Synopsis:

Wendy's 50th birthday party is a sad affair until she blows out the candles on her cake and gets her greatest wish fulfilled.

Story:

Wendy's Birthday Wish

By Maggie "Kitten" O'Malley

Wendy stood looking at the pink and white iced birthday cake before her. Glancing around the room, she smiled lovingly at her friends and family that had insisted on taking her out to celebrate her birthday. Actually, she didn't feel much like celebrating. Had it not been for their love and persistence, she would have been home curled up in her bed and probably crying her eyes out.  

Today was Wendy's 50th birthday and it was hitting her hard. Traditionally, it's the 40th birthday that most women find to be so devastating, but Wendy wasn't most women for several reasons. At 40, she still looked like 28 and felt like it. She looked at her life and while acknowledging there were a few things absent, she felt she still had time to find the missing pieces and the confidence that she would do it. Confidence was something that had carried the woman a long way.

It was confidence, the belief, in who she truly was, that had carried her through those painful childhood years when no one save her sister accepted the truth. The truth being that Wendy had been born with a birth defect; a defect that had imprisoned a little girl's spirit within the body of a sad little boy.

Wendy's confidence in herself, her strength and her determination kept her spirit strong and by the time she was twenty she was living as the woman she had always truly been. Over the next thirty years she lived as much of the life and the dream that she could. She had a rewarding career, the respect and love of her friends and family, a love for basketball that kept her in shape and had known most of the joys and sadness of any other woman her age.

Yet now at fifty, she looked at herself and her life and found both wanting. Inside she still felt thirty, but mother nature had finally began working on her body and despite the fact that she was still beautiful and could turn the head of any man she passed by, her mirror reflection told her that her youth was finally leaving her.

As she felt her young woman's body slipping away, so went her young woman's dreams. At forty, she still had hopes her prince charming would come, but at fifty and she had given up all hopes of a knight in shining armor spiriting her away.

At forty, her maternal instinct was strong and she still had hopes of motherhood through adoption or marriage. Over the next ten years her maternal instinct stayed strong and it cried out to her for the child it so desperately needed to love, and be loved by. As she neared fifty, her arms that longed to hold her child were still empty, and her heart had given up any hope that it would be filled with a child's love.

Yet, just a few short months ago, she had found a cuddling, crying child who latched on to her and filled some of the emptiness in her heart. Her name was Molly. She was an affectionate five-year-old hug monster, with freckles, auburn hair, an Irish stubborn streak and much like Wendy had been born a girl with a birth defect. Molly's little girl spirit had been imprisoned in a boy's body like Wendy's but unlike Wendy, the little girl within never grew up. Now nearly thirty years later, the "man" had transitioned into a woman, but her soul knew no peace, as the stubborn little five-year-old still cried for the body, the life and the mommy she desperately needed.

Molly cried out to Wendy in the words of stories and the woman wanted nothing more than to hold and comfort the sad and frightened little girl. Over the next few months, the two bonded through on-line chats, emails and phone calls. Reality said that Wendy was a fifty-year-old woman unable to bear children, and Molly was a thirty-seven year old transsexual, but their hearts said they were a young mother and her little five-year-old daughter.

Sadly, reality is a loud voice, and at the moment it told Wendy that she was staring at a birthday cake that reminded her that she would never be held in her prince's arms, nor hold her little Molly in her own.

Tears threatened to well in her eyes, and her sister sensing the sadness in Wendy's heart slipped up next to her and hugged her tightly. Wendy let her sister's love wash over her and it gave her strength to face this moment, just as it had given her strength to face so many others.

Wendy smiled and winked at her to let her know she was going to be okay and then turned her attentions back to the cake. It was a beautiful cake. A simple message, "Happy Birthday Wendy" was scrawled across the middle. A small figurine of a lady basketball player proudly stood in the icing and made the birthday girl smile. Two large candles, one a "5" and the other a "0", proclaimed the dreaded number 50, and nearly washed the smile away with tears.

Her sister lit the candles and then stepped back to give Wendy center stage. Her niece quickly reminded her to make a wish before she blew out the candles. Smiling at the young teen, she then closed her eyes to find her wish.

She didn't have to search her heart or her mind long. Of all the things she could possibly wish for from world peace to riches to even her handsome prince coming home, there was truly only one birthday wish for Wendy. She wanted Molly to be really be her five-year-old daughter and to be holding her in her arms.

