“Once More With Feelings”
=========================


A new story by Night Hawk
© 2004 by Night Hawk

Chapter 21: The Truth and Nothing But
_____________________________________


“Now?”  I squeaked nervously.  “Don’t you think we better talk
about this first?”

“No,” he said firmly.  “Peppermint, these are our friends, and
they have to know.  Besides, we should tell them before we screw
up really bad.”  He looked at me.  “How many times have you
almost said something you shouldn’t?”

I frowned.  “More often than I’d like.”

“Right.  That’s why they really have to know.”  He saw my
anxious glance toward Wendy, and gently said, “You won’t lose
her.  She loves you.”

He directed Wendy to sit beside Linda and Julie on the couch,
while we sat in chairs facing them.

“What we’re going to tell you might weird you out,” he began,
and then saw the puzzled looks on their faces.  He turned to me
saying, “See how easy it is to slip up, Peppermint?”  He
grinned, a trifle nervously I thought, and then turned back to
the others.  “Anyhoo, we don’t want to overwhelm you, so after
the basics, we’ll just sit here so you can ask questions, if you
want.”

“And I’ll start by introducing myself.”  Einstein said.  “I was
born on June 21st, 1960, and I died on August 31st, 2003.”  He
looked into their shocked faces, and continued, “My name, when I
was born, was Patricia Ann Johnson.”

Their mouths literally dropped open while Wendy’s hand flew to
her mouth, their collective gaze switching to me.

I was surprised.  In all our conversations, birth dates had
never come up, not that we had had many chances for long or deep
conversations, but damn!  I guess I had figured that the reason
we could switch was because we had both been in the same
hospital at the same time in 1974 and we had both died on the
same day in 2003.  I knew we were the same age now, but had
never thought to ask Einstein when his birthday was!

This solved one part of the puzzle that had bothered me since
discovering that Einstein and I had switched bodies.  I died
early Monday morning, September 1st.  Einstein had died late
Sunday night, August 31st.  Now I knew why.  I had been born
June 22nd 1960!

This was no cosmic fluke.  The hand of the Goddess was clear in
this!

“And I,” I said after shaking the cobwebs loose, “I was born
June 22nd in 1960, and died September 1st in 2003.  My name at
the time of my death was Patrick Charles O’Donnell.”

And Wendy fainted.  Oh God, what will she think of me?!

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Julie fetched a damp washcloth while Linda held her legs
elevated on her lap. Oh God that should be me holding her! 
Julie then gently bathed her face.  Einstein watched until he
saw her stirring, then got cans of soda for us all.  I just sat
nervously on the edge of my seat; I didn’t mean to hurt you! 
Feeling tears well.  I wanted to go to her, to hold her, but I
didn’t dare (dared not!) until I knew if I still held her
affection.

When Wendy was sitting up holding a can of soda, Einstein went
on.  “Well, now you know who we are…”

“Or used to be,” I interrupted.

“…Do you have any questions?  Peppermint and I haven’t figured
out all the consequences yet, so we’re sort	of making it up as
we go along.”

“You two,” whispered Wendy, “used to be each other?”

We looked at each other for a moment, and I saw the shake of
his head almost before it started.

“No,” I said turning back to them.  “Not exactly.  I’m still
me, it’s just that I used to wear that body.”  My lips stretched
in the ghost of a smile.  “And it was pretty much worn out when
I had it!”

Einstein laughed.  “Well, mine wasn’t much better!”

“That’s why!” 

We all looked at Wendy. 

“That’s why you know so much about each other!” she said.

“That’s right, Sweetheart.  But really, we only know about each
other’s past.  That guy there,” I said, indicating with my
thumb, “I really don’t know him.  He’s kind and smart and
giving, and the guy I used to see in the mirror was none of
those things.  He’ll really do something with his life.”

“You’re not doing too bad yourself, Peppermint,” he grinned.

“So, are you a boy or a girl,” Wendy asked Einstein.

“Oh, a boy, definitely!  Right, Julie?” he kidded.

Julie went bright red, and then chuckled.  “No wonder you knew
where everything was,” and giggled again.

“Yeah, well let me tell you, everything feels different from
this side!”

“That was really your first time with a woman?”

“For real.  I may have been curious a couple times, but the
right time never happened.”

