After a few days I was well enough to be up and around and resume Stacey’s life. First I went and got my hair dyed red again and retrieved my naughty schoolgirl outfit when I knew Mac wouldn’t be around. It’s a little snug on me, which only makes it naughtier. The glasses I had replaced with ordinary glass lenses for effect. I thought it’d be easier for Mac—and anyone else who knew me—if I look like this.
“You know I don’t care what you look like,” Mac says.
“I was just cushioning the blow a little,” I say. I take the glasses off now that he knows I don’t need them. I’m sure sometimes I’ll miss them, but not when I wake up in the mornings and have to scramble to find them. “I thought you’d been through enough already.”
“Not as much as you.”
I reach across to take his hand. “I’m sorry about Mary Anne. Grace told me about it.”
“I’m afraid this is it for her. I’m going to file the papers to legally adopt Darren. I’m sure he’ll be glad to have a real mom.”
“Who, me?”
“You are still my wife, aren’t you?”
“Of course. Til death do we part,” I say. “I ain’t dead yet.”
He gives me a short kiss on the lips before he hurries over to his desk. He unlocks a drawer and takes out an envelope. I know what’s inside it even before he gets down on one knee in front of me. “Will you marry me, again?” he asks. He takes the wedding ring out of the envelope.
“Yes,” I say. I kiss him yet again. “But we’re not having another wedding.”
“Fine with me. One was more than enough.”
***
There is another wedding, just not for me. It’s taken a long, sometimes painful month, but Maddy is a woman again. She’s about the same age I am, though old enough for the marriage to be legal according to Dr. Nath.
For all the planning Maddy did on my wedding, hers requires a lot less effort. It’s not a church wedding, just a civil ceremony at the courthouse. So I don’t get to walk her down the aisle, which might have been hard for people to understand anyway. Instead I stand next to Grace, me in a beige dress with a crown of yellow flowers in my red hair and Grace in a pink dress with white flowers atop her hair.
Maddy did insist she wear a wedding dress. It’s one of those classic fairy tale-style ones, with the long train and tons of ruffles and lace. She looks gorgeous in the dress, almost like her mother when we got married so long ago. Whatever Vollmer gave her, when it wore off, she became skinny, more so than when I saw her at the Kozee Koffee five years ago. If I hadn’t dyed my hair we would look like twins, a fact I find disturbing, but Maddy relishes; she wants us to go out and buy identical wardrobes so we can mess with people.
Except on this day. On this day she wants to be the center of attention with Grace. It’s the day Maddy’s dreamed of for years now, when she and Grace will finally be married. I’m still not sure if I should call them husband and wife or wife and wife or how that’s supposed to go.
Tess holds up Maddy’s train as she makes her way into the little conference room where the ceremony will take place. The judge is already here in her black robe to make things look more official. I can already feel the tears start as Maddy sidles up beside Grace. I didn’t bother to wear eye makeup today; I knew I would bawl like a baby and not just because of the female hormones either.
Clarita takes her place beside Maddy and holds the rings on a white velvet pillow. Unlike Maddy and I, Clarita is still a child, just twelve years old. She looks closer to sixteen; her chest has already blossomed, which ought to make her popular whenever she starts school.
There’s no music, just a few stifled coughs as Maddy takes Grace’s hand and faces her. The judge starts in with the ceremony. Since it’s on public property there are no Bible verses or mentions of God or anything. Tess is probably disappointed by that, but this is the only way for Maddy and Grace to get married, so she goes along with it.
They do the standard vows. Grace takes a deep breath before she says hers. This is really it, when it all becomes real for her. There won’t be any going back. She manages to get through the vows without any trouble. Maddy has a little trouble with hers because she’s crying too hard. Tears of joy, I’m sure.
And then it’s over. The judge tells them they can kiss, as if they need any prompting. Since they’ve waited so long, they kiss a lot longer than Mac and I did for our wedding. By the end of it Grace tries to pull away, but Maddy won’t let her go. Grace finally manages to free herself. “Sorry, Mrs. Griffith,” Maddy says.
“It’s all right, Mrs. Meredith,” Grace says.
They turn to face the small group of witnesses, who fill the conference room with applause.
***
The reception is at the Centennial Club, the kind of place where you need a net worth of a few million to rent the place. Or to be the therapist for a key member’s granddaughter. That’s part of Mac’s gift and mine for Maddy and Grace. The rest of it is two tickets to Paris with some spending money. Not all of that comes from Mac either; I kick in my fair share.
As soon as I walk into the Centennial Club, I get a little jealous Mac and I had our reception at a suburban Radisson instead. The place is really swanky, all art deco style with crystal chandeliers that cast golden light on the dance floor. The acoustics in here are amazing from the way the sound bounces off the old walls.
As the closest thing to a best man, I get to toast the happy couple. “This has been a long time coming,” I say. “I can’t think of two people who are better-suited to be married than Madison and Grace. The way they’ve loved each other so completely and passionately is an inspiration to me. I’m sure they’ll continue to be an inspiration for many years to come.”
