Chapter Four

“Mother, what are you going to do? Are you going to kill him?”

“What do you care, dear? The last time we talked, you told me you made a mistake in marrying the little twerp.”

“Mother, I made a mistake. But he’s always been so wonderful to me. He’s done nothing to justify you killing him. He’s not Dan.”

“No. You are right. Dan was an animal who simply needed to be put down. And before I euthanized him, I fixed him and let him feel pain. I wanted him to experience castration before I sent him on his way. I enjoyed watching him scream and cry. It really was a shame I just couldn’t let him live in that state, but, that would have never worked out. He’d put me out of business. I agree that Mathew is a caring, loving, person and wants to please you. But, Mathew’s not a man. From everything you’ve shared, he much more of a woman. All those wonderful qualities that he demonstrates are from his feminine side.

“A real man would have gone out and taken revenge on the boys who gang-raped his wife. A real man would have done what I had to do.”

“Mother, I would hope that no one would commit murder in the name of justice. I think you were wrong in what you did. And as far as criticizing him, I think that’s unfair. He’s wonderful. It’s not his fault that he has physical limitations. He does his best to be my loving partner.”

“Oh, hell. Frankie. Dan was more of a man than Mathew. But, he was rabid. And seriously, it’s about time you faced the real world. Men are only good for breeding purposes. They need to be treated like bulls. And you only need one prize bull for breeding.”

“Mother, how can you say that? And what have you done to my husband?”

“I’m telling you, Frankie. You need to open your eyes. He’s not your husband, he’s your wife! Everything you’ve shared points to his feminine nature. And while she was in intensive care, I gave her a little push. I started her on hormones.

Frankie moaned. “Why, mother? What did he ever do to hurt you? That man helped me grow out of my trauma of being raped. He’s been patient and loving. He’s never made me feel threatened or dominated. No, he’s been more than kind and loving. And what have you done to him?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I really haven’t started the complete process with him yet.”

“Process? What process? It sounds like you’ve done this before!”

“This is what you do with the runts of the litter. You castrate the males, soften them up like the girls, then you make them useful by serving them up at the table. And, yes. I have.”

“You’ve done this to a man?”

“Yes. A useless man, a good for nothing man. A man that was only good for procreation. Well, and once he’d done the deed, he needed to become useful. So I performed my process and made her a loving woman. I didn’t have to sacrifice her, but sent her forward with a new direction. And she loved serving a useful role. You loved her. You described her as a second mother.”

“Aunt Edna?”

“Oh, yes, baby. Your Aunt Edna started out as your father, Edward. Right after we were married, he declared that I should take care of him. And just because he came from money, he told me I should be grateful that was paying for my schooling. He thought I should worship the ground he walked on. Well, he leaned a lesson from me. Once I chemically castrated that cad, he wasn’t as demanding anymore. And before long, he was begging my forgiveness and asking me to help him find a purpose. Eventually, with the proper training she became your wet nurse and raised you. In turn, I made her complete.”

Frankie stared. She couldn’t stop the pounding in her head. “I thought Edna went off to be married in California. I met her fiancé William.”

“That was part of the deal. She begged me for that final surgery and when you started school I allowed her to leave and find true love. She really believed that’s what she wanted. I used psychotropic drugs, mind control through auto suggestion, and of course testosterone blockers and powerful estrogen compounds to make sure it work.”

Frankie was horrified. “And that’s what you’ve done to Mathew? You’ve chemically castrated him and pumped him full of estrogen?”

“Oh no, baby. Remember, he was always incapable of performing his manly duties. And I only started dosing him four weeks ago when I started treating him for Covid. He recovered so quickly from the virus that I had to give him pneumonia to keep him in ICU.”

Frankie stared at her mother. “That’s crazy! You gave Mathew pneumonia? What if he had died?”

“Oh, honey. I was right there with him. And seriously, if he’d died, wouldn’t that have answered all your prayers? As a widow, you’d have his money and you could finally date a real man. Win-win!”

“Mother, you need to stop. I don’t want you touching him. I want you to leave us alone and give us some space. Mathew might not be perfect, but you need to stop playing God with our lives.”

As her mom packed up, she knew that her daughter would see the truth soon enough. She also knew that the Norplant device she’d already put under Mathew’s skin would continue to deliver the proper doses of daily estrogen over the next three months.