NotExpected 16

Not What We Expected by Tiffany B. Quinn Eventually, the time came for the couple to leave the reception. The wedding party had all gotten together to decorate the Rolls Royce parked at the top of the circular driveway. It had all the traditional streamers, signs, tin cans, etc. and was ready to go. About the time we finished with the car, we heard the thumping of helicopter rotors approaching. I had slapped my forehead. Of course, I had thought, what does a rich guy do to make a statement? The helicopter landed on the front lawn and the happy couple was soon airborne and heading into the night to the well wishes of the assembled guests. Before they left, Sandra told me that she still didn't know where they were going. After Tom and Sandra had made their exit, the party started to slowly break up. I had been exhausted when I finally slipped into bed at the hotel well after midnight. I fell asleep with a sense of peace and wondering where the happy couple had gone.

Chapter 16

I arrived back home at the condo the day after the wedding having traveled back to Wisconsin with Sandra’s family. The Broussards had tried to talk me into staying with them while the couple were gone, but I wanted to get home to consider my next moves, I was also looking forward to developing stronger connections with my new girlfriends.

The next two weeks were strangely boring without a wedding to plan, and no job or school to attend to, and Sandra being gone. There was a vacuum in my schedule and I had to work hard to fill it. I spent a lot of the time with the girls. I also spent some time hanging out at the condo gaming when the girls were not available, but found that gaming had lost much of its appeal. Another casualty of the change.

Unfortunately, having time on my hands gave me time to think more about what had happened to me. Intellectually things made sense, if you believe in magic. Grandma Broussard had helped me see how the current situation was probably better than what was likely to have happened.

As I had reflected on my situation, I had been surprised to realize that I was generally comfortable being a girl. Sure I had a lot to learn, but with the slow transition and all the support from family and friends, physically becoming a girl had kind of snuck up on me. I suppose that if the transition had happened overnight, the shock of the experience would have been severe.

I didn’t have too much trouble with the change in wardrobe. In fact, I found the clothes to be an interesting design problem. I actually liked to explore different looks and model different clothing options and combinations. The process is much more involved than for a male, and with good reason. I found that making a girl pretty is a much more interesting challenge than dressing a boy. After all, no one really cares what a boy looks like, as long as he is clean and well groomed.

The first week the newlyweds were gone, the girls and I spent a couple of afternoons trolling the mall looking at clothes and accessories.

The local schools had gotten out for the summer the same week as the wedding so the girls and I started spending more time together after I got back. Kelley was our organizer and made sure that the four of us got together as often as possible. Over the next six years, we were inseparable. Our clique, at school, became known as 'The Posse' for reasons to be discussed later.

Our shopping trips that week were mostly scouting trips. We looked at and tried on many outfits, trying to find a style that worked for each of us. The other girls were also trying to find identities that worked for them. We didn’t buy much. From the looks of things, finding our style would be a long process.

"What do you think?" Jenny asked holding up a pleated mini-skirt.

"That's SO cute." Kelley gushed. "I wish that I had your legs. I could never wear something like that. Go try it on!"

When she came out, the skirt barely covered her underwear.

"I don't know," I started.

"Andi," Susie commented in frustration, "you sound like my mom. I think it's cute and looks great on you, Jenny."

It did look cute, I just didn't think that it was appropriate for a twelve-year-old. It was really short.

Jenny handed a similar skirt to me." Andi, you have the legs for it. Your butt is a little small, but I think that you could definitely pull it off."

"I don't know," I waffled, "I don't think that it's me?"

"What are you afraid of," Kelley asked. "You are a super babe like your mother. You will look really hot in that skirt."

With that, she pushed me towards the changing rooms.

"OMG!," Susie exclaimed when I came out of the changing room trying to pull the hem down. "Kelley was right, you look totally hot in that skirt. You will look hotter when your curves develop some more."

"You SO have to get that skirt!" Kelley encouraged me.

"Where would I wear it?", I countered. "There's not much call for one now."

Practical thoughts, like not having a venue, seemed lost on the girls. If it's cute, then it should be bought, seemed to be the mantra. It is a good thing that the girls had very limited budgets.

In the end, I did not get the skirt on the excuse that I needed to think about it. It was soon forgotten by the other girls as we found more cute stuff to wear. The skirt was just one of more than a dozen equally cute items that we did not buy that day.

When I did think about it, later, I found myself getting used to the idea of the skirt. I even contemplated going back for it.

