Beware the Zealots

by Karen Michelle

  

Chapter 19: Escalation

At the same time that Tony and Jennifer broke off their engagement, Captain Blodgett sat in her darkened bunker with her friend Sally Mesner, peering through the powerful spotting scope. Blodgett had re-enlisted at the end of Jennifers Junior year on the recommendation of her commanding officer, Colonel Martin. A year later, after it was obvious that special forces would be necessary, and after intelligence had finally determined that the hostages had been taken to a remote location some 500 miles away from the main conflict, Blodgett and Mesner were officially released to the Middle East. That was the official word, but the truth, as in most covert operations, was that the two women were deployed to a different destination; the remote area where the hostages and leadership had been located.

It had taken awhile to get word on where the hostages were located, and even with the secrecy that the enemy had enforced, informants were eventually found who would yield the necessary information.. at a high price of course.

After word had come of where the hostages were being held, reconnaissance was done to determine the strength of their force. It was found that the captors only had a small force managing the hostages. Enough to intimidate them, but a small enough group that if special operations could get to them, they could probably be killed and the hostages freed. Negotiations hadn't gone well, and the President and CIA had finally Ok'd deadly force to be used.

After obtaining the information, it was found that most of the captors were inexperienced in military operations. Most of them were radicals who were brave when they had a gun in their hands, but otherwise were not military minds. The two commanding officers were really the glue that held things together. Intelligence determined that if the two commanders who led the radicals could be taken out, the ability of the rest of the captors to defend themselves would be severely compromised.

And so with this information, Blodgett and Mesner had been secretly brought to a remote location, about a half-mile away from the compound. They arrived under cover of a severe sandstorm, and were dug in deep in a bunker. How they had done that was amazing, but they did it. Now, they

were positioned to do one job… to wait for the opportunity to take out the two commanders. Hostilities had gone on for awhile, so they could wait as long as they needed. They were to wait for the time when they got the right opportunity, when the shot presented itself.

Their CIA operative had told them.. "wait for the opportunity to take them both out at the same time. When we get your call that that has been done, we'll attack, but we want the two of them gone first." What he didn't have to tell them was that they really only got one shot. Once the commanders knew they were under attack, they'd get out of sight and lead the defense of the compound. Blodgett's and Mesner's job were to take them both out with one shot, so patience was the order of the day.

There were two other operatives with them in the bunker who had been keeping an eye on the compound, using the spotting scopes to see when both commanders came out at the same time. People are creatures of habits, even the enemy, and the operatives had found that every night the two commanders would come out and talk. The two operatives were there to assist, and let the two snipers get rest, while they determined when the best time was to shoot. When the habitual behavior became evident, the spotters waited for the next night. It was this night that Blodgett and Mesner were poised to do their job.

"There they are" said Blodgett. She was bored and had wanted to use the spotting scope that night.

"I see them" said Sally Mesner, looking through her scope.

"You two get on the guns" said the CIA operatives. "If we have a shot, you want to be ready."

They didn't have to tell them twice. Blodgett and Mesner took their position behind the mammoth guns and focused their scopes.

"Now I have them" said Blodgett, as she focused her scope, "but they're behind that troop transport… I can't get a clean shot. Come out, little man, I have number 14 waiting for you, and I never miss with lucky 14.".

Everyone has their little habits; they're impossible to avoid. Even if they're trivial, everyone has got something that is their trademark. By this time, Blodgett had fallen into the habit of using custom ammunition. She always had her ammunition hand made, and on every shell, she had the number 14 stamped into the side of the casing.

"Come to mama" said Mesner, "you're mine, baby."

It seemed like an eternity that the two men stood behind the truck, the steel cab obscuring the line of sight. Finally, they stepped out into the open, the one leaning over with a cigarette in his mouth to the other officer, waiting for him to light the end of the smoke. The two men in clear sight, one of the operatives said the magic words.

"Enemy acquisition obtained, fire when ready."

Blodgett and Mesner were already ready and had the targets in their scopes. If you looked carefully, you could almost see a catatonic look come over their faces as they became one with the gun. Then, with the deadly precision that only years of training can bring, they both fired, almost simultaneously.

As in the movies, things seemed to go in slow motion. It seemed to take forever for the bullets to reach their targets, but eventually, the trip was made and the targets were found.

"Two direct kills to the head" said one of the spotters, as he saw both bodies jerk back.

Mesners bullet had made it through the mouth of her target and they found the officer with the side of his face blown off. Blodgetts bullet had found its mark directly to the brain, the top of the head had been sheered off. Both men were dead instantly.

"Targets confirmed" said the other spotter into a field phone. "Let the games begin" he said, notifying the Green Berets to attack the camp.

When the two targets had been hit, the camp was thrown into disarray. Most of the captors had been outside at the time, something that had been hoped for. As the two commanders went down, others tried to come to their rescue, distracted from their job of guarding the compound against intruders. It was then a simple matter for the Green Berets that were waiting to attack to capitalize on the distraction and kill all the terrorists. Eventually, all but two of the hostages were rescued.

When Blodgett and Mesner returned from their assignments, they were both promoted to Majors. Blodgett had proven one thing with this assignment. She was deadly in any circumstance. She had proven that once she made her mind up, she could accomplish what she set her mind to.

The mission had occurred in Blodgetts second year of her re-enlistment, so she had to wait another two and a half years before she was able to get out and resume her own personal mission.

Chapter 20: Medical School

As things turned out, Tony never came back. He never called, and he never talked to me again. After we broke up, I found out the hard way that Tony was a fundamentalist christian, albeit a non-practicing one at the time we were dating. Something got hold of Tony, and he must have "seen the light", because he spread the word far and wide about me. It didn't take long for people that had talked to me regularly to start avoiding me. I lost quite a few friends in the second half of my fall semester and then in the following spring as I went through my senior year.

I had graduated with my undergrad degree with highest honors, so getting into medical school the next year hadn't been a problem. I suppose it was lucky that medical school is as difficult as it is, because I had to completely immerse myself in my work. That didn't allow me much time for thinking about what had happened with Tony, although it was hard emotionally to just turn the past off.

