Chapter 4 –

Gaston Laignaux picked up his mail from the post office and headed back down the road for his morning coffee. He was on the beach which was to say that he was between assignments for his company. As a consultant, they sent him everywhere in the world as was needed. But, this one time, he decided to stay where they had recently sent him. He was staying in this really nice bed and breakfast up near the Blue Ridge parkway and the entrance into the Shenandoah National Park. It was nice there in the hills near Front Royal. He could receive emails. His boss had decided, no, agreed reluctantly to give him a week off because of the very long hours he worked to get things done on time during his last assignment. A couple of days earlier, his uncle Cam had texted him and told him to expect a special letter. Uncle Cam had given him the advice he needed which led to him going to Georgetown for his MBA. Now, he was a business consultant helping firms all over the world.

Gaston’s room had a nice balcony and he could sit on it and watch the sun cascade light and shadow on the ground. The birds were were singing. The first hint of fall was in the air each morning. He opened the letter from his uncle. It was several pages and that alone surprised him. He sat there riveted by what he was reading about Camy. He was two paragraphs into it and he couldn’t believe, for the lack of a better word, his ears. No wonder, he thought, he had to send him this by snail mail.

Picking up his laptop after finishing the letter, he sent a simple email to his uncle. All it said was, ‘Yes, Uncle Cam, I will do what you ask. I think it is a great idea and my parents will understand and agree. Love, your nephew, Gaston.’

Then he made quick arrangements to go back home to see his parents, Louis and Peggy Laignaux, in Memphis and spend the rest of the week on the beach at home.

***

“Twelve hundred dollars.” Cam smirked. Then he began to have a hardy laugh. “Women. I will never understand women. Twelve hundred dollars. Anyway, did you have fun?”

“Yes, Daddy. It was a lot of fun. And Sally is really nice. I love you.” Jean slowly walked up to him as though she wanted something. He quickly understood. He gave her a hug. She gave him a kiss on the cheek. He melted. She grinned at the knowledge of what her feminine power did to his heart.

“I love you too Jean.” Jean snuggled onto his strong chest and closed her eyes just enjoying the fact she could embrace him now. “Sally can be a bit of a pain, but I like her too.” Cam was surprised at how well he warmed to her embrace and was now accepting of her being a girl. Of course, she didn’t look anything like a boy anymore. And it surprised him to see how big her eyes were. She was so much more woman than boy that he briefly realized he would have more of a problem if she wanted to return to being a boy. More girl than man wasn’t so bad knowing she was alive and safe true. But finding her to be soft and gentle had it attractions to his manhood that rivaled his desire to have Camille be a man like him. For now, every protective instinct in him was on alert and he was becoming fiercely proud of his little girl. He casually stroked her hair. “I think you need to put that stuff away and then help your grandmother in the kitchen. I’ll help you carry it upstairs.”

“Thanks Daddy.” She stood on her toes again and he leaned down to kiss her on the cheek.

“That’s my girl. You just let Daddy be your sherpa.” Cam grabbed as many bags as he could. So many in fact, that she just had two small ones to carry upstairs. She looked at her over burdened baggage handler clumsily balancing all he was holding, giggled, and blew him a kiss. “You are the best sherpa I have ever had.” Then she headed upstairs with a spring in her step.

Jean’s room was quickly becoming a girl’s room. She had put up lace curtains and already had laid out her make up on a small table with a mirror. The bedding she chose with her mother’s help wasn’t pink. It had pretty roses and flowers. They had installed a beige canopy over the bed and it looked more like a bed for a princess than for a teenage girl. The bed had pillows with fringes that matched the canopy’s fringes. And in the midst of them was a solitary doll, not unlike the one Camille had left in the bushes so many years ago. On her night stand was a pile of books and a lamp. As he put the bags on the bed, he couldn’t help but notice the books were romance novels. The kind with an old fashioned girl in the arms of an 18th century stud who was naked from the waist up with her gazing into his lust filled eyes like she wanted him to eat her all up. Next to the books were a couple of catalogs from Saks Fifth Avenue. No doubt she was checking out what the latest fashions were. And then he saw a Marie Claire magazine too. And, it the midst of this, he also saw a book on Abraham Lincoln. It looked as though she was a bit of an historian.

He went to her closet to drop off some packages. By his wife’s standards, it was bare. Still, it was beginning to fill up with blouses, jackets, skirts, dresses, a modest collection of shoes, and the odd pairs of pants. Looking over at her dresser, the open drawers told the story of silk underwear, lingerie, and everything dainty and pretty. Looking past the dresser into her bathroom, he could see panties soaking in the sink and hose hanging in the shower drying. Anything that might have said this was once Camy, a boy, was not to be found anywhere in the room, he thought. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he spied an old toy the two of them had built years ago when he was in first grade. It was a Star Wars toy. The Millennium Falcon on a stand.

Jean noticed her dad looking at the Millennium Falcon and put her arm around his waste. “Mom brought it to me when I came home. I like having it. It reminds me of the good times we had before … you know.” Cam looked at her trying to hold back a tear.