We all raise our glasses of champagne to salute Maddy and Grace. Or glasses of juice for those of us under twenty-one—and Grace. I know all about her secret since Mac was intimately involved. After my toast, Grace remains standing to give her wedding gift to Madison.
Before she speaks, she gives me a hug, maybe to thank me for the toast or maybe to help give her courage for what she has to say now. “Thank you, Stacey for being such a good friend to us all these years. Such a good friend that you’d even loan your husband to us so we can make our other dream come true.”
She turns to Madison and takes her hands. From the way Maddy’s face pales, I think she already knows what’s happening. “Madison and I are going to have our first child in eight months,” Grace says and puts a hand on her stomach.
“Are you serious?” Maddy asks. “When—?”
“I would never joke about this.” Grace guides one of Maddy’s hands to touch her stomach, where a new life is forming, a new life made by Grace and Mac while Madison was still growing up. With all that FY-1978 in her, we knew Maddy couldn’t get pregnant, which left it up to Grace. Since we had talked about it at the hospital, she had decided to go through with it. Mac was more than willing to help her with it. They only needed one night to make it happen, thank God.
Now that the news has sunk in, Madison gets to her feet. She jumps up and down just like she did on that soccer field twenty years ago. It’s not really dignified to do that in a wedding dress, but Maddy doesn’t care and neither do I. Today both of her wishes have come true: she’s married Grace and she’ll be a mommy—or maybe a daddy. No matter what, she’ll be a better parent than her father. Madison will never abandon her child for twelve years and she’ll never sleep with her child’s lover, not like me.
The announcement makes the lousy food a lot easier to take. Since Maddy and Grace are vegetarians, we can’t have anything with meat in it. They can say what they want, but tofu does not taste like chicken or fish or beef or pork; it tastes like week-old mayonnaise to me. I stick to the vegetable curry, though it makes my eyes water even more so.
Jake sits on the other side of me; he picks at his food without eating much of it. “So how’s retirement?” I ask him.
“Fine, so far. Of course I’m in
the garage most of the time. Out of the line of fire.”
Tess slaps his arm gently. “Jacob, don’t talk about the girls like that.”
“I thought this one and the bride here were bad. You should see these two. It’s like cats and dogs, all the time.”
Right on cue, a little girl shrieks, “That’s mine! Give it back.”
Suzanne Little is still little, at least in terms of age and height. She’s about eight now and still rotund, almost a hundred pounds. Tess tries to get her to lose weight, but it’s not easy when Suzanne’s body continues to grow. At the moment her round face is red and stained with tears as she tries to reach the cookie Clarita took from her plate.
“It’s not like you need it, you fat pig,” Clarita says and pops the cookie into her mouth with triumph.
That sets Suzanne into a full tantrum. “No fair! That was mine!”
Before the tantrum can get too bad, Tess hurries over to scoop Suzanne up—a difficult feat with how portly Suzanne is—and to scold Clarita. “I’m sorry,” Clarita mumbles.
It’s hard to believe a few months ago one was a top biochemist and the other one of the wealthiest women in the city. “We got our work cut out for us,” Jake says.
“If you ever need a babysitter, just give me a call,” I say as I watch Tess carry a still sobbing Suzanne out of the room.
After most of us have finished, Maddy and Grace get up for their first dance as a couple. The DJ plays “Angel” by Sarah McLachlan, which is their song. They’re better at dancing than Mac and I; they practically float across the dance floor. By now maybe Maddy is floating on air.
Some people, especially Debbie, are probably confused when I come out onto the dance floor for the next song. It’s the same Cole Porter song Jake and I danced to for my wedding. Since I’m still hopeless at dancing, we mostly sway to the music, Maddy’s head on my shoulder. “I’m glad you could be here, Daddy,” she whispers.
“So am I.” I kiss Maddy on the cheek. “I love you, kid.”
“I love you too, Daddy.”
“You enjoy the rest of your day now. And the night too.”
“Dad-dy—”
“I know. I’m just teasing.”
When the song ends, I get to meet my ex-wife for the first time as a woman. She’s a lot older than the last time I saw her back when I was still a man. She’s dyed her hair a chestnut red that looks more natural than mine and is cut shorter. From being an old woman briefly, I can tell her breasts are saggy within the silver dress she wears and I can see the wrinkles beneath her makeup. Part of me rejoices that she’s finally gotten what she deserves, but most of me still remembers the good times we had, before everything went sour.
“Mom, this is my best friend Stacey,” Maddy says.
“That was a very nice toast you gave,” Debbie says. She doesn’t seem to recognize me, and why should she? She hasn’t seen me for years and I looked a lot different back then. “Madison says you’re a singer?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I say. It’s a little strange to address my ex-wife like that, but at the moment I’m more than thirty years younger than her. “My first album comes out next year.”
“How exciting,” Debbie says.
“It is.”