She had wished that wish every night since the Molly had found her way into her heart, and each morning she had awoke to empty arms and another unfulfilled wish. She had no reason to believe that this wish had any more chance of success, but in the spirit of birthday magic, she opened her heart and released the wish.

Opening her eyes to let the gathering know she had found her wish, she filled her lungs with as much as air she could draw. She was going to blow out so much air on those two candles that there was no way they were going to stay lit. In keeping with tradition, she had to make sure the candles were extinguished to guarantee the wish would be granted.

Once her lungs were filled to the capacity, Wendy leaned forward and blew out the air mightily, yet the candle flame didn't even flicker. With more determination she forced the last gasps of air past her lips on the stubborn candles.

Suddenly, she became very light-headed, perhaps it was blowing out all that air, or the fact she had skipped lunch to be able to eat her birthday dinner, but either way the room started to spin, and Wendy felt herself spin with it. She clutched the table to steady herself, but her knees buckled. Wendy tried to concentrate on the candles to see if they had gone out, but her own lights went out first.

A strong arm with a gentle touch caught the falling female and then pulled her toward the man it belonged to. Wendy shook her head as if to clear the fog, and then her eyes went wide as she gazed into the smiling face of the handsome man who held her in his arms. He was tall, at least 6'3, athletically built and obviously strong as he held her effortlessly. His bronze skin coloring complemented his thick, light brown hair and blue green eyes, giving him the look of a Harlequin Romance god. Wendy was silently worshipping this delicious deity, when suddenly she realized she wasn't just being held in the arms of any god, this Adonis was her personal god, because he was also her husband!

In the time it took her to bat a few long lashes, the experiences of a lifetime flooded her with memories, memories of another life, but strangely somehow her own. Her eyes gazed deep into his and she remembered it all now: how they had first met in college, both avid basketball players they met one morning just after dawn. Each had tried to sneak onto the court to get the extra work out and found they both had shared the same idea. From that morning on they shared the court and breakfast afterwards. It wasn't long before they shared more and more of each other's life and fell in love.

Wendy was being torn between memories of a life she knew to be her own and a new and beautiful one that someone how seemed just as genuine. There was no denying the reality of the man who was holding her, or the love she felt for him as the memories continued to flood her mind.

She remembered the long hot summers on the court and the number of times they sent two guys away shaking their heads in defeat and wondering how they could have just got beaten buy a guy and a GIRL.

She remembered holding his hand on those long walks through the country, her boots kicking up the autumn leaves, as they planned the future after college, their future!

She remembered graduating with him in May and then being led down the aisle in June to stand next to him. She could still hear the words, "I do" and feel the kiss that took her breath away, and still could seven years later.

'Seven years later!' she thought to herself. She had been married for seven years. It wasn't possible, but she felt the wedding ring on her finger and she knew it was.

She had run through nearly ten years of history in a few short seconds, and the strong arms that held her, quickly brought her back to the present.

There was concern in the voice of her loving husband as he spoke tenderly. "Honey, are you gonna be alright?"

Wendy blew out a breath much smaller than the one that had nearly sent her to the floor, and smiled weakly at the love of her life. "I think so. I just kinda got dizzy all the sudden. I guess I put a little too much effort into blowing out those candles."

The young man gave her a puzzled look and then stared at the table before returning his gaze to his beloved. "Uh Wendy, we haven't even lit the cake yet?"

The beautiful brunette turned her eyes toward the cake and felt herself reeling again as she saw the giant "50" had been replaced by a "28".

Her vision lost focus as her mind was flooded with more memories of her new life. She remembered playing dolls with her big sister. That was the same as before, but Wendy was not quite the same as before. This time she was the girl in not only mind and spirit but body too. This time there was no prison, no pain, no suffering, and no hopelessness, only a little girl growing up and learning to become a woman.

She remembered being the apple of her daddy's eye and mother's little helper. She remembered tagging along and idolizing her big sister. She remembered the first kiss, the first date, and the first heartbreak. She remembered being captain of the girl's basketball team, an honor student and class valedictorian. She remembered the pride and the tears in her parent's eyes when she walked down the stairs in her prom dress, and down the aisle in her wedding dress. Her big sister had been her maid of honor just as she had been hers several years earlier.

She was a genetic girl! Yes, she had always thought of herself as so. Her sanity depended upon it. She had worked hard to eradicate the thought of her ever being anyone other than Wendy, but now it was all simple and true. This new life had given her what the old one had denied her in birth rite. She was 5 foot 8 inches of total woman. "5'8!" her mind shouted. It would take four-inch heels to create a six-foot Wendy now and she couldn't be happier.

