The Punishment, Chapters 29 - Epilog free porn video

THE PUNISHMENT A man is unjustly accused of rape. His trial ends in a hung jury. To correct this "miscarriage of justice," a coven of witches punishes him by turning him into a girl and raping him multiple times, and then enacts spells forcing him to become a prostitute, while still remaining a man inside. But s/he manages to build a life with dignity and purpose, and eventually with love and happiness. Warning ... Contains limited descriptions of violence and rape. Table of Contents Prologue 1. North Western Texas State College 2. The Date 3. The Charge 4. The Trial 5. The Coven's Punishment 6. To Las Vegas 7. First Trick 8. The Day After 9. Life as an Escort 10. Life as an Escort - First Pregnancy 11. Life as an Escort - The Dance Troup and Sam 12. Life as an Escort - Special Assignments 13. Life as an Escort - The Rescue 14. Life as an escort -- Meeting Danno 15. Life as an Escort - Celia's Detox 16. Life as an Escort - Strange Date 17. Life as an Escort - Meeting Rosemary 18. Life as an Escort - New Apartment 19. Life as an Escort - Date with Hugh Hampton 20. Second Pregnancy, Escaping Las Vegas 21. Reno, Finding Work in the Medical Field 22. Brad, New Friends, and a New Apartment 23. Coping with Spells, Friends Again, and Danno 24. Travel to Thailand, Lily Prepares 25. Spending time with Sam and Family, Meeting Clarisse 26. Big Email from Mitty, Talk with Evelyn 27. Final weeks in Thailand 28. Move to Sam's Place 29. Dealing with the Coven 30. Meeting my Family as Helen 31. Back to Sam's House with Aunt Helen and Mitty 32. Marrying Sam 33. My New Life Epilog This is the last of five sections in The Punishment. The first section of this book described how Elvis became Blossom, a prostitute in Las Vegas. Elvis was a returning veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan. He attended college and went out on a date with an attractive girl. He woke up the next day with limited memories of what happened and was arrested for rape. Unable to come up with bail, he spent three months in jail, before being tried, but not convicted. He was released, only to have a coven of witches abduct and punish him. First, they turn him into a woman and rape her multiple times after enhancing themselves. Then, the witches cast a series of spells that force him/her to become a prostitute and service abusive men. They give the new woman the identity of 'Helen,' who is 19 and just graduated from high school. Then one of the witches seeks to help him by connecting him with an escort agency in Las Vegas, where he is given a trade name of 'Blossom.' The remainder of the first section describes Blossom's first experiences as an escort, and her first trick. The second section described Blossom's life and experiences as an escort engaged in prostitution. Blossom slowly establishes a friendship with her roommate Celia. She gets pregnant but is forced into an abortion by her employer. She makes friends with a woman police officer, who persuades her to play on a woman's soccer team. She tries out as a part time show girl. She and Celia help rescue a teenage girl who is being abducted. And Blossom finds herself becoming more and more female in outlook. She meets two guys who she really likes, Sam, and Danno. And she makes friends with Ally, another escort. Blossom is assigned to service a man named Hugh Hampton, who was one of Elvis's fraternity brothers. After forcing Blossom to have sex without a condom, Hugh recognizes Blossom as Elvis, and brags that it was he who framed Elvis for April's rape. Having said that, Hugh realizes that he must kill Blossom in order to prevent anyone else from knowing. However, Blossom manages to fight him off using the gun she keeps in her purse. However, as a result of the rape, Blossom gets pregnant. She decides she must escape before the mob forces her to have an abortion. The third section described how Blossom escaped the clutches of the mob with Celia and assumes the name Helen. Helen escaped to Sparks, Nevada, and established a new life for herself, with two jobs, one as a medical assistant to a doctor named Larry (Lily) Ikeda, who is a transgender woman. The second job is as a clerk in a drugstore. Helen makes many new friends, including Lily, and her sister Aiko. Helen also has a temporary boyfriend, Craig, who helps her comply with the spell that requires her to have sex with abusive men. But they don't get along and Craig eventually breaks up with Helen. Then Helen runs into Danno, who she met as an escort, and they resume their romance. At the end, Helen agrees to accompany Lily to Thailand to get an SRS. The fourth section describes what happened in Thailand and immediately after the return to Reno. It tells about Lily's experiences getting her SRS and how Helen helps Lily navigate the process and how their friendship grew. While in Thailand, Helen runs into Sam and his family again. This time she meets his daughters. Sam and Helen rekindle their romance, and Sam unwittingly helps Helen deal with some of the spells. In the end, Sam invites Helen to come live with him in Reno. Helen also meets another transgender girl named Clarisse who does not have a friend to help her through SRS. Helen volunteers to help her in recovery too, and the fourth section describes how Helen insures that Clarisse is taken care of by persuading a friend of hers from the Midwest to come to Thailand and help. When the friend shows up, Helen recognizes him as an Army friend of Elvis's. He recognizes her as being related to Elvis, and accepts that she is Elvis's brother. While in Thailand, Helen gets an email from her sister, Mitty, saying that her and Aunt Marge have been approached by a suspicious, threatening man looking for Helen. Helen knows that is the mob looking for her and decides she needs to get help from the coven to prevent the mob from harming her family. She communicates with a member of the coven, Evelyn, and tells her that Hugh Hampton has confessed to April's rape and asks her for help. Evelyn investigates and then says Helen will be able to talk to the coven soon after she gets back to the states. 29. Dealing with the Coven xxxxx When I got back to the apartment, I took a bath and washed and dried my hair and put it up in a French braid so it would be nice in the morning. Then I brushed my teeth and cleaned off my makeup and went to bed. But I couldn't sleep. I knew I had a confrontation with the witch's coven coming up and reviewed again and again how I would handle it. I was terrified of the worst that might happen. The next morning, I packed up my suitcase, put everything else from my room into a box to be picked up later, and was out the door at 6 AM. I took an Uber to the bus depot, picked up the ticket I had bought online, and boarded the bus and was on my way back to Collegeville. I sat next to a nice 50ish lady. She was going to visit her son, who was a student at West Texas State. It was a long ride, over a day. But it was much less expensive than a flight. When Sam had heard that I was taking the bus, we had had a small argument in that he tried to insist I get a refund on the bus ticket and he would buy me a plane ticket. But I found that because of multiple flights, it took almost 24 hours to get to Collegeville by plane. Besides, Sam didn't know I was going to Collegeville. So, taking the plane made no sense at all. So I insisted I wanted to take the bus where I could just relax and see some beautiful country. I didn't say I would try to put who I had become in perspective. And to think about how to approach the coven. My seatmate was going to visit her son at West Texas State College. We spent some time talking about ourselves. I told her I had briefly been a student at West Texas State, but it just didn't work out. I had run out of money and wasn't happy. So, I left and spent some time in Vegas as a showgirl, and then moved to Reno with a friend to start a new life. In the meantime, I had met a man and gotten engaged. I was now going to visit a friend I'd made in Collegeville, and then see my family in Tempah, Texas. That was mainly true, but it left a lot unsaid. She told me about her son and then about herself. She commented that it was unusual to run across a Chinese woman with a Texas twang. So, I gave her my usual spiel, telling her that I was not Chinese, I was half Japanese in ethnic background, but American in cultural background, which made me an American. And that if a Japanese person looked at me, they would say I looked European. She laughed and apologized for her comment. I think she would have talked for the entire trip, but I told her I needed to sleep, that I had been working late hours. So, she read a book, and I looked out the window and thought. I thought about that horrible day when I had been accused of rape. I thought about that equally horrible day when the witches had turned me into a woman and subjected me to multiple rapes, and hours of hatred. I thought about the spells I had been subjected to, and how I had gone to Las Vegas, encouraged by Evelyn to try to establish some sort of meaningful life for myself as an escort, outside of the time I entertained men. I thought of the friends I had made in Vegas, most of them women, and the things I had done that I enjoyed, soccer and the showgirl troupe. I thought about being raped by Hugh and getting pregnant, and then fleeing to Reno and making another group of friends. I thought about starting in Las Vegas and initially feeling like a man trapped as a woman, and determined to survive by fitting in as a woman, but then coming to more and more to feel like a woman, and falling in love with Sam. And I thought about running into Sam in Thailand and falling in love all over again. And I thought about what I would say to the witch's coven, how I would convince them I deserved not their condemnation, but their help to recover my health, my ability to love without having to deal with compulsions from the spells they had cast on me, and my ability to communicate with my family. And I thought about my family and how I would tell them that Helen used to be Elvis. Finally, I fell asleep. I woke up early and watched the scenery change from the open west Texas landscape to the suburban streets of Collegeville. It brought back a lot of bad memories, but I was determined I would change the bad to good and come out of this experience better than I had gone into it. There was no other alternative I would let myself consider. The bus got in at about 9 AM. Then I called Evelyn. She hadn't kept me up to date on what had happened when she had investigated my story. Was that bad, or was no news good news? Evelyn answered after three rings and said, "Hi Helen. Where are you?" I said, "Just picking up my suitcase in the bus station in Collegeville." She said, "Good. There is a diner across the street. Let's meet there. I will be about 45 minutes." I rolled my suitcase across the main street in Collegeville to the Collegeville Diner and got a booth and ordered a cup of coffee. The diner was only half full, so there was no problem with me occupying a booth for a while. When Evelyn came in, she ordered a cup of coffee and some eggs and hash browns. I hadn't eaten, so I ordered some too. Then she looked at me and asked how I was doing. I said, "You know. I'm doing pretty good. A long way from perfect, but pretty good. I got engaged a couple of days ago." She said, "Really, to a man?" I said, "Well, Yeah. To a man." She just shook her head, and said, "It is nice that you have managed to establish a relatively happy life during your punishment, but, as I told you a month ago on the phone, many in the coven want you to be miserable, and to them your happiness is not a good thing." I said, "Doesn't the fact that I am innocent of the charges that led to my punishment make them less angry at me. Or did your investigation show that I'm guilty." She said, "Oh, no. The investigation showed that you are totally innocent. You were a victim as well as April. But to those witches who are into power, the fact that you are innocent doesn't matter much. For this reason, I have scheduled Hugh's and Jimmy's trial before our review of your punishment. So, it will be clear what bastards they are." I replied, "OK, thank you." Then I said, "Will they do the same thing to Jimmy and Hugh that they did to me?" Evelyn said, "If Jimmy and Hugh are lucky, that is what they will do. I think there will be many in the coven who will want an even stiffer punishment since the rape of April was preplanned and since they even betrayed their fellow ... err, man." I laughed at that, and in a moment, Evelyn joined me in laughter. Then Evelyn asked, "Are you sure you don't want to go back to being a man if the review of your punishment is positive?" I just shook my head and said, "I have a child that I have obligations to, Evelyn. And I have a man who I love dearly and who I am planning to marry. And even aside from those two things, I am generally happy as I am. I have no reason to change. She asked, "How about your family. Wouldn't they like to have Elvis back?" I replied, "Maybe. I haven't been about to communicate with them. But I have high hopes that they will love me as I am." Evelyn said, "Hmm, OK." Then our breakfasts came, and Evelyn said, "Let's eat. I must get out to the farm before noon to confer with the Coven's leaders. Hugh's trial is at 1." So, we quickly ate, although I couldn't eat much. My nerves caused my stomach to hurt. Then we drove out to the coven's park. I recognized it when I got there, as the place where I had been turned into a woman and raped and then further changed. Just being there made my skin crawl. When she parked, Evelyn told me she had obtained permission for me not to be restrained, as would be the usual procedure. So, I should just hang around unobtrusively. There was still a lot of anger at me, so it would be better to stay away from where the witches gathered. I found a grassy hill to sit on, not too far from where the trial and review would take place. Hugh and Jimmy were sequestered nearby, and when they saw me, they both turned white. Then Hugh started screaming at me that I had told a bunch of lies that had gotten him and Jimmy in trouble. I think it was for the benefit of any witch who might hear. After a while, Hugh quieted down. There were no witches who could hear what he said right now. I assumed he would start up again when there were. I decided to try to talk to them and offer them advice based on my experiences. I walked over and said, "Hi Hugh, Hi Jimmy." Hugh scowled, and Jimmy did nothing. I said, "I was tried here on the same charges you will be tried for. I have some advice that might be useful." Hugh told me to fuck off, but Jimmy said, "Hugh said you're Elvis. Are you really?" I nodded. Then he asked, "Would you really do that? Try to help us? Why?" I said, "I guess I still believe in redemption. And some of the things they might do wouldn't help redeem either of you." Then Hugh said, "Fuck, Elvis, you are even more of a pussy than ever. Always worried about what's right." I replied, "What's right is important. But more important is learning and getting better. If you are to be punished, then the punishment should help you learn and become a better person. Not just hurt and humiliate you." Then Jimmy said, "OK, if you have advice, now's the time." I told them about the process of the court and how the witches thought they had a right to express anger and outrage at them. But I advised them not to return it because the witches were both judge and jury." Jimmy asked, "If I'm convicted, will they change me to a woman?" I said, "If you're lucky. There are much worse things they could change you to." Jimmy looked white, and then broke down and cried. He said, "I'm a married man with a child on the way. It isn't fair. I didn't mean to hurt anyone." I said, "Jimmy. You helped Hugh rape a woman and saw how it made her feel. And you sat there and watched me on trial for rape, and never came forward to help April or me. You are minimizing your participation. If you are convicted and then try to minimize your guilt in front of the witches, you will make them even angrier and more vindictive." He apparently didn't understand and continued trying to tell me that he was innocent of anything really bad. Then I addressed Hugh and said, "Hugh, you should know something." He just looked at me. I said, "The child I am carrying, it's yours." I had thought that might make him feel better. That even if they turned him to a frog, he would still be leaving a child behind. But he just looked angry, and said, "I will not acknowledge a Chink kid. That is not my child." I just shook my head and walked away. I didn't know what he was thinking to react like that. It wasn't as though I had asked him for money or help to raise the child. All I could think is that he was a total sociopath, so filled with hate that he couldn't react even remotely sanely. I went back to my spot on the hill. About 12:30, the witches started gathering, and Hugh started screaming at me again that I was lying about him. Finally, the leader of the witches told him to be silent. But he continued screaming until she made a gesture, and suddenly no sound came out of his mouth, although it kept moving. It took him a while to figure it out, and finally, he stopped trying to scream. A ripple of laughter went through the gathering, and he flushed. I'm sure he didn't gain any sympathy doing that. They tried Hugh first. Evelyn read the charges, and Hugh pled not guilty. Then Evelyn described what she thought had happened that night and started presenting evidence, including a statement that Hugh had admitted under a truth spell to raping April and using an electro ejaculator to obtain my sperm and putting it into April's vagina to frame me. Then Evelyn called me to testify. First, she cast a truth spell on me. She asked me if I had raped April. I said I couldn't remember, because I hadn't been conscious. Then she asked me about what I remembered from the morning after, and I told how I remembered a lot of pain in my nether regions, consistent with an electro ejaculator. Then the leader of the coven spoke up and said, "and also consistent with being kneed in the groin by April." I guess it was her role to ensure the meaning of testimony was clear. Next, Evelyn brought Jimmy up to testify. She cast a truth spell, and then ask him what he knew about the rape of April. He told a story consistent with what Evelyn thought had happened that night. Finally, Evelyn called Hugh to testify. Hugh was very difficult. Not too surprising, given his past behavior. First, he told the witches this was a kangaroo court. They had no jurisdiction over him. Evelyn replied, "The coven can assume jurisdiction in any case. We don't need your permission. Plus, we have a personal interest in this case, April being a witch." Hugh replied, "My family is very wealthy and knows a lot of influential people. They will appeal the case to the Supreme Court if necessary." Evelyn said, "How? If you are acquitted, you won't need to sue. And if you are convicted, you will not be recognizable as Hugh Hampton and will not be allowed to tell anyone what happened. So how will you appeal it?" I saw a smile on her face and realized that she was toying with him. Finally, he told them that they were a joke and he would get back at them somehow. Furthermore, he refused to testify against himself. She replied, "All right. But if you do not testify, then Helen and Jimmy's accounts of what happened the night of April's rape will be unchallenged. Is that what you want to?" Hugh sneered at that comment. The vote to convict was unanimous. Next, Evelyn recommended a sentence. She recommended the same sentence I got, except it would last 50 years rather than 35. She described the sentence in detail and justified it by saying it allowed Hugh a chance at rehabilitation. Other witches could speak, and several recommended a much more severe sentence, turning him into a frog and releasing him into a pond full of snakes. I think I saw Hugh go white. In the end, the coven voted 55 to 45 for Evelyn's sentence recommendation. Next was Jimmy's trial. But he decided to plead guilty and throw himself on the mercy of the court, noting that he would soon have a child to support. The court didn't have much mercy. Jimmy received the same sentence as Hugh, but for 25 years. Next came the review of my sentence. Evelyn started by saying, "The coven usually does a review of sentences every five years, but we have moved up Helen's review because the trial of Hugh Hampton and Jimmy Benson have revealed that the original verdict was incorrect." Then Evelyn gave a synopsis of what I had done since being released into the wild. (That's the term she used; I kid you not.) Then Evelyn said, "Since Helen has not engaged in any activities of the type that lead her to be sentenced and has generally been a good citizen since being released to serve her sentence, and since she has been proven innocent of the original charge, I recommend that her sentence end immediately and that she be helped to acclimate to the life she wants." There it was. The recommendation that would allow me to have a happy future. If the coven accepted it, I would walk away and forget the nightmarish events of the sentence and move on with my life. And they should accept it. After all, they knew I was innocent. Then the leader of the witches asked, "Excuse me, Evelyn, but I read something in your review of the case that concerns me, that this person has been happy. We clearly intended her to be miserable during her sentence, so she would never want to hurt anyone again. Has she somehow managed to evade the intent of the sentence? Has the sentence somehow been a reward rather than a punishment?" Evelyn responded, "She has not been completely happy, but by being warm and generous and helping others, she has managed to build a life with some rewards in it. That may not be what we wanted, but after all, she is innocent of the charges that led to her sentence. So, we should not worry that she had some happy moments during her sentence." The leader said, "With all due respect, Evelyn, it seems she has been very happy. So, she has evaded the intent of her sentence. We can't allow that." Evelyn said, "What happiness she achieved was only due to her doing positive things. And that is what we want, that those who we punish become positive human beings." The leader came back, "And we want them to suffer. By being miserable. I don't see much misery in Helen's life. I don't see how we can end her sentence until she is miserable for a while." Then Evelyn said, "It is not true that Helen's life during the sentence is completely happy. She has experienced plenty of misery. But she has managed to overcome it and build a worthwhile life." Then she called me to testify again. Evelyn asked me, "Helen, tell the coven of the things you have faced that made you unhappy during the sentence." Evelyn and I had rehearsed this. I told of the difficulties I had adapting as a woman when first transformed. And I told them how unhappy not being able to communicate with my family had been and about my concern that they would be homeless as time went along. And I told them of my concern that I would not be able to deliver my baby successfully because the spells that kept me a thin, fragile woman. Finally, I told them of the terror I had experienced every week trying to find men who would engage in rough sex. Then Evelyn asked me to describe when Hugh Hampton raped me. So, I described how he had beaten me and raped me vaginally and anally and then tried to kill me. Evelyn then called Hugh back to the stand and asked if this was true. Hugh tried to deny it, but under a truth spell, he slowly and painfully described what he had done. Then Evelyn dismissed Hugh and asked me if my baby was the result of this rape. I said yes, and she asked me if I had considered an abortion. I said, "No, my child is innocent. He or she deserves a chance at a decent life as much as any other child." Then Evelyn summarized by saying, "So you see, the spells have given Helen has plenty of misery. But she has managed to build a meaningful life despite that." Then the leader asked, "Forgive me, but we haven't discussed one thing. Helen is engaged, yes." I responded, "Yes." The Leader continued, "And before that she had a couple of boyfriends, right?" I said, "Yes." She said, "How can that be. Elvis was a heterosexual man. The spells should not have changed her psychology into that of a heterosexual woman. That should have made her miserable, by itself. But it seems she was OK with being a woman, happy even. What happened?" Evelyn said, "We don't know. It could be that the spell changing Elvis to a woman had unforeseen consequences, although I couldn't detect any in the wording. And it could be that Elvis had subconscious desire to be a woman or an unconscious gender fluidity that would allow her to adjust. That seems the most likely." There was a moment of silence form the coven, during which I and everyone else heard Hugh laugh and say, "See, I told you Elvis was a pussy." Then the leader said, "It seems Mr. Hampton has raped more than one woman and has not learned anything yet. Perhaps his punishment should be increased." I saw Hugh go white. There was no further discussion, and the coven voted on Evelyn's recommendation on ending my sentence. It passed 22 to 20. God, that was close. I have no clue what they would have done if that vote hadn't passed, but it wouldn't have been at all pleasant. Then they revisited Hugh's sentence and decided he could not be rehabilitated and decided to turn him into a frog and released him into a nearby pond. I was allowed to argue against it, saying that sentence was pure retribution and had no aspects of justice in it. Hugh could hardly improve his character as a frog. But the coven would not be denied their vengeance. After the final vote, before the coven implemented its decisions, April came over and hugged me and said she, "I'm sorry Helen. I'm so sorry I hurt you. Please forgive me." I said, "I forgive you April. I know you were hurting at the time." Then she said, "So are you going to be happy to be Elvis again?" I replied, "I'm not asking for elimination of all of the spells placed on me, April. Just a few. After all, I have a baby to care for and a man I love, who has asked me to marry." She said, "Really? So, are you going to stay as Helen?" I said, "Yes, I am. With a few changes, I will be happy." Despite the testimony that I had come to accept being a woman, April was surprised. Then two magically enhanced members of the coven dragged Hugh before them, screaming in terror. The leader cast the spell making him a frog. He managed to get away after that. So instead of being in a pond and relatively comfortable and safe, he was hopping around in the open-air vulnerable to predators. I knew that soon one of them would find him and eat him. I hated the thought of even Hugh coming to such an end. Then they brought Jimmy before the leader, also kicking and screaming, and implemented the first part of his sentence, dragging the woman he had become to be beaten and raped by magically enhanced members of the coven. They asked me if I wanted to participate in the vengeance, but I declined. I had been on the other side of that experience and wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. But April went off to take her turn for vengeance. Finally, the leader removed three of the spells previously cast on me. First was the spell that kept my strength at 90% of April's strength at the time of her rape. That would allow me to start building myself up so I could have a successful pregnancy. And when they removed that spell, they also applied a spell to help me give birth safely. It was an old spell. Before the availability of good medical care, that was one of the things women had asked witches for most. Second, they removed the spell that forced me to have abusive sex every week. I was happy to see that go. I had found ways around it, but they were uncertain. Now I was not compelled to have sex but could choose. Last they removed the spell that prohibited me talking to my family and former friends, and that prohibited me telling anyone what had happened to me. It was replaced by a weaker spell. Now I could tell a person what had happened to me, but that person could not pass the information on to anyone else. I didn't care. The most important thing was that I could talk to my aunt and sister again. Then the Speaker cast a spell to protect me and my family and Celia and hers from the mob. They eliminated any paperwork I had signed with AAA and removed any mention of Blossom from the AAA website and removed any memory of Blossom and Celia from Dan and Joyce and the mob and any other AAA employee. It was as though to them; I had never existed. I think that was a good thing in many ways. I had still existed as an escort in the memories of those I cared for, but not in the minds of those who threatened me. The only regret I had was that my friendship with Joyce was gone. Finally, Evelyn asked if I wanted them to take action to clear Elvis's name. I hadn't thought about it. I decided I would like that to happen. I wanted people to remember Elvis as he was, a decent guy. So I said yes. She said they would do that, but it would take several complex spells, so it would take a couple of weeks. But she would put it on the coven's to do list. They owed it to me. After that, Evelyn drove me back to town. I thanked her for her help and wished her the best. I hoped never to see anyone from this or any other witch's coven again. I could still hear the screams of the female Jimmy as while being raped by multiple magically enhanced witches. That brought back all the horror I had felt when the same thing had happened to me. I wished I could have helped Hugh and Jimmy, but it wasn't possible. They brought their punishments on themselves. Evelyn insisted she drive me to Tempah, Texas the next day to see my aunt and sister again. It was the least she could do, she said, after what the coven had done to me. I protested that I had a bus ticket and could handle it myself, but Evelyn insisted. Then she hinted that she might be able to help convince my aunt and sister that I was Elvis, transformed into a woman. I said, "No. Absolutely not. No magic on my Aunt and Sister. If I can't convince them myself, then so be it." Evelyn finally agreed to that, but still insisted on driving me. That worried me, but it's hard to resist someone who can turn you into a frog. We stopped and had some dinner on the way to Evelyn's house. I expressed my horror at the punishments visited on Hugh and Jimmy. Evelyn asked, "Don't you think they deserved punishment? After all, what they did to April and you was horrific. And I could make the argument that Hugh is a psychopath and was always going to be dangerous." I said, "Yes, but Hugh will never have a chance to reform as a frog. In fact, he will probably not live more than a few months at the outside. And Jimmy's experience could make him angry and bitter. He may reform, but many people in that situation would just get meaner and nastier and more self-centered." Evelyn responded, "You didn't get meaner." I replied, "But I didn't get better. I never was a bad guy. The punishment changed me; it didn't improve me." She said, "Look, Helen. You're a sweet person. You were when you were Elvis, and you are even sweeter now. I know it hurts you to see anyone hurt. But at some point, we must move against those who would do bad." I said, "I don't think Jimmy would have done anything like rape if Hugh hadn't been there. He wouldn't have been a really bad guy. So, in a way, he was a victim of Hugh too." She just shook her head, and said, "There are some things you can't just excuse, Helen. Without Hugh, maybe Jimmy would have been just an ordinary guy, not bad, but not too good either. But he let himself be influenced to do something very bad, something that hurt both you and April badly. Maybe the punishment we gave him wasn't optimal. But he is unlikely to be involved in rape again." I said, "Yes, but now his child will not have a father. Somehow that is a tragedy." She said, "But you can't have people do bad things and then expect to get out of punishment because they have a child. There is no perfection, Helen. We just do our best and hope we do a lot more good than bad. In this case, I think that is true." Then we moved on to other topics. I was not too surprised to learn that Evelyn's civilian (non-witch) profession was as a cop. She talked about incidents she had run into as an officer. I guess she couldn't resist sharing. She didn't have a romantic partner to share with, so I think she liked to talk about her job when she could. 