“Thanks. It is nice to know those days aren’t completely forgotten.”

Jean found herself melting now. Her dad was a softy. He loved his children more than anything. His reluctant acceptance of who she had become was hiding the fact he was mourning his loss. “Those days aren’t forgotten at all. I loved going to see The Travs with you.” She came up and put her arm around him. “The smell of hot dogs and beer. The uncomfortable seats. The yelling at the umpire because he was blind. The shouts when when we scored. The tug at our hearts when the other team scored.” Without thinking, Jean took Cam’s arm and wrapped herself around it placing herself in front of him. “I liked being with my big strong dad and experiencing it all. But most of all, I loved being at his side doing something he loved.”

For the first time, Cam began to see how small his daughter was in comparison to him. He was just above average height at five foot ten. She was a slip of a thing at five foot three. About the same height as her mom. She weighed in barely at one hundred and five pounds. And those one hundred and five pounds filled in all the right places.

As if lost in thought, he asked, “Does the doctor say you are going to grow anymore?”

“No. He says that I am at my full height now. I might grow another inch maybe, but that is about it.”

“So, than means you and Sally can wear the same clothes then?”

“Yes. She and I will always be about the same height.”

“Even if you change back?”

“Afraid so. Even if I wanted to, he said that it would be best for me to wait until I was eighteen because of the possible harm in switching puberties too soon. Frankly, I think he just said that so I would take my time.”

“Well, you have your whole life ahead of you. The important thing is you are in a place where you are loved and wanted. And you know that will never change.”

“Thanks Dad. Come on, I promised I would help with dinner. I miss cooking.”

“You cook well?”

“Oh yeah! I can cook.”

***
The Larson’s enjoyed a rare treat. Dinner together. “Sally, so what do you think of Jean? Can you pass the butter please.”

“I really like her. She is a bit naive though. But, boy does she understand fashion. She must have been born a natural girly girl.”

“That is to be expected given where she was living.” Sally cast her a strange glance trying to figure out what that meant. Her mother continued, “She hasn’t had all the breaks you have because she has been living in isolation. But, yes, you could use a little education on your clothes. Did she help you buy that outfit?”

“Yes. Do you like it? She talked me into using the vest. I would never have thought of it since I associate vests with something a man wears. And, she helped me pick out this eye liner to match the vest.”

“Very pretty. I like it when you show off your figure. And the vest acts as a kind of bustier. You have a very attractive shape. It sounds like you two could very well rub off on one another.”

Sally’s curiosity was still driving her nuts. “Why is it that we can’t talk about her parents though?”

“Not until it is time. The police have requested that she not talk about it at all. We are going to respect that in the family, okay.”

“Okay.” She shrugged and shook her head. Eventually, she thought, this was going to create a problem with her friends.

Her mother sensing this asked, “How did she get along with your friends?”

“Okay, I guess. Mostly, I got the impression they said she needs to be brought into the 21st century. They think she is freakin Amish or something. Maybe one of the castaways from Gilligan’s Island. She doesn’t know anything about computers, tablets, iPads, Apple watches, X-Boxes, or even cell phones. She totally freaked when I showed her how texting works when we set up the meet and greet with my friends at the mall. Facebook horrified her. And, when the cute guys found us because of my iPhone letting them know we were close, she nearly screamed in fright. She looked real panicked, in fact. I had to calm her down because she was afraid people could track her every movement.”

Her mother put a kind twist on it by remarking, “In other words, she needs your help fitting in as much as you need hers to go shopping.”

“Something like that.” she mused knowing in her heart that her mother ws stonewalling her. Soon, Sally began to type on her phone with her thumbs and message someone. Her mother, Stella Laignaux Larson, was texting her brother, Cam, about something too. And her dad was reading emails on his phone.

***
In honor of Jean’s arrival, it was declared “Deviceless Dinner Night.” No one was to bring their phone or tablet or electronic device to the Laingnaux dinner table.

“What did you say? This is called Steak Donna? It tastes great!” Sammy was enjoying his food. “I am going to love having you for a sister if you cook like this for us everyday. I just wish a I could have my phone at the table.”

“No, Steak Diane. It is called Steak Diane. If I were to really cook it right, I would flambe it right in front of you before I serve it. I bet you really would like that with all the flames. I like it because it is a tasty way to cook a thin slice of beef.”

“You bet I would! It would be a great way to set the house on fire too. Have the smoke alarms go off. Then I could use my phone, which has been banned from the table, to call 911 and save us.” Sammy folded his arms indignantly and gave his mother a silly grin.

Mrs. Laignaux scowled back at Sammy. “Now Sammy. I will have none of that. How is Jean going to feel part of the family if we don’t act like one and turn our devices off and work on being a family.”

“Sure Mom! I was joking.” He quietly snickered to himself confident that he had made his point only to have Jessica burst his bubble.

