A Better Solution Than Divorce

by Jennifer Allison

  

Part 10

  

Dean

Acting on Dr. Knox's advice the very next day, my parents started treating me like a girl not a boy temporarily in a girl's body.

"Dean I want to be over at Amanda's immediately after school tomorrow," my dad told me.

As with all teenagers I asked in the normal teenage way, "WHY!!!!"

"You are going to baby sit Jason," he answered.

"Huh!!!" I said. Then I stated, "That is Jennifer's job."

"Since you want to stay Jennifer it is now your job." My dad informed me. Who then explain why!

"The daughter helps the most with a new born. With the diaper changes and bathing. How do you expect to learn how to do this without spending sometime around a baby? You and Jennifer will go together until Jennifer is absolutely sure you handle the job on your own."

He then reminded me. "You are the one who wants to be a girl. The experiences you have during your babysitting and helping me with my baby will help you when you have a baby of your own to take care."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Did you think a new mother knows all the stuff she needs to know? Or did you think right before the birth of your first child it will come to you all at once. A girl learns all of this three different ways before the birth of a child. From babysitting, helping with a younger brother or sister, Then there will be the classes that an expecting parents need to take."

"I still don't see why I have to baby sit. I can learn all I need to know from the new baby and the class," I said.

"You are baby sitting tonight, so just concede defeat and go."

The job went smoothly for the first two hours. I even changed a wet diaper under Jennifer's supervision.

Then it happened.

"Jason needs to be changed again," said Jennifer.

"How can you tell?" I asked. You haven't check his diaper,"

"I can smell it from here," was Jennifer reply. "Don't forget your bucket."

When I had entered Dr. Blaylock's house, Jennifer handed me a bucket telling me. "You might need this later."

The smell was bad as I removed Jason's clothing, but it was something I could live with. What I didn't expect was the smell when I unfastened Jason's diaper. I found out why I was given the bucket.

I up chuck my entire supper.

Jennifer then came and helped with the diaper change since I was busy with the bucket.

Jennifer then explained the reason behind my up chuck.

"A lot of first time diaper changer throw up when they do their first dirty diaper change. I did, I even did it the next two dirty diapers changes. That is why dad sent you along tonight with me. So you can get use the smell, so when you change the new baby's dirty diaper with no one else around. You won't get sick around the baby."

All my dad said to me when I got home that night was. "That was the reason why I wanted you to learn to baby sit."

 

Helen

Getting ready for my first season as head coach of football team is a lot harder than I thought it would be.

Since Tolerance High isn't very big. The pool of available players is small. It doesn't help when none of the kids in Dr. Knox are not allow to go out for sports.

The reason for this is very simple. Using Dean and Jennifer as examples. Say they stay in each other bodies. So that means when Jennifer is a high school senior her body will be that of college sophomore. You all can imagine the problems and questions that could cause.

Since I knew that there be a lot appreciation from the players coming out for the team. I had a meeting with them right after I accepted the job. This way they could let their feeling known to me and that I knew football.

I started the meeting the same way my hero took over his first pro football team.

"This is a football!" Quoting Vince Lombardi.

"You are a football team. I am saying this you for one reason. My team will play team ball, NOT ME BALL. If any you can't play as a team player. There is the door," I said pointing to the exit.

Nobody got up and left.

"I haven't looked at last years films and I don't plan on doing so," I told them. "As of right now no one I mean no one has a starting job. Every one will have earn their job."

Wally Claxon asked. "Why do I need to earn my job? I started all of last year's games at quarterback?"

"You also went 0 - 9. All I am say in that the best player at that position will play," I told Wally. I also suggested. "I can't hold practices until two weeks before the season starts, but I can't stop you from getting together and play among yourselves. I do have one condition thought. Every one who wants to come to these practices can. And they will play. So when we practice for real I want you Wally and you Sam be like Raymond Barry and Johnny Unitus. They worked so much on their own time. So when Johnny call route for Raymond all Johnny had to do was throw the ball to a spot on the field and Raymond would be there to catch it."

As it usually happens Mother Nature decided to throw another monkey wrench into my plans.

It was Thursday night before my first game as head football coach. By now Richard was as big as a duplex and saying things under his breathe that he thought I couldn't hear.

"There is no way I am going through again." I said the exact same thing during the last few days I was carrying Dean. When I learn I was carrying Jennifer all these bad thoughts were a long past memories.

Five minutes pass midnight Richard poke in the ribs. "Helen wake up, wake up."

I said, "go back to sleep I have a big game tomorrow."

Richard leaned and whispered into my ear, "My water just broke!!!!"

It took a couple seconds for his words to sink in. My eyes open like those most of you have seen in the movies. "WHAT!!!!!!"

"My water broke," repeated Richard.

  

  

  

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