Chapter 6

Sierra’s alarm clock startled Glenn awake. She was still lying atop him. He felt her stir and then reached to switch off her alarm.

“Did I sleep the entire night on top of you?” she asked.

“I think you did. I loved feeling you fall asleep while lying on me. I felt your trust in me to care for you during the night.”

“Glenn -- you are such a romantic. You go back to sleep. I need to get dressed and get the shop ready to open.”

“Is Wilma coming in at six?” he asked.

“Wilma wanted the day off. I asked Brenda to cover. I hope she remembers -- she is a bit scatter-brained.”

Sierra stepped into her closet and returned wearing a short-sleeved dress in a green print. She kissed his cheek and headed out the door.

Glenn rolled over, clutched a pillow and closed his eyes.

He was awakened again by Sierra coming into the room. A glance at the clock showed him it was 6:45. “Did Brenda make it?” he asked.

“She was a half-hour late. I had to open up and serve the first wave of customers while looking like the dog’s breakfast. One of the regulars noticed and said I looked like I had a rough night.”

“What did you tell him?”

“I told him I had a great night. I’m going to take my shower and then go back downstairs. You can shower if you want -- just ask Jackie to find a towel for you.”

Sierra headed out of her bedroom in her robe. Glenn locked his fingers behind his head and gazed at the ceiling. He saw a number of water stains. I hope those are ancient history, he thought. The sound of water running came through the bedroom wall, followed by the sound of a hair dryer.

She returned and slipped into matching black bra and panties and then pulled the green printed dress over her head.

“I have to be at work by eight-thirty,” he said, “so I’ll take a shower and be on my way. Will Jackie be all right by herself?”

“She should be.” Sierra pulled her hair into a ponytail and looked in her mirror. “If she needs anything I’m downstairs.”

“I’ll bring a few more things from my apartment on my way home,” he added. “On Sunday we can go to my place and collect more of my clothes and see what furniture we can use here.”

“Okay -- I’ll start sorting through my closet to see what we can get rid of to make space.”

Glenn stepped out of bed, embraced her and kissed her lips. “Have a good day,” he said.

“It will be a hectic one without Wilma.”

He watched her leave the bedroom and close the door behind her. He removed a robe from his bag and stepped into the living room. “Jackie?” he called.

“In here,” came a reply from her bedroom. Glenn stepped in. Jackie was sitting cross-legged on her bed in the floral crop-top and culottes and with a sketchpad.

“Good morning,” he said.

“Glenn -- what are you doing here?”

“Your mom and I had a long talk last night and we decided that I should move in with you. Would you like that?”

Jackie’s eyes widened. “Yes! Oh-boy! Does this mean you’re going to be my dad?”

“No, but maybe I can be your step-dad.” He regarded her. “You’re a pretty girl, Jackie.”

She smiled. “I know I am. I can’t wait to go to school as the real me.”

“You do know some kids ... and, some adults, too, might not understand what it’s like to be a girl trapped inside a boy’s body ... and to take the steps necessary to set that girl free.”

“I know,” Jackie replied. “I’m used to being picked on. Especially last year. One of the boys found one of my sketchbooks and he and his friends made fun of me. They called me queer and a fag and played keep-away with my sketchbook.”

“How did you deal with it?” he asked.

Jackie shrugged. “I just ignored them. They got tired of it and gave me my sketchbook back.”

“That’s the way to handle it -- be true to yourself, Jackie. You’re a special girl and your mom and I love you.”

“I know. I love you, too, Glenn ... and my mom.” Jackie’s eyes began to brim. “I know my mom wanted a daughter. Now she has one.”

“What she wants most of all is for you to be happy,” Glenn replied. “Your mom thought you could find a towel I could use so I can take a shower.”

“Nothing easier.” Jackie hopped off her bed and opened a linen closet near the bathroom. “Here.”

“Thanks.”

“Will you be coming here after work?” Jackie asked.

“That’s my plan. What do you usually do for dinner?”

Jackie shrugged. “Whatever Mom has in the freezer.”

