This narrative contains adult subject matter. It should not be read by anyone who is not entitled to have access to adult issues under any and all laws that govern the reader’s rights and privileges. As it relates to transgender issues, those who find the subject matter offensive should stop now and read no further.

This ninth part of a continuing story is about a teenager with an alcoholic father. It may be read separately, but the context is enhanced if you read all eight of the prior segments: ‘Changes --’, ‘More Changes-- ’, Some More—", Still More—", "Unexpected--- ", Surprising----" "Permanent---" and "Final---"

 

Culmination of the Changes                 by: Virginia Kane

 

Part Nine

Terry, Ron’s friend Tom, two attorneys and the policeman and I (disguised as a mature woman) were gathered together at Ron’s friend Ruth’s big apartment, discussing the evening’s developments, filling each other in on as much of the details, until each and everyone in the room, including the assigned police officer, knew the as much of the information as could be shared. Ron’s friend Tom was taking notes of the shared details as well as the attorneys and police officer.

The policeman used his collar radio to discreetly summon his superiors without disclosing where and who was gathered. He explained that the frequency could be monitored and usually was by people for a variety of reasons. He referred to Ruth’s apartment as "Point C." Whoever dispatched the message to a "Unit 4" told the officer to stand by. The collar radio squawked and replied that "Unit 4" was on the way to "Point C" and reported what the ETA would be.

Fifteen minutes later, a stern looking man entered Ruth’s apartment. He began by examining me closely, like I was an unpleasant annoyance to him. "You could have gotten someone hurt if one of those two those ex-neighbors of yours were more careful and attentive about how they followed you. Fortunately, the shallow plan your friends devised for losing them did work."

"You put my men in danger, as well. The two targets stopped before they left the restaurant to alert their friend Rudy, the pusher by phone, that you and your two "lady" friends saw them make the drug exchange. Amateurs! What the hell were you three doing there, tailing those two? You jeopardized the lives of all my men, in the middle of a sting by your playing ‘cops and robbers’!"

"We only went out to dinner. We weren’t tailing anyone."

"Oh, yeah? Then why the get-up? This isn’t Halloween!"

"I was honoring a bet. My girl friend challenged me to go out dressed like a girl. All we were doing was having dinner. We had no idea those two would be there."

All this commotion! I vowed never to dress up as a girl again.

"Harrumph! You kids! Do you play silly games like this all the time?"

Terry interrupted the man. "Look, sir, I don’t see how Donna’s accidental choice of restaurants or her dress code has anything to do with your police operations. It was not intentional, merely happenstance. Your department should plan your clandestine operations more carefully, and not put innocent bystanders at risk."

"Sure, we could announce our presence, (sarcastically) so everyone except the pigeons will be informed and stay away. Because of your interference, young lady, we lost the pusher. All we got is a few runners making a petty ‘buy’. Two weeks of surveillance work went down the drain when they alerted Rudy Dexter. He was quick to spot his tails and ditched them before they had a chance to have him to lead us to his source. Now he’s on the loose, and knows we’re after him.

We were hoping to score a major collar here. Instead we ended up with peanuts: two low-lifes that hardly make the operation worthwhile. For two cents, I’d throw the book at the lot of you for aiding and abetting. We had to put everyone on the force on the alert for Dexter. By now, his organization is aware of it. Instead of him being a potential lead to his suppliers, he’s a dead man, a liability to them. I won’t be surprised if he turns up at the morgue."

The lawyers said nothing, but wrote notes feverishly, exchanged some thoughts, went off into a corner with the stern policeman and conferred privately. Whatever they discussed was not meant for the rest of us to hear. When the huddle broke, they left quickly, leaving Terry, Ron’s friend Tom, and I with the two policemen.

They asked Tom why he was taking notes. "Well, I’m only doing a friend a favor, but this sounds interesting enough to be developed into a story. For many years, I’ve dabbled in playwriting. Do you mind if I make notes?"