I had a very few close friends that I could count on, and Alice, my roommate was at the head of the list. I had been told you can usually count the number of good friends you have on one hand, and for me, that was certainly the case. During the first year of medical school, I didn't date very much, since (with Tony's help) I was basically ostricised from a lot of the student population. I found out during that experience how easy it is to assassinate a persons character and reputation. I vowed that if I was ever on the other side of the fence, in a position to do that to someone else, I'd always try to understand the person, to see their problem from their point of view, and try to defend them. I never wanted what I was going through to be inflicted upon anyone else.

Alice was a true friend through all of this. She tried to set me up with dates, but when we went out, and the guys found out who I was, even my outstanding looks didn't help me. It was one date, and that was it.

As the first year wore on, another benefit from Tony raised its ugly head. When Tony realized who I was and what my background was, he not only told people he met, but he also "saw the light and got religion" and told other Christians he knew about me. This resulted in visits to my apartment by Christians on campus whose mission it was to reform me and tell me about Jesus, and how much of a sinner I was. They even told me I should go back to the doctor, and go back to what I used to be. I thought to myself, "You zealots, you don't even try to get to know the person, or what they went through. You quote the Bible, take it literally, and assume everything is evil if it doesn't conform to what you believe. In your world, there's no possibility that nature (or God) made a mistake, or that something might have gone wrong in development causing a problem. The assumption is that if someone is doing something against what it says in your Bible, they automatically made a choice and are sinning against God. Even if the person didn't ask for the problem, it's still their fault because they don't conform to your definition. I'd like to see what you say on the day that people like me are exonerated, when science proves that something biologically went wrong, and this is the only way that we can be happy".

After a few visits, it was obvious to me that they could never take the position of an open mind to anyone like me, so if they came by, I told them there was no point in talking about anything and politely asked them to leave. The one interesting thing I observed about these Christians was that they never went out into the community helping people very much. What I had been taught about Jesus was that he met people where they were, and loved them as they were. He didn't condemn them, but tried to get them to focus on believing in Him and helping others. These Christians, on the other hand, were quick to tell people how wrong they were, but I never saw them trying to become friends with others, or try to build a long term relationship with "the sinners" that are out in the world. Some of the people I knew, who had been in fundamentalist churches when they were younger, told me they were taught about witnessing to others with the thinking that "you never know when a person is going to die and go meet God – therefore you don't have time to become their friends – you have to use every opportunity to tell them what God requires of them – because they might die the next day". Personally, I thought you ran more people away with that approach of heavy-handedness than you would with a gentler approach – but what did I know?

Eventually, time heals all wounds, and people graduate. By the time my second year of medical school began, Tony had finally graduated along with a lot of the students he had told, and people that once knew about me were quickly leaving the university. Two years makes a big difference and people were once again talking to me. Of course, I never really had a problem with my professors. I did well enough in class, and helped them out, that I was always welcome.

So, it wasn't totally amazing (although it was unexpected), when almost two years after Tony and I broke it off, that I met Mike Parker at a party in my first semester of my second year in medical school. I had just had a big exam and was mentally wasted, and I needed a break. Alice and I both were in this class, and she had found out about this party that was being given for all graduate students. There was going to be free food and drinks (for people over 21). Although we were medical students, we were still well in debt, so we didn't hesitate at the chance at getting free food.

Alice, her fiance' Alan (he had asked her to marry him after two years of dating), and I got to the party and wasted no time getting to the free food. The professors in my school were coming over and talking to me about how well I was doing and what opportunities might be coming my way if things kept progressing as they were. That was a good thing, because you knew that some of the funding you were getting from the university would continue, and that meant finishing the program.

After the last professor had talked to me, I excused myself to go get a bit more food. I was over at the table where the buffet was laid out when I heard a voice directed at me.

"Hi" an average looking guy said to me as I put some carrot sticks on my plate, and looked up.

"Nice party, eh?" he said, trying to break the ice.

"Yeah, this food is great" I said. "It beats what I'm eating in my apartment".

"Yeah, I know. It was one of my roommates turn to go get groceries but he's the lazy type and never wants to do it. We're thinking about kicking him out" he said.

"Well, I certainly haven't had any problems with my roommate. That's her over there with her boyfriend. We share the responsibilities 50-50, and I guess we're pretty responsible. We've been sharing an apartment for about two years now and it's gone well."

"Lucky you," he said, and then paused.

"My roommates, well I'm thinking about moving out on my own just so I don't have to deal with them. Anyway, I decided I needed some real food, and so here I am. I don't know about you, but I've been killing myself lately with all the work they've been throwing at me. I figure, if they're going to kill me with all this work, I might as well take advantage of some of the perks. Y'know what I mean?" he said, with a chuckle and a smile.

"Yeah, well it's not easy for me either, being a medical student." I said keeping the conversation going.

"A medical student, eh? I thought so. Say, you're Jennifer Rogers, the pre-med student, right?" he asked.

"Yes, but its not pre-med anymore. I'm in my second year of medical school. Say, how did you know my name?" I asked him. "I don't think we've ever met before".

"I've seen you on campus before; just never got the nerve to come up and talk to you" he said.

"Nerve? Why do you need nerve? I'm just like everybody else." I said in a dumb tone. I knew some guys were intimidated by my good looks but I made it a practice to downplay that and avoid being a primadonna.

"Well, let me put it this way. You are just plain beautiful, good looking, and very attractive, and I've wanted to come and talk to you for awhile now. Y'know, see what you're REALLY like. I figure, if you never take a chance and try and do anything, you'll never find out what the possibilities are. So, I figured, what could it hurt to come to this party and maybe get to talk to you? I might find somebody that's fun to be with."

He was direct, oozed confidence, and was decisive. I had liked that quality in Tony, and I was seeing that I liked that quality in men, in general. Plus, he was to the point. I liked that. Maybe it was a line, and maybe not. I thought to myself, if he's got the nerve and confidence to come up to a total stranger, then why not give him a chance?

"You mentioned you wanted to see what I was really like. What exactly did you mean by that?" I asked.

"Well, I've heard things, but I figure it this way. Let a person show who they are before you form an opinion, y'know? Don't pass judgement before you know the facts" he said.

"See," he said continueing, "I had a slight speech problem when I was younger. If you listen, you can hear the slight lisp I have. Let me demonstrate.".

He went on to say a few words to demonstrate, and if I listened carefully, I could hear the faint trails of the problem. But to the casual listener, it was imperceptible.

"Yes, I can hear it now that you tell me, but if you hadn't said anything, I'd have never known" I said.

