Chapter 32

I had completed one pass and was going through it again when Jill came to get me. She led me through the maze of corridors until we reached the conference room where the script reading would take place. Most of the participants were there already, and as Mr. Landois had predicted, the room was crowded. When I arrived, Mr. Landois called for everyone's attention and I was introduced.

Oliver stood up and came over to me. He put his arms around me and pulled me close, then kissed me with the same type of deep, passionate kiss that he had greeted me with on my previous visit. He pulled back and I gulped oxygen as he said, "Welcome back, my dear wife. I've missed you. I trust that you're all through playing tag with the seagulls."

I giggled and said, "Yes. They really don't enjoy the game… and their breath smells like fish ALL the time."

"Then it's a good thing that I'm the only one that you'll be kissing from now on."

"And we never did finish our honeymoon, husband."

Smiling lecherously for the benefit of the assemblage, he said, "There's lots of time for that. I've paid the writer's to see what they can do." Then he released me and took my hand to show me to the seat next to his.

Mr. Landois, who was smiling from our banter, said, "Now that Princess is here, we can begin. Everybody take your seats, please. Fruit, would you handle the introductions please?"

Once everyone was seated, Jill introduced each person, as I located him or her around the enormous table. After that we got down to business. Walt Goldman discussed the essence of the story included in the new script, and the direction that they wanted to take the series. Then we started the reading. A couple of the cast members had taken advantage of the opportunity to look over the script this morning, but most had not and we stumbled through the first reading. The writers never stopped making notes as we worked our way through the script. We broke just before noon for lunch and we were asked to leave our scripts on the table. I felt wonderful leaving the meeting. I had been a little apprehensive because I didn't know if I would be welcome or not. From stories I heard at the theater, I realized that casts are like families, and late joiners can often find it difficult finding acceptance. Perhaps I was spared that because I had been in the series opening episode and I was in the credits of every show. What really made the difference, though, was the warm reception from the series star, Oliver, in front of the entire cast.

Mom and Carol were still in the dressing room when I returned. They had occupied their time by watching television. We freshened our makeup before walking to the cafeteria for lunch. Jill joined us shortly after we had sat down.

Mom said, "How did it go this morning?"

"Fine. It was a little rough because we hadn't had time to prepare. It should be better this afternoon."

Jill said, "Not too much probably. Right now the writer's are working furiously to make changes before this afternoon's session."

"Changes?"

"Of course. The basic storyline will remain the same but there will be dialogue changes based on the reading. This script was patched together in a couple of days. They would love to have the luxury of several days to refine it but we're under the gun. They'll probably concentrate on the first part now and then work on the rest tonight. By the time that we start rehearsing tomorrow, the script will have to be pretty much complete, although Mr. Landois can still make minor changes even as we tape."

"Putting a production together has to be enough of a headache without having to worry about last second rewrites."

"True, but this situation is not unusual. Most shows work on changes right up to the point where the tape starts to roll. It's a lot different from working on the stage where dialog is usually set in concrete by the time that you get to the dress rehearsals, and you get a couple of rehearsals knowing that further changes are not going to happen unless the show isn't successful."

Mom said, "How late do you think that you'll be working today, Jill?"

"At least until 5, or maybe 6."

"Okay." To me she said, "Honey, rather than sitting in your dressing room, Carol and I will come back at 5. We can use the time to do some grocery shopping and get our kitchen in the condo set up so that we can enjoy meals at home."

"Okay, Mom. It wouldn't be fair to keep you hanging around the set all day anyway. I'll be very busy and won't have time to be with you."

Jill said, "Don't worry, Susan. I'll look after Crystal. She'll be fine." Smiling she added, "And far too busy to get into trouble."

"Thanks, Jill. I'm not worried about Crystal getting into trouble. I just don't want her to be left alone on an empty set after everyone has gone home."

"Why don't you get some pagers, or better yet, cell phones. We couldn't survive out here without them, any more. They have them so tiny these days that they’re not much bigger than a pack of cigarettes."

"That's a good idea. That's something else to look into."

For the rest of the meal we discussed cell phones and their monthly charges, number of included minutes, peak time, off-peak time, roaming charges, long distance charges, and every other conceivable factor. It appeared that Jill had done a lot of research on them and we became the beneficiaries of her knowledge.

