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Chromosome Change: One Man's Story Chapter I - A Pretty Average Guy Robert Kleid was pretty average. Forty-one years old, he lived in Redwood City, California, in a four-bedroom ranch-style home, with his wife and two children. He went to work each weekday in a suit and tie, did the lawn on weekends, played a mean game of basketball, and could take apart and put back together a car engine in a single afternoon. He loved his wife, Debbie. They had been married for some 20 years. She was now 39 but still looked every inch the beauty queen - Miss Santa Clara County to be exact -- she was when they met. To him, she was the sexiest woman alive. Even after two decades of marriage, she could give him a hard-on with just a glance -- and frequently did. In other ways, however, the two were strangers to each other, a classic Mars and Venus couple. He couldn't figure her out all. She'd go shopping all day; if Rob was in a store more than ten minutes he was bored beyond imagination. She loved gourmet restaurants; he ate at Wendy's. Communication was hazardous. "Does this make me look fat?" she'd ask. Once he answered that truthfully: yes, it did make her look fat. He'd never answer that question again. Rob and Debbie's kids -- Jason and Jennifer -- were twins. They had just turned 17, and Rob loved them both, though in different ways. He did just about everything with Jason - play sports, watch TV, fiddle with cars. Rob knew Jason had real potential in life. Perhaps because of that, he pushed Jason hard. Jason didn't always like it, but Rob figured he would thank him later for it. Rob's relationship with his daughter Jennifer was the opposite. He pampered her endlessly -- she was Rob's little princess. But like Debbie, she was a mystery to him. Their relationship wasn't just Mars and Venus; it was Mars and the Cloud Nebula. While Rob always seemed to understand Jason's interests - from the toy trains he played with when he was five, to the real cars today - Jen's were a black box to Rob. Instead of trains and cars, there were dolls and horses, followed by boys and clothes. He could make sense of none of it. What Rob did understand was that she was an endless source of expenses - her clothes alone seemed to take up most of his salary. But they both knew he couldn't resist anything she asked. One little pout, one little twinkle in her eye, and he melted, helplessly handing over the credit card for whatever she wanted. Chapter II - Chromosome Insertion and Substitution (Y) All in all it was a pretty unremarkable life. And it no doubt would have remained unremarkable, except for a seemingly minor incident at work one day. Rob worked at the El Cambio Federal Research Projects complex in Palo Alto, adjacent to the Stanford University campus. He was an office manager - buying supplies, making sure the building was maintained, things like that. The center was a contract lab for the Department of Defense, doing long-term research on what was known as "genetic warfare agents." GWA research was never in the news, but was the hottest thing among advanced warfare researchers. In the wake of the mapping of the human genome, researchers began to see new possibilities for the development of non-lethal pacification of enemy combatants. The idea was that -- rather than kill the enemy -- their DNA would be changed, rendering them harmless. Over the years a multitude of different approaches was tried. Sleep inducers, paralyzers, memory agents, muscle weakeners. All were tried, and rejected. The latest idea was perhaps the craziest of all: eliminating the "Y" chromosome in males, and causing a second "X" chromosome to take its place. Adding in the proper mix of hormones and other chemicals, the hoped-for result was to make enemy solders less aggressive and more docile, and thus easy to overcome. Known as "Chromosome Insertion and Substitution (Y)," or "CIS(Y)," the idea was never taken quite seriously by the brass at the Pentagon. Or at least those few that knew about it. The Department of Defense allowed the El Cambrio center to continue its work more out of bureaucratic inertia than any deep commitment to it. Robert, of course, knew nothing of this. If he did, he may have been more concerned that Tuesday afternoon in late April, when he got a call about problems in a pressure chamber in the project testing room. He rarely got calls about problems there - the folks in that area of the building were more tight-lipped about their work than any others. Even today, the technician who called wanted Rob just to describe how to fix the problem. It seemed silly however to try to teach this guy what to do. It was clearly a simple pipe problem, and something Rob could correct in a jiff. So, during lunch, he went over to the lab with his toolbox. The technician and just about everyone else was out, so Rob figured he'd just go ahead and fix the damn thing. He never got a chance to do so. He had barely pulled out his wrench from his toolbox when he heard a distinct hissing sound coming from a pipe in the corner. Then a sort of brownish steam started coming out. "Jesus," Rob thought. He started to leave, but the chamber doors had locked. Rather quickly, the room began to fill with steam. Rob covered his mouth, but that didn't help much. Pretty soon he was breathing in the brown steam by the lungful. After about five minutes, the doors unlocked automatically. Rob decided to leave the repair job for another time, and quickly exited. No one saw him, and Rob figured there was no good reason anyone even needed to know he had been there. Chapter III -- A Boyish Look To Rob's relief, it appeared that the incident had caused no harm. Rob was feeling a little tired though, so he headed home early. It was a short drive back to Redwood City, and Rob pulled up in front of his house by 5:30. Seeing Jason, he told his son he'd play some one-on-one basketball with him in the driveway until it got dark. Jason was trying out for his high school basketball team. Rob - a former varsity player in college -- figured he would give him some much-needed help. Putting on his gym shorts, Rob noticed that they were a bit loose. He smiled. "Finally!" he thought. "About time I lost some weight." He looked forward to Deb's reaction - she loved it when he toned up. "OK, Jason, let's go," Rob yelled, throwing the ball hard against his son's abdomen. "I'm tired of being embarrassed by you. Your balance is off for one thing - you lean like the tower of Pisa. Honest to God, you play like a girl," he said. Jason cringed at the verbal assault, but tried to ignore it. "Lemme show you how to play like a man," Rob continued, throwing the ball all the way across the court and hitting...air. Jason would have laughed, but knew his Dad would give him hell for that. Rob picked up the ball again, and began to dribble. Jason, however, easily stole it from him and took a shot. It went right through the net. "Not bad, for a women's league," Rob nevertheless taunted. But Jason continued to play well, and Rob never did get into the game. After about 45 minutes, Rob called a halt to the contest, hardly able to breathe. Jason was silently jubilant. It wasn't often he bested his old man. Once inside the house, Rob began to feel out of sorts. He didn't feel sick, but rather felt the way he felt when his body was getting sick. His stomach was cramping up, and his muscles were getting increasingly sore. Rob heard Debbie in the kitchen. "Hey, where's did you put the Advil?" he yelled to her. "You took it after school yesterday," she answered, thinking the voice was Jason's. "School?" Rob answered, looking puzzled. "Jeez, Rob, I'm sorry. But you sure sounded like Jason." And, she thought to herself, he looked a lot like Jason today too. She hadn't really noticed