30. Meeting my Family as Helen xxxxx After I got to Evelyn's home and was ready for bed, I sent an email to my sister, "Dear Mitty, I am sorry I have not kept in touch. I never stopped loving you and Aunt Marge. But circumstances were such that I couldn't communicate with you. I realize this caused you pain at a time when you were in need. I'm so sorry. I'll be home tomorrow. I expect to arrive at about 4. A friend, Evelyn, is giving me a ride, but she said she wouldn't be staying long. I will email you as we drive and update you on my arrival time. Don't worry about feeding me. I will treat you and Aunt Marge to dinner at Bev's Barbeque. Love, Elvis P.S., You will be surprised when you see me. There have been a lot of changes." I had thought about telling my story in email, but I thought I would be much more likely to convince her that I was Elvis if I could speak to her. We left at 7 AM and had breakfast on the road. At first, I thought we would be way early, but we ran into traffic on the North bypass around Dallas. So, we came into my old neighborhood at about 4:30. I went up to the door by myself to make the first contact. When I rang, the door opened quickly, and an excited Mitty looked out, at someone who looked like a pregnant young teen. I said, "Hi, Mitty." She looked very surprised and asked, "Do I know you? Oh, you're the girl for whom those men were looking. Helen Watson?" Then she looked at me closely and said, "Are we related?" I nodded and said, "Yes, Mitty. I'm Helen. I used to be your brother, Elvis." I wanted to put my arms around her and hug her close and tell her how much I had missed her. But I knew she would rebuff such a hug until she was sure that I was Elvis. She shook her head and said, "That can't be true. My brother was older and bigger and, and, ... " I finished for her, "and a boy." She said, "Yeah, a boy. A very masculine boy. What are you trying to pull anyway? We've missed Elvis so much this last year, and now you prance up to the door and say you are him. Is this some sort of con? If so, you're wasting your time. We don't have any money that you can cheat us out of. Just go away. I can't deal with this stupidity." She looked like she might cry. But I beat her to it. I broke into tears. I had been very emotional ever since I'd become a woman. I said, "It's true, Mitty. I am Elvis. If you would let me come in and talk, I will try to convince you and tell you how this happened. Please." Aunt Marge had been standing just inside the door and listening. She said, "Oh, Mitty. Just let her in to talk. After all, she's a pregnant kid. She can't very well hurt us." Mitty sighed and said, "OK, Come in." So Mitty and Aunt Marge stood out of the way, while I slowly clambered up the stairs of the split-level house that held so many memories. When we got up the stairs, Aunt Marge directed me to a kitchen chair and asked if I needed anything. I just shook my head. I had been nursing a diet soda in the car and wasn't thirsty. I looked around. Most of the nice furniture previously in the house was gone. There was a ratty couch in the living room replacing the one that was there a year ago, and I would have difficulty getting out of it if I were to sit down in it. In the dining room, there was a plastic-covered fake wood table with a gouge out of the top, and a few metal chairs. I asked, "What happened to the furniture?" Aunt Marge looked surprised but said, "We needed money. Mitty listed it online, and we sold it. We found this couch and kitchen table for free online. The neighbor helped move them for us. Only the bedroom sets are from before." I thought I saw tears in her eyes. I asked if I could use the bathroom, and Aunt Marge said, "Down the hall and to the right, sweetie." Aunt Marge always called young people 'sweetie,' especially young girls. Of course, I knew where the bathrooms were in the house. At least the upstairs bathrooms hadn't changed. It was as neat and well organized as ever, with lots of decorations. After I finished my business I came back to the kitchen and sat back down. Then Mitty looked at me and said, "Are you pregnant?" Without thinking, I answered as Elvis would have, "Yeah, I am. What was your first clue, Sherlock?" Mitty flushed at that. If she had believed that I was Elvis, she would have taken it in good humor. Mitty and Elvis always kidded each other with humorous and sarcastic comments, even though they were very close. But Mitty would not react well to such a comment from a stranger. I had to remember that. I apologized. The Mitty said, "So, what is missing, Helen?" I said, "What do you mean?" She said, "The furniture. If you are Elvis, you can describe the furniture that used to be in the living room and dining room." I said, "OK." Then I went through a list of items that were gone. As I did, I walked around (slowly) and pointed to where they had been. In the end, Mitty said, "Well. I am convinced you have been here before, and you are very observant." She continued, "So, tell me something else that would show you are Elvis." I said, "Well, let me describe Elvis's room." I proceeded to describe what had been in Elvis's room, include things in nooks and crannies. Then I said, "But of course there is no way of corroborating that if you have changed Elvis's room." She said, "We haven't changed Elvis's room. We decided not to, even though we needed the money. We were hoping he would come home." At that, she cried. I was misty-eyed myself. Once again, I wanted to hug my sister and tell her I loved her. Instead, I led them to Elvis's room and showed them that everything was as I'd said. I'd forgotten how much of a neat-freak I had been. Then I noticed some things I'd forgotten. There was a golf three iron, a rolled- up Army be all you can be poster and a rolled-up Manchester United poster under the bed. I pointed to them and said in detail what they were. Aunt Marge said, "OK, I believe you. Welcome home, Elvis." Then she hugged me. I hugged her and cried. But Mitty was not satisfied. She said, "You could still be an ex- girlfriend who had slept with Elvis in his room and was incredibly observant. One more question. Who are Carl Miller and Bubba Thompson? I said, "That's easy. They are two boys who tormented you because you were Asian." She said, "They still do. What was your nickname for them?" I smiled and said, "Beavis and Butthead." She laughed and said, "OK, OK. I believe. Subject to later corroboration." Then she hugged me, and I hugged her. She said, "Welcome home, um, Sis. OK, we are ready for the story of what happened to you." I said, "I should go out and get my friend. She agreed to wait until we had had a chance to talk. But it's been a while." Mitty said, "I'll get her. You just sit down at the kitchen table." Aunt Marge asked again if I wanted something, and I said I'd like some tea. In a moment, Mitty and Evelyn came in. At last, I was home with my family. It was like I'd dreamed ever since I'd been charged with rape, almost exactly a year ago. I said, "Well, let's start with last March. I'd been accused of rape, sat in jail 3 ? months, and was finally acquitted, or more properly, not convicted. They released me on my own recognizance, but the prosecutor was considering whether to try me again. The judge had told me to stay in town until they decided. I was living on the street, because the fraternity didn't want me, and I had no money to rent a place to stay. And even if I'd had money, I would have been on the street because I would have had to report an address, and everybody would have known. There was a lot of outrage in the community at me, and I was vulnerable to harassment. It was safer on the street." Aunt Marge said, "Oh, baby, I wish I'd have known. I'm sure I could have convinced the judge to let you come home with me." I said, "Aunt Marge, I didn't want that. I didn't want you to be subject to harassment too." Mitty said, "OK, what happened then. Did you get some sort of sex change to hide out?" I said, "No, not quite. Elvis lived on the streets for a few days. Then one morning two very large women came up and grabbed me and hauled me off. They were from a coven of witches, who had decided to try me for rape on their own. They convicted me and changed me to a woman." My aunt gasped, but Mitty laughed. She said, "Oh, for God's sake Helen. That's crazy. There's no such thing as witches or witchcraft." I replied, "I never thought so either, Mitty, until I saw it in action. But they said the magic words and I was a woman, complete with boobs, a female voice, an hourglass figure, and a monthly visitor. Mitty replied, "I don't believe it. Now I'm sure you aren't Elvis. But if you are, I'm sure you had a sex change operation and have been hiding out since then." I said, "Mitty. I am a woman. I have all the standard equipment, although not much of it in some areas," indicating my breasts. And I can obviously get pregnant. If you research male to Female sexual reassignment surgery, you will find it doesn't really change a man to a woman; it makes a former man look and function like a woman in some respects. It constructs a realistic vagina that allows her to have sex as a woman, but she can't get pregnant. I don't want to denigrate it in any way. The men who get a sex change already feel they are women inside, and they want the outside to match. But most of them are frustrated that they cannot get pregnant after SRS." Mitty kept shaking her head, and then took out her phone and started typing on it. Aunt Marge said, "Mitty, let's let Elvis tell his story." I responded, "Aunt Marge, please call me Helen. It's more appropriate now. She said, "OK, Helen. Go ahead." I said, "OK. The witch's coven had decided the regular trial was a miscarriage of justice, and they decided to try me themselves. The acquittal in court was based on a lot of subtle legalities, which the coven refused to consider. They took the facts of the case and added them to the DNA evidence and found me guilty in a few minutes, almost without deliberation." Then I said, "Is that your interpretation, Evelyn." She said, "You're doing fine, Helen. I won't dispute anything you've said." I had introduced Evelyn as a friend. Now I had to reintroduce her as a witch who had seen the first trial. That caused Aunt Helen to look at her angrily, and say, "You participated in this, this sham trial. That's awful. Elvis was innocent. I knew him since he was little. He never hurt anyone. He couldn't." I chuckled, "Well, Aunt Marge, the Taliban guys I shot when I was defending my base camp in Afghanistan might disagree with you." She gasped and said, "you didn't tell me about that, Elvis." I said, "I didn't want you to worry, Aunt Marge." Mitty was back and said, "He told me, Aunt Marge. He said he wasn't proud of hurting anybody but had to do it or be killed himself." Aunt Marge did not look happy. Then I asked Mitty if she had looked up Sex Change Operations, and she said, "Yes, you're right Elvis. After a sex change, you don't have periods, and you can't have a baby. So, your story is that the coven convicted you of rape and turned you into a woman. Then what?" I hesitated for a moment. Did my aunt and sister really have to know about that night of horror, when I was subjected to multiple rapes? I said, "Err, ah, " Evelyn jumped in and said, "Some witches modified themselves to have large penises, and they took turns raping Elvis, err.... Helen. That included the woman who had been raped, April." Aunt Marge gasped and started crying. Mitty asked, "Is that true Elvis?" I nodded my head. She looked at Evelyn angrily, "Did you do it too?" I said, "No, she didn't. She behaved well to me all the time. She is my friend, Mitty." Mitty said, "I'm sorry that happened, Elvis. I can't imagine how awful it felt." I said, "Yes it did. But you must remember, I thought I was guilty of rape and felt I deserved punishment. So that made it sort of acceptable." She said, "You thought you were guilty?" I said, "Yes. After all, they found my DNA in April's vagina." She said, "Right. I forgot. Me and Aunt Marge never believed you did that. We thought there had to be another explanation." I said, "There was. But I wasn't to learn about it for some months. I will tell you when I come to it." Mitty said, "OK. What happened next?" I said, "The next morning, the witches started on the second phase of my punishment." Mitty said, "Being gang-raped wasn't enough? They wanted more punishment?" I said, "Yes, they did. What they did was apply some further spells that would induce me to experience what April had experienced, again and again." Then I described the spells, including the increased libido, the restriction on my strength to 90% of Aprils, the need to have abusive sex once a week, and the prohibition on communicating with old friends and family or telling anyone what had happened to me. I continued, "That is why I couldn't communicate with you Mitty. I wanted to, desperately. But I couldn't." Mitty looked at me and asked, "Did you get my emails?" I said, "Yes, I did. And I appreciated that you continued to send them. Thank You." Then she asked, "It was you sending the money, wasn't it?" I said, "yes." She said, "I knew it. Somehow, I knew it. Thank You for doing that." Aunt Marge said, "Yes, thank you. That allowed us to last in this house as long as we have." I was about to ask what that meant, but Mitty asked a question first. She asked, "So what happened then?" I said, "With those spells applied, my future was grim. I might have looked for an abusive man to be with. That didn't seem good. The alternative was to become an escort and try to meet a different abusive man every week. Evelyn connected me with an escort service in Las Vegas that had a category of clients it called 'specials' who they allowed to hurt the girls they were with, a little. But the service provided some protection for the escorts who handled specials. So, it was safer than a long-term relationship with a single abusive man." Aunt Marge asked, "What's an escort?" I blushed in and said, "An escort is a call girl." Aunt Marge still looked puzzled, and I said, "A prostitute. I was a prostitute. Please forgive me, Aunt Marge. I didn't know what else to do?" At that, I broke into tears. Aunt Marge came over and hugged me and told me it would be all right. It was as though I was a young boy again. Mitty asked, "So all that money you sent. It was money you made sleeping with men." I hung my head and said, "Yes. But I had no choice but be a prostitute. The spells led me in that direction. And as long as I made that money, I sent most of it where it would help people I loved." Mitty said, "I'm sorry it happened, Elvis. But we needed the money. It was a godsend." Aunt Marge growled, "If I'd have known, I'd have burned it." I told her I was sorry again. Then Mitty said, "It must have been hard to have sex with men. You were a man inside, weren't you?" I said, "Yes, at first. But in time, I seem to have switched to become a woman inside. I don't know what happened. But I didn't really have a problem having sex with men. I mainly had a problem being a prostitute and having sex with abusive men. Some of those men were real sickos. But I needed them. I couldn't help seeking them out. A couple of times, I could easily have died. Then Mitty asked, "Did you do anything else in Las Vegas, Helen." I said, "Yes, I did some fun things. I played soccer for a few months. And I was a showgirl for a while." Evelyn jumped in and said, "While she was in Vegas, Helen saved a young boy's life by applying medical care to a head injury, and she and a friend saved a teenage girl from being abducted. Mitty, Marge, Helen was a good person, even if she was trapped as a prostitute." I mouthed 'Thank You' to her. I guess that took some of the tension away. Mitty asked, "So how did you get away from being trapped?" I said, "I ran away. A client raped me. And he was not using a condom. And when I became pregnant, the mob would have forced me to have an abortion. So, I ran away." Mitty and my aunt took a moment to digest that. Mitty said, "They would force you to have an abortion. How can that be?" I said, "The contract I signed said I agreed to get an abortion if I got pregnant. They used that as a justification." Mitty said, "That isn't legal. They can't force you to have an abortion." I said, "Well, they did it once." She responded, "What?" I said, "When I first started, I made a mistake with my pills and got pregnant when a client wanted bareback." Mitty asked, "What is bareback?" I said, "No condom. Clients had to pay more, and the agency would only send out escorts that were not in a time in their cycle when they would get pregnant." Mitty just shook her head. She was having a hard time with this. She said, "So you were able just to leave." I said, "No, the mob would have punished me if they caught me. And it was especially hard for me since I needed abusive sex once a week. But I had discovered a way around that spell." I looked at Evelyn. I didn't want to discuss this since the coven might decide to change the spell so Jimmy wouldn't be able to find the way. She said, "It's OK. I won't tell anyone." Despite that, I decided not to go into detail. I said, "The rape where I became pregnant was a turning point in many ways." Mitty nodded her encouragement, and I said, "The guy who raped me was a member of my fraternity at college, named Hugh Hampton." Aunt Marge said, "Yes, I remember him. He was going to testify that you were a bad guy at the trial." I nodded and continued, "Hugh had heard a rumor about my changed gender, and he recognized me." Mitty asked, "Did he come to Las Vegas looking for you?" I replied, "I don't think so. But when he saw me, he recognized that I was Elvis, turned into a woman. He said it was because there was a rumor going around about what the witches had done to me. I think he had only intended to find a woman to beat up while having sex. When he recognized me, he couldn't resist bragging about having framed me. Then he had to kill me because he knew I might tell the coven. Besides, he hated me." Mitty said, "How do you know that, Helen?" I said, "Because he told me. He taunted me for what happened. He bragged while he was choking me that he had gotten a sample of sperm from me and placed it into April's vagina after he raped her. That way, no one would ever suspect him." Then Aunt Marge asked, "How did you get away from him, Helen?" I said, "I always carried whatever weapons I could when I met a john, because of the danger. I had a knife, and stabbed Hugh but was too weak to hurt him. But I distracted him, and then got away long enough to get a pistol out of my purse and shoot him." Aunt Marge turned white. She hated guns. She said, "Then you fled. Where to?" I said, "I fled with a friend who also wanted out of the business, to Reno." She asked, "Did you become an escort in Reno?" I said, "No. I wanted out of that life. I got a job as an assistant in a Doctor's office. I made some very good friends and was happier than I ever had been in Las Vegas. I'm sorry, I didn't make much. So, I couldn't send much money." Aunt Marge said, "That's OK, Helen. I'm happy that you were happy." Mitty nodded too. She asked, "Were you still in Reno when you decided to come home?" I said, "I decided to come home when you sent that email saying that those men had shown up asking about me, Helen. They were not FBI. They were almost certainly Mob. And you and Aunt Marge were in terrible danger. I needed help. The only ones who could help were the coven. So, even though the coven terrified me, I called Evelyn and told her my story and asked for help. She checked things out, using occult methods, and found my story was true. So, a few days later, I took a bus from Reno to Collegeville to plead my case with the coven." Evelyn said, "You should know how much courage that took. The coven does not like to be wrong and doesn't like someone who was supposed to be punished ending up happy and living a positive life. Anything could have happened." I picked up from there, "Fortunately, Evelyn was able to make the case that Hugh and a friend of his had raped April and conspired to blame me. But the vote to release me from the spell and help me keep the mob at bay was very tight. If two witches had voted the other way, I would have been an escort again, or worse." Mitty asked, "What happened to Hugh?" Evelyn laughed, "We were going to do the same thing to him that we did to Elvis, but the idiot was so obnoxious, we decided to change him to a frog." Mitty looked at me, and I said, "Really, that's what they did. You don't mess with a witch's coven." She made a face at that. Evelyn broke in, "Hugh's friend, Jimmy, who helped Hugh frame Elvis, was given the same punishment as Elvis had." Then Mitty said, "So if the coven elected to help you, why didn't they turn you back to Elvis." I said, "I didn't want them to." Mitty looked at me quizzically. I continued, "I'm happy as a woman. I have a baby who depends on me. Yes, the baby is Hugh's. But it is innocent and deserves a chance at a happy life. If I were to become Elvis again, the baby would be gone. I can't let that happen. Besides, I have found a man that I love dearly, and we are engaged. But I'm still mostly Elvis, only a little bit different. I'm hoping we can still be close, Mitty, Aunt Marge." Then I started crying again. Damn hormones. At that point, Mitty came over and hugged me and said, "Of course we can still be close, Helen. Of course, we can." Then Aunt Marge did the same, and I cried on her chest. Then I said, "Well, there you have the story, the good, the bad, and the ugly." Mitty laughed and said, "That's exactly what Elvis would have said." I said, "Let's go to dinner. There is one more thing I want to discuss with you. Evelyn, are you coming with us?" She smiled and said, "Sure." We went to Bev's, and I ordered my favorite, beef ribs. But I could only eat a few bites. As Elvis, I could have finished them no problem. I was hoping that after the witches canceled the spell limiting my strength, I would be able to eat a little more, maybe gain a little weight as my doctor wanted. Well, when I got home, I would have to see the doctor again and ask her what she recommended. When done, I asked, "Aunt Marge, what is the situation with the house?" She said, "I owe almost $200,000 on it, about what it's worth. That reverse mortgage was necessary to get through the illness, but don't believe that nonsense about being able to stay in your house. I already have an eviction notice. I have talked to that free lawyer, and they said I didn't need to worry. It could take them up to two years to evict us. So Mitty might be able to live there until graduation." I could see tears in Aunt Marge's eyes, but she suppressed them. I asked, "But it was worth it, wasn't it, right? I mean, you're alive. Without it, you wouldn't be. I think it's worth it." She said, "Yes, I guess so." Mitty chimed in and said, "Oh, Aunt Marge, it was definitely worth it. I'm so happy you're recovering." Aunt Marge said, "But, Mitty. You could have used that money for college. For a better future." Mitty said, "You think I would have let you mortgage your house to pay for my college? Not a chance. I've been thinking of enlisting like Elvis did." And she nudged me with her forearm. It was nice to be back in my family where we could talk about things and kid each other. But I saw Aunt Marge's go white and knew this was her biggest nightmare. Her niece in the army. And I wasn't too happy about it either. I said, "Mitty, some of the GI's don't respect women at all. I heard them talk when I was in the service. Lots of women in the military have been raped. You look so young and vulnerable. You shouldn't put yourself in that situation." She laughed and said, "I look young and vulnerable? Have you looked in the mirror lately, Helen? You look like a kid just barely in her teens. A pregnant kid, but a kid, nonetheless. What's going on with that anyway?" I looked at Evelyn and replied quietly, "The witches were going to make me 19, April's age. You remember April?" Mitty nodded. I continued, "Well, they sort of made a mistake and made my physical age 14." Mitty laughed and said, "So you're my little sister? You know I will be expecting proper deference from you in the future, Helen." I laughed and said, "I don't think so Mitty. My mental age is still 26. I'm the older, err, sister." We went back and forth like this for a while, until I saw Aunt Marge start to cry. I asked, "Aunt Marge, what's wrong?" She said, "Nothing. It's just so nice to hear you two teasing each other like brother and sister, err, like sisters. It's nice to be a family again." Then I said, "So, speaking of that. I have something I would like to discuss with you. When we started this conversation, I heard you say that you have an eviction notice and could be evicted anytime in the next couple of years. And when that happens, you will be homeless. Is that right?" Aunt Marge looked down and nodded her head. I said, "So, I would like you to move to Reno and live with me. Mitty could finish out her high school with no concern about becoming homeless. And you would have a place to live and a family for the rest of your life." Mitty said, "Where?" I said, "Reno. I have a job there. I have good friends. And I have a place to live lined up, that I think will be long- term. You could just turn this house back into the mortgage company and walk away. And you would be free from worrying about being homeless. Mitty would not have to work, except part-time for spending money. And we would be together. What do you say?" I could see that the idea had captured Mitty's imagination. She had always been an adventurous sort. She said, "God, that sounds good. To be somewhere where we didn't constantly have to worry about being out on the street the minute it is convenient for some corporation." Aunt Marge said, "But Mitty, how about your friends here?" Mitty said, "I'd miss them. But I can keep in touch with my phone. And I could occasionally visit. Besides, I would make new friends. But I guess you would miss seeing Linda and Zak, wouldn't you Aunt Marge?" Aunt Marge hrmphed and said, "I haven't seen Zak for years. I try to call occasionally. Sometimes we chat. But if I don't reach him, he doesn't return my call. And I haven't seen Linda for almost as long. She asked me for some money a couple of years ago, and I couldn't give her any. I haven't heard from her since then. I guess I called for Christmas and talked to her." I said bitterly, "Neither of them could be bothered to come home for Dad's funeral. He gave them love and a home for years, and they gave him nothing but grief." I could have said more, but I didn't want to upset Aunt Marge. Then Aunt Marge said, "I guess I could call them from Reno if I wanted to talk to them." The decision was made. Then a couple of guys walked past the booth, and one said, "Well, well, well, if it isn't our favorite Gink. How's it going, Mitsy?" Mitty scowled and said, "Buzz off, you ignorant morons." I turned my head and saw Carl Miller and Bubba Thompson. Without thinking, I said, "Hey. It's Beavis and Butthead. How's it going?" Carl said, "My God there's two of them slant girls. And that one's pregnant. A population explosion in full swing. I told you no good would come of it when we let slants live here." Mitty started to say something, but Aunt Marge shushed her and said, "Don't lower yourselves to their level, Mitty. Just let them move on to torment someone else." They seemed somewhat threatening. If I had still been Elvis, I think I could have handled both. One was skinny and looked as though he had never worked a day in his life. The other was fat and piggy. But I wasn't Elvis and didn't see any advantage to be gained arguing further. So, like Mitty, I just ignored them and let them spew out their hate and then move on. After harassing us, they walked down the way to the men's bathroom. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Evelyn whisper something and wiggle her nose. I asked, "Evelyn, what did you do?" She said, "Oh, I just thought it might do them some good to see things from a slightly different point of view." That worried me. Were they now some sort of animals? God, I hoped not. I didn't want to have inspired something like that. Carl and Bubba didn't deserve to have their humanity taken away. They weren't that bad. Then Carl and Bubba stomped out of the bathroom. Carl said, "What the fuck happened, Bubba." Bubba said, "I don't know man. But my father will kill me." Then they walked quickly to the door with their arms up to shield their faces from view. Then they turned and looked at us with hate and walked out into the night. Mitty and I both saw that they now had epicanthic folds on their eyes. They had Chinese eyes. We looked at each other and broke out laughing. Aunt Marge asked, "What is going on, you two?" I said, "I think Evelyn made a little change in Carl and Bubba to adjust their attitudes." Aunt Marge said, "What little change? How?" Evelyn laughed and said, "I'm a witch, remember. I gave Carl and Bubba a much more attractive appearance. If they're smart, they will learn something. If not, who knows?" I'm sure that incident brought home to Aunt Marge and Mitty just what had happened to me. After dinner, we went home and then Evelyn had to leave to get back to Collegeville. I hugged her and thanked her for being such a good person and for being my friend. She apologized for being part of such an unjust action against me and said she had enjoyed knowing me. Unfortunately, I doubted I would ever see her again. I stayed in Tempah for two weeks and helped Aunt Marge and Mitty clean up and pack up the few we wanted to move. We divided that stuff into two piles. The bigger pile would have to be shipped. And there was a small pile of things that Aunt Marge and Mitty needed as soon as they got to Reno, mainly clothes. The latter had to fit into Aunt Marge's transporter. I saved only a few mementos of Elvis's in the pile to be shipped. I didn't need it right away. After all, I had gotten along without Elvis's stuff for almost a year. On Wednesday before we left, I went with Aunt Marge, and she signed the paperwork turning the house over to the mortgage company. They were surprised that they didn't have to go through a long eviction process. With the help of the free lawyer, Aunt Marge negotiated an agreement where we left the house clean and any remaining furnishings piled in the garage, and in turn, Aunt Marge owed nothing. Then we went to Tempah High School and signed the paperwork Mitty needed to change to a Reno School. They said that as soon as we sent signed paperwork from the Reno School, they would forward all records. The did mention that Mitty was on track to earn very good grades. Mitty's friends had had a going away party for her the night before, and there were many tears. I ran into the younger sister of a friend of Elvis's and asked how my friend was doing. She said fine and asked how I knew her brother. I couldn't think of a good answer. I finally said I had admired him when I was much younger. That was sort of true. I wondered what she would tell Elvis's friend. I had decided not to contact any of Elvis's former friends directly. I had started to grow away from them when Elvis had been in the service. And now, there was no real connection. And I really didn't want to take the time to convince them what had happened to me or to answer questions they might have. I had called Sam nearly every night. We always told each other how much we missed each other and loved each other and how we looked forward to holding each other again. I think both Aunt Marge and Mitty at various times heard my side of these conversations. I didn't hide anything. It must have convinced them that even though I had been Elvis, I was now a different person. One night, Mitty asked me about Elvis and Helen and the transition and how I met and fell in love with Sam. I told her in general terms. She said, "That's a very romantic story, Helen. You have been very lucky." I replied, "I know. Sam makes me so happy. I hope we have many years together." Then she asked, "Are you sleeping together?" I almost fell off the chair. I said, "Um. I'm not sure we should be talking about that?" She said, "Why not. I talk about these things with my friends all the time. And you're my friend, Right." I said, "Um. Ah. Yes, I hope so. I guess I didn't know that girls talked about such things." She laughed and said, "I've heard that boys brag about sexual escapades." I said, "Not any boys worth having." She said, "Well, girls don't brag. But they share with good friends, to provide support and compare notes." I asked, "Compare notes about what?" She replied, "Lots of things. Is the guy nice? Is he a good lover? What he does that we liked or didn't like. How big his equipment is?" Thinking as Elvis, the idea of girls discussing the size of my equipment was a little unsettling. Then Mitty continued, "So, Sis, fill me in. Are you and Sam doing it?" I must have turned red, because she laughed and said, "I'm finally totally convinced you are Elvis. He was always such a prude." I finally sputtered, "Yes, we are." Then she said, "And?" I said, "And Sam is a very considerate man and a very good lover. And he's plenty big enough." She said, "And what do you do?" I said, "We make love, That's all. Mainly conventional sex. He is so good at it that I don't need much else. And he doesn't ask for much else. Except I used to ask him to slap me on the ass during sex." She said, "OO, that's kinky. Why?" I said, "It used to really turn me on. Because of one of the spells." She said, "I bet Sam would like it if you volunteered oral sex occasionally. But you need to prepare yourself to do it right. You need to get used to penis sized things in your throat." I had heard that from Celia, and prepared myself for oral sex and done it as part of being an escort. I replied, "I presume this advice comes from experience, Mitty." She said, "Maybe. I had a steady boyfriend for a while earlier in the year. But we broke up a couple of months ago." I said, "Who was he?" She said, "Nobody you know. He was nice enough. But we weren't magic together, like you and Sam. We just drifted apart. Happens all the time in high school." I said, "I'm sorry it didn't work out, Mitty." She said, "I'm not. I'm too young to be serious. I've got lots of living to do. There will be lots of boys in Reno to meet. I'm looking forward to it." Somehow, I hadn't counted on my sister being boy crazy when she lived with me in Reno. The morning we left the house for the final time was sad. I remembered family gatherings with my aunt and father. I remembered throwing a baseball through a downstairs window by mistake once, and my father had made me help him replace the window. And my father had paid me to help him paint the place the summer before I went into the army. And there was a tree in the back yard where my father had built a treehouse for Mitty. It had become dilapidated, and we had decided it had to be torn down or we might be sued if anyone was hurt later. I should have been able to tear it down myself, but I was pregnant and couldn't even get through the door in the bottom of the treehouse. So Mitty tore it down with some assistance from me. I would miss this house, but it was time for it to provide a place to live for another family. I hoped the mortgage company would do the work necessary for them to sell it soon so that it wouldn't be vandalized or become a drug house. 31. Back to Sam's House with Aunt Helen and Mitty xxxxx If I had been Elvis, I would have done most of the driving. But Helen didn't even have a driver's license. That was a problem which I promised myself I would rectify soon. Mitty and Aunt Marge traded off driving duties, although honestly, Mitty did most of the driving. We gave ourselves three days to get to Reno so that Aunt Marge wouldn't be stuck in the car too long at any one time. She still had not fully recovered from chemotherapy. And being six months along, I also would have a hard time sitting in the car for too long. Aunt Marge and I thought it was an interesting drive. Lots of different types of countryside. But Mitty was impatient to get to Reno so that she could start school this week. She sped whenever she could. And she even seemed to resent having to take breaks. As we traveled, I exchanged texts with Sam. He told me they had finished the outbuilding, so we could move when we arrived. But he said they would have dinner ready for us so we should come to the main house first. We finally pulled into Sam's driveway at about 7 in the evening. All three of us were very tired and ready to be done with traveling. Mitty and I got out of the car, and Mitty said, "I've got to get to the bathroom, where is it." I said, "In the front door to the right." She ran by everybody saying, "Hi, I'm Mitty. I've got to get to the bathroom. Excuse me." That left Sam and Amos laughing, and Morgan and Madison chased after her to make sure she found the bathroom. I felt more sympathetic to her than I would have when I was Elvis, having experienced times as a woman when I suddenly and urgently needed to visit the bathroom. I helped my aunt get out of the car. She was very tired. We went up to the house, and I introduced my Aunt Marge as the woman who had raised me and whom I loved as a mother. Then I said, "And that blur that went by was my sister Mitty." Irene helped me get Aunt Marge into the house and into a chair, and stayed with her while she recovered a little, getting her a glass of water and talking to her. I was free for a moment to hug Sam. He said, "God, I'm glad to see you, Babe." I said, "I'm glad to see you again too Sam." Then I leaned up and kissed him. Mitty finished and came up to Sam and I holding each other, and said, "Um, Helen. I'm sorry." I turned and said, "Sam, I'd like you to meet my sister, Mitty. Mitty, my fianc?, Sam." They shook hands, but she appeared to be mesmerized. She said, "Wow. Helen said you were a fox, but I didn't believe her." I said, "Mitty!". She said, "Um, Sorry. Um, Sam, your kids are very nice. They kept me from getting lost and helped me find things in the bathroom." Sam said, "Thank You, Mitty. I'm glad they were helpful." Then Mitty said, "Hmm, I need to go unload my stuff." Before she could run off, I said, "Mitty, we're going to have dinner first, and then we will drive down to the outbuilding we passed on the way in and unload our suitcases there. So, we should wait for later to unload." She said, "Could I get my cell phone. I promise I won't call anyone. I just want to check texts." I said, "Sure, Mitty." As she left, Morgan asked, "Can we go with Mitty, Daddy." Sam said, "If it's OK with Mitty, Sure." By the time he finished talking, Mitty and the two younger girls were out the door. Amos came over and gave me a cup of coffee, and said to Sam, "You realize, don't you Sam that you and I are now badly outnumbered. Sam looked confused. Amos said, "six women to two men." Sam laughed at that, and we spent some more time talking about our last two weeks, although I didn't tell him about dealing with the coven. Then we had a ham dinner that Irene had prepared. It was very good, and our conversation was congenial. I and Aunt Marge, and sometimes Mitty talked about getting our house ready to turn over to the mortgage company. Amos was impressed that Mitty could take down a treehouse, but Irene told him that girls could do any of those things if people would let them. I was getting to like her more and more. Then Amos told about what had happened finishing up the outbuilding. Sam talked about his job at the university and about Morgan and Madison. Irene talked about what was going on in the community. And the twins talked about school and their beginning soccer team. Mitty and Morgan and Madison seemed to have connected, and they had a side conversation on and off about this and that. It was wonderful. I felt like part of a larger family again. As the conversation went along, it was clear that Aunt Marge was very tired. The last two weeks had taken a lot out of her. I was concerned and was now anxious to get her to a doctor. I decided I would do that tomorrow, right after I took Mitty to the High School and did what I had to do to enroll her. Then Irene suggested that Aunt Marge stay in the main house in an empty bedroom that they kept for guests. Aunt Marge said that would be nice, so Sam and Amos got Aunt Marge's two suitcases. Then Aunt Marge got to bed early. I went into the bedroom to tell her I loved her, but she was already asleep. The rest of us talked a while more, and I helped Irene with dishes. When I came out, I told Irene I was worried about my aunt and asked if there were any medical centers where there might be an oncologist nearby. Irene said, "No. There's a good one in Reno." I needed to get Aunt Marge in to see someone as soon as I could, and if I had to go into town, then so be it. I told Mitty it was time for the two of us to get to bed too. We would have to get up early and go to the high school to enroll her. Then Morgan and Madison asked Irene if they could sleep in the outbuilding with us. Irene said no, they had to get up early too. The girls were disappointed, but Irene told them they could sleep in the outbuilding with us over the weekend, which was only one day away. Sam and Amos rode in the transporter down to the outbuilding with Mitty and I and helped us get settled. It was now a wonderful place. It was clean and bright, with new paint and new flooring and a new heat pump so it was warm. I was sure Aunt Marge and Mitty and I would be happy here. Of course, it had no pictures or decorations to personalize it yet. We would work on that later. And it had no bedding, so Amos and Sam walked up the main house to get some. Mitty took the opportunity to tell me how nice Sam was. I laughed and said, "Yeah. He's a dream. I don't know what I did to deserve him, but I plan to keep doing it." She laughed with me and asked, "Are you planning to go up to the main house and sleep with him tonight?" I had thought about that, and said, "Maybe. We'll see." Then she said, "If he wants to come down and sleep with you in your room, I'll never tell." I laughed at her and thanked her for that consideration. I was beginning to get used to our new relationship, what with her being much older than the last time I'd spent time with her, and me being a woman. Then Sam and Amos brought down some linin and blankets. Mitty and I made our beds. Mitty finished first and then helped me. I guess being seven months along was starting to catch up with me. Then Mitty answered some texts while I used the bathroom to get ready for bed. As soon as I finished, she claimed the bathroom for the same purpose. We went right to bed. But I had a hard time getting to sleep. Then I heard my phone beep. It was a text from Sam, asking if things were OK. I texted back, "Yes. I wish we were together, though." He texted, "Me too. I have an ache in my heart thinking about you." I sent back, "In your heart?" He sent, "Well, in my heart, and somewhere a little lower." I texted, "Me too. Mitty said she wouldn't tell if you came down and visited me." He said, "No, Morgan and Madison would know. But you could visit me." So that's how I found myself walking up the hill from the outbuilding wearing a robe over my nightgown, and a pair of Elvis's old military boots that Mitty had brought with her for some reason. Sam was waiting at the front door and led me to his bedroom. I was used to good sex with Sam, but this was beyond good. He had me gasping with pleasure, hanging on to him as I reacted to a thunderous orgasm. Then I snuggled for a while, enjoying his smell. Then