Gradual Change – Part 12

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Buckling the straps of her ankle flat boots, Erinna stood up. She saw Nancy beaming at her.  Nancy could see their outfits matching, not a complete match but very close.  She was sure that if anyone who saw them would think they were sisters, which is exactly what Nancy wanted. “Look at you, you look...,” Nancy paused for a moment looking for the right word. “Terrific! Come and see yourself in the mirror.”

Erinna hesitated for a second before walking to the mirror on the door of her walk-in closet. If she wasn’t sure that she was a girl the last time she saw herself in this mirror, now she was 100% sure that the person looking back at her from the mirror is a girl and nothing like the boy she thought she was.

This didn’t make Erinna happy at all, she didn’t like this. She didn’t want to look girly and cute, that was not what she had in mind when she thought of her future. This eventually led to her eyes tearing up while she looked at her reflection in the mirror.

Nancy noticed it right away, she immediately went to Erinna, hugging her from behind. “It’s all right now, no need to cry, believe me, everything will be ok,” Nancy reassured her. She knew exactly how Erinna felt right now. Confusion was a small word to describe what Erinna was feeling. Though there weren’t enough words to describe it. “Let’s go show your mom, I am sure she will love the way you look,” Nancy suggested and Erinna being the selfless child she always was, nodded.

She knew that her mom would be happy seeing her looking like this. She wanted to make her mom happy.  After all, her mom deserved the daughter, she had always wanted.  She gave Nancy a genuine smile and both of them headed out of the room.

Back in their room, Heather and Jeff were having a calm discussion.  They always surprised everyone around them, because they never fought, not once in their life. Heather had told Jeff everything that had happened and how Erinna had been acting so far. They both agreed that even if they were not happy with the situation, they had no choice but to make Erinna live as a girl.

They didn’t want to lose their child, or for their child to be taken away and put into someone else's custody. That would tear their family apart and they didn’t want this to happen. Unfortunately, what Heather had predicted, did happen.  Jeff was not ok with the idea of Erinna staying overnight at the Collins. “I don’t mean anything, I  just don’t think it will be ok for her to stay overnight right now.  I also don’t want her staying overnight with boys,” said Jeff, finally admitting his real reason.

“What if she sleeps with Nancy, in her room instead?” Heather suggested.  She had already made this part of her plan, as she knew it was important for Erinna to not feel a difference. “If you don’t let her go, she might feel as if we are punishing her for what happened,” explained Heather seeing that Jeff was not convinced yet.  She knew that he only wanted to protect his daughter, but this might hurt Erinna instead.  She didn’t want that to happen and she knew that Jeff didn’t want that either.

With a sigh, Jeff nodded, Heather was right.  He wanted only to protect his baby girl, but he might end up hurting her instead. He couldn’t do that, especially right now, since Erinna was going through a very sensitive period. “I am ok with it, but only if she sleeps with Nancy in her room.  I don’t mean anything by it,  but I want Erinna to know that she is now a girl and she can't be sleeping with boys in the same room anymore,” admitted Jeff.

Heather just smiled and nodded in agreement, she wanted to keep her daughter away from the boy’s attention for as much as she can. “So, let’s go with the rule she can’t date until she’s 21,” Heather asked in amusement. She knew she said it as a joke but she would make sure to put a much lighter rule for Erinna.

“No, at least 31,” Jeff replied as both Heather and Jeff laughed. Hearing a knock on the door while still laughing Jeff opened the door but wasn’t ready to see what was behind the door. Looking down, Jeff could see a very nervous Erinna with Nancy standing behind her. What caught his attention the most was what Erinna was wearing. She looked very adorable in her outfit and Jeff had to admit it confused him a bit. “Erinna?... You look amazing,” Jeff said picking Erinna up and spinning her around making her giggle.

This sight warmed Heather’s heart.  She knew Jeff would accept Erinna immediately and wouldn’t give Erinna a hard time, but he had done better than she expected him to do. Just then, Heather saw what Erinna was wearing and couldn’t help but smile even more.  She finally had the daughter she wanted so much.

A daughter, not just a daughter that she had given birth to, but a beautiful,  intelligent, outgoing, always helping others and caring for them. She was the best daughter any mother could wish for.  Though right now, it was time for Erinna to receive the help and support that she had been giving to everyone around her.

“Sweetheart, did you choose these clothes yourself? You look super adorable in them,” Heather excitedly exclaimed. She could tell that her daughter was already taking after her. The only part that she didn’t like, was  Erinna looked older than her real age. Erinna was taller than most of the boys and girls her age, and her body already looked more mature than girls her age. This would ensure Erinna would get much more attention from the boys.

Erinna blushed a bit at her mom calling her adorable. She couldn’t help but smile and look back at Nancy who beamed at her. “Nancy chose them for me,” Erinna replied feeling happy with her parents' reaction. When she agreed to put on the clothes, she wanted to make her parents happy. She also couldn’t deny that she liked the tights, she didn’t feel that exposed in them while wearing a skirt.

“That was so nice of you honey,” Heather said walking to hug Nancy. She could tell that Nancy was trying to help her daughter and her presence was putting Erinna at ease. She was very grateful for that. “You have a good eye for fashion, I guess you took it from your mom.”