“Maybe I’ll fix something special. It’s been a while since I’ve cooked for someone.”

Glenn parked behind the coffee shop. He grabbed a sack of groceries and headed up the stairs to the apartment and rang the bell. I need to get a key copied, he thought. Jackie answered the door. She was wearing the cropped top and culottes.

“Jackie, can you give me a hand? I have some bags of clothes in the car. With your help it should only be two trips.”

“Sure -- should I change my clothes?”

“Can your mom see the parking lot from the shop?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Then, come as you are.”

Jackie bounded down the stairs ahead of him. He opened the trunk and handed two paper bags to her and then grabbed two. They deposited the bags in Sierra’s bedroom and then headed down for three more.

Glenn stepped into the apartment’s small kitchen and looked around. The counter-tops were green linoleum and the cabinet doors were stained plywood. There was a single basin sink with a dual handled tap but no disposal. In the corner was a dishwasher, its door handle wedged against an open drawer. The stove was electric and easily fifty years old.

“Jackie,” he called and she stepped into the kitchen. “What’s with the dishwasher?”

“The door latch broke so we keep it closed by opening the drawer.”

“Does the oven work?”

“Yeah but it’s quirky.”

“Quirky, how?” he asked.

“The top element doesn’t work.”

“So, no broiler.”

“Right. It makes the oven too hot at the bottom so Mom puts a cookie sheet on the lower rack as a heat shield. It takes a long time to heat up.”

Glenn turned the oven on to four hundred. “I thought I’d make a lasagna,” he said. “Do you like lasagna?”

Jackie’s eyes popped. “I love it.”

“I need to boil some water for the noodles. Where does your mom keep her pots and pans?”

Jackie opened a lower cabinet. Glenn rummaged among its contents and retrieved an enameled stock pot. “This will do. Anything I need to know about the range?”

She shook her head. “Range works fine.”

Glenn filled the pot and set it on a burner to heat. “What time does your mother get home?”

“Five usually.”

“It’s five-thirty. She said it would be hectic with Wilma out. Do we have a baking dish?”

Jackie opened another cabinet and removed a glass casserole. “Will this do?”

“Perfect.”

Glenn assembled the dish using a jar of Bolognese sauce, the cooked noodles, some ricotta and some Parmesan. He popped it into the oven. “That should bake for forty-five minutes.”

Sierra stepped into the apartment. “Jackie?”

“Kitchen, Mom.”

She stepped in, spotted Glenn and gave him a hug and a kiss. “I decided to make lasagna for dinner,” he said., “but I didn’t have time to scratch make Bolognese sauce so it came out of a jar. Everything else is hand-assembled.”

“Oh, thank you. I didn’t have time to plan anything for dinner. You found what you needed?” Sierra asked.

“Yeah -- Jackie was showing me around.”

“Jackie told you about the cookie sheet in the oven?”

“Yes, she did. Jackie said you’re usually off at five. It’s quarter to six.”

“What a day! The shop closes at seven. I try to be done by five and let Rhonda and James close up. Until the cash drawer is in the safe, the lights are out and the doors locked I’m not really off duty. Tonight James is closing up by himself because I had to switch everyone’s schedules around with Wilma gone.”

“Can James handle it?” Glenn asked.

“He’s sixteen and a junior in high school. He’s a sweet kid and I love him but I have my worries.”

“Mom...”

“What, dear?”

“Will you show me how to shave my legs?”

“Your legs hardly need shaving ... not at your age.”

“But Mom they’re covered with this peach fuzz...”

“Which is barely noticeable.”

“If I’m going to wear dresses and skirts to school, I want smooth shiny legs like the other girls.”

“Are you telling me now that fifth graders are shaving their legs?”

“Yeah, Mom.”

She rolled her eyes. “We’ll talk about it after dinner.”

Glenn checked the oven. “Speaking of which -- dinner is ready.”

Sierra began clearing their dinner plates from the table while Glenn covered the baking dish with left-over lasagna and slipped it into the refrigerator.