of New York and Newport: 9
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: 9 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.
Chapter 9
From 'The Autobiography of Miss Louisa Harper of New York and Newport'
~ "Miranda and I grew closer during our time together without parental interference at Golden Bluffs. Since I had never really had a relationship with my sister before, I was shocked as to how wonderful it was to have a woman with so much feminine knowledge to impart and so much love to share. They say that you can't miss what you never had. That may be true, but once I was the recipient of sororal attention, I was like an addict and I needed to feel that connection every minute of every day from then on."
"Hi, everyone." Quinn's smile was broad as he climbed into the van with Ricky's sisters.
Cathy was driving that day. "Bella," Alice instructed the youngest, "switch seats with me."
Normally, the opportunity for the youngest sister to sit in the front passenger seat would be greeted with 'thank you,' but Isabella wanted to get to know Quinn better, just like the rest of the sisters. "Why?" Bella responded.
"Come, on," Alice said, clapping her hands as if she was the child's mother. "I've braided all the rest of you. I can braid Quinn's hair on the way."
Bella groaned and climbed out of the van through the right side slider.
"Thanks." Alice patted her sister's back as she turned to get into the front passenger door.
"I'm sitting with Quinn on the way home," Bella said quietly.
Alice gave her sister's swim-suit-and-silk-wrap covered bottom a quick, sharp slap. "Watch your mouth. Remember who you're talking to."
"Ow!" Bella screeched.
"Come on!" Cathy shook her head and grabbed Bella's arm, pulling her into the car. "You can be in charge of the radio."
Bella screwed up her face, then climbed in and pulled her seatbelt around her waist. "I hate it when she acts like a bossy bitch," she whispered loud enough for only Cathy to hear.
"You want me to spank you?" Cathy asked, threateningly.
"No," Bella pouted. "Can I plug in my phone and play my music?"
Cathy nodded. "I said you could be in charge of the music, didn't I?"
That seemed to please Isabella.
Alice climbed into the seat behind Quinn and handed him a small, nylon satchel filled with hair accoutrements. "Hold this for me. I'll braid your hair like the rest of us, ok?"
Even though Alice's voice pitched higher at the end of the question, it really wasn't a question at all. If Quinn was taking part in sister day, then Quinn was going to have to have his hair braided into two, tight braids just like the other sisters. The braids would begin at his forehead hairline, sit tightly along the top of his head, stick tightly to the back of his head and hang neatly down past his shoulders and onto his back. He knew that his hair would look like that because that was how all of the eight girls in the car had their hair done.
"That bag has my clips, bobby-pins and hair ties in it," Alice explained.
"Oh..." Quinn replied, a bit surprised to have been brought so quickly into the fold - and to have been TOLD, not ASKED that his hair was about to be braided.
Cathy started driving and the sound of a popular K-Pop song came from the speakers, causing seven of the sisters to groan. "Come on, Bella! Not BTS!"
The youngest sister turned and smiled. "I'm in charge of the music."
Cathy gave her sister an irritated side eye. "The next twelve songs that you play had better be songs that we all like or I swear, I will pull over and leave you on the side of the road."
Isabella didn't respond, but Quinn got the distinct impression that she took Cathy's threat very seriously.
Within a few minutes, the music on the radio seemed moot since the conversation became louder than the recording being played. Quinn was quickly caught up in the questions, laughter and conversation.
"You brought your romper, right?" Someone asked.
"What bridge are we taking?" Someone else.
"Quinn - guess what! Bea got engaged last weekend!" someone else called out.
Beatrice proudly displayed the ring for Quinn to see. She was one of the quieter sibling, but she was thrilled to accept Quinn's congratulations and happy to tell Quinn about her fiancé.
An hour and fifteen minutes after the van had pulled out of Quinn and Ann's driveway, it pulled into the parking lot, very close to the beach-house/changing rooms/snack bar at West Dennis beach, about half way out on the south shore of Cape Cod.
"Why can't we ever go to Hyannis?" Grace asked. "That's where the Kennedys live. We might run into celebrities there."
"I don't think Taylor Swift is going to be walking around on Main St in Hyannis, Gracie," Ellen laughed.
"Didn't she sell her place after she broke up with that Kennedy kid?" Isabella asked.
"You never know," Fiona said, defending her younger sibling. "If there are celebrities on The Cape then they're either going to be in P-Town or Hyannis."
"Well, WE'LL never know if there are any celebrities here or not," Hannah commiserated, "because we're always at public beaches where rich people never go."
"Oh, my God," Catherine shook her head as she helped Alice and Beatrice get the blankets out of the back of the van. "We planned the day, bought you all matching rompers and drove you all the way to Cape Cod and all you can do is complain?"
"And in front of a guest, too," Alice chided.
"Actually," Fiona said, apologetically, "I really like the matching rompers."
"Good," Beatrice said, coming around to the side of the van, handing a blanket to Hannah. Then she looked at Quinn. "I'm sorry. Sometimes too many sisters can be a problem."
"Oh, don't mind me," Quinn smiled. "I'm having a great time."
"Good," Fiona said, linking her arm with Quinn's, "because we want you to like being with us." She raised her voice and called to the back of the van where Alice was closing the hatch. "And Quinn is NOT a guest. She's as much a sister as any of us."
Alice rolled her eyes. "Who's turn is it to pick a spot to set up?"
"Mine!" Hannah raised her hand.
"Ok," Alice nodded. "Let's get onto the sand - but not too far from the snack bar, ok?"
"Yep!" Hannah grabbed a hold of one of the small coolers they'd brought and led the way to the beach-proper.
"I have not enjoyed a Monday morning this much is years!" Ann chuckled as she snuggled against John who was spooned up against her back as they laid in her bed. The sheets were a mess and the sunlight was filling the room.
"I've got news for you," John laughed. "It's well last noon time. It's Monday afternoon and we haven't even had breakfast, yet."
Ann giggled, which was something she had once done with regularity, but hadn't in years. Now, she found herself doing it again. "Are you hungry?"
"Not so hungry that I want to get up," he laughed. "Tell you what. Let's hang out here for a few more hours, then I'll make a run to the farm down the Highway and I'll get some steaks and corn on the cob and do them on your grill for supper."
"Sounds great!" Ann laughed. "But I don't have a grill."
"Then I'll stop at Home Depot and get one of those, too. What do you say? Sound like plan to you?"
Ann looked over her shoulder at John and smiled. "You know I love you, don't you."
He kissed the back of her neck. "And I love you, Ann Eloise Collins."
"Oh, God! You used the middle name! I've asked you never to use the middle name!" She laughed hysterically as he squeezed her tight and licked her ear.
