Part 23 By Anistasia Allread Edited by Karen J. Erika blushed as students walking by laughed, pointed and whispered in her direction. She kept hearing Julian Rock's name uttered as she walked to her locker, Julian Rock, Erika Summers and making out. “Does everyone know?” Erika asked. |
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Erika woke up with her alarm and nearly jumped out of bed to see if she had been dreaming the whole night's incident. She looked over at the floor and her found her shoes still in the corner.
A smile lit her face as she stretched and slipped out of her nightgown and hopped into the shower.
Erika's mother wasn't anywhere around when she finally emerged from the bathroom and entered the kitchen. She fixed herself toast and poured herself a glass of milk. After finishing her breakfast she still hadn't seen or heard from her mother.
The doorbell rang. Erika put her glass in the sink and opened the door to greet Samantha.
“You're dressed,” Samantha stated the obvious.
“I didn't think I should hide, now that they both know,” Erika stated. She grabbed her duffel and stepped outside with Samantha.
“So tell me about it last night,” Samantha urged.
The two girls walked down the street as Erika divulged the dream-l occurrences of the previous night.
“Shall we stop by Tricia's” Samantha looked to her friend.
“Do you think she'll talk to me?”
“There's only one way to find out.”
The two walked up to the door and knocked.
“Why didn't you just come in?” Tricia looked at Samantha.
“I didn't know if you were open to seeing us.”
Tricia rolled her eyes. She looked at Erika and gave her a tight smile, “You're dressed?”
“My parents know, so I didn't think I needed to hide it,” Erika explained.
Tricia shrugged, “You want to take your stuff home then?”
“If that is okay?” Erika asked.
“Sure.” Tricia's posture was still tight. “I was going to move it over into Leeza's room.”
“Leeza's room?” Erika was surprised.
“She's moving out, she got a job in the city.”
“That's good isn't it?” Samantha asked.
Tricia nodded. “I'm just going to miss her.”
“I'm sorry.” Erika mumbled.
Tricia turned and entered the kitchen to finish her breakfast. “You are already dressed so we may as well hang here until it is time for school.”
The three girls sat in silence as Tricia finished eating her cereal.
Erika blushed as students walking by laughed, pointed and whispered in her direction. She kept hearing Julian Rock's name uttered as she walked to her locker, Julian Rock, Erika Summers and making out.
“Does everyone know?” Erika asked.
“Why do you think Tricia is so upset?” Samantha explained.
Erika opened her locker and placed some things inside.
“Um, Erika?” Julian's voice caught her attention. She turned around to meet a slightly embarrassed smile.
“Hi Julian.”
“Ah, hi.” he stepped a bit closer a swirl of his musky scent filled her nostrils bringing back fuzzy memories, “You forgot these at my house the other night.” He said handing her a paper bag.
Erika peered inside with curiosity. She felt her cheeks warm as she spotted her heels and bolero jacket. She hoped she wasn't blushing too badly. “Thanks,” She managed. She stuffed the bag into her locker and turned back to the tall, handsome swimmer.
Did she really make out with this good looking guy? What was she saying? She liked Tricia! She had to mentally stop herself from physically shaking her head to clear her thoughts. Her eyes drifted back to Julian's smiling lips, she wished she could remember how they had felt.
“So, did you have a good time?” he asked. He shook his head, “I'm sorry, I don't know what I'm saying, you got drunk and were puking, how could that be fun?
Erika giggled, “Other than the puking part, I did have fun.” She admitted.
Julian's eyebrows shot up, “Really? I mean, cool, good, I'm glad.”
Erika just blushed. Other than the puking part, I had fun? She sounded like a dork - a female dork.
“Well, I'd umm...... I hope you'll come over for another party sometime.” Julian looked distracted.
Erika could feel fifty pairs of eyes watching the two of them converse. God, what will they say now? She thought. She forced a smile at Julian, “Yeah, that would be great.”
“Well, see ya.” Julian winked at her again as he stepped back from her locker and continued down the hall.
“I think he likes you.” Samantha smirked.
“He was just returning the stuff I left,” Erika excused.
Samantha just smiled bigger.
Erika was just about to close her locker when a large body slid in real close to her, “So, Erika, you swing both way's huh?” Tyler grinned. “Want to go to homecoming with a football star?”
Erika's heart was beating fast. What had Tricia told her? To turn it around on them. Erika smiled at Tyler, “That sounds like an interesting idea, do you know any football stars?”
“Uh. . . me?” He didn't sound as sure as he had.
Erika just smiled at him, not knowing how else to reply, her heart was like a jackrabbit in her chest.
“Isn't that cute,” Samantha came to the rescue, “Tyler thinks he's a football star.” She giggled.
Erika got the cue and giggled as well, closing her locker and slipping past his dumbfounded look. She joined Samantha as they walked down the hall.
“Oh my God, I can't believe I just did that?” Erika muttered for Samantha's ears.
“You're getting the hang of it,” Samantha nodded. “He did bring up a valid point though.”
