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Image Credits: Title Picture purchased and licensed for publishing from

123rf.com. The model(s) in this image is in / and are no way connected with this story nor supports nor conveys the issues and situations brought up within the story. The model(s) use is solely used for the representation of looks of the main character(s) of this particular story. ~Sephrena

Divider licensed for use in publishing from Photoshopgraphics.com ~Sephrena.

Legalities: This work is the property of the author, and the author retains full copyright, in relation to printed material, whether on paper or electronically. Permission is granted for it to be copied and read by individuals, and for no other purpose. Any commercial use by anyone other than the author is strictly prohibited, and may only be posted to free sites with the express permission of the author. ~Sydney Moya.

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Chapter Two
 
“What?” said Connie, surprised, “Why?”

“Whoa? What’s with the attitude? Can’t a girl visit her brother?” returned Gina.

“Of course she can but what I mean is you’ve never shown the slightest interest in visiting before,” remarked Connie.

“Yeah, sorry about that Dave, I know I haven’t been the most supportive sister but I’m trying to fix that so give a girl a break,” Gina answered.

“What about school?” asked Connie, vaguely aware that her sister ought to be at school or something.

“Semester’s over,” Gina chirped, “so I thought I’d drop by and see you unless you want to remain in splendid isolation coz that’s the vibe you’re sending me.”

“Of course not,” said Connie, indignant.

“Then give me your address and the directions to it,” replied Gina.

Connie realised she was in a quandary as Gina like the rest of her family had no idea of the dramatic changes that had taken place in her life.

‘It was bound to come to this,’ thought Connie with apprehension.

“Well? Still thinking of a way to get rid of me?” Gina went on as Connie deliberated what to do.

“No,” said Connie quietly before giving her sister the directions to her building and her apartment number.

“Okay I’ll get a cab. I’ll be there before you know it,” Gina told her.

Connie wondered what to do. The thought of dressing up in men’s clothing cropped up but she realised she’d got rid of all of David’s clothes and the one’s Jason had in the apartment were way too big for her. Also she didn’t have a binder anymore and the thought of hiding the body she’d fought so hard to get was nauseating and would only be a copout postponing something that ought to have been done ages ago.

She sighed and decided there was no point hiding or trying to get out of this, her family wouldn’t stay in the dark forever and she would have to face them sooner or later and she thought it best that she deal with Gina on her own terms in her apartment.

At least that way she could stay in control of the whole thing.
 

 
The doorbell rang half an hour later and Connie checked the peephole and saw her sister waiting outside. Taking a few deep breaths to maintain her composure she then opened the door.

“Oh hi,” said Gina in surprise as a beautiful woman answered her brother’s door.

“I’m looking for David Richards, I think this is the address he gave,” she said uncertainly.

“Come in,” said Connie making way for her sister. She was surprised that Gina hadn’t recognised her yet but then again she didn’t expect a woman.

She closed the door behind her and turned to face her sister.

“Where’s David?” Gina asked before cocking her head and staring at Connie, “You look familiar. Have we met? Where’s my brother?”

Connie sighed deeply, “Gina it’s me,” she said softly.

Gina squinted for a few moments before the flash of recognition hit her.

“OMG!” she screeched in shock, mouth agape.

“What, what are you doing?” she added in a loud voice.

“Sit down please,” requested Connie calmly.

“NO I DON’T WANT TO SIT DOWN DAVID, WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING DRESSED AS A GIRL. FOR PETE’S SAKE YOU EVEN HAVE BOOBS!” shrieked Gina.

“Calm down and sit down. I’m not going to have you yelling in my home and if you want an explanation you’re going to have to be civil to me,” Connie coolly told her baby sister.

Gina opened her mouth to but thought better of it when she saw the no nonsense expression on Connie’s face.

Staring daggers at her sibling she reluctantly sat down on the couch. Connie sat across from her and began her story.

“I guess the easiest explanation for this is to start at the beginning,” began Connie, “so please bear with me,”

“Have you ever heard of the term transgender?” she asked.

“Yes, don’t tell me you’re one of them?” said Gina, sounding stunned.

Connie nodded, “I am or more to the point I was,” she answered.

“What do you mean?” replied Gina not getting her meaning.

“I mean,” said Connie before momentarily falling silent, “I had surgery six months ago,” she said.

Gina’s face paled, “You did?” she said, clearly at loss for words which was a first thought Connie.

“Yes,” began Connie, “I’m not your brother anymore. In fact I guess I’ve never been really,” she added.

“You had a sex-change? How could you do that?” said Gina clearly upset, “That’s so selfish,” she said.

“Don’t you dare judge me, you never had to wake up every morning and go to bed every night feeling trapped in the wrong body!” Connie retorted losing her cool.

“You didn’t go through your childhood feeling different from everyone else; you never went through adolescence as a boy terrified you'd rurn into a man when your heart says you’re a girl. You never had to hide your feelings all your life so you wouldn’t hurt anyone you loved or thought of ending the whole damned mess and killing yourself. You and Julian never wondered why I had no friends, didn’t hang out or wasn’t as cool as either of you; I was just your weird brother. I was depressed throughout high school and you were too self-absorbed to see it and now I’ve fixed the problem you have the audacity to tell me I’m selfish. Well to hell with you,” said Connie angrily before going to her room slamming the door behind her.

Gina was mortified, this was a side her gentle sibling had never shown and the things she’d said were heartrending, she had never thought David was unhappy let alone depressed and suicidal. The stuff about being trapped in the wrong body was incredible and she’d never realised it over all this time.

What kind of a sister am I? Gina wondered sadly as the tears coursed down her cheeks. She stood up and went to the room her sibling had fled to. The girl on the bed was heaving with silent sobs and Gina joined on the bed and embraced her.

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you. I had no idea,” she said gently as she cried too.

“I’m sorry too. I wish I’d told you earlier,” answered Connie.

The two women sat like this for a long moment as Connie cried and finally connected with someone in her family about her life.

They talked and Connie shared her secret life with Gina.

“You’ve been on hormones for seven years. Damn you could have damaged your liver,” said Gina concerned.

“I know but it was a risk I had to take and I did get my blood checked every few months. It was also the only way to make sure I didn’t become too masculine,” said Connie, “I wouldn’t have been able to deal with that and it would have made transitioning difficult,” she finished.

Gina had no idea what to say, she was learning so much about her sibling and this person was such a stranger. She wanted to be there for her but it was like building a relationship with a family member she was only meeting for the first time that they might as well have been separated at birth.

“You have no idea how strange this is honey. It’s like I’m meeting you for the first time and I don’t know how to relate to you,” she told Connie.

Connie smiled.

“At least you're here and I’ve told you. I’ve really longed to tell you who I am. I hope we can be friends?” she offered.

“Don’t be silly, of course we’re friends and besides I’ve always wanted a sister. I just didn’t expect to get one this late in life or this way,” said Gina.

“I was always your sister, you just hadn’t figured it out yet,” Connie told her.

“Yeah I suppose you’ll make a better sister than you were a brother,” she teased.

Connie hit her with a pillow and Gina squealed as she got hit. As she ducked the next blow she noticed the pictures on Connie’s bedside.

“Hold on a sec,” she said her voice serious.

“Who is the hunk?” she added picking up a framed picture of Jason holding Connie.

Her ‘new’ sister blushed, which was enough to tell Gina who he was, not that the way they were posing wasn’t enough.

“Boyfriend huh,” she said simply.

“Yes,” said Connie softly, her voice betraying her feelings for the fella.

Gina was once again lost for words, trying to reconcile this woman with her brother. That she was once David was amazing and the fact that she had a boyfriend was mind boggling. She had no idea how to proceed.

“How long have you been seeing him?” she finally asked, breaking the silence.

“Five months. We met a month after I came back from Thailand,”

“Oh,” said Gina trying to process this, “um so have you, you know,” she uneasily.

“What? Slept with him?” asked Connie eyeing her sister warily.

Gina nodded.

“Gina I’m a straight woman, I like guys and yes I have slept with him,” answered Connie.

Gina looked uncomfortable.

“Look Gina, I was a girl trapped in a male body. I like boys and girls didn’t do a thing for me but I never did anything with a man before the surgery. I’m not a gay man and I need my man to see me as 100% woman. Besides I hated my body so much I could never find myself attractive and people can sense that. After the op my self-confidence increased and next thing I knew guys were hitting on me,” Connie explained.

The tension in the air evaporated with that statement. Their upbringing simply didn’t allow them to be comfortable with men having relationships with other men and Gina was glad to discover that her sister had been chaste before her surgery and Connie sensed this.

“I love Jason,” she said from the bottom of heart, “and to me it’s a normal man-woman relationship,” she added.

“It couldn’t be anything else Connie. I don’t see the slightest sign of a man in front of me,” Gina answered, “so I’m happy for you,” she added warmly holding Connie’s hands.

“I admit I never would have bet you’d have a lover before me,” she quipped.

Connie smiled too knowing what a loner she’d been.

“I’m really happy these days and Jason is the most amazing man,” she gushed.

“Does he know about your past?” asked Gina.

“No. I have no idea how to even bring it up. He’s already introduced me to his family and his hinted he’d like to meet Mum and Dad and you,”

“Oh, oh. You really know how to get in shit don’t you,” said Gina.

“Tell me about it. I don’t know how to even start dealing with this. I’m so scared Mum and Dad will hate me for this,” she confessed.
 
 

 
To Be Continued...
 

 

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Image Credits: Title Picture purchased and licensed for publishing from

123rf.com. The model(s) in this image is in / and are no way connected with this story nor supports nor conveys the issues and situations brought up within the story. The model(s) use is solely used for the representation of looks of the main character(s) of this particular story. ~Sephrena

Divider licensed for use in publishing from Photoshopgraphics.com ~Sephrena.

Legalities: This work is the property of the author, and the author retains full copyright, in relation to printed material, whether on paper or electronically. Permission is granted for it to be copied and read by individuals, and for no other purpose. Any commercial use by anyone other than the author is strictly prohibited, and may only be posted to free sites with the express permission of the author. ~Sydney Moya.

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Chapter Three
 
Gina stayed over for the weekend as she got to know her sibling anew. She was still a bit dazed about the whole thing and this wasn’t helped when she saw Connie buck naked that afternoon when she’d walked in on her in the bathroom just as she was stepping out of the tub.

“I’m so sorry, I thought you were done,” she said apologetically, trying to avert her gaze and failing.

Connie had to smile despite blushing too. It had been ages since this had happened.

“It’s okay,” said Connie, as she covered up.

“You look fantastic; it looks like you were born a girl. Are you sure were David because you certainly look like you were a high school cheerleader?” remarked Gina.

