"Let me explain your predicament clearly: We'll let you out of this tree grove without harm. All you have to do is give each of us a quick favor. For me, I just want to kiss - your exposed left nipple."

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

"I demand to know exactly what you did to us! And I mean in excruciating detail! Waiver or no waiver - you get us back to normal, NOW, or so help me I will litigate you into oblivion!"

Kent stomped in to the midmorning therapy session with Tina in tow. This bellowing/bullying entrance was very effective for an important, powerful adult man. Somehow, though, when a 97 pound 5’5’’ teenage girl with a squeaky soprano voice said it, it just came across as humorously bitchy.

Dr. Mark Brand listened calmly to the diatribe, then spoke - but not with a reply to Kent. Instead, he looked at Tina. "Mr. Braxton, I have a question for you."

Tina's brow wrinkled. "You - you're talking to me? Dr. Brand, you remember that I'm Tina, right? I'm not 'Mr. Braxton'. At least, I think so ... I hope," as she remembered this morning's breakfast event.

"Right now, Tina, you are the only 'Mr." in the Braxton family. So: Mr. Braxton, your 'daughter', is yelling at me, and threatening me. Do you feel that is appropriate?"

"Oh, so I'm just a child to you now? You fucking quack! How dare you ignore me,” seethed Kent.

The beard and mustache on Tina's face tightened with a mix of anger and dread. Turning to Kent, she spoke in a normal volume but with unmistakable resolve. "No, doctor. It is not appropriate at all. She should speak in a civilized manner, even when expressing disagreement. Daughter - because for today and tomorrow, you are my daughter - apologize to Dr. Brand."

Kent was incredulous at this development. "What?! I am a MAN - just stuck in your body right now, but still your father, with authority over you!"

"Except, Dad, you agreed that while in counseling sessions I would be your equal."

"Yes. Yes, I did. But even with that promise, it's not the child's duty to discipline the parent."

Tina smiled. "I completely agree, 'child'. That’s who you are right now, your role that you agreed to play. Yet you are acting like you think you’re still a 42-year-old man — assuming that the tantrum you just threw is acceptable behavior for an adult.”

Kent had an epiphany with that. It was obvious that she’d just thrown a juvenile hissy fit. Had she thrown that fit as her male self, it would have inspired fear and obedience — not because of great leadership, but rather fear of tyrannical reprisal. Was it really possible that he acted like a spoiled brat at times in her adult male life?

Tina continued. “'It is not proper for a lady to yell, or threaten, or curse'. Remember saying that? Well, you have just yelled and cursed, and threatened. Not proper - for anyone, not just a lady. So apologize in the next 5 seconds, or there will be punishment."

Kent stood, speechless, transfixed. She thought of a hundred comebacks, but could not see any of them having effect with this screeching high-pitched voice of hers. Finally, she said in a whisper: "I'm sorry for yelling, cursing and threatening you, Dr. Brand. Please forgive me."

"You are quite forgiven, child. Thank you for owning up to your actions," a smiling Brand said.

Tina was smiling also. "I forgive you too, daughter. However, it did take more than a minute for you to respond. So I'm giving you consequences after the session.”

“Wait a minute — you’re grounding me?”

“You wish! No, you’ll find out. Heck, if you stayed a girl for longer, you’d actually desire this ‘punishment’ I’m planning. Just be patient; you’ll see.”

Kent shook her head and looked at the clock on the wall. 9:12 in the morning. A little under 42 hours left ... dammit. "Can we get to the problems that happened this morning?" she whined.

~o~O~o~

"So those are the morning's events. How do they make both of you feel?"

The teenage girl's eyes rolled. The doc had to say the classic, clichéd psychologist's line. She wondered if the next question would be about why she hated her mother. "Feel? I feel like this therapy - the UET - is helping Tina and me very little, and meanwhile it's screwing up my marriage. Not to mention it's turning Tina gay! Why else would she ogle a pair of female breasts like a teen boy whose puberty just kicked in?"

Tina had to respond to that. "Hey - it's not like I planned that! I still like guys - why that happened, I have no idea. It's like my body took over and put my mind to the side. And you, daughter - you were giggling at that bartender like a poodle in heat. The weird thing is, I don't think you were faking it."

"Allow me to explain,” Brand broke in. "Your minds - your souls, in essence - are in each other's bodies. Bodies that still have all the hormones and cerebral configurations that they always have had. What's different is your souls are not used to these new brains and chemicals. Tina - morning erections are completely involuntary. And the male brain is configured to be attracted to curves. To keep from hurting Marlene further, you will need to be aware of your new tendencies and control them. Same with you, Kent. Tina's brain is female with heterosexual tendencies - in other words, you may find your body responding to men.

"Since the body's anatomy and chemicals influence thinking, you both will have to keep close watch on your thoughts. You two could probably help each other adjust."

~o~O~o~

Father and daughter sat together on the leather couch in the counseling room. Brand had left the room to give them some alone time; he left the door half open so that if the conversation deteriorated, he could intervene.

Kent started. "Okay, 'daddy', let's talk about how to look at other women the right way. You've already realized that men are 'wired' to look at breasts and behinds. So when you look in a certain direction and there are curves there, the vision tends to zero in on them."

"But Mom always said that you only have eyes for her - that it was one of the ways that you showed her you love her," countered Tina.

"That's true for the most part. Marlene would get really insecure if I stared for a long time - say, five or more seconds - at other girls' assets. Like you did this morning. However, she knows that I sometimes may unintentionally linger for one second. The key is, know that the male brain tends to do that. When it happens, nip it in the bud. Look somewhere else. When talking to a girl, quickly rise to the eyes. You know what it feels like to have an unwanted ogle from a stranger, right?"