“Huh?”
“Homecoming is coming up. You need to decide who you'll be going with and start working your feminine magic to get that person to ask you.”
“Feminine magic?”
Samantha nodded.
“What if I want to go with Tricia?”
Samantha shrugged, “It's not unheard of for two girls to go to the dance together, but most get a male date, or show up unaccompanied.”
“So, I shouldn't go with Tricia?” Erika asked.
“I don't know yet, let me test the waters.”
The two girl parted ways and went to their first classes.
During second period, Erika excused herself and went down to the office. She had only waited a few minutes when she saw her father walk in.
“I'm here to sign my daughter out for a doctor's appointment.” he told the receptionist.
He signed her out and walked out to the truck.
“I didn't see mom this morning,” Erika stated.
“She's still a bit upset.” her dad confirmed her fear, “Hopefully we can get a lot straightened out during the meeting on Saturday.”
“Is she really mad?”
“I don't think she's mad, just upset,” he shrugged, “So how's my girl today?” he smiled at her from behind the wheel. “I'm trying to get get used to saying that.”
“Fine,” Erika smiled back.
“Anything happen this morning at school?”
“Not really,” She shrugged. “One of the Neanderthals from the football team asked me to Homecoming with him.”
“You were asked to Homecoming?” her father's eyes darted from the road to meet hers and then back at the road.
“He's one of the jerks who used to pick on me. There is no way I'm going to Homecoming with him.”
“Oh.” Her father was silent for a moment. “This is kind of strange for me, Erika,” He admitted, “I've only had a daughter for a little more than twelve hours and I'm already having to worry about her dating.”
“I'm not dating.”
“What about Tricia?” he asked.
“She's not speaking to me right now,” Erika explained, “She got into a lot of trouble over Saturday night.”
“Hmmm. Sounds like you have some making up to do.”
“But how?” Erika asked.
“What would you like her to do if you were upset with her?”
Erika thought about it for a while.
“Flowers and a written apology are always a good start.” Mr. Martin suggested.
“I've already apologized.” Erika explained.
“In writing?”
“No.”
“I suggest that you sit down and write her an apology letter tonight,” he pulled into the parking lot, “Don't make excuses, just tell her that you are sorry and how much you care for her,” he paused, “Don't email her with it, hand write it. I can take you over there tonight to deliver it if you'd like.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Erika beamed at her father.
“Should we get some lunch before taking you back to school?” Mr. Martin asked his daughter as they walked out of the medical clinic.
“Sure. I'm in no hurry except having to be back for Rally practice.” Erika climbed into the truck.
“Oh, I found someplace for you to go for self defense classes.” Mr. Martin started up the truck and pulled out of the lot. “There is a guy who used to be in a gang in the city. After he served time in jail, he put his life on a different track and now teaches people how to defend their selves.”
“Like Karate and boxing mixed?” Erika asked.
“More like dirty street fighting, using your brains and what you have around you to get out of a tough situation.”
“Sounds scary.”
“Now that you are a girl, I am more adamant about you doing this.”
“Okay, but I can only miss Tuesdays of Rally. I already spoke to Taylor about it.”
“Tuesday's huh?”
Erika nodded as they pulled into Applebee's.
The two walked into the restaurant lobby to meet Mrs. Martin's tight lipped smile. “Hi.” She greeted, eyes darting to Erika then back to her husband.
“Hi mom,” Erika greeted uncertainly.
The hostess arrived to break the uncomfortable situation and seated them. The restaurant was busy with businessmen and women, sitting down for lunch, several groups of women, probably secretaries sat talking and laughing loudly. Another group of what looked to be soccer mom's sat casually enjoying one another's friendship while their kids were in school.
Erika and her mother both ordered salads, while her father ordered some chicken. The waiter smiled warmly at Erika before taking the menus and heading into the noisy kitchen with its clatter of plates and hissing of broilers.
“Erika told me that she missed you this morning,” Mr. Martin tried to encourage communication.
“I left early,” Mrs. Martin replied, “I had some errands to do.”
“Oh?” Mr. Martin looked interested.
“I went to see Dr. Barts to talk to her about this — this situation.”
“And?” Erika's father asked.
“She's relieved that Eric — Erika has spoken to us and told us what is happening. She is still interested in seeing us together on Saturday.”
“What did you talk about?” Mr. Martin asked.
“About my feelings about this change.”
“What are those?” he prompted.
“I don't like it one bit,” Erika's mother stated. She turned to Erika, “People are looking at you, staring at you.”
“I didn't see anything unusual,” Mr. Martin stated, “People, often look when they see two beautiful women pass by.”
“But one of them isn't a woman,” Mrs. Martin protested with a hiss.
“That waiter didn't seem to notice,” Mr. Martin chuckled, “In fact I saw his eyes straying to Erika the whole time he was here.”
Erika felt her face flush, “Daaaad.”
“Honey, this is something that we are all three going to have to work through. I don't want to see Erika alienated like my Aunt Carrie was.”