“I wish! I guess starting on hormones at 16 helped a lot,” said Connie happily.

“You know I’m actually jealous. Are the boobs all you?” asked Gina

“Yes, all home grown,”

“And down there, how does it feel?” asked Gina.

“I can’t really describe it; I can say I feel ‘right’ if you can get what I mean. I finally feel complete and I didn’t feel that way before the surgery. Everything’s as it should be,” explained Connie after a brief pause gathering her thoughts.

“Was the surgery sore?” asked Gina gingerly.

“Extremely, it was the most painful experience in my life but it was so worth it. It sure beats waking up feeling awful about my body,” Connie remarked.

Gina’s curiosity finally overcame her prudishness.

“Um…can I see?” she asked.

Connie dropped the towel.

Gina stared.

“Wow, modern medicine is amazing,” she finally said after taking in her sister’s form.

Everything looked so real from the rounded shoulders, ample bosom to the cleft between her legs and Gina could hardly get her head around the fact of Connie being David and that this had been hidden away from her for so long.

Connie had been on hormones for all this time and the Richards hadn’t noticed their son gradually turn into their daughter and if Connie hadn’t told Gina they most likely wouldn’t have found out.

“Mum and Dad are gonna have a cow,” Gina said.

Connie sighed, “That’s why I can’t bring myself to tell them,” she said.

“Well you have to unless you plan on moving further away and pretending you’re a boy over the phone for the rest of your life.” Gina told her before her eyes narrowed slightly, “When were you going to let us know about all this?” she asked.

Connie picked up her towel and headed to her room Gina following close behind.

“Or was it ever gonna happen if hadn’t insisted on paying you a visit?” Gina went on as Connie opened her closet and started picking out an outfit.

“Julian knew,” said Connie quietly the pain in her voice apparent.

Losing Julian had been a huge blow to her, Connie loved her family and Julian had been a great brother who didn’t give her a hard time for being an unusual kid. When she’d told him about her situation he had been supportive, promising to help tell their parents. His sudden death six weeks later had been a major reason for retreating into her shell for so long.

“Really,” said Gina, surprised.

Connie nodded, “He was going to help me tell Mom and Dad,”

“You’re serious,” said Gina. After all her brother had been the epitome of masculinity the least likely person to understand gender dysphoria.

“I know what you’re thinking, he was a jock and all that but a lot of that was for show. He was a really cool guy and he cared about my well-being,” said Connie, “I miss him,” she said quietly, eyes misting.

“Me too,” said Gina softly remembering the big brother who’d always been there for her when she needed him.

Julian’s death had been a painful thing to process and she hoped this transition of Connie’s wouldn’t finish off what was left of the Richards. She kind of saw why Connie had deceived them for this long. With David gone it would be like he’d died too and she guessed Connie hadn’t wanted to put them through that so soon after the loss of one son.

Still their parents weren’t going to remain in the dark forever, all it took was a determined parent and the whole thing would come out, she doubted Connie still had the energy to keep up the charade her relief at telling her kind of proved it. But how were they going to react?

Jack Richards was not the most liberal of men but he wasn’t a fascist either. Could they get him to accept Connie as his daughter? Like most men he was the type of guy who wanted to leave his legacy on earth, have someone carry on the Richards name. Now David wouldn’t be able to do that. Gina knew that David was already a disappointment to him after all he hadn’t joined the military and showed absolutely no interest in providing a grandchild.

Granted Julian was a tough act to follow and he’d cut him some slack but she’d seen the way he looked at David when he visited and during their childhood. He certainly loved him but it wasn’t the same as Julian or her. She suddenly wasn’t surprised Connie hadn’t felt at home back home, she’d certainly not had an understanding father. He was kind of aloof to her.

Mom loved David, of that there was no doubt at least in Gina’s eyes. He was constantly being cited as an example of good behaviour when she partied too hard or slacked with her schoolwork and she called him regularly to check up on him. Losing Julian had probably hurt her most and she’d responded by being more attentive to the remaining two. The fact that she hadn’t seen David for two years was bound to lead her to come visit one of these days and she’d be in for a surprise when she saw the person she thought was her son.

Gina decided to get to know Connie better so she could help her sister when the time came. It was the least she could do for her after all the pain she’d suffered.

Consequently the girls spent the remainder of that weekend rebuilding their relationship, learning what made the other tick and becoming friends. Gina found Connie to be sweet, chatty and a wonderful shopper which explained the wardrobe she was becoming quite jealous of.

“At least I can steal your outfits,” she told her older sister.

“Ah, how things change, I never thought I’d hear you say that. I was always so jealous of your clothes,” replied Connie.
 

 
Telling her sister was a relief for Connie and knowing she still cared made her day. Of course she still had to worry about their parents’ reactions when they found out about her transition as well as that of her beau, Jason.

She had no idea how he would feel on discovering her past and she debated whether to tell him or her parents first. They all had a right to know and in Jason’s case things were getting quite serious, he’d already introduced her to his parents and they seemed to like her a lot, his mother Lynne had already extended another dinner invitation to the couple. She clearly liked her which could make things more complicated. Heck, she was sleeping with Jason on a regular basis as if things weren’t complicated enough as it was.

What on earth had gotten into her? She wondered but then she’d remember how great in bed Jason was and a little smile appeared on her face. She was certain she loved Jason because she’d never felt so strongly about someone and sometimes she’d imagine herself married to him with a suburban house with a white picket fence featuring in those daydreams.
 
Three months later
 
Things would have continued in this manner because Connie had no desire to face her parents at that moment and she was terrified of telling Jason lest she lost him. Unfortunately for her Helen,her mom wasn’t too chuffed at not being able to see her child and she insisted on David coming home for a visit or else she would come drag her off her job. For some reason the threat worked and Connie didn’t fight not to go, after all how many reasons could she give for not seeing her parents.?

When Gina heard about it she immediately called her sister to reassure her of her support.

“So how are we going to do this?” she asked.

“I honestly don’t know,” said Connie.

“It definitely can’t be the way you showed me. I don’t think Dad will take kindly to the shock and awe treatment,” Gina pointed out.

“I guess but it’s not like I can turn into a guy for the duration of the visit,” explained Connie.

“I suppose not but you’d have to dial down the girlishness a bit Connie or they’ll have a heart attack,” said Gina.

“Why did I agree to this? I just know it’ll be a disaster,” said Connie.

The sadness in her tone was unmistakable and Gina’s heart went out to her.

“Don’t stress honey, I’m sure It’ll work out and I’ll be right there to support you,” she told her sister, “I love you sis,” she added.

“I love you too Gina,” remarked Connie, her spirits lifting slightly.

“Connie, please don’t take this wrong but I think something’s bothering you. You haven’t been yourself tonight or in the last few days,” Jason Koumakis her beau asked later that night after their date.

Connie looked at him wondering how she could explain the whole situation to him. She sighed,

“I’m just worried about my family,” she said.

“Why, what’s wrong?” he asked in concern.

“I have to go visit my parents this weekend,” she answered.

“Really, do you want me to come with?” Jason replied.

Connie froze.

“Uh, no not this time. I think it’ll be a bit disconcerting to them to discover I’ve got a serious boyfriend,” she said.

“You mean you haven’t told your family about me?” said Jason, sounding hurt.

“No Jason it’s not like that. My sister knows about you but my parents don’t and I will tell them this weekend,” said Connie softly.

“Besides I don’t think my dad would take too kindly to finding out you’re sleeping with me,” she teased.

Jason laughed and proceeded to tickle her. Before they knew it they were in bed and for a while Connie’s troubles were put aside as Jason stroked in and out of her. She loved the feelings that were generated by their lovemaking, that feeling of surrendering to Jason yet still controlling him as he caressed her as deeply as he did. Though being a woman was not only about sex this was one perk she’d got from her op. Of course she had nothing to compare it too, having never slept with anyone as a male but she was certain she would never have enjoyed it so much.
 

 
Despite her misgivings Connie had decided to face her fear and bite the bullet. She was dressed androgynously in pants and man’s shirt, her hair in a simple ponytail all the styling removed. She wasn’t wearing any makeup or earrings. It was quite chilly so the thick jacket she wore helped disguise her breasts. Both of them felt this was the best they could do to bring David back though neither of them was convinced it was very convincing; Connie still looked like a girl. They’d been uncertain if she should go as she really was or dress as David but ultimately Gina had thought it might be too much of a shock to their parents if Connie’s gorgeous self showed up.

When they reached their parents neighbourhood they drove a block away from their home before parking. Both of them sat in the car mapping out a strategy as befitted the children of a military man. They wondered if Gina should go in first and explain the situation before Connie came in but Connie didn’t feel it was fair to her sister, she felt that as the older one she ought to be responsible and tell her parents herself.

So they drove back and both girls left the car simultaneously. Gina gave her sister a hug for morale and let her know she was there for her.

They then walked to the door and rang the doorbell.

Their mother answered the door less than a minute later.

“Gina!” she said happily embracing her youngest child.

“Look what the cat dragged home, hello son,” she said with a smile before kissing Connie on the cheek and attempting to smother her with a hug. Connie knowing this might happen had bound her breasts and didn’t go into the hug like her sister had; fearful her mother might sense her bust.

“Gosh, don’t they pay you? You’re so thin sweetheart,” she said taking a good look at the child she hadn’t seen in over two years.

“And your hair, what on earth are you keeping it for. It makes you look like a girl,” she commented before Connie could a get a word in.

“Hello Mom,” said Connie in a carefully modulated voice.

Gina nearly sniggered, Connie couldn't even sound convincing as a boy but luckily their mother didn't notice it.

“John, the kids are home,” Helen told her husband, calling him by his given name.

Seconds later Jack Richards appeared in the foyer to greet his offspring.

He embraced Gina kissing her on the cheek in that affectionate way fathers’ reserve for their youngest daughters.

“Well, look who we have here,” he said looking at the person he thought was his son.

“Hello Dad,” said Connie, smiling slightly.

Jack seized his hand with a firm grip, “Hello kiddo. Been a while son. They finally gave you some leave and you decided to see your old folks hey, good to see you man,” he said heartily as he pumped Connie’s hand and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Connie suddenly felt awful, it was clear her parents were glad to see her and all she could do was avoid them and she was certain she’d hurt them once more before her trip was over.

“I wish I could have visited more but my job is really hectic,” said.

“Sure David, I can see that, you haven’t found time to get a haircut as well,” pronounced Jack, “well I guess we’ll go visit the barber before you go eh,”

Connie grinned slightly, “I don’t think so,” she said.

“Good thing you’re not in the air force my boy,” he said with a frown eyeing Connie’s long hair with distaste.

