We had been able to go through the adobe house and then had gone out to dinner with my aunt and uncle, and we’d talked about the house. I kept looking for ways to hate this house, but every one of them got shot down. So, I guess it might be a go depending on the price.

Then Dr. Joe and I set up the breadboard circuit for an extended test. And, we had a visit from Dr. Fontheim and the Dean to see how the project was progressing. And, Dr. Fontheim just had to bring up me coming to work for Los Alamos. Not going to happen.

We visited the Eagles and found Iz there. And, he was able to hear what we think are noises from two Eaglets.

After I shut the test down on the Sunday before classes started, Ajie and I went to the resort. Naainish was at my aunt and uncle’s house when we got there and hit us with a ton of bricks. A week ago, Sam Tl'izilani and his sister Dezba had shown Ajie and me through the adobe house. And I’d picked up on Dezba’s depression over her mother's condition. Now, Naainish has told us that we need to go with him to Santa Fe because Sam and Dezba’s mother was on her death bed.

The three of us drove to Santa Fe and the nursing home, and we met the rest of the Tl'izilani family. Then Sam, Dezba, and their two brothers, Hosteen and Jáan, went with us to see their mother. I was able to sit and talk with Haseya Tl'izilani for only a short time before she passed on while I was holding her hands. This took a lot out of me.

Then classes started, and maybe, just maybe, things will go back to being normal.

Shortly before eight o’clock on Thursday morning, I walked into the classroom that I’d been using all of this school year. I was teaching the first class of a new course on computer design starting today.

I walked to the front of the room and checked that I had a piece of chalk, and I did. I took what I needed out of my briefcase and set it on my desk. Then I set my purse and briefcase under the desk. And I waited for my students to show up.

I had a few students wander in and take seats. I was seeing a few familiar faces. Then at seven-fifty, the first bell rang. And more students started to file in and take seats. Just before eight, I walked to the back of the class and waited. When the second bell rang at eight o’clock, I closed the door, walked back to the front of the room, and up onto the stage.

After everyone had taken a seat, I walked to the chalkboard, picked up a piece of chalk, and wrote, Computer Design – Miss Nez

Then I turned, faced the class, walked to the desk which was at the front of the stage, and said, “Good morning gentlemen. To be sure that you’re in the right class, this is Computer Design, and I am Miss Nez. I’ll be your instructor for this class.”

Just like at the beginning of fall quarter, a murmur went through the class. But, I saw some students from my other two classes.

“Now gentlemen.”, I continued. “Yes, I’m your instructor, and yes, I’m a woman. I hold a degree in Electrical Engineering from the Ohio State University, and it was granted with a Cum Laude.

“I came to the University of New Mexico to work on my advanced degrees. During the past fall and winter quarters, I’ve taught both Electric Circuits, and Electronic Circuits and Systems. I started teaching as a graduate assistant, and halfway through the fall quarter, the university made me a part-time instructor, and they also gave me a research fellowship.

“While I’ve been here I’ve been doing research for the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

“Why am I telling you all of this? Look around you. How many girls do you see in this class? None. And, I can guarantee you that there are a number of you thinking, how can a girl teach a technical subject like electronics? But I can.

“If you have problems in this class, please talk to me. I don’t have regular office hours, but if you call the School of Engineering Dean’s office, the secretary there will know my schedule, and she’ll set up an appointment.

“That said, are they any questions so far?”

“Yes, Miss Nez. I have a question.”, one of my students said as he stood up. “Just how in the hell do you think that you, a girl, can teach a technical subject like this?”

“Well, sir. First of all, profanity will get you no points with me. And, second of all … ”

“Excuse me, Miss Nez.”, another student said as he stood up, “Can I answer this for you.”

I recognized him as one of the students in my Electronic Circuits and Systems class, and I said, “Mr. Baker, be my guest.”

