Gender

Jeremy was sitting at one of the park's picnic tables, waiting for Sam to show up. They had arranged a meeting there the day prior, so that they could talk about what had been going on. They'd met a few months ago for the first time, and in that short time, Jeremy had found that there were very few people he felt more comfortable around than Sam. There was just something that about Sam that made it possible for him to relax, and feel comfortable about who he was. But after realizing that, it made it harder for him to be without...

He felt a pat on his back and looked up with a smile to see Sam standing there. "Hey, you," she said. "Got something on your mind? You look all off in the clouds again."

Jeremy just smiled and patted the table, and Sam took a seat across from him. He had been thinking. Thinking about how things used to be, back before he had met Sam. As much as he loved Sam and everything she did for him, he missed those days. Things were less... confusing then. He felt like he understood the world around him. But now, he felt as though everything had changed, and he didn't quite belong anymore. It made him feel more alone than he ever had.

"Yeah, I kinda do," he said. "Same thing I always do, really."

"It's hard to believe there ever a time like that, Geraldine."

Jeremy sighed and nodded. It had been a year since he had woken up as a woman. There was no explanation for why. No recollection of the change. One night he had gone to bed a man, and the next day he had woken up a woman. Every picture of him throughout his life had been changed. His driver's license. His birth certificate. Jeremy no longer existed, and now there was only Geraldine. But he still remembered what it was like to be a man. Though the world around him had changed, his mind had not. That had made it very hard.

"But you do, don't you?"

Sam smiled. "I do. I'm just saying. It's hard to think of you as a man. I've only ever known you as a woman."

Jeremy nodded. He understood. "If I was still a man, do you think we'd still be friends?"

Sam shrugged, but her smile stayed on her face. "Hard to say. But I'd hope so."

"Yeah. Me too."