This romance is very 'raw'. I just wrote it so there will be mistakes in it. And some technicalities when it comes to construction may be wrong, as I can't check it on the Net as I write, so bear with me please.

==

====

He first saw her at the construction work. He had gotten himself a work as an all around handyman and concrete worker. He knew Sven, real good in fact, and that had helped a lot getting it as he was the boss. They were building just near where he lived too. He had been real lucky in that. The problem was that they couldn’t get the permit to start. It seemed as the ownership of the property had changed and even though the construction company had gotten the bid they still needed an okay from the company that had taken over the old one.

As he stood there with the rest of them worried that they would send him home without pay he saw their boss coming over to him.

“Andy, you live here around, don’t you?”

“Yeah Sven, so what?”

“Well, it seems as the office is at 66 St. Andrews street . Do you think you could run over and get someone to come down here and tell us if we can start or not?”

“You mean if the contract still stands right?”

“Yeah, you can borrow my car, okay.”

“Okay.”

As he drove away he tried to remember where that street might be, but it didn’t ring any bells for him. He found a street map in the glove compartment though. Looking at it he at last localized it at a backstreet, just near the park. As he drove down there he found it to be a house, all on its own, just at the edge of the park. As he looked he noticed that there was some sort of happening down there. He saw several pavilions and beer tents and heard some music too.

‘Typical’ he thought. 'It always when I can’t do anything about it.' As he went up to the house he saw no sign of it being an office, just a copper plate stating ‘unlimited holdings inc’ at the side of the door. Ringing on the bell there was no one answering so he decided to at least walk around it to see if he could find someone there. As he came around he found it to be a very nice kitchen garden, smelling sweetly in the warm summer sun, and looking a little further he saw an open door. He called.

“Halloo, anyone home?”

There was no answer so he went in, after all he had a legitimate errand. As he came in he found the house to be quite opulent, reminding him a lot of something from some Persian tale with a lot of big soft looking pillows on the floor, nice carpets and big windows letting in the sun. As he went further in he found a closed door, when opening it he found a totally dark room, listening he thought he could hear someone sleeping. Closing it again he knocked.

“Hallo, I’m from the site at Elwood Street. We’re wondering if our contract still is valid. We need to know, the whole site is standing still.”

He could hear someone move inside and after a time the door opened. She was beautiful, around thirty he guessed, dressed in some sort of sleeping gear reminding him of what those courtiers had worn at the Elizabethan times, sort of puffy and leaving her sweet long legs free.

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry to wake you, your company bought up the company we had our contract with and the old owners didn’t warn us. We were starting to cast a concrete form when we found out. So you see, we really need to know if the contract still is valid.”

“That’s my father, and he is abroad. Let me see if I can help you.”

As she came out he realized that she was blind. She had lovely violet eyes but it was apparent that she couldn’t see. Suddenly he understood the absence of big clumsy furniture, her father didn’t want her to hurt herself. He followed her enjoying the view, at the same time a little embarrassed as she couldn’t see him doing it. As she came to a phone she started to punch in numbers.

“Hi dad, there is some guys working at some construction here. Okay, I’ll ask him?”

“Where are you working?”

“Elwood Street.”

“Okay, did you hear that, Elwood street Pa. they want to know if it’s okay to start to build there?”

“Okay, I’ll tell him.”

She turned to him smiling. “Pa said that he had missed that, and yeah it’s okay. He had just forgotten about it.”

“Thank you ma’am.” As Andy started to turn around to walk away she stopped him.

“What, okay dad.” She gave the phone to him. “My dad want to have a word with you.”

As Andy took the phone he heard her father say in a deep baritone

“Who am I speaking too?”

“Andy Sir.”

“Okay Andy, you can start casting but I have a question for you.”

“Yes sir.”

“My daughter is all alone today, I had forgotten that this was the housekeepers day off. Would you be able to stay and help her, just for the day. If you give me the number I will clear it with your boss too.”

Andy who for once felt as if something was going his way smiled at the request.

“Certainly Sir, it would be my pleasure. You can talk with Sven about me. I’m quite trustworthy.”

“Sven? Hmm, okay.”

He gave him the number and promised to wait at the phone, incredulously congratulating himself before he remembered that he only was a day worker. Shit, he wouldn’t get any pay today. But looking at her he felt his heart melt all the same. Hell, he had enough money on him to give her a good time anyway. The rent just would have to wait.

After what seemed as an eternity the phone ringed again. He let her lift it, as she talked she started to smile in that innocent unknowing way blind people sometimes smile.

“Dad, thank you, yeah I had forgotten about it too. No, he sounds nice. I’m sure it will work out. Here.” She stretched out the phone in his general direction. As he took it he touched her hand, it was like a electrical stream wandered through it up his own, leaving him with a tingling sensation of wellbeing.

