Rosemont estates was a housing addition that was unlike most. It was part of the town of Rose-Rich, but was separated from the rest of the city by a river and thick woods. The addition was carved out of a wasteland just a decade ago by a rich investor. One road led from the freeway into the quiet haven with only nine residences. The word “residences” didn’t quite describe them. “Mansions” was a better word. The community was well-planned, with trees where trees should be and streets where streets should be. There were no telephone or light poles with unsightly wires strung across the sky. Those utilities were underground. There were even street lights designed by the builder to fit in the curb. A special path was made for the refuse (not garbage) trucks. Most residents actually didn’t know (or care) how to get to the “refuse” path. Most had never seen a refuse truck. Their hired hand got the refuse to the right place and it silently disappeared from there.

Thus the scene was idyllic, but Rosemont denizens were not snobs. They were generous supporters of civic projects and were adherents to a cross-section of faiths. With only nine families all the bases couldn’t be covered, of course. The Amish, with their austerity, and the Pentecostals, who were usually not among the very wealthy, were two notable examples.

Sixteen-year-old Steven Mills liked the neighborhood except for the fact that there were no other guys his age who lived nearby, so he was glad to learn that the couple moving in the house closest to his had a 15-year-old son. When he met Michael Holmes, however, he was slightly disappointed. While Steven was a typical “rough and tumble” male, Michael was small, prepubescent, and didn’t seem likely to be the “outdoors” type. Still, Michael was an easy person to like, and he was willing to follow Steven on almost any adventure, though he lacked the physical strength and seemed to be lacking enthusiasm.

Michael’s physical attributes and mannerisms seemed a bit feminine When Steven saw Michael throw a baseball; he decided to show him the proper way to ‘flip’ the ball with the arm. Michael hopelessly continued to ‘push’ the ball from his shoulders exactly like a girl. Finally, Steven told him to avoid baseball if he could, and to NEVER let the guys see him throw a ball.

Despite his feminine attributes and mannerisms, Michael was a girl magnet, and he reciprocated their attention. He seemed to have a “way” with the girls. Steven never had a problem relating to the opposite sex, but the girls seemed to be equally attracted to Michael. Steven was somewhat puzzled by the girls’ attraction to his friend at first, but came to see that a closeness between Michael and any one girl was more similar to a rapport between girlfriends, and Michael posed no threat of interference between Steven and any of the girls. It actually seemed that his friendship with Michael was a positive influence on Steven’s relationship with girls.

Even though Michael was smaller and weaker, he would try to keep up with his leader when physical strength or stamina was required. While Steven was already well into puberty, Michael’s body had not yet provided that dose of male hormones that brought on the signs of manhood, such as cause the deepening voice, the facial hair, and the broader shoulders.

For a while, Steven opted for adventures into the thick woods that grew near their homes. Their excursions yielded only more wilderness however, and Michael would come out scratched and tired. Steven could see that his friend was getting little or no pleasure from their adventures. Once he thought Michael was going to cry. He pretended not to notice, but because they were friends, he abandoned the trips into the woods. He liked Michael, and the two gradually developed a best friend relationship that they both enjoyed. Michael had an amazing talent for art, was a promising piano student, and could play just about any other musical instrument he chose. Steven played guitar and held out a youthful naïve hope that the two of them could start a rock band one day.

In view of his friend’s preferences and limitations Steven yielded some control in choosing activities and they began engaging in less physically demanding activities such as playing music together. Michael also taught Steven to play chess. Steven was proud of his new ability, and felt it gave him some “class”. The first time Steven said “Checkmate”, Michael let out a high-pitched yelped, put his arms around Steven’s neck, and kissed him on the cheek. Then, an embarrassed Michael blushed and explained, “Oh, Steven, I’m so sorry. That’s the way it’s done in the ‘old country’, but I realize it’s really inappropriate here. It won’t happen again.”

Once again, Michael seemed on the verge of tears. Steven smiled and said, “It’s OK, man. I understand that I’m irresistible!”

Michael sniffed and wiped his eyes. “Yeah.”

Steven wondered about the full meaning of Michael’s “Yeah”. Did it mean “Yeah, you’re irresistible to me?” Was Michael sexually attracted to him? Steven didn’t believe the explanation about the “old country”. But he wrote it off as just another strange incident with his strange friend. He thought about how it would have been if it had been a boy other than Michael. He probably would have permanently parted company with the offender

But it didn’t seem offensive or strange with Michael. He thought maybe it was childhood recklessness, since Michael didn’t seem to be growing out of childhood. He realized that he had an affection for Michael that he had never felt toward any other male. He wondered if this was how someone became gay. He then wondered what Michael’s reaction would be if Steven kissed him on the lips and said, “They do this in the old country.” He thought a few seconds about it and realized that Michael would probably think he was being ridiculed, so he abandoned the idea. He wondered why he even considered the idea. Michael had kissed him on the cheek, why was he thinking about kissing Michael on the lips? Everything was different in this relationship. He figured it was because Michael was just not any guy. It was just that special affection. He refused to let himself call it a ‘special attraction’. He thought maybe it was just a natural male tendency to protect someone smaller and weaker. Maybe he was beginning to see Michael as a younger brother … or sister? That was unlikely, however, because the most puzzling part of this incident was an unexpected reaction in Steven’s body to Michael’s kiss. He got an erection! He dare not share that information with Michael. He wasn’t even sure that Michael would know the meaning of the word “erection”.

That night, when Steven was getting ready to shower, he looked into the mirror and saw a slight pink smudge on his cheek. It came off with just a bit of soap and water. Michael had probably been wearing lipstick when the spontaneous kiss occurred. He just smiled, shrugged, and said under his breath, “Michael, you’re something else.”

