Wildcat Fall

She opened her eyes and looked up. Above was a rich, deep cobalt blue sky, with soft, white clouds drifting slowly in the wind. She got to her knees and found herself on the top of a hill, the sun warming her face. Grasses and wildflowers grew everywhere. After looking around in amazement, she sighed, lay back down, and closed her eyes.

Jenn sat in the lounge, working on her readings. With classes starting in a week, she wanted to be prepared. But all she kept thinking about was Teri. She sighed. They’d been up since five that morning, then walked to the hospital. They sat around until the nurses finally took Teri back into surgery at seven thirty that morning. After she waved goodbye, mouthing, ‘I love you,’ the receptionist directed her to the recovery floor lounge.

Jenn hated this. Feeling helpless and unable to concentrate was frustrating. When she checked the time, she realized she’d been working for hours without a break. She decided to walk down to the cafeteria, look around, and find something cold to drink.

After asking for directions, she walked down two flights and followed the signs. When she saw the crowd of people, she smiled. It was eleven thirty, and these people were headed for lunch. Jenn smiled as she walked through the doors, looking over the hot foods, pizza, salads, and snacks.

Picking out a bag of chips and a large juice, she thought about Teri announcing her decision during their July break. Her girlfriend had sounded very matter-of-fact.“Yeah, I know it sounds crazy.”

Jenn remembered listening without questioning to her decision. “But I need to do this. And no, it’s not ‘cause I want to have sex with strangers.” Jenn remembered Teri taking her in her arms. “Making love with you is perfect, and I don’t think anyone can ever please me more. It’s not the sex thing.”

Jenn held back from saying her opinion. She felt it was necessary to be positive and encouraging, reminding herself she couldn’t see inside Teri’s head.

“Yeah,” Teri’d said. “I just want to be whole inside and out. I’m not fighting or denying my intersex fate, I just want everything to line up. I guess I need it for peace of mind.”

Jenn decided to be the most positive, encouraging girlfriend she could be. She figured that Teri just needed to hear positive words from her mouth. She wanted to be as supportive as she could be.

After cleaning up her snack, she went back to reading. At two o’clock, a nurse entered the lounge and approached her. “Hi, are you here for Teri Nelson?”

Jenn nodded and stood up. “Uh-huh. I’m her girlfriend, Jenn.”

The nurse smiled. “Well, I’m Julia, the bearer of great news. She’s just finishing up in the operating room, and everything went well. She’s on her way to recovery. When we get her all set up, I’ll come and find you.”

The nurse stopped and turned back to her. “I don’t mean to pry, but is she the same Teri Nelson who plays with the Wildcats?”

Jenn grinned, “The same. The band’s taking a break after touring, then performing for the Hollywood Bowl fundraiser.”

“Oh, that was so great! My daughter and I watched the benefit on television. It was amazing when Taylor and Bee performed their hits, and the way they sang together was incredible!”

Jenn laughed. “It was a crazy day. And they raised so much money for a good cause!”

After Julia left, Jenn texted everybody the good news.

She lay there watching the clouds drift by and enjoyed how quiet everything was. She heard insects buzzing around the colorful flowers. She propped herself on one elbow and spotted a bright green flash darting toward a brightly-colored red flower. She gazed in amazement as the hummingbird held still in mid-air as its tongue extended out to sip the nectar. Even though she could see the blues and greens of the bird, its wings never stopped fluttering. She could hear the moving wings hum.

When her phone buzzed, Tiffany was lounging at Mike’s as he edited a commercial for First Cut Studios. Slipping out of his warm lap, she smiled as she walked away, reading Jenn’s text. She called immediately, cheering as she spoke. "Hey, girl! Yes! I’ve been hoping to hear from you.”

Jenn was excited. "A nurse just came by to tell me that Teri is done with surgery and heading into recovery.”

“Have you seen her?”

“Not yet. The nurse said that they'll take me to see her once they get her settled.”

“That’s so great. How ya doin’?”

“It’s been a crazy long day. But she’s good, and that’s all that counts.”

“How about visiting hours? Can I see you guys tonight?”

Jenn shrugged. “Don’t know yet. The nurse told me that she’d be out of it tonight but awake in the morning.”

“Sounds like tomorrow would be the time to drop by. I’ll drive down in the morning and keep you company.”

“Sure. Great. They told me she’d be here until Friday; then, we’ll be back in the West Philly apartment. After she’s all settled, I can be her nurse and go to school.”

“Wow, that’s big. Hey, but remember. I’m just an hour away from West Philly and can be there any day to help. Seriously.”

Jenn felt a sob. “Tiff, you’re so sweet. Thanks.”

After disconnecting her phone, Tiff searched for Mike. “Hey! Just heard from Jenn. Teri’s out of surgery and okay.”

Mike wrapped his arms around her. “That’s great to hear. When are we visiting?”

