Beth woke to feeling warm and comfy in her bed. She stretched her arms above her head as she rolled over onto her back still under the covers. The spagetti straps of her purple nightie had bit into the one shoulder while she slept and she felt the strap loosen as she turned letting back in oxygen to that one spot. She had a smile on her face as she felt more than saw it was light outside and knew she was home.

The smile disappeared as she opened her eyes not to the bottom of her canopy bed but to view of the ceiling. She sat up in bed the covers falling from her and looked around the guest room in puzzlement before memory of yesterday's horrific day. With a sigh Beth swung her legs out onto the floor searching for her slippers. Her suitcase along with her dress from yesterday and the clothes she wore last night were still on the chair. She had not thought to bring a housecoat as her bedroom should have had the fluffy white one.

She shivered a little crossing her arms under her breasts as she ran to the bathroom. Her lingerie was dry to the touch and could be put away along with her things. She sat, did her business and wiped before going back to what was now her new room. She looked around the dull room. Aside from the bed with its now messed comforter in grey the floor carpet was grey and there was an old chest in the room but no dresser. The closet had few hangers for her to hang up her clothing but at least her dress would not get wrinkled. The plain steel hangers, left overs from dry cleaning stores, needed a little bending to support the straps of her dress without creasing it. These types of hangers seemed to be the norm for most houses and Beth was sure her mother had extra's stored somewhere.

Beth went to her suitcase and looked over the top of the chest. It was not a dresser as such but more of the type one would have stored extra plates and other odd kitchen wear in back in the day. So the top was flat wood with old varnish on it. This piece having never been repainted or refinished still had the old knife marks from years of use as a cutting board. Her mother and father liked to refinish old furniture like this once and awhile. The kitchen dining room table, chairs and china cabinet had all be refinished. A bit of wood stain on the newer wooden pieces to match the natural stain of the older wood plus a lot of clear varnish. And the pieces not only looked really really good but expensive.

Beth used a tissue from her purse to check that the top was dust free enough to sort out her clothing. She should have known it would be as her mother was the one that taught her how to clean house when she was a little girl. Her mother's habit of using a tissue to check for dust was ingrained as part of that process. Beth could still remember her mother always testing her doll house to see if she had dusted it properly. Her dresser and vanity were always perfect. The dollhouse on the other hand usually had some dust on it somewhere.

When she was younger and played more with the dollhouse and not the vanity it had been the other way around but as she got older the vanity was clean but the dollhouse not so much. She remember the times as a young girl she would be sitting there playing with her barbies and her mother would come in to check on her from time to time. She found she actually missed those days. As she though back to the previous day and how her room was gone she felt a bit of pain in her heart at the loss. She didn't think it would hurt so much after having been at university for 2 years. She had expected them to rearrange some things in her room such as giving away the doll house to Emily along with some of her stuffed animals and barbies. But not her whole room and then to replace it all with..That.

Beth found herself getting angry at her parents for such an action and calmed herself with deep breathing exercises. Angry would not help her parents remember nor return her room to its former glory. She had to find a way to make her parents remember her, and just as important, find out why they thought differently. Beth sorted through her clothing and wondered what she should wear today. She wanted to look nice but not too nice. She selected her knee lenght tan Khakis at first but remember how cold it was outside and switched to a pair of her black leggings instead. She coupled this with her old school sweater that came to the bottom of her butt. The sleeves were a bit long on her arms but it would do. Comfy yet it would look attractive without showcasing her breasts to the world.

She decided on tan leg warmers and thick thermal socks for her feet. While more of an 80's retro look it was functional, warm, and knowing her fathers truck, not something she cared too much about if it got dirty. That decided Beth went to the bathroom via her makeup bag for supplies and got the beige tub going with some hot water, a handful of salts, and a touch of her favorite lavender bubblebath. She really needed the bubblebath this morning. While it was filling she checked the hall closet for some fresh clean towels. She didn't spot any of the ones she remembered from her childhood but she did find a large beach towel that was somewhat fluffy and that she could wrap around herself. There was also another towel that she would use for her long hair.