“Yes Sir?”

“I’ve arranged it for you son. It happens that I know Sven and he swore on you being a good guy. Don’t let us down now, and yeah. He said you could lend the car today.”

“As I said Sir, I’ll take care of her. It will be my pleasure.”

“Good, let me talk with Teddi for a minute.”

As they talked he stood there admiring her. She was all he ever had dreamed of in a girl, a sweet and friendly face, a lovely body perfectly proportioned to her, and that wonderful singing lilt to her voice. As she put the phone back she turned to him.

“Andy was it? Or Andrew?”

“Andreas ma’am.”

“Don’t you ma’am me Andy. I’m Teddi.”

For the first time Andrew had the possibility to ogle a girl as much as he liked and as near as he wanted, but he found himself having a strange reluctance to doing it. Not that he didn’t want too. But somehow he felt that he was taking a unfair advantage of her situation.

“Teddi? Did you know that they have some sort of event in the park? It looked fun.” he asked, breathlessly hoping that she would be interested.

She smiled again.

“And?”

“It would be my pleasure to invite you for a stroll in the park Teddi, and a hot dog too if you want?”

She laughed. “You’re quite the charmer Andy, my father said that Sven had told him to warn me of that.”

‘Sven saying that I’m a charmer? No way.’ Thought Andy. Sven knew that he seldom went out on his own, and even though he had had his share of girlfriend he had been alone for quite some time now.

“Does that mean yes?” he asked

“Just let me find something to wear.” She said. “Do you think I need some makeup?”

“Not for me Teddi, you’re lovely just as you are.” He answered.

She heard the honesty in his voice and had to smile again.

“Okay Andy, if you just wait here.”

She disappeared into her dark room again. He almost rushed in to turn on the light for her before he realized that it wouldn’t make any difference. Sitting on a divan he waited, and waited, and waited. As she came out she had a skirt in the same pattern as her night clothes and a top in a sunny yellow colour. She pirouetted.

“Do I look okay Andy.”

He had trouble answering. “Marvellous Teddi, just marvellous.”

She went to the door, and fumbling a little she found a pair of flats.

“Okay Andy, I’m ready. Come here.”

As he came over she held out her hand, as he let his arm close in on it he felt that same tingling again, as if there was some electricity between them. She took a firm grip of his arm and slowly they started to walk side by side.

He took great care in choosing the easiest path for her, trying to look ahead at all times. After a while she shook her head.

“Andrew, I won’t break.”

“Sorry, I just don’t want you to hurt yourself. The day is too lovely for someone to cry.”

“My father was right, and Sven too.”
===

The day was wonderful, he felt as if the whole world was smiling as they slowly walked into the park. There was a band playing oldies like Santana and lot’s of happy people around them. He took her to a table outside the pavilion and helped her sit down saying.

“Teddi don’t go away, I’ll fix us something to eat and a beer, you do drink beer?”

“Oh yes, my father is a builder. I can probably drink you under the table too.”

Andrew laughed a little as he looked at her. So fragile and gracious drinking him under the table. Nah, as he went over to the stand to fix their food he found that they had Thai food too. He ordered two grill spits with peanut sauce and rice and to that a couple of beers, after all beer and Thai food was a given. As he was carrying it back he heard a commotion and as he came back he saw it was Teddi getting disturbed by some guys.

“Come on baby. Don’t sit here alone, let’s go and have some fun.” They seemed a little under the influence but as they saw him coming they backed off, sneering at him.

“Did they bother you?” He asked her.

“No, they were just bored I think.” She answered, looking away as if embarrassed.

“Well, here’s your hot dog.” he joked, freeing the meat from the spit on the plate over the rice, making sure she got a lot of the peanut sauce, suddenly realizing that she might not like it.

“Look.” Giving her the fork. “You might not like it, I forgot to ask you. It’s Thai, perhaps you should taste it first.”

As he looked she took a careful bite. When she tasted the spicy meat with the sauce she started to laugh.

“That was the strangest hot dog I’ve ever tasted.” she said. “Don’t worry Andy, I like it.”

As they sat there eating he found himself telling about himself, the orphanage and the way he had lived on the streets before finding himself big enough to get a real work. He told her more about himself than he ever had expected to do with someone before. It was as if he had a desperate need of making her know him, and trust him. As if their time together was limited, which it was, he knew that too. He was going to lose her, he knew and hated that it only was for a day. But looking at her he promised himself to make the day something to remember for both him and her.

“Teddi, I’ve only been talking about myself, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, I liked listening.” She answered smiling at him. “And you’re right, it’s a glorious day.”