"Well, I think it's beautiful. Maybe I should take a shower and head out if I have to pick up a grill, too."
John got put of bed and gathered some clothes from his overnight bag before heading to the shower.
"John?" Ann asked while watching him.
"Yeah?"
"When we're married and if we live here... how will that work?"
John seemed confused by the question. "Well... I'll give up my apartment in Jamestown and commute from here to school. It's only about forty minutes. Not that big a deal, really."
"Yeah, but what about Quinn?"
"What about her?"
"I mean... will he live with us?"
John blinked. "Yeah, I suppose, so. I mean, I hadn't really thought about it, but if I thought about us being together in this house, then, yeah, of course she'd be here. This is her home, Annie. I'd never consider moving in if it meant pushing her out."
"She," Ann shook her head. "I just can't think of Quinn as a girl, yet. A boy pretending to be a girl, yes, but not as an actual girl."
John came back to the bed and kissed Ann's forehead. "If I can offer a little advice from my own experience - Get used to it. It will make everything easier. Especially for her."
Ann smiled, her tossed hair and her clean, un-made-up, natural skin made her look a bit younger than usual and she could tell that John liked how she looked. "How did you become such a nice guy?"
John snickered just a little. "I've always been a nice guy. You just weren't aware of it." He kissed her forehead. "And Quinn's always been 'an actual girl.' You just weren't aware of that, either. Now, you are, and you really need to support her."
"I do support Quinn. I support him every way I can."
He smirked, knowing that Ann hadn't even noticed what she'd said. "Then use the correct pronouns from now on."
"Mmm, this omelette is delicious," April dabbed her lips with her napkin. "This feels so decadent, going out for brunch on a Monday."
"Mondays and Tuesdays are my weekends," Barbara smiled and sipped her tomato juice. "I don't typically go out to brunch, though, because it's usually just me and a bunch of retirees in the restaurant."
April looked around. Most of the people in the not very crowded dining room were either above the retirement age or a few young mothers with very young children.
"I think it's nice. I could get used to starting the work week like this."
That made Barbara chuckle. "So, what are you working on, now?"
"Mmm," April held up a finger as she finished the morsel in her mouth. "I've got two projects going, right now. I'm working with a firm in Indianapolis that is doing this really cool building that's almost an inverted triangle and I'm also working with a firm in Indonesia that's building a project that's completely environmentally efficient, but will look really similar to the traditional buildings in its area. They're both really cool projects."
"And you do what for them?"
"I'm a kind of liaison between the creative people and the engineers. I understand what the creatives want and how the practicals need to turn that into blueprints for the construction people. Basically, I'm an interpreter between all the factions."
'That's so cool," Barbara shook her head, impressed. "You must have been all over the world."
April bobbed her head from side to side and nibbled on a strawberry. "I've been to a lot of places, but I do most of my work from my desk in my condo up in Providence. Lots of emails and Zoom meetings, you know. I love the challenges, but I need to set up a schedule that actually gets me out of the house and makes me interact with other human beings."
Barbara laughed. "I get that. I can bury myself in my workshop and go days at a time without seeing anyone."
April put her fork down and looked at her friend. "You look good, Barbie. Happy."
She thought about that before answering. "I am happy... to a point. I mean... I love my job and all of its challenges, but... I've been pretty lonely. Oh, I have Annie, my friend across the street from my house, and of course, Quinny, but... but... I really miss you, April. Thank you for meeting with me."
April nodded and thought for a moment. "I missed you, too, Barbie, but I don't want to be put into your closet, ok?"
That really surprised, Barbara. "My closet?"
"Barbie, you left me because you couldn't handle the embarrassment of being a lesbian. If we are going to be a couple, then we need to be a couple all the way. A couple that introduce each other as 'my girlfriend,' not 'my friend.' That means that I meet your friends and..."
"My mother?" Barbara sighed.
April nodded.
The big sigh that came out of Barbara's mouth was louder than she'd intended. "Ok. Let's finish breakfast, then I'll give you a private tour of Golden Bluffs. Then... we'll go meet 'Mommy Dearest.'"
The beach was long and, this early in the summer, there weren't a lot of people. Throughout the morning and early afternoon, two or three sisters at a time would take a long walk down the sands to stretch their legs and look at whatever the coast had to offer. Hermit crabs were abundant, as were pretty stones that the waters had polished and shells in all colors and shapes.
Without the support of an actual corset, Quinn was a bit nervous about taking too long a walk. He didn't want to get too far down the beach and not have the stamina to make the walk back. So, mostly he enjoyed the sun and sand with the occasional wade into the cool water of the North Atlantic.
More than one person commented on how cute they all looked with their hair in braids. Even though all of the sisters shared the same dirty blonde hair color while Quinn's dark red was noticeably different, anyone that spoke to them assumed that they were all sisters and Quinn was thrilled that all eight of Ricky's siblings readily confirmed that they were.
Around one in the afternoon, Alice and Beatrice announced that it was time for lunch. They decided to get five orders of burgers and fries and split them amongst themselves. "We'll have a big dinner somewhere on the way back," Alice announced with maternal finality. "Besides, we have lots of snacks with us if anyone is still hungry."
Bea held up a debit card. "Who wants to go get the food?"
Typically, this question would be greeted with silence, but Fiona quickly agreed to take care of it. "Quinn and I will handle it. Do we need drinks?"
Alice shook her head. "We've got plenty in the coolers."
Fiona extended a hand to Quinn. "Come on, Quinn. It's time that you found out what being one of the Briggs sisters is really like. If your not one of the oldest three, you have to wait on them."
"Hey!" Cathy called, without sitting up, or even opening her eyes. "What did I do? I was the chauffeur today, remember?"
Fiona just smiled and bobbed her head towards the beach house and led Quinn in that direction.
There were only a couple of people in line, so they quickly reached the window. Fiona ordered five burgers with fries and ketchup on the side.
"You're number 629," the girl in the window told her. "Ten or twelve minutes."
"Thanks," Fiona smiled and she led Quinn to the far end of the deck area.
When she was sure that they were alone, Fiona took a deep breath and said, "I don't want to ruin your day, or anything, but I'd really like you to know about... well, what I said the other day. About me not being a 'full' woman. I only said it that way because some idiot doctor said it to my mom that way and I overheard him."
She went on to give Quinn a quick, but detailed account of her diagnosis, her surgery and how it had impacted her life since. It was a lot to take in, but Quinn was touched that she'd chosen to share it.
"Fi," Quinn looked for the correct words, "I... I'm so sorry that you went through all that, but you don't seriously think that actually makes you any less of a woman, do you?"
"I don't know," Fiona squinted at Quinn in the bright sunlight. "Do you? Im not talking about me - I mean, but do you think of yourself as less than a woman?"