Wendy turned to me, saying, “I know you’re a girl,” then
blushed cutely.  “What did it feel like, being a man?”

I stopped to think for a moment.  “You know, that’s a funny
question.  I remember what it’s like being a man, but I’m
forgetting what being a man felt like.”
 
“God,” said Julie.  “How old were you, Patti?  When you died, I
mean,” and then shook her head trying to decide which one of us
she should be asking.

Einstein took a sip from his soda, and then slowly answered. 
“I was 45 when I died, though I don’t remember dying.  I was
under anesthesia for surgery and a wicked storm was brewing.  I
remember the nurses talking about it before I went under.  Then
I woke up in a different place, in a different time and in a
very different body.”

Julie looked at me.

“Heart attack, I think.  I was just getting the needle, same
storm and the last thing I heard was ‘He’s crashing.’”

“And you didn’t freak when you woke up as Patricia?”  Linda
asked.

“Hell no!”  I laughed.  “What woke me up was this dufus,” I
pointed at Einstein, “screaming ‘Who took my body!’  I figured
that the way he was being treated, I better keep my mouth shut.”

“I remember that,” said Linda.  “The nurses in recovery were
talking about it before he got sent to Peeds.”

“I didn’t take it very well,” said Einstein.  “If Peppermint
hadn’t found me and slapped some sense into me, I’d probably be
in the psych ward today.”  

“The only thing that we know for sure,” I said, “was that,
while we didn’t meet the first time around, we were both in the
same hospital, same wing, in September 1974.  I don’t remember
nurses or anything like that, but I do remember what happened
afterwards and the way my life went.  I’m really glad that
because of what ever it was that happened, that life will never
exist.”

“That goes for me, too,” said Einstein.  “Peppermint has done
more with my… her life in three months than I did with the rest
of mine.”

“And Einstein has done more as a real human being, than I did
in the next 30 some odd years,” I said.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Einstein and me spent the next hour fielding the questions you
would expect after delivering a bombshell like we had.

How did it feel to be a male, female and such.  Did our
physical abilities return with us or were we normal teenagers? 

We laughed at a lot of the questions, not because they were
dumb questions, but mostly because we were still discovering a
lot about ourselves.

“Look,” said Einstein, “I have absolutely no idea of what it’s
like growing up as a boy.  At this age, I was fairly competent
in the kitchen as a girl.  I can tell you what it was like
growing up as a little girl, but I don’t have a clue about what
a normal, hormone driven male feels or is supposed to feel at
this age.”

Julie laughed.  “Well, you certainly performed well as a male
earlier.  I thought you were very well educated in how to please
a woman, but now I see that it’s because you know what turns a
woman on.”

“Actually,” said Einstein, “I wasn’t sure that I did.”  He had
a sad look on his face so I put my arm around him.  There was no
need to tell everybody about the path her life had taken the
first time.

“That’s why I knew that Einstein would be a good donor,” I
said.  “At this point, I know his medical history better than he
does.  And, I understand more about his needing someone to teach
him how to make love.  I was lucky.  After the hospital, I met
Wendy, and I fell in love with her.”  Wendy flashed me a smile.

“I was still pretty much thinking like a man and I latched onto
the idea that I could only love women.  The thought of having a
man touch me really repulsed me at first, but then my body
started taking over.  I really didn’t have much of a clue as to
how to make love to Wendy either, cause the truth is, as a man,
I wasn’t a good or considerate lover.  But things have been
changing.  I love Wendy to pieces, but I’m also willing to just
give a man a try, just to see how it would feel, though I am far
from the point where I’m ready.”

Much of the rest they could fill in themselves.  Wendy
recounted my experience with my first period and how now she
could laugh at it.  Julie said it must have been scary for me,
and I said it was horrible.  Einstein laughed at this point and
said he was glad that he didn’t have to worry about menstruation
this time around.

“I still can’t figure out why you two came back as each other
instead of yourselves,” said Linda.

“That’s why I believe that God is responsible,” I said. 
“Einstein and me were both pretty poor excuses for people and
neither of us got on well with the opposite gender.  Hell, I
didn’t like other people much at all.  But now, it never
happened, and we’re not going to let it happen again.”