The policemen looked over Tom’s notes and suggested that he not write in real names in the draft unless he wanted to be sued for slander. Otherwise, it wasn’t a problem. He asked if he could get a copy for the files for comparison, to which Tom graciously agreed.

The policemen suggested we try to get some rest as best we could. We’d all be remaining there until a proper protection unit was assigned and dispatched. Ron and Ruth were called to return to her apartment with the third police officer that was with them. When they arrived, Ruth brought out some blankets, and made coffee for everyone. We tried to get some sleep. Before long, everyone except the three policemen was asleep or silently resting.

In the morning, we were assembled and taken in police custody to our respective homes to pick up a few changes of clothing. We were taken up to the hospital’s secure ward and met Jane and her mom there. If anyone got sick, there would be proper medical attention available. We were not to leave the ward for any reason.

We were told the operation shouldn’t take more than a few more days, and we weren’t in any danger. Our seclusion was merely a safety precaution, until Rudy Dexter, the drug pusher was apprehended. Our attorneys joined us mid-morning. They had briefed the police about the on-going civil court case against my dad’s former employer, and how it was interrelated to their criminal investigation.

By mid-afternoon, Jane and her mother were released. Their only exposure was being seen by Rudy Dexter and the three other men at the restaurant. The three were already arrested and in jail and Rudy Dexter was found dead in the middle of the night. He had become too big a liability to his suppliers. The drug lords weren’t going to take a chance on him providing the police with information that would enable the police to catch and put any of them in jail.

Jane’s mom was extremely upset over what had happened, and whisked Jane from the secure hospital ward without my getting a chance to talk to them, as I was in a conference with my dad’s attorneys when they were being released. I had the feeling I wouldn’t be seeing Jane again for a long time.

Terry, Ron, Tom and Ruth were also released, but Terry stayed with me as she was my guardian, and I was still a minor. The police inferred that I was still at risk from others who were involved in the company’s scheme. Whether any others in the company’s employ were criminally involved was still unknown. Dad’s lawyers were busily working on clarifying what they knew with the police. Until the police reviewed all of the notes and files uncovered by the private investigators, I would have to remain in protective custody.

Dad was brought back from the lower-cost hospice to be advised of the status of his lawsuit, and how it was related to the police crime investigation. He was also to be introduced to the newly arriving doctor, the specialist that Terry arranged to review his medical file pertaining to his potential kidney transplant.

 

Chapter Two.

A total of seven salesmen, including dad, were wrongfully dismissed from dad’s former employer over the past nine years to divert commissions from continuing sales to the customers they established to the commission account of the Sales V.P. Out of the seven men, three were currently gainfully employed in new sales positions and declined participating in the suit, fearing repercussions from their new employers or damage to their reputations as "problem" employees.

The three remaining former co-workers were employed in lower paying positions elsewhere. None of the three had serious health problems, although they were all heavy drinkers, attributing their alcohol dependence to the rigors of traveling and entertaining customers, a part of sales work. They agreed to be enjoined in the civil suit and retained dad’s attorneys to represent them as well.

Filing amendments to the petition to the court took time, delaying any decisions. The extra time enabled dad’s attorneys to negotiate with the company’s attorneys over the likelihood of a guilty verdict. The additional plaintiffs’ sworn statements substantiated dad’s position. Our attorneys felt we had a solid case and the judge would find the company guilty

Then, a strange thing happened. All three of the other plaintiffs approached our attorneys urging them to accept an offer made by the company for $75,000 plus an option for reinstatement. They all wanted their jobs back! The company was in need of salesmen! The offer was extended for dad as well, but the cash offered wouldn’t cover a fraction of his future anticipated medical maintenance costs, and he was in no condition to return to work in a sales job on the road.

