Playing her way 2 - Chapter 1

© D.L.

Emily casually strolled down the pathway towards the shelter of the large oak tree. A light rain splashed in the puddles she stepped over, not wanting to get her shoes wetter than needed. She had her umbrella in one hand, and her mobile phone in the other, watching the bars of signal strength vary from practically nothing all the way up to half strength.

She knew from experience, that the signal was not good around the school grounds, but she knew of a spot where she could sit in relative dryness and obtain a signal.

Only a few of the girls were venturing out this evening. The sun was about to set, and the weather cool as autumn turned to winter. Emily needed some privacy where she knew she would not be overheard.

Although she often talked to her parents from her bedroom in the boarding school, this time she didn't want to be overheard by her room mate, Anna.

Coming to her destination, the young girl unfolded the black bin liner and spread it on the slightly damp ground beneath the tree. Sitting down on the dry plastic, she hit the speed dial for her parents.

“Hello, Marilyn speaking,” came the answer.

“Hi, mum,” Emily said, trying not to sound nervous. She contacted her parents once a week, and it always made her worried that an argument might start. However, to be fair, her parents were trying to compromise.

“Hi sweetheart, It's nice to hear from you,” her mother replied. “I wasn't expecting your call until tomorrow.”

Emily checked the date her phone, she hadn't phoned a day early as far as she knew. A sound in the background caught her attention. The phone picking up noise that the human ear would normally ignore.

“Do you have company?” Emily asked.

“Your Aunt Liz and Uncle Bill are here with Jack and Becky.”

“Is that Jason,” a male voice, her uncle, could be heard in the background.

This wasn't what Emily wanted to here. The fact that her old male name was in use meant her suspicions were correct. Her parents had yet to admit she was transsexual to the rest of the family.

“Hold on, I'll switch to speakerphone,” Marilyn said with a sigh. “Okay, are you still there, Jason?”

Emily clenched her fist. Her mother had deliberately chosen to use her male name, so it was clear everyone was expecting a boy to answer. She could disobey, but she didn't fancy burning that bridge just yet. It was rare to speak to this part of the family, usually only seeing them a couple of times a year.

Her father, Arnold, didn't like Bill much. Arnold Bridges was a working class person and didn't like the ultra-liberal viewpoints of his brother-in-law. It also didn't help that Bill was snobbish in his attitude.

“Hi everybody, what's the special occasion?”

“Your Aunt Liz's Fortieth Birthday,” Arnold stated.

“Ignore him, I'm only twenty-five.” Her aunt countered.

“Wow, I didn't realise you had Tom when you were eleven,” Emily answered, “Not the youngest gymslip mum I've heard of, but pretty close.”

“Jason was always good at maths,” Jack could be heard above the laughter. “Nice one, you've made her go all red.”

“Have I got the date wrong, I didn't think your birthday was until the twentieth,” Emily asked, realising that she had yet to send a card, Although she had planned on checking with her parents to see if they had included her name on theirs.

"No, we went out a week early, as I'm presenting at a conference next weekend," Bill replied, "Got to traipse all the way into the back of beyond."

"Stop moaning, Dunstan Hall looks to be a good hotel, and from what I can see, Norwich seems a nice city to visit."

"I'm sure you'll have an excellent time shopping, dear," Bill sarcastically added.

"Bill offered to take me as well," Liz explained, "I'll be heading into the city while he talks all day."

"Remember to pack your swimming costume and golf clubs," Emily stated, "I've only seen photo's of the pool, but it does look nice. I have been around the golf course several times. Uncle Bill, I suggest packing some extra golf balls, the water hazard is a pain. I always manage to hit it without fail."

"You've been there?" Bill asked in surprise.

"Yeah, John stayed there when he came to visit me last month. Mr Jennings took me over there, and we had a round of golf while we discussed business. Usually, John wouldn't bother staying the night, as he's only a couple of hours drive away, but he wanted to catch a show at the Norwich theatre, so decided to bring his wife and make a day of it. Dunstan hall is the closest hotel with a golf course. It's a ten to fifteen-minute drive, depending on traffic. There is another one in Sprowston, but that is the other side of the city from where I am."

