One boy is about to learn that he has already passed such an event, and nothing will ever be quite the same…

Arwen Jones drove into the parking lot of the Amtrak station at Paso Robles. Her son Ceri [KEH-ree] had left London Heathrow Airport sometime yesterday for Los Angeles International Airport. He had left a voicemail for her confirming his arrival there early in the morning. If he had any difficulties with immigration or customs, she certainly would’ve heard about it by now. If all went according to plan, after clearing immigration and customs, he’d found a room somewhere to change clothes so that her daughter Ceri would board Amtrak’s Coast Starlight to come here.

After musing a moment or two, Arwen parked her car and went into the Amtrak station to wait for Ceri in the lobby. The train was reportedly running behind schedule but Arwen didn’t know how great the delay might be. So she sat down and opened her agenda to study the requirements for a new client’s proposed system. She hadn’t waited too long when she heard the clanging bell and rumbling wheels of a diesel locomotive. The hissing of air brakes followed. Arwen peeked out the door to see a train stopped outside the station. The Coast Starlight was on time after all. A moment later, passengers began to disembark from the train.

Arwen had no idea what Ceri was wearing aboard the train, nor was she even certain which gender her child would present as. So all she could do was to watch and to wait. No more than a couple of minutes later, she saw her freckled, dark-haired, blue-eyed Ceri step off the train, wearing a traditional British schoolgirl’s uniform with a white blouse, a tartan skirt, a navy blazer trimmed in white, and a tie from her old school in Swansea. Arwen fought back tears as she recalled how Ceri had begged her for the schoolgirl’s uniform. The mother had purchased it for her child who had not had an opportunity to wear it publicly until now.

“Ceri!” Arwen yelled to her son-become-daughter. “Rydw i yma!” [RUH-doo ee UH-mah, “Here I am!”]

“Mam!” [mahm, “Mom”] Ceri cried out as she ran to hug her mother. “Rwy’n dy garu di!” [rooin dee GAH-ruh DEE, “I love you!”]

“Rwy’n dy garu di, Ceri!” replied Arwen as she felt what was obviously her son’s hug, yet she responded to the girl, “Mae’n dda i gofleidio fy merch eto!” [MAH-een thah ee go-VLEY-dee-oh vuh merkhh EH-to, “It’s good to hug my daughter again!”] And definitely a boy’s tears were streaming down her child’s face, causing her daughter’s mascara to run.

Arwen figured that after eight weeks with her father, Ceri had regressed to being more like a boy again. The mother could feel it in her child’s embrace. She knew the differences in how Ceri hugged as a boy and as a girl. Yes, even the tears seemed different. But this had happened before and in a few weeks, he would become herself once again.

“Ydyn ni’n mynd adref nawr?” [UH-din neen muhnd AH-drehv now-er, “Do we go home now?”] asked Ceri. “Nid wyf wedi bwyta ers gadael Los Angeles.” [need ooiv WEH-dee BOOI-tah ehrss gah-DAH-eel lohs AHNG-geh-lehss, “I have not eaten since leaving Los Angeles.”]

Arwen thought then that perhaps she should take Ceri somewhere for tea right away. She was feeling somewhat famished herself. But Ceri had not eaten during the long trip by rail.

“Have you eaten nothing at all since Los Angeles?” Arwen asked, switching to English.

“Got I chocolate bar and soda when boarded I the train,” replied Ceri in the idiosyncratic dialect that her mother had so anxiously expected.

Arwen sighed, wondering if eight weeks with Gareth, her ex-husband, had been enough to unravel completely the work that she and their speech therapist had done with Ceri. More than anything else, she worried that her child’s accent might draw too much attention at school. And that would not be good.

“Let’s go for tea, then,” suggested Arwen. “What would you like?”

“Like I to have Indian food again,” replied Ceri in her strangely accented English. “Had I none since left you Swansea.”

Smiling to her son-become-daughter, Arwen said, “I do know where we can get some Indian food.”

“ ’S it far?” the daughter asked as she felt her tummy rumbling at the very mention of food.

“Not too far. It’s in downtown West Grove at Billings Square. That’s a smaller shopping centre where at least a few students from West Grove High School still like to gather.”

“West Grove High School?”

“That’s where I’ve enrolled you for school. You begin there tomorrow morning.”

“Think you this to be proper to wear for the first day?”

“I should think so, although your schoolmates won’t be wearing uniforms.”

“Will they not?” Ceri asked in surprise.

“Most students don’t wear uniforms to school in America. Usually, just elite private schools, Roman Catholic parochial schools, and a very few others require their students to wear uniforms.”

“Ought I then not wear this tomorrow?” Ceri asked with a tone of disappointment evident in her voice.

“For tomorrow it’s fine,” her mum assured her. “I know that you’ve looked forward to wearing it to school for a long time, even if it’s here in America instead of back home in Wales. And you can wear it Friday as well.”

“Wear I what after Friday?”

“Tomorrow and Friday, notice what the other girls wear. During the weekend, we can begin acquiring your new wardrobe.”

“Hoped I for new school uniform.”

“Welcome to America!” said Arwen with just a hint of sarcasm.

“Alice, do you know, like, why Billings Square doesn’t have a food court?” asked Valerie.

“It’s an older style of shopping center,” replied Alice. “Like a food court prob’ly wasn’t even a thing back then. I prefer the atrium with the fountain, anyway.”

“Sheila, look! There’s Mindy now,” said Debbi pointing across the atrium.

“Don’t call her that!” Sheila told Debbi, sotto voce. “Melinda doesn’t like to be called ‘Mindy’ or by any other nickname.”

“Omigosh!” Debbi gasped in embarrassment. “I didn’t know!”

“Don’t worry about it! But do let the others know, though,” Sheila advised, then waving across the atrium yelled, “Melinda, over here!”

Melinda doubled her pace towards them. “Hi, everyone!” she greeted her friends.

“Thanks for coming,” Sheila offered.

“Now that we’re all here,” observed Valerie, “we should eat, like, before we start shopping.”

“Makes sense to me,” agreed Melinda. “Which place looks like it has enough seats and a table open for us?”

“As we came in, I noticed the Mediterranean place didn’t look too busy,” remarked Debbi.

“The pizzeria and pasta buffet was like busier, although not by much,” observed Valerie. “But did anyone here not have Italian food for lunch?” No one indicated to the contrary.

“The Mexican grill is standing room only,” said Sheila regretfully. “I kinda wanted a burrito, myself.”

“I know it’s pricey,” added Debbi, “but the Indian restaurant is not busy at all.”

“Y’know, I could go for Indian tonight,” admitted Melinda.

“I could, too,” Alice seconded. “Haven’t had any Indian food for a while.”

Debbi looked hopefully at Sheila, who smiled back, nodding.

“Like we seem to have come to an agreement for dinner,” announced Valerie. So, the five teenagers started towards Tandoori Kitchen.

“Mom, I don’t know if I can do this,” admitted Billy.

“Yes, you can,” Patricia told her son. “You might feel a little anxious about it right now, but I think that you’re ready to buy a dress of your very own.”

“But why would you think that?”

“Monday and yesterday, the first thing you did when you got home after school was to change clothes. But right now, you’re still wearing what you wore to school this morning. Not only that, but you look like you’re alright with wearing it.”

“Could I ask what’s going on?” Greta Kaufmann asked her unexpected customers. Patricia Danziger and Billy remained silent a moment.

“You tell her, Mom,” said Billy. “It’s too embarrassing for me to tell.”

“It’s only been two days, Billy,” Patricia reminded him. “It’s like this, Greta. As a challenge from a teacher, he went to school dressed like a girl Monday. Well, the principal caught him coming out of the Ladies’ Room. For that and other violations he was offered the choice of a suspension or dressing like a girl for the rest of the semester. You see the result of the decision before you.”

Ms. Kaufmann remarked to the boy, “You don’t look at all bad in that. Give yourself a chance and you’ll make it through this okay.”

“You think so?”

“Yes, I do think so,” Greta assured him. “And you might not believe it, but you’re not the first boy to come in here looking for a new dress to wear!”

“Mum, knew I never until now that be the railways better in Great Britain than America,” confessed Ceri. “Was the flight fine, though, from London to Los Angeles.”

“My train ride from Los Angeles to Paso Robles wasn’t very comfortable, either,” Arwen agreed. “Americans travel by air much better than by rail.”

“Seem the highways about the same between the countries, though,” observed Ceri, sipping some chai (spiced tea with milk) after a morsel of naan (flatbread) and some dal rajasthani (curried lentils).

“Ceri, this is yours,” said Arwen setting a small cardboard box on the table next to her tray. The graphics on the package clearly indicated its contents. “You’re on my calling plan and you even have international calling. But please try not to call Wales every day. You need to make friends here, too.”

Opening the box, Ceri smiled as she picked up her new smartphone. “Thanks, Mum!” she offered. “And pink cover, too!”

“Just what any teenaged girl needs in California!” Arwen relaxed for maybe the first time all day and returned her son-become-daughter’s smile. She took a bite of curry. “This is a shopping centre. After we’ve finished our tea, we could go upstairs for some shopping, do you think?”

“Think I so,” answered Ceri all too anxiously, sipping her chai.

“Relax, Ceri!” her mother sighed trying to calm her. “Your syntax is backwards again.”

“Am I sorry, Mum!”

“You’ve no need to be sorry, sweetie. Just relax and slow down before speaking. You’ll get it back, just as you did before.”

“Uncle Li, I’d like you to meet my friend Brandon MacDonald,” Jenny said, introducing her boyfriend. “Brandon, this is my dear Uncle Li, my Mom’s younger brother. This is his restaurant.” She paused to allow them to exchange greetings.

“Nice to meet you, Mister Li,” said Brandon offering his right hand.

“I’m pleased as well, Brandon,” replied Uncle Li, accepting and shaking his hand. “Are you in many of Jenny’s classes?”

“Yes. We’re in all but two classes together now. And we’re lab partners in Earth Sciences and Computer Science. She has Latin during first period while I have German. We also shared a study hall until yesterday when that and my Physical Education course were changed.”

“Please follow me, Brandon,” said Uncle Li. “Jin-Fai [妍暉] knows the way.”

Jenny noticed the confusion on Brandon’s face and explained, “Since my Cantonese name Jin-Fai sounds a little like the English name Jennifer, my family calls me ‘Jenny’ as a nickname.”

Uncle Li led Brandon and Jenny through the double gate into the main dining room where her parents and siblings were awaiting them already.

Valerie went for the buffet and her friends all followed. She especially liked samosas with mint chutney. Of course, she gathered as much on her plate as possible.

“Well, I see that being tall does have it’s advantages,” remarked Alice. “Like I couldn’t possibly eat that much.”

“You know me, though. Like I try to get my money’s worth at a buffet,” said Valerie. “Besides, if I don’t eat enough now, I’ll just get hungry again.”