that much resemblance before, but today it was clear. Maybe it was her imagination, but Rob was actually looking younger, like five years had suddenly been taken off. She always had loved Rob's physique, finding it appealingly muscled and masculine. But now it looked like he had lost some of that muscle. There was more, though. Nothing specific, but Deb saw - in a way that only a woman could see - that Rob lacked a little bit of his normal confidence. His eyes had a little boy's look to them. Dinner was uneventful. Jason was out hanging at the mall, wasting time with his best friend Matt, as usual. Jen was in her room with a friend of hers - Mindy. Mindy wasn't much like Jen, where Jen was absolutely innocent, Mindy was a somewhat wild. She worried Rob a little. That evening Rob and Deb sat in front of the TV watching a movie. Deb had actually had figured that she'd be stuck watching the "Dirty Dozen," which was on that night. But to her surprise, Rob decided on "Sleepless in Seattle," with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. It was a little chick-flicky, Rob thought, but he was in the mood for something different. Deb didn't complain. Around 11:00 the two headed off the bed. As Deb undressed, she noticed Rob staring intently at her. Usually a stare like that meant that Rob was thinking sexytime. But no romantic pass ever came. Instead, to Deb's amazement - and not a little disappointment - Rob simply put on his flannel pajamas and went to bed. "The boy is not himself," she thought to herself, as they both went to sleep. Chapter IV - Probably Nothing Rob slept well at first for a couple of hours, but near 1 a.m. he began to stir. He was uncomfortable. Just a little at first, but then unbearably. His skin was twitching, almost crawling. His muscles were hurting, and even his bones seemed to be compressed -- like they were being squeezed in a vise. His stomach was churning and gurgling, and he felt heaviness on his chest. And then, about 5 a.m., he felt a sudden and sharp pain in his groin. "OUCH," he yelled out reflexively. "Rob, are you ok?" Deb asked. "I don't know," he answered. "Something really hurt." His voice was quivering, almost breaking, like a boy going through puberty. "Robert?" Deb asked fearfully. A million things were running through her mind. A heart attack? A stroke? Rob was at that moment more concerned about "down there" than his head or his heart. Hoping there was no injury to the family jewels, he gently reached down with his hand to check out the goods. As his fingers touched his genitals, there was another sharp pain. "Jesus God," he yelped. "Let me take a look, sweetie," Deb said. Rob dropped his pants. Deb didn't know what to expect, and what she saw took her by surprise. There really wasn't anything obviously wrong, except for size. Rob's penis was shrunken. Not cold-weather just-got-out-of-the-pool shrunken, but something more significant. It was maybe two inches in length. And there was no sign of testicles. There was a little sac behind the tiny penis, but she had to search around for even that. "So, ma'am, what's the verdict?" Rob asked. She didn't know what to say. "Nothing looks injured or infected or anything," she said, looking desperately for a positive. "It's just...just..." Rob turned to the full-length mirror Deb used to primp herself. "Oh Christ," he said, quietly. "I'm sure it's nothing," Deb answered, trying to be reassuring. "It is almost nothing. That's the problem!" Rob snapped. Deb laughed, leaving Rob perturbed. "It's not funny!" he said. "I'm sure you wouldn't laugh if it happened to you." "Well, I don't think that really could..." she started to say, but Rob cut her off. "You know damn well what I meant." "I'll call Mann," Deb said. Dr. Howard Mann was Deb and Rob's longtime GP. "I'm sure it's something simple," she said, "and soon you'll be right back to your old --impressively sized -- self." Rob was still annoyed by her rather cavalier attitude toward this, but had to agree she was probably right. While Deb made the call, Rob went for a shower. It was badly needed. After all the discomfort during the night he felt dirty and sweaty. He just needed to feel clean. After about 15 minutes - a record-long time - Rob stepped out of the stall. Deb came into the bathroom just as he was drying himself off. That's she noticed that more had changed than just Rob's genitals. His whole body looked different. The slight youthening that she had noticed the day before was much more pronounced now. He was shorter, his shoulders were noticeably less broad, and his stomach paunch - which he had fought for years to rid himself of -- was gone. Even his face had changed. Not only was the skin smoother, but the features were less sharp - his nose looked smaller and his jaw less squared. He looked positively boyish. "Have you lost weight?" she asked. "I'm pretty sure I have," he said, remembering how pleased he had been the day before. He walked over to the scale. His jaw dropped. Instead of the 195 he had been at for years, the scale read 170. "This can't be right," he said unbelievably. "No one can lose 25 pounds in a day," he said. Deb had to agree, but still that weight seemed right for the thin young man she saw standing in front of her. They stood there in perplexed silence for several minutes. "It's like you've lost 20 years of age overnight, too," Deb said. "Did you reach Dr. Mann?" Rob asked. "Yep. He can see you at 11." He was glad of that. The kids were up by this time, and Deb had to go make them breakfast. Rob stayed in the room, thinking that it would be better for Jason and Jen not to see him like this, at least till he knew what was happening. After Deb had left, Rob figured he'd better get dressed. But that was easier said than done. Putting on his briefs, he quickly realized how much his body had changed. His jockeys fit well enough at the hips, but the waistband was way too big, and there was no hiding the loss of substance elsewhere. "OK, we are going commando today," he decided. He then threw on a pair of old jeans. They looked ridiculous on him - and he could barely keep them on. The same with any shirt he tried to wear. He thought about raiding Jason's room - but with the styles his son wore, they only would be baggier. Not knowing what to do, he looked around for alternatives. His eyes settled on Deb's closet. She had plenty of stuff that actually would fit, it occurred to him. He took out some jeans - a pair he had seen her wear countless times. "Desperate times call for desperate measures," he thought to himself. Deb's jeans actually fit. Looking at himself in the mirror, it seemed that they fit more than just ok. They actually looked good on him. He found a top of Deb's - a green polo shirt - that fit almost equally well. It didn't look feminine at all. The only difference he could tell from his own polo was that the short sleeves were a tad shorter and the buttons buttoned on the other side. It would do. By this time, he could hear the kids had left for school. He ventured out into the kitchen to see what Deb had cooked up. "I saved you some eggs," she said. "Did you find anything to..." she started to say, but her voice suddenly trailed off. She smiled, in that way of hers that Rob found both annoying and endearing. "Oh my, don't we look nice today?" she said. "It was all I could find that fit!" Rob protested. "I'm sure," she said, not letting him off the hook. A few pregnant moments of silence passed, and then Deb added - without a hint of sarcasm: "But those clothes do look good on you. I mean really. Shit, you look better in them than I do." "Really?" Rob asked, genuinely pleased at the compliment. "I almost tried on your blue shirt, but I thought it would..." He stopped in mid-sentence. Deb laughed, as did Rob. "Well, my husband has unsuspected