Photo by Wilson Vitorino from Pexels
 

Part 27 of 29

Thursday, December 26, 2013
I have a decision to make, and I've been putting it off. Mary Ann and I have been tossing around our options and her family has been able to offer some pretty good advice, but the decision is mine in the end. No, that's not completely true. Mary Ann and I have to make the decision together as it affects the both of us.

Do we go and visit our old friends and introduce Angel the Girl or do we stay home and hibernate. It's awful scary to tell people you've known all your life that you've changed sexes. Neither of us regret it, but it's going to come as a shock. It could even piss some people off so badly there could be trouble.

We had just about come to the conclusion that we needed to be honest with everyone, since this was how we were going to live the rest of our lives. Just then the phone rang and Mom hollered up for Mary Ann. She picked up the extension and answered.

"Hey Jake! Yeah, we're back for Christmas."

She looked at me and I nodded.

"We'd love to come over. We'll be there in ten minutes but Jake… Get ready for a shock."

I heard some gabbling from the receiver, but she pushed the button and cut it off.

Decision made.
 

Despite the cold, I was determined to wear a skirt for my hometown debut. A long velvet skirt, thick tights and a warm blouse. Only two inch heels since there is still ice out there and a nice, warm coat. No hat, since I didn't really have one that went with the outfit. I would just have to tough out the block walk to Jake's place.

We climbed the steps and Mary Ann rang the bell. The door opened almost instantly and Jake was there.

"Mary Ann! Good to see you! And who's this?"

"Really Jake, I told you to be ready for a shock. You don't recognize Angel, your best friend?"

See why I love her? She can be such a smartass!

Jake was speechless. I haven't been able to do that very many times in all the years I've known him.

"No way!"

"Way, Jake," I answered. "I've changed a bit since I left home."

"Jesus Christ on a pogo stick!"

"Think my Dad could locate the verse where he hops around on one?"

"Your… Dad?"

"Jake, are you going to leave us standing out here or invite us in?" asked Mary Ann.

"Oh yeah. Come in. Jesus, Mom and Dad are going to freak!"

"Looks like you're freaking enough for the entire family."

"Damn! It is you! Where did that hair come from?"

"My very own follicles on my very own head. It just never got the chance to grow before my Dad whacked it off. Since he disowned me I don't have to have a brush cut any more."

"He did what?"

"He didn't take it very well, Jake. I'm disowned, disinherited, disbarred, disreputable, distasteful, disgraced, disaffiliated, disappointing, discountenanced and disrespected."

"What she means is her father threw her out of the house and she's living with me at Grandpa's place."

"No shit?"

"There was a lot of shit, but we lived through it. Oh, yeah - we're engaged, too."

We both waved our rocks in his face.

"I gotta sit down. This is too much!"

"Not a bad idea, old buddy," I said.

"Jeez, even your voice is changed."

Thanks, Jake. It took some work."

Shaking his head, we went into the living room and sat down. No sooner than we had settled - with me sweeping my long skirt under me, much to Jake's astonishment, when his mother called out.

"Are they here, Jake?"

"Yes we are, Mrs Peters. Did Jake warn you we had a surprise?"

"Surprise?" said as she came in.

"Oh yeah, Mom. Meet Angel 2.0. They do amazing things these days when you go to college out of town."

"Angel?"

"Yup. Hi Mrs Peters."

"What's going on?"

"You watch Orange is the New Black?"

"Sure."

"Think Laverne Cox and you have it."

Laverne Cox? Wait… You're not…"

"Well, I'm not going to jail."

"Then you're… what do they call it?"

"Transgender. It took me a while to figure it out, but there it is."

"And she's engaged, Mom," Jake added. "They both are. To each other."

"Oh my!"
 

So we went through the whole thing with Jake and his Mom. It didn't take long for the word to spread among my friends, gossip this juicy never does. Naturally, my little sister got the news and appeared on Mary Ann's door, with my mother half a pace behind, before we had been back from Jake's place more than half an hour. Naturally, Dad was at work and didn't know a thing.

I doubted that would last very long, someone from the church was bound to gleefully spread the news, Christian charity being the force it was.

It's a good thing none of us were wearing makeup or we all would have looked a mess after crying our eyes out. I really can understand tears of joy these days. Mom (Wilson, that is) was right there to sit us all down with tea and cookies so we could have a chance to recover.

Mom loved the engagement rings. (I had told her in one of our phone calls, so at least that wasn't a surprise.) Jake's Dad joined us when they got back and we talked until Mom had to go home to start dinner.

She was disappointed that we were going back Saturday morning, but there was a wedding to attend and we couldn't miss it.

"Wedding?" she asked.

That started a whole new round of stories. Dad's dinner ended up being late and Mom and Debby were invited to the wedding. When Mom found out that I was going to be a bridesmaid she got a very determined look on her face and I knew Dad's objections didn't have a chance. She would scrupulously obey every one of Dad's edicts until she got her way.

I've seen Eve do the same thing with Grandpa and wonder if it is some gender-based magic available only to women. Would it work between me and Mary Ann since we were both women? That ought to be interesting to see over the next few years.

By the time Mom left and we got home, we all decided it was too late to fix dinner so we went out. I did give Mom a quick call to tell her where we were going, just in case she talked Dad into eating out because things were late.

Nice try, but I guess she decided the potential for an explosion was too high if we accidentally ran into each other at the restaurant.

Too bad.
 

Friday, December 27
So much for a day spent relaxing. Once Mom Wilson knew about the party at Jake's she and Mary Ann decided that emergency action was needed. There was still enough of the old Angel in me to say 'it's only a party in Jake's basement with our friends, what's the big deal?'

I quickly had my attitude adjusted.

This was our coming out party! Only the best would be acceptable. Besides, we didn't have a thing to wear!