“Hey, Val?” Alice changed her tone and lowered her voice. “I noticed on the way here in the minivan that you couldn’t understand what I was saying in German. Like wouldja wanna go over some of it?”

“Oh please, yes!” replied Valerie. “Like I’m so desperate for help in that class!”

“Then we’ll sit by ourselves and see what we can do,” promised Alice.

Greta wrapped the measuring tape around Billy’s chest yet again.

“How many times you gonna measure my chest?”

“As many times as I need to,” Ms. Kaufmann replied. “Now, wait a few minutes while I find the right bra for you.”

Patricia smiled as she noticed her son trying to maintain his modesty by covering his nipples with his right arm and hand. Billy appeared not even to be aware that he was concealing his naked chest. As far as she knew, he had never felt any need to conceal it before.

Greta returned from the stockroom with a large box containing a couple of brassières and a pair of breastforms.

“Billy, I have two bras that I’d like you to try on,” said Greta. “Try this one first. It’s a push-up design. It’ll make what you already have look bigger.”

“Well, I guess it couldn’t hurt, then, could it?” Billy asked, almost giggling.

Greta wrapped the push-up brassière around his chest and hooked it behind him. Then she made adjustments to it by gently tugging here and there. Liking how it seemed to be shaping up, she flashed a grin at the boy. “You appear to have breasts of your own with this. And many girls don’t have much more than this for a long time. Come and have a look at yourself, Billy.”

Ms. Kaufmann led Billy to a corner of the store where three full-length mirrors were set up the main one in front of him and the others angled to either side.

“Omigosh!” Billy squealed. “I kinda look like a real girl.”

“Yes, you do,” confirmed Greta. “Did you do the makeup yourself?”

“Some of it, but Mom helped me out.”

Patricia thought that she ought to explain. “His greatest worry has been that he’d look like a boy in a dress,” she said, “so I’ve been careful to show him how to use makeup to emphasize his more feminine features.”

“And you’ve done it well enough that he doesn’t need to worry too much about it,” opined Ms. Kaufmann. “So, let’s see what else we can do, young—lady! Come with me again, Billy. The push-up bra does suggest a few ideas, but what I think you may want for tomorrow won’t really work with that style. Now, let’s get the push-up off you and try something more conventional.”

“This is so good!” Valerie declared after taking a bite of a lentil somosa drenched in mint chutney. She offered another somosa to Alice who sat across the table from her.

„Wunderbar!“ exclaimed Alice as she reproduced her friend’s experimental sampling of the South Asian appetizer.

“You like, then?”

“Oh, yes,” affirmed Alice. “But like you missed your cue!”

“My cue?—oh! You said: ,Wunderbar!‘ I’m sorry!”

“It’s okay, but if you don’t start thinking and responding auf Deutsch, it won’t help.”

“But I wasn’t expecting German like right then.”

“Val, whenever we’re talking you should always expect me to drop in a few German words and phrases,” explained Alice as she took a bite of curry. “Like after all, I do wanna help you pass the course.”

“I know, but it’s harder than that for me,” admitted Valerie. “I should’ve just stayed in Spanish instead.”

“But Val, if you were trying to learn Spanish the same way you’re trying to learn German, then Spanish wouldn’t’ve been any easier,” argued Alice. “You keep trying to translate everything into English. But that’s not really learning German. You need to think in German instead.” Alice held her purse up off the table. “Don’t think ‘a purse’! Instead, think ‚eine Handtasche‘! That’s how Frau Becker tries to get you thinking in class. Like you would need to learn Spanish the same way. Learning German’s really no more difficult than learning any other language.”

“But it seems harder to me. Like riding here in Mom’s minivan I tried to understand what you were saying in German, but I couldn’t.”

“Do you remember what we were talking about when I spoke German?”

“Debbi asked, like if you and Brandon talked about cheerleading in class.”

“And I answered in German using only one new word, das Anfeuern,” recalled Alice sipping a minty salted lassi. “Wanna guess what it means?”

“Cheerleading?”

“Got it in one!” Alice confirmed. “The verb anfeuern literally means ‘to fire up,’ so the German view of cheerleading is ‘firing up’ the team and fans.”

“That makes sense,” agreed Valerie, scooping up some dal rajasthani with a piece of naan.

“Now, although das Anfeuern is the native German word, Frau Becker says that because Germans see it as an American or British sport, they’ve imported the English terminology, so you’re more likely to hear das Cheerleading these days.”

“Then, like why didn’t you use that word to start with?”

“’Cause I didn’t wanna make it, like, too easy for you!” Alice confessed as she sputtered into a fit of giggles.

“Like I don’t think I’ve ever heard you giggle as much and as loud as you have tonight.”

“And this brings us to the other new word tonight, kichern. I’ll give you a hint: it’s a verb!”

“Does it mean, like, ‘giggle’?”

“Right again!” Alice beamed then ate another bite of curry. “And I want you to think about how—and why—you could figure those out.”

“Like we were already talking about cheerleading and giggling.”

“Bingo, Val! It’s all about context. Like the context clued you into what the words mean. You actually thought about the context and meaning. You did more than just guess.”

Valerie paused a moment to consider what her friend had told her. So indeed, she had done what Alice said. Maybe she could learn German after all!

“You’re right, Alice,” conceded Valerie sipping a sweet lassi.

“So then, why couldn’t you have figured it out in the minivan?”

“Well, it went too fast for one thing,” recalled Valerie. “And like I wasn’t expecting to hear you speaking German in the minivan.”

“From now on, always expect me to say something to you in German,” Alice warned her. “But your clue is that it’ll fit the context.”

“Patricia, I have a proposition for your son,” said Greta. “But I want to run it by you first, while he’s in the dressing room.”

“Oh?”

“This weekend we’re doing an Oktoberfest-themed promotion at West Grove Mall and I’m looking for someone to hire for Saturday and Sunday. Billy’s measurements look like he could easily wear a Dirndl that we have in back.”

“Billy? In a Dirndl?” Patricia exclaimed giggling. “This I gotta see!”

“Luckily, his features are androgynous enough that we can make him look even more feminine without too much effort,” Greta reassured her, flashing a mischievous grin. “Anyway, is it alright with you if I offer Billy the job?”

“You know what? I think so!” Patricia mused, more to herself than to Greta. “If you had asked him yesterday, he’d’ve run for the hills, screaming. But tonight, he just may go for it!”

Uncle Li led Jenny and Brandon to the entrance of a large alcove off the main dining room. Mr. and Mrs. Chang were already waiting there with Jenny’s younger brother Bo-Ming as well as a young man looking to be in his mid-twenties and a younger woman by maybe two or three years. “Brandon, I’d like you to meet my elder brother Sargent, and my elder sister Suzanne,” said Jenny introducing her older siblings to her boyfriend. “Sargent, Suzanne, I’d like you to meet my friend Brandon. He’s my guest for the evening.”

Brandon exchanged handshakes with Sargent and Suzanne. “Pleased to meet you, Brandon!” said Jenny’s older brother. “And I, you, Sargent!” Brandon reciprocated. “Likewise you, too, Suzanne!”

“Has everyone met everyone else?” Mr. Chang asked his daughter.

Jenny glanced quickly around the alcove and noticed that her older siblings nodded, smiling to her as did Brandon. Jenny turned to her father to say, “Yes, Daddy, I believe that all introductions have been made.”

“Thank you, Jin-Fai,” he offered his daughter. “Let us all be seated now.”

Brandon had noticed when he entered that no one had been seated, so he figured he should stand as well. Fortunately, Jenny had coached him in advance about how the family would expect him to behave. Certain expectations were indeed cultural, but quite a few were simply family traditions or even personal preferences, but even such preferences might be very important for the first impression that he would make with Jenny’s family. So Brandon had resolved to remain attentive throughout their dinner. After all, he had as much riding on tonight as did Jenny.

Brandon noticed that Jenny’s father now addressed her uncle, “We are ready for tea, rice, and appetizers, Li.”

Uncle Li nodded back to his brother-in-law, then stepped outside the alcove to speak with a young woman wearing a black, silver-embroidered cheongsam, similar to the one that Jenny had worn the previous Friday night. Brandon thought that the young woman was likely a hostess because she wore clothes nicer than the waitresses whom he had noticed. So the hostess drew a pair of red curtains across the threshold of the alcove, separating the Changs and their guest from the main dining room.

Billy strutted across the room wearing a beautiful silver lamé halter-style minidress, shimmering pantyhose, stiletto ankle-strap pumps in silver with a matching lamé clutch purse. He stopped and looked his mother right in the eye.

“Oh my! I don’t believe it!” Patricia gasped sotto voce. “Is that really you, Billy?”

Her son merely nodded to her. He thought that he saw the glimmer of tears welling up in his mother’s eyes.

Patricia was amazed that her son looked stunning in the new dress. “Son, Nancy would need some effort to look as pretty as you do right now.”

Billy covered a grin as quickly as possible with his hand. His reaction had been immediate and unconsidered. His mother had just suggested that, at the moment, he was prettier than his sister Nancy. Then he giggled.

“Billy, I knew you could do this from the moment you stepped in here,” said Greta. “Yes, you’re a boy, but somehow, girls’ clothes look right on you. Every dress that you’ve tried on this evening seems like it were made just for you. You also have poise. And where did you learn to walk like that?”

“My friends Kelly and Valerie kinda showed me.”

“Would that be Valerie Schmidt?”

“Yeah,” Billy affirmed. “You know her?”

“Yes, she works for us as a model,” replied Ms. Kaufmann. “And I’d like you to do that for us, too.”

“What?” Billy asked in disbelief. “Me? Work for you? As a model?”

“Absolutely! And I’ve discussed it with your mother already.”

Billy looked to his mother. She smiled and nodded to him, “Yes, we discussed it. I know it’s not likely what you had in mind for your first job, but it’s a great opportunity to take your place in the workforce.”

“I would like you to begin Saturday at sixteen dollars an hour,” said Greta. “We’re having an Oktoberfest promotion this weekend and you’d be mostly modeling specific clothes that I’d like you to try on now. Will you do it?”

Once again, the boy looked to his mother, his eyes seeking an answer.

“Billy, if you wish to work here, you have both my permission and my blessing,” his mother assured him. “I’ll support you either way, but the decision is yours.”

“Billy, I’ve been doing this for a long time and when I look at you, I see the girl who you could become,” Greta explained. “I’m willing and able to work with you to get the right look.”

The boy was stunned. Yes, he wanted a job but working as a fashion model? For girls’ clothing? She’s offering me sixteen dollars an hour to start? I don’t know anywhere else paying that well starting out. That’s twice the minimum wage. But even though Kelly’s helped me feel better about it, I still don’t know if I can ever get very comfortable with dressing like a girl. Then again, I have to dress up like this for school now, anyway. Why not get paid for it?

