It seemed like just seconds ago Avery had snuggled in a warm bed in a dark room. He awoke to a room that was bathed in sunlight. He headed toward the kitchen, stopping for a bathroom break. He found his mom at the kitchen table, reading some papers.

“Hello, Sweetie. Oh, we don’t go around the house in just a nightie. Go slip something on over it.”

“Sorry, Mom”

“Don’t be sorry. Little girls have to be taught.”

Avery smiled at that as he went back to his room to slip on an oversized t-shirt. The shirt featured a picture of Brad Pitt. Brad was one of those rare guys that Avery thought were cute. He walked back into the kitchen, sat down, and stared blankly.

“What’s the problem, Honey?”

“What was I supposed to do?”

“Dig all your girl clothing out of the hiding places and put them on one side of your closet, with your boy clothes on the opposite side.”

“That’s weird!”

“I know it feels weird but remember, I’ve already seen some of these clothes. The clothes are fun and pretty and you’ll enjoy wearing them, but you’ll miss out on one of the most fun and interesting things most girls experience.”

“What’s that?”

“Menstruation!”

“Yeah, I hate to miss out on that. I’ve heard it’s so much fun!”

“It’s a dirty job, but somebody else has to do it!”

“I would gladly suffer through it if it meant I could give you a grandchild, Mom.” Avery’s voice broke and a tiny tear started to form.

Katie held out her arms and Avery gladly accepted a hug. “Honey, we’ll put that responsibility on Jeff. You’ll be a wonderful aunt and adoption is always an option.”

“Thanks, Mom. I know how to be a great mom because I have a great example to follow.”

“Thank you, Honey!”

“Oh, I was talking about Anna’s mom.”

“Are you trying to get me to disown you?”

“Mom, you know I’m joking. If you were a bad mom, I wouldn’t joke like that. Mom, you’re so cool about this!”

“I am now. I was stunned when I first realized what was going on. Your dad seemed not to be fazed about it. He actually helped me to understand. He had done a lot of research on the subject and found that this is a serious matter and is rarely resolved without professional help. Even with that it is hardly ever ‘cured’ and there have been suicides linked to it. He said, ‘This is our child. We want her to be happy.’ After he saw what was happening he always referred to you in the feminine while the two of us were discussing it.”

“OK, Mom. I like that. One question?”

“Yes?”

“Did you really want a girl when you had me?”

“What a question! I love you more than ….”

“You’re dissembling! So you did want a girl!”

“I’ll never tell! Wait a minute … dissembling? Have you been secretly studying the dictionary?”

“Mom, it’s ok. You have a girl … one with a good vocabulary.”

“Oh, that’s right! I’m trying without much luck to get her to work on her closet!”

Avery stood up. “OK, I’m going. It’s a big job, with say … 400 dresses and ….”

“That’s probably pretty close. Let’s count them after you get them sorted out, OK?”

“OK, thanks, Mom. Actually, we don’t need any hangers. All my clothes are already on hangers.”

“… unlike your ‘boy’ clothes which never made it to hangers!”

“Well, it was hard for me to hang up someone else’s clothes!” Avery headed to his room to un-hide her clothes.

Avery’s cell phone buzzed. “Hello, Anna.”

“You OK?”

“Yeah. It’s good to hear from you.”

“Want some company?”

“I would love it … if you’re the company, that is.”

“Be there very soon.”

“You won’t believe what I’m doing.”

“What?”

“I’ll tell you when you get here.”

“OK.”

Anna couldn’t stand suspense. She would run the 2 blocks to his house. Avery went to the front door and she was there almost as soon as Avery was.

“Come in, beautiful.”

“Tell me! What?”

“I’m arranging my sock drawer.”

“Wow! Sounds exciting. Seriously, what?”

Avery told his friend about his dad’s last words, “My beautiful daughter”, and about his parents knowing all about his secret stash of clothing.

“My mom made me an appointment for a counselor to talk about whether I want to be a girl.”

“Really!? Avery, I’m so happy for you! Are you happy?”

“Yeah, but it’s not done, yet. Right now, she wants me to get all my clothes out and hang up my clothes separately from the boy clothes.”

“I’m gonna have a new girlfriend. I think I’m more excited than you are!” She noticed Avery’s eyes were welling up. “What?”

“I don’t know. I’ve been unhappy for so long. If it wasn’t for you and the other girls, I don’t know what I would have done.”

Avery’s mom came into his room right as Anna took Avery into a comforting hug and tears began to flow. “Y’all get a room! Oh, I guess y’all have a room. What’s the matter, Honey?”

“I don’t think she knows, Mrs. Parks. She’s gone through a lot lately.”

“Since you say ‘she’, I guess she has updated you on what’s going on.”

“Yes, ma’am. She’s happy, but she’s confused. It’s all a bit much.”

“I’ve really got it good, Mom. I just look like I’m gonna cry and I get a hug from the prettiest girl in school!”

