As summer wore on, I was surprised at how even after the shock of changing genders life became routine. At this point in my life, going to the bathroom was the only functional difference, but even that had become mundane by now. What was more jarring was the world of 1991. The internet was nonexistent, and our family wouldn’t even get a computer until 1995. What’s more, since society was more than a decade or two away from smartphones and tablets, in the evenings my parents would either read a book or watch one of the four channels available via our antenna. Screen time wasn’t an option.

  My family dynamic had changed in quite subtle ways. They had their own sessions with Dr. Walters, and I noticed that the attitude of my parents shifted. Dad was starting to act a bit more delicate with me and Mom tended to fuss over me more than she usually did. I would see Dad roughhouse with Tim, and I distinctly remember him doing the same with me in my previous male life. Not any more.

  While Janie was still too young to process what was going on, Tim was continually coached by my parents despite his confusion as to why I was now a girl. To Tim’s credit, he did not tell any neighbors about my transition, though on occasion he would let loose a snide comment during an argument. If he did so within earshot of Mom or Dad, they came down like a storm on him. We definitely bickered less now, mostly because my parents were on guard, but also because Tim simply wasn’t sure how to act around his new sister. He was very much a boy’s boy.

  As usual, I found myself horribly bored most of the time. As a kid, it’s not like I could go wherever I wanted, so I found myself at home a lot. I would read whatever books Mom and Dad had, and I would fire up the occasional video game with Tim. Tim was amazed that I suddenly was very good at some of those games; I had had a couple of decades of experience gaming after all. If I interacted with neighborhood kids, I was always closely monitored by Mom. I was in ”stealth mode” meaning I was still outwardly presenting as a boy. My friend Randy once pointed out that my hair was getting longer, but I quickly changed the subject.

  I still had regular appointments with Dr. Walters, and it was obvious that I was a case of extreme interest to her. No doubt that a case where a boy suddenly changed into a girl was likely a good topic of a scientific study. However, she was nice enough and I actually appreciated that she didn’t treat me like a little kid. In fact, she was the only adult who spoke to me frankly. I did confide in her that I was getting used to the changes – being referred to as “she” or “her” was becoming normal. She was enthusiastic when I asked her questions about being female, but I never felt like she was pushing me to act like a girl. If anything she was just trying to get me to be comfortable with the idea. And at this point, it was more of a bother to be a child than to be a female.

  Speaking of being female, I was beginning to notice small changes. In my previous male life, I was a late bloomer; I hit puberty late so I had always been the smallest boy in class until I shot up to six feet in high school. My female body, however, felt like it was already starting. By late July I had already grown an inch, and my face seemed slimmer than I remembered it being. In fact, my entire body became quite skinny and I lost most of the chubbiness I had before. My chest was becoming ever so slightly uncomfortable and tight, but it might have been my imagination. Either way, puberty was something I tried my best to put to the back of my mind. I often failed.

  One by one my parents would inform extended family members or longtime family friends of the situation, to the point where it became procedural. Dr. Walters helped write a script for them which simply explained that the doctors made a mistake at my birth. While the news was met with amazement and disbelief, for the most part everyone seemed to just accept it. After all, the medical professionals confirmed it. Their diagnosis, mixed with my body’s biology, seemed to make them comfortable with the idea of me suddenly being female.

  I even got comfortable with the idea of shopping in the girl’s section. Since I was growing, Mom used it as an opportunity to rotate a lot of my clothing out and passed it along to my brother. I refused to entertain the notion of a dress or anything pink or bright, but I did concede to unisex t-shirts. We also bought a few shorts and jeans that fit better than the boy versions I had before, but they definitely didn’t disguise my anatomy. There was a certain point where I became ambiguous; thankfully the boys in the neighborhood didn’t actively notice. If someone commented on my slightly brighter shirts and higher waisted shorts, I shrugged and said, “My mom bought it for me.”

  In my previous life, we often went to my maternal grandparents’ house for family gatherings and such. I fondly remembered many summers running around their pool with my siblings. Unlike my fathers side of the family it wasn’t large. No cousins on that side, at least in 1991. It would be a couple of years until my uncle Trevor would start having kids, though I wondered if in this new timeline if it would happen at all. The Butterfly Effect likely would mean that my cousins would never be born, or I would have a completely new set of cousins. The temporal mechanics gave me a headache.

  Grandma and Grandpa Brown didn’t live too far away, and in fact the house that we currently lived in used to be their house. Since my parents struggled for money, they sold it to Mom and Dad and moved into a townhouse one town over. They were close enough that they visited often; in fact, they were among the first to have been told of my condition. I was the oldest grandchild, and I happened to be Grandma Brown’s favorite, so her response was unconditional support. If anything, she became more affectionate. Grandpa Brown shrugged and also lent his support, and I noted that he almost immediately began treating me as gingerly as Dad did.

  Their townhouse association had a clubhouse, which is where the pool was located. When we unloaded all of our pool accouterments, Grandpa was already at the grill and Grandma was chatting with my uncle Trevor and his wife Ariel. Mom was not on good terms with Uncle Trevor; he was kind of a jerk and his wife only encouraged his toxic behavior. They were the sort of faux-Christians who would eventually become deluded MAGA enthusiasts in the 2010s. In 1991, they were simply assholes in their prime.

  Grandma gave all of us kids hugs, and gave me an especially long one. “You look so pretty today,” she whispered to me. I had no clue what she was talking about; I was just wearing my normal clothes. God, was I pretty now?