“No he wasn’t. I have seen him playing with matches and make videos of it. He can be really mean. Not like Jean.”

“What have I told you about tattling, Jessica! And Sammy, you shouldn’t play with matches in order to post videos on Youtube.”

“Youtube?” Jean cautiously asked. All eyes turned to her and she wanted to shrink in her chair.

“C’mon. You can’t have been that isolated in Mexico?”

Grandmama thought it was time to change the direction this conversation was taking. “You should have seen her in the kitchen. She is the queen of the place. Pretty soon, you won’t want your old grandmother around.”

Cam could sense what she was trying to do in building Jean’s self-confidence which was clearly suffering from being not with it. “So, you have competition now, eh, Ma?”

“No, we love having you here Grandmama. You’re cool!” Jessica came to her defense.

“Sure, you say that now. But come Junior High ...”

Mrs. Laignaux felt things were out of control and felt reality might just be the answer. “Jean, I’ve signed you up for your classes. I figured you need a real experience in one or two classes. You will be taking French instead of Spanish. Plus, you will be taking P.E., which will be novel for you. How are you going to react to being in a locker room with other girls? Especially getting undressed.”

“Thank you for doing all this for me. I would have been lost. As to P. E., I don’t know how I will handle it. I did go into the bathrooms at the mall with the girls today. But, there were cubicles. I was a bit nervous with so many people. I think they knew it, but not entirely why. I had to explain to them that it was all new to me. I hope that I didn’t scare them off with my fears of being in the mall. They must think I am very strange. But, all the people who lived in the village where I lived could fit in less than half that food court. I have never had to undress in front of people other than, you know, the ones raising me, if you know what I mean.” Jean picked at her food trying not to make her changed condition a conspicuous point of contention the adults couldn’t explain to her brother and sister.

Her mother, understanding the hidden meaning, wondered out loud to her, “How about High School? How will you be able to handle that when you have to be there every day Monday through Friday?”

Cam interceded. “Honey, you both worry too much. Jean will be just fine. It will be an experience with its ups and downs like any other. But, it would be far worse if she were in college with kids who are too old. She needs to be in school with kids her own age.”

“Why would she go to college instead?” asked a perplexed grandmother who wasn’t quite understanding the subtext of what was really being said.

“Because she has been home schooled and has already hit the 12th grade in her studies. She could get her GED right now if she wished and move on into college.” said a very proud mother. Jean smiled at her grandmother and just shrugged her shoulders.

“But, how is that possible?” Grandmama asked.

“I was taught using a Bob Jones home school program. It allowed me to advance beyond where I was currently. Or to put it simply, I was allowed to skip grades. And, with no distraction of devices, computer games, and other electronic devices, I just pigged out on learning instead because it kept my mind busy. I really finished high school about two months ago.”

“So, it was just the home school program and nothing else?”

“Not just that exactly. I love to read. I read all sorts of books on history too. I read about subjects ranging from the Puritans who settled in Plymouth to Desert Storm in the Gulf. I read science books too. I read about advances in DNA research, biology, space flight, and atomic research. I would read anything I could get my hands on.”

“Is that all?”

“I also read classic books. Dickens, Austen, Bronte, Shakespeare, Tolkien, and more.”

“Did you go to see movies at least?” asked Jessica.

“No. I only saw those we could get on VHS tape. I especially loved Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and Lion King.”

“VHS tape? What the hell is that?” asked Sammy. The adults rolled their eyes and looked each other shaking their heads.

Sammy was taken back even further by what she said after being asked by Jessica, “Have you never been to a movie theater at all?”

“Oh yes. I did go to a movie theater when I returned to the States and saw the live version of Beauty and the Beast. I really liked it. And, the movie theater was huge. So was the screen. Of course, I was told it was a small dollar theater. But, how would I know. I hadn’t been in one for a very long time. I can barely remember seeing a movie about a car that could talk racing other cars.”

“Oh man. Don’t you know. Lighting McQueen has retired in the latest movie.” Sammy was belittling Jean, but didn’t understand it. Jean was beginning to feel overwhelmed.

“I want to be Belle for Halloween!” exclaimed Jessica trying to make her sister feel better. “I love her dress. She is such a pretty woman. I loved the actress in the Harry Potter movies.” But, even that little try at helping her sister fell apart.

“Harry Potter has been made into a movie?” The two children and the parents and the grandparent gasped and looked at Jean with their mouths hanging open. For the first time it was clear to everyone just how isolated Jean had been. Of course, to the adults it was a sad shock because they knew more than anyone what that lack of interaction with the real world cost her.

Now even Sammy was trying to help her because, he too, had begun to realize how much help she needed in order to assimilate into the present day world. “Sure it has. I think we have it on DVD too if you would like to watch it. We could watch it together.”

“Sounds great.” she said somewhat feeling like a fish out of water, but grateful that Sammy was being nice to her at last. Then Jean leaned over and meekly asked her dad not knowing what Sammy was talking about, “What is DVD?”

Copyright © 2017 by AuP reviner