I can't believe he said that.

"Hi girls?" I said as I pushed Sammi towards the kitchen.

"Told you." was all Sammi said.

"But.."

"Here peel the potatoes." Sammi may not be able to move around much yet but she is still the same old bossy big sister. I started to peel the potatoes that mom had left out on the fridge shelf while Sammi was busy putting the spices mom left out on the counter into the chicken. Well it looks like a chicken..sort of. It's brown instead of white but it's shaped like one. There is even bamboo bones in it for the legs.

Being a vegetarian has its drawbacks. There is this store that mom and dad buy groceries from with these premade meal things. Like the steak from last night that is beef flavored or the chicken that is chicken flavored. While not real meat it tastes like it. Supposedly healthy too according to dad.

Mom grew up in a household with meat as a main staple and by the time she met dad had grown really sick of meat. Something about a pet cow or something. Dad on the other hand grew up in a household were veggies were a main staple and meat was a treat because of Granny Thornes Diabetes. Grandpa Thorne died in the early days of the Gulf war and raised Dad and my 2 aunts by herself. Not that they needed much as all of them were teens at the time. Still the meals became largely out of the expanded garden in the back of their house. We also have a small garden, dead now, which is where our potatoes are from. There is also a box of tomatoes to be canned yet. I check the box for any that are ripe enough to use and grab two. Most of the rest are starting to get red instead of green. I also grab some cabbage, green pepper, red pepper, and turnip which I will use with the lettuce in the fridge to make a small salad.

Sammi is busy stuffing bread and bits of spices into the chicken that is wedged against the cupboard. I know she could be faster at it but with only one arm she is doing a good job anyways. Sam mostly tells me what to do as I go about getting stuff. She chops up the veggies for the garden salad with the chopper. It's supposed to be for onions but works on other veggies as well. After we finish getting the supper ready and in the oven Mom comes in from the front as she just got home from work. She puts her seal of approval on everything we did. Which is kisses on cheeks. Dad is pretty much banned from cooking anything in the kitchen after the pot incident. I do not know exactly how but one of mom's antique pots is used as a flower pot because of dad.

While supper is cooking mom helps us clean up. Sam gets to put the lower dishes away while I dry. Not a big deal and doesn't take long. It does however give me a chance to ask mom something that is bothering me.

"Mom when do we find out about my breasts?" She momentarily stops washing before she starts again.

"I tried to call the doctor today but couldn't get through to him. Your next appointment was supposed to be Thursday but I got it changed to tomorrow night. We may not get a lot of time with him as it's after hours for him tomorrow." she paused for a bit" so how was your day at school?"

"Not bad same old same old." Please don't say anything Sammi.

"Belle got asked out by Jason again mom." Doh! Thanks a lot Sammi.

"Belle? But I thought you were at school as" then she looked at me head to toe. What?" I see... So Belle is there something you should tell me?"

"It was nothing mom. He is just being a pest. I can take care of it." shut up Sam!

"You know Belle if you like boys I... We would still love you... Boy or girl your still our daughter. I mean child!" oh this is just getting better and better.

"I'm Bill your son mom! It's just that with the skirt on today Jason saw me as Belle and he asked if I had thought over our date."See not my fault.

"Skirt? What skirt? Young lady if you don't tell me the whole story right now I swear.."

"It wasn't my fault I was helping Darma in class by modeling her skirt so she could fix the hem while my pants dried so I could fix them and then the fire alarm went off and I froze in the skirt before the firemen came. I wasn't trying to be Belle it just happened."

"Your pants? What was wrong with your pants?"

"Well I kinda split the crotch rescuing my bag from the trunk of the car as you drove off."

"Your bag? What was your bag.. nevermind. So you were wearing a skirt because your pants had split and your teacher was mending them?"

"No mom I fixed them she just helped me do it. The skirt was while my pants were in the dryer as the butt got a little wet."

"I see so your saying you were not trying to dress as a girl behind my back at school?"

"What no mom! It just happened I didn't want to do it!"

"I .. it's just... lately Bill...you seem to end up as Belle a lot even though you say your Bill. It's hard to understand or believe. I .. uhmm .. do you two have homework?"

"Well yes but.."

"Fine! Lets finish here and you two can go get started. I .. Your father and I.. need to discuss things." We finished the dishes fairly quickly and it would be awhile before supper was ready so Sam and I went into the living room to do our homework. Dad looked up and saw mom. Somehow they communicated without speaking and he put aside his papers, in a neat pile so we wouldn't disturb them, and took her outside. They were going to sit in the back of the car for their discussion. What I wouldn't give to overhear it!