He nodded to his mother in acknowledgement and then told Ms. Kaufmann, “Yes, I’ll do it.”

Greta smiled at both Billy and Patricia, then addressed the boy directly, “Then welcome again to Kaufmann and Kaufmann’s, this time as our employee and perhaps even more important for you, welcome to the workforce!”

Patricia hugged her son from behind and said to him, “I had no idea that coming here tonight would be so important for you.”

“I didn’t either, Mom.”

“Alright, Billie,” Ms. Kaufmann addressed him, “I have a Dirndl that I think is just your size.”

“What’s a Dirndl?”

“It’s what the cutest girl at West Grove Mall will be wearing for the weekend and she’s you!” replied Greta. Then she beckoned with her finger, telling him: „Folge mir, Mädchen!“ [“Follow me, girl!”]

“Sheila, I think the dark-haired girl at the corner table is wearing a school uniform,” said Debbi, sotto voce, “but I don’t recognize the school. Do you?”

“No, don’t think I’ve seen it before, either,” Sheila answered, also keeping her voice low. “Melinda, how ’bout you?”

“Looks British with that style of blazer, but that wouldn’t make sense here.”

“Have any idea, yourself, Debbi?” Sheila asked her friend.

“Complete mystery to me—and I don’t recall a blazer with any of the local school uniforms.”

“The uniform I wore at Saint Mary’s has a blazer,” Melinda told them, “but it’s nothing like what she’s wearing.”

Mr. Chang continued to stand until his brother-in-law signaled that all food had been served. Then before he himself sat down, Mr. Chang announced smiling, 食飯！ [Sik fan! « Bon appétit ! »]

Brandon immediately imitated the behavior of the others at the table and began selecting various items for his plate. He noticed that Jenny chose some of four entrées, allocating a quarter of her plate to each, so he did likewise. Then he sprinkled some soy sauce into his rice before pouring some tea into the small teacup.

“Jenny, what is that?” Brandon asked. “I’ve noticed that you often bring it in your lunch.”

“It’s called ‘Buddha’s Delight,’ ” she told him. “Since the number eight is sacred in Buddhism, it’s made with eight ingredients. It’s my favorite.”

Acknowledging Jenny’s answer with a smile, he sipped a little of his tea when her father addressed him.

“Brandon, I hear that you excel at mathematics,” said Mr. Chang. “Is this true?”

“That would depend on how ‘excel’ is defined, sir,” replied Brandon. “What I can honestly say is that mathematics is my favorite subject and that no classmate has ever scored higher than myself in mathematics. So far this semester, I have a perfect score in my mathematics class. Also, Dr. Lang, our teacher, has assigned me a set of special problems to solve with the intention of submitting my results to a mathematical journal for publication.”

“And you are how old?” asked Mrs. Chang.

“Fourteen years old,” replied their guest. “The same age as Jenny.”

Mr. Chang paused a moment to consider what he had just heard. The boy had not claimed to excel in mathematics, but instead cited a few facts, easily verified, that might justify such a conclusion. Also, he was impressed that Brandon’s teacher had assigned him problems for publication in a journal. So Mr. Chang looked at his older son, who understood the glance as a signal.

“So Brandon,” Sargent addressed his sister’s friend. “What branch of mathematics do the special problems belong to?”

“Analytic number theory,” answered Brandon, “as applied to cryptology, to be specific.”

Sargent didn’t know anything about the topic so he couldn’t pursue any discussion of it right then. But he recognized, “That’s rather an esoteric subject for a high school student.”

“I said as much to Doctor Lang, myself,” admitted Brandon. “But she just looked at me and said, ‘You can handle it,’ so I have.”

“Doctor Lang’s a good teacher,” remarked Jenny. “We’re lucky to have her.”

“She also coaches the pompom squad and dance team,” Brandon added. “My older sister Sheila is a pompom girl and dancer, herself, so she benefits from learning a different kind of subject with Doctor Lang.”

“Do you compete for any teams, yourself, Brandon?” Mr. Chang asked.

“Yes, I’m on a couple of teams at school,” the boy answered. “I also play in the West Grove Youth Orchestra.”

“You play an instrument?” Suzanne inquired.

“Violin,” their guest affirmed.

“Jennifer plays piano rather well,” Mrs. Chang added. But Brandon noticed Jenny blushing. She’d never mentioned any musical ability to him before. Was she embarrassed about it for some reason. Then again, they’d only known one another how long? Six, seven weeks?

“Mom! Why d’you have to tell him?” Jenny whined rather unexpectedly. “You know how I feel about it!”

“We’re sorry, Brandon,” her father apologized. “Our daughter tends to berate her own musical talent unfairly.”

“I’m not really talented,” complained Jenny. “You only say that because you’re my Daddy.”

“Don’t worry about it, Jenny,” said Brandon in an effort to reassure her. “I’m not so good as a violinist, either.”

“Perhaps you and Jenny should try to play something together?” Suzanne suggested. “Don’t let her fool you. Jenny plays the piano better than I do and I’m willing for you to hear me play just to establish a benchmark.”

“Both our daughters are quite talented musically,” declared Mrs. Chang. “Her junior year of high school, Suzanne won the silver medal for music at the Salinas River Arts Festival and in her senior year, she won the gold medal at the West Grove Music Festival.”

“But I can’t touch how my little sister plays Chopin,” Suzanne conceded. “You should ask her to play the ‘Heroic Polonaise’ some—”

“Stop! That’s enough!” Jenny shouted as she sprang from her seat, visibly trembling. “I don’t wanna talk about it.”

Brandon rose from his chair, turning towards Jenny. She’d never been so upset in all the time that he’d known her. When he held her hands, he could feel her trembling. “Jenny, I like that you play piano,” he said, slowly pulling her back into her seat. “And I’d like to hear you play. But I understand if you don’t want to, because it’s not easy for me to play for others, either.

“I do like Suzanne’s suggestion that we play something together, though. What do you think?”

“I don’t know,” said Jenny. “I’ve never heard you play before.”

“But I didn’t even know that you play until now,” observed Brandon. “Still, it’s something that we could do as a couple.” He smiled at her.

“Maybe that would be nice,” his girlfriend conceded. “Have anything in mind?”

“I do have a few works for violin and piano that I can bring with me tomorrow,” he proposed. “We’re back to our regular schedule at the orchestra.”

“What happened last week, anyway?” Jenny asked. “I noticed that you didn’t have your violin with you Thursday. Normally, you’d’ve brought it then.”

“Maestro cancelled rehearsal,” explained Brandon. “According to rumor, he went out of town, but I think it was really because of the Homecoming festivities.”

“Homecoming does tend to take over everything,” observed Suzanne. “And it wasn’t just at West Grove High School; Pine Forest High School had theirs going as well.”

“It’s a wonder that anyone got anything done all week,” said Jenny.

Mr. and Mrs. Chang glanced at one another, both wondering how the boy managed to calm their daughter down so quickly. Both her parents noted that Brandon had averted Jennifer’s anxiety almost immediately.

“Billie, I can hardly believe it!” Greta sighed in awe of her young fashion model. “You look almost perfect in that Dirndl. What do you think, Patricia?”

“Son, I have to say that you belong in skirts and dresses,” Patricia told him. “I don’t think that Doctor Lansing knows quite what she’s done.”

“No, Mom. I wonder what she was thinking.”

“Well, she’s punishing you all the way to the bank!” his mother observed. “But Greta, what did you mean by almost perfect?”

“Notice how short Billie’s braids are? She needs to grow her hair longer.”

“Yes, I see that,” noted Patricia. “You hear that, Billy? I don’t want you cutting or trimming your hair unless and until you check in with your boss. Okay?”

“I got it, Mom.”

“You look so cute in a Dirndl, son!”

“Mom!”

“Well, you do!”

“So Brandon, which teams do you compete for?” Mr. Chang asked.

“The most important team for me is the chess team,” said Brandon. “We’re playing at the Lawrence and Behrens University Scholastic Invitational Tournament this Saturday. Most of the high schools and middle schools in the area have been invited.”

“How good a player are you?” Sargent asked him.

“I’m a Class ‘A’ player,” said Brandon. “That means that I’m rated between eighteen hundred and two thousand. We have two other Class ‘A’ players on the team, Terrence Johnson, a senior, and Carolyn Williams, a sophomore.”

“What do these rating numbers mean?” Sargent continued.

“The ratings are calculated from wins and losses, but adjusted for the difference between opponents’ ratings. Defeating a higher-rated player is worth more than defeating someone who’s rated lower. It’s a standard calculation.”

“How many players are on your team?” asked Mr. Chang.

“A total of twelve,” said Brandon. “Four varsity, four junior varsity, and four alternates. We have two seniors and two juniors. They’re the varsity. Next, on the junior varsity, we have two sophomores and two freshmen, so I’m with them. Then we have an alternate from each year. At most, no more than eight matches ever count towards the team score.”

“Is this a standard arrangement?” Mr. Chang followed up his previous question.

“Not exactly,” replied Brandon. “A team can have any number of players theoretically, but only the scores from the eight lowest numbered boards in each round count towards the team score. That’s how our tournament Saturday will be scored. In other tournaments, the players with the eight best records count towards the team score. But if it’s a smaller tournament, then it’s played as a round robin and the team scoring is more straightforward.”

“It sounds very complicated,” observed Sargent.

“It can be,” said Brandon, “but then that’s all part of the fun.”

Mr. Chang smiled at Brandon’s remark, then redirected the discussion. “So, what other team do you compete for?”

“Well, I’m on one other team but not actually for competition,” Brandon hedged. “At least I don’t think so.”

“Oh?” Sargent interjected.

Brandon glanced at Jenny and she squeezed his hand in support, knowing that the awkward questions were about to be asked.

“The first day of class, Frau Becker asked us all to tell why we were taking German,” Alice recounted for Valerie. “But you took two or three days to transfer in, so you never told us why you took the class.”

“Well, Dad has relatives in Germany and we’re planning to go there to meet them next summer or maybe the following one. I had enrolled in Spanish, but my parents asked me to take German instead so at least one of us could speak it on our trip.”

“I should’ve guessed. After all, Schmidt is a common German surname and you’ve mentioned having family in Germany before. Do you know where in Germany your relatives are?”

“Just a couple of them whom I’ve never met. Dad’s Uncle Heiko and his wife Reinhilde are in Cologne—”

“That’s Köln,” Alice emphasized for Valerie. “In German, Cologne is called ‚Köln‘.”

Valerie repeated: „Köln“.

“Again!”

„Köln“.

“Well, you said it correctly,” observed Alice. “I’ve noticed in class that your accent always sounds like it’s native German.”

“Thanks! It’s good to know that I’m getting something right in that class.”