"Well, it wasn't like that all the time. When I was growing up, I got made fun of a lot, and many times, people would pass judgement on me before they got to know me. Some thought I was stupid. When I got older, I overcame it with hard work, doing speech exercises. And when I was at the point you see now, I promised myself one thing. I used to be the butt of some cruel jokes and I knew how that felt. I promised myself I'd NEVER put someone else on the spot, or make fun of them, or pass judgement before I knew the person. People think I'm too much of a stuffed shirt because I don't like to play pranks and tease people. And they also think I'm too straight laced when they're talking about someone and I tell them I don't want to hear it. But I know from personal experience what its like to be on the receiving end. It hurts. I don't ever want to put someone else on that end."

Wow, I thought. What an introduction!

"So," he continued, "geez I've told you my whole life story already and we've just met. The truth of the matter is that I've always thought you were very attractive, have heard rumors, and I wanted to find out for myself who you were . Does that sound ok with you?" he asked, throwing the ball in my court.

It seemed he was serious about every word he said. If he really had those problems he talked about, he'd have a unique perspective that a regular person couldn't have. Here was a person who, due to his past, might be an understanding soul and who might have the capacity to have compassion on others. He was only an average looking person, but when he said all that, it made him look like a God in my eyes, and a breath of fresh air after the past year I had had with shallow people who didn't have the capacity to go beyond what they heard. I decided he was worth taking a chance on, and I put my arm around his. When I did that, I saw a smile come over his face.

"Well, Mr. Mike Parker," I said shooting him the best smile I could make, "if you feel that way about people, I'm your girl for tonight. Over there is my roommate Alice and her fiance'. Let's go talk to them."

As the four of us talked, I found out why people could think he was a dull person. He had been a computer science/computer engineering math, and law enforcement triple major in his undergraduate years, and was now in graduate school for computer science. He wore glasses, although they weren't the thick black type. All those courses would have made him study a lot, and he wouldn't have been a very social creature. I could see where people could think he was a nerd, and I could see where they'd avoid him based on their perceptions. I knew about that very well.

Mike told me he wanted to go into the FBI or some other law enforcement agency with his work in computers.

"See, I want to try to help catch the bad guy. There's a lot of work to be done using the computer so that it can be made to analyze the facts and help match the clues to the perpetrator of the crime. I don't like seeing people getting hurt, and I want to help get the bad guys when people's lives are affected negatively. I guess that's an extension of what I experienced as a kid… y'know… being hurt and being the butt of people's teasing and jokes. I was always interested in law enforcement. My parents recognized how I didn't like to see other people hurt, and since I had that interest, they suggested that maybe I channel my energy in a positive way."

"It sounds like a good combination" I said.

During the course of the evening, I also found out that he was a musician, which I thought was very sexy. When the time allowed it, he played jazz guitar in a local group in order to help pay for college. I also found out that he liked to be in the outdoors, something I had done with my family and had enjoyed. Plus, he said he liked cooking, which I was to find out about later.

The last thing I found out was that he was funny. He kept me laughing all night long. Of course, the alcohol probably helped there too.

"So, could a speech challenged guy give you a call later?" Mike said in a funny voice, as he made a stupid face, as if he was some sort of handicapped guy. He was playing all the angles.

"Sure," I said, laughing, and writing my phone number down and handing it to him.

*****

As you'd expect, that was not the last night that we saw each other. We started dating, classwork permitting. One thing I saw about Mike that I hadn't seen with Tony was his capacity to help others. Tony had had money, but Mike wasn't that well off. While he wasn't broke, he also didn't come from a family that had a lot of money. However, what he didn't have in mony, he had in a kind heart.

We had been dating for almost three months. It was getting close to Christmas, and getting near to the end of the semester, when he came over one Saturday night with a guitar case in hand.

"Hi Jennifer" he said. "Want to go with me to something I do every year?"

He had just sort of showed up that afternoon, a spontaneous thing. I wished he had called, but I was still glad to see him.

"Well, I was planning on doing something, and then cook dinner. If you had just called…" I started to say.

"Oh, come on, kiddo. Take a chance. Besides, it's getting close to Christmas. I have this shelter I've gone to every year I've been here. I use my musical talent to entertain the people that are less fortunate than I am, and then I help serve dinner there. And besides, if you go, we can go to my place, and I'll make dinner FOR YOU later."

I turned to Alice. It was my turn to cook that night and I didn't want to leave her with all the work.

"Oh go ahead… " she said. "It might be fun".

I hadn't really planned doing anything, but he looked so hopeful, and I wasn't really doing anything THAT important, so I said goodbye to Alice and we got into his older car and headed over to the shelter.

At first when we got there, I was a bit hesitant. Mike went and spoke with the person running the facility and they shook hands. It was obvious he had been there before. With an announcement, everyone gathered around, and Mike started to play Christmas music on his guitar. It was obvious that some of the residents of the shelter had been there before, because they started requesting tunes and he played them without batting an eye. It was obvious that Mike had talent. He played the guitar effortlessly, plus he didn't have a bad voice as he sang.

As he played, I could tell that he was really getting into the experience, almost to the point of forgetting I was there. He would play and sing, and go into his own little world. I could tell that while he was playing, he was oblivious to everything external. Then, at the end of the tune, he'd come out of it and ask the people what else he could play for them. I could tell he really enjoyed doing this.

After about an hour of playing, he put his guitar up, and then he and I went into the kitchen and helped serve Christmas dinner to the residents. It was interesting how he spoke to everyone that walked through the line, and I could tell that he wanted to invest his time in each of their lives.

When dinner was over, we spoke with the director for a few minutes, who thanked Mike for coming again.

"People remember you every year, and it was just last week that they were asking if you were going to be coming again this year" he said.

"Well, I won't be able to do this forever, but you've got me for maybe another year. I'm in graduate school and eventually I'll be getting out and leaving. But I want you to know I've enjoyed doing this over these past 6 years while I've been in college."

"And we've enjoyed having you. They don't have a lot to be thankful for, but you give them your heart. They can tell it".

And so we left and got in his car and drove away.

"You really get into doing that, don't you?" I asked.

"Yep. Like I said when we met, I don't want to see anybody sad. I know I can't save the world, but if I bring a little cheer into someone's life, and it doesn't put me out too much, well I'd rather see them happy than sad."

He was caring. He wanted to help. I liked that.

His apartment was about a ten minute drive from the shelter. When we got there, he politely opened the door for me, and walked me up to this front door.