Erika's mother let out a frustrated breath.
“Did Dr. Barts say why Erika had to give more blood?”
Mrs. Martin was quiet for a moment, “Something about some inconclusive results or something.”
“What kind?” Erika asked.
“I — I don't remember. I was a bit busy dealing with other issues at the moment.” Mrs Martin was a bit short.
“Here we are.” The waiter interrupted, placing everyone's plates down, “Can I get you anything else?”
“No, thank you.” Mr. Martin smiled.
The three ate in silence for a long while, their thoughts drowning out the ordered chaos of the restaurant.
“I'll set up an appointment for us to sit down with your Principal when I drop you off, Erika,” Mr. Martin broke the silence, “I'll also talk to that guy about Tuesday Self Defense classes.”
Erika nodded.
The conversation died again.
“How is your salad?” Mr. Martin asked.
“Good.” Both Erika and her mother answered.
The three went back to eating and avoiding each other's gaze. A loud roar of laughter erupted from the soccer moms catching everyone's attention.
“So have you decided if you want to go to Homecoming?” Erika's father asked.
Erika's mother paused in her eating.
“I really haven't thought too much about it,” Erika admitted.
“You need to figure that out soon. You'll need time to shop for a dress.” her father stated.
Erika's mother grabbed for a glass of water and took two large gulps, then took a couple of deep breaths.
Mr. Martin looked at his wife, “Well, it is something we need to address.”
Erika's mother, her face drained of color just stared off into space for a few moments.
“Well? If I can't have a son on the varsity football team, I can at least hope for a daughter who is in the homecoming court.”
Erika choked on her water, “Daaaad.” She hissed.
Mr. Martin climbed into the truck and turned the ignition, “Well, that didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped.”
“She's still pretty upset.” Erika agreed.
“She needs some time,” her father nodded. He pulled out of the parking lot and started down the road. “So, Erika, now that you're out as a girl, how are you doing with your wardrobe?”
“Um. It's kind of small. Samantha and Tricia have been letting me borrow things to wear so that I'm not wearing the same old thing day after day.”
“MmmmHmm.” Mr. Martin nodded, “Okay, well, I'll see what I can do about that. Can you wear some of your boy clothes as part of your wardrobe?”
“Only bits here and there, not really.”
“Hmm.”
They pulled into the school parking lot and parked the truck. “Okay, I'll meet you here right after Rally practice, okay?” it wasn't a question. “You're still grounded, remember.”
“Yes, daddy.” Erika sighed.
The two walked side by side into the school and her dad signed her in. “Have a good afternoon, honey, see you tonight.” he turned to the receptionist, “I need to set up a meeting with the Principal for early next week.”
Comments
Another good chapter, Anastasia.
Well, Mom still has quite a bit of anger to get past. I'm glad she went to see Dr. Barts. I do wish we could have seen that conversation. It's going to be an interesting rest of the week at the Martins house.
Tricia also needs time... I really hope that she and Erika can make up. Somehow I don't think Julian will be quite as understanding if/when he finds out about Erika, though Anastasia can certainly whisper in his ears and make him come around.
Lot's going on here... Dad was certainly pushing all the buttons at lunch wasn't he. Like he was trying to push Mom over the edge. Maybe he wants to trigger the confrontation so that they can work through it. Some people are like that, bottle up things inside and need someone to push them over the edge to release it.. Took me years to get my own wife to learn to release her anger rather then bottle it up.
Erika needs to get her things from Tricia's, maybe she can do that when she delivers her apology and flowers tonight. Dad will be happy to see that she does have some things of her own.
Thanks as always Anastasia, is it next week yet?
Hugs,
Kristy
A fun ride
This story is coming along nicely. You really get a good sense of what Erika is feeling. For some reason, Samantha's got me suspicious, but I'm not sure why.
Maybe..?
... it's Samantha that wants to take Erika to the Homecoming.
When she said she'll check the waters, the implication was that those 'waters' were Tricia... but were they? There was always an underlying current between those two at camp.
PB
I Guess Erika's Mother Is Still Going To Be A Hard Case
I guess Erika's mother is still going to be a hard case about Erika. I wonder what she will say if the blood tests prove that Erika is intersexed? Is she going to be like the mother in "What Mother Didn't Know? I really hope not. Hopefully, she will come to her senses and accept the reality of who her child is. Another great chapter A.A!
Another thought on this P&P chapter
Dad promised to take Erika over to Tricia's house (even with being grounded). I would love to see the conversation between him and Tricia's parents. Back at camp they had a very good conversation with Erika's mother, not that she really listened! Dad is going to be more likely to listen, and I would think learn from them.
I do hope that A.A. shows a bit of that in the next chapter.
