Alexa B-Side: #27 - Big Brother

“Don’t worry,” I told Jenny as we sat at the family dining table. “Alexa will be fine. Like I told her, Adam isn’t stupid enough to do anything while I am around.” My words didn’t seem to help my future sister-in-law as my two siblings were having a one on one discussion following Alexa’s announcement that she was moving forward with gender confirmation surgery. I tried to comfort Ma as well, but I could tell she was worried about the conversation. And to be honest, my words weren’t really helping me either. Adam was a grade A prick. At times I thought he was more closed minded and cruel than Dad had ever been. He would see some guy who was kind of nerdy and start in on him. It was worse when he had been drinking. Still I didn’t think he would do anything with me there.

Our little conversation didn’t go much farther, because Alexa rounded the corner. She wasn’t crying, which was a relief, but she wasn’t smiling either. She sat down next to Jenny and rested her head on Jenny’s shoulder. I knew that it was time for me to have a chat with Adam. This was our sister dammit!

As I got up from the table, that thought just hit me, our sister. Growing up Alexa had been my little brother. And like most older brothers, I was somewhat ruthless on him, granted I wasn’t cruel like Adam was. Adam thought beating the crap out of our little brother was fun. Me, I was more devious. I enjoyed playing jokes on him and embarrassing him rather than pounding on him. But since that first date with Katie I realized that this was a different person. Maybe deciding to live as a woman had changed her, Alexa was someone I had come to care about. I still didn’t always understand it. Why would you want to give up being a guy to be a girl? And yes, I will admit at the beginning I really wondered if Alex was gay and Jenny was just a cover. Now I knew better. I had never seen anyone like them. They laughed, hugged, teased and kissed each other constantly but there was one other thing, they loved each other in a way I had never seen. They could be a handful, but I wouldn’t give them up.

“What’s your problem?” I asked Adam as I entered the Family Room and looked at my older brother sitting there in Dad’s chair trying to do his best Dick impression.

‘My problem? What’s your problem? How can you just sit by a think this is OK? That is our brother in there who just announced he is going to cut off his dick! And you think that it’s OK?“ Adam replied as he slowly stood up and faced me.

“Do I completely get it? No, I don’t. I could never do that, but there are lots of things that I have seen that has shown me that Alexa is a lot stronger person than she was when she was trying to live as Alex. And she is happy. I may not get it, but I am not going to turn my back on her either, she is family. She is our sister. You should show her some support. You would be surprise at what you would find if you got to know her a bit better.

“It’s just fucking wrong!” Adam shouted. I could see the vein in his neck begin to bulge and his face start to redden.

“Would you shut up!” I said to him. “I don’t know what to tell you. I can’t make you understand what is going on, I can only tell you what your attitude is doing to this family. You are breaking Ma’s heart with this rejection and even though she won’t say it, Alexa wants your approval. I have gotten to know her very well over the last year. She is some one with a caring heart who just wants to be part of the family. That is all Alex wanted and we all rejected her, I mean him. But you know what, Alexa is part of my family, and always will be. She might be a little too affectionate, a little neurotic and a lot crazy, but she is my sister and I will be there for her no matter what. Why? Because she is my family.”

Adam just growled at me and then began walking towards the dining room. Did I make a difference in what Adam was thinking? Probably not. But one thing I did learn from this conversation was that I really did care about that little crazy woman that was my girlfriend’s best friend. My sister. I just hope she doesn’t figure that out.