Chapter 9
By Samantha Jenkins

Mom and Dr. Franklin both walked into the room where I was. I glanced up from my puzzle when they entered. Dr. Franklin was the first to speak.

“Morgan, My preliminary diagnoses is that you have something called ‘Gender Identity disorder.’ What this means for you is that you feel that you are a girl, trapped in a boy’s body.” Dr. Franklin paused, took a breath, and continued. “I told your mom that I want you to keep a diary, journal, something of that nature so that you can keep track of your feelings. I also told your mom that I want you to remain in girls clothing, and nothing else until I decide that you can have your boy’s clothes back. I want to see how serious you are about wanting to be a girl. I don’t think it’s a phase, but I want to make sure and making you do it day after day is going to do that. Your mom has notes for the school saying that you are allowed ot use the girls locker rooms, and the bathrooms.” I reached up to stop a tear that was rolling down my cheek. “Are you ok, Morgan?” She asked. I didn’t trust my self to speak so I simply nodded. I was having my outward appearance finally match the way my heart felt.

“Every thing is going to match finally.” I said, after soaking in all of what was happening. I stood up and hugged Mom, and then sat back down. Mom just smiled at me.

“I’m glad you’re happy, honey.” she said.

“I also want to see you every two weeks for a while so we can talk about how your transitioning is going. Your mom can set that up with Suzanne on the way out. Do you have any questions for me?” Dr. Franklin asked.

“No, Dr. Franklin. I’ll call you if I need any thing, and I’ll see you in two weeks.” Dr. Franklin walked us back out to the waiting room. Mom stopped to speak briefly with Suzanne about my next appointment, and then we walked back out to the car. After we both had sat down and put our seat belts on, I looked over at Mom.

“I don’t have a diary or journal or any thing like that.” I said, rolling down my window because the inside of the car was warm from the sun beating into it; I was just glad that mom’s car had cloth seats. “And I don’t know what I’m going to wear to school tomorrow, I have on what I was going to wear.” Mom glanced at me as she stopped at the stop light.

“We’ll stop and get you a diary, complete with the little lock... and you had thought far enough ahead to figure out what you were going to wear to school tomorrow?” Mom smiled. “Just like your sister. What was your back up choice?” she asked. I hadn’t thought about that.

“I didn’t have one.” I said as mom got on the interstate. I rolled up my window as mom reached over and turned on the AC so that the inside of the car would cool down. It was unseasonably warm and I was glad that I was just wearing a short skirt and a blouse rather than wearing an ankle length skirt and a sweater. Mom turned into a Borders that happened to be on the way home. “What are we doing here?” I asked. Mom just turned and looked at me.

“Getting you a diary, and I want to pick up John Grisham’s latest novel.” Mom said, pulling the car into a parking spot. we got out and walked in, and as we did, I had to learn something new: how to hold a short skirt down when the wind blew. Mom saw me trying and giggled. I was glad when we got into the vestibule and I no longer had to contend with the wind. after we got inside, I headed toward where I thought the diaries were. I ended up wandering around the store for a little bit. I had found my way into the general fiction section when I had an employee walk up to me.

“Do you need any help, Miss?” the employee whose name tag read Elizabeth asked me.

“Actually I do.” I said to her. “I’m looking for diaries, journals, that sort of thing.” I smiled, aware hat I was blushing slightly. Elizabeth smiled.

“There over here.” She said, turning and walking toward where I had started my browsing. When we got over to one aslie over from where I had started I saw a whole shelf full of journals and diaries. “Can I help you with any thing else?” she asked, with a smile.

“I think that’ll do it for right now, thanks.” I said to her. She nodded and walked away, smiling. I looked at the vast selection of bound volumes filled with blank pages trying to decide which one would hold the chronicles of my journey from boyhood to girlhood. I looked at a journal that locked that had a pink cover. I picked it up and opened it, inside were pastel pink pages that were lined in purple ink. I grabbed two of them and went off to find mom. After I had found mom I showed her the two journals that I had selected.

“Ok,” She said, placing them into the basket. “Why two of them, though?”

“I just have this odd feeling that I am going to fill one of them up pretty quickly, this way we don’t have to come back in two weeks to get another one.” Mom knew that my math on filling one of the volumes that would start chronicling my life would surely not fill up in two weeks, but it would be more like a month before I filled it up.

“Ok.” she said with a shrug, wrapping an arm around me as we walked toward the checkouts. After we had bought her books and my journals, she made an unexpected stop at the local mall.

“Umm Mom, what are we doing at the mall?” I asked. She looked at me and smiled, and then pulled up to the doors where Jen and Katie were standing.

“Hop out and go meet your sister and Kaite, but wait for me before you guys go anywhere.” I nodded and got out of the car and got attacked by Katie.

“What did the doctor say?” She asked. Jen looked interested as well.

“Lets wait for mom to get over here, I have no clue what she has up her sleeve.” I said.

“We don’t know. She called while you guys were still at Dr. Franklin’s office and told us to meet you guys here.” Katie said, crossing her arms over her chest. She had on a simple red and black plaid pleated skirt and a red long sleeved blouse. Jennifer was wearing the same pink pleated skirt and black turtleneck that I had put on when she caught me wearing it on. Both Katie and Jen had on what looked to be black patent leather mary janes. Mom walked up behind me.

“I see you girls dressed as I asked you to.” Mom said. Jen and Katie nodded. “Did one of you grab Morgan’s purse?” Katie nodded and pulled my purse off of her left arm and handed it to me. I smiled at her. “We are going to go to a store that I am choosing, and you three will tag along, and then we will go eat.” Mom walked into the mall and the three of us followed. Mom went into the mall, up the escalator, and walked into Claire’s. I glanced at Katie. Katie had this grin on her face like she knew what we were doing from the start but I don’t think that she really did, but that she just had an idea of what was going to happen.

“Welcome to Claire’s” the employee, whose name tag read Arika. “What can I do for you ladies?”

“Well, I’d like to get my daughters ears pierced." Mom said.