On Becoming Miss Louisa Harper
of New York and Newport: 8

 

Having surprised Quinn at the wedding, Ricky wants to talk things through,
start over and make a fresh start. Every step forward creates a new complication for
Quinn, of course. I hope that you enjoy this installment, too.

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Author's Note: If you do enjoy this chapter, please consider leaving me a review? I truly do appreciate them. ~Clara
 
This version of On Becoming Miss Louisa Harper of New York and Newport: 8 has been updated with many corrections towards spelling and grammar.~Sephrena.
 
Image Credit: Image created through the use of ai at https://perchance.org/beautiful-people .~Sephrena.

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Chapter 8

From 'The Autobiography of Miss Louisa Harper of New York and Newport'

~ "Mother was very pleased with the financial arrangements that Langdon and Father had worked out for both Miranda and me. "It gives me a great peace of mind to know that you'll both be taken care of," she told us both one morning as we rode a carriage down to the docks to take a boat to Manhattan to begin our education in personal finances.

It was late in the morning when we disembarked from the water transport, onto the docks in New York City. Langdon met us and helped us all into a carriage and we headed to the bank.

"Langdon," Mother smiled, "I have not had the opportunity to say so before, but thank you very much. I am very grateful that my girls will be self sufficient after we're gone."

"It is my pleasure, Mother Harper. I want to be sure that Louisa is always taken care of, as well. This is the best way to do that." Langdon smiled and squeezed my hand.

"Really, I am the one who should be thanking you," Miranda said. "I know that this can't be easy for you, Langdon. I'm sure that many of your colleagues have expressed their lack of support for this scheme."

Langdon smiled and looked at me. "You are very welcome, Miranda, but I will happily suffer a little ridicule to secure a happy future for my wife-to-be, and in order for her to be happy, we must secure your happiness as well."

Miranda looked at me and astounded me by saying, "In that case, thank you, Louisa. I am very happy indeed."
 

~^~
 

"Why are you here?" Quinn asked Ricky as he took him into his arms and began to dance a moderate tempo waltz.

"I needed to see you, Quinn. I was unhappy without you and I wanted to be with you." Ricky smiled.

"But... I thought you were mad."

"I was confused. I just needed time to process everything and now... I think we have a lot to talk about."

Quinn looked around the dance floor. There were way too many people to talk candidly here. "We should wait until after the wedding is over. I'm going to need to dance with other people."

"Really?" Ricky looked surprised. "I come all the way out the island, put on a tuxedo that must have twenty five pieces to it and you want to dance with someone else?"

Quinn smiled. "No. I don't WANT to dance with anyone else. I WANT to dance with you and to talk to you, too, but dancing with everyone else is part of my job. I'm sorry."

Ricky laughed at his own insecurity. "Ok. If it's part of your job then I won't make a big deal out of it."

The music ended and Quinn and Ricky applauded for the orchestra, as did most of the rest of the guests. Suddenly, Evan was next to them, taking Quinn's hand in his. "Thank you, Langdon," he smiled as he slapped Ricky on the shoulder. "Now, it's time for Louisa to perform her duties as hostess. So, please excuse her."

"Yes, of course, Mr Harper," Ricky played along. "Thank you for allowing me to have one dance."

"Don't go away," Evan smiled. "I'll arrange for another dance partner."

"Oh, but I was just..."

Evan winked at Ricky. "I'll just be a moment."

Evan started to lead Quinn away, but Quinn stopped and looked back at Ricky. Then he pulled loose of Evan and put one hand on each of Ricky's cheeks, stood on tip toe and kissed him softly on the lips. "Thank you... for coming, I mean. I... I'm really happy you're here."

"Me too," Ricky smiled.

"Now, Louisa," Evan sounded a little impatient, but nearly immediately found a happy couple who'd just finished the dance. He spoke to the man in the couple, "Good afternoon, sir. Let me introduce you to my youngest daughter, Louisa."

The man seemed a bit confused, but nodded at Quinn.

"Might I impose on you to lead Louisa around the dance floor, just one time?"

"Oh...!" The man seemed surprised. He looked at the woman he was with and shrugged his shoulders.

"Go on," she smiled. "How often do you have the opportunity to dance with a legend?"

The man looked at Quinn and smiled. "I'd be honored to dance with you, Miss Harper."

Quinn gave a shallow curtsy-style bend of the knee. "Why, thank you, sir."

"I'll meet you back at the table," the woman said and turned to leave, but Evan stopped her.

"Perhaps," he took her hand, "you'd do my son-in-law-to-be the honor of being his partner for this dance.

"Oh," the woman chuckled, then looked at the handsome young man standing by. "I'd be happy to."

Evan smiled and led the woman to Ricky. "Langdon, this is..." he looked at the woman, who responded after a moment.

"Oh, I'm Melissa."

Evan nodded. "Langdon, this is Melissa. Melissa, this is Langdon BeechThorndyke. Langdon, please escort Melissa to the center of the dance floor."

"It will be my honor, Mr Harper," Ricky smiled and straightened his jacket. "Miss Melissa." He offer his hand and led her away as the music started.

Evan smiled and walked to the side of the room where Barbara was trying to be inconspicuous.

"Well, that went better than I thought it would," Evan said.

"Damned good thing, too, or my mother would have killed me," Barbara rolled her eyes and watched the guests moving about the floor. "Let's hope we have happy endings all around."
 

~^~
 

Ann had been waiting in the Golden Bluffs parking lot until Barbara sent her a text that read 'ALL'S WELL.' Ann let out a relieved sigh and headed out of the parking lot. She was less than a mile from home when she had to stop for some road construction. There was a police officer directing traffic and he stopped the flow of cars from her direction.

Ann drummed her fingers on the steering wheel along with the Beyoncé song on the radio.

When, finally, traffic in her direction started moving, again, Ann followed the two cars in front of her slowly past the first police office. As she approached the police officer at the other end of the construction area, a female officer held up her hand for Ann to stop.

When the car had stopped, the officer made a rolling motion high her hand so that Ann would lower her window. "Yes?"

"Just pull your car in right here, please, ma'am."

"What? Why?" Ann couldn't imagine what she'd done to draw the attention of the police.

"Just pull in, please, ma'am. You're holding up traffic."

"Oh, for crying out loud," Ann muttered as she pulled to the side of the road, just beyond the construction vehicles. She looked in her mirrors and watched the female officer, but the woman seemed uninterested in her at all.

About a minute passed and someone knocked on the passenger door. Shocked, Ann looked to her right and saw the chest of police officer's uniform and an Orange safety vest filling her view. The officer made the same 'lower your window' motion, so Ann pushed the button and lowered it.

As soon as it was fully retracted into the door, the officer unexpectedly reached into her Prius and pulled the interior door handle, opening the door.

"HEY!" Ann screamed, fearful that the officer wasn't an officer at all. "What the hell are you doing?"

The officer just stepped aside to allow the door to swing past him, then plopped himself into the car. "Surprise!" John smiled. "Man, you should see your face."

Ann's jaw dropped. "Jesus Christ, John, what the hell is wrong with you?" She slapped his arm. "You scared the living daylights out of me!"

John laughed. "Yeah, that's the funny part." Then he realized that Ann was not laughing. "Hey... look... I was just clowning around. You're not mad are you?"

Ann relaxed a bit and even smiled just a little. "No. I guess not, but... you really scared me. I don't think that's very funny."

John reached over and rubbed the back of her neck. "I'm sorry. It's no big deal, right?"