When we had finished eating, Mom and Carol left to run their errands, while Jill and I walked back to my dressing room. She told me that someone would let me know when the afternoon script meeting was set to begin, and left to check on her messages. I went into my dressing room and sat down. I didn't have a script to study, and I hadn't brought my schoolbooks, so I quickly became bored. I watched the news on TV for about 10 minutes and then shut it off because it was so depressing. I decided to walk around a bit, so I left the dressing room and walked around the corridors near my dressing room, reading the names on the doors, and matching them up with the images in my mind of my cast members.

When I suddenly found myself in front of Oliver's door, I hesitated for a couple of seconds, and then boldly knocked. I didn't receive any response so after waiting about tens seconds I knocked again.

I heard a muffled voice from behind the still closed door say, "Yes. What is it?"

"Oliver? It's Crystal. I was wondering if you were busy right now."

"I'm sorry, Crystal. I'd fallen asleep and I'm almost naked right now. Can we talk later?"

"Of course. I'm sorry to have interrupted your nap. I'll see you at the meeting."

"Okay. See you later."

I walked back to my dressing room. Turning the TV on again I plopped down on the couch and surfed through the channels looking for something of interest. A knock at the door brought me back to reality and I sat up straight as I said, "Come in."

Toni, the wardrobe lady, entered. She was carrying several of the outfits that had been altered, in her arms. Hi Hon, I thought that you might try on some of these things while your waiting for the afternoon meeting to start. It will save you having to stay late tonight."

"Sure Toni. Are these the things that I will be wearing this week?"

"Some of them. Liz is working on the rest. They should all be ready in a couple of hours."

For the second time today I had to remove my corset. Toni never hesitated for a second as she loosened the laces. She was obviously familiar with corsets and I commented on that.

"Oh yeah. I've worked on a number of pictures that required them beneath the costumes. Don't see them worn very much off of the set though. What was your name before you became a girl?"

"Wha… what?"

"I was just wondering what your male name was?"

I suddenly had visions of being unmasked in front of the entire cast. Was my worst nightmare about to occur? How did she see through my disguise? I decided to bluff it out. "What do you mean? You don't think that I'm a female?"

"Hon, I've been in this racket for thirty-five years. Got into it right out of high school. I've seen everything that you could imagine. There're two people that you can't fool, your doctor, and, your wardrobe person. I began to suspect that there was something 'different' about you during your fittings when you were here the last time, but you're one of the best that I've come across, and that's saying something. I realized this morning that your breasts aren't real. They look wonderful, but after touching them this morning I realized that they're fake."

I had a glimmer of hope that I could still retain my secret intact, but I had to admit to the obvious clue that she had discovered. "You're right. They are fake. My own breasts are only an A-cup size."

Toni looked closely at me with a suspicious eye. "No. There's more. The corset, for example. Young women don't wear them anymore. They can't stand the restriction, and larger waistlines are acceptable. Then there is the padded panty-girdle."

"They help give me a better shape. I want to appear as attractive as I can. I am willing to suffer the constricted feeling to give me a shape that men will drool over." I decided to throw in a lie. "My boyfriend back home loves it."

Toni looked as if she was beginning to doubt her original assessment. "There's one last thing." She hesitated for a couple of seconds before saying, "Your crotch doesn't look exactly right. You have the wide hips of a female, but I've seen you almost naked, and very close up. You look more like the female impersonators and drag queens that I've helped to costume after they have pushed their manhood back between their legs. There is one simple way to prove me wrong."

I searched frantically through my mind for a way out. I debated whether or not to appear outraged and just order her from my dressing room, but that would only seal my fate. The story would be all over the studio within the hour.

Toni said, "Don't worry, Hon. I'm not going to tell anyone. I have more secrets buried in my head than you'd believe. A wardrobe person with loose lips doesn't stay employed for very long in this town."

I decided that the only way out was to reveal myself, tell her part of the truth, slant some facts a little, and trust in her discretion. "Okay, Toni, you're right. I used to be a male. At least half of me was."

"Half of you? What does that mean?"

"Just that. I'm half male and half female. You noticed my wide hips, and I've told you that I have real breasts underneath the fakes. Both are true. But I also have, according to the doctor, 'very underdeveloped male genitalia' which is not likely to grow very much. I have a hormonal imbalance in my system that has caused my body to grow like a female’s even though I was born looking like a male."