"Yeah."

"And you hate it, right?"

"Yes. I mean, - **ahem** - usually. Sometimes if it's a good-looking young guy, even if it's not Mitch, it can be cool. Like I can control them with my body; it can make me feel sexy."

"Okay, let's try a different tack, Tina. How would you feel if Mitch leered at other women?"

The male form hung his head. "I hate it when he does it. Especially with the young girls."

"Right. So for your mom's sake at least, remember: either look at the girl's eyes, or turn and focus on Marlene."

"Dad ... do you ever get really horny anymore, at your age? Please, please say no. I don't want to have to deal with another erection."

The girl frowned. "Hey! My body's early middle age; it's not dead! But as for the 'horny' issue, usually I deal with it by having se - um, relations with Marlene every 2-3 days or so. Of course I'm not suggesting that you-"

"OMG. NOT GONNA HAPPEN."

"And when I have to go off on a trip, I ... uh ... just take care of it. Not with anyone else - just by myself."

"SO NOT GONNA HAPPEN. I AM NOT TOUCHING YOUR THING. How long has it been since you and Mom ... y'know?"

"About a week, honey. Sorry."

Tina exhaled a huge, plaintive sigh. "Then I plan to have a cold iced drink in my hands at all times. I'm going to pour it down my shorts if I feel the hot dog plumping up."

Kent started to laugh at that; at first a little snickering, then full throated guffawing. It infected Tina too, and soon he was doubled over with mirth. Kent leaned over on the couch - she was unable to sit upright due to the giggle fit.

~o~O~o~

Janis huffed loud enough for her mother to hear. "How long will they be in that stupid session? I want to get to the beach!"

"Let them take all the time they need," answered Marlene. "That stuff is the real reason that we're here; the beach and everything else is just the icing on the cake."

"Well, I'm bored. Can't I go down to the ocean and get a head start on tanning?"

"Sure, I guess. Take the main walkways. And don't go anywhere else without letting us know, please."

"MOM. This is me you're talking to. I'm the good one, remember?"

Marlene laughed. "Don't you start getting a big head over it, sweetie. I'm going to wait for Kent and Tina. Sure, go get into your suit and have fun."

"Done!" Janis quickly stripped off her T-shirt and shorts to show her bikini underneath. Thirty seconds later the youngest Braxton was skipping down the hill towards the sand, towel and lotion in tow. Great! Maybe I'll catch a lifeguard's eye before Tina steals the spotlight. And maybe there's some poorly guarded bling around, too.

~o~O~o~

The gaiety had been a blessed respite. When the laughter finally died down, man-Tina spoke in a hushed tone towards girl-Kent. "Dad - you're fairly handsome, and kinda rich and powerful. A real man's man. Do you ever have other women ... come on to you?"

"Hoo boy, Tina. All of the time. It's not so bad at the office - "

"Really? None of the women at your work come on to you?"

"Not any more. Not since a woman named Jodee tried to. She was a young clerk at the company, and very pretty. One morning when I walked into my office, I found her laying on my desk - on her side, wearing nothing but a smile."

"Oh god! What did you do?"

"It's all about being prepared. I had worked with a consultant for CEO's, and he covered avoiding seduction in my training. I basically must be aware, at all times, that women will try to draw me in with their beauty in order to eventually become my new wife. So when I picked my jaw off the floor, I did a one-eighty and walked straight out. I told my assistant to call security and have a nude intruder taken out of my office. Jodee was fired, of course, and we shipped the contents of her desk to her home."

"What did Mom think?"

"She knows that women come on to me, some of them barely older than you. I do my best to reassure her that she is number one in my heart; I do that with daily phone calls from work, pictures of her all over my office, and mentioning her fondly and often in conversation. Also, I have a male buddy - an accountability partner - who grills me after every conference about my activity. Knowing that I'll have to be honest with my pal helps keep me from getting into any circumstance when I could be alone with another woman - it even keeps me from using any of the porn channels in a hotel room."

"Why do you have to go to all that trouble? Shouldn't your love for Mom keep you faithful?"

"That's what I would hope. But I've seen too many of my colleagues fall in a single moment of temptation; they get lonely, maybe they're having an argument with the wife, and then this goddess with a dress cut down to the navel starts flattering them. If they've had a drink or two, their judgment may be a little impaired. In a single moment's indiscretion, they lose their family. I can't take even the slightest chance of that happening to me."

Tina fretted. "So, you have to do lot to make sure you never slip. I never heard of any other men doing all that paranoid stuff."

"Honey - if more guys took precautions like I do, then maybe less of them would find themselves in an accidental affair and divorce. The fantasy of sexual infidelity with another woman is something that is, unfortunately, a lifelong issue for most of us." Girl-Kent looked down at her curvy body. "Well - maybe not for me right now, in this condition."

Man-Tina shook his head. "You make all guys sound like sex addicts - interested in nothing but boobs and butts. I was hoping all that excess horniness wore off when a boy got into his twenties." Does that mean Mitch is going to have a wandering eye for another couple of decades - or more?

"Tina - didn't that waitress incident this morning give you a hint of what males deal with?"

There was no response. Just a smoldering, growing expression of anger from the hairy male face Tina was now behind. "Dammit!" he said, slamming his fist down on the coffee table.

Dr. Rahne Ruiz entered the room rapidly. "Wha' was that racket? Are ye two all right? May haps it's time to end yuir discussion-"

"I - I have no idea why I did that," said Tina, cheeks reddening. "I mean, I never punch anything - anything."