"My castle, milady!" he said with a grin, and opened the front door.

"Make yourself at home and have a seat. Can I get you something to drink?" he asked. "We have iced tea, milk, some orange juice, but I'm afraid the bank foreclosed and the bar is closed tonight."

"Oh, and I wanted a margarita" I said.

"Sorry, milady, I couldn't pay the help and they were dismissed. What can I get for you?" he said bowing in an exaggerated manner in front of me.

"Slave," I said getting into the act, "get me a tall draft of your best orange juice, and be quick about it!"

"At once, lady Jennifer" he said with a laugh, and poured me a tall glass of the orange liquid.

His corny humor was just that, corny, but it was also infectious. He was funny, and he put me at ease.

"Say, slave" I continued, "I thought you said you had two roommates. Where are they?"

"Oh, well their coffers came up short and I decided to seek my fame and fortune on my own. This castle is mine, including the hot and cold running roaches!!"

"Yuck!" I said as I made a face. "I'm afraid to ask my next question then."

"And what would that be, lady Jennifer?" he said, breaking the tension of my statement.

"You said you were going to cook for me. What's on the menu tonight?" I asked.

"Ahhhhh, well that's a surprise. But, if you'd like to help me in the kitchen, I think I could let you in on my trade secrets".

"Sure" I said, and got up with my orange juice.

As we started cooking, I was glad my mother had been so insistent on teaching me how to cook when I had told my parents of my need to become a female. Mom had indoctrinated me into the ways of the kitchen and she was no slouch when it came to preparing a meal. She told me, likely, one day I would have to prepare food for a family. Now that training was paying off. Mike had me prepare a salad, while he got two chicken breasts out of the fridge and proceeded to skin and stuff them with a cheese and herb mixture. After that he made a wine sauce and cooked the chicken breasts in the sauce until it reduced. In the meantime, two potatoes were in the microwave baking. We ate in about thirty minutes.

"Y'know" he said as we were eating. "I'm not the richest guy, and I don't have a lot of money to go to a lot of parties or pledge a fraternity. And honestly, I haven't had a lot of time to do those things. But one thing I made sure of is that I eat well. That plus get enough exercise so this food doesn't go to my waistline."

"I don't think money is the only yardstick to judge success by. You seem to be doing ok without a lot of it, and you like to help people. I find that refreshing. I've dated someone who had a lot of money. At the time, I thought I loved them, but that's because I didn't have anything to measure them against. Personally, I think I like your honesty, humor, and heart just a bit more than the dollar."

"My humor?" he said making a stupid face. "Gee, I didn't think I was funny at all!!!!!"

"Oh stop kidding!" I said. "You reminded me what giving to others is all about. I'm on that mission too, you know."

"Oh, how so?" he asked.

"Well, I'd prefer to reserve that for a later conversation, if you don't mind. But maybe we can talk about it one of these days."

"Okay" he said, and we went on to talk of other things.

*****

It wasn't too long after that, that the semester came to an end. As was customary, the university shut down over Christmas break. My parents came to get me, and when they arrived, I made sure Mike was there to meet them.

"Mom, Dad, this is Mike Parker. He's the guy I've been dating for the last couple of months" I said, introducing him to my parents.

"Nice to meet you, Mike" said my dad. "So, Jennifer tells us you're a computer and law enforcement person?"

"Yep, I'm learning how to use the computer to catch the bad guys. Hey, maybe I can make a movie about that and retire by the time I'm 35!!".

Mom and Dad both laughed.

"Yeah," my dad said, "I think everyone's trying to figure out how to do that. Good luck!"

I told my mom that Mike and I hadn't eaten, and asked if we could all go out to dinner. Dad, having the wallet, said ok, and we grabbed a bite at a local restaurant. After that it was time to say goodbye for a month, and I told Mike I'd put him on my Buddy List on my computer at home, then we parted.

During the time off, I worked some, and went some places with my sister and mom, and of course, I spent time talking to Mike on the Internet.

Unfortunately, the vacation went by way too fast, and before I knew it, I was back at school. Mike and I picked up where we left off, work work work. We managed to get together and help each other with studies, and managed to take in a few free movies at the university, plus go on some dates too.

Before I knew it, it was spring break, which happened around Easter. Once again, the university shut down, but before we had to leave, Mike and I went back to the shelter to help the residents. This time, however, I got into the activity. I had seen how much he had enjoyed helping others at Christmas, and I wanted to do something with him so I could experience it too. When we were done, we went back to his apartment, and I talked to him about it.

"Mike, I really enjoyed our outing tonight. But one thing bothers me."

"What's that?" he asked.

"I helped, but I didn't feel I did enough for them. What I did was such a small thing" I answered.

"Don't worry" he replied. "What you did might have been small, but you cared enough to do it. Seeing someone who cares gives those people hope in others. And we made their time just a little brighter. No, it's not much, but it makes me feel better, and I think it makes them feel better too."

"I hope so" I said. "It made me feel better"

I saw a smile come across his face when I said that. He was seeing that we were starting to have something else in common.

"Now are you going to feed me like last time?" I asked.

"Of course, my queen!" he said. "But first I have something for you."

"For me? What's the occasion?" I asked.

"Call it a spring break going away present." He answered. "Now, close your eyes."

I closed my eyes, and thought back to the last time I was in this position. I wasn't ready to get a ring just yet, and actually, I was hoping it wasn't that. But, you can't pre-judge, right? So, I went along with it. In a few seconds I felt something being put around my neck. It was a pendant with a simple gold heart, but it looked beautiful because it came from him. I was relieved when I saw it.

"I want you to know, Jennifer, that I've had such a good time with you over the past, almost 6, months. I wanted to give this to you so that maybe, if you wanted it, you could have my heart with you all the time, and remember me wherever you are".

His words were so touching, they almost made me cry when he put it on me. As he did, we kissed, and I knew I was falling in love with him. He was so kind. He loved others. We shared some of the same things I found out during the time we had been going out. And I could tell he loved me. I knew that sparks of love were starting to burn within me. But, I was also glad it was just a pendant. I didn't want to rush things. This showed me that he cared about me, but it also gave us time. I was still a bit gun-shy from my experience with Tony. I wanted to wait and see how things unfolded.

