I was on my own now that my wife had died of breast cancer, We loved each other and had an understanding that most people can never achieve but I had a secret that I could never share with her till about a week before she died. You see I have a female brain and my life up until now has been like a split tv screen with one part of a story running on one side of the screen and on the other side is the other half of the story running simultaneously. The one on the left side is what is actually happening and the one on the right side is like a replay when they can't decide if a goal has been awarded or not and the referee asks for a video replay on a big screen above the goal posts.
I was on my own now that my wife had died of breast cancer, We loved each other and had an understanding that most people can never achieve but I had a secret that I could never share with her till about a week before she died. You see I have a female brain and my life up until now has been like a split tv screen with one part of a story running on one side of the screen and on the other side is the other half of the story running simultaneously. The one on the left side is what is actually happening and the one on the right side is like a replay when they can't decide if a goal has been awarded or not and the referee asks for a video replay on a big screen above the goal posts.
I was on my own now that my wife had died of breast cancer, We loved each other and had an understanding that most people can never achieve but I had a secret that I could never share with her till about a week before she died. You see I have a female brain and my life up until now has been like a split tv screen with one part of a story running on one side of the screen and on the other side is the other half of the story running simultaneously. The one on the left side is what is actually happening and the one on the right side is like a replay when they can't decide if a goal has been awarded or not and the referee asks for a video replay on a big screen above the goal posts.
Let me explain, My name is Alexander Hess and my late wife was Isabella. She passed away at the age of thirty eight which was far too young to die, but when God gives he also takes away so there is a continuous cycle of life. I am aged forty and am quite slim and small for a man so it was fairly easy for me to play dress up with Isabella's very feminine clothes and to top it off she was a really girly girl in her day.
I had been dressing most of my life but was never game to come out to anyone especially to Isabella. She was very straight and also into church so hopefully you get the picture of where I’m coming from. I work as an insurance assessor for a large company by the name of 'All Insure' and it has branches all over Australia, yes that’s right the upside down land called the 'land down under'. It is a large and vast land of floods and droughts and cyclones, so there are always a lot of claims to assess and that is what I do.
Because of the sort of claims I handle there is a lot of interstate travel involved. I can be in Brisbane where I am based one day and in Perth the next, so I have always been away a lot and it gave me the chance to indulge in my little hobby when I stayed in motels all over the country.
I never dressed at home because like I said Isabella was a very straight lady and any suggestion of anything but straight would be an abomination in her's and God's eyes.
I start this story on Christmas day two thousand and eleven. I was on my own at a holiday apartment in Coolangatta, which is right on the border of Queensland and New South Wales. Tweed Heads is on the New South Wales side. Because Queensland doesn’t have daylight saving like New South Wales New Year is celebrated twice on the glitter strip. Depending how drunk you got on the Queensland side you could really write yourself of the second time around.
Anyway it was still only Christmas Day so I had some time to see if I could find someone to share the New Year's celebrations with. Now I know I am not just a cross-dresser because in reality it is only clothes and clothes can certainly make me feel good but I am transgender and clothes alone is never going to be enough to make me feel like who I really am in my head and heart.
I have seen a therapist and have been diagnosed as having Gender Dysphoria so I am not just someone who likes to dress but actually wants to be a woman and eventually have SRS and go the whole distance. Now that my wife was not there to hurt, I could finally do something about becoming who I am inside as well as on the outside.
I of course had a problem. I had to keep working which means I would have to transition at work. I hadn't had the courage to tell my boss yet but he was a really nice guy and I thought he might be gay, it was just the way he talked about what he got up to when he went out and he had dropped a few hints how he couldn't stand people not accepting gays and transsexual people. Well I would find out in the new year just how genuine he was because I was going to out myself when I got back to work. It is something that I had to do now or forever hold my peace.
Anyway getting back to my problem at hand, in the past Isabella and I celebrated New Year on the beach and stayed there till the sun came up to start a brand new year. I decide to have Christmas lunch at the twin town RSL club. They put on a really good lunch for a lot of returned service men and women. I didn't want to drive because I would not be able to have any alcohol and I do enjoy having a drink on Christmas Day but the rest of the year I hardly touched the stuff. I phoned for a taxi and waited out the front of the apartment building for it to turn up.
It took about ten minutes and the driver had a Christmas hat on which looked rather silly on an Indian man who was probably a Muslim and they don’t believe in Christ so it was rather a wasted effort on his part. Anyway he took me to where I wanted to go. I paid him and gave him a ten dollar tip because no-one should have to work on Christmas day, I made my way into the leagues' club and who should be there but my boss Grant Hogan all by himself. He too had a silly hat on and I walked up to him and said, “Gday Grant what are you doing here? I thought you would be with your family on Christmas day!!.
He took of the silly hat before he said, “G'day Alex, I didn't expect to see you here either but I suppose you are at a loss now that your wife has passed away?”
I replied, “Yeah, but life goes on and I have no close friends so this is where I ended up. What about you? I thought you had a partner?”
He replied, “He-- umm ---she left me a couple of weeks ago so I am now single like you Alex, so I suppose we can cry on each other's shoulders while we eat Christmas lunch. What do you say?”
“Yeah why not? It's not every day one gets to eat Christmas lunch with one's boss is it?”
We walked inside the club and chose a table. It was an “all you can eat” affair for the cost of twenty five dollars which is really good value. Drinks were obviously extra and this is where they caught up with you money-wise. I like rum and coke and Grant drank beer with a dash of lemon squash. It's called a shandy and is mainly the way women drink their beer or so I believe.
We got our plates and drinks and went back to our table and sat down to eat, and for a while we didn’t really say much and just concentrated on eating turkey with baked vegetables. I am not a big eater so for me desert was out, but Grant went and got himself some pavlova and another drink for both of us. It wasn't till now that we started to chat about what we were doing in our lives and to my complete surprise, Grant came straight out and said, “I know every one thinks that I’m gay Alex, but I am not gay in the true sense of the word because I am in fact a cross-dresser and my partner who is or was gay didn't like the idea of going to bed with a tranny or as he called me a he-she and he just upped and left.
I didn't know how to respond to what he just told me and I said, “Well Grant I have a little problem myself, and seeing that you just outed yourself to me I guess I had better tell you now and not in the new year when I start work again about me wanting to transition as a woman!!
He just stopped eating his pavlova and looked at me very seriously and said, “Alex if you are telling me that you are the same as me, then that just made my day.”
I replied, “How so Grant? If you are into cross-dressing that is ok too but I am a bit more than that ,I actually want to become a fully functional woman.”
He thought about that for a couple of minutes and replied. “Well Alex I don’t know if I am game enough to go that far but I will definitely be there to support you all the way.”
I thought, ''This is getting more interesting by the minute I think he must want more than just friendship the way he is looking at me. I am feeling some stirring in the nether region. And I don’t know whether to encourage him on or not. I know I am not gay but I do like men, but as a woman not as a man. I wonder if I explain that to him would he still be interested in me sexually?''
I decided to go a bit further and said, “Grant I know you are my boss and it could get awkward at work for both of us so, how far do you want to take this?”
He replied, “Well most of the people at work that I have “come out'' to are ok with it, but they think I am just gay and not a cross-dresser. That part I sort of kept secret because most people will except a gay person but not a cd, or a tv person. I don’t know why that is.”
I replied Grant, “That is why I could not ever have told Isabella. She would have freaked out and probably wanted a divorce. I loved her too much to hurt her like that.”
Grant then took one of my hands across the table, not worrying about how people could see what he was doing and said, “Alex if you are interested I would like to get to know you a lot better.”
I thought to myself before I answered, ''Shit what do I do now? I don’t know if I'm ready for this, but he does have a cute smile,''
He didn't let go of my now clammy hand and looked into my eyes and said, “Alex I am not going to pressure you into anything you don’t want to do, but you need someone to confide in and who better than your boss, who is also different?”
We finished our lunch and decided it was too noisy in the club and got up and went for a walk down to the river and sat down on one of the benches that are dotted along the river walkway. I was really feeling apprehensive about this. Grant being my boss could complicate things at work and I could not afford to be out of work now that I am going to have the expense of all the medical procedure involved in transitioning. I would get my SRS done in Thailand when the time came but that was a way off yet.
It was all happening a little bit too fast but I thought, ''If this guy wants to be there for me than what have I got to lose? He has gorgeous eyes, dam!! I’m such a girl.''
I decide to give him my answer and said, “Grant as long as there won’t be any problems at work I’m in.” We both said bye and went home in separate taxis but were meeting up on New Year's Eve to be on the beach at Surfer's Paradise and stay there till the sun came up on new years day two thousand and twelve.
To be continued
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Previously
It was all happening a little bit too fast, but I thought, ''If this guy wants to be there for me than what have I got to lose? He has gorgeous eyes. Damn!! I’m such a girl.''
I decide to give him my answer and said, “Grant as long as there won’t be any problems at work I’m in.” We both said 'bye and went home in separate taxis but were meeting up on New Year's Eve to be on the beach at Surfer's Paradise and stay there till the sun came up on New Years Day two thousand and twelve.
Saturday 31/ 12 /2011
The time between Christmas and New Year was nerve-racking and by the time I contacted Grant I was a wreck, but this is something that I had been wanting to do all my life so I had to go through with it or I would never be happy.
It was lunch time before I got up enough courage to ring Grant and tell him that I would definitely meet him at Surfer's and spend the night on the beach till dawn.
At this stage I had not bought a lot of clothes because I really hadn't gone through all of Isabella’s things. It had only been two months since she passed away and I just didn't feel right going through all her things, yet it never worried me while she was alive, because whenever I was home by myself and she was out for the day I would try a lot of her things on. Because I was small in build I didn't stretch anything out of shape. I was always very careful to put everything back the way I found it and she never suspected my activity, or if she did she never said anything.
The week before she passed away I could not stand it any longer and I knew it would upset her but I thought she had a right to know about me before she died.
This was the conversation we had six days before she passed away.
“Bella honey, there is something that I have to confess to you. I am going to be on my own after you are gone and I will not be able to go on living if I didn't tell you about my cross-dressing all these years.” As I said this I was holding the dying woman’s hand with tears streaming down my cheeks but it is something I had to do.
She replied, “My sweet darling Alexander I have known for at least a year, but I decided not to say anything because I knew that I was dying and you would be on your own, so I held my tongue. Now it really doesn’t matter. I love you and accept that part of you.”
Six days later she was gone, and it was almost a relief because she was in a lot of pain even with the medications they were administering to her. She was of course in palliative care for the last month of her life and I sat with her till the end. I was holding her hand when she slipped away.
When I rang Grant he said he would be in girl mode and I probably wouldn't recognise ''him/her'' so to make sure that I had my phone with me so I could ring ''him/her'' when I got to the beach. I didn't know whether I should go in girl mode or not because all the clothes were back in Brisbane and I only had some girl jeans and an androgynous looking pink shirt. I had no make-up but I did have a barrette for my hair which I had grown out over the last twelve months and it was long enough to put it into a feminine style, so that is what I did.
I thought, “I hope this is what he wants because if it's not then it will be over before it even begins.”
I got my nerve together and called a taxi to take me to Main Beach, Surfer's. Half an hour later I was walking through the crowd on the beach that was gathering to watch the fire works at midnight. I felt I looked like an effeminate man but at this stage there was not a lot that I could do about it.
No one even gave me a second glance, which put me at ease enough to pull out my mobile and punch Grants number in. It rang a couple of times, and he answered in a different voice and I wondered if I had got the number wrong but ''he/she'' said “Alex I'm over here by the stage wearing a white summer dress and red flats, a red belt, and a red head band.”
I made my way through the noisy crowd and could see this woman in a white summer dress. I could not believe it was possible to be able to transform from a man with longish hair to this pretty woman standing there looking around to see if she could find a friend somewhere.
I thought, “What will I do, shake hands ? No I will give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek like any other woman would do when she meets her girlfriend.”
That is exactly what I did and she returned the kiss but it was on the lips which made me feel all tingly inside.
I thought, “I wonder if this is what it feels like for lesbians when they kiss.”
I said, “Grant, I can't call you Grant when you are dressed like this, what is your girl name?”
She replied “Grace, it's Grace, What's yours.”
“Well Grace it stays the same. Alex is also a girls name isn't it?”
She replied, “You're right it is, and like me you won't have to change your initials.”
She didn't let go of my hand and I didn't try to let go either because it felt really nice.
She said. “Alex you know I always wondered about you and it looks like I was right doesn’t it?”
I replied. “Grace, I have always been a girl inside and when Isabella’s death happened I had nothing to lose by being who I wanted to be.”
No-one took any notice of us holding hands. It was just two women greeting each other. It was a really hot night and I wish I had brought some of Isabella's clothes like some skirts and blouses, but I had not anticipated doing what I was doing tonight when I came down for the Christmas break.
This had blown me completely away. Just finding out about my boss being like me was something I didn't not expect to happen. Most of the people were sitting down on the sand and on blankets. It was early and the crowd was still building. By the time it was midnight and the fireworks got under way there was standing room only. The count down to midnight started and there must have been at least ten thousand people on the beach all counting down to zero and then the fireworks kicked in as everyone shouted “Happy New Year”.
On the dot of twelve o’clock Grace grabbed me and gave me a very passionate kiss and I responded in kind. To me it felt right while Grace was in girl mode but it remained to be seen what would happen when she was back in boy mode. I really don't know what I would do.
I thought, “What will I do when we go back to work and Grace becomes Grant and my boss again?” I decided to let it all just ride for now and enjoy the feeling that I had for her as the person she was right then and worry about next week, next week.
After the fireworks were over a lot of the people started to move off the beach except the ones that were like us and wanted to see the first sunrise of two thousand and twelve. We settled down on a blanket and Grace had brought a bottle of champagne with two glasses in a bag so she was well prepared for us to have a romantic night on the beach. It felt strange to be here like this as two women sitting on a blanket drinking champagne, two ''lesbians'' indeed! The last time I did this on the same beach probably in the same spot was when I was with my lovely wife of ten years. But even then I always wished it would have been like this, and of course here I was as a woman doing exactly that.
Grace and I cuddled most of the night and fell asleep for a couple of hours in each other's arms which is what I used to do with Bella. We were awake at four a.m. and waited for the sun to poke its head over the horizon and we welcomed the new year in with a very passionate kiss.
I thought, “Wow I don’t want this to ever end, it just feels so right and I will not turn back for anything now.”
I said to Grace, “What happens now when we have to go back to work?”
She replied, “Alex honey, I don’t know because this has never happened to me either, so we will just have to feel our way and play things by ear.”
I said, “Grace, it's going to be hard for me to call you Grant after you keep kissing me like that!!”
She replied, “Lexie, I’m going to have to call you Lexie because I too will have trouble once we’re back at work!! All I will want to do is be close to you all the time, so we're going to have to sort something out aren't we?”
We gathered up the blanket and our bags and made our way to the road to catch a taxi back to Grace's unit back at Tweed Heads to sort out something for breakfast. By the time we arrived at her unit we were both quite hungry and I put the kettle on so we could have a cup of strong coffee to wake us up. Grace had some eggs and bacon in the fridge and proceeded to put them on while I found the bread and toaster. It wasn't long before we were sitting out on the balcony in the morning sun eating our breakfast not really saying much but looking into each other's eyes and smiling.
I had no clothes with me. All I had was a hand bag. I didn't even put make-up on so I must have been able to pass without too much trouble by the look of it.
We both needed a shower so I said, “Grace what do you intend to do about us, you know sex-wise I mean?”
She looked at me and said, “Well honey that is all up to you. I won't force myself onto you but I have had sex with women, men, and transsexuals so I am happy to go along with whatever you feel is right for you.”
I of course was not experienced in sex other than with Bella so this was going to be rather new and exciting for me.
I said, “I have no clothes so can I borrow some of yours Grace?”
Grace grabbed my hand and walked me into the bedroom to the walk-in wardrobe and said “Choose whatever you want, we are the same size so this should be good.”
I said, “Well I need a shower so I will do that first. Where are your towels?”
Again she grabbed my hand and pulled me along to the bathroom and said, “Lexie if we are going to do this you are going to have to trust me and go with the flow and enjoy being two girls having fun together at least for the next couple of days ok?”
I just nodded and watched as Grace started to get undressed to have a shower. I followed her lead and did the same. It wasn't long and we were standing there looking at each other completely naked. I couldn't help staring at Grace. She had at least A cup breasts and her penis was normal size but her testicles were almost not visible.
She looked back at me and said “Lexie I have been doing this for a long time and I am on hormones hence the breasts. If you are going to transition you will have normal breasts in no time at all.” We stepped into the shower and soaped up and then stood under the water together,
I thought, “Ok girl this feels right so just do whatever comes next and relax.” Grace put her arms around my waist and pulled me in close and kissed me, I wasn’t sure whether to touch her intimately or not but she grabbed my hand and placed it on her now very erect sex. My own excitement could not be contained and Grace gently pulled me out of the shower and we dried each other off and made our way to the bedroom and onto the bed.
This is where I was a complete novice because I was in girl mode and let Grace do with me what she wanted. It was painful at first and then all I felt was this pure feeling of complete love for her as she shuddered to a climax. The favour was returned when she took me into her mouth and I too reached this incredible climax.
We both lay in each other's arms and whispered sweet nothings into each other's ears. After a while it was time to have another shower and get dressed. Grace had an incredible girl wardrobe in her unit which she owned as well as a unit in Brisbane. It is a walk-in robe and she chose my complete outfit which included breast forms which she didn't need any more. She binded when she was at work in boy mode. We both ended up wearing summer dresses with hair in pony tails and flat sandals on our feet. It was New Year's Day and there were no shops open so we decided to go to Sea World and enjoy the day together as two women walking hand in hand like two kids in love. I felt decidedly feminine in my summer dress, and Grace did my make-up to complete my look.
I used to watch Bella over the years and was quite good at doing it but Grace was like a professional and I looked very feminine. I would only have to get electrolysis done to my face and I would pass without any trouble even without any make-up on. I was lucky to have a high cheek-boned face and a girl-type chin. I was always teased at school for my feminine face and played tennis instead of football because I didn't like getting roughed-up so I guess I always was girly right from early on.
I stayed with Grace in her unit for the next week and we made love a few more times. Each time it was getting less painful for me and I was feeling completely female by the time we had to go back to Brisbane and work as boss and rank and file. It was not easy having to go back into boy mode and act like nothing happened between me and Grant over the last week. I didn’t know what was going to happen in the future but there was no going back for me. I had an appointment with a gender clinic in Brisbane and would take it from there.
To be continued
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Previously
I stayed with Grace in her unit for the next week and we made love a few more times. Each time it was getting less painful for me and I was feeling completely female by the time we had to go back to Brisbane and work as boss and rank and file. It was not easy having to go back into boy mode and act like nothing happened between me and Grant over the last week. I didn’t know what was going to happen in the future but there was no going back for me. I had an appointment with a gender clinic in Brisbane and would take it from there.
Monday
I turned up for work in boy mode. I had done something with my hair so gradually bit by bit I would make myself look more and more androgynous and eventually every one would take no notice of my different look. I had an appointment with the clinic the following week so I was actually going ahead with transitioning, but as Grant / Grace said, do it slowly and methodically and you will achieve your goal better than running headlong into it without the proper planning and help from the right people. Grace was already well on the way so she knew how to go about doing things and told me she would be there to support me all the way. I guess she had her reasons for that because we had become lovers and she didn't want to lose me.
All the same it really wasn’t easy when we were both in boy mode and having to act as straight males,''Whatever that means''. I don’t think that I was ever a straight male come to think of it, I always envied girls from a very early age. I never pee'd in a urinal and always felt more comfortable going into a cubicle and do my business sitting like a girl. The few times when I did go to the urinal I got pushed by bullies and ended up almost sitting in the trough, so after that I just went into a cubicle every time, ''no more hassles''. Anyway back to earning a living and saving up to pay for all the medical expenses I am about to encounter.
I'm going to just say 'Grace' from now on because it is getting to confusing to call her Grant any more so I will only call her ''Grant'' if I am describing a conversation while someone is addressing her as a man. Being my boss she had to do my work schedule and I think she was trying to keep me in the state as much as possible so I we could be together at night. It almost felt like being married again only this time it felt more in line with the way my brain worked. Grace had arranged for us both to see the head of the company to come clean about ourselves being transsexuals and that we are both intending to transition fully into women as soon as possible. That was fine by me since I really didn't want to waste any more of my life pretending to be a man.
I had been assessing damaged flood-ravaged houses all day and was stressed out because some of the people that thought that they had flood cover weren’t covered and of course I bore the brunt of their displeasure when I told them “You are not insured for floods and are on your own”. One guy threatened to kill me if I didn't get off his property. These people built houses in a flood area and did not read the fine print on their insurance policies. Anyway I came home to Grace's flat, I intend to sell my house in the suburb of Wishart, which was close to all the public transport. so I should have no trouble selling quite quickly. It was also on a hill so no flooding.
Grace was already home preparing dinner when I walked through the door,. All I wanted to do is get out of the uncomfortable male attire and into something soft and feminine.
Grace gave me a kiss and said, “Lexie go and have a shower and get changed. I have some news to tell you.”
I returned the kiss and did what I was told because Grace is the dominant one of us which is fine by me. It makes me feel even more feminine especially when it comes to bed time.
I had my shower and put on a short skirt and sleeveless blouse and wrapped my hair in a towel. I haven’t grown any breasts but that would change once I got onto hormones and if I got impatient I’ll would get implants. There were no questions asked for breast implants, but you apparently couldn't get SRS without jumping through hoops of fire, I could not understand why some doctor should be able to tell you what you can or cannot do with your own body. It's not as though you are asking them to do any more than to make your body match your brain.
I walked into the dining room where Grace was just setting the table.She was also in a dress, so it was just two girls having dinner at the end of a stressful day. Grace dished up our meal of a tuna bake and vegetables. On the side she had an ice cream maker so that was what we had for desert plus strawberries, Grace never rushes anything and that is another thing I like about our relationship, there is no pressure to do anything I don’t want to do. However transition for me was reasonably urgent. I didn’t want to waste any more of my life as a male than I had to.
Once we were finished eating I was getting all fidgety and said, “Grace are you going to keep me on tenterhooks all night or are you going to tell me the news you said you had for me?”
She replied, “Lexie honey be patient and I will tell you what I have arranged for us both at work.”
“Ok Grace but tell me now!!!”
She replied, “Lexie we are to see the big boss tomorrow and sort out what is to be done about us and how to proceed at work transitioning.”
I said, “God I hope we don’t get the sack,”
“No that will not happen in this company. Their policy states that they are gender friendly and will not discriminate against Gay or Transsexual employees so we will not be dismissed, but we have to send a letter to all the department heads to explain what we are planning to do and than it should be relatively plain sailing.”
That conversation seemed to put me at ease and we settled down and watched a movie. We both had paper work to do for work but tonight neither one of us could concentrate on work related things so a movie it was. It wasn't long before the urge to go to bed got the better of us and we walked hand in hand into the bedroom, stripped off and made gentle sweet girl to girl love. I'm afraid I could not act the dominant partner with Grace and I doubt that I will ever be able to again.
My brain was so completely female since Grace had had sex with me that it was almost like a switch was turned off and back on again and I was changed like a light bulb and now shone a different colour. We drifted off to sleep still in each other's arms. It was a hot night so we were in our birthday suits and stayed that way till we woke up in the morning with the alarm waking us up. We both got into the shower ''to save water what else'' I was really envious of her breasts and could hardly wait to start hormones so I could grow my own. I could see myself getting implants I was so impatient. So much for taking it slowly. This morning was to be the last time we would have to dress as males if all went to plan with the head of the company. I always got on well with Greg Novel, He was a kindly older gentleman and he was always approachable in the past when I had a problem with claimants that gave me trouble and sometime I even had to go to court to fight a case for the company which he always acknowledged and thanked me personally for. Grace and I went to work by bus into where the office was. Grace's unit was at Greenslopes, a suburb not all that far from the city and was on the main bus route so there is no need to drive a car and have to worry about where to find a car park. The car was reserved as a weekend form of transport and of course shopping trips.
We arrived at work and went straight up to the tenth floor and to the plush office of Greg Novel. He was already at his desk sorting out paper work and had probably been there since six am that morning. I hope I never get to be so high in the company to have to do that - life is too short. My philosophy was that you ''work to live, not to live for work.'' Anyway we announced ourselves and were asked to come in and take a seat to discuss what we had come for.
He already knew what was going on with us because he said, “Relax you two, I am not going to stand in your way if you do things properly and inform all the people in human resources and any other people that have to know what you are doing. Just one thing, once you start I don’t want you to go back and forth do you understand?”
We both nodded our heads and for a couple of minutes didn't realise just what he had said.
I spoke first and said, “Mr Novel I know you have always helped me in the past and I will not let you down just because of my lifestyle change.”
He replied, “Alex what should I call you now?”
I said, “Well Alex is a female name as well, but Grace is calling me Lexie.”
“Ok Lexie it is. Just let everyone know, and Grace that suits you too Grant. Sorry it's going to take me some time to get the names right, but if you both present as female than it shouldn't take too long to get used to. Now!! off you go and make me some money!”
We walked to the lift with me talking twenty to the dozen and Grace said, “Slow down Lexie you will stumble and fall if you run before you can walk.”
I said, “Ok ok I'm slowing.”
The day was spent dreaming of what was to come, We went to all the people that were required to know what was going on, so when we turned up presenting as female it wasn't going to be a complete surprise to everyone. I think some of the people that knew us already suspected something like this was going to occur sooner or later anyway.
We went to our respective offices and tried to get some work done but our minds were in a different place. Just as well I didn't go and assess any claims that day because I would have just ticked all the yes boxes and lost the company a heap of money.
Grace rang me and said, “Lexie I can't concentrate on what I am doing so I think we might knock off work early and go shopping. I'll meet you in five minutes down at the foyer ok?”
I replied, “You're the boss Grace.”
My secretary Linda gave me a wink and said,”See you later Lexie.” she was happy to see me transition and said so.
It was only two in the afternoon and we would have to make up for lost time later in the week but for that day it was girl time for two very happy people. We were still in boy mode so we went home first to change and go shopping for girl things in girl mode. We ended up not actually going shopping but back at my house to sort out all the clothes that belonged to my late wife Bella, and by the time we went through all the very feminine clothes in the wardrobes there was really no need to go to any shops to buy more, Even the make up was right for me so no money had to be spent that day.
Seeing I was going to put the house on the market we had to sort out all of the belongings that I wanted to keep but it was mainly just the clothes that I wanted and the rest had to go. We filled three suitcases with various dresses and tops and another case with almost all the make up. Shoes went into a couple of shopping bags. We decided to dump the underwear and buy new things because Grace said it was disrespectful to wear another woman’s underwear. I kept a couple of things and put the rest in the pile that was going to be dumped. The only other things that I wanted from the house was personal papers and photos and of course all of Bella's jewellery.
Before we left the house I rang the agent that I was getting to sell the house and told him that he could get the Salvation Army to come and clean out the remainder of the house for their charity shop. We loaded my car up with all the suitcases, and I drove back to Grace's unit and she followed me in her car. There was no need for me to go back to the house for any reason and I would leave it all up to the agent to handle for me.
We arrived back at Grace's unit at Greenslopes. Just as well it had a spare car park because I wanted to at least keep my car which was a brand new Honda Civic, Graces car was a Mazda six two six and also almost new. We made two trips up to her unit with all the bags and decide to have a cup of coffee before we went through the clothes and see what would fit me or Grace. We were almost the same size apart from her having breasts, but I would be using forms for a while till I grew my own. ''That sounds like I'm going to plant some veges and watch them grow , I do have some silly thoughts sometimes'' After a couple of hours we ended up sorting out what I liked and what Grace liked and put it all away in her walk-in closet. ''It hasn't got a top shelf. I couldn't resist that'' ''giggle''
We decided to get dressed in a couple of summer dresses seeing it was a warm evening and go for a walk down to one of the restaurants down the road and have a meal together and celebrate our good luck in having our employer support our transition without any drama. Believe it or not there are actually companies in Brisbane that are fine with it as indeed in the rest of Australia.
To be continued.
Please leave a comment.
Previously
We decided to get dressed in a couple of summer dresses seeing it was a warm evening, and go for a walk to one of the restaurants down the road and have a meal together, and celebrate our good luck in having our employer support our transition without any drama. Believe it it or not there are actually companies in Brisbane that are fine with it as indeed in other parts of Australia.
The story continues.
It was a month later and Grace and I were getting on really well, so it was a given that we would stay together as a same sex couple, which by the way is a hot parliamentary debate going on at the moment to legislate to make it legal for two people of the same sex to marry and have all the benefits that come with it. Like anywhere else in the world there are the people that think anything but straight is against God. The way I see it is that God made us all and what we are is what we are, end of story.
Things were not all smooth sailing at work. There were those that would never understand what transgender means, or care to find out. They are the ones that cause the most problems but thank God that they are only the odd ones. Most of the people I had had to deal with over the last month had been supportive and had said so. Of course the guys now treated me a little bit differently and would check me out while I wasn't looking. All that did was confirm to me that I was doing the right thing in transitioning. The hormones were also having an effect on my moods, but the most exciting thing was the tingling feeling in my nipples, ''Wow” was all I can say.
I dressed quite conservatively at work as most of the other women in the building and we all looked like professional business women. I of course liked wearing skirts and nice frilly tops and three inch heels. It was too hot to wear hose in summer in Brisbane and most women don’t. I guessed I would when winter came. My hair had become longer and most days I would put it in a high pony taill. Grace said it made me look sexy, but I know what she wanted and flattery will get her what she wanted every time! The thing was the hormones were having an effect on her ability to have sex the way we first started and it was fast becoming girl—girl which was different but just as satisfying.
Grace had decided to go all the way just like me and have SRS when the time came. She could probably have had hers then but said she would wait for me and we would both go to Thailand and have it at the same time. It was certainly different when I talked to people. Although I have a soft voice it was really hard to bring it up to the range that I would like but in the end I had decided that if someone asked me I would just come straight out and tell them what or who I am and if they couldn't handle it that was just too bad.
There had been a few but in the main society had changed and if you don’t push people they just except you as a person and get on with business. I had started to travel interstate again so I was not always at home with Grace. It got pretty lonely in motel rooms at night but we talk on the phone every night that I was away. Grace and I had fallen in love and the feeling I got when we were together was almost the same as that I had with my late wife Bella, and I often wondered what she felt like when we made love and now I knew from the perspective of a woman. It was certainly more intense and involved not just the body but my inner self. Grace got the same feelings and she said it felt like we were becoming one person, which she had never had with any one else. Wow true love!
Grace had had the same small amount of problems at work as me but again she just came straight out and told people to mind their own business and that seemed to get her through the day without too many problems. The support groups in Brisbane were ok but there were a lot of people that transitioned who need much more help than others and they were the ones that could be in real danger of doing things that would get them into trouble medically if they went out of the system. Hormones are not to be taken without a doctor's supervision because they change how the body functions and if the wrong doses are taken it can lead to all sorts of problems. even death.
Grace decided that it was time for us to go on a week's holiday. We both had a lot of holiday pay coming to us and the big boss agreed to let us have the well- earned break to go away together. We decided to just go to the unit that Grace owned at the coast and spend the time just relaxing on the beach and going for long walks, 'Hand in hand of course'. It all felt so right. I wasn't interested in men in any way and the feeling for us both was that of two women in love, We were two lesbians, end of story, As I have said the hormones were having an effect on my moods but Grace had been on hormones a lot longer than me and she just put up with me getting all bitchy one minute and than dissolving into tears the next.
The love making was now a lot different to when we first met. There was no more penetration, it was purely as two females and it felt so all-encompassing that it left us with a feeling of euphoria, laying together cuddled up and falling asleep in each others arms. We went to restaurants a few times but in the end decided to do our own cooking. We were both good cooks and the meals were much more healthy and of course a lot cheaper. Some of the prices that are charged for meals at the restaurants at the coast are just plain off this planet.
There was another couple in the next apartment and when we were going down in the lift one morning to go down to the beach they entered the lift at the same time as us and they introduced themselves to us as Sandra and Rhonda. Now this couple looked like us except Rhonda sounded like me but looked completely female. They were obviously a lesbian pair and made no attempt to hide it from us.
When Grace said, “Are you two like us?” Rhonda replied, “What do you mean, are we like you!!?” She said it almost in a threatening tone and she sounded like a man making a statement.
Grace held up her hands and replied, “Well Rhonda it is really obvious when you speak with a man's voice that you're are not what you seem to be.”
Sandra stepped in and said, “Look we have been watching you two and have wondered are you both transgendered?”
Grace replied, “Yes we are, are you?”
Sandra replied, “Rhonda is, I'm not.”
Grace than said, “If Rhonda hadn't spoken I would not have guessed in any way, she looks like a genetic girl.”
Grace said this while looking Rhonda straight in the eyes. Now Rhonda was blushing and probably thought that she shouldn't have opened her mouth and let Sandra do her talking for her. Rhonda started to say something but Sandra put her hand on Rhonda's arm and said, “Darling let me do the talking for now ok!!? By this time we were standing in the lift stopping people from using it so we moved into the foyer of the building and continued our strange discussion.
There were lots of people about so Grace said, “Look, lets go outside to the coffee club and sit down and get acquainted like grown ups shall we!!?”
We all walked into the coffee club and Grace said, “Grab a table and I will order us all a cappuccino.”
A couple of minutes later we were sitting down when Grace said, “Ok lets try this again shall we!!?” with authority in her voice.
Sandra said. “Ok, I'm a genetic girl and Rhonda is a post-op transgendered woman of three years--does that answer your question?”
Grace replied “Yes, but why get defensive when asked by us?”
Rhonda then spoke with a lot softer voice and said. “I'm sorry I just get up-tight sometimes. I didn't mean to raise my voice like that it, is the only thing that will give me away these days.”
Grace said, “Try voice training, it's not as hard as one might think.”
It was time for me to enter the conversation and I said, “Rhonda, we are both pre-op but are going to have SRS together in twelve months time in Thailand.”
She replied, “Have you saved your pennies? It will cost at least thirty thousand dollars.”
I replied, “Yeah the sale of my house went through last week so money is not a problem.”
It worked out that Sandra and Rhonda were a married couple and Ronald now Rhonda decided to transition to a woman. Sandra supported her partner all the way and now they were still a couple albeit a lesbian couple. Well in a way myself and Grace were the same but would have the pleasure of having to dilate together after the big op. The image of that made me giggle but I guessed it was a serious business and if it was not done everything would have been a waste of time.
We started to relax and told each other where we were from, and they were actually from Brisbane as well so it looked like we might become close friends. It was nice to have someone to talk to with the same kind of mentality as ourselves. It made life a lot easier to be able to open up to someone without having to worry about whether you could trust them or not. We then all went for a walk down to the beach and got more acquainted. Sandra and Rhonda both worked for the state government in the same finance department, much the same as myself and Grace who in the insurance industry.
After we were tired of the beach we walked back to the apartment building and I asked them to come up to our unit for lunch. They accepted but said they wanted to have a shower first and then come and visit us to have lunch.
Grace and I decided to shower as well and wash the sweat off our bodies after the long walk. It was a hot day, and it was nice to be in the shower together and soap each other up and of course linger in certain spots,-- umm -- we had our shower and got dressed in shorts and sleeveless tops to be cool.
Preparing lunch was relatively easy - a tuna salad with wholemeal wraps and some cold orange juice. We set it up on the balcony and at ten stories up the view of the ocean on a clear day was magnificent. Sandra and Rhonda rang the door bell of the apartment and Grace opened the door to two women that were dressed almost the same as us. We all had a bit of a giggle and called each other the typical banana-benders. (A local joke for Queenslanders)
Lunch and the afternoon were spent pleasantly chatting about life in general. It was four women having a great time.
To be continued.
Please leave a comment.
Previously.
There were four transsexual women sitting on a balcony ten stories up having lunch and enjoying the view of the Pacific Ocean. From where they were sitting you could see out to sea for miles and at the right time of year you could watch through a pair of binoculars the hump-back whales migrating north. The conversation was easy going and the day was spent with them becoming good friends.
'''''The story continues the next week back at work.'''''''
February Monday the sixth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Grace and I usually got up and had a shower together. It saved water didn't you know?!!! Well that was our excuse anyway. Once we were finished in the shower and dried off, we got the hair dryers out and then set about doing each other's hair which was very relaxing and could also make us late for work because sometimes it got quite romantic, doing your lover's hair, and the hair took a back seat till our urges weresatisfied.
Anyway getting back on track, I walked out into the kitchen with my lover still having her hands on my now developing hips. I turned around and said, “Honey do you not want to go to work today?”
She replied, “Umm” biting her bottom lip, “Well seeing we have just come back from our holiday, I don’t think Greg Novel would appreciate us not turning up today do you?”
I replied, “Well you had better let go of my body and let me get us some breakfast honey!!”
“Ohh if I must, alright!!!”
“And here I thought I was supposed to be the dominant one!”
“Well you are - in bed, but in the kitchen I'm the boss.”
“Ooooh promises promises!” I said,
“Right, you can do the breakfast and I'll just go and sit out on the porch.”
Grace let go of me but not before we had a passionate kiss.
It was hard to concentrate on making scrambled eggs and toast now that she had my motor running. I'd get even with her that night. Time was getting on and we both had to finish getting dressed without touching each other or work would be history that day. We kept our resolve and were ready to get on the bus into the city. It is only a short walk to the bus stop from our place and the bus service in Brisbane is really efficient because there are dedicated bus ways and the buses don't have to fight their way through the morning traffic jams. We got our 'go card' out and swiped it on the little machine next to the driver and found a seat.
The walk from the bus stop to our office was only a hundred yard walk. We didn’t worry about having briefcases to carry because all our work was on our computer system at work and at home, so there was no need to carry anything between the two. We walked hand in hand through the front doors of the lobby and to our complete surprise people were coming and giving us hugs and kisses on the cheeks so it looked like most of the staff were happy to have us back especially the ones that were doing our jobs while we were away. We eventually made our way up to the big boss's office to report in for duty.
We knocked on the door, “Come in it's not locked.”
He looked up and said, “Well ladies it's about time you two arrived, ready make me some money are we?” I think we both blushed at that but I suppose being a girl, people don't take that much notice.
Greg then got into what had happened while we were away. It's funny when other people try to do someone else's job. Things just fall over and it is as though you are the only person that can do the job, That is what happens when you bring in temps from an agency. Some places have what are called floaters that know most of the jobs that other people do, but our floater was on long service leave. Grace and I gave each other a quick kiss on the lips and made our way to our own office.
When I opened the door all I could smell was a half-full ash tray and very nearly threw up. I picked up the offending article and took it outside into the hall bin. Seeing that this was a non-smoking building it was a bit rude. I opened a sliding window that are never really opened any other time because of the air conditioning.
Once the office was aired out I could get into sorting out the mountain of paperwork that the temp was supposed to have cleared before they left. My secretary had her own office and she also would not have put up with someone smoking. I got angry at all this and asked Grace to come down to have a chat. By the time she got down to my office I was in tears. Linda my secretary was already there trying to console me. I really was different those days. I dissolved into tears which I never used to do in boy mode so I guessed the hormones were doing their job. Grace was different to me and had remained a bit of a forceful character, female or not.
Grace put her arms around me and shushed me like a little ten year old girl which made Linda smile and say, “You two are like mother and child and I love you both for it.” Linda is a really good friend and she knew even before I started to transition that I was female and was relieved when I first told her what I was planning to do. Anyway I dried my eyes and Linda said she would come into my office for a couple of days and help me clear the backlog of paper-work away.
Grace had her own problems to sort out. At this rate we would never be able to go on holidays again. However with Linda's help we got most of it sorted by lunch time when Grace turned up at my office and said, “Right ladies, we're going out to restaurant for lunch complements of Greg, so shut down your computers and lets go.” Linda and I didn't argue, We shut everything down grabbed our bags and got in the lift to go for an extended lunch break.
As we were walking down the street to an upmarket restaurant, Sandra and Rhonda were coming from the opposite direction and waved to us as they approached.
Linda said, “Do you know those two?”
I replied, “They're the two women we met at the coast why?”
Linda said, “I know them as well. We've been friends for a long time. Do you also know about Rhonda?”
I replied, “Well yes we do and we spent a lot of time with them at the coast last week.” We all got to the entrance of the restaurant at the same time and of course there hugs and kisses all round.
Our table had been booked by Greg and we could order anything we wanted. It was a way of saying “welcome back”, because poor old Greg didn't like dealing with temps but this time he had to. Grace with my prompting went to the manager and convinced him to add another table to the one we had and we all sat down together and started looking at the menu and agreed that a seafood platter was the way to go, None of us were drinking alcohol because we all still had to go back to work later even if it was only to tell Greg thanks for the lunch.
The conversation got round to kids and pregnancy which for me and Grace would have to be adoption or fostering, but it seemed that Sandra was pregnant.
I said, “Umm how?”
Rhonda laughed and replied, “Well I didn't go back to being a man, but before I had my SRS I had some sperm frozen and this is the result.”
Grace and I looked at each other and both said at the same time, “Turkey baster!!”
Sandra laughed and said, “No Rhonda.”
Linda couldn't resist coming into the conversation after this and said, “No you two, Rhonda did the insemination while a nurse looked on.”
Sandra then said “I'm three months in and I think there are twins, but it hasn't been confirmed yet, but they are pretty sure that there are two heart beats.
I said “Wow Mummy and Mummy, this is fantastic news for you both, but why didn't you do something about it before?”
She replied, “Well at that stage everything was a bit mixed up and we weren't sure of anything let alone bringing kids into the world.”
I asked, “How do you then register the babies' father?”
Rhonda replied. “Well Lexie we are still registered as husband and wife so I will just sign with my old name. We do intend to change all that after the babies are born but the legal hassles are just too much at the moment.”
We finished our meal and said our goodbyes with hugs all round saying we would see them on the following weekend, Linda filled us in on the way back to our office.
She said, “I have known them ever since school and we have been close friends ever since.” She continued, ”I was one of the girls that tried to protect Rhonda from the bullies. She was always a very soft person and they all thought she was gay and knocked her around. When we were all fifteen, some boy beat her so bad she ended up in hospital for three weeks. The guy that did it said she attacked him first. His Dad was a lawyer and he got away with it scott free.”
We arrived back at the office and Greg was waiting for us in the foyer.
He said, “How was your free lunch?”
Linda replied, “Greg there is no such thing as a free lunch, you know that There is always some catch isn't there?”
Greg replied, “Well there is a small favour you could all do for me come to think of it.”
I rolled my eyes and said, “Here it comes - the pay-back.” but I said it with a big grin on my face because Greg couldn't be a nicer man. He then proceeded to ask us the favour which really wasn't a big deal. He wanted all three of us and also Grace's secretary to train up a floater for our two offices so next time we wanted some time off. He wouldn't have to rely on a temp agency to supply us with anyone. We said 'yes' and thanked him for the free lunch that by the way paid for two extra people.
We finished the day early and took the bus home. Grace had installed a large bath so we could sit in the bath together, which is what we did after having a cup of coffee and bickies. I really don’t whether I should tell you what we got up to in the tub so I wont :):):) Suffice to say we were quite hungry when we finally got out because the water had gotten cold. We went to bed well fed and tired and spooned hugged and drifted of into wonderland.
To be continued
Authors Note :-
I will continue this story about Lexie and Grace in a few weeks, Real life needs my attention!! But for now I will let them continue on their journey into womanhood.
Please leave a comment.
Hugs Ronnie:)
Epilogues to
The Girl inside The Boy
Carla's Journey
The Voice
The Wishing Well
My New Life
To my loyal and much appreciated readers — I don't wish to leave the endings of my stories up in the air, so I am providing the following epilogues to them all.
As people that have read the story about Carla and her twin spirit sister Jean titled 'The Girl inside the Boy' would have realised, it went to a sequel and turned into 'Carla's Journey.'
Carla and her partner Ricky and their little twin girls Donna and Jean remained in the town of Quilpie in the outback of western Queensland. Carla grew old gracefully as did her adopted sister Jenny and her close friend Chrissy. Her girls grew up and also became vets and joined the family business and had kids of their own. Carla's spirit twin Jean continued to watch over them and communicated with each successive generation. I could keep writing this story forever but my own life is now taking up one hundred percent of my time, as I the author, also named Carla, am in full transition as a woman.
In 'The Voice', Jason now called Jessica is also living a happy life with Sandy as a same sex couple in Lance City.
'The Wishing Well'.
Petrina or Trina as she is known, transitioned to full girlhood as did her friends Jill and Marie. They all ended up living together in a town house and became nurses at the local hospital.
'My New Life'.
Lexie and Grace went to Thailand together and had the SRS and are also living as a same sex couple in a Brisbane suburb called Greenslopes. They still own their unit at the Gold Coast and go there as often as time permits, They still keep in close contact with Rhonda and Sandra and babysit their little girl Wendy. They have their own business now in the insurance industry and employ twenty-five staff so the life is never dull. They plan to adopt a child as soon as the paperwork is all done and can't wait to be parents.
I would like to thank Bronwen for her help in editing my stories.
Once things settle down for me I will start to write again because I doubt very much that I could ever leave it for too long. I have already a story in mind and I guess it will be very much an autobiography of my life .
Au revoir for now, Carla (Roo).
Editing by Bronwen
She was given the name of a boy because that is what it said on her birth certificate. She never felt like a boy and wondered why she was called Albert after her grandfather. She never liked boy clothes and didn't know why they made her play with boy's toys when all she wanted was to play with dolls. When she turned nine, a girl the same age as her moved into the house next door and that is when she realised she was definitely a girl and told her Mum in no uncertain terms she no longer wanted to be called Albert but from now on she would only answer to the name of Alice.
Her mothers name was Helen. She had divorced her husband just after Alice turned two, so Alice did not really get to know her Dad and he had never visited, so there was no real comparison about men and women in her young life.
Helen decide it was time to take her child to the local clinic and have a talk with the doctor that she had been seeing since Albert was born, so she made the appointment for the next day. That night she went to tuck Albert into bed and asked him why he wanted to be called Alice?
Albert replied, “Mummy I'm not a boy; I’m just like Jane next door and like all the other girls I play with at school.”
“Darling I know you don’t like playing with boys but you were born a boy.”
“No Mummy!! I am a girl, and I don’t want to have that thing down there. I want to look just like Jane.”
“Sweetheart you won't be going to school tomorrow, we will go and see our doctor and you can tell her all your troubles.”
Alice said her prayers and as usual asked God to turn her body into a proper girl like her friend Jane.
In the morning Alice asked her Mum if she could go to the shops after she saw the doctor, to buy some girl clothes.
Helen replied, “Lets just see what the doctor has to say shall we?”
“Mummy I don't care what the doctor has to say, I won't go back to school as a boy.”
Helen decided not upset herself or her child at this stage as she already knew there was something amiss when her son wouldn't play with boys at preschool. She hoped it was just Albert being a timid child.
Morning came all to soon for Helen who was worried what her doctor would say about her now stressed out son. Alice was up early this morning. She got her own breakfast and was sitting at the table in a nightie that was given to her by Jane a few days previously, and decided to just wear it so her mum could see that she was determined to be a girl.
Helen decided not to comment and let it slide. She herself was getting worried about what would happen with her child, but thought about giving all her love and support to see this through with Albert, Time was getting on so she told Alice to get dressed and ready so they could drive into town to keep the appointment with Dr Jennifer Bricksure.
In the car Alice was very quiet and had her hands folded in her lap looking out the window as if not wanting to talk with her Mum in case she changed her mind and sent her to school instead, Helen looked at her child and thought, 'I would quite like to have a daughter. I hope that Jennifer can sort things out Albert,-- no!!! I will have to think of Albert as Alice, I quite like that name for a girl.'
It wasn’t long before they were in the car park of the clinic. Alice was still quiet so Helen said, “Honey I know you are worried that the doctor will tell you you can't live as a girl but just tell her how you feel and she will tell you what she can do to help you.”
Helen took Alice by the hand to show her that she loved her no matter what happened.
Alice relaxed a little and said, “Mummy will you still love me now that I want to be a girl?”
“Of course darling I will always love you.”
“They won't send me away will they?”
“No sweetheart, no one is ever going to take you away from me.”
Still holding hands they arrived at the reception desk.
The young woman said, “Oh hello Mrs Jenson, the doctor will be with you in a few minutes. Hello Albert no school today?”
“No miss and I’m Alice.”
Jan the receptionist looked at Helen but said nothing. Helen just nodded her head slightly but also said nothing and sat down on the chairs in the waiting room and picked up a magazine which was of course like all waiting room reading matter three years old, and she said to Jan, “Is it your job to keep these magazines up to date Jan?”
“Yes Mrs Jenson, sorry I haven't had a chance to swap them over but seeing there are no other patients due I will quickly go out the back and bring them out.”
“Thank you Jan.”
Helen was a stickler for order in all things in life and had also instilled in her son, soon to be daughter, to be the same.
The door opened and the doctor walked in and said “Good morning Helen, good morning young man.”
Alice replied, “No I'm Alice and I'm a girl.”
“O.k.,” said Jennifer, “lets see what we can do to sort things out for you Alice.”
Helen said, “Jenny, you have known me for a long time and I know you will not beat around the bush and be completely honest with me. The problem I have is with Albert wanting to be a girl.”
The doctor replied, “Helen would you mind if I had a little chat with Alice by herself?”
Helen wasn't too happy about Jenny wanting her to leave the room so she could have a chat with a child getting more anguished by the minute, so she said, “Jenny if I'm going to be helping my child I want to know exactly what’s in store for both of us so I am not going unless Alice wants me to.”
At this Alice looked at her now concerned mother and said, “Mummy its o.k., I’m nearly ten and I'll be alright.”
“Well if you need me just tell the doctor and I’ll come in.”
Helen sat down and watched her now daughter disappear through the doctors surgery door.
Jennifer was not just a GP but also a qualified psychologist and was quite familiar with dealing with transgendered people. She had two other patients at the time who were doing their real life test; the only difference was that they were adults. She knew she would have to tread carefully with this nine year old.
She very quietly said, “Alright young man, lets see if I can help you by asking you a few questions. Is that alright with you?”
“Yes but I’m not a boy.”
“Alice if I’m going to help you, you need to let me ask you some questions. I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to, o.k.?”
The questions were the typical ones to ascertain what was going on in this child’s head. After half an hour Helen was asked to come in and have it all explained to her and how to deal with a transgendered child. Once Helen knew what to expect she seemed to relax and started to ask a multitude of questions herself.
Being only nine almost ten, all Jenny could do was prescribe puberty blockers for Alice so she wouldn’t develop any male characteristics, but of course there was a lot more to sort out for Alice such as school records, name change and protecting her from people that are completely against letting people change their gender, let alone a ten year old boy.
The future will not be an easy journey for mother and daughter.
This scenario repeats itself a thousand times throughout the world.
To be continued?
If readers are interest in this story continuing then please make it known in the comments.
Hugs to all, Carla Bay.
Editing by Bronwen
Previously:
Being only nine almost ten, all Jenny could do was prescribe puberty blockers for Alice so she wouldn’t develop any male characteristics.
But of course there was a lot more to sort out for Hele,n such as school records, name change and protecting her child from people that are completely against letting someone change their gender let alone a ten year old boy.
The future would not be an easy journey for mother and daughter, this scenario repeats itself a thousand times throughout the world.
***The story continues***
Doctor Jennifer Bricksure sent Alice out to the waiting room for a while so she could explain to Helen in "layman's terms" what would happen to Alice once she prescribed puberty blockers. She gave Helen a book to read with all the information she needed to know about what would happen to her child’s body in the coming months.
Helen said, “Jenny I do not have a problem with Alb---Alice wanting to be a girl but I need to know the next step I have to take to make this happen.”
Jenny replied, “Helen we have known each other since fifth grade and been good friends ever since so I will help you and Alice get through this.”
Helen had tears in her eyes and said, “Jenny how could I have missed this?”
“Helen we sometimes close our minds to something that is staring us in the face and prefer not to acknowledge certain events in our lives. We all do it sometimes.”
“It was hard when Robert upped and left me. He never wanted to have children and once Albert was born, Oh! there I go again, calling her by her boy name!”
“Helen calm down, things are not as bad as you think. It is much more accepted these days and if you follow all the right procedures the outcome will be a good one.”
While the doctor and mother were in discussion behind closed doors, Alice decide to go to the toilet and than go to the dress shop that was situated across the road from the surgery. The only thing is that she forgot to tell Jan the receptionist where she was going and wandered across the road with one thing on her mind, and that was to look at all the nice feminine clothes and shoes they had on display in the show window. She stood there for a few minutes and decided to go inside and have a closer look. She opened up the glass sliding door activating the warning buzzer to let the owner know that there is someone in the shop.
A lady in her mid fifties came out from behind a rack of dresses and said. “Hello young man what can I do for you?”
Now Alice realised that she would have to be careful for the time being and replied, “Oh sorry miss I must have walked into the wrong shop by mistake.”
“And what shop were you looking for dear?”
“Umm, sorry miss, I had better go back to my Mum over at the doctor's surgery.”
“Ok dear, what's your name?”
“I'm Alice”
“Really?!!, you're not wearing the right clothes to have a girl's name.”
Alice started to make her way to the door but the shop owner blocked her way and said, “Hang on child, tell me a little bit about yourself.”
Alice was now starting to panic and had tears forming in her beautiful blue eyes.
“I just want to go back to my Mum miss.”
“It's ok I'm not going to hurt you.”
Just then the door opened and Helen said, “What are you doing over here Alice, you had me worried sick when I couldn't find you in the waiting room.”
“I'm sorry Mummy I just wanted to look at the dresses in the shop.”
“Darling you mustn't just walk off like that, girls get kidnapped every day.”
This conversation was getting a little strange for the owner of the shop.
“I don't know what is going on here, but why is your boy running around claiming to be called Alice when he is clearly a boy?” she said to Helen.
Helen was taken aback by this statement and replied with as much authority as she could muster, “I don’t see that it is of any concern of yours what my child’s name is, do you?”
“Well madam all I know is that girls don’t wear boy's clothes and come into a dress shop do they!!”
just as Helen was about to unleash another mouthful, Jennifer opened the door and said, “There you are Alice.”
The shop owner said, “Jennifer what is going on?”
Jenny replied, “Calm down Mary!! Alice is a patient of mine and she is a girl with a medical problem.
Mary replied, “Mental problem if you ask me.”
After the situation was explained to Mary things calmed down, and she even apologised to Helen and Alice.
Jennifer then said, “Right I have to get back to my surgery. Oh and Mary, please let this young lady have a look at some of the dresses that she so admired.”
While Alice was allowed to look at dresses and shoes, Helen and Mary got acquainted a little more and it looked like the two of them could even become friends.
“Could I try some dresses and shoes on please Mummy?”
“Well yes darling but let Mrs Jeffrey help you with that.”
“Thanks Mummy.”
After about an hour Alice ended up with quite a wardrobe, shoes and all. Mary even reduced the price and was quite keen to help Alice with her new wardrobe. Helen was amazed at what she was seeing in her child and just decide to go with the flow.
On the way home Alice wore a dress and a red pair of Maryjane's. Her hair was already fairly long and with a bit of styling it looked like any other ten year old girl. Now, there remained a little problem - school!!
Helen decided to drive home and had Alice change back into male attire till she spoke with the school principal. She said, “Ok Alice we have to sort things out with school, so I will talk to the school principal and we shall see if you'll remain in this school or we have to move to another area.
Alice said, “Mummy will I come in with you to the principal's office?”
“If you want dear, but leave me do the talking and wait to see what her reaction is when she finds out what you are doing.”
Helen and Alice walked across the playground and into the office administration building. Luckily all the kids were in class so Alice didn't have the worry of talking to anyone on her way to the office.
Helen knew where the principal's office was and went straight to the door and knocked.
“Enter” came a very feminine voice, so Helen opened the door and let Alice walk into the rather large office first.
Miss Rita Bellenger was a very petite lady and one would hardly think that she could be a principal of a fairly large school, but she did it with a very steady hand and had the support of all the staff around her.
“Hello Mrs Jenson and Albert, to what do I owe this visit, is there a problem?”
Helen always addressed people by their last name and said,“Good afternoon Miss Bellenger there is a bit of a problem that we have to discuss about my child.”
Rita replied, “First of all I think we can dispense with the formality and call each other by our first names don’t you think?”
“Well ok thanks Rita.”
Rita then said, “Albert would you like to close the office door for me please?”
“Yes Miss.”
“Alright what's all this about Helen?”
“I have just come from my doctor's surgery and have had a discussion that you might find strange.”
“Helen, I have been around long enough to listen first and than make up my mind as to whether what I hear is strange or not.”
Rita's school had mostly women teachers and the men that were there are either married with kids of their own or were gay, so she didn't miss much and she had a good rapport with them all.
Alice was starting to get anxious and Rita could see this happening so she said, “Albert how would you like to go to the office kitchen and make your Mum and me a cup of tea.”
Alice replied, “Yes Miss, white with sugar?”
Rita smiled at her young student and said “Yes dear your mother has taught you well hasn't she?”
“Yes Miss.”
Helen winked at her now daughter and said, “Relax sweetheart, you're going to be fine.
With that Alice almost glided out of the room.
“Right Helen, to the problem at hand, what can I do to help?”
“Well Rita I hope you will be understanding about what I’m about to tell you.”
“Helen, if your referring to Albert being different I have already made notes from what his teacher has told me for about a month now so don't be afraid that I might stop your child from being who she is.”
Helen sat there with her mouth open when Rita referred to Albert as she.
There was little said before Alice came back into the office and gently placed the two cups of tea on Rita's desk saying “The tea has been stirred with one sugar in each cup Miss.”
“Thank you dear, now take a seat and lets talk about your little problem shall we?”
“Yes Miss, thank you Miss.”
Helen said nothing because she still couldn’t believe that someone else could have picked up on what was bothering her child when she missed it completely.
“Now Albert take your time and tell me what's been going on.”
Alice looked at her mother for support, Helen just nodded and said, “Go ahead Alice tell Miss Bellinger what's been going on in that head of yours.”
“Yes Mummy, well Miss it's like this, I’m not a boy and I don't want live as a boy any more, and if I’m made to I will run away and never come back.”
“Well you're certainly strong willed enough to be who you are, Alb---lice."
“My name is Alice, Miss and I’m definitely a girl, it's just that God has made a terrible mistake and given me the wrong body.”
“Alright Alice, I'll see if I can sort something out for you. Helen, there are two other students at this school that I have arranged for an outside tutor at a place just down the road from her. These kids are in the same situation as Alice, and I have my own child who is in a wheelchair being looked after there as well, and yes I am a single mum just like yourself.”
After an hour of discussing what would be done to help Alice to continue her education, Helen and Alice walked back to where the car was parked. The only thing was that school was starting to be let ou,t and Jane the girl that lived next door to Alice saw them and came running over to them all excited and said, “Hello Alice OOPS!!! sorry Albert.”
Alice replied, “Jane it's ok, I’m allowed to be called Alice, the doctor says so.”
“Oh wow that’s great news; hello Mrs Jenson”
“Hello Jane dear, would you like a ride home from school?”
“Yes alright thanks, but I had better phone Mummy and tell her not to wait at the bus stop for me.”
Jane phoned her Mum and made sure it was aright to accept a ride home with the Jensons and then climbed in the back seat with Alice.
Jane said, “We are going to have so much fun getting you set up with a wardrobe, girl!”
“Well Mummy has already bought me some things. I’ll show you when we get to my place.”
“Ooh it's Friday so I haven’t any homework, so I can stay at your place this afternoon.”
At this Helen interjected and said, "Jane, I think I had better have a little discussion with your mum so she knows what is happening with Alice.”
"That's alright Mrs Jenson, Mummy already knows about Alice.”
Now it was Alice's turn to interject and she said, "Mummy I really didn't know how to tell you that every time I went over to Jane’s place I was letting her dress me up as a girl.”
Helen didn't say anything but thought, “How on earth can a mother miss something as important as her child wanting to be another gender?”
The two excited girls chatted away in the back of the car and when Helen drove up into her driveway Jane's mum Betty Elliston was waiting by the garage door. The girls got out of the car, Alice holding the bags with her new clothes.
Jane said, “Hi Mum” and grabbed Alice by the hand and pulled her along to her house so she didn't have to answer any awkward questions.
Helen and Betty had got to know each other quite well over the last twelve months but obviously Betty didn't quite know whether to tell Helen about the two kids playing dress up.
“Betty you're going to have to fill me in on what's been going on behind my back for quite some time it seems.”
“Well Helen, I wasn't sure whether you were aware of Albert getting dressed up as a girl or not, so I let it ride. I guess I should have spoken to you when it first started.”
"Well yes that would have been handy, and I would not have felt like someone hit me over the head with a baseball bat. Betty you had better come in and we'll have a coffee while the girls are trying on clothes over at your house.”
“Helen you said girls!!!”
"Yes Betty, girls. I have spent most of the day with Alice at the doctors and at the school trying to find out where to go from here.”
“So you're ok with your son wanting to be a girl?”
“It was hard to get my head around it when Alice said that she was not going to answer to the name Albert any more, and said she is a girl and that is all there is to it.”
“Helen, Jane has always got on well with Albert, oh sorry this is going to be hard for a while, Alice. I thought that they were just doing the dress up stuff for a bit of fun.”
“Believe me Betty it's a bit more serous than that. Alice has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria which means she thinks like a girl but has a boy body.”
“Oh Helen I knew there was something amiss but didn't want to say anything. Jane and Alice get on so well I suppose I sort of didn't want to spoil their fun.”
“So you're going to be ok with it?”
“Yes of course I'm ok with it. I have a brother who is transitioning so I know all about what goes on, but I thought you knew by the way that you let Alice come over to be with Jane.”
“God I wish I’d known sooner, Alice kept it from me until she couldn't live like a boy any longer.”
“Look Helen I’ll give you all the help and information you want.”
“Thanks Betty I think I might need it in the coming weeks”
Jane and Alice finally came out all dressed up and were ready to go into Alice’s house to have a look at what was bought at the dress shop. Helen and Betty were sitting in the kitchen when the girls almost walked straight passed before they stopped and Alice said, “Mummy I’m going to show Jane what you bought for me today.”
“Ok dear.”
Helen and Betty just sat there with a smile on their face that said 'Kids'.
To be continued.
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Author's note: I will be taking a short break from writing due to medical reasons, but I will continue writing my stories as soon as I am able.
Carla Bay
I was a twin, and everyone else thought my sister did not survive but I knew better. She is the girl inside the boy.
by Roo
Prologue
It was back in nineteen fifty when my mother went into labour on a sheep station in outback Australia, where the only medical help was from the flying doctor service. The pilot had engine trouble and had to land a hundred miles away at another station, and by the time the doctor and nurse arrived by four wheel drive four hours later, my sister had died and I was to face life with half of my soul missing.
My twin sister was buried three days later on the property. She was named Jean, and I was named Carl. I had an older brother John, aged eight, and a sister Margarita, or Rita for short, aged six.
My Mum was a cook for the station homestead, and Dad was the leading hand that ran the sheep station.
Chapter 1
Eight years later.
We were still living on the station, but my brother John was sent to the nearest town and started to work for a builder. Rita was not interested in school so she started helping my mum in the kitchen cooking for all the workmen. There was no school within two hundred miles, so schooling was by School of the Air, which in those days was by two way radio with a teacher in the nearest town. It was too expensive to send me to boarding school, so I did about three hours of school work a day on the radio. The rest of the time I was looked after by my sister, which was when I started to feel my twin within me.
Rita was fourteen and developing into a pretty young woman. There were no other kids around, and my brother did not come home very often, so she only had me around to talk to and of course this is when she started to dress me in her old dresses and underwear. For some reason it felt right for me to be in girls clothes. My mum saw what was happening but only said not to let my dad see what we were doing.
There were lots of men’s working quarters that were empty a lot of the time, so it wasn’t hard to find somewhere to dress up without being seen by anyone. Every time I was dressed as a girl I seemed to have a strange feeling of my twin being inside my mind, and when I went to sleep at night I was always a girl. We eventually moved to a city, and as I got older the dressing did not stop, and I always had my sister’s support. My brother did not want to know me, and my dad left to live with another woman,
My mum decided to move away from the sheep station for a new life. I had just turned eight and Rita was now fourteen years old. While my mum Donna, and my sister Rita were tying down the tarpaulin with ropes covering all our meagre belongings on the back of a borrowed utility truck, I went back inside the worker's cottage, for one last check to make sure there was nothing left behind. While I was doing this it dawned on me that there was a stash of my sister's clothes in one of the rooms of the workers' quarters, down near the shearing sheds.
I told Mum and she said if I didn’t get my backside into gear, I could stay with the other sheep on the station , so I did as I was told and nearly tripped over my own feet since I’m pretty clumsy at the best of times. I got my bag of goodies that were hidden under a bed in the workers' rooms, and high-tailed it back to the others. Mum raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
We were all ready to go. The ute that Mum borrowed was an ex-army four wheel drive Landrover with a flat tray back and high wire meshed sides, so it took all our belongings with ease. The station owner loaned it to us for as long as we needed to use it. He was a nice man and I was going to miss his kind face. I settled in the back seat of the dual cab. I think the army uses them to carry men and equipment all at the same time. Mum started the noisy diesel engine, and we were on our way. Rita turned around and smiled at me and told me to wave goodbye to the station owner and his wife. I was sad and had tears in my eyes, but we were going to start a new life in a town so I would have more opportunity to attend a real school, and Mum and Rita could find jobs.
As Mum started driving she said “It's just as well we have a four wheel drive,” because it was at the end of the wet season, and the station is in the far south west of Queensland, so the track out to the main gate of the property was at least a one hour drive on wet ground. My mum had had plenty of practise doing this over the years, living on a remote place like River Downs, which is fifty thousand acres of grazing land with a river and smaller creeks running through it.
Mum asked me if I wanted to visit my twin sister's grave one last time before we left for good and of course I said “Yes”. It was only seven am, so there was time enough to detour a couple of miles to Jean's resting place. Mum and Rita said their goodbyes to Jean, and left me alone to be with my twin sister for a few minutes to say my last goodbye. I didn't realise then that it would be a while before I would get a chance to come back to visit her again, only next time I would be wearing something more feminine.
I sat beside her grave and told her that she would travel through life inside my body and see and do all the things we would have done if she had lived. I picked some wild flowers that were growing nearby and placed them on Jean's grave, tears streaming down my face. Then I made my way back to Mum and Rita who had both been crying too, so we all had red eyes.
Now we were ready to hit the road or in our case, a rough track. After half an hour of driving through this beautiful property, we reached the main gate and mail box which is an old forty four gallon drum with a lid on a hinge at one end, and the name of the station painted on one side of the drum, Now, this being nineteen fifty six, the roads out west were gravel,and a grader would come along every couple of months and push all the dirt back up to the middle to reform the road. In the wet season a lot of these roads were impassable for weeks at a time. Even today there are times when it still happens.
We left the property, which is two hundred miles west of a town called Quilpie, and started our long trip towards the the east of the state. The road was rough and dusty and there was nothing much to see except bush on both sides of the road. The radio was on, but there was no reception and it was hot and dusty. I asked Mum if we could pull off the road for ten minutes so we could have a drink of cold water from the water bag that hung on the front of the truck's bumper bar. Mum found a large gum tree to park under. We had been travelling for almost two hours, so we sat in the shade, had some sandwiches and got water from the canvas water bag.
This is when Mum looked at me and said “Carla, I know you and Rita have been playing dress up for a while now, and Rita has told me, how you feel like Jean is inside you when you are dressed like a girl.”
It was cool in the shade, but I could feel my face getting hotter after she called me Carla. Just then Rita came and grabbed my hand, looked me in the eye's and said “It's ok.” and gave me a hug.
Mum said we had better keep going, because we want to reach Quilpie before nightfall, so we got back in the ute and settled in for the next section of the hot and dusty road ahead. Some of the creek crossings still had quite a bit of water flowing over them, so Mum got out, and waded through the crossing to find the safest track through the water, because if we were to get stuck in the creek, we could be there until someone else came along, and 'out here' that could be hours or even days, so Mum was not going to take any risks.
There were three more of these crossings, but Mum was a safe outback driver and three hours later the township of Quilpie came into sight. It was just as well because after almost six hours on the road we were all getting very tired. Of course Rita was capable of driving. Even though she was only fourteen, kids were taught to drive at this age in the bush, but Mum insisted on driving all the way to be safe.
We pulled into an Ampol service station and filled up the fuel tank with diesel, and the man checked out the radiator for water and the oil level in the engine. Mum paid the man five pounds and three shillings for twenty gallons of diesel, and he asked Mum where we were headed, and if we were going to stay in town overnight? Mum said it was too late in the day to keep driving any further and asked the man where the best place would be to stay overnight. The man said his name was Bill, and that he owned the caravan park behind the garage, and we could stay in one of the cabins there if we wanted. Mum said she was Donna White and said we would be staying the night. The cabin cost two pounds a night, so Mum paid the bill and we drove into where our cabin was and opened the door with the key that Bill gave to Mum at the garage. We took the large suitcase which most of our travel clothes from the back of the ute and into the cabin.
Then something Mum said to Rita made my heart jump. She asked Rita to go and grab the bag of clothes that I got from the workers' rooms back at the station from the ute and bring it into her. Mum looked at me and she had a big smile on her face.
I said in a panic “What are you going to do with the bag of clothes Mum?”
She replied “Carl, don't you think we should have a talk about who “Carla” is? I have watched you and Rita for over a year now,and I think I might have a second daughter,and if that is what you truly want then I will be there for Carla.”
Rita came in with the bag of girls clothes
She said “Where do you want these Mum?” smiling at me while she said it.
“Put it on the bed that you and Carla are going to sleep on tonight, and open it up so we can look at what will fit my new daughter.”
She looked at me saying “This is what you want to do Carla isn't it?" I went and sat on the bed next to her and hugged her, and cried on her shoulder.
Rita came and sat next to me and stroked my hair which hadn't been cut for over six months, so it came down past my collar. Anyway I got my emotions under control, and I told Mum how I felt my twin sister Jean was inside me; how when Rita put me in girls clothes that the boy side of me just seemed to disappear.
Mum said “Ok. I’ll see what we can work out, but for now you will have to dress in girl's clothes inside only, or we could end up in trouble, Now lets see what is in your bag.”
There were three skirts and matching blouses, a couple of slips and six or seven panties all washed and folded, also ribbons and some bobby pins in a little draw bag. Rita had learnt to sew on an old treadle sewing machine, so she had made everything to fit me over the next few months. Mind you I looked like a stick insect in a skirt.
Half an hour later we went to the only restaurant in town to have a well earned meal. I had to stay in my boy's clothes for now. After we ate a meal of steak and eggs, which cost mum one pound and four shillings, we went back to our cabin and got ready for bed. I had to share a bed with Rita, as there were only two beds in the cabin, so she let me have one of her nighties to sleep in. Jean was inside me once again and I went to sleep next to my big sister in girl mode.
To be continued
The next morning,
Mum's little wind up travel clock woke us up with a start. It was one of her wedding presents, and I was always fascinated by how the little numbers would show up in the dark. The alarm was set for six am, and being the end of March the sun had already been up for an hour. There was no shower in the cabin, so we quickly got dressed, and walked past six other cabins and into the building that was used as toilets and laundry with showers at one end.
Mum had to send me back to the cabin to get some towels, which was my job in the first place. When I got back, Mum was already in the shower. Rita was sitting on a little bench between the shower cubicles shaking her head with a silly grin on her face.
“Took you long enough didn't it? You'd forget your head if it wasn't screwed on.”
Anyway, we had our showers and went back to our cabin, and Mum went out to the ute, and brought
in an Esky which was an ice box, with all the necessary food to make breakfast. There was an electric fry pan and an electric jug on a little bench beside a tiny fridge which was empty. Mum let Rita fry up eggs and bacon. There was no toaster in the cabin, so Mum cut some slices of bread and buttered them. There were no tea bags so Mum had to make the tea the old way in a tea pot and let it draw for ten minutes.
After we had breakfast and cleaned up all our gear, we were ready to hit the road again. It was still only seven thirty am, so if we got going we would make good progress on the road. Mum drove out to the service station driveway and got out of the ute to give Bill back the key to the cabin. After she thanked him and said goodbye, she started walking back towards us when she stopped and looked underneath the ute as if something was wrong. Bill saw what she was looking at and came over to look under the ute. When he stood up he looked at Mum and said in a dry voice
“Donna, you ain't goin' nowhere with that oil leakin' from ya gear box.”
Mum just stood there. I think she was about cry, when Bill turned to her said “She'll be right. It'll take a couple of days, but the old girl will be as good as new”.
Needless to say we weren’t going anywhere that day, so Bill went into his work shop and got a push trolley to take some of our suitcases, or 'ports'* as we used to call them, back to the same cabin we had stayed in last night. Once Mum organised what clothes we'd needed for the next few days the trolley was taken back to the cabin. Bill came with us to turn on the fridge and also brought a small gas stove for us to cook on.
Then Bill went back to his workshop to organise his mechanic to get started on repairing the Land-rover. He was back at the cabin ten minutes later to tell Mum he had radioed the owner of River Downs and got the o.k. to send the bill to him for the repairs that needed doing,
Mum looked at Bill with surprised look on her face, and said “I am not broke and can pay my way”
Bill looked at her with hurt expression on his face and said, “It's done, so please don't worry about it”.
While Bill was talking with Tom Granger the station owner, he asked all about us, as it worked out he knew my dad James and brother John. I think Bill had wanted to 'befriend' Mum, as he had lost his wife to cancer two years earlier and had taken a shine to Mum. After all she was only thirty eight years old and quite good looking with a nice figure.
Mum never got a divorce, probably hoping she and Dad would get together again but both John and Dad had not been around for quite a while. Tom Granger must have told Bill about me and Rita, because he looked at Mum and said “Tom told me about Carl and Rita and not to worry if I see him in girl's clothes.”
Mum had a worried frown and looked at Bill who had sat down on a chair that he grabbed from from another cabin, and she asked him if he was o.k. with my cross-dressing. He said that his only son committed suicide because he was homosexual, (the word gay was not used back then), and he was sorry that he wasn't there for him when he needed his love and support the most.
Bill looked at me and said if I want to dress up while we were staying here it was o.k. with him. I thought 'all my Christmases had come at once' and couldn't speak, Rita put her arm around me and hugged me with tears in her eyes. Mum asked Bill to step outside for minute to talk to him without us kids listening to what was being said. I thought that was a bit mean, but Rita just said “It looks like I get to have a little sister”, at least while we are here anyway.
Rita was sitting next to me on the bed being quiet to see if we could overhear anything that they were saying. when they walked back in and sat down on the other bed. Mum looked at Bill and gave him a nod. He turned to me and my sister and said he and Donna had a few things in common. I sat on the edge of the bed and was getting nervous about what he was about to say. Rita looked at Mum with a questioning look, but Mum just said she would let Bill do the talking. Mum came and sat in between me and Rita and put her arms around our shoulders.
Bill said “Donna, um, your mum an' me got to thinkin' that we got somethin' in common, and I reckon if you want to hang about here for a bit, it would help me out with opening up the restaurant again.”
Bill had closed it down when his wife Ann died. It didn't take long for me and Rita to nod our heads Quilpie wasn't a big town but it is on the banks of the Bulloo River and we could go swimming in its cool water any time it wasn't in flood. Mum told Bill she would fill us in about what she had decided to do. Bill said “See ya later kids” and went back to his workshop, probably to check up on our Land-rover.
Rita and I sat on the bed with Mum sitting opposite on the other bed facing us as she explained what she had decided to do for the time being. As she hadn’t made any real plans as to which town we were going to settle down in we might as well stay in Quilpie for a few months.
Mum looked at us and said “What do you girls think?”
I had that hot face again. “Um Mum, you called us girls, not kids as you usually do.”
Mum said if she was going to have two daughters there were two girls sitting on the bed in front of her. My face still hot, I jumped up onto her lap and felt something inside me tingle. It was a strange sensation, as if there was two of us hugging mum , but Rita was still sitting on the other bed. Mum felt me tremble and said I had goose bumps all over my arms.
Rita just said “Jean has come with us and I will just have to put up with her being part of my life. Her body might be buried back at River Downs but her soul and spirit is well and truly inside of Carla.”
The three of us stayed in the cabin for three more days. Then Bill Croft moved us to his huge homestead type home just outside of town. It was still within walking distance of his garage and cabins so it meant nothing to us, as distance is irrelevant to people that lived in Western Queensland.
Mum had accepted Bill's offer to reopen the restaurant connected to the garage which had been closed since his wife Ann died two years ago. We were going to share his house which was an original homestead of the property that the town was built around in the late eighteen hundreds. There were six bedrooms and they all had doors opening out to the verandas that surrounded the house. Bill slept in a small room next to the kitchen and his home office. I guess he didn't like having to do too much housework. Mum took the bedroom next to the main one which still had all of Ann's things in it, I don't think Bill had the heart to throw anything of his late wife's things out. Rita and I decided to share a bedroom. They were very large rooms and we brought one of the other beds from the next room into ours. I was not going to go to any school until we settle in to the local community, so Mum was going to home school me for the rest of that year.
Rita was going to work in the restaurant with Mum. Legally she could work at fourteen, so she could now do an apprenticeship as a chef since Mum was a qualified chef and needed a hand to run the restaurant. I was only eight and had to do the school work that mum set out for me each morning, which I could usually get done in about four hours. I was quite used to doing school work by myself as I had done it by two way radio with School of Air for the last three years. I had already started fourth grade at the station and was a fairly good student so it wasn't a big deal for Mum to do the teaching.
This brings me to the best part of my life so far, seeing no one really knew us in this town apart from Bill, his mechanic and the dentist that I had to come into town to see twelve months ago. I was allowed to go in girl mode and see how things work out. The first chance I got, Mum gave Rita a five pound note and said to go to St Vincent de Paul's charity shop, which is a Catholic organisation to help out poorer people in the community.
Five pound would buy me everything I need including two pairs of girl shoes.
Rita said, “Carla how lucky can you get girl?”
“Um I think Jean is making things happen. I get tingly, feelings every time I touch any girl clothes.”
Rita was looking at my arms which had goose bumps all over them again, so it looked like I was taking my twin sister shopping with me. By the time Rita had looked through all of the clothes racks for eight year old girls, I finished up with a half decent wardrobe including Mary Jane type shoes. Most of the things we bought were like new, so all we had to do was wash and iron them. We put all our purchases on the counter by the till, I was dressed in Rita's hand me downs, so I well and truly looked like a girl with her older sister doing what girls do .
The volunteer lady that was looking after the shop for the day came out of a sorting room to serve us. When she saw the amount of clothes we were buying she looked at me and said. “You poor girl why is a pretty young girl like you dressed in rags?”
“Um we lost most of our things in a flooded creek when Mum got stuck in deep water” I lied.
Rita said “That's right, so we will come back in a couple of days and buy some for me and Mum.”
We tried to pay the lady for the stuff we got but she wouldn’t hear of it, so we thanked her and said we would be back later.
When we got home Mum was in Bill's office talking on the phone, ordering things for the restaurant.
When she saw us come in she finished the call and turned to us and looked at pile of clothes that Rita had put on a chair in the office.
“My God how much did you spend? I only gave you a fiver. There is at least ten quid's worth in that lot” she said.
When I told her what the lady said to me, and that I had lied about what was supposed to have happened to our clothes, mum frowned first at Rita and then at me.
“Rita and Carla, I have told you never tell lies to anyone. It will come back and bite you both on the bum.”
She said she would go and see the the lady tomorrow and pay for the things we had brought home. By this time I was sobbing and Rita said that I was embarrassed when the lady called me a poor little girl dressed in rags. Mum came and hugged me till I calmed down.
After we had our evening meal, Rita and I went to bed early to read for a while and she cuddled me
until I went to sleep and dreamed of my twin sister Jean.
To be continued.
* port (short for portmanteau) was the word used for a suitcase, but only in northern parts of Australia.
I woke up to the sound of white cockatoos screeching their good morning message to us.
It was only five am but with these beautiful birds perched in a large red gum tree just outside our bedroom window, there was no need for alarm clocks.
Rita turned over and pulled the blankets back over her head, “Shit! Somebody should shoot those bloody birds. Don't they know it's Saturday and sleep-in time?”
If I didn't have to go to the bathroom to pee, I would have stayed in bed snuggling up to my older sibling but I don't think she would appreciate a wet bed.
I decided to stay up and have a shower which was in separate room to the toilet. At least the toilet was inside the house and was hooked up to a septic tank in the back yard. The old toilet, called a ''dunny” a little outhouse in the yard was now used for storing gardening tools. Anyway me being me, I clean forgot to take any clothes with me and had to wrap a towel around me to get back to the bedroom. Of course I wrapped it around my chest like I saw Rita do it, I was after all a girl in training, and I didn't want to mess up if this was going to work, or I could be in real trouble if some red-neck boy discovered my little secret.
On my way back, I had to go passed mum's room and tried to tippy-toe past her door down the hallway, when the door opened and mum was talking to someone back in her room. She hadn't seen me right away, and she stopped half-way out of the door and gasped as she saw me standing there like a scared little girl wrapped in a bath towel, “What are you doing up so early Carla?”
I said “Um the cockies woke me up and I had to pee.” I asked her who she was talking to, and before she could answer Bill was standing behind her looking very sheepish with a red face.
“Sweetheart, why are you running around just wrapped in a towel?”
I said “I had a shower and forgot to take any clean clothes with me Mum.”
She was avoiding telling me why Bill was in her bedroom, but I knew all about the birds and the bees because there were lots of books kept at River Downs, and some of them were medical books, probable because Tom Granger's wife was a nurse before she married him. Had she been home at the time of my birth, my late twin sister Jean might be here with me today.
“Bill just brought me in a cup of tea seeing he was up.” she said. But Bill was standing behind mum and I could see he was only wearing a pair of undies.
“You better go and get dressed and get your sister up to get you some breakfast young lady.”
When she said that, I knew that if I didn't go mum would be cross with me.
I hurried back to Rita who was already up, and about to go and have a shower.
When I said “Better not go past Mum's bedroom for five minutes.” she said “Why not? I have to pee now.” So she opened the door and almost ran to the toilet right past Bill going back to his room in his undies. Mum was standing at her door with a silly look on her face.
I thought I’d better get dressed or I'll be in trouble, so I went through my new second-hand clothes, and selected a denim skirt and sleeveless white blouse with flowers printed around the breast area, I was brushing my hair out to try and get it to dry a little quicker when Rita walked back in to the room, she was still in her nightie and hadn't had a shower.
Rita asked, “What was Bill doing in mum's bedroom in his underpants”?
“I told you to wait five minutes before you barged out the door didn't I? Mum told me Bill brought her in a cup of tea. Yeah right, likely bloody story, in his underdaks?* Anyway it's Mum's business if she wants to be friendly with Bill, I really like him” I said.
Rita said that at least he's around, not like our dad the arsehole.
“You better not let Mum hear you talking like that” I said.
“Yeah, well it makes me so mad that Dad left like that. Anyway it looks like we might have scored a new one.”
Then Rita grabbed her clothes and went to have her shower, so it looked like I would have to get my own breakfast or wait for Mum to come out of her room. I went to the kitchen and got myself some Vitabrits* and some fresh milk from the fridge .
Mum walked into the kitchen and put the kettle on the stove. It was a slow combustion one that had to be kept alight all the time. It used coking coal not wood, and if you wanted it to get hotter you had to put more coke in the fireplace, and pull a lever on the side to let more air into the fire box. Anyway, Mum sat down beside me at the table and said she wanted to tell me about what I saw earlier on outside her bedroom.
“Carla, me and Bill have been very lonely for long enough, and have decided to be more than just friends.” Then she explained how Bill and her had so many things in common that it made sense to take the relationship a bit further. Rita was standing behind me by this time so she heard what Mum had said. Rita asked Mum if she loved Bill. Mum said she probably would in time because Bill was a real nice man and treated her with respect which is more than our father did. Just then Bill walked in, all dressed in slacks and blue shirt with his name sewn on to one of the pockets. He had had his shower in the the one next to the outside laundry.
“Good morning ladies. Um — has Donna -- um your mum explained about this morning? We both nodded our heads in unison. I kept quiet, but Rita said she liked Bill but didn't want Mum to get hurt again. Bill said there was no way he would hurt any lady and he had a hurt look on his face. That's when I went over and hugged him, and looked into his clear blue eyes and said “Now that you and Mum are together can I call you Dad or Uncle Bill?”
Before he could answer me, Mum said I should call him Uncle for now, because it would be hard to explain to people that knew Bill, where two girls came from out of nowhere wouldn’t it?
After Mum had her shower and breakfast, we got into Uncle Bill's FJ Holden* sedan, and he drove the couple of miles to his garage to see how the repairs to mum's Land-rover were going. It was parked outside of the garage and looked all clean. While Rita and I stayed in the car, Mum and Bill went to talk to Henry the mechanic who said it was all set to go, so Mum collected the key from the office and came back to the car with Uncle Bill and we went into the town shopping centre. There were no shopping malls in those days, just joined shops on either side of the road.
Rita and I wanted to go for a swim in the river, but we'd never had swimsuits because back at River Downs we swam in the nude. Out there it didn't matter because the dams we swam in were half a mile away from anywhere. So while Bill did some grocery shopping, Mum and her two daughters hit the small town's clothes shops. I felt myself getting all tingly again as we started looking through the shelves for some swimsuits for all three of us. The lady that we met at the charity shop the the other day, owned the shop we were in, and she looked surprised when she saw myself and Rita with mum in her shop. I think she thought we were out of towners, and were too broke to buy anything in her shop.
I turned to Mum and said “Mum this is the nice lady that wouldn't take any money for the clothes that that we got from her the other day.”
Mum said “G'day. I'm Donna White and these are my two daughters Rita and Carla. We've come to buy some swimsuits so we can go for a swim in the river after lunch.
The lady said “Hello I’m Mary Winton. I own this shop,and I volunteer at the charity shop one day a week.”
Mum said “How much did it cost the other day when my girls bought all those skirts and things, because I will not take charity away from someone that really needs it”? I was feeling guilty now for not telling the truth about why we were buying all those clothes , Mary was taken aback with mum's abruptness, and said she felt sorry for me and thought she was doing the right thing by not charging us for the clothes. Mum said that she must have misunderstood me and gave Mary a ten pound note for the charity shop.
Mary said “I'm sorry I misunderstood your daughter Donna. I'm a bit of a softy where kids are concerned.”
Mum said “That's o.k. Mary. We'll just go over to where the swimming gear is and see what we can find for the three of us. ” Mary then said if we needed any assistance to just sing out.
Country towns didn't have a lot of range in swimsuits,but the ones they did stock were mainly ones that were worn by teachers and school kids going to school swimming carnivals, so they were not high fashion items. Mum picked out our size and told me and Rita to go into one of the fitting rooms and whispered to me, “Make sure you tuck you know what between your legs and get Rita to check before you come out to show me o.k?”
Rita stripped off naked and told me to do the same. Being naked together didn't bother either of us because there were no secrets between us and besides I was supposed to be a girl now. Rita was well on the way to becoming a woman. Her breasts would have been a C cup and now that we were going to be living in town she would have to get used to wearing a bra. She was already getting lusty looks from the boys we passed going into Mary's shop.
I was eight going on nine and as I’ve said before I looked like a stick insect, but 'puberty hadn't started thank God' I thought to myself as I pulled the one piece swimsuit up my skinny body, making sure my little piece of skin was tucked away. It was so small that I looked the same as Rita down there.
Rita said “My God Carla it's not going to be to hard to make you look like my sister. I can't see anything showing down there at all.”
Mum said “Come on girls I want to see what you both look like.” We opened the door and Mum had her swimsuit on and Mary was standing beside her. I was a bit reluctant to come out at first, then Mary said “Well young ladies, don't you look good?” Mum had damp eyes when she looked me in the eyes, but because Mary was there she bit her tongue. Mum was wearing the same type swimsuit as us, only if Bill saw her now he would start to stutter which he did when he got excited.
So Mum told us to change back into our clothes, and we would go and find Bill and have some lunch down by the river. I walked back into the cubicle with Rita and stripped off to change back into my skirt and blouse and the frilly panties that Rita gave me for my last birthday. We just wore thongs5 on our feet, We were both standing there naked when I started to feel all trembly and had that feeling I get when my my late twin sister Jean, seems to want to communicate with me.
Rita saw it happening and said “Close your eyes and listen in your head to what Jean is trying to say to you Carla.”
All I could hear was a tiny voice saying 'I love you' over and over till I opened my eyes and then it stopped. By this time mum and Rita were holding me in a hug. I was still a little shaky so Mum helped me to get dressed while Rita did too. Mum paid for our purchases at the counter where Mary was standing and said we would be back in or week or so to replenish our wardrobe. We left to find Uncle Bill down the other end off town where we found him next to his car talking to an older man, and he said “Barry, this is my adopted family Donna, Rita, and last but not least Carla”.
“Very nice to meet you all. Bill has had no-one to look after him for a couple of years now. It's nice to see him smile again.”
We said goodbye to Barry and got in the car, and Mum said we had better take the groceries back to the homestead before the butter melted and the meat didn't need cooking, so we went home and put everything away. Then Mum made a picnic lunch to eat down by the river. She told me and Rita to put our swimsuits on and our clothes back on over them so we wouldn't have to change down by the river where we were going to go for a swim. Lunch was packed in an ice box, and towels slung over our shoulders. Uncle Bill walked out to the car in a pair of cut off old jeans which was what he swam in and an old khaki shirt and thongs* on his feet.
We arrived at the picnic area and there were already quite a lot of people there, having their lunch, sitting on blankets on the freshly mowed grass. Mum need not have worried about us changing at the swimming area ,because there were changing sheds at the swimming area, so the three of us went and took off our clothes in the sheds. I was glad that I didn't have to strip because there were three other girls in there in varies stages of undress, so I was a little bit shy and kept close to Mum and Rita. we walked back to the car and put the clothes in the boot*. Bill was sitting on the blanket getting the food ready to eat when he saw Mum in her swimsuit and as I said before when he gets excited he stutters.
He said “M my G God um Donna wha what are yo you tryin' t t to d d do to m me?”
Mum said grinning “Bill get used to it. You have three ladies living in your house now, so you're going to see a lot more than this!”
We did go go swimming after lunch, and yes there were boys around, but I will tell you about that in the next chapter.
* underdaks Aussie slang for underpants. DAKS is a menswear and womens-wear company.
* Vita Brits, a breakfast cereal.
* FJ Holden, an early Aussie built car by General Motors Australia.
* Thongs Aussie for flip flops.
* Boot Aussie for the car trunk.
To be continued.
While Mum and Uncle Bill relaxed sitting on the blanket eating a piece of fruit, Rita and I raced each other down to the river bank. The water was still a little bit dirty from the last fresh flow that came from up-stream after it had rained in the mountain range fifty miles away. Rita jumped in first, and then it was my turn. Because I am a bit of a tangle-foot, I slipped on the muddy bank and did a complete somersault and landed on my back in the mud.
I lay there winded for a couple of minutes gasping for breath, when a boy came out of the water and grabbed me by both hands, and pulled me up in a sitting position.
He said “Are you alright little girl”
I said “Yeah just winded. I’ll be ok in a minute.”
Just then Rita scrambled up the bank and almost slipped back into the water, The boy grabbed Rita's hand and pulled her up to dry land, and said “Shit, don't you two know how to stay upright?”
“And who are you when you're at home?” she said.
“Arrr yeah well-- Peter, I’m Peter.”he said as he was looking more at Rita's perfect body than her face.
Rita said “Thanks for helping my little sister. I was too far from the bank to help her.”
“Aww, woulda done it for anyone.” he said.
As this was all taking place, Mum and Bill had seen what happened and quickly came down to the river bank to see if everything was alright and that I wasn't hurt.
Mum said “Carla you know you shouldn't run around on slippery river banks. You're going to break your bloody neck one day.”
I rolled my eyes and said “Yes Mum, sorry!”
Bill looked over to Peter and said “G'day Pete. You always seem to be around to help out don't ya lad?”
Peter looked at Mum with a red face, probably because she caught him looking at Rita's nipples showing through the wet material on her swimsuit, Just than another boy turned up and stood next to Peter. He was about my age, and he sort of looked me up and down as if to say 'another dumb girl.'
I said to the boy “G'day I’m Carla what’s your name?”
He looked at Peter and back at me and said “I’m Rick and he's my brother Pete.”
Uncle Bill was grinning at Mum and said “I don't think we are needed here do you Donna?” With that they went back to the car and got a couple of deck chairs out of the boot of the car, which Bill had shifted under a large gum tree to catch some shade.
So Rita, myself, Pete, and Rick all decide to safely get in the water without slipping this time, Pete was holding Rita's hand as we entered the water, she didn't seem to stop him which surprised me a bit because Mum told her earlier, not to flirt with boys she didn't know.
Rick was standing beside me in waist deep water and said “Carla see that drum out there?”
“Where?” I said
“About fifty yards out in the river see it?”
“Oh yeah there it is.” I said.
He said “Can you swim out that far, or is the little girl too scared to go into deep water?”
“'Little girl' You're no bigger than me.” I said.
Rick didn't realise how good 'little girl' sounded to me. While this exchange was taking place, Pete and Rita were also waiting for us to get into deeper water, to swim out to where the drum was anchored to the bottom of the river.
I said to Rick “I'll bet you two bob I can beat you out there, you look like a wimp to me.”
“Right you're on!”he said. Rita and Pete watched as we set of, and followed close behind. Both Rita and I were really good swimmers. I might be a tangle-foot on land, but in water I am a fish. Rita is the same. We were taught early because in the outback the swimming holes in the creeks are nowhere near any buildings. Most sheds and houses are on higher ground away from any danger of being inundated by flood water in the wet season, which can last up to two months at a time.
In the dry season the creeks would still run a little bit but we would swim in the deep water holes washed out by the erosion off the flood waters, If we got into any trouble swimming we were on our own , so we learned not to fool around too much and stayed safe.
Anyway back to now, I was at the drum well before the rest of them, hanging onto the handles that were on the side of the drum, because out here the water was about twenty foot deep and there was always a current running in the deeper water. You had to hang on or you would end up miles down stream. Rita and Pete were right behind me, but Rick was still four or five yards out when it looked like he was struggling,
“Cramp” he yelled “Hang on.”
I yelled back and quickly swam out to help him before he disappeared under the surface.
I reached him in no time flat, turned him around in the rescue position and started hauling him back to the drum. We had now drifted about ten yards down stream and it was hard going..
Rick said “My leg is cramped up too much to swim.” in between gasps of breath.
I said “Just hang on I'll get us back to the drum.” It took a little while. Swimming against the current was wearing me out as well, and Rita and Pete were just about to give me a hand, but I made it back to the drum and got Rick to hang on to one of the handles on the side of the drum.
While I recovered and and got my breath back, Rita and Pete went to work on Rick's leg and rubbed some feeling back into it.
He said in-between the pain “Holy shit! I could have drowned if Carla hadn’t got me.”
I said “Do the same for anyone. Can't let my friend drown can I? Might need the same sometime.”
He said “Owe you one, girl.”
While we were all hanging off the drum trying to get enough strength to swim back to the bank, I started to feel those familiar trembles I get when my late twin seems to want to communicate with me. Rita saw what was happening and came closer so I wouldn't lose my grip on the handle, because I seemed to lose my coordination whenever that happened to me.
She said “Close your eyes. I’ll make sure you're safe.”
All I heard in my head as clear as a bell was a tiny vice saying 'I am always with you Carla. I love you' and then she faded away. I opened my eyes and Rita was holding on to me, and then the trembling stopped .
Pete and Rick were looking at me and asked if I was o.k. I said “Yeah. Lets get back to the bank.”
We swam beside Rick to make sure he didn't cramp up again. It didn't take too long and we were all helped out on to the grass away from the muddy bank by Mum and Uncle Bill who watched it all happen.
Bill said “Bloody hell kids, another couple of minutes and I was going in to rescue the the bloody lot of yer's!”
Then he said “There's still too much run in the river to be swimming out that far. Coulda drowned the bloody lot o' ya's.”
Mum gave me a hug as she said “Carla you realise you saved Ricks life don't you sweetheart?”
I whispered to her so the others couldn't hear and said “Mum it was Jean, not me that did the saving.”
She whispered back to me “Darling we'll talk about that when we get home ok?”
“Year Mum. I need to ask you something about how I feel when Jean talks to me in my head”.
We all walked back to where the car was parked. Mum told Rita and me to grab our towels and Bill was telling the boys to do the same and come back to our car, and he would drop them off at their house on the way home. When Rita and I came back to the car everything was packed up and put in the boot, and Mum and Bill were talking about what we would do on the way home, something about picking up Mum's Land-rover at the garage.
Pete and Rick were standing next to the car with their arms folded across their chests, with a bored look on their faces. Pete couldn't take his eyes off Rita.
Rick said with a cheeky grin on his face “They look nice when they got clothes on don't they Pete?” which earned Rick a slap on the back of the head.
“Ow! What was that for?” said Rick
“Behave yourself in front of ladies and you won't get slapped o.k.?”
“Yer, sorreeey!”Rick said rubbing the back of his head.
We all piled into the car. I sat in the front between Mum and Bill, and Rita sat on one side with Pete in the middle. I think Rick was sulking just a bit. Mum pulled down the sun visor that had a mirror on the back off it, and she kept an eye on what was going on between Rita and Pete, not that they would do anything with Rick sitting next to them. Anyway we reached Pete's and Rick's house and it was next to the state school with the same chain-wire fence as the school had which meant it was government property, in other words it belonged to the school. When Bill pulled into the driveway, Barry, the man he was talking to earlier came out to the gate, and said “G'day Bill. How come you are bringing my boys home?
"They were down the river and swimming with Donna's girls." Bill said "I was about to get in the car and we were coming past this way so I thought I'd give then a lift home."
Barry said “Thanks Bill. They weren’t in any trouble were they?”
“No not really, but you better put some liniment onto young Ricky's leg. He's had a cramp in it.” Bill said.
Barry and the boys waved goodbye to us as they walked inside with their dad. Rick was walking with a bit of a limp. As Bill started driving I asked, “Uncle Bill, is Barry the school principal?”
“Yeah and if you go to school here in Quilpie, you will have to call him Mister Smith, or sir.”
I replied “He seems to be a nice man, and has a couple of nice sons too.”
Rita who was on her own in the back seat had a dreamy look in her eyes said “I like Peter he's got real strong arms and has brown eyes.” It was hard for Mum and Bill not to let Rita notice them shaking with muffled laughter.
It wasn't long and we were pulling up at Uncle Bill's garage to pick up Mum's loaned Land-rover, Mum already had the keys with her and she went straight to to the Rover unlocked it and got in. Bill waited till he heard the diesel motor start up and headed home with Mum following close behind, Bill turned to me and said, “Carla how are you feeling now that you are allowed to dress as girl all the time”
I said “Uncle Bill it just feels more normal for me to dress as a girl than be in boy's clothes.”
“Yeah I thought that you looked a lot happier than when I first saw you.” he said.
Rita was listening to what was being said in the front.
After she stopped dreaming of Pete, she said “Uncle Bill, Carla might have a little willy down there but she is as much of a girl as me.”
I think Bill was a little embarrassed at the way Rita just said it without thinking about it.
Bill replied “Rita you are just like your mother, a straight shooter. No beating around the bush. That's what I like about Donna -- err your mother -- and her pretty blue eyes”
Rita had the same blue eyes as Mum with honey blond thick hair halfway down their backs. I had big brown eyes and light blond hair the same as my Dad and brother John.
Bill pulled into the big machinery shed beside the house, and waited for Mum to pull in beside his car. Mum got out of the Rover and said “Gee it's good to have the old girl back. It'll give me a bit of independence.”
Bill said “Hey I could have lent you one of my other cars you know Donna.” with a mock hurt tone in his voice. Mum came over to Bill who was still sitting in his car and poked her head in the window and gave Bill a long slow kiss on the lips.
Rita and I were already out of the car, so we both made a wolf whistle and started to run into the house giggling like a couple of idiots, when we heard Mum say ”Hoy get back here you two, and help bring the stuff in from the car, or I won't feed you tonight. ”
We went back and said “Yes Mum, sorry.” but couldn't stop giggling. That started Bill off as well so Mum just shook her head saying 'heaven help me I love you lot, but your going to drive me to distraction,' while she was looking at Bill with a smile.
Later that day when everything was put away and we'd had tea, (that is what our evening meal was called back than), it was only seven pm but it had been quite a hot day and it was still too early to go to bed, so we went out onto the verandah which surrounded the house. There were plenty of mosquitoes about in summer, but the verandahs were all enclosed with fly screens so we could sit in the cool breeze lightly blowing through the screens making a slight whining noise.
The night sky in the west is so clear that it seems you could reach up and almost touch the stars they seem so close. So while the others stayed on the verandah, I rubbed some citronella on my arms and legs to stop the mossies from biting, and sat outside on an old swing that hung off the branch of the big old gum beside the house. It wasn't long before Mum came out and joined me. She moved an old garden chair next to the swing and said “Alright sweetheart, let's have this talk you wanted.”
She sat down in the big old canvas squatters chair and said “Carla sweetheart, come over here and sit on my lap and tell your Mum what's troubling you.”
I went to her and sat gently down on her lap, but it didn't worry her because I was a skinny little thing and didn't weigh much more than a five year old. She cuddled me and I got a lump in my throat and couldn't help gently crying into her shoulder.
Mum just held me till I stopped crying and said “Does that feel better now?”
By this time I had one of those hiccups after you stop crying and I said “Mum, I a-am so-sorr-yy I ca- n-t go ba-ack to be-eing a bo-y.”
Mum replied “Oh sweetheart I told you I will be there for you and I will be.”
She than went on to tell me how she had spoken to Bill about how they will sort things out in the future. I than asked her about why Jean kept talking to me in my head and what happened at the river earlier today.
She said “Carla you are an identical twin. Had Jean lived, the two of you would have been finishing each other's sentences by now.”
We sat there for a bit longer just staring up at the beautiful outback sky and than made our way into the house. Bill and Rita had made a cup of tea and were sitting at the kitchen table talking about what was happening to the progress on the restaurant, when Mum went and sat next to Bill and poured herself a cup of tea from the pot which had a tea cosy on it to keep it hot for longer, I went to the fridge and got myself a glass of milk from the billy-can it was kept in.
Ten minutes later Rita and I went to the bathroom, cleaned our teeth, put on our nighties and crawled into bed. Rita said “Night Sis.” I replied “Love you Sis night” I was asleep pretty much as soon as my head hit the pillow. Then it happened. I was in my dream and I was looking at a girl that looked like me. It was like looking at myself in a mirror
Then the girl in the dream spoke and said “Hello Carla, it's me Jean your twin and the other half of your soul. I will always be with you till you join me on this side.”
I woke up trembling with Rita holding me, she shushed me and I went back to a dreamless sleep.
To be continued
I woke up trembling with Rita holding me. She shushed me and I went back to a dreamless sleep.
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Mum came into our room at six am. “Get up sleepyheads, we're going to church this morning.”
“What?” said Rita “we're not religious!”
“No we're not, but we're going to join your new uncle this morning.”
I was rubbing the sleep from my eyes and said “Who's this new uncle Mum?”
“Don't be a smarty-pants Carla, or I’ll get Bill to come in with a bucket of water to get you both out bed the quick way.”
I replied “Oh that uncle!” and quickly got out of bed and pulled the blankets off Rita. As I ran out of the room to go to the toilet before I peed myself, Mum started to chase me with a straw broom, so I ran into the toilet and locked the door.
“Cheeky little monkey!” she said.
I did my business and opened the door just a little bit in case Mum was still there waiting for me, it wasn't Mum, but Rita standing there crossing her legs.
“Hurry up or I'm gonna pee meself.”
“Alright, alright! I'm going, NO need to panic. Bloody hell! - why is everyone so cranky this morning?”
“Too friggin' early to be up on a Sunday morning, that's why!”
“At least the cockies weren't in the tree this morning, screaming their heads off.” I replied.
Mum said “Stop all that bla-- err swearing you two. Anybody would think we’re a mob of bushies.”
Rita and me said in unison “ Yeah we are”.
Mum poked her head around the corner of the verandah where the kitchen door was. “Hurry up, have a shower and get dressed into something nice for church”.
We went back to our bedroom and Rita pulled out clothes for both of us to wear to church and put them on the beds. We grabbed a couple of towels and went to the bathroom together still wearing our pink nighties.
“Hurry up and get in the shower Carla! I'll get in with you to save time.”
I didn't argue and she followed me in. I was looking at her breasts and then at her pubic hair.
“God! I wish I could look like that down there and have breasts.”
“Even if you were born a girl, you are too young to have breasts yet!”
“I don't want to go back to being a boy.”
I had tears in my eyes but the shower was wetting my face so it didn't look like I was crying, but Rita saw my shoulders shaking and gave me a hug.
There was no shame between us hugging while we were naked, as far as we were concerned we are sisters and I didn't think of myself as a boy.
We finished our shower and dried each other's hair. My hair was a lot longer now, still too short for my liking, but long enough to be girl length. Rita liked to braid hers, but I let mine loose, and wore a head band. It seemed more girly to me, probably because I had something to prove to myself.
As we were walking back to our bedroom with towels wrapped around us, Mum and Bill were both going to the bathroom to have a shower 'together'.
Bill looked over his shoulder and said “It's o.k. kids we're old enough to shower together!” Just as the door to the bathroom was closing, we saw Bill grabbing Mum's behind, and we could hear her squeal, as they got into the shower together.
We got back to our bedroom and Rita helped me dress. First I put on knickers and a vest shirt, and Rita said to take the vest off again because the summer dress that I was going to wear would not look good with a vest showing around the top.
“Put your arms up and I’ll slip this over your head.” Once the dress was pulled down into place, she said “Turn around so I can zip you up. Now go and put those sandals on while I get dressed”
Rita also put on a summer dress, but didn't wear a bra.
“Mum will make you wear a bra Rita! Your tits are too big now not to wear one.”
“Yeah, well I don't like the feel of the bra, it feels too tight and I can't breath properly when I have one on.”
“Yeah, well I don't have that problem do I, but I wish I did.”
Rita laughed and said “If we feed you the right pills you'll soon have some.”
“Will they make my willy drop off as well?”
Rita jiggled her breasts, then we both started to giggle like a pair of idiots,.
Just then, I heard Mum behind me laughing. ”Carla you will have to be patient like the rest of us, to be able to get the things we want in life.” and “Rita you are going to get measured for a new bra at Mary's shop tomorrow morning.”
“You'll drive that young Peter crazy if you don't hide those nipples under a bra.”
“Yes mum.” Rita said rolling her eyes.
Bill came in the room “Excuse me ladies, breakfast! In the kitchen now!”
“What's for brecky Uncle Bill?”
“Get in the kitchen and ya'll will see won't ya! Come on hurry up or we’ll be late for church.”
Rita asked,“Uncle Bill, what church are we going to?”
“The one down the road!”
“No, I mean what church, you know who are they?”
“Oh it’s the Catholic one Rita.”
“Uncle Bill,” I said, “Will Ricky Smith be there?”
“Sure will, so will his mum and dad.”
“Mum, do you think I should put on a bra?”
“Too late Rita. You'll just have to make sure to walk and not run, won't you!”
“And you want tits Carla! Ha!” said Rita.
Rita bounced her breasts again and we started giggling all over again. Well Rita and I thought it was funny.
Bill said “Lets go.” and started walking towards the gate. Mum, Rita and I stopped walking.
Mum said “Where are you going Bill?”
“I'm goin' to church. Are you lot comin' or not?'
“Uncle Bill how far is it to the church?”
“About a block down the road. We drive past it on the way to town, Carla.”
“Oh we'll walk then will we?”
“Look just get moving or I'll have to go by myself.”
We walked swiftly to the church, and it only took us five minutes. The service started at nine, but we were there at a quarter to, so we met the Smiths at the front gates of the church.
“Hello everyone,” said Mrs Smith “I'm Helen, Barry’s wife, welcome to Quilpie.”
“G'day, I'm Donna White and these are my kids Rita and Carla.”
The oldies started walking into the church, but the boys hung back a little bit, to talk with us before we went into the church.
“Rita you look really pretty in that dress.” Peter said, looking more at her breasts than her face.
Rita said “Thanks Pete, you scrub up well too,” blushing while she said it.
Rick said “Yeah you look o.k. too Carla.”
“Thanks Rick. We'd better go into the church and find where the oldies are sitting”.
We sat ourselves behind Mum, Bill, Peter, and Rick's parents. The service took an hour, and after it was over there were cakes and tea served in the hall which belonged to the church and was also used for Saturday night dances.
There were bottles of locally made soft drinks for the kids to drink, stacked in an old Charles Hope fridge painted in army green. There was a lot of army surplus stuff in western Queensland, The Government used to have auctions once a year in Brisbane, And outback towns would end up buying all sorts of things that were ex-army, from trucks to fridges, like the one at the church hall.
While the adults were have their tea and cakes and talking about 'adult things', us kids, got our soft drinks and some Anzac biscuits and went out to a shed which was set up with table tennis and dart boards. Rita and Pete played me and Rick in a game of darts. Rita and I were really good at darts, because we used to play with the shearers that came to River Downs to shear the sheep. Pete and Rick weren’t bad either, so it was a fairly even match. After about half an hour, we called it quits and went back to the main hall to see what the adults were doing.
“Ahh! There you are,” said Mrs Smith, “Did you all have fun out in the shed?”
“Yeah Mum, me and Pete beat the girls at darts!”
“Yeah! that's because we let you win, little boy.” said Rita.
“Bullsh-- err bugge err, no you didn't we won fair and square!”
“O.K. that's enough arguing you two.” said Mum and Barry at the same time. “It's time to go home so you two boys can get into your homework.”
Helen looked at me and said “What about you Carla? How's your schooling coming along?”
Mum quickly replied, ”Oh I’m home schooling Carla for the rest of this school year, Because we don’t know just how long we'll be staying in Quilpie yet, and Carla has a bit of a medical problem to deal with at the moment.”
'Uh Oh! First bit of trouble' I thought. 'Here come the awkward questions about what is wrong with me.'
“Oh nothing serious I hope?”
“Well, we don't now till I take her to a GP and get a referral to a specialist in Brisbane.”
“Donna let me know when you plan to go. I'll be happy to accompany you and your daughter,-- I wouldn't mind a trip to Brissi”
“Alright Helen it won't be for a couple weeks. I'll let you know when we get the appointment.”
“This is news to me, Rita did you know?” I whispered.
“Yeah, Mum mentioned it a few days ago, but told me not to say anything to you.”
“Why? That's not fair.” I said out loud enough to make everyone turn around and look at me.
“Carla, we'll talk about it when we get home,--alright sweetheart?”
We said our goodbyes to the Smiths, and started walking the short distance home. I was in tears,and Rita put her arm around my shoulder as we walked along. Mum and Uncle Bill were walking a bit in front of us, talking quietly so we couldn't hear what they were talking about.
“It's alright Sis, I think they're working out what to do about your little problem.”
“But it's a a bo u ut meee!”
“They didn't want to get get your hopes up, in case they can't get you an appointment in Brisbane. Now dry your eyes.”
When we got home Mum told us to change out of our church clothes into something more comfortable. I put on a pair of denim shorts, and the white blouse with the red roses sewn on the front. Rita looked through the suitcase that we hadn't unpacked yet and got out a pair of old jeans that she cut off and made shorts out of, and a pink T-shirt .
“Rita you gonna put on a bra?”
“Yeah, 'Spose so.”
She was about to jiggle her breasts again when Mum yelled out from the kitchen, “Hurry up you two.” We didn't look at each each other because we would not be able to stop ourselves from giggling.
We didn't wear shoes a lot until we had to go out into the yard, but we put on thongs (flip/flops) because the prickles were real bad in western Queensland. They were impossible to eradicate because when the lawns were mowed the seeds would spread and the growing cycle would start all over again.
Anyway we got dressed and went to the kitchen where Mum was preparing a lunch of salad and curried eggs, my favourite.
Mum said “Sit down at the table. We'll eat in here. It's easier to clean up later.”
Just as we sat down, Bill came in to the kitchen, “Gees that smells good. I’m really hungry after that walk this morning.”
Mum said “Come and sit down sweetheart and I’ll serve it up.”
“Your Mum's a great cook girls, she'll do real well in the restaurant when we re-open it “
“Yeah but she only calls family sweetheart”
“Rita don't be rude to Bill, and apologise now!”
“Sorry Uncle Bill. What I meant was that you are family. Oh forget it!”
“Rita, I know what you meant to say,darling, - and thanks.”
I said, “Gees will every one relax? We all love being here with you Uncle Bill.”
I went to where he was sitting and hugged him, and kissed him on the cheek.
Mum said “We don't have to have a love in. Carla sit down and have your lunch.”
“Yes mum sorry.”
Once we had finished lunch and cleared the table, and helped Mum wash and dry the dishes Bill said “Come out onto the verandah, we have some talking to do.”
Rita and I sat ourselves in the swinging love seat while Mum and Bill sat across from us in a couple of canvas squatters chairs (deck chairs).
Bill said, “Donna 'luv' do you want to start or will I?”
“Bill you can. After all, it will affect you as much as the rest of us.”
“Right,” said Bill, “Carla, Rita, me and your Mum have come to a decision, but we want to make sure that you two will be happy, to go along with what will happen in the future.
“It looks like, Donna-- err your Mum an me are gettin' along pretty well so you'll be staying here, -- any questions so far?”
I looked at Mum, “What about my 'little problem' Mum? What if I get found out?”
Before Mum could answer, Bill said, “We're going to sort that out in the next couple of weeks Carla; that is if you really want to stay being a girl?”
Rita looked at Uncle Bill, “What do you mean stay? She has always been a girl inside a boy's body; and she also has her twin sister Jean's spirit inside her.
“Look Rita, let Carla speak for herself for once, O.k?”
I had tears forming in my eyes and looked at Uncle Bill. “Uncle Bill, Mum,--I would rather let a 'black red belly snake' bite me and die than go back to pretend being a boy again.”
“O.k .than we'll see if we can make it happen. I don't want to lose another child because of my stupidity.”
“O.k. now dry those beautiful big brown eyes of yours, and we'll tell you what is going to happen tomorrow.”
The discussion went on for another half an hour,and I was told all about the doctors appointment in the morning, so we could get a referral to a special doctor in Brisbane and sort out my future. It was two o’clock on Sunday afternoon and Bill said it was too hot to work in the yard yet, so he went to take a nap. Mum gave me a couple of hours of school work to do, because of the appointment in the morning, and didn't want me falling behind in my lessons. I went to my bedroom and sat at the desk that Mum shifted from another room so I did all my school work without being disturbed, We'd also set up the two way radio so I could still talk to the School of the Air if I wanted to get extra help, which I used from time to time to help me along the way.
Rita went with Mum to the restaurant and started sorting things out so it could be opened up in the next couple of weeks, Mum brought home fish and chips for dinner because it was getting too late to cook anything. We had our meal and said goodnight, and retired to our bedrooms and went to sleep pretty well straight away.
========================
Jean was in my dream, calling to me to come and sit down in a field of lush green grass, but she seemed to be communicating with her mind. I asked her 'where am I?', but nothing was coming out of my mouth. This seemed too real to be a dream I thought. She was dressed in a beautiful blue and white gown. It was like looking into a mirror and seeing a double of myself, only I was still in my pink nightie.
I heard her in my mind when she spoke, “Carla, I will speak to you in your dreams to help you in your life.”
I thought back to her 'Jean is this real?' She smiled back and in my mind she said 'Carla we are as one and we are connected by our spirit, I love you.'
I woke up with a jolt. It was five o’clock in the morning and Rita was in my bed with her arm draped over my waist. “Good morning Sis, are you finished having your conversation now?“
“What! Am I awake or am I still dreaming?”
“Yeah you're awake now, but you were talking in your sleep and trembling, so I came and lay in bed with you.”
“Rita, Jean is talking to me in my dreams by being in my mind, not with her mouth.”
“Well you were saying something, but I couldn't make out what you were saying, and I guessed it was Jean you were communicating with.”
“Wow Rita. She said we are connected by our spirit and she will help me in my life.”
“Well you will probably need all the help you can get if you are going to be a girl.”
We both got up and showered together and got dressed before Mum and Bill got up. I knew I would be seeing the doctor later that morning and wanted to look as girly as possible, so Rita got out a pretty summer dress with floral print and and a thin red belt to go with it. My shoes were brown Mary Janes. They were all from the charity shop we went to last week. She brushed my hair till it was almost dry and put it in a high pony tail with a pink ribbon. I looked in the mirror and said “WOW!”
I looked more like a ten year old, which I thought was great. No sign of a boy anywhere to be seen. Rita dried her hair and got me to braid it into two pigtails. If she didn't get it wet for a couple of days it could stay like that. She than got dressed in jeans and a plain blouse and tennis shoes, because she was going to do some cleaning at the restaurant with Uncle Bill.
Uncle Bill usually ran the service station and caravan park, and his mechanic Henry ran the garage part of the business. Anyway it was still only six o'clock, and Mum and Bill were awake, because we heard them talking and laughing. Who knows what they were getting up to? We went to the kitchen and I helped cook eggs with bacon and made toast in the open fireplace in the stove, and Rita made a pot of tea. There was enough of everything for four people. Then we put Mum and Bill's breakfast on a tray, and we left ours on the table to come back to in a couple of minutes.
I knocked on their bedroom door and said “Room service are you both decent?”
Mum said “Cheeky monkey, yes come in.”
Rita said ”Breakfast in bed for Mum and Dad eer, um Uncle Bill, sorry!”
Uncle Bill said “That sounds pretty good to me luv. I rather like the sound of it.”
Mum said it was o.k. at home but not in public, not yet anyway.
“Thanks you two for breakfast in bed. I could get used to this real quick.” said Mum.
Bill said “I could get used to having two pretty daughters around to spoil me.”
Mum said “Settle down Bill Darling! All in good time.”
Mum and Bill got up and showered together, Saving water is their 'excuse'. Yeah right! Then they got dressed and ready for Monday morning work time.
My appointment with the doctor was at eight thirty, so Mum decided to do a bit of book work for the restaurant.
She said “Carla go do some reading for half an hour.”
Was she kidding? I couldn’t sit still let alone read. I am scared of doctors at the best of times.
Mum and I got in the Rover just after eight o'clock, Mum was dressed in what looked like a dark business suit. Her hair was put up in a large bun and it was the first time I had ever seen her wear heels. They were also red to match the suit, wow! She was beautiful. No wonder Bill had fallen for her in a big way.
We got to the doctor's surgery just before eight thirty, and went to the receptionist sitting at her desk. She was an older lady with a smiling sort of face.
Mum said “Hello, I'm Donna White, and I have an appointment to see doctor Ryan.”
“Yes Mrs White. He will see you and your son first up, is he still outside?
“No it is my youngest daughter I want him to examine.”
“Oh I'm sorry. It says you have a son by the name of Carl, on the register of the Flying Doctor Service which we keep for our records in case we have to use their services in an emergency”
“Well, that's the reason I'm here to get a referral to take Carla to a specialist in gender related problems.”
“Oh Carla. I'm sorry I didn't mean to call you a boy, You certainly don't look like a boy to me.”
“Mrs White, my name is Jan Ryan, I'm Jim's wife and receptionist, and we've been here in Quilpie for over twenty years.”
Mum said “Call me Donna, Jan. Me and my kids are staying with Bill Croft for a while till we work out what were going to do with our lives.”
“Yes I know Donna, I saw you at church yesterday and all I could see was two pretty girls with you”
Mum said “A small town has its advantages doesn’t it?” laughing as she said it.
There was the sound of a little buzzer on her desk.
Jan said “You can go in now, Carla.”
To be continued.
In the next chapter : referral for Brisbane.
The story will resume after a break for the Festive Season.
Previously
There was the sound of a little buzzer on her desk and Jan said “You can go in now Carla.
-----------ooooooooooooo---------
The buzzer made me jump. Jan the doctor's wife nodded at Mum and said “Both of you, in you go.”
Mum grabbed me by the hand and knocked lightly on the door and opened it.
“Ah Mrs White, come in and take a seat. Come along Carla don't be nervous.”
Mum said “Doctor Ryan, thank you for seeing us at such short notice.”
“That's all right. When Bill rang me to make the appointment; he stressed that it is reasonably urgent that I see Carla, to see what we can do for her. Oh and please call me Jim. It's a small town and we all know each other so it just makes it more relaxed to talk to my patients on a first name basis.”
“O.k.” said Mum “I’m Donna.”
“Good; now lets get started on the problem that we have with Carla.” He looked me directly in the eyes and said “Carla you certainly look like a girl to me.”
Mum just sat quietly and listened to what was being said.
I already started forming tears in my eyes, so Mum grabbed my hand and said “It's o.k. Sweetheart. You just take your time and tell Doctor Ryan how you feel inside and don't leave anything out.”
I looked at Mum and said, “Even about what Jean does?”
“Yes Carla, that is where it all started after all, isn't it?”
Anyway, I told Doctor Ryan every thing in my own way,and he didn't interrupt me and after wetting two hankies that Mum pulled out of her bag, he nodded his head and said, “Thanks Carla.”
“O.k. Donna. I guess you have gone through this with Carla right from the start when you lost Carla's twin?”
“Well Carla was never Carl, apart from having a penis. She has always acted in a feminine way, and
Rita has always treated her as a girl; pretty much as soon she was walking. My son John wanted nothing to do with her, and James was gone from sunrise till dark working on the station.”
Doctor Ryan said, “Bill said you were a cook for the station work crew?”
Than Mum started from the beginning and told the doctor her version of what happened after she had given birth to identical twins, a boy and girl. She explained how Jean died from complications with her lungs and how it was too late to save my sister when the Flying Doctor crew arrived. Also how she ended up with post natal depression but had to keep working in the station kitchen to feed the workers,even though Marge; Tom's wife was giving her a hand to do the cooking, and she was feeling very low.
Rita and John spent their days doing school work on the two way radio and I spent a lot of time as a toddler in the kitchen, with Mum and Marge taking turns to entertain me. When John wasn't doing school work, he would hang out in the sheds with Dad and the guys. He was not interested in spending any time with his little brother, so it was Rita that spent all her spare time with me, and of course that's when all the dressing in girl's clothes started.
Anyway, as time went on, Rita and I became closer. She would call me Carla instead of Carl, and Mum explained how about this time, things got strained between her and Dad; and eventually he left, so she didn't have any reason to stop Rita from treating me like her little sister when she played dress up with me. Then by the time I reached eight John went to his father and got a job with a builder in another western town. She finished by saying “And here we are in your surgery.”
Doctor Ryan was amazed at the story Mum was telling him especially the bit about my twin being in my dreams and connecting with me when things go wrong.
He looked at me and said “It is quite common for identical twins to live in each others minds, and just because Jean is not here on earth does not mean her spirit can not be with you.”
I said “I'm not crazy then doctor?”
“No sweetheart, you are far more sane than a lot of people that I treat in this surgery.”
Mum said,”What do you think we can do about Carla's little problem Jim?”
“Right,” he said “I will get you an appointment with a specialist in Brisbane and we will take it from there Donna.”
“How long will it take to get an appointment in Brisbane? Because I am about to open up the restaurant for Bill and I’ll be quite busy once that happens.”
He said, “I won't know till I ring later today, but as soon as I know I’ll ring the garage, and Bill will switch me through to to the restaurant and I'll let you know what time it can be arranged.”
I breathed a sigh of relief and I don't know why but I was so excited that I went and hugged him, and he said, “Wow Carla! If you keep this up I wont be able to charge your mum for my consultation!”
“Bye then Jim we'll talk to you later,”she replied.
We left the doctors surgery and Mum drove me back home to set up some school-work for me to do that day, and then made us some pancakes for morning tea. Afterwards she changed into jeans and a t-shirt and went to do some more organising at the restaurant with Bill and Rita.
I settled down and and did my school work and also had to get on the two way radio to ask some questions about my social studies project The Air School teacher said it was good to hear from me and hoped I was having a good time living in town.
I stayed in my pretty sun dress till I finished my school-work and changed into a denim skirt and t-shirt - 'pink' of course. My hair stayed in the high pony tail with the ribbon in it. Did I tell you I like pink!?
I'd made myself some lunch from left-overs in the fridge and had a glass of milk. It was one o'clock so I decided to do another hour of school work, so if the trip to Brisbane took a few days I wouldn't be behind by the end of the school year. I'd be nine in three months, so if I was sent to the state school the following year I'd be in fifth grade. I hoped they wouldn't try to make me go back to being a boy, because if they did I would run away into the bush and hide. I knew how to catch fish, and I had learned all about bush tucker from the aboriginal workers on River Downs, so I would not go hungry in the bush.
Anyway it was almost two thirty when I thought I'd walk into town to see how Mum and Rita were doing at the restaurant. Half-way there I saw a heap of kids come down the road from the school. It must have been three o'clock and school was being let out. I got a lot of strange looks because I was walking to the school and not away to go home and not in uniform, but none of the boys said anything as I walked through them in the opposite direction, Than, as I got closer to the school there were three girls about my age walking towards me giggling and making a lot of noise when they spotted me.
One of them said “G'day. You're the new girl I saw with Ricky Smith and his brother at church yesterday aren’t you?”
“Yep that's me, I'm Carla White! What's your name?”
“I'm Jenny, that's Brenda and June," and then she asked, “How come you're not going to school?”
After I explained where I came from and what was happening with my schooling.
Jenny said “We normally do our home work, and then go to the park down the road for awhile If you want be our friend. you can join us there any afternoon if you want!”
“O.k.” I said “I'll see ya later, bye.”
Just as I started to walk past the school Ricky came out of his house to the front gate, “G'day Carla what you doin' in town”?
“Just goin' to see if I can help out down at the restaurant with Mum and Rita, Do you want to come too?”
“Yeah. I'll just ask Mum if I can go. I don't have any homework to do today. Hang on a tick and I'll ask!”
He came back out with his Mum behind him at the front door, “Hello Carla, Ricky will double you on his bike if that is o.k. with you?”
“Yes Mrs Smith, we left our bikes back at River Downs because there wasn't enough room on the ute.”
“O.k. you two. Be careful on the road, and Ricky be home before dark.”
“Yes Mum,” he said rolling his eyes,and whispered “I'm not a baby Mum.”
It was only a couple of blocks away from the restaurant so it didn't take long to get there but it was a bit awkward trying to get on to the cross bar wearing a skirt and not giving people a show of my knickers when I got off outside the restaurant. Mum was standing on the footpath and said “Wear jeans or shorts next time you double on a boys bike Carla. That way you wont show us all what colour panties you are wearing.”
Both me and Rick went as red as beetroots, and Mum said as she walked back inside “Your bikes will be here in a couple of days on the back of the mail truck.”
Rick stayed till five o'clock and got on his bike and rode home before it got dark, but before he went, I went outside with him to say bye and see him later, when he said “Carla I really like you, and I'm glad you saved me in the river the other day.”
I said “I couldn't let a friend drown now could I?" and kissed him on the cheek,
Rick took off with a red face once more, Rita said “I saw you do that, you little flirt, and you talk about me and Pete!”
Mum said “I'll just tell Bill we’re heading off home to get the dinner prepared for later. You two lock up here and get in the Rover, I'll be back in a tick.”
Driving home Mum said “That was nice of Ricky to come and give us a hand to get things ready in the restaurant wasn't it?”
“He's got the hots for our little flirt here hasn't he?” said Rita.
“You're only jealous because Pete hasn't kissed you yet, so there!”
“Stop that you two! Carla you had better be careful, don't you think?
“Yeah and stop kissing him Carla. What if finds out that you still got a willy?”
That set me off and I started to cry. Rita said “I'm sorry Sis, I just don't want you to get hurt. Ricky and Pete don't know about you, and I really don't know what would happen if they found out.”
Mum said,”I've had a word with Mr Smith and told him you had a medical problem, and if you start going to school here, there would be special rules for you Carla.”
“Mum when will we be going to Brisbane?”
“Patience sweetheart. It's only been a few hours since we saw Doctor Ryan. It'll take a couple of days to get an answer back from the doctor in Brisbane.”
We arrived home and went to our room to get a change of clothes and went to take a shower and get the dirt off us from scrubbing everything down in the restaurant kitchen. When we were out of the bathroom, Mum went in and got cleaned up as well.
Mum said as she was closing the door “Go and peel some spuds and carrots.” They came from the vegie garden in the back yard. We went into the kitchen and got the spuds, carrots and also a pumpkin out of the box in the walk-in pantry. We'd had all the peeling and cutting up done by the time Mum came back from having a shower.
The kitchen had a shop type freezer in one corner of the room and Mum got out some frozen beans that Uncle Bill put in it from the last crop he grew in the back yard. The same freezer also had a stack of meat stored at one end, so Mum got some out to defrost it in the oven, with the door open so it would defrost and not cook. When Bill came in the kitchen both me and Rita gave him a hug and kissed him on both cheeks at the same time and said in unison “Hello Dad.”
Bill said “Aww you two!,Donna did you put em up to that?”
“Don't look at me Bill honey,they just think of you as their Dad now.”
Bill teared up a bit and said “This feels real good to have two pretty girls fussing over me, and their Mum looking after me as well.”
Mum than gave our new Dad a kiss on the lips and said “Bill get used to this because I think I like being here with you as much as the girls do. Now go and have your shower, and then we can all sit down have dinner out on the verandah in the cool. Right girls, go set the table on the verandah, and we'll dish up as soon as Bill, your new Dad gets out of the shower, but please no more love-ins till later alright?”
We set the table out on the verandah, while Mum got a serving trolley from a store room at the other end of the house and wheeled it into the kitchen to bring the food out to the verandah. Bill was all cleaned up and wearing a pair grey slacks and polo type t-shirt, Rita said, “Dad you look really nice when you dress up a little bit
”
I said “Daddy I think you are yummy!!”
Just than Mum came out with the food on the trolley and said “I thought I told you two no more love-ins “
Bill said “Donna, they're just having some fun, and I certainly enjoy being called Daddy by Carla.”
Mum said “Well if that is what you want Bill, I wont stop them from now on, but you will have to explain to people why they now call you their father.”
“Not to many people will challenge me if they know what’s good for their friendship with me, Donna.”
“O.k. Bill. I’ll have to trust your judgement on that." replied Mum.
“Right Rita, you dish up the veggies, and I’ll go back and get the lamb chops off the stove,and we can eat.”
We finished the main meal, when Daddy said “Right whose for ice cream for desert?”
Mum said “Only one problem we don't have any.”
Daddy winked at me, “Carla luv, there's some in the freezer I brought home. Go and bring it out with some plates and spoons.”
“Yes Daddy,” I said. Mum rolled her eyes and shook her head, but smiled at Daddy with a dreamy look in her eyes.
Rita jumped up and said “I'll help you Sis."
When we got to the freezer Rita said said “I didn't think Mum would let you get away with that."
“With what?”
“Calling Bill Daddy, Dummy!”
“Why? You called him Dad first. I'm younger and allowed to call him Daddy.”
“O.k, we'd better get this ice cream out to the verandah or it will melt.”
When we got out there, Mum had a basket with strawberries she got from the garden, while we were at the freezer arguing about what to call Bill.
We'd finished desert and started to clear the table when Daddy said, “Will everyone sit down for a bit? I want to say something and I want to say it to to all three of you.” and than he took Mum's hands in his and said, “Donna I'm afraid I've fallen in love with you, and want to look after you and your girls if you'll have me?”
Mum was still holding Daddy’s hands and said “Bill sweetheart! I feel the same way, and the girls have already shown you how they feel about you.”
Rita said, “At least you haven’t rejected Carla like my other dad, and brother did. I'd like you to be my Dad,and I know Carla loves her new Daddy.”
We finished clearing the table , did the washing up and went to our bedrooms when Mum came to our room and sat on my bed and said, “I hope you kids are o.k. with all this?”
Rita came over to my bed and sat down next to Mum and put her arm around Mum's shoulder and said, “Mum you deserve some happiness in your life after that no good father of ours left us like he did.”
I hugged mum from the other side and agreed with Rita.
Mum got up and said “I love you girls. Oh by the way Rita, I forgot all about your bra fitting today. We'll do it tomorrow morning first up ok?”
“Good night Mum” we said in unison. We were asleep in minutes.
I didn't have any dreams that I could remember as I woke up the next morning, so Rita was still asleep in her own bed. I wondered when I would see Jean in my dreams again. It seemed to happen just prior to waking up from a deep sleep. I am going to have to ask the doctor in Brisbane about that I thought to myself.
I was going to go to the bathroom to pee, and thought I'd have my shower while I was there.
“Morning Sis, you're up early.”
“Yeah weak bladder, gotta go!”
“Wait up I'll come with ya,”
“What to watch me?”
“No! silly so we can have a shower before Mum and Dad get up.”
“O.k. I'll just grab the towels, but I get to use dunny first”
“Hurry up or I'll be sitting on my sister to do it.”
Mum opened her bedroom door “Hurry up you two or I'll be sitting on both of you.”
“That got us getting the giggles, and we both almost wet our knickers.”
Anyway we had our shower together like we normally did and got dressed.
We both decided to wear jeans and t-shirts. Mine was 'pink' of course, and Rita had on a blue one. We had thongs for footwear.
“Rita,” I said “What about a bra?”
“What about a bra?”
“Aren’t you gonna wear one?”
“Why bother? I'll only have to take it off at the dress shop.”
“Yeah 'spose so, but Mum won't be happy with your nipples showing.”
“Stop goin' on! I'll put some band-aids on 'em alright?”
I said, “Yeah just sayin', Geees!”
Anyway we went to the kitchen where our new Daddy had breakfast ready for us,
“Sit down kids. Ya Mum will be ready in a minute too. We'll all go in to the shop today. We want to open the restaurant next week, so it'll be all hands on deck for a couple of days, o.k?”
We both said “Yes Daddy” in unison.
Every time we did that Daddy has a little chuckle. After Mum came in to the kitchen we had breakfast, got in the car and went straight to the restaurant. Rita asked Mum about the bra fitting, and Mum told her as soon as Mary Winton's shop was open she would take her there. That would be at nine o'clock and it was only seven thirty so we could do a bit of work first. Daddy was arranging all the restaurant furniture while the rest of us sorted out the kitchen. It was all clean, and the fridges had to be stocked with food for Mum to start cooking when the first customers came, probably from the caravan park.
I said Mum “What about my school-work?”
“You'll be right for a coupla days Carla. Your work is well ahead of schedule so stop worrying so much.”
At nine o'clock we three ladies went for a walk down to the dress shop. Mary was at the front of the shop just, opening the door when we got there.
“Oh hello ladies,” she said. I always feel good when I’m included in that.
“G'day, Mary. We need to have you measure Rita for some bras, if you not too busy?”
“Come on in and we'll see what we can do for you Rita.”
I was included in everything that went on and was amazed at the different type of bras there were, Mum bought three bras for Rita and a couple for herself, all the fitting was done with me looking on, being quite jealous that I had no reason to wear one. 'Oh well in a couple of years.' I thought. I ended up with some vests and and six more knickers,so I was happy not to miss out.
When we got back to the restaurant, Daddy asked me if I was ready to go to the big smoke, I said “I dunno. Why Daddy?”
“Well it looks like you have an appointment to see a doctor San Lee in Brisbane in two weeks time. While you lot were spending money at Mary's, Jim Ryan rang. Donna you'd better ring Jan and get all the details.”
I stood there with my mouth open, Mum said, “Sweetheart, close your mouth or you'll start catching flies.”
Rita said, ”Can I come to Brisbane too Mum?”
Mum looked at Rita and said “I think you might be needed in the restaurant by then, but there will be lots of trips to Brisbane, if Carla gets the go ahead with her little problem to be fixed.”
We spent the rest of the day getting everything ready to open the restaurant next Monday, Mum also rang Jan to get all the info for the trip to Brisbane, and rang Ricky's Mum to let her know If she was still interested in going to Brisbane with us. I did lots of extra school work in the next two weeks to make up for the time that we'll be away.
I had a lot of restless nights till the next two weeks were up. Mum Rita and Daddy had opened the restaurant as planned and Rita was learning the ropes. Daddy has arranged for his mechanic Henry's wife Linda to help run the shop while me and Mum were away.
To be continued.
===========================
Next time the big trip to the big smoke
Previously
It was two weeks till I had an appointment in Brisbane. Mum had opened up the the restaurant and arranged for Linda, Henry’s wife to help Rita and Daddy with the running of the restaurant while we were away in Brisbane.
Oooo000oooo
By the time Friday morning arrived I was on tenterhooks. I'd done a lot of school work and didn't have any worry about falling behind, but I didn't sleep well the last couple of nights worrying about flying. We were going to take the bus to Charleville and then board a Trans Australian Airline 'DC3' to fly all the way to Brisbane. Mum had packed enough clothes to stay in Brisbane for two weeks if necessary just in case we had more appointments to attended to. At seven o'clock we were ready to go. Rita came with us to see us off at the bus stop - Daddy loaded our luggage into the trunk of the car and we set of to pick up Rick's mum Helen on the way. She was coming with us to spend some time with Mum and me In Brisbane, She also wanted to do some clothes shopping for her family.
As Daddy pulled up in front of her house she was waiting with her suitcase at the front gate with the boys and Mr Smith. They were all fussing about her flying for the first time.
I said “Don't worry it is the first time for me too.”
