Alexa Chapter 21: A Brand New Day

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Alexa Chapter 21: A Brand New Day

Jenny and I just stared at each other unsure what we should do. “We have to tell daddy.” Jen says. “I can’t believe she is drinking still, again. Whatever you want to call it.”

“Have you seen how she has been acting? She was just lethargic when we got here, but her mood changed.” I noted. “So what do we do?” Thankfully Jenny had control of the situation a bit better that I did. I was scared by the whole thing. I could see that a major fight was about to start, all because of what I found. Jenny told me I should go find her father and have him come back. “I don’t want to go out there? What if I run into her again?” I exclaimed. My nerves obviously showing. Jen came over and gave me a hug.

“You have to go get him, and I will stay here to make sure she doesn’t come back.” Jenny explained. When I asked why I was going and not her she responded “I can’t leave you with the evidence, you might be accused of tainting it.” She told me as a smile spread across her face. I gave her a kiss on the cheek and told her she had been watching too many cop shows and made my way back out to the party. As I stepped out of the house, I quickly scanned the crowd but did not see Jenny’s father. Damn. I was hoping that this would be easy. I moved towards the tents that had been set up to see if he may be eating. Along the way I was stopped by the Hamilton’s to talk some more, I was polite but continued to scan the crowd. Thankfully, a new guest arrived and distracted Mr. Hamilton, allowing me to excuse myself and promising Mrs. Hamilton we would talk a bit latter. As I moved closer to the tent, I ran in to Julie.

“Have you seen your Uncle Marty?” I asked her. I must have been acting a bit strange because Julie asked me if I was alright. I told her I was fine but she didn’t buy it and kept questioning me. I figured if there was anyone I could trust it was Julie. “Jenny asked me to see why the toilet kept running and I found a Vodka bottle in the tank.” I whispered to Julie who gasped. I made a decision that we could use Julie’s help. “Can you go in and make it look like you are waiting to use the rest room. Maybe it will scare some people off.” Julie nodded and moved off while I continued to look for Marty. Eventually I found him seated at a table inside the tent. I then had a decision to make on how to approach him. I moved around to the side of him and leaned forward to whisper in his ear, but before I could he acknowledged me.

“Alexa, glad you are here. I would like to introduce you to Brian Allen and Paul Duncan. They are two of our neighbors out here. Brian, Paul I would like to introduce you to Jenny’s partner, Alexa Quinn. Please Alexa sit for a minute.” Marty was in such a good mood I felt bad with what I was about to tell him. I had to get him out of there but wasn’t sure what to say. I put on the same smile that I had seen Jenny use several times. “Mr. Allen, Mr. Duncan it is a pleasure to meet both of you.” I said and extended my hand and shook hands with them. They were very nice and began asking me questions about my schooling and family. I was polite and tried to answer their questions, but time was of the essence. I finally got the chance to turn to Marty, “Excuse me Marty. We need your assistance with something in the kitchen.” I stated, not knowing what else to say. Marty at first laughed, indicating that he knew nothing about kitchens, but then he saw the expression on my face. We moved off, but kept getting delayed by various guests stopping us. At first I was very cordial, but Marty could see I was getting a bit irritated. At one point when I was miffed, I looked up to see Marilyn staring right at me. It made me a bit nervous. The look she gave me when Marty finally finished and put his arm around my shoulder may have been the biggest death stare I have ever received.

We finally made it into the house, where Marty asked me what was going on. I told him to follow me and we made our way to the powder room, where Jenny was standing talking with Julie. Marty asked Jenny what was going on. “Daddy, when Alexa was heading to the bathroom, I asked her if she could take a look at the toilet because it kept running. She took off the lid and found this.” Jenny said as she extended the half empty pint of vodka. The frown that came across his face was one of more than just frustration. I know if it would have been me, I would have been ranting and raving, but not Marty. He kept his cool but I could see that just underneath the surface that the anger was there.

“Give me that Jennifer. “ Marty said holding out his hand. He looked at it for a moment that slid it in his sport coat pocket. “You three head back out and act like nothing has happened. I will deal with this.” He said. And that’s exactly what Julie, Jen and I did. We strolled out of the house and began trying to find things to distract us. Julie found her fiancé Andrew and the two strolled off, Julie acting as if nothing had happened. Jenny and I tried to figure out what we should do. I figured that neither of us had eaten all day and went to get something from the buffet line. As we sat with or plates at one of the tables I noticed Marilyn staring at me again. It was something that unnerved me. I tried to alert Jenny who did look up and see her mother shooting darts with her eyes at the two of us. I can admit that I was feeling very uncomfortable. Thankfully someone came up to chat with Marilyn and those darts were put away. For now.

As the guests began to slowly depart, Jenny and I felt like we no longer had to be playing the good party hostesses and cuddled up on one of the patio couches and enjoyed the approaching evening. Soon we were joined by Julie and Andrew on the opposite couch where the four us began talking about the upcoming plans for summer. Julie was excited about my starting up at the foundation and Andrew seemed very interested as well. We also talked about some of the upcoming events out here on the lake and Julie telling Jenny and me that we probably should just live out here for the summer. The fact that both were so welcoming of me made my day. As we were talking about the summer, a person came up and made a comment about the summer.

“Well there should be a wedding this summer, but we can’t get the two of you to finalize anything.” Mary said to her oldest grandchild and her fiancé. It was kind of funny that the other three instantly shied away from Mary’s comments, while I began to giggle. Once again Mary looked at me and shook her head. “Someday Alexa, someday you will succumb.”

“Never, remember I can sense that Blarney” This caused Andrew to laugh out loud while the two granddaughters continued to remain somewhat nervous. Mary smiled at me and made some comment about my heritage which I playfully reminded her that she shared. Mary turned her attention from me to Julie and Andrew again.

“So, have you decided on a date yet?“ Mary asked Julie. Julie looked up from her bashfulness.