"Well... you do understand that I was not... born... female, right?"
"Of course I do. So what? I mean, you were born a boy and I was born a girl, then things changed. Now, we're both women who have some peculiar issues to deal with. We're still women, though, right?"
Fiona stood about two inches taller than Quinn and seemed incredibly well adjusted to pretty much everything. She was a wonder to Quinn. The problem was - was Quinn really a woman?
"Fi... you are, unquestionably, a woman and anyone who says otherwise is a moron. As for me...?" He took a deep breath and thought. "Fi... I've had a lot to deal with and the whole idea of being a woman is very new to me. I mean, yeah, I plan to live my life this way and I hope that I can live it with Ricky and all you guys, but... Am I really a woman? I really don't know."
"What does your heart tell you?" Fiona touched Quinn's shoulder and the simple gesture seemed to offer Quinn friendship, sisterhood, understanding, and above all - courage. It was at this point that he realized that Fiona was truly his sister. She'd been through a different hell and back, but she truly did seem to understand what he was going through.
"My heart tells me that I'm a woman."
Fiona nodded. "End of discussion, then."
"Fi..." Quinn seemed less confident on his next point. "...I think I need to tell your sisters the truth. I feel like it is the right thing to do."
Fiona nodded, again. "I understand that, but it is entirely your decision. I'll never tell them unless you do and, to be honest, it's none of their business."
"Yeah, but you found out about it. Didn't it bother you that you hadn't heard it from me?"
"No. See, I heard about the accident and I was curious. I didn't realize how bad it had been. I shouldn't have Googled it and I really regret that I did. When I told you I knew, I was kind of apologizing for being so nosy. I shouldn't have been."
"The accident..." Quinn mused over that word for a moment. "Fi... so far, my life seems to be split into three parts. Before the accident, the recovery and now this new life."
"I can understand that."
"But... before the accident, I was just a normal boy. I was... invincible, you know. Nothing had ever really hurt me. I had a nice family, two great parents, an older sister who was kind of distant because she was so much older than me, an older brother who taught me how to climb trees and play video games... you know... just... normal."
Fiona waited for Quinn to continue. Whatever he had to say, obviously needed to be said.
"Then, after a really fun day at an amusement park, I fell asleep in the car on the way home. I woke up four days later to find out that I had a whole different life. No mom, no dad, no Tony and I couldn't move my legs, by back or my left hand. I could barely move my right hand and it couldn't hold anything. I'd gone from normal to an invalid without any warning whatsoever. Just - 'Oh, you're awake. By the way, most of your family is dead, your sister is at their funeral right now, and, oh yeah, you may never walk again and even if you try, you may well be dead in a month or two, anyway.' I was fourteen years old, Fi. I didn't think I'd ever be fifteen or sixteen, let alone twenty one."
Fiona tried hard to keep it from happening, but her eyes were welling up with tears. She couldn't cry, though. If she did, Quinn would stop and this was obviously what Quinn needed right now.
He shook his head and continued. "I'm not even sure what drove me to work so hard to get through everything. I guess I just wanted to get well so Annie wouldn't have to give up her whole life taking care of me forever."
"Anyway, the first time I ever put a dress on was a couple of weeks ago, and... I changed. I swear, the minute I saw myself as Louisa Harper, my whole world changed. I knew her story and how much she'd achieved and I felt like, somehow, I had become her. Like - her if she were alive today - not her in the nineteenth century. Barbara and Annie didn't seem to see anything odd about it, in fact they both helped me, so I guess I didn't see any harm in it either, but then..."
When Quinn remained quiet, Fiona helped. "You met Ricky."
He nodded. "I met Ricky. The moment I laid eyes on him, my whole world changed. I didn't want to be Louisa. I wanted to be Quinn. Just Quinn. A girl that he would fall in love with."
Fiona smiled. "Well, congratulations. It worked. He's in love with you, Quinn. No matter what your DNA says, he's in love with a girl named Quinn."
Quinn nodded. "And I love him and... I love you guys, too. I can't lie to you and your sisters."
Fiona hugged Quinn. "OUR sisters, Quinn. We love you, too, just like you're one of us. I promise you, in time Cathy will be just as rude to you as she was to Bella this morning because that's how she is - she's bossy to all of us. Alice is already mothering you, look at your hair, for heaven's sake! And your swim suit! I promise you - if you tell them your story, they will understand and still love you like a sister."
Quinn gave a small smile. "Ok, then. I will find the opportunity to tell them today. I'll start with the accident and then tell them the rest after they've digested the first story."
"Ok." Fiona patted the braids on Quinn's head. "You look good as a Briggs-girl. We're not about to let you go. I'll be beside you when you tell them, if you want. I'll even hold your hand if it'll help."
Now, it was Quinn's turn to hug Fiona. "Thank you, Fi. It will help a lot."
"Hey!" A teenaged voice called. It sounded a little irritated. "Are you number 629?"
Fiona looked at her receipt. "Oh... yes."
"Your order is ready. Sorry to break up you 'bonding time' with your sister, but I've already called your number three times."
"Oops! Sorry!" Fiona took Quinn's hand and they headed back to the window.
As they headed back to the sand, Fiona whispered, "You don't have to rush things and you don't have to say anything at all if you don't want to, but just remember that we're not going anywhere. You're a Briggs, now. Nothing will change that."
From 'The Autobiography of Miss Louisa Harper of New York and Newport'
~ "The trees were turning bright red and yellow and both Miranda and I knew that we'd need to return to New York City, soon. We had been enjoying our independence at Golden Bluffs, though. Surprisingly, Miranda had taken an interest in my charitable endeavors. She had an unexpected talent for seeing the solutions to unsolvable problems. Being the wife, even if she was just a token wife, of a powerful man gave her access to people that would never consider responding to a note or a telegram from a fifteen year old debutant who had little or no social standing. The result being that, even though many businessmen viewed my undertaking as a foolish indulgence of my father and Langdon, because of Miranda's interventions, their wives viewed them as exciting and noble.
"Excuse me, Miss Louisa," our butler, Williams, appeared from nowhere, as he typically did, in the small bedroom that I had converted into an office, "you have a telegram from Berlin."
I was surprised and asked, "Berlin... Germany?"
"Yes, Miss," he confirmed. "From Mister Samuel Clemens, Miss."
I looked at Miranda, shocked. "Samuel Langhorne Clemens?" Miranda asked. "Mark Twain?"
Williams smiled, just a little bit. "Yes, ma'm. I believe so."
"Well, read it, Williams!" Miranda stood, expectantly.
Williams looked at me. "May I, Miss?"
"Yes, please."
He opened the pale yellow envelope and removed the matching pale yellow telegram and read.