Mum said “Nothing to it. You just get on and hang on to your britches.” with a grin on her face.
So they hugged Helen and said their goodbyes and Pete put her suitcase in the trunk with the rest of the luggage. Ricky came and gave me a kiss on the cheek and said “I hope you'll be o.k. in Brisbane Carla! I'll miss not having you around.”
We got in the car and Daddy drove to the bus stop - which is out the front of his service station. The Greyhound bus was already there and people were already starting to board, probably to get the best seats. Daddy and Mum were hugging and saying goodbye, Rita hugged me and said I'm going to miss you Carla”, And we both had tears in our eyes. I was the last one to get on the bus. Mum and Helen had a seat right behind the driver I sat right beside the motor right in the front of the bus ,Just as well I was wearing jeans or it would have been impossible not to show my knickers to everyone on the bus. The driver had a few words with Daddy — because the service station handled all the ticket sales for the bus service.
It took a couple of hours to get to Charleville and it was ten o'clock when we arrived, so we decide to have morning tea at the service station where the bus dropped us off. It went to the airport and took our luggage there. Once we had our morning tea we got a taxi to the airport.
The flight was due to leave at eleven o'clock — so we had plenty of time to get to the airport, which was called an 'aerodrome' in those days. The plane was being refueled and all the baggage was being loaded into the belly of the plane. The DC3 only took about forty people plus crew, There were no meals as such but they offered you tea and bickies.
I got a window seat because I wanted to see what the big golden eagles saw when they were high up circling the paddock where all the little lambs had just been born. Then they would swoop down and grab them with their sharp talons and tear them up in flight to eat them .
Mum and Helen were sitting opposite on the other side of the aisle, and Helen kept her seat belt done up tight.
After three hours the hostess asked us to put our seat belts back on as we were circling Brisbane and would be landing in ten minutes time. As we reduced altitude I could see the houses and streets and could see why it is called the 'big smoke' because there was a blue haze hanging over the city.
I said “Mum is that smog in the air?”
She replied "It is most likely smoke from all the bush fires that have been burning in the hills around Brisbane the last couple of days."
When the plane landed it made a lot of noise with its tyres on the runway and that freaked me and Helen out.
It soon to a stop outside three big 'igloo' type buildings. I asked Mum what they were and she said, "They were left here by the Americans after the war and they were used as hangers for war planes. The Queensland government converted them to an airport terminal after the war. Anyway the history lesson is over."
When the plane's propellers stopped turning we were allowed to get off. We walked into the funny looking building and got our luggage, and made our way out to the front of the building to look for a taxi to take us to our hotel. We went to the black and white taxi rank and a driver came up to Mum and asked her where we wanted to go.
Mum told him the Belleville Hotel, so he loaded our things into the trunk and and started driving into the city, along a road called Kingsford Smith Drive. We eventually pulled up outside the Belleville Hotel and the driver asked a doorman to get a trolley to take our luggage up to our room. A teenage bellhop came to help us with our baggage.
Mum asked the driver how much for the fare, when Helen said she would get it this time. Mum said o.k. but she would pay for the next one. Helen paid the driver and Mum asked for his card so we could use him next time. We followed the bellboy with our luggage to the reception desk where Mum asked for the key to our room. It is the first time in I have been in a lift and was wondering where the door handle was when the guy pushed a button and the doors slid open much to my amazement.
The boy said “Which room lady?”
Mum looked at the tag and said “Room eighty on the third floor young man, and what's your name?”
“Alan” he replied and said no more. Helen smiled at me and winked. I could see the boy was blushing.
We got out of the lift and our room was just down the corridor. Mum opened the door so he could bring all our things into the room. Before he could leave Mum gave him ten shillings for his troubles.
He said “Thanks' and was gone.
Mum said “A man of few words” and laughed.
Once Mum and Helen unpacked the suitcases and put everything away we sorted out where we would be sleeping, I would sleep with Mum in the double bed and Helen could have the single. The bedroom had an en suite so there was a bath, shower and toilet in the one room. There was also a type of sitting room with a desk and phone, and in this room there was a jug and little fridge so we could make a cup of tea. It all felt very posh. By the time all the clothes were put away we were tired, and made a cup of tea and then had a lie down.
I was too excited to stay on the bed so decide to have a bath in the posh bathroom. There was a bottle of bubble-bath in the room so I tipped half a bottle in the bath tub and filled the tub up with water. I stripped off and climbed in and sank into the bubbles and almost vanished from sight. I was almost asleep when I hear Mum say, “Carla, if you stay in there any longer you will melt”
I said “Will my willy melt as well?” before I realised what I said. I hoped that Helen didn't hear me because I didn't think she knew the truth about me.
Mum said "Hurry up and get out I need to use the toilet." I jumped up without thinking. I was standing there without a stitch on and Helen was standing at the door looking at my little willy and said “Don't worry sweetheart. I know what is happening to you and I'm fine with it.”
Mum said “What about the boys?”
Helen replied “Barry is going to explain everything to them while we are away. They will understand and besides the boys absolutely love both your girls. When Barry explains about gender dysphoria they will be fine.”
By this time I had a towel wrapped around me and I was sitting on the bed crying. Mum had to use the toilet so Helen sat next to me and hugged me till I calmed down.
“Oh sweetheart don't cry I understand what is happening to you. Before I married Barry I worked in childcare and believe me you're not the only little girl with a birth defect. Now dry those pretty brown eyes and get dressed so we can go down to the dining room and have dinner.
Mum helped me get dressed in a pink sun dress that had a bow at the back that I couldn't tie myself. My shoes were white open sandals. While Mum was getting ready, Helen got her hair dryer out of her make up bag and had my hair dry in minutes and plaited my hair into two pony tails with pink ribbons.
Mum said, “Helen, I can see you and my daughter are getting on real well. If you want I can loan her to you when we get back — just in case you get sick of dealing with your boys.”
Helen said, “I might just take you upon that Donna, a Mum can't spoil boys like she can a daughter can she?”
I said, “Do you think Ricky will still want to be my friend when he finds out my little problem?”
“Of course he will" said Helen, "My boys might talk tough but they both have a heart of gold, so stop being such a worry wart.”
There was a black and white television in the room and I turned it on while Helen got ready. Tv was a bit of a novelty for me as there was no reception in Quilpie. Helen got dressed in full view of me so I guessed she was o.k. with me being transgendered.
It was Friday night and the dining room was packed out, but Mum had booked a table at the desk when we booked in and a waiter took us to our table and held the chairs out for us to sit. I could get used to this I thought.
“Wow this is posh,” I said, “Can we really afford to pay for all this?”
“Yes dear. I have an insurance policy that I cashed in which your grandparents took out when I was born. There is quite a bit of money to draw on when needed.”
We had our meal and stayed for about half an hour to listen to the man playing a piano and then went back up to our room. Mum and Helen watched a bit of tv and I slipped into the big bed and closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep so I could hear what what was being said. I know that was being a little bit naughty but I was a bit of a sticky beak like all little girls right? But Mum and Helen only talked about what we were going to be doing tomorrow. So much for my eavesdropping. Serves me right didn't it?
When I went to sleep I found myself in the same field again with the same nightie I had on the last time I had this dream. I started to walk towards the the figure that was in the same blue and white gown as before. As I got closer I recognised the girl that looked so like me it was like looking in a mirror.
This time though I could hear her speaking she said, “Hello Carla you can hear me speak now that you know that I am your sister Jean. When you came to my grave to say goodbye you told me that you would take me with you, and let me live my life inside you and see things through your eyes. God is allowing me to be in your soul to be with you in spirit.” She smiled at me and faded before I could say anything back.
It was morning and Mum was holding me in her arms with Helen looking on with concern on her face. I had tears running down my face but I was not trembling like last time Jean came to me in a dream.
Mum said “It's o.k. sweetheart you're awake now. Do you want to tell me what happened in your dream this time?”
“I can hear Jean now Mum. She talks to me and sounds just like me.”
“Well she is the other half of your soul after all. We will see what the doctor has to say about your dreams, but I think that Jean is inside you for the rest of your life.”
Helen listened in awe as Mum explained about me and my identical twin sister who had passed away three hours after we were born.
Helen just said in a matter of fact way “Dual souls” and shrugged her shoulders as it was nothing new. She held both my hands and looked into my eyes and said “Carla sweetheart, you really are a very lucky little girl. The spirit world is very real and your twin sister will be with you till the time comes for you to join her in that realm.
Mum said, “This thing is normal then?”
“Yes, especially when an identical twin dies at birth”, she replied. “Carla I'll tell you how I know about it but not now.”
Mum said, “That'll be interesting.”
All this made me feel a lot better about my dreams, because I was always too scared to talk about it much in case people thought I was crazy. We all got dressed in jeans , T-shirt and comfortable shoes. We went down to have breakfast and head off to do some shopping,
Another first for me were trams. They were all open and made a lot of noise and had a conductor on board that sold you the tickets. We arrived out the front of a big building that said McWhirters and it was the biggest department store I had ever seen and it had escalators to take you up and down the floors without having to walk. This was so much fun! Mum and Helen went up and down to different departments and bought heaps of stuff. While they did their shopping Mum gave me ten pounds and let me loose in the jewellery section. I spent half on myself and half on stuff for Rita. We ended up with too many bags to go on the tram so Mum went to a phone box and rang the taxi driver that gave her his card yesterday. The cab arrived within five minutes, and the driver got out to open the trunk to put all the bags in.
He said ”I see you have spent all your money”
Mum said, “Yeah we don't hit the city very often.”
The driver said “Thanks for using me again. By the way my name is Tony.”
Mum said “I'm Donna and this is Helen, and this is my youngest daughter Carla.”
Tony gave us a hand to take every thing up to our room. Mum paid him and told him she will call him next time we needed him. It was one pm and they were still serving lunch in the dining room so we went down and had a salad lunch. The rest of the day we spent in our room having a fashion show and at some stage were all in our undies and giggling when Helen said she felt like a teenager with grey hair. Mum said next time we will bring Rita so she can buy all new clothes for herself as well.
Later Mum ordered dinner to be brought up to our room. We watched a movie and went to bed at nine o'clock and went to sleep as soon as our heads hit the pillows.
On Sunday morning we went to a church service in a really big church, I thought it was called a Cathedral. I couldn't get over how big everything was in the city.
It was Monday morning and I was in a panic about what to wear to my docto'rs appointment, because I wanted to look really girly so the doctor wouldn't think I was a boy.
Helen gave me a big hug and said ”Just be yourself and the doctor wont be able to see a boy anywhere o.k?”
Mum rang Tony and told him to pick us up and take us to Spring Hill, where the doctor's surgery was. Tony came and took us there and told Mum to ring him when we wanted to go back to the hotel.
I was in my normal panic mode again and Mum said “Lets go and sit down in the foyer and relax for a bit”. We found a seat and sat down.
Mum said, “Right Carla, I want you to close your eyes and concentrate and see if Jean is with you.”
I did as Mum asked and said in my mind 'Jean where are you?' She was immediately in my head and said 'Relax Carla we are doing this together remember?'
I opened my eyes and said “I am ready to do this Mum.”
The doctors room was on the eight floor. We approached the receptionist's desk and gave our name to the lady. She told us to take a seat and we would be next to go in. I closed my eyes. Jean was still there. Mum gave my hand a squeeze.
The doctors door opened and a girl about my age and her mother came out and said “Goodbye doctor San Lee we'll see you soon.”
The doctor was a Chinese lady with a really pleasant smile which put me at ease straight away. She said “Hello. Come through, Carla isn't it?”
“Yes that right doctor,” I replied.
"Oh call me Rose, and take seat.”
She did not have an accent so she must have been born in Australia.
“Alright,” said Rose “Lets have a look at what Doctor Ryan has sent me in his letter of referral.”
The doctor looked straight at me and said “My goodness, Jim is right. I can't see a boy sitting in front of me.”
Trans Australia Airlines DC3
Belleville Hotel, Brisbane.
Next time blood tests
Previously:
“Alright,” said Rose “Lets have look at what Doctor Ryan has sent me in his letter of referral.”
The doctor took of her glasses and looked at me and said “My goodness Jim is right. I can't see a boy in front of me.”
Doctor San-lee put me at ease as soon as she started talking to me.
She said, “Now Carla, I want you to call me Rose alright?”
“Yes ma'am err Rose. Thank you,” I replied.
Mum said, “Rose I want to thank you for seeing Carla so quickly.”
Rose said, “As a psychiatrist I am especially interested in cases like Carla's because of the twin factor.”
Mum replied, “I see Jim Ryan didn't leave anything out of his letter to you.”
“No. I have known Jim since university, He is a very dedicated man to his patients, and sometimes I wish he and Jan weren’t so far away. Anyway to the business in hand, Carla! I need you to tell me in your own words what you feel inside you, so I can start to sort out your young life.”
“Well, it sort of started when I was about four years old when my sister Rita used to play dress up with me.”
I told her all that I could remember about how my brother and dad treated me, and that, although I was supposed to be a boy, when Rita looked after me I always felt wrong in boys clothes. I stayed away from my brother as much as possible because he would always tease me and threatened to tell Dad about Rita and me going to the workmen's empty quarters to play dress up. When I got a little bit older Rita would take me for walks to my twin sister's grave while I was dressed as a girl. Mum always told us not to let my Dad see us when I was dressed in Rita's old dresses.
“He would have belted us both,” I said, “Mum, I was really scared of John and Dad and I thought he would hurt you too.”
Mum had tears running down her cheeks which set me off as well. She came and sat next to me and took my hands in hers and said “Darling, I know how hard this is for you. Would like to stop for a while?”
I couldn't answer because I was sobbing now.
Rose said “Alright, we all need a break.” Tears were in her eyes as well. She got up and opened the door to the receptionist area and asked someone to organise tea and cakes for us. All three of us went to the bathroom attached to the office and washed our faces. By the time we came back into the office there was a lady arranging three tea cups and saucers and a plate of cup cakes on a small table beside the chairs.
Rose said “Donna, you have a very intelligent daughter, and yes, Carla has a "female" brain. What we have to do is sort out the obvious. How long can you both stay in Brisbane, Donna?”
“A week is all we can manage at the moment. I have just opened up a restaurant in Quilpie and left Rita in charged of the kitchen.”
Rose said, “That's fine. We can get a lot done in that time. Carla, I'm afraid you will feel like a pin cushion by the time you go home.”
She rang the pathology lab in the same building, and arranged for me to give them gallons of blood. Mum accompanied me to the lab which was on the ground floor. I was getting used to using the lifts and knew how to operate them on my own now.
They took three vials of blood, and then gave me some type of very sweet stuff to drink. After waiting for an hour they took another gallon out of my other arm. By this time I started to feel quite weak and was told by a nurse to go into the other room and lie down on the bed. Mum went out to a cafeteria on the same floor to get me some sandwiches and a soft drink. When she come back I must have fallen asleep because she was gently stroking my hair.
“Wake up sweetheart. You have to have something to eat and drink, or you will end up with an enormous headache, but fluids will make you feel better in a little while.”
We were told we could go home for now and they would send the results to Doctor San-lee later that day. We went back up to the doctors receptionist to find out when to come back.
The receptionist said “Oh I’m sorry I forgot to tell you before you went down to the lab Your appointment is at ten am tomorrow.
”
Mum looked at the name tag on the girls top and said, “Thank you Cindy we'll see you then.”
I was still feeling a bit wobbly, so we didn't take a bus like we were going to. Mum found a public phone in the foyer and called Tony to come in his taxi to take us back to the hotel.
Tony arrive within five minutes and said, “'Geeze' Donna! If this keeps up I’ll have to take you home and meet the missus to have a meal, 'Italian style' mind.”
Mum replied “Tony I think I might take you up on that, I'd like to meet your wife.”
Tony said “You have my phone number. What is the number on your phone in your room at Belleville?”
Mum said, “Eighty silly!”
Tom laughed and said “Of course it is, I knew that. Just testing to see if you were paying attention Donna!".
This banter kept up all the way back to the hotel. 'Oldies are funny' I thought.
Mum told Tony to pick us up again in the morning for my next stint with Doctor Rose.
When we got back to the hotel room, Helen was getting dressed to go down for lunch in the dining room. Mum said we would join her in a few minutes after we freshened up a bit. Just as we were about to leave, the phone on the desk rang and made us both jump.
It was Tony. He said if we could make it for lunch tomorrow with him and his wife that would be great.
Mum said yes we would be honoured to and would it be alright if we bring Helen along as well?
“Of course! There is always room for another one at 'Isabella's' table,” he replied.
We went down to the dining room and saw Helen wave to us to come over to the table she had commandeered for us. We had our lunch and the three of us went up to the room to have a nap. I slept for a couple of hours. When I woke up and looked at Mum's little travel clock, it was three o'clock, so I got up and went to the bathroom and relieved my full bladder. When I came back into the bedroom I realised I was alone and panicked. There was a note on the desk next to the phone. I picked it up with shaky hands and read what Mum had written.
'Carla don't panic. We have gone for a walk. Stay in the room and watch some tv till we come back.'
I went to the little fridge and got a can of Coke and turned on the tv. About half an hour later Mum and Helen were back from their walk and were carrying some shopping bags and put them on the bed.
Mum said “Did you have a nice nap Missy?”
“Yerr. They must have drained too much blood out of me this morning and made me weak.”
Helen said “Carla honey you are a funny little thing aren’t you?” and laughed.
I didn't get the joke.
“Carla, while we were out walking we came across a second-hand clothes shop and had a look inside. Well as you can see we brought some really nice things back for you to try on. We can take them back and exchange them if they don't fit you.”
“Mum, does that make me a second-hand rose?”
“No darling, just an inexpensive one,” she laughed.
Helen said “Any wonder Ricky likes you so much Carla - you have made him come out of his shell since you befriended him.”
“Yeah he's my boyfriend.”
Mum said, “Err- um you're a bit young to call him your boyfriend - maybe good friends, hmmm?”
“Yeah Mummy, whatever.” I said rolling my eyes.
Helen said, “I’m going to miss this banter when I get back home.”
I said “You can always adopt me and take me home if you want.”
After Mum and Helen controlled themselves from laughing, Mum said, “Right kid strip off to your undies and lets see what fits you.”
“Ok Mummy,”I said. For some reason I started to feel more like a girl when I called her Mummy.
“Carla sweetheart I don't mind you calling me Mummy. It makes me realise how much of a little girl you really are.”
“Thanks Mummy.” I said, getting used to the sound of it.
Helen was smiling at me and nodding her head in approval.
“Alright enough of the this love in! And start trying on some of these skirts and blouses.”
There were two denim skirts, one blue and one pink with lace around the hem, I liked that they had elastic bands instead of belt loops. The next skirt was a silky pink with white flowers embroidered onto it. Mummy knows how much I like pink. The fit was perfect on all three skirts. Next came the blouses. Two were white and one yellow. All had puffy sleeves and v-neck openings.
I said “Mummy, these have still got new tags on them.”
“Yes dear. They are all factory seconds but are new.”
There was also an assortment of ribbons and a nice pair of flats and red sandals.
“Wow Mummy! Can I wear the pink skirt and yellow blouse tomorrow when we go to the see Doctor Rose?”
“Yes Carla. You like you new clothes then?”
I don’t know why but I started to cry and ran into Mummy's waiting arms.
She held me and said, “Darling let your emotions come out.” and she stroked my hair till I stopped crying. She said, you can have a good talk to the doctor in the morning. Later we had dinner delivered to our room. We watched a move on the tv, and went to bed after that.
Next morning after Tony once again delivered us safely to our destination, he reminded us about having lunch at his place when he picked us up later. Helen came with us as far as the medical building and said she was going to have some more retail therapy and buy herself some more things.
In the lift going up to the eighth floor I started to tremble and couldn't stop. The lift stopped and the door opened. The Doctor's reception area was directly opposite the lift so Mum half carried me through the door and asked Cindy to see if Rose could come and calm me down. Cindy buzzed the doctors office and Rose came out straight away
She said “My God, what has brought this on Carla?”
I was holding on to Mummy and couldn’t get any words out and started to cry.
Mummy said , “I think she is having a panic attack.”
Rose said “Bring her in to my surgery and lay her down on the couch Donna”
The doctor jabbed me with a needle and I seemed float into a dream, and there she was - my sister Jean, still in that beautiful blue and white gown. She was not in that green field as before but seemed to be in the room with me.
I said “Jean what are you doing here?” with my voice not in my mind.
“Carla I'm here to comfort you. Now when you wake up from this dream please be calm.”
“But I can hear you speak. So are you in this room? Can Mummy see you too?”
“No Carla only you and I have this connection, and in time you will learn how to talk to me any time you want to.”
“Jean I have so many questions to ask you.”
“Not now my sister. Now be calm.”
Jean started to fade and I woke up with a start. Mummy was still holding me and she said, “Hello sweetheart. Are we back in the land of the living then?”
“Mummy Jean is here in this room.”
“Well I didn't see her, but I heard the one side conversation you were obviously having with her.”
“I can hear her speak. She told me to be calm and said in time I will be able to talk with her any time I want, and then I woke up.”
Mummy said, “I wish I could see her like you can Carla. She is the other half of you.”
“Mummy she said the connection is only with me.”
As this was happening Rose was listening to every thing I was saying and had a tape recorder going.
Doctor Rose said, “Carla I’m sorry I had to give an injection to help calm you down, but you were about to have a seizure.”
She then said, “Donna this is a fascinating case and it is going to make a very interesting case study in a research project on twins that I’m involved in”
Mummy replied “Rose, does that mean you will help my child become who she is on the inside as well as a matching body?”
“Yes Donna, and to make it easy I will give my time for free,- as long as you agree to let me to call in other people for my study, and I will want to publish a paper on it. Now young Missy, if you have calmed down I want you to tell your Mum when you are about to go into panic mode so she can calm you down before it gets to the stage it did this morning.”
“Yes ma'am, Rose," I said.
“Ok, all the tests are in and it is just as we expected you are more girl than boy. I suspect your twin had something to do with that while you were still in your Mummy's tummy. So when I talk to some of my colleges in a couple of days I will work out a course of action.”
Mummy said “So what happens now Rose? We have to get back home before next Monday.”
“Well,” Rose said, “There is nothing I can do till I do the necessary research and that might take a few days so you may as well go home, - I will contact Jim Ryan and get him to deal with any medication once I decide what that will be.”
Mummy said, “When will we need to come back to Brisbane, Rose?”
“Donna, I will let Jim know when to make the next appointment to come back down to see me.”
Rose gave Mummy a hug, and then hugged me and said “Now you remember what I told you about your panic attacks, ok?”
We said our goodbyes and went down to the lobby to ring Tony to pick us up. Helen was sitting in a lounge area in the lobby with some more shopping bags. Tony arrived soon after and we left to go to his home for lunch.
Mummy said “Tony what is your surname?”
Tony laughed and replied “Bagla. Nice and easy, eh?”
Mummy and Helen laughed and both said at the same time “Italian”
Tony said “Yep but born and bred in Brissi”
“What about you Carla, where were you born?”
“On River Downs,” I replied.
“That's a sheep station isn't it?”
“Yeah and my twin is still there in the peace and quiet.”
“What? She's not living with you then?”
“Yer, she is sorta,” I said. Tony knew straight away what I was talking about.
He said “Carla, I have a sister I lost when I was ten years old and I still feel her spirit around
me thirty years later.”
I said “Was she your twin like my sister Jean?”
“No Carla, she was a year older than me - but we were very close. Me and Anna did everything together. I still miss her very much even after all this time.”
“I see Jean in my dreams and she communicates with me — but she is not a baby like when she died. She looks just like me and sounds like me too.”
Tony said “Dual souls Carla, that's what identical means. Shared spirit if you like. There have been studies done on the subject for years”
Mummy said, “That is what is about to happen in Carla's case Tony. Doctor San—lee has offered to treat Carla for free as long as we agreed that she could write a paper on the findings that she and her colleagues are conducting.
Tony looked at me as I was sitting in the front seat beside him and said, “Carla you don’t seem to look to sick to me, in fact you look the picture of health.”
I looked around at Mummy and she shrugged her shoulders, “Carla you have to deal with questions like this in the future. “Tony is a friend and I think we can trust him don’t you?”
I took a deep breath and said, “Um err Tony I am a girl with a plumbing problem and don’t look like a proper girl down there.” I was feeling really hot in the face and must have been as red as beetroot.
Tony replied, “Is that all Carla? They can fix that no worries. I have a couple of transsexual friends in the taxi business, not bad lookin' sheilas either.”
Mummy said “Thank you Tony. Not everyone will be able to be told so openly. Carla is going to need to be very careful who she tells about her little problem.”
“Well!” said Tony “You will be fine Carla, I don’t see anything but a pretty little girl sitting next to me.”
I looked around at Mummy and Helen in the back and they both winked at me. Tony started to slow down and turn into a big old house with a golden retriever dog sitting at the bottom of the steps wagging its tail. Tony said “She won't bite but will probably want to patted by everyone before she sits down again.” which is exactly what happened.
We walked up the stairs and followed Tony through the big house. It was almost as big as Daddy's house back in Quilpie. When we reached the kitchen Tony's wife Isabella was setting the big table in the adjoining dining room. She was a short plump dark haired woman and looked very Italian.
She spoke perfect Aussie English and said “Well hello everyone. I'm Isabella but Bella is what this guy calls me,” and she gave him a hug and kiss.
Tony said “These are the bushies I've, been carting about for the last couple of days Bella. This is Donna and Helen, and of course the pretty little squirt is Carla.
It was more a dinner than lunch with lamb roast and baked veges and ice-cream for desert. Mummy and Bella swapped recipes while Tony and Helen talked about his sister Anna. I went downstairs and talked to Goldie the retriever.
We said goodbye to Bella, and and made our way back to Tony's taxi. I said 'bye to Goldie and told her to be a good dog and I'd see her next time we are in Brisbane. She wagged her tail and licked my hand
“Right” said Tony “Let's get this show on the road.”
Tony was making his way back to our hotel and said, “Donna, Bella said to tell you next time your down you could stay with us if you want, I think she has taken quite a shine to you.”
Mummy said “As long as we pay our way that sounds great Tony.”
Just as Tony turned into a street that had tram tracks his taxi went off to the centre of the road. There was a tram coming towards us and a big truck pulled out of a side street. I heard a lot of screeching of tyres then metal crunching. I felt like I was being pushed against the door from Tony's side of the car then there was something warm running down the back of my head.
I was dreaming and Jean was holding my hand. I said, “Why am I in bed talking with you Jean? I don’t remember going to bed”
To be continued.
Next time: waking up in a strange room''
----------Please leave some comments--------
Previously
Just as Tony turned into a street that had tram tracks, his taxi went off to the centre of the road. There was a tram coming towards us – and a big truck pulled out of a side street. I heard a lot of screeching of tyres, then metal crunching. I felt like I was being pushed against the door from Tony's side of the car. Then I felt something warm running down the back of my head.-------
I was dreaming and Jean was holding my hand.
I said “Why am I in bed talking with you Jean?I don't remember going to bed.”
Jean smiled at me and then faded, and I woke up to find myself in a strange room and the bed had rails on the side like a cot so I wouldn't fall out I suppose. I thought 'shit the taxi — the noise and then the pain in the back of my head.' I touched the back of my head to see what damage there was and to make sure I didn't have a big bald patch there. I felt a funny lump with some sort cotton bits sticking out. “Stitches” I said.
I had never really seen inside a hospital room before but when I saw all the gadgets hanging off the wall, and oxygen bottles and masks hanging on the wall, the penny dropped. Then I started to panic.
“Mummy! Helen! Tony! Oh no they're all dead!” and I started to scream at the top of my voice “DOCTOR! NURSE! ANYBODY!!! Where's my Mummy?”
Someone opened the door. It was a nurse and she was out of breath.
“What is all the noise about? You will wake up all the other patients in the hospital.”
“I want to see my Mum. Oh nooooo! She's dead isn't she?” I started to sob.
The nurse said “Calm down little one, your Mum is fine. She'll be back in ten minutes. She just went to get herself a cup of strong coffee.” The nurse then put the side of the bed down and got me to sit up and have a drink of water. I had the hiccups from crying.
I said “M-m-my h-he-ad h-hurts”.
She sat on the bed beside me and hugged me and said, “Shhh now, everything will be ok. You have had a nasty bump on the back of your head, and have six stitches in the cut, and no they didn't shave your beautiful blond hair off. You were out cold when the Ambo's brought you in. Let's see, that was at two this afternoon and it's nearly midnight now so you have been in dreamland with the fairies for almost twelve hours. My name is Mary and I will be your nurse till eight in the morning, I'm going to go and get you something for your headache. No more yelling now ok?”
Just then Mummy came into the room with a cup of coffee in one hand and some sandwiches in the other. She put them down on the cabinet beside the bed and sat down beside me and put her arm around me. She had tears running down her cheeks and said, “Carla, I thought we had lost you when you didn't move in the wreck. The fire department had a new piece of equipment called the Jaws of Life. They used it to prize the door open to get you and Tony out of the front of the crushed car.”
“Mummy are you hurt? What about Tony and Helen?”
Mummy replied “Darling I'm fine. I have a bruise on my leg and Helen has a sprained wrist, but Tony is in intensive care and drugged out so I haven't been able to see him, but Isabella is with him. He has a broken leg and some internal injuries, but will recover and be ok according to the doctors here at the Mater Hospital.
“Mummy, Jean was here holding my hand before I woke up - I wish you could see her too. she looks so pretty in that gown she wears.”
“Darling, I think she has enough on her hands protecting you, don't you think?”
“Mummy what happened?”
“Well Tony had corrected the way the tyres had slipped on the wet tram tracks and the tram had stopped when that big truck just slammed straight into us.”
I said “I don't remember anything after I heard the crunching sound of metal and something warm running down the back of my head.”
“Carla, you lost quite a bit of blood by the time the paramedics got to you through the window of the car and stemmed the flow. They had to wait for the firemen to use that amazing tool to open the door to get you and Tony out and put you both on stretchers.”
“Tony was awake the whole time but the medics gave him a pain killing injection, He kept on saying “My God I’ve killed her.” because you were not moving, but the medics said you were just knocked out.”
“Mummy I'm wearing some kind of nappy, did the nurse put it on me?”
“ No sweetheart I did that. They were going to put a catheter in because they didn't know how long you would be out for, but I told them you had a serious bladder infection and didn't want to make it any worse, so I said I would look after you. The sister in charge wasn't too happy but she gave in and allowed me to stay with you.”
“Mummy, if the doctor sees I have got a willy they will call the police and arrest me!”
“Oh Carla they can't do that. Besides I got in touch with Rose and she has been in touch with the head nun who is also the administrator of the Mater.”
Just then Mary the nurse came back with my pain relief pills, “Here we are cutie pie this will stop that bad headache and let you get some sleep till morning.”
While I was taking the pills Mary looked at Mummy and said, “Could I speak to you outside for a moment Mrs White?”
Mummy replied “No nurse, you can discuss anything about my daughter in front of her. She is very intelligent and will know exactly what you want to talk to me about.”
“I'm sorry Mrs White I didn't mean - I mean I have a child a bit older than Carla and h--sh-she is the same as your daughter.”
“Look nurse Mary is it? Call me Donna. Err it looks like we have something in common doesn’t it?”
Mary said the nun in charge of this Hospital was well aware of kids with gender dysphoria and they were treating them in a special program set up by the hospital board and the Catholic Church.
She went on, “Doctor San-Lee is the doctor involved with this program, so I was not surprised when sister Bridget called me when I started my shift to look after Carla.”
Mummy smiled at me and said, “Carla you need to get some sleep now, I’m going to lay down on this stretcher they brought in for me earlier.”
I asked Mummy where Helen was and she said she was back at the hotel and will be here in the morning. She said “Get some sleep now. It's already one o'clock and I can't stay awake any longer.”
Mary came in every hour and checked my pulse and blood pressure. Jean was in my dreams as clear as a bell and we seemed to talk like it was the most normal thing to do. She told me not worry about Tony because he had a connection with Anna just like we did.
It was seven am in the morning when Mary came in and said she is about to finish her shift, but not to worry about the nurse that was on the day shift because she was a close friend and was informed about my little problem. She said she would see me at seven tonight because I would still be there one more night so they could make sure I was ok.
Mummy stayed to have a hospital breakfast with me before she went to see how Tony was getting on and go back the hotel to get cleaned up and come back with Helen.
She said, “Now don't you start to worry about anything while I'm away. I am going to ring Bill and Rita and let them know what happened.”
The day shift nurse came in to take my vital signs.
She said “G'day little one I'm Rachel and I'll be looking after you today. Let me have a look at that lump on the back of your head. It looks good, so you can get up and I'll help you in the shower”.
“Errr My Mum is coming back soon to help me with that.” I lied.
“It's alright luvy. Mary filled me in about your little plumbing problem.” she said. Because I had a concussion she had to watch that I didn't get giddy and fall over and hurt myself.
Rachel was just as nice as Mary and told me about Mary's transgendered daughter Sam and said she was going to bring her in that afternoon to meet me.
“You'll have to stay till tomorrow morning because that is a nasty bump on your head and Doctor San-Lee is coming in later to check you out before you go back to your home in the bush”
After the shower I got dressed in hospital gown and a dressing gown and was ready to go to where Tony was, Rachel didn't want to leave the ward so she got a young trainee nurse to take me in a wheel-chair down to where the ICU ward was.
The nurse said “Hello I’m Jan and I’ll take you down to see your friend.”
When we got to the ward where Tony was supposed to be he had been moved to a private room like the one I was in and it was down the corridor from the ICU unit. The door to his room was open and when Jan wheeled me in, there was Mummy, Helen and Bella talking with Tony. Jan said I could get out of the chair but to stay in the room.
Tony had his left leg in plaster up to his knee and looked like he was have trouble breathing.
He said “Come here sweetheart! and give me a careful hug. I have a bit of bruising in the chest but I 'll be ok in couple of weeks.”
I had tears running down my cheeks and gave him a gentle hug and kissed him on his cheek and dripped tears on his face. He kissed me back and said, “Oh Carla when I saw you in the cab not moving with blood all through your blond hair I thought I had killed you.” That started Mummy Helen and Bella sniffling and looking for the box of tissues that are in all the hospital rooms.
After about half an hour Jan came back to take me back to my room three levels up. I said 'bye to Tony and Bella, and asked what Mummy was going to do now. She said, “I'll come up to your room with Helen in a while, I have to make some calls and arrangements for us to get home on the weekend.” I was only back in bed for five minutes when Rose walked into the room and said, “My God child what have you been up to? You certainly know how to keep everyone on their toes don't you?”
That did it. The dam broke and I just started to sob and couldn’t stop. Rose came and held me in her arms and stroked my hair careful not to touch the stitches, “Oh sweetheart I wasn't going mad at you. I think this has all been a bit too much for you hasn't it?”
Once I was calm she said, “Carla, I have some good news for you and your Mum. My colleagues have agreed to take on your case and when we get sorted I'll be in touch.”
I said “Does that mean I can stay being a girl?”
“Well, seeing I have never seen a boy when I talk with you, - I guess that is exactly what it means, but you have to be very patient because it will take a long time to achieve the end result.”
I said, “Me and Jean can live with that.”
“You are a funny little thing aren’t you? We are going to get on fine if you keep making me laugh every time you say something.”
Just then Mummy and Helen came into the room and could see my tear stained face through my smile. Helen hadn't met Rose but said, 'isn't she a delight to be around?'
Mummy said “Rose, this is Helen a good friend of ours. She was in the car with us yesterday. That is why her wrist is in bandages.”
Rose said “I know that you want to get back home Donna, but we should keep Carla in one more night to make sure there are no after affects of her concussion. She can check out in the morning and you can get Jim Ryan to remove the stitches in a week.
Doctor Rose San-Lee said 'bye' and left. Mummy and Helen stayed and talked about things that were going on back home and I was getting bored with their conversation when someone knocked at the open door. They're supposed to be private rooms but the doors are never closed. Any wonder Mary told me not to yell like I did when I woke up.
Anyway Mary came in and gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek and said “I’ve brought someone along for you to meet.” A shy girl was standing at the door she was about two years older than me, and she was quite pretty.
“Well come on Samantha, don't just stand there! Meet someone with the same problem as you."
The poor girl went bright red and gave me her hand and said, “Hello Carla. My Mum is a bit direct but she loves me and is helping me to be the person I need to be.”
I said, “Hi. I hope we can be friends and compare notes. I live a long way away so I can only see you when we come to Brisbane for my appointments with Rose.”
Samantha said “Well maybe we can see her at the same time as she's my doctor too.”
Mummy, Helen and Mary went to get themselves a cup of tea and left Sam and me to get know each other.
I said “I'm turning nine in June - how old are you?”
“I'll be eleven in September and next year the doctor said she is going give me something to stop me from going into boy puberty.”
“Well,” I replied “I hope she does that for me too because I can't even see anything in my little marble bag.”
We were still giggling when the ladies returned with sandwiches and soft drinks for us.
“Well it looks like we have two new girlfriends bonding doesn't it?” said Mary.
Well, all my visitors left, even Mummy as she went back to get our plane tickets for the trip home and said she would pick me up in the morning from the hospital to go straight to the airport.
Before she left I said “Are you coming to see me tonight before I have to go to sleep Mummy please?”
“Of course I will sweetheart, but I will go back to the hotel to pack up all the bags to put on the plane for our trip home.”
Mummy came back like she said she would, but only stayed for a short while and went back to pack our things.
Morning came and Mary was still there finishing her shift and came to say goodbye and said to stay in touch with her and Samantha and said we could talk by phone to stay in touch. Mummy turned up and said, “Ok girl, get your stuff and lets go.”
Mummy had brought my clothes to wear the previous night. It was my pink denim skirt with the red blouse and red sandals. I put a barrette on my head because that wouldn’t interfere with the stitches in the back of my head. Helen stayed with the cab while Mummy signed the discharge papers. Jan the nurse came with a wheelchair to take me down to to the cab.
I asked “Why the wheelchair?”
“Regulations dearie, just enjoy the ride ok?”
We got in the cab and arrived at the airport an hour before the flight was leaving for Charleville. Mummy said that Daddy would be there to pick us up and take us back to Quilpie and home.
To be continued
Next time two people that I don't really like are in Quilpie and going to make “trouble.”
Previously
Helen stayed with the cab while Mummy signed the discharge papers. Jan the nurse came with a wheelchair to take me down to the cab. I asked “Why the wheelchair?”
“Regulations dearie, just enjoy the ride,ok?”
We got into the cab and arrived at the airport an hour before the flight was to leave for Charleville. Mummy said that Daddy would be there to pick us up to take us back to Quilpie and home.
I slept during most of the flight to Charleville and didn't wake up till Mummy shook me awake to put my seat belt on for landing. I looked out of the small DC3 window to see the town of Charleville below and had a strange feeling that something was wrong - not with the plane, no - it was as if someone was going to cause trouble when we landed. I closed my eyes tightly and concentrated on Jean who was there immediately in my mind.
I asked her what was going to happen at the airport when we landed. I think I actually spoke out loud, so Mummy could hear my side of the conversation because she grabbed my hand and squeezed it gently and just listened to what I was saying. Jean said she would try to protect me from danger so not to worry.
I said “Yeah just like when the truck hit us in Brisbane hey?”
She said, “If I wasn’t there with you Carla you would be on this side with me now, so stop worrying. I'll be there to help you and Mummy too.”
We were about to land so I opened my eyes and Mummy said “What was that all about?”
I said, “Mummy be careful when we get of the plane and look for Daddy straight away. I think we might need him to stop someone from hurting us.”
“Carla, don't be silly who would want to hurt us in Charleville?”
“I don't know Mummy but Jean told me she was ready to help me if anything started to go wrong.
Helen was listening to our conversation and said “I think I know what it might be, Donna.”
Mummy said “Well you had better hurry up and tell me because we are about to get off the plane.”
Helen said “Just stay close to Carla till you can see Bill.”
We walked over to the building that was used as the airport terminal. It was really only a large shed converted into different areas for baggage, and counters for the buying of tickets. As we waited for the luggage to be unloaded from the plane and be brought into the baggage pick up area I spotted Daddy and Rita, with Ricky stand behind Rita.
All three came over to us and then all the hugging and kissing started.
“Wow” I said “Anyone would think we were gone for a whole year.”
Daddy said “Well, after your mother rang me and told me what happened when the taxi you were in got crushed by a large gravel truck I wondered if I would ever see any of you again.”
Rita said, “Good to have you back Sis, and look who came with us to pick you up.”
Ricky was busy still fussing about his Mum's bandaged wrist when I said, “Hey Rick what about me? I'm the walking wounded!”
Ricky quickly came over and hugged me so tight I could hardly breath. After I kissed him on the cheek he put me back down. I didn't realise just how strong boys are.
Ricky said “Gee Carla I'm so glad to have you back to talk to and hang out with.”
Daddy and Rick grabbed a trolley and loaded it up with the luggage and all our shopping that was done in Brisbane.
Rita said, “I hope there's some goodies in that lot for me?”
Mummy said, “Not a lot this time Rita, but your turn comes when Carla has her next appointment with Rose in a few weeks time.”
I said, “Don’t worry Sis, I got you some jewellery you'll like.”
As we were walking out Daddy was saying something to Mummy and Helen and they all had a serious look on their faces. I asked what the matter was and Daddy said, “James and your brother stayed at the caravan park last night and were asking where you were and someone obviously told them you'd be home today, but I think they might have come here as well, so stick close to me when we get to the car park.”
This is what Jean tried to warn me about before we landed and I quickly asked her in my mind, “Jean I think I might need you.”
She was in my mind and she said she was always there so don't worry. It was getting easy for me to communicate with her every day which is what she told me days before.
We got to the car park to a mini bus that Daddy owned and rented out to other people for school excursions and things. Every thing was loaded into the van and we were ready to climb in when.......
“Hey!! I want to talk to you.” The voice sent shivers down my spine as I looked around. It was James White my real dad walking up to Bill my adopted dad and I could see my brother follow close behind. I thought 'Oh no! This is going to get ugly.'
Me, Ricky, Mummy and Helen were all on one side of the van and Daddy was on the driver's side when James (I won't call him dad any more) and John walked right up to Daddy and gave him a shove into the side of the van. Well that did it. Daddy grabbed both of them by their shirts and sat them on the ground and stood with his fist closed and said, “Listen you pair of fucking dickheads. If either of you come anywhere near Donna, Rita, or Carla again I'll break your fuckin' legs do you hear me?
James got up slowly and said 'Carl is a boy” as he was looking at me in disgust.
Mummy said, “How would know or even care about your daughter? If you took me to Brisbane when you were supposed to when I was due we would have both twin girls with us now. Anyway you took off with that assistant cook, so you will get the divorce papers served as soon as my lawyer has them ready.
Just then John stood up and started to walk towards me with a clenched fist. I closed my eyes and thought 'This is it I’m about to die' when I heard a thump, - Ricky was sitting on top of my much bigger brother John and punching him in the face, saying “Carla's my best friend and no one is ever going to hurt her while I’m around especially a prick like you!!”
Someone must have called the police because I looked around and saw a policeman standing next to Daddy, and he said “Wow kid, you sure know how to protect your girlfriend here don't you?”
Helen said “That's my boy. You should see what would have happened if Peter my older son was here.”
The policeman said, “Yeah, well I better sort this out before someone gets really hurt.”
After about half an hour of claims and counter claims it seemed to fizzle out and James and brother John were told to leave or be arrested for assault, which did the trick. I didn't see them again till years later. It turned out James wanted half of Mummy's insurance money and he really didn't care about me or Rita. Anyway good riddance to bad rubbish.
After the policeman wrote a bit of stuff in his note pad, he asked Daddy what it was all about and if he wanted him to contact the police in Quilpie to keep an eye out for any trouble, but Daddy said he could handle any shit that that idiot could throw at him.
We all bundled into the van and Daddy drove to a service station to refill the tank and let everyone go to the toilet before the three hour trip home along the Diamantina Highway which was mostly gravel and dusty. Mummy sat next to Daddy and was chatting to him about what happened In the car park. Rita and Helen sat in the middle seat and me and Ricky were in back seat of the mini bus.
Ricky was holding my hand and said “I was going to kill that stupid brother of yours. I was so angry when I saw that he was going to hit you Carla.”
“Well I'm glad you took him by surprise because he is twice your size and would have really hurt you if he had the chance.”
Daddy pulled up at a small service station at a place called Cooladi which is the half way mark to Quilpie, and he said “Right Ladies and Gentlemen, toilet break and fuel top up and home.” Mummy took over the driving for the rest of the trip to give Daddy a break.
Me, Rita, and Ricky slept the rest of the way to Quilpie. It was six o'clock in the afternoon when Helen shook Ricky and me awake and said “Come on sleepy heads. Let's get my bags out of the back so these people can get home.”
Peter and his dad came out of the house to greet Helen and carry her things into their house. Pete gave her a hug and opened the back of van and said “Mum which lot is yours?”
She said, “Hang on son let me hug and kiss your dad first.”
Barry said “God woman, I’ve missed you.”
“Yeah and my cooking I bet” she replied.
Pete said “Mum which bags?”
“Ok - ok! My suitcase and the new red one that I bought to fill with all the clothes and shoes I got for you lot.
Barry said, “Is any money left in the bank account after this lot?”
“It's about time the moths of your wallet were let out, Barry,” Helen said with a laugh.
Ricky gave me one more hug for luck and said “See ya later girlfriend.”
I blushed and kissed him on the cheek. “You can bet on it.” I replied.
Rita said 'bye to Pete, and Daddy said “Come on you lot, the barbecue is waiting to be used. I am hungry enough to eat a horse.”
We arrived home ten minutes later and piled out of the van and lined up to go to the toilet. We left the unpacking of the van and helped Mummy in the kitchen to make a salad while Daddy lit up the barbecue to get it hot enough to cook the rump steaks. Rita and Mummy brought the salad and drinks out to the table on the verandah while I helped cook the steaks with Daddy.
Mummy said, ”You know Carla I think my cooking is better than any hotel ''food''. What you reckon kid?”
Rita and Daddy both said at the same time, “Hoy, what about us?”
“Me and Dad run the restaurant with Linda's help without any complaints.” said Rita.
“Speaking of the restaurant, who's running it tonight? It's Saturday and it will be busy.”said Mummy.
Daddy replied, “Linda helped Rita prepare a lot of food yesterday so the menu will be a bit different tonight - besides I hired a young sixteen year old aboriginal girl from the mission to give the kid some hope in life. She is a real nice kid and gets on with everyone really well.”
“I hope you don't mind Donna? The way the restaurant is performing you will need all the help you can get. Even the people from in town are coming to eat there.”
Mummy said “Bill sweetheart, what you did for that girl is exactly what I would have done. By the way, what's the girl's name and where is she going to stay?”
“Well at the moment she and her Mum are staying in one of my caravans. The girls father was
white and didn't come home from the war in Korea. He married her Mum before he left but he never saw his daughter, Donna!” and Daddy was starting to tear up.
Mummy went to him and while she held him said, “Bill darling, this is why I fell in love with you so quickly in the first place. You're such a softy — now tell me their names.”
Daddy said, “Greg Thomson was his name, a Sergeant in the army, her Mum is Jenny and the girls name is Alice,-- a pretty little thing with the race mix.
Rita said, “Yeah Mum she's a great help on the tables, and the customers really like her too.”
“Ok,” said Mummy “Meal time, showers and by that time it'll be almost time for bed.” As she said that she was looking at Daddy with a big grin on her face.”
Daddy waggled his eyebrows at her and said, “Honey you don't want to unpack the van first then?”
Well - it was an early night all round and tomorrow was another day.
It was Sunday morning and we were going to go to church because Daddy is Catholic and has always gone to church all his life, but more so after his son Paul committed suicide. We loved Daddy so it was not a problem to go to church with him. Besides Ricky and his family go to the same church.
Mummy had a shower early with Daddy of course. I wonder why Mummy always squeals in the shower!!! Never mind, don't answer that! Anyway they unpacked the van and all the stuff was put into one of the spare bedrooms to be sorted out when we got home from church.
Me and Rita had our shower "no squealing" and towels wrapped around us we ran back to the bedroom to get dressed. Being girls we said at the same time “What will I wear?” That's when the giggling started and every time we looked at each other it started us off again. We stopped when Mummy yelled “Come and get it.” We weren’t dressed so we grabbed the summer dressing gowns and and snuck into the kitchen and sat down hoping Mummy didn't notice that we weren’t dressed yet.
All of a sudden there was a loud bang right behind us and Rita and me jumped up almost falling of our chairs. Daddy had busted a balloon and thought it was funny and so did Mummy, I didn't get the joke,-- seeing I nearly pee'd my panties. Rita obviously did because she ran from the room saying 'bugger!!'.
Mummy said, “Right Bill it's seven o'clock now. If there are any more games we will not get to go to church this morning and it will be your fault.
“Aww Donna I was just having a bit of fun.”
“What time is the second service this morning Bill?”
“There’s none - it's in the afternoon at five o'clock.”
“Well that's when we will be going then, won't we?” said Mummy.
Daddy said, “The girls will never be ready to go this morning anyway,”
“Says the man unshaven in shorts and sweat shirt.” replied Mummy.
I said “What about the Smiths? Can I ring Ricky and tell him not to go to church till this afternoon?”
“Well Carla luv, I'll tell you what, seeing it's my fault we are running too late to go this morning. I'll ring Barry right now and ask him if they can hold off going till this afternoon as well.”
Just then, Rita walked in dressed in jeans and tan top and wearing flip flops on her feet, and said “I'm not going to church Dad. You made me jump and pee my pants.
Just as Daddy was about go to his office, Mummy walked back into the kitchen and said “Where do think your going?”
“To ring Barry about something”----
“Too late darling, I just talked to Helen. Church this afternoon. They are as bad as us this morning”
'Great' I thought 'I can have a lazy day' when Mummy said “Lets get breakfast over with and we can sort out the stuff we brought home from Brissi”
“Ok!! fashion show,” replied Rita.
Daddy got up and said “That's my cue to go and sort out some stuff with Henry at the garage.”
He gave us all a kiss on the top of the head and was just about to leave when Mummy said, “Hoy! You come back here a minute.”
Daddy walked over as Mummy stood up and said “I love you Bill” and gave him a really long passionate kiss while me and Rita both rolled our eyes and started giggling again.
Daddy walked out with a spring in his step and said “Back later girls.” It looks like he has accepted me and Rita as his daughters which makes me feel completely girly and I love every minute of it. As I've said before, there is no way that I’m a boy and never was.
“Right,” said Mummy “Lets clear this mess off the table and then we can get down to business.”
Rita was duly impressed with the quality of the clothes Mummy got at the the second-hand clothes shop and said “Mum I want to go there when we go to Brisbane - is it far from the hotel?”
Mummy replied, “No just a hop, skip, and a jump Rita. But I think we might have an invite to stay with Tony and Bella when we go to Brisbane again.”
Rita said,” Aww and how far is that from the shop?”
“Well actually it's closer than the hotel, because I wondered why Tony was always so quick to be there to pick us up when we rang him.”
“Oh wow, I must remember to take an extra bag when we go.”,said Rita.
“No Darling, we'll travel light next time and buy some new suitcases and fill them up with lots of goodies. We'll have to see if we can make a dent in that insurance money of mine.”
Mummy then said that it was really only going to cost her for travel and accommodation when we went to Brisbane because Doctor Rose San-Lee's bills were covered by the study thingy.
Anyway, after I showed Rita all my new stuff she went through the things I got for her when we were shopping at the big department store before I had to go and see Rose.
She hugged me and said "Thanks Sis. I'm glad you're my little sister. I hope that doctor in Brisbane can make sure you stay that way.”
“Well,”I said, “If she can't than I would rather be with Jean.”
“Don't say that Carla - you're starting to freak me out with that stuff.”
“Don't worry Sis, Jean is right here with me and can hear every thing that is being said.”
Rita said “I wish I could communicate with her too, because I’m her sister too you know.”
I replied “When it is all quiet tonight before we go to sleep, why don't we both concentrate and see what happens when we hug real tight? It might work.
Mummy said “Ok girls, seeing we've got a few hours before we have to get ready to go to church, lets clean this place up.
“Yes Mummy” we both said with a sigh.
To be continued
Next time: The Priest wants to speak with me and Mummy in private.
Footnote.--- I would like to dedicate this story in memory of my dear older sister Rita (her real name) who passed away eighteen months ago while I held her hand. She supported me till the day she died. Rita I miss you so.
Please leave a comment.
Previously:
Rita hugged me and said. “Thanks Sis. I'm glad your my little sister. I hope that the doctor in Brisbane can make sure you stay that way.”
“Well”I said, “If she can't then I would rather be with Jean.”
“Don't say that Carla —you're freaking me out with that stuff.”
“Don't worry Sis. Jean is right here with me and can hear everything that is being said.”
Rita said “I wish I could communicate with her too -- I'm her sister too you know.”
I replied “When it is all quiet tonight before we go to sleep, why don't we both concentrate and see what happens when we hug real tight? It might work.”
Mummy said “Ok girls, seeing we have got a few hours before we have to get ready to go to church, lets clean this place up.”
“Yes Mummy.” we both said with a sigh.
We had to be at the church at five, and it was three pm already so Mummy said, “You girls had better start thinking about what you're going to wear to church, because I don't want the same silly drama we had this morning, Ok?”
We both replied “Yeeees Mummy.”
“Don't you mock me you little monkeys!!!”
“Sorry Mummy.” we said as we ran out of the kitchen to our bedroom and looked for some things
to wear.
I said “We had better have a shower now, before Daddy comes home so he can make Mummy
squeal again.”
“Yeah they like being in the nuddie don't they?”replied Rita.
I said, “They really love each other don't they?”
Rita said “Mum deserves to be happy after everything that she has been through and Bill is a really nice man.”
“Do you think they will get married?” I said.
“Can't 'till Mum gets a divorce can they?”Rita replied. “Anyway Dad might not want to. Hey!”
Mummy was standing at the door and said, “Already did last night!
“Oh Mummy you said 'yes' didn't you?” I squealed.
Just then Daddy came from behind the door and put his arm around Mummy and said, “Donna!! what was your answer again?”
Mummy said “What do you reckon girls? Should we make him your real Daddy for keeps?”
“Oohhhh yes please!” we said.
“Well as soon as I can get the divorce papers signed by you know who, we will set a date.” she replied.
“Mum!” said Rita, “How will they find James to get him to sign anything? He and John could be anywhere!”
Daddy said “Oh! they'll find him alright. The copper in Charleville got all the details we need to track them down.”
Then Mummy said, “As soon as I ring the lawyer in Charleville tomorrow morning I 'll tell him to get cracking with the legal papers and then it won't take too long to get things organised.”
Rita and me looked at each and said in unison “What will we wear to the wedding?”
.
Mummy said “Listen you two - what about finding something to wear to church today and worry about the wedding later?”
By this time we only had three quarters of an hour to get ready for church, so Mummy chose what we were going to wear and said “You’ve got ten minutes so hurry up,- if you don't want me to get mad.”
“Yes Mum,” Rita replied, and looked at me and said “Wedding —YEEES!!”
I was nearly falling over trying to put my pink denim skirt on and had to slow down. I was so exited about Mummy and Daddy going to get married.
I thought, ''Bridesmaid, Shopping, Brisbane.'' when Rita said. “Lets go Carla. Mummy is in the car waiting.”
I said, “Aren’t we walking?“
“No Carla, too late for that. Hurry up.” replied Rita.
We arrived in plenty of time and I said, “What’s the rush? People are even later than us.”
The service this afternoon was not a mass but a special service that Brian would probably be in trouble for with the his boss the Bishop and could even be sacked. Brian was a bit of a a rebel and eventually left the priesthood to go back to being a lawyer.
Mummy looked at me and said “You're not going to be late for my wedding I hope?”
I said, “Nah! I'm goin' to be in the wedding party so I can't be late can I?”
Mummy and Daddy laughed at that and said “Bridesmaid eh?”
Rita said “Make that a double!”
Daddy said “What scotch?” and laughed at his own joke.
I didn't get the joke. What has Scotland got to do with what Rita said I wondered.
“Alright, time to go into the church” said Mummy.
“I can't see Ricky anywhere!”
“I expect they are inside already.” replied Mummy.
We went into the church and found the Smith family sitting in the same place as the last time we were at church. It looked like people had left the pew behind them empty so we could sit there. ''Strange or what?”
The priest entered from the presbytery and went straight to the pulpit to greet the congregation and delivered his sermon, and we stood and sat at the appropriate times. Only Daddy was Catholic. We are Lutheran and only went to church when we were on holidays or away from River Downs. But the School of the Air had religious lessons once a week if you wanted to join in, which I did because I believe in God and Jesus and all that stuff, 'and Angels'' — like Jean. Did I tell you I'm heavily into Angels?
Anyway after an hour of sitting, standing, and singing hymns, we all looked around at each other and said “Peace be with you.” and shook the hand of the person next to us, It felt really nice being part of all this I thought to myself.
When we filed out of the front of the church where Father Brian Allsen was talking to Helen, he said,
“G'day I'm Farther Allsen,” looking at Mummy, “but everyone just calls me Brian” he said with a big smile on his kind face. Helen said “Brian, this Donna White and her two daughters Rita and Carla and of course you know Bill.”
Father Allsen shook Mummy's hand and said, “I've heard Bill rave about you and your pretty daughters and I can see what he was on about, now that I have finally met you Donna. May I call you Donna?” he asked.
Before Mummy could answer Daddy said “Brian I call her sweetheart-- but you can call her Donna.” while he was looking at Mummy with a sheepish grin.
I’ve never seen Mummy blush before but she did this time and then she gave Daddy hug and said, “Bill your embarrassing Brian.”
''Nah. Takes more than that to embarrass our good priest.” Daddy replied.
Anyway, by this time Ricky and Peter were grabbing Rita's and my hand to go out the back to the games shed. When Barry, Pete's and Ricky's Dad said, “Um boys. I think Father Allsen might want to talk to Carla's Mum--so we might get going and leave them to it.
Ricky said, “But Dad, I told Carla I would play a game of darts with her after church” in a whiny type of voice.
Rita and Peter were already around the corner of the church and making their way to the games shed, when Daddy said, “Let 'em go and have some fun Barry! I'll drop Peter and Ricky home when Brian is finished talking with Donna and Carla.”
Daddy said “Let's go Rick and see if we can whip the backside off those two.
Helen said to Mummy “How about having tea at our place when you bring the the boys home?
Mummy said, “OK. Thanks Helen, that sounds great. We'll see you shortly then.”
“Right Donna and Carla, lets go into the presbytery office and have a talk shall we?” said Brian.
Mummy said “What is this all about Brian?”
“Well.” he replied “Bill has been worried about you not being Catholic and is not sure if you will want to marry in a Catholic church.”
Mummy said, “I love Bill and will marry him anywhere he wants me to, Brian.”
“Ok Donna, so what are you doing about divorcing your present husband?”
Mummy said, “Look I know you and Bill are mates, but that does not concern you till the time comes for me to make the arrangements for our wedding. I didn't think the church would marry a divorcee in any case so it's irrelevant is it not?”
Brian replied, “Well that's not quite right. The church has dispensations in these cases or we would soon have no one left in the congregation.”
Mummy then said, “Well Brian you had better get it sorted out with Bill because my divorce will be going through pretty quickly after what happened in Charleville.”
Brian said “Yes, Bill rang me this morning to fill me in and told me how he felt about you and the girls.” He continued, “When he lost Ann his whole world came tumbling down around him,and for the last two years he was a very sad man.”
Mummy said “Brian, I've tried to talk to him about Ann but it seems to upset him and I usually change the subject to make him feel better.”
Brian replied, “Donna, after he met you and your girls he came out of his depression almost the next day, because he came and told me he had met this special lady with two kids. But he wasn't quite sure whether one was a boy or a tom-boy because the young one was dressed in boys clothes; And after you said where you were from he phoned River Downs to ask Tom Granger about the repairs to the Land Rover that you said Tom had loaned you.
Seeing it was me he was talking about I said, “Excuse me I'm not a tom-boy — I'm a girl with a birth defect.”
At this stage I was already in tears, when Mummy said, “Brian what does this have to do with you or the church for that matter? I think this conversation is over! Come on Carla, lets find the others and get out of here”.
“Donna wait! You don't understand.”
“I understand perfectly well.” replied Mummy. We left Brian standing in his office with his mouth open.
Mummy was angry that he was talking about me and thought he had no right to mention anything about me at all. Anyway as we were walking out of the presbytery Daddy, Rita, Pete, and Ricky were coming to look for us. As soon as Daddy saw my tear stained face he looked at Mummy and said “What on earth happened in there?”.
Mummy said “Bill you had no right to tell a priest anything about Carla and I'm not very happy about it. Look what it's done to her? She is really upset. Now take the boys and us home please.”.
Mummy doesn't get angry very often but when she does there's no talking to her.
Daddy said, “No hang on just a minute Donna! I'm going to sort this out right now.” and he went to talk to Brian.
I thought 'this could get ugly' so I followed him and said “Daddy, please lets just go. It's ok. I don't want to cause Mummy and you to have a fight.” and started crying again, "I'm allowed cause I'm a girl."
Just then Brian came down the path and stopped dead in his tracks because he could see Daddy was angry with him. Brian held both his hands up and said, “I'm sorry Bill. I didn't mean to upset anyone, least of all Carla.”
Daddy replied, “You did a real good job of that didn't you Brian?”
Brian said “I tried to explain that I haven’t got a problem with Carla when Donna thought I was having a go at her about being a tomboy. Donna misunderstood me completely and got quite angry and left to find you.”
“Right,” said Daddy, “I want to sort this out right now because I love Donna and her two girls far too much to let the church interfere with my plans for our future.”
While all this was going on Rita and the boys backed away a little bit; because I don't think they really knew what had happened to upset me and Mummy.
Mummy grabbed Daddy's hand and said “Bill, I might have been a bit hasty and not given Brian a chance to explain what he was trying to say, because anything to do with Carla's little problem is off limits to anyone but family and her doctors.”
“Well,” Brian said before Daddy could say anything; “When you lost your son Paul I was there for you as well as when we buried Ann; so why would I not be right behind you when I can see how happy you have been the last few weeks with your new adopted family?”
“Ok, I was a little bit hasty, but Brian you made Carla cry, and when that happened I got angry. She is going to have enough to cope with as it is.”
Brian said “Look Donna, I have known Bill for a very long time. In fact we grew up together, so you can trust me completely with anything concerning Carla. I will help in any way I can legally or spiritually because before I became a priest; I was a lawyer and still handle all the legal stuff for this church.
Well after a while all was forgiven and it was smiles all round; so we said 'bye to Brian.
Mummy even gave him a hug and said “We need to talk more Brian If I 'm going to let you marry me and Bill.”
Brian said “Any time you're ready Donna, and you too Carla” and he came and gave me a hug as well.
“Right, that's sorted. Lets go and see what these lads' Mum has cooked for us.” So we all got into Daddy's car and went to the Smith's for Sunday dinner. Ricky was holding my hand all the way to his house but didn't say anything. Rita was in the front and dropped her hand behind the seat and held Peter's hand.
Mummy and Daddy looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders and smiled and said “Young love.”
Daddy parked the car, and we all stopped holding hands long enough to go inside the Smith residence for tea. Helen had a roast chicken and baked vegetables all ready to dish up; so we all sat down at the dining room table.
Barry asked what took so long at the church, Daddy replied, “There was a bit of a misunderstanding about Carla's medical condition, but it's all sorted now.”
Mummy said “Yeah, I got a bit annoyed about Brian not being careful how he mentioned Carla being a tom-boy, because Carla was crying at that point.
“Mum” said Peter, “I thought Uncle Bill was going to snot Father Allsen before things quietened down.”
Helen replied “That would have been unfortunate wouldn't it Bill?”
Daddy said, “Yeah, but my girls are not to be messed with as anyone will find out.”
Barry said, “But Brian and you are mates from way back. You wouldn't have hit a priest would you Bill?”
Before Daddy could reply Mummy said, “Most of what happened was my fault and I feel just awful that Bill might have gone that far.”.
Helen lightened the mood and said, “Ok guys let's hit the food instead of people.”
The conversion then went to Mummy and Daddy getting married in the Catholic church; and how long it would take to sort out all the paperwork for that to happen.
Seeing it was work time tomorrow morning we didn't stay too late and got home by eight o'clock. I had to do my school work so Mummy got all my lessons sorted for the next week; and said I had better get on the radio in the morning to get some help from the School of the Air as well. Daddy was going to sort out stuff for the garage, so he would be gone before we even got up in the morning. Mummy and Rita were going into the restaurant and sort out the menu for tomorrow night and start preparing food; It wouldn't be as hard for Mummy now that Linda and Alice were there to help out.
By nine o'clock we were all ready for bed so Mummy and Daddy said good night and disappeared into their bedroom. I thought Daddy might be grovelling a bit that night if he wanted lots of hugs!!.
Rita said, “Carla! Tomorrow when you have finished your school work, get the bike out and ride down to the restaurant and meet Alice. You will like her.”
I replied, “Yeah, I want to go for a ride on my bike anyway; it's been sitting in the shed since the mail truck brought both our bikes back from River Downs.
“Yeah I know,” said Rita “I want to do some riding as well and lose some of this waist; or Pete won't want to be my boyfriend any more.”
I replied, “Yeah but don't lose any off your tits, because that's what he looks at most of the time you know!”
Rita said, “Go to sleep Carla, you're only jealous!”
“Yeah you bet.” I replied. We both had a giggling fit and went to sleep.
I was dreaming about being a bridesmaid at Mummy’s wedding when Jean decided to talk to me. She hadn't been communicating with me since the incident at the airport in Charleville. She seemed to be sitting on my bed and was still wearing that beautiful gown.
She said with a clear voice that sounded just like mine “Carla, I want you to concentrate on Rita to see if I can talk with her through you.” As this was happening I woke up but kept my eyes closed and kept thinking as hard as I could to just see Rita in my mind without opening my eyes.
I don't remember anything after that; because the next thing I knew it was morning and Rita was shaking me and, she was trembling just like I used to when Jean first started to communicate with me.
I quickly hugged her and held on to her and said “I know Rita! Jean was in your dream wasn't she?”
All she could say was “Wow she looks just like you and was wearing the most beautiful gown I have ever seen and; she said in my mind “Hello Rita” and then she just faded; that's when when I woke up with the shakes and thought I had better wake you up to see if you saw her too”
“I saw her before she appeared to you in your dream and she asked me to concentrate on you as hard as I could. It must have worked because if that’s the first time she appeared to you in a dream; it will get stronger every time it happens.” I said, “Wait till you can actually hear her talking Rita. That will freak you out because she sounds just like me.”
Rita said “I sort of heard her in my mind but not her voice.”
I said “You will in time.”
It was time to get up have a shower and start a new week.
To be continued
Next time I meet Alice at the restaurant and the three school girls at the park.
Previously
All she could say was “Wow she looks just like you and was wearing the most beautiful gown I have ever seen, and she said in my mind, ''Hello Rita'' and then she just faded away. That's when I woke up with the shakes and thought I had better wake you up and see if you had see her too.”
“I saw her before she appeared to you in your dream; It will get stronger every time it happens.” I said, “Wait till you can actually hear her talking Rita, because that will freak you out! She sounds just like me.”
Rita said, “I sort of heard her in my mind, but not her voice.”
I said “You will in time.”
It was time to have a shower and start a new week.
It was only six thirty, and we decided to quickly have have a shower, get dressed, and make a cooked breakfast and surprise Mummy and Daddy with breakfast in bed.
Rita said, “Carla you go and start the shower and I'll get our clothes ready and I'll come and join you in a minute.”
I 'scarped' down and got into the shower. Rita was there five minutes later with nothing but a towel wrapped around her. She dropped the towel and stepped into the shower with me, so I soaped up her back and gave her a rub with a bath sponge.
She said “I wish Peter was doing that, it feels really nice.”
“Yeah well it's only me.”I replied, and I began to tickle her on the back of her neck.
She turned around and started to do the same to me. Well! I am ''super ticklish'' and once I start laughing I usually end up with the hiccups, but she stopped pretty quick when I started to make a lot of noise because we didn't want to wake up Mummy and Daddy till we had breakfast ready. We finished in the bathroom and wrapped towels around us and ran back to our bedroom to get dressed.
I wore my pink denim skirt and the white puffy sleeved blouse that had red roses embroidered onto it. I had a pair of pink thongs on my feet; and brushed out my hair which was getting so long that Mummy said it would have to have a trim and tidy up very soon. I put a red barrette in it to hold the hair out of my face. Rita put on a pair of jeans and a blue polo shirt with the Restaurant logo sewed onto the pocket. It read 'Donna's Carvery'.
I said “When did you get that!!and do I get one too?”
Rita said “Carla why do you want one? I don’t think it is legal to have someone as young as you are working in a restaurant in any case.”
“I can do stuff.” I said with a pout.
Rita said, “I know you can Sis, but I don't think Mummy will let you actually work in the restaurant apart from after hours.”
Before I could whine any more Rita said “Look we'll talk to Mum about it later alright? Come on we had better get this breakfast cooked before they wake up.”
Rita finished getting dressed and we went to the kitchen and got out the ingredients for a full English breakfast with all the trimmings, beef sausages, eggs, bacon, and fried tomatoes with a piece of toast on the side. Also a pot of tea and cream and milk on a separate tray. We put it all on a tea trolley on wheels.
Before we went to serve it to Mummy and Daddy, we put on some rolled oats to boil up for me and Rita to make porridge with cream and strawberries. 'Yummy!' it's our favourite. This was all done on the big old coke burning stove that never went out; it just got stirred up every four or five hours.
Anyway that done, so off we went with the trolley loaded up with all the goodies. We didn't knock on the door of their bedroom but opened it very gently and pushed the trolley up close to to bed and started to sing very softly the song "Oh what a beautiful morning." I think that they were already awake but pretended to be asleep, because they had a smile on their faces and I don't think you can smile when you're asleep can you?
Mummy and Daddy both sat up and said, “Come here you two and give us both a great big hug.”
Daddy said, “And people asked me why I would adopt a ready made family like you lot.” and had damp eyes as he said it.
Mummy said “Alright you two what are you to up to or shouldn't I ask?”
Both me and Rita said in unison “Mummy, Daddy, 'wedding'?”
“What's that got to do with this lovely breakfast you bestowed on us?” replied Mummy. “You two will be the first to know when all the paper work is sorted out and completed, so stop stressing out Ok?”
Daddy said, “God I love my three girls. I never thought I would ever be this happy again.” He looked at Mummy and said, “Donna sweetheart, I love you.” and gave her a passionate kiss on the lips.
Rita said, “Get a room you two.” and we ran out of the room with two pillows following us as we had a fit of the giggles.
We got back to the kitchen just in time to stop the porridge from boiling over the top of the saucepan, so while Rita got the saucepan off the stove I got the strawberries and cream out of the fridge and cut up the strawberries to put on top of the porridge once the milk and cream was added. We were chatting away when Mummy came into the kitchen with the trolley and put all the dirty things into the sink to be washed up by me and Rita “of course'' what else? But we don't mind helping Mummy, she does so much for Rita and me.
Mummy said she was going to have a shower and get ready to go to work with Rita at the restaurant. Daddy was already in the shower when we heard Mummy get in with him and of course we were waiting for the normal squealing to start, but Daddy must be behaving himself this morning as there was no tickling going on. We cleaned up the kitchen and Rita got her stuff ready to go with Mummy and Daddy. I settled down in my school work room. It was all set up with a desk and the two way radio so I could talk to the teachers at the School of the Air if I needed help with the work that Mummy had set out for me to do for the day. I would be so glad to be able to attend a regular school the following year or sooner if I could pressure Mummy into it. There were two schools in town, the Catholic one and the state school. Ricky went to the state school because his dad was the principal there, but I thought the following year Helen wanted to send Ricky to the Catholic school and leave Peter at the state school or send him to a Brisbane boarding school. Rita wouldn't like that at all; because they were all lovey dovey when they were together.
They all went off, leaving me by myself and the kelpie dingo cross. She was a really quiet dog. and Daddy got her about ten years previously as a pup from a truck driver that had two pups given to him by a station owner. So Daddy ended up with a pup that he named Ginger because of her colouring. Me and Ginger got on really well because I used to let her come inside the house, and she wasn’t supposed be inside. She would just lay down beside me in my school work room and just look at me with those sad brown eyes. Did I tell you my eyes are brown?
I had to get on the radio to ask some questions about a maths problem that I couldn't understand. I switched on the the radio and pressed the button on the mike and said “This is Carla in Quilpie. Do you receive me? Over.” There was a bit of crackling, and then Mrs Dickson answered and said, “Good morning Carla It's nice to hear your voice again. I've missed talking with you, What can I do for you this morning?”--- “Over”.
I replied “I have a problem with some maths Mummy wants me to do and I didn't want to disturb her at the restaurant. Over.”
After that was sorted that out we spoke for another ten minutes, and I brought her up to date on everything that had happened since we left left River Downs, a two hundred and fifty thousand acre sheep station. (I made a mistake and said it was fifty thousand acres in my first chapter. --Well I hate maths!)
I was finished with my lessons for the day and it was close to lunch time, so I packed all my school stuff up on the desk for tomorrow and was about to go to the kitchen when Daddy walked into the room. He had come to get some paperwork for the garage that Henry needed. Oh no me and Ginger were busted. Of course the first thing I did was start to cry, and Ginger came and licked my hand.
Daddy being the soft Jellybean that he is put his arm around me and said “What am I going to do with you Carla?”
I replied in between sobs, “I'm sorry Daddy. Ginger looks so lonely when she is out in the yard and she just lays at my feet when I let her inside.”
Well, Daddy can't stand it when I cry so he said, “Ok brown eyes dry those tears, She can be inside when you're inside but not when there’s nobody in the house ok?”
I said, “Yes Daddy! thank you. You're the best Daddy I've ever had.”
Daddy walked away saying something to himself that sounded like 'I must be going soft in the head, that kid has just conned me I think.'
I asked Daddy if I could make him some lunch before he had to go back to work. And he said “Well Carla if your offering, yeah thanks.” I got some eggs and sausages out of the fridge to make lunch for us both. I also gave Ginger a sausage on an old plate. Daddy just smiled and said, “Carla I’m glad your going to be my daughter. You make me happy just to be around you.”
We had lunch and Daddy went back to work, so I decided to take Ginger for a run on a long lead riding my bike. The bike is a Malvern Star and it has three gears in the hub and hand brakes. It is a twenty six inch girls bike. Rita's bike is a twenty eight inch which is too big for me.
Ginger loved running behind me, but I made sure I wasn't going too fast for her to keep up. It took twenty minutes to get to the restaurant and by this time Ginger was panting, so I got her some water in a bucket and tied her up under the tree beside the shop.
I opened the door and announced myself and said, “G'day everybody I’m here.”
Rita replied “Out in the kitchen Carla.”
There were no customers at the counter, but there was a two way mirror between the kitchen and the Restaurant so they could see if anyone was there to be served.
I walked through to the kitchen and Mummy, Rita and Linda were all chopping up food for tonight’s menu for the evening meal. The kitchen part closed at eight pm. Most people that came to eat at the restaurant were happy to be able to have meals served from six pm. It meant Mummy could put some food in sealed containers to bring home for me to heat up for my supper. because Rita and Mummy wouldn't be home till after nine pm at night and they would eat before they came home. Sometimes Daddy would come home early but not always. It would depend on how busy the restaurant was on the night.
I said, “Ok, where is Alice?”
“She'll be back in a minute. I sent her down to the shop to get me some more flour.” replied Mummy. Just as she said that, in walked this very pretty girl with light brown skin and hair tied in a long ponytail with a white ribbon to hold it there. She was only a bit taller than me but had a perfect figure. She was wearing the same clothes as Rita with the logo of the restaurant on the pocket.
She gave Mummy the flour and came over to me and said, “G'day Carla. Wow! You are as pretty as they said you were.” Then she gave me a great big hug. I think I’m going to like her.
Mummy said, “You had better take Ginger home before Daddy sees her tied up out there all by herself Carla.”
“It’s alright Mummy, Daddy already knows I’ve taken her out for a run to get her weight down a bit.”
“Yes Carla you have been over-feeding her.” replied Mummy.
I said “Yeah and Daddy is letting me have her inside the house too.”
“Carla you haven't been wrapping Bill around your little finger again have you?”
“No Mummy” I said rolling my eyes.
Alice looked at me and giggled.
Mummy said to Alice “See? I told you she is a little monkey.”
Alice said “Mrs White, I like Carla she is really cute.”
Mummy said “Yeah I suppose so.”
I went before I outstayed my welcome and untied Ginger and started to ride home. It was just after three pm so the school kids were already starting to walk home from school. As I was riding my bike past the state school I was looking out to see if I could see Ricky, but I think he was playing football. He wouldn't be out for awhile so I kept going.
As I got to the park just down the road from the school, I saw the three girls that I met a couple of weeks ago, and I pulled in to give Ginger another drink of water. I got off my bike and walked over to where the girls were sitting on a bench talking about their home work and said, “Hi girls remember me? I met you a couple of weeks ago outside your school.”
“G'day” said the girl named Jenny, “Yeah we remember you. You're the girl that doesn’t go to school aren’t you?”
I replied, “ Well I do sort of go to school at home and on the two way radio, but I hope to be at a proper school at the beginning of the new year.”
“Gee” said Brenda, “that would be great wouldn't it?” to the other girl named June.
June replied, “Wouldn’t you get lonely not being able to gossip and talk to other girls?”
I said, “Um no. I am used to that because there were no other kids except my older sister to talk to on the sheep station we came from.”
I was thinking to myself 'What if these girls found out about my little plumbing problem, but my willy is that small that it is really not a problem to just tuck it up; and there is not even a bulge to see as long as I don’t take my panties off nobody will know. I hope that the doctors can do something about it not getting any bigger, or I will have to do something about it myself.'
I said 'bye to the girls and made my way home with Ginger running behind me without the lead on. We got home and she laid down on the verandah all puffed out. I decide to have some food now. It was only five pm, but I was hungry after riding my bike and besides there was plenty of food in the fridge to be heated up. I chose the spaghetti bolognese it is my favourite that Mummy makes. I put it on the stove to heat up.
I had just finished eating when the phone rang. I picked it up and said “Bill Croft's residence.”
It was Ricky and he said, “Carla, is that you?”
I replied, “Yeah it's me Ricky, what's up?”
I was told that you were on your bike with with your dog Ginger going past the school. You should have come down to the footy field and watched me play a game of footy against the Catholic school football team .
“Well I didn't know that the football ground was behind the school. Anyway how was your day?” I asked.
Ricky replied, “It would have been better if I could have talked to you for a bit Carla.”
I said “Ricky, you know about my little problem. Are you sure you want me to be your girlfriend?”
Ricky replied, “Carla! Dad explained everything to me and Peter and said that it is a medical problem, and it will get sorted out in time and that you are definitely a girl -- so yeah of course you are my girlfriend, unless you don’t want to be?”
I replied “Mummy said we are a bit too young to be any more then good friends, but what does she know?”
“Yeah my Mum said the same thing.” said Ricky.
Anyway we talked for about half an hour and hung up. Just then Mummy, Daddy, and Rita came into the kitchen and and Daddy called out “Carla we are home. Put the kettle on luv.”
I came out of the office and went to fill the kettle with water, when Mummy said, “You have been talking to Ricky haven't you sweetheart?”
“Um yes Mummy, but he rang me and just wanted to talk.”
“Look that's fine Carla. He is a nice boy, but friends only ok?” said Mummy.
“Yes Mummy I know, and he knows all about my little problem and still wants to be my friend.”
Rita was tired and said she was going to bed, get an early night and read a bit, and she'd see us in the morning. We said goodnight and she was gone. This was my chance to ask Mummy about going to the state school next term, because I have made friends with three girls and they asked me when I was coming to their school.
“Oh Carla that reminds me, Doctor Jim Ryan rang me today and he wants you to come and see him tomorrow at ten o'clock to ask you some questions for Rose in Brisbane and do a physical examination. Don't worry sweetheart, I'll be there with you.”
I said “Mummy you didn't answer me about my question about going to school next term.”
“Carla we will have to sort out a few more of your appointments in Brisbane, and it will make it easier if you are home schooled till that gets sorted out a bit more ok?”
Yes Mummy I didn't think of that” I replied. I said good night to Mummy and Daddy and went to bed next to a sleeping Rita. It didn't take me long to go to sleep. but I woke up to someone calling my name, and thought it at first it must have been Rita trying to wake me to get up, but when I looked at the clock beside our bed; it said it was four am in the morning. It was Jean who was calling me, and I closed my eyes and in my mind saw her sitting on my bed as she had done before.
She said “Carla open your eyes and you will see me.”
I said in a whisper so I didn't wake Rita up, “Jean I can see you and hear you as though you are solid.
She said “Carla I am in a different dimension to you. You can hear and see me but you can not touch me because I am an illusion. I am real only on the other side.”
I asked “Are you always there when I need you Jean?”
She replied “I am with you till you are old and grey and come to me when your time comes.”
Rita was awake by this time and was listening to a one side conversation, and said “Wow Carla is she going to come and talk to me again too?” Jean seemed to fade when Rita started to talk.
I said, “I don't know Rita, but she seems to be getting more clear every time she communicates with me. Maybe it will happen like that with you too.”
Later that morning me and Mummy went to see Doctor Ryan, and he asked me all sorts of questions about what I feel about girls and boys and about my twin sister Jean and how I can see and hear her, and he then said that I was very lucky to have Rose as my doctor in Brisbane because she has helped a few girls like me to become complete. Dr Ryan then spoke with Mummy about when my next trip to Brisbane was, and he would ring Mummy as soon as he found out.
Mummy took me home so she could go to work, but when we got back to the house there was a new car in the driveway that I did not recognise.
Mummy got out of the car and said “You stay in the car Carla, till I see who it is.”
I thought, 'Oh no, it couldn't be James and John come to hurt Mummy.' and started to panic.
Then Mummy sang out “Carla come and see who is here to see you.”
To be continued.
Next time: Visitors, another trip to Brisbane, and my ninth Birthday.
Previously:
Dr Ryan then spoke with Mummy about when my next trip to Brisbane is going to be and he will ring Mummy as soon as he finds out.
Mummy then took me home so she could go to work, but when we got back to the house there was a new car in the driveway that I did not recognise. Mummy got out of the car and said, “You stay in the car Carla till I see who it is.”
I thought 'Oh no! It couldn't be James and John to hurt Mummy.' and I started to panic.
Then Mummy sang out, “ Carla come and see who is here to see you.”
I jumped out of the the car and ran up to the house and nearly tripped going up the steps. When I reached the front door I got a real surprise to see Tony and Bella sitting in the lounge room. I raced over to Tony and jumped onto his lap and made him wince when I hit his leg which was still in plaster from the accident with his taxi. While I was still sitting on Tony's lap, Bella gave me a hug as well as she could, and we ended in a three way hug. I of course started to crying I was that emotional.
Tony said, “Hey little one, calm down and dry those big brown eyes. We are here for a whole week to spend some time with you and your Mum, and Bill who we met at the service station this morning. We stayed at the caravan park last night but we were too tired to go and eat at the restaurant, so we pretty much went to bed after we had a cup of tea.”
Bella said, “Your Daddy told us how to get here and make ourselves at home.” Just as she said that I heard the toilet door close and said “Is Daddy home too?” Mummy said “No, not that I know of, I wonder who it is?” She had just finished saying that, when in walked Samantha the daughter of Mary, my nurse at the hospital after the car accident.
I very nearly fell off Tony's lap and squealed in delight when I saw who it was.
Samantha said, “Tony rang Mum and asked if I wanted to come with them to visit you as well, and she said 'Yes as long as it was only for a week I could', so here I am.”
''By the way Sam is TG like me'' I said “Wow, what a surprise! Mummy, can they stay here? We have two spare bedrooms.”
“Yes of course they can. You can sort the rooms out with Sam after lunch, and Tony can collect their things from the caravan park and bring them back here.”
Tony said “That's quite a trip from Charleville to Quilpie isn't it Donna?”
“Well it is when you have just had a three hour flight from Brisbane.” replied Mummy.
Bella said “I'm dying to meet Rita, Carla.”
I said “Mummy, can she come home early from work this afternoon?”
“Well I have to go back for a while to sort out the food for tonight’s menu, but I think that Linda and Alice can cope. It's not that busy on Tuesday nights anyway.”
Bella said “Donna, do you mind if I come with you? I would like to have a look at your restaurant?”
Mummy said “How would you like to come and work for me Bella, and leave that overcrowded city you live in?”
Tony said, “That can be arranged Bella. I’ve been waiting for an excuse to slow down and do something different for a while now.”
Bella said, “Do I have a say in that Tony dear?”
Mummy and Bella left, and I said, “Tony would you like a beer and sit out on the verandah?”
He replied, “I'll hobble out to the car and go back to pick up our gear at the caravan park, and then you can offer me that beer again when I get back sweetheart.”
“Ok Uncle Tony” I replied.
Tony said, “Carla that sounds really nice, and I feel privileged to have you call me and Bella, aunt and uncle.” He got in his hire car and went to pick up their gear from the caravan park.
Sam gave me another hug and said “This is great Carla! We can really get to know each other and talk about our little problem without any worries about someone freaking out. “
“I'll be coming down to Brisbane in the next couple of weeks, I would imagine because Mummy and me have just come back from seeing Dr Ryan this morning, and he poked and prodded me and asked a lot of question about what I thought about boys and girls. I don’t know what that has got to do with me being a girl.”
Sam said “Yeah I know what you mean, Rose does the same thing.”
I said, “Do you have to take any medicine at all? Because Dr Ryan told Mummy that I would not need anything yet for a couple of years.
Sam replied, “Yep I have to take two pills a day to stop my thingy from becoming any bigger.”
We both got the giggles and had to sit on the bed or we would have fallen over.
Sam said, “Wow, this is a big house isn't it?”
I replied, “Yeah, it it is the original homestead that the town was built around. Wait till you meet Rita, you’ll just love her. We are very close and tell each other everything.”
Sam said “Where am I going to sleep Carla?”
I replied, “We'll get a bed out of one of the other bedrooms that are not being used and bring it in here. I think it should fit ok. Tony and Bella are going to sleep next to Mummy and Daddy’s room.
Sam said, “Just how many bedrooms has this mansion got?”
So me and Sam went and manoeuvred a bed into mine and Rita's bedroom. By the time Tony came back we had the room all set up and Sam and I went out to the car to give Tony a hand to bring all the bags inside the house.
I said, “Uncle Tony, how much longer do you have to have that cast on your leg?”
He replied, “Coming off when I get back to Brissi - the bloody thing is getting really itchy.”
Once we had all the stuff brought up, I got Uncle Tony that beer that he wanted and told him to relax out on the verandah in a squatters chair which is a large deck chair. It was twelve o'clock and I didn’t think Mummy and Bella will be back for a little while yet, so I said to Sam, “How about we make some lunch? There’s plenty of food in the freezer. All we have to do is put it in the oven to heat up.”
We went to the freezer and had a look at was on offer. I said my favourite is Mummy's spaghetti bolognese and there were still six containers of that in the freezer, so that is what we chose to heat up for our lunch. The containers were made of tin so all I had to do was to take the top off and put them in the oven. The stove needed to have more coke put in the fire box and stirred up to give it more heat.
Sam stood in front of the stove and said “Holy shit, that is one big stove Carla.”
“Yeah, Mummy said it was at least eighty years old and would have been brought out from England for the family that lived here at the time.”
Anyway we heated up the food, got some plates out and dished it up and took it out to the verandah to eat. It was May, so it was still ok to sit out on the verandah in the daytime, but it gets quite cold in western Queensland at night at this time of the year.
When we walked out to where we were going to sit we noticed Uncle Tony had got so comfortable he was snoring and was fast asleep. I thought it was a pity to wake him up but if I didn't he would be awful hungry by tea time.
I said “Wakey wakey Uncle Tony” and we put the plates of food on the table on the verandah.
Uncle Tony rubbed his eyes and said, “Gees! It is so peaceful here I think we might move here to live and retire.”
I said “What about your taxi business Uncle Tony? You can't sell that! Who are we going to get to drive us around Brisbane?”
“Oh!” he said, “I didn't think of that but wouldn’t you like to have me and Bella here so you can boss us around?”
I replied, “I do not boss anyone around” with a pout.
Tony said, “No, you just say it with those eyes of yours, and then we melt and you get what you want.”
Sam said “She is rather cute isn't she?”
“Yeah too cute by half, the little minx.” replied Tony.
I changed the subject and said “I'm going to dish up your lunch now so come over to the table and sit down.” as I fluttered my eyes at Uncle Tony, He came and wanted to tickle me but almost fell over because the plaster cast on his leg got caught on the leg of the chair.
I said, “ Ha Ha! You've gotta be quicker than that Uncle Tony.”
Anyway I dished up Mummy's heated up spaghetti bolognese and we settled down and had our lunch.
Uncle Tony said, “That's as good as Bella's food Carla! Your Mum's a really good cook.”
I replied, “No Uncle Tony, she’s a qualified chef!”
Then Tony said more to himself than me “I wonder if Bella would agree to sell up and move out here?”
We finished lunch and me and Sam cleared the table to do the bit of washing up there was. Uncle Tony stayed out on the verandah mumbling something to himself about bloody city life. By this time it was one thirty and I hadn't done any of my school work yet.
“Oh well tomorrow is another day,”I said, and shrugged my shoulders.
Sam said, “I will give you a hand tomorrow if you want Carla because I am a year ahead of you don't forget.”
“Yeah that will keep Mummy happy too.” I said. Just then Mummy and Daddy both pulled up in the own cars. Mummy was in the old Land-rover that she ended up buying off Tom Granger, because it was a four wheel drive and was very reliable.
Daddy and Rita got out of the car and came straight over to the house where Uncle Tony was still sitting in the big old squatters chair.
“How's it goin'?” Tony said to Daddy, “And you must be Carla's sister Rita?” he said getting up to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
Rita blushed and said, “Well one of them anyway.”
Uncle Tony looked at Daddy and said “Yep, same dry wit as Carla.”
Rita then went and gave Sam a hug and said, “Nice to meet you Samantha, Carla couldn't stop talking about the girl in Brisbane with the same problem she has.”
Uncle Tony and Daddy went off to look at some stuff in the shed, and Mummy and Bella were coming back from looking at the large vegetable garden that is situated in the rather large back yard. These days Daddy hasn't got the time to tend to it so he pays an old age pensioner to do it once a week. Aunty Bella was suitably impressed with the garden, because being Italian she has always had a vegetable garden. As they walked into the kitchen Aunt Bella said, “Where’s that hubby of mine? I think we have some talking to do. I love this place and wouldn't mind at all if we retired out here.”
Well Sam and me looked at each other and started to giggle.
Mummy said, “Alright you two what is so funny?”
Once we stopped giggling Sam said, “Tony has been mumbling to himself about if you would agree to move out here to live.”
Bella said “I would, but lets leave him sweat a bit shall we?” We all off us giggled and agreed to play along with Bella.
When the men came into the house we girls were sitting in the lounge having a cup of tea and Daddy said “Ok, where's ours ladies?”
“Where's your what?” said Mummy
“Never mind, we'll get our own tea.” replied Daddy.
Bella said, “Samantha dear, would you mind getting these poor underprivileged men a cup of tea? We have something to discuss.”
So me and Sam went to the kitchen to make the tea. When we got back to the lounge all the grown ups were laughing and seemed to be in a really good mood. We gave Daddy and Tony their cups of tea and asked what the excitement was all about.
Uncle Tony said “Come here you little monkey and sit on my lap, and I’ll tell you some good news.” Of course I knew what he was going to say. And just enjoyed being spoilt like the little girl that I was, and it felt really good to be me.
Anyway it transpired that Uncle Tony was going to sell his taxi business and their big house in Brisbane and come to live in Quilpie and semi retire. Aunty Bella was excited about working with Mummy in the restaurant, and Uncle Tony would help Daddy out with the Greyhound bus ticketing business, which was getting to be too much for Daddy to handle on his own.
They stayed the week and had a look around in town for a house that suited them to buy, and there were a couple of homes that Aunt Bella liked just down the road from Daddy's house, so it looked promising. Samantha helped me catch up with my school work and that put me ahead about two weeks, which was really what I needed at this stage, because I had to go to Brisbane again for another round of tests with Rose and her associates.
We waved our visitors goodbye as they drove off to Charleville to get the flight home on Monday morning. I of course cried and Rita had to calm me down, so she took me inside to the bedroom and lay down beside me and said I have to get used to people leaving.
The next trip to Brisbane was the next week, so I could keep doing more school work and Mummy wouldn't have to worry so much that I might fall behind, just in case she decided to send me to a normal school the next term. Everyone went off to work of a morning and left me to it. Mummy called me every couple of hours to check up on me. As if I can get into any trouble ('eye roll'), anyway the week went by without me getting into too much mischief. I took Ginger for walks in the afternoon so I could get to see Ricky and my three friends at the park. Tit was Friday so if I was going to see my three girlfriends before I had to go to Brisbane for a week I had better be at the park that afternoon. I would catch up with Ricky on Saturday or Sunday at church.
I was at the park when only Jennifer turned up, she said, “Hi Carla, Brenda and June had to go straight home this afternoon. Their parents were do something, dunno what, but they were told to come straight home after school this afternoon.”
“Oh that's a pity because I will be in Brisbane all next week and I was hoping to say bye to all three of you” I said.
Jennifer said, “Why do you go to Brisbane so much anyway?”
I thought 'Will I tell her the truth or make up something?' I decided to not lie to much because I believe in God and I don’t want to be punished for telling lies. So I said I had a problem with my bladder and have to get treatment in Brisbane because that is where the specialist is. There! I thought that should be enough information for the moment I turned around and shut my eyes really tight and in my head thought 'Jean where are you I need you?' I needn't have panicked she was there all the time. All I had to do was talk to her in my mind and there she was. I wished I could remember that.
Jennifer said “Oh you poor girl! I had a problem like that a couple of years ago, but I had to do some exercises and that fixed it.”
I thought 'I might have a bit more of a problem than that and I'm sure I could hear Jean giggling in my mind. 'Cheeky bugger!' I thought. I had a bit of a tremble in my chest so I guess she heard me. Anyway I talked with Jenny for about half an hour when Ginger was getting restless so I said bye to Jenny and got on my bike and went home .
When I got home Mummy and Rita were already home so I didn't have to worry about getting my own supper.
"Yay." I said “What's the score Rita, why are you home early?”
She replied, “Mum wants to make sure we get everything ready for next weeks trip to Brisbane. Don't forget I’m coming this time Carla.”
I said “Yeah, you'll love it in Brisbane with all the shops to look at.”
Then I said “What about the restaurant tonight, are you and Mummy going back to help Linda and Alice?”
“No Dad is going to do that. They'll be fine.” she replied.
I helped Rita and Mummy pack all the clothes we needed for a week in Brisbane, and by the time we were finished it was well and truly bed time. I had a bit of a restless night and couldn't get to sleep properly, because I was worried about what the tests in Brisbane were going to be like. It is always just on waking up in the morning that my twin seems to want to talk with me. That morning was no different. She was sitting on my bed and said 'Wake up Carla. I want to communicate with Rita before she wakes up.'
I said in my mind 'Can't it wait till later?' which was a silly thing to think because Rita obviously had to be asleep for Jean to get into her mind, I know! I worked that out all by myself.
Jean said, 'Just like last time close your eyes Carla and think about Rita' which is what I did. It was a strange feeling to hear her in my mind while she spoke to Rita through me. I got into bed with Rita and cuddled up close to her because I knew she would start to tremble once Jean started communicating with her. I don't get the trembling any more.
It was like watching two people having a conversation with me looking on.
Jean said 'Hello Rita. I'm here in your mind so don't be frighten I can’t hurt you.'
Rita said with her own voice as in talking in her sleep “Wow Jean you are pretty just like Carla.”
“Well we are identical twins after all. That is why I can be in her head so easily.
Rita asked “Where are you Jean?”
Jean replied 'I am on the other side in the spirit world and we will all be joined again when it is time for you to cross over. I will leave you now because you are going to wake up.'
Jean faded and Rita was trembling, so I just stayed there and cuddled her till she became normal.
Rita woke up with a start and sat up in bed and said, “Carla!! Jean —Jean she wow!!”
I replied “Calm down Sis. Did you see how pretty she is?”
“Yeah she looks and sounds just like you.”
After Rita calmed down, we got up and had a shower together, and got dressed in jeans and the restaurant polo shirts, and yes I got wear one too because I was going to help out today with doing a lot of food preparation to put in the restaurants freezer for the next week, so Linda and Alice could cope on their own, but Mummy has also asked Alice’s Mum to come in and help out as well.
We worked all day and got it all put away in the big industrial freezer at the back of the restaurant's kitchen. Rita was in dream land all day and couldn't stop talking about Brisbane, and how she saw Jean before she woke up this morning.
Mummy said, “You girls are so lucky to have that happen and I am quite jealous that I can't see my little twin daughter.” and she sat down and started to cry. That had all of us in a tizz and we all started to cry at the same time. How silly is that?” We got home and were exhausted and went to bed early. I think we all slept like logs.
Sunday morning was a bit of a rush because Daddy said he was not going to to put up with being late for church again like the last time. We all said “Yes sir!” and got moving.
I saw Ricky and Rita saw peter at church and had a bit off a cuddle in the games shed after the service. We wouldn't see them for a whole week so this was our last chance to have a cuddle .
My birthday was on next Sunday so I hoped we will be back on next Friday early enough to see my girlfriends to invite them to my birthday party.
To be continued
Next time: Brisbane,Doctors ,''SHOPPING'', and staying with Uncle Tony and Aunty Bella.
Previously
We got home and were exhausted and went to bed early. I think we all slept like logs.
Sunday morning was a bit of a rush. Daddy said he was not going to put up with being late for church again like last time. We all said “Yes sir!” and got moving.
I saw Ricky, and Rita saw Peter at church and had a bit of a cuddle in the games shed after the service. We wouldn't see them for a whole week so this was our last chance to have a cuddle. My birthday was on the following Sunday so I hoped we would be back on Friday early to see my girlfriends to invite them to my birthday party.
Sunday was spent cleaning up the house, and washing and ironing, so that Daddy was ok just to go off to work in the mornings, and he would eat at the restaurant. Mummy did a lot the paper work for all of Daddy's business. She really spoils him (rolls eyes) um I s'pose I get spoiled too! ''giggle''.
We went for drive down to the river in the afternoon once all the work was done and took the Land Rover, because Ginger got so used to me taking her for a walk behind the bike that whenever I made my way to the front gate she thought that she could come with me. So we put her on the back tray of the Land Rover because she was a big dog and wouldn't fit inside with us.
We got down to the river picnic grounds and let Ginger go for a swim. She loved the water and I had a ball with me to throw out into the river and she would swim out to retrieve it and place it in front of my feet to throw it again. She would shake herself and wet me every time she came back to me.
The water was far too cold for me and Rita to go for a swim. It was heading into winter so swimming had to wait till spring. We spent another hour at the picnic ground and made our way home.
I said “Mummy, don't you have to go to help out at the restaurant tonight?”
She replied “No sweetheart, it is all taken care of between Linda, Alice, and her mum Jenny.”
Rita said, “I don't think I could concentrate anyway, I'm so excited about going to Brisbane and staying at a big posh hotel.”
Mummy said, “Um Rita, we have been invited to stay with Tony and Bella, but to make up for no hotel I will let you go to a beauty salon and they can give you and Carla the works!”
We got home just on dark. Ginger jumped off the back of the tray, came to me and nudged me with her cold nose which meant she wanted to be fed. I am afraid I have spoiled her, and Daddy said, "You will just have to cater for her now, you cannot UN-spoil a dog, Carla.”
I said, “But she is my friend, so we will just have to two spoilt girls.”
Mummy said, “Got that right”, rolling her eyes - “and don't you look at me with big puppy dog eyes you little monkey.”
“Sorry Mummy.” I said. Then Daddy said “Come here and give me hug kid. You know I didn't mean it about Ginger. You go right and spoil her all you like. She was Ann's dog and she spoilt her too.”
Mummy got some food out of the freezer to heat up and asked me and Rita to set the table. We had an Irish stew, and some ice cream and strawberries for desert. After everything was cleared away and the washing up was done, Mummy said, “Right Rita and Carla, you can both have your showers tonight so we won't be running late in the morning.” She continued, “We are going by bus to Charleville so we have to be on time in the morning OK?”
“Yes Mummy.” I said.
Rita said “Don't worry, Mum I'll make sure we're ready. What time do we have to be at the bus stop in the morning?”
“Seven thirty” Mummy replied.
While we went and had a shower, Mummy went to our room and laid out all the clothes we were to wear in the morning.
“Gees! doesn’t she trust us to be ready or something?” I said to Rita.
“Well you do have a habit of day dreaming when your getting dressed Carla.” replied Rita.
We got dressed in our warm nighties, but not the nice ones, they were packed to go to Brisbane.
By nine o'clock we were in bed and hit the pillows.
Rita said “Night Carla and Jean”
“Night Sis” I replied.
Daddy was shaking us awake at five thirty in the morning and said “I don't want to have to drive you to Charleville, so out you both get and have a good breakfast. Your mother is already cooking it now.”
We said “Yeah Yeah.”
“I will be back with a bucket of cold water in five minutes.” he said.
“Ok I’m up” I said.
We had eggs, bacon, fried tomatoes, and toast washed down with a glass of milk. Daddy had everything in the car ready to take us to the bus stop so we quickly cleaned up the kitchen and were about to get in the car when I said “Wait a minute, I just want to give Ginger a cuddle and say 'Goodbye'.”
Daddy said, “Ok Darling, but make it quick please.”
I said 'bye to Ginger and ran back to the car and got in.
We got to Daddy’s garage, and the bus was just getting fuel put in it. There were about twenty people standing around waiting for the driver to load all the luggage into the bus so we could get under way. Daddy gave the driver a hand to do that because Henry had to do the stuff with the tickets. We all gave Daddy a hug and a kiss and said “Goodbye” with wet eyes.
We settled down in our seats for the long ride to Charleville. We all wore jeans and t-shirts. Mine was pink of course, and I got to sit beside the driver again.
He said “G'day cutie.” and winked at me when I got into my seat.
I winked back and replied, “G'day how are ya?”
He said “Pretty good, now that I have Bill's pretty little daughter as my co-driver.”
I settled down and within half an hour I was asleep because the trip was pretty boring. To me it was just a long dusty road with bush on both sides and while it might get people from another country excited, to us it gets a bit boring.
We arrived at the Charleville airport at ten thirty, so we had about half an hour to get all the stuff with the tickets and luggage sorted out. There is a little cafeteria at the airport, so we had just enough time to to have something to eat before we had to board the TAA DC3 and fly to Brisbane.
Rita said, “Shit! Carla, I hope this thing doesn't fall out of the sky before we get to the other end.” She was holding my hand pretty tight as she said this.
I replied “Well Sis if it does we will be visiting Jean for good won't we?”
“Carla stop freaking me out like that.”
“Rita, she is on this plane with us so don't worry. We will get there in one piece so you can do your shopping.”
I sat with Rita in the aisle seat, because I wanted Rita to see out the little window from high up, and she was very excited when the plan took off and did a circle over Charleville and she could see the town from the air. Mummy sat behind us and was looking at some papers for my visit to the Mater Hospital In Brisbane, because this time Rose wanted to have some x-rays done of my abdomen to see what I look like inside. I think that is silly. All they have to do is ask me and I can tell them what's inside my head. I'm a girl and that is that, and they had better not try to change that or I will go bush.
We landed in Brisbane at two thirty and it took another hour to get all our luggage on a trolley and out to where all the taxi cabs were waiting. When we got to the front exit doors of the terminal there was a guy with a cardboard sign, with Carla written on it in pink crayon with little stick on roses on the corners. I blushed as the man came over to me and said, “Is your Uncle's name Tony Bagla?”
Mummy came up behind me and said to the man, “Are you Bill's relief driver?”
“Yes I'm Kenny Bailey, and I hope to buy the cab and licence from him. Tony made this sign last night and said you can't miss the three pretty women when you see them. Well, he was right about the brown eyes of this little blondie that’s for sure.“
I was blushing red by now and then he said “This must be Rita and she is just as pretty as her mother.”
I thought he was laying it on a bit thick when Mummy said “And how is your wife Kenny?” Tony warned Mummy over the phone about Kenny, he is a bit of a flirt apparently.
Mummy said “Ok Kenny, enough of the complements. Take us to Tony's place please.”
Kenny said “Sorry I get a bit carried away Donna, can I call you Donna? I promise to be good or Tony might not let me buy his taxi business.”
Mummy replied “Yeah, but watch it or I’ll have to break your legs.” Mummy's the last of the big ''jokers''. Me and Rita just giggled, but Mummy tried to keep a straight face. Kenny said to himself 'Trust me to run into a load of rough bushies' and loaded our things into the trunk of Uncle Tony's brand new taxi. The old one was wrecked beyond repair. Actually Kenny turned out to be a very nice and helpful man, just typical Aussie guy.
We arrived at Uncle Tony's house in South Brisbane where all the real nice old Queenslander houses are. Some of them are heritage listed and cannot be pulled down for redevelopment. Bella was waiting for us at the front gate when Kenny pulled up. I got out of the car first and gave Aunt Bella a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and then Goldie the Labrador came bounding over to me and almost knocked me over with her enthusiasm to greet me because she knew me from our last visit there.
Then Mummy and Rita came and gave Aunt Bella a hug, while Kenny the driver took all our things up on to the verandah. Mummy was about to pay for our fare for the trip from the airport when Kenny said, “Donna, Tony would kill me if I charged you anything.”
Mummy replied “But you have to earn a living, and nothing is free in life now. How much do I owe you?”
Bella stepped in and said “Tony will fix Kenny up later Donna. You are our guests this week so just except our hospitality ok.?”
Mummy said “Ok, thanks Kenny. I'll call you on Monday morning when I find out what time we have an appointment with Carla’s doctor.”
“Righto.” replied Kenny and he took off.
The old house had five bedrooms so it wasn't any trouble to have a bedroom each. But me and Rita were not used to sleeping alone by ourselves, so we ended up in the room with a double bed. The bed was one of those old ones that you see in the movies with the cast iron bed ends and big round balls on the four corner posts with pretty decorations on them. Mummy took the room beside us “to keep us under control” she said. (eyes roll) 'As if' I thought.
We got all our clothes sorted out and hung them up in the order that we thought that we would want them day by day. Most of my clothes are pink, bright yellow or white with embroidery on them and everything even the jeans are really girlie. Because I'm a girl silly. Rita was the same but she liked blue with a lot of lace around the sleeves and hem of her skirts and pretty summer dresses. She did a lot of her own dress making but now that she was working in the restaurant she hadn't got the time any more. She was slowly teaching me how to use the Singer sewing machine that she got for her tenth birthday from Tom Grange’s wife Margaret.
Mummy rang the receptionist at Doctor San-Lee's surgery but only got an answering machine that gave an after hours number to ring in an emergency.
Mummy said, “I forgot it's bloody Saturday, and they wouldn't be there. I'll have to ring first thing on Monday morning.”
We were all in the kitchen helping Aunty Bella prepare dinner when Uncle Tony walked in minus the cast on his leg. he opened up his arms and I practicality flew into them to give him a hug. He said, “Hey gorgeous! I've missed you too.” Once I was finished hugging him to death, he gave Rita and Mummy a hug and a kiss on their cheeks.
He said “Come outside and have a look at my new four wheel drive I bought today. That is where I’ve been.” We all followed him down the stairs where Goldie was sniffing the tyres of the brand new Land Rover.
Uncle Tony said, “Looks like the local mutts have already pissed on my new wheels doesn't it?”
Mummy said, “It looks a bit different to my old girl doesn't it Tony?”
“Yeah, well it is twelve years younger but I hope it is just as reliable as your old girl has been.” Tony replied.
Well it was getting dark outside so we went in and sorted out tea. Uncle Tony said “Alright ladies I hope all the sleeping arrangements have been sorted so we can relax after tea and watch the game on telly.”
“Um, I think the girls would probably like to see a movie instead,” said Aunty Bella.
“Oh well I'll have to listen to it on the radio then won't I?” he replied.
I said “You had better get used to that, because there is not real good reception in Quilpie, unless you spend a fortune and build one of those high towers that you see out west.”
“Well that's exactly what I am going to do, I’m way ahead of you bushies. I’ve already had a quote on doing just that, I'm not missing out on my telly that’s for sure.”
“Tony you go right in and watch your game, because us girls are going to look at all the catalogues that Bella has got for us.” said Mummy.
Rita's eyes lit up and said, “Mum how much can I spend on myself? I don’t have much money saved up yet.”
Mummy replied, “Rita sweetheart, you are sixteen next month, and have made most of your clothes yourself. I think it's about time I spoil my eldest daughter don't you?”
“Ohh Mum! Does that mean I don’t have to spend my own money?”
“Not this time Darling.” replied Mummy. “Carla did you hear that we can buy some nice stuff for a change and not go to a second hand shop to get our clothes?”
“Yeah, but I did get some nice things from there last time we were here.” I replied.
Mummy said, “Don't worry, we will be going back there too, girls.”
Bella said, “I’ve heard about that place. I think I had better come along and have a bit of a look myself before we move out to Quilpie.”
We finished looking at all the thing we were interested in and marked the items that we wanted try on. We would have to hire a truck to take it all home if we bought every item that we marked. Anyway we all went to bed dreaming of shopping and woke early when Goldie came into our bedroom and got up and licked my face with her sloppy wet tongue. What a nice way to wake up. I was dreaming that it was Ricky kissing me. I thought 'I won't tell him what I think of his big tongue.'
By the time we all got up and had a shower and breakfast, it was near on nine o'clock.
Mummy said “Hell, I had better make that call to the doctor's office.” While she did that, me and Rita got dressed in our denim skirts and blouses and sensible shoes to go shopping in. We did each other's hair and were ready to hit the shops, when Mummy stood at the bedroom door and said, “I hate to tell you this girls but we have to be at the Mater Hospital in an hour's time, because Rose has organised a meeting and consultation with her colleagues for you Carla.”
“Aww shit!” both me and Rita said at the same time.
Mummy said, “Now now girls settle down, there will be plenty of time to go to the shops after we've seen Rose at the hospital.”
There was no need to call any taxis because Uncle Tony was going to run us around all week, so we did not have to worry about not being on time. The Land Rover was fitted with a two way radio that somehow was connected to a base station that you could ring and they would relay the message to the taxis. Clever or what? But Tony did not do taxi work any more and just wanted to keep in touch with Kenny in the cab.
Uncle Tony said to Rita that he would run her to the hospital when we were finished with my appointment.
Rita said “No, I want to see what a big hospital looks like inside, and I’ll go with them.”
“Ok, you'd better get down to the Rover then and we'll be off.” replied Uncle Tony.
Uncle Tony dropped us off at the main entrance to the big private hospital and said, “Donna, just ring when you're ready and I'll come and get you.”
So we walked to the main receptionist desk and gave our name; and who we were here to see and the girl behind the counter looked in her book and looked up at me and said, “You're a friend of Samantha Riley aren’t you - Carla is it?”
Mummy was about to get annoyed when the girl said “Oh I'm sorry I didn't mean, - I mean I am a friend of Samantha’s mother, Mary, and know all about the programme that Ro - um Doctor San-Lee is conducting here at the Mater Gender clinic.
She said “My name is Jo, short for Joanne.” I got a feeling in my chest that let me know Jean is right there with me and approves of Jo.
Jo said “You can go up to the third floor and ask at the nurses station where to go to Doctor San-lee's consultation room. Your appointment is the next one in line so you had better get up there.”
We went up in the lift and Rita said, “I don’t think I like boxes that slide up and down in a square hole in the wall.”
Mummy giggled at that and said, “Your sister had the same trouble at first Rita. You'll get used to it when you have been in the city for a couple of days.”
We got the nurses' station and were told to go straight in to the room three doors down the hall with the doctor's name on on it. We knocked and waited for someone to answer, then Rose opened the door and came straight out and hugged me and said, “Hello Carla dear, your prettier every time I see you, and look how long your blond hair has grown.”
I was blushing and she said, “You are such a girly girl aren't you Carla? And this must be Rita” and she gave her and Mummy a quick hug and said “Ok we had better get into what we are going to do this week Donna, so you know what sort of tests and things we want Carla to go through. By the way Carla dear, you do not have to worry about any of the male doctors that you talk to. We have weeded out anyone that might be a bit funny about what we do here at the gender clinic. So here we go, first a blood test, and then down to x-ray so we can have a look at what you look like inside that abdomen of yours. So off with your clothes and put one of those funny back the front gowns on.”
“Ok” I said, “but can Rita and Mummy stay with me please?”
“Yes, but not when you go into the x-ray room, because the radiation can make people very sick if they are not wearing protective clothing.”
“Well what about me? Won't it hurt me too if it zapped me?”
“No sweetheart, you will be fine. Now stop worrying about things and just relax and go with the flow ok?”
“Yes ma’am.” I replied, but I was not convinced I would be alive at the end of having been zapped with Gamma rays.
Rita held my hand while a nurse took a gallon of blood from my arm, but this time they made me drink some water straight away, because last time I went out to it. Then they put me in a wheelchair and down the square hole in the wall and into the "Gamma ray" room where they kill people that have been naughty. Rita and Mummy had to wait outside the killing room and wait for me to be wheeled out on a stretcher, I’m really being silly here but it stops me from worrying so much if I joke a lot.
They took a lot of pictures of my abdomen, and I hoped that the Gamma rays would do their job and shoot my little willy off. I was there for about an hour and then got wheeled back up to the doctors rooms for some prodding and to interrogate me for crimes I have committed. I really have to stop being silly.
I wanted Mummy and Rita with me while the other doctors examined me so I didn’t have to answer anything I feel I should not tell them. I was asked to get up on this bed that had had big arms at one end and to put my legs on the arms. Mummy just nodded at me and said, “It's ok Darling, all girls have to do that some time so you might as well get used to now.”
I was pretty scared and closed my eyes tight and asked Jean if she was there but I said it out loud and the doctors herd me talking to Jean, it must have sounded like I was talking to myself. But Rose knew what was happening and a movie camera and voice recorder was switched on because this is part of her study on identical twins.
After the examination, they asked me a lot of questions about how I communicated with my dead twin. But I kept telling them she was not dead but in the spirit world and could hear everything that they are saying. That freaked the nurse that was assisting the doctors out, and she had eyes like big saucers. Then it all got too much for me and I started to sob.
That's when Mummy said “Alright, that’s enough for today.” She helped me of that stupid bed with the arms and helped me get dressed. Mummy wasn't all that happy and thought that the doctors pushed me too far and they should have stopped before I got so stressed out.
When the three other doctors left, Mummy said to Rose, “I will not let you stress Carla out like that again Rose or I will cancel this whole thing do you understand?”
Rose said “I am so sorry Donna. I had no idea that the other doctors were going to be like that. It won't happen again I promise you that.” Then as she looked at me she had tears in her eyes, and said as hugged me “Oh Carla darling, please forgive me. I am so sorry that they made you cry.
In between sobs I said it was ok, but then Rita started to sniffle too, so Rose said right I’m going to take the three of you out to a nice restaurant lunch. When we walked out to the receptionist Rose said “Cancel all my other appointments for a couple of hours.” and we got into the lift and went to lunch at Rose's expense.
When we were finished lunch it was one thirty in the afternoon, and Mummy found a public phone and called Bella and asked her to come shopping with us in the city, Uncle Tony was there with Aunty Bella within ten minutes and dropped us of in the centre of Brisbane where all the important dress shops were, so we spent the rest of the day spending all of Mummy's money. Rita was over the moon with how many things she bought. I got a few more things for the winter, and Mummy and aunty Bella had a ball trying on a lot of things but not really buying much.
My next appointment was not till Wednesday morning, so we had all Tuesday to enjoy more shopping, but Mummy said we would visit the second hand clothes shop because we had spent too much already.
Tuesday morning we slept in because Mummy said we should all take things a bit slower today, and we would go to the second hand dress shop and that was it, which is exactly what happened. We bought a few more things and will have a fashion show when we get home.
Wednesday morning. Our appointment was at eleven am, so there was no need to rush about. Rita decide to go with Aunty Bella to the Queensland museum and not go back to that nasty hospital that made me cry.
The results were in on the blood tests and all the doctors conferred on what the x-rays showed, and that was that I had no sign of any testicles. Oh wow, so I am a girl with a bit of a plumbing problem, which will be discussed by all the doctors involved and when I come back to Brisbane next time a course of action will be formulated. Mummy said she would sit down with me when we get back home and explain to me what the doctors are planning to do. We did not have to stay In Brisbane any longer so Mummy made arrangements to fly back home on Thursday morning. Bella decided to come with us because she has decide to buy a house in Quilpie.
On Thursday morning Uncle Tony took us to the airport to catch our flight home. We said goodbye and got on the plane. Daddy was at the Charleville airport to drive us home to Quilpie.
After a stressful week it was good to be back in the bush and back with Daddy. I really missed him and Ginger while I was in Brisbane.
Friday. Everyone was back at work and I was back doing my school work again. I made sure I was at the park in the afternoon so I could see my friends and tell them to come to my birthday party at Mummy’s restaurant on Sunday. Jenny, Brenda, June all said they would turn up so I went home happy. Oh and I forgot to tell you me and Rita got to go to that beauty salon on the Tuesday, our 'day of rest.'
To be continued.
Next time: the birthday party, wedding plans and a visit to a 'grave.'
Previously
After a stressful week it was good to be back in the bush and back with Daddy. I really missed him and Ginger while I was in Brisbane.
(Friday) Everyone was back at work and I was back to doing school work again. I made sure that I was at the park in the afternoon, so I could see my friends and tell them to come to my birthday party on Sunday at Mummy’s restaurant. Jenny, Brenda and June all said they were coming to my birthday party on Sunday. Oh! And I forgot to tell you all, that I and Rita got to go to that beauty salon on the Tuesday our day of no appointments.
WARNING tissues needed at the end of this chapter.
******************
(Saturday) We all slept in till eight am that morning. I think the trip to Brisbane wore us all out, but we had a lot of things to get ready for my party at Mummy's restaurant the following day. I really didn't know a lot of people so I asked Ricky to ask a few friends to come and keep him company, because it is a girls’ party and he might get bored with girl talk. Jenny said she would do the same and ask as many of her friends to come, so it should be a nice way for me to get to know more kids my age.
Daddy said, “I hope you don’t mind Carla but I asked Brian to come and help out tomorrow because he is a real whiz at organising games and things at kid’s birthday parties.”
“Daddy, I like Father Brian. He said I might be able to go to the Catholic school if Mummy agrees to it.”
“Well we will have to see won’t we sweetheart?” replied Daddy.
Anyway everyone chipped in to decorate the restaurant for tomorrow with a happy birthday sign with my name on it. The people that were having their meals there today will just have to put up with all the decorations. Mummy said the restaurant will be closed to the public till two pm tomorrow afternoon. After that we will all have to help to tidy up so the public can come back in.
Rita said, “Mum, how many people are coming?”
Mummy said, “I'm not sure Rita but it really doesn't matter because there will be enough food to cover it.”
I even got to help out in the restaurant later because we all stayed there to make sure that no-one was inconvenienced by all the stuff hanging on the walls. 'Wow! That is a big word! I usually just say 'bovvered', but Mummy wants me to use proper grammar and spelling when I write anything down, ''Rolling eyes,'' so when I go to a normal school the teacher will be impressed on how good Mummy has taught me. Well that's her story anyway.'
We left the restaurant at eight thirty leaving Linda and Alice and her mum to close up for the night. Alice's Mum is working a few hours a week to help out when things get really busy. When we got home, me and Rita made hot chocolate drinks for ourselves and tea for Mummy and Daddy and sat down in the lounge to relax before we went to bed.
Mummy said, “Carla, we need to talk about what is going to happen in Brisbane next time you see Rose. Sweetheart, do you want Rita and Daddy to know as well or is it going to bother you to talk about it in front of them?”
I replied, “Mummy, I love Daddy and Rita and they are going to have to put up with me so they might as well know what is going to be happening.”
“Alright, here we go,” said Mummy. She had all the papers with the hospital report on what was found when they poked me in the you know what, and did all those X-rays. Mummy explained, “Carla, you do not have any testicles or a vagina but you will never become a boy either. The blood tests showed that you were more girl then boy, so what they will do is wait till you get a bit older and start you on some hormone treatment so you will have a female puberty and develop like a girl your age should. Any questions so far?”
I said, “Mummy will I be able to have a vagina when I get older?”
“Carla, that cannot happen till you are much older, but yes that is the plan that Rose discussed with me before we left the hospital gender clinic, and before you ask, no it cannot be done till you are at least eighteen. So my darling you will have to be very patient. But it will happen in the end I will make absolutely certain that it does I promise Ok?”
“But Mummy I don’t want to have a willy anymore,” and I started to cry.
“Carla, you really haven’t got a penis, it is just an oversized clitoris which is going to be needed when they perform the gender reassignment surgery.”
I calmed down and Rita said, “Don’t worry Sis, you won’t ever have to go back to being a boy and we are all here for you.”
Daddy waited till I stopped sniffling and said, “Come here darling.”
I went and sat in his lap but got all emotional again and sobbed into his shoulder. He shushed me and stroked my hair and said, “Sweetheart, you are a pretty little nine year old girl that needs to have a medical procedure done when you are a little bit older, but if they can't or won’t do it here in Australia we will take you to where they will. Now, if you don’t stop crying you will have red eyes when you greet all your little friends tomorrow and we can't have that can we now?”
“Nn–ooo Daddy. I love you Daddy.”
“Stop that now or I will cry too. Look what you have done! You have your Mummy and sister crying too.”
I said, “I'm sorry Daddy, but I thought that they were going to tell me I had to go back to being a boy again.”
Daddy said, “Sweetheart, that is not ever going to happen while I'm around.”
We all settled down and talked for another half an hour and finally went to bed. I concentrate on Jean and she was there straight away and talked to me in my mind because she did not want to wake Rita up but just talk to me and make me have a peaceful night.
(Sunday May the seventeenth 1959)
I was awake before anyone else because Ginger snuck into my room and was licking my hand. It was just sunrise and she was hungry because I forgot to feed her last night with all the crying and ''all'', so I got up and fed her out on the verandah, and had a shower before anyone else was up and about. It was cold so I put on a track suit and put my fluffy winter dressing gown on as well. I thought 'I might make breakfast for everyone this morning for all trouble I have caused in the last couple of days.'
Aunty Bella stayed at the hotel last night because she was meeting with an estate agent and wanted to discuss things with the lady selling the house she was thinking of buying. I hope she makes it to my party today. Anyway back to cooking breakfast, ''I can cook you know! Mummy is a chef and as they say the apple does not fall far from the tree.'' So it was bacon and eggs, fried tomatoes and a pot of tea. When I had it ready to serve I got a large pot from the cupboard and a wooden spoon and went close to the bedrooms and banged on the pot and said “Wake up! Breakfast time.” Just as well we haven't got any close neighbours or I would be in trouble.
Mummy, Daddy and Rita emerged out of the bedrooms in winter dressing gowns and looked like something the cat dragged in. They quickly sat in the warm kitchen and had their breakfast and a cup of tea, I had my breakfast earlier and only had some wheatbix and milk. I don’t really like a cooked breakfast myself.
Mummy said, “Thank you Darling that was really nice of you to get breakfast for us.”
Rita said, “Yeah Sis, could have been a half hour later though.”
Daddy then said, “You’re my princess Carla and I’m glad I have such a talented daughter.”
Rita said, “Hey! What about me? I cook meals at the restaurant you know!
Daddy said, “Alright then Rita, you’re my princess number two and that means you get to do the washing up.”
Mummy said, “Ok Bill, you're my prince and that means you get to help Rita clean up the kitchen. In case you have forgotten it is Carla's birthday today and nobody has said 'Happy Birthday' to her yet.”
“Oops,” said Daddy “Sorry luv.” and then the three of them sang 'Happy Birthday' to me, and I added “Happy Birthday, Jean.”
Mummy said, “We are going to church this morning so get your backsides into gear and get moving.”
They all had to have a shower so I was left to clean up the kitchen anyway. Great init? On my birthday too!
I went to my bedroom to work out what I would wear to church. It would be what I was going to wear to the party, because we were going straight to the restaurant after church. It was rather cool weather at the moment, but it would be reasonably warm in the restaurant. I opted to wear my pink lacy skirt and white tights with red open toe sandals. You could just see my red painted toe nails through the white tights. The blouse I picked was one that Mummy bought me at the seconds dress shop. It is a pink long sleeved dressy blouse with a lot of dark blue lace work around the collar and at the bottom of the sleeves. I stood in front of the full length mirror and did a twirl and was suitably impressed with just how girly I looked.
Rita came in and said, “Sit down at the dresser and I’ll get your hair done Carla, you need something special seeing it is your birthday today.”
I said, “And don’t forget it is Jeans birthday as well. She seemed to help me choose what I picked out to wear today.”
Then Rita said, “I wonder if she has more gowns like the one she has on when we see her in our dreams?”
I said, “Rita, I can see her any time I concentrate on her and I also feel some small trembles when she is listening to me talk, or when I'm being silly and crying.
Rita said, “Do you think Mum will ever be able to see her in her dreams as well?”
“Yeah I hope so, but I don’t want to push it in case it is too much for Jean to cope with.”
Rita finished with my hair, putting it up and tying white ribbons in it. I was ready. Then Rita got dressed but said seeing she was going to be doing a lot of stuff with food and drinks she had better wear jeans and a simple top and her flat work shoes. Mummy did the same, so I guess I was the only one dressed up to the nines.
Mummy said, “Carla we have enough time to do your nails if you want?”
“Yes please Mummy.”
Just as she was finished doing my nails in pink, (of course! What colour did you think I would choose?) Daddy stood at the door and said “Wow who is this then? Where is my birthday girl?”
I said Daddy “It's me, your princess remember?”
“Oh so it is! Well little one it is time to go to church, so let’s go or we will be late as usual.”
We got to the church in plenty of time, Daddy always panics when he has to wait for us girls to get dressed (Rolls eyes) 'Men just don't understand I thought.' Ricky and his family were all there to greet us and tell me 'Happy Birthday,' and hugs all round with a longer hug from Ricky 'Of course.' Aunty Bella was there and gave me a hug and said “Carla, I have some good news. I was talking to your Uncle Tony last night and told him about the house we were looking at buying and he said to just sign the contract and seal the deal so we will be living just down the road from you.
I replied, “Wow, Ginger will have a sister to play with and I will be able to take them both down to the park and meet all my friends.”
We went in and sat in our usual place behind the Smith family with one exception, Ricky was sitting next to me. Ricky held my hand and winked at me and whispered in my ear “Carla, you are really pretty today and I'm going to show you off to my friends that are coming to the party.” I winked back at him and squeezed his hand. Helen, Ricky's Mum turned around and smiled at me and gave me a wink as well. What is it today? Everyone is winking at me. I'm starting to blush, 'Oh well it will match my pink blouse I thought.'
When the service was over Father Brian came over to where we were talking to my girlfriends who were all Catholic but went to the state school.
I thought 'I must ask them why when I get a chance to get them alone.'
Anyway Father Brian said Happy Birthday and he would see us at the party to do some organising of games. We got into Daddy’s car, and Aunty Bella came with us because she will come back to stay with us for a few days to finish off all the paperwork for the buying of the house. By the time we arrived at the restaurant it was eleven am, so it was action time and all the food and things were organised because the party was to start at midday.
The party ended up being a great success. Thirty kids and some parents were there as well. I made more friends in two hours then in my whole lifetime. Ricky got to show off his pretty girl friend — ''I'm not vain or anything like that,'' and walked around ten foot tall. It was two pm and I thanked everyone for coming and the presents that they bought me. ''I’ll tell you what they were later, so be patient.''
We cleaned up the restaurant, even Father Brian helping so it really didn't take too long. Mummy asked Linda if she would be able to handle the Sunday night meal, and Linda said, “Donna there is still a lot of things in the freezer that have to be used up so it will be easy for me and Alice to cope tonight.” So home it was. It was four in the afternoon and we all sat in the lounge having a cup of tea. Normally we would be out on the verandah but it was quite chilly out there.
Anyway Mummy had some news that she said she needed to share with us, so Aunty Bella said, “I'll go and sort out my bed for the night.”
Mummy said, “Bella you will do no such thing. You are going to be part of what I am about to discuss so sit and listen. I have received all the signed papers of the divorce from you know who and that leaves me free to marry my darling William.”
I interrupted and said, “Mummy who is William?” - then realised and said, - “Oh um sorry Daddy, not thinking again.”
Mummy then said, “We are free to set the date any time it is convenient to have the wedding, and of course a honeymoon.”
Daddy just sat there with a silly look on his face.
Bella said, “Where do I fit into this Donna?”
“You my dear lady are going to be my matron of honour, that is if you want to of course.”
Bella said, “Donna, I'd be delighted to be your matron of honour.”
Rita looked at me and then at Mummy, but before she could say anything Mummy said, “Oh by the way I’m going to have two bridesmaids as well I wonder where I will find two pretty girls that are willing to be available in spring for my wedding.”
Both me and Rita started waving our hands in the air and said 'pick me pick me'.
Daddy was still just sitting there and said “Who's William?”
(Monday) Everything was back to normal again - work, schoolwork, housework, walking dogs and washing. Mummy said that Daddy had something to tell me when he came home that night, but did not elaborate to what was, 'Don't you just hate that?' Well I will ambush him with my eyes as soon as he comes through the door. 'I can get anything I want with my eyes I thought.'
It was a work day and I had to get my own tea, so I gave the freezer a miss and made myself a steak sandwich. As I was cooking that, Aunty Bella turned up in Mummy's Land Rover which she is borrowing while she is here for the rest of the week.
She walked into the kitchen and said, “Carla, I was going to cook you a meal but you beat me to it. I’m sorry, I should have come home earlier.”
I replied, “Aunty it's ok, I'm used to looking after myself and they will be home soon anyway.” I then said “I will put another piece of steak on to cook so you can make a hamburger like mine.”
Aunty replied, “Carla you are treasure, and I am so glad that Tony met your little family the way he did, I will enjoy being around and watch you grow up and will treat you as my adopted niece.” Of course me being me started to cry and had to be hugged by my Italian Aunty, I am a real cry-baby these days.
Aunty made herself a hamburger just like mine, and then said, “What do you think your Daddy has to tell you when he comes home from work sweetheart?”
I said, “I will hypnotise him with my eyes and he will tell me anything I want to know, because I have magic eyes.” Aunty Bella nearly choked when she had to laugh at what I had just said.
Me and Aunty Bella were sitting in the lounge reading and having a cup of hot chocolate, when Mummy, Rita, and Daddy, walked in.
Daddy said, “Ahh, hot chocolate before we go to bed.” I jumped up and looked Daddy in the eyes and said, “Look into my eyes and you will tell me what I want to know.”
Aunty Belle started to laugh and said “Bill I think you are being put under a spell.”
Daddy played along and said, “Yes oh Great One what do you want to know?”
I couldn’t keep it up so I fell in to his arms in a fit of giggles. Mummy and Rita just shook their heads and went to make their chocolate drinks. Daddy carried me to the lounge and we sat down still laughing.
Aunty Bella said “Bill you had better tell her or she will conjure up her twin sister to zapp you.”
“I believe she could too” said Daddy. “Speaking of your sister Jean, how would you like to visit her resting place sweetheart?”
I started to tear up the minute he said resting place, “Hey don't cry darling, I'm not joking. Tom Granger has bought a four seater helicopter and he needs to get his hours up to keep his chopper licence current. He rang me the other day and asked if I would be able to refuel his machine if he came to Quilpie. There is an air strip that small plane owners use as well as the Flying Doctor Service. It is being upgraded to an all-weather strip I think. Anyway there is no problem refuelling Tom’s chopper.”
I was speechless! This is pretty strange for me I must say. I calmed down and asked a lot of questions and so did Rita. Mummy didn't say much because she knew what was on the cards a few days ago.
The rest of the week went by pretty quickly and Aunty Bella got the bus to Charleville on Thursday morning to catch the flight back to Brisbane.
(Friday) I was getting excited about flying in a helicopter but more so, that I would visit Jean's grave. Everyone went to work as usual and I did my school work set out by Mummy as always, and I even talked to the School of the Air and told the teacher about my trip to Brisbane and how I was going to go by helicopter to River Downs and visit my twin sister's grave on Saturday. Late in the afternoon I could hear a helicopter fly over the town and I knew it was Tom Grange landing out at the air strip.
The flight from River Downs takes about three hours so the chopper has to be refuelled before the trip back to the station. I concentrated on Jean and told her what was happening and she seemed to think it was rather funny that I wanted to visit a lot of old bones buried in the ground. Anyway, I got a bit annoyed with her but I guess she is right because she is in the spirit world, so as far as she is concerned she is alive and well on the other side.
(Saturday) Tom Granger stayed with us overnight so we could be up at sunrise and go to where the helicopter was parked. Daddy drove us to the helicopter, and watched as we got on board and put our seat belts on.
Rita said, “This thing has no wings. What happens if the motor stops working?”
Tom Granger said, “We will just have to call on Carla's sister to stop us from falling out of the sky.” Rita went real quiet after that and held my hand most of the way to River Downs. Tom circled over the homestead to let them know he had returned so they could get things ready to refuel the chopper again to take us back to Quilpie.
We landed about fifty yards away from the tree where Jean's remains were buried. He said he would leave us there for an hour while he flew to the hanger where the chopper is kept and refuelled it to take us back home. Once the noise of the chopper was gone it was quiet in the bush apart from the birds in the trees building their nests to lay their eggs, to hatch for when spring arrives. I used to love watching the little birds being taught how to fly by the mummy birds when I lived out here.
Mummy and Rita hung back and Mummy said, “Carla you say your piece with your sister and let us know when to come by your side.”
It was winter time and there were no wild flowers out in bloom, so I brought some flowers with me from Quilpie. I was in tears as I walked slowly to my sister lying in the cold ground. I was now sobbing uncontrollably and lay myself down on the grave and cried out in anguish and pain that I could not explain, when from inside me I felt that Jean was truly inside my being as one joined soul. I sat up and prayed to God in heaven to keep my sister Jean safe till I myself will join her. Mummy and Rita came and wept beside me and we held each other in a three way hug but were too overwhelmed to talk.
Tom returned to pick us up to take us back to the homestead to have some lunch before he flew us back to Quilpie, but we were too distressed to eat anything so we said 'Hello' to Toms wife Margaret, but she was affected by the way we looked and couldn't speak without tearing up, so we said 'goodbye' and got under way. It was a silent trip home and we were deep in thought. It was late afternoon when we landed in Quilpie. Daddy was there to pick us up and help refuel the chopper. He took one look at us and choked up and helped Tom get his chopper ready for his trip back home in the morning. Tom was going to stay with us overnight again.
When they were finished with the chopper they looked at each other and, Tom put his arm around Daddy’s shoulders, and must have warned him how stressful the grave experience had been for me. Daddy knelt down and opened up his arms, and I fell into them and sobbed all over again because he was now openly crying as well. He had lost his wife two years ago and his son a year before that, and seeing me in this state brought back all his pain once more.
To be continued.
Next time getting over the visit to my sisters grave and making plans for Rita's sixteenth birthday.
Previously:
When they were finished with the chopper they looked at each other, and Tom put his arm around Daddy’s shoulders, and must have warned him how stressful the grave experience had been for me. Daddy knelt down and opened his arms and I fell into them and sobbed all over again, because he was now openly crying as as well. He had lost his wife two years ago and his son a year before that, and seeing me in this state brought back all his pain once more.
Daddy was as bad as me and couldn't stop sobbing because he had been bottling up his feelings for so long that the dam just broke when he held me. We must have looked a sorry sight as we were hugging each other.
Mummy came up to us and said, “Come on you two, lets go home and have something to eat and have a quiet talk about what happened out at Jeans grave.”
We all got into the Land Rover and Tom Granger drove us home because Daddy was too upset to drive. Mummy put her arm around him and Rita put her arm around me. Tom Granger must have thought 'What have let myself into?'
When we arrived home no-one said much in case we all started to cry again, and we all had a hot chocolate drink in our hand. It was then that Tom said maybe it wasn't such great a idea to visit Jean's grave after all.
Mummy replied, “I think it was a good idea because the grieving that went on out there is exactly what we all needed.”
Tom said, “Well I’m glad that we accomplished something today and not just keeping my flying hours up. Margaret has been nagging me to buy a house in a town so that when she wants to get away from the isolation of River Downs she has somewhere to go. Seeing we have both known Bill and his late wife Ann for along time it would be appropriate to have a little look around Quilpie.”
I piped up and said, “My Aunty Bella from Brisbane has just bought a house just down the road from us.”
“Well that’s real handy for you to visit any time you feel like it Carla,”said Tom. “By the way,” he continued, “Donna where is that ex-husband of yours?”
Mummy said, “Well Tom, I really don’t care about him, but it is a shame that he has turned young John into a copy of himself. That boy was such a quiet and nice little boy till James took him out with all the grown up workmen on your station. Mind you,Tom, it wasn't your fault. It would not have made any difference if you had tried to stop James, he would have left me even earlier. I would not have lost Carla's little sister like that, if James had taken me into Charleville a week before I was due to give birth. Even if Margaret being a nurse, had been there to help, things might have been different and we would now have two identical girls.