"It wasn't directed at me. I'm fine. I'd like to continue talking," said Kent. Tina nodded.

"Male brains and hormones tend to respond with a degree of anger whenever there's stress. Not an absolute rule, just a tendency. Girls under stress tend to cry more than boys do. Now ye both are experiencing new and strange emotions as a result of the therapy; ye will have to learn how to control the anger," pointing to Tina, "and the tears," glancing at Kent. Dr. Ruiz then slowly exited, gazing back with a concerned look.

The "daughter" looked at her "father". "Tina - outside of no giggling at boys, is there anything else I need to worry about?"

Tina's eyes looked off into the distance. "I can feel it, Dad. The anger Dr. Ruiz talked about. I'm so nervous that I could cry - which is what I usually end up doing. But instead of tears, I feel a pressure building - like my head and chest might explode. It's scaring the hell out of me."

"Hold it together, honey. It's going to be okay." Kent realized she needed to change the subject. "I think I'm doing pretty good at being you, correct?"

"Not necessarily. Stand up, please."

Kent arose.

"Now, touch your fingers to the floor - like you did when you dropped your sunglasses in the restaurant at breakfast."

She shrugged, and bent over at the waist to reach the carpet.

"Hold that pose right there!" Tina got up and ran to look at the back of her former body. He squatted until his head was at the same level as Kent's hips. "Oh no. I had no idea that it looked THAT embarrassing. God."

"What?" Kent strained her neck.

"Stand up, now. You should never bend over that way in those white shorts. They get tight in the crotch, and a little see-through. Not to mention, major camel toe. Always bend at the knee in them - in other words, squat down, get your dropped item quickly, then stand back up. If not, everyone will think you're a dumb floozy, except for the gross guys who think you're coming on to them."

"Wow - I had no idea. I'm sorry." Now it was Kent's cheeks that were red.

"And be careful where you walk. You're a small, attractive, girl now. When you were 'big Daddy" there was no need to worry about being molested. It's always a possibility; don't get isolated, or out of the light, if you can."

"Of course. I know that." Even if I had forgotten to apply it the last 12 hours. "Okay - is that it?"

"Oh no, my 'daughter'. You have learned much, young Skywalker, but you are not a Jedi yet."

Tina's instruction continued for another ten minutes. Then, as promised, he took Kent for her consequences.

~o~O~o~

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The rest of the Braxton clan walked together to join Janis at the beach. Marlene had ahold of her mate's bicep, acting as if the waitress incident had never happened. "Sweetheart - how did the therapy go? Are you and Tina still fighting?"

Her husband (Tina) gave a half-frown. "I'm afraid we're having to depend heavily on each other just to survive this empathy therapy we're on."

"But that's a good thing, right? Or is it not? You haven't been ... yourself, not since yesterday's therapy session. I know we're here to get you and Tina better. Do you think things are getting better?"

"Jury's still out on that, Marl - uh, Mom," Kent muttered, walking behind them.

Marlene craned her neck backwards. "Tina - are you feeling all right, honey? Do you feel chilled? Why are you all wrapped up like that?"

Kent had on the least revealing bikini that she'd been able to find among Tina's clothes. She still felt scandalously exposed, so she'd worn the complimentary Isla bathrobe and Tina's pink ball cap for her trip to the beach. "I'm fine, Mom. Just avoiding the sun's harmful radiation. Don't want to get skin cancer when I'm older."

"I’ve heard your father talk that way, but never you. Why are you walking funny?"

"Uh — consequences..."

Tina cut in and explained. “She behaved so well in therapy this morning. Therefore I took our daughter to the Isla spa to get a bikini wax, and went ahead and paid for them to do the works down there — a, what do you call it?”

“A Brazilian?” gasped Marlene.

“I prefer to call it ripping my soul in two,” Kent volunteered.

“That’s … kind of an odd father-daughter gift,” the mother postulated. “Still, Tina, how exciting! It sounds like your father is really trying to get in touch with your likes, your feelings! Isn’t that great?”

“Yep!” Kent lied.

Tina loved this moment. “Yes, honey, and believe it or not there was a man down there getting a wax also. That’s when I had an idea — in three days, we have some free time on the schedule. How do you think I’d look being hairless from the neck down — a full body wax?”

Kent had goosebumps as she realized that she would be back in that male body when that occurred. “MOM — he’s crazy! I’ll bet he changes his mind at the last second; please allow him to!”

Marlene shook her head. I'm not sure I like how all this is going. They're not getting better; they're getting weirder.

~o~O~o~

Janis was lapping up the attention she was getting from some of the men at the beach. Even after the arrival of her family, she was still the star of the sand. Well, at least the youngest star. A voluptuous redhead in a revealing two-piece was attracting more than her share of attention. She was the female in the threesome, the man / woman / androgyne group. While the auburn beauty cavorted in shallow waves, her other two partners lay under their umbrella in close embrace.

Girl/Kent attracted little attention, but mainly because she remained bundled up like a Hollywood actress just after plastic surgery. Man/Tina was lying out in the sun. Marlene was flustered. "What is it with you two? Tina - you're usually the tanning queen, and Kent likes staying in the shade. What in the world is happening?"

"It's the empathy treatment," both responded.

Marlene held her head as if it was trying to burst. "I - I'm going to get something cold to drink," she quivered as she walked off.

Kent scowled at Tina. "If I get a melanoma later, I'm blaming you."

Tina smirked. "Hey, 'daughter', this is my body for now. You could use some vitamin D anyway."

"I take D supplements. You should too, you know. Hey - you ought to try the water! My body knows how to swim. I'll bet you could be successful!"

