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"And you didn't feel as if Judge Lange was overstepping her bounds at the hearing?" The heavyset lawyer from Leary's law firm asked Mary. Mary was sitting in the witness seat of the nearly empty courtroom. Just the Judge, the lawyer representing Leary's firm, a court reporter, a court officer, Mary, Jordie and their lawyer, Judge Lang's ex-brother-in-law, Frank Middlebrook. "Your Honor," Frank stood at his desk, obviously angered by the other lawyer's question, "my client had no experience in a court environment prior to the hearing in question and therefore would have had no way of forming an opinion as to Judge Lang's method of handling the proceedings." "Thank you, Mr Middlebrook," the small man in his early fifties looked at the attorney with a bit of frustration, "but as I have pointed out to you on several occasions already this morning, this is not a trial, it is a hearing to determine if Judge Lang's facilitation of the hearing was appropriate and if a new hearing regarding the inheritance in question is warranted. Ms Cochran can ask any question I find relevant. If I find that the question is out of bounds, I will make that known. Your opinion is not part of today's proceedings. Is that understood?" The big man huffed as he responded, "Yes, your honor, that is understood." "Good. Then take a seat, Mr Middlebrook." Frank sat and the judge turned his attention towards the other lawyer. "Having said that, I do agree with Mr Middlebrook and I am advising the witness to not answer that last question. The questions directed to the witnesses today shall be limited to questions about the proceedings on that day, Ms Cochran," the judge told her, "and you shall not ask the defendants to comment on the appropriateness of those proceedings. You will limit your questions to what the witness observed or testimony that was given and nothing else. Now, are we all on the same page?" He was obviously frustrated. "Yes, Your Honor," Frank said again. "Yes, Your Honor," the broad lawyer in the dark blue pants suit said. "Then continue." The judge was bouncing back and forth just a bit in his reclining desk chair. Nothing about court proceedings was normal during these days of the pandemic, but something was very concerning about this one in particular. Someone had some friends in high places to have pushed for a quick hearing date and to draw an inexperienced judge in Sandra Browning, who had originally been assigned to this hearing. Unfortunately, Judge Browning had been exposed to Covid-19 and had to self quarantine starting this morning. He had been assigned the case with barely enough time to read the briefs. "According to the brief given to Judge Lang by your attorney, your nephew, Jordan Alden, is a twenty one year old male who is an engineering student, is that correct?" "Yes," Mary answered, very unnerved by being in a courtroom. She had been instructed by Frank Middlebrook to keep her answers as short and succinct as possible. "And is your nephew in the courtroom today?" "Yes, he is," Mary answered. "And would you please describe your nephew's appearance today?" "Your honor!" Frank was standing, once again. "Sit down, Mr Middlebrook!" The judge slammed his hand on the desk. "But Your Honor..." "Sit now, or I shall find you in contempt of court!" "Yes, Your Honor." He sat, but his attitude made it clear that he was not pleased. "Ms Cochran, what exactly is your point?" The judge demanded. "Your honor," the opposing lawyer was smug and self righteous and that irritated the judge to no end. He was not pleased with either of these attorneys. "My intention is to show the court that Mr Alden is not mentally, physically or emotionally capable of handling an inheritance as large as the one in question and that the best way to handle this estate is to leave it in the hands of my firm so that Mr Alden will be able to live his entire life off of a monthly allocation." What kind of a cockamamie game was being played here? The judge had never heard of a law firm demanding that the management of an estate stay under their control against the wishes of the beneficiaries. Something was very wrong. This case should not even have been considered for appeal. "Then get to your point pretty damned quickly, Ms. Cochran." The lawyer nodded, but did not bother to give a polite, spoken reply. "Is your nephew dressed as a little girl, today?" The lawyer said harshly. "No," Mary replied. "Is your nephew wearing a flowered dress with a lace collar and puffy, short sleeves?" She insisted. "Yes." "Is your nephew sporting a hair style featuring reddish-blonde hair, bangs and long hair in the back?" "Yes." "Does your nephew look like a twenty one year old male?" "My nephew's name is Jordan and Jordan always looks the way that he looks today. So, since Jordan is a twenty one year old male and that is how he looks all the time, then, yes - Jordan looks like a twenty one year old male." "Really?" Lawyer