Color Me Kelly- part 10
Thorny Thursdays -thanks for reading. Bless your hearts- leave one, please!
Jen was pleased when her phone rang and saw Kelly’s name come up on her display. “Hey,” she said as she answered the call. “How was your meeting?”
“Hey,back atcha. It was good,” Kelly said. “Thanks for asking. Sorry I haven’t been in contact much. I gave someone a ride home and we’ve been crazy busy at work.”
“Was your meeting a work thing then?”
“No, it was personal. I’d like to talk about it with you in person sometime.”
Had Kelly gone to a 12-step meeting? Did she have hidden issues they needed to address? Jen didn’t mind even if her suspicions were true. “No worries, I’d like to get to know you better,” she said.
“I was hoping you’d think that.” Then Kelly changed the tone of the conversation. “So, what did your mother say about Sunday? I’m excited to get started.”
Though Jen wasn’t sure if basement improvements or just being with Kelly was what she was anxious about. But she was excited too.
“Mom liked what you did with the closet. And parking on the street is no big deal.”
“Great. Well, work is picking up and I won’t be able to see you till then. I’m working late even on Friday and Saturday. But I’ll text when I can.”
“My work has been really weird lately too,” Jen said. “I hope the rumors of layoffs aren’t true. I need to keep working if I am ever to get out of this basement.”
“Who knows?” Kelly chuckled. “Maybe when I’m done, you will love it so much you never want to move?”
“Who knows? TTYL then… Oh, wait. That reminds me…”
“What?”
“My mom wrote out in a note ‘talk to you later’ with a LOL. I think she’s trying to get with the text lingo. She doesn’t know the TTYL thing.”
“That is funny. I can’t wait to meet her. But I really do need to get some sleep.”
“Okay TTYL, for real this time.”
“Nite, Jen.”
Then she heard the dial tone.
Jen did love it when Kelly spoke her name. It felt personal and endearing in that husky sexy voice. She went to her easel and picked up her paint brush. As she contemplated on what to do next she heard the back door slam upstairs. She felt like yelling upstairs to not let it slam, like most parents did.
Had Mom read her note?
Jen hadn’t given her enough credit. Jillian Peterson had worked three jobs to keep a roof over their heads and then put her both girls through school. Now that she only worked one, she’d have time to do more things for herself.
Jen was puzzled, though. What meeting had her mom attended tonight?
***
Kelly had talked to his mother twice since telling her he was Trans. She’d taken their talks to heart and had checked some Trans positive books out from the library. He’d promised to call tonight.
“Hi mom,” he said.
“Have you read Love Lives Here?” his mom asked as soon as she got on the phone.
“No, tell me about it,” he said.
“It’s about a woman from Canada. She is a Trans advocate who I follow on facebook.”
He was surprised how his Mom had become internet and social media savvy so quickly. “Ah huh, go on.” He settled into his mother’s chatter and listened.
“She had three boys and one came out as Trans, and then…” she paused for affect. “After she was married for twenty years her spouse came out as Trans as well. She says you’ve always been a boy. Is that true?”
“Yes, Mom. I told you that.”
“When did you know and if so why come out as a lesbian then?”
“I thought you’d take it better. And I think I’ve always known. Remember when you bought me all the Barbie stuff I asked for?”
“You mean the Jeep, the camper, the treehouse and all the accessories?” she perked up. “I never had Barbie dolls when I was a kid.”
He’d heard that line a ton of times growing up.
Mom went on, “I was so excited you loved Barbie.”
“I loved the stuff not the dolls. I never played with the house much.”
“Why is that?”
“Everything was so pink. I actually played more with the G-I-Joes you got for Bob.”
“Oh. Remember when your brother took all the heads off your Barbie’s I was so mad.”
“I remember,” Kelly said. “But Bob didn’t decapitate them.” There was silence on the other end of the phone. “I did,” he confessed.
His mother let out a heavy sigh. “Wow, I had a feeling you were going to say that. You know I’m really going to have to apologize to your brother the next time I see him. We grounded him for a month.”
“Don’t I know it. That’s why I never told you. Speaking of Bob, you know we’re working late hours with Dad on this contract. I need some sleep before tomorrow.”
“Okay, honey. We’ll talk soon.”
“Love you, Mom. Night.”
“Nite nite, sweetie.” A large gasp came from her. “Oh I’m so sorry, my bad,” she said.
He shook his head. She was trying too hard. “Mom, I’ll always be your sweetie, you’re fine.”
“Okay. Love you too,” she said and hung up.
Kelly took the binder off that hid his breasts and got into a t-shirt to go to bed. He’d be happy if he could do top surgery soon. The binder was constrictive and hot at construction sites in the sun filled days of late May. At least it wasn’t August. And he felt like he was starting the summer and his new life. There were so many possibilities.
After his calls with Jen and his mother he felt loved, appreciated and understood. Many of the kids at tonight’s meeting didn’t have it so lucky. He thought of Steph. Her family must not have been so good.
Now he just had to get up the nerve to tell Jen the truth. Thoughts of Jen filled his mind as he tried to drift to sleep. She was fantastic and so into being one’s self. She’d be okay with the news that he was Trans, right?
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