It's What I Want by Tanya Allan

Don is a bit of a geek. But his intelligence was matched by his kind heart, and his flat mate and friend Steve appreciates his help in his university course work.

Don is a little confused as to why Steve and two other friends want him to join them of a motor cycle tour of France in the summer holidays, but he is pleased to be asked, and goes along. On their first stop, a cool group is playing at a night club, but it is a couples only evening, and Don is persuaded to become Donna for one evening, just so the four friends can see the show.

But no one expected to find Donna still there on the following morning.

In fact, Don never returned. And Donna was anything but a Geek!

Why must teachers always ask for the same old report? There is the true report that can't ever see the light of day and the cliched string of "and then's" that was actually turned in.

The same old argument raved again.

“Look, how can you not understand that I have always needed to be a woman?”

“You stupid fuckin faggit, all I ever wanted was a man with a dick! I told you 20 fuckin years ago that if you wanted that, you need to go be a whore or find yourself a rich man to do that for you! You sure as hell don’t fill my needs! All you are is a goddamned fag that couldn’t accept the fact that he was gay so he thought he had to be a female!”

This chapter may not seem like it's talking about Mom at all, but it'll make sense in a while, okay? Her early years were a bit…different to what most probably expect. I wrote this in first person, because that's the way Mom's diaries and journals are written and it just seemed the best way. I've tried to capture her 'voice', and I think it sounds about right. Enjoy!

Rain

My stomach felt like a huge lump of ice had dropped into it as Captain Richards stood up and said, "Will Andrea Martin please approach the tribunal."

Wondering how long my wobbly legs would support me, I stood up and took a step forward before saying, "Actually, it's Andrew."

The captain frowned as he looked down at me from the makeshift podium. "What was that?"

I kept quiet about the whole thing when I was in the car with Grace. This dressing up like a girl thing, the wedding, Trey, it was all freaking me out.

And here I was, dressed in a pair of Grace's shorts and a spaghetti strap top, riding with her to a beauty salon. I was also wearing a little makeup that Grace had applied shortly after picking me up from Trey's.

My name is Mike. Well to follow Mom’s latest rules, it’s Michelle Elizabeth Williamson. Life has been kind of weird lately. Mostly, Mom has been acting really strange. Not that she can be considered normal by most standards, but that is another story.