Looking at the first student, Mr. Baker said, “I’m in Miss Nez’s Electronic Circuits and Systems class. And the first day of class, I thought the same as you do, how can a girl teach a technical class like Electronic Circuits and Systems, which is not an easy class.

“After the first class, I found out just how hard that class was, and I was concerned that I was going to flunk it. But, Miss Nez not only knows her subject, but she has a way of teaching that makes you want to learn.

“She gives pop-quizzes. And, the first one she gave, I didn’t do good on, but after being in her class for a short time, I started to enjoy the subject and wanted to learn. This attitude also helped me with my other classes. And, I’ve earned a B in both of the first two quarters of the Electronic Circuits and Systems class.

“If I didn’t enjoy Miss Nez as an instructor I, and I think others that have had her as an instructor, wouldn’t be in this class.

“Just give her a chance.”

As Mr. Baker sat, I said, “Thank you, Mr. Baker.” Then I looked at my antagonist, and said, “Sir, I’ll make you a deal. If after next Thursday’s class, if you still feel the same way you do now, I’ll be sure that you can withdraw from this class with a full refund. Plus, I will personally buy your book back. And, this also goes for anyone else in the class.”

“You are sure of yourself, aren’t you, Miss Nez?” my antagonist said.

“No, sir.”, I said. “I know that I know my subject and how to teach it. I just ask that you give me a chance.”

My antagonist looked at me for a few seconds, then said, “It’s a deal, Miss Nez.” and, he sat down.

Then I said, “Mr. Baker gave way a little secret of mine. I love giving pop-quizzes.” There was a moan in the class. And, I continued with, “I give them to see if I’m getting across the information that I want to.

“I also hope that you’re all good at taking good notes. The book will be the basis of the class, but the lectures will expand on what’s in the book. And, the mid-term and final exams will be based on both the book and the lectures.”

I then gave a short lecture which I finished up with a reading assignment for next Tuesday. And, I dismissed the class five minutes before the bell.

The second class was just about the same as the first one except I wasn’t challenged.

Then I went to my grad level class. And, after that, I went to Dr. Joe’s office, and he wasn’t there. So, I opened the locked file cabinet and took out everything that I’d need to work on the printed circuit board. I put everything on the work table and went to work. I was working from a circuit diagram and the breadboard circuit. So, my work was going to be slow and methodical.

I’d been at it for a couple of hours when I heard a key in the door, I looked, and Dr. Joe walked in. And, he said, “Working hard, Kai?”

“Yes.”, I replied. “Working out some mild frustration from my first class today.”

“Oh. What happened?”

“It’s not important. And, it’s been handled.”

“Kai, I’m asking as a friend, not your advisor. What happened?”

I went on to tell Dr. Joe what the one student did to challenge me in the Computer Design class, and how another student that I have in my Electronic Circuits and Systems class stood up for me. And, how I’d challenged the first student.

When I finished, Dr. Joe looked at me in thought for a few seconds, then said, “Miss Nez. What can’t you handle?”

I shrugged my shoulders and said, “I don’t know.”

“That student had no place challenging you that way. But, that other student must like you.”

“I agree with both points, Dr. Joe. And, I’m glad Mr. Baker stood up for me as he did. It showed me how those who have been my students view me.”

“It does. And it seems that they have a soft place in their heart for you.”

“It does.”

“Have you had lunch?”, Dr. Joe asked.

“No.”, I replied. “Since I won’t be here tomorrow I thought that I’d work through lunch to make up some of the time.”

“Kai, you have a good work ethic. But, you need to take a break from it.”

I looked at Dr. Joe, then said, “You’re right. Let's get some lunch.”

I got up, put everything in the file cabinet, and locked it. And, Dr. Joe and I headed for the faculty dining room. Had lunch and then went back to the office.

Later, when I was back at the apartment, Amy was already there. She told me that she had taken what silver that we weren’t taking to Ohio with us to the bank. And, I told her about my first class and the antagonist. Amy said, “He should have come to you after class.”

