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Chapter 19
Tuesday, December 30, 1997

Robert Shannon was in custody. A passerby noticed him passed out in a sewer and notified NYPD. When they tested him he had a blood alcohol level of 0.12. Apparently he had not been driving. If he had he might have ruined several more peoples' lives.

At first, Hana didn't know if she really wanted to go down to the precinct office to identify her husband. The way he treated Ami was abhorrent and it was grating on her. She finally gave in and, thanks to Lieutenant Garson, she was at the precinct house in little time at all.

The custodial officer stated that Robert kept muttering “crazy bitch tearing my life apart” and “goddamned pervert wants to be a broad” and hadn't quit blaming people for his misery. They had cleaned him up and put him into an orange jumper.

The officer told Hana that Robert looked like he'd hit all the dive bars in Manhattan. It could be reasoned that the upscale ones probably bounced simply because he looked like a vagrant and smelled like one too. His “street clothing” was ripped and soaked in vomit. No he looked like a crook and it fit him well.

“Don't the prisoners get a phone call?”

She had heard that when someone is arrested they get one complimentary phone call. Robert hadn't called her, his wife, so who did he call?

“Lieutenant Garson? Did my husband use his call?”

“I believe he did, ma'am.”

“Well he didn't call me.”

“I'll check the record to see who he did contact, Mrs. Shannon. I'll be right back.”

Hana peered at her husband through the two-way mirror. He was pacing back and forth like a caged dog. He kept cussing something about Ami and she didn't like what she was hearing. He looked into the mirror and squinted. He backed away and started his pacing again.

As she watched him, a very pretty woman entered the observation room. She appeared to be in her early twenties and had cleavage out to there. She wore a tight red dress that accentuated all that God had given to here. Her shoes matched her outfit and her purse and the whole ensemble appeared very expensive.

Hana heard her ask the officer posted at the door when Sergeant Duncan would be here and was told that he was on the way.

Lieutenant Garson returned and had a slip of paper in her hand.

“He called a woman, a Miss Ashley Richardson.”

“Yes, officer?”

The woman came over to where Lieutenant Garson and Hana stood.

“I'm Ashley Richardson.”

Hana looked sick and quickly moved to the other side of the concrete viewing room. Lieutenant Garson excused herself from Ashley Richardson and rejoined Hana.

“Do you know Miss Richardson, ma'am?”

“No, Lieutenant, I don't.”

“It says here that she lives in his building. One floor below him.”

“Oh. I see.”

Hana's voice became cold.

“I've never met Miss Richardson.”

“Could she work for him at the firm?”

“Perhaps... but I don't believe so.”

“Are you sure, Mrs. Shannon?”

“Yes, Lieutenant. I'm very familiar with his staff. I may live in San Diego but I'm in New York enough to be familiar with those people the firm employs. They know me too.”
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Ashley Richardson stood across the room and stared at Hana Shannon. When curiosity got the best of her, the young woman strolled over to where Hana and the Lieutenant stood.
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“I'm Ashley Richardson, do you know Robert?”

Hana's nose flared and her eyes became intense.

“Yes, I do.”

“Are you somebody who works for him?”

“No. I don't work for Robert.”

Ashley Richardson was pretty but she wasn't pretty bright. She filled out a dress beautifully, but her elevator didn't quite reach the top floor.

“I'm his girlfriend.”

She batted her eyelashes at Hana and at the Lieutenant.

“Are you his sister?”

She hit Hana's nerve bitterly.

“I'm not his employee, Miss Richardson and I'm not his sister. I'm his wife.”
Ashley looked truly embarrassed.

“Oh.”

“How long, exactly, have you been my husband's girlfriend?”

The pretty young woman didn't want to answer Hana, but she gave in.

“Almost two-years. He gave me this ring last month, for my birthday.”

Ashley Richardson presented her ring finger to Hana and the diamond was nearly twice as big as the one in Hana's engagement ring.

Hana decided to remove herself from the room. If she didn't leave, she might be thrown in jail for committing homicide right there in front of Lieutenant Garson.

As Hana was leaving, Sergeant Duncan came into the room.
“Miss Richardson?”

Sergeant Duncan was unaware of what had just happened. He knew that Hana was Robert's wife but he did not know of the relationship to which his partner and my best friend's mother was just informed. He saw the flare of her nostril and the shame in her eyes but didn't say a thing to Hana on her way out of the room.

Ashley Richardson batted her eyelashes at Sergeant Duncan and then she identified her boyfriend.
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Wednesday, July 4, 1996
As was the family custom, Robbie and Jun flew to New York City to visit their father for the Independence Day weekend. The children were happy to visit their father since he was seldom in San Diego anymore. They loved him very much and missed being with him.

Robert and Hana had scheduled everything so that the children would go to the east coast to visit when Hana and Keiko had to go to Japan for DaishiWorks business.