The same strong arms that caught her before caught her again and this time swept her completely off her feet. Her big doe eyes blinked helplessly as she smiled weakly.

Her champion raised an eyebrow over one of those gorgeous eyes as he regarded her. Lightly he scolded her. "All right missy. This is the last time I let you have a glass of wine BEFORE we have dinner."

He then smiled and kissed her lightly to let her know he was only teasing, but the look in his eyes still held concern for the woman he loved.

She did her best to dispel her love's worries. "Honest honey, I'm fine. Maybe it was the wine. I just got a little lightheaded for the moment, but I'm feeling better now. Please... put me down. I promise I'll be a good girl."

Reluctantly he sat her down, but still kept hold of one hand, and Wendy had no desire for him to let go of that hand now or forever. She blushed slightly as she looked around the room, embarrassed for putting on such a show, but at least in this new life she was still surrounded by friends and family and their love for her excused just about anything.

Feeling the most awake since this entire twilight zone episode began, she fully accepted this new existence, and all the history that went with it, but how did she get here? Dorothy rode a tornado to Oz, and Alice stumbled through the looking glass but what about Wendy? Her mind searched for answers as it tried to replay the last events of the life she seemed to have left behind. She had met her sister and niece after work. They had taken her to the restaurant where she met the rest of the party, and she had that infamous glass of wine while they waited for the table. Deciding to get the presentation of the cake out of the way first and then have a leisure dinner, the waiter had delivered the cake to the table. Her sister had lit the big "5-O" candles and then her niece had reminded her to make a wish.

Her mind seized on the word "wish" and as unbelievable as all this was. It was truly the only believable answer. Somehow Wendy's birthday wish had changed her body, her past and reality, as she knew it. Her birthday wish had given her the life every little girl dreams they might have some day. Heck, it had even given her a past as a little girl.

She basked in the glow of having everything she could wish for and then suddenly realized she didn't have the one that she actually HAD wished for.

She hadn't wished for all of this. Truly it was a dream come true, but it wasn't the dream or the wish she held in her heart as she blew out the candles. She had wished to hold her daughter in her arms. She had wished for her Molly to be released from her prison and to come home.

Tears welled in the young woman's eyes, as she had been given everything she had ever wanted, except the one thing she wanted most. She had been given a life that spared her years of childhood and adolescent pain, but replaced it with a far deeper pain by seemingly taking away her child.

Her thoughts turned from her own pain to that of the Molly's. If she was in this "Molly-less" existence, was her Molly alone in a "Wendy-less" existence?

That thought turned her sadness to panic, and just like a mother looking for her lost child, she searched her mind and her new life for any trace of her missing Molly.

Wendy's thoughts turned to today's events in her beautiful new world. She remembered waking up to a morning kiss from her husband. Events immediately following that kiss made her blush slightly, before she moved forward. She showered, fixed her and her love a light breakfast while he showered, and then they enjoyed it together on the patio. They both then dressed for work, and he insisted on driving her, as he would be picking her up after work.

Wendy began to tremble, as her whole morning was passing and not a single Molly sighting. Her heart pounded and her eyes misted as she pushed on.

Her work day was typical, save for the dozen beautiful red roses from her loving husband that had been delivered at lunch and made her the envy of every woman in the office.

It was 5:00 pm as usual when she grabbed her bag and headed for the parking lot. She was so pleased to see her handsome man smiling at her and greeting her with a kiss, but what she really wanted to see was an excited little girl running to her, smiling brightly, and her arms extended out for a hug.

She entered the car Molly-less and her husband drove her straight to the restaurant, passing by several daycares, but never stopping once to pick up the Molly that Wendy was beginning to believe she no longer had.

Once at the restaurant, she was greeted by family and friends, and just as in the other reality, she had that glass of wine before being seated and having the cake presented.

She swallowed hard and her body shook, as she found no trace of her Molly in this life. Tears fell from her eyes and she hugged her man tightly. She had been given nearly everything she could ever want to have a full life save the one the thing that she needed most, her Molly.

Wendy cried and mourned for a child that didn't exist in this reality. Her husband, having no real idea what had brought on this emotional outburst, held her close and tried to comfort her. Wendy sensed he had no idea of what was troubling her, which only confirmed her suspicions that Molly was unknown to him. This made her feel even worse, and she cried out. "Molly! Oh Molly where are you? I want my baby!"

