A CHILDHOOD FRIEND

I have, what I would call, an unusual recollection of a random occurrence of a portion of my childhood that has been popping into my head lately that I would like to share.  Then I wonder, "Has it all been leading up to my meeting my soulmate?"

You tell me.

I was very, very young.  Under five.  My father was gone in the Vietnam War.  My mother and I were staying in a town where my mom's family was abundant.  She was surrounded by her support system.


I was just turning five and remember we lived in a detached mother-in-law behind a mansion.  The grounds were immaculately kept with large, lush pine trees.  High, well-trimmed hedges surrounded the overly large yard.  The driveway to the house was lined in tall, spindley tress.

After adjusting to my father's absense, I was getting down to being a kid so, who can I play with?  The answer was there in the mansion.  They had a son, very close in age to myself.  We met and became fast friends.  You see, this young man had a kitchen in his garage and he was allowed to play house with the very real, not plugged in appliances.

I was exstatic!  Someone who liked to play house!

As we would get together, the conversation was something like this.....,
Me: "Do you wanna play house?"
Him (My friend): "Yea."
Me: "OK.  I'm the Mommy and you're the Daddy."
My Friend" "Oh, no, I'm the Mommy!"
Me: "But you're a boy, you can't be the Mommy."
My Friend: "I'm not a boy, I'm a girl si I get to be the Mommy."
Me: "Hmmmm, well then, you be the sister and I be the Mommy."
My Friend: "No, It's my house, I'm the Mommy, You be the sister."
Me: "OK." (shrugging my shoulders to him as I went to figure out where the sister was supposed to me).

Never once did it cross my mind that he was NOT a girl.  His Mom said he was a boy but, he said he was a girl.  I was good with him really being a her and quite easily, I settled into the pattern of him being Mommy.  Now granted, I re-position him into sister and auntied as we became closer.  We each got to take our turns with that role.
I also feel into the stereo-typing our society dictates.  His Mom said he was a boy so, we had to be extremely conscious when it was apparent he was en femme.  I quickly learned how to conceal him from his mother.  Too bad, it was not for long enough.
When she would catch us, he would be severely punished.  He would tell me and show me his bruises.  Together, we knew it wasn't right for his mom to be hurting him.  Being so young and being in the times it was (60's), we didn't know how to stop the abuse.

Unfortunately, our playing stopped.  His mom came out one day and said to me, "He won't be coming out anymore, he's been badly burned."  My mother checked into it for me and found out that a pan of scalding, boiling water "fell" off the stove and onto his face.   Yeah, right.  (That's my comment today but not back then.)

I never saw My Friend again.  I would climb a tree, everyday, to watch and wait for them.

They (My Friend) never returned.

I never put those puzzle pieces together until recently.  I'm having some sort of awakening as some of these random events reveal themselves.

It is my summation, his mom poured the water all over his face intentionally to hide his trans*.  And I see young people committing suicide over this same issue today.  Come On People!!!  Parents.....listen to the kids.  They know who they are.  To hurt them or allow themselves to hurt themselves  is unacceptable.  That is some bullsh!t.

If they say they are a boy, then they're a boy.
If they say they are a girl, then they're a girl.

That's pretty easy, I'd say.