"Oh, you poor kid. Stuck halfway in between both sexes. How long have you been living as a woman."

"A little over four months now. I couldn't go on living as a male once my big hips and breasts became obvious. So I went all the way to the female side and I live as a woman now. My breast forms and corsets give me the proper shape, and until now, no one has seen through my disguise."

"Well, don't you worry. I won't reveal your secret. I'll take it to the grave with me and we won't even talk about it after today. Have you looked into surgery so that no one can ever question your sex again?"

"I'm not old enough. The doctor said that I have to wait until I'm eighteen, both for legal reasons and because my body is still growing."

"What about plastic surgery to hide your male identity."

"What do you mean, 'hide my male identity'?"

"A female impersonator that I know told me of a procedure that they use to give you the appearance of a vagina using the skin surrounding your penis and testicles. It's done with surgical adhesive and sutures. They don't remove anything, or permanently alter anything, so it gets around the legal issues. The change can be undone if you change your mind."

"I hadn't heard about anything like that. You say that it will look like I have a normal vagina afterwards?"

"Yes. You can't have sex like a female, of course, since it is only has the outward appearance of a vagina. You'll have to wait until you have the full surgery to do that."

"Uh… Where would somebody have that type of procedure performed?"

Toni smiled gently and said, "There are any number of places where the procedure could be done, but I know of a doctor who has the best reputation for both discretion and quality work." She reached down and removed her notebook from the large pocket of her work smock, then wrote the name of the doctor on a blank page. She ripped the page from the book and handed it to me. "I don't know his telephone number but I'm sure that he's listed in the telephone directory. I can't give you any references, for obvious reasons, but I can assure you that the list is long and every customer is satisfied."

"There are that many who have had this procedure done."

She laughed. "No, they haven't all had this procedure. He also does nose jobs, face lifts, tummy tucks, breast implants, liposuction, and many other kinds of plastic surgery."

"Thanks, Toni. I'll certainly give it some thought."

"You're welcome, Hon. And now we'd better get started on these fittings if we want to get done before you have to go to the meeting."

I tried on each of the things that Toni had brought and she checked the fit. Only one had to have any other alterations performed. I noticed her looking closely at my panty-girdle and my breasts when she thought that I wasn't looking. I suppose that her curiosity was only natural, but it was also probably related to her professionalism. She had to know how to make my wardrobe look and fit properly for my role, and understand what clothes I could, and couldn't, wear well. When she left I thanked her for her help and her discretion, and kissed her cheek. She smiled and kissed mine.

Toni had helped me with my corset and I was once again dressed in the ultra tight skirt and blouse that I had worn to the studio this morning. I had just sat back down on the couch when Jill knocked on the door to tell me that the meeting would be starting in a few minutes. I got back up and walked with her to the conference room. At the seat I had occupied earlier, a new script waited for me. It was actually my old script with a bunch of pages added. The new pages were colored to show that they reflected changes to the script.

When everyone was seated we resumed work, starting at the beginning of the revised script and doing every scene repeatedly until we were done. We worked until after 6 o'clock and then broke for the day. Tomorrow morning we would begin rehearsals on the set, and then start taping on Thursday. On Friday we had a couple of location scenes to do at the airport, and then on a luxury cruise ship. Those scenes would show my return home and the beginning of our 'second' honeymoon.

I returned to my dressing room following the meeting and found Mom waiting for me. She told me that Carol was at the condo preparing dinner so I grabbed my purse and shoved the script into it. I turned out the light as we left, and we walked to the car. Mom told me about the shopping that she and Carol had done, and I told her about the meeting and the script rehearsal.

Dinner was almost ready when we arrived back at the condo. The first thing that I did was to go to my bedroom and remove my shoes, and the second was to change my clothes. I felt so much better in a pair of shorts, a tee shirt, and my soft fluffy slippers. The table was all set when I went back to the kitchen/dining room. Mom and Carol were already seated so I joined them and we started to fill our plates as the typical evening meal discussion started.

Carol said, "Did you get to kiss Oliver again this afternoon?"

"No. We were only sitting around a table going over our lines."

"When are you going to be rehearsing where you actually touch one another?"

"We start rehearsing on the set tomorrow."

"Can I come watch?"

"Sure. If you want to."

When we had almost finished eating I announced, "Mom, something happened at the studio that you should be aware of."