Cochran smirked. She pointed at Jordan and looked at him contemptuously. "THAT looks like a twenty one year old MALE to you?" Frank stood to object, but the judge spoke before Frank could. "MS COCHRAN! You are done with this witness. Mr Middlebrook, do you have any questions?" "I'm not finished, Your Honor!" Cochran complained. "Yes, you are, Ms Cochran. Sit down and be quiet until it is your turn to speak, again. Mr Middlebrook, ask your questions if you have any." The judge's face was red with frustration. Cochran walked deliberately to her assigned table as Frank stood. He rubbed the crown of his bald head, his dark skin and salt and pepper beard creating a striking image in his three thousand dollar suit. He cleared his throat and looked at Jordan for a moment before looking at Mary. "Has Jordan ever behaved irresponsibly?" Mary shook her head. "Never." "To your knowledge, has Jordan ever taken illegal drugs." "Never." "Abused alcohol?" "Never." "Exhibited an addiction to gambling?" "Never." "Do you know your nephew well?" "Very well." "Then, in brief, can you please describe your knowledge of Mr Alden's intellectual abilities?" Mary took a deep breath, happy to have the opportunity to say these things in front of Jordan. "Jordie is probably the most intelligent person I have ever met. He can make anything. He can solve almost any problem put before him. He reads more difficult books than I am capable of understanding and he reads them quicker than I would have thought possible. He is kind, empathetic and honest. He has never shown anger or malice towards anyone. He is a smart, decent human being who doesn't deserve to be treated the way that Ms Cochran and her cohort, Mr Leary, are treating him." Cochran rose, but the judge was too fast for her. "Sit down, Ms Cochran and don't say a word - not even 'I'm sorry,' or you'll be spending the night in the cells downstairs." She mumbled something under her breath as she sat back down. "I think I have completed my questions, Your Honor." Frank said. "The witness may step down," the judge waved her off of the stand. "Do you need to speak to the other witness, Ms Cochran?" The judge asked, his patience reaching an end. "Yes, your honor," said the other lawyer, but her voice was filled with contempt. "Mr Alden, please take the stand," the judge tried to not sound threatening. Jordan stood and walked to the stand. It couldn't have been more than twenty steps away, but it seemed like it was miles away. He felt smaller and weaker than he'd ever felt in his life and his body was charged with fear. When at last he took the stand, Lawyer Cochran asked, "Mr Alden, have you ever managed a one hundred million dollar account before?" "No," Jordan was also coached to be concise. "Have you ever managed a household account or a checking account?" "I have a checking account." "And what is the current balance of that account?" Jordan thought for a moment. "About forty six dollars." The lawyer smirked. "Forty six dollars. You have only managed to accumulate forty six dollars into your account, but you think you are qualified to handle a hundred million dollars?" "No," Jordie said without hesitation. Frank rose, but the judge pointed at him and stopped him. "So you admit that you cannot handle an estate the size of the one left to you by your parents?" "Of course not," Jordan said. "That is why I was relying on my own attorney to set up a trust with another law firm." Good answer and everyone knew it. "Mr Alden, my law firm is one of the best in the country. Why not leave your estate in our care." The judge looked at Frank, knowing he was itching to speak, and held up a finger as if telling Frank that he was giving Cochran enough rope to hang herself. "Because your colleague, Mr Leary, insulted my aunt and insulted me. He was impolite and unhelpful and when my lawyer asked him for assistance, he instead tried to keep my parents' estate from me." Mary was shocked that Jordan had spoken with so much confidence. "Do you think that, perhaps, Mr Leary was just trying to look out for your best interests?" "No, Ms Cochran. He was trying to take control of my parents estate." "Well, I think that we must agree to disagree on that matter," She smirked some more. "And, just as an exercise in the hypothetical, if you were to gain complete control of the inheritance, what would you do with it? Buy a Corvette? Go to Disney World? Maybe hire Taylor Swift to sing at your birthday party? A hundred million dollars is a lot of money, Mr Alden. How would you spend it?" Jordan looked at the floor near the lawyers feet and said, "First, I would put fifty million into a family trust so that my aunt, my cousins and I would always have enough money to live on." She nodded. "And the other fifty million? How would you use that? Pretty, designer dresses? Expensive shoes? French lingerie? Lots of pretty little things to make you feel like a lady?" Frank was burning up with rage, but the judge still