New Blessings

Chapter 5

Jennifer held in her feelings for the half-hour ride home, not wanting to vent in front of her children. Tim saw the rage and knew he'd hear an earful once home and the kids were in bed.

He was right on the money.

After pouring a glass of wine, she began, tears filling her eyes.

"Why is he doing this? I wonder if he gets off dressing like a woman? He hasn't dated anyone – even that pastor he sees constantly!"

"Pastor Elenore?" Tim asked.

About to sip her wine, Jennifer blew a puff of air.

"Pfft – yeah – Elenore Potts, also transgender. Further encouragement for Dad's sickness!"

"Maybe that's the reason," Tim said. "I'm certain he still prefers women, and not men – including those dressed like women who still have a penis. And I'm sure most decent women aren't interested dating a man dressed as a woman."

"Dad is handsome! If he'd start dressing normal again, he'd probably find someone, and maybe that would stop this bullshit! I miss his mustache – it made him handsome!"

Tim shrugged. "Have you suggested to Arnold that your dad needs a date?"

"Screw Arnold," she said, heatedly. "He's too busy kissing Dad's ass because he needs someone to watch Sammy while he and Angela play soldier – and now for their honeymoon! Screw them!"

A sip of wine, then, "She needs to learn her manners! You don't go talking about someone else's children! I wanted to slap the bitch!"

She sipped again.

"I still don't understand! Putting on dresses and makeup after recognizing his born gender for fifty-one years doesn't make him transgender! Who the hell wakes up one morning and says, 'I'm a woman'? I get that some are born transgender, I even get Jazz Jennings – but she felt herself a girl when a baby! Not one morning, fifty-one flippin' years later!"

Her glass emptied, Jennifer poured another.

"Yeah – I know," she continued. "I've heard the damn lines of, 'oh – maybe he always knew, but was afraid to come out?' Bull! I never, never, saw it in him. Dad worked as a construction electrician for twenty-eight years. I'm sure his buddy construction workers would notice femininity and call him on it. Never a sign of anything but man!"

Tim shook his head. "Jen, all I will say is, you're not going to force him to stop. Just like alcoholics and drug addicts, he has to realize he has a problem, then admit it. He needs a hard fall to realize it – and it may take several."

"Well, it would help if Arnold kept a strong backbone and didn't kowtow to Dad's mental illness! Dad might have had that fall this year! Dad probably expects me to give up and accept him like Arnold and Sammy did. Like hell that's going to happen! Sooner or later, he'll have that hard fall and beg me for help."

She sipped and lowered the glass. "Then Arnold will look foolish."

Unknown to Jennifer and Tim, Ellen had heard her mother's yelling and sneaked into the living room to better hear.

Tears filled her eyes as she heard the hurt in her mother's voice. Anger filled her mind – not only toward Christie, but toward Sammy, also.

"Sammy convinced Uncle Arnold Grampa was really a girl! It's Sammy's fault! Maybe the past year would have been the year Grampa realized the only way to get his family back was to stop pretending!"

She turned for her bedroom door, closed it silently, then got into the bed, pulling covers over her. She turned to her side and let out an angry breath.

Sammy was going to get an earful from her the next time they visited Uncle Arnold!