Ann took a deep breath. "No. Actually it was kind of sweet." But then something occurred to her. "Oh, my God! Don't look at me, for crying out loud. Just... look out the windshield."

"What? What's wrong?" John laughed as he spoke.

"What's wrong? God, we've only had two dates, John. I'm not wearing makeup, my hair isn't done, I'm wearing sweat pants... oh, Lord, I'm not even wearing a bra!"

John smiled and glanced in the direction of Ann's chest.

"Don't look, for crying out loud!" Ann was nearly irrationally agitated.

"Geez, Annie, I'm sorry..."

"Don't be sorry, just... get out!"

John pulled his big body out of the Prius and bent back down to look back into the car. "I have tonight off because I took this construction detail. Can I take you to dinner to you to dinner to apologize?"

Ann folded her arms across her breasts and felt her embarrassment level lower just a little. "Tonight? Umm... yeah, I guess I could do tonight, but no place too fancy, ok?"

"Ok," John shrugged. "I was thinking of that nice Indian place across the bridge. Is that too fancy?"

Ann grunted. That actually sounded very nice, but... "Ok, that sounds good, but do you have any idea how difficult a last minute invitation like this is for a girl like me who hasn't had a lot of reasons to get dressed up for a while?"

"Oh, hey, I'm sorry," John said, trying to be nice. "Look," he pulled out his wallet and started to pull out a credit card, "here. Take this and go back to Newport, to a nice store and get a new dress."

"Are you deaf!?" She yelled back. "I'm not wearing a bra! Just let me go home and... I'll see if I can borrow something of Quinn's. She dresses better than I do, anyway."

John couldn't help but laugh at Ann's predicament, and, truth be told, the idea of her breasts being concealed by just a little bit of cotton was pretty exciting, too. "Ok." He leaned in to kissed her cheek, but Ann turned to face him and the friendly kiss on the cheek turned into a kiss on the lips. It lasted longer than John had expected and when he pulled himself back out of the car, he was smiling at the unexpected turn of events. "I'll be by around five thirty."

Ann looked at the clock on her radio and saw that it was already four twenty two. That didn't leave much time, but... you know what... who cares. She was going to go home and get ready and have a great night. "Ok," she smiled. "Five thirty."

She put the car in gear and pulled back out onto the street and headed for home.
 

~^~
 

"You did great out there, today, kid," Evan said as he slapped Ricky on the back. "You should consider joining us for weddings. The girls enjoyed dancing with you."

Ricky smiled. "Thanks. I had a good time, actually."

"I'll talk to the management," Evan smiled and winked at Ricky.

As they reached the dressing areas, Ricky stopped and took Quinn's hand. "Hey, we still haven't had a chance to talk, so... umm.... How about we go get something to eat and we talk for a while?"

Quinn smiled. "I really couldn't eat anything, Ricky. I just had two huge dinners. I'll go with you and have a soda or something, though."

Ricky nodded. "Great. I'll go get changed. Since you're not eating, is The Creamery ok?"

"Sure," Quinn smiled.

They each went to the disrobing areas. When Quinn reached the women's changing area, Monica was helping 'Miranda Harper' out of her corset.

"Oh, freedom!" 'Miranda' shouted playfully. "I don't know how you people wear those torture devices all day."

Monica laughed. "You get used to it." Then she noticed Quinn as he started unbuttoning his short jacket. Monica smiled at both of her 'daughters' and said, "You both did an amazing job. Good work."

"Thanks," Quinn smiled and looked at the woman who had played his sister all day. "Hi. I'm Quinn."

The woman smiled and shook Quinn's hand. "Roxanne," she said. "Well... Roxie. Nice to meet you."

The three of them set about undressing and they chatted about some of the amusing things that had happened during the day: The little girl who wanted to dance with the groom throughout the entirety of the first wedding. The blonde lady with the silver dress who got a bit too drunk and loud during the second. Just some fun chit chat.

Quinn stepped into the racks for a moment to remove his period corset and combination. He pulled on his panties and modern corset. When everything was on, he slipped on his new tee shirt dress than hung very loosely on him and stepped back into the common area.

"Quinn's an unusual name," Roxie said.

"Not any more unusual than Roxanne," Quinn teased.

"I guess," Roxie laughed. "I have met other people named Roxie, though and I only ever met one other person named Quinn, before."

Quinn began brushing out his hair in the mirror. "Well, see... that's more than the number of Roxies that I ever met."

Roxanne joined him at the mirror and began removing her makeup. "Touché. To be honest though, the only other Quinn I ever met was a boy."

Quinn stopped brushing for a moment, but after a moment, went back to the action. "Oh?"

'Yeah," Roxie began applying her own makeup. "There was this boy who went to my school. He was in a bad accident or something. He was in really bad shape. Paralyzed, I think. I kind of lost track of what happened to him. I think he might have died."

Quinn stopped brushing his hair. He wanted to be relieved that she hadn't made the connection between the fourteen year old boy and the young woman sharing her mirror, but... Wow... Was that how little he'd meant to the kids at his school? 'I think he might have died.' That was all. "That's awful," he finally muttered.

"Oh, Geez, I'm sorry," Roxie chuckled. "Leave it to me to bring everyone down! Yeah, I didn't know him well, but I remember that the accident was a really big deal at the school for a few days."

Quinn sat and put down his brush, picking up the makeup wipes. "I bet it was," he said, feeling a strange emptiness in the pit of his stomach. He'd only been at the school for a year and he wasn't a real social kid, but... a few days? Really? That's all?

"So, tell me," Monica said, reentering the conversation, "was that handsome boy who appeared on the dance floor the young man you told me about?"

Quinn blushed a little and smiled in spite of himself. "He is. That's Ricky."

"That's your boyfriend!?" Roxie gushed and nudged Quinn with her shoulder. "He's gorgeous! Does he have any brothers?"

That made Quinn laugh. "No brothers but plenty of sisters I could introduce you to."

"Oh, well, no thanks," Roxanne shook her head, but played along. "Well, it was nice working with you both, today. I hope that I get to do it again."

"I'm sure you will," Monica smiled at her. "We'll see you, soon."

"Bye," Quinn and Monica said at the same time as Roxanne left the changing area.

"So," Monica said in a more confidential way to Quinn, "am I to understand that the presences of this young man at today's wedding means that you and he are a couple, again?"

Quinn shrugged. "I don't know. We're going to talk, anyway."

"Well, fingers crossed, then." Monica rubbed Quinn's back. Remember to do what's right for you, though, sweetheart. There are a lot of pretty young men around."

"I know," Quinn smiled as he opened his purse and took out his phone. He looked at the screen and let out the words, "Oh, no!"

"What?" Monica asked. "What's wrong?"

"I got a bunch of texts from my sister. She says to call. It's an emergency." Quinn looked Monica, pale with fear.

"Well, just call her, Quinn. Find out what's wrong."

He nodded and touched Ann's number.

"Quinn?" Ann said through the phone.

"Annie. What's wrong?"

"I have a last minute date with John and..."

"What?" Quinn interrupted. "You said there was an emergency."

Ann laughed. "It is an emergency. I only have a couple of dresses and I've already worn them on dates with John, but you have all these new dresses..." she let it hang there.

"Wait. You told me it's an emergency because you want to borrow a dress from me?"

"Well... yeah. Quinn, I haven't dated anyone since the accident. I like this guy. You get that, right?"

