a sorta fairytale

I

March 2001: Part One

March 19, 2001

Roseanne learned about Lisa's extra appendage before they even knew each other's names.

Lisa was 7 years old the spring that an 8 year old Roseanne accidentally mowed her down trying to get in line for Peter Pan's Flight in Fantasyland. Roseanne was running, something that is frowned upon at Disney World for this very reason, tripped (most likely over her own two feet, Roseanne was never the most graceful of girls), and fell into Lisa.

Embarrassingly, (more for Lisa than for Roseanne) when Roseanne realized she had plowed into someone, found her knee jammed into Lisa's crotch. For a child with female anatomy, this wasn't a situation that caused pain. For a child with male anatomy, it was excruciating. For Lisa, it was both mentally and physically excruciating.

Roseanne looked up to the face of the latest victim of her clumsy nature and saw tears leaking from the prettiest green eyes she had ever seen.

Lisa had never been more humiliated. She hated her genitalia, it was a mistake. Lisa had once punched a kid on the playground for saying 'God doesn't make mistakes'. This led to a very long talk with her father about faith and belief.

When Lisa was three, the gender dysphoria began. Lisa was born Alisander Manoban. Imagine her parents' surprise when young Alis began insisting that she was a girl. Marco and Anya Manoban tried to be good, understanding parents. They changed little Alis' diapers for two years, after all. But when the screaming and crying meltdowns began, the Manoban sought help. The child psychologist suggested that the simplest explanation was the most likely and referred the Manobans to a medical doctor. Scanning and genetic testing revealed that young Alis was genetically female, presenting with a penis and ovotestis.

Had young Alis been diagnosed at birth, the Manoban parents may have agreed to surgery. But as Alis was already three, the pain and stress of the surgery seemed like the wrong choice. As young Alis was unequipped to make the informed decision herself, Marco and Anya chose to let Alis make the decision when she turned 18. Marco and Anya meanwhile donated all of Alis' boy clothes and replaced them with girl clothes and legally changed her name from Alisander Manoban to Alisandra Manoban. Alis became Lisa (because according to Jisoo, Alis still sounded too boyish) and grew long chestnut curls.

Lisa's biggest advocate in those early years was her older sister, Jisoo. Jisoo was six years older than Lisa, born when Marco was seventeen and still in high school. Upon graduation he enlisted in the Army Corps of Engineers. Jisoo's mother disappeared before Jisoo's first birthday leaving Jisoo and Marco alone. At a loss for how to raise his firstborn alone, Marco took night classes at the AEC, between his homework, his job, and his daughter, Marco Manoban didn't sleep for the better part of three years. After the first year on their own, Marco filed for divorce on the grounds of abandonment.

Jisoo was four and the Manobans were stationed in Memphis, Tennessee when Marco met Anya, a civilian contractor for the COE. They dated for a year before Marco proposed, Lisa was conceived that very night. A fact seven year old Lisa wished she didn't know.

A year after Lisa was officially recognized as a girl, Anya Manoban died in a car accident. She died on impact when an overly tired semi driver fell asleep and crossed the median on I-40. Lisa didn't really remember Anya, anymore. Lisa's memories of her mother had become more Marco and Jisoo's stories than memories. She remembered photos she had seen more than memories of her mother. When Lisa thought of her mother, she more often than not thought of Jisoo. Her older sister adored Anya and told Lisa about her all the time. Jisoo was the unwanted, motherless child. Anya wanted her, Anya was special to Jisoo.

Marco met Chitthip last year. It wasn't that the girls didn't like Chitthip, she was firm but kind, she treated the girls well, but they hadn't quite found their footing. This family trip was combination honeymoon and family bonding.