Tom liked Mummy, and I think he was feeling a bit guilty for not doing more to make sure that Mummy had all the help that she needed. It was getting late and it had been a big day so we all said goodnight and crawled into bed.
Rita said, “Carla, how about we try and talk to Jean. Do you think you will be able to concentrate enough to be able to let her talk to me as well?”
“Dunno, she might if I try hard enough. Let's lay down and hug each other real tight and see what happens.” I didn't know if this would work. I knew I could talk to Jean any time I wanted to, but Rita had always been asleep when she had seen her.
Rita and I cuddled real tight and I said, “Rita, just relax and think of what Jean looked like the last time you saw her in a dream and it might just work.”
I closed my eyes and thought of my twin, and she was there instantly, and was giggling and said in my mind “Carla you are funny, why did you cry over a heap of bones in the ground this morning? I am here with you, I'm not in the ground.”
So I decide to get a little bossy with my clever sister on the other side of life.
I said in full voice. so Rita could hear what I was saying to Jean, “Ok smarty pants, if you’re so clever then you should be able to make Rita and Mummy be able to hear and see you too.”
Jean replied and said “Ok here we go Carla, you concentrate on Rita, and I will see if I can communicate through you but don’t fall asleep or the contact will be lost.“
This was exciting because if this worked, Mummy would be able to see her other little daughter as well.
“Alright here we go,” I said “Rita don’t go to sleep, and concentrate on Jean and if she appears to you, just start talking as though she is right here in bed with us.”
I kept quiet and let Jean talk to Rita, and low and behold Rita said, “Oh wow Jean I can see you in my mind as clear as a bell.”
Then Jean spoke to Rita and I could listen in to their conversation but kept quiet. The whole thing only lasted for about thirty seconds but was enough for me to want to try and do the same with Mummy. It was obvious that the three of us were closely connected in spirit and soul alike.
We dropped off to sleep still in a cuddle. We didn't need an alarm clock those days because I left the bedroom door ajar to let Ginger in and she came in at the same time every morning. She was usually very gentle and licked my hand, or if my foot was out of the blanket she went for that. She was a very loving animal and we had become very attached to each other.
(Sunday) Rita and I dragged ourselves out of bed, had a shower and went into the warm kitchen. It was winter and the only warm place was in the kitchen because of the combustion stove that never went out. Tom was coming with us to church and he was already in the kitchen and started cooking breakfast for us all to save Mummy from having to do it. That was a big change from when we lived on River Downs because Mummy did all the cooking back then.
Rita and I were already dressed so we sat down and ate and decided to walk to church that morning and take Ginger with us and we would tie her up outside the church till the service was over. We left the adults to do their own thing and strolled down the road to the church and when we got there it was half an hour before the service was to start, so we sat down on a bench and let Ginger run around and sniff all the places where some other dog has left their calling card.
The Smith family turned up just before Tom, Mummy, and Daddy arrived and as we were walking towards the entrance to the church, us kids hung back so that we could find a seat away from the oldies for a change. I don’t know if Mummy approved but it was too late now because Father Brian was already at the pulpit. When the service was finished we slipped out to the games shed to have a quick game of darts. The adults always wanted to talk for a while and have a cuppa and some cake in the hall, so we were safe for a little while to have some fun. We went home and did some cleaning and washing before Rita and Mummy went to work at the restaurant and give Linda and Alice a well deserved break. Tom and Daddy went off to have a look at the house that Tom was thinking of buying so I was left to do my own thing once more.
I decide to to sort out all the clothes that were bought for me in Brisbane, and the things that I received for my birthday. All had to be ironed and put away in the wardrobes and drawers. It was nearly five pm when I finished doing that, and I was dog tired and sat down in Daddy’s favourite lounge chair and promptly fell asleep. Daddy and Tom must have been real quiet when they saw me asleep, because when I woke up at six thirty I had a blanket over me and a pillow under my head and Ginger laying at the side of the chair watching over me.
Tom came in to the lounge and said “Hello Sleeping Beauty, awake at last! Your Daddy was going to carry you into bed, but Ginger wouldn't have a bar of that and growled at him when he went to pick you up, so he got a blanket and pillow and made you more comfortable where you were.”
Daddy had made some sandwiches and brought them into the lounge for me to eat, so I just stayed in his big chair.
He said, “Sweetheart, Ginger is so protective of you now that even I can't touch you when you're asleep, so no-one is ever going to steal my little princess are they?”
“Daddy what am I going to do when I have to go to normal school? She will cry all day till I come home.”
Daddy said, “Well Carla, I don’t think we will have to worry just yet because I think your Mummy wants to home school you a bit longer till we sort out your medical problem.”
I replied, ”Yeah I know, as long as I can have some friends over sometime it wont be to bad I guess.”
“Well! have you asked that little Jenny over yet? I know her dad pretty well, and I think it is a good idea to invite her to stay over for a whole weekend. I'll tell you what, I’ll ring her Dad tomorrow and see what we can work out.”
Mummy and Rita walked through the door at nine o'clock, and they both looked really tired and said seeing that they had eaten at the restaurant they would just go to bed. After the kitchen was cleaned up that is what the rest of us did as well.
(Monday) Everything was back to normal this morning people rushing around getting ready for another day of toil. When all the workers gave me a hug and said “Be good today” I was a little bit depressed not to be going with them.
Tom Granger was still there and could see how I was sulking and said, “Carla, how is your school-work coming along?”
I replied, “Well I am so far in front that if I went on a months holiday to Surfers Paradise I would still be ok.”
“Ok” he said, “I’m going to give your Mum a ring and see if you can come with me this morning to get your approval of the house down the road that I will buy before I fly back to River Downs.
I thought 'Wow he wants me to approve of the house he is going to buy.'
Mummy must have said it was ok because he came back from Daddy’s office and said,“Ok Kiddo lets go and have a look to see if the house meets with your approval shall we?”
I replied, “Sure boss let's go.”
Tom was using Mummy's Land Rover to get around while he was in Quilpie and said as we got in “It's good to get behind the wheel of this old girl again.”
I said “Yeah, Mummy loves to drive it better than Daddy's automatic car.” We arrived at the house and it was only three doors down from the house that Aunty Bella bought the other day. Won't that be handy for me to go and visit them when I take Ginger for a walk?
The estate agent was waiting there for us to turn up.
Tom said “Good morning Jill, I brought a little friend of mine along to give her approval of the house, because she will most likely be spending some time here as well.”
It was a large rambling old Queenslander with verandahs all the way around.
'I'm going to own one of these one day' I thought to myself.
“Well!” said Tom, “What do you think Carla? Is it the right one for me and Margaret to spend some time in?”
I replied, “Will I be able to bring Ginger inside when I visit you?”
“Well if that is all it takes to meet your approval than of course you can bring Ginger inside!”said Tom.
After that, Tom followed the estate agent back to her office, which was two doors down from Mummy's restaurant and he said, “Sweetheart, you go and say 'G'day' to your Mum while I sign some papers so I can get back to River Downs before nightfall.”
I walked into the restaurant and saw Alice wiping down some of the tables and said, “G'day Alice, can I give you a hand with that?”
She replied, “What are you doing here Carla?”
“Got bored so here I am.”
“Ok, here's a dry cloth. You dry after I wipe the tables.” Mummy was out in the kitchen so she didn't know that I was there.
Just then Tom walked in and said to Alice “A coffee and a couple of scones please.” Mummy heard Tom and came out to where I was still wiping the tables and said, “Carla, you know you should not be out here working. Some one will think I am using child labour.”
Tom winked at me and said “Yeah and we will all have to go to jail.”
I replied, “OHH” and promptly sat down and said, “But I’m a customer officer.”
Mummy shook her head and said, “Ever the joker! That's my Carla.”
Tom had his morning tea and called Daddy to take him out to his chopper. He gave me a big hug and a kiss,and said “See ya” and he was gone.
Mummy said “Right Missy! I’ll drive you home so you can do school work, and not wipe down tables in a restaurant.”
I replied “Mummy I'll walk home.”
“No Carla, I don’t want you walking around town without Ginger being with you, do you understand?”
“Yes Mummy” I replied. I thought 'What does she think, some one is going to kidnap me or something?' ''rolling eyes.''
The rest of my day was normal, and I did as I was told like a good little girl and finished all my set work for the day, and took Ginger for her daily walk to the park.
The rest of the week went by pretty quickly. I met Jenny at the park on Wednesday and she was all excited that her Mum and Dad said she could have a sleep over on the upcoming weekend.
(Thursday) I saw Ricky at the park and we were sitting on the double swing and he pulled the swings together and kissed me full on my lips. 'OOHH boy, I am never going to wash my lips again.'
Ricky said, “Yummy, you taste nice Carla.”
I couldn’t speak for a full minute and said, “Um -um Ricky, Mummy said we are only supposed to be friends and no kissing is allowed.”
Ricky replied “Yeah, but what they don't know won't hurt 'em.” I went home with shaky legs, and kept licking my lips. 'So much for just being friends I thought.'
I told Rita about Ricky kissing me and all she said was, “Yeah! did you like it?”
I replied, “What if Mummy finds out?”
“You don’t have to tell her do you?”
“But if I lie too much God will punish me won't he?”
“But Carla, kissing someone is not a punishable offence.”
“Oh, ok then, - and yes it was really nice. “
“Yeah I know! Peter is a real good kisser too.”
Mummy came into our bedroom but didn't hear what we were talking about because we were almost whispering about our kissing episodes.
Mummy said “Your Uncle Tony and Aunty Bella are coming to inspect the house that they have bought tomorrow morning, and they are coming in a small private charted plane and we will be putting them and the pilot up tomorrow night. They will fly back to Brisbane on Saturday morning.
I said,“But Mummy, Jenny is supposed to be coming to stay for the weekend and there will be nowhere for every one to stay.”
“Carla don’t be such a drama queen. You can put that bed you used for Samantha back in your room ok?”
“Yes Mummy.”
Rita said, “Mum, now that you are here do you want to try and see if we can get Jean to communicate with you through Carla? It is working with me.”
Mummy said, “It is getting late, but if Carla really wants to try this then ok, lets try it.”
I said “Ok Mummy, you haven't seen what she looks like, so I will have to concentrate on her first and see if she is willing to have a go at making you see her in your mind.”
Rita stayed on her bed, and Mummy came and cuddled me and then I began to concentrate on my sister, again she was there instantly and she knew what I was trying to do. I told Mummy to just close her eyes and think of the day that she saw Jean after the birth while she was still alive.
Through me it was happening. Mummy started to tremble and I knew then that she had seen Jean her twin daughter in her mind. There was no talking and it only lasted for thirty seconds but Mummy started to cry with emotion so Rita came and hugged Mummy from the other side. This was a very emotional experience for all three of us. Mummy had seen Jean in her pretty blue and white gown and was overwhelmed by the whole experience and went to sleep with me in my bed. Rita went out to Daddy and told him what had happened so he wouldn’t be worried.
To be continued
Next time: Jenny's stay and Rita’s sweet sixteenth birthday. Maybe more ''kissing.''
Previously:
Through me it was happening. Mummy started to tremble and I knew then that she had seen Jean her twin daughter in her mind. There was no talking and it only lasted for thirty seconds and Mummy started to cry with emotion so Rita came and hugged Mummy from the other side. This was a very emotional experience for all three of us Mummy had seen Jean in her pretty blue and white gown and was overwhelmed by the whole experience and went to sleep with me in my bed. Rita went out to Daddy and told him what had happened so he wouldn't be worried.
(Friday 29/5 /59) Mummy was still in my bed and Ginger didn't know whose hand she was suppose to lick seeing I was already awake. I pulled my hand back under the blanket so she could lick Mummy's hand instead of mine, just to see what Mummy would do. I know! I have a "wicked sense of humour." Ginger hesitated for a minute but I nodded my head and to my surprise she knew she was allowed to lick Mummy's hand. By this time Rita was sitting up in bed with a grin on her face and her hand over her mouth, so as not to start to giggle before our little joke was over. Ginger licked Mummy's hand very gently and sat back. Mummy had a smile on her face and opened her eyes but didn't even realise that Ginger had licked her hand. Ginger is a very gentle dog unless she or her master is threatened.
Mummy said, “Wow Carla, I slept like a log after I saw Jean. I must have fallen asleep because I could feel myself tremble and then Jean seemed to be sitting on this bed. It was a dream but so vivid and so real. She was speaking with me and said she loved me and then she just faded. Carla, thank you darling. Now I know what you experienced with your twin.”
I said, “Mummy, it is not a dream. She is as real as you and me only in the spirit world.”
Daddy knocked on the half open door and said “Well ladies, was it a success?”
Mummy got up and gave Daddy a big hug and a very passionate kiss and said, “Bill darling, my life will never be the same after what Carla did for me last night. Do you realise that I actually saw Carla's twin sister, and she looks exactly like this little one. If I didn't believe before then I certainly do now.” She kissed Daddy again, and both Rita and I said, “Do you two want to get a room or what?”
Mummy and Daddy walked hand in hand to have a shower together. Rita and I looked at each other, rolled our eyes and had a giggle fit.
It was a work day so everything was all systems go, and here I was doing damn school work again. I thought to myself, 'How many bloody years do I have to do this anyway? I just want to work with animals. How many sums do you have to know to study wild animals?' I don't like maths but I do like social studies, so I will know all about the world.
It was eleven o'clock and I was getting hungry so I decided to go out to the vegie garden and picked the last of this year's strawberries, so I could have some of Mummy's home-made ice cream and strawberries. I know that is a dessert but no one is looking and it's like Ricky said, 'What they don’t see wont hurt 'em'.
I was sitting out in the warm sun eating my morning "tea dessert" when I saw a plane fly in a circle around the town and thought 'That must be the plane that Uncle Tony chartered to come for a visit.'
I gave Daddy a ring and said “I think that plane that just flew over us must be Uncle Tony, Daddy! Are you going to pick them up from the landing strip?”
“Yeah I’m on it boss,” replied Daddy.
I thought, 'I wonder how long before my aunt and uncle would be living just down the road from me?' I went and made sure that the two spare bedrooms were clean and tidy with clean sheets and pillow cases on the beds. 'Well I am a girl and girls do these things.' It was getting close to lunch-time, so I went to the freezer and pulled out some Irish stew and put the containers in the oven so that when people arrived they could have a nice hot meal because it was blowing a cold westerly at that moment and the chill factor was really low.
I heard a car pull into the driveway and knew it would be Daddy because Ginger seems to have a special bark when she greets Daddy. He didn't come inside because he had to go back to the garage to sort out some stuff he said. So Uncle Tony came in first, and picked me up like a little kid and hugged and kissed me on both cheeks like they do in the movies. Very embarrassing I must say. Then it was Aunty Bella's turn but she didn't pick me up, thank God.
Uncle Tony said, “That smells mighty good Carla, is that for us?” and added, “Awe you shouldn't have.”
Aunty said, “Tony stop teasing the girl will you?”
I replied “ Its ok Aunty Bella, he's a man and and they are allowed to be funny.”
Just then a tall man with little wings attached to his shirt pocket knocked on the kitchen door and said, “May I come in and join the party?”
I said, “Yeah you're just in time to have some of my Mummy's Irish stew.”
He said, “Thanks. My name is Steve and you must be the famous Carla?”
I felt my face get hot and thought steam would come out of my ears any time now. Steve is a nice man and he asked me all about where we came from and what I was doing at home and not in school. I told him why I was home schooled and he seemed to be amazed when I showed him all the radio equipment in my special room set up for me. I even let him say hello on the two way to my teacher, he was truly impressed with how it all worked. Then we all got into Mummy's old Land Rover and drove into town and dropped Steve off to have a look around Quilpie and probable go and have a couple of beers at the pub.
We then went back to the house that Uncle and Aunty bought. All the papers have been signed and they can move in any time they want. It is a nice big home and has a large shed which is why uncle bought it, Aunty Bella said their house in Brisbane was already sold and, so was the taxi business, so there was nothing stopping them from packing up and moving to Quilpie in the next couple of weeks. Uncle was waiting for someone outside to turn up, and I asked Aunty Bella what he was up to and she rolled her eyes and said there was a man coming to build a tower for a television antenna.
Uncle Tony was not going to miss his football for anyone. Aunty Bella and I walked through the house and made a note of what had to be done once she was living there. Of course I made lots of suggestions about colours for new curtains “and lots of pink is needed” I said, and Aunty Bella said, “Yes of course dear,” but I think she was just saying that to make me happy.
Anyway the man turned up to give Uncle Tony a quote to build his tower. He gave the go ahead to do it and only then did he come in to look around inside and went straight to the lounge room to see where he would set up his television set. Aunty Bella said, “Carla dear, you Rita, and your Mum will be able to come down and watch movies when we can get Tony away from the football.”
I said, “I will just look at him with my magic eyes and he will watch the movies with us Aunty Bella.”
She replied, “I believe you could too. Tony is putty in you hands.”
Tony said, “Well as long as she comes and visits us often I wont mind.”
It was getting late so we went looking for Steve the pilot and found him talking to Mummy at the restaurant, We all stayed there to have tea with the rest of the customers and people from the caravan park who all ate at Donna's Carvery.
We all got home at nine pm and were tired, Steve, Aunt and Uncle all needed a shower so we left them to it and went to bed. Rita and I talked for a while about her birthday in a weeks time and I asked her if she was going to have a big party just like I did and she replied “Nah don’t want nothin' like that, just family and the few people I have met while working with Mum, and Peter of course.”
“Of course” I said, rolling my eyes.
(Saturday) Rita and Mummy didn't have to be at work till mid afternoon and had quite a bit of housework to do, but I had Jenny coming to stay for the weekend and had to move a bed into my room because Rita wanted to get to know Jenny as well to make sure if she found out about my little problem she wouldn't cause me any trouble. Jenny's Mum drove into the driveway at nine o’clock and carried Jenny's bag up onto the verandah and said, “Hello Carla, I've seen you at church talking with Jenny and her friends. It's nice to meet you.”
Just then Mummy turned up and said, “Hello Mrs Carson, thanks for letting Jenny stay for the weekend with Carla. They have been friends for a while ever since they met at the park down the road,”
“That's ok, but call me Jan. We have known Bill for a long time and I was friends with Ann,”
Mummy said “In that case I'm Donna and that's Rita my other daughter.”
Jenny and I hugged and went straight to my bedroom and were talking twenty to the dozen when Rita followed us and said “Jennifer I know you are a good friend of Carla's but have to be told something straight away so we don't have any trouble later.” I started to panic and looked at Rita with a worried look on my face.
Rita said, “Carla, she has to know because she is sleeping next to you.”
Jenny interrupted Rita and said, “If it is about Carla's medical problem, it's ok Daddy knows Mr Croft, and that was discussed before I was allowed to come and stay here. I love Carla and I would never do anything to hurt her in any way.”
I was in tears by now and Jenny sat down with me on my bed and hugged me till I stopped crying.
Rita said “I’m sorry Carla, but I had to make sure that you do not ever have any problems.”
Jenny said, “Carla, Mummy has told me about what your problem is and I don’t care about that and I will not let anyone hurt you. I was only six when Paul committed suicide and I was so sad and cried for days, because he used to baby sit me and I always called him my brother. I knew he was different and that he liked boys instead of girls but he was so gentle with me, so Carla I will always be your friend.”
While this was going on Mummy and Jenny's Mum were having the same conversation outside. Jenny and I walked out to where Mummy was, holding hands and I said “Mummy, Jenny is cool with my problem so don't worry,”
“Yes I know darling. Jenny dear, come and say 'bye to your Mum so she can go home.”
After Jenny's Mum left, Aunt Bella, Uncle Tony and Steve the pilot asked Daddy to take them to the air strip to where the plane was parked, which Daddy had to help refuel because he had the contract to supply the special petrol they use for aeroplanes.
Daddy took the Land Rover because he had some pumping equipment on the back of it, so Mummy had to take his automatic car which she really didn't like driving. She and Rita made some lunch for me and Jenny before they went off to the restaurant to get things ready for the Saturday night rush. It was always the busiest night of the week. So we were left to do what ever we liked as long as we didn't get ourselves into trouble. Jenny wanted to see all the clothes that were bought for me In Brisbane. And I still hadn’t had a chance to have my little fashion show, so I got stripped down to my undies and started pulling things out of the wardrobe, Jenny was the same size as me so she stripped off to her undies too.
When we stood there looking at each other in panties and nothing else she said “Carla you don't look any different to me down there are you sure you have a problem?”
I replied, “Yeah I don't have a vagina like you do but they will fix that when I get older.” She said, “Can I have a look, and you can see mine if you want?”
I said, “You can have a look but you can't tell any one about it ok?” So we both pulled down our panties at the same time.
I said, “I know what a girl is supposed to look like because I always shower together with Rita.”
Jenny said, “Carla you don’t look a lot different to me. I thought you would have a bag down there but you only have a bit more of a button than I have.”
“Does it get bigger when you play with it?”
“No, it stays the same all the time but feels nice when I rub it, but don't tell Rita or Mummy will you.”
“Carla you are a girl like me, but have to have an operation to fix you up when you get older, and I will be you best friend forever and ever, cross my heart and hope to die.”
After the inspection of each other's bodies, we got in to our fashion show and tried all my new things on, and Jenny said, “When you come to stay at my place you could try all my things on too and we could do some swapping, because Brenda and June always swap clothes but they are not my size, so until now I have been missing out.”
I said, “Isn’t it great that we are the same size? I like pink - what’s your favourite colour Jenny?”
Jenny replied, “Yellow definitely yellow.”
I said “My twin sister Jean wears a blue and white gown and she looks just like me.”
I thought to myself 'I might as well tell her about my ability to talk with my twin sister on the other side.'
Jenny said, “I was told that you had a twin sister that died a few hours after she was born but you can't see dead people.”
I thought 'Here goes - I am going to have to tell her everything now.' Jenny just sat there with big eyes as I told her all about me being an identical twin and we shared one soul. She didn't say anything till I was finished explaining all about how the spirit world is as real as our own and when we die we will live on the other side.
Jenny said “Wow, can I see her too?” I said, “I don’t think it works with anyone that is not related to them. Mummy and Rita can, but it has to be through me.”
Changing the subject, I said, “How about we take Ginger for a run down to the park? You can use Rita's bike and we can ride to the restaurant to have lunch there.
Jenny replied, “I should have brought my bike, I will next time, but Carla I haven't got any money to buy any thing at the restaurant.”
I said, “Mummy won't charge you anything, silly.” So off we went and got our bikes out and took Ginger with us to the park. She had learned to run after the bike without needing a lead. She listened to me and did anything I ask her to do.
We got to the restaurant and I got Ginger her bowl of water and told her to sit and stay. She didn't need to be tied up any more, she didn't move till I come back to fetch her. I went into the kitchen with Jenny and said 'Hello' to Mummy and the others and asked for a bone for Ginger.
Rita said, “Do you two want to have lunch? I take it that is why you're both here, am I right?”
We both nodded and said at the same time “What's for lunch?”
Alice said, “The same as what the other paying customers are having.”
Jenny said “But we don’t have any money.”
Alice replied, “Just kidding! go and sit down at a table and I will get it for you.”
After we finished eating our lasagne, we collected Ginger who wanted to take her bone, so I put it in a carry bag and hung it from the handle bars of my bike. We rode to Daddy's garage to say 'G'day.' He was in his office when we got there, so we walked right in and I gave him a kiss on the cheek.
Jenny did the same and said, “Oops sorry! So used to doing that to my Daddy.”
Daddy said, “That’s alright Jenny, it is not as if I don't know you is it?”
Jenny said “Can I call you Uncle Bill now that Carla and me are joined at the hips?”
Daddy said,”Sure no worries Jenny, but you better tell your Mummy or I could get into trouble.”
Jenny said,“Ok Uncle Bill.” with a big smile on her face and winking at me. We went home and I gave Ginger her bone and told her to stay outside till she finished the bone. I think she must have buried it because she came inside the house five minutes later minus the bone. We didn't really need the bed for Jenny because we cuddled up and went to sleep giggling, much to Rita's annoyance.
Sunday was spent much the same and Jenny's Mum came to pick her up late in the afternoon, Jenny was all excited and said, “Mummy, I scored an uncle over the weekend, and I had the best time, and can Carla come to our place next weekend?” all in one breath.
Jenny's Mum replied,“Darling, I don't know about next weekend. We will have to talk to Carla's Mum first, and yes Bill called me and said you called him Uncle and yes it is ok to do that if you want. He might want to adopted you like he has Carla.
Jenny said “Mummy that's silly - what would Daddy say?”
“He might say that'd be cheaper for us.”
I waved Jenny and her Mum goodbye and rang Mummy to pick me up to take me to the restaurant to have my tea there because the freezer at home was near on empty.
To be continued.
Next time: Rita's birthday, Aunty Bella and Uncle Tony come to town, and a visit from a Brisbane Doctor with some news.
Please leave some comments. Roo :)
Previously:
We didn't really need a bed for Jenny because we cuddled up and went to sleep giggling, much to Rita's annoyance, Sunday was spent much the same way and Jenny's Mum came to pick her up late in the afternoon.
Jenny was all excited and said, “Mummy, I scored an uncle over the weekend, and had the best time, and can Carla come over to our place next weekend?” all in one breath.
Jenny's Mum replied, “Darling I don't know about next weekend, we will have to talk to Carla’s Mum first, and yes Bill called me, and said you called him uncle and yes it's ok to do that if you want. He might want to adopt you like he has Carla.”
Jenny said, “Mummy that's silly, what would Daddy say?”
“He might say that'd be cheaper for us!”
I waved Jenny and her Mum goodbye and rang Mummy to come and pick me up to take me to the restaurant to have my tea there because the freezer at home was near on empty.
Monday 1/6/1959
The start of another boring week of school work, but what else can a kid my age do? I finished my set work by eleven am and was bored, so seeing Ginger was pacing up and down the verandah, it was time for me to take her for a run behind my bike down to the park where I could throw her a ball for her to fetch and bring it back to me to throw again and use up all her pent up energy.
We got to the park and Ginger was barking at something in a trash can, I thought it must have been a snake or a lizard but as I got closer I could hear a little kitten crying. I got closer and had a look and couldn't see a kitten, but there was a hessian bag tied off at the top with some wire I was careful not to put my hand straight into the trash can because snakes sometimes get in them to hunt mice. I picked up a stick and poked into the trash can making sure there was no nasty surprise waiting for me. If it was a 'red belly black snake' in there and I got bitten I would only have minutes to get help or would be unconscious and I would be joining my twin. Anyway there was no snake, just a little white kitten put in there by some horrible person with a sick mind. I pulled it out of the sack and it clung to my hand because Ginger was sniffing it but not to harm it in any way. Ginger is a very gentle and intelligent dog with a lot of Australian dingo in her. I took the little pussy to the water tank in the park and put some water in my cupped hand and the little thing just lapped it up like there was no tomorrow.
I was really good with animals because back at River Downs I got really friendly with an aboriginal station worker and he didn't like living indoors but had set up a camp a little way from the homestead. I used to hang out there when he wasn’t working and listened to him tell me stories about the dream time, and this is also how I learned about bush tucker and as I said earlier I could go bush and survive and hide forever. I also learned how to tell the sex of animals that live in the bush, that is why I knew the little pussy cat was a girl. She was pure white and would be no more than a month old. Ginger was looking like she was going to lick her but I said 'no' in case she frighten the poor little thing. Maybe later Ginger can play mother.
It was cold weather and I was wearing jeans, boots, and had a woollen jumper on and I put the little kitten inside my jumper to keep it warm, (it actually went to sleep there!), got on my bike and rode home. It was lunch time so I made myself a sandwich and fed Ginger some raw mince mixed with some vegies in it.
Once I had my sandwich I decided to make a bed for the little pussy and went out to the shed and got an old washing trolley basket and put an old baby blanket in it. I took her out of my jumper and placed her in her new home. She looked like a ball of white cotton in a pink baby blanket. I decided right then to call her 'Fluffy'. Ginger was doing the mummy thing and laid down beside the basket which I left in the warm kitchen.
I rang Mummy and asked her to buy a baby's bottle so I could feed my new little friend.
Mummy said, “Alright darling, but you will have to wait till I get home to night, I might get Linda to drop it home for you. It sounds like the poor little mite needs to have some food or it might not survive.
I said, “Mummy, Ginger is acting all concerned and is lying beside the basket.”
Mummy said, “Ginger had puppies two years ago so she probably thinks she has to look after the little kitten.”
“'Fluffy' Mummy, her name is Fluffy.” I replied
“Alright sweetheart, I’ll see you tonight.” said Mummy.
Linda dropped the bottle off and came in and had look at Fluffy, and said to see if I could get it to take some milk and build up its strength because heaven only knows how long the poor little thing was in that trash can. I warmed up some milk and put it in the baby bottle with a teat on. I picked up Fluffy and got her to suck on the bottle and was surprised when she sucked for all she was worth. She is going to survive quite well.
When everyone got home that night, Fluffy was the centre of attention and they could see why I named her Fluffy.
Daddy said “I would like to get hold of whoever put her in a bag like that. They would walk away with a higher voice.”
I said, “Daddy what would you do to their voice?”
He replied “Never mind darling, you don’t want to know.” Don't you just hate it when they say something like that? Ginger wouldn't move from her position so we just left her there looking after her new charge, and left the door ajar so she could go and do her business in the night. No one would get past her if they valued their life because at one time she was used as a guard dog at the service station station after it got broken into. No-one ever tried again after she was there.
It was really cold that night because there was a westerly wind blowing all day and after a day like that it gets to almost freezing temperatures at night in the outback, so both Rita and myself used a hot water bottle to keep our feet warm in bed. We also wore fluffy flannel pj's, it was to cold to wear nighties. I checked up one more time on Fluffy and she looked fine, and Ginger was leaning up against the basket as though she was trying to keep the kitten warm by getting closer to it. She is indeed a mother. I went to sleep feeling pleased with myself for having saved a little life that day.
Tuesday.
Ginger came in and woke me up a little earlier then she normally does, and seemed to want me to get up. She was standing at the bedroom door wagging her tail and whining a little bit as if to say 'Come on you have a little one to feed.'
I rolled my eyes, shrugged my shoulders and said, “Oh alright mummy, I am coming to feed your little baby.” 'Gee mothers' I thought. When I got to the kitchen, Fluffy was making quite a noise and I picked her up and she cuddled into me so I made her a bottle and she drank the whole bottle in minutes. 'Wow what a greedy guts'.
Daddy came out into the kitchen and said, “Bloody hell! It's only five a.m., what's all the noise about?” Then he saw me holding Fluffy like a baby and giving her the bottle of milk and he said, “Carla you are a true girl and don’t let anyone try to tell you any different. Just send them to me if they do, and I’ll sort them out real quick.”
I replied, “Thanks Daddy.”
Everyone was at work and I was in the middle of doing some horrible sums that I couldn't make head nor tail of, and was about to get on the two-way radio to the School of the Air to ask some silly question about maths, that I thought I would never have to use looking after animals anyway, when the phone rang on my school work desk. Mummy had an extension put in there so it would be easier for me to stay in touch with her at a moment's notice.
Anyway I picked it up thinking it was Mummy and said, “Hello, animal refuge, can I help you?”
It was quiet for a bit and then Uncle Tony was on the other end of the line and said, “Carla is that you you little monkey?”
I replied,“Oops sorry Uncle Tony, I thought it was Mummy.”
“Well,” he said,“We have just finished loading up the removal truck and will be driving to Quilpie in the next hour. We will probably be there before the truck, so if you can let your Mum know we should be there tomorrow afternoon some time after lunch.”
I replied, “Is Goldie coming with you in the new Land Rover?”
“Yes, she sure is. It is going to be a long trip for her, so she will have to be taken for a run when we get there.”
I said, “I'll will take her for a run together with Ginger and they can get to know each other that way as well.”
“Ok sweetheart, we'll see you tomorrow 'bye.” and he was gone.
I rang Mummy and told her the news and she said, “Oh hell, I had better get some food back in the home freezer. I'll bring some home from here tonight, Carla I’ll be coming home a bit earlier from now on too because I don’t want you to spend so much time by yourself any more.”
I said, “What about Rita and Daddy? Will they be coming home earlier too?”
Mummy replied, “Daddy probably will, but Rita will start running the restaurant a bit more with the help of Linda and Alice and her Mum Jenny.” We said 'bye and ended the call. Back to my sums, the damn phone rang again but I thought I had better not be funny this time and answered it “Hello Carla White.”
“Hi Carla sweetie, it is Jan Ryan. I forgot your Mum would be at her restaurant sorry to bother you I'll hang up and give her a ring there.”
I said “Mrs Ryan can I help you with anything?”
She replied, “Oh I might as well tell you it concerns you anyway. You probably already know that we are friends with your doctor in Brisbane.”
I replied, “Yes, Rose told me that she studied with Doctor Jim at uni, and she said she wanted to come out here to visit.”
I asked, “Is she coming to see me too?”
“Yes Carla, I think she might have something to tell you, but you will have to wait, because I am not allowed to talk about private doctors' records sweetheart.”
I replied, “Ok, but I will grill Mummy when she comes home anyway.”
She said, “I’m sure you will Carla and she will have trouble with those big brown eyes of yours.”
I replied, “I know. I have magic in them.”
She said, “Bye Carla.”
I thought 'I hope they don’t tell me I have to go back to being a boy because I will take Ginger with me and disappear into the bush, never to be found again.'
I was waiting eagerly for Mummy to come home so I could grill her about Doctor Rose's visit. I made sure everything was ready for Aunty Bella and Uncle Tony because they would want to stay with us for a few days till their house was all set up and of course Uncle Tony's television to be set up. Mummy came home at four o'clock. and Rita was with her as well.
I said, “Wow, I must be important for both of you to come home early.”
Rita said “You’re not the only one that is important around here you know sis.”
I gave Rita a hug and said,”Rita I love you and you are the most important person in my life.”
Mummy said,“Hey watch it kid.”
I said, “Sorry Mummy.”
She replied, “I should think so.”
When things settled down, I cornered Mummy and said, “Mummy what is Rose going to tell me when she visits on Friday?”
“Carla, I doubt that it is anything bad, so you will just have to be patient like the rest of us, I know that is going to be hard for you but that is just the way it is ok?”
“Ok Mummy.” I replied.
While Mummy got busy with filling the freezer with food she brought home from the restaurant and getting our tea ready for when Daddy arrived home, Rita and I were playing with Fluffy and Ginger and I said, “Rita what are you going to do on your birthday on Saturday?”
She replied, “Mum said seeing that I didn't want to have a party at the restaurant, we would have a barbecue here in the backyard at lunch time and I can invite anyone I want have here.”
I said “Can I have my friends over too?”
“Yeah of course, the more the merrier.” she replied.
Wednesday
It was another normal day and I waited to take Ginger to the park until Uncle Tony turned up so I could take Goldie for a run after being cooped up in the back of the Land Rover for hours on end. It is usually a two day trip by car from Brisbane with constant driving, so with two drivers it is not too bad. They arrived at three thirty in the afternoon, so it gave me plenty of time to take the two dogs for a walk. I didn't ride my bike this time because Goldie would not be used to going for a walk without a lead. Goldie greeted me by jumping up and putting her paws on my shoulders and licking my face and almost knocking me over. Ginger came bounding out and they hit it off straight away much to my surprise, well, they are both girls after all!
After being hugged and kissed to death by two Italians, I took the two girls for a walk down to the park, and Ricky was there on his bike, I think he must be missing talking to me. We played around with the dogs and sat on those swings again, I thought 'Oh boy I am going to be kissed again.' and Ricky said “Carla I felt really strange last time I kissed you. What about you, what did you feel?”
I replied, “Kiss me again and I will tell you.”
Ricky complied with my command and I closed my eyes and Jean was there with a big smile on her face and said, “Go on then, I wont tell Mummy if you don’t.”
It was too late. Ricky had planted the kiss and it was like an electric shock going up and down my spine. and I could hear Jean in my mind laughing and then fading away. Ricky fell of the swing on to his bum and said “What the hell was that?”
After I recovered I said, “You have just been kissed by my twin sister, Ricky.”
He said, “Shit, that could kill someone Carla.”
I replied, “But did you like it?”
He said “Yeah, but I don’t think we had better do it again today or I won't be able to ride home.” We both swore each to secrecy about our kissing and said bye.
I collected the two girl dogs and walked home with wobbly legs and tried to get Jean to come back into my mind but the rotten sod didn't respond.
Thursday went by fairly quickly. Uncle Tony and Aunty Belle went to their house to make sure their furniture was all unloaded without too much damage.
Friday.
I was getting anxious about Rose and what she had to tell me, so I told Mummy she had to take me to Doctor Ryan's surgery first thing or I would ride there on my bike and knock on the doctor's door myself.
She said, “Settle down Carla, it has all been arranged. Rose will be here in half an hour with Jim and they will tell you all about it.”
I was sitting on hot coals and was thinking all sorts of things and not all good either. They turned up and by this time I had Mummy hugging me because I was so upset I was crying.
Rose walked in and got on her knees and put both her hands on my shoulders and said “Sweetheart, it is good news, so stop all this and dry those pretty brown eyes of yours and let me tell you what we have discovered from the x-rays and blood tests ok?”
I said in between sobs “Oo -k-k-y,” Rose.
“Right, here it is. Carla you are what is called intersexed which means that you have a bit of both boy and girl in you, but in your case you seem to be eighty percent girl so we are going to put you on a very low dose of female hormones for now till you reach your puberty and reassess the situation about any surgery in a couple of years, so don’t worry, you will never be a boy, do you understand?”
I said, “So I can stay being a girl for the rest of my life?”
“Yes Carla, that is what I just said.”
I jumped into her arms and just said “Thank you Rose.”
Doctor Ryan then said, “Carla, I will see you next week and we will sort out what you have to do so far as medication goes. It can either be given by injection or by taking tablets but I will talk to you Mum about that in due course ok ?”
I said “Yes doctor.” and gave him a hug as well.
Rose then got back to the subject about the study she was conducting concerning identical twins and said she will be around for a couple of days and would I mind if she brings her tape recorder and camera to do the the interview? She also said that Mummy had agreed to do the filming for her.
I shrugged my shoulders and said, “As long as I can stay a girl she can film me any time she wants.”
Mummy and Rose both laughed and Mummy said “That's our Carla.”
To be continued.
Next time: The interview and Rita’s barbecue with Peter and some new friends.
Please leave some comments.
Red belly black snake
Previously:
Doctor Ryan then said, “Carla, I will see you next week and we will sort out what you have to do as far as medication goes. It can either be given as an injection or by taking tablets but I will talk to your Mum about that in due course ok?”
“Yes doctor.” I said, and gave him a hug as well. Rose then got back to the subject about the study she was conducting about identical twins and said she will be around for a couple of days and would I mind if she brings her tape recorder and camera to do the interview, and that Mummy has agreed to do the filming for her. I shrugged my shoulders and said, “As long as I can stay being a girl she can film me anytime she wants.”
Mummy and Rose both laughed and Mummy said, “That's our Carla.”
Saturday 6/6/1959. It was Rita’s sixteenth birthday and Mummy told her she didn't have to go to work, so she could organise the barbecue for lunch today and ring the people that she wanted to come, and tell them the time to turn up. Mummy, me, Daddy, Aunty Bella and Uncle Tony were there to help with all the food so Rita didn’t have to do anything but be the hostess.
Rita is basically a very shy person and she would have preferred to have only family and the love of her life Peter to be there. Mummy talked her into inviting some of the people that are regulars at the restaurant, so we ended up with about twenty people at the barbecue Of course after the obligatory 'Happy Birthday' song, and 'She is a jolly good Sheila', Rita was asked to make a speech. Rita is a person of few words unless she knows someone really well, so her speech was short and sweet.
She said, “I want to thank every one for coming to my sixteenth birthday barbecue. Thanks for the presents, and enjoy the food and free beer.”
That was it, and then she got a big kiss from her precious Peter. Ricky looked at me and winked and I had to quickly look away because it made me think of the killer kiss we had at the park earlier this week. If Mummy found out what I was getting up to with Ricky she would probably never let me out of her sight again. Anyway it was only a kiss. Admittedly, because of 'Jean' it sat Ricky on his behind, and made me feel weak in the legs. I will not let Ricky do any more than that. I think that Jean did that on purpose so to make Ricky respect me or she will zapp him. I would have to have words with her that night in bed when all was quiet and I could concentrate on her.
Rita got some nice things given to her, mainly jewelry and a signet ring from Peter, and various dresses and shorts. The one present that surprised me was a beautiful silk skirt and blouse with matching three inch pumps. The skirt was a powder blue and the blouse was the same colour and it had delicate cream lace around the collar and at the edge of the sleeves. The shoes were two inch heels in a cream leather with a little bow just above the toes.
Mummy made her change and show Mary Winton the dress shop owner who gave it to Rita. Let me tell you Peter was dumbfounded when Rita walked out looking like a fashion model, make-up and all. I can only hope that I will look as pretty as her when I am sixteen.
Alice and her Mum Jenny, and Linda had to leave early because of the restaurant. All three hugged Rita and said goodbye. It was about three o'clock when most of the people started to go home but there a couple of people that stayed back and they were Peter's friends. The boy's name was Jason Bailey and the girl was Denise Walker and they both went to school with Peter. So it looks like there is a friendship building between the four of them which is exactly what Rita needs to bring her out of herself. Me? I'll talk the pants off a kangaroo, or like Daddy says, ''Carla, you can talk under water.''
My girl-friends Jenny, Brenda and June all stayed for a couple of more hours and because they missed out on my fashion show the other day, it was time to show them what was bought for me in Brisbane. Brenda and June were a bit miffed because they weren’t my size and couldn't try anything on but Jenny certainly did.
Anyway, their Mums eventually said, “Come on girls, time to say goodbye to Carla and go home.” Poor Ricky hung around with Uncle Tony and Daddy while I was doing girly things, but he wanted to see me before he got on his bike to ride home. We went out in the backyard to where the big gum tree was and sat on the old swing that was hanging of a branch, and I reckon it must have been there when Daddy was a boy. It is a single swing, so I had to sit on his lap and he had to put his arms around me.
It felt really nice and he said, “Carla I really like kissing you and I can't stop thinking about you. Are you the same?”
I replied, “Yeah sort of, and it feels nice when we are close like this, but we can only kiss in secret alright?
“Yeah I guess so.” he replied.
It was then that I felt his penis digging into my buttock and I realised that I must be a girl because I don’t get hard down there at all. Even when I rub it, just feels really nice, but it stays the same size, so what Doctor Rose said about the tests must be true.
I said “Ricky, I know what is happening to you down there so I had better get off your lap now.”
He said “Yeah I suppose so. I can't wait till we get older and can do what we want.”
I replied, “Yeah me too, and I jumped off his lap but, not before giving him a quick kiss on the lips.
I don't think any one saw me do that but I had to giggle when Ricky stood up and had to put his hands in front of his crotch and walked funny for a couple of minutes I thought 'Wow I did that!' and then felt a little tremble as if that naughty twin of mine was having a giggle too. I'm going to have a serious talk to her about her wanting to share my boyfriend.
Anyway Ricky got on his bike and rode home before it got dark.
Rita pulled me aside and said “Carla, I saw that and you had better behave yourself or you will find yourself in big trouble with Mum.”
I replied, "But Sis I didn't do anything!”
Rita said, “Don't you play the little innocent girl with me Carla. Next you'll be telling me that Jean made you do it.”
I replied, “As a matter of fact - ohh forget it.” and stormed off to my bedroom and cried into my pillow.
I must have fallen asleep because Mummy came in and said, “Sweetheart, Rita told me what happened on the swing earlier and this is just the type of thing I was trying to explain to you the other day about not taking things too far with Rick. He is a real nice boy but you must realise that boys are aroused when a pretty little girl like you goes sitting on their lap and giving them a kiss.”
I just looked at her with fresh tears in my eyes and said “Mummy when can I be like Rita and kiss Ricky on the lips like she does with Peter?”
Mummy replied, “Carla, I know you and Ricky are really close and tell each other everything, but if you want to kiss him just make it a peck on the cheek ok?”
“Yes Mummy.”
“Alright, now go wash your face and join us in the kitchen and have some tea.”
“Yes Mummy.”
Rita and Peter's friends were still there and were going to play a board game after tea, and Daddy would drive them home later. I sat down and had something to eat which was left-overs from the barbecue and there would be enough for a couple of more meals after tonight as well. I got up from the table and said I had better feed my baby which made them all look at me and say, “What!!”
“The kitten.” I said, “Fluffy”, rolling my eyes and said “silly people.”
After a while the laughter died down and Aunty Bella said, “Carla If you keep feeding her every few hours all we will be able to see is a big ball of fluff with a pair of blue eyes and no legs.”
I replied, “But won't she stop drinking when she is full? I do.”
Anyway there was a lady that I talked to that lived just down the road from us and she asked me to bring Fluffy down so she could identify what breed she was. The old lady ''Irene” she said her name was, said, “Fluffy is a long haired Persian and looks like a pure breed. Why anyone would want to get rid of her in such a cruel way is beyond belief.” Daddy said that he will take her to the vet in a couple of days and get her checked over and have her shots because she is a really valuable cat. I am sure Ginger and Goldie think so too. I didn't want to play in the board game, and said 'good night' to every one and went to my room to read up on how to look after pure breed cats.
I was just about to drop off to sleep when Jean made her presence felt and I closed my eyes and there she was sitting on my bed, when she said, “Carla you can open your eyes and you will be able to see me for a short while but it takes a lot of my energy to do it so if I fade you will just have to close your eyes again ok.?”
I said, “Can you do this with Mummy too?”
“No, it can only happen between us because we share the spirit soul, and we will always be connected till you come and join me when the time comes for you to cross over.”
I said, “Did you zapp Ricky on purpose when we kissed?”
“Yes Carla, we are too young to be doing that, and if Ricky keeps it up I will zapp him harder next time. Remember I am with you all the time, and I have to watch over you so you can't ever get rid of me.” Then she said “Bye for now Carla, my energy is fading.” She was gone and I fell into a deep dreamless sleep.
Sunday. Daddy, Rita, and Aunt and Uncle went to church, but Mummy and I were waiting for Rose to turn up to do the interview about identical twins. She arrived just after the others had left for church and also had doctor Ryan with her because he got roped into doing the whole twin study as well.
Mummy said, “Jim, I see Rose is getting you involved with this as well?
“Yeah” he said, “She is pretty pushy, but I must admit it is very interesting to find out that your daughter is part of a spirit soul that can communicate with her.”
Mummy said, “Jim, you don’t know the half of it.” Once we were set up in the lounge with tape recorder switched on and Mummy had the very expensive looking camera worked out, the interview started.
I got to tell my story as I saw it, and both Rose and Jim asked questions and said, 'Would I think that it would work if I tried to contact Jean while they were recording?
I said “No, that it would take far to much energy for Jean to accomplish.” So I was not going to agree to that at any time soon.
Rose said, “That's ok Carla, we have more than enough to take to my next meeting with the study group.”
I replied, “What about a vagina? Will I be able to get a vagina?”
“Yes you will, but your body has to finish growing first Carla or it wont turn out right.”
I asked, “When will I stop growing then?”
Rose said “I should think that in four or five years time, so you will have to be very patient”.
I replied, “I don’t think I can wait that long.”
Doctor Ryan said “Well we will have to see how you develop and do some more x-rays and also the new ultrasound equipment these days is pretty good, so next trip to Brisbane I will be accompanying you so we don't miss anything. There might be something that they missed last time.”
When they left Mummy sat me down and said, “When they know more after the next visit to Brisbane, I will get Father Brian to look further into your birth certificate and see if we can get it to say your real name and gender and have you called 'Carla Jean Croft', because Bill is going to fully adopt you and Rita when we get married in September. How will you like that sweetheart?”
I said, “Ooh Mummy yes please! But what happened to the guy in Charleville that did the divorce for you?”
Mummy replied, “Seeing that Brian is a lifetime friend of Bill and he is a fully qualified lawyer he is going to do it all for nothing and seeing you and Rita had never been christened in a church, I told him that he could be a godfather to you both.”
I said “I didn't know Rita wasn't christened either.”
“Well,” she replied “James didn’t believe in God and wouldn't hear of it.” she continued and said, “There will be a wedding and christening at the same time if the bishop will allow it. If not one will follow the other.”
While Mummy was telling me this, the others were standing behind Mummy, because she had sat in front of me on an ordinary chair and couldn’t see the others sneak in and listen to what Mummy was telling me. It was a bit naughty of them but I think they knew most of it anyway.
Daddy came and sat beside me and said “I love you kid and I will be proud for you to carry my name.” and he had watery eyes when he hugged me tight and Rita sat down and joined in the hug.
Mummy, Aunty Bella and Uncle Tony all said in unison “Aww look at that. It's a love in!” and we all started to laugh. It was lunchtime and there was still left overs that had to be used up so that's what we had for lunch. Rita said that Ricky was asking about me and said he was worried that I wasn't at church, and thought I was in some sort of trouble.
I said, “You didn't have a go at him about kissing me did you?”
“No Sis, but I just want you to be careful ok?”
“Yes I know! The birds and bees thing.” and rolled my eyes.
Mummy said “Now now girls, no harm done.”
I was worried about Ricky and asked Mummy to ring his Mum Helen, and make sure he is alright because when he got on his bike yesterday to ride home he was in tears.
Mummy said, “I saw what was happening and had already warned Helen to talk to Ricky and explain things to him.”
I replied, “Can I ring him and make sure he is ok Mummy?”
Mummy said, “I suppose so, otherwise you'll be worried about him the rest of the day.”
I talked to Ricky for about an hour and he was ok. He said his mum sat him down and he understands and he just doesn’t ever want to lose me as a friend because of what he did. I know I shouldn't have but I said, “I love you Ricky.”
To be continued.
Next time: Another visit to the Mater in Brisbane, and the wedding and christening.
Please leave a comment.
Previously
I was worried about Ricky and asked Mummy to ring his Mum Helen, and make sure he is alright because when he got on his bike yesterday to ride home he was in tears.
Mummy said, “I saw what happened and had already warned Helen to talk to Ricky and explain things to him.”
I replied, “Can I ring him to make sure that he is ok Mummy?”
Mummy said, “I suppose so, otherwise you will be worried about him for the rest of the day."
I talked to Ricky for about an hour and he was ok, He said his Mum sat him down and he understands and he just doesn't want to lose me as a friend because of what he did.
I know I shouldn't have but I said, “I love you Ricky.”
Monday 8/6/59
Mummy had set the date for the big day. It was the first Saturday on September the fifth which was only eight weeks away, 'See I can do sums when I have to.'
I was already in the kitchen giving Fluffy a bottle when Mummy walked in and sat down at the kitchen table and said, “Carla sweetheart, you will kill Fluffy with motherly love if you are not careful, you should be trying to get her to lap milk up out of a bowl.”
I replied, “But if I don’t feed her she might die.”
“I doubt that will ever happen in this animal loving household.”
Uncle Tony and Daddy were both rubbing the sleep from their eyes.
“Ok” said Daddy, “How about feeding the workers instead of pandering to the little ball of fluff which should be drinking from a saucer?”
I said, “I know Daddy. I will wean her off the bottle in the next couple of days.”
Bella and Rita walked in to the kitchen. It was the only warm place in winter in those old houses. Western houses were built with high ceilings and breeze ways to cool the house in the hot dry summers.
Bella started to prepare breakfast for all of us. She said that she was feeling bored and would do the cooking while her and Tony were staying at our house for a couple of days, because the painters were doing some work that she wanted done before they moved in. Daddy and Uncle Tony were going down to the house that night after after work to get the television hooked up to the big antennae in the back yard. We knew we could probably have to take their tea down to them because once the television was working they would want to watch all the replays of the football over the weekend. I liked to watch 'Skippy the Bush Kangaroo' which I watched while we were in Brisbane.
I was hoping to be able to go to the state school once my birth details had been fixed because I was getting bored with being at home by myself. So I am putting the pressure on Mummy to talk to father Brian to hurry things along, as if they would take any notice of a ten year old girl 'ha!'
They all took off except Aunt Bella, who asked me, “Carla how long does it take you to do your school work?"
I replied, “That depends on what subjects Mummy and the School of the Air have set out for me for a whole week.” Aunty Bella was still in her warm dressing gown having a second cup of tea. She liked tea instead of the strong coffee that the the Italians usually drink. She said that Uncle Tony liked his coffee so strong that the stirring spoon would stand up by itself in the cup one day.
She then said, “Well I know you have your little birth defect but what is the problem? It's not as though you are going to be parading around with your knickers down around your ankles is it?”
I got a fit of the giggles at that and Aunty Bella did the same and spilt her tea over her nice white fluffy dressing gown.
“Oh shit! I will have to sponge that out straight away or it'll leave a yellow stain,” she said.
Once I stopped giggling I said, “I can usually do all my set work for the day in about three hours Aunty. Why do you want to know?”
“Well” she replied, “I am going to your friend Mary Winton, you know the lady that gave Rita that pretty outfit on Saturday,and I would like you to come with me to choose the material for the new curtains I want to sew to make the place more my style.
“Well” I replied, “If I start now I can be finished by ten o'clock, or I can just leave my school-work until we come back from the shop, but Mummy likes me to do all my stuff in the morning because she reckons that if I don't, I will not do it in the afternoon and play with the animals instead.”
Aunt Belle said, “Yeah she is probably right, with two dogs and a cat, I can see where she is coming from Carla. Alright, you get stuck in to your school work and I’ll clean up the kitchen and have a shower.”
I did all I had to do and was finished at nine thirty, so off we went to Mary's shop to choose the material for the new curtains. Of course there was a lot of pink material. Just as well Aunty Bella likes pink too. When we arrived home, Mummy's car was there and so was Father Brian's. Aunty Bella parked the new Land Rover in the shed and we made our way over to the house. I could hear Mummy crying and I ran inside to see what had happened. Father Brian was sitting next to Mummy rubbing her back saying we can work something out.
I went straight to Mummy's side and said “Mummy what is wrong did some one get hurt?”
She replied in between sobs, “I can't marry Bill in the Catholic church because of me being a divorcee.”
Aunty Bella said “I could have told you that Donna, but Bill can marry you in any other church so all is not lost.”
Brian said, “I'm good friends with the Lutheran minster and will have a word with him when I leave here Donna.”
I gave Daddy a ring and told him that Mummy was upset and could he please come home and talk with her about the wedding? He was there within ten minutes and sat down beside her on the lounge, put an arm around her and said, “Everything will be ok Darling. No bloody church is going to tell me who I can marry."
I then asked him, “What about me? Can I still be christened?”
“Yes of course you can, just not as a Catholic”
“Oh is that all?” I said. Anyway Daddy didn't go back to work because Uncle Tony was now running part of his business, which let him take things a little bit slower. Brian and Daddy went into the office and closed the door behind them, so I guess it had to do with the paper work that had to be sorted out about my birth certificate and also the process about wanting to adopt me and Rita so we could have his surname as well as Mummy when they got married.
Mummy and Bella were in the kitchen preparing lunch so I decided to have a go at making Fluffy drink from a saucer I carried the little ball of fluff out onto the verandah, put her down and put her nose down to the milk and to my surprise she started lapping at it. Of course Ginger and Goldie were there as well so I thought I would give them both a treat and gave them a bacon bone each. It wasn't long and Mummy called me to come and have some lunch. It was one o'clock, and I was wondering why my tummy was rumbling.
Before we sat down to eat, Daddy said, “Ok, some things have been sorted out so listen up ladies. Brian has spoken with Pastor Miller at the Lutheran church, and the church has been booked for Saturday the fifth of September.” He was looking at Mummy when he said it with that silly grin on his face. Mummy jumped up and wrapped him in a tight hug and let all her emotions loose and cried into Daddy's shoulder.
All I was worried about was my birth certificate being changed so I could get christened and be able to go to a normal school.
I went up to Brian and asked him straight out, “What about me Father, what happens about me? Can you fix up all my stuff too?”
Brian replied “Carla, I have been working on 'your stuff' as you so elegantly put it, for a couple of weeks now, and it is all in hand ok?” That shut me up for a few minutes, and I sat down and ate my pea and ham soup that Aunty Bella made earlier.
So the rest of the day was spent with all the adults talking about legal stuff and I left them to it. I had a basket on the verandah for Fluffy so she wouldn't wander off and get lost, and put her in there while I took Ginger and Goldie for a walk down to the park. It was getting close to school being let out, so I hung around the park a little bit longer in the hope that my friends might turn up after school. I didn't have to wait long all three girls turned up and were still in their school uniforms, which I hoped to be wearing soon as well.
If all goes to plan, once I get some papers signed from Doctor Rose and Jim Ryan after the next Brisbane visit, I’ll be able to attend a normal school. Because I look almost like a normal girl down there I will even be able to go to the girls toilets, 'it's not as though I am going to walk around without my panties on is it?' I thought to myself.' We all played with the two dogs for a while and the girls said they had a lot of homework to do so we all hugged and said bye. It was getting late so I walked home with the dogs.
When I got back, Rita was sitting on the verandah in a squatters chair playing with Fluffy.
I said, “How come your home Sis?”
Rita replied “Uncle Tony said he had done all his catching up at the service station and he gave me a ride home, seeing Mummy was home already.”
I said, “Have you been told all about the wedding in September at the Lutheran church?”
"Yep, Aunty Bella has told me all about that and also how we are going to be baptised before the wedding, so we can then also be adopted and change our name to Dad's surname.” She continued and said, “I can't wait to be called by another name Sis, what about you?”
I replied, “I don’t care what they call me as long as I am a girl. Who cares?”
Daddy came out onto where Rita and I were sitting and said “Carla, there is someone on the phone that wants to talk to you sweetheart.”
I replied “Who would want to talk to little old me?”
“Well it's long distance, so move it.”
“Yes sir, Daddy.” I replied, and as I ran past him I got a small pat on the bum, and kept running and giggling and almost ran into the wall.
Rita said, “Stop being silly and answer that phone. Hurry up!”
I got to the phone and said “Carla speaking.”
“Carla, it's Rose. Are you ready to come down to Brisbane on Thursday?”
I replied, “I guess so. Wait a minute and I’ll call Mummy to talk to you.”
She said, “Hang on a minute sweetheart, I want to talk to you first.”
I replied, “Is there a problem?”
"No Carla, on the contrary, but I will want to talk to you and your Mum and also Bill so we are all clear on what's involved in your future treatment. I have spoken with Bill and he has agreed to come down to Brisbane as well.” She then said, “You are a very lucky little little girl Carla, Bill really must love you to do this for you."
I replied “Yeah he loves all three of us girls.”
Rose laughed and said, “I'll see you on Thursday. 'Bye.”
I looked at the phone and was day-dreaming when Mummy came in and said, “Well!!”
I said, “Mummy what was all that about?”
She replied, “Well darling, you will just have to be patient till we get to Brisbane wont you?”
I replied “Aww why can't you tell me now?”
“Sweetheart, I don't know a lot more than you do but I think they will be talking to us about some sort of surgery a little bit further down the track."
I said, “Ooh Mummy will it hurt?”
“Darling you wont feel a thing because you'll be asleep when it's being done.”
I went and sat in Daddy's big old lounge chair that I reckon must be at least a hundred years old because it was left to him by his Dad and had been reupholstered a few times but he will never throw it out. Anyway I was daydreaming about being a bridesmaid at Mummy's wedding when Mummy said, “Ok, we are going to leave for Brisbane tomorrow because Bill has some business to attend to there as well."
I sat up straight and said “What?”
“Carla, you really have to stop daydreaming all the time and listen to what is going on around you or you will be left behind."
I replied, “Sorry Mummy, I was thinking about your wedding.”
“Don't remind me! We have a lot to do before then, so go and pack your clothes to take to Brisbane and remember it's winter time so jeans and warm tops ok!?”
“Yes Mummy.”
Daddy came into my room while I was packing a bag with winter clothes and said “Carla I have a chartered plane coming in the morning at eight o'clock so it will be an early start ok?”
I said, “Wow Daddy, are we going to fly from here?”
“Well from the air strip anyway Carla so get to bed and get a good nights sleep. It's going to be a big week for us all."
Tuesday
Aunty Bella was going to go with Rita to the restaurant to help out while we are away, so Mummy gave her some last minute instructions of what menus to use, not that Rita didn't know what to do but to make it easier to manage the restaurant. Uncle Tony drove us to where the six seater twin engine plane was parked and ready to take us to Brisbane. The pilot was doing his final checks outside the plane when we arrived. He opened up some doors on the side of the plane and put our luggage inside the luggage compartment. He was looking a bit worried when he saw how much we were wanting to take, because the plane had a weight limit. Anyway it must have looked heavier than it was, and it was all coming with us. We boarded the plane and it was more comfortable and bigger than it looked from the outside. There was no control tower at the strip but the pilot must have been talking to some one because he was on the radio asking permission to start the flight.
Then the engines started and within minutes we were airborne and on our way to Archerfield airport on the outskirts of Brisbane. I think it took about two hours and we were touching down at an airport that did not have any big buildings because it was only used for smaller planes and mainly for private planes. I saw a few helicopters parked outside some hangers. The pilot taxied along the runway and to a building near the road where we had to get a cab into town. Daddy talked to the pilot and arranged for our flight back home when we were ready. Mummy said if we did a lot of shopping it would have to be put on the train to send it home because we right on the limit for weight on the plane as it was.
The guy that was in the building where the plane stopped, rang for a taxi to take us into town.
I said, “Where are we going to stay while we were in Brisbane this time Daddy?”
He replied, “Donna, you can tell Carla all about what you have arranged.”
Mummy replied, “I rang Samantha’s Mum last night and I am sure you wont mind spending some time with her will you?”
“It'll be real nice to see her. Do you think she'll be allowed to go shopping with us too?”
“Sweetheart, first thing first ok? Let Daddy sort his stuff out first and then we can work out what time we can spend shopping.”
The yellow taxi arrived and we loaded all our things into the boot and got into the car. Mummy gave the driver the address to take us to and it was only a block away from the Mater hospital on Stanley street. The driver stopped in front of an apartment building. We got all our things out of the boot of the cab and Daddy paid the driver.
Mummy went up the steps and pressed a button of an intercom with a number on it and I could hear Samantha’s voice come out of the speaker she said, “Samantha Aldridge, who is it?”
Mummy replied, “Samantha, it's Donna. Can you press the unlock button on the entrance door so we can get in off the street.”
The door clicked and it was unlocked, 'It must be a security thing' I thought.
I said “Mummy, I don’t think I could live in the city if you have to lock yourself in like this.”
She replied, “Don’t worry darlin,g you're not the only one who doesn’t like the city for any more than the shopping.”
Daddy rolled his eyes and said, “Yeah well once a year is enough for me. I'm always glad to be on the way home.”
By the time we were in the foyer of the building Samantha was coming out of a lift and jumping up and down with excitement and grabbed me and gave me a bone crushing hug.
I said, “Where are the stairs?” and she pointed to a door next to the lift. I think she knows that I worry about getting stuck inside a lift if it breaks down.
She said, “Don't worry Carla, there is a panic button if that happened and it lights up a light in the building superviser's office."
The apartment was on the second floor, so we were only in the lift for a couple of minutes. The apartment was as big as a normal city house only you had no outside apart from a little balcony that fronted a busy road and all the car fumes came up from the road. Samantha’s room had a television in it, so I was thinking I might be able to talk Daddy into putting up a big tower like Uncle Tony and have a television too. We settled in and Mummy, myself and Samantha went for a walk to a little restaurant and ordered a meal. Daddy went off on his own to deal with the business he had come to Brisbane to sort out. We had our meal, walked back to the apartment and settled down and watched a girlie movie.
To be continued.
Next time: the Hospital visit, papers signed, and a look at the city from Mt Cootha.
South Brisbane in 1959.
Please leave a comment.
Previously
I said, “Where are the stairs?” and she pointed to the door next to the lift I think she knows that I worry about the lift getting stuck in the lift if it breaks down.
She said, “Don't worry Carla, there is a panic button if that happens and it lights up a light in the building supervisors office.”
The apartment was on the second floor so we were only in the lift for a couple of minutes. The apartment was as big as a normal city house only it had no outside apart from a small balcony which fronted a busy street and all the car fumes came up from the road. Samantha's room had a television in it so I was thinking I might be able to talk Daddy into putting a big tower up like Uncle Tony and have a television too. We settled in and Mummy myself and Samantha went for a walk to little restaurant and ordered a meal. Daddy went off on his own to deal with the business he had come down to Brisbane to sort out. We had our meal, and walked back to the apartment and settled down and watched to watch a girlie movie.
Samantha and I were lying on her double bed and Mummy was sitting in a lounge chair that was next to the bed because, when Mary was home they always watched movies together so it made sense to have the television set in Samantha's room. 'April in Paris' with Doris Day was the movie we were watching when the buzzer went off for the front entrance door, It was Mary, Sam's Mum, so Sam got up and pressed the door release button in the other room to let her Mum enter the main foyer of the apartment building. It was a three story building and I think it was a hotel that had been converted to apartments a couple of years previously, that's probably why it still had a lift in it.
Mary came in through the door of the apartment and said, “G'day you two,” and gave me and Mummy a hug and a kiss on the cheek and we all went and sat down in the lounge when Mary said, “Sam luv, put the kettle on to make us a cuppa will you?”
I jumped up to give Sam a hand in the very modern kitchen with a marble bench top and taps with long spouts that you can swing around. Anyway we made two cups of tea for our Mums and grabbed a bottle of Coke each for us and went back into the lounge.
Mary said, “How are you feeling now that you are being treated for your little birth defect Carla?”
I replied, “I don’t feel any different now than I always have Mary. I am a girl that needs a bit of surgery, that's all.”
Sam came into the conversation and added “Mum, she is the same as me. Remember I have the same little problem don’t I?”
“Well,” said Mary “You have two little extras that Carla doesn’t have to start with, but you are definitely girls. There's no mistake there is there?” and we had to all giggle at that as Sam and I did a curtsy together.
“Ok,” said Mummy “What about my man, Mary, what are the sleeping arrangements?”
Mary had a wicked look on her face and replied, “Oh you can sleep on the lounge Donna, and I’ll look after your beautiful man. I haven't met him but from what Sam says he is a real honey.”
Mummy had a worried look on her face but said nothing, when Mary said, “Just kidding Donna, don’t look so worried. You'll have to get used to my wicked sense of humour.”
Sam said, “Mum please behave yourself or you will chase them away.”
Mummy then said, “It's alright darling, I have the same wicked sense of humour as your mother, so watch out.”
I nodded my head in agreement and we all laughed. Just then the buzzer went and it was Daddy at the front entrance. Sam pressed the button to open the entrance door to let Daddy into the foyer. Daddy doesn’t trusts lifts and took the stairs instead. I went and opened the door to the apartment and stood just outside the door to give Daddy a big hug when he got there.
He put the briefcase he was carrying down, and lifted me up off the floor and gave me a bone-crushing hug and said, “How was your day sweetheart?”
I replied “Really good Daddy! Can we have a television too? Mummy said she wants one too and Uncle Tony put up that tower and...”
“Whoa, that's a lot of wants.” replied Daddy. He came inside the apartment and Mummy was waiting for him just inside the door and kissed him passionately on the lips and then said. “Bill can I have a television too?”
“Whoa you too!” and Mummy kissed him again and said, “I know you were talking to the man that built the tower for Tony. You can't hide anything from me you know darling.”
Daddy said “Bloody women,” Sam rushed up and put her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek and said, “I wish I had a Daddy like you! Mine was never around.”
Mary walked up behind Sam and said, “Sam you were right he is a nice man.” and put her hand out for him to shake but he took it and held it like in the movies and kissed it.
Mummy said, “Alright Casanova, you can sleep on the couch for that.” laughing while she said it.
Mary said, “Sorry Donna, I didn't mean to be so forward with your man.”
Mummy said, “It's ok Mary, I love and trust him completely,”
Mary replied, “Well I am the one that is going to sleep on the lounge because I have to be at work by six am and I normally get up at five in the mornings so you and Bill will be in my bed while you are in Brisbane, and Carla can sleep with Sam in her large double bed.”
Mummy said, “Are you sure? We don’t want to put you out of you own bed.”
Mary said, “Yes quite sure, because I am going to come and visit you in Quilpie and you will have to put up with me and Sam, so just relax, you'll have enough to worry about in the next couple of days as it is.”
“Ok then,” replied Mummy. Daddy just stood there with a smile on his face probably thinking he was glad he didn't have to sort that out.
Then he said “Alright ladies, I'm going to take you all out for a slap up dinner how does that sound?”
Sam said, “What all of us?”
Daddy replied, “Unless you want to order in pizza.”
Sam and I both said at the same time “Noo!! Not pizza.”
Anyway Daddy ordered a taxi and we went a fancy restaurant in city near the Story Bridge with a funny Italian name that Uncle Tony told him about. The food was similar to what Aunty Bella cooks, so I think that Donna's carvery will have some Italian menus as well. Aunty Bella is going to work with Mummy running her restaurant.
We got back fairly late so we sorted out the beds. Sam and I talked till midnight mostly about what we were going to go through when we have our final surgery to make us whole girls like we were supposed to be when we were born.
Wednesday,
~~~~~~~~~~~
Mary was gone by the time anyone else woke up. It was seven o'clock and the noise of the trams going past the apartment woke me up but it doesn’t worry Sam. She says that it lulls her to sleep at night because the trams run till eleven o'clock at night, and there seems to be one goes past every five minutes.
Sam and I got up and went to have a shower together and when we were both naked we just stood there and looked at each others genitals.
Sam spoke first and said, “Carla you look like you are almost a girl down there. You only have a tiny little penis, and it really looks like a large clitoris.”
I replied and said, “Sam that is what Rose called it and she said that I have never had any testicles in the first place, so it wont take a lot of surgery to make it look right.”
Then it was my turn and I asked Sam if I could touch her small breasts because I wanted to feel how soft they were.
She said, “Sure, but be gentle. They are quite tender and the hormones that Rose is giving me is making them grow really quickly.”
Rose was giving Sam hormones to stop her from having a male puberty and it was making her body develop like a girl her age.
She said, “I don't get an erection any more but it still feels good to rub it and my nipples get hard.”
I asked, “What do nipples feel like when they get hard?”
She replied, “When I touch them they go all tingly.”
I said, “I can't wait till Rose gives me hormones. I want to grow breasts as big as Rita has.”
Our exploration of our bodies stopped abruptly when Mummy knocked on the door and we both jumped and squealed in guilty fright.
Mummy said, “Hurry up you two! There are other people that need to use the bathroom as well you know!”
Sam and I quickly got out of the shower giggling, and wrapping fluffy bath towels around us and ran into Sam's bedroom.
I decided to be all girley that day and wore my pink denim skirt with the lace around the hem, white bobby socks, and dark red shiny Mary Janes. I chose the white blouse with the flower prints on the front, and a white windcheater. My hair was really long now so I just combed it really well and put barrette in it - pink of course. Sam wore her school uniform. She still had to go to school even though she took theprevious day off. She didn't want to fall behind as she wanted to be a nurse like her Mum. Daddy got all his business sorted the previous day, so we were going to do a bit of sightseeing that day before the serious thing of the next day would take place.
Mummy said she had never been up to Mt Coot-tha to see Brisbane from there.
Daddy said, “Ok do you want to go up there by bus? That could take some time cause I haven’t a clue how the buses run in Brisbane and the trams don’t go up there as far as I know.”
Mummy replied, “Darling, we are not exactly broke are we? I think we can afford to get a taxi up there don't you?”
Daddy said, “Ooh I don’t know” with a silly look on his face.
Mummy then said, “Bill how much did you get for the sale of the caravan park?”
Daddy coughed a bit and said, “I'll order a taxi shall I ?”
Mummy replied, “Yes dear I think you'd better do that or miss out tonight.”
Daddy replied, “Darling that's a bit below the belt isn't it?”
“William, not in front of the girls please!”
Daddy said, “There’s that guy William again.” with that silly grin on his face once more.
Anyway once the two of them were finished their silly banter Daddy finally got on the phone and ordered a taxi to take us up the mountain. Sam gave us all a hug and went off to school which was only a couple of city blocks away.
The taxi arrived and we climbed in and were taken to Mt Coot-tha. On the way we passed the biggest cemetery I have ever seen, it seemed to go for miles and it made me shudder to think of all the souls that are buried there. That instance I could hear Jean say in my mind “All just bones, Sis.” Anyway, we reached the top of the mountain look-out and it was a clear day. I got a funny feeling in my tummy when I walked to the edge of the lookout barrier. It felt like I was in an aeroplane looking down over the whole city, and I could also see the ocean and Morton Island in the distance, it was that high.
We had lunch at the restaurant that was beside the lookout and then asked the waitress about the city bus service to see if we could take a bus ride down the mountain. There was a city bus that came and went every hour, so we waited till the next bus arrived and boarded that. On the way down the mountain, the bus passed the very large television transmitter towers that reached up even further into the sky. By the time we were back down in the city and got off at the bus stop just a short walk from the apartment, we were getting tired and decided to go upstairs to the apartment to relax and watch some television.
We had the code to put in a number in the electronic lock to open up the main door to get in, and made our way up the stairs to the apartment. None of us liked, or trusted lifts so the stairs it was.
We were just starting to watch something on TV when Sam walked in and said, “Hi all. Have a nice day up the mountain?”
I said, “How did you know we were up the mountain Sam?”
“Your Mum rang My Mum and told her where you were while you having lunch up there.”
Mummy said, “Yes dear. I rang Mary to find out when she would be home because I will be cooking dinner tonight.”
Sam said, “Oooh yummy!! I get to eat some more of Donna's Carvery food.”
Mummy sent Daddy down to the supermarket to by the necessary ingredients to make tonight’s meal, which was a lamb roast and and baked potatoes with pumpkin and onions in the same tray as the roast.
Sam and I helped Mummy with the preparation because that is what girls do. Daddy went into Samantha's bedroom and watched some English comedy show.
Mary came home at five thirty and as she walked through the door she said, “Oh my God, that smells so good Donna, my mouth is watering already. Are you sure Bill won't adopt me and Sam as well?”
Sam then said, “Mum doesn’t really cook do you Mum?”
“Haven't got time Samantha you know that.”
“Yeah sure Mum,” replied Sam rolling her eyes.
“Now now girls, no fighting. Life is too short,”
“Yes Ma'am,” they both said.
Thursday.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
After breakfast and saying 'bye to Sam, we walked the short distance to the Mater hospital and into the main foyer to where the lifts were.
Daddy looked at me and said, “Do we have to?”
I replied, “You'll get used to it in no time Daddy.”
“Yeah, whatever” he said.
Mummy said, “Just get in there you two bushies and stop wasting time will you?”
Daddy did a salute, and I giggled. We got in and there was a nurse already in the lift and she said, “Which floor do you people need to go?”
I replied, “Dr Rose um—um.”
“San-Lee,” said the nurse.
“Um yeah, that's her” I said.
The nurse laughed and replied, “Don't worry honey, you're not the only one to forget that name. We all just call her Doc Rose.”
She pressed the button to take us to level three. The doors closed and up we went, the lift stopped and the voice said 'level three'.
We walked out of the lift and Doc Rose’s surgery was just across from the lift.
I said “Mummy, did you forget where the surgery was?”
She replied, “How the bloody hell can I forget what happened when you had a panic attack when you were here before?”
I said, “That wont happen this time Mummy, I’ll just get Daddy to hold my hand.” Daddy winked at me and grabbed my hand.
Mummy just rolled her eyes and said, “Bill Dear you do realise that this little monkey has you wrapped around her little finger don't you?”
Daddy replied, “Yeah it's her magic brown eyes.” and gave me a hug.
Mummy just shook her head and said, “Shit men are so easy to control.” She winked at me and said “Carla we might get that television set yet.”
We walked into the reception area of Doc Rose's surgery and told Cindy to let Doc Rose know that we had arrived. We were half an hour early,and the appointment was for nine am. What we didn't realise was how close Mary's apartment was to the hospital.
Cindy said “Rose just went down the hall to collect some records and will be back in about five minutes so just take a seat and wait for her to come back.”
Cindy looked at me and said “Wow Carla, your hair must have grown at least six inches since I last saw you."
I said, “Yeah do you like it?”
“Well I have to dye min,e but yours is a beautiful honey blond, and with those big brown eyes you are going to break some hearts Carla.”
Mummy said, “Not yet she wont, I'll have to keep a close eye on the little monkey.”
Daddy said, “I'll keep a close eye on all three of my girls” and rolled his eyes.
Doc Rose walked in with an arm full of files and said, “Hello everyone, just give me a couple of minutes and we can get under way.”
Cindy said "You may as well go in to the surgery and make yourselves comfortable."
While Rose was sorting out her desk we all sat in the chairs provided.
“Right” said Rose, “got the reports all sorted so here we go.”
Daddy said, “Rose before you start, we would like to get back home by tomorrow night is that alright with you?”
“Sure Bill, we have two more tests to do and then we can get Carla sorted out with a hormone regime that will start her on the way to full girlhood.
I said, “Are you going to cut me open?”
“Not for a couple of years Carla. You have to do a lot more growing first sweetheart”
I replied, “Will I have a vagina just like Mummy and Rita?”
“Yes darling you certainly will, but that is a way off yet ok?”
Mummy said “So what happens now Rose?”
"Ok, you and Bill can either be present when we do the next couple of tests or if you prefer you can come back in a couple of hours."
Mummy said, “Carla would you like us to stay or go?”
“Oh Mummy and Daddy, I want you both to be with me please.” and I was starting to get all teary so I closed my eyes and said “Jean where are you?”
She was there in my head and said, “Sis it's ok, we will both go through this together. I'm here, stop worrying,”
I said out loud, “Ok Jean but don’t go away.”
Daddy had never seen me communicate with Jean like that and just sat there with his mouth open.
Mummy said "Close your mouth Bill, the flies will get in!"
Doc Rose laughed and said, “Bill, get used to her doing that, she is stuck with her twin I’m afraid.”
Daddy said, “Wow! I didn't realise she can see her as well as talk as though she is just sitting in the room with us.”
I replied, “Daddy she can hear every thing you say so watch it, or she will zap you.”
Daddy laughed and said, “I love you too Jean.”
“Right” said Rose, “lets get on with shall we, so you people can get back home.” Then before we left the room to go to have another type of scan, Rose said, “Before you leave today I will give you all the paperwork to be able to change all the birth certificate information and also a letter explaining to any government authorities about Carla's condition so she can attend a normal school. I was on cloud nine and ran to Rose and hugged her and started to cry.
Rose looked at Daddy who had a worried look on his face and said, “Bill they are happy tears.”
Daddy replied, “Bloody women.” and shook his head.
The tests were done and Rose said it confirmed what they had thought all along. I am eighty percent girl already and with medication and surgery in a few years time I will be complete. I had a smile on my face for the rest of the day, and when Sam came home from school I had to tell her all my good news. Mummy and Daddy went out to a movie and left us girls to talk and giggle till they came home with a Chinese take away. By the time the table was set Mary was home from work as well.
Friday.
~~~~~~~~~
We said our goodbyes to Mary and Samantha and headed to Archerfield airport. The plane was all ready so we wasted no time getting on board for the flight home.
To be continued.
Next time, School, wedding, preparations and being christened.
Previously
The test were done and Rose said it confirmed what they had thought all along. I am eighty percent girl already and with medication and surgery in a few years time I will be complete. I had a smile on my face for the rest of the day and when Sam came home from school I had to tell her all my good news. Mummy and Daddy went out to a movie and left us girls to talk and giggle till they came home with a Chinese take away. By the time the table was set Mary was home from work as well.
Friday
~~~~~~~
We said our goodbyes and headed to Archerfield airport. The plane was all ready for the flight home, so we wasted no time in getting on board for the flight.
The pilot whose name was Rodney said he enjoyed flying out to these outback places because there is literary no air traffic and he didn’t have to watch out for any other planes in the vicinity. Anyway we landed at the Quilpie air strip at eleven thirty and as Uncle Tony heard the plane circle over the town he got in his Land Rover and came out to pick us up. The plane had to be refueled so we told Rodney to come and have some lunch at Mummy’s restaurant, before he headed back to Brisbane. He accepted gladly and came with us to have lunch, Daddy would drive him back to his plane when he was finished.
Rodney told Daddy that he wouldn't mind being stationed here at Quilpie air strip for charter flights and Daddy said he would look into what sort of response the shire council would have to let something like that happen. Anyway we got to the restaurant and Rita had a table set all ready for us and a meal was only five minutes away. Seeing it was the middle of winter, Rita served up pea and ham soup with thick slices of toast which went down really well.
When we finished lunch Daddy drove Rodney back to his plane out at the strip and helped to do the refueling. Uncle Tony drove us home. Mummy and I were really tired from the last couple of days' activities so we decide to have an afternoon nap. Once I said “G'day” to my animal friends and fed them, I went to my room and lay on the bed and thought what Doc Rose had told me in Brisbane. Fluffy jumped up on the bed and curled up beside my head and we both dropped off to sleep.
Saturday 12/6/1959.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rita shook me gently and said, “Wake up Sleeping Beauty. It's eight o'clock and we have things to do today.”
I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and said, “Oh boy, it is not very often I sleep in this late is it?”
Rita replied, “No Sis, but you have had a busy couple of days so you're forgiven, but get out of bed and into the shower so you can have breakfast. We have a lot to do in the next few weeks.”
I said, yawning “What are we doing today that is so important anyway?”
Rita replied, “Have you forgotten what is happening in a few weeks time?”
“Oh the wedding.”
“Yes Carla. If you want to wear a nice dress on the day then we had better go and see what Mum has planned for us.”
I got up and had a shower and got dressed in jeans and a warm top, socks and a pair of woollen slippers, as it was cold at that time of the morning. It might not snow out there but the ground got covered in a white frost and killed off all the lawns in winter.
I went to the warm kitchen and Mummy said, “Morning sweetheart, sleep well did we?”
I replied, “Yes thanks Mummy. What's for breakfast?”
“Sit down at the table madam and I will serve Your Ladyship.”
I giggled and Rita rolled her eyes and said, “Hoy, what's this? No-one serves me.”
Mummy replied, “Ok you two, shut up and get your gums around this.” It was a full English breakfast with the works. Just as Mummy was putting the plates on the table Daddy walked in and gave Mummy a big hug and kissed her passionately on the lips.
Rita and I both said, “Pu-lease not this early in the morning.”
Daddy said, “Eat your breakfast girls, I'm allowed to do this. It makes my day seem to go quicker.” and he winked at Mummy. Breakfast over, Daddy went to see the man about the tower for our television.
Mummy said, “Right girls, I'm not going to work today and neither are you Rita. The others can run things at the restaurant today.”
Mummy then made a phone call to Mary Winton at the dress shop to see what she had in stock for us all to try on. Mary owned the shop that local women went to, to buy or hire wedding gowns.
Mummy said, “Ok girls. I want you to wear skirts to make it easier to change in and out of the garments you're going to try on.” Rita and I did as we were told and were ready to go within ten minutes in the car down to the dress shop.
Mary was waiting for us when we arrived, and said “Good morning ladies. Are we ready to try on all the wedding and bridesmaid dresses?”
We all three nodded and walked into the shop. Mary said, “I will close the shop for a couple of hours so we don't get disturbed and do things without rushing your decisions.”
Mummy was first, and Mary said, “Donna, what are you thinking of wearing?”
Mummy said, “I wore a really beautiful gown the first time round and it was a waste of time wasn't it? I am just going to choose a nice dress and leave it at that.”
An hour later we all agreed on what Mummy had chosen. It was a white past the knee silk dress with delicate blue embroidery depicting flowers and little ballerinas around the hemline, and with a large bow at the waist. Rita and I took another hour to try on several dresses and ended up choosing two identical full-length evening gowns in pink with white lace-work around the bodice and hem.
Then next came the shoes. Mummy chose a pair of white three inch pumps and said, “You girls will get to tired in heels, so I want you both to look for a nice pair of flats.” It didn't take very long and the shoes looked much the same as Mummy's only with hardly any heel.
Accessories would be bought another day.
Mummy said, “I have a lot of your Nan’s jewellery to sort through first before we go out and spend any more money.”
Mary tallied up the bill and Mummy said, “That wasn't too bad, so Daddy will be able to afford to buy an new suit as well.”
Rita said, “Mum I hoped he wasn’t going to wear that old moth-eaten thing he wears to church?”
“He is pretty attached to it,” said Mum.
We arrived home just as Daddy was parking his car in the shed and he stayed in the car.
Mummy said, “I wonder what that man is up to. He is hiding something I am sure of that.”
Rita said, “ Lets just go and see why he is not getting out of the car.”
Mummy said, “Ok you two go on one side and I’ll go on the other so he can't escape.” He was trapped and had no choice but to get out of the car.
When he got out he was dressed in a suit and he looked really good.
Mummy said, “Darling, you went out and bought a new suit all by yourself.”
“Um, err, well it is sort of new. Brian had one too many so he sold me one. Do you like it?”
Mummy said, “It is real nice Bill. How much did you pay Brian for it?”
Daddy can't keep a straight face when he tells a lie so he said, “Oh that and a bit more.”
Mummy said, “Bill darling, It's ok. It's a lovely suit, and it can keep your old one company in the closet after the wedding.” She than kissed him and said, “I love you William.”
Daddy replied, “Who's William?”
“Mummy said the beautiful man I am about to get married to.”
It was lunch time and although it was a cold day it was nice in the midday sun.
Daddy said, “We will start the barbecue up and have a nice steak sandwich.”
Mummy and Daddy stayed outside and got the barbecue going. Rita and I made a quick salad and got some steaks out of the fridge. It was just as well the meat was put in the fridge that morning to defrost, or we would not been having a barbecue for lunch.
Daddy rushed up into the house to change out of the suit that cost him a lot of nothing, and changed into some jeans and a shirt. By the time he came back outside the steak was ready to make the steak sandwiches with all the trimmings. We all had coke to drink, which is normal for a family that is not into alcohol. It was nice to just sit in the afternoon winter sun with my family. It was so different from when we were on River Downs, when there was always tension between Mummy and my other dad James, who I guess I will see again one day when I am a teenage girl, not that it would happen if I could help it. As far as my brother John is concerned, I would accept him back if he behaved himself. I didn't think it was his fault that he was brought up to be like his aggressive father. Only time would tell if he saw the light before it was to late.
Sunday 13/6/59
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mummy decided to go to the Lutheran church to get to know the pastor because he would be performing the wedding ceremony and also be doing Rita's and my baptism. Originally it was all going to happen in the Catholic church but because Mummy was a divorcee that couldn't happen so we would all be Lutheran.
The baptism would be a private affair with just a few people that knew us and it would be in a weeks time on Saturday morning.
I said, “Mummy, who can I invite to the christening?”
Mummy replied, “Carla, we are trying to keep it low key darling. It is more for the sake of legalities as you well know.”
I had tears in my eyes and said, “Can I at least have Ricky and Jenny there?”
Mummy replied, “Of course darling. Now come here and let me hug you.”
Daddy also gave me a hug and said “Sweetheart, it's like Mummy said - we just want to make sure that we have everything done before the wedding, because by then the papers will all be signed so you can have your name changed on your birth certificate and also be my adopted daughter, as well as Rita.”
Rita said, “I was wondering if I was going to get a mention in all this?” with a grin on her face.
Mummy said, “Ok everyone, we had better get ourselves ready and head off to church.”
We were ready to go in half an hour. The Lutheran church was on the other side of town so Daddy drove us in his car. When we arrived at the church, Pastor Jeff Miller was at the bottom of the steps to greet his congregation. He made us feel really welcome and I liked him straight away.
We went and sat down in the church and most people gave us a smile and a nod. The service was quite a bit different than in the Catholic church, and there was a lot of hymn singing which I could really get into. 'I think I am going to like being a part of this church', There were a lot of kids that were my age as well so I would be able to make some new friends as well.
When the service was over we hung around after most of the other people were gone because Pastor Miller wanted to meet us properly and get to know Rita and myself for next Saturday's baptism ceremony. Jeff already knew Daddy because he and Brian used to go out wild pig shooting together. We all went into Jeff's house which was right next to the church, and we were greeted by his wife, a short plump woman with a real cheery face.
She said, “Welcome people, and come in and have some of the Country Women’s famous pumpkin scones and a cuppa.” Her name was Shelly and she was secretary for the Country Women’s Association, which I thought Mummy was thinking of becoming a member of as well because they did a lot of charity work for country people.
Anyway Rita and I went into a smaller room once all the food was laid out, and Pastor Miller started to explain to Rita and me what we had to do to be baptised the following week. He said. “Ok girls, this wont take too long. I will just explain what will happen, and I will give you both some literature to take home to read through, so you know what is expected of you in the eyes of the church.”
That was basically it, and we went back in where Mummy and Daddy were talking to Shelly.
Mummy said, “Carla, Shelly has signed me up as a member of the CWA, and we will be doing some charity work. That should make you happy.”
“Yeah, I like helping poor people that have got nothing,” I replied.
Most of the poorer people were the indigenous people living out on the reservation. I would have to talk Alice into taking me out there because I got on really well with the aboriginal elders. I learned a lot of their culture when I used to visit old Billy's camp at River Downs. He was the one that taught me all about bush tucker and how to find water out in the desert.
They are very clever people and know all about the Dreamtime and the spirits that live in the land and animals. Anyway we got home from church and Mummy and Rita decided to go and sort out the restaurant for that night. Daddy and myself went down to Uncle Tony's and Aunty Bella's to help sort out the hooking up of the television to the outside antenna. Daddy had to climb up the sixty foot high tower to hook up the wires to the top of the tower.
Once that was done the television set was working. It wasn't as clear as in Brisbane but it was ok to watch.
Uncle Tony said, “I'll call Jim from the electrical shop to come down tomorrow to fine tune the set.”
Daddy said, “If mine will be as good as this one is I’ll be a happy chappy, Tony.”
The ABC was showing the previous day's football in Brisbane, and Uncle Tony and Daddy sat and watched that for the rest of the afternoon.
I'm not into football so I helped Aunty Bella sort out the new curtains for the bedrooms. She was starting to show me how to use her new Singer sewing machine.
She said, “Carla, you will be able to sew your own dresses in no time and show Rita how good you are at making you own clothes. I have a lot of dress material that I have never used, so you can have a look at that, and if you like any of it you can have it. I will be only too pleased to teach you how to sew, Sweetheart.”
Aunty Bella then said, “Carla dear, you can help me get supper ready for tonight, but first go tell your Daddy he is to stay here for dinner as well, because Donna and Rita will be at the restaurant till late. We will make a niece oxtail stew. It wont take long to make on this old combustion stove - it's the same as the one at your house. Good old English quality these stoves, and they keep the whole kitchen warm in winter too.”
Daddy and Tony went out to the shed out in the back yard after dinner and set up some tools and thingys, so that left the television free for me and Aunty Bella to use so we watched 'Operation Petticoat' with Cary Grant and Tony Curtis in it.
It was nine o'clock by the time the movie was finished, so when we got home Mummy said, “Right! Carla, you had better hit the sack so you can do some serious school work tomorrow because as soon as your paper work is through you can go to a normal school., I have already spoken with Rick's dad, Barry and it's all systems go once you are legally a girl.”
I replied, “Mummy, I didn't think I was going to go till after the wedding.”
“Darling, the sooner the better don't think?”
“Well it's all a bit scary, but Jenny, Brenda, and June will all be there to help me fit in.”
Mummy replied, “Oh what about Ricky?”
I said, “Yeah, but he wont want to hang around with a girl at school will he?”
Rita said, “If he is a true friend he will be there for you when you need him.” I went to bed and had all sorts of funny dreams with Jean going to school with me.
Monday.
~~~~~~~
Everything was back to normal with people going off to work and leaving me to myself. I couldn’t even visit Aunty Bella because she was starting to work at Donna's Carvery so I just did a lot of school work. If I was going to go to the state school, I wanted to be able to have a smooth transition from home schooling to the normal system. The rest of the week was much the same. I did my school-work and took the dogs for a walk in the afternoons. Goldie was staying with us for a while till Uncle Tony got a kennel built for her, but I thought she would always be spending more time with me than her new home. I met the girls and Ricky at the park in the afternoons and they were all excited that I was going to be at their school soon.
Saturday.
~~~~~~~
I had told the people that I wanted to be at the christening to be there at ten o’clock and Mummy said that after we were finished at the church she would invite them all to our place for a barbecue lunch. When we arrived at the church there were at least twenty people there waiting to greet me and Rita which is not how many people I expected to turn up. Aunty Bella and Uncle Tony were to be our God-parents so they had to be there.
My three girlfriends were all dressed in pretty dresses and of course so were Rita and myself. I know it was winter but I wanted to wear my favourite summer dress because it was pink and any photos I wanted taken had to have me wearing a pink dress. So what I did was to wear a coat till it was photo time, and Rita did the same as me. Mummy gave up trying to tell us to wear jeans and nice warm tops. This was our day so we got to choose what we wear, ''Right?”
Even Father Brian was there to support us in a different church. Whatever would his boss the bishop say? Brian is a real nice man and a close friend of the family. Once all the papers were signed by Pastor Miller, he handed them to Brian because he was also a lawyer and was handling all the legal stuff and had to sign off on everything to make me a girl legally. He was also a Justice of the Peace, so it made everything go through the system without any problems. While I was talking with Jenny, Ricky came up to me and gave me a big hug and a kiss right in front of Helen, his Mum.
She said, “Ricky, I know you two are close friends but keep the kissing bit till you are a bit older ok?”
“Yes Mum,” he replied, but got another kiss in before he put me back down.
I whispered “I love you Ricky Smith.” He replied with a wink. Rita and Peter were standing beside us and Peter said to Ricky “I saw that Rick. Be careful or Dad will ground you, and then you won't be able to see Carla, let alone go kissing her.”
Rita said, “Peter, leave them alone. How would you feel if someone told you not to kiss me?”
Peter said, “That’s different, we are older.”
Daddy and Uncle Tony walked past us and Tony said, “Lets get going. I'm getting hungry.”
Everyone including Pastor Miller and his wife Shelly came to the barbecue in our back yard. Brian, Daddy, and Uncle Tony were the chief cooks and all the salads were done at Mummy's restaurant yesterday, so only had to be brought out from the fridge, There was beer for anyone that wanted it and plenty of soft drink for those that didn't.
While no-one was looking, I snuck another kiss with Ricky and said, “I will see you at the park next week.”
He replied, “I'll be there, no worries Carla.”
When most of the people had left, Jenny's parents were having a cup of tea, so I showed Jenny all the papers that were signed that day, and my name on the birth and the christening certificates said I was Carla Jean Croft. That meant Daddy had officially adopted me. Apparently James, my natural father signed the papers to let that go through.
Jenny said, “When will you be coming to our school Carla? I cant wait to have my special friend in the same class with me.”
I replied, “Mummy is sorting that out in the next couple of days.”
The following day we would be going to the Lutheran church, and so would Daddy with Farther Brian’s blessing.
To be continued.
Next time: Starting at a normal school and getting used to a classroom full of kids
*****Please leave some comments****
Previously
Jenny said “When will you be coming to our school Carla? Can't wait to have my special friend in the same class with me.”
I replied “Mummy is sorting that out in the next couple of days.”
Tomorrow we would be going to the Lutheran church and so would Daddy with Father Brian’s blessing.
Sunday 21/6/59
~~~~~~~~~~
Daddy, Mummy, Rita and I all went to the Lutheran church service that morning so we would be used to the way things were done before Mummy and Daddy's wedding on September the fifth. It was surprising how much the people of that church made us feel so welcome. I was asked to join the church choir which is what I did because I can actually sing. Just ask Ginger and Goldie, they sing along with me!
There were six girls and three boys in the choir and they all went to the state school that I would be going to. So I had already made some friends at church before I even went to school. I didn't expect too many problems with going to the girls' toilets because girls sit to pee and the toilets all have doors on the cubicles, but to make sure till I settled in, I would ask Jenny to be with me when I had to go to the loo. Jenny knew all about my little medical problem and she had seen what I looked like down there.
Last time she stayed overnight for a sleep-over, she asked if she could see what all the fuss was about and we both got in the shower together. She said that I didn't look a lot different to her apart from having a larger clitoris than she had and we both stood in front of a full length mirror to see if I could get away with being in a girls dressing room. She said as long as I didn't go prancing around no-one will take any notice because I didn’t have any testicles so there was nothing hanging down between my legs. Doc Rose said I was inter-sexed and would be able to have surgery to make everything look right when I stopped growing.
Jenny wasn't at church that day but she is Lutheran and would be going the next Sunday, so I would have my best friend there as well. It was a pity that Ricky went to the Catholic church but at least he was going to the state school. I didn't know what I would do if I was in the same class as him because I didn't think I'd be able to concentrate on any school work with him being so close.
I was asked to stay back after the service to see if I could sing well enough to be in the choir and Shelly, the minister's wife would drive me home after we were done.
I was definitely going to be in the choir so I thought I must ring Samantha that night and do a bit of bragging because she was also in her school choir. Anyway Shelly drove me home just in time for lunch and Mummy invited her to have lunch with us. She said she might as well because Jeff was out at some meeting or other and wouldn't be home anyway. I liked Shelly, she always seemed to be laughing.
The man had built the tower for the antenna and Daddy somehow got the television to be delivered on a Sunday. It worked out that the guy had his car in for repairs at Daddy's garage so Daddy talked him into setting everything up as well. Daddy gave Uncle Tony a call and he was there in a few minutes. He must have run all the way but than it was only a few houses away from us. The television was working within an hour and they sat there the rest of the day watching silly replays of football.
It was four o'clock in the afternoon when Barry Smith, Ricky's Dad turned up and wanted to talk to me. I thought I was in trouble for kissing Ricky and said, “I'm sorry I wont do it any more Mr Smith. I didn't mean to get Ricky into trouble by kissing him.”
“Oh Carla, you and Ricky aren’t in any trouble, but you shouldn't be kissing at your age. No, I am here to have a bit of a chat with you about going to school on Tuesday. Because it is a student-free day I thought I would get you and your Mum to come in and meet with your teacher before you start. What do you say to that?”
I replied, “Wow I like that! I have been doing extra school work so I was not behind in anything, but I am no good at maths.”
He replied, “What's new? Ricky needs help with that as well.” I sang out to Mummy and said we had a visitor. She was still in the kitchen talking with Shelly, and she came out and said, “Is Carla in trouble? What have her and Ricky been up to?”
Barry laughed and said “Donna, they are not in any trouble. They are both good kids.”
Barry then explain what was going on and asked Mummy to come down to the school with me the next day and see if my level was what the School of the Air said was correct. So I would have to do a bit of a test to see how I went and if I could be put in grade five.
Mummy said, “I can guarantee that she is well and truly good enough to be in grade five. I have made sure she has kept well in front with all her school work Barry. What time do you want us there in the morning?”
Barry said, “Nine o”clock will be fine. Her teacher is a man by the name of Peter Taylor and yes he has been informed about Carla's medical problem and is fine with that. He has a gay son so he will not tolerate any nonsense from his pupils.”
After he finished talking to me and Mummy he went into the lounge and watched the football with the rest of the men. Aunty Bella, Mummy and Rita started to sort out the Sunday night dinner, and seeing Barry was already here he was asked to give Helen a call and tell them to come over as well.
Helen Ricky and Peter all turned up fifteen minutes later and all walked into the lounge to have a look at the new television set working. Ricky gave me a quick hug and and then sat down with his eyes glued to the football game that was on the television. So much for coming to see me, his girlfriend ''sigh.''
Rita had the same happen to her with Peter and looked at me and said “Men! All they think about is their tummy and football.” and we both went into the kitchen to help with getting the dinner prepared.
Mummy and Rita were spending more time at home those days because Alice, her Mum Jenny, and Linda were coping pretty well on their own most days, so Mummy and Rita could have more of a home life.
The dinner was a roast lamb with baked potatoes and vegetables and a special gravy that Aunty Bella made, but was keeping the recipe a secret or so she said. Of course Mummy was watching her pretty closely while she was making it and said to Aunty Bella, “I'm not watching! Honest!” with a grin on her face. I called out to Ricky to help me set the table but got no response and had to stand in front of the television set to get his attention and when I did that there was a lot of “Hoy!! Get out of the way Carla. We can't see the ball play in the scrum.”
I didn't move till Ricky said, “Ok ok, I'm coming.”
I replied, “I should think so. What is more important, helping me or that silly football game?“
Ricky replied, “Um Carla, can I answer that later?” He got a slap on the arm for that and told to get to work or he wouldn't be able to go back in to the lounge to finish watching the game.
Aunty Belle said, “At least the men don't get under our feet when there is a game to watch on the telly,” with a grin on her face. The table was set and Mummy went in and without warning turned the television off and said “Alright, dinner is ready. This is your captain speaking! To the table now!”
All the men said “Yes ma’am, sir.'' and came to the table to have dinner. Before I went to bed I rang Samantha and talked to her till Mummy said, “Ok Carla, say 'bye to Sam, it's bed time”
I ended the call and told Sam I would call her in a couple of days to let her know how I was getting on at school.
Monday.
~~~~
Rita and Daddy went off to work and left me and Mummy go to the school to get me sorted out with the the man that was going to teach me. I was to join the fifth grade so I would have to do a written test to see if I could cope with the work . We arrived at the school and because it was a student free day all was quiet.
I said, “Mummy, I feel a bit nervous about this and I just hope Jean is going to help me out with the test.
Jean was in my mind and said, “Carla I am here! Stop worrying we will be fine.”
I said out loud, ''We!!” I could hear her have a giggle and then she was quiet. “Grrrrr.”
We walked to the main administration office and Barry was talking to a middle aged man with a pleasant face and said, “Come in Donna and Carla. This is Peter Taylor. He will be your teacher Carla, as long as you pass the test we are giving you this morning, and I am sure that you will do well because I know that you have helped Ricky out with his social studies project a couple of times.”
I kept quiet and Mummy said, “Carla's maths need to improve but she is well ahead in everything else.”
Barry then said, “Carla, the students address the men teachers as 'sir' and the lady teachers as 'Miss' or 'Mrs' if they are married, and I know you are a very respectful nine year old, so you shouldn't have any problems fitting in to a normal school environment.”
Mr Taylor said “Donna, it's nice to see such a well behaved little girl as part of our school, and by the way I have been informed about Carla's medical problem. You can rest assured that there will be no problem while I am at this school. All the kids know that if there is any kind of bulling or bad behaviour they will be in big trouble.”
“So,” Mr Taylor continued, “Donna, if you want to leave Carla with me you can come back in a couple of hours to take her home.”
Barry then said, “Hang on Donna. Before you take off, there are some papers to be signed and then you can be on your way.”
I gave Mummy a hug and a kiss and went to a classroom to sit for the test.
I said, “Sir, will I be able to sit next to my friend Jenny tomorrow because I am really nervous about being at school with so many other kids?”
He replied, “Carla that has already been arranged, and Brenda and June will be allowed to be next to you as well. I know it will be strange for you after all these years of home and School of the Air teaching, but you will be fine ok?”
I said, “Yes sir.” and then he gave me some papers and a pencil and rubber and said, “Carla take your time. This is not a time trial. I am just trying to gauge how far advanced you are in this school year. If you have any questions I’m right here at my desk as though I have a full class.”
I got down to do the test. Most of it was pretty easy but I was sure there was some spelling mistakes in there somewhere. The maths wasn’t too bad either, I think Mummy must have been giving me harder sums on purpose the last couple of months, because the ones in my test were easy to do.
I finished in one and a half hours and did not have to ask for any help with anything in the test so I said at the end, “Sir, I have finished now. What do I do?”
He looked up from the papers he was correcting and said “Well Carla you did that in good time so lets see what you have done shall we?” He said if I wanted I could go to the toilet and have a look around the rest of the school and also say Gday to some of the other teachers, and to give him half an hour to look at what I have done and come down to Mr Smith's office and we would discuss my test there. I had a walk around the rest of the school and said “Hello” to a couple of teachers and went back to the main office and Mummy was there as well,
I knocked on the door and waited to be asked to come in.
Barry said, “Carla, it looks like you will be able to start tomorrow. You have passed the test with flying colours.”
I was speechless, and Mummy said, “Congratulations, sweetheart it looks like I did a good job with home schooling you.”
I replied, “Thank you sir and sir.”
They both laughed when they heard me say the double sir, and Mr Taylor said, “That's a new one. You are welcome Carla. I think I’m going to enjoy having you in my class.” He then said, “Donna you have a very well behaved little girl and she has been through a lot. We will make sure she fits in. She already has some good friends who I’m sure will look after her so, Carla I will see you in class tomorrow morning.”
I said, “Thank you sir.” and shook his hand. He smiled at me and gave me a wink.
I then had to have a school uniform and school text books which were a little bit different from the home books that I was used to.
So Barry said to Mummy, “Donna, you and Carla can come with me down to the store room and we can sort the book situation out with second hand books because it is getting close to the end of the school year and it would be a waste of money buying a full set of new books.”
I said, “What about the uniform?”
Barry replied “Carla, one of the lady teachers has a selection of hand me downs but I think I know you well enough that you wont be happy wearing someone else’s clothes, or am I wrong?”
Mummy answered before I could and she said, “Barry, I think we can splash out for our little Carla this time don't you?”
He replied, “Of course! Sorry young lady.” and gave me a smile and a wink. I just blushed red and was tongue tied for once in my life.
We went with Barry to the school stores room and got my necessary books and left to get my uniform at Mary's dress shop. Mummy must have rung her or been there while I was doing the test because there were uniforms all laid out on a table next to the change room.
Mummy said, “Right young lady, down to your undies and lets get this over with so I can get back to work.” I did as I was told and was given the uniform to try on and to my surprise it fit me perfectly.
Mary said, “Darling, I keep all the measurements from my customers in a book so I knew what to layout before you came in.”
Mummy said “Don’t you look smart Carla?” and I went to a full length mirror and did a twirl and. I said, “I look just like Jenny in her uniform.” and as I said that Jean was in my head saying, “We look cute don't we?” I don’t know what Mary thought but I started talking to Jean out loud as if she was there with me in the shop.
Mary looked at Mummy and said, “It's alright Donna, I know all about our twin soul girl, I think most of the town is fascinated by your little Carla.” Mummy bought me two uniforms complete with shoes, school jumpers, and the school colour ribbons to use for my hair.
When we got home, Jenny and her Mum Jan was there waiting for us and because it was close to lunch time Mummy said, “Come on Jan, while these two have their mutual admiration society we can get in the kitchen and get us some lunch.” Jenny was jumping up and down and could hardly contain herself as she gave me a hand to carry all my school stuff into my bedroom, the only thing that I did not have was a school bag but Jenny ran back out to the car and came back with one of her old ones and said, “That is why I talked Mummy into coming around to see what you looked liked in the school uniform.” so I striped of and put the uniform on and did all the twirls and curtseys to show Jenny how I looked.
She said that most of the girls including herself wore their hair in a high ponytail so I put my long blond hair up and put the blue and white ribbons in to hold it and had a look in the mirror with Mummy and Jan standing at the bedroom door looking amazed at how much older I looked in the school attire. We had lunch and Mummy went off to work, Jenny stayed and her Mum said she would pick her up later when she was sick of trying on clothes all afternoon .She gave us both a hug and said “Have fun girls” and left.
Tuesday, 23/6/59
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My first day at a normal school, I rode my bike like most of the kids did in Quilpie and was greeted by Jenny, Brenda, June, and also Ricky which made me feel at ease because there were at least two hundred and fifty students going to this school and quite a lot of them came in by bus from the surrounding district.
It all felt a bit strange and I was quite nervous as the parade ground assembly was held every morning and was addressed by Barry who was the Principal of the school. Once he had the business of the day discussed he said, “We have a new girl starting in grade five today please make her feel welcome.” Then we all marched to our classrooms with music over a loud speaker.
There are thirty kids in my class and most of them gave me a smile but there were some boys who gave me a funny look but I just ignored them and went on to sit next to my friends in the class.
To be continued.
Next time: First day nerves; some bullying from a boy, and tears.
Please leave a comment.
Previously
It all felt a bit strange and I was quite nervous as the parade ground assembly was held that morning and was addressed by Barry who was the principal of the school. Once he had the business of the day discussed he said “We have a new girl starting in grade five today. Please make her feel welcome. Then we all marched to our class rooms with music over a loud speaker.
There were thirty kids in my class and most of them gave me a smile but there were some boys who gave me a funny look but I just ignored them and went on to sit next to my friend in the class.
Tuesday 23 /6/59.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first thing that Mr Taylor did was to get me to stand up and introduced me to the class and he said, “All right class quiet! We have a new student joining our class this morning. The girl standing up is Carla Croft and she has been taught by her Mum and the School of the Air up until now, so it will all be a bit strange for her, this first week. I expect you all to make her welcome and get to know her in today’s lunch break, She already has some friends in this class but I want all the class to get to know her because she has some special knowledge of the bush. Carla you may sit down and we will start with the first lesson of the day after roll call.”
After roll call we were asked to get our social studies books out and turn to page eighteen. The subject was on the early mail system in Australia, and we were asked to read the two pages on that subject and then Mr Taylor would ask us some questions on how we thought we had progressed over the last fifty years. I was really good at this subject so I enjoyed reading the two pages which were a bit different to the home school book but said the same thing only in a different way. Question time came and I sort of shrunk down in my seat; so I would not have to answer any questions. I was lucky I wasn't asked anything that day so I breathed a sigh of relief when the lunch break bell went.
We all went out and sat under the school where there were benches to sit on to have our cut lunches. Two days a week the tuck shop was run by volunteer Mums and you could buy your lunch on those days.
Jenny sat with me and said, “Well Carla, what do you think of going to a normal school?”
I replied, “There are so many kids. How am I ever going to get to know all their names?”
Just then Ricky came and sat on the other side of me and said, “Are you ok Carla you look a bit worried?'
I replied, “Yeah Ricky I'm alright. It's all a bit strange to be in a room full of kids doing school work.”
Ricky said, “It's a pity I’m not in you class as well, but then that might cause problems with some of the boys that don’t like me because Dad is the principal.”
Anyway the day passed fairly quickly till I was riding home from school on my bike. My friends were all riding bikes as well, but in different directions so I was on my own. As I was passing the park on my way home there was one of the boys in my class. I think he was one of the ones giving me a funny look this morning.
He said “Hey you White! Come here I want to talk to you.”
I didn't know whether to pedal faster or stop. I felt scared but decide to stop to see what he wanted. Anyway he grabbed the handle bars of my bike and shook the bike hard enough for me to lose my balance and fall off onto the ground and twist my ankle in the process. I didn't know the boys name but he kept on calling me 'Carl White' and 'little sissy poofta' and that my Dad owed his dad money for a gambling debt. I was in pain and couldn't stand up as he was holding me down and shaking me and then he tore my school uniform blouse and all the buttons went flying. By this time I was crying in pain and I screamed at him and said, “You broke my ankle. I am not Carl White, I am Carla Croft or didn't you hear the teacher call my name on the roll?”
“Bullshit. You're a fucking boy and lived on River Downs and your arsehole of a Dad is James White and he owes my Dad two thousand pounds for a gambling debt”.
It was getting late and I would be missed because I was supposed to call Mummy when I got home from school.
The boy said, “That poofta Ricky wont protect you, because I’m going to take you with me to a place where they can't find us and then ask that rich mother of yours to pay up or she will never see you again.”
I was in a lot of pain by now and my ankle was starting to swell.
I said through my tears, “I have nothing to do with James any more so let me go or I will get my twin to help me and you wont like what she can do to you.”
He replied, “Shut the fuck up boy or I'll make you into a girl the hard way.”
I replied, “I am a girl so you are too late!”
He got angry at that and hit me in the face and I could feel the blood running out of my nose.
Just as he was about to hit me again I saw a car pull up at the park gate but because of my tears I couldn't see who it was. It was Ricky and his Dad and they jumped the fence and pounced on the boy that was thumping into me. Barry didn't say a word but picked the boy up by his hair and lifted him off me as though he didn't weigh anything at all and he landed a few feet away with a surprised look on his face. Ricky came and helped me sit upright, and started to wipe the blood from my nose with his hanky and tried to hold my blouse together at the front because I was wearing a real girlie pink camisole under the blouse.
Barry was holding the boy who was about two years older than me but was in my class so he must have been kept back for two years.
Barry yelled at him as he held him in a head lock almost choking him and said, “Bradley Blake you are in big trouble! Before I let you out of this head lock I want you to calm down or I will have to put you out of it do you understand?”
“Fuck off” said the boy, and Barry put a little bit more pressure on a point on his neck and Bradley went out cold. I screamed at that and thought he had killed him because of me.
Ricky held me tight and said, “Carla, Dad was a martial arts teacher before he became the principal of the school and he only put Brad to sleep for a bit. He'll be ok.”
I was sobbing uncontrollably now and my ankle was as big as a balloon. My nose was all clogged up with blood but it wasn't broken. I must have looked a mess.
Barry said to Ricky, “Go to the public phone box over the road and ring the Sergeant and tell him what is going on and to get down here now!!”
Ricky said, “Dad, Carla can't stand up on her foot. I think she has a broken ankle.”
“Look Ricky I am not going to leave this little criminal here to do any more damage. Just help Carla sit up on her own and get to that phone.”
“But Dad, you need money to ring out on a public phone.”
“No Ricky, just lift the receiver and press both the 'a' and 'b' buttons and the exchange will answer.”
Ricky said to me, “Carla will you be able to sit up on your own just till I get the Sargent to come down to help dad?”
I replied, “Please hurry Ricky, if the pain gets any worse I think I will faint.”
I didn't sit I just laid down and closed my eyes and said, “Jean why didn't you zap him?”
She was there instantly and said, “Sis, it was me that made Mummy ring Ricky's Dad so they could come to help us! I tried to zap him but he was too strong and angry, and that is when I got into Mummy's head and warned her what was happening and she rang Barry. I'm sorry Sis, but I can only talk to you Rita and Mummy and am not strong enough to zap people that are as angry as that boy.”
Mummy was there in the next couple of minutes and came to have a look at my ankle and said, “Oh Carla, I knew it was too soon to send you to a normal school yet. I am so sorry Darling. Ricky, come and give me a hand and we will carry her to my car and I will take her to the hospital and get a doctor to have a look at her ankle.”
Mummy undid my shoe and pulled it off very gently so it didn't hurt me any more. She gasped when she saw how much it was swollen and said, “Sweetheart see if you can move your toes.”
I tried to do what she asked, but cried out in pain and didn't want to make it hurt any worse so I just said, “Mummy, it's broken” as the tears were falling down onto my now torn white blouse.
Ricky was still trying to be the gentleman and hold it closed, and said, “Carla, I am going to kill that bastard when this is finished!!” and he also now had tears in his eyes and was shaking with anger.
Mummy said, “Ricky calm down. The police will see to him. Just give me a hand to get Carla into my car so I can get her to the hospital.”
Between the two of them they got me into the back seat of Mummy's Land Rover. Ricky was coming with me but he said he wanted to make sure that the police sergeant was there before we left. Ricky's Dad was sitting down beside the now sleeping Brad and he asked Ricky to get some water to throw over Brad's face to wake him up, so he came back to the car and got a cup out of the glove compartment. He raced to the water tank at the park and filled the cup with the cold water and came back to where Brad was laying on the ground and Barry said, “Here, give that to me.” but Ricky said, “No Dad, I want to do this.” and very slowly dribbled the ice cold water on to Brads face.
Barry was holding onto Brad in case he got up all punchy but that didn't happen he looked all groggy as if he didn't know where he was.
Barry let him sit up and said, “Brad don’t make this any worse for yourself and just sit there ok?” Just then the police Sergeant pulled up and walked over to where Brad was sitting on the ground and looked back to the Land Rover and changed his mind and came over to see if I was ok.
He said, to me “Are you ok young lady?”
Before I could reply, Mummy said, “No, does she look like she is ok Jim?”
Jim the police Sergeant replied, “I'm sorry Donna. I can see your angry so I’ll go and sort that kid out.” and he went to where Barry was watching that Brad didn't do a runner.
Mummy said in a loud voice, “I'm taking my daughter to the hospital if that ok with you Sergeant?” in an angry voice. That's when Brad yelled out, “That’s a fucking boy and this is not finished.”
Mummy was about to go and sort Brad out when Barry got up and left Brad to Jim and said, “I will come with you to the hospital. I am on the hospital board and pull some weight there, and I will make sure that Carla gets seen to straight away.”
We left the Sargent to deal with Brad who was still swearing his head off saying something about Barry knocking him out and he will get his Dad to sort him out.
Jim said, “The only sorting out around here is what I am going to do when I get you down the police station and call your Mum.”
As Barry drove Mummy's Land Rover to the hospital all Ricky was worried about was to hold my blouse closed. He is such a gentleman and I love him for it.
We arrived at the hospital and Barry carried me in like I weighed nothing and went straight to Jill at the nurses desk and said, “Go get Doc Barsby.”
I was amazed at how every one in Quilpie knows everyone else. I guess it can be handy when you get carried in to hospital with a broken ankle.
The nurse Jill rushed off to get the hospital doctor and was back in two minutes flat and said, “He'll be here in a minute,” and he was.
He said, “What's all the fuss about Barry? I don’t see anyone dying.”
That got Mummy going again and she said, “Enough with the jokes! If you don’t get you arse into gear and treat my daughter I’ll call Jim Ryan to come down and do it.”
The doctor looked at Mummy and said, “Ok ok! Keep your shirt on will you? I have had a long day”.
Mummy replied, “I’m sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you but as you can see my daughter has been attacked by a little criminal and has a broken ankle and it looks like her nose is starting to bleed again.”
By this time another nurse came in with what looked like a tray with a needle on it.
I was feeling a lot of pain and said “I don’t like needles but if it will kill the pain in my leg do it please."
The nurse did just that and within five minutes I was in la la land and on my way to the x-ray room.
Mummy asked the nurse for something to clean up my face so she went to a cupboard in the x-ray room and pulled out some soft face washers and went to the sink and wet one and kept one dry and handed them to Mummy who then proceeded to clean up my face. My new white blouse was covered in the blood from my nose and would probably have to go in the bin.
The nurse whose name was Amy came back with a hospital gown and asked Mummy to give me a hand to get undressed and put the gown on because I would be staying in overnight. Barry and Ricky said that seeing we were being looked after they'd go home and come back once I was in the ward.
Ricky said, “I should have been with you on your first day ride home.” and almost burst into tears. He hugged me and Barry said “Come on kid I'll take you home and you can talk to Carla a bit later ok?”
They left and then Mummy said, “Ok girl lets get you changed into this silly back to front gown.”
It was now five thirty and the person that did the x-rays had gone home, and they had to ring him at home to come back to work, so I had to wait sitting in a wheel chair till he got there. Doctor Barsby came into the room with a cup of coffee in his hand and had a look at my ankle and said the swelling had not got any worse so it was probably a bad sprain and not broken but an x-ray would tell the story. He said he would go and have something to eat and be back shortly, and told Amy to make sure that she kept an eye on me because I looked like I could be in shock. Then while we were waiting for the x-ray man to turn up.
I said, “Mummy, how did you know I was in trouble?'
Mummy replied, “Why don't you ask your sister Jean how she does these things Carla, because I was about to ring home to see why you hadn't rang me when Jean almost screamed at me in my head and said, 'The park! Carla's in trouble', and I rang Barry to see if you had gone to be with Ricky, but Ricky said he saw you ride off from the school, and they hung up, and I was at the park in minutes after that.”
Amy was listening to our conversation and asked, “Where is your sister now?”
I replied “It's a a bit hard to explain, but my sister is with me in spirit only, but she can communicate with me and Mummy when things go wrong.”
Amy replied, “Oh! is that all? My brother got killed in a car accident last year and he talks to me all the time.”
Just then Doctor Barsby walked in and said, “Not an other one that talks to the dead.” and he jumped and said, “Shit I just got the shivers.”
Jean said, “Tell him I am not dead.” I started to say something and he said, “It's ok Carla, I believe you can communicate with your sister. Tell her not to tickle me in the back of my neck. Now, where is Andy he should be here by now. Lets get you up on the x-ray table and have you ready when he gets here.”
He just finished saying that when a short plump man came bursting through the door all out of breath and said, “Sorry I took so long to come back to the hospital but my baby girl just sicked up all over me and I had to shower and change.”
Mummy said, “We all know about that sort of thing Andy. You're here now, that is all that matters.”
He got to work on the x-rays and after I was taken to the ward and and told to relax while he developed them. Amy got bags of ice to put on my ankle to make the swelling go down. My pain was coming back so she gave me another shot and within a couple of minutes I was almost falling asleep. Amy got Mummy a cup of tea and a sandwich, I was not hungry so she gave me a cordial drink.
Half an hour passed and Doctor Barsby said, “Andy has all the pictures done and went home but the x-rays showed no bone fractures, so it is all ligament damage. That is why it is so painful.”
Amy brought in a trolley with all sorts of bandages on it. The one they used was a wide stretchy thing and, while Mummy held my leg up, the doc and Amy bandaged my ankle really tight and said, “Carla you wont be able to walk for a few days.”
The ward I was taken to was the women’s ward and there was only one other patient in in there and that was an old lady that had fallen over and broken her hip, but she was asleep. Mummy went to the hospital kitchen and made me a sandwich with the permission of the head nurse. By the time she came back the whole family was at my bedside asking all about what happened, I tried to explain what happened but got all upset and started to cry and kept say “He called me a poofter and a boy.”
It took a while to calm me down and then Barry explained what happened. Daddy said “I know Brad. His Dad is a bad bastard and is a violent man when he is drunk. He must have got in a card game with James back on River Downs and James welched on the bet.”
Mummy said “I don't know why he thinks I'll pay his Dad any money, but he is in big trouble now for doing what he has to Carla. I will want him and his parents charged with assault and attempting to abduct my daughter for ransom to pay a gambling debt, that I had nothing to do with.”
Rita, Peter, Ricky, and his parents all said goodnight and went home, but Mummy, Daddy, Bella and Uncle Tony stayed a bit longer to discuss what was to be done to keep me from having to go through this type of thing again.
Anyway I was falling asleep from the pain killers and Mummy said she would be there in the morning to collect me with a new set of clothes and took my bloodied uniform home to wash but I think the blouse would be binned. As I was just nodding off Jean started to want to talk to me about what had occurred today and she said, “Carla I’m going to be more alert from now on and make sure that I give you plenty of warning before anything like this can ever happen again.”
I replied, “Yeah Yeah Sis.” and fell asleep.
Wednesday24/6/59
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was only seven in the morning but doctor Barsby was on his rounds already and I was his first patient that he looked in on.
He went through all the manipulation of my foot and ankle and said, “You will survive Carla, and can go home when your Mum come in, but I will want to see you in two days time to make sure there are no complications ok?”
I said, “Can I go back to school today?”
He replied, “No, I don’t want you on that ankle for at least three days young lady so leave school till next week.” and he left giving me a smile and a wink.
I thought to myself 'Why does every one wink at me? Silly people.'
Well I was not a happy camper by the time Mummy came in a half an hour later. I was just having some hospital type breakfast, and grumbling to myself about only having had one day at school and already taking a week off.
Mummy said “Oh sweetheart, it could have been so much worse. What if Brad had succeeded in abducting you, we may never have seen you alive again.”
This got me all emotional and I started to sob. I think Mummy saying that was the last straw and the dam just broke. She was holding me in her arms when in walked my teacher Mr Taylor who had came into see me before he went to the school. He wanted to see what had happened and said he will do all he can to stop anything like this happening again.
Mummy said, “I want that little criminal to be put away where he belongs.”
Mr Taylor said, “It wont be easy, but he will definitely be expelled from the school.”
Mummy took me home and made me comfortable in front of the new television and said she would be back in a little while and look after me for the next couple of days.
To be continued
Next time: Back to school, and talking to Brad so he knows about me being a girl.
Please leave a comment
Previously
When I woke up that morning I was not a happy camper. By the time Mummy came in half an hour later I was having some hospital type breakfast, and grumbling about only having one day at school and already taking a week off.
Mummy said, “Oh sweetheart it could have been so much worse. What if Brad had succeeded in abducting you, we may have never seen you alive again.”
This got me all emotional and I started to sob. I think Mummy saying that was the last straw and the dam just broke. She was holding me in her arms when in walked my teacher Mr Taylor who had came into see me before he went to the school. He wanted to see what had happened and said he will do all he can to stop anything like this happening again.
Mummy said, “I want that little criminal to be put away where he belongs.”
Mr Taylor said, “It wont be easy, but he will definitely be expelled from the school.”
Mummy took me home and made me comfortable in front of the new television and said she would be back in a little while and look after me for the next couple of days.
Wednesday 24/6/59
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was bored already and didn't want to be at home, missing out on seeing my friends at school but I had no choice because there was no way I could stand, let alone walk on my foot. So I sat there sulking till Mummy came home from the shops with some goodies for me. Ginger and Goldie came in and lay down by the chair that I was sitting in and looked at me with sad eyes because I should have been able to take them for a walk. If Ginger had been at the park yesterday Brad would be half dead by now. Fluffy was happy to just sleep in the sun out on the verandah.
Mummy came back with a heap of office books so I think she was going to do some book work for the business she and Daddy shared while she was at home looking after me.
Mummy said, “Carla, if you're not interested in watching any television, you can either do school work or do some adding up for me in the account books for the service station."
I said, “Mummy, do you trust me with adding up in Daddy’s books?”
She replied, “Sweetheart, you can't be any worse than your Daddy or Tony for that matter.”
It was nine thirty when Sargent Jim Long arrived in his police Land Rover with the Queensland police emblem on the doors which from a distance looked like a pineapple.
He walked up and knocked on the door and said, “Donna, it's Jim. Can I come in and ask young Carla a few questions? I promise if she gets upset I will stop, but I have to know just what happened yesterday so I can sort out what we are going to do with young Bradley Blake. His Dad has shot through, and I have to deal with his Mum who is in a real state, and can't seem to control the boy.”
Mummy said, “Yes Jim, come on in and I’m sorry I yelled at you yesterday but I was stressed out, and all I wanted to do was get Carla to the hospital to see to her ankle.”
Jim replied. “Ok, thanks Donna.” and he went to the kitchen and brought out a chair to sit on, while he interviewed me about the previous day's events.
“Right Carla,” he said, “I want you to take your time and tell me in your own words what transpired at the park yesterday afternoon and also what happened in the morning so I can see what brought this attack on.”
That's when he asked me to slow down a couple of times so he could get it all down in his notebook.
Mummy said, “Now hang on Jim, are you saying that Carla made this little criminal mad in some way before the park incident?”
“No Donna, I am trying to work out why he thinks Carla is a boy, so can you enlighten me on what that's all about?”
Then Mummy said, “Jim lets go out on the verandah and leave Carla in peace for a bit so I can fill you in on her medical condition ok?”
So I went to do some more adding up in Mummy's books while she explained about my little inter-sexed plumbing problem. About half an hour later they came back in and he had another go at asking me what happened so I told him about my whole day from start to finish with me ending up in the hospital.
Once he was finished he said that Brad was too young to be going to any type of jail, but his Mum has agreed to send him to his uncle in Toowoomba, and he will go to a special school there.
Mummy said, “Well as long as he comes nowhere near Carla again I don’t care what you do with him.”
Then the Sargent sat down and said, “Carla I now understand about your medical condition and I wont put any thing in my report to breach your privacy, you have my word on that ok?”
I replied, “I hope Brad doesn’t end up in jail because he must have a horrible life with a Dad like that.”
Mummy said, “Carla, I hope you're not feeling sorry for him after what he did to you?”
I replied, “Well he needs help doesn’t he?”
Jim said “Well Carla, I wish everyone would be as forgiving as you, but we can't all have a family as loving as yours.”
He said he had better go write up his report and said goodbye and got in his car and was gone.
Ginger and Goldie were getting restless and needed to go for their exercise, I could do the only thing I could think of and got Mummy to take me out on to the verandah and give me a couple of tennis balls to throw out into the yard for them to fetch and keep bringing them back to me. I did this for half an hour until they were tired out. Barry rang Mummy and asked if I would be interested in talking to Brad to explain to him that I am not a boy but a girl with a bit of a medical problem. It might make him realise just what he had done. The government had sent a child welfare officer from Charleville and that they hoped to get Brad into a special school in a place called Westbrook Boy's Home just outside Toowoomba that deal in anger management for boys like Brad.
Mummy explained what Barry was asking me to do and said, “Sweetheart, you are under no obligation to do any such thing but if you want to help Brad, then that is entirely up to you.”
I replied, “Will there be plenty of people around in case he goes all angry again?”
Mummy said, “Don’t worry Carla, there is no way that the welfare people will take any risks with Brad harming you again.”
For some reason I felt sorry for Brad because he had had a real hard life and his Dad did the same thing as James did to Mummy, only Brad's Mum isn't a strong person, so I would like to help.
I said Mummy, “Tell Barry that I’ll do it if it will help Brad understand about me as well.”
Mummy took me back into the lounge and set up a few chairs so people could sit down while Brad and I had a conversation.
Mummy said “Darling, I hope we are doing the right thing because I am not at all sure that this is such a good idea.”
I replied, “Well Mummy, at least we can try. I know he hurt me but he doesn’t have any one to really care for him.”
Mummy said, “Carla, I think you are wasting your time. He is just like your brother John, and an angry young boy.”
Jim the Sargent went out to meet with the people from welfare and Barry came as well as them. Brad had his Mum with him as well and she looked very tired.
Jim said, “Brad sit down, and I want you to first apologise to Carla for what you did to her yesterday.”
Brad said “No fucking way. They owe my Dad two grand.” and he started to get up to have a go at me again yelling “Fucking rich bastards.”
Well that was that. Jim grabbed Brad by the scruff of the neck and took him out to the police car. His Mum and one of the welfare ladies went with them and they drove off. I felt really sad to see his Mum have to go through that. The other welfare lady and Barry came back inside and we sat back down in the lounge.
I asked Sandra, (her name was on a name tag pinned on her suit coat) “What will happen to Bradley, will he have to go to jail?”
She replied, “No, it will be a boys home near Toowoomba. It's called Westbrook Boys Home, and they will know what to do with him.”
Mummy said, “Carla, I told you it was a waste of time. He will end up killing someone eventually.”
Barry said “Carla, thank you for trying anyway. You are one in a million and I am pleased you and your family are part of this community.”
Sandra said she would write up a report when she got back to Charleville and was sorry it had to end this way. Mummy had to drive Sandra and Barry back to the school. The other lady went with Jim because he had his hands full dealing with Bradley.
Mummy went to work to pick up some lunch for us because it was getting late and almost past lunchtime when she arrived back. She had Jenny with her carrying some school books and said, “I brought Jenny back with me from school to keep you company and to also do some school work. Barry has given Jenny three days worth of work for you two to do. So that will keep you out of mischief for a while wont it?”
“Yes Mummy” I said rolling my eyes, and Jenny giggling.
Ricky rode his bike over after school and did his home work with me and Jenny, and we had a good talk about what had happened in the last couple of days.
Ricky said he wouldn't let me out of his sight at school lunch time any more and would ride home with me after school from now on, but it would be a couple of weeks before I could ride my bike again anyway.
Thursday and Friday, Jenny and I watched a couple of movies after we had done all the school work that was set out for us to finish. Mummy went back to work because Jenny was looking after me.
Jenny had become my best friend, and we were becoming like sisters so we did an experiment to see if she can see Jean in her mind. On Friday she stayed over and we shared my big double bed. Of course we had a shower together again and we compared our genitals again and discovered that the only difference is that I don’t have an opening but if I don’t spread my legs apart I don’t really look all that different to Jenny so when summer comes we will be able to go swimming and use the girls dressing sheds without any trouble.
Anyway we cuddled up to get warm and I said, “Jenny, don’t get frighten if you can hear Jean in your mind, because she sounds just like me and if she happens to appear to you she is an identical version of me ok?”
Jenny replied, “I thought she can only appear to family members?”
“Well lets try and see what happens when we try because she is always there for me and she might be able to appear to you through me if we both concentrate really hard.” I said, “Ok Jenny, close your eyes and listen to me talking to Jean and see if you can hear her in your mind.”
I said, “Jean do you think you will be able to appear to Jenny?”
She answered and I could see her and hear her as though she was right next to me.
She said, “Carla, you will have to hug Jenny really tight for this to work, but I think I can make her see me for a few seconds.”
We did as Jean said and I could feel Jenny tremble just like I used to do when Jean first started to communicate with me. Jenny was hanging on to me that tight that I could hardly breath but all of a sudden she said, “Wow you look like Carla,” and Jean said, “Carla it's working she can hear and see me,” it lasted only for about fifteen seconds but Jenny could still hear her.
Jean said, “Carla I have to rest now but I will talk with you later. I love you Sis.” and then she faded. Jenny was still shaking and I held onto her till the shaking stopped.
Jenny started to relax and said, “Oh my God Carla, that was amazing. She looks and sounds just like you but she is wearing the most beautiful gown I have ever seen in my entire life.”
I replied, “Yeah, I must ask her if she only has the one gown because I have never seen her in anything else.”
It was hard to stop Jenny from talking about what she had just experienced and we talked and giggled till Mummy came in to the bedroom and said, “You two are a pair giggling Gerties! It is ten thirty and I think it's time you both went to sleep don’t you?”
Jenny and I both said,“Yes Mummy.”
Mummy walked out of the room shaking her head and said to herself, “I think I have just gained another daughter.”
Jenny and I fell asleep while we were cuddled up together. Rita was using the spare bed room tonight because she has to get up to go to work in the morning and decided to let me and Jenny have the bedroom to ourselves.
Saturday 27/6/59
~~~~~~~~~~~~
We slept in till eight am and Mummy said, “Right you two, shower time and Carla, get Jenny to unwrap that bandage off your ankle, so I can have a look at it and see if I have to take you to the hospital for the doctor to have another look at it. I think you should try to put some pressure on it to stop it from seizing up.”
Jenny was very gentle with the unwrapping of the bandage and once it was off she said, “Ooh my God! It's all bruised but the swelling is right down.” I called out to Mummy to have a look and by the time she was at the bedroom door I was standing on both feet and took a couple of steps. It did hurt a little bit but I could walk good enough to walk down to the shower.
Mummy said, “I think by the look of that I can send you off to school on Monday young lady”.
We got down to the shower with me walking slowly. Mummy had put the kerosene heater in the bathroom half an hour earlier because it is really cold in the mornings so Jenny and I had our shower and put on a warm fluffy dressing gowns on and headed back to the bed room to get dressed for the day. It was too cold for skirts so we opted for jeans, warm winter blouses and jumpers. On our feet we wore woolen lined boots. My foot swelling was down enough to get the boot on and once I had it on it felt ok to walk . Mummy, Daddy, and Rita were all at the table having their breakfast and talking about the events of the last week and what they thought would happen to Bradley Blake.
Daddy said, “I think the place he is being sent to will probably make him worse but there is really nowhere else to send a boy with that kind of attitude.”
I said, “I feel sad for his Mum because she is now on her own.”
Jenny said, “What if we go and see her and see if she needs any help around the house?”
Rita said, “I think you had better stay away from her for the time being because she probably thinks that we are to blame for Bradley getting so mad.”
Daddy said, “I will give the welfare people a ring on Monday and see what they say.”
After breakfast Jenny and myself went back to the bedroom and started to do things with our hair. We both have really long blond hair. Mine was half-way down my back and Jenny's was just a little bit shorter but not by much. Jenny has the most beautiful blue eyes in contrast to my chocolate brown ones. She was the same size as me in every way, so we could interchange any of our clothes. We decide to put our hair in two piggy tails and put pink ribbons in mine and yellow ones in Jenny's.
Mummy came into the room as we were both sitting at the vanity admiring ourselves when she said, “Smile!!” and the camera flash went off.
She said, “Girls, I want you both to go to the lounge and I want to take a couple more photos in there.”
I hobbled down to the lounge room with Jenny putting her arm through mine for support.
Mummy said, “Sit in the main lounge and let me see how you two will look together as my bridesmaids.”
Jenny and I squealed when she said that and I said, “Mummy what about Rita?”
She replied, “What about Rita?”
Jenny said, “I can't take Rita's place, she will kill me.”
Mummy said, “And what is wrong with having three bridesmaids may I ask?”
Jenny said, “Ooh!! I had better ring Mummy and tell her to start making a dress for me.” and went to get up to ring her Mum straight away, but Mummy said, “Stop!! it is all organised. Jenny, your Mum is on her way here now to have a chat about what we will do about your dress. We will have to go back to Mary's shop and see if she has another gown like the one that Rita and Carla have.”
Jan arrived ten minutes later. Daddy and Rita went off to work; Rita to the restaurant and Daddy to the garage to do some work with Tony and Henry. Just as Jenny's Mum walked in we heard another car pull up and it was Aunty Bella. When she came into the lounge where we all were, she said, “You lot didn't think I was going to miss out on going to the dress shop did you?”
Mummy and Jan laughed and Jan said, “Bella, I thought you were busy making curtains for your house.
Bella replied, ”What's more important making curtains, or getting these girls set for the big day?”
Just as we were about to leave in the car to go down to Mary's shop the phone rang and Mummy had to race back into the house and answer it. When she came back out she said, “That was doctor Ryan and he wants us to come down to his surgery when we are finished at Mary's dress shop because he had a phone call from Rose and needs to talk with me and you as soon as possible.
I said, “Mummy what is wrong and why is he wanting to see me so urgently?”
She replied, “I think it might have something to do with the last x rays that were taken in Brisbane”
I said almost in tears "Mummy I am not going to change back.”