Quinn took a breath and relaxed, assuring himself that there was no real emergency. "Of course I do, Annie. Do my dresses fit you?"

"Well, some do. Obviously, I'm a lot bigger in the bust, but you have like three of these tee shirt style dresses that fit really loose. They fit me, nicely. Can I borrow the light green one with the white flowers?"

That made Quinn laugh. "I bought four of those at the outlets. I'm wearing the yellow tie-dyed one right now."

"So... can I borrow the green one? I hate to rush you, but John will be here soon."

"Of course. You can always help yourself."

"Thanks, honey," Ann sounded happy. "I wonder how many girls can say that they can borrow dresses from their little brothers?"

"Probably more than we think."

XXX

From 'The Autobiography of Miss Louisa Harper of New York and Newport'

~ "My life had taken many shocking turns over the summer of 1891. At only fifteen years of age, I had been betrothed to a man six years my senior, I had opened a checking account at one of Manhattan's most prestigious banks and, and probably most odd and a bit concerning, I had been charged with applying my energies to the needs of the less fortunate in the city and beyond.

Late in August, Langdon took me back into the city in order to meet with the Mayor of New York - a man who was nearly as, if not more powerful than, President Benjamin Harrison.

We arrived at Mayor Grant's office at eleven on that hot August morning. His secretary, a middle aged woman with severely unfashionable taste in clothing, tried to speak only to Langdon, but he refused to answer and diverted all questions to me. At first, I found this unsettling, but then I realized that Lanny was just showing me the respect that he expected the rest of the world to show me as well.

We waited about ten minutes before the woman announced, "Mr Beech-Thorndyke, the Mayor will see you, now."

Langdon remained seated, his legs crossed casually, and he ignored the Secretary.

"Mr Beech-Thorndyke?"she called to him.

"Yes," Langdon responded, acting as if he'd not heard her before.

"The mayor will see you, now."

"Oh? I'm sorry. I am not here to see the mayor. I am merely a chaperone."

The woman was very angry as she looked beyond Lanny to me and said, "Miss Harper. The mayor will see you, now."

"Thank you," I said as sweetly as I could.

Langdon stood and helped me to rise as well, then he followed my towards the mayor's office door.

Before we reached it, the Secretary stopped us. She had moved behind her desk, but was not yet seated. "If I might suggest, Miss Harper," she said, sharply. "A woman needs to know her place if she is to survive in a man's world. As a woman of your young age and high breeding, I would imagine that you have not been put in your place very frequently, but let me assure you that the kind of behavior you and your chaperone have displayed here will not be tolerated in most quarters."

I glanced down and saw the woman's name plate on her desk. Then, emboldened by Langdon's support, I said, "And let me assure you, Miss Sullivan, that no matter what kind of obstacles I may face, I shall always be aware of 'my place,' and that shall always be wherever I can do the most good."

The woman began to speak, but I was too fast for her. "And may I also assure you that I shall never encourage a person of our sex to 'know her place,' Miss Sullivan. The times are changing, ma'am, and I suggest that you work with your fellow women. Not against us."

The woman stared at me, her eyes blazing with anger, but she held her tongue as I past. Langdon could not help but make comment, though. He smiled at the woman and said, "Isn't she something amazing? Imagine what a world she can create."

As we entered the mayor's office, I heard Miss Sullivan slam her stout body into her chair and mutter, "Well, of all the impertinent gall..." but then the door closed and I could no longer hear her.
 

~^~
 

"You did an excellent job today, Barbara," her mother complimented as they finished clearing the event tents. "I was concerned that that little stunt of yours might backfire, though. All'x well that ends well, I guess."

"Stunt?" Barbara asked innocently. "What stunt is that, mom?"

"Oh, you didn't think I saw that boy that you brought in as Langdon, I guess. Well, I did. Tell me... what is going on between him and Quinn?"

Barbara shrugged and smiled. "Love, I guess, mom. Just love."

"I see," Carolyn pondered that a moment. "So, Quinn is... a homosexual? I didn't see that coming."

"Quinny is just Quinny, mom. Let's try to avoid labeling him right now, ok? He's just trying to figure out who and what he is right now. Let him be."

"Oh, aren't we a little over protective, Hmm? Remember, as I have tried to point out a million times, you are not that boy's mother. You are far too invested in his well being. You need to start worrying about your own life, young lady, or pretty soon you're going to find yourself alone and wondering what happened to the best years of your life. Take it from me, Barbara, it's better to have someone to be with at night. I think it's time that you cut the apron strings on that boy. Especially now that he's decided to go down this road he's chosen. I mean, it's one thing to wear a dress as a costume to help us out, but a whole other thing to decide to be gay..."

Barbara slammed her clipboard down on an empty table creating a loud crash and causing everyone to look in their direction. "Not another word, mother!"

"Well, Barbara, I'm just saying..."

"NOT ANOTHER GODDAMNED WORD, MOTHER!" She shouted so much louder than she'd expected to. She looked around with fire in her eyes and everyone just went back to work without comment.

Barbara moved in close to her mother and spoke in a quiet, but terse voice. "Who the hell do you think you are to say something like that about ANYONE, especially Quinn Collins? You KNOW what that child, what that family has been through and you're going to stand there and pass judgement on him because YOU don't approve of who he loves or how he is living his life?"

Carolyn was taken aback by the vehemence of her daughter's tone, but was attempting to continue to look as if she was in charge for the benefit of the rest of the staff. "Barbara, I was simply saying..."

"I know what you were saying, mother. You were saying that Quinn's a little pervert who has no fight to happiness and that I'm an idiot for caring about him. Well, let me be very, very clear about this, mother - that boy, his life, his love life, his body and his choices are never, ever open to discussion with me. Is that clear?"

Carolyn went to speak, but Barbara continued on.

"And further more - I am not particularly interested in hearing your opinions on my life choices, either. I threw away one chance at happiness because of your narrow mindedness and I have regretted that every day of my life ever since. And don't give me that 'while you live under my roof' bullshit, either. It's as much mine as it is yours. Daddy left that house to both of us and for the past few years, I have been the one paying for the repairs and maintenance."

"Barbara," Carolyn was turning a bit pale. By now, the rest of the staff had left the tent, partially due to duties elsewhere and partially to give the mother and daughter some privacy. "I can't believe..."

"That'd I'd talk to you like this?" Barbara snapped, but she was realizing that she'd been pretty aggressive in her attack. She took a breath and spoke more quietly and with more control. "Well... neither can I, mother, but... I am serious. I love you and you are my mother, but Annie and Quinn are my family, too and I expect... no, I insist that you treat them with the patience and respect that they deserve - that they have PROVEN they deserve." She looked around at the beauty of the estate and calmed herself completely. "Now... I'm sorry if I... flew off the handle, but... I guess those were things that needed to be said."

Carolyn nodded. "I understand that, Barbara, and I apologize if I was insensitive, but... in the future... can we PLEASE have conversations like this at home, or at least in the privacy of my office?"

"Yes... yes... of course," Barbara said, completely astonished at herself for having been as forceful as she'd been. "And I apologize for that, mom. I am very sorry to have embarrassed you, but... I mean it. Annie and Quinny are off limits. Ok?"

Carolyn nodded again. "Ok. I... umm... I will be home late. We'll talk in the morning." She nodded a few more times, not knowing what else to do, and she turned and walked back towards her office.
 

~^~
 

"I didn't think you'd ever want to see me again."