“But what about the loved ones you left behind?” asked Julie. 
“Didn’t either of you have a family?  Aren’t you bothered by how
they must feel now that you’re gone?”

I saw a momentary sadness pass across Einstein’s face, then he
said calmly, “Neither of us had anybody who mattered anymore,
Julie.  Anyway, it’s a moot point - you’re forgetting that we
died in that other future.”

“Isn’t the future constant?” asked Linda.  “I mean, aren’t
things going to happen anyway that you two already know about?”

“On the large scale,” I said, “I suppose that most things will
happen as they did before, but just by being here, we’ve already
changed some things that hadn’t happened at this time.”

“Like what, Pete?” asked Wendy.

I laughed and told them that St. Ursula’s didn’t get a real
sports program running until it went co-ed some time in the
80’s.  I wasn’t sure exactly when, because as a male, I hadn’t
been very interested in school athletics and by the time the
school went co-ed, it was just trivial news.  “And I certainly
would have noticed, ‘cause I watched the Saturday cartoons all
the time.  Patti never went to St. Ursula’s, never joined up for
any team sports, and certainly didn’t teach the Saints
volleyball moves from the 2000 Olympics.  I was just being
selfish, Wendy.  I wanted you alone and naked in the showers,
and the best way to do that was to keep you in the gym.  I’m
sorry, Baby, I hope you don’t mind.”

Wendy laughed.  “Mind?  Are you kidding?  I used to be that fat
little Wendy Miller the Mennonite bookworm, and now I’m Wendy
Miller the athlete!”  She came to clasp me to her bosom. 
“Honey, if you were being selfish, it’s going to be fun if you
set out to help someone!  And I would have showered with you
anyway, Pete,” she said with a blush.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

The hardest part to explain was how Einstein and me were
changing into the genders we had been given, especially as we
didn’t understand it ourselves.  As every day went by, he became
more masculine in his mannerisms and attitudes while still
keeping a feminine side in his brain, and I was turning into a
full-fledged girl, complete with the emotions and feelings that
belonged to the body.

Linda and Julie were curious about the future, naturally, but
as we explained to them, with the exception of some sporting
events such as who won the World Series or the Stanley Cup, we
had only been 14 ourselves the first time around, and as such we
had only paid attention to those things that concerned us.  We
really had been typical teenagers.  “The only thing I can tell
you for sure, right now, that will help you in a few years is to
start buying silver dollars,” I said.  “Silver bars would
probably be easier, but it would also draw suspicion.”

“What do you mean?” asked Linda.

“In 1974, you can still buy silver dollars from the bank,” I
said.  “Not the collector ones, but regular silver dollars. 
There’s not that many in circulation, but enough that you should
be able to buy 20 or 30 each every week.  Between the two of
you, that’s at least $50.  Put it aside.  Invest some money in a
fireproof box with a good lock on it and keep collecting.  In a
year, you should have $2500 stashed away and more if you can
afford it.  Make friends at different banks and get them to hold
any silver dollars that come in.  Most people don’t want coins
that big, so it should be no problem.”

I laughed and looked at Einstein.  “Wait till they meet the
Loonie!”

“And two Loonies make?” he laughed with me.  Some things we
just couldn’t explain yet.  Shouldn’t explain yet.

“And how long do we do this?” asked Julie.

“About three to four years,” said Einstein, as the light went
on for him.

“That’s nearly ten thousand dollars not collecting interest,”
said Linda.  “That’s a lot of money!”

“Trust us, Linda,” I said.  “It will be worth a lot more in a
few years.”  The silver monopoly scandal of the late 1970’s was
a part of history both Einstein and me remembered.

“Oh.  Yeah.  I guess there are some things that won’t change
after all,” she said.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Of course they all wanted to hear more, but I insisted that
Einstein and I had to discuss this a bit more.  I told them we
had told them the truth, and nothing but the truth, but knowing
too much about the future might not be such a good thing.

“How can that be?” asked Wendy

“That’s easy,” said Einstein.  “See how easily Peppermint got
caught tonight when she asked how it felt for me to be with
another woman, when I was supposed to be a virgin?  It just
slips out when you least expect it.”

“Or,” I said, “you’ll want to change something, and you just
can’t do it without either being locked up or accused of
something.  Let us talk it over first and just clue you in on
things to come as they come close or if we think it will have
some special meaning to your lives.”