Hugs,
Kristy
Well, at least Erika's Mom
Well, at least Erika's Mom went to see Dr. Barts. That suggests she wants to understand, even if she isn't getting very far yet. But I want to see Tricia and Erika get back together! :)
Saless
"But it is also tradition that times *must* and always do change, my friend." - Eddie Murphy, Coming To America
"But it is also tradition that times *must* and always do change, my friend." - Eddie Murphy, Coming To America
Not necessarily
I suggest it is more likely she went to see Dr Barts to rant and tell her to do her job properly and 'fix' her son. Remember, she was hoping this is just a phase and Dr Barts would somehow 'straighten him out'.
Kim
Hmm, good point. Darn! And
Hmm, good point. Darn! And here I thought she was coming around!
Saless
"But it is also tradition that times *must* and always do change, my friend." - Eddie Murphy, Coming To America
"But it is also tradition that times *must* and always do change, my friend." - Eddie Murphy, Coming To America
Oooh, shopping with daddy, my baby sister said that was the best
Hey Ani,
Thanks for another great chapter, yup my baby sister had my dad wrapped like putty around her pinkie. Yes I know a mixed up metaphor, but you get the idea.
with love,
Hope
with love,
Hope
Once in a while I bare my soul, more often my soles bear me.
Not sure
why Erika has to apologize to Tricia. Tricia was not exactly an angel w/r to how Erika got into the mess she was in. And smoking pot at her age ? Sheesh.
And please, no comments from the pro-Marijuana crowd, please. *rolls eyes*. Personally I think cigarettes are shit let alone marijuana which produces even more pollutants since people breathe it more deeply and hold it longer, let alone the smoke is unfiltered and the amount of pollutants is higher than cigarettes. Again, I am requesting the Pro-Marijuana crowd to please back off.
Maybe there is a subtlety that I am missing but Tricia should meet Erika at least half-way. She got grounded for good reason so she should just suck it up and take her punishment. I am not so naive that there are folks out there who experimented when they were her age but "hey I turned out okay, didn't I ?" As if personal anecdotal experience always proves the rule.
On the plus side, what I wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall in that meeting with the Principal !
... And we will ! Please AA ? :)
Kim
From A Social Pro-Marijuana Position...
Not sure what dope etiquette is these days, but back in the day, if you were with someone, you either both got high together, or didn't get high. To the old "hippy" crowd, marijuana was a social drug, and you had to be considerate of your date or the other people you hung out with. It was also dirt-cheap, so there was no excuse for not being generous with it.
The other thing was, generally, dope and booze were considered two entirely different "heads", and people "on" one couldn't communicate that well with people on the other.
So, coming with her date, Tricia leaves her date alone to get smashed on booze, and goes and gets high on dope without her date? Fail! Multi-fail!
As for the rest of your comments on smoking pot, I've come to the viewpoint that it's a fairly safe recreational drug for adults who have already finished developing their brains, their education, and established their employability, but that it messes up adolescents. I have further reservations about the overly-strong stuff that's cultivated these days. I believe marijuana should be legal, but I also believe it should be natural, of natural strength, strictly regulated (and taxed,) and unavailable to anyone under 25.
Sigh
I was hoping not to get into a thread about it.
I know all of your points very well. However, Marijuana sill is a health issue no better than cigarettes and still stand by my comments for that reason alone it is not appropriate let alone the THC content. Why add even more burden to our nation's health system, cigarettes/tobacco is already a huge one.
I am glad you agree about the age thing because forming adolescent brains are a Russian roulette waiting to happen to begin with even without mind altering drugs making permanent changes to brain structures. And that includes alcohol. My partner is alcoholic and she started at age 11 or 12 and no doubt has lead to her alcoholism.
Finally, the current strength of Marijuana outstrips those being consumed by kids in the school bathroom when I was in middle school. The images of those dulled out pot-heads still haunts me to this day.
Kim
Meaningful progress
I was getting impatient for a while but seeing how AA is progressing the story now feels really good. The abnormal Testosterone level is a nice card to play. If we think clear back to the beginning of this adventure, Eric was not conscious of feeling like a girl, but was simply sick of getting abused all the time. Oh, I understand that feeling very well.
Good job AA.
Many blessings
Gwendolyn
Its good to see
Its good to see...That Erika's dad appears to have accepted his new daughter,I do worry though about Erika's mom, The way she's acting makes me think she might do something stupid...something like telling the school about who Erika really is !!!
I thought Samantha was being a true friend in helping out Erika getting back together with Tricia...Now i'm not so sure...Does Samantha want Erika to herself? And just what has she been saying to Tricia {oh... don't you just love these affairs of the heart}
The blood tests...I suppose they could be something very innocent. But this being a A.A story makes me think otherwise Ani's track record suggests it will be something none of us commenting here have thought of!!!
Thanks Ani for posting, Now i've only got to wait till next week for my next fix { SIGH!!!}
Hugs Kirri
I Can Se Erika's Daddy
Having fun, teasing her. Bu she needs to remember that this is new territory for him too. About the best thing that they can do is say that Eric and Erika switched families. They are cousins.
May Your Light Forever Shine
May Your Light Forever Shine
Not Sure...