"To tell you the truth, I didn't know how to react when I read the article. Well... you really didn't give me much time TO react to it and it was a lot to take in. It took me a while to get my head around everything, but... I'm here, now and I'm happy that I am."

"Me, too." Quinn smiled from the passenger seat of Ricky's car. They'd been in the parking lot at The Newport Creamery for nearly forty five minutes talking, so far, and there was still an awful lot to discuss.

"So..." Ricky was tentative, but needed to ask a few questions. "... when did you... you know... start wearing dresses?"

"The day before I met you," he answered, honestly. 'It was only supposed to be so I could play Louisa, but... it escalated pretty quickly."

"I guess," Ricky laughed. "And... when did you realize you were gay?"

Quinn shrugged. "Well... the minute I saw you, I guess, but... I don't feel like I'm really gay, per se, Ricky. I know now that I'm going to remain a girl... well, a woman... from here on out, but... I can think of a million handsome men - or even a million beautiful women - and I feel... nothing. I don't feel attracted to them. I don't feel excited by them. I don't imagine what it would be like to be with them... but when I saw you... I just fell apart. Like I was completely unmade, right there, right then, and I was put back together just for you. See, I don't think I'm actually gay. I never wanted to be with anyone else, but as soon as you smiled... I just wanted... to be with... you."

"Wow." Ricky whispered. "Can I tell you something? I felt the same way. The moment I saw you... well... I just knew I loved you. Now, believe me, I know how stupid that sounds, but, honest to God, it's the truth. It was like... like I was a jigsaw puzzle with a piece missing and then I found you and you were that missing piece." He chuckled at himself. "I bet people would think we were nuts if they heard us talking like this."

Quinn squeezed Ricky's hand. "I don't care. It's the truth."

"So..." Ricky sighed, "what now? I mean... can we just pick up from where we left off and move forward, or... what?"

"I hope so," Quinn replied, a little nervous. "I should tell you, though, that I have an appointment in a few weeks with a new councilor. One who specializes in people with sexual dysphoria - I think that's what they technically call people like me. Anyway... eventually... I do plan on becoming a woman. Like... you know... a woman."

Ricky nodded and looked serious. "That's something you'd do just for yourself, though, right? Not just to please me, because..." he took a deep breath. "Quinn... I've really thought about this a lot and... well... I'm not gay, either, but... you mean an awful lot to me and... I really don't care what kind of... equipment... you have. What ever you have... It's you and I love and you I want to be with you. So, whatever makes you feel ok about yourself is ok with me. Did that make sense?"

Quinn leaned over and kissed Ricky's cheek. "No, it makes no sense at all, but it means the world to me."
 

~^~
 

"Holy Moses, that's hot!" John said as he took a bite of his curry. "I'm used to Mexican food, but that's a whole new level of hot!"

Ann laughed, but had to agree. She'd had Indian food a few times in college and she had expected it to be spicy, but this was unusually hot curry. "I know. I think we should take smaller bites."

"You think that will help?"

John laughed and his eyes sparkled, sending a little shiver down Ann's spine. It had been a long time since Ann had opened herself up to anyone other than Quinn and she was really enjoying it - AND she was feeling things she hadn't thought about in ages.

"Maybe not," she laughed back. "Let's see, the appetizer nearly killed both of us and the curry is even hotter than that... Maybe we're just not cut out for Indian food."

John drank a big gulp of water, but that just seemed to make the spicy hotness intensify in his mouth. "Oh, God. Maybe you're right. Here I was, trying to seem worldly and experienced by taking you out for an exotic meal and I'm about to keel over and die from the food."

"Believe me, everyone is more worldly than me," Ann smiled, knowing that she'd been locked in a house taking care of Quinn for a big part of her life. "Maybe you're right, though. Why don't we get going and we can go to that burger place we passed on the way. I'll buy you a burger and some ice cream."

John stared at Ann in near disbelief. "Seriously? That'd be ok with you?"

"Look, John - I'm sure that this is excellent food for people who are used to this kind of heat, but I'm not and I'm hungry. Let's go get something we both like. We can eat on the beach and talk. How does that sound?"

John looked away from Ann and waved to catch the attention of the waitress who came quickly to the table.

"Can we, please, get our check?"

The waitress looked concerned. "I'm sorry? You didn't like the food? I can get you something else if you'd like?"

"No, no," he fibbed, "we just got a phone call and we have to run."

"Oh," the waitress seemed relieved that they weren't leaving because they didn't like the food. "Let me get you some boxes for the food..."

"NO!" John said a bit too quickly. "Just the bill. You know, never mind." He pulled four twenty dollar bills out of his wallet. When they'd ordered, he'd estimated that the meal would cost somewhere between fifty and sixty dollars. "Here," he said as he laid the money on the table.

"Oh, but this is too much," the waitress said, fishing their running tally-bill out of her apron.

"It's a tip," John assured her as he put his arm around Ann's shoulders and led her towards the door. "Thank you!" He called back.

The woman was shocked. The bill was only fifty two dollars. This was a pretty big tip, especially from a customer who'd barely touched his food. "Please come back again, soon!" She called to the exiting couple.
 

~^~
 

Barbara looked into her glass of white wine and shook her head. She'd spent to many evenings like this - alone, lonely and looking at her wine. She'd made huge mistakes in her life, just trying to please others. Well, one big mistake, anyway. She'd done it because she wasn't brave enough to be honest with her friends and her mother. Yet, she'd pushed poor Quinn to be braver than she'd ever been and now, Quinn seemed to have found somebody. It wasn't going to be easy for them, but they seemed happy.

This was too much, though. Here she was, home alone, her mother was out with someone, Annie was out with a new boy friend and even Quinn was out with Ricky. Yet, here she was - alone and drinking wine.

She picked up her phone and scrolled through her contacts, stopping on that number she used to call nearly every day. She stared at it and wondered what would happen if she called. Could she apologize? Would an apology even be welcomed?

She stared at the name with her finger hovering over the contact's number for at least five minutes.

Finally, she pressed the number and she put the phone on speaker. It didn't even ring. Instead, a message sounded. "We're sorry, but this Verizon Wireless number is not active. Please check your number and call again."

Barbara sighed. It had been three years since she called. It wasn't that unusual for someone to change their number.

She looked at the landline number that was listed for the contact and thought about it for a moment. Finally, she touched that number as well.

"Hello?" The familiar voice came through the speaker. Barbara was almost too surprised to say anything. "Hello?" The voice said, again.

"Hi," Barbara said in a hoarse whisper. "Umm... April?"

"Yes," the voice said.

"It's..." she nearly hung up. "It's me... Barbara."

"Barbara?" The voice said, surprised. "Umm... How are you?"

"I'm ok," Barbara said. "You?"

The woman's voice definitely had a defensive quality to it. "I'm alright. Umm... why did you call?"

Barbara sighed. "I don't know. I guess I just... missed you."

"Really?" The voice sounded skeptical. "Barbie, it's not like I've been avoiding you. You left me, remember?"

"I know," Barbara said. "And... I'm sorry. I really am. Do you think that, maybe, we could talk sometime."

There was silence on the end of the line for nearly a minute. "Barbie... you really hurt me. I thought you loved me and you left." The voice sounded cold, now.

"I did love you," Barbara was shaking. "I should never have listened to my mother, April, but... never mind. I guess I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I won't bother you any more. Bye." She disconnected the call and wiped a tear from her eye. She didn't know what she'd expected, but... oh, well.