“I understand,” said Julie.  “It’s like what you said about
Elvis, isn’t it?”

Einstein looked at me.  “You told them?”

“It came up,” I said, and shrugged.

“And it’s a perfect example,” he said.

“So, now fess up,” I said to him.  “How did you enjoy your
first lesson?”

Julie blushed, but Linda was obviously very interested as was
Wendy.  I laughed.

Julie started by telling us that she had expected Einstein to
be clawing and groping like the boys she had dated when she was
younger and was pleasantly surprised with his gentle manner and
slow approach.  “Of course I didn’t know at the time that he had
some of the same experiences,” she said.

“Julie was trying to be very educational about it,” said
Einstein, picking up the story.  “She undressed and asked if I
had ever seen a woman naked before.  I told her that I had, but
that it was a long time ago, which is the truth.  I thought that
it really wouldn’t affect me, but this dick stood right at
attention,” he said.  “It got so uncomfortably hard that I had
to get my own pants off just to ease the pain.”

“When he slipped his pants off,” said Julie, “I was surprised
to see how hard he was!  He could have chopped down a tree with
that tool!  I told him to join me on the bed and we would begin
with the basics.  I just wanted to see what he knew, and what he
needed to know.”  Julie blushed again.  “I wanted him to
understand the need for a woman to be lubricated and aroused,
but he already had his hand on my pussy, stroking it ever so
lightly.  I was getting turned on and I wasn’t talking anymore. 
Then he kissed me!  And Linda…  This boy really knows how to
kiss!”

“Well, you weren’t bad either,” chuckled Einstein.  “We just
laid on the bed for about 10 minutes kissing while I stroked her
pussy and she slid her hand down and grabbed hold of my cock.  I
told her to be careful cause I had been hard as a rock from the
minute she had taken her clothes off.  Julie thought that was
funny and squeezed my cock and slowly stroked it a few times and
I blew a load right across her stomach!”

Julie was laughing now.  “I didn’t know that he was that
close,” she said.  “If the quality of his sperm is anything like
his quantity, Linda, you might end up with triplets!”

It was good fun to watch as Einstein blushed, stealing a glance
at Wendy.

“So,” continued Julie, “it felt good just kissing but I wanted
to wipe up and I swear to god it took five tissues before I got
it all!  As I was wiping him off he got hard all over again!  I
was amazed at how fast he was ready to go again.  He was still
stroking my pussy and then he put his lips to my nipple.  You
know how much I like that, Linda, and I could feel myself
getting wet.  I thought for sure that I would need to use some
lubricant before I could get a man inside me again, but he was
really turning me on.  Now of course I understand why, but at
the time I didn’t and I started to tell him how to position
himself and not to put all his weight on me, and the next thing
you know, I’m guiding his cock in.”

“It felt really weird,” said Einstein.  “I’ve been on the
receiving end before, but never on the other.  When Julie
slipped me into the folds of her pussy, the sensations were
amazing!  I never realized just how sensitive the cock head is
to little things like pubic hair.  I thought I was never going
to last long enough to get inside, but when I did, and Julie was
really wet at this point, it just felt like I had put my cock
into a really soft glove.  I could feel her vagina squeezing my
dick, and I didn’t want to blow another load right then and
there, so I started to take really long strokes in and out of
her.  It felt so fucking great!  Took my mind off of the
sensation of coming again because there were so many new
experiences for me to feel.  Then Julie started to squirm under
me, and I remembered how I used to like to feel a cock in me, so
I shifted my position a bit so that I could slide my cock across
her clit on every stroke.  Then I kissed her again and she
climaxed.  That felt so great, knowing I could make her cum that
I let myself feel the clenching of her muscles and I had another
climax myself.”

“All that in half an hour?”  I asked.

“Yeah,” said Einstein, “I think Julie was surprised that she
had climaxed, and remember, we started off rather technical like
so she was naked right away.  There was no real foreplay this
time.”

“What do you mean ‘this time’?”  I asked.

“Well,” he said.  “We kind of figured that it would be best for
me to practice a bit more on some of the other things.  I know
that Julie loves Linda, but think about this, Peppermint.  If I
can make both of them happy, and it’s a diversion for them for a
while, then by the time you and Wendy are ready to try, I should
be a really good lover.”