"Okay, wait. This big male body may be used to swimming, but this 18-year-old girl mind inside the body still remembers nearly drowning at age 6. No way."

"Hmm. By that logic, then this teenage girl's body I now have should be able to swim - because my mind still knows how!"

The tanning man turned over to look at the girl. "Dad. No. Remember Dr. Brand said we had to respect each other's bodies. If you go out into the water, you're disrespecting my wishes."

"Well, I'm at least going wading in the surf. I'll be ba-"

"Ask politely, 'daughter'. In this family, children will act with respect and obedience towards their parents."

Kent recognized that; it was his saying, his rule. But now 'he' was 'she', and felt a little humiliated by the order. "Um - 'Dad', may I please go wade in the water?"

Tina smiled. "It's not a good feeling, is it? Being treated as if you were a five-year-old? Yes, little one, you may play in the water. Not beyond waist deep, okay?"

"Okay, 'Daddy'. Thanks ever so much," Kent dripped acidly. Then standing, she perceived another challenge.

Oh boy. I'm going to have to walk in front of everyone in this teeny weeny bikini. If I can just quickly get out there, I can squat to where the water comes to my neck. Yeah, that's the ticket. She looked up and down the small beach. Let's see ... there's Angelo, our Italian attendant, busy making repairs to the surf shop; James the bartender dropping off some drinks for a couple; the lifeguard is one of the groundskeepers, and right now he's yapping with the other two lawn men; and the busty redhead is occupying most of the other male attention. Time to make a run for the ocean!

Kent shed the bathrobe and cap and took off in a sprint towards the waves. Her butt was jiggling all the way, as were her breasts; they were barely reigned in by her top. Hell, this feels so weird. Come on, come on. Almost there....

Then, upon reaching the water's edge, disaster struck. Kent's foot slipped and she flopped head first into an oncoming wave. She came up coughing and sputtering and stood up in the knee deep saline. Clearing the hair and salt from her eyes, she became aware of someone clapping. Janis, I'll bet. But then multiple other hands — accompanied by wolf whistles and whoops, mostly from the men present — joined the clapping. She opened her eyes, to see —

Marlene was running towards her out into the surf, a look of panic gripping her face. Kent put up her hands. "Mom, I'm okay."

"Honey, cover your chest and turn around," Marlene barked as she bent over to pick up something out of the water. It was Kent's bikini top. Kent shrieked in horrible realization at her nakedness, and squatted down so the water covered her to her shoulders.

Marlene retied the top onto her 'daughter'. "There. Oh honey, I'm so sorry; this can happen to anyone. Ready to go tan, or do you want to go back to the cabana?"

"Uh ... " Kent was holding it together externally, but the quiver in her voice betrayed the frustration building up in her. There had to be something she could do to salvage this lousy morning. To hell with it. I'm going to show my daughter that she can achieve things if she'll just believe she can. "Neither, Mom. I'm going to swim." She then turned and dove into the oncoming wave, emerging on the other side doing a stroking action towards the open sea.

"B - but you don't know how ... you can’t...” Marlene's mouth went agape as she saw her daughter swimming. Not treading water, but freestyling in a practiced motion. Oh dear Lord! She can, and she is! But she shouldn't - didn't she see the flags they just put up, that she's the only one in the water now?

Kent could hear Marlene yelling something, but didn't stop stroking. She knew everyone would be amazed; after all, ‘Tina’ had a deathly fear of the water. Well, I'm going to show her she has this capability. She'll thank me later. The water seemed to be getting colder, but it was barely noticeable through the sheer bliss of finally being isolated. No people around that she had to "act like a girl" for.

Tina — still lying on the sand, sunning — had seen the bikini top debacle, and chose to ignore it. Serves Dad right; he now knows one more of the trials of girlhood. Although I'm going to resent that incident being attributed to me, when it was his carelessness that caused it. Then he heard Marlene screaming frantically, and looked up to see what was the matter.

He ran up to his 'wife'. "What's the matter? Where's Da - ah, Tina?"

"Out there!" She pointed to a small flesh colored speck in the water - almost eighty yards away, and getting smaller. "How - when did she learn to swim? When did she overcome her fear of swimming?"

"I told her to go no farther than waist deep!" Tina spat angrily. "That hypocritical, rebellious -"

"Disobedience is not the issue here," Marlene shot back. "She's in danger! See the red flags that they just put out? The announcement they had over the loudspeaker two minutes ago? Nobody's supposed to be out there because of the rip tide!" She turned towards the lifeguard tower chair. "Hey! Our daughter's out there! Wake up, dammit!"

Marlene's anger was well deserved, because the so-called lifeguard was still yukking it up with his other two lawn maintenance buddies. His head snapped up at the word 'dammit'. He quickly saw the situation and jumped from the high chair onto the ground - promptly straining his ankle. He screamed in pain and grabbed his foot, writhing on the sand as his friends Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dumber stood by mutely, frozen with indecision.

Marlene twisted rapidly to her 'husband'. "Kent - it's up to you. Please - get out there and save our baby!"

Tina felt suddenly unable to breathe, as if he was about to pass out. Oh no ... I'm going to have to swim?!

~o~O~o~

Kent was in glorious solitude. How about if I just stay out here until the "therapy" is over? Although I'm getting pretty cold; I guess my girl metabolism just doesn't keep me as warm as a guy's. I heard Marlene freaking out; I better wave back to her to show her I'm okay. She paddled her arms to do a 180, and the view shocked her.

The beach was just a tiny strip, the people just ants. How had she swum so far in such a short time? In fact, even though now she was just treading water, she could tell she was getting drawn farther away - out to sea.