*****

After that night at his apartment, spring break came and we both got some needed relief from school. I was home for a week and enjoying myself. One night during the vacation, my mom came into my room while I was sitting on my bed reading a book.

"I see you're wearing a heart pendant. Did Mike get that for you?" she asked.

"Yes, he said it was sort of a spring break present, but I think he was just looking for an excuse to get me something" I said looking at the pendant that hung around my neck.

"Is Mike someone we should know about?" she asked.

"You don't miss a trick, do you Mom?" I replied.

"I just like to keep up with what's going on with my daughter" she said.

"Well, let's just say that might be possible, but it's only been six months that we've been going out. I don't want to rush anything, but I can see the possibility is there."

"He seems like a nice boy" she continued.

"Well, you want to know what attracted me to him?" I asked.

"Tell me" she answered.

"Well, it wasn't his looks, not totally anyway. I mean he's not drop dead cute like some guys. No, it was his caring heart. We went to a local shelter and helped serve Christmas dinner and Easter dinner to the transients that live at the shelter. He said doing that made him feel better because he was making a small difference."

"How did that make you feel?" mom asked.

"I liked it. It made me feel good inside. And, it made me feel closer to him because we were doing something meaningful together" I answered.

"I understand that" mom replied. "Your father and I have done things like that together, and it draws us closer together because we have a common bond. It's nice he cares about others. That's a real plus."

"Plus, he had a speech problem as a kid, and he was made fun of a lot. He told me he went through a lot of pain with people making fun of him, and he said that people used to judge him before they really got to know him. He said if he had anything to do with it, he'd never put anybody in that position."

"And you related to that, didn't you?" she asked.

"Yes. I figured if he understood that pain, he might be able to care about people, and overlook their problems."

"And has he, with you I mean?" she asked.

"I don't know. We haven't talked about me yet" I replied.

"But you like him, right? You've been talking about him a lot, and you chat with him over the Internet" she asked, probing.

"Yes, I do like him, and I'd like to see where things go. Mom, he gave me this heart so I could think about him wherever I was."

"It sounds like he likes you" she commented.

"Yes, I'm sure of that" I confirmed.

"Well, honey," she said as she got up to leave my room, "just make sure you're honest with him, and make sure you two have a lot in common. If anything happens, it will make you two closer together and love each other for a long time, if that's the direction you two go."

****

Spring break was only a week long, and I was back in school once more, my nose to the grindstone like all my medical student friends. Mike and I continued to see each other. Sometimes at his place, and sometimes at our place, and sometimes we just hung out at the student union. The end of the semester was only two weeks away and finals were looming ahead.

One night, after a difficult day, we were sitting at a table in the student union having a soda together. You could tell who the freshmen were. They were oblivious to the upcoming finals and were playing pinball or bowling, trying to forget their troubles and avoid studying.

"Some of them won't be around next year" he said, looking at one of them trying to get a free game off the pinball machine.

"Yeah, I know. You can see how he's trying to avoid what he knows he has to do" I said.

As I sat there saying that, I was thinking how long we had been going out, and I knew that I had been avoiding saying what I knew had to be said, if we were going to continue seeing each other. So, I took a deep breath and continued on.

"Speaking of avoiding things" I continued, "I need to talk to you about something."

"OK, what is it?" Mike answered.

"Well, first of all, how do you feel about religion?" I asked.

"Gee, that came out of the blue. What about religion do you mean?" he answered

"Well, let me be direct. You know the fundamentalist Christian groups on campus? You know how they go around and tell people about the fact that they're sinners and they need to get saved? How do you feel about them?" I asked, trying to not mix words.

"Well, they make me feel uncomfortable. It's not that I don't believe in God, because I do, but I just don't think you should be going around hitting people over the head trying to get them to come over to your way of thinking. Coming to God is a personal decision" he said, and then took a long draw on his straw.

"Religion is something each person has to be comfortable with, it's something they have to live with, so I think it should be their decision, not someone else coercing them to believe what they think."

So far, so good, I thought.

"Well," I said, "let me ask you another question. Have you ever heard them tell people that they were wrong, according to their Bible? Taking the words that are in the Bible, taking them literally, living by them, and judging everyone else by the words in it, with no exceptions?"

"Hmmmm.. " he said, "well, I'd be a bit hesitant to do that myself. I mean, they did that a few hundered years ago, said people were witches, and guess what? They found out they were wrong. And then you had people say that diseases are of the Devil, and when they have those diseases, they're sinning. Guess what? Science eventually showed us that they aren't of Satan, but naturally occurring things which can be prevented. I guess what that tells me is that people shouldn't be quoting the Bible so much, and saying everything is so black and white. They don't know everything. Instead of condemning everyone, I think they ought to look at the person. I just can't ascribe to the 'beat the person over the head' philosophy."

"So you think that if a person has a problem, even if you don't understand it, you should try to be compassionate, then" I asked, trying to get him to reinforce his answer.

"Absolutely. Besides, its better to get to know the person and look past the problem. You might be missing out on knowing someone very special if you condemn everybody" he said.

Wow! His compassion for people was amazing, and I had a green light to go ahead and tell him what I needed to tell him.

"Well, I'm glad you feel that way. Not everyone shares your opinion, including some of the Christians here on campus. Some of them would rather preach to you than get to know you as a person. They'd rather take one look at you, especially if you had a problem in your past, put you in a box and classify you, then say 'bad bad bad'. Know what I mean?"

"Yes, I've seen the type. The way I figure it, they're losing out on knowing the person" he answered.

"Well," I said with a deep breath, "I'm glad you feel that way. I have something to tell you about me that you need to know. I don't tell just everyone this, but we've been going out now for almost eight months. If we continue to go out, things could become serious, and if that happens, you need to know everything about me so there are no surprises. I owe that to anybody I'm in a serious relationship with."

"I wouldn't mind that" he said squeezing my hand and smiling at me. "What is it you want to tell me?"

"Mike, about ten years ago, I was a very unhappy person. Have you ever known someone who hasn't been happy with their body? Their image of themselves didn't match their body? Like a person with a malformed nose, or an ugly face?"

"Yeah, I've heard of that" and he contorted his face to try and make things less serious.

"Stop!" I said, "can you be serious for once?" I asked.

"Sure" he said. "I'm just trying to lighten the mood."

"Well, don't. This is important. I need to know I have your undivided attention".

"You've got it. Go ahead" he replied.

