A Better Solution Than Divorce

by Jennifer Allison

  

Mark Steel

Let me tell you something about myself.

I am sixteen years old and I live on a farm with my family outside of Tolerance.

My family has owned this farm for three generations.

I am not a jock, I play the trumpet in the school band. I love watching sports. I found out early in life I wasn't sports incline, but I loved music. The only year I went out for Little league, the only reason I got to play at all was the rule everybody on the team had to play in each game.

During my one and only appointment with Dr. Knox, when I thought I had a sexual identity problem.

'The people of Tolerance can make appointment with Dr. Knox if they want to.'

This is how she explained it to me. "Mark, just because you aren't good at sports and like music. That doesn't give you an identity problem. I compare you to Ephran Brown on the TV show Everwood. He is not a jock, he plays the piano, and he certainly like girls. Do you think he has a sexual identity problem?"

"No he doesn't." I replied.

My parents Tom and Erica like what the program has done for the town. Especially when it saves my mom driving 150 miles every week to see a doctor.

They can't seem to cotton to the program itself. Quoting my dad. "I can't see any reason why any man would want to see what it is like to be a woman even for a minute."

My mom just shrugged. Down deep I think see would love to trade places with my dad for a minute, but she knows he will never agree to it.

The truth be told a lot of kids have sexual identity problems. Here in Tolerance we have a way to help those kids out. The kids with the problems can talk to the kids who have switched and get a lot of the questions answered. Some of these talks are one on one and others are with a group.

Everything is in strict confidence.

I have had many one on one conversation with Jennifer McLean.

I like the idea very much.

The reason I am telling you all of this is. Since the start of school I was having a lot of trouble trying to work up enough courage to do two things. To ask Jennifer to the Homecoming Dance, and telling my parents that the girl I want to date is Jennifer McLean. I never really got used to calling the kids that have switch by their old names. So used the name that matches the body.

You see I have one major problem. I am scared that Jennifer will say no.

I finally told my folks one a week before the dance.

"Mom, dad I want to ask a girl to the Homecoming Dance," I announced at the breakfast.

"Good for you," said my dad.

Mom got to the point and asked, "who is the girl?"

"Jennifer McLain, Doc Mac daughter," I replied.

"WHAT!!!!" was the first word of my dad's mouth. "Why her or should say why him?"

"It her, I like her and she is my best friend," I told him. "Don't worry I am not planning anything out of ordinary."

"Why not take Becky?" asked mom. "You have known all your life."

"Two reason, Becky already has a date, And I like Jennifer," I replied.

"What will people think!" exclaimed dad.

"I really don't care what the grown-ups think," I announced, then I said. "The kids of Tolerance have accepted the switchers, why can't you, grown-ups. I know you appreciate what Dr. Knox's program has done for our town. But still some of the towns' people avoid them,"

I went to say. "In the seven years that Tolerance has been part of Dr. Knox's program. There hasn't been one person from the program invited to sit down at this table for meal.

"Mom have you ever ask Dr. Blaylock or Dr. Mack to come to dinner. To thank them for saving you from making those weekly trips. NO!"

"We are just thinking of you and what the others will say," dad trying to blame someone else.

"It isn't what people think of me. It is what they will think of you. Look at the Steel's their son is dating a boy who wants to be a girl."

"I don't care what people think," I then told them. "You would be very surprised at how many of the old timer's children that are dating switchers with and without their parents knowing about it. I know of at least one of these couples attending homecoming."

"Mark, before you ask Jennifer let me and your father talk it over," mom asked.

"I will give you today, but I will ask her tomorrow," I told them.

What I didn't tell my parents was. I knew how most of the student body would react to my dating Jennifer. The Homecoming Committee asked me to ask Jennifer to the dance. Which wasn't a problem for me since I had already planned to do so.

That evening my parents announced, "we will support your decision what ever it is."

 

Dean

It has been eleven months since I switched with my sister.

During this time my new body went through the many changes that happens during a girl's teenage years.

Where last year I could wear a sweat shirt and no one could tell if I had breast. Today I am between a, A and B cup.

I know that my hour glass figure has cause many a boy a hard on. There is a six inch difference between my waist and my hips. I also like wearing tight fitting clothes to show off every feminine curve.