“Hey, is it just me, or is this just a way for him to get laid
on a regular basis?”  I laughed.

Linda laughed.  “You can’t be jealous, Patti?  You have Wendy!”

“I know, but he’s a boy!”  I stopped, my thoughts whirling. 
“I’m so confused,” I wailed.  “He’s got two really hot chicks to
teach him how to make love, and I’ve got Wendy and I love her
and I have no idea what I’m talking about!”  I had tears in my
eyes and Wendy held me close as I tried to still my spinning
head.

I felt another hand stroking my short hair.  “You’re a little
envious, maybe?” asked Julie.  “Like, ‘that could have been me’
kind of envious?”

“Yeah,” I said, my voice muffled in Wendy’s jumper.  I lifted
my face to look at Julie.  “And the stupid thing is I’m really
happy for him.  He won’t have to put up with the little cock-
teasers at school, ‘cause he’ll know what it’s like to make love
to a real woman.”

“And you know it wouldn’t have happened this way if what you
told us about yourself was true.”

“I know,” I replied in a small voice.  “But I look at him and
he’s everything I wasn’t.  And I’m really glad I didn’t come
back as him, ‘cause I know I would have screwed it up all over
again.”

Einstein moved to put his arm around me.  “Me too, Peppermint. 
You’ve done things that I never would have done.  The Patti I
was would never have been able to stare down that bully, even if
she did go to St. Ursula’s.  Or save her lover,” he added,
looking at Wendy.

Wendy squeezed me tight.  I squeezed her back, and taking the
tissues Linda offered me, wiped my eyes.  “Thank you all,” I
smiled a little weakly.

“That’s okay, honey,” replied Julie.  “We understand now why
you couldn’t tell your parents, and we’ll keep your secret
forever.  You couldn’t even tell them about the silver dollars,
could you?”

“No, but all our parents seem to be much happier now, and
that’s worth the world to me.”

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Linda and Julie had driven us all home Monday night after we
had a cup of tea and a chance to review our new relationships. 
Wendy said it best when she said that Linda and Julie would be
like older sisters to us, and we would just share Patrick as the
need or desire came up.  Everybody thought that was pretty good,
especially Einstein.  We made a pledge though that we would work
extra hard at doing something good with our lives.  Something
that would make life for other people better, because we knew
that was the most important thing in life.

Wendy and I made love that night.  Soft, gentle and hopefully
quiet love.  I guess I still needed some reassurance that I
wasn’t going to lose Wendy.

On Tuesday, before going back to the school to practice, we met
up with Annette and Mandy at the Wellington Square Mall.  We had
lunch at the Eaton’s restaurant and then prowled the stores,
shopping like only girls can.

Maher Shoes had a special on Earth shoes and Annette was
thinking of getting a pair.  These were a fad that lasted for
about three years before people started to complain of
backaches, though the logic was reasonable.  If you walked
barefoot on the beach, your heel always dug in deeper than the
ball of your foot, but I asked Annette how far she enjoyed
walking on beach sand before she got tired.  I could have kept
my mouth shut, but I really liked these girls, and I didn’t want
to see them damage their legs on something that only looked good
in theory.

Annette gave it some serious thought, then said thanks and
bought a pair of wedge heel casuals with crepe soles.

It was a fun afternoon, and though we couldn’t hold hands with
our respective lovers, it must have been perfectly obvious that
we were two couples out for the day.  With Annette’s and my
short hair, we must have looked like a couple of butches, while
Mandy’s and Wendy’s hair was longer.  We didn’t care.  We knew
why our hair was short, and it was done for a good cause.

Mandy was still waiting for her hair to grow long enough to
have it cut and donated, and Wendy was still a bit ticked that
it was only after she had ten inches cut off that I had
suggested donating it or she would have gone for a cut similar
to mine.

Annette mentioned a new lingerie store at the White Oaks Mall,
and since we had the afternoon to ourselves we boarded the bus
that would take us to the outskirts of London.  Wellington Road
looked so different in 1974 than what I remembered that I was
fascinated by my own personal history lesson.  Fanshaw had
looked pretty much the same when we had gone for our picnic, and
with Julie and Linda with us; I hadn’t paid much attention to
the roads.

