Darla’s business was off to a good start, even her feminine identity responded very well to being challenged. She and Jodi were growing more in love with the passing of time. Jodi was more than supportive that opening weekend. Both sets of our children were getting along: Jodi’s son Brian now eight and her daughters Sam barely nine and Paula 16. They enjoyed being there for Teresa and Katie; Darla’s daughters. They had started to see Darla like a second mom. Though Jodi was seen by Katie and Therese as Aunt Jodi and Darla their Daddy-mommy.

The second Sunday the Cove Center was opened, Darla and her daughters went to church with Jodi and her children.

Pastor Bruce had talked to Darla about a project the church was looking at, during which, he invited Darla to attend the church. Darla’s entrance did raise some eyes, but the pastor had already led them to be a welcoming church. Several families with LGBT members were active in the church. Two of them being adults of longtime members highly thought of in the church.

The denomination had pressured Pastor Bruce to back the church off on its stance. But, in the past seven years, it had gone from a struggling church of just 100 members to a strong and growing church of now five hundred members.

Darla was seen as different by some comfortable with lesbian and gay members. The next week when a boy, Carl, came dressed as a girl came to church. The Church invited some from a Princeton seminary to talk with them.

Carl or Carlie as she called herself was already in counseling and didn’t want the situation to be about her. She told the pastor; Pastor B and the resource person from Princeton University agreed to honor her request as the healthy way to approach their study. Carl did meet and give the leaders some good things to think about.

The discussion, however, did not go over well with two other churches in the community. Pastor Bruce and the congregation regretted the strain in relationships with the other churches but stood with their decisions.

Ironically Doug’s prior challenge of Darla being worthy of running a large lumber-hardware business spoke well with many in the larger community.

Had Doug Dragon won his bet with Darla; Darla would have dressed and worked as a man for the next month. Darla’s bet was if she won that Doug would wear women’s work shirts and either pink overalls or a denim skirt. She had asked for two weeks but had softened that and said at least one week.

While Doug was known as a hot-headed braggart. He with some grace accepted the two weeks. He also had to pay for the materials he used on his projects. It had been agreed that the news of the contest was not to make the local or area newspapers. The news actually provided goodwill all around the area and with the families they helped.

Come the second weekend the Brigg’s family, the winner of the shopping spree. They enjoyed their shopping spree even more as the Ace Corporation contributed another $1,000 to their shopping spree.

Come to the end of the second Sunday night, Dara was exhausted. Once I got home Jodi invited me to come and eat a dinner she had prepared. I was half-awake as I walked in, and less so when I moved the plate and set my head down. Jodi began to massage my neck and shoulders. I was back sitting up when I turned and pulled her around to me. I stood and began to kiss her. She tried to say something, but we were mutually caught up in our kissing one another.

It was three o’clock in the morning; I woke up in her bed and made my way upstairs to my apartment.

It was that next week when the church study had started. It became a bit of a struggle for Darla as she was already physically tired. She was quickly becoming emotionally drained. It would take his Mom, Jodi, and Dr. Casandra Youngblood, the Psychiatrist to help her/him make her way through the coming weeks. Darla made an emergency trip back to Pt. Pleasant to see the Psychiatrist. Cassandra made an unheard-of Saturday trip to see Darla in her work atmosphere.

Dr. Cassandra explained, “Much of your psyche is that of a man, and my experience tells me meeting you where you’re active might give a better picture of who you are. And you might talk more freely.” I was active as we met, but I had kept active with projects and not dealing with customers. I thought my visit with her was going well. The more I talked the more anxious I became to hear what she was thinking.

Cassandra finally spoke saying, “Well, I’ve allowed our visit to go longer since this is my only visit today. I gather you’re anxious, but it seems that you have made a lot of progress. You have stepped forward and taken control of your life. You have made a lot of good decisions and followed through.”

I interrupted, “You said mostly. Which decisions did you disagree with?”

She said, “I didn’t say I disagreed with any. I was remarking about the ones I knew enough to say that. …Visiting like this, I think I was hearing you voice your anxiety as Heath. It seems like you are still thinking through a lot as Heath. And then it’s like another part of you; Darla is deciding it is okay to move forward even showing confidence as you do so. But it’s a lot for you to work through this. I am very pleased with you. Do you have any idea how you’d like to address your anxiety?”

Dr. Youngblood wrote a note that I agreed with and that she would communicate with the facilitator of my support group. “Heath’s thinking is one of stuffing his feelings inside which often leaves others wondering. The more she can embrace her thoughts and actions as being from the same person whether you’re presenting as Darla or Heath the better she will be overall.”

We agreed I’d meet with her every third week with a conference call on a secured landline in between as needed.

She wanted to have me as Darla to go shopping with her. We agreed that I’d do it as an extension of my next appointment in Pt. Pleasant. Some session after that she was interested in meeting with Jodi if I was willing. Especially as she was supportive and we were just starting to think of marriage.

My parents and I planned to eat out that night, so it was good that I kept it as extended family time.

My father was now the one joking about being the odd person out. For much of their marriage, my mother had felt she was. My sister if at all possible tried not to go out with the family if my brothers went along. Nowadays we often travel part of the way to Grace’s and one or both of her daughters would come along.

Mom loved it and so did Dad, but he would get frustrated some of the time when I, Darla got invested in the feminine conversation. I especially like it when Bethany was there, I enjoyed the three generations of women visiting.