She replied, “Carla sweetheart, I think you will find it is good news so stop fretting and relax and we'll go and see if we can fit Jenny out in a gown like yours and Rita’s, ok?”
“Yes Mummy.”
When we got to the shop Mary was waiting for us out on the footpath in the warm sun in front of the shop, she said, “This old age is no good in the cold weather and I have to warm up my aching bones before I can do anything in the cold shop.” I hobbled in after the rest of them as Jenny was too excited to wait and help me walk in. Mary was as good as her word to Mummy, and had found a gown that was the same as mine and seeing that Jenny was the same size as me she got the lady that does all her alterations to adjust the gown to Jenny’s size.
Jenny stripped of to her underwear in a flash and was ready to try on the gown in one minute flat. It fitted her beautifully and she even tried on the same type of shoes as mine to match.
Mary said, “Jan this one is going to be on the house because I am going to want to be at the wedding showing people of this town that I can supply any of the local girls all their needs for their big day.” Jan, Aunty Bella, and Jenny went back to our place because when Mummy and me were finished seeing Doctor Ryan we were going to get dressed in all our wedding finery.
We arrived at Doctor Ryan's surgery and walked in to the front office. He was not normally there on Saturdays but came in because of me, I am that important you see!! He was waiting in his office with the door open and when he heard us, said, “Come straight in ladies, this shouldn’t take to long and you can get back to your fashion parade" and added, "I hope I will get a wedding invite or I shall be disappointed.”
Mummy replied “I'll make sure you and your wife Jan are on the guest list Jim.”
He then looked at me and said, “Carla what do you think we found when we took a closer look at those last x-rays that were taken at the Mater?”
I replied, “I hope there is a vagina hidden in behind the skin down there."
He replied, “Well we haven’t gone that far but we have discovered two little things called ovaries that are just visible, and we think that the girl in you is more or less ninety percent, so Rose and some of her colleges have agreed to start you on some very mild oestrogen hormone tablets to see how your body develops, and if all goes the way we think it will you may only have to wait a couple of years to have corrective surgery.” I as well as Mummy sat there with our mouths open.
Doctor Ryan said, “That is what I thought you would be like when I told you two what we have found” he said with a grin on his face. We left there and went to the chemist to fill the prescription for my girl pills and went home with the good news and had a fashion show.
To be continued.
Next time: Back to school and making new friends, and having a long talk with Jean.
Please leave a comment.
Previously
He then looked at me and said “Carla, what do you do you think we found when we took a closer look at the last x-rays that were taken at the Mater?”
I replied, “I hope there is a vagina hidden in behind the skin down there.”
He replied “Well we haven’t gone that far, but we have discovered two little things called ovaries that are just visible, and we think that the girl in you is more or less ninety percent. So Rose and some of her colleagues have agreed to start you on some very mild oestrogen hormone tablets to see how your body develops, and if all goes well, the way we think it will, you may only have to wait a couple of years to have corrective surgery.”
I as well as Mummy sat there with our mouths open.
Doctor Ryan said with a grin on his face “That is what I thought you would be like when I told you two what we have found.”
We left there and went to the chemist to fill the prescription for my ''girl pills'' and went home with the good news and had a fashion show.
Mummy called Rita and told her to get Daddy or Uncle Tony to drive her home so we could all get dressed in our wedding gowns and see what we looked like. She also rang Mary at the dress shop and asked her if she wanted to come and bring her camera to take some photos and make up a scrap book that she could show her customers later on in her shop. Mary closed her shop and was there half an hour later and she also made a detour to Donna's Carvery to pick up a take away lunch to feed an army.
So before we got all carried away with dressing up, we went out into the yard into the warm winter sunshine and sat down at the picnic table and gorged ourselves on Mummy’s take away lamb roast and potatoes in their jackets with Aunty Bella's special gravy, that she reckons is a secret recipe but I think Mummy was watching her make it the other day so it is not a secret any more.
Mary was a keen photographer and she had with her a camera on a tripod with a flash thingy on the side of the camera. She described the working of the camera but it all went over the top of my head, and I said to her, “Mary, too much information, just lets get into the dressing up part please!!”
Rita said, “Hear hear” which made me and Jenny have a fit of the giggles.
Rita said, “What!!?”
Jenny's Mum said, “Alright, lets get this show on the road shall we?” so we all went into the lounge where all the gowns and Mummy's wedding dress was laid out on two separate lounge chairs.
Mummy rang Daddy and told him not to come home and just barge into the house because there would be half dressed ladies running about. Daddy must have said something naughty because she said to him before hanging up, “Bill behave yourself will you?” but was laughing when she walked back into the lounge and said, “Men have a one track mind.”
Bella said, “He isn't Italian is he?”
Mummy replied, “No why?”
Aunty Bella said, “Oh never mind.” That got Mary and Jan laughing as well.
I said, “I don't get it. What's Italian got to do with Daddy being naughty?”
Rita then said, “Look can we just get these gowns sorted out and stop mucking about?”
Mary was the one that took control and said, “Right ladies, lets get you all into your undies first, so we can dress from the inside out.” so me, Mummy, Rita and Jenny did as we were told and stripped down to our underwear Mummy even took off her bra because the dress she had picked was one that had an inbuilt breast support sewn into it. The slip she put on was a white silky one with a lot of frilly lace-work. On the day of the wedding she has pair of white silk knickers, Mummy is into silk 'I think'. Bella helped Mummy on with the dress and zipped her up. Then came the shoes and she was ready except for a hair do and make up.
Mummy said, “Stockings is the only thing missing.”
Then it was Rita's turn. She was told to take of her bra as well because the gown was strapless and that required a new strapless bra. Rita took off her bra and Mary said, “That is what we all looked like many years ago.”
All the older women nodded in agreement. The bra that Mummy handed Rita was pink and matched the pink of the gown. She put on the half slip and Mummy then held the gown for Rita to step into. Once it was pulled up and over Rita big breasts Mummy did up the zip at the back of the gown. She then sat down and slipped on the shoes and she was ready. She stood up and did a twirl in the full length gown and she looked really pretty.
I said, “Wow Rita!! Peter is going to flip when he sees you in that.”
She replied, “I hope so Sis.”
Then it was Jenny and I that had to get dressed in our bridesmaid's gowns.
Mummy said, “You two young ladies are going to get your first training bra, because these gowns wont look any good without giving you a little bit of shape up top.”
She then said, “Put your arms out in front of you and get your first lesson in putting on a bra.” Jenny and I got another fit of the giggles but held our arms out like we were told to do and got our first lesson in how to reach behind our backs to put the little hooks together and then adjust the straps on our shoulders so the bra looked like it was fitting right.
These bras were also pink of course.
“What other colour is there?” I said.
Mary then produced a couple of things that looked like shoulder pads, and Jenny said, “But our gowns are strapless Mary. What do we need shoulder pads for?”
Every one except me and Jenny laughed, and Jenny said, “What did I say!?”
Mary then came over to us and pulled the bra cups aside enough to slip the shoulder pads in to give us shape and it looked like we had suddenly sprouted our own breasts.
Bella said, “Girls, they are called breast enhancers and lots of young girls use them to make themselves look a bit older and make the boys take notice of them as well.”
Rita then did her famous boob jiggle thing and made her breasts nearly fall out of her bra. We all had a fit of the giggles and almost fell over each other. Anyway Jenny and I were helped to complete getting dressed and then it was time to take some photos of us standing and sitting in different poses. We also went out and stood on the steps on the verandah. Mary took at least fifty photos and said that she always takes a lot so she can pick out the best ones later. She is also going to be our photographer at the wedding. I felt really girly and I gave Jenny a hug and while I was hugging her Jenny started to tremble.
I said to her, “Quick, close your eyes and concentrate on Jean now!!” and we both closed our eyes tight and there she was in her beautiful gown and both me and Jenny could not only see her but Jean was speaking to us as though it was just a normal thing to do.
Jean said, “Carla and Jenny, I have been given a little more strength in spirit and I will be able to do this for longer than I have in the past but I must not over do it, Carla! I am always with you and live in you in spirit till the day you come and join me in my realm as well.” and then she said, “I love you Sis.” and she slowly faded but we could keep talking to her and while I had the chance I asked her if she only has the one gown and she replied, “Carla, the gown you see is what I chose but I can chose something different if I want.” then she said, “Carla I have to rest now. I love you.” and then she stopped communicating.
Me and Jenny opened our eyes and saw Mary, Jan, and Aunty Bella with their mouths open. Rita just shrugged and Mummy said, “Now ladies you have seen what Carla is all about and I can assure you there is no trickery or any witches involved, because I have had the privilege to talk to my Jean through Carla as well and it is very real.”
Jenny said, “Mummy I could see Carla's sister and hear her talk to us as though she was in this room and I get the trembles when it happens and Mummy she looks and sounds just like Carla.”
Aunty Bella, Mary, and Jan all crossed themselves because they were all Catholics but never questioned what they had just witnessed. It was time to get changed out of the wedding clothes and pack them all away till the wedding. When we got to the bras that Jenny and I were wearing Mary said, “Keep them on and get use to wearing them because it wont be very long before you will be needing them anyway.”
Well with me taking 'girl pills' I reckon my breast will start growing straight away, Jenny has already been complaining about have itchy nipples. I can't wait to do what Rita does.
The wedding party all got redressed in normal clothes and we had afternoon tea out in the garden and Jenny and I threw the balls for the dogs to get their daily exercise while Fluffy just sleeps all the time. Geees what a life! Anyway, Jenny asked Mummy and her Mum if she could stay till Monday morning so she could help me back to school on Monday and both Mums said ok but then it will be back to normal. We both said “Thanks Mummy” in unison and giggled after that. All the ladies just shook their heads and said, “Young girls.”
Aunty Bella and Mary said their goodbyes and left.
Mummy said, “Jenny, we go to the Lutheran church now because Rita and Carla have been baptised there and that is where Bill and myself will be married so if you want to come to church with us in the morning you are welcome but you have to have your Mummy’s permission to come with us ok?”
Jan answered before Jenny could say anything because as Mummy was telling Jenny about us being Lutheran she was on the verge of tears.
Jan said, “Donna, we are Catholic but we are also realists and like Bill we do what is best for us not the Pope, so if Jenny wants to join you and your family at the Lutheran church she is free to do so with my blessing.”
Jenny raced into her Mummy’s arm and said, “Thank you Mummy. Carla is my best friend and I want go where she goes.”
Mummy and Jan spoke for another hour, and then Jan said she would bring Jenny a clean uniform for Monday tomorrow sometime, and also bring a spare blouse for me because the one that had blood on it from the business with Brad had to be put in the bin. Mary has had to order more for her shop but they had to come from Brisbane, so that took about a week for them to arrive. Jenny didn't need any extra clothes when she visited with me because we wear the same size apart from I liked pink and she liked yellow. Even our undies were pink and yellow.
'I wonder what colour undies Jean wears?'
We helped Rita prepare dinner while Mummy hung up all the gowns and her dress and put the shoes away in their box so that no dirt would spoil them till the big day in September. Dinner was t-bone steak and cauliflower and peas with some of Aunty Bella's amazing gravy.
We set the table in the warm kitchen and were ready to dish up as soon as Daddy came home from the garage. It wasn't long before he walked in and said, “My that smells good.” and gave Rita, Jenny and I a kiss on the top of our heads and said, “Well how did the the big fashion show go ladies?”
Mummy walked in before we girls could respond. She put her arms around Daddy's neck and gave him one of her toe-curling kisses.
Rita said, “Alright you two. Can you save that for the bed room we have young kids present.”
Mummy said, “Not so young any more Rita, and I have seen you kiss Peter with just as much passion so you can't talk can you?”
Rita replied, “Yeah ok.”
Daddy then said with a big satisfied grin on his face, “Who cares? I’ll take all the kissen and loven I can get.” and proceeded to lift Mummy of her feet and gave her another passionate kiss. Mummy looked like she had weak legs after that and said, “Well Bill darling, you can come home to me like this any time you want.”
Us kids all rolled our eyes and said in unison and said “Puleese!!”
Rita said, “Dad, are you ready for us to dish up dinner?”
Daddy replied “As soon as I wash my hands I will be luv.”
Rita and Mummy got the plates out and took them to where the steaks were on the stove and dished up one plate at a time and got me and Jenny to take them to the table. We all sat down and ate our meal without a lot of conversation, as Mummy always says 'eat or speak - don’t do both.' Once the main meal was finished there was a chocolate mousse with whipped cream, very rich and fattening, but Daddy likes to have desert so Mummy seems to spoil him and we will all get fat!!.
Once the table was cleared and the washing up was done we went into the lounge to watch the movie, ''Some like it Hot'' with Tony Curtis in it. Jenny and I didn't get to see the end because we kept falling asleep so Mummy chased us off to bed. We got dressed in winter pj's and cuddled up to get warm and fell asleep like that and dreamed of being at Mummy's wedding.
Sunday 28/6/59.
~~~~~~~~~~~
We woke up at six am and it was freezing cold, so we put on our woollen socks and winter dressing gowns. Jenny had left some of her things because she stayed quite a lot, and we were becoming more like sisters than friends. She was an only child so she got lonely at home. That is why her Mum didn't mind Jenny being at my place.
We went to the kitchen and made breakfast for everyone seeing we all had to get ready for church. Jenny did the sausages and eggs, and I did the toast and made the tea. We decided to take the breakfast to Mummy and Daddy and also Rita, who was in her own bed room now, because Jenny was spending so much time sleeping over it just made it easier for her to be in her own room, but I think she is doing it to have Peter in her room and not have us spying on her and Peter kissing.
We put the food on separate trays. I still had to walk quite slowly because I didn't want to go over on my sprained ankle, but I made it to Mummy's bedroom ok, and Jenny went to Rita's room and delivered the tray with the breakfast to her.
Jenny knocked on Rita's door and said, “Room service” and went in. I knocked on Mummy's door and said the same thing and walked in. Mummy and Daddy were in a tight cuddle so I said, “Oops sorry, I'll go out and knock again.” but Daddy said, “Sweetheart it's alright we were only having a morning cuddle.”
I replied, “I still should have waited to hear you say 'come in' Daddy.”
Mummy said “Darling it's ok really, and thank you for bringing in this lovely breakfast.” She then said, “I hope you are not overdoing it on that ankle are you?”
“No Mummy I’m not. After all I want to go back to school tomorrow.”
Jenny and I went back to the kitchen and then had our own breakfast but decide that the washing up would have to wait till later so we went back to our room and laid out the clothes we were going to wear for church which was not very exciting, because winter time does not let you wear the real nice things that we liked.
Anyway, we all went to church and got used to how things were done in the Lutheran church service, and even Daddy said that he didn't mind the change and to hell with the rules of the Catholic church. The rest of today was spent with me and Jenny playing around with the animals and watching some television and generally relaxing. It had been a long week.
Monday 29/6/59
~~~~~~~~~~~
We were up early once again and had breakfast, made our school lunches and got dressed in our school uniforms. We did each others hair in pony tails with the school colour ribbons to hold them in place. Mummy drove us to school and I would be driven to school till I could ride my bike again once my ankle healed and was strong enough to push the bike pedals.
We were greeted by Brenda and June and they gave me a hug and said that the whole school was upset about what happened to me last week and that Brad had been sent to a boys home to sort him out. We all walked to where our school bags were left and went to the parade ground for morning assembly.
To be continued.
Next time coping at school and joining the school choir.
Please leave a comment.
Previously
Monday 29/6/59
~~~~~~~~~~~~
We were up early once again and had breakfast, made our school lunches and got dressed in our school uniforms. We did each others hair in pony tails with the school colour ribbons to hold them in place. Mummy drove us to school and I would be driven to school till I could ride my bike again once my ankle healed and was strong enough to push the bike pedals.
We were greeted by Brenda and June and they gave me a hug and said that the whole school was upset about what happened to me last week and that Brad had been sent to a boys home to sort him out. We all walked to where our school bags were left and went to the parade ground for morning assembly.
The whole school assembled on the parade ground every morning unless it rained and the principal addressed the school and gave his little pep talk and any other business on the day's agenda but that day he made mention of what happened to me the previous week and said that I would not be hassled by any other student or they would be expelled like Bradley Blake without question. Then he ended his address and we all made our way to our class room to start the day's lessons.
Once I was sitting at my desk beside Jenny, I looked around and saw Brenda and June were sitting behind me and I felt myself starting to relax a bit. Peter Taylor my teacher said “Good morning class.” and we all said “Good morning sir.” and then he stood in front of the class and said “We have our little girl back today so make sure she is not being bullied by anyone today or look out!”
The whole class said, “Yes sir.”
Of course the first lesson was maths. 'Oh boy!' I thought I would be in trouble but in actual fact the way Mr Taylor was explaining things made it quite easy to understand, so I might not be the dummy I thought I was at maths after all. It was no time at all and the morning break bell went and we all filed out of the classroom and went out into the play-ground to just talk and have our oranges or an apple. The four of us girls were sitting down on a bench under a giant pepereena tree when some girls walked over to us and one said to me, “You're Carla aren’t you? I'm Sandy and I am really sorry that monster Bradley attacked you like that.”
I replied, “Yeah, it really hurt when he punched me in the face, and I bled all over my nice new blouse. Mummy ended having to throw it in the bin so I had to borrow Jenny's spare one till some new one come from Brisbane to Mary's dress shop.”
Sandy then said, “I heard you sing at church the other day. I was standing right next to you. You have a really nice voice Carla.”
I replied, “Did you know that I have joined the church choir?”
“Yes, and that is why I am talking to you now. How would you like to be part of the school choir?”
“Ok but I don't know if I'm good enough for that.”
She replied “Oh you're good enough alright because when I spoke with the music teacher Miss Tracy Alcorn she said she heard about you from Pastor Miller, so if he thinks you are good enough than you will be good enough for Miss Alcorn.”
There were six boys and six girls in the school choir and now they would have an extra one. I would be the youngest at nine, and the oldest one was a boy named Rodney and he was sixteen.
The bell went and we had to head back to the classroom and as we were walking back Ricky came up and asked if I was coping ok with my sore ankle.
I replied “I’ll survive.” I think he just wanted to say hello and let me know he was looking out for me. 'I think he loves me'.
Brenda said, “Hey! he's cute, is he really your boyfriend?”
I replied, “Yep, eyes off!”
Brenda said, “Don't worry Carla, I'm not allowed to have a boy friend, Mummy says they are only trouble anyway.”
I replied “Oh Ricky’s no trouble. I can get him to do anything for me I just have to use my magic eyes.” and we all started to giggle and walked back into the classroom.
The next subject was English and writing a composition on the history of Queensland Railways and what it did to open up the outback for the cattle industry. Well I knew all about the sheep and wool industry but in a way it was the same railway that carried the bales of wool to the Brisbane wool stores to be auctioned off to the world wool garment industries. So I included that in my composition and hoped that it would get a pass when my teacher marked it, I guessed I’d find out at the start of the next day. That took us to the lunch bell. It was an hour long, so more gossip, talking with my friends about what we going to do in the August school holidays and clothes.
Once I had my sandwiches and a drink of cordial that I had in a bottle in my lunch pack, I was putting it away when Sandy came up to me and said, “Carla, Miss Alcorn asked me to come and get you once you were finished your lunch and bring you to her, because she wants to talk to you about you joining the choir.”
Jenny said, “Can I come too Sandy?”
She replied, “I don’t see why not, so come on then Carla lets go.”
I replied, “Ok, just let me put my lunch things away.” Jenny and I said 'see you back in class' to Brenda and June and went with Sandy to the classroom that the music teacher used.
Sandy said she was eleven years old and was in grade six and she should be in grade seven but she was quite sick in grade three and spent a lot of time in hospital in Brisbane, so she had to repeat grade three again.
Anyway we arrived at the music teachers classroom and knocked on the door and a middle aged lady with a big warm smile said, “Hello, you must be the famous Carla I have been hearing about.” I could feel my face getting hot so I must have been blushing.
She said, “Carla, I’m sorry you had a bad start at school last week, but that boy was always a trouble-maker and I’m glad he got sent to a place where they might straighten him out.”
I replied, “I know he hurt me miss, but now his mother is on her own and I feel that it was because of my other father, she does not have any one to talk to.”
Miss Alcorn said, “Carla dear, I can see you are a very caring little girl and I will look into it and see we can't do something about helping Mrs Blake. If you come back to me before the end of the week I will see if we can go and talk to her ok?”
I replied, “Thank you miss.” So she then talked to me about my singing at the church and how impressed Mr Miller was with my voice and she wasn't about take no for an answer for me to become part of the choir.
Then Jenny said, “Miss Alcorn, can I have a try out for the school choir as well, because I have heard Carla sing a lot, and I think she can probable teach me to sing as well?”
Miss Alcorn replied, “Jenny, the more the merrier. We will start you both off next week and see what range your voices have so we know how to place you in the choir make up.”
Well that took us to the bell for this afternoon's class and it was domestic training for the girls and manual arts for the boys. This lesson I liked, because I have been taught by Mummy a qualified chef in the kitchen, and for sewing Rita has taught me to be able to sew a dress for myself on her Singer sewing machine that she was given for her fifteenth birthday by Margaret Croft the wife of the owner of River Downs, the sheep station we lived on till recently.
The afternoon went quickly. We baked a shepherd's pie and got to take it home for our parents to try. It was good to learn to do a shepherd's pie because it is the only thing that I haven't tried to bake at home yet I think Mummy will be pleased that I am learning to do new things as well. Our domestic training teacher was a younger lady by the name of Mrs Jane Robinson who was very softly spoken so you had to listen to her very carefully to make sure you didn't miss what she was saying.
She handed us our marks at the end of class and I got an eighty percent tag on the top of my pie. I of course thought it should have been ninety ninety percent, but then I am perfect at everything!
Jenny just rolled her eyes at me and said, “We both should have got one hundred percent.” and we both got into trouble for giggling in the class room, and had to stay back for ten minutes to help put everything away.
Mummy was waiting for me and Jenny as we came out of the main gate of the school grounds and was surprised to see we were carrying two shepherds' pies.
She said, “Well we have two little chefs now have we?”
I said, “No Mummy, but I think mine deserved a higher mark than eighty percent.”
Mummy replied, “Well the proof will be in the pudding won't it, so I will pass judgment when we try it out for dinner tonight.”
I said “Mummy, I have to bring some money to Mrs Robinson tomorrow for the ingredients. The school doesn’t pay for that.”
Mummy said, “How much do you owe?”
I said, “Oh I forgot to ask.”
Jenny said, “It is usually five shillings Aunty Donna.”
Mummy replied, “Ok, Carla, remind me in the morning to give you the money.”
We got into the car. Mummy was driving Daddy’s car for some reason but I didn't to bother to find out why. We stopped to drop off Jenny at her home and drove straight home. I had homework to see to so Mummy said to go and change out of my school uniform and get my home work done while she got dinner under way.
My ankle still had to have a bandage on it to stop it from swelling but it really didn't hurt any more so, when I was finished my home work I went outside and gave the two dogs a workout with the balls. I would be glad when I could get on my bike again and take them down to the park for a run in the afternoons. At least I wouldn't have any problems with anyone giving me any trouble because Ginger would have them in one go. Daddy and Rita arrived home and I set the table for dinner. It was spaghetti bolognese and my shepherd's pie. I cut the pie into four equal pieces and placed them on separate little plates.
Mummy, Daddy, and Rita came home by six o'clock now and left the running of the restaurant to Aunty Bella, Linda and Alice with Alice's Mum coming in when it got too busy.
Anyway ,back to my pie. Mummy said, “We should eat it first because I want to taste it before the taste of the Bolognese is in my mouth.” so we all picked up the pie and took a bite out of the smallish piece of we had. I just held my breath and waited till every one had a chance to have a taste.
Daddy spoke first and said, “Wow Carla, that gets the thumbs up for me.” Mummy and Rita were still chewing theirs and just made big eyes and nodded their heads in agreement with Daddy.
I said, “It's more yummy than I thought it would be, so why did I only get an eighty percent mark from Mrs Robinson?”
Mummy said, “I don’t think she had a taste did she?”
I replied, “No. She said she would have to taste every one and then she would not be able to tell the difference in the end.”
Mummy said, “Yeah that makes sense. I think if you ask the rest of the class tomorrow they would all have gotten eighty percent marking. She is a very clever teacher.”
Once dinner was over and everything cleaned up and put away, we went into the lounge and talked instead of watching television. Mummy brought up the subject of my inter-sexed condition and said that she got a call from Doctor Ryan today and he wants to see me tomorrow after school to take some blood and see what I am feeling like emotionally with the girl pills that I am taking every morning.
I said, “Mummy, how should I feel any different? I am a girl, so how can the pills make me feel any different?”
Mummy replied, “Well when a girl goes through puberty it is not only the body that changes but your emotions also change. Just ask Rita and she will enlighten you as to what you go through when you get your first period.”
I replied “But Mummy I haven’t got an opening down there so where will the blood come out of me?” At this stage Daddy got up and said “I don't think you ladies need me around for this discussion so I’ll go and read in bed.” and gave all us girls a kiss on the cheek and said goodnight.
Mummy continued to tell me what the doctors had planned for me once they had discovered that I have ovaries and that I will at some stage in the not too distant future need to have on operation to make me be able to have periods like a normal girl.
I then asked, “Does that mean I will have a proper vagina like you and Rita and be able to give birth to a baby?”
Mummy replied, “I believe you will be able to give birth but it might have to be by caesarean.”
I said, “What is that?”
Rita said before Mummy could reply, “They cut you open to get the baby out of your tummy.”
“Ohh I don't think I will have any kids.” I said as I shuddered to think about it.
Mummy said, “Carla don't you worry about any of that at the moment. First things first ok?”
“But Mummy!”
“Carla, calm down. That is a long way off and you might find that after they have fixed you up that your vagina will be as normal as any other girl and then you can go through the pain of giving birth like the rest of us.”
I went to bed and dreamed of being cut up like a sheep in a butcher's shop and at one stage was calling out to Jean to save me. She responded and calmed me down enough to get me to go back to sleep.
Tuesday 30/6/59
~~~~~~~~~~~
I woke up still thinking about the dream I had and then Jean was in my mind and she kept saying “Carla be calm be calm.” and it was as if she had zapped me with some sort of electric currant and I just went all floppy and had to lay back down. I went back to sleep and Mummy came in and had to wake me up to have a shower and get ready to go to school.
Mummy picked up Jenny on our way and Jenny's Dad Don MacKenzie came out to the car and said, “Donna, thank you for having Jenny over at your place. She really gets quite lonely some time with just us adults, and Carla and her are more like sisters now.”
Mummy replied, “Jenny is no problem and she can stay with us anytime.” Both Jenny and I nodded our heads and then Jenny kissed her Daddy and said, “See you tonight” and got in the car and we were on our way to school.
Tuesday was sports day and I noticed that Jenny was wearing a t-shirt and short pleated skirt when she got in the car, and it was hard for her to get in and not show her knickers to me. She said “Oops, at least there are no boys around.”
I replied, “I haven't got a sports outfit yet. I wonder if I'll need one today?”
“It's all in hand Carla. Barry rang me last night and told me to get you to go to his office as soon as you arrive at the school this morning and he will give you the sports uniform.” Mummy explained.
I replied, “How do they know if it is going to fit me Mummy?”
“Carla, there are a lot of second hand school uniforms that mothers bring into the school for just this type of thing.”
“But Mummy, it's not new.”
“Sweetheart, I talked to Mary but she hasn't got your size in stock at the moment so this one will have to do for now.”
“But Mummy it might not fit me.” I whined. Jenny tried to console me and said, “Carla it will be ok! I bet it will fit you like a glove.”
I replied, “That’s what I’m afraid of.” and we both started to giggle.
Mummy pulled up at the main gate and said, “Carla sweetheart, there is a new uniform on order for you so it will only be today that you will have to wear the one they have found for you, so don't worry, you will look just as pretty as you always do.”
“Yes Mummy.”
“Ok, now give your Mummy a kiss and get in there.” I gave Mummy a kiss and so did Jenny who said, “Aunty Donna, I will look after her today. She'll be fine.”
Mummy breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Fussy girls!!” and drove off to work.
Jenny and I both went straight to the principal's office and knocked on his door, but it was Mrs Robinson who answered the door and she said, “Come in girls, I’ve been waiting for you. Carla, I want you to try this uniform on for me, I think it is the right size.”
I replied, “What here in the office?”
“Carla I will be here and to make sure no one comes in I will lock the door, ok?”
“Yes Mrs Robinson.” She was right it did fit me perfectly, and Jenny said, “I told you it would be ok didn't I?” Anyway I kept the sports uniform on and folded up my other one and put it in a bag that Mrs Robinson gave me.
Jenny and I went to our classroom to put our bags were they belonged and then went out to the parade ground for morning assembly. I asked Jenny what sport she played in and she said, “Well I play tennis, but there is also gymnastics and folk dancing for the girls. I think the boys mainly play football and cricket.”
I said, “I can play tennis because there was a tennis court at River Downs, and me and Rita used to play with some of the workers on weekends so I got quite good at it.”
Jenny said, “Ooh, that is brilliant. We will win every game of doubles that we play.”
After morning assembly we went to our classroom and did a couple of subjects till the morning break bell rang and we all filed out to the playground and had our bits of fruit or cake. When the bell rang again, our teacher was at the play ground and said “Alright everyone, you know what sport you all belong to so off you go.”
Jenny and I started to walked to the tennis courts and I said, “These uniforms are not the right ones for playing tennis in.”
Jenny replied, “well it is only the colour that is wrong, but they said it would be too expensive to have separate uniforms for different sports.”
Anyway, I still had a strapped up ankle so I would only be watching that day. Sports day was a short day for some students because most of the teachers were out in the playground, so there were no teachers left to go back to the class room. Mummy must have known about that because she came to the tennis courts and waited till Jenny had finished her game and then we collected our school bags and Mummy took us home. Jenny came to our place for her Mum to pick her up later in the afternoon. We played with the dogs till Jenny's Mum arrived.
To be continued.
Next time: More school and going out bush with Alice, meeting with aboriginal elders.
Please leave a comment.
Previously
After morning assembly we went to our classroom and did a couple of subjects till the morning break bell rang and we all filed out to the playground and had our bits of fruit or cake. When the bell rang again, our teacher was at the play ground and said “Alright everyone, you know what sport you all belong to so off you go.”
Jenny and I started to walked to the tennis courts and I said, “These uniforms are not the right ones for playing tennis in.”
Jenny replied, “well it is only the colour that is wrong, but they said it would be too expensive to have separate uniforms for different sports.”
Anyway, I still had a strapped up ankle so I would only be watching that day. Sports day was a short day for some students because most of the teachers were out in the playground, so there were no teachers left to go back to the class room. Mummy must have known about that because she came to the tennis courts and waited till Jenny had finished her game and then we collected our school bags and Mummy took us home. Jenny came to our place for her Mum to pick her up later in the afternoon. We played with the dogs till Jenny's Mum arrived.
There was no home work on Tuesdays because of sports so I wrote some more stuff in the diary that Rose gave to me to record all my feelings and emotions in when I started taking my girl pills.
I didn't know what I was supposed to write because I didn't feel any different, so I went out to the kitchen where Mummy was putting the saucepan full of vegetables on the stove to boil for dinner. There was also a meat loaf in the oven that I could smell as I entered the kitchen, which almost made me forget what I was going to ask Mummy.
Mummy said, “Hello sweetheart, what's wrong? You have a worried look on your face.”
That made me remember what I was there for and said, “Mummy I am confused. What am I supposed to write in the diary because I don't feel any different.”
“Carla, that is what Rose will wants to know because that means you are not having any problems with taking the hormone pills that Rose has prescribed for you.”
“Ok but there is one thing, my nipples are all itchy. Will I put that in the diary as well?”
“Oh Carla, you are a funny little girl aren’t you?”
“Yes Mummy so you keep telling me.” I then asked, “Will I start growing breasts now, and how big will they get?”
Mummy came and gave me a hug and said “Darling it will take a couple of years before you have to worry about your breasts getting too big, but yes it does mean that they are starting to develop.”
I replied “Jenny's nipples are doing the same thing so we will both get our breasts together won't we?”
Mummy said, “I expect so sweetheart, that is what is supposed to happen to girls after all.”
“Can you buy me some trainer bras like the one you want me to wear under my bridesmaid gown?”
“Darling I will just check the dinner, and then I will show you what I have for you in my bedroom ok?”
We went to Mummy's bedroom and Rita followed us in and said, “Is that what you were doing at Mary's today Mum?”
“Yes Rita, and I bought you a couple of new ones as well but you can pay me back out of your wages on Friday.”
“Yeah, thanks Mum.”
I looked at about six bras on Mummy's bed and said, “Are they all for me?”
Mummy replied, “Well, I think they might be a little bit small for me so they must be for my little Carla mustn't they?”
“Ooh Mummy thank you! Can I try one on now?”
“Yes darling but don’t go to bed with it on will you.”
I put it on and it felt nice and I almost walked out of the room without putting my top back on and Rita said, “I can't remember getting that excited about my first bra.”
Mummy then said, “If we don’t go and see to the dinner the man of the house will be going down to the restaurant to get fed.” so we made our way back to the kitchen where Daddy was looking in the oven to see how long it would be before we could eat dinner, and he said, “Hello ladies. When do we eat? I'm hungry enough to eat a horse.”
Rita replied, while Daddy gave Mummy a kiss, “Dad, we don't eat horses in Australia.”
Daddy said, after he gave Mummy another kiss this time on the lips, “Well, I think there is a butcher in Melbourne that caters for some European immigrants that have a taste for horse flesh.”
I said, “How could anyone even think of eating their horse?”
Mummy replied, “Carla, it's true people in certain countries eat horse meat.”
“But Mummy that is no different than eating your own dog. These people are gross.”
Daddy said, “Donna do you think we should tell her?”
“Tell me what Daddy?”
Mummy said, “Never mind sweetheart, lets set the table so we can eat what I have cooked instead.”
We sat down and had our meal but it still bothered me that someone would eat their horse.
Daddy asked, “And how was your day at school Carla?”
“Oh it was ok I guess, but it was hard not being able to play tennis with Jenny because of my ankle, but I should be right to play next week.”
Rita said, “What about swimming in spring when the pool opens for the summer season. Does the school have swimming carnivals?”
“Yeah they do. Jenny was telling me about that today, so I will definitely be in the my class swimming team.”
Mummy said, “Right girls, clear the table and we can have the rice and custard pudding I brought home from the restaurant for desert.”
We didn't have to be told twice to clear the dinner plates away because it is Aunty Bella's rice pudding that she makes for the restaurant. After desert was over Rita and I helped clean up the kitchen. I decided to go to my room and write in my diary about how I am feeling. Daddy was watching some show on the telly and Mummy and Rita were looking through a dress pattern book because Rita is getting interested in doing some sewing again.
I wrote 'Dear diary, this is the first time I am writing anything in here and I don't really know what I should write about, but my gender doctor, Rose San -Lee has asked me to write down how I feel about things as I am taking 'girl pills' now. The only thing I have noticed is that I have got itchy nipples the same as my friend Jenny and she is a real girl so that must mean I am one too. I will say good night now and write some more tomorrow night. Oops I almost forgot it is Tuesday the thirtieth of June nineteen fifty nine.'
The next couple of days went by fairly quickly but on Friday our class was going for a little bus trip out about twenty miles to a spot that was a sacred aboriginal site, and seeing I knew more about the subject than our teacher Peter Taylor, I was very nervous when I asked him, “Do you have permission from the Aboriginal elder to visit the site because ''white fellas'' are not normally welcome at these sacred sites without permission?”
He replied, “We will be doing a detour to the reservation and be taking a member from the local tribe with us.”
I said, “I know a bit of the language that they speak because of me being friends with Alice. You wouldn't know that Alice has Aboriginal blood in her because she takes after her late father who had lily-white skin and was Irish.”
Not all the class went with us. There were about ten that went to have a look at some cattle being loaded on the livestock train which would take them to Rockhampton. So we had twenty students on the bus which our teacher also drove.
When we got to the reservation it was I that went and greeted the man that was one of the elders at the camp, and I spoke a few words that I had learnt from Alice to him. He was impressed and invited me to come back to his camp any time that I wanted to hear some Dreamtime stories. I must say the other kids were really impressed with me being able to communicate with this very old man in his own tongue, he could speak a very broken English so we mixed a few of the words that I could not say.
A younger man accompanied us to the sacred site so we had a lesson on bush tucker which I already knew about from my time with my Aboriginal mate on River Downs ,so this is nothing new to me. As I have said, I can go bush and stay there and survive as long as I wanted. I even knew how to find water to drink in dry creek bed. All you needed is a stick to dig with and know what to look for and hey presto you have water to drink.
Jenny is most impressed with me speaking to the elder and said, “Do you think Alice can see if we can both come out to the camp and listen to that old man tell us the Dreamtime stories?”
I replied, “Jenny, that old man has invited me to come to his camp any time I feel like it, so you can come with me but we will have to talk someone into driving us out here - it's too far to be riding our bikes.
Jenny said, “Leave that to me. Don’t forget I’m Daddy's little girl.” We both had to giggle at that.
Anyway the other kids listened to the man tell them all about being able to live off the land and the land is like your mother or father and will look after you, and he talked about the ''rainbow serpent'' which I will tell you about some other time because it was time to get on the bus and go home. On the way back to the school we sang 'Waltzing Matilda' and 'Click go the Shears.' We were soon back at the school to pick up our school bags and go home. Mummy was waiting for us at the main gate in Daddy’s car again, and this time I asked, “Mummy why are you driving Daddy’s car now?”
Mummy replied, “Daddy is using the Land Rover to carry the fuel pumping equipment to use at the aerodrome to refuel the aircraft that ask for it, so this is my car now.”
It was Friday, so Jenny was coming to stay the weekend with me again and Ricky was also coming over to watch some some football show with Peter and their dad Barry, ''the school principal.'' Rita was also taking Saturday afternoon off because she wanted to spend more time with Peter, probably to to do some more kissing in her room, ''rolling eyes''.
I thought to myself 'Why can Rita kiss Peter all she likes and I am not allowed to kiss Ricky? 'Snot fair'. And while I was thinking that, Jean had to put her two cents worth in and was in my mind clear and loud and said, “Sis, if we kiss Ricky he will want to do more than just kiss.”
I replied in full voice which made Jenny, who was sitting beside me on the bed jump, when I said, “What is this ''we'' business Jean?”
She replied, “Well if you remember back when you visited my grave before you left River Downs, you said that I will be living my life in your body and where you go I would be with you?”
I said, “Yes, but does that mean you share everything I do?”
“Yes Carla it does, so you had better get used to it, because you can never get me out of your mind. We are one soul and one spirit.” and then she said “I love you Sis” and then went quiet.
Jenny was getting all excited and said, “Next time can we try to do that together like we did last time Carla?”
I replied, “Well as long as we are somewhere that we won't be disturbed we can try but I think it takes a lot out of Jean to do that.”
Jenny said, “I heard your side of the conversation about kissing Ricky but what is the problem?”
“Jenny everything I do, Jean is there with me till the day I die.”
“Ooh don’t say die like that it scares me.”
“Well we only go to another dimension so we don't really stop existing. We will just live in the spirit world.”
Mummy came into my room and said, “You have been talking to Jean haven’t you Carla?”
I replied, “Yeah! but how on earth did you know that? You were out in the kitchen all the time when I was talking with her.”
Mummy replied, “Sweetheart, ever since you made the connection with me and Jean the last time, I can feel the vibrations in my chest when you two are communicating, and I think Rita does as well, although I don’t know if she quite knows that is what it is.”
Jenny said, “Wow, does it mean it will also effect me like that as well?”
Mummy said “We will have to talk to Rose about that, and Carla make sure you write all this in your diary as well. Ok you two, get yourselves all prettied up and don’t take all night about it or we will leave you at home.”
Jenny and I looked at each other and said at same time “Where are we going Mummy?”
'“Just get ready and you will find out.” and left the room shaking her head saying to herself, I'm sure they both called me Mummy then.' We looked at each other and said skirts and both fell about giggling and went to my wardrobe and pulled out two denim skirts and warm tops that matched the skirts. It was cold outside at night so we put on black tights. I gave Jenny a lend of one of my new bras so we both had some shape up top, and to make sure we put rolled up socks in the bra cups as well.
Rita came out of her bedroom all dolled up make-up and all, and said, “Go and sit down at the dressing table, you two and I will do your hair and put a tiny bit of make up on both of you.”
We still weren’t told where we were going but said 'yes' to the hair and make up. I wore my hair down. It was getting really long and Rita said she would have to take me to town in the next week and get it trimmed into some shape to make it easier for me to manage. She did Jenny's hair the same as mine and we both had pink barrettes in to hold it in place and when she finished that she said, “Ok now I can tell you where we are going tonight.”
She asked me what the date was, I had to think and said, “Oh my God!! How could I forget Mummy's birthday and why didn't she say something this morning?”
“Carla it's alright, I didn't remember either until Dad said something to me and I said the same thing, but he said Mummy just wanted to see if we would remember without being told.”
I said, “Rita, I feel just awful now.” and rushed out of the room in tears and straight into Mummy's bedroom and hugged her and said, “Mummy I’m so sorry that I didn't even remember your birthday.”
I had tears running down my face and was spoiling the little make up that Rita had put on my face.
Mummy said, “Look at you sweetheart, all your make up is ruined. You forget my birthday because there is so much happening in your own life at the moment.”
“But Mummy I have no present for you. You should have said something to me this morning on the way to school.”
“Yes I suppose I should have and that was mean of me, but I’ll make it up to you tonight alright?”
I replied “Where are we going?”
Mummy said, “We are only going to the restaurant but have closed it to the public just for tonight so we could invite all our new friends to my birthday party.”
Rita had to redo my make up and then we all got into the car and went to the restaurant. It was seven o'clock and there were about thirty people there including the Smith family so I was happy.
Tom Granger and his wife Margaret were also there. That's why I heard a helicopter earlier in the afternoon, and the guy that took us to Brisbane in his plane was also there, not the first one the last one. His name is Rodney Schultz. The party got under way. And Rita, Aunty Bella and Helen helped Alice and Linda get the meals to the tables. Ricky sat next to me and he introduced a boy our age or maybe a bit older and said, “Carla and Jenny this is my friend Billy Wilson and he is in the school choir and wanted to meet you and Jenny so I asked your Mum to invite him tonight.”
Billy is hot and very good looking, and Jenny couldn't keep her eyes of him.
I gave her dig in the ribs and whispered, “Jenny you are staring at him and close your mouth.”
She looked at me and whispered back “He is gorgeous!”
Billy then held out his hand for Jenny to shake and said, “Hello Jenny, I have seen you around in the playground and have never been game to come up and talk to you. It's nice to meet you.”
Jenny just whispered, “Yeah, me too.”
Ricky and I had to have a small laugh, but stopped when we realised that we were embarrassing them both. So it looks like we both have a boy friend now.
Tom Croft and Margaret came to talk with me and asked me how I am going at school and also how my gender thing is progressing and they both said how anyone could have ever thought I was a boy beggars belief. Then they went and talked with Mummy, Daddy, and Rodney and I was told later that Rodney and Tom had formed a company to have an air charter business in Quilpie. So it looks like any future trips to Brisbane will be made by air, which will cut the travelling time down to about two and a half hours.
Ricky, Jenny, Billy and I sat together for the rest of the evening and chatted about school and when summer comes and how we can all go swimming together.
Jenny and I went to the toilet together and she said, “Wow Carla, I can't seem to keep my eyes off Billy, he is hot!!”
“Yeah Jenny, I noticed, but you have to stop staring at him or he will get scared of you”. That put us into a fit of giggles till we got back out to where the boys were sitting and Ricky said, “What's so funny?”
Jenny said, “It's a girl thing Ricky, you wouldn't understand.”
Ricky replied, “Got that right.”
Helen came over to us and said, “Ricky and Billy we will be going in a few minutes so you had better say goodbye to the girls now ok?”
We went outside to where the cars are parked and I had a quick cuddle and a kiss with Ricky and there was that tremble in my chest again and Ricky jumped and said, “That sister of yours is a mighty fine kisser, Carla. Tell her thanks.”
Billy looked at Jenny and said, “What was that all about?”
Jenny said “We cant tell you yet but maybe one day.”
He gave Jenny a quick kiss on the cheek before Helen could catch us kissing, but I think she waited for a while to let us do it anyway. She knows how close me and Ricky are and trusts us not to go any further.
We went back into the restaurant and people were all helping to clean up the place so it would be open for business the next morning. It was getting late when we finally got home and Jenny and I hit the sack and went to sleep dreaming of kissing boys.
To be continued.
Next time: Going to see Brad's Mum and going fishing on the river and performing CPR to save a life.
Please leave a comment.
Previously
Helen came over to us and said, “Ricky and Billy, we will be going in a few minutes so you had better say goodbye to the girls now ok?”
We went outside to where the cars were parked and I had a quick cuddle and a kiss with Ricky and there was that tremble in my chest again, and Ricky jumped and said, “That sister of yours is a mighty fine kisser Carla, tell her thanks.”
Billy looked at Jenny and said, “What was that all about Jenny?”
She replied, “We can't tell you yet, but maybe one day.”
He gave Jenny a quick kiss on the cheek before Helen could catch us kissing, but I think she waited for a while to let us do it anyway. She knows how close me and Ricky are and trusts us not to go any further. We went back into the restaurant and people were all helping to clean up the place so it would be ready for business tomorrow morning. It was getting late when we finally got home Jenny and I hit the sack and went to sleep dreaming of kissing boys.
~~~~oooo00000oooo~~~~
Saturday 3/7/59.
Jenny and I slept in till eight am which is unusual for us but it was a big day yesterday so we had to get our beauty sleep, we got up and ran to the bath room with our bare feet on the freezing floor boards because we left our slippers in the bath room last night. We quickly got the shower water running and got in under the warm water. We both needed to wash our hair because there were people that smoked cigars last night and our hair smelt of smoke.
Once we finished in the shower we realised that in our rush we didn't bring any clothes with us from the bedroom so it was a mad dash with a towel wrapped around us and a pair of slippers on our feet to get back to the bedroom.
Rita was just getting up and going to the the bathroom and said “Shit it's cold” and started to run to the bathroom door to close it before all the warm air escaped so she didn't have to freeze getting her clothes off to get into the shower.
It was so cold we decided to wear jeans and warm tops and jumpers with our wool lined flying boots. Jenny had almost as much of her clothes in my wardrobe as me but it didn't matter because we were both the same size and we just wore each others clothes except our knickers. Mine were pink and Jenny’s were yellow, we also put our bras back on and stuffed the socks back in the cups again.
Mummy saw us walking into the kitchen to make our breakfast and said, “Good morning girls, did you have a nice sleep in?”
We both said “Yes Mummy.” and then Jenny said, “Oops I mean Aunty Donna.”
Mummy replied, “That's alright Jenny darling, but you do have a mummy of your own you know!”
“Yes Aunty Donna, but you are my second mummy and I love you as much as my own Mummy.”
“Well you're welcome sweetheart, but make sure you tell her that you love too won't you?”
“Yes Aunty Donna I will.”
Just then Rita and Daddy came in and Rita said, “What’s for breakfast Mum?”
Mummy replied, “What ever you lot can find, I’m off to the shops to do some grocery shopping and 'bye.” and she was gone.
Daddy then said “Rita, can you make some porridge to warm us all up?”
Rita responded with, “Yeah that’d be right. What am I the slave around here?”
We all nodded and said “Yep.”
She then said, “Right, as long as you all clean up after, I will oblige but that's only because I have to have breakfast too.”
Daddy said, “Thanks luv. Next time I see Peter I’ll tell him you'll make a good wife.”
Rita replied “Yeah whatever” and started to make the porridge.
We had our breakfast and cleaned up the kitchen and went to clean up the bedroom and put the weekly washing on. Rita said she was going to do the ironing while Jenny and I did the vacuuming. We had two vacuum cleaners because one was Daddy's and the other one Mummy brought with us from River Downs so it didn't take us long to get it done.
When we were putting the cleaners away, Daddy came in where we were and said, “Here you are girls.” and handed each of us a ten shilling note and added “Just a bit of pocket money. You've both earned it.”
Jenny and I kissed Daddy on the cheeks at the same time and said, “Thanks Daddy.”
Daddy walked away and said to himself 'Did I just gain another daughter?' and shook his head and kept walking.
It was nearly ten o'clock when Mummy came back from doing the shopping and she yelled out to us to come and give her a hand to carry it all into the house. Once the groceries were all packed away and Mummy had a cup of tea she said, “We will go and see Brad's mum to see how she is getting on.”
After we had morning tea Mummy, Jenny and I got into Mummy’s car and she drove to the other side of town to where Mrs Blake lived. Mummy pulled up outside of an old dilapidated cottage with an overgrown garden. There was no car in the tin shed at the side of the house, so Brad's mum would have to walk to the shops in town to buy her groceries.
We got out of the car and made our way to the front porch of the house and knocked on the door. There was no answer and we knocked again but still no one answered the door.
Mummy said, “I hope she is alright. I think we should go around the back and see if she is in the back yard hanging out washing or something.”
We made our way through the high grass at the side of the house to find her asleep in an old squatter's chair. She must have gone out into the sun to get warm and fallen asleep in the chair. Mummy touched her gently on the shoulder and she jumped with a start.
Mummy said, “Sorry Mrs Blake, but we came to see if you were ok and to see if you needed a hand with anything now that you are all by yourself?”
Mrs Blake seemed to be a timid sort of person and almost looked frightened by our presence and she said, “What do you people want with me, haven’t you done enough already?”
Mummy replied, “Mrs Blake, my daughter didn't ask to be attacked by your out -of-control son. Carla was not responsible for your husband's gambling with my ex-husband, and he had no right to hurt Carla the way he did. That is why he is now in a boys' home to try to sort his anger problems out.”
Mrs Blake now had tears running down her cheeks and said, “Carla, I’m sorry Bradley hurt you, but ever since his father left he's been uncontrollable and he even started hitting me. But the part I don’t understand is why he thought you were a boy?”
I decide to play dumb, {which I must admit isn't too hard for me), and replied, “I don't know either. Do you think I look like a boy?”
She replied in a shaky kind of voice, “All I can see is a pretty little girl, so where he got the idea from that you were ever a boy is beyond me.”
Mummy then said, “That would have been my ex-husband doing some shit stirring to your husband and Brad took it the wrong way.”
'Well' I thought 'that was half true anyway.'
Mummy then went on and said, “We have come to see if we could help in any way to make life a little bit easier for you.”
Mrs Blake said, “Well, when that no-good husband of mine took off, he took the car and that has left me pretty isolated and it makes it hard to get about because I have a bad hip which I broke in a fall a couple of years ago. It has never healed up properly, so it is hard for me to walk any long distance, and I can't afford a taxi fare because I am on a disability pension.”
Jenny said, “Aunty Donna, what if Carla and I ride our bikes over here once a week and get Mrs Blake to give us her shopping list? We could do the shopping for her and you could bring it back here with your car one afternoon a week.”
Mummy looked at Mrs Blake and said, “How does that sound Mrs Blake?
Mrs Blake said, “Call me Jane, and that sounds really helpful. If the girls are willing to do that, it would make things much easier for me.
“Donna, call me Donna” Mummy said.
“Thanks Donna. I must admit Brad wasn't much help but he did do the shopping for me, but I think he also stole a lot of the shopping money. Maybe where he is now will straighten him out.”
Mummy said, “I wouldn't hold my breath on that one.”
Anyway Mummy went to the shops before they closed at midday because it was Saturday. Jenny and I stayed and cleaned up inside the house and put a load of washing on and generally tidied up around the place. When Mummy came back we put all the groceries away and said we would be back next Saturday to do the same.
We went back home and it was lunch time. Daddy had been to the restaurant with Rita and brought back left-over food from last night, so lunch was an easy fix. Daddy's small dingy was out of the shed and it looked like he was going to go fishing the on Bulloo River later today. It was winter fishing season and the river was full of yellow belly which is an Australian fresh water Bass.
Daddy said, “Girls, do you fancy going fishing with me this afternoon?”
Jenny and I both looked at each other and nodded.
Daddy said, “What does that mean?”
“It means 'yes' Daddy, but we wont stay after dark will we?”
“No sweetheart, we want to use our catch for dinner tonight.
Rita was not into fishing so she and Mummy were going to do some sewing to make some new dresses for when summer came. I could sew now too, and would start making some for myself with a little help from Rita. I wanted to make some nice summer dresses because they are really girly and I think Ricky would like me wearing them as well.
Anyway we helped Daddy hook up the boat to the Land-rover and got the smelly worms out of the freezer so that they would be defrosted by the time we had to put them on the hook.
Daddy drove down to the river where the boat ramp is and asked Jenny and I to get out and give him a guide so he doesn’t go too far back with the Land-rover.
I said, “Stop! The back of the boat is touching the water Daddy.”
He got out and undid the straps that hold the boat on the trailer and the boat slipped into the water. Jenny and I held the rope that is attached to the front of the dingy. All the fishing gear was already in the boat so Daddy drove the car and trailer up and away from the ramp because there was another man and his son wanting to use the ramp after us.
The three of us climbed in and and pushed ourselves out away from the ramp.
Daddy said, “Ok girls, sit down and I will start the outboard and we'll be on our way.”
We didn't go very far and Daddy threw out and anchor when we were about mid stream because there was a little bit of a run in the water.
We used hand lines and not rods because if you fish with a hand line you can feel the fish take the bait more easily than with a rod and reel.
Daddy said, “This is the spot where I usually sit so I can still see the car and trailer in the distance, because there are some little shit-heads that will vandalise the cars given half a chance if they cant see any one about to catch them at it.”
I said, “We should have brought Ginger and left her with the the car.”
Daddy replied, “Yeah, I guess.”
Anyway we all baited our lines with the smelly worms and dropped the line in over the side of the boat. Nothing happened and Daddy said “We'll give it two hours and if we don’t catch anything by then there is probably still too much dirty water from the last run off.”
Well, it wasn't long when I got my first tug on the line, but I fought the urge to pull on the line because the yellow belly has a real soft mouth and you have to wait to let the fish take the bait down into its gullet before you can pull and hook the fish. I waited and very gently gave the line a slight tug and I had hooked the first fish of the day.
Daddy said, “Shit Carla, it's my job to show you how it's done not the other way around!”
Jenny started to giggle because she also has a fish on the line and I said, “Jenny be gentle or you will lose it.”
Daddy said, “Who taught you to catch fish like that Carla?”
I replied, “An aboriginal worker on River Downs Daddy. I spent a lot of time with him. He is the one that taught me how to survive in the bush.”
I started to pull my catch up and and asked Daddy to get the landing net ready to put under the fish so I wouldn't pull the hook out of its mouth when I lifted it out of the water and lose it.
Daddy said, “Yes ma'am.”
I got my fish in the boat and then helped Jenny land hers. She had caught a really big one and had trouble pulling it up so I had to give her a hand with the line. It was twice the size as mine and would have weighed at least two pounds.
Daddy said, “Bloody hell kids what is this, bush week and I'm the sucker?”
Just then he had a big tug on the line and he played the fish like I did only slower and he said to me, “Ok smarty pants! Get the landing net and I will put you both to shame with this one.” I got the shock of my life when he pulled up a Murray cod which would be at least a five pound fish. It took myself and Jenny to handle the net and get this monster before he could shake himself off the line.
Daddy said, “Right girls, that's two hours and we have our fish for dinner, so we will leave the rest in the river for next time.”
Daddy was pulling the anchor up when we heard someone yelling “Help me! Help me!”
Daddy looked around to see the boat that came into the river after us and was about five hundred yards up-stream from where we were, and the young boy was waving his hands in the air with his hat to attract our attention.
Daddy said, “Where is his Dad? I can't see his dad. Carla, Jenny, you two get this anchor in and sit down and hang on, I don't want either of you falling out of the boat.”
We hung on and when we got closer we could see the boy's Dad laying on the floor of the boat. Daddy pulled the two boats together and got a rope and tied them together so we wouldn't start drifting apart.
The boy was frantic and said, “Don’t let him die. Please help him!”
Daddy asked the boy what happened and the boy said, “Pain in his arm and then he collapsed.”
I said Daddy, “I was taught to do CPR on River Downs.” I almost yelled at Jenny to give me a hand and get in the other boat.
I said, “Jenny,' I want you to push down on his chest and say one thousand' and push again until I tell you to stop. Hurry!!”
I then made sure that there was nothing in the man's mouth or throat and held his nose closed and started to blow air into his lungs while Jenny kept up the chest compressions. I felt Jean give me some sort of strange energy which made me feel a lot stronger than I really am, and she was in my mind saying, “Sis, you have to save this man. He will be in our future.”
Daddy kept the boy quiet so he wouldn't get in the way. The man started to breath after a couple of minutes and I asked Daddy to help me roll him on his side so he wouldn't swallow his tongue.
Daddy said, “Wow Carla, I think you just save this man's life.”
I replied, “Daddy, he needs to get to a hospital or he could still die.”
Daddy then asked the boy if he knew how to drive a boat and the boy replied, “Yes”, Daddy then untied the two boats and pulled up the anchor on the man's boat and started up the two outboards and we headed to the boat ramp.
When we got there Daddy told the boy to hang on to the two boats and stop them from drifting away, and he ran to the car and undid the boat trailer and drove off to the nearest public phone box to call for an ambulance. We heard the siren of an ambulance before Daddy even got back to where we were.
By this time the boy was in tears and and was trying to talk to his Dad but I said, “Don't try to make him talk. He just needs to breathe and nothing else ok?”
He just nodded his head and held his Dad's hand and looked like he was praying. The ambulance arrived with two people which wasn't normal for out here on a weekend so the guy must have picked up his mate on the way.
They both jumped out of the ambulance and asked me a heap of questions about what I did with him and then we got him out of the boat and on to an ambulance stretcher and into the back of the ambulance.
The boy said to Daddy, “What about the car and boat mister?”
Daddy replied, “Get the keys out of your Dad's pocket and I will look after that for now.”
The ambulance men knew Daddy, so there was no need for the boy to worry about where the car and boat would be taken. The ambulance took off but did not put on the siren because I guess there is not a lot of traffic in town on a Saturday afternoon. When I asked Daddy why they weren’t using the siren he explained that it causes the patient more stress to have it going.
After our boat was pulled up on to the trailer and secured, Daddy said, “You girls wait here while I take our car and boat back home and pick Tony up to drive me back here to collect the other car and boat.”
We had to secure the mans dingy at the ramp so it wouldn't drift off and while we were doing that we discovered they had quite a nice catch of fish in a bucket in the boat, so we decided to gut and clean the fish before Daddy came back with Uncle Tony. Jenny wasn't too keen on gutting the fish but I learned to do it on River Downs and was quite good at doing it. Once I had cleaned the fish, I washed all the gear in the river and stowed it back in the boat. The fish I put in the washed out bucket and I would put their catch in the freezer when we got home so they could enjoy their fish later sometime.
I said to Jenny, “I hope that man is going to be ok.”
Jenny said, “Well I think you probably saved his life Carla, you were amazing!”
I replied, “But it took the two of us to do the CPR so you are just as responsible for saving him.”
Jenny said, “Yeah, I guess so.”
It wasn't long before Daddy and Uncle Tony were there and they got the second boat out of the water and put it on the trailer. I told Daddy what I had done with the fish, and he said, “Carla you are not just a pretty face are you? First you go and save a man's life and the you even clean his fish for him.”
I replied, “Jenny is a pretty face too Daddy, she helped me as well.”
Uncle Tony said, “And what was your Daddy doing to help?” with a grin on his face.
Daddy said, “Yey!! Watch it Bagla, someone had to supervise the whole operation.”
Uncle Tony then said “You girls can come fishing with me any time you like.”
Anyway Tony got in his car and went home and we did the same.
When we arrived home I said, “Daddy, Jenny and I will get the fish cleaned so Mummy can get dinner under way”
Daddy replied, “Carla, I saw the fish you cleaned and filleted in the bucket. That's a better job than I could do. I'll leave you to it and clean up the boats.”
Rita and Mummy came out to collect the fish so they could go in the oven to be baked and also put the other lot in the freezer for when the guy in hospital recovered.
Mummy said, “Carla the hospital rang and said Mr Jackson is doing ok and his wife is at the hospital and will come to see you and bring young Kenny with her to thank you for what you did.”
Daddy finished cleaning the boats and put them and the cars in his shed and came out and said to Mummy, “Donna you have got an incredible daughter. You should have seen her in action. She saved that man's life!”
I said Daddy, “I got help from Jenny and Jean so it's not all down to me.”
Rita came and gave Jenny and I a hug and said, “My two heroes, I love you both.”
After that we all went in inside. While dinner was being prepared, Jenny and I went and had a shower to get rid of the fishy smell we both had from the day's fishing.
It was about seven o'clock when we heard a car pull up outside and Daddy said, “That will probably be Mrs Jackson to pick up their car.”
We all went outside and saw the police car and Jim the Sargent got out and said, “Ok where is our little hero?”
I replied, “Two heroines.” Jenny and I were holding hands when the lady and the boy got out of the police car and the lady had tears in her eyes when she knelt down and hugged us and just said, “Thank you girls. You have save my husband's life.”
Jenny and I said at the same time, “You're welcome.”
We all went inside and Jim the Sargeant asked Daddy to explain what had occurred on the river. Kenny the boy was apparently still too upset to give a proper account of what happened.
An hour later we gave Mrs Jackson the fish out of the freezer and she got her car out of Daddy's shed but left the boat and trailer there because she isn't used to towing anything be hind the car. She thanked us again and said she would come back tomorrow to take us to see her husband if that was alright with Mummy.
Mummy replied, “That is not a problem.”
Jenny and I talked till late into the night and even communicated with Jean before we drifted of to sleep.
To be continued.
Next time: Meeting the man that Jenny and I saved, and back to school with the choir
Please leave a comment.
Previously
It was about seven o'clock when we heard a car pull up outside and Daddy said, “That will probably be Mrs Jackson to pick up their car.”
We all went outside and saw the police car and Jim the Sergeant get out and said, “Ok, where is our little hero?”
I replied “Two heroines.”
Jenny and I were holding hands when the lady and the boy got out of the police car and the lady had tears in her eyes when she knelt down and hugged us and just said, “Thank you girls, you have saved my husband's life.”
Jenny and I said at the same time “You're welcome.”
We all went inside and the Sergeant asked Daddy to explain what had occurred on the river. Kenny the boy was apparently still to upset to give a proper account of what happened.
An hour later we gave Mrs Jackson the fish out of the freezer and she got her car out of Daddy's shed but left the boat and trailer there because she isn't used to towing anything behind the car.
She thanked us again and said she would come back tomorrow and take us to see her husband if that was alright with Mummy.
Mummy replied, “That is not a problem.”
Jenny and I talked till late into the night and even communicated with Jean before we drifted off to sleep.
Sunday4/7/59.
It was six am and it was very cold, so Jenny and I were cuddled up really close. Jenny stayed at my place most weekends now. Anyway, as I was saying it was too cold to get up out of bed yet and we decide to have another go at talking with Jean this morning.
I said to Jenny, “Don't go back to sleep, but keep your eyes closed and hold one of my hands.”
She complied, closed her eyes and held my hand and said, “Ok now what?”
“Just concentrate on how you saw Jean last time, and she will appear but don’t let go of my hand or the connection will be lost.”
She replied, “Ok.”
I then said, “Jean please show yourself to to Jenny as well.”
Jean's spirit image was there on the bed and she said “Jenny! you will only see me while you have contact with Carla and have your eyes closed I cannot keep contact if you open your eyes.”
Jenny said, full voice, “Jean I can see you and hear you. You are just as pretty as Carla.”
“Jenny, we are of the same spirit and soul. We can not be separated, and even when Carla passes over to this side we will still be joined.”
I interrupted their little chat and said, “Jean you helped me with that man and said that he will be in our future, what did you mean by that?”
“Carla, you will find out in good time but I must let you live your own life, but I will be there to help you always.”
I was not going to let her get away with that and said, “Jean, please give me some sort of clue or I will get angry with you.”
Jean then said “Carla, I can only tell you that the boy is like you. Now I am getting weak so I will say bye for know.” and she blew me and Jenny a kiss and slowly faded away. Jenny wouldn’t stop holding my hand in case Jean might reappear; but I said, “Jenny, you can let go of my hand now. Jean wont be able to come back till she gets her strength back, but she is getting stronger every time I talk to her.”
Jenny finally let go of my hand and she let out a squeal when she saw Mummy standing at the bedroom door which is always left open at night so Ginger can come in if she wants to.
I knew Mummy was there because I saw her before Jenny opened her eyes.
Mummy said, “Do you realise Carla, that I could see and hear Jean as well?”
I said, “Mummy, I thought I had to be touching you for it to work.”
Mummy replied, “I knew you were communicating with your twin because I get the trembles in the chest when ever you two connect, and Carla sweetheart, I heard what Jean said about that boy but you must not force her to tell you things.”
“But Mummy I need to know everything.”
Jenny giggled and said, “Yes Aunty Donna, we need to know everything.”
Mummy said, “Well, we might find out a bit more later today when Mrs Jackson comes to take you two to see Mr Jackson at the hospital won't we?”
I replied, “The boy Kenny will be there I guess.”
“Carla and Jenny, I know you like to know everything about all things but you mustn't go asking that boy any personal questions do you understand?”
We both said, “Yes Mummy.”
Jenny said, “Oops sorry Aunty Donna.”
Mummy said, “I should hope so” with a grin on her face.
Rita came into the room and said, “What's all the noise about this early in the day? I felt that thing in my chest so I suppose you have been talking to our little sister haven’t you?”
Mummy said “Yes Rita, it's too cold to be standing here, so lets all go into the warm kitchen and I will make us some porridge for breakfast.
The kitchen is always warm because of the combustion stove which never goes out. We set the table for breakfast while Mummy made the porridge.
Daddy walked into the kitchen scratching his head and said, “Morning ladies, what's the occasion?”
Mummy said, “Morning darling, no occasion, just having breakfast to get warm.”
Daddy gave Mummy a kiss and sat down at the table and waited for the porridge to to be served. He said, “What was all the talking in your bedroom about Carla?”
“Jean Daddy!! She is getting stronger, and we can talk normally. As long as we keep our eyes closed we can see her.”
Daddy said, “That reminds me, Jim Ryan rang me on Friday and wants you to make an appointment to go and see him in the couple of days. He mentioned Rose so I suppose it has something to do with her twin project.”
I said, “Daddy I’m not a project.”
“Sorry darling. You're right, I should have said study.”
Rita said, “Dad that makes it tomorrow.”
He replied, “It makes what tomorrow?”
“The appointment, what else?”
“Oh shit you're right. Sorry Carla, my brain doesn't work too well in winter.”
Mummy said, “Don’t worry I'll ring first thing in the morning.”
Daddy said, “Right, are we all going to church this morning?”
We all chorused and said “Yes.”
Mummy said, “Bill darling, you don't have to go to the Lutheran church if you want go to the service at your church.”
Daddy replied, “I belong with my family so it's the Lutheran church that I belong to now and besides God is everywhere.”
I said, “What about Father Brian? He is a good mate of yours, wont he be upset?”
Daddy replied, “I think Brian is gong to leave the church and take up his profession in law, so he wont care what I do.”
Anyway, Daddy went to get dressed and put on his new second hand suit. Mummy and Rita cleaned up the kitchen and Jenny and I were chased to my room to get ourselves ready for church. Jeans didn't cut the grade for church so we went through the wardrobe a couple of times before we came up with the winning combination. We both chose to wear long winter skirts and woollen tops with long sleeves, but didn't want spoil the look of us having breasts by putting on a coat to hide our new shape, even if it was all socks in the cups.
Mummy said, “Girls it is quite cold today shouldn't you be wearing a coat?”
Rita said, “Mum I think they want to impress the boys in the choir that they are older than they really are.”
Mummy said, “Ok, but I want you both to take coats anyway ok?”
“Yes Mummy” rolling our eyes.
“Stop that two Mummy bit you two, you will get me into trouble with Jenny's Mum.”
We said “Sorry” in unison.
Mummy shook her head and said, “Well we can always adopt Jenny, she is almost part of the family anyway.” and then said, “just kidding Jenny.”
Jenny said, “Aunty Donna, I still think of you as my second Mummy.”
Mummy replied, “Alright, I guess I can cope with that”
Daddy said, “Are we all done adopting kids? If we are lets get going.”
All us ladies said, “Yes sir.”
We were just walking down the front steps when Jenny's Mum and Dad drove into the driveway and Jenny's Mum got out of the car and said “Jenny darling we have to go to to Charleville to catch a flight to Brisbane and then a connecting flight to Sydney. Your Gran is in hospital and is very ill so we will be gone for a few days.”
“Donna, I hate to ask you to do this, but could Jenny stay with you for a little while? You are like a second Mum to her and she loves being with Carla. I’m sure she wont be any trouble.”
Mummy replied, “Jan, Jenny is welcome to stay as long as you need her to and she has never been any trouble. But you had better give me a key to be able to get her school uniform and and all her other school things she will need.”
Jenny's mum handed their house keys to Mummy, and gave Jenny a hug, and her Dad got out of the car to do the same, and her Dad said, “We heard about what happened down at the river yesterday and are very proud of you Jenny.”
Then he hugged her and said, “You be a good girl while we're away sweetheart, and we'll be back as soon as we can.”
Jenny said. “I hope Gran will be ok. Please give me a ring when you get to Sydney and let me know how she is.”
“We will darling.” they replied and got into their car and drove off.
Daddy said “Ok you lot, if we don't get in the car now we will be late for church and we don't want to be walking in after the service has begun do we ladies!!!”
We all replied, “No, yes sir!!” and got in the car with Daddy saying something about understanding women or something that sounded like that.
I sort of missed seeing Ricky at church but there is not a lot that could be done about that and anyway I could always see him at school and at the park.
Jenny and I walked into the church holding hands and someone said to Mummy, “Your two younger daughters are in the church choir aren’t they?”
Mummy replied” “Yes they are, but only one is my daughter. The other one might as well be, for she and Carla are like two peas in a pod.”
The lady said, “My name is June Frost and I am the choir singing teacher amongst other things in the church. After the service I would like to see where these girls will fit into the choir and organise some singing lessons to help them along.”
Mummy replied, “Sure, but they both have an appointment to see someone at the hospital later so they can't stay to long.
Miss Frost said, “Ok, I will make it as short as possible.”
After the service Jenny said “Gee Carla, I like the singing much better in this church than the Catholic one.”
When we got home from church it was ten thirty and we all needed to have some morning tea. There was morning tea at the church but Mummy said we had better come home in case Mrs Jackson arrived while we were out. Mummy had made some cream buns yesterday so we got them and went and sat out in the warm winter sun in the backyard garden.
Ginger was pestering me and Jenny to throw the ball for her game of throw and fetch so we took turns in throwing the ball to her to keep her happy. Fluffy just sleeps all the time! What a life!! Goldie is now living back with Uncle Tony and Aunty Bella, since Uncle Tony built her a nice big kennel, but she still wanders down the road to see us every couple of days.
We had just finished our buns when Mrs Jackson and her son turned up to take Jenny and I to visit her husband in the hospital. As they got out of the car and were walking to us Jenny whispered “He does look a bit girly doesn’t he?”
I replied “I wonder if he is just like me, a girl with a plumbing problem.”
Mummy said, “Shush girls and behave.”
“Yes Mummy!!”
Mrs Jackson said, “Hello everyone. Would it be ok to take the girls to see David at the hospital? Apparently he has been asking to see the little girls that got him breathing again on Friday afternoon.”
Mummy said, “That will be fine, would you like me to pick them back up once they are finished visiting?”
She replied rather nervously “No if you don't mind I would like a word with you about something when I bring them back.”
“That'll be ok. Take your time we aren’t going anywhere.”
We got in the car's back seat and said, “Hi” to Kenny and he shyly said “Hello.” in an almost girly way. 'I should talk'.
Anyway I said, “How is your husband Mrs Jackson?”
She replied, “He is recovering quite well, but is not going to be able to go back to work for quite a while I would imagine.”
We arrived at the hospital and walked across the car park to the main entrance of the hospital and as we entered the building I thought 'Wow this whole hospital would fit into the Mater in Brisbane about fifty times'. Anyway a nurse was just walking towards us and asked us to follow her to where they had Mr Jackson in a private room. It was only a small hospital and there were only three private rooms. He was in the one closest to the where the nurses could keep him under observation.
The nurse said, “I’m Christine and I am looking after Mr Jackson so if you have any questions just ask me.”
We nodded, and went into the room where Mr Jackson was all propped up with pillows. He looked ok for a man who had a heart attack a couple of days ago.
There were enough chairs for us all to sit down, but Jenny and myself went to grab a hand each and we both said “Hello” at the same time.
He responded by saying, “Carla and Jennifer, you two are my angels that stopped me from leaving this planet.” He had tears running down his cheeks when he said that.
The nurse was standing at the door and said, “You can hug him if you want, he is out of danger but don’t get him to excited.”
Jenny and I gave Mr Jackson a quick hug and stepped back so his wife and son could do the same. Mrs Jackson sat back down on one of the chairs but Kenny his son sat on the bed and held his fathers hand and said, “I love you Daddy.” now I’m guessing but I think he is a bit older than me and I thought that only girls called their father Daddy.
Mr Jackson said, “Kenny, you have these two pretty angels to thank for me still being here, but your Mummy tells me you were brave as well and helped bring the boat back to the boat ramp.”
The boy replied in a very girly way, “Daddy, I don’t know what I would have done if these two girls and their Daddy hadn't come to help.”
Mrs Jackson looked to be a bit embarrassed at how her son was talking as if he were a girl. She got up and and said, “It looks like your getting tired David so we might go and leave you in peace.”
He replied, “Yes it has all been a bit of a shock, but before you go what about the boat?”
“Don’t worry Daddy” said Kenny, “It is quite safe at Mr Croft's place and we can get it when you are out of hospital.”
Mrs Jackson gave her husband a kiss and so did Kenny and we all said goodbye and left Mr Jackson to go to sleep.
By the time Mrs Jackson got us back home it was close to lunch time and as we got out of the car Mummy was walking towards us and said, “Good. Lunch will be ready in about half an hour. I hope you you and Kenny will stay Jane.”
She replied, “Well thanks, yes, and that will give me a chance to talk to you about another matter.”
We all went inside and Daddy and Uncle Tony were in the lounge watching something about football on the telly. Mrs Jackson went with Mummy into the kitchen to talk about something. Rita was at the Smith house for the rest of the day, to kiss Peter no doubt.
So Jenny and I said to Kenny, “Come with us to our room and we can get to know each other better.”
Kenny just nodded and followed me and Jenny not saying anything. We got to our room and all three sat down on my big double bed. Jenny looked at me and nodded. I think she wanted me to start the conversation. I took that as a signal that she was thinking the same thing as me about Kenny.
I didn't beat around the bush and came straight out with, “Kenny is there something you need to tell us about your self?”
Kenny looked at me and he had tears forming in his eyes and he said, “You know don’t you?”
I replied, “Kenny, it's ok. You can trust me and Jenny.” He was starting to sob and I put my arm around him and said, “Kenny, you can't hide who you are from someone like me.”
In between sobs and the hiccups he he replied, “Carla, I have heard about you and people reckon you were a boy when you were born and are now a girl.”
Jenny butted in and said, “Always a girl Kenny, she was always a girl.”
Kenny was a bit calmer now and said, “I am a girl too but I have a penis.” and he stood up and pulled down his trousers and he had a pair of pink panties on and pulled them down as well. Jenny and I just stared at his or ''her'' crotch and there was an even smaller penis in his crotch than mine, and I couldn't see any scrotum, so he must be intersexed like me.
Jenny said, “Carla, that looks just the same as you only smaller.”
Kenny pulled his clothes back up and sat back down on the bed beside me and just stared at the floor and said, “I have been to Doctor Ryan and he wants me to go to Brisbane and a see a doctor San—lee to do some tests to see what my condition is.”
At this stage I thought I had better tell him all about myself and support him so he didn't have to suffer all alone. Once I told him everything he started to relax and opened up to both me and Jenny and he told us about how he always knew that there was something wrong with him and that not long ago he went to Father Brian and told him that he felt like a girl. Farther Brian rang Doctor Ryan the same day and and also spoke to his mother and told them he would support them in whatever they decided to do. Good old father Brian, he is such a nice man. I explained about what I was going through and that I will be having surgery to rectify my genitals and he would probably have to go through the same process.
Jenny said, “Kenny, what is your girl name?”
He looked at us and said, “Mummy said she would have called me Christine if she had a girl.”
I replied, “Well Christine, you are a girl as far as I can tell.”
Just then Mummy knocked on the door and said, “Ok girls lunch is ready.”
Kenny looked at us and said, “She just said girls.”
Jenny said, “It looks like the two mummies have been talking doesn't it Christine?”
We all stood up and had a group hug and went to the kitchen and through to the dining room.
Mummy winked at me and said, “Did you have a nice talk girls?”
It was hard to think of Christine as Kenny now that we knew what was really going on, so I just said, “Yes Mummy, all explained.” Both mothers nodded and smiled and we sat down to eat lunch.
Daddy said, “ What was the pow wow all about Donna?”
Mummy replied, “Tell you later ok?”
After lunch we all went outside to say goodbye to Mrs Jackson and her daughter. I thought to myself 'I am going to make sure that I will be there for her and help in anyway that I can.'
A bit later I asked Mummy about why my chest was so itchy, and she said, “Carla I think that is what Doctor Ryan wants to see you about, so we will find out tomorrow just how far down the track you are to have a normal girl puberty, and I don't think it is only about breast growth either, so be prepared to go for another round of tests in Brisbane before too long ok?”
“What do you mean Mummy?”
Jenny was listening and said, “Periods silly.”
“Oh but I haven't had any surgery for that to happen.”
Mummy said, “Don't panic Carla, we will find out more tomorrow and if you have to have some kind of surgery to let you have your periods then that will be done too.”
Jenny and I spent the rest of the afternoon doing our home work and taking Ginger for a walk down to the park. After dinner we watched a movie and went to bed and talked about Christine and how we could be there for her and help. We went to sleep in a tight cuddle and we both could feel Jean as we drifted into dreamland.
To be continued
Next time: Doctor Ryan, Brisbane and and what the tests show about my progress.
Please leave a comment.
Previously
Daddy said, “What was the pow wow all about Donna?”
Mummy replied, “Tell you later ok ?”
After lunch we all went outside to say goodbye to Mrs Jackson and her daughter. I thought to myself 'I am going to make sure that I will be there for her and help in anyway that I can.'
A bit later I asked Mummy about why my chest was so itchy, and she said, “Carla I think that is what doctor Ryan wants to see you about, so we will find out tomorrow just how far down the track you are to have a normal girl puberty, and I don't think it is only about breast growth either so be prepared to go for another round of tests in Brisbane before too long ok?”
“What do you mean Mummy?”
Jenny was listening and said, “Periods silly.”
“Oh but I haven't had any surgery for that to happen.”
Mummy said, “Don't panic Carla, we will find out more tomorrow and if you have to have some kind of surgery to let you have your periods then that will be done as well.”
Jenny and I spent the rest of the afternoon doing our home work and taking Ginger for a walk down to the park. After dinner we watched a movie and went to bed and talked about Christine and how we could be there for her and help. We went to sleep in a tight cuddle and we both could feel Jean as we drifted into dreamland.
Monday 5/7/59
Mummy came into the bedroom and said, “Wake up sleepy heads, time to have a shower and get ready for another week at school.”
Jenny said “Aunty Donna what about my school uniform?”
Mummy replied, “What about it?”
Jenny started to panic and said. “I will have to go home and get it won't I?”
Mummy replied “Jenny, settle down girl. I went to your house last night and brought back all the clothes that you will need for the next week so stop worrying will you?”
“Yes Aunty Donna, sorry, I'm a bit worried about Gran, I hope she is ok.”
Mummy replied, “I’m sure that your parents will ring and let you know how she is.”
We were all ready to go to school when the phone rang.
Mummy went to the office to answer it and we heard her say, “Yes Jim, he did pass on the message but it was a day late and I was just about to take the girls to school and I was going to drop in on the way home to have a chat about what happened over the weekend.”
She hung up and came out of the office and said, “I guess you heard that?”
I said, “Mummy, why does he want to see me so urgently?”
She replied, “I don't know darling but I will drop Jenny off at school and will take you to see him straight away.”
Jenny came and hugged me and said, “It must be about the hormones you are taking and the way your nipples are sore and itchy all the time, just like mine.”
Mummy said, “Come on girls, we have to get a move on.”
We arrived at the school and our friends were there to greet us, all excited about what had happened over the weekend and started asking me and Jenny how we knew how to save someone that had a heart attack.
Mummy got out of the car and gave Jenny a hug and said, “Kids, the questions will have to wait till later, Carla has an appointment with the doctor.”
Jenny waved me goodbye and was mobbed by our friends as we drove away to the doctor's surgery.
On the way I was getting quite edgy and I said “Mummy, will I have to be cut open?”
“Carla sweetheart, lets just wait to see what Doctor Ryan has to say.”
We arrived at the surgery and I could feel Jean wanting to communicate with me., so I said to Mummy, “Jean is wanting to talk with me what will I do?”
“Well I think Doctor Ryan is about to see you and Jean in action.”
We walked into Doc Ryan’s surgery and Mummy said, “Jim you are about to see two twins communicating between two worlds.”
The doctor said,”Ok Carla what do you want me to do?”
I said, “You will only hear my side of the conversation but if I hold onto Mummy's hand she can listen in.”
Mummy said, “Jim, if you want to record this on tape for Rose you had better turn on your tape recorder.” I got comfortable on the Doctors couch and let Mummy sit next to me and hold my hand.
Doctor Ryan turned on his recorder and said, “Ready when you are ladies.”
I said. “Please turn of the light to darken the room.”
I closed my eyes and so did Mummy so she got the full version of me and Jean talking to each other. It seemed as if Jean was sitting in a chair opposite me and Jean said, “Hello Carla, can you see and hear me now?”
I replied, “Sis you look as though you are sitting in the chair opposite me.”
Jean giggled,”Well I am, as long as you don't open your eyes I can keep the contact between us going, I am also learning things just like you are in school sis.”
Mummy said, “Jean I can see and hear you as clear as a bell, darling you are so pretty, but why are you doing this today?”
Jean responded with, “Mummy, you have to take Carla to Doctor Rose, Carla is going to need surgery.”
I said, “Jean, my puberty is that what it is?”
Jean replied, “Carla do it.”
Mummy said, “When?”
Jean was starting to fade and she said, “Getting weak 'bye.” and she was gone.
Mummy was shaking and Doctor Ryan said, “Donna, I will give you something to make you relax.” and he went to a cupboard and got some pills out of a bottle and gave Mummy two and a glass of water.
It took Mummy a few minutes to calm down, and when she did she said, “Jim did you get what was being said?”
Jim replied, “Donna I got all your side of the conversation and I was amazed when there seemed to be some kind of a mist around you and Carla, and then it just disappeared and you stopped talking and got the shakes.”
He then said, “I wish I had the camera ready when that happened, I have never seen anything like that before.”
Mummy was getting impatient with the Doctor and said, “Jim why are we here this morning.”
“Calm down Donna, I got a phone call from Rose and she is concerned about Carla heading straight into puberty with all the hormones she is taking and she thinks that her little ovaries will start to work overtime, and Carla will have her first period before she has had any surgery.”
“That is what Jean is trying to tell us Jim, she must know what is going to happen and warn us.”
Doc Ryan just shook his head and said, “This is amazing!! I would never have believed it if I hadn't experienced with my own eyes. It is exciting stuff , I can't wait to tell Rose about what has happened here this morning.”
Mummy said, “Well Jim there's no time like the present is there?”
“Oh of course Donna. Carla I’m sorry, I just can’t believe after all these years in practice what I saw and heard this morning.”
Mummy said, “The phone call JIM!!”
He picked up the phone and dialed the number for the exchange to get him a trunk line to Brisbane.
He said, “Thanks Brenda” who is the lady at the telephone exchange and then dialed the number of Doc Rose in Brisbane.
A few rings and Doc Ryan said, “G'day Rose, it's Jim Ryan, and I have Carla Croft and her Mum with me and we have just been told by Carla's twin sister to get Carla down to you to sort out her little problem post haste. Yes that's right, that is what I said. Yes, all on Tape recorder. Yes Rose tomorrow, I'll be coming too. Donna she wants to talk to you.”
“Hello Rose,yes that's right. Yes we can, see you tomorrow, 'bye.”
I said, “Am I going to Brisbane tomorrow Mummy?”
“It looks like it sweetheart.” After Mummy had a discussion with the doc about sorting out how we will be getting down to Brisbane at such short notice we left and went home.
As soon as we got into the house Mummy went straight to the office and started making the phone calls necessary to get us down to Brisbane the following day. She was in there for about half an hour and came out and said, “Darling go and put the kettle on the stove and we'll have a cuppa and sit down and talk about what we are going to do.”
While I made the tea, Mummy was writing something in a book and looking at a calendar, I thought 'I hope I don’t spoil Mummy's wedding plans' and she looked at me as if she read my mind and said, “Don’t worry darling, everything will be alright you'll see.”
The phone rang and she got up and almost ran to answer it, “Hello, yes, you can!!! That's fantastic Tom, yes in about three hours, yes four and luggage, yes and you will stay as well. Thanks Tom., give my regards to Margaret, yes, I’ll see you then 'bye,”
I said, “That was Tom Granger wasn't it Mummy?”
“Yes it was and the kind man is coming with his helicopter to take us to Brisbane and stay there till we are ready to come home.”
“But what about Rodney and his plane? I thought we would be using him from now on.”
“I rang his office.” Mummy replied “and he is in Sydney picking up his new twin engine Cessna and won't be back for a few days. That is why I rang Tom because he is part owner of the charter business that they started up.” Mummy said, “Ok ,you go and pack enough clothes for a week's stay in Brisbane and also pack one for Jenny because she will be coming with us, I can't just leave her here while her Mum and Dad are in Sydney. I would ring them if I knew where they are staying but they will ring here and then they will find out about us taking Jenny with us to Brisbane.”
It was still only nine thirty, so Mummy said she would get all her packing done and then we could go and pick Jenny up from school. While Mummy was packing she was also talking on the phone that had a long lead on it and you could walk into another room as long as you didn’t get the line tangled up on some furniture. In the movies they have radio phones like the two way radios in cabs.
Mummy rang Daddy and told him to be ready to refuel Toms chopper and also go and tell Rita what was happening. Then she rang Doc Ryan and told him to be ready when we got a taxi to take us to the aerodrome.
Mummy said, “There is no reason to take people away from their work to take us to the chopper so a taxi it is.”
We got in the car and went to the school. When we got there Mummy said, “Carla you go to Barry's office and tell him what is happening, and I will go and collect Jenny and explain things to your teacher about what’s going on.”
I went and saw Barry and said, “Sir, may I come in?”
“Sure Carla, what's the problem and why aren’t you in uniform?”
I said “It looks like I might have to have that surgery, you know the one?”
“Oh alright Carla and I take it you are about to go to Brisbane right?”
“Yes, and Jenny is coming with us as well because her Mum and Dad are away.”
“Ok Carla, I will let my family know what’s going on and also let Father Brian know.”
I met Mummy and Jenny back at the car and Jenny gave me a hug and said, “Carla it looks like like you are about to become like me.”
I replied, “Jenny, I am totally scared.”
Jenny said, “Carla, remember what Jean said about being with you always, well she won't let anything happen to you will she?”
“No I s'pose not but it's still scary.”
Jenny said, “Hey what about Tom Granger taking us to Brisbane in his helicopter? I've never been on a chopper before.”
I said “Flying is flying big deal.”
When we got back home Mummy rang the guy with the taxi and told him when he heard the helicopter circle the town to come and pick us up. I was starting to get all edgy and I could feel Jean being the same, I don’t know what she has got to worry about she is already all girl, and I said out loud, “Jean, stop that.” which made Jenny jump which in turn made Mummy jump.
They both said, “Carla don’t do that.”
I replied, “Sorry but sometimes she bugs me.”
Mummy said, “Yeah, well yelling at her wont help either of you will it?”
“No Mummy.”
She packed us some food to eat on the way down to Brisbane. By the time we got there we would be pretty hungry because it wold take almost three hours by the time we get to Archerfield airport and organised a taxi to take us into the city.
Mummy, Jenny and I would be staying with Samantha and her Mum again, and the Doc and Tom were staying with Doc Rose because she had a large apartment just down the road from the Mater hospital.
Anyway we heard the helicopter fly over and got all our things together to put into the boot of the taxi when it come to pick us up. Ten minutes later the guy turned up and we loaded everything into the boot and got under way to the aerodrome.
I said, “Mummy, I forgot to give Ginger some extra food.”
Mummy replied, “it's ok Carla, Bella is going to feed her when there is no one else around in the next week.”
Mummy got the driver to detour to the restaurant so I could say my goodbyes to everyone. I quickly ran into the restaurant and they were all waiting to give me a hug and wish me luck.
Rita had tears in her eyes and said “Carla it looks like this might be it hey?”
I also had tears now and could hardly reply but said in a shaky voice, “Rita I am so scared, I wish you could come with me as well.”
Rita replied and whispered in my ear, “Jean is with you Carla and she will keep you safe.”
I said bye to everyone and ran back out to the car. Mummy said, “I was just about to send out a search party to look for you Carla, we really have to get going!”
“Sorry Mummy.”
We arrived at the aerodrome and Daddy and Tom were just finishing up with the refuelling of the chopper. Tom's wife Margaret was there as well and when the driver got out of his cab she said to him “Would you please wait and take me back into town to my house?”
He nodded and replied, “It will be a pleasure madam.”
Tom started to load the luggage into the underbelly of the chopper and said, “Just as well there isn't any more or it would have to be left behind.” Margaret said “hello” to us and said she would stay in town at the house she bought just for such an occasion. She then went and kissed Tom and said, “Make sure you get all of that business done while you have the chance.”
Tom replied, “Yes dear.” and winked at me. What is it with the winking thing with men? I don’t get it!! Anyway Margaret got in the taxi and she waved to us and the driver sped away. Daddy and Mummy had a hug and then Daddy came and picked me up as though I was still a little kid and kissed me on the cheek and said, “Be safe little girl of mine” and had tears running down his face.
I could feel Jean respond to that and had quite a tremor in my chest and I think Daddy felt it too so he said, “And you too Jean.”
I climbed in to the chopper and was followed by Jenny and Mummy in the one seat. Doc Ryan sat in the seat next to where Tom was the pilot seat of the chopper. It is quite a large one and can seat six people, or when the seats are taken out carry a lot of cargo. Tom said that is why he bought it in the first place.
We were all strapped in and the blades started to turn and Jenny held on to my hand real tight.
She had been on a plane but not a helicopter and said, “What if the propeller falls off?”
I said, “We die and join Jean on the other side, won't that be fun!!”
Mummy said, “Stop that Carla, you'll have Jenny getting nightmares when we get to Brisbane.”
“Sorry Jenny, just joking.”
Tom turned around and said, “Donna, Carla hasn't lost her sense of humour has she?”
Mummy said, “No unfortunately, it can drive me insane sometimes. but I wouldn't have her any other way.” and gave me a wink. 'there's that wink again'. Tom made the chopper take to the air and we were up high in the sky within minutes and on our way to Brisbane.
On the way Tom would fly quite low to have a look at some farms and see what condition the animals were in, because he is thinking of changing River Downs into a cattle station instead of sheep because the price of beef is much better than wool and much less work involved.
Jenny started to relax and I said, “I am sorry for being mean before Jenny, I wont do it any more.”
Jenny replied, “It's ok sis I love you anyway.”
It was quite noisy in a chopper, much more than in a plane, so you had to speak quite loud to be heard.
Doc Ryan turned around and said, “How are you feeling Carla?”
I replied, “I think I might have a stomach bug because I keep getting cramps down low in my tummy.”
Mummy looked at the doc and said, “Is she going to be ok Jim?”
The doc had a worried look on his face and said, “Tom how much longer will it be before we land at Archerfield?”
Tom replied, “We'll be there in about fifteen minutes, Jim. Why, what's the hurry?”
Jim replied trying not to sound too worried but failed when he said, ”We may need to have an ambulance at the airport Tom.”
Tom said, “Oh shit!! Ok, I’ll radio the tower and get that organised right away.”
Doc said to me, “Don’t worry Carla, everything will be ok but I don’t think we can take long a time to get you to see Rose ok?”
Mummy looked worried now and held my hand and squeezed it and said “Hang in there sweetheart.”
I replied, “Mummy it is only a tummy ache, I don’t need an ambulance for a tummy upset.”
Jenny was holding my other hand now and in a panic said, “Carla I think you are having the cramps that girls get before they have their periods.”
I said “Ohhh, but there is nowhere for the blood to come out.” and started to panic as well.
Mummy said, “Calm down darling, we will get you seen to as soon as we get to the Mater ok?”
I closed my eyes and said, “Jean, please tell me I’ll be ok.”
“Carla calm down, I am here. I wont let you come over to my side so just relax or you will only make it hurt more.”
I couldn’t stop shaking now and Mummy said to Tom, “Is the ambulance going to be there Tom?”
Tom said, “Hang on Donna, I am about to land next to that building and I can see an ambulance parked next to the hanger.
By the time Tom had the chopper on the ground there were men coming from all directions and had the doors of the chopper open. Because I was the first to get in at Quilpie, Mummy and Jenny had to get before I could get out. Just then I felt a sharp pain in my groin and screamed out in pain. The ambulance people sort of dragged me over the seat in the chopper to get me out in a hurry. By the time I was out and being held by a man in an ambulance uniform I was in so much pain I screamed, “MUMMY-- JEAN.”
And then I was with Jean in a green field sitting next to my twin sister on the soft grass.
Jean said, “Hello Sis, you can stay here with me while they get you fixed up and you wont feel a thing.” and she giggled while she put her arm around me.
I said, “Jean I must be dead if you can touch me like that.”
“No Sis you are not dead, but you are out of your body and I will keep you with me until you are out of pain.”
“Jean I am wearing the same gown as you have on.”
“Yes Sis and when you do eventually come here you will be wearing the same things as me because we are of the same spirit and soul.”
I replied, “When will that be Jean?”
“I can't tell you when, but you will be old and grey as will I Sis. Now be a good girl and close your eyes and next time I will talk to you as I have always done. I will always be with you Carla, now go to sleep my sweet sister.”
People talking, something making a beeping noise, in bed, “MUMMY!!”
“I'm here sweetheart.” I could feel her holding my hand but I couldn’t see her properly she was all fuzzy around the edges.
I said, “Mummy I am blind, what has happened to my eyes?”
Then a familiar voice said, “Carla you are not blind, you’ll be ok in a few minutes.” It was Mary, Sam's Mum. All of a sudden it all made sense to me and I said, “I’m in the Mater aren't I?”
Mary said “She hasn't lost her sense of humour has she?”
Mummy said, “Someone else said that to me earlier today as well.”
My eyes cleared up and I could see again and I wasn’t going blind thank god!!
I said, “Mummy what happened to me?”
“Darling I don’t know every thing yet but they had to make an opening to release the blood that was starting to poison your system.”
“Have I got a vagina now?”
“Sweetheart you will have to wait till Rose comes and talks to you shortly. Would you like me to get you a sandwich? It is seven o’clock and you haven’t eaten since this morning. You must be hungry?”
“Yes Mummy I am, and a drink as well please.”
Mary came back in the room and took my temperature and pulse and said “You’ll live girl.”
I could hear Jenny outside talking to Doc Ryan and Tom and they came in to the room and said, “Well look who's awake!”
Jenny came rushing over to the bed and hugged me and said, “I thought you were dead when they took you away in the ambulance.”
I replied, “No I was just visiting Jean on the other side. It is just so peaceful and quiet there Jenny. Jean told me I was out of my body while they were fixing me up, and guess what!”
“What?” said Jenny.
“I was wearing the same gown as Jean while I was there and it felt just like silk and very light.” Mummy came back with my sandwich and a drink of chocolate milk.
Rose and another doctor came into the room Rose said, “Hello Carla, couldn’t wait in line hey?” and then she turned to the other doctor and said, “This is the twin we are doing the study on, Alan.”
The man said, “Hello Carla, nice to meet you now that you are awake. By the way I’m Alan Goldman and I did a little bit of temporary surgery on you to at least let you have your first period. You are very young but it is quite common for girls your age to start their menstruation so that is not the concern at the moment.”
Mummy said, “Alan what do you mean by temporary surgery?”
Doctor Goldman said, “Rose, do you want to explain what needs to be done with Carla now?”
“Donna ,Jim and I have had a discussion and because Alan is not a specialist in this field he was the only surgeon available when Carla was brought in with the ambulance into the emergency department, so as a result it is only a temporary measure to stop Carla from developing septicaemia which can be fatal. I have a doctor friend in Sydney that does work with inter-sexed people like Carla and she will be in Brisbane tomorrow, and will come and have a look to see what the best options are for her at this point.”
Doc Ryan said to Mummy “I think the hormones Carla is taking has made her ovaries work at double the amount a girl her age would.”
Mummy replied “Jim what exactly will they do now that we know she is a girl inside?”
Doc Ryan said, “Come out of the room and we can discuss it out in the hall.”
Mummy was getting angry at that comment and said, “Jim, Carla is an intelligent young girl and she deserves to know what is going on with her body, and we will speak in front of her or not at all.”
Jim was taken aback by Mummy's sudden outburst, and said, “Sorry Donna, I just didn't want to worry Carla any more than is necessary.” Then he looked at me and around the room and nodded his head and said, “Ok this is what will happen; the surgery that has been done is a temporary measure only, and we will wait till the doctor comes from Sydney and has a look at Carla.”
Mummy replied, “Is Carla in any danger of the opening closing up and blocking the blood flow?”
Doctor Goldman then took over the discussion and explained what he did and that there was a tube inserted in the small opening that he had created to stop any chance of it closing up. I also had a catheter in my urethral opening. That seemed to satisfy Mummy for the moment. After a bit more discussion every one except Mummy and Jenny were left in the room.
Mummy said, “Sweetheart, how are you coping with all the medical talk?”
I replied, “Mummy, I must be a girl inside if I am having a period.”
Mummy replied, “Carla no one is doubting that you are a girl, they are just trying to work out the best way to make you complete.”
Jenny was now sitting on the bed and said, “Sis you beat me to having our first period,and that makes you a complete girl for me.” and then she hugged me with all the silly tubes coming out of me and all.
To be continued
Next time: a gender specialist from Sydney confirms my girl status.
Please leave a comment.
Previously
“The surgery that has been done is a temporary measure only and we will wait till the doctor comes from Sydney and has a look at Carla.”
Mummy replied, “Is Carla in any danger of the opening closing up and blocking the blood flow?”
Doctor Goldman then took over the discussion and explained what he did and that there was a tube inserted in the small opening that he had created to stop any chance of it closing up. I also had a catheter in my urethral opening. That seemed to satisfy Mummy for the moment. After a bit more discussion every one except Mummy and Jenny were left in the room.
Mummy said, “Sweetheart how are you coping with all the medical talk?”
I replied, “Mummy I must be a girl inside if I am having a period.”
Mummy replied, “Carla no one is doubting that you are a girl, they are just trying to work out the best way to make you complete.”
Jenny was now sitting on the bed and said, “Sis you beat me to having our first period, that makes you a complete girl for me.” and then she hugged me with all the silly tubes coming out of me and all.
Mary came into the room and said, “Carla there is someone here that wants to give you a hug.” and in came Samantha almost tripping over in her hurry to get to my bed to give me a hug and a kiss right on my lips, and once she caught her breath said, “Carla did you really have to make such a dramatic entrance into becoming a girl?”
I was still tasting her minted breath on my lips and had a funny feeling in my tummy like butterflies flying around in circles. I closed my eyes and Jean said “Hey that felt nice didn't it?”
I said out loud, “Stop that Jean.” which made Sam and Jenny jump but Mummy said, “Jean I heard that. Behave yourself please.”
“Sorry Mummy.” and Jean was gone.
Sam looked at Jenny and said, “Twin spirits - awesome!!” and continued “I s'pose we'll just have to put up with their wicked sense of humour.”
Jenny replied, “Yeah but I love them both Sam.”
Mary said, “Right you lot, I am at the end of my shift so I will finish up here and join you in coming home, and we can make some dinner if you like.”
Mummy replied, “I think we might just pick up some take away because it is getting late and we have a lot to talk about tonight.”
Mary said “Ok, I’ll meet you downstairs in the main lobby in ten minutes.”
Mummy said “Now don’t you and Jean go anywhere will you!”
“Mummyeee!”
“Ok sweetheart, we'll say goodnight and see you in the morning when the doctor arrives from Sydney.”
All three hugged me and Sam gave me another one of those kisses. 'Wow what is that all about?' I thought and drifted off to sleep.
Tuesday 6/7/59
~~~~~~~~~~~
Mary had just started her shift and I was her first port of call and she walked in all smiles and and said, “Are you two still here?”
I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and looked around to see who else was in the room and realised she meant Jean and myself, and replied “Good morning Mary, Jean says hello.”
Mary responded, “Carla I am not a religious person but, it just blows me away when I can see that you clearly communicate with your twin on the other side.”
I said “Mary come and hold my hand and close your eyes.”
Mary was a little bit apprehensive but held onto my hand and closed her eyes.
I said, “Jean, let Mary know that you are real.” Mary jumped back letting go of my hand and said, “Holy mother of God!! that was like an electric shock going through me Carla.”
“Sorry Mary, I didn't mean to scare you, but Jean has got the same sense of humour as me, after all we are identical twins locked into the same soul.”
Mary said, “You could have warned me that she was going to zap me like that, but now I understand what you are all about.” then she said, “Ok wonder girl, lets get you ready for the big-wig from Sydney.”
Mary pulled the covers back and had a look at where the tube was inserted in my groin and said, “That all looks ok. Now I had better empty the bag, and then give you a bit of a sponge bath.”
Ten minutes later the lady came around with the big trolley which had all the breakfast trays on it and and she brought a tray of bacon, eggs, and toast with a glass of milk as well.
Mary said, “Eat your breakfast because I think once the doc has seen you she will want to do some more scans and you have to have an empty stomach for that and you wont be able to have any food for at least six hours.”
At nine am Doc Ryan came into the room and a lady doctor was with him.
I thought to myself, 'Gee a lady doctor, at least she will know what it feels like to be a girl.”
She said, “Hello Carla, I’m Caroline Stanford and I’m a gender specialist and I have been asked by Rose and Doctor Ryan to have a look at you and see what we can do to improve your situation.”
I said, “Hello Doctor Stanford, it's nice to meet you.”
She replied, “Dear, call me Carol. By the time we are finished I think we will know each quite intimately.” I liked her, she has a nice a smile. Just then Rose walked in all out of breath and said, “I was going to be here but got waylaid by a young doctor on the way.” then she said, “Have you met them both?”
Carol replied, “No, but I hope I do because the way Jim is rabbiting on it sounds very interesting. I have also read your first paper on the subject. Carla is going to become a very interesting project to work on.”
I said in a bit of a huff and a pout, “Excuse me but I am not a project thank you very much!!”
They all looked at me and Doc Ryan said, “You will have to be careful how you phrase things around Carla or she will get her twin sister to zap you, and believe me she can do it.”
Caroline said, “Ok Carla, it looks like you are a very mature nine year old and I will have to keep that in mind.”
Mummy was standing at the door with Mary listening to what was going on and Mary said “Carla, why don’t you give the doctor a demonstration of what you did this morning and she will understand what we are talking about?”
I looked at Mummy and she just nodded her head and said, “Carla, it might prove to the doctor that you a really do have a dual spirit.”
Carol looked at me with a nervous smile and said “Ok what do I have to do?”
I said “Could we have the light turned off?”
Mary flicked the switch and I asked Carol to close her eyes and to hold my hand and not let it go. Once she was holding my hand I also closed my eyes and waited till I could see Jean in my mind. She had a wicked smile on her face.
I said in my normal voice, “Jean, please show Caroline that you are real but be gentle.” I made sure that I held onto the doctors hand in case she pulled it away too quickly. I could feel vibrations going down my arm and the doctor tried to pull her hand away but somehow Jean had enough power so she couldn't let go of my hand.
I said, “Jean, let go.” and the vibrations stopped and Carol was rubbing her arm which had goose bumps all over it. Mary turned the light back on. The doctor was as white as as a bed sheet and sat down on one of the chairs in the room.
All eyes were on Caroline and she said, “Ok I’m convinced, my arm is still tingling. I have never experienced anything like this before Carla, you are an amazing little girl.”
I replied, “And my sister.”
“Yes and your sister.”
Rose said “Ok, show time is over. Can we get down to why you are actually here Carol?”
“Yes of course, sorry. Could I have a talk with Carla by herself first if you don’t mind?” Everyone left me and the doctor alone to have a talk.
Carol pulled up the chair beside the bed and sat down and opened up a note pad. “Alright Carla dear, lets start at the beginning and we will go from there shall we?” I told her what happened at River Downs and left nothing out and by the time I was finished I had brought her right to when she walked into the room.
She let me talk and didn't interrupt me till I was finished. She had three pages of notes and said “Carla you are very young and I cannot give you the full surgery till you have grown for at least another two years, but we can make things look a bit better than it it is now, but I don’t want you to stress out, because when the time comes I will be able to make you complete ok?” she continued “I am going to do a full physical examination shortly but I would also like to have some more tests done, and then probably tomorrow we can tidy things up for you to make you look more like little a nine year old girl.”
I said “But I already have a vagina, why can't you not fix it now?”
“Carla I will know more after I have had a good look at you and we will make a decision tomorrow sweetheart.”
I started to cry and said, “I want to be a full girl now. I am having a period and if I wasn't a girl that would not be happening would it?”
Carol said “Well I can't argue with that. Can we just wait till I do the examination and we will take it from there?”
I said, “Can Mummy come in with me when you do the examination?”
Carol said, “I suppose if I said no you will not let me near you, am I right?”
I replied, “Doctor ,my Mummy is going to be with me ok?”
She replied “I suppose I’ll get zapped by your sister if I don’t agree won't I?” and she started rubbing her arm again.
I said, “She is part of me.”
Carol said, “Ok, so be it than.”
The rest of the day was spent getting more blood taken; some other machines being run over me taking some sort of pictures and then came the physical examination and I got Mummy to hold my hand when the doctor was touching me down there. She pulled the tube out and started to feel inside me and raised an eyebrow and looked at Mummy and said, “My God Donna, she is complete. I think we will be able to open her up without any great problem.”
Mummy replied “Are you sure?”
“Yes quite sure, but we will have to do it in Sydney where I have my colleagues to help me perform the surgery.”
Mummy then said “I thought you said Carla is too young to have this kind of surgery done for another couple of years?”
Caroline replied, “Donna, 'till I examined Carla I could not have made a decision but she is all there. Her vulva has just never opened up and as you can see for yourself what looked like a penis is in fact a clitoris with an opening in it. That is just part of her inter-sexed condition.
Mummy said “So what will happen now?”
Caroline said “I will have to make some phone calls and see what we can organise in the next week in Sydney. We can't do any surgery while she has her period any case.”
Mummy looked me and said “Well sweetheart ,it looks like we might be going to Sydney before we get to go back home.”
Mummy asked Caroline if there was any need for me to stay in hospital.
Carol said, “No not really, but you have to make sure that you keep Carla really clean around that little temporary opening. We can not afford to be getting any infections in that area because that could be fatal, and you will have to make sure that it does not close up. Other than that you can look after your daughter yourself. If you give me the phone number of where you are staying I will call you later today and let you know when you have to have Carla in Sydney.”
Mary, Rose and Doctor Ryan all came into the room and were told what Carol had discovered.
Rose said, “I thought as much because boys don’t have periods do they Carla?”
I replied, “It feels pretty yucky down there.”
Rose replied “Join the club darling. It will happen once a month now so you had better get used to it.”
Mary said she would clean me up one more time and showed Mummy what to do to keep the hole from closing up, because the tube that was in there was now out and wouldn't be put back. I was a sore a little but Mary said, “You will be a lot sorer next week when they open you up properly darling.”
Mummy went down to to sign the discharge papers while I was wheeled down to the main lobby in a wheel chair. Doc Ryan said he would walk the short distance to Mary’s flat where Tom would be waiting for him to bring him the news about me. Mummy said that I would not be able to walk to Mary’s flat even though it was only a couple of blocks away. It was not worth the risk of me putting any strain on my groin.
There was a taxi at the rank and Mummy said to the driver, “We only need to go a couple of blocks, but my daughter is not allowed to walk that far.”
The driver was a lady I think but looked like she had to have a shave and when she spoke it was with a man's voice and she said, “Hop in luvy, I am not busy at the moment and I will run you there for free.”
Mummy said “No, I will pay you.”
Anyway we got into the cab and it took about five minutes to get us to the building of Mary's flat.
The driver said, “There you are luv.” Mummy handed her a ten shilling note and said “Thanks” and asked her for her card so we could use her again. As she handed over the card and before I got out of the car I said “You are like me.” and I looked at the card Mummy was holding which had her name on it said 'Debbie Carter'.
“Debbie?”
She looked at me and said, “I doubt that darling, but I wish I was as pretty as you.”
Mummy said “Carla that is personal, now you say sorry to Debbie for being rude.”
“But Mummy.”
Debbie said “It's ok luv, I’m a tranny, but it's what I have to do,”
I came straight out and said, “I am inter-sexed and I understand.”
Mummy said, “Carla!!”
Debbie said “It's ok lady leave her be, at least she hasn't called me a weirdo.”
Mummy said “Thanks Debbie, I will give you a call when we need a cab in the next couple of days.”
Debbie replied, “Ok luv.” and drove off.
Mummy said, “Carla, you don’t just ask people personal questions like that.”
“Sure you do Mummy, that's how I make all my friends.”
Mummy rolled her eyes and said, “God help us.” She had the code to put into the front door of the building and we opened the door and got into the lift to go up to Mary's flat where Jenny was waiting for us. Mummy was just about to put the key in the door of the flat when Jenny opened it and said, “Thank God you are here, I was getting so bored all by myself.”
I hadn't eaten because of the tests and my tummy was rumbling and it was now three o’clock in the afternoon so Mummy said, “Darling ,you go and lay down and have a rest but before you do I want you to change your pad. Remember what the doctor told you would happen if you got an infection.”
“Yeah I would go and visit Jean on a permanent basis.”
Jenny said, “Carla, you are scaring me when you say things like that.”
Mummy said, “I am going now to get us a bit of takeaway. Make sure if the phone rings you have a note pad to write down any information ok Carla? Jenny keep an eye on her will you, she is not with it today.”
“Yes Aunty Donna I will.”
Once we were alone Jenny bombarded me with questions, “What did the doctor find Sis, are you a girl or not?”
I replied, “it was all a bit yucky when she put her finger inside me down there and it felt a bit strange but she said I was a complete girl and it was only a bit of skin that needs to be removed to make me like you Jenny.”
Jenny said, “Yeah and now you are more girl than me because you are having your first period.”
I replied “Don’t worry, you will get yours, but it is rather messy. Anyway I only got mine because the girl pills that I have been taking made it happen sooner.”
Jenny said, “Can I have your pills now that you don’t need them any more?”
“Jenny, they can make you sick, so no you can't have them.”
“Spoilsport.”
I said, “I wonder if Jean will get her periods as well.” Jean must be listening to our conversation and I got a clear NO from Jean which I relaid to Jenny and we both got a giggle fit just as Mummy came back with some fish and chips wrapped in newspaper to keep them hot.
Thank God Mummy was back because the phone rang and made us all jump and almost drop our chips on the floor. Mummy went to answer the phone and in walked Samantha home from school and said “I hope there some of those for me and she dropped her school bag on the floor and plonked herself in between me and Jenny and started getting into the chips and said, “Yummy I love chips.”
Jenny said “Hey, yours are on the kitchen table still wrapped up in newspaper but now you will have to share yours with us.”
She got up and went to the kitchen and came back with a piece of fish half in and half out of her mouth and sat down where she was before and said “There you go, share and share alike.” so Jenny and I both grabbed a piece of fish and pretended to put it in our mouth, but stopped when Mummy walked in from the other room,and we put the fish back on Samantha’s lap.
Mummy said, “Right girls, you can all hear this. Carla is going to have the complete surgery on Friday morning at ten o'clock in a private clinic in Sydney. So what do you lot think about that hey?”
Samantha said, “Wow Carla, you haven’t told me what happened today.”
I said, “Well if you stopped eating long enough I would have told you when you first sat down.”
She replied, “Yeah yeah I know I’m a bit of a guts.”
Mummy interrupted and said, “Girls, did you hear one word that I said?”
We three said “Yes Mummy.”
Mummy shook her head and said, “Can we all be serious for just one moment please?” We kept quite to let Mummy repeat what she said earlier and then she explained what the plans were for Friday.
Mummy said, “Ok are you listening.” we all nodded and she continued. “We are going to catch a plane to Sydney on Thursday afternoon and stay at a motel one block away from the clinic. Carla, you will be in bed for three days to heal enough to be able to come back here and Rose will want to keep an eye on you for the rest of next week.”
Samantha put her hand up and said “Is Carla going to have SRS?”
Mummy replied, “No Sam she doesn’t need that because she already is a girl inside. She only has to be opened up, so it is nowhere near as big an operation as you will have to have.”
“But I have to wait till I am eighteen which isn't fair,.”
Mummy said, “Whoever said anything about life being fair Sam? Anyway here is what is going to happen. Jenny I have been in touch with your parents in Sydney and they will pick you up from the motel and take you to see your sick Gran and you will stay with them till Carla is released from the clinic and then you will come back here with us till we are ready to fly home with Rodney in his new plane.”
Jenny said, “What about Tom and the Doctor?”
Mummy replied, “They are already on their way back home as we speak.”
Jenny said “Wow, I have never been to Sydney, Gran always came to visit us instead.”
Mummy said “So did all three of you get all that?”
We all replied “ Yes Mummy.” Mummy just shook her head and went into the other room to make some more phone calls.
While Mummy was out of the room Sam and Jenny both grilled me about what it felt like to have a period.
I said, “Well I hope I don’t get those pains every time I have a period but the rest is just a bit yucky because you have to change the pad every couple of hours and have a good wash down there.”
Jenny replied “Ooh I can't wait. I don’t care if it hurts or not.”
Samantha said “I am jealous of you two. I will never have a period or be able to have a baby but at least I will look like a girl down there.”
I said, “Oh my god, I haven’t even thought about that. I can get a big belly and have a baby.”
Jenny said “I bet that hurts when it has to come out ouch!!”
I could feel Jean having a giggle and said, “Ok Jean, what’s so funny?”
She said in my head, “Oh nothing.” and then gigged again and was gone.
The others said “Was that Jean?”
“Yeah, she can be a real pain in the you know what sometimes,”
Sam said “Can we see if we can all see and hear her at once tonight?”
I replied, “When we all get into your bed tonight we can try.”
Mummy came back out and said, “Samantha, what has your Mum got in the freezer? I will do something about dinner tonight.”
Sam replied, “Aunty Donna, I think there is a lamb roast in there but isn't it too late to put that in the oven now.”
Mummy replied, “No dear ,it is only three-thirty, so there is plenty of time because your Mum doesn't come home from work till after seven o'clock.”
While Mummy was preparing the roast and vegetables to put in a baking dish to put into the oven, we three girls just gossiped about different things when Jenny brought up the subject of Kenny / Christine, and Samantha said, “She must be like me still with all the boy bits. Are you two going to be there for her?”
“We already are Sam, we even saved her father from dying from a heart attack.”
I said, “When we get back home I am going to ring her and talk with her to see how we can help.”
“Yeah that’s after we go and see Mrs Blake to see if she needs us to do anything for her around the house.”
Sam asked “Who's Mrs Blake?”
Jenny said, “She is the mother of that idiot boy that attacked Carla at the park.”
Sam replied, “Than why are you helping her?”
Jenny said, “We have to, that's all,”
Sam asked “Why did her son attack you Carla?”
I said, “It's a long story and I really just want to forget about it if you don’t mind.”
Sam replied “Ok suit yourself” with a pout, but gave me a hug and said, “stupid boys.”
After Mary came home from work we had dinner and sat around and talked about all the things that had happened today and because Samantha had a king-size bed, all three of us got in under the covers.
Jenny said, “Carla, I hate to nag but have you changed your pad yet?
“Uh oh! no.” So we all went to the bathroom together so Sam and Jenny could see what I looked looked down there, well we were all girls after all.
Sam said “Ouch that looks sore.”
I said, “It's not really but I bet after Friday it will be.”
Without saying anything both Jenny and Sam pulled their knickers down to compare what we looked like. Jenny and I looked almost the same. Sam still had boy bits but they were very small and when she pulled her knickers back up there really wasn’t much to see. But then we decided to pull our tops off and I and Jenny had puffy nipples but Sam had the start of small breasts because she has been taking hormones for the last twelve months.
Ok, show over. I changed my pad and it looked like the period was almost finished. We all climbed back into bed after saying goodnight to the two Mummies.
“Right,” said Samantha, “I want to see or hear Jean.”
I said, “Ok, lets turn out the lights and I will see if she is strong enough to show herself to all three of us.” Samantha was in the middle so we cuddled up close and and I said, “Don’t let go of my hand and keep your eyes closed.”
I felt a bit of a tremble which I don’t normally feel any more and Jean was waiting to talk and she said “Carla, what took you so long? I have been waiting for you and I have been listening to the three of you gossiping and inspecting each other. I think that's a bit naughty but I had a look anyway. ''Giggle'' Sam and Jenny were also trembling a bit but didn't say anything.
Jean said “Hello girls. I can't keep this up very long but can you see me?”
Both Jenny and Sam said “Wow!! Yeah, and hear you too.”
Sam said “You are really pretty.”
Jean said “As pretty as my sister?” and Jenny started to get the giggles.
Jean said “That is all the strength I have so I’ll see you.” and she faded till she was gone.
Mummy and Mary were standing at the door and switched the light back on and said “What is going on in here girls?”
I replied, “It is all Jean's fault, she started it.” and we all got the giggles.
Mummy said “Carla, you know I listen in to your conversations with your sister so don’t you act the little 'Miss Innocent' with me young lady.”
We all said, “Yes ma'am sir.”
Mary said, “Ok lights out and go to sleep, the day is over.” We went to sleep in a tight cuddle.
To be continued
Next time: Sydney, the op, back to Brisbane and then home.
Please leave a comment.
Previously
I felt a bit of a tremble which I don’t normally feel any more and Jean was waiting to talk and she said “Carla, what took you so long? I have been waiting for you and I have been listening to the three of you gossiping and inspecting each other. I think that's a bit naughty but I had a look anyway. ''Giggle'' Sam and Jenny were also trembling a bit but didn't say anything.
Jean said “Hello girls. I can't keep this up very long but can you see me?”
Both Jenny and Sam said “Wow!! Yeah, and hear you too.”
Sam said “You are really pretty.”
Jean said “As pretty as my sister?” and Jenny started to get the giggles.
Jean said “That is all the strength I have so I’ll see you.” and she faded till she was gone.
Mummy and Mary were standing at the door and switched the light back on and said “What is going on in here girls?”
I replied, “It is all Jean's fault, she started it.” and we all got the giggles.
Mummy said “Carla, you know I listen in to your conversations with your sister so don’t you act the little 'Miss Innocent' with me young lady.”
We all said, “Yes ma'am sir.”
Mary said, “Ok lights out and go to sleep, the day is over.” We went to sleep in a tight cuddle.
Wednsday 8/7/59.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I wasn't supposed to do much walking, so the next couple of days would be mainly spent watching telly or reading Samantha's books, or Jenny and I talking about how we were going to help Christine become a total girly girl. Jenny was getting excited about going to Sydney and being there for almost a week to see her Gran and go to the Taronga Zoo.
Mummy was busy organising all the travel arrangements for our trip to Sydney. When she finished making all the phone calls she came into the lounge where we were sitting and sat down beside us and said, “Right, we are booked on a flight to Sydney tomorrow morning at ten o’clock and by the time we land, collect our bags and get outside to a taxi rank it will be lunch time. I have also set you two some sums to do so you don’t fall too far behind in your schoolwork.” Jenny and I both let out a sigh, but I also know that exams are coming up so it was time to do some some study. Jenny and I are good at everything but maths so that is what Mummy said we will have to concentrate on. Mummy let us watch telly till lunch and said the rest of the day would have to be spent doing maths.
We were still at it when Samantha came home from school. Sam got herself some biscuits and a drink of milk and helped us with our maths because it is her best subject and she is two years older than us so she showed us where we were going wrong. We studied right up until Mary came home and Mummy said “Ok girls, you can stop now and come and have some dinner.”
I said, “thank heaven for that.”
After dinner we watched a bit of telly and then did our packing for the plane trip the next day. We were dog-tired from the school work and all three of us girls got into the shower together.
I said, “It looks like my period is finished because there was is no blood on the pad.
While Jenny and Sam got into bed, I got Mummy to check my groin area to make sure it was all still ok.
Mummy said “Carla it looks fine, so off to bed with you and get a good night's sleep. There is going to be a couple of long days ahead for you.”
“Yes, good night Mummy.”
“Night darling.”
When I got into Samantha's bed Jenny was already asleep and Samantha wasn't far off going to sleep either, but my mind was racing at a hundred miles an hour just thinking about going into surgery and being cut open to make me look right down there. I did go to sleep but woke up a few times through the night.
We all woke up with a start when Mummy knocked on the door and said, “Up you get girls, breakfast is on the table.”
We dragged ourselves to the table to eat a breakfast of bacon and eggs and toast plus a drink of chocolate milk. Mary was still in bed and Mummy said, “Sam here is your Mum's breakfast. You can surprise her and let her have breakfast in bed for a nice change.”
Sam did as she was told and took the breakfast in to her mother.
Once Mary was up and about she she said, “Carla I will have a look at you and make sure you are ok to fly to Sydney later this morning.”
I replied “Why!! Is it dangerous for me to fly because of the hole in my groin?”
“No Carla, I just want make sure it is not bleeding any more.”
I replied, “Oh there was no blood on the pad this morning but I put another one in my knickers anyway.”
Mary said, “Good girl Carla.”
We all finished breakfast and Samantha was getting ready for school and was already dressed in her school uniform.
Jenny said “Sam, let me do your hair, it is really thick and nice to work with.”
Samantha replied. “Oh good, it can be a real pain to do it when I’m in a hurry.”
When Sam's hair was done Jenny said “Carla sit down and I’ll do yours as well.”
Mary commented “Jenny it looks like you have a good idea of what you are doing with hair, you might go into a hair dressing when you leave school.”
Jenny said “Not in Quilpie I won't.”
Mummy said, “Oh and what's wrong with Quilpie young lady?”
Jenny giggled and said, “Err — um, nothing Aunty Donna, but it is not the city is it?”
Mummy rolled her eyes and said “I hope Carla doesn’t want to go to the city as well!!”
I said, “No Mummy, bushy born and bred.”
Mary gave everyone a kiss and said “I’ll see you all when you get back next week, and Carla sweetheart, you'll be fine so don’t stress out.” She then said, “Come on Sam, I’ll walk part of the way with you to school.”
Sam gave me and Jenny a quick kiss and she was gone.
Mummy said, “Right girls I have a check list, so let's see if we have everything set to go to the airport.”
Once that was done Mummy got the card out of her purse that that funny looking woman taxi driver gave her when she dropped us two blocks from the hospital to here. Mummy rang the number and it was the main depot, and Mummy just said the driver's name and it was obviously relayed to Debbie by two-way radio because she was waiting outside the building when we got downstairs to the front entrance.
Debbie got out of the cab and said, “Good morning ladies, and where can I transport you to this fine morning?” She was dressed in a black skirt and white blouse with a black and white taxi logo on the pocket of the blouse; her hair was quite long but she had it in a loose pony-tail and it looked nice.
I said, “Debbie, I'm sorry for being rude to you the other day, but you looked like you needed a shave.”
Debbie replied “It's ok darling, it was at the end of my shift so there was a bit of stubble there.” She then said, “Sweetheart you said you were like me, but you look all girl to me.”
Mummy took over the conversation and said, “Debbie, we can discuss this on the way to the airport or we will be to late to catch our flight to Sydney.”
“Sorry luv, yes of course.”
We loaded all our things into the trunk of the cab with Debbie's help and were on our way.
Mummy said “Ok Debbie, let me explain about our little Carla and then you will understand what is going on.” After Mummy told Debbie all about me being inter-sexed Debbie said, “Oh you poor little thing.”
I replied, “No, I am loved very much by my family and that is all that matters. Does anyone love you Debbie?”
Mummy said “Carla!! There you go again.”
I replied, “Oops sorry.”
Jenny was having a giggle fit at me and Debbie said, “Yes Carla, as a matter of fact I am still married to the most understanding woman in this world. She even helps me put on my make up.”
I then said, “Will you get the op?” This time Mummy gave up and let me go.
Debbie replied, “Not at this stage luv, it is very expensive and it will take me at least three more years to save up enough money to go to Thailand and have it done over there.”
We were at the airport so my questions came to a stop. We got out of the car and Debbie got a trolley to put all the bags on and Mummy paid her for the fare. Before Debbie got back into the car she gave me a hug and said “Good luck in Sydney luv.” and got in her cab and drove off.
Mummy said, “Did you find out all you wanted to Carla, or did you want more time to interrogate poor Debbie further?”
“Mummyeee!!” All Jenny could do is giggle all the way into the airport service desk.
Once Jenny was finished giggling she looked at me. And I said, “What!!”
Jenny replied, “Carla, you are so funny sometimes.”
I said, “I’m glad you think so.” but also started to giggle and then Mummy said, “Will you two settle down and get serious.” but had a bit of a giggle herself.
Anyway onwards and upwards into the clouds above New South Wales. One and a half hours later we were back on the ground in Sydney, and half an hour later we were in a taxi going to the motel where we were going to stay. We arrived at the motel forty minutes later. The traffic there is really bad and it comes to a standstill every couple of blocks. Anyway we went into the motel and unpacked and went for a walk down the road to where the clinic was to check it out.
It looked like a mini hospital and a very new building with manicured gardens all around the front. We didn't go in and kept walking past until we reached the next intersection and on the corner there was a cluster of small shops which included a cafe with a take-away section.
Mummy said “That's handy to know because there are no cooking facilities in the motel.” but they have a restaurant attached to the motel. We went into the take-away and ordered fish and chips and some orange juice to wash it down. We sat outside under the footpath awning where they had table and chairs set up for their customers.
The fish was alright but the chips were all soggy.
Mummy said, “I'm going to have a word with the management, I wouldn’t feed these chips to an animal.”
I said, “Mummy let it go, we just wont buy any more food here.”
She replied, “Yeah I s'pose your right Carla.” After that we got up and started to walk back to the motel. Once we were back inside the motel room Mummy picked up the phone and started to dial a number and said, “The bloody phone is not working.”
Jenny said, “No Aunty Donna, you have to dial one and wait for the office to give you a line out.”
Mummy replied, “I knew that, I was just testing to see if you were paying attention.” 'Mummy hates to be wrong'.
Anyway she dialled one and got the front desk of the motel and they gave her a line without even saying anything. Once there was a dial tone, Mummy rang the number for Jenny's parents and and waited till it almost rang out but finally Jenny's mum picked it up.
Mummy said, “Hello is this Jan? Oh good. Jan we are at the motel if you would like to come and pick up Jenny now.” After giving Jan a few directions on what street the motel was on she said, “Jenny come and say hello to your Mum.”
Jenny said, “ Hello Mummy how is Gran? Alright Mummy I’ll see you soon, 'bye.”
“Mummy said she will be here to pick me up in about half an hour Aunty Donna.”
Mummy replied, “Ok Jenny, have you got all your things together so you can be ready to go when your Mum gets here?”
“I'll do that now Aunty Donna.” and she put all her things at the door.
Jenny said, “Carla I wish I could be with you when you go to the hospital but I also want to see my Gran.”
I replied, “It's ok Jenny I understand. Don’t worry about me I've got Jean looking out for me.”
Jan turned up in half an hour like she said she would. She was driving a hire car. Mummy and Jan talked for a while and then it was time for them to go. Jenny had tears rolling down her cheeks when she hugged me and said, “I’ll see you in a few days Carla, be good.”
I hugged her back and couldn't stop my tears either and said, “Just go and enjoy yourself.” and said goodbye.
Later we went to the motel restaurant to have the evening meal and then went to bed by nine o’clock. It had been a long day and Mummy and I were worn out. Mummy went to sleep pretty well straight away but I was very restless and was worried about tomorrow and being cut open. I tried to go to sleep but it was not working so I whispered, “Jean are you there”
“Of course I’m here, where else would I be, are you forgetting we are tied together by our dual soul?”
I replied “Sis can you help me get to sleep?”
Jean said, “Sure Carla, just listen to me singing and you will drop off”. Of all the things she could sing she started singing very softly ---
'You are my child of moonlight,
You call the angels down.
There is peace within my heart
Whenever you’re around.
The stars at night they all shine bright.
And darling so do you.
You are my child of moon light
And I'll always love you.
I didn't hear any more and was in dreamland for the rest of the night.
Mummy was stroking my hair away from my face which woke me up out of the best night's sleep I have ever had.
I said, “Mummy, Jean sang me to sleep last night.”
She replied, “Darling, when you asked Jean to get you to sleep, I woke up and looked at the bedside clock and it was past ten o'clock, and then I closed my eyes and saw Jean sitting on the bed stroking your face and singing a beautiful lullaby that I have never heard before. She only had to sing one verse and you were off with the pixies. Mummy said. “Jean kept singing once you were asleep and she looked at me with that angel face and I dropped off as well. Carla we are truly blessed to have this happen to us.”
“Mummy, do think we will all end up together with Jean when we die?”
“Well sweetheart, Jean seems to think so. She keeps telling you as much when she is communicating with you. So yes I do think we will all be together when the time comes.”
It was time to get up and get dressed and wait for Mummy's breakfast to be delivered to our door. Ten minutes later there was a knock on the door and a lady's voice said, “room service.” Mummy opened the door and there was a teenage girl with a breakfast tray, she said 'Morning' and handed the tray over to Mummy. I couldn't have breakfast because of my operation, so could only look on in envy as Mummy ate her bacon and eggs.
By the time she was finished it was eight thirty and we had to be at the clinic at nine am, so we grabbed my over-night bag which had my nightie and toiletries and also a warm dressing gown packed into it, and started to walk the short distance to the clinic. We walked up the steps and into the main reception area and went to the desk where an elderly lady was on the telephone.
She said to whoever was on the other end of the line “I'll have to call you back Tom” and hung up the phone and looked up at us and smiled and said, “Stupid bloody husbands always losing something.”
Mummy replied, “Yeah tell me about it.”
The lady said “My name is Rena and I run all the admin in this place. You would be be Carla” as she was looking at me above her half glasses with a smile.
I said, “Yes and this is my Mum Madonna Croft.” Mummy doesn’t officially became Mrs Croft till September but I have seen Mummy sign things M. C. Croft so I guess it is alright to call her that. Mummy looked at me and said,
“It's ok sweetheart, I have already changed my name by deed poll when you and Rita were adopted by William.”
I said, “Mummy he doesn’t go by that name.”
She replied “No, but he has to sign cheques and other legal things as William.”
I said, “Oh why?”
“Because William becomes Bill just like John becomes Jack or James into Jim.”
“Oh don’t remind me please.”
Rena was having a little giggle to her self and said, “We had better get you admitted young lady. You're supposed to be in theatre at ten thirty so I’ll call one of the nurses to take you up to the private room and get you prepared and ready for surgery.”
A nurse came down the hallway with a wheel chair and said, “Ok hop in and we’ll go for a ride up to your room young miss”
I said, “I can walk you know.” and she replied, “Honey I don't make the rules but I have to abide by them or I won't have a job - now sit.” She winked at Mummy as she said that, there is that stupid winking again, it must be a separate language or something. Anyway onwards and upwards to my room.
The nurse said “By the way I’m Judy, and I’ll be your nurse for much of your stay and I also assist Caroline in theatre so I know all about what we are about to do with you little one.”
I liked her. She was a bit of a bully but in a nice way. We entered the room and I was told to strip and put one of those stupid back to front hospital gowns on, but to have a shower first with some special kind of gel soap.
After I showered I walked out naked and asked Mummy to help me with that gown and tie it at the back. Even when it is tied your bum is still visible. Anyway that done I got up on the bed and tried to sit with my legs together because I had no knickers on.
Mummy giggled and said, “Carla darling, in a half an hour you will be out like a light and and you won't care who looks up your gown.”
I said, “Mummy, will you be in the operating theatre as well?
She replied, “Yes sweetheart, I got permission from Caroline the other day for that. Iwouldn't miss this for anything in the world, because to me it will seem like you are being born again, only this time with the right genitals.”
Just then Judy came in with a tray and some long socks to put on my legs, 'It must be cold in the operating theatre' I thought to myself. Mummy helped me putting on the leg warmers and then Judy said, “Ok darling, I am going to give you an injection to make you feel nice and relaxed but you won't go to sleep till I get you up to theatre.”
I was feeling relaxed alright! As I was being pushed down a mile long hallway and through a set of double doors, the bed thingy that I was on stopped under some real big lights that weren’t turned on. I was lifted onto another table like a bed with arms on the end which Judy called stirrups. You know!! the things you put your feet into to ride a horse.
My mind was going all funny.
I said, “Am I going to ride a horse?
Mummy was holding my hand and said, “Just relax sweetheart.”
“Yes Mummy.”
Judy said, “Ok darling I am going to give you another injection now and you will go to sleep and when you wake up you will be back in your room ok?”
I was looking at my feet up on the leg thingy's and long socks on when everything went black and I was with Jean in that green field again.
Jean said, “Hello Sis, back again?”
I said “What am I doing here this time?”
Jean said, “The doctor is making everything look right so you will look like a proper girl, like you were supposed to when you and I were born.”
I said “Jean, can't I just stay here with you? It is much nicer here and it is so quiet, and oh look! - I am wearing the beautiful gown again.”
“Carla you are just as funny here as you are back on earth.”
I said, “Where are we if we are not on earth?”
Jean replied, “Well we are sort of on earth but in the spirit realm. It is a bit hard to explain but you don’t need to worry about that Carla.” Then she said “Carla I am going to leave you now and will see you when you are back in your body ok? I love you...”
“Carla open your eyes honey you're all done.”
“Mmmuummeee, I can't see.”
“if you open your eyes you can.”
“Oh it's all blurry like last time.”
Judy said, “You'll be right in a minute Sweetheart.”
I rubbed my eyes and they started to clear. Mummy was holding my hand and I said “Have I been in the theatre yet?”
“Yes Carla, all done, all bandaged up for a couple of days but you will look just like me and Rita and even be able to have babies.”
“Mummy - Mummy it hurts a lot. Can I have something to take the pain away?”
Judy was already getting a needle ready to put into a thing that was in my arm. Mummy said, “Rest now my baby” and I was with the pixies once again.
I must have slept a few hours because the clock on the little radio said it was five thirty. I rubbed my eyes and looked around the room but there was no one in the room with me so I pressed the button that was on a lead and left laying on my tummy. It took no more than a minute for Judy to be there and she said, “Hello Sleeping Beauty, how do you feel?”
I said, “I need to do a pee!”
“Well you have a catheter in so you don’t have to go anywhere.”
“Oh ok, can I have a look at myself now.”
Judy replied, “Not for a couple of days darling, you are all bandaged up but when we change the bandages tomorrow I might let you have a little peek ok?”
I replied, “Am I a complete girl now?”
Judy said “Just like me honey, but without wrinkles and stretch marks”
“Will I get stretch marks too?”
“If you have six kids like me yeah.”
“Wow you have six kids.”
“And four granddaughters.”
I asked, “Does it hurt much when you give birth?”
“I'm afraid it does, but it was all worth the pain.”
Mummy walked through the door and said, “Pain, are you still in pain Carla?”
“No Mummy but giving birth does.”
Mummy looked at Judy who shrugged and said “She asked me if childbirth hurts.”
Mummy replied, “Carla darling, that is a long way off but yes it hurts.”
It was dinner time and the trays of food were delivered to the rooms. They even had some for Mummy which was nice because Judy likes Mummy and said we might as well get our money's worth.
Mummy said “Jenny is coming to visit in the morning as well as her Mum and they will get here by taxi because Don is doing some business on the other side of town and needs the hire car to do that. I will be here early in the morning because I want to be here when they change the dressing and also want to talk with Doctor Stanford.”
I said, “Who is doctor Stanford?”
“Caroline silly.”
“Ohh I didn't know her last name, sorry Mummy.”
”Sweetheart, sometimes when people are talking to you, you go into dreamland don’t you?”
“Yes Mummy.”
Judy came in and said, “Carla, Caroline was going to see you this afternoon but she got called away on a family matter but she will be here in the morning. If you have any questions to asked her write them down.”
Mummy stayed for another hour and I was getting tired so she said, “Carla, you are dropping off to sleep while I am talking to you, so I will go now and let you get some rest.”
She hugged me and kissed me and left to go to the motel for the night. I drifted of to sleep with Jean singing to me once again in her angel-like voice.
“The night wind sings a song to me
In whispered hushes that seem to be lullabies low.
That come and go.
That come and go so gently
Through the trees.
A sleepy song to me.”
To be continued
Next time: discovery, recovery, and home to the outback.