I went to get money out of my purse, (yes, I had started to
carry around a little purse), Annette looked at me strangely. 
We were wearing our new “Saints” jackets and this was her
father’s bus line.  Wear your school colors with pride, she
said.  If nothing else, you rode free on any bus in town.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

In the middle of the week, and our school being the only one
out for a semester break, there were very few young people at
the mall.  The mall was nowhere near the size it would grow to
in another decade, but it was still a good size with a huge
Sears store.  We found the new lingerie store easily enough, and
it was a good thing that Annette and Mandy were over 16 as the
clerk gave Wendy and me a funny look.  Hell, was buying sexy
underwear age restricted?

“Look at these,” said Mandy, holding up a pair of frilly red
panties.

“Too blatant,” said Annette.  “I prefer you in something soft
and feminine with a bit of lace.”

Mandy turned back to the racks.  Wendy and I were both at a
loss as to what to do.  Annette saw this and took Wendy by the
arm.  “Get fitted with a nice bra, Wendy,” she said  “One that
looks good and more importantly feels good.  It’s my treat. 
Pick something sexy.”

Wendy blushed but asked the sales clerk for help.

“Thanks Annette,” I said.  “You didn’t have to do that.  I’ve
got money.”

“Patti,” she said, “allow me the pleasure of buying something
for my new friends.  I’m not trying to buy friends, just
spending some of my ridiculously oversized allowance with
friends.  You know what they say,” she added in a quiet voice. 
“Birds of a feather flock together.” 

I smiled at her.  Annette really had a big heart and I could
see us forming a lasting friendship with them.

“Come on,” she said.  “You and I need bras like honey needs
sugar.  Let’s check out the camisoles.”

Oh!  I hadn’t thought of that!

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

An hour later and we were eating again.  Salads this time, from
an upscale eatery in the food court.  Since it was past five,
other teens were arriving at the mall.  We drew many curious
glances and some envious ones because of our jackets.  The
reputation of “the Saints” was growing!

Mandy had shown us the extra soft cotton panties she had
chosen, and I must admit that for cotton, these were extremely
sexy.  Little hearts and flowers and, as Annette had requested,
lace trimmed.  Annette and I had picked up three camisoles
each.  Two in a soft brushed cotton, white so that we could wear
it under our school uniforms and we had exchanged wicked glances
as we added a slippery satin one to the pile.  Hers in a baby
blue, nearly transparent, and mine in a lace-trimmed burgundy
complete with a little heart in the center of a bow on the
bodice.

Wendy had picked out a beautiful lace bra that was meant for
taking off!  It showed the tops of her breasts and gave them a
lift that would not become common until 20 years later.  The
sales clerk had helped her adjust the straps and made sure she
was fitted properly, and she was wearing it now, underneath her
blouse.

We were just finishing off a delicious, to hell with the
calories, triple thick chocolate fudge shake from the Baskin
Robbins stand when a group of boys from Wheable Secondary School
entered the food court.  They spotted us right away.  I shook my
head.  I knew this kind of trouble, feeling bad because once I
was this kind of trouble.  “Hey, we better get moving.”

“But I’m not finished yet,” said Mandy.

Annette nodded at me.  She knew what I was thinking.

Wendy said, “I’m not finished either.  Why can’t we relax for a
while?  We don’t have to be at the school for another hour yet.”

Wendy and Mandy were sitting with their backs to the entrance
and hadn’t seen trouble approaching.  Annette sighed.

“Well, if it isn’t the dyke patrol,” said the tallest and
ugliest.  His friends just laughed with him.  I couldn’t count
all the zits on his face, but I made sure to give it a try.

“Piss off,” said Annette.

“See that, guys, they can talk when they don’t have their heads
buried in each others cunts,” he continued.

I promised myself I would be a lady.  I was out with my
friends, so I politely asked him to leave us alone.  He moved
from Annette to me, his friends circling our table.  Wendy
seemed oblivious to all this as she happily continued to suck on
her milkshake.  Mandy was starting to clench her hands.

Damn.

Zit face was tall, and it was clear he wasn’t going to give up
his role of antagonist.

“My friend asked you to piss off,” I said, letting a bit of
hostility come through my words.  “Why don’t you go look for
your marbles?”