  “So, this is the new girl,” Uncle Trevor cawed as he sauntered over to us. He gave us a dickish smirk.

  Mom placed her hands protectively on my shoulders from behind me. “Yes, Trevor, just like we discussed on the phone. We would appreciate your support for Matthew through this.”

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  “A girl named Matthew?” sneered Ariel from behind Trevor. I blushed as Mom’s fingers dug into my skin.

  “Now now,” started Grandma in the role of peacemaker. “We’re all here to have a good time. And we are not going to talk about Matthew. He – she – is having a difficult enough time as it is.”

  Mom and Uncle Trevor eyeballed each other carefully, before he and his wife scoffed and wandered over to Grandpa. “Go ahead kids, go into the changing rooms and get your suits on.”

  Tim bolted inside the clubhouse with Dad, who was carrying Janie. I hung back, with my bag in my hand. I whispered to Mom, “Do I have to wear this?”

  She smiled consolingly. “I know you’re embarrassed, but it’s just us here. You have to get used to wearing a girl’s swimsuit, unless you never want to go swimming ever again.”

  I glanced side-eyed at Uncle Trevor and Aunt Ariel, and strongly considered against ever entering water again. “Fine,” I sighed, and walked into the clubhouse and into the women’s changing room.

  It wasn’t a large room, just a couple of shower stalls, a mirror, and a few lockers. I stepped into a stall, pulling the curtain behind me and took out the blue one piece. I had tried it on a couple of times in my bedroom by myself, but I was still bashful about it. It was comfortable enough, but it still felt weird to have my hips showing. It also left no doubt that I was female, and my ambiguous appearance vanished when it was on. I grudgingly undressed and slipped into the suit, pulling the straps over my shoulder and adjusting the fabric over my bottom in a vain attempt to cover as much skin as possible.

  With one last sigh, I stepped out of the stall clad in my swimsuit. Stepping out, I saw my aunt Ariel, standing before the mirror. She puckering and applying an ugly shade of lipstick. She turned her face like a carrion bird, giving me a nasty sneer. I felt her eyes scan my entire body, and I reflexively hugged myself. “Hm, you have no balls after all,” she scoffed. “It still doesn’t mean you’re not fake, you nasty little thing.”

  I was shocked; I had never heard her speak like this – I had never heard anyone speak to me like this, even when I was an adult in my previous life! My eyes started to water, and while in my mind I was furious, my body started feeling heated and flushed. I grabbed my bag and towel, and as the tears started bubbling I raced out the door. I went into one of the lounges, and hid myself behind one of the couches as I began to sniffle uncontrollably. After a few minutes, I wiped my tears and was able to calm myself down to the point where I reminded myself what a horrible person she always was. I had no idea she was the type to harass harmless girls.

  I was still self-conscious, so I wrapped myself in my towel and went back outside. I noted that Aunt Ariel was sitting on a fold out chair, innocently murmuring with Uncle Trevor as her eyes followed me. I collapsed on a chair over where my parents were sitting, keeping the towel draped over me. “Is everything okay, Mattie?” Mom asked as she fit a floatie over Janie.

  “I’m fine,” I lied. “I just want to sit here and not go swimming right now.”

  Mom nodded, and I spent the better part of the afternoon sitting on the chair covered with the towel. I avoided looking at Ariel; it wasn’t fair that she got to swim around after being so awful. Grandma and my parents took turns sitting next to me to keep me company, but at a certain point it was only Grandpa who wasn’t in the pool, and busying himself in the grill. I wandered over to him, still keeping the towel around me.

  “Hi, Poppy,” Grandpa waved with his spatula. He had a habit of giving nicknames to everyone, and I think he was trying out new nicknames for me. “Poppy” seemed to be better than the other three that he had come up with in the last month. “Not feeling like swimming today?”

  “I’m a little embarrassed.”

  Grandpa nodded absently, poking the coals with the spatula. “You don’t have to swim if you don’t want to, you know.”

  “I know. It’s just…a lot,” I responded, taking a seat next to him, pulling my legs to my chest while keeping the towel over me.

  “For what it’s worth,” he stated quietly, “it doesn’t matter if you’re my grandson or my granddaughter. I’m there for you no matter what, Poppy.” He seemed embarrassed as finished.

  I realized at this moment what a gift it was to be able to go back in time like this. My grandfather was always a big, sturdy man, and it was good to be able to see him and talk to him again in the prime of his life. He died in a car accident in 2011, but in this new timeline, who knows what would happen. The fact was that now, right here, he was just a middle-aged man sucking down a beer and enjoying the afternoon with his family. And that included me, even if I was now his shy and embarrassed granddaughter.

  I noticed that my uncle and aunt were sitting at the edge of the water in a huff. She was griping about some trivial thing while he tried to placate her. It occurred to me that she was just the type of person who would never find any sort of happiness, so who cares what she thought? With a determined grin, I stood up and let the towel fall off of me. I burst into a sprint towards the pool, leaping to the water and curling into a ball, precisely to splash dear Uncle Trevor and Aunt Ariel with a cannonball to the face.

  Aunt Ariel wailed as the chlorinated water hit her right in the eyes. “So-o-rry, Aunt Ariel!” I taunted.

  She fumed, standing up and marching over to her chair. I heard her muttering under her breath about “misbehaving children.” My uncle joined her in a desperate attempt to soothe her.

  “You made it in,” hollered Mom as she pulled Janie over in her floatie. “Not a bad cannonball, young lady!”