And so we wave goodbye to Frankie and Mathew. Their story together comes to an end. Remember until I post again, that there are stories galore on Amazon that I've written that you can browse.

NINE

Four weeks later, Mathew and Frankie had each tried to settle into their old routine. Mathew was back to running their company, and Frankie was back to playing golf and tennis. She spent a lot of time in the gym. They’d been going to their doctors together, so there were no secrets.

The two sat together on the couch facing Ruth Savage, their psychiatrist.

“I’ve had a chance to study your friend’s lab reports. There were some pretty unnerving revelations.”

Mathew looked at both of them. “For me, the samples they pulled from the Norplant were shocking. Frankie’s mom dosed me so drastically it was hard to fathom.”

The doctor nodded. “I’ve never heard of a six-month Norplant before. She must have designed it herself. That’s crazy. My question is whether she inserted anything else inside you.”

Mathew nodded. “Tony said the same thing. I’m scheduled for a full-body MRI this week. But, she’d really loaded up her delivery system on this one.”

Frankie spoke. “Mom wasn’t trying to kill him, just reverse everything in his body.”

“That reminds me. Where is your mom?”

“No one knows. She drained her accounts and sold off her home and office. She was renting them back from the new owners. It was like she was planning to run. I’m sure that I heard her last public confession.”

“And I guess I was her last victim. But Tony said I’ve got twice as much estrogen as I need. I guess I’m just lucky she didn’t castrate me. She had all that time while I was in the ICU.”

“I guess mother knew you were impotent and forgot about it.”

“Speaking of that, how are you making out with your therapy?”

“Good. I’ve got total control of myself. It’s not about women’s clothing anymore. I’m able to control everything successfully. Of course, my whole body continues to spin out of control.”

The doctor nodded. “Are you wearing a bra?”

Mathew nodded. “I have to for support. But it’s a sports bra to lower my profile.”

“Are you still trying to pass as a man?”

“No. I’ve just tried to have an androgynous look. Ultimately, I’m going to have to become a woman full-time.”

“Frankie, how do you feel about that?”

“Well, Mathew knows how I feel, and we both know there’s nothing we can do to change the course. The fact that he will be receiving huge doses of estrogen for six more months takes it out of our control.”

“You didn’t answer me, Frankie. You are upset about your husband becoming a woman.”

“It’s irrational. I know. But, well, it’s not been easy, and I don’t want to make him feel any worse because of me.”

Mathew nodded. “But, the truth is that Frankie was not in love with me before I got sick. She loved me but had fallen in love with her trainer at the gym.”

Frankie was crying hard. “I am so wrong. I am bad. But, well, Mathew had taken me so far in accepting myself and my sexuality. And just about the time I was hungering for Butch, well, I wanted to have a talk with my husband, hoping we were going to be able to work something out. But, then, he got so sick."

Mathew reached over and held her. He was stroking her back and trying to soothe her.

The doctor watched the two of them. “Well, we will need to set aside some time to discuss all this. But, it’s obvious that Mathew is still in love with you, and sadly enough, you aren’t with him.”

Frankie was sobbing. “I should be dead. I’m not worthy of his love.”

The doctor sighed. “Well, maybe you aren’t worthy. It takes a lot of dedication to stick out a marriage. And not to sound too harsh, quitting is not a good trait to start doing. Sometimes you just have to stick things out.”

Mathew shook his head. “You’ve both got it wrong. Frankie is wonderful and doesn’t have an evil bone in her body. And I don’t think she should stick out going down with my ship. For all we know, her mother might have implanted a time bomb inside me that hasn’t gone off. Regardless, I think she deserves a separation. I think we need to live apart, and she really needs to spread her wings.”

They both looked at Mathew, who was crying. “I think Frankie needs to keep the house, and I will find a new place to live. I think she needs to consummate anything she desires with Butch without feeling guilty. I’d say we separate for six months and then meet together here in this office.”

Frankie was horrified. “Don’t you love me? Do you hate me?”

Mathew looked her directly in the eyes. “No. I still have a lot of love in my heart for us, but I refuse to be the husband that is cuckolded. I have my pride even though I’m going through a lot of personal pain. But, I’ve gotten used to my relationships crashing and burning. And I’m not going to be an anchor around your neck.”

Mathew stood up and shook the doctor’s hand. “I’ll be in touch. You still have my phone number in your file.”

Then, he turned to Frankie. He smiled and kissed her on the forehead. He squeezed her shoulders. “It’s for the better. Now, you have no guilt. You are free to do whatever you please. Just promise me you will continue to see the doctor each week. You need someone you can confide in.”

