Which is to say that when he waspresenting as Walter it didn't exactly feel like a lie, like it doesfor most transsexuals, but it wasn't the whole of ...im either. Therealization that he wasn't being drawn toward surgically altering hisbody and embarking on a full time female existence had been both adisappointment and a relief to him.He'd given up dressing years ago, a few days shy of their wedding, andhad confined himself to manifesting his female side through smallsymbolic acts that only he. I made my way to the water barefoot. The feel of the sand running through my toes soothed my mood. I put my feet into the water feeling that it was cool, I got out and went to sit down and watch the ocean. Wave after wave came, disappearing into white foam as it came to the shore and went back out. A shadow appeared over me and I turned, seeing the woman from the car rental place in a bikini over me. Her breasts filled her top. She had to be at least a C cup. I said hi. She looked down at me. “OK. I’ll go down to talk to your dad so you can have some privacy with the kitchen phone.”“Thanks.”She went to the basement while I went up to my room to get my address book. I went back down to the kitchen and dialed Clarissa’s number. I was happy when the male that answered, who I assumed was her dad, said she was home and called her to the phone.“Hey, Lissa!” I said.“Mike? Hi! And what’s with ‘Lissa’?”“Sorry, it just seemed like cute name.”“Don’t apologize! I like it. What’s up?”“You. My parents were born in Iran, and fled to the west after the fall of the Shah. It was from them that I inherited my faith in ‘Ali and the Imams, and our very rich, beautiful Persian culture. You see, the earth itself takes on a special significance to us. The holy cities of Kerbala and Najaf, both in Iraq, are some of the most important sites for us, after the holy city of Makkah (or Mecca) of course. According to tradition, the first Imam, Ali ibn Abi Talib, was buried at Najaf, while his son.