Please leave a comment.
Previously
Mummy stayed for another hour and I was getting tired so she said, “Carla you are dropping of to sleep while I am talking to you so I will go now and let you get some rest.”
She hugged me and kissed me and left to go to the motel for the night. I drifted off to sleep with Jean singing to me once again in her angel-like voice.
“The night wind sings a song to me
In whispered hushes that seem to be lullabies low.
That come and go.
That come and go so gently
Through the trees.
A sleepy song to me.”
Saturday 11/7/59.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Someone was stroking my hair which made me wake up with a start. It was Caroline and she said, “Sorry Carla, I didn't mean to startle you.”
Mummy was also there already and said “Good morning sweetheart.”
Just then Judy walked in with a tray full of stuff.
She said “Good morning little girl are you ready to have the dressing changed?”
I replied, “Will I get to see what I look like now?”
Mummy waved a hand mirror around and said, “This mirror has got a magnified side as well, so you can get a good look at what you look like Carla.”
I still had that silly hose stuck in me to drain my pee into a yucky bag beside the bed.
I asked “How long will that hose be in me Judy?
She replied “That all depends how you look when we get that dressing off sweetheart, and what Caroline says.”
Caroline was asking Mummy how she was coping with staying at the motel and said, “Donna, if you wanted to stay in a relatives room at the clinic it will be made available to you.”
Mummy replied,“That would be great Caroline. I’ll get my things and book out of the motel this morning by ten am and bring all our things down here.”
Caroline said “Good, it will be much more convenient for all concerned to have you close by and keep Carla company for the next five days. I’ll let them know downstairs to get the room ready for you.”
Mummy said “The only thing is if Jenny has to come back to me a little early is there enough room for her as well?”
Caroline replied “Donna, it is a family size apartment so that will be no problem at all.”
Anyway, while they were talking Judy was busy unwrapping me bit by bit and finally I was all unwrapped and all that was left was that hose stuck inside me.
Caroline came over to the bed to inspect her handiwork and said “Wow Carla, you have already started to heal and I think we will take the hose (as you put it so eloquently) out of you and see how it goes, but if you have any problems peeing then it will have to go in again, ok?”
I just nodded and said “Can I have a look now please?”
Mummy held the mirror between my legs so I could see my brand new look. I was looking and started to cry because I had been waiting so long for this to happen, and now all my feelings came to one big emotional event. Mummy put the mirror down and sat on the bed and hugged me and said, “Carla, at last you are whole and it looks exactly like it should.”
I closed my eyes and said “Jean can you see it?” She was there in my mind as always and said, “Carla we are both the same now. I love you.” and she faded as I opened my eyes.
Judy said “Is that what Rose was telling us about the twin talking to Carla?”
Mummy replied “Yes, and it has been recorded on tape and film now several times and believe me it is real.”
Judy replied, “Oh Donna don't worry, I have seen it all before. When my sister passed away years ago she used to visit me in my dreams when she first died.”
Caroline then proceeded to remove the catheter 'see I can say the word', and said, “Ok, this all looks really good but we are going to have to put a light dressing back on the stitches and when you show me you can pee I will leave you in peace for a while.”
I got up off the bed with Mummy and Judy holding me as I walked to the bathroom, but before I sat down to have a pee I wanted to have a look in the large mirror on the wall so I pulled up the silly hospital gown and had a real good look.
I said “Mummy look, my willy's not there any more!!”
Caroline said “Sweetheart, you never had a willy in the first place. It has always been a clitoris but because the opening to your vagina was closed off with skin, it looked like you had a penis and when you were born they just did not look close enough to realise that you were an intersexed little girl.”
Judy then said “Now Carla, don’t be tempted to touch yourself for a couple days because we don’t want you to get an infection do we?”
I said “Ok” and sat down and did my first pee as a real girl and had no problems doing it.
Caroline said “Ok, that all looks like everything is working so we can leave the catheter out, but make sure that Judy or your Mum is there to wipe you dry after you go, understand?”
“Yes ma’am.”
Caroline left to see to her other patients and Judy said, “Right little one, up on the bed and I will put a dressing back on but it will be one that will be easy to remove when you have to have a pee.”
Mummy said “You had better show me how to replace the dressing as well because I will be staying in this room most of the time as I want to give Carla some school work to catch up on as well.”
I said “Mummy do I have to?”
She replied “Yes you have to!!” When Mummy says it like that I just do it. Even my magic eyes wont make her change her mind. Oh well 'sigh'.
Judy also said, “Now Carla you were taking hormones before you had that emergency in Brisbane didn't you?”
I replied, “Yes, but I haven't been taking any since then.”
“Good, you can stop taking anything like that because your little ovaries were kick-started by the oestrogen and that is why you had that first period so quickly. Only problem was the blood couldn’t escape out of your body. You were very lucky that they got to you in time otherwise you would be with your twin sister now.”
I said, “Judy, how long will it be before I will have breasts?”
She replied, “I should think that you will start to develop fairly quickly now that your own body is producing the required hormones. Ok Carla, I am going to leave you to your mother now and will see to some of my other patients.”
Mummy said, “Sweetheart, I am going to go and collect our things from the motel and bring them back here to the relatives' apartment and then I’ll be back to look after you. If Jenny and her Mum turn up before I get back you will have to tell them what we are doing.”
“Ok Mummy, but what if I need to go to the toilet?”
“Carla what is that thing laying on your bed?”
“What!! Oh that thing, it's a buzzer.”
“Well if you need to go you know what to do don’t you?”
“Yes Mummy.”
Mummy went to get the things from the motel and while she was gone I decided to look at what school work she had for me to do. It was mainly reading-type study and only one page of maths to solve. I thought I would surprise her and started to do the maths, but it was really hard to concentrate because my mind kept wondering off , thinking about my future and having babies of my own.
I thought of Ricky and wondered if he would be a good Dad and what he was going to be like with me being a real girl with all the working parts to go with it. I finally settled down and did some reading about Captain Cook and his voyage of discovery in the ship Endeavour, all boring stuff to me. I would rather read about the Red Centre and how the explorers survived in the desert with the help of some Aboriginals showing them how to find water in the desert and live off the land, but most of the early explorers perished in the heat after they had no provisions left. People still die in the desert today, usually if their car breaks down and they start to walk to get help. The unwritten rule is to always stay with your car if you want to be found.
Anyway history lesson over. I needed to pee but Mummy still wasn't back yet so I guessed I had better press the panic button and annoy one of the nurses to come and help me in the toilet. I held the button down and heard a bell go off down the hall somewhere and heard someone running toward my room. Of course it was Judy and all out of breath she said “Hey!! What’s up honey —you in pain or something?”
I replied “I have to pee and Mummy isn't back yet.”
“Oh is that all? Ok, come on than I’ll do the honours and help you.”
I said “I’m sorry, did I take you away from another patient?”
Judy replied “Carla, you are my patient. I was just filling out some boring forms that's all.”
She took me in to the toilet and removed the dressing once more and I sat and did my business.
Judy said, “How does that feel honey?”
I replied, “Ooh it burns a little bit but it feels so good to be doing this like a proper girl without a willy poking out from me.”
Judy said “Carla, remember what Caroline said about that, she said you never really had a willy in the first place and the only reason it even looked like one is because your clitoris couldn’t get inside your body.”
I said “Yeah, it's a pity that the the doctor didn't have a closer look at me when they finally did arrived at the station four hours after I was born and Jean had already passed away.” I was in tears after I said this and Judy had to wipe me clean and take me back to the bed to replace the dressing.
I got back on the bed and had to have a good cry and get it out of my system. Judy sat beside me with her arm around me and said, “It's ok Darling, just let it out. You have had a bad time of it haven’t you?” I finally stopped sobbing as Mummy came back into the room.
She said, “Carla what's happened, why are you so upset?”
Judy replied, “Donna it's ok, the dam just broke that's all. It's a girl thing, you know !!”
“Oh is that all?” Mummy smiled and said, “Join the club little girl” and gave me a hug.
Judy said, “Ok kid, lets get this dressing back on, and we will see what it's like tomorrow and see if we can't leave it off. If it is healing ok we might be able to get away with a sanitary pad instead and then you will be able to go to the loo by yourself.”
It was now ten thirty and the morning tea trolley was being wheeled around the clinic.
The lady poked her head in the door and said “Tea, coffee or juice?”
I said, “Juice.”
Mummy said, “Tea with two sugars please.”
Judy got up to leave and said, “Don’t forget to ask for the chocolate bickies will you?” and she disappeared down the hallway.
Mummy said, “Darling I’m sorry I took so long but I had to come back here to borrow a trolley to put all our things on to bring it all here. There was just too much to carry by hand.”
I replied, “It's ok Mummy, Judy came really quickly when I pressed the button, and I just couldn't help having a cry.”
“Oh Carla my sweet child, if only I had insisted that I go to Charleville to give birth at the time none of this would have happened in the first place. You would have a sister alive and well now.” Mummy was now in tears as well which started me off again too. We must look a sad sight with the two of us sitting on my bed hugging and rocking each other.
Just then Jenny and her Mum Jan walked into the room and Jenny ran over to the bed and sat beside me and started to cry as well.
Jan said, “What on earth has brought all this on?”
Mummy got off the bed and said, “Jan I’m sorry, I just got all emotional when I remembered back to when all this started. I will tell you about it one day.” She said, “Jan lets go for a walk and let Jenny and Carla have a little bit of time by themselves.”
Jenny dried her eyes and said, “I'm sorry Sis but when I walked in I thought that something bad had happened.”
I replied, “No Jenny, it all happened nine years ago on River Downs.” I then said, “How is your Gran doing?”
“Oh Carla she is quite ill and has cancer so I don’t think she will ever go home again.”
I replied, “Oh no, that’s so sad. I’m sorry sis.”
Jenny replied, “Thanks Carla, she is a very old lady so it is expected.” She then said, “I would rather talk about you now. What's it feel like to be complete sis?”
I replied, “Well it stings a bit when I pee but that will go away in a couple of days.”
Jenny said, “Ooh can I see?”
I replied, “Well if you want see I will have to get Judy to come and take the dressing off.”
I pressed the button and Judy was there in seconds and said, “Carla, surely you don’t have to pee again so soon do you? At this rate I will run out of dressings.”
I replied, “No but Jenny would like to see the new me.”
Judy said, “Well I suppose it won't hurt to unwrap you once more, ok than.”
Judy was careful not to ruin the dressing so it could be returned to its place. I lay there with my legs apart and let Jenny have a peek at the new me and all she could say is, “Oh my God it looks the same as mine.”
I replied, “I hope so and when the stitches come out I will look even better.”
Judy said, “Ok, show time over.” and put me back together.
Mummy and Jan came back and Jan was sniffling as though she had been crying and Jenny said, “Mummy what is wrong? You have been crying.”
“Yes Jenny, Donna has just told me the whole story about two little twins being born and how one didn't make it, and why it all happened. Jenny! You are so lucky to have Carla as a friend, do you know that?”
“Yes Mummy I do.”
Jan had to get back the hospital where Jenny's Gran is and get some legal papers signed by her so she said goodbye to Jenny and left.
I said “Aren’t you going with your Mum Jenny?”
She replied “No I'm going to stay with you.” It really looked like Jenny was just in the way, and when Jan left, Jenny sat next to me on the bed and started to cry.
Mummy said, “Jenny it's alright darling, we're here for you, and love you more than you know. Don’t be to hard on your mum. She is under lot of stress at the moment.”
“Aunty Donna, her and Daddy are splitting up and I am in the middle and not wanted, I never have been.”
“Oh sweetheart I’m sorry I didn't know.”
“Aunty Donna, can I stay with you when we go home to Quilpie?”
“Yes of course you can Sweetheart, — can't she Carla?”
I replied while I held Jenny's hands and said “Jenny you are just like a sister to me and I love you , we will be like twins.”
Mummy said “I was wondering why your Mum asked me to look after you for a while, but she didn't tell me about them splitting up, but don’t worry Jennifer, everything will be ok and I will certainly be happy to have you live with us on a permanent basis if need be.”
I said “Jenny you will be staying just downstairs with Mummy in the apartment that is set up to have relatives stay in the complex while patients are being treated, to be close by.”
The next five days were spent with me healing up and I only had to have a pad in my panties to make sure that there was no harsh rubbing on the stitches which were to be taken out back home by Doc Ryan in seven days time. Caroline came and inspected her handy work once a day and was satisfied that I could go home on Wednesday morning.
Mummy also had Jenny and I doing more boring school work ''rolling eyes'' but we also talked about the up and coming school holidays and Mummy's wedding with me and Jenny in our pretty gowns.
Wednesday 15/7/59
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Everything was packed and ready to go. Mummy had rung for a taxi to be there at nine am to take us to the airport to catch a flight back to Brisbane and then home from there with Rodney and his new twin engine Cessna. Judy and Caroline had one last look at me and gave me a clean bill of health before they left and said goodbye to me. I had one last question for Caroline and said, “Why don’t I have to poke a thing into me to keep me from closing up?”
Caroline replied “I was wondering when you were going to ask me that, — well Carla because we didn't have to do any surgery inside you all we did was to open you up, you are normal girl we just had to cut a bit of skin away and there was your beautiful vagina.” Question answered, we were on our way to the airport in a yellow taxi.
Jenny was tearful and said, “My parents don’t want me. I’m not important to them any more.”
Mummy was sitting in the front seat of the cab and turned and said “Oh sweetheart I’m sure they both love you very much.”
Jenny replied through her tears, “Well I don’t care what they do now as long as I have you and Carla I don’t care if I never see them again.”
Mummy told the cab driver to pull over so she could get in the back with me and Jenny, once Mummy was in the back we both held Jenny's hands but didn't say anything till we got out of the car at the airport. It was really hard for me to say too much because I was close to crying any time I wanted to say something to Jenny, so I just kept on holding her hand.
Mummy paid the cab driver and eventually we were on the plane back to Brisbane. By lunch time we were in Debbie's taxi going from Brisbane airport to Mary's apartment. Debbie had all sorts of questions she asked me about what I had done to me but Mummy said, “Debbie, Carla and Jenny have had a bad day and I don’t think Carla is up to answering to many questions at the moment. All I can say is that all went really well medically.”
Debbie replied “Ok luv, I understand.” Nothing more was said on the way to the apartment.
Debbie pulled up outside of the apartment building and got out of the cab to remove all our baggage from the trunk and then she gave us a hand to carry it all up to the apartment. Mummy invited Debbie in for a cup of tea and to my surprise she said it was a slow day and why not?
I thought 'Oh no, more questions.' but she and Mummy started chatting about Mummy's up and coming wedding, which was a relief because I really didn't want to talk about me when poor Jenny was so down about being told that her parents were splitting up.
Debbie said goodbye and left. Mummy unpacked a few things to tide us over for that night and some of the following day, and she said, “Girls we are going to be going home tomorrow so I wont unpack to much stuff.”
I replied, “What about Rose Mummy, are we going to go and see her before we go home?”
“No, Rose is coming around here with Mary when she finishes her shift and you will see her then ok?”
“Ok Mummy I think Jenny and I will lay down have a bit of a rest we are both tired from all the travelling.”
Jenny and I must have fallen asleep because Samantha came into the room we were in and said, “Hello you two, Mummy will be home with Rose soon so it might pay to be awake when they arrive.”
Jenny and I rubbed our eyes and got off the bed and walked out into the lounge just as the door opened and in walked Mary and Rose. Once we were hugged and kissed we settled down and and were interrogated by the two women.
I answered all the questions and then Rose said “Alright little Carla, let's have a look at the job they did for you.”
I replied “What, in front of everyone?”
Rose said “Carla, if you were in a girl's dressing room what would you do?”
I replied “Well I guess I would have to get undressed and be like all the other girls in the room.”
Mummy looked at me and said, “Well!!”
I said “Ok here goes” and I took off the denim skirt I was wearing and stood there for a couple of minutes, and said, “Ok ok!! I’m doing it.” I pulled my panties down and they still had a pad in them to make sure there was no rubbing occurring on the stitches.
Rose knelt down and had a good look and said, “Wow Carla that is perfect.”
Samantha said, “Will I look as good as that too Rose?”
Rose said, “If you go to that clinic and get Caroline to do the surgery I don't see why not Sam.”
I said, “Can I get get dressed now please?”
Rose replied, “Oh sorry Carla, of course you can and you are a very brave little girl and I am proud of you.”
Just then I could feel Jean wanting to communicate with me and I said out loud “What is it Jean?”
Jean said in my mind, “Carla, do not say anything about what I am about to tell you. It is too early to tell but Jenny's Mum has been hurt. Do not say anything to Jenny till I communicate with you again ok?”
I said “Ok.”
Everyone except Mummy was looking at me to tell them what Jean wanted. I just shrugged my shoulders and said, “She just wanted to tell me she loved me.”
They all accepted that but Mummy gave me a knowing look.
Rose stayed a bit longer and then said she would see me in a couple months, with time to do some more work on the twin study if that was ok with me.
I said, “Yes” and Mummy nodded as well.
Mummy then made a few phone calls and asked Rodney to fly us home tomorrow morning. After she was told what time Rodney would be at the airport she gave Debbie a call and arranged for her to take us out to the airport at nine am in the morning. Later Mary took us out to a restaurant for dinner because it would be a while before we were in Brisbane again and wanted to give us a treat.
We arrived back at the apartment and went to bed by nine pm. Jenny, Samantha and myself slept in a threesome hug all night to keep Jenny from worrying about her parents. Before I went to bed Mummy asked me to go to the bathroom because she wanted to make sure I was healing alright but it was to talk about what Jean had said to me. When Jean was communicating with me Mummy concentrated as well and also heard the message.
She said, “Carla we will be home just after lunch tomorrow so all we can do is wait and see what has happened to Jan ok?”
“Ok Mummy.”
We were at the airport on time and Rodney was checking out the plane for the return flight back to Quilpie. Nobody said much on the flight home. Mummy and I were worried about what had happened to Jenny's Mum and Jenny was worried about her parents break-up and felt hurt. I thought she was going to need me more than ever now.
To be continued.
Next time: Tissues required for this one.
Please leave a comment.
Previously
We arrived back at the apartment and went to bed by nine pm. Jenny, Samantha and myself slept in a threesome hug all night to keep Jenny from worrying about her parents. Before I went to bed Mummy asked me to go to the bathroom because she wanted to make sure I was healing alright but it was to talk about what Jean had said to me. When Jean was communicating with me Mummy concentrated as well and also heard the message.
She said, “Carla we will be home just after lunch tomorrow so all we can do is wait and see what has happened to Jan ok?”
“Ok Mummy.”
We were at the airport on time and Rodney was checking out the plane for the return flight back to Quilpie. Nobody said much on the flight home. Mummy and I were worried about what had happened to Jenny's Mum and Jenny was worried about her parents break-up and felt hurt. I thought she was going to need me more than ever now.
Thursday 16/7/59
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was a smooth flight home. Rodney is a really good pilot and the new Cessna was really comfortable inside and not very noisy like Tom's chopper, but the chopper is more fun to be in. Daddy was waiting for us at the aerodrome when Rodney taxied right up to where Daddy had the Land Rover parked with all the refuelling gear ready to refuel the Cessna for its next flight. As we all got out of the plane Uncle Tony turned up in his new Land Rover to take us home and leave Daddy to refuel Rodney’s plane .
Daddy gave us all a hug and a kiss on the cheek and said he will see us in about an hour.
Mummy said, “Hey mister, come back here and give me a proper kiss or I will have to break your legs.”
Daddy replied, “Oh Donna darling, I didn't see you there.”
“Watch it” said Mummy and grabbed Daddy by his shirt and gave him one of her toe-curling kisses.
Daddy said, when Mummy finished the kiss, “Darling you can break my legs any time you want.”
Both Jenny and I said in unison rolling our eyes, “Please get a room!!”
Uncle Tony also gave us three ladies a hug and a kiss on the cheek and loaded all our bags into the back of his Land Rover and waited for us to get in so he could drive us home.
Tony pulled into the restaurant to pick up some lunch so we all got out and walked inside to be greeted by Rita, Linda, and Alice. Rita come and hugged me and said, “Is it all done little sister?”
I replied, “Yeah I’m exactly like you now Sis and I can have babies too.”
Rita said, “Slow down Carla, you are only nine years old.”
I replied with a cheeky grin, “I've had my first period so I am a woman now.”
Alice and Linda laughed when I said that, and Mummy said, “Carla you might have had your first period but it might take you a bit longer to become a woman.”
I replied, “Yeah whatever.” and rolled my eyes, which set both me and Jenny of into a fit of giggles.
Uncle Tony said, “Hoy!! what about some service over here at the counter?”
Rita said, “Ok–ok, keep your shirt on Uncle Tony.”
He replied, “Never mind about my shirt. Food! is what I need.”
Once the banter was finished, Mummy gave a hand to make some sandwiches for us to take home.
I asked Rita, “Where is aunty Bella?”
“Oh she went to the dentist just before you lot came barging in here demanding food.” while she was looking at Uncle Tony. Don't look at me, they made me do it.” pointing at us. Anyway we got our food and said bye to Rita and the others and got into Uncle Tony's Land Rover and went home.
When we arrived Ginger was so exited to see my she actually knocked me over and started licking my face.
I said, “Yuck Ginger, I love you too but not your big wet tongue.” I couldn't even get up till Mummy grabbed her by the collar and made her sit and behave. Then Jenny knelt down and put her arms around Gingers neck and gave her a hug.
Jenny said, “Ginger, at least you love me, my Mum and Dad don't.”
Uncle Tony looked at Mummy, but she shook her head to give Uncle Tony the message not to say anything more.
We carried all our things into the house and then set about eating a late lunch. Daddy walked through the kitchen door just as we were unwrapping the sandwiches and said, “I hope there are enough sandwiches so I can have some too?”
Mummy replied, “Of course darling, would I not feed my beautiful man?”
Another kiss was in order. Daddy said, after Mummy kissed him, “Wow, twice in one day, I hope this keeps happening after we're married?”
After lunch, Daddy and Tony went back to work, and Mummy said, “We should all have a bit of a lay down, especially you Carla. I don't want you straining those stitches.”
Both Jenny and I replied, “Yes Mummy.”
I think it made Jenny fell better when she was allowed to get away with that and Mummy really didn't mind being called mummy by Jenny because we had become almost like twin sisters anyway. We had a sleep for about half an hour and got off the bed, had a drink and went outside to throw the ball with Ginger because she needs the exercise and there was nobody to give her that while we were away. It was getting quite cold and there was a westerly wind blowing most of the day so that made it even colder. In the morning there would be a white frost covering the last remaining grass in the yard.
I gave Ginger her meal and she went into her kennel but she does not get tied up because she is allowed to come into my room at night if she wants to. Fluffy is her own boss and does whatever she wants, which is sleep most of her days away in the warm sun on the verandah.
It was getting late and beginning to get dark outside so Jenny and I went into the warm kitchen which was always warm because of the combustion stove that never went out and I had to keep the wood box beside it filled up with chopped wood.
Jenny and I helped Mummy peel the potatoes and other vegetables. The meat had been put on at three o’clock to let it cook slowly. It was a topside roast and it was now time to put the veggies in with the roast and in an hour's time it would be ready to serve. Jenny and I went into the lounge to watch some telly till tea time.
Jenny said, “Carla, what am I going to do if Mummy and Daddy don’t come back?”
I replied, “Sis they will, but if they don't, well!! Mummy has gained another daughter hasn't she?”
Jenny had tears running down her face and she said, “Carla I’m scared about what will happen to me.”
I hugged her tight and said, “Jenny we all love you, so stop worrying will you?”
Mummy called out to us and said, “Alright girls, time to set the table - everyone is home now so we can eat.”
Rita and Daddy were talking in the lounge about changing something in the restaurant kitchen when Mummy said, “Don't you two go change anything in that kitchen without you telling me or there will be trouble!!” while she was pointing at them with a pair of tongs.
Both Rita and Daddy said “Yes ma'am” standing to attention and saluting her.
It all settled down after that and we sat down to eat a baked roast, potatoes, and veggies. There was also mummy's home made gravy,- yummy. For desert there was ice cream and tinned pears. It was winter time and the garden was growing cabbage, beetroot and carrots. so no strawberries that night.
After dinner we all helped clean up and put everything away and went into the lounge where Daddy had turned on the kerosene heater to warm up the large room. Before Daddy turned on the telly, Mummy brought Daddy and Rita up to date on everything that had happened over the last week that we were away.
Jenny was in tears when she said to Mummy, “Don't forget to tell them about my Mum and Dad splitting up, and that they don’t want me any more.”
“Oh Jenny I’m sorry, sweetheart.” replied Daddy and he sat down beside her and held her while she sobbed into his shoulder. The sadness effected all of us and the telly didn't get turned on and we all retired to our bedrooms.
I was lying in bed beside Jenny and had my arm around her as she fell asleep. I could feel Jean trying to communicate with me and as I closed my eyes she was in my mind telling me to come to Mummy's bedroom, I gently got out of bed and slipped out of the room, down to Mummy's bedroom. Mummy knew what I was there for and whispered, “Come in to bed with me and Daddy darling.”
I climbed in under the covers and Mummy said, “I think Jean has something to tell us Carla.”
Mummy and I closed our eyes and saw Jean sitting at the end of the bed and she said, “Mummy, tell Daddy to hold your hand and close his eyes and not open them and he will be able to hear me as well.” Mummy did as Jean said and Daddy joined us in this communication with my twin sister.
Jean said. “It is sad news for Jenny but her Mum has crossed over into the spirit world. I had to wait tell you this because the doctors were still trying to save her but failed. I wish I could have done something but she was hurt too badly and passed over. Carla, Jenny is going to need you and me to be close to her.” and then Jean faded as she said, “I love you.”
Daddy lay there in shock and said nothing.
Mummy said, “Carla, go and get back into bed with Jenny and say nothing. We must not try to change the way this is happening, do you understand?”
“Yes Mummy, I understand.” I went back and got back into bed without waking Jenny up, but I did not go to sleep.
It was midnight when the phone rang, and I heard Mummy answer it. “Hello yes this is she, yes her daughter is staying with me. No, that is not a good idea. Yes in the morning. Can I have your number please? Thank you bye.”
Mummy went back into her bedroom and I heard her talking softly to Daddy. I must have dropped of to sleep because it was daylight when opened my eyes. We must have slept in because when I looked at the radio clock it said eight o'clock. We weren’t going back to school till Monday so I suppose Mummy let us sleep.
Friday morning.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jenny and I got up and had a shower together and got dressed in some warm winter clothes and went to the kitchen where Rita, Daddy, and Mummy were about to make Jenny's world fall apart.
Jenny said, “Good morning all, and said why is everyone still here and not at work?”
Mummy said “Jenny, come and sit down beside me sweetheart. I have something to tell you.”
Jenny said, “It's about my parents isn't it Aunty Donna?”
Mummy replied and held Jenny's hands and said, “Sweetheart, your mummy had a bad car accident and was hurt really bad and she passed away last night while the doctors were trying to save her but she didn't make it.” Jenny didn't speak and just stared at Mummy. Mummy kept hold of Jenny's hands and pulled her in close but didn't speak, she just held her tight and had tears streaming down her face as she looked over to me.
I couldn’t stop my tears from coming and put my arm around Jenny who was now shaking but not crying, she has gone into shock. Daddy got up and went to the phone and called Doctor Ryan and told him to come quickly.
Rita was stunned and couldn’t speak. She also had tears running down her cheeks and knelt down and in front of Jenny and took one of her hands.
All of a sudden Jenny let out a loud scream and then started to wail and kept saying, “Nooo---nooo, not dead!” There were no tears, she was shaking and wailing but no tears, Mummy just kept holding on to her and after about five minutes of shaking she finally let the tears come.
Daddy came back into the room and went straight to Jenny and picked her up and carried her into the lounge and lay her down on the couch and said, “Jenny, Doctor Ryan will be here in a minute and give you something to calm you down ok?”
Jenny sat up and put her arms around Daddy's neck and and cried into his chest.
Daddy just said “I know it hurts darling. It will be alright, I am here for you.”
Jenny's sobbing slowed down as Daddy held her and gently stroked her hair. Jim Ryan was there and came over to where Jenny was being held by Daddy and said “Jenny sweetheart, I am going to give you a needle to relax you ok?”
Jenny just nodded and the doc gave her the needle. Daddy didn't let go of Jenny and just sat there rocking her till she fell asleep in his arms. Daddy's face was now also wet from tears and his nose was starting to run so I got some tissues and kept wiping his eyes and nose He is my special Daddy and I love him.
Doctor Ryan gave Mummy some pills for Jenny in case she couldn't settle down when she woke up. I was beside myself and really didn't know what to do next.
Mummy could see I was in trouble and came and hugged me and said, “Carla sweetheart, you are going to have to be really strong and help Jenny cope with her grief. If you need help ask Jean to tell you what to do. We will get through this one way or another.”
“Yes Mummy I’ll be strong.”
While Daddy stayed with Jenny, Mummy rang Sydney to find out what had happened. Jenny's mum was hit by a large truck head on and it was found that she was on the wrong side of the road. I asked Mummy later, and it looked like Jan had done it on purpose. Rita got a taxi to go to work. Daddy stayed home so he could be there for Jenny. He probably remembered his son Paul doing the same thing.
When Jenny woke up she was calm because the needle that the doc gave her still effected her, and Mummy even got her to eat something. None of us had eaten any breakfast so we were all hungry. Jenny came out into the kitchen and started talking normal again and she said to me, “Carla you knew didn't you?”
I didn't know what to do so I just told her the truth and said, “Jean said your Mum is on the other side and that is all I know Jenny.”
Jenny replied, “Yeah, well it should have been Daddy - he made mummy do it.”
I said, “Jenny, she was on the wrong side of the road.”
Jenny said “Now I know why she wanted me to stay with you.”
Jenny's Dad rang and said he was going to come home and sort out the funeral arrangements. Jan's remains would be flown to Charleville and then brought to Quilpie by road from there. He wanted to talk to Jenny but she said “No” and she will never talk to him again. This was really hard for me. Every time I tried to talk to Jenny the lump in my throat just got big and I started getting tears in my eyes so I ended up just giving her another hug.
Mummy said “Just be with her Carla, you cant do any more.” Jenny was now just staring into space and not saying anything.
I went to get a drink and Mummy said quietly, “Carla it is part of the grieving process and she will have to work through it, so don’t make her talk but be with her. She will get angry and cry, but it has to come out if she is going to survive this.”
The rest of the day I stayed with Jenny constantly. We both cried and laughed at the same time, and then at four in the afternoon Jenny said. “Carla I need to be by myself for a bit. I will go and sit on the verandah, I just need to think, I'll be ok now.”
I replied, “Jenny, please don’t shut me out. I want to help you through this and I love you.”
Jenny said, “Carla,- sis — I -I - need to think but I will not shut you out - ever.”
I replied, “I'll just be inside ok?” I walked inside and the dam broke. I had to run to the other side of the house and out the back so Jenny couldn’t hear me.
Rita came looking for me and found me out in the backyard on my knees sobbing and praying to God asking what this is all about.
Rita said, “Carla, you have to be strong for Jenny. You are the closest person to her, so have your cry and get back and stay with her.”
I replied in between sobs, “She - w–aa--n-nts to b-e-e alone.”
“Go back and hold her and talk to her. Tell her everything will be ok. Don’t let her out off your sight. We don’t want her running of somewhere.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat and went back out to where Jenny was still sitting staring into space.
She turned to me and said “Carla thanks, I love you too and I will get over this.” She then said, “Carla you said something earlier that Jean told you Mummy was on the other side. Does that mean I will be able to talk to Mummy through you?”
I replied, “I don't know Jenny, but we can try if you want.”
We went and told Mummy what we were about to do and Mummy said, “Come to the bathroom first and I will wash your faces with some cold water. Your eyes are that red from crying it's a wonder you can see out of them.”
Mummy said, “Jenny, do you want me to be with you while Carla tries to make contact with your Mum?”
“Yes Aunty Donna please.”
It was already dark outside so we went to my bedroom and the three of us lay down on my Queen sized bed. Mummy was in the middle holding both our hands.
I said, “Here goes, close your eyes.”
Jean was already there and said, “Jenny, I am sorry for your grief and pain but your Mummy is here with me to say goodbye to you.”
Jenny's mum was wearing a beautiful white gown and said as clear as day, “Jenny sweetheart, I am ok. Don’t blame Daddy for what has happened. I love you.” and then she faded.
Jenny didn't have a chance to say anything before her Mummy was gone but Jean said, “She will find happiness here Jenny.” and then Jean said, “I have used up all my energy and will have to go now” and she faded as she said “I love you.”
Jenny said, “Carla, do you think I will see Mummy again?”
I replied, “I don’t know Jenny but probably not for a while. It must have taken an awful lot of energy for Jean to have done that.”
Jenny said, “Carla, did you see what Mummy was wearing? It was the most beautiful gown I have ever seen.”
I said, “Yeah, I bet they don’t make them to look like that here.”
Jenny smiled for the first time that day and said, “Aunty Donna — Mummy.” and Mummy just said “It's ok Jenny darling, you can call me Mummy if you want.”
Jenny's Dad came to talk with Jenny and wanted her to come home with him but Jenny flatly refused and said she would stay with us or she would run away. Her Dad then had a long conversation with Mummy and Daddy and left.
The funeral was held on Wednesday the twenty second of July at ten am. Most of the town was there. Jenny and I had three red roses that we put on the coffin as it was being lowered into the ground and we both knelt down and said the Lords Prayer. A lady was singing 'Amazing Grace' as the coffin went down into the earth and Father Brian started to say a prayer Jenny was not crying but held onto Mummy's hand as we walked away from her Mothers grave.
Author's note: This has been a hard chapter to write and has brought back sad memories of my childhood. My friend Jenny ''not her real name'' still keeps in touch with me after sixty years.
Jean
To be continued.
Next time: life and school goes back to normal. School, school holidays and the wedding getting close !!
Please leave a comment.
Jenny's Dad came to talk with Jenny and wanted her to come home with him but Jenny flatly refused and said she would stay with us or she would run away. Her Dad then had a long conversation with Mummy and Daddy and left.
The funeral was held on Wednesday the twenty second of July at ten am. Most of the town was there. Jenny and I had three red roses that we put on the coffin as it was being lowered into the ground and we both knelt down and said the Lords Prayer. A lady was singing 'Amazing Grace' as the coffin went down into the earth and Father Brian started to say a prayer. Jenny was not crying but held onto Mummy's hand as we walked away from her Mothers grave.
There was a wake at Jenny's house but she refused to go, so Mummy, Daddy,and Rita came home with Jenny and I. Jenny was very quiet and went to the bedroom to lie down.
Mummy said, “See if you can get Jenny to have a sandwich, and go and lay on the bed with her and just be there when she wants to talk.” I was hugging Jenny when she said, “Carla, I don’t want to leave here and go back home or live in Sydney, I just want to stay with you.”
I replied, “Sis, I think your Dad has already spoken to Mummy and Daddy and has agreed to let you stay with us anyway.”
Mummy came into the room and said, “Come on out to the kitchen and have some afternoon tea.”
Jenny said “I’m not very hungry Mu-- err —Mummy.”
“It's ok Jenny, you can call me Mummy. I don’t mind, it just means I have three daughters now.”
Mummy said, “Girls, you can relax for the rest of to day, but in four days time you two will have to go back to school and you need to do some catching up with your studies, so I am going to ring your teacher and find out what he wants you to catch up on.”
Jenny and I both groaned and said “Do we have to?”
Mummy replied, “Yes you sure do, I don’t want a pair of dummies living under my roof.”
I said, “What about Jean, doesn't she have to catch up too?”
“Carla don’t be silly, and get your bum out to the kitchen now!!” “
“Yesss Mummy.” Jenny and I held hands and walked to the kitchen with our nose in the air with Mummy having a giggle at our antics.
The next four days were spent doing boring school work, taking Ginger for her walks and visiting Aunty Bella and Uncle Tony. Jenny seemed to be feeling ok so we decide to go for a walk on Sunday after we had been to church, to the cemetery and visit the grave without any one else being there. When we got there we knelt down and started talking to Jan as if she could hear us and Jenny said, “I love you Mummy, but I now have a new Mummy as well so don't worry about me.” and then the dam broke and she sobbed while I held her in a tight hug for at least half an hour.
When she had cried herself out she looked at me and said, “Carla, I’m done crying.” and gave me a big smile through red eyes.
I smiled back and said, “Ok lets go home sis and see what's for lunch.”
It was near on lunch time when we got back. It is quite a long way out to where the cemetery is and it took us almost an hour and a half to get back home. Ginger was waiting with a wagging tail to meet us at the gate. Poor Ginger, she has not had us around for a couple of weeks but now we were back we would start spending more time with her. Mummy had done a roast for Sunday lunch and because Aunt Bella and Uncle Tony were there, the gravy for the roast was a special treat. It was Aunty Bella’s secret recipe !! but Mummy knows how to make it too because she watched aunty make it at the restaurant.
We did some more study after lunch, took Ginger for a walk to the park and just happened to ring Ricky before we left in the guise of asking him about what subjects were on at school in the morning. Billy was staying with Ricky while his parents were away in Sydney so it was double pleasure for two nine year old girls visiting the park. It was three o'clock when we reached the park on our bikes with Ginger following close behind. The boys were there already and greeted us with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Because Ricky and Billy were at the funeral they did not mention anything to Jenny about her Mother which was good because Jenny needed to move on now and all her friends would need to help her through the next few weeks. There was no grass left on the ground in the park and the prickles which we call 'bindi eyes' were really bad so shoes have to stay on
The four of us were the only ones at the park this afternoon, so no one could tell on us if we were being a little bit naughty and having a kiss while we were sitting on the park bench.
Ricky said, “So Carla, do you have to have any more surgery now or is it all done?”
I replied, “Ricky, I am all girl now and can have babies and everything!!”
Ricky looked at me and made big eyes and said, “Wooa!! Carla, too much information.” That set Jenny and I off on a giggling fit.
Billy looked at Ricky and said, “Well mate, women do that you know.”
Anyway we talked a bit more and thought we had better get back home before it started getting dark.
Billy kissed Jenny on the lips and she closed her eyes when the kiss ended and said “Mmmm that feels nice.”
Ricky said, “Carla may I kiss you like that too?” (Ricky is a real gentleman.)
I replied, “What are you waiting for?”
He said, “Carla, last time I kissed you on the lips Jean gave me an electric shock.”
I closed my eyes said out loud, “Jean, let Ricky kiss me without the zap from you please.”
I heard her giggling and she said, “Ok, only a little tingle than.”
Billy looked at Ricky with a funny look. Ricky said, “It's alright Billy, she does that all the time. She and Jean are connected to each other, you'll get used to to Carla and her sister in time.”
Ricky put his hands gently on either side of my face and gave me a toe curling kiss. I could feel the energy flowing from Jean through me right into Ricky. He pulled back still holding my face and looked into my eyes and said, “Carla, Jean I love you both.”
He then sat back and said “If I get to marry you Carla, I get Jean as well won't I?”
I replied, “We come as a package, so yes it will be a double wedding.” We had another quick kiss and walked hand in hand to where our bikes were and said bye till tomorrow and rode home all tingly from kissing.
It was just on dark when we got home and Daddy was just about to get in the car and come looking for us because we had no lights on our bikes.
Daddy said, “Girls, please keep an eye on the time next time you go out on your bikes, you know how much I worry about you kids.”
We got off our bikes and gave Daddy a two way hug and both said, “Sorry Daddy.”
He shook his head and mumbled something that sounded like, “Bloody hell!! How am I ever going to survive two nine year old girls?”
We ran up to him and held a hand each and pulled him up the front steps while Mummy was looking on with a smile on her face saying, “Get used to it darling, you are surrounded by women.”
Daddy replied, “Heaven help me.” rolling his eyes while he said it.
There were left-overs for dinner so there was no real cooking to be done other than to heat everything up.
While we were eating Rita said, “I hope you girls were behaving yourselves at the park this afternoon. I heard you talking to the boys before you went. There was no kissing was there?”
I am not allowed to tell lies or God will punish me, so I just said “Just one little one.”
I thought 'I wonder what what a big kiss would feel like?' Jenny was going red in the face when Rita looked at her, but Rita must have seen the look on Jenny's face and decide not to push it any further, much to Jenny’s relief.
Mummy said, “Ok girls, I want you to have a shower tonight ,so there's not a big rush on the bathroom in the morning.”
We replied, “Yes Mummy” and went and got our winter pyjamas and went to the bathroom to have a shower. Daddy was kind enough to have put the kerosene heater on so to make it a bit more comfortable being naked in the middle of winter, and yes he does spoil us rotten. I don't even have to use my magic eyes to make him melt and do what I want. Mummy says that is why she fell in love with Daddy because he is so gentle with us.
We got undressed and got into the warm water of the shower and we soaped each up. When the water was washing all the soap off us we just stood and looked at each and had a wet hug. We both had more than a little breast growth and when our budding nipples touched it was electric.
Jenny said, “Holy hell, that that is going right to the tip of my toes.”
I replied, “Jenny, I think we are being a bit naughty but you are right it feels fantastic and is sending shivers down to my new thingy.”
We almost fell over in the shower we giggled so hard.
Mummy knocked on the door and said, “Hoy!! don't use up all the hot water in there.” We both jumped in fright and got out dried ourselves off and put our winter pyjamas on. We forget to bring our woollen slippers so we had to run back to our bedroom over the icy cold floor boards.
We got our slippers and warm dressing gowns on and went to the kitchen to say good night to everyone. Mummy was just finishing ironing our school uniforms and told us to have a warm drink of milk and we could take the uniforms back to the bedroom with us. We had our milk and Mummy said, “I want you two to have your breakfast in the morning before you put your uniforms on. I won't have the time in the morning to iron any more clothes for you lot.”
We took our uniforms and got a kiss on the cheek from everyone and we made our way to the bedroom, careful not to drop our clean ironed uniforms. We weren’t long falling asleep and we both dreamed of kissing our future husbands.
Monday 27/7/59
~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was nice and warm cuddled up in bed, but we had to get up and have our breakfast which Mummy had ready for us to eat. Daddy and Rita were already finished and said bye to us after they gave us quick peck on the cheek.
Daddy almost did the same to Mummy when she said, “Where are you sleeping tonight darling?”
Daddy replied, “In our bed, where else would I sleep?”
Mummy said, “Not if I don’t get a proper kiss you won't.”
Daddy said, “Shit, sorry darling,I could always stay home today and we can make whoopee!! for the rest of the day.”
Mummy replied, “Not in front of the children, William.”
Daddy said “There’s that name again.” and he gave Mummy a proper kiss on the lips and went quickly out the door telling Rita to hurry up or they would be late for work.
Mummy said, “I do love him. he is a funny gentle man and I hope you two will be as lucky and find some one like your Daddy to marry when you grow up.”
Jenny and I looked at each other and could hardly contain ourselves from giggling at what Mummy had said. As far as Jennifer and I were concerned we had already found our future husbands, whether they knew it or not. Girls are allowed to do that 'cos we control the world. We got dressed in our uniforms and then Mummy had two daughters that needed to have their hair done, so she told us to comb each other's hair and she would put it into a loose plait with the school ribbons in it to hold it all in place. When she was finished we looked in the full length mirror and did some twirls and were satisfied that we looked ok. Mummy said she wanted to see our teacher and would drive us to school this morning but we could start riding our bikes tomorrow.
We arrived at the school and were greeted by our class-mates at the gate and were inundated with questions about every thing that happened to us in the last couple of weeks. Brenda and June were the most excited, They were at the funeral but didn't get a chance to talk to Jenny and I because we did not go to Jenny's home after the funeral, so we had a lot to catch up on. Mummy came back from talking with Peter Taylor and said, “I’ll see you girls this afternoon ok?” We said bye, and it was time to go to morning assembly on the parade ground.
Carla and Jenny
To be continued;
Next time: school holidays, Brisbane exhibition and getting closer to the wedding!!
Please leave a comment.
We arrived at the school and were greeted by our class-mates at the gate and were inundated with questions about every thing that happened to us in the last couple of weeks. Brenda and June were the most excited, They were at the funeral but didn't get a chance to talk to Jenny and I because we did not go to Jenny's home after the funeral, so we had a lot to catch up on. Mummy came back from talking with Peter Taylor and said, “I’ll see you girls this afternoon ok.” We said bye, and it was time to go to morning assembly on the parade ground.
27/7/ 59
Not a lot had changed; same pep talk, different things happening and talk about the August holidays coming up. We all filed into our classrooms and started our first lesson for the day. It had to be maths didn't it? Oh well life wasn't meant to be easy was it? The morning went fairly fast and lunch was a welcome break from the classroom. Of course Ricky and Billy had lunch with me and Jenny and we resumed our conversation from this morning. Ricky was interested in football. Billy played it too but he was more interested in the school choir and we started talking to Ricky to see if he would join the choir as well because we would be able to spend more time to together that way.
Ricky said, “I will join only because I would see more of you.” 'How sweet is that?' but I have heard him sing in church and he has a really nice voice so he will make a nice addition to the choir.
Billy said, “Great, the four of us will have a lot more time together and we can also practice after school.”
Ricky replied, “Lets not get carried away Billy, there is still footy you know.”
“Yeah, but girls are more interesting than footy any day Rick.”
“Well maybe but I still don’t want to give up my football either.”
Jenny said, “Ricky no-one is asking you to give up your precious football are they?”
“No, but.”
I was getting sick of this conversation and said, “Ricky, stop worrying about giving up football, the choir is at a different time anyway.”
“Oh is it? Well that's ok than.”
The bell rang and it was time to go back to the boring classroom and more of the same. It was really good to have Brenda and June sitting behind Jenny and I, because we could pass little notes between us as long as Mr Taylor didn't catch us doing it or we would end up being split up and that would never do!!!
The afternoon went fairly quickly. Us four girls walked out to the main gate and were gossiping when Ricky and Billy came and and asked us if we were going to the park this afternoon.
I said, “No Ricky, we have to do our homework before Mummy will let me and Jenny go anywhere.”
Ricky replied, “It was just a thought but you are right, me and Billy have home work to do too and seeing my Dad is the school principal I had better be good. Besides, Peter usually helps when we get stuck with a sticky maths problem.”
I said, “Don’t talk to me about maths, it's a dirty word.”
Billy replied “Yeah tell me about it.” Brenda and June both giggled at that and June said “I don’t know what you lot find so hard about maths, it's elementary dear Watson.”
We were all laughing when Mummy came walking across from the other side of the road where she had parked a brand new red and white Holden station wagon.
Ricky said, “Wow Mrs Croft, is that yours?”
Mummy replied, “Yes Ricky, do you like it?”
“Yeah, I wish Dad would buy a wagon like that.”
Mummy said, “Well Ricky, I needed to buy something to carry a lot of stuff in for the restaurant when I get stuff from the transport depot and railway yard.”
Ricky replied, “Yeah fair enough.”
We said bye to our friends and walked across the road and got into the new car which smelt of leather from the seats.
Mummy said, “Carla and Jenny, you have a little visitor at home that I want you to be extra nice to alright?”
“Who is it Mummy?” said Jenny, and I said, “I bet I know who it is.”
“Ok smarty pants who is it?”
I said, “Jean just told me ,so there.”
Jenny said, “Hey that's not fair sis.”
Mummy said, “Alright, it's a girl that is a boy that is a girl.”
Jenny looked at me and I nodded and said “You guessed it, it's Christine.”
Mummy said, “Jane has let her dress as a girl when she is not at school and she wants to ask you a few questions Carla.”
I said, ”Mummy, is she the same as me or is she like Samantha?”
Mummy replied, “I think she might be like you darling because Jim Ryan is sending her to Brisbane next week and because the school holidays start a week later it will give the doctors more time to spend with her doing all the same tests that you had done.”
“Ok Mummy” both Jenny and I said, and Mummy started the new car and drove home.
When we got home there was another car parked in the driveway and I said, “Mummy that’s Christine's Dad's car.”
“Yes well it would be would be wouldn't it? David and Shirley are here to thank you two officially for doing what you did on the river a few weeks ago or don’t you remember that far back?”
“Mummeeey!!! don’t be mean, all the things that have happened since then has made us forget some other things.”
“Ok, granted both of you have been to hell and back , all the more reason to be there for another little girl with gender problems.”
”Mummy, they are not gender problems, just plumbing problems.”
“Ok Carla you win.”
Mummy parked the new station wagon next to the much older Ford and we got our school bags out of the back of the wagon and went up the front steps to be nearly knocked back down by an over-active Ginger. I patted her and gave her a hug and Jenny did the same.
Mummy said “Don’t get your school uniforms dirty girls.”
“Yes Mummy err no Mummy.” We walked inside to the lounge and were greet by Mr and Mrs Jackson and a girl that looked a lot like she was a twin of Kenny. Trying to be funny as per my usual self I said, “Where’s Kenny? Are you his sister?”
Christine sat there with a grin from ear to ear and said, “It's me Carla, Kenny”
I said, “No Christine, it is you always you, not Kenny.” and I went and gave her a hug.
Then Jenny did the same and said, “Hi sis, I like what you are wearing.”
Christine's Mum and Dad just sat there with tears forming in their eyes and David Jackson said, “I told you they were two angels sent to us from above didn't I?”
Mummy said, “I don’t know about angels, but they can take Christine to their bedroom and get changed out of their school clothes.”
Before we left the lounge, Christine’s Dad gave Jenny and myself a hug and said, “When you have changed you clothes I need you to come outside and see something.” We looked at Christine and she just shrugged her shoulders and walked past us on the way to our bedroom.
When we got to our room Jenny and I pushed Christine onto the bed and started to tickle her but Mummy was at the door and said, “I knew you two would do that and no, she is not allowed to tell you anything so let her up of the bed you monsters.”
“Yes Mummy.”
“Christine, don't tell them anything. They will just have to hurry up and get changed and we will see you in a couple of minutes ok?”
“Yes Mrs Croft.”
Mummy left and we said “Christine, we owe you a good tickle ok?”
She said, “Ok, but you will have to run pretty fast. I won the last race at school sports the other day.”
We got changed into jeans and long sleeved tops and we pulled the school ribbons out of our hair and let if loose which felt good. Jenny’s and my hair was really long now and it was getting a bit of chore to comb and get ready for school of a morning so Mummy usually put it in a plait and that lasted for about three days till we had to wash it, but I didn't want it cut because Ricky liked it long and so did I and I wanted to have it long for Mummy's wedding the next month.
Anyway we went back to where the adults were discussing what they were going to do to help Christine with her little problem but all went quiet when we entered the room.
Christine’s Dad said, “Oh you're back! Ok then, lets go and see what the surprise is girls.”
Christine grabbed Jenny's and my hand and we went out into Daddy's shed. We walked into where the Jackson's boat was still parked which they were going to tow home today.
When we walked around the other side of the boat there was something under a tarpaulin. Christine pulled us over to the tarpaulin and lifted it up and pulled it back in one go. Both me and Jenny stood there with our mouths open looking at two brand new Malvern Star bikes with three speed hubs and handle-bar brakes. It was a rare sight to see gears on a girl's bike so it must have been a special order.
“Wow!” said Jenny and me at the same time.
Christine said “I got one too and it's also a girls bike.”
I said, “Yeah so!!”
She replied “I wont be able to ride it yet till I get all my paper work sorted out by Father Brian and that could take a couple of months yet because I have to go for some tests in Brisbane.”
I replied, “Yeah tell me about it, but don’t wait till you have a period like I did.”
Christine's Mum said, “Carla, we don’t know how much like you Christine is but we are going to find out in the school holidays, and if all goes well we can make arrangements to have any surgery done after that.”
Mummy interrupted and said, “Carla, she hasn't been on any hormone treatment like you were, so she hasn't been speeding up her puberty like you did.”
I replied “Oh I didn't think of that, sorry.”
Christine's Mum said “That's ok dear, now how about you and Jenny get these new bikes out of here and try out the gears?”
Before we did that, both Jenny and I gave Mr Jackson a double hug. We thanked him and said he didn't have to give us new bikes for saving his life.
Mr Jackson replied “The fact remains that you two did in fact save my life, and these bikes are the least I can do. Besides, you can go riding with my daughter as soon as we can sort out some of the legal and medical problems that are in front of us.”
Mummy said “David, if Christine is the same as Carla than there should be no real problems medically or legally especially if Brian is handling the legal side of things.”
Anyway we left the adults to carry on with their conversation and got the new bikes out to try out the gears, Christine grabbed one of our old bikes and joined us for a ride down the road. The bikes had lights and everything as well as a little tool bag hanging off the seat. The lights would come on when the dynamo thingy was clicked onto the bike tyre. There are no real hills in Quilpie but it is still nice to have gears on a bike so we tried out all three gears and found that number two gear is the most comfortable one to use.
We didn't go too far because it was getting late and we still had home work to do before dinner time, so we turned around and went back home. We put the bikes back in the shed and went into the house where all the adults were in the lounge. Daddy and Rita were home as well.
Mummy said, “Well! How are the new bikes girls?”
I said “We'll be able to ride for hours without getting tired with those gears.”
Jenny said “Well one hour anyway.” Everyone laughed at that, and Jenny said, “What'd I say?”
Christine replied, “Jenny you are almost as funny as Carla.”
I said, “Hey watch it. I still owe you a good tickling don’t forget.”
Mummy said, “Right girls - homework!! and take Christine with you because she has her school books with her as well, because she and her parents are staying for dinner tonight. Now off you go.”
“Yes Mummy.” Jenny and I replied. “Come on Christine, how much homework do you have?”
Christine said, “I only have a bit of reading to do it shouldn't take very long.”
Jenny and I had some maths homework and when Christine saw what we were doing she said, “Maths is my favourite subject. I can give you a hand if you like.”
She was one year older than us and was in grade six., so she was more advanced than me or Jenny and we were both lousy at maths, so I said, “If you can help us you can move in with us if you want.”
At that we a had a giggling fit, which brought Mummy to the door and she said, “I hope you girls are not just mucking up and doing your homework, because dinner will be in about ten minutes ok?” We stopped giggling and finished our home work with Christine's help.
Christine said, “I'm going to hate switching back to boy's clothes for school tomorrow but I guess I’ll have to be careful or I might get bashed up if I go to school looking all girly.”
Jenny said, “Well it's only another week and it's school holidays so hang in there girl.”
Rita came to our bedroom and said, “Ok you lot, time to come and have dinner so go wash your hands and come into the dining room.”
We usually ate at the kitchen table but when we had guests we ate in the dining room where there was a big old oak table that would seat ten people. It belonged to Daddy's parents and was at least a hundred years old. Dinner was steak and kidney pie with veggie’s on the side. Mummy had brought it home from the restaurant so all she had to do was the vegetables and it was done. Desert was custard slices with fresh cream and cinnamon sprinkled over the top.
''Yummy!'' Christine said, “Wow Mrs Croft are all your meals this good?”
Daddy replied, “You betcha kid.”
Anyway after dinner Christine and her parents went home and we all helped to clear up and went to into the lounge. Mummy, Daddy and Rita were going to watch a movie on the telly so Jenny and I said good night and went to our bedroom. Jenny and I weren’t ready to go to sleep yet so we decided to make contact with Jean.
I said, “Ok Jenny, you know what to do.” so we got under the covers and held hands and closed our eyes.
Jean was already there on the bed with us and I said, “Jean, I didn’t have to call you at all. Are you now ready any time we want to talk with you?”
Jean replied, “Yes sister of mine, and as long as you keep your eyes closed you will see me as though I am right here with you, but my voice is still only in your mind but you can speak to me with your normal voice.”
Jenny then asked, “Jean, where is my Mummy now?”
Jean replied, “She is not on the same spirit plane as me but she is happy where she is and she sends her love to you Jenny.”
I said “Jean, are you with me all the time now time?”
”Yes I am Carla, and you can't do anything without me knowing so you are stuck with me for life. Now why don’t you two go to sleep? I need to rest too you know.”
“Ok Sis, goodnight,” and the image of Jean sitting on our bed faded as she blew us both a kiss. We were asleep within seconds. I thought Jean could control a lot of the things that I did, so I better behave my self or I would get zapped.
The rest of the week went by fairly quickly, and it was Friday afternoon when we had just ridden home from school when we saw Christine sitting on the front steps of our house dressed in her girl clothes with her new bike leaning up against the wall. She was wearing a denim skirt and a long sleeve pink flannel shirt and her hair was not as long as ours yet but it was long enough to be put into a short pony tail which she had put a pink ribbon in. I thought she must be another pink freak like me.
We rode our bikes right up to where she was sitting and I said, “Christine what are you doing here, didn't you go to school today?”
She replied, “Yeah, but I had an appointment with Doc Ryan at lunch time and by the time that was over it was two o'clock so I decided to come for a ride to see you two, and Mummy said that I could stay for the weekend if it was ok with your Mum.”
I said, “Is Mummy home, because if not I will give her a ring at the restaurant and ask her right now.” I should have looked in the shed because the new station wagon was parked in there so she must be home. Duhh!!!
Christine giggled and said, “Sorry, I should have said it was ok with your Mum, because I have brought a bag with me with clothes for the weekend and also my school homework so we can do our home work together again.”
Jenny said, “Great, more bloody homework.”
Mummy said from inside the house, “Hoy, I heard that young lady. No swearing thank you very much.”
“Sorry Mummy, it just slipped out.” By this time Mummy was at the door and said, “Alright Carla, Jenny, out of your school clothes and Christine you come with me and we'll make some pancakes while they are changing.”
We all ended up in the kitchen having pancakes with treacle spread in between two put together, and hot chocolate milk to wash them down. While we were all talking at once, Mummy said, “Ok girls, quieten down for a minute and let me get a word in edgewise please.” We were all quiet and looked at Mummy to see what she had to tell us.
Mummy said, “Jenny, we have all the paperwork back from Father Brian and it is all signed ready to be mailed to the government department for us to be your foster parents. What do think about that young lady?”
Jenny got up and practically fell into Mummy's arms with tears in her eyes and said, “Does that make you my new Mummy now?”
Mummy replied, “Well legally I am your guardian, but you can call me Mummy any time you want sweetheart.”
After we finished cleaning up the mess we made making the pancakes, we got on our bikes and went for a ride before it got dark, and Ginger enjoyed running along behind us. Christine wasn't going back to school now till after the school holidays because she was going to Brisbane to have all the necessary tests done to sort out her little problem. I thought we might also be in Brisbane the first week of the holidays for the Brisbane exhibition which lasts for a whole week. We would probably stay with Samantha and her Mum again. It would be fun to see Sam again, she was a good friend and was also transgendered but not intersexed like me, but she was all girl just the same.
The week-end was spent with us three girls having a lot of fun dressing in all the different clothes that Jenny and I now had hanging in an overcrowded closet. Christine was a year older than Jenny and me but she was the same size as us so she could pick anything that took her fancy and try it on. Christine's Dad picked her up on Sunday night and we said we would probably see her in Brisbane a week later when we were at Sam's place.
Monday 3/8/59
Back at school for one more week and then yippeee two weeks off, and going to the show in Brisbane. This would be my first time at the show.
Jenny said, “Carla, you will love it. There is so much to see and the rides are wild! There is one that is called 'The Octopus' and it whirls around on these long arms and the thing you sit in spins as well. I was sick last year when I got off and threw up all over another kid. The kid's Mum didn't think it was very funny though.”
The week dragged on till Friday and then it was time to pack and get ready to fly down to Brisbane with Rodney and his new plane.
To be continued.
Next time: Back to school and getting ready to fly to Brisbane for the show.
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Monday 3/8/59
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back at school for one more week and then yippeee two weeks off, and going to the show in Brisbane. This would be my first time at the show.
Jenny said, “Carla, you will love it. There is so much to see and the rides are wild! There is one that is called 'The Octopus' and it whirls around on these long arms and the thing you sit in spins as well. I was sick last year when I got off and threw up all over another kid. The kid's Mum didn't think it was very funny though.”
The week dragged on till Friday and then it was time to pack and get ready to fly down to Brisbane with Rodney and his new plane.
Friday 7/8/59
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Mummy rang Samantha’s Mum, Mary to tell her that me and Jenny were coming down to stay with her for a few days and she would come herself a couple of days later. It was the last day before the school holidays so you can imagine that there was not a lot of learning going on, but I don’t think the teachers were too worried as long as we didn't muck up too much!!!
We got all our school books and stuffed them into the bags and went to where our bikes were kept and Brenda and June were there and said they were going to Cairns with their parents for the two weeks, so we all hugged and said our good byes. As we were walking to the main gates pushing our bikes because we were not allowed to ride on the school grounds Ricky and Billy were there waiting to say goodbye to us because they were not going anywhere for the holidays.
Ricky said “Carla, can you bring me back a couple of show bags?” and Billy asked Jenny to do the same for him. We both agreed to bring back a bag each for the boys, but we were only allowed to have so much stuff to bring back because there is a weight limit on a smaller plane.
We walked down the road a little bit still pushing our bikes. When we were out of sight of the school we stopped and leaned our bikes against a tree that had a bench under it, and all four of us sat down to say bye properly. We were holding hands for a bit and Ricky said, “Carla, I wish I was coming with you to Brisbane, but Mum said maybe next year when she has more money saved up.”
He looked at me with his beautiful blue eyes and said, “love you Carla.”
I pulled him into a hug and kissed him right on the lips and could feel Jean putting some sort of energy between us. It gave me and Ricky a tingling feeling all over.
Jean said in my mind, “Tell him the tingling is from me sis.”
I opened my eyes and saw Ricky had tears in his.
I said, “Ricky I will always be yours, and Jean said the tingle is from her.”
All Ricky could say was, “Wow Carla, life with you will be special won't it?”
While this was going on Billy and Jenny were having fun off their own saying 'goodbye'. Just as well there was no one else around or we would have some explaining to do. Once we were finished with our goodbyes we got on our bikes and rode home with weak knees from kissing the boys. We both giggled and were wondering what the boys felt like after we kissed them.
We got home, put our bikes in the shed and went inside to put all our school things away for the two weeks and change out of our school uniforms. No one else was home yet so we made ourselves some pancakes and sat in the lounge and turned on the telly and Bandstand was on with Little Patty and the Bee Gees.
We didn't have long to wait and Mummy was home and had us cleaning up our bedroom which was getting untidy, with us pulling out all the clothes when Christine was over. We let her borrow about half a dozen outfits as long as when she started getting her own wardrobe together we could start swapping outfits with her. With the three of us being the same size apart from Christine who had no breast development yet, it would give us a big range of clothes to chose from. Anyway we hung all the clothes back where they belonged so Mummy wouldn't be cross with us.
Mummy said. “Right girls, I want you both to get out your travel bags and pack enough clothes to last you for a week and make sure you pack your jeans because it can get quite cold in Brisbane in August with a westerly wind blowing. You will be flying down in Rodney’s plane with Christine and her mother.”
I said, “Is Christine going to the show too Mummy?”
She replied, “I doubt it, seeing you will not get to Brisbane till lunch time on Sunday, and then have to take a cab to get to Mary's place.”
I said, “Where is Christine staying?”
“She and Jane will be staying with you at Samantha’s place because it is so close to the Mater, and Mary offered to put them up while they were in Brisbane so you will be able to support Christine, at least for the first week but she will be down there at least for two weeks.”
“Mummy do you think that they will do any surgery on her?” asked Jenny.
Mummy replied, “No sweetheart, there are a lot of tests to do before any surgery can take place. Just ask Carla, I’m sure she can fill you in on what Christine has to endure, after all she went through it all to be complete.”
I said, “Yeah, but I hope she doesn't have a wild ride to the hospital like I did.”
Mummy replied, “Oh Carla that reminds me, you are due to have another period any day now so I want you to make sure you are not caught short and have a pack of pads packed ok?”
I replied, “Oh yukky, I don’t like them Mummy, I hope I don’t get any more of those horrible cramps.”
Mummy replied, “I don’t think that is going to happen this time darling. Don’t forget you are now a complete girl so you should not have any problems.”
Jenny said, “When do you think I will have my first period Mummy.”
“Well darling I don’t know, but the only reason Carla got hers was the extra hormones she was taking, so you might not have your first period for another couple of years, I didn't get mine till I was twelve years old.”
Jenny said, “Oh but my breasts are growing as fast as Carla’s so I might get them while I'm in Brisbane too.”
Mummy replied, “Well if that happens, you and Carla can complain about it to each other can't you.”
Mummy said, “Enough talk and start packing so we can have productive day tomorrow.”
Jenny said, “What about Mrs Blake? We really should go and see her and make sure she is ok and do her shopping for her Mummy.”
Mummy replied, “All arranged Jenny, we are going there at nine in the morning and while you two girls do some house work for her I will take her to the shops to do her grocery shopping, and by the way you will have a little extra help because Christine is going to stay over tomorrow as well.”
I said, “Is Christine coming over tonight?”
”Yes, she'll be here soon. Her mum will be dropping her over to leave all the travel gear for the trip to Brisbane. We'll get your Uncle Tony to drop you all out to the aerodrome on Sunday morning, because I want to get some extra cooking done at the restaurant before I join you in Brisbane.”
I said, “Where is Daddy going to be on Sunday morning?”
“Daddy is going over to the Lutheran church to help with a stall selling second hand tools and things to put some money into the Christmas charity box fund.”
I replied, “Won't Father Brian be upset with that?”
“Carla, Father Brian is only with the church till they find a replacement for him, so no, he wont be upset with your Daddy doing charity work for the church that he now belongs to.”
“Oh ok then Mummy, Daddy likes to help other people doesn't he?”
“Yes sweetheart, I think you have infected him with your personality, but he is a very caring man, that’s why I am marrying him, and he also loves you kids to bits.”
Ten minutes later Christine's mum pulled up in the driveway got out of the car and opened the trunk to bring all the bags into the house.
Christine was half way up the steps when her mum said, “Hoy girl, come back here and carry some of this stuff to the house.”
Christine ran back to the car and said, “Sorry Mummy.”
By this time Jenny and I were there as well and helped carry the travel luggage into the house. Christine was so excited to be going to Brisbane that it was hard for her to be still for any length of time.
Mummy was watching her and said, “Christine sweetheart, slow down or you will bust a poofo valve.”
Christine's Mum said, “Donna she'll slow down when she sees the the needles they use to draw some blood from her arm.”
Christine's Mum left and would be back on Sunday morning.
Mummy said, “Girls, take Christine to your bedroom and make sure the three of you have everything in the bags for the trip. I’ll call you when dinner is ready, now off you go.”
We spent the next hour talking about Brisbane and the show. Christine said that she would be able to go to the show on Peoples' Day because it is a public holiday for Brisbane and there won't be any test to do at the Mater hospital.
We were dancing and having a group hug when Rita came into the room and said, “What is all the excitement about?”
We all said in unison, “The show.”
Rita said, “Oh is that all, well dinner is ready so come out to the kitchen and we can eat.”
We had our dinner, watched a bit of telly and all three of us went to have a shower. We all fitted into the shower and then Christine wanted to have a look at what I looked like now that I am a regular girl between my legs.
I said, “Sure Chrissy, I hope they find that you are the same as me and you have all the girl bits inside.”
She replied, “Well I know that I don’t have any testicles down there and my willy is no bigger than my little finger.” and she was crooking her little pinky at us and we all had to sit down in the shower because we were giggling that hard.
Daddy said outside the door, “Hey kids, leave me some hot water will you!!
“Yes Daddy we''ll be out in a minute.” We stopped giggling and wrapped towels around us and ran into our bedroom, and put on some winter pyjamas and got into my large queen size bed. We put Christine in the middle.
Jenny said, “Carla, Christine hasn't seen what we can do with Jean,-- will we see if she can also see Jean like I can when I hold your hand and keep my eyes closed?”
I replied, “Ok, lets get under the covers and cuddle up close and hold hands.”
I said “Christine, you have to keep your eyes closed and don’t let go of my hand or it wont work, ok?”
Jean was already sitting on the bed in her beautiful gown smiling and said, “Hello girls, this is getting easier every time we do this.”
Christine almost let go of my hand but I tightened my grip and said, “Christine can you see my twin?”
Christine replied, “Which one is which? You both look the same”
Jean said, “You can obviously see and hear me if you are seeing double.”
“Wow this is unreal.”
“No Christine it is completely real, who do you think helped save your Daddy?” replied Jean.
Christine was getting the same tremble in her chest as Jenny did when she first saw Jean so we had to cut it short and Jean blew us a kiss and faded till she was gone.
Christine said, “Carla she looks exactly like you and even sounds like you.”
Jenny said, “Well they are identical twins after all.” We talked a bit more and went to sleep in a three way cuddle.
We were up bright and early and had breakfast.
Mummy said, “Seeing it's only seven am you should go for a ride on your bikes and take Ginger for a run because we won't be home for the next week and she needs the exercise.”
We didn't need to be told twice, so we were on our bikes and riding down the road in the icy cold morning. There was a heavy white frost on the ground and it made everything look pretty, but another hour and the sun would melt it all and then all that is left is the dead winter grass. We got back and had a cup of hot chocolate milk before we went with Mummy to Mrs Blake's house.
When we got there the yard had all been mowed and I said to Mummy, “Has someone else been coming around to help Mrs Blake out?”
“Yes Carla,--you know that man you call Daddy, well he is a bit like you sweetheart and has a heart made off sweet gold.”
“Yes Mummy I know and I am so glad that I have his name now, and after the wedding will you want to have a baby with Daddy?”
Mummy replied, “Darling I can’t have any more babies. Apart from being too old, after I had you and Jean I went to Charleville and had my tubes tied.”
I said “Well that's alright Mummy, me and Ricky will have at least six babies after we get married.”
Jenny and Christine were giggling and Christine said “I hope I’m like you Carla and can have babies too.”
Mummy said “Ok girls, enough talk about babies, lets get out of the car and see what we can do for Mrs Blake.
Mummy took Mrs Blake to the shops and we three girls did the house work that was required and put a couple of loads of washing in the machine and hung the clothes on the line. When Mummy came back we helped put away all the shopping and said goodbye to Mrs Blake telling her we will see her after we come back from Brisbane.
She gave us a hug each and said with a tear in her eyes, “You girls are little angels and Carla, I am so sorry that that boy of mine attacked you, I just hope they can straighten him out.”
Mummy pulled into the restaurant and said, “Seeing you girls have got everything ready for tomorrow, you can help me in the restaurant kitchen for a few hours so we can give Rita and Bella a break. Linda and Alice have the day off so with the three of you helping it will make it a lot easier for me to get things done.”
Mummy gave each of us a different job to do and after two and a half hours said, “Ok that's it - we're finished.” just as Rita and Aunty Bella walked in from going to the hairdressers.
Rita said, “Well that's good timing isn't it Aunt Bella?”
Mummy said, “Well Rita, we'll leave you with it and I’ll get these girls home and something to eat and they can have a rest for the rest of the day.”
We got home and were all tired from all the work that we had done. Mummy made us some sandwiches and after we ate them we went and laid down and had a nap which lasted till three o’clock in the afternoon. We spent the rest of Saturday watching some telly and looking at the brochures of the Brisbane exhibition that Mummy got sent in the mail.
Sunday 9/8/59
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We had to be at the aerodrome at eight thirty so we had to get up, have a shower and breakfast by eight am. It wasn't a problem, we were all set to go by seven forty five when Christine's Mum and Dad turned up. Mrs Jackson only had a small bag with her because most of her things are in the bags that she brought over on Friday afternoon.
Mr Jackson got out of the car and went and knelt down to give his new daughter a hug and said “Christine angel, I wish I could be in Brisbane with you but there are some things that I have to see to here at home, but you have your Mummy and two little angels there to support you.” Then he kissed Christine on both cheeks and it looked like he was about to cry when Christine said, “Daddy I love you and we can ring you every day.” He gave Mrs Jackson a kiss and got in his car and drove off getting his handkerchief out to wipe his eyes.
Uncle Tony turned up and got all our stuff stacked into his Land Rover and said, “Ok lets get this show on the road.”
Mummy gave each of us girls a hug and a kiss and said, “I will see you in a couple of days so be good for Jane and when you get to Brisbane be good for Mary too.” We waved and were on our way to Rodney's plane, and Uncle Tony helped load everything into the planes cargo hold
We got on board and Christine was a bit nervous because she had never been in a plane before, and she said, “I don’t know how these things stay up in the air - it looks awful heavy.”
I said, “Don’t worry Christine, Jean will be there to greet us if we crash.”
She just made big eyes and grabbed my hand and said, “Carla that's not very funny.”
Rodney heard what was going on and said, “Carla you mustn’t scare my flying public like that.” with a wink and a grin on his face.
Jane said, “Christine darling, they are all just pulling your leg. We are probably safer in Rodney's plane then in a car on the highway.”
Jenny said, “Yeah, Mummy died like that.” Another five minutes and we were air born and on our way to the big smoke once more.
To be continued.
Next time: the show, more on Christine, and back home to get ready for the big day!!
Rodney's twin engine Cessna
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We got on board and Christine was a bit nervous because she had never been in a plane before, and she said, “I don’t know how these things stay up in the air - it looks awful heavy.”
I said, “Don’t worry Christine, Jean will be there to greet us if we crash.”
She just made big eyes and grabbed my hand and said, “Carla, that's not very funny.”
Rodney heard what was going on and said, “Carla you mustn’t scare my flying public like that.” with a wink and a grin on his face.
Jane said, “Christine darling, they are all just pulling your leg. We are probably safer in Rodney's plane then in a car on the highway.”
Jenny said, “Yeah, Mummy died like that.” Another five minutes and we were air born and on our way to the big smoke once more.
~~~ooooo000000oooo~~~~
Christine was amazed at what the earth looked like from high up and how far you could see into the horizon. I was sitting beside Rodney and he let me take control of the plane. I want to eventually get a pilots licence but I had to wait till I was fifteen before I could officially be trained to fly, but whenever I flew with Rodney he always let me take over the controls so by the time I am fifteen I’d be really good at it and would pass my tests real easy. He said that apparently I had the feel for the plane. Mind you he kept a close eye on me while I had control. Archerfield came into sight and Rodney radioed the control tower and got permission to land. The landing strip was gravel and when the wheels hit the runway it was quite noisy and bumpy till the plane started to taxi to where the buildings were.
It was eleven forty five by the time we were outside the building with all our bags and waiting for a taxi to take us to Samantha's place in the city. I had given Shirley the phone number of Debbie and she made the call while we were still in the building so it wasn't to long before Debbie pulled up in her black and white cab.
She got out and said, “Hello Carla, it's nice to see you again, I take it you will want to go to your friends place again?”
I replied “Yep, sure do Debbie.” I then introduced her to Christine and her Mum Shirley, she already knew Jenny from our last trip.
We all got into Debbie's cab and Debbie asked, Carla what about your Mum? Why isn’t she with you this time?”
I replied, “She'll be down in a couple of days, you'll probably get to take her into town as well.”
We arrived out front of the apartment building that was getting to be familiar to me. Jenny and I went to the main entrance and pressed the buzzer up to Samantha’s flat so she could unlock the security door that led into the main foyer into the building.
The intercom crackled and Sam's voice said, “It's open Carla, come on up.” That was our cue to grab our bags and go through the doors into where the lift is.
Christine said, “Wow this is a classy place, it has a lift and everything.” Jenny replied, “Chrissie there are also stairs if you prefer to walk but it is three floors up.” and then we got into the lift.
When we arrived at the door of Sam's flat she was standing out in the hall ready to greet us with a big hug and a kiss. She kissed me a bit longer and it gave me a tingling feeling down my spine much the same I get when Ricky kisses me like that, I could also hear Jean say, “Wow Carla that was nice.”
We walked into the apartment and Mary was in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on shepherd's pie.
I said, “Aunt Mary, this is Christine and her Mum Shirley.”
Mary replied with a big smile and said, “Samantha's been talking all week about you coming, - I’m pleased to meet you. Make yourselves at home and I will get Samantha to set the table and we can all sit down and have some lunch.”
The shepherd's pie was delicious and we even had ice cream and strawberries for desert. We girls put our things into Sam's room. Because there were four of us, there was a camp bed set up in her bedroom and there would be a short straw contest to see who slept on the stretcher that night.
Christine and her Mum went for a walk with Mary down to the Mater to fill out some paper work to save a bit of time tomorrow, so we decided to catch up on what had been happening in Quilpie and talked about the upcoming wedding because Sam and Mary would be there for the weekend. When the others came home it was getting late and Mary said she would order in Chinese take away.
Once we were finished our evening meal we watched a bit of telly till it was time to go to bed. Tomorrow would be quite full on all day because us three girls were going to the exhibition by ourselves.
Christine drew the short straw and had to sleep on the camp bed. We talked into the night and I was in the middle between Jenny and Sam. I was spooning Jenny and Sam was spooning me. I felt Sam’s hand on my now growing breasts and it felt really good so I just let her keep doing it.
I started to feel a strange tingling in my groin and thought that I should not let it go any further because a girl on girl thing wasn't what I wanted so I grabbed her hand and gently pulled it away from my chest even though it felt nice. I think I would rather have Ricky doing something like that to me. Once I removed her hand she just went back to a normal cuddle, Jenny didn't notice anything that was happening and we were soon all asleep.
Monday 10/8/59
In the morning when I got up to go and have a pee, Sam followed me out and said, “Carla, I’m sorry if I upset you last night by touching your breasts. Please don't be mad at me.”
I replied, “Sam it felt nice, but I am not into girls that way.”
She replied, “Ok Carla, it wont happen again. Please don't tell anyone that I like girls in that way.”
We went back into the bedroom. I love Sam as a friend and always will. One day she will find someone that will be the same as her, but I am only interested in being with boys that way. It was still only early so we crawled back into bed and went back to sleep.
When I woke up I was in bed by myself and also didn't feel that well and had stomach cramps. Oh no!! I didn't want my periods yet. Damn!
Mary poked her head around the door and said, “Hello sleepy head, do you want some breakfast? The others have all gone for a walk.” I
said, “Aunty Mary I think I have got my period coming because I’ve got those silly cramps again.”
She replied, “Oh well, it happens to the best of us Carla. Pop into the shower and take some pads in with you and then you can have some breakfast.”
I felt a bit better after the shower and I certainly needed the pads, yukky. Four days of this and going to the show. Oh well, such is the life of a woman. I got dressed in a denim skirt and warm top and put my hair into a pony tail. I didn't feel like doing much at all really but I’ was there so I had better make the best of it.
I went out into the kitchen and Mary had made me a plate of porridge and she said, “Cheer up girl, you're not sick. tThis happens once a month for the next forty years and the only time you wont have to put up with periods is when you fall pregnant.”
I replied, “Well I don’t want kids till I can fly a plane so I don’t have to stay in the bush and lose a baby like Mummy did with Jean.”
Mary replied, “Carla you are funny sometimes with how you put things. I can just see you with a big tummy and getting in your own plane and flying yourself to the city to have your child.”
I said, “Besides, I will have Ricky to look after me. He is such a gentleman around me Aunty Mary.”
She came and gave me a hug and said, “Sweetheart, don't ever change will you!!”
I replied, “No, I will just get bigger but I won't change.”
The others come back from their walk and Jenny said, “Oh my god she is up!”
I said “Don't you start or I will let take over with these periods for a week.”
She said, “Oh no, will you be alright?” which made Mary and Christine’s Mum laugh out loud and Jenny said, “What!!”
Mary said “Never mind Jenny, she is not sick, periods are not a sickness it is just normal living for a girl.”
I said, “Can we please change the subject now.”
Jenny said, “Sorry sis, I wont mention it again.”
Christine and her Mum had to be at the hospital to see Doc Rose at ten so they had a cup of tea and went on their way. Mary started her shift at the hospital at eleven, so me, Jenny and Samantha got yourselves ready to go to the show. We all wore sand-shoes so we wouldn't get sore feet from all the walking around the show grounds. We took coats as well because it was August and the Westerly wind was blowing as usual. We went down to the street and waited for the next tram to come along. It took only five minutes and we were on a tram and on our way to the exhibition grounds.
Mary had got us all free passes so it didn't cost us any money to get in. I wasn't really that interested in going onto many rides because I really wasn't feeling up to being hurled around in a hurdy-gurdy, so I talked the others into looking at all the displays in the pavilions instead. We saw all the animals that won first prize in their category. I liked the chickens and birds the best. Jenny and Sam liked the lambs, and then we went to where they had the wool display because that is where the fashion parade was taking place every couple of hours. We sat through a couple of those and had enough for the day so we caught a tram into the middle of the city and looked through the shops.
There were school kids everywhere because it was school holidays and the kids that didn't go to the show went into town to look at the shops. By the time we looked at more clothes shops I was feeling the worse for wear and said to Sam “I need to go home and lay down” because I ended up getting a headache so we caught another tram and went home. I felt like a bit of a stick in the mud but I really didn't feel well at all.
We arrived back at the apartment and Christine and her Mum were back from the day spent at the hospital getting tests done, Christine had little band aids on her arms where the vampires stuck their teeth in to make her give gallons of blood. She was just as tired as me and said she just wanted to lay down for a while.
Sam and Jenny turned on the telly but Christine and myself went into the bedroom to have a rest. I asked Christine what she had found out so far and she replied, “Carla they did a lot of tests and a lot of pictures were taken and also some funny thing that they rubbed over my tummy and it had a screen that showed some sort of distorted image. It just looked like a lot of lines to me but Doc Rose said that it looked the same as what you looked like.”
I replied, “Chrissie, join the club girl.”
She said, “Do you really think I am like you sis?”
I replied “Chrissie, if Rose says you are like me then that is what you are, and you will have to go to Sydney to be opened up so you can have periods like I am having now.”
She said, “Wow, that means I will be able to be a mummy as well doesn't it?”
“Yeah I suppose so, but Chrissie, don’t go on about it in front of Sam because she is not like us. I mean she is, but not intersexed so she hasn't got the inside of a girl like we have.”
“Oh I see what you mean Carla, ok I’ll watch what I say in front of her.”
I then said, “There is one more thing you should know as well sis.”
“Ok, what is that?”
“Well it's a bit hard to explain but she likes girls.”
“Yeah so do I.”
“No sis, she likes girls!!!!”
“Oh!! Um, but what happens now?”
“Nothing, I just thought I’d warn you that's all.”
“Ok well, she is still our friend though isn't she?”
“Yes of course, it wont make any difference to our friendship. There are plenty of girls that like girls in that way, I’m just not one of them. Ricky is the one for me and one day I will marry him and have babies.” Christine and I didn't have a sleep but just lay there on the bed chatting till it was time for dinner.
Later that night when it was bed time Sam said she would sleep on the camp bed so she would not embarrass us. She had already told Jenny about what happened between us this morning and didn't want to ruin our friendship because she was a lesbian. We had a group hug and all was well.
Tuesday11/8/59
Christine had to spend some more time at the hospital; Mary went to work, and we decided not to go to the show today because Mummy was turning up by lunch time and she would take us clothes shopping that afternoon when Christine was finished at the hospital. Apparently the test would be finished by midday so there would be plenty of time for us to go to the shops and help Christine's Mum spend some money on her new daughter.
Sam decide we should do some baking, so we got busy and baked about five dozen cup cakes and we topped them with icing and sprinkled them with hundred and thousands. By the time Mummy arrived we had lunch all ready as well.
The buzzer went to open the main door and Mummy's voice came through the intercom speaker, and she said, “I hope you have lunch ready for five more people?”
Sam said, “What!!?” but Mummy was already on her way up. There was a knock on the apartment door and Sam opened it. There was Mummy, Helen, Ricky, and Billy standing in the hall with big grins on their faces.
I squealed and and so did Jenny. We both raced out into the hall and practically knocked them over hugging them and of course we made a mistake and kissed them on the lips when Mummy said, “Ok girls, hugs would have been enough.”
“Yes Mummy.” Ricky and Billy didn't know what to say and just kept hugging us when Helen said, “Isn't young love great Donna?”
Mummy replied, “Yes but we will have to keep an eye on this lot.”
It worked out that Helen decided to come down to the show after all and bring Ricky and Billy down to have some fun with their girlfriends, ''um friends''. They were going to stay at a motel just a couple of blocks away. Five minutes later Christine and her mum arrived back from the hospital so it was a bit of a squeeze in the apartment. Mummy and Helen had brought some take away with them, so there was plenty of food to go around. Jenny and I decided to go with Christine to the shops and help spend her Mum's money and see if Mummy was going to spend some on us as well.
Jenny's Dad has given Mummy quite a bit of money to look after her, so I think that was half the reason that Mummy has come down to Brisbane as well. Sam, Ricky, Billy and Helen were off to the show while we went shopping in the city department stores. Tomorrow was a public show day holiday for Brisbane so no shops would be open then, and I thought we will all go to the show on People's Day.
Mummy, Shirley, Jenny and I took Chrissie shopping, as a girl!! She has to learn that shopping is more important than going to any show! By the time we were finished we had too much stuff to go back to the apartment by tram and had to call Debbie to take us home.
Debbie turned up in her black and white cab and got out to open up the trunk and said, “My god ladies, did you leave any stock in the shops?”
Chrissie had a big grin on her face and said, “A girl needs to have a brand new wardrobe.”
Debbie replied, “Does that mean what I think it does?”
Chrissie looked at me and didn't quite know how to answer that, so I just said, “Debbie, she is one of us.”
Debbie replied, “Oh ok darling, join the club.”
The others were still at the show when we got home so it was fashion show time and as Chrissie was the same size as me and Jenny less a little bit in the chest, we tried on all the clothes that were bought. The others had their food at the show so there was no need to do any extra cooking. Sam was dropped off and the others went to their motel for the night .
We waited for Mary to come home from work before we set the table and had our evening meal. Later Shirley explained all about what the results of the tests so far had revealed and Chrissie was in fact like me and intersexed which meant she was ninety nine percent girl and with a little bit of surgery she would be complete like me.
Wednesday 12/8 /50
Peoples Day at the show is ok, but it means that all of Brisbane and half the state of Queensland are trying to squeeze into area the size of one city block, and being the bushies that we are we didn't last any more than four hours before we went back to the apartment out of the noise and dust. Even the boys had had enough and came back with us on the a tram. Chrissie had two more days of tests and she could go home. Rodney’s plane could accommodate us, because that made it five and the pilot plus luggage. If Rodney thought the luggage was too heavy it could come back with Helen and the boys the following week. They were staying a bit longer to do some sight-seeing, Billy had never been to Brisbane, so this was his opportunity to see the big bad city. Mummy had some things to buy for the restaurant, so for the next couple of days we went to see a couple of movies and did a bit of sight-seeing with Helen and the boys.
Saturday 15/8 /59
Mummy, Jenny, Chrissie ,her Mum and I were taken to Archerfield by our favourite lady cabbie. Rodney looked at the luggage and had to literally weigh it to see if he could take it with us on this trip, but it was all bulk and not as heavy as it looked so on it went, much to Chrissie's relief . In the clothes that were bought there was a girls school uniform, and if all went well and Father Brian did his thing, she could turn up as a girl when school started again.
The flight home was uneventful and we touched down in Quilpie at eleven thirty. Daddy was there with Chrissie's Dad in Daddy's mini bus so we would all fit in. Uncle Tony was there with Mummy's old Land Rover ready to refuel Rodney’s Cessna. He was thinking of buying a second plane because the business was growing really fast and Daddy was interested in going into partnership with him and Tom Granger. Anyway Mr Jackson greeted his new daughter and virtually carried her to the bus and she had to say, “Daddy I can walk.”
He replied, “Oh sweetheart I'm sorry, I’m just so happy to have my little girl home.” and he put her down.
She replied, “Daddy you wait till you see all the pretty clothes Mummy has bought for me.”
Everything went back to normal; back to school. Even Chrissie went back to school as a girl without any real trouble. Time went by quickly and it was time for the big day for Mummy and Daddy to get married, which was on Saturday the fifth of September in a weeks time so panic stations all round.
Brisbane tram 1959
The 'Ekka' at night
Next time: "The Wedding"
Please leave a comment .
The Wedding
Everything went back to normal; back to school. Even Chrissie went back to school as a girl without any real trouble. Time went by quickly and it was time for the big day for Mummy and Daddy to get married, which was on Saturday the fifth of September in a weeks time so panic stations all round.
Saturday 29/8/59
~~~~~~~~~~~~
We were all in a panic, Daddy was worse than us ladies and that's saying something. Daddy still had to sort out a new suit and Uncle Tony and Father Brian all had to have matching suits. Mary from the dress shop had it all sorted weeks ago because she measured them all up and the suits were all at her shop. Mummy rang Mary and organised the three men to go into Mary's shop to try the suits on and then bring them home to hang up in the ward robe till needed next Saturday. There was no flower shop in Quilpie at that time, but there were old ladies that loved gardening and it was really easy to grow roses in that climate, so we would all be wearing a rose, the ladies in their hair and the men in their suit buttonholes.
Shoes for the men were easy, and we all had matching shoes to go with our gowns when we sorted all that out in Mary's shop weeks earlier. So why we were panicking I really don’t know, but I guess it is just that the worry about things going wrong on the day plays on your mind! Once we realised that all was in order the panic mode dissipated.
The reception was going to be held in the Lutheran church hall which is used for a lot of weddings because of the catering facilities and it was big enough to have at least two hundred people at tables, but there will only be one hundred and twenty at Mummy's wedding.
The Minister's wife Shelly and us girls were going to prepare the church for the wedding on Friday. Jenny , Chrissie and myself would wag school on the Friday to get all that done. Rita, Jenny and I would be bridesmaids and Chrissie would be a flower girl. Samantha decide to let Chrissie take her place as a flower girl which was really nice of her. Chrissie, Jenny and I had become like sisters and we were very close. Ricky's Dad the school principal had organised the school choir to join with the church choir to sing at the wedding ceremony and sing 'Amazing Grace' and 'Ave Maria' while Mummy and Daddy were signing the register.
Sunday was spent cleaning every nook and cranny in the big old Queenslander because there would be people wanting somewhere to stay for the weekend and the motel, and hotel were all fully booked. This always happens when there is a wedding in an outback town like Quilpie. We were all dog tired by dinner time and Mummy said we would all invade the restaurant to have our evening meal.
Linda,Alice and Aunty Bella had a table all set and ready for us when we arrived. There was eight of us but that was not a problem at Mummy's restaurant where there were big gatherings quite often. Rita and Mummy helped serve the meal and then we all were glad to sit down and eat. There wasn't a lot of conversation we were all to tired from all the hard work that was done through day.
Chrissie's mum let her stay over with me and Jenny till after the wedding because she was part of the wedding party. We three girls loved it because we could all be in my big bed and gossip till Mummy came and told us to go to sleep. Even Jean was getting in on the gossip, which was great because she could stickybeak in places we couldn't but that was a bit naughty.
Anyway we had to go to school till Friday. Chrissie was going to transfer to our school next term so we three girls could be together almost all the time. As it was we were getting the nick name of the 'Three Musketeers', and we almost always wore the same outfits and had our hair done the same way.
Jean was now with us pretty much as much as we wanted her, and she could communicate with all three of us at the same time. If we wanted to see her we had to keep our eyes closed, so that was mainly done in bed at night.
Friday
~~~~
We were up early and all three of us got into the shower. Chrissie really didn't look a lot different than me and Jenny and in a couple of months time she was going to have the same procedure done that I went through, so she would be complete like me. She couldn't wait, and she was also starting to show budding on her chest. Jenny and I had small breasts now and with a little bit of padding we look about two years older than we really were but the boys liked it!!!
Anyway enough of that, we had lots to do that day. We got Daddy to drive us to the church so we could do all the flowers and bows tied to the ends of the pews, the prayer books and the wedding books that people would take home.
At ten o’clock, Miss Alcorn and Miss Frost were getting ready for the two choirs to have a practice session, with all the kids except Jenny and I because we were in the wedding party and couldn't take part in the singing. While all this was happening Mummy and Aunty Bella were helping the caterers organise the kitchen in the reception hall. Mummy was supplying all the food and all the caterers had to do was cook and serve. People who knew Daddy from the caravan park were going to do the waiting and cleaning up after it was all over.
We spent most of the day getting everything done at the church while Daddy and Brian organised the two wedding cars for the following day. Brian was not the priest any more and had opened up his own law practice in town. Late in the day Pastor Jeff Miller got us all together and went through the ceremony a couple of times so we all knew what was expected the next day. Daddy was a bit fidgety the second time round and I thought he would be glad when it was all over. ''Poor Daddy''
Once we were finished in the church it was back to the hall and sort out where people were to be seated. Mummy didn't tell me before so I didn't freak out but my birth Dad James and my brother John were going to be there. James apparently joined AA and had not had a drink since he met a lady that he was now with and John was also in a different frame of mind.
I said, “Mummy I hope you know what you are doing. He could spoil your whole day?”
She replied, “No Carla, I don't think so. I have spoken with Joy on the phone and she seems a real down to earth lady and says that James is really sorry for some of the things he has done and would just like to see his two daughters.”
I said, “Mummy does Rita and Daddy know?”
“Yes darling, I told them a couple of days ago and Rita said that as long as he behaves himself she will cope with it because she wants to see John again too.”
I said, “Mummy you could have told me too you know!!” I now had tears in my eyes and Chrissie and Jenny both came running over and hugged me and asked me what was wrong.
I replied through tears, “That stupid James and John are going to spoil Mummy's wedding tomorrow”
Mummy said, “Sweetheart come and sit down here with me and let me tell you why I am letting James and your brother come back into our life.” She continued “Darling, James was a good husband and father at first and then things went wrong between us. He then started drinking and gambling and John unfortunately followed his example, but every one deserves another chance in life. He is not asking to become part of our daily lives, he just wants to see you and apologise for all the hurt he caused. He also knows that you were never a boy but an intersexed girl, Carla. Please give him a chance to see what a lovely little daughter he has.”
By this time Rita was sitting next to me as well and holding my hand and she said, “Carla, sis, I know you never wanted to see them again after that episode in Charleville, but I agree with Mum - every one deserves another chance so how about it sis?”
I replied, “Well I suppose so, but I'm not happy about it, and neither will Ricky be.”
I did think about it and after a while I decide to get used to the idea but there better not be any trouble or I will get Jean to do some nasty things to them. I heard Jean giggle at the thought of of what she could do.
Everything that could be done today was done and we went home to relax till dinner time. When we arrived home there was a car parked out on the road with some people in it.
Daddy looked at Mummy and said, “Oh well, here we go than.”
Who should get out of the car but James, John and a really nice looking lady.
I thought 'That must be Joy. Silly lady if you ask me.'
Jean said in my mind, “Sis, give our birth dad a chance and be strong. I am right here. Remember I am half of you sis.”
The lady came over first and said, “Hello, I'm Joy Carter. I hope you will give Jim and John a chance to make amends.” She looked at me and said, “You must be Carla. My god!! How could anyone have even thought of you as a boy? You are a very pretty little girl and I wish you were mine.”
I just looked at Mummy and she nodded. As I was going to shake her hand she gave me a bone crushing hug and had tears in her eyes and said “Sweetheart, please give Jim a chance. He is hurting inside for the things he has done.”
I replied, “Alright, I’ll do it for you.”
She let me out of the hug and James and John walked over to where I was standing. I backed away a little but Jean was there and said, “Sis it's alright, he is hurting and is about to cry so let him hug you.”
I didn't know what I felt but I could feel James my birth father hugging me and he was shaking with sobs and said, “Oh my dear sweet girl, will you ever forgive me for what I did?”
For some reason I didn't cry and I looked him in the eyes and saw a broken soul and then Jean was in my mind, and said, “Daddy James, if you can hear me just nod.” To my surprise he had his eyes closed and nodded.
Jean continued, “Daddy, I am Jean and am the other half of Carla's soul and also your daughter. You have changed, but Mummy, Rita and Carla have a new life. You can look but you must not try to change their lives or I will have to intervene. Is that understood?”
James just nodded and opened his eyes full of tears.
I silently said, “Thank you sis.”
She replied, “It's ok Carla, he wont cause any trouble. He has become a weak man dominated by the person that hugged you earlier.”
I thought 'Wait till I tell Mummy that!'
Jean said, “Too late sis, I already did.”
Mummy gave me a wink just as my now six foot brother John picked me up like a little kid and hugged and kissed me on the cheek.
I said, “Ok John, glad to see you. Now put me down please.” I still wasn't all that friendly towards them and who could blame me?
After all this, Joy and the two men she was boss of went to stay at the caravan park. Apparently they had their own van and it was parked there.
'Good' I thought.
“Now now” said Jean with a giggle.
With all the excitement over we went inside. Mummy and Rita got dinner on the go; Daddy got on the phone to Brian who was his best man for the second time, and sorted out what had to happen with the cars tomorrow. Jenny, Chrissie and I got our gowns out and tried them on and also made sure that we tried the new bras on. Jenny and I had small breasts and only needed a bit of help but Chrissie needed a bit more help. When we decide that Chrissie could be a flower girl we went back to Mary and she had a gown made that matched mine and Jenny's. so we could look like the three angels that we were!!!.
Mummy and Rita came in to the bedroom and looked us over and said “We'd do” (!) and “Get those gowns off before you get dirt on them” and to make sure that they were hung up so they didn't get crushed.
We went and had dinner and talked about how James had changed when Daddy said, “Well that's what a good woman will do for a man.”
Mummy and I just giggled and winked at each other and Daddy said, “What's so funny?”
Mummy replied, “Just a private joke Darling.”
Jenny said, “Mummy, where are you going for your honeymoon?”
Daddy looked at Mummy and said, “Well Donna, we can go anywhere you want but I'm happy to do whatever you want.”
Mummy said, “In answer to your question Jenny, we will just stay here and go on a holiday later on, once Rita can run the restaurant on her own.”
I said, “Mummy, Aunty Bella is there - why can't she just show Rita what to do?”
She replied, “Carla, your Aunty Bella is not a spring chicken any more and I don’t think she wants to do any more than work in the kitchen.” Then she said “It's not as though your Daddy and I haven’t been together is it?”
Chrissie and Jenny were giggling at that and Mummy said “Well it's true - we have been living as husband and wife so what's the big deal about a honeymoon anyway?”
Daddy said, “Whatever you want darling, you're the boss.”
Mummy and I broke out in giggles and Daddy said, “What is it with you lot? Every time I say something you two start to giggle.”
Mummy said, “Carla do you want to tell him I will I?”
I said, “Well Daddy we really should let Jean tell you, but she said that Joy has dominated James and John to the point where they do anything she tells them to.” That got every one laughing and the night ended on a happy note.
We went to bed and it wasn't long before the whole household was asleep. It was spring and the weather was warming up, so Ginger was sleeping out on the verandah again so the possums had company those nights.
Saturday 5/9/59
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I was the first to be awake and jumped up with a start and made the other two jump as well. I got out of bed and pulled the blankets off Jenny and Christine so they couldn’t go back to sleep.
Jenny said, “What's the time it must only be midnight?”
I said “No it's six am on the big day, so get up and we can have a shower before anyone else hogs the bathroom. Jenny and Chrissie crawled out of bed and grabbed a towel each and we walked down to the bathroom. It is spring and the mornings were cool but not cold, it was going to be a glorious day for a wedding.
We had a shower but didn't bother washing our hair because we all had appointments with the hair salon at nine am in town. It was a waste of time doing anything with our hair so we just put it into ponytails for now. Mummy and Rita did the same. Mummy and Daddy were already in the kitchen preparing breakfast as well as Rita. Us three girls just kept our dressing gowns on till Mummy told us what to do about clothes till it was time to get dressed for the wedding later on.
Mummy said “As you girls have had a shower, breakfast isn't quite ready so go and get dressed in Jeans, t-shirts and thongs so we can get down to the hair salon nice and early.”
We had breakfast and got into Mummy's car. Daddy was already gone to play with the wedding cars that had to have dolls and ribbons put on them. When we arrived at the salon it was still only eight forty five but Jill the owner and her two helpers Jane and Cleo were there ready to work on the wedding party and others as they came in, but we took priority over any other customers. Us three girls were being done by Jane and Cleo, and Rita and Mummy had Jill doing theirs. The styles were all the same, a loose but teased outlook to make it look a lot fuller and the roses would be put in just before we got into the cars to be driven to the church.
Us three girls had our make-up done and were told not to touch our face or smudge it because everyone would be busy and wouldn't have time to retouch our make up if we messed it up. Before it was done, Mummy made us have something to eat so we wouldn’t be eating after we were done.
We left the salon and went home to get ready. Dressing in the gowns was easy because you step in and pull them up, so our hair and make-up was safe. Aunt Bella and Chrissie's Mum had the job of helping us girls getting dressed and they fussed over us like we were little babies, and it was rather funny having them pull and tug on the gowns to make every thing look just right. Of course we had extra padding in our bras to even give us some cleavage, ''The boys will be pleased wont they!!'
Mummy and Rita were ready and we all went out into the garden to have the first of the photos taken by Mary the dress shop owner. It was an absolutely beautiful spring day with a clear blue sky and the sun shining bright as ever.
Just as we were finished with the photos Samantha and her Mum Mary turned up in a taxi. Sam came over to give us a hug but we put our hands up and I said, “Air kissing only!! - make-up!!” so we all giggled and air kissed like they do in the movies.
Mummy and Rita looked beautiful.
I thought 'Daddy is a very lucky man to marry someone as pretty as my Mummy.'
The wedding cars pulled up in the driveway. They were two new Holden sedans that were loaned by the local dealer and the drivers were two young guys that worked for the dealer as well. They looked uncomfortable in the suits that were made to wear, but they looked really handsome and we three girls thought they were hot till Rita said, “They are far too old for you lot and have all got girl friends, and beside what would Billy and Ricky say if you were looking at other boys?”
Chrissie said, “But Rita I haven't got a boyfriend yet so can I look at them?”
Rita said, “Look but don’t touch Chrissie. You are too young I tell you!! Now behave so we can let them chauffeur us to the church.”
Jenny said, “Where are the men? Aren't they coming with us?”
Mummy said while she was laughing, “Jenny sweetheart, hopefully they are at the church waiting patiently for us to arrive.”
Aunt Bella now said, “Right, time to put the roses in your hair and check your make-up.”
We were helped to get into the cars so we didn't crush the gowns getting in. Rita and us three girls travelled in one car and Mummy was in one on her own.
The cars pulled up outside the main gates of the church, and we got out first so we could give Mummy a hand to get out of the car, and then make sure she had no wrinkles in her dress and her hair and make-up was perfect before she started to walk down the aisle. Tom Granger was at the door and offered Mummy his arm because he was giving away the bride today.
Daddy and Brian were at the front of the church waiting, looking very handsome in their suits with the yellow roses in their suit lapel button holes. The people all looked around to see my beautiful Mummy walk down the aisle to marry my beautiful special Daddy. Rita, Jenny and I followed with Christine a little further back. She was not a bridesmaid but a flower girl. Mummy and Daddy and Daddy's best man Brian stood at the altar and Pastor Miller started the ceremony.
The choir was standing assembled behind the altar to one side and when Mummy and Daddy were signing the register they sang 'Amazing Grace.' Then one of the older girls in the choir sang 'Ave Maria' solo with Miss Alcorn playing an electric organ. When Mummy and Daddy walked out to the front of the church everyone had a handfull of rice and threw it over them, Pastor Miller doesn’t allow confetti to be used because it is too hard to clean up.
Mary had the wedding party assemble so she could take the all important photos for an album. That took about an hour to accomplish and then it was a walk across the churchyard into the reception where most of the people had already found where they were seated and what relatives they would have to put up with! The main table had Mummy, Daddy, Rita, and Brian, and Jenny, Chrissie and I sat at the next table with Ricky, Billy and Chrissie's new friend Alan. Samantha and her Mum were at the next table and Sam was sitting next to her 'girlfriend' named Sandra. Sam looked happy so that was all that mattered to me. She will always be a special friend.
The band were people that Daddy knew from the caravan park and it consisted of a girl that played the banjo and did the singing, another girl that played an electric organ, and an older man who played I think what is called an Irish whistle. The music they played sounded incredible and when they started to play it was time for the bridal waltz. Mummy and Daddy are really good dancers. They danced a few minutes and then other people joined in including us girls and boys. Rita was dancing with Peter when James asked her if he could interrupt and continue the dance and to my surprise she said '”Yes.” I guess he just wanted to talk to her before he left. John did the same with Mummy. It was nice in a way to see that all the hostilities seemed to be gone. I still kept my distance though.
While I was dancing with Ricky, Jean was in my head having a ball and I could feel her trying to guide my body which made me feel like I was dancing on air. Ricky said “Carla is that Jean I can feel in my chest?”
I replied, “Yeah Ricky, you will be marrying two women”
He said, “Bigamy!!” Jean gave him a little jolt and Ricky said, “Only joking Jean.”
The day was at an end and we finally made our way home to the big old Queenslander that we called home.
Authors note
This is where I will leave 'The Girl inside the Boy'. It is the end of Book One. When the story continues it will be called 'Carla's Journey' and starts seven years on from the wedding. The boy is gone, and was never really there in the first place. I thank all the people that commented and gave me private messages - it made it all worthwhile to tell Carla’s story. My thanks also to Bronwen for editing the story.
There will be a small break and I will start writing the next stage of Carla’s life which will be titled 'Carla's Journey'. Please watch out for it.
Hugs to all, Ronnie
My name is Jason - and I'm a fifteen year old boy, I'm in grade ten and I have another two years at school, before I can get a full time job. I really don't like school very much and will be glad to leave it behind.
I live with my Mum in a big old house in an inner suburb in Lance city, which dates back to when the coal miners worked deep underground, and they dug the coal out by using picks and shovels, but it is now a modern city and no longer relies on coal for its economy.
I have a part time job in a book store just down the road from my school, so when school lets out in the afternoon at three pm, I go directly to the shop and start work in the back store- room. Most afternoons I work till six pm, and in the fall it gets dark by six thirty.
I usually catch a bus to our suburb and get off about a block away from home and walk the rest of the way home. There is a large cemetery that I walk past to get to the street where I live .
By the time I got to my bus stop tonight it was after six thirty pm, and quite dark -- me being the adventurous type decided to go through the cemetery to cut out two streets from my walk home.
I opened the heavy wrought-iron gates. They weren’t locked but were always kept closed, I guess it is to keep kids from playing on the graves. It is a historic cemetery and dates back to the late seventeenth century, and a lot of miners and their wives and kids were buried in family plots. It was probably cheaper in those days to buy the grave sites for the whole family.
Anyway I started walking in the direction of home, along one of the paths between the graves, I could see quite well because there were lamps every so often that lit the whole cemetery up.
I think the lamps were there to stop people from vandalising the head stones, as they would be irreplaceable. The cemetery was the size of a normal city block so it seemed to go on forever and there were sections that were quite dark as the tombstones were looming up in front of me. I was quite jittery.
As I walked past a tombstone that had a skull and bones imprinted on the face of it I felt like something was watching me. I didn't know whether to run or find out who was there trying to play a joke on me, because there were some jerks at my school who were always pulling stupid stunts on students that didn't fit in with their crowd. Anyway I decide to stay and find out if this was just another stunt they were pulling to scare the living daylights out of me.
I stood in front of the tombstone and said, “Right you bastards! You can come out where I can see you now, because I’m not playing your stupid games any more.”
Nothing! Not a sound, Now I was getting worried, wondering what or who was there. I started to walk around the other side of the tombstone which was taller than me. I felt a definite presence and was getting just a little bit freaked out, when it started to get really cold. Now I know it was fall, but it was still to early to be this cold. I mean the temperature dropped by twenty degrees in a matter of minutes. I started to walk away and found that once I was about ten feet away the temperature went back to normal.
I decided to investigate why this was happening, I know Mum would be worried if I didn't turn up home in the next half hour so I couldn't stay here too long. So I went back to the grave and as I got closer it was colder again so I went right up and touched the tombstone. It felt like an electric shock going through me and I could not let go, The presence I felt earlier started to materialise into a misty type of shape and the lamps that were about fifty feet away gave the mist a silvery outline. I still could not let go of the tombstone. I thought I had better try to communicate with whatever this thing is or I might be here all night.
I calmed myself and said “Alright whatever or whoever you are, can you please release my hand?”
As soon as I said that it let me go. Now the mist started to form itself into a more recognisable form. It then started to communicate with me in my mind.
It said, “Please do not be scared, I will not hurt you.”
I said out loud “I can't hear you talk but I hear you in my mind.”
It said back in my mind “It is the only way spirits can communicate with living people.”
I said back in my normal voice, “I have to get home or my Mum will be calling the police out to come and find me.”
The spirit/ghost than started to fade as it said, “Please come back tomorrow”, and it faded away and the temperature went back to normal.
When I got home I told my Mum why I was late.
To be continued.
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Previously:
I arrived home and had to explain to Mum why I was late.
I went up the steps of our house and fumbled with the key. When Mum opened the door she said “Jason Smith! Why are you an hour late home from work? I've been worried sick wondering if something had happened to you.”
“Sorry Mum I went through the old cemetery to see if it was quicker to get home that way.”
“Well son, it looks like it didn't bloody well work did it?”
“Mum,- let me explain what happened back there, and you'll see why I was late.”
“Ok Jason but it better be good.”
I went into the lounge and Mum followed me and we sat down next to the coffee table.
Mum said “Do you want you dinner first? You must be hungry.”
“No Mum I need to get this of my chest first.”
I told her in detail what had happened in the cemetery. She didn't interrupt me till I ran out of breath.
She said “Is that the cemetery two blocks across from here?”
“Yeah that's the the one! Why?”
“Jason the gates were always locked to keep people out of there.”
“Well they weren’t locked tonight.”
Mum said “Please don't go through there again Jason. It is a historical cemetery and is listed as a historical site.”
“Well the gates should be locked then shouldn't they Mum?”
Mum said she would ring the historical society tomorrow and get them to put a lock on the gates to keep people out.
I said “Mum, what about what happened to me at that old tombstone, that thing
talked to me in my head?”
Mum said, “Let's have our dinner and I’ll talk to you about it after you have eaten.”
After we finished dinner and cleared up we went back into the lounge and then Mum started to tell me about the ''entities'' that roam in the cemetery and that there are only a few people in the city that have had the pleasure of meeting some of the poor tormented ''souls'' that couldn't for some reason move on to the next world.
I said Mum “Why haven't you told me about this before?”
“Well Jason, one of those lost souls is an ancestor of ours and if I’m correct that is why you can communicate with it.”
“But Mum! We have never had any secrets from each other before, why now?”
“Jason, I can see it was a mistake not to tell you but I just wanted to protect you from any danger of being taken over by any bad entities that might be there.”
“Mum this spirit didn't seem to want to hurt me and it pleaded with me to come back.”
“Jason sweetheart, before your farther died bless his soul -- He told me about his great uncle Albert that died in a mine cave-in more than one hundred and ninety years ago. Your dad went to visit his grave about a year before he himself passed away from cancer,and he told me all about what happened.”
“Mum, it was the same thing that happened to me wasn’t it?”
“Yes sweetheart it was, and it was his great uncle so I suppose when you happened to be passing by -- he recognised you as a connection to your dad.”
“Mum, I have to go back in there and to to him and see if I can help him to move on”
“Well dear, I will dig out your dads old diaries that are in the cellar and you can read what your dad wrote about his encounter with Albert”.
I asked Mum if she knew where those diaries were in the cellar, because I wanted to read them as soon as possible, as I would be going back to the cemetery tomorrow afternoon after work.
It was getting late by the time we found the diaries so we went to bed.
I was up at five am and had a cup of coffee and started to read the entries in the diaries that pertained to the dates that Mum told me were relevant to when dad was communicating with Albert's spirit.
I read where dad wrote how he was in the cemetery late one afternoon, about the same time as I was yesterday.
----Diary----
'I was cutting through the cemetery to get home faster to help Mary to sort out the present we had bought for Jason's birthday tomorrow when I heard something like a whisper saying 'Wait please wait,' it was getting quite dark so I really couldn’t see anyone about.'
-----Next entry----
'I was wanting to get home early because it's Jason birthday. He had some of his friends around for a little party, and this time when I passed a tomb stone it got extremely cold and there seemed to be a kind of mist around the grave, I had to get home so I left, I'm going to come back tomorrow and check it out.'
I had to get ready for school so I put the diary down on the kitchen table and made some toast for myself and took a cup of coffee up to Mum's bedroom.
I got dressed and said bye to Mum and headed off to catch my bus to school.
to be continued
Previously
I had to get ready for school so I put the diary down on the kitchen table and made some toast for myself and took a cup of coffee up to Mum's bedroom, I got dressed and said bye to Mum and headed of to catch my school bus.
I just got down the front steps when I thought 'Hell, I should go back inside and get Dad's diaries to read in my lunch period,' so I turned around went back inside to grab the diaries from the table and they weren’t there. Mum was standing at the door leading to the dining room and said “This what your looking for son?”
“Yeah Mum I want to read some more of that stuff in my lunch break.”
“You make sure it's only in your break and not while you're supposed to pay attention to the teacher.”
“Yes Mum, I'll see you tonight.”
I had another go at getting to school and went to the bus stop to wait for a bus to arrive. It came a few minutes later. I got on and got settled in a seat. I was tempted to read some more of Dad's diary but was scared some of the idiots from my school might get on at the next bus stop. There were five more stops before we got to my school.
When the bus stopped at the school there were the same stand-over bullies waiting just out side the school gates. They did that because the school couldn’t do a lot about bullying if it happened outside the school perimeter, so when they were there which was most mornings they would shove and push the smaller kids around till they either handed their lunch money over or could run off into the school yard.
Well this morning there was Justin Bradford and his brother David doing their usual stand-over thing on a small kid who was about to hand over his lunch money to this pair of cretins, when I saw red and was not going to let them get away with this any more.
I was the first the first to get off the bus and as I walked towards them I said “Leave that kid alone or I will call the cops on my mobile”, which I had in my hand ready to use.
Justin said, “Fuck off Smith or I'll put you into hospital with two broken arms.”
I said, “Not this morning Justin.” and even though he is taller than me I am very agile so I knew that I could probably dodge the first punch that he threw, I would have to be fast enough to get a good punch into his solar plexus and wind him, and while he was trying to get his breath back kick him in the nuts which is exactly what happened.is brother just stood there with his mouth open.
By this time the bus driver had come out and was standing over Justin and said “It's about time someone had the guts to stop you and your brother Bradford.”
Justin said “David you little shit ,why are you just standing there?”
“Sorry Bro he was just so quick.” he replied
“Well give me a hand up don't just stand there.”
Most of the other kids had got off the bus by now and were saying 'Good on you Jason we didn't think you had it in you.'
Justin was standing now red with rage, “This is not over Smith. You won't get home in one piece tonight, Me and Dave will make sure of that.”
By now the school principal was at the gate wanting to know what all the fuss was about. The bus driver explained what happened, but John Blake a man in his fifties said, “Well I can't do anything about stuff that doesn't happen on school property.”
“Well”, said the bus driver, “but I can and will.” He then said “You bloody teachers give me the shits. You are afraid of your own shadows.”
The principal said “I can get your school bus permit canceled if you talk to me like that.”
The bus driver said Jack was his name and he said “Up yours mate.” and got on his bus and drove off.
The principal said “Right you three, up to my office. This needs to be sorted out”
Both Justin and David were swearing at me under their breath but I ignored them.
We all got to the principal's office and were told to sit down on the chairs that were along the office wall.
Mr Blake said, “Don't anyone move off those chairs. i'm going to get a witness to listen to what is said. If there is any trouble while I'm out of the office all three of you will be expelled from the school is that clear?”
I said “Yes sir.” but Justin said “Yeah whatever.”
The principal replied “You never learn do you Justin? Any more lip from you and I'll have to call your parents and once they are involved the school board will have to be informed.”
The principal left the office to get another teacher as a witness to anything that was said and also record it on video tape. I think it was to protect his own backside more than anything.
While he was out Justin said "I'm going to get you on the way home and make you sorry that you hit me you little pansy.” Dave said nothing.
Justin said, and “You -- you little shit. I should give you a belting for not helping me.”
The principal and as it happens my teacher Terry Brady were listening just outside the office door, with the tape already recording every word that was being said so I'm glad that I kept my mouth shut.
The principal and Terry walked in to the office and stood in front of Justin and his brother with the camera pointing in their direction.
“That's not legal” spat Justin.
Terry said “We've been waiting for someone to challenge you two for a while but you were always smart enough to steal lunch money from kids outside of the school boundary.”
Justin said “You can't do nothin' to me because it wasn't on school grounds.”
Mr B'lake said well we have at least four students that are willing to do an interview with the police being present.
”Whatever” Justin replied.
Mr Blake said “Justin and David you're suspended for the rest of the day. Please leave the school and go home. I'm going to ring your Mum and tell her you are expected to be at home and not roam the the streets and end up in more trouble”.
I was told to go to my class and Terry would be there in a few minutes.
I replied “Sir, how am I going to go to work after school this afternoon if those two goons are out there waiting for me?”
Mr Blake said “I cant leave the school till after all the students are gone but Terry said he would walk with you to your work which is just down the road, but after that you're on your own Jason”.
I said “Thank you sir.”
The day passed quickly. I was too upset to do any reading of the Diaries and left them in my back pack.
As was promised Terry walked me to where I worked and left me to it. I worked till six, I was going to ring Mum and tell her what happened this morning but I didn't want to worry her. I caught my bus home and kept my phone ready on speed dial 999 if I got into trouble.
I decided to take the short cut through the cemetery again. I got off the bus and it was just on dark which suited me fine because I knew my way through the cemetery and could out-manoeuvre anyone that doesn’t know their way through the maze of walkways.
I opened the gate and walked slowly through the cemetery when Justin and his brother jumped out in front of me and said “Now your going to pay for what you did this morning pansy.” They both had knives in their hands and I knew that Justin would not hesitate to use it. So I knew I had to make a run for it if I was going to survive.
I knew where my ancestor's tombstone was so that's where I headed as I was running. I could hear them about ten yards behind me and falling over graves on their way. I reached my great uncle's tomb and stopped running, I put my hand on the tombstone and said 'Albert if you're there help me now!!'
This time my hand wasn't stuck there but I didn't let go either and all of a sudden my uncles apparition appeared out of nowhere and it was as if I was part of the silvery mist. Justin and Dave stood there with their mouth open but did not run off either.
Albert was in my head and said “Jason I will get you out of trouble as long as you keep coming back to talk with me”
I said “Uncle, these guys are about to kill me and you want me to promise to keep coming back to chat?” I was saying this out loud so Justin could hear what I was saying and he said “Don't bullshit me Smith this is some kind of trick you set up with electronics.”
“Did you hear that uncle? Do you know about electronics?”
Albert said “Jason I don't need that modern stuff. Do you want me to zap them a little bit or fry them completely?” “
“No Uncle don't fry them. I would be in trouble because I would get the blame for it after today’s little episode.”
“Ok” said Albert “Close your eyes. This will be quite bright.” Then all I could hear was a buzzing sound and screaming coming from Justin and David. I opened my eyes and saw steam coming from their clothes as if someone poured hot water over something cold. They just stood there dumbfounded with their mouths open looking at me with all the mist still around me.
Albert was in my mind as clear as a bell and I can hear him as though he were talking to me in a normal voice, he said “How was that then Jason? Will that sort them out for a while?”
I said as though I was speaking to a live person, “Thanks Uncle. Yeah that will help me out a lot, and if they don't stop hassling others we can just zap them again can't we?”
Albert replied “Son, now that we have full connection all you have to do is close your eyes and concentrate and I will hear you”.
I thought 'Wow! Just wait till I tell Mum she'll freak out!'
Anyway I now had a problem, what to do with the two steaming brothers. I looked at them and said “Look you guys you have seen what I can do to you so how about you stop all your bullying shit and I’ll not hurt you - but if you try and tell anyone what has happened to you tonight they are going to think you're on drugs and call the cops and you will then have to explained what happened. Do you think they will believe you? I don't think so. Now piss off home before I get my uncle to have some more fun with you.”
The brothers never said a word but nodded yes and took off like two scared jack rabbits .
Uncle Albert said “Jason, you had better tell your Mum everything that has happened here tonight because there will be questions at your school in the next few days.”
He then said “Better get home. Mary will be getting worried about you again.”
I said bye Uncle and the mist around me faded.
I went home and said “Hi Mum what's for supper?”
To be continued
Next time: Telling Mum all that has happened and back at school the next day.
Please leave a comment
Previously
The brothers never said a word but nodded yes and took off like two scared jack rabbits.
Uncle Albert said “Jason, you had better tell your Mum everything that has happened here tonight because there will be questions at your school in the next few days.” Then he said “Better get home, Mary will be getting worried about you again.”
I said “bye uncle” and the mist around me faded. I went home and said “Hi mum what's for supper?”
Mum said, “You have been to the cemetery again haven’t you Jason?”
“Yes Mum I have! But tonight I was glad that I was walking home that way or I would either be dead or at least in hospital if I was anywhere else!
Mum said, “Do you want to tell me about it or have supper first?”
I replied, “I am quite hungry Mum! Do you mind if I eat first?”
“No sweetheart, sit yourself down and I’ll dish up your meal. It's your favourite, potato and onion soup with croutons.”
“Thanks Mum,” I replied. I finished my soup and Mum had a plate of ice-cream and strawberries set in front of me the minute I finished my soup.
I said “Mum aren’t you eating?”
“No son, I've eaten earlier because I was quite hungry when I was cooking the soup, and couldn't hold out any longer smelling the onions cooking.”
I finished eating and helped mum clear the table and fill the dishwasher. Then we settled down into the lounge with a cup of hot chocolate and I started to tell Mum what had transpired from the time I got off the bus this morning 'till I walked in through the front door an hour ago.
Mum didn't interrupt me while I was telling her what happened. She then asked me If I had read any more of Dad's diaries?
I said, “No Mum. I was preoccupied with keeping an eye out for any trouble that Justin and his stupid brother David were up to.”
“Well you said that the principal was going to ring their Mum to make sure that they didn't get into any more trouble.”
“Yeah, well it looks like they were skylarking around the streets waiting for me to leave the school to go to work at the book shop after school finished.”I replied. “Mum, I think that their Mum would be too scared of Justin to keep him in line. Anyway they couldn't have done anything at that stage because my teacher Terry Brady, walked with me to the book shop. They must have guessed that I would take the short cut through the cemetery to save time to get home.
Mum said, “Do you want me to go to the school principal and have a word with him Jason, or would that make it worse?
“No! Uncle Albert said all I had to do is close my eyes and concentrated on him and he would know that I was in trouble, and he would immediately be there to help me with any trouble I was in.”
Mum said, “You be careful sweetheart, you're all I’ve got, so don't you get all brave will you?”
It was getting late and I decided to go to bed and read some more of Dad's diary entries, so I said goodnight to Mum and retire to my bedroom. I removed the diary from my school back- pack and laid on top of my bed, on top of the blankets, and started to read the next entry written on September the twenty-fifth of two thousand and five, it read:
'After yesterday's little episode I decided to go straight to the tombstone where I felt the cold spot and saw that mist around the grave site. I didn't know what to expect, so I walked right up to the tombstone and started reading the inscription on the front side of the stone with the torch that I made sure I had with me tonight, because I knew it would be quite dark by the time I was walking into the cemetery. It read - 'In loving memory of Albert Smith, seventeen hundred and seventy five to eighteen hundred and fifteen' I could not make out anything else it said because the inscriptions were very faded with the ravages of time.
As I touched the headstone I got what felt like an electric shock and my hand was stuck on the surface of the headstone and it got really cold. For some reason I felt really calm, and then I was engulfed in this white mist. It was then that I could hear someone speak, not as with a mouth but in my mind and it was as clear as a bell. And it said “Thomas I am your great uncle, and I have been waiting for you to come close enough to make contact with you. I am stuck here on the earth plane until I fulfill what I have to do before I get released.”
It seemed like I was dreaming but awake at the same time. I spoke in my normal voice, but could sort of hear him in my mind. I knew I had an uncle that died in the collapse of a mine but I had never really looked for his grave. All of a sudden I could let go of the tombstone and the mist faded and it seemed to lose its strength. So I decide to go home and tell Mary about it. I will have another go at communicating with my uncle's spirit tomorrow night.'
Dad passed away five years ago, and I wished he was still around because he was my hero. I was ten when we buried him and I was devastated. It took me weeks to come out of my depression. Anyway back to the present, It was ten pm and I decided to get some sleep because tomorrow was going to be a very stressful day. I went to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow and did not remember having any dreams when I woke up the next morning morning.
It was six thirty am, so I dragged myself out of my warm bed and went to have a shower and make a cup of tea for Mum, have my breakfast and head off to school. I took the cup of tea up to Mum's room and knocked lightly on her door. “Room service.” I said.
“Come in sweetheart and sit on the bed for a minute; I want to talk to you before you leave to go to school.”
“Yes Mum” I replied.
She said “Jason, I want you to call me on your mobile as soon as you get to school so I know that you are safe from those two idiots. Can you do that for me please?”
“Yes Mum, I promise that once I'm in the school grounds I will call you; and stop worrying about me, I can look after myself quite well Mum.”
“Alright darling you better get going.”
I gave Mum a kiss on the cheek and went back downstairs and had a piece of toast and a drink of milk and I was on my way.
I didn't go through the cemetery because I didn't want to be late for the school bus, and if I got caught up with my uncle Albert I would definitely be late for school. So I detoured the cemetery and headed to the normal bus stop and waited. It was only five minutes later and the bus pulled up. I got on and found my normal seat right at the front of the bus. It was something I did because I always liked to check out who was getting on the bus, so if there was some stand-over types getting on I had a chance to get off the bus and get into the school gate before they had a chance to to trap me, It didn't always work but it did nine times out of ten.
Anyway, the bus arrived at the school gates and there was no one to be seen outside the school grounds, At first I thought the bus might have been early but when I checked my watch it was right on time. As I got off the bus, I could see my teacher watching the gate from a vantage point so he could pounce on anyone who might want to cause trouble with the students getting of the school bus. I rang Mum and told her I was ok.
She said “Thanks Jason, love” and hung up.
I was followed off the bus by the rest of the students and made my way to my locker, As I walked past my teacher, Terry Brady he smiled and winked at me as if to say we have this under control. I smiled back and kept walking to the locker room at the side of the school. The lockers were quite a way from the classrooms. So if anyone wanted to cause trouble they had plenty of time to do it and take off before any help would be ther
I turned the corner of the hallway that leads to the lockers and saw the two people I really did not want to deal with this morning.
“Hi Justin” I said, expecting a torrent of swear words come out of his usually foul mouth, but that did not happen. He just stood there beside his stupid brother Dave and said “Smith I don't know what trick you played last night but you wont get away with it a second time.”
Justin said “Dave, go down the hall and stop any other kid coming down here, and if they try to come yell out to me. That should stop them dead in their fucking tracks.”
I said “Justin I don't want any trouble so just call your guard dog to come back here and we can sort this out like two reasonable people.”
“Too fuckin' late for that you smart arse. You're not getting out of this hall alive, I closed my eyes tight and hoped Justin wouldn't jump me while I tried to conjure up Uncle Albert.
I just said out loud “Uncle Albert, help!!” The second I called for help there was a white mist around me and my voice seemed to sound different when I spoke and opened my eyes to see Justin had pulled a twelve inch dagger type of knife and was ready to stab me in the chest with it, but just as he drew the knife to thrust it into my chest the knife went flying out of his hand and down the hall, right to where Dave was trying to hold back the other students.
Next thing I knew I was picking Justin up like he was nothing more than a rag doll and hoisted him up and held him up against the wall. He went as white as a sheet and said “What the fuck are you?”
The words that came out of my mouth were not mine but Uncle Albert's. “Listen you little shit-head, I will be with Jason from now on, so if you keep trying to hurt him I will stop you every time”.
Justin just stared at me and nodded but said nothing, I could not believe the strength I had still holding Justin up off the floor by his shirt. His feet were about a foot of the floor.
Albert then said through my voice box, “I'm going to let you go now but remember that I will be protecting Jason from now on”
While this was going on my teacher had Dave in a head-lock at the end of the hall, watching me use what appeared to be super strength and he wasn’t going to interfere because he could see I had control of what was happening. All this was on the security cameras that Terry, had the Janitor install yesterday after he got back from taking me to my work.
I let Justin down and he was very shaky on his legs. I said in my own voice “Justin give it up or next time you try to hurt me you will not be able to walk away.”
He said “Smith, what are you?”
I said “I told you last night, that it's my Uncle Albert’s spirit that is in me so give it up or you will get hurt, and I won't care.”
With that he walked slowly down to where Terry was waiting for him to take him to the principals office. All the students then put their things in their lockers and went to the classrooms about ten minutes late.
When I got to my classroom Terry was just walking in the door and when he saw me he said, “Jason, you and me are going to have a talk after school this afternoon.
I said “Yes sir.”
To be continued
Next time: Looking at the security tape of me holding Justin up against the wall.
Previously
I let Justin down and he was very shaky on his legs.
I said in my own voice, “Justin give it up or next time time you try to hurt me you will not be able to walk away.”
He said, “Smith, what are you?”
I said “I told you last night that it's my uncle's spirit that is in me, so give it up or you will get hurt and I won't care.”
With that he walked slowly down to where Terry was waiting to take him to the principal's office. All the students then put their things in their lockers and went to their classrooms, ten minutes late.
Justin and his stupid brother Dave were escorted to the principal's office by Terry, my teacher and two other teachers that were called by the other students when all the yelling started. I followed a little bit further back. When we got half way to the principal's office there were two police officers coming through the front gates of the school which made everyone stop and wait till they reached us.
One of the cops said, “Who is in charge here?”
Terry said, “I suppose I am for the moment. Would you like to take over taking these two imbeciles to the main office? I have to see if I can retrieve the tapes I put in the video camera that I set up yesterday to catch these guys in the act.”
The cop said, “You knew this was going to happen this morning?”
Terry replied, “I had a fair idea that Justin and his brother were going to try and get even with Jason here, yes!”
The cop said, “Ok, you get the tapes and bring them to the office so we can see what transpired in the locker room.”
The other two teachers went to go and sort out their classes for the day but as they were about to leave the cop that seemed to be in charge said, “Did you two witness the event or did you both come on the scene later?”
The two teachers really didn't want be involved any further so they both said that they came after all the excitement was over, which wasn't true but I can understand why they said it.
Then the cop that hadn't said anything so far said to me, “And are you the one these guys attacked?”
I replied, “Yeah I am, and they have been trying to get even with me for a couple of days now.”
The cop said, “Ok, when we get these goons settled in the office and have a look at the evidence that's hopefully on the tapes, we will ask you what this is all about.”
We all arrived at the office, and the principal was standing behind his desk and said to the cops, “Thanks for turning up so quickly.”
The cop replied, “That's what we get paid to do.” Justin and his brother weren't saying much with the cops being there but I could see Justin glaring at me.
Justin and Dave were made to sit side by side with the cop that seemed to be in charge standing behind the chairs the brothers were sitting on.
That cop said, “Right, I'm Bill and this is my partner Joe. I will ask some questions and I want straight answers, do you boys understand?”
I said “Yes sir,” but Justin just ignored the cop and shrugged his shoulders and mumbled to himself about what I did to him in the locker room.
Bill the cop said one more time to the boys, “Did you hear what I just said?”
Dave sat there like the dummy that he is, and shrugged his shoulders again, but Justin started to get up from his chair and leap in my direction saying “This pansy is a fucking freak and I’m going to kill him.” but the cop was quick enough to grab Justin by his shirt and told him to sit down or he would cuff him.
By this time Terry had come back with the tape from the camera in the hall and also the tape from yesterday as well. He set the machine up to show the tape on a large monitor they had in the principals office.
Terry proceeded to put the tape in the player and then turned it on. The first part was of yesterdays episode in the principals office , Terry must have used the same tape in the camera to tape this mornings events. Once that was finished the next scene was the locker room and me walking in with my my back-pack and being confronted by Justin and his brother Dave. It was all very clear what was said and then as Justin pulled the large knife out to lung at me the knife went flying out of his hand as though someone had actually grabbed his hand but you could not see it on the tape. Everyone was watching the monitor and Justin said, “I told you he's a freak.”
The cop said, “Just shut up till we see all of the tape”
The tape rolled on and it showed me picking Justin up like he didn't weigh any more than a rag doll, that’s when the cop said, “Stop the tape and rewind it to where this guy picks him up.” pointing at Justin. Terry did as he was told by the copper and rewound the tape and let it roll once more and the cop said, “Has the machine got a slow motion setting on it?”
Terry said, “Yeah sure.”
The cop said, “Well what are you waiting for!! Roll the tape in slow motion and pause it when I tell you.”
Terry started the tape again in slow mode. It was strange to watch because the sound was also affected and it was almost like watching a time warp movie.
Anyway the cop waited till the part where I picked up Justin and held him up against the wall when he told Terry to pause the tape.
The cop said to the principal, “Can you print out any of that on your computer?”
“Sure, which frame do you want?”
The cop replied “Where it is now and about ten more further along”
Mr Blake said, “Terry, do what the officer wants and print out anything else he might want as well.”
Terry replied, “Ok but resolution won't be all that great.”
The cop answered. “Let me worry about that.” and then Terry rolled the tape once more.
The cop that seemed to be in charge said to me, “Son are you for real?”
I said, “Yeah, and so is my Uncle Albert’s spirit.”
The cop looked at Justin and said “How could you have the strength to lift this heap of shit, let alone hold him in mid air without even looking like your straining any muscles for Gods sake?”
I replied, “My great uncle Albert's spirit just seems to take over my whole being and I become super strong.”
The cop said, “Kid, if you can do that why are these two wankers still picking on you?”
Mr Blake the principal, answered before I could say anything, “Because young Jason here showed them up for what they are and they are the laughing stock of the school.”
Justin made an attempt to get up and take a swipe at me but Bill the op pushed him to the ground and put a set of cuffs on him and the second cop did the same to his brother Dave so they couldn't cause too much more trouble.
The cop in charge said to me,”Ok kid, I’m taking these two in and writing up the charges, and I want you to come down town to make a full statement so we can get this all sorted out.”
I replied, “What about school?”
The cop said “Shit kid, someone has just attempted to kill you and all you can think of is school!!”
I looked at the principal and he said, “Jason, you go with them and get it sorted and I will call your Mum. She may want to join you at the police station.”
When we got to the station I said, “Can I call my Mum? I want her to be here when I give you guys the statement.” The sargeant at the front counter said he had already dispatched a car to pick Mum up to bring her down to the station.
Twenty minutes later Mum walked in the front door of the station and said, “Jason are you ok dear?”
I replied “Yeah Mum, thanks to Uncle Albert.”
To be continued .
Next time the interview and the press.
Please leave a comment
Justin made an attempt to get up and take a swipe at me but Bill the cop pushed him to the ground and put a set of cuffs on him and the second cop did the same to his brother Dave so they couldn't cause too much more trouble.
The cop in charge said to me,”Ok kid I’m taking these two in and writing up the charges, and I want you to come down town to make a full statement so we can get this all sorted out.”
I replied, “What about school?”
The cop said “Shit kid, someone has just attempted to kill you and all you can think of is school!!”
I looked at the principal and he said, “Jason you go with them and get it sorted and I will call your Mum. She may want to join you at the police station.”
When we got to the station I said, “Can I call my Mum? I want her to be here when I give you guys the statement.”
The Sargeant at the front counter said he had already dispatched a car to pick Mum up to bring her down to the station. Twenty minutes later Mum walked in the front door of the station and said, “Jason are you ok dear?”
I replied “Yeah Mum thanks to Uncle Albert.”
Justin and his brother were in the station somewhere but I wasn't told where. W
We were ushered into the interview room and the man I presumed was a police inspector, said, “Hello, I’m Senior Inspector Greg Bailey.”
Mum replied “Inspector, I hope this can be sorted out and those two criminals be put somewhere where they can't do any more damage.”
The Inspector replied, “Mrs Smith please call me Greg and yes we will do our best to have these two put in the care of a juvenile detention centre.”
Mum said, “I know this won't be easy to explain but when you take a look at the tape from the camera at the school where all this occurred, you will have some questions to ask about Jason's strange ability to do things that seem out of this world, and by the way call me Mary seeing we are on a first name basis.”
“Ok, lets start at the beginning when all this hostility started.” said Greg rubbing his temples as though he was getting a headache. He looked at me and said, “Jason we will be taping this interview so please speak clearly.”
I looked at Mum and she said, “Sweetheart, just start at the very beginning when you thought you were being followed into the cemetery at the beginning of the week.”
I told the inspector all that had happened to me and he listened to my story without interrupting me. When I finished I needed a drink and asked Greg if I could have a coke from the vending machine that I saw out in the hall earlier.
He said “Sure I have some tokens here in my drawer.”
He reached in the drawer and got out the token.
I thought to myself, 'That would be a handy item to have I wonder how it works?' and then he handed it to a police woman that was taking notes and she went to get me my can of coke.
The police woman came back with my can of coke and handed it to me and gave me a big smile and a wink, I wondered what that was for?
I said, “Thanks” and she replied “You're very welcome honey.”
I liked her. Not all cops are that nice. As I was taking a sip of my drink she went to Greg's desk and picked up the tape of me doing Justin some damage and she put it into the machine over where a monitor was set up.
Greg said, “Lets have a look at this and see if what they have been telling me about you Jason is for real.”
Mum said, “Greg, it is for real alright. Before Jason’s Dad passed away (God bless him), he had an encounter with the spirit of his uncle Albert at that cemetery and it is just a continuation of that with Jason.”