Another trip to her room got her soap, body wash, and bath sponge in its bag. One thing about living in a sorority with 20 other girls was you learned that certain items such as your soap and body wash did not get left behind. The other girls preferred the plastic poofy ball things but Beth was more old fashioned and liked the sponge as it made her feel more clean. Thus set she got back to the bathroom just as the tub was threatening to spill a mountain of bubbles over the edge. She put down her towels on the counter, removed her earrings, nightie, panties and set them to soak in the sink with more Woolite. The bubbles tickled her all over as she entered making her giggle like she always did as a little girl. She used her toes to turn the hot water knob as the tub wasn't quite warm enough for her yet.

Beth was relaxing back in the tub starting to almost drift off when the bathroom door banged open causing Beth to shriek. Her father still in his pajama bottoms stared with wide open eyes at the half naked girl who's breasts were just peeking through the bubbles. He hastily closed the door while muttering apologies. Once Beth's heart rate returned to normal she exited the bathtub leaving a trail of bubbles behind her and locked the door. She had grown used to being around girls all the time in a shared bathroom. With the door firmly locked Beth returned to her bath and washed quickly. Her hair now free of the stiffness of hairspray and mouse felt cruddy so she washed that with the shampoo and conditioner on the shelf. Not her Laurel for sure being a generic brand bulk but they left her with clean hair. She knew without looking that there would be a few knots from that. After draining the tub of the water she closed the shower curtain and ran the shower to rinse off paying attention to get her hair to flow freely down her back.

Once rinsed off she exited the bathtub and rubbed herself dry in a few places to exfoliate and pat others to prevent redness on her sensitive skin. Her skin still felt clammy since the bathroom did not have an exhaust fan and had to skip the moisturizer. She wrapped a towel around her head and the other around her breasts before picking up her damp lingerie. Upon returning to her room she hung up her damp lingerie in the closet on the last hanger to finish drying.

Beth then engaged in the morning ritual of getting ready. Moisturize, check eyebrows pluck 2 hairs, apply powder touch up toenails while changing the color of her hands to match with her preferred color. She only wore red on her fingers for special occasions that required her to dress in the LBD. Start on her face with foundation loose powder white and dark powder around her nose, outline her eyes a touch before curling lashes and putting on a muted brown eyeshadow up to eyebrow before the translucent blue over the lid itself. A touch of blush on the cheeks for color and Beth changed into her outfit for the day. She put in some simple gold small hoops and a nice plain gold chain for her neck.

Her hair now partially dry from and freed from the towel required only some careful brush drying as she put it into a high tail again. The Daddy's girl look was evident even to her. The slippers were back on her feet as she checked the bathroom to make sure she left it mostly as she found it. The tub got a rinse and she retrieve the earrings and necklace she had left behind.

It surprised Beth to smell bacon, eggs, ham, and toast being cooked. Usually her morning breakfast had no smell being grapefruit and juice. Intrigued Beth followed the smell to the kitchen where her stomach announced her embarrassed presence to her parents.

"And a good morning to you too!" her mother laughed at her from the counter putting down her cup of tea before she turned to get a plate for her.

"No mom it's okay I can do that myself. You sit and enjoy your breakfast." Beth smiled at her.

"Who are you and what have you done with my son?" Her mother joked at her. The plate Beth had just pulled from the cupboard dropped to the counter with a clank.

"My name is Elizabeth and I'm your daughter not your son."Beth choked out of her suddenly sore throat. She turned to run upstairs when her mother intercepted her.

"I'm sorry E. That was a horrible mistake on my part." she said to her as she pulled her into a hug. Beth sniffled trying to hold back the tears.

"It's just that you don't understand how hard this is for me. I know your trying and all but you treat me like I'm more your son suddenly changed to a girl like a transsexual. I'm not. I've always been a girl you raised me that way! And an.. this is all really scary." Beth felt the tears run down her cheeks before her mother pulled a paper towel to blot them.

"Hey hey. You wouldn't want to ruin that pretty face of yours after you did such a nice makeover on it this morning now would you?"her mother said softly to and only for her. Beth shook her head. "Okay then lets get through breakfast and we will talk while your father is outside playing mechanic." Beth nodded as her mother picked up the plate and expertly spooned in some ham and eggs. Beth felt happy that her mother remembered she didn't like bacon.

