After we were driving for a while, everybody seemed tired and therefore the talking stopped. Mary fell asleep after her long flight. Her head leaned on my shoulder while she was sleeping. I gently touched her hair and face and whispered: Get some nice rest, big sis. Soon we will be home. Dad seemed tired too and it was slowly getting dark. I felt so happy and loved in this very moment. My best friend, mentor and role model was finally with me again. I have been feeling more and more confident since I met Sammy and her friends. I felt I was already part of the group, even though I have only met them once. The car slowed down and our home town was near. We left the interstate and now it was only about twelve more miles. Mary started waking up. She smiled at me and squeezed my hand.

“Let’s talk after supper in my room.” Mary whispered in my ear.

I nodded. Mary smiled and soon dad pulled into our driveway. We unloaded the car as mom came almost running out the door hugging and kissing Mary. My family was complete. We all went inside and took our winter clothes off. We all settled in the living room. Mary and I on the big sofa, holding hands.

“It feels so good to see you two together again. My sweet babies” mom said smiling.

“They could not let go of one another when they were reunited at the airport.” Dad said also smiling.

Mary and I looked at one another and burst out laughing.

“Aren’t you two adorable. Soon we can eat. I have chicken in the oven and there will be macaroni and cheese” mom told us.

“Great. I am hungry. I hope that all of us can sit together later tonight and talk. I have a lot to tell you. However, after supper Randy and I want a private sibling conference in my room.” Mary said a little mysteriously.

Mom and dad looked at one another and then at us. Both nodded.

“I am not surprised. You two always had some secrets. Can I bring you desert up? We have chocolate cheesecake.” Mom said enthusiastically.

“I am fine with that.” I said looking at mom. Mary nodded too.

“Great. Why don’t you guys wash your hands and help set the table. Mary, you can put your laundry in the basket downstairs. I will take care of that later. I made your bed. Your room is ready to go.” Mom stated.

“Thanks, mom. You are the best.” Mary said thankfully. She gave mom a hug and a kiss.

“Come on, babe. Let’s set the table.” Mary insisted while smiling at me.

I followed her willingly. She started taking out plates while I got the silverware and salad bowls ready. I also set up hot plates for the food while Mary filled cups with ice tea for everybody. The whole time during this important procedure, we could not stop smiling at one another. We finished setting the table while mom and dad got the food ready. Finally, we all sat down and started eating. Mary seemed a bit recovered from her long trip. Everybody started talking at once. Mary told us all about her classes. She loved it in Oregon. She made a lot of new friends, enjoys the library, likes most of her classes and professors, loves the cafes and book stores and went to the beach several times even though it was chilly in October.

After supper, we cleaned up together and Mary and I looked at each other knowingly.

“Mom, Randy and I will take our cheesecake and go to my room.” Mary said to my mom.

“Okay you guys. Please come back down in about an hour. We want to discuss tomorrow and maybe play cards or board games.” Mom told us.

We both nodded and went upstairs with our plates. I started shaking a little bit because I was nervous. We closed the door, set our plates on a table and looked at each other intently. Then Mary came over, gave me a big hug and whispered in my ear: I love you, baby sis.”

For a moment, I was shocked. I was shaking more. She let go of me and I whispered the words: How long have you known?

“I’ve known for a long time, babe. The last few months we have been talking on the phone just strengthened my belief that you are a girl. Meeting Sammy and her friends really opened you up and I could sense your feelings. Seeing you at the airport confirmed that I was correct. I always wondered if we will have this conversation. If this day will ever come. Now it is here. I was afraid of this day but I also hoped for it. I want to encourage you to be you. Whoever you want to be. You are a wonderful person with a big heart. I will always be your sister.” Mary said getting teary.

I started crying. We hugged again and then settled on Mary’s couch holding hands.

“You are the most important person in my life. I love you with all of my heart. I don’t know what I would do without you. You are my role model. You are such a strong person. I always admired your courage and bravery. You know what you want and you go for it. And you are kind hearted and sweet.” I told Mary.

We hugged again and then started eating our cheesecake. After a while Mary started talking again.

