“Kyle is gone, son.”
“Gone? What?”
“Kyle is gone. Kayla is your sister.”
Mike stared at his father with an open mouth.
The clock on the side clicked the seconds away for nearly a minute.
“That was Kyle?” Mike asked, aghast.
“Kyle has gone. That is your sister, Kayla.”
Mike ran his hand through his hair. He expelled some air explosively.
“Shit Dad, are you telling me that he’s had a sex change?”
“Mind your language, and no, not yet. I anticipate that she will in a matter of time.”
“Fuck, I’ve only been gone a few weeks!”
“Mike!”
“Sorry Dad. But this is heavy. When did all this happen?”
“Yesterday.”
“Yesterday? But, but, she’s stunning! There is no way that this started only yesterday!”
“Mike, this started when Kyle was born. He’s known for years, and we found out yesterday. Kayla was introduced to us, so while she is here, you will treat her with respect, okay?”
“But, what about school?”
“Kyle comes back for whatever time is needed for school, so I’d ask you to deal with this sympathetically.”
“Do I call her, her, or what?”
“When like this, she is Kayla, and she is your sister. It will help her if you refer to her always like that, even when dressed as Kyle.”
“Dad, this is really weird!”
Jake smiled.
“Yes, it certainly is. You have to understand that Kyle was unhappy for a long time, we are now grateful to know what the problem was, so we will work as a family to help her solve it. Now, do you agree to go along with this?”
“Of course, Dad. This explains a hell of a lot.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, Dad, Kyle was always different. I now realise why. Does Steve know?”
“No, not yet. We only found out yesterday.”
“Wow, how?”
“I confronted him and he admitted it. He was struggling with the burden of it for so long, it was affecting him badly. So, we asked, and it all came out. He, no, she has a girlfriend; that is a friend who is a girl, called Sally. She has helped him, her, adjust and pushed her to where we are now.”
“Is he, no she, okay?”
“Who knows? All I can see is a change in her. She is happier and more relaxed than I can remember. If I have to be honest, I wish to hell it never happened, but it has, so we will cope with this as a family and help her through it. Okay?”
“Of course, Dad. Poor sod, I don’t envy him, sorry, her!”
Jake smiled and they left the study together.
Meanwhile in the kitchen, Rebecca had an almost distraught Kayla to contend with.
“Shit, Mum, he’s going to hate me!”
“No, he won’t. He will understand. He’ll be fine.”
Rebecca forced Kayla to help her finish off the supper preparations. With an extra mouth to feed, more vegetables had to be prepared, so Kayla was set-to peeling more potatoes.
Mike and Jake came into the kitchen. Mike said nothing, but walked up to Kayla and gave her a hug.
Kayla broke down and started to cry. Mike just held her and Jake had to leave, as his eyes started to sting alarmingly.
Rebecca made them finish the preparations, then Mike took Kayla out into the garden to talk. Kayla was so relieved that Mike was so understanding, that everything poured out. Mike vaguely knew Pete Groves, as they were both rugby fanatics, albeit Pete was several years younger.
“So, Pete fancies my little sister?”
Kayla blushed. Mike tried to see the little brother he thought he knew well. He failed.
“Shit, I can see why!”
“Why?”
“You don’t look anything like you used to. You seem taller and older, somehow.”
“High heels and makeup.”
“Oh,” Mike said and grinned sheepishly.
He stared at Kayla, who felt embarrassed and reddened again.
“Are those, you or what?” he asked, nodding towards her chest.
“Tights. Hopefully I will get breast forms soon and my own eventually.”
“You look very pretty, did you know that?”
“So everyone keeps telling me. It helps.”
“I imagine it does. Shit Ky…, Kayla, this is heavy!”
Kayla smiled, and Mike realised just how pretty she was.
“I know. But, I am so much happier like this. Imagine what it will be like when I am finished.”
“Finished? Oh, finished! I see. Shit! Yes, I suppose so. How long will it all take?”
Kayla shrugged.
“I don’t know, a year, maybe two. I don’t care; I just want it to happen.”
Mike grinned and shook his head. This was going to take some getting used to. He had to admit, Kayla seemed more relaxed, as his father had also observed.
“Fancy coming out for a drink later?” he asked.
Kayla’s eyes opened wide with surprise.
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t have asked if I hadn’t meant it.”
“Okay, but I’d better ask Dad. I’m still under age.”
“You don’t have to drink alcohol. Besides, it’ll do you good.”
“Okay.”
“Good. Now, I’d better check my emails.” Mike left Kayla completely bemused. He had behaved as if the whole thing was perfectly natural, and she felt so pleased.
Supper was relaxed and, for some strange reason, Kayla felt closer to Mike than at any time in their past. Mike mentioned that he was going to go out to the pub and was taking his sister with him. Jake had frowned.
“Don’t use any of the pubs in town. Go out a bit, and take care of her,” he said.
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want to draw unnecessary attention to her. She is aware, so must you be. This is delicate, so needs care.”
“Fine, we’ll go to the Barley Mow at Clifton Hampden.”
Jake nodded. That was the end of discussion.
Mike drove carefully, but they did not talk much. Mike was still trying to come to terms with what had happened and that the stunning girl sitting next to him used to be his little brother.
He parked the car in the car park and they walked over the road into the old thatched pub. The interior had been newly refurbished by ‘Chef & Brewer’, and was done in the old oak beams style. They walked up to the long bar and waited to be served. Kayla stood holding her bag, looking exactly as what she purported to be - an elegant young woman, out with a young man.
Several of the male customers appraised her from a distance, and many envied the tall young man who accompanied her. She gave no sign she was aware of the scrutiny, yet Mike was.
He paid for the beer and her white wine, and he carried the drinks to a table in the beer garden. It was a warm evening and he watched as she sat down and relaxed. Everything about her seemed so feminine and natural; Mike almost forgot whom she had been.
“This is nice,” she said, sipping her wine.
He looked at her fingernails and then at her eyes. Her makeup made her look completely different. It was as if everything that had been Kyle had been washed away, allowing a new person to be drawn onto the old canvas.
“Yeah. We used to come here occasionally. It’s been renovated a few times now. There was a fire here not that long ago, so they completely rebuilt the place.”
“How’s things?” she asked.
“Fine. I’ve a new girlfriend. Sonia was too serious and wanted us to get married.”
“Oh? So what poor unfortunate have you ensnared now?”
Mike laughed.
“There’s a girl on my course, Jeanette Evans. She’s Welsh.”
“Someone has to be. Is she pretty?”
“I think so. She’s dark and much shorter than you.”
“Oh. I suppose I’m quite tall, for a girl.”
“Yeah, quite tall.”
They were quiet for a moment.
“So how did you attract Pete Groves?”
She told him about pretending to be Swedish, and he hooted with laughter.