Kent pointed towards shore, put her head down, and swam with all her might. After two minutes, she stopped and gasped, out of breath. Evidently Tina didn't work on keeping her body in shape as Kent had with his. More dismaying was the realization that she was not closer to the island, but even further away. A fear unlike any she had ever known gripped her brain. She waved and began to scream, "Help! HEELLLP!"

~o~O~o~

"Kent! Go! Go get her!" Marlene was jumping up and down, pleading. What was wrong with her husband? Why did he stand there, unmoving? Then suddenly, unbelievably, he broke into a run - away from the water. His wife was stunned. She turned and ran into the surf, choking back sobs; she might fail to save Tina, but she had to try.

It was hard for Marlene, running into the waves; one nearly knocked her over, and she was not the strongest swimmer. When she hit waist deep water, she felt a big hand on her shoulder - her spouse's. He was wearing a life jacket, and had a second one tied onto the first, trailing behind him. "Go on back, honey; I'll get her," he reassured in his deepest voice. OMG, thought Tina, I hope I can - it looks impossible! Focus on Dad, not the water; this body can swim, this body can swim … He ran as far into the surf as he could, saving his arm strength for the deep water; he was just about to jump in and start to attempt a “dog paddle” when he heard another man yell right behind him.

"Signore! Let-a me get her!". A flash of flesh and orange shot by Tina's left side. It was Angelo, their assigned attendant. He was in a fiberglass kayak, his long apelike arms twisting like a windmill in a gale as his double-paddled oar briskly hit the water. Tina had never seen a one-manned boat move so fast.

~o~O~o~

Kent could no longer see the shore except at the top of swells. She was treading water but didn't know how long she could. What a magnificent screw-up I've been. Tina - please forgive me...

A circular life preserver landed right in front of her. "Buongiorno, miss Tina! Can you getta holda di float?". Kent looked up; she’d never ever been so thankful to see another human being, especially the burly Italian attendant. Gasping, she grabbed the ring.

"Now, put-a you head an’ arms tru di hole. Keepa di rope behinda you head, an' hang on." Next thing she knew, Kent was being pulled steadily through the surf back to the shore. Angelo kept glancing back every few seconds to check on her; halfway back, he urged for the girl to verify she was okay. Kent croaked "I'm alive ... so tired," and Angelo kept paddling in, not quite as fast as he had gone out so as to not lose his passenger.

Coming to shore, James the bartender ran past everyone out to the exhausted girl. He scooped her up in his arms, took off the safety ring and took her up onto the sand where he gently placed her down. "Tina - are you with me? Did you inhale any seawater? Talk to me," he implored. Marlene and her husband were now kneeling at the girl's side.

"I'm okay ... just exhausted ... if Angelo had been ... one minute later ... I'd be a goner," Kent gasped.

"Nuts. I was hoping to give you mouth-to-mouth," James grinned.

"Back off, Romeo. She needs her family now," Tina growled. James retreated.

Janis ran up. "I saw the whole thing! Super Mario, you're awesome! I never saw anyone row so fast."

"Adrenaline help me," Angelo shrugged humbly. "Bambina - before you swim again, you needa lesson in how to escape a ripa-tide."

Kent looked towards her savior, who was pulling his kayak towards the shed he'd been working on. The bow of the boat read "AMB ANGELO". "Hey, hero," she said, "what does the AMB stand for? Water ambulance? Something Italian?"

The hairy man smiled. "It'sa my ‘espressione di possesso’. It mean, ATSA' MY BOAT!" He roared with laughter as he left the scene. Kent chuckled even as she rolled her eyes at the groaner.

Marlene continued questioning her daughter. "Honey - when did you learn to swim? And why did you disobey your Dad? Are you really okay?"

"I'm fine, Mom. I just need to rest. I think I'll skip lunch, and rest in bed, if you guys don't mind."

"All right. We'll bring you back some food; at least, you need to drink fluids," said her father (Tina). "Then, later ... you and I need to talk. Alone." The tone of the last few words was unmistakably ominous.

Drs. Brand and Ruiz showed up, having been notified of the incident. So did the nurse from the first aid desk. Being assured that the girl was fine, Brand walked over to the lifeguard tower, where the nurse was now wrapping a severely strained ankle. As Mr. and Mrs. Braxton carried their daughter up towards the cabana, they could hear a tongue-lashing being unloaded on the lifeguard and his two pals.

"Stuart, when you are on duty, your job is to remain focused on the beach. You failed in that; I was told how you allowed yourself to be distracted by Freddy and Ronald. Then instead of taking a few seconds to climb down off the chair, you jumped and rendered yourself unable to help. You are hereby disqualified from further lifeguard duty; I'll have to add it to Angelo's already-overloaded schedule. Fred, Ron: you two will have to do the maintenance and gardening work that all three of you previously did. Any more goofing off, and you're done here." Brand spoke in normal volume, but his biting pronunciation and steady glare clearly showed his anger.

Tina smiled in partial satisfaction. Serves those creeps right. I wonder if I should tell Dr. Brand how they leered and gestured at Janis and me when we first arrived.

~o~O~o~

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Kent promptly fell asleep after being placed in bed. She arose an hour later with a scream, right as Janis was walking in.

"YIKES! Sis, are you okay?"

Kent rubbed her eyes. "I-I just had a nightmare. I was back out in the ocean again, except this time no one saw me … I was about to suffocate underwater.” So that’s how Tina feels about swimming. No wonder she won’t try it again.

"Lookee what I got," tittered Janis, holding a necklace with a diamond pendant.