“So where else do you have family in Germany?”

“Dad’s Aunt Angela and her husband Jürgen are in Augsburg.”

„Augsburg“, Alice pronounced carefully.

„Augsburg“, repeated Valerie, noting the difference and saying it just as Alice had. “Now, I know your Mom’s from Germany, but where?”

“She grew up in Neuss, a city on the west bank of the Rhine right across from Düsseldorf, about forty kilometers downriver from Cologne. That’s about a half-hour drive or so.”

“You’ve been there?”

„Ja!“ affirmed Alice. „Meine Großeltern leben immer noch dort.“

“You said ‘Yes!’ and something about your—grandparents?”

“You got it again!” Alice encouraged her. “My grandparents still live there. You’re getting this, Val! Slowly maybe, but surely, you’re getting it.”

“I just need you for my lab partner,” lamented Valerie, “or maybe just any lab partner.”

“Or maybe you should try to move in with your aunt or uncle in Germany,” suggested Alice. “Go to school there for a year. You’d learn the language soon enough.”

“Go to school in Germany?” Valerie remarked incredulously, then dismissed the idea, “Like I’d ever do that!”

Just then, Debbi walked over to their table. “Val, we’re wondering about something,” said their friend. “Or you might know, Alice?”

“About…?” Alice asked.

“We’re trying to figure out what school that girl’s uniform is from,” Debbi asked sotto voce, glancing discreetly towards a dark-haired girl seated at the corner table.

Valerie just shook her head. “No, that’s a new one to me.”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say it looks British,” observed Alice.

“That’s what Melinda said,” replied Debbi.

“Maybe we should try Doctor Van de Meer’s method?” Valerie mentioned. “Recall it?”

“No,” admitted Debbi. “Refresh my memory?”

“Ask her!” Valerie responded simply.

Alice added, “It’s a highly effective technique.”

“I’m a cheerleader,” Brandon confessed. “So I don’t actually compete, myself, but I cheer our other teams on when they do.”

“I didn’t know that West Grove High School had boys on their cheerleading squad,” remarked Suzanne. “They didn’t when I was there.”

“Well, they still don’t,” admitted Brandon. “I’m on the cheer team as a girl.”

Eyebrows were raised around the table and murmurs were heard sotto voce. Then Mrs. Chang spoke up, “Listen, everyone! If Brandon is a cheerleader at his school, even as a girl, then he must be doing so for good reasons and also with the approval of the necessary authority. Please, Brandon, tell us how this happened.”

Jenny smiled and squeezed Brandon’s hand again. He then took a deep breath and began relating the events that led to his becoming a cheerleader:

“Friday night while I was in Saint Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, Jenny came to visit me so we could watch the homecoming game together. I’d not missed a game all season and because she was there with me, sharing the game, I felt like I belonged to the community again.

“Anyway, a sideline pass play went out of bounds and one of the cheerleaders, Abby Abernathy, or “Double Abby” as we call her, was caught in the collision between our pass receiver and a linebacker for Pine Forest High School. She suffered multiple injuries and was taken to Saint Luke’s along with Kelly Harrigan, another cheerleader, who was also hurt trying to help Abby avoid the collision.

“Coach Brenda San-Giacomo asked Kelly to help find someone to substitute for Double Abby. I had shown Kelly how to do database searches and she tried to find another girl who’d be available for cheerleading. But she couldn’t find a girl who met all the criteria and was still available.

“However, Kelly forgot to limit one search by gender. When she did that, the search returned my name. Because Kelly and I had taken gymnastics classes together, she had a good idea of what I could do and recommended me to Coach San-Giacomo, who asked me Monday morning to become a cheerleader until Double Abby has recovered from her injuries.

“I discussed this with our guidance counselor and principal, I talked about it with Jenny and my other friends, I got advice from my older sister Sheila who’s also been a cheerleader, and I discussed it with Mom and Dad and another physician who’s their close friend.

“I had misgivings about being a cheerleader and I still do, because I must do this as a girl wearing a girl’s uniform. But the cheer team needs me and the school needs me, so yesterday I agreed to do it. And I have to say that I’m still very uncertain about it all, but I’m doing it anyway.”

“So then, Brandon, you would do this even though it might embarrass you personally?” Mr. Chang asked seeking to clarify the boy’s intentions.

“Yes, sir!” Brandon confirmed. “I’m really their only available candidate. If I don’t, I’m told that everything becomes more complicated for the other cheerleaders and Coach San-Giacomo. So I’ve agreed to do it. Besides, I kinda like feeling needed.”

“Mom, Dad, I’ve done my homework now, so I’d like to go to the mall to meet a few of my teammates there, if that’s okay?” Kelly asked her parents.

“How would you get there?” inquired Cat.

“Colleen Wright’s mom has offered to take me with them.”

“Do you intend to buy anything tonight?” Brian asked his daughter.

“Yes, Daddy,” replied the cheerleader still clad in her uniform. “Tomorrow’s Fashion Day at school and you might remember that I’m supposed to wear my new dress when we go to dinner tomorrow evening.”

“Oh! Is this the father-daughter dinner that you had in mind?” Cat playfully asked her husband.

“Yes, it is,” Brian confirmed. “Kelly told me that it’s Fashion Day tomorrow, so I told her to wear the same dress to dinner.”

Kelly smiled at her father, then her mother.

“Alright, Kelly, you can go with your friend,” her mother conceded. “But call if you think you won’t be home within half an hour after closing time.”

“Thanks, Mom!” Kelly offered. “By the way, I’d like to take Caitlin to the mall this weekend, if it’s okay? I’m thinking maybe Sunday after Mass?”

“Wouldn’t Saturday be more your usual day for the mall?” Brian reminded his daughter.

“Yes, but I want to leave Saturday open in case Sylvia Brennan calls.”

Cat looked over at her husband again. Brian looked back at her and grinned. Their daughter was giving all the right answers. “I agree with your mom about tonight,” her father said. “Now as for the weekend, have you asked your little sister yet?”

“Has she asked me what?” Caitlin asked, appearing unexpectedly at the threshold of the study.

“Well! There goes the surprise!” Kelly lamented jokingly, rolling her eyes, triggering giggles from both her sister and herself. “Caitie-Cat, I’ve not been a very good sister to you recently. So how’d you like to spend Sunday afternoon at the mall? No one else with us—just you and me?”

Suddenly, Kelly learned just how tightly her little sister could hug. Caitlin’s eyes sparkled even though she nodded tearfully to Kelly who had to hold back tears of her own. And neither noticed their parents’ own tearful display.

“Pastels for you, Melinda?” Sheila asked her friend who was looking at a few formal gowns on a clothing rack.

“I’m thinking about Halloween. I do have an idea or two in mind.”

“How long’s it been since you’ve worn anything in a pastel?”

“I think for Easter in the sixth grade.”

“Then it’s been quite a while,” remarked Sheila. “So why now?”

“Mark’s really stepped outside his comfort zone for me. I feel that I need to do the same.”

“So he is going as a Goth princess, then?”

“Yes, but he’s already gone farther than that for me.”

“Oh?”

“Mark dressed completely en femme for our date yesterday. And he was clearly anxious about it, but he said he wanted to do it for me.”

“That’s so sweet!”

“Yes, it is,” Melinda affirmed. “So I want to show him that I’m able step out of my comfort zone for him as well.”

“So maybe you and Mark can draw the boundaries of a new comfort zone together?”

“Sheila,” Melinda beamed to her friend, “I love the way you put that!”

“Colleen?…”

“That you, Kelly?…”

“Yes, my folks cleared me to go, so please swing by and get me…”

Colleen lowered her smartphone. “Mom! Kelly can go with us.”

“Okay! Just tell her to be ready.”

“Are you wearing your uniform?…”

“Of course! Me and Astrid were helping Double Abby at Saint Luke’s after school,” said Kelly. “I never changed out of my uniform after I got home but went straight to my homework, so I could go shopping now…”

“Mom says for you to be ready and we’ll get you,” confirmed Colleen. “You’re on Beechwood Terrace, right?…”

“Number Sixteen…”

“West Grove Mall, here we come!…”

Brian looked over at his wife still sitting at the left end of their sofa. She appeared much more pensive than he’d’ve expected after the earlier reconciliation between Caitlin and Kelly.

“What’s on your mind, Cat?”

“I called Ethan MacAlistair back at the Office of the Federal Judiciary and told him that I’d need to discuss the appointment with the family over Thanksgiving. So, I promised an answer for the President the following Monday.”

“Is that soon enough for him?”

“His tone of voice sounded very disappointed. I think the President wants to announce the nomination as soon as possible.”

Brian sighed, “Alright, Cat, what else?” He knew somehow that another concern weighed even more deeply on her mind.

“You don’t miss a thing, do you?”

“How do you think I earn a year’s income for a week’s work?”

“I’d love to sit in on one of your negotiations sometime,” Cat admitted. “Yes, there’s more. The stakes are higher now. Ethan says I’m on the President’s shortlist for the Supreme Court.”

Brian waited a moment before continuing.

“This was never even about the Ninth Circuit, was it?”

“That’s a good question, Brian. I’m not so sure now.”

He waited another moment, even longer, before following up with his next question. “The Supreme Court?” he asked Cat. “Is that what you want?”

She considered her husband’s question for a moment, then answered, “No, it’s not.”

They continued to sit silently awhile.

“Brian, how do I say ‘no’ to the President?”

He reached an arm around his wife to pull her closer to him. She leaned her head on his shoulder. Then he told her softly, “You’ll know what to say, Cat. You always do.”

“You girls be back here right at nine-thirty,” Mrs. Wright told her daughter and her friend. “You got that?”

“We got it, Mom!” Colleen answered for both Kelly and herself. “We’ll see you then!”

With that, Mrs. Wright drove away.

“Okay, Kelly, how’s Brandon working out so far?”

“We are so lucky! He’s saving our butts! Brandon sees a dance routine once and he’s got it. And I mean he can dance the whole thing back, like, immediately with every detail of the choreography.”

“How does he do it?” Colleen asked as they began walking towards the mall’s main entrance.

“None of us can figure it out,” admitted Kelly. “I’m not sure if even he knows how, but he just does it. Like, he might use his math ability together with his gymnastic skills somehow.”

“Wow! Like that’s so hard to imagine!” Colleen remarked shaking her head. “Will he be ready for the game Friday night?”

“Oh, he already is!” Kelly assured her varsity teammate. “In fact, I think he’ll be more like Brandi than Brandon by then. I mean, he’s still a boy, but I think he really does like being her.”

“That’s so weird!” Colleen observed. “So ya think like he’s on board for the rest of the football season?”

“And basketball,” confirmed Kelly. “He’s promised to fill in for Double Abby and he’ll keep that promise. He’s just that kinda guy—and that kinda girl!”

