Here is the next chapter of the Ram.

Briony discovers Daves' transgenderism.

The Ram 4.

Briony Betrayed wife and mother.
Sion Her eight-year-old son.
Ellairy Her nine-month-old daughter.
Arfon Brionys’ unfaithful husband.
Dave. Welsh bachelor hill-farmer.
Jenny and Lassie Daves’ sheepdog bitches.
Laddie. Daves’ sheepdog.
Jessica and Pansy Daves’ sows.
Angel Daves’ mare.
Daphne Daves’ ‘girlfriend’

Briony found herself clinging tight to Sion; so much so that he ended up making a muffled protest.

“Mmmmmff! You’re squeezing me mummy!”

She released him suddenly and became self-conscious as she realised Dave sensed something was wrong. As Sion recovered his breath, Briony found Dave studying her concernedly.

“You alright love?”

Briony was not alright but she felt too embarrassed to admit anything to this strange but kind man ... this transvestite. She slumped onto the settee beside Ellairy and picked her up in her arms to cuddle her as she just managed to avert her tears. She looked up just once to find Dave studying her.

“You’re not alright are you?”

She struggled for a few more moments then the tears burst forward as the dam burst. She wagged her head, replaced Ellairy on the settee and lurched across to the sideboard where Dave kept the kitchen roll. After ripping off a generous bundle of sections, she leant against the side board and pressed the tissues hard against her eyes to try and stem the flow. She sensed Dave staring at her and turned to face him.

“No. I’m not. My whole life has turned to shit in just two days.”

Dave stood up, hesitated then stepped carefully forward as though approaching a frightened animal. He held out his arms; not all the way, but with the elbows bent so that the gesture did not appear too dramatic. He wasn’t sure what sort of response was needed, or more importantly how much response. He realised she was a woman alone in a strange house with a stranger and with two children to worry about so she had every right to be fearful, and tearful. He cocked his head slightly forward and sideways in as sympathetic and non-aggressive a manner as he could, to try and demonstrate sympathy without seeming predatory. She caught his uncertainty and smiled despite the tears still falling.

‘He was seemingly just as nervous as she was!’ She reflected.

Feeling reassured, she stepped forward and slowly pushed herself between his out-reached arms. Her face ended up just below his shoulder and she pressed in fractionally tighter as she felt his arms close around her and rest gently between her shoulder blades. There was no power there; no tight, affectionate embrace for it was obvious Dave was still uncertain of how much affection Briony needed. Then her emotions took hold and she wrapped her arms around his lower ribs and squeezed tight.

It was obvious that he was still uncertain of what to do next but Briony just didn’t care. She sobbed for several minutes before finally recovering her composure. Finally she stopped sobbing and gave him a tight hug that squeezed them tight together. Dave let out a little gasp of discomfort and winced as Briony suddenly realised it was a ‘less than manly’ chest her face was pressed tight against.

‘My God! He’s got breasts!’ She realised. ‘Not big ones but certainly noticeable’ as she felt her cheeks pressed against them.

As she carefully confirmed her discovery by brushing her cheeks against the familiar texture of the mounds, Dave simultaneously realised he had been ‘discovered'. He slowly released his embrace and tried to extricate himself from her embrace but Briony inadvertently betrayed her discovery by continuing to hug him tight as she re-affirmed her discovery. Then she realised that he knew that she knew and she looked up as he glanced fearfully down. Their eyes met and she recognised his fear.

‘My God, he’s more afraid than I should be!’ She told herself and this realisation emboldened her.

“Are those real?” She whispered so that Sion would not hear.

“Let me go ... please.” He replied.

She slackened her embrace but continued to hold him in front of her as she pressed the question.

“Are they? She asked again as she pressed her face against them again. Are they really boobs?”

He pushed her away again and finally he applied enough force to compel her to release her hold. She let her hands unlock behind his back and slowly he backed away until his butt fetched up against the rail of the Aga. His head was turned away and his face was crimson with a cocktail of emotions as he avoided her eyes.

She stood silently; now it was Daves’ turn to recover some composure. Eventually he faced her and spoke haltingly as he followed her puzzled gaze.

“There ... there’s no need to stare. You can speak to me, not my ... my ... you know.”