Nancy just smiled at what Heather said, as she knew that her dad couldn’t match two pairs of socks if his life depended on it. That’s what her mom always said, even if she was exaggerating, Nancy knew that it was close to the truth. “I wanted to match with my little sister,” Nancy exclaimed smiling widely. “I couldn’t find a bag that will go with the outfit though, I might have some that I don’t use anymore. Can I bring them, Mrs. Houston?” Nancy asked looking towards Heather for agreement.

Heather smiled widely, she could tell that Nancy loved her daughter and cared for her like a sister. “Sweetheart, please call me Heather, no need to call me Mrs. Houston,” Heather said but Nancy didn’t look convinced, she could see Erinna’s eyes look at her with curiosity.

“I think Heather is right,” Jeff stepped into the conversation still holding Erinna into his arms. He didn’t carry her in his arms as a boy only because she was embarrassed because of it. Now, he wanted to hold her forever. “Besides this cheeky monkey already sees you as part of our family,” Jeff said starting to tickle Erinna making her giggle and wiggle in his arms.

“Daddy, stop.” That was all Erinna could say between the giggles. It seemed no matter what changed her only weak point would be tickling.

“Daddy! When did you start calling him daddy?” Heather asked with a bit of obvious jealousy in her tone. “That's not fair, why does she get to call you daddy when she’s not calling me mommy?” Heather protested, making Nancy giggle as Erinna blushed. It was a rare sight for Erinna she knows that her mom always felt jealous of other moms because they have daughters, which was something Heather never had.

Jeff just laughed nervously and looked at Erinna to say something. She started to call him daddy on her own, and of course, he liked it. Jeff didn’t expect Heather to be jealous because of this.

Suddenly, an idea came to Erinna.  While this situation was funny, she didn’t want to leave her mom feeling jealous. She didn’t like what she was going to do but she had to do it. Mustering her best puppy eyes that she used to use even as a boy, she looked to her dad then tilted her head to look at her mom. “I called dad daddy because he’s the best daddy in the world just like you’re the best mom in the world mommy,” Erinna said in the girliest voice she could muster.

She was new to all this but she was a natural, her girly voice was so natural that no one would even suspect she was anything but a girl and girly girl at that.  A girl who had both of her parents wrapped around her little finger, which was something Erinna didn’t realize just yet.

“Thank you, Sweetheart,” Heather said smiling, as she walked to hug Erinna who was still in Jeff’s arms. “Are you sure you wanna go out wearing a skirt?” Heather asked concerned. She was worried that Erinna may be pushing herself too hard.

Erinna just nodded making Heather a bit confused how Erinna was so confident wearing a skirt right after the shocking news. She had bought a lot of skinny jeans for this specific reason. “I wanted to get used to wearing a skirt before I had to wear it at school, mommy,” Erinna explained making Heather smile a bit. As always Erinna thought two steps ahead.

“That’s so smart of you honey, why don’t you go downstairs?  Your favorite show is about to start,” Heather said reminding Erinna of her favorite show. It was a mecha anime that George used the watch when he was younger and passed the habit down to Erinna.

Erinna immediately wiggled out of her daddy’s arms and ran out of the room. “No running on the stairs,” Heather reminded. She felt satisfied when she heard the sound of her footsteps slow down as Erinna walked down the stairs.

“Come here honey, I need your help for a bit,” Heather said as she pointed to the walk-in closet. Nancy looked confused but followed Heather inside her walk-in closet anyway. Inside, Heather walked to the far end of the closet, where a lot of clothes were stored.  They were all cute but weren’t in Heather’s size. If Nancy didn’t know better, she would say that these clothes were meant for Erinna.

“All these cute clothes, for who?” Nancy asked the question she had in her mind. There were many dresses, skirts, blouses, and various tops. There were also matching shoes to fit each outfit in the collection.

“Well, these clothes were meant to be given to my daughter if I ever had one, believe me, I was about to give up and give them all to charity but now, I have a daughter to give them to,” Heather smiled as she said that.  She knew that once Erinna accepted her new gender she would be able to do what she always wanted to do with her daughter.  For now, she needed to be careful though, taking things too fast could hurt Erinna, which was something she never wanted to do.

“Is it always the same thing with girls like us? Once our transition started, all these old clothes that were hidden away, came to light,” Nancy explained, mused  at how her mom had been hiding all her old clothes for her daughter.  Carla had also told Nancy the same thing had happened to her.

“What do you mean ‘like us '?” Heather asked completely oblivious to Nancy’s secret. She also couldn’t even imagine it, such a pretty girl like Nancy used to be a boy this would never come to her imagination. After all, she only knew Nancy as a pretty girly and sporty girl. She barely saw Nancy wearing pants or shorts most of her clothes were skirts and dresses.

Nancy just smirked, knowing that Heather would not believe her at all.

“I am just like Erinna, I was born a boy.  My body started to change into a girl’s body when I was 11, but we only knew for sure when I was 12 and I was diagnosed with TSS,” explained Nancy.

