On balance, I felt it was probably a good idea for Karen and Josie to stay with Denise’s parents in Llangollen, rather than come back to Crawley, at least for the time being. Karen also professed herself to be happy with the arrangement. I just hope the girls behave sensibly when they’re away and that Josie doesn’t get over-confident with her new identity and start taking risks. I was also relieved to learn that Alice now knows about Josie’s situation as it means that there need be no awkwardness on my part if we should speak on the phone.

Carol returned with her daughter Jenny and my daughter Sue last night. There was some debate between the two girls as to where they wished to stay over the next few days since my home in Three Bridges was most convenient for getting in to town and meeting most of their girlfriends, but Carol’s house at Rusper was more convenient for seeing the two lads that they’d recently become friendly with. In the end they decided to stay with me last night but to make their way over to Rusper this afternoon as they planned to meet up with the two lads. I suspect they will be dividing their time between both houses over the next fortnight.

‘How did things go?’ I asked Carol once the girls had both disappeared upstairs.’

‘Jean, I need to have a long talk to someone. I don’t suppose you would like to come to dinner at my place tomorrow night?’

‘I would be happy to, but there aren’t too many buses from Rusper at night .’

‘Don’t worry about that, it seems that I will need to give the girls a lift back as well. If you were able to come over after your salon closes, we could have a couple of hours to ourselves for me to tell you what happened.'

As arranged, I took the bus over to her place after work today.

‘It looks as if we are all partly to blame for encouraging Joe to fill in for Denise,’ I said after Carol related her conversation with her younger daughter.

‘I don’t think it is a question of blame. Whatever was there in his character was merely lying dormant and would have emerged sometime. In any event, from what I have seen and heard recently, I’m sure that she is far happier as Josie than he ever was as Joe. I’m sure that this isn’t just a passing phase.’

‘So Josie has admitted to you that she wants to live as a girl,

‘Yes, she also says she wants to begin taking female hormones.’

‘That sounds a bit drastic for someone of her age.’

‘Apparently ‘her age’ is the ideal time to begin the transition; before puberty sets in with a vengeance and makes the whole process that much more difficult.’

‘But what if she should change her mind?’

‘I get the impression that she is quite serious about it. She seems to have done a lot of background research on the subject over the last few weeks and has even sent off for a book designed for the parents of transgendered teenagers.’

‘So what are you going to do about it?’ I asked.

‘Everything I’ve read says that it is pointless, and indeed counter-productive to try and stand in the way once someone has made up their mind. So whilst I was in Southport I made an appointment with our local GP and have been to see her this afternoon. I explained the situation and she wants to see Josie as soon as she gets back from Llangollen. I also told her that Josie is frightened to come home to Rusper in her new identity and that we are all worried about what to do once the schools open again in September. My GP has referred me to a child psychologist in London to see if we can have an appointment before Josie is due to go back to school. The only problem is what is going to happen to her when she gets back from Llangollen the week after next,’ she answered.

‘As I have said before, Josie and Jenny would be welcome to stay with me and my girls for the last two weeks of the summer holidays. Josie, in particular, has been so helpful to me and could continue to be so. Of course that doesn’t solve your long term problem, but it would at least give you a little more breathing space, to sort out a more permanent solution,’ said Jean.

‘The girls do seem to get on well together and enjoy one another’s company and don’t appear to find her presence an embarrassment?’ continued Carol.

’Why should they?’ I asked.

‘I was a little anxious at first that she might attract any unwanted attention by her looks or her behaviour, but from what I’ve seen she looks and acts just like any other girl,’ said Carol.

‘I agree. So why not let them both stay with me for a while?’

‘I wish I could repay you, Jean, by having the twins stay with me for part of that time but Josie is currently frightened of coming home dressed as a girl. However, if you are really willing for them to stay with you during the week, I would try and find ways of taking all four of them away on trips each weekend, just to give you a break from having four teenage girls around the house.’

‘That sounds an acceptable deal to me,’ I said. ‘I've been pretty busy in the salon recently and so I was wondering how I would get the time to give my girls a holiday this year.’

‘It will also give me a little time to talk with that child psychologist and make plans for the future,’ said Carol.

Sue and Jenny came in at that point having been out together. Jenny didn’t look at all happy.

‘I suppose you have both been discussing my sister again,’ she said sourly, when she saw us.

‘We’ll need to get something sorted out soon, for Josie’s sake,’ said her mother.

‘Josie’s the only person that anyone is concerned about in this house. Nobody worries about how I might feel; about how embarrassing it will be for me if my former brother starts going to school in a dress.’

‘We must all stick together as a family. Surely you wouldn’t like to see your brother as unhappy as he used to be?’ said Carol.

‘All I want is to come from a normal family, with a normal brother, not some circus freak.’

‘Don’t you dare speak about Josie in that way. I’ll want a word with you later young lady. Now go to your room,’ said Carol growing red in the face.

However, before her mother had even finished talking Jenny had stomped off upstairs and slammed her bedroom door. Carol looked surprised, embarrassed and deeply upset by her elder daughter’s reaction.

‘Where did that come from?’ she asked.

‘I think it may be Jenny’s new boyfriend talking. He’s very good looking, but in other respects a bit of a Neanderthal. I know that she was planning to raise the issue of transgender with him tonight, just to see how he reacted. I suspect that he told her how much he hates ‘freaks and queers,’ said Sue.

‘Some boyfriend!’ I said. ‘What is it that gets into some young men that makes them so intolerant of anything which might question their masculinity? What are they so afraid of?’

Sue shrugged her shoulders: ‘I guess this means that Jenny won’t be coming to stay at our place tonight.’

‘No, I’m afraid not. She’s grounded until I can put her straight about some things, but I’ll give you and your mother a lift home.’

‘That all I needed,’ said Carol, turning to me. 'Just when I start to try and sort out one problem, up comes another. Whoever would be a mother?’

‘You must expect some trauma, Carol, it will be quite an adjustment for them both to make, quite apart from facing the ignorance and intolerance of others,’ I said.

‘I’m sure that Jenny will be alright again in the morning, once she’s had a chance to think about what she’s just said,’ continued Sue.

‘I sincerely hope so, otherwise we are all in for some stormy weather in the weeks to come,’ replied Carol.

‘How would you and Karen feel if Josie decided that she no longer wants to be a boy and stayed at your house for a couple of weeks?’ I asked.

Sue shrugged her shoulders as if was no big deal.

‘Karen seems to get on really well with Josie. As far as I’m concerned, if Josie wants to be treated as a girl, then that’s alright by me, so long as it is understood that there are no topics which are off limits. If we want to compare notes on boyfriends, she will have to be prepared to join in,’ she said.

‘I think she realises that, she just wants to be treated as one of the gang,’ said Carol.

Sue thought for a moment.

‘Aunt Carol, did we cause this all to happen, by inviting Joe to join in our competition entry?’

‘No, I don’t think so,’ said Carol ‘You just provided an opportunity which enabled Joe to discover something that was lying dormant in his character. I believe he always was unsure about his gender and sexuality but was never willing to admit it to himself. What do you think Jean?’

‘From what I’ve seen over the last few weeks, I’m sure that you are right,’ I replied.