"To: Miss Louisa Harper, Golden Bluffs Estate, Newport, Rhode Island, USA.
From: Samuel Clemens, Hotel Bristol, Uter bin Linden, Berlin, Germany
Dearest Miss Harper (stop)
Am on tour of Europe (stop)
Heard of your work in NYC (stop)
Impressed (stop)
Please contact my rep in Hartford regarding support (stop)
I wrote of our age that the gilded surface hides the cheapness of the metal underneath (stop)
Your metal is pure gold Miss Harper (stop)
Deepest Regards (stop)
S Clemens
When I could breathe again, I looked at my sister and smiled. "My goodness," I breathed.
"Wait a minute," Grace held up her hands in disbelief, "you're saying that you just woke up in the hospital, your mom, your dad and your brother had died and you were paralyzed?"
Quinn nodded. "Yeah. That's how it was for me. Of course, for Annie, it was worse. She had to deal with all of the arrangements for the funeral and the burials, and all that stuff."
"YOU were paralyzed and you say that it was worse for your sister?" Isabella mimicked her sister's shock. "What happened then? Who took care of you? How did you start walking again?"
He shrugged. "I was in the hospital for a few months. I had a couple of surgeries and I was able to use my arms and hands, but I still couldn't walk. Our insurance would only pay for me to be in a pretty sketchy rehab hospital. I was supposed to get physical therapy every day, but it wasn't consistent and I hardly ever saw the same therapist twice. It was pretty horrible. I didn't tell Annie how bad it was, but she figured it out and she quit the doctoral program she was in to take a job at a school near our house with good insurance so she could take care of me. I moved home and had nurses and therapists come there. I did better after that, but it wasn't until I'd had a couple more surgeries that I started being able to feel my lower body and begin trying to walk."
"When was that?" Beatrice asked.
"About eighteen months ago," Quinn said after calculating the time since he first stood upright on his own.
"Geez, you're a superhero," Hannah said.
That made Quinn laugh. "That's what Ricky said, too."
"That is horrible," Alice shook her head in her maternal way. "I am so sorry that you had to go through all of that, Quinn, but I'm so glad that you're ok, now."
All the other sisters mumbled their agreement.
Just as Quinn was about to continue, a woman in her early forties and a girl of approximately eleven or twelve years old stopped by the little encampment that Quinn and the sisters had constructed on the beach.
"Excuse me," the woman smiled as she spoke. "My daughter and I have been sitting just over there and we've seen you all throughout the day and... we'll I don't want to be rude, but... would you mind if my daughter asks a quick question?"
Cathy immediately became the family spokesperson. "No, that's fine. What's your question, hon?"
The young woman blushed a little. "Go ahead, Rachel," the woman encouraged.
"Umm... Are you all sisters?" The girl asked.
Before Quinn could speak, Cathy jumped right with an answer. "Yes we are. All nine of us. Would you like to guess who's the oldest and who's the youngest?"
The girl looked around then pointed at Beatrice. "You're the oldest."
Bea laughed. "Close. Actually, I'm number two." She pointed at Alice. "My sister Alice is just a little older than me, but I'm the most mature."
Some of the sisters groaned at that.
"Who do you think is youngest?" Alice asked.
The girl gave her choice a lot of thought before pointing at Quinn. "I think you're the youngest."
Quinn was about to correct her, but he was interrupted by Ellen, Fiona, Grace, Hannah and Isabella who all confirmed that the girl was correct.
"So, what's the age span?" The woman asked.
"We're twins," Alice explained, indicating Beatrice and herself. "We're twenty four."
"And Quinn's the youngest," Ellen said, quickly.
"She's fifteen," Isabella offered, using the age of Quinn's alter-ego, Louisa Harper, as her guide.
Quinn looked at the youngest sister, about to correct what had been said, but instead, he just smiled.
"Well, you're all just beautiful," the woman said, causing all of them to thank her. "And it's so nice to see sisters getting along so well. Rachel, here, just has one brother and they fight like cats and dogs."
"We have a brother, too," Cathy laughed, "but he's not allowed to participate in our sister-days."
"It's a sister thing," Alice winked at the girl. "Maybe, someday, you'll have a sister, too."
The woman laughed. "Yeah, well, not much chance of that. It's was nice speaking to you girls. Thank you for being so sweet. You all look beautiful. I love the braids."
When the woman and girl had left, the sisters all smiled at each other and Isabella raised her hands in victory. "Woo hoo! They didn't guess I was the youngest. That was a first! Sorry, Quinn. You don't mind, do you?"
"No, I don't mind," Quinn shrugged, a little confused. "Does this kind of thing happen a lot?"
"All the time," Fiona laughed. "It's bad enough that mom used to make us all dress and do our hair the same when we were kids, but now we have 'Momma-Alice' making us do it again on these sister days."
"Oh, stop it," Alice smiled. "You all love it."
Cathy laughed, too. "It is pretty cool to be part of a big family." She looked at Quinn and smiled. "We hope you feel the same way."
Quinn looked as if he might cry. He nodded and looked around the beach, making sure that there was no one too close to them. "Umm... look... you guys... you've all been so nice and welcoming to me, but... I need to tell you something else about me."
Fiona looked around at her sisters and instantly knew that the others had no idea what Quinn was about to say. "You know, Quinn, you've shared an awful lot with us today. If you'd rather put this off till another time..."
Quinn shook his head. "No. It's ok. I really, really want to be part of your family, but I need to be honest with you about something really important."
"Very nice to finally meet you, Mrs Jenkins," April smiled and extended her hand to Barbara's mother.
Carolyn forced a smile and shook the woman's hand. She nodded, but didn't say anything, instead, taking in this woman that Barbara had brought home. There was no denying that April was an attractive thing. Very short cropped hair in a style that was very professional looking on dark skinned women, smooth, well moisturized cheeks, immaculate makeup, plump, red lips, strong shoulders, toned arms, firm breasts under an expensive, form fitting Asian-inspired, silk dress that hugged her hips and revealed lovely knees and calves. Three inch Italian pumps that must have cost eight or nine hundred dollars or more adorned her feet.
All in all, April was - a gorgeous woman.
But - She was a woman and not the appropriate choice of romantic partner for Carolyn's daughter. To be very frank, even if April were a man, Carolyn would have had reservations about Barbara engaging in a relationship with someone of April's race. Carolyn, of course, was not prejudiced in anyway. Hell, she'd even worked as a volunteer on one a Barrack Obama's campaigns.
No, she had no problem with mixed-race couples, per se, but the rest of the world was not as open minded as Carolyn and dating a person of African heritage... would be difficult for Barbara under normal circumstances. Engaging in a LESBIAN relationship with one - well, that was just ridiculous.