“Eww…  I’m scared now,” he said.

“Hey, Eddie,” said the one who had moved close to Wendy.  “Why
don’t you take the butch and teach her some manners while I show
this one how good a man can be?”

“Yeah, that’s an idea, Johnny,” said Eddie and then he ran his
fingers through my short hair.

Fuck!

Annette and I started to move at about the same time when all
of a sudden, there was a high-pitched scream and Johnny was on
the ground moaning, holding his nuts.  Wendy turned back to suck
on her milkshake.

“What the fuck?” said Eddie, but I didn’t give him a chance to
find out as I leaned back and kicked with all my power at the
back of his exposed knee.  He went down like a sack of potatoes.

Johnny’s scream had brought security running up to find him
still writhing on the floor in pain.  The other jerks hesitated,
not sure what to do now their ringleader was on the ground.  By
the time they figured out that they should probably be someplace
else, security had them.

The security officer in charge asked what had happened and
Annette said these boys had started to harass us and then the
two on the ground had assaulted Wendy and me.  Now, I never saw
Johnny even touch Wendy, but who was I to argue with Annette’s
story?

“What exactly did they do, ladies?” he asked.

“The tall one grabbed Patti by the hair,” said Mandy, “and the
other cry baby tried to touch Wendy’s breast.”

They did?

The other boys started saying that that wasn’t true, but the
security officer looked at the four of us, then at the boys, and
with a shake of his head he told one of the officers to take the
upright ones to the office and to call for an ambulance for the
other two.

“I’m sorry if these boys hurt either one of you ladies,” he
said.  “Would you like to press charges?”

Annette and I looked at each other.  I swear I could see the
smile in her eyes.  “I don’t think so, Sir,” she said.  “If it
got out, then maybe my dad wouldn’t allow me to come shopping at
White Oaks with my friends any more.”

“Okay, Miss,” he said.  “I see your point.  Why should you be
prevented from coming to the mall because of a few bad apples? 
Though I will ban them from coming back to White Oaks for a
year, and their parents will receive letters confirming that. 
What they should be charged with is stupidity.”

“Why is that, Officer?” asked Mandy.

“They didn’t recognize one third of the Saints Volleyball
team!” he said.  “I watch you girls play every Saturday.”

“Thank you,” said Annette with a big smile.  We left before the
ambulance arrived, and took the bus back to downtown where we
transferred on to another that would drop us off at the school.

We sat in the back seat of the bus, howling with laughter.

“What did you do to that turd, Wendy?”  Annette asked.  “I
didn’t even see you move!”

Wendy laughed, and said, “I spiked his balls!  My hand was just
at the right height when he got close to me.  When that other
guy touched Pete, I just swung around at him.”

“What about you, Patti?  Did you break that Eddie’s knee?”
asked Mandy.

“No,” I said.  “I kicked him behind his knee when he turned to
see why his buddy was on the ground.  It’ll hurt, but he’ll be
okay in a couple of days.”

“I didn’t know what to do,” said Mandy.  “I’ve never been in a
situation like that before.”

“Just remember that you’re at least as strong as they are,” I
said.  “And promise yourself that no man is ever going to hurt
you without him wearing your mark forever.”

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Our practices continued to go well and Thursday’s game was a
good win.  We played hard, and even though our ranks were a bit
thinner due to the absence of our teammates who had gone to
homes too far away to come back, we were well trained and fit
and our three new players worked in well.  The celebration party
after the game was as delightful as ever, even though there were
few students present.  I guess that the victory party was more
for the Alumnae than it was for us.  They seemed to be reliving
their past vicariously through our efforts.  We were happy for
them and happy to be able to provide the thrill.

Sister Elizabeth summoned us to her office a little later,
where she sat us down then handed Wendy a letter.  When she
scanned the contents she went pale, looking at me quickly when I
made to move toward her.

“It’s okay, Pete, really.”  She finished the letter then handed
it to me, staring sightlessly at the floor.

It was a formal declaration from the Mennonite community
stating that since she had turned her back on their teachings
and customs, she was officially shunned.

“I’m sorry to bring this sad news to you, Wendy,” said Sister
Elizabeth.