Tiff grinned. “I’m driving down to the hospital after rush hour tomorrow morning. Why don’t you come after work, and we can all grab dinner together?”

Mike was nodding. “Yeah, I’ll take the train, and we can ride home together. In the meantime, we need to finish up the last details on this week’s vlogs. This whole thing is still blowing up!”

Tiffany laughed and shook her head. “We never thought it would become this big.”

“Yeah, well. You were the one who saw the whole thing happening. I mean, we wanted to make a documentary of the tour, and you’re the one who envisioned that whole vlog idea.”

“Yeah. When you and Andy had the movie idea, it just seemed to make sense to make it a weekly vlog podcast kinda thing.”

“Hey, you’re the one who suggested filming all the behind-the-scenes stuff, preparing to perform on stage, practicing material during a sound check, or watching Teri rehearse a new song. And it’s so popular how everyone wants to see shots of riding on the bus, hanging out at festivals, group dinners, and all the other details.”

“Yeah, the fans get to see how we’re just real people.”
“And your idea of posting one-minute excerpts from our weekly vlog to show on Instagram and TikTok created a lot of interest.”

“And you thought to have everyone filming. Handing out brand-new iPhones to the road crew and the band was genius!”

Tiff nodded. “And making it all PG so our young fans could watch. I’m so glad we don’t get any pushback from parents about language or adult high jinks.

And when the vlog got hot, garnering hundreds of thousands of views, YouTube wanted to advertise on their channel. The whole band vetoed that idea unless it was public service commercials aimed at helping kids. But as the viewership ran into the millions, YouTube agreed to whatever they wanted.

She stood and looked down the hill. There were big, tall trees with green leaves waving in the breeze. Under those trees, she could see smaller trees and colorful bushes. She could hear birds chirping and decided to investigate.

Gina was running along the Hudson River Greenway, enjoying the breeze coming off the water when her phone rang. She loved looking across the river at New Jersey as she ran along the wide path. It was mindless.

Gina grinned. Staying with Grace certainly had its benefits. She loved wrapping herself in the amazing woman’s arms every day and night. As the friction evaporated after the pressure of the tour was over, Gina felt good about relaxing in the Upper East Side with her successful psychologist girl friend.

Gina stopped and read the text. She cheered, reading Jenn’s text telling her that Teri was out of surgery and headed towards recovery. Shaking her head, she walked into the lobby of Grace’s building, replying with fireworks, hearts, and smiling emojis.

She waved to the concierge as she hopped on the elevator and pressed sixteen. Teri’s well-being added to her inner contentment. This vacation had been just what the doctor ordered after their hectic summer. Unwinding with Grace was heaven.

With a great gym within walking distance and a choice of daily runs outside their door, Gina had a lot of time for herself. Earlier, she’d done an hour of meditation and yoga before her seven miles. She appreciated the change of pace after being on the road for three months.

As she was riding the elevator, Grace called her. Checking her watch, she realized that she must have been between patients. “Hey! You get the news?”

Grace smiled, hearing her lover’s enthusiastic voice. “I did and wondered when we could go visit.”

“Yeah. I need to call Jenn and set something up.”

“I want to clear my calendar. Let’s see. How does tomorrow afternoon sound to you?”

Gina was nodding as she took off her shoes at the apartment door. “Yeah. I’ll text Jenn and see if that’s gonna work.”

“Wonderful. Just let me know.”

“Uh huh. Whatcha feel like eating tonight?”

“I was thinking seafood.”

Gina was just hopping into the shower. “Okay, I’ll do a rez and clear our visit. How about Ocean Prime? Good crab cakes.”

“Great on all counts. Thank you, baby.”

As she walked down the hill, she paused to listen to the birds calling to each other. Marveling at the many different varieties hidden in the deep woods, she watched them fly and feed.

Walking through the trees, she smelled the pine scent and felt the needles underfoot. She touched the lower branches and ran her hands through the green leaves of the colorful maples. The soft beauty made her smile.

Zoe shared the text from Jenn by leaning over and showing it to Bruno. He’d been busy rubbing too much cocoa butter on her body. But it did feel good. Zoe had become addicted to the stuff.

After the concert weekend, she and Bruno flew off to Oahu. They’d camped out at the Four Seasons Resort and didn’t venture out for the first three days. Zoe loved the natural rock waterfall shower, and Bruno promised to put one in their bathroom back in Allentown.

Bruno had been walking on air since Zoe told him she was ready to wear her engagement ring. From that moment on, everything they did became precious. They agreed that bringing a new life into this world would help ease the pain of loss in their hearts.

Neither wanted to know the sex of their baby and looked forward to being surprised. Zoe was already looking forward to going on the Wildcat’s spring tour in Europe with their boomer. She’d talked to other women who’d taken their babies on tour. And now she was planning how she could do sound checks and play four or five nights a week for three hours each night and still be the perfect mother.