fashion sense," she said, as they both sat down to breakfast. Chapter V - A Visit to Dr. Mann The trip down to Dr. Mann's office was uneventful. Rob was a little concerned that he had to adjust the seats and mirrors in the car in order to drive, but in the scheme of things, that was a minor annoyance. Walking to the medical office building from the parking lot, Rob realized that he must have looked like a teenage boy being taken to the doctor's by his mother. Deb realized that too, and held his hand has they came in - although it wasn't clear whether that helped or hurt the situation. "We have an appointment," she said to the receptionist. Rob had seen the woman a hundred times before, but she didn't recognize him. But then again, she hardly looked up. It wasn't too long before Rob's name was called, and Deb and Rob came in to an examination room. Rob had of course to go through all the annoying preliminaries - blood pressure, temperature, etc. - none of which presented any surprises except for when he was weighed. "160 pounds" said the nurse. And that was with his clothes on. Deb and Rob looked at each other with concern. "Wait right here," said the nurse. "And you can have your son take off his pants and shirt, ok?" "I am NOT her son," Rob blurted out. Both the nurse and Deb looked at Rob with surprise, not knowing what to say. Finally, the nurse just changed the subject, and said the doctor would be in about five minutes. "Don't get so upset, sweetie," Deb said, trying to comfort her young- looking husband. "Yeah, ok," Rob said, sounding like a sulking teen. He reached around his waist, and pulled off the polo shirt. Deb thought she had adjusted to the changes, but was once again taken aback. His arms were now pencil-thin, with all signs of the biceps that she loved just about gone. When Rob took off his pants, the changes were even more apparent. His legs were muscleless. And, Deb noticed, Rob's dangled far above the floor. She didn't say anything. Rob didn't seem to notice the further changes, and since he seemed upset enough already, she didn't want to make him even more so. Finally Dr. Mann came in. Both Rob and Deb were silent, not knowing what the doctor's reaction would be. But Mann was a real pro, with a bedside manner practiced over 40 years. He greeted Rob as if he had come in with a cold or flu. "So Rob," he said, shaking his hand. "I'm told you've been experiencing some physiological changes?" "Well, yes, Howard," he said, intentionally using Dr. Mann's first name in order to sound more like an adult. "I seem to have lost some body mass..." Rob sort of trailed off at that point, feeling like an idiot. "Dr. Mann can damn well see what's happened, why am I babbling about it to him?" he thought. "It began yesterday afternoon," Deb said, taking over the conversation. "He came home from work, and from the start I knew that something was off." "Is he on any medications?" Mann asked Deb. "No, he hasn't taken anything." Rob was beginning to feel - as well as look - like a boy with his mother, with the doctor and Deb talking about him as if he wasn't there. "Did anything unusual happen to him before this?" Mann asked, again looking at Deb. Rob broke in. "I was stuck in this really weird steam room, it was so weird..." he said breathlessly. To his frustration, he sounded like an over-excited child. Nevertheless, Mann took notes, and asked a few more questions. "Well, let's take a look at you," said Mann, putting a stethoscope to Rob's chest. Strangely, this bothered him. For some reason he was embarrassed to have his chest exposed and examined like that. After about 10 minutes, Dr. Mann said Rob could put his shirt back on, which he did quickly. "So, Howard... Dr. Mann, what do you think it is?" Rob asked, tentatively. The doctor didn't answer at first, but then simply said, "We'll have to do some more looking into this." "Spontaneous physiological morphing," he added, "is pretty rare, as I'm sure you know, but let's not be too concerned yet. I'm referring you to a colleague of mine, Dr. James Swanson at the Madchen Medical Research Center at UC San Francisco. He's a research physician and I bet can get to the bottom of this." So that was it. Rob felt silly for expecting some instant answer. He should have known that this wouldn't be a quick "take-this-pill-and- see-me-in-the-morning" sort of thing. Walking out of the office, Deb stopped at the front desk, and with a slight smile pointed to a basket of lollipops. "Would you like one?" she asked Rob. He almost slapped her. But, instead, he just took one. "Not bad," he said with a laugh, as they walked out together. Chapter VI - A Teenager Again Rob was looking forward to relaxing when he got home. Maybe some couch potato time with the TV would take his mind off his still-not-resolved problem. But Deb brought those hopes down to reality when she said, as they approached the house, three words: "Jen and Jason." "Oh crap," he thought. He hadn't thought this through - the kids were kind of going to notice his change. "Should we tell them?" he asked Deb? "Well, DUH!" she replied, in her best teenager voice. "Yeah, duh," Rob repeated. Deb walked into the living room first, finding Jen on the phone talking to friend, and Jason lying on the floor watching ESPN. "Hey, guys," Deb said, "we need to talk." Jen barely responded, and continued to talk. "Can't it wait?" said Jason, watching a game intently. Deb, a bit stressed, said - a bit too strongly - "NO." Jason and Jen looked up, surprised at the outburst. "Your father...your father is..." Just then Rob walked in. Jason saw him first and jumped to his feet. He wasn't expecting his mom to have someone with her. Jen, meanwhile, was quietly staring at the new guy from the other side of the room. She hung up the phone, and then walked over to Rob. "Hi, I'm Jen," she said, looking him over closely. "Definitely cute," she thought. "Hey, Jen," Rob said, as casually as possible. Jen was a bit confused. Cute or not, how did this boy know her name? Jason, meanwhile, was eyeing Rob, examining him inch by inch. This was someone he knew. He looked like..." "Whoa!" he said. "DAD??" Everyone stopped talking for a second. Jason stared at Rob. Rob looked over at Deb, who was watching Jen, who was staring at Jason staring at Rob. Finally, Jen broke the silence, saying to Jason, "Umm, did you just call him "Dad?" It didn't make sense. But turning her stare to Rob, she began to see the resemblance. This teenage boy Mom had brought home definitely had a Dad-like look about him. "Sit down, kids," Deb said. They didn't - Josh and Jen just stood there, confused. "We don't know how it happened, but you father woke up this morning like this," she said, pointing to Rob. Silence. "My father woke up looking like you?" Jen said to Rob. "I don't get it." "I AM your father," Rob said. "Something happened and I turned into... this." "Yeah, right," said Jen. "It's me. Really," said Rob. Jen was skeptical. She quizzed him. "What did you get me for my birthday last year? What songs did you sing to me when I was little? Where do we keep the cereal? What's your favorite color?" He passed all the tests. "But you look like a kid! You're like our age," Jen squealed. Rob answered, "I don't know exactly how old I am, princess, but that's my guess too." It was definitely weird for this teenage boy to call her "princess." But, still, she couldn't help himself. Jen rushed over to Rob. "Oh Daddy! I'm so sorry! Are you all right?" Jason smiled. "Well, this is cool," he finally said. "Now I will definitely beat you at b-ball every time," he boasted. They both had more questions for Rob - about how he felt, what he was thinking, what the doctors said. In a way, it was kind of fun for Jason. For once he felt like they could talk to his Dad as an equal. There wasn't