he asked me if I wanted to change positions, and I said this is fine. Then he resumed moving and built up to his own orgasm. Just before he came, he slapped me smartly on the ass. It was a surprise, but I reacted just as I had before, with another orgasm. As I laid there, I remembered I had felt no need for abusive sex the previous two weeks. So, I thought that entire spell was canceled. But now I had reacted with an orgasm from Sam's slap on the fanny. Apparently, that part of the spell was still in effect. I laughed inside. That wasn't a bad thing. It was another path to orgasm. And with Sam it was safe. He would never hit me hard enough to hurt me. After a while, Sam went to sleep. I got up and cleaned myself off and got a dry washcloth and cleaned the bed as well as I could. Then I decided to go back to the outbuilding. But when I came out into the living room, I saw my Aunt sitting in a chair. I went over to her and hugged her and asked, "Is something wrong, Aunt Marge?" She said, "I'm glad you're here, Mitty. I don't know where I am. I woke up and don't know where I am. Where are we?" Now I was really worried about her. I stayed with her, and comforted her, and got her some warm milk, and answered her questions, and hugged her. She mentioned that she thought she had seen Elvis. But something had changed, and she was worried about him. Finally, after a few hours, she seemed better, and I got her back to bed. When I came out, Irene was making coffee. She said hi, and I went out to talk to her. I told her what had happened, and she said she had seen us when she came out of her bedroom. I said I was really worried about my aunt. Irene nodded and said it was nice of me to spend time with her. I think my family and my relationship with them was what finally convinced Irene that I was the kind of person that would genuinely love Sam and her granddaughters. I tried to give Irene an explanation as to why I was in the house, but she said, "Oh, Helen. I was young once. I remember times when I could not stay away from Amos. You and Sam don't have to explain anything to me." At 7, Sam got up to get ready for work. He was clearly surprised to see me having coffee with Irene and got himself a cup of coffee and sat down with us. Then the girls got up and came out and greeted us. They asked where Mitty was. I told them, "Probably still asleep." Morgan said, "We have to get her up. The busses come at 8." I told them, "I have to drive her to school. We have to fill out some paperwork." Madison said, "She should still get up. Can we go down and wake her up, Daddy?" I knew Mitty was not a morning person, and I did not want the girls to get off on the wrong foot with her. So, all three of us trouped down to the outbuilding to wake her up, me in my robe and Elvis's boots. Morgan said, "Those are ugly boots, Helen." I said, "Yeah, but until I get another pair, they're what I have to wear outside." Madison asked, "They look like boys' boots. Where did you get them?" I said, "They belonged to a boy I used to know. Somehow they wound up in Aunt Marge's house." In truth, Elvis's old army boots were way too big now and were very uncomfortable. If I was going to make many more trips between the main house and outbuilding, I had to get something that fit me. When we got to the outbuilding, Mitty was awake, dressed, and doing her hair. She gave me a questioning look. Then Madison and Morgan surrounded her and started pestering her with questions about this and that. I went in and took a shower and got dressed and put on earrings and a bracelet and did my makeup, so I looked as mature as possible. By the time I finished, Mitty and the girls had left for the main house. So, I walked up alone. I used Elvis's boots and carried a pair of flats to wear to the school. When I got in, Sam and Mitty and the girls were eating pancakes that Irene had made. Irene started some pancakes for me. While I was waiting, Mitty said, "Helen, I understand that Aunt Marge had a hard time last night." I told her what had happened, and said, "I have to get her to a doctor today. I'll try to see if I can find someone with an opening on their schedule." She said, "You might have to pay upfront. That was what we had to do in Tempah at." I said, "Then that's what I'll do. But she needs to see someone." We chatted for a while longer, and I had a pancake and drank my coffee. Irene drove Morgan and Madison to the bus stop. Mitty and I walked down to the outbuilding to brush our teeth. Sam walked with us. While Mitty was brushing, he said, "I thought I would mention something, Helen. I found out last week that when you and I are married, I can put you and your aunt and your sister on my health plan. I didn't think we were in a big hurry but seeing what is happening to your aunt, maybe we are. I said, "Oh, Sam. I didn't stage this little drama to get you to marry me and put us on your health plan. I don't want that to be the reason you marry me." Sam said, "I know that Helen. After all, it was you who wanted to delay until June. I want to marry you because I love you." I looked down. I had to admit, if Aunt Marge had health insurance, things would be much easier. So, I asked, "How would that work?" He said, "Health insurance would be effective at the start of the month we marry. It's almost Thanksgiving. So, I think we should have an informal ceremony this weekend if we can find a clergyman to do it. In the meantime, could you try to get a license today?" I nodded and said I would try. That was a third thing I had to do today. When Mitty came out of the bathroom and saw Sam and I holding each other, she laughed and said, "Jezz you two, get a room." I blushed a little, but it didn't bother Sam at all. He leaned down and kissed me. Then I got out, Sam said he had to get to work and left. Mitty said, "Let's get going, Helen. I want to get this school enrollment thing done." I replied, "Let's wait a few minutes for Irene to get back, so if Aunt Marge wakes up, she won't be alone. I should call the school and ask if they would require Aunt Marge to be there to sign the papers, in which case we will have to wait until she's awake." Mitty nodded. So, we went back up to the main house again. I called the school and asked if I could enroll my sister in school, and they said yes. So, I only had to wait for Irene. I decided to help by washing the dishes. Irene got back from her errand when I was half done, and Mitty and I left for Rosedale High School. We got there at 8:45, between classes. The doors were locked. But we showed the security guard the transcripts that Mitty brought from Tempah High School and explained that we were here to enroll her in school. He let us in and directed us to the office. The woman in the office that did enrollments looked at her records and complimented Mitty for all her good grades. Then she asked if I was enrolling too. I guess even with clothes and jewelry designed to make me look more mature; I looked to her like a high school student. Of course, Mitty helped by saying, "Yeah, Sis. You should enroll too." But I showed the woman my ID and said "I graduated two years ago. I'm here to sign my sister's enrollment." The woman looked at me and asked, "Are you Mitty's guardian." I said, "No. Our Aunt is her guardian. But our aunt is sick this morning, and can't be here, and Mitty wanted to start school as soon as possible. In Texas, I know it is legal for any family member to enroll a student. Besides, I called this office, and they said I could sign the enrollment form." We talked and talked, and finally, she agreed to enroll Mitty, but my Aunt had to come in and show her guardianship papers and sign some forms as soon as she felt well enough. Then Mitty had to sit through a lecture on school rules and pick her classes. When we finally finished, it was 11 and hey gave Mitty her class list and she left to try to catch the third class of the day. I went out and got into the car and drove back to Sam's. I was driving without a license. It had been over a year since I drove last. That was last September when Elvis was first home from the army. It felt awkward. My body was way different from the last time I'd driven, female and very pregnant. And I was wearing low heels. But I was pleasantly surprised that all my reflexes were still there. I drove carefully but not too slowly, to avoid giving any police officer a reason to pull me over. When I got home, I checked in on Aunt Marge. She saw me at the door and smiled and said, "Hi, Helen. I'm sorry I slept late. I'll be out in a minute." That was a vast improvement over earlier this morning. But I still wanted her to see a doctor today. While she got up and showered and dressed, I called around to try to find someone to see her. No luck. It was Friday noon, and no one had an opening today. In desperation, I called Lily for advice. I knew Lily was living with Aiko while she was recovering. I felt bad I hadn't talked to her for a couple of weeks. When she answered, I said, "HI Lily. This is Helen." She replied, "Hi Helen. How are you? How did your visit home go?" I said, "It was great. I'm back in Reno. I persuaded my aunt and sister to come to live with me, and just signed my sister up in Rosedale High School." Lily said, "Wow. That's great. How's it feel to be back with your family again?" I said, "It's wonderful, Lily. I missed them so much." Then she said, "So how's everything else?" I said, "It was a tough trip. We had to clean up our old house and turn it back to the mortgage company. My Aunt, who has recently had chemotherapy for cancer, suffered some confusion and memory loss last night. I want someone to see her but can't find any doctors with an open appointment. Do you have any suggestions?" Lily replied, "Why don't I meet you at our office, and I can examine her myself and then refer her to an oncologist next week." I said, "I hate to interfere with your recovery, Lily. I didn't mean to drag you back to work." She said, "No problem. I've been so bored it will be a pleasure. I'll leave soon, so whenever you can get there will be fine." I drove my aunt to Sparks and to Lily's office. Aunt Marge felt better, but not well enough to drive, and I didn't want to put any stress on her, so I took a chance again. I told Aunt Marge that my friend, Dr. Ikeda, would examine her and see if she could help. When we got there, I found that Aiko was sitting at the receptionist's desk. She got up as we walked in and shouted, "Helen. It's so nice to see you again" Then she hugged me and looked at my bump. She had not seen me since before Lily and I left for Thailand. Aiko said, "My God, Helen, you must be carrying a giant baby. I have never seen a girl look so big at six months." Well, that was a sobering thought. I remembered how big Hugh had been. But that was not why I was here. I brought Aunt Marge around and said, "Aiko, this is my Aunt Marge. She's special. She raised me like a mother. Aunt Marge, this is my friend and coworker, Aiko." Aunt Marge greeted Aiko with the dignity and warmth I had come to expect from her. Then Lily came in and said loudly, "Helen, it's so good to see you. And this must be your Aunt Marge. It's so good to meet you. Do you mind if I call you Marge?" My aunt said, "No, that's fine." Then Lily said, "You have to know that we think the world of your niece. She's a wonderful friend and a wonderful employee." Aunt Marge said, "Yes, I'm blessed that, um, she's such a wonderful girl. Thank You." Then Lily said, "So, I understand that you recently underwent treatment for cancer?" Aunt Marge said, "Yes, I had breast cancer several years ago. They treated me with chemotherapy, and it went into remission. Then it recurred about ten months ago. This time, I had surgery, a mastectomy. Then I was treated with Chemotherapy again. They were supposed to follow up with radiation therapy. But I couldn't afford it. They did give me some medications to continue to take." I hadn't known that she should have had follow-up radiation therapy that she couldn't afford. It was critical to get her to an oncologist as soon as possible. I jumped in and said, "Lily, what brought us here today is that Aunt Marge woke up confused last night. She couldn't remember where we were. She had a very stressful last few weeks because we had to clean our old house up and turn it over to the mortgage company who was carrying a reverse mortgage. Then we drove three days to get from Tempah, Texas to Reno. So, she was very tired before she went to bed last night." Lily asked my aunt, "Is that right, Marge. Do you remember that?" Aunt Marge nodded and said, "I think so." Lily first did an exam. First, she checked vitals and took a blood sample. Then she asked Aunt Marge to disrobe. I fought back the urge to leave as Elvis would have done. Lily then checked the area of the mastectomy in detail. She asked Aunt Marge how long it had been since she had seen a gynecologist, and Aunt Marge couldn't remember. So Lily said, "Do you mind if I do a pelvic exam then?" Aunt Marge said that would be fine. Then Lily asked me to help Aunt Marge prepare for the exam. I helped her disrobe further, and then get into position. As Lily did the exam, she asked Aunt Marge lots of personal questions. Finally, Lily finished and told Aunt Marge to put her things back on. After that, Lily asked if Aunt Marge had the medications she was taking. Having worked in Lily's office, I knew Lily would need them, so I had made sure she brought them. Lily went through them one by one and inquired when she took the meds. Finally, she held one in her hand, and said, "Marge, this medication is known to cause confusion sometimes. I think it may be the problem. But it's not something I prescribe in my practice. I don't have any experience in oncology and hesitate to recommend you not take it. Your old doctor clearly prescribed it as a follow-up to your chemotherapy. Would you be comfortable with me referring you to an oncologist? I know an excellent woman oncologist who I recommend. I think, as a minimum, she should review your medications. I would recommend she also review your treatment to date." Aunt Marge said, "OK. That would be good. But I don't have insurance, so I can't afford much." I broke in, "Oh, Aunt Marge. Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it. Whatever you need, you get." Lily said, "That's sweet of you, Helen. But you should be aware that this can get very expensive, very fast." I said, "I don't care. I'll deal with it. Besides, Aunt Marge will have insurance soon." Lily looked at me, "Helen, even if you got insurance for your Aunt, it might not go into effect for 60 days and might not cover preexisting conditions." I said, "This is state government health care. It will cover Aunt Marge starting immediately." Lily looked at me quizzically. Aunt Marge looked at me quizzically. Aiko looked at me quizzically. Finally, I said, "Sam and I are getting married this weekend. He works for the University of Nevada. He will sign Aunt Marge up for health care next Monday, and she will be covered retroactively to November 1." Aunt Marge may have been confused last night. But she was not confused now. She said, "Oh, honey. You're not getting married just to provide me insurance, are you? I won't have that. You should only get married if you love someone." I replied, "No, Aunt Marge. Remember I told you Sam proposed before I left Reno to visit you. And I accepted, then. Now, we have just moved up the timetable a little is all." Then Aunt Marge started crying, and I sat beside her and put my arm on her shoulder and told her everything would be fine. After a while, I realized I was crying too. Even as Elvis, I had been affected when I was around strong emotions. As Helen, that had increased greatly. A few minutes later, we both had stopped crying, and we could talk again. I asked Lily, "If Aunt Marge decides, can she reduce the amount of that medication she takes." Lily said, "Of course, she can. But I can't make any recommendations regarding the medication at this point. I don't have the experience or test results I would need to do that. I will have results from the blood tests on Monday that may indicate we should do just that. I will call you. But until I have that, I am hesitant to make any recommendations. Here is what I do recommend. I recommend first that you make an appointment with this oncologist. If Marge's confusion recurs before the appointment, you can consider reducing the medication. But the symptoms might not recur. She might not get as tired as she was last night again. If the confusion does not recur, I recommend you wait and talk about this with the oncologist." Then Lily said, "You probably need an examination too, Helen. It's been over a month. I told her, "Yeah, I probably do. Should I make an appointment?" Lily said, "Don't be silly. I'll do one now." So, she did a thorough seven-month pregnancy exam, with Aunt Marge looking on. At the end of it, she said, "Everything seems fine, Helen. You have gained some weight. But not enough. Eat. You know you are carrying a very large baby, don't you? That will make it even harder to give birth. I think we will need to think about a Cesarean." Oh, wow. Good news for modern woman. I said, "Really? I've felt like the baby is large for the last month. I suddenly move like a beached whale, dragging a stomach around that wants just to sit there." She asked, "Have you felt the child move yet?" I said, "Yes. Occasionally. When it kicks, it really kicks." She laughed, but said, "You have to get stronger. You should walk at least 4 times a week. And you should try to do any other exercise you can manage. And you need to gain more weight. Especially if you want to nurse." Wow, I hadn't even thought of nursing. I'd heard it was better for the baby. I needed to do some research. I said, "OK. Thank You." Aunt Marge said, "Yes, Thank you. And Helen said you opened the office just for me. Thank You for that." Lily said, "You're more than welcome, Marge. As I told you, Helen's a dear friend." The Lily said, "Helen, I wondered if you would be able to volunteer at the clinic on Tuesday. I promised that I would be there, and Aiko would like to stay at home with her husband and children. Do you feel up to it? I said, "Sure. I have nothing planned, and I enjoyed helping there before. Thanks for asking, Lily." Aiko said, "And thanks for getting me off the hook, Helen." Then I said, "Aiko, Lily. Would you like to come to my wedding? I'd love to have both of you with me." Aiko asked, "Who are you marrying?" I said, "A guy named Sam Perkins. He's a real sweetheart, and I love him dearly. Lily met him in Thailand." Aiko asked, "When is it?" I said, "I'm trying to arrange for this weekend sometime, but at least sometime before the end of November. I will call when I know." Aiko said, "I would love to be there, Helen. How about you, Lily?" Lily said, "Same. Congratulations, Helen. Sam's a lucky man." I thanked them and then Aunt Marge and I left. After asking Aunt Marge if it was a problem, and being told no, I made a couple of more stops in Reno. I went to my old apartment. Fortunately, Arnie was there and helped me load the boxes that I had left in my old room out to the transporter. I asked if he and Celia might be able to come to a wedding this weekend, and he said maybe. I should call Celia on her cell. Then I stopped by a County Office that did wedding licenses. I was worried that they would insist Sam be there for us to get a license, but they sold me the license and said we should both sign it and send a copy to the state after the wedding. Finally, I stopped at a driver's license office and arranged to take the written test and driving examination the next time they had an open appointment, which was next Tuesday morning at 9. I also picked up some study material for the test. The agent I spoke to told me I needed to show proof of insurance before they would issue the license. Afterward, Aunt Marge and I took the opportunity to use the restroom. When we went out to the transporter to leave, the agent I had spoken to was out of the office on a smoke break. He saw me and Aunt Marge come out, and I waved. When we got out to the transporter, I asked Aunt Marge if she could drive for a while. The agent watched Aunt Marge drive away. Would he have found a way to give me a ticket if I had driven off? I didn't know, but no reason to take a chance. Aunt Marge drove carefully for a few minutes but clearly was not comfortable. So, she pulled over, and I drove after that. As we were switching, Mitty called and told me she would like to go to a soccer team practice and see if they would allow her to try out for the team. There were no buses at that hour, so she would need a ride. Would that be OK? I knew she had had to quit Tempah's team when we left and had not been happy about it. So, I said, "Sure, Sis. No Problem. Just call me." Mitty said it would probably be about 5. When I got back to Sam's house I helped Aunt Marge into the house, and Irene got her some tea. She drank a little and then decided to take a nap, and asked me to wake her for dinner. The twins had been set to run up and talk to me when we got home but backed off when they saw my aunt was tired. They really were sweet kids. When I had gotten Aunt Marge to bed, the two came in and sat at the table with us and talked about their day. I told Irene what Lily (Dr. Ikeda) had said, and she said, "It would be good if the only problem is a single medication. I agree you should get her to an oncologist as soon as possible." That reminded me, and I called the oncologist that Lily had referred us to, and they had an opening for an appointment at 1 PM next Tuesday. Well, between the driver's license test and examination, Aunt Marge's appointment and the clinic, Tuesday was going to be busy. Then Mitty called for her ride. I got up to go and said something about driving illegally. Amos had come in and said, "Why don't I give you a ride?" That was fine with me. Then the twins wanted to go too. And all four of us piled into Amos's turbo-powered pickup with a club cab. Being a not very big, 7-month pregnant girl, I had a hard time getting into the truck. When we got to the high school and found the field, we saw lots of high school girls milling around in practice duds waiting for rides. We finally spotted Mitty talking with someone who looked like a coach. When she saw us, she brought the coach over to meet me. She introduced me and then introduced Amos and the girls. The coach recognized me as being related to Mitty, but I could see he couldn't figure out if I was a younger sister who had gotten pregnant or an older sister. So, I said something about having played soccer in high school myself. Then Mitty jumped in and told him I was the league-leading scorer as a senior. The coach asked if I would be interested in helping with the team. It sounded like fun. But I told him I didn't know my work schedule yet, so I couldn't commit to anything like that. And I was obviously not going to be doing any demonstrations of technique. He laughed when I told him that and said, "Any help you might give would be appreciated. My normal assistant coach had a baby just before the season and is on leave, and most of the time, it's just me." I said I would tell him in a day or two. I not only needed to see what my availability was. I wanted to talk to Mitty before I accepted. I didn't want to embarrass her. When we got to the truck, Mitty was impressed and said, "Wow, this is so cool." So, Amos asked if she wanted to drive. I was surprised because it was obviously a treasured toy. Mitty jumped at the opportunity. I clambered into the back of the truck with the twins while Mitty got into the driver's seat and Amos into the passenger seat. As we left the parking lot, Mitty honked at t couple of the other players, and they waved back. Her first day on the team had gone well. Mitty drove very carefully, as she had whenever I'd been with her. When we pulled into the driveway, Sam was there waiting. He helped the girls out of the truck and then helped me, which I greatly appreciated. Then he gave me a hug and a kiss, which was best of all. When I got inside, Irene asked me to help with dinner while Mitty took a shower and the girls set the table. Why not? There was no reason Irene should be stuck with the boring stuff, while I was off on exciting adventures, like climbing 2 feet into the back seat of a pickup truck while I was 6-months pregnant. But I had to admit it was my choice. So, I shouldn't whine. Before I started, I checked on Aunt Marge and asked how she was doing? She said, "I feel better." I asked if she wanted dinner with the family, and she did. She said she would join us in a few minutes. While we were eating, Sam asked what I had done today? I told of enrolling Mitty in high school and then mentioned to Aunt Marge that I had a form that she needed to sign and then bring into the school next week. She nodded. Then Mitty told us what had happened at school, including being welcomed by the soccer team and coach with open arms. Apparently, they were short- handed. I took the opportunity to tell Mitty that the coach had asked if I would help with the team but had not accepted because I didn't know my schedule yet. Then I asked "Mitty, if I did help with the team, will it be OK with you? I don't want to embarrass you." She said, "No problem, sis. I'm sure once everybody knows you, they will love you." I asked, "Hmm. What does that mean?" Mitty said, "Oh, it's just that you look so young and you're pregnant. They asked me what was going on. I didn't quite know how to answer. I did tell them that you're 19, but nobody believed it. What should I have said?" I realized that I didn't have a good answer for Mitty. I didn't want to tell casual acquaintances that I had been raped. I said, "Actually, it's not something you should have to explain, or me either. Once we get to know the other players, we'll be OK." Then I changed the subject and said, "Aunt Marge and I saw a doctor today." Then I looked at Aunt Marge so she could tell what happened to her. She said, "Um, Yes. We saw a woman, Doctor Ikeda. She was a friend of yours, wasn't she, Helen?" I replied, "Yes, I couldn't find an oncologist who had an appointment open today, so I prevailed on a friend to examine you." I turned to Sam and said, "You remember meeting Dr. Ikeda, um, Lily, in Thailand, don't you?" He replied "Yes. I didn't know she was a doctor, though." I said, "Yes, that's how I met her. She's an OB/GYN and a Pediatrician. And a very smart person. I worked for her before we went to Thailand." (I was trying to avoid mentioning she was transgender.) Of course, Morgan said, "You remember her Daddy. She was one of the men who had an operation to change into ladies." At that point, Amos commented, "I will never understand that. Wanting to be a woman." Irene gave him a look, and he continued, "Not that there is anything wrong with being a woman, of course." I jumped in to avoid getting off on a tangent, "It doesn't matter if Dr. Ikeda is transgender or not, the point is that she is very smart and a very good friend of mine and went out of her way to see Aunt Marge today." I looked at Aunt Marge again. She said, "Yes, she certainly seemed very competent. But she couldn't find any reason I was confused yesterday." I said, "But Aunt Marge, remember she took blood samples, and we are supposed to call for results on Monday." Aunt Marge said, "Oh, yes, I remember." Then I added, "And remember she also said the cause might be one of your medications." She said, "Hmm. I don't remember that. I took my meds when I got home." I asked, "How do you feel now, Aunt Marge?" She said, "Fine, I guess. Much better than I did yesterday." Then I said, "And remember Dr. Ikeda gave you a referral to an oncologist that she thinks is good." Aunt Marge said, "I think so." I said, "When we got home, I called their office and made an appointment for 1 PM next Tuesday." She said, "OK. Thanks, Helen." I replied, "Your welcome, Aunt Marge." I was worried about Aunt Marge again. She wasn't totally confused, but somehow didn't seem quite with it, not at all like normal. I thought about just going in and cutting that one suspect med in half. But I didn't want to do that. Someone with the right training should make that sort of decision. But if Aunt Marge's confusion continued, I might have to do it. Then I said, "I stopped and got an appointment to take a driver's license examination next week too. Tuesday morning." Of course, Mitty laughed and said, "that's a good idea, Sis. Since you were driving around Reno all day today." I said, "Right. Good idea." Irene looked outraged. She said, "That was foolish, Helen. If you don't know how to drive, you could have killed someone, like your Aunt or yourself. Or some other innocent person. Amos or I would have driven you and Marge to the doctor." I must admit that I hadn't thought of that. I was just focused on getting through the things I needed to do. I replied, "Irene. I know how to drive. I've been driving since I was 16. I have just misplaced my Texas license, and decided to get a new Nevada license instead of sending back to Texas for a replacement." Irene said, "You should have gotten a replacement when you were in Texas." Then I said, "And last but not least, Sam, I got us a marriage license." He smiled at that. Both Mitty and Irene looked shocked. Mitty asked, "I thought the wedding was going to be after the baby was born?" Irene asked, "Why didn't you tell us you were getting married soon?" Sam replied, "Irene, I'm sorry I didn't say anything to you. Remember we were thinking about Spring or Christmas for the marriage. But last night Helen and I decided to move up the timetable. I insisted. If Aunt Marge needs medical treatment, it would make sense if she had insurance. And I can enroll her and Mitty on my insurance policy at work as soon as Helen and I are married." That mollified Irene because she seemed to like Aunt Marge and understand how hard it would be to pay for a major illness without insurance. And Mitty immediately grasped the rationale for a quick marriage. So Mitty said, "Cool. Now I will have some younger sisters. Then she nudged Madison and said, "How about that, Sis?" The twins were suddenly starting to understand their father and I might be married very soon. The two looked at me, appraisingly. I could almost see the wheels turning. Was I going to be their mother now? They liked me as a friend, older sister maybe, but a mother? I realized that I had lots of work to do to win them over. If I was to have any influence over them, it would be because they loved me and respected me, and that could only happen as I spent quality time with them. I needed to talk to them privately about the marriage and how I hoped things would work. Then I asked Sam, "So who is going to do the service and when." He laughed and said, "Hey, we live in the middle of the quick wedding capital of the US. We ought to be able to handle that without much trouble." I had forgotten that. But it didn't matter, because that was not what I wanted. I said, "Sam, I don't want to be married in some casino wedding chapel by an Elvis impersonator. I want our marriage to be dignified and hopeful, not a joke. I want to be married in a church, by a bona fide clergyman who I respect. I want friends and family to be present to wish us well." Irene jumped in and said, "Good for you, Helen. Stick to your guns. I think the tone of a wedding sets the tone of your life together." Sam laughed and said, "Et Tu, Irene?" Then Sam said to me, "I didn't mean to imply that our wedding was a joke, Helen. But I thought we could have a more formal wedding in June like we initially planned." I replied, "We can renew our vows. That would be fine. But the first wedding is important. That will only happen once. And I want it to be a wonderful experience, for me and you and those we love. Please?" Sam said, "OK, Helen. But how? It takes time to set up a conventional wedding." I asked Sam, "How about your church?" Irene said, "Let me call the pastor and ask him." I said, "Please tell him it doesn't have to be a huge production. I don't need a big wedding. A small chapel would do. There won't be hordes of guests. And I don't need tons of flower arrangements or music or bands. I just want a dignified and hopeful ceremony." While she was doing that, I asked Morgan and Madison, "Girls, what do you think about your father and I getting married?" Morgan said, "Well, I'm sure Daddy will be happier. That's very good." Madison said, "Yeah. That's good. And we like you, Helen. You're very friendly and nice to us. We liked how you helped that man, err, woman, in Thailand." Morgan said, "Yeah, you could have gotten crazy when we were scared. But instead, we wound up not being afraid." Then their comments tailed off. Finally, I said, "There's something you're not telling us. What is it?" Madison said, "Well, you don't look like a Mom. You sort of look like you're a girl. Like Mitty, except not so old." Morgan said, "Do we have to call you, 'mother?" I smiled and said, "Only if you decide to call me mother. But otherwise, you can just call me. 