“Yes, we have, grandma. If it’s alight with you, we would like to get married down in Florida on New Year’s Eve.” Julie said. She looked like a little girl asking grandma if she could have a cookie. It was a look I had seen several times from her cousin. The next look she gave off was one I was very familiar with as well. As Mary spoke, you could see a smile come across Julie’s face.

“Of course, that is fine with me. The house will be a perfect setting. It also means that if I live that long I won’t come back here and freeze my rear off.” Mary responded. Besides Julie’s smile there was laughter and Jenny commenting.

“Oh, knock it off Grandma. You will be around. Unless we let you drive again.” This time Mary looked at Jenny and me and tried to give us the guilt trip.

“Yes, that is right, I had forgotten about that. I understand the two of you ratted me out to your father” Now both Jenny and I felt small. It didn’t help that Andrew and Julie were laughing at us.

“I can’t believe your father didn’t give you a lecture before you went down Jen. I got mine a year ago at Christmas.” Julie chided her cousin and me. Mary tried to act all indignant at learning it was all her family against her driving. Jenny in an obviously mocked attempt at a whisper told Mary not to worry, we would take her out. Julie then accused Jenny and I as being ass kissers. “They know who counts, unlike you Miss Preston.”

Eventually the party guests all went home, leaving Jenny, her parents and myself alone in the big house with Rob and Mary nearby in the small ‘Guest House’ where Mary lived. Marilyn had avoided the three of us all afternoon and was once again holed up somewhere in the house. Marty, Jenny and I were sitting in the living room chatting about the afternoon when we noticed Marilyn enter the room briefly and enter the powder room. She was not in there long and left the room with a confused look on her face, as if she had lost something. The three of us sitting in the large room knew exactly what was happening. It was then Marty launched in. “Are you looking for something Marilyn?” Marty asked
,
The confused Marilyn seemed to have been knocked from some trance. “Ah, um yes. I had left my rings in there earlier.” She said but you could still see something was on her mind. It was then Marty reached in to his coat.

“Is this what you are looking for dear?” Marty asked, the half empty pint of vodka held out in his hand. Marilyn panicked for a moment but then began to tap dance as if she had no idea what Marty was talking about. Marty decided to press on. “The toilet was running on and Jennifer asked Alexa to look at it. When she did, she found this hidden in the tank. Why Marilyn?” He was almost pleading with her.

An overly defiant Marilyn answered, “That is not mine.” She growled and then her defiance turned to anger and she began in on me. “You probably planted it, you mutant! I’ve watched you try and move me out of this family! You put it in there and claimed it was mine. You are a conniving little twit!” The fury that was directed me was almost like the fury Adam showed when he tackled Danny. It was then all hell broke loose. Jenny began in on her mother almost immediately.

“What the hell is your problem! Alexa would never do anything like that to you Why are you being such a bitch to her?” Jenny screamed. Her anger matched that of her mother’s. Marty then stepped in.

“You have some serious issues. Why, why in the world would you blame her because you’re an alcoholic. You are full of excuses for everything! None of this Alexa’s fault and none of this is Jennifer’s fault! It’ your fault! You have a disease, a disease that you cannot not control. And it is a disease that is the problem here not Jennifer, not Alexa. You!” Marty tried to calm down but the anger was still there. Marilyn lost it at that point.

“Screw this whole family! I do not have any problem! You people have made my life a problem.” At that point, Mary and Rob came in the patio door. Mary instantly became the new focus of Marilyn’s rage. “And you! You old bitch! Keep your wrinkly old ass out of this! You have nothing to do with any of this so get the fuck out of my house!” If fire could come out of someone’s eyes, Mary would have been burned to a crisp at that moment. A determined Mary strode right up to Marilyn.

“First, all these people here are concerned about you. I don’t know why. You have been nothing but a cheating little drunken whore since your daughter died. You could give a damn about my son and my granddaughter. I am going to give you one chance. Get the hell out of MY house now!” Marilyn was in shock. I thought she was going to reach out and slap Mary but she instead spun on her heel and stormed out. Mary turned and looked at her oldest son. “What in the name of god is going on up here? We could here you all the way down at my house!” Marty began explaining what had transpired over the afternoon. Mary, bless her soul, instantly came over to me and Jenny. When she took the two of us in her arms, I could feel all the anger drain and I began to cry. Mary released the two of us and tuned Jenny towards me. With the voice of an angel, I heard Mary say. Take her upstairs Jennifer. You two need to step away. Go. take care of each other.” I looked up at Mary through the tears and tried to thank her. “Shh, Alexa. You two have been through enough today. Go rest and we will talk in the morning.” Jenny and I nodded and slowly made our way upstairs. Just as we were getting ready to enter Jenny’s room, we heard another screaming match between Marilyn and the rest of the family start in again. A few minutes later we heard a door slam followed a minute later by a car squealing out of the drive way.

The next morning broke clear and beautiful. It was a picture-perfect day on Lake Minnetonka once again and the best part of the picture was the gorgeous woman who is holding me. I crawl up to kiss her and am greeted with a moan of happiness. “Morning babe” she whispers as I slowly try and get her a little more awake. I am kissing her all over her body until she finally pulls my head up to her level. “Is someone feeling a little frisky this morning?” She asks, a smile a mile wide across her face. I just nod and am soon sharing a long, sensual kiss with the love of my life. Following that she begins to kiss me all over, taking time to lay soft kisses on each of my nipples before for moving down to my taut belly. She works her way back up and we begin kissing each other deeper before our advances towards each other become a little more passionate. The change of my body, both physically and chemically have brought new areas of enjoyment to me. Ones that Jenny has been more than willing to focus on. While other things have continued to work, we have been working on preparing for other ways of sharing our passion. I have noticed I am not as sexually charged as I used to be, but when I am it is a much deeper and tender experience. Today was not any different.