a feeling he would correct him or judge him. He was just another kid. Rob, too, felt a closeness to both of them he'd not felt in years. Jen, for the first time, didn't seem mysterious to him, she made perfect sense. With Jason, he also felt more comfortable. They'd always been close, but now Jason just seemed, well, cooler. Rob had always found fault before, but now, if anything, he worried a that Jason would find faults with him. That night, Deb was in no mood to cook, so the kids suggested Domino's. It arrived quickly, and everyone sat on the floor watching TV and munching the pizza (with extra cheese and sausage). Deb, of course, was the odd woman out. She felt like the Mom she was, and definitely out of place at the party. She ended up excusing herself and going to bed around 11:30. The three 'kids' stayed up watching DVDs until after 2. Chapter VII -- Down the Rabbit Hole Rob was tired when he finally dragged himself to the bedroom. Clumsily removing the jeans and shirt he had borrowed for the day, he didn't even notice - or care - that his body was even smaller and thinner than before. He simply threw himself on the bed, pulled up the covers, and went to sleep. It wasn't a good sleep. For the second night in a row, he was restless. The sheets felt like sandpaper, rubbing against his exposed skin from his legs to his neck. And his face began to feel strange - his lips had become numb, and his bones felt like he'd been somebody's punching bag. Finally, around 3 a.m., he got out of bed, unable to sleep, unwilling to try any longer. He thought about watching television, but there was nothing on. The only thing even half-interesting was an ad for that "Girls Gone Wild" video they constantly ran late at night. But tonight, even that seemed dumb. He knew that it was supposed to be provocative. Heck, he had practically drooled whenever he'd seen it before. But now it seemed just dumb. "Why would a girl expose herself like that just to be on a video?" he thought. Bored, he turned off the TV. Tying a bathrobe around his waist, he went into the bathroom. Looking into the mirror, the face he saw was sort of him - in some sense. But it was vastly different from even the day before. It wasn't younger, that wasn't the word for it. He still looked like a young teen. But the features were softer. They looked like those of a delicate, somewhat effeminate boy, or even a masculine girl. Slowly, Rob untied the robe, and opened it up. His torso was thinner, much thinner. Not quite curvy like a woman's, but no bulk either. His breasts seemed irritated, and slightly puffed up. Looking down to his crotch, he saw -- just where it always had been -- a penis. But it was barely visible, hiding in his pubic hair like a scared rabbit. If he didn't know it was in there, he could have missed it. Slowly, hesitantly, he touched it. At first there was no feeling. Concerned, he tugged more insistently at the shrunken member. The result was an electric shock, starting at his groin, but spreading up his torso and down his legs. The pain was unbearable. Falling to the floor, he looked again at his groin. The scared rabbit had disappeared. Instead, there just a slit where it had previously been. With a flash of mental anguish now added to the physical anguish he felt, Rob blacked out completely, crumpled on the bathroom floor. Chapter VIII -- Suddenly a Girl As Rob came to, he saw Deb looking over him. He was groggy, in that twilight dream state where you don't quite know where, or even who, you are. "Sweetie?" Deb said, staring at him intently. "Oh, wow," he started to say, realizing he was in bed. "Boy, did I ever have a..." He stopped in mid-sentence, covering his mouth as if by reflex. Gone was the boy-going-through puberty tone of yesterday. This time, the voice was high-pitched, and clearly very feminine. They both were silent for a moment. "I think there were more changes overnight," Deb said. "No shit," he replied, but instead of sarcastic, it sounded bitchy. She touched his face, gently running her fingers down his nose and around his cheeks. "Why don't you take a look in the mirror?" Slowly, he raised himself up out of bed, feeling like he had the biggest hangover in history. Deb helped him to his feet. Rob then turned slightly to face the full-length mirror. What he saw astonished him. Yes, there had indeed been more changes. Gone was the somewhat thin teenage boy of the night before. Now in the reflection he saw a girl. She was maybe 17 years old, perhaps 5' 5", and waif-like. Her arms were like twigs - a far cry from the muscled arms Rob was used to. Her hair was the same short length as Rob's had been - making the face look almost pixie-like -- but was very fine, and maybe a few shades lighter brown than Rob had had. She had a perfect button nose and an innocent, quizzical face. Her breasts were not large, but pert - that was the only word for them. Looking further down, he could see a perfectly flat groin. No rabbit. The only thing indicating anything left of maleness was hair on his legs and torso - but even that was light enough as to not look necessarily masculine. "Is that me?" he asked Deb, his voice quivering in fright. Unexpectedly, he had to fight off a wave of tears. "What's happened to me?" Rob said as he choked up. "Why do I look like this?" "I don't know, honey," Deb whispered. "But don't worry, it'll be all right. It'll be all right." "So what now?" Rob asked plaintively, rubbing his eyes. In the past, Robert made all the big decisions. He always knew what do to, and she was used to following his lead. This was the first time she could remember that Rob had asked her for ideas. There were some noises from the living room - both Jen and Jason were up. "Why don't you go wash up, while I go get the kids off to school?" Deb suggested. Robert nodded, trying to smile just a little. That made sense, and besides, he didn't have any better suggestions. As Deb left the room, Rob took a closer look at the naked teenager he saw in the mirror. Oddly, he didn't feel any sexual attraction for this girl. It wasn't just because of her age - though she was young enough to be his daughter. It was more than that. Looking at her made nothing stir for him. Nothing at all. He wondered whether other people thought she was pretty. "Well hello Miss," he said to himself, surprised that she said the exact same thing to him in a lilting, musical, voice. He smiled. She smiled. "I am Rob," she said. It sounded ridiculous coming from her. He touched his face. She touched hers. He touched his chest. She touched her breasts. After a little more of that, Rob finally broke away from this fascinating girl, and went to take a shower. Frankly, he needed it - he had rarely felt so dirty - the word "icky" actually came to mind -- in his life. He was just getting out when Deb came back. "Well, the kids are off," she said, handing him a towel. "So, what now?" Rob asked, repeating his earlier question. Deb hesitated a second. This decision-making stuff was going to take some getting used to. "Well," she said, thinking aloud. "We already have an appointment with Dr. Swanson at Madchen Medical. I think we just go to it as planned." Robert nodded happily. "Yes, that makes sense." He went over to his closet, and then stopped. "Umm, Debbie?" he asked. "Can I borrow your clothes again?" She frowned a second, staring at Rob. She laughed slightly. "Sweetie, I don't think you are my size anymore." Rob looked at her and agreed. He was clearly now much smaller than she was. Then Deb smiled brightly and said, "Follow me - I know where we have some clothes just perfect for you." Sure enough, as Rob had feared, she led him to Jen's room. "No way!" Rob practically screamed, and tried to leave the room. Deb caught him by his arm however, and held him at bay while she searched