“We have to tell mom and dad.” Mary said with determination.

While I agreed with her, I was not sure what to say. I started feeling uncomfortable.

“This might not be easy.” I told her.

Mary nodded.

“You are right, babe. From now on it will get very hard for you. Are you ready for that?” she inquired.

“I think so.” I answered cautiously.

“Babe, this will be a tough journey. You need to be aware of that. You will have a lot of support from me and I feel confident that mom and dad will come around. Dad might be a tough nut to crack. However, some people will question you, challenge you or even attack you. You have a sweet and gentle heart but you also need to grow toughness so you can defend yourself.” Mary insisted.

“Well, there already was a situation like this.” I told her.

“Why? What happened?” Mary asked.

“My friend Sammy knows. When I met her friends the first time, Sammy and I decided to confess that I am a girl. All the other girls offered support except Michelle. Michelle was freaked out and shouted some insults at me. I brushed it off and the other girls jumped in and defended me.” I confessed to Mary.

Mary looked at me in shock.

“That is just incredible. Oh, my god, babe. I am so proud of you. I did notice that you seemed more self-confident on the phone in the last few weeks and I can tell now for sure.” Mary said with admiration.

I was beaming with pride hearing that from my big sister. We hugged again.

“Oh, the girls and I decided on a girl name for me. It’s Riley.” I told her.

“That is so cool. I like it.” Mary replied.

“What do we do now?” I asked my big sister, wondering what the future might bring.

“We need to think about a strategy how to tell mom and dad. This needs some preparation and we need to tell them soon. You are going to need hormonal therapy before you really hit puberty and eventually you will get surgery to change your gender. I am sure you will also get therapy so that they can really be sure that you are a girl.” Mary explained.

I was a little stunned Mary knew so much about this. I also felt uncomfortable by the prospect of surgery. This thought did not occur to me but seemed plausible.

“Riley, is this what you want?” Mary asked me looking very serious.

I looked her deep in the eyes and nodded.

“Then that is settled. When do you think are you going to tell mom and dad? Do you want me to be there with you?” Mary inquired.

“I was thinking when we are off school for Christmas and yes, I want you to be there. As support. I will try to tell them what I feel deep inside of me and that I am Riley and not Randy. I hope they will still love me.” I said a little emotionally.

“Of course, they will. They will always love you, babe. They most likely will need time to adjust. We are a strong family.” Mary said very convincingly.

I nodded and smiled.

“So, how did you and Sammy become friends? And tell me everything about those girls. I am very curious.” Mary asked me.

“Well, Sammy is in the same math class but we never really talked. We ran into one another at Macy’s in the pantyhose section. I looked at them because I love to wear them.” I confessed.

Mary seemed a little shocked.

“Was that embarrassing for you?” Mary asked me curiously.

“Yes. I felt caught but Sammy said I should not worry. She will not tell anyone. We had a nice talk and after that we hung out a bit. She came over here and we had a good time.” I told Mary.

“What did you guys do when Sammy was here?” Mary wanted to know.

“Well, just girlie stuff.” I said blushing a bit.

“And?” Mary asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, we kissed a bit.” I confessed.
“
Wohoo!” Mary yelled out. “Was it nice?” she asked further.

“Yes. I loved it.” I said truthfully.

“So, do you like girls or boys or both? Is it okay if I ask that?” Mary inquired.

“I am not sure. Maybe both. I have not thought about boys that much yet.” I explained.

“Very interesting. You will have time to figure that out. Don’t rush that.” Mary advised me.

“And what did you guys do when you were at Sammy’s house with those other girls?” Mary inquired.

“Well, we played dress up. I tried a black dress with a pair of black sheer pantyhose.” I said truthfully.

“Well, how did you look? I bet you looked cute.” Mary said excitedly.

However, you didn't tell me yet how the other girls reacted when you told them.” she asked sounding concerned all of the sudden.

“Well, they were cool with it” I said hesitating a bit.

“How do you know that you can trust them?” Mary asked seeming very concerned.

“Well, they are Sammy’s friends. She took me aside and asked if we want to tell them. She was convinced that it will be fine.” I said feeling hesitant and insecure.