...why so many commenters are seeing a sinister motive in Samantha's interactions with Tricia and Erika. It was Samantha who suggested stopping at Tricia's house this morning; Erika didn't want to force the issue. Had Samantha wanted to keep Tricia's boycott going for her own benefit, she wouldn't have gone there and taken the chance on Tricia doing exactly what she did: invite them in and have them wait for her to finish breakfast -- awkward as the situation clearly was for her, Tricia could have suggested that they leave without her.
I can see how Samantha's offer to test the waters apparently aroused suspicion, but if so, it can't be because she wants to escort Erika: Erika may be able to get away with attracting guys who think (correctly, apparently) that she's bi, but I seriously doubt that Samantha wants to change her image to the point of doing the same. Besides, she told Erika that going with a boy would be a better idea; there'd have been no reason to say that if she wanted to compete.
I suppose it's possible that for one reason or another, she would rather see Erika go with Julian than Tricia -- Samantha can see that Erika is physically attracted to him and is trying rather ineptly to deny it -- but there's no reason to doubt Samantha's sincerity based on what she has offered to do; it's what she'd do if she sincerely wanted to see them reconcile.
Interesting change of mood from the everything's-OK last chapter, as Erika confronts her two most accessible challenges, neither of them on her own initiative. Lots of silence is the result -- possibly better than Erika expected, having endured a lot worse as Eric the Plague. Still, time may be enough, eventually, to reconcile both Mom and Tricia. (And in Mom's case there'll be the test results forthcoming.) I guess we'll see how it goes.
Eric
[Disclaimer of sorts: Not sure who the "Eric" who edited this was, but it wasn't I. Pretty good job, actually, though there are a few minor punctuation things I'd have corrected, and one use of principle instead of principal. (Also -- aargh! -- a superfluous apostrophe in Tuesdays.) Actually, I did tell A.A. one time that I was willing to edit, after Healing a Princess started, but nothing ever came of it. ]
Who dunnit? - Me!
Not sure who Eric is, either, however I did proofread this and several following chapters for A.A. Had a bit of a problem, A.A. uses Open Office, while I'm more comfortable with MSWord pre-2007. I have installed O.O. and am becoming familiar with it, but I don't guarantee I'm going to catch everything.
Karen J.
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
don't post when you are tired.
Sorry Karen, I was REALLY tired last night when I posted it.
I've learned my lesson. If I'm that tired again, I'll wait a day or two to post ;)
A.A.
S'alright Anistasia
Since it was pointed out that there was a specific error that I missed, I figured I should own up to it, rather than allow some unspecified "Eric" to take the blame for my error. I've been a little short on sleep myself lately, so don't feel bad.
KJT
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
Cut Mom a break - Why is dad so gung ho.
RAMI
Is mom really being so bad and evil? Did she physically attack Erika? Did she throw her out of the house? Did she lock dad out of their bedroom? Did she fail to come back home after walking-out? Did she go see a lawyer, instead of Dr. Barts? Did she not show-up for the lunch that dad obviously arranged? Did she make a scene at the restaurant?
The answer to each question is a resounding NO! Her reaction seems to be what a good parent, who is confused would do. She upset, but trying to understand what is happening. Remember her child lied to her and disobeyed her. Her child took risky action. She was shocked to find out that Eric was not in school.
If the answer to those questions were Yes, then the attacks might be valid. I do not know what actually happens in the real world, but it seems to me, that most of the writers and readers here who have made a transition have had negative reactions from their family, spouses, parents, and children when they made their situation known/came out in public. Those in that situation, ask yourself, if you would have preferred Eric/a's mom's initial reaction or what you received? Please do not answer total acceptance, because that very likely is never the initial reaction.
I know dad reaction has something to do with the hostility received by his uncle/aunt. But his total acceptance, in fact I think his happiness at what has occurred, seems strange. He wants to take her shopping. Do most men want to take their daughter's shopping. If mom wouldn't go with her, he could have given Erika money to go shopping with her friends. He's already talking to her about being in the homecoming court. All quite strange.
If she comes out in school, and announces that Erika is the former "Eric the Plague", she will have hell to pay. Tyler will go ballistic. Julian, if he does not react in the same way will, be hassled for "having the hots" for the freak. Samantha, Tricia and the rest of that group will also be in for attacks from various quarters.
I think we have reached the lull before the storm.
Anistasia must surely have more things up her sleeve to create continued suspense.
RAMI
RAMI
I Agree Rami
With all this talk from Erika's father about going shopping and being on the homecoming court, It almost seems like Erika's mom and dad have switched genders. Her dad is acting like the typical mother of a teenage girl, while her mother is acting like most fathers do when their child comes out as transsexual or gay. It would make you think there is a brain and or body swap situation going on if you didn't know about Aunt Carrie's background.
Ze Fadder und ze Mudder zhould lay on mine Kaouch und tsu tell..
