Emily Easter Sunday
A “How I Spent My Summer Vacation: I Became a Girl” Gaiden
By
Rebecca Anna Coleman

-5-
Wrapping Up.

Once I finished my shower, I wrapped myself in a towel and marched straight to my room. Aunt Flora was I'm sure was already asleep, the light was off in her bedroom and her door was tightly shut. Which made sense, she was due to be back at the hospital tomorrow at four in the morning. She was working the four in the morning till one in the afternoon shift tomorrow. I myself had to get up at five to get dressed to catch the school bus at seven. My school took in at eight and lasted till around two thirty or three.

Anyway I walked into my room and closed the door, I dropped the towel on the floor and walked over to my closet. I pushed open the doors to my closet and reached in to take down a nightgown from one one of the plastic hangers. It was then I noticed something laying on my bed. It was a plush doll.

I quickly slipped the thick, cotton nightgown over my head and walked over to were the doll was lying. Slowly I reached down to gently pick her up. I noticed she was hand sewn and a brunette. Well she had long strands of brown yarn for hair and two brown buttons for eyes. She was dressed in a miniature dress, sky blue with ruffles at the edges and the sleeves.

“Hello.” I said blushing a little.

“And how might you be?” I felt silly talking to a stuffed doll, but it felt right. Like she was listing to me. Now, I'd had stuffed animals growing up, what child does not? But many of them had been lost to time. My dad, before mom had divorced them had tossed them all in the trash as soon as I'd had turned eleven. I could still hear his cutting words echoing in my ears. 'Your eleven now son, It time you stop acting like a little boy and become a man, and that means stop playing with your stuffed toys.'

I don't remember if I'd cried when he said that or if I'd took it like a stoic he wanted me to be. But a little part of me had shut dow that day. I'm not going to say a part of me died that day, more like like a door in my soul had been closed and locked. And the key to unlock it had been thrown away, and well by chance I'd rediscovered the key, some five years later.

It was then I noticed another piece of paper, it was another letter. The letter read as follows.

'Hello Emily!' well that was pleasant and informal.

'My name is Emma! And I'm going to be your new best friend! Your aunt told me you took a big step today! And I just want you to know how proud I am of you. It takes a lot of courage for a person to become the person they always wanted to be. Anybody can dream, but it takes a lot of hard work to make your dreams a reality! That is why I'm here, to support you in everything you do! Don't hold anything back! Tell me everything, your hopes, you fears, your dreams, your weaknesses and your strengths! I want to know everything! After all their no secrets among best friends'

I felt my hands starting to tremble.

“Who wrote this?!” I said placing the small plush doll down upon my bed. “WHO!” I said turning around and looking around my room. “Who wrote the letter I found in the bathroom? Who are you people..” And then total silence. A peaceful silence. I felt tears starting to form in the corner of my eyes.

“... Mom... Did you write these things?” Those words got caught in my throat. Mom could not have written those letters, as far as I know she was entombed in All Saint's Faithful Rest. Maybe at this point her body had wilted away and the worms had had their fill of her and her bones were returning to the soil.. maybe flowers were growing above her? I don't know.

Again silence.

I Looked down and picked up Emma and then I brought her close to my chest, I placed my chin upon her head and peered out into the inky darkness.

“Hi,” I said pausing. “It nice to meet you Emma, I'm Emily, I'm sixteen years old and I'm a transgender girl. When God made me, he made a mistake and put my soul which was female I guess into a guys body. I've been struggling with that mistake for a long time. Today, I took the first step in correcting that. And soon I'm going to ask Father. O'Nell to confirmed me using my new name. So God can start my ledger over again.. Are you okay with this? Are you okay with being friends with a transgender girl? A lot of people who don't know me think I'm a freak, and a lot of people online say I'm just confused. But I'm not a freak and I'm not confused.”

More silence.

Then somewhere in the silence, maybe within the silence of my room a small, tiny voice answered. The voice was a resounding 'Yes'. And well.. I cried following that answer. I don't know how long I cried, I don't remember crawling into bed. But the next morning I found Emma laying beside be, covered up, I found the letter that was attached to her on my dresser. I found the letter attached to the gift basket next to it, along with the gift basket.

It was not the Easter Sunday I'd been expecting, but had been the one I needed.

The End.