Bruno offered to help. Zoe knew it would be a challenge but she wanted it all. On the summer tour, she’d insisted on bringing a chef and trainer to help her through her pregnancy. The peace of mind knowing her trainer was an EMT made it easier.

Her doctor had told her that she could keep on doing everything she’d done before getting pregnant which included their daily run, practicing and playing nights with the band. But the best part was making time for Bruno. Their relationship had never been better and their love had never been stronger.

Zoe dialed her phone and waited for Jenn to answer. She gave a little cheer when she picked up. “Hey, sweetie. So glad to read your text.”

Jenn wiped a tear from her eye. “Yeah, such good news.”

“Have you seen her yet?”

Jenn was shaking her head. “Nah. The nurse said she’d be pretty out of it today but promised to get me back to see her. She’s going to be lucid tomorrow.”

Zoe smiled. “We’re wheels up tomorrow. We’ve got a direct flight into Philly and should be in the hospital on Wednesday for visiting hours. We’re excited to see you and Teri.”

Jenn smiled, remembering how Zoe had taken Teri under her wing. “She will be over the moon to see you. I’ll let you surprise her. How’re you and Boomer doing?”

“We’re great. Another six weeks and she’s going to join us!”

“So it’s a girl!”

“Nah. Still going to be a surprise. We’re still betting on whether she has red or black hair.”

Jenn laughed. “So many surprises! See ya soon!”

As she walked down the hill, she paused to listen to the birds calling to each other. Marveling at the many different varieties hidden in the deep woods, she watched them fly and feed.

Walking through the trees, she smelled the pine scent and felt the needles underfoot. She touched the lower branches and ran her hands through the green leaves of the colorful maples. The soft beauty made her smile.

Smith picked up Lisa’s phone and glanced at the text. He raised it for her to see. She approached the picnic bench and smiled. She had been practicing trying to lasso a wooden post that had horns attached to the top. Each time she succeeded, she let out a loud whoop!

“Hey, beautiful. Jenn just sent you a message.

Lisa came over, read the text. “Good news. I’ll bet my sister’s exhausted.”

Lisa stood there, gazing out over Smith's mountaintop. It was a stunning view. But now she was merely staring, not seeing anything at all. Her mind was racing. She turned to Smith with a tear in her eye. “Hey, cowboy. I’m thinking about all the hurdles my sister has jumped over in the past year. It’s really so unfair that at eighteen, she’s had to grow up so quickly.”

Smith understood and nodded. He’d heard the entire story and knew much about Teri’s revelations and her surprise transition. He tried to imagine living his life for eighteen years as a guy only to discover that she was intersex and had ovaries, making estrogen deep inside his body. And in the midst of this discover, puuberty at eighteen really sealed the deal. “So I have a question and tell me I’m out of bounds. Teri, your sister, was your brother growing up, right?”

Lisa nodded.

“And I’m guessing that she dressed as a boy and acted like one, two?”

“Right.”

“Does that bother you?”

Lisa stared up at the sky before she tried to answer. “The whole thing has been very strange. Teri’s still the same, quirky, gifted, extremely caring pain in the ass. But she’s really become aware of the real world. And I’m totally willing to do whatever I can to help her.”

Smith shook his head. “Yeah, she’s lucky.”

Lisa looked at him strangely. “How so?”

“She hasn’t met the hateful people who will tear her down just for existing. When we were on the road, there were lots of jealous, frightened, ignorant folks ready to throw shade at anything that’s different.”

Lisa wiped a tear from her eye. “Uh-huh. The band has been a bubble for her. Everyone loves her so much and has done their best to protect her. I think the Cats are something special. We’re more than a rock band, we are family.”

Smith hugged her. “Yeah, it’s pretty obvious that they love her.”

Lisa paused. “This whole thing has really raised my perception of the whole LGBTQ community. I never thought of Gina as being odd or different. We grew up together, and her gayness never seemed to be an issue. I especially feel sorry for the trans community because of how much hate they receive for no reason at all. It’s hard to understand why anyone is treated like a criminal when they are just trying to exist.”

Smith leaned over and kissed her, then pulled her into his lap. “How come we communicate so well? I feel like we’ve been best friends all my life. What’s with that?”

Lisa grinned. “I am not doing anything special other than adoring and loving you too much. I worry that I’m smothering you.”

“Nah. Everything is perfect.” He lifted up her hand to check her watch. “Opps! Will you look at the time. All this talk has made me really hungry.”

Lisa nodded. “Okay. What do you want to eat?”

Smith grabbed her hand and started pulling them down to the ground. “Uh, you.”

As Smith started to undress her, she held him out at arm’s length. “Yeah. How soon can we be in Philly?”

As she walked down the hill, she paused to listen to the birds calling to each other. Marveling at the many different varieties hidden in the deep woods, she watched them flit around and feed.

Walking through the trees, she smelled the pine scent and felt the needles underfoot. She touched the lower branches and ran her hands through the green leaves of the colorful maples. The soft beauty made her smile.

End of chapter one