"Well, I was one of those people. I wasn't happy with myself. To be to the point about it, my genetic makeup, and my body, didn't match what my mind said I was. I felt trapped, and I was miserable. My parents found out about what the problem was, and they took me to see a doctor. The doctor helped me to explore my feelings, after a couple of years of counseling, therapy, and ……" I said gulping.

I paused, and thought, "ok, here it comes".

"and hormones, I…." I said, whereupon he cut me off.

"You decided you couldn't live any longer as a boy, had a sex change operation, and became a girl, the beautiful creature I see sitting across the table from me right now" he said.

I sat there, stunned. He knew! We had been going out for eight months, and he knew!

"You know about that?" I asked.

"If you'll remember," he said, "when we first met at that party, I told you I'd heard rumors, and that I wanted to find out who you really were. That was the rumor. When I would ask someone about you, they'd make a face, and say something like, 'how can you even think about going out with someone like that?'. But I don't believe in pre-judging people. That happened to me too many times, and it caused too much pain. Remember, I said that I'd never put someone on that the receiving end?. No, I wanted to find out about you personally. You were and are so beautiful. I just HAD to find out for myself; find out what you were like."

"But how did you know for sure? I mean, you said it was only a rumor you heard." I asked.

"After we had been going out and I gave you that heart pendant, I realized that you were the type of person I could get, and was getting, very interested in. I realized that I wanted to keep going out with you. Heck, Jennifer, we're at the age where people start thinking about getting married, and I was thinking that with your caring heart, you were a person I might like to spend my life with. So, I got your home phone number from your roommate and called your parents. I told them who I was, and told them I thought I was in love with you, and I needed to know if the rumors at school were true."

"What did they say?" I asked.

"Well, first they told me they didn't want anybody to hurt you. I told them that wasn't my intention with the phone call, because I thought I was in love with you, and if that rumor were true, it didn't matter to me. I just needed to know. When I told them I loved you, they told me" he said.

"So, you just let me sit here go on about all this?" I said giving him a mock leer.

"Hey," he said, "I'm glad you thought enough of me to tell me the truth. I think that means that you care about me. Like you said, you don't just tell anybody that. And, from the rumors that were floating around, I can understand why you'd want to keep it a secret."

"So, what conclusions have you drawn since you found out the truth" I asked.

"Well, let me ask you a question for a change. You don't feel like a boy in a dress do you? You certainly don't act that way" he said.

"Heavens no!" I said. "I've been a girl now, physically that is, for almost 10 years now, and I can't see myself as anything other than that. I've always been a girl, and I always will be a girl. It's who I am. And I feel very comfortable with who I am… no conflicts whatsoever."

"Well, Jennifer, that's all I've seen in the past eight months we've dated. Every time we're together, all I see is female, and that's all I know, and that's all I care about. I'm not interested in what was, or a problem you had before. You got the help you needed, and you've gotten past that, and well, I'm in love with who you are now, a very very beautiful, attractive, woman who I feel lucky to have as my own. At least, I'd like to think that you want to be mine."

His words stunned me. It wasn't the first time I had heard those words, but they had come from a man who said my past didn't bother him, and he thought I was beautiful.

"You love me? In spite of my past? Do you hear what you're saying?" I askd.

"I know exactly what I'm saying. I love you, fully aware of what your past is. I've had such a good time with you. As far as I'm concerned, you're nothing more than a female. One that I would like to have spend a lot of time with me, if she'd like to do that."

"Well, if you know that about me, then that takes care of the second thing I needed to tell you."

"What's that" he asked.

"I can't have children" I said.

"That's ok" he replied. "If things go the way I think I'd like them to go, and if we got married, I'd be fine with adoption, and I think you'd make a great mother. You care about kids. I've seen that when we went to the shelter. You'd like to have kids one day, wouldn't you?" he asked.

"Yes," I said. "Ever since I got to become the girl I am inside, I've always wanted to have children. But since I can't have any of my own, adoption has been something I've wanted to do."

"Well, then that problem is solved. Anything else?" he asked.

"And…" I said, pausing. "You think you'd like to get married to me?"

"Didn't I already say that?" he asked. "I'm pretty positive I love you. Eight months is a good deal of time to get to know someone. You haven't been hiding anything else from me that I should know, have you?"

"No. This was it. That's enough, don't you think? I've had others drop me like a hot potato when they found out."

"Well, if you think you'd like to be my wife" he replied, "I'll never do that. I think you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, especially your green eyes and your pretty smile."

When he said that, his gaze was fixed on my face. He meant every word of that, and I started to blush.

"Plus, we have quite a bit in common to boot. Cooking, the outdoors, helping others, to name a few things. I just can't imagine ever letting you go."

"Well, Mike, then don't. I already thought I loved you, but with you saying all that, now I know I do".

And with that, I got up from where I was sitting, went over to him and sat on his lap, and planted the biggest kiss I could, right in the middle of his lips.

Finally the semester ended, and we had to leave for the year. He was a Ph.D. candidate and had one more year to go. I was a medical student, and given the progress I had made, I had one more year also. We thought it was fortunate that our college careers coincided so well. When it came time to leave for the summer, both sets of parents were at the university at the same time. Mike and I had made our love known to each of our parents. My parents wanted to meet his parents, and vice versa. We had dinner together for the first time, and then said our goodbyes for the summer. But now this summer was different than others. We had pledged our love to each other and were no longer our own persons.

 

Chapter 21: In the reserves.

At about the same time that Jennifer and Mike were going on spring break, Major M. Elizabeth Blodgett was being released from the military. She had served her country now for eight years, and having had her tour of honorable duty, with a kill of major importance to her credit as a sniper, she packed her bags. Before her exit, she sat in the office of her commanding officer, now General Martin.

"Liz," he said, "will you consider being in the reserves? You're too good a shooter to let go totally. I know where you're going, and there's a military base there. We could arrange to allow you to keep your shooting skills up to date, so that if we ever needed you again, we'd have a good shooter ready to go. You can be in the reserve, and we'll even pay you for that skill. Call it a retainer if you will."

"Sir," she replied. "I am 39, you know. I'm over the hill as far as the army regs go."

"Forget the regs" the General said. "Rules are guidelines. I've seen you shoot, and you still have it. Sure, most people your age are wanting to move on to other things, but Liz, you have a real skill that we might need some day. You're good enough that we'd like to keep you around in case we need you. And as a reserve unit, all I'm asking is that you keep your shooting skills up to date and in addition report for very light duty one weekend a month. You can basically have your life on the outside like you want."

