Near the end of August, Steve and Ingrid Inhalt had invited the three of them out on their sail boat, 'Matron of the Sea'. It was a thirty seven foot ...etch rigged cruiser of Swedish design. It had plenty of room for them all and they had decided to make it an overnight sail up the Sunshine Coast to Bargain Bay.Nikki was excited by the trip. She would be sleeping in a bunk near the galley amidships, while Tom and Jenny shared the forward stateroom. Nikki had gotten used to the idea that Tom and. She called me silly and pointed out that she didn't want my boyname. She wanted my girl name. I had a vague idea that sometimes a guywould take his masculine name and alter it to something similar butfeminine. Like Bob becoming Barbara or Steven turning into Steffanie.So instead of Barry I called myself Berry, which was all I could thinkof. Then I cleared my throat and remembered to use a higher voice. Aninspiration struck me and I spoke again, sounding more girly, andexpanding my new. ‘I-‘ she said, her voice cracking. She cleared her throat and spoke again. ‘I’m sorry…I shouldn’t have left…’ He tried. He really tried to contain the rage that fought to overflow. Did she have any idea…any clue the panic he felt when he found her gone? He was up and out of the chair and pacing the floor, his words just erupting out of his chest. ‘You’re sorry? You’re fucking sorry? So that makes it all right then?’ I’m sorry Jarod…’ she repeated, plaintively. As if using his name would placate. Then came step three in her plan. "Katy," she's the only person who's ever called me Katy. It wasn't that I didn't like the name. Everyone who'd tried it, simply said it didn't fit me. I just wasn't a Katy. Now, because of the bad memories of my time with Maggie and Bill, I hate the name and I will hurt anyone who calls me that. "Have you ever kissed another woman?" No!" I said. I wasn't sure why I was so definite about it. Probably because my father was very much anti-gay. Men just did not.