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Here Comes the Sun
a series of Vignettes celebrating transgender romance
through the songs of George Harrison*

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by Andrea Lena DiMaggio

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Linda Johnstun Dance-School, Price, Utah, 2007…

Ali O’Hara watched as the two girls held hands, waiting anxiously. It wasn’t a real competition. Keely was just helping out; Megan’s partner had been in a bike accident the day before, and while it wasn’t serious, it rendered Craig unable to dance with Megan to qualify . Keely stepped in, no pun intended and their Cha Cha was at least the fourth best dance of the afternoon. The beginnings of rivalries had already begun to intrude into the innocence of the art, but not for Megan and her best friend.

‘Thank you,” Megan’s mother said to Ali.

“Megan has been looking forward to this, and just to be able to dance today was a real blessing.”

“Keely would do anything for Megan.” Ali said, looking over at the girls. The two were still holding hands and swinging their legs on the tall bench.

“I’m very grateful. And I’m glad Jeanelle encouraged Keely to be her partner. I was worried when none of the boys offered to help, but I guess they want to see their partners win.” Even at twelve, the competition was determined; albeit with most of the determination coming from the parents.

“I suppose you think you did a good thing,’ a voice came from off to the side; a whisper loud enough to be heard by the girls, but missed by their parents.

“I’m just happy to be here, Tiff.”

“Oh, really? I heard you and Bobby were going to beat me and Danny. You bragging sorta makes you a liar” Tiffany huffed.

“Bobby said that. Megan thinks you should win, Tiff. Me too.”

“Oh, that’s really rich coming from a freak, right?” Tiffany glowered and looked around the room.

“Hey, I got an idea. Let’s tell everybody just what a great partner Megan has!” She laughed before walking into the open space on the dance floor, pushing past some of the other children who were talking with their parents.

“Hey, everybody?” She shouted. Heads turned and all eyes gazed at the girl in the middle of the room.

“Guess what? Megan didn’t need permission to dance with a girl for the competition.” She turned and faced the two girls sitting on the bench. Megan’s eyes widened in puzzlement even as Keely’s eyes turned away and her face turned a very dark crimson. Ali went to speak, holding her hand out in a vain effort to silence the girl.

“Keely isn’t a girl. Keely is a boy. His mom and he live near my cousin’s house and he goes to ………” She smirked.

“Oh dear god!”

“What?”

“Are you serious?”

“No, she’s just making a joke.”

“Ali? What about this? She’s joking right? Tell me your daughter isn’t some….” The woman’s voice trailed off as Keely got off the bench and ran to the exit. She turned and mouthed the words ‘I’m sorry,’ before running out the door and down the stairs and out to the street. Ali turned and spoke softly.

“I’m…I’m so sorry.” The words meant little as nearly every single person turned away as she ran out to comfort her child. Her only child. Her son.

The D'Amore home, a few days later....

Ali sat on the couch. Her bible sat next to her opened and face down. Her face was pink; a small recovery for the day after spending the last several nights crying and crying out in prayer. A soft rap came at the door. She got up and walked over and opened the door to find Megan standing almost hidden around the corner on the landing.

“Oh, honey. I’m so glad you’re here. She’s….” Just the thought of her daughter set Ali to crying all over again. She reached out and welcomed the girl with a hug, but had little strength. Megan patted her on the back.

“She’s been in her room since…. She won’t come out. She’s already too ashamed, but…..” Ali looked down the hall and burst into tears. Megan squeezed her hand and walked toward Dale’s room. A moment later she stood at the door; her face a mixture of shock and sadness.

Keely sat on her bed. What little hair she did have was nearly all gone in a self-inflicted shearing; more of a long crew cut, but decidedly not what the girl had worn only days before. Megan tried to stifle a gasp, but her near-sob startled Keely and she shook her head at Megan’s presence.

“Go away. You don’t want to be near me…. Everybody will hate you,” Keely sighed. The now-boyish friend shook her head and pointed in the direction of the front of the house.

“I can’t…..” Megan’s face was red and puffy. Keely looked at her and turned away.

“Go ahead. Everybody else hates me.” Keely pointed toward the still-open door. Megan stepped closer and pulled Keely’s face toward hers.

“No…. I can’t….. Mommy found a place in Orem that will ….. We’re moving.” Keely stared into her eyes and shrugged.

“Same thing. You’re going and I won’t have any friends.” She bit her lip and tears fell freely as she turned away once again.

“No, Keely. You’re my friend. You’ll always be my friend. We can write. We can call. I can visit.”

“No. I….. I don’t want you to get….”

“I don’t care what anyone else thinks, Keely. You’re my best girl and you always will be.”

“Tell that to the rest of our friends, Megan. I’m just a boy to them. Nobody but you has even bothered to even call. My mom has been crying since this whole thing happened, and I just have to forget about it. We’ll probably move, too, but don’t worry. We’ll probably end up in North Dakota somewhere; really far from anyone who knows. Maybe I can grow up away from people, you know? Where nobody will have me.”

“Oh, Keely? I hate this. Just when you need me the most.”

“What makes you different from anybody else? My dad went away and never came back. My big brother went to Iraq and he never came back. People go. So what?” Keely began to sob. Megan put her hand on Keely’s shoulder and she shrugged it off.