Helen shepherded them to the family room and proceeded to give her children the third degree, well Gina any way since Connie simply wasn’t the chatty type.

Jack was content to comment here and there as was his right as head of the household but he left the talking to the women and read his paper while grunting every once in a while about what those fool Democrats were doing in Washington with the country.

“Give me Reagan any day. Those lefties will spend us into poverty,” he muttered.

Connie knew better than to remind him that Reagan had increased the deficit every year in his second term with his dumb Reaganomics. She hoped he hadn’t become a Tea Party adherent in her absence.

Before long Helen was marshaling Gina around the kitchen while directing Connie to lay the table.

During the meal Connie remembered why she ought to have come home more often, her mother’s cooking was divine and she found herself enjoying it despite the tension she felt. She hoped to tell them after dinner but when the meal ended she couldn’t find the courage to bring up her situation.

She caught Gina looking at her and she quickly she shook her head.

Later that evening when their Dad had dozed off in front of the television the girls met up in Gina’s room.

“I thought you were going to tell them over dinner,” said Gina wondering why Connie hadn’t spoken about her transition.

“I chickened out sis, I don’t know why I’m so scared, I really wanted to say something,” replied Connie.

“Well you’d better before they figure it out or you go back without them knowing,” said Gina.

“Would that be so bad?” said Connie softly.

Gina looked flabbergasted, “Of course it would. You had a sex-change for Pete’s sake and you’re not gonna hide it from your parents forever, what happens when Mom makes her way to your apartment and finds Connie there? Or dad wants to do some father-son bonding or when I decide to get married. Are you gonna pretend you’re a guy till they die?”

“Shh!” said Connie spiritedly not wanting their conversation to carry downstairs.

“Okay but you’d better tell them or I will,” Gina hissed.

“I just don’t want to hurt them,” said Connie softly.

“I think it’s a bit too late for that honey, you’ll make it worse if you withhold it any longer,” said Gina frankly.

Connie knew she was right; it had to be done so she could move on with her life. They were her parents and she owed them the right to know that David didn’t exist anymore. They had to realize that their son was gone which was just the problem. They had already lost another son and it felt like she had killed their remaining son. After all David was all they’d known for 23 years while Connie had been hiding. This is what made her reluctant to tell them about the drastic changes she’d undergone.
 

 
The next morning she gathered her courage and after breakfast asked to talk to both her parents in the family room. She felt Gina ease up next to her and squeeze her hand.

“What’s the matter David?” their mother asked.

“I’ve been keeping a secret from you for most of my life,” began Connie softly.

She saw and felt her parents tense up. The temperature in the room seemed to decrease.

Helen was about to interrupt but Jack held his hand up so their child could continue.

“Ever since I was four or five I’ve felt something was wrong with me. It’s like I was something inside that I wasn’t on the outside,” began Connie trying to stay calm.

“Go on,” urged Helen.

Connie sighed, “I’ve always felt I wasn’t a boy that I’m supposed to be a girl,” she told them.

That was the easy part in Connie’s eyes but she couldn’t have guessed the reaction that would follow.

“Goodness you’re gay!” said Helen in a tone no child wants to hear from their mother, it was tinged with disappointment and shame.

Her father though just looked at her, his expression verging on disgust. It was then that Connie knew her relationship with her parents was over. All that was left was to tell them the rest and go home she thought.

“No Mom I’m not. I’m not gay, I’m transsexual,” she pointed out.

“What’s the difference; you’re one of those boys who want to be turned into a woman so they can sleep with men! Where did I go wrong honey?” said Helen tears flowing down her face clearly distressed.

“After everything we’ve done for you,” she wept.

“I’ve already had the surgery,” announced Connie.

“What?” said Jack and Helen at the same time, even more shocked than before.

“I’m not a man anymore. I went to Thailand and had the surgery nine months ago,” she said more forcefully.

“My name is Constance now and I live my life as a woman,” she added.

“Why?” Helen asked plaintively.

“Because I had to. Like I said I hated being a boy and my body and that was the only way I could feel comfortable with myself and it worked. I like the body I have now and living as a woman feels so right,” explained Connie.

“What the hell?” Jack swore. He was getting angrier and angrier. Connie didn't think she'd ever seen him so riled up.

“David, that’s nonsense. You’re not a woman, please tell me you will get this undone before you ruin your life. If you need money I’ll give it to you,” said Helen, begging her child to come back to her senses.

Connie was aghast.

“Did you hear anything I said? I hated being a man and I wanted to kill myself until I stopped living a lie. I was miserable Mom, all my life and you never noticed,” said Connie, raising her voice.

“So this is your way of getting back at me?” said Helen angrily.

“No Mom, it isn’t. I did this for myself so I can feel comfortable in my own skin and not feel suicidal anymore. I’ve never been happier in my life than I am now and I wouldn’t go back to being guy even if you paid me. Besides my surgery isn’t reversible and even if it was I wouldn’t want it undone,” said Connie.

“So what is it you want here? Did you come here to tell us you’ve mutilated your body and you’re proud of it?” Jack demanded.

“You’re throwing away everything we’ve done for you,” Helen remonstrated.

“Look, Mom, Dad. I didn’t do this to hurt anyone. I did it to save my life. I want you in my life and I’d like you to recognise that I’m your child, your daughter,” pleaded Connie.

“Forget it David, I will never accept that bullshit. You’re not a woman and I won’t have it,” said Jack angrily.

“Is that your final word?” said Connie her eyes blurring.

“Aye, I won’t have a son of mine pretending he is a woman. That’s completely unacceptable,” he responded.

“I’m not going to be a man whether you like it or not Dad,” shot back Connie.

Jack stood up, “Then get the fuck out of my house,” he told Connie.

“Dad,” protested Gina.

“I’ll thank you to keep silent Gina,” he warned her.

Connie looked at her sister and just nodded telling her not to get thrown out with her.

She stood up and headed to her room took her luggage as well as a few mementos from her childhood and left.

“Don’t darken my door again as long as you continue to live like a pervert,” he told her as she pulled her suitcases to the door.

Connie struggling to hold back the tears stopped and looked at her Dad.

“I’m not a pervert but if you think that about your own child then I guess I don’t need a father like you either. I swear I’ll never bother you or Mom again. Thank you for raising me,” she told her father before walking out her head held high, her heart broken.

“Just get out of my sight before I do something we'll both regret,” said a furious Colonel Richards.

Somehow she managed to load her car and drive about six blocks before it all overwhelmed her and she broke down.
 
 

 
To Be Continued...
 

 

---

Image Credits: Title Picture purchased and licensed for publishing from

123rf.com. The model(s) in this image is in / and are no way connected with this story nor supports nor conveys the issues and situations brought up within the story. The model(s) use is solely used for the representation of looks of the main character(s) of this particular story. ~Sephrena

Divider licensed for use in publishing from Photoshopgraphics.com ~Sephrena.

Legalities: This work is the property of the author, and the author retains full copyright, in relation to printed material, whether on paper or electronically. Permission is granted for it to be copied and read by individuals, and for no other purpose. Any commercial use by anyone other than the author is strictly prohibited, and may only be posted to free sites with the express permission of the author. ~Sydney Moya.

---

 

 
 
Chapter Four
 
She lost all track of time as she sat there crying her heart out. Her worst fears had become reality; her family had disowned her because of her situation. Her father thought she was some sort of pervert and her mother was bitterly disappointed.

After what seemed like hours and having cried herself numb she finally drove back to her apartment. Once there she changed into a large t-shirt and fell into her bed and dozed off not bothering to check her phone which had half a dozen messages from Gina.

She slept till dawn but woke up feeling lethargic and after eating some breakfast she promptly threw up. Connie wanted nothing more than to crawl back into her bed at that moment but she needed a pay check to keep a roof over her head. It wasn't like she had parent’s who’d bail her out she realised which set off another crying jag.

Somehow she managed to pull herself together and get ready for work. Her day went by quieter than usual; she completely lost herself in duties and managed to put aside her misery through this intense focus. She’d always kept to herself and her work[lace was no exception, she had no friends there just known strangers which suited her just fine that day, she wasn’t in the mood to chitchat with the nerds she worked with. Being the only girl and a gorgeous one at that helped, a lot of them had no idea how to socialise with her anyway and she’d never felt the need to break the ice.

When she got home she was surprised to find Jason there.

“Thank goodness, you’re okay!” he exclaimed looking and sounding relieved.

“I was worried sick, you never called last night,” he added as he took her hands and kissed her cheek.

“I’m sorry, I completely forgot,” said Connie.

After the devastating events of the weekend she’d completely forgotten to call Jason on her return.

“Didn’t you get my phone calls; I nearly went to the police,”

“No I didn’t, I had switched off my phone,” she told him.
 

 
In the aftermath of Connie’s announcement all was not well in Richards’ home. Jack had gone out to let off some steam while Helen was shell shocked.

“He doesn’t even look like a girl,” she muttered to Gina who was devastated at how things had gone and was quietly sobbing hurt by what had happened to Connie.

“I can’t believe this. What on earth did I do wrong?” she kept saying.

“Is that all you can think about Mom, Dad just threw Connie out and that’s all you’ve got to say,” said Gina, scandalised.

“Don’t you dare call David that, his name is David,”

“David doesn’t exist mom, he never did. You and dad just threw out my sister!” said Gina angrily.

“Are you saying you believe that nonsense?” retorted Helen.

“It’s not nonsense Mom, Connie’s always been a girl on the inside, always and I understand why she had to get surgery. She was never going to be a man like dad or Julian,” answered Gina, “when I stayed at her place I noticed how happy and more open she was. David was always glum and Connie is so alive. Truth be told I could never get David because he wasn’t real, Connie’s different that’s the true person,” responded Gina faithfully.

Having gotten to know Connie a lot better since their first meeting she certainly believed her sibling was far happier being female.

Her mother shook her head.

“I don’t get it Gina. Why would you change yourself like that?” remarked Helen.

“Mom if kids are born with an extra finger they cut it off right so they can be like everyone else right?”

Her mother nodded.

“David’s like that too, he was never really a guy. Sure his body might say so but inside it was killing him. It was either that or death,” explained Gina.

“But why didn’t he get therapy or something to cure him?” Helen wondered.

“He did and the surgery was the cure Mom. You don’t just get a sex change Mom the way you get a nose job, you have to see a number of doctors and stay as a girl for a year or so to prove if the right path for you. Connie didn’t do this on a whim; it’s the result of a lifelong journey,” pointed out Gina.

Helen shook her head, boys were boys and girls were girls and never shall the twain meet was her default thinking and as much as she loved her child, what Connie had done was too hard to understand let alone accept. She was too hurt to even begin understanding Gina’s argument.
 