“Maybe, but I’m glad he did it in class, and that Mr. Barker stood up for me. It showed the rest of the class that I’m not afraid to stand up to people, and that someone that’s been in one of my classes supports me.”

“Good point, love.”

We spent the evening getting everything packed for our quick trip back to Ohio. I was going to have to be Tom all weekend. This will be interesting.

Both Amy and I were teaching our classes on Friday morning, then rushing back to the apartment, quickly changing, and making a mad dash to the airport to catch our flight.

Mr. Barker, who stood up for me yesterday, was in my second class today. When he walked in, we made eye contact and smiled at each other.

As soon as I finished my second class of the day, I was quickly out the door, and on my way to the apartment. When I got there, Amy and I ran upstairs to the bedroom, and I saw what Amy had picked out for me. I looked at her, and she was in a long skirt, fancy blouse, and moccasins. Her hair was in a ponytail. And, she was wearing some of the silver jewelry.

She looked at me, and said, “Honey, I know that you’d rather be wearing what I’m wearing. But, you need to be Tom. It’s only for a few days.”

I sighed and said, “I know. But it’s hard.”

“I understand. Better get going, or we’ll miss our flight.”

I quickly removed what makeup I was wearing, then quickly removed my clothes and put on Tom’s clothes. White linen pants, a ribbon shirt, and moccasins. Amy quickly braided my hair into a man’s ponytail. Then I added a bracelet and a couple of rings. I looked at my face in the mirror, sighed, and thought, ‘Why do I now look like a guy?’

I removed my earrings and replaced them with a pair of studs.

Amy looked at me and said, “Honey, you look fine. You look like my Tommy.”

“I guess. But, it feels funny not wearing a bra.”

“It’ll be fine.”

We checked the apartment, grabbed our things, tossed them in the car, and headed to the airport. Luckily it’s a very short drive. We got there, parked, grabbed our suitcase out of the trunk and the camera case from the back seat, and made a dash for the terminal. We quickly checked in, gave them our suitcase, and ran for the concourse.

When we reached our gate, we found out that our flight had been delayed for fifteen minutes. So, we waited. Finally, we were able to board our plane. And, we were on our way.

Instead of just a layover in Dallas, we had to change flights. So, we had to walk a few gates down the concourse to another gate. As we did, I heard some guy say, “Damn hippies.”

I looked at him and said, “Sir, are you talking about us?”

“Yeah.”, he replied. “So, what if I am.”

“We’re not hippies. We’re Navajo.”

“That’s even worse. Dirty Indians.”

I glared at him, but at that point, I decided that it best not to push this any further. And, we just walked away from him. And we were lucky that he didn’t board the same flight we did.

We landed in Columbus at about seven in the evening their time. And as we taxied up to the gate, our welcoming committee was easy to spot, Bridget’s red hair was easy to spot. When we were home for Christmas, Bridget had found out about Tommy, Tammy, and Kai. It was going to be interesting to see how she reacts when she meets Tom.

As we walked down the boarding stairs, we saw both sets of our parents, Amy's brother Billy, his girlfriend Bridget, Larry, Mark, and a very pregnant Maria. But, no Kelly.

I was watching Bridget, I think she recognized Amy right away, but when she looked at me, she looked a bit puzzled.

We walked through the gate and received all kinds of hugs and handshakes. Finally, Bridget walked up to me and said, “So, this is Tom?”

“Hi, Bridget.”, I said. “Yes, this is Tom. The Navajo version of Tom.”

She shook her head and said, “If ye hadn’t been with Amy, I’d never have known.”

“I know. When I’m Tom, even the Navajo version of Tom, I don’t look like Kai.”

Larry walked up, and I asked, “Where’s Kelly?”

“It’s too late for the little one to be up, so Kelly is home with him. You’ll get to meet him tomorrow.”

“I can’t wait.”

“Me either.”, Amy said.

