Showing the Real Her (Solo)

Ilda had stared at the letter of request for a fair amount of time when she first pulled it into her hands. A boy was looking for an ear to deal with a personal matter. Naturally, the woman wanted to help anyone she could- and she did like helping kids. Kids were innocent and wonderful, and the way the request was written felt so pure.

When she got there, he told her his secret. 'He' was secretly a 'she'! She didn't know what to do- she was born with the wrong type of body, and she was sure of it, but how could she explain that to her parents? The child mouthed millions of questions and insecurities. She clearly felt at a total loss with herself. She even talked about keeping it a secret longer, but the moment she tried talking about continuing to live like a boy, she looked ready to puke.

Ilda felt some pang of sympathy crush her chest at that moment. Oh how she knew what it felt like to be uncertain of oneself, how it felt to be rejected by her own flesh and blood! It wasn't her fault she got the bloodline trait of an ancestor they tried to ignore- and it wasn't this girl's fault her body came out wrong.

"There's nothing wrong with you," Ilda explained. "I want you to believe me right now, uh... Wait, what name do you want to be called? Connor is clearly a boy's name."

"You can call me Candy... It's short for Candace. It's the name that I always felt suited me. But... Is it really okay to ask you to call me that?"

"The name you were born with isn't the name you like, right? So I refuse to use it." Ilda grinned as she saw the girl's eyes water. "You want to be yourself. You can't do that if you dread your own name. But... You can't be your true self if you hide it away, either. It won't feel any better if you keep doing as you've been doing. You do know the meaning of the word insanity, don't you?"

Candace shook her head fervently. "What is it?"

"To keep doing the same thing expecting a different solution. So, let's try something different. Here's my plan. You and me, right now, we're going to get you clothes you feel fit you. Then, we're going to your house. The clothes make the man- and the woman. By wearing clothes you feel confident and comfortable in, it'll be easier to tell them the truth. And you won't be alone. I'll be with you- we'll tell your folks together. If they don't accept you, I'll beat 'em good for being bad- hey stop crying, I'm just joking on that part!"

And so the plan was set into motion. They went to the store to buy her a dress- a simple pink one-piece dress that showed off her surprisingly slender legs and figure. Then, they got her hair done- she begged for it. All dolled up, they went to her house. Her parents opened the door aghast- but her mother hugged her, immediately recognizing her child.

"Mom, dad, this is my friend Ilda. Ilda... Ilda helped me pick these out... Because I wanted you to see the real me. I know I was born a boy, and you raised me as a son, but... I'm not a boy, dad, mom. I'm a girl."

The quartet went to sit down in the living room and have a long discussion. It took a few hours for the parents to process, but they were surprisingly accepting even to Ilda, who became a bit jealous. "To be honest, we had a feeling Conn- I mean Candace. You were always different than the boys in town... We just didn't know what it was." She turned to Ilda with a meek smile. "Ilda, thank you for taking care of our little boy... I mean, our little girl. It'll take time to get used to but... We'll do all we can to support her. But... If you don't mind, please come visit from time to time. You helped a lot, and I think it'd be good for her to have someone to look to besides me as a female role model."

"Your daughter is already fine," Ilda proclaimed. "And I'm not the best role model. But... I'd be happy to visit. As I said, she's a fine girl."