” She probably had her reasons, but then Joanne was very much her own person. I finally got her to come round, after nearly seven years together... and she let me slip an engagement ring on her finger. Then, within months, she was gone. Toxaemia, was the cause, the doctors said, brought on by an infected cyst, and aside from the grief, I just couldn’t understand how, in this day and age, medical science couldn’t save her, but just like that, my beautiful, smart, funny, witty, intelligent. "Sergeant Airborne, I have a checkbook, and I am reasonably certain this installation has a Military Clothing outlet. I don't expect to be issued anything ... I'll eat the expense. I'm coming off thirty days' convalescent leave, but I can run a PT test. If we can't find my gear, there's nothing in there I can't replace." Ben sent a silent prayer of thanks to Alex, his father's ranch manager, who'd given him extra over the cost of a truck to replace Ben's old one the ranch had used. Without. Particularly to herself!”“But...” I protested, “Look at what she said ... The way she acted...”“Men!” she exclaimed scathingly. (This is something I’ve never understood, nor been able to emulate: The particular note of disgust women — all women — seem to be able to obtain with that single word.)“But...” I repeated.“Darling, you just don’t get it. She’s not upset about fucking Steve Chamberlain. She’s upset because she’s afraid she won’t be any good with him in bed.”Suddenly Kris’s attitude. The usual remarks about how I should've been a girl, etc., and "you're sopretty you should look like that all the time". Well, of course I wanted toaccommodate them, so I did let them see me dress more often, saying I'm justtaking their advice. In a short time, they realized it wasn't a joke andaccepted my appearance if it made me happy to look like that, which it did.After high school, Pam and I luckily attended the same college, and shecontinued to help me cross dress. I concentrated on.