Kent marveled. "It's beautiful. It must have cost a fortune. Where did you get it?"

"From the big-boobed redhead who was busy flirting with the guys at the beach. She had her purse in her beach bag, and this was right inside. So easy, and no one saw me. Won't it look great with my black leather blazer back home?"

"You mean ... you STOLE it?!"

Janis rolled her eyes and smirked. "Don't act dumb, missy. You know very well that I did. I don't think of it as stealing, though; anyone stupid enough to leave precious stuff like this unguarded doesn't deserve to keep it."

Kent suddenly realized she needed to play the part of Tina expertly if she was to find out more about this hidden part of Janis. "Yeah ... I remember the first time I found out you do this. How long ago was that, again?"

"Heck, I had been doing it a year before you ever found out. I took a bottle of shampoo from Wal-Mart 3 years ago; they didn't miss it, they even calculate into their equation that some stuff they have is gonna be lifted."

"Chee! Lil' sis, I'll never understand why you did that; after all, you know we get plenty of allowance to buy shampoo and stuff."

"Yeah - but I had to start somewhere! I could care less about plucking shampoo now. It's Gucci, and Coach purses, and The Limited - they have LOUSY security - and Chloe's closet! With Chloe, it's not stealing. That chick has so many clothes she just can't wear them all. So I help her out, and relieve her of some now and then."

"I thought you said she gave you all the clothes you got from her...”

"She lets me borrow her clothes at times when we're together. When I go into her closet to return them, I just take something else I know she hasn't worn in a while. She never misses it - or if she does, she doesn't say anything. To make sure, I try not to wear the ones I took when I know she’s gonna be around, like at school. But at church, on some weekends, and at home - I be stylin', sistah!"

Kent frowned. "Don't go all 'ghetto' talking like that, Janis. It comes across as fake. It's not you."

Janis turned, with an odd look on her face. "Weird. You sounded just like Dad when you said that."

"And yet Mom and Dad think you're the 'good one'. Why don't you remind me again why I haven't told them," Kent pushed.

"My god! You know very well why, you bitch! Maybe you've forgotten just how gross, how embarrassing they are." Janis pulled out her smartphone and punched in her lock code, and then pulled up a picture file. "This ought to refresh your memory," as she turned the display to her ‘sister’.

Kent’s mouth dropped along with her spirit. These were pictures of Tina's body - the body Kent now inhabited - in various states of undress, most of them naked. Extremely explicit photos, with close-ups of her groin and other unmentionable areas, as well as whole body shots of her 'doing' herself. Kent was so hurt, so broken by his daughter's self-exploitation; this is usually the point that a fatherly rage would erupt.

But there was no explosion. Instead, there were just tears. Ones that ran like rivers down her face and evolved into sobs.

"Serves you right, idiot," dripped Janis. "You are so stupid - sexting to Mitch in hopes that he'd stop being attracted to other girls. It shouldn't have surprised you when he posted them on his Facebook. And you should have known that I'd find some insurance against you squealing to the folks about me. It was simple to figure out your lock code.

"Now, big sis, let's go over this - one last time. Are you gonna keep quiet about me, or will I have to send these in an e-mail to Mom?"

The answer came in a snuffling whisper. "No. Don't send it, please. I won't tell." Kent wondered how he would ever break the news to Marlene without breaking her heart.

“Tina, you ought to work with me. It’s so fun living the high fashion life. And I can teach you how to do it like me, so you never get caught.” Janis patted her ‘sister’ on the shoulder. “We’re running late for supper. Clean your face up — your eyes are bloodshot, use some of my drops — and meet us at the dining area.” With that, the younger sister left the cabana.

Kent flopped her body onto her bed, face first into her pillow. “My kids are so screwed up! I’m screwed up! How did they get this way right under my nose? Someone — something — help me. I literally don’t know how to make this right. Help me. Help us. Please … help,” she wailed to no one in particular.

~o~O~o~

Kent used the eye clearing drops and put some lip-gloss on as she had seen Janis do. Supper was already being served, she was sure; having slept through lunch after the beach incident, hunger was really tickling her lower ribs.

Shadows were growing longer as the sun was setting. Kent walked the trail from the cabana to the dining area as it meandered around different groves of trees. This is taking too long. I can see the lights of the restaurant flickering through the trees. So she decided to take a short cut through them, and left the trail.

The pod of trees was pretty thick, but she could still make out and avoid most of the trunks in the dying light. Then suddenly, her foot hit something thick and she fell forward — into someone’s lap.

“Shit! What the — well, look who we have here,” said a boy’s voice. Kent recognized it; it belonged to one of the gardeners. Her nose detected the smell of marijuana in the air. The boy spoke again. “You already caused me to turn my ankle. Now I guess you’re trying to bruise my thigh too? Sounds like you need to be taught a lesson, cunt.”

“You’re Stuart,” Kent said. “The lifeguard. I heard Dr. Brand 'dressing you down' at the beach. Does he allow pot smoking on the island?” she jeered as she tried to regain her footing.

Before she could, she felt a big mitt grab her arm as a husky voice spoke. “Hold it, baby. Don’t leave so rudely. If you want, I’ve got a joint for you. The price: one blowjob. What d’ya say?” She noticed the voice belonged to the shadowy outline of a chunky, big guy; he stood between Kent and the path she’d taken into the trees.

A third boy’s form — this one tall and lanky — stepped out from behind a tree trunk. “You’ll have to excuse my pal Freddy there. He can be quite crude. My name’s Ron. Let me explain your predicament clearly: We’ll let you out of this tree grove without harm. All you have to do is give each of us a quick favor. For me, I just want to kiss — your exposed left nipple.”