And with that, Mathew turned and walked out of the room.

Frankie sat and cried. Finally, she calmed enough to look across at the doctor sitting in her chair. “What am I supposed to do? Where do I start?”

The doctor smiled. “You continue to do what you do every day. You sleep in your bed, eat the same meals, and follow your regular routine. And when the time is right, you ask Butch if he’d like to have dinner with you. At dinner, you can explain that you and your husband have separated because you discovered you were going in different directions.”

Frankie nodded. She realized that she hadn’t been alone in a long time.

“And you learn to listen. You should have a complete conversation with your trainer. Men like to talk about themselves. Learn about this man, not the fantasy that you have nurtured. I will tell you that the image you have imagined in your mind, well, no one could ever live up to those expectations. So, don’t exclude him because he is not perfect.”

Frankie nodded. “This is not what I expected. I thought he’d be so happy to know we’d separated; he’d sweep me off my feet.”

The doctor laughed. “He’ll gladly take you to bed. But, if that’s all you want, that’s all you’ll get. If you want a relationship, you will have to work at it. Mathew spoiled you. He waited on you hand and foot. He did everything for you. He loved you so much that he never questioned your intentions.

“But, now that you’ve spoken those words out loud, you can’t take them back. Forsaking his love for a walk on the wild side is exactly that. You’ve deserted him for another man. No man is going to let you do that and still love you. He’s going to work hard to forget you.”

Frankie sobbed.

Mathew walked out of the office and headed across the street to a bar. He needed a drink or two to settle his nerves. He had to wait in the doorway until his eyes grew accustomed to the dim light. He climbed up on a stool, and a very attractive woman came over and asked him what he wanted to drink.

Mathew stopped to think. It had been long since he’d had a drink in the afternoon. He also realized he wanted something straight from the bottle so nobody would spike his drink. “Beer, please. Do you have Guinness in a bottle”

The woman nodded, pulled out an unopened bottle, and asked whether he wanted a glass. He shook his head and took a long pull on the bottle. It was cold and refreshing.

It didn’t take him long to finish the bottle, and the bartender put another one in front of him. “Compliments of the gentleman at the end of the bar.”

Mathew turned to smile and realized that the man thought he was buying a drink for a single woman. He thought about it. He wore a button-down dress shirt, a pair of skinny jeans, and running shoes. His hair reached his shoulders, and recently he’d been taking Frankie’s advice in maintaining it. He’d even gone to her salon and had it trimmed.

Mathew’s biggest problem was his changing body. Even in a white sports bra, there was no secret that his bust was evident. He’d never been muscular, but everything on his body had changed since he spent four weeks in intensive car. He’d lost a lot of weight and what he gained back was on his butt and hips.

He suddenly wanted to get out of there. He felt a little frightened that he was defenseless. Before he could move, the man appeared out of the shadows. He was dressed well and appeared normal. He asked Mathew if this seat was taken.

Mathew’s voice was a tenor, never a baritone. Because of his early impotence, his Adam’s apple was slight. But, he wanted to clear the air.

As the man sat down, Mathew took a deep breath. “Thank you for the drink. But, you ought to know right now that I’m male. I don’t want to fool you.”

The man smiled. “I think that makes you more interesting. My name is Vince, and I just finished completing a big sale. Since I live in California, I wanted to wind down and have a drink to celebrate before I head back to my hotel room to order from room service.”

“I’m Mathew. Congratulations on the sale. I’m in sales, too. I know how much pressure you are dealing with and how you must feel right now.

“What do you sell, Matty?”

Mathew blushed. “I own a woman’s lingerie company. We manufacture and sell high-end products to boutiques and department stores.”

Vince smiled. He leaned in closer. “When did you start transitioning? And I have to admit, you are lovely.”

Mathew laughed. “That’s a two-hour story. But, thank you for the compliment.”

Vince nodded. “Well, my day is done, and I would love to take you to dinner. Maybe you’d share part one of your story with me.”

“Well, let me call my office first and see what’s been happening there today.”

Mathew excused himself and sat down at the other end of the bar. He dialed his office and asked to speak to Cory. When she came on the phone, he was starting to feel a lot of emotion inside him.

“Hi, Mathew. How are you doing? How was your doctor’s appointment?”

“Not so good. Frankie and I separated today. She can’t get her trainer out of her mind, and well, I just didn’t feel like fighting.”

“Jeez, honey. That’s horrible. I’m sorry to hear that. Was it over your transitioning?”