Greg and the police woman watched the tape and when it came to the part where I was holding Justin up off the ground like he didn't weigh any more than a two year old baby, Greg looked at me and said, “Ok Jason, I can see that your uncle has the power to make his spirit come through you, I have seen this before when I was in the army in a war zone and the guy I was about to take out called out in his own tongue to something I didn't see, and my rifle was literary ripped out of my grip and the guy I was trying to take out had a kind of mist around him and he escaped back into the jungle.”
Anyway after Greg finished the interview he said, “There is enough evidence to charge the two brothers with attempted murder and we will be in touch when it goes to trial. You might have to give evidence to make the charges stick.”
Mum replied, “Greg I’m a bit worried about their mother. She has been abused by her husband and also by those little monsters. Is there any help that she can get to survive all this?”
Greg looked at the police woman and said, “Jill can you contact the shelter and see what they can do for Mrs Bradford?”
Jill replied, “Yes sir I’ll get onto it straight away.”
We were finished at the police station and it was lunch time so Mum said to the police officer at the front desk of the police station, “Are you guys going to run us back home or do we have to walk?”
The cop looked up from what he was doing and said “Sorry Ma'am I just started my shift. I’ll get someone to take you home.”
It was Jill that came down the hall from Greg's office and she said, “Ok Mary and Jason, I’ll get a car and drop you back home. It's at the end of my shift and where you live is on my way home.”
Mum and I waited out at the front of the police station for her to bring the car around from the back parking lot. As she pulled up in a marked police car we were about to get in but three guys with cameras and recorders stepped in front of us and started to take pictures of me and the second guy started to ask me questions about the incident at the school and is it true that I have super strength when someone threatens me.
I replied, “Who are you and what do you want from me?”
Jill got out of the car and said to the guy with the microphone in his hand, “Andy turn that thing off and let these people get in the car.”
Andy didn't want to take no for an answer so Jill got on the two way and asked for some help from inside of the station. Thirty seconds later Bill and Joe were there asking the press men to leave or they would be arrested for obstructing the police in doing their duty. They left and got into a van with a satelite dish on the roof so they must be from the local television station trying to get an exclusive for tonight's news.
Jill said, “Someone must have tipped them off about you Jason. I think you are going to have them come back till you talk to them.”
Mum said, “Do you think they know where we live Jill?”
Jill replied, “Well all they had to do is ask someone at the school and they could have gotten that information for a couple of quid.”
Mum said, “Yeah I guess so.”
Anyway Jill drove us home and there was no one at our house so we were happy about that.
I said, “Mum, I should be going back to school after we have lunch I don’t want to fall behind because of all this.”
Mum replied, “Jason I don't think that a few hours away from school is going to make you a drop out do you?”
“No Mum I guess not”
After lunch I decided to go for a walk to the cemetery and see if I could have a chat with Uncle Albert. I knew I could just get him to talk to me if I concentrated hard enough but I just wanted to go to where I first met Uncle Albert and see if the connection was stronger at the tomb stone.
I told Mum what I was doing and she said, “Give Albert my love Jason, and tell him thanks for looking after you.”
“I will Mum, I’ll see you in a couple of hours.” and I walked down the road to where Uncle Albert's spirit lived. I felt a bit guilty for not being at school but I would have only been inundated with questions and would not have been able to concentrated on listening to Terry anyway. I got to the cemetery gates and they were locked, so I thought I would try and see if Uncle Albert was as good as he said he was and closed my eyes and said, “Uncle I want to come to your tomb and sit and talk to you there, but the gate is locked with a great big padlock on it.”
Nothing happened for a few seconds but then I could see the the lock moving and it clicked open.
I said “Thanks Uncle.” in my normal voice and hoped that no one was watching me. I opened the gate just enough to slip through and put my hands through the bars of the wrought iron gates to hang the lock in place so it looked like it was still locked.
I walked to where Albert’s tomb was and and said in my normal voice, “Hello uncle I hope you don’t mind me coming here to talk to you but it is so nice and peaceful here and no one will disturb us while we are communicating.”
Albert said in my mind but it sounded as if he was just beside me, “Hello Jason, I am glad you want to talk to me because it gets a bit boring being a spirit that is stuck here on earth.”
I replied, “Uncle why are you stuck here in spirit form?”
“Jason I can't move on till I have done what is required of me, and I have not been told by the energy that controls these things just what that is.”
I replied, “It must have something to do with me don’t you think?”
This conversation went on a bit longer and Albert said, “Jason, there is someone at the book store that you work at that is trying to get your attention. Her name is Susan and you and her have something in common, so you should get to know her.”
I replied, “Uncle, do you know what I do all the time then?”
“Yes Jason, I was connected to you as soon as you touched my headstone that afternoon and our spirits intermingled so I know exactly what you are up to. How do you think I got to you so fast when that idiot Justin tried to stab you?”
I replied , “Well I had better behave myself than hey?”
“Jason I am not here to judge or control you but to help you along the way and protect you from any harm, but if you do naughty things I will be watching.”
I said, “Uncle thanks for the talk, and what about the lock on the gate. Will I be able to get you to open it any time I come back here.”
“Did it open when you asked me before?”
“Yeah it did.”
“Well you know what to do then don't you.”
“Ok, I had better get going and get home to have a shower because I have to work at the book shop this afternoon.”
Albert said, “Don’t forget about the girl will you?”
“No uncle I wont, I'll see you later.”
I went back to the gate and it had locked itself again, so I said, “ Uncle please.” and it unlocked. I walked through and replaced the lock and walked home.
Mum was preparing some thing for dinner tonight when I walked into the kitchen and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
She said, “Jason I was wondering when you were coming home I was beginning to think Albert was leading you astray.”
“No Mum but we had a long chat and it seems that he is part of my life now and seems to know every move I make.”
“Well Jason sweetheart, at least you'll be safe from now on wont you?”
“Yes Mum I will.” I went and had my shower, got dressed to go to work and had a quick snack of toast and a drink of milk to tide me over till I got home from work at seven o'clock. I said 'bye' to Mum and walked to the bus stop to catch a ride to the book shop.
I arrived at the shop at three thirty my starting time, and said 'Hello' to everyone including Susan. There was a lot of new stock to sort out and both me and Susan were asked to go into the store room and put the books in some sort of order so they they could be brought out to the main shop in the next couple days.
Susan was my age and quite pretty but very shy and didn't talk much. As we were sorting out the piles of books, I said, “Susan, I have an uncle that seems to think I need to talk to girls more. Do you mind?”
Susan replied in a husky voice, “Jason I was hoping that you wanted to be my friend but I have a bit of a problem, I think you probably know what I am talking about because I have a feeling that you and I are the same.”
I thought, 'Shit, how on earth does she know about me?'
I said, “What do you mean Susan?”
“Well I saw what you wearing under your shorts the other day when you bent over and exposed a waist band that looked a lot like you were wearing a pair of pink panties, am I right?”
“Um-er—well—ok, so what happens now?”
“Why should anything happen Jason? I told you we have something in common and if you will just listen to me I will explain a little bit about myself.”
I sat on one of the boxes and listened to what Susan was about to reveal to me.
After she was finished I said, “Wow Susan I had no idea, you look real to me.”
She replied, “Now it's your turn Jason. I will help you if you want? My Mum helped me all the way and when the time comes I will have the full operation as well.” I sat there and was dumbfounded for a few minutes but then started to open up to Susan. My life would never be the same from then on.
To be continued,
Next time: I talk to Albert first and then Mum. Oh boy!!
Please leave a comment.
I thought, 'Shit, how on earth does she know about me?'
I said, “What do you mean Susan?”
“Well I saw what you wearing under your shorts the other day when you bent over and exposed a waist band that looked a lot like you were wearing a pair of pink panties, am I right?”
“Um-er—well—ok, so what happens now?”
“Why should anything happen Jason? I told you we have something in common and if you will just listen to me I will explain a little bit about myself.”
I sat on one of the boxes and listened to what Susan was about to reveal to me.
After she was finished I said, “Wow Susan I had no idea, you look real to me.”
She replied, “Now it's your turn Jason. I will help you if you want? My Mum helped me all the way and when the time comes I will have the full operation as well.” I sat there and was dumbfounded for a few minutes but then started to open up to Susan. My life would never be the same from then on.
I said, “Susan, I would not have guessed in a million years. How long have you been a girl?”
She replied, “All my life!! Jason, we are born that way.”
“That is not what I meant, how long have you been living as a girl?”
“Oh I cant remember the exact date but when I went to kindergarten and I wanted to play with the girls and not the boys and no matter how much they tried to make me change I would not except being a boy.”
I replied, “So your parents let you do it?”
“Well my Mum did. My Dad left just after I was born and he disappeared into the woodwork so I have never seen him.” She then said “Jason, have you been wanting to be a girl for long?”
I replied, “In a way I was a bit like you and always wanted to play with the girls too, but my dad would have been horrified if he knew. He was a kind man but I don’t think he would have understood and he did spend a lot of time playing with me when he came home from work and on weekends.”
Susan said, “Does your Mum know?”
“She has sprung me only recently when I thought I was home alone and I was wearing one of her long dresses.”
”What happened?”
“Nothing, she just said 'Make sure you hang that dress back up when you are finished with it.' ”
We talked a bit more and Susan said, “We had better get to work or we won't have a job. Do you want to talk more about it later?”
I replied “Yeah I’d love to Susan - when we finish work ok?”
We went back to sorting out the boxes of books and didn't talk much more till it was time to go home. We went out to the front of the shop and told Miss Cline the owner and our boss that we had just about finished sorting out all the boxes and would finish the job tomorrow afternoon.
She replied, “Ok dear, make sure you both go straight home. It is not safe for young people like yourselves to be on the street at night.”
I said, “I will make sure Susan gets home safe Miss Cline, she lives just down the road from me.”
“Jason dear, I wish you would call me Abbey, I have known you since you first came into this shop, when you came in with Mary to buy some children’s books and that must be at least ten years ago and I also knew your father bless him.”
I replied, “Ok, I suppose it makes sense Abbey.”
I thought to myself 'It doesn’t feel right, but if it makes her happy than so be it.'
Susan and I said good night and went out to the bus stop and caught the bus that took us straight to where the cemetery was.
I asked Susan, “What street do you live on?”
“Elm street.”
“Hell Susan, that is only one street down from Becket street. I never realised you lived so close.”
We got off at the bus stop outside the cemetery gates and she said, “Jason this is not where I normally get off the bus, that is another block away.” I
replied, “Well I know a short cut and we can take that with the help of my Uncle Albert.”
Susan said. “I don’t understand Jason, this cemetery is at least a block in size and the gates have a big padlock on them.”
I replied “Watch and learn all about my Uncle Albert.” I concentrated and said in a normal voice “Uncle I have someone I want you to meet. Open the lock please.”
The lock moved and clicked open. Susan stepped back in fright and said. “I'm not going in there.” I had to grab her by the hand to stop her from running away up the street.
I held onto her and said, “Susan it is quite safe, he is a harmless spirit and will protect you just like he does me. Well he is harmless to me but not to bad guys like Justin and his stupid brother Dave.”
Susan held onto my hand so tight it was hurting me and we walked through the gate and closed it behind us and the lock clicked shut. That made Susan jump and let out a little scream.
We stopped under a lamp and I said “Susan let me explain about my Uncle Albert.”
After about ten minutes of convincing her it was safe to go on she said, “So it was you that lifted that kid of the floor and held him there like a little toddler?”
“Yeah but it was really Albert doing all the lifting.”
Susan said, “Ok but I am still shitting myself.”
I lead the way to Albert's domain and told Susan not to be frighten if she saw a bit of a mist surrounding me, that was just Albert's way of connecting with living people. I told Susan to sit on the little bench seat that all the graves had in this cemetery.
Once she was seated I said, “Uncle, please don’t do anything to scare Susan.” I sat next to Susan and held her hand so the connection between me and Albert would be stronger I said, “Albert do it now.”
There was a fine shimmery mist around me and Susan and Albert said “Don’t be scared Susan, I will only hurt bad people.” It was the clearest I have heard him in my head.
Susan said, “Wow I can actually hear him in my head as clear as a bell.”
Albert said, “Now Jason I haven't told you before but I know about your little hobby, not that I mind but you have to be aware that it will make life a little harder and I will probably have to work overtime to keep you out of trouble.”
Susan was letting go of my hand now and it seemed that she was accepting Uncle Albert’s spirit and started to ask him questions.
It was getting late so I said, “Uncle we will come back tomorrow but we have to get home, Susan's Mum will be worried about her.”
Albert said, “Susan I like you, you're a good kid and I will look after you just like Jason.” Albert's mist dissipated and we got up and walked to the other side of the cemetery and through a little gate that I found when I first came through there to take a short cut to get home.
I gave Mum a ring on my mobile and said, “I am walking a friend home and I will be home in about ten minutes.”
Susan's home was much like ours, built over a hundred years ago and falling down from lack of maintenance, but in this area it was all occupied mainly by single mums and old people. We walked up the front steps and Susan took out her key from her purse and fumbled so she dropped it. By the time she picked it up the door opened up and her Mum stood in the doorway and said, “Susan you are late, I was starting to get worried about you. Why didn't you ring you have a mobile.”
“Sorry Mum I sort of got waylaid by Jason. By the way this is Jason Smith, he works with me at the bookshop and he lives just around the corner.”
Susan's said Mum said, “Hello Jason, it's nice to meet you. Susan doesn't have too many friends, least of all bringing them home to meet me. Jason your mother isn't Mary Smith is she?”
I replied, “Yeah she is, she volunteers down at the charity shop on Wednesdays, you have probable met her there.”
I had to get home or Mum would start to get panicky and ring my mobile, so I said “I’ll see you tomorrow Susan, and it's nice meeting you Mrs Beck” They went inside and I made my way home to have a long talk with Mum.
I opened the door and said, “I'm home Mum, what's for dinner?”
“Hello dear, go and wash your hands and you'll find out.”
”Yes Mum.” I went to the bathroom and washed my hands and walked into the kitchen and said. “Boy that smells good Mum.”
“Jason it's one of your favourites, oxtail and potato stew.”
“Yum, maybe I can take some for tomorrows lunch?”
Mum replied, “Jason I made enough for at least three days, it is just the thing for winter meals.”
Before I was even half-way through my stew I said, “Mum what’s for desert?”
Mum rolled her eyes and replied, “What would you say if I said there is none dear.”
“Mum don't make with the jokes already”
“Ok it's home made ice-cream and and jelly.”
“Thanks Mum”
Mum said, “Jason who was it that you walked home?”
“Oh just Susan from the book shop. I introduced her to Uncle Albert tonight and she is ok with it.”
“That's Lilly Beck's daughter isn't it?”
“Yes Mum and she lives just down the road.”
Mum replied, “Yes son I knew that. So you two are becoming friends than?”
I said. “You could say that Mum, but there is something that you probably don't know.”
Mum replied, “Oh you mean about Susan being a transgendered girl?”
“You knew!!”
“Well yes, I thought it was common knowledge.”
“Well Mum I have something else to tell you.”
“Yes dear I think you very well may have at that.”
I said, “Mum where do you want me to start?”
“Try at the beginning dear, it's not that hard.” I told Mum how I have felt all my life “But because I never wanted to hurt Dad I let it slide and today Susan confronted me about it, and she says she wants to help me and be my friend.”
Mum replied, “Jason I have known about you since you were about three years old.”
I replied, “Mum ,why haven't you said anything till now?”
She replied, “Jason I knew that eventually you would tell me, I just didn't want to push you either way, but if this is what you really want to do, than I will support you all the way.”
I said, “Mum where do I go from here?”
She replied, “Well dear you already know Susan and her Mum. I am quite sure that they will be only too happy to direct you to the right way to go about being who you want to be.” I looked up Susan’s home phone number and made a call!!!
Albert’s spirit
To be continued.
Next time: Susan helps to smooth the way.
Please leave a comment.
I told Mum how I have felt all my life but because I never wanted to hurt Dad I let it slide and today Susan confronted me about it,and she says she wants to help me and be my friend.
Mum replied, “Jason I have known about you since you were about three years old.”
I said “Mum why haven't you said anything till now?”
She replied, “Jason I knew that eventually you would tell me, I just didn't want to push you either way, but if this is what you really want to do, than I will support you all the way.”
I said, “Mum, where do I go from here?”
She replied, “Well dear, you already know Susan and her Mum. I am quite sure that they will be only to happy to direct you to the right way to go about being who you want to be.” I looked up Susan’s home phone number and made a call!!!
“Hello Susan speaking.”
“Susan it's me. I just opened up to Mum and she has known about me since I was a toddler.”
“Well Jason it's still early if you want to come over for a while, I’m sure Mum won't mind.”
”Well I should be doing some homework but I guess this is more important, so I’ll be over in ten minutes ok?”
“See you then.”
I told Mum what I was doing and she replied “That's a good idea dear but don’t forget school tomorrow will you?”
“No Mum I wont stay to long.”
I took a torch with me because it was really dark that night with no moon out and the street lamps were next to useless. It's not that I was scared of the dark, I just didn’t like running into things.
I walked down Susan's street and nearly walked past her house because in these old suburbs all the houses looked pretty much the same especially at night with no moon out. I looked at the house number with my torch and it said number five so I was here.
It was spooky because I was just about to knock on the door when it opened up
but Susan wasn't there.
I said' “Hello Susan! It's me Jason, the door was open so I thought you must have left it open for me.”
Susan and her Mum came out to the little entry hall and Susan said, “Jason the door is always locked from the inside with a dead lock.”
I replied, “Well I think I know how it got opened. Uncle Albert seems to be keen for me to talk to you Susan. You have seen what happened at the cemetery gate, I can see I’ll have to have a word with an over-zealous uncle.”
Susan’s Mum said, “Come in Jason dear, is there something you need to tell me about your uncle?”
“Err yes, he is not of this world Mrs Beck.”
Susan had a bit of a giggle and said, “Jason I told Mum about your uncle's spirit doing all sorts of things including giving you super strength when you were threatened by those two idiots at your school.”
I replied, “Oh! and you don’t mind your daughter being friends with someone weird like me?”
“Jason dear, every one knows that there are trapped entities in that old cemetery. That is why it has never been developed like most other old historical places in this city.”
Susan said, “It looks like your uncle will be quite handy when you start to transition Jason, because people can be quite mean to transsexual people.”
I replied, “Did you have much trouble Susan?”
“No, because Mum dressed me as a girl as soon as I went to Kindergarten and all that remains to be done is the surgery when I turn eighteen.”
I said, “But Susan you have fully developed breasts, did you get implants?”
She replied, “Jason these are all mine and home grown.”
Susan's Mum laughed and said, “That's one way of putting it Susan, but no Jason, Susan has been on hormones for about four years now. Once I convinced her stupid doctor to prescribe oestrogen pills she developed a girlie figure fairly quickly.”
Susan looked at me and said, “Jason if you are really serous about being a girl than I will help you all I can, but you have to make an appointment with a gender clinic to get diagnosed first up or you won't be able to get any scripts for hormones, and you will have to also have blood tests done.”
I replied, “I already know all this because I have been on the internet and have looked it all up, but was never game enough to say anything to Mum because I thought she would be all upset with me.”
Mrs Beck said, “Jason dear, I will have a talk to your Mum tomorrow and we can sort something out and see if can't get you an appointment with Susan's doctor, not the stupid one but the one down at the clinic.”
Susan said, “Jason, your Uncle must know about your gender dysphoria because he seems to be pushing us together doesn’t he?”
“Yeah it looks like it doesn’t it?”
“Jason it's getting late and you still have to walk home so we can talk more tomorrow ok?”
“Yeah I suppose so.”
Susan's Mum said, “Jason have you got a girl name because we wont be able to call you Jason once you start dressing in female attire will we?”
I replied , “Well I like Jessica because I used to play with a girl named Jessica at kindergarten and I always wanted to be her even then.”
“Ok Jessica it is, so now you had better go and have a good nights rest and tell your Mum I will come and have a chat with her tomorrow Ja–Jessica.”
I said good night to her and Susan and started to walk home.
As I was walking I said, “Uncle are you there?”
He answered and was in my head and he said, “Jason ---Jess this is what I am here for, to protect you from harm.”
I replied just talking in a normal voice, “Shit I thought I had hidden it pretty well but it looks like hiding is over, things are really going to get tough for me now aren't they?”
“Yes Jess ---you don't mind me calling you Jess do you?”
“No uncle, because that is who I am, so go ahead. It's not as though any one else can hear you is it?”
“Jess I am here for you so don’t hesitate to call me for help any time you need me and tell your Mum to come to my headstone as soon as she can. I have a feeling she is as responsive as you are in connecting with me.”
“Ok uncle I had better get home now it is getting quite late.”
“Don't forget to tell your Mum tonight.”
“Ok yeah I won't ok.”
I hurried up and was home within ten minutes. Mum was still in the kitchen having a cup of tea waiting for me to come home.
She said, “Jason how did it go with Susan and her Mum?”
I replied, “Well Mum it looks like I am going to get a lot of help from Susan and her Mum. They even got out of me what my girl name is.”
Mum replied, “Oh and what might that be dear?”
“Err how does Jessica sound Mum?”
“Well Jessica that is what your aunty's second name is, she will be pleased I’m sure.”
“Mum I was talking with Uncle Albert on my way home and he asked me to tell you that he wants you to come to his tombstone as soon as you can find the time.”
Mum replied, “I wonder what he wants with me? Oh well I'll go there tomorrow morning and you can conjure him up for me on your way to school.”
“Yes Mum, and Susan is going to be passing this way to her school as well because her school is just down the road from mine, and we can take the same bus and all.”
Mum replied, “Well Jas–err —Jessica, oh dear it is going to be hard to cope with the name change while you are still going to be going to school in boy mode for quite a while yet.”
“Mum I am going to talk to the school counsellor when I get to school in the morning. I think there might be other transgender students at the school as well so, it might not be as bad as I first thought to come out as having gender dysphoria.”
“Well dear you had better go to bed, it is getting quite late.”
”Yes Mum goodnight.”
I kissed Mum on the cheek and went to brush my teeth in the bathroom and looked in the mirror and pulled my hair out of the ponytail and brushed it into a feminine style. It was almost down to my shoulders so I held it this way and that, and decide that I would get Susan to teach me how to deal with it so it would look ok.
I went to bed but could not get to sleep and I said in my mind, “Uncle are you there ?”
“Jess you know I am, what seems to be the problem?”
“Uncle I can't get to sleep with all the stuff that's happening to me at the moment. I’m all wound up, can't you zap me or something?”
Albert said, “Jess keep your eyes closed and count to three.”
I said, “One, two, three.” and the next thing my alarm clock was going off at six am. I thought 'I must remember when I can't sleep next time to get zapped by Albert the sleep-maker. Wow I could make a lot of money if I could somehow make it happen through a phone line.'
Any way I got up had a shower and put the kettle on to make myself a cup of coffee and Mum a cup of Earl Grey. I put some bread in the toaster and waited while the kettle boiled. Mum came into the kitchen just as I was about to take the cuppa and toast up to her bedroom and she said, “Jessica dear, don’t forget I am coming with you to the cemetery so you can connect me with Albert, so breakfast in bed is not an option this morning.” We had our breakfast and got dressed and ready to walk to the cemetery, when there was a knock on the front door, I opened it and there was Susan all dressed up in winter clothes and knee high boots ,
I said “Wow you look good this morning Susan. I hope you can show me how to look that good too?”
She replied, “Jessica err — you are in boy mode so I had better call you Jason in public or we might have trouble especially on public transport.”
Mum said, “Hello Susan, I'm coming with you as far as the cemetery this morning because Je-ason is going to connect me with his uncle Albert's spirit.”
Susan replied “Yeah it's really cool how Jess can talk with her dead uncle.”
Mum said, “Susan you will have to watch calling her that in public.”
Susan replied, “Oh shit, sorry I forgot.”
We made our way to the cemetery and the the little hidden gate on our side of the cemetery and went straight to Albert’s tomb stone.
Mum said, “Ok dear now what?”
I replied, “Ok Mum and Susan, I want you both to sit on that little grave bench and close you eyes and don’t open them till Albert tells you to.” I sat on the tomb itself and asked Albert to do his stuff.
He came in loud and clear and said, “Hello Mary and young Susan. Don’t open your eyes or I will lose contact with you.” Just as well there was no one else around because there was a mist around all of us and it got quite cold.
Mum and Susan just nodded their heads and Albert said, “You can only hear me in you mind and as time goes on you will be able to hear me like Jess can.” Albert then said, “Ok Jess and Susan, you two can go now while I have a talk to Mary on her own. Mary keep your eyes closed so I don’t lose you or I will have to get Jess back for us to connect us again.”
I said, “Come on Susan, we have a bus to catch.” I didn't say bye to Mum in case I broke the connection with Albert so we just quietly slipped away.
Susan said, “Does it always get that cold when Albert talks to you?”
I replied, “No, only around the tomb and the mist is a lot denser as well.”
We caught our bus and both got off outside my school because Susan's school is only half a block away.
She gave me a hug and said, “I will see you at the bookshop this afternoon Je–ason, be careful.” I walked through the main gates and to the office of Mr Green the school counsellor.
To be continued.
Please leave a comment.
Previously
We caught our bus and both got off outside my school because Susan's school was only half a block away.
She gave me a hug and said, “I will see you at the bookshop this afternoon Je–ason be careful.” I walked through the main gates and to the office of Mr Green the school counsellor.
Tuesday
I was greeted by some of the students that were in the locker hall when Justin and Dave were literally trying to kill me and they patted me on the back and said “Wow Jason, where did you get the strength from to lift Justin off the floor like that?”
I replied the best way I could and said, “It must have been a spur of the moment thing I guess. Just as well because I would be dead now if I hadn't done it.”
One kid said, “Thank God he's gone because he was taking all my lunch money every day. I hope they both go to jail for a long time.”
I replied, “I don’t think that Justin or his stupid brother will be back here anyway because they have been charged with attempted murder.”
Another kid said, “Jason can you show us how you did that lift? That was so cool watching Justin dangling there.”
I said, “Look I have to go and see Mr Green about something so I’ll see you all later.”
The kid replied, “Ok see ya.” I was wondering when the questions were going to stop, so I had to finish the conversation if I was going to see Mr Green before class started.
I arrived at his office, his door was open and he was on the phone to someone and motioned to me to take a seat, which I did. I sort of listened in on the conversation and it seemed like he was talking about me but I couldn't be sure. There might be another Jason at this school that he was talking about.
As it worked out it was me. He was talking to my Mum and when he hung up the phone he looked at me and said, “Jason I think we had better ask the principal to come here and hear what you have to tell us don't you?”
I replied, “Yes that would be best I think.”
While we were waiting Mr Green said, “Jason I would not have guessed about you, you have hidden it well, but you can't go through life hiding from yourself and who you are. By the way there is another student that is in transition as well but you wouldn’t know she was ever a boy to look at her so don’t worry, this school has a policy about transgendered students.”
While we were waiting for the principal to turn up Terry Brady poked his head in the door and said, “Hi Jason I have a bit more information on the two criminals if you're interested?”
I replied, “Only if it's about them going to jail sir.”
“Well there was enough evidence on the tapes to charge them with attempted murder so you won't even have to go to court to give any evidence, but I must say they did a lot of asking about how on earth you could have picked Justin up like that. I told them you did a lot of marshal arts training and it was a new technique.
I replied, “I have never done nor will ever do any marshal arts training but if that satisfies their curiosity so be it.”
Terry said, “I know that, but I had to tell them something. How was I going to tell them it was your dead uncle that gives you that sort of strength?”
“Yeah, well sir, there is something else that I am going to have to tell you now which you may not believe either.” I came straight out with it and said, “I am transgendered.”
He replied, “Well Jason I sort of guessed you were either gay or transgendered a while ago when another student was talking to me about a personal matter and your name came up.”
I thought 'Great, some people seem to know already without me saying anything. I wonder why Mum rang Mr Green,unless Uncle Albert told her to do it to make it easier for me.'
My teacher said, “Jason I’ll see you in class shortly, but I want to have a talk with you at lunch time ok?”
As he left the principal Mr Blake walked into Mr Green's office and said, “Ok what seems to be the problem?” and when he saw it was me he said, “Oh not you again, we don’t want the media coming back again so I hope you haven't been doing strange things again have you?”
“No sir, but I think you might have to change some of my school records after today.”
He looked at me and at Mr Green and said, “Jack what is going on? Don’t tell me we have another trans kid?”
Mr Green said, “Yes George you are looking at her.”
The principal replied “I don’t see a girl in here Jack.”
Mr green said, “She might be wearing boys clothing at the moment but I can assure you that after talking with Jessica's mother a while ago you have a girl sitting in front of you.”
Mr Blake replied, “Shit Jack, before long we will be called the tranny school if this keeps up.”
Mr Green said, “George you had better get used to it and you know the school policy on this.”
“Ok Jason err Jessica, come to my office at morning break and I will start sorting out the necessary paper work to register you as a transgendered student.”
I went straight to my class room from there and the class was just starting to be seated and Terry said “Alright, settle down class.”
The morning went by pretty fast and when the morning break bell went I waited for the rest of the class to be out of the room before I got up to go to the principal's office. As I started to go to the door Terry said, “Do you want me to come with you to give you some support with our bigoted principal Jason um Jesssy err what do you want me to call you now?”
I replied, “Well sir, just till everything gets sorted I think it would be easier if you just kept on calling me Jason, and thanks for accepting who I am so readily.”
Terry said, “It's ok Jason. If you must know I’m gay so I'm not too shocked, but George is a bit of a homophobic person so you will have to watch your step with him. He has no choice but to accept you because the school board has two gay people on it and they are both prominent lawyers so he has to abide by the school policy if he wants to keep his job.”
“Well sir if you don’t mind I would like you to come with me because you have helped me a lot over the last year. If you want I will introduce you to my dead uncle.”
Terry replied, “Yeah I’d like that. It fascinates me the way he protects you from danger.”
We walked to the principal's office and Mr Green was outside in the hall talking to my Mum.
I said, “Mum what are you doing here?”
She replied, “Jack rang me and said it would be a good idea if I was present while things get sorted out paper-wise Jessica.”
I said Mum, “I'm still Jason till things get sorted.”
“Jessica, that’s who you are and that is what I am going to call you. If anyone has a problem with it they will end up in a court room with Albert looking on.”
“Yes Mum.”
'Wow' I thought 'She is right behind me in this. Maybe I shouldn’t have waited so long to come out to her'.
We all walked into Mr Blake's office. He looked up from what he was reading with a surprised look on his face and said, “What's all this then? I only wanted to talk to Jason not the whole school and his Mother as well.”
Mum replied, “Mr Blake I am here to see that Jessy gets a fair hearing and all the school policies are followed to the letter.”
Blake replied, “What makes you think that I won't follow school policy Mrs Smith?”
Mum replied, “Well I heard that when that criminal Bradford and his idiot brother were abusing students at the main gate you didn't want to intervene because it was not on school property.”
Blake was getting angry and said, “Mrs Smith if you don’t stop your verbal abuse of me than I will call security and have you removed from the school.”
Mum replied, “Go ahead you cowardly man.” Blake went to pick up the phone when Terry and Mr Green intervened and told him to put the phone back down.
Blake refused and said “I will have you both sacked for this.” He then started to punch some numbers onto the phone but froze when he couldn't get his fingers to push the numbers down. The next thing that happened was funny to watch - the hand piece he was holding up to his ear started to have smoke come out of the speaker part.
He tried to put the phone down but every time he put it into the cradle it stuck to his hand.
Mum said, “Alright Albert you have had your bit of fun, now let him put the phone down.”
Blake just stared at the phone and said, “Ok ok, I know that Jas-err Jess has a connection with hi--her uncle's spirit and I will do as I am asked and get the paperwork done, but I don't agree with kids changing sex. It is not normal and I will be writing to the school board to try and have it changed.”
Terry said “After today you may not be principal any more because I am going to put in a complaint to the anti-discrimination people, so you had better apologise to Jessy's Mum if you want to stay in your job.”
Blake did just that but I didn’t think he would last much longer in the job now that he had been exposed as a bigot. Terry and Jack Green went back to their jobs while Mum and I stayed in Blake’s office. Mum was not leaving till all the relevant papers were signed and put in an envelope to be posted to the correct departments.
When that was done Mum said “Jess dear you might as well go to your class. I will have a few more details to sort out with Mr Blake. Don’t worry dear, Albert is right here with me, and I will see you at home tonight after you have gone to the book shop, and by the way Susan and her Mum are coming to dinner so we can sort out some of you clothes, ok?”
“Yes Mum.” I kissed her on the cheek and went to my class which had only another twenty minutes to go and it was lunch time.
I quietly walked into the classroom and sat down in my seat but could not concentrate on anything that Terry was teaching, so I just started to sort out my brain to try and get my head around what had happened in the last week or so.
I thought to myself 'Wow I am actually going to be able to live my life like it was intended, as a teenage girl with a girl friend there to help me along the way.'
The bell went and it was lunch time. I went out with the rest of the students to the school cafeteria. At least all the kids had money to buy their lunch if they wanted to. Without a criminal there to stand over them, but I guess there will be others eventually to do the same thing again.
I sat down in the cafeteria in one of the seats by myself and started to eat my salad roll. I got a few funny looks but no one was game to say too much to me because I was the freak that had a dead uncle to protect me from any harm. I really wasn't in any mood to talk to anyone at that moment. What would I say, 'Oh by the way I’m really a girl but have been pretending to be a boy.' And then it struck me 'Hey!! that’s a brilliant idea and would probably work quite well.'
I was sitting there patting myself on the back when a pretty girl walked up to my table and said, “ Hello I’m Jane, may I sit down or are you not talking to anyone today?”
I was taken aback for a moment at the big blue eyes that were looking at me and said, “Sure take a seat Jane,---I would tell you my name but it will only confuse you.”
She replied, “Oh I don’t think so Jessica.”
I was dumbfounded and said, “Wow news travels fast. How on earth did you know about me.?”
She said “Well I am in your class, not that you have noticed because you seem to always keep to yourself, but you made your public debut when you sorted out Justin didn't you?”
I replied, “Yeah I guess I did.”
I then asked how she knew about my little problem.
She said, “Well our teacher, Terry is gay and he has helped me on the way to being who I am in the last couple of years.”
I replied, “So you are a lesbian than?”
“No silly!! I’m like you only a bit further down the track.”
“Oh well that's alright then.”
“What do you mean 'That's alright then' Jessy?”
“I don’t know Jane, I’m getting a little confused, sorry.” I continued, “Jane, if I get to look half as good as you I'll be very happy.”
She replied, “Jessy I’ll be there if you want any help.”
I replied, “Jane there is already someone like you who is my friend. I would be happy to have you meet her if you want.”
She said, “Yeah I’d love to Jess.”
I said, “Well when school is finished this afternoon Susan is going to be outside the main gates waiting for me. We go home on the same bus and she lives just down the road from me.”
The bell went and we walked back to the class room chatting as though we had known each other all our lives.
To be continued.
Next time Susan meets Jane and trouble on the way home!!!
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Previously
I’ll be there if you want any help.”I replied, “Jane there is already someone like you that is my friend. I would be happy to have you meet her if you want?”
She said, “Yeah I’d love to Jess.”
I said, “Well when school is finished this afternoon Susan is going to be outside the main gates waiting for me. We go home on the same bus and she lives just down the road from me.” The bell went and we walked back to the class room chatting as though we had known each other all our lives.
The afternoon went really fast and I could hardly wait to see Susan and tell her all that had eventuated today, and also have her meet another trans girl.
Before we left the classroom Terry said, “Jessy, tell your Mum I’ll be in touch with her about what we will do about Blake. As far as I’m concerned he is in a lot of trouble once I make an official complaint to the school board about him, and some of the things he did this morning.”
I replied, “Ok sir I will tell her tonight.” Jane grabbed me by the hand and pulled me along to get our bags from the locker room and out to where Susan was waiting for me to turn up.
When we got to the gate she was still holding my hand and Susan said, “Hello Jason got a girlfriend have we?”
I replied, “Susan you can call me Jessica in front of Jane ,she is one of us, Jane - Susan,”
“Nice to meet you Jane, what do you mean Jessy by she is one of us?”
“I'm in transition Susan.”
“Oh Ok, so what happened today?”
“I'll tell you on the way home Susan, but I just wanted you to meet Jane because she is in my class and I think we'll become good friends.”
“I am sure we will Jane, where do you live?”
Jane replied, “I live in the middle of the city in a high rise apartment block with my Mum.”
“Well,” Susan said, “We'll have to get together on the weekend. Just give Jessy your phone number at school tomorrow and we can talk some more.”
We let Jane catch her bus and we walked a block down the road to the book shop to do the remaining part of the sorting out of the new stock. It took us almost all of the two hours to get it finished. We said good night to Miss Cline, and walked to where we catch our bus home.
I said, “Susan, getting back to earlier, I had no idea about Jane till she talked to me today at lunch. I think she is a fair way into her transition.”
Susan replied, “Yeah she looks pretty good but remember I saw you first ok?”
I replied, “Does that mean we're lesbians?”
She laughed and said, “Yeah I suppose it does - does that bother you Jess?”
“No not at all.” I replied.
“Oh good because I’m not into guys, but I know you're not a guy - not mentally anyway and once you start to transition proper we ll be able to have some fun Jess.”
I replied, “I hope you'll be gentle with me Susan,” and we both fell about giggling till we realised that we almost walked right past our bus stop.
Our bus arrived and we boarded, We found a seat right at the front of the bus and sat down; the driver closed the doors and started to get under way, then things started to happen. We didn't notice the two guys in leather jackets sitting in the seat behind us. One of them reached over and touched Susan on the shoulder and made her jump and she grab hold of my arm.
I said, “Hey get your hand off my girlfriend or you'll be sorry.”
The second guy then grabbed my hair and pulled me back into the seat and his face was only inches away from me and his breath was foul.
I just said, “I’m warning you, you are going to get hurt.”
He just laughed and said, “What by a little pansy like you?”
Susan said, “Jess do something, he's hurting me.”
I just said, “UNCLE!''. and there was a mist around me and Susan. The two guys were flung back into their seats with a surprised look on their faces. The mist was still around me and Susan and the bus driver had stopped the bus and pulled over to the side of the road. He got out of his seat and walked down the aisle to us and said to the two thugs, “Right you two - off the bus!”
The driver knew about me and my uncle and he said, “Jason if these two won't get off, can you get your uncle to give them some encouragement?”
I replied, “Sure.”
The two rough necks didn't argue and said, “You're a fucking freak mate.”
I replied, “Stay on the bus and find out just how much off a freak I can be.” They left and we continued our trip home.
Of course we went through the cemetery but didn't stop at Albert's grave. There was no point seeing that he was with me all the time and all I had to do was call his name and he was there. We went straight to my house because Susan and her mum were going to have dinner at my house that night, I think the two Mums were getting together to sort me out. Albert did his trick and unlocked the door before I could even get my door key out of my pocket.
Susan said “Thanks Albert”
I heard him say “You're welcome darling.” in my mind and Susan said, “Wow!! Albert I can hear you in my head.”
Albert replied, “Yes my dear, I connected with you when you touched my headstone and you are part of my mission that I have to complete to be able to move on to the next plane of existence.”
Susan said, “What do I call you - Uncle or Albert?”
“Uncle will do fine lass. I am as close to you as I am to Jess, so you will be protected by me if there is trouble like those two idiots that tried it on earlier.”
Susan said, “Do I just call your name and you will be there?”
“Yes dear but you will do better to close your eyes while we communicate with me because the spirit world is better seen by the mind's eye.”
We walked inside and Mum and Susan's Mum Lilly were setting the table so we could eat because it was getting late and we had lot of talking to do. Dinner was a macaroni cheese pie and it went with Brussel sprouts and asparagus tips; desert was apple strudel. My Mum is a fantastic cook and I hoped now that I was going to be a girl she would teach me all she knew about cooking. When we finished our dinner we cleaned up the kitchen which didn't take very long with four ladies doing the work.
Lilly had brought a bag of Susan's clothes over for me to try on to see how I looked all dressed up. My hair was almost as long as Susan’s, so Mum got the scissors out and trimmed it into a feminine shape. I looked in the hall mirror and was amazed at what I looked like by just doing something with my hair. I pulled on a pair of Susan's jeans with flowers and little hearts on the pockets, and a long sleeved pink blouse. My feet were obviously the same size as Susan's because the pink runners fitted me perfectly.
My hair was done in a high pony tail and I was ready to have a look at myself in the full length mirror.
I just said, “Oh my god, I’m a girl.”
Susan replied, “Well an,----- androgynous one anyway, and I think we will get you to go to school dressed like that and see what happens.”
“Lots of boys wear unisex clothes these days and it will test the waters at school with all the other students.”
I replied, “Susan I don’t think I should have to many problems because I think that some of the school students already think that I am a girl trying to look like a boy. If I go dressed like this tomorrow it will certainly test the waters.”
Mum said, “Be careful dear, there will be some that won't understand or even want to, so make sure you can have full contact with Albert at all times.”
“Yes Mum I will. Besides Uncle said earlier that he is in fact connected to me anyway, so stop worrying Mummy — umm Mum.”
She replied, “Sweetheart you haven’t called me that since you started going to school, but if you want, you can call me Mummy, but I think you might be well and truly past that stage don't you?”
“Yes Mum.” Susan had to giggle at that because she also doesn’t say 'Mummy' so I guess we must be to grown up to do it.
We packed all the things except the clothes that I was wearing back into the suitcases and Susan said, “They are all yours now Jess because after tomorrow you can donate all your horrible boy clothes to the op shop down the road from
Miss Cline's bookstop.”
I replied, “You seem pretty sure that I won't need to keep them Susan, what about the law and all my records at the school?”
Susan said, “Well my aunt Sarina, that’s Mums sister, she is a lawyer and she is the one that did all the changing of records for me without any major problems, so I don't see why she won't be able to do the same for you too Jess.”
I replied, “You lot have it all worked out, do I have any say in what happens as well, or is it all preordained so to speak?”
Susan replied, “Umm Jessica, do you want a hand to transition or not?”
I replied, “Yes of course but I want some say in some things.”
Mum said, “Don't worry dear, we'll let you have some say, but we need to show you how to behave completely female in movement and speech, not that it will take too much work because you already move in a very girly way and your voice is more on the fem side so in a couple of weeks time, no one will ever know that you were ever a boy.”
It was getting late and Susan and her Mum said they would make their way home.
I said, “Do you want me to walk you home?”
Susan said, “Well I think we should be ok because Uncle Albert said earlier that he is as close to me as he is to you Jess, so there shouldn’t be any worries with us walking home.”
The two Mums had a bit of a hug and said they would see each other tomorrow, Susan gave me a hug but kissed me full on the lips and said, “Jessica, get used to this, we are going to be a team in more ways then one.”
I replied, “I like it - I think.”
Wednesday
I woke up at my normal time of six am just before the alarm went off. It happened like that every morning, apparently one's body clock gets in tune with time and it sets itself into your metabolism which is pretty neat. Anyway I went to have a shower and remembered that Susan said not to forget to shave.
I thought to myself 'But I don't shave - I never started to grow any facial hair---of course - my legs and under-arms - silly me.'
I wrapped a towel around me and went to Mum's bedroom and knocked on the door and said, “Mum I have to shave my legs but I don't have a razor.”
Mum replied, “Jess go back to the bathroom and look in the medicine cabinet. You will find a new packet of razors and some shaving cream in there.”
I went back and found the items and set to work on my legs and under-arms. It didn't take as long as I thought it would. I felt really girly after I felt my smooth legs. I went back to my bedroom and Mum was there waiting for me.
I said, “Mum I can dress myself you know.”
Mum replied. “Ho yes!! So what are you going to wear under your jeans and that nice feminine blouse that you have laid out to wear?”
I felt a little embarrassed and said, “I left them in the top drawer Mum.”
She replied, “Well Jess if you are going to be my daughter than I will have to teach you about being a girl from the inside out ok?”
“Yes Mum.” I opened up the drawer where Susan had put some panties and camisoles.
Mum said “Ok Jess panties on then a cammie. We will sort out what we are going to do about your flat chest in the next couple of days but for now you can be a flat chested girl, there are plenty of them around especially at your age.”
I pulled on my girl jeans and top, brushed my hair and Mum showed me how to put it in a high pony tail. I took a look in the mirror and was amazed at what I looked like, ''Jason'' was all but gone.
Mum was still watching what I was doing and said, “ Jess darling come and have some breakfast and then we can put some light make-up on your pretty face.”
We had breakfast and I was very careful not to spill anything on myself.
Mum said “Ok dear come into my bedroom and we can make you look even more girly.”
I replied, “Mum, is that wise? I think Susan said I should only look androgynous for the first couple of days.”
Mum said, “Don’t worry dear, I am going to be there with you this morning because Susan's aunty will be there as well to have some paperwork to sort out with that bigot of a principal of yours”
I said, “Mum I hope you are not pushing this too quickly. I still have to go to that school for another two years.”
She replied, “Just leave it up to me dear and practice being a girl.”
I replied, “I won't need any practice Mum, I am a girl remember?”
Just then the door bell rang and I went to answer, it and of course it opened by itself. I rolled my eyes and said, “Uncle thanks but you don’t have to do that every time someone comes to our door.” I felt a little tickle on the nape of my neck, I said, “Uncle please!!” and all I heard was a little wicked giggle.
Susan and her Mum were at the door and I said, “Are we all going to school today or what?”
Susan said “Good morning Jessica Smith.”
I said “Morning, sorry I just snapped at you but I really am just a tad nervous this morning.”
Susan was about to give me a kiss and said, “Oh Jess!! you have got make-up on, do you think that is wise for the first day?”
I replied, “Well Mum said not to worry so I wont; besides it feels and looks great.”
Susan's Mum said, “Jessica you look like a normal fifteen year old girl. I don’t think anyone is even going to notice you.”
Mum was on the phone and when she finished making the call she said, “A taxi will be here in about ten minutes. I thought because we all want to turn up together at the school it is better to get there in a cab.”
The cab turned up as promised but it was just an ordinary car. I always wanted to have a ride in a London black cab but we live in a place called Lance and it is quite a way from London so one day I will go to London just to have a ride in a black cab that has a noisy diesel motor.
Anyway we arrived at the main gate of the school, Mum paid the driver who was already on his two-way radio taking his next job and he drove of with a purpose.
When we walked to the gate Susan said, “Jess I wish I could come in with you but I have to get to my own school and I don't want to be late so I will see you this afternoon when we get to the bookshop to put in our couple of hours of work.” She hugged me and there was that kiss on the lips again. Mum raised an eyebrow and said, “Hhmmm.” We made our way to the main office, and just as we were walking towards the office we could see Susan's aunt talking to Mr Green and my teacher Terry Brady.
We walked up to where they were talking and Susan's Mum said, “Sarina this is Jessica and her mum Mary.” Sarina was a very pretty lady with short blond hair and I think she was younger than Susan's mum by a fair bit. She looked at me and said, “Jessica you pass really well, and I really can't see a boy standing in front of me at all. Are you sure your not a normal girl?”
I replied, “Well in my brain I have always thought of myself as a girl but girls don't have a penis do they?”
Sarina replied, “That can certainly be rectified these days my dear; but first things first so let's go and see this idiot of a man in his office.”
We walked up to Mr Blake’s closed office door and knocked, ''Enter''
To be continued
Next time: someone loses his temper and his job
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Previously
We walked up to were they were talking and Susan's Mum said, “Sarina this is Jessica and her Mum Mary.”
Sarina was a very pretty lady with short blonde hair and I thought she was younger than Susan's Mum by a fair bit. She looked at me and said, “Jessica, you pass really well, and I really can't see a boy standing in front of me at all. Are you sure you're not a normal girl?
I replied, “Well in my brain I have always thought of myself as a girl, but girls don't have a penis do they?”
Sarina replied, “That can certainly be rectified these days my dear, but first things first ,so lets go and see this idiot of a man in his office.” We walked up to Mr Blake’s closed office door and knocked,
"Enter.”
**********************************
Sarina and Mr Green walked in first, and then Mum, Lilly and I walked in after them. Blake stood up with a surprised look on his face and said, looking at Jack, “What's all this Jack? Why are all these people in my office? I only wanted you and Jas-- err- Jessica to be here to sort out the paperwork not the whole family?”
Mum spoke and said “Listen Mr Blake. I know you're not happy to be doing this but I am here to make sure you do the right thing, and to make doubly sure we have also brought along a lawyer. This is Sarina Bell and she has a few papers of her own to show you.”
I sat down on one of the chairs.
“I think this is going to take some time.” said Sarina “I’ll let you handle it from here, he is all yours.” pointing at Blake who was getting all agitated by now, probably ready to call security again, but Albert was in close proximity and I was sure if Blake started to be silly he would give him a gentle reminder just who he was dealing with.
“Alright ,alright I’m listening.” he replied.
Sarina said, “I think we should be asked to all sit down don't you think Mr Blake?”
Blake said, “Yeah sorry, take a seat.”
Blake started to shuffle some forms around on his desk and pulled out two that must have been the ones that had to be signed by me and Mum as well as Blake himself. He really didn't look too happy, but he would be even unhappier when the school board got the reports that Terry and Jack were compiling. He would probably be asked to leave, or change his demeanour about gay and transsexual people. I had a feeling that we would have a new principal very soon,
Sarina said, “Ok Mr Blake, I have some papers for you to sign as well, so while we look at the school ones you may want to look at these because I am not leaving here till I get everything settled in Jessica's favour.”
Blake shoved his paperwork across the his desk for us to look at and sign and Sarina did the same with hers.
Jack and Lilly didn't say anything but Mum looked at the papers and shook her head and said “Mr Blake I am not signing these. It says here that the school is not responsible for any harassment by other students that is outside the school property.
Blake replied, “Take it or leave it Mrs Smith.”
Sarina stepped in and said, “Mary let me see that form.”
Mum handed it over to her and Sarina took one look at the form and said, “Where is the school letterhead? This form is not from the school board Mr Blake and you are in big trouble. How many parents have signed these forms?”
Blake replied, “Like I said, take it or leave it. It makes no difference to me, I’m the Principal and what I say goes.”
Sarina said, “Ok, give me back those forms I just gave you. It looks like this is going to have to go to court.”
Blake said, “Ok I want you all to leave my office, and by the way Jason Smith, you are suspended until further notice.”
We walked out into the hall and Sarina said to Lilly “Did you get all that?”
Lilly replied, “Sure did.” as she waved a little tape recorder around. Sarina had this planned all along so she had some evidence of Blake and his tactics.
Jack Green said, “Well I actually have it on my mobile phone as a video so we have got enough to have him dismissed by the board.”
Sarina said, “Jack put that on a file so we don’t lose it.”
Jack replied, “Ok, if you all want to come to my office we can do it right now.”
We followed him into his office and while he was downloading that from his phone to his laptop Mum went to Terry's classroom to inform him what had occurred. I was suspended so was not allowed to walk around in the school without a teacher being with me so I stayed in Jack Green's office.
Terry got another teacher to cover for him and his class and came down to Jack's office so a plan of action could be hatched to make sure that Blake would be sacked.
Terry said, “Hello Jessica, don’t look so worried. We have been trying to have Blake removed since Jane transitioned. He wasn't happy about that either, but Jane's mum took the school to court and won the case, and since then we have had a change of school board members as well. As you know I’m gay and so are two board members so I think we might be able to finally do something about some of the bigoted people that have controlled this school for too long.”
After a bit more discussion we all left and let Terry and Jack get on with their day's activities.
Mum said, “Jess has Susan got her mobile with her?”
“Yeah she is never without it why?”
“I want you to text her and let her know what happened or she will be waiting for you to come out to the school gates this afternoon, and I have a sneaky suspicion that Blake is up to something.”
I said, “What about work this afternoon mum, should I ring Miss Cline and tell her that I can't make it?”
“No Jess you have to be able to live your life, and so does Susan, but we will all be here this afternoon when Susan gets here, but she has to know what is going on so text her now please.”
“Yes mum.”
Lilly and I decided to go clothes shopping for me, and also go to a salon for me to get a girly make-over.
We had a few hours go till school let out so it was going to be fun going shopping as a girl for the first time in my life and I felt excited to be doing it.
Mum said, “Jess the salon first, and then we can fit you out with a girls wardrobe.” Mum knows the people pretty well at the salon and so does Lilly, so when we arrived there they already knew that I was coming, and they were as excited as I was. The owner was a trans person so I was nothing new to her. I was not sure about the other ladies working there but they all gave me a warm hug and called by my girl name.
The owner Gretta said to me, “Jessy luv before we get you in a chair I want you to come out to the back of the shop with me, we have something I want you to try on”
I looked at Mum and Lilly and they nodded for me to follow her, Gretta grabbed my hand and pulled me in the direction of the back of the salon. We went through a door that led to a flat, which Gretta must have lived in. Anyway she told me to take my top off so she could see just what I looked like.
She said, “Well Jess, seeing you are going to want to wear nice clothes that fit, I have a set of mastectomy breasts that I used till I grew my own and I want you to have them, that is if you want?”
I was a bit embarrassed but said, “Gretta I only have the bra that Susan lent me and it is stuffed with some pantihose.”
She replied “Ok dear, well take it off and we will see what I can find in my wardrobe for you,” I stripped of the top and bra and stood in the middle of the room feeling quite silly with a flat chest, but that was about to change.
Gretta came out with a box and a couple of bras and put them on the lounge chair.
She said, “Now Jess, these are glue-on ones but you can use them without glue and adjust the bra to make them look right. Now put this bra on and I will adjust it so we can put the breasts into the cups.” I did as I was told and when I walked back out to the salon in the bra and no top I got wolf whistles which made me blush.
I was told to sit in a chair and relax while they went to work on me. An hour later my hair was in a female style that I could manage, my eyebrows were shaped, and my nails were done in a soft pink as well as my toe nails. I put my top back on and we were ready to hit the shops to fit me out with some clothes to suit a fifteen year old girl I felt like I was walking on air.
Mum said, “Now Jess we have got two hours before we have to be back at the school gates, so we can do some shopping but will have to finish it on another day.”
I said, “Mum can you afford to do this?”
She replied, “Jessica I have a daughter instead of a son, of course I can afford to outfit you girl.” We walked into the first dress shop, and one hour later I had three outfits, two pairs of shoes and a whole lot of underclothes. I kept a denim skirt and blouse on and I wore the two inch heel leather knee high boots. I still had no jewellery but Mum said she had more than any girl would ever need. As we walked out of that shop I looked at myself in the mirrored window, I could not believe that a week ago I was a boy and now I was a pretty girl with make-up on and a real girly hair style.
Mum said, “We had better hire a taxi and get back to the school to pick up Susan and we will just have to keep the taxi there while we wait and hope it doesn’t cost too much.”
When we got there Sarina was there with another person in a BMW parked a little way from the gates so she could not be recognised. It was only ten minutes wait for school to let out. I didn't look anything like I did that morning so I would not be recognised even by Jane or Susan. I was now a pretty girl with a decent set of breasts and all.
Mum said, “Jessica you go and wait over at the gate for Jane and Susan to turn up. Blake will not know who you are, you look nothing like the person you were in his office this morning. We'll be right here. Have yo talked to Albert?”
“Yes Mum, he is right here with us.” I walked nervously to the gate and wondered how I would go if I had to run in heels. Blake was walking down to the gate. Mum was right he was up to something. There were two other people with Blake and I recognised one of them from seeing him hang around with Justin and Dave. I wonder what Blake was up to. I couldn't hear what they were saying but Blake was pointing to just outside the gate.
I stood back a little bit but Blake did not recognised me at all and didn't even look my way, he was too busy telling those goons what he wanted them to do, obviously to one of the students out of the school boundary. Those thugs were not from that school but I had seen them hang around those parts before. They positioned themselves about twenty feet from the gates and seemed to be waiting for some kind of sign from Blake.
I looked around and saw that Mum and Lilly had walked over to the BMW and that Sarina and the man were also out of the car. They all seemed to have their mobiles at the ready. I just wished they had told me what they thought was going to happen, but I also knew that Mum wouldn't put me in imminent danger, I also got my phone out and made sure it was turned onto record and video ready. I must admit I was very nervous to be standing so close to these guys dressed the way I was. The older one was now starting to eye me off and I got a cold shiver down my spine.
Just then Albert said in my mind, “Jessica just be calm, I wont let them hurt you ok?”
I replied in my mind which I could do now and said, “Albert they are going to hurt someone though aren't they?”
“Yes Jessy they will try but I have to let them do a certain amount or Sarina won't have enough to make a case. Just make sure whatever happens that you have that phone thing taking pictures and things.”
“ Ok Albert I’ll be ready.”
Albert then said, “By the way Jess you look real cute in that outfit. I just wish you had come to visit my grave a few years earlier and you would have been a girl a lot sooner.”
I replied in my mind “Uncle there is something you are not tell me isn't there?”
“Yes Jess there is, but now is not the time ok?”
I saw all the students coming towards the gate and had my phone ready but the thugs didn't make a move to anyone in particular but sniggered at some of the more gay looking boys, or who they thought to be gay. I mean how do you tell anyway? The whole idea is stupid.
Then I saw Jane coming towards the gate. I very nearly waved to her but I looked so different she would not have recognised me anyway.
Albert said, “Steady girl keep your nerve.” I looked in the other direction and saw Susan approaching where I was standing. 'I wonder if she will recognise me.'
Blake seemed to give the thugs a signal. That's when I realised what he wanted these guys to do.
Albert said “It's ok Jess, I will only let them give the girls a little shove and then step in. There needs to be contact to make any charges stick.”
There were still other students walking passed them. Susan knew that I was there somewhere but she was not aware of the changes in my look. I stood right in the path of where Jane and Susan would meet. The thugs seemed to make a move towards the girls and I would be right in the middle of whatever was going to happen.
To be continued.
Please leave a comment.
Next time a new principal and me getting some help with changing my body
Jessica
Previously
Blake seemed to give the thugs a signal. That's when I realised what he wanted these guys to do.
Albert said “It's ok Jess, I will only let them give the girls a little shove and then step in. There needs to be contact to make any charges stick.”
There were still other students walking past them. Susan knew that I was there somewhere but she was not aware of the change in my look. I stood right in the path of where Jane and Susan would meet. The thugs seemed to make a move towards the girls and I would be right in the middle of whatever was going to happen.
I stood my ground. Susan and Jane almost bumped into me and both said “Sorry.”
Jane didn't say anything but Susan said “Jessie!!!”
I replied, “Susan later.” As I said this the two goons walked over to the three of us girls and said, “Ok you poofs!! You're coming with us.”
They made a grab for Susan first and I turned around to Jane and said, “Run Jane.”
She wasn't fast enough and the second guy tripped her so she ended up on the ground. The other goon had Susan in a head lock and was about to punch her in the face.
Albert said, “Now Jess.” I now had the speed and strength I needed to help. I reached out and grabbed the goon's hair and he let go of Susan and she dropped to the ground. I then literally picked him up by his hair and flung him at his mate, knocking them together a couple of yards away and they fell so hard that their heads hit the ground and knocked them out.
Blake was about to disappear but when he tried to walk away it was like watching a slow motion movie and the harder he tried to walk the slower he seemed to move.
Albert said, “Jess, go and bring him to where the two pieces of shit are piled up and then you can deal with him while it is all being recorded.”
I did as Uncle told me and as I walked over to Blake who was still trying to walk away without success I noticed the mist around me and I guess it was there as soon as I had Albert’s strength in me.
Blake stop trying to escape when he saw the mist around me. It is only then that he realised who I was. He went as white as a ghost and I could hear Albert having a girly-type giggle.
I thought 'I must quiz him about that later.'
I approached Blake and said, “Mr Blake sir, I would like you to come over where all the people are gathered because I think you might be in a spot of trouble sir.”
He replied, “Look Smith you little poof I'm not going anywhere with you.”
I replied, “Well sir can you see a mist around me?”
“Yeah so what?”
“Well have you been trying to walk away sir?”
“Yeah but I can't seem to move very fast. It'd better not be you and your stupid uncle's spirit that is doing it to me or I will have you arrested.”
“Well sir did you see what just happened to your two goons when they tried it on with my friends?”
Blake pulled his mobile phone out of his pocket and hit the speed dial. Probably to ring the police which is of course just what Susan's aunt wanted him to do.
I let him make the call and walked right up to him and said, “Sir I am asking you to come to where the others are standing.”
The goons were now groaning on the ground.
He looked at me and spat “Fuck off you little perve in a dress.”
I didn't waste any more time and pointed at him and the mist enveloped us both and all I had to do is say “Follow me” and he had no control over his body while he was in my mist.
He followed me like a puppy-dog on a leash, The others looked on with amusement at the spectacle and were all giggling at how Blake had lost control in my mist, The goons sat there with their mouths open not really believing just what they were seeing and made no attempt to get up off the ground in case I did more damage to them.
Once I got Blake to where I wanted him to be I just thought the mist away and it dissipated in seconds.
I thought to myself 'This is awesome being able to control what I can do with the mist when ever I need it'
Albert heard my thoughts and said “It is yours to use Jess but be careful because you can hurt people if you apply it in the wrong way”
I said back in my mind, “Understood uncle.”
It wasn't long before Jill and Joe the cops turned up. They took one look at the guys sitting on the ground and looked at me and winked but didn't say anything.
Blake was pretty shaky but said, “This little poof attacked these gentlemen and me as well, so I want him charged with assault officer.”
Jill looked at me and said, “Jason why are you dressed as a girl?”
Mum butted in and said, “Jill can I have a word with you away from this gathering for a minute please?”
Jill replied, “Sure Mary” and then turned to Joe and said, “Joe don’t let these characters out of your sight.”
“Ok boss”
All the others were sorting out their phones and tape recorders so when asked to produce evidence they were ready.
Mum said, “Jessica come over here with me and Jill so we can have a chat.”
Jill said, “Mary what on earth is going on?”
Mum explained about me and what was going on and why we were all here.
Jill looked at me and said, “Jason -I mean Jessica, you really do look like a girl don't you?”
I replied, “No Jill I am a girl, a trangenderd girl but a girl never the less.”
She replied, “Well you obviously haven’t lost your uncles spirit power have you?”
After the explanation Jill said, “Ok Mary lets get this sorted so we can put these guys where they belong.”
Susan and Jane were standing together next to Sarina and and the man that was with Sarina finally spoke and said, “Hello Jessica, I’m from the Department of Education, and also a lawyer and a good friend of Sarina so we will get this mess sorted out post-haste.”
Mum must have already met the man because she said, “Jim thanks for doing this for us, it will make it a lot easier to have Mr Blake removed as principal.”
Blake overheard this and got really angry and said, “They attacked us! I want them charged.”
Sarina said, “Look Blake you don't have a leg to stand on. We have all that just happened on tape and video, so give it up and resign as principal or you and your little helpers here will end up in jail for assaulting these three young ladies.”
Blake scoffed at that and said, “Well two are boys in girls clothes so that does not make them girls but a couple of drag queens.”
By this time Terry was there and filming everything that was going on. Blake tried to make a grab for the camera but it looked like Albert put him in slow motion again. It really was a funny sight, it looked like he was under water trying to swim to where Terry was filming it. That should be an interesting tape to watch.
Blake finally gave up when he realised he was never going to win the situation while he was dealing with me and Albert. Joe cuffed the two goons and walked them back to a police van which Joe must have called as a back up.
Jim said to Blake, “You are in big trouble and I want you to sign some papers and resign immediately, so behave yourself and come back to your office and we can sort it out right now or would you rather go with your mates in the paddy wagon down-town to be charged with a pile of offences as long as your arm?”
Blake looked like a broken man and just started walking back into the school property to his office to clean out his desk. We all followed because Jill still wanted to charge Blake, I don’t know what charges she would use but I didn’t think it will even get that far. Because myself, Susan and Jane just wanted him sacked and that would be enough for us.
All of us followed Blake into the office that he was to vacate. He had some cardboard boxes in one corner of the room and started cleaning out his desk.
Terry said, “George I’m sorry but you did bring this on yourself.” Blake seemed to be lost for words and just kept on packing stuff into the boxes.
When he was finished Jim said “Right Mr Blake, I need you to sign these papers and then I can go back to my office as well.” Blake signed the papers and Jim bid us all good day and he left. Sarina stayed as she wanted to know what Jill intended to do with Blake.
Jill looked at Mum and Lilly and said, “Do you want to lay charges against him?”
Mum looked at me and said, “Jessica what do you think?”
I replied, “Well if he is not going to be our Principal and he promises to stay away from here and not cause any trouble I’ll be ok with that. What about you Susan and Jane?” They both nodded their approval.
Jill said, “Ok but I’m still going to have to write a report on all this, so are you sure you don't want me to charge him with assault?”
Mum replied, “Jill I think it'll be ok. Jessica has protection from her uncle, and Blake wont try anything again”. She said this looking straight at Blake.
He just nodded at Mum and said, “I’ve had enough of all this and just want to get out of here.”
Jill said, “Well Blake it looks like you're off the hook for now, but you step out of line and I'll come after you and put you away do you understand?” Blake nodded 'yes'.
Terry then said, “Ok George, keys please!!”
Blake reached into his pocket and handed over a bunch of keys saying, “I s'pose you’re taking over my position are you?”
Terry replied, “Yep, sure am.”
Blake was escorted of the premises and we all welcomed Terry as our new Principal. The school was going to be a different place now and there would be no more bigotry against any one that was different. Jane went to catch her bus home; Sarina and Jack Green seemed to have hit it off so they went off together; Terry was trying out his new desk for size, so we left him to it and made our way out to a waiting police car to take us home. It was nice of Jill to do that for us. She really is a nice lady and a cop to boot and she will end up being a good friend too.
Needless to say Susan and I didn't get to go to work so when we were dropped of at my house Susan and her Mum stayed for dinner. Susan wanted to have a look at my boobs so we spent some time in my bedroom trying on some of the things that Mum bought for me earlier today. I was still a bit shy about being in girl mode but soon lost that shyness when Susan got undressed in front of me to show me what to expect in the coming months when I started taking hormones. She stood completely naked in front of me and told me to do the same.
I was nervous but did as she asked and slowly striped of my clothes and to my surprise I did not get an erection. Susan had grown full B cup breasts with the hormones she was on and said that in about twelve months time I should be the same size as her. Her genitals had shrunk to the size of a little boy of about five years old and she didn't have to do much of a tuck to hide it from view. She came close to me and hugged me and gave me a long passionate kiss. I could feel a stirring in my groin but still no erection I thought 'Wow I really am a girl'
I could hear Albert say “Jess I’ll be helping you and so will Susan.”
Susan said, “What is that tingling sensation I’m getting in my chest Jess?”
I replied, “It's only Albert putting some energy into you through me.”
Well, we got dressed again and went downstairs to talk about what was going to happen tomorrow. When we got down to the kitchen where Mum and Lilly were talking, we were holding hands.
Lilly said, “My my, look at these two,and what have you two been doing up there in the bedroom?”
“Nothing!!!”
Mum said, “Yeah right Jess, your breasts are all lopsided.”
“Umm, well we were trying some of the things on that we bought today Mum.”
Mum replied, “Jessica it's ok sweetheart, girlfriends get close so stop trying to hide who you are and let Susan teach you how to be a girl ok?”
Friday morning
I didn't sleep all that well last night because Mum told me I had an appointment with a doctor at a gender clinic at ten this morning so I would not be going to school till later if at all. I made a cup of tea for Mum and a coffee for me and took them upstairs to Mum's bedroom and knocked on the door.
“Come in darling and and sit down on my bed and lets have a talk.”
I was in a pink night gown so I was in complete girl mode and I felt great. I felt right for the first time in my life.
Mum said “Jess Darling later this morning we will see a specialist and get you started on hormone injections but you will have to have some blood tests done as well so I don’t think you will get to school today.”
We had breakfast and got ourselves ready to go to town and the gender clinic.
Mum said, “Jess I want you to put on the dress I bought you yesterday.” Once I was dressed Mum did my hair and put some make-up on me and said, “Sweetheart you are going to have to learn to do this yourself so starting on the weekend I want you to practice with Susan so I don’t have to do it for you all the time, but I think you had better keep some clothes on or you will never learn will you?”
“Yes Mum, I mean no Mum umm what did you just say Mum?”
“Jessica I said keep some clothes on while Susan is teaching you to be a girl.”
“Oh right yeah right!!!.”
I think Susan had my head in a real tizz. I couldn't get over how her body was so feminine and still had that stupid little thing between her legs. I guessed I would look the same till I was eighteen and could legally have SRS. I could hardly wait. Anyway it was time to go and catch a bus into town. I don’t know how Albert does it but the front door was being held open for us by the 'invisible man', namely my over-enthusiastic Uncle.
I said. “Uncle you will get us into trouble if you keep opening doors for us. If you do it where there is a crowed of people around how are we ever going to explain how doors just open for us before we even get there?”
He replied, “Try telling them the truth, that should be interesting.” and I heard that girly giggle again. I would have to ask him what that was all about when there was no-one else around, I had my suspicions but I would wait to see what he had to tell me in his own good time.
We arrived down town at a place that looked like a mini hospital and the sign just read Clinic with nothing else added. I guessed that was not to cause any silly questions from bigots like Blake. We entered the front foyer and went straight to the reception desk and gave our name to the girl behind the counter, Her name tag said she was Linda.
She looked up and said “Good morning can I help you?” with a husky voice. I heard uncle say in my mind, “She is one of us Jess.”
I replied in my mind, “What do you mean one of us Uncle?” he replied, “OOPS.”
We were going to have a conversation but not now. I said in my mind, “Later Uncle umm Aunty?” He or she went quiet all of a sudden.
Linda asked, “Name?”
“Jessica Smith,”
“Oh yes, you're the one with that spirit inside you that gives you super strength.”
“Something like that, yes.”
“Ok Jess, or would you like to be called your full name.”
“No Jess is fine.” Linda then called someone on the office intercom and within two minutes there was a very pretty lady standing in front of Mum and I and she said, “Hello dear, I’m doctor Ellen Cristy and you must be the famous Jason turned Jessica?” I thought she was having a go at me but she added that she saw me in the local paper a couple of weeks ago while I was still in boy mode.
I replied, “Yes that was me, but it wasn't me if you know what I mean.”
Mum kept quiet and let me handle this myself.
Ellen said, “Dear I know exactly what you mean and that is why Sarina called me to make this appointment for you this morning. I am also handling Jane and Susan so you can feel confident that I am totally qualified to look after you.” We were ushered into her office-surgery and sat down at her desk while she pulled some forms out of a folder for us to read and presumably sign. Doctors have a lot of disclaimers these days so if thing do go wrong they are not liable in any way.
Ellen didn't say much more while Mum was reading through the forms. Once finished Mum nodded to me and said she would sign all the papers but because I was still under-age. I would just have a little counter-signature to say that I understand what the process that I was about to undertake. Needless to say I signed quickly so it could all start to happen for me. Linda took some blood samples off me as well as urine samples, That was it for that day. Linda said that as soon as she saw the results of the tests she would know what to prescribe for me and she said to make another appointment with Linda for two days time.
Mum and I got on the bus to go home and I said to Mum while on the bus, “Mum what did you know about Albert at the time of his death?”
Mum replied,”Jess dear the bus is not the place to discuss it but as soon as we get home you me and Albert had better have a bit of a chat.”
To be continued.
Next time, surprise ,surprise!!
Please leave a comment.
Previously Mum and I got on the bus to go home and I said to Mum while on the bus, “Mum what do you know about Albert at the time of his death?” Mum replied,”Jess dear, the bus is not the place to discuss it but as soon as we get home you me and Albert had better have a bit of a chat.” We arrived home and I couldn't wait to hear what I was about to be told, but I had my suspicions for a while now because every time I heard my uncle laugh it sounded more like an old woman giggling. I felt I was right in my belief because he — she had let it drop a few times, whether it was on purpose or not remained to be seen. Mum said, “Jessica dear, go and put the kettle on and then we can sit down and have nice long chat.” Mum went to the freezer and took out some meat to defrost in the microwave for our lunch, it was getting close to midday but Mum said lunch could wait and seeing I wasn’t going to school today we could take our time and relax, I was only going to work later at the book shop with Susan and she would be asking me all about what I have been doing all day. Susan is like me and had to know everything that was happening. I made the tea and a coffee for myself and we sat down in the lounge. Mum said, “Ok Jessica I'm going to tell you all that I know and if you had read those diaries of your father you would have discovered everything by yourself by now.” I replied, “But Mum I started to read them. and all this crazy stuff was happening so I didn't get back to reading them.” “Well than dear I will just have to enlighten you about why you are the way you are.” Mum explained about how Uncle Albert was found in the mine that collapsed fully dressed as a woman, Just why he/she was dressed like that down in the mine was a mystery at the time. When she was brought to the surface her sister was there waiting for the rescuers to bring her up in the hope she was still alive but sadly it took almost an hour to reach the surface and she died on the way. Mum said, “If it hadn't taken so long to bring her up she may have lived. She was the only survivor out of twenty men. She must have have had a friend that knew about her dressing as a woman as it was revealed later. Anyway on the way up the two men that rescued her were very upset because she passed away from her injuries just before they reached the top of the mine.” She continued, “Her sister, your great, great aunt Bernadette was there and and had to explain about why there appeared to be a pretty woman down in the mine in the first place.” Mum said, “In those days nothing was known about transgender or even intersexed conditions but believe me they existed as much then as they do today. You Jessica are no exception to the rule.” I replied, “Mum I just wish now that you had said something earlier so I could have felt better about wanting to be a different person.” “Jessica I am trying to make it up to you now sweetheart, and I'm sorry but I just didn't know what to do because I didn't want to push you either way, but I can see the mistake I made now. Seeing you the way you are now it is just so obvious that you have always been a girl inside that body and I am going to make sure that I will do all I can to help you achieve full transition.” “I know you love me Mum and with Alb–umm what did you say he - um she called herself when she was in female mode?” “Albanese is what she called herself. If you go and look at the head stone a bit more carefully you will see that is the name on the head stone.” “I did look at that but I thought some vandal had been trying to be a smart arse and scratched different letters into the sandstone of the headstone face.” Albert ,now Albanese was in my mind and said “Jessica darling I have been trying to drop hints to you for a while now but every time I tried it something else came up and I had to leave it ,but now that you know I will be able to guide into womanhood.” I replied, “What do I call you now?” “How about Aunty Ally?” “Oh I like that Aunty.” I then asked her to tell me how she got away with dressing as a women. She replied, “Well dear it is a bit of a long story, but I'll give you the short version and that have to do for now. I had a friend that lived next to me in houses much the same as the ones that you live in now, but the lighting was gas or oil lamps depending on which part of town you lived in. Anyway the friend was a girl the same age as me and we were just like sisters whenever I was at her house. Her Mum and Dad never objected because we were the only kids in that street and she, that is Sara, was an only child like me so they were quite happy to let us play as if we were two little girls.” I said, “Yes but that does not explain you being in the mine with all the men and dressed as a woman.” She continued to explain and Mum was also listening in, “Well all the men found out and because I was in love with one of them, the rest just accepted me as a woman down in the mine. When we went up to the surface I would change enough to just look androgynous so I was just another mine worker.” I just sat there and digested all this for a while and said, “Aunty Ally! Do you think that I have inherited your genes than?” She replied, “I don’t think dear, I know so.” I said, “Oh!” and looked at Mum who just nodded and said, “I'm sorry sweetheart but I had to make sure, please forgive me.” I replied, “Mum it's ok but from now on please no more secrets.” “Alright dear I promise no more secrets.” Aunty said, “Jess this doesn’t change anything with me and you connecting in the spirit, if anything we will be closer than ever.” I then asked Albanese, “What about Susan? How come she is part of all this?” Aunty replied, “ Well you heard me tell you I was in love with a very special man and he accepted me as a woman and not a homosexual man, and yes Jess we had sex, but to me it was between a man and a woman.” I said, “So where is the connection with Susan?” “Jess, one of the men that brought me up to the surface was my lover. After I was buried, my sister and this man named Peter fell in love and had two children and Susan is related to you a long way back, so you are in fact cousins a few times removed.” I replied, “Wow Mum did you know any of this?” “No dear some of it, but I only found out once I started talking to Susan's Mum and we started to look up births and deaths down at the Historical Records and hey presto there it was.” I said, “What about Jane? Is she involved in any way?” Albanese popped back into the conversation and said, “No she is just someone that has inadvertently stumbled onto the scene, but I will try my best to help her too.” I was still not satisfied and said “But Aunty Albanese, why are you still earth- bound and how are you going to be able to move on to the next level of existence?” “Jessica darling, I can not say when I will be finish my stay in the earth-bound existence. I have a guide that tells me what I am supposed to do and when I ask her anything like that she just smiles and says you'll know when it happens.” I said, “But you have been here nearly two centuries, that is a long time.” She replied “Jessica there is no time in the spirit world, that is an earth thing so to me it has been like one long day.” I replied, “Thanks for telling me all about yourself Aunty” She said “You're welcome dear, I am here you, for not the other way around.” Mum said, “It's time for our lunch Albanese, and seeing you don’t have to eat we will have to leave this conversation till later ok !!?” “Yes Mary I understand, but remember I am here with you in your lives till I get told otherwise.” Mum said, “Ok Jessica, help me get lunch prepared. I’ll put the chops on and you make the salad.” After lunch Mum and I kept talking and made plans to tell Susan and her Mum all that had occurred that day, including what happened at the clinic. In the meantime I did a bit of study because I really didn't want to fall too far behind in my grades, not that I liked school but I would have a better chance of finding a good job especially now that I was going to be a girl in the work force. The afternoon went quickly and I got ready to catch a bus and go to work at the bookshop. I met Susan at the front entrance of Miss Cline's shop and Susan said, “You will have to tell me everything that has happened today Jess.” I replied, “Susan haven't you noticed something?” Jessica said “What am I supposed to have noticed?” “Well for one, I am completely dressed as a girl.” “Yeah so?” “What about Miss Cline?” What about her?” “What do you think she will say about me wanting to be a girl?” “Jess she already knows.” “How? I didn't tell her.” “Jess she is not blind and she asked me what was was going on with you and I just told her straight out what was happening.” “And?” “She is ok with it. She has a brother that transitioned about ten years ago. You have probably met her in the shop a few times. hHer name is Alison, she is quite feminine and you would not pick her as a transsexual.” “Wow Susan, just how many of us are in this world?” She replied, “Well there are nine billion people on earth and the statistics show that one in a thousand are either transsexual or intersexed and that is just the ones that are known about so that means there are at least nine million of us on this planet.” I replied, “Holy shit, that means we could have a whole city on our own.” Susan laughed and said, “Yeah I never thought about it like that, wouldn't that be nice?” We walked through the front of the bookshop and there were a number of people browsing the shelves. I knew two of them because I served them quite regularly. One was on older lady and the other was a man in his forties or so. The lady was always nice to me but the man was a rude and abrupt sort of a guy and always grumbled about the price of the books he bought. Anyway we walked past them to where Miss Cline was serving another customer. Miss Cline said, “Hello you two, I want you in the front shop today so you can get a bit more experience in talking with the customers about the books they would like to buy.” Susan and I both said “Good afternoon Miss Cline.” She replied, “Just go through to my office, I’ll be there in a minute once I am finished here.” We did as we were told and went to her office and sat down wondering what was to come next. I said, “Susan, she didn't say anything about my being dressed as a girl.” Susan replied, “Jessica she knows about you so why would she not accept you for your real self ?” “Yeah I suppose so, especially seeing her sister was a boy at some stage.” Miss Cline came in to the office and said, “Well don’t you look nice Jessica? I'm so glad that you have the courage of your convictions to be your real self and I am happy to have another girl on my staff.” I was almost speechless when she pulled me up by my two hands and gave me a warm embracing hug and said, “Welcome to girlhood Jess.” It was a bit much for me and I went into tears and could barely say, “Thank you Miss Cline.” She replied, “Dear, I wish you would call me Abby now that we are all girls together.” I said, “Ok Abby.” Just then her sister Alison knocked on the door and said, “Hello everyone, I will look after the shop while you lot are having a conference shall I?” Abby said “Yes please Alison dear, we wont be long.” Alison is a bit younger than Abby but I don’t think by much. She looked really feminine and you never guess unless you are told that she was once a boy. I thought I was going to get on really well with her because she sounded like a straight shooter and would take no shit from anyone. I thought “Wait till I introduce her to Albanese.” Abby was impressed with the way Susan and I could work together and said that if she could train us enough she would like to take a holiday during the next school holidays and if we were interested we could with the help of Alison run the shop for a couple of weeks. We got all excited at this and both nodded our heads and said, “Yes please.” “Ok I will let Alison know and we can all get together and sort out the details in the next few days.” We followed Abby out to the main part of the shop where Alison was having a bit of trouble with the guy I was telling you about earlier. He was again complaining about how high the price of the book that he had chosen was . I was full of confidence now and forgot that this guy knew me as a boy and I said, “Hello Mr Johnstone, what seems to be the trouble?” He replied, “The price on this book. It's too high as usual.” I said, “No it's not. It is in fact cheaper here than in the shop down town.” He looked at me and said, “Don’t I know you?” I said, “Yes Mr Johnstone, I have given up being a tomboy and decided to be the girl that I am supposed to be, do you like the change?” He studied me for a minute and said, “What's your name luv? You never had a name tag on which is another thing that should happen in here.” I proudly said, “Jessica Smith and we are having name tags made at the moment.” He replied, “Well lass, I’m glad to see you have decide to stop that silly tomboy business because you are a very pretty young girl and I like the way you just put me in my place.” He paid for his book and left all the others just stood there staring at me. When Alison said, “Wow girl, way to go!” and gave me a bone crushing hug, Albanese was in my mind and said, “We're on our way girl. Tomboy indeed!!” We did our two hours work and went home and I told Mum all about what happened at the shop. All she said was the same as Albanese said, “You're on your way girl.”and then she gave me a warm embrace. I went to bed in a state of ''feminine bliss”. To be continued. Next time back to school. Please leave a comment.
Previously I said, “Yes Mr Johnstone, I have given up being a tomboy and decide to be the girl that I am supposed to be. Do you like the change?” He studied me for a minute and said, “What's your name luv? You never have a name tag on, which is another thing that should happen in here.” I proudly said, “Jessica Smith and we are having name tags made at the moment.” He replied, “Well lass I’m glad to see you have decide to stop that silly tomboy business because you are a very pretty young girl and I like the way you just put me in my place.” He paid for his book and left. All the others just stood there looking at me and then Alison said, “Wow girl, way to go.” Then she gave me a bone crushing hug. Albanese was in my mind and said, “We're on our way girl! Tomboy indeed!!” We did our two hours work and went home and I told Mum all about what happened at the shop. All she said was the same as what Albanese said, “You're on you way girl.”And then she gave me a warm embrace. I went to bed in a state of ''feminine bliss”. Saturday morning, Susan rang and said, “Jess how about we ring Jane and see if she would like to spend the day with us and go to the shops to start buying you some more clothes?” I replied, “Hang on, I will just ask Mum if she has anything planned for us today.” Mum said it was a good idea for the three of us to go out together and also it would be good training for me on what to buy in clothes and sizes so I don’t buy things that are too small or large and also the right age for me. After all I hadn’t been shopping as a girl for very long and having two experts mentoring me would stand me in good stead. Albanese would also learn and see how women of today dressed themselves, She would have had a lot more feminine clothes to wear in her time with all the frills and petticoats. I was almost jealous because women looked a lot more feminine in those days. Anyway back to telling Jane to come over and we would all go to the shops to have some girl time. Even if I wanted to I could not act like a boy any more so a girl I am and a girl I would stay. I couldn't wait to go onto oestrogen to make a start on developing breasts of my own instead of those breast forms, but I guessed I’d have to be patient like any girl going through puberty and hoping her breast would magically appear overnight. Jane said she would meet us in town, so Mum rang for a taxi to take us to where Jane would be waiting for us. Susan wore a light blue skirt with matching flats and white tights and a silky looking white blouse. She had her hair down and it looked really feminine. She really was a pretty girl and I am glad that we were distantly related through Albanese's mother's side, which made us cousins three times removed I think, not that it matters, it's not as if we can produce kids is it? I had on one of the pink denim skirts that was in the stuff that Susan gave me, and a long sleeve red blouse with yellow very thin lace around the scooped neck and at the bottom of the sleeves. I really felt very feminine with white tights and two inch heels and a bit of Mums jewellery that completed my look . I let my hair fall free with the parting in the middle, It had a bit of a natural wave in it and I thought it looked better like that than any other way. 'Oh boy I was really being a vain little girl those days and it felt right so why not?' The taxi arrived and we said bye to Mum and made our way into town to meet up with Jane at one of the malls. Jane had rung me on my mobile while we were still in the taxi and said where she would be waiting. The taxi dropped us off outside of the mall where we were going to spend most of the time. There was some yelling going on just inside the entrance of the mall. When we reached where the noise was coming from we saw that it was Jane who was in trouble with two guys grabbing at her and yelling abuse at her. They were calling her a tranny slut and I think they were guys that knew Justin and Dave and decide to see if Jane would go with them to have some fun, and when she refused they started getting nasty, One of them had Jane by her long blond hair and holding her head back trying to kiss her on the mouth. She was screaming to let her go. Albanese was in my mind and said, “Jess do your thing now”. The mist appeared around me as soon as she said that and I walked calmly up to the first guy that was watching his mate and touched him on the arm and he just went limp and slowly went to the floor in a sitting position with a very scared look on his face, The other guy was just about to put his face closer to Jane's face when I put my hand on his shoulder. He let go of Jane and started to go the same way as his mate sitting on the floor not being able to move. In a way I was glad that I didn't have to use any more of my or should I say Albanese's power to subdue these two idiots. The mist around me slowly decreased till it was gone so when the security guard turned up there was nothing to see but me standing over the two morons sitting on the floor with their mouths open staring at me wondering what had just been done to them. Jane looked at me and said, “How did you do that Jess? The mist I mean, is that your uncle doing it?” I replied, “Well yes, but it's more like my aunty because Albert is really Albanese and is like us Jane.” “Oh that is so cool Jess. just the way you did that thing touching them and they just sat down like limp rag dolls.” By this time the guard was asking what happened, but I decide not to say any thing and let Jane try to explain what had occurred between her and the two guys that were now starting to get up on wobbly legs. Jane decided that it was not worth the trouble to go too far with this and said to the guard “It's ok Mister, it's just a bit of a misunderstanding and we can sort this out without any more trouble.” The guard thought about it for a minute and must have thought that it wasn't worth the effort to do any more seeing there was no more hostilities coming from the guys sitting on the floor so he left. Jane said to one of the guys that was now standing up rubbing his forehead as though he had a massive headache, “I don’t know your names but I do know that you are associated with Justin and his moron of a brother. “ The guy ignored Jane and looked at me with bleary eyes and said. “What the fuck did you do to me and my mate you fucking freak?” I replied, “Well if you insist in swearing at me I will give you another demo if you want!!!” He said, “No I don’t want but this is not over bitch.” I raised my hand to touch him but he backed away and fell clean over his mate who was making an attempt to get up so they were both on the ground once more. Susan lent over them and said “I think we had better call the police Jess, I don’t think they are going to behave themselves.” Jane got her mobile ready to make a call to the police. The guy on the ground looked up and said “Don’t bother we'll go and leave you alone, but you haven’t heard the last of us.” They both got up and slowly walked out of the shopping centre. The three of us decided to do our shopping at this mall because most of what happened would be on their security cameras and if those two guys came back through, the security people would be right on to them within minutes. I said to Susan, “I can't understand what it is with these people, It is not as though we are out to hurt anyone or try to convert them to become women so what is their problem?” Susan replied, “Jess I gave up trying to work out why people feel threatened by us a long time ago.” Jane said, “Well Jess that guy wanted to kiss me and have sex with me, but what he didn't know is that I still have my boy bits so that would make him gay in his mate's eyes if they found out.” I replied, “Jane, if he wasn't so aggressive would you have had sex with him?” Jane replied, “Um Jess I actually like boys but I am probably bi and until I have my surgery I guess I won't know for sure. Does that answer your question?” “Yeah it does.” Susan looked at me with raised eyebrows and said, “Well Jess what do you think about boys?” I replied, “Susan do you really need to ask me that after the way we kiss each other?” “Um no I guess not, so we will be kissing cousins and our love-making will be girl on girl.” I replied, “You know it will. I am already in love with you, so no boys thanks.” Even though we were in the shopping mall Susan gave me a very passionate kiss to the wolf whistle of some boys passing by. Susan said, “I love you too Jessica Smith.” Jane said, “Alright you two, keep that till later, we have some serious shopping to do if Jess is going to be a girly girl.” All three of us were holding hands when we walked into the Victoria's Secret store. Half an hour later I had a bag full of bras and panties, camisoles and sexy stockings, not boring pantihose. Next came shoes. Just as well I had Mum's credit card. It was one that you used a PIN instead of a signature. I was allowed to spend a hundred pounds, but I had also my own money from working at the book shop. I bought two pair of shoes - a pair of flats and a red pair of sling backs with a three inch heels. Susan and Jane both bought a pair of brown flats that were at half price. We were starting to get a collection of bags and still had to buy some skirts and tops and also some make-up. I ended up with three skirts and four really nice tops. We asked the lady if we could leave our shopping bags there till we were ready to go home and she agreed to keep them safe for us. Next came the make-up , I had no real experience with make-up let alone buying any. The lady said if I was to buy thirty pounds worth of make-up she would pierce my ears for nothing and give me some sleepers for free. I went one better and also bought some silver studs to go with some of the jewellery that Mum said I could have out of her collection. My hair was already styled in a feminine way and it was now quite long. Susan said, “When we get you home Jess I will start giving you lessons in doing your make-up and remember that less is more when putting it on your face, In reality you are very pretty without it but it will make you feel more girly to have some on.” We were finally finished and we went back to the shop where we had left all our bags and got the lady to ring for a taxi to take us home. Jane came as well she was going to stay for the weekend so it was going to be a full on girly weekend . Mum brought two air mattresses and sleeping bags so we could talk all night if we wanted to. It was two in the afternoon and we had forgotten to have lunch with all the excitement of the morning, so Mum ordered in a large pizza. It was time to try on all the clothes that were bought that day. The three of us were effectively the same size so in future we would be able to swap and change and mix and match. While we were out do our thing at the shopping mall Mum and Susan’s Mum had been at the charity shop that Susan’s Mum volunteers at and brought home a whole suitcase full of things for us to try on, so it was a real fashion show for a couple of hours . Later in the afternoon it was time for my make-up lesson with Mum watching on as well and giving all three of us girls advice from an expert. Mum used to work in a beauty salon a few years back so she knew what she was doing when it came to make-up. Susan's Mum turned up a little later with a camera to record what we looked like now, as she was doing a scrap book for later reference when we all progressed into womanhood. Sunday was spent just lazing around and watching tv and looking at some fashion magazines and enjoying the feel of being who we were. Albanese was also with us and every now and then she would want to ask something about the clothes we were trying on, so the three of us would hold hands so we could actually see her in our minds. She of course was dressed in her period dress which was of course a full long sleeve dress and all the fluffy petticoats under it. Her hair was really long and she was wearing a bonnet on her head that seemed to be made of lace. She was really pretty. No wonder the man that was down in the mine with her was upset. He must have been very much in love with her. Susan and Jane were surprised that they could see her image as long as they kept their eyes closed and didn't let go of my hand, and they could not only see her but speak to her . It is a very disconcerting feeling when you speak in your normal voice and the answer comes back in your mind, but once you get used to it it becomes second nature just like being multi-lingual. Monday morning and Mum came in and woke me up at seven am. I don’t normally sleep that late but the weekend had tired me out somewhat. Mum said “Jess you have to get up sweetheart.” I replied, “Just five more minutes Mum.” “No Jessica Smith young lady, you have an appointment at the clinic at nine am this morning and then school after that so up you get Missy.” “Ok Mum. Mum what is the appointment about this morning?” “You'll see sweetheart when we get there.” I didn’t waste any time getting up and ready to go. It had to be something important because whenever Mum said “You'll see.” it means it is important. There was not a lot of point of going through the cemetery to connect with Aunty those days because she was permanently in our presence now so if we did go through the cemetery it was only to take a short-cut to the bus stop. But this morning Mum decided to order a taxi to take us into town. We arrived at the clinic right on time and walked in and were told to take a seat and doctor Ellen would be with us shortly. We didn't have to wait very long before Ellen came walking through the door greeting us with a big smile. She looked at me and said “Good morning young lady you look like you have had a make-over in the last couple of days and don't you look pretty?” I replied, “Thank you doctor, you are making me blush” “Well Jessica that is what girls are supposed to do and you do it so well” I said, “Why am I back so soon doctor? Is there a problem with me wanting to transition?” She replied, “ No, on the contrary dear I am going to give you your first injection this morning, and you are on your way young lady.” I was speechless, and Mum said “Close your mouth Jess, the flies will get in.” I thought, “Wow I'm on my way sooner than I thought I ever would be” Ellen said, “Now Jessica I am going to show you how to give yourself these injections because you will need to do this once a week from now on.” I replied, “How long before I will not have to wear these false breasts?” “Well Jess the process is the same as if you were going through a normal girl puberty, so it won't happen overnight but it will happen. Just be patient girl.” I walked out of her office on air but she warned me I will have some mood swings till my system gets used to the hormones flowing through my veins. I said Mum, “Do I have to go to school today? I don’t know if I will be able to concentrate very much on anything that Terry is teaching.” Mum replied, “Yes Jess you do have to go to school. Just because you are now a girl doesn’t mean you can slack off on your studies.” Mum dropped me off at school and I walked to my classroom. It was recess so I had a few minutes to talk to Terry my teacher. Terry looked up from what he was doing and just stared at me for a couple of seconds till he realised who I was and said, “Holy cow is that you Jessica Smith?” I put on my best smile and curtsied and replied, “Yes sir, Terry.” He replied, “My God, you are a pretty girl aren’t you?” I replied, “Sir I thought you were gay?” “Jess, just because someone is gay doesn't mean that we can't give compliments to a pretty young girl like you.” After that I was on a high for the rest of the day I even listened to what was being taught. I couldn't wait to meet Susan and go to the book shop that afternoon to show Miss Cline um Abby, and Alison what I look like after the make-over that I had on the weekend. At the end of school I redid my make-up and walked out to the main gate to meet up with Susan to walk down to the book shop to do our two hours work. When Susan turned up I was talking twenty to the dozen. Susan said, “Jessica slow down I can hardly understand what you are saying.” I just said, “hormones” and she knew what I was on about. To be continued Please leave a comment
Jessica
Authors Note:---
This story is a sequel to “The Girl inside the Boy” (also published on Big Closet).
It starts seven years after Carla's Mum Donna and Bill Croft were married. Carla is in fifth grade. She has had all her surgery to rectify her intersexed condition. Her friend Jenny has been adopted into the family after her father died a couple of years after her mother committed suicide, so she is now a Croft too.
Chrissie, Jenny and Carla became inseparable and are called the Three Angel Musketeers because they are into helping people and could be called upon to be there when support is needed. Samantha who was two years older, had her SRS in Melbourne a week after she turned eighteen.
Authors Note:---
This story is a sequel to “The Girl inside the Boy” (also published on Big Closet).
It starts seven years after Carla's Mum Donna and Bill Croft were married. Carla is in fifth grade. She has had all her surgery to rectify her intersexed condition. Her friend Jenny has been adopted into the family after her father died a couple of years after her mother committed suicide, so she is now a Croft too.
Chrissie, Jenny and Carla became inseparable and are called the Three Angel Musketeers because they are into helping people and could be called upon to be there when support is needed. Samantha who was two years older, had her SRS in Melbourne a week after she turned eighteen.
A Birthday Surprise
Authors Note:---
This story is a sequel to “The Girl inside the Boy” (also published on Big Closet).
It starts seven years after Carla's Mum Donna and Bill Croft were married. Carla is in fifth grade. She has had all her surgery to rectify her intersexed condition. Her friend Jenny has been adopted into the family after her father died a couple of years after her mother committed suicide, so she is now a Croft too.
Chrissie, Jenny and Carla became inseparable and are called the Three Angel Musketeers because they are into helping people and could be called upon to be there when support is needed. Samantha who was two years older, had her SRS in Melbourne a week after she turned eighteen.
I was sixteen and a half years old and I was in grade twelve. I know!!! You are asking me why was I in Senior at my age? Well it's like this; when I was still living on River Downs, the School of the Air plus my Mum's home schooling put me far enough ahead when we moved to Quilpie that when I was finally allowed to go to a normal school I went straight into grade five. My only downfall was maths but I had a lot of help and was quite good even at that now. You see I wanted to become a vet and you have to have a good pass in Senior to be able to get into university. It takes four years at uni to become a vet and that includes doing prac with the local vet who by the way is a family friend. So I’m in like Flynn!!
Chrissie still spent a lot of time at our house because we had become so close that we almost knew what the other was thinking, but I think Jean had something to do with that because she now communicated with all three of us, and we didn’t have to keep our eyes closed to talk to her. It was only if we wanted to see her that we closed our eyes. She had even started to copy the clothes we wore! She was a constant in our minds and it gave us an edge when she told us what was about to happen.
25/12/66 Christmas Day
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We had visitors and it was a full house for Christmas, it was also a hot day and Dad, (yes I have grown up a little and call him Dad now and the same with Mum. I can't stay little Carla forever! It is the same with Jenny, we are young women now and and must act as such.) Anyway Dad and Uncle Tony set up a big marquee in the back yard for the Christmas break. Some of us even slept out there on air beds because it was nice and cool at night. Sam and Sandra were spending a whole week here and so was Sam's Mum. All the presents were carried out to the marquee where a pine tree was set up for a Christmas tree. Ricky and his family were here and a whole lot of our friends. Ricky and I were now well and truly an item.
We wanted to get engaged but Mum said we were still too young, Oh well, we could wait. Rita and Peter got engaged the previous year and had set the date for a June wedding. Rita was now twenty three years old and was in partnership with Peter in the restaurant. They were paying it off to Mum and Dad, I guessed when they got married it wouldn't be called a partnership any more, it would be a family business.
I had been training to get my private pilots licence so when I became a vet I would be able to fly to the properties to treat the animals. Rodney let me fly the twin Cessna now and I only had to do solo to qualify to get my licence, and that will happen before I had to go to Brisbane to Uni. Both Jenny and Christine were going to Brisbane as well. They were both doing nursing, but they would not be at university because nursing was hands on training in the hospital. They both got into the Mater. Sam was already there working with her Mum.
Anyway back to Christmas. It was time to hand out all the presents. There were at least twenty people in the marquee so the noise level was high, so Dad banged on an empty kerosene tin to get everyone’s attention.
He said “Quiet everyone, it's time to have Santa hand out the presents.”
There were no little kids so there was no need to have a Santa with a costume. Brian, who was now no longer a priest but had a very successful law business said he will do the honours and hand out the presents.
He came to me first and handed me an envelope and winked at me and whispered close to my ears, “Hurry up and do your solo Carla.” As soon as he said that I knew what he was talking about. It was my solo flight for me to get my pilot licence, but what was in the envelope?
It was all quiet. I think 'There is something going on here. Why is every one so quiet?'
Mum said, “Sweetheart, I think you had better open it.” I opened it and there was a note inside and another envelope. The note was hand-written and said 'Carla solo flight to receive your licence tomorrow at ten am weather permitting' signed 'Rodney your instructor.'
I had tears in my eyes by this time and Dad said, “Before you wet the envelope open the next one.”
My hands were shaking as I pulled it out and opened it. It had a photo of a top wing Cessna and a name on the bottom of the card that read 'This aircraft belongs to Carla Jean Croft.' I was speechless and just sat there with my mouth open and tears rolling down my cheeks.
My hands were shaking too much, so Rita grabbed the note and card and read it out for all to hear. I was asked to say a few words but for the first time in my life I couldn't speak. Jenny and Christine came to me and hugged me till I calmed down enough to say a 'thank you' to my very generous parents. The rest of the presents were distributed and the noise went back to where it should be on Christmas day in the outback, in a large marquee in a backyard. There was a whole pig on a spit and baked veggies set up on a table in the middle of the tent and it was a help yourself affair, Mum and Dad are not drinkers but there was plenty of beer in a big ice chest that was borrowed from the pub.
Ricky gave me a gold locket that had a small photo of us in it, and I gave him a ring with a black garnet set into it and it was also engraved with both our names. I was going to marry him, that was a given, and every one knew it, but we both had a career to establish first. Ricky wanted to be a teacher so he would be in Brisbane as well. 'Oh dear, I wonder where he will live ?!!!'
We had been very good and not gone any further than kissing and having a bit of a grope but I think that would change pretty quickly once we were in Brisbane. I would definitely be going to on the pill. I could not afford to get pregnant as that would ruin everything for me and Ricky but I also knew that I loved Ricky beyond words and we were going to be having a sexual relationship. Some call it living in sin but I called it being in love.
Boxing Day 26/12/66
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I got up early had a shower and started breakfast. It would be in the marquee and I was frying eggs and bacon to feed an army. One by one anyone that wanted a fried breakfast came into the tent and grabbed a plate and sat at the tables that were all still set up from the previous day. Ricky slept on an air bed in the tent because he wanted to see me fly my solo that morning. He was also ready to do his solo in a weeks time.
Jenny and Chrissie weren’t interested in learning to fly, so I guess they would always have to beg a ride with me or Ricky. Ricky of course wouldn't own a plane till we get married - not everyone’s got parents that can afford to buy their kid a plane. Mind you the Cessna is six years old but who's complaining?
Mum and Dad were now pretty much retired and just tried to boss everyone around but I guess that is what kept them from getting bored with life, Ginger was now getting old and had got arthritis in her back legs, so no more long walks for her. I was going to get another puppy but with me and Jenny going away there was no point.
It was time to go to the aerodrome and and do the pre-flight checks, with Rodney ticking off the list as I was doing it. The fuel had to be checked for water contamination, but not every time. It was mainly if the plane had been sitting around idle, but it was part of the test so I had to get smelly 'ag' fuel on my hands, making a mental note that I must remember to wear gloves next time. I walked around the plane and did a visual inspection and was ready to climb into the pilots seat. It felt strange to be climbing into my own aircraft.
'Wow, how many kids my age get to fly their own plane?' I thought.
Rodney did not give me any instructions of any kind as he was still ticking off the items of his list. I was on my own - that is why it is called a solo test. I was not nervous at all and Jean seemed to be sitting right beside me as she said in my mind, “Ok sis I can fly without wings, so now you do it, but use the wings of this bird.”
I answered, “Jean if I'm going to pass this test I don’t want any help from you ok?!!”
“Ok sis I’ll be quiet.” I'm sure people watching me thought I was talking to myself, but than most of them knew about Jean and it is just normal for me or even Jenny to be talking to Jean in public. Oh by the way I will tell you more about Doc Rose and her study on twins later ok? Better get back to the job in hand and get this 'bird' as Jean called it off the ground.
I did all the right checks and radioed the tower in Charleville which was the closest one and got permission to take off on my flight. I gave a wave to Rodney who gave me the thumbs up sign, then I blew Ricky who was standing next to Rodney a kiss and pulled the throttle back to give me a bit of power so I could taxi to the end of the runway and turn around to take off against the wind, I did one last check of the controls and was ready to spread my wings. I gave her full throttle and was on my way skyward.
I was surprised at the power that a one seven two Cessna had, she handled beautifully, and I was going to name her ''Angel'' - that should please Jean. I went through all the manoeuvres while Rodney was watching me through his binoculars. I did a couple of fly overs of the air strip and came in for a perfect landing.
Jean said, “That went well sis.”
I replied, “Are you still here?” I could hear her giggle.
I taxied back to where it all started and cut the engine and climbed out of 'Angel' to a cheering crowd.
Ricky came and kissed me and said, “I love you Carla.”
I kissed him back and said, “ Forever darling.” We walked hand in hand to where the rest of the family were.
Rodney handed me an envelope and said, “Congratulations sweetheart, you are a fellow pilot and I would trust you with my life.” He then pinned a little set of gold wings on my blouse pocket, There were hugs and kisses all round and Jenny, Chrissie and Ricky all wanted to go for a joy flight with a brand new pilot. We all clambered into 'Angel' and were airborne again. Ricky took control for a while because he will be using 'Angel' next week to do his solo and wanted to get the feel of her. She was a truly easy plane to fly. Rodney was the one that chose her out of three others, and he made the right choice. I would get a sign writer to write her name on each side of the engine cowling after Christmas.
After our flight I tied her down to the hooks on the tarmac and we got into Uncle Tony’s Landrover. it still looked like new even though it was seven years old, to be driven back to our place for lunch. It seemed silly that I could fly a plane but was not allowed to drive a car till I turned seventeen, not legally anyway. Most kids in the outback were taught to drive by the time they could reach the pedals, because in an emergency they would be able to drive and get help. It happened on sheep stations quite a bit. Anyway that was the law so I would just have to wait.
Christmas was over and and things had to get back to normal whatever that means. Sam and her Mum stayed another for two days so we could all have a bit more time together.
Wednesday 28/12/66
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I still had a month to go before I had to be in Brisbane before going to Uni and it was the same for Ricky, but Jenny and Christine were starting their nurses training the week after next, and I was already doing work at the vet and had been helping out on weekends all the previous year, I knew quite a bit about being a vet before I start Uni so it wouldn't take much effort to do the four year course, not that I was being cocky or anything, but I had been around animals of some sort since I could walk. While I was still on River Downs I learned a lot from an aboriginal worker and he always told me if you talk to an animal softly they would respond to you in a favourable manner, even an aggressive one. It definitely worked especially one that has been hurt.
Mr Ross Bailey, the vet I had been learning with, said I had a way with animals and that was rare in a girl, whatever that means, but he also knew about Jean and how she had an effect on an animal that I was handling. They seemed to sense her presence. Mr Bailey and his wife Julie were friends of the family so it was a given that I started working with them after school and on weekends. Mum said it would give me a flying start at Uni. Well I already flew so a little bit more at Uni wouldn't hurt! Anyway I helped out for the next three days and even got to go to a property to help deliver a foal. The mother was having a hard time of it and I know it sounds drastic but we had to tie a rope to the foals legs and pull to make it come out. It was a little girl foal and I got to name it ''Ropes''. One day it will win the Melbourne cup. ''Remember that name''
Saturday morning we packed a few things and Mum, Jenny, Chrissie, Ricky and I got Dad to take us out to where 'Angel' was parked. We were going to Brisbane to set up a house for the four of us to live while we were doing our training. 'Angel' was all fuelled up and ready to go. She even had her name sign written on either side of the engine. She had a lot of hours to do in the next four years. I might own her but the cost of operating her would be shared by the four of us. Jenny was the sole inheritor of her parents will and she was buying the house in Brisbane. Of course Mum and Dad were her legal guardians so they controlled what happened with her money, Dad actually adopted her so she was a Croft, and was legally my sister.
We all kissed Dad goodbye, ''except Ricky of course'' and climbed on board. I had to get out again and do the pre flight checks, I was just a bit excited to be going to Brisbane to set up house and live in the big smoke for four years with my future husband. 'How I'm ever going to keep my hands of him I will never know!!!' I thought to myself.
Anyway onwards and upwards at three thousand feet to be exact. I didn’t like to fly a lot higher because I liked to still see what's on the ground and also if I struck problems you can identify somewhere to land in an emergency but I trusted 'Angel' completely. Rodney made sure she was in top form all the time. I also didn’t like to fly at night , I was qualified to fly by instruments but think of this way, if you are driving a car at speed on a dark moonless night and the headlights go out, that is what it is like flying night so I flew in daylight only.
It took roughly two and a half hours by the time I taxied to a halt at Archerfield where 'Angel' would be refuelled and parked till we come back from the city to fly back home. Mum phoned Debbie. She now owned a little mini bus and ran a shuttle service between the two airports, and by the way she had had her SRS op and didn’t seem to have any stubble on the chin any more and looked quite feminine.
She pulled up at the taxi rank where we were waiting for her and she got out of the Toyota bus and hugged all of us. She had become a good friend and could be completely relied upon to be there when we need her. We climbed aboard and headed off to where Jenny's house was. It was half-way between the Mater and the university so it wasn't really too far either way for our daily trek to our studies.
To be continued.
Next time: setting up the house in Brisbane.
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Setting up house in Brisbane
Previously
I was 16 ½ years old and in Grade Twelve and determined to get good marks so I could study in Brisbane to become a vet.
On Christmas Day 1966, Mum and Dad surprised me with the amazing gift of my very own aeroplane, and on Boxing Say I flew 'Angel' for the first time solo and gained my 'wings'. Jean was with me of course, but I insisted that she not give me any help. I had to do this unaided. Two days later Mum, Jenny, Chrissie, Ricky and I flew to Brisbane to set up in Jenny's house before we started our studies at Uni and the Mater hospital.
It took about half an hour to drive into the city from Archerfield to where the house was in the suburb of West End. It was just across the Brisbane river, (yes the one that floods occasionally and does a lot of damage) from the university of Queensland. It was also not that far to the Mater hospital and there was a really good bus service to both places. The ferry that goes to the uni was a short walk down the road from the house. Seeing none of us were allowed to drive till we turn seventeen it would be public transport for a few more months.
We arrived at the house which was a Queenslander of course!! What else would us bushies want to live in? We didn't have a lot of luggage because with the weight of five people on 'Angel' we were right on the weight limit since the fuel tanks had to be full when we took off from Quilpie. Alternatively I could have put down at Toowoomba which was always an option left open to me. I would probably be one of the more careful pilots in the world.
Anyway enough about flying and down to earth in Brisbane. Debbie pulled up in the driveway of Jenny’s house. Like I said we only really had some clothes to wear for a couple of days. We invited Debbie in to have a gander at the house. There were three bedrooms and a small granny flat but I was thinking only three bedrooms would be used because the granny flat could be rented out to pay for some of the upkeep of the house. Debbie kept looking at the granny flat and said, “Carla what are you going to do with the flat?”
Mum looked at all of us and said, “Well what are you going to do with the flat? I take it that it won't be used by the look of it, will it Carla!!!?” She had a raised eyebrow while she said it. Poor Ricky looked at me with a red face and said nothing.
I came straight out with it and said, “Mum, me and Ricky will be using the same bedroom so just get used to it.”
Mum replied, “Carla, don’t get your knickers in a twist!! It is what I thought you would do anyway, so just make sure you see a doctor and have the pill prescribed so there wont be any unexpected little feet running around before you are ready to be a mother ok!!?”
Ricky finally looked up at Mum and said “Aunty Donna we have a career to think of so there won't be any grand-kids from us for a few years yet.”
Mum replied, “Famous last words.” and rolled her eyes but also added “Kids, I trust you ok?”
I replied, “So what about the flat Debbie? I see you looking at it, do you want to rent it?”
Debbie replied, “It is in the right position and the lease is up on the one that Jan and I are renting at the moment, so yes I am very interested in renting it if the price is right.”
Seeing it is Jenny's house we all turned to her and she said, “What!!?”
Mum said, “Jenny if you want, I can sort all that out for you so you don’t have to worry about all the legal stuff with a lease and things, just tell me how much rent you want and I'll sort it all out for you ok?”
Jenny said, “Debbie whatever you are paying now will be fine.”
Debbie replied, “When can we move in?”
Mum looked at all of us and said, “Kids we are here for a few days. It's New Years Eve and tomorrow everything will be closed for New Years Day but we could help Debbie move some things. Debbie what can you do about a ute or truck, can you borrow one?”
Debbie replied, “My brother has a courier business and seeing there is no work for him tomorrow I can borrow his little truck for the day.”
Mum said “Well if we can use your Mini bus for us then that's settled. We move you tomorrow.
Debbie said, “Wow, Jan is going to be so happy to get out of the dump we were in. Thanks kids, free rides for you lot whenever you need it.”
Debbie was still married to Jan. They lived as sisters now and were quite happy in life. Debbie didn't look to bad either. Transsexual people are just normal human beings and want to be treated as such.
There was just enough time to go to the shops and buy some food for us to eat for the next couple of days. The power had been turned on and Mum had organised the agent to put some furniture in the house so we had beds to sleep in and a fridge was delivered so we were set to live there. It was basic at that moment till we could work out what we needed to buy to furnish the house to our requirements. There was a small portable tv set that mum had delivered with the fridge so we could at least watch the news to see what was happening.
It was New Years Eve and we were going to stay awake till the clock said it was nineteen sixty seven, and our new life in the city of Brisbane begun. Seeing Jenny, Ricky, Chrissie and I were all in the school choirs for the last seven years we decided to sing our way into the New Year. Debbie and Jan came to the house and there were some neighbours that heard us singing and joined the party. Someone brought a couple of bottles of cheap Champagne and plastic glasses and we all toasted the New Year in. It was one am in the morning before we got to bed. Debbie and Jan had brought sleeping bags and stayed the night.
1/1/1967
~~~~~~
There wasn't enough champagne drank to give anyone a hang-over so it was no trouble to rise early, have some cereal and get cracking to move as much of Debbie's and Jan's gear as possible in the one day. There was no traffic on New Years Day so it was easy to get about without any hold-ups. By lunch time we had done three loads and it was all done. Debbie’s brother Dave gave a hand as well; all that remained was to clean up their old flat but they had a week to do that, so we helped them set up in the granny flat under Jenny's house and they were able to stay there that night.
Mum said, “Debbie I am really pleased that you have moved in here. The kids will have someone to show them the ropes of city living.”
Jan said, “I always wanted some kids to look after and this will give me that chance.”
Ricky replied, “Well Jan we are hardly kids any more but we will respect your advice.”
Because New Years Day fell on the Sunday, Monday was still a holiday but we decided that seeing Debbie and Jan were there that Jenny and Christine would be ok to leave in Brisbane so they could sort out what they had to do to start work at the Mater the following week. Ricky had to be back in Quilpie on Wednesday to take his solo test and we still had to do more thing at home before we were ready to come to Brisbane to live as well. So we said bye to Jenny and Christine and got Debbie to drop us out to Archerfield.
'Angel' was all fuelled up and ready to go, so I let Ricky do the pre flight checks,and also made him do the fuel check for water contamination, I had a set of gloves I handed him so he wouldn't smell of petrol. He held the little bottle under the valve and drained a bit of fuel into the glass jar. It was clear so we were ready to get on-board. Mum got in first and sat in the far rear seat so she could stretch her legs out. Ricky and I climbed on board, and Ricky said. “Carla do I fly or do you?”
I replied, “Ricky you might as well because I want you to be really comfortable with 'Angel' on Wednesday when you go for your solo. I want you to pass and get that little set of wings that Rodney will pin on you when you are finished.”
Now that I was a qualified pilot it was ok to let Ricky fly.
Ricky did all he had to and we got permission to use the runway and be on our way home. Once we reached our required height there seemed to be quite a head wind, so we would be using more fuel and would probably have to top up half-way home, so I got on the radio and asked the Brisbane tower where the best place would be to land to top up our fuel. They informed me, seeing it was a public holiday it would have to be Oakey airport on the other side of Toowoomba which wasn't exactly half way but that would have to do. Ricky had to change course by a few degrees and head over the Great Dividing Range and over Toowoomba so our height also had to change to four thousand feet.
We landed in Oakey, refuelled and got under way again. It made the trip an extra hour longer but also gave Ricky some valuable experience flying over a mountain range. We landed in Quilpie at two in the afternoon. I got Ricky to fly over the town so Dad or Uncle Tony would know to come to the air strip with the refuelling gear so 'Angel' could be got ready for Ricky’s test on Wednesday. Both Dad and Tony came, Tony in with the fuel and Dad to take us very tired people home.
Ricky came home with us because his Mum and Dad went away for the school holidays so I had a chance to mother him!! Um love him um!! You know what I mean. We arrived home and had a cup of tea and a sandwich and Ricky and I went to my bedroom and really needed to have a sleep but that didn't happen, we lay on the bed and started kissing and I said, “Ricky wait a minute. I will lock the bedroom door, not that Mum or Dad would just walk in on us, but it would be embarrassing for us as well as them.
I came back to the bed and said to Ricky “I love you and I want make love here in my bed for our first time.”
Ricky replied, “Carla if you get pregnant now our future will be ruined.”
I said, “Ricky sweetheart, I am on the pill we are safe, or don't you want me?”
I had tears in my eyes and thought he was rejecting me. Ricky came to me and gently kissed me on the lips and said, “Carla you are my everything. I love you more than words can describe, but I want you to be sure before we make love for the first time.” I didn't say anything and started to get undressed and he did the same. Jean was there as well this was going to be special.
Now for those of you that think I am going to tell you in detail what happened you will be disappointed because the love between me and Ricky was a private thing. All I can say is that it is was magic feeling and I don't know if it was Jean that did it but we seemed to be transported to a higher place than earth when we finally exploded into ecstasy. We lay there in each others arms completely exhausted. Cheeky Jean said, “That went well didn't it” and we could both hear singing.
I don't want another pretty face,
I don't want just anyone to hold.
I don’t want my love to go to waste,
I want you and your beautiful soul.
You're the one I want to chase,
You're the one I wanna hold.
I won't let another minute go to waste.
I want you and your beautiful soul.
Ricky and I fell asleep and were woken up by Mum knocking on the bedroom door saying, “Do you two love birds want any dinner tonight or is love alone enough?”
We both jumped up and quickly got dressed and went to the kitchen where Mum and Dad were waiting for us to sit down with them and interrogate us, or so we thought, but Mum just had a dreamy look in her eyes and said, “Carla and Ricky, I know you two are very much in love and I also heard Jean singing that beautiful love song so I know what you were doing.”
Before mum could say any more I said, “Mum it's ok, I’m on the pill.”
Dad winked at me and said “Eat your dinner sweetheart, your mum and me love you both.” and then said “Was it good?” That got Dad a poke in the ribs from Mum.
He said, “I meant the trip, was it good?” That got us all laughing and then we ate our meal.
Rita and Peter were living in their own place by now, so Mum and Dad would be living in that mansion of a place all by themselves. However me and Ricky planned on going back there to settle down and bring up our own family right there in Quilpie and in that house, giving Mum and Dad a few grand-kids to babysit and love. Mum was now fifty seven years old ,so by the time we gave her the first grandchild she would be sixty one, but I was sure that Rita would be there before us.
Wednesday 4/1/67
~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was Ricky's turn to do his solo that morning so we would both be qualified private pilots. If ever we wanted to become commercial it was another year of study and training. Ricky might have wanted to do that later on but I was happy enough to just do my own stuff. In another four years 'Angel' would have to be replaced if I was going to be a vet that went out to the outlying stations. I would want a twin engine for safety. Seeing Dad was half partner in the air charter business, he would be able to buy a good second hand aircraft for me to do the job.
I went and watched Ricky go through his paces and get his wings the same as me. I got to pin the little golden wings to his shirt and gave him a kiss to end all kisses because Jean was also kissing him and Ricky always knows when she does that, because it is like a mini electric shock going through me into him. Well I did tell him we come as a package, I think it is bigamy by default!
After that we got back in 'Angel' and went for a flight in the wild blue yonder for an hour and to let Jean talk with us through our head phones. I had no idea how she did that or some of the other things she seemed to be able to do, I just went along with it and felt blessed by it all.
We had to come back to earth and put 'Angel' in her parking spot. At that moment she was in the open but Dad was having a small hanger built for her there and also at Archerfield. I didn't know if my parents were millionaires but I guess they must have been because they had a lot of fingers in a lot of pies.
There was a public phone box at the aerodrome, so we rang Peter at the restaurant to see if he would give us a lift home.
He said, “I’ll be glad when you two turn seventeen and get your drivers' licences. Fancy being qualified pilots and not being allowed to drive a car!”
Ricky replied, “Well can we get a ride home or not?”
Peter said, “I’ll get Rita to do it, I'm busy putting in new elements in the main stove.”
Rita turned up in their new Volkswagen Kombi van, which was all decked out for camping. Peter and Rita were camping addicts and would take to the bush any chance they got, Rita was like me and could live off the land if she had to, so they were probably safer than most campers that we came across out there.
City folk seemed to take a lot of risks in the bush and get themselves into trouble and the locals usually had to go and bring them back to town in embarrassment of running out of fuel or water. We arrived home and Rita decided not to go back to work. It was Wednesday and not all that busy at the restaurant and she was wanting to start making her wedding gown with Mum's help of course. Mum said she was going to buy one but Rita wanted to make her own because it is what she always wanted to do ever since she learned to sew.
I said, “Rita, will you make mine as well?”
She replied, “Carla it's at least five years off, surely?”
I said, “Maybe it is, but if you are making yours why not make two and what about Jenny and Christine?”
Rita replied, “What about them?”
I said, “Never mind.” and went to do something about making lunch.
I made a salad with silverside and cold hard boiled eggs. It was hot weather and cooked meals were not what you wanted on a hot day. I called out to all and sundry to come and eat out on the verandah where it was nice and cool. Poor old Ginger is lying in the shade and I was thinking if she got to crippled with arthritis I would have to have her put to sleep, and she could join Goldie in doggy heaven. Goldie was put to sleep last year because of blindness and back problems. It is cruel to keep them alive if they are in pain.
Jenny rang from Brisbane to tell us that the phone had been connected, and tell us what was going on with the house and Debbie and Jan. Ricky and I were staying in Quilpie till Sunday and then flying to Brisbane so we could set up our bedroom with a bed and other furniture for the house. If we are going to live there for the next four years, we wanted it to be comfortable. We still had lots of things to sort out for when we started uni with forms to fill out and phone calls to make and I still wanted to do one more day helping out at Ross Bailey's veterinary surgery. It was late and we were tired and said 'good night' to Mum and Dad and retired to our bedroom. We were tired but not that tired, so we started to get comfortable on the bed without any clothes on.
There seemed to be a threesome once again, but we had to get used to it because Jean is part of me and Ricky thought he was the luckiest man alive so we all three made sweet gentle love. It seemed that Jean transported us to heaven and back.
To be continued.
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Next time: setting up house and meeting new friends .
Author's note: Due to other commitments, I have decided to post chapters of 'Carla's Journey' on a weekly basis for the time being. I hope you continue to enjoy the story.
Settling in and registering at Uni
Previously:
I flew Mum, Jenny, Chrissy and Ricky down to Brisbane where we were all moving into Jenny's new house, close to the Mater and the Uni.
The house had a separate flat, and Debbie, our friend and regular taxi driver showed immediate interest in it, so it was arranged that she and Jan should move in, and we all helped them with that.
It was the end of 1966, an eventful year and after enjoying the New Year's Eve celebrations, Ricky flew Mum and I back to Quilpie as a final practise before taking his solo flying test, which he passed a few days later.
Ricky stayed with us and for the first time we made wonderful love together, after which Jean sang us to sleep.
Jenny rang from Brisbane to tell us that the phone had been connected, and tell us what was going on with the house and Debbie and Jan, Ricky and I were staying in Quilpie till Sunday and then flying to Brisbane so we could set up our bedroom with a bed and other furniture for the house. If we are going to live there for the next four years we wanted it to be comfortable. We still had lots of things to sort out for when we started Uni with forms to fill out and phone calls to make and I still wanted to do one more day helping out at Ross Bailey's veterinary surgery. It was late and we were tired and said good night to mum and dad and we retired to our bedroom, we were tired but not that tired so we started to get comfortable on the bed without any clothes on.
There seemed to be a threesome once again, but we had to get used to it because Jean is part of me and Ricky thinks he is the luckiest man alive so we all three made sweet gentle love. It seemed that Jean transported us to heaven and back.
****************************************
Sunday 8/1/67
~~~~~~~~~~~
We packed as many clothes as we could take with us. Because there were only the two of us going to be in 'Angel' it left us a great deal of scope to fill her up with a lot of our gear. It was just as well that Debbie had a mini bus because it would be hard to fit all of it into an ordinary taxi! Jenny and Christine had packed all their stuff into boxes and put it on road transport the previous week. We loaded all our things into Mum's station wagon and asked her to take us to the aerodrome and give us a hand to pack all the things into 'Angel'.
So Mum and Dad came with us, Mum to help with the loading and Dad to top up 'Angel's' fuel supply. I wanted to do the trip in one go and not put down anywhere in between if it was possible. Once 'Angel' was all ready we decided to go home and have morning tea. Uncle Tony, Aunty Bella, Rita, and Peter, and Christine's parents were all there to have morning tea and then take us back to 'Angel' and bid us goodbye for at least a month.
When it was time to go there were tears all round. Ricky's parents turned up to say goodbye as well. It was all a bit stressful and we were glad when Ricky and I got into Mum's car to be driven to where 'Angel' awaited us, Dad coming along as well. We arrived at the aerodrome and pulled up next to 'Angel'. This was hard - both me and Rick were doing the pre-flight checks with tears running down our face. Mum and Dad were watching us also with tears in their eyes.
We walked back to where they were standing and had a group hug.
Mum said, “Be good you two!”
I was choked up but managed a “Yes Mother.”
Dad said, “Carla, when you get to Archerfield you will see a new hanger with a name Croft on the sliding doors, that belongs to us. Rodney has an office there as well, and 'Angel' is to be housed in that hanger."
I knew it was being built but didn’t know it was ready to be used. We said another goodbye and boarded 'Angel' to be up and away in the clear blue Queensland sky.
We flew over Toowoomba at three thousand feet and as we passed over the range we were at five thousand because Toowoomba is two thousand feet above sea level. All of a sudden the ground drops away. It was two in the afternoon when we landed at Archerfield. I taxied up to the hanger that had Croft Air Charter painted on the side wall, and I turned 'Angel' around so she could be pushed back into the hanger. We got out and Ricky pushed the big sliding doors apart. A couple of guys came over and introduced themselves and gave us a hand to push 'Angel' into the hanger, The guys were Greg and Toby and owned the hanger next to ours. They weren’t much older than us so I guessed it was their parents' hanger and saw a twin Cessna was housed inside.
It looked like we were going to become good friends because they were both at Uni studying to become lawyers, and they were also keen on flying, so I guess we all had something in common. An office had been set up in the hanger so there was a phone sitting on the desk. I dialled the number of the house and Christine answered, “Hello this is Christine Jackson,”
I said, “Hi Miss Jackson, this is Miss Carla Croft. May I order a mini bus to the airport please?”
I heard her sing out to Debbie, “Hey Debbie, they're at the airport.”
“Ok tell them I’m on my way.”
“You heard madame?”
“Yeah how are ya?”
“We’re all fine, waiting for you to turn up so we can start the barbecue. How hungry are you?”
“By the time we get to the house, very hungry!”
“Ok, I’ll tell Jennifer and Jan to pull the steaks out of the new fridge we got yesterday.” and she hung up.
Ricky said, “What was that all about?”
“Just organising some food for you Darling.”
“Oh ok, I could do with some food. We haven't eaten since we left Quilpie this morning.”
“Aaaww you poor Darling!! Mummy will look after you when we get home.”
“You keep that up and I will have to see to you tonight!”
“Promise?!!”
“Cheeky!”
Debbie turned up so the banter had to stop - till we got home anyway.
Debbie said, “Hello kids, have a good flight did we?”
“Yes Debbie, just wait till you see how much stuff we have to transfer to your bus.”
“Ok lets do it then and get you two home and settled in shall we?”
We loaded the bus, locked the hanger and were on our way to our new home. When we arrived Chrissie and Jenny were waiting for us at the front gate of the house and there were hugs and kisses all round.
Debbie said, “Ok you lot, you can kiss and cuddle later. Lets get this stuff out of my van and into the house.”
I said “Yes ma'am” and started to carry some of the bags of clothes up the stairs along the verandah, and into Ricky's and my bedroom. There were two openings to the room - one door leading to the inner hallway and the other was a set of French doors opening out to the wide verandah. It was a beautiful old classic Queenslander house with ten foot high ceilings, probably eighty years old.
By the time we had all our things put away, as much as we could without wardrobes, it was getting late and no-one felt like cooking anything for tea so Debbie said, “Right, you lot give me ten quid between the lot of you and I’ll get us a couple of large pizzas and some bottles of Coke to drink.”
I said to the others “Put your money away.” and handed Debbie a twenty pound note and said, “I have to get rid of these because next month when we change over to decimal dollars and cents I don’t want any of these left.”
Debbie replied, “Ok but I won't need twenty quid and besides you'll be able to take all your old money to the bank and have it changed to dollars.”
I replied, “Debbie, you have to put petrol in your bus so use it for that.”
Debbie said, “Carla you're a good kid, thanks.”
I replied, “Debbie you can't keep doing things for us for nothing. Me and Jenny are well off and Ricky and Christine have also got money put away ok?!!”
Ricky looked at me with that cheeky grin of his and said, “Yeah Debbie, when we get married Carla is going to give me half of her millions.”
I replied, “And he is going to look after all our kids, aren’t you dear?”
Jenny, Chrissie, and Jan who just turned up all were having a laugh at Ricky's expense. Poor Ricky is going to have to put up with a house full of women as well as one in the spirit world.
Jean was laughing as much as the others, and said to me, “Ricky is beautiful Carla, we have to look after him.”
I replied in full voice, “Yes we will won't we Jean?”
Ricky had a silly look on his face, blew me a kiss and said, “Jean I know you can hear me. I love you too girl, can I see you if I close my eyes?”
I said, “Go ahead darling close them, but sit down first.” He sat on a folding chair and closed his eyes and said, “Wow Jean you look really pretty in that gown. You seem to be standing right beside Carla, but I have my eyes closed so how can I see Carla as well?”
Jean said, “That's because Carla has also got her eyes closed and I am projecting her image back to you. It's just something we angels can do.”
The communication went on a little while longer and Jean said, “Ok my sweethearts I am running out of strength so I will have to fade, but you will still be able to talk to me any time you want to, just call my name and I will answer you. I am right beside you all the time Carla.” The conversation finished and Jenny and Chrissie heard the verbal exchange but did not see Jean. Jan just stood there with her mouth open and said, “Debbie told me about you and your twin, Carla but if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I would never have believed it.”
Debbie walked back into the room to say she was going for the pizza and said “Jan what was that I told you?”
Jan said, “Oh just the bit about Carla's twin talking to her.”
“Oh is that all? You'll get used to that after a couple of days. Half the time she does it without thinking about it, and people that don’t know Carla just think she talks to herself a lot.”
Jan said, “I think I'm going to enjoy living with this lot. It'll certainly be different won't it?” We all just looked at her and nodded.
While Debbie was away getting our food and soft drinks, (we are all tea-total people, yes I know boring but at least we keep our brain cells intact) we started making a list of the things we are going to have to buy to make it into a home. This wouldn't be cheap because I wanted a king-size bed like the one in my room in Quilpie. Jenny and Christine had already got all their stuff sorted so they were quick to give us advice on where to buy our things. We didn't have to start Uni proper for a couple of weeks so we had plenty of time to set things up.
Debbie came back with the food and we sat out on the verandah in fold-up camp chairs to have our pizza. It wouldn't be long before we would have a barbecue and table and chairs to sit on the wide verandah. Most barbecues were wood fired in the backyard but there were new types now that were on wheels and had a gas bottle and burner under the plate - very clean and modern. Anyway we hit the sack early because the next day was Monday and all the others had to go to work, We said good night and retired to our rooms.
It was a hot night so me and Ricky decided to sleep in our birthday suits, but the problem with that is we are still excited to be naked together and of course Ricky rose to the occasion and---well surely you don’t want me to tell you what happens when a girl and boy are naked together on a couple of air mattresses do you?!!!!!
Monday 9/1/67
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Jenny and Chrissie were starting their nurses training officially that day so Debbie was taking them in her bus as well as Jan, because Jan was working as a domestic at the Mater. So there were three people in the household that would go to work at the Mater. Ricky and I were going to catch a bus into town to go shopping for our bed, mattress and bed linen so we decided to buy a whole bedroom suite and be done with it and have it delivered and set up by the store we bought it from. We went to McWirther's department store and they had everything under the same roof that we needed, so that is where we bought ninety percent of our gear and had it delivered in the afternoon.
Both Ricky and I had to front up to the Uni and sign some papers and also get a list of books and bits and pieces we needed when we started to attend our first lecture on Monday the sixteenth of January. So we went by bus to home and decide to try out the river ferry. We had a bit of left-overs from the previous night's pizzas which weren’t all that nice but it would see us through till we could do some food shopping after we got home from the Uni and the guys from the furniture department delivered our things. It was a short walk to the pontoon where the old ferry pulled up and went across to the other side of the Brisbane River on the Uni side, From there we caught a bus to the Uni campus. We could have walked it but it was a bit far if you were in a hurry so I guess we would either have to rise early in the mornings or always catch a bus for the last bit.
The University of Queensland is a bloody big place and we had to ask directions several times before we got to all the people we needed to see to register for our courses. At one stage Ricky and I lost each other and had to ask a senior lecturer to get us hooked up again. By the time we were finished it was time we got home to be there when the truck arrived with our items.
We got home just as the truck pulled up. We quickly unlocked the house and opened up the door on the verandah so the guys could carry everything into the room. Half an hour later everything was set up and the guys left in their delivery truck. Debbie rang to see if we were home and to ask us if we wanted to go to the grocery shops before they closed because she was close by. We said 'yes' and she came and picked us up to take us shopping. As we had also bought a fridge for our room we could fill it up with all sorts of goodies.
We were home packing all our things away when the two trainee nurses came home and saw the fridge in our bedroom.
Chrissie said, “Holy shit Carla, I didn't think you would buy a fridge as well?”
Ricky said, “Hello to you too Chrissie!”
“Sorry, I didn't mean it that way, but is there any need to have an extra fridge?”
I said “No, but it was on a special and Mum did say to get anything that I thought we needed and put it on her account.”
Jenny put her two cents worth in and said, “Well we can use this one for goodies and the one in the kitchen for proper food.”
We hadn’t bought the barbecue yet but would in the next couple of days. Jan called out to us and said, “I am cooking dinner tonight so if you want to have a shower and get cleaned up first it will be ready in about half an hour.”
There were three bathrooms, one in the granny flat, the original one, and one that Mum had organised a builder to install when she realised four of us were going to be in a fix in the mornings if we didn't have the extra one. Jenny and Chrissie had separate rooms but used the same bathroom mostly at the same time. 'No they are not lesbians so stop making funny faces!!!'
Ricky and I would definitely be using ours together. We really liked to soap each other up well, and sort of take our time doing it — umm -- you know to make sure we-- umm -- we don’t miss anywhere!!! Anyway that's my story and I’m sticking to it. We had our showers and made our way down to the the flat to have dinner with Debbie and Jan. It was lamb chops with mashed potatoes and fresh peas and gravy, with ice cream and tinned peaches for desert. It certainly filled us up. Both me and Ricky liked cooking so we'd be able to return the favour, and so would Jenny and Chrissie because they are both as good at cooking as us, so we would be able to be fed really well and not have to resort to too many take-away meals.
It was time to try out our new bed, and no, I will not tell you how it went!!! Use your fertile minds and imagine two almost seventeen year-olds in love on a king size bed and see what you can come up with!!!
Jenny's house
To be continued
Next time: starting uni and meeting up with Greg and Troy the law students.
Please leave a comment
Previously
Ricky and I packed all our clothes and flew back to Brisbane after a slightly tearful farewell. At Archerfield Croft Air Charter now had its own hanger, and two guys whose plane was in the next hanger helped us move 'Angel' inside. They were also at Uni, studying law, and it seemed that we would become friends.
We spent the next few days settling into the house, buying some furniture and registering at Uni.
Monday 9/1/67
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Ricky and I had another week to fill in before we were due to front up to university, so we decide to spend some time at home and in the garden. The previous owners had established a rather large vegetable garden so we reckoned with a bit of work we could be eating our own produce. Debbie and Jan had already discovered it and had planted some tomatoes and beans. The whole garden had been set up with an elaborate drip watering system so it shouldn't be a problem for us time-wise, We went out and bought a whole lot of seedlings and packets of seeds so we were on our way to become city gardeners!
When the others came home from work they found me and Ricky down in the garden just finishing planting all the seedlings and raking the soil over the seeds we had sown.
Chrissie said “Alright you people of leisure, what’s for dinner tonight?”
Ricky replied, “Whatever you can find. Me and Carla are going out so you will just have to cope won't you?”
Jenny said, “That'd be right! We work our fingers to the bone and get told to get our own meals as well, while you two go of enjoying yourselves.”
I replied, “If you two hurry up and change out of those nice white uniforms, dinner is on me, but you had better hurry because as soon as me and Ricky have showered and dressed we will be going to a Chinese restaurant in the Valley.”
(Fortitude Valley has an area called Chinatown and is still there to the present day.)
Jenny and Chrissie didn't waste any time and disappeared to ready themselves to go out for a free meal on me. I had rung Debbie and Jan to tell them to come home as well and they turned up just as I was about to go into the shower with Ricky.
Debbie said, “What did you want us home for that is so urgent luv?” I explained that I was talking them all out for dinner in the Valley. They also didn't waste any time getting ready to go out for a free meal.
I thought 'They had better make the most of it because this won't happen too often. I might have wealthy parents but I was taught be generous but not wasteful.'
Once we were all set to go, we got into Debbie's bus and she drove into Fortitude Valley. I didn't tell Jenny and Chrissie that I had also invited our friends from the airport along as well. This could be interesting because Jenny and Chrissie had both dropped their boyfriends from Quilpie before embarking on four years of nurses' training in Brisbane. Greg and Toby were actually twins, not identical but just as close as me and Jean, only they were both on the earth plane. Their parents were both lawyers so it followed that they would be the ones to take over the family business eventually. Anyway we arrived at the restaurant where I had booked a table for eight people.
The head waiter greeted us and led us to our table and gave us the menus to read. When Jenny noticed that there are two more chairs at our table she twigged and said, “Carla sister dear, what are you up to?”