“Just go, Megan. Please?” She hesitated even as her hand pulled away. Stepping close, she kissed her on the cheek and their tears mingled; a sad take on an old Indian rite, but with tears mixed together as ‘blood sisters.’

“I’ll …..You’re still my sister, no matter what anybody says.” She backed away and fled through the open door’ her sobs echoing down the hallway. Keely turned and faced the doorway and sighed. She would always be in Keely’s heart; as a friend and as a sister, but never ever more than that. Puppy love comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors, in a way, and most little girls never get to grow up to marry the little boy they loved, much less a little girl. It was only a crush, but it would sting and bite and ache for a very long time.

“Bye…..” The girl sighed before falling face forward into her pillow; sobbing enough to shake the bed.

Years later, Hollywood, California….

Before this dance is through
I think I'll love you too
I'm so happy when you dance with me

I don't want to kiss or hold your hand
If it's funny try and understand
There is really nothing else I'd rather do
Cos I'm happy just to dance with you

“Megan?” Derek Hough walked over to the young woman who was limbering up in front of the ‘spontaneous’ video shoot. He held up his hand.

“Take ten, Jacqui?” The woman nodded and turned off the camera and laid it in the case on the table by the door.

“We’ve got a really unique opportunity here, and Rob thought of you.” Derek smiled and used his arm in a broad gesture that indicated much more than just the practice floor.

“This is something they’ve been kicking around for a while since they did it over in Israel. Pretty interesting, since that’s the last place you’d expect them to come up with such a novel…. approach.” He chuckled at the thought and continued.

“Since they already had Michael Sam on the show and Chaz Bono, they’ve been mulling the idea about something a bit different. And Rob thought you’d be perfect, since apparently you already know the star in question?” He nodded slightly and pulled out his cell phone, producing a picture of one of the celebs the producers were considering.

“Keely O’Hara, from Future Perfect on SyFy? She’s about as unique as they come.” The picture revealed a petite brunette in costume as the time traveling woman from the near future.

“Since the acceptance of Transparent and Orange is the New Black the network has been looking at a jumping off point, and she fits the bill,” Derek paused as Megan stared at the phone; her mouth open in a surprised if pleasant gape.

“NO! It can’t be….” Megan thought. Not a denial so much as a “I hope I’m not wrong” no. Derek put his hand on Megan’s shoulder.

“She called me last night with her answer, but before I tell you, she said to ask you whatever happened to Tiffany? What does that mean to you?”

“Uh….” Megan thought back to the final days before she and her mother moved to Orem. Tiffany might have grown up just as mean or meaner than that sad afternoon but for a car accident that took her chances of dancing away; leaving her with a prosthetic leg and a heart to see others like her recover.

“She’s an orthopedic surgeon in Provo. We write all the time and Skype as well.” She thought about the question and her ‘no’ became a very loud and joyous yes.

“I….it’s been…..”

“Yeah, I know. Julianne filled me in about your breakup last year with Nancy. It must have hurt so bad?” Megan had know the Houghs since back when she was a teen, and they kept no secrets

“Who knows? Maybe things are looking up?” He rubbed her back before giving her a hug. Waving to Jacqui, he squeezed Megan’s hand and walked out of the room, leaving them to do some bio stuff for the Dancing with the Stars website.

Two weeks later….

Megan sat on a sofa in the green room back stage at Jimmy Kimmel’s studio. She was going to be the second guest; following the first by only a few minutes. She downed her second Diet Pepsi before standing up at the stagehand’s cue. A moment later she was hugging and kissing Kimmel before sitting down next to Jimmy’s first guest; Keely O’Hara.

The segment went quickly with her nodding and smiling nervously while struggling to remember what she and Kimmel talked about in rehearsal. But the nerves seem to disappear as Keely reached over and grabbed Megan’s right hand; squeezing it gently and smiling with the same beaming smile that led to the life-long girl crush. A few more moments and the band played a segue as the show went to commercial.

“I don’t care if I’m the first one voted off.” Keely said in an almost whisper; hard enough to hear over the noise in the studio between the band and the audience. Megan turned to face Keely finding a face filled with hope and love and likely the first if perhaps only person ever to cry on the show. She fought off the emotion long enough to acknowledge Jimmy’s thanks and another segue into the musical act.

ABC studios, three weeks later….

The music blared loudly; the signature theme of the show playing as the two walked briskly down the steps of the set; a historical moment for the show as the announcer spoke their names.

“Keely O’Hara and her partner, Megan D’Amore.” And in a way, the introduction was a foreshadow of things to come. They lasted until the fourth week; leaving after a tentative Pasodoble due to a pulled calf-muscle coupled with an uncharacteristic case of nervous mistakes on Megan’s part and a very nervous if understandable misstep or two by Keely owing to the news that got out on TMZ the day before taping. That Megan D’Amore and Keely O’Hara had decided that being partners should not be limited to the dance floor.

Sometimes little girls grow up and do get to see their dreams come true, yes?

I don't want to kiss or hold your hand
If it's funny try and understand
There is really nothing else I'd rather do
Cos I'm happy just to dance with you

Cos I'm happy just to dance with you

Next: Gentle

I’m Happy Just to Dance with You
Words and music by
John Lennon and Paul McCartney
as sung by George Harrison
*(It was written specifically for George Harrison to sing at a time
when he lacked the confidence to compose his own material)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAu81tILXGY