Jesse and Renata sat in silence as each watched as the Mexican landscape went by. Both were lost in thoughts of their own as they traveled with this strange guy that was nice to give them a ride. Renata was wondering if she should tell Ranger Jesse the truth about herself. He would find out either way when they ran her name to verify her citizenship for him to get her across the border.

“Jesse, how do you feel about people born one gender, but feel they should had been born the other gender?” His response would determine what she tells him.

“I don’t see any problem with them. I try not to judge any one.” Jesse had heard about transgender people, but has never met one before that he knows of.

“How would you feel if one went into the same bathroom as your mom, sister or aunt? I mean if you knew that the person use to be a guy?” Renata was watching him. Seeing how his reaction would be.

“If that person was doing what they went in for, I don’t see a problem. Most public bathrooms have stalls, especially women’s bathroom. If they are pretending or trying to act like they should have been, then I don’t have a problem with it. If I was dating a person like that and they never told me and I found out later. I might be upset with them, but I wouldn’t toss them aside. I would try to understand why they didn’t tell me. Especially, if we have been dating for a while and the relationship is getting serious. Why do you ask?” Jesse looks towards Renata.
Renata wasn’t sure if this was the time or the place to tell Jesse about herself, but if they were going to get over the border he would need to know.

She looks at him and nervously rubs her hands “because I haven’t been totally honest with you. My real name is Roman García Lozada and I’m only 15 years old now. I was honest about the events that lead to me being shot and being hunted down. I ran away from the boys group home I had been sent when I got out of the hospital for the gun wound. Because one of the older boys there raped me and another force me to have oral sex with him. That was after the trail of the guy who shot me. I slipped away among the confusion after the trail. Before you ask, my parents tossed me out of the house when they found me coming home from a LGBT meeting as a girl. The only ones in my family that
don’t care about me wanting to be a girl is my sister. We keep in touch. I was also honest about not knowing who my true father is.”

Jesse listens to what Renata just told him. He didn’t know what to make of it.

He just looks at her wondering “why are you telling me this now?”

“Because, I don’t know how we are going to get across the border and I don’t want this to be a surprised on you if it comes up. All I want to do, is get back home to Austin, Texas.” Tears were coming from Renata’s eyes.

“Don’t worry. Once the situation is explained to my Captain, everything should be okay.” Jesse hopes they just make it to the border.
The rest of the ride is boring and uneventful, which for Jesse is a blessing. He had watched as Renata had fallen asleep. He didn’t know what he was going to do about her. She was still a minor by law, unless she became emancipated. They get dropped off in a little town, just on the other side of the border. Renata and Jesse walk up to the border guard and Jesse explains everything and asked to call his Captain so he could come and vouch for him. They did finger print both him and Renata. His came up as being with the Texas Ranger Department and there was nothing on hers, but she was listed in the DMV data base as a resident of Austin, Texas.

An hour later, Jesse’s Captain shows up and vouches for both, after a bunch of paperwork is done. Jesse suggest that Renata comes and stays with him for the night, till this mess is straightened out. Renata doesn’t mind, but she does call her boss and explain what happen and that she will need to miss work. After she calls her boss, she calls her landlord to ask if anyone has been in her apartment lately and inform him that she is going to be gone for a few days.

Once all that is taken care of, Jesse is dropped off at his house with Renata in towed. Jesse cooks up some dinner for them, while Renata soaks in the tub and wonder what is going to happen next.