Lindsey couldn’t believe her foster mother had her cutting and clearing the yard of the property the real estate company just bought. The yard was a jungle here. She was outside in a pair of shorts and her old tennis shoes cutting the grass with a hand push mower. Sweat was sliding down into her eyes as she pushed the mower through the tall grass. She had a tank top shirt on as she pushed the push mower through the tall grass.

Her foster mother was inside painting the walls and plastering holes that had been left from pictures that had been hung on them. She wipes the sweat from her eyes as she continues cutting the grass. Once all the grass is cut, she rakes it up and bag it for trash pick-up. By the evening, she is sun burned and tired from all the raking and bagging she did. Her foster mother takes her by Arby’s for dinner before heading home.

She was almost asleep by the time they pulled into the drive way.

“I appreciated your help today Lindsey. You did a good job on cutting the grass and making the yard look presentable.” Barbara looks over towards her foster daughter.

She was curled up against the passenger side door and was as red as a lobster. She had on a green baseball cap that she wore to shield her eyes from the sun. It was an old Cat Tractor cap she found at the house down in the garage.

Lindsey looks at her foster mother “your welcome.”

She covers up a yawn as she snuggles closer against the seat. She was tired and couldn’t wait to get back home and into a nice relaxing bath.

Her hand had blisters from using the push mower.

By the time they pulled into the driveway, Lindsey was dragging her feet as she made her way to the main bathroom and filled the tub. She adds some of her favorite bath beads her foster mother bought her and strip out of her tank top and shorts. She had already taken off her shoes when she walked into the house. She hated her birth defect as she slowly lowered herself down into the tub. There have been a few times where she had thought about cutting it off herself.

One time, she almost came close to doing it. She had the knife in her hand and was standing naked in the kitchen looking down at it. She wanted to take it off so much, but she stopped at the last minute, before she did it. That’s when her second foster mother came in and caught her. That’s was the real reason, beside the pressure of having a transgender child.

She rests her head against the back of the tub as she closes her eyes and let the soothing bath oils penetrate her body. She looks at her hands and could tell she had about four blisters. One was the size of a quarter. She’ll drain them later when she gets out of the tub.
She had one report that she needed to get done by Tuesday for her science class. It was already three quarters of the way written. She still had the one piece of music to practice that they were going to perform for the school next Friday. She really didn’t like the saxophone, but she played it pretty good. She was already second chair. She beat the former second chair after a week of practice.

When the water in the tub starts getting cold. She drains the bath water and use the hanging shower head to wash her hair. She saw her counselor about her gender issue and had her blood tested, so she could start taking a higher dose of estrogen. She just wanted her breast to start growing. All the other girls in her gym class had theirs or were growing theirs already.

She dries herself off and heads towards her bedroom. Her sunburned hurt. She slips her Hello Kitty night shirt on and head towards her foster mother’s room to see if she had something to put on her sunburn.

She knocks on her foster mother’s door “Barbara, do you have any solar cane?”

Barbara opens the door when she hears Lindsey’s voice. She sees Lindsey standing there.

“Come on in Lindsey. I think I have some in my bathroom.” Barbara escorts Lindsey into the bedroom.

She takes her into the bathroom “take your night shirt Lindsey.”

Lindsey takes her nightshirt off. She was only standing there in her white teddy bear panties.

“This is going to sting a little.” Barbara sprays Lindsey’s shoulders, arms and then her legs.

Lindsey shivers a little as she is sprayed with the solar cane. It did sting for a second, before she started feeling a little better. She does glance around in her foster mother’s bedroom. She’s only been in the bedroom a few times since she moved in. she notices her foster mother had a collection of stuff animals and pictures of her family and friends.

“There you go, Lindsey. All done.” Barbara looks over her foster daughter’s back and shoulders. She sprayed all the areas that had been sunburned.

“Thanks Barbara.” Lindsey slides her night shirt back on.

She turns around and gives her foster mother a hug before heading back to her bedroom to work on her report for a little while. Barbara had given her one of the old laptops from work.

It still had Windows 7 with service pack 1 on it. The battery had to be replace in it and Microsoft Office had to be upgrade 2016. The one piece of software she did purchase for the laptop was a program called Magic music, which turns her laptop into an electric keyboard or piano, so she could compose music.