'Helen.' Like now." Madison said, "Do we have to do what you tell us?" I replied, "If I'm trying to get you to do what your father has told you to do, yes. But I will try not to ask you to do things that your father has not asked of you." Both girls seemed to be processing that. It was a subtle concept for an 8-year-old, even one as bright as these two. Irene had finished her phone call and come back in to hear the tail-end of the conversation. She started to speak up, but then apparently thought better of it. I knew she was thinking I should be stronger, that I was letting myself in for trouble. But I sympathized with the girls. I knew how hard it was for kids to have their routines upset and have a stranger come in and ask them to do things differently. I had gone through it as a child when Aunt Marge had come to live with my father. Fortunately, she had been gentle and caring, and we had managed. I hoped to emulate what she had done. Mitty jumped in and said to Morgan and Madison, "Hey, you guys. Helen is sweet and caring. She'll be good to you. It'll be fine." I silently thanked her. After checking, Irene said, "I'm sorry, Helen. There is already a wedding scheduled at our church tomorrow, and then the pastor will be on Thanksgiving vacation during the next two weeks. So, no wedding until December." I said, "OK, does anyone have any other ideas?" Nobody said anything. Then I remembered, "I did volunteer work for a clinic at an Episcopal church in Reno. I wonder if they would be open to me getting married there." Sam shrugged and said, "Only one way to find out, Helen. Give them a call." I called Lily to see if she had a better phone number than what we might find in a telephone directory. I explained that we were looking for a church to get married in, and did she think that the Episcopal church that hosted the clinic would be willing. She said, "That's a good idea, Helen. Aiko and I attend church there. The reverend is great. She's extremely nice and very community-minded." I thought of the clergyman who had counseled Blossom before she fled Las Vegas, and immediately liked the idea of being married by a woman clergyman. Lily gave me the woman's personal number, and I called her. I said, "Hi, Pastor England. My name is Helen Watson. I have volunteered at a Tuesday night medical clinic that your church hosts. I wonder if I could schedule a wedding at the church, sometime in November." She replied, "My, is it really important to have it that quickly?" I said, "Yes, it is important. It would take a while to tell you why, so I will leave that to later. But it is important." She said, "Our schedule is pretty tight the next two weeks. We have another wedding Sunday after church, and other events at the church during the next week, then there's Thanksgiving. The time between Thanksgiving and the end of November is also crowded. I said, "We don't need the entire church. I'm thinking there will be maybe twenty people there." So, it will be a fairly small wedding. She said, "Hmm. How about on Tuesday at 5, just before the clinic? Are you volunteering this week? Oh, excuse me. I'm sure you wouldn't be volunteering on your wedding night" I laughed and said, "As a matter of fact, I have promised to help at the clinic on Tuesday, but I think I can fit in a wedding too if you're willing to do the honors." I think she was surprised. She said, "OO.. KKay, if you're sure?" I looked at Sam and said, "How about Tuesday at 5, Sam?" He said, "Sure. That's fine with me." Then I said, "My fianc? is good with that." She laughed and said, "He must be a saint. And one more thing, I insist on meeting and talking with all the couples I marry. I want to be sure there are no big issues that anyone needs to address before the wedding. So, can you and your fianc? come in Sunday sometime before 5 and talk?" I looked at Sam, and said, "Sam, she wants to talk to us before the wedding. Can we come in on Sunday afternoon before 5 and talk to her?" He said, "Sure. We usually get out of church at 1. Then we like to go out to lunch after that. How about meeting her at 3:30?" I relayed the message, and we agreed on 3:30. Well, Tuesday was going to be very busy. Driver's license examination at 9 AM. Take Aunt Marge in for an appointment with her oncologist at 1. Get Married at 5. And then volunteer at the clinic until 8. Whew! Saturday was quiet. I and Mitty and Morgan and Madison went to a movie at a mall in North Reno. It was an oldies night rendition of 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.' All the three other girls had seen it several times, but they enjoyed it again. I had to confess I had never seen it before. Madison said, "What, you've never seen the sisterhood. My God, I thought all girls had seen that. Why haven't you seen it, Helen?" Mitty laughed and said, "Yeah, why haven't you seen it, Helen? All the other girls I know have seen it." I said, "Uhuh, I intended to see it several times. Something always happened." Morgan and Madison seemed to accept that. When they weren't looking, I mouthed to Mitty, "I'll get you for that." After the movie, we went out and got some ice cream at the food circus and then walked around the mall. Morgan and Madison told me what they liked. I would have liked to get them something but didn't have a lot of extra money. Frankly, I needed to start working again. It had been almost two months since I had earned any money. But hearing what they liked would be useful in shopping for Christmas. But Mitty didn't say anything. I finally said, "What would you like for Christmas, Mitty?" She laughed and said, "How about a BMW, Sis?" I said, "Sorry, no can do. What else?" She said, "I'd love to have some new school clothes, Helen. Aunt Marge and I haven't been able to shop for clothes for almost a year, and I would really like to have some clothes that fit me. But I know it's not the top priority. I can get by on what I have for a while yet." That made me realize that all three of us had had hard times the last year, Aunt Marge, me, and Mitty." Later, when the twins were off with their father and Mitty and I were alone, I asked her, "What's wrong, Mitty. Lately, you seem angry at me." She said, "Oh, Helen. I don't know. I guess part of it is that up until you came home, I was an adult. I was helping Aunt Marge, and I was involved in decisions about the house. Now I'm just a kid again. You took Aunt Marge to the doctor, and I wasn't part of it. And I wasn't part of the conversation about getting an appointment with the oncologist. I just feel shut out, I guess." I said, "I'm sorry, Mitty. I didn't mean to shut you out. I just had the time to do these things, while you were in school. And things happened so fast, I didn't have a chance to talk to you. Besides, I thought you would enjoy just being a teenage girl again, without having to do the heavy things that you were doing when it was just you and Aunt Marge." She replied, "I do, Helen. But I guess I'm old enough to feel I'm competent and would like to be respected. And your appearance sort of rubs salt in the wound. I mean, if you were still my brother, it would be easy to think of you as the older sibling with a lot more life experience than me. But you look like you're my two years younger sister. I know intellectually that you're Elvis and are actually seven years older than me. But it's hard to think of that when feelings of rivalry between sisters come up. I'm sorry, Helen." Then I hugged her and said, "I'm sorry too, Mitty. I realize what a wonderful job you were doing helping Aunt Marge and taking care of our old house. I want to acknowledge that. And I value your input. I'll try to be more sensitive and be sure to check with what you think before Aunt Marge, and I do anything." Mitty said, "Well, as long as we're talking, I'd really like us to confide in each other. I mean, you're pregnant, and you're in love, and you're having a sexual relationship, and you're getting married, and you're handling it all by yourself, with no emotional support. If we're sisters, and we're close, I would like you to tell me what you're doing and feeling about these things. It helps sort out your emotions. And I might have an opinion or some experience that helps. I'd also like to be able to tell you what I'm feeling. Sisters do that, you know, if they trust each other not to spread the information around. And I promise I won't." I said, "OK, I promise I won't either." Then she laughed, "I trust you, Helen. After all, you're still my wonderful brother, whom I trust completely. But you're still acting like a stupid boy, and holding everything in, telling no one anything." I laughed and said, "OK, Mitty. I'll try to be a better sister." Then she said, "OK, Helen. Tell me, are you happy about this marriage? Or is it all for Aunt Marge's benefit, getting insurance and all. I mean, I wouldn't blame you. I would do anything for Aunt Marge. She's been so good to us through the years. I guess I'd even marry an older man." I laughed at her and said, "Mitty, remember I was 26 as Elvis. Sam is 30. He doesn't look that old to me. We are in the same generation. I don't know if I could relate to someone who was a teenager. Let alone someone who was 14. We wouldn't have much in common." She looked at me. I could see that she just realized how strange being so young must feel to me. She had just been thinking about how strange it would feel for me to have changed gender. Then she said, "I suppose so. Sam seems like a really good guy and seems to be attracted to you and is very nice and solicitous to you. Do you return those feelings? Do you feel sexually attracted to him? I always thought Elvis was straight. He certainly never showed anything else. Have you become gay?" I replied, "I was changed and am generally attracted to men now, Mitty. That doesn't make me gay. I am a heterosexual woman. But the change certainly surprised the witches. It wasn't what they had intended. They wanted me to be a heterosexual man in a woman's body forced by the spells to have sex with men. It was part of the punishment. It was supposed to make me miserable. I don't know why Elvis changed his sexual orientation when he became Helen. There are several possibilities the witches and I discussed. One is that Elvis was gay before but had completely repressed it. I don't believe that. As Elvis, I remember being very attracted to women. A second possibility is that one of the spells they cast inadvertently changed my sexual orientation. But the witches examined the spells in detail and couldn't see anything that would do that. But they said it is possible. Some of the spells were centuries old and might have had an undetectable orientation change in them. The third possibility was that the horror of my first punishment changed me, prevented me from being attracted to women any longer. Then as I lived as a woman, and encountered some attractive men, I slowly changed around." Mitty said, "I forgot about your initial punishment. I focused on your being turned into a woman and compelled to have abusive sex with men. Evelyn just glossed over it. Tell me what happened." So, I told her the entire horrific story, how right after the trial, the witches had changed me into a woman, and then 9 to 12 witches, I lost count, had taken turns changing their bodies, so they were big and strong and had huge cocks, and then raped me, and in some cases beat me." Mitty responded, "God Helen, I'm so sorry that happened to you. You didn't deserve it at all. You were innocent." I said, "Yes. But to this day I am very hesitant to want a horrible punishment, even for someone who seems like a monster. I was on the other end of such a punishment. And, getting back to Sam, I want you to know that if that initial punishment is the cost I had to pay to meet and fall in love with Sam, it was worth it." Mitty seemed shocked and asked, "You love him that much?" I said, "Yes. He's kind and gentle and smart. I fell in love with him when I met him as an escort. He treated me like a human being, a woman, not like a whore. Most men with whores are rough and self-centered and sometimes mean and cruel. But not Sam. He was the first man to bring me to orgasm naturally, without the spell causing orgasm when abused. And he has continued being that wonderful since I met him again in Thailand. When he asked me to marry him, I couldn't believe it. How could he love a pregnant ex-whore, an uneducated nothing, an artificial woman, created out of a man by a bunch of witches? I gave him lots of reasons for caution, thinking I could never fulfill the role he had in mind, I could never make his daughters happy, I could never fit into his family, that I could never make Sam happy. I was sure he would eventually tire of me and move on to a real woman. But Sam persisted and eventually convinced me, and I said 'Yes.' I decided to take a chance that the happiness I felt when we were together would last." By that time, I had worked myself up to where I was crying. Mitty came over and put her arms around me, and I could see she was crying too. She said, "Oh, Helen. Sam loves you because he recognizes you're worth it. You are very caring and positive, and smart and interested in learning, even if you don't have an education. And you are a real woman. You're not an imitation. Even as Elvis, you were warm and caring, and were close to your family and friends, and worked hard and always wanted to do the right thing. You were never overbearing or threatening. So, you were in many ways very feminine, even then. Now, a few little changes and you are definitely a real woman, not at all artificial. As for the 'whore' thing, some men realize that circumstances can force a girl into that life without wanting it. And, after all, you broke away from being an escort. And I assume Sam knows your baby was the product of rape, not just being careless. A rational man should realize that you are a real prize. You're worthy of his love. And he appears to be worthy of yours. Now stop putting yourself down." After that cathartic discussion, Mitty and I moved on to a much better relationship. I valued having a friend to confide in and who confided in me. And I started to value her help and advice. I asked Mitty to be my maid of honor on Tuesday, and she agreed to do it. Later, I called Aiko and Lily and Celia and told them when and where the wedding would be. They agreed to be there. I was glad. I had made many good friends since I had become a woman. I would have liked to have them all with me at my wedding. But Trudy and Ally and Mrs. Betts and Cheryl and Juanita and Joyce were way too far away. And Joyce wouldn't even remember me. Someday, I would love to see them again. That led me to think about old friends Elvis had had in the military. I realized I could never talk to them as their old friend again. I wished things were different and they could be at the wedding too. But I would take what I could get and was happy that at least Mitty and Aiko and Lily and Celia would be there. Then the two of us went back up to the main house. I noticed Aunt Marge and Irene spent a lot of time talking. They appeared to have a lot in common and were becoming friends. Amos and Sam had to replace a lot of the fencing around the yard that was breaking down and went to several stores in Reno to look at fence material. Sam asked me if I wanted to go too, and I surprised myself by not being interested. After dinner, I helped Irene clean up, and then went down to the outbuilding and organized my stuff better and cleaned the building. I found Mitty on the phone with a friend from Texas, so I tried not to make too much noise as I worked. After Mitty hung up, she broke into laughter. She told me that Tempah was abuzz about how Carl Miller and Bubba Thompson had changed their appearance, so their eyes looked oriental. Both claimed that Mitty was a witch and had cloned herself and then cast a spell that changed them. I was surprised that their guess was as close as it was. But that accusation would make it difficult for Mitty or me to visit Tempah for a few years. The next morning, I and Aunt Marge and Mitty went to church with Sam's family. It seemed like a nice church, and the people were friendly, although they seemed shocked when Sam introduced me as his fianc?. But no one said anything to me. Then we went out to lunch at a fancy diner between the church and Sam's home. After that Sam drove me down into Reno to the Episcopal church where we were getting married for our appointment to talk to the pastor. We got there a few minutes early. So, I took Sam around and showed him where we had the clinic and talked about what we did there. Pastor Laura England showed up right on time, and I introduced myself and Sam. Laura said, "I'm a little surprised. Your name is very English." We laughed at that. Then she asked, "How did you come by that name?" I said, "My mother was Japanese. My father was in the foreign service and stationed in Japan, where they met. Actually, you could ask that question of most women in America. Very few Americans are from a single nationality." Laura said, "Right. I sometimes forget. I apologize. I didn't mean anything by it." I said, "No offense taken." Then Laura asked a bunch of questions about our backgrounds and gave a lot of information about roles in marriage and decisions we had to make. I found myself admitting to her that I had met Sam as an escort. Then she asked me point blank how old I was. I told her I was 19, and she looked at me skeptically. So, I showed her my Texas ID and then the certificate of entry into the US that showed my age. She still looked skeptical. I guess I would have been too, now that I knew how easy it was to get fake ID. Finally, I said, "Look, make a copy of my ID and check it online. You can also verify that I graduated from Tempah High School last year." I hoped that the witches had done the paperwork well. Next, the pastor asked, "Why are you getting married?" Sam told her that we were in love. Then she turned to me and said, "Is that right? Are you in love with this man? Or are you being coerced?" I said, "No, I'm not being coerced. I love Sam. I've loved him since I met him. He has always been a gentleman. He has never forced me to do anything. For heaven's sake, if we had wanted, we could have been married in Reno by an Elvis Impersonator, no questions asked. But I want a marriage in a church, where I can take my vows in front of friends and family and hold my head high." At that, she smiled and said, "Sorry for questioning you, but you look so young, much younger than your fianc?. I had to be sure. And to offer you help if you needed it." I just shook my head and said, "I'm truly entering this marriage willingly and joyfully. It is what I want." I appreciated that she had wanted to protect me if I needed it. Her question made me realize that Sam and I needed to be prepared for such questions for some years until I started looking a little older. Then we talked about the ceremony. I told the pastor that my sister would be the Maid of Honor. And that my Aunt would walk me down the aisle and give me away. Sam told her that his best friend Roger would be his Best Man and that his twin daughters would be flower girls. That was news to me, but I guess we had not had time to talk about it. We went over the wording of the wedding vows we wanted. I told the pastor that I was uncomfortable with promising to obey. Blind obedience was not my thing. Sam laughed and said he wouldn't expect that of me. The pastor said she always wanted to include the Christian God in the vows she used. I said sure. Sam said sure. In the end, we came up with a set of vows that were comfortable for us both. We finally left about 5 and drove back to Sam's home. Irene and Marge had fried two chickens and boiled potatoes and made a nice salad for dinner. The three girls and I soon had the potatoes mashed, and the table cleared, and places set, and we all sat down to dinner and talked about what had happened that day. Amos had worked on final touches on the outbuilding. Irene had visited some friends after lunch. Mitty had walked with the girls up to a friend's house. It was the same friend I and the girls had visited a few weeks ago. I thought and remembered that the mother's name was Andrea. That seemed a long time ago. Mitty laughed that the mother had mistaken her for me and offered condolences for losing the baby. That was before Mitty explained she was my sister and had moved back to Reno to live with me, along with her aunt. Mitty said she had invited Andrea to the wedding Sunday. I asked her, "Don't you think you should have checked with Sam and me?" Mitty said, "Well, Andrea seemed to be very nice and disappointed that they couldn't come to Vegas for a wedding later, so on impulse I invited her. But Andrea said she wouldn't come unless you called her and confirmed that it was OK. I hope it is OK. Andrea seems like a good friend for you to have." I said, "OK, Mitty, I'll call her later." Sam and I told everybody in general terms what had happened when we talked to the pastor. Mitty and Sam and the twins thought it amusing that the pastor had thought Sam might be coercing me to become his child bride, but Aunt Marge and Irene looked a little concerned. I guess I looked concerned too because Sam gave me a big hug and said he loved me even if I did look like a kid. I said, "Sam, I want you to think of me as a coequal partner in this marriage. Not as a child bride." Then he apologized and kissed me and said, "Helen, I know you are a very mature woman inside; even though you look like a kid outside." Mitty and Madison and Morgan giggled at that, and I turned red. But I reasoned that this was something I had to deal with, so I decided to laugh along. Then Mitty said, "So, what're the plans for the wedding, Helen?" I looked at Sam, and he shrugged. I said, "It's going to be a simple wedding. I guess we just show up and say, 'I Do'." Mitty said, "No, that's totally unacceptable. You two are saying in front of God and everybody that you love each other and intend to be man and wife. There needs to be more to the wedding than just a casual pledge. Right, Aunt Marge?" Aunt Marge said, "Absolutely right, Mitty. I'll not have my neph, err, niece married without showing the world what a wonderful, umm, girl she is." Mitty said, "Right. So, first, what do you plan to wear?" I said, "Well, I don't have a lot of options. I had some nice dresses from Las Vegas, but I don't fit into them now. I bought a few casual dresses that fit me. I can wear one of them." Mitty said, "No, you and I need to get something that shows we are part of a wedding." I noticed that this had morphed so that Mitty needed to get something nice too. I guess I couldn't blame her. But I hated to dip into my limited savings for two dresses. But I thought, 'Well, this is my wedding. And every woman needs a special dress for her wedding. Right?' I said, "OK, what do you suggest?" Irene said, "I know a consignment shop in Tahoe where I have seen some nice dresses for pregnant women. Helen could check there. Otherwise, there are several maternity shops Reno that are nice. And Mitty, there is a very nice dress shop at the mall that has party dresses for teens. I assume that would work for you. It would be nice to get a dress that you can wear over the next year." Mitty said, "Thanks, Irene. That would be perfect." Then Mitty said, "Morgan, Madison, do you have nice dresses you can wear in the wedding? If not, do you want to go shopping with me?" Morgan and Madison brightened up immediately, and Morgan said, "I think we need to go shopping with you, Mitty." Mitty said, "OK, after my soccer practice tomorrow. We'll stop at a subway and then head to Reno." Morgan and Madison both cheered. Irene looked a little concerned, but I reassured her, "Irene, Mitty is very sensible. It will be all right. I promise." Then I said, "Sam, I have some money saved. I can buy Morgan and Madison's dresses." He said, "Nonsense, I will pay for all the dresses." I said firmly, "No, I want to do what I can to share the costs. And I suspect there will be other costs that you can pay." Irene laughed and said, "You two should save your arguments about money until after the wedding. But, Helen, it's nice to hear that you intend to contribute. That makes me feel good about my granddaughters' futures." Then Irene continued, "Helen, why don't you and your aunt and I go dress shopping tomorrow morning. It will be fun. I haven't shopped for a wedding dress for a long time. What do you say, Marge?" Aunt Marge said, "That does sound like fun. If it's OK with you, Helen." I replied, "I'd love to go shopping with you two. Thanks, Irene. Thanks, Aunt Marge." Then Irene said, "And I will make an appointment where we can get our hair and nails done and get a facial. It will be a fun girls' day out. My treat." I said, "That could be expensive, Irene. Are you sure?" She said, "Absolutely." Then I said, "Mitty, you should take the transporter tomorrow. I don't think I will need it. And you will need to get away from soccer practice quickly." Aunt Marge said, "Helen, I thought I needed to go to Mitty's school in the morning with my court order granting custody and sign her enrollment forms so she can be official." I was glad that Aunt Marge was more herself again. I said, "Right, I forgot." Then Irene said, "That's no problem, we can go to the school on the way to dress shopping. I'll drive." We chatted for a while longer. Then Irene started to get the twins ready for bed, but they were so excited that it was clear to everybody that they couldn't go to sleep. They begged to be able to go down the hill and sleep with Mitty and me in the unused bedroom in the outbuilding. Mitty said that would be all right with her. She had finished her homework earlier and planned on watching a little TV. Irene finally relented for just one night. I laughed and said, "Well, maybe I'll sleep in Morgan and Madison's room and study for my driving test." Mitty teased me about getting old and stodgy, but I needed a driver's license to find work or do almost anything else. I walked Mitty and the girls down to the outbuilding and got my nightgown and the clothes I would need in the morning and my toothbrush and walked back to the house. It was cold, and I had Elvis's heavy coat on and his old boots. When I walked in, Amos and Irene and Aunt Marge were in their bedrooms. Sam asked where I had gotten the coat and boots. I had been agonizing about whether and how much of my story I should tell Sam. I pretty much had decided I had to tell all. I didn't want to base a new life on a lie. And now was the perfect opportunity for us to talk. I told him, "Sam, I have something that I need to tell you, something that will explain a lot of things about me. I hope you will still want me after you hear it." Sam said, "You don't have to confess any secrets to me, Helen. I'll love you no matter what, and I don't care what happened before we met. Then was then and now is now." I replied, "Thanks for that, Sam. But I don't want to start our life with a lie. And this is something big." He looked at me, and then said, "Well, maybe we should talk in my room." We went to his room, and I wound up in his arms, and we snuggled and kissed for a while, and I could feel us heading toward making love. If that happened, we would never talk tonight. So, I interrupted him, and said, "Sam, I love you so much. I want nothing more than us to lie close together and make love. But I have something important to tell you. Please. Let's talk." Sam was flushed, and I could tell that he was very aroused too. But he got himself under control and said, "OK, Helen. I can't imagine what is so important. But if it's important to you, let's talk." Being willing to have a conversation at a time like this because it was important to me indicated what a sweet guy Sam was, which was one reason I loved him so much. And it brought home my fear that what I was about to say would tear us apart. I almost decided to give it up, to just fall into his arms and never tell him my weird story. But that wouldn't fair to Sam. He needed to know who I was. I said, "Sam, do you believe in magic?" He laughed and said, "Yes, Helen, I believe that magic brought us together. I was so alone for years after my first wife died. The only thing I cared about was Morgan and Madison. Do you know I was being treated for depression when we met?" I said, "No, I'm sorry you were depressed, Sam." He replied, "Don't be, because when I met you, I magically recovered. Suddenly, life seemed worthwhile again." That caused me to pause. Were we meant to be together and just seeing each other we both realized it? Evelyn had told me that there was magic stronger than the spells of the witches, and she had wondered if that kind of magic had determined my fate. Sam continued, "The weekend we spent together in Vegas was magic. I looked at you in the chorus line, and you were smiling and enthusiastic and pretty and bouncy, and I told my sister you were the girl I was going to marry. But she scoffed at the idea. She said you were just a child, no match for a mature man caring for two daughters. And she said that many of the dancers were prostitutes and were only in the dance troupe to attract clients. She said she would prove it and set us up on a 'date.' And she did. I told myself my sister must be right. That what I had felt was just some sort of quirk. That you and I would have nothing in common. But when we were together, I felt the same love for you I had first felt when I saw you dancing. And we had a lot of connections. I loved that you were sweet, and smart, and interested in the world, and had a strong sense of morals. And you were determined to accomplish some things in life, in spite of being so slender and looking so young. In that volunteer project at the house, you did much more than anybody would have expected from your appearance. I had not intended to make love to you that weekend. I would not normally be interested in a .. a lady of the night. I had intended just to endure the weekend and admit my sister was right. But the attraction was so strong; I couldn't help myself." I said, "And yet that last morning, you just handed me some money and left me, and never contacted me again. I felt like you thought of me as just another whore. That made me feel awful, Sam. I had felt a strong attraction for you too. Why did you treat me so dismissively? Like I was nothing special." Sam looked down and said, "I'm sorry, Helen. Sandra kept telling me that's what you were, just another whore. And that you would be motivated to take advantage of me. That I couldn't trust you. And I was worried about having a relationship with someone who looked so young. As far as I knew, you could have been 14. Fake identifications are common. If so, I was already vulnerable to prosecution or blackmail. I needed to be careful. I had Morgan and Madison to care for. They had to be my first priority. I'm sorry." I replied, "OK, I understand all that. A lot of what you worried about could have been true. But I cared about you, Sam. I would never have done anything to hurt you. But I guess you had no way of knowing that." Sam said, "I know now that I can trust you, Helen. When I saw you in Thailand, I felt the same magic I had felt in Las Vegas. That's why I pursued you down the street so adamantly. I know you must have thought it was creepy, someone my age following you like that. But I couldn't let the chance slip through my fingers." I said, "No, Sam. I didn't think it was creepy. I don't think of myself as a teenage girl. I feel older than I look. And I thought it was sort of romantic for a good looking, sweet guy like you to pursue me, after I figured out who you were. But you did scare the hell out of me at first." He laughed and said, "Sorry." I went up to him and kissed him, and he hugged me. Then he said, "In Thailand, I learned a lot more about you. You had broken away from being a .., um, an escort and were there taking care of a woman friend having surgery. And your behavior was so grown up. I knew you couldn't be 14; you behaved in such a mature way. And the way you went out of your way to help Clarisse. And you charmed Morgan and Madison so much. My concerns about protecting myself from you just melted away. That left me knowing I was in love with you and wanted us to be together. So, I proposed. But you said, 'No.' If you were a gold digger, why would you have done that? It made me even more determined." I said, "Thank you for not giving up, Sam. I love you and want to be with you too. But there is something more you need to know about me. Now please let me speak before I lose my nerve." Sam nodded and said, "OK." I continued, "Sam, I have a very strange story to tell you. Please suspend judgment until I finish. Then you can ask me whatever questions you want." Sam nodded again. I started again, "Sam, I am what I am today because of some spells placed on me, by a coven of witches. That's why I asked about magic earlier." Sam kept his promise and just continued listening without comment. I continued, "I was once a man. Named Naozumi Elvis Watson. A coven of witches became very angry at me and changed me into a woman. The new woman had the same genes as Elvis except for the y chromosome. The new woman was 7 years younger than Elvis, but looking even younger. And they magically created a new identity for me, as Akira Helen Watson. They also cast some additional spells, one of which made me an escort." Sam didn't say anything. I continued, "Sam, there is so much else to tell, about Elvis, why the witches were angry, and how I managed to escape the fate the witches intended. But I know this all sounds silly. If you don't think you would ever believe me, please tell me. I don't want to continue if it's a waste of our time. If you want out of our relationship, I will look for an apartment tomorrow, and my family and I will be out of your hair as soon as possible. Please say something, Sam?" Sam looked shocked. He said, "I don't know what to say, Helen. I need time to think. But I want to hear your story." I said, "OK, Sam. It's a long story. Feel free to stop me anytime you want. Let me start by telling you about Elvis." I knew it was dangerous talking about once being a guy, but I was not ashamed of Elvis. He was a good guy, and I still had a lot of Elvis in me. I wasn't going to sweep him under the rug. I told Sam about how my mother had hated living in the US, and how she had twice fled back to Japan with my sister and me, and how she had killed herself, which resulted in my living in Texas with my father. I told him what wonderful parents my father and aunt were, and what a happy childhood they had given me, and what I was like as a young boy. Then I told him about going into the army and becoming a medic and spending multiple tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. I told Sam about coming home and starting college at age 26. I told him about going out with a girl and being accused by her of rape, and how I was tried and acquitted, but at the time believed I was guilty. Then I told him about the witch's coven stepping in and correcting what they thought was a miscarriage of justice, turning me into a woman, and casting spells on me that made me an escort. I didn't tell him about the night of multiple rapes. I didn't think that was important. I only said a little about my time in Las Vegas. I didn't want to dwell on my sexual encounters. I did mention the other things I did. I told Sam about how I had slowly accepted being a woman, and now felt I was psychologically as well as physically a woman. I told him how I had learned to cope with the spells that compelled me to be an escort, so I could start building another life being who I wanted to be, a moral, responsible person Next, I told Sam how I had had a client who was a member of the fraternity Elvis had joined in college, and how that client had recognized me as Elvis and gloated about framing me for rape, and how that client had then raped and almost killed me, and how I had managed to save myself. Then I told him how I had found myself pregnant and fled to prevent the mob from aborting my child. Next, I told Sam how I had found work in Reno after I fled and befriended Lily and Aiko. And how I had Lily had requested me to accompany her to Thailand for her surgery. Finally, I told Sam about how I had decided to go back and challenge the witches on what they had done to me, so my family would be safe. And then how I had gone on to see my family after almost a year apart and convinced them to come home with me. After that, Sam asked a lot of questions. That was good because he was taking me seriously. I answered all of Sam's questions and gave him additional information when it seemed warranted. When we finally finished, I looked at the clock. We had been talking for over two hours. I had gotten no indication from Sam whether he believed me or not. So, I asked straight out. He said, "I don't know. It's a lot to swallow, Helen. You have always been truthful to me, so I have to take it seriously, even though I would dismiss it out of hand if anyone else told me this story." Then he continued, "Have you told your aunt and sister this tale?" I said, "Of course, Sam. How could I not? After all, they last saw me as a 26- year-old man, and now I look like a 14-year-old girl. They would naturally have questions." He chuckled and said, "I suppose so." I continued, "I had to convince them that I had once been their nephew and brother. I was able to do that." Sam asked, "So, if I were to ask them, would they corroborate this story?" I said, "Yes. Go ahead. I have no problem with you talking to them." Then he assured me, "I will be discrete, Helen. I will make sure no one else is listening." I said, "Sam, I believe that. But in fact, you will not be able to reveal this story to anyone. If Irene or Amos or Morgan or Madison were within listening distance, you could not repeat anything I have said?" He looked at me quizzically and said, "Why not." I replied, "Because the only way the witches would allow me to tell my story to my aunt or sister or anyone else was if I allowed them to place another spell on me that would be projected onto anyone to whom I told the story. So now you have a spell on you that prevents you from revealing this story to anyone. Go ahead. Try to tell someone. You won't be able to." He looked at me and picked up his phone and dialed a number. Someone picked up and he said, "Hey Sandra. It's Sam." I could hear Sandra say, "Hi Sam. What's up?" I could see Sam trying to talk, but he couldn't. I remembered being in the same situation right after the witches had placed their first set of spells on me. Then Sam managed to say, "Be ready for a text, Sandra. Goodbye." He went to messages on his phone and started typing but stopped. He tried to continue, but flat couldn't. Then he looked at me and said, "You're right." He shook his head and said, "Damn." He looked very agitated. A minute later, his phone rang. It was Sandra. He answered, and she asked, "What's going on, Sam." Sam replied, "I can't tell you." She said, "What do you mean; you can't tell me what. Have you been drinking, Sam?" Somehow Sam managed to extricate himself from a very difficult conversation with Sandra without pissing her off, which I knew from experience took perseverance and patience. I said, "I'm sorry, Sam. I didn't mean to make you unhappy." He said, "No, you haven't done anything. After all, you didn't choose to be bewitched." That made me happy because it indicated he believed me. Then he asked, "Am I totally under their control, now? Are you? You were once a man. Did they bend your mind to make you happy to be a woman?" He was starting to get more agitated. I'd never seen Sam like this. I said, "No, I don't think so Sam. I think I have free will except for certain prohibitions. And now you have one prohibition, against telling anyone else what I told you unless they already know it. So you can talk to my aunt and sister about it. I'm sorry I told you. I guess except for me, you would have had total free will." Sam said, "Oh, Helen. If you had never told me, then I would not have been able to tell anyone about the witches because I would not have known. But I would have known there were some loose strings in your background, which I would have wondered about later. So, I'm glad you told me. But, Helen, are you sure the witches didn't reshape your personality as part of your transformation?" I replied, "I'm pretty sure, Sam. When I first became a woman and was forced to sleep with men, I hated it, because I was a heterosexual male. But as time went along, I became more and more accepting, and even happy as a woman. You should know, the first time I was happy to be a woman was when I met you in Las Vegas. I think I fell in love with you that first night. But, Sam, I asked the witches later. And they denied they had changed me mentally. They said they wanted me to be a heterosexual man who was miserable because he had to sleep with other men. This whole thing was supposed to be a punishment. If they made me happy to be a woman, it wouldn't be a punishment." Sam said, "So why did you change, Helen? Elvis sounds like a normal heterosexual man. But you are very feminine. What caused such a drastic change if it wasn't some sort of magic spell?" I said, "I don't know, Sam? You're right. As Elvis, I felt male, acted male, and went out with women. In fact, a physical attraction to a woman got me into a situation where I could be accused of rape. But after the witches turned me into a woman, and after the multiple rapes, and after being forced to have sex with abusive men and having to pretend to be feminine for my own protection, my masculinity just faded away." Sam said, "What multiple rapes? You didn't tell me about multiple rapes." Oops. I'd forgotten I hadn't mentioned it. I had to backtrack and tell that story. At the end, Sam said, "Those bitches. I'm sorry that happened to you, Helen. Why didn't you tell me?" I replied, "I didn't tell you because I'm not out for sympathy, Sam. It wasn't important to who I am. And I must tell you, as horrible as that night was, if that's what had to happen for me to be me and for us to be together, it was a small price to pay." Sam just shook his head. I decided to continue my explanation of how Helen might have become a she inside. "Mitty has told me that she doesn't think it took much of a change for Elvis to switch genders." Sam said, "What does that mean?" I continued, "Mitty says I was already half female, that I was too gentle and too family-oriented and too empathic for a boy, that some of her friends had even commented on it. She has said that the differences in my personality as Helen compared to Elvis are not all that big." Sam thought about that and said, "But there is still that basic difference. Elvis was male, and Helen is indisputably female." I smiled at that. I said, "Yes, that was a change. I remember after a few months as an escort, starting to feel attracted to some dates who were nice guys and enjoying being with them, in contrast to the abusive guys the spells forced me to date. I just slowly changed, so nice guys didn't repel me. Then when I met you, I really liked you. You were everything Elvis had ever admired. You were very likable. You were extremely smart and capable without being arrogant. You were fun and had a great sense of humor. And