Wendy looked up at her.  “Oh, it’s okay, Sister.  This is what
I expected, but it’s still a shock.”

“I’ll leave you to reflect for a moment, Wendy.  Why don’t you
join us when you feel able.”

I made no move to accompany her, asking instead “Sister?  Would
you tell my Mom and Dad, and where we are?”

She paused a moment, then said “Certainly, Patti,” as she
quietly closed the door behind her.

Wendy moved to sit on my lap, melting into my arms and we sat
quietly for a few minutes until we heard the door.  I looked to
see Ann and Mike come in, and Ann immediately enfolded Wendy in
her embrace.

“I’m so sorry to hear the news, Wendy, but you know you’ll
always have a home with us.”

“Oh, thank you, Mom!” she cried, and then looked at Ann in
consternation.

“It’s okay honey, I’ll be your Mom.  I always wanted another
daughter!” she added, kissing Wendy on the forehead.

Then we went home.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Out of habit, Wendy and I went to confession on Saturday.  It
felt a bit weird knowing we weren’t going to be confessing to
any sins, but I think we liked the reassurance from Father Ed.

After Mass on Sunday, we waited for Father Ed to finish up and
Mike drove us all to Einstein’s house.  Tom and Rita had a
larger house than Mike and Ann, and a beautiful backyard with an
old oak tree that blocked the wind and provided shade.  Linda
and Julie drove over after services and had promised to bring
Father Ed back.

It was mid-November, and there was a chill in the air.  We got
to my old house and it hit me hard how beautiful it was.  I
certainly hadn’t remembered it this way, and pangs of guilt and
nostalgia washed over me.

Einstein came out to greet us, probably because he knew how I
would be feeling.  Julie and Linda went into the house with
Father Ed while Einstein took Wendy and me to the back yard.

He had raked the leaves into a big pile next to the garage, and
he gently took my hand and led me over to the old oak.  My God! 
There in the trunk of the tree were memories of a happier time
in my first life.  My name carved into the bark along with the
year.  1972.  I had been twelve at the time, and Tom had given
me my first honest to god Swiss Army knife.  I could feel the
tears welling up in my eyes.

Both Wendy and Einstein put their arms around me.

“I figured to show this to you first, Peppermint,” he said. 
“Just in case you happened to run into it later on your own and
get a reaction like this.”

I thanked him for being so considerate.  Little things like
this could trip us up so easily by catching us off guard.  We
mucked around outside for a while, doing what was expected of
kids our age, when Wendy said, “You guys realize that the only
person at this get together who is older than you two is Father
Ed?”

I laughed at that but Einstein shook his head.  “No, Wendy,” he
said.  “I realize that technically it’s true, but in all
honesty, I feel like a teenager.  I’m even having problems
remembering what it was like to be a woman.  That’s why I had to
show the carving to Peppermint.  It’s something I don’t remember
doing, because obviously I didn’t, but that’s what I would have
done.  When I wake up in the morning, I don’t think of myself as
anything but a man.”

We headed inside to watch Linda put the finishing touches on
her own home baked lasagna.  I’d never seen her cook before, but
realized that probably both of them could, otherwise they’d be
eating a lot of take-out.  And there wasn’t much in the way of
fast food in London in 1974!

Julie told us, as we sat in the big comfortable living room,
that after being invited for another “Family” get together,
Linda had insisted they bring something more substantial than
just baked goods or a salad.  She had stayed up late last night
preparing all the ingredients and all that was left to do was to
let it bake for a while.  It sure smelled good.  Ann and Rita
had made up a huge Caesar salad and Julie had bought two fresh
loaves of uncut Italian bread that she sliced down the middle
and smothered with butter and garlic and cheese.  She would put
this into the oven as soon as the lasagna was done, and it would
be ready in three minutes.  She promised!

Father Ed and Mike and Tom got into a discussion over
television shows that were popular now, comparing them to the
shows they remembered when they were younger.  Julie left to
help Linda in the kitchen, so Einstein got us a can of soda, and
we headed off for his bedroom.

“God,” I said.  “I can’t believe that you’re allowed to take
girls into your bedroom.  I would never have gotten away with
that!”

“Yeah, well, you’re not me, Peppermint,” he said, and I
realized he was right. 

The same way he wasn’t me any more.

To be continued…




  
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