“I could tell if you were faking. I know you too well, Avery.” Anna turned to Katie. “Don’t tell Avery I told you this, but she is the most sensitive, kind, caring, compassionate, unselfish person I’ve ever known.”

“Oh, I won’t tell her. She’s also humble, and I wouldn’t want her to lose that.”

“What?” Avery acted clueless. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t listening.”

“I’ll help you sort clothes,” Anna offered.

“Cool! I hope I can find them all. I’m pretty good at hiding.”

My mom smiled. “If you can’t find something, just ask me. I think I know where everything is.”

“Mom! You put me through a lot of stress by letting me think I was hiding this stuff!”

“Well, you enjoyed being sneaky!”

“Maybe a little.”

Anna was growing impatient. “Dig ‘em out, Avery! Let’s see what you have. Maybe do some try-ons.”

Avery moved “boy” clothes aside and got the dresses, tops, and skirts hanging on hooks on the wall behind them. He got two pairs of shoes from a shelf that could only be seen by someone going into the closet, turning around, and looking up. He got makeup, nail polish, and various other items from secret compartments in his dresser drawers.

“Wow, you’re good!”

“Thanks, Anna, but I’m glad I don’t have to hide this stuff anymore.”

Anna got an outfit together and put it in the bathroom. “Put this on, then I’ll do your makeup.”

Avery went into the bathroom and put on the skirt, top, and shoes that Anna had put in there for her, then obediently went and sat down at the dresser to have her makeup done. Anna put just a little makeup on her, saying, “Less is more.” Then she started brushing Avery’s hair. “You have thicker hair than a lot of girls I know … and it has a beautiful texture. Maybe we can take you to a salon. They can cut just a little, but mostly it needs a feminine shape to it.”

Avery’s mom came in just then and was somewhat taken aback. “Oh, Anna, you’re an artist!”

“Well, it’s just a really good raw material. Avery was meant to be a girl.”

“Avery, I want to say something. There’s no sense keeping it from you any longer. I wanted a girl when you were born.”

“I knew it! You got one, Mom!”

“It’s obvious to me now! I know it seems like we’re moving fast, but there are two factors at play here. One is your age. It won’t be long until puberty sets in. If we wait too long, I could end up with a daughter with a beard. The other factor is that we’re actually not moving too fast. We just got a late start and we need to catch up. Avery, you’ve been dealing with this on your own for a very long time. Your dad and I had been talking about this for a while. He knew this had to be handled soon, and he made me promise I would take care of this because he also knew he would not be around long enough to do it. He knew. That’s why he said the things he said to you. He didn’t want you to think you would be doing something that he wouldn’t want or something to disrespect his memory. He knew you were struggling, you needed help and he would have supported you if he were here.”

Avery’s tears were now flowing, so he looked at Anna with the tears in his eyes and said, “Well?” She obligingly hugged him long and close.

Mom smiled at the two kids. “Anna, I’m glad Avery has you, and I’m glad I have you. I’m afraid things are going to be tough around here before too long and we’re going to need all the help we can get.”

“Mrs. Parks, I have loved Avery from the moment I met … her. When you say all those good things about her it reminds me of a term I heard in church: ‘Preaching to the choir’. In other words, trying to convince someone of something they already believe. I feel like I’m lucky to have Avery for a friend, and it will be a labor of love to help her become the girl she was meant to be. I’ve done some with her hair and makeup, but we need to take her to a salon to get her hair done and get her nails in shape.”

It was Avery’s time for input. “For makeup, I’m fine with ‘less is more’, but when it comes to nails, I want red. Not pink, not kind of red, not see-through red; I want red.”

“Anna, if I’m hearing her right, I think she wants red for her nails.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m getting that vibe.”

“Well, Honey, are you ready for a trip to the salon? This will be the first, but definitely not the last.”

“Yes, ma’am, but I still have to go to graduation.”

“You can tuck your hair under your cap. As for nail polish, fold your arms and no one will see. Or, maybe just let them see it. Do you care at this point?”

“I’ll have to think about that.”

Anna gave me a little hug, “Are you excited, Avery?”

“Yes, I am. Mom, you said you talked to Jeff about this. What did he have to say?”

“He was a little surprised, but he realizes that times have changed. He’s heard of this type of thing; he’s just a little surprised that it’s so ‘close to home’. I asked his opinion, and he said, he would back you 100%, and wouldn’t stand for anyone subjecting you to ridicule or violence. You’re very lucky to have a big brother like him. Now, on to the salon! Anna, can you go with us?”

“I’m sure I can. I’ll just text my mom that I’m going shopping with y’all. I’ll explain it to her later.”

Mom stopped. “Oh, a couple of things I forgot to mention. Just a second.” She left the room and came back with padded panties, a waist clincher, and a bra with inserts. “This stuff will give you a nice shape until you get hormones and your body gets a feminine shape without ‘help’”.