Looking at me apprehensively she said, "What is it, Dear?"

I took a deep breath and said, "Toni, the wardrobe lady told me that she was aware of my secret."

"What? How?"

"It's her job to understand human shapes. She noticed that my breasts were not real because she touched them as part of dressing me, and she deduced that I was not born a female because she has worked with drag queens as part of her work. She said that my crotch looked like theirs after they had pushed their manhood back rather than like the crotch of a woman. I have been almost naked in front of her. She dared me to prove her wrong, which of course I couldn't do."

"Do you think that she'll tell anyone at the studio."

"No… I don't think so. She said that she would take the secret to the grave after I explained about being half female and half male." I launched into a full reconstruction of the conversation about my history as I remembered it. "So I think that she was sincere and that she won't tell anybody. She also told me about a procedure." I then related the facts that Toni had given me about the plastic surgery.

When I was done Mom said, "This procedure would make it look like you have a real vagina?"

"Yes, without doing any surgery that would permanently make me a woman."

"How do you feel about that."

"I've come this far. I want to continue to work until we have all of the money that we need for college and for the re-constructive surgery that I need to return my body to normal. This might help and would prevent any further occurrences like the one with Toni. If I get any other parts, I'll have to deal with other wardrobe people. I know that Marge and Barbara will never tell anyone, and I feel that Toni won't tell anybody, but I don't know how long it will be before I meet up with somebody just dying to spread the secret."

"That's true. If you could pull your panties down and display a vagina it would quell any suspicion immediately… Okay, we'll look into right away. What's the name of that doctor?"

"The note is in my purse. I'll get it."

I jumped up and hurried to my room. I couldn't find the slip of paper that she had given me so I had to dump the contents of my purse on the bed. Moving my script out of the way and sorting through the makeup, combs, brushes, tissues, and dozens of other small items, I finally found the paper and returned to the kitchen.

"Here it is. His name is Nicholas Roman."

"Sounds like an actor's name. You're sure that he's legitimate?"

"I don't know. Toni said that we could get the telephone number from the book."

Carol jumped up and hurried into the living room, returning a few seconds later with the phone book. Opening it up as she returned she said, "Wow, it looks like this whole town is made of doctors." Putting the book down on the table she scanned the list of names. "Here it is, 'Dr. Nicholas Roman 555-9341 (see display ad). Wow, he has a half page ad in the yellow pages."

Mom said, "Let me see, Honey." After reading through the list of available services, she said, "He definitely looks legitimate. You say that Toni vouched for the quality of his work?"

"Both the quality of his work, and his discretion, which is almost as important. I wouldn't want to have gone through this so that I could hide my secret only to have someone from his office, tell all."

"I'll look into it tomorrow, if I can get an appointment. I hope that Toni's word is as good as her advice. It's true that it might only be a matter of time before some other wardrobe person spotted the signs. They get almost as close to you as your doctor."

Carol had been quiet for much of the conversation. She said, "Wow! I didn't know that they could do that. They can really give you a vagina without totally rebuilding it? Are you going to have your tits done also?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, are you going to have breast implants so that you can stop playing around with those fake ones that have to be taken off and fixed every month?"

"I don't want to do anything permanent."

"Implants aren't permanent. They make a slit in the skin and slide the implants in. Later on you can always have them removed. In the meantime you have real tits instead of the fake ones."

"Is that true, Mom?"

"I think that Carol is right, but I'm not sure if it would be safe for you at this time since you're still growing. The doctor will know."

That seemed to end the discussion about plastic surgery. We talked about a few other things and then I got up to help Carol with the cleanup, but Mom stopped me and told me that she would help Carol so that I could work on my script. I went to the bedroom and spent the next two hours studying my lines, then starting getting ready for bed because 4:30 a.m. comes awfully early. Carol came in to help me with my corset before getting ready for bed herself. I was looking forward to having the taping start because I wouldn't be wearing the corset for those hours.

The alarm sounded just after I fell asleep, or so it seemed. Looking at the clock I realized that it was time to get up. I managed to wiggle out of my loosened corset and hurried to bathe. Carol came in as I was drying off and ran her bath, and I rushed back into my bedroom and began to get dressed as Carol sank down into the tub. Mom had come in while I was in the bath and selected an outfit for me. As with almost all of my clothes, I would have to wear a corset in order to put them on so I retrieved a clean chemise and corset from the dresser and began to get ready. I had finished my face when Mom came in to finish lacing me and to help me get dressed. By the time that I was ready, Carol was just finishing up also, so we walked to the car in the pre-dawn darkness and arrived at the studio a few minutes early.