as Helen, I liked that you were willing to do things to support me. It gave me a real rush that someone so accomplished seemed to enjoy my company and was willing to go out of his way for me. And to top it all off, you were great in bed. By the end of the weekend, I would have done almost anything for you. And being in a woman's body, that was OK. I didn't have to explain it to anybody, not even myself. I think that was when I first felt like I was no longer a man." I looked at Sam for some indication of what he was feeling. Would he now be repelled that I had once been a man? Would he consider me an object of pity, a man with his masculinity stripped away from him by a bunch of witches? Would he consider me an automaton playing out some set of magical programming that changed me to a woman? Would he think I had way too much baggage for him to deal with? Or would he still think of me as Helen and love me as he had said? Finally, Sam smiled and said, "Yeah, that was a special weekend, wasn't it? And we've had lots of other great times together. It's been quite a ride, hasn't it?" I said, "You talk like it's over, Sam. It doesn't have to be. I'm still the same woman who fell in love with you, whom you asked to marry. The story of how Helen came to be doesn't change who she is." Sam looked at me and said, "Doesn't it bother you, Helen, that someone or something might be forcing you to be who you are, someone else might be pulling the strings and making you feel love for me, make you want to be a woman? And what if somehow that compulsion is removed? Would you want to leave me and go back to being Elvis? I suppose I couldn't blame you if you did." I replied, "Sam, I had the chance to go back to being Elvis. When I talked to the witches, and they agreed that they had acted unjustly, they said they would be happy to change me back to Elvis. I said 'Absolutely Not. I am happy as Helen. I am in love with a great guy, and we are going to be married, and that's what I want.'" Sam looked at me, incredulously. He said, "You passed up the chance to become Elvis again, to get your male life back?" I said, "Yes, I did. And I don't regret it. I love my female life. And I love you, Sam. I want to be with you for the rest of my life." I moved closer to him, hoping he would take me in his arms and kiss me. And he did. He held me, and we kissed, and I was as happy as I had ever been. Then he said, "Did you really give up the chance to change back for me?" I said, "Well, that and for the baby I'm carrying and for all the other friends I have made as a woman." Sam laughed and said I was crazy, but that he loved me even if I was. And we kissed again. Then he said, "So you're still willing to go through with this marriage." At that, I cried and said, "Oh, Sam. Yes. Yes. Yes. That's what I want." Then he said, "That's what I want too, Helen. I love you." It started to get mushy after that, so I will change the topic. But that conversation did make me wonder. Evelyn had said that there were greater powers than the witches. I knew the witches didn't force Sam and me to love each other. I had talked to them about it, and they had no reason to lie. And their powers were not the sort that would do something like setting up a situation where I changed sex and was happy about it and fall in love with a wonderful man. Their powers seemed to be limited to more specific changes, sometimes terrifying, but not in the same category as a general, many-faceted change such as Elvis had experienced. For example, to punish Elvis, they had made him a woman and put in effect a spell that forced him to have sex with abusive men. That was supposed to teach him to sympathize with women and to make him miserable. Why didn't they cast a spell directly to make Elvis miserable, and to change his supposed hatred for women into some other emotion, i.e., a direct change? I had noticed that the witches themselves did not seem particularly happy or successful or wealthy. Why not use a spell to make themselves happier? To make themselves successful in the stock market and rich? Was it because that was not the kind of magic they could do? Could the greater powers that Evelyn had hinted at do such things? Certainly, my story contained a lot of fortuitous happenings. Just meeting Sam twice was fortuitous. Could this have been part of some plan to make us man and wife? But why would that be important enough to go through all the trouble? If all they had wanted was to make Elvis happy, they could have directly given him things that would make him happy; wealth, prestige, a likable girlfriend, success in becoming a doctor? Why make him a happy woman? Could this have been part of some grand plan that would make a lot of people happier, or make things better in some other way, something too complicated for a human such as myself to even understand? Well, if I couldn't understand it, why try? I decided to just do the best I could to make Sam and my family and myself healthy and happy. I suggested to Sam that we should check on the girls. So, we walked down to the outbuilding and found them in a fierce pillow fight. Then they all three ganged up on Sam and me. I must admit I wasn't doing my part very well, moving with all the grace of a hippopotamus on land. But Sam more than made up for it, until he decided to surrender just so we could move on to something else. Mitty asked me what we had been up to. She had expected us a half-hour ago. I said we had been talking is all, adults did that you know. She raised her eyebrow skeptically. Then I said I had decided to sleep in the main house again in case Aunt Marge woke up and didn't know where she was. Mitty laughed and said, "Oh, right. Good idea, Sis," and winked. Then Sam told the twins, "You two need to settle down. You must go to school tomorrow and then go shopping. If you don't get enough sleep, that will be difficult." Morgan said, "We will, Daddy," and laughed uproariously. Sam said, "I mean it. And Mitty is in charge. You do what she tells you, hear." That sobered them up. Mitty was no longer a playmate, she was a babysitter. Madison said, "Yes, Daddy." I noticed that it influenced Mitty too. If she was responsible for the twins getting some sleep, I knew she would do that. She said, "OK, I'll make sure we get some sleep and are up in time for school. Then she told the twins, "Let's get our nightgowns on, and I will tell you some stories." That was enough to entice the twins to run into their bedroom and find their nightgowns. We said goodnight to Mitty and the twins and walked back to the house. It was cold, and we hurried as fast as possible. By the time we got there, I was shivering. When I had been Elvis, I was rarely cold. But as Helen, I shivered easily. I guessed it was because I didn't have a lot of bulk in my arms or legs, either fat or muscle. But the good part was that Sam held me until I warmed up. Aunt Marge and Irene and Amos were already in bed. I took off makeup, cleaned my face, and went to my room and put on a nightgown. Then I slipped into Sam's room and lay down beside him. He was reading an article from work, so I asked him about it. He gave me an explanation that I sort of understood. Then, he tried to read the last of it, but I cuddled up as close to him as I could. I hadn't really intended to seduce him. In truth, we were both tired. But being a man, it took little or nothing to get Sam aroused, and we made love. I got up at 7:30. Everyone else was already awake and had had breakfast and were getting ready for their day. I had some oatmeal and a banana. While I was eating, Sam came by and kissed me goodbye and told me to have fun shopping. I asked what he was going to wear to the wedding. He told me he would wear his cleanest jeans. I laughed and then he said he would show me tonight. Then I bid him a good day at work. A few minutes later, Mitty came by and said she was leaving and would drive Morgan and Madison to school on the way to high school. Then she said, "You look happy. I bet I know why." I replied, "I bet you don't." She was about to say something snarky, but then stopped and said, "OK, Helen, tell me why." I answered, "I told Sam everything last night. I was terrified it would be too much for him, and he would back out of our relationship. But he didn't. He said he still loved me and still wanted to marry me." She said, "Oh, I thought he knew." I shook my head. Mitty said, "I'm happy for you, Helen. I'm happy for Sam too." Then we hugged, and she dashed off. If I had to be in a situation where my emotions were all weird, I was happy to have a sister who would understand. Then I took my dishes into the kitchen, and Irene said, "We need to leave soon, Helen. We need to take your aunt to Rosedale High School. And the consignment shop I have in mind is in Lake Tahoe. I took the liberty of calling around, and the Tahoe shop has several wedding dresses your size in stock and several that might work as a wedding dress in a pinch. And our hair appointment is at two in Reno." I told her, "OK, Thanks, Irene. I'll hurry and be ready in 45 minutes." It always surprised me that being out the door in 45 minutes was considered hurrying. As Elvis, I'd brush my teeth and wash and shave and dress and be out the door in 10 minutes, 15 max. Oh well. Both Irene and Aunt Marge liked to dress up and took the opportunity today. And one of the spells I had neglected to cancel made me always try to look as nice as possible when I went out. (OK, I admit that I had come to like dressing up, so canceling that spell had not been a priority when I had told the witches what I wanted.) When I left, I looked as good as a skinny, 15-year-old girl who is 6 months pregnant can look. First, we went to Mitty's high school, and Aunt Marge signed the enrollment form. The woman who had helped me whispered to her, "Is your niece really 19 years old?" Aunt Marge said I was, and the woman shook her head. Then we headed to Tahoe. It was almost an hour's drive. Tahoe was much lower key than I had expected. It did have a strip with a couple big casinos and lots of hotels. But it was much smaller than Vegas. It seemed to be mainly a tourist area, catering to water sports in the summer and skiing in the winter, with the casinos just being a sideline. Everywhere we went people were very friendly. I decided that I loved the place. The maternity shop was a couple of blocks off the strip toward the lake. There wasn't a lot of parking, so we wound up in a public lot several blocks away from the shop. That was fine for me. I could still walk comfortably. But I was worried about Aunt Marge. So, I walked beside her, and once or twice offered her my arm where walking was not ideal. Irene also helped Aunt Marge once or twice. It seemed the two women had become friends. We went into the maternity shop, and Irene told the clerk she had called ahead and found they might have some dresses that would fit me for a wedding, tomorrow. I could see the saleswoman appraising me and trying to figure out what was going on. After I referred to my aunt as Aunt Marge, the saleswoman must have decided that Irene was my mother. So, during the introductions, the saleswoman told Irene, "Well, your daughter's lucky that her boyfriend is taking his share of the responsibility for his child." I didn't want to make an issue of it. After all, the saleswoman thought she was making a helpful comment. But Irene said, "Helen isn't my daughter. And she isn't marrying a boy. She's marrying my former son-in- law, who's 30 years old." I saw a look of alarm in the saleswoman's face, at the thought of someone who she clearly thought was a young teenage girl marrying a man 30 years old. To address her concern, I said, "Maam, I know I look young. But I'm 19 years old. I graduated from high school last year. And the man I am marrying is not the father of my child. But he is the man I love. That's a good thing, right." I know she wanted to ask if I was sure. But she decided against it and asked, "So what are you looking for in a wedding dress?" Hmm. I had been a woman for almost a year and had at various times bought dresses I liked. But I usually pawed through what was on offer and tried them on. I had never learned fashion terminology. I had the feeling that a woman born would be able to describe her ideal wedding dress easily. But I couldn't. So, I said, "Why don't I just look at what you think might fit me and see if anything grabs me." So, she took a series of measurements, height, bust, chest, waist. Then she went to the back room. Aunt Marge seemed somewhat surprised by my unwillingness to give an opinion about what I might want but soon guessed that that might cause me to have some difficulties with this. So, bless her, my aunt started asking me leading questions intended to educate me. Like, "Don't you think an empire waist looks nice on women who are expecting, Helen." To which I replied brilliantly, "A what waist?" She said, "Empire. You know, where the waist is right below your bust. Lots of room for your baby bump." I said, "Oh, right." Aunt Marge continued, "Another idea is an A-line with no waist at all." I replied, "Yes, that's a good idea too." Then she said, "I don't think anything that fits tightly at the waist or hips will work, do you." I replied, "You're right Aunt Marge. How could it? My body has a large bulge down there now." Aunt Marge laughed and said, "Indeed." The salesclerk brought three possible gowns out. One was a sleeveless gown without a distinct waist that was very low cut. I put it on, and it was not uncomfortable, except it was very loose, and I kept feeling like the shoulders would slip down my arms and leave my bra visible to all. I asked her, "Is this bust size right for me. I think I am a 28B, and this seems very loose." She said, "Well, it is a little loose. But we can pin it to the bra, so it doesn't slip down." I replied, "It's just too loose. I want to feel a little more secure in my wedding dress." I decided to eliminate this dress from consideration. I didn't like low cut dresses since I was so flat-chested. The next dress was an empire waist dress with the fabric connecting to a thin collar. There were beads to accentuate the collar and waist, which I liked. The dress was very comfortable. But the shoulders and arms were uncovered, which showed my slender build. I thought I looked all of 14 years old in it. I'm sure Sam would like me to look a little older. And my bump was very apparent and seemed out of proportion to my shoulders and hips. I put this dress aside too. The third was a relatively short silk and polyester dress with an empire waist. It had plenty of room for my bump. I thought the ivory color made me look a little more mature. It had short sleeves, so it didn't accentuate my shoulders a lot. All in all, I was very comfortable in it. But the waist had no bling to accentuate it, and it looked very plain. And the hem came just below the knee, which to my mind made it look more like a party dress than a wedding dress. Nevertheless, it was good enough to be acceptable. I told Irene and Aunt Marge what I was thinking and asked the clerk if there were any other possibilities. She said, "No, I'm sorry. You will be difficult to fit because of your slender build. However, there is a wedding shop in Reno that carries dresses for pregnant brides. You should look there. If you don't find anything, you can come back and get this one." I asked Irene if that was all right, and she said, "Of course, Helen. Finding a wedding dress she likes is important for a bride." Irene drove us to Reno and the dress shop the clerk had suggested. While we were driving, she asked me to call the shop where our hair appointments were and try to get a later appointment. I did that and managed to change our appointments to 3:30. It was not easy because the three of us required three separate appointment times. Then as we drove, Irene asked me, "It would help if you had specific suggestions for dresses, Helen. What is your dream wedding dress?" I replied, "I don't think I have a dream dress, Irene." Then she said, "Well when you were a little girl and dreamed about wedding dresses, what kind were they?" I was trying to think of a good answer, when Aunt Marge said, "Irene, Helen was always a tomboy when she was growing up. Most of her friends were athletes. And those who weren't athletes were science and math nerds. Helen, did you have any friends with whom you played wedding games?" I thought silently, 'Thank you, Aunt Marge.' I said, "No. I might have, but I don't remember." Then Irene responded, "Hmm, that's surprising. You are so feminine now, Helen. What made you change?" I said, "I guess I just grew up. I found myself being interested in boys all of the sudden." Fortunately, Irene let it go after that and started asking about the three dresses I'd seen, and what I did or didn't like about them. I was able to talk about that easily. At the dress shop, the clerk asked me what I wanted, and I said, "Empire waist, not sleeveless, bling at the neck and waist, floor-length." The woman brought out two dresses in my size that fit those specifications. They were both wonderful. The first had a lace top and sleeves and a sash to accentuate the waist. But the back was open in a V from the shoulders halfway down my back, which I found a little bit uncomfortable. The second one was predominantly of lace, with cap sleeves. It had just a hint of a train. Although there was no bling or sash to mark the waist, it showed plainly because the fabric below was lace while the fabric above was not. I liked them both, but I felt I looked very young either of them. Then the clerk showed me a consignment that she said might fit. Honestly, it was a bit big, but it was very comfortable. The body of the dress was solid, with a jeweled sash marking the waist. It had long lace sleeves and back. I liked the way it looked on me. It made me look like I might be 19, or maybe even 26. Irene and Aunt Marge both liked the second one. I asked the clerk. She said this one made me look older. Was that what I wanted? Would that be OK with my fianc?? I laughed and said, "He's 30, so I think he would like me not to look like a teenager at the wedding." Then I asked, "Could you take it in a little? It is a little loose at the top. I would need it by tomorrow." She said, "Just a second. Then she placed a call, and talked for a minute, and turned to me and said I could have it at 3." Then she went over the top and pined it, so it was a little tighter, taking in about an inch. I went over to Irene and Aunt Marge and told them why I thought the third dress was the one for me. After we talked for a while, they saw why I wanted it, although both still thought the second was much prettier on me. Somehow the strangeness of how I had come to be Helen and how much I appreciated the help of these two wonderful women dawned on me, and I couldn't resist giving them each a hug. I told my Aunt how much I loved her and thanked Irene profusely for her help and started crying for a moment. Irene told me I needed a new necklace to wear with the dress, and maybe a tiara. Aunt Marge agreed that with my coloring, a white or silver tiara in my hair would be a great touch. I let the two of them decide on those items. I wound up with a faux pearl tiara and a matching necklace. I was very happy with what we had accomplished. One of the best parts was that nothing was too expensive. The dress was $300, the tailoring was another $100, and the necklace and tiara were about $150. Of course, I still needed to buy Sam a wedding ring. We decided to have lunch, and I suggested the Wrangler's Inn where Celia worked. We must have been an incongruous sight, two older women with a young teenage girl bubbling with excitement eating salads in the bar of a steak house. I know Celia thought it was funny and took several pictures. She came over for a few minutes and showed me a text from Ally saying she thought it was cute too and she wished she could be here for the wedding. That reminded me of all the friends I had made in Las Vegas and caused me to cry for a moment, wishing they could be here tomorrow. But I did admonish Celia for risking being in touch with Ally, given that Celia and I had fled Vegas in fear only four months ago. I asked Celia, "Will you be at the wedding tomorrow?" She said, "Wouldn't miss it for the world, Little Girl." I said, "We've been through a lot together, haven't we Celia." Celia said, "Yes, we have. And I appreciate all the support you have given me over the last year. Without you, I'd still be trapped taking drugs and whoring. I'm so happy to be free and engaged to a wonderful man myself. We'll both be honest women by the end of the year." I cringed and hoped Irene missed that comment, but it was not to be. She said, "What do you mean, Celia?" Celia missed my look of panic and talked on. She said, "Well, Helen and I were both escorts employed by the same agency when we met. We shared a motel room." Irene said, "escort?" Celia said, "Yeah, escort, call girl, you know." The look in Irene's eyes said she knew. Then Celia went on, "I was on drugs at the time. Couldn't keep on whoring without them. So, one day they brought this little oriental girl in and told me she was my new roommate. The introduced her as 'Blossom.' She looked shy and hesitant. But she insisted we clean up the room, and I told her to go to hell. And the next thing I knew I was face down on the bed with my arm pulled behind my back and my fingers being pulled apart. Hurt like hell. So, I decided not to try to intimidate her. After that, we got along fine. I kept expecting Blossom to become like all the other escorts, to start drinking and taking drugs, being a sleaze like me. But she didn't, except for doing what escorts do. Instead, she went out and met people, jogged, played soccer, joined a dance troupe, even made friends with a woman cop. And she badgered me to clean up my act. She actually cared about me. Said I was better than I thought I was, that I didn't have to do what I was doing. And she had a lot of guts. We ran across a man with a knife abducting a teenage girl, and damned if Blossom didn't take the guy on. It pissed him off good, and he beat the shit out of her and was kicking her. At first, I just stood there. But I couldn't just let him hurt my friend without trying to help. I looked around and saw a brick and picked it up and smacked him on the head. Then I did it again. Someone called the police, and they showed up and took him into custody. That's how we helped catch the South Strip Rapist and became heroines. And that's how I finally felt good enough about myself to break the drug habit." Then Celia had to take care of another customer. Irene looked at me and said, "Does Sam know?" I nodded. "Yes, I've told him everything." Then she asked, "Why did you do it, Helen? You grew up in a good home." I didn't think I needed to muddy the water with tales of witches and gender changes, so, I said, "We needed money, Irene. Aunt Marge was sick, and we badly needed money. I did it for the money. I didn't want to." Irene looked at Aunt Marge and said, "Marge, did you know?" Fortunately, Aunt Marge was feeling OK and caught on to what was happening. She said, "No. Helen sent the money home in large bills without an identifiable return address. I didn't know. I would have burned the money if I did. But it did come in handy. I was very sick and couldn't work, and I didn't want Mitty to have to work too much. I think Helen sent about $30,000 over the Spring and Summer." Then Irene asked, "So, why did you quit?" I said, "A client raped me, and I wound up pregnant. The organization I worked for would have terminated the pregnancy. I had to leave. I wanted to anyway. I hated doing what I was doing. I was terrified every date. But I wasn't going to let them kill my child. And Celia decided she wanted out too and came with me. We decided to go to Reno. I knew some people here and hoped they would help us." She asked, "Who did you work for, who would force you to terminate a child against your will?" I said, "Virtually all pimps will do that. But the escort agency I worked for was a front for the mob, Irene. After I fled, they would have killed me without hesitation, just to send a message to other escorts. They sent people to question Aunt Marge and Mitty, which terrified me. That is why I determined to get my family to leave Tempah." Then Irene asked, "Are Sam and Morgan and Madison in danger?" I said, "No. The mob has forgotten me. I have a contact who has told me they have no leads to me. I believe I am safe, or I would never have involved your family." Irene said, "Well, it still worries me. But what is done is done. Celia is right. You are a gutsy young lady, even if you do look like a child. So, where did the name 'Blossom' come from." I said, "The mob gave it to me. Thought it would attract men." Irene just shook her head at that. Finally, I said, "Irene, can you not tell this story to anyone? I am ashamed of what I did. But more important, it was never who I was. I want people to think of who I am, not what had to do once." Irene said, "I'll think about it, Helen. But I don't see any reason to say anything now." Then we drove over to the beautician's office. While we were having our hair done, I saw Irene looking at her phone, and then heard her gasp. She saw me looking and passed her phone to me. It had on it the picture of Celia and me after we rescued Amy from the South Strip Rapist, identifying us both as whores. I realized I would have to be prepared to explain that for many years to come. For my part, I texted Mitty describing my dress and hinting that she should get hers to match. I needed to make a good case because I had learned in the last couple weeks that Mitty was damned independent and would get what she thought was right. Blind obedience was not an option, even if I was the bride and older sister, and she was the Maid of Honor younger sister. When we were driving home, Irene asked, "Helen, I assume Aunt Marge knows this story, how about Mitty?" I said, "They both know." Then Irene said, "Marge, have you seen this picture. Then she passed her phone over. Aunt Marge gasped. My (Blossom's) picture had bruises on her neck and looked like she was hit several times. And the caption identified Celia and me as whores and also as heroines who had rescued a young girl from abduction by the South Strip Rapist. Then Aunt Marge laughed and said, "You never could stay out of trouble, Helen. But what's with this 'Blossom Miyamoto' name. I told her it was a 'trade' name that AAA Escorts gave me because it sounded vaguely young and sexy and innocent. Next Irene asked, "How about Morgan and Madison?" I said, "No, they don't know." Finally, she asked, "How about Amos?" I said, "No, I really haven't shared this with many people, Irene." Irene laughed and said, "Good, I won't have to kill him for not telling me." Then she continued with, "You know, you need to have a good story prepared for anyone who runs across that picture." I nodded. We got home at about 5:30. Mitty and Morgan and Madison were still out shopping. I had given her my charge card and told her to take it easy. What I bought today went on Aunt Marge's card. Argh, I needed to get back to work. When we came in, Sam gave me a kiss and asked how it had been. I told him all we had done but said, "One more thing we need, Sam, are wedding rings. Somehow, they slipped my mind. We could go pick them up now." He laughed and said, "I can't hon. My friends at UNR have organized a bachelor's party. I'm sorry." I said, "OK. I will try to do it tomorrow, Sam. But things will be crazy." He looked at me and said, "Look, if Irene's OK with it, we can reuse my wedding rings from when I was married before." That didn't sound very good to me. I thought Amos and Irene might have some emotional issues with that. I definitely had issues. As Elvis, I had never understood a woman's concern about having her own ring. But now I understood that they symbolized feelings. So, I wanted Sam to wear a ring that I had gotten him, and I wanted him to provide me a ring that symbolized his feelings for me. I knew Sam still loved his deceased wife, and she had loved him. I didn't want that to stop. It made Sam and his daughters and his parents in law happy. But I wasn't planning to step in as her surrogate. We were different people. So, I said, "Sam, can you let me have the wedding ring you wore so I know the size, and I will get a simple ring for you in that size, and I can get a simple ring for me. I will give you your old ring back after the wedding. Later, we can replace the simple rings with more meaningful rings." I knew he wanted to ask why, but I did not feel good wearing the rings he and his first wife had exchanged years ago. Finally, looking at me he decided that I felt strongly, and went and got his old ring and handed it to me. Then Irene took me aside and said, "Is it all right if I show Sam that picture, Helen." I said, "Yes." She handed him the phone and said, "Look at this Sam. Your girlfriend is a heroine." He picked it up and looked at it and looked at me and said, "You never told me about this, Helen." I said, "I'm sorry, Sam. I forgot." He read, "Blossom Miyamoto and Celia Berringer, shown above, noticed a teen girl, 'Amy Fletcher,' being dragged by a man through an alley just off the strip and gave chase. Blossom swung her purse and hit the man in the head, but he grabbed the purse and threw it aside and proceeded to choke her. Then Celia Berringer picked up a brick and hit him on the head several times. At that point, someone called the police." Bless him, he said nothing about Celia and I being whores. Then he said, "Wow. Good show, Helen. That took guts." At that, I blushed, and he stepped forward and took me in his arms and hugged me, while I buried my head in his chest." Irene said, "Yes, it did." 32. Marrying Sam xxxxx A few minutes later, Sam and Amos had to leave. Aunt Marge laid down for a nap, and Irene and I started to get dinner ready. My phone rang, and it was Lily. She said, "Helen. Are you at Sam's place?" I replied, "Uh, yeah. What's up?" She said, "I'm in the neighborhood. I wanted to talk to you about something. Is it OK to come by?" I replied, "I guess so. Sam's not here. Irene and I are just getting dinner going. We're a little late tonight. It's fine to come by." She said, "Good. We have Aiko's kids with us. Is that OK?" I said, "Sure. It'd be nice to see them again." She said, OK. Be there in a minute." I wondered what was going on, but it would be nice to see Lily and Aiko. But it was hard to envision how they and Aiko's kids happened to be up this far from Sparks on a dark Monday night in November. Exactly one minute later, the doorbell rang. I opened it, and Lily and Aiko and her kids and her mother were there. They yelled, "Surprise." And then came in. Lily hugged me and said, "God, it's so good to see you girl." I hugged her back and said, "Likewise, Lily." Then I turned to Aiko and hugged her and said, "Aiko, it's nice to see you." Then I turned to Aiko's mother and hugged her and said, "Hiroko, it's been a long time. How are you?" She said, "Better. My back pain has improved a lot. I understand you're getting married tomorrow. Congratulations." "Thank You," I said. Then I saw Irene standing there with her sleeves rolled up with a questioning look in her eyes. I said, "Irene, these are my good friends. This is Lily, the doctor I worked for in Sparks. And this is Aiko, Lily's sister, who is also the receptionist at her office, and her family. This is Aiko's mother, Hiroko. Everybody, this is Sam's Mother-in-Law, and someone I count as a friend, Irene. Irene said, "Why don't you all sit down. Can I make you some herb tea?" She shepherded Lily and Aiko's family into the dining room. Suddenly the doorbell rang again. I answered it and saw Celia and Arnie and some other people behind her. I said, "Oh, My God. Celia. It's nice to see you." And we hugged each other. I continued, "And you too Arnie. I hear you two are getting married. Congratulations. I wish you every happiness." Arnie hugged me and said, "You too, Helen. You're looking very, um, pregnant." I laughed. Then I turned to the other two people. It took me a minute to recognize them. I screamed, "Ally. My God. How are you? What are you doing in Reno?" The other woman was very tall, and it took a minute to recognize it was Cheryl. She said, "My God, Helen. Look at you. You look like you're doing well. Congratulations on your wedding. I hope you're happy." I hugged her and said, "I am. God, Cheryl. You look so good. How are you?" She said, "I'm good. I'm still dancing. Ally is dancing now too." I looked at her, and she said, "Yes. I heeded your advice and took some more training and finally made the B Team, and took some more training, and made the A-team." I said, "My God. Congratulations, Ally. I'm so happy for you." Ally said, "And I'm happy for you, Blossom. Celia said you found a great guy to marry. Congratulations. I hope your fianc? realizes what a wonderful girl he's getting. I'll be sure to tell him." Then another tall woman walked up the stairs. I recognized her immediately. I said, "Trudy? Is it really you Trudy? She walked up to me, and we hugged, and she said, "It's me all right. I understand you're going to be an honest woman now. Great. I have to say you were a miserable criminal. Couldn't stop doing good things." I laughed and said, "I'm so happy to see you, Trudy. How have you been? She said, "Well, I've been good. And I want you to meet someone. She called down the stairs and said, "Aldine, come on." A big strong good- looking guy came up the stairs carrying several packages. Turdy said, "I'd like you to meet my fianc?, Aldine." Aldine, this is my good friend Helen. I said, "It's great to meet you Aldine. Congratulations. You are engaged to a wonderful woman." He smiled and said "I know. She's great, isn't she? And congratulations to you on your marriage too." I said, "Come in, Come in, everyone." After I got in, I introduced everyone to Irene. She seemed to be impressed that all these women were old friends and had come to Reno to be at my wedding. Then the doorbell rang again, and I went to the door and there was Clarisse. She was as hesitant as I remembered her, so I made a big deal of greeting her and telling her how happy I was to see her. She said, "Well, Lily called and said she was sure you would like to see me at the wedding. And then Ken helped me get some cut-rate tickets for the two of us. I said, "Oh, Clarisse, I'm so happy you came." Then I asked, "How are you feeling, Clarisse? Lily says she is doing well. How about you?" She said, "I'm actually doing good. I and my cousin Cathy have become friends again. And my mother seems to be becoming more accepting. I and Ken went to see her once, and she was pleasant. Ken has shown himself to be a really good friend. Oh, I should let Ken in." Clarisse stepped aside and Ken walked in and hugged me and said, "Helen, it's so nice to see you again. Hey, have you thought about going to Thomas's wedding? He delayed it to April. I told him that I had run into Elvis's sister, and he made a point of saying he wanted you to come." I said, "April? I might be able to do that. Let's keep in touch." I organized a name game sort of thing. I started by saying, "I'm Helen." Then Lily said, "I'm Lily, and I'm a doctor. Helen worked for me, starting in June, and then accompanied me to Thailand. She's been a great employee and a great friend." Then Aiko, who pointed at me and said, "That's Helen. Then at Lily and said, "And that's ... um, I'll remember it, um, Oh yes, Lily, my sister." Everyone laughed. Then she continued. "I worked in my sister's doctor's office. Helen has been a good friend since I met her. She is hard-working and sweet and easy to work with. Even my father likes her, and that is saying something." Next, Hiroko said, "That's Helen, That's Lily, that's Aiko. I agree with my daughter. Helen is very sweet. The first time I met her was at a dinner at my daughters. I had hurt my back, and Helen made a point of sitting and talking with me while everyone else went out to the barbeque. I really appreciated it." Then Celia's turn. She stumbled on the Japanese names but made an honest effort. She said, "I met Helen in Las Vegas. We shared a motel room for a while, and then an apartment. When we met I was on drugs. And I had a serious attitude problem. I thought I could push Helen around. But she roughed me up when I did, which showed me that no one can push her around." Everybody laughed. Celia, "No, really. She's skinny but she can take care of herself. Anyway, Helen kept badgering me to straighten out. It took a few months, but eventually, I kicked the habit and got started on the rest of my life. So, I am happy that Helen has found a good man. If anyone deserves it, she does." At that, there was a lot of applause. Then Ally recounted how I had encouraged her to keep working on dance, and she did, and now she was a dancer. Then Cheryl, who recounted the story of our first tryout and how I had bucked her up when she was being attacked. Then Trudy, who introduced herself as being on the Las Vegas Police Force and said when she first met me, I was carrying an unregistered handgun and she took a chance and didn't arrest me. She agreed with Celia that I was much tougher than I looked and recounted the tale of how Celia and I had rescued a teen girl from the south strip rapist and then disabled him so the police could apprehend him. She also recounted how I had been a victim of rape and how I had shot the guy to keep from being killed. Next was Clarisse, who hesitantly identified herself as transgender and talked about how I had supported her in Thailand when she was going through SRS. And next Ken, who said he met me when I had called him and persuaded him to come back to Thailand and help Clarisse through the recovery from SRS. He finished, "I found out when I met her in person that she was the sister of my good friend in the army, Elvis Watson. Elvis was always a good friend, and his sister Hellen is also a good friend and a good person." That got applause. Then I noticed my Aunt Marge had gotten up. I went over to her and put my right arm behind her back and announced, "Everybody, I want you to meet my