held him a bay. Something was happening and Frank wasn't sure what it was. "No." Jordie still looked at the floor. "Then what, Mr Alden?" Jordan's eyes raised slowly until he was looking directly into hers. "My lawyer and I have already drawn up the outline for another trust fund to benefit women in the areas in and around Hardwick, Massachusetts. A fund that would help women to go to college, get vocational training, help unwed teenaged mothers finish their high school education. Teach girls to sew and read and write and become productive members of their communities and to give them the opportunities to have happy and stable lives. Our trust would be dedicated to making the world a better place so that good people can thrive and bullies like Mr Leary and you won't have the power to operate with impunity and make people's lives miserable just so that you can make money off of the hard work and death of others. That's what I'm planning to do with my parents' estate." The smirk was firmly planted on Cochran's smug face. "Your Honor, I request that you instruct the witness to not editorialize when giving testimony." "No," the judge said as he wrote something in his notes. "Your Honor..." "Ms Cochran," the judge interrupted, "I am going to advise you to sit down and load your papers into your briefcase. Your part of this hearing is completed. If you'd like to stay and hear Mr Middlebrook's questions, you are free to do so, but if you so much as cough, I'll hold you in contempt." She stared at him, mouth agape. She wanted to speak, but was afraid that the little pissant of a judge might actually be stupid enough to hold her in contempt. "Three seconds, Ms Cochran. One. Two." She scurried to her seat as quickly as she could and sat, shuffling her papers into her briefcase. "Mr Middlebrook. Your witness." Frank stood and smiled a small, but amused smile as he moved to the center of the floor. "Jordie. How did your parents die?" "They were doctors and they went to China last year to work with Doctors Without Boarders. When the Covid-19 outbreak began, they tried to help control it and save the lives of the people near them. They contracted the disease and died." Frank let that sink in for a moment. "I'm very sorry, Jordie." Jordan nodded. "Thank you." "And did you love your parents, Jordie," he asked, expecting the obvious answer. Jordan thought for a moment. "I think so." "You don't know if you loved your parents?" Jordan pondered for a moment or two before answering. "It's complicated. My parents were very focused on their jobs and I'm not the easiest person to love." Mary felt the tears forming in her eyes as she heard Jordie revisit this part of his life. "Why do you say that you're not easy to love, Jordie?" Frank asked. "My parents were very success oriented and I'm... I'm not even a successful male. They wanted a football hero, or a musical prodigy. I'm not like that. I'm weird and small and smart, not a good combination and not an easy package to love. I think that they loved me in their own, kind of distant way, and I think that's how they taught me to love them, too." The judge, court reporter, Frank and Mary stared at Jordan in shock as Cochran rolled her eyes at this obviously planned theatrical performance. Finally, the judge asked, "Anything else, Mr Middlebrook?" Frank looked at the judge and thought for a moment. What else needed to be said? "No, Your Honor." The judge looked at Jordan. "Please return to your seat." Jordan nodded and took a seat next to Mary, who took his hand in hers and squeezed it tightly. She smiled sadly at him. "According to the laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts," the judge said in an officious tone, "I have seventy two hours to render my verdict, but," he glared at Cochran, "I feel that one party in this proceeding has blatantly abused the laws of this Commonwealth to try to use this courtroom, MY COURTROOM, to extort a young man's lawful inheritance from him. Ms Cochran, your firm will just have to get by without Mr Alden's money and I must say that I found your performance in this courtroom today absolutely disgraceful. I don't know who the bigwigs are that facilitated this hearing for your firm, but I am a fair an impartial judge - not an easily influenced, novice like Judge Browning, who, I suspect, you had made some arrangements with ahead of time." Cochran shifted uncomfortably in her seat. The judge continued. "My decision is this - There is no cause for an appeal of Judge Lang's decision. I will not allow this case to be reheard." He banged his gavel. "Court is dismissed." Frank stood and said, "Thank you, Your Honor. Your Honor! May speak with you in chambers, please?" The judge sighed. "Mr Middlebrook, I just found in your favor..." "Yes, Your Honor, but this is in regards to another matter." Another sigh. "Alright, then, but put on a mask before you come into my chambers and be quick, please." He disappeared into his office. He turned and