.. me all abaut zer Chilt-hoot Egspeariences mit zer Parents. I vill haff zem analized tsu mit-in an intch of zer Lifes before zay can say fife Vords. I canst already tell ze Fadder had schtrong Feelinks of femininity ass a Chilt und vas not able tsu egspress zem. He iss now liffink aut hiss fantasies srough hiss Chilt. Ze Mudder vas most likely raissed in a very contservatiff haus-holt by right-vink religious bigots.
Zeess are mine very own egspert Opinions und opviously can not be refuted by mere mortal Humanns.
mit Luff,
Hope
with love,
Hope
Once in a while I bare my soul, more often my soles bear me.
I don´t understand
Sorry, but I don´t understand your english. Please write in standard english, so I could understand you.
Thank you
Robin
Maybe English is not her native language
RAMI
I basically agree with you, however, I am giving her the benfit of the doubt, that English may not be her native language. I worked through it the best I could.
If it is someone's attempt at humor (being a German Psychiatrist) or something else, then it did not go over well for me and was pretty pathetic.
RAMI
Why not give the best
I think I can agree with you, but why not give the best ability that you can? I'm not native english speaker either, I am from czech rep., I think anyone can speak any language he/she wishes if she/he will put in it enough effort, because there is always one important goal you want to achieve: so I could understand others and others could understand me.
It's not so hard.
HER is merely pretending to be Freudian in a mock German accent and offering a psychoanalysis of the family's problems. I think it's quite amusing.
Geoff
Yes.
Hahahahahahah! X-D Thanks, Hope.
And thanks again as usual, Anastasia, for cool story thing you keep doing to keep us coming back for more! :-D
-Liz
Successor to the LToC
Formerly known as "momonoimoto"
I suspect
... not all commenters have English as their first language so they might have a hard time with parody.
Kim
Deutsch ist meine Muttersprache, aber Englisch ist mir leichter
Geoff,
Es freut mich sehr dass sie den Witz genossen haben. Es war mir schwieriger so Halbdeutsch zu schreiben wie richtiges Deutsch und Englisch ist fuer mich das leichteste.
biss wieder,
Hope
with love,
Hope
Once in a while I bare my soul, more often my soles bear me.
Translation
RAMI
Thanks to Modern Technology I have found a program to translate Hope's post. After reading it,I think Hope's effort was better.
Geoff,
I am glad very much that they the joke have enjoyed. It was to be written to me more difficultly As Half-German as right German and English is the lightest one for me.
bit again,
Hope
RAMI
RAMI
Technology isn't all THAT great.
Hi RAMi,
[title] German is my mother-tongue, but I find English easier
Geoff,
I makes me very happy that you enjoyed the joke. It was more difficult for me to write in that half-German than in proper German and English is the easiest.
until the next time,
Hope
This would be an idiomatically correct translation for those who care. Those idiot/savant software translators are good for words but garbage for anything more. Even with word translations without a proper context and with multiple meanings possible, it's still a crap-shoot.
with love,
Hope
with love,
Hope
Once in a while I bare my soul, more often my soles bear me.
Having worked on...
...and worked with others who've worked on those "idiot/savant software translators", I have to say I'm a little disappointed.
You give the things far too much credit. >.< :-J
The best parser is so immensely limited in its ability to correctly select the proper structure for anything but the most standardized, pre-selected sentence (single!), that the idea that one can, at the current time, actually give a correct and idiomatic translation of a random text on the internet, even with >LABORIOUSLY ENCODED CORPI< as references, is fairly ridiculous. Having one that can >ALSO< do semantic parsing (an entirely different and really much harder process) is even more ludicrous. No, there is no reliable machine-translation at the present. Check back once we've figured out what exactly Grammar is, and then we might have a working model.
[/linguist specializing in yet a third field, that's even harder to work on machines: Pragmatics.]
-Liz
Successor to the LToC
Formerly known as "momonoimoto"
Multibabel
I know it's been a while since these comments were posted, but if anyone's still reading this and fancies a chuckle...
http://tashian.com/multibabel/
Today's translation software is almost good enough to turn grammatically correct, slang-free text from one language into grammatically incorrect, barely readable approximations in another. But the software is not equipped for 10 consecutive translations of the same piece of text. The resulting half-English, half-foreign, and totally non sequitur response bears almost no resemblance to the original.
So Hope's final English text, when auto-translated to/from French, German, Italian, Portugese and Spanish in sequence, minus the salutations is rendered thus:
"Very it to me diminishes happy who you considered the joke. He was, this I I write the fact, average half is more difficult, when of advisable German and the English it is simplest."
OK, that's almost incomprehensible, but let's pipe that output back into the input...
"Much with me the happy diminutions, than have that to consider him tastes joke. It was, this I that writes the fact, he is more difficult average half, if of the Germans, of which and English it is letters certified, is simplest."
Yup, completely incomprehensible - unless you're used to reading instruction manuals (which often appear to have gone a similar transformation between their native Mandarin / Japanese and English!) :)
--Ben
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
The best part of Tuesday morning
lately has been finding another episode of this great saga. Of course, the worst part of Tuesdays has been the realization that it will be a week or more until I can all my new questions answered.