Colleen giggled at her friend’s remark as they continued through the automatic main double doors that opened before them.

“What’s more, I really kinda think like he’s gonna keep cheering even after Abby comes back,” Kelly predicted. “And I got a feeling like he’s gonna be a cheerleader until he graduates.”

“For real?”

Kelly just nodded. “When Astrid helped him get made up his first day and braided his hair, he looked like Brandi’s who he’s supposed to be.”

“I wouldn’t expect that from a boy,” declared Colleen.

“I didn’t, either,” conceded Kelly. “And I never expected it from Brandon until Gender-Bender Day. I’ve known Brandon and his sister Sheila since kindergarten, and even before then, but just like his other friends, I’ve never known him to do anything girly until now. Now, I’ll admit to teasing him about it sometimes, but like never for real. I’m just as surprised as anyone else that he can pull it off. I mean I like him being girly, but I hope it’s ’cause he really wants to do it. I’m kind of afraid I might’ve pushed ’im too far.”

“Whatcha mean?”

“Me an’ my girlfriends all kinda decided he was transgendered, and like we kinda got pushy about it until Alice and Holly made us back off while I was in Saint Luke’s,” confessed Kelly. “He might’ve said ‘no’ to Coach Brenda ’cause o’ that, but like he must be more willing to forgive than most of us—he’s gotta to’ve put up with me since kindergarten!”

“Or like maybe he just really wants to be a cheerleader?” speculated Colleen as the two girls came to the fountain in the mall’s atrium. They sat down on the ledge around it.

“Well, I’m glad he is,” said Kelly, sighing in contentment. “After all, he could’ve declined more easily than accepting. I, for one, am grateful to ’im, like maybe more now than ever.”

“I think the Montera sisters are over there,” said Colleen nudging her teammate’s right arm.

Kelly jumped up to wave to them, but when she raised her left hand, she winced, “That wasn’t too smart!” Still, she and Colleen giggled about it. Then extending her right arm above her and waving, Kelly yelled, «Isabel, Anabel, ¡estamos aquí!»

The pair of petite Hispanic twins, dressed in their own varsity cheerleading uniforms, raced towards the central fountain. «Kelly, Colleen, ¡buenas tardes! ¿Ya han estado de compras?»

«No, acabamos de llegar», answered Kelly for both Colleen and herself.

“Oh, good!” Isabel responded. “I was afraid you’d have already started.”

“No, Kelly had to finish her homework first,” Colleen reported.

“After what we heard, we thought she’d be grounded for sure,” explained Anabel. Then turning to Kelly, she asked “How’d you avoid it?”

Kelly admitted, “I only avoided being grounded by getting something worse.”

“What would that be?” Isabel inquired.

Colleen glanced at Kelly who just nodded back to her friend. “Kelly’s mom stuck her with like eighty hours of community service,” Colleen informed the twin sisters.

“I gotta do it all by New Year’s Eve,” confirmed Kelly. “I don’t know like how I’m gonna squeeze everything into my calendar over the holidays now.”

“You’ll know what to do, Kelly,” Anabel assured her. “You always work it out somehow. Trust yourself to do your best.”

“That’s right, Kelly!” Isabel seconded her sister’s advice. “Just keep listening to that voice inside you, okay? Don’t forget who you are and what you’ve achieved already.”

“Look at this gymslip, Mum!” Ceri beamed. “Is ’t all denim!”

“Haven’t you tried anything not denim?”

“Said you to try American styles.”

“Yes, I did,” conceded Arwen, “but Americans do wear more than denim. You should try a few of the other styles, too.”

“But Mum, want I the gymslip!”

Arwen smiled at Ceri. “Alright, you may get the gymslip and one or two denim skirts, but you also must get at least one skirt or frock that’s not denim.”

“Need I new blouse with the gymslip?”

“You need more blouses anyway,” thought Arwen aloud. “Get two or three, but only one in white.”

Ceri was sufficiently excited that she quickly chose three blouses and two skirts to take with her into a dressing room. After a few brief minutes, she came out wearing a blue denim skirt and a pink western style blouse decorated with an embroidered yoke.

“Oh! You look absolutely darling in that, Ceri!” Arwen declared. “We need to get you a pair of boots to go with it—and a hat!”

Ceri blushed at her mum’s remarks. But Arwen smiled and embraced her son-become-daughter, feeling the love throughout her entire body. Accepting that she must give up her son Ceri had been so very painful for Arwen, but her daughter Ceri was showing herself most adept at mitigating her mum’s regrets.

“Hi there, Billie!”

Billy Danziger turned to see Kelly Harrigan smiling at him with three varsity cheerleaders. “Kelly!” he shouted and ran three or four steps forward to embrace her, leaving his shopping bags on the floor behind him. “Who are your friends?”

“Billie, I’d like you to meet Colleen Wright, and the Montera sisters Isabel and Anabel,” Kelly introduced her teammates. “They’re all varsity cheerleaders. Everyone, this is Billie Danziger. You probably heard, like, as a result of getting into trouble, Doctor Lansing is making Billie dress like a girl until next semester.”

“I’m so sorry for you, Billie!” Colleen lamented. “I hope it won’t be too embarrassing for you.”

“With Kelly introducing me to so many new friends, I’m finding out that it might not be so bad anyway,” replied Billy.

“There’s nothing wrong with being a girl or even just dressing like one, Billie,” said Isabel hoping to encourage him. “Don’t fight it. And especially, don’t put yourself down because of it. Instead, try to enjoy it as much as you can.

Anabel added, “Yes, you should let us show you how much more fun girls can have.”

The Montera sisters, Colleen, and then Kelly each hugged Billie. “Have you met my mom yet, Kelly?”

“I don’t believe so.”

“Mom, this is my friend Kelly Harrigan,” he said turning towards his mother. “She’s the cheerleader who was injured trying to help Abby Abernathy at the Homecoming game.” Patricia had noticed that Kelly’s left arm was in a sling.

“That was so courageous of you, Kelly!” Mrs. Danziger praised her. “I’m so thankful that my son has friends like you.”

“Thank you, Ma’am,” said Kelly blushing as she gently squeezed Mrs. Danziger’s hand. “I’m glad to meet you.”

“Mom, she’s also largely responsible for me feeling better about myself today,” admitted Billy.

“So I need to thank you for Billy’s improved mood?” Mrs. Danziger asked with a relaxed smile.

“I just told him, since he’s gotta dress like a girl anyway, he should, like embrace it—wear the prettiest dress he has!”

“So that’s why he was so eager to get here!” Patricia concluded. “Billy, who are the others?”

“Ma’am, meet Colleen Wright,” Kelly introduced her. “She’s a varsity cheerleader. I’m junior varsity, myself. Also on the varsity squad are the Montera sisters—”

“Anabel and Isabel,” said Billy, interrupting the introductions and pointing to one then the other.

The twins grinned mischievously as they sputtered into giggles and each pointed at the other to correct Billie’s confusion.

“No, she’s Isabel—”

“And she’s Anabel!”

“I’m sorry! Billy apologized. “I shouldn’t’ve interrupted. After all, I just met you.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it!” Isabel dismissed the error. “We’re used to it.”

“When you grow up as twins, it happens all the time,” Anabel remarked. “You really can’t avoid it.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet everyone. I know that being a cheerleader or a pompom girl or anything like that takes a lot of work,” said Mrs. Danziger. “Billy’s sister was on the pompom squad all through high school.”

“Was that Nancy?” Colleen asked.

“Yeah, she’s my big sister,” Billy confirmed. “These are her clothes I’m wearing.”

“Billie, you didn’t change out of them yet,” observed Kelly. “You were wearing those at school today.”

“Well, since I knew I’d be shopping for girls’ stuff, I decided just to wear what I had on to the mall. I’ve been trying on dresses all evening.”

“So whatcha get?”

Billy couldn’t quite remember what the kind of dress was called. He turned to ask, “Mom?”

“It’s a miniskirted halter-dress in silver lamé with matching silver pumps and purse,” Patricia said, holding up a garment bag bearing the distinctive graphics of Kaufmann & Kaufmann’s Formalwear Boutique. “And you can’t believe how good he looks wearing it!”

“Can I see it?” Kelly asked.

Patricia held the garment bag higher and unzipped the front before handing it to Billy. Kelly pulled a flap to the side and examined the dress. “Oh! That’s beautiful!” she exclaimed. “I can’t wait to see you in it! Everyone, look at this!”

Patricia watched her son interacting with Kelly and the others as if he were a girl himself. The expression on his face looked just like Nancy’s had in similar situations and he seemed to be mimicking her stance, posture, and even gestures. Billy—or Billie, perhaps?—was very much enjoying the moment. So was his mom.

“I’ll open the boot,” Arwen said pulling the lever for the rear compartment of her car. Ceri began to load their evening’s haul immediately.

“Am I surprised that get we so much new lingérie tonight, Mum,” Ceri observed.

“Well, you didn’t bring any with you, not for a girl anyway,” remarked Arwen.

“Had I none remaining when found Dad it.”

Arwen wasn’t surprised to hear that. “I’m sorry that you had to endure that,” she assured her son-become-daughter. “Did he hurt you again?”

“No!”

“Now, Ceri…?”

“No, Mum! Tried he, but am I too fast and too smart for that hurt he me anymore.”

Arwen hoped that Ceri was right. Gareth had been such a wonderful husband and father at first, but he couldn’t accept all the changes that had happened. Despite Gareth’s assurances to the contrary, he’d been uncomfortable with Arwen’s success as both an academician and a professional engineer. Then their son Ceri began to present inconsistent gender identity about the age of three or four years. This was very upsetting to Gareth who exhibited violent tendencies for the first time. Then after losing his job almost two years ago, he became abusive and she divorced him. Arwen had worried about her child’s well-being while her ex-husband had temporary custody of Ceri during the summer.

“You know that I don’t trust him with you for so long a time, don’t you?”

“Know I this. And know I that hates he if speak I any English at all. Think I that spoke he only Welsh to me all the time.” Ceri closed the lid of the boot after loading everything. “Believe I often that hates he English more than even transgender.”

“That could well be so,” Arwen concurred as Ceri entered the right-hand side of the car and shut the door. “Still, he didn’t really become violent until after his job was made redundant.”

Ceri felt uncomfortable discussing her father just then, so she changed topics. “Feels it so strange, to sit here on the wrong side of car.”

Arwen smiled as she started the engine. “You’ll get used to it. It really doesn’t take too long. Besides, you’re not driving yet.”

“Go we now home?”

“Not yet. I would like to take you somewhere else first,” Arwen told her daughter as they entered the street from the parking garage.

“Brandon, Chinese opera has a long history of men playing women’s roles on stage,” said Mr. Chang. “So this is something to which we can relate in our culture.”

