Introduction: Ashley (Aishling) comes out to her father. He does not seem to be too disturbed; however, he insists that her transition has to be done the right way. They know Ashley’s mother will not be very accepting or helpful. Sean Finlayson finds an appropriate mother substitute for her.

The story is not mine. It is based on a very old tale that might have been part of English/Irish lore, it might be French or German. It might even be Persian in origin. I’ll leave it to you to try to figure out what tale it is. If you think you know, PM me. Don’t spoil it for others.

Although there are characters from other stories who make brief appearances, this is a stand-alone story.

This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

Chapter 2

“Jesus, are you sure you want to do this. I mean, I’ve been wondering.”

“Yes I want to do this, and I want to go full time as soon as possible. I’m eighteen, and I don’t need your approval, but I would like your support. I don’t want to do this behind your back. I need to see a doctor and a psychologist or someone who will say it’s okay for me to start HRT. You know what HRT is, don’t you.”

“Yeah, it’s in those books you gave me. So you want to be a woman. I don’t think I get it, but I’m willing to listen. I read that one book about that woman in California. That was real sad. Her parents were real dirt bags. You won’t have to worry about me. I just need to know what’s going on.”

“I know that was a sad story in some ways; however, the last part of her life was wonderful. Her death had nothing to do with what she went through. I understand that what killed her was a particularly nasty form of pancreatic cancer.

“I think we need to get something straight right now. I do not want to be a woman.”

“Oh, I thought …?”

“Let me finish. I am a woman. My brain is female. I’ve taken several of those psychological tests. The results are unofficial, but they all indicate I have a female brain. I want you to come with me to a qualified psychologist who can officially confirm or deny what I know to be the truth. There is no cure for what I have other than to make my body conform to my mind. I’ve been undergoing electrolysis, and I’m just about done. The only shaving I do these days is my legs and underarms.”

“That may be too much information,” Sean said in a weak attempt at a joke.

“Shit, what if the men find out about this? I may be a laughing stock.”

“I’m sure they will find out sooner or later. What you have to understand is that what I’m going through is no reflection on you. Mom’s not at fault, either. My environment had nothing to do with it. I’ve known as far back as I can remember that I was different. I figured it out about ten years ago. This happens a lot whether people want to admit it or not. It can end favorably, that’s certainly the way I’d prefer, or it can end tragically. Frankly, I don’t see that happening. You’re pretty calm about this on the outside and inside. I can tell when you’re calm on the outside and seething on the inside. I’ve seen how you deal with people who piss you off.”

“I’ve never killed anyone or had them killed. As the great Don in the sky said, I just make them an offer they can’t refuse.

“I’m calm right now because I believe everything you’ve told me. I have read all that stuff you gave me, and more. I’ve also talked to a number of doctors. I love you that much. I’m certainly not an expert about this sort of thing, and I certainly can’t allow my emotions to overrun good sense, and based on what I’ve found out, you’re making good sense. The last thing I’d want you to do is go it alone. I want to help you regardless of what way you choose to go

“My doctor is willing to talk with you about this. He says he’s dealt with this before, and the results are usually in the patients favor. He also gave the names of several psychologists. After we see him, we can figure out who we need, rather who you need to talk to.”

“I think that should be ‘whom’.”

“Lay off on the grammar, or I’m liable to change my mind. And, speaking of grammar, what are you going to do about college?”

“I’ve decided to go to Columbia University in New York.”

“You going to be a doctor or a lawyer? We need a good lawyer in the family.”

“No, I want to be a nurse, a pediatric nurse. I want to get a BSN, and help disadvantaged children.”

“If that’s what you want, so be it. You going to go back and live with your mother? I don’t think she’ll go for it, especially with everything you have planned.”

“Obviously, I’m going to have to live somewhere, and Mom’s not an option. They have all sorts of campus housing in the area; however, I don’t think I will be at ease in that environment. I think I need to find a flat somewhere where transportation is relatively easy. I’ll have to stay away from Brooklyn. Mom doesn’t need to know about this for a while. She wouldn’t listen when I tried to explain things to her, so I don’t even try. She’s very set in her ways and I would hate to have her go back to the bottle.”

“Are you going to live alone?”

“I thought about getting a roommate, but I’m not sure how to go about it. I might have to contact one of the LGTBQI organizations.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Lesbian, Gay, Transgendered, Bisexual, Queer, and Intersexed: we have our support groups; however, there are some lesbian factions that hate male to female transgender.”

Her father paused for a moment. Ashley, she’d picked that as a variation of Aishling, was amazed at how calm and rational her father had been through all the revelations. He’d obviously been researching about her condition, and seemed almost as eager as she was to press on and do what needed to be done. She hadn’t told him about the name change. That would have to come soon – little steps: lots of little steps.

“Look, a girl needs her mother at times like these; however, your mother is not going to be a player. I think you need somebody to look after you. I gotta make some phone calls.”

Ashley gladly went to her father’s doctor with her father at her side. She’d told her father about her decided name change, and he’d accepted it without a problem. He contacted his lawyer to see what needed to be done about making the change official.

Doctor McKenzie was very understanding, but admitted that it was really out of the area of his practice. He’d had other patients who were transgender, and he’d referred them to an endocrinologist he knew. They were still his patients, and had monitored their progress, but he’d not actually controlled their transition. Based on his recommendations Ashley and her father made an appointment with a psychologist.