One Sunday evening, Steven saw a program on television about transgendered people. As he watched, he began to see how Michael could easily fit the profile described on the show. He felt that he now had some insight into Michael’s personality, but decided not to embarrass his friend by saying anything to him and, in time, maybe Michael would “come out” to him.

One day while Michael’s parents were both working, he asked Steven to come to his house and listen to him play the piano. Oddly, he called it “Show and tell”. They walked into the large, empty house. There was no carpet, and area rugs did little to quiet the echo of every step they took. Michael led his friend to the living room where sat dormant a large Steinway. The instrument seemed to yearning for someone with talent to sit on the bench and play. The Steinway would respond with the most exquisite sound this side of heaven.

Michael’s hair looked as if it had been carefully brushed and styled and he was wearing tiny pearl earrings, but Steven had a self-imposed rule that he never commented on anything about anything Michael wore. He was accustomed to Michael wearing somewhat feminine clothing, but today he was wearing a tank top and shorts; both of very thin material. The garments were obviously designed for girls. As he followed Michael, he could see the outline of bikini style panties with a pink waistband peeking out the top of the shorts. It seemed that display was intentional, and Steven wondered if it was the beginning of Michael’s “coming out:” Maybe this was the “show” part of the “show and tell”.

Michael sat at the piano and, though the bench was short, he patted for Steven to sit next to him. Steven was slightly uncomfortable sitting so close to another boy, but he didn’t want to offend his friend. After he sat, he realized the bench was even shorter than he thought, and the two boys had to sit even closer than he had thought. Michael smiled. “Best seat in the house!”

Michael’s body felt cool and soft next to his and he smelled of perfume. He told himself he was not sexually aroused as he watched Michael’s soft, tender hands play the first movement of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, and felt Michael’s soft, scantily clad body moving next to his. The mellow sound engulfed them, causing Steven to understand the “best seat” comment. From Moonlight, Michael went directly to a medley of some of the most beautiful music ever written.

Steven had heard the piano played before, but nothing like this! The music seemed to flow throughout his body. The feel of Michael’s body next to his and the smell of the perfume was mesmerizing. He closed his eyes and listened, but when he felt a tear try to drop he opened his eyes and watched his friend’s face as he played. He had inherited his Italian mom’s olive complection and dark, mysterious eyes. His features were delicate and child-like and he had a head of thick brown hair hi-lighted by the summer sun. He realized that Michael not only looked young … he was as beautiful as most girls he knew. He realized he had been cruel to drag this beautiful person through thick, dangerous woods and underbrush. Why didn’t his friend refuse? Was he so desperate for friendship? Michael seemed oblivious to Steven watching him. His mind and heart were on the music. Finally, he ended the medley. He looked straight ahead as the final notes died. Then, he turned to Steven with a smile. “What do you think?”

Steven’s heart melted. He didn’t know this person. Oh, he had seen this face, these eyes, that hair, those lips! the smile was new. He had never seen Michael smile so openly. His friend was so stunning he found himself unable to look away. He noticed now that Michael was wearing just a small amount of makeup. He resisted an impulse to embrace his friend and tried to just sit and admire the boy’s delicate features, but his friend had posed a question. What did he think? What was he supposed to say? Still wrapped up in the moment and feeling the emotions of the music, he inadvertently said exactly what he thought, “You’re beautiful!”

The statement was unexpected by both boys, Steven emitted a slight gasp, and Michael’s reaction was not like anything Steven expected. What did he expect? Maybe Michael would club him on the arm and say, “Get outta here!” No, that wouldn’t be Michael.

Michael put both his hands in front of his face as tears flowed.

Steven couldn’t stand to see his friend cry. “Oh, man! I’m sorry. I just meant ….”

Michael held up one hand as a “stop” sign. Steven sat nervously, waiting for whatever was next.

Finally, Michael put his hands down, turned to Steven, and began, “Steven, I feel like you’re my best friend in the whole world. Do you feel like that? Please tell me the truth.”

“Yeah, Michael, I feel like we’re best friends.”

Michael smiled and opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated as he looked into Steven’s eyes. Steven sat uncomfortably, but couldn’t help but admire his friend’s beauty. Finally, Michael continued, “Steven, please don’t be offended, but could I give you a hug?”

“You’re my friend, Michael, and I’ll do almost anything for you. Go ahead.”

Steven expected a “man” hug, with each putting one arm around the other’s neck and the other arm around the other person’s back. Instead, Michael put both arms around Steven’s neck and pulled his body as close as possible. Steven responded by putting his arms around Michael’s waist. Michael’s cool, soft body felt surprisingly good against his own. Steven’s body responded involuntarily. He could smell the perfume as he held his friend tightly. His heart pounded so hard he thought surely Michaels must feel it. His body was enjoying the moment, but his mind was asking, “What the hell am I doing?” Still, he held on until Michael released his grip.

Michael was smiling and his face was flushed. “Steven, if you only knew what that meant to me! I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

“No, I’m fine, but Michael, there’s something going on with you. I think I can guess, but I wish you would just tell me.”

“Please, go ahead and guess!”

“Well, I saw something on TV about people who are transgendered, and I wondered if you want to be a girl.”

“So you think I’m transgendered?”

“Yeah, you were born a guy, but you’ve always felt that you should have been a girl. Michael, it’s no big deal. We can still be friends.”

“That’s a pretty good guess, but it’s wrong.”

“Are you gay?”

“No, Steven. I’m straight … mostly.”
”
“Well, Michael, I’m out of guesses. As I see it, I just hugged a gay guy or a girl. Either way, it wasn’t bad! Is this a riddle? I give up!”

“Well, I want to tell you something that will change our relationship forever, but I hope it won’t destroy our friendship.”

“Michael, I can’t imagine anything you could stay that would do that.”