We lost track of time, but I knew it had been awhile as I noticed the angle of the sun had changed. As we laid there trying to recover and continuing to share our deep love for one another, we are interrupted by the ringing of the phone on the nightstand. “UGH! That’s my dad, probably trying to get us moving.” Jenny states. I try and give her a pout to ignore him but she just giggles and tells me to relax. “Hi daddy. Yes, we are up. We will be down in a bit.” Jenny hangs up and tells me we need to get moving. I attempt the ‘pouty little girl’ routine and pull the blankets over my head, which leads to Jenny tickling me. As I try to catch my breath from laughing so hard, I can’t stop staring into those beautiful blue eyes and can’t help but feel more loved than ever by the smile Jenny shares. Life just seems perfect at that moment. I whisper that I love her and Jenny smiles even wider. “I know and I could never love anyone more than you but get your butt out of bed. Daddy’s calling”

We pull ourselves out of bed and make our way over to the ensuite bathroom and brush our teeth and wash our faces. After changing in to running shorts and tank tops, we head downstairs to greet the family. Marty was seated in a large chair looking out the window, the look on his face was quite contemplative. As he realized Jenny and I had entered the room, I could see him try and change his expression. “Good morning girls. Sleep well?” Jenny and I giggled a bit before she went over and gave Marty a kiss on the cheek. “We slept great daddy.” Jenny says as she turns back to me with a big smile on her face. I started blushing at Jenny’s sly comment, thankfully Marty was none the wiser. I moved off to get us some coffee and give Jenny and her father a moment alone.

As I was getting us the coffee, Rob came in through the sliding door to the patio. “Good morning Alexa. Are you the one in charge of the coffee around here?” he asks, causing me to roll my eyes. Since he already had teased me once, I thought it was fair game. “What, your mother wouldn’t make you any?” Rob started laughing. Unlike the laughs I have heard from Marty, this was a loud uproarious laugh. “You ever had her coffee? It’s weaker than wet toilet paper. No I know how Marty likes his coffee and thought I would come up here, plus I wanted to ask you and Jen something. Mother wants to go for a little cruise and I wanted to see if you guys wanted to come long, plus we can get Marty out there. He doesn’t need to sit and dwell about last night and he hates it if anyone captains a boat if he is on it.” I agree for the two of us. It was supposed to be another beautiful day and the big house boat that the Thompson’s had was one thing I was looking forward to going on. “Great! Go get Jen and get changed. We’ll bring some lunch out and spend the day on the water. I’ll go check on the skipper.” The two of us head back out to the main room and meet up with Jenny and Marty. “Go get changed little girl” Rob says “We’re going on the big boat. Mom wants to head out.” Turing to his older brother, Rob “Let’s go skipper. Go get your little hat and we’ll hit the lake.” Marty mutters something to Rob and Jenny turns and grabs my hand and leads me upstairs.

Once back in the bedroom Jenny begins filling me in on her father’s mood. “He says he feels guilty, but knows it’s all for the best. So, we need to keep an eye on him. You OK with us spending a few days here?” I answer with a long kiss and a smile. With that settled Jenny begins getting on me. “Let’s go girly. Time to put that sexy bikini on.” I roll my eyes and head over to my bag. Rather than pull out one of the bikinis I packed, I pull out a new one piece suit I had just received. I slowly pull on the skimpy light blue, pink and white suit that I had received via Fed Ex the other day and make sure it is adjusted properly. Jenny wasn’t paying attention until I stuck a pose in front of her. “Oh, my god Alexa! It’s gorgeous! Where did you get that suit!”

“You like it? I thought you might. It was a gift.” I pause “From another woman!” I tease my soul mate who comes over and gives me a playful slap on the arm and demanding to know where I got it. Finally, I quit the teasing and let Jenny in on the secret. “Nikki sent it over. It’s the same as the one she wore in the photo shoot for that magazine on transgender people. There was an extra one so she asked if she could send it over. You think it looks OK?” I ask demurely, knowing what the answer would be.

“It is hot Lex. I don’t know if I want you wearing it out on the lake though. Just remember your mine!” Jenny teases as she pulls me in for a long deep kiss. As we break I whisper to her that I will never forget. I know who I belong with. We share another kiss before making sure we have everything we need for the boat, pull on some shorts and slip on T-shirts. We grab our sunglasses and sandals and head down stairs. Where the Thompson brothers are waiting for us.

‘You two need to speed it up. Your grandmother is getting anxious” Marty says with a smirk on his face. A smirk that quickly disappears as the patio door opens.

“I said nothing like that Charles Martin. You apologize to those two lovely young ladies.” Mary states as she enters the house. Marty just rolls his eyes and attempts a stare down with his mother.

“If you give them all this latitude I will spend the rest of my life waiting on these two.” Marty says, causing us to giggle and the stare from Mary gets a bit sterner before Marty finally relents. Turning to us he begins a mock apology “I am sooo sorry princess. Please forgive me for hurrying the two of you.” Jenny giggles, but for some reason I tear up. Marty’s demeanor instantly changes and he steps over. Both Jenny and I wave him off but I can see he is concerned as he comes closer and I do something out of character and reach out and give him a hug.

“Thanks Marty. You have just been so accepting. It is just a bit overwhelming. These damn hormones get in the way at times.” I break the hug as I realize what I was doing. The smile Marty gave me was one that made it hard to stop crying. It reminded me of ones my mother would give. Was Marty becoming a parent figure to me?

“Don’t worry about it Alexa. You have been a great addition to this family. Besides if I wasn’t nice, the strap may come out of retirement.” Marty says with a chuckle.

“And I am not too old to use it either young man.” Mary states firmly. ‘OK, enough of this. I want to head out on the lake. Robert is everything ready to go?” Mary asks her other son, who nods. “Fine then. Enough of this sentimentality. Let’s have some fun! I’m driving by the way.”