Aunt Marge. When my sister and I came home from Japan years ago without a mother, my aunt stepped in and helped my father raise us. She was always loving and gentle, and always had great advice. I love her dearly." That got a lot of applause too. Then the doorbell rang. I thought, 'What now.' I opened the door, and a woman I did not know said, "AAA Caterers." I said, "OK. Then Irene and Celia came over and showed them where to set up, and they served snacks and dinner and dessert. Celia had arranged this with Irene at lunch, and they had called Lily and gotten her involved. A half-hour later, Mitty and the twins came in. They came over, and Mitty said, "Who're all these people, Helen?" I said, "These are friends of mine. My friend Celia invited them to my wedding. Some of them have come hundreds of miles. It's wonderful. Let me introduce you around." Then, I introduced Mitty and Morgan and Madison to my guests in small groups. I said, "This is my younger sister, Mitsuko Phoebe Watson, and this is my fianc?'s daughters, Morgan and Madison. Mitsuko uses the nickname, Mitty. She just started attending Rosedale High School and is on the school soccer team. She is good at almost everything. Morgan and Madison are eight years old. They play soccer too and are in ballet, and they like school and have a lot of friends. They are very insightful for being so young." Several of my friends couldn't believe I was older than Mitty. Fortunately, Mitty decided that tonight she would not have any fun at my expense. Many of my friends complimented the three girls by saying they were very pretty, which made all three happy. After everyone had eaten, someone talked Cheryl into showing one of the dances that showgirls did. She twisted my arm and got me and Ally to help. I tried, I really tried. But with my 'giant baby,' it wasn't going to happen. Then Mitty jumped in and asked if she could try. After a little coaching, Mitty and Cheryl and Ally did a creditable cancan in the middle of the room. Morgan and Madison asked to do it too. It was great, with the women/girls linking arms around shoulders and backs and kicking their legs up. Cheryl even got them to do a turn while this was going on. I got a great video of the five of them doing the cancan and sent it to Sam. After the dance, I became aware that some other people had come in. I turned to see Sandra with an older couple. As soon as Morgan and Madison saw them, they ran up to the man and said, "Grandpa, did you see me dance?" He laughed and said, "I did, I did, you two did very well. What kind of dance was that?" Morgan said, "I don't know. Helen, what kind of dance was that?" I said, "That was a cancan, honey. And you did do it very well." Sandra said, "Helen, I would like to introduce Sam's and my parents, Wallace Perkins and Abigale White-Feather." I said, "Glad to meet you. I'm Helen Watson." I looked at Abigail. Somehow, I doubted I would ever call her Abby. She was blond and blue-eyed, with absolutely no features suggestive of an American Indian background. I wondered where she had gotten the last name. Then she told me, "I adopted the name 'White-Feather' when I was married, rather than take my husband's name as prescribed by our patriarchal society. It seemed much more important to express solidarity with an oppressed minority." Well, I could understand sympathy with an oppressed minority, but I doubted that adopting a vaguely American Indian sounding name expressed in English was a good way to express such sympathy. But that was not for me to say. Then Abigail said, "Do you think it is wise to teach my 8-year-old granddaughters a sexist dance intended to appeal to male lust?" I was a bit taken aback, and replied, "They were just having fun. Dance, movement, is fun, and it is a healthy exercise. And I doubt whether a couple of 8- year-old girls wearing jeans will appeal to male lust." She said, "Maybe, maybe not. But it does give them permission to go on to more degrading and suggestive behavior in the future." I just shook my head. I didn't want to argue with my future mother-in-law, but that seemed crazy to me. Fortunately, Wallace broke in and said, "We're sorry we didn't call ahead. Sandra suggested we come down and meet Sam's betrothed. We also wanted to check and see if your dowry was adequate." Then he laughed. Sandra and Abigail rolled their eyes. I quickly caught on that this was a joke on me and a dig at Sandra and her mother's political correctness. How could he get away with it? So, I laughed with him and said, "Hmm, what kind of dowry are you looking for?" He said, "Oh, a few million should do it." I replied, "Oops, I don't have that. How about I just promise to give him and your granddaughters all my love?" He laughed and said, "That's good enough for me." I said, "This is a surprise party. Many good friends came to Reno to wish me their best at my wedding. Can I introduce you around?" Wallace said sure, and Sandra and Abigail tagged alone. It was clear that Sandra had thoroughly briefed her parents on my former profession. From my introductions, they deduced that Ally and Celia were former escorts. Abigail made subtle comments to them that they had disgraced themselves by engaging in degrading behavior with men. Ally seemed to be hurt by the comments, but I think Celia would have smacked her if she hadn't had to worry about killing an old lady. When I introduced them to Cheryl, Abigail told her, "You ought to be doing dances that express feminine strength and a struggle against the patriarchy, rather than dances that appeal to men." I finally had it at that, and said, "Abigail, Maam, it is not your place to be criticizing my friends. What they do or believe is frankly none of your business. I have not told you my opinion of your choice of last name because it is not my business. Similarly, I want you to refrain from expressing negative opinions of my friends and me. I'm sure your parents must have told you that if you can't say something nice, then don't say anything at all." I was shaking with anger at that point, and I think Abigail could see it. She said, lamely, "Well, I'm just trying to help them do the right thing." I responded, "And what makes you think you know the right thing?" She said, "Well, modern scholarship has identified that the culture of the west was racist and sexist and indicated how we should deal with it." I responded, "Excuse me. That is bullshit. Yes, there has been and is racial prejudice in the west. I have experienced it. You haven't. But it is getting better. And I know from personal experience that many other societies indulge in racial prejudice, so it is not a peculiarity of western civilization. And there has been oppression of women by men in the west. But it is getting better. And it also occurs in many societies. I would hazard that when people encounter each other, there is a tendency of the stronger to be, well, stronger, and to some extent to be dominant. I know that is not fair. But it does not mean that every member of the stronger group is an oppressor, and is evil, and it does not mean that every member of the weaker group is innocent and entitled to sympathy. It is unfair to paint every western male as evil. The US is not a uniquely evil society. As for this supposed scholarship, most of it is agenda- driven lunacy, an attempt to justify preconceived ideas based on poorly- thought-out assumptions." At that, Cheryl clapped her hands and said, "Thank you, Helen." But I was on a roll now, and said to Abigail, "Now, you will be my mother- in-law." I turned to Sandra, "And you will be my sister-in-law. I will give you both all possible respect. I want to have a good relationship with you both. But I will not be intimidated, and I will not be bullied, and I will not sit still while my American friends and family are intimidated and bullied. You can either resign yourself to behaving like civilized human beings or leave me and my friends and family alone. I don't care which. Then I walked away. I felt awful, arguing with Sam's family. I knew it could result in their persuading Sam to call off the wedding. But I couldn't tolerate this kind of behavior for the next 40 years. When I went into the kitchen, I found Irene looking for some bowls for the caterers. She turned around, and hugged me and said, "Way to go Helen. Those two bitches made my daughter's life miserable when she was alive. She never said anything because she loved Sam so much. But I always thought she should draw a line and stick with it. I'm glad you seem to be doing that. Maybe their behavior will improve a little although I doubt it. They are way too doctrinaire in their dedication to this political correctness stuff." I smiled and thanked her and returned her hug. I learned later that Sandra and Abigail had gotten their coats and started to leave, but Wallace had told them, "No Way. I'm here to spend some time with my granddaughters and to get to know my future daughter-in-law. Feel free to wait for me in the car." The two women had gone out to the car for a while and had called Sam and told him what a bitch I was. Apparently, he had said, "Mom, Helen is very sweet, but you can't intimidate her. She will do what she thinks is right. If you want a relationship, you will have to meet her halfway." Then he laughed and said, "You should know that the reason Helen is pregnant is that she was raped. She got away from the guy who did it by stabbing him and then took out a pistol she kept in her purse and shot him in the ass, and then held him at gunpoint and called the police. She's not a woman you want to mess with." After a half-hour, Sandra and Abigail came back into the house and talked to Morgan and Madison and Wallace. All the other guests had heard about what had happened and avoided them like the plague. Sandra and Abigail didn't come over and apologize or try to talk to me further. OK with me. However, I was ruining my own party for myself by being so angry. So, I decided to calm myself and ignore Sandra and Abigail if I could. For the rest of the evening, I concentrated on spending as much time talking with friends as I could. At about ten, I and Irene got the twins to bed. At 11, Mitty was showing signs of being tired and I prevailed on Ken to walk with me and Mitty down to the outbuilding so she could get to sleep. On the way back, Ken talked me into going to Thomas's wedding if I possibly could. Somewhere in there, Sam's parents and Sandra left. At about two, the party broke up. It had been a great night. I helped Irene clean up and then walked down to the outbuilding so Mitty wouldn't be alone. I tried to read the material I needed to read for the driving test but fell asleep before I got far. I woke up at 5 AM and decided to stay awake and read for the test. At 7, I walked up to the house. Everyone was still asleep. I made coffee and got some cereal and a banana and ate it for breakfast. Then I found Aunt Marge's key to the transporter and drove to the driving license examiner's office. I got caught in morning rush-hour traffic, but still had a few minutes to read before the test. I managed to pass the written portion of the test. Then I waited for an examiner who could take me out and observe my driving. That didn't start until 9:45. I did get a passing score. The examiner said I seemed very experienced, surprising for someone so young. I didn?t argue. But there was a glitch. I had forgotten about insurance. So, they gave me a temporary license. They would make a permanent license if I came back and showed I had insurance within a month. OK, I wasn?t sure how, but I would find a way. I thought again, ?I really need to get back to work.? Then I drove home, getting there about 11. Irene had cooked pancakes for Mitty and the twins and Aunt Marge, who was having a hard time recovering from last night. I walked in, and Mitty asked where I had been, and I told everyone I had gotten up early to study and taken my driver?s license exam and showed everybody my temporary license and explained that I needed insurance. Irene said, ?You should get on Sam?s insurance, Helen. Maybe all of you can.? It was something to think about. Aunt Marge said, ?I think if we can swing it, Mitty and I should have our own. I don?t want to be too big a burden.? I knew what she meant. Well, we would think about that after the wedding. Then it struck me, Mitty and the twins were home, on a Tuesday. I said, ?What about school?? Morgan said, ?Daddy said we could stay home today because it was such a big day.? Mitty laughed and said, ?Yeah, Daddy said we could stay home.? I said, ?OK, how about soccer practice?? Mitty said, ?I have a wedding to attend. I?m going to be someone?s maid of honor. I don?t remember, who was it? Oh, that?s right; it was you. I?m going to be your maid of honor.? I said, ?OK, OK, I won?t badger you about soccer practice.? She said, ?Good. Do you want to see the dresses I and Morgan and Madison got?? I said, ?Absolutely. And I bet Irene and Aunt Marge do too. So Mitty and Morgan and Madison gave us a fashion show. Mitty had very sensibly bought a party dress in Ivory that sort of looked like a maid of honor dress. It was knee-length. In my opinion, it was a little short. And it showed more cleavage than I would have liked. But I freely admit I had seen young women wear similar dresses to church, so who was I to say? And fortuitously, it would look good alongside my wedding dress. I wondered if Aunt Marge was up to objecting if she had thought it was too short. I knew Mitty wouldn?t listen to me. The days were over when I was the responsible older brother and friend whose opinion she would listen to respectfully. Now I was a girl who looked 14 who used to be a boy. What did I know? I enjoyed being with my sister and respected her, but our relationship was often strained since I got back. I was sure it would get better, but maybe not soon. The twins? dresses were like Mitty?s. There was lots of lace, and the length was above the knee. Of course, the younger girls? dresses were full length on top, and the twins would be wearing new tights, so nothing was at all revealing. Morgan?s was light blue, and Madison?s was pink, and both were very feminine. I told all the girls that I loved the dresses, and Irene and Aunt Marge agreed. And I complimented Mitty on sensible choices, which made her happy. Then I told Mitty, ?Aunt Marge has an appointment with an oncologist at 2. I assume you want to go?? She said, ?You bet I do.? Then I said, ?While we?re out, I need to pick up my dress and stop by a jewelry store and get a ring for Sam, and a small ring for myself, which Sam can replace later.? Irene said, ?Helen, Sam said you were loath to use the ring that Sam gave to my daughter, even temporarily. But I know my daughter wouldn?t mind. She was a warm and generous woman, and she would not object to Sam giving it to another woman he loved after she was no longer here. And it seems so foolish to buy a temporary ring. The only problem I can see is that it is probably a little big for you. But you could get one of those ring size adjustors to make it fit for now. I said, ?Are you sure your daughter wouldn?t have minded?? Irene said, ?I?m sure. My daughter was a warm, wonderful girl, err woman. She would be happy that something she owned could be used again to make Sam happy. And the twins and I talked about it and agreed that we would be happy if Sam gave it to you. I said, ?Well, then what can I say? I will proudly wear your daughter?s ring temporarily. But I do want to give Sam a ring from me.? Irene said, ?Of course, I understand that.? Before we left, Sam and Amos came home from the bachelor?s party, and we spent a few minutes comparing notes. They looked like they?d had a very good time last night, although this morning might not be very good. Sam mentioned his call from Sandra and her mother and his response. Then he apologized for his mother, and said, ?Her blind spot is that she can?t conceive how any moral person could disagree with her idea of what was moral. That makes her rigid and prone to want to impose thought control. But, at heart, my sister and mother are good people, and I am sure they will accept you as you are eventually.? I wasn?t so sure, but I remained silent. Sam and Amos said they wanted to take naps. I asked Sam when they had gotten to sleep, and he said, ?Huh.? Apparently, Sam and his friends stayed up all night. I told Sam I would call them to make sure they were up by 3:30. He nodded. Irene told Amos she would be taking the big truck and driving me and Mitty and our Aunt, and Morgan and Madison out to see an oncologist and to a jewelry store and then to pick up our dresses. We would take our other wedding clothes and meet them at the church if it seems like we can?t get back by 3:30. Amos said, ?Sure, I?ll catch a ride in with Sam if necessary. We?ll be on time. Don?t worry.? So, all of us girls put together a bag with everything we needed tonight and got into Amos and Irene?s large truck and headed off to Reno. It was about 12:30 by now, and Irene stopped at a mall where there was a nice jewelry store. I had planned to just buy Sam a men?s gold band with maybe a little decoration on it, nothing too fancy. I didn?t have the money for fancy. But I ran across a gold band that had the Japanese ideogram for love on it several times around the band. It required the lines in the ideogram to be etched extremely finely, and it appeared to have been done with a laser and then have black ink of some sort rubbed into the symbols. Aside from the symbols, the surface was smooth with some roughening on the edges. I fell in love with the ring and just had to have it for Sam. It cost $300, which I didn?t want to spend, but I decided it was worth it. I called Mitty over and showed her the said, ?See that symbol. Do you know what it means?? She shook her head, and I said, ?That is the Japanese symbol for love.? I sort of expected her to say ?whatever,? but she seemed impressed. She asked, ?Do you remember Japanese writing, Helen?? I said, ?A few symbols. Our mother used to write that symbol on cards she gave to us on special occasions. Do you remember?? She shook her head and looked so sad I reached out and hugged her. She said, ?I should take Japanese when I get into a school that gives classes. Maybe in college. The high school doesn?t. I looked.? Then Morgan and Madison came over, and Madison asked what we were looking at. I showed her the ring and told her the symbol Japanese and meant Love. The twins seemed impressed too. Then Aunt Marge and Irene came over, and Irene asked if I?d found what I wanted. I showed them the ring and told them what the symbol meant. Aunt Marge said, ?Oh, Helen, it's beautiful, and perfect for the occasion.? So, I charged it. I also bought a ring size reducer so I could wear the wedding ring Sam would be giving to me. The clerk asked if I wanted the rings to be gift-wrapped, and I said, ?No, I?ll be giving it to my husband tonight.? He looked a little surprised but smiled and said, ?Congratulations.? Then we decided we had time for some coffee. The twins had hot chocolate. All of us had a roll for lunch. I hadn?t had breakfast, so the croissant tasted very good. Then we hustled to Aunt Marge?s appointment. They let Mitty and I go to the exam room with Aunt Marge. Aunt Marge told the doctor about her medical history, and the doctor did a thorough exam, including chest x rays. The doctor said that she might still recommend radiation therapy, but she wanted to get an MRI and some blood tests. He also wanted to get medical records from the doctor in Tempah and a thorough series of medical tests. Then I remembered the blood draws Lily had taken. Somehow, we had never heard about those. I mentioned to the doctor that we had had an exam last week where they had taken some blood draws, but I hadn?t gotten the results yet. He said, ?Who?s the doctor. I told them Lily?s name, and he said he would have his nurse give her a call. I told him that her practice was temporarily closed, but I had her home number because I had once worked for her as a receptionist and was her friend. He said, ?OK, give her a call. It will save money and provide valuable information today.? I called Lily and asked about the blood tests, and she apologized all over for not getting back to me and said she would send them to the oncologist immediately. I said ?No Problem. A lot is going on. Thanks, and we?ll see you soon.? Lily replied, ?Right. Soon.? Then the doctor went through the treatment options. Aunt Marge still occasionally got confused, so Mitty and I asked lots of questions to make sure everything was clear. We decided to wait to decide on farther treatment. The results of the blood tests at Lily?s office were received, and the doctor agreed that it would be good to cut that one medication in half for now. Then the doctor said Aunt Marge was lucky to have two nieces looking out for her. We made an appointment next week for an MRI and another appointment with the doctor the week after that to discuss where to go from there. As we left, I told the clerk that I couldn?t give her insurance information now, but I would have it next week. She had to call her manager, who talked to the doctor, and she agreed. Then she said, the doctor never refused treatment for ability to pay, but she had to ask her. That made me feel even better about this doctor. In the truck, I asked Aunt Marge and Mitty what they thought, and Mitty said she thought this doctor was compassionate and knowledgeable, and Aunt Marge agreed. I told them I also had a good feeling about this doctor. It was three o clock, so I called Sam and let it ring until he answered. He sounded groggy. I said, ?Sam, I?m sorry to wake you, but you need to get ready and get yourself to the church on time. He laughed and said he had already been awake, and I didn?t need to worry; he wouldn?t miss it for the world. That made me feel better. Then we went to the shop where we got my wedding dress. The dress was ready. I tried it on, and it fit fine. That was a relief. My aunt hugged me and said I was a beautiful bride. I said, ?Thanks. But I feel pregnant, not beautiful.? Aunt Marge laughed and said, ?Many men think pregnant women are very beautiful.? I laughed and said, ?Well, I hope Sam is one of them.? Irene said, ?Helen. Sam loves you. For four years he has been morose, almost depressed. The only thing he cared for was his daughters. When he came back from the trip to Las Vegas last Spring, I noticed a difference. And since Thailand, he has been a different man. I think you are the reason.? I turned red at that, and cried and thanked Irene. Then I paid for the dress, and we headed to the church. We got to the church at 4:15. Sam wasn?t there yet. I walked into the chapel and was surprised to see a flower display in the front. It turned out these were a gift from Irene and Amos. I thanked Irene profusely. That was very sweet. And although Irene said they weren?t a big thing I gave her a big hug. I guess I was more emotional than usual. Then I went and found Pastor Laura and told her that we were here. She looked at me and said, ?I?m glad. You have lots to do, Helen.? I introduced my sister and aunt, and the twins, and Irene. I asked if there was a room where we could get ready?? Laura invited us to use a large room off the chapel. We hauled our clothing to that room, and all busied ourselves putting them on. Then I put my makeup on at a mirror on the wall. If there was anything good about my time as an escort, it was that I had learned to put on makeup. My sister said, ?Wow, that?s a good job, Helen. Can you help me do the same thing?? It was easy, like working on a replica of myself. In the meantime, Irene and Aunt Marge were helping the twins put on their dresses. Irene also put a little makeup on them, so their natural beauty would shine in the bright lights of the chapel. I had bought some pearls for the three girls and put them in my sister?s hair and the twin?s hair. Then I put the pearl Tiera on my head. Aunt Marge came over and fixed a smear in my mascara and straightened out a spot where my hair was out of place. Then she smiled and said, ?Now you?re perfect, Helen.? I could feel tears starting to form, so I just said thanks. Then Mitty asked if Aunt Marge could check her too. It was now 4:45. I said, ?I wonder if Sam and Amos are there. Then I started to walk toward the door. Mitty grabbed me and said, ?Oh, no, you don?t. The bride is not supposed to show up until the wedding starts. I?ll check.? Mitty left and returned 5 minutes later. She said, ?Yep, Sam and Amos are there, Helen. There?s a lot of people. It?s amazing.? I asked, ?More than last night?? She said, ?Lots more. There?s a bunch of Mexican men and women there. And some chick my age called me Helen. She was surprised I was your sister. Her name is Amy. And I think there?s a bunch of guys and their families from Sam?s University.? That made me nervous. I had a vision of me slipping on the train of my dress on the way down the aisle. I was thankful the dress was just floor length, not longer. Then Pastor Laura came in and said, ?It?s time, ladies. Follow me.? I now was very nervous and wondered how I had ever gotten into this situation. But I tailed along. Damn, the place was packed. Where had all these people come from? We formed a little group at the back. Some music came on. Where had that come from? I didn?t recall discussing that. First, the pastor walked to the front. Then Sam and Wallace and Abigail and Sandra. Sam took a position next to the pastor, and his parents and his sister walked up to the front and took a seat. Next, Mitty and Jeff walked down and took up position on either side of Sam and the pastor. Then the girls walked down the aisle, tossing flower petals ahead of them. Finally, I and Aunt Marge came slowly down the aisle together. It took forever. I had on 2-inch heels so I naturally would walk slower than usual, but this was excruciatingly slow. Finally, I got there and stood with Aunt Marge before the pastor. Pastor Laura next said a prayer that ended with, ?Who gives this woman to this man in marriage?? Aunt marge winked at me at the word woman and I almost broke out in laughter. Then she said, ?Her father, Alan Watson, who is looking on from heaven, and I, her Aunt Marge, who raised her.? Then she placed my left hand in Sam?s and sat down with Irene and Amos. Next, the pastor said, ?We are met here today to join this woman, Helen Watson, and this man, Sam Perkins, in holy matrimony. If anyone has any objection, speak now or forever hold your peace.? I looked out and half expected Sandra or Abigail to jump up and make some objection, but they just sat there with stony expressions. Then the pastor gave a religious message and at the end gave the traditional comment about love that had always brought tears to my eyes even when I had been Elvis. ?Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self- seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.? Next, the pastor said a prayer and then invited us to make our vows. Sam said, ?Helen, I, Sam Perkins, promise to cherish and respect you, to care for you and protect you, to comfort and support you, and stay with you alone, for all the time that God gives us.? In return I said, ?Sam, I, Helen Watson, promise to care for you and your daughters and to build a happy family with you, to stay with you alone, and to give you my patience, concern and encouragement, in poorness and in plenty, in health and in sickness, in triumph and in failure, so long as we both shall live.? Then the pastor said, ?Now, with the authority vested in me by the state of Nevada and by God, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife.? Then she said, ?you two may kiss each other now.? Sam gave me a tender kiss, and I returned it enthusiastically. The music started again, the girls preceded us down the aisle throwing more petals, and Sam and I walked back down the aisle as husband and wife. I realized that I was starting to cry and tried to suppress it. After the wedding, Sam and I greeted our guests on the lawn of the church, while they were setting up the chapel for the clinic. I met some of Sam?s fellow professors and their families and one or two of his research students. And I introduced Sam to all my friends who had been at the party the night before. Another person that was there was Amy Fletcher. She told me she had to sneak away from a school event to come. I asked, ?How did you know I was getting married.? She replied, ?It was on the Episcopal Church?s web site. My father keeps track of everything that goes on in the churches in Reno and Sparks.? Then she stated the obvious, ?You?re pregnant. My father was right.? I said, ?Yes I?m pregnant. But I doubt if your father knows why or how. If you want, the next time we meet I will tell you all about it.? She looked at me. She was in a difficult position, going against her father. Finally, she said, ?OK. Congratulations on your marriage, Helen. Talk to you later.? I finished by saying, ?Thank You for Coming, Amy. I?m happy to see you.? Then I introduced her to Sam, and they said a few brief words. Another group of guests were patients of the clinic where I volunteered with Lily, including the family of the man whom I had helped after the heart attack. We hugged and promised to keep in touch. The man who had had the heart attack told Sam the story and told Sam he was a lucky man. Sam said, ?I know that I am lucky, for many reasons.? Then he hugged me. Finally, the wedding was over. I changed out of my wedding dress. Even though I had planned on volunteering at the clinic, Aiko had insisted on doing the receptionist job so I could go to post-wedding events. She was a great friend. Irene had planned a reception dinner at a restaurant in a casino. She had booked almost the entire restaurant. The food was good, and the company was even better. Sam and I didn?t eat much, being busy making the rounds and talking to friends. When that was over, Sam took me to a nice room in a Casino in Reno. I changed back into the casual clothes I had worn during the day. But Sam was back in jeans, so we matched. I guess some brides pack a special outfit for leaving the wedding. But this had happened so fast that I hadn?t gotten to that. I found out that Irene had packed me a nighty, so I had all the essentials. Sam asked if I wanted to gamble or anything. I told him, ?No, I?ve been on a lucky streak. I don?t want to test it too far. So, we just went up to the room Sam had booked and went to bed. Sam had ordered some Champaign. I drank a small glass. After all, it was my wedding. Then we went to bed. As always, Sam was a wonderful lover. We woke up at 10 AM, took a shower, and went to breakfast. They had a very nice buffet, and I ate a small plate. I still didn?t have much of an appetite, but I was slowly gaining weight. Then we drove back to Sam?s home. I was now a married woman. How the hell had that happened? When we got home, Mitty and the twins were kicking a soccer ball around, Amos was working on finishing some projects in the yard, and Irene and Aunt Marge were cleaning up after a big breakfast. One thing we did that day was to move all my clothes from the outbuilding to Sam?s room. It would be nice not to have to hide my sleeping with Sam. Aunt Marge and I also insisted that Mitty move to the small vacant room that I had been using part-time. It would be much safer than Mitty being a hundred yards away from everyone else by herself. Besides I wanted to be as much a part of her life as I could for the rest of the time she was in high school. Amos and Irene decided they would move back to Florida after Thanksgiving. Irene told me that I and Aunt Marge would be the ladies of the house then, so we needed to learn everything we could about the house and decide on a routine with all the children. I wasn?t sure I was ready for all that responsibility. I was glad for Aunt Marge, yet again. 33. My New Life xxxxx I had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I was married to a man I dearly loved. And it was the first time I had been home for the holidays for seven years, with my Aunt and Sister, and with my husband. Even Sandra and Abigail couldn?t dampen my happiness, although they did constantly natter about how meaningless Thanksgiving was as a holiday, celebrating an antiquated patriarchal belief system. I couldn?t argue with them about that, although I did mention that that belief system had brought happiness and comfort to millions through the ages and had been a prime genesis of change that had led to the (admittedly incomplete) equality between races and genders we have today. After that, I ignored them and focused on my family and Sam and his daughters who seemed to want to enjoy each other. This day was to prove a template for many subsequent family holidays. Irene and My Aunt did most of the cooking, although I helped with cooking and cleaning up as much as I could. I tried to spend a lot of time with Morgan and Madison, playing games, watching young girl?s videos. I found Mitty there a lot too. Morgan and Madison were very happy children, and we found ourselves often laughing uproariously with them in front of comedy videos. Of course, I also tried to spend as much time as I could with Sam. After Thanksgiving, Irene and Amos packed up, moved most of their stuff from the rooms they had occupied in the main house down to the outbuilding, and drove off in their truck towing a trailer on the way to Florida. I would miss them both, especially Irene, who was a much better person than Sandra had described to me when I had first met her. They would return in April and spend the Summer. The oncologist decided it would be advisable to give Aunt Marge the radiation therapy she had deferred the previous year. That meant she went several months where she was very tired all the time, so I needed to be available for the twins in the mornings. And in the evenings, I let myself be talked into assisting Mitty?s soccer coach a couple of nights a week. Consequently, I could only work half time. Luckily, Sam?s professorship paid well. Lily restarted her practice and said she could use me four hours during the day. I appreciated it for the opportunity to earn a little money of my own. I also enjoyed getting to work with Aiko and Lily again. My days became very busy. I was up at 7 to get Mitty and the twins off to school. Then I drove to Reno to work four hours. Then I drove home in time to be there when the twins came home from school. I was often early enough to make a start on dinner. And a couple of times a week I brought the twins with me and helped with Mitty?s soccer practice. Then I would rush home to finish dinner. But Sam frequently was late himself. He had classes to prepare and research to do and students to monitor. We all missed him when he was late. But we managed. The weekends were freer, except that I often helped coach at one of Mitty?s soccer games Friday night or Saturday morning. They were a pretty good team and won their share of games. I had to prove myself to the players, which was difficult because I couldn?t play at all, being too pregnant. But I guess I showed enough knowledge of soccer that the players soon believed I knew something worth teaching. I got to know the other girls on the team well and became good friends with several. One game we were playing a team from a school in the center of Reno, and I saw Rosemary on the other team. After the game and after the girls greeted the other team, I said to her, ?Hi, Rosemary.? She gave me a blank stare. Finally, she said, ?It seems like I ought to know you, but I can?t remember how.? She had no memory of me. At first, I couldn?t figure out why. It finally occurred to me that the spell that erased Celia and me from Mobsters? memories must somehow have affected a wide circle of people with connections to the Mob, and that included Rosemary and probably her mother and Danno. I had given some thought to calling Rosemary and inviting her to my wedding. Now I was glad I hadn?t. Later I saw her talking to Mitty and the two laughing together. I asked Mitty later what that was about, and she said, ?That girl asked if I was related to you. She referred to you as the Japanese girl with ?swelly belly? syndrome. That struck me as funny. She said she knew you from somewhere but couldn?t remember where.? I laughed at that, but Rosemary and I had been good friends before, and I would miss that. On Christmas eve, I was the one cooking the family dinner. Aunt Marge tried to help, but still really wasn?t up to it. But at least she could advise me on the menu. Mitty was visiting a soccer friend but would be back for dinner and opening presents. Sam helped me lift things around. It still felt strange not to be able to lift anything heavy at all, and I really appreciated Sam being there. That was when I knew he loved me. He could tell me a million times, but the fact that he gave up his time to help me was wonderful, and I did my best to show him how I felt. Everything was a little more difficult because Sandra and Abigail had decided to adopt a vegan lifestyle and made it clear in telephone calls that they expected vegan food options. I went on the internet and found recipes that sounded good for a vegan dish with lentils and for vegan and I did my best to make them. Sam had laughed and said that if they wanted special food, then they should bring it themselves. But I wanted the best relationship I could with Sandra and Abigail, so I decided to try my best to have good food for everybody. When I wasn?t cooking, I tried to spend time with the twins. They were nervous with excitement. We watched TV together, played board games, and I helped them make some cookies. We had a marvelous time. In the meantime, Sam watched a football game by himself. He had always watched sports with Amos. Now he was the only boy in the house. So, when I wasn?t cooking or doing something with the girls, I watched sports with him. I remembered, as Elvis, sitting watching sports and being enthralled. Now it wasn?t nearly as big a thrill. But I was able to contribute some semi-intelligent comments. Sam finally said, ?You know, Helen, sometimes I forget your background. Did you play football?? I said, ?No, I wasn?t big enough. But I threw the ball a lot with friends. Football was