The lawyers urged the others to be patient. They balked, and threatened to ask for separate attorneys, as ours were "greed driven" and out to "ruin the company" by stripping away "working capital" to force the company into dissolution to the dire detriment of the many families of the rest of the work force.

The shrewd defense attorneys spoon-fed the three men an accusatory premise that they were being "used" by dad’s attorneys to filch money from the company and break its back, after which, the company would be financial unable to honor their promise of gainful employment in their old positions. Not only that, but the continued legal battle would endanger the jobs of all of their former co-workers.

The three agreed to accept the company offer, causing our attorneys to petition the court a third time for a change back from the class-action to a single plaintiff. The out of court settlement by the three attempted to make dad’s attorneys out to be blood-sucking vampires seeking monetary vengeance solely for the fees they would earn off of the case.

The story did make the headlines, with some non-complimentary descriptions of my dad. "ALCOHOLIC REFUSES TO ACCEPT SETTLEMENT OFFER FROM SUBTANTIAL COMMUNITY EMPLOYER FOR WRONGFUL FIRING." I imagine the company sent a prepared statement to the press to save them the bother of inquiring into why dad couldn’t accept reinstatement in his old job.

The judge set a trial date, and further requests for continuances were declined. A few days before the trial, the company’s lawyers doubled, and then quadrupled their offer to settle out of court. Dad refused. He admitted being a drunkard, but said he came by it "honestly". He was wiling to abide by the court’s decision.

Dad’s attorneys joined us the hospital to see dad while Terry and I were visiting. The company’s final offer was for 2.1 million dollars in damages, plus the full, continued medical benefits for dad for the rest of his life until he became eligible for Medicare, and for myself until I finished my education and I was gainfully employed, full-time. The amount of cash offered was not to be disclosed for any reason. Disclosure would terminate the continued benefits if made publicly.

With advice of counsel, dad declined. He instructed the attorneys to go directly back tell the company president, personally, and tell him that he not only let his sales vice president rob dad of his health irreparably, and put his life at risk, but he willfully tried to destroy what little dignity he had left when they fed the media with the slanderous picture of him, a man that once served the company well and helped build it for over twenty years.

Dad told the attorneys how small the company was when he first started, and how he personally helped it grow, back when it was struggling to get a foothold on the market niche, and how he took all the new salesmen under his wing to help them start new territories to speed up the process, never asking for the promotions he deserved for his part in building the firm.

He should have gotten the sales vice-president’s position. He earned it, but didn’t mind, because he didn’t really want to be tied down to a desk job. Instead, the president hired a man from outside, a bad choice, one who used his men like pawns; lined his own pockets with commissions dismissed salesmen were due.

Dad spent a good part of his adult life for the company, neglecting his wife and son for weeks at a time, and got stabbed in the back in return. The vice president got stock options and fleeced his salesmen to exercise them and buy cocaine.

Well, dad closely followed the arrest and conviction reports about his former boss. Those valuable stocks were confiscated under the Ricoh statutes along with other assets as gains from a criminal activity. What dad wanted was to have the company buy those stocks back from the police and award them to him as a part of the out of court settlement, in addition to the 2.1 million in cash offered. Dad wanted the president to know that he would share in the future growth and profits of the company from now on.

If the company president refused, he would take the story to the press.

The company president accepted dad’s counter-offer, and sent dad a personal letter of apology. Dad would also be appointed to the vice-presidential position he had originally deserved, before the company would accept a request for medical retirement with full benefits. He only asked that dad participate in a press release to publicly clear the firm of any blame for the crimes of the vice president .The president publicly admitted fault for giving the errant man too much "free reign".

 

Chapter Three.

The new surgical specialist summoned by Terry re-examined dad. One of his kidneys had stopped functioning completely. The other had a cancerous tumor, but its renal function improved since his last MRI. She was inclined to believe that surgical removal of the tumor would enable the kidney to improve in function. The difficulty was in the risks involved in removing the tumor. The surgery might cause a relapse in the functioning kidney’s atrophy.