“No” scream the brothers in unison which causes Jenny and I to giggle. Rob heads to the large doors and holds them open for his mother and the two of us. Mary begins quizzing me about boat etiquette. I tell her I had been on boats most of my life, but nothing like the 35 foot Chris Craft boat that was sitting at the end of the dock. Rob helped us on while Marty slid into the pilot’s seat on the flying bridge and began barking out orders. He and Rob worked well together and soon we were making our way out onto the lake. It wasn’t long before Jenny and I were stretched out on the sundeck at the front of the boat, soaking up some rays. We didn’t talk much but simply held hands. The afternoon was wonderful. Mary showed she still knew her way around a kitchen, or in this case a galley, and puts together a marvelous lunch of some salads and some sandwiches. The ride with these members of the Thompsons makes me feel even more a part of the family than I had even before we came out. The lake was packed that day, and both Jenny and I received a little attention from some of the young men out on the boats. We were invited to the large party out at Big Island but declined. Rob teased us about being boring and began relating tales of the parties in the ‘good old days’ out on Big Island. All the boats tied up, people everywhere. When some of the stories would become a bit off color, he would earn stares from Mary and Rob would quickly edit what he was telling us. After another few hours on Minnetonka, it was decided we should head back in. Rob served as the ships mate, but I volunteered to help and soon was manning the bow line as Marty eased the boat back to the dock at the Thompson estate. It was kind of sad, but I was ready to be back on land. At this point, Jenny spoke up.

“Since Marta is off for the next few days, how about Lex and I whip some dinner for all of us?” Jenny asks while I nod my head vigorously and add in that it would be no problem. Rob agrees heartily but Marty is a bit nervous.

“I don’t know that I am ready for Jenny’s cooking. Is it edible?” he asks.

“Don’t worry Marty. I won’t subject you to that yet. I’ll take care of a lot of it and only let Jenny do some easy things.” The teasing of my partner earns me a playful swat on the butt. I try and apologize to my girlfriend who only tells me that we will talk privately latter. “Ooh” I say, which earns me a pinch in the side before the two of us begin giggling. It earns the two of us a smile from Mart and Mary but a look of bewildered joy from Rob. We told the three that we would eat at 7:00. Being only 3;30, it gave Jenny and I plenty of time to get cleaned up and organized. We race upstairs where once again jump in the shower and get cleaned up. I put on a light jumper in greys and greens while Jenny dons a light summer dress in yellow with spaghetti straps. We work our way down to the kitchen where we begin taking inventory.

The one nice thing about the kitchen at Thompson’s is that you pretty much had everything you ever needed. I found a whole pork tenderloin, which sliced up and added some shallots and a little red wine while I turned Jenny loose on cubing up some potatoes and shaking them in olive oil and rosemary and put in the oven. I then suggested she fix a salad, and soon she was copping away and the two of was were laughing and enjoying just being together. I wasn’t long before we were ready to serve and got Marty, Mary and Rob to the dinner table. Jenny and I begin bringing out the plates that we have served up and take our places at the table. We see the apprehension in both Marty and Rob faces as they look at the meal in front of them. Rob was the first to try everything. “This is great! I need you two to move to Montana and cook for me.” Marty finally tries the meal we had prepared. The tentativeness at which he brought the pork medallion to his mouth would have been funny, if Jenny and I weren’t trying to crush each other’s hands underneath the table. Marty takes a bite and his eyes go wide. He doesn’t say anything and then moves onto the potatoes. After tasting them, he finally speaks. “You two did this?” he asks as we nod. “This is fabulous. Where did you two learn to cook?” Jenny begins to explain how I had always been a cook and that I had been teaching her. The smiles on Rob and Marty’s faces gave both Jenny and I a feeling of accomplishment. The two men were too engrossed in their food to notice Jenny and share a quick kiss to go with the huge smiles on our faces. But it did not go unnoticed by Mary, who gave us a quick wink.

Monday was pretty much a repeat of Sunday, except for the fact that Jenny and I didn’t have to cook the main portion of the meal. Rob had brought some stakes from his ranch in Montana and boasted that “only men could cook steaks”. Jenny and I teased him that women were just as capable as men and that we would show him. “No, No ladies. This one is all mine.” He told us as he began heating up the charcoal on the Weber grille he dug up in the shed. We giggled at this but as we went into the house to organize something to go with the steaks, I stopped dead in my tracks and the tears began to flow. Jenny stopped her talking and turned around and saw me standing there with the water works flowing. She came rushing over to me and pulled me in.

“What is it? Was it something Uncle Rob said?” I nodded my head but as I did I smiled. This threw Jenny off guard a bit.

“He joked with me like I was a real woman.” I said between sobs.

“Well that’s what you are Alexa, a beautiful, loving woman. Why wouldn’t he say that?” Jenny told me as she pulled me in for a hug and kissed me on the cheek. I pulled myself together and we headed towards the kitchen. The fact that Rob had thought of me as nothing but a woman put a bounce in my step and Jenny teased me about how good a mood I was in. We sliced up some potatoes and onions to fry up and mixed up a salad. As we were sitting down and enjoying our meal, Jenny and I started in on Rob again. “We can cook steaks just as well as you Rob. Next time you are home, we are going to prove it.” He laughed and said he accepted the challenge and that Marty and his mother would be the judges. The challenge had been set and we knew it would be won by us.

Jenny and I decided we would spend another night at the house and then take Rob to the airport on Tuesday. Rob was all for that, as was Mary’s driver. One person was against that idea. “You two just want an excuse to go to the Mall of America. I can see it now. ‘Hey Lex’” Marty begins in an exaggerated, high-pitched voice. “since we are out here let’s stop at the Mall and see what kind of damage we can do to Daddy’s credit card.” Jenny and I began tossing items at Marty. Though Jenny didn’t help matters when she said we had to get some work clothes for my new job. Marty laughed. “Always trying to find an excuse aren’t you?” Marty continued before Jenny reminded him we hadn’t gone to the Mall of America in a long time. Once again Marty shot back at teasing the two of us “No that’s right, you two just go to Nordstrom and spend all my money. Do they have like a personal shopper that follows you two around when you walk in?” Jenny and I looked and each other and burst into laughter. I think we had just confirmed his worst nightmare.