big in Texas.? He laughed and said, ?Someday you and I will have to throw the ball around, see if you still have it.? I laughed and said, ?Have what? I guarantee I can?t throw the football very far.? About three, Mitty showed up and helped me get the ham and vegan dish out of the oven. I had also prepared some beans and pecans, some mashed potatoes made with almond milk and vegetable oil. For snacks, I put out chopped veggies, some cut pineapple, and some nuts and vegan cookies. And I had made my own favorite snack, deviled eggs, with some advice from Aunt Marge. Those were definitely not vegan. About four, Sandra and Sam?s parents arrived, and I served dinner. At first, Sandra and Abigail seemed pleased that there were vegan options on the table. But they quizzed me closely about what I had put in the vegan dishes. They seemed to think one ingredient might have an animal product in it. I finally threw up my hands and said, ?Look, I got the recipe off a vegan website. I followed it as exactly as I could. If it?s not good enough, well, there?s nothing I can do. I?ll try harder next time.? I was near tears. Sam apparently realized it, and said, ?Mom, Helen?s been cooking since 9 this morning and made a point of making what she believes is tasty vegan food for you and Sandra. Please enjoy it for now and don?t worry whether it is 99% Vegan or 100%. We?ll sort that out if we ever make the dish again.? Wallace laughed and said, ?I have been looking forward to ham for a week. But I guess I can try the vegan dish too.? I think that pushed Abigail into at least trying the dish. Apparently, she thought it was OK because she ate all she took. The only one who did not try a little of the vegan dish was Sandra, who ate a bunch of nuts and veggies for dinner. After dinner, I and Mitty cleaned up. Mitty spent a lot of time being mad about the rude behavior of Sandra and Abigail. I couldn?t blame her, but I finally told her that it wasn?t going to change. Being mad about it just made us unhappy. She said, ?But if nothing changes, we will have to put up with them for years. What can we do?? I said, ?Well, for now, I will just have to put up with it. I will try to establish a better relationship as time goes along.? Mitty said, ?Why should it fall on you to do the work of making things better. You are not the problem. They are.? I agreed, but said, ?Life isn?t fair. But it will be far better if I work toward maintaining a good relationship. It is very important to Sam and Morgan and Madison. It will even be better for you and me and Aunt Marge. Fighting is not good for us.? Mitty smiled and said, ?Now you?re starting to think like Aunt Marge.? I said, ?Yes, and Aunt Marge was a wonderful mother. So, I will continue thinking like Aunt Marge. Thank You for the compliment.? We both laughed. When we finished, we went out, and the family opened presents. Abigail was Santa Claus. We only distributed presents from the larger family. Sam and I agreed we would open presents within our new immediate family tomorrow morning. Morgan and Madison had objected, being used to getting a slew of presents all at once on Christmas Eve. Most of the presents were from Sam?s parents to Morgan and Madison on Christmas Eve. There were lots of electronics and lots of books, most of them slanted to the left, but none as heavy-handed as they might have been. They also got some clothing. Morgan and Madison loved new clothes. Sam got several books that were a mix of science and politics. Maybe he would read them, although I doubted it. They didn?t get anything for my aunt, which I could understand. But they didn?t get anything for Mitty either. I guess they didn?t know her well. I would have to find a way to make it up to her. For me, they got two books called ?The Moral Vegan Diet? and ?American Capitalist Greed: How White Capitalism leads to Oppression of Sexual, Gender, and Racial Minorities.? Sandra quizzed me on whether I would discard it without reading, and I promised I would look at it and read it if it had anything other than anecdotal evidence from true believers. I gave Sandra a scarf I had bought at an import store that I thought would look great on her, and I gave Abigail a subscription to ?Consumer?s Reports on Health,? a magazine that at least tries to discuss diet and health using hard science. I gave Wallace a book on ?The Darwin awards? that Sam had said he never saw around his parents? house. And Aunt Marge, Mitty, and I, with help from the twins, had shopped for jewelry that we thought Sam?s parents and sister would like. Wallace got a new watchband, (We had noticed that his current band was frayed), Sandra got some colorful earrings, and Abigail got a nice neckless. And we had baked Sam?s family some cookies that were specifically Vegan. Although Wallace made a big deal of how much he liked his presents, Sandra and Abigail were less demonstrative. Would I ever understand those two? After getting my ?political sensitivity? presents, I gave Sandra and Abigail a book called ?Fashionable Nonsense,? by Alan Sokal. That book discussed an episode in the ?90s where a physicist sent some papers to a leftist magazine saying that physics could be better done using some vaguely described leftist approach. The magazine had published it without understanding it, and without even checking references or getting any reviews. Of course, the article was a spoof by the author. The point was that supposed left-wing thought presented in any number of periodicals was not hard scholarship. I asked them if they would read this book since I had promised to look at the books they had given me. Abigail said she would. Sandra was noncommittal. Why did I do this? Would it be better to pay lip service to the things Sandra and Abigail were promoting, but ignore it otherwise? That would have been more likely to keep the peace. But it would have been a lie. I had had to lie many times before, but I had never liked it. And this lie would have denied a part of me that I valued, a dedication to using rational methods to discern truth. I strongly felt that most of the stuff they were promoting was nonsense. Some of it might make sense, but I wasn?t going to have the entire package pushed on me. Even though I looked like a pregnant 15-year-old girl I just felt I had to maintain my values. Wallace and Sandra and Abigail left a little early. I felt sorry for Sam. He wanted very badly for his family and me to get along. I vowed to find a way to have a friendly relationship with Sandra and Abigail. Maybe I should be willing to let the two of them say whatever they wanted without any comment and keep my opinion to myself. But what kind of example would that set for Mitty and Morgan and Madison? Argh. Why couldn?t life be easier? Every Christmas, Aunt Marge called her four children and wished them Merry Christmas. This Christmas, Aunt Marge, and I, and Mitty got together in Aunt Marge?s room to plan our story before the call. The main problem was how to explain the disappearance of Elvis and the appearance of Helen. I hardly knew the older two children, and except for the Christmas phone calls, I don?t think Aunt Marge ever talked to them. The violence in Aunt Marge?s marriage had damaged both older kids, so both had had substance abuse problems. Because of that, they might not even remember that Elvis existed. But Aunt Marge didn?t think they would be that unaware. So, we had to have a plan in case they remembered Elvis. We decided that Aunt Marge would just tell them that she and Mitty had moved to Colorado to live with Helen, and if they asked about Elvis, she could tell them that he had disappeared, and she hoped he was all right, And if they pressed on with ?Who is Helen,? she could say that Helen was another child who had stayed in Japan with our grandfather when Elvis returned to Texas and only recently had moved to the states. Then we discussed Aunt Marge?s younger two children, Zak and Linda. After a discussion, we decided to use the same approach with them, even though they would be very likely to question who Helen was. In fact, I was sure that Zak would ask. He had interacted with Elvis a lot and would surely remember that one of the children was a boy. Aunt Marge first called her oldest child, a man named Bruce. He had had alcohol problems, like his father, and had spent a few years in prison for assault. He was now out and was living with a woman with two children and supporting her as best he could on a custodian?s wage. Aunt Marge had a nice conversation with him, and he finally asked her what she was doing. Aunt Marge said that she had moved to Reno with Helen and Mitty. Bruce asked, ?Who the hell is Helen?? Aunt Marge told him that I was another of her brother?s children and that I had recently moved to Reno with my new husband. It was lucky that I had a big enough house for her and Mitty because they just lost the house that Alan had owned because of medical debts. Bruce seemed to accept that. In the end, Aunt Marge had a nice conversation with Bruce, and all of us were happy that he seemed to be getting his life together. Next Aunt Marge called her second-oldest, a man named Neil. Neil had had the same sort of problems as Bruce, but his drug of choice was heroin. He spent over ten years strung out. He did not remember that he had a cousin named Elvis, and readily accepted that Helen had been there all along and had no problem with his mother moving in with Helen. However, he did ask if we had room for one more. I shook my head, but my Aunt had already said, ?No, we live in a small place, and Helen?s new husband has a couple of young kids, and he wouldn?t be very happy with someone with a severe addiction to heroin moving in. He got the message. I guess of the two older boys; Bruce was in far better shape. Then Aunt Marge called Linda. Linda had gotten pregnant without explanation. Her girlfriend had left her when that happened, and Linda was now an unmarried mother in a relationship with a second man. That was a little weird. Actually, the conversation was very weird too, and Linda was evasive about what was going on. It sounded to me like some combination of drugs and prostitution. I knew how prostitution could seem compelling when a woman was without resources and desperately needed money. I could not bring myself to think badly of her for that. But she had a baby. She needed to change, to do something else. But I also knew how hard that was. And I didn?t see any way we could help her. Aunt Marge was sick most of the time. Mitty was in high school. And I was now eight months pregnant and felt and moved like a beached whale. When Aunt Marge told Linda about living in Colorado with Alan?s daughters, Helen and Mitty, Linda didn?t give any indication she thought anything was strange. And she didn?t ask about Elvis. She had to be on drugs if she didn?t remember that over the years she had lived with my father, he had a son. But none of us reminded her. Aunt Marge gave her our phone number and got her address so she could send a gift, probably some money for her grandchild. Last, Aunt Marge called Zak. I knew this would be the hardest conversation of the four children. Aunt Marge and Mitty told me that Aunt Marge rarely communicated with her children. I could see why with the two older boys and Linda. In some sense, they were alienated from society and other people. But I didn?t understand it with Zak. He had done well in football and had attended UT on a scholarship and then had earned a scholarship to law school and graduated with very good grades. When the phone answered, Aunt Marge said, ?Merry Christmas, Zak. It?s Mom.? But it was a woman on the other end. She said, ?Hi, Mom. It?s Arlene. I?ll get Zak. Wait, do you want to talk to your granddaughter. She?s only three months old, Mom. We named her Eva. Say hi to your grandmother, Eva. Then we heard a baby burbling. Aunt Marge looked like she would cry. She said, ?Hi, Eva. Hi, Baby, it?s your grandmother Marge.? Apparently, Zak still had some issues with his mother stemming from how she had handled her relationship with his father. I know he had deeply resented my father, even though I remembered my father had tried to do right by him when he was living there, even paying for a lawyer to help Zak out of some of his scrapes. But Zak had been unwilling to come home for my father?s funeral, saying he was too busy at work. And when Zak had gotten married, he had not told his mother, my aunt. That deeply hurt her. And now it sounded like Zak didn?t tell Aunt Marge that he had a child either. What the hell? Then Zak came on the line, and he said, ?Hi, Mom. How are you? We have a kid now. I guess Arlene told you. How?s Elvis and ... Mitty, right? How are they? Was Elvis convicted of rape? Is he in prison? Serve?s the little Jap right if he was.? Then Zak laughed. I thought, ?What a bastard.? Aunt Marge replied, ?No, Elvis was acquitted. He?s disappeared. Nobody knows where. We?re worried about him.? Then Aunt Marge said, ?I?m doing pretty good. You know I had a recurrence of breast cancer last year, don?t you? I tried to call you and left a message. Well anyway, I had a lumpectomy and chemotherapy.? Zak said, ?Yeah, I think I remember something about that. Sorry. But it?s good you got treatment, and you?re OK, right.? Aunt Marge said, ?I did get treatment. I didn?t have health insurance, and we still had a lot of bills from the first time I had cancer. I took out a second mortgage, to pay for it, but we ran through all that money and more. So, we lost the house and had to move a month ago?? Zak said, ?Couldn?t Uncle Al get some work?? Aunt Marge said, ?He?s dead. Remember, he had a heart attack and passed away last year.? Zak replied, ?Oh, right, I remember.? Aunt Marge said, ?I was too sick to work. Mitty took a part-time job, but that didn?t pay much. Helen helped me a lot, but it wasn?t enough. We had to move out a month ago.? Zak said, ?Who?s Helen?? Aunt Marge said, ?She?s another of Alan?s children. She moved to the states separately from Elvis and Mitty a while after you started college. Don?t you remember?? He said, ?No, I guess not. I don?t think I?ve never met her.? Aunt Marge said, ?Well, she looks a lot like Mitty.? Zak snorted and said, ?I?m not surprised.? Then he asked, ?Where are you living now, Mom?? Aunt Marge replied, ?Helen recently married a man in Reno. Mitty and I are living with them.? Zak said, ?Helen?s husband must be a saint to go along with that.? Aunt Marge said, ?What do you mean?? Zak said, ?Well, the guy marries a ... a woman from a foreign country and suddenly winds up with her aunt and sister living with him. He must be pretty easy going.? I couldn?t believe Zak said that. To suggest that a guy had to be a saint to put up with a Japanese woman and Zak?s own mother was so insensitive I almost couldn?t believe it. I wanted to crawl through the phone lines and strangle him. I wanted to shout at the phone that I was as much an American as he was. But that would just make my aunt unhappy. My aunt said, diplomatically, ?I think Sam is a very nice man. Helen was lucky to meet him. But he was lucky to meet her too. They seem happy together. And Helen and I and Mitty help with his two children. By the way, both Mitty and Helen are very pretty girls. I?ll get a picture of the three of us and text it to you, provided you text me a picture of your family.? At that, Arlene jumped in and said, ?Oh, Mom. Please. I would love to see a picture of Zak?s mother and cousins, and we?ll be happy to send you a picture of us. Zak, let?s set up a selfie.? I called Sam in and told him what was going on and asked him to take a picture of me, my aunt, and my sister. Then we texted it to Zak?s number. Sam suggested a picture of all 6 of us, but Mitty said she would just take a picture of Sam and I and the twins. After a few minutes, we texted that to Zak?s number. Arlene said, ?Oh, mom, Helen, and Mitty are very pretty, and you are beautiful. Helen, when are you due?? I said, ?A couple of months. I?ll be glad when the baby is born. I feel like a beached whale.? She laughed and told me she had felt the same way in the last few months before Eva was born, but Eva was worth all the pain and discomfort. I was starting to like Arlene. Then Zak said, ?Well, being pregnant is one reason for getting married. I assume the baby is Sam?s.? I was about to scream at Zak that he was a total ass when a little ding told us that a text had arrived. It contained a family picture with Zak and Arlene and Eva. I had to admit that Zak looked distinguished. He had kept himself in shape and dressed well. Arlene was a gorgeous blond, and Eva was an adorable baby, with a big smile. Then another ding announced another picture, a closeup of Eva, with dimples and another big smile. I said, ?Does she always smile, Arlene?? Arlene said, ?Most of the time. She?s a real sweetheart.? Then Arlene said, ?Oh, Helen, we just got your family picture. Sam is very handsome, and his girls are beautiful. They look like live wires. And you are still pretty.? I responded, ?Thank You, Arlene. Yes, the girls are very active. And they are nice and very smart, and I enjoy them.? Then Aunt Marge whispered, ?Can we invite them to visit this spring. I?d love to meet my new daughter-in-law and my new granddaughter.? I pulled Sam aside and asked him. Bless him, he smiled and nodded yes. So, I invited Arlene to come to visit us this summer. Arlene said, ?Oh, that sounds like fun.? And Aunt Marge reacted with a lot of enthusiasm. But Zak hemmed and hawed and said he had a big workload this spring, as did Arlene (she was a lawyer at the same firm.) But he was carried along by the feelings of Arlene. Finally, Zak agreed because it would be an opportunity to stay in a casino and gamble in Reno. I don?t think that was what Arlene had in mind, but she was willing to compromise. Zak seemed to love Arlene truly. Maybe it would make him a better man as time went along. Christmas Day was very enjoyable. Morgan and Madison had a wonderful time getting and giving more presents and now realized that celebrating with their father?s family on Christmas Eve and with us on Christmas morning spread the joy of Christmas over two days. They decided they liked that. As for me, I was happy that this year, I had a joyous Christmas with my family, which Elvis had missed out on for the last seven years. Ilene and Amos called and wished us Merry Christmas. They had left a box in the outbuilding that said do not open until Christmas. Sam and I had gotten it last night after everyone else was asleep. They had gotten the twins numerous presents. But they also got Mitty a very nice laptop and a mall gift certificate. That made her cry. Mitty hadn?t said anything Christmas Eve, but it had hurt to be left out. Now everything was all right. Especially since I had given her some new outfits, Aunt Marge had given her some jewelry, and the twins had given her a certificate for music to download from a web site. And Ilene and Amos gave Sam a certificate for a new suit, which was sort of a hint, I guess. I had to admit; he was not a clothes horse. They gave Aunt Marge a broach, which was very pretty. And they gave me a bright red Christmas Dress to which you could attach white faux fur edging to make it look like a woman Santa outfit. And she included an appropriate hat. Mitty and Morgan and Madison begged me until I put it on. It was a bit small for a pregnant woman, even though it had an expandable waist. But I wore it happily, along with the hat. I had shipped some presents to Amos and Irene in early December. I had sent Ilene a Tennis outfit. I gathered from talking to her that she loved the game but hadn?t gotten to play it much in Reno. And I had given Amos a new putter that he had said he wanted. Sam had bought separate presents which I included in what I had shipped. And Sam gave me a new set of engagement and marriage rings. I had come to love the temporary rings from his first marriage that he had given me. But he and I had picked out the new rings together, and it made me feel that I was unique and special to him. In the evening, Sam and I took Mitty and the twins to a candlelight service in the Episcopal Church where we were married. Aunt Marge was very tired and stayed home. It was a beautiful and dignified service. Afterward, we greeted the people I had met doing the free clinic. Lily and Aiko were there also, and after the service, our three families went out to dinner together at the restaurant where Celia worked. Morgan and Madison sat at a separate table (right nearby) with Aiko?s children. Aiko?s father and husband threatened them with dire consequences if they behaved poorly, although I knew them well enough now to know the worst consequences would be that they would be split up. I asked Mitty if she wanted to sit with them too. But she decided to sit with the adults. We had a great time. Lily and Aiko complimented Mitty on how adult she was and how pretty she was and asked her endless questions about her school. Mitty said afterward how nice it was to be with a large family with Japanese roots, just like ours. That night, Sam and I made love. It was getting harder for me, but I still enjoyed it. I had decided I would do it as long as I could, if for no other reason, because I wanted this man who I loved so much to be happy. As I fell asleep, I thanked God for him and this day. Days like this made all the bad things that had happened to me OK. I went back to work four hours a day in January. The first day working, I had made an appointment for an exam after my shift. I told the twins that I might not be home, but that Aunt Marge would, so they would be taken care of. After the exam, Lily said, ?Things look good. Your baby is very big, Helen. You know, don?t you that labor will probably be difficult, and we will probably eventually decide on a Cesarean.? I realized that but had deliberately avoided thinking about it. I asked, ?Will I be able to have the baby in the little hospital near where we live, or should we come into Reno.? Lily said, ?Reno. If I must do a Cesarean, I would rather be at the big hospital where they have every facility. You and Sam have to have a plan in place, so everyone knows what to do when the time comes, to get you to Reno.? I nodded. Then Lily asked, ?Have you made up your mind if you are going to raise the child or give him up for adoptions?? I shook my head. Then Lily said, ?It would be better to know. That will make the paperwork easier. And the nurses would have an option for short term feeding and care arranged. You don?t want to spend too much time holding and nursing an infant that you aren?t planning to keep.? Somehow that idea was very depressing, not holding and caring for my infant. I said, ?I?ll talk to Sam.? That night I told Sam when we went to bed, ?Sam, we need to talk.? I remembered that when I had been Elvis, a girlfriend had said that when starting a ?breakup? talk. So, I understood the look of trepidation that Sam had. I spoke quickly to keep him from being too worried. I said, ?Sam, Lily said I should decide soon whether to keep my child or adopt him out.? Sam looked at me without expression. I continued, ?She said that if I was going to adopt him out, I shouldn?t nurse him or hold him or cuddle him.? Suddenly I was crying, and Sam put his arms around me. I hadn?t realized how strong my feelings were. And I appreciated Sam?s efforts. But I couldn?t just accept comfort, we needed to talk. So, I said, ?Sam, talk to me. Say something.? He said, ?I know you once said that you were thinking about giving the child up for adoption. But I never really believed it. That?s not who you are. I always thought you and I would raise him as our son. If that?s what you want too, then the decision is obvious.? I replied, ?Really? Is that really what you want, Sam?? He laughed and said, ?Really, Helen. Honest, that?s what I want.? Then I cried and laughed and held him and got tears all over his PJs. It was like a weight had been lifted off me. That night I told him thank you many more times and gave him the best sex I could give him. I was so grateful to have this wonderful man. I called Lily the next day and told her that I would be keeping my child, and I wanted to hold him and nurse him after he was born. She said, ?Good. I think that?s best. He will have a wonderful family.? The second week in February, I was at work in an exam room with Lily talking to a patient and taking notes and entering data, and suddenly I felt a very painful cramp. I cried out and had to sit down. Lily asked if I was OK. I steeled myself and nodded. I tried to continue working but couldn?t. Lily took the tablet in which we enter data and comments and said she would finish, and I should relax. After finishing with the patient, Lily came over to me. I was sitting there in a great deal of pain, which I was trying to suppress, scared as hell, gasping for breath, sweating like a pig, with some sort of liquid coming out of my vagina. She and Aiko got me over to an examination cot, and Lily looked me over and said, ?Helen, have you been having any contractions.? I shook my head. She said, ?Well, it appears you are in labor. One month premature. And, surprisingly, you are not too far from giving birth. Aiko is calling an ambulance. But it may be too late.? Fifteen minutes later, an ambulance crew came in, but the doctor told them to wait. Another 15 minutes later, I delivered a healthy 7.5-pound baby boy. It was painful and terrifying and wonderful all at the same time. Lilly had the ambulance transport the baby and me to Reno Hospital to stay for a couple of days and get thoroughly checked over. As I was lying in the ambulance on my way to the hospital, I noticed fluid leaking from my breasts. What the hell? Was that milk? I had hoped that as time went along, I would start producing milk. But I hadn?t expected it yet, at only eight months along. But the baby was here and needed milk, and now I was producing it. It seemed like a miracle. Then I remembered that Evelyn had applied another spell when I was in Collegeville, a spell that would allow me to have an easy birth. That must have caused what had just happened to me. I had been skeptical that the spell would do anything. I had only gained a few pounds since Collegeville, so the spell hadn?t caused me to become stronger. And Lily had given her assessment of how my delivery would go, long, painful, and end with a Cesarean birth. But clearly, that spell had now kicked in and given me a relatively easy birth and gotten me ready to care for my child. Thank You, Evelyn. When I got to the hospital, they gave me my purse. I managed to activate my phone and told it, ?Call Sam.? But he was teaching a class, and I had to leave a message, ?Sam, um, I went into labor this morning and gave birth. A healthy baby boy. I?m in Reno Hospital. Call me when you can.? Then I hung up and told the phone, ?Call Aunt Marge.? She answered and said, ?Hi, Helen.? I said, ?Hi, Aunt Marge. Umm, I went into labor and gave birth while I was working this morning. Lily delivered the baby and then called an ambulance. I am at Reno Municipal. The baby is a healthy male, 7.5 pounds. I?m fine. No need to worry.? She shouted, ?What, you?re not ready yet. It?s too soon. Have you been having contractions you haven?t told me about?? I replied, ?No, Aunt Marge. I?ve told you everything I?ve been feeling. Honest. It just happened out of the blue. But I?m all right. Don?t worry, OK?? She said, ?Oh, Helen. I wanted to be with you, Honey. I didn?t want you to go through it alone.? Then she cried. I cried too, and said, ?And I wanted you with me, Aunt Marge. But everything happened so fast.? She said, ?I?ll come down right now.? But I knew she was too weak from the radiation therapy to drive or to sit around the hospital alone, so I said, ?No, Aunt Marge. I?ll call Mitty and get her to take the rest of the day off. She?ll pick you and the twins up and bring you down. That?s safer. I?m all right, Aunt Marge. It?ll be OK for you to wait until Mitty can help you.? Reluctantly, she agreed to wait. I decided to text Mitty. I typed, ?Mitty. I gave birth this morning at work. Healthy baby boy, 7.5 pounds. Call me when you can.? Then I laid back, with my baby nursing. Lily had given me a mild anesthetic during the pregnancy, and I was exhausted. I went to sleep. I woke up, and it was 3. I?d slept for two hours. And my baby was gone. Stupidly, I sat up and started screaming and crying, ?My baby. Where is he? What happened?? A nurse hustled in and held me and said, ?Shh. It?s OK. We took him to the nursery. He?s fine. It?s OK.? After I calmed down, I thought, ?Of course it was OK, you idiot. I?m in a hospital. The child is not in danger.? When I calmed down, the nurse explained that they wanted me to sleep, so they put the child in a bassinet in a warm, safe nursery, where people who visited could see him. Then I noticed my phone was gone. I asked, and she said that it was making noise, and they were afraid it would wake me up. Well, duh. That?s what it?s supposed to do when I get a call. I asked for it back. There?d been five voice mails and three texts since I?d gone to sleep. For someone who wasn?t much of a phone conversationalist or texter, that was a record. One call was from Lily, saying she would come to the hospital right after she closed the office. Another was from Aunt Marge, wondering how I was doing. Two were from Mitty. The first went, ?What the hell, Sis. Can?t you ever do anything at a convenient time? I?m glad to hear that you and my nephew are OK. I?m going to try to get out of the rest of the day and then pick up the twins and Aunt Marge and come down and harass you for a while and see what?s his name. (What is his name, anyway?) Anyway, Love You.? The second went, ?The school wouldn?t let me take the twins. Sam needs to sign something or other. By the way, they wouldn?t have let you take the twins either. You should look into adoption, so you have some rights. Anyway, we will drive to the hospital as soon as the twins get out of school.? Then there was a very sweet voice mail from Sam, saying he would cancel some classes and appointments and be here as soon as he could, and he loved me. That made me cry. Of the texts, two were from Mitty. She had both texted and left a voice mail, so I would be sure to get her messages. And one was from Celia. Lily had called her and told her what happened. Celia congratulated me and said she would be here at about 4. She had to work at 5, so she would only be here for a few moments. But she would be back tomorrow. That was nice. It?s strange how Celia and I had become such good friends. I looked up, and the nurse was still in the room. I asked, ?Could I have my baby back?? She said, ?Of Course you can, Mrs. Perkins.? I relaxed when I had my child back in my arms. He stirred and seemed to want to nurse. I stroked his cheek to get him to nurse, and he caught on quickly. He was skinny, like me, I guess. But he was hungry and seemed to nurse enthusiastically. It was soothing, and I found myself going back to sleep. Then Sam came into the room. He came over and sat in a chair beside me and watched. I was a little embarrassed because of a sort of cognitive dissonance. When I was not doing something as a woman, I tended to default to thinking of myself as Elvis, the man. But nursing my baby was the ultimate action that showed I was not a man. Then the feeling passed, and I reached over as far as I could and grasped Sam?s hand and told him I loved him. Sam said I was beautiful, and he loved me. Then Sam asked, ?What?s his name?? The birth had happened so quickly that we hadn?t had a chance to talk about names. I said, ?I have a name picked out. But if you?re going to be his father, then we should both have a say.? He said, ?Let me hear your idea.? I said, ?Alan Ichiro Perkins. Alan was my father?s name. I loved him so much and want to honor him by naming my first son after him. And Ichiro is Japanese, meaning ?first son.? Sam smiled and said, ?Alan Ichiro Perkins. I like it.? Then Sam asked, ?How are you, Helen? I was scared when I got the news. The child is very premature, isn?t he?? I said, ?He is premature, but not very premature. I feel fine, and the doctors say Alan is fine. And he seems like a very happy child. So, I?m happy. He may not seem so, but for a child a month premature, he is a very big baby. I think he?s going to have my father?s size and build. My father was 6?3? and slender.? Before, I had told Sam that the guy who raped me was very big, which was probably also a factor in Alan?s size. Then Sam said, ?They told me I shouldn?t get too close to you or the baby for a while, but I wish I could come over there and take you in my arms and kiss you. I?m so happy you are both well. I love you. I cried at that and said I loved him too. Just then, there was a knock at the door, and Aunt Marge came in. She had scrubs over her clothes. Aunt Marge came over and hugged me. I moved my baby, so he was laying in my arms and showed him to the Aunt Marge and said, ?His name is Alan Ichiro Perkins.? It?s hard to tell what a baby will look like as he grows, but he seemed to favor me. He had dark hair like me and seemed to have an Asian eye fold. Alan protested for a moment when I turned him, and Sam laughed and said he had good lungs. Then Alan quieted down and showed a hint of a smile. It was beautiful. One of the nurses had said his slenderness was due to being premature, and he would probably fill in in the next week or so. Then Alan smiled again, and Aunt Marge said he looked just like some baby pictures my father had of me. I would have to look at them. I asked, ?Where are the Mitty and the twins?? Aunt Marge said, ?The nurses want to limit the number visiting at one time.? I rang the nurse and asked if I could have my sister and daughters in?? she said, ?Do you think the girls will behave?? I thought so, and I didn?t want to shut them out. That wasn?t fair. And I wanted Mitty and Morgan and Madison to feel good about having a little brother. In a few minutes, Mitty came in wearing scrubs and holding Morgan?s and Madison?s hands. Mitty said, ?Jeez, Sis. I bet you never expected to be in a maternity ward nursing a baby. What do you think? Any regrets?? I shook my head. The decision to bear this child had been very hard. But now that he was here, I felt nothing but love for him. I knew that raising children was challenging, and there would be some tough times, but for now, I was content. And I knew that wasn?t what Mitty had meant when she asked the question. But I made my decision about the other issue when I had been in Collegeville, and my life with Sam was so happy I had absolutely no regrets. Madison and Morgan both wanted to hold Alan. I was a little bit uncertain. But I decided it was good for all of us for them to be involved. So, I invited them to sit beside me one by one and put him carefully in their arms. He was too young to be aware of what was going on, but they held him carefully, and he seemed to accept it. The two girls seemed awed by what they had done. Then Mitty asked if she could hold him for a while. She had babysat a lot, so knew what she was doing, and gently held him and touched him. After a while, she gave Alan back to me and said, ?Awesome, Sis. He?s a sweetheart.? Thanks, I said. Then I asked Aunt Marge if she wanted to hold him. She smiled and said she?d love to. She rocked him, and he seemed happy. Then I asked Sam if he would like to hold the baby. He said, ?Sure. Come here, Alan.? He took Alan from my arms and stood up and cradled him. The sudden movement disturbed Alan, and he fussed a little. But he was soon enthralled with the sensation of moving. That continued for a while until Alan started fussing again. Then Sam handed him back to me. In my arms, with my smell, he returned to contentment. Mitty asked me how it felt not to be carrying that extra weight. I laughed and told her I would tell her in a few days. But I was very sore now and wasn?t going to be moving around much. So, no soccer for a few days. She laughed. By this time, I was tired again, and I think Alan was tired again. Fortunately, the nurse came in and shooed everyone out until later tonight. I went to sleep with Alan in my arms. Soon the nurse came in and moved him to the nursery. And I rolled over on my side for a deeper sleep. But an hour later, Alan woke up hungry. The nurse woke me and told me Alan was hungry and asked if I was going to breastfeed or bottle-feed. I said, ?I?m going to breastfeed. Bring him to me, please.? Breastfeeding Alan was almost a spiritual event. I felt so close to him. I wondered if this would last. I spent three days in the hospital until Lily would allow me to go home. Then she ordered me to not move around too much for a couple of weeks until I healed thoroughly, so no work. Not that I was eager to leave Alan and go back to work anyway. She also gave me pain pills for emergencies, and prescription vitamins to take. And she visited me several times during the first few weeks. She joked that I was a difficult patient, and she had to keep an eye on me. During this time, Celia visited a couple of times too. She loved to hold Alan. And she was excited about her own upcoming marriage. It was fun to hear her talk about dresses and honeymoons and the ceremony and Art and their relationship. She was so much healthier now than when I?d first met her. She had reconnected with her parents, and she had visited them. It wasn?t totally successful, but now she had a good relationship with her mother anyway. They would be at her upcoming wedding. She and I talked about the lingering disapproval her father showed about the time she had been an escort. I told her that she was a good person. Her father?s disapproval was his problem, not hers. I said I thought that he would accept her as she was as time went along, and if not, she was strong enough to survive it. My inability to move around much during the first few days put a lot of pressure on Mitty. Aunt Marge could only do a little. She was still so tired from the radiation therapy. I would care for Alan, nursing him, changing him, and bathing him, putting his clothes in the wash. And I would help Aunt Marge cook dinner. But that was about all I was allowed to do. Mitty would care for the twins when she got home from school, get