smiled at Mary and Jordan. "I'm going to speak to him about Amanda and Susan. Obviously, he sees that this is all a sham. Maybe he can help with the Bar Association. I will talk to you soon." Mary and Jordan nodded. "Thank you, so much!" Mary said with great relief in her voice. Don't thank me," he smiled. "Jordan here did all the heavy lifting. I just stood there. I have to run. Congratulations." XXX "That's great, mom!" Frances said into the phone. "Everything is fine here." There was a knock at the door. "Hang on," Frances said, nervous that more trouble was coming their way. She walked to the door and spoke into the phone. "There's someone at the door. I don't know, mom, I haven't gotten there, yet. Oh. It's just a FedEx guy. Nothing to worry about. Ok. Bye." She disconnected the call and opened the door. "Hi." The handsome delivery man smiled. "Hi. I have a delivery for 'Lang Lissa and it requires a signature." Frances blinked. "Lang Lissa? There's no one here by that name. Do you have the right address?" The delivery man looked at the package. "This is 183, right?" "Yeah, but..." "Is that for me?" Melissa called as she hustled down the stairs. "No," Frances looked behind her. "It's for..." then she thought 'Melissa Lang' - 'Lang Lissa.' "Oh, sorry. Yeah. It's for you." She stepped to the side and shook her head. As Melissa approached the door, Frances whispered, "You're not very good at staying hidden, are you?" Melissa smiled. "Something's can't be stopped by a pandemic." Then she turned to the delivery man. "I'm Lang." "Sign here, please," the man smiled and, after she signed his tablet, she took a small box from him and closed the door. "Another delivery?" Robbie asked as she came down the stairs. "FedEx is going to be busy as long as you're staying here." "You know," Melissa chuckled, "I usually have two or three deliveries a day back home. Amazon and I are good friends. I'm not sure how you guys are getting by without shopping therapy." "We only buy what we need, when we need it," Frances said, a little sternly. "Well, that's just sick," Melissa joked. "Regardless, I need this. It's a gift for Jordie." She quickly opened the packing box and removed a robin's egg blue ring box from within. Frances eyed the box and glanced at Robbie. "Is that what I think it is?" Robbie asked, excited, but a bit confused. Melissa couldn't help but grin as she opened the box to reveal a fairly large diamond ring in a simple setting. "Oh, my God!" Robbie clapped her hands, excited. "You're not seriously going to ask Jordie to marry you this soon?" Frances was amazed at the idea. "No, no, no," Melissa laughed. "I'm asking Jordie to... well... in the words of any random romance novelist, I'm asking Jordie to become my 'betrothed.'" "Your fianc??" Robbie asked. "Yes," Melissa said. "My fianc?." "So you are asking him to marry you," Frances was confused. "Well... yeah, but not right now. I'm just kind of making a commitment to him and hoping he'll want to make a commitment to me. That's cool, isn't it?" "Wicked cool!" Robbie said. "Jordie's going to be thrilled." Melissa looked at Frances. "Franny?" "Oh..." Frances shrugged. "I guess it's fine." "Fine?" "Well... not fine... Good. I mean it's a good thing, but..." "But what?" Melissa was a little hurt. "Melissa... Jordie's really delicate. I mean, just a handful of weeks ago he couldn't even look us in the eyes. He's come a long way, but... he's still a delicate person. If you're at all uncertain that you're going to follow through with this..." Melissa held up her hand to stop her. "Franny, I understand that you guys are protective of Jordie and, believe me, I understand that, but YOU need to understand that Jordie is a grown up and he can make up his mind for himself. Now, as for me, I am absolutely certain that I want to be with Jordie forever, so I'm willing to tell that to the world that by giving him this ring. Now, Jordie, the adult, can say yes and make me very happy, or he can say no and I will spend as long as it takes for me to 'woo' him into being my..." she sputtered and searched for the word. "Your wife?" Robbie asked. "I don't know," Melissa laughed. "I never really thought about it. My wife, my husband, my partner... whatever, I don't care. I just want Jordie to be with me forever. Ok?" Frances nodded and smiled. "Ok." Melissa smiled and hugged her. "Thank you." Then she turned to Robbie and asked. "Ok?" Robbie smiled. "Are you kidding. I can't believe how romantic all of this is!" She hugged Melissa, excitedly. Just then, a UPS truck pulled into the driveway. "Are you expecting more?" Frances chuckled. Melissa smiled. "I just want to make tonight special for my Jordie." XXX "Oh, that's great! I'm so relieved, Susan!" Mary said into the phone that was running through the Bluetooth connection in her car. "Frank did a great job for Jordie and me, too. So, you and Amanda are both ok? No chance of being disbarred?" "We're both good," Susan sounded very happy, "but