The Intriguing Emotions of Ford

Part Five: Hidden Truths (also quite short)

Morgan woke up in the morning to find Paru already up and about.

"Well, someone's gettin' used to the early life!"

"No point stayin' in bed when you've such fun to have in the mornin'! Mind if I tag along during your chores?"

"Sure thing! I'll just get dressed into my work clothes." Morgan was just putting his bedclothes into the washing basket when he noticed something peculiar. "Hmm. This isn't mine, and it looks FAR too tight to be Paru's." He tried it on to figure out what it was, and he was almost suffocated. "This thing could hurt you!" He left the room and consulted his temporary roommate.

"Oh, that. Yeah, that thing. I've never seen it before."

"Sure, sure. The cow's suddenly wearing tight vests now, is he?" He sighed.

"Yeah, fine. That's mine. But so what? It's not like it's dynamite. What's the big deal?"

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry for coming up to you like that." They headed to the barn to sort out the animals. "You wanna help brush the cows? They're sweet guys. They won't hurt you." Paru grabbed a brush and began to clean the animal.

"Haha. This is quite fun! You get to do this every day? Lucky..."

"Yeah, well, you can always help me! And the best part of the day is seein' them all nice and cosy at night. And walkin' the dog."

"Ooh! How about we walk the dog and pass by Ford on the way home?"

"Sounds like a plan! I'll just get back into my regular clothes." Morgan headed to the wardrobe for the second time and discovered yet another peculiar object. "What is THAT? It looks like... Oh, God, no... That can't be..." He opened the door. "PARU! What on Earth is this?"

"Uh... I'm not sure."

"Well it ain't mine!"

"They're Ford's!"

"You're just making it up now! Why would Ford have some o' these?"

"'Cause he sells them to me! He keeps them in a little cupboard for me."

"What the- But why would you need them?"

"When we pass by Ford on the walk, he'll explain. I can't handle it on my own."

The two of them continued over to my clinic, with the husky by their side. Paru was shaking all over. His heart was pounding in his chest. Morgan was desperate for an answer.

The moment they came into the clinic, Morgy stormed over to me. "I gotta ask you this. Why are you selling THESE to Paru? Why does he need them?" He held up the object in front of me.

"Ahem. You weren't meant to find those. But I think you deserve an explanation, now that you are here. Take a seat, you two."

"I'd rather not be here while you explain." Paru headed upstairs to wait for us to finish talking.

"Me and Paru have been childhood friends since we were about seven. He wasn't the regular child. So, when I earned my degree, I could finally do something about it. I owed it to him. But Paru wasn't always a 'he.' He used to be called Kara. And Kara was never seen in a dress or a skirt. She was always wearing overalls and a blue T-shirt underneath. She wasn't afraid to get muddy. She always played football with the boys. Then, when she turned sixteen, she changed her name to Paru. And once I got my degree, I began selling him some treatment. There's a certain hormone that only boys have. And if I were to periodically inject this into him, I could eradicate the female hormone, and Paru could live a more suitable life. But surgical action was too risky, so Paru is now simply 'dealing with it.'"

"Wow... I feel kinda stupid now... I yelled at him just for having a period... I really owe this guy an apology."

"You couldn't have told from how he acted. You were confused. You needn't worry about it, Morgy."

"A-are you done explaining?" Paru peered through the doorway.

"Yep. Look, I'm sorry. I didn't realise what you'd been through. I feel kinda stupid now. I won't judge you, promise."

"It's okay. Anyway, I'm glad we could clear this up. Let's head back to the farmhouse."

"Not before I ask one question, if that's okay. Wasn't it super weird taking the shots?"

"Oh, goodness. It was... Unpleasant for us both. But I'd do anything for Paru."

"I only cried once, and that was the first time."

"Okay. Let's just get home and forget about this conversation."

I remained at the clinic. Morgy and Paru sat down at their dining table for some homemade pizza. Brad was still feeling guilty about punching me. And Wayne was gazing up at the stars. And once the town fell into a deep slumber, we could all rest peacefully until dawn.