 
“Connie no offence but you look like hell, what happened?” Jason asked worriedly.

Connie sighed; the tears were not too far away. Part of her wanted to say nothing was wrong but she figured Jason would pry it out of her.

“I had a fight with my parents, they don’t want to see my face again,” she told him in a sad voice.

“Why, I mean, why would they say that?” said a stunned Jason.

For some reason Connie wasn’t thinking straight, ordinarily she wouldn’t have done what she did next but she was feeling pretty fatalistic that day so she told him why.

“Let’s sit down,” she suggested softly, “I have to tell you something,” she added.

“What is it? I doubt there’s hardly anything I don’t know about you,” remarked Jason.

Connie sighed, “There is, Jason but first I want you to know something. In the eight months I’ve known you, I’ve fallen head over heels for you. I love you Jason,” she said.

“I love you too Connie, you’re my world,” said Jason warmly picking up her hands.

“I know that’s why I have to tell you something. It’s the reason my parents threw me out,” she told him her eyes bright with the tears she was fighting back.

“Whatever it is I can handle it,” Jason reassured, “we’ll handle it together,” he added.

“I’m not like other girls,” began Connie before Jason interrupted her.

“Of course you’re not that’s why I love you,” he teased.

“Jason, have you ever heard of gender dysphoria?” Connie queried.

“Yeah isn’t it like one of those diseases where the person thinks they are the opposite sex?” he responded.

“It’s not a disease,” said Connie defensively.

“Wait, don’t tell me you want to be a guy?” said Jason in surprise.

Connie shook her head, “No way,” she said fervently.

Jason looked relieved but the gears in his mind were still turning.

“So what about the gender thingy?” he asked.

Connie looked into his eyes briefly before looking away.

“I had it before you met me. When I was born I was named David,” she said softly.

“You’re a man?” asked Jason in disbelief.

“No I’m not Jason but I was born with the wrong body and I got it fixed but my parents can’t accept that,” said Connie.

“You’re a man, you lied to me,” said Jason angrily jerking his hands away from Connie’s.

“I’m not a man!” Connie sobbed.

“I never lied to you. This is who I am, a woman. How I was born shouldn’t matter,” she said.

“You’re a faggot. What the hell were you doing, trying to get me join your disgusting ways?” said Jason furiously.

“You bastard, did I feel like a man when you were sleeping with me?” said Connie just as angrily.

“Would you tell a man you loved him?” she added.

Jason stood up and made to strike her but restrained himself when he saw her wince and realised what he was about to do.

“You conned me you, you freak! I don’t ever want to see you again or I really will beat you up David,” he declared vehemently before storming out of the apartment banging the door behind him.

Connie curled up on her couch and cried over the shambles that was her life. At that moment she wondered what the point of her life was. What had just passed seemed to suggest that happiness was destined to be a fleeting occurrence in her life with misery her constant companion all because of something she’d never asked for.

Gina found her in this state just a few hours later, she’d been worried by the lack of contact from her since her abrupt departure. Worried, she’d decided to go to the apartment to check on her. Connie had given her a key on her first visit and she’d used it to gain entry.

Her sister looked terrible, her eyes red from the crying, her hair dishevelled while her makeup was ruined. Gina rushed to her side, joining her on the sofa and taking her into her arms.

“Gina,” said Connie, “what are you doing here?”

“You’re my sister, I came to check on you,” said Gina softly.

“Dad will..,” Connie was saying.

“I don’t care what Dad does. I love you and I’m not gonna abandon you,” Gina said which only elicited more sobs from the older girl.

“You’re the only person who cares,” wept Connie, “I’m a freak yet you still love me,” she sobbed.

“You’re not a freak Connie. You’re a strong woman and you’re my hero. I don’t think I could have dealt with the life you got but you made the most of it and today you a beautiful woman with a great job and good prospects,”

“Jason doesn’t think so; he almost beat me up when I told him everything. I’ll never be happy,” said Connie, choking on the sobs, her body heaving with despair.

“You told him and he broke up with you? What a bastard,” remarked Gina angrily.

“No, I’m the freak. Look at me, first Mom and Dad, now Jason. What’s wrong with me?” Connie asked.

“You’re wonderful Connie; they’re the ones who’re wrong. Don’t beat yourself up over this, you did your best with them and they couldn’t handle it. You did what you were supposed to now you can move on with your life sis,” Gina said in an attempt to console the older girl.

“Am I going to go through life like this, losing the people I love because I had a sex-change?” Connie asked.

“Hey I’m still here right? Mom and Dad were wrong to disown you. I know you didn’t choose this but even I can tell you’re better off as a girl, you’re a natural. Your problem is you’re not selfish enough Connie, you don’t want to hurt anyone but you have your life and Mom and Dad have theirs. You can’t live your life for them or any other human being. Answer me this question as honestly as possible, do you want to go back to being David?” Gina asked.

Connie stayed silent for a while thinking of everything that had happened. However she knew there was only one answer to that.

“No. I mean I wish they could accept me as the person I’ve become but I can never be David not for anyone. It’s just that it hurts so much that they don’t want me,” she told her sister.

“I know honey,” said Gina, tears falling from her eyes, “but you’ll get over this and trust me they will regret this. I’ve got to know the real you and I’m proud to have a sister like you. We’ll make it together. When Dad threw you out, he threw me out as well,” she added.

“Thanks but I please don’t break it off with them too. They are still our parents and their quarrels with me not you so don’t destroy your relationship for my sake,” Connie, “promise me that?”

Gina realised what a self-less person her sister was, right then. She’d always thought her sibling wasn’t assertive but then she learnt of Connie’s secret transition and she’d resented it as being selfish but when Connie told her what she’d gone through, how she’d postponed it and hidden it so as not hurt her family while it was grieving then hiding it from them to preserve their relationship she’d realised Connie was the most selfless individual she’d met. Now she was begging her not to destroy her relationship with them for their family’s sake even though in her shoes some people wouldn’t have cared. Even when hurting she still tried to help her family, the very same people who’d hurt her and it made her admiration of Connie swell tenfold.
 

 
Connie insisted Gina go back home the following day. Gina wanted to stay for a while and make sure she was okay but Connie told her she’d be okay and to go spend her Thanksgiving break with their family saying her absence would only make things worse for everyone.

“We don’t want them to say I led you astray so please go for my sake,” she begged her sister.

“I don’t have to like it but I’ll do it,” said Gina reluctantly.

“You’re a star Gina. Remember don’t fight with them about what happened, you still need to finish college,” Connie reminded her.

Both of them were sad to separate but both agreed it was for the best; Gina was still dependent on their parents for her schooling and upkeep as she hadn’t got a scholarship like her sibling. Connie also didn’t want to split the family over her. Gina didn’t deserve to lose their parents because of her. This was why Connie insisted she not fight them or argue her case.

So Gina returned to the Richards while Connie stayed behind at her apartment. She was still devastated at losing her boyfriend and her parents attitude and as you can imagine there were lots of tears shed over this though Gina’s visit helped Connie a lot. She didn’t feel as hopeless as she had at first and she began trying to deal with it. Her work helped a bit and so did the television and the copious of amounts of fried chicken, chocolate and ice cream she devoured and the increased exercise she started to keep the above-mentioned food off her hips.

Meanwhile at the Richards the atmosphere was strained, it was obvious to even a stranger that Helen and Jack were upset. Thanksgiving was dull and Helen had to fight the urge to call her child and invite her over. You’d think that they’d be used to a three person dinner by now as Connie hadn’t attended for the last three years but it was strange because they knew Connie wouldn’t be coming because they would have no truck with a person like her even if she was their child.

They were all hurt though it hardly showed on Jack except with the increased irritability while Helen seemed close to tears when she passed David’s room or Julian’s while Gina bitterly resented her parents for creating this situation and hurting everyone.

Connie was used to being lonely. It was something she’d grown up with as a child so it was nothing new to her but this time it felt different, in the past she’d always had the hope that one day things would get better and indeed they had in the past year, she had finally corrected nature’s mistake, fallen in love and come out to her family but in a week everything had gone awry save for her relationship with Gina which if anything was stronger.

She wondered about her future. Would anyone love her after they learnt her story?

Would she be able to have her own family?

Why didn't she have any close friends still?

She didn't question her decision to transition, her gender was most certainly female but she didn’t want to be alone for the remainder of her existence. Losing Jason who’d been her first love and first real friend hurt deeply and the look on his face when he’d nearly hit her, it had been like she’d stopped being a human being and become a thing to him and that had hurt more than his words.

Would everyone react like that to her and was that a reason to remain friendless?

She couldn't answer this definitively but she did resolve that being alone wasn’t a way to live and she was going to live.

That’s why she changed and drove to a soup kitchen to donate some food and her time. Besides spreading some cheer it would make her feel less miserable. Maybe getting some air would also make feel better physically because she’d been feeling lethargic and nauseous since her return from her parents home and she ascribed this to being depressed. She’d learnt about psycho-somatic illnesses in college and she supposed that was happening to her.

The folks at the soup kitchen were quite glad to have her help and for the first time that week she started to feel good.

“Do you come here a lot?” she asked the girl she was helping with the potatoes.

"Once a week, my dad was once homeless when he came back from Vietnam,” explained the girl whose name was Pattie.

“He turned his life around thanks to the help of places like this. My brother and I wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for that,” she added.

“Wow,” said Connie in amazement that a simple act of charity had helped make the existence of the girl beside her possible, “life is strange isn’t it?”

“Definitely, how about you, what’s your story?” Pattie returned.

“Mine, well I used to do some volunteering in college. I was free today so I thought what better way to spend my time than to help out,” answered Connie.
 
 

 
To Be Continued...
 

 

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Image Credits: Title Picture purchased and licensed for publishing from

123rf.com. The model(s) in this image is in / and are no way connected with this story nor supports nor conveys the issues and situations brought up within the story. The model(s) use is solely used for the representation of looks of the main character(s) of this particular story. ~Sephrena

Legalities: This work is the property of the author, and the author retains full copyright, in relation to printed material, whether on paper or electronically. Permission is granted for it to be copied and read by individuals, and for no other purpose. Any commercial use by anyone other than the author is strictly prohibited, and may only be posted to free sites with the express permission of the author. ~Sydney Moya.

---

 
Chapter Five
 
The holidays did nothing to alleviate Connie’s pain. They did just the opposite in fact as they let her know that while others had close knit family’s hers didn’t want her. She wondered at the irony that even crooks had visits from family while in jail while she who hadn’t committed a crime didn’t enjoy the same right because her mother and father hated her for having a medical condition resolved.

Helping at the soup kitchen helped a bit as she felt somewhat appreciated there and felt she was doing something positive and her sister was always a phone call away. Knowing that Gina loved and accepted her was a big boon for her and it lessened some of the misery somewhat though not entirely as nothing could temper the ache in her heart at being tossed aside by her mom and dad and the love of her life in short succession.

Her body seemed to be taking it out on her too, she felt lethargic a lot of the time for some reason.

Thanksgiving as well as Christmas passed. She was planning to be alone as usual having made Gina go to their parents. Connie refused to take another child from them no matter how much a part of her wanted to get back at them, the better part of her still loved them.

Her plans for having a quiet Christmas didn’t come to pass though.

“So what’s up for Christmas?” Patty asked a few days before the big day when they met up at the soup kitchen.

“Oh this and that,” said Connie defensively.

Being a private person she didn’t feel like weighing down someone else with her woes.

“Connie I like to think we’re sort of friends and forgive me for intruding but you seem like you need someone to talk to. I’m there if you want to,” said Patty gently, clutching the other girls hand.

Connie wanted to cry. People seemed to want to care but they would turn their backs on you once you shared with them, Jason and her parents being a case in point.

“I wish I could but you wouldn’t get it,” she murmured.

Patty saw how much she’d been hurt and gave her a hug.

“It’s okay if you can’t talk about it. You can tell me when you’re ready but tell me this at least, are you going to be alone over Christmas?”

Reluctantly Connie nodded.

“Oh no, we can’t have that. Why don’t you come and have Christmas with me and my family, I promise I won’t be nosy. Please say yes Connie,” responded Patty begging her with puppy dog eyes.

Connie wanted to say no, she wanted to be alone and miserable which is why she said,

“Okay,”

The McNulty’s were a very hospitable clan who gave Connie a warm welcome.

There were eight of them Grandpa and Grandma McNulty, Patty’s parents Don and Ruth, her two brothers Connor and Matthew as well their wives Zoe and Diane.

“When are you going to bring us a boyfriend Patty?” teased her grandmother affectionately.

Patty laughed.

“I think I’ll be a spinster a little longer,” she joked as she kissed her grandma.

“Hello dear, forgive my rudeness. I’m just a poor old woman who wants a great grandchild before she dies,” said the senior Mrs McNulty to Connie though evidently the message was for her grandchildren who laughed.

“Oh come on gran, you don’t look a day over 55,” Connor teased her while the rest of the family introduced themselves to their guest.

Connie loved the easy-going nature her hosts seemed to have; they were such a close, loving family and she wished she could have had something like this in her own life. Her time there was good for her, it lifted her flagging spirits. She nearly forgot all her problems during her stay with the McNulty’s. Nearly being the operative word, because the McNulty’s were so happy she was shown what she thought she would never have, a happy, loving family of her own. She did her best not to let her sadness show to the people who’d been kind enough to open their home to her.

Patty sensed this and she tried in her own way to cheer up her guest.

“Look Connie I now you’re sad at the moment but life’s too short to spend being miserable. You’re gorgeous and I can guarantee someone will scoop you off your feet,”

“Sure,” said Connie rolling her eyes.

After the holidays and being cheered up by Patty and the fact that it was a New Year, the time for new beginnings Connie was just starting to recover her mojo when she ran into Jason’s mother as she did her monthly groceries at a supermarket she rarely frequented.

As she rounded a corner her cart nearly hit Mrs Koumakis’ cart.

“Hello Mrs Kou...,” Connie was saying when Mrs Koumakis cut her off with a stinging clap.

“That is for lying to my son and pretending to be a woman. What the hell did you think you were doing trying to seduce my son into your evil ways?”

Connie opened her mouth to answer but Mrs Koumakis cut her off again.

“Don’t you dare talk to me you, you freak,” she said, “to think you I welcomed you into my home and that my son had found someone special. You’re disgusting,” she hissed before hurrying off in high dudgeon.

Connie just stood there fighting back tears. She’d thought Mrs Koumakis was a wonderful person but this outburst had come from nowhere. She never would have pegged her to be so full of hate.

This episode left her convinced that she couldn’t trust people with her secret and it snuffed out the good mood she’d been developing.She reacted by becoming more of a loner. More than once guys at work asked her out but she would politely turn them down fearing an outcome similar to the one she’d had with Jason. Going out which had been so interesting suddenly lost it’s all its lustre and Connie’s life descended to one where the only thing that got her out of bed was the need to go to work.

She also continued feeling sick and tired for no reason she could identify, her workload was the same and she didn’t think she was losing sleep. Gina was the only person she allowed to get close and she called every night and came by every other weekend making the 50 mile trip to see how her sister was doing.

It took Gina to notice something was wrong one weekend when she saw her sister vomit two mornings in a row.

“I think you ate something that didn’t agree with you, you should go and see a doctor,” she suggested.

“No I’m fine,” insisted Connie.

“No you’re not; this isn’t the Connie I met months ago. I know you’re hurting over everything but maybe they can give you something to make it better,” Gina responded.

Connie wanted to argue but she just didn’t have the strength to do so. She had no choice but to go along with her sister’s suggestion. Connie wanted to see her endocrinologist but when they called his practice there was no answer. Gina wouldn’t let her wait until Monday so they headed to a nearby practice and it wasn’t too long before a doctor saw her. Connie narrated all her symptoms and the doctor took a urine and blood sample. She didn’t mention that she was a transsexual and was on hormones.

“Miss Richards I can tell you what’s been making you sick lately. You’re pregnant,” said Dr Davis slowly.

Connie was stupefied as was Gina.

“What?” they both queried quite shocked.

“When was your last period” Dr Davis asked thinking she was one of those girls whose monthlies were irregular and wouldn’t notice missing a period.

“That’s not possible,” said Connie, “I wasn’t born a girl,”

Dr Davis’s eyes narrowed, “Is this a joke because,”

“No it’s not. Connie used to be my brother David until she had a sex-change,” explained Gina.

Connie nodded and explained her medical history to the doctor.

“Well I’m stupefied,” remarked Dr Davis, “I guess I’ll just have to run the tests again,” she told them.

The Richards sisters sat there holding hands while Dr Davis went to retest, both of them still stunned by what had just happened.

“She had me going there,” Connie finally said to her sister.

“Yeah I was shocked too,” said Gina looking at sister closely, “but you’d like kids wouldn’t you?”

“Yeah, but I can’t have my own you know, that’s the saddest thing about being the way I am,” remarked Connie.

“Didn’t you like save your ..,” she queried before flushing, “stuff,”

Connie giggled, “No, I took hormones for too long from a pretty young age, I was infertile by the time I had the op,” she explained, her tone becoming sad.

Gina gave her a hug wishing she could help her sister somehow.

Still she didn’t have to wait too long because an hour later the doctor came back.

“I’ve just rechecked the test Ms Richards and I’m afraid the tests were right, you are about two months pregnant,” announced Dr Davis.

“How, that’s not possible,” remarked Connie, staggered.

“Somehow, it happened, so the best thing we can do is to deal with this,” said Dr Davis, “I think you’re inter-sexed,”

Connie was shocked, she had no idea how this had happened, sure she’d had unprotected sex with Jason but she’d been physically male before her surgery. A dazed Gina looked at her also in shock while Dr Davis carried on with her spiel.

Everything was a blur as Connie was led to scanner and had her belly scanned. The next thing she remembered hearing was,

“It appears that you have an ectopic pregnancy, this could be potentially fatal if you carry the baby to term,”

Dr Davis then explained what an ectopic pregnancy was, apparently Connie had one ovary but no womb and the baby had become attached to her tubes or her abdomen and this was a dangerous thing. She suggested a termination.

That snapped Connie out of it, “No, I can’t do that,” she told the doctor.

“It’s highly unlikely you’ll be able to carry the foetus to term Miss Richard’s, this could kill you if not treated,”

“I won’t destroy my baby,” insisted Connie.

The doctor looked helplessly at Gina as Connie made to leave.

“I always wanted to be a girl Gina, since I was six or seven, now I’m going to be a mother and I can’t believe it. I never thought something like this would happen,” said Connie.

“You’ll be risking your life honey,” Gina answered.

“I know but I can’t kill this baby so I can live,” said Connie firmly.

“So you’re going to kill both of you instead?” Gina replied.

“I want another opinion. Maybe there’s a way for my baby to survive. After all it’s not like doctors know everything or they’d have told me I was a girl when I had my surgery,” said Connie.

“I understand are you going to tell Jason?” Gina queried.

“I don’t know,” said Connie softly.

“What about Mom and Dad?” Gina asked.

“No way am I not going back to them,” Connie said vehemently.

“But Connie, this is your chance to make up everything, if you’re pregnant it means you’ve always been female, even genetically, it’ll make them come round,” argued Gina.

“No, I’m not going to have anything to do with them again,” Connie told her sister, “they are not going to be a part of my life again.”
 
 
To Be Continued...
 

 

---

Image Credits: Title Picture purchased and licensed for publishing from

123rf.com. The model(s) in this image is in / and are no way connected with this story nor supports nor conveys the issues and situations brought up within the story. The model(s) use is solely used for the representation of looks of the main character(s) of this particular story. ~Sephrena

Legalities: This work is the property of the author, and the author retains full copyright, in relation to printed material, whether on paper or electronically. Permission is granted for it to be copied and read by individuals, and for no other purpose. Any commercial use by anyone other than the author is strictly prohibited, and may only be posted to free sites with the express permission of the author. ~Sydney Moya.

---

 
Chapter Six
 

She remembered being told not to worry if she had vaginal bleeding, as it sometimes occurred months after the surgery. When it had happened she’d worn a pad and gone on with her life not knowing she just had a period and was actually a fertile female.

Connie was in a daze for the next few days, she couldn’t believe what happened. She was pregnant something she’d never expected to happen. This was something out of a fiction story, real life wasn't meant to be like this was it? Still she felt a sense of relief, her feelings had not been the result of an unbalanced mind as some bigots liked to claim. Somehow she’d had the female parts all along which validated how she’d felt all her life.

Gina was also stunned, almost as much as she’d been when she’d first found out about Connie. She’d had a sister all along, one who was expecting. She would have been happy except for the fact that the pregnancy might kill Connie and the child.

The prognosis was grim. The doctors told her a termination was the safest bet and that even if by a miracle she carried the baby to term, there was a huge risk to her life as she could rupture an artery or an organ and the chance of extreme disability for the child.

When she heard this Connie had burst into tears, terrified and very lost. Gina did her best to comfort her.

Nothing could convince Connie to abort the pregnancy though as she was determined to have the baby. She decided that as long as she wasn’t in immediate danger she would fight for her child.

Connie needed a miracle. So for the first time in a while she prayed. Connie prayed for her child’s life and the chance to look after him or her.

Months passed by. Connie was showing now and it had changed her life drastically. Her body had felt a bit alien. She had weird cravings at random times, her bladder was annoyingly smaller. Her emotions were all over the place, much worse than when she’d started hormones as a teenager. The weight gain wasn’t her favourite change. A lot of her clothes couldn’t fit her anymore which was more than annoying. People’s attitudes had changed too. For example at work everyone was solicitous and overly friendly. Women tended to smile more at her now; she didn’t get some of the catty looks that came with being an attractive woman anymore.

She grew closer to Gina who was over nearly every other weekend and did everything with her from shopping for maternity clothes to attending Lamaze classes with her. She needed the support more than she let on as she sometimes wondered if she was capable of facing this.

 

 

Connie slowly walked into the cemetery with her six-year old son. They were here to pay their respects to the boy's father Jason. On reaching his grave they placed a bouquet of flowers on it. She still felt the raw pain of his loss and the emotion threatened to overwhelm Connie. He was the only man she'd ever loved and his death had been so painful. Despite the being dumped by she'd never stopped loving him. She looked at her little angel, her miracle and the tears threatened to flow.

Her baby looked so much like his father. He had the same jet black hair and the laughing blue eyes. Kellan looked up at his mother and saw her glistening eyes. He squeezed her hand. She squeezed back and they turned and began walking away.

Lynne Koumakis was stunned as she saw the young woman and little boy at her son's resting place. When that little boy had turned to leave her heart had nearly stopped. Even from a distance he looked like her son had at that age. She'd wondered if she was losing it. She still mourned him, was she hallucinating?

Because of this she refrained from calling out. Instead she watched the pair walk away. When they turned a corner she walked to the grave. The flowers there were real enough and they were fresh too. She picked them up. This was as much to make sure of this as it was to ensure that they weren't a figment of her imagination. Satisfied that she wasn't losing her faculties she noted that there was no card.

Her thoughts turned to the woman. Had Jason impregnated a girl before his death? If this was so, was that her?

She raked her memory in an effort to recall if he'd been seeing anyone around that time. There was Stephanie, the Sevenakis girl she'd set him up with after he'd broken up with that freak that had the temerity to pretend to be a woman.

She immediately discounted Stephanie as she and her mother were close. Her heart sank as she recalled the young woman's hair. It had been the same strawberry blonde as that freaks. It couldn't be that had been a man and men couldn't give birth unless Jason hadn't told them the truth.

She shook her head as if trying to get these disturbing thoughts out of her mind. She didn't want to sully her boy's memory. However she couldn't help feel an aching need to find out who that boy was. She told herself she'd speak with her husband about it.

 

 

Connie and her little boy got into their vehicle a mini SUV her employer had issued her and drove to their hotel. Kellan looked around excited to see the city of his birth. He asked his mother all about the place, curious as to why she'd left. Connie did her best to answer him as she tried to remember that 'keep left' didn't apply here. Kellan then asked about his father. He was at that age where a child wants to know everything about everything. He'd asked her about his father a couple of days ago and Connie had sat down with him and shown him her pictures of him. Jason had passed away before his birth.

She would never forget that day. She was eight months along at the time. It was a Saturday and she was at home resting. She was due in the hospital the next day as the doctors felt she should be under constant care now. It had become an increasingly difficult pregnancy, her feet were swollen and her back ached. Gina wasn’t around that weekend and she was alone.

Connie didn’t like being alone with her thoughts anymore so she’d switched on the TV to cast away any gloomy thoughts she might have. As she was channel surfing, looking for something suitably distracting to watch she happened upon the news.

There was a shooting going on downtown. She watched and was surprised to see Jason’s workplace being filmed. A helicopter was hovering above the building. Someone had walked in and started shooting indiscriminately.

A growing sense of foreboding crept into her mind as she watched, after 30 minutes of rolling coverage she saw bodies being wheeled out. She was hit by a wave of wracking pain worse than any she’d ever experienced. Connie quickly reached for her phone and dialled 911, bringing her go bag near.

She was rushed to hospital where the doctors made the decision to remove the baby. Her son was born while she was under as the doctors worked to save both their lives. Connie nearly bled to death. She’d needed 6 pints of blood. It had been a difficult birth and nearly dying had made her very close to her baby. After hours after of painstaking surgery she was stable and came back to. She was too weak to stand but the nurse took her bed to the incubator so she could see her son.

That was the happiest moment of Connie’s life, surpassing even the day she’d seen her new body for the first time. Connie realised that her life had changed now, nothing would ever be the same, she had someone who needed her and promised herself to do her best. It was an emotional moment, she’d cried, as he looked so tiny and unprepared for the world. She could hardly believe he was hers, that she’d carried him. Connie didn’t think it was possible to love anyone more than she loved her son at that moment.

Her good feelings didn’t last. The next day brought news that Jason was dead.

He'd died in the shooting. A disgruntled former employee had walked in and started shooting indiscriminately. Jason had died instantly probably before realizing what was going on. Because she was still convalescing she'd missed his funeral. When she got out of the hospital she'd managed to go with Gina to the grave and cry her heart out.

Connie had decided she needed to get away from it all. She didn’t want to raise her child in an apartment where she’d experienced so much sorrow. Luckily an opportunity had arisen in her company to go overseas. She'd taken a job in the U.K. when her son was six months old just to get away from the pain she was feeling from everything that had happened in the last year or so. Gina had followed her there on an exchange program a couple of months later. So strong was the bond both girls had developed that it was a no-brainer that they would live together in Hertfordshire.

Kellan had been a literal lifesaver. His birth had given Connie purpose for the first time since the fallout from coming out to her loved ones. Here was someone completely dependent on her. He wouldn't judge her and needed her. As he grew older she appreciated each and every moment she managed to spend with him and marvelled at the unique individual he was. It amazed her that her own parents could have disowned her as she loved her own child so much that she could never push him away.

Of course being a single mother wasn’t easy she had to juggle her job with looking after an infant while adjusting to living in a foreign country. Gina’s presence helped a lot though and between the two of them and her company’s in-house nursery they managed not to make a hash of things. Even then there were moments when she’d wished for her mother. There were times when her baby would cry in the middle of the night and nothing could placate him and she’d end up in tears too. She’d come close to calling Helen more than once but the wounds her parents had inflicted on her were too deep for her to forget let alone forgive. Luckily her sister was there for her and that kept her from hurting too much. They talked about what had happened which did a lot to help Connie heal.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to let go sis,” Connie had told her sister, “I mean look at Kellan. He is so precious, I can’t imagine ever not wanting him around,” she murmured.

“If Mum and Dad feel the way I feel I don’t know how they could have said the things they did,” Connie remarked.

Gina looked at her sister before giving her a hug, as much for herself as it was for Connie.

Gina had taken a job in England after graduating to be near her sister and nephew. They’d been a happy little family, both sisters doting on the little boy while growing closer than ever.

 

 

Helen Richards missed her children. Gina was living in England at the moment at least she knew where she was even though the girl seemed to avoid them. She called once a week but Helen sensed that she'd never really forgiven her for what had happened with David. She would never get over Julian's death but it was what had happened with David that finished her broken heart.

It had been more than half a decade. With hindsight she realised she should have stood up for her child, throwing her out had been cruel. She didn’t like the idea of a sex-change but they were the only parents David had.

He was still alive, at least she hoped he was as she had no way of knowing but she'd acquiesced to her husband treating him like he was dead. She had no idea where he was. His number wasn't active anymore. Helen suspected Gina knew but she wouldn't talk about it.

She couldn’t help wondering what her child was up to what he looked like just like she wondered what Julian would be like if it wasn’t for that accident, she couldn’t get her mind around the fact that her baby was living as a woman. She would have loved to see what he looked like, to at least talk to him. She ached for her children. Never in her worst nightmares could she have imagined things would be like this.

Jack had mellowed on a lot of things but on David he was intransigent, he wouldn’t hear of them looking for him. Helen looked at a family portrait taken when her kids had been 18, 12 and 10. She couldn’t help but miss those days. Things had been so much simpler back then.

Helen picked up the phone and called a number she’d found months before.

“Hello, this is Lansing Security. May I help you?”

“Hello, my name is Helen Richards. I’m trying to track down my son, is it possible for you to help me,”

“You’ll need to come down to our offices on Westlake and Sixth. When are you free?”

“Will this afternoon do?”

“Ok, I’ll pencil you in for 3 o’clock,”

“Thank you,”

To be continued.
 
 

 
To Be Continued...
 

 

---

Image Credits: Title Picture purchased and licensed for publishing from

123rf.com. The model(s) in this image is in / and are no way connected with this story nor supports nor conveys the issues and situations brought up within the story. The model(s) use is solely used for the representation of looks of the main character(s) of this particular story. ~Sephrena

Divider licensed for use in publishing from Photoshopgraphics.com ~Sephrena.

Legalities: This work is the property of the author, and the author retains full copyright, in relation to printed material, whether on paper or electronically. Permission is granted for it to be copied and read by individuals, and for no other purpose. Any commercial use by anyone other than the author is strictly prohibited, and may only be posted to free sites with the express permission of the author. ~Sydney Moya.

---

 

 
 
Chapter Seven
 

Connie smiled as she walked out of her company’s head office. The interview had gone quite well despite her worst fears and her rushed start that morning as she tried to keep time while making sure she looked perfect and that Kellan was fed and clothed too. They had just made it and she felt she might get the job.

She hoped it was the British post as she was already based there and didn’t want to uproot Kellan who she noted had a faint English accent now. She loved the US as much as the next person but she wasn’t sure she wanted her child to grow up in a country where people could walk into schools and shoot kids.

It seemed like every time she switched on the news there was some new shooting. The only solution she'd heard was more guns, which in her opinion was ludicrous. Considering what had happened to Jason she wasn’t sure she wanted his son to grow up here facing the same dangers. Plus Kellan had a bunch of friends back in the UK; especially one girl named Stacy who he’d declared was his future wife.

Why take the interview, knowing she might be posted back to the States?

It was a question she’d asked herself many times but in the end there were a number of reasons. A part of her wanted to go see her home again as well as show her son where he came from. She also wanted to see where she stood professionally, was she good enough for a place in senior management?

All this had made her apply and she didn’t regret it. It had been nice to see her old team again. The guys hadn’t changed except that some of their tables now had pictures of their kids. Aside from that it was just like old times.

 

 

Dion Lansing wondered how crazy some people could be. The story he’d just heard beggared belief. Basically this woman had a son who’d had surgery to become a woman and when the parents found out they disowned him. Helen, the client had no idea where her child was. Their other kid had gone to England and hardly spoke to them. She thought she had no intention of returning. Who could blame her, he wondered.