Carol and I had brought our schoolbooks with us today but I didn't know if I would have much time for studying. Yesterday's delay had been caused by the writing staff trying to get the script modifications ready for the afternoon reading. We had only been in the dressing room for several minutes before the crewmember that had brought us our breakfast yesterday stopped by to ask if we wanted anything today. We told him what we would like and he hurried away. To the cafeteria I supposed. Several minutes later Jill dropped by to say good morning and drop off some more script changes. I gave her my book and she inserted them while we talked about the day's schedule.

About five minutes after Jill left, the crewmember returned carrying a cardboard box with our food. I thanked him as he put it down on the table. Before he hurried back out he said, "You're most welcome, Princess."

After he had closed the door, Carol said, "What did he mean by that remark?"

"Oh, nothing. Princess is Mr. Landois' nickname for me. You must have missed it yesterday when he was in here. He has a nickname for everybody. Jill's nickname is Fruit because her last name is Stassbery. Stassbery, strawberries, get it?"

"Yeah, but how does Ramsey become Princess. They don't sound even remotely alike."

"When we first met he thought that I looked a little like a young Carrie Fisher, the actress who played Princess Lea in the movie Star Wars. My character also went sailing off into the sky like a 'skywalker'. Skywalker was Princess Lea's family name. Remember, her brother was Luke Skywalker and her father was a Skywalker who became Darth Vadar when he went over to the 'dark side'."

"Oh, yeah. I get it now. What is Oliver's nickname?"

"I don't know that he has one."

Mom had uncovered the food and we ate breakfast as we talked about the new episode. In between bites I explained my take on the script. When someone came to tell me that I was needed on the set for rehearsal, I picked up my script and checked my makeup. Mom had told me that she was going to run some errands but that Carol would be staying, so Carol and I said goodbye and then headed for the set as Mom left.

Mr. Landois was on the set talking to Oliver when we reached it. Carol hung back as I walked up to Oliver and Mr. Landois.

Mr. Landois said, "Ahh, good morning Princess. All set to start?" as he put his arm around me and hugged me.

"Yes, sir. All ready."

"Wonderful." Then he went on to explain how he visualized the scene and what he wanted us to do. This was the opening scene where I was reunited with Oliver after getting off of the plane from a small island off of Costa Rica. The fishermen who had supposedly rescued me were from there, and my absence was being explained with the story that the fishermen had found me when they stopped at a small deserted island to pick some fresh fruit. The actual scene would be taped on location at the airport but we would rehearse it here. We spent the rest of the morning working on the scenes, stopping only once for a twenty-minute break.

At lunchtime Carol, Jill, and I walked to the cafeteria. Just after we had sat down, a friend of Jill's came in and stopped to say hi. Jill invited her to sit down so she joined us. We learned that her name was Lisa Page and that she was an actress on another show here at the studio. She had red hair, was a little loud, and an acute sense of humor that kept us laughing throughout the meal. She and Jill had worked together on a show a few years earlier and had remained close friends after it was cancelled. The hour passed quickly and we had to hurry back to the set, after saying goodbye to Lisa, so that we wouldn't be late.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in rehearsal as was to be expected, but I had an opportunity to sit down a little more because there were more scenes in the second half that I wasn't in. By 5 o'clock I was exhausted and was glad when Mr. Landois called it a day and everyone prepared to go home. Mom had come in earlier and was standing with Carol. We made a quick trip to the dressing room to get our things and then we headed out.

Mom said, "I'm glad that you broke earlier tonight. I talked with Dr. Roman today and he said to bring you in if we could be there before 6 o'clock tonight or Thursday, so we might as well go now."

Mom drove through the streets without too much hesitation. She had become familiar with the area very quickly and seemed to know where she was going without having to refer to the street map. Within ten minutes we were pulling into a parking lot next to a small medical practice building. We followed as Mom led the way to Dr. Roman's offices.

The receptionist asked us to have a seat and we waited for perhaps another ten minutes before the doctor came out as he walked another patient to the door. Turning to us after she left he said, "Ah, Mrs. Ramsey. Back so soon? And I see that you have brought your daughters with you. Come in, Please."

