Chapter 13

"Places! Places everyone!" Sarah called out, clapping her hands.

"Kathy! I'm so nervous!" Julie squealed, grabbing Kathy around the waist in a fierce hug.

"There there," Kathy comforted her, "it will be great! You are a wonderful dancer, now get to your place and get in position!"

Julie raced across the stage and stood with the other children, waiting their entrance.

As the music started, Kathy danced out, her long Nun's habit flowing around her. She twirled and interleaved with three of the other mothers, as Sarah herself danced out to be the mother superior.

"This is fun!" thought Kathy to herself, enjoying the feeling of her body as it swept through the air. Since starting dance lessons, she had become much more graceful and her motions had become so much more confident, fluid, and feminine. "Most improved," Sarah had said.

Finally, the opening dance finished, and Kathy was able to enjoy the applause, lined up with the other Nuns behind Sarah. Smiling, she looked out over the enthusiastic audience, looking for Tina, Tim, and Brian. Finally she located them and smiled.

But as she followed the other nuns off stage, a tickling at the edge of her brain sensed that something was wrong.

But now it was Julie's turn! Kathy watched, proud as the children danced out with Maria, learning their "Do Re Mi's", all dressed in proper, heavy children's clothes of the 1930's. Julie couldn't stop smiling as she marched with the other children behind Maria, over and across the stage, until they finally broke out dancing.

It wasn't until early in Act II that Kathy finally got a chance to look out over the audience again. As she danced the simple processional she located and smiled at Tim again, who smiled back, delighted.

But still, something was wrong. What was it?

Kathy looked back at Tim...

... and then slipped and fell to the ground. It couldn't be, could it??

"Kathy, are you okay?" Sarah whispered urgently to her, helping her up.

"I'm fine," Kathy said, just able to get into her closing position before the music ended. Looking out over the audience, Kathy locked eyes with the man sitting next to Tim and glaring back at her.

It was Mr. Henry Shore. Kathy's father.

Kathy suddenly felt herself slipping backwards in time, as her awful, violent past rose up. Suddenly, all her pretensions were stripped away, revealing the lonely, naked, gawky boy named Ken underneath.

The gawky boy who would never fit in anywhere. Not ever.

"How did he find me?" Ken anguished, tears dripping on the floor, "How did he get here???"

"You okay?" one of the other nuns asked him.

"I ... I need to go to the bathroom."

"Of course! We're not on again until the end..." the nun said after him, as Ken raced into the high school hallway behind the stage.

Stopping at the changing room to get his backpack, Ken hesitated, but then reached into Tina's handbag, taking her car keys.

"Please forgive me, Tina..." Ken said with gulp, as he left the building still dressed in his nun's habit.

"What am I going to do? What am I going to doooo?" Ken wailed, as he desperately tried to unlock the front door.

Ken ran up stairs and began frantically tossing everything he could into his suitcase.

"Bloody 'ell!" he spat out through clenched teeth. "Bloody 'ell! Why'd he have to show up?? Couldn't he have just left me the fuck alone??"

Ken reached for the Versace Crewneck jersey dress and hesitated. It was the dress he wore on his first date with Tim.

Ken sat down on the bed, holding the dress. He thought of Tina, Tim, Julie, Brian, Sarah, Marc, and Michael - everyone he had betrayed with his stupid, selfish stunt.

Finally, he hung the dress back up on the hanger and completed packing the rest of his stuff.

Downstairs in the Kitchen, Tim tried to quickly write out a note for the Johnsons.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused," Ken wrote, his eyes welling over again. "Please forgive me." And then "I love you all."

Ken signed it and placed it on the counter.

"Kathy!"

"Ack!"

Brian and Tina rushed up to Ken, both talking at once. "Are you okay? What's the matter? Why did you leave? Is that man really your father? Is it true what he said? Are you really ... a boy?"

"STOP!!" Ken cried, hiding his eyes. "I'm just ... I'm just so sorry! Please, I have to go!"

Brian grabbed Ken's arm in a vice-like grip and pulled him roughly back. "Stop right there," Brian said in measured tones. "Tell us the truth. Who are you?"

"I..."

"Brian!" Tina said, shocked. "Stop that! You're hurting him!"

"Stay back, Tina," Brian spat out. "We need to get to the bottom of this. Are you Ken? Or Kathy?"