This was just a fad. Barbara might be experimenting, or maybe she was just bringing April home as some kind of punishment for Carolyn. A means of punishing her mother for criticizing Quinn's perverted choices.
Yes.
That was probably it. Barbara was just being an immature little brat and punishing her mother.
"Say 'hello' to April, mom," Barbara said, stress evident in her voice.
"Hello, April," Carolyn said with a judgmental glare. "I understand that you and Barbara were friends in college?"
April smiled more broadly and glanced at Barbara. "Yes. Barbara and I were inseparable at RISD."
Carolyn nodded. "And what do you do for work, now?"
"I'm an architect. Well, an architectural Consultant, actually."
"Consultant?" Carolyn smirked just a bit. "Meaning that you don't have a full time job?"
April laughed. "I assure you, I work much more than 'full time' hours."
"April works with some of the most famous architects in the world, mom," Barbara explained. "A lot of times, these big shot building designers come up with ideas that seem brilliant, but they can't figure out the engineering to make it work in real life. That's when they call on April to figure it all out. She's helped to build buildings all over the world."
Carolyn's eyebrows were raised. Possibly she was impressed, possibly she was being facetious. "That's very impressive for someone so young, let alone a woman of..."
"Of color?" April asked when Carolyn seemed to have run out of words.
Carolyn blinked and looked at Barbara. "Well, you two have a good evening. It was nice to meet you, April." She turned and started to leave the room.
Disgusted, Barbara turned to leave and quietly said to April, "Let's go."
April didn't move, though. "What is it that you don't like about me, Mrs Jenkins? The fact that I'm dating your daughter, or the fact that I'm black?"
Carolyn turned back to her and with a look of superiority said, "What bothers me, April, is that my daughter is throwing away her life by indulging in a trend..."
"A trend?" April asked, but Carolyn pushed on.
"Yes, a trend. Suddenly being gay, or being a lesbian, or being queer, or whatever the hell you want to call it, suddenly that's the new, trendy way to be. Well, I still see it as perversion."
"Perversion!?" April was appalled. "You call affection perversion? You call love perversion? You call your daughter a pervert!?"
"I do, yes," Carolyn took a stand. "In this case, yes, I do. Barbara, you know that this isn't really you. You know that this is not who you truly are."
"Mom," Barbara grunted, "just knock it off. You are being rude and ignorant and it's not only embarrassing, it's insulting to both April and me."
"Well, I'm sorry, Barbara, but that's how I feel about all this nonsense." Carolyn had dug in and was not moving on this point.
Barbara's ire was rising and she was about to let loose with an emotional attack, but April put her arm around Barbara's shoulder and spoke with calm confidence. "Mrs Jenkins... your attitude is not only petty and old fashioned, it is harmful. Not harmful to me, though, or to Barbie for that matter, but to you."
"To me?"
April nodded. "You're not a young woman Mrs Jenkins. If you start burning bridges at this point in your life, you won't have enough time to rebuild them before you find yourself alone and wondering what happened to the life you planned. Do you know why Barbie left me in our senior year? Because she knew that you would behave this way and she loved you too much to hurt you. What a waste. If only she'd known that you had no problem hurting her, then maybe we could have been happy together earlier. You have a good evening, as well, Mrs Jenkins."
"Oh, my favorite part of summer is corn on the cob!" Ann wiped her lips, only a little embarrassed by the smear of butter that had moments earlier adorned her lips.
John smiled at the beautiful woman across the table from him. "The steaks are pretty darned good, too. Here," he poured a little more red wine into Ann's glass, "have a little more wine."
"Are you trying to get me drunk, air?"
John's smile broadened. "No." He just stared at her for a moment. "You're far too smart and too beautiful to spoil by getting you drunk." He reached across and took her hand in his, kissed it and looked into her eyes. "You're happy, right? I mean, happy about everything that's happened recently. Me proposing and all?"
Ann pulled his hand towards her and kissed it in return. "I am very happy, John. I love that you came back into my life. I love that we're together. I love that we're always going to be together and I love that you got out of bed, went shopping, assembled a grill and made me the best meal I've had in years. Yes, John. I'm very happy."
"Good, because I am too."
There were a few moments of silence among the Briggs girls when Quinn finished his story. Finally, Ellen spoke. "So... is this the reason that you and Ricky kind of broke up for a couple of days?"
Quinn nodded.
"And you and Ricky are both ok with all of this?" Cathy asked.
He nodded again.
"Ok, then," Grace said with a shrug, "I guess that's all there is to it, then."
"It was very brave of you to be this honest with us, Quinn," Alice said. "Thank you for trusting us."
Quinn blinked and looked at the girls. "So... what I just told you doesn't upset any of you?"
The sisters glanced at each other and shook their heads.
Beatrice took Quinn's hand. "Quinn, it's not the twentieth century, you know. We all have trans friends. I mean, you are pretty natural looking, so I don't think that any of us really suspected anything, but it's not as big a deal as you seem to think it might be. We still love both you and Ricky and none of what you've told us is going to change that."
"Wait a minute," Alice smiled and looked at Fiona. "You knew about this, didn't you. This is what you were helping Quinn hide in her bathing suit, isn't it?"
Fiona glanced at Quinn, then nodded.
Alice looked at Quinn. "It seems that when I guessed that Fi's concerns about you were based in reproductive issues, I was... in an odd way... correct."
Quinn nodded, but looked around at the eight young women around him. "I can't believe you're all so relaxed about this. I thought you'd freak out and make me walk home or something."
"A lot has changed since you last went to school, Quinn," Cathy rubbed Quinn's shoulder as she spoke. "We understand that this is a huge discovery for you - I mean, finding yourself and your true sexuality - but we're not shocked by it. We're just happy that you've found yourself and that you and Ricky found each other."
"What about your mom and your grandfather?" He asked. "What will they say?"
Alice and Bea looked at each other and shrugged. Alice spoke first. "Mom...? Well... I wouldn't be surprised if she already knew. You should probably find out now - Ricky is a bit of a momma's boy, so I wouldn't be shocked if he confided in her. No matter what, though - she'll be ok with it."
"As for grandpa," Bea said, "I don't think he'll even blink twice about it."
"He already knows," Fiona said, quietly.
"He knows?" Quinn was very surprised.
Fiona nodded. "I overheard him talking to Ricky about it. I wasn't eavesdropping, I just heard a little and then, after I found out, I talked to grandpa, too." She looked at Quinn. "Actually, he was driving on the highway the night or your accident and he saw you being pulled from the car."
Quinn didn't know how to feel about that. He did gasp a bit, though. "Oh, God." He thought about what it must be like for a man that old to have to deal with all of this issues, but it was all too confusing to get his head around. "And he doesn't hate me for being a boy?"