“Can’t you tell me something about you?”

“Well, my Pa's a builder, and I’ve lived here all my life. I’m home schooled and rather spoiled I guess. And no, I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“You don’t?” Now why did he have to sound so interested all of a sudden? He didn’t want to scare her off.

“No, why?”

Andy decided to jump into deep water. “Because I like you Teddi, would you consider me your boyfriend for today?”

“But I don’t even know how you look.” She complained. “Wait.”

She stood up to carefully make her way around the table. He sat there wondering what she was doing as her hands found him. Slowly feeling him, from his chest and up to his face, her fingers as light as butterflies she touched him following his contours.

“Handsome.” She said sounding happy. “My boyfriend is handsome.”

He found her light touching some of the most erotic experience he ever had known.

“So it’s okay then?” he asked tentatively.

She cupped her hands around his head and leaned down to give him a feather light kiss on his cheek.

“Of course silly.”

After they had eaten they started to walk away, her arm resting in his, so close to him that everything else just toned out for him, leaving just her and him. He just walked with her now, didn’t even talk, satisfied to feel her beside him.

“Why are you so silent?” she asked.

“I don’t know. It’s like I’ve known you for a long time Teddi, and I’m happy just being with you.”

“Yes, daddy was definitely right.” She murmured.

It was then one of the guys came up behind him to push him. He wasn’t ready for it and stumbled making her fall. Luckily enough it was on the grass. He couldn’t control it, he knew he shouldn’t fight. The streets were a hard teatcher and the way you fought there was downright dirty, but they had made her fall.

He turned down sinking low and drove his fist right into the guys nuts, making him bend over in pain, unable to even cry out. He saw the guys friends standing together laughing some ten feet away so he took the fight to them, making a simple fall forward from his almost kneeling position coming out of it in front of them, angling his palms to the side and using his legs to propel him upwards he caught them simultaneously under their chins, cracking their heads backwards. If you ever need to fight, use your body, that’s what really counts, your weight, always take it with you. You will be surprised what effect it has. He was lucky not to break their necks and the whiplash sunk them directly into unconsciousness. As they fell he was already going back to help her up.

“Teddi, we have to leave. The cops will be after me now. I’m afraid I hurt them.” Taking her under her arm and starting to lead her away as fast as they could. The whole thing had just took him some thirty seconds, a minute max and people hadn’t had time to react yet.’ Thank God there’s a lot of people’ he thought as they quickened their pace away from the scene. Normally he never fought anymore, preferring to back off if he could, but he had lost it there.

“What happened.” She asked.

As he told her he once more felt the impotent frustration take hold of him. What he had hoped to be an innocent date had turned out into this. He hated to fight, and now this. Remember the way their eyes had turned, coming out all white, he knew that he might have hurt them for life. He hoped not though, but they shouldn’t have made Teddi fall.

“Shit shit shit.” He said. “Why couldn’t I be satisfied with the first guy .“ but he knew why, it was also a lesson from the streets. If you could you just hit them to then run, but if you couldn’t? Well then you needed to take them out as quickly you could. To lose the moment of surprise might mean to lose your fight, and perhaps your life too.

“I’m sorry Teddi, I'm afraid I made a terrible bungle of our day.”

“No you didn’t. You defended me Andy. Maybe you went too far, I couldn’t see it but if it was the same guys as before they were ugly. They tried to force me with them.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“They left.”

As soon as they had came into her house Andy started to relax. He was still worried about the guys, and he regretted it all. But he had lost it, there had only been a red haze in front of his eyes as he exploded. He hoped and prayed that he hadn’t hurt them to bad though.

As Teddi had taken of her flats she went to a corner and turned on the radio. The stereo system was cleverly hidden around the walls, some speakers seemed even to be hidden inside them.

“I’m impressed.” He said. “That stereo sounds fantastic.”

She smiled and turned towards the sound of his voice, her arms moving tentatively for him.

“I want to dance Andy, you’re my onliest boyfriend today.”

As he came into her arms it felt as if she melted into his embrace, once more making him forget it all, losing himself in her arms. They danced along time, the station she had on played those oldies, real old one, king of the swing music sort of lending itself perfectly to holding each other. As they at last stopped he looked down at her upturned face, expectantly waiting for him. He slowly leaned down to kiss her saying.

“Will you be my girlfriend tomorrow too?”

She looked up at him, her eyes unseeing, her hand caressing his face. “I wish I could Andy.” She answered as she stopped, turning her face away.

“Why can’t you?” he asked.

“You will hate me.” She said, her eyes slowly filling with tears.

“I would never hate you Teddy.” He answered. “Tell me.”

She suddenly hung in his arms as a lifeless rag doll. “I can’t.” she wailed.