“And I get to lick your twat,” bellowed Stuart.

“Mine’s the same as before. Suck me,” hissed Freddy.

“How about I just beat the hell out of all three of you?”

Kent and the three hoodlums turned in the low light to see the massive bulk of Mr. Braxton silhouetted against the sundowning sky. He was holding something — the outline looked like a big shovel. “Daughter — run down to the restaurant. I’ll be a minute; I have to kill some toads.”

Kent jumped out of Freddy’s grasp and bounded back towards the path. Tina and the gardeners stood facing each other silently. Stuart blurted out something about “she was coming on to us” and “we were just playing”.

“Shut up,” said Tina. “and walk away. Or I’ll kick your asses.”

“Oh, you will, old man?” Freddy — the big chunk of the three — stepped towards Tina. “You’ll beat all of us?”

Tina tensed inside. She had seen her Dad get tough with bad guys before. Usually when confronted with possible harm, a bully would retreat. This one was calling her bluff, and she wasn’t sure she could fight as well as she knew Kent could. Time to up the ante, she gambled.

“You’ll be first, pudge. Come and get it,” Tina said with a twisted, malevolent smile. Freddy didn’t move forward or backward.

“WELL? DON’T KEEP ME WAITING, SWEETHEART!” Tina shouted, simultaneously slamming the back of the huge shovel against a tree trunk. It rang with a clash. The loud sound finally broke the trio’s resolve; two ran (and one limped) away.

Man-Tina briskly walked down the path back to the eating area. Standing right at the door was girl-Kent, who was smiling. “Tina — I’m so impressed. Thank you for saving my neck. How did you know I was in trouble?”

“Mom,” Tina replied. “She has always had a pretty good sixth sense about her daughters. She told me all of a sudden that she thought I should go check on you, to make sure you were okay. I’m glad those gardeners are sloppy — they left that shovel laying right next to the tree grove. I heard one of them yelling something about a twat, so I went in and there all of you were.”

Kent wrapped her hands around Tina’s right bicep. “I’m sorry I went in the tree grove. I was trying a short cut.”

“Don’t you remember our talk last night? You’re vulnerable now. You cannot put yourself in a dangerous position. And you did it twice in one day! I hope I have a body left to go back to when this is over.”

~o~O~o~

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Supper featured fusion cuisine with Korean and Mexican influences. Afterwards, Tina and Kent had to go to yet another session. Monitoring at least twice daily was the rule with UET, per Dr. Rahne Ruiz, who was running this session.
“So, tha’s what happened at th’ beach today. Sounds like neither o’ ye are followin’ the rule aboot respectin’ each other’s body.

“Huh? What did I do? Dad’s the one who went swimming when he — uh, she — God, this is so confusing — well, anyway, all I did was get a tan,” huffed Tina.

“Ye laid oot in the sun — against Kent’s wishes. And with his body.”

“At least I didn’t almost drown,” Tina whisper-mumbled.

“Do either o’ ye think yuir gainin’ empathy for th’ other?”

“All I see Tina doing is enjoying the power and authority that comes with my body. I don’t see any appreciation in her about what I have to do as her father, much less as a husband and CEO,” Kent volunteered.

“Dad, you’re one to talk! You’re still trying to act like a huge grown man instead of realizing you’re in a teenage girl’s body! I sure don’t see any insight developing in you, either!”

“Time oot,” spoke Rahne forcefully. “My question was, do either o’ ye see empathy growin’ — in yuirselves. I need each o’ ye tae tell me aboot yuir own understandin’, not how ye felt th’ other was doin’.”

The therapist was pleading, emphatic. “Dinnae ye see yet? Tina, ye cannae correct yuir dad’s faults — ye can only work on yuir own. Kent, ye are not responsible for Tina’s misbehavior — but ye are totally responsible for yuir own! “

“Now, wait a minute.” Kent stood up. “Even now, in this body, I am Tina’s father. I am responsible for her — “

“She’s eighteen, Kent. Eighteen. She’s an adult, ‘n’ in a few months when she graduates, she’ll be ultimately responsible for her life ‘n’ decisions. Yuir role now needs t’ be one of influencer, counselor, friend — not dictator.”

For a moment there was no sound in the room except for the audible inhaling and exhaling of Dr. Ruiz; she was doing deep breathing in an attempt to calm her own frustration over these two stubborn combatants. After some further thought, she made a decision. “I think it best tha’ we separate ye two for th’ remainder o’ this session. Kent, I’m calling Dr. Brand t’ take ye t’ th’ other room. I’ll stay with Tina here.”

~o~O~o~

“Tell me what you’re feeling right now.”

Kent shook her head. She’d had quite enough of this therapy nonsense. Looking at Dr. Brand, she decided to imply a threat. “Gee, doc. I wonder if it’s appropriate for a big, strong guy like you to be alone in a room with a hot little thing like me. If I wanted to charge you with molestation, it would be just your word against mine.”

“Nice try, Kent. That’s why I left the door part open; you are in the chair next to the door, while I’m further from it; and finally, see the tiny camera emerging from the ceiling? We have security monitoring these sessions — just video, no audio — for both of our safety.”

The girl in the room slumped her shoulders. “What is the point of this therapy? To humiliate me, to make me feel like I’m totally inadequate? Because if that’s the goal, it’s working. I can’t believe I actually paid thousands of dollars for the ‘privilege’ of this!” Angry tears began to well in her eyes. “Do you know that before I came here, I thought I had two well adjusted kids? Except for the oldest having an inappropriate crush. Now, I find that one of them is doing home porno, and the other is a thief!”