dinner on the table, and wash the dishes and clean the house in the evening, and do laundry. Mitty was a sweetheart and didn?t complain. I had thought we were close when I was Elvis, but now we had become even closer. During those two weeks and later, Alan did not fill out as I had expected he should but instead continued to be lean even though he became stronger and more aware. I wondered if I was providing enough nourishment with my still smallish breasts. I asked Lily, and she did a few tests and said, ?You seem to be providing plenty of milk. Does Alan nurse frequently?? I told her, ?I think so. It seems every time I turn around, he wants to nurse. At least every couple hours.? She said, ?Well, he?s gaining weight. I think he?s all right. He?s just a long, lean child.? Lily had said it would be six to eight weeks before I could have sex again. Sam was very sweet about it, but I could tell he missed sex. I often felt a stiff penis against my back in the morning when he spooned with me. I had been a man, and I knew how it felt. Sam was giving me so much that I wanted him to be happy. So, I told him I would do whatever he wanted to relieve his tension. After a few days, we got into a routine where I would give him a handjob or sometimes oral sex every night, and often the next morning. It wasn?t a physical turn on for me. But I really enjoyed seeing Sam happy. By the end of two weeks, I was feeling a lot better and was doing most of the work around the house, although Mitty still contributed a lot. As Alan grew, I spent a lot of time playing and interacting with him. I took to talking baby talk to him and took advantage of my background in drama to exaggerate my words and gestures. It was a joy to see him smile and giggle. I started to stand him up between my legs with his feet on the tops of my feet and walk with him. He loved that, and we would ?walk? for up to an hour a day. Mitty?s soccer season ended. She had encountered Rosemary as a teammate on an all-star team that played other districts, and they became close friends and talked on the phone in the evening. I missed Rosemary as a friend and was glad for Mitty that they were friends. At the end of March, Aunt Marge was done with radiation therapy and started feeling much better. I started thinking about going back to work. Being away from Alan was a depressing thought, but I needed to earn some money and contribute to the household. But in the first week of April, Aunt Marge received word from a social worker in Dallas that her daughter had died of an overdose. Aunt Marge and I (and Alan) rushed to Dallas to take care of the funeral, and Lisa?s daughter. Aunt Marge called her other children, telling them their sister had died and asked for help with the funeral. Only Bruce said he would come down. Neil?s roommate said he was too strung out to come to the phone. Aung Marge asked the roommate to tell Neil to call when he could, but he never did. After repeated calls, she gave up. And Zak said he had a big case and couldn?t make it. What was wrong with that guy for heaven?s sake? His sister had just died. We took a one-day flight to Dallas and rented a room in a modest motel. The next morning, we talked to the county social worker who had called us, and she gave as much detail as she had about Linda?s death and what her final days had been like. They were grim. Linda had been living with a guy who was not the father of her child. She had been reported several times for negligence in the care of the child because both adults were strung out and slept most of the time and were scrounging for drugs when they were awake. But the county child protection services were badly understaffed and hadn?t had time to investigate yet. Then one morning, the child started crying and kept crying for hours. Finally, a neighbor had enough common sense to call the police, who came into the apartment. Linda was dead. The guy she was living with was strung out. And the child was lying half-starved in a crib, and nobody had changed her diaper in a long time. They took the child to a short-term foster home, and hauled Linda?s body to a morgue, and searched for information on contacts. On a paper by her bed, Linda had written down Aunt Marge?s new phone number along with her new address, which we had given her at Christmas. So, they called Aunt Marge. Aunt Marge asked what she could do. The social worker said they would like her to plan a funeral, and asked if Aunt Marge wanted to take Linda?s daughter. Otherwise, they would release the child for adoption. Aunt Marge told her we would talk about it. That night Bruce came into town. He was in his early forties but looked older. He seemed like a decent guy, who had made some very bad decisions when he was young. But now he was trying to build a life with his girlfriend and her children. We three adults and Alan sat down to dinner and talked about the situation. Aunt Marge asked Bruce if he wanted to take Linda?s daughter. The look of panic in his eyes would have been comical if this weren?t such a serious matter. Bruce was struggling financially and struggling with being a stepfather to his girlfriend?s children. He said he really didn?t know how to interact with children, and it was difficult. He was determined not to be an abusive parent, but the stress of day to day living was often almost overwhelming. He didn?t think he could take on any more responsibility. Then Aunt Marge called Zak and asked him if he would be willing to adopt his sister?s daughter. Zak said he was in a very stressful time of life, trying to make partner and still be a parent to an infant. He wasn?t willing to take on additional responsibility right now. In the background, I heard Arlene say that she would be willing if he were. But Zak told her, ?No, I can?t do it.? Then my aunt started to cry. She said she didn?t think she could care for an infant. She was over sixty and sick. Aunt Marge crying made me cry. I remembered my mother?s family refusing to adopt Elvis and Mitsuko for some cockamamy reason and how badly it had hurt. On impulse, I called Sam and explained the situation, and bless his heart; he said he would be willing if I thought I could swing being a mother to another child.? So, I said, ?Aunt Marge, Sam and I will adopt the child. Then you can be part of her life. Would that be OK?? That made Aunt Marge cry again, and she asked, ?Are you sure, Helen? Linda never treated you very well. Are you sure you can do this?? I said, ?This is not about how Linda treated me. This is about your granddaughter and my niece, who needs a home. Yes, we can provide a home and love to her. I promise.? My aunt and I organized a funeral and contacted those of Linda?s friends that we knew in Dallas and back in Tempah, including her former partner. I was listening when Aunt Marge talked to her. Aunt Marge asked what had happened to cause them to separate, and her partner didn?t know. Suddenly, Linda wanted to leave and be with some guy, named De Shon. Her partner wasn?t too surprised since she had suspected Linda was bi. But it had been hurt, and she didn?t have a lot of fond feelings for Linda. Aunt Marge contacted Linda?s father, her former husband, who was still alive but very ill. Despite that, he managed to get angry at my aunt and hung up on her. Reviewing what I heard during the conversation, I didn?t see what she had done to make him mad. What had happened between them to turn love to hate? And what had happened in their home before my aunt and her husband separated? My Aunt had treated Mitty and me so well; I couldn?t see why her own children were so haunted and unpredictable. Neither friends nor other family showed up on the day of the funeral. So, my aunt and Bruce and I and Alan bade Linda farewell from this world, hopefully to a better place. Then Bruce went home. I had been grateful for his presence, and we agreed to keep in touch. Aunt Marge and I stayed in town for a few days while the county did a brief investigation to assure themselves that Sam and I would care properly for baby Angela, and got a release for adoption from her former boyfriend, who seemed happy to do anything that would relieve him of any responsibility for the child. Finally, they brought baby Angie to us, and we signed lots of forms authorizing me, as her foster sister, to adopt the child. Angie was mixed race, black and white, which was neither here nor there, except that the man Linda had been living with had been white. I asked the social worker why bother getting a release from him, and she said it was simpler to get a release from the boyfriend than to try to find the natural father and get a release from him. I guess sometimes the law is an ass. But that did make me think. Was it possible that the father, De Shon (?), would want to be part of baby Angie?s life? Whoever he was, he had shown no interest to date. But he might not even know Angie existed. I felt a little queasy about not giving him a chance if he could be contacted and if he wanted to be a part of her life. So, I talked about this with the social worker. She said the best they do was put an advertisement in the local paper and see if anyone showed up. But it might delay the adoption and the social worker counseled not to do it. Against my Aunt?s wishes, I insisted they advertise. But De Shon never contacted the social worker or us. Meanwhile, I was a mother to a second child. We had to shop for almost a complete wardrobe for Angie, which was fun for Aunt Marge. And when I saw how happy she and Angie were together, it was fun for me too. Then we returned to Reno. Angie was six months old. She was bigger than Alan, but not by much. And she was deeply needy. She clung to me or Aunt Marge and cried at the slightest provocation. Somehow that caused Alan to cry. The trip home was much more difficult than the trip out. What had I gotten myself into? We tried to feed Angie various types of formula. But she didn?t like any of it, although she would drink it if there were no other options. What she really liked was breastfeeding. Apparently, Linda had breastfed her. Now I was faced with breastfeeding two infants, and I wasn?t sure I could. But I had to try. It turned out I could just do it, now. But with time, I knew I would not be able to continue to breastfeed the two. I breastfeed both as long as I could. I felt so close to them when breastfeeding. But I made plans to transition them to formula slowly before I had too. I now feel that breastfeeding Angie was good for her, it cemented our relationship. She was happiest and calmest after breastfeeding. Of course, I worked hard to make sure I didn?t short Alan, either on milk or love. When I arrived home in Reno, I wasn?t surprised that Mitty and the twins were uncertain what this all meant. Mitty didn?t remember much of Linda, only that Linda wasn?t interested in having a friendship of any kind. So, Mitty was a little disconcerted at having Linda?s child in the family. But Mitty at heart was a warm and loving person and soon came to accept and even welcome another baby. I tried not to impose on her too much for help. But then I was somewhat surprised that she wanted to hold and cuddle Angie, as well as Alan. And the twins were both also warm and loving girls and soon enjoyed having Angie as another child on whom to dote. That made me wonder, what if Elvis had been faced with having to care for Linda?s baby, as well as Hugh?s baby. He had certainly not been fond of either of their parents, who both had disrespected and mistreated him. But I thought that Elvis probably would have come to accept both babies, although he would not have consented to be either?s mother. Elvis had been a very good guy. Of course, the one who made everything possible and who always encouraged me was Sam. I didn?t know what I had ever done to deserve him, but I felt he was the most wonderful man in the world and fell deeper and deeper in love with him as time went along. I did everything I possibly could to make his home a happy one and to help care for his daughters. EPILOG xxxxx Mitty finished high school in Rosedale and decided to stay home and commute to UNR. She played on the women?s soccer team and became good friends with Rosemary, who was also attending UNR. Mitty graduated in Civil Engineering and went on to join the army, following in Elvis?s footsteps. Both Aunt Marge and I were very concerned about her. Mitty only served for three years before she shot another soldier who was trying to force himself on her. After that, she decided to leave the army. Mitty then went to work for a city in Colorado near Colorado Springs, where she ran into Danno, whom she had met earlier through her friend Rosemary. The two fell in love and married and had three children. Danno and Rosemary and her mother did not remember Helen. Nevertheless, Helen found her new relationship with them awkward. But at least she knew from the beginning that her little sister?s husband was a good guy. Morgan and Madison continued to enjoy a close relationship with Helen and Mitty. They also became friends with Aiko?s children and became active in an interracial teen group in the Reno area. Morgan and Madison also dearly loved their younger siblings, despite occasional mild conflicts, and often babysat when Helen and Sam went out. When Morgan and Madison attended high school, they both played soccer and became school leaders, Morgan serving as Junior Class President and Madison and Senior Class President. Morgan and Madison followed the now family tradition and stayed home and attended UNR. Morgan graduated with a degree in Mathematics and Madison in Physics, and both went on to have solid careers. Angie had a very difficult childhood. Her early months with Linda had not been ideal, to say the least, and it took a long time for her to feel safe and secure with Helen and Sam. Then she bonded tightly to Helen and resisted any attempt at separation, screaming at the top of her lungs until they were back together. It was very sad and very exhausting for Helen, but she never tried to push Angie away. She did, however, enlist Mitty and Morgan and Madison and Aunt Marge to share caring for Angie, while Helen was present. Eventually, Angie realized that these other people were her friends and would give her the same love that Helen did. However, Angie?s sense of security was fragile, and new things were difficult for her. She was very shy and tended to avoid crowds and loud situations. When she was a little older, Helen started urging her to do new things, and slowly Angie?s self-confidence grew. She finally wound up doing well in school and learned to love dance. Helen introduced her to various types of dance, and to her friends who were dancers, Cheryl and Ally. When Angie was a freshman in high school, she met a boy she liked, and they had sex. Right after that, Angie told Helen what had happened. They both sweated out the time until Angie?s next period. Although Angie swore she would never have sex with another boy, Helen talked to her at length and found that Angie had enjoyed the attention and the physical intimacy in lovemaking and decided that Angie needed the ability to control her fertility. So, she took Angie to a gynecologist and got her a prescription for birth control. Helen gave the first pack of pills to Angie and said she would pay for refills if Angie wished. But Angie had to decide on her own whether to use them or not. It was Angie?s life and Angie?s decision. After that Helen noticed that Angie periodically refilled the prescription. The sense of trust and support between the two that Helen had worked so hard to build paid off, and Angie frequently talked to Helen about what was going on in her life and sought Helen?s advice. Angie eventually graduated from high school with honors and went on to college and studied music and dance. She wound up teaching high school and marrying a fellow teacher, who taught math. But she remained very attached to Helen and Sam, visiting home frequently and made a point of always calling them mom and dad. Angie gave them a grandson and two granddaughters whom they loved greatly. Helen was very happy she had decided to adopt Angie. It was well worth the effort. Alan turned out to be a happy and friendly child. Buoyed by Sam and Helen?s support and encouragement, and being part of a happy family, he was outgoing and even charismatic. He was athletic, but also very good in academics. He grew to 6? 6? and was a forward on his school?s state champion basketball team. He wound up with an academic scholarship to UNR, and majored in physics, following his older sisters? example. But Alan didn?t enjoy research. The constant chasing after support was exhausting, and physics started to seem too abstract and austere. Alan wound up working for the National Science Foundation for several years. Then he decided he was interested in business and got funding to study for an Economics degree. Eventually, he wound up working for the federal reserve bank in Arizona. He married a veterinarian and gave his parents two grandchildren. Alan was curious about his birth father and asked Helen about him. Helen was very hesitant to tell the full story for several reasons, the most important of which was that it was hard to tell her son that his birth father was a very bad guy. She did tell Alan his father?s name, Hugh Hampton, and that his father played football for Western Texas State College and that he was a member of the Alpha Sigma Fraternity. She honestly didn?t know any more personal information. But Helen refused to say anything about what his father was like, only saying that she and Alan?s father did not get along. That seemed strange to Alan. They had gotten along well enough to conceive him. Alan inquired with the Alpha Sigma fraternity and then with the Collegeville police, and found out his father had disappeared a few months before Alan had been born. That reminded Alan that he had had an uncle, Elvis, who had disappeared about the same time while he was attending Western Texas State. He checked with the Collegeville police about that and found that his uncle had been prosecuted for rape and was scheduled to be prosecuted again when he disappeared. Whoa. That was crazy. Having two men in his family disappear at about the same time was very suspicious. Men just didn?t disappear in 20th century America. And the rape thing was a total surprise. He?d always heard his uncle was a great guy. Alan was sure that something was off. So, he did a web search for both his father and his uncle and then included his mother almost as an afterthought. Alan found a lot of information about Hugh Hampton, the football player, including many pictures. He noted his resemblance with Alan and saw nothing particularly unusual in the record before Hugh?s disappearance. Alan also found information about his Uncle Elvis. His mom had a picture of him in an old album, so he knew what Elvis looked like. All the web information up until the rape trial was positive. The guy had done well in school, played soccer, had good grades, and then had spent six years in Afghanistan, earning several medals for his actions as a medic. But the article about the rape trial gave a lot of damning information. Apparently, Elvis had gotten off on a technicality, but the prosecutor felt he was guilty and was planning to prosecute again. But then Elvis disappeared without a sign. Strange. In some ways, his mothers? record was even stranger. There was absolutely no mention of her until she graduated from high school. There was one picture of her in the Tempah High School yearbook. But surprisingly, there were no other pictures. The yearbook noted many activities for her. Her picture should have been in a lot of the club and activities pictures. But no. How could that be? Then she dropped out of sight for another year before her marriage picture to Alan?s stepfather showed up in a Reno paper. And Alan had been conceived during that year. What had his mother been doing? Alan decided to go on Ancestery.com and 23andme.com and enter his DNA, hoping to get a line on his father. On Ancestry.com, he hit the jackpot and found his grandmother and grandfather, still alive. The two had not listed names, so he wasn?t completely sure of the relationship. He sent them an email that said, ?My name is Alan Perkins. I have just gotten a DNA report from Ancestry.com and found out we share 25% of our DNA. That probably makes me your grandson. I think my birth father was your son. His name was Hugh Hampton. I was born the same year as he disappeared. My mother was not able to tell me much about my father. I?m hoping you can tell me more. Please contact me and tell me about yourselves and my father. Thanks, Alan Perkins.? The next day he got an email back that gave the names of the two people as Theodore and Naomi Hampton. Bingo. They talked proudly about their son, Hugh.? Alan emailed back and asked if they knew what had happened to him. They said they didn?t, and his disappearance was still a mystery. After that, Alan shared a series of enthusiastic emails back and forth with his grandparents, with both parties giving information and planning a meeting. Then Alan sent his picture to them. He got no further emails for several days. He was very surprised since the previous email exchanges had occurred with a frequency of almost twice daily. Then he got an email that said, ?Dear Mr. Perkins. I am sorry to say that there must have been some mistake. You and we could not possibly be related. Ancestry.com must have somehow switched samples. Please don?t contact us again.? To say that Alan was surprised and saddened by this turn of events would be an understatement. So, he decided to talk to his mother about it and see if she had any suggestions. He told her what he had done, and asked, ?So, Mom, can you tell me anything that might shed any light on this? I was hoping to learn something about myself. Then all of the sudden the Hamptons have decided they wanted nothing to do with me. And what?s the story about the disappearance of my uncle and my father? Are they connected? It?s a real mystery. That thrust Helen?s mind back to those days. The day Hugh had framed Elvis for rape. The Day Hugh had raped Blossom. And the day Hugh had refused to acknowledge her child as his and had been changed into a frog. Good God. But Alan deserved some answers. She had attempted to paint as neutral a picture as possible of his father. She hadn?t wanted to tell him the bad things about his birth father. Her son was so different from Hugh, a much better person. But now Alan had taken things into his own hands. He really wanted to know. She doubted he would stop searching now. So, what should she do? Tell him the entire story, tell him part of the story, or tell him no more than she had already, and let him go his own way. But what would he find out if he dug around? It would be so easy for him to find out part of the story and then misinterpret things. And what if he stumbled on the witches and did something stupid. Would they hurt him? She didn?t think so, but they were so crazy, they might do something to her beloved son just to keep him from revealing secrets. Alan said, ?Mom. Mom, are you OK?? Helen looked at him and put her arms around him and said, ?Alan, you?re a wonderful son and a wonderful man. Sam and I are truly blessed to be your parents. But your birth father was a bad man. There?s no other way to say it. I will tell you all I know about him and what he did. However, you must remember that the sins of the father do not determine who and what kind of a man the son is. This story will be very strange. It will take a while, and you may not believe it, but I swear it is true.? So, Helen told the complete story, and when she talked about Hugh, she included as much detail as she could. When she had finished, Alan sat there and looked at her, and said, ?That is a very strange story, Mom. I?m really struggling with the supernatural stuff. I?ve never believed in magic. I?ve never seen any evidence indicating it is real. Can you give me any reason to believe now?? She replied, ?Well you can talk to other people I?ve told, such as your father, Sam, your sister, Mitty, and compare notes. But maybe a better way is to try to tell someone who doesn?t know because by telling you about myself, a spell has been laid on you making it impossible for you to tell anyone else. So, try to tell someone else. Call one of your other sisters Amy, Morgan, or Madison, or your Aunt Sandra, or your Grandfather Wallace, or one of your friends. I?ve never told any of them. If you try, you won?t be able to.? So, Alan called Madison, who he was close to, and tried to tell her what Helen had told him. But he couldn?t get the words out. Then he tried Amy, and still couldn?t. He looked at Helen and said, ?Hell, Mom. You?re right. Geez.? Then he said, ?Are you really Elvis, magically changed into a woman, and made to be a whore, as punishment for a crime that my birth father committed? That is so unjust.? I replied, ?Yes, it was unjust. But, paradoxically, it has led to me being as happy as I am.? Alan responded, ?How can you be happy, having your whole life uprooted, being changed into a woman, being raped, and then having to give up your aspirations to be a doctor, to take care of the fallout?? Helen looked at him and said, ?Oh, Alan. I was miserable when it happened. I was miserable when I had to be a woman and a prostitute. But as time went along, I realized that being a woman was not so different than being a man. I had the same aspirations; I made friends; I enjoyed the same things. It was just a little bit different. Maybe I was somewhat gender- confused before that, I don?t know. But I started to enjoy being a woman. And when I met your father, Sam, I fell in love. It felt great, and I never looked back. After that, all I wanted was to be Sam?s wife.? Alan responded, ?Well, it?s good to make the best of things. After all, you were stuck.? I said, ?Alan, when the witches realized they had made a big mistake, they offered to change me back, to make Elvis come alive again. But I refused. I wanted to be Helen. I was carrying you and didn?t want to lose you. And I was engaged to Sam. I was happy. And I still am. Every time I?m with you, I?m happy I?m Helen, and thankful that I bore you and that Sam, and I decided to raise you. I have friends and family I love and who love me back. Why would I want anything different?? Alan just shook his head, seeming to struggle with the concept. Then he smiled and said, ?So, you really don?t regret having to carry and raise the child of the man who framed you for rape, effectively stealing your gender, and then raped you himself and tried to kill you.? I shook my head and said, ?No, No regrets. I?ve loved being part of your life. Alan. My son.? For a moment, I saw a tear in Alan?s eye, but he soon pushed it back. A man shouldn?t cry, after all. Then he put his arms around me and said, ?Thank You, Mom. Thank You for everything.? Then he said, ?So, you?ve explained the mysteries of the two disappearing men, Hugh and Elvis. The only mystery left is why the Hamptons backed away from meeting me.? Helen answered, ?I think I know. Hugh was an extreme racist. He considered any race other than white to be inferior. I suspect he got it from his parents, and that when they saw your picture, they rejected the idea that a part Asian person could be their grandchild. I?m so sorry, Alan.? Alan thought for a moment and laughed and said, ?Well, hell with them. It?s their loss.? Helen laughed too and said, ?Yes, it is their loss. The hell with them.? Aunt Marge lived with Helen and Sam for another 15 years. She recovered from her cancer treatments and was healthy for all that time. Although she got a part-time job waiting table at a restaurant in the little town nearby, her life centered around her family and friends, and particularly those she considered her children and grandchildren. Aunt Marge spent some time with Zak and Arlene and Eva, although she said Zak was still standoffish, apparently blaming her for driving his father away. Aunt Marge got to give Mitty away when she married Danno. Aunt Marge loved to care for her ?Grandchildren,? Amy, who was a genetic grandchild, but also Morgan and Madison, who appreciated my aunt?s love and good sense, Alan who learned to call her ?Nana? and whom she loved dearly, and the later twins who were the genetic children of Sam and Helen. Aunt Marge also established a good relationship with her oldest son, Bruce, as he finally got his life together and became a loving parent to his wife?s children. Aunt Marge also continued to be very close to Helen. Hiroko, Aiko?s mother, who had become close friends with both Marge and Helen, told everyone that they were like two peas in a pod, friendly, loving, smart, kind, and generous. The two of them shopped together, visited family together, and cared for the children together. The only quirk was that when she was tired, Aunt Marge sometimes slipped and called Helen by the name of her brother, Elvis, who had disappeared years ago. But nobody thought anything of those occasional memory lapses. After all, Aunt Marge was getting along. Aunt Marge lived until she was 80 when she passed away from a stroke. Helen and the rest of the family greatly missed her. Helen and Sam loved each other as long as they both lived. Helen focused on her children when they were young, although she did get away to the wedding of Elvis?s Army friend, Thomas, the April after she first moved in with Sam. And Helen did adopt Morgan and Madison, with Sam and their agreement, so she had more parental rights, in case something should happen to Sam. Helen continued to work to make peace with Sandra and Abigail. As the years went by Helen?s devotion to Sam and her children, including Morgan and Madison, became obvious, and all Helen?s children did well and became happy, intelligent people. This made Sandra and Abigail realize she was good for Sam and they accepted what they considered her shortcomings, that she insisted on thinking things out for herself without blindly accepting anyone?s political judgment. They even modified their own stances occasionally, although a brisk debate on politics became expected during the holidays. Sam and Helen often hosted Zak and his family in Rosedale. Although Sam had little in common with Zak, he tried to be friendly, realizing how important it was to Aunt Marge to stay in contact with her son. The visits fell into a pattern with Zak going alone to a casino in Reno while Arlene and Eva would stay at the house in Rosedale and spend time with Helen and her children and Aunt Marge. Helen and Arlene became very close friends, and Eva loved the visits into her teen years. Sam stayed at UNV through retirement and continued teaching one class a semester for almost ten years after that. He was universally acknowledged as an excellent teacher and a very solid theoretician, contributing to many fields connected with particle physics through the years. He was offered several posts at more prestigious universities but refused to change jobs. He did once spend a yea?s sabbatical to Princeton but then vowed never again. He loved being with his family too much. And Helen was never willing to move away from her home and the family they had made together. Five years after Alan was born, and Amy was adopted, Sam asked Helen if she wanted another child. In talking about it, it turned out that Sam wanted another child of his own, and Helen decided she did too. Well, it turned out that they had twins, twin boys they name ?Timothy Rei Perkins? and ?Thomas Saburo Perkins.? The middle names were Japanese. Ichiro meant ?first son,? Rei meant ?second son,? and Saburo meant ?third son.? As they grew, all the boys had fun with the middle names. It was a conversation starter and a stamp of uniqueness. Now, Helen had six children to care for, although Morgan and Madison were in Middle school and require a little less care. But they did require support and love, and Helen supplied both in abundance. She volunteered a lot when the twins were in high school. She chaperoned dances and field trips, was president of the high school PTA, organized a dance group at the school, teaching Cancan and ballet, although she recruited others to handle advanced ballet and modern dance. And she stayed involved as an assistant coach of the girls? soccer team until the regular coach had to resign due to an illness in the family. Then she became head coach and somehow managed to do a decent job without alienating Morgan and Madison. Her team came in second in the league and made the state tournament when Morgan and Madison were seniors. That Rosedale High School recognized Helen as its volunteer of the Year at the May assembly. Helen was there to be with the team when their excellent soccer season was recognized. But she didn?t know about any other award. Near the end of the assembly, the principal called Helen down to the podium again. Then she read off the award. While she was doing that, Morgan and Madison carried bouquets out to the podium and gave them to Helen and took turns saying a few words about how happy they were that their father had married her and how much they loved her. Finally, the principal took the mike again and said they had invited Helen?s family down so they could share in the award, and then introduced Sam and Alan and Angie and Tim and Thomas and Aunt Marge and even Mitty, who was now an alumnus and had come home for the awards. Helen spoke a few words between tears, saying, ?Thank You. Thank You. I?m overwhelmed. I?m surrounded here by friends and family who love me. It?s what I have always wanted. This day is truly one of the best of my life. I will always remember it. Thank You again.? Despite that happy day, Helen had found life exhausting when Morgan and Madison were in high school, and she also had four younger children and was involved in their activities. So, after the twins graduated, Helen tried to cut all her high school activities out. But the school had difficulty finding a new (unpaid) soccer coach. For that reason, Helen kept coaching soccer during the next season, and the next. Amy and Alan were now in Junior High, and Tim and Thomas were in elementary, and Helen wound up volunteering there too. Helen continued volunteering in school and youth activities as long as she had children in school. By then, she had friends all over Rosedale, and most in the community liked and respected her. Helen also discovered a talent for politics, playing a key role in a school levy campaign when Amy and Alan entered elementary school, and then being the coordinator of the next levy when the twin boys were in high school. In the second levy, she was involved in managing the levy and became the primary coordinator when the woman who had been in charge had some health problems and had to drop out. Helen became the face of the campaign as well as the coordinator. She visited community groups and political organizations, explaining the need for the levy, and appeared at campaign rallies, speaking on how school funding impacted the children in the community. She was also interviewed several times by local bloggers and news outlets. After this, many of her friends urged her to run for the school board when an opening came up. But Helen had been terrified during the last levy campaigns that, given the toxic political climate in the country, opposition research on the part of a levy opponent would discover her time as an escort and trumpet it throughout the community in an attempt to stop the levy. Had she thought of it earlier, Helen would not have accepted leadership. Helen gutted it out, continuing in her leadership role. But she was unwilling to risk a campaign for office. Helen thought she could handle her past being public. She was not ashamed of what she had had to do when she first became Helen. But she was unwilling to see her family embarrassed. Besides, she thought the other candidates in the race would do fine. When Mitty and Morgan and Madison came home from college and work, they would tease Helen for still being so involved. When they were alone, Mitty teased about how much Helen had changed since she was little. But Aunt Marge supported Helen?s involvement, saying that she thought Helen was meant to be a mother. More important, Sam supported Helen?s involvement. He told her again and again how proud he was at what Helen was doing and how much she was impacting young people. And, if Sam was happy, Helen was happy. When Tim and Thomas finally graduated from high school and went on to college, Helen determined she was going to do what she had wanted to do for years, find a way to work in medicine. She cut out all her community activities and went to work full time for Lily again. With the money she earned, Helen started taking courses in nursing at night, leading to an associate degree, and she became a registered nurse. After working for a few years, Helen qualified for a program that would allow her to obtain a master?s degree in Nursing online. It took her five long years, but finally, she became qualified as a nurse practitioner and took a job in emergency care at Reno Hospital. Helen worked in the hospital for 15 years, 12 as a head nurse in the emergency room. She gloried in her role and loved the work. But the stress took a toll on her relationship, and when Sam was 75 and Helen was 65, Sam decided to retire, and he wanted Helen to retire too. He wanted them to spend more time together and renew their relationship. Helen thought about it and realized she had come to miss their time together as companions too. As much as she loved her work, she loved Sam more. So, Helen retired, and they spent their time visiting friends and family and attending Physics Colloquia together. When Sam was 85, he had a heart attack and passed away. Helen lived five more years until she was 80, spending most of her declining years living with Angie and her family. And then, surrounded by family and friends, she also said her goodbyes. She was thankful for the transformation that had given her an opportunity to find the spouse and children she dearly loved and an opportunity to do useful work that she enjoyed. She was glad that she had decided to pursue these opportunities and knew she had been very lucky.