from what Frank told Amanda, several other people may be losing their licenses over all of this brouhaha. Apparently, the judge that oversaw your hearing was pretty ticked off at the other lawyer and he's filing a complaint with the bar association against her and Leary and several members of the bar review board. There could be quite a bit of fallout over this, but we're all safe and sound and as of this moment, your nephew is worth more than one hundred million dollars." Mary reached over and squeezed Jordan's hand as he sat in the passenger seat. "We'll start working on his charitable trust this week," Susan continued. "If he needs to access any money, for any reason, though, it's all his." Mary glanced at Jordan who shrugged and shook his head indicating that he didn't expect he'd need anything in a hurry. "I think he's good for now, Susie. We're nearly home, now. Why don't you come to dinner tonight. We'll grill something and eat outside. How does that sound?" "I'd love to, Mare, but Amanda is with me here at the office. We won't be done until at least six or six thirty." "Perfect!" Mary insisted. "We'll have everything ready to go for seven. I'm sure Amanda will be happy to see Melissa, too, although I doubt that Jordie will be happy to see Melissa leave." Jordan's head snapped to his left and he looked at Mary with realization and fear on his face. "I doubt that, too," Susan laughed. "See you at seven." The call ended. They drove on in silence for a few minutes before Mary said, "You knew that Melissa would be leaving when this was over, Jordie, right?" "I guess," Jordie chocked out. "I just didn't expect it to happen so quickly." Mary squeezed his hand again. "If it's meant to be, Jordie, then you guys will work it out. Ok?" XXX Frances and Robbie hustled from the picnic table to the car as Mary and Jordie pulled in. They'd been setting the table for late dinner. France hurried to her mother and Robbie hurried to Jordan. Hugs and expressions of relief were exchanged as they walked towards the picnic table and the house beyond. Mary sat at the table to tell Robbie and Frances about the hearing, but Jordan continued on towards the back door. "Jordie, honey," Mary called after him, "come sit with us for a few minutes." Jordan glanced at the door then back to his aunt. "I just want to see Melissa. I'll be right out." "Melissa's not in there, Jordie." Frances said. "Where is she?" Jordan looked toward the barn. "We don't know," Robbie shrugged her shoulders. "As soon as her mom called and said that everything was ok, she said she had to do something and just... left." Jordan could feel his heart breaking. He'd put every ounce of love he had into loving Melissa and now she was leaving - no - she was already gone. What an idiot he'd been. "Are you ok, Jordie?" Frances asked. He nodded. "I think I just need a nap." He disappeared into the house. XXX It was later in the afternoon when Jordan was awaken by the sounds of people outside. He could hear Aunt Mary, Frances, Robbie, Susan and Amanda all laughing and sounding happy. He touched his face, which was still wet from crying. He sniffled back a few tears that remained in his eyes and rolled over, determined to never get out of bed again. "Frank, you found us!" He heard Aunt Mary shout, followed by Frank's reply. "It certainly wasn't easy." Everyone laughed at that. "My God, I didn't know you could travel this far west of Boston and not be in Michigan, for crying out loud." More laughs. Obviously, Frank Middlebrook had been invited to dinner, too. Everyone seemed to want to celebrate. Jordie just wanted to die. Melissa hadn't even said goodbye. "Aren't you getting up?" A voice asked quietly from the doorway. Jordan turned. "Melissa? You came back?" She scrunched up her face. "What? Of course I came back, you silly goose? Where would I go without you?" Jordan was confused. "They said you'd gone." "Yeah, I had somethings to do, Jordie, I didn't leave. Heck, I didn't even take my car." Jordan jumped out of the bed and ran to her, hugging her tightly, his head squeezing tightly to her breasts. "Oh, thank God. I thought you'd left for good." She kissed the top of his head. "I'm never leaving you, baby." They hugged for a good minute or more before Melissa pulled herself free of him and took a good look at him. "Look what you've done. Your dress is a mess from sleeping in it. All wrinkled. That's not like you. It's a good thing that I got you a present." "You did?" Melissa grinned, stepped into the hallway for a moment, then returned with a soft, yellow dress hanging on a hanger. "I bought you this. I saw it in an online catalog and I just thought it screamed 'Jordie.' Will you wear it to dinner for me?" It was a lovely dress. A classic shirt dress, sleeveless, a flat collar with tiny, orange flowers embroidered on it, a buttoned bodice with a faux, elastic belt and a pleated skirt that, even on the hanger, held its bell shape. "Do you like it?" Melissa asked. "It's