I was sitting there doing the bills my bi monthly duty when the kids came into the living room with their books. Poor Samantha it hurts to see her in that wheelchair. What I wouldn't give to get her out of it. Then there is Bill. That kid I hope Doc Brown can figure out what is happening with the poor kid. Everytime I see him lately he looks more and more like a girl. I can see it tearing him apart but again, like with Samantha, I'm powerless to do anything. This is something he really has to overcome himself. He has a good head on his shoulders if he would just use it correctly.

What alerted me I couldn't say but one look at Sally and I knew she was barely holding it together. Gods she is so beautiful even now after all this time together it still amazes me that of all the men she chose me. I put my papers together even though in today's computer age there was rarely mistakes "It always pays to check" my da used to say. Hate to say it but the old bugger was right. I know its antiquated to use his old calculator but it gives me that little piece of him when I do it. I followed Sally out to the car and with a grin got into the back with her. Oh the memories I'll never tell the kids about.

The door was barely closed behind me with Sally leaped into my arms and started sobbing with powerful shakes. I didn't yet know what this was about but I was sure I would need a change of shirt afterwards.

"Oh Dan!" I put my arm around her and held her as she cried. "I'm such a horrible mother!" Oh oh bad sign. I just gave a hmmm noise for her to continue.

"I'm trying to be there for Bill and Samantha but it's just so hard. I can almost see our son disappearing and being replaced by this daughter I never knew I had. And she is so beautiful and this is our son and and ..ohhh" and here comes more tears. So its that old ghost again.

I remember the first time I saw Sally following her mother around like a good daughter of a proper Mennonite family. She was beautiful even without any makeup. It hurt to see her folding into herself to be what they wanted her to be.

"Do you remember our first time in the back seat of your dad's Pontiac?"

"Gods yes! I was horrible in that mini skirt and low cut tank top. The heels I must have tripped over a dozen times! And the makeup I should have never let Dolly talk me into that."

"I liked it. It was like watching a butterfly opening from her cocoon to see you finally relax."

"I looked awful!"

"No you didn't Sally. It was the first time I saw the real you and fell so deeply head over heels in love with you."

"Dad was not impressed when he caught us."

"Yeah the old fart blamed me for turning his daughter to heathen ways."

"I wore pants just to get back at him when he ordered me to not see you again."

"Do you remember what you swore to me when I picked up you sweetheart?"

"That I would never judge or force my children to ...oh oh Dan. That's dirty pool!"

"Maybe but ...well you have been obsessing over Bill a little more than you should."

"But he is our son and he should not being doing this stuff. It's not right its..."

"That's your mother talking."

"God please don't tell me that! Dan...I wish I hated you right now."

"Hated me why?"

"Your right you big jerk! I wish I hated you but I love you. What did I do to ever deserve a guy like you."

"If you ever find out let me know cause I feel the same about you."

"So what do we do about Bill?" she asked me. It was a good question.

"I think. I think we should let things play out it may be a passing phase or exactly what he says it is. I don't feel like he is lying to us."

"Dan you should have heard his story today. Did you know a boy has asked him, as Belle, out on a date twice now?"

"Should I break out that old shotgun I was keeping for Samantha's suitors for Belle now?"

"That's not funny!" she giggled so it really was.

"Cute thought."

"Yes. Still everytime I see that boy all I seem to see is a girl. He doesn't even talk like a boy anymore. And his manners are better than Sam's."

"That may be from that deportment class you got him in."

"That was not my fault. That Ms. Bain"Giggle" Sorry Ms Barnes is the one who wanted to take Belle and make a proper woman out of her. It was all I could do to get her to relent on the deportment classes for a month instead of fully enrolling him."

"That still doesn't seem right to me."

"I know but with people thinking that Bill is a trans girl transitioning it's really hard to fight that when he keeps coming home as a girl more and more."

"Speaking of the transgirl thing. Did you hear from the solicitor about the case?"

"Yes they feel that they can settle this out of court. However it will be hard to prove with Belle around day after day."

I just sat there holding her as she composed herself once more.

"Dan what do you really think about this whole Belle thing? Do you think maybe we should get him to a therapist." ewww that t word again.

"You know how I feel about brain farters messing with peoples heads."

"Dan!"

"But.. I feel that this will somehow make a far better man out of Bill if he can get through it." I paused" I also think that we should give our son all the support we can. I do feel that under all that he is still our son. I believe in him." Sally sat back while still holding me and looked at me with those wonderful eyes of hers.

"How did I ever get a man like you?"

"So all better?"

"Yes now come here you!" It would seem that we have some energy to get rid of. Eventually we came up for air. My head was all tingly from the kiss.

"At least he gets to be a butler Thursday night."

"Yes there is that. Now kiss me again you idiot"

And I did just that for quite awhile.