The young woman buried her head into her husband's chest and sobbed, until a soft little voice found its way through her tears and into her heart. "Mommy! Mommy! I is here! Pease don't cwy mommy!"

Wendy quickly raised her head up and wiped the tears from her eyes to see a smiling little imp running toward her, arms extended.

The young mother quickly covered the distance between her and her daughter and scooped her up. Cuddling her close, she rocked her and stroked her daughters long auburn hair. The little five-year-old hug monster squeezed her mommy back tightly.

Wendy was still crying, but these were true tears of joy as she held her baby in her arms as she had always dreamed of.

Two young women and another small child soon followed Molly's appearance. Wendy immediately recognized the women as two of her best friends, Rosie and Penny, and the toddler in Penny's arms was her very own cute Beth.

Rosie smiled with that pixie grin of her and waved. Penny smiled too, albeit a bit sheepishly. Looking over at Wendy cuddling her little Molly she began apologizing profusely.

"Wendy, I'm so sorry were late. The kids were having so much fun playing I just lost track of time. If Rosie hadn't called me on my cell, we might still be at the park. Can you ever forgive me?"

Wendy smiled through her tears and told her it was already forgotten. As she cuddled her little girl close, more missing pieces from the new reality started falling into place.

Molly had spent the night over at Aunt Penny's. Penny wasn't really her aunt, but the little girl loved her so much she had christened her Aunt Penny one day, and the young woman couldn't have been happier.

Penny had agreed to take the Molly for the night so Wendy and her husband could have a romantic evening alone without a little scamp busting in for cuddles. Penny had told Wendy it would be an early birthday gift for her. Wendy could hardly refuse the kind gesture, as Penny had been after her forever to let the Molly spend the night. Since Penny had kept Molly all last night and today, that explained her absence from the usual morning routine, and from being dropped off and picked up at daycare.

Wendy's handsome prince smiled knowingly at the two most important girls in his life. He quickly joined his princesses, stealing a kiss from the little one and then rubbing the shoulders of the big one. His eyes twinkled as he addressed his soul mate. "So THIS is what this is all about? I should have known. I thought you were dealing with Molly's first night away from you too well. Actually, I'm surprised you didn't spend half the night waiting on a call from Penny saying Molly wanted to come home. I bet you honestly didn't sleep a wink last night did ya?"

Wendy smiled and flashed her eyes at her love. "Oh, and you did? And speaking of phone calls, I wasn't too worried about Penny calling, considering you had the cell phone parked next to your pillow all night long waiting for the same call. I was pretty sure one of us would get it."

He chuckled and shook his head. Wendy had busted him big time. Truth was he had missed his little girl just as much as Wendy had. He had missed choo-chooing the sleepy Molly up the steps to bed last night, and sharing cuddles, cartoons and cornflakes in the morning with his little chatty cat. He was so glad to have both his girls home.

As Wendy continued to cuddle the Molly, more of her baby's new history came flooding back to her. She remembered the feeling of having the Molly inside her for nine months and how nothing compares to having a life within you. She remembered the pizza cravings that had her on a first name basis with the Pizza Hut delivery boy. She remembered holding her husbands hand through the delivery and squeezing it so hard that she brought the big man to his knees.

She remembered the first time she held her tiny baby in her arms and knew this was what her life was all about. She remembered taking a lesser job just so she could work from home. She just had to spend the first few years raising her Molly. She wasn't about to trust her baby to anyone else and her husband fully supported her.

She had never regretted it for a moment, as she was there for Molly's first steps, her first words, and every other first in a child's young life.

She was there for every cry, every hug, every giggle, every bath, every story, every meal including the ones they both wore, every trip to the park, the beach, every marvelous discovery, every tuck in at night, every bad dream that scared her little girl, and every morning that saw Molly greet her with a smile and a hug.

The memories flooded into her heart and she replayed them like a sweet song. 'Song,' she thought. Molly loved to hear her sing and she smiled happily as she thought of all the lullabies and happy songs she had sung to her baby. Trying to work from home and take care of the Molly kept her on the run, but it was a true labor of love and she had always made plenty of time for her Molly. She remembered teaching her nursery rhymes, her ABC's, and how to count to ten. She remembered some spirited games of hide and seek and chasing her squealing imp around the cavernous two story home. That memory reminded her that her little one bedroom apartment in the other reality had become a beachfront dream home in this one.

She remembered Molly's first basketball lesson that she gave her and how her little daughter attacked the game just as she had when she was Molly's age. She smiled happily as she remembered how adorable her Molly looked in her little basketball outfit and how proud her daughter was because it was the same color as mommy's.