She heads into her bedroom and work on her report for awhile and then, when it is done. She turns the lamp off on her night stand and snuggle deep under her blankets. Barbara had gotten the whole Hello Kitty bedspread kit for her. She plugs her pre-paid cellphone in before turning off the light. Lindsey falls asleep instantly.

Her alarm clock goes off 6:00 a.m., because she forgot to turn it off. She cuts it off and goes back to sleep. By 9:00 a.m. Lindsey drags herself out of bed and heads towards the bathroom. She walks into the kitchen and her foster mother was in there drinking her coffee and eating a grapefruit.

“Morning sleepy head.” Barbara spots Lindsey coming into the kitchen.

Lindsey waves hello to her foster mother as she stumbles into the kitchen. She grabs a bowl from the cabinet and the box of Fruit Loops. She sits down across from her foster mother and pours herself a bowl.

“I was thinking we might go to the mall today and pick-up a few items. I notice that when you moved in, you didn’t have much stuff.” Barbara had seen that Lindsey only had a small battered suitcase and the backpack.

Lindsey looks at her “the group home I was sent to threw most of my stuff out, because it was girl clothes.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Barbara didn’t know what to say after what she was told.

She knew transgender children were hard to place and many couples couldn’t accept the fact that a child would rather be the opposite gender of how they were born. She had thought hard about being a foster mother and taking Lindsey in. She had asked Lindsey’s case worker what would had happen, if Lindsey didn’t come to live with her. She was informed she would had been transferred to another group home.

“Barbara, can I get my ears pierce, please?” Lindsey has been wanting to get her ears pierce for a while.

“I don’t see why you can’t get them pierce. Why don’t you finish your breakfast, brush your teeth and get dress and we’ll go do a little shopping?”

“Thank you, Barbara.” Lindsey finishes up her breakfast and heads towards her bedroom to get ready to go out and do some shopping with her foster mother.

An Hour Later (North side Mall):
Lindsey couldn’t believe she was out shopping for clothes with someone who cared. She was loving the fact that Barbara was helping her pick out dresses, skirts, pants and blouses. The first place they stopped was one of the ear-piercing kiosks and Barbara allowed her to pick out several different pairs. The next place they went to was TJ Max and the Dress Barn. They picked a few items up there. The store they were at now, they were picking out some more clothes for school and going out.

When they passed a music store, she wanted to see how much a used keyboard would cost. Barbara didn’t mind letting Lindsey browse the music store. She watches as Lindsey heads over to the used instruments and spotted a Used Casio CTK4400 61-Key Portable Keyboard for only $60.00 dollars.

Lindsey got permission from the store clerk and played a simple tune she had been practicing on her laptop. Lindsey liked how the piece sounded and played a little bit more of the piece she composed. She stops after a few minutes.

“That was lovely, Lindsey. Did you learn that in school?” Barbara was curious.

“No ma’am. I composed that myself. I’ve been working on it, since I came to live with you.” Lindsey looks at the synthesizer and wishes she had the money to buy it.

Barbara could tell how much Lindsey wanted it. She could tell how much she loved playing music. Barbara looks at the price tag and saw it had been marked down several times.

“If I buy this for you. Will you practice on it like you do your saxophone?” Barbara looks at Lindsey with a serious look on her face.

“Yes ma’am.” There was a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

“Alright, I’ll get it for you.”

Lindsey hugs her “thank you, Barbara.” Tears were sliding down her cheek.

“Your welcome, Lindsey.” Barbara just held her.

She could see that this meant a lot to Lindsey. After they buy the synthesizer, which came with its own case and stand. They carried all the packages they had out to the car and went to Olive Garden for lunch. After lunch, they make one more stop at Payless Shoe store since they were having a buy one, get one sale going on. They get several pairs of shoes for Lindsey and for Barbara as well.

On the way home they stop at the grocery store and pick-up some items for dinner. Lindsey was on cloud nine with all the shopping they did and with buying the synthesizer. Plus, Barbara took her to have a make-up session at one of the make-up counters.

When Lindsey gets home. She takes all her clothes, shoes and the new purse they bought into her bedroom. She makes room for the Casio and sets it up. Once she has everything hung up and put away. She heads into the kitchen to help with dinner.