The girl’s parents weren’t comfortable with me chauffeuring their daughters around so we would have one of the girl’s parents provide chauffeur service whenever possible.

The hardest part of my change, it turned out, was not becoming a girl. It was the fact that virtually no one over sixteen took me seriously. I found myself having trouble doing such simple things as charging on my credit card, driving, shopping, etc. Wherever I went, I was asked "where are your parents?", "are you sure that you are allowed to drive?", "shouldn’t you ask your mother first?", and other similar statements. When I would be with Sandra before the wedding, everyone assumed that she was either my mother or big sister and we found it easier to play to the perception. I didn't have that cover while she was gone on her honeymoon.

----<0>----

While the newlyweds were on their honeymoon, I stayed at my condo, but starting moving Sandra's things into the mansion for her. Sandra and Tom had hoped that I would move in while they were gone, but I decided to wait until they had settled in once they got home. I did not want to get in the way of them establishing their routine. I would have to move in soon enough anyway, once the adoption was complete.

In the crush of wedding planning, we had delayed dealing with my mortgage. Thinking that it would be a small way of paying back some of the excess funds deposited in my investment account, I worked with the bank to retire the note with my own funds while the happy couple were gone. I needed to get it done before I lost my emancipation in the adoption. Getting the bank to work with me, face-to-face was a problem.

"Can I help you, Miss," the receptionist at the bank asked me when I presented myself for my appointment with a mortgage specialist.

"I have an appointment with Mr. Smith," I informed her.

She looked at me and smiled, "Mr. Smith only deals with mortgages, sweetie. If you need to open a savings account, I can connect you with someone else. You will need a parent to co-sign with you."

"I already have savings and checking accounts," I informed her, "I am here about my mortgage."

"You have a mortgage?" She obviously didn’t believe me. "Will your parent’s be joining you?"

"No," I replied a little frustrated. "I am on my own. The mortgage is mine, not theirs."

"Are you sure, sweetie?" She asked dubiously. "The law won't allow someone your age to sign legal documents."

"I am older than I look," I growled at her.

She skeptically picked up her phone and punched in a number, "Your 2:00 pm appointment is here."

After a moment she hung up the phone. "Mr. Smith will be right out."

It wasn’t too much longer that a handsome man in his late 20s came to the reception area and the receptionist pointed at me.

"Are you Andrew?" he looked confused.

"Yes and no," I said, furthering his confusion.  "I will explain it to you in your office."

"Where are your parents?" he asked.

"I am older than I look," I growled again. "I don't need parents to conduct this business."

He looked at me for a moment. "This should be good," he said with a smile. "Come on back."

Once seated in his office, I laid out the court documents for the dissolution and the declaration of my name and gender change. "These court documents and letter from my doctor should help explain things. As you can see from my driver's license, I am actually thirty-two. The short version is that, until recently, I was Andrew but I went through a spontaneous age regression and change in gender. As a result, I have legally changed my name and been legally recognized as being female. I am still thirty-two and am not a minor."

He gave me a skeptical look as I continued, "My physical changes also resulted in the dissolution of my marriage to Sandra. As the dissolution documents show, I was granted ownership of the condominium, and its mortgage, when we divided the assets."

"So," he said slowly. "You want me to believe that you were the man whose name is on the mortgage and you want to change that name and remove the wife's name from the contract?"

He looked at me, "I find it hard to believe that you were ever an adult male. Are you sure that your parents shouldn't be here?"

"I get that all the time," I told him truthfully. "No I don't need my 'parents', as the court documents attest. And no I don't want to simply change names on the mortgage. I want to pay off the mortgage and get clear title to the property in my new name. I provided the documents to establish the change in my identity and the change in ownership of the condo."

"Is there anyone that I can talk to to verify this?" He was trying to be polite, but I could tell that he wasn't sure if this was a hoax or not. I was ready for this.

"My attorney's card is included with the documents," I pointed out to him. "You can talk to her."

"I will," he promised. "How do you plan to pay off the mortgage?"

"I can write a check now from my investment account," I mentioned, "or we can set up a wire transfer. Which do you prefer?"

"Who can verify funds?" he asked obviously doubtful of my proposal.

I handed him the card from my investment counselor. "You should call her."

He did. He kept glancing at me while talking to my lawyer. I could tell that he was still not convinced that I was who I claimed to be but he had nothing but my appearance to refute the documentation. My investment counselor assured him that I had more than sufficient funds to retire the mortgage.