OK, that I could agree with - we hadn't planned on all this hooraw and fuss when we packed. So we were awakened in time to be at the first dress shop when they opened at ten AM. Mom's credit card was cleaned, oiled and ready for action; her daughters were going to shine like the jewels they were!

At one time I thought the fittings for the bridal gowns were arduous - we tore through shop after shop in search of the perfect dress, this task made all the harder by the absolute need to find two matching dresses in complimentary colors with necklines high enough to hide my faux assets and hemlines allowing us to show off our legs properly, and the hell with the temperature outside - this is fashion! And there was a time limit - we had to be at the salon by two PM for the works.

I had no idea being a girl could be this complicated! How had I managed to live these past seven months as Angel the Girl without learning all these requirements? I shut up, raised my hands and let them slide dress after dress over my body, then spun around to be examined with a microscope. Finally, at 12:06 on the dot (I looked at the clock on my new cell phone so I know to the minute) the fashionistas approved. We didn't get out of there without some new earrings and necklaces to go with the dresses.

Must be nice to be able to just go into the store and drop that kind of money for a party, no matter how important the occasion might be. I didn't grow up poor, but this was a whole new level in my experience. I thought shopping at the Goodwill was a pretty big deal, but what do I know?
 

We barely had time for lunch. I know I must have broken some kind of rule by not having a small salad and a diet whatever, but I was hungry! I figured if my body was the right size to live as a girl after eating like I wanted to for all of my life, I really didn't need to starve myself to be a fashion model or something.

I did go for veggies instead of fries, but there are limits to what I will do for beauty. Mary Ann agrees with me, and she threw caution to the winds and had the fries, so I could snitch some of them.
 

At least I knew what to expect at the salon. I was re-permanented and my curls touched up. Just how they get away with calling it a permanent when it is anything but permanent I really can't tell you, but my longer hair looked even better by the time they were done. Mom brought in the dresses so they could match the nail colors and both hands and feet got the treatment. They even painted little flowers on my fingernails, the things people can think of to add an extra charge to the bill!

OK, I'm going to stop being so cynical. It ain't ladylike, or so Mary Ann tells me, and she should know. I was going to question why I needed my toes painted when it was too cold out to wear sandals, but I carefully didn't ask.

The painting didn't stop with our nails, no sir. (No ma'am?) We were smeared with various arcane substances and brushed and polished and plucked to a fare-thee-well. When the whole thing was done I was turned around to face the mirror and was flabbergasted. On odd word, but that's what I was.

If I wasn't already engaged to the most wonderful girl in the world I would have been seriously considering making a pass at the woman in the mirror. She was maybe five years older than I was and obviously a very sophisticated woman indeed!

My oh my! If I thought I gave Jake a turn yesterday I was going to need two pair of handcuffs for the party tonight. One pair for me to keep my hands off my face if something commenced to itch and the other pair for Jake to keep his hands off me or Mary Ann.

While I was recovering, some evil imp invaded my mind and I so wanted to stop by my parents' house on the way to the party so Dad could see me like this. They tell me the EMTs in town have a pretty fast response time, but I suppose I shouldn't take the chance.
 

Jake's party brought home just how much my life has changed. The last time Mary Ann and I were at one of his parties it was my birthday and we snuck off to do a little petting. In fact, looking back in my diary I find that it was the first time I felt her bra and I was almost as excited to feel her bra as I was her breast. To quote one of those old songs that Eve likes to play, "What a long, strange trip it's been!"

It was almost funny to see how nervous our friends were at the start of the party. I can't say that I blamed them, turning into a woman is a pretty strange thing for a guy to do. I now understand that I was being a guy as much from my father's view of what it means to be a man as from being born with a penis.

I don't think I made such a bad job of being a guy, but more than one friend told me they weren't all that surprised I had made the change. All I know is that I'm much more comfortable living as a woman, penis or no.

Of course I got taken aside more than once to be asked some variation 'you didn't cut it off or anything, did you?' The questions varied a bit but the strained look on the faces were all the same. I just took advantage of my status as a mystery woman and answered with an enigmatic smile, asking 'what do you think?'

Once the shock wore off we had a pretty good time, telling stories about what had happened since graduation. Mary Ann and I both shamelessly swiped some of the lies we had heard at the Liar's Club and retold them in our own fashion. People were interested in the Liar's Club - it sounded like good fun and was something that didn't happen in our small circle of friends.

The girls all set to gushing when they found out Mary Ann and I were going to be bridesmaids. Somehow knowing I was going to be a bridesmaid did more for my credibility as a woman than anything else I could say. I owe Eve a lot for that.

Old F. Scott was right, I had changed, but Home had changed as well. Friends were still friends, but we all had different experiences that made us different people.

But still friends.
 

Saturday, December 28
Almost a relief to be going home again. And yes, home is now in Grandpa's house and with Mary Ann at my side. Have no doubts of that.
 

Monday, December 30
Final fittings for our bridesmaid dresses. Lots of giggles and excitement. The house is once again filling up with relatives for the big day. I do enjoy the chaos of a big family gathering, I hope that Mary Ann and I will be able to look fondly out over a sea of children and grandchildren when our time comes.

We gathered at the Library for the rehearsal. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, after all Grandpa knows just about everyone in town and anyone he doesn't know Eve does, but the ceremony was to be conducted by an actual Catholic priest.

Father Henry's humor was as low as Grandpa's, I wish someone like him had been preaching at the church where I grew up. He is living proof that religion doesn't have to be either boring or infused with hellfire.

I'm not sure we even needed a rehearsal, the ceremony was so simple, but I guess tradition must be followed in such things.

Wait a minute - did I just accuse Grandpa of following tradition? I'd better go and lie down and get my head straightened out.