I just recently learn another lesson of being in my younger sister's body.

It came up at the supper table one night.

I started the conversation with. "I am almost sixteen, shouldn't I be getting my learner's permit "

"You can't get your permit for two years," replied my mom.

"Why?" I asked. "Everybody I know has at least their learner's permit and some even have their driver's license."

"It is very simple. Dean is will be sixteen but as far as the outside world concern you are Jennifer and you just turned fourteen last month. Motor Vehicles will ask for your birth certificate."

"So Jennifer can get hers but I can't get mine," I said with a tone of feeling sorry for myself.

"No she won't. If the two of you stay in each others bodies as planned," my dad said. "Jennifer will not be allowed to get her permit until she reaches seventeen and in your case it will be when your birth certificate says you can get it."

At lunch today as I was sitting with my girlfriends. Mark walked over and asked to speak to me alone.

There were quite a few snide remarks from the other girls. A couple even did the kissey face with their lips. I just let all the rude comments roll off my shoulders and got up and left with Mark

Mark didn't waste a moment, "Jennifer I would like to take you to the Homecoming Dance."

I just stood there opened mouth.

"Dang it!!!" said Mark. "I practice for an hour to say just the right thing, it came out wrong."

"Yes, YES!!!" I answered him. "Definitely I will go out with you."

Before another word could be passed between us the five minute warning bell for the next class ranged.

With joy of being asked to a dance and sour taste of having to leave before we could say any more. I went off to class, I didn't want to give my parents a single reason for grounding me.

By a quirk of fate my last period teacher is my mother.

So I was able to tell her my great right after the last bell of the day.

Very excited I told her. "Mark asked me to the homecoming dance."

"Great dear," she said. "We can go to Howell's tomorrow for your dress."

"MOM!!!!! HOWELLS!!!!," I almost screamed. Howells was the local mom and pop department store. Their choice of items for a dance as important as this was very limited.

"Why not Howell's?" she asked. "You have been to dances before."

"This is my first big dance," I replied, "and it is with Mark."

"So my little girl has a crush on Mark," she said

I just stood there and blushed.

"I'll talk to your dad tonight and if it is okay with him. We'll go to the city Saturday morning," she told me.

"Could I get my hair done to?" I asked. There were only three Hairdressers in Tolerance and they all ran there shops out of their homes.

"This dance must be very important to you," she said.

"Yes it is," I replied.

The next morning at breakfast my mom told me. "I want to be out of here by 730 tomorrow morning.

 

Helen

Even thought I was still in Richard's body I took Dean shopping for his dress for the Homecoming Dance.

There were two reasons for this. Richard had no fashion sense. Before the switch he had to keep extra socks at work because he had a habit of wearing socks that didn't match. The other was he was breast feeding Susan.

All Dean could talk about during the trip, was the dress and the other stuff she needed to go with it. Me I was doing something that I never had done before. I worried about the final bill for all of it. When I was in my old body, the bill never bothered me. I was a doctor's wife and I had to look the part.

Dean had done his homework and exactly what stores (phone book, other girls and catalogs) he wanted to check out.

At the first store Dean took an hour just making up his mind on what dresses to try on. Here is where I made my first mistake. I simply forgot I wasn't a mother with her daughter looking for a dance dress. As I tried to head back into the dressing room area I had to be reminded by one of the store staff. "Sorry men are not allowed in this area." Today I learned another hard lesson. It isn't fun for a man when he is out shopping with his wife or daughter and he had to sit around and wait for them. If an occasion like this ever came up again with Richard. I will remember what I am going through now.

 

Dean

As I tried on the first three dresses I knew without thinking about it. I wasn't buying any of them. I just wanted to see what I looked like in them and when I found the just right one I had something in my mind to compare it to. I had a very good idea what I wanted.

At the third store I found it.

It was a blue sequims dress with spaghetti straps. It fit my body like a second skin. It left nothing to the imagination.

From the look on my mom's face when I walk out of the dressing room. She just stood there opened mouth. Finally she broke the silence. "If that is the dress you are wearing, we got a lot more shopping ahead us."

I replied, "yes this is the dress."