She survived the battery of tests, and admitted to the psychiatrist that she probably could have skewed the results. The doctor assured her that she would have known if she had.

“Doctor, I’ve been studying for this test for ten years. There was no way I was going to fail it.”

With the affirmation in hand, the endocrinologist started her out on a regimen of blockers and hormones. He didn’t like her blood pressure tendencies at first, so adjustments were made early on. She was on her way.

“Ashley, I’d like you to meet someone.” Ashley had just come in from some shopping. She placed her packages at the foot of the stairs, and headed for her father’s office.

At first she thought her father had a girlfriend. The woman was in her late thirties or early forties. She was attractive in a matronly sort of way. Her hair was auburn, her features very pleasant. It didn’t take but a few more seconds to realize there was a family resemblance.

“Caitriona this is Ashley. Ashley, this is your cousin Caitriona (pronounced Katrina) Fleming. I’ve hired her to be your mentor for a while.”

“Uh, hi,” Ashley said not being exactly sure what to say.

It took a while to get all the facts straight, and even then, Ashley was not sure what to believe. Caitriona had moved from Ireland to the US at least ten years before. She was a licensed midwife, and had been living near Limestone, Maine for a number of years. She’d been working with the Native Americans in the area.

“So, you are about to start on a great adventure,” Caitriona said when they were finally alone.

“You might say so,” Ashley replied. “However, I’ve been working on this for quite a while, as dad may have told you. I’m assuming he told you pretty much everything.”

“Well, as much as he knows. Men seldom really understand women, and he knows that. He’s asked me to help you as much as I can so that things go smoothly for you. This must be very difficult for you.”

“On the contrary, the hard part was living a lie for all those years. I have access to plenty of money, and I could have bought all the drugs I needed over the internet, but I’m not a doctor. I might have really screwed things up for me. I could have flown to Thailand and had the operation, but I didn’t want to take that chance. I want to do this the right way, and I am so happy father’s been so supportive. He’s probably right. I do need a mentor. As you probably heard, mother would not go along with this at all, and it’s probably best that she know nothing about what’s going on until it’s a fete accompli. She had a rough time with alcohol, and I’d hate for her to blame herself about this and relapse.”

“I know all about your mother, but I haven’t seen her in eighteen years,” Caitriona said looking at Ashley. “The last time I saw you, you had a head of red fuzz.

“Look, I don’t know why your father said what he did other than he probably doesn’t want to open up old wounds.”

“Said what?” Ashley asked.

“I’m not your cousin. I’m your mother’s half-sister. I’m your aunt. Your grandfather had a little dalliance about five years after your mother was born, and I am the result. No one knew about me for many years. My mother never married. She was killed in the Belfast riots when I was twelve.

“Mom left records in a security box, and we found out who my father was. Of course, by then he was dead. They contacted your mother’s family in the US, but they wanted nothing to do with me. A wonderful family adopted me, and we moved to Dublin where the religious bigotry wasn’t nearly as strong. I didn’t understand for a long time how my family could afford to send me to the university, Trinity College. Father was a bartender at The Brazen Head, Mother was a seamstress. I became a midwife, something I had always wanted to do.

“It was a bit after graduation that I found out that your father had paid for my education. Your mother had let it slip that she had a younger half-sister, and your father, being the rich man that he is, found me and sent money to my parents for my education. There was only one stipulation, he wanted me to move to the US. He said there was a serious need for midwives. I didn’t have any problem with coming over here. I knew there was a need here as well. Apparently, your mother didn’t know what he’d done. She was cordial enough at first; however, I think she thought your father and I were having an affair. She was quite pregnant at the time with you, and probably felt she was unattractive.

“I stayed around until a bit after you were born. I’ve seen hundreds of newborns, and you were a very pretty baby. You could have been a girl for all I could see.”

“Well, I was,” Ashley said. She was finding that her aunt was quite a story teller; especially with her rich brogue.

“Your father paid for my continuing education courses so I could get my license here. He sent me to Columbia University, and now you’re going there. I have since worked all over New York and New England. He paid for my travel to see my parents at least once a year. When they retired he brought them over here. They are in their eighties and live in a retirement community in central Florida.

“Your father and I never had an affair. He loved, loves your mother too much. He said only one thing, that someday he might need my help. He seems to think that this is the time.

“He wants me to stay with you and give you whatever help you might need. I’d say you’re doing pretty well without it.”

“What exactly does he want you to do? I’m pretty self-sufficient.”

“He wants me to be there as an advisor; to help you through this journey. He wants you to be a confident young woman. I’ll take care of the house for you, you know, do the housework, fix meals, etc.”

“Bull shit. I’m not going to have a handmaiden. We will share duties. What about your work? You shouldn’t have to give that up.”

“I am very well off thanks to your father, and he’s going to pay me quite well while we’re together. This is my mission: to help you become a confident, beautiful young woman, and an outstanding nurse. I think I’ve been given an excellent canvas.

“We need to find a place to live. Your father has made reservations for us at a very nice hotel. He has also contacted an estate agent to help us.

“Did I tell you your hair is beautiful?”

The search for housing doesn’t go well at first; however, things suddenly, go in a very positive direction. Ashley and Caitriona meet Fanny Essegian and her niece, Demeter Esterházy. It just so happens that there is going to be a room available in the brownstone that Fanny and her husband have owned for 40 years. Fanny is concerned for Ashley, but is relieved to find out she is transitioning the right way.