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Chapter 21
Robert Shannon noted marked differences in his children when they visited him in New York. He saw how Jun seemed to grow almost every time she was there. She had caught up with Robbie and she was a full year younger than him. He noticed changes in his son, too, but something just wasn't right.

One day Ashley Richardson happened to be at the condominium when the kids were in town. Robert introduced her to them as his new secretary. The children took a liking to her and when she asked Robert to let her watch them while he got things done for work, he was reluctant but gave in.

Ashley took them to the Statue of Liberty, a place Robert had avoided. He always complained that there were too many people there. Too many tourists making a fuss over something he had taken for granted. He knew his children might have fun there but he just didn't care.

Several weeks later, while they were making love, Ashley wanted to talk to him about his children and their mother. He had said before that Hana was dead but did he really expect her to believe they wouldn't live with him by default. He was their father, after all.

“You have wonderful children, Bobbie.”

“I guess.”

“Haven't you noticed their smiles? If I were them and my mother died, I'd smile less especially seeing that I couldn't be with my Daddy.”

“I told you, they live with their Aunt Keiko.”

“But Bobbie, we could take care of them. I know I couldn't be their mother but they're darling.”

“That's out of the question. They stay with their aunt.”

“Don't you miss them?”

“I see them enough.”

“If I were you, Bobbie, I'd want them with me always.”

“Well, I don't. Can't we leave it at that?”

“Robbie's got beautiful eyes. He's going to make a cute man some day.”

“I guess.”

“He really looks like his sister.”

“If you say so.”

“He's got such soft and silky hair and his eyelashes...”

“Shut up! Quit talking to me about him. You're killing my boner.”

“But he's your little boy, sweetie.”

“He's a failure.”

“Robert, why would you say that?”

“He's damaged.”

“He's a little boy and when you're young you heal better.”

“He's not going to heal.”

“What happened?”

“I'm not going to talk about it.”

“Bobbie...”

“I'm not going to talk about the thing nor it's sister either.”

“Robert Shannon, you're son's not an it...”

“Gawd! My boner's almost gone.”

With that, Ashley rang and locked herself in the bathroom. Robert heard the shower running and thirty-minutes later Ashley emerged and grabbed her purse.

“Where are you going?”

“Home.”

“Get back here now!”

“Forget you, Bobbie. If you don't love your son, how can you ever love me?”
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Apparently Robert and Ashley were an on-again-off-again couple. Robert was able to keep Hana from finding out about Ashley and, well, Ashley thought Hana was dead so Robert just said he had to go away on business when his wife returned to New York City.
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Tuesday, July 1, 1997
Ashley Richardson just couldn't keep from talking about Robbie. She saw in him an angel. Even though he would soon be thirteen-years-old, she delighted in his delicate form and pretty facial features. She couldn't understand why Robert shunned him away. He seemed like a very sweet little boy.

She talked Robert into letting her take the children to the zoo. She knew that they had been there before but was excited getting to be there with them. Robert made her swear that she would not mention their mother. He said they weren't over her passing and he didn't want them freaking out.
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“Dress summery, kids. Robbie, you should try and wear something less fleecy. Shorts and a cool tee-shirt would be pretty good. Jun? How about wearing that cute cotton dress? It's going to be pretty humid out there. Summer's grueling.”

Jun seldom wore dresses when she was in New York City because she preferred jeans and a pretty tee. However, because Ashley had asked her to wear the dress, she would. Robbie, however, was a little beside himself. In San Diego, when it became humid, he'd shack up in his room and crank up the air conditioner. Obviously, he could not do that in New York City.

“What am I going to do?”

Robbie wondered to himself how he'd be able to discard his San Diego Chargers sweatshirt that hid his binding. Without the garment, everyone could clearly see that he was trying to hide something.

Robbie's breasts had just begun to bud. They weren't big by any means but they did make him look like a girl... like his sister. If he left the condominium without his safety blanket, how would he explain his chest to Jun and Ashley? He knew he would soon need a bra but he hadn't even showed his mother them yet.
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Jun walked past his door and heard her brother crying.

“What's the matter, Robbie?”

“I don't feel good.”

“Does your tummy ache?”

“No. I just feel sleepy, I think.”

“Don't you want to go to the zoo?”

“I do, but I don't feel good. I don't want to let Miss Richardson down.”

“Just tell her you feel bad.”

“I guess. But Daddy's counting on her to keep us happy today.”

“You don't feel good, Robbie. Tell her. I think that she'll understand.”

“You think she will?”

“I do. Maybe she'll let us stay here and she'll play games with us or watch videos.”

“I guess it won't hurt.”

“She's nice. I like her.”

“Me, too.”

“You think Daddy likes her, Jun?”

“He's hard to read, Robbie.”

“It seems like she's always here.”

“Do you think Momma knows?”

“I don't know, Jun. Momma knows everything Daddy does.”

“But she's not always here in New York.”

“I know.”

“I think she knows.”

“We can ask her when we get home.”
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Ashley came to Robbie's room and he didn't look like he was feeling good. She took his temperature and found he was a little warm.

“Are you feeling okay, sweetie?”

“Not, really Miss Richardson.”