When we were finally laid in bed holding each other, I thought about the weekend. The issue of Jenny’s mom had all been put out of our mind as we continued with our enjoyment of the holiday. The Thompson’s had welcomed me completely into the fold. I found that Jenny’s uncle was a very funny man and brought out a side of Marty had never seen. Mary was Mary and Bridget and Julie was just so sweet. As I lay there with a smile on my face, Jenny reached down and shared a loving kiss with me. “Rob really liked you. I knew he would. It looks like its official, you have been completely accepted by the Thompson family as Alexa.” She kissed me again and once again I wondered how she did it. How she could read my thoughts. I pushed the thought out of my head as I let Jenny’s kisses and closeness take center stage in my thoughts.

We delivered Rob to the airport and said our good-byes then made our way over to the MoA. As we walked through we realized we hadn’t been there in some time so it was a new experience. There were all new clothes and shoes for us to look at and try on. We found a few things we liked. Jenny was playing ‘Barbies’ again as I called it as she dragged me from store to store and making me try on various dresses, suits, shoes, skirts, blouses. Not that I was complaining, but Jenny had a special excitement. We also made a stop at Nordstrom and found a few things we really liked, but didn’t buy. We go all the information and sent the list over to Sarah who knew exactly what we were looking for. We told her to find it and we would be in either later today or tomorrow to pick up.

But shopping wasn’t the only task of the day. Today we were also going to file my petition for a name change and a gender change on my birth certificate. We had done all the research we could and even talked with Mr. Hamilton a bit over it. Debbie had given us all the proper medical documentation that was required by the state and we had filled out all the necessary paperwork. But there was still some part of me that was nervous. Even though I had declared ‘Alex’ dead back at Christmas, this would make it official. Even more than official, he would have never even existed. My birth certificate would read as female named ‘Alexa Marie Quinn born on September 8, 1995 at Faribault District Hospital. It was a bit unnerving, but necessary. It would allow other things to be changed, like my official school transcripts, my driver license and most importantly my passport. That was a major deal as Jenny and I began talking about going to London yet this year. So, as I walked up to the clerk at the Hennepin County Court House, I shook a bit. I quietly handed the clerk the paperwork and she looked it over. She informed me that there was an upcoming hearing for name changes next week and she would see if she could squeeze me in. We were told that we would be contacted in the next few days to see if the scheduling worked, I smiled and nodded, unable to speak. I left the office hand in hand with Jenny.

“It’s a big step babe, but you’re ready. We’re ready. Do you believe that? Jenny asked me. I just stared out and started nodding again. Jenny pulled me aside. “Are you OK?” she said. I quickly came out of the trance I had seemed to be in and nodded more earnestly.

‘I’m ready. Are you ready?” I asked Jenny who smiled her million watt smile and nodded. Her eyes showed sympathy and love for me, the standard look. I began to break down a bit and fell into my soul mate. ‘It’s just that it’s like saying goodbye to someone. Forever. Someone I really cared about.” Jenny just held me and rubbed my back. She then propped me up and looked me in the eye.

“It kind of is. I understand. I really liked him too. But I love this person who has evolved from Alex. Remember that OK. It’s another step on the journey babe. And just like every step I will be there with you. Right?” I nodded again before she pulled me back in. After a moment of comfort, she led me back down to the car and drove us back to the apartment. No celebration tonight. Tomorrow was my first day of work and I wanted to be rested. We just hung out thankfully, but my nerves were getting the best of me. Jenny tried to calm me saying the important people already knew who I was but had been warned by her grandmother and her aunt not to give me any special treatment. Still I was going to be in a unique position and the need to be accepted for who I was and not who I knew was something that meant a lot to me. I knew as long as I stayed with Jenny, hopefully forever, that I would always have to deal with the Thompson name and its reach in this town. I just wanted to make sure people knew who Alexa was.

I quietly rolled out of bed at 5:00 AM, not from an alarm, but mostly because I was sick of staring at the ceiling. I looked down on my soul mate and once again smiled. Another new event was about to occur, all because of this beautiful woman. Before I broke down and woke up my sleeping angel. I made my way out to the kitchen to brew up some coffee and eat something for breakfast. At least try and eat I should say. The butterflies that had plagued me that first night so many months ago, decided to make a small cameo as I got ready for work. After eating and showering I went into the ‘closet’ and began getting ready. I slipped on my usual thong and bra set, this time in white and pulled out the sleeveless orange dress that Jenny and I finally picked out yesterday, with some assistance from Sarah at Nordstrom. The dress had keyhole front, and came to just above the knees, so it wasn’t something too provocative for work. I slipped on the matching sandals and tiptoed into the bedroom to check myself out in the large mirror. I wanted everything to be just perfect and even though my legs were well tanned from our weekend at the lake, I started to worry that maybe I should wear pantyhose and went over to the dresser and started digging through it. My actions caused something I didn’t want, I woke Jenny up.

“Hey you look great.” She told me as she waved for me to come sit by her, before sharing a good morning kiss. “Mmm, good morning Lex. What’s wrong?”

“I think I need pantyhose.” I tell her as I try and get up to dig through the drawers, only to be pulled back down to the bed.

“Your legs look great babe. Don’t be so nervous about this OK? It will be a breeze. You know Julie and Bridget and occasionally, grandma will show up OK?” I just nod at Jenny but I am still fidgety. “You know we could move out to the house for the summer. It will make your drive easier.” Jenny tells me.

“We’ve been over this babe. With you working at the Program, it’s easier for me to drive to Wayzata than it would be for you to drive here from Wayzata. I’ll be fine.” I leaned in and shared one final kiss with Jenny. “See you tonight” I say as I walk out the door and make my way out to the Foundation’s headquarters. It sat just outside of Downtown Wayzata in an office building that sat about a quarter mile from the lake. It was fairly modern for a 70’s office building. I guess at one time the interior was very dark and looked like a stereotypical old lawyer’s office. When Bridget took the helm, I guess she wanted to open it up a bit and make it warmer and inviting. I parked in the employee area and walked in the front door and asked for Bridget.