“Larry.”, Bridget said. “Can I ask ye something?”

“Of course.”

“I saw ye with Kai at Christmas time, and ye treated her as a girl. Now, it’s Tom, and ye treat him like a guy. How?”

“Don’t you feel that Tom is a guy right now?”

“Aye. I do.”

“How did you feel at Christmas?”

“Like Kai was a girl. … Oh, the spirit thing.”

Larry smiled and said, “Yes.”

“Interesting.”

“Yes, it is.”

Bridget looked at me, smiled, and said, “Ye are an interesting and complicated person.”

With a smile, I said, “You should see it from my perspective.”

Then Larry said, “By the way, Bridget, what did Dr. Grunewald have to say about the paper that Kai and I wrote comments on?”

“Aye, that was interesting.”, Bridget said. “At first she couldn’t believe that I’d met the two of you. But, after we talked, she got, as you say, a kick out of it. And I got an A+.”

“Good.”

“All right, you guys.”, my dad said. “Enough talk. It’s getting late, so let's get out of here.”

Larry had driven by himself, as did Mark and Maria, and we’d see more of them tomorrow. So, they went home as did Amy’s mom and dad, and Bill and Bridget.

Amy and I retrieved our luggage and rode home with my parents, and as we pulled out of the airport parking lot, my mom said, “I know airline food isn’t that good, so I do have something at home for you.”

“You’re right mom.”, I said. “The food wasn’t the best.”

Once we were at the house, and mom was putting some excellent food in front of us, my dad asked, “So, tell us about this house.”

Amy pulled the package of pictures out of her purse, and as Amy and I ate, we went through the photos. The first thing my dad asked was how thick the walls were? And when I said, twenty inches. He said, “I knew that they were thick, but not that thick.”

After she finished looking at the pictures, my mother said, “Kids, this house is beautiful. But, isn’t it too big for you.”

“Mom.”, I said. “That’s what I thought at first. But thinking about it, it’s what we want. It’s adobe. It’s out of town, but not too far. It’s near the mountains and hiking trails. And, at night you can see so many stars.

“Besides, Amy said that we could fill it up with children.”

That got me a punch in the arm from Amy. And I saw my mother smile.

“The only drawback that I saw.”, I said. “Was it doesn’t have a basement. But, I think that’s normal out there.”

“Any idea what they’re going to ask for it?”

“Not yet. But, in looking at the houses like it in the Albuquerque paper, I’m guessing in the sixty to seventy thousand range.”

“What are you going to do for furniture?”, my mom asked.

“What did you think of the furniture that you saw in the pictures, mom?”, Amy asked.

“It very nice and fits the look of the house.”

“That’s what we thought. And they’re going to be selling all of it.”

“Are you thinking of buying it?”

“Yes, except for the three small bedrooms. We already have two bedrooms of furniture that we’d use and make an office out of the third bedroom.”

“You have this all thought out. Don’t you?”, my dad asked.

“Yes.”, I replied. “We just have to decide how to pay for it.”

“You’re not going to use all of your investments are you?”

“No, we thought that we’d use part of it for a down payment. Then finance the rest. It would help us build a credit rating.”

“Good idea.”

“We’re probably going to our bank next week and talk to them.”

My mom and dad went to bed, and Amy and I went into the den. We looked at the fireplace, even though it didn’t have a fire it, and I think Amy and I were thinking the same thing. I said, “You know. It’ll be nice to have a fireplace again.”

“I was just thinking the same thing.”, Amy replied. And, she cuddled closer.

A short time later, Amy looked at me with those marvelous blue eyes of hers, and said, “My Prince, take me to my bedchamber and ravish me.”

“My Queen.”, I said. “As always, your wish is my desire.”

I stood up, offered her my hand, she took it, stood, and … ”

Saturday morning as we were cuddled together in bed, Amy asked, “Are you having any problems with Tom like you did at Christmas?”