“Call me Ashley, Robbie. If you don't feel good, maybe next time you're in town we can have a rain-check. I want you to feel comfortable.”

“Thank you, Ashley. Maybe we can watch videos?”

“We can do that, sweetie.”

“Robbie?”

“Yes, ma'am?”

“You haven't taken your Chargers sweatshirt off since you got here.”

“It's my good luck charm, ma'am.”

“You might be more comfortable if you put on something less bulky.”

“I'm okay, Ashley.”

“Okay, Robbie. I just want you to be comfortable.”

“Yes, ma'am.”
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Robert had arranged for Sheena Post to watch the children because he conveniently had an office party to attend. Robbie and Jun liked Sheena and she seemed to spend as much time with them when they were in New York as their father did.

Robert's plan was to wait for Sheena to arrive then leave and spend the evening with Ashley Richardson. He'd conveniently forget how long office parties tend to be, call Ashley, offer her a bribe and she'd be with the children for a couple of days. It was getting to be a ritual and the children just came to the conclusion that they'd see their father when he wanted them to see him and not a second more.

Sheena arrived around five, Robert left fifteen-minutes later and Ashley would spend two full days with the Shannon children.

“Hi Jun! Hi Robbie! Am I glad to see you!”

“Hi Sheena!”

Robbie and Jun were practically in unison.

“Guess what, Sheena?”

“What, Jun?”

“Robbie's going to be in a play for Christmas this year! He's going to be an angel!”

“Robbie! Yay! I'll bet you're going to make an adorable angel.”

“I guess.”

“He gets to sing too!”

“Robbie! I didn't know you were a singer! Can you sing me something?”

“I don't know, Sheena. I think I need to warm up my voice.”

“It's okay, sweetie, but I'd really like to hear you sometime. If you sing as beautifully as you are a child, you must be heavenly.”

Robbie blushed bright red.

“I sing okay.”

“He sounds like Whitney Houston, Sheena!”

“I do not. I sing more like Mariah Carey.”

The children began giggling and then Sheena joined them.

“Okay, I'll sing you one of Mariah Carey's songs and you tell me what you think.”

Robbie whispered into Jun's ear. She went to the piano bench and pulled out some sheet music, sat it on the music stand, got onto the piano bench and waited for Robbie to queue her. When he nodded, she began to play Hero, one of Robbie's most favorite songs.

When he had finished, Sheena was in tears.

“Was it bad, Sheena? I'm sorry I made you cry.”

“You have an absolutely wonderful, adorable voice, Robbie. I wish you would sing another one for me.”

“Well, I guess I could. Jun, is Dreamlover in there? I love the song a lot, Sheena.”

Jun found the music and on Robbie's queue, began to accompany him. Sheena was obviously enjoying his voice and marveling that he could reach each note with as much ease as Mariah Carey did in her recordings. By the end of the song, tears were in her eyes.

“You are so good, Robbie. You'll make a very adorable angel. Your voice alone sounds angelic.”

“He's got to wear makeup, Sheena.”

“Jun...”

"Momma's making him a corset too, with wings..."

"Jun..."

Robbie tried to continue but his tears got in the way of his voice.

“Robbie, do you remember that time I put makeup on you?”

“Yes, ma'am.”

“Did you enjoy it?”

“It was okay.”

Robbie couldn't let on that he enjoyed being made up a lot. By this time in his life he had been confiding in me how much like a girl he was feeling. He stopped short, though, of letting me transform him into my girlfriend.

“Do you want me to do you up tonight, Robbie?”

“I don't know, Sheena. I liked it when you did it before, but I don't think so tonight.”

Robert Shannon's telephone rang. Sheena answered and Robbie shuffled Jun to the other side of the room.

“Let her do it, Robbie! Please? Let her do it!”

“Jun. I don't know.”

“I won't make fun of you. Please? You looked so cute last time!”

“Not tonight, Jun.”

Jun looked at the floor and raised her head. Her bottom lip was pouting.

“Okay, Robbie. I just want you to know I think it's okay.”

“Thank you, Jun. I love you.”

“Me too, Robbie. I love you.”

Sheena cradled the phone and called the children to her.

“Your daddy's not going to be home tonight.”

“Oh.”

Robbie hung his head low. He felt like crying but he bit his lip trying to quell the tears.

“He's always going out when we're here.”

“That's a shame, kids. He won't be home until Friday.”

“But we're going home on Saturday.”

“He asked me to tell you he'll spend all of Friday evening with you.”

“I guess he will.”
Robbie was talking like a little girl without knowing it.

“That's what he always says.”

“I could do you up, Robbie, and we could all go out and do girl things.”
Robbie was really tempted but quieted up.

“Please, Robbie! It'll be fun.”

“No! I'm a boy. I've got to make Daddy unashamed to be with me.”

“It's okay, Robbie. I can take you and your sister to the movies and out for pizza. Your father's letting us do a little shopping on him.”

“Can we see 'Austin Powers', if it's still out?”

“We can.”

“I want to see 'My Best Friend's Wedding'. It's got Julia Roberts in it.”

“Maybe we can see both. Let's hurry, though, there's a sale on at Barney's!”
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