“May I tell her what this is in regard to?” The young woman behind the reception desk asked. I tried to be as confident as I could be, given I was shaking like a leaf.

“Yes, could you tell her Alexa Quinn is here.” The girl goes from being somewhat cheery to being almost intimidated. She picked up the phone and rang someone. Next thing I knew Bridget was walking out into lobby along with a woman about the same age as her with fiery red hair. Bridget greeted me with air kisses. “Hey Alexa. You’re here bright and early.” I told her that I couldn’t sleep I was so nervous. Bridget laughed at that “before we go on, I want to introduce you to the woman whose office you will be working in. Alexa, this is Ellen Sparks, Ellen I would like you to meet Alexa Quinn.” Ellen and I shook hands as Bridget began to go on that I would be working for Ellen. The two women led me back and began going over everything that would be going on around here. This first thing was to be a little orientation session that Ellen would be leading. I was lead into a small conference room. There were two guys about my age who seemed a bit geeky and a blonde girl sitting off by herself. I sat down at a spot and watched Bridget and Ellen take a seat at the center of the table.

For the next few minutes, the two women proceeded to go over the employee policies as well as some of the basic expectations. After a few minutes, they were joined by John White, who was the head of the IT Department. After introducing himself to both the blonde girl and me, he collected the two guys and took off as did Bridget. Leaving me alone with Ellen and the blonde girl. I looked at the blonde girl more closely. She had a cute little bob cut and some large framed glasses. She appeared a little shorter than me, but was an attractive girl. Ellen took the time to introduce the two of us. I finally learned that her name was Christy Hunter and she had just finished her Sophomore year at St. Cloud State. We shook hands but I could see that she was still a bit standoffish. Ellen broke in and began going over what our specific duties will be. ‘The two of you will report directly to me and my assistant Georgia Francis. Georgia is on vacation this week, so you will meet her Monday. Basically, you will do whatever little jobs that need to be done. Sometimes you will just be compiling some presentations, sometimes you may be filling in for someone who is out. We may farm you off to one of the other department directors. Basically, you are our grunts for the summer.” Ellen said with a smile. “Will any of these items be an issue with you?” Ellen asked and we both shook our heads no. “Good then, let’s go and get you your ID badges and we will get started.”

As we walked down the hall, Ellen chatted with us and tried to learn a little more about us. I was trying to be discreet about my personal life as much as possible and Ellen was kind enough not to go too far, even though she knew everything. She referred to Jenny once as my girlfriend and I could see Christy cringe a bit at the mention of that. Christy remained silent as we walked, only speaking when directly asked a question. After having our photos taken and receiving out new photo ID badges we were led back deeper into the main office. We went up to the second floor where we stopped at one of the large open office areas. Ellen began showing us where various things were, including Bridget’s office, the large conference room as well as the office of the Chairperson of the Charles M. Thompson foundation. “She is not in there very often, but when she is about you two need to watch your P’s & Q’s.” Ellen warned us I worked hard to suppress a giggle. Ellen began showing us our first task. It was to compile the agenda and various notes that each board member would need for next week’s meeting. After showing us what exactly she wanted done, she left us about our task.

As we began getting a plan put together I could see that Christy was still very withdrawn from everything. I attempted to make some small talk as we were putting together the packets. “So, Christy, where are you from?” A short terse reply of Maple Grove was all I could get out of her. I waited a few minutes before I went back to the questioning. “So, do you have a boyfriend?” I asked. I could see her sigh a bit as she answered yes. “Does he go to St. Cloud too?” The frustration she was displaying boiled over.

“Yes, he goes to St. Cloud. His name is Nick, He is a Junior from Eagan. He is majoring in Business Administration and plays rugby. His favorite color is Green. Why all the questions? Why would you care about my boyfriend?” Christy said with an exasperated look. There it was. She had an issue with my love life.

“Are you referring to me being a lesbian? I asked. I realized as the words came out of my mouth that this was the first time I had ever referred to myself that way. But in truth, that’s what I was. I was a woman in love with another woman. She nodded. “Do you have something against lesbians?” I asked. I could see a bit of conflict over what I asked, but finally she told me not really, she just didn’t understand the attraction. She had always been attracted to men. I giggled at that. “I understand. But I have always known I was a bit different.” She kind of ignored the comment, and went back to work. I joined in and continued with the assembly of the Board packets. She looked at me. “So, you were born a lesbian? Christy asked.

The question kind of threw me off. I knew at that point I had to be careful. I wanted to come off as any young woman, but I didn’t want to conceal everything about my life. I didn’t want to have to deal with avoiding this issue for the next few months I thought about it for a few minutes but felt the only way to answer that was to be truthful “Well I haven’t always been a lesbian. In fact, this is the first time I have ever called myself that. What I really am is transgender and I am in love with a beautiful woman.” All work out of Christy stopped and she just stared at me. I could see the wheels spinning in her head. Finally, her eyes opened wide.

‘You’re the one from TV, aren’t you?” Christy said with an astonished look. Then the apologies began flying. I was kind of taken aback by her change in attitude, but it was nice. The quiet, withdrawn girl disappeared and a new vivacious girl appeared. We began sharing our stories about school, life, relationships. She seemed very interested in what I had gone through as I transition. I told her that I fallen for Jenny before I had decided that I wanted to live my life as a woman and that I was lucky to have. When she asked about how my family took my decision, I was more than open about my mother and brothers’ reactions to everything. I purposely did not mention my father, but she picked up on that and asked me about my father’s reaction I took a deep breath and told her how my father. I told her about the night he found me dressed at Christmas time and the verbal beatdown I had taken. I told her about how he died. I could see the expression on her face from disbelief to one of sympathy. I could see her begin to understand the struggles I had gone through. But most important, I also think she learned that I was just like her, a college aged woman.

As we went along doing our work and the questions between the two of us became less and soon we were giggling away and enjoying not only the work, but each other’s company. Christy and I seemed to become good friends and by the time we were on our way to lunch, we were getting along famously. The one thing I tried to work around was anything where I mentioned that Jenny was the niece of the Director of the foundation and there was never a chance that I was going to let on to my relationship with the Chairperson. However, I forgot to tell the Chairperson that.

