re diabetic, I don’t think you’d be going to an endo doc, and you sure didn’t come up to me to ask about Twelfth Night or commerce in Brazil.” She laughed; she had a welcoming smile and gentle laugh, which was sadly wasted on a lot of the kids in her class.

“Yeah…Mom and I had a talk and I’m going to my shrink, too. I’m going to start this week.” Something about Camie made Luke feel safe; like being wrapped in a familiar worn-out blanket…not very attractive but warm and secure. Camie's grin nudged him gently and he started to cry.

“Hey…It’s okay…welcome to the club. We hardly ever meet and the dues suck, but other than that, it’s wonderful,” Cam said. She avoided the temptation of hugging Luke, wanting to help put off the teasing and rejection as long as possible. Luke put his hand over his face and sighed, trying without any success in battling the tears that fell from his face to the floor.

“It’s going to be okay.” This coming from someone who smiled every day in earnest at her tormentors; she refused to let the hurt take away the joy she had from finally being herself. She hoped she could impart at least some of her joy to her new friend.

Perth Amboy Field House, Saturday morning before practice…

“Fellas…guys…I need to make an announcement…Guys?” Coach King took a deep breath as he plunged into the task at hand, almost like diving into a pool of muddy water. He prayed he didn’t bottom out. An unfamiliar figure stood beside him.

“Listen…Listen up….Hey, Calabrese, pay attention.” He shook his head and waited while the team settled down. Some of them had already started staring at the girl who stood slightly off to the side and back, trying without success to hide behind Danny.

“I need you guys to pay attention…this is very important. So knock it off, okay?” he raised his voice slightly and the talking ceased.

“Listen…as of today, Luke Takahashi is no longer going to be playing for the Panthers.” He sighed and looked back at the girl, who stepped forward once again.

“Oh fuck, you’re kidding, right?” Billy Calabrese laughed but the look on Danny’s face was anything but jovial.

“Oh shit…you’re not kidding.” Teddy Dudek stood in the back of the group, looking at the girl and swallowing hard. He wanted to speak up, but something inside stopped him. He stared…. glowering at the girl in front of him. She looked straight at him, and it took all she could to fight back tears. She turned her head and faked a sneeze before facing the team once again.

“Fellas…What I have to say is important, and I’m trusting your character as young men to react appropriately. But you need to listen carefully…this is going to affect each and every one of you. Some more than others, I suppose,” he added as he glanced at Teddy in passing before continuing.

“Some of you might know already, but Luke Takahashi has begun a process in…life that has involved a huge change.” No one spoke up and there were no murmurs; Teddy may have been disappointed, but he had said nothing to his teammates prior to the meeting.

“Luke has begun what is referred to as a real life test.” Danny looked over at Yuki and smiled nervously, hoping the team had the character that he’d hoped for.

“Luke is now going to assume…I’m sorry…that's wrong...I’m not familiar with how this goes…Luke will no longer be living as a boy, but will be living as a girl…for a year in anticipation of transitioning with medical help.” He smiled at the team; most of the boys looked confused, and some of them were shaking their heads.

“Luke is gay?” Billy Calabrese shouted. He wasn’t being cruel, but his remark was taken as such as Yuki winced.

“No, you fucking moron!” Pauly D’Orso shouted from the back. “Gay is when you’re a boy and like boys, or you’re a girl and you like girls. Try reading something besides your fantasy football stats sometime, huh. Luke is what they call trans…something.” He shrugged.

“Transsexual,” the girl said softly in a voice that sounded uncomfortably familiar.

“What the fuck? Luke…Come on…stop fuckin’ around.” Chuck Klimek laughed nervously as Danny stepped close to the girl and spoke up.

“Guys…I’ve got some handouts Mrs. Carter typed up to explain, but yes, yes…Luke Takahashi ...is… you should consider...she's a girl.” He placed his hand on her shoulder; her face had turned crimson with embarrassment, even though she had nothing to be ashamed of.

“Meet the newest member of the Perth Amboy Panthers, Yuki Takahashi.” Danny’s voice was clear, and he smiled warmly at Yuki, inviting his charges to greet the girl.

“What the fuck?” Billy called out, but his tone was still somewhat jocular.

“Son of a fucking bitch.” Jackie Davidson shouted. “I’m not playing with no fucking girl.” Jackie had show reserve and calm and a bit of intelligence in the midst of his rude comment in that while he was unwilling to play with Yuki, at least he had accepted that she was a girl; thus showing himself to be a misogynist even if he wasn’t a homophobe.

Teddy had already left the group and was sitting by himself on a folding chair in the corner. He was shaking his head; everything he knew about his best friend had changed, and maybe everything he knew about himself as well.

“No fucking way, man. You guys are kidding.” Kenny Fitzsimmons stared at the girl in front of him. He stepped up to Yuki and tilted his head, much like a puppy might after seeing a moth or a bird for the first time. A second later he shrugged his shoulders before sticking his hand out to greet his new teammate.

A few boys stood off to the side…the ones that Danny had said might be reluctant but would support their teammate even if they didn’t understand. Two boys walked out altogether. Tommy Avila and Juan Ortiz came back after realizing their baseball scholarship opportunities would diminish severely if they didn’t play baseball.

“Wow,” Pat Kelly said, shaking his head in disbelief before saying with a surprised smile, “Cool!”

In total, out of twenty-eight players, not including Yuki, seven quit the team, with the aforementioned two teammates returning, so the damage was minimal if painful.

“You…you’re serious about this, huh?” Pat Kelly asked his battery mate.

“Ye…yes…” Yuki bit her lip. She really wasn’t more emotional than usual; he cried when they lost the championship game the year before. This, however, was a different context; the moment was highly stressful, and she began to tear up. While most boys would have backed away, Pat put his hand on Yuki’s shoulder, almost as if they were standing on the mound discussing what pitch to throw South Amboy’s power hitter.

“Hey…Luke…don’t worry…I got your back.” He leaned in and hugged his buddy without thinking of the implications. Yuki shied away uncomfortably, making it even more awkward. Pat refused to let go and patted her on the back — teammate to teammate.

“Hey…look at the fucking fags…” Benny Trajillo pointed at the two. He turned just in time for Teddy Dudek to punch him in the chest; not hard, but hard enough to send him flying into the dirty towel hamper. Teddy walked up to Yuki and shook his head.

“I hope you’re fucking satisfied. You just took away the two things I value the most.” He walked off. No one but Coach King saw that the boys face was grief-stricken.

And everyone in the field house noticed that their newest teammate had burst into tears. Several of them came up and patted her on the back; albeit awkwardly and with a lot of wonder. Billy Calabrese leaned close and whispered,

“It’s bases loaded…we’re ahead by one and there are two outs.” He smiled and the girl stared at him in confusion until he said softly,

“Put the ball over the plate, Taki…we’ve got your back.”

Next: Sacrifices and Sonatas!

Concerto No. 1 in G Minor
composed by Felix Mendelssohn
solo by Yuja Wang
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGtYkGlVlxo