Introduction: Ashley (Aishling) comes out to her father. He does not seem to be too disturbed; however, he insists that her transition has to be done the right way. They know Ashley’s mother will not be very accepting or helpful. Sean Finlayson finds an appropriate mother substitute for her.

The story is not mine. It is based on a very old tale that might have been part of English/Irish lore, it might be French or German. It might even be Persian in origin. I’ll leave it to you to try to figure out what tale it is. If you think you know, PM me. Don’t spoil it for others.

Although there are characters from other stories who make brief appearances, this is a stand-alone story.

This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

Chapter 2

“Jesus, are you sure you want to do this. I mean, I’ve been wondering.”

“Yes I want to do this, and I want to go full time as soon as possible. I’m eighteen, and I don’t need your approval, but I would like your support. I don’t want to do this behind your back. I need to see a doctor and a psychologist or someone who will say it’s okay for me to start HRT. You know what HRT is, don’t you.”

“Yeah, it’s in those books you gave me. So you want to be a woman. I don’t think I get it, but I’m willing to listen. I read that one book about that woman in California. That was real sad. Her parents were real dirt bags. You won’t have to worry about me. I just need to know what’s going on.”

“I know that was a sad story in some ways; however, the last part of her life was wonderful. Her death had nothing to do with what she went through. I understand that what killed her was a particularly nasty form of pancreatic cancer.

“I think we need to get something straight right now. I do not want to be a woman.”

“Oh, I thought …?”

“Let me finish. I am a woman. My brain is female. I’ve taken several of those psychological tests. The results are unofficial, but they all indicate I have a female brain. I want you to come with me to a qualified psychologist who can officially confirm or deny what I know to be the truth. There is no cure for what I have other than to make my body conform to my mind. I’ve been undergoing electrolysis, and I’m just about done. The only shaving I do these days is my legs and underarms.”

“That may be too much information,” Sean said in a weak attempt at a joke.

“Shit, what if the men find out about this? I may be a laughing stock.”

“I’m sure they will find out sooner or later. What you have to understand is that what I’m going through is no reflection on you. Mom’s not at fault, either. My environment had nothing to do with it. I’ve known as far back as I can remember that I was different. I figured it out about ten years ago. This happens a lot whether people want to admit it or not. It can end favorably, that’s certainly the way I’d prefer, or it can end tragically. Frankly, I don’t see that happening. You’re pretty calm about this on the outside and inside. I can tell when you’re calm on the outside and seething on the inside. I’ve seen how you deal with people who piss you off.”

“I’ve never killed anyone or had them killed. As the great Don in the sky said, I just make them an offer they can’t refuse.

“I’m calm right now because I believe everything you’ve told me. I have read all that stuff you gave me, and more. I’ve also talked to a number of doctors. I love you that much. I’m certainly not an expert about this sort of thing, and I certainly can’t allow my emotions to overrun good sense, and based on what I’ve found out, you’re making good sense. The last thing I’d want you to do is go it alone. I want to help you regardless of what way you choose to go

“My doctor is willing to talk with you about this. He says he’s dealt with this before, and the results are usually in the patients favor. He also gave the names of several psychologists. After we see him, we can figure out who we need, rather who you need to talk to.”

“I think that should be ‘whom’.”

“Lay off on the grammar, or I’m liable to change my mind. And, speaking of grammar, what are you going to do about college?”

“I’ve decided to go to Columbia University in New York.”

“You going to be a doctor or a lawyer? We need a good lawyer in the family.”

“No, I want to be a nurse, a pediatric nurse. I want to get a BSN, and help disadvantaged children.”

“If that’s what you want, so be it. You going to go back and live with your mother? I don’t think she’ll go for it, especially with everything you have planned.”

“Obviously, I’m going to have to live somewhere, and Mom’s not an option. They have all sorts of campus housing in the area; however, I don’t think I will be at ease in that environment. I think I need to find a flat somewhere where transportation is relatively easy. I’ll have to stay away from Brooklyn. Mom doesn’t need to know about this for a while. She wouldn’t listen when I tried to explain things to her, so I don’t even try. She’s very set in her ways and I would hate to have her go back to the bottle.”

“Are you going to live alone?”

“I thought about getting a roommate, but I’m not sure how to go about it. I might have to contact one of the LGTBQI organizations.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Lesbian, Gay, Transgendered, Bisexual, Queer, and Intersexed: we have our support groups; however, there are some lesbian factions that hate male to female transgender.”

Her father paused for a moment. Ashley, she’d picked that as a variation of Aishling, was amazed at how calm and rational her father had been through all the revelations. He’d obviously been researching about her condition, and seemed almost as eager as she was to press on and do what needed to be done. She hadn’t told him about the name change. That would have to come soon – little steps: lots of little steps.

“Look, a girl needs her mother at times like these; however, your mother is not going to be a player. I think you need somebody to look after you. I gotta make some phone calls.”

Ashley gladly went to her father’s doctor with her father at her side. She’d told her father about her decided name change, and he’d accepted it without a problem. He contacted his lawyer to see what needed to be done about making the change official.

Doctor McKenzie was very understanding, but admitted that it was really out of the area of his practice. He’d had other patients who were transgender, and he’d referred them to an endocrinologist he knew. They were still his patients, and had monitored their progress, but he’d not actually controlled their transition. Based on his recommendations Ashley and her father made an appointment with a psychologist.

She survived the battery of tests, and admitted to the psychiatrist that she probably could have skewed the results. The doctor assured her that she would have known if she had.

“Doctor, I’ve been studying for this test for ten years. There was no way I was going to fail it.”

With the affirmation in hand, the endocrinologist started her out on a regimen of blockers and hormones. He didn’t like her blood pressure tendencies at first, so adjustments were made early on. She was on her way.

“Ashley, I’d like you to meet someone.” Ashley had just come in from some shopping. She placed her packages at the foot of the stairs, and headed for her father’s office.

At first she thought her father had a girlfriend. The woman was in her late thirties or early forties. She was attractive in a matronly sort of way. Her hair was auburn, her features very pleasant. It didn’t take but a few more seconds to realize there was a family resemblance.

“Caitriona this is Ashley. Ashley, this is your cousin Caitriona (pronounced Katrina) Fleming. I’ve hired her to be your mentor for a while.”

“Uh, hi,” Ashley said not being exactly sure what to say.

It took a while to get all the facts straight, and even then, Ashley was not sure what to believe. Caitriona had moved from Ireland to the US at least ten years before. She was a licensed midwife, and had been living near Limestone, Maine for a number of years. She’d been working with the Native Americans in the area.

“So, you are about to start on a great adventure,” Caitriona said when they were finally alone.

“You might say so,” Ashley replied. “However, I’ve been working on this for quite a while, as dad may have told you. I’m assuming he told you pretty much everything.”

“Well, as much as he knows. Men seldom really understand women, and he knows that. He’s asked me to help you as much as I can so that things go smoothly for you. This must be very difficult for you.”

“On the contrary, the hard part was living a lie for all those years. I have access to plenty of money, and I could have bought all the drugs I needed over the internet, but I’m not a doctor. I might have really screwed things up for me. I could have flown to Thailand and had the operation, but I didn’t want to take that chance. I want to do this the right way, and I am so happy father’s been so supportive. He’s probably right. I do need a mentor. As you probably heard, mother would not go along with this at all, and it’s probably best that she know nothing about what’s going on until it’s a fete accompli. She had a rough time with alcohol, and I’d hate for her to blame herself about this and relapse.”

“I know all about your mother, but I haven’t seen her in eighteen years,” Caitriona said looking at Ashley. “The last time I saw you, you had a head of red fuzz.

“Look, I don’t know why your father said what he did other than he probably doesn’t want to open up old wounds.”

“Said what?” Ashley asked.

“I’m not your cousin. I’m your mother’s half-sister. I’m your aunt. Your grandfather had a little dalliance about five years after your mother was born, and I am the result. No one knew about me for many years. My mother never married. She was killed in the Belfast riots when I was twelve.

“Mom left records in a security box, and we found out who my father was. Of course, by then he was dead. They contacted your mother’s family in the US, but they wanted nothing to do with me. A wonderful family adopted me, and we moved to Dublin where the religious bigotry wasn’t nearly as strong. I didn’t understand for a long time how my family could afford to send me to the university, Trinity College. Father was a bartender at The Brazen Head, Mother was a seamstress. I became a midwife, something I had always wanted to do.

“It was a bit after graduation that I found out that your father had paid for my education. Your mother had let it slip that she had a younger half-sister, and your father, being the rich man that he is, found me and sent money to my parents for my education. There was only one stipulation, he wanted me to move to the US. He said there was a serious need for midwives. I didn’t have any problem with coming over here. I knew there was a need here as well. Apparently, your mother didn’t know what he’d done. She was cordial enough at first; however, I think she thought your father and I were having an affair. She was quite pregnant at the time with you, and probably felt she was unattractive.

“I stayed around until a bit after you were born. I’ve seen hundreds of newborns, and you were a very pretty baby. You could have been a girl for all I could see.”

“Well, I was,” Ashley said. She was finding that her aunt was quite a story teller; especially with her rich brogue.

“Your father paid for my continuing education courses so I could get my license here. He sent me to Columbia University, and now you’re going there. I have since worked all over New York and New England. He paid for my travel to see my parents at least once a year. When they retired he brought them over here. They are in their eighties and live in a retirement community in central Florida.

“Your father and I never had an affair. He loved, loves your mother too much. He said only one thing, that someday he might need my help. He seems to think that this is the time.

“He wants me to stay with you and give you whatever help you might need. I’d say you’re doing pretty well without it.”

“What exactly does he want you to do? I’m pretty self-sufficient.”

“He wants me to be there as an advisor; to help you through this journey. He wants you to be a confident young woman. I’ll take care of the house for you, you know, do the housework, fix meals, etc.”

“Bull shit. I’m not going to have a handmaiden. We will share duties. What about your work? You shouldn’t have to give that up.”

“I am very well off thanks to your father, and he’s going to pay me quite well while we’re together. This is my mission: to help you become a confident, beautiful young woman, and an outstanding nurse. I think I’ve been given an excellent canvas.

“We need to find a place to live. Your father has made reservations for us at a very nice hotel. He has also contacted an estate agent to help us.

“Did I tell you your hair is beautiful?”

The search for housing doesn’t go well at first; however, things suddenly, go in a very positive direction. Ashley and Caitriona meet Fanny Essegian and her niece, Demeter Esterházy. It just so happens that there is going to be a room available in the brownstone that Fanny and her husband have owned for 40 years. Fanny is concerned for Ashley, but is relieved to find out she is transitioning the right way.

Introduction: Ashley and her aunt run into some people we’ve met before. They find the perfect place to live.

The story is not mine. It is based on a very old tale that might have been part of English/Irish lore, it might be French or German. It might even be Persian in origin. I’ll leave it to you to try to figure out what tale it is. If you think you know, PM me. Don’t spoil it for others.

Although there are characters from other stories who make brief appearances, this is a stand-alone story.

This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

Chapter 3

‘It must be nice’, Ashley thought, ‘to have an unlimited expense account.’

That wasn’t quite true, but they did have a lot of leeway. The estate agent, that’s what Caitriona called them, was helpful, but he seemed to think that they were looking for a $5,000 a month apartment. That was a hell of a lot of money for a thousand square foot apartment. It became very obvious that they were not going to find what they wanted in Manhattan for a price they could afford.

The real estate agent, that’s what Ashley called him, suggested they look in Brooklyn. He had a huge list of flats they could look at. Ashley nixed that immediately. Although her mother could venture into the other Burroughs, she knew that her mother never ventured far from her few square blocks. Everything she desired was right there. Still, Ashley knew she had to keep as much separation from her mother as possible.

“Brooklyn is out of the question for personal reasons,” Ashley said. “Let’s try Queens. I’m familiar with Queens.”

“If that’s what you ladies would like. I have an appointment this afternoon. I could take you to Queens to look around on your own, or I could take you back to your hotel. I’ll go through the MLS listings and see if we can find something that fits your needs. I am free tomorrow morning, and I know I’ll have something you will like.”

“Why don’t you drop us off in a nice neighborhood so that we can get a feel of the area? We’ll get some lunch and then take a cab back to our hotel. We’ll contact you in the morning,” Caitriona said.

“What a jerk,” Ashley said. “He was obviously pimping some properties without really having any concerns for our needs.”

“I agree,” Caitriona said. “Do you realize that he never clocked you? You are so damn pretty. He couldn’t keep his eyes off your bust line.”

“I know. He certainly would have been disappointed though.”

“You are doing just fine. How’s the itching?”

“They itch like crazy. I love it. They’re getting hot behind the nipples. It’s wonderful; finally the right puberty.”

“You are right on schedule, if not a little ahead,” Caitriona said while looking around.

“You know, this neighborhood looks very nice,” Ashley said while taking in everything like Caitriona was. "There are several nice shops, and this bistro looks lovely. Let’s get some lunch before we look around.

A pleasant greeter seated them and asked them what they would like to drink.

“I would like a glass of the Pinot Grigio,” Caitriona said. “Ashley?”

“I think I’d like the same.

“I love these old buildings. The ambience is wonderful. The problem is whether or not we can find one that will fit our budget. I mean this neighborhood is perfect. The subway station is just down the street. There’s a deli down the street, two more restaurants, pharmacy, just about everything one would need. My beautician is only ten blocks away. Which reminds me; I need to get a touch up. You’ll definitely have to meet Amber. She has been wonderful. I never expected to get so much support. I was lucky to find her.

“Trina (Ashley had started calling her that early on), do you see that lady over there sitting with that stunning blonde,” Ashley whispered. Caitriona looked towards the table across the small room.

“Yes.”

“I think I recognize her. In fact I’m certain it’s her.”

“Who, the older woman or the blonde?”

“The older woman, I’m certain that’s Fanny Essegian, the composer. I have all her albums. Remember that horrid movie, ‘Beyond the Rings of Saturn’?”

“I do. It made a box office killing and faded away. The music was wonderful.”

“How about that feature length cartoon featuring the lesbian spies, ‘Death in Kazakhstan’?”

“That was wonderful. I was barely old enough to see it. My parents were a little upset. They saw it a week after I did,” Caitriona said.

“She received two Oscars for that one, too.

“I have to talk to her.” Ashley quietly walked to the table across the room.

“Mrs. Essegian, I’m Ashley Finlayson. I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed your music, and I’m pretty sure that I have recordings of all your music. I would love to get your autograph on my CDs, but they’re in Boston.”

“Please, I’m Fanny, and this is my niece, Demeter Esterházy. Would you and your companion like to join us? There’s plenty of room.”

Ashley introduced her aunt to Fanny and Demeter. “We’re trying to find a flat. I’m starting work on my BSN this fall at Columbia, and my aunt is going to be staying with me.”

Ashley knew she might be going too far but she had to say it. “I have a copy of your grandmother’s book. She means so much to me. She has given me courage.”

Fanny and Demeter looked at her. There was no doubt in Ashley’s mind that both Fanny and Demeter understood what she was saying.

Demeter, call me Demi, spoke up. “Great Gramma meant the world to us. I remember her like it was yesterday. I was eight when she passed away, and hardly a day goes by when I don’t think about her. My big sister is going to be a doctor. She wants to help people like Musetta was.” Realizing her mistake, “I’m sorry, that wasn’t right of me.”

“That’s not a problem. I wouldn’t have said what I did if I didn’t want you to know. We’re trying to find a place to stay that’s convenient to Columbia. Aunt Trina is here to help me through the next few years.”

“Have you found a place that meets your requirements?” Fanny asked.

“Nothing close, our real estate agent didn’t seem to want to listen to what our needs are,” Ashley said. “We’re not destitute, but we don’t like getting taken to the cleaners.”

“See the apartment building down the street with the moving van out front? My husband and I own that building. We bought it forty years ago. Our idea was to provide off campus housing for a select few students attending school at Julliard. Demi is moving in this week and her cousin George Farnsworthy and his wife are moving out as are Johann and Lotte O’Donnell. What that means is that there is going to be a vacancy. We don’t have anyone set to move into that one unit. I think we can make you the same offer that we made them.

“What do you think Demi?”

“If they can put up with all those crazy music students. Ashley is going to Columbia, and that’s where you received your MD. I think we can trust them to not tear the place apart.”

“We were looking for a two bedroom, two bath unit,” Caitriona stated.

“All of the units are at least that big. We’ve had to do quite a bit of remodeling over the years. We also thought about putting in an elevator, but if we do that we’re going to have to put in an automatic sprinkler system. That will cost in excess of a million dollars in addition to the cost of the elevator. The worst thing is that the building would have to be vacant for a year. That means twenty occupants would have to live elsewhere. We’re just not ready to take that step.

“May I ask how much a month we’re talking about?” Ashley asked.

“Members of the O’Donnell clan stay for the cost of the utilities.”

“That would be wonderful; however, although I already feel like I’ve known you for years, that wouldn’t be right. What do the other students pay?”

“They pay the same rate as the on-campus students do at Julliard. Married students and some special cases live here. There are also some residents who’ve been here since we bought the building. Rent control makes it pretty nice for them. When they move out, we gut their apartment and bring it up to the standards of the other units.

“Before we discuss this any further, I think we need to finish lunch. Then we can go down and take a look. It may turn out that the apartments are not satisfactory.”

Somehow, Caitriona and Ashley didn’t think this would be the case.

By the time they got to the apartment building, a second small moving van had parked in front, much to the displeasure of some of the residents in the area as they would have to find a parking lot.

“There is an underground parking garage around the corner. Their rates are exorbitant; however, with the difference in rent, a spot does become affordable. Some of the students do drive, and Demi has a spot,” Fanny added.

“I don’t think we’re planning on having a car while we’re here.”

“Fanny!” a voice from the stair caught their attention. Two couples were supervising the moving of some furniture and other items. It had turned out that a couple of crates had been mixed and put on the wrong trucks.

Introductions were quickly made. “Everyone,” Demi said, “These are Caitriona Fleming and her niece Ashley Finlayson. Ashley’s starting Columbia next fall, and they are looking for a place to live.

“I guess I’ll go from left to right. That handsome guy with the silly British accent is my cousin, George Farnsworthy, son of the PM, but we won’t tell anyone. The beautiful brunette is his pregnant wife, Elizabeth. The other fellow is my German cousin, Johann O’Donnell, and that zaftig beauty is his wife, Lotte. I don’t think she’s pregnant – yet.

Johann said something in German, and Demi immediately responded in German, and rushed to hug the beautiful, dark haired woman.

“I said it was none of her business, but it seems we are expecting also,” Johann replied. “Please, Demi, let us let everyone know. Try to restrain yourself.”

The laborers were getting impatient and started saying something in a language that Ashley didn’t understand. Demi turned and fired something back at them in the same language.

Two of the workers laughed, and the other one looked a bit embarrassed.

“Let’s get inside, moving is such a pain in the ass.”

“What did you say to them, Demi?” Ashley asked.

“The little guy was wondering who had the bigger tits, Lotte or me. They’re Italian. I told the little guy that I’d wash his mouth out with soap and pound him into the ground like a fence post if he didn’t watch his tongue. I could do it, too. He wouldn’t stand a chance against me.”

“You speak three languages. That’s amazing,” Caitriona said.

“I’m an opera singer, and it’s necessary. Actually, I speak Spanish fairly well, and I’m working on French and Russian. French gives me fits.”

“Were you serious about George being the son of the Prime Minister of England?”

“He is, without a doubt,” Fanny interjected. “It’s all very complicated. George and Johann’s parents are twins. They’re my younger brother and sister. We can go over the family tree some other time. You need to see the apartment.”

The flat was perfect. There were two bedrooms, each with an ensuite. The large living area included a baby grand piano. Pianos were difficult to move, so Fanny decided many years before that most flats would have a piano; something that was absolutely necessary for music students. Some Julliard students were not musicians but were in other areas of the performing arts, and may or may not need a piano.

“As we remodeled each apartment we added sound proofing to the adjoining walls and ceiling. It’s made a great difference.

“Demi, could you see to your cousins for a little while? We need some privacy.” Turning to Ashley and Caitriona, “May we talk for a few minutes about you, Ashley?”

“Certainly.” Ashley had been hoping for this conversation.

“Are you seeing a doctor,” Fanny asked.

“Most definitely. I’d decided a long time ago that I had to do this the right way. I have the rest of my life to look forward to, and I don’t want to screw it up.”

“May I ask who your doctor is?”

“Yes, it’s Dr. McKenzie in Boston.”

“That would be Robert McKenzie?”

“Yes, he’s my father’s doctor, and we went to him first. He recommended an endocrinologist and psychologist for me. They have worked out very well.”

“Bob McKenzie is an excellent doctor. He was second in our class at Columbia.” Ashley didn’t think she needed to ask who was first in the class.

“How long have you been on HRT?”

“A little over a month. I’m just beginning to feel the effects. I love it.”

“I would have thought longer. Your voice is perfect. You might need a bit of a tracheal shave. That being said, you pass without any trouble at all. If you hadn’t said anything, I never would have noticed.

“I’m assuming your parents are okay with what you are doing.”

“Daddy is wonderful. He’s taking care of everything. Mom has a serious problem with what she felt was my cross dressing. They’re divorced, and she does not know I’m transitioning. She lives in Brooklyn. I told her I was going to college in a different state. She’s a recovering alcoholic, and I don’t need to upset her any more than I already have. I’ll tell her one of these days, but it will be after I complete my transition.”

“Have you thought about a doctor for your GCS?”

“Not really, I think that will be four years off; after I graduate.”

“We have an excellent data base. Musetta started it, and we keep it updated. We’ve gone to a lot of trouble to ensure only the best surgeons are listed there. I’ve interviewed most of them. Would you like the link?”

“I have it.”

“I’m sorry Dr. Robynn Jones passed away. She was one of the best.”

“She did Musetta’s surgery, didn’t she?”

“She also did General Angela Bilitnikov’s. Robynn retired a year later. She’d be well over a hundred by now.”

“Angela Bilitnikov: wasn’t she a war hero. She and someone else got the Medal of Honor. I remember hearing something about that on the news.”

“The other person was my baby brother.”

“Oh my gosh, I had no idea.”

“Enough of that, do you like the apartment?”

“It’s perfect.”

“Obviously, it will need a little cleaning up. We’ll take care of that. It’ll be ready next week. This is always a busy time here with one class graduating and another coming in. I’ll find a contract for you. I know I have some around here.

“I wish you the best, dear one. You are so pretty, and you will only get prettier. By the way, there is an outstanding beautician a few blocks from here. She comes highly recommended by the transgender.”

“If that’s Amber Schwartz, I’d have to agree. I have been going to her since last summer. She is so sweet and gentle. She wants to do a full make over on me, and I think I will let her.”

“She’s the one. You’ve made some excellent choices.”

“Sorry to interrupt, Fanny.” They turned to see Demi standing at the door. “The garbage disposal in 4B is dead, and I think someone tried to grind up a chicken in it. Gross!”

Ashley has a place to live, and there is no question that school is going to be difficult. Under the proper supervision and care she continues her transition. She hasn’t seen Mike in four years. She finally does under the most horrible of circumstances.

Introduction: College is tough, especially in the medical fields. Physically, she’s doing great. She’s adjusting very well. The years pass quickly, and before she knows it she’s graduating. After four years, she sees Mike. It’s not the best of situations. Ashley gets her GCS.

The story is not mine. It is based on a very old tale that might have been part of English/Irish lore, it might be French or German. It might even be Persian in origin. I’ll leave it to you to try to figure out what tale it is. If you think you know, PM me. Don’t spoil it for others.

Although there are characters from other stories who make brief appearances, this is a stand-alone story.

This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

Chapter 4

With the living arrangements taken care of, aunt and niece decided to check out what would be their neighborhood for the next four years. Quite early in their wandering they found that just about everything they would need was within just a few blocks. Ashley called the beauty salon and found that Amber had an opening, so they picked up their pace. She told Amber that she was bringing her Aunt.

Amber was almost over the top with joy and affection when Ashley appeared. “Well, look at you. There’s no boy left is there?” Ashley was wearing a pair of slacks with a light, sleeveless blouse. Her hair was in a ponytail. She had small diamond studs, a gift from her father, in her ears.

“Well, there are a few things that need to be taken care of, but they will come in time.

“Amber, I’d like you to meet my Aunt Caitriona. I think Trina is acceptable. We’re going to be living just a few blocks away from here. I’m going to Columbia University.”

“Trina, it is a pleasure meeting you. I’ve sort of been taking care of Ashley while she was visiting her mother. I made some assumptions when you walked in seeing how Ashley was dressed. She’s not hiding anymore.

“So, has it started?” Amber said, turning to Ashley.

“Yes, I am full time. I started HRT last month, and I feel wonderful. You said you could make me look gorgeous. Do we have time?”

“You bet we do. It won’t take long. We won’t do it all today.”

“I’ll leave you girls alone for a while. I saw a family practice clinic down the street and I think I will see if they need help,” Caitriona said as she turned to leave. “When should I be back?”

“We’re not going to do anything outrageous. After all, Ashley is only eighteen. We’re just going to make her look like your run of the mill gorgeous college freshman. Be back at five.

“Now, Ashley, we get rid of the ponytail. I want you to get used to having your hair down. I know you’re going to be studying to be a nurse, but there is no reason not to look your best when you can let your hair down. We’re going to give you a light perm after I take care of these split ends. While the perm is working, I’m going to get out the machine of agony and take care of a few things. Not much, but we’re going to have to stay on top of things.

“How about your finger nails? I tell you what, I’m going to give you some nice extensions. You can keep them on for the summer. Then we’ll worry about what you need to do when you’re changing bed pans. I think you need to have some fun until school starts.

If Ashley had thought her transition had officially started with her first hormone shots, she realized that she had just shifted into a higher gear. Amber gently turned her around to face the mirror. It had taken a bit longer than Amber had said it would, and Caitriona had watched for the last 45 minutes as Amber completed the final steps of the transformation.

Ashley could not believe what/who she was looking at. She was looking at a beautiful college age girl. She might have been a cheerleader; however, that thought was the farthest thing from her mind. She wondered what her father would think, what her mother would think, and strangely, what would Mike think?

If Sean Finlayson had false teeth, they’d probably have fallen out when he first saw his daughter after her return from New York. If he’d had any doubts before, they were fast disappearing, if not gone.

“Daddy,” her father didn’t blink an eye, “do you remember that book I asked you to read about Musetta?”

“How could I forget it? I cried when I finished it.”

“Do you remember reading about Fanny?”

“Yes, how could I forget? She’s famous. I know you buy all her music. Why?”

“We met her. We’re moving into the apartment building she owns. We met two of her nephews and her niece. They are amazing. They tower over her physically, but there’s no question she’s in charge. She’s a powerhouse.

“I came out to her, and she didn’t bat an eye. She’s going to keep an eye on me, and she said Doctor McKenzie was a good friend and an excellent doctor. She also said you were a good father.

Ashley learned quite a bit about Caitriona over the weeks. In addition to being a licensed midwife with a college degree, she liked to dabble in folk medicine and the occult. She would frequent those little shops that were borderline mysterious. She had her medical bag ready for those midnight calls she’d get every once in a while. She’d signed on as a standby midwife with several hospitals in the area, and could be called in at a moment’s notice if she was needed to assist with a birth.

Caitriona had never married; hadn’t even been close. She liked men; however, she’d never found one she wanted to have a permanent relationship with. She had taken her role as Ashley’s mentor very seriously, and she would not be distracted from it

School was tough, let there be no doubt about it. The first two years were involved with taking the standard college courses plus the lower division courses required for her BSN. Biology, chemistry, zoology, physiology, lab techniques, etc.: it was no picnic.

There were many other things going on, too. Her body was changing slowly in so many wonderful ways. She looked different, she felt different, and she loved the way she looked. By her spring semester she was a true A cup. She knew her hip bones would never get any larger, but she’d added more than an inch to her hips. Caitriona insisted that she exercise, and jog, and Caitriona actually ran with her. Ashley lost an inch and a half in her waist. Amber continued to work with her on her makeup and hair. Truthfully, she didn’t need much makeup.

By her junior year she was the talk of the medical side of the campus. She was hit on daily but she didn’t come close to dating. There were class parties, and sometimes there were get togethers for pizza and beer at a local restaurant or pizzeria. Ashley never wavered. She and Caitriona would sometimes have dinner with Demi.

The outgoing, beautiful and dominating opera star to be was a bit frustrating at times. She ran through men like water through a sieve. There was a new one every month or two. Ashley wasn’t sure whether she just dumped them or wore them out.

In Ashley’s sophomore year, Demi’s older sister, Persephone, and her wife, Carol, visited shortly after their graduation from medical school. They were starting their respective residencies shortly. Persi was going into psychiatry, and Carol was going to be an endocrinologist. Musetta was their inspiration. Persi could have been Demi’s twin sister. As imposing as Demi was as a six foot two inch blonde, Persi was even more so at six foot three inches. They were both very well-endowed, and it was fun at times to listen to the interplay among them. Carol was Ukrainian, but had lived in the US since early girlhood. She was nearly a foot shorter than Persi, but the inequality ended there. They were equals in every other aspect.

Ashley continued to blossom beyond her expectations. Her mother was not particularly large busted, but the genes had to have been in her ancestry somewhere. By her senior year she was a full C cup. Her figure was a bit on the slender side, but she couldn’t have been more pleased. The electrolysis was essentially over, but every once in a while Amber would pull out the zapper and take care of a stray hair. She also visited Ashley and Caitriona at their apartment and took care of the hairs in Ashley’s nether regions in preparation for her eventual surgery.

It was difficult to believe that time could pass so quickly. School was over and Ashley had a job waiting for her at the Boston Children’s Hospital. She would be taking the summer off to recover from her upcoming surgery. There was only the graduation ceremony, and the banquet afterwards. It was a bit lonely, because only Caitriona would be there to represent her. Sean would not come to New York regardless of the reason, and Ashley’s mother was still unaware of the changes that had occurred over the previous four years.

Ashley had already interviewed a surgeon in the Midwest. Fanny continued to stay in touch with Ashley, and based on everything she found out, had recommended Dr. Laurie Stemen. Ashley was very impressed with her, and everything was set for two weeks after graduation.

Demi had moved to Vienna, Austria to sing with the Vienna Opera Company. Her gorgeous baby sister was now occupying the apartment. She was a fabulous pianist.

It was after the graduation banquet that things took an unexpected turn. They had taken a cab from the banquet, and the driver was wandering around to get to the Queensboro Bridge. He was going ways that Ashley didn’t even know existed. They were close to the East River when Ashley and Caitriona saw it at the same time. A man in a uniform lying on the pavement and three hoods were going through his pockets.

“Stop the cab!” Ashley shouted. “Stop right now. That man’s hurt.”

“That’s none of our business lady. The poor bastard’s probably already dead. You shouldn’t be out on the streets around here this time of night.”

“I’m a nurse, and I need to render aid.”

“Call 911, and please don’t leave.”

The cabbie slowed down enough to let them out, but he didn’t stick around.

“I’ll have his ass in jail by tomorrow,” Caitriona said. “I got a picture of his license. The police and ambulance are on their way.”

They hurried back the half block to the body lying on the sidewalk. The assailant were long gone. The man’s empty wallet was on the ground beside him. Blood was starting to run across the pavement. They rolled him onto his back and tore open his shirt. There were several lesser wounds, but the one in his abdomen was scary. The blood was dark.

“Let’s keep pressure on this area that’s about all we can do. It looks like they may have cut the hepatic vein. Let’s try to keep this area elevated.”

By this time they realized that the man was a sailor. Not only had he been stabbed several times, he’d also been struck in the head and had a nasty scalp wound. Ashley tore her dress into strips and bandaged a wound on his left arm while Caitriona kept pressure on the abdominal wound. The blood from the scalp wound was running down his face, and Ashley attempted to wipe away the blood after wrapping a strip around his head. They could hear approaching sirens.

A police car was the first to arrive and for the first time Ashley got a good look at the sailor’s face. “Oh no, no, no, no! Mike, oh Mike!”

He’d been moaning a bit as they tried to save his life, but for the first time, his eye’s fluttered open. “Ash?”

The ambulance arrived seconds later.

“What are you ladies doing here? Surely you weren’t walking around here this time of night.”

“No officer, we were returning from my graduation banquet. The cab took us this way, and we saw that man being robbed,” Ashley said as she saw Mike already on a gurney being placed in the back of the ambulance. “We told the driver to stop. I’m a registered nurse. We barely got out, and the cab took off leaving us here. We did what we could for him.”

“Where do you live, I’ll give you a ride.”

“We’re in Queens,” Caitriona said. “We’re about a mile from the bridge.”

The officer had them home in fifteen minutes. He recorded their pertinent information before leaving them off at the apartment. “We’ll need you to fill out a report. Here’s my card and I’ve written the case number on it. You can fill out a report on line. Hopefully, you have helped save a man’s life.”

They cleaned up. The gown was a lost cause. Caitriona could tell Ashley was terribly disturbed by the evening’s events. She was sobbing quietly as Caitriona held her, gently rocking. “Do you want to tell me who that was?”

“He was my best friend during my senior year in high school. We’d met the summer before when I was staying with Mom. We had several classes together. He was Student Body President. He is Michele, Mike, Donatella; son of Giovani, Johnny, Donatella, Dad’s worst enemy.”

“Oh, my poor dear.”

There was a mention of the mugging on the morning news. There are hundreds of muggings in New York every day. Perhaps it was because of the severity of his injuries, the fact he was an active duty sailor, and that two good Samaritans had saved his life that the incident was being reported. The sailor, a Michele Donatella was resting comfortably after emergency surgery. He was expected to make a full recovery.

Two weeks later, Ashley had her Gender Confirmation Surgery in Wisconsin.

She is finally complete, and now Ashley moves into the world of hospitals, sick and dying children, recovering children, and learning what the world is really about. Things seem to be going well until she finds out her father’s empire is collapsing. It has impacts she never would have inspected.

Introduction: Ashley moves on in the world of medicine. She’s learning about real life. Her father is suddenly in serious financial trouble. The impact on her life is something she never could have expected.

The story is not mine. It is based on a very old tale that might have been part of English/Irish lore, it might be French or German. It might even be Persian in origin. I’ll leave it to you to try to figure out what tale it is. If you think you know, PM me. Don’t spoil it for others.

Although there are characters from other stories who make brief appearances, this is a stand-alone story.

This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

Chapter 5

Recovery for Ashley was a slow process, not like what one might read on some of the more imaginative TG sites. She spent two weeks in the hospital gradually getting her strength back. She was lucky that there were no serious issues with bleeding that sometimes happen. Caitriona was at her side almost continuously. Her father visited shortly after her surgery. He didn’t stay. ‘Business’ required that he be elsewhere.

Everyone was extremely helpful. After all, they had a very special clientele and they had a reputation to uphold. Nothing was left to chance. What she had desired was finally a reality, and there was no way she was going to mess up the doctor’s fine work. The fact that she was a nurse, and Caitriona was a medical specialist just made her recovery that much more a sure thing.

The direct flight to Boston didn’t take long, and Niall was there to greet them.

“You look wonderful, Miss.”

“Thank you, Niall, I feel wonderful.”

Ashley had been ‘out’ to the organization for four years. After all, it was impossible to hide what was happening. Perhaps because her father was respected, and the fact that Ashley, and Asher previously, had stayed pretty much below the horizon in the organization, that no one gave her transition a second thought. For that matter many had thought that the redhead with long hair had always been a girl. Ashley could have just as easily been Ash until she started to mature. Few had a clue about what had really happened.

Caitriona had decided to stay on for a while. Sean liked his ex-sister-in-law; however, there was no romance in the offing. She continued to work as an on-call midwife in the Boston area. She and Ashley both had cars by this time.

Ashley’s work at the Boston Children’s Hospital was everything she had hoped it would be. Working with the unfortunate victims of diseases such as cancer, and victims of accidents was so fulfilling, especially when she could pass a healthy child back to its parents. Of course there were the tragedies where in spite of everything a life was lost.

Of course there were the young male doctors and residents who thought it was their right (not rite) of passage to take any young nurse to bed any time they chose. It was generally known when a new student nurse or recent graduate lost her virginity to some lothario. Some nurses felt it was a rite of passage, and there were the ‘devirginating’ parties when PGA was diluted with orange juice or other soft drinks, and they celebrated the loss of virginity of another young girl. They also celebrated when a shy young male student nurse lost his to a female seductress. That one worked out, and they were happily married.

Of course, a number of nurses felt it was a way to snare a young doctor, and be set for life. Sometimes things did not work out well. In fact a terrible tragedy occurred during Ashley’s first year. A nurse had married a medical student during college, and had basically supported him through two children, medical school and residency. The day he finished his residency she was served divorce papers. He’d been sleeping with a nurse, but not at the hospital. His wife discovered where they were, and blew them away with a shotgun before turning it on herself.

Ashley steadfastly refused to date anyone: doctor, nurse, or anyone else. As when she was at school, she would attend group parties, but that was it. The men thought she was a lesbian, the women assured the men that she wasn’t. Only Caitriona had an idea.

Ashley knew something was wrong. There was something wrong going on in her father’s business. The outgoing, loving father was becoming more and more reclusive and curmudgeonly. Ashley didn’t know what the problem was. Her father seldom confided in her about business matters, especially when she’d made it known she wasn’t interested in his business operations.

She’d been on the night shift and had received a text message from her father asking that she meet him at his office. Sean’s office was in the second story of one of the restaurants he ran. As far as Ashley knew, the restaurants were legitimate. Her father seldom bothered her these days, especially after she’d been working 12 straight at night.

The parking lot was basically empty. Her father’s car was there, as was the restaurant manager’s. Most of the kitchen crew took public transportation. There was also a large Mercedes sedan with New York plates, and based on the model number, it was one of those extremely expensive models.

Ashley made her way up the back stairs to the office.

“Your father’s with someone right now, Miss Finlayson. I’ll tell him you’re here.”

“Sir, your daughter’s here.”

“Fine, we’ll be right out. I want her to meet someone.”

She could hear that the conversation was drawing to a close. There was always that raise in volume as the closing farewells, or whatever you called them, were passed back and forth. Ritual was so important.

The door opened and a rather handsome middle aged man followed by her father exited the room. The man looked vaguely familiar to her. His dark hair had a few touches of gray, especially around the temples. There wasn’t a hair out of place. His suit was very expensive. It probably came from one of those exclusive shops in Manhattan. There was a perfectly folded handkerchief in his breast pocket. He was a rather imposing figure.

“Giovani, I want you to meet my beautiful daughter, Ashley.

“Ashley, this is Giovani Donatella. We’ve been working on some business matters.”

Giovani smiled and took her hand in his. She wasn’t even aware she’d offered it to him. She wasn’t aware of how she kept from fainting, much less shaking. He was obviously appraising her in her nurse’s uniform. It didn’t do anything to hide her rather beautiful figure. She had taken off her cap and unpinned her hair while in her car. Her hair hung in loose waves to below her shoulders. It was obvious that he was very appreciative of what he saw. He reeked of cigarette smoke.

“It’s a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Donatella,” she barely squeaked out.

“I assure you the pleasure is all mine, Miss Finlayson.

“Sean,” he said turning to her father, “I think everything we discussed can be worked out. I will get with my lawyers and get back to you as soon as possible. Have a pleasant day.

“And, good day to you, Miss Finlayson.”

As he left, she could hear him humming an Italian song that she couldn’t remember the name of.

She heard the downstairs door close, and then could see the big Mercedes silently leaving the parking lot.

“Daddy, what the hell is going on?”

“We need to go back to my office.

“Sit down,” he said after closing the door. “This may take a while.

“Things are not going well. Remember when that freighter went down off Hawaii?”

“Yes.”

“We had a huge shipment of electronic equipment on that: all sorts of stuff: computers, I-Phones, games, and crap like that.”

“What did you lose?”

“About ten million our cash. The trouble is there are investors who are wanting their twenty million.

“That’s only the beginning. The Feds intercepted a couple of our liquor shipments and pharmaceuticals.”

“Daddy, you’re not dealing in drugs, are you?”

“No, I don’t do that shit. These were just generic drugs that people need, stuff like statins, blood pressure meds, antibiotics, cancer meds. We had a good underground going. The feds busted it wide open. Fortunately, nobody was caught. People are going to have to go back to paying exorbitant prices for things that should be cheap. We lost another five million on that, and the investors won’t accept the losses.”

“So, what do you have left?”

“The five restaurants, the car dealership: that’s about it.”

“Cash?”

“A few hundred thousand. That’s for taxes and keeping the restaurants going. This fucking economy is killing us. Trickle down, my ass.”

“So, what does Johnny Donatella have to do with this?”

“Nothing as far as I know. I don’t think he sank that ship, and I’m pretty sure that he didn’t interfere with the pharmaceutical business.

“Word gets around, and he knows we’re in trouble. He’s offered to bail us out. Of course there’s a cost. He wants the restaurants and the dealership. We’ll still run things up here, but me and the boy’s will just get a salary, a nice one, but a salary none the less.”

“That should be the boys and I.”

“I know that, I guess I’m just trying to make light of a bad situation. I must be getting too old for this business.”

“You’re not old, Daddy. You are only 52.”

“When are you going to bring me grandchildren? I don’t want to be too old to enjoy them.”

“Someday, Father, someday; the right person just hasn’t shown up.”

“Johnny said he’s going to go over things with his lawyers. Everything has to be on the up and up. I think I’ll retire.”

For some reason a curtain of dread seemed to hang over Ashley. Her father and associates’ ways of life were going to change drastically. She’d been picking up details here and there, but nothing too substantial. Other than the restaurants and the dealership the remainder of the property would stay in her father’s hands. He would be paid amply and would overlook several operations. They would still be comfortable.

“I’m scared, Trina. I just have this horrible feeling that things will go south for Daddy. Things just don’t feel right. What am I going to do if Mike shows up? I don’t know if I can handle it.”

Things did get worse, far worse than she ever expected.

There was that early morning phone call. That should have warned her right off the bat.

“Sweetheart, we need to talk. Something has come up that we can’t talk about over the phone. Please stop by the office on your way home.” This was bad. He never called her ‘Sweetheart’.

The office was empty except for her father. “Please have a seat. This is going to be tough.

“All the paperwork is essentially done. All it requires is our signatures and all the money problems will go away. He’s thrown one more thing into the deal, though.”

“What might that be,” she said fearing the worst.

“He wants to marry you. He asked me for your hand in marriage. I agreed.”

“You what!” she was shouting by this time. “How could you do this to me? I don’t love him. I don’t even like him.”

“Baby, please, it’s the only way I can get out of this mess.”

“So, you get out of this mess, and I get stuck with an old man I don’t even like. A man who smokes like a chimney. That’s some deal. You pimp your only daughter off to the Mafioso so you don’t have to worry about paying your bills. That’s a hell of a deal.

“Does he know about me?” she suddenly asked, her voice dropping a bit.

“Of course not; if he did that would probably ruin everything.”

“What if I told him?”

“Please don’t do that. Let’s not do anything rash.”

“Don’t do anything rash! You fucking sold me like chattel. I’m nothing to you. Well, I guess that’s not entirely true. I must be worth twenty or thirty million.”

“Don’t be that way. Those people I owe money to are threatening to kill me, and they probably will. Johnny’s not that bad. Besides, he could die. He is older than I am.”

“He’s the same age you are.”

“How do you know that?”

“I have my ways.

“So, if he dies I inherit everything from him?”

“That could be.”

“If he died, I wouldn’t take a fucking cent. Let his son have it.

“God, I hate you!”

How she didn’t have an accident on the way home was a mystery. All she remembered was slamming the door to her bedroom, and sobbing herself to sleep.

Caitriona found her there later that afternoon. “What’s happened that has you so upset?”

Ashley told her the whole miserable story.

“I could leave. I could run away. They would kill Daddy if I did that. As mad as I am at him, I couldn’t do that.”

“Marry him. I will go with you. I have my ways. I can make a potion that will kill him. It is quite painless, but it looks like a heart attack.”

“You would do that? Where do you get a poison like that?”

“You would be surprised at what I can do, what I have in my medical bag.

“Let’s stick together. There will be a way to get you out of this mess. I will find it.”

Ashley is very upset, and I don’t blame her. The father she loves so much has ‘sold’ her to Mike’s father. Guess who is sent to Boston to return her to Johnny Donatella. Ashley is desperate enough to consider suicide. Hopefully, it won’t come to that.

Introduction: Mike Donatella has just gotten out of the Navy and is desperately searching for a way to get away from his father’s business. He blindsided by his father’s announcement that he is getting married. The shocker is that his father is going to marry Sean Finlayson’s daughter, Ashley. Mike almost outs Ashley but thinks better of it. Now he’s been tasked to bring Ashley back to his father. Could things get worse?

The story is not mine. It is based on a very old tale that might have been part of English/Irish lore, it might be French or German. It might even be Persian in origin. I’ll leave it to you to try to figure out what tale it is. If you think you know, PM me. Don’t spoil it for others.

Although there are characters from other stories who make brief appearances, this is a stand-alone story.

This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

Chapter 6

“So, how does it feel to be out of the Navy?”

“Pretty damn good in some ways. They were going to send me to OCS, but I didn’t want to stay in. I hope I don’t regret it.”

“You won’t, believe me. I’m going to have you making this business run like a fine watch.

“I have some news for you. ‘Irish’ Finlayson has gotten himself into a serious financial bind. I’m buying him out and paying off his debts. He’s still going to run the Boston operation for us. We’ll pay him and his people well. I think there’s good money to be made. Finlayson would still be in business except for some bad luck.

“I have some more news. I’m getting married. Your mom’s been gone for fifteen years, and I need some full time companionship.”

“Who is the lucky lady?” Mike asked.

“This lady is real first class. She’s a nurse, but I wouldn’t allow her to work. I mean, you can’t believe how good looking she is.”

“Who is she, Dad?”

“Sean Finlayson’s daughter.”

“What, I didn’t ….”

“I’m going out to Vegas for a little rest and recreation. I want you to take the yacht up to Boston, and bring her back in style. I had to agree to let her aunt to come along. Apparently, they’re inseparable. I want her to be treated like the queen she’s going to be. We’ll get married and travel the world while you run the operation.”

Mike knew at that point that it was useless to talk to his father about anything. He wanted nothing to do with the business. He wanted to run a small tourist boat business in the Caribbean. As soon as he found an opportunity, he was going to use his savings plus a VA loan to get started.

He knew that his father frequently went to Las Vegas and to take advantage of the legal houses of prostitution in the area. Johnny used to brag about his prowess. He wasn’t bragging much these days, and Mike had inadvertently come across a rather large supply of a popular ED pill.

About Sean Finlayson’s daughter, Sean never heard Ash mention a sister. Surely, he would have said something about a sister. Then he remembered that Ash had said he was going to study to be a nurse. This was getting stranger by the moment.

At dinner that night, Mike asked the question he’d failed to ask that afternoon. “Dad, what’s this angel’s name? You didn’t tell me this morning.”

“I’m sorry. I got carried away. Her name’s Ashley. I have her picture somewhere. Just a minute, I’ll show you.”

Mike was dreading what he knew he’d see when his father brought the picture back.

His father returned with a framed photo, probably her graduation picture. His father was correct. She was absolutely beautiful, and there was no question that it was Ash. Ash had always had a feminine quality about him, and now Mike could see why. This was the way she should have always been. No wonder she’d been so cryptic about things.

Mike felt something building within that he was having trouble describing. Ash had been his best friend, and now he realized maybe it had been a bit more than that. That went against his grain a bit, because he was certain he was not gay.

“You’re right, Dad, she is beautiful. When did you propose?”

“I told Sean that to seal the deal, I wanted his daughter’s hand. He promised her to me, and he says she agreed. It’s a done deal.

“I’m taking the plane to Vegas, and I’ll be gone a week. I want you and Carlo to take the yacht up there tomorrow. They’re supposed to be ready, and you can bring them back the next day. Her aunt’s room is on the third floor, and it’s ready. Ashley will have the guest room until we are married. I wouldn’t want the Priest to question our relationship.”

Mike was conflicted. He loved his father, but didn’t like what he did. He was certain that Ashley didn’t love his father; that she was only doing it to save her father. He didn’t want to screw things up for the Finlaysons. He had to put on a front, but wasn’t sure he could. He wasn’t happy at all about the fact Carlo was coming along. He’d not had much contact with Carlo over the last six years, and he felt that their relationship had changed considerably over that time. Then there was this feeling he had for Ashley. That couldn’t be right.

The family yacht, ‘Torna a Sorrento’, was moored at a private dock on Long Island sound. Mike was an experienced boat pilot even before he’d joined the Navy. He’d quickly moved up in ranks while in in the Navy and was soon piloting boats for the shore patrol in Philadelphia. It was something he enjoyed very much.

Carlo, on the other hand was a land lubber. He was seasick before they’d gone ten miles from the dock. The two crew members were mostly responsible for taking care of the engine room and operating the kitchen. Mike was the only true sailor among the lot. The yacht was capable of cruising at 25 knots, faster if necessary, and the distance by sea to Boston was about 360 nautical miles. The trip would take about fifteen hours. The trip could have been considerably shorter by the Cape Cod Canal; however, a boat collision had shut the canal down for several weeks.

There wasn’t any reason to bust their butts to get there, so Mike made arrangements for an overnight in Nantucket Harbor. That would at least allow Carlo and the crew some shore time. Mike would stay onboard.

They pulled into the pier in Boston at noon the next day. Carlo had had a miserable trip. Mike didn’t think that he’d seen anyone so miserable, and suggested that Carlo remain on board while he went to the Finlayson home to get Ashley and her aunt. Carlo agreed.

Ashley. Mike tried to go back seven years before when he, Carlo and Ash played stick ball. The trouble was that the only image he could conjure up was the one his father had shown him. This was going to be difficult.

“Carlo, make sure the boat is fully serviced. The fuel people are down there. Just tell them what boat you’re from and give them the slip number. Use the company credit card.

The Finlayson’s driver, Niall, was waiting for him as the boat was moored. This was not going to be easy. He tried to talk himself through a scenario where he would feign ignorance and not let on that he was aware of Ash’s transition. That was stupid. The only thing he could think of was to appear to be put off about what Ash/Ashley had done, and try to distance himself as much as possible from her. He didn’t dare let his feelings show.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Finlayson, I’m Mike Donatella. My father sent me up here to take your daughter and her aunt back to New York. I would like to leave as soon as possible.”

“You resemble your father. I will introduce you to my daughter and her aunt. Please take good care of her.”

Mike followed Ashley’s father to a room at the other end of the house. They were obviously waiting for him. Their suitcases were in the hall.

“Niall, take Miss Ashley and Ms. Fleming’s bags to the car. I need to say goodbye to my daughter and her Aunt.”

They were in a sitting room, obviously part of a suite of rooms. Yes, she was beautiful, even more beautiful than the picture indicated. The look of shock on her face as he stepped into the room made it very apparent that she hadn’t expected to see him.

“Mr. Donatella, this is my daughter, Ashley. She is my life. Please take care of her. This is her Aunt, Caitriona Fleming. She will be accompanying you.”

Sean hugged and kissed his daughter, then did the same for her aunt. He then left. Mike thought he spotted a tear.

Things were not going well that morning in the Finlayson household. They had received the call that morning that the yacht would be arriving at midday.

Ashley vacillated between tears, rage and despair. “Trina, I can’t, will not, go through with this. You once told me that you could make a poison that would be quick and painless. I would rather die than marry that evil, smelly man.”

“I can formulate what you say. How would you want to take it?”

“Put it in some wine. I will suggest a toast to the upcoming adventure and then drink the poisoned wine. Father will have to find his own way out of his problems. I can’t do it for him.”

“I will do as you say, dear one.”

Mike’s indifference to her during her father’s introduction steeled her wishes to end it all. He hadn’t batted an eye. She knew he knew who she was. Yet, he’d shown no emotion. Obviously, he was just like his father. It was all business. Their friendship had just been a sham. That made her decision easy. He would die with her.

“Trina, would you please pour us some of that special wine, the one we talked about this morning.”

“Certainly, it will be just a minute.”

Caitriona returned with three glasses of wine. Ashley didn’t really take much notice.

“To our little adventure. May it end well,” Ashley said as she raised her glass. Her hand might have been shaking a bit. The three glasses touched and each took a sip.

“So, tell me, Mike, what have you done these last six years?”

“I just got out of the Navy. Other than training, I spent most of my time in Philadelphia.” Then in almost a whisper he said, “Do you think your father will return soon.”

“I don’t think so,” she said taking a good sip of wine. Mike and Caitriona did the same.

“Good. This has been very difficult for me. I was sure you didn’t have a sister, and when I saw your graduation picture I knew for certain it was you. You are quite pretty, you know. I was torn apart. I almost let on to father that I knew who you were. Then I realized that would be the worst thing that I could do. I couldn’t let your father know that I knew, either. I have had several days to think about this. I’ve had all these strange thoughts. Whether you realize it or not, you were my best friend that last year of school.”

Had either of them looked, they might have seen a smile creeping across Caitriona’s face.

“I just realized something. Two years ago, I was mugged in New York City. It was stupid of me. I left a bar, and rather than call a cab, I thought I’d walk a little bit. Maybe I’d had too much to drink. These three guys jumped me and I was stabbed a couple of times. I guess I was hit on the head, too. They told me later that two ladies had given me first aid. If it hadn’t been for them, I would have died. As it was, I spent two weeks in the hospital.

“I thought it was a dream. You know, when somebody tells you something enough times, you begin to believe it. But it wasn’t a dream. It was you. I know it was. There was light going through your hair. It was like a halo.”

“Yes, that was us,” Ashley said. “It was pure luck. We’d just left my graduation party. We saw you on the ground and those hoods were going through your pockets. The cabbie dropped us off. We told him to stay, but he fled. We did what we could until the ambulance got there. The policeman took us home. We knew the next day that you were going to be okay. You were on the news.”

“You don’t love my father. I know that for sure now that I’ve seen you. The strange thing is, I think I do love you. I think I knew it when I saw your picture. Everything seemed so right. It made so much sense”

“Oh God, what have I done,” Ashley suddenly wailed. “I’ve poisoned the wine.”

“The wine is not poisoned. I may have added something special for you, though,” Caitriona said.

“I knew Ashley loved you two years ago. Now that that is out in the open. What are we going to do?” Caitriona asked.

By this time the two former high school chums were hugging and exchanging kisses. Their passion was increasing by the second.

“That is easy,” Mike replied. “We will get rid of Carlo and the two crew members. Then we will get lost.”

“But, your father will know something is wrong when we don’t show up.”

“My father will be out of touch for another five days. The boat should have enough fuel for at least ten days. We’ll find a place to hole up out of country for a while and work on our plans.

The two lovers to be are reunited after seven years apart. Seven years when they never really forgot about the other. They have a problem, actually several. Carlo’s presence is a serious problem as Mike realizes he is not the friend he had in high school. They are going to have to go somewhere before Mike’s father finds out.

Introduction: Two people couldn’t be more in love. With Ashley’s help they form a plan and put it into effect. Ashley and Mike are finally alone together. Need we ask? Caitriona realizes they are only putting off the inevitable.

The story is not mine. It is based on a very old tale that might have been part of English/Irish lore, it might be French or German. It might even be Persian in origin. I’ll leave it to you to try to figure out what tale it is. If you think you know, PM me. Don’t spoil it for others.

Although there are characters from other stories who make brief appearances, this is a stand-alone story.

This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

Chapter 7

Carlo was waiting for them when the Finlayson van pulled up to the dock. He uttered a subdued whistle as he caught sight of Ashley. She was dressed appropriately for a summer cruise: shorts, light weight blouse, and wide brimmed bonnet. The three figuratively breathed a sigh of relief as it was apparent Carlo didn’t recognize Ashley.

The two crew members, Giuseppe and Ruggeri, loaded the sizable trousseau and other baggage. Mike made sure that Ashley and Caitriona were settled. Damn, he still wanted to call her Ash. That could be a woman’s name couldn’t it? He’d have to talk to her about that. He’d been formulating his plan since the moment he knew that things were fine between him and Ashley; actually, more than fine.

The boat’s larder was well stocked. He’d checked that out before they’d left Long Island. The fuel tanks had been topped off as he’d asked. Everything looked fine. The problem was what to do with Carlo, Giuseppe, and Ruggeri. He wasn’t that concerned about the latter two. It was Carlo who concerned him. He realized now that Carlo had gone completely over to the other side. Unfortunately, Carlo was entering the bridge with a beer in hand.

“As sick as you got yesterday drinking alcohol probably won’t help you a bit.”

“Mind your own fucking business. I’ll drink what I want and when I want it. You just get this boat back to New York with that broad. Jesus, she’s good looking. Too bad your old man can’t get it up anymore. I wonder how he’s going to keep her happy.”

“I’d suggest you stay as far away from her as possible.”

“Why, so you can get some of that before your old man does?”

“Just stay away from her.”

“I’m scared, I’m real scared. You’d better watch your back. That’s all I have to say.”

That’s when Mike realized that Carlo was already drunk. He was going to be miserable once they passed Cape Cod. That might work in their favor. The two crewmen were another problem. He’d known them for years. They were trustworthy and hard workers; however, he didn’t think he could trust them if he put his plan into effect.

They cast off and headed east. It would be about two hours before they passed the cape. Hopefully, Carlo wouldn’t realize that he was not turning south when he should. If he did question the course they were taking, he hoped he’d be able to BS him until it was time to do what he needed to do.

“Carlo, would you ask Miss Finlayson and her aunt to come up here. I need to go over the safety rules. That’s the same stuff we went over yesterday, so you don’t need to stay.”

“I’ll get ‘em. That’s a bunch of BS anyway.”

Five minutes later Ashley and Caitriona were in the bridge. It was starting to get a bit rough, and Carlo headed for his cabin. He was starting to look a little green around the gills.

“Do either of you have any problem with sea sickness?” Mike asked.

“I don’t know,” Ashley said. “I’ve never been out in the ocean before.”

“How do you feel right now?”

“I’m fine.”

“Trina, any problem.”

“No. If anyone has a problem, I have something that will help prevent the nausea.”

“What else do you have in that bag of tricks of yours? Do you have anything that would put someone to sleep for a while?”

“Certainly, do you want pills or injections?”

“Carlo is going to get very seasick. He was miserable coming up here, and it was really pretty smooth. I’m going to take the boat out a ways. The weather's changed a bit since yesterday, and it’s going to get rough. I’ve seen people who get very seasick. I want him begging for medication. I don’t want this to boil down to a fight. If we can knock him out, I want to put him in one of the life boats along with Giuseppe and Ruggeri.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Ashley said. “If and when they’re picked up, they’ll tell authorities that we dumped them. They’ll come after us no matter where we are. I think a better idea would be to make Carlo so mad that he won’t want to tell the authorities what happened to him. He’ll want to get even personally.

“I watched him for almost a year. And that’s the way I feel he’ll react. He probably won’t even wait for your father. That would give us time to disappear, or at least build up a defense.

“How much cash is available?”

“Fifteen, twenty thousand, why.”

“What if you bribed Giuseppe and Ruggeri? Pay them ten grand apiece, with the promise to double it, to try to convince Carlo not to tell the authorities what really happened. Get him to say that they were testing the life boat, the engine quit, and they drifted out to sea. Convince them to tell the authorities the yacht is in dry dock. They, the authorities, might not look for us if Carlo wants to get even on his own. You could get the name of the boat changed. Have it repainted. I’ll bet we could find someone to do it. Once we did that, we could disappear, sell the boat, buy a new one, and get on with our lives.”

“I think I like the way you think. Who would have thought that such a beautiful woman would come up with such a plan?”

“You have to remember who my father is. I’ve had a good instructor.”

Carlo didn’t show up for dinner. Pretending to be the concerned medical professionals, they weren’t really pretending, Caitriona and Ashley knocked on Carlo’s cabin door. They could hear him moaning. He groaned something that sounded like “Come in.”

“Mr. Bergonzi, I have something that will make you feel better if you want.”

The cabin smelled of vomit. Fortunately, it all went into the plastic lined waste basket.

“I’m dying. Please, anything. Just make this go away. Get me to land.”

“Hold still. This might sting a bit.” Ashley swabbed his arm, and proceeded to empty a syringe into it.

“You will be fine in just a little while,” Caitriona said as they closed the door.

Meanwhile, Mike was explaining to the two hands what he needed them to do. The promise of another ten thousand dollars each when it was all over was all they needed to know. The fact they weren’t particularly fond of Carlo made it just that much easier.

They loaded ample provisions for a week on the boat. There was a good supply of wine and beer included. They put water in the fuel tank and ran the engine until it ground to a halt. There were strict instructions not to use the radio beacon until twelve hours had passed. They would monitor the frequency to make sure they didn’t. If they did operate it early, the additional money would not be paid.

They loaded the unconscious Carlo into the boat, the two crew members pushed the life boat away from the yacht. Giuseppe and Ruggeri waved as the yacht powered up and disappeared to the southeast.

“I like the Signore and Signorina. They are so in love with each other. Maybe it will work. Maybe it won’t. Let’s hope that it does. I would like to get that money. Do you think it will work, Giuseppe?”

“I hope it does. Let’s open up the wine.”

Caitriona said goodnight. Ashley returned to her cabin to clean up before retiring. Mike made sure everything was ship shape. He’d plotted a course into the GPS, set the LORAN to alarm if anything got within five miles, and retired to his cabin and shower.

As he readied the bed, there was a light tapping at his door. His heart skipped a beat. She was there and she was so beautiful. She might as well have not been wearing anything, but the nearly transparent gown seemed to accentuate the beauty not hidden beneath.”

“Would you please come out here?”

“Er, okay.” Mike complied. His eyes never left hers.

“Now, pick me up and take me to your bed.”

Mike didn’t have to be asked twice. He gently picked her up and just as gently carried her through the door, shutting it behind him. He gently placed her on the bed before removing his shorts.

She smiled at what she saw. She’d always wondered how he’d react, and now she knew she’d never have to worry about a thing.

“Please make love to me, my husband.”

Across the narrow passage, in her own cabin, Caitriona smiled through her tears of happiness as she heard the sounds of passion and love. The sudden louder feminine gasps, almost sobs, were all she needed to know. This was right. It wasn’t going to be easy, but it was right.

“Are you okay,” he asked. Ashley’s head was on his chest, her right breast flatted against his abdomen, her left breast gently being held in his right hand; his thumb and forefinger gently caressing her nipple.

“You have to ask?

“I’ve wanted this for a long time. I was never sure it would happen, though. I was accused of many things while I was in school before I had my surgery, and it got even worse after I went to work at the hospital. No one in college was aware of my physical abnormalities. No one at the hospital was aware of my transition. I was hit on daily, but I never accepted any invitations. I knew I was a woman before I had the surgery, and now I have absolutely no doubts whatsoever.

“The thing was that no one interested me. There was only one man I wanted to be with. I began to realize it during my period of transition. That night we found you being robbed hurt so much because I thought I might have lost you before I even found you. I had my surgery two weeks later.

“Then my father sold me to your father. I know why he did it, but I decided to kill myself rather than go through with the marriage. I had no idea you were the one being sent to take me and Trina to New York. I was angry about your indifference. Of course, I know why, now. Thank God, father had Trina take care of me. She is so wise.

“So, where are we going?”

“Bermuda. We can hide out at St. George for a while. I’m going to have to figure out where to go from there. I don’t think Africa is an option at this time. Central America; maybe Costa Rica would work. The Caribbean might have a good spot. There are some great spots in the Mediterranean, too.

“We won’t be able to hide forever; probably a week at most. When we get to St. George we’ll have to clear Immigration and Pass Port Control. That’s the only port where a private yacht may enter. That shouldn’t be a problem other than there will be an official record of our arrival. There are ports where we could sneak into a country. Officials can be bribed. The problem is the places I’m aware of are the first places Dad will look for us. I’m sure he’ll come looking with a vengeance.”

“Then, let’s make the best of the time we have. I love you so much.

It was better the second time.

Mike waited until Ashley was asleep before going back to the bridge to check on things. At their current speed they would be arriving at St. George late in the next evening. He’d call the port authority before anchoring on the lee side of the island. He’d move into the port the next morning. Hopefully there would be a slip available.

He wasn’t as worried about what his father would do as he was about Carlo. When Carlo realized what had happened, he would come after Mike like a rabid dog.

Then there was the problem with Ashley. Carlo had been befuddled by her beauty; however, it wouldn’t be long before he’d put two and two together, and come up with Ashley. Carlo may be a loose cannon, but he wasn’t stupid. Of course, his father would have to be told about Ashley’s origin. That would certainly be interesting – if it ever got to that point.

Then there was another problem. There were several fire arms on board. They were strictly illegal in Bermuda. He would have to tell the authorities about them. If he didn’t, and they found them, it was jail, two to ten years. The authorities would lock and seal the gun cabinet. They might even confiscate the guns and return them when they left. As far as Mike knew, the guns were legal. When international travel was involved it didn’t pay to have illegal drugs or fire arms in your possession.

He was pretty sure the authorities had dealt with this in the past. He was certain that other visiting ships had arms aboard. He would just be honest with the authorities.

Checking the navigation and engine readings once again, he returned to the cabin. Ashley was stretched out on her side of the bed. It would always be her side he realized. She was so pretty. Her bright red hair, narrow hips, full bust, and pale skin. She’d have to watch her exposure to the sun.

“Anything wrong?”

“Not yet, but it might get interesting in a day or two.”

“Come here and hug me. Tomorrow is another day.”

So far, so good, but it can’t last. They have several very pleasant days, but that comes crashing to a halt. Carlo shows up and he is really pissed off.

Introduction: They arrive at St. George and everything seems to be going quite well; at least it does for the first couple of days.

The story is not mine. It is based on a very old tale that might have been part of English/Irish lore, it might be French or German. It might even be Persian in origin. I’ll leave it to you to try to figure out what tale it is. If you think you know, PM me. Don’t spoil it for others.

Although there are characters from other stories who make brief appearances, this is a stand-alone story.

This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

Chapter 8

The port authority boarded the yacht at the entrance to the harbor. Passports were checked and stamped.

“Before you ask, we have several fire arms on board. There are six pistols and three rifles. The cabinet can be locked.”

“Thank you for telling us. We will need to see the weapons, record their serial numbers, and seal the cabinet. As you are aware, it is illegal to bring any fire arm on shore.”

Mike was thankful that his father had the good sense to forbid drugs on the yacht. Thankfully, the drug sniffing dog failed to alert on anything.

“So, there are just the three of you? This is quite a boat for only one man to handle,” the officer in charge said.

“It is an easy boat to pilot, very seaworthy. . The navigation and LORAN systems are very sophisticated. We normally have two more crew members, but my fiancé and I along with her aunt decided we’d rather be alone this trip. They’ve never been to Bermuda before, but they’re pretty good deck hands.”

“Well, enjoy your stay, and be sure to call us before you leave so that we may verify everything is in order with the fire arms. Sometimes, when security isn’t adequate, we have to confiscate them for the duration. You have a good cabinet. Ta, ta.”

St. George is a quiet little town, more like a village. They have done much to preserve the British Colonial atmosphere. The two lovers decided they wanted to take in some of the tourist places of interest. It was a particularly pleasant day. Caitriona said she would stay behind for a while but would meet them for lunch a little later at what looked like a nice café.

Caitriona had no doubts that the situation was going to get very bad in the next day or two, if not sooner. She was going to have to take the bull by the horns. She knew there was only one way this mess could turn out well. Love had obviously blinded the two. She was going to have to take charge.

Her laptop was sitting on the desk in her cabin. She opened it, and while it was booting up, she composed the message that would probably seal their fates. She only hoped she would be soon enough.

She found them at the town square where they said they’d be. They were watching a little play for the tourist’s benefit. A ‘criminal’ was being tied to the dunking chair. Apparently, he’d been accused of public drunkenness. The actors were all dressed as colonists from eighteenth century Bermuda.

“What have you two been up to?” Caitriona asked, eying several bags of items obviously purchased at some of the nice shops in the area.

“We took a trip around the town in a hansom cab, and I found some nice things in a couple of the shops,” Ashley responded.

“We checked the menu at that restaurant beyond the square. It looked acceptable. I have them holding a table for us,” Mike said. “We should be there in ten minutes.”

After lunch, they caught the bus to Hamilton. They had changed currency that morning, so riding the bus was easy. Hamilton was considerably bigger than St. George. There were more shops, and more tourist things to do. Mike also wanted to see if there was any advantage to moving the yacht to this harbor. Looking at the number of tourists and the two huge cruise ships moored at the dock, Mike decided it would be best if they just stayed where they were until they decided where to head to next. He could get to the Caribbean in about three days. It would take him a week just to get to the Mediterranean. Once there, he wasn’t sure where they would go. The Caribbean seemed like the best choice for now.

There was enough food for a month on board; however, he had the ship refueled.

They had another pleasant meal on shore. They might as well take advantage of someone else’s cooking as long as they could.

The next day they caught the shuttle to a beautiful coral beach. Ashley had not packed a swim suit; however, she found two to her liking at one of the stores.

The day before, Ashley had said, “Don’t laugh at me, Mike, but I’ve never worn a bikini in my life. I often dreamed years ago about wearing one, but the opportunity was never there.”

Caitriona had gone to the shop with her and helped her pick out a couple. It was a bit scary for Ashley at first when she tried each one on. Her confidence might have been lacking a bit, but they picked out two that Caitriona said were perfect. Ashley thought they were a bit skimpy.

Mike had been waiting outside the dressing area. “Do I get to help in the selection process?”

“Of course not. You’ll get to see them at the beach.”

The truth was that Ashley had to do a little trimming before she could go out in public wearing either one. “I’ll have to see Amber about fixing that when I get back,” she said.

As far as Mike was concerned, she was perfect. Ashley caught several appreciative glances and not a few stares from some of the other beach goers.

Once back at the yacht, they crowded into the small shower to get rid of the salt and sand. They didn’t have to share. It was just more fun that way.

“I think I got too much sun. Please put some lotion on me.” Mike gladly complied, noting the small whiter triangles on her breasts and an equally small one covering her pubic mound. He gently parted her lips, and kissed her special place.

“Hand me that tube. I know you’ll never finish getting that lotion on me until I take care of that thing you are sporting, and until you take care of me.

“Here, do it for me,” she said handing the tube of lubricant to him. “I may have to use this the rest of my life, but it is certainly worth it.”

Not knowing how much to use, Mike put a copious amount on his index and middle fingers. He gently pressed his fingers between her lips, letting his thumb gently tease her rapidly hardening clit.

“Gently, that’s it.”

He entered with his middle finger only at first. He could see that she was really getting with it. He marveled at how beautiful she was in the light of day. He remembered that slender boy who looked like a girl from behind taking a shower after gym class. All that was gone now. But actually it wasn’t, everything but those two little glands was reshaped, repositioned into the beautiful flower of womanhood he was caressing.

He knew she couldn’t wait much longer, nor could he. In the light of the late afternoon sun streaming through the cabin window, he watched as he slowly entered her. She was perfect. Soon, with her legs wrapped around his thighs, she was meeting him thrust for thrust. It couldn’t have been any better.

After her shower, Caitriona retreated to the deck with a cold drink and a book. She would leave them alone for a while. She looked up at the sound of a small jet circling St. George to line up on the runway. There were a number of commercial and private flight in and out of the airport. Bermuda was a popular place for tourists.

They’d agreed to go to a seafood restaurant that evening, and would have a cab take them there and return. It was a Michelin Guide restaurant, and they would have to dress up a bit. Caitriona heard another jet passing overhead as she dressed.

“Trina, help me with this necklace. The clasp is giving me fits. Mike is all thumbs. He’s waiting on deck for us.”

Coming out of the hatch they could see Mike standing between them and the gang plank. Why in the world did he have his hands on his head? That looked real stupid.

“Come on out ladies, or whatever you are. Keep your hands where I can see them.

“Isn’t this interesting. The groom-to-be’s son runs off with the bride-to-be. Only the bride is not who she seems to be. I don’t know why I didn’t figure it out until I did. It hit me when that Coast Guard chopper was taking us back to Long Island. You’re that sissy little wimp who seemed to take up all of Mike’s time.

“You had me fooled, Mike. I’d never figured you was gay.

“So what is it? What are you anyway? Are you just a drag queen, or are you one of those trannies who got its dick cut off and thinks it can pretend to be a woman.”

“Why don’t you just shut the fuck up Carlo and get the fuck off the boat.”

“You’re real brave for a man without a weapon.

“Your dad was real pissed when I called him in Vegas. He wanted me to wait until he got back, but I figured I’d better find you. Hopefully you were on land somewhere, and you’d have to come to land fairly soon, anyway. I got friends who owe me. They found the boat this morning. I chartered a plane to take me here. You know, you can’t bring a gun here, but I got friends here, too. They got real friendly when I told them I was going to kill Johnny Donatella’s kid. That’s the least I could do.

“Apparently, those two idiots you put in the boat with me want to get even, too. They agreed we needed to keep the authorities out of this, so we made up a story about the boat being in dry dock. We told them that we had an engine failure while testing the boat, and that our radio was out until we fixed it.

“That wasn’t nice killing that engine and comm gear, but we fixed the comm gear, and the Coast Guard picked us up right away. I’m never going on another boat as long as I live. I must have puked my liver out. My stomach still hurts.”

Ashley tried to move back towards the hatch. She thought she might be able to get to one of the guns. She knew how to use them.

“Don’t move, bitch. I’ll just kill your two friends here, and then come after you.”

“You know, Carlo, I always knew you were ignorant, but now I can see you’re even stupider than I thought. You fire that gun and they’re going to be on you like flies on shit. You have nowhere to go. You can’t operate this yacht. I’ll bet you don’t even know the stern from the bow. The best thing you could do would be to just lose that gun and leave on the same plane you came in on.”

“The hell I am. I’ll tell you what. I think I’ll just kill you and fuck these two bitches. Does Ash have a cunt now, or do you just bum fuck him.”

Mike could see that Carlo was probably boarder line psychotic.

“I wouldn’t do anything too stupid in front of witnesses. There’re some folks coming down the dock.” He could actually see somebody approaching.

Carlo started to turn, and Mike made his move. Carlo’s shot caught him in the upper chest. Mike collapsed instantly. A second shot caught Carlo in the spine at the base of his neck. He never knew what hit him.

Ashley was in shock.

“Ashley, get my bag. It’s on the desk by my computer. We have to work fast.”

Ashley, almost in a trance, went to get the medical bag.

“Ma’am, the ambulance is on its way.”

Caitriona looked up to see two police officers.

“We got a call a little while ago that there was a man with a gun heading for this boat, and that he was going to try to kill someone. As much as we don’t want to use weapons, sometimes, we have to. This was one of those times.

Caitriona was working frantically to stop the flow of blood.

Ashley grabbed the bag, and in her haste, dropped it. A small vial dropped out. She recognized it immediately as the vial of poison that Caitriona had not put in the wine. She slipped it into her bra.

She raced back to the deck. “Here’s the bag.”

“I have some things in here for hemorrhaging. This does not look good.”

Ashley looked up at the sound of the approaching ambulance. Her father and Mike’s father were standing there with looks of horror on their faces. Where had they come from?

“I think we’re losing him.” Caitriona started chest compressions. In spite of all her training, Ashley was paralyzed in shock. She knew Mike was dead. She reached into her bra, pulled out the vial, and downed the contents. She collapsed at Mike’s feet.

Caitriona briefly looked at the vial and tossed it aside. The medics brought two gurneys. They hooked Mike up to a normal saline drip and placed him on the gurney. They put Ashley on the second gurney, and raced back to the ambulance. It was a ten mile trip to the hospital.

Giovanni Donatella and Sean Finlayson, who had come to bless the marriage of their two children, stood in shocked silence as the ambulance speed off towards Hamilton and the hospital.

Most versions of this story end here. The lovers die, and the distraught parents realize that the tragedy could have been prevented; however …….

Any more guesses as to the origin of this story. There have been two correct answers out of the thousands who guessed - er, correction, that was six who offered a guess. All will be revealed tomorrow, but I would be happy to entertain any other guesses. "Drea, you can't guess because you already know.

Introduction: So, what happened? I guess we can be thankful for a very resourceful Aunt Caitriona and modern medicine. Things certainly could have ended up worse. Once the authorities were straightened out. Everything returned to a semblance of normal. The two families will be joined, just not in the way Giovani and Sean thought they would. Now, to clean up this mess.