“No.”, I said. “At least not yet. I can feel that my male spirit is a little stronger, but my female spirit is still as strong as ever even though we’re here in Ohio.”

“I just hope you don’t have that problem again.”

“You and me both, sweetheart. You and me both.”

We were meeting Mark and Maria at Larry and Kelly’s apartment for lunch. Larry and Kelly didn’t want to take the little one to a restaurant. Amy and I took my mother’s new car, stopped by our favorite drive-in, and picked up the food.

When we arrived at Larry and Kelly’s apartment, Mark and Maria were already there. We carried the food and another package in and spread the food out on the kitchen table.

Then Amy set the other package on the table, and Kelly asked, “What’s that?”

“Something for you to open after we’ve eaten.”, Amy replied.

We ate lunch and talked about what had been going on. When we finished eating, Kelly asked, “Can I open it now?”

“Sure.”, Amy said.

Kelly opened the package and pulled out the blanket and said, “This is so soft and pretty.”

“It’s Navajo wool, and it’s hand made.”

“What’s it for?”

“It’s for little Larry. It’s a special christening blanket for him from his godparents.”

“This is amazing. Thank you so much.”

Maria touched the blanket and said, “I can’t believe how soft this is.”

I looked at Maria, and said, “There’s one of these for your little bundle of joy even if we’re not his godparents.”

Maria looked at Amy and said, “I wish you could be. But, my parents being strict Catholics are very set in his godparents being Catholic.”

“I understand, honey.”, Amy said. “And, Kelly, I’m surprised that your dad didn’t put his foot down.”

“Oh, he tried to. But after I put my foot down and told him how we feel about you two. He backed down. I also had a talk with our parish priest about the two of you. At first, like my dad, he wasn’t happy because you’re not Catholic, but once we told him about you two, he backed down. There will be a paper for you to sign promising to raise little Larry in the Catholic religion.”

“I don’t have a problem with that.”, Amy said. “Honey, do you?”

“Not at all.”, I replied. “By the way, Kelly. How’s your dad doing after his breakdown?”

“He’s back to being his old self.”

“How about your brother, Connor. Is he still flying helicopters?”

“Yes. But, now he’s back here training others.”

“Good.”, I said. “At least he’s no longer in Vietnam.”

“I know.”, Kelly said. “I still worry about him, but at least he’s here in the states.”

“That’s a beginning.”

Just then we heard a little cry, and Kelly said, “It sounds like someone is hungry.”

Kelly walked out of the room and came back carrying little Larry. Everyone crowded around to get a look at him. He looked up at us and smiled at the attention that he was getting.

Kelly handed little Larry to me, and said, “Here Tom, hold your godson while I fix him a bottle.”

I took him, looked down at him, he looked up at me and smiled, and I smiled at him.

Larry said, “He usually cries when a stranger picks him up.”

“Maybe he knows that I’m his godfather.”, I replied.

I looked at Amy, and she was grinning. So, I asked, “Just what are you grinning at?”

“You look cute holding a baby.”, Amy replied.

“When are you two going to have one of these bundles of joy?”, Maria asked.

“Oh.”, Amy said. “Maybe sooner than later. Especially if we get this house.”

I gave her a questioning look. Then Amy, with a gleam in her eyes, said, “Well Tommy, you did say that it would be fun to fill the house with children.”

I felt my face get warm.

Kelly then came with a bottle and took little Larry from me. We sat at the kitchen table and enjoyed watching little Larry eat and some conversation while we ate. After little Larry had finished eating, Mark asked, “So, tell us about this house.”

Amy dug the pictures out of her purse, and we shared them with everyone. Everyone was surprised by how pretty the house was inside and out. I told them how the roof was constructed, and Larry asked, “Doesn’t the rain soak through that?”