through Jen's closet. "She's about five foot six, and 120 pounds, Rob, just the size I'd guess you are right now," she explained. "Maybe she's a little bigger. But her stuff should fit." Rob reluctantly agreed. He sat on the bed, resigned and almost pouting, as Deb rummaged through the clothes. "Just no skirts or dresses, ok?" Rob begged. Deb agreed, although she had to admit to herself that they would look good on this girl. Eventually, she picked out a pair of jeans and a t- shirt. "There," she said, "you don't get much more boyish than that!" Rob agreed. Deb then found a brand-new package of panties in the drawer, putting that on the bed, along with a bra. "Do I have to wear those?" Rob asked, knowing the answer. "Well, you need underwear, and I don't think a young lady like you should go braless in public." Rob knew she meant the "young lady" reference sarcastically, but even so, the authority in her voice discouraged him from protesting further. Deb left the room, and Rob began to dress. The panties - white bikinis - went on without much trouble. They weren't much different than his normal underwear, although it was strange having nothing to tuck when they went up his legs. Next came the bra. He had had no experience putting one on, but plenty taking them off. So, just reversing the process, he easily got it in place. The jeans were more of a problem -- he had to tug and pull for several minutes to get them over his hips. Only with the greatest effort could he zip and button them. The tee didn't seem to fit either. "Deb, this won't work," he announced, coming out into the living room where Deb was waiting. "I must be the wrong size - look! These pants are WAY too tight, and the shirt is ridiculous. It doesn't even reach down to the top of the jean!" Debbie laughed out loud. "Rob - those clothes fit perfectly on you!" She explained to him that the jeans were supposed to fit tight, and the t-shirt was made to show off a girl's midriff. "So this is ok?" Rob asked. "You look cute. Yes, it's ok," she said. Rob was a little bit embarrassed, but at the same time pleased by the compliment. "OK, it'll do," he said to Debbie, while facing the mirror and turning from side to side. "Let's go." They went outside to the car. Rob started for the driver's side, but Deb cut him off. "Sorry! I'm afraid I'll have to be the driver today," she said. Rob looked nothing like the Robert Kleid on his driver's license. So around to the other side he went, settling into the passenger seat. Chapter IX - Dr. Swanson and the Madchen Medical Center Rob had never felt so conspicuous in his life. From the moment he got out of the car in the Madchen Center parking garage, he felt everyone was staring at him. Boys seemed to be leering, as were men about his own age (who were also old enough to be his father). Girls were looking too - but in a different way, like they were judging him. And even older women were giving her the once over - disapprovingly, it appeared. He reflexively kept tugging at his shirt to get it to come down, and his jeans for them to come up. Neither worked. "Stop fidgeting," Deb said in that voice he'd heard her use with Jen a thousand times. "No one is looking," she added, guessing correctly what was on Rob's mind. Rob gave her an annoyed look. "I guess you aren't used to it," Deb said. "Girls probably get noticed more than boys," "So they ARE looking!" Rob said, triumphantly. "Just get over it," Deb said, ending the conversation. Finally they got to Dr. Swanson's office. "Is the appointment for you or your daughter?" asked the receptionist. "I AM NOT HER DAUGHTER," yelled out Rob. Yesterday he was Debbie's son. Today he was her daughter. He was getting tired of it. "She's my niece," jumped in Deb, not wanting to go over the whole situation with the receptionist. Grumpily, Rob sat down on a chair, waiting for the doctor. After about 15 long minutes, they were ushered into Dr. Swanson's office. He was an older man, maybe 55, with silver hair, and the look of an expert. But at the moment, he looked confused. He looked at Rob, then turned to Deb, and then looked at Rob again. "Hi. You must be Rob...in," he finally said. "Rob," he corrected. "Usually, just Rob anyway." "Ok, Rob." He furrowed his brow a little, not sure what was going on. "Well, why don't you describe the problem to me?" "Well, I'm a 41 year old man," Rob said, waiting for a reaction. He got none. "And now I am this 17 year old girl." Dr. Swanson blinked his eyes, but otherwise didn't react. Deb could tell that Rob was just going to string this out, so she jumped in, explaining in detail the developments of the last two days. Dr. Swanson was silent for a few moments, clearly puzzled. He might not have believed the story, except that he had spoken to Dr. Mann the day before, who verified that morphing had occurred. "Very unusual," he said. "Fucking right about that." It was an expression Rob used a lot, but coming from the now innocent-looking Rob, the words were a shock. "Rob!" Deb said. He looked back at her without saying anything. She backed off, reminding herself that Rob was an adult. "Why don't we examine you?" Dr. Swanson suggested, moving over to a table on the other side of the room." "Would you please take your clothes off and lie down?" he asked Rob. Rob looked at Deb, pleadingly. "Go ahead, sweetie," Deb said reassuringly. "Do what he says." He went ahead and took off the tee and jeans. "Panties and bra too," Dr. Swanson said. Rob motioned for him to turn around and only then finished undressing. Rob had never felt so humiliated, lying there naked while this man probed him, examining parts of himself that even he hadn't even explored yet himself. "Shouldn't you buy me dinner first?" Rob asked, but even he didn't find it funny. When the doctor was done (and had left the room) Rob put his clothes back on. After about half an hour, a nurse came in. "Well, miss, we have a few samples to take." She said "miss" without irony or hesitation. Rob figured she hadn't been told, and he saw no reason to correct her. The samples were easy - she took some blood, a swab of saliva, a clipping of hair. The urine sample was the biggest challenge for Rob. The nurse gave him a cup to pee in - and it wasn't until he got into the restroom that he realized that this would be harder than it used to be. Fortunately, there was a sort of funnel contraption there, and instructions on how to use it, saving him from a potentially messy experience. "All done?" the nurse asked, when Rob exited the restroom. She seemed just a little condescending, but he was in no mood to complain. "Yes, ma'am," he answered, rather meekly. "Great," the nurse said. "We are all finished." Dr. Swanson came back in at that point. Deb and Rob looked at him, expectantly. "I have to admit," he started, "I am completely flummoxed by this." It'll take a while to get the test results, but by all indications, you are physically a girl. I can't detect any male characteristics." Not what Rob and Deb wanted to hear. "This is frankly something new to me. I know this sort of this sort of thing can happen, although I've never known of a case in humans." If you don't mind, I'd like to assemble a research team to work on your case - with specialists from several medical and scientific disciplines. That may allow us to get a bead on this." Debbie agreed. Once again, Robin felt that the "adults" were ignoring her. "Does that mean he has to stay in the hospital?" Debbie asked. "I don't see any reason why that would be necessary," Dr. Swanson answered. "Right now his body seems stable, and the stress of a hospital stay might be detrimental." "Would you be ok taking care of her at home?" "Of course," Debbie replied, putting her hand on Rob's shoulder. He left, and the nurse came back in. "There's some paperwork for your