She sipped her wine and picked up the TV's remote. She looked at it and considered pushing the 'on' button, but couldn't even muster the ambition to do that. She looked at the wine some more and swirled it a bit in her glass.

She laid her head back against the back of her chair and looked at the ceiling. What a stupid idea that had been. Just a stupid idea.

The silence of the room rested on Barbara's chest like a weight and she just stared at nothing.

Then the phone rang.

Barbara looked at it, but didn't recognize the number. She accepted the call. "Hello?"

It took a moment for anyone to speak. "Barbie..."

"April?" All at once, Barbara expected to be on the receiving end of the angry attack by a spurned lover.

"Barbie... I miss you, too. I'd like..." the woman took a deep breath. "I'd like to talk, too."
 

~^~
 

"Hey, Rick and Quinn!" Joe called from the grill. Then he looked at the waitress and said, "I'll take care of these guys." He grabbed a towel and wiped his hands, then came over to where the couple was was sitting. "Geez, Quinn, you're becoming a regular here."

Quinn smiled. "I just come to see you."

"Really?" Joe laughed. "Hey, if you ever want to dump that guy and give me a shot," he winked, "just let me know."

Quinn laughed and blushed at his brazen teasing.

"Alright, alright," Ricky interrupted and snapped his fingers. "Garçon, I'll have a burger, fries and a root beer."

"Yes, your highness," Joe smirked and nodded to Ricky. "How about you, Quinn? How about another Awful, Awful?"

"Oh, Lord, no," Quinn laughed. "That's like a pint of whipped ice cream. I couldn't possibly handle that today. I'll just have an iced tea."

"Coward," he winked again and smiled broadly. "Hey, Rick - do you want mushrooms on that burger?"

"No," he laughed. "You know that I hate mushrooms."

"Extra mushrooms it is, then," Joe turned and walked away.

"You know," Ricky said to Quinn, "my sisters were really ticked off at the prospect of me and you breaking up. I suppose your sister was, too."

"Not really. She blamed me for it, I think." He thought for a moment. "That was really sweet of your sisters, though. I like them, a lot."

"Good, because I think you're dating them, too."

That made Quinn smile. "I don't think I've ever had three close friends before. Dating nine people sounds exciting."

Both of them laughed at that. Then Ricky looked at Quinn and was once again taken by how beautiful she looked when she smiled. He took Quinn's hand in his kissed it. "I missed you, Quinn. I was afraid that we'd never have times like this together again."

"Me too," Quinn agreed. "I so sorry that things are so... complicated with me. I wish it could be easier."

Ricky shook his head. "You know what? I don't care how complicated it is." He leaned forward and kissed Quinn's lips very softly. "I'm just happy to be with you."
 

~^~
 

From 'The Autobiography of Miss Louisa Harper of New York and Newport'

~ "Mayor Grant looked over my proposal and nodded. "I do have a question, though, Miss Harper."

I asked what that question was and he paused before asking, "How exactly do you plan to be the executrix of this foundation?"

I was a bit surprised by the question. "Well, as I explained in the proposal, I plan to work in conjunction with Jane Addams of Hull House in Chicago to set up a similar house here, in New York City. I plan to talk to some of the directors of the more successful social programs in this city as well and create a means of helping as many people as possible."

Mayor Grant nodded, but persisted. "What I mean, Miss Harper, is... in your proposal, it appears that you and you alone will be overseeing the day to day financial operations of this endeavor..."

"With the oversight of an independent accounting firm," Langdon pointed out.

"Yes, but," the Mayor smiled, "but... at the risk of pointing out the obvious... you ARE a WOMAN and a VERY YOUNG WOMAN at that. I cannot imagine any financial institutions working with you on this project."

Then, it was my turn to smile. I pulled the agreement I had signed with Langdon's colleague and handed it to The Mayor. He read through it, then stood and extended his hand. "Miss Harper, it will be my honor to help you in this very noble endeavor."

I stood and accepted his handshake, but I must admit that I was just a bit embarrassed by my inability to keep from smiling broadly. I was suddenly very proud of myself - A fifteen year old woman with financial independence far beyond any of my peers, a fiancé who not only loved, but supported me and a mission in life that was filling me with a new found sense of excitement.
 

~^~
 

"Morning," Barbara called as she entered the Collins house.

"Hey, Barbie," Annie smiled from the coffee maker in the kitchen. "Here. You have this one. I'll make another."

"Oh, thanks," Barbara took the mug and sniffed the vapor. "Vanilla? Mmm... I love vanilla coffee."

Ann returned to the coffee maker, placing another K-cup in the receptacle and pushing the 'brew' button.

"Hey, umm, Annie... can we talk before Quinn comes down?"

"Sure," Ann smiled. "What's up?"

Barbara put the coffee mug down and thought for a moment. "Do you remember that, when I was in college, I talked about someone I was in a relationship with."

"Of course," Ann nodded. "You seemed really serious about that guy for a while. I thought you might even be considering settling down with him. I was always hoping to meet him. You never told me why you broke up."

"Yeah, well... that guy... his name is... April... and I kind of reconnected with her last night."

Ann turned and looked at Barbara. "April? Well, that's... great, I guess. I mean... you did want to reconnect with her, I assume?"

Barbara nodded. "I did. I called her, in fact."

"Well, then, that's great, Barbie."

It took a second for Barbara to assess her friend's reaction to her revelation. "So... you're ok with me being... you know... a lesbian?"

Ann shrugged and added some creamer to her coffee. "I don't understand."

"I mean..." Barbara huffed as she looked for the right words. "Look, Annie... When Quinny started developing a shine for Ricky... I thought I detected a little hesitance on your part to accept it. Remember? I asked you several times if you were ok with it."

"Yeah, of course I remember, but Barbie... Quinn had never had a crush on anyone before. I would have been just as thrown if he'd 'taken a shine' to a woman."

"Really?" Barbara screwed up her face in an expression of disbelief.

"Ok, I admit it. I was surprised, ok, but that doesn't mean I made a judgement or anything. Regardless, though, that's not what we should be talking about right now. If you're asking if I am going to be judgmental now... I am a little disappointed that you think that I might be like that." Then she paused and cocked her head. "Wait... why didn't you tell me about April before? I mean, I knew you had a serious relationship, but you never even hinted that it was with a woman. Did you seriously think I was too shallow to accept that?"

Barbara shook her head and stood silent for a moment.

"You know what," Ann sat. "I don't care. I shouldn't have asked that. God, if I've learned anything from living Quinn, it's that I should never expect things to be simple. Barbie... I'm very happy for you and I hope that this works out for you. Honestly. That's all I want. I swear it."

Barbara sat, too. "I should have told you. I wanted to tell you, but..."

"Your mom?"

Barbara nodded. "I couldn't tell her. Not back then, anyway."

"And now?"

Barbara smiled. "Now... I'm a different person, now. I think she'll accept it more gracefully than she would have when I was still in college. She always felt that RISD was too 'bohemian.' Now...? Now, I'm a well recognized, successful costumer with some pretty impressive credits. I think - I think, mind you, I certainly don't know, but I think that she'll be ok with it."

Ann reached across the table and squeezed her friend's hand. "You know she loves you, Barbie. Just tell her. It'll be ok. Even if she bocks at first, she'll come around eventually."

Barbara bit her lower lip. "And if she doesn't?"

Ann smiled. "You're a well recognized, successful costumer with some pretty impressive credits. There's no law that says that you have to stay at Golden Bluffs."