"You're in Norfolk?" Liz inquired.

Emily's parents were remaining silent, and she decided to do the same. It was obvious that her location hadn't been revealed. She leant her head back against the bark of the tree and pictured the embarrassed faces of her parents. While Emily had initially chosen to hide her location from her parents, since they discovered her whereabouts and allowed her to stay, she was no longer considering it a secret, at least amongst her family. Her professional identity was still to be kept out of public knowledge, as that would cause her difficulties. There were still people at her old school who would love to upset her given the opportunity.

Deciding to probe further Emily was the first to break the silence, "Where did you think I was?"

"We hadn't really considered it," Bill replied. "When we asked if you could come to dinner, Arnold said you were unavailable due to getting a part-time job. Tom almost couldn't make it either for the same reason. He went straight to work after leaving the restaurant. Where do you work?"

Tom had recently got a part-time job washing cars at a local dealership. Emily wasn't sure what type of job they were expecting her to say. The real source of her income would be a shock. Not wanting to reveal that her status as a YouTube celebrity, or a part owner and major contributor to a successful indie games company, she had to think before replying.

"Well, technically I work from home I suppose, if you classify the whole school as home instead of just my dorm room. To save cost, I don't have a room to myself, which limits what I can do, although my room-mate is very accommodating."

Emily smiled to herself thinking about her room-mate, Anna. The lively half-Russian, half-Korean teenager was the reason for making the phone call outside. Emily wanted to give her a pleasant surprise. When Emily originally arranged to attend boarding school, only a few staff members knew that she was actually male, and none of the students were supposed to know. Due to that, she had paid for a single room, rather than the cheaper shared accommodation. Unfortunately due to an accident, one of the dorm buildings had to be temporarily closed due to a car crashing into a supporting wall.

Anna, due to her father being a school governor, actually knew of Emily's status before she started, and volunteered to be her room-mate in order to maintain the secret. Due to students needing to double up, Emily would have otherwise been the only resident with a single room.

"I've actually had a very unusual day today," Emily continued. "I've been helping to record an album for a chart-topping artist, although I suspect this one won't be making the top ten. I'm not allowed to say who, although it will become obvious if the record label actually allows it to be released. The artist in question has recently found god, so has decided to do a series of hymns with our school choir singing gospel over the top of a heavy metal backing. I didn't think it was going to work but having seen the final edit, it actually pulls together well."

"Would this be the same artist who caused the trouble at the start of term, and who has a daughter in attendance?" Marilyn enquired of her daughter.

"Yes, that's the one. To make it up to the school, three-quarters of the proceeds are being given away. Half is directly for the school, and one-quarter is going straight to the students. It's being produced entirely by the student body with virtually no outside help and only minimal guidance from the teachers. Anybody involved in the album is going to get a share. We aren't expecting much, other than perhaps something to brag about on our CV's."

"So what exactly were you doing? Singing or perhaps playing the guitar?" Becky asked excitedly.

"There are fifteen tracks total. I play guitar in six of them and sing in four. We had competitions to select who did what. My voice isn't that strong, unless part of a big group. I turned out to be one of the better guitarists, So got to lead on two, and backing on four others. My main contribution is that I've edited most of the videos, as I'm the most experienced with the software. I'll get you a copy of the album for Christmas, as I think you'll like it."

"Arnold," Bill stated, "I didn't realise you'd sent Jason to boarding school. I knew he hasn't been around much, but I thought he was just commuting to a school in the next county."

"It wasn't my idea," my father replied. "He arranged this himself. I still think it's a waste of money, but I understand the reason, and as long as I'm not having to pay for it, I'm not going to object. I suspect the proceeds to this album will keep him there for another term. My child seems to have a bit of a Midas touch and getting involved with business ventures that turn out to be very profitable."

Emily could tell her father was reluctant to talk about it, especially to Bill, although finally having something to brag about may have been overcoming that embarrassment. Bill likes to brag about his family, and that he has sent his two sons to a top private boy's school, although not as boarders. They have been trying to persuade Becky to go to private school as well, but so far she has put her foot down and refused to be separated from her friends.

