A Sweets Life-Chapter 2

I'm back with more, as promised!

As usual, Robin, Tina and Jenny waited to walk Andrew to school. No one made a big deal about it, but each girl carried in her heart the memory of the promise they had made to Mr. Gabriel, that they would protect Andrew.

Besides, it was fun! Andrew was very smart and funny, and a great friend. Walking together was a treat, not a chore. It just brought the four of them closer together.

Knowing that they had met an actual Angel had changed the lives of all four children. People noticed that the children were friendlier, more considerate and worked harder than ever before. Working together helped them to improve their grades and their understanding of the homework. The teachers had noticed, their parents had noticed, and their classmates had noticed. The three girls had quickly become some of the most popular girls in school, and even Andrew had begun to be more popular, as you rarely saw him without at least one of the girls. No one bullied him or called him names, and he had actually been seen smiling!

Due to an “unexplained medical issue”, he did not have a gym class. He and Jenny used that period as a study period in the library. They could frequently be seen helping someone with a problem, or assisting in locating a book.

All in all, things had gone well, and life improved for all four of the kids, in many ways.

Now it was time to rock the boat a bit.

At noon, Jenna picked up Andrew and took him to his therapy appointment with Karen Bascom. They discussed the coming meeting, and tried to figure out the best way to handle the things they would be revealing. Jenna was against the meeting, as she feared someone would take offense when Andrew outed himself to the girl’s parents. Andrew was afraid as well, but felt that this needed to be done. Karen tried to make Jenna understand that this was something Andrew believed he had to do, and she would be at the meeting with them to help explain things. This was a great relief to Jenna, but she was still afraid.

Everyone met at the Ames house. Jenna and Andrew had brought some appetizers and introduced Karen to everyone. Dr. Rieber and his wife had brought Jennifer and several different kinds of drinks, and Mrs. Green and Tina were there with a large tray of cookies. They explained that Mr. Green and Mr. Ames had both been delayed in court, but they had called and were on their way. Mrs. Ames, Robin’s beautiful mom, was a very pleasant hostess, and she had a tray of mini cheeseburgers that were delicious! They gathered in the large den and by the time they had settled comfortably, Mr. Green and Mr. Ames had arrived and quickly found a seat.

Robin stood first, of course, and she began the meeting.

“We realize that we are gonna tell you some things that’ll be very hard to accept, and we’ll understand if you can’t believe us. It won’t change our feelings, but we want to be honest with you. If it’s too much to accept, then that’s your reality, but we refuse to lie or deceive you.

You all know about the ‘pre-Christmas incident,’ of course. There’s more that you don’t know. Me and Jenny and Tina used to tease and bully Andrew. We really didn’t realize how mean we were being until the night I walked past Andrew’s house and saw him crying uncontrollably.” Tears filled her eyes. “It hit me that I was part of the reason he was crying! I’ve never felt so awful before!”

Andrew hugged her quietly and she resumed her story. “I felt so guilty that I ran home and cried my eyes out. The next morning I felt miserable, and when we got to school, I opened up to Jenny and Tina, who realized the same thing I had, that Andrew was a good person we had been very mean to.

We wanted to apologize, but we were scared that Andrew wouldn’t believe us. Mr. Gabriel helped us to understand Andrew and his problems, and told us that because we knew his secrets, we had a holy duty to protect Andrew. We promised him that we would protect Andrew as best we could, no matter what.

That was the day of the ‘incident’; we apologized to Andrew and became friends. On Monday, we tried to talk with Mr. Gabriel but we discovered who he was instead. Here’s where it starts to get weird. We learned he was the Angel Gabriel. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but we believe it with all our hearts.

Now, we knew that we had made a solemn vow to an Angel, and we'll never do anything to disappoint our Angel. We decided that we'd live our lives so he would be proud of us, so that the next time we see him, we'll be able to stand with our heads up high. We will protect Andrew, with our lives if needed. We promised an Angel!“

Tina’s father, Mr. Green, stood and looked around. “My name is Mark Green. I don’t know about any of you, but this is the most hare-brained excuse for a story I’ve ever heard. An Angel? I deal with reality, with the Law. My job is to argue the truth, not listen to fairy tales!

That said, I believe every single word. My daughter has gone from a pretty good kid with an attitude, to an amazing young woman. I am so proud of Tina that I want to bust. The change in her is so remarkable, it would take an Angel to do it. I stand behind Tina completely.”

Tina’s eyes were so wide that it seemed that they would come out of her head! She was busting with love and pride for her dad and she rushed to him and hugged him with all she had.

Robin’s Mom stood up too. “I have to agree with Mark. My relationship with my daughter before Christmas was very rocky. There were constant fights and struggles to see how far she could go, how much she could push us. We didn’t talk, we just yelled at each other, and it broke my heart. Since the “incident’, she has become the loving and wonderful daughter that I always wished for. She is helpful, responsible and always there for others. I have received calls from her teachers, asking me if I had traded her in for a twin! I know that something wonderful happened. Yes, I believe her, with all my heart!”

Robin blushed, but then she had to ruin the good mood.

“Uhmm . . . there's more we gotta talk about. See, Andrew has this problem. When I saw him through the window, I got very confused. Mr. Gabriel explained what was going on, then said that Tina, Jennifer and me had to protect Andrew, and like we said, we won't ever let him down. That means we’ll never allow anyone to hurt Andrew. Please understand, we love you very much, but NO ONE is going to hurt Andrew if we can help it.”

Robin’s mother stood up, looking confused. “Honey, we would never hurt Andrew! I don’t know how you could even think that!”

“Because, Mom, Andrew is different.” She held Andrew’s hand, and everyone could see he was trembling in fear. “Andrew is transgendered. He has the body of a boy, but his heart, mind and soul are female.”

The other parents stared as Jenna and Karen stood up.

“It’s true.” Jenna said in a shaky voice, and tears in her eyes. Karen reached out to hold her hand. “After the "incident", Andrew and I did a lot of talking. I was horrified that Andrew believed he was insane, and that I would have to have him institutionalized! The stress was killing him. Things have to change, whether I like it, or not. You’ve met Karen, his therapist, and if you have questions, we will try to answer them. We agree that Andrew has to begin his transition. I support A-Andrew with all my heart, but I am so afraid for him!”

The stress was too much for her. Jenna collapsed against Karen and began to weep hysterically. Robin’s father and mother jumped to her side, and the other parents followed quickly. Gradually they calmed her down, and tried to reassure her.

“Jenna, no one here wants to hurt Andrew. Our daughters have made it clear, they will do anything to protect Andrew, and we will support our daughters completely.” Mr. Ames said, as the others nodded.

“My dear, you have nothing to fear from us,” Mrs. Rieber said. “Please relax, and we’ll see what we can do to protect your lovely daughter.”

“You see, Jenna?" Karen said, quietly. "The world is not out to get Andrew. He has a great deal of loving support, especially if you trust in the story of the Angel. It may be tough, but we can get through this!”

Jenna nodded, and stood up and brushed herself off.

“All right then. I’d like to introduce you to my daughter, w-who wishes to be known as Candace Gabriella Mason, or Candy."

Everyone clapped, the girls cheered and gave Candy a hug, and Jenna clung shakily to Karen, smiling, but still apprehensive.

“It has to be done, Jenna, for Candy’s mental health. All we can do is pray for strength, and hope for the best.”

End Chapter 2-More to come!