LIGHTNOVELONLINE 4. Day 13, 4:45pm
I grimaced as I straightened up and stretched my back.
According to the clock it was late afternoon on Friday. I was sitting at the dining room table in front of the sewing machine, and I'd been there almost all day, every day for the past week. On the plus side, I'd already gotten pretty good at it. I had four or five outfits done for myself, I took in a few pairs of pants for Kevin, and I even got a few outfits taken in and shortened for my dad. Mom was still making do with the clothes she already owned.
We were all stuck for under garments and footwear, and there wasn't much I could do about that unfortunately. I was trying though. While most everyone else was fighting online for overpriced clothes, I was smart enough to order a bunch of fabric last week before people went nuts for that too. And I spent a few evenings reading more about sewing and stuff online, and downloaded some more patterns.
Though to be fair it was probably kind of pointless. According to the news, the clothing shortage would be resolved in another week or two. So I'd probably figure out how to make my own stuff from scratch just in time for it not to matter anymore.
Still, it kept me busy and both dad and Kevin were happy I was able to help them out.
I still got some odd looks from mom about the whole endeavour, like she still thought it was weird I'd be ok learning how to sew and make clothes and stuff. Like I guess despite telling everyone I was a girl and asking them to call me Callie, mom still thought I was a guy or something. Which didn't make any sense considering she was treating dad like he was a girl. Like dad was still sleeping in the guest room, and mom wouldn't let dad hug her or kiss her or even touch her. It was confusing and annoying and basically hypocritical as fuck, but I tried not to let it get to me.
After a few minutes I decided I had enough for today. I turned the machine off and got up and stretched and flexed my whole body a few times, then went into the kitchen to grab a soda.
Mom was in there sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee, and I sat down next to her.
"Hey mom," I greeted her as I sipped my drink. "How's it going?"
She glanced at me and I realized she looked stressed. She sighed and shook her head, "I don't know Callie. I don't know how you're staying so positive and calm. It's almost two weeks since all this happened and it feels like we're no closer to... It feels like life's still broken."
I gave her a sad look, "I know, but things are going to get better. They're talking about opening up stores and businesses next week right? Like that's the first step back to a regular routine? And they said maybe schools and colleges will open up at the start of October? So we'll only be a month late there."
Mom smiled weakly, like she was putting on a brave face. It didn't work though and she just sighed again, "I want things to go back to normal hon. Don't you? I want my husband back, and my sons."
My stomach went cold and I shook my head. "I'm your daughter. I'm Callie. I..."
She frowned at me as she watched and waited.
I finally gulped and half-whispered, "I don't want to go back. I want to stay this way. If they come up with a cure, I won't take it."
Mom didn't say anything, she just stared at me in silence. I couldn't tell if she was angry or upset or shocked. Eventually she got up without another word and rinsed out her coffee mug, then started making dinner.
After I finished my cola I got up and quietly started helping. I set the table and stuff, and when mom got out some vegetables I chopped them for her. Neither of us said a word, but we made dinner together like mother and daughter. Though it was more like sisters since we both looked like nineteen year old girls.
At five thirty when the food was ready, dad and Kevin joined us and we all sat down to eat.
I realized something was wrong after the first bite of food, as the four of us were eating in silence. The TV was off. Dad usually turned it on and put the news on when he sat down. It didn't take long for Kevin and mom to notice as well, both of them sort of glanced at the TV then at dad.
Dad was eating quietly and had a thoughtful look on his face. He almost looked like he did that first morning, except without the shock. Like the same slightly dazed look but it was more like he was lost deep in thought.
Mom finally asked, "James are you all right?"
Dad bit his lower lip and I suddenly realized how cute that looked. I wondered if I looked as cute when I did it.
All four of us were quiet, mom and Kev and me all stared at dad, while dad looked uneasy. He had a gulp of his cola, then took a deep breath.
He looked at Kevin, then me, and finally his eyes settled on mom. There was another brief hesitation before he started talking in a soft, quiet voice.
"It's really hard for me to say this Mary, but after nearly two weeks I think... I feel like Callie's had it right all along. I tried to fight it, I tried to be the same man I always was. I thought that's what I was supposed to do? Stay strong, be the man, the husband, the father. The thing is, it's not working. The last couple days it's finally hit me. I'm just prolonging the inevitable, prolonging the pain."
Dad shook his head and sighed, "They're not going to fix this, there's not going to be a cure or a solution. We're all just going to have to get used to this as the new normal. So I'm going to stop fighting it. I'm giving in and accepting it. Starting now, I'm changing my name to Cheryl. And I'm switching to she/her pronouns."
After a deep breath, dad announced "I am Cheryl, and I'm a girl."
She glanced at me and Kevin and added, "I know this might be hard on you kids, but I'm also going to ask you to stop calling me dad. Please just call me Cheryl. Or we can figure out something else that works. But um. Yeah. I'm Cheryl. I'm a girl. This is me now."