“And you have good precedents for it in your own,” added Suzanne. “Are you aware that in Shakespeare’s time, the roles for women and girls were played by boys? Women were not yet permitted to appear onstage back then.”

“I had forgotten about that,” admitted Brandon. “If I had remembered it, my decision might’ve been somewhat easier.” Jenny squeezed her boyfriend’s hand again and smiled at him.

“You might do well to think of a cheerleader as a role to play,” continued Suzanne. “And when you come off the field, you can leave the role behind.”

“I like your advice, but I think that the others expect me to be in the role all the time,” argued Brandon. “Somehow, cheerleaders are like that.”

“That’s such a difficult demand for them to put on you,” observed Mr. Chang.

“Yes,” conceded Brandon, “But they’re not expecting any more from me than they do from themselves. So really, I’m alright with it. I must hold myself to the same standards.”

“This is important to you?”

”Yes, it is. And it’s only fair. Otherwise, my parents and my sister would be disappointed in me, but I’d be even more disappointed in myself. I mean if the other cheerleaders hold themselves to those standards, then why shouldn’t I?”

Suzanne excused herself from the table but before stepping out beckoned for her little sister to follow. So Jenny stood up and excused herself to Brandon as well as everyone else to comply with her big sister’s request. She followed Suzanne out of the dining alcove to the ladies’ room.

“Jenny, our parents have asked me to go with you and Brandon as your chaperone to Billings Square if indeed you go there after dinner.”

“Do Mom and Dad really think that we need a chaperone?”

“Well, maybe not you so much, but Brandon comes across to me as someone who yields rather easily to pressure. And while you won’t do that to him, the other girls there might gang up on him since the goal of the shopping trip is to get him a dress for tomorrow.”

“Hmm? I hadn’t thought about that,” admitted Jenny. “He’s still kinda sensitive about it, even though he’s willing to do it.”

“That’s what chaperones—and big sisters—are for,” Suzanne reassured her. “I do like Brandon, even if he does seem a little weird. But for sure, he’s a lot sweeter than strange.”

“Well, thanks!—I think?” Jenny replied to her elder sister. “So what about him did you find weirdest?”

“I think it was when he calmed you down after your outburst. Seriously, whenever you get upset after your musical talent is revealed, it usually requires ten to fifteen minutes to get you back to normal. Brandon managed to do it in ten to fifteen seconds. That really impressed Mom and Dad.”

“There wouldn’t even have been a problem if you and Mom hadn’t brought it up.”

“Oh yes, there would!” Suzanne contradicted her. “It just wouldn’t’ve been tonight. Look, Jenny! As important as music is to you, Brandon really needs to know about it. It would’ve been wrong to continue keeping it from him.”

Jenny responded by sighing in exasperation.

“We should return to dinner now,” said Suzanne.

“Jin-Fai, have you explained to Brandon the large watercolor in the lobby of the restaurant?” Mr. Chang asked his daughter.

“No, father.”

“Would you please do so now?” Jenny’s father instructed her rhetorically.

“Yes, father.”

Jenny began to stand but Brandon quickly and gracefully stood first so as to assist her with her chair. She then offered him her hand, leading him to the large circular gate where the hostess drew its heavy curtain aside so that they could pass. After the hostess allowed the curtain to fall back in place, Jenny spoke to Brandon, “Of course, looking at Uncle Li’s watercolor is not why I’m taking you to see it.”

“Am I correct in guessing that you and I are the topic of conversation among your family at this time?”

“That’s a safe bet.”

“Do you think that I made the correct impression on them?”

“Actually, I think so,” sighed Jenny in relief. “I know what you were most worried about. But Daddy talked about Chinese opera, I think, to say that he’s alright with what you’re doing. And Suzanne brought up the Shakespearean tradition also to reassure you.”

“So, you don’t think that they judged me badly because I’m performing as a girl cheerleader?”

“Not at all! The reason you gave shows your strength of character,” continued Jenny. “Telling them why you’re doing it won them over not just about cheerleading, but I think about us as well.”

“How do you conclude that?” Brandon inquired.

“If you’re willing to do that for the school, the cheerleaders, and Double Abby, then you’ll be at least as willing to do as much for those who are even closer to you—like me!”

Brandon took a moment to sigh in relief, then approached Jenny for a surreptitious kiss and she complied. Then he turned to examine her uncle’s watercolor. “I figure that I should learn something about it in case someone asks if you explained it to me.”

“It was Aunt Mei-Ling’s gift to him when he first opened the restaurant. Did you notice the couple standing near the bottom of the waterfall?”

“Yes.”

“They’re Uncle Li and Aunt Mei-Ling,” Jenny explained. “She’s an artist and she painted this, herself.”

“Is she here tonight?”

“No, she’s teaching at Northern California State University this semester,” said Jenny. “Uncle Li insisted that she accept the opportunity when it was offered to her. She tries to return home alternate weekends but will be home by Christmas.”

“Now I know why you’re so fascinating.”

“Oh? Why’s that, Brandon?”

“You come from a fascinating family!”

Jenny smiled and took his remark as her turn to initiate a kiss. After that, she changed topic. “Sheila and I knew you wouldn’t reschedule meeting my family after you agreed to it, so you couldn’t go shopping for Fashion Day with the other cheerleaders. But if you’re still interested, we have a little shopping trip already underway at nearby Billings Square. You’re invited, of course.”

“So I could get something for tomorrow, after all?” mused Brandon audibly to himself.

“That’s the idea,” Jenny reminded him.

“So, you and Sis set this up just for me?”

“Well, the other girls wanted to go shopping, too.”

“Which other girls?”

“Sheila began by inviting Debbi and Valerie because they helped you pick out a dress and shoes for Gender-Bender Day. Then they asked Alice to come along and help them.”

Just then, Brandon noticed that Jenny’s little brother had entered the lobby and was coming towards them.

“Do they need us to return now, Beau?” Jenny asked him.

“Yes, Jenny,” he affirmed somewhat formally with a slight bow to his sister. “You and Brandon are to come with me.”

Jenny reached for Brandon’s hand and he gently clasped hers. Smiling to one another, they began following Beau back to the alcove reserved for the family.

Kelly could hardly believe how Billy—no, Billie looked just then. Instead of the frightened, defeated, humiliated boy wearing an ill-fitting dress and high heels, who had trekked awkwardly down the hall yesterday morning, stood a more cheerful, relaxed girl appearing just a little more confident than earlier, with a naughty grin and a twinkle in her—his eye.

“Coffee after school tomorrow?” Billy asked Kelly.

“Daddy’s taking me to dinner after school,” she recalled. “How ’bout in the morning? I wanna see you in that new dress before anyone else at school does.” She flashed her mischievous grin at Billie—Billy.

“And I’d be the first to see you wearing yours, wouldn’t I?”

“Yes, you would!” Kelly replied, smiling naughtily. “On Firm Grounds before school?”

“See ya there at seven-thirty?”

“Seven-thirty it is!” Kelly confirmed.

Bo-Ming led Jenny and Brandon back to the alcove where the hostess smiled as she held the curtain to its entrance open for them. Jenny’s parents stood together at the head of the table, smiling. They stood back from it some, apparently leaving a space for them to stand. Brandon noticed that two chairs had been placed behind Mr. and Mrs. Chang somewhat further back. The setting had a certain formality to it, but little had changed while the teenagers were outside the alcove.

“Cheung Jin-Fai [常妍暉], Brandon MacDonald, come and stand before us,” Mr. Chang ordered them, then he and Mrs. Chang sat down and began addressing the young couple.

“You both honor us by presenting yourselves for our approval. We hope that our decision tonight will be not only for Jin-Fai’s happiness, Brandon, but also for yours. For any couple must share their joys and sorrows together.

“Jin-Fai, you chose well. Our greatest fear, my daughter, was that you might not receive and continue the values that your mother and I hoped to teach you. Tonight you show that indeed you made our values your own. Not only do you understand our values, but you also applied them to select a suitable boyfriend, a possible mate for yourself. While many in our community prefer to select such partnerships for their children, we doubt that we could find anyone better for you than Brandon, whom you found and brought to us, yourself. You are wise and dutiful in choosing this young man.

“Brandon, you amaze us, because the good Western values that you exemplify are also good Chinese values. So, perhaps you are the kind of young man that parents in both our cultures seek for our daughters? We believe so. You honor us by finding our daughter Jin-Fai to be a suitable girlfriend, a candidate to become your mate, and also by coming here to seek our approval.

“We see you showing a broad array of virtues: honor, honesty, intelligence, humility, loyalty, community, compassion, persistence, willingness, courage, fairness, self-respect, and even filial piety, so important in our culture, but those are just what we ascertain tonight. We have no doubt that you will show us even more as future circumstances may require.”

Mrs. Chang then spoke up, “Jin-Fai, Brandon, to see your relationship grow and thrive, always support one another in your endeavors. You’re a couple now. When making decisions, you each must consider the needs and interests of the other. Share your dreams with one another, yet even beyond that, allow yourselves to dream new dreams together. When you do so, you will find your lives as a couple far more exciting and fulfilling than either of you ever could imagine alone.”

Valerie went into the ladies’ room on the second floor of Billings Square. She took a white envelope containing money from her purse and left it next to the sink at the far end of the counter and ducked into a stall. A moment later, someone else entered the restroom while Valerie continued to wait.

After that person had left, Valerie came out of the stall and found a small brown packet in place of the white envelope. She held the packet up to her nose and grinned as she sniffed the aroma of fresh cannabis. Opening her purse carefully, she put the packet inside a concealed pocket next to a 375-ml half-bottle of peppermint schnapps and a small bag of hard peppermint candy. Zipping her purse closed, she left the restroom and scampered down to the first floor to meet up with her friends.

Brandon, Jenny, and Suzanne left Uncle Li’s Chinese Restaurant together and crossed the street, walking towards Billings Square.

“So Brandon,” began Suzanne, “how does it feel to be the first boy cheerleader at West Grove High School?”

“Well, it’s too early to say,” he answered, “since my first game as a cheerleader is not until Friday evening. You should ask me then.”

“Then I’ll be sure to do that,” Suzanne promised. “How much time do you spend with the other cheerleaders?”

“We have our physical education class together, but for now, that’s it.”

“Brandon’s sister warned him that cheerleading could take over his social life,” said Jenny, “but we’re not gonna let that happen.”

“No, we aren’t,” agreed Brandon. “I want my social life centered around Jenny. Everyone else can take a backseat.”

The boy with the closely clipped, white-blond hair continued to watch the Danziger’s house from across the street.

Chuck began to feel somewhat sleepy. He’d been sitting there, concealed by some shrubbery, waiting for Billy Danziger and his mom to return from wherever they’d gone. Chuck’s sleepiness was due partly to actual fatigue and partly to boredom. He could use some coffee.