I replied, “Nothing, why?” but she didn't wait for me to answer and had her eyes closed and said, “Jean, what are you two up to?” Because spirits aren’t allowed to lie Jean had to come clean and said “See those two hot looking guys at the front reception desk?”
Chrissie also had her eyes closed and said, “We can't see anything while we are talking to you with our eyes closed.”
Jean said, “Oh sorry, there you go.”and we could all see the two while we had our eyes closed talking to Jean who was now starting to giggle and said to me, “Carla you had better tell them what we have been doing don't you think.”
I said “Ok everyone, open your eyes and I will enlighten you on what’s going on.”
Ricky, Debbie and Jan just sat there with grins on their faces while I explained to the two girls why they were here tonight. I waved for the two boys to come over to the table. Jenny and Christine were starting to blush as the two young handsome men came over to our table and introduced themselves to them. They already knew Debbie and Jan from hiring the bus a few times. We all moved around so Jenny and Chrissie were sitting beside their newly introduced friends.
Once we ordered our meals the conversation flowed pretty well and the four new friends got acquainted with each other. We obviously sat them in the right position with Jenny and Greg getting along as well as Chrissie and Toby having a great one on one discussion about politics. Chrissie always wins discussions about politics. She is very passionate about people doing the right thing.
Seeing next day was a work day at least for the others so we couldn't stay out too late, so we dropped the boys off home first and then went homeourselves. Arrangements were made by the new friends to meet up on the weekend, so it worked out really well for the match-makers namely me and Jean who kept saying “That went well.” 'till I told her to shut up and stop crowing. We all sat in the lounge including Debbie and Jan, and discussed what was happening in the next little while and the subject came up about Mum and Dad buying a house just down the road to have somewhere to stay when they came to Brisbane, which they would probably be doing quite a bit if they wanted to see us. As it was, I was going to be flying home at least once a month so Ricky could have time with his Mum and Dad who were now retired and living on a bit of acreage just out of Quilpie.
We said goodnight and retired to our own rooms to go to bed. It was quite late and it was the first time that we didn't feel like making love, and beside my silly time of the month was about to start and I still got cramps just before they started. It was not as bad as it was when I first started having them but I sure as hell knew when to put a pad in my knickers.
I know, 'too much information' as Ricky always says, but I'm afraid it is just a normal part of being a female, and of course if we don’t get them, nine months later we'd be changing nappies.
Thursday 12/1/67
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The last couple of days were spent making sure we had all our things together for Uni and we also bought a new barbecue for the backyard which was on wheels and was powered by gas. Dad wouldn't like it because he reckoned only wood should be used for a good tasting steak. I really couldn't understand that, a hot plate is a hot plate no matter how it is heated. Anyway the phone rang and it was Dad saying he and Mum had come down with Rodney to look at a new plane they were buying for the charter business to add to the three including 'Angel'.
Mum then took the phone off Dad and said, “Carla, while your father is looking at the new plane with Rodney I'm coming to see you and show you the house I have just bought down the end of the street from where you are.”
I replied, “Mum you didn't tell me you were coming to Brisbane to live!!”
She replied, “Carla it is so often we do come down for business we will have somewhere to stay. It's not to keep an eye on you sweetheart.”
“Mum I know that's not what you would do and I'm glad we'll be so close when you come down.”
Mum went on and said, “What about Ricky?”
I said, “What about Ricky!!!”
”Well I have talked to Helen and Barry and they will also be able to use the house to come and see Ricky more often as well as Rita and Pete.”
“Mum, you and Dad are just a pair of softies. I don’t know what we would do without you.”
“Well you probably wouldn't be flying around in your own plane or going to University.”
Jean was giggling and said, “Mum maybe no plane but definitely University.”
Mum said , “Hello Jean darling, I hope you are staying out of trouble in the spirit world?”
“Yes Mum.” and a little cheeky giggle followed. All this happened while Mum was on the phone. Jean had become quite powerful and could communicate over long distances because Rita said Jean sometimes came to her in her dreams.
Mum had to hang up because I could hear Debbie in the background saying, “Donna, if that is Carla you are talking to, tell her I have picked up the photos we took at the Chinese restaurant of Jenny and Chrissie and the boys.”
Mum said, “You heard that Carla?”
“Yes Mum.” and then she hung up. Half an hour later Mum was telling me and Ricky to come for a walk down the road and have a look at the house she had bought. She didn't tell us at the time but she bought it at the same time as she was buying the house for Jenny. That was a bit naughty but I suppose she wasn't sure how we would react to knowing she would be able to keep an eye on us, but Mum and Dad are not like that. Besides what could we possibly get up to being Uni students !!!!?
To be continued.
Next time starting at University.
Please leave a comment.
Previously
Mum had to hang up because I could hear Debbie in the back ground saying, “Donna if that is Carla you are talking to tell her I have picked up the photos we took at the Chinese restaurant of Jenny and Chrissie and the boys.” Mum said, “You heard that Carla?” “Yes Mum.” and then she hung up. Half an hour later Mum was telling me and Ricky to come for a walk down the road and have a look at the house she had bought. She didn't tell us at the time but she bought it the same time as she was buying the house for Jenny, Which was a bit naughty but I suppose she wasn't sure how we would react to know she would be able to keep an eye on us, but Mum and Dad are not like that. Besides what could we possibly get up to being Uni students !!!!?
Carla and Ricky settled into the house and were preparing to start Uni on Monday, and it looked like whatever Mum said to the contrary she was going to be around a lot more than she was going to admit to.
Monday morning 16/1/67
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We got up far too early because we were so excited to be starting our new life as Uni students and all the worry and tension that goes with going to lectures and having to have assignments done on time. I had to learn almost as much as a normal doctor for humans in medical terms because the drugs and performing surgery were basically the same.
I had a bit of a head start on the practical side because I had been assisting Ross in his surgery in Quilpie for the previous couple of years, because his wife had MS and her hands were too shaky to do much assisting any more. She would watch me and tell me what instruments to hand to Ross as he was operating on an animal.
Ricky also had a head start with his Dad being the Principal of a school. He had made sure that his two sons were no slackers and tutored them within an inch of their lives, which of course paid off for Ricky when he had to do the hard slog to become a teacher like his Dad.
Ok, back to that morning - Ricky was grumbling that I went and had a shower before he even got out of bed. We usually showered together but seeing that we couldn't keep our hands off each other we would always be late to leave in the morning.
I said, “Ricky we will have to keep our amorous feelings in the shower for evenings,”
“Will that mean we can feel doubly amorous in the evening than?”
I replied, “Sweetheart, don’t forget we will also have to do study at night.”
Ricky replied, “Shit Carla, this is going to be harder than I thought.”
I replied, “Ricky we will have all night in bed every night, so settle down darling, we wont miss out I'll make sure of that.” That seemed to satisfy him for the moment. I loved him too much not to make love as often as we could, and I’m quite sure that Jean would remind me not to neglect the one I loved.
While lover boy was in the shower I cooked breakfast and set the table. By the time Ricky had his shower and dressed, Jenny and Christine were in the kitchen getting their breakfast as well, so it was a foursome this morning but that wouldn't be the case for long because nurses do shift work and it would be a case of 'see you when we can'.
Mum and Dad were staying in town for the next couple of days before heading back out to Quilpie. Mum was going to do some shopping and Dad had to go with Rodney to sign some papers for the plane that they had just purchased. The company now had three twin Cessnas, plus 'Angel' for good luck, but 'Angel' was mine alone so she waited patiently for me in her hanger.
There are two other pilots, Marie Coles and Patty Briggs, both are married women and wives of TAA airline pilots. They were both in their forties and were available for any charter flights that came up.
When I got some spare time I actually wanted to start training to fly a chopper as well, but Dad said I would not be able to find enough time while I was at Uni. I begged to differ, I would make time somehow because once I got something in my mind I would make it happen no matter what, and don’t forget Jean was half of me so double the trouble.
Just as Ricky and I were about leave to go down to catch the river ferry the phone rang.
It was Mum and she said, “Carla would you like a lift to the Uni this morning? Dad bought a car for me to use while we are in Brisbane any time.”
I replied, “No Mum, we are taking the cross-river ferry and then the bus to get there.”
“Oh I just thought I would take you on your first day.”
“Thanks Mum but this is not like when I started school at Quilpie. We are grown up now and have to do things for ourselves.”
“Ok dear, we'll see you later than.” Poor Mum, she is lost without having someone to nursemaid, but she will just have to get used to us kids growing up and fending for ourselves.
Ricky being the softie that he is said, “Carla that’s a bit mean isn't it? She just wants to help.”
I replied, “Ricky darling if we let her she won't want to go back home to Quilpie and she will want to do all the cooking and washing for us as well.”
Ricky said, “What's wrong with that if it makes her happy?”
I said, “Ricky forget it, it's not going to happen.” We finally got out the front door and walked down to the river to wait for the ferry to turn up to take us across to the other side of the Brisbane River and then catch a bus the rest of the way to campus.
The ferry ride is a pleasant experience and had a calming effect on my nerves of the first day at Uni. Ricky was not nervous in any way and he held my hand most of the way till we had to go in different directions for our orientation into Uni life. This apparently could take a couple of days so I thought we would be glad to be going home that afternoon. The morning went quite quickly and I met up with Ricky, and would you believe Greg and Toby the twins, in the cafeteria for lunch. It was their first year as well so it looked like the four of us had something in common to talk about.
I was glad to see the end of the first day. It was quite stressful and I would be glad to get home and relax and watch a bit of telly and cuddle up to my man. Of course that was not being real was it? Well we said 'bye to our friends and caught a bus to the ferry terminal and the ride home across the river. All that took about half an hour so we got home at about four o’clock. It was too early to do anything about dinner so we decided to go for a walk down to see if Mum and Dad were still in Brisbane in their house just down the road.
Ricky said, “Carla honey, do you really think that your Mum is going home just yet?”
I replied, “No not really but it is nice to know that Mum and Dad will be around from time to time don’t you think?”
Rick replied, “Yeah I really like your Mum. She is a very kind and giving person just like her beautiful daughter.”
When we got there Mum was in the kitchen and Dad was in the lounge going through some papers and said, “Bloody taxation department, who do they think they are to tell me I can't claim on this house as a business premises?”
Ricky said, “Uncle Bill, this is a residence, and you can't claim that on tax.”
Dad said, “You watch me son and learn how to become a millionaire!!”
Ricky looked at me and I said, “I told you so didn't I!”
Ricky looked at Dad and said, “Are you really a millionaire?”
Just then Mum walked in and said, “Hello you two. Yes Ricky we are and if you work hard and put your money to work so will you be some day.”
Ricky replied, “Aunty Donna, I don’t think a teacher's wage will be enough to make me rich do you?”
Mum said, “Well Ricky when you two get married and have good advice about what to invest in than yes you can certainly become quite wealthy.” She added “Now that you are here Carla you can help me prepare dinner and stay here and eat with us.”
I turned to Ricky and said, “See I told you she would want to feed us didn't I?”
Mum said, “She is the cat's mother.”
”Sorry Mum.” I could feel Jean giggling and so could Mum and she said, “Jean what’s so funny?”
Jean went quiet but Ricky said, “Stop that Jean.” as he was rubbing his neck. Jean loves Ricky as much as I do and she loves to tickle him on the back of his neck and watch his reactions. In reality Ricky really enjoys her attention. After all she is half of me so it is ok for her to flirt with him.
Dad said, “Donna, are you sure you haven't got a twin too? I could get used to having two women pampering me!”
Mum replied, “Darling you wouldn't be able to handle another one, besides am I not enough for you?”
I said, “Uh oh, you've done it now Dad.”
Just then Mum came over to where Dad was sitting and sat herself down on his lap and gave him one of those toe curling kisses of hers, which by the way I can also give. It runs in the family didn't you know?'
I said “Mum your going to give Dad a heart attack if you keep doing that.”
Dad replied, “What a way to go, Donna do it again.”
Ricky said, “Carla are we going to still be doing that when we get to their age?”
Mum and Dad were laughing and I said, “Ricky why do you think they still look so young for people their age?”
Things settled down and Mum asked me if Jenny and Christine were going to be home or were they working shift work yet? I wasn’t sure so I rang their number at our house, or should I say Jenny's house?
Jenny answered and said, “Nurses Quarters how can I help you?”
I replied, “This is the restaurant. Your table has been reserved for you madame.”
“Thanks Carla we'll be there in ten ok ?”
“Yeah I’ll tell Mum.” and I hung up. “They'll be here mum.”
“Good, I need to talk to Christine about something.”
I said, “Problems?”
“Carla just wait and I will tell you later ok ?”
“Yes Mum.” I gave Mum a hand with getting everything ready for dinner and set the new table that Mum had had delivered a couple of days before. I thought Mum would probably spend quite a bit of time in Brisbane even if it was as she said to get closer to the shops, but I knew she was worried about me and Jenny. We were still her babies as she sometimes called us. Oh well it was a nice feeling to be loved like that. Ricky was in the lounge watching TV with Dad. They got on so well and I guess Ricky had in some way taken the place of Paul. Did I tell you that Paul was Dad's gay son? He committed suicide and it really knocked Dad around that he couldn't have helped him more.
Jenny and Christine turned up and there were hugs all round and everyone as per usual was talking at once, well us women were while the men just listened and kept their mouths shut till we finished gossiping. Ricky had learned to just wait till we were quiet before he entered the conversation. He was dominated by three girls, but I think he rather liked it.
We sat down to a scrumptious meal of roast pork, baked veggies and of course Mum's famous gravy. Desert was strawberries with icecream and home made custard, all very fattening, so us girls had only small portions. We wanted to keep our perfect figures. It's not that we were vain or anything but we did look good when we three went out dressed in much the same outfits and it felt good when we turned heads. Ok just a little bit vain then!
After dinner the men went back into the lounge while we girls cleaned up in the kitchen. Once that was done we sat back down at the table with a cup of coffee each and Mum said, “Ok girls, seeing you three are very close and joined at the hip so to speak, I will get on with what I wanted to discuss. Christine dear, Alan is having a hard time of it back in Quilpie and is not taking it at all well that you don’t want to be his girlfriend any more, and of course he also misses Ricky and Billy. They all hung out together, and now Billy has applied for an apprenticeship with a a large firm here in Brisbane.
“Jenny I know you have been talking with him and it is back on between you and him when he starts his job here, but Christine dear, poor Alan is pining away for you. Can you at least give him a ring and talk to the poor boy? He is so much in love with you dear. I must admit his Mum and I are really worried about him.”
“Aunty Donna I still love him just as much, but how can it work with me down here and Alan five hundred miles away?”
“Well sweetheart I have a solution if you are interested in listening to it? Billy is doing a diesel fitter apprenticeship with Hastings Deering, but Alan is more interested in aircraft maintenance. So!! our charter business is about to embark on doing aircraft maintenance on small craft at Archerfield. We have already got two people setting things up as we speak and I thought that we might just offer Alan an apprenticeship in aircraft maintenance so you see it could work out quite well don’t you think?”
“Aunty Donna I hope you are not doing it just to make sure Alan and I can stay together as an item are you?”
“Christine, your Uncle Bill and I don’t do things on a whim. That is why we are in such a good position financially, but we are just so worried about Alan. He is such a nice boy and I just don’t like to see him suffer.”
Christine was now in tears and said, “Aunty Donna I really do love him and if you are willing to give him a chance like that I will ring him right now and tell him I love him and ask him to come down here to work for you.”
“Christine I have taken the liberty of arranging for him to come down with Rodney on Wednesday to show him where he will be working and also the people that are going to be training him to be an aircraft mechanic.”
Christine just stood there with tears in her eyes and couldn’t say anything. Jenny and I went to her and we had a three way hug. We were still the 'Three Angel Musketeers' after all.
Ricky was also pleased that he would have his two best friends living in Brisbane as well. It would give him a bit of time-out from being dominated by three women all the time, no make that four with Jean always there in the background putting her two cents worth in, but I thought secretly he loved every minute of being pampered by us.
Chrissie decided not to ring Alan that night and see if she could change her shift with another student nurse on Wednesday so she could be at Archerfield to greet him with all her love and show him just how much she loved him. He would be surprised to see her because he still thought it was all over between them. Anyway it was getting late so we all trotted off to our own place to shower and get ready for bed and for me and Ricky other things as well, Well we were in love and what were we supposed to do, ''hold hands''? Besides Jean was just as frisky as I was. Yeah we had a threesome but don't tell anyone will you!!!!
Tuesday 17/1/67
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The following day was more or less the same with more information being given about where to go, what time to be here and there, and of course the student union discussing all sorts of issues that I was not really into. Someone had already offered me and Ricky some dope to smoke but we would leave that well alone it kills brain cells didn't you know?
In the afternoon it was the same routine as the previous day. The only thing that changed was that we decided not to go for that walk down the road to Mum's house again, because if we kept doing it she would want to feed us all the time and then we would never be self-sufficient. I was hoping that she would get homesick and go back out to Quilpie as soon as the business at Archerfield was all set up and then they would only came once a month or so.
This is Christine. I asked the sister in charge in the ward that I am working in if I could have Wednesday off if I could get someone to swap the shift with me. Her name is Rena and she is in her early thirties. You ask how I know that? Well Jean comes in handy sometimes. She is just like Carla and needs to know all things. Anyway Rena said I could as long as I had someone to take over my duties, which I did. I had already done that for another nurse last week.
18/1/67 Wednesday morning
I got up early so I could be down at Aunty Donna's house to go out to Archerfield airport .I said bye to the others after a quick breakfast and hurried down the road to Aunty Donna and Uncle Bills place. It was only seven thirty but Uncle Bill said if we didn’t leave at that time we would get caught up in the peak hour traffic and we wouldn’t get to the airport in time before Rodney landed the flight from Quilpie.
I arrived and Aunty Donna said, “Good morning Chrissie dear, I have some more news for you.”
I thought, 'Oh no, something has gone wrong and Alan won't be coming after all.'
Aunty Donna must have seen the look on my face because she said, “I’m sorry dear I didn't mean to frighten you. It's good news, your Mum and Dad are also coming with Alan.”
I replied, “Why are they coming, is there something wrong?”
“Well sweetheart your Dad has been having problems with his heart and is going to see a specialist here in Brisbane.”
We got into Uncle Bill's car and drove to the airport. The traffic was already heavy even this early in the morning but I guess that's city life. As soon as I have finished my nurses training I will go back out to Quilpie to work in that hospital and hopefully Alan will also want to go back home once he is qualified to work on aeroplanes.
We arrived just as the twin engine Cessna came to a stop in front of the Croft hanger. Once the engines stopped and propellers stopped turning everyone stepped out of the plane. Mum and Dad came out first and for a minute I thought that Alan wasn't on the plane, but he poked his head around the door opening and had a surprised look on his face when he saw me standing beside Aunty Donna. I said a quick hello to my parents and called Dad 'Daddy' because I am still his little girl.
Alan finally came over to me and said, “Chrissie I didn't think I would see you again and I just fell to pieces.”
I replied, “Alan sweetheart, I never wanted to hurt you but it seemed the only thing to do. I don’t think we could have survived four years in a long distance relationship.”
He said, “Well I’m here now, and I am not going to let you out of my sight from now on. I want to share my whole life with you and I am hopelessly in love with you.”
I replied, “And I am with you.”
Wednesday afternoon back at home - with Carla.
“I wonder how Chrissie went this morning out at the airport meeting up with Alan?”
Ricky said, “Well we had better go for that walk again down to your Mum's to find out or you will be like a cat on hot coals.” We sang out to Jenny to come with us, and she was already standing at the front gate waiting for us to come along.
To be continued ,
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Previously
Wednesday afternoon back at home ''with Carla ''
“I wonder how Chrissie went this morning out at the airport meeting up with Alan?”
Ricky said, “Well we had better go for that walk again down to your Mum's to find out or you will be like a cat on hot coals.” We sang out to Jenny to come with us, and she was already standing at the front gate waiting for us to come along.
We walked down to Mum's house quite quickly because we were anxious to find out all that had happened while we were slaving away all day at Uni, and Jenny was at work. We heard laughter in the lounge and that is when we saw just how many people were in the room. Christine and Alan were sitting on the sofa holding hands and in deep conversation; Christine's Mum and Dad were talking with Mum, and Billy was talking with Dad. Jenny didn't know before-hand that Billy would be here as well. When she saw him she practically jumped over to him and enveloped him in hugs and kisses, too excited to speak any sense.
Ricky went to shake hands with his mates once the girls let them be free from their grasps. I went and gave Christine’s Mum and Dad a hug and a kiss on the cheek and said, “Uncle Dave and Aunty Shirley what are you two doing in Brisbane?”
Dave replied, “Carla I have got a problem with the old ticker and have to have by-pass surgery done if I want see my little Chrissie graduate.”
Just then Chrissie came over and hugged her father and said “Daddy you'll be ok and will live a long time to see your grand kids.” It is not very often that any of us girls say 'Daddy' any more but when there are emotions involved that is when the little girl comes to the forefront in us.
Of course we all had to stay and be fed by Mum, and as Christine's parents were staying at Mum's house we could have a good old gossip about what was happening out at Quilpie. Well just where do you think the boys were going to sleep that night? We girls got together and Jenny said, “Um Aunty Donna, I hope you haven't made up a bed for Billy and Alan have you?”
Mum replied, “Well I thought about it but that would be a bit mean now wouldn't it?!”
The boys looked expectantly at us girls, all except Ricky who knew he was in my bed.
Dad said, “Ahh young love! We know what it was like.” and the others all agreed and told us to go and get acquainted and they would see us sometime tomorrow. We didn't wait to be told twice and were on our way back to our own space quick smart.
Christine and Jenny both had king-size beds, not that all of the space was going to be used that night! I don’t think that there would be any extra heating required either! Myself and Ricky were also included in this scenario and I mustn’t leave my ever-present twin Jean out. She is connected to me in spirit and of course Ricky gets a double dose of love every time I touch him. I often wonder just how many people there on this planet that are as lucky as me to have a twin that has passed over to the other side and still lives within us.
I said earlier that I would tell you more about Doc Rose's study on twins in general but in my case it is a little bit different in that Jean is not on the earth plane so to speak. Anyway as it worked out Greg and Toby are also part of her study which has been going on for at least the last seven years that I have known her, and I guess it must just about be coming to an end. She has asked me Greg and Toby to do one last interview where Jean is involved and it will all be filmed for a further study group at the university that I attend. I just hoped that I wouldn't be asked to give a talk on myself and Jean and how she lives inside my my head and can also communicate with others that are connected to me.
Anyway I will keep you all posted on what happens when the time comes. Back to the present in our own rooms and in the arms of our lovers. I know that the boys won't tell each other about what happens in their sex lives but we three girls sure do. Well we are the Three Musketeers and we have to know every thing about everything and that hasn't changed since we were little girls in Quilpie. ''It's what girls do,'' and of course Jean joins in with the gossip as well.
Authors Note: "Jennifer speaks in the first person"
This has been a really good day for me seeing I have my future husband in my bed with me tonight, I am going to make this a special occasion because it is my first time as it is for Billy. I of course am worried about falling pregnant but Carla came to the rescue because she had kept a pack of condoms from when she still wasn’t on the pill, but they didn't have sex till after she was on the pill anyway. I am going to try and talk Billy into staying here with me. It's not as though we haven’t got the room, I mean these days everyone is living together. Don’t get me wrong, I want a wedding just as much as any girl but I also want to be happy right now and I am so in love with Billy that it hurts to think that I almost spoiled it by telling him to stay in Quilpie. If it wasn't for Mum doing her usual thing in knowing what to do for us kids both Billy and myself would have had a miserable time of it.
We waited for Christine and Alan to have their shower together and went to have ours together as well. We passed each other in the hall as we were heading to the bathroom and we didn't say anything but gave each other a big smile and a knowing look, and I and Chrissie started to giggle so we moved on quickly. It was sheer heaven to have Billy in the shower with me, His touch was like an electric shock and I could hardly wait to get to our room and on the bed. I was not disappointed in our first try at making love. From what Carla has told me about Ricky, Billy seems to be just as gentle and it was like an explosion at the end. We were both breathless and fell asleep in each others arms.
Thursday morning 19/1/67 "Back with Carla"
Well last night was special because I know for a fact that Jenny and Chrissie were virgins and as far as I know so were the boys, so yes it was a special event that all Three Musketeers were now complete women in their own right. Seeing that two of us had to have a bit of rectification surgery, it made it all the more special. And I’m sure the boys are now feeling like men as well. We all decided to take a sickie and not go to Uni or work, and ring in sick. I know it is naughty but we will just have to catch up. Life is meant to be fun as well, don’t you think?'
((A sickie is a bit of an Aussie tradition if you wanted a day off work, The boss sort of expects it to happen occasionally in the Australian work force!!!!))
After breakfast we all had voted on what we should do that day to celebrate our becoming full blown adults. I know it was a bit cheeky but I went down to the flat and knocked on Debbie's door. She opened the door and was still in her silk night gown and looked like I had just woken her up.
I said, “Oops sorry, late night?”
She replied, “Yeah late shift at the airport - what's up luv?”
I said, “How would you like to go to the beach today and be paid for it?”
She replied, “Well I could do with a day off and so could Jan. We haven't had a day off since we moved in here so who wants to go to the beach and what beach?”
“Well it is perfect weather and I think Surfer's Paradise would be perfect don’t you?”
She replied, “You're on Carla, but I couldn’t charge you luv, you have done so much for me and Jan, we owe you ok!!”
I said, “Well at least let us pay for the fuel.”
“Ok but the rest is on me and Jan. Did I hear other people upstairs last night?”
“You sure did Debbie, that is why we are taking a sickie today to celebrate Billy and Alan coming to Brisbane, They have agreed to live with Jenny and Chrissie as house mates.”
Debbie looked at me with a big smile and said, “'House-mates - yeah right!!! Whatever.” But she then said “Well I guess you are adults and know what you are doing. Does your Mum know?”
“Yes Debbie she does, and even if she objected, which she doesn't, we would still go ahead and all live together, so stop being a mother hen and take us to the beach!”
I went back upstairs and told the others to get ready and make sure to all have their swimming gear because we were going to go swimming at Surfer's main beach. It wasn't long before we were all packed up and in Debbie's mini bus travelling to the Gold Coast. It took about half an hour to fight the traffic through Brisbane before we were on the Pacific Highway to Surfer's. It took roughly an hour to get to Surfer's main beach, so by the time we arrived what with all the delays we had this morning, it was nine-thirty before we arrived, and Debbie parked the bus in a side street because we didn't want to have to feed the parking meter all day while we having fun on the beach and swimming in the surf.
The surf gets quite rough and there were life savers on duty all the time in case someone got caught in a rip and dragged out to sea, which happens at least three or four times a day in the busy season. For us it is not a problem because we were all very good swimmers, and also swam 'between the flags'. You would think where we come from that no-one goes swimming. Well let me tell you the outback kids are better swimmers than any city kid because there are a lot of rivers in the outback and they are in flood at least once a year. You have to be a strong swimmer to swim in flooded rivers and creeks but we all did it and survived. Most of us were self taught which is the best way because we all have a unique way of swimming. Anyway you get the idea - we are good swimmers.
Author's note: Life-savers erect flags on the beach to indicate the area they patrol and urge all swimmers to keep to that area to make rescues easier if necessary.
Authors note -:'' Ricky speaking in first person ''.
I know why I love Carla so much - she is so straight in her thinking that it almost hurts, and with Jean inside her head it is hard sometimes to keep up with them as one person. It reminds me when we are in the water together how we first met when I challenged her to a race out to where the drum was in the middle of the Bulloo River that runs by Quilpie. I almost drowned when I got a cramp in one of my legs. Carla swam out to get me to where the drum was anchored to the bottom with a block of concrete. She literately saved my life and here we were seven years later still together living as a couple planing our future for marriage, a career, and having a tribe of kids.
The three girls and us three men will always remain the best of friends. We are family and look out for each other and that will never change.
''Back with Carla''
Once we had our fun in the rough and tumble in the surf we all had an enormous appetite, so we decide to go to the Surf Lifesavers Club for a well earned lunch of Barramundi and the works. It wasn't cheap but we wouldn't get a chance to do this again for a while so we went for it. We all shared in the cost of the meal except Debbie and Jan whom we wouldn't let pay because without them today wouldn't have been possible. It was getting late and it was time to get in the bus and hit the road home after a really enjoyable day with my friends. We were like a family now seeing that we all lived in the same house and cohabited with each other. It's what people do these days much to the concern of our parents, but it is a different world we live in today.
We arrived back home just in time to hear the phone ring and answer it. Of course it was Mum wondering where the hell we were all day and why she wasn't told about us going away without telling her. I hope she goes back out to Quilpie soon, she is going to drive us all nuts with her mothering everyone.
Christine's Dad has to have a bypass operation for his heart problem and Shirley will be staying with Mum while he is in hospital, so I’m afraid that we will have to put up with a bit more mothering for a couple of weeks yet. Dad has to get back to Quilpie so Ricky and myself will be taking him back in 'Angel' at the weekend. With two pilots it won't be too bad and besides we have to put in a certain amount of flying hours to be able to keep our licence from lapsing and that would never do for me and Ricky, we love flying too much to let that happen.
Friday 20/1/67
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We went to Uni and Christine and Jenny went to work, while Billy talked Mum and Dad into running them around Brisbane all day to sort out the jobs as well. Nothing much happened yesterday and some of the other students said they wished they had taken a sickie as well and joined us at the beach, but it would be on a weekend next time we did it again or we would be in trouble with our masters, and Mum of course !!! The day soon passed and we were finished for the week and we made our way to the bus stop to catch a ride down to the river ferry for the ride across to West End and home.
When we arrived home there was a note on our bedroom door that read 'When you are ready come down to our house, signed Mum.'
I said, “Ricky she is going to drive me nuts if she keeps this up”
He replied, “Carla, she is your Mum and my future Mum in law and I think she is just doing what mothers do and you will probably be the same when we have our own kids.” That put me firmly in my place and I said, “Ricky now I know why I love you so much.”
We had a quick shower, 'I said 'shower' nothing else that comes later concentrate will you?' and got changed and then headed down the road to Mum and Dad's probably to be fed again. If this kept up we were all going to balloon out of our clothes. Mum greeted us at the door and gave me a hug and kiss and said “Carla I know I have been a pain, and do far too much organising so I am going to fly back with your father tomorrow as well. Shirley is quite happy to stay here by herself while Dave is in hospital and has his operation and she can borrow my car so she will not be stuck here all the time.”
As usual Mum fed the lot of us and we said good night and went back to our own abode for some extracurricular activity in the bed rooms!!!! ''I told you it would be later didn't I?''.
Saturday morning,
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It was an early start. We got Debbie to run us out to Archerfield to where the hanger is and when we arrived Angel was still in the hanger.
I said, “Dad what is going on, why is Angel still in the hanger? It will take at least an hour to get her ready to fly.”
Dad said, “Look behind you Carla and Ricky.”
We turned around and there in the Croft colours was a brand new twin engined Cessna. Just as I was about to say something, Rodney appeared from inside the office in the hanger and said “Do you like her?”
Ricky said, “Wow look Carla, the name ''Angel Two'' is on the nose.”
Mum and Dad looked at us and said ''Well!!”
I said, “Dad, are we taking her out to Quilpie for her first flight?”
Dad replied, “No Carla, her second flight. The first one was when Rodney flew her from Sydney yesterday.”
We wasted no time doing the pre-flight checks and were given permission by the tower to take off once we had given them our flight plan. The cockpit was a little bit different to 'Angel One' but everything was basically the same. I took the first leg of the flight. The power that the extra engine gave us was just amazing.
I decided to fly at fifteen thousand feet which is not the altitude that I normally fly at but in this machine I could not resist going higher than I normally fly and of course we were flying at three hundred and fifty knots, and that was not even at full throttle. I would hate to think what she would do if you were pushed for time. I did half-way and handed over to my darling man and he was as impressed as me about the handling of this 'bird' as Jean calls them.
We arrived in Quilpie in good time even with the head wind we encountered. It was strange flying that much higher. The layout of the land below seemed a lot different. I couldn't make up my mind whether I like flying higher or not. Ricky thinks it is better and maybe he is right. Uncle Tony was there to take us home and also then come back and refuel the plane for our return trip tomorrow.
It was a bit sad because I was going to have to put Ginger to sleep. She was just suffering too much and was in a lot of pain and almost blind. This wouldn't be easy for me as she had been a long time friend. ''There would be tears.''
To be continued
Please leave comments.
Previously
We arrived in Quilpie in good time even with the head wind we encountered. It was strange flying that much higher - the layout of the land below seemed a lot different, and I couldn't make up my mind whether I liked flying higher or not. Ricky thought it was better maybe he was right. Uncle Tony was there to take us home and then returned and refueled the plane for our return trip the following day.
It was a bit sad because I was going to put Ginger to sleep. She was just suffering too much and was in a lot of pain and almost blind. This wouldn't be easy for me as she had been a long time friend. ''There would be tears ''
When we arrived Aunty Bella was waiting for us on the front verandah and she couldn’t wait to give me and Ricky the biggest hug and she had tears in her eyes when she said, “Carla! Ginger is whimpering in pain. Can you give her something to ease the pain?”
I replied “I’ll do better than that Aunty Bella, I will send her to join Goldie in the spirit world where Jean can see she is happy.” That of course really made her cry and it started me off as well, Ricky put his arm around me and Uncle Tony did the same with Bella but the dam had to burst before we could stop and compose ourselves to be able to talk and walk inside where Aunty Bella had a cup of tea or coffee with freshly baked pumpkin scones waiting for us.
Mum also had tears in her eyes and Dad had to give her a hug but he was not beyond the emotional strain of having Ginger put to sleep, because she was his dog before I came along and then she seemed to be mine and no-one else’s so it was a very hard thing to do, but I was going to be a vet and I had done this many times in the last twelve months while working with Ross.
Once we had our refreshments I decided to go and have a girl to girl conversation with Ginger and I was surprised when Jean said in my head, “She will understand what you are saying. Just be very gentle and tell her that you love her and that you are going to stop the pain, and Sis I will make sure she gets to the right place and will be with Goldie.”
I said, “Jean are you telling me she can fully understand what I am saying?”
Jean replied, “Not in human terms, but I will make it easy for her to cross over to the spirit side ok?”
I said, “This is going to be one of the hardest things I have ever done.” I went to my old bedroom and got my bag with the drugs and needle with tears streaming down my face and Dad said he would accompany me and hold her in his arms as she went to sleep.
Dad was sobbing and I wished Mum was beside him but she said she would only make it worse and could not handle saying goodbye like that so she stayed in the lounge with Tony and Bella. I managed to get the vial out of the bag and load the syringe. It was time to say goodbye to my mate. I gave her one last cuddle and gently put the needle in her chest so it would work quickly, and it did.
Ginger closed her eyes and Jean said, “Carla, hold on to Dad's hand and I will show you both where she is going.”
I grabbed the sobbing man’s hand and we closed our eyes and saw a field of very green grass with a large gum tree and there was Goldie sitting waging her tail as she welcomed Ginger to the spirit world. Her body went limp and it was over, no more suffering - she was in dog heaven.
Jean said. “Dad I hope that helps you get over your grief.” Dad couldn't speak but just nodded that he heard what she had said. Dad wrapped Ginger in her favourite blanket and carried her to the back yard where he and Uncle Tony had dug a grave for her. He laid her in the ground very gently and was sobbing so hard that he almost fell into the grave with the now sleeping Ginger. Mum and Bella were no better.
Uncle Tony got the shovel and started to fill in the grave. At this stage I had stopped crying and pulled myself together because I had to learn. As a vet I was going to have to perform this sort of thing every day and was not allowed to get too emotional about it. Besides Jean showed us that life doesn't end but we go to a different plane of existence.
This was not the best trip home I have ever had especially seeing Ricky was at his Mum and Dad's place so he missed out on all the crying!! If he had been there he would have been no help either because he is a jelly-bean when it came to things like that. Rita and Peter weren't told so we would have another round of tears to contend with. I didn’t know how I was going to tell Jenny and Chrissie. I was thinking of ringing them but I thought I might just wait till we got back to Brisbane to break the news.
By the time we finished in the backyard it was lunchtime but no-one felt like preparing any food so we all piled into Uncle Tony's now aging Land Rover and went to the restaurant which was now owned and run by Peter and Rita. They were going to have extensions added to the existing building and virtually double the size of the restaurant. Business was good.
We arrived and said hello to Rita, Peter and Alice, There were other staff as well but they didn't really know us so they just kept doing their job . I told Rita and Peter what I had done and of course ''tears''. Like I said this was not a good trip home and I would be glad to be on my way back to some normality back in Brisbane.
We had our lunch and made our way back home but did a round trip to pick Ricky up from his parent's place. I wasn't going to let him get away Scott free from some of the grief that had happened this morning, because I had a dam that was about to burst and I needed my ''man'' to comfort me while I let it flow. That is exactly what happened as soon as I saw him when I got out of Uncle Tony's car.
Ricky knew what I was going to do because I had discussed it with him even before we left Brisbane that morning, so it was no surprise to him when I just let it all go. He just held me till I cried myself out and than said “I love you sweetheart” and we went for a walk down in the orchard of orange trees that Barry had planted when they first bought the place.
We said our goodbyes to Helen and Barry and made our way back to the large old Queenslander that was home, in Quilpie at least, Tony and Bella were staying till after dinner so Mum and Bella started to prepare some vegetables for baking and defrosted a lamb roast and put it in the combustion stove oven for a slow bake and an hour later the vegetables would go in as well. The conversation was mainly around how Dad had Ginger given to him and the following years with Paul his late son from his first marriage to his late wife Ann, so the mood was of melancholy and sadness but it is a way of grieving a loss.
If the mood had been different Ricky and I would have made love in my big old bed but neither of us were in that frame of mind and we went to sleep in a tight spoon cuddle. The morning was soon upon us and we decided to get going early so we could prepare for Monday morning and back to some kind of normality in our lives, especially seeing Mum and Dad were were back in Quilpie and not mothering us. Dad was as bad as Mum at that. We loved them to bits but we needed to live our own lives.
We had breakfast with Mum and Dad. Ricky and I went out to say our goodbyes to Ginger in the back yard and I placed one of her favourite balls on top of the mound of soil that covered her like a blanket, and said a prayer with Jean comforting both me and Ricky in our minds, I don’t know how other people cope but if I hadn't had a connection with her and the spirit world I think I would not be able to survive life in general. Mum and Dad both came out to the airport where ''Angel Two'' was all ready for me and Ricky to do our pre-flight checks and be on our way home. It was a bit of a sad goodbye for us with all that had occurred this weekend but life goes on.
Ricky and I climbed into the brand new twin Cessna, waved to Mum and Dad and radioed the tower in Brisbane which controls most of Queensland's airports. We gave our flight plan and were cleared to take to the clear blue sky of western Queensland. We climbed to six thousand feet and set the speed at a hundred knots which is one hundred and sixty miles per hour. That is comfortable flying and not using too much fuel, because we have to pay for the fuel if nothing else, I mean I have got a very generous allowance from Mum and Dad but one mustn’t look a a gift horse in the mouth must one?''Giggle''. We made good time and landed at Archerfield after circling Brisbane to see if we could see where our home in the west was but it was raining and that made it difficult to see much on the ground . We parked ''Angel Two'' just outside the hanger so the refuelling people could do their thing and then rang Debbie to come and pick us up. Both Ricky and I will be glad when we can get our driving licences and have a car so we can just leave it in the hanger whenever we are flying.
Debbie was there within half an hour and took us home. It was Sunday so the traffic wasn't too bad and it took the normal half an hour to get home. We were a bit apprehensive about telling the girls about Ginger but decided to do it straight away and get it over with so we could all move on. Ricky and I walked into the lounge where Jenny, Chrissie and Sam were sitting having a morning tea chat. Apparently Christina’s dad Dave had to be taken into hospital a day early because there were complications with his heart. Sam was on duty when he was brought in to the Emergency Department at the Mater.
Now, I didn't know whether to mention Ginger or not but it was too late, because Ricky had already started to tell them and I could not stop him in mid sentence. Chrissie just went into tears straight away followed by Jenny and that of course started me off as well. So it was like old times with the Three Musketeers in a three way hug till we all calmed down. Sam and Ricky went into the kitchen to make a fresh lot of coffee and left three tear-stained women consoling each other.
Sam and Sandra were still an item and quite happy living together for the rest of their lives. They were currently living with Mary, Sam's Mum but planned on buying a unit in the same apartment building.
Anyway once we all settled down it was time to move on and and talk about some happier things like the nurses' ball that coming weekend.
Jenny exclaimed “Oh my god I have nothing to wear!” We all looked at each other and said in unison “Shopping!!!” That made Ricky leave us to it and I think he was going to talk with Billy and Alan who were in the backyard tending to the large vegetable garden.
Of course the boys had suits to wear but us girls had ''nothing to wear'' Oh my god whatever would we do? Well the answer was in the MacWerther department store wasn't it? But they weren’t open on Sunday, so I guessed there would just have to be another sickie the next day.
Monday 23/1/67
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Three young women were seen to disappear through the front doors of a certain store and emerge three hours later with happy faces and carrying a number of shopping bags, stepping into a mini bus belonging to a lady called Debbie. If Mum found out there was going to be trouble but who was going to tell her?
We swore Jean to secrecy and all she did was giggle and say, “What am I going to wear to the ball?” She will in fact be there and help me and Ricky do a demonstration Jazz Waltz, because the last ball at Quilpie we won the 'Best Couple' competition. The ball was at Cloudland ballroom.
The rest of the week was a normal study and work exercise that we all had to cope with and we were glad when it was Friday afternoon and we could relax for a couple of days,
Saturday 29/1/67
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The boys were told to have their suits dry-cleaned earlier in the week so they were easy to organise and would be ready when we asked them to be. Most of the time they just said “Yes ma’am.” and did what we asked them to do. We ladies were a different story. All three had to have the full treatment make-over and that took a few hours so it was four in the afternoon before we got home to get ready. There was no need for dinner because it was a dinner ball so we would be fed. I don't know how the caterers did it because there was at least one thousand people to feed.
This was a bit more upper class than what we were used to and much! much! bigger than anything I had ever been to. Ricky and I did the demonstration of the Jazz Waltz that we got the prize for, and again we got the prize of the night for the best young dancing couple. We were presented with a trophy. This was our first big night in Brisbane and it was one night that I wished the Mum and Dad hadn't missed but of course there were plenty of photos taken.
We got home at two a.m. on Sunday morning and could hardly get undressed we were so tired from dancing the night away. We all slept till midday on the Sunday.
To be continued
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Previously
We got home in the wee hours on Sunday morning and almost couldn't get undressed we were so tired from dancing the night away, but it was a hot night so both Ricky and I did the old birthday suit thing again and climbed into bed .
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We were awoken by the phone ringing at ten a.m. Of course it was Mum wanting to know how the ball went and tell her what the gowns looked like.
I said Mum, “You just woke us up”
“Sorry dear, but a mother needs to know what her kids have been up to, or would you prefer that I move down there on a permanent basis?”
I replied, “Mum, I will ring you back in an hour when we have all woken up and had a shower and breakfast Ok?”
“Alright dear, see that you do. We have some things to discuss that are important to your and Ricky's future in the family business.”
“Ok Mum I’ll ring back a little later, bye.”
Ricky asked me, “What’s that all about?”
I replied, “Ricky I think we are about to become part of an air charter company and so is Jenny.”
I roused the others from their sleep-in, and got a couple of pillows thrown at me but they got up to the smell of me doing bacon, eggs and toast for everyone. The six of us were having breakfast, talking about last night and how Ricky and I won the Best Young Couple of the night when I said, “That phone call this morning was Mum and if I don’t ring her back soon she will ring again because I think there is something that concerns all of us in the future.”
Well the phone did ring two minutes after I said that and yes it was Mum.
I answered, “Uni student household, how can I help you?”
“Carla, will you ever lose that sense of humour of yours?”
“No Mum, it wouldn't be me then would it?”
“No I suppose not. Well dear are you all there now?”
“Yes Mum we are what's this all about?”
“Ok, put the phone on speaker Carla so you can all hear.”
“Ok speaker on Mum.”
“Right here goes. Carla, you and Jenny and of course Rita will become company directors of Croft Holdings, and when you get married, Ricky, Peter and Billy will also be part of the company.”
I said, “Mum what about Christine and Alan?”
She replied, “Well we are still having talks with Christine's parents and also Alan’s Dad and I think they are going to buy in as well so you will all be part of a family company.”
We all just sat there with this bewildered look on our faces and all started talking at once. Mum was drowned out for a bit and just listened to us when we realised she was still there.
Once we quietened down she said, “Kids listen to me, we will be coming down in the next few days to sort out all the paperwork so stop fretting!!”
The next week it was back to uni for me and Ricky and work for the others. Mum and Dad turned up on the following Sunday with a bunch of papers to sign. Legally, we still had to do everything through Mum and Dad but once we all turned eighteen we would be company director with full legal status.
To be continued.
Please leave a comment.
Authors Note:---
This story is a sequel to “The Girl inside the Boy” (also published on Big Closet).
It starts seven years after Carla's Mum Donna and Bill Croft were married. Carla is in fifth grade. She has had all her surgery to rectify her intersexed condition. Her friend Jenny has been adopted into the family after her father died a couple of years after her mother committed suicide, so she is now a Croft too.
Chrissie, Jenny and Carla became inseparable and are called the Three Angel Musketeers because they are into helping people and could be called upon to be there when support is needed. Samantha who was two years older, had her SRS in Melbourne a week after she turned eighteen.
Previously
We got home in the wee hours on Sunday morning almost couldn't get undressed we were so tired from dancing the night away , but it was a hot night so both Ricky and I did the old birthday suit thing again and climbed into bed .
We were awoken by the phone ringing at ten a.m. Of course it was Mum wanting to know how the ball went and for me to tell her what the gowns looked like.
I replied, “Mum I will ring you back in an hour when we have all woken up and had a shower and breakfast ok?!!”
“Alright dear, see that you do we have some things to discuss that are important to yours and Ricky's future in the family business.”
“Ok Mum I’ll ring back a little later, bye.”
Ricky asked me, “What’s that all about?”
I replied, “Ricky I think we are about to become part of an air charter company and so is Jenny.”
The next week it was back to uni for me and Ricky and work for the others. Mum and dad turned up on the following Sunday with a bunch of papers to sign.
Legally, we still had to do everything through Mum and Dad but once we all turned eighteen we would be company directors with full legal status.
Authors note :-
''This Chapter takes us to six years later. For me the ''Author'' of the story of Carla and her extended family, it is something I just can't close off, Carla has become part of me.
It is six years hence and it's Christmas Day 1973. Carla's extended family are all in the backyard of the Quilpie home of Bill and Donna Croft and of course the marquee is all set up as well.
Carla has been a qualified vet for over a year now and is in partnership with Ross. Ricky qualified as a teacher but the pull of the open sky was to much for him and he is now in the business and one of the pilots for Croft Air Charter which is based in Quilpie and also at Archerfield in Brisbane.
Oh, and of course they got married just after they graduated. Carla fell pregnant almost immediately and there are two little twin girls eighteen months old and as cute as can be. They are named Jean and Donna and are very hard to tell apart. They are already talking baby talk in unison. ''Scary'''
Jennifer and Billy are also married. Billy has taken over Bill's service station and repair business while Jennifer is the head nurse at the hospital. It's not that she has to work but there is no way she could just sit around, but she is also pregnant and is due in a couple of weeks time. So she will be a full time mum for a while anyway. She has become quite wealthy in her own right with the investments from her father's inheritance and that is how Billy ended up with the service station. Anyway she is having a little boy so the cycle of girls is about to stop.
Christine and Alan are also married and stayed in Brisbane only for a short while because Christine wanted to come home and be there for her parents, so they are also back in Quilpie. Christine is not nursing any more and is now the receptionist at the veterinary clinic owned by Carla and Ross. She is also pregnant but is only two months in. She will have a 'Caesarian section' the same as Carla had. Because of the surgery they both had for their little birth defect, they didn't want to risk having problems giving birth and then losing their babies.
Alan is now doing the aircraft maintenance of the fleet of Croft planes at Quilpie and is quite happy to be back home and can't wait to become a dad like Ricky.
Rita and Peter have been married for four years now and been trying to have offspring but it just hasn't happened. They are quite happy running their restaurant and going on their little camping trips. Maybe if Rita didn't try so hard she would fall pregnant too. She is all over the little twin girls when they visit her and of course she babysits them regularly.
Donna and Bill are well and truly retired now and are looking forward to spoiling their grand kids. Bella and Tony have also retired. Tony has to use a walking stick to get around because of his bad knees.
Ricky's parents are still on their five acre lot and happily retired, and are spoiling the two little twin girls Jean and Donna, running amok in the rows of fruit trees that Barry has planted over the years. These two little munchkins are truly blessed because their spirit Aunty Jean has already communicated with them and it is quite funny to watch when it happens because they think that everyone else can hear and see her as well.
It is a hot Christmas Day and we are all out in the marquee and as usual every one is talking at once. It is time to hand out the presents and seeing that we have littlies now it is appropriate to have a Father Christmas present to do the honours. Of course Jean and Donna are to be the first to get their presents and are jumping up and down while Ricky is trying to control the two little balls of energy. I have them dressed in little angel dresses with wings on their back. Their Spirit Aunty is here alongside her little nieces just as excited as they are and the vibrations that I am feeling are almost painful but I will not intervene in my spirit sister's happiness - she is part of me after all.
Brian is here and in his Santa suit. It must be hot but he insists on doing it, and the twins love it when he calls them over to the bag with the presents. I sometime wish their energy would transfer itself to me. I am still breast feeding them but that has to stop because I am getting far too tired and when I have to fly out to stations to do vet work it is pretty inconvenient to have to use a breast pump because I am leaking milk. So a few more times and that is it and hopefully my breasts wont get too sore when I stop.
Brian is of course not a priest any more and has a partner as well and she is also a lawyer and they handle all our legal matters which is quite a task these days. The family business has grown so much that it is hard to keep track of all that is going on. We employ at least fifty people now so it is quite a responsibility to have so many people depending on us for their livelihood.
Back to Santa and the twins. They both have to get the same things or there is trouble on the horizon so I bought them each a doll and clothes and two little strollers to push them around in. They seem to be natural mothers even at their age. As soon as the paper was off the dolls and strollers they were nursing them like they ere grown ups and asked me and Jenny to give them a hand to put the dolly clothes on them. It wasn't long and they were pushing them around and showing everyone their babies.
Sam ,Sandra and Mary werre also here again like every Christmas this seemed to be the place that we all congregate to, and as the years progress the family and friends will just get bigger. Sam and Sandra are going to foster a couple of young kids that have been abused sexually, one is a transsexual girl like Sam and the other is a genetic girl who has an autism problem but it is not very severe. They are both eight years old and I am looking forward to helping out in any way that I can, probably more financially than anything else.
Ricky has been told by the two little bosses that he is their Daddy and has to help push their strollers around in the back yard. We had to keep the gates closed because they would be off down the road in no time and wanting to show of the Christmas presents to all the neighbours.
Daddy obliged with a sigh and a roll of the eyes and said "Women are all the same, we men are mere servants" but he was smiling pretty big when the two little ones said “Come on DaDa.”
I thought, “Ricky is such a jelly bean, soft and sweet and I hope he never changes.”
Jean was in my mind and said, “Carla that is why we married him isn't it?”
I replied in my mind, “Jean, just as well no one heard that.” All I heard was a fit of giggles from Jean and than she was quiet. She can be quite a pain sometimes but she is half of me so I have to put up with the things she says.
Everyone sat around talking and the little ones were put down to sleep after I fed them in their own bedroom and almost went to sleep myself. It has been a long day and I will be glad to get into my bed tonight and cuddle up to my ever-loving husband. After all this time we still sleep in a cuddle and spoon position, I don’t think that will ever change.
To be continued
Please leave a comment.
Previously
Ricky had been told by the two little bosses that he was their Daddy and had to help push their strollers around in the backyard. We had to keep the gates closed because they would be off down the road in no time and wanting to show off the Christmas presents to all the neighbours. Daddy obliged with a sigh and a roll of the eyes and said “women are all the same. We men are mere servants” but he was smiling pretty big when the two little ones said “Come on DaDa.”
I thought, “Ricky is such a jelly bean, soft and sweet and I hope he never has to change.”
Jean was in my mind and said, “Carla that is why we married him isn't it?”
I replied in my mind, “Jean, just as well no-one heard that.” All I heard was a fit of giggles from Jean and than she was quiet. She can be quite a pain sometimes but she is half of me so I have to put up with the things she says.
Everyone sat around talking and the little ones were put down to sleep after I fed them in their own bedroom, and almost went to sleep myself. It had been a long day and I would be glad to get into my bed that night and cuddle up to my ever loving husband. After all that time we still slept in a cuddle and spoon position, I don’t think that will ever change.
The story continues:
It is a week later and the new year has begun. It is Tuesday, New Years Day 1974.
Everything was almost back to normal except that I had very sore breasts from not feeding the twins, but apparently it would all settle down in the next couple of days. The twins were a bit cranky at first but I supplemented their food with a follow-up bottle and that seemed to work. I had to get back to work at the clinic because Ross was getting too old to handle it all on his own. Thank God that Mum enjoyed looking after the little ones or I would have had to only work part time. I was advertising for a vet to come and live and work for me in Quilpie so maybe I could be with the twins more if we could find someone with outback experience. I guessed it would be too much to hope that they might have a pilot's licence as well, but one never knew what replies we would get. Sometimes people from the UK were interested in coming to Australia to gain experience in the bush so to speak.
Flying was still a large part of my life and of course Ricky flew commercially now and was away most days, but liked to be home at night and put the twins to bed with a bedtime story, He wanted to have some more kids and so did I, so I was not on the pill, and if it happened it wouldn't bother me at all. It really wasn't an unpleasant feeling being pregnant and having a Caesarean Section made it easy as well. I knew that Mum and Dad wouldn't mind having more little ankle biters around to keep them young.
We now owned a helicopter as well and both Ricky and I had a licence to fly it, but it was mainly used when there was no air-strip on the properties that I had to go to to tend to some sick animal, or a cow or horse having a hard time giving birth. The chopper was a fun thing to fly because you could land anywhere you wanted and not have to worry about looking for a landing strip. The twins had taken to flying with me and loved the weekends when Ricky and I took off in the chopper and just went for a picnic somewhere out in the bush. A lot of the kids going to school from the outlying areas that came to school by bus were quite used to flying because a majority of their parents owned planes and used them on a regular basis to run their farming business.
I was at the clinic when Jenny rang me and said her waters had broken and she didn't know whether to call Billy or me, so she called me because she reckoned Billy would start to panic and drive too fast and have an accident on the way to the hospital.
I said, “Jenny hold on, I am coming to get you. Get your things together and I will be there in five minutes ok?”
She replied, “Hurry! The labour pains have started.”
I told Christine to hold the fort and got in the Landrover and drove over to Jenny's house. She didn't go back to work because of the swelling of her feet, otherwise she would have already have been at the hospital and there would have been no need to call me for help.
When I arrived she was waiting at the front gate with the neighbour from across the road supporting her, so I opened up the back door of the Rover and told her to lay down on the back seat. I didn't have to tell her twice, she got in and off we went. When we arrived at the hospital two young nurses were there to help her inside. Chrissie had phoned the hospital to warn them we were coming. I went inside as well and phoned Billy to get cleaned up and get down here so he could be with Jenny when she gave birth to their son.
I don't think he even hung up the phone and he was on his way, hopefully getting cleaned up first. He arrived half an hour later and yes, he had gone home to shower before he came to the hospital. Jenny's labour was progressing so they said that Billy would have to put on the hospital garb to go into the delivery room when the time came. In the meantime he could just stay with Jenny in the ward and hold her hand while she suffered the pains of labour. I left them to it and went back to the clinic to neuter a male dog. ''Oh the joy of being a vet.'' There'd be no fatherhood for that little puppy !!!
It was three in the afternoon when the hospital phoned and said Jenny had given birth to a six pound healthy boy and she was asking for me to come down to the hospital. Ross had come back, so Chrissie and I went to the hospital. When we arrived Mum and Dad were already there in the ward. The baby was just brought in by one of the nurses that helped in the delivery. She was also a trained midwife and there was no need to have a doctor present unless there were complications which thankfully there weren’t.
Jenny was given the little bundle of joy and Billy could hardly contain himself. He was a father and had a son.
All he could say was, “Wow, isn't he small?”
They named him Joshua as in the bible, he will be ''Josh'' for short. Mum and Dad had another grandchild. Billy's parents were both dead so Josh would have only one set of grandparents but plenty of aunts, uncles and cousins to love him.
We came back with my twins later to see the little baby. They thought it was another dolly and wanted to take the baby home with us when we were ready to leave. Just as we were leaving Jenny was starting to breast-feed the little one and I had to get my twins out of there or they would want to start being fed again, but they were already weaned, so no way!! We went home and left the new family to get on with it.
Wednesday 2/1/74
I got to work a bit later that morning and there was a message on the answering machine. It was Christine’s day off and Ross never seemed to come in till late those days so nothing got done that morning till I turned up. I turned the machine on to hear the message and it was from a worried station owner that his stud ram had been mauled by a dingo or wild dog overnight. He was a very valuable animal because the stud rams were hired out to service the sheep at a high price, not as much as horses or bulls but still a good money earner to supplement the wool cheque.
I phoned home. We had moved in with Mum and Dad because that is how Mum wanted it and I must admit it was working out better than I thought it would. With built-in baby sitters it was the perfect arrangement and the twins loved running up and down the long verandas that surrounded the house.
Mum answered the phone, “Hello Donna Croft.”
“Mum it's me, is Ricky still there?”
“Yes dear he's outside with the twins. What’s the problem?”
“No problem Mum. If he is not busy I would like him to do the flying today. I’m a bit tired and I have an injured stud ram out at Two Rocks station to look at and they don’t have a strip so we'll have to take the chopper.”
I heard Mum sing out to Ricky, “Ricky, Carla’s on the phone and wants you to fly the chopper for her today, do you want talk to her?”
“Yeah, hang on Mum I’m coming.”
As usual he would have had a twin on each arm. I could hear them squealing and giggling as he put them down to take the phone from Mum.
He said, “What’s up honey, trouble!!!?”
“No Ricky I just need you to fly the chopper today. I'm far too tired to fly safely.”
***************************************
Ricky left the twins to entertain Mum and Dad for the day and as he didn't like me flying the chopper when I was tired. It takes a bit more concentration to fly the helicopter. I guess I got so used to normal fixed wing flying, I would have to do more hours in the chopper. Angel had been relegated to train young kids to fly. I now had a new twin Navajo, and the chopper was a small Bell Jet ranger
I got all my gear together and waited for Ricky to come and pick me up to go to the hanger where the chopper was housed. He turned up ten minutes later and we drove to the hanger. The chopper was always fuelled up and ready to go at a moment's notice as it was also used as an emergency helicopter for the district. Alan was at the hanger doing maintenance on another Croft aircraft and had the chopper out and ready to go when we arrived, so it was just a matter of climbing aboard and get going to the property about half an hour's flight away.
It was the wet season and it looked like I had better get used to doing more with the chopper because most of the landing strips on stations were not all-weather and a fixed wing would not be able to land, whereas the helicopter didn’t have that restriction. This time though the station hadn't even got a strip, and I thought 'I'm going to have a word with the owner. It only takes a bulldozer to push a strip through the bush and put up a wind sock. It is not rocket science. If we didn't have a helicopter his precious ram would die anyway.'
We asked him to light a flare to show us where it was safe to put the chopper down because the ground was really wet and even with a helicopter you still need some hard ground to set it down. I came prepared and brought my Wellingtons (mud boots) with me and so did Ricky. As we were getting close to the property Ricky was flying at twelve hundred feet. It wasn't raining but it was very cloudy and I was glad he was doing the flying, I think I might have said before I don’t much like flying at night or bad weather. There were swollen rivers and creeks and I think Queensland was in for some fairly bad weather in the next couple of weeks.
When we got closer, Ricky came down a bit more to see just how wet it was on the property and said, “Carla if this bloke doesn't use a flare to show us some dry ground I will not put the chopper down, and stuff his ram.”
I replied through the head phones, “Ricky we can't leave an injured animal to suffer.”
“Honey I’m not putting us at risk for a lousy ram.” We were now close and Ricky was circling the homestead and shearing sheds when we saw a flare being held near the sheds. There was a clearing and a higher mound of ground about fifty yards away from the shed so it was quite safe to put the chopper down. Ricky said through the headset, “He's bloody lucky he did that I was just about to up and away.”
The owner greeted us and said “Sorry to get you out here in this bad weather. I’m having a strip built next month so it will be a lot easier to land here.”
Ricky shut the chopper down and helped me with my gear and said “G'day mate, I’m Ricky Smith, Carla’s husband.”
The guy offered Ricky his hand and said. “Terry Whiting, thanks for coming. I hope your wife can save my ram. He's in a bad way.”
I said, “Ok Terry where have you got him?”
“We've had to put him in the back of the ute and haven't been game to shift him in case we'd hurt him more.” The ute was parked under an awning on the side of the shearing shed so the animal would be out of the weather.
Ricky carried my bag and we walked to where the ute and animal were. I was shocked to see what a dingo or wild dog had done to this poor animal. He had bits of wool and hide missing all over him.
If he wasn't such a valuable animal I would just put him to sleep but Terry said, “Carla -- may I call you Carla?”
“Sure Terry of course.”
“Well this guy has been with us for five years and has kept us from going bankrupt, so I would like you to try and save him if at all possible.” The first thing I did was to give the ram some pain relief and then checked all his vitals. For the mess he was in he was doing quite well and I thought he would survive as long as Terry could keep him quiet and dry for a few days. It's surprising just how strong animals are. Their survival instincts are a lot stronger the humans.
I tended to the animal which took me an hour, cleaning up some of the wounds and showed Terry how to keep on cleaning the wounds for a few days so they would dry out and heal. The animal should be ok, but when Terry got my account he might need some help as well. After all I’m not a charity and it cost a lot to fly and maintain aircraft those days.
Terry said, “I'll tell the missus to put the kettle on and we can have a cuppa before you take off in that whirly bird of yours.”
I replied, “That is just what I need at the moment thanks.”
Ricky said. “Yeah me too. Looking at all that blood has made me quite queasy and a cuppa might just do the trick.”
I put all my things in the chopper and we made our way from the shearing shed to the big old homestead where his wife had freshly baked scones and tea ready for us in the large lounge. There were photos of all the prize rams and sheep hanging all around the room. He was a true sheep farmer, but in a way I felt sorry for him because he hadn't diversified into other things and the price of wool had dropped so low that fifty percent of the sheep farms in Australia had had to switch to cattle production to stay afloat.
When we started talking he told me about his daughter who was in England at the moment. She was a vet and wanted to come home and set up a practice in Brisbane.
I thought. “Bloody hell is this a coincidence or what!! Here's my chance to get a vet for my practice.”
I said. “Would she consider working in Quilpie?”
He replied, “Well she looked at that, but your practice has ninety percent of the districts' business so that put a stop to that.”
I replied “Well Ross my partner is wanting to retire and I have put an ad in a UK newspaper for a vet to try out living in the outback. I wonder if she would be interested in a partnership?
Terry's wife Grace said “I think she very well could be. I can ring her tonight and let her know that there is an opening in Quilpie. It would be nice to have Sandy back home after all this time. She lost her husband last year and it has been hard for her raising a child with a problem.
I thought, “Hmmmm where have I heard that before? Oh yes that was me wasn't it!!!”
Ricky looked at me with a silly grin and said, “Well Carla, you might not have to put any ads in more papers after all.”
We got ready to make our way back to Quilpie and started to say goodbye when Grace said “Carla can I have your home phone number so I can give it to Sandy? She might be interested in what you have to offer, so do you mind if she rings you at home? It could be pretty late though.”
I gave Grace all my details and we walked back to the helicopter, but I went to have another look at my patient. He was doing fine, so I gave him another pain- killing injection and we left the property and were on our way home. The weather was closing in, so I was glad that it was only a half hour flight home and my husband was doing the flying. By the time we were back on the ground in front of the hanger it was raining quite heavily and Alan had to bring us a couple of umbrellas which don’t get much use out there, but this year it looked like we were going to cop it.
Ricky drove me back to the clinic and waited in the car because I was only going in to tell Christine what had occurred at the station. When Ricky and I walked into the kitchen, Mum was feeding the the little ones their lunch in the high chairs and they were making one hell of a mess with the mashed potatoes. They insisted on using their own spoons and more went on the floor than in their mouth. When they saw their Daddy was home that was it for food. Mum wiped them clean and Daddy was theirs for the rest of the day. I went into my home office and did some bookwork which I hated but it needed to be done.
It was nine thirty when the phone rang. Mum answered it and said, “Yes she is available, may I ask who is calling?”
Mum said, “Sandy in the UK.” and handed the phone to me. I said, “Hello Sandy, are you ringing about the position?”
She replied, “Am I talking to Carla Smith?”
“Yes this is she.”
To be continued
Please leave a comment.
Previously
It was nine thirty when the phone rang. Mum answered it and said, “Yes she is available, may I ask who is calling?”
Mum said, “Sandy in the UK.” and handed the phone to me. I said, “Hello Sandy, are you ringing about the position?”
She replied, “Am I talking to Carla Smith?”
“Yes this is she.”
“Well Carla my mother phoned me today and told me about you advertising over here for a vet and I have just located the ad in the Veterinary Bulletin, It's quite an impressive ad, have you had any replies to it?”
I replied, “Well yes Sandy, but as soon as they realise that it is hundreds of miles out in the bush they run a mile!!”
“Well Carla, I’m definitely interested in finding out more about what you are offering.”
I replied, “Sandy if you're interested I can send you all the information about the practice. Ross my partner is wanting to retire so I am looking for a partner not an employee.”
Sandy said, “Interested!! It is exactly what I am looking for Carla! I can be back in Australia within a month. All I have to do is put the house on the market and start packing.”
“Sandy, your Mum said something about you having a problem with your child?”
She sounded a bit nervousness and said, “Well Carla I have a nine year old umm — dau - son and there seems to be some confusion about gender but I really wish my mother hadn't said anything.”
I replied, “Sandy if your child has GID or is inter-sexed it is not something that will just disappear. I should know, I was born inter-sexed and I am now a mother of a set of twin girls eighteen months old, so if you need help you are coming to the right place. I decide a long time ago that I will never hide who I am, where I come from in location, or what my gender status is. I am a woman that had a medical problem at birth - that's it full stop.”
The line went quiet and I said, “Sandy are you still there?”
She replied, “Carla it's just that I'm not used to people being so straight-forward about themselves. It sounds like we could become good friends as well as business partners.”
I replied, “Don't you want to know more about the details of what I'm offering.”
“Carla I realise that there is money involved but I have been left with a very sizable amount of cash and also this house so I can afford to buy into a business without too much trouble, and Mum and Dad will also back me. By the way thanks for saving Dad's stud ram, he is quite a valuable animal.”
I replied, “Maybe I should double my account?”
There was laughter from both of us and we finished the call with her saying that she would be in touch in the next few days to work out what the deal would be with Ross's part of the business. I didn’t think he would haggle about the price too much, he just wanted to put his feet up and retire.
The next couple of weeks went on as normal. I got to see Jenny quite a bit and gave her advice on baby management, if there is such a thing. Mum was in her element and hung around like a busy bee at her nest. (Hmmm, mixed metaphors?) Dad got more and more involved with looking after my little cherubs. They had him wrapped around their sticky little fingers. I seem to remember their mother doing the same thing! Jean seemed to be communicating with them as well and I am sure they could actually see her because even in their baby talk they seemed to be looking in one direction.
It gave me more time at the clinic but I was hoping to ease back once Sandy started to work with me. She also had a pilots licence, how lucky could I get?!”
It kept raining and it was getting to the stage where the weather would not allow any flying to take place apart from using the helicopter as a rescue back up if things got any worse. Well things did get worse because Cyclone Wanda bore down on the Queensland coast and caused a huge flood not only in Brisbane but also throughout the whole state. Queensland was waterlogged and so was Quilpie. The helicopter was used to rescue people from roof tops and drop food supplies to outlying stations that had no hope of getting out for weeks or even months. Even the army were called in to help. As for Brisbane it went under and fourteen people died including ten people who drowned in the suburbs of Yeronga, Newmarket , St Lucia, and the City of Ipswich upriver and to the west.
''Note'' this information can be Googled on ''Wikipedia 1974 Queensland floods '' Quilpie was also inundated see photo below.
In amongst all this happening Sandy arrived with a very distraught looking skinny boy in jeans and T shirt. He had quite long hair and I guessed he was like me when we first arrived in town all those years ago not knowing which way to turn. They turned up in a four wheel drive which took two days to negotiate the flooded roads and rivers, after they landed in Charleville. Our strip was under water. The kid looked lost and frightened. I guessed after living in England this place looked like a different planet. The boy's name was Jamie, and their surname was Jones. Sandy got out first and looked tired and had mud all over her. They got bogged a few times and literally had to dig themselves out, Jamie emerged from the other side of the land cruiser in the same condition as his mother.
I greeted them and said to get back in the Cruiser and follow me in my Jeep to my home. They got back in, mud and all and followed me home. When we arrived Dad was there to help unload the Cruiser. They would not be able to continue on to Sandra's parent's property and it would be weeks before anyone could get through by road, but as soon as her Dad had a dry spot of ground to land the chopper on we would fly mother and son out to the sheep station. Mum came out to welcome the two mud covered people with a twin on each arm. I don't know how she managed it because when I tried it they wriggled and squirmed and I had to put them down and make them walk.
Anyway the two newcomers were shown to the showers and told there were dressing gowns hanging in the bathrooms for them to put on till they could get at their clothes that Dad took to a spare bedroom.
Mum handed the twins over to me to bathe, feed, and put to bed. Ricky would read them a bedtime story and try to understand what they are saying to him. It was a funny thing to watch because Jean had a connection with them. She seemed to be able to get into Ricky's mind and translate what Donna and Little Jean were saying and then Ricky replied to them. The whole thing was like a kid's show on the telly and if we filmed it it would probably make a fortune.
Sandy and Jamie came in after their showers to watch the spectacle and started to laugh when Ricky started speaking what seemed a foreign language and the twins seemed to understand what he was telling them.
Sandy and Jamie phoned Sandy's parents to reassure them that they had arrived at Quilpie safely and would be staying with us until the weather improved. Then they were shown to their room and they disappeared to get dressed for the evening. When they emerged from the room and walked into the lounge where all but Mum was, (she was getting the dinner ready), Sandy was wearing a white summer dress and no shoes and her hair still mostly wet and tied into a loose pony tail. The big surprise was Jamie. No jeans and T-shirt now, but dressed in a summer dress almost the same as his mother, and also no shoes. His hair was dry, and I think Sandy used my hair dryer and and she had combed it into very feminine style with a barrette holding it in place. We all just stood there stunned by what we saw. It could have been me at the same age. ''She'' (I have to say 'she' because the boy that we all saw half an hour earlier was gone was replaced by this very pretty nine year old girl) was holding her mother's hand.
Mum who came out of the kitchen was the first to speak and said, “Oh my and who is this pretty little girl in a white dress and no shoes on?”
Sandy said, “Meet my daughter Jamie. She has the same name as the boy that was here when we arrived but the name is also a girls name. Jamie say hello to the people we are going to be living with till we can find a place of our own.”
Jamie was the typical shy girl and almost whispered, “It's nice to meet you all.”
Sandy then said, “I thought it best to not let anyone be under any delusions about Jamie. She is a girl with a medical condition called intersexed and hopefully it can be rectified without too much fuss. I wanted her to start her new life as the girl that she is and not what her birth certificate states.”
I went and gave her a hug and said, “Welcome to Quilpie and our home Jamie and I love what your Mum has done with your hair.”
Jamie started to relax and looked at me with her beautiful big brown eyes and it reminded me of myself all those years ago. Mum then announced that dinner was ready to be served and we all went into the dining room, I told everyone the take a seat and I gave Mum a hand to dish up the meal. While this was being done Rita and Peter also turned up so they could welcome the newcomers.
I had phoned Rita and explained about little Jamie being the same as me, so when she arrived she gave Jamie a hug and said, “Welcome to our family little girl, I love your dress.”
Jamie shyly replied “Thank you.”
Sandy just looked at Rita and said “Thank you.” with a warm smile that said 'thanks for excepting my daughter for who she is.'
Once dinner was over and everything was cleared away everyone ventured into the lounge room and the conversation led to what was happening in Queensland and all the damage the floods were doing to roads and a lot of other infrastructure. It was going to cost millions to repair all the damage. While this was going on Ricky took Jamie in to see the twins which were by the way supposed to be asleep by now. I think Daddy might have woken them up on purpose so he could show them off to Jamie and also get to know Jamie a little bit more. The thing is that Jamie probably reminded him so much of when we first met so I could understand where he was coming from. Ricky will make a great uncle for Jamie. The twins took to Jamie straight away as if they had some connection with her. I had my suspicions that my spirit sister had something to do with that!
The night ended on a happy note and everyone either went home in Rita and Peter's case or retired to their bedrooms, Tomorrow was another day and hopefully the weather would clear and let things get back to some normality.
To be continued
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Previously
The floods did a lot of damage to Queensland and it would cost the state a lot of money to repair roads and bridges that got washed away. As usual the outback country had to wait to have anything done. Most of the politicians live in Brisbane and it got first priority even though most of the state's money is generated in the rest of the state.
The story continues...
Saturday the second of February 1974
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Things were starting to dry out and get back to some normality. It had been a couple of weeks and Jamie had started school as a girl at the Catholic school, because Brian, (remember Brian the ex priest?), well he had still got some pull and was on the school committee, and of course he and his partner Karen were lawyers. Jamie was being treated by the same medical team that I and Christine had. Of course they were much older now and almost ready to retire but were still helping people to become who they were supposed to be.
Jamie had a while to go before she could get all the tests done. She was only nine and that was the same age when I was diagnosed as being inter-sexed and not transgendered, but being either does not make any difference to how one feels in the brain. I just hoped they don't make the same mistake and wait too long, and of course the equipment that was being used now was much more advanced. I was going to fly her and her mother down to Brisbane in the next couple of weeks seeing that her mother Sandy was now a working partner in my practice. Ross would come in and help out if things got really busy while I was away in Brisbane. I would also take the twins with me and let Rose see them for the first time. They were really good on the plane and mostly fell asleep after the first twenty minutes of the flight.
In the meantime the ground had dried out on Sandy's Dad's property enough to fly Jamie and her mother out there so that her grandparents could meet their new grand daughter. That would be interesting to watch because they last saw Jamie in England the previous year when they went to the funeral of Jamie's father. The property was not that far from Quilpie so it would not take very long to fly there. I phoned Ross to see if he would cover for us and he agreed. Chrissie would come in as well, which she didn't normally do on the weekends. Now that she is going to have a baby she want to spend time at home getting the nursery organised.
It was still early so I thought I'd go and see Jenny to see how she was coping with little Josh. He was now a month old and and growing like a weed in the garden. Of course Jenny was breast feeding him so she was pretty tired, but I did it with the twins so I thought she should be able to cope better than I did, and besides Mum is with her most days anyway. I went back home and got Sandy and Jamie who were living with us till they could sort out a home for themselves, to get ready to go for their visit. I got the twins ready to come as well. Ricky offered to do the flying when he realised that I was taking Donna and Jean with me as well, and I didn't say 'no' to that.
Ricky didn't do any weekend flying for the business any more since the twins came along, he let the other two pilots do that, We got ourselves together and went to the hanger which had been extended a couple of times to accommodate more planes and also give Alan the room he needed to work on them. Alan was there and had the chopper all set to go. It is always ready because it is also used as a back up for emergencies. We settled in the kids and got them all strapped into their seats. Jamie had a picture book to show them on the flight. The twins have taken to Jamie and Sandy said she hoped that the tests came back to show Jamie as inter-sexed and a girl internally.
It took about forty minutes to get to the property and Terry lit a flare for Ricky to land where the ground was hard and dry. Surprisingly the twins were wide awake and talking their own language with Jamie. I seemed to be the only one that didn't understand what they were saying, but I was only their mother. This was going to all get a bit emotional because it had been twelve months since Sandy and Jamie have seen Terry and Grace and the last time it was a sad occasion. We waited till the blades stopped before we opened the doors on the chopper. Terry and Grace were about fifty feet away but you could see the tears in their eyes from where we were. I let Sandy and Jamie get out before the rest of us did so they could have a family reunion.
Sandy was dressed in jeans and a nice top but Jamie went all the way in that white summer dress with shoe lace straps, red belt and red sandals. Her long blond hair was brushed out and loose and fluffy. She looked a real picture - there was no boy to be seen. She ran to be embraced by her grandparents. Mum Sandy had to wait for her hug. Ricky and I both grabbed a twin each and made our way to Sandy, Jamie and grandparents who were all in tears. Donna and Jean were wriggling so much we had to out them down and as soon as we did they ran squealing to Jamie.
My twin the spirit Jean was in my head and said, “Carla, would you like to know what is going to happen with Jamie's tests?”
Ricky said, “I heard that Jean” which made Sandy look around at him.
Sandy and Jamie had been told about my spirit twin but so far haven't seen a lot of what Jean did.
Ricky said, “Sorry, just thinking out loud."
Jamie said, “Uncle Ricky!! that was Jean wasn't it?”
“Yes Jamie sweetheart it was. She can be quite annoying sometimes."
Jamie said “What was she saying?”
I intervened and said, “We will talk about it a bit later sweetheart when you and your Nana and Poppy have had a chance to talk first ok?”
I said to Jean in my mind, “What was that all about sis, couldn't it wait till later?”
She replied, “No Carla it is important.”
“Ok then tell us now before we go inside the house.” Ricky was also tuned in but we didn't let on what was happening between me and Jean and kept quiet and communicated in our minds.
Jean announced that what they would find was pretty much what I thought anyway and she said, “Carla she is the same as you and she will have children at some stage in her life.”
I replied back, “I can't just come out and say that to her and Sandy can I?!!!”
“No sis but at least you know and you might be able to tell her a bit more about yourself and break the ice a bit and I will then try to get into her mind. She is as receptive as you and Ricky.”
I replied, “Sis please be careful she is very young.”
“And you weren't?”
“You know what I mean sis!!”
The communication between me and Jean had to stop till later but it would continue once we were alone. We all walked to the homestead. The ground was still quite soft but not muddy and the grass had already started to grow out of control. It was going to be a good year for the outback in terms of sheep and cattle feed. The twins wouldn't let go of Jamie's hands but she was just as happy as them and let it happen. She would indeed be a great mother some day.
We all ended up in the large homestead kitchen where Grace had a roast in the oven and was going to prepare the vegetables, so and Sandy and I chipped in and helped her in the kitchen while Jamie and the men went out on the large verandah to let two little girls run up and down and keep Jamie well and truly wrapped around their sticky little fingers.
Terry asked Ricky if he could do a bit of an inspection flight of the property to check the damage that all the flood water had done to any fences. All the livestock had been moved to higher ground as soon as Terry realised that it was going to be a serious flood so there were no stock losses on his property.
Jamie was quite happy playing with the twins so the men went on their inspection flight. I went for a walk to where the ram was kept and had a look at how he was healing up. Apart from missing patches of wool he looked fine and would be back out to see to his wives again very soon.
By the time Ricky and Terry had returned in the chopper it was time to set the table and have a traditional Aussie baked meal gravy and all. Desert was an apple pie with fresh cream. There were no high chairs to sit the two little monsters in so Jamie sat on cushions on the floor and fed them, making a hell of a mess for us to clean up but Grace insisted it was ok so we let it happen.
Jamie had to have a towel covering her white dress and to my surprise it was clean when the twins finished the meal. There is no doubt about Jamie being a girl. She moved and talked like girl and even sat like a girl with her legs tucked under her. She was a ''girl'' full stop.
It was time to gather everyone up for the flight home. Terry said that next time we would be able to come in the fixed wing aircraft because the contractors were coming next week to make a start on the landing strip. That meant Sandy who also had a pilot's licence could fly out and bring their granddaughter to see them more often.
It was two in the afternoon, so it was time to go. We all climbed aboard the chopper and buckled up. The twins were almost asleep before Ricky even started to engine. They were worn out and I think so was Jamie after chasing them around most of the day. Once we were air-borne Jamie was asleep as well and it was a pretty sight to look back and see the twins leaning in on a sleeping little girl in a summer dress. She had her arms around the little ones. I took over the controls of the chopper because I wanted to keep my flying hours up with the chopper. It is a requirement to keep your licence.
We landed back home at three thirty and was greeted by Mum and Dad. They were worried about the twins being out so long, so as soon as the doors were open Mum looked in to see three little girls fast asleep in the back seat of the chopper and said. “I wonder if we could use the chopper to get them to sleep all the time?”
I replied, “Are you going to pay for the fuel then?”--- Arr-- perhaps not.
We woke up the sleeping beauties to get them out of their seats and they all looked around bleary-eyed
Jamie said, “Are we home then?”
Sandy said, “Yes sweetheart did you enjoy the flight?”
“I don't know about the flight but seeing Nana and Poppy was great wasn't it?”
Sandy replied, “Darling once we sort out a house and things settle down a bit, we'll get out to see them more often. Don’t forget I have a pilot's licence as well and I too have to get some flying time in and soon, otherwise I might lose it and that would not be good for Aunty Carla’s and my business.”
Jamie said, “But Mummy you don’t own a plane and neither does Poppy.”
“Well if we're lucky Aunty Carla might just be kind enough to lend us the plane a few times as long as we pay for the fuel.”
Jamie looked at me with those gorgeous brown eyes and long eyelashes with an expectant look.
I felt my heart dissolve and said, “Jamie sweetheart, your Mummy is part of the business and the plane is part of that business, so if she wants to use it she has every right to. Besides she will have to fly out to other properties anyway.”
Jamie looked at her mother and said, “Mummy does that mean I can learn to fly too?”
Sandy replied, “Of course Jamie, you can get a pilot's licence at fifteen years of age in Australia and by the time you turn fifteen I will expect to have trained you well enough to do your first solo flight.”
Jamie was happy with that answer and ran off to play with my little girls and give Mum a break. Mum was still pretty fit but the little ones took a lot of energy to keep up with.
I phoned Chrissie and asked if they needed us down at the surgery but she was ready to go home and close up for the day. Her pregnancy was have an effect on her and I really don’t want to be responsible for a miscarriage. The first three months are supposed to be when it can happen, Alan wanted her to stop work as soon as he found out Chrissie was pregnant. He really is a caring man. Jenny, Chrissie and myself were so lucky to have men that were so gentle and in tune with what we women needed. Jean reckoned she was responsible for that because of her spiritual guidance. She could well be right.
Mum had invited the whole family to Saturday night dinner, so it was all hands on deck with preparing the food. Half an hour later Chrissie and Alan were there followed by Billy, Jenny and little Josh. My little ones still thought that Josh was a doll and wanted him put into their tiny little doll strollers, so we spread out a doona on the floor in the lounge room and let Jamie play Mummy with supervision. She was really good with the little ones. She was a natural at being a girl. It was the same with me at that age. I didn’t know how long it would be before she would receive hormone treatment but I hoped it would be better regulated than when I was given them because it almost killed me when I started to menstruate before they opened me up. I would be keeping a close eye on the whole process to make sure she didn't have to go through what I had to.
There must have been something in the water because when Rita and Peter turned up with Barry and Helen, Rita almost couldn't contain herself.
She said, “Listen everyone, there will be another addition to the clan in seven months time.” Peter was as bad as Alan and insisted that Rita had to sit and do no more work till the baby was born.
There were twelve people to sit at the hundred year old extendable table, plus two high chairs. We brought in some more chairs from the kitchen and were all set to dish up a fairly normal Aussie meal of five veg and steak with ice cream and tinned fruit to finish. The simple meals were always the best and with Mum doing the cooking even the simplest meal was very tasty. She was after all a qualified chef.
Jenny sat on the doona in the lounge and breast fed little Josh with my little ones looking on and Jamie trying to control them. It was a funny sight with them on the floor. Even Chrissie sat down with them. Jamie was in her element as a girl.
We all agreed to go to church the following morning at the Lutheran church. That was our preference now. Even Brian and his partner sometimes attended as well. The only real connection he now had with the Catholic church was the school. He did their legal work and he was the one that made it clear that Jamie was to be enrolled as a girl or he would withdraw his free service as their legal eagle.
Sunday 3/2/74
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It was a hot morning and the church was at ten o'clock so we all had plenty of time to get ourselves ready to go, but when there are two little girls not co-operating with their Mummy it wasted a lot of time. Donna and Jean are already picky about what they would wear. Heaven help me when they got older - it would be bedlam getting them ready to go out. They did look so cute when they were dressed the same and most people couldn't tell them apart. Donna had a tiny little birth mark behind her left ear, so if we couldn't tell which was which we could lift their hair and have a look. I hated to think what would happen when they got to be teenagers.
It must have been funny at church when the Croft clan decided to attend church. It happened once a month, but when it did it was almost like a family reunion and we took up three whole pews in the church. Jamie was excited because she was going to the Catholic school and got to go to a different church which she said was cool. Her friends at school all envied her being able to do it although this was her first time there, and she had made a special effort to look as girly as she could. I didn't know if she realised it but she didn't look anything but girly all the time. It was a hot day and it was also time to start swimming lessons for the twins. Uncle Tony had a pool put in a couple of years back when his legs started giving trouble and he got in the pool to do exercises, but the pool seemed to belong to all of us, and that is the way he wanted it. The river was still flowing too fast to swim in.
All the women except Chrissie were in bikinis. Even the little ones looked really cute in theirs. Jamie was a little bit shy at first but once she realised no-one even thought of her as a boy in any way, she started to enjoy herself in the pool with Ricky and the twins. They of course had flotations on their arms and splashed around. I think Jean must have been holding them up because they were quite high in the water and kept looking in a certain direction. For some reason Jean could make them see her, which was ok by me. She was their spirit aunty after all.
To be continued.
Next time: Sandy finds a house and also takes to the sky.
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Editor's note: Ronnie has to take a break from writing this story for a while, but wants to thank everyone for their support, both with her stories and her own life. We all wish her well.
Introduction:
I posted the first chapter of 'Carla's Journey' back in May 2012, and the last chapter Part 2, Chapter 4, in July 2012, following it up with an Epilogue in September. I was unsure if I would continue writing since I had embarked on the greatest journey of my life, transitioning to the woman I always knew myself to be. My name too is now officially Carla.
I will now continue to tell Carla's story from where I left off, so the Epilogue won't come into play for quite some time. I won't be posting quite as much as I did previously as my life has changed quite a bit and I have many more interests now. For those readers new to the story, I respectfully suggest that you start reading from that first chapter back in May 2012. If you wish to go back to the very beginning of Carla's story, then you should start by reading 'The Girl inside the Boy' which I first started posting back in November 2011. For those who, noting that my name and the heroine's are the same may wonder how much of an autobiographic element there is in the story, I will only say that it forms the basis for some parts of the story, but I have also used an author's license to change and embellish many elements. I hope you enjoy my story
I start this chapter when we all had to get back to our normal activity such as working for a living and going to school. It was Monday the third of February 1974, 6 am and the tribe all needed to be fed and watered. With nine people living in the house it was just as well that there were two bathrooms to use. Of course us girls had first priority on the main bathroom with a shower and bath tub so either me or Mum could let the two youngest of the family splash around in the tub while we were having a shower.
Mum said, “Bill would you mind giving the twins a shower this morning so that us ladies can have a bit more time to get ready for the day?”
Bill wasn't to keen on taking both the twins in the shower at once because they are quite the slippery little eels when they are all soaped up,and replied, “Hoy, what about their Daddy?!!! He can have Jean when I have finished with Donna if it's not too much to ask.”
Mum replied “Just do it or you both make your own breakfast OK?!”
Bill said, “Bloody hell, women are going to take over the world soon.”and he then went to the twins room to get little Donna who was standing on her bed jumping up and down with Jean clapping her hands. Ricky was already in the room sorting out their clothes for the day so Bill quickly grabbed Donna under his arm and off to the shower. Ricky quickly took Jean to the other bathroom before any of us ladies had a chance to object. To bathe the twins together is bedlam and I defy anyone to try.
It didn't take the men long and both bathrooms were free to use, so one by one all five ladies and two little balls of energy had showers and were dressed and in the kitchen making breakfast. The twins were put in their high chairs and fed by Jamie who was told to put on a smock so she wouldn't get food all over her new school uniform which she wore with pride.
Mum is still the best in the kitchen and insisted on doing most of the cooking as long as she didn't have to do all the cleaning up. There was enough of us around to make quick work of washing up and tiding after meals so Mum could look after the twins while we all went off to work. Bill who I will still call Daddy because myself and Jenny have never called him anything else (Chrissie calls him Uncle), stays around the house and yard most days and gives Mum a break looking after the twins. I am so lucky to have them as parents.
Sandy runs Jamie to school before she comes into the surgery to sort out what she has to do for the day. I can take it a little bit slower these days. Sandy wants to get her flying hours up so she is going to do most of the flying for a while and I will handle most of the local work, Chrissie is in the office and and also doubles as an assistant in the surgery.
It was a quiet start for the day and I decided to take a run out to the hanger with Sandy to check out the chopper and give her a bit of a run down on her first flying lesson in the chopper. She is an experienced pilot in fixed wing aircraft but not in choppers, so she has to start her training. Out here there is a real need to use helicopters as not all properties have landing strips.
We arrived at the hanger and Alan had already got the machine out onto the tarmac and said, “Good morning ladies, you're late.”
We both replied in unison, “And good morning to you too Alan.”
He said, “Sorry ladies, late night repairing an electrical problem on one of the older planes.”
I replied “Is that the one we are using for training?”
“Yep that's the one.”
I said, “Ok don’t do any more work on it, we are replacing it with a new Cessna next week.”
Alan is very thorough and leaves nothing to chance with our fleet of aircraft. He and three other guys look after not only our own planes but also does maintenance on most of the small aircraft around Quilpie and district. We now own six charter planes and two helicopters. Sandy is amazed at how big that part of the business has become. My own plane is used only for the vet business or family use.
Sandy said, “Is that the helicopter that gets used for the surgery?”
I said, “Don't let the size of it worry you Sandy it is a real treat to fly”
She replied “Carla, you are going to be my instructor aren’t you?”
“Yes, and so will Ricky when he has time. It wont take you long to get the hang of it.”
We climbed aboard and Sandy did all the pre-flight checks under my instructions and then I took over and started the engine. I was talking to her all the time so she could follow what is different in flying a chopper and a fixed aircraft.
We took off and when we were half an hour out Chrissie contacted me on the radio to come back in and collect our bags because there was a call to go to an out-lying station.
Sandy heard through the ear phones what was going on and gave me the thumbs up and we were on our way back. When we landed Ricky was there with our bags and the details of where to go to the station where a mare was having a difficult time giving birth to her foal. He had Donna and Jean with him because they were always excited when they saw the helicopter.
I said “Sandy, stay in the chopper while I give the little ones a hug and talk to Ricky, I won't be long,” I never shut the engine down so it was still a bit noisy but the twins loved it and came running up to me and I picked them both up and told them to be good girls for Daddy today. They hung on to my neck till Ricky took them back.
Ricky said, “Honey it's about ten miles south of Stony Ridge and they have a landing strip on the property with an air sock. The owner is a Barry Olson and a nice guy. I'll see you when you get back.” He gave me a kiss and I kissed the twins once more and climbed back into the helicopter.
The flight took forty five minutes and I could see the buildings and stock yards. The strip was about half a mile east and I made out the air sock which was telling me the wind direction. Right next to the air sock was a white four wheel drive and a man waving to us so I made my way to that spot to land the chopper about fifty yards away from where he was standing.
I said Sandy who still had her ear phones on, “Sandy put your hands on the controls on your side so you get the feel of what I am doing.” She did as I asked and we put the bird down gently on the strip, I switched the engine off and the man came over to the chopper.
I got out first and said “G'day I'm Carla and the other lady is my partner Sandy who will probably come out here next time to look after you.”
He replied, “Good morning Carla, I'm Barry, did you have a good flight?”
“Yes, it's quite a way but the chopper makes it an easy ride.”
Sandy stood beside me and said in a more posh voice then me, “Hello I'm Sandra.”
He replied, “Goodness, two pretty ladies to look after my mare, she will be impressed”
Sandy blushed a little and said, “It looks like you have a a new runway and I will be happy to use it when I come out this way, but it will be in a fixed wing Piper Comanche”.
We grabbed our veterinary bags and climbed into the four wheel drive. Barry was a man in his late fifties and very well spoken. We chatted about what the recent floods had done to all the roads out here and the money it would cost to repair all the damage.
Barry stopped the car just outside the yards, and we all got out and walked to where the mare was on the ground in a well kept stable. Barry's wife was sitting next to the horse stroking her head.
She looked up and said, “I'm Trish, Thanks for coming out so quickly, the mare is in a spot of trouble”
After the quick round of introductions, Sandy and I went to work, and a male foal was soon born, much to the relief of the Olsens. A station hand named Kerry arrived soon after and she, 'yes she' said, “You lot go and have some lunch. I'll look after mother and son”
We all climbed aboard the four wheel drive and went to the homestead just over the hill.
The house was a typical old Queensland homestead with wide verandahs all the way round. Once inside it was ten degrees cooler.
Trish said “What would you ladies like to drink and eat before you have to get under way?”
Sandy replied, ”As long as there’s no alcohol in it whatever you have is fine.”
Trish replied “Of course you can’t have any grog while flying can you.”
“Not unless you want to put us up for the night.” was my reply.
Lunch was a salad with cold sliced lamb, and freshly squeezed orange juice. By the time we finished it was almost one pm and we needed to make our way back to the surgery in case there were other patients to see. On the way out to the chopper we had one more look to see how the mare and her foal were doing. They were both fine; the foal was shaky but standing and had found its mother's milk supply, no doubt with Kerry's help.
We said our goodbyes and were airborne in no time. I let Sandy take the controls and instructed her on flying the chopper. She is an easy person to teach and I don’t think it will take her too long to be in the air by herself. Meanwhile she will fly the Piper. I got on the radio and got transferred to Chrissie back at the surgery to see what was happening. There were three animals booked in at three pm so we had enough time to get back without any drama.
Ricky was at the hanger to take us back to the surgery so we had time to have a cuppa before our patients arrived.
Sandy said “Carla, I’ll handle the work this afternoon. You might as well go and see the twins, and would you mind picking up Jamie from school?”
“Sure Sandy, it will be a pleasure to pick up Jamie, and besides, the twins will be looking for her by now.”
Ricky said on the way home “What is Sandy like in the chopper?”
“She'll get her wings fairly quickly Ricky she is a natural.”
Jamie was happy to see me and Ricky. She has taken to us and considers us as her family, especially Donna and Jean, and I think she might also be able to communicate with the spirit Jean. She won't admit to it, but when she is with the twins there seems to be a lot of whispering going on.
We got home and the twins were waiting with Mum at the gates jumping up and down saying “Jamie, Jamie”.
I looked at Ricky and said, “So much for their parents.”
He replied “Jamie is welcome to them this afternoon they wore me out today.”
The day ended with us all tired, and after dinner it was a bit of television and off to bed till it all started again the next day.
The rest of the week was busy at the surgery and Sandy took the Piper out a couple of times so I could spend more time with Chrissie and also catch up on some bookwork. Ricky had charter work down to Sydney, so Mum and Dad looked after the twins and also Jamie. They love her to bits as she is the same as I was at her age. She is all girl and it shows and she has the men wrapped around her fingers, but don’t all girls do that?
To be continued
Carla Bay
Part Three - Chapter Two
Sandy meets Aunty Jean
Editing by Bronwen
Saturday 8/2/74
The surgery is not open on weekends but we are on call 24/7. People are very good and it has to be an emergency before anyone calls me or Sandy out. It is much easier now to be in a partnership and the work load is easier to cope with. Chrissie is also getting tired if she doesn't get a break through the day so we have put on a girl named Amy Brigly who is eighteen and keen to learn the ropes. Chrissie is six months into her pregnancy and Alan is not happy to have her working to full-term and says the baby must come first.
I agree with Alan and will make her stop work as soon as Amy can cope on her own with the reception job. She is a smart girl and it will only take another two weeks for her to do the job on her own. Sandy decided it was time to move into her own home, not that there is not enough room at Mum and Dad's house but she wants to be able to have her parents stay when they come to town and spend time with their granddaughter Jamie.
It was only seven o'clock and the two little monsters had already climbed out of their cots and were wanting to jump on our bed. Ricky loves playing with them, but Donna and Jean can be very boisterous and I soon got out of bed to make breakfast and leave them to their Daddy. They are starting to put sentences together and I think Big Jean is in the background pushing them along.
I was in the kitchen getting breakfast for my lot when Sandy came in and said, “Jamie said she can hear your twin speaking to the twins, and has also communicated with her. She is not making it up is she?”
I replied, “No I'm afraid she is not making it up Sandy, I think Jean does it because of the twins and can see how close Jamie has become to the girls”.
“Can she actually see her, Jean I mean?”
“Well most of us can. I certainly can but then she lives within me because I told her at her grave site many years ago that she would live her life through me. She has been with me ever since and she will be till I pass over to the other side to join her.”
“How will it affect Jamie?”
“Jean will protect Jamie the same as she does with the twins and me,” I said, “Hold my hand and close your eyes and listen in your mind.”
I said, “Jean, please put Sandy at ease and say hello.”
Sandy grabbed my hand tightly as Jean said, 'Sandy, I will look after Jamie as she goes through life just like I do for Carla and the twins.'
I felt Sandy grip my hand even tighter and then Jean went quiet.
I said, “Thanks sis.”
Sandy said, “Bloody hell Carla, it's for real isn't it?”
I replied, ”You have to get used to it, she is half of me.”
After that Sandy gave me a hand to prepare breakfast for all of us, even Mum and Dad. It was eight o'clock when everyone came to the kitchen and all were dressed for the day and it was going to be a hot one, so Sandy said, “Alright everyone, grab some plates and things and we will have breakfast out on the verandah in the cool.”
The twins were clinging to my legs and there is no way I could carry anything while they were doing that so Ricky grabbed both with one under each arm squealing like little piggies.
Breakfast was cereal followed by bacon and eggs. We all like to have a decent breakfast and the twins are no different. Jamie seems to be the one to sit with the two little ones but I think Big Jean is there to help keep them under control.
After breakfast Jamie followed me into the kitchen and whispered “Aunty Carla, could I talk to you about Jean, you know Big Jean?”
“Yes of course darling what is worrying you?”
Just as I said that Sandy walked in and said, “Jamie sweetheart, I know about you communicating with Carla's twin and it's ok”
I then said, “Listen, the others can clean up in here and we'll go into my bedroom and close the door. I will let Ricky know what we are doing.”
Mum came in next to help and overheard us talking and said, “Listen, you three ladies go and talk with Jean. I will organise the clean up so we can go out later.”
I replied “Thanks Mum.” and grabbed Jamie by the hand while Sandy followed us to my bedroom. I closed the door so we wouldn’t be disturbed.
I said, “Sandy, you lay on the bed with Jamie and hold her hand and I will lay beside Jamie and hold her other hand.”
They did as I asked and I lay down next to Jamie and and put her hand in mine and said, “Now I want you both to close your eyes and listen to me communicating with Jean and we will see if she has enough energy to let you see her in your mind, but you will have to keep your eyes closed or I won't be able to keep the connection.” I explained, “You will feel a vibration at first so just keep concentrating and this will work”.
I myself don't have to close my eyes any more because Jean and I are so in tune with each other that we can communicate at will.
I said, 'Jean I would like you to show yourself to Sandy and Jamie and put them at ease with you.'
Jean replied, 'Alright sis, but they can open their eyes and I will let them see me.'
I kept quiet so she could communicate with Jamie and Sandy and just made sure to keep holding their hands or Jean would lose the connection. Once they became familiar with doing this it got easier for Jean to connect. Jean spoke with a voice that sounds just like mine so it was just as well that she let Jamie and Sandy see her or they would think it was me doing the talking.
She said very softly 'Hello Jamie and Sandra, if you open your eyes I am sitting on the end of the bed. Don’t be afraid, but keep hold of Carla's hand.' Jean still wears that beautiful blue gown. She looks just like me, after all we are identical twins.
Jamie said, “Aunty Jean your are beautiful just like Aunty Carla. I hear you talking with Donna and Jean all the time. Can they see you too?”
'Yes Jamie, and I will be with them for their whole lives'
Sandy joined in the conversation and eventually Jean ran out of energy and said goodbye and faded.
Sandy said, “Can Jean talk with anyone?”
“No, only people that are close to me.”
Jamie said “I love the tingly feeling at the start. Will we always have to hold your hand to talk with her?”
“No, once the connection gets stronger there will be no need.”
Jamie was most impressed with the blue shimmery gown that Jean wears and so was Sandy, We then got off the bed and joined the others on the verandah.
Sandy said, “Are you coming down to have a look at the house that’s for sale down the road?”
I replied, “I wouldn't miss it for the world. Is that the one next to Tony's place?”
“That’s the one Aunty Carla, it has a pool too,” said an excited Jamie.
Mum and Dad volunteered to look after the twins while I, Sandy, Jamie and Ricky walked down the road to where the old rambling house stood. It had been renovated and restored to its former glory and was a classic example of an eighteenth century Queenslander homestead. It had a big yard with a swimming pool and large shed at the back and was exactly what Sandy was looking for, and it was within walking distance of our house. Of It's a wonder she didn't fall in.
I said, “Be careful Jamie, we don’t want to have to fish you out.”
she replied, “Aunty Carla, I'm a good swimmer aren't I Mummy?”
“Yes darling,” answered Sandy with a smile on her face. She looked at me and said “Well what do you think? About the house I mean”
“Well let's see what the inside looks like shall we?” Having bought and sold quite a bit of real estate I always like to have a look to see what sort of a job the renovations were like.
Ricky was more interested in the large shed which was set up to work on cars, so we left him out there and Sandy put the key in the front door to reveal a perfectly restored interior with quite a bit of furniture left inside for any one that bought the house. Jamie walked around the large verandah and was looking through the double French doors of one of the bedrooms and discovered it had bed and dressing table in it and came running in through the front door squealing “Mummy!! Mummy!! I have just seen my new bedroom.” and rushed past us to have a look.
I said, “It looks like Jamie thinks you should buy this house Sandy”
“Too late Carla, I signed the papers yesterday”
“Well good for you. How come all the furniture is still here?”
“That was part of my bargaining, I'm good at real estate too!”
“Come on Sandy, we had better go and have a look at what Jamie is up to.”
“I had better tell her that I have bought this place,” replied Sandy.
When we got to the room Jamie was twirling herself in front of a full length mirror and didn’t even notice us standing at the door. Sandy said, “Jamie how would you like to sleep in that bed tonight?”
Jamie didn't say anything but rushed over into Sandy's arms and they both had tears in their eyes as Jamie said, “Mummy, I miss Daddy and wish he were here”
“Me too darling, me too.”
Just then Ricky walked in and said "I just saw Tony and he said, 'Isabella wants us to go over to their house for morning tea so she can spoil little Jamie.'"
I said, “Ok but don’t you want to have a look inside here first?”
He replied, “Carla honey, Iwas the one who took Sandy here the other day.”
I replied, “How come I am always the last to know these things?”
“Just lucky I guess” he said.
It was hard to drag Jamie away from the bedroom once she realised it was hers, so Ricky said, “Jamie honey, you will have the rest of your life to spend here. Come on, Uncle Tony is waiting to spoil you and your Mum.”
As we walked over to Tony's place, Jean was saying something to me that brought shivers down my spine. She said, 'You need to take Jamie to see a specialist and soon Carla! Talk with Sandy and make her aware of how important it is.'
I said in my mind so no one knew what was going on although Ricky was probably tuned in as well, 'Jean, how urgent is it?'
She replied, 'Get her to Brisbane as soon as you can. You don’t want her to go through the same dramas that you did do you?'
'No, that is not going to happen.' I replied. Ricky looked at me in a knowing fashion and nodded.
We were walking into Tony's yard and he was waiting for us on the verandah, “Come on you lot, scones are hot and the tea is made.”
Just then Bella came out pushing a tea trolley onto the verandah, Both Tony and Bella have taken to Jamie and wanted their hugs from her before we all sat down at the table set up in the cool of the verandah. Jamie was so excited and positively bubbled over. I asked Sandy to come for a walk in the garden with me so we could discuss Jamie and what has to happen in the next week. We sat ourselves down on a bench next to the pool and I said, “Sandy I need to talk about Jamie while she is occupied elsewhere.”
Sandy raised her eyebrows and said “It is time isn't it?”
We discussed what had to be done, and sorted out what to do about the surgery while we were in Brisbane. Ross was still able to come in and with Chrissie's help would manage.
Sandy then asked, “Carla, it is Jean that is telling you what to do isn't it?”
“Yes, and she is always there when she is needed, especially where Jamie is concerned, so just relax and we will get Jamie down to Brisbane to see Rose. You will like Rose, she is getting old but she is the one that sorted me out and will do the same for our little Jamie.”.
It was time to go back home and sort out some things so Sandy and Jamie could start spending some time in their new home at least until Ricky could organise Billy and Alan to give him a hand to move all of Sandy's and Jamie's things in the next few days.
Jamie was very quiet and Sandy asked, “Jamie what is wrong? You were talking nineteen to the dozen a minute ago?”
“Mummy I heard what Aunty Jean was saying to Carla in my mind. What is so urgent? Is there something wrong with me?”
I interjected and said, “Jamie, you know you are like me, and it is time for us to take you to Brisbane to let a doctor there have a look at you. Don’t worry, everything will be fine. Mummy and myself will be with you all the time and the twins will also be coming with us so Rose the doctor can meet them.”
The rest of the day was spent packing up enough things so Sandy and Jamie could spend their first night in their home.
To be continued
Next time: Getting organised and going to Brisbane with Jamie, Sandy, myself and the two little ones. It will be stressful
Part Three - Chapter Three
Preparing for Brisbane
Editing by Bronwen
Previously: We had gone to see Sandy's new home just down the road and ended up coming back to pack enough things for them to sleep in their new home that night.
Sunday morning.
It was six a.m., and the twins had climbed out of their cots and were playing on the floor so I nudged Ricky in the ribs and said, “Honey, it's your turn to take the little ones to the shower while I get breakfast ready.”
He complained, “Can't you do it---you're much faster and they listen to you.”
I said, “Ricky, I'm going to have them all next week in Brisbane so, no!! Get out of bed and get moving, we're going to church this morning with Jamie and Sandy and I'm better at making breakfast.”
By this time Donna and Jean were on our bed jumping on their Daddy so he had no choice but to take them to their shower.
When I arrived in the kitchen Mum was already getting breakfast ready while Dad had gone down to get the Sunday Mail newspaper. By the time he got back breakfast was ready and Ricky had the twins under control and in their high chairs feeding them their cereal with bits of chopped up banana. They were both really good eaters, and of course they had their Daddy wrapped right around their sticky little fingers,
I had no more than toast and coffee. These days any food I put in my mouth goes straight to my thighs, while Ricky eats like a horse and stays thin as a greyhound.
Mum asked, “Do you want me and Dad to come to church with you this morning?”
I replied, “Mum, would you and Dad mind the twins this morning? After we've been to church, I want to have a talk with Jamie about what is going to happen when we take her down to Brisbane to be checked out at the Mater hospital.”
Mum replied, “Of course darling, they are no trouble, so you do what you have to do.”
Ricky and I left the girls with Mum and got ready to go to church. When we were ready we hugged the twins and got in the car to go and pick up Sandy and Jamie. We arrived two minutes later because their house is only fifty yards down the road, and they were all dressed and waiting on the wide verandah.
Jamie was dressed in that pretty white summer dress with red sandals and a red ribbon in her long blonde hair. She is such a pretty girl and Sandy fusses over her daughter like Mum and Rita did me when I was her age. Sandy wore a blue skirt and white top with cream coloured sandals; I was in a cream jacket and slacks with red two inch heels. Ricky looked handsome in a light blue shirt and brown slacks, I am still deeply in love with my man, he looks so handsome.
There is a new minister at the Lutheran church, he is quite young and has a pretty wife. They are Robert and Julie Atkins and they have been told about Jamie and have accepted her as just another little nine year old girl. Jamie is bound to make quite a few new friends of her own age which she has already done at the school she attends. We arrived at the church with Ricky taking the lead and introducing himself to Robert, as this is the first time he has come since the new minster took over.
Sandy, myself, and Jamie came to the church a few days ago to make sure Jamie was happy to go to this church because she goes to the Catholic school. She thought she would not be allowed to attend another church. I put her straight on that one and told her God is not in any particular building and you can pray to him anywhere you like. She asked me if Jean was with God and I told her she is in the spirit world and left it at that.
After the service I said to Ricky, “Darling you may as well go home. Sandy, Jamie and I will walk home and discuss what happens next week.”
He gave me a kiss and said, “Ok”. He then gave Jamie a hug and said, “Jamie sweetheart, everything will be ok. Mummy and Aunty Carla will know what to do.” He also gave Sandy a hug and said, “I wish I were going too but someone has to run the business side of things at Croft Air Charter.” and off he went.
Sandy said “Carla, I can see why you love that man so much, he is one in a million.”
I replied, “Sandy, I met him fifteen years ago at the river when he dared me to swim out to the drum in the middle of the the river. It ended up with me saving him from drowning, and we have been soul mates ever since.”
Jean was in our heads and said, 'Don't forget me Sis, I helped you save him, remember?'
We all laughed at that. Jean is never far away, which is why when I fly I know she is there if things go wrong.
We started to slowly walk home, and I explained to Jamie about what I had to go through and reassured her that she won't be unconscious when we arrive at Archerfield airport, and it will not be in the chopper because it is used to do the work at Quilpie. Seeing that Mummy can't yet fly the chopper on her own, it will also mean that having the twins on board we can take turns at the controls.
Jamie said, “Can I have a go at the controls as well?”
Sandy said, “Honey, I think we will have our hands full with the twins don’t you?”
“Yes mummy, I guess I will have to look after them won't I?”
I said, “Now you're thinking girl, you're not just a pretty face after all!”
We stopped at the corner shop to buy some things to put in Sandy's fridge to tide them over for a couple of days till Sandy can fully stock her pantry, and ended up buying a lot more things then we could carry, so had to go back with the car to pick them up. I went with them and helped Sandy put the things away in her own kitchen.
She said, “Carla, as soon as I get settled in I will have a house warming party.”
“I'll help with the cooking,” said a dancing Jamie.
I replied, “That is if we can get you out of the pool long enough!”
“I can cook really well can't I Mummy?”
“Yes sweetheart you certainly can, and you are a great help in the kitchen.”
That put me in my place!! Even Jean had a giggle at my expense.
We went backwards and forwards a few more times through the day with some more things, and by mid afternoon we were exhausted so decided to all get in the pool. Mum brought the twins down and Jamie played with them in the pool. They have been made pool-safe and can float, but we still insist that they wear their little water wings. After a while Ricky got in with them while Sandy and I started to do something about dinner. Mum had already brought some heat up food with her so it wasn't too hard to put on a decent first meal in Sandy's home.
After dinner we left Sandy and Jamie to it and went home to sort out what was to happen the next week while we were in Brisbane. Ricky was busy with the air charter business and Chrissie and Ross would handle the vet surgery, also Amy was in the office. If need be a vet from Charleville would come to give a hand. I packed all the clothes and things needed for myself and the twins, but I also own an apartment at West End that the whole family uses when we are in Brisbane. It is cheaper than staying in hotels. The apartment is always stocked with food and we leave a certain amount of clothes there as well. We do quite a lot of business in Brisbane, so it is a necessity to have somewhere to stay while we are there.
We have our own hanger at Archerfield, and a car is kept there for our use while in Brisbane, so no more taxies are needed. It helps to save money.
At bed time for the little ones, either myself or Ricky will read them a bed-time story till both of them drop off to sleep. They sleep all the way through till six am in the morning. I think Jean must have something to do with that which is ok by me, she is their aunty after all.
It was ten p.m., and it had been a long day so I made my way to bed after saying good night to Mum and Dad. Ricky was asleep in a lounge chair, and I was almost tempted to leave him there but he would only wake me when he came to bed later.
I said, “Darling, time to come to bed.” he mumbled something and was going back to sleep when I gently sat on his lap and whispered in his ear, “I won't be around for a week, would you like to make love tonight?”
I won't go into what happened next ,but I didn't have to walk to the bedroom. The power we women have over men in his situation is complete!!!!
If I wasn't on the pill I would probably be continuously pregnant. I want more kids and so does Ricky, but we will wait till the twins are at least three years old and what if I have another set of twins? I think waiting is a better option.
All too soon it was morning, and our two legged alarm bells were in good form as always.
Ricky said, “Why do they always jump on me and not you?”
I replied above the noise of two little monsters squealing and giggling, “Because you encourage them sweetheart.” and he does. Donna and Jean can just about do anything with him and he just lets them get away with it. Mean Mummy won't, so all I get is warm hugs and cuddles with sloppy kisses.
It was time to get moving so it was up and at 'em. Ricky took Donna and I took Jean and off to the bathrooms we went. Half an hour later, we were all showered and dressed for the day. Mum and Dad knew it was going to be a rush that morning so Dad gave Mum a hand to get breakfast ready and also fed the twins for me. Ricky had an early start and wanted to head out to the hanger to organise what the other pilots had on for the coming few days.
He had his breakfast and kissed me and the twins and said, “I will ring you every night to get an update on what is happening down there in Brisbane, and I will drop into Sandy's place on the way to work to say goodbye to Jamie and wish my little mate good luck.”
Ricky has a special attachment to Jamie because she is so much like me in many ways, and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if she didn't also become a vet in the future.
I said my 'goodbyes' to Mum and Dad and gathered up my bags while Mum took the girls by their hands and made them walk out to the car and strapped them in the child seats and we were ready to go. Mum kissed the twins one more time and we were off.
Sandy and Jamie were all ready to go and waiting at their front gate. Both were wearing jeans and tee-shirts to be comfortable for the three hour flight to Archerfield. They climbed aboard my four wheel drive and we were on our way to the air strip and hanger where the Piper was all fuelled up and ready to go.
We arrived to see Alan giving the craft a once-over. He is fastidious about the fleet and mine is even more important to him. I parked the the car in a shed beside the main hanger and started to get all our gear out to load into my plane when Terry one of the maintenance mechanics came and gave us ladies a hand to carry the luggage to the plane. Alan picked up both giggling twins and carried them to the plane and proceeded to strap them into their seats. The plane is a five seater so Jamie was going to sit between the girls to keep them under control.
For some reason she only has to look at them and they behave like little angels. I really think that my twin is in cahoots with Jamie where the twins are concerned, which is fine by me. Who am I to argue with that?
Once everything was put in the cargo hold of the plane and the outside flight checks were done by Sandy we were ready to go. We climbed aboard, closed the doors, gave Alan and Terry the thumbs up and Sandy started the engines. I called flight control and gave them our flight plan and we were cleared for take off.
I let Sandy take the first leg of the flight. It makes it a relaxing trip when two people share the flying. She taxied out onto the runway and turned the plane around ready for take off, did a few more checks and pulled the throttle back. The Piper responded with the familiar growl of the two engines and we were airborne within a few seconds.
She climbed to five thousand feet and levelled out. Our speed was three hundred air knots which is a comfortable speed and easy on the fuel. Jamie was reading the girls a book. The Piper is not a noisy plane inside while in level flight, in fact it is no more noisy than in a car. It's only noisy while climbing with full power on.
Within twenty minutes all three girls were asleep so there wasn't going to be any drama with them. After an hour and a half I took over the controls till we landed at our destination. Archerfield came into sight and I radioed the tower for permission to land and within five minutes we were taxing up to the Croft Air Charter hanger for the plane to be put away for the next week. Barry the head man at our Archerfield end of the business came out to greet us and help load our things into the four wheel drive that we use in Brisbane.
Sandy and I got the three sleeping beauties out of the aircraft and into the car and of course they looked around to see they were on the ground and missed most of the flight which Jamie was not to happy about.
She said, “Mummy why did you let me go to sleep up there?”
Sandy replied “Sweetheart, the last couple of days have worn you out so I let you get some rest before we take you to see Doctor Rose, OK?”
“Yes Mummy,” she said with a girlie pout on her pretty little face.
I said, “That look might work with Uncle Ricky and Uncle Bill but we know about girlie pouts don't we Sandy?” Sandy just winked at me with a knowing smile.
Once in the car and on our way into the city the girls all looked around at the throng of the Brisbane traffic which none of us are used to out at Quilpie.
It was midday madness on the road and took almost an hour to get to the apartment at West End and I think we all needed a nap before we embarked on going into the CBD of inner Brisbane. It was two o'clock in the afternoon so really too late to do anything more than to settle down at the apartment and start again in the morning, so we had a meal and switched on the telly.
To be continued
Next time: at the Mater and doctor Rose San-Lee.
Please leave a comment
Carla Bay
Part Three - Chapter Four
Jamie sees Dr Rose
Editing by Bronwen
The afternoon was spent making some phone calls to various places while Jamie watched a Disney movie with the twins. Jamie seems to be able to get Donna and Jean to sit quietly with her and watch the telly. One usually sits on either side of her and I think that is her secret. I wish they would behave like that with me.
Sandy went for a walk to buy some new curtain material for her home back in Quilpie while she had a chance. Once we get back home we work ten hour days, not that it's all hard work but you have to be there when it is required.
I phoned Rose to confirm the appointment to see her at her rooms at the Mater the following morning with Sandy, Jamie and I plus the twins. Rose said she would make sure that the day was spent with her so she could catch up and organise all the procedures that will determine Jamie's medical condition, and of course get to know my little girls. The study on twins is still ongoing so she can't wait to see what they look like.
By the time Sandy came back, I had ordered in Chinese for dinner and it was only five minutes later that it was delivered to our door step. I don’t believe in doing any cooking while we’re in Brisbane so it will be like this all week except breakfast which is usually cereal with a bit of fruit. I think I have mentioned before that the twins are really good eaters.
Once we sorted out the sleeping arrangements which had me and Sandy in the same bedroom but in single beds, and Jamie and the little ones in the main bedroom with the cots for the twins and the double bed, it was decide to let the twins sleep in the big bed with Jamie. Donna and Jean are dry but we still put a plastic sheet under the sheets just in case of a mishap. There were no drinks after dinner at night and that seemed to have worked so far.
Sandy and I tucked the three girls in and left Jamie to read a bedtime story. They are used to this with either me or Ricky taking it in turns, but with Jamie it is a special treat for the girls. My twin Jean sings to them as well and it would be interesting to see how long all three girls last before dropping off to Dreamland.
Sandy and I sat in the lounge and were discussing our plans for the following day when my twin Jean started to communicate with both of us. Sandy looked at me and said, “Carla you are talking in two different directions.” Jean sounds exactly like me so it can be confusing for bystanders.
I replied and said, “Sandy, close your eyes so you can see Jean. She is sitting right beside you.” Sandy jumped a little as Jean seemed to touch her on the arm and said, 'Sandy don’t be alarmed and just relax so I can communicate with you.'
Sandy looked at me and said, “Carla, Jean looks exactly like you only in that blue gown.”
Jean said, 'But I am just a little bit prettier.'
“Always the joker,” I replied.
Jean said, 'Sandy you can open your eyes if Carla will turn off all the bright lights in here.' I quickly got up and left only a little night light on, and Sandy opened her eyes to see the beautiful twin sister of mine sitting next to her.
“Jean what is on your mind?”
'I am going to let you know in advance what is in store for little Jamie tomorrow.'
I replied, “Ok, I'm all ears, sister dear.”
Sandy was amazed at how Jean and I talk as if it is just normal to do so, well I guess for me it is normal.
Jean said, 'I'm going to be there when both of you are with Rose, and I will also make the twins communicate with Rose.'
“Is everything alright with my little girl?” asked Sandy.
'Yes she is fine and is all girl internally, but she will have to endure all the tests and is going to be stressed out so I will be very close to help her get through it.'
I said, “Sis do you know if she will have any medical procedure done?”
'Carla, you should know by now I will get into the right heads and make it happen so be prepared to stay a little longer.'
I replied, “Jean it's alright for you in the spirit world, both Sandy and I have a business to run”
'You will find a way Carla, with my help.'
The communication went on for a bit longer and Jean faded away blowing us both a kiss.
Sandy said, “Is she always so bossy Carla?”
“I'm afraid so, but she is always right because she sees things we can't and she can get into people's minds and guide them without them knowing what is happening.”
“Like post hypnotic suggestion?”
“Yes and you just sit back and enjoy the ride.”
“What about Jamie, will she be able to hear and see Jean?”
“Yes and she will be in a sort of dream and very relaxed. If and when she is under an anaesthetic she will cross over into the spirit world where I have been many times courtesy of my sister.”
We checked up on the girls before retiring to bed and it was a sweet sight to see two little bundles cuddled up to Jamie. Very softly we could hear a lullaby being sung by their spirit aunt,
'You are the child of moonlight,
There is peace within my heart whenever you're around.
The stars at night they all shine bright
And darling so do you.
You are the child of moonlight,
And I’ll always love you.
Jean
Sandy turned to me with damp eyes and whispered, “Jean is really an angel isn't she?”
I whispered back, “She is half of me in the spirit world.”
We went to bed and and talked about Jamie's dad and how Sandy misses him and wished he could have seen his daughter. I told her he can see her from afar, and then we went to sleep.
Morning came too soon as it always does. It was six a.m., and we could hear three girls singing nursery rhymes. At least Donna and Jean weren't jumping on me. I think I will let Sandy adopt my little ones so Jamie can have them full-time! No, I don't mean that!!!!
Sandy said, “Carla I know what you're thinking and that is a definite 'no'. I could not cope with double speak.” We both laughed and got up to get organised for the busy day ahead.
While Sandy and I were preparing breakfast, Jamie had Donna and Jean in the bathroom with all three in the tub, something only Jamie can manage because she has some way of controlling them. I still think it must be Jean that is helping Jamie with the little ones, there is no way I can do what she does so easily.
I arranged the high chairs so that the two little ones were either side of Jamie and by the time the table was set all three girls came out wearing pink dressing gowns with little bunnies on them. Donna and Jean came running up to me and I picked them up, which I might add is getting harder by the day - they are quite the chubby ones. They both talk in unison and talk twenty to the dozen.
”Mama, Mama Jy, Jy,” is what they were saying.
Jamie interject, “That’s what they call me Aunty Carla, aren’t they cute?”
“Yes, very,” I replied.
“Good morning Jamie and you two monsters,” said Sandy and hugged the little ones which made them giggle and squirm, so I quickly put them down and let Jamie take over controlling them which she does with ease.
Breakfast over it was time to get the girls dressed for the day and with two grown-ups it went reasonably well, but of course with all females a couple of different changes had to take place before everyone was happy, and that includes myself and Sandy. By the time we got down to the car we were almost running late. It was nine o'clock, so we had to hurry to get to the Mater on time to see Rose. As usual the traffic was bedlam but I drive a four wheel drive with a big bull bar on front and I can usually be a bit pushy and intimidating to get my way. I guess that is the bush coming out in me.
We finally got to the Mater parking area and made our way to the main entrance. We opted not to put the twins in their push-chairs and seeing Jamie can control them with just one stern look and they drop the lip, we let her do her thing. She will eventually be a very good Mum.
The Mater is a really big hospital, so lots of corridors and lifts to negotiate, but I have spent quite a bit of time here myself and know the place intimately. (These days it is one of the biggest children’s hospitals in the southern hemisphere.)
We arrived at the reception desk of doctor Rose San-Lee and were told to go straight into her office. I tapped on the door and opened it wide so we could all walk in to see Rose sitting behind her desk surrounded by medical books and charts up on the wall, like any other doctor's office.
She got up and said, “O my god, look at them!” before she even said hello to me,
I said, “Nice to see you too, Rose.”
She replied, “Sorry Carla,” then hugged me and said, “These two are the spitting image of you girl, and this must be Jamie and Mum Sandy.” and she hugged them both.
Spirit Jean was there too, and at this moment she was only in my head but she would communicate with Rose a little later when she examined Jamie. Jamie took the little ones to a play area with toys and sat down with them while Sandy and I discussed what was going to happen today. After an hour the girls were getting restless, so it was time for a toilet break and some morning tea which was brought into Rose's office by the hospital domestic staff.
We let the girls have their cup cakes and flavoured milk in the play area while the grown-ups sat in a lounge area in the rather large office/surgery. This is when Big Jean started to communicate with Rose, who was not one bit fazed because it happened a long time ago when I was in the same situation, only then it was an emergency and I could quite easily have died.
Sandy and I just listened in. Jean didn't make herself seen because if the little ones saw her they would want to have her down with them and Jamie. Jean also blocked Jamie from hearing what was being said. She will know soon enough in the next couple of hours and days what is going to happen to her, and we did not want to have a stressed out girl on our hands.
Jean said, “Rose, I know what is inside Jamie but in human terms the tests will have to be done to satisfy the powers that be, but rest assured that I will be in their head to steer them in the right direction.” Rose nodded that she understood. Jean told us that Jamie is a complete girl internally, apart from not having an opening which is virtually the same problem that I had all those years ago.
Jean said that she would be with Jamie all through the procedure in the next couple of days, and would make sure it would all happen without her being stressed out. She was true to her word and by Wednesday morning a specialist was in Brisbane from Sydney to perform the corrective surgery.
We put the little ones in a day care nursery so we could be present in the operating theatre during the procedure. Being veterinary surgeons, it was no different to what we do when we have to operate on an animal, so there were no surprises for us. We stayed with Jamie while she was being prepared for theatre, and before she was given medication, the surgeon, Mr Anthony Beel introduced himself, first to me and Sandy, he then held Jamie's hand and said, “Hello little one, I'm Tony and I'm going to make things right for you.”
Jamie looked at the doctor with her beautiful brown eyes and replied, “Thank you doctor, and so will my Aunty Jean.”
He said “Oh I don’t see a third lady, is she still coming?”
I interrupted this little exchange between patient and doctor and said, “Jamie sweetheart, I will tell the doctor about Jean a little later.”
Rose pulled me aside and said in almost a whisper, “Carla, Tony has had a full briefing on you and Jean and he is quite intrigued by it all. I am sure that Jean will make her presence felt before too long”.
Most of the day was spent going from one test and scan to another. Jamie was taking it all in her stride. She is a very intelligent girl and very little fazes her. Sandy was amazed at how her little girl just kept up the chatter with the nurses while they were poking and prodding her. I know Jean was talking to her and explaining what they were doing, although only three of us could listen in.
It was two o'clock in the afternoon when it was decided to commence the surgery to rectify Jamie’s medical problem. Sandy and myself were allowed to watch what was happening in the theatre. Sandy held Jamie's hand till she went to sleep and then the medical team went to work.
'Hello Jamie, fancy meeting you here,' said Jean.
'Why am I in a field sitting next to you Aunty Jean, am I dead?'
'No sweetheart, you are with me while they are working on your body back on earth.'
'How am I going to get back to earth?'
'When you wake up you will be back there darling.'
'Aunty Jean, you sound and look Just like Aunty Carla.'
'That's because we're identical twins and share the same soul.'
'Can I come back here again? It is so beautiful and I wish I could wear a gown like yours.'
'Jamie, your Mummy would miss you if you came back here, so you must go back.'
Back in the recovery room Jamie woke up trying to focus her eyes and said, “Mummy I was with Aunty Jean in heaven.”
Sandy replied,”Yes darling I know, was it beautiful?”
“Oh yes, and Jean is very pretty just like Aunty Carla.” After a few more minutes Jamie dropped off to sleep, and Sandy and I went to talk with Tony and Rose to see what they had to say.
It was found that Jamie was inter-sexed and had all the internals of a female, so all that had to be done was to correct the outer parts of her genitals. She will be able to live and function as a normal female.
To be continued.
Please leave a comment.
Part Three - Chapter Five
Jamie becomes in her words a 'real girl'
Editing by Bronwen
Previously:
It was found that Jamie was inter-sexed and had all the internals of a female so all that had to be done was to correct the outer parts of her genitals. She will be able to live and function as a normal female.
***********************************************
It was late afternoon and Jamie was well and truly sedated, so we thought we would go to a restaurant for our evening meal, leave the medical staff do their thing and come back early in the morning to see our newly minted little girl. As we were in the lift on our way down to the main foyer of the hospital who else but sister Jean started to talk to us. Just as well there was no one else in the lift or they would have called the men in their white coats to take us away.
Jean said, 'Sandy and Carla, I will stay with Jamie tonight and put some nice thoughts into her head. I will make sure when she wakes up in the morning that she knows what she now has and will not have to hide herself when she gets undressed at school to put on a pair of bathers when they go swimming.'
Sandy asked, “Will you always be there for her Jean?”
'Yes Sandy, just like I still am for Carla, that will never change.' Just then the doors opened on the lift and we were at the ground floor so we left Jean to do her thing.
Sandy said, “Carla, I am so glad that I came here to work with you and that you are my friend as well as business partner.”
I gave her a hug and replied, “It was always going to happen. When I went out to your parents' property to look after that prize ram, I felt that I was there for a reason, and that reason is Jamie.”
We found a restaurant half a block away from the hospital and looked at the menu, Sandy said, “Carla this is on me.”
I replied, “No Sandy, this is on the business expense account. We work long hours at home and the business is doing extremely well so relax.”
We ordered Peking Duck with all the trimmings and for sweets it was a chocolate mousse with fresh strawberries and cream.
Sandy said, “Carla, I can feel the inches go on my thighs already!” and we both fell about laughing. I'm sure that city folk don’t act like this but we're from the bush and don’t have any airs about us.
We paid the cheque and made our way back to the hospital car park to go to the apartment for the night, when we got there Sandy said, “I think I might go and check up on Jamie to see how she is faring.”
I replied, “Sandy, she will be out like a light. Instead, why not get in the car and I will see if Jean will tell us what is happening.”
We no sooner got in and closed the doors than Jean was in both our heads, telling us Jamie was asleep and was having pleasant dreams, so leave it till the morning to come and see her. So that is what we decided to do. it was getting late, but the twins were being looked after by the people at the nursery which looks after kids till at least nine pm at night. It was expensive but was worth it to make sure that they were looked after properly.
When we arrived the twins were wide awake and would not go to sleep and kept the three ladies at the centre amused with their speaking in unison. I walked in and they came running to me.
“Mama Mama,Jy Jy where Jy Jy?” I picked up Donna while Sandy picked up Jean and had to calm them down and tell them they could see Jamie tomorrow if they're good. Again in unison “We good Mama.” So we went back to the apartment after a long day, I don’t think it took any of us long to go to sleep that night.
As usual it was six a.m., and the double-speak little people were singing out “Mama Mama where Jy?” so it was time to pacify, feed, shower, and dress them so Sandy and I could get ourselves ready for the day. We decide that if we didn't take the twins in to see Jamie there would be trouble on the horizon, however Jamie wouldn't be in a fit enough state to have them jumping around on her bed so their visit would be strictly controlled and reasonably short.
After two adults and two little people were dressed, we made our way to the underground car park that belongs to the apartment building, which incidentally is half owned by Croft Air Charter. When Sandy found out that the building was part of the family holdings she said, “Bloody hell Carla, you don’t own a yacht too do you?”
“No Sandy, we're bushies remember?!!”
I let Sandy drive while I sat in the back with the two little munchkins and tried to get them to understand that Jamie was in bed and can not play with them till she got home. In unison they said, “Mama, Jy sick?” All I could tell them was that she had a sore tummy. They seemed to understand that, so they were quite happy to sing and clap all the way to the hospital. The singing comes from my sister Jean. She sings them to sleep most nights, she is a most loving aunt albeit a spirit one.
We arrived at the hospital in good time and made our way up to Jamie's room. When we got there she was having a bowl of cereal and an orange juice. The doctor had already been and given our newly minted girl a clean bill of health. She would have to stay in hospital for at least a week to make sure there were no infections or other complications.
Sandy said, “How are you feeling darling?”
Jamie replied with a big smile, “Mummy I’m a proper girl now just like you.”
Sandy replied, “Sweetheart, you have always been a proper girl”
“Can I have babies now?”
I answered that one and said, “Yes, but try to wait till you're a little older darling and then you might even get married first, what do you think?”
“I want a husband that looks just like Uncle Ricky.”
That made me think just how lucky I have been all these years and to think he almost drowned the first time we met.
By this time the twins were getting restless and wanted to hug and kiss Jamie, so one at a time they were allowed to lay beside Jamie and talk to her in their own language that only Jamie seemed to understand. After ten minutes I got Jamie to tell them to be good little girls and go play at the day care centre with all the other little kids. They just nodded and were happy to do what Jamie asked them to do. Jamie has a special bond with my little daughters, with the help of Jean no doubt.
As all was under control back in Quilpie and Ross had brought in a vet from Charleville I was in no hurry to get back home, and decided to stay with Sandy till we could take Jamie back with us. I went and had a talk with Rose and she said that in another three days Jamie would be healed enough to travel.
So apart from going to the hospital to comfort Jamie, what to do? I gathered up the two little balls of energy and told them to say goodbye to Jamie, which they did by blowing her a kiss as we were going out the door. I left Sandy with her daughter while I took my girls back to the day care centre at the hospital, which I have been helping support financially for a while because this is where it becomes so important for mums with sick kids to have somewhere to leave their other little ones while they look after the ones that are most in need of their love.
I went back to find Sandy holding Jamie's hand explaining to her all the things that will be different in her body now that she is complete. I didn't interrupt this mother-daughter bonding. It took me back to when my Mum did exactly the same thing with me. I also had Rita and I made a smooth transition to everything becoming normal very quickly.
While I sat down on a chair in the room I just listened, 'Carla are you ok?' said someone in my head. Who else but my sister?
I said, “Yes just thinking that's all.” That's when Sandy and Jamie realised I was back from taking the twins to the centre.
Jamie said, “Aunty Carla, did you feel this sore when they fixed you up?”
“Yes sweetheart, but all the pain will be gone within a couple of days and then we will take you home”
“Can I go shopping before we fly home Mummy?”
Sandy replied, “Of course darling, I wouldn't dream of going home without taking my daughter to buy some new clothes.”
“OOH Mummy, I will need some red shoes to go with my white summer dress and ribbons and.....”
I said” “Sweetheart, lets get you healed first.”
Just then a nurse came in and said, “Ok Lady Jamie lets get you to the 'Ladies' and see if all is working how it should.”
With that both Sandy and I left the nurse do her job, waved goodbye to our little girl and left to go to the shops and just relax.
The twins were in safe hands so I could concentrate on enjoying myself with Sandy in the city looking at dress shops.
Sandy said, “Carla, I know that Jamie wants to go to the shops, but do you think she'll be healed enough to do that in three days time?”
“Sure she will as long as we keep her from skipping around like she normally does, and besides Jean will be in her head keeping a tight rein on her movements.”
Sandy replied, “Ok so where to first?”
“Well I need to buy some new things for my girls, they are growing like the garden weeds.” and so it went. We sat with Jamie for a few hours a day and also let the twins have time with her.
It was Sunday morning, and it was Jamie's big day to come out of hospital, The hospital team that looked after her were all in her room to give her advice and have hugs all round, Sandy had bought her a new out fit to come home in. Of course it had to be white with lace work on the top and the hem of the skirt. Jamie was worried that that was the only piece of finery she was going to get and said, “Mummy I will be going to the shops won't I?”
“Yes Darling, we wouldn't dare not take you shopping.”
Jamie replied “Thank you Mummy and Aunty Carla, Jean is coming with us too.”
“Yes of course, what was I thinking?” I could hear Jean giggling and Jamie gave an invisible a
Aunty the thumbs up.
Monday 17/2/74
One more day at the shops with all us girls including Donna, Jean and also Big Jean to watch and give advice on proceedings. Needless to say it was a tiring day, and when we came home to the unit we put the twins down to have a sleep and made sure Jamie was ok. She was a little sore but would be fine to take home the following day.
I ordered in food for our evening meal and it was an early night for all of us. I forgot to say that I phoned my darling husband every night and let him talk to his little girls as well. With them I would have to put the phone on speaker because they both speak at once and for people that haven't had that experience it can be quite confusing.
Tuesday.
All our things were already packed into the four wheel drive so we only had to get ourselves ready and be on our way to Archerfield and the hanger to transfer all our things to the Piper. By the time we arrived at the hanger the aircraft was all ready to go and had been pulled out on to the tarmac. Our staff know what I am like so nothing is missed by them. I have never left the ground till I was sure the the aircraft was one hundred percent flight ready.
Once the twins were strapped in, Sandy got in with them because I wanted to give Jamie a chance to get the feel of the controls and this could be her first bit of training. With me and Sandy both being pilots it will be an easy ride for her to get her licence by the time she is fifteen.
Pre-flight checks done we were on the runway and ready to take off, Jamie had a headset on and listened to the contact with air control and put her hands on the controls on her side, I pulled back and we were on our way. Jamie had almost white knuckles and I had to tell her to relax. I was the same when I first started.
Quilpie airport came into sight and it was twelve noon by the time I taxied to the spot in front of our hanger. Ricky, Mum and Dad were there to greet us but the best surprise for Jamie was her grandparents were there as well. She couldn’t get out of her seat quick enough to greet them.