It was fall when I decided to commit to being Darla and have breast enhancements. Dr. Cheryl Whittier was my endocrinologist’s surgeon of choice for such surgeries as well as transitioning further. I became much more emotional about everything when it happened than I had anticipated.

Upon my first visit to Dr. Cheryl, she said, “You appear to be a woman with her head on right. You’re young enough if you’re going to fully transition please let me see you through this. I’d like you to take until next Friday to think everything through.” She asked, “Is your lover Jodi going to accept you fully as a woman? If she changes her mind after you two have a baby together. How would you feel, if she doesn’t want Heath to transition?”

“I’ll be willing to schedule the procedure next Friday. I want you and her to be more certain about what you’re planning. I know things can change but the changes should be manageable. Taking hormones and each surgery will impact your total being. You’ll love the woman you’re becoming if we think through this holistically.

“I believe I’m the best surgeon around for these surgeries and your success in fully transitioning.”

Tears were welling up inside and what Dr. Cheryl was saying took in my doubts as well as my desires. I wanted to hug her as I was feeling very emotional, but she thought I might be very angry when I stepped back. “Please don’t drawback, I think you might be correct. It has been something I’ve been resisting to fully commit myself."

A wave of relief came over both of us when we realized we were on the same page. She explained how she would use part of my penis in my transition to being more sensitive later in having sex as a woman. I had been planning the fastest and least expensive way all the way through. If what she was saying was true. I would be shortchanging the woman I wanted to be.

I asked if Jodi could come in and visit with us. It would help us in planning our future, and I’d find out if we were thinking along the same lines. Dr. Whittier, like me, was impressed that Jodi had done a lot of research. She also confessed that she was a lesbian before. She said, “I had gotten married to prove I wasn’t.”

Her oldest two children had found out the truth, this past year. Feeling she couldn’t keep the truth from her children, she had confessed to them. Paula had confronted her mother some three months earlier, and had asked again why she was feeling guilty about their Dad’s death. “Mom is that part of what you meant that there was more to it?”

“That is a big part of it. I felt he was distracted, trying to figure out if he did something wrong. I was afraid he might somehow be alive and happy if I hadn’t told him.”

Paula had told her, “Mom it wasn’t your fault you’re a lesbian. The way you two loved each other, he couldn’t have had a better wife or mom for us. It seems like a blessing since that Heath as Darla came into our lives.”

“I thought it was funny when you found some of her clothes when you checked her apartment and were afraid there was another woman. It turned out to be the girl side of Heath. That was so funny. He’s as much like a mommy to his daughters as he’s a dad. Neither of you should try to change yourself nor the other.”

When Samantha was told she had both her Mom as well as her big sister’s support. Sam, as she was often called, had gone to her dad’s grandparents. Grandmother had told her, “Your father knew even before your mother told him. Your Aunt Gloria told him that was why she became your mom’s best friend. She didn’t trust herself with Patricia Hughes, so they broke the friendship.

“Grandmother knew that hadn’t changed you inside. She told me that I have the same wonderful Mommy that I ever had. …I think the only thing Grandma is afraid of is if you stopped us from seeing them.”

Jodi froze for a moment and she shook after that. “I hope she and you kids know I would never do that. Grandma is like my second Mom to me. And they are a lot closer than my mom. Grandma especially has become even dearer to us.”

“Mommy, I know and Grandma knows. She even thinks that Darla’s good for you.”

Jodi is again surprised by what Samantha has told her. “When did Grandma say something about Darla? She hadn’t said anything to me.”

“Grandmother said, ‘It was between us that she didn’t want to influence you one way or the other.’ I hope she won’t mind what I told you. I just thought now was a good time to say it”

Paula was there and she hugged Sam and Jodi hugged them both, saying, “You young lady did well, really well for your Grandma and me.”

Paula said, “Mom, I just want you to take your time. We like Darla, but you’re both going through a lot. I read it could be a very emotional time for Darla if she transitions. She’ll need your support, but she’ll also need space to find her new self.”

Jodi’s eyes water and she shakes her head ever so slightly. “When did my girls get so wise? Paula, is this part of the young nurse in the making?”

Paula says, “Nurse or engineer I still have until next year to decide.”

Jodi says, “You’ll have two years, next year you’ll only be a junior.” Jodi knows, Paula wants to decide what she’s going to do and visit the appropriate universities. Paula is so intelligent and gifted; her mom knows most medical places will encourage Paula to become a medical student and become a doctor.

How she would be able to afford it, she didn’t know. It did seem more plausible now that it did even six to eight months ago.

Darla has seen her Psychiatrist and her other doctors. While she knew what she wanted to do, she didn’t see any way she could do it with her new business just starting.

Darla’s Mother and Father were already having Darla over for dinner tonight. But her mother called on her way back from the doctor's visits. The phone rang in the car and Darla answered, “Darla, I wanted to call and make sure you and Grace are not stopping on your way back from all the doctors. Grace needs to plan to eat and stay over.”

I asked, “What’s up to Mom, you have Grace’s and my attention.”

Their mother spoke, “It’s not as bad as it sounds. It might even be beneficial for you Darla.”

Grace speaks loud enough so her mother will be able to hear her. “Ma don’t beat around the bush. What’s not as bad as it sounds?”

To be continued…