We followed Dr. Roman into his office and sat in the chairs in front of his desk when he gestured towards them. He sat in his chair and opened a folder on his desk. Looking first at me, then at Carol, then returning his eyes to me, he said, "You're Crystal, right?"

"Yes, Dr. Roman."

"I thought so, judging from the way that you're dressed. Crystal, your mother has told me that you desire to have a cosmetic procedure performed that will disguise your sex. Is that correct?"

I nodded. "Yes, doctor."

"This procedure is a minimally invasive, non-permanent surgical procedure. You understand that it does not complete the transgender process? You will only appear to be a female… that is… you will only appear to be one more than you do now. I mean… it won't make you appear more of a female when dressed since you have already accomplished that, but it will convince anyone who happens to see you naked, unless they attempt to perform an examination of your genitalia, or if you try to have sex."

"Yes, Doctor Roman. I understand."

"Your mother also inquired about you having breast implants. I advise against that at this time. You only turned 16 a few months ago and your body is still changing. It would be best to wait a little longer."

"Okay, Dr. Roman."

"Good. Now let me tell you about the procedure that I discussed with your mother."

Over the next 15 minutes Dr. Roman explained the procedure and related issues of hygiene and medication. After asking me again if I still wished the procedure, I nodded again. Then he escorted me into another room for an examination. I removed my clothes and he helped me with the corset. When I was totally naked he began the exam, first taking a blood sample. He examined my faux breasts, my rib cage, pelvic area, and genitalia in close detail after having given me a general overall examination.

When he appeared to be through, he said, "When was the last time that you experienced penile erectile function?"

"What's that?"

"That's when your penis became stiff from sexual arousal?"

"Oh. About four months, I guess."

"That was around the time that you first became Crystal?"

"Yes."

"I'd say that that's a direct result of the anti-androgens and hormones. The blood test results will tell us how to balance everything out for you." He added some more notes to the ones that he had been taking throughout the exam, then told me that it was okay to get dressed. "Would you like your mother to come help you?"

"Either her or Carol, please."

I started dressing as he left the room and a minute later Carol came in and helped me. Mom and Dr. Roman were talking when we returned to the office.

Dr. Roman said, "Sit down, please. Crystal, we have an opening for doing the procedure two weeks from Saturday. Is that okay?"

I nodded.

"Okay, we'll schedule it for then. That will give you two days to recuperate before you have to work again. You will be sore for at least several days and possibly for as long as two weeks. I will prescribe antibiotics and other medications for you that will help you heal, relieve the pain, and adapt your system to your new condition. All this is contingent upon the results of your blood test though. I'll have the results back in a few days and then we can confirm the date for the procedure. Any questions?"

I spoke up. "Yes, I have one. I've been told that you're very discrete with respect to the facts about your procedures." He nodded. "I was wondering about your nursing staff."

"My nurses have all been with me for some time and have never leaked any secrets as far as I know. I require all staff members to sign iron-clad non-disclosure agreements when they begin employment with me. If they ever reveal any information about my patients, then it's almost a certainty that they will live in poverty for some time and possibly have to appear before a medical review board. They will definitely not profit from revealing information so there is little incentive to do so. If their own ethical code doesn't stop them from talking about my patients then I believe that possible civil penalties will."

"Thank you."

When we arrived home, we immediately began to prepare supper, and after we ate, I spent another evening studying the script, especially the last minute revisions. If there were no more changes, then I was ready to begin taping whenever Mr. Landois was.

Carol helped me with my corset before going to bed herself. After she had gone, I lay in bed thinking about the procedure that I had semi-committed to tonight. It seemed to be one more step down a path that I had been destined to travel by fate. I knew that the change was not permanent, but I wondered what effect it would it have on me psychologically. I had read that men feared losing their manhood above all else. Soldier's losing it in battle from bullets or landmines had been known to commit suicide. While I wouldn't actually lose it, it would be displaced for a while, and would seem to be gone. I wouldn't be able to touch it or derive any pleasure from it. Not that I had had any use for it lately, but how would I feel when it was no longer there. I got out of bed and retrieved Miss Scarlett from atop the dresser where I had put her when I had unpacked. The pretty doll seemed to comfort me and I finally fell off to sleep, clutching her in my arms.

 

(continued in Chapter 33)

 

 

 

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