Nick woke up jittery and was worried what his parents might be truly thinking. Special thanks are in order to Michelle B. for editing this for me.

“No matter what happens … no matter whether or not you grant my wish … I just want to say how much I appreciate your friendship. You’ve been kind and patient and compassionate, helpful and honest and … most of all … been there when I’ve needed you. Thank you.”

I looked at my wife with tears running down my face and said, "I just had a date with a man, looking like this, so pretty, feeling so feminine, so womanly, feelings are bursting out of me desiring a man, Steve. What is going on with me? I am a married man and I am wired to think and act like a woman now in so many, many ways. What is happening to me?"

To say that my sympathy level was withering like a daisy in the Sahara would have been a gross understatement. More like I was thinking that I should throttle my utterly clueless mother, then go hunt down the feckless bigot I got as a father, armed with a two dollar whore sporting an incurable itch.

Grace has trouble in the home, but how did it all go so wrong so quickly? I hope you find this addition to the String of Pearls satisfactory.
- Eclectic Kitty

You've worked hard and reached the pinnacle of success. Now you have lost everything but the trappings of that success. You're presented with one last opportunity to reclaim that which means the most to you. If you do everything correctly, things just might turn out okay. But if you botch the opportunity, it could permanently set a course for final ruination. The risk is high. What would you do? Would you hesitate before doing it? This is what Thomas did.

Warning, there are a couple intense memories here.