Mom at the front desk," she said. "Do you need a note for school?" she asked. "I think I'm ok," Rob answered, not knowing whether to laugh or be offended. Chapter X - Playing Like a Girl "So, what now?" Rob asked once again. "Well, school's out, and Jason and Jen are at home. I guess we fill them in on the latest developments, Deb answered. Rob looked down at his newly sprouted breasts. "The latest developments. Definitely," he said. Walking into the house, Rob and Deb saw Jason sitting in front of computer playing an online war game. "Oh hi, Mom," he said. He looked over at Rob, apparently not recognizing his Dad. "It's been quite a day," Deb began. Just then another boy came into the room. "Hey, Mrs. Kleid," he said. It was Matt, Jason's friend. Rob had never really liked him - Matt didn't take anything seriously, and he considered him a bad influence on Jason. Matt turned to Rob and stared. "Excuse me," Rob said, heading to the bathroom, looking for a reason to get out of the room. Deb stalled for a few minutes, then heard Jen calling from out in the front yard. She went outside to check what was going on. Meanwhile, Rob waited impatiently in the bathroom. Finally he heard Jason say, "Cool! Did you see that car? It's next door." Then silence. Rob opened the door, and stepped back into the living room. He sat down on the couch, closing her eyes. It was the first time he had relaxed all day. "How big are your tits?" he heard a voice say. It was Matt. He hadn't left. It caught him by surprise. Rob looked blankly at him. "Just ballpark," Matt persisted. Rob panicked, and told the truth. "I don't know," he said. Matt grinned. "Well, I can measure them for you if you'd like." "Umm, no thanks." Rob got up to leave the room, but Matt blocked his way. Rob tried to move around him, unsuccessfully. The whole situation began to make him nervous. This guy hadn't tried anything, but Rob just felt vulnerable. Matt looked so...large. Rob was used to being able to handle himself physically, but now he'd be no match for any guy. It wasn't even that he'd lose a struggle; he'd hardly be able to put up a struggle at all. "What's your name, hotness?" Matt asked. "Her name is Robin." Startled, Rob turned to see Jen standing in the doorway. "She's my cousin. And I think you are in her way, Matt." "By all means, after you, Miss Robin," Matt said, gesturing for Rob to pass. Rob almost laughed at how easily Jen was able to control the situation. "Don't you want to go out and play with the other boys?" Jen said mockingly. "Can I stay here and play with the girls?" Matt retorted, with a smile. "You'd be bored," she answered. After a few seconds consideration, Matt left the room, looking defeated. Waiting until she was sure Matt was out of earshot, Jen turned and said "Hi Dad." "Hi 'cousin'," Rob answered. How did you know? "I saw you and Mom outside. At first, I didn't recognize you, but you were wearing my clothes, so it wasn't hard to guess. I asked Mom, and she told me the details." "I'm so sorry about this," Rob said. "No prob," Jen said, rather casually for the situation, he thought. "I'm not sure I like you wearing my things, though." Out of all things to be concerned about, he thought. "Well, I DID pay for them after all." Rob said, smiling. "Not those - I got those jeans myself. They cost $175 dollars, too." Jen countered. "Where did you get the money for that?" Rob snapped back. He was genuinely surprised, and angered that his 17-year old had that kind of money to spend. Jen suddenly started laughing, and couldn't stop. Rob was mortified. In his high, melodic, voice, his best head-of- household voice apparently no longer had any authority. "You honestly do look nice that outfit, though," Jen said. "Really?" he said. "Really. You're probably the prettiest Dad in town." It was a joke, but for some reason it actually made Rob feel good. "Does Jason know yet?" Rob asked. "He should - he saw you right? But I think he's in denial." Jen got an evil smile on her face. "Let's introduce you." Jason was outside, playing basketball by himself. "I'm not sure that's a good..." Before Rob could finish the sentence, Jen had him by the hand and was pulling him outside. Jason looked up, saw the two girls, and then went back to dunk shots. "Umm, Jason?" Jen said. "Go away," Jason growled. "I have someone I want you to meet." Jason looked at Rob skeptically, the turned back to the game. "Jason, you can't ignore this." "Yes, I can." He threw a few more balls, missing the hoop each time. "That's pathetic," Rob said. Jason looked up. "Your balance is off, and you lean like the tower of Pisa." They stared at each other. "You still play like a girl," Rob added. Jen giggled. "Listen to Dad, Jason." "It's not funny," Jason snapped. "Is that really you, Dad?" Jason asked Rob, letting the ball drop to the ground. "I'm afraid so, buddy. I look different, but it's still me." Jason looked at the now-110 pound teenage girl in front of him skeptically. Normally, he would have thought she was hot, but thoughts like that just increased his revulsion at the situation. "You aren't going to tell anyone, are you?' he asked, suddenly imagining word around school that his Dad was now a girl. "Wasn't planning to," Rob answered. Jen jumped in at this point: "Jason, it's not like he did this on purpose." "Yeah, I guess. But it's just so... disgusting." Jen feigned a hurt feeling. "So being a girl is disgusting?" she asked. "Now I know how you feel about me." "Not you, sis. Its fine for girls, but this," he said, pointing to Rob, "isn't." He didn't mean to be cruel, but seeing his Dad like that had really thrown him for a loop. Most 17-year old guys probably would have reacted the same way. The idea of losing a penis is after all a rather terrifying thing to for teenage boy. But in Jason's case, it was more. His whole life it had been spent trying to be more like his Dad -- to be strong, independent, and masculine. Deep down, though, he had a sensitive, weak side. He'd never have called it a "feminine side" but that's what it was. Over the years, Jason had come to despise that part of him, and worked - with Rob's encouragement - to beat it out of himself. Now Rob himself - the source of that effort, his role model - was himself a girl. "I gotta go," Jason said abruptly, leaving to go over to Matt's house. Rob was hurt, and found himself fighting off tears again. "C'mon," Jen said, trying to cheer him up, 'he'll come around." "In the meantime, it's just us girls." Rob smiled weakly. It was probably the first time since Jen was a toddler that they had spent a whole afternoon alone together. They didn't do much in particular - they talked mostly, they watched TV. Jen had some homework to do, and Rob offered to help, although it was harder than he expected it to be. Jason came back home around six, just in time for dinner. Deb had cooked up leftovers, and the family sat down to eat. They tried to act as normal as possible, but it was pretty difficult with a 17-year old girl sitting at the head of the table. Jason was quiet and sullen, trying not to stare at his Dad. Jen, by contrast, was bubbly, enjoying her new bond with him. Deb, for her part, was mostly just concerned about Rob - after all, they still did not know what had caused the changes, or if they had stopped. After dinner, Rob helped clear and rinse the dishes. Deb couldn't help but notice, thinking there may be some advantages to this change after all. That night, as they were getting ready for bed, Rob and Deb mostly avoided talking about the situation. Both were exhausted, and neither knew exactly what to say. He quietly took off his jeans and tee, folding them neatly on the bed. Realizing that his pajama bottoms would never fit him, he just put on the top. It hit to about mid-thigh on him, and with the sleeves rolled