Nicci and I passed Ralph as we were on our way out. He was just coming in along with four of the guys from another detail.

“Hi Lynn, you look great as usual. Late lunch?”

“Yes, and thanks, I needed that.”

Chapter Four

CHAPTER 40
Ian was away not that long after his first session of treatment, and that was difficult enough for the girls. Perhaps even harder than seeing him trying to smile through his pain, but he had a living to make, and his pride to uphold. For their part, they had schools to attend, and I gathered some new friends to maintain.

My name is Bob Samson it has been that way since the day I was born contrary to what certain other people might think.

I suppose in those few minutes I managed to learn pretty much everything I wondered about concerning wearing a strapless ball gown. I walked around the house for fifteen minutes to half an hour without my feet, legs, or back bugging me. I actually felt kind of pretty and didn’t have a bit of that undressed feeling I had when I was first trying on the gowns. I began imagining Cathy dressed in a nice party dress, her hair down like mine as we were presented to the maddening throng as Lady Stevens and her daughter Catherine. That brought a smile to my face.

We broke up to head for the rest rooms and the cars. I availed myself of the Ladies room discovering I had it all to myself. I did my duty then washed my hands and checked my makeup, lipstick and clothing. I took a couple of minutes to quickly brush out my hair again before I pulled out a scrunchie to put it up into a ponytail. I was beginning to love my rabbit fur jacket, it had been a good purchase, dressy but casual, not to mention - warm, even if I was out in the wintery cold. My ponytail hung down just enough to help the jacket keep the back of my neck warm but when indoors I would be cooler than if my hair hung down covering my neck and upper back. Ten of us piled into two of the rentals then headed for the airport while the other four guys George specified took the third rental car back to the Lodge to acquire our Armored limo before following us to the airport.

“Catherine? Who’s Catherine?”

“Beats me. He didn’t say. Maybe she’s his wife. If I were you, I’d go.”

“He didn’t kiss like he was married.” I pointed out. “Great. Okay. Okay. I’ll need to borrow Nicci again today. I need to try on the two gowns at Macy’s and I’ll need her to help me with the ski stuff. You can reach me on my mobile if anything Earth shaking happens. I checked it last night and I’ll leave it on while I’m away from the car. If you call and I don’t answer then at least I’ll know to give you a call back. While we’re out, I’m also going to get Nicci a company mobile phone. She’ll probably hate me for it, both for the additional workload and for the size of the thing, but she needs to be more in the loop.”

CHAPTER 39
It went on. I dropped in when I could, as the first session tore his health to shreds, and he would be there, silent and grey, staring into space. There were times he didn’t speak, just holding my hand, tears falling, and there were other times.

“No, Ian, I had your promise, aye? Just two more days and home with me, and Larinda will do better stuff than you’re getting here”

“Not eating it, lass”

“And why not?”

CHAPTER 38
“Aunty Jill, where’s the spare loo roll?”

“Under the sink in the wooden cupboard”

“They’re all wooden!”

“The one that LOOKS like wood, Bethy!”

“Oh, right…got it!”

Revisiting Bryce Canyon and Meeting Aunt Jessica:
The families have arranged a spring break vacation that will give McKenzie a chance to meet StacyLyn's 'Aunt Jessica.' How will the conversations on this repeat visit to Bryce Canyon affect McKenzie's future? What will be the consequences of McKenzie not bringing an emergency set of boy clothes?

I wrote this poem in the winter 1991 - 1992. I had recently moved out on my wife, at the time, and in with my first Tgal lover. I'd started HRT in June '91 and had my GRS with Dr. Stanley Biber in Trinidad, Colorado scheduled for June '92.

I had met my first M2F TS in January 1990 and realized I was TS later that year. In 2 1/2 years, I was going from being in denial about my true self and seeming like a "normal guy" to most people, to being post-op. Sometimes things seemed to be going so fast that I felt like I was on a rocket sled. I wanted to transition so much and I felt that I had wasted so much time; there was nothing to do but go as fast as possible, but still my head was spinning from all the changes.

CHAPTER 36
We worked our way through the graveyard, following the old habit of looking for the oldest stone, the youngest and most tragic death. There, on the edge, in a clearer spot, was the one I wanted to see, the shape and pattern so, so familiar.

“This was Alec’s, Stewie’s friend, yeah?”

“Aye, pet. Thought, you know, pay some respects. I mean, all of this here, it sort of comes from her, aye?”

My wife nodded. “You do too, I suppose. This lot, they pulled you out of the crap”

I turned to her, and kissed her gently. “I rather think you had a lot to do with that, love”

“I don’t like to blow my own wotsit---no, don’t even think about making that joke!”

CHAPTER 35
Why did I agree to sleep in a tent, in December? I was awake for one very simple reason, and that had been the impact of my wife’s sub-Arctic knees against the backs of my thighs. I had thought uncharitably about the impermanence of modern marriage till she pointed out that she had brought tea for both of us.

It was warm in our nest of duvets, though, a pale light leaking through the sides of the tent.

“Tea, love?”

Bridges 32

Chapter 32

Mornings are getting to be really wonderful things. It’s been about two weeks since our wedding and the amazing reception and the gathering together of friends and family. We’re taking this time as our Honeymoon because Cass just got reassigned to do some special security work down in Vancouver with the whole twenty ten Winter Olympics.

It’s a special duty thing since she’s pregnant and this’ll be more organizing stuff than patrols and field work. That’s good less stress is always good for the baby and the Mommy.

I wake with a smile and my arm around my wife.

After the few guys who planned to remain in the Army said goodbye to the rest of us slackers, those of us who had been mustered out yesterday and who stuck around just to attend the party each went our own way after promising to continue contact. Per normal, I was the designated mule or point of contact since I had a relatively known and fixed address. Everyone could continually update me so if someone wanted to know where someone else was I could provide that information so long as everyone kept me updated. Most of them did which worked out pretty well in the long run.

CHAPTER 33
In the end, it was Eric who came through with a result. Kate knew the right administrators to approach, but it was a man I hardly knew who moved and shook the right people to find Ian his bed.

Annie rode over to see us with the news that weekend, and I had to ask how her husband had managed it.

“Think about it, aye? He runs the path lab. Every surgeon, every oncologist, they all have to come through him, so he gets to know them, aye?”

Retracing My Steps

Author's note: Originally, this was going to be my submission for the reconciliation contest. But I couldn't seem to make it long enough, so it just is what it is. If you like it, make sure you leave a comment!

You can go home again, no matter what the old saying says.

Sometimes, its just a longer trip than others.

And on occasion, you can get lost, especially when you havent been in your home town in decades, which is why I was sitting by the side of a road looking at a map trying to figure out where I needed to go.