Heather's jaw dropped; she couldn’t believe it. Not just one pretty girl but two turned out to be born boys. She was beginning to understand how strangers looked at Erinna. There was no way anyone would believe that Erinna is a boy or even used to be a boy. “I don’t know what to say, to think that I never knew you or Carla were boys, you both look so beautiful, I would never think you were boys,” Heather shockingly explained. She now knew why Nancy understood how to keep Erinna at ease, she had been there before, and God knows what she had gone through.

“I need to find a purse that would fit with Erinna’s outfit, we have a surprise prepared for her, with everything that happened, however, we couldn’t just show her the surprise,” Heather announced, pulling a large box down from one of the shelves. Inside that box was a treasure trove of all kinds of purses, stuffed neatly. “Now since you chose her outfit, I think it’s only fair that you choose her purse,” Heather said beaming widely while handing the box to Nancy.

It didn’t take Nancy long to start searching through the box.  She slowly examined every purse, some of them were not cheap at all.  Most of them were high quality, many of them were very expensive, even today.  Heather’s parents were not that rich but they were rich enough to get their daughter what they needed. Add to it Heather’s and her sisters' careers as models. They got a lot of expensive clothes as gifts.

Running through the box Nancy finally found what she wanted. A leather brown clutch with thin shoulder straps. She knew that it will look cute with Erinna’s outfit and will match her brown boots.  She also found a black clutch that would match Erinna’s black boots. “That one,” Nancy beamed holding the brown clutch for Heather to see. She knew that it would work perfectly well with Erinna’s outfit.

“Good choice, I don’t think it would fit with any of her coats, but I have just the right thing,” Heather said walking to the hanging clothes again. In a matter of seconds, Heather returned with a brown wool coat that would be Erinna’s size. “This used to be one of my favorites when I was Erinna’s age,” Heather said with a smile and tear leaving her eye, she was happy beyond belief. “Now it’s time to hand it over to my daughter.”

“So, you were the same size as Erinna when you were 10?” Nancy inquired.  She wondered how she never saw it all this time. Erinna resembled her mom a lot and looked just like her. While her mom was not a football player, she was an athletic woman who was a star gymnast, it’s clear where Nancy gets her flexibility from.

“I will be honest; Erinna is an inch taller than me when I was 10,” Heather joked making Nancy giggle a bit. “I can’t thank you enough sweetheart, you being here for Erinna means a lot to her, she adores you.” Heather knew how much Erinna loved and adored Nancy, also Nancy loved Erinna as if she was her sister. They were now inseparable.

“I will do anything for my little sister, I am with her till the end, I know she will go through some hard times and I will do my best to support her,” Nancy stated with an air of confidence, she would never leave Erinna alone. Especially at times like these where she needed all the support, she could get.

“Still, thank you, sweetheart,” Heather said walking to hug Nancy once again. “Would you mind helping me pick a couple of outfits for Erinna from here?  I would appreciate it.” Hearing this, Nancy smiled excitedly, she didn’t need to answer because Heather already knew what Nancy’s answer would be.

••••••••••••••••••••

Downstairs Erinna sat down on the couch watching anime. Even with the tights on she still felt a bit exposed, she didn’t like that feeling and started to think about what to do for a moment. That’s when it hit her, there was a reason why all girls sat down with their legs close together.

Bringing her knees together, Erinna felt unnatural and weird. If she was going to wear skirts and dresses which was inevitable, she will have to get used to this very alien feeling. After all, she will have to wear a skirt to school as part of her uniform. In the summer, she will have to wear the black short sleeve dress as the uniform. Tights will still be part of the uniform but they won’t help that much, she feared.

While sitting there, she didn’t hear George walking up to her from behind. “Are you still watching this?” George said startling Erinna and making her jump from her place as George laughed a bit.

“Not funny,” Erinna pouted sticking her tongue out to George who just laughed even more and was soon joined by Erinna. “Just so you know, that’s a new season,” Erinna announced as George looked at her a little surprised.

“That’s discrimination against me, I had been waiting for at least 8 years for a new season and once I gave up, they made a new season?” George exclaimed shaking his head in disbelief making Erinna giggle. “Anyway, would you mind if I sat down with you?” George said already moving to sit down.  Erinna sat back down beside him.

“So how are you feeling right now?” George asked stroking Erinna’s hair softly. She couldn’t help but snuggle closer to George, he was good at making her feel comfortable.

“Weird, I always thought I was a boy until today. Now I know that I’m not a boy,” Erinna said shaking a bit. She still hadn’t come to terms with being a girl. “Do you think that becoming a girl will make me like boys when I grow up, or will I like girls?”

George looked at Erinna sliding his arm around her to calm her shaking body. “Well, one thing is for sure, you won’t ever have a boyfriend,” George said confidently. Erinna looked up at him, wondering where all his confidence came from.

“Why?” Erinna inquired, looking at George for an answer. It was weird that he gave her an answer right away, without even thinking.

“Because I will chase them all away,” George said puffing his chest a bit.

“That's not fair,” Erinna exclaimed a bit amused. George had a good sense of humor and Erinna liked it.

“Big brothers are not fair,” George replied simply. Both Erinna and George stayed silent for a bit before they both burst out laughing.