a little, it actually looked good. As he was looking in the mirror, Deb came up and gave him a hug and a kiss. He appreciated it, and her, at that moment more than ever. Yet, for the first time in memory, he had no lust in his mind while he kissed her. She was dressed in a short nightdress, and was as sexy - if not sexier - than ever. Her body was thin, but shapely -- much more so than Rob's was now, he realized, with a hint of envy. He couldn't help but wonder whether his own body would be in such good shape in 20 years. Chapter XI - Morning Brings More Changes Rob slept fitfully once again. It wasn't just his body that was keeping him up. He was also emotionally disrupted. One moment he was feeling fine and drifting off to sleep, and then he'd feel suddenly frightened. Then he'd be overcome by sadness, and almost start to cry. Then he'd feel unexplainably giddy. All in all, he only got about three hours sleep, waking up about 6 a.m. Still dressed only in the pajama top, he walked into the living room, and turned on the TV - keeping the volume low so as to not wake anyone. On came ESPN - and he was glad to see that there was replay of the Giants' game on. It was a close game too - against the Dodgers. The Dodger pitcher was good. He had a great fastball. When he wound up for a pitch, Rob could see how strong his arms were. They were muscular, but not too much. His uniform, Rob thought, fit him perfectly, as well - showing the shape of his body, and a pretty awesome butt as well. Rob stopped in his mental tracks. What the hell had he been thinking? He wasn't gay, he knew that. Never a hint of that. Nothing at all. So why was he thinking about this guy's butt? Yet, the pitcher was cute. There was no denying that. He had never noticed it before. And there's nothing wrong with noticing something that was true, was there? Turning off the TV, Rob quickly put on one of Deb's robes, and went into the kitchen to make some coffee. He was sitting at the table, when Deb walked in. "Well, did you get your beauty sleep?" she asked. Rob grimaced, and then forced a smile. "You be the judge," he answered. "You do look different, actually." Deb said. "Your hair - it's longer." Rob hadn't realized it, but she was right. His hair HAD gotten longer overnight. Instead of the boy-cut of yesterday, it was now about collar-length in the back, and partly covered his ears. Still short, but much more feminine. "It looks good," Deb said, pushing a stray hair out from Rob's face. "Thanks," he said, actually blushing a little. Just then the phone rang. "Hello?" Rob answered. "No, this isn't Mrs. Kleid," he said. "It's Mr. Kleid." He looked annoyed. "I see. I see. But not until then? Anything I should do? OK. Thanks." He hung up the phone. "That was Dr. Swanson's office. They can't schedule the next appointment until next Thursday." "That's almost a whole week," Debbie said.. "Well, they are getting some specialists together, so it may take a while. I guess that makes sense," Rob answered. "But what do I do in the meantime?" he asked. "Well," Deb suggested, "unless you want to wear your daughter's clothes for a week, we might want to go shopping," she said. Rob felt a little uneasy about the idea. His own female clothes? He hadn't thought about it, but he did have to admit it made sense. He showered and dressed quickly, borrowing another pair of jeans and a top - a white blouse with cap sleeves - from Jen's closet after she and Jason had left for school. The jeans were low-rise, and the top again stopped just above his belly button, showing off a sliver of Rob's stomach. He found himself squinting at himself in the mirror to decide whether he liked it. Front view, side view, looking over his shoulder to see his butt. Every angle was considered. Yes, it would do, he decided. He then put on a pair of Jen's sandals, and joined Debbie in the car. Chapter XII - Macy's Parade It was a short trip to the mall, and he was relieved it was not very crowded when they got there. "So where should we go first?" Deb asked, a little too enthusiastically for Rob's taste. "I don't know, just some place I can grab some jeans and some shirts," Rob said without much thought. Deb frowned. "Let's try Macy's; they always have some cute stuff." On the way there, Rob was feeling a little self-conscious. Here he was, in public, wearing his daughter's clothes, going to buy some more girls clothes for himself. To his relief, however, no one seemed to be looking at him strangely. Finally, they arrived at Macy's, and Debbie led them to the junior's section. Rob started looking for jeans - and found a dizzying array of styles. Finally, he got some called "skinny jeans" in his size, which, he guessed was a five. . He started to head to the cashier. "Whoa, girl", said Deb. "Are you sure those fit? You need to try those on." She led him over to the dressing room. Rob had wanted to avoid this. He never had enjoyed spending time at the store, but Deb had a point. A salesgirl unlocked a door and sent him in to change. After a few minutes, he came out again, wearing the jeans. He walked over to the mirror. The jeans really defined his legs, and made his butt stand out. He turned back and forth, leaned to one side, then the other. He was still trying out various poses when Deb came in. "My, my - those look great!" she said, smiling at how Rob was preening. "I picked out some more for you, too," - and handed Rob another half-dozen pairs of jeans - all sorts. Some were faded, some had side zippers, some ultra-low rise, some had glitter on them. He tried on all of them, and each time walked out to the mirror for inspection. Deb enthusiastically commented on each one, except for a couple she thought were too provocative for a girl his age. The salesgirl also joined in, making suggestions and comments. She suggested a couple of skirts for Rob to try on, but he ducked that. Just something he wasn't ready for. Finally, Rob decided on three pairs of jeans. Then he started to go through tops - looking at tees, tanks, long-sleeve tunics, sleeveless blouses, sweaters, everything. After maybe another hour, Rob decided on five tops that he really liked. On leaving the juniors department, Rob and Deb spent a couple more hours buying other things - three pairs of shoes, belts, hosiery, stuff like that.. The hardest for him was buying panties and bras. He was reluctant to even enter the lingerie section. It somehow just seemed wrong for him to go pawing around that department. But Deb convinced him it wasn't just ok, but a necessity. Once in, Rob was entranced by the options. He'd never really thought about it before, but the range of panties available was overwhelming. He found classic style bikinis, comfortable briefs, sexy "boy shorts," thongs. He ended up buying - to his, as well as Deb's, surprise - about a half-dozen pairs of bikinis, plus three bras. By this time, the two females were burdened by the clothing they had purchased, with each carrying maybe three bags. "Go for lunch?" Deb asked. Rob answered yes - another good idea from Deb. They hadn't taken two steps, though, when Rob heard a voice call out: "Hey Debbie!" It was Susan Portner, who lived next door to Rob and Deb. "Doing a bit of shopping I see!" she joked. "Yeah, we just needed to catch up and get some stuff," Deb answered. Susan looked at Rob, a bit puzzled. "And who is your adorable young friend?" Rob cringed. He and Deb hung out a lot with the Portners. Rob even played in a basketball league with Jim Portner, Sue's husband. "Oh, he's... he's..." Deb stumbled. Susan was looking perplexed. "I mean SHE is my niece...umm" Pause. "Robin," said Rob, looking petrified "Well I am so glad to met you, Robin," said Susan. "I'm Mrs. Portner; I live next door to your Aunt Debbie and Uncle Robert. Susan stared at Rob. "You know, Debbie, Robin