Fiona smiled and touched Quinn's knee. "He says you're a miracle. A bonafide miracle and he says that if he ever doubted that God existed, then the fact that you survived and brought his grandson joy is more than enough proof for him."
"He said that?" Quinn was shocked.
"Those exact words."
"Thank you for picking me up, Ricky. Your grandfather had an eye doctor appointment and I really needed to get my brakes done."
"No problem, mom," Ricky replied as he pulled out into traffic.
"So..." his mother looked at him a bit sideways and saw that there was something different about him. "...this girl you're dating? Is it serious?"
He raised his eye brows and bobbed his head from side to side for a moment. "It might be, mom. I really, really like her."
"Well, she seems very nice. Your sisters certainly seem to like her - Bill, too. I'd like to get to know her better, Ricky. You should bring her by for dinner some night."
Ricky chuckled. "Mom, we've only been dating a few weeks. I'm not sure that she's ready for dinner at our house. Nine women and two men all reaching across the table trying to grab enough food to survive while everyone's talking at the top of their lungs."
"Oh, we're not that bad," she laughed, but knew he had a point.
"Yeah, we are, mom and besides, she comes from a small family. Well, it used to be five of them but her parents and brother passed away after the accident. So, for almost a decade it's just been Quinn and her sister. I think a Briggs family meal might be a little overwhelming at this point."
"Well, maybe we could take you and Quinn out to dinner sometime. You know... you and Quinn and Grandpa Bill and me. We could go someplace quiet and get to know each other. How about Wednesday night? I'll call that nice Italian place in Jamestown. That's about halfway between our place and hers. What do you say?"
Ricky slowed to a stop at a red light and looked at his mother. "Was this whole thing a ploy to set up this date with me and Quinn?"
She scowled at her son. "Of course not. I needed to get my brakes done."
"And does Grandpa Bill really have an eye doctor's appointment?"
His mother let a small smile show. "Yes, he does, but... well, to be perfectly honest, I did schedule my car service at the same time as his appointment so that I could have a few minutes to talk to you about Quinn."
He looked at his mother and waited for her to continue.
She sighed. "Ricky, you're only twenty one years old. You're sure of your decisions regarding Quinn, right?"
He shook his head and pulled ahead when the light went green. "Mom... I didn't DECIDE to meet Quinn and fall for her. It just happened and I'm really happy that it did. Besides, by the time you were my age, you already had gotten married and had Alice and Beatrice and you were expecting Cathy..."
"And I should be a lesson to all of you kids, too," she interrupted. "Ricky, I didn't plan. I didn't think ahead. I didn't think past pleasing your father and look what it got me!"
"It got you a family who loves you, mom."
"It got me failure, Ricky. A failed marriage. No career. Dependent on my father-in-law - the father of the man who deserted me, Ricky! That's what it got me. Now, use your head. Make sure you don't throw the opportunity to have a happy, successful life on a girl you barely know, who just happened to wander into your dance class one night."
"Mom, come on! I'm not talking about getting married right away..."
"That's good Ricky. Between her recovery and her... issues, well... I'm just concerned that she might be more than you can handle at this age. Just give yourselves some time to get to know each other and make sure that her baggage isn't more than you can handle."
Ricky looked at her, and he felt a bit more anger than he wanted to feel towards his mother. She'd always been a bit flighty and had a tendency to blow hot or cold from one conversation to the next, but he really didn't like where she was headed right now.
"Mom... Number One: You are not a failure. You are a very successful woman. You raised nine kids who love you and that's a hell of an achievement."
"I know, Ricky, but that's not what I meant. You're my only son and I just..."
"I know what you meant, mom, but let me continue. Number Two: The day I met Quinn was not the day my life became more complicated. It's the day my life became better and the life that I wanted became clearer. Yes, I understand that she's not perfect, but neither am I. I know that life with Quinn will be complicated, but what is life without challenges? Mom - I love her and she loves me and that is all there is to discuss."
"I know Ricky, but..."
He pulled up in front of their house and stopped the car. "No, mom. No buts. I think, maybe, we shouldn't discuss Quinn until you get to know her better, ok? Let's do that dinner and then, after you've had a little time to get to know her, we can talk, again. Till then... well... let's not discuss my relationship. Ok?"
His mother opened the car and looked back at her son. "Ok. I'm just trying to be a good mom, Ricky."
"I know, mom, but it's not your place to deal with this particular aspect of my life. In fact - let's call this part of my life 'off limits,' ok?"
She nodded her head. "Ok."
"I'll be back to pick you up in a few hours, ok?" Ricky said, hoping to end the conversation on a happier note.
"Ok. See you then."
"Wait... there aren't any stalls?" Quinn asked as the Briggs girls began disrobing in the changing area in the building that housed the lavatories and snack bar at the public beach in West Dennis, Massachusetts.
"There are some in the lavs next door," Fiona offered, "but don't worry. It's just us. No one will come in with all of us changing. Hannah, when you're all dressed, just guard the door, ok?"
"Sure," Hannah replied as she began buttoning up here romper.
"But..." Quinn was a little nonplused by the situation. "Maybe, I'll just keep my swim suit on and put on the romper on top."
"Don't be silly," Alice chided. "You need your corset. Tell you what, turn your back to us and drop your swim suit top to your hips. I'll help you get the corset on. Once that's all set, Fi and I will hold up a blanket and cover you while you put on your panties. Then the romper will go on in a heartbeat. Ok?"
Not seeing a lot of alternatives, Quinn nodded. "Alright."
There was a lot of chatter from the sisters.
"We're getting ice cream on the way home, right?"
"Yeah, that place in Hyannis is great. Let's go there!"
"Can we get a sandwich someplace?"
"Let's get something to eat closer to home. We want to beat the traffic before the bridges over the canal back up"
Quinn carefully laid out what he'd need for clothing, the corset, the panties and the romper, on the bench. When Alice asked if he was ready, Quinn nodded and pulled the straps from his shoulders and lowered the top of the suit to his hips. He'd only just noticed that the room had gotten quieter when he heard Cathy mutter, "Holy shit."
Quinn looked over his shoulder and realized that they were all staring at his back. He quickly started to pull the suit back up, but Alice stopped him. "No, honey. It's just startling. They'll get used to it. I'm sorry."
"What the hell is wrong with you, Cathy!?" Fiona snapped.
Cathy had not actually realized that she'd said anything. "What? Oh... Quinn... I'm so sorry... it's just... I guess I just didn't expect that you'd... I mean that it'd be... I mean... I'm sorry." She came forward and hugged Quinn from behind, laying her cheek on the top of his head for a moment. "God almighty, Quinn, you really are amazing. I'm sorry I reacted, but you should never be embarrassed. Each of those scars show how powerful you really are."