A donor with two healthy kidneys, one to replace dad’s non-functioning kidney was needed. Then the risks of removing the tumor would be minimal, as the new kidney could function while the other mended, and reduce or eliminate the need for continuing dialysis.

She looked at me inquisitively. At the time, I was less than 160 pounds in weight. She told me that my previous candidacy for donorship was discounted due to my excessive obesity. One kidney would be overworked and prove inadequate in a very heavy person. Tissue match wasn’t the cause of my prior ineligibility. The match was adequate, but risk to me was too great. She asked if I was still willing to donate one of my kidneys to my dad, once I was thoroughly examined and was confirmed to be a viable candidate.

She cautioned me that many obese people who lose weight tend to return to obesity over time, even after losing a lot of weight, and committed to keeping the weight off. Depleted fat cells still remain in the body, waiting to fill up as soon as overeating takes place. To improve my chances of keeping the weight off, she suggested liposuction to remove the empty fat cells, so my body would have to generate new cells before I would gain substantial weight.

She could attend to the liposuction while removing my kidney for transplantation into dad. The only side effect would be a slight narrowing of my waistline at one side. She indicated that she would balance my physique by relocating fat cells from my "love handles" to fill in my waistline where the kidney would be removed.

Needless to say, I agreed to find out if I could donate a kidney to my dad. The tests only took a few days, and she scheduled the kidney transfer to be done at the hospital here, where I would remain for follow-up observation. I only missed eleven days of classes. With my laptop computer and with daily rotating visits by my classmates and my teachers, I was able to keep up with class assignments. After all, I had all day to study.

Terry had told the specialist about my dressing up in girl’s clothes and confining corsets. It didn’t surprise her. She said the effect of my wearing a brace while I exercised was obvious, as my torso had gradually conformed to the restriction.

She didn’t see any reason for my not continuing to wear corsets, once I healed completely from my surgery. I told her of my vow not to wear girl’s clothes ever again. She merely laughed and said: "We’ll see."

The day before I was to be released from the hospital, Jane’s mother came by to visit me without Jane. She apologized for blaming me for the risk she and Jane were subjected to by observing the drug sale in the restaurant. It occurred to her that she chose the restaurant, not I. None of it would have happened had she chosen another restaurant. She asked me for forgiveness. I told her there was nothing she did that called for forgiveness. I told her it was a mother’s duty to protect her daughter from harm.

She then told me Jane was upset with her for being forbidden to see me. She wanted me to know that Jane had wanted to come, but would not disobey her.

I told her I understood why she wouldn’t want her daughter to be involved with a boy that liked girl’s clothes. She laughed. She always had a hard time getting Jane to dress femininely until I came along. If anything, she thought I was a good influence on Jane, as she outgrew her ‘tomboy’ stage and was more concerned with her appearance since she met me.

She wanted me to tell me that she felt I was a wonderfully caring person, no matter how I chose to dress, and if Jane should stop by, I should not feel guilty, as she would not be disobeying her mother in doing so.

Jane came by the following day with Terry to help me to prepare for leaving the hospital. Terry graciously left the two of us get reacquainted. We two managed to sneak in a kiss or hug in between the nurses’ popping in at the worst possible moments. I was still a bit weak from the surgery, but otherwise I managed to put my arms around Jane and squeeze her tightly.

Dad and I shared a joyous tearful afternoon after the transplant was competed successfully. The anti-rejection medication caused some complications, but the kidney functioned perfectly after a while. He gradually recovered from the drugs and the transplant surgery and soon looked better than he had in years.

Dad was happy as a lark that he could move around freely, unrestricted by his previous thrice-daily bouts on the dialysis machines. He was not out of the woods yet, as the tumor on his other kidney was growing and the doctor feared it would metastasize, spreading cancer to his other organs.