The next stop was at Victoria Secret. My mom told the sale clerk. "My daughter need a pair of panty hose that is so shear so that you wouldn't be able tell she is wearing any panty hose wearing a skin tight fitting dress."

I had worn panty hose and nylons before, but the ones I tried on that morning made it so I never wanted to wear nothing else. The pair my mom and I finally decided on was so sheer that I had better make sure no one see up my dress. The panties were so sheer they were one step away from see thru. A blue strapless bra that lifted and separated my breast, which matched my dress was also brought.

The next stop was for shoes. I had worn heels up to three inches, but this was the first time I will actually be wearing fancy high heels.

We barely had time to gulp down a pop to make my hairdresser appointment. I wasn't having a perm done due to the tight schedule. I have had my hair in Tolerance but this was the first time I had it done in a beauty parlor. With at least five other teenage girls having their hair done. In Tolerance everybody knew I had spent most of my life as a boy, so most of the conversations were sort of sedate. But here I was just another teenage girl getting her hair done the others girls let their hair down so to speak.

One of these conversations went like this. The two girls must have been very close friends.

"You have to go out with Paul." One said to the other, who I will call 1 and the other 2.

"Why should I, I am dating the star quarterback," said 2.

"There at least three reasons why," said 1.

"What do you mean?" asked 2.

"I have seen your QB little qb and it barely five inches in length. Where Paul is hung like a horse and his reaches more than eight inches."

"You don't mean?" said 2 sounding a little shocked in her voice.

"Yes I do and I enjoyed every inch of it," announced 1.

They were interrupted before another word could be said.

Mom didn't stay around and wait for me to finish. She did a little shopping of her own.

As I walked out of the salon Mom walked up and handed me a small package. This package was like one of those a man uses to hold an engagement ring. When I opened the package I found a pair of studded Turqusious earrings.

"Mom you shouldn't have," was all I could say. Before the switch Jennifer never had her ears pierced, one of the first things I did after the switched was have my ears pierced.

"You needed some earrings to match your outfit." She told me.

As we drove home Mom made me take a nap.

I asked, "why do I need a nap?"

"Your grandmother made me take a nap before my first big dance. The proof of her wisdom was shown later that night. I was still going strong as the other kids started to nod off." was her reply.

 

Richard

As with most women. Having a baby gave a woman the worst experience and wonderful experience at the same time.

When I was in my old body I knew I help create Dean and Jennifer. With Susan I had a completely new feeling. I help create her, but I also carried and care for her for nine months before she was born. As a man I couldn't comprehend the special bonding between a mother and the child she carried.

This special bonding continued with every diaper change and every time I opened my blouse and let Susan suckle on my breast as I watch the little beautiful face enjoy every drop of milk.

I will be returning to work next week. Of which I am regretting already. I have enjoyed my special time with my daughter. I now how a mother feels when she has to return to work after birth. I can't put it into words but I what I can tell you is. It makes me sick just thinking about returning to work.

My family is very helpful. If either one of the three is available when Susan needs a diaper change. They will it so I don't have to.

I just heard the car drive up, Helen and Dean must be back from shopping. I know this dance is one of the most important things in my daughter's life, what I hate is what it is going to cost me money wise.

 

Jennifer

I am little jealous of my brother.

When I was a lot younger and back in my old body I dreamt of mom helping me with all the preparations for my first major dance. From what others have told me. Mothers as well as the daughters enjoy this event. Even if Dean and I switch back, mom and I will not enjoy this special mother/daughter tradition.

Looking at all that has happened to this family over the last year.

I learn one thing that will follow me the rest of my life. If Dean and I switch back, my parents had better not plan on any grand children from me.

At Dean's old school he was always considered the school bully. From my experiences in his body I can see why. When you stand at least six inches taller and out weigh every boy in the 8th grade by fifty pounds. Sometimes I feel like Arnold Sharsneggar in a nerd convention.

It took a total of two days for the rest of my classmates to find that out. I might look like a grizzly bear on the outside but I am big teddy bear in the inside. I did put my size to a good use. There is no school bullies at my school. For those who want to be a bully have to come talk to me first. I sort help change their mind in the matter.

End of part 12

  

  

  

*********************************************
© 2003 by Jennifer Allison. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of StorySite and the copyright holder.