Liz Blodgett had hoped this opportunity would present itself. She needed to keep her shooting skills up to par for her own reasons, and this was the perfect opportunity. Liz agreed to General Martins proposal, signed the necessary papers, and then caught the plane to where she lived, which was the same place where Mrs. Adams had moved to.

The jet didn't take any time to make the trip. Before her departure to military duty, Mrs. Adams had sold her the house that she was now returning to. For legal reasons, Mrs. Adams had used her knowledge of real estate to sell her the house for the paltry sum of one hundred dollars, a deal that nobody could pass up. Also, Mrs. Adams had then arranged for someone to care for the house while she was gone to the military. Although Blodgett had been unexpectedly gone for an extended period of time, the company that promised to manage the property had done an excellent job.

As Blodgett entered the house for the first time, everything was in its place. Nothing had been stolen, broken, or misplaced. Everything had been dusted and vacuumed. In short, it looked the same as it was before she left. The only problem was that the furnishings in the house were a bit out of date, but then there were a lot of homes that met this criteria. People tend to get set in their ways, so she didn't have anything to worry about.

As she walked over to the mantle above the fireplace in the main room of the house, she stood there and looked at the pictures that set on top of it. There was a picture of her parents, and then one of a teenage boy riding a bike. She picked up the picture of the boy and started to think.

"That was a different time" she said to herself. "And we were different people back then. I only wish you could have stayed around longer. You were my world and I loved you so much."

Then, as sentimentally as she picked up the picture, she coldly put it back down where it had been sitting.

"But this is a different time and place, and I have to get things moving in this new life."

She then picked up the telephone to make an appointment to report in to the commanding officer of the nearby military base. She had money saved up from before she went into the military, so getting a job didn't have to be her number one priority yet. For now, she wanted to introduce herself to the commander so she could keep her shooting skills current.

That was important for the future. After all, the most important things had to be taken care of first.

 

Chapter 22: The last year

As was the case with most summers, the months between my second and third year of medical school went zooming by. Mike went home over the summer. Alice and I stayed and loaned our services to the local hospital. We weren't doctors yet, but knew enough to help out where they needed us. Anyway, it was good experience, and our professors told us that interning at a hospital would look good on our resume's when it came time to get our residency after graduating from medical school. So, with the recommendation of our professors, we just stayed at the university over the summer and let the hospital pay us for our troubles!

We also managed to work in a little free time and made sure we worked out during the off hours and caught a few sessions at the tanning salons. Ok, we girls were a bit vain, but then what woman isn't?

I stayed in constant contact with my parents and Mike thanks to the telephone and the Internet. When school started again in the fall, Mike practically squeezed me to death when we met.

"Hi cookie!" he said when he came over to my apartment a couple of days into the semester. "I really missed you! You're a sight for sore eyes, and wow, you look fantastic! That outfit looks great on you!".

It was only August, and it was still warm. I was wearing a pair of hip hugger shorts and a halter top. Partly for him, and partly because I had the assets and could. Of course, I was wearing the heart pendant, and it hung prominently in view.

"I missed you too, sweetheart" I replied as I put my tanned arms around his neck and planted a big kiss on him.

We weren't married yet, but we were definitely a couple past the initial stages, and we were entertaining the idea of that. We had agreed that we would try to do more things together as time permitted and see if our relationship continued to grow. But we both knew that we belonged to each other in a special way and were lovers. Time would tell if things blossomed to their fullest.

Over the course of the semester, we managed to go to the shelter three times. We had really found something we enjoyed doing together. We did the usual Thanksgiving and Christmas routine, but we also went there for a Halloween party also. As usual, the director of the shelter enjoyed having us, and it gave Mike time to be with the people and to get free practice time on his guitar. During that time, it was also a bit more difficult studying, because Mike and I were both seeing that for us, marriage was definitely the way things were headed.

As the first semester drew on, and we realized this fact, I contacted my parents, and he contacted his. We told them that we wanted to visit each of

them over the breaks that we had.

So, for the first week I had off for the Christmas break, I flew up with him to see his parents. It was no surprise that they were relatively well off and intelligent. Mike was very intelligent, and I could see his father in him. Although it would take a few years to get to know them, it would eventually get to where his mother would come to appreciate me. She was a good cook like me, and I could see where Mike had gotten his love for that art. And as for his father, he was the analytical type, so I could see why Mike liked computers.

After our visit with his parents, I flew back to my hometown to have Christmas with my family. After that was done, Mike flew down to meet my parents. Since he had already shown the maturity to call them and find out the truth, and discuss with them how my past didn't matter, they were very open to him, and liked him immediately. While he was there, he and my dad had a long talk. Dad had become the protective father. I was his little girl, and Dad wanted to know Mike's plans, and where he wanted to go with his career. Mike, being a Ph.D. student, convinced my father that all the training he had gotten was in preparation for a good paying job with the FBI, if things worked out the way he hoped.

Winter vacation was over before we wanted it to be, and we began the "home stretch", our last semester, at college. Things had gone so well for us, and we had had so much fun in school – well mostly anyway – aside from the people that couldn't be open-minded.

We had been in school for about a month, when Mike asked me if I'd like to go to dinner with him on Valentines Day. Talk about the red flags going up. This was a special day to begin with, but I knew something was up when the florist arrived at my door that day with a dozen rozes and a card that read "Be mind tonight and have dinner with me at Cartelli's"

Cartelli's was a moderately expensive restaurant, and you usually only went there for special occasions. We had been there once before when everyone went out to dinner at the end of the last school year, so I knew where he was taking me and I knew it would be good.

After Mike had come down to visit my parents over the Christmas holiday, my mother had taken me shopping and bought me my first "little black dress". "This is something every girl needs to have in her wardrobe. It's for special events" she told me as she took me shopping and we bought it. Mom also bought me shoes and a matching purse. The outfit was a knockout.

Tonight was that special event, and I felt very sexy as I got ready for Mike to come and pick me up. The dress was low enough to hint at my ample chest, and tonight…. I WANTED him to be noticing me. We were in love, and we were talking about getting married. If things went the way I thought they would, he deserved to get a little preview of the package he was getting.