Looking down the street, Chuck recalled the coffee shop that he’d followed Billy home from. He didn’t want to risk missing Billy’s return if he went for coffee, but he didn’t want to risk missing him by falling asleep, either. So he’d go for coffee and come back to continue surveillance.

Jenny had sent through a text message to Sheila, so the girls were all waiting for her and Brandon just inside the main entrance to Billings Square. Sheila stepped forward to welcome them.

“Good evening, Jenny,” said Sheila. “Who’s this with you and my brother?”

“Sheila, this is my older sister Suzanne,” said Jenny. “Suzanne, this is Brandon’s older sister Sheila. She organized our little shopping trip for the evening.”

“Nice to meet you, Suzanne,” Sheila answered extending her hand.

“And I’m happy to meet you as well,” Suzanne returned the greeting.

“Please allow me to introduce you to the others here,” Sheila continued. “Now, my Goth friend here is Melinda Baxter, the tall girl is Valerie Schmidt, next is Debbi Snyder with the camera, and then we have our resident thinker Alice Johanson, who is Brandon’s friend and rival in mathematics.”

“We asked Alice to come along,” Valerie added, “because she’s good at keeping us in line—well, most of the time, anyway.”

“I’m not feeling quite like myself tonight, though,” confessed Alice. “Honestly, I haven’t been in such a silly mood for a long time.”

“But even when she’s silly, I can trust Alice’s judgment over the others and they know it,” explained Brandon. “She’s my lab partner in our German class as well, so we talk a lot in there.”

“Yeah, but it’s always in German,” lamented Valerie, “so I never have any idea what they’re saying.”

Jenny remarked sotto voce to her sister, “Valerie’s in their German class, too.”

Suzanne nodded to acknowledge her sister’s remark and then addressed everyone, “Well, anyway, I’m pleased to meet all of you.”

“And we’re all pleased to meet you as well, Suzanne,” said Valerie speaking now for the group.

Sitting at a rear corner table inside On Firm Grounds, Chuck was playing a game on his smartphone when he heard the bell over the door jingle. He glanced up briefly to see Billy Danziger and his mother entering the coffee shop. He took a sip of his coffee as they walked over to the coffee bar. Noticing that Billy had bubble tea and his mother some kind of coffee, Chuck watched them until they seated themselves at a table.

When Billy and his mother were seated, Chuck sent a text message to Barry:

@On Firm Grounds. Got lucky! Billy, mom jst km n 2 folw hom.

Chuck resumed playing the game on his smartphone. But while he was busy with it, Chuck was unaware that Billy had noticed him and recognized him as the same boy who frequently talked with Barry Kingman at school.

“Debbi, would you take a photo of us before Brandon has to change clothes?” Jenny asked her blonde friend. “This is really like our first date.”

“Sure,” replied Debbi, “but you have to promise me that I can take another of you and Brandi after she’s changed clothes.”

Jenny looked at Brandon who answered her question before she’d even asked him, “That’s alright. We should have a photographic record of our first date, after all.”

“But if you’re going to be trying on dresses, do you want Debbi photographing you like that?”

“Everyone will be photographing me at school tomorrow,” conceded Brandon. Then glancing at Debbi, he remarked seriously, “I’d like at least one photograph taken by someone who knows what she’s doing.”

Blushing slightly, Debbi nodded to Brandi in acknowledgement. Complying with the young photographer’s gestures, he and Jenny sat down on the low wall around the fountain as Debbi began adjusting and aiming her digital camera. Jenny noticed that Suzanne also had taken a camera from her purse and trained it on the new young couple. Jenny was about to ask if Suzanne should take a photograph, as well, but saw him nod to her older sister.

Patricia sipped her lattè before asking her son the obvious question, “You like Kelly, don’t you?”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Of course, it is.”

“We’re meeting here for coffee tomorrow morning at seven-thirty. We wanna be the first to see each other wearing our new dresses,” said Billy excitedly. He paused for a moment. “Mom, did I just say that?”

“Yes, you did and you meant it, too,” Patricia assured him. “You’ve had quite an evening. You’ve been hired for your first job, you may have a new girlfriend, but what’s more important, your attitude has changed. You’re not afraid of dressing like a girl now, are you?”

Billy looked at his mom and shook his head. “No, I’m not. It feels really weird, but I’m even looking forward to wearing my new dress tomorrow,” he admitted. “Mom, what’s happening to me?”

“I’m not sure, Billy, but I think that you’reowning your situation.”

“But what does that mean?”

“You’ve gone beyond accepting responsibility for your mistakes and because of your changing attitude, you’re—well, I think that you’re even beginning to take control of the consequences.

“When you were showing your new dress to those cheerleaders, the look on your face was the happiest that you’ve shown for a long time.”

“Kelly has this big group of friends who’ve been inviting me to eat lunch with them. I mean, like they’ve known me and I’ve known most of them since kindergarten. We’ve never really been friends before, but like now they’re giving me advice about clothes and how to be more like a girl. Yesterday and today, they’ve gone out of their way to say ‘hello’ to me whenever passing in the halls. It’s like they want me to feel comfortable being a girl.”

“Even though you feared humiliation, they’re being nice to you instead, aren’t they?”

“Yeah,” Billy affirmed. “Mom, it’s like for the first time, I’m really starting to make friends.”

Patricia reached across the table, turning her hands palms upwards. Billy clasped hands with his Mom as he had many times when he needed her assurance.

“Billy, I want you to know that you were really cool when you let us dress you like a girl for the weekend, then took up Mister Markham’s challenge, and went to school like that Monday. You really didn’t have to do any of this, but somehow you knew it was something you needed to learn.”

“Mom, I know that it’ll be hard, but I think that something Mister Markham told me is right. He said that I’ll get through this okay, and after I do, I’ll be able to deal with just about anything.”

“You know he’s Nancy’s favorite teacher from West Grove, don’t you?”

“Oh, yeah! No one will let me forget it. But now, I’m beginning to understand why.”

“Okay, girls! And I mean you, too, Brandi!” Valerie said winking at him and Jenny, calling the group to order. “Listen up! Now, not all of us need to help Brandi with everything, but we all have our experience and expertise to share that she can find useful.

“Brandi, since you’re new to this, pay attention and learn! You need to choose your dress first, next your shoes, then your lingérie, and after all that your accessories and jewelry. You’re with girls who go shopping all the time, so whenever we share our advice with you, make sure you listen to it, understand it, and consider it. But everyone, since Brandi has to wear it, Brandon has final say on anything for Brandi.

“For Gender-Bender Day, we found out that you wear the same dress size as Debbi and the same shoe size as me. Also, Brandi, you look your best wearing the same colors as Jenny, Alice, and myself.”

“Then I should try clothes in the same colors that you and they wear?” Brandon asked.

“That’s right,” replied Valerie. “So do pay attention to what we like. Debbi and your sister are likely best able to help you with size and fit, though.

“Also, since Melinda and your sister are serious art students, I think they can help you best with accessories and jewelry. Besides, I doubt anyone else here can even hold a candle to those two when they add belts and bangles to their outfits.”

Melinda and Sheila glanced at one another and giggled as they exchanged a fist bump.

So why did Valerie stress that sequence of items for shopping: dress, shoes, lingérie, accessories, and jewelry? wondered Brandon. But are accessories and jewelry two distinct categories or a single category? That’s unclear. Should I ask the difference or wait simply to observe it for myself? They must expect me to ask, though. Since I don’t know anything about how to shop for girls’ clothing, Valerie’s correct that I need to trust their expertise now. After all, they are experts at this activity. And that’s likely my most sensible course to follow.

Arwen had taken her son-become-daughter for a brief tour around West Grove, showing Ceri the city’s medical district, the Lawrence & Behrens University campus, and the campuses of West Grove Community College and West Grove High School.

“So, this is West Grove High School, where you will continue your studies here in America. I’ve enrolled you in a few courses already. And as you requested, I did enroll you in German as your foreign language. Likely, they will ask you to sit two or three short exams to find the right level for your courses. Most likely you are ahead of your year in maths, sciences, and computing, but behind in English. History here will be completely different from what you’ve studied before. Physical education may be a problem, though. The principal—that’s what one calls the headmistress here—is inquiring of higher authority about the best way to resolve the issue.”

“Would I have to be enrolled with boys for that?”

“The principal, Doctor Lansing, does not wish to enroll you with boys for physical education, no. But she was not certain if she can enroll you with girls, either. They do offer a few alternative courses, like dance, that would meet the requirements but not present any problems with gender issues. And if we can arrange a consultation soon enough, we still may be able to get you a medical dispensation.”

“Seems everything always so very complicated, even here.”

“I know,” agreed Arwen. “Fancy a cuppa, would you?”

“Fancy I cuppa, Mum,” smiled Ceri.

Arwen had already taken them as far as On Firm Grounds, so she drove into the parking lot, found an open space, and parked in it.

When Chuck heard the bell jingle again, he glanced up from the game on his smartphone, but Billy and his mother had left already. He dashed out the door to see the same car that he’d seen before pulling out of the parking lot. Touching the redial on his ’phone, he began to stride double time down the street towards the Danzigers’ residence.

“That you, Chuck?”

“Yeah! Billy and his mom are on the move. Prob’ly goin’ back to their house.”

“Got an idea. Stay at the coffee shop! I’m there in fifteen.”

Barry simply ended the call as usual. Chuck went back inside to his table at On Firm Grounds and sat down again. He noticed that at the same table where Billy and his mom had been, another mother and daughter had seated themselves, the girl wearing what appeared to be a school uniform.

When he sipped his coffee again, Chuck found it cold, so he went to ask the barista for a refill.

“Although ‘On Firm Grounds’ is a coffee shop, they do know how to mash their tea here,” said Arwen as she found a vacant table for them. “Many students from the high school and the community college like to gather here before and after classes. This is also likely to be the most convenient place for us to meet when I cannot collect you directly after school. And it’s always a good place for afternoon tea.”

A moment after they sat down at the table, a barista brought them their tea and a small plate of shortbread cookies.

“Am I sorry that came I not here with you, Mum.”

“Oh, Ceri! That’s not your fault! It wasn’t even your decision. The court allowed your father temporary custody since you would be coming here for a long time. You need to understand that none of what’s happened is your fault. All those problems are between your father and me.”

“Know I that, but feels it sometimes still to be my fault.”

“Then you must know objectively that it’s not your fault even when it might feel like it. Maybe you should know that the most difficult issue between your father and me arose while we were still courting, long before you were born.”

“Oh? What be that?”

“Even then, I was already on a career path destined to be more successful and more lucrative than Gareth’s,” Arwen explained to her son-become-daughter. “That’s the root of the problems in our marriage. About six months before the wedding, I was earning almost twice as much as your father did.”

“But still, he married you.”