Reading this story has been like being in the kitchen while a great Cajun gumbo is being created. You sample the developing broth, and just as you decide that it's in danger of being too spicy, Chef Ani comes along and dumps in a handful of this, two shakes of that, and a pinch of yet something else. It seems at first she ruined it, but fifteen minutes later you realize you can't question an artist at work.
I think Mom is reacting as would be expected in her shoes. I think Dad is overreacting a bit, probably from years of guilt over not supporting his aunt Carrie better. He seems to be a straight-up kind of guy though. In fact, I think Erika's both parents seem to be pretty dedicated. I hope Dr. Barts can help them navigate these rough waters, I see a big storm on the horizon after the meeting with the Principal.
Thanks, Miss Anastasia!
Hugs,
Carla
Another good chapter, I hope
Another good chapter, I hope that Erika and Tricia will be on good terms again. But I have one technical this time: when you go on drawing blood tests, you can´t eat and drink anything but water, from last midnight, or tests will be useless and you have go again.
Robin
Blood Tests
You don't have to starve before ALL blood tests. I am diabetic and I perform 4 tests per day so I can work out what Insulin dose I require. Likewise when I go to the Health Centre to have blood taken for my HbA1C, I do not have to starve myself. However if I am having my Cholesterol checked starvation after midnight the day before is required.
Gabi
Gabi.
Too true
Unless the doctors are looking for hormone irregularities, and she had corn flakes for breakfast and her cheap milk was laced with growth hormone. That might throw things off a bit!
Hugs
Carla Ann
depends on what they are testing for
Suspect they aren't looking for blood sugar or cholesterol.
No making out!
I am supervised that no one else has commented on the "making out". What happened was that Erika was drunk, closed her eyes, and the prick known as Julian Rock took advantage of the situation and kissed Erika. Erika didn't even know what was going on at the time, and after coming off her drunk, doesn't remember anything. I agree that Tricia is being a bit of a prick herself, yes, women can be as big a prick as men. Julian is a double prick because he has not set the record straight at school that he took advantage of Erika when she was drunk and to confess that the two were not making out. Given this, and the fact that he did not even apologise to Erika for taking advantage of her, makes me believe that he was probably going to take even greater advantage of Erika in the bedroom.
worried about Erica's
reaction to Julian at school though. No reason why she needs to suddenly start liking guys. Homecoming with Trica is just fine.
Sorry, I think you are completely wrong about Julian
Tricia has every reason to be mad at Erika for making out with Julian, no question there.
However, I don't believe that Julian knew how drunk she was when he kissed her.
Erika was flirting with him, he did sit next to her of course, but that is hardly a bad thing. She was leaning in close and closed her eyes, he kissed her, she responded back.
If he were the prick you claim he is, he would not have put up with Tricia pounding on him. Everything he says here is perfectly reasonable, and what he should have done as a host. The only thing that might have been better would have been to have a girl go with him, but I think as a teenager he did remarkably well.
As for telling everyone they did not make out, no one will believe him either. You don't know what he has or has not tried to say, but since everyone saw them kissing, it won't matter what he says.
No, Julian does not appear to be a prick.
Tricia has the right to be angry with Erika, not that Tricia was perfect in all of this, but between seeing her make out with Julian which is a major kick in the gut, then worrying herself sick about what happened to her after Erika snuck out of the party, those things make Tricia's offenses seem trivial.
Tricia and Samantha are both guilty of leaving Erika alone in a new situation, though I would like to know how Erika knows how to make Fuzzy Navels. But maybe she and Summer drank on occassion, would not surprise me.
Hugs,
Kristy
Fuzzy Navels
It's true that this knowledge seems to come out of the blue. On the other hand, they're easy to make and sweet, and can be made very weak, so perhaps they've been served to her, even by her parents. It's fairly easy to make them "Hairy" by adding vodka instead of lemonade or in addition to nothing, depending on which version of the "Fuzzy Navel" is the base recipe, but she seems to have skipped straight to that step, so it's fairly clear that her knowledge of "mixology" is rudimentary at best.
Puddin'
-
Cheers,
Puddin'
A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style
Wonderful Mood
This chapter both contained and evoked a wonderful mood. I love the growing relationship between Erika and her father. When she called him Daddy, I sighed. :)
It was nice that the whole family could get together, if only for lunch. I hope things turn out well.
I'm also still pulling for Tricia and Erika to get back together. There are far too few stories where girls can be romantic with each other. I think you do a very good job of handling the subject so I'm hoping you'll continue with it.
Thanks very much and please keep up the good work.
- Terry
It was Eric/a not Erika that fell for Tricia and vice-versa.
RAMI
It was Eric in the guise of Erica that fell in love with Tricia first. The same also applies to Tricia and her love for Eric/a. In fact at some point Tricia says she could love Eric or Eric/a. The cross-over to Erika (if complete now) had not been at that moment.
Perhaps, it is Eric/a (the feminine boy) that Tricia truly loves, and conversely it is Eric/a (the boy masquerading as a girl) who is in love with Tricia. The loves exists between a girl and some mixed entity.