During those precious first years Molly and her stay-home momma loved, learned and bonded, but as Molly prepared to turn four, Wendy reluctantly agreed to accept a promotion and return to working at corporate headquarters. She had no choice but to enroll her daughter in daycare. Actually she knew the interaction with other children would be good for Molly, but the thought of not spending the day with her baby was almost unbearable.

She still remembered the first day she left her at daycare. Molly cried and reached for her mommy as one worker held her, and another one tried to comfort Wendy by telling her it was all normal and that she was sure once her mommy was out of sight Molly would start settling down. Wendy went to her car and then cried just as her daughter had only minutes earlier.

Yet, it wasn't but a month later that Molly had made the adjustment that they said she would and while she didn't ever like leaving mommy, she did like daycare and when Wendy came to pick her up, she was always full of stories from the day and had kisses and drawings to share.

Everything had came back to her now, and her heart was overflowing with joy and contentment because now she realized she hadn't missed anything and neither had her Molly.

In the other reality Molly and Wendy had daydreamed about the various ways Molly might magically appear at Wendy's and the obvious problems a little girl might encounter starting her life at age 5 or older. Both Wendy and Molly had been cheated growing up in the other reality, and Wendy didn't want her daughter cheated again. Joy filled her heart as she realized that in this reality neither of them had been cheated out of a single moment or experience. Wendy knew she had shared everything with her little girl she could ever dream of and she smiled at the adventures that awaited them in future.

She rocked her little girl tightly and cooed in her ear. "Molly I love you so much!"

The little girl sighed, snuggled and then answered her. "I love you too mommy."

Her daughter then whispered in her ear. "Mommy, I home now. I no sad no more. I otay!"

Wendy pulled her little girl back from her and for just a second she thought she saw a hint of something, something that reminded her of the sad tortured Molly from the other reality, but as quick as the look came, it was gone and once again replaced by the smiling innocent face of Wendy's angel.

Wendy wondered if that was maybe a good-bye from some fleeting essence of her adult friend in the other world. Wendy still had a pretty full knowledge of that other life, and in a way she hoped she would never lose it. The pain and challenges she had endured growing up made her a strong woman and had given her a true appreciation of how precious womanhood is. Those were qualities she wanted to carry with her into this reality.

In Molly's case however, it was absolutely essential that she left the knowledge and experience of that other life behind her. Being a little girl is much more about what you don't know and haven't experienced, as it is pretty dresses and dolls. Wendy didn't want Molly's mind lingering over memories of the Evil Beast, the tortured transsexual, or the long dark nights when she cried all alone.

Wendy drew upon her empathic connection she shared with Molly in both realties and smiled, as she felt no trace of Molly's past life in the happy little girl she now held. Molly remembered this young life and understood the world around her as much as any five year old would and that was exactly the way it should be.

Wendy's attentions were brought back to the real world by the bundle in her arms. "Look mommy, I gots a new dwess, and Rosie gived it to me!"

This time it was Rosie the minx who smiled sheepishly at Wendy. She walked over and gave the two girls a hug and began pleading her case. "Wendy, I hope you don't mind, but we took a little mall hop last night and when I saw that dress I just had to get it for her. It was just too Molly!"

Wendy used her free arm to hug the good-hearted Pip and then took a closer look at her daughter's attire. The soft cotton dress was baby blue trimmed with white lace about the collar and short sleeves. The color and style were perfect for Wendy's little auburn-haired daughter, but it was the print that made it truly Molly. The dress had four-legged Mollys chasing each other and playing with balls of yarn. It was as adorable as the Molly who proudly wore it.

The closer inspection of the dress drew her attention to a new pair of black dress shoes that had not been Molly's before last night.

Wendy commented on Molly's new shoes and the little girl quickly let the "cat" out of the bag. "Rosie gotted me shoes too."

Beth, who had been silent until now, wiggled her feet and proudly proclaimed her new footwear. "I gots new choose too".

Wendy was now well fluent in toddler and knew "choose" was Beth's best effort at pronouncing "shoes".

While the young mother complemented Beth on her beautiful new shoes, which made the toddler smile happily, Rosie the mall rat went immediately on the defensive.

"C'mon Wendy you know if you get a new dress you got have new shoes. You know how important accessories are. She's never too young to learn you know."

Then shuffling a bit of the blame to her co-conspirator, Rosie stuck her foot in it again. "And I'm not taking all this heat alone. Penny bought her the earrings!"