“Remember.”, I said. “Here you get an average of thirty-five inches of rain a year, and Albuquerque, being in the desert, only averages about ten inches of rain a year and most of that is in August during monsoon season. And, we do get some snow, but most of that is up on the Sandia Crest. So, a flat roof like this is ideal for out there.”

We visited for a couple of hours, and Amy was able to feed little Larry, and while she was doing that, I said, “Now that’s cute.”

Amy looked at me, smiled, and said, “It is. Isn’t it?”

Amy then asked, “We’ll see everyone tomorrow at the church. Right?”

“Of course you will.”, Maria said.

“Good. Because we have to leave right afterward.”

“You won’t be able to go to the restaurant?”, Kelly asked.

“I’m sorry, honey. We’d love to stay, but we’ve got to catch our flight. We both have classes to teach on Monday morning.”

Mark and Maria left before we did, and as we were leaving Amy pulled an envelope out of her purse and handed it to Larry. Larry asked, “What’s this?”

“A christening gift.”, Amy replied.

“You already gave him the blanket.”

“Oh. That’s for now. This is for later.”

Larry opened the envelope, removed the paper that was in it, read it, and said, “What is this?”

“Well, the godparents are supposed to take care of their godchildren. Aren’t they?”

“I guess. But this is too much.”

“What is it?”, Kelly asked.

Larry handed the paper to Kelly, and said, “A trust fund for little Larry.”

“A trust fund!?”

“Yes.”, I said. “It’s for his education and anyone can add to it. But, he can’t use it until he goes to college or turns twenty-five.”

“But, twenty-five hundred dollars.”

“He’s our only godchild. Isn’t he?”

“Yeah. But … But … ”

“No, buts, Kelly.”, Amy said. “It’s his. And, it’s invested and should grow. The same financial advisor that takes care of our investments is looking after this one.”

“Guys. You are too much. Thank you so very much.”, Kelly said. And we got hugs, kisses, and handshakes.

On the way back to my parent's house, Amy looked at me, and said, “Honey, you looked so cute, holding little Larry.”

“Yeah.”, I said. “It was interesting holding him. And, you looked very at ease holding him.”

“Uh-huh. It felt good.”, Amy said.

“They’re not going to call him Little Larry. Are they?”

“No, Kelly said that they’re going to use his middle name, Randall or Randy. Unless he’s bad.”

“That’s better.”

When we were back at my parent's house, we sat in the den just relaxing, when my mother walked in and said, “You two about ready to go to Amy’s parents.”

“Sure mom.”, I said.

My mom, dad, Amy, and I drove over to Amy’s parent's house. And we were greeted at the front door by Bridget. She, like Amy, have one of those contagious smiles, and she said, “Aye, it is so good to see ye.”

I grinned as I said, “Yá'át'ééh. Nizhonigó íiná aadóó hozhónahasdlíí. - (Hello. It is good, and all is harmony around us.)”

“Was that a Navajo greeting?”

“Yes.”

“Well then, Saol fada agus breac-shláinte chugat.”

“And, that means?”, I asked.

“Long-life and fair health to ye.”, Bridget said. “What did you say?”

“Hello. It is good, and all is harmony around us.”

“Well, come on in.”

We followed Bridget to the kitchen where everyone was. And we exchanged greeting with everyone. And, whatever Amy’s mother was making for dinner smelled wonderful.

As we were enjoying a fantastic lasagna, garlic bread, and salad dinner, we chatted about what had been going on with everyone. I mentioned that I was working on another research project for the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Billy asked me what it was. And, I said that I couldn’t tell him any more than that.

Bridget asked, “That big of a secret?”

“Yes.”, I said. “There are only two people outside of Los Alamos that I can talk to about it. I can’t even talk to Amy about it. I can mention it, but not talk about it.”

After we’d finished dinner and before dessert, the subject of the house came up. Amy took the pictures out of her purse. And, as we showed them to Amy’s family, we talked about each one. Amy’s dad and brother Bill, since he’s majoring in civil engineering, were interested in the construction of the house. They were surprised by the thickness of the walls and that the roof was made of adobe. Amy’s mother and Bridget were interested in the kitchen and dining room.