very pretty," Jordan smiled, "but if you'd shown it to me, I could have made it myself." Melissa smiled, now. "Then it wouldn't have been much of a gift, now would it?" She hung the dress from the top of the closet door. "I'll get out of here and let you get dressed, but Robbie is going to French braid your hair for you when you're done dressing, ok?" "A French braid?" Jordie seemed surprised. He only wore his hair in French braids at bed time, as a rule. "It would mean a lot to me," Melissa ran her fingers along his soft, apple cheek. "Ok," he shrugged. "I need to do my makeup again, too. " She kissed his forehead. "Then I'd better leave you to it." And she left. Jordan took off his wrinkled dress and laid it on his bed, then he stood in his bra and panties and looked at the dress Melissa had given him. He did like it, a lot. It was a bit 'retro' in style. It looked just a little like something that a housewife would have worn in one of those old nineteen fifties, black and white TV shows his mother had always liked so much. Very soft and classically feminine, but simple - kind of like Jordie felt when he was near Melissa. The dress was very soft, obviously expensive. It was very, very pretty. He took the hanger down and held the dress in front of him as he looked in the mirror. Somehow, over the past few weeks and months, yellow had become his signature color and this was a perfect shade. Not garish, a soft tone, very shear in the bodice. There was no way that a woman could wear this dress without her bra showing through. That was a little dangerous, a little sexy. Yes, it was a retro-housewife's dress, but it was sexy, too. He liked that. He liked it a lot. "Ahem," Robbie cleared her throat in a cartoonish way from the doorway. Jordan turned and blushed. "Sorry. I was just looking at my new dress." Robbie smiled. "It's a beautiful dress, Jordie. Come on, let me do your hair and I'll help you do your makeup and get dressed." Jordan returned the dress to the closet door. "Let me get a robe..." "Jordie," Robbie laughed, "just take a seat. Just be my little sister and let me get you ready for your big night." That confused Jordie, but he sat before asking, "Why is this my big night?" She smiled down onto the top of his head as she began braiding. "Because you won, Jordie. You're a very rich guy, now. Everyone wants to celebrate with you." "We're all rich, Robbie." She bent and kissed the crown of his head. "I know, Jordie, but tonight is just for you." When his hair was braided and the end of the braid adorned with a hair tie made of an artificial sun flower to match the dress, Robbie took some fingernail polish remover and began cleaning the old polish from his nails. It was at that point that Jordan realized that there was a whole tray of makeup products on his dressing table that had not been there that morning. Apparently, Melissa had worked with Robbie to have everything ready. "Jordie?" Robbie asked, shaking Jordan from his thoughts. "Huh?" "Do you like this?" "Like what? Having you do my nails?" Robbie looked at her pretty little cousin, his auburn hair in bangs and braided so prettily. His little lace bra and matching panties. His small, weak shoulders. "No, Jordie. Do you like being a girl?" Jordan's eyes wandered slowly from his hands to Robbie's eyes. "I'm not a girl, Robbie. I'll never be a girl. I'm never losing that part of me." In a way, Jordan's response actually made it a little harder for Robbie to continue, but she had to be sure before he went outside where Melissa was waiting with the ring. "I know, but... When this all started, I think that I had more fun getting you dressed up than almost anything I'd ever done in my whole life. I mean... I've always loved you as our cousin and all, but we were never really close like cousins should be. It was just so much fun to be with you and dress you up and have you be one of the girls, you know?" Jordan smiled. "I know. I liked it too." Robbie almost looked ashamed as she continued. "I'm just afraid that... that maybe we... forced this on you. We didn't, did we." Robbie concentrated on Jordan's fingers and waited for an answer. And she waited. And she waited. Finally, with his free hand, Jordan reached across the gap between them and gently raised Robbie's chin so that she looked him in the eyes. "Robbie, you didn't force anything on to me. You helped me to find out who I really am. If I hadn't come here, I would have lived an unhappy life of never knowing... me." A little tear formed in the corner of Robbie's eye. Jordan smiled and continued. "Remember what I was like in March when I got here? I couldn't look you in the eye, I couldn't have touched you like this, I could barely even smile. I was an ugly, self-loathing toad..." "Jordie, never say..." "... but look at me now, Robbie. I'm happy. And being happy helps me look better and smile more and love. I could never have loved anyone before, Robbie. Now, I love Auntie and Franny and