Beth sat down at the table and used some of the toast there to sop up the soft yoke from the eggs. She loved to eat eggs and ham this way, the same way as her mother. Her father always find out a bit gross as he liked his hard. He finished up leaving his plate behind. Beth and her mother spent a few minutes peacefully eating their eggs before Henry, now in the same dirty clothes from yesterday, open the door tot he garage letting in a chilled breeze that both women complained about. They did not see his smiling eyes as he closed the door.

Beth joked to her mother that should could feel her dress size increasing because of her efforts before her mother shushed her. The two women giggled and laughed all during the time they washed up breakfast. Her mother almost pushed her out of the kitchen when Beth wiped down the table telling her she was the quest.

It was with a smile that Beth followed her mother down the stairs into the basement. Her mother casually went to the dryer in the basement to remove a load of clothes and towels. Beth walked over to assist her with the folding when she saw there was a metal clothes line and her mothers lingerie was drying on it.

"How...How long has that line been there?" Beth asked as a hint of fear crept into her voice. Her mother looked up from the dryer door opening to see what she was referring to.

"Oh that! Probably as long as the house has been here I think. It was here when we moved in." Her mother went back to pulling the load out.

"You would have taught me to hang my lingerie to dry here right?" Beth asked again.

"I suppose I would have why? Did you need to wash your lingerie? There is Woolite in the bathroom sink upstairs.."

"I did that last night and I found the Woolite thanks. But I left them to dry in the bathroom. I did not even remember this line being here to hang them to dry. I still don't. And it would have been here regardless of what sex I was born as."

"Oh sweetie it's not that big a deal. I've done that a few times over the years."

"No mother it is a big deal!" Beth backed away from her mother." I would have known this. I should have known this! There is something wrong with me. Is my whole life a lie? What happened to me!" Beth screamed out loud at her stunned mother.

Beverly ran to her daughter leaving the clothes half in half out of the dryer. She grabbed the hysterical girl and hugged her as hard as she could. Beth struggled at first then the tears came hard and fast as she cried into mothers shoulder.

"It's not you guys." She sniffled"It's me! Something is wrong with me!" Beth sobbed into her mothers shoulder. Her mother could feel actually feel the heart of her daughter breaking before her.

"Honey sweetie, what do you do with your lingerie at your sorority?" She had to try to salvage her daughter with hope.

"I.. We have line across the basement that we hang it all on. There is a washbasin right there for us to use."Beth mumbled out.

"And when you visit someone where would you put your delicates?"She asked in that soft voice that all mothers use.

"I guess I would have put it on the shower rod or in my bedroom." Beth sniffled out.

"And your sorority has been home for 2 years without visiting us?"

"Yeah I suppose." Beth still sniffling stood up a bit from her mother.

"You came here and got hit with something so horrid that is it any surprise that you would have forgotten something so simple and just reacted like you would as a guest. After all you are sleeping in the guest room."Beth could understand what her mother was saying. And it really made sense in a way. A part of her still thought something was wrong but it was no longer crushing her.

"So your saying I overreacted?"

"Just a little. I can't imagine how hard this is for you. I know how hard it is for me cause when I see you I see two people. The son I raised with my husband and the daughter I have always wanted but never had. I want to hold you so close and make everything better. I want to share everything I ever dreamed I would share with my little girl growing up. But I feel like that would kill my son in the process or betray his memory." Her mother was now crying just as much as Beth.

"I think. No I believe that your father feels the same way. Well almost as he wouldn't have the mothering stuff to share being a man and all." her mother actually smiled a little at that thought. Beth could see her big father trying to teach her how to take care of her dolly like a mother. It just wouldn't work no matter how hard she tried to imagine it.

"Yeah I can just see daddy trying to teach me about feminine hygiene." Beth said with a straight face. Her mother looked at her sharply with her tears still going down her face. The two women stood face to face trying not to laugh before they both broke down in laughter at the thought.

"Oh Elizabeth! That was.. OH god my sides are gonna hurt." Her mother said to her. The first time she had heard her mother call her by her real name since they met at church yesterday. Beth now started to shed happy tears as she also tried to control her laughter.

"Please call me Beth."

"Yes I can see that. It fits you Beth." her mother smiled at her through her own tears with a hand on her heart and another held out. The two women clasped as if meeting for the first time.

