Chapter 2

Sunday, May 2^nd, 2023

5:52 AM

Marcia woke up and was disoriented by the unfamiliarity of the room for a moment, then remembered the day before. In two more days, it would be her seventeenth birthday, and she was very much looking forward to it. She and Darryl were planning to spend time heading into Anchorage and exploring before her birthday dinner. Her parents were heading down from Fairbanks, and would be arriving later in the day.

She heard some dogs barking in excitement from outside, followed by a man’s voice. It sounded like Bruce, but was too faint for her to be certain. She picked up her phone and glanced at the time. It was almost six in the morning. Why would Bruce be up so early? she wondered. They were on a farm, but it was more a vegetable farm than a dairy farm or something like that.

To solve the mystery, she sat up and looked out her southeast window. It gave a nice view across the farm and to the river. Past the river were the Chugach Mountains of which Pioneer Peak was one, standing like a lone sentinel watching over the Matanuska Valley laid out below. Sure enough, looking toward the farm dogs below, she saw him heading for the barn where the horses and few cows were.

She got up and quickly got dressed to go outside. She put on some minimal makeup, and then headed toward the stairs.

She stopped by her nephew’s room, and was happy to see he’d taken up approximately a square meter drawing Pioneer Peak. In the foreground, he’d drawn the farm, then the river. Marcia recognized exactly where the scene was drawn from. At the southeast end of the hall, right across from her room, was a window that looked out on the view he’d drawn. The view from her window was almost exactly the same.

The little boy was still asleep, and she could see his chest gently rise and fall. She tiptoed out and then headed down to the first floor. In the kitchen, she found her boyfriend, dishing up some eggs and bacon for himself.

“Hi, Foxy,” he said as he saw her come in.

“Hi,” she said to him, when she separated from the kiss she’d planted on his lips.

“Wow,” Darryl said. “I like this living in the same house!”

She grinned in agreement, then headed for the coffee pot. She got two mugs and poured coffee for both of them, before walking over to the breakfast nook to serve it.

Sitting down opposite him, she handed him his coffee, then stole a piece of bacon off his plate.

“Would you like a plate?” he asked.

“No, I’m fine,” she told him as she took a piece of toast off his plate.

“Uh huh,” he said. “I’ve noticed that everything on my plate is free game, ever since we started dating.”

“Is there a problem with that?” she asked as she took a sip of her coffee.

“No, not really,” he replied. “How come you’re up so early?” he asked her.

“I could ask the same of you! I heard a voice outside. It’s Bruce. I figured I’d help him, then I found you in here.”

“I heard him too. I remember Chet saying Bruce goes to church, so I figured I’d help him get things done.”

Darryl finished his eggs, and saw Marcia was eyeing his last piece of bacon. Gallantly, he handed it to her, and then carried his plate to the sink. He quickly washed it, along with the cutlery and pan he’d used, then they both headed outside.

-=#=-

They found Bruce in the barn, feeding the few cows that were at the end of the stalls. The horses already had some oats and hay. Their water troughs were full also.

“Can we help you with anything?” Marcia asked.

The man glanced their way, and smiled. “Not really,” he told them. “We don’t do a lot on Sunday. I figure it’s the Lord’s day, so I let the help have time off. I feed and water the animals, then I get ready for church myself. I appreciate the offer, though.”

“You’re welcome, Bruce,” Darryl told him, then the couple made their way back into the house.

They sat down at the breakfast nook again, had some more coffee, and discussed what they had planned for the day. After church, they wanted to do some exploring of the area, including the farm, but especially down to the river.

Nearer the glacier that fed it, the river was extremely fast moving. It was full of rapids, and a person wouldn’t want to get into the water there. Not that a person would voluntarily get into the water this far south of the glacier. The water was still cold as ice.

While they were discussing things, Mage walked into the kitchen. She’d set an alarm for seven AM, and had got up as soon as it went off, and headed straight down to the kitchen, given that she was wearing a robe, and slippers. She acknowledged the two while she went straight for the coffee pot. After she poured a cup, she ground more beans, and prepared another pot.

Without turning around, she sipped her mug to the bottom. After she was done, she turned around and smiled. “Good morning, you two.”

“Hi, Sis,” Darryl replied. “Evening out the blood level in your caffeine stream?”

“It’s always best to do that before I talk to people.”

Marcia giggled at that, and Mage came to sit down beside her. “Planning your day?” she asked the couple.

“Yeah,” Marcia said. “I know Palmer isn’t really that big, but we were thinking of seeing some of the sights. I’ve read about Eklutna Lake and the river. I guess it’s fed by a glacier.”

Darryl then added, “We’d also like to visit Eklutna Village. There’s an old Russian Orthodox Church there with a graveyard beside it. There are little decorative spirit houses over the graves.”

“That sounds interesting,” Mage said. “Chet and I are going to take a walk down to the river again. Probably take a picnic down with the kids.”