Quinn sniffled a little. "I'm sorry. I forget how grotesque my back is sometimes and I start to think that I'm normal. Imagine that: me thinking I'm normal."
Fiona joined Cathy's hug. "Don't say things like that, Quinn. We're all sorry. It's just that we suddenly realized how badly you were hurt and... well... you're our sister, now, and when we realized how much you've suffered... I guess we felt some of that pain, too. You are just the same as us, Quinn, and we don't want you to be hurt."
"She's right," Alice said, touching Quinn's shoulder. "This is you, Quinn. Quinn is a strong, scarred woman and we are as proud to have you as our sister as we can be."
Quinn's head was still bowed, but he raised it and looked at Alice. "Thank you. And thank you all for accepting me so lovingly." Then he smiled, just a little. "This is a lot of pressure, though. What if Ricky and I break up."
"Screw Ricky," Isabella said. "We like you better than we like him."
That made everyone laugh.
"Come on," Alice picked up the corset. "Let's get you dressed."
"So, how is Barbara doing?"
"Well, if you'd asked me a couple of days ago, I would have said that she was doing very well," Carolyn Jenkins explained to her friend, Eve. "After the last couple of days, though..." she waved her right hand to indicate that she had no idea what was happening with her daughter.
"Why?" Eve asked as her baked haddock dinner was placed on the table by the waitress. "Is she ok?"
"Oh, she's fine," Carolyn shook her head. "Apparently, she's a lesbian, now, though."
"What?" Carolyn's dinner companion laughed. "Since when? Didn't she have a fiancé in college?"
"She did and we never met - until today. Her fiancé is a black woman named April."
"My, oh my," Eve said, a bit amused. "I gather it was a tense meeting, then?"
Carolyn shrugged. "I just don't understand this generation, Eve. Yes, we had our fads and trends, but nowadays it's different. For us, it was dying our hair or wearing gawd-awful, ugly clothes to irritate our parents. For young people today, it's - today you're straight and tomorrow you're gay. Hell, the boy across the street from us is now a girl and has a boyfriend, for crying out loud."
"You're kidding?" Eve seemed just as shocked as Carolyn had intended.
"No, I'm serious. Of course, that was Barbara's doing as well. Mine, too, I guess. See, the girl who played Louisa Harper for the past few years at the estate had an opportunity to be on a TV show and left us flat just a few days before the season started. Quinn, that's the boy's name, was the right size for Louisa's costumes and Barbara convinced him to take on the role."
"You didn't try to stop her?"
"I would have if I'd foreseen how far things would go," Carolyn shook her head. "The truth is, the boy is a remarkably good Louisa. The guests adore him and he knows absolutely everything about the Harper family. It all just escalated very quickly and now... Now, the boy is a girl, the girl has a boyfriend, my daughter is a lesbian and she has a girlfriend. The world has gone absolutely insane, Eve. Absolutely insane."
'DON'T WORRY ABOUT YOUR MOM. I'LL TAKE HER TO PICK UP HER CAR.'
Ricky read the text from his grandfather and immediately felt relieved.
'THANKS, GRANDPA. IS SHE STILL UPSET ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED EARLIER?'
It took a few minutes before Bill responded.
'PROBABLY. SHE WAS REALLY WOUND UP WHEN I GOT HOME. DON'T WORRY, CHAMP. WE'LL MAKE HER SEE THE LIGHT.'
Ricky snickered at that. Good old Grandpa Bill. Always the optimist. 'THANKS, GRANDPA. I SURE HOPE SO.'
He checked his watch. It was only seven thirty. He really didn't want to be alone. He took stock of his options. Quinn wasn't available and neither were any of his sisters. That was the sum total of all of his confidants. He liked Annie and her fiancé, John and it seemed like they were both pretty sympathetic to Quinn's situation, but it was kind of late to barge in on them.
So, that left Joe, who was working. At least he was working until nine. So, why not head to Newport and drop into the Creamery to see if Joe might want to hang out after work? Not a great plan, but at least it was something to keep him busy. Even if Joe didn't want to hang out, the ride to and from Newport would kill some time.
"Holy cow, it looks like a bus just pulled up," one of the waitresses groaned.
"Cripes, what is this? Attack of The Clones? They all look identical!"
Of course, they didn't look 'identical,' just similar. They all wore very short rompers that had similar floral patterns, but with different flowers featured on each. They also all wore very neat braids in an identical style.
The restaurant was empty. It was Monday night, after all and they would be closing in a little over an hour.
The happy group of nine young women entered the restaurant, filling it with boisterous conversation and laughter.
"Sit anywhere you'd like," the first waitress told them.
They sat in two booths to the side, five girls in one and four in the other.
The waitress placed the appropriate number of menus at each table and asked, "Can I get you something to drink?"
The sisters were all well trained to let Alice be their spokesperson. "We'll have nine Diet Cokes, please. Oh, and we don't really need the menus. We'll have nine cheese burgers with fries. Please hold the pickles. Thank you."
The waitress nodded and picked up the menus before retreating. She looked around and said to the other waitress, "I think the cook is taking inventory in the fridge. Better tell him he has some cooking to do."
"I thought we'd eat someplace nicer," Ellen said, but she was smiling. "I suppose a burger is a burger, though, so what difference does it make?"
Hannah looked at Quinn and shook her head. "I hope you wanted a burger. I would have preferred a salad, but you see how much my opinion matters."
"Alright, alright," Beatrice held up her hands in a 'calm down' manner. "You know the road trip rules. We all eat the same so we can get served quickly."
"Yeah, but it's our second burger today," Hannah complained.
"Too bad," Beatrice shook her head. "Let's just enjoy the rest of the day."
"Did you have a good time, Quinn?" Fiona asked.
"I've had a great time," he admitted. "Thank you all - for everything, I mean."
"Hey, it's no big deal," Cathy said. "We're glad you had a good time."
"Oh, good God, it's the Briggs sisters!" Joe laughed as he returned to his station at the grill. "It's all eight of you at the same time! That's a pretty rare sighting."
"Hi, Joe," Cathy smiled at the young man, still a bit smitten with him.
"Hey, number three," he smiled.
"It's Cathy," Fiona corrected.
Joe smiled. He was a very handsome guy. "I know, Fiona. I know you all." He pointed as he spoke, "Alice, Beatrice, Catherine, Ellen, Fiona, Grace, Hannah and Isabella."
"That's amazing," Cathy said, impressed, perhaps a bit more than she should have been.
