One Last Game

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One Last Game

Melanie Ezell

What is love? Sometimes it's giving up everything you want for the sake of someone else's happiness -- even if just for one last game.

For the BCTS November story challenge

~~@~~

She looked ridiculous, walking down the stairs in the oversized jersey and too-baggy jeans that had once been some of her favorite clothes. She had her hair tucked down the neck of her shirt, and a baseball cap pulled down tight on top of her head, hiding her feminine eyebrows as best she could. And yet, even with all that effort, the creature standing before Nigel was undoubtedly female.

"Hey, dad, what's up?" She asked him, in a voice forced as deep as she could, sounding very false and comical coming from her pouty mouth. She walked over and flopped onto the couch next to him, consciously keeping her legs splayed in a masculine sitting position. "Is the game on?"

Nigel felt the tears rolling down his cheeks as he looked at her. "My son," he heard himself sob. "Marcus..." In his mind's eye he could still see the young boy that had sat on his lap and watched basketball with him, who he had taken to the dirt track to watch the races, who he'd given "the talk" to over their first beer together. He could still see traces of his little man in the young woman before him.

"Dad, I..." Her eyes hidden by the baseball cap, she would not look up at him as her voice broke into a more feminine register. With a cough, she worked to take it back down. "Dad..."

She never got to finish what she was about to say, as Nigel wrapped her in his arms in a crushing hug. He had always told Marcus that real men shouldn't cry, along with all the other advice that fathers give to their sons, but if Marcus was man enough to break those rules, then Nigel knew he should be able to as well.

"I love you, Dad." He could hear the pain in her voice as her tears soaked his shoulder, and Nigel gripped his daughter even more tightly.

"I love you too, sweetheart," he said. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

With one final squeeze, he said goodbye to the son he had loved more than life itself, and embraced the daughter he knew he would always love just as much. She had given him his chance to make peace ... how could he not accept?

Neither one knew how long they had sat there before turning back to the ball game on screen, and neither cared. In only a couple of hours, Nigel knew, Mary would be back in her own clothes, but for the moment he simply let himself enjoy one last game with his son.

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Comments

Great Story

RAMI

It's great that Dad and his "Child" can still enjoy the great American Pasttime, Baseball and be that child the son whose born to him or the daughter that escaped that reality and became who she was intended to be.

I think they both gave each other a gift, Dad acceptance of her and her willingness to watch the game with him and just a little be the boy she was born as.

When I saw the name of the dad, I thought perhaps this was a takoof of "Changes" and Nigel was going to do something evil

RAMI

RAMI

Two lovely people,

ALISON
'giving each other the greatest gift of all,
ACCEPTANCE !!!

ALISON

Short, sweet and very real.

Short, sweet and very real. A father and a daughter together, even with the fact the daughter had once been the son. Just because of a gender change doesn't mean a person loses everything they were or knew and this proves it. Jan

I could never have done this

I could never have done this; and sadly, as of three years ago, the opportunity is gone. But I understand why someone would want to give this gift.
One of the shortest stories ever to make me cry.

Thank you, Melanie.

Incidentally, this may well be the contest winner.

- Moni

They go together in the good ole' USA

Andrea Lena's picture

....love and affection between a father and his child. God bless you for this lovely and heartrending tale.

 
A re-visitation to a beautiful tale; once again I am grateful for this gift!


Possa Dio riccamente vi benedica,
tutto il mio amore, Andrea

  

To be alive is to be vulnerable. Madeleine L'Engle
Love, Andrea Lena

A lovely little surprise. I

A lovely little surprise.
I can only describe it as refreshingly different.
Thank you.

- vessica b

Thanks Everyone!

I'm glad ya'll've enjoyed the story! I swear, though, if things keep going the way they are with the stories of mine that seem most popular, I might have to think about not posting any unfinished serials again. My finished stories and short stories continue to have a better response... but, I guess that's because it's known when they finish.

Melanie E.

Compassion and Acceptance

Says it all.

Well done.

Angela Rasch (Jill M I)

Angela Rasch (Jill M I)

A delightful gift!

KristineRead's picture

What a compassionate gift to give her father, who was truly worthy of it!

Beautiful, and well told...

Thank you for your gift!

Hugs,

Kristy

So short

So eloquent.

So beautiful.

Thank you.

Hugs
Carla Ann

Popped up in random solos

And it still is. Beautiful, that is

Hugs
Carla

a good gift

that goes both ways, benefiting both father and child. Nice one.

Dorothycolleen

DogSig.png

I really do love this story!

KristineRead's picture

I'd forgotten it was part of the November 2009 "Gift" challenge, which produced quite a few very good stories, this one definitely amongst the top!

I was actually re-reading thru my Kelly Anderson stories, as I'm trying to get back to my own writing, and one of the scenes had two fathers talking about how they felt about losing their sons, to become their daughters, and I remembered this story, and so wanted to find it.

Thanks to Extravagance for remembering the name and where I could find it.

Such a wonderful story of love and acceptance, and just as good as I remembered!

Love it Melanie!

Hugs,

Kristy

Thank you for another comment on it, too!

This seems to be one of those stories that keep getting comments, and you know what? I still love seein' 'em.

And, you know, I hadn't even ever really thought about this for father's day, I don't think? But you're right.

Melanie E.

Always a favorite

KristineRead's picture

I came looking for this story today. I happened to see a post from someone trying to go out in boymode, and failing, it brought to mind this delightful story.

That she gave Nigel a chance to say goodbye, and that he made his peace, and acceptance that follows is simply beautiful.