“Yes, because we both thought that he could deal with it then, but after my maternity leave, he began to become upset about my returning to a career as we had agreed even before we married.”

“So then it really can’t be my fault since the cause was something before I was born.”

“That’s right, Ceri,” Arwen confirmed smiling, because she noticed that for the first time since they’d met up at the Amtrak station, Ceri had spoken with normal English syntax.

Sheila and Jenny escorted Brandon in his stocking feet from a dressing room at Teen Rainbow to the raised dais on the shop floor. Everyone else there noticed immediately how nice he looked in the pretty blue dress, a shade lighter but brighter than a royal blue. The dress had a bateau neckline and its skirt flared slightly to the hemline at mid-thigh and fit him surprisingly well. Still, Brandon thought that he felt more anxious than he should as his sister and girlfriend helped him ascend the dais.

Valerie noticed Brandi’s feet, clad only in nylon, squirming nervously. Guessing what her friend was anxious about, Valerie stepped up on the dais, herself. Smiling, she took a pair of ballet flats from her purse and offered, “Brandi, you can wear these for now.”

“Thanks! I don’t know quite why, but without shoes, I was feeling naked,” admitted Brandon, visibly relaxing as he slipped the flats on. “That’s much better!”

As he went to the triple mirror in the corner of the dais, Valerie beckoned Sheila over while Jenny continued to help Brandon.

“He doesn’t go barefoot at home, does he?” Valerie asked her teammate.

“Hardly ever,” Sheila confirmed about her brother.

“I think your brother is more a girl at heart than he realizes. He wasn’t afraid of wearing the dress, but he was worried about how his feet look. Did you notice his feet squirming? Since mine are bigger than most other girls, maybe I’m more sensitive to that kinda thing.”

“So he feels a girl’s vulnerability about his physical appearance?”

“Uh-huh!” Valerie affirmed. “Putting on a dress is easy enough for him. The real challenge will be getting him to wear a pair of sandals.”

“Now that I think about it, whenever he’s been looking online for shoes, he’s only looked at boots and pumps.”

“By the way, are you and Brandi coming to Penney and Tillie’s party Saturday evening?”

“No,” Sheila told her friend and teammate, but then realized that she’d need an explanation. “Brandon’s playing in a chess tournament at Larry and Barry on Saturday and Sunday. It’s his first for West Grove High School. I think that I should be there to support him. I might even wear my uniform!”

“A pompom girl at a chess tournament?”

“Why not? Besides, I like to wear my uniform any chance I get.”

“It does flatter you more than anyone else on the squad, I think.”

“Make no mistake, though. You look as inviting as anyone ever could in yours.”

“Well, thank you, Sheila!” Valerie offered with a vigorous hug.

“Alright!” Brandon exclaimed turning from the mirror towards everyone standing along the dais. “Opinions?”

“You appear perfectly credible as a girl wearing that,” remarked Alice.

“Yes,” agreed Debbi, pausing behind her camera for a moment. “It looks great on you!”

“Brandi, you are so wearing that dress tomorrow!” Valerie announced. “Whaddya think, Sheila?”

“It’s just right for Brandi’s first Fashion Day,” Sheila approved. “Not too daring, not too demure.”

Brandon asked Jenny, “Do you like how I look wearing this?”

“You look even prettier than the day you won me!” Jenny assured him. She looked over to Suzanne who nodded smiling back at them. Melinda who was standing next to Suzanne signaled “thumbs up” to Jenny and Brandi.

Jenny embraced Brandon and pulled him towards her to plant a confirming kiss on his lips. “We’re gonna create such a scandal at school!” she predicted.

“I do hope so!” Brandon replied. “It would be a shame to go through all this and not even get noticed.”

Chuck’s smartphone sounded its ringtone.

“Yeah?” Chuck answered.

“I’m outside,” said Barry, immediately hanging up.

An empty mug remained on the table as Chuck went to meet his leader just outside the door.

“How far from here is it?” Barry demanded.

“Four blocks that way,” pointed Chuck.

“Here we are, Ceri!” Arwen announced as she pulled into the driveway of their home in West Grove. “This style of house is known as a ‘ranch home’ and is very common in California and throughout the American southwest. I’m renting it with an option to own. It already feels like home to me and I hope it will to you, too.”

“Speak we Welsh inside?” Ceri asked.

“I insist that we do,” replied Arwen. “There’s English enough in the world. But you do need to speak it correctly. That’s why I’ve brought you here.”

“Thought I that was it for transition, ’s it not?”

“It’s for that, too.”

Arwen pulled the lever to open the trunk of the car. “Let’s get our things out of the boot.” Ceri had already exited the vehicle and gone behind it.

“Mum, are you alright that be I girl now?”

Arwen met her son-become-daughter around the back of the car. She embraced Ceri and looked into her eyes. “I do miss the little boy that you were, just as any little boy’s mum does when he grows up,” she explained. “But when I saw you trying on new clothes in Billings Square, I knew that you’re becoming who you’re meant to be and I’m alright with that. My sweet little boy has grown into an exciting teenaged girl who will become an intelligent and beautiful young woman someday. But try not to grow up too fast. After all, I want to get to know the girl who you’re still becoming.”

Ceri hugged her mum back and just held onto her for a moment. “I love you, Mum!”

Arwen relaxed when she heard Ceri speak with normal English syntax for the second time that evening. “And I love you, Ceri!”

They gathered up their shopping bags and Arwen opened the door for Ceri to step into her new home.

“Thank you, Sis,” said Jenny as she closed the door of her sister’s car.

“Thanks for the ride, Suzanne,” offered Brandon. “I’m happy to have met you!”

“And I’m even happier to have met you,” said Suzanne smiling at Brandon. “I think you’re good for my little sister. You take care of her now!”

“I will!” Brandon replied wondering how many times that he had promised that tonight.

Hearing Brandon’s answer, Suzanne waved to the young couple as she began driving back to her apartment across town on the other side of the Lawrence & Behrens University campus.

Standing next to the driveway, Brandon extended Jenny his hand which she clasped and they began walking up the path to the door of her home. He looked into her warm brown eyes and she, into his penetrating blue, while they held one another’s hands.

“I can’t wait to see you wearing your new dress at school tomorrow,” Jenny told him.

“So what will you wear?”

“Well, while you were still in the hospital Saturday, Melinda took me to a shop for Gothic wear and helped me pick out something. It’s got that Old World romantic look I think you’ll like.”

“I look forward to seeing you wear it.”

“Will you and Sheila come by at the usual time tomorrow morning?”

“Maybe a little earlier…”

“Then I’d better start my beauty sleep earlier, too.”

“You have a good night, sweetheart!” Brandon told her.

“And you, too!” Jenny wished him.

“I love you, Jenny!”

“我愛你, Brandon！” [Ngo ngoi lei, “I love you.”]

“Is that Cantonese?”

“Yes, it is. And I would think that you already know what it means.”

“Yes, I most certainly do!”

They pulled closer together until they were close enough to press their lips against each other for a very special kiss, sealing their first date as an acknowledged couple. Brandon waited until the door opened and Jenny went inside where he noticed her parents waiting for her with smiles. After the door closed, he began walking down the street towards his own home, only a few houses away. The Changs’ outdoor lights continued to illuminate his way until he had walked within the light of his own house.

Patricia knocked on Billy’s bedroom door.

“Come in,” her son answered.

She opened the door and he was sitting on the corner of the bed, wearing the new long, blue nightgown that she’d bought for him at a lingérie shop in the mall. He was smiling, and his body language seemed more open, more confident than it ever had.

“Whaddya think, Mom?”

“You look lovely, Billy!” she said sitting down next to him on the bed. “And you seem to like wearing that, too.”

“It feels really good. None of my pyjamas are even close to this comfortable. Does girls’ sleepwear always feel like this?”

“Always? Hardly, but it’s almost always going to feel better than boy’s pyjamas if for no other reason than the fabrics used.”

Billy suddenly yawned. “Mom, a lot changed for me today, so I’m kind of exhausted.”

They hugged for a moment and Patricia stood up, then her son. After his mom had turned down the bedcovers, Billy crawled into bed.

“I know it’s been a long time since I’ve done this, but could I tuck you in tonight?”

“Uh-huh,” he said smiling back at her. “By the way, I wanted to thank you for something special that you did tonight.”

“And which something do you regard as special?” she asked, beginning to tuck the bedcovers around him.

“While you did a lot for me and with me tonight, and bought me the new dress and shoes, you made everything seem okay when you called me ‘cool’!”

“Oh, Billy!” Patricia exclaimed with both a smile and tears as she leaned over to kiss him on the forehead. And when she kissed him, she knew that he’d already fallen asleep.

Brandon sat in front of his sister’s vanity brushing his hair, wearing a new light blue babydoll and navy blue slippers.

“I like your new nightie,” said Sheila.

“Thanks! Jenny picked it out for me,” he replied. “She got the same style for herself, but in pink.”

“Have you thought about what hairstyle you want to wear with your new dress tomorrow?”

“Could you help me with a French braid again?”

“I think so, and it should add sophistication to your look.”

“That’s why I’ve asked you for it,” said Brandon. “I want to look elegant as well as cute.”

“Brandi, you’re such a girl!”

“I just want to do right by my big sister,” he offered, smiling. “And thanks for helping Jenny set up the evening. Arranging the shopping trip after dinner was so thoughtful.”

“We knew that you really wanted to go shopping, so Jenny asked her parents to move dinner to her uncle’s restaurant.”

“You both made the right calls,” he affirmed. “Well, I’m gonna be a girl for the next two days, so I need to get some sleep now.” Brandon got up from the vanity so that he and Sheila could hug.

Sheila watched with both smile and tears as Brandi padded down the hallway to her own bedroom. After that, Sheila closed her door, got into bed, and turned off the lamp on her nightstand, grateful that her brother had so willingly consented to accept the role of her little sister.

“So which one is it?” Barry asked, slipping his backpack off.

“The next from the corner, the dark green house with white trim,” replied Chuck.

“Large window on the left side?”

“That’s the one.”

“Not for long,” snickered Barry taking a brick from his backpack. He gave Chuck the brick bearing a sheet of paper with the message: GET OUT OF TOWN QUEER!. “Whaddya think?”

“There’s no mistaking the message,” agreed Chuck.

“I know you got a good fastball. Like to do the honors?”

Chuck looked at the brick and thought for a moment, then shrugging his shoulders, replied, “Sure!”

So Chuck approached the Danzigers’ residence, taking up what he figured to be an optimal position along the curb. Barry pulled his backpack on and went to stand near his underling.

Nodding to him, Barry signaled that Chuck should proceed. So the white-blond boy wound up his pitch and propelled the brick through the window of the Danzigers’ dark green house with white trim. At the sound of the window shattering, the two vandals sprinted as fast as possible back towards the coffee shop.