"Speaking of Christmas," Emily's mother interrupted, possibly to stop the conversation from going into Emily's whereabouts and source of income, "we were just discussing going over to your aunt and uncles for Christmas day. Bill has suggested a big family get together and suggested we all chip in and hire a chef for the day. He knows someone willing to earn some extra money, and the price quoted isn't as extortionate as I would have imagined. You are of course invited, if you want to be here."

"That is why I phoned," Emily stated. "I'm potentially willing to abide by the rules, as long as I don't have to get a hair cut. I also have another request, and I would like you to hear me out before getting upset, angry, or instantly dismissing the idea."

"Perhaps we should discuss this later," her mother replied.

"I really need an answer straight away, as this is going to affect other people as well. School rules are simple. Students can't travel alone. To come home by myself, you are going to have to collect me. Either from here, or I get the train as far as London Liverpool Street. There are enough students travelling that a teacher will come that far. I travelled to London last time with Wendy and her mother, but Wendy has decided to spend Christmas with her father in Scotland, so won't be heading our direction. I have just learned that one of my close friends won't be able to go home this Christmas. Given the trouble Svetlana had in Russia, the planned trip to Korea has been cancelled. Is there any chance you would consider letting Anna come for Christmas?"

"Which one of you is going to Harry Potter under the stairs?" Arnold asked, causing Tom and Becky to chuckle.

"Arnold!" his wife scolded him.

"Alright," he laughed, "Do you want me to get the camp bed out of the attic, or were you planning on sharing your bed?"

The line went dead quiet. The seemingly out of character statement causing surprise. Bill, Liz, and their children not expecting that Arnold would glibly let his teenage son share a room with a girl and the connotations that implied. Emily smiled to herself, wishing she could have made the call over Skype Video to see the shocked faces. However, the need to do so on a mobile phone with limited bandwidth prevented that.

Emily's argument for sharing a room with Anna while at home was going to be that she had been sharing a room with the girl for the last few months at school. Obviously, her relatives were unaware that this was the case.

"That might depend on the weather," Emily mischievously replied. "If it gets really cold, then yes. Otherwise, it will depend on if you plan on serving sprouts."

It took a few moments to register, then the unmistakable sound of Arnold laughing, followed by the sniggering of Emily's cousins could be heard.

"Fine," Marilyn sighed. "If that's the cost of getting you home for Christmas, so be it. You can bring her along, but you sleep in separate beds, with the door open, and you change alone in the bathroom. How come she isn't staying with her sister?"

"Half-sister," Emily countered, "Svetlana is going to stay with her mother, and Anna doesn't get along with her step-mother. Her father is still stuck in Russia, so Anna isn't keen on staying there."

"Is her sister still treating her like a maid?"

"Occasionally, although she is a lot humbler than she used to be. Uncle Bill, do you have any objections to me bringing an extra person along if we are at your house?"

"The more the merrier," he replied. "Any chance we could meet up next weekend? We should be free on Sunday."

"I'll let you know later this week. If Anna is willing to join me, then we can potentially meet you for lunch in Norwich. School rules, we have to travel in pairs, and it would probably be a good idea for you to meet if you are inviting her to Christmas dinner."

"Okay Jason, looking forward to hearing from you," Bill stated.

Emily knew this was going to be awkward. Doing a switch to male presentation wasn't easy, but potentially doable. Either that, or she would have to introduce them to her true self. She would need to talk with her parents again before making further arrangements, to see if they would lift the ban on anybody in the family knowing that Emily/Jason is transgendered, other than the ones who already knew.

"I'm going to have to go. I need to go find Anna and invite her to stay. She will need permission from her father. I also need to make sure that the school will let us travel, and make arrangements for next weekend. Mum, I'll phone tomorrow. Uncle Bill, I'll phone you mid-week."

After saying goodbye to everyone, Emily hung up. In some respects, she would have preferred to talk to her parents alone, as she could have gone into more detail without having to worry about upsetting them. However, this way, she thought, she may be forcing them to accept the reality that keeping her transition a secret isn't practical.

Emily picked up her makeshift seat and started to walk back to her room. She had an invitation to make.