I had to for Oregon.”“No, I mean a REAL one, not a standard employment one. As in, for a security clearance.”“Never been arrested; never did d...ugs.”“No involvement at all with the ‘other’ side of the family?”Kristin laughed, “I figured you knew about that! No.”Kimmy brought my tea and Kristin’s Sprite, and after checking if we needed anything, she went back to her desk.“No tax issues?” I asked. “Any parking tickets? Anti-American statements?”“I’m the typical All-American girl. College was fun,. "Youcertainly grew up to be a handsome young man, how old are you now, 23,24?" Um, I-" Stuart stammers."He's not James," I say with an air of defiance in my voice. "I'M James.Or rather... I used to be." I maintain my composure as my aunt's jaw dropsopen."Wh-what?" Aunt Sally asks with an air of anger in her voice."Four years ago I started transitioning," I explain. "To change my genderfrom male to female. Legally, chemically and anatomically, I AM a woman.Jamie-Lee Burke, nice to meet you. You. The word can’t was no longer in her vocabulary. She was married, and with her husband, she could do whatever she wanted with her body. The promise she made her mother, and herself had been fulfilled. He no longer cared about the paddle. He only cared about the woman lying in front of him. It was going to take him a long time to teach her everything he knew about the wonders of the female body. He wanted to begin teaching her soon. No, he wanted to begin teaching her NOW! ******** 90. The. ’ ‘I’ll think about it,’ she said as she walked off down the street. Mat watched intently as Melanie walked into the distance. After she had gotten about a block away, she turned, noticed he was still there, so she smiled and waved. As she did, she felt that funny feeling in her stomach that she hadn’t felt in years, a barely-suppressed excitement. ‘Stop it,’ she admonished herself as she neared the hotel. ‘Nothing’s going to happen. We’re just two ships in the night.’ Yet she couldn’t get.