After lunch, we were kind of hanging around outside of Ellen’s office waiting for her to get off the phone, when Mary came walking by. We made eye contact and I could see a smile spread across her face. When she said that we should quit standing around and get to work, I couldn’t control myself and made some little flippant comment to Mary. Christy gasped as she knew who Mary was. I stood in horror as I realized I let out too much information right on that spot. Mary came over to Christy and me. “Well Miss Quinn I see that mouth works as well at work as it does the rest of time.” I began giggling and couldn’t stop. Christy looked as if she wanted to hide. Mary at first tried to be all upset, but soon returned to the wonderful woman I had grown to love. “Bad enough you two ran up the credit card bill yesterday, but now your stealing?” Mary gently chided me. I couldn’t control myself.

“Think of yesterday as payment for services rendered. We did take Rob to the airport.” Mary just shook her head as I stood there with a grin on my face. She moved off to her office. Christy was in shock.

“You just talked to Mary Thompson like that? Oh, my god Alexa! Where did you ever get the …” and she stopped. Her eyes grew wide as saucers as I think everything became clearer. “Your girlfriend is a Thompson, isn’t she?” I looked around quickly and pulled her into the empty office next to Ellen’s.

“Christy, you have to swear silence on this but yes, my girlfriend is Mary Thompson’s granddaughter. But I don’t want people to know that OK? Ellen knows and obviously, Bridget. You just have to make sure that I don’t become too much of a smart ass when Mary is around. We have a pretty special relationship, Mary and me. We love to pick on each other but outside of Jenny and our roommate Katie, Mary has been the most supportive person in my life as I go through this. Please don’t say anything.” Christy smiled and swore that she wouldn’t tell a soul. The rest of the day went great and Christy and I became a great team. Not only that, everyone in the office that I dealt with was very nice. Granted it didn’t hurt that they saw Julie and I chatting a few times. I was almost sad when the day ended. But I knew something better waited for me at home.

It was when I was driving down the road that I received a call from a number I did not recognize. “Alex Quinn?” The voice asked and I cringed as I heard that name being used but I replied that it was. ‘Mr. Quinn this is Judy Larson from the Hennepin County Courts’ Office. I am calling to tell you that you are scheduled for a hearing on Monday at 1 PM for your petition to change your birth certificate. If that time does not work, we will put you back into the system and we will schedule you for a later date. Does that work for you?” I practically screamed yes at Mrs. Larson and took down all the pertinent information that I needed. I was so excited I had to pull off the freeway and scream at the top of my lungs. I wanted to call Jenny, but I knew I had to tell her in person, but there was one person I knew I could call. I hit the number on speed dial.

“Alexa? Is everything alright?” my counselor asked me.

“Everything is wonderful. I wanted to see if you would be able to change the location of our Monday session.” I said to Debbie, trying to throw her a bit off track and I succeeded. She sounded confused, until I told her where. I think I could hear the smile grow across her face.

“That is not a problem at all. I will make sure I have everything I need.” Debbie told me them I told her not to say anything to her newest intern, that I wanted to tell her myself. Debbie laughed and promised she wouldn’t. After ending the call I continued my drive home, dwelling in my own happiness. I float through the door of the apartment as I was all ready to share my good news with my soul mate. But she wasn’t there. The person who was there was one that I was going to have to have a good conversation about this with.

“Hey Danny. What are you doing here?” I ask the big lump that was sitting in my living room watching SportsCenter.

“Waiting on Katie to get home. We’re going over to the Saints game tonight. You and Jen want to come?” He asked, then he looked at me. “What are you so excited about? Sale on shoes?” He asked with his big shit eating grin on his face. I went to slap him in the back of the head, but he moved. “Ha-ha, too quick for ya. Seriously what’s up?” he asked again. I smoothed my dress under me and sat down on the couch. I was a bit nervous to tell him about what was putting me in such a good mood, but knew that he had to know.

“On the way home I got a call from the Court Office. On Monday afternoon, I am going in front of a judge to have my birth certificate changed to indicate that I am a female.” I instantly went on guard as I awaited the response of my brother. A response I was sure would be one of confusion on his part. However, the confusion was all mine. “That’s great” he said. ‘It’s what you wanted.” I stared at the meathead for several seconds before I burst in to tears and reached across and gave him a huge hug. The confusion continued as he returned it! I could barely whisper thanks as I was so wound up. Just then my two roommates came through the door. Katie gave us the typical “Aww” comment. Jenny however raced over as she saw the tears.

“Lex, are you ok?” she asked as she hugged me from behind I turned and pulled her in. That’s when I think she saw the smile on my face. I went back to the couch, still holding Jenny in my arms and watched Katie crawl into the chair next to Danny. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face, but funny enough, neither could Danny. Finally, I was able to pull it together long enough to tell Jenny the news.

“I got the call from the court. Monday at 1 PM I go before the judge.” I said through the tears of joy. Jenny once again pulled me in for a hug. I could hear my brother and Katie share a kiss before I felt Katie wrap her arms around me as well. Both told me how excited they were for me, but it was the look on Danny’s face that kept blowing me away. It was a smile like he was proud of me. Jenny and I decided to join Katie and Danny at the game and the four of us celebrated. I don’t think I watched more than three pitches of the game, I was having too much fun in the beer garden. That time made for a difficult Thursday at work but one that was happy. I immediately told Ellen about Monday, which wasn’t going to be a problem as I already had that time blocked off for my now weekly sessions with Debbie. Work flew by the next two days and Saturday morning Jenny and I got up and went down to Mom’s to help her out and tell her the news of the hearing. I think she was a bit sad over this but I think she also knew that this is what I was hoping for. We helped the rest of the afternoon with Mom and then went back to the lake to enjoy our Sunday.