"But I like Golden Bluffs."

"Then stand your ground and make sure she understands that you're serious about this girl and she'll understand."

Barbara looked up at the sound of someone coming down the staircase. "Thanks, Annie. Don't say anything to Quinny, just yet. She has enough on her plate."

Ann nodded. "Yes, SHE does."

"Oh, hi. Barbara, right?"

Barbara turned to the sound of the low, masculine voice, and she blinked a few times. "Oh, ummm... yes. I'm Barbara. John, right?"

He was wearing a nice looking pair of jeans and a sleeveless tee shirt. His muscles on full display - even his well defined six pack was visible through the tight fitting tee shirt.

"Yeah. Nice to see you again." Suddenly, he felt out of place. "Hey, did I interrupt something?"

Ann accepted a kiss on her cheek from the sweet Adonis. "Not at all. Barbie is just picking up Quinn."

"Cool," he nodded and turned to the coffee maker.

Barbara reached across the table and slapped Ann, playfully. "Why you little minx, you."

"Alright," Ann laughed. "Let's not make a big deal about this, ok?"

John turned and smiled at Ann. "I think it's be ok to make a big deal out of it. It's a big deal for me."

Barbara looked from John to Ann. "Wait... is this something more than just a night of casual sex?"

Ann looked insulted. "Casual sex!? Barbara! How long have you known me? You don't seriously think that I'd..."

"I guess I hoped that you would," Barbara laughed. "I mean, if this isn't casual than that means...?" She waited for Ann to say something.

John finally broke the silence. "Barbara. Both Annie and I would be honored if you'd be a part of our wedding."

"OH, MY GOD!" Barbara's jaw dropped. "YOU GOT ENGAGED AND YOU SAT THERE AND LISTENED TO ME PRATTLE ON ABOUT MY LITTLE NEWS!? WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!?" She stood and hugged her friend, then hugged John. "Is this a little quick?"

"Yes and no," Ann chuckled. "Yes, we've only had a few dates, but we've known each other awhile. Besides, we've discovered that we have a lot in common. We're both grownups. I think we know what we're doing."

"That's great." Barbara was genuinely happy for the couple. "So... does Quinny know, yet?"

Ann laughed as she glanced towards John. "You're not going to believe this, but John actually took Quinn aside and asked Quinn for permission to propose to me before he asked me."

"Aww," Barbara smiled at John. "Wait... is this a 'man of the house' kind of a thing?" Then, realizing that she'd just referred to Quinn as a 'man,' her hand shot to her mouth, covering it to stop it from saying anything more. "Oh, no."

"Don't worry," Ann laughed. "John knows everything. Apparently, he always did."

"And this isn't a 'man of the house kind of thing,'" John smiled as he stirred some sugar into his mug. "I just knew that Quinn was going through a lot and I didn't want to add to that if it was going to hurt her recovery."

"Geez, a cop and a saint." Barbara gave his bicep a soft punch. "You're the whole package, aren't you?"
 

~^~
 

From 'The Autobiography of Miss Louisa Harper of New York and Newport'

~ "I'd read all of those Horacio Alger 'rags to riches' stories that were so popular and I knew that the United States had recently developed what was being called a 'middle' class. A class less well off than the families in my social circle, but better off than the majority of the country's working poor. It was a relatively small group of people, but I sensed that they had made a firm foothold in our country. Strangely enough, it was not the wealthy or secure that chose to contribute to my cause, but the members of this new middle class who rallied to assist. They seemed much more empathetic to the needs of the poor and it was these people who helped to fund my first Community Home.

What surprised me, though, was the vehemence of the opposition to helping these poor people from my own social strata. It seemed that, rather than seeing the betterment of all as a positive thing, the rich and powerful saw any behavior that strayed from their view of normal as an intrusion on their freedoms. I could not then and cannot now understand this attitude. I guess that people just don't like what they don't understand."
 

~^~
 

"It's so nice here," Quinn said, quietly. "I always liked the ocean, but I never really just sat and looked at it like this before."

It was past eight o'clock on a quiet Sunday evening. Quinn had worked till five and Ricky had come to pick him up after. The plan had been to go have a nice sit-down dinner and talk, but the plans had changed to sharing a tuna sandwich from a nearby pizza place and a picnic on a secluded part of the beach, not far from Golden Bluffs, on the western shores of Aquidneck Island. Now, after hours of talking things out, the clouds above Narragansett Bay were a beautiful orange, creating a beautiful end to a beautiful day.

Quinn was cuddled under his arm, his head against Ricky's chest. Ricky laid his head on Quinn's. "Quinn... can we make a promise - right her, right now?"

"Sure."

"Let's just always be honest with each other, ok? No more secrets. Ever."

Quinn pulled his head out from under Ricky's and smiled up at him. "I think I've told you everything possible about my life, but I don't know any of your deep, dark secrets. What are you keeping from me?"

"I'm an open book," he laughed. "Let's see - the big stuff: Father left us flat. Grandpa Bill is a freaking Saint. Great mom, who can be a little overwhelmed and disengaged from time to time. Eight sisters, all of whom are great, but can't seem to mind their own business. I listen to way too many show tunes. Working on a degree in Psych. Part time job at a Verizon store. That about sums it up."

"And the little stuff?"

Ricky sighed. "The little stuff... let's see. I love brown sugar cinnamon Pop Tarts. I hate peas. I love Humphrey Bogart movies and I'll stay up late to watch them with Grandpa Bill. Oh, and westerns, too. If '3:10 to Yuma' or 'The Magnificent Seven' is on - either the old versions or the remakes - I'm probably going to sit down and watch them. I like to play Michigan Rummy on rainy days... I think that's about it."

"Former girlfriends?"

"Ah..." Ricky made a show of thinking. "Four, I guess. Suzy Roberts in eighth grade - she dumped me because we disagreed on music. Marcie Hill in freshman and sophomore years of high school. She dumped me when she found out I took dance class. Carla Swenson in junior and senior years - she dumped me for a college football player just before senior prom. I had to take my sister Cathy."

"Oh, no," Quinn couldn't help but laugh.

"And Natasha Ramirez in freshman year of college."

"Did she dump you, too?"

That made Ricky laugh. "No. She failed almost all of her classes and moved back to California. Turns out, a long distance relationship requires a bit of a commitment from both parties."

"I imagine it does."

"So... why do you think you'll dump me?"

Quinn looked up at him and looked more serious than he had all evening. "Me dump you? I don't think that will happen. If anyone is going to dump anyone, it'll probably be you dumping me."

"Why would I ever do that?" Ricky seemed surprised. "Quinn, I have spent the last two days telling you how important you are to me. Why would you think I'd ever leave?"

Quinn sighed. "What if someone - someone like your friend Joe at the Creamery. What if Joe found out about me and told other people? How would you handle that?"

"Handle that?" Ricky seemed surprised by the question. "Quinn, you're as much of a woman as any other woman I know. I wouldn't 'handle' anything. If people can handle it, great, if they can't, who cares. I'll just remove them from my life."

"You think that you could really do that?"

"Of course I do. Look, if you want, I'll tell Joe tonight."

Now it was Quinn's turn to look confused. "What? No! My genitals are none of his business."

"Ok, so we're on the same page. Our business is our business and screw the rest of the world."
 