As soon as she had said the words, she wished she could pull them back. "Earrings!" Wendy exclaimed. The young mother pushed the hair back from her daughter's ears to find two gold cats, one each dangling from the Molly's ears. Like the dress, they were absolutely adorable.

Molly smiled proudly and lightly touched her ear lobe as she spoke. "Look Mommy, kitty cats! Mommy, it no hurts. I no cwies."

Wendy smiled and caressed her little angels face. She remembered the day she got Molly's ears pierced. Her little girl was so brave sitting in that chair, and when the lady shot the studs into Molly's ears, tears welled in the child's eyes but not a single drop fell. It took all her strength to tell mommy it didn't hurt and she wasn't going to cry. From that day on every time Wendy changed her daughter's earrings, Molly always told her that it didn't hurt and she wouldn't cry.

Wendy was still savoring another newfound memory when Penny slipped up next to her and spoke softly. "Wendy, if you could have seen the look in her eyes when Molly saw those earrings, you couldn't have resisted it either. Just consider them an early birthday gift, okay?"

The young mother cuddled her baby and then regarded the guilty pair beside her. She gave them a loving smile as she playfully scolded them. "What am I going to do with you two? You're going to spoil Molly rotten!"

Rosie and Penny looked at each other and then back at Wendy. Penny shot Wendy her playful grin as she spoke. "I think somebody else has already done that!"

Rosie nodded in agreement and Wendy knew she was guilty as charged. She reached her free hand towards her two "sisters" and then the three women and two children came together in a group hug.

When the girl's pulled back, Penny handed Wendy a large shopping bag and the young woman eyed it suspiciously. "Don't tell me you guy's bought more stuff!"

Penny rolled her eyes. "Well actually we did, but this is just Molly's clothes from yesterday, and I washed them this morning so they're clean, and of course here's Duchess and Thomas. We had to bring her "babies" with us to the mall. Rosie tried to convince her to leave them in the car while we shopped, but that wasn't happening."

Rosie nodded in agreement. "Yepers, if Duchess and Thomas weren't allowed in the mall, Molly was going either. Wendy, she is so...your daughter. She's got every bit of your stubbornness."

Wendy laughed. "It's a family tradition."

She glanced down at her daughter's cherished babies and more memories came back to her. Thomas, a fluffy brown kitty, was the first stuffed baby Molly ever had. Her daddy bought it for her from the hospital gift shop the day she was born, and she'd slept with it every night since. Duchess the white kitty was a recent edition. Penny and her sister Nancy had got the stuffed baby for Molly, while she was spending the afternoon at Penny's. Nancy had read the little girl her favorite Disney tale; Aristocat's and Molly said she wished she had a white girl kitty to be Duchess since she already had the boy kitty, Thomas. Three days later, Duchess magically arrived at Wendy's house. Molly had captured another heart and Duchess had captured hers.

Wendy was glad that Nancy had been able to give Molly the kitty in this reality as well as the other, because the woman had been so fond of the Molly in the first.

Wendy thanked Penny for washing her daughter's clothes when a woman's voice caught her attention, and it sent chills down her spine. She whirled around in the direction of the voice and saw her mother smiling at her.

In the other reality, she hadn't spoken to her mother in years. Her mother was an incredibly strong willed woman who refused to accept the changes that Wendy had made to give her the body and the life that mother nature had cheated out of. She was a woman who never lost an argument and if you doubted that fact just argue with her.

As Wendy gazed into the eyes of her mother from this reality, she felt the same strength of will, and Irish stubbornness that was inherent of all the women in the family. Memories of slamming doors, and heated words exchanged between a teenage Wendy and her mother came back to her, but it was what followed that nearly brought her to tears.

Even the most heated arguments were always resolved. Most often the two women would end up in the kitchen after both had cooled off a bit. One would make the coffee or tea, while the other would find the sweet, often cookies or cake, and the two would sit down and not leave that table until they had worked it out. Sometimes it took nearly an hour for the first bits of meaningful conversation to get started and often they were still talking when Wendy's father got up for work the next morning, but they were still talking! Sometimes the situation wasn't really resolved to either of their satisfaction, but no one walked away until it was resolved. A few times they just had to "agree to disagree", but the important thing was their love for each other always won out over the stubbornness and anger.

While Wendy's father was just a big old' soft-spoken teddy bear who openly showed his affection for his girls in hugs and cuddles, her mother didn't show her affection as openly and as often, but there was no doubting it. Her love was not just mother's kisses but strength and a courage she tried to pass on to her daughters. She taught them to be strong, independent women but when they needed their mother most, she had always been there.