"Well," he said after finishing the phone calls. "I suppose that we can take your check. We have a bit of paperwork to do to retire the mortgage and clear the title on your property. It should take a couple of days for your check to clear and to get everything else in order."

An hour later, I walked out having paid off the mortgage by personal check and with a little more paperwork to complete before the title company could get me a new title. Sandra had to sign over her interest in the property before I could get clear title and that would have to wait until she got back into town. She signed and had the proper papers notarized soon after she got home. The condo was mine, free and clear, before the Wisconsin reception. Tom tried to pay me back, but I refused. When he grinned at me, I knew that he'd find a way to get the money in my account. It was hard to win at this game.

I couldn't help but think that the process could have gone much more smoothly if I wasn't presenting as a twelve-year-old.

I remember thinking that I couldn't wait to grow up again.

By the time the newlyweds had returned I had decided that I didn’t mind being a girl as much as I minded being twelve-years-old again.

----<0>----

While I was trying to fill the vacuum after the wedding, I started thinking about the advice that my supervisor had given me when I was let go. After some searching, I found a couple of reputable universities with online computer engineering programs. Online education was a relatively new thing at the time and there weren’t a lot of options available. While I considered enrolling in one of the two acceptable degree programs that I had found, I discovered an engineering course that I was qualified to take without being admitted to a program. I enrolled in the course which started with the summer term. The nice thing about online courses is that no one had to see what I looked like. Online I was a thirty-two year old woman with a BS in Information Technology going back to school for a second degree. It was refreshing to be treated as an adult again.

I discovered that many of my courses from my prior degree would apply to the new degree program. When getting a second baccalaureate degree you only need to take the required courses that you have not already completed when earning your prior degree. This meant that I could graduate with a second baccalaureate degree rather quickly. As it turned out, I did enroll in one of the programs, but took my time, as a part-time student, and completed the computer engineering degree not long before I "graduated" from high school again six years later.

I could have completed the degree much faster, but why rush things? I needed to grow up before I would really be able to use it anyway. I wanted to spend the next six years focusing on accumulating the experiences of a some-what typical teenage girl instead of working for a living. My main reason for going to middle and high school was social anyway. I already had diplomas from both. I didn't need new ones.

While I didn't technically work for a living, I did occasionally work with Tom and his research team, mostly in the summers and on holiday breaks, through the next six years. My contributions were sufficient to get my name, along with his, on a few patents before I 'finished' high school.

In the end, I completed my Computer Engineering degree with perfect grades. The high marks on my new college degree, coupled with a few patents on my resume, are what ultimately set me up for admission to MIT for my master's and doctorate degrees. My new high school experience had little to do with my acceptance.

----<0>----

One afternoon while trolling a local mall we had quite a lively discussion about what to do that summer. I advocated for sailing lessons. The local Park & Recreation department had a program to introduce kids to sailing with Hobie Wave catamarans. I had an ulterior motive. I had been sailing with my parents all my life. Outside of gaming, it had been my favorite hobby. Unfortunately it is only possible to sail in the summer time in Wisconsin. My plan was to start training crew so when I get permission from my new 'father' to dock my own boat in his little private marina, I'd have someone to help crew the boat. There were quite a few sailing clubs on the Wisconsin side of Lake Michigan and I had sailed Lasers in local races last time I was a teen. This time I wanted to participate in the off-shore races and that requires a bigger boat and a crew. I could now afford the boat. I just needed the crew.

To get the girls used to the idea, I talked my real parents into taking us all out for a sail the Saturday after the wedding. I think that my dad couldn't wait to dock the boat at the end of the day. Spending the day with three chatty twelve-year-old girls, and one twelve-year-old look-a-like, in a confined space was a little much for him.

It was a good sailing day, and we kept the girls busy learning how handle the lines. There were lots of giggles and laughter when someone would grab the wrong line or missed a tack when at the tiller. I think, though, the thing they liked best was jumping overboard for a swim then laying out on the foredeck in their swimsuits catching a few rays.

Jenny wasn't so keen on the idea of sailing at first, but came around when she saw the athletic and intellectual challenge in it. Also, the other girls pressed her to participate as one of the team.

Jenny did, however, put a condition on her acceptance. She wanted us to participate in a beginning cheerleading class. She had taken one the prior summer and thought that it was fun. This time I was the hesitant one, but the enthusiasm of the other girls soon had me reluctantly on board.