~^~
 

"So, what are you telling me, Barbara? Are you saying that you are suddenly a lesbian? What is this, some kind of a trend or something? Quinn is gay, so now you want to be gay? Come on, Barbara, get serious. This isn't you and this kind of behavior is in very bad taste."

Barbara heaved a very heavy sigh. "Mom, please try to understand. I had a very meaningful relationship with April for nearly three years in college and nothing - no one - has been attractive to me since. Now, I am lucky enough to have a second chance with her and I'd really appreciate some support from you right now."

"Support? Barbara, if your relationship with this woman was so 'meaningful,' then why is it that you never told me about her before?"

"Because of this, mom. Because of this... attitude of yours. This... narrow minded attitude. I just couldn't handle... THIS... back then and, frankly, I can't handle it now, either."

"Good," Carolyn crossed her legs, "then let's not discuss this nonsense any more."

"NONSENSE!? Mom, I am lonely, I am in pain and I am desperately, achingly unhappy. Please, try to understand how important it is for me to give my relationship with April another chance."

Carolyn stood and straightened her skirt. "I have someplace to be, Barbara. Good night. I will see you in the morning." She headed for the door.

"Mom," Barbara said, in a moderate volume and unemotional tone. "This isn't how I want this to be. You and me, I mean."

"Good," Carolyn turned and looked back towards her daughter. "Then let's never speak of this again."
 

~^~
 

'Call me, Ricky. It's important.' That was the voice mail message that Ricky found on his phone when they returned to the car.

"That's weird," Ricky said after hearing the message.

He looked at Quinn. "It's a message from Alice. She says to call. She says it's important."

Quinn asked, "Are you going to call her?"

He blinked. "Quinn... I have a really bad feeling right now. What if something happened to Grandpa Bill, or my mom, or one of the girls."

"Maybe it's something simple. Like... they need you to bring home milk or bread or something. I got an emergency call from Annie yesterday and all she wanted to do was borrow a dress."

He blinked in surprise. "You share dresses with your sister?"

"Sure. Why not?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I guess all my sisters share, but you and Annie just seem to have different... aesthetics."

"True, but my 'aesthetics' are just getting started and I think that Annie's have been hampered because she had to tend to me for so long. Anyway - yes, Annie likes my dresses and borrowed one yesterday. Now, are you going to call Alice or not?"

He took a deep breath. "I'll call."

He pushed the button to return the call. After a moment, he spoke. "Alice? What happened?" Silence. "Are you kidding me? You call me and leave a message like that for something this simple? You scared the shit out of me?" Silence. "Ok, I'm sorry. You scared the liver and lights out of me. Better? So, you want me to ask her what, exactly?" Silence. Then he turned to Quinn and held out the phone. "She wants to talk to you."

"Me? Why?" Quinn was confused.

Ricky shrugged.

"Do they know about...?" Quinn whispered and indicated her body.

He shrugged again and whispered. "Fi found out on her own. I don't think that Alice knows, though. I'm pretty sure that Fi wouldn't say anything."

Quinn flinched as he took the phone from Ricky. "Hello?"

"Hi, Quinn. This is Alice. Hey, we are having another 'sister's day' tomorrow and we want you to come with."

"Oh," Quinn breathed a sigh of relief. Having enjoyed the previous 'sister's day' so much, he was happy to be invited. "Sure! I'd love to come."

"Great! We're going up to Cape Cod and going to the beach at West Dennis. We're going to make a day of it, so we'll be by around seven thirty tomorrow morning. What time do you think you'll be back home tonight?"

The beach? That was a problem for a number of reasons. "Oh. Umm... you know what... On second thought, I probably can't make it tomorrow."

"Oh, don't be silly. Of course you can."

"No, really. I... I don't have a bathing suit."

"Then you're in luck. I remember how you were self conscious about the scars on your back, so I went to the mall and I found you a racer-back swim suit that will cover nearly your whole back - AND - I made sure that the suit had lots of support in it, because, you know, you told me about your back and how you prefer to wear a corset. This won't be as stiff as a corset, but it'll give you support."

"Oh, wow..." Quinn was surprised. "That's very kind of you, Alice, but... see... I have other issues..."

Before he could finish, Quinn heard someone say, "Give me the phone." A second later, the voice said, "Hey, Quinn. This is Fiona. Hey, let me get out of the car so I can talk to you."

Quinn heard a car door shut and the sound of someone walking for a moment.

"Hey - look, don't get made at Ricky. He didn't tell me anything. I found out about your accident and I googled you, so I know about... umm... you know... that you used to be a guy."

Quinn felt a warm tingle of concern wash across his body. He didn't want to admit to Fiona that she was correct, but there was no reason to deny it, either. "Umm... yeah... I still am."

Fiona laughed. "No you're not, Quinn. You just have some inconvenient things to deal with. Believe me, I understand. You're just as much a woman as I am. Anyway, when I found out that Alice bought you the suit, I knew that your inconvenient things would be a problem, so I looked up how pre-op-trans-women deal with it. Have you ever heard of a 'gaff?'"

Quinn was really not comfortable with this conversation. "Well... yeah... I know what they are, but I haven't tried one. I don't have one."

"No sweat," Fiona was nearly bubbling on the other end of the call. "I went online and I looked up how to sew one into the crotch of a bathing suit and I sewed one in for you. I didn't tell Alice about it, I just told her that I needed to make an alteration to it and I wouldn't tell her what I was doing."

"Oh..." Quinn was curious, now.

"Anyway, it might take a few minutes to learn how to use it the first time. So, we figured you could try it on tonight so it goes on easier tomorrow. So, what time will you be home?"

"I think we're going home now," Quinn looked at Ricky who nodded. "Yes, we'll be back to my place in like twenty minutes."

"Cool!" Fiona replied, brightly. "We're on our way there, now. We'll be there about the same time. See you then!"

The call ended.

"What's going on?" Ricky asked.

"I'm invited to a 'sister's day' tomorrow."

"Great! Where are you going?"

"A beach on Cape Cod."

'Cool. Sounds like fun."

"I'll have to wear a bathing suit."

For a second, Ricky didn't see a problem, but then... "Oh. So you're not going?"

Quinn shrugged. "I don't know. They're meeting us at my house. Alice knows about the scars on my back and bought me a suit that will cover it. Fiona seems to be the only one who knows about my... you know. Anyway, she says she has a solution for that."

"What kind of a solution?"

"I don't know."
 

~^~
 

"Hi," the tall, dark skinned woman with very short hair stood and smiled as Barbara entered the tavern. She was wearing a tight, knee length, leather skirt with a white, silk blouse that complimented her fit, shapely body, beautifully.

"Hi," Barbara flashed a nervous smile, but was relieved when April reached out and offered a hug. They kissed each other's cheeks and Barbara wiped away the beginnings of a tear as they sat down on opposite sides of the table.

"I ordered you a strawberry daiquiri. I hope you're still drinking them," April smiled.

Barbara nodded and said, "Thank you for coming, tonight. It really means a lot to me." Then she suddenly looked serious. "Ummm... April... before we do anything else I need to start by saying I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being such an idiot. For saying the things I said, for not saying the things I should have said, for not being honest with you, for not telling my mother and my friends about us. I'm just so... sorry. And I have been for so long."

April's smile was soft and forgiving. "Hey. I know. Look, I should have been more patient, too. I was your first girlfriend and I should have understood how hard it would be for you to tell your family about me. Let's not beat ourselves up over the past. We were both kids, Barbie. I'm really happy you called, though. I didn't realize how much I missed you until I heard your voice."
 