Wendy would never forget those evenings when her father worked the night shift and her mother came out to help her practice on the basketball court. She made Cindy work harder than her own father did! At times she could be an agonizing taskmaster but her determination helped bring out Wendy's very best and made her the tough competitor she had become.

Wendy remembered coming to her mother after the senior prom and confiding in her that she was no longer a virgin and might even be pregnant. She expected the roof to blow off the house that day, but her mother cradled her baby in her arms and told her that whatever happened they would get through it together. Fortunately she wasn't pregnant, but she knew if she was she could have handled it because she had her parent's support. Wendy smiled when she thought of how her mother and her had butted heads a few times over Molly, but as hard as it was for "Gramma" to do sometimes, she still let her daughter raise her child.

Wendy's heart filled with joy, as she knew this mother not only loved her, but also accepted and respected her. She had fought hard to earn that respect, and her mother had never been quick to give it, but she was truly proud of the woman her youngest daughter had become and the life she had built with her career, her husband and her child.

Wendy sniffled tears back as she smiled and waved at her mother. The older woman waved back and headed toward her. Molly's eyes perked up when she saw who was coming. "Gramma, gramma!"

The little imp extended a hand toward her, but still kept the other around her mother's neck. Grandma quickly crossed the distance and then kissed her granddaughter on the forehead. She couldn't resist just a little tickle and soon the Molly was giggling uncontrollably.

The older woman then put an arm around HER baby girl, and gave her a loving kiss on the cheek.

Wendy smiled happily and told her mother something she had so wished she been able to do in the other reality. "I love you mom."

The older mother squeezed her daughter tightly and returned the sentiment. "I love you too baby."

Her words were still in the air when mother went into Gramma mode and immediately started working on her daughter. "Well mother hen, your sister told me that you finally let the little chick out from under your wing for a night?"

Wendy smiled and nodded, as she knew what was coming. "So when you are going to let your father and I take her for a night or preferably a weekend? You can't properly expect us to spoil her on day visits alone you know."

Wendy kissed her popular little Molly and then looked up to see the begging in her mother's eyes, and her mother didn't beg, but she had been after Wendy for sometime to let the Molly have an extended stay. Wendy couldn't very well refuse, knowing that she'd opened the door by letting Penny have her for a night.

"Okay Mom", she relented, "You win. I'll call you tomorrow and we'll set up something for a weekend."

Wendy's mother had her for once and she wanted to nail her daughter down while she could. "This weekend would be good for us."

Wendy saw the trap and she wasn't about to step one of her lovely little feet in it. "I don't know about this weekend mom, but it will be one soon. I promise."

The older woman felt she had claimed a victory of sorts and hugged her daughter again to say thank you and just for good measure gave the Molly a little inspiration to work on her mommy. "Molly, how would you like to come spend the weekend with Grandpa and I?"

Molly's big green's smiled to match the one that turned at her lips and she answered enthusiastically. "Yeah! I wanna go a whole bunches but I can't goes today Gramma cause I gots to be wiff mommy and daddy. I gots to make 'em go bed Gramma cause they didn't seep last night."

The older woman chuckled and shook her head as she played with a loose Molly curl. Wendy pulled her perceptive little girl in tight and hugged her fiercely as she spoke. "Molly, I think you should sleep with mommy and daddy tonight. That way, we can ALL get some sleep, okay?"

The little girl flashed that smile again and answered with her Molly trademark, "Otay!"

Wendy nuzzled her and spoke perfect Molly back to her, "Otay!"

Wendy was still cuddling her baby when she noticed her mother had arrived alone and then inquired as to the absence of her father. Her mother rolled her eyes and shook her head as she spoke. "You know your father. He's gotta find the best possible parking space. I told him we were late as it is. He's probably still out there circling around. I just hope he gets in here with the gifts before the parties over.

Wendy's mother then gave her son-in-law a hug, and then went over to talk to her other daughter and grandchildren. Rosie, Penny and Beth were chatting with a few other friends. Wendy was still holding Molly and had no intentions of putting her down yet.

Her mind was still trying to take all this in, and understand how one little birthday wish had so dramatically changed the world, or at least her and Molly's world. She had only asked for the single miracle. All she wanted was Molly to be her little girl and to be in her arms. How did that single wish translate into all this? She wasn't complaining in the least, every change had been a dream come true, but the question still haunted her.