He shook his head. He didn’t have kids but liked to think if he did, his door would always be open for them. He shook his head again to clear his mind. It wasn’t up to him to judge his clients especially when they were paying top dollar for his services.

He had to establish his quarry’s name first. The mother didn’t even know what the kid’s name was. More work for him and more money he thought. He turned to his desktop, knowing that name changes are a matter of public record.

It didn’t take him too long to find the record of a name change. Some years before, his client’s child had petitioned for a name change, possibly because of the sex-change she'd done. He knew who to look for now, a Constance David Richards.

He googled her, knowing that people left more information than they realised online. There was no sign of her. He sighed; he was going to have to work for this money. He picked up the dossier he'd compiled on Connie from the information her mother had passed onto him.

She was the second of two siblings, sandwiched between a now deceased brother and a little sister who was in the UK. Mrs. Richards had said they barely talked to the younger girl; maybe it was because of their reaction to the transition.

He decided a cold call might be in order.

 

 

"Mummy," yelled little Kellan when he spotted his mother.

He hadn't reached that age when little boys don't want to be seen as too close to their mothers in public thought Connie with a smile as she embraced her son.

Truth be told, the two of them were quite close, Kellan simply adored his parent while Connie loved him more than life itself. She couldn’t imagine her life without him.

She looked into his impossibly blue eyes, which reminded her of her brother's.

"Hi honey, did you have fun today?'' Connie asked him

Kellan nodded happily, "Yes, we made paper planes and mine flew the furthest,'' he chirped.

Basil Koumakis coughed, making a rasping noise that was the result of years of cigarette smoking.

“A kid who looks like Jason," Basil wheezed.

"I know it sounds crazy but he is the spitting image of our boy Basil. I thought I was hallucinating," Lynn said shaking her head.

Basil wanted to say she was but he knew that wouldn’t be fair to his wife. Losing their son was the worst thing that had happened in their long marriage. They were still struggling to get over it.

He squeezed her hand gently.

"I took a picture," said Lynn, pulling her phone out of her bag, "look,'' she said scrolling through her phone.

Basil took the proffered phone if only to indulge the woman he'd loved for so long.

Lynn had one of these new android phones that took excellent pictures even at a distance. It had been a gift from their daughter Leia and she now fancied herself an amateur photographer. She wasn't half bad too and he was glad she had something to interest her.

The image on the screen nearly stopped Basil's old heart.

"Goodness," he murmured.

"See I told you," Lynn remarked, happy that she'd proved her point.

Basil looked at her, immediately seeing the potential for her heart to break again if as he still thought this wasn't Jason's boy.

"He would have told us," he argued.

"What if he didn’t know?''

"This is a big city Lynn, I'm sure we can find someone who looks like you if we try hard enough,'' Basil argued.

"I need to know, what if we have a grandson out there." Lynn argued.

Basil sighed heavily, "I don't want you to get hurt," he said softly.

Lynn embraced her husband, "Nothing could hurt more than this," she murmured.

 

 

Gina had just arrived home when the telephone rang. She sighed having the house to herself was not as fun as she'd thought it would be, for one she had to answer the phone instead of Connie. She saw it was a US number which wasn't her parents (which had a special ringtone so Connie wouldn’t pick it up).

Her heart leapt, she hoped it might be Connie and Kellan, they'd been gone three days, and she missed them already.

"Hello, how can I help you?"

"Hello ma'am, may I speak to Constance Richards please?"

"Sorry I didn’t get your name?" Gina said, rather wary.

"Oh, I apologise, my name is Lenny Weiss, and I’m calling on behalf of the Eastwood University Alumni Association. Ms Richards left this number on a contact form, we are currently organising some programs to help Eastwood and are looking up alumni we have on record to see if their interested."

Dion Lansing was an excellent liar when he needed to get information.

Gina suspicions settled, her university did this at least every year too. She didn’t recall Connie ever mentioning it but it was one of those things that you wouldn’t mention anyway. It sounded legit too.

"I'm sorry Ms.Richards isn't around at the moment. Try calling again in a week," Gina responded before putting the phone down.

Lansing sat in his little office, brows knitted, opening, and closing a bull clip repeatedly. It was something he'd picked up back when he was still a cop and was deep in thought about a case. He carefully pieced together the clues he'd gathered.

A woman had answered Gina Richards’s phone. She didn’t have a British accent but she'd confirmed that was a number where one could reach Connie. Ergo Connie lived with Gina. Connie wasn't around at the moment but would be in a week.

He thought Gina was very safety conscious, she didn’t say anything other than confirm a hunch. He now knew the siblings lived together in England and Gina obviously hadn't let her parents know that she wasn't estranged from her sibling as they were.

On another hunch he visited the site of Connie Richard's last employer. He checked under the human capital link. There was no sign of her. He then saw a link to the companies British operations. He followed the link and then visited the people page.

He saw his first picture of Constance Richards; he stared for a whole minute. She had the loveliest smile, bright green eyes, and gorgeous mane of strawberry blonde hair. He was stunned; there was no way that used to be a man. He couldn’t see any of the telltale signs that indicated someone who'd had a sex-change.

He noted that she was the Senior Systems administrator for a British region. Her qualifications matched the information he'd been given by Helen except for the name. He did a double take when he read that she was a mother of one.

He knew enough about gender reassignment to know that wasn't possible, unless she adopted.

Yes that was probably it, she'd adopted. He also noted that there was no mention of her marital status.

‘Interesting,’ Dion thought.

He tried to imagine why parents would disown a child. He didn’t have kids and had never married as he simply hadn’t met the right girl; his own father had been a marine sergeant while his mother had been a housewife. They had been loving but strict. Unless he was naughty there wasn't much he'd feared to be open with them about. Of course he didn’t pretend to understand the first thing about why someone would change their gender, except he knew that the people who felt like were very cut up and couldn't live what their mind insisted was a lie.

He glanced at Connie's graduation picture, heck she didn’t even look like a 22 year old man but like a girl acting as a man. Well she'd certainly grown into quite a woman; she wasn't turning tricks like so many other transwomen did to survive and clearly ascending the career ladder and had a kid to boot. He was sure she was a daughter most would be proud of. A woman he would ask out no questions asked.

'Except she used to be a man,'

He shook his head; Jack Richards was a fool he thought.

He needed to find out where Connie was and the easiest way was to call her employer.

 

 

Connie listened to her child regaling her with his exploits at school. She couldn’t help thinking how beautiful the world was when you saw it through the eyes of a child. Had she ever had that happiness?

She wanted to think so, before her gender issues had all but consumed her waking existence. Maybe when she was 4 or 5 and her world revolved around Gina, Julian and her mother. Julian would place her on his shoulders and race around the garden with her while she shrieked with joy. Mom made the most amazing treats for them and was always there with a kiss and hug. Gina was her playmate, following her around all the time. Even Dad hadn’t been so bad he was an idol to them. Life had been much simpler back then. It was a crying shame that people grew up and things had to change.

“Mom, are you listening?” Kellan asked worried look on his face.

“Of course honey, you were telling me all about Mark,” Connie said giving her son an indulgent smile.

Jack Richards looked at his wife of over 3 decades wondering what was bothering her. She’d been behaving funny lately. He didn’t know what it was but she wasn’t acting her normal self these days. There were furtive calls in the hallway when she thought he was outside, he thought she was avoiding him somewhat.

All in all he was highly suspicious. Something was up but he was prepared to let it go, she probably had a good reason for it. He looked across the room and saw a family portrait from years back. He sighed as he asked himself what he had done wrong to have his family destroyed.

Julian was dead, the little boy who’d been so cheerful and brought so much joy to their lives, gone at 24. His heart still ached at the loss, it was so unfair. He wondered why he couldn’t have died instead. Then there was David, as if Julian dying wasn’t enough he had got some notion into his head that he was a woman. He’d even had the surgery, that had been six years back.

“I wouldn’t stand for that,’’ he muttered.

Still deep down he wondered where he’d gone wrong with the boy.

He could barely recall if he had beaten him or anything. Had anyone abused him, the kid was a loner and they had tried to bring him out of his shell but he’d seemed happy enough with his books. He tried to remember what he’d said.

“Ever since I was four or five I’ve felt something was wrong with me. It’s like I was something inside that I wasn’t on the outside”.

“Because I had to. Like I said I hated being a boy and my body and that was the only way I could feel comfortable with myself and it worked. I like the body I have now and living as a woman feels so right,” David had explained.

He remembered his disbelief and anger then his disgust when he’d revealed that he’d mutilated his body. His anger had been justified but now with time he believed he should have counselled his child not disowned him.

They hadn’t heard from him since that day and didn’t know whether he was alive or dead. His pride wouldn’t let him look for him, call him home. He wasn’t going to accept that shit but he couldn’t help feeling an acute sadness at the loss of his kid. He’d been so proud of David, he wasn’t a sportsman or popular but he had always respected his intelligence and kind heart. Of the three of them he knew David was the cleverest, kindest, and most mature of his kids which is why he’d been so upset at him being a homo. He was willing to admit that he was quite disappointed.

Then there was Gina, he’d spoilt the girl no doubt but after what had happened with her brother, she’d transferred to England and barely talked to them. She hadn’t said as much but he knew she wasn’t pursuing educational opportunities. She didn’t trust them anymore. Not that he blamed her, she probably saw him as a monster for how he’d treated David.

Jack rubbed his eyes, tired.

He sighed heavily, unable to fathom the answer to why his family was broken. This wasn’t how he’d envisioned his retirement. He stood up and walked outside hoping to lose himself in his garden.

For a while he could forget all his troubles.

To be continued

Hello David

---

Image Credits: Title Picture purchased and licensed for publishing from

123rf.com. The model(s) in this image is in / and are no way connected with this story nor supports nor conveys the issues and situations brought up within the story. The model(s) use is solely used for the representation of looks of the main character(s) of this particular story. ~Sephrena

Divider licensed for use in publishing from Photoshopgraphics.com ~Sephrena.

Legalities: This work is the property of the author, and the author retains full copyright, in relation to printed material, whether on paper or electronically. Permission is granted for it to be copied and read by individuals, and for no other purpose. Any commercial use by anyone other than the author is strictly prohibited, and may only be posted to free sites with the express permission of the author. ~Sydney Moya.

---

 

 
 
Chapter Eight
 

Dion Lansing called Connie’s office in an effort to find out where she was. The friendly assistant informed him Connie was out of the country at the moment but asked if she could pencil him in for an appointment as soon as she got back.

Knowing there was no way he could cross the Atlantic without informing his customer of the added expense he declined.