We’re saved from awkward conversation when the next song comes on, this one for Maddy and Debbie. I switch to Grace, since her mother is dead. “Are you feeling all right?” I ask.
“I was a little nauseous this morning, but it’s OK now.”
“That’s good. I bet it’s going to get a lot worse over the next few months.”
“I’m sure it is.”
“Thank you for doing this for Madison,” I say. “It means a lot to her.”
“It’ll do me good too,” she says. “A fresh start.”
“I hope you’re planning to move.”
“I’m sure Madison will want to. She’ll probably start looking through the classifieds once we’re in the limo.”
“She does get a little carried away sometimes.”
“Yeah, but that’s what I love about her,” Grace says.
I watch Maddy dance with her mother, about as effortlessly as with Grace, and I nod. “Me too,” I say.
As the music dies down, the DJ gets on the microphone to say, “We have a special treat for you all. The maid of honor has consented to sing a few songs. Stacey, come on up here.”
I take that as my cue to mount the stage. We’ve worked this out ahead of time. I grab the guitar case that’s been hidden on the stage and take the instrument out. I sit down on a stool, and strum a few chords to make sure it’s in tune. Then I pull the microphone closer. “Hi everyone. I wrote this for the special person in my life on our wedding day. I’d like to sing it again for Madison and Grace on their wedding day. It’s called, ‘When You Found Me.’”
My guitar playing has actually improved since I became a woman again; this Stacey Chance’s fingers are longer and more agile than before. That allows me to play all the chords. It’s not as good as in the studio with a whole band, but it still sounds great, especially in the Centennial Room.
I used to be so unwise
I didn’t want to see
You opened up my eyes
And taught me to be me
Maddy and Grace get back together for another dance. Tess convinces Jake to get out on the dance floor, bad shoulder and all. There’s Darren with Jamie, who’s come up from Miami for the occasion. I’m more surprised to see her brother Caleb dance with Clarita. Well, the way she looks now it’s not that much of a surprise.
Since she doesn’t have any other partner, Debbie dances with Mac. It’s strange to see my ex-wife dance with my husband. If I were the literary type, I’d find it symbolic to have my old life and my new life come together in this way. Since I’m not, all I can think is, What a long, strange trip it’s been.
And it’s not over yet. Not by a long shot.
THE END
Also by P.T. Dilloway:
Tales of the Scarlet Knight Collection, Volume 1: The Call: For thousands of years the Order of the Scarlet Knight has battled the evil Black Dragoon. When Dr. Emma Earl answers the Call, she becomes the latest Scarlet Knight. As such she wears a suit of magic plate armor that gives her super strength, makes her bulletproof, and allows her to turn invisible. But not even these powers might be enough to help Emma defeat first the Black Dragoon, then an invasion by demons, and finally a vindictive goddess named Isis. This collection also includes the prequel novella Dark Origins and Sisterhood, the origin of witch sisters Sylvia Joubert and Agnes Chiostro.
Tales of the Scarlet Knight Collection, Volume 2: The Wrath of Isis: Dr. Emma Earl has destroyed the Black Dragoon and returned from the dead, but her greatest challenge is just beginning. In the last five novels of the Tales of the Scarlet Knight series, Emma faces off against a Russian gangster, an alien monster, and a gang of deadly assassins. She goes into the future to meet the next Scarlet Knight—her daughter Louise. But threatening that future is the return of the evil goddess Isis, who this time may be too powerful for Emma to defeat.
Children of Eternity Omnibus: Samantha Young wakes up on the island of Eternity with no idea of who she is or how she got there. She soon finds the island is populated by nearly 50 other children who live under the strict 17th Century rules of the Reverend Crane. Thus begins Samantha's journey to find how who she is and who are the children of Eternity.
About the Author
P.T. Dilloway has been a writer for most of his life. He completed his first story in third grade and received an ‘A’ for the assignment. Around that time, he was also placed in a local writing contest for a television station, receiving an action figure in lieu of a trophy, thus securing his love with the written word. Since then, he’s continued to spend most of his free time writing and editing. In the last twenty years, he’s completed nearly forty novels of various genres.
In 2012, Solistice Publishing published P.T.’s superhero novel A Hero’s Journey, Tale
s of the Scarlet Knight #1. That same year, December House Publishing included P.T.’s flash fiction stories as part of the collection We Are Now. Also in 2012, P.T. created the imprint Planet 99 Publishing to publish the remainder of the Tales of the Scarlet Knight series as well as a variety of other novels, all of which can be found at http://www.planet99-publishing.com.
When not writing, P.T. enjoys reading and photographing Michigan’s many lighthouses. In order to pay the bills, he earned an accounting degree from Saginaw Valley State University in 2000 and for the past ten years has worked as a payroll accountant in Detroit. Visit his website: http://ptdilloway.blogspot.com
Chances Are Omnibus
Book 1: Chance of a Lifetime
Part 1:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Part 2:
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Part 3:
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Part 4:
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Part 5:
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chances Are Omnibus (Gender Swap Fiction) Page 86