Becoming a Woman

I opened the front door.

"Jason Collins," I said.

"Stephanie MacMillan," he replied.

"Come in," I said, "and make yourself comfortable."

As he went over to the sofa, I went to bring my mother. I was eager to introduce them.

The two shook hands and began to talk.

"The yard is busy these days. They build aircraft carriers."

"Stephanie says you're a welder."

"I like it."

"How long have you been there?"

"I started there when I was 19. I learned welding at a trade school."

So far so good I thought. He was telling my parents everything that he had told me on line. The two went on to have a very long chat. He spoke about home in Norfolk and about vacations in Maine.

"It's cold up there."

"Yes but' it's very pretty,"

"You go to the mountains a lot."

" I love the mountains up north. I've been to the top of mount Washington."

"I'll bet it's very cold up there."

"Not in the spring," he answered.

Always a gracious host, my mother put on a pot of coffee. While it perked she brought in a tray of cookies. While we snacked at the dining room table I watched him. I was enamored.

"You're daughter and I have been talking in the chat room for the past six weeks."

"Really! that long?" mom asked.

I had told my mother about TG support chat room. I wanted her to know about girls like me who visited the virtual living room night after night . She also knew about my other friend, a Transgender person named Sally.

Sally came from a small town in Ohio, from a house by Lake Erie. She had spoken fondly of the place. She had expressed an interest in visiting her chat room friends in person. I had looked forward to going out there some day to see her.

" I talked to Sally for a few minutes the other night."

"Chat room Sally?" I thought there was no one else he could mean.