“Grandpa, Nana” she squealed and almost fell out of the plane. Terry and Grace held their arms open and Jamie rushed straight into Terry's arms and said, “Grandpa I'm a real girl now.”
With that Grace came into the hug as well and replied, “Sweetheart, you were born a girl with a medical problem and that is all. You are a very pretty little girl.”
“Did you see where I was sitting?” asked Jamie.
“We sure did honey, and you will make a good pilot soon enough.”
We all piled into two cars and went to our respective homes to sort out what had to happen for the rest of the week and relieve the people that looked after the veterinary clinic.
To be continued:
Next time: Rita and Peter Jenny and Chrissie are back in Carla's Journey.
Part Three - Chapter Six
Some new friends
Editing by Bronwen
Previously:
Quilpie airport came into sight and it was twelve noon by the time I taxied to the spot in front of our hanger. Ricky , Mum and Dad were there to greet us but the best surprise for Jamie was her grandparents were there as well. She couldn’t get out of her seat quick enough to greet them. “Grandpa, Nana” she squealed and almost fell out of the plane. Terry and Grace held their arms open and Jamie rushed straight into Terry's arms and said, “Grandpa I'm a real girl now” with that Grace came into the hug as well and replied, “Sweetheart you were born a girl with a medical problem and that is all, you are a very pretty little girl.”
“Did you see where I was sitting?” asked Jamie.
“We sure did honey and you will make a good pilot soon enough”
We all piled into two cars and went to our respective homes to sort out what had to happen for the rest of the week and relieve the people hwo looked after the veterinary clinic.
*************************************************
Wednesday morning 18/2/74
Ricky was spooning me and we were just enjoying the closeness. It was five am and the twins were still asleep so one thing led to another and, well do I have to spell it out? I am still so in love with Ricky that we seem to melt into one being when we make love, and that's enough information don’t you think?!! The twins slept on which was a surprise but I guess all the traveling had tired them out so both Ricky and I quickly went to the bathroom and showered together.
Later, everything went back to routine; Mum and Dad looked after the twins, Ricky had a charter flight to Cairns and I went to sort out the clinic with Sandy who was already there talking to Chrissie and Amy. Amy is our new receptionist that I have mentioned before and I am well pleased with how she is shaping up, not only doing office work but also helping in the surgery with our animal patients.
Jamie was not going back to school for another week so there would be no pressure on her recovering from her operation. Doctor Ryan was still looking after our family and had taken a keen interest in Jamie. He was getting around a bit slower those days but was still our choice and was probably more of a friend than just our doctor. He wanted to see Jamie that day, so Mum had left the twins with Dad and was taking Jamie to see him. No doubt Mum would look after her for the rest of the week. Sandy went to the school to get some school work for her to do while she was at home. Jamie is a very intelligent girl and is a straight A student so would have no trouble catching up when she went back to school in a weeks time.
There were no problems at any of the out-lying properties with animals, so it seemed it was going to be an easy day.
Sandy said “Carla I will look after any patients today if you want to sort things out at home.”
I replied, “Yes Sandy I might just do that, thanks. If it gets busy just give me a call and I’ll come straight in.”
When I got home Rita and Jenny were there to see the twins, and Jamie when she came back from seeing the doctor. Jenny's little boy Josh was at the crawling stage so the twins were sort of looking after him on the floor in the lounge. They still thought he was a dolly that could move around.
I asked Rita how she was getting on because her morning sickness was giving her quite a bit of trouble.
“Carla,” she said, “How come you got away without any real morning sickness when you had Donna and Jean?”
I replied, “I think Big Jean might have had something to do with that.”
Jenny chipped in and said, “Rita, it won't last too long and you will settle down in a few weeks. Stop going to work at the restaurant, let Peter look after that.”
Another hour and Mum and Jamie arrived home and that was to be the end of the twins playing with their little cousin, but Jamie was just as interested in playing with little Josh, and the twins did as Jamie told them. It's just amazing how she can do that without the girls objecting.
Mum pulled into the post-office on her way home and collected the mail from our mailbox and said, “Carla there is a letter from the states there for you.”
I replied, “Oh I know what that is, it will be a letter from a John Hansen. He is the one I was telling you about that I met at the veterinary science conference centre in Sydney a couple of months ago.”
Jenny said, “Is he the one with a tg daughter?”
I replied, “The very same. I also met his daughter Jennifer, she is a really pretty twelve year old and you would not pick her as being a transgendered girl.”
Rita asked,”So what is the letter about?”
“Well let me open it and we'll see won't we.”
I had a fair idea what was in the letter so I just put it on the table. Three people said, “CARLA!!!!”
“Ok, Ok I’ll open it.”
By this time Jamie was interested in what the letter contained. I opened the envelope and started to read the letter out loud. It wasn't quite what I was expecting, and it said --
'Dear Mrs Smith,
If you can remember we met at the veterinary conference in Sydney and you also met my daughter Jennifer. The reason I am writing you this letter is that my wife passed away two weeks ago and Jennifer is taking it really hard so I have decided to come to Australia to get away for a while and I was wondering if we could visit you in Quilpie?
Yours sincerely,
John Hansen.
There were contact phone numbers in the letter so it would be relatively easy to contact him and have a talk to find out what he wanted to do. He also had his own veterinary clinic near Fort Brack in California, so he would not be short of money.
Jamie was the first to comment and said, “Aunty Carla, did you say Jennifer is like me?
“No sweetheart, she in trangendered whereas you were intersexed and are now a normal functional girl. Jennifer will never be able to have babies.”
“That’s sad, I hope I will meet her,” replied Jamie.
Rita said, “Sweetheart if I know your Aunty Carla, Jennifer and her Dad will be staying right here.”
“Ohhh I can't wait,” said an excited Jamie.
Later Dad went over to Ricky's Dad's place to go fishing in the Balloo to get away from all the female chatter. I decide to phone John Hansen after looking up the time deference between our countries and deciding to give it a go. Once I got through the telephone exchange to be connected to international calls, (1974 was not like today and you couldn't just dial anywhere in the world) I dialed the number and waited. It was six thirty pm in the States so he should be home by then, after about eight rings, Jennifer answered with her broad Yankee accent, “Hello the Hansen's residence Jenny speaking.”
“Hello Jenny, it's Carla Smith calling from Australia, how are you?”
“Wow Mrs Smith I didn't expect to get a call from down-under.”
“Jenny, please call me Carla, and is your Dad home?”
“Yes but he is just in the shower.”
“Ok Jenny, I'm sorry to hear about your mother passing it must be difficult for you.”
“Mummy had been sick for a long while so it was expected”
I then said, “Jenny how would you like to spend some time with me and my family for a while?”
I talked to Jenny for a bit more and then her Dad came on the phone and said, “Hello Mrs Smith I didn't expect to get a call from you so soon.”
I replied, “John, please call me Carla. I thought it might be good for Jennifer to get away as soon as possible, and we would be pleased to have yourself and Jennifer stay as long as you like.”
It was decide that John and his daughter would get a flight on Saturday our time which would still be Friday over there as you gain a day going from one side of the planet to the other. It would be a direct flight to Brisbane and I would fly down and pick them up. I would use the chopper to make it more interesting for Jennifer. It would be a slower trip but I'd be able to fly over some of the more interesting terrain and a lot lower. Besides I needed to get some hours up in the chopper to keep my license up to date.
Once the call ended there were questions all round, so I had to fill everyone in on Jenny and her now widowed Dad. The main thing Jamie wanted to know was about Jenny being transgendered and how long wouldshe stay and could she stay at her house too?
I said, “Sweetheart slow down! We will have to ask your Mummy about that, but I’m sure you'll be seeing her quite a bit just because you have a pool in your back yard.” After that Jamie took Donna and Jean out in the yard to play in the large sand pit that was specially built for them by Uncle Tony.
When Ricky came home I informed him what I was doing and he said, “Carla honey I'll come down with you, and that way the twins can come too, and you know how much they like getting a ride in the chopper.”
I replied, “My husband the jelly bean!” and kissed him.
He replied, “Keep that up and we might have to have an early night.” All I whispered in his ear was, “Darling I can't wait.”
I thought, “I hope the twins go to sleep without any trouble.” As I was thinking that, Jean was in my mind and said, “As good as done sister dear.” Ricky heard that as well and just winked at me with that cheeky grin of his. Anyway that's enough of that.
Sandy dropped in on her way home to fill me in on what her day was like at the surgery and also to pick up her excited daughter who said, “Mummy we're going to have an American staying with us and she is a trans girl”
“Oh!” said Sandy who hadn't been told as yet, so I quickly intervened before a dancing Jamie could tell it all back the front.
I said, “Sandy, the girl and her father are going to stay with us for a while to help Jennifer get over her mothers passing.”
Jamie with a sing song voice said, “Mummy can she stay at our place too?”
“Slow down sweetheart, we'll have to see if it's going to be ok with her Daddy wont we?”
“Yes, Mummy.”
Jamie said bye to the twins for the day and went home with Sandy, but will spend her time with Mum and Dad through the days till she goes back to school when she gets the 'all clear' from Doctor Ryan.
After the evening meal we put the girls to bed before reading them a story and Jean said in Ricky's and my mind, “Ok you two I will make sure the little ones stay asleep so off you go.” We didn't need any prompting.!!!
The next two days went by doing all the normal things that life demands of us, On Friday morning I phoned John Hansen again and told him we would meet them when they arrived at the international airport, and take them back to our unit at West End.
Both Ricky and myself decide to fly down and stay at West End and that it would make everything much more relaxed to let the travellers have a rest before getting straight into another flight the same day. Also Sandy said that if we wanted to take Jamie with us she would not object and that way she would be able to look after the clinic, not that there is a lot that happens there on the weekend.
About lunch time we finally got going and were on our way to Brisbane in the helicopter and it was funny but the twins always seem to stay alert whenever they ride in the chopper. Jamie was the same. I suppose it might be that it is a bit of a novelty flying in a craft that has no wings. We also flew lower and slower so the kids could see more of what was on the ground. Jamie was fascinated by the cattle in amongst the the trees and said they all looked like toy animals from the sky.
It is always good to see Archerfield come into sight and see our own hanger with the Croft name on the roof. Our staff are all very professional and by the time we are sitting on the ground in front of the hanger the guys were ready to pull the chopper under cover and prepare it for a return flight.
We got into our four wheel drive and made our way to the unit. The traffic never seems to change and it feels like peak hour traffic at any time of the day, but than city folk probably are used to that and just accept it as a fact of life in the city.
21/2/74
It was Saturday and the flight was due in at eleven am, so off to the main Brisbane airport to pick up our American friends.
Next time: Our American friends arrive.
Please leave a comment.
Part Three - Chapter Seven
Our American friends arrive
Editing by Bronwen
Previously:
The flight was due in at eleven o'clock, so off we went to the main Brisbane airport to pick up our American friends.
Saturday 21/2/74
We put the twins in their safety seats with Jamie sitting in the middle to entertain them and set off. I let Ricky drive since he is more used to Brisbane traffic and is a more pushy driver than me. The big four wheel drive with the large bull bar on the front looks quite intimating to other drivers.
We arrived just as the plane was taxiing into its position in front of the terminal and let the twins see the planes through the big glass observation area. Their eyes got really big and both said. “Da-Da Mama's pwane?”
Daddy replied, “She wishes.” and gave me a wink. What is it with people winking at me? They have always done it ever since I was a little girl.
Jamie was used to seeing the big jets so it was old hat to her and she was more interested in the duty-free shop. Anyway we had quite a wait before our friends emerged from the Customs and out to the carousel that transports the luggage from the plane and that is where I spotted the two newcomers.
John was holding Jenny's hand and I walked up and said, “G'day you two.”
Jennifer recognised me straight away and gave me a bone crushing hug and said, “Oh 'wow' Mrs Smith I'm so glad to be on the ground.”
I replied “Jenny, it's good to see you, but you can call me Aunty Carla if you like.”
“Oh that would great Aunty Carla.”
The twins were both restless by now and Jenny knelt down to talk to them and said, “Hi you two!! Aren’t you the pretty ones?” and the girls being the outgoing little ladies, both twirled around and said, “Pweety ones.”
John then shook Ricky's hand and said, “You must be Carla's husband, it's nice to meet you.”
Ricky said, “Likewise I'm sure.”
I then got a kiss on the cheek from John who said, “It's good of you to do this for us Carla”
I replied in the Aussie way and said, “No worries mate.”
Jenny asked, “Aunty Carla, where is Jamie?”
Just then Jamie reappeared with a koala teddy bear to give to Jenny.
Jamie wasted no time in welcoming Jenny and said, “G'day, I'm Jamie and this is for you.” and she proceeded to give Jenny a hug with the bear being squashed between them. The twins then decide they needed a bear each as well and grabbed Jamie by the hand and both at the same time said, “We get bear too?”
Ricky saw what was going on and pulled out his wallet and gave Jamie a ten dollar note and said, “Jamie why don’t you and Jenny take the little ones and get them a koala each? It will keep them happy on the trip home.”
Once the luggage was collected and we rounded up four girls we could make our way out of the main airport building and to where the four wheel drive was parked. The twins were happy being looked after by Jamie and Jenny and hugging their koalas.
John asked Ricky, “Do you fly as well as Carla?”
Ricky replied, “I do about thirty hours doing charter flights a week. Carla would only fly a couple of times a week especially now that her business partner Jamie's mum flies as well.”
John replied, “Is it that isolated in Quilpie that a vet has to fly to attend their patients?” I chipped in and explained that it was only for the more outlying properties that it was necessary to use the planes; anything within driving distance was done by vehicle. I think people think we live in the desert but really it comes down to living in a large country and the vast distance between towns and sheep stations can be hundreds of miles apart. It's called “the outback”.
We climbed aboard the car and made our way through the traffic. Jenny was amazed at how large the city of Brisbane is and said, “Wow!!! I saw the flood coverage on our telly but it looks much bigger in real life and the traffic is just crazy.”
Jamie replied, “Yeah that's why we live in good old Quilpie where you can drive from one end of town to the other in about five minutes.”
Both the twins had to join in and said in an almost sing song voice, “Yeah ody Qwipee” My girls are a constant source of amusement with their double speak.
Forty minutes later we finally arrived at the unit in West End. Once we got up to the apartment the two Americans just wanted to have a shower and lay down for a sleep so I said, “John, there are sandwiches in the fridge so once you have had a shower why don't you and Jenny have a bite to eat and have a rest. The rest of us will go out for a while to give you some peace”
He replied, “Thanks Carla, that sounds good.”
Jamie said, “Aunty Carla we haven't had any lunch.”
Ricky also said, “Yeah we haven't had any lunch either.” The twins who were supposed to be having a nap as well but for some reason were holding on to Jamie's hand saying, “JY JY we hungry too.” Amazing isn’t it how the little ones are tuned in to what the adults are saying. They sound cute when they double speak but I think it is going to be a problem when they get older and start playing tricks on us or worse still driving their teachers crazy with both saying the same things most of the time.
I'm glad I keep a double stroller here in Brisbane as well, it makes it a bit easier to just put the girls in them to get around. Mind you they would much rather walk and get into mischief and keep me and Ricky on our toes.
Ricky said, “Ok girls what are we going to have for lunch? It's almost two in the afternoon and I am getting pretty hungry.”
I replied, “How about we go to that burger shop around the corner?”
Jamie said, “Yes please,” looking at her uncle with that big brown eyed smile.
Ricky replied, “Sweetheart ,you don’t have to twist my arm with that smile, I'm in.”
The twins put their two cents worth in with, “We in we in.” in parrot fashion.
I just shook my head and said, “The vote is in then?”
No-one answered because we were in the burger shop by then and Ricky was already ordering three burgers and some small rolls for the twins. I won't allow my girls to eat junk food; it's bad enough that I was having a burger because whatever I eat these days goes straight to my backside.
The twins were making a bit of a mess and Jamie was fussing over them, so I left her to it and enjoyed my bit of naughty food.
Ricky sat there smiling, looking at the three girls and whispered to me, “God I love my kids honey.”
My reply was, “More than me?”
He said, “I still love you as much as the first day we met and you saved me from drowning darling.”
I replied, “Right answer.“ and for once I did the winking.
By the time we got back to the apartment our guests were up and looking refreshed and full of questions about flying out to Quilpie in our chopper.
“Can we all fit into the helicopter?” asked John.
Jenny looked on with interest as Ricky explained that our chopper has been modified to be able to be used in rescues and carry different things, soit seats seven people. When we take the twins there are special seats we put them in. It all had to be approved by the controlling air safety department.
Jenny said to Jamie, “I found a lot of things in the fridge and I can cook really well. Do you think I would be allowed to cook our evening meal?”
Jamie's reply was, “Jenny, I can cook really well too and we can do it together.”
They both looked at me and Jamie said, “Aunty Carla?”
I said, “The kitchen is yours girls I'm going to put the twins down for a nap and try to have one myself.”
Ricky and John decided to watch something on the telly, so I took the twins in to the bedroom, read them a story and fell asleep when they did. When there was a knock on the door I couldn't work out where I was for a few seconds till Ricky opened up the door and said, “Have a good sleep honey?”
I looked beside me and the twins weren’t on the bed.
Ricky said, “Jean got into my head and said to get the girls and leave you sleep.”
He then sat on the bed and gave me a very passionate kiss and said, “I love you sweetheart.”
My response was, “Wait till I get you home to Quilpie darling, just as well I’m on the pill.”
Ricky's reply was “I can't wait to see you pregnant.”
“Not yet dear.”
The girls cooked a lovely meal, while I was asleep. Ricky went out and bought some fresh salmon so we had that with white sauce, potatoes in their jackets and some greens as well. I was impressed with what the girls had done and decided to take them to the flea market the next day. West End always has a huge market on Sundays. We had planned to fly home but that could wait until Monday morning because Jamie didn't start school again till the next week and I really wanted to go to the markets as well.
Sunday morning 22 /2/74
The men said they would look after the twins while I and two very excited girls went to see what the market had to offer. The markets are held in a park just down the road from our apartment so it's just a short walk and you're there.
I told the little ones to be good for their Daddy and they both replied, “Mama, we be good.”
I said, “Ricky ,no bribing them ice cream or sweets.”
“No dear, yes dear,” was his reply.
John looked on with amusement but kept quiet and gave Jenny some money so she could buy something at the market.
He hugged her and said, “Have a good time sweetheart.”
She replied Thanks Daddy, I miss Mummy and wish she could have been here with us.”
Jamie then grabbed her by the hand and said, “I still miss my Daddy too, Jenny.”
I thought that we had better get going or there would be tears and said, “Come on girls, we have to go or we will miss all the good bargains.”
We spent about four hours at the markets. The girls went off by themselves and came back to a designated spot every half an hour to show me what hey had bought, I myself looked for some clothes for my sister Jenny and her little boy Josh, and also for Chrissie and Sandy. Rita was too hard to buy for so those days I didn’t bother.
When four hours was up I decide to round up Jamie and Jenny to have something to eat and make our way back home. I had bought something for everyone, even the men, and some fluffy toys for the twins. Jamie and Jenny were happy with their purchases and did not object to calling it a day. I think they were worn out. So home we went to show the men and the little ones what we had bought. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and getting things ready for Monday and the flight home.
Jenny
Jamie
To be continued. Please leave a comment.
Carla Bay
Part Three - Chapter Eight
Our friends settle in at Quilpie
Editing by Bronwen
Previously:
We spent about four hours at the markets. The girls went off by themselves and came back to a designated spot every half an hour to show me what they had bought, I looked for some clothes for my sister Jenny and her little boy Josh, and also for Chrissie and Sandy. Rita was too hard to buy for those days so I didn’t bother, When four hours were up I decide to round Jamie and Jenny up to have something to eat and make our way back home. I had bought something for everyone even the men, and some fluffy toys for the twins. Jamie and Jenny were happy with their purchases and did not object to calling it a day. I think they were worn out. So home we went to show the men and the little ones what was bought, and the rest of the day was spent relaxing and getting things ready for Monday and the flight home.
****************************************************
18/2/74
It was 5am and the twins were still fast asleep, so my beautiful and randy husband blew in my ear. That was too much for me so guess what, my ever present sister got into the act and said, “It's about time you two!!! The girls will stay asleep so do what you will.”
I whispered “Thanks sis.”
The girls stayed asleep until we had a shower and got dressed and then we got them up to have their bath. John had breakfast all prepared, so Jamie and Jenny decided to have a bath with Donna and Jean so the adults could have breakfast and talk about what the plans for today would be.
Once Jamie, Jenny and the little ones were fed and dressed it was time to get going, so we cleaned up the apartment and packed all the things into the car. By the time we got going it was nine thirty and the morning traffic was as per usual heavy, but that’s city life and it is always a good feeling to be on our way back home where time seems to slow down.
When we arrived at Archerfield, our staff at the hanger had the chopper all fuelled up and flight ready; the car was parked in the hanger and all the luggage and items that we'd bought at the markets were loaded and secured. Ricky had a few things to sort out with the staff at the hanger and workshops and then it was time to take to the air. I let Ricky do the flying with John sitting in the co-pilot seat. John was really impressed with our set up at the hanger so Ricky kept the head phones on and chatted about guy things.
Jamie and Jenny were singing nursery rhymes with the little ones. I just let my mind drift while Jean took me back in time to when I first got my pilots licence. I love flying and it has been part of my life, and of course the remoteness of where I grew up is something that is almost spiritual.
I was brought out of my daydream when Jamie shook me and said, “Aunty Carla, are you alright?”
“Yes darling, the humming of the engine sort of made me go into a dream state”
“It worked for Donna and Jean too, they are fast asleep,” said Jamie over the noise of the engine. I looked at my watch and out onto the countryside about two thousand feet below, and we were nearing familiar territory so I tapped Ricky on the shoulder and said, “How long darling?”
He replied, “Fifteen minutes. Wake up the girls so they can be alert when Mum and Dad are there to greet us on the ground.” Jamie was already softly touching them on their cheeks to wake them.
Ricky circled the airport once and proceeded to touch down and taxi to on the landing apron in front of the Croft hanger. It was just after one pm. Mum, Dad and Sandy are there to welcome us and the Americans home.
Once Ricky shut down the chopper it was time to get out and stretch our legs. Mum and Dad gave myself and Ricky a hug and picked up Donna and Jean, who were speaking twenty to the dozen and really excited to see their grandparents. Ricky's parents were also walking over from our office and of course the twins had to be hugged by them as well.
Sandy then gave Jamie a hug and said “This must be Jenny and her Dad,” and proceeded to hug them both saying, “Welcome to Quilpie and the outback.”
I don’t think John was quite used to being hugged by a stranger, but then I think bush people are more open and trusting than city folk.
We all ended up at our place and had a late lunch that Mum and Ricky's Mum Helen had prepared for us.
Jamie said, “Aunty Carla, will Jenny be able to come stay with me or does she have to stay here?”
I replied, “Sweetheart you had better ask your Mum about that because your not going to school till next week, you were staying here remember?”
“Oh yeah, but can I sleep here as well till then?” Jamie is very out there and does not hold back, and when she wants something she does not beat around the bush and comes straight out and says what she wants. She's 'my kind of person', well it always worked for me!!!!
Sandy said, “Carla, we're not going to keep Jamie and Jenny apart, so if it's ok with you I have not got a problem with Jamie staying here, but come next week when she starts school again we will have to have a rethink.”
I replied, “No worries, as long as Mum and Dad can handle four girls while we're at work!”
Mum said, “They'll be fine, besides the twins won't let them stray too far.”
Jenny and Jamie both replied, “Yeees.” That set off the little ones twirling around like little princesses saying, “We too we too.”
Sandy said, “I'll never get used to these two with their double speak.”
Dad replied,”Give it time luv. Wait till they go to school, that'll be interesting.”
Things settled down. Jamie and Jenny took the twins for a walk down to the park to let them play on the swings. Sandy invited John to go down and have a look at her house, I winked at her and got a wink back, Oh dear !! It looked like Sandy was interested in our American friend.
Helen and Barry decided to go home and asked Ricky to drive them because they needed to discuss some things. Ricky didn’t see them often enough so I encouraged him to also go and see Rita and Peter. Rita was still having trouble with morning sickness. I decided to go and see her in the next couple of days and see if Jean could do something for her from the spirit world.
Ricky stayed at Rita's place which was their home at the back of the restaurant and had dinner there.
Sandy phoned me and said almost in a whisper, “Carla, I'm going to cook John a meal so he will be back later, is that ok with you?”
I replied, “Sandy girl you go for it but take it slowly.”
Her reply was “Carla, do you think Jamie would accept another man in my life or even her life?”
I said “Sandy, Jamie still misses her Dad and so do you, but I think it might be time to move on and give your new life a chance don't you?”
“Thanks Carla I needed to hear that.”
Later the phone rang and I had a fair idea what it was about. It was John.
”Umm Carla, could I speak with my daughter for a moment please?”
I replied, “Yes John, but before I call her I just want you to know that I am right behind you with whatever you want to do in regards to Jenny and yourself and will help you any way I can, but take it slow with Sandy, she is a real nice person and I don’t want to see her hurt.”
He replied, “Carla, Sandy is still grieving the loss of her husband as I am my wife, so we have a lot in common and the friendship will grow slowly so don't worry, it'll be fine”
I called Jenny to the phone, “Hello Daddy what's wrong?” She listened and and then said, “Daddy I just want you to be happy I'll --- I'll see you in the morning.”
She looked at me with tears in her big brown eyes.
“Aunty Carla I miss Mummy so much but I want Daddy to be happy.”
I held her in a hug and softly stroked her hair, “Sweetheart we are all there for you and your Daddy and we'll have a good talk in the morning, now off you go and tell Jamie all about your Daddy and her Mummy.”
Later Ricky came home and said, “Carla honey, is there anything you can do for Rita and that morning sickness?”
“No darling but I think Jean may be able to help.”
Of course Jean is always there and started to do her usual thing in our head and said, “I'm already doing something to make things a little easier for her and her little unborn son so relax and stop worrying”
Half an hour later John came into the lounge where Ricky and I were sitting holding hands and thinking of calling it a night. John sat down in the recliner chair opposite us and rubbed his eyes looking very tired.
I said, “John you look exhausted, why don’t you turn in for the night?”
“Carla, I need to explain why I worry about Jenny so much. I really don’t know enough about what she is going through and I'm afraid I’ll fail her as a father.”
Ricky got up and said, “I'll make us a cup of tea and then let's have a talk”.
By this time Mum and Dad came into the lounge as well and joined the conversation.
Mum said, “John we are all here to support you with Jennifer. Remember I went through all this years ago with Carla. Everything will turn out fine, but if you want I'll have a talk with her in the morning.”
John replied ”That would be great Mrs Croft.”
“John please call me Donna, I think your going to be around for a while.”
“Thanks Donna.”
Needless to say it ended up being a fairly late night by the time we all got to bed but at least John was more relaxed about bringing his daughter to Quilpie and the Croft and Smith families. We will just have to wait and see what develops with him and Sandy; Jean might have to work her spiritual ways with them.
Tuesday 19/2/74
Things were going to have to go back to normal and once everyone had breakfast including the twins, Ricky and I had to head off to work so it was left to Mum and Dad to look after the twins, Jamie, Jenny and her dad John.
***Donna now speaks***
I have seen this all before so I suppose it might be best if I sort of take charge of things for a while where Jenny is concerned. I want to ease the pressure on Carla, She has done so much for other people and needs to think of herself the twins and Ricky, or she will have a breakdown.
Once Carla and Ricky left for work I asked Bill to look after the twins for a while so I could have a word with John, Jenny and of course my other little helper Jamie.
I got out a big photo album and scrapbook on Carla’s life right from when she first started to run around the sheep station with Rita. It really has been an amazing journey for all of us.
On the wide verandah with John and I sitting in a pair of squatters' chairs and the girls on the double love swing where I guess Carla and Ricky spent an awful lot of time daydreaming I said, “Ok I'm going to tell you how Carla became the woman she is today.”
There were lots of questions along the way, especially when it came to the part of the ever present twin of Carla, 'Jean' of the spirit world. Of course Jamie is excited about being able to not just communicate with but actually see her as well.
The next thing Jamie said was, “Aunty Donna, how about we see If Aunty Jean will communicate with Jenny and her Dad?”
I replied, “Ok sweetheart, we'll go into the lounge and pull all the curtains and see if Jean will talk with us.”
Once we were ready I let Jamie explain how people that have not heard Jean in their brain have to keep their eyes closed and keep holding onto her hand I also held Jamie’s hand to make sure the energy would flow from the spirit world.
Jean was there almost instantly, and Jenny and her Dad felt the slight vibration that people get when Jean starts to communicate with them. Jenny kept quiet but John asked if he could communicate with Jessie his late wife.
Jean was coming through very clearly and said, “John, Jessie is fine and sends her love to you and Jennifer and wants you to get on with your lives.”
Jennifer had tears running down her cheeks and asked if she could see her Mummy.
Jean's reply was “Sweetheart, when our communication gets stronger I will see if that can happen.”
After a while Jean said she was running low on energy and said goodbye.
Later we went for a drive to see Jenny and little Josh to let the twins have a play with their little cousin. Rita and Chrissie were already there so the day was spent catching up and planning what would happen in the next few weeks to make Jennifer and John's stay with us a pleasant one.
Carla came home early to see what our day was like and to take the twins down to Sandy's pool.
Donna and Jean
To be continued.
Next time: Jamie back to school and an interesting development with John and Sandy
Please leave a comment.
Part Three - Chapter Nine
Sandy and John get closer
Editing by Bronwen
Previously:
Donnna speaks
Later we went for a drive to see Jenny and little Josh to let the twins have a play with their little cousin. Rita and Chrissie were already there so the day was spent catching up and planning what would happen in the next few weeks to make Jennifer and John's stay with us a pleasant one.
Carla came home early to see what our day was like and to take the twins down to Sandy's pool.
Wednesday 20/2/74
Back with Carla
As it's a normal workday for me and Ricky, we left Mum and Dad to look after John and all the girls. When I arrived at the clinic Sandy was on the phone to her Mum and Dad, talking about John and how she really liked him and would they mind if she came out to the property to show him around the workings of a real sheep station?
Lambing season is around April and shearing starts in early Spring so the sheds were idle at that moment but it would still be an experience for an American to see what happens here in Queensland.
Once she was off the phone I said, “Morning Sandy, sleep well did we?”
“A bit restless thinking about the future for me and Jamie. Carla I need some advice.”
“Yes I thought you might. Ask away Sandy, I'm here for you.”
“Well I really like John and we seem to have a lot in common and well... you know.”
“Sandy I like John as well, but be careful. He is quite vulnerable at the moment like yourself and is still grieving the loss of his wife, but if it feels right go for it and make sure you include Jamie in any decisions.”
“Thanks Carla that’s why I want to go out to Mum and Dads place.”
I decided to cut Sandy some slack and said, “Why don’t you take a couple of days off and take John, Jenny and Jamie out there? Take the Piper; it has more room than the twin Cessna. It's not busy at the moment and I can handle the clinic with the help of Chrissie and Amy.”
She replied with a hug and said, “Carla, you really are just like a sister to me and yes, I’ll do just that, thanks.”
“Sandy, you're most welcome. Take your vet gear with you and check out that stud ram while you're there and say hello to your Mum and Dad for me.”
It was a good time to take Jamie then because she had to go back to school next week and she would also be company for Jenny. Those two were getting on really well.
***Sandy speaks***
I am so glad to have Carla and her family as not only close friends but business partners as well. I packed any medical supplies that I might need to have a look at Dad's animals, said goodbye to Carla and the others, got into my car and drove straight over to the Croft house knowing that everyone would still be on the verandah chatting and working out what to do for the day.
I pulled into the driveway and Jamie and Jenny came running over, “Mummy why are you home and not at work?”
“If you let me get out out of the car I will tell you won't I!!”
I alighted from the car and the girls were dancing around me so I said, “Girls, come and sit down with everyone on the verandah and I’ll explain what I plan to do for the next few days.”
The twins were playing with their dolls keeping their Grandpa busy. Donna was talking to John, asking all about his late wife. He looked up at me with damp eyes and said, “Hello Sandy, just a bit emotional at the moment, sorry.”
I went and hugged him and said, “John I know where you're at and I'm here for you more than you realise.”
He smiled back at me and almost broke my heart when he replied, “Sandy, why does it hurt so much?”
I couldn't answer him, so I took him by the hand and said, “Come with me and lets talk.”
Donna then said “Sandy, you two go out into the garden and sit under the big gum on the swing seat. I'll keep the girls busy for a bit.”
We sat and talked about our past lives holding hands and in the end I told him I wanted to take him out to my parents' sheep station with the girls. We talked a bit more and then I don’t know why, but I just kissed him and said, “John, let's get to know each other and see where it takes us.”
He replied, “Sandy I’d like that very much, but what about the girls?”
I said, “Well knowing those two they will already have us married off!”
He kissed me then, and we went and talked to the girls to let them know what was going to happen for the rest of the week.
The girls were entertaining the twins with their dollies in the little push chairs when John said to Jenny “I have something to discuss with you and Jamie, so let Mrs Croft look after the twins for a while and come with me and Sandy out into the garden and we'll inform you on what is going to happen in the next few days.”
John and I sat on the swing seat and the girls sat on the grass in front of us with an expectant look on their face,
I let John do the talking and made it easier by holding his hand. The girls smiled at each other and both said, “I told you!!!!!!” which made me laugh and I said to John, “They don’t miss much do they?”
So the girls were told to go and pack enough clothes for at least four days and we would all go to the Croft hanger to get on board the Piper and fly out to my parents property.
The next few days were very relaxing for me because Dad and John seemed to get on like a couple of old mates, which made it really exciting for the girls as well because they went with the men to be shown all the workings of an outback sheep station,
It is Sunday morning and it's time to think about getting back to Quilpie. It will be hard to get back to work after being in the quiet outback where all you hear is the wildlife and the farm animals. It has also been good for the girls to get to know each other more intimately and Jenny had a lot of questions about what Jamie went through with her surgery which of course will be quite different to her own since Jenny is transgendered while Jamie is intersexed and basically needed to have corrective surgery.
John and myself have become a little bit closer in the last couple of days and it looks like he might sell his business in the states and migrate to Australia. I think the girls seem to know what is going to happen and I pulled them aside to interrogate them without John being present.
I said, “Jamie what have you and Jenny cooked up between you?” Jamie grabbed Jenny's hand as if she needed some support so I knew there was something going on.
I said, “Jamie girl!!! you know something that I don’t, and I want you to tell me before we head back to Quilpie.”
Jamie was close to tears when she said, “Mummy we didn't mean to but we asked Aunty Jean to tell us what was going to happen between you and Jenny's Dad.”
My reply was “Well!!!?”
“Mummy please don't be cross with us.”
“Darling I'm not cross with either of you, so, are you going to let me in on the big news?”
It looks like we might end up as a family, so I swore the girls to secrecy for the time being so as not to shock John before I had a chance to talk things through with him once we got back home. The girls agreed to keep it our little secret. Poor John, he is such a nice man and I think that I had already fallen for him before this little episode with the girls.
By ten am it was time to get moving so we got all our things together and put them in Dad's four wheel drive to take us down to the landing strip, which is a little way from the homestead on higher ground so when it floods the strip can still be used. Mum came with us as well and it was as expected, a teary goodbye. I have decided to come out here at least once a month for a couple of days especially now that I know what is going to happen in the future compliments of Carla’s twin spirit sister.
***John speaks***
I've had the most wonderful time these last few days and am completely relaxed and I think I am falling in love with a wonderful lady called Sandra. This is something I didn't expect to happen so soon after Jessie's passing, but I guess I'm alive and she is not so I have to think of my future and also Jennifer's and it all feels right. I wonder what Jennifer will say when I tell her of my plans for our future lives here in the land down under?
***Carla speaks***
It's Sunday morning and Mum got the twins early so Ricky and I can have a bit of a sleep in before tomorrow's back to work. We laid back and talked quietly about what we both wanted in the future.
I said, “Darling what is the most important thing you want to do in your life?”
“Sweetheart I'm living it right now just being with you and our family. It's what I cherish more than anything else; another baby would be nice as well.”
I said, “Ricky I want to wait till the girls are at least three years old before we have any more because with my luck it would be a big possibility I would end up having another set of twins, how would you feel about that?”
“As long as they're boys lets do it!”
I threw a pillow at him which led to more than talk, so maybe he'll get his way sooner rather than later.
Jean was in our head and said, “Sandy will be here in half an hour so you two had better get up. There will be some good news.”
I thought, “I bet I know what what the good news will be.”
Jean was right. Sandy drove up the drive just as it was twelve noon. Once the car stopped the two girls rushed passed me to go to the loo. They had obviously not used the toilet at the hanger.
Mum had phoned Peter at the restaurant to have a meal ready for all of us because we were all going there for lunch including Chrissie and Alan, Jenny and Billy and of course little Josh.
Of course the good news was that John had decided to sell up in America and live in our beautiful sun-burnt country called ''Australia.''
To be continued.
Please leave a comment.
Part Three - Chapter Ten
A close thing
Editing by Bronwen
Previously:
The good news was that John had decided to sell up in America and live in our beautiful sun burnt country called Australia.
Sunday 24/2/74
After Sandy and John told us what was planned for the future, Jamie and Jenny got their act together and changed into something pretty. I let them get the twins ready as well. Just imagine what went on in the girls' bedroom with the twins wanting to look just like Jamie and Jenny! However I think my ever-present sister sorted them out and when they finally appeared all four of them looked very feminine and pretty.
While this was going on I took Sandy aside and asked, “Ok madam do tell what's going on?”
She replied ”Well it's like this Carla, I think I have fallen for John and I think he has for me, so umm well you know and umm.”
“Well yes, I do know and as long as you take your time everything will work out ok for you both.”
She hugged me and said “Carla you have almost become like a sister to me. It means so much to me to have your blessing for this.”
“Ok then sis, lets get our act together and get down to Rita's place for lunch.
***Jamie and Jennifer ***
Jamie said, “Jenny what do you think will happen with my Mum and your Dad?”
Jenny replied “I hope they get married and we can stay here forever and then we'll be sisters with the same last name.”
Jamie replied, “You know what, when we get back home, I think we should ask Aunty Jean to tell us what will happen.”
“Yeah I forgot about that, and you're sleeping at your own house tonight aren’t you?”
“Yep, and that means I have to go back to school as well, 'bummer'!!!”
“Ok Jamie seeing we will be sleeping in the same bedroom lets see if your spirit aunt will tell us anything.”
Carla speaks:
I thought, “I don’t know what Jamie and Jenny are up to because the amount of whispering they're doing. I had better warn Sandy to keep an eye on them tonight.”
Before we got into the cars to drive down to the restaurant I had a quiet word with Sandy.
“Sandy you need to check up on what the girls are up to when you get home later today. I think they are planning something.”
Sandy replied, “Thanks Carla but what could they be planning to do?”
“Whatever it is I think my twin sister will be involved.”
We all arrived at Rita and Peter's restaurant and as usual with the Croft clan everyone was speaking at once which is what family gatherings are all about, at least it is with our lot. Sandy was holding John's hand as if to stop him from escaping.
Dad grabbed the old cow bell that was on the counter that is normally used to get service when people are in the kitchen and rang it loudly and said, “Alright you unruly lot we have a couple of new people in our clan that might not be used to our noisy way of communicating.”
Finally all was quiet so Dad could welcome John and his daughter officially to Quilpie and the outback. There were fifteen people plus restaurant staff present so Rita decided to close the restaurant for the afternoon and concentrate on the family reunion.
As the afternoon progressed John made a little speech telling us a bit about himself and his daughter and what he planned to do in the near future. All was quiet when he announced that he had fallen in love with Australia and would we mind if Jenny and he stayed?
I decided to get up and said “John, I for one will welcome you and Jennifer with open arms and I think there might be a lady called Sandra that will be even more welcoming for you to stay.”
It was time for desert and more noise. I watched John and Sandy being more comfortable being accepted by the family and thought, “If all this comes to pass I might be able to go part time at the clinic and start planning to do what Ricky wants to happen.”
It was three in the afternoon and time to clear the restaurant of family members so it could be opened up to the public and let Rita and and Peter make some money for the rest of the day.
Sandy took me aside and said, “Carla I know that John and Jenny are your guests but would you mind very much if I invited John to stay at my house for a while so we can get to know each other a little more?”
My reply was, “Sandy I thought you would never ask. I think it is a good idea and it will make it a lot easier for Jamie and Jenny as well.”
“Thanks Carla, I think John is looking to buy into a business here as well.”
I thought “Here's my chance to tell her what I’ve been thinking.” I said, “Sandy, why don't you ask him if he wants to buy into our business because I’ve been thinking of having another baby. Ricky has been keen to add to our family, and if this all happens I would go part time, what do you think about that?”
“I'll talk to him about it tonight and see how serious he is about us getting together.”
At bedtime after the twins were well and truly asleep, I cuddled into Ricky and said, “Honey I know you want us to have another baby and the way things are progressing with John and Sandy it will be a chance to take time out to add to our own little clan.”
“Do you really think it is that serious with John and Sandra?”
“Well I will know tomorrow when Sandy comes to work. I don't think poor John has a chance with all us women around, plus that spirit sister of mine do you?”
He replied, “Hell Carla that’s hardly fair on the guy but I guess by the time Jean is finished with him he won't know what hit him.”
***Jamie and Jenny***
“This is great” said Jamie as she and Jenny were making up their beds. “Jamie are you still going to communicate with with your aunty Jean?”
“You bet I am, but we will have to do it without Mummy knowing.”
“But won't she find out?”
“Yeah probably but we'll do it anyway. Don’t you want to know what the future holds?”
“Yeah but I don’t want to get into trouble doing it.”
“Don’t worry about it I'll take the blame, just get into bed and we'll start”.
They turned all the lights off except a little night light and lay on the bed holding hands.
As soon as the girls started to concentrate Jean appeared at the end of the bed and told the girls, “You can open your eyes girls, I will let you see me.”
Jenny was in awe of the beautiful angel sitting on the bed and said, “Oh my God you are so beautiful.”
Jean replied “Ok girls I shouldn't do this but if I don't you will only try again till I give in.”
Jamie said “Aunty Jean we won't tell Mummy or Jenny's Dad, 'promise'!!”
“Well my little ones in a few days it won't matter because they will tell you anyway.”
Jean then explained what would happen. She revealed to the two excited girls that there would be a wedding in the future but to leave life to take its course, and swore them to secrecy or she would never let them see her again. The girls promised not to tell anyone about what they had been told and the spirit angel called Jean sang to them till they fell asleep.
Ricky and myself talked late into the night about what our hopes and dreams were for the future and Ricky said “Sweetheart there's one way to find out what's in store for us, lets just ask Jean.”
I replied “Ricky darling, my sister will only give us a general outline of the future but let's see what will happen.”
Jean was already in our heads and said “I am only allowed to tell you certain things and you will have to decide what you do with information that I give to you.”
We questioned her at length and pretty much got all the answers that we wanted. As to what those answers were you will just have to keep reading to see what happens as I continue to write my story.
Monday 25/2/74
It was the beginning of the week and things had to go back to normal if there is such a thing. Ricky went off to do some work at the hanger and to see what charter flights he had for the week, but more and more he was just as happy to run the business so he could spend more time at home with me and his little daughters who hang on his every word. We both decide the time was right to have another baby, so I went off the pill and would let nature take its course.
I sorted out the twins and let Mum and Dad do their grand-parenting and went off to work, Amy was there sorting out some paperwork at Chrissie's desk. I asked what she was doing and she replied, “Christine won't be in today because she took ill last night and is in hospital. Alan phoned me this morning to let me know so I thought I had better see what paperwork needed to be done.”
I thought, “I wonder why they didn't ring me instead? There must be something wrong with her pregnancy. I will go to the hospital when Sandy turns up for work”.
Sandy turned up a little bit later than usual because she had to take Jamie to school and then run John and Jenny over to our place to pick up one of our spare cars for them to use while here in Quilpie. John had an international drivers licence; the only thing he had to watch was that he stayed on the left side of the road.
Sandy said “Sorry for being late Carla but I had to sort out Jamie for school and take my visitors to pick up the car.”
I replied, “It's ok Sandy, but seeing you're here now I have to go to see what's happened to Chrissie. She is at the hospital so I will leave you with it and find out what I can do to help.”
When I arrived at the hospital Alan was in the main entry with Jenny and little Josh. Alan looked distressed and I asked what had happened.
Jenny replied, “Sis, it looks like Chrissie might lose the baby.”
I put my arm around Alan and said, “Al honey that is not going to happen. You wait here with Jenny and I will go and see sister Marie and have a talk with Doc Ryan.”
As I walked to where they had Chrissie I said, “Jean where are you sis?”
“Right here,” came the reply in my head.
“Well do something will you?”
“Calm down Carla, the baby is fine and so is Chrissie.”
I replied in my head this time, “Why didn't you let me know sooner?”
“I was rather busy saving a little life, sister dear.”
“So what went wrong?”
“Chrissie had bad cramps and started to bleed but all is well and I have been in her head when you interrupted me.”
“Ok sorry, I am outside the room now so do your thing and I will also talk with her.”
I knocked on the door and did not wait to be told to come in. Seeing my family paid for most of the equipment in this place I tend to throw my weight around, but where my own are concerned I become very protective. Jim Ryan and a nurse looked at me and were about to say something when they recognised me and Jim said, “What took you so long Carla?”
I ignored him and went straight to Chrissie who was sitting up on the gurney bed and said, “Chrissie I have been talking to Jean and the baby is fine.”
She replied “Carla, remember she talks to me as well.”
“Of course, silly me. Well I had better go and fetch Alan who is on tenderhooks down the hall.”
By the time I left the hospital I was ready to have a nervous breakdown and had to pull up on the road and have a five minute cry to release the tension. With Rita and Chrissie both in their fourth month it was all getting to me.
Instead of going back to work I went straight home and called Ricky to come home too; I needed him, right now!!
I was sitting in the lounge when Mum brought the twins in and she asked “Carla what on earth are you doing at home?”
I started to cry and sob, she called Dad to come and take the twins outside to play while she looked after me.
I was a bit calmer when Ricky walked in and when he saw that I had been crying he sat on one side of me with Mum on the other,and then the dam really burst. Mum called for Doc Ryan to come and he arrived within ten minutes. I was total wreck and he gave me an injection. All I can remember is Ricky carrying me to the bedroom, and then I was with Jean in that green field that she seems to take me to when things go wrong.
This time I was dressed in the same gown that Jean wears and I guess if we'd been on earth there would be no way of telling us apart.
I said “Jean have I passed over and left earth behind?”
“My dear sweet sister, your time on earth is nowhere near over. You have a young family and husband to take care of and there is also one more to add in nine months time.”
Will it be a boy? Ricky would be so happy to have a little son.”
“Carla I shouldn't tell you but yes he will get his wish.”
“Jean when will we be together?”
“Carla we have always been together. When you said I would live my life through you at the grave site I went went with you that same day. We will always be connect in spirit and soul.”
I woke up in Ricky's arms with him gazing into my eyes.
He kissed my and said “My sweet Carla I love you. Please don't frighten me like you did last night ever again, I could never live without you.”
“Sorry Darling I’ll try not to and I love you too. Honey you know how you want us to add to the family?”
“Yes.”
“Well we're pregnant.”
“I know.”
“You listened into me and Jean didn't you?”
“Yes, do you mind?”
“No of course not, what will we call him?”
“I like Paul.”
“So do I. Paul it is, do you hear that Paul?”
To be continued.
Next time: Sandy ,John and Jenny sort things out that will change things for me and my time as a business woman into full time mum and enjoying my time with my little girls and only occasionally helping out with the business side of things.
Hugs from, Carla Bay
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Part Three - Chapter Eleven
Carla takes advice
Editing by Bronwen
Previously:
I woke up in Ricky's arms with him gazing into my eyes. He kissed me and said, “My sweet Carla I love you. Please don't frighten me like you did last night ever again, I could never live without you.”
I still felt a little sleepy from the effect of the injection Doc Ryan gave me the previous night and I doubted that I would be going to work that morning. There was a phone call and Mum said, “Carla, Sandra is on the phone and wants to know how you are and can she come over before she goes to the clinic?”
“Yes Mum, please tell her I’m o.k., and to come here first, but also to ring Amy and let her know she'll be late and if need be call Ross to help out.”
Ricky said, “Honey, until doc Ryan checks you out you're not going anywhere, is that clear?”
“Ricky don’t you boss me around!”
“Carla I'll tie you to the bed if I have to!”
I thought, “Gee I think he means it, I had better behave or I will be in trouble with everyone.”
I replied with tears in my eyes, “Sorry darling just a bit emotional at the moment.”
“Darling I love you too much to let you have a complete breakdown, so just behave yourself and slow down. You have been running around at a hundred miles an hour and it's time you thought about yourself for a change, especially now.”
“Ricky I have done it all my life, you know that I can't sit still.”
Just as I said that, Jim Ryan walked into the bedroom with a concerned look on his face and said, “Carla you are only twenty four years old. If you keep this up you won't reach your next birthday. You have done more in your short life than most people have who are twenty years older than you.”
I kept my mouth shut and thought “Well doc you are probably right, but how can you ask me to change my personality? I was born this way.”
Ricky then said, “Jim, did you know about Carla being pregnant?”
“Well after I saw the blood test that was done last night I did.”
I thought, “Bloody hell I had better speak up for myself before I get retired by everyone.”
I said, “Ok doc what do you suggest?”
“Well Carla, I want some more tests done but if you want to go the full term with this pregnancy I will tell you in the only way you will listen. Stop running around like a blue-arsed fly!!!!”
That got through to me and I must have been more stressed than I thought because the dam broke once more.
Now Ricky was getting worried and held me tightly in his arms till I quietened down. Jim was about to give me another injection when Mum walked in and said, “Jim, no more drugs, she just needs to slow down and she will be fine. Remember fourteen years ago with all the drama taking her to Brisbane in the helicopter and then to the Mater?”
“Yes Donna I was in that chopper with you too you know, and Carla is like my own daughter. I was there when the twins arrived too.”
I thought, “This has gone on long enough, pull yourself together girl.”
“Ok everyone I hear you. Jean is in my head as well. I will stop work for a bit and I’ll be fine.”
Jim replied, “Carla you need to stop work and no stress till I tell you otherwise or you will lose the baby. Do you understand?”
I replied through bloodshot eyes, “Yes doc, you're the boss.”
“Good. I will send your sister Jenny over to do the blood test shortly and I’ll be back this afternoon to check up on you.”
Jenny wanted to go back to work at the Hospital but Billy wouldn't hear of it while Josh was so young so she did part-time work and collected the blood tests for the hospital. A little later Jenny turned up with little Josh and he was taken out to play with my girls.
“Ok sister dear what have you got up to?” asked Jenny.
“Umm well you know!! No different than when we were growing up and we were the Three Musketeers and helped everyone remember?”
“Carla we were all young girls than; we have families now and you can't always help everyone to your own health's detriment. Now give me your arm and be quiet if you can!!!”
“Yes Ma'am!” I thought, “I suppose I had better do as I’m told I certainly don't want to jeopardise my unborn baby.”
Just as Jenny finished collecting my blood, Jean entered the scene and seemed to be communicating with everyone in the room and said, “I know that all the people in this room can hear me so listen up, I have always been with Carla since birth and we are both one soul. I’m not about to let her slip into ill health; the baby will be fine and Carla dear, you will do as you are told is that clear?”
I felt like a little girl being told to stand in the corner till I could behave myself and burst into tears once more. This time Mum told everyone to get out of the room and she then sat next to me and let me cuddle into her while she rocked me like she used to when I was little and sang to me. I fell asleep in her arms and found myself back in the spirit world with Jean rocking me instead of Mum and it was Jean doing the singing.
When I woke up three hours later I found myself in bed, with Ricky stroking my hair saying, “Hello sweetheart, have a nice time with Jean did we?”
I said, “How did you know I was with Jean?”
“Darling she let me see you in the spirit world and you looked even more beautiful in the blue shimmering gowns that you were both wearing.”
I replied, “Flattery will get you everywhere.”
Ricky said “Now honey you are going to slow right down aren't you?”
“Yes darling, obviously I don’t have a choice but I don’t want to be treated like an invalid either.”
“Don't worry sweetheart you will never be that.”
I thought, 'This could be fun but I had better have a long talk with Sandy and John to see what will happen with the veterinary clinic.'
Ricky said as if he read my mind, “Carla I have asked John and Sandy to come over this morning to sort out what has to happen with the clinic.”
I replied, “Ricky we also need Brian to come over to see what the best way to sort out the legal issues.” I thought to myself, “I don’t think I have much choice but to let this happen and just hope it all works out for the best.”
It all seemed like a dream to me when I finished the discussions with Sandy and John with Brian taking notes to take back to his office. It was all happening too fast but again I also knew that I had to slow down till our little boy was born and then I could go back to work.
I spent the rest of the day with the twins and Ricky at Helen and Barry, Ricky's parents' place. There would be a lot more of that from then on.
Sandra, John and Jenny speak
Jenny said, “Daddy, does all this mean that we won't go back home to live?”
“Well sweetheart I think that it's the best thing if we start a new life and you seem to like Sandra and Jamie or am I wrong?”
“No Daddy you're not wrong but I miss Mummy.”
Sandra then hugged Jenny and said, “Darling I can't replace your Mummy but I will love you just as much as I do Jamie.”
Jenny replied, “What about my little problem? Will I be able to have all the treatment done here in Australia?”
Sandra asked John to make a cup of tea and leave the two of them have a little discussion about girl things.
Sandy said, “Ok Jenny, you already know about Jamie being inter-sexed and that was all fixed without any problems and so will you when the time comes. I will fly us down to Brisbane and get the same doctors to treat you as well.”
By the time John came back with three cups of tea and some cake Jenny was all smiles.
Jamie was back at school and had told a few friends about her friend from the States and that her mum was going to try to enroll her in the same school. Once all the relevant paper work was sorted out with John's and Jenny's Australian residence with the immigration department things would settle down.
To be continued.
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Carla Bay
Part Three - Chapter Twelve
A breakdown
Editing by Bronwen
Previously:
It all seemed like a dream to me when I finished the discussions with Sandy and John with Brian taking notes to take back to his office. It was all happening too fast ,but again I also knew that I had to slow down till our little boy was born and than I could go back to work.
The rest of the day I spent with the twins and Ricky at Helen and Barry , Ricky's parents, which there will be a lot more of from now on.
***************************************
The story continues,
Sunday 24th February 1974
I'd settled down a little by now and got used to the fact that my life would be slightly different from now on. I thought to myself, “I will get myself pregnant so it is basically my own doing. Oh well it wont be too bad.”
Over the weekend most of what had to be done was sorted out and it only remained for Brian to draw up all the legals and I would sign the papers that would change my life at least for the foreseeable future.
I was feeling quite queasy in the tummy and of course I knew what it was, so off to the bathroom I went. It was only five a.m., and I didn’t want to wake Ricky or the twins so I stayed in the bathroom till I felt better and then went to the kitchen to make myself a cup of tea. I usually drink coffee but once I'm with child for some unknown reason my taste buds are quite different.
When I put the kettle on I must have disturbed Mum who came into the kitchen in her dressing-gown.
She said, “Sweetheart sit down I'll make us the tea, you look all flushed.”
I replied, “Mum, I know this is all part of being pregnant but it is the only part I don't enjoy.”
As usual Jean was in my head and said, “Carla last time I stopped a lot of that for you so I guess I'll have to do the same this time.”
I replied, out loud, “Sis you're too kind.'
Mum said, “Alright you two, you forget I can listen into your little digs at each other.”
Jean than manifested herself and was sitting on the chair next to Mum who jumped and said “Jean must you do that without warning?”
Both Jean and I laughed but said, “Sorry Mummy.” at the same time, just like my little ones do.
Mum said “Carla I'm glad you are only having one!! I don’t think I can handle much more of this double speak.”
By six a.m., the twins had their Daddy awake and and wanting to know where Mummy was. They are dry now and sleep all night through, which is a blessing.
Ricky put up with the little monsters jumping up and down on the bed for a while and then took them both down to the main bathroom and let them play in the big tub while he used the shower next to the tub. I could hear all the squealing going on and thought I’d better rescue my husband and see to the little ones.
When I got there Ricky was in the tub as well and they were making a real mess on the floor splashing water at each other. Ricky was as bad as the girls.
I said, “Ricky! Going through your second childhood are we?”
All I ended up with was a splash of water directed at me so I disrobed and got into the shower. In the end we were all wrapped in towels back in the bedroom, and I made the girls sit on the bed while Ricky and myself got dressed.
Once dressed we grabbed a twin each and dressed them for the day and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Mum was standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips and said, “I hope you two intend to clean up that bathroom.”
Both me and Rick said, “Yes Mum.”
The twins joined in and while climbing into the chairs singing “Yes mum” all Mum could do was to look the other way so not to encourage them to keep it up.
Mum had all the breakfast prepared, and Dad turned up as well and started blowing raspberries on the girls cheeks. Once all the silly stuff was over things settled down. The twins are really good at eating and can feed themselves. As long as they have their bibs on they don’t make too much of a mess.
Once breakfast was over, Mum and Dad looked after the twins while Ricky and myself cleaned up the kitchen and and bathroom. It was Sunday, so Ricky said, “Honey lets go over to Jenny's place and let the girls play with little Joshua.”
I replied, “Ok I'll give Jenny a call and see if she can cope with this unruly mob.”
It was only seven thirty a.m., but being February it was hot already. There is no real humidity in Quilpie but it get very hot in summer and most people get up fairly early especially the ones with little ankle biters.
I went to my home office and dialled Jenny's phone number.
“Hello Billy Wilson.”
“Billy it's Carla. I was just thinking it might be a good idea if we come over today and let the twins play with little Josh.”
He replied, “Sure, I want to catch up with Ricky anyway I'll let Jenny know.”
He hung up before I could tell him what time we would be there so I rang back. Jenny answered and said, “Make it ten o’clock.”
I replied, “What's wrong with Billy? He seems to be in a hurry and hung up the phone before I could tell him that I wanted to talk to you.”
“He was getting breakfast ready and left the milk on the stove and it was about to boil over”
We arrived at Jenny's place and saw that Rita and Peter's car was there and as we pulled up, Chrissie and Alan also turned up, I thought, “I wonder what this is all about? First Billy said he wants to catch up with Ricky and now half the family are here.”
Jenny's place is a typical old Queensland type homestead and has wide verandahs all the way round and there is also a pool with a shade cover over it. Rita had brought an Esky packed with enough food to feed an army.
Again I thought, “There is something I’m missing here.”
I said to my secretive husband, “Ok are you going to let me in on what is going on?”
He replied, “Well dear there are a few things going on and once we all sit down all will be revealed.”
I felt quite annoyed that I seemed to be treated like a kid and said, “Right, that's it!! Give me the keys to the car. I'm out of here.” Tears were already forming in my eyes.
Ricky said, “Calm down darling.” and tried to put his arm around me but it was too late. I was far too emotional to listen to him or anyone and walked off down the driveway and onto the road. I had no idea where I was going and just started to walk down the road, tears streaming down my cheeks. I was heading towards the airport and the hanger. Ricky wasn't far behind me but didn't try to stop me either so I kept right on walking in the direction of the airport. It was not that far and would only take me about ten minutes to get there.
I thought, “Why are they all keeping me out of the picture? I'm only pregnant for Christ sake!”
Just then I tripped and fell hard on a gravel driveway and skinned my knees. Ricky was there instantly and pulled me up into his arms and held me tight. I was now shaking and sobbing so hard that I couldn’t get any words out and then everything went black.
Jean said, “Why are you here again Carla?”
“How would I know? I’m too upset to care any more. They all think I can't handle life any more, but I'll show them not to mess with me.”
“Carla listen to me. You are about to lose your baby, is that what you want?”
“Well if I'm with you they can't find me can they?”
“Carla you are at present on your way to the hospital in Billy's car.”
“How can I be in Billy's car when I'm here with you?”
I came to in a hospital bed with Ricky holding my hand. He had bloodshot eyes and said, “Sweetheart I thought I had lost you. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you what was going on, I just wanted you to relax without any worries about the business.”
“The baby, Ricky the baby!! Is Paul ok?”
Ricky didn't answer me but Jean did in no uncertain terms, “Carla the baby is alright but you will have to stay in hospital for a few days. You lost a bit of blood, Now please behave yourself and let your worried husband tell you why the family was gathered at Jenny's place.”
Ricky got on the bed with me and I cuddled into him, “Sweetheart please don’t be upset with me. I know you thought we were leaving you out of the picture, but we were about to tell you when you took off up the road. I think you were heading to the hanger to take the Piper up, weren’t you?”
“Well I was mad at everyone trying to retire me from being in charge of my own life!! What did you expect?”
“Honey you are so close to having a complete meltdown. From now on I promise you I will tell you everything that is happening, but please don’t run off like that again”
“O.k., but I want to be part of any decisions that are being made or I will pull the plug on more than you can ever imagine my darling husband.”
I have more wealth than anyone in the family and that is only because I have invested in property on the Gold Coast and apartments in Brisbane, so if push came to shove I won't need any one to look after me.
I thought, “It's time to pull myself together and be sensible or things will not be very pleasant in the near future, and if they think I can be bullied they are all sadly mistaken”.
I could see Ricky had a worried look on his face and was close to tears.
“Carla what's happened to you? You have never been like this before.”
“No one has ever tried to bully me before, and it's not going to happen now Ricky”
He had never seen me like this but just because I was pregnant I wasn't just going to bed for nine months.
I said, “Ricky you are my whole life and I love you more now than ever. Just think, you will have a little son in nine months time.”
Ricky has never really shown his emotions as much as he did now and he had tears streaming down his face and said, “Carla you have always been there for me. I wouldn't do anything to jeopardise our marriage. I'm so sorry about what happened, I love you.”
The next hour was spent with myself and Ricky talking quietly about what was going to happen about the clinic, and what I expected to do till our boy was born. Of course Jean was included in most of the conversation. I decide I would not sell my share of the clinic but become a silent partner for two years and when our little boy turned one I would make up my mind what I wanted to do about going back to work.
There was a knock on the door and I said, “Come in” and in walked every one that was present when I had my little tantrum earlier in the day. I felt a little ashamed at how I was behaving and apologised to my family. No tears this time. We all agreed on what was to happen so my stress level dropped to a reasonable level.
My little girls were being looked after by the nurses while things were being worked out and then I heard them down the hallway singing a nursery rhyme with the nurses joining in. My twins seem to be able sing complete songs and not miss a word or note. I think Jean might be prompting them.
A nurse named Kathy opened the door and in walked my two little girls with a bunch of flowers each, both saying, “I love you Mummy.” and climbed up on the bed and cuddled into me.
I replied, “I love you too my little darlings.”
I spent another two days in hospital and on the third day I had had enough of inactivity so I phoned Doc Ryan to come and see me. He was there within half an hour and said, “Good morning Carla. I know, you want to go home!”
I replied, “Jim I need to do some exercise or I will end up being a blimp, and besides the girls need their mother. I promise I will take it slow but I need to be home or I will go stir crazy.”
Jim replied, “Carla you have promised me before and then ended up in hospital. Can I trust you to do as I tell you from now on?”
“Of course this time I will do as you tell me, now can I go home?”
“Hmm!!! well alright, only because your Mum is already outside to pick you up.”
Mum came in and said, “Ok girl lets get you home.”
I replied, “Mum I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused the last few days.”
“Honey it was all caused by stress, but that’s going to change now isn't it?”
“Yes Mummy.”
The next week was spent with me resting like I should have done before all this started. The twins were happy with me being around and of course my ever present sister Jean was in my head most of time so I did not have much choice but to behave.
Wednesday 27/2/74
I was starting to enjoy being at home with the twins and Mum and Dad. Ricky was leaving for work at least two hours later. I think it is because he wanted to make sure that I was doing everything not to jeopardise his unborn son.
Chrissie was only working a few hours a day as well and was spending a lot of her time with me. She of course was a bit further down the track than me and was not having any real problems with morning sickness, half her luck!!. John had gone back to the States to finalise all he had to do to sell up and than come back to become an Aussie. I was still allowed to drive so it had become my job to pick up the girls from school of an afternoon. Oh by the way, young Jenny had been enrolled in the same school as Jamie and was the talk of the school because of her American accent.
Sandy absolutely loved having the two girls to look after and once John returned I think there would be a wedding. I also had long discussions with Jenny about her being transgendered. She of course was impatient and wanted to go to Brisbane as soon as possible for Rose to start her on the track to womanhood.
To be continued.
Please leave a comment.
Carla Bay [email protected]
Part Three - Chapter Thirteen
Peace and calm return
Editing by Bronwen
Saturday morning 2/3/74
It was as usual 5 am on a warm March morning and my little princesses were awake and wanting to climb into bed with me and Ricky. I wasn't too keen because any minute I would have to make a dash to the loo. Ricky however loved having a romp with them before he took them to the bathroom to get them sorted for the day. Those little ladies had my husband completely wrapped around their sticky little fingers.
I of course did my little trip and emptied out what was left in my tummy, then joined the singing three in the bathroom. Just why water had to be all over the floor I couldn't say but it was usually left up to me to clean it up.
I said to Ricky, “I'm over mopping up after you lot.”
He replied “Sorry dear I'll do that from now on.”
“You're too kind!”
The little copycats looked at their Dad and said in their singsong voices “Mopping up, too kind.”
What could I say? I told them to get out so I could have my shower in peace.
Later I phoned Doctor Ryan to ask him if it would be ok for me to fly.
“Hi Jim, it's me.”
“Yes me,” he replied, instantly knowing who it was.
“I want to take the girls up for a bit of joy flight today but I want to make sure if it's ok to do that.”
“Look Carla, it was stress that made you ill, so fly if you must but just don't rush around and you should be fine.”
I didn't need any encouragement and phoned Sandy.
“Hello Sandra speaking.”
“Sandy can I borrow the girls for the day? I just feel the need to take to the sky and take them out to one of my favourite spots.”
“Well are you sure you can cope with the two of them?”
“Yes Sandy, Jamie has been asking me to start her flying lessons if that's alright with you?”
“Sure, but take it easy, we don't want to have a ''mayday'' call saying you can't make it home do we?”
“Sandy you know me better than that. I am probably the safest pilot in Australia,”
“Alright I'll bring the girls over. Does Ricky know?”
“Does Ricky know what?”
“Carla!!!”.
I told Ricky what I was going to do and he was about to say something when I put my hand up and said, “Darling I have got the ok from Doc Ryan so please don't try to stop me from doing things that are not connected with the clinic.”
He replied, “I think I had better come with you in case you start to feel sick.”
I thought, 'Oh well at least I know he loves me and there is enough room in the Piper.'
“Ok but the twins will have to stay at home with Mum because I want to fly out to River Downs and show the girls where Jean's grave is.”
Ricky replied, “Sweetheart do you think you should be flying the Piper out there? The grave is at least half a mile from the landing strip.”
“Well if you're coming we can take the chopper and you can do the flying and land fifty yards from the grave, and while your at it you can show Jamie how to operate the controls while I talk with Jenny.”
“That sounds good to me,” he replied.
I was feeling pretty good and got Mum to make up enough food for the day because we wouldn't be back till dark. I don’t fly at night but Ricky can fly by instruments, so it wouldn't matter if we stayed till the sun was setting on River Downs which was always my favourite time to watch the birds come to settle in the tall red gum trees that grow in the outback, and of course Jean's grave is under one of those trees.
Sandy turned up with two very excited girls and had also packed some food and drinks for their day trip.
Sandy said, “Is Ricky flying the chopper?” My hubby was standing behind me and was giving Sandy the thumbs up sign.
I said “I saw that Ricky Smith.”
“Yes dear sorry dear.” The banter went on a bit more when Mum brought the twins out to say goodbye. They weren't too happy about not coming especially seeing we were taking the helicopter but Mum said she was taking them down to Uncle Tony's pool later and that seemed to placate them.
We climbed into the four wheel drive and were off to the hanger where the chopper is always flight ready. So while Ricky opened the big sliding doors to the hanger and proceeded to pull the chopper out to the landing apron in front of the hanger with the help of two future pilots, I went in to the office and phoned the owner of River Downs, Tom Granger.
“Hello River Downs.”
“G'day Tom, it's Carla. I'm sorry to ring so early but I thought I’d better let you know that we are coming out that way this morning.”
“Oh right-ho are you leaving now?”
“Yes and it'll be in the chopper because I want to visit Jean's grave, and seeing I’m with child, hubby thinks I am not capable of walking any more than a few steps.”
Tom knows me pretty well and just laughed and said, “Carla I hope you never change, you could always make me laugh even when you were running around in nappies all those years ago”.
Once we got all our things put into the chopper it was time to head skyward and make our way to River Downs which is about one and a half hours flight away. Jamie got to sit in the co-pilot's seat and we headed south-west looking down over the now very green landscape from all the flooding that had taken place.
It made me feel nostalgic about the time that I spent on River Downs learning all about how to survive in the outback. It was near lunch time by the time we were flying over the homestead to let Tom and his wife know we had arrived and then headed straight to the spot where we could land close to where my sister Jean's grave is situated.
Ricky let Jamie hold on to the dual controls so she could get to feel the difference between a fixed wing and rota aircraft, Ricky put the bird down as gentle as a feather about thirty yards from the tree that was marked with a ring of white rocks around the base and the grave was inside this circle.
Ricky showed Jamie how to shut the chopper down while I said to all three to just give me a few minutes by myself by Jean's grave. I almost stumbled as I caught my sandal on the landing skid of the helicopter. Thank God that no one saw that happen or Ricky would have wanted to carry me.
As I made my way to Jean's grave she was in my head saying, “Carla you do realise that there are only a lot of old bones buried there, so don't get all emotional on me will you.”
“Thanks for reminding me sis, but I just wanted to show the girls where your body lies and to sit under this beautiful red gum.”
Jean said, “I have been watching who has been tending to the grave.”
I replied out loud now because the others realised that I was talking with Jean, “Well!!!are you going to tell or do I have to play your silly guessing games?”
This got her cranky and being twins she is no different in her nature than me and won't stand to be told what to do.
Jean appeared sitting on the well kept grave saying, “Carla you remember when you used to go to the aboriginal reserve to take the local school kids to see some burial sites?”
“Yes I do sis.”
“Well the old man you used to visit at his camp site to listen to his stories and be taught about survival in the outback told the traditional owners of this land before he passed away they had to look after this site."
Ricky could see me talking and waited till I said to come over.
Jean said, “I will stay insight for the others especially the girls so they can see that I am not under this pile of rocks.”
As Ricky came closer he let the girls sit on the grave beside my ever present sister. The girls have seen Jean many times now and to them it has become a normal occurrence.
I said to Ricky, “Honey let's take a walk along the river and leave Jean to tell the girls all about what happened here all those years ago.”
“Ok but are you sure your fit enough to walk on all that uneven ground?”
“Ricky I'm pregnant, not an invalid!!”
We walked hand in hand down to the river and went straight to where myself and Rita carved our names in a large gum tree the day before we left River Downs. It is still very visible and Ricky asked, “Do you ever think much about when you were living out here as a young kid?”
“Sometimes, but I was supposed to be a boy and Rita and I had to keep my dressing as a girl secret or my Dad would have belted us both.”
Ricky said, “Your birth Dad was a monster wasn’t he?”
“Well you should remember the day we were at Charleville airport when he and my brother John had a go at me and you jumped on him even though he was twice the size of you. Darling you were my hero than and you still are now.”
We kept holding hands and laid back on the soft grass that grew on the bank of the river that flowed through the sheep station and watched the clouds float by in the warm March skies of outback Queensland.
It wasn't too long when two girls broke the silence. Jamie calls Ricky 'Uncle' and Jenny seems to be doing the same.
“Uncle Ricky,” said Jenny, “can we go and see where Aunty Carla carved her and Aunty Rita's names in a tree?”
Without getting up he just pointed up over his head to the tree just a few yards back from we were laying. It didn't take long before they asked if they could add their names as well.
Ricky looked at me and said, “What do you think honey?”
I replied, “No, let them find their own tree and you help them do the carving with your pocket knife.”
I stayed where I was while Ricky walked over to the nearest tree and helped the girls carve their names and date. Jamie ran back to the chopper and retrieved a camera that I brought just for this sort of occasion. Of course the two of them had to pose with them both holding the pocket knife to prove it was them that carved their names into a tree on the sheep station that was my home till I was nine years old.
Jamie said, “Aunty Carla do you think your horse Cindy is still alive?”
“No Sweetheart, she had to be put down a couple of years after we left. She was bitten by a snake and did not make a recovery.”
“Can we go and see Mr Granger and his wife before we go back?”
“Of course. If you're both finished carving up trees we will get in the chopper and head for the homestead.”
It's only a five minute flight from Jean's grave to the large homestead. Tom and his wife Margaret are now seventy four years old but never wanted to leave the outback life and continue to operate the property as a going concern. It was Tom that came up with the idea to have an air charter business in Quilpie and that is really where all my flying started as a young girl.
Tom was standing on the verandah watching us land and waved to us to come to the house, and was hitting an old cow bell to let us know that Margaret had prepared lunch for us all, so the packed lunch would be going back home that night.
After lunch Tom showed the girls around the property while myself and Ricky caught up with Margaret. It was late afternoon before we said our goodbyes and climbed on board the bird and made our way home before it became dark.
Carla aged seven
To be continued. Please leave a comment.
Author's note. Due to a medical procedure I will not be writing for a few weeks but I will continue my stories as soon as I can. Carla
Part Three - Chapter Fourteen
Mayday
Editing by Bronwen
Author's note: After a two month break, I am returning in excellent health and am continuing the story.
Previously:
Ricky and I took Jamie, Jenny and the twins to River Downs where I spent the first nine years of my life. Ricky showed the two older girls where Rita and I had carved our names in a tree and they asked if they could carve their names on another tree. We also visited the grave of my twin Jean.
After lunch Tom showed the girls around the property while Ricky and I caught up with Margaret. It was late afternoon before we said our goodbyes and climbed on board the bird and made our way home.
The girls were tired; it was sunset and the scenery was like something out of a storybook. The colours in the outback come alive as the sun disappears below the horizon and the sky turns a deep orange, while the mountain ranges change colours till all is dark. When you look up to the night sky the stars seem so bright and close you feel like you can almost reach out and touch them. The outback is a very spiritual place for me and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.
Jenny and Jamie went to sleep once we were airborne and with the hum of the engine I dosed off as well so it was up to my ever loving husband to get us home.
I woke up when Ricky was gently stroking my face and said, “Honey wake up we're on the ground.”
I guess I must have been more tired than I thought and the events of the last couple of weeks had left me drained.
The girls were still asleep so once Ricky closed down the chopper he got the car out of the hanger so we could transfer them into the back seat. They were rubbing their eyes and Jenny said, “It's dark.”
Jamie replied “Yeah !!!Usually is at night!”
“Ok girls, settle down and once Uncle Ricky finishes with the chopper we'll get you home and fed.”
“Food,” replied Jamie.
Jenny remembered all the food that was packed that morning to take with us for the trip and that it was in an ice chest and said, “Aunty Carla, what about all that lovely food we took with us, can we eat that for our dinner?”
“That's the plan,” I replied.
Ricky got into the car and said, “Carla how about we go to Rita's at the restaurant and eat there before we go home?”
“Ricky we have an ice chest full of food and I don't want to waste that.”
“Well I don’t think your sister will mind if we take it in and eat there.”
“No I suppose not, and I want to see how Rita is getting on anyway.”
The girls liked the idea of taking the food into the restaurant and mixing with the customers. So that is where we ended up.
Rita was pleased to see us and greeted us as only my older sister can. There weren’t many people in the restaurant being Sunday evening and the ones that were there all knew us and invited us to sit with them even though we had brought in the ice chest with our own food.
Ricky's brother Peter sat down with him and started discussing Rita and myself as to when our babies were to be born. While the conversations were going on with the rest of the group Rita and I decided to listen in on them.
“Ricky what’s it like to be a dad and should I be present at the birth of my son?”
“Well Pete I know I'm your younger brother and usually you're supposed to know more about these things, but being a dad is one of the best things that has ever happened to me and I can't wait to have our third child to spoil.”
“Well what about being present at the birth?”
“Yeah sure do it, it will make you realise just what women go through and I'm quite sure Rita will want you to be there as well.”
Rita and I kept quiet and just smiled at each other.
3/3/74
Monday morning, I am feeling tired but happy and glad that I took the girls out to River Downs yesterday to let them see a bit of where I grew up and also realise that a grave is just that, and it only holds the remains but not your spirit. I am planning to take a trip down to Brisbane and will have to see if Doc Ryan thinks if it ok for me to fly. Later, Mum and Dad said they would take the twins over to Ricky's parents Helen and Barry to give me a bit more rest time and it probably is time that they got to see them a bit more anyway.
I phoned Doc Ryan, “Jim it's Carla can I come and see you this morning?”
“Good morning Carla what have you done this time?”
“Nothing, I just want you to check me out because I want to spend a few days down in Brisbane and I want to make sure I have your ok before I fly down there in the Piper.”
“Ok make it ten o’clock this morning and we'll see what your health and state of mind is like.”
“There's nothing wrong with my mind thank you very much!”
Jim laughed and hung up before I could have the last word.
Ricky was still at home so I decide to let him in on what I was planning to do. He was playing with the twins out on the verandah so I sat down on the swing seat and said, “Ricky I need to talk to you for a minute.”
“Alright honey I'll take the twins in to Mum.”
“No they'll be fine, come sit with me.”
He sat beside me and said, “What's up sweetheart?”
“Darling I need to go down to Brisbane for a few days and catch up with Sam and her mum Mary.”
“Do you want me to fly you down?”
“No I should be ok to fly the Piper down.”
Ricky replied, “I really don’t think that’s a good idea Carla you know how much I worry about you at the moment.”
I thought, 'Here we go again, but I suppose he's right so I'll see what he wants to do.'
“Look if Jim checks you out and says it's ok to fly than I suppose it’ll be ok but I don’t like it honey.”
“Darling I promise I will only fly if he says I'm safe to fly ok?”
Ricky went off mumbling something about not being in control and 'Why is she so stubborn all the time?' I decided to keep my mouth shut for once and wait till I get the all clear from Jim.
Life is a bit different now that I am not off to work every morning and I'm enjoying spending a lot my time with my little girls, but this morning Ricky said he would look after them and take them out to the hanger where they also have a play area with sand pit. Yes they are well spoilt by all.
I arrived at Doc Ryan's surgery at nine thirty and walked straight into his office, “Morning doc.”
“Good morning Lady Carla.”
“Don’t you start,” I replied.
“Ok lets see what your vitals are doing.”
“Jim I need to get away for a few days on my own and catch up with some old friends in Brisbane,”
Jim did all of the necessary checks and gave me the ok to fly but to take it slow once I was in Brisbane.
I drove straight out to the hanger to tell Ricky to prepare the Piper for my flight. He still didn't think I should be going on my own, but once I whispered a few things in his ear he seemed to succumb to my charms. While he was preparing the plane I took the twins home and than packed everything I would need for a week's stay in Brisbane.
I chatted with Mum and Dad for a while and told them I would ring every day and talk to to the twins at night before they were put to bed, then I gathered the girls up and took them out to the hanger so that they could see me take off.
The Piper Comanche was all set to fly, so Ricky put my gear in the rear of the plane and we went into the office to have a cup of tea before I took off.
Ricky said, “Sweetheart ring me as soon as you get to Archerfield so I know that you are ok.”
“Yes of course I will and stop worrying so much, I am a safe pilot.”
I let the twins sit in the cockpit for a few minutes and told them to be good girls for Daddy.
They both replied in unison “Yes Mama, we be good” with that mischievous little smile that they have.
I said goodbye to my husband, and did all the preflight checks and taxied out to the runway where I gave one last wave to my family and gave her all the power to take off.
I climbed to six thousand feet and levelled out and set my course and speed at 360 air knots. It was a beautiful clear day and the country down below looked green and lush; all the rivers and streams were all flowing with brown water from the previously flooded catchments.
I always like flying over the top of the range and the city of Toowoomba and as you come to the edge it drops two thousand feet and the scenery of the valley below is just spectacular.
I got as far as flying over Oakey, well not over Oakey because there is an army air base five miles out from the town and that is restricted air space, so I kept within the air corridor outside this space. As I was nearing Toowoomba I noticed a smell of burning wiring filling the cockpit. I thought, 'OK now keep your head and follow the right procedure, remember you trained for this, JEAN where are you?'
She manifested herself right beside me and said, “Carla I will protect you but you have to do the flying.”
Ok first things first; radio into the tower, “This is lima foxtrot bravo vh emergency emergency, I have smoke in the cockpit and request to land at Toowoomba Airport.”
“Lima Foxtrot how far out are you?”
“I'm five miles west of the Airport and losing altitude.”
“Carla this is Terry at the Toowoomba tower, we can just pick you up with binoculars, how many are on board?”
“Terry thank God it's you, it's just me; smoke is getting worse, am going to lower the landing gear, right engine has feathered out.”
“Carla you're two miles out, runway is clear and emergency vehicles already on their way.”
My air speed had dropped to two hundred and eighty knots, and as long as I could keep her at that I'd be able to land without too much trouble. The smoke was making me feel sick and as I was approaching the runway the left engine feathered out as well. Now all I could do was to keep her nose up. I could barely see the runway for the haze inside the plane.
'Jean are you still with me?'
To be continued, please leave a comment
Part Three - Chapter Fifteen
Back to Earth
Editing by Bronwen
Previously:
As I was nearing Toowoomba I noticed a smell of burning wiring filling the cockpit. I thought, 'OK now keep your head and follow the right procedure, remember you trained for this, JEAN where are you?'..............
My air speed had dropped to two hundred and eighty knots, and as long as I could keep her at that I'd be able to land without too much trouble. The smoke was making me feel sick and as I was approaching the runway the left engine feathered out as well. Now all I could do was to keep her nose up. I could barely see the runway for the haze inside the plane.
'Jean are you still with me?'
Carla was in trouble. Unable to see through the smoke haze in the cabin, and both engines feathering she managed to bring the plane down but hit the runway hard which made the landing gear give way. The plane belly flopped and the emergency crew were there within thirty seconds of the plane skidding to a halt – sparks flying everywhere and smoke pouring from the fuselage. Carla was knocked unconscious when her head hit the instrument panel even though she was strapped in to her seat. The crew opened the door and pulled Carla free from the plane just as it burst into flames, and by the time they had her thirty yards away and laid on the ground the Piper blew up in a fireball.
'Hello sister dear,' said Jean sitting in their favourite spot in the spirit realm that Carla seems to visit all to often.
'Jean why am I back here again? I'm supposed to be in Brisbane with Mary and Sam.'
'Well it's like this; because you were knocked out when you crashed at the Toowoomba airport you obviously have a bit of memory loss.'
'Am I dead now seeing I'm here with you again?'
'No sis but you are in the ICU in the Toowoomba hospital.'
'The Piper!! I crashed the Piper! Ricky will be upset. Oh Jean, the baby! Is Paul ok?'
Jean replid 'Yes Carla, he's fine, but perhaps the doctor should have grounded you until Paul is born. As for Ricky, well at he moment he is holding your hand with tears in his eyes wanting you to wake up.'
I started to open my eyes and things were blurry and I could not focus properly. I heard Ricky call to someone, “She's awake!”
My vision was not good but I could see two people bending over me, one was shining a bright light into my eyes which made me squint, One of them said, “Get the doctor now.” The other one was holding my hand and said, “Honey it's me Ricky.” My vision was starting to clear and I could see my husband with bloodshot eyes squeezing my hand.
“Hi honey” I said as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
“My God Carla what went wrong?”
“I don’t know. I was nearing Toowoomba and I wake up here with you holding my hand.”
“Honey you crashed, the Piper is a total loss - there is nothing left of it.”
“Oh dear I'm sorry, I can't remember any of that.”
“I'm not surprised! You were knocked out when you hit your head. The emergency crew pulled you out just in time or you would have been with Jean forever.”
Ricky than produced a tape recorder of the exchanges between me and the Toowoomba tower. When I heard it I started to cry because it was starting to come back to me what had occured, I said “Ricky there was smoke and the engines started to fail. I want to know who serviced the Piper. My God I might have been killed.”
“Calm down sweetheart, you need to rest and than we will go through what the possible cause was. The air safety people are now involved and are going through all the records of what has been done to the Piper.”
I was told to stay in hospital for a few days in case of complications from concussion after being unconscious for at least nine hours. Only Ricky was allowed to stay with me while I was in Intensive Care, but now that I was coherent the rest of my tribe were all filing into my room. Jean was present but stayed silent; Mum and Dad both couldn't hold back their tears and hugged me till I couldn't breath.
Mum said, “Carla we honestly thought you were gone till Jean said we had no such luck.”
Mentally I said, 'Thanks sis you'll keep!'
Her response was 'You're welcome, besides you have a son on the way.'
Before they let anyone else in I had lunch to get some strength back and then the twins and everyone was there. Jamie had a lot of questions about how I brought the plane down.
I replied, “Jamie, it is a matter of training and keeping you head and hope you survive.”
After an hour I was left with Ricky and than we both laid on the bed and cried and laughed and discussed what was to happen in the future.
Having gone through something like this you would have thought that I would never want to fly again but I was already talking about what sort of plane I wanted to replace the Piper Comanche.
Ricky said, “Ok my little Carla, I suppose you will want another aircraft to wreck!!?”
“Well husband dear seeing it wasn't my fault that the Piper went down, than yes I do want a new plane!”
Ricky replied, “Alright, once you get the all clear and the family go back home we can fly down to Sydney and have a look at what you would like to buy.”
“What do you mean what I would like to buy? The Piper was a a Croft Airways plane and the company will pay for a new one. Anyway the insurance should pay most of the cost.”
“Don’t get your knickers in a twist sweetheart, the company will pay for a new toy for Lady Carla.”
“Watch it dear or you will never make another baby again.”
After I sorted Ricky out which took all of three minutes, all of the family came in to the room to say goodbye before they all went back to Quilpie. The twins weren’t happy to go back with Mum and Dad so Rita and Peter said they would look after them for a while.
Rita said, “It will be good for Peter and myself to get to look after them before our little boy comes along”
6/3/74 Thursday
It was ten am and I was champing at the bit to get out of the hospital and go to the Toowoomba airport to have a look at what was left of the Piper, and then fly down to Sydney with Ricky to have a look at what aircraft I would end up with.
We arrived at the airport by taxi and went straight to the hanger where the remains of the Piper were all laid out, Ricky was holding my hand and said, “Sweetheart you don't have to do this.”
“Yes I do! Have you any idea how many hours I spent in that aircraft?” I started to shake and tears formed in my eyes.
Ricky held onto me and said, “Carla when I heard what happened I honestly thought I had lost you.”
“Well,” I replied, “I think Jean might have something to do with me still being here.”
“Yeah, why is she being so quiet? She usually joins in on our conversations.”
Jean announced herself and said to us both, 'I'm here but sometime nature has to also take its course and all I do is be there when thing go wrong like a bird falling out of the sky.'
I replied in my mind, 'Thanks sis I don't mean to be a burden to you.'
'Sweet sister of mine how can you be a burden to me when we are two halves of one spirit?'
'Ok point taken.'
Ricky was getting impatient, “Ok lets get out of here.”
I wanted to see the actual spot where I hit the ground before we left so we borrowed a golf buggy type thing and drove down the runway where all we could see was the remains of stains on the tarmac and where grass had caught alight when the fuel tanks exploded. I felt quite numb and got shivers up my back when I thought, 'If Jean wasn't there at the time I would now be with her for good.'
We went back to the hanger where one of our twin Cessnas was parked. A larger plane was charted earlier to fly the family back home.
Ricky had arranged to have the plane made ready to fly the previous day. It was the one he flew down when he got the call to say I had crashed. I hated to think the state he was in then and was glad there hadn't been another accident.
I was getting hungry and wanted to have a meal before we flew down to Sydney so we had lunch at the cafeteria.
I said “Ricky I need clothes. What am I supposed to wear apart from what Mum brought down for me?”
“Honey, Mum and Rita packed all the clothes you will need for at least a week.”
That satisfied me for the moment but once in Sydney I decided to go shopping for clothes before looking at aircraft.
We boarded the Cessna and I said I wanted to take the controls.
“NOOO way,” said Ricky, “You have been unconscious and have not been cleared to fly for at least another three days.”
“Oh bugger!” was my response but the doctor has the say about those sort of things so I guessed I’d just have to bide my time and behave which is not easy for someone as strong willed as me.
I felt a little nervous at first but once we were airborne I settled down. I also kept a close eye on all the instruments which in turn made Ricky nervous.
Jean made herself present in both our minds and said, 'Don’t worry, nothing is going to go wrong. What happened to the other plane was something that happens along the way in life.'
Ricky replied, “Jean are you telling us that you knew the Piper had a problem?”
'That would be telling wouldn't it?' She then added 'Ricky, don’t worry, Carla and little Paul were protected by the spirit world.' She than went quiet before we could ask any more questions.
Three hours later we had parked our craft at one of the hangers that we do business with and also borrowed a car from them.
Ricky wanted to go and have a look at what was available straight away but I was getting tired and blamed my pregnancy, so Ricky wasn't game to argue with me.
He said, “Ok honey we can book into a hotel and have a good night's sleep and be fresh tomorrow to see what suits you.”
“Yes I agree and besides I want to be cuddled in bed by my lover.”
“Only cuddled?” he replied. I miss Ricky when I’m away more than a couple of days so that night was something that I desperately need, especially seeing what we had both been through the last week.
I needn't have worried about not having enough clothes to wear because Mum and Rita know exactly the type of things I wear. They don't call me 'colourful Carla' for nothing. I picked out a business type suit for the day because when I do business I like to look more mature and I seem to get more respect from the people that I deal with, which are usually men who think they know everything, including my husband.
It was Friday morning and we probably wouldn't be home for at least four or five days because on our way back I wanted to stop in Brisbane to see Mary and Sam which was what that trip was all about in the first place.
I said to Ricky, “Before we go to the restaurant for breakfast we had better ring home and talk with Donna and Jean.”
I rang and Mum answered,“Hello Donna Croft speaking.”
“Hi Mum just ringing to say g'day to the girls.”
“Carla they are at Rita's, remember?”
“Oh damn!! Sorry Mum the knock on the head must have done more damage than I thought.”
“Carla sweetheart are you sure you are ok? Let me talk to Ricky.”
“Mum I'm fine, just a bit tired that’s all.”
Ricky could hear the conversation and I just handed him the phone, “Hello Mum, Carla is fine don’t worry I will keep a close rein on her today and if she plays up I will fly her straight home.” I ignored that and went on getting ready for the day.
Ricky rang the right number and Rita answered. After a few minutes the girls were on the phone, so Ricky put the phone on speaker, both girls talking nineteen to the dozen, “Daddy Mummy Unka Pete wet us wird a horsey.”
After talking with them I felt a little bit melancholy and wish I could have brought them with us. Once I get back I will endeavour to spend as much time with them as possible and Ricky is going to cut back on his work as well.
At nine a.m. it was time to head to the airport and where the hangers were to see what was there to look at. We drove up to a large hanger complex which had Cessna Sales written on the side of the main building. We went to the front office where we were greeted by a well dressed lady in her fifties.
“Good morning,” she said looking at Ricky and not really acknowledging me. When this sort of thing happens Ricky steps back and lets me do my thing; he knows how much I hate people thinking women should be seen and not heard.
I said, “Good morning madam, I'm here to have a look at what craft you have to offer. Could I speak to your boss please?”
She replied rather sheepishly, “I am the owner of the business, how can I help you?” Ricky kept quiet and let me handle this lady.
I said, “I'm Carla Smith and this is Ricky my husband. We own Croft airways and need to replace a plane which went down last week.”
She replied “Oh of course, it was on the news. Was it you who was the pilot?”
“Yes, so if you don’t mind we are keen to have a look at a Cessna twin if you have one in stock.”
With this she wasn't game to talk to Ricky which is ok with him, he is more interested in the technical side of things anyway.
She showed us into the main hanger and said “By the way I'm Brenda Lockwood and I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot.”
Ricky had a grin on his face when he replied, “Carla is the business person and I sort out the running of the craft.”
I cast my eye over a brand new shiny twin Cessna. It was exactly what I was looking for but I didn't let her think that straight away.
I never ask the price till later, in case I seem too keen to purchase an item. Ricky started to look around the machine and I was more interested to get up into the cockpit to see what is felt like.
It was a Cessna 414 capable of carrying up to eight passengers, so it could be used to do charter work when I didn’t want to use it. I wanted something in which I could virtually take the whole family or at least most of them when I want to. Ricky had spoken about that for quite some time, so this craft looked like it fitted our needs and was capable of earning its keep in our fleet of fifteen fixed wing aircraft and two choppers.
This plane was flight ready which was a good sign for the business that Brenda was running.
The craft was taken out to the tarmac and ready for us to have a test flight. Brenda, herself a pilot said it is an insurance requirement for her to be with the plane on any test flights which I would have expected.
Once on board Ricky sat in the right hand seat which I normally like to use when flying but at that moment seeing I had been told I shouldn't fly for a couple more days I guess I would have to wait to get my hands on this beautiful aircraft.
We ended up doing a deal with trading in the twin Cessna that we came down in and then decided to fly back on Monday via Brisbane and than home to Quilpie.
Monday 9/3/74.
We were both eager to get going and arrived at the airport at eight am and surprisingly Brenda was there to greet us, “Good morning Carla and Ricky,” and she winked at me while she said that. Ricky had a smirk on his face which said it all but he is used to being married to a strong woman, but can also take control of me if I get too pushy.
We climbed aboard after we both went through all the pre-flight checks and settled into the cockpit with me in the right hand seat. Ricky didn't object and said, “Well sweetheart, radio the tower and give them our flight plan and get clearance to take to the sky.
The power of this craft was more than I have ever experienced and we were up over the western part of Sydney and on our way in no time. I took her up to twelve thousand feet and set our course for Brisbane.
Cessna Twin 404
To be continued. Please leave a comment.
There was a wishing well in the park down the road where Peter lived and he would go there after school every afternoon on his way home. He always made sure he had some coins in his pocket because nothing happened till he dropped a coin into the well and heard it splash into the water that seemed to be a long way down. Only when he heard the coin hit the water did he close his eyes and make his favourite wish, which was of course - you guessed it - being a girl instead of a fifteen year old boy.
There was a wishing well in the park down the road where Peter lived and he would go there after school every afternoon on his way home. He always made sure he had some coins in his pocket because nothing happened till he dropped a coin into the well and heard it splash into the water that seemed to be a long way down. Only when he heard the coin hit the water did he close his eyes and make his favourite wish, which was of course - you guessed it - being a girl instead of a fifteen year old boy.
There was a wishing well in the park down the road where Peter lived and he would go there after school every afternoon on his way home. He always made sure he had some coins in his pocket because nothing happened till he dropped a coin into the well and heard it splash into the water that seemed to be a long way down. Only when he heard the coin hit the water did he close his eyes and make his favourite wish, which was of course - you guessed it - being a girl instead of a fifteen year old boy. He lived with his Mum in a council flat. His Dad died a year ago from lung cancer from smoking two packs of cigarettes a day and always was going to give it up but just couldn’t quite do it. Peter loved his Dad and it was a sad day when they buried him, but life goes on and he and his Mum had to survive without the bread-winner of the family.
His Mum was Beth Allback. Her maiden name was Allbright which was always a running joke when people wanted to have a bit of fun, and when they greeted her they would say, “And how is the allbright Beth Allback today?”
It wore a bit thin after a while and she would reply, “Pretty bright thank you.”
Peter was of very slight build and his voice is still in the high range and if you weren’t looking when he spoke you would swear it was a girl speaking but that didn't worry Peter because as far as he was concerned he wanted to be a girl and if his voice stayed that way it was par for the course. Beth was a loving Mum and had a fair idea that Peter was different than other boys his age and decided a long time ago that love is all that counts and she would support her child in whatever came along in life.
Peter's dad was also convinced his son was different, and before he died he had thought of making an appointment for him to see what was going on with his very effeminate son. He was a real gentle soul and if his son was different it made no difference to the love he felt for him, but of course it was all cut short by his untimely death. Peter cried for days after the funeral and he had to take a whole week off from school. Beth was almost as bad and they sat and cried together till the tears would come no more.
That was twelve months ago and time had healed it somewhat. Beth had to go to work after David died and it was a bit hard to get back into the swing of things because she had put all her energy into looking after her husband and son. Now it was time to support her child and she went back to nursing at the local hospital. She was also doing a refresher course at uni part time in correspondence at night so she didn't lose any time at work and hours paid.
Peter wasn't a brilliant student by any means but got by just the same. He wasn't interested in sports but liked to do drama and acting so he joined the acting and arts class. The teachers welcomed him with open arms because it was hard to get any boys to join. There were twenty kids in the class and out of the twenty there were only six boys, so when Peter came along it opened up more possibilities in the plays that they could produce. Mind you all the other boy's weren’t much more he-men than Peter. Drama class didn't attract too many football players after all.
It was Sunday afternoon and Beth had to work a weekend shift so she wouldn't be home till after eight o’clock, so Peter had to look after himself as far as his dinner was concerned. It was three in the afternoon and he had done his homework yesterday so he was free to go and do his favourite thing and go down the road to the park that had a wishing well where he could dream of being a girl when he dropped a coin into it. He didn't know how but when he did that and closed his eyes he could see a different world to the one he lived in. He knew it was only wishful thinking but it was his escape into the world of make- believe and while he kept his eyes closed it felt real to him.
The park wasn't at all well kept so there was never anyone else around when he indulged in his daydream and was never disturbed. It was as if the ''wishing well'' was put there just for him to enjoy. Peter walked down the road to the park and the well, took his coin out of his pocket and dropped it in the well and closed his eyes and went into his daydream. The thing is this time it felt different. He opened his eyes and looked down at himself, but he was not in his boy's clothes any more but dressed in a dress, and wearing Mary Jane shoes and white tights. His hair felt different as well because it was a lot longer than a few minutes ago. He closed and opened his eyes again, and he was still in the dress and was starting to panic when he heard a voice come from the bottom of the well.
Now Peter was scared and said, “Who are you and what are you doing at the bottom of the well? It is full of water down there.”
The answer came in a very soft feminine voice. “Petrina, you are the one that has allowed me to talk to humans when you kept dropping coins in to this wishing well.”
Peter was having none of that and said, “Ok who put a speaker down the well?”
The soft voice replied, “Petrina, I am an angel spirit and the one that has been listening to your dreams and your wish to be a girl.”
Peter said, “But you can't listen to someone else’s dream!! That doesn't make any sense, and why are you calling me Petrina?.”
The spirit angel replied, “Well I can hardly call a fifteen year old girl Peter now can I?”
“But I’m not a girl, I certainly want to be one but it doesn’t happen by magic and it takes a long time and all sorts of surgery to achieve it.” Peter was now getting quite scared that this invisible voice coming from the depths of the wishing well was real. He put his hands up and felt his now long hair and as he did this his arms brushed against his breasts. It was then that it hit home that what he had been wishing for had actually happened.
He thought, 'What the hell do I do now? I can't just go home and say 'Hi Mum, by the way you have a daughter now and her name is Petrina.''
The angel could read his thoughts and she said. “Ok, for the moment I will change you back but if you insist on tossing coins into this well and wishing you were a girl it will become permanent and I will not be able to change you back.”
Peter looked down at himself and saw that he was back to being a boy. He looked in the well and said, “Spirit Angel can I see you or is that not possible?”
The spirit appeared sitting on the rim of the well as soon as he asked that question and said “Peter I will let you see me because it was you that has made it possible for me to come to the earth’s spiritual dimensions and it is only you that will ever be able to see me. Others can hear me but not see me.”
Peter replied, “Like a personal spirit guide, -that’s cool. Wow you are really pretty, what’s you name?”
“In the spirit world I am known as ''Samandiriel '' but you can call me Sam if you like.”
Samandiriel is the angel of ''imagination'', This divine being is an angel who holds domain over imagination, to visualise, thus transforming our own lives and the world around us.
SALAMANDIRIEL
Peter replied, “ Ok Sam I really do want to be a girl, but I will have to convince my mother that it is a good thing, and than there is all the trouble of going to school as a girl. How will I explain what has happened to me?”
Sam the angel replied, “You leave that part up to me. I will be by your side as you will have to change gradually. It will take a little while for people to accept the new you.”
Peter said, “What about that name you keep calling me, do I get a choice on what my new girl name will be?”
“No, that is your spiritually appointed name and it cannot be changed so you had better get used to it. It is a pretty name and it suits you when your are in your girl body.”
Peter thought, “Boy she sure is bossy, but I better go along with this if I’m going to get my wish to become a girl.”
Sam said, “Now don’t forget I can hear all your thoughts, but I am not allowed to change what you think. Please be nice and we will get along just fine.”
Peter asked, “Can I always see you when we talk?”
“No, if you are in company and in conversation with a person it will be too distracting for you, so I will be in your mind and talk to you that way and you can then talk back to me in thought also. That way no-one will know what is happening.”
Peter said, “Sam have you always been there waiting for me to come along?”
“Well yes, and there are others as well, but at this time it is you that I will be beside till you have become who you were meant to be,”
“So why was I not born a girl in the first place?”
“Peter I cannot tell you that, except that I am here for you now, so stop worrying about the past and lets just think about getting things right from now on.”
It was getting late in the afternoon and the sun was sinking on the horizon so Peter said, “Sam I think I had better head for home before it is dark.”
Sam replied, “Ok, lets go.”
Peter said “Are you coming home with me? I though that you would have to stay in the well.”
“No Peter,pay attention!! I told you I will be by your side from now on so you had better get used to me being around.”
Peter replied, “This is going to be so cool having my very own Spirit Angel with me to become a girl, I can't wait to tell Mum what has happened.”
Sam said, “Peter I will help you with that. I will let myself be known to her very gently so she will be able to understand what is going to happen to you and her as well.”
Peter said. “Can you call me Petrina now when you talk to me so I can get used to my girl name at least in private?”
The angel smiled at that and replied, “See Petrina my presence is already making you feel like a girl. But seeing that you can call me Sam, can I call you Trina?”
Peter replied, “Wow I like that even more, yes please.”
“Ok Trina it is then.” said the smiling Angel.
Trina and her angel friend started to head for Trina’s home two streets away and they chatted in thought mode while in public so no-one noticed what was going on, not that there was any one else around at the moment. They arrived at the front door of Trina's house and just as Trina was about to put the key into door it opened up by itself. Trina was a bit startled at first but than realised that Sam was showing off and said so in her mind.
Sam answered, “A girl can have a bit of fun can't she?”
Trina rolled her eyes and walked through the open door to see that Sam was now visible again seeing that no one else was around.
Trina said Sam, “Is there any way once Mum knows about you that she will be able to visualise you as well as me?”
Sam replied,”Well we will have to wait and see just how receptive your mum is in a spirit sense won't we?”
Trina said, “Well I have to get some dinner on the go so when Mum comes home she will have something to eat before I start telling her what has happened today.”
Sam replied, “You go ahead and I will watch and learn something about what it is like to be a human being.”
Trina made up a salad and opened up a tin of tuna and set the table for two and dished up the plates but put cling wrap over them to keep them fresh. She always waited for her mum to come home so they could eat together.
Trina looked at Sam sitting on the work bench of the kitchen and said, “Would you like me to get another plate for you?”
The angel giggled and said, “No Trina, thanks all the same. We angels have not got a need to eat, that is for humans to do. Spirits are of a celestial origin and do not need any such thing as food.”
Trina replied, “Well you don’t know what you are missing out on, food can be heavenly as well.”
They chatted till Trina's Mum came through the door and said, “Peter do you have a friend over? I heard voices as I came in and laughing that sounded like a girl.”
The boy Peter replied, “Well mum once we have had our meal I will tell you all about what has been happening to me this afternoon at the wishing well down at the park.”
Peter and his Mum never spoke much while they ate but once they were finished Peter said, “Mum I will make a cup of tea for us both and than I will tell you something that you may or may not believe.” They both moved into the lounge and sat down with their cups of tea placed on the low little coffee table.
Beth said, “Ok Peter what have you been up to that had to wait till we are sitting down in the lounge?”
Peter replied, “Well Mum I don’t quite know how to put this, but I have always felt like a girl inside and I just didn't want to upset anyone so I just kept it to my self. I have been going down the road to that park where there is a wishing well, and I have been dropping a coin into it and then praying and wishing I would be magically turned into a girl.”
Beth said, “Peter I know about you feeling like a girl. Your father and I spoke at length about it but he died before we could take you to a doctor to find out what was going on with you.”
Peter said, “Mum I wished you had told me that you knew it would have made my life a lot easier.”
“Well Peter I’m telling you now.”
Peter than told Beth all that had happened over the last couple of months and especially what happened that day.
Beth said, “Peter I think you are fantasising. These thing don’t happen in real life.”
Peter replied, “Mum if I can give you some proof, will you think about it again?”
Beth said, “Peter I will take you to a clinic to see what can be done but you mustn't believe in magic it is not real.”
“But Mum Samandiriel is real. She is an angel and I can prove it if you want?”
“Ok Peter I’m listening how are you going to prove to me that angels are real.”
Peter said, “Mum you will be able to hear her but I can see her as well so don’t be scared when I start talking to her because she is with us at the moment and sitting right next to me right now.”
Sam said very gently, “Beth, I am as real as you, only I’m in the spirit world and and angel that is going to help Peter become the girl she is supposed to be.”
Beth just sat there with her mouth open and said, “Can I talk back to you?”
Sam replied, “Yes I can communicate with you on two levels, you can think talk as well.”
Beth just looked at Peter and said “This is incredible Peter, how long has this been going on?”
Peter replied, “I have been going to the well for months but today is the first time the Sam has spoken to me.”
Beth drank some of her tea and sat there and let it sink in.
Sam and Trina were chatting away when Beth said, “Hey I can hear all that, this is going to be fun.”
To be continued
Please leave a comment.
Previously
Beth just sat there with her mouth open and said, “Can I talk back to you?”
Sam replied, “Yes I can communicate with you on two levels, you can think talk as well.”
Beth Just looked at Peter and said “This is incredible Peter, how long has this been going on?”
Peter replied, “I have been going to the well for months but today is the first time that Sam has spoken to me.”
Beth drank some of her tea and sat there and let it sink in.
Sam and Trina were chatting away when Beth said, “Hey I can hear all that, this is going to be fun.”
Peter and his Mum talked well into the night and at the end Beth was calling her sonTrina and using female pronouns so it was sinking in that she had a daughter and not a son and would have to do something about the way they lived their lives.
Peter/Trina asked the angel if all she had to do was use her magic and it would turn her into a girl completely? The angel ''Samandiriel '' replied that what she did at the well was only in her mind and that Trina would have to go through all the procedures as a normal human, but that she Sam, would be there to influence the people that she had to deal with.
Trina had had to go back to school as Peter but her Mum had made the all important appointment at a gender clinic a week later. Trina was still confused about how the spirit angel could have turned her into a girl completely dressed with long hair and all and then told her she would have to do everything the hard way anyway. The angel had to explain that there is no such thing as magic but post hypnotic suggestion and angels can only guide people into doing things but it is still up to the people themselves to make it happen. Trina finally accepted that the angel could only put suggestions into people's minds but she herself would have to make sure she got what she wanted.
Over the next week Trina went to the wishing well and asked Sam to make her into the girl the same way that she did the first time, and Sam obliged but it was only at the well that this happened so Trina spent an hour every afternoon talking to the angel as a girl complete, till she had to head for home. To any onlooker there was a boy sitting on the side of the well that seemed to be reciting some poetry to himself.
The appointment was on Friday afternoon after school and Beth picked her daughter up from school. Of course she was dressed as Peter and said to her Mum, “Can we go home first so I can change into something more androgynous?” Beth replied, Honey I have already thought of that and brought your girl jeans and and a pink blouse that I picked up today and we will stop at the mall down the road from the clinic so you can change in the toilets there. Once they got to the toilets Beth grabbed Trina by the hand and went straight into the ladies rest room and into a disability cubicle that had more room and locked the door behind them.
Beth produced the jeans and top from the bag she was carrying which was bigger than the one she normally used. She told Trina to strip of all her boy things, undies and all. Trina complied without thinking about it because she had nothing that her mum hadn't seen many times before. Trina stood there completely naked and waited for Beth to pull all the things out of the carry bag. Beth handed Trina a pair of pink panties and a girl vest to put on when Trina put on all the other feminine clothes.
All that remained to be done was her hair. It was long enough to put in a high pony tail.
Beth then produced a couple of clip-on ear rings and said “Ok Trina lets see what you look like. Oh I almost forgot, a little bit of pink lip gloss will finish the look.”
Trina looked at herself in the mirror and said, “Sam if you are there what do you think?”
Sam was there and said in both Trina’s and Beth’s mind, “Trina that is almost better than I can do.” That got both mum and daughter giggling and Beth said, “Sam will you be with us when we see the doctor in a few minutes?”
Sam replied, “That’s what I’m here for Beth, so lets do it shall we?!!!”
Beth put all of Trina's boy clothes in her carry bag and to all intents and purposes it was a mother and daughter that left the mall to go to the clinic just around the corner. They arrived at the clinic right on time and went to the reception desk to give their name to an older lady behind the desk.
The lady looked up and said, “Mrs Allback and child, please take a seat, the doctor will be with you directly.” She used no pronouns as far as Trina was concerned which must be policy so not to offend any one by mistake.
It wasn't long before a man came out of his office and said. “Ok I’m ready to see my next patient Lizzy.”
Mother and daughter walked into the doctor's surgery and were asked to take a seat. The doctor said “I'm Doctor David Bronsen and I take it that this is the young person in question?”
Beth replied, “Yes this is my child and she is here to be assessed for gender dysphoria.”
The doctor replied, “Quite so.” looking straight into Trina’s big blue eyes and giving her a big welcoming smile, which put Trina at ease immediately.
The doctor said, “Right lets start at the beginning shall we young lady?”
It was the first time that the female pronoun was used and it felt like Trina had made enough of an effort to be recognised as a girl. The doctor went into all sorts of questions and when he was done he said “Ok blood tests are in order.” so he asked a nurse to come and take the samples to be sent to his own lab in the same building.
It was Friday afternoon and the results wouldn't be available till lunch time on Monday so Beth had to make another appointment for Monday afternoon, again after school so Trina wouldn't miss any school time.
Trina didn't care that much about school. For her it was just something one had to suffer before you could get a bit older and start work and earn some money. They said goodbye to Doctor Bronsen and made their way home by way of the mall which was open till nine o'clock at night, and seeing that Trina had never been shopping as a girl Beth decided to take her new daughter into some dress shops and give her a taste of what she is in for when she shopped as a girl.
Trina was still a bit apprehensive about being seen by kids from school at the mall because she still had to present as a boy while at school and she didn't want to have any trouble there. This is when Sam the angel communicated to her that she would sort out any problem with kids from school or anyone else for that matter.
Just how she was going to do that was mystery to Trina but she shrugged her shoulders and said to Beth, “If I’m going to do this I had better trust my Guardian Angel hadn't I Mummy?”
Beth looked at her daughter and had moist eyes when she realised what Trina had just said, but didn't comment but said “Yes darling, that is a good idea. Now lets just get on with some shopping so we can go home and have a cooked meal. I don’t fancy take away do you?”
“No Mummy, sorry Mum that just slipped out.”
“Darling it's ok for a girl your age to still call her mother Mummy so please keep on doing it if it feels right, I don't mind.”
“Ok Mummy, it does feel right. What are we going to buy me tonight?”
Beth replied, “Well dear I think we'll start with some sleepwear don’t you? Also some more underwear for a start and than see what else you need in next couple of days. There are some things of mine that will fit you. I didn't realise before but you and I are the same size apart from in the chest area.”
Trina didn't mind one bit that Beth was going to go through her clothes to hand some of them down to her because she always envied the clothes that her mother wore and wished it was her that was doing the wearing. Now she was going to get that chance. They bought two nighties some tights and some more panties. The bras had to wait till she could be measured for a training bra the right size. Once they were finished they made there way out of the mall and it was dark outside so Beth decided not to risk the bus and went straight to a taxi rank that was situated just outside of the Mall.
The taxi ride home didn't take very long because it went a different way than the bus takes and they were home within ten minutes. Beth asked Trina to peel the potatoes and carrots and put them on to boil while she prepared the meat for the griller. Half an hour later they were sitting down to a tasty home-cooked meal.
Trina didn't have any homework so she got up, cleared the table and did the washing up. Beth grabbed a tea towel and did the drying and putting away. The two of them seemed to be content to both hum the same tune while this was going on.
Once finished they both sat down in the lounge to talk about what the future would hold for them as mother and daughter.
Trina said, “Mummy would you like a cup of hot chocolate?”
“Yes Darling I would, thank you.”
Trina said, “Ok won't be long Mummy.”
While Trina was making the hot chocolate drinks in the kitchen Sam the angel was in Beth’s mind and said, “Elizabeth, Petrina is going to get very emotional in the next few weeks and you will have to keep an eye on her when the hormones start to kick in. She will be all over the place. Changing from testosterone to oestrogen will do funny things to her mind.
Beth replied in her thoughts, “Sam how come you know all these things anyway?”
The angel replied, “We angels know all there is to know about human life and are here on earth to help people like Petrina on her way.”
Trina came back with the drinks and mother and daughter started to bond and talked well into the night till it was time to go to bed.
Beth said “Trina go and get the shopping bags and get out the nighties we bought tonight at the mall.” Trina didn't have to be asked twice and pulled the items out of the shopping bags. Both nighties were pink and very feminine with lots of frills and lace work.
Beth said, “Trina just keep your panties on and slip the nightie over your head.”
When Trina felt the silky smooth material touch her body she shuddered with excitement and said “Ooo — that feels really nice. Thank you Mummy for buying these.”
Beth replied, “Darling this is only the start . We will have to get you a whole new wardrobe in the next few weeks and I am just as excited as you are.”
“Mummy how am I going to deal with school?”
“Well lets just wait till we talk to Doctor Bronsen on Monday afternoon. I think he will have more of an idea of what the procedures are for dealing with schools and other legal matters.”
“Legal matters!!! Will I have to go to court in front of a judge?”
“I shouldn't think so but lets not panic just yet.”
Trina was getting worried and Sam her angel had to get into her mind and said, “Trina close your eyes and you will see and hear me.”
Trina did as she was told by her guardian angel and closed her eyes to see the beautiful angel in front of her.
Sam said, “Trina remember what I told you about me being right beside you. Well I was telling you the truth, so I want you to be calm and not think about any problems. It is my job to smooth things out for you, so now go to your bed and have a good nights sleep”
Trina couldn't remember how she got into bed but she woke up in the morning very relaxed and calm as if someone had given her a sedative the night before.
Beth came into the room and said, “Good morning sweetheart, did you sleep well?”
“Mummy I can't remember going to bed last night, did you carry me in?”
Beth replied, “Something like that but I didn't have to carry you. An angel doesn’t need to lift anything it just happens.”
“Mummy no-one is ever going to believe us about Samandiriel are they?”
Beth replied, “No-one needs to know do they?”
“No I guess not.”
To be continued.
Please leave a comment.
Previously
Trina couldn't remember how she got into bed but she woke up in the morning very relaxed and calm as if someone had given her a sedative the night before.
Beth came into the room and said, “Good morning sweetheart, did you sleep well?”
“Mummy I can't remember going to bed last night, did you carry me in?”
Beth replied, “Something like that but I didn't have to carry you. An angel doesn’t need to lift anything it just happens.”
“Mummy no-one is ever going to believe us about Samandiriel are they?”
Beth replied, “No-one needs to know do they?”
“No I guess not.”
It was Saturday and Trina could relax until Monday morning when she had to go back to school in boy mode. She was beginning to worry about what would happen when she changed her look.
Sam the angel could sense the tension in Trina and knew that she would have to calm her down so she got into her mind once more and said to Trina in her mind at first, “Trina I want you to go out into the back garden where it is private and you cannot be observed by anyone.” Beth could also hear what was going on because she was also getting worried about Trina and her anxiety.
Trina did as she was asked and went out the back and sat on the love seat under the leafy oak tree, She was wearing girl jeans and a pink blouse and let her hair fall free as it felt more feminine like that. Only she could see the angel, but out here in the garden it didn't matter if it looked like she was talking to herself. Beth knew what was happening and if she wanted to could have listened in, but she left the pair alone. Samandiriel spoke softly and it had a calming effect on Trina as she looked at the beautiful angel sitting next to her on the love seat.
Trina said, “Sam I am really worried about going to school when I start changing my appearance.”
Sam replied, “Petrina you will do it so gradually that no one will really know it is happening. There are many students that look androgynous at your age and I can guarantee that there are a lot more girls like you at your school that no-one knows about.”
Trina looked at the angel and said, “Who are they? Do I know any of them?”
The angel hesitated for a moment and replied, “Well yes there are two more just like you, and yes you have met them on the play ground.”
Trina couldn't believe her ears and replied, “Who are they?”
Sam said, “Think about who you talk with when you are having lunch and also when you're in the library trying to be inconspicuous.” Trina thought about who Sam was talking about and it was like a light bulb coming on. She looked at Sam with wide eyes. Sam just looked back and nodded her head.
Trina said, “No way.”
Sam replied, “Yes way!”
Trina thought about it some more and said, “Sam I have known Jill and Marie for about six months and they have always been girls.”
The angel replied, “Well Trina so have you, but you were given the wrong body at birth and it was the same with your little friends.”
Trina was now confused. She thought, “How on earth could I have been friends all this time with them and they didn't say anything to me? They know I am different.”
Sam could hear Trina's thoughts and said to her, “They do know you are different but it is hard to tell how someone will react if you ask them about such personal things.”
Trina then asked the angel if she had something to do with Jill and Marie the same way she was helping her.
Sam replied, “Trina this is what we spirit angels do. We help humans achieve things that they would not be able to accomplish without some help from us in the spirit world” Beth looked out the kitchen window and could see her daughter expressing herself with her hands like any normal girl would do, but if any one could see her it would look like she was practising her lines for a school play or some such thing, which of course she was in but as a boy.
Trina was getting hungry and told her guardian angel she was feeling much better after their little chat and got up of the seat to go inside. Beth had baked a cake in the time that her daughter was being consoled by the angel, and had the cake, tea and coffee all ready in the lounge room on the coffee table.
Trina said, “Mum I have something to tell you about Jill and Marie,”
“Yes I know dear, I was tuned in to your angel. I couldn't see her but I heard every word that she said to you.”
“Did you hear me too?”
“No dear but I could see you waving you arms about as you were talking, very girly I must say!!!” Trina blushed at that and put her hands up to her face as if to hide the redness of the blush which made Beth giggle and say, “Darling you're going to make one cute girl”
As it was the weekend Trina said, “Mum I have Jill's and Marie's phone numbers, do you think it would be ok if I were to ask them to come over to practice the lines for the school play?”
“Trina I know what’s in the back of your mind and I don’t know if it such a good idea to push things too fast.”
“But Mum, Sam said they know I am different, so it's not as though it will shock them to know that I am like them is it!!?
“As long as their mums agree than I suppose it will be alright but I don’t want you to get upset if things don’t turn out the way they should ok?”
“Yes Mum thanks.”
Trina/Peter phoned his friends in boy mode and asked them if they wanted to come over for the afternoon to go through the lines of the school play with him and they both agreed to come for the afternoon and get their mums to drop them off at his house. Beth was a bit worried because although she knew about the two girls being transgendered they don’t know that she and Peter knew about them from the spirit angel.
It was just after lunch when both mothers turned up almost at the same time. Peter had changed to boy mode for the time being while he worked out how he was going to tell his transgendered friends about what had happened in the last couple of weeks. Beth invited the Mums in to have a cup of tea before they left their girls at her house. Jill, Marie, and Peter all went out into the garden, and all three sat on the love seat which was a swing type. They gently swung it back and forth while they started to talk about the school play, but something happened and Samandiriel was in all three girls minds. Yes they were all girls as far as the angel was concerned and she was going to make sure that Jill and Marie knew that their school friend Peter was in fact like them. It was almost like she reprogrammed their brains and within minutes of them talking they were calling their friend Trina as if they had always known her by that name.
Beth was inside talking with the two mothers when all three girls came in and said they were going to go to Trina’s bedroom to see her new skirts and get her to change into them. The two mothers Gabby and Jemma looked at Beth and asked her what was going on with her son. Beth said she would just get the letter she got from Doctor Bronsen to explain what was going on.
Gabby said, “Doctor Bronsen, that's the doctor at the gender clinic Beth.”
Beth replied, “Well by the sound of that you already know what I am about to tell you about my child, the friend of your transgendered daughters.” She wasn't going to beat around the bush and just came straight out with the truth that she knew about Jill and Marie being transgendered.
Meanwhile three fifteen year old girls were in a bedroom giggling and trying on each others clothes. It didn't seem to matter what they had between their legs. As far as they were concerned it was nothing more than a little birth defect. All three girls now in skirts and blouses and some make-up on came down the stairs giggling and sat down with their mothers as if nothing was amiss, and of course it wasn't, was it?''
The mothers read the letter Beth produced and confirmed it was the same as the one they had for their daughters, so they got up and said goodbye to their girls and told them they would pick them up in the morning.
The girls looked at each other and all three said together, “In the morning?”
Beth than said, “Yes girls you are going to have a sleep-over unless you don't want to!!”
Three girls all squealed in delight and all started talking at once when Beth said, “Before you all get carried away, there are two of you that haven't got any sleepwear with them so what do you suggest we do about that girls?” The three of them looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders as if it didn't matter. The two other Mothers were about to leave but before they did told their daughters that they gave Beth enough money to take them to the mall and buy them a nightie each. ''Squeals'' again and the women said goodbye to their daughters.
It was getting close to lunch time and Beth decide to take the three girls to the mall and have lunch there before they went to the shops to buy their nighties. Of course it was fast food but Beth decided to just let them have a good time and for once not worry about the junk food that the three girls were devouring. While they were all sitting down together Samandiriel got into their brain and said that once the weekend was over they had to accept that Trina had to go back to school as a boy for a little while till things could be sorted out with a doctor, and the school be informed just like had happened to Jill and Marie when they first started to transition. They all nodded and it looked quite strange for them to be nodding at nothing, but no-one took any notice. Once they finished the meal they left to go and look for nighties for all three of them because Beth wanted to buy one for her new daughter as well.
Trina was a bit apprehensive about being seen by any of the kids from her school but seeing she was with Jill and Marie no one even noticed her, and why would they? She was a very pretty fifteen year old girl shopping with her best friends. Beth let them choose their nighties and as it worked out all three wanted the same colour and design. Beth asked if they were sure because girls like to wear different things than their friends but their minds were made up and the nighties were paid for and they were on the way home.
They arrived back at Trina's house all excited and all they wanted to do was go and try on their new nighties but it was only early afternoon so Beth said “Girls you have all night to wear those, so how abut you just watch some telly or do a board game or better still practice the lines in your school play?”
In the end the girls thought that practising the lines for the play was not really good because Trina had lines for a boy in the play and this weekend was girl time only.
Trina said, “How about I show you where I first made contact with our spirit angel?”
Jill and Marie replied, “We had a dream and it went from there for the both of us and that was about twelve months ago. Once we were diagnosed with gender dysphoria we were allowed to dress as girls and the school was ok with it because the law states they cannot discriminate against different gendered students, as long as they are see a therapist and don’t swap and change once the transition starts.
Trina replied, “Does that mean after I see Doctor Bronsen on Monday I can come to school dressed as a girl?”
Jill said. “Well I think you will have to show the principal all the relevant paper work first, but after that, yeah I guess so.”
Trina said, “I wonder if I should just dress as a girl on Monday morning anyway?”
Marie replied, “No Trina, don’t do that or they might get cranky because you are just doing it to be smart. Just show the principal the letter and make sure your Mum comes in with you. That way there are witnesses to make sure everything is done properly.
The three girls walked down the couple of streets to the park where the wishing well was and they sat down on the edge of the well and Trina said, “Ok I have three coins.” She gave the other two a coin each and said, “Close your eyes and drop the coins in the well and call Samandiriel to appear before us.”
They all dropped their coins in the well and said, in unison, “Angel please appear.” Sam the angel played along with the game the girls were playing, but the girls really didn't have to do the coin thing for her to appear.
The angel was sitting on top of the little gable roof and said to the girls, “Why have you all got your eyes closed? Don't you want to see me or something?” The girls jumped with a start because they didn't expect her to appear and be seen with their eyes open.
Samandiriel said “Now girls I won't be able to do this for you every time you want to talk with me, but because there is no-one else around in this park I will allow it just this once and go along with your game.” Jill and Marie hadn't seen the angel with their eyes open before so this was special to them, but of course Trina had seen Sam like this quite a few times now.
The girls said they were thirsty so they has better head back to Trina's house, but the angel out of nowhere produced three wooden goblets and slipped down the well. When she came back up to the top the goblets were full of crystal clear water and she handed them one by one to the girls. When they took a sip from the goblets it tasted like lemonade, The three girls looked at each other shrugged their shoulders and and drank as if it was normal to get lemonade out of a wishing well.
They stayed at the well chatting away with their angel as if it were the most normal thing to do but of course they all knew that there must be something really special about the three of them for this to have occurred. They soon made their way back down the street to Trina's house to help Beth prepare dinner for the four of them. After dinner the three girls watched a short movie.
When bed time came, out came the new nighties that Beth bought all three of them. They all looked the same and were bright pink and made of a smooth silky-type material, Both Jill and Marie had been on hormones for a while now and were sporting small breasts which made Trina quite jealous, but she knew that it wouldn't be long and she would be getting the same hormones as her girlfriends. Trina had a king-size bed so all three girls cuddled up and after chatting for about half an hour they fell asleep still in a three way cuddle. Beth looked in on them before she herself went to bed and decided to try and communicate with Samandiriel the girls' spirit angel.
Beth turned of the bed lamp and closed her eyes and concentrated in her mind and thought, “Ok Sam talk to me!!”
The angel was there instantly and said “Elisabeth open your eyes.” Beth did what Sam told her and got a start when she saw Sam was sitting at the end of the bed. Although the lamp had been turned off Beth could see her in a kind of twilight as though it was a late afternoon sun.
The angel said “Elisabeth while I am appearing to like this you can speak to me in a normal voice and we can communicate as you would normally do with your daughter.”
Beth said, “Samandiriel, was this always going to happen to Trina?”
Sam replied, “Yes, sooner or later she would have made contact with me, but when she started tossing coins into the well I used that to make myself known to her in a very gentile way. As you have seen it has worked out really well.”
Beth said, “Sam do you know what is going to happen to Trina's future?”
“Beth the future takes care of itself but yes I do know and I will be there for all three girls and also for you. I will influence the people that you and Trina will encounter. It won't always be smooth but the future is like a road map and that road must be travelled to get to where all humans meet their destiny.”
Beth fell asleep while Sam the angel sang a beautiful song.
“Here comes a sign from a girl
She's the finest , sweetest thing in the world,
Oh, take you to heaven tonight .
I feel the horses come galloping
In the summers end,
Take you to heaven tonight,
Oh because I love you
for what you are.
I'll gallop to you
Tonight, tonight I will ride,
I'll give it to you,
we'll go to heaven to night.
To be continued.
Please leave a comment.
Hugs Ronnie.
Previously
The girls had spent the rest of the weekend just lazing around apart from doing the little bit of home work that they had, which was fun in any case because they were in a school play together. The only disappointment was Trina had the part of a boy.
The story continues,
On the Monday back at school Beth said to Trina when she was getting her up to have a shower “Trina sweetheart I'm afraid you will have to be in boy mode at school today and until we see Doctor Bronsen this afternoon to get all the paper work for the school, and we will take it from there. If the principal then agrees to let you dress as a girl that is what will happen, if he says 'no' I will be getting in touch with a lawyer immediately”.
It was hard for Trina to put on the scratchy boy cloths after being in soft girly things all weekend but she realised that is what she had to do to satisfy the school policy about the legal aspect of all that. Beth came with her to school and while Trina in Peter mode went to the classroom, both Jill and Marie stayed close to Trina in case there was any bullying as was the case most days with effeminate boys. It was just a fact of life and it was something that they just had to get used to.
However nothing happened that morning and all three girls, one in ''boy'' mode took their seats in the classroom and as usual sat together. There was nothing out of the ordinary about that and everyone more or less knew that all three were close friends because they were in the school play together. Miss Helen Stokes was their teacher and had sort of twigged that there was something not quite right about Trina/Peter and asked her to step outside the classroom to have a talk in private. As Trina got up so did Jill and Marie and followed her out into the hallway. Helen tried to stop the other two from following Trina without success, so there were three students and a teacher in the hallway and no-one looking after the class.
Just as Miss Stokes was about to lay down the law the principal and Trina's mother came walking down the hall to see Miss Stokes and explain what was about to happen in the near future.
The principal, Alan Reed put up his hand to stop Helen saying anything and he said, “Miss Stokes we have to have a discussion in private now!! I have asked someone to look after your class for the next hour.”
Beth winked at the girls and motioned to them to follow their teacher and the principal into an empty office. Once they were all inside the office Alan said, “Right Trina, please close the door and lets all take a seat and get this over with shall we?” As soon as Helen heard Peter being called Trina by Alan, Sshe knew just what she had suspected all along, that Peter the boy was like her friends Jill and Marie.
Helen did not have a problem with that, quite on the contrary she also had a brother that was halfway into transitioning so to her it meant just one more to look after. At the same time she was pretty strict with her class and when Jill and Marie walked out with Trina she got angry, but now she knew what it was all about she gave all three girls a smile and said, “Ok Jill and Marie I know what your concern was and it's ok, you are not in any trouble.”
The next hour was spent talking about what Trina had to do to stay safe till there was a letter produced to prove what is happening to her and that would be there in another hour because Doctor Bronsen was emailing all the relevant documents to the school. Within minutes there was a knock on the door and it was the principals secretary with the relevant documents. Of course there will have to be original ones but for now it was enough for Alan to give permission for Trina to come to school dressed as the girl that she obviously was.
Beth said, “May I have a look at those?” and Alan nodded to Kathy the secretary to hand the paperwork over to Beth. All those papers had to be signed and counter-signed to make it all legal and water-tight so they all went to the main office to go through the papers and sign them.
Helen said to the girls, “I wont let you go back to the classroom till I come back with you or the class will be completely disrupted.”
Once all was done in the principal's office Beth said she would be back at three o'clock to take Trina to the clinic. The girls followed Helen back to the classroom and walked in. The three girls went back to their seats and sat down to a lot of inquisitive looks from most of the class but the girls just looked to the front of the room and didn't respond to any whispers. Helen took her class back over and proceed to teach as though nothing happened.
The bell rang for lunch and Trina wasn't sure what to do so she and Jill and Marie stayed there in the classroom as well.
Helen said, “Ok girls time to go out to lunch, and while Trina is still in boy mode there shouldn't be any trouble, but be careful and at the first sign of trouble blow this whistle.” She handed Trina a sports whistle and said if that was blown three times on the school grounds the teacher nearest would come running. The students of the school didn't know about that but it was a thing that the teachers had worked out between themselves months previously, and it had already saved a couple of kids from being bullied.
The three girls stayed together even though Trina was still seen as a boy. No one took too much notice of them till it was almost time for the bell to ring to end the lunch break. It was then that three boys their same age from another class started to make comments about the sissy boy in the school play and that he should wear skirt if he liked being with girls so much. Trina, Jill and Marie tried to ignore them but the boys stood in their way so they couldn't get passed.
Marie said, “If you boys don’t move you are in big trouble.”
The largest of the boys replied. “Look we know about you and Jill, But Allback is just a sissy and gay and we don’t like gays in our school”
Trina had had enough and decide that she was having none of this any more. Seeing the papers had been signed, as far as she was concerned she was now a girl in boys clothes and that wasn't going to last beyond today. She went straight to the boy and got within inches of his face which she would not ever have done while she thought she was still a boy, so her courage was up by one hundred percent. ''It's called girl power''
The boy stepped back only a little but maintained his stance and looked like he was about to hit Trina when she produced the whistle, but before she could blow into it a strange thing occurred.
The boy that was about to do Trina some real damage backed away and started to apologise to her and said, “Petrina I am so sorry can I be your friend?”
Trina and the girls knew what happened but the other boys backed away from the largest one whose name was also Peter but his mates all called him Big Pete. Well, Big Pete all of a sudden became big gentle Pete now. His mates weren't quite sure what to do or say because Big Pete was their leader and had all of a sudden had gone soft in the head.
Pete looked at them and said “It's time to head back to class gentlemen.” This was not Pete talking they thought, but thought better of it and did not argue with their now deranged leader.
Now we had three girls agreeing with each other and they all said in unison, “Thanks Sam.”
She replied, “I told you girls I would be there to guide the people around you and that is what I just did.”
Of course no one else could hear her and the girls communicate.
Trina than asked her, “Sam will Big Pete stay like that or go back to being a thug?”
Sam the angel replied “He will stay a gentle giant for the rest of his life and his friends will be doing the same in a few hours time. The longer they associate with Pete the more they will be influenced by his new demeanour.
The girls decide not to say anything about what had just occurred at the lunch tables in any case no-one would believe them. They were giggling as they walked back into the classroom when it all went quiet as they took their seats. Some of the students had seen what had happened and weren't too sure whether to say anything or not because in this class transsexual girls were the norm but super girls were a different matter entirely.
One girl put her hand up and Helen said, “Yes Trish what is it?”
She was another fifteen year old, very pretty and also in the school play.
The girl said, “Miss Stoke there was an incident at the lunch tables that was very strange.”
“Oh how so?” replied Helen. Trish was basically shy but could perform in a play without any trouble and she rather liked Peter the now Trina.
Trish stood up and said “Well miss I don’t quite know what or how it happened but I sure others saw it happen as well.”
Helen was getting impatient now and said, “For heaven sakes Trish what are you trying tell me?”
Trish replied, “Well miss I think I saw a miraculous thing happen when Big Pete was about to hit Peter and he changed into a different person just like that.”
Helen said, “Trish you're not making any sense, and Trina why didn't you blow the whistle if you were in trouble?”
This statement made the rest of the class take notice even more, so Helen decided she had better tell them what was happening with Peter and why she just called him Trina. Most of the class already knew that Peter wanted to be a girl just the way he moved and spoke with his hands like the other girls in the class so it was no 'biggie' to them when Helen told them Trina was like Jill and Marie .
But Helen wasn't going to let go of the statement that Trish made about a miracle happening. This is something new and it was too late to do much more actual school work so she decided to asked Trina what had happened in front of the class.
Trina thought, “Well I might as well tell them everything from the start.” and she stood up and went to stand beside Helen. Marie and Jill just nodded at Trina as if to say they would back her up. As Trina was about to start Sam her spirit angel was in her head and said, “Trina I will use your voice box to do this so don’t be frightened ok?” Trina just nodded and so did Marie and Jill, so Sam must have also been in their head at that moment.
It was a strange feeling for Trina to be speaking but not speaking if you know what I mean. In other words it felt like being disconnected but still hearing the words come from your mouth.
The class were told by Sam that the story must never leave that classroom. Of course they did not know it was Sam that was speaking and not Trina. She also made sure that if any of them tried to tell what happened to Big Pete they would promptly forget what they were about to say almost like a block on a program on a computer. The only ones that weren't affected by this block were Helen and the girls of course.
After this there were lots of questions and Helen let it happen - so the next time she had a class there would be no more interruptions and she could actually get on with her job as a teacher. Only the students in this class could talk about it with each other and that is of course what happened when the bell went and it was time for school to be let out for the day. The girls walked to the main gate together to be picked up by their mothers. When they arrived at the gate who should be there but Big Pete and his now converted friends. It must have looked a funny sight for the other students to see Big Bad Pete become Big Soft Pete and his mates following suit. But of course no one was game to say anything to Big Pete and just giggled at the spectacle before them.
Big Pete was offering to hold Trina's bag till her Mum came and she actually let him do just that. It looked funny because Trina was still in boy clothes. Poor Pete - would he be classed as gay now? Of course it will be different tomorrow when Trina come to school dressed in full female attire with make up and all.
The mothers arrived and Trina Marie and Jill hugged each other and said 'goodbye' till tomorrow morning. Beth asked Trina who the boy was that was holding her bag for her when she got in the car to drive to her appointment to the clinic to see Doctor Bronsen.
Trina said, “Well Mum it's a bit of a long story but Pete has been zapped by Sam and is now a nice person and it looks like I might already have a boyfriend, but I'm not sure whether I like boys or girls in that way as yet.”
Beth replied, “Trina take your time with that once hormones come into play. You will know soon enough where your interests lie.”
They arrived at the clinic and were told to go right in to Doctor Bronson's office. The door was open because they were his next patients.
“Come in Beth and Trina, close the door and take a seat.” said Dr Bronson. He was sorting out some papers on his desk and when he finished doing that he looked up at Trina with a warm smile and said, “Well young lady everything looks ok with the blood test results and there is no reason not to start you on your hormone program. What do you think about that then?”
Trina replied, “Will it hurt doctor, I mean the first shots? Marie said they hurt like hell.”
He replied “Well I'll be as gentle as I can ok?”
Soon the hormones were in her system and Trina was on her way. She would be on the phone to Jill and Marie as soon as she got home.
To be continued.
Author's note: There will be a break in posting this story. My thanks to all the readers for their support.
Please leave a comment.
Hugs Ronnie.