“Like I told you, Michelle started freaking out when I told them that I want to be a girl. She seemed disgusted but Sammy and her friends defended me which made Michelle angry and so she left.” I said feeling a bit upset.

“It’s okay, babe. I just want to protect you.” Mary assured me giving me a hug.

I nodded and Mary suggested we should go downstairs like mom and dad wanted us. We hugged and kissed and went downstairs again. Mom and dad were sitting in the living room, watching TV and talking. They both looked at us at the same time and smiled.

“Ah, the two love birds are back. Are you done with secret sharing for now?” dad asked us.

We both looked at each other and nodded.

“Join us. We just started discussing tomorrow. We will have the traditional Thanksgiving dinner of course and I will assign both of you little jobs to do. We also need to talk about Friday. Would you two like to go out or would you rather stay here?” mom asked us.

“I am not sure. I would like to do a little shopping but mostly spend time with my babe. I want to take Ril…I mean Randy to Clair’s Café for a hot chocolate.” Mary said seeming a bit nervous.

Mom and dad looked at each other for a second and then dad spoke.

“Well, I am glad you two are reunited. But we want to spend time with both of you as well. Maybe we could go see a movie as a family?” dad inquired.

Mary, mom and I nodded and so we agreed to watch a movie on Friday night. We settled into the living room and mom suggested to play Apples to Apples. We all had a lot of fun. I loved these family moments. During a break, I looked out the window and saw the bright moon and stars. It was a clear and chilly night and I hoped everybody would have a nice family time like I was experiencing it at this very moment. I wondered what Sammy was up to. So, I decided to text her. Sammy told me she was excited about my text and that she wanted to get together with me on Friday. I told her that Mary and I wanted to go to Claire’s café. She asked if she could join which Mary had no problem with. On the contrary, Mary seemed eager to get to know Sammy.

A very exciting and emotional day was coming to an end. I fell asleep feeling happy and loved.
I woke up late on Thanksgiving morning. I got dressed and walked downstairs into the kitchen. Mom was sitting at the kitchen table having breakfast.

“Good morning, honey!” mom greeted me.

“Morning, mom!” I answered yawning.

“How do you feel?” mom asked me.

“Great. I am happy my big sis is back. I am also glad to be on break from school.” I told her.

“That’s good. Mary is still sleeping. She is exhausted from her trip. I am so proud of her. She has been working so hard in College. I am also proud of you because you are making new friends.” Mom said smiling.

“Thanks mom! I can’t wait to introduce Mary to Sammy.” I said excitedly.

“Wonderful. I am sure you guys will have a good time. Why don’t you get a light breakfast and then I will give you some jobs to do so we can get ready for our nice Thanksgiving dinner.” Mom said.

I nodded and got myself a yogurt and a banana. After my quick breakfast, I asked mom for instructions. She told me to work on making mashed potatoes when we get closer to dinner time and to set the table in a nice and appealing way.

Mary got up around noon. I was sitting in the living room, reading a book, when she came down the stairs.

“Hey big sis! Did you sleep nice?” I asked her.

“Oh yes. That felt good. How is my babe?” she wanted to know.

“Excellent.” I answered.

Do you want to watch some TV?” she suggested.

“Sure. What do you have in mind?” I asked her, but already knowing the answer.

“Gilmore Girls?” she said with a big smile on her face.

I smiled and nodded. We got the Netflix on our TV ready and made ourselves comfortable on the big couch. We snuggled together under a blanket and started watching the show. We have been watching this together for a while and enjoyed some bonding time. I felt so happy and comfortable cuddling with my big sis. We watched two episodes until mom came into the living room and asked us to start helping with the big Thanksgiving dinner. We both got to work right away.

After we helped prepare and cook all day, it was finally supper time. The meal was delicious and I felt so thankful for my wonderful family. Everybody was talking excitedly and had an enjoyable time. I looked at my parents and I wondered how they will react when I will tell them that I am a girl. After dinner and cleaning up, we settled in the living room. Mary and I were snuggling under the blanket and soon I fell asleep with my head on her lap. The next thing I remember was that I woke up in my own bed.