Everyone marveled at the master suite with a fireplace. Then they were surprised that each of the other three bedrooms has a smaller fireplace. I then said, “Even though we’re in the desert, it gets cold in the winter. So, the fireplaces come in handy.”

Then my father-in-law asked, “What about cooling in the summertime?”

I said, “The adobe has a high thermal mass and helps keep the houses cool. Even though we’re in the desert where it can hit one-hundred in the day time, at night, it can drop into the sixties.”

“We don’t have temperatures like that in Edinburgh.”, Bridget said.

“So.”, my father-in-law said. “Are you going to buy this house?”

“Dad.”, Amy said. “It will depend on what they’re asking for it.”

“How about furniture?”, Amy’s mom asked.

“They’re selling most of the furniture, and we like most of what we saw.”

“The furniture in the master suite is very rustic.”

“I know mom. And we like it.”

Then I asked, “Is everyone going to the christening tomorrow?”

“We are.”, Amy’s mom said.

“Good. We have to leave from there to make our flight. So, we can say so long at the church.”

“No, we’ll go to the airport with you.”

“That would be nice.”, Amy said.

We stayed at Amy’s parent's house until late. We figured that we’d leave at the same time Bill left to take Bridget back to her dorm. But we found out that Bridget spents the weekends with the Grants. Amy and I were alone with Bill and Bridget when we found this out, so I asked, “Are things getting a little more serious between you two?”

Bridget smiled, cuddled closer to Bill, and said, “Aye. They are.”

Then Bill said, “It’s one of the reasons that we’re going to Scotland this summer. Bridget’s parents want to meet me.”

“I thought so. I couldn’t see you going to Scotland unless there was something special behind it.”

“No getting married without us.”, Amy said.

“Don’t worry sis.”, Bill said. “I’d … We’d never do that.”

Mom, Dad, Amy, and I were finally back at the house at about ten local time, and as we walked into the house, I said, “I thought you guys were thinking of selling the house.”

“We are.”, dad said. “We’ll probably put it on the market after we come back from seeing you this summer.”

“What about all of your woodworking stuff.”

“We’re looking for a place with a fairly large basement.”

“As long as there’s still room for the washer and dryer.”, my mom said.

After mom and dad had gone to bed, Amy and I were in the den, and I said, “What should I wear tomorrow?”

“A suit.”, Amy replied.

“A suit? I don’t own a suit.”

“Is there still one in your closet?”

“There may be, but will it still fit?”

“Let’s go find out.”

We walked back to our room and looked in the closet, and there were two of my old suits that were still hanging in the closet. Even a couple of dress shirts. A little dusty, but not bad.

We pulled both suits out and put them on the bed. Then, Amy said, “I think the darker one would be best.”

“If it still fits.”, I said.

“Try it on.”

I undressed and put on one of the dress shirts and the suit. They fit. But, I said, “This feels so weird.”

“Yeah. I bet it does. Going from a skirt and blouse two days ago to a men’s suit today.”

I walked over to my chest of drawers and looked in the top drawer. No ties. I looked at Amy and said, “All of my ties, all two of them, are gone.”

“Ask your dad.”

“Yeah. What do you think about the bolo tie that we got him?”

“That would add a southwestern look.”, Amy said.

“Shoes?”, I said.

I went back into my closet, and there were a couple of pairs of my old dress shoes still there. They were also dusty. I pulled them out and tried them on. Too small. I guess wearing moccasins most of the time have changed my feet. I looked at Amy and said, “Won’t fit.”

“Maybe your dad has something that’ll fit you. Ask him in the morning.”, she replied.

“Moccasins won’t look good with a suit.”

“Either will your sneakers.”

“I just should have come as Kai.”

“You know that wouldn’t have worked.”

“I know.”