Melissa... and I love you. You're not just my cousin, Robbie, you're the best and closet friend I have. That I'll ever have. You made it possible for me to be me." He leaned forward and kissed cheek. "And I love you for it. Thank you." Robbie put the nail polish remover aside and hugged her cousin as tears rolled down her face. "Oh, Jordie, I love you, too." Then she started laughing. "Great. Now I'm going to have to do my makeup all over again, too. We're never going to get outside!" XXX "Are they ever coming out?" Melissa was bursting with impatience. She hadn't planned for everyone to be here for this, but it had all worked out perfectly. Mary, Frances and Robbie were there from Jordan's family, their friend Susan was there, too, and then her mother and her Uncle Frank had suddenly joined the guest list while she'd been out dealing with her surprises. Everyone was here except, of course, Jordan. Melissa had asked Robbie to get him ready because Robbie was always so quick at these things. It had been nearly an hour, though. "What are they doing in there?" Her Uncle Frank stood and lead her to an Adirondack chair and said, "Sit down and be patient, Lissa. If there's one thing you have to learn about dating a beautiful girl, it's that you must be patient. Beauty takes time. Relax." Melissa nodded and let out a frustrated sigh. Then looked at her uncle, "You know that Jordie isn't a girl, right?" Frank smiled. "Yes, she is sweetheart. You and I both know that. She may not be female, but she is a very smart and pretty girl, and with you as a role model, she is going to be a mighty woman - just like you. I'm very happy that you found her." "Thanks, Uncle Frank," Melissa smiled. Just then, the old screen door slammed and everyone turned to see Robbie walking beside a vision of feminine beauty in a timeless, yellow dress and tight, perfect braids. Mary and Frances gasped as they caught sight of him. Susan smiled. Amanda let out a quiet 'Aww.' "See," Frank whispered to Melissa, "good things come to those who wait." Melissa stood and the flowered dress that she wore, a dress that had been made by the love of her life, a dress that had, per her request, had subtle pockets sewn into it, fell beautifully around her athletic form. As she started to walk towards Jordan, Frank stopped her. "Wait. Let her make her entrance. I think I know what's happening here. Let the bride to be make her entrance." Melissa looked sheepishly at her uncle, his eyes playful on his smiling, dark face. "Am I that transparent?" "Just to me," he said as he kissed her forehead. "Now. She's made her entrance. Now, you can go take her hand and ask her." Melissa took a moment to get her smile under control, then slowly walked to Jordan, took his hands in hers and whispered, "You are the most beautiful thing that God has ever created." Jordan wanted to thank her for saying that and for the dress, but, for some reason, all he could do was blush. Something was happening all around him. He couldn't figure out what it was, but he knew it was something wonderful. Melissa kissed his cheek and smiled sweetly. Then she turned to everyone. "I'm glad that we're all together today, because I have something I want to say and I want everyone to hear it." Everyone got very quiet and looked at her and suddenly, she felt self conscience. Maybe this wasn't a great idea. Oh, well, she'd started this, there was no backing out now. Melissa cleared her throat and continued. "I know this might seem impulsive, but... well... A few weeks ago, I met the sweetest, most beautiful person I have ever met and, contrary to everything that I had always believed, I learned that love at first sight is a very real and very powerful thing." She looked at Jordan and could not believe how beautiful he was. "Jordie, I hope that you don't think that I'm rushing things, but," she knelt down on one knee and pulled the small, robin's egg blue box from her pocket, "will you accept this ring and agree to marry me, someday, when you're ready?" She opened the box revealing the tasteful, but obviously costly, ring. Jordan's free hand shot to his mouth as Susan and Amanda and especially Mary, covered their own mouths, caught up in the romance, concern and the abruptness of this proposal. Jordan shook and gasped and tried to remember how to think, how to breathe, how to speak, but none of that worked. He just shook and shook and shook until finally he was able to start nodding his head, just a little, but eventually that turned into a full blown nod and soon he was gasping, "Yes! Yes! Yes!" Quickly, because she sensed that Jordan may pass out if she didn't move things along, Melissa slid the ring onto the fourth finger of his left hand, then stood and embraced him, as much to calm him down as to show her love. Frank was the first to start clapping, but the others joined quickly. Jordan buried his face in Melissa's chest and shoulders and he shook and he cried and he shook and he cried and he whispered, "I