~^~
 

From 'The Autobiography of Miss Louisa Harper of New York and Newport'

~ "Evenings got long in August. The season was ending and many of the other summer residents were headed back to the city. Miranda and I had decided to stay at Golden Bluffs for a few more weeks. Mother and Father were taking much of the staff back to our townhouse and it would be quieter in Newport for the remainder of our stay.

It was good for Miranda and me to be alone together, though. Over the last few weeks, we had grown so much closer. In the past, because we got along so poorly, I had wished that I did not have a sister at all. Now, I wished that I had eight or nine more.
 

~^~
 

"It looks perfect!" Fiona said with excitement as Ann opened the door to Quinn's bedroom so the young woman could see how her ingenuity as a seamstress had paid off. She'd taken some of the stretchy material from an old bathing suit of her own and sewn a gaff into the gusset of the suit that Alice had purchased for Quinn. She'd found a video on YouTube that explained how to sew the addition into the garment, but it also contained instructions on how to attain a feminine look, which involved pushing the wearer's testicles back up into their testicle cavities. Since Quinn had never tried this before and Fiona was not prepared to assist with this particular aspect of the process, Ann's help had been requested.

Due to her long term role as nurse for Quinn, Ann was very well acquainted with every square inch of her brother's body, so it was an easy chore for her to complete without embarrassment to anyone.

The solid aqua swimsuit did fit perfectly, now, though, and the built-in, padded bra offered Quinn the same modest breasts that his corset created. That combined with the 'shaping' nature of the suit created an undeniably female, if a somewhat boyishly-female, shape. Like the shape of a fifteen or sixteen year old, athletic girl on the verge of young womanhood.

They went into the master bedroom and looked at Quinn's reflection in his mother's full length mirror. There was no question that this person was a woman. No hint of mannish characteristics showing anywhere.

Ann ran her hand along the area of the suit wear Quinn's equipment should be visible through the Lycra and complimented Fiona. "You did a great job, Fi. I wouldn't have believed this was possible."

"I just followed the instructions," Fiona smiled. She couldn't help but join Ann's tactile inspection of Quinn's nether regions.

Strangely, the touch of these two did nothing to either shock or excite Quinn. It was just the feeling of two sisters helping him prepare for yet another step into womanhood.

"Come on," Fiona said as she grabbed Quinn's hand. "Alice will want to see how you look in the suit. So will Ricky, I'm sure."

Quinn stopped at the door though. "Fi... does Alice know that I'm still a guy?"

Fiona stepped much closer to Quinn than he expected and looked him straight in the eye. "Quinn... you and I have a lot in common and we need to have a long talk at some point. I may never have been a boy, but I will never FULLY be a woman, either. Do you see me as a woman, though?"

A little confused, Quinn responded, "Yes, of course."

"And that's how I see you, too. And that's how the world will see us. Now, come on. Alice is excited.

Fiona half-walked-half-leapt down the stairs and took Quinn's hand again when he reached the bottom step. She hustled him into the living room where Alice, Ricky and John were watching an old episode of a television program. "Here she is!" Fiona announced with glee. "What do you think?"

Alice jumped up and clapped her hands together. "Oh, Quinn, you look amazing! Let me see the back!"

Quinn turned and and waited for a critique. He'd been so concerned about his crotch that he'd forgotten about this back and the scars that seemed to scare people.

"Oh, it's perfect!" Alice clapped some more.

"Wow," John said in a very brotherly manner, "you really do look beautiful, Quinn. That look really does suit you."

"Thank you," Quinn blushed, just a little.

"Well, Ricky," Fiona said, a bit tersely, "aren't you going to tell Quinn how nice she looks."

Ricky stood and stared. "Quinn... you look... you look beautiful. I... can't believe... I mean..." he laughed at his own inability to form a sentence. "Yeah. I mean... wow... you look great."

That was exactly what Quinn had wanted to hear and he blushed deeply and smiled.

"Do you think that suit gives you enough support for your back?" Alice sounded a bit more concerned, now.

"I think so," Quinn squirmed a bit. "As long as I'm not walking too far or standing for too long, I think I'll be fine. If we're going to be walking a lot after the beach, I'll just get changed and put my corset back on."

"Oh, a couple more things," Alice suddenly grabbed a bag and pulled out what looked like an oversized, sheer scarf with the same color background as Quinn's swimsuit, but with white flowers printed on it. "Here, this is a wrap to wear around your waist in the car or even on the beach, if you want to."

She wrapped it around Quinn's waist, creating a skirt with a knot on Quinn's left hip and a diagonal hem line that started at the knot on his left hip and ended just below his knee on his right leg.

"Very pretty," Ann said, appraising the look.

"And these," Alice dropped two aqua colored flip flops on the ground for Quinn to step into.

The addition of the wrap and the footwear turned Quinn's swimsuit into an outfit, and the bright aqua color in contrast with Quinn's pale skin and thick, dark red hair made Quinn look like a model. Ricky just stared in disbelief. How could he be so lucky as to have this girl in his life?

"One more thing," Alice said, excitedly. She reached into the bag and pulled out a what appeared to be a very short, white dress with small violets printed prettily about the material. It was sleeveless, with tiny ruffles along the sleeve openings and hem. "We kind of have a tradition on these 'sister day' outings. We all get outfits that, well they don't match, exactly, but they all are really similar. For tomorrow, we all got rompers like this one. They're all identical, except for the flowers."

"Mine has daisies," Fiona explained.

"Mine is roses, etcetera. You get it, right? Well, as our ninth sister, we wanted you to have one too. Here. Let's try it on to be sure it fits."

"Ninth sister?" Quinn sputtered. He had no idea that there were people in the world this sweet and welcoming.

"Yeah, of course," Fiona smiled, as she untied Quinn's wrap.

"Here, just step into this," Alice began to kneel, but she stopped at the sound of John's voice as he spoke to Ricky.

"Look at the TV, Rick. Give her some privacy."

"Huh?" Ricky looked at John, surprised that anyone had spoken to him. "What? Hey, she's wearing a bathing suit."

"Look at the TV," John smiled and sounded a bit more forceful. "The lady is getting dressed. Be polite."

Ricky shrugged, sat and returned his attention to the television.

"Come on," Alice stood and put an arm around Quinn's shoulders. "We'll try it on in the kitchen." Then she looked at Ann and Fiona. "We'll be right back."

Once in the kitchen, Alice quickly had the romper on Quinn and he was buttoning it up the front.

'Oh, that's adorable," Alice smiled. "Do you like it?"

"It's really comfortable," Quinn said, looking at the garment. It sat on his body in a very similar manner as the combinations he wore under his clothes as Louisa. "Thank you for including me."

Alice nodded and looked at Quinn closely. "Quinn... I just want you to feel like you're a part of our family. You know, I have a lot of experience being a big sister and helping the girls with... well, with whatever. Now. I know that there's a lot more that your dealing with than just recovering from your accident and since Fi seemed really concerned about it, I assume it has to do with... well, reproductive things, let's say. I don't know if she's talked to you about her issues, too, but... well, I should just shut up about that. My point is - If you ever - EVER - need to talk about anything. I want you to think of me as just as much a big sister as Annie of your friend Barbara. Your biological family may have been taken away from you, but I want you to always feel like you found your real family when you found us. Ok?"

Quinn's eyes were rimmed with tears that were ready to fall any second. "Thank you, Alice. That really means the world to me."
 
 
To Be Continued...