Beth and her mother emptied the washing into the basket before they put the basket ontop of the washing machine. Each took an item out of the basket and started wordlessly folding. Nothing more needed to be said as both stood there for a few minutes folding clothes neatly smiling a smile that said all was right.

Beth was giggling as her mother had just slapped her butt gently. She was still giggling as she exited the basement holding the basket of now clean and folded clothes, her mother right behind her. It was to this scene of two happy smiling women that her father opened the door to.

"It lives!" He cried out in his own way. Both women looked at him, he was obviously like a kid who had accomplished a great feat of putting a puzzle together expecting praise.

"That's so wonderful dear." Her mother said. It was not the hope her father had expected as his shoulders dropped just a little. Turning to Beth her mother took the basket from her hands and before she could protest told her.

"You should go gather your purse and get ready. Your father wants to take his daughter out to show off now."

Beth giggled at this inside joke and bounded to the stairs as she heard her father and mother talk.

"Did I miss something?"

"It's a girl thing dear. I explain it to you later in bed." Beth snorted as she reached the foot of the stairs trying to not choke on her laughter.

"Women!"Her father exclaimed as she climbed the stairs up to her new room. Beth had a smile on her face as she grabbed her purse before stopping at the bathroom to fix herself up.

It was as she was putting on her lipstick that Beth wondered what it would be like shopping for parts for her car with her father. She had no idea what these would be, having never even known how to check her own oil till Tammy showed her last April. With her daddy's girl look restored Beth exited the bathroom and tried to not bounce down the stairs in her excitement.

Her father stood by the door to the house and not the garage with a coat in his hands. It was not one of her coats. The older style looked warm as it bulged out a bit even in his hands It was a dark pink but with violet blue yellow splashed and bits all over. It looked cute. He held the coat for her as she approached. With little girl glee Beth slipped her arms into the coat feeling the soft silky lining caress her skin. She looked to her mother in coming out of the kitchen.

"Whose coat?" Beth asked.

"It's one of mine as I didn't think you wanted to wear that long faux fur one around." Beth looked down at the coat feeling it. It really was a nice coat. Not quite her style but it fit in with what she was wearing quite nicely. Beth was about to ask why not her white coat but she remembered that that coat, along with her other clothing, was no longer in the house. Beth put on a smile for her mother and gave her a hug with a whispered thank you.

"We should head to the store for that oil and filters." that type of statement was typical for her father. He was not the most patient of people when he had his mind on a project. With a final hug goodbye to her mother Beth swung her purse up to her shoulder with practiced ease and left the house ahead of her father. When she got outside she noticed that her father had left the truck running. She was amazed at how quiet it seemed to be running.

To her memory the old truck had run poorly belching black smoke every once and awhile when it coughed. At best it would only stay running if her father kept his foot on the gas. Beth approached the old truck with awe. While it had seen better days with most of its paint gone and replaced with whatever cheap paint her father had it had a few small rust spots. Overall it looked different but better than she remembered it. For one the tires were full of air and not flat. They even looked fairly new.

"What you think?" he asked with his smiling eyes.

"It's different. I can't believe you got it to run so good." To Beth's memory this truck had once smelt so bad from running she had trouble breathing. She also remembered another small factor. It had no heat whatsoever. Anticipating a cold ride Beth opened the passenger door to be engulfed in warm hot air.

"You fixed the heat!" She exclaimed.

"I got a good deal on a heater core. Took me most of the summer to figure out how to get the box in and out but I did it. Pretty cool of your old man eh?" again with the smiles as they climbed in and sat on the bench seat.

"Way cool! Or should I say hot?" Beth giggled at her remark.

"Thanks! Err if it gets a bit too warm roll down your window. I haven't figured out how to hook up the controls yet." He said while buckling in. Beth rolled her eyes at this revelation before she clicked her own seatbelt.

The truck slid into gear with a bit of a clunk and they were off. Among other surprises was working brakes and lights on the truck for Beth. The ride was to be a few minutes long and Beth wondered about what to talk about with her father. An idea occurred to her and she debated whether she really wanted to know. After a few minutes she looked up just as they left the town itself and pulled onto the highway. Beth bit on her bottom lip for what she was about to ask might hurt her.

"Daddy tell me about Eric."