looks so much like your husband, its amazing." "Yeah, I guess they do," said Deb. "The family resemblance is really something." "Hey," Susan said, "We are having a pool party tomorrow. You and Robert and the kids just have to be there! And Robin too." "Thanks" Deb said, "But Rob's out of town, and..." "Well, then, it's even more important you come. Can't have you guys all alone," said Susan. "And besides, I think Robin wouldn't mind meeting Thomas." He of course knew Thomas, Susan's son. One of those perfect kids everyone loved to hate - an "A" student, valedictorian, popular with girls. He had graduated from college just last year, and the Portners bragged about him all the time. "Ok, we'll be there." Rob heard Deb say. He shot Deb dagger eyes, but it was too late. The commitment had been made. And with the Portner's, he knew once you said yes there was no changing your mind. By the time they sat down to lunch, Rob wasn't very hungry, so he just ordered a small salad, while Debbie ate a hamburger. Chapter XIII - "Show Me Your Boobs" Late that afternoon, Jen came home from school, finding Robin sitting on the couch reading a novel. Robin was genuinely glad to see her, and jumped up. Standing up to let Jen see his new clothes, he asked: "What do you think?" "Wow," said Jen. "You know, Dad, whatever changed you sure gave you a great bod. You'd make quite an impression with the boys at my school." Robin was taken aback. "Do you think so?" he asked. Then, remembering himself, he added: "Well, that's not something I'm interested in..." Just then Jason came in, seeing the two girls, he shook his head. "I don't believe you two," Jason said, leaving the house. "My Dad is turning gay, and you act like it's fun." "What's wrong with you, Jason?" Jen said first. "Remember, she's still your father." "She?" asked Jason. "He...oh you know what I mean," Jen sputtered. "But 'she' IS a girl." "Jason, I'm still a guy upstairs," Rob tried to assure him, not knowing whether he was lying or not. "Good," Jason said, without conviction. "So you are the same on the inside." "Of course." "Then show me your boobs." Robin didn't know what to say. "Show me your boobs. They aren't yours, you aren't a girl. You're a guy, so it'd be no big deal.. So give me look." It would be easy to do, Robin thought. He could lift up his top and show his breasts to Jason - convincing him that he was still a guy's guy. "OK," he said, reaching for the tee, and starting to slowly lift it up." But he stopped. "I won't do that, Jason." Jen, who had watched silently, was relieved. "Aw, the girl is modest," Jason said, and left the room. After a few moments, Jen spoke up. "Dad, you did the right thing. Girl or not, he had no right to ask you to do that. And you were right not to." "That's not the problem," Jen," he replied. "I'm glad I didn't do it. But what bothers me is that I wanted to do it. If he wasn't my son, I would have." Chapter XIV - Hurricane Mindy Just then they heard the doorbell. "Jen! It's Mindy!" Debbie yelled from the living room. "Oh crap!" Jen said. "I forgot that she was coming over." The door opened, and Jen's friend Mindy came in. "Hey, Jens!" she said. "Hey Mindes." Mindy looked at Robin closely. He sensed he was being inspected - from top to bottom. "Um, this is my cousin"," Jen said. "She's cool." "So where are you from?" Mindy asked. "Out of state," Robin answered, realizing how stupid that sounded. "Indiana," he added. Still not enough. "Indianapolis," he finally said, desperately making things up. "Awesome," Mindy said. "My brother is at Butler." Robin had never heard of Butler, but he nodded anyway. Mindy smiled. Apparently he had passed the test. From the living room, Robin heard Debbie yell: "Kids! I'm going to the store. Hold down the fort, ok?" "OK!" Jen yelled back. Mindy smiled again. "Is your Dad around?" "Umm, not really," Jen answered, barely holding back a laugh. "Good", said Mindy. "I need a smoke." Mindy grabbed her purse and walked out to the back porch. Jen and Robin followed. Mindy pulled out a pack of Salems, and lit up. "Want one?" Mindy asked, offering cigarettes to Jen and Robin. "Sure" said Jen. Rob was horrified. Jen lit up. "Damn, I needed that," she said. "Jennifer!" Rob screamed. "You smoke?!" "Uh huh," she said sheepishly. "What's wrong? What are you, her mom?" Mindy asked. "Not exactly," answered Rob. "Hey, Jens," Mindy said, turning away from Rob. "Remember that time we needed to buy some cigs and you got the money from your Dad? It was amazing. You said you needed money. And he just gave it to you. No questions. Jesus, do you totally have him wrapped around your little finger." Rob sat quietly. Mindy went on. "I can't believe how stupid he was." Jen jumped in. "He is NOT stupid." "Maybe, but you are always bragging about how you can get whatever you want from him." "You DO?" asked Robin. "She does!" answered Mindy. "Let's talk about something else," Jen said in desperation. Mindy gave her a dirty look but didn't say anything. "So, do you have a boyfriend, Robin? Mindy asked. "Umm, I... no... I don't," Robin answered. "You don't now? But you did? Or you haven't had any?" Robin didn't answer. Mindy broke into a grin. "You've NEVER had a boyfriend? That's so cute!" Robin found it rather insulting. Like she couldn't attract a boy if she wanted to. "I suppose you have one?" Robin said, not knowing what else to say. Mindy was quick to answer. "Not now, but last summer Jen and I both had boyfriends. Jen, remember the time we all went over to the lake? You were like so all over Seth that night!" "Mindy, I don't think..." Jen protested. "Oh c'mon. It was so cool. Jen went all the way with Seth that night - right on the sand!" "Mindy!" said Jen. "Jen!" said Rob. "So you are a virgin?' Mindy asked Rob, rather bluntly. "I'm only 17," Robin answered, "I think that's rather young to..." "I did it when I was 13," Mindy interrupted proudly. All eyes then turned to Jen. "Well, that time at the lake was my first," she said, trying to redeem herself. "Unless you count oral," Mindy corrected. "You said you did that starting two years ago." "Jen! I never really... I mean I thought..." Robin sputtered. "Hey Robin, don't be so shocked. Oral is the best. Once you've done it, you'll..." "Let's go to the mall," Jen said, trying to stop this conversational catastrophe. Mindy reluctantly agreed. "Hey, Robin - want to join us?" "No, I went this morning," Robin said. Mindy laughed. "Not to shop, silly. We boy watch." Before Robin knew it, she was in the back seat of Mindy's car. Mindy was a crazy driver - she was speeding and ran at least two lights that he saw. He was shocked that they got to the mall all in one piece. They went into the main entrance, where the place was packed with teenagers. Quite a few boys were positioned right at the front door, right where they could see who walked in. The stares were obvious as the three girls walked in. Rob was pretty uncomfortable at first. But at the same time, he was feeling a sense of satisfaction since he seemed to be attracting way more attention than Mindy. Served her right, he thought. They went over to the food court and each ordered the same thing - diet Cokes. Suddenly, Mindy said, "Look there!" and motioned over to a boy, about 18, with black curly hair. Jen and Mindy both started whispering at that point, and giggled. Rob wasn't impressed - but then Jen pointed out another boy, this one with a goatee. Rob couldn't help but admit he was cute, and smiled appreciatively. Jen stared a long time at her dad when he did that, but then laughed it off. For the next hour, the three of them were huddled together like that - whispering, giggling, and generally having a good time. Once in a while a boy would walk up and say, "Hi," and even sit down next to them for a while. The girls were jus