love you so much," over and over and over. "I love you, too, Jordie," Melissa assured him. "I'm going to let you go, now. Can you stand on your own?" He nodded and felt the pressure of her hug lessen slowly as Melissa let him go. Robbie was the first to grab Jordan's hand. "Let me see it! Oh, Jordie, it's just perfect and it fits so well!" As Melissa received a hug from her uncle, she turned to Robbie and said, "I tried one of my pinkie rings on Jordie the other day. It seemed to fit his ring finger perfectly, so that's what I ordered. If it needs adjusting, we can get it sized." "No way," Jordan said through tears of joy. "It fits perfectly and this ring is never leaving my finger." As the shock of the situation lessened, Frances and the older women rose and congratulated each of the brides to be. "So," Amanda said, after hugging them both, "you're going to wait until you've gotten your career going before the actual wedding?" "We're going to wait until Jordie's ready to marry me," Melissa smiled. "As for a career, I think I have one all planned out?" "Really?" Amanda raised her eyebrows. "What is your plan?" "Jordan and I have been discussing how best to help the women of this area, and maybe, eventually, in areas beyond Hardwick, and I sent an email to Melinda Gates to ask her how she and Bill Gates set up their foundation. She gave us lots of great ideas and, since my education is all in business and investments, she offered to tutor me over the Internet. Jordie has asked me to be the director of the charitable branch of the Family trust. That will be my career." "You emailed Melissa Gates!?" Frances asked. "Bill Gates' wife? One of the richest women in the world?" "Sure," Melissa smiled. "Why not?" Amanda smiled. "That sounds very rewarding. Let's talk to our lawyers and see if we can increase the size of that endowment through our family's trust, too." "Count me in!" Frank shouted. "I'd love to help. You can't take it with you, you know!" Everyone laughed. "Well, let's not move too quickly," Mary said as she hugged Jordan, then released him and smiled at his pretty, tear soaked face. "I just got my Jordie back. I don't want to lose him too quickly." "Yeah, about that..." Melissa grinned. "What?" Frances shook her head. "You can't have another surprise up your sleeve." "Speaking of combining family resources..." she pulled a small, gift wrapped package from her other pocket and handed it to Jordan. "What's this?" "Open it and see." Everyone watched as Jordan ripped the flowered paper open and then removed the cover from the small box within. He pushed back the paper and pulled out a small chain with a brass letter 'J' at one end and a ring with a key on it on the other. "A key?" Jordan asked. "Everyone look down the hill, for a moment," Melissa requested. "What do you see?" "The center of town," Frances said. "The library," Mary said. "Some buildings and the road," Amanda said. "Keenan's farm," Susan said. "Bingo!" Melissa laughed. "What?" Mary asked. "What do mean?" "Well," Melissa grinned, "one of the reasons I needed a new computer was to look into a few things about this town. I did a pretty extensive search and I found out who the best realtor in this area was and I got in touch with her. I told her where I was staying and I asked if there were any houses for sale nearby. When I told her that I wasn't concerned about the price, she told me that since Mr Keenan had passed away a few years ago, Mrs Keenan had been considering selling the farm. So, I told her I was interested and this morning she told me what the family wanted for the property. Then, when you called and said that Uncle Frank had gotten everything resolved, I called the realtor and said I wanted to make an offer. I went down there this afternoon and I looked at the house. It's really beautiful inside, filled with beautiful antiques. So, I offered them thirty thousand dollars over asking price if I could keep the furniture. They agreed. I called the bank and had them transfer the money immediately. It won't be official until tomorrow, but from now on, it's Jordie's house." Everyone was shocked and they stood silent for a few moments before Jordan gasped, "Melissa... that's unbelievable." She put her arm around him. "Jordie, I want you to be mine, but I would never take you away from your family. They love you too much. Now, we can all be together. Mom, if you want to move west, there's a pretty little cottage on the property that I plan to have renovated for you and Franny and Robbie, when you're ready, we'll build houses for you, too, if you want. Uncle Frank, if you ever decide to leave the city, there's plenty of room for you, too. See, this way we'll have what Jordie and I both need the most. Family, love and above all, each other." The End Author's note: This brings Jordie's story right up to the present time. I promise, I will revisit this beautiful boy in the future and we'll find out how life turns out for Jordie and Melissa.