“The truth does two things,” nodded Brand. “It hurts; and it sets you free.”

“That’s *sniff* half right, at least.”

“How does it feel, being a teenage girl?”

“I don’t like it. I’m … I’m frail. Instead of being feared, I have to fear others. And instead of being my family’s leader, I have to follow Marlene’s — and Tina’s — orders. Like being low man on the totem pole. That’s not what I have worked for years to attain.”

“Believe it or not, Kent, that’s a good thing. Humility is an essential part of being a successful adult. Not humiliation; humbleness. All the greatest leaders — Washington, Lincoln, Jesus, MLK — had it. It helps you grow, and eliminates blind spots — like missing what was happening with your children. If there’s one phrase you should take away from this week, it’s this: The Humble Improve.”

“The humble improve,” Kent repeated in a whisper.

“So, isn’t there anything that you’re enjoying about being a girl?”

“Nothing that I should be enjoying,” Kent continued whispering.

“Explain that to me, please.”

The teen girl’s head hung down now, her brunette tresses lightly brushing her thighs. “I … I don’t like not being the leader, yet at the same time, the relief from obligation is surprisingly exhilarating. You know, the strain of being responsible both for a family and for the livelihood of 15,000 employees — not to mention the quarterly reports for thousands of demanding stockholders — it all can be such a crushing burden.”

“Lack of obligation is one of the benefits of childhood that many children take for granted,” Brand agreed.

“There’s another thing. I seem to … enjoy the attention that I’m getting from boys. Especially James, your barkeep. I still am in love with Marlene, I know I am — but I feel funny in my chest when he calls me beautiful. And seeing that red haired bombshell at the beach today did nothing for me. Does that mean I’m turning gay?”

“No. Not that it’s even possible to ‘turn’ gay. Remember, right now you have the brain makeup and chemistry of an 18-year-old heterosexual female. As soon as you switch back bodies, that attraction will fade.”

~o~O~o~

“So, Tina. I have a question for ye. Ye resent yuir daddy for keepin’ you from Mitch. Yuir eighteen, lass. Why don’t ye just move oot?”

“I thought of that. I don’t have anywhere to go. None of my friends understand — they don’t like Mitch, and so they won’t take me in. Even if I took on a part time job, it wouldn’t be enough to pay the bills living on my own. When I graduate, I can get a full time job and move out.”

“Full time. So, yuir not goin’ t’ university, then?”

“I — I want college … but I want Mitch more.”

“Could ye move in with him?”

Tina looked away. “He lives with his parents, still. They aren’t too keen with me moving in with him. He’d be able to pay for an apartment if he didn’t have such lousy luck with the job market.”

“Go on.”

“He’s gotten fired a lot because wherever he works, a woman will come on to him, and then when he rejects her, she plays like he sexually harassed her, and he gets kicked out. It’s happened like, five times. He’s just too hot for his own good.”

Rahne raised an eyebrow. “Mitch has told ye all this?”

“Yes.”

“And ye believe him?”

“What motivation would he have to lie to me?”

“Ye know tha’ as well as I, Lassie.”

“I … I’m so confused. My brain keeps telling me to leave him, but my heart won’t — can’t — let go. Rahne, you wouldn’t advise me to follow my head and ignore my heart, would you?”

“Wee one, the best kind o’ love is one where yuir head and yuir heart are in full agreement. Whether ye believe it or nae, yuir heart will be able to love again should ye leave Mitch.”

Tina’s fists clenched in anger. “Whenever my friends at home would talk to me about Mitch this way, it would make me cry. But right now I can’t seem to cry. Instead, I … I feel like knocking his fool head off!” Her fist slammed against the wall.

“Temper, temper, Tina. This rage is th’ way yuir father’s body reacts tae stress. Ye must learn tae control it.”

“Dr. Rahne, the anger builds up so quickly, and is so strong. I’m amazed at how Dad is able to deal with it.” Tina shook her head. “Well, actually ... since he found out about Mitch, he doesn’t hold in his ire around me.”

“So ye don’t like the anger part aboot yuir papa. Is there anythin’ else ye don’t like aboot bein’ in his body?”

“The erections. I had one this morning, another at the beach today — that’s why my back is more tanned than my chest — and, to be honest, I’m hornier than a big game hunter’s trophy room! Have you noticed I’m avoiding looking at you?”

“Yes…”

“It’s because I’m attracted to boobies and butts now! All types of female parts! And there’s no way — NO way — that I’m jerking off or sleeping with my own mom to get release! But I’m actually fantasizing about how it would feel to have sex with the redhead! This treatment has turned me into a lesbian sex fiend!”

“Tina, ye hae been experiencing wha’ most males fight with all o’ their lives. It’s not perversion unless they fail to control it. I think that in yuir father’s case, his sex urge is higher than even most men’s are.”

“OMG. I think I respect him a little more now — for how he controls it.”

“Is there anything you like aboot bein’ a grown man?”

“Oh yeah. I like the power. I mean, most other guys give way to me when I’m walking down the trail. The respect they give me, just because of how big and strong I am, is awesome. When I speak deeply, my family stops and pays heed. And my strength! When I picked up a shovel earlier tonight, it was like picking up a twig. That part I wish I could keep.”

Rahne kept a clinical posture, but mentally was squirming a little. She's rather enthusiastic aboot liking th' strength o' bein' male. I hope she doesn't get too enamored o' it.

~o~O~o~

TO BE CONTINUED MONDAY, JUNE 15

~o~O~o~

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to an actual situation or person is purely coincidental.

Tremendous thanks to Cyclist for beta reading and help!

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Thanks for reading! **Sigh**