Monday came and I was a nervous wreck. I know this is just a hearing and was something that would be approved, but there was still that lingering doubt in the back of my mind. I dressed in the pinstripe suit that Jenny had gotten me back at Thanksgiving, this time with the skirt and not the pants. After a very brief time at work, I met Jenny for lunch downtown. She could tell I was extremely nervous over the whole thing “Relax babe, this is going to be fine. This is going to sail right through. “I just nodded at her, I looked up and she could see the fear in my eyes. I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t speak. I was just gigantic bundle of nerves. She leaned over and gave me a kiss. “Just remember I love you.” She said and the smile that came with it relaxed me a bit. We finished up and made our way over to the courthouse, where I was in for the shock of my life. The people I cared so much for in my life where there. My mother and brother were both there as was Katie and of course Debbie. But that wasn’t all. Both Marty and Mary were there as well. I broke into tears of joy. I had to leave and Jenny followed me as I made my way to the bathroom. I got myself in order and made my way back to the court room where my mother tried to calm me as well. I was prepared for a long wait. Two people went before me, one was a female to male transgender and that one was approved in no time. The second case was a little more different. It was the case of a male to female person who had some issues with the law. I watched as testimony was given and the judge ordered the hearing to be rescheduled as more discovery evidence was needed.

Finally, my name was called. I nervously approached the lectern that was sitting in front of the judge. It was kind of funny as the judge did a double take as he looked at me. Finally, he began speaking. “Alexander Michael Quinn, you are petitioning the court for a change of both name and gender to your birth certificate is that correct?” I managed to squeak out a “yes your honor’ before Judge Wilson moved on. “Do you come here of your own free will?” He asked and once again I replied in the affirmative. “I have reviewed your file and have taken into note not only the recommendation of your counselor but also those of Mr. Barton Hamilton, Mrs. Mary Thompson and Mr. C Martin Thompson the Third. It is the judgement of this court that the request for change of name and gender to your birth certificate should be approved and no exceptions taken.” The tears began again and the gallery erupted at his pronouncement. The judge gaveled the court to order before making one last proclamation.

“Congratulations, Miss Alexa Marie Quinn.”

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Comments

How wonderful for HER. That

How wonderful for HER. That should shut up Marilyn and even Alex's dad for good. Especially with the fact her birth certificate will state F in the sex block. Government documents, can't argue with those eh? Well, maybe sometimes. :-)

Awwww...

H Kris,

You almost made an old man cry. I know this is a story, but the way you tell it makes me feel like an observer in these lives. Go Alexa! Just can't enough of how much I love your writing.

Deepest regards and hugs,

Santacruzman

Tears of Joy

It is hard to write comments when you are shedding Tears of Joy. Wonderful chapter, a truly great addition to this story.

You did Good.
Francesca

- Formerly Turnabout Girl

Looks like Alexa

Samantha Heart's picture

Has just been married to Jenny as she is now a Thompson not a Quin so.... rather a screw up in paper work or Jenny just got a sister or SOMETHING lol.

Love Samantha Renée Heart.

Thank you for

' making my day with your heartwarming story , I am really so stoked as a result !!

<em></em>

Thanks

I guess I only reviewed the first 10,300 words. Thanks for the catch. Can't believe I did that. It has been fixed.

My own name and gender change was less climactic.......

D. Eden's picture

Basically, my lawyer submitted the paperwork, I waited several weeks before hearing anything, and then had to publish the name change in a local paper. Once the court received an affidavit from the newspaper, they granted the change. I was given a copy of the court order (as a matter of convenience, I actually paid for ten certified copies) so that I could then distribute them as needed. One copy to NY State DMV for my license, one to the SSA for my corrected SS card, one to the State of California for a corrected birth certificate, one to my health insurance provider, etc.

There were no crowds, no cheering, just a half dozen or so clerks at various offices, and always people staring.

But it's still worth every stare.

D

D. Eden

Dum Vivimus, Vivamus

Yea

I know that feeling so well. I just got My changes on Thursday. I keep loving this story and hope it continues for a long time.

Gaby

Bur under the blanket

Jamie Lee's picture

Marilyn has a real problem that the treatment cent didn't touch. Her drinking is a symptom of that underlying problem, maybe because of the death of her daughter. Maybe of some other reason, but it is the driving force of her drinking.

When the girls found the Vodka bottle, they found Marilyn's stash, her got to bottle that kept her relapse drinking secret. Discovering it had been found, preventing her from getting her fix, she reacted as addicts usually do, blame others for their problems, lash out because they were caught, make the lives of others miserable.

Mary did the correct thing by standing up to Marilyn and ordering her out of the house. Marty is also acting like the spouse of an alcoholic, feeling that he was responsible for his wife's condition. He wasn't responsible is any way for Marilyn's drinking, she has sole responsibility. She chose to reach for the bottle instead of her husband or professional help. And she'll never get out of this mess until that's what she wants to do.

Marty and Mary treating Alexa like Jenny has to be a crowning joy Alexa could have wanted. Being accepted by a lovers' family is always a dicey situation. But after seeing how happy Alexa made Jenny, their decision had to be an easy one.

Everyone who cares about Alexa was present for her court hearing, being happy for her. There are, unfortunately, two family members who would not be happy for Alexa, and would attack her if allowed. Marilyn and Adam.

How Marilyn truly feels is unknown since she always under the influence of alcohol. If she'd ever get off the booze and deal with the underlying cause, her feelings might be different.

Adam's had a corn cob up his butt ever since their dad left. Sometime he decided he was the man of the house and no one could dissuade him. He's likely still angry because he got kicked out of the house by mom. Kicked out because of an over inflated ego.

Jenny and Alex have been through some trying times. But through it all, they've been there for each other. Supported each other. Have shown the world a level of love that isn't normally seen.

Others have feelings too.

THAT day at court

Going before the judge on THAT day is huge. I remember mine vividly - so nervous before my time came, and I just couldn't quit grinning afterwards. You got the tone perfect.

Thanks, Kris, this brought a smile of rememberance.

Jenna