“Your boobs,” she mouthed silently for Sions’ sake.

He nodded and turned to face the Aga. Partly to hide his boobs and partly because he was on the point of breaking into tears himself. Briony sensed his dejection and decided to change the subject ... to give the man a chance to compose his feelings.

“D’you want a cup of tea ... or perhaps something stronger?” She asked.

“Nothing alcoholic thank you. A cup of tea would be lovely.”

She busied herself with the preparations while Dave sighed then settled in one of the Windsor chairs as he hunched his back to hide all evidence of his feminine attributes. As she turned back to face him she realised why he always wore loose chequered work shirts. Unless he tucked the shirts tightly into his jeans, the boobs were more-or-less invisible. She settled in the other chair and finally caught his eye as he turned from gazing into the Aga’s inspection glass.

“D’you want to talk about it?” She asked.

He shrugged almost as though he didn’t care.

“What’s there to tell?”

“Okay. Let’s have dinner, put the children to bed and then perhaps we can talk about it.”

“Why d’you want to talk about it? How does it affect you? As soon as the road is clear, you can be out of here.”

Briony shrugged then added.

“But until then, we’re thrown together. Come on, let’s get the supper on. That roast is beginning to smell good.”

He stood up, hesitated, then took the lifeline she offered. Preparing the meal was a way of deflecting attention from his condition. He started arranging the root vegetables on the Aga and within minutes they were boiling away as he followed ten minutes later with the greens. Briony could see he was well used to cooking his meals and she found herself with little to do except lay the table and entertain her children. Then Sion broached the Santa Clause issue.

“Will he come tonight Mummy? Can he get through the snow?”

With this Dave let out a snort of amusement. He had remembered something that might just throw Briony a lifeline concerning Santa’s visit. He turned with a big grin.

“Of course he can get here silly! He rides a flying sleigh doesn’t he?”

Briony gasped and turned to glare at Dave but he raised a warning finger and then brought it to his lips as he smiled.

“I’ve got to check the animals. There’s something I’ll explain when I get back. Just watch the supper. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Briony frowned with puzzlement but Dave had already started putting his coat on.

“You checked them less than an hour ago.”

He put his finger to his lips again then asked if Sion could accompany him.

“Can he come with me to feed the animals? I want to see that Angel is okay?”

Sion erupted eagerly from the settee.

“Can I Mummy!?”

Briony could hardly refuse. Sion would wonder why and Dave would certainly take it as some sort of censure about his boobs. She hesitated a little too long and Dave picked up on the vibes.

“Okay; I understand.”

“No. No! Of course he can go. Just look after him.”

“When did I not?”

His question brought her to her senses. ‘Yes, he had looked after her son and Sion had returned after every ‘adventure’ brimming with excitement.’

“Sorry. You’re right. I’m prejudging you. I realised what you were after seeing the (She mouthed ‘wigs’) in the wardrobe. Is Daphne who I think she is?”

Dave nodded as Sion finished dressing for the outside and he gave the boy the powerful torch that hung behind the utility room door. Sion stepped eagerly into the yard and she watched the pair tramping through the new dusting of snow. She heard Dave instructing Sion as they picked their way accrross the yard.

“We'll do the pigs first; then the ram. Have you chosen a name for him yet?”

Sion nodded and his face brightened.

“D’you like Peter. I think it’s good name!”

“Peter sounds fine to me." Dave replied. "We’ll give it to him as we feed him.”

As the sensor light above the barn door flicked on, she saw her son nodding eagerly then they disappeared into the barn. She hated herself for still being worried but occupied herself with getting the Christmas Eve meal ready. All the time she was wondering how to tell Sion that Santa Clause was not coming. When Dave and Sion returned she had just finished giving Ellairy her evening feed and serving out the food.

“Mmmm! That smells really good.” Dave remarked.

“You did as much as me, but yes, it looks good.”

Sion surveyed the table and added.

“It’s done all posh!”

“It’s a special dinner lad,” Dave remarked. “Your mum’s done a lovely job.

‘With what there was,’ she told herself, for Dave had made few preparations for Christmas beyond the clothes he had bought for Daphne. The well stocked larder would have readily provided the basics for a feast at any time of year.