"But wait! What have we here?" Joe said, sounding like a detective in a bad movie. He pointed at Quinn. "Quinn, what have they done to you? They turned you into a Briggs clone!"
Quinn and the sisters all laughed. "Hi, Joe. How are you?"
"Well, I was great until a few minutes ago. The grill was clean and the inventory was done. Oh, well. I guess it's time to dirty up my nice clean grill if you guys want some food." His words sounded spiteful, but he was smiling and obviously just teasing.
Joe turned to go back to the grill, but stopped and turned to face them all, again. He leaned down and in a quiet voice, asked, "Hey, Cathy... can you give me a hand at the grill?"
Cathy seemed shocked. "Sure!"
She tried to get out of the seat, but Fiona and Beatrice sat between her and the aisle and Beatrice wasn't moving.
"Let me out," Cathy said.
"Hmm?" Bea looked confused.
"Let me out, please," Cathy said, again.
Beatrice looked at Quinn. "Did you hear something?"
"Come on," Cathy was getting peeved.
Beatrice didn't react at all. "So, what are you doing tomorrow, Quinn?"
"Come on, Bea, please!" Cathy was getting very anxious to join Joe at the grill.
Without turning her head, Beatrice said to no one in particular, "What do you suppose the Creamery's insurance company would say about a customer working the grill with an employee? I bet they wouldn't be very happy about it."
"Oh, for crying out loud!" Cathy groaned as she stepped onto the bench of the booth and climbed over the back into the vacant booth behind them and she headed to the grill, calling out behind her, "You're an asshole, Beatrice! An asshole!"
Everyone, all the sisters, Quinn, Joe and even the two waitresses laughed as Cathy hurried to join Joe.
"She's had a crush on him since the day that we dropped Ricky off at URI to start his freshman year," Beatrice explained with a slightly evil grin.
"Still, you could be a little nicer," Alice scolded, half heartedly.
Beatrice glanced at the grill area where Cathy and Joe were talking while Joe put hamburger patties on the grill's surface. "Oh, she loves it. Cathy's the biggest tease in the world. Every now and then, she appreciates getting teased in return."
Just then, they heard Joe call out, "Well, holy cow! The last member of the Briggs clan just walked through the door!"
Everyone turned to the entrance where Ricky was entering.
"How did you know we were here?" Isabella asked as Ricky pulled a chair over to the end of their booth.
"I didn't" he smiled. "I was just lonely and thought I'd come hang out with Joe. It's a Monday, so I figured things would be slow at this time of night. I didn't expect that there be this big a crowd." Then he looked at Quinn and smiled. "Hi."
"Hi," Quinn smiled back. They would have greeted each other with a kiss, but they were separated by Alice, who shared the bench with Quinn.
Ricky looked at the flowered romper that Quinn wore and the way that his hair had been braided just like all of his sisters. "I see that Alice turned you into a Briggs," he chuckled. "I'm not sure how I feel about that."
Alice looked at Quinn and then at Ricky. "Why?"
"Well, no offense," he smirked, "but, as much as I love all of you, I never wanted to date one of my sisters."
Tuesday was a quiet day at the Collins house. A little cleaning a little relaxing and lots of talking about Quinn's future. Ann was surprised that he had been doing a good deal of research about his options as a trans woman - therapy, hormones, surgery, etc. That was a good thing, though. If he was going to walk this path, then it was best that he did it with his eyes open.
On Wednesday morning, Barbara showed up at her usual time to take Quinn to work. "Did you have a good time with Ricky's sisters?" She asked as they drove the twenty minute commute to Golden Bluffs.
"I had a great time."
"And do they know?"
Quinn smiled. "They do. I told them while we were at the beach."
"And?"
"And they were very cool about it. They said they all knew trans people and that it made no difference to them."
Barbara looked at him with a big smile. "That's great, Quinny. I'm happy that they're so open minded."
As they approached Golden Bluffs, though, something was amiss.
"What's going on?" Barbara muttered.
There were a lot of people on the front lawn. "Maybe a tour group arrived early, or something," Quinn suggested, but there was something about the way that the people were milling about on the lawn that gave Barbara a sense of foreboding.
"No," she whispered as she looked at the people. "No. Something is going on here."
As Barbara turned into the driveway, she was suddenly gripped with both anger and fear as she saw the signs that the people on the lawn were carrying. "Oh, shit," she muttered and she accelerated into the employees only parking area.
The signs were very well painted and filled with hateful rhetoric. 'God hates fags.' 'Soldiers die for fags to live.' 'You're going to hell!' 'God hates fag enablers.'
"What's going on?" Quinn finally realized that all of these people had assembled here to profess their hatred of him and he felt a fear greater than he'd ever felt before.
All of a sudden, there were people running towards them to block their path. Some had signs, some were just trying to interfere with their progress, but all were wild with irrational, self righteous hatred. They were screaming hateful rhetoric and waving religious icons like flags.
Barbara sped up and pulled her car as close to the entrance to her workshop as possible. "Don't even look at them, Quinny. They won't touch you. These people know how to protest and they know they can't touch you or they'll be arrested. Just head straight into the shop. Don't stop. I'll be right behind you."
They both opened their doors and made their way into Golden Bluffs as quickly as possible. The surrounding crowd screamed hateful things at them as they hurried through the door.
The door had barely closed when Monica was running towards them. "Oh, my God, are you two alright?" She half screamed, then wrapped her arms around both Barbara and Quinn. "Those people are crazy!"
Barbara rounded her shoulders in determination and headed into her shop. "They are not going to get away with this," she grunted. "Who the hell do these people think they are? How did they even find out about this."
"You don't know?" Monica seemed shocked. "It was on the news last night at eleven and again this morning. At least it was on Fox News and they've been running it on their news channel ever since. My friends were calling me all night. The newscasters said that the staff of Golden Bluffs had defamed the memory of one of America's most important women by having a trans woman represent her."
"What!?" Barbara stopped in her tracks. "Who told them? How did they find out? You didn't even know!"
Monica looked at Quinn and shook her head. "I don't care, either, Quinn."
"Thanks," he whispered, overwhelmed by what was happening.
"Oh, God! The hypocrisy of those people! They demean women constantly, then jump to defend a woman who's been dead for seventy years when it suits their purpose!"
"I know," Monica agreed, not sure what else to say.
"Does my mother know, yet?" Barbara was reaching for the phone on her desk to call upstairs, but she stopped as she heard her mother's voice.
"Yes, she knows," Carolyn said, angrily. "She knows and she is not in the least bit happy about it." She looked disdainfully from Barbara to Quinn and back. "This is your fault - both of you - and you had better figure out how to deal with it - AND FAST! - or you will be responsible for the closing of Golden Bluffs."
To Be Continued...