He had to find out where she was.

“Do you know which country she went to?”

“Oh she went to the States, she is visiting our head office,” the friendly assistant informed him.

Dion made an air punch.

“Oh well, thanks. I’ll wait for her to return. You’ve been so helpful,” he told her.

“You’re welcome sir,” the bubbly secretary said.

It continued to amaze Dion what kind of information a few phone calls could get you if you asked the right questions.

‘Maybe I should have had a career in the CIA or as a burglar,’ Dion thought, not for the first time.

 
 

 

Connie was blissfully unaware that someone was searching high and low for her. Instead she was too busy showing her kid the city where he’d been born. Kellan had so many questions for his Mom like,

“Where were you born Mommy?”

“Oh I was born in California, that’s across the country,”

“Really, you travelled a lot didn’t you?”

“Not really, my parents used to travel before I was born because of Dad’s job,” she told him.

“What was your dad’s job,” Kellan queried.

“He was a pilot in the airforce,”

“Was he a jet pilot?” Kellan asked, “I want to fly jets too,”

Connie smiled at her little boy.

“I really don’t know what he did in the airforce. I know he flew planes before I was born and he was in charge of deploying them later on.”

“Mommy,”

“Yes my darling?”

“Where are your daddy and mommy?”

Connie sighed mentally, it was a question she and her sister always tried to avoid but her son had been asking it repeatedly for months now almost as frequently as the one about his father. Apparently all the kids at school always spent weekends at their grandparents all the time.

“I haven’t seen them since before you were born luv,” she responded.

“Why not?”

“Well they live in America and we live in Britain,”

“Can we visit them?” Kellan asked.

“No,” said Connie abruptly.

“Why not?” Kellan repeated.

Connie took a deep breath, what she was about to say went against everything she had told her child.

“Well they my parents don’t want to see me ever again,” she confessed.

The little boy frowned.

“That’s not nice,” he remarked.

“No its not sweetie, no more questions okay,” she said before ruffling his hair.

“Mommy I will always love you,” said Kellan solemnly.

Connie was touched, “Me too sweetie, it’s us against the world,” she said before kissing him.

“Time for a bath if you want to see the dinosaur exhibit,” she added.

“Yay,” Kellan whooped before rushing to the bathroom.

Connie smiled, wondering how poorer her life would be without this little boy.

 
 

 

Dion called his client to update her on the progress he was making.

“Hello,” said the gruff voice of Jack Richards.

“Hello, I’m looking for Helen Richards,” Dion replied.

“Why, what is it in connection with?”

“Sorry who am I speaking to?”

“Jack Richards, her husband,” said Jack, getting curious.

Dion was aware Mrs Richards hadn’t informed her husband about her search for their child.

“Sir could you please get tell her to contact Mr Lansing, she’s won a sweepstakes competition,” lied Dion his voice cheerful, “she get one year’s supply of hair care products.”

“Oh that’s nice, I’ll get her to call you back. What is the number?”

Dion gave an unlisted number of his that didn’t give the name of his business. It was a security system he had in place for similar situations only they usually involved infidelity. The guilty partner wouldn’t find out about Lansing Security.

“Okay got it, have a nice day,” said the colonel after taking down the number.

Helen would be pleased he thought. She’d seemed a bit down lately.

While he waited for her call Dion decided to do a bit more research. If Connie was in the States he figured she was probably on a work related assignment. He thought it wasn’t a coincidence that the hq of her company was in this city meaning there was a high chance she was around.

Maybe he could talk to her.

He stood up and went downstairs.

The people at her firm were very nice and told him all he wanted to know. He knew which hotel she was in so all he had to do was wait in the lobby for her to show up. He wasn’t disappointed as after a couple of hours she rocked up with a little boy.

They wore big smiles and were walking hand in hand.

He stood up and approached her.

‘Gosh, she’s lovely,’ he thought as he looked her up and down.

She was about five foot seven, her strawberry blonde mane shone in the light with a trim figure that had curves in the right places that seemed to be emphasised by her jeans and sweater. Her green eyes twinkled and brightened her fine features.

She was drop dead gorgeous.

Dion couldn’t believe this woman could ever have been a man.

He doubted she was the right person even as he hailed her,

“Ms Richards, excuse me,”

Connie stopped and looked at the man who was calling her.

He was white, with short brown hair, of average height, slim build and wore non-descript glasses that hid a plain yet chiselled and clean shaven face with an inscrutable expression.

Connie gave him a quizzical stare.

“Yes,” she said smiling

“Hi my name is Dion Lansing, I’m a private investigator,” he said offering his hand.

Her smile faded and Dion felt like someone had switched off the sun.

“What’s the matter?” Connie asked, her expression closed up.

She drew her child closer to her.

“Do you know a Helen Richards?” Dion asked.

He saw the colour drain out of her face. Her eyes narrowed.

“What’s this about?”

“She’s looking for you,” he explained.

Connie blinked back surprise, her face became a canvas of conflicting expressions curiosity versus disdain versus anger.

Anger won out in the end.

“I don’t want to be found Mr Lansing,’’ she said, her voice ice cold.

‘Let’s go,” she said to her son.

Dion wasn’t prepared for this answer and he stood there confused as they walked away. By the time he had recovered his wits, mother and son had already boarded an elevator.

There was no doubt he had found his quarry and she wanted nothing to do with her mother.

He realised that she was still hurting from the rejection by her mother.

 
 

 

“I am returning Mr Lansing’s call,” Helen said on reaching Dion’s voicemail.

Dion picked up the phone.

“Hi Mrs Richards,” he said.

“Hi Mr Lansing, I heard you called,” said Helen, sounding nervous.

“Yes I found your daughter,” said Dion.

He couldn’t refer to Connie as a man

Helen’s heart skipped a beat.

“David’s alive?”

“Yes but he is certainly not David anymore. She is a systems manager at an IT company in England,” Dion began.

“England?” Helen asked confused.

“Yes she has lived there for close to five years now,”

Helen’s realised why Gina had wanted to go there so badly now.

“Gina lives with her no doubt,” Helen said with a sigh.

“I think so,” Dion replied.

Helen was sad her Gina had kept this from her but pleased someone in the family hadn’t rejected Connie.

“DO you have an address?”

“Not yet but there’s something else you should know, Connie is in the US at the moment. I met her today,” Dion said.

“You did?” Helen asked, her heart beating faster at the news, “is she okay? Healthy, does she seem happy?”

Dion felt sorry for her.

“Yes she seems happy enough. She has a son. I think he might be five or six,” Dion said.

Helen gasped.

“A son?”

“Yes,”

“Oh my goodness,” Helen said, shocked and delighted at the same time.

“I am sending you a picture right now,” Dion continued.

Helen glanced at the message.

It was a clear picture of a beautiful strawberry blonde woman in her twenties and a little boy with dark hair. Tears fell from her eyes as she stared at the picture.

“Ma’am I approached her,” Dion said.

“What did she say?” Helen asked, hungry for information.

“I introduced myself and asked if she knew you. She said she didn’t want to be found. I’m sorry,” Dion said.

He was genuinely sorry as he heard the woman sob. It was such a sad state of affairs

 
 

 

“The nerve, hiring a PI to look for me after what she did?” Connie angrily complained to Gina.

“Tell me you’re kidding?”

“I kid you not sis. Why now?”

“You’re her child Connie, she’s a mother. It’s natural,” Gina replied.

“Was it natural to disown me?” Connie snapped.

“No it wasn’t but don’t yell at me,” Gina answered.

“Sorry sis I’m just so upset ya know,” apologised Connie

“I know hon, I can’t imagine how you must be feeling,” Gina responded.

Connie sighed, “It hurts so much that they couldn’t love me for I was and that they threw me out and now they want to find me. That doesn’t fly,” she said.

“What do you want to do?”

“Nothing, they should just keep their distance and I’ll keep mine,” Connie remarked.

Gina wished her sister would forgive her parents but she remembered the girl she had found in that apartment after they had thrown her out. Connie had been wild-eyed and dejected.

It was a minor miracle she had recovered from that in her opinion. It would be hard to forgive her father and mother hurting her . Heck she’d been so angry herself she’d followed her sister out of the country.

“Con, when you get back maybe you should see someone,” Gina suggested.

Connie ran her fingers through her hair.

“Yeah, Kellan asked about them this morning,” she told her baby sister.

“Wow again, what’d you tell him?”

“The truth, that they threw me out and didn’t want to see me again. Do you know what he said afterwards?”

“Yes,” Gina prompted.

“He told me he would always love me,” said Connie, her voice cracking with emotion.

Gina blinked back tears too.

“That’s so sweet. Give him a kiss for me will you.”

Connie regaled her with what they had done earlier in the day, from their trip to the museum to see a dinosaur exhibition to their sightseeing tour around the city as well as the lunch and two ice creams Kellan had asked for.

Gina sighed, then noticed the time.

“I wish I was there,” she told her sister, “I have to go, ‘night,”

“Goodnight Gina, love ya,”

“I love you too girl,” Gina replied before hanging up.

She reflected on her last words. It never ceased to amaze her how much her sibling had changed from when they were kids. She had had no idea David longed to be Connie and was actually a girl like her.

That was why she had been so shocked when she found out what Connie had done.

She’d read up on gender dysphoria after Connie had come out. Looking back she had realised her sibling had been quite different from other boys and let’s face it effeminate. She remembered how the kids had pushed her around just because she was so introverted and they couldn’t get it.

One friend of hers had told her that people thought David was a homo.

“I mean look at him,” she’d said pointing out David’s girly face and gait.

Gina had ended that friendship out of loyalty to her sibling but she hadn’t reached out to David either. She’d had been too self-absorbed to see her sibling's pain and to be honest David had been such a loner.

All that had changed with her unplanned visit years back which had led to her discovering Connie that fateful afternoon. She had seen her sister happy for the first time in her life and realised that David was nothing but an illusion.

She’d talked Connie into telling their parents leading to the disastrous results Connie had predicted. She’d watched Connie get her heart broken by a useless man, get her life back on course and then discover that she was pregnant and had been genetically a girl all along.

Gina had felt cheated on Connie’s behalf, cheated out of an older sister for so long. She had watched her risk her life to have her baby against the doctors and her own advice. She’d seen her stand up to her fear to have a baby.

She’d watched her grieve for her baby’s father before taking a leap and moving to a foreign country in an effort to find peace. Gina had watched her raise Kellan with so much love and care.

They had navigated womanhood together and were as close any sisters you could find. She was in awe of her sister, her best friend and confidante, without a doubt the bravest person she knew.

‘Mom and Dad have no idea what their missing,’ she thought.

To be continued.
 
 

 
To Be Continued...