A Nerd, a Tough Kid and the Wonder of Dance

Chapter 6: me dancing????

Damnit, I enjoyed it.

The Wednesday class had over twenty participants, including six males. The students were older than the Saturday girls - Jena and I were probably the youngest - and this was a more advanced class.

I was surprised at how quickly I settled in and caught up with the others. This was no doubt due to my fitness and all my other sporting activities, though Mrs Reinke declared, "I knew you were a natural, Garth, and I know you will do the work."

My father wasn't impressed, "Bloody dancing. Whadda think you're doing?"

"You don't know how much hard work and skill is involved in this stuff, Dad. I reckon it's terrific. I'm going to keep doing it."

"Sheeze."

I began going with Jena for the full Saturday mornings. I'd spend the first hour or two doing my exercises and practice - Mrs Reinke was handy for a bit of advice if I needed it - then I'd help her with the girls for the last hour or so.

You could see the improvement in Jena. She was sticking to the exercise schedules we worked out together. It was showing up, particularly as regards her fitness.

We were walking home together one Saturday when she said quietly, "Garth, do you remember that I once told you that there was something more important to me than dancing?"

"Yes."

"It's, um, it's this . . . it's . . . (big breath). Garth, I believe that I'm really a girl, not a boy . . . and I want to be a girl. I don't want to be a boy anymore, I want to be a girl, completely."

Well, well, well. I mean, this was hardly unexpected and it did explain some things. I was looking at Jena and nodding, "That's why you're so happy when you're dancing, isn't it? You're doing it as a girl. You act like a girl and everybody treats you as a girl."

"Yes, yes. It feels so good, so good. I love dancing, but being a girl . . . oh, it's just fabulous."

I was struck by how silly this whole situation was. Standing in front of me was this kid who looked like a girl, acted like a girl and whom I thought of as a girl, and she's saying "I want to be a girl".

What????

It seemed to me that the only time she wasn't a girl, was at school and at home - and even then, he had obvious feminine leanings.

The relationship between Jena and I had remained completely unchanged at school. However, outside of school, we had this sort of close, but limited, friendship focussed on our dancing. I'd been to his house a few times to help him with his exercise schedule and his practice, and I'd met his folks, Mr and Mrs Akerman.

So where was this all going?