Just like the memories of her new life had slowly come to her, so did most of the answer she was searching for and when it did she could only smile because it made perfect sense.

When she wished for Molly to be her little girl she set some powerful wheels in motion. For Molly to truly be her little girl two things had to happen. One, she had to give birth to her. Yes, she could have adopted the Molly and loved her very much, but in her heart of hearts she wished for Molly to truly come from her and to do that she would have to become a genetic woman, which explained the change to her body. She wasn't exactly sure why she was twenty-eight again, but perhaps it was the same reason why Molly was five. Molly's true form had always been a five year old girl, and in her heart Wendy had always been twenty-eight. Wendy had no complaints about either one of their ages or bodies.

Second, it takes two to produce a Molly. Wendy could have raised her little girl without a Daddy, but she had to have a father. Fortunately, Wendy was able to give her little girl both and get a loving husband as well.

She wasn't quite as clear about the changes in her mother, or why Rosie and Penny and Beth were here. Rosie and Penny had been friends from the chatroom, and the only two she had truly bonded with outside Molly.

When she glanced over at them, she was so glad they had been included and given their dreams as well. Rosie, who had suffered both gender and major health issues in the prior reality, was now a healthy and vivacious beautiful young woman. Penny had been a male to female transsexual, who like Wendy had a maternal instinct that went painfully unfulfilled. Now she was the beautiful and loving young mother her spirit always had been and she had her little girl Beth in her arms just as Wendy had her own Molly.

After putting all the facts together, Wendy could come to only one conclusion. All the changes actually began with her being born a genetic girl in this new reality and perhaps a ripple effect changed all history that she touched. Maybe she would never have all the answers but she had enough to know that she was happy and so was Molly and she no longer cared why or how her wish had been granted, only that it had.

Her attentions turned to a broad shouldered six-foot tall man entering the room carrying packages that extended almost two feet over his head. Wendy smiled, as she knew it was Daddy.

Molly who had been about as quiet as a Molly could be finally could stand the excitement no more. "Mommy, mommy. Pap Paw's here! Can we have our cake now!"

Beth perked up at the sound of her favorite food and she was itching to go face first in a big piece of cake. Molly's little playmate quickly made her wants known to her mommy. "Cake, cake, Beff have cake, peas mommy, peas."

Penny pulled her little love close and smiled at her. "Not yet Beth. Wendy and Molly have to make their wishes and blow out the candles first. It's their birthday."

Wendy's eyes grew wide as Penny's last words reached her, "THEIR birthday?" she thought.

With Molly still in her arms, she stepped up to the cake that had changed twice before and now three times. The "28" was still there for Wendy, but now sitting next to it was a "5" for the Molly. The cake still had the little lady basketball figurine, but now four others surrounded her and when Molly saw them she squealed with delight and quickly named them. "Look Mommy, look! Disney Princesses! Little Mermaid, Jasmine, Belle and Cinnerella!"

The little girl then frowned at the cursive writing on the cake and knew she was going to need help. "Mommy what does our cake say?"

The young mother smiled lovingly at her little girl as she read the words. "Happy Birthday Wendy and Molly! We all love you!"

Molly smiled happily and Wendy could only mouth the words "thank you" to her family and friends as tears threatened her eyes once again.

A final flood of memories came to her now. Molly had burst into the world three weeks ahead of schedule and on the morning of Wendy's twenty-third birthday. She had been the ultimate birthday present from God.

Wendy felt warm feelings as she quickly reviewed the first birthday party that Molly and her had shared and the next three that had followed. Molly had pretty much stole the show in the first four and would surely do so again, but Wendy didn't mind. She was just tickled to have one more thing she could share with her little girl.

Molly was licking her lips at the cake, and the growing pile of gifts as family and friends sang the traditional birthday song.

When the song finished Wendy stood Molly on top of a chair next to her and then asked her if she was ready to blow out the candles.

Molly green eyes sparkled and she smiled brightly as her mommy held one hand and her daddy the other. She nodded happily but added that her mommy had forgot something. "Mommy we gots to make our wishes furst!"

Wendy took a deep breath and looked around the room. She saw the smiling faces of her parents, her sister, her nieces and her best friends. She could feel the love of her handsome prince and she had her little girl by the hand.

Leaning over toward her little Molly she whispered softly in her ear. "Molly, mommy's already got everything she could ever wish for. You can have my wish too baby."

The little girl smiled excitedly at her mother. "Thanks mommy, now I can wish for TWO little sisters!"

The End

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