“You must tell me Teddi, you’re the first girl I ever cared so much for. I swear.”

Lifting her in his arms he went over to the divan and sat down with her in his lap, gently drying her tears.

“I wouldn’t hurt you for my life girl. It can’t be worse than what I saw on the streets.”

She started to cry again, in great rasping breaths she said. “Promise not to hit me.”

“Are you crazy, why should I hit you? I don’t hit girls.”

“But I’m no girl.” She wailed.

“You’re not?” He tried to assimilate what she had said with what he had felt and seen. Her breast was the real thing, as far as he could tell and everything about her screamed girl. It made no sense. He had meet them on the streets, the good ones and the not so good ones. Shit he even had had some friends like that, not intimately, but knowing them from his time on the streets. But her? She had to be a girl?

“So you’re a boy then?” he asked, feeling helpless as he saw her crying and panic grow.

“Listen girl, I told you, I won’t hurt you, and I won’t allow anyone else to do it either. Trust me on that Teddi.” Holding her tight to him, cradling her as if she was the most precious possession he ever had held in his life.

Slowly her crying diminished and she felt how he held her and whispered promises in her ear “Don’t worry Teddi, you’re a girl. I don’t give a shit what other says, you will always be a girl for me.” As she listened she seemed to relax and slowly her eyes closed and as he watched her breathing became deeper and in the end she slept. As he sat there he wondered what had happened. He had never felt any attraction for his own kind, but with her it was different, whatever she had between her legs she still was a girl, at least as far as he could see. He listened to her sleep and somewhere his own fatigue took over.

When she woke she looked up, she realized that she still was in his lap, his arms around her. As she listened she realized that he was snoring. She suddenly felt very happy, remembering how he had treated her throughout her panic attack. And he hadn’t threatened her or hit her either. He was just as Pa had told her. He hadn’t warned her at all.

“Listen girl, you better treat Andy right. Sven said that a sweeter guy doesn’t walk on this green earth. You will have a good time with him.” She had heard the hidden hope in his voice as he said it. Due to her body she had always been very scared, well at least as soon as she had learnt about how boys and girls were expected to look, and also ashamed. Sometimes she had hated her life however much her father had tried to take care of her. But she had feared this moment her whole life. Finding that guy that she really dreamt of, and then have to tell him. She stretched a little waking Andy instantly.

“What is it baby?” he asked.

“I love you.” She said. “You’re the best birthday present ever.”

“It’s your birthday?” he asked surprised.

“No silly, but you will be there, won’t you?”

“Yeah, I will.” He answered surprising himself over how easy that choice was. “But now you have to tell me Teddi. Are you a boy under your clothes, or a girl?”

“I’m both.”

“Both?”

“I’m a hermaphrodite Andy. I was born both ways, but I’m a girl. I know that.”

He tried to guess how that would feel, to be born like that and then grow up.

“Must have been real difficult Teddi.”

“It was, I never thought I would meet someone like you.”

“Well, you have. Does that mean that you will be my girlfriend tomorrow too?”

“Always.”

“So that’s okay then.” He murmured in her ear. “Will you father accept me?”

“When I tell him how you defended me?”

“Ah, better not girl, until we know what happened with them.” He said cautionary.

“Okay, but he will like you anyway.”
===

And she was right. Her father did like him and even though she didn’t tell him he found out on his own as a police he knew turned up to give him a friendly warning.

“You better keep your daughter out of sight for a while George. It seems as someone looking like her and a man got involved in some heavy fighting some days ago. We’re looking for the guy, not that hard though. The guys getting it deserved it as I’ve understood it.”

George smiled as he saw his friend leave. He and Sven had planned this. Sven had taken the guy under his arms and helped him out of the streets. But lately he had become worried for him, noticing how he seemed to shy away from women. Drinking with him Sven had learnt how his last girlfriend had soured his whole idea of girls and when leaving him he had wondered what he could do.

He knew George since a long time and he knew Teddi too. In fact he was her godfather. She deserved a good guy, and whatever else Andy was he definitely was one of the best guys Sven ever had known. Thinking that they both deserved a chance they had set them both up, hoping at least for them to become friends. Sven had never doubted Andy’s ability to separate facts from fiction. He knew that Andy would recognize a girl as easy as himself. And it had all turned out for the best.

And yeah, they both lived and prospered. Teddi couldn’t conceive a child the full way herself. That would had been dangerous to her health but she still had a functional uterus and eggs, so with a little help from science and a caesarean delivery they at last got their child, a perfectly normal little girl that they both loved to smithereens.
==

And what the moral of this story is?
Well, not all people are out to harm you, and, love doesn’t really care for gender.