Mathew laughed. “Well, I’m sure that didn’t help. I can’t compete with a bulked-up trainer who sees her three times a week. And all the time she’s working out, she has endorphins pumping through her body. It’s really the end of the road for us.”

Cory suddenly burst out. “Mathew, come stay with me tonight. Please?”

“Why? Cory, we work together. I think that’s maybe too much.”

“No, Mathew. I’ve got a guest room, and my bedroom has a lock on the door. But, maybe I can help you. After all, I went through what you’re experiencing a while back.”

Mathew suddenly remembered that Cory was a trans woman. “Gee, I forgot you are trans.”

“Mathew, I present myself as a woman. I’ve worked hard to be that person. But, I have more experience than most people over what you’re going through now.”

“Okay. How about if I come to your place after dinner?"

"Why wait? We can get dinner together.”

“Well, this guy I just met wants to buy me dinner. He seems like a nice guy.”

“No, Mathew. You are not ready to fend off some guy who thinks he can get into your pants for the price of dinner. Thank him and tell him you have to get back to work. And don’t give him your number or address. Just go.”

Mathew came back over and smiled. “Vince, that was a nice offer, but I must get back to work. I’m sorry. I was looking forward to telling you my tale of woe.”

When Vince stood up and hugged him, Mathew felt himself freeze and stiffen up. He’d never hugged a man like that, and he could feel the guy’s member pushing against his belly. He realized that he was so far out of his league and wanted to run to catch a cab.

He was stuck in cross-town traffic and exchanged texts with Cory. She was already home and said she was stepping in the shower. She’d have an adult beverage ready for him when he arrived.

When he saw a text come in from Frankie, he erased her account before he could read it. He decided that no matter what she said, it would upset him. He’d never wanted to be second and knew it was time to remember all the good things they did together. He wanted to end it on a good note.

When he arrived at Cory’s place, he stopped at a florist and bought a lovely bouquet of flowers to present to her.

Cory was wearing a pair of sweats and looked comfy. “Aw, Mathew. That’s so sweet of you. Now c’mon in and put your feel up. We’ll drink the evening away and order delivery when we get hungry. I’ve gotten out some toiletries and some comfy stuff for you to slip on after you get a shower. There’s going to be no judging and no sorrow.”

Cory wrapped her arms around him and kissed him on the lips. “If you behave, you can choose the movie or decide what we will eat.”

A month later, Mathew arranged to come by their house and pick up some of his stuff. He instructed Frankie to donate anything he’d left behind.

She was waiting for him to pick up his stuff when he entered the house. She stood there looking him straight in his eyes. “I’m so sorry I fucked up our lives together. You should know that you never failed me and spoiled me with everything I could ever need. And I was shocked when the lawyers contacted me with a checking and savings account. You are more than generous.”

Mathew nodded. “And when the divorce is finalized in a few months, you will receive millions from the business. We weren’t married long enough for you to receive half of everything, but I’m giving it to you anyway.”

Frankie rubbed her eyes. “I feel like shit over what I did.”

Mathew wanted to hug her and told himself not to. He didn’t want to lose the ground he’d gained since they’d separated. Instead, he drove a knife through his own heart. “How is Butch?”

Frankie shook her head. “It never happened. Nothing, nada. When I told him we were separated, he looked sad. He told me that he’d just finished a round of marriage counseling with his husband, and they were trying to work out their differences. My dream prince turns out to be gay!”

Mathew didn’t want to laugh but secretly took delight in Frankie’s heartbreak. He knew she’d built up this wonderful romance that she’d have with Butch, enough that she’d fallen out of love with him. He did not feel any sadness for her. She wasn’t his to comfort anymore. “Are you still seeing the doctor?”

“Uh-huh. I meet with her three times a week. She’s been helping me trying to find myself and learning to be independent. I wish I could lean on you, but that wouldn’t work.”

Mathew shook his head. “It will only take me a short time to clean out the stuff I want.”

Frankie nodded. She knew that she’d ruined two lives with her shortsighted selfishness. But that was all over. “You look very nice. It’s fun to see you looking pretty. I like the highlights in your hair. They look nice with that outfit and those earrings.”

Mathew blushed. He knew that without Cory, he’d have continued to hide behind what he wasn’t anymore. She’d helped him to spread his wings and enjoy his newfound strength in being female.

“Thank you. And, really, good luck. I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

“Well, I have a lot of growing up to do. And I don’t think I’ll ever find a man to take your place. But you can’t be Mathew anymore, can you? What’s your name now?”

“Matty. Keeping it simple.”

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