If Eric/a is now truly ERIKA, a person whose mind now thinks in female terms, and if the blood tests indicate that there are female hormones flowing through her body, perhaps Erika's mind will begin to think more conventionally. By that I mean Erika, the female, will want a "normal" heterosexual relationship with a boy, perhaps Julian, and not a lesbian or bi-sexual relationship with Tricia.
The same could apply to Tricia. She may have been happy for what-ever reason to have a relationship with an individual who could switch identities between male and female, but does NOT want a purely lesbian relationship. Perhaps, seeing Erika with Julian, made her realize that she had lost Eric/a, when she became the female Erika.
Rami
RAMI
Eric/a Erika
I thought you weren't going to use the Eric/a and Erik/a things anymore. I was starting to get confused all over again. ;)
A.A.
ERIKA is correct unless Eric or Eric/a is right in context
RAMI
Yes, Erika is the child's correct name at this point in the story. However, I use Eric or Eric/a when that seems to be correct in context.
I guess I see 3 distinct characters: The boy Eric (we will probably see very little of him henceforth). A person who is and will remain a male (anatomy-ability to be a father), but will present himself either on a limited or a more regular (full time)basis as The girl Eric/a. The final character is the girl Erika. Erika is still developing, and at sometime will begin using various hormones and surgery to continue her development. Erika will think and function as much as a woman as possible.
In my currrent comment, I am raising a question as to Tricia's relationship with her friend. Does Tricia have or want a current/potential lesbian relationship with the girl Erika, or is the relationship she wants now, and in the future with a boy named Eric, who is at times (even if primarily)her girl friend/lover/spouse Eric/a.
Similarly, will the the transition from Eric/a to Erika change Erika's outlook as to her sexuality. Will she reject the idea that she can be in love with a fellow female (Tricia) and decide that as a woman she should be heterosexual.
So, in this comment my return to Eric/a is rational.
But, it is great that you remembered that I had agreed to stop using Eric/a. You keep an eye on your fan base.
RAMI
RAMI
With a "K"
It seems to me that you are attempting to define a character that doesn't exist in the story and assigning the name "Eric/a" to him/her. That seems to be a bit of hair-splitting on your part; confusing because no such character exists in the story.
When it's all said and done, we are talking about kids who are barely in their mid-teens. I doubt if any of them has truely defined in their own mind what they want for a partner, and are likely confused about how or what is right for them. I include Eric/Erika in this, she is so unused to being treated nicely that she responds like a happy puppy to any favorable attention from anybody, male or female. She may come out in the end with a better understanding of her needs and desires, but I suspect it is going to require years more therapy before that happens.
We all know how most teen loves end, and in spite of my liking for Tricia I doubt that she and Erika will be together five years down the road. Both girls have displayed a lack of maturity, so where they end up later on is anybodie's guess.
Sho
Yuri!
Yuri!
I See What You're Saying...
...but I don't think I buy it: your point that Tricia was only romantically interested in Erika because of her gender confusion. True, it may have been the initial impetus for Tricia's attraction, but to reach your conclusion you have to throw out almost everything she has ever said about the relationship and decide that she was fooling herself in saying it. (From Tricia's standpoint, should it really matter whether Erika is getting female hormones from outside or making them herself? Everyone she knows agrees that Erika had been presenting as a boy until the summer they met.)
Perhaps more to the point, right now I don't see Tricia telling Erika it's over. She's punishing Erika for making out with Julian, for scaring her by disappearing from Julian's house, and for Erika's part in getting Tricia grounded. Still, if Tricia's jealous of Julian and worried that Erika will dump her and favor him, it's not enough to make her overlook everything and take Erika back without further reflection and perhaps profuse apologies on Erika's part.
But I don't see Tricia claiming, for example, that Erika never loved her all along, or that Erika was selfishly cultivating the relationship just for what she could get out of it (a place to change clothes, Tricia's supportive parents and TS sister), or even (shades of Mom!) that it was just a phase (of Erika's transition) and that all Erika was seeking was positive personal attention from someone, never mind from whom -- something she'd never had as Eric, assuming Summer was a friend and not a romantic interest.
And right now, whatever Erika's feelings may be for Julian or for males in general as romantic partners, she wants to get back together with Tricia. Erika may change her mind later; as someone observed, longevity isn't the norm in teenage relationships. (And those who doubt Samantha's sincerity in helping Erika or who see Julian as villainous -- I'm not one of them -- foresee other obstacles in the way of Tricia and Erika reconciling.) But it seems to me that there's not much stopping them from getting back together.
Eric
Another great chapter
And I'm really not liking Mrs. Martin, haven't from the beginning... and now her bullheadedness is reminding me even more of someone else I know... great writing A, TY again.
Bisexual
It’s looks like Erica is definitely bisexual.
hugs :)
Michelle SidheElf Amaianna
inconclusive results
hmm, maybe she has androgen insensitivity