Marcia smiled. “That sounds like fun. Darryl and I are planning on taking a walk down there when we get back.”

-=#=-

The family went to the same church that Bruce attended, and found that it would undoubtedly be a great place to continue going to.

After service, Darryl and Marcia got into the Mustang and headed off to visit a few sights around the area.

They went to the village, and enjoyed looking at the old church. They read the sign telling why the spirit houses were placed over the graves, then got in the car and headed to the lake and glacier in the mountains. It was very peaceful there, and they sat down to eat some food they’d gotten in town, gazing out at the water.

After eating, they went home, and made a walk down to the Matanuska River. The water still moved quickly, but it was deep enough at this point to where there weren’t any rapids, making it especially peaceful.

-=#=-

6:27 PM

When Darryl and Marcia got back to the farmhouse, they found Chet and Mage playing a game of Pinochle in the kitchen. They asked if they could join in, and were welcomed into a team game.

They played three games, and Marcia and Darryl won each one, although it was mainly due to Marcia. There really wasn’t a match for Marcia’s memory of where the cards were, and she was able to play accordingly.

Eventually, Chet and Darryl decided that they had better get to bed to accompany Bruce in the morning, so Mage and Marcia were left sitting at the breakfast nook. Mage got up and went to the freezer and came back with a couple of ice cream Drumsticks®. She handed one to Marcia, and sat back down.

“I thought these were Chet’s,” Marcia commented.

“That’s one of the things about being married,” Mage told her. “I can get into his snacks without getting in trouble.”

“Yeah,” Marcia agreed. “My breakfast this morning was what I swiped from Darryl’s plate.”

Mage giggled at that. “I don’t know how many times Chet’s supplied breakfast and lunch for me in exactly that way.”

Marcia became a bit more serious and asked, “What’s it like?”

“Stealing Chet’s food?”

“No,” Marcia said, giggling again. “I’ve got a pretty good idea of that.” She cocked her head and said, “Being married. Having kids. Sex.”

Mage almost chocked on her ice cream. “Uh… Well… Being married is wonderful, as is having kids.” She paused a moment. “I never thought I’d have kids, then Chet told me about how you, Amber, and him were adopted. I thought he was crazy at first, but then it happened.”

“I know I’ll never have my own kids,” Marcia said, looking downcast.

“Now that’s just not true,” Mage told her. “Sammy and Allie are our kids just as surely as if we were their biological parents. You can’t have biological kids, but you can have your own kids.”

“But they’re not biological.”

“That doesn’t matter. They’re still your kids. I don’t think I could love either of them any more than I do now. Even if I’d given birth to them.”

Marcia nodded, thinking about what Mage had said. Eventually, she looked her sister-in-law in the eye and asked, “So how’s sex?”

Mage laughed outright. “Well, I’m not sure how much you want to know about your brother’s performance.”

Marcia made a face. “Probably not much. I guess I’m wondering how it feels.”

“I’ll tell you this,” Mage giggled. “Chet’s one of the most gentle people I’ve ever met. Especially in the bedroom.”

“Uh… Yeah... That’s probably TMI.”

Again, Mage giggled. “I thought it might be.” She thought for a moment, then said, “Marcia, it’s incredible. Having someone that you love dedicated to making you feel… Well… incredibly feminine is just… just… indescribable!”

Marcia got a sad look on her face, and said, “I’ve got about 18 months till I can experience it like that.”

“You don’t want to get married till you’ve had your bottom surgery, do you?’

“I don’t want to have homosexual sex.”

“Marcia,” Mage exclaimed. “You are not a boy. You’ve never been a boy.”

“I am physically,” Marcia argued.

“Have you looked in the mirror lately?” Mage asked her. “You’re a beautiful young lady. I don’t see any boy there.”

“But…”

“I’ve heard people talk about plumbing problems, Marcia. That’s all you’ve got, and that can be fixed.”

“I don’t want to experience sex as a boy.”

“Did you hear me, Marcia?” Mage asked, exasperated. “You’re not a boy! You’re a lovely girl. When was the last time you… well, masturbated?”

“What!?”

“You heard me,” Mage told her. “I’ve been very open with you, so I’m asking you something personal.”

“I haven’t been able to for a couple of years. Actually, I haven’t wanted to touch my… plumbing problem. It’s a reminder of when I was… When everyone thought I was a boy.”

“I understand, Sis. The thing is, they were wrong about you. You know that. “ Marcia nodded in agreement, and Mage went on. “Darryl loves you unconditionally. He’ll never change that. In fact, I know Darryl considers what you have as simply a birth defect.”

Again Marcia nodded.

“You’ve gone through a female puberty,” Mage told her. “I wish I’d developed breasts like you have. And, your hips.”

“You look great!” Marcia told her.

“My figure isn’t like yours.”

“I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough credit,” Marcia argued.

The two talked for a bit longer, then mutually decided to head off to bed.

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--Rosemary