For the next minute or two the kitchen was completely silent. Kevin looked shocked. Mom looked shocked but also betrayed. I was trying not to smile, I knew this was serious but I had a million questions for Cheryl, except I couldn't ask them in front of mom or Kev. Like was she trans too? Did she secretly hope for this? If so, why'd she fight it for so long? Was it because of mom, or to try and cling to what was normal?
In the end it was mom who spoke up, and her reaction wasn't kind. "James what are you talking about?! You're not a girl, you're a man! You're my husband!"
There was a flash of anger on Cheryl's face, as she retorted "Then why the hell did you banish me to the guest room Mary? Why won't you let me kiss you? Are we married or not? How dare you call me your husband when you refuse to let me touch you because I've become a woman!"
Mom pulled back as if she'd just been physically hit. Her eyes widened in shock and her face went pale.
Cheryl shook her head as she continued, "Actions speak louder than words Mary. You've been treating me like a woman for almost two weeks now. Well surprise, that's what I am. And I'm done trying to deny it or fight it. This is me, this is who I am, and all that's left now is to get used to it. This is our new life. Whatever happened, whatever the phenomenon really was, it's not going away."
"You... You don't know that!" mom insisted. "They're working on it! They're going to figure it out, they're going to solve it, cure it..."
"No," Cheryl replied calmly. "They aren't. I was reading the news sites online before dinner. The government announced a change of strategy today. They're starting to focus on adapting and coping with this new reality. I think that's because they've realized they can't fix it. I think they've given up."
Mom shook her head, she got up and grabbed the TV remote and turned it on to the news.
Meanwhile I glanced over at Kevin. He was silent and his face was white as a sheet. There were tears in his eyes as he stared down at his food. I knew he still hoped he could be turned back to normal. That was the one thing keeping him going. He clung to that dream the way I used to dream about transitioning. I could only imagine how much it hurt him to hear Cheryl tell us it wasn't going to happen.
"...government officials have promised to streamline the process of updating identification documents. The opposition party complained that a fast-track process for issuing new ID could lead to rampant fraud and misuse, but have failed to propose an alternative solution. Independent experts in the field confirm there are a number of challenges that any identification process will face."
The TV cut from the anchor-girl to another cute girl sitting behind a desk, with a number of fancy certificates on the wall behind her. The caption identified him as a forensic analyst named Alan something-or-other. He looked and sounded awkward and uncomfortable as he said "We've already verified, finger prints and DNA are no longer valid means of confirming identity. Obviously appearance is also out. We're really at a loss for any kind of ironclad way to be certain anybody is who they say they are..."
Mom hit the mute button and just stared out the window for a few moments.
It was pretty obvious what she was thinking. They wouldn't be making a big deal about issuing new ID and stuff if they thought they were going to fix this any time soon.
The news had switched to the other anchor-girl now. Behind her was a stock photo of some people in lab coats.
Mom unmuted the TV to hear what they were talking about now.
"...that despite today's announcements, the government remains committed to understanding the phenomenon, and if possible, solving it. According to a joint press release from the office of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Health..."
"There, see!" mom insisted. "They haven't given up! They're still working on it, they're going to fix this!"
I stayed quiet but I had to agree with Cheryl. The fact that there was no press conference and that the lead story was updating everybody's ID made me think the 'still trying to solve it' stuff was lip service. Maybe they really had figured out they couldn't fix it, but they had to keep throwing money at the problem or people would riot.
The news switched back to the first anchor-girl, who started talking with a serious face while a stock-photo of a baby was on the screen behind her.
"In other phenomenon-related news, several hospitals around the world have confirmed that not a single baby boy has been born since the phenomenon struck. Reports indicate that even couples who were expecting boys have been giving birth to girls. The revelation sparked another wave of panic and violence in some countries."
Kevin was still staring at his food, but the rest of us were staring at the TV. We all knew what that latest news meant, what the news-girl was implying without actually saying. This really was the end of the world after all. Or at least, the end of the human race. Without any men left in the world, we had one more generation then that was it.
It was a weird feeling right then. I really didn't even have words to describe it. Like realistically, assuming the world didn't implode and assuming society didn't end in chaos and riots, I had another sixty years ahead of me. It's not like there was a meteor coming to wipe us out, but at the same time there was this feeling like what was I supposed to do with my life if this was all there was. Like without a future, things felt sort of empty.
I was still dealing with that when mom turned off the TV. She left the remote on the table next to her plate, then just got up and left the kitchen. From her footsteps it sounded like she went up to her bedroom.
Then Kevin went too, he just walked away from his meal and went up to his room.
That left me and Cheryl. She looked at me and asked "Are you going to be ok Callie?"
I nodded slowly, "Yeah. For now. How about you?"
She nodded, "I'm ok now. The news... That's going to hit me later. But right now? I feel a lot better now that I've let go of the act."
After a sip of her cola she added, "I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time at first hon."
I smiled, "Thanks Cheryl. I'm glad you're feeling better."