“We’d best get stuck in before it gets cold.” Briony suggested, and she watched the boys settle eagerly to the table.
‘Why did I think of them as ‘the boys’, she wondered.

For the next half hour there was silence as man and boy savoured the meal with a gusto born only of a day spent mainly out of doors. When the plates were swept clean after ‘second helpings’, Dave thanked her.

“That was truly brilliant. I was planning nothing like that love. Thank you.”

Briony felt a warm glow of satisfaction. ‘It was nice to be appreciated’.

As they loaded the dishwasher Briony broached the subject of Santa Clause.

“I was upset when you said Santa was magic. How am I going to explain the lack of presents tomorrow morning?”

Dave had to think quickly. What he had thought earlier now didn't apply. Briony knew about his dirty secret. he struggled to find a suitable reply and gave up. He was 'guilty as charged'.

“Sorry about that, I just didn’t think. Perhaps you can explain that Santa didn’t get told in time because Sions’ letter was addressed from Llanidloes. Consequently, the presents are waiting for him at Llanidloes.”

“Don’t you understand? I’m never going back to him. He’s a violent bastard. God knows what he might do. I’ve been hit so many times I can’t take any more beatings. I tried to stick by him! God knows I tried! But this was the last straw. I was tipped off by an acquaintance at my old place of work in Llanidloes. She knew about the violence and she had been trying to get me to leave before something serious happened to me or the children. In the end, she told me where he’d be and what they would be doing. I caught him in de-flagrante. Then I just drove home and stuffed the kids and some of their clothes in the car. I didn’t think about myself. I left the presents in the attic and under the tree. I daren’t go back.”

Dave fell silent. He simply could not comprehend why a man should hit a woman but he was on totally uncertain ground. After his mother and sister had died in childbirth, he’d never had any dealings with any women except his elderly grandmother but she had died a couple of years later. Since he was seven years old, Dave had never known a womans’ care or love. He simply did not know what to say. Finally he plunged for giving advice.

“Then you mustn’t go back. You’ll have to send somebody to collect your stuff.”

“Who?” Briony sniffed exasperatedly.

“I don’t know,” Dave replied. “Maybe your sisters’ husband.”

“She’s divorced and she doesn’t ever want to see another man, let alone live with one. Our family can sure pick losers and dick-heads.”

“Then I dunno’, but the question still remains. What do we tell the boy?”

Briony was just about to scold Dave and tell him to be quiet in front of her son but as she looked to see if Sion had heard anything and she realised he was fast asleep.

“Oh my God. He out like a light!”

Dave looked and sighed with relief.

“That’s maybe a good thing. Fresh air and hard work do that to a boy. I’ll bet he’ll sleep until morning. Shall I carry him up for you while you bring Ellairy?”

Briony hesitated for a moment then nodded as she explained.

“I was just thinking. If he sleeps like this all night, at least it’ll give us time to think of some excuse in the morning. I think the change of address thing might work.”

“It’s the only thing that could. If he still believes’ in Santa, he still believes he’s magic. The letter to Santa thing is a part of that magic and could explain the failure.”

Briony wagged her head with amusement.

“My God! D’you approach every problem with such logic? Magic destroys magic! Now there’s a conundrum but it might work.”

Dave shrugged, lifted the sleeping boy and they carried them upstairs to bed. As they reached the top of the landing he remarked.

“We forgot to prepare separate beds for them.”

“They can sleep with me, like last night.”

Dave sensed her reasons but he said nothing despite feeling hurt.

She didn’t trust him. It was the perennial argument, suspicion, distrust; call it what you will. She suspected that he was something more than just a trans’- whatever; something much more sinister and evil.

Feeling hurt and angry, he placed Sion upon her bed and made his excuse before returning to the kitchen. Briony also sensed his mood and realised she had wounded him by a single, simply lapse. A single thoughtless remark. She wanted to rush downstairs and apologise but she had to put the children to bed. The conundrum exercised her patience.

‘It was worse than walking on eggshells,’ she cursed her thoughtlessness then realised she had a right to be protective of her children. She had no idea what other possible perversions he might indulge in.

Strengthened by her newfound resolution. She tenderly undressed her children and laid them, still sleeping, in the bed. Finally, she felt ready to go and tackle the issues waiting for her in the kitchen.