February 12, 1189
"That's... the gist of it, yes."Dea's knuckles twitched. It explained so much. Why Holden was so sheltered. Why their mother fretted over him--her--them--what would the kid prefer?--so much. Why their mother had been itching to try for another son despite her distaste for her husband. So damn much.
"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you or Gennie, but I didn't want to burden any more people than necessary. You understand, don't you?"
"I suppose. And I can't imagine Father would have taken kindly to the thought of a third daughter." Bastard."No. He threatened to, uh... restrict my freedoms. Rather significantly."
She had few enough freedoms as it was! Dea scowled. "How dare he! A woman can't choose what sex of baby she has. And even she could, I think the person gestating and laboring would have more right to make that decision than the person who only had to deal with an oh-so-tiresome orgasm!"
"And whichever men you and Gennie marry, I only hope they understand that. Hollie too, if... if things work out that way.""When are you planning on telling her?" Hell--what was she planning on telling her? Him? Them?
"I don't know. I just have to try my hardest to make sure she doesn't see a naked man before I do tell her. And maybe convince her that all men bind their breasts and bleed from their privates and that they never talk about it."
"You can't keep the facts of life from her forever."
Her mother tugged at one of her curls. She'd worn her hair long before becoming queen, Dea recalled. Lovely as the style was, it just wasn't her. Nothing about her life was. "I know. But things will be worse for her if your father finds out. Worse for all of us."
It would. What an awful thing it was, knowing life would be better without one's father in it. "I know."NEXT CHAPTER:
7 comments:
This will hopefully be the Weekend of Much Sleep.
(I have to go get blood work done some time soon. Apparently everyone I know is concerned with how tired I am all the time... :S)
...Does Hollie really need to be kept in the dark, though? She seems to be able to keep a secret, going by the last post.
Ad I don't think that Hollie won't make the connection breasts = women or bleeding = women with being surrounded by them all the time... :/
(Welcome to the Club. xD' My mother thinks its hypothyroidism, so I'm going to see a doctor sometime in February.)
Hollie can keep little secrets, for sure. And I think she'd at least try to keep a big one, and maybe she could succeed, but it would be more difficult. I think Jeda knows it's only a matter of time before Hollie starts noticing things about other people's bodies and her own body as it develops, and that worries her. She also worries about what it might do to Hollie's psyche. A major identity crisis wouldn't help with the secret-keeping. :S
Yeah, my mom also thinks it's a thyroid thing. The doctor's checking for that, but she's not sure since I don't seem to have any other symptoms of thyroid issues.
Well, Hollie appears to like "feminine" things - or maybe her father simply exaggerated in terms of "feminine decor" - so she might actually be glad to be a girl? ._.' *shrugs*
But I guess that it's too much to hope for Ietrin dying before that happens...
Well, it seems to be a inherited illness in my family.
Unfortunately, I seem to have developed some of the other symptoms. And even if you haven't yet developed any other symptoms, it's always best to check.
I actually was checked once already when I was still in school (I'm 26 now), but they supposedly couldn't find anything.
Ietrin does seem to think that his "son" is rather "feminine", but I think he's hoping it's just a phase. As for how Hollie will identify, I guess we'll see. ;)
Rest assured, Ietrin gets to live exactly as long as I need him to live and not a minute longer. But who knows how hold Hollie will be then (well, I do, I guess).
Ack! Well, whatever the results of your test, I hope it's conclusive and manageable. Thyroid problems don't run in my family as far as I'm aware. I've probably had the fatigue to varying degrees since I was nineteen or twenty (I'm twenty-four), but not much else that I've noticed.
I hope Dea didn't react badly or anything to confuse Hollie when she found out... Still glad things are out in the open for the intelligent family members at least. I think Dea is mature enough to handle something like this.
I honestly don't like the idea of 'Holden' growing up, going through puberty and everything under the belief that she is a boy. I can only imagine the psychological trauma she would experience especially if she fell in love with another 'boy'.
I guess there's no other option unless Ietrin agrees to try for another son.
I'm sure Dea handled it as best she could given the shock. Her feelings about her "brother" were complex up until this point, but she does love Hollie and doesn't want to see her hurt.
Weeeell... Hollie's still got a few more years before puberty's due, so who knows if Ietrin will live that long. ;) But it's a little early to worry about her future romances just yet. Who knows if she likes boys or girls or both or neither.
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