Hana and Keiko had begun DaishiWorks, a chic fashion studio, when they were in high school. The business really took off in 1990 and went global in 1992. As a consequence, the children became bi-coastal when Robbie was eight-years-old and Jun was seven.

It was a perfect plan, at first, but something had definitely gone wrong. Although he loved his children, Robert craved the nightlife. He was a well-regarded attorney and was always being invited to the city's best parties. Unfortunately, his children were in the way.
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“Robbie... Jun... I'm going out tonight and I'm going to call for a sitter. You can watch movies and play video games. I'll be back in the morning. Sometime.”
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Robbie and Jun thought the sitter was nice. She was pretty and treated them nicely; she let them play Disney movies and play whatever video games they liked. She played along with them, too.
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“You kids are great!”

They even liked the way Sheena talked. Jun thought she sounded like Ariel in The Little Mermaid.

“My name's Sheena Post. You girls have such pretty hair. Do you want me to brush it?”

Jun was excited and grabbed her brush.

“Please do!”

When she was finished she asked Robbie if he wanted his hair brushed.

“May I brush your hair, Robbie?”

He was reluctant, but decided it wouldn't be so bad. He enjoyed when his mother brushed his hair and Sheena did a good job with Jun.

“Okay!”

“You've got really pretty hair, Robbie.”

“Thank you, Sheena.”

“The other girls are envious of your hair, aren't they?”

“Some of them are.”

“I bet you have lots of boyfriends.”

“No, Sheena...”

“Just wait, and you will!”

“But, Sheena...”

“You and your sister are really pretty.”

“Thank you, but...”

“Are you in Brownies or Girl Scouts? Campfire Girls?”

“No, Sheena.”

Jun sat watching Sheena brush Robbie's hair.

“Is your real name Roberta?”

“No, ma'am. It's Robbie... actually, it's Robert.”

Sheena stopped brushing Robbie's hair, momentarily, but continued to gently stroke it.

“You're a boy?”

“Yes, ma'am. I'm a boy.”

Jun was really giggling at this point.

“She's just fooling you, Sheena. Robbie's a girl like you and me!”

Robbie started to protest.

“I'm not a girl.”

“You have beautiful hair, Robbie...”

“I'm not a girl.”

“...and your eyelashes are wonderful...”

“Really, I'm not a girl.”

“...your lips are pretty too...”

“Sheena.”

“Can I do your makeup?”

“Ma'am, please listen to me.”

“Robbie?”

“I'm not a girl, ma'am.”

“Sweetie, even if you are a boy, you are really pretty.”

“You really think so, ma'am?”

“I do.”

“Please let me put some makeup on you.”

“I don't know.”

“I guarantee you'll like it. If you don't, we'll take it right off.”

“I don't want Daddy to find out.”

“It's okay, sweetie. Your father won't be in until tomorrow morning. We'll have you clean and spotless way before then.”

“If he won't know... why not? Okay, ma'am. You may put makeup on me.”

“You won't be disappointed, Robbie.”
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Jun was rolling on the floor, laughing. It was only when she began the application that Jun really took notice. As far as I know, this was the only time, prior to Robbie's transition, that she had seen him made up to look like a girl.
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“Tada!”

Sheena sounded and looked excited.

“Wow!”

Jun's jaw hit the floor.

“Let me see! Let me see!”

Robbie was beside himself with curiosity.

“Let me see how I look.”

“Let me put you in a dress, Robbie. Please?”

“I don't wear girl clothes, ma'am. I'm a boy.”

“Sure you are, Robbie.”

“He's my size, Sheena.”

“Jun...”

Robbie sounded very girly when he whined. He wasn't going to convince Sheena that he was a boy sounding like that.

Robbie and his sister truly were the same size. She had a few dresses with her for this vacation although she wanted to wear pants and swimming suits most of the week. She went to her closet and found a pink, floral-print cotton dress. She also found a pair of her sandals that would match the dress and brought it in to her brother.

Before Robbie could see his makeup job, she made him put on his sister's things.
“One more thing, Robbie.”

Sheena pulled the clip-on earrings from her ears and attached them to his earlobes.

“Tada!”

Sheena smiled and Jun giggled happily.

Sheena guided Robbie to the full-length mirror but she had him walk backward so he wouldn't see himself before his unveiling. When he was in the proper position, Sheena spun him around so he faced the mirror.
Robbie was amazed.

“Miss Robbie Shannon!”

Robbie tried to act amazed. He had seen himself like this before. He and I often played dress-up when we were alone and Jun was nowhere to be found.

“You are beautiful, Miss Shannon. You can't tell me you're a boy.”

Robbie was amazed. I never got to see a picture of him at that moment but he told me that she did an outstanding job.

“Robbie!”

Jun was amazed.

“You really do look like a girl!”

Jun had never seen her brother dressed up before. She had always wondered what he'd look like. Now she was seeing him and she was dumbfounded.

“You're awesome, Robbie! Wanna be my sister from now on?”
Robbie just smirked.

“Maybe someday, Jun. Just not now.”