The story is not mine. It is based on a very old tale that might have been part of English/Irish lore, it might be French or German. It might even be Persian in origin. I’ll leave it to you to try to figure out what tale it is. The answer is at the end.

Although there are characters from other stories who make brief appearances, this is a stand-alone story.

This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

Chapter 9 - Epilogue

“Tell me about the potion you put in the wine that made Mike and me fall so helplessly in love.”

“There was nothing added to the wine. It was just an excellent vintage. You know what they say: In wine, there is truth. I knew you loved him two years before. I saw your expression and Mike’s when you saw each other that afternoon, and I knew I had to do something. When you realized you loved Mike and he loved you, I just let both of you think I’d put a love potion in the wine, but as you now know, you didn’t need a love potion.”

“Hold still, I need to fix your hair just a bit. The garland has come loose,” Ashley said working a bit more on Caitriona’s hair.

“But what about the poison?”

“I can’t be carrying around bottles of deadly poison. Who knows what child might come across it and inadvertently drink it? I would never have forgiven myself if that had happened. It was just a mild sedative for children. You just fainted. I told you that I had given you the antidote. They just kept you in bed for observation.”

From the depths of despair she had awakened to a bright room with Caitriona sitting next to her bed.

“Now don’t you start crying again. Mike’s going to be fine. They gave him a lot of blood. Fortunately, it is O-Positive. He has a unit of mine as well as your father’s and his father’s. As soon as you’re ready, we’re all going to fly back to New York in your future father-in-law’s plane. They’re getting Mike ready for the flight.

“Future father-in-law?”

“Sure, I’ll let them tell you. They’ll be here in a few minutes. Giuseppe and Ruggeri came in with them yesterday as did his other boat captain. They’ll be taking the yacht back to New York. I packed everything you’ll need for a while.

“I gave you an antidote for that stuff you drank. That wasn’t very smart.”

“How’s my beautiful daughter?”

Ashley looked up to see her father and Johnny Donatella at the door.

“Ashley, I want to sincerely apologize for my stupidity and selfish attitude. First of all, I had no right to demand from your father what I did. I thought having a beautiful young wife would help me fix my personal problems.”

Ashley looked at Johnny in a bit of a different light. He didn’t look quite so confident. He also didn’t stink of cigarettes.

“My son is the most precious person in my life. Had I known your relationship, I never would have made the selfish request I did. I just wish he’d said something; however, I know why he didn’t.

“I am guiltier than Johnny,” her father said. “I traded my most precious possession for a few dollars. I didn’t care about your personal feelings.”

“Daddy, that’s not true at all. You were there for me from the beginning. When I told you about my little problem, you were the most supportive parent I could ever have hoped for.

“Oh, does …?”

“I know,” Johnny said, “and it wouldn’t have made any difference. I have never seen a more beautiful young woman. The thing I didn’t think about at the time was it didn’t matter if you didn’t love me.

“My son loves you. He told me that a little while ago.”

“I’m a bit confused about all of this. Why are you here in the first place?”

“Carlo called me. I had given strict orders that I was never to be disturbed when I was on vacation unless it was an extreme emergency. To say I was pissed off would be an understatement. My ego was shattered. My son had run off with my bride to be. What could I do? I told Carlo to sit tight, and I had the plane return me to New York. He was out of touch when I got there. His father didn’t know where he was either. Then I got an email. The same one your father received.

“Suddenly, I realized how stupid I was, and that was complicated by the fact that my son was in love with you and you were in love with him.”

“I called your father and told him to meet me at the airport in Boston.

“So, what does this do to the deal?” Ashley was beginning to think nothing had really changed.

“The deal is off, null and void,” Sean said. “Since you will be getting married …”

“He hasn’t asked me.”

“Don’t be that way, dear one,” Caitriona said. “You know that he will ask, and you know what your answer will be. You’ve known that for a long time.”

“Your father and I have agreed on forming a full partnership. That means I have assumed his debts, and he has assumed mine. We’re also looking at a different business plan, but that remains to be worked out.”

“What was this email you received and who sent it?”

“Ashley, I’m ashamed of you. I sent it,” Caitriona said. “Your father hired me to look out for you. I’ve taken that job very seriously.

“I just told your father and Mike’s father that you two were deeply in love and that it would do no one any good to try to destroy that relationship. There were many more positive gains to be had by allowing you two to be together.

“I also told them that Carlo would try to kill you.

Mike was extremely lucky in that there was not major organ damage. His recovery was actually faster than it had been from the stabbing.

Boston Children’s Hospital was glad to have her back, even if it would be for an indefinite period of time. They were amazed at the size of the engagement ring she was wearing. Mike had not wasted any time proposing.

For the time being, Mike and Ashley were living in a very nice flat on Cherry St. in Boston. It was a little real estate her father owned but had seemed to forget about. Mike was doing well, but tired easily. The doctors told him that he would be 100% within six months. The two lovers were relaxing after a nice meal and were catching up on the evening news.

“And now for a lighter moment. This has had several million views on Facebook. The stunning American soprano who has taken European opera lovers by storm had the surprise of a lifetime two nights ago. Demeter Esterházy had just finished her first performance of Wagner’s Ring Cycle. It is well known that she and the young Italian bass baritone, Arturo Vocelli have been very close for quite a while. Much to her surprise, Signore Vocelli proposed to her at the final curtain call of Gotterdammerung. Unknown to her, about 40 members of her family had traveled to Vienna to witness the proposal. Among those witnessing the proposal were the ex-Prime Minister of England and his companion, the well-known pianist, Kate O’Donnell ….”

“I know them. Demi lived upstairs from me in Queens. There’s Fanny Essegian and her husband. She’s a famous composer and they own the apartment building. I want to invite them to the wedding.”

“You may invite whomever you want,” Mike replied. “What about your mother? How long has it been since you’ve seen her?”

“Six years. I think we need to go to Brooklyn.”

They lightly knocked on the apartment door. Ashley’s father stood down the hall a bit, waiting in case he was needed. Ashley had sent an email saying that she and a friend would be coming by for a visit. There was nothing in the note that gave away her true gender.

“May I help you?”

“Hi Mom.”

“Oh my God, what have you done?”

“I became me about six years ago. I tried to tell you but you wouldn’t listen. Please don’t be mad.

“I want you to meet my fiancé, Mike Donatella.

“Mike, this is my mother Siobhan Finlayson.

“May we come in?”

“I suppose so.”

“May Daddy come in, too? He might help you understand some things.”

“Hello, Sean, it has been quite a while, hasn’t it?”

“Yes. Perhaps too long.”

They sat in the small living room. Siobhan offered everyone soft drinks, but she couldn’t keep her eyes off her beautiful daughter.

“I could never understand what you were doing: all the women’s underwear and things. I couldn’t understand it. I’m a little more understanding now. I’ve met someone with a daughter like you. I guess you’ve had all that stuff done.”

“Yes, Mom, I’m as complete a woman as it is possible for me to be. I had it done a little more than two years ago. Daddy paid for everything.”

Siobhan turned to Mike. “You’re not Johnny Donatella’s son are you?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Oh my, that does complicate things a bit.”

“Mom, Johnny and Daddy are partners. We are one big family, now.”

“I heard about Benny the Enforcer’s son being killed. Please pass along my condolences to him, Mike. I know he works for your father.”

“Benny retired a while ago. He lives in Florida. I don’t think he and father have anything in common anymore.”

“So, Sean, you did this to our daughter. Are you proud of what you’ve done?”

“I did what every parent should do for his or her child. I listened, I read and studied. I sought help when I didn’t understand things. I discovered that there was only one way to make Ashley complete.

“So, what do you think?”

“I think she is very beautiful.

“I think the more important question is are you happy, Ashley?”

“Happier than I’ve ever been in my life.

“Mom, would you please come to our wedding? We can’t have it in the Catholic Church, but other churches are a bit more liberal.”

“I would have to think about it.”

Sean spoke up. “May I say something, Siobhan? A few minutes ago you said something. I’m not sure you realize what you said. You asked if I was proud of what I had done to our daughter. Did you mean to say that?”

“I did say that, didn’t I. Strange.”

“How did you do all this, Ashley? You couldn’t have done it on your own. You are too perfect. I wish now that I’d been there to help you. I just wasn’t ready.”

“Aunt Caitriona has been with me for six years. I couldn’t have done it without her help. I also have a friend in Queens who was a tremendous help for me. She guided me down the path that she’d followed a few years before. She let me know what to expect and how to deal with it. She helped me be beautiful.”

“You are your mother’s daughter. If you want to see where you got your beauty from; you need only look at your mother,” Sean said.

Mike and Ashley were married six months later in a small non-denominational church in Boston. Demi and Arturo Vocelli sang a lovely love song. Fanny played the music. She insisted. She was 75. They honeymooned on one of those fabulous, all inclusive cruise ships, and they visited many Caribbean ports; however, when they stopped at Port au Prince, they knew this was the place. There was so much poverty, so much need, and so much potential.

Sean and Siobhan started seeing more and more of each other. They realized early on that many of her problems had been his as well. Sean agreed to stop drinking, it had never been a problem, but he decided to do it for her. They married six months after Mike and Ashley’s wedding.

“Mommy, mommy, everyone is here, and Father Muldoon said to hurry up before Grandpa Johnny loses courage.”

Ashley looked up to see her twins, Mike, Jr. and Katrina, two of the many joys in her life, dressed to the nines as the ring bearer and flower girl. They were six and had brown curly hair that went with their permanently dark complexions. Their blue eyes hinted at an interesting heritage. She and Mike had adopted them their first summer in Port au Prince. They were only four months old when she went to work as the head nurse at the orphanage. Three more children had followed. There would be more.

Mike had moved the family yacht and several smaller pleasure craft to the harbor. He was running a yacht rental and pleasure cruise business. He also had a small fleet of sports fishing boats. His wages were on the upper end of the scale, but more importantly, they were attracting dollars, Euros, and Pounds to the impoverished nation. They had constructed an earthquake resistant home overlooking the harbor.

Giuseppe and Ruggeri gladly accepted the second part of their bonuses. They and their families helped run the boating business.

Giovani and Sean were essentially retired. They had found that the legitimate enterprises were profitable enough, and they closed the less than above board businesses. They basically gave them away.

Giovani mellowed considerably in his retirement, and Caitriona found him to be an interesting, rather attractive man. Once the stresses of business were gone, his drinking dropped off considerably. He also found that he hadn’t needed a cigarette since the Bermuda incident. Life was beginning to look more interesting than it had for quite a while.

He had asked Caitriona out for dinner one night. He’d been splitting his time between Boston and New York quite a bit of late. He and Caitriona had gone to a nice club, and he asked her to dance. It happened rather quickly. For the first time in many years he found himself physically aroused. They spent a very enjoyable night in her bed.

So, now they were getting married in a small Catholic Church in Brooklyn. They weren’t planning on taking much of a honeymoon as they had tickets for a Met performance of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde that weekend. Demi Esterházy and Arturo Vocelli had starring roles. Caitriona was pregnant.

I’d first thought about writing this tale several years ago. When I researched it, I discovered it might really work. I think it worked far beyond my expectations. I thank the wonderful readers out there for their comments and support. Yes, the ancient tale was Tristan and Isolde.