The second procedure went well, but the kidney’s function did not improve. The newly implanted kidney from me carried most of the load. By the time dad was up and around, I was back in school, preparing for graduation.

Jane and I resumed studying together, sneaking in many kisses and hugs along the way. Her mom was always polite, letting us know well in advance, before she joined us when we studied at Jane’s apartment. We were beginning to act like a family, as Jane’s mom was visiting my dad on a daily basis, often leaving the two of us alone together, saying that she trusted us.

Of course, we did nothing to betray her trust, although, there were times I wanted to do just that. Jane would simply not allow me do more than kiss and hug her. Well, I did cop a feel a few times, but she’d tease me a bit; then push me away, saying: "I’m not that kind of girl, and neither are you!"

 

We’d laugh and start to tickle one another, or I’d chase her around the apartment like a little kid, pulling on her ponytail. Those were wonderful times. We were in love and deeply devoted to one another. We knew that things would change in the fall when we were to go away to college, but we tried not to talk about being separated to continue our schooling.

 

Chapter Four.

Not long after dad recovered, we had a heart to heart talk. He was itching to get out of the hospice where he was staying after his release from the hospital and wanted to resume a normal life, free of alcohol addiction, with a new lease on life provided by the new kidney. He asked how I felt about moving in with him in an apartment or condo. He didn’t press the issue. He gave me the option.

I had lived with Terry Morgan for over a year, yet, it wasn’t a difficult decision. Dad wanted me to live with him. It might have been difficult if I wasn’t in the way at Terry’s place. Terry and Ron had to juggle their schedules to get together when I wasn’t there, or return from their dates late, after I retired for the night.

From the sounds emanating from Terry’s room, it was obvious that they were a couple deeply in love, sharing their bodies as well as their lives. Soon, I would be eighteen, and Terry’s responsibility as a guardian would be over as well. I told dad to get ready to reunite. I’d start looking for a new place for us to live.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me closer to sit on the arm of the overstuffed chair in the lounge at the hospice. "Son, I know about you wearing corsets for the past year or so. Since you gave me your kidney, I noticed how your waist is so slim, slim as a girl’s waist is. If we get back together, I want you to know that you can dress however you’d like at home. I don’t want to deprive you, if you want to delve into that kind of stuff. I’ll just have to get used to it, that’s all."

I don’t want prying neighbors like the older Sullivans to see you dressed up and pass judgment on you. Leave the accommodations up to me. I’ll surprise you.

We didn’t get a condo. We didn’t get an apartment. We didn’t get a house.

Dad found a nifty twenty-room motel near the edge of town, along the freeway. We moved into the office/manager’s suite, which was spacious and had three bedrooms. Any time we had visitors, dad would graciously put them up for the night in vacant rooms. The Sullivans, their son and daughter-in-law, Terry and

Ron, Ruth and Tom, and dad’s friends he used to work with all visited often.

Sometimes, Ron’s acting friends would need dates. Jane and I would dress to the nines and we’d all go out and have a great time. The guys couldn’t figure out which one of us was the genuine article and which was an imposter. We’d keep them guessing, just for the fun of it.

Dad was appointed to the board of directors, emeritus, and his former employer continued to prosper. The president wasn’t vindictive toward dad at all. He even arranged a special "corporate program" for out-of-town guests of the company where dad used to work. Seems the company discovered the adjacent restaurant and lounge an ideal place to entertain visiting customers and avail the use of dad’s motel to accommodate traveling corporate guests.

I went off to college, with my wife Jane. Yes, we got married. After she left home, Jane’s mom left her job to help dad manage the motel, moving her things into the third bedroom and saving the cost of an apartment. Uh-huh! Suuuure!

They still aren’t married, but who knows?

That’s another story.

 

Fin.

 

 

Author’s note: Did you catch the hidden agenda in each segment’s title?

The changes cited in the title also loosely referred to his dad’s recovery, not only to Donny’s dressing. Tee Hee!

 

 

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