At the restaurant, we were shown to a table in a secluded spot. It was candlelit, and very romantic. I could tell he had made reservations and I'll bet he tipped the waiter nicely ahead of time, because the waiter was attentive, yet let us alone to talk. Mike was dressed in a dark suit, which really brought out his olive complexion. Looks or no looks, he was very handsome to me. He was my catch, and I was so in love with him.

As we finished the main course and watched the waiter clear our plates, he leaned forward and put a heart shaped box on the table and then laid a small key in front of me.

"Jennifer, I wanted tonight to be very special" he said. "Last summer we weren't together, but even at that point, I knew I was in love with you. I knew I was going to need some money eventually, so I worked and saved every penny I made. Working wasn't much fun, but tonight makes it all worth the effort. Now, for Valentines Day, I was able to buy you this present. It's the gift that will let you unlock my heart and make it yours forever and ever, if you'd like to have it".

"You know I do" I replied

"Then unlock the box" he said. "I hope you like what's inside."

I picked up the key, and inserted it into the delicate lock, and turned the key. Then I pulled up the lid and gasped. Sitting in a red cushion was a one-half carat diamond heart atop a beautiful gold ring. I was expecting this, but the moment was still exciting. I never thought, with what had happened in the past, that anybody would love me. But Mike had, unconditionally, and here was my diamond proving his love for me.

"Oh Mike! It's beautiful" I said staring at the diamond, and watching the light dance off its facets.

He got up from his chair and came and knelt down on one knee in front of me. Then he looked at the diamond sitting on the table, and then back up at me.

"Jennifer, darling," he said, "last year I gave you the pendent so you'd remember me when I was gone. Now, we've gone way past that point. Tonight, I want to make things permanent. Make me the happiest man in the world, and say you'll wear my heart forever, that you'll love me forever, and that you'll marry me, always be mine, and become my wife".

I didn't have to think two seconds about my answer.

"You know I will, and my answer is yes. I love you, Michael Parker. Put the ring on my finger" I said as I held out my hand.

He reached over and pulled the ring out of its cushion as I held my hand out, and I felt the ring slide up my ring finger.

"It's beautiful" I said. "Oh Mike, I love you".

"So, you like it?" he asked.

"Oh Mike, how could I not like it? It came from you, and I love you."

He got up from his knee, and kissed me, then he sat back down in his chair.

"We have a lot to talk about now, and a lot of plans to make" he said.

"I know, and we will. Now," I said thinking ahead "we can make plans for the next fifty or sixty years."

"That'll be fun, because now it will be with you" he replied.

After dinner, we went back to my place. I kissed him goodnight and thanked him for a wonderful evening that I'd never forget as long as we both lived. Since we both had class the next day (Valentines day had been on a weekday) we said goodbye, and I went in for the evening. Alice was still up, and she saw the ring immediately.

"Wow, that's really a nice looking ring" she commented.

"Thanks" I said. "It's from Mike, and I think its absolutely gorgeous."

"You're not just a little biased there, are you Jennifer?" she asked.

"Maybe just a little" I said. "Oh Alice, I love him so much. I'm going to be his wife forever. And, I'll get to have you in my wedding party when we get married. I just can't imagine it getting any better than that.".

Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep that night. Alice was going to be getting married to Alan in the fall after she graduated, but tonight we sat up and talked about me.

The next day, I called my parents. There were no surprises. They had seen the sparks between us when Mike had visited over Christmas. That was partly the reason why my mother had taken me shopping and bought me the little black dress. When I spoke to them, my mother told me spring break would be a good time to come home and start selecting china patterns, registering at our local department store, and begin looking at the bridal shops for a wedding dress.

 

Chapter 23: The Graduates

I sat in the back seat of the Lincoln as it sped down the highway. Just having graduated from medical school, it was my day. First there was high school, and then college, and now medical school. I had been through so much, but now it was paying off. Now I was ready to go practice medicine and do my residency. While in medical school, I had specialized in gynecology, urology, and obstetrics. Now, I had landed a job at our local hospital where I would deliver babies, practice womens medicine, and perform surgery. For right now that would have to be enough. I'd need the experience before I could move on and become the SRS practitioner I had decided to become.

Going through medical school had taken time. I was now almost 25. As I sat thinking about the past 10 years, it had all worked out. Sure there had been some bumps along the way. There were those people that couldn't understand. But despite that, my parents had helped me with their early intervention, and I had turned out to be a stunningly beautiful woman. I was thankful for my mothers' good looks and how the hormones had done their job. With ten years behind me, there was no way you could tell anything differently than the life I was living. All my records had been changed long ago, so there was no reason for anybody at the hospital where I was going to find out. I sat back in the seat of the Lincoln and sensed my body. I thought to myself "Everything is so perfect. I love being female. I love who I am. And now, I get to practice medicine, and become Mrs. Michael Parker." From here on, I didn't have to make my past known to anybody else unless I wanted to. Now, I was ready to just move ahead and see what happened.

Michael, lest I leave him out of the story, had gotten his Ph.D. in computer science. He had also landed a job with the FBI in their computer intelligence division, and had arranged to be transferred to the local office in the same city where I lived, and where we would eventually begin our life together.

After we graduated, I began my time off by attending Alice's wedding in the fall. It was a beautiful affair to be sure, and I was her maid of honor. I told her in no uncertain terms that I wished she could occupy that place in my wedding when I got married. Alice said she understood, and that the number two position was fine with her, since I had known my sister just a llittle longer than her. When I saw the position of honor I occupied in her wedding, I promised myself that although she wouldn't be my maid of honor, she'd be treated royally when it came her turn to be in my wedding.

During the next year, Mike and I saw nobody else but each other, which is exactly how it should be with engaged and married people. During that time, Mom, Carolyn, and I were busy as little bees buzzing from store to store, and making plans for the upcoming wedding. At one point, I had to fly in Alice so that she, my sister, Rhonda, and Kathy could all be fitted for the bridesmaids dresses.

"Mom" I told her during that time, "this is Alice. She was the first to know about me in college, and it didn't make any difference to her. She's been with me through thick and thin, and if I didn't have Carolyn, she would be my maid of honor".

"Alice, you must be a very special friend" said my mother.

"Well, Mrs. Rogers, we have no secrets. Jennifer is the best friend any girl could have."

*****

And so, with everything in progress, the wedding for Jennifer was drawing near. But, that's another installment in this story of a young and beautiful transsexual woman which is to follow.

  

  

  

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