Transsexuals, it seems, are somewhere between the extremesof hetero- and homosexuality and control or are controlled accordingly.)What happens in priv...te doesn't matter; what matters is what happens inpublic. Therefore, traditionally, women were given power over theaffairs of the heart and the home, whereas men reserved for themselvesthe privilege of exercising power in the political and economic realmsof public life. At home, women were sovereign; everywhere else, menruled.Now, however,. I saw her and I said, “How has your day been, beautiful!”“I got a call that you were tardy for school this morning, care to explain?”I quickly turned it back, saying, “When do they call parents of kids who are tardy for school?”“Just tell me, Richard, why were you late?”Her hands went to her hips ... just like Debbie did this morning. I never noticed how similar their shapes and gestures were.“RICHARD!”“I was working on my newest story, and lost track of time. Then Debbie burst into my room. ’ I knew that she had no way of knowing that for sure, but I loved her for saying it. And I felt reassured. It would be ok, Zoë said so, Zoë would make it so. I clung to this thought as I waited for her to arrive with wine glasses- full of optimism to the end. We greeted each other with hurried kisses and a rushed embrace. ‘Hurry, go take it,’ she urged me. In the bathroom, my hands shook as I opened the box. I knew that after this, nothing would be the same. I could feel that in moments my. I wanted more but was afraid that he may have decided that the risk was just too great.The three masters in our house rotated shifts, and two evenings later Neal was again the master on duty. At two a.m. I was prodded awake. Observing Neal next to me in the faint light, I saw him gesturing for me to follow him.Once in his room, he locked the door. His nostrils were flaring with excitement as he moved toward me. Neal’s was expelling hot air from his mouth and nose as his feverish lips clamped.