That summer, we spent all our free time together either sailing or cheerleading. In the process we formed lasting bonds of friendship. None of us were the designated leader of the group. We were all equals. When we were on the water, the girls looked to me for guidance. When we were jumping around with pom poms, Jenny was our leader. Kelley was our organizer. She made sure that everything ran smoothly. Susie was our girly girl and fashion consultant. Susie also turned out to be remarkably kind and helpful to anyone in trouble. She turned out to be conscience of the group.

----<0>----

As our bond strengthened it didn’t take too long before I couldn’t keep my underage cover intact. Over the years, we were never able to keep secrets from each other.

Kelley had tried hinting that things with me were not adding up, but I was always able to deflect her. Jenny, on the other hand, seemed to have few filters and she broached the subject after we’d all spent over a week hanging out together everyday.

We were hanging out on the patio in my backyard, having just received a warm-up lesson in cheer from Jenny. She wanted us prepared for our first cheer lesson later that week.

"What I don’t understand, Andi," she confronted me, "is how you are allowed to drive. And my mother would never let me stay by myself for more than a day. You’ve been on your own for over a week now. What’s up with that?"

"It’s complicated," I sighed knowing that this would come up sooner or later. I still didn’t have a good cover story for it. It was so hard to keep secrets from friends. "Can you keep a secret?"

That’s a question guaranteed to get the attention of a group of twelve-year-old girls.

They all looked at me with interest. I ran into the house and returned with my wallet. Extracting my driver’s license, I passed it around.

"Take a look at this," I told them.

"You have a fake driver’s license?" Susie asked as she looked closely at the card. "Isn’t that illegal? Nice picture."

"It’s valid," I defended.

"But," Kelley looked puzzled as she did the math after she looked at the birth date, "It says that you’re like over thirty. That can’t be right. You’d be almost as old as my parents. You are way too young to be old."

"Thirty-two is not old," I said indignantly.

"It is SO totally old," disagreed Jenny. "What happened? Did you get stuck at age twelve and, like, never grew up?"

"I grew up," I told them, "but something happened to me recently and I reverted to this age. I guess that I have a do over. I must not have gotten it right the first time."

I tried to refrain from telling them that I had been male and married, but I did eventually had to confess to that too. I ended up telling them almost the whole story, leaving out out many of the details of the magic ceremony part.

"So, like, your mom is really your wife?" Susie asked trying to wrap her head around the news.

"Ex-wife," I confirmed.

"That is like totally messed up," Jenny observed.

We discussed the issue of my age, gender change, and age regression for the rest of the afternoon, and in the end they decided that my story was a tall tale, but that was okay as long as I could be their chauffeur. We had become good friends over the last week and this bit of information couldn’t undo that. They liked the idea that I could be their chauffeur… that is, after I convinced their parents that it was okay.

The girls agreed to keep my secret even though it was common knowledge within my former circles. We decided that we would follow the same path that Sandra and I had been doing. That is, we didn’t bring the subject up, but we did not deny it either if someone found out by other means. We just didn’t make a big deal out of it. I did not want to weave a web of lies if we could avoid it. As it turned out, we couldn't avoid telling a few white lies once school started. The girls were true to their word and never told anyone. It is amazing how loyal girls can be to their friends. It didn't take too long before none of them thought about it any more. I was just Andi, one of their peers and a best friend.

"Like, who would believe us anyway?" Kelley observed. "I’m not sure that I believe your story either."

"Yeah," Susie added. "You do act a little grown up and I was thinking that you must have been a tom boy since there are things that you don’t seem to know about being a girl. So maybe your story is true, but I’ve seen you in your bikini and in dressing rooms at the mall. There is no way that you are a boy now. You are just like us."

"This is a little weird," Jenny pointed out. "Don’t you think? You are too cute to have ever been a boy. I can’t see it. And you had your period last week. I think that we should just forget the part about you having been a boy."

The others agreed.

I opened my arms and we joined in a group hug.

"You guys are totally the best," I let them know.

Susie said, "Yep, you are such a girl."

"Aren't you glad that you're one of us now?" Kelley asked.

I wasn't sure how to answer that question.

Later, after the girls had gone home to spend the evening with their families, I was satisfied that I had a solution to the problem that my ‘advisors’, psychologist, and I had been trying to solve for a couple of months now. I had found a natural way to connect with girls my ‘age’. And, as predicted, it turned out to be a great way to learn how to truly become a girl.

I went to spend the evening with my parents where my mother and I had a long chat about my new group of friends. She agreed that the girls were good for me. She had been impressed with the group when we were on the sailboat together.

I ended up staying the night and the next day was spent doing mother/daughter things with my mom.