Melody

Chapter 7: moving on

Melody began to appear more and more, even sometimes in public, but it was six months before I fronted my parents.
Their response was vaguely disappointing. There was no astonishment, shock or opposition, it was pretty much, "Well, if that's what you want, Mel, then of course we are right behind you."

I didn't come out as a transgender girl until the last year of high school. It's weird, isn't it, that there are some people who go ape about things that don't really affect them at all, but are simply different.
Most of the students, the parents and teachers accepted me with a sort of curious and uncertain reserve, but the odd dickhead . . .
It didn't matter, I had three wonderful friends who supported me the whole way.

Move on.
Blanche is married now. He's a bit of a wimp - Blanche dominates him - but he's rich and a pretty nice fellah.
Jackie is just as forceful and wild as ever, a real party girl. God knows when she will settle down.
I'm a qualified hairdresser and beautician, the lead practitioner/consultant of Melody's Makeovers. I'm a declared transgender woman. This may put a few people off, but frankly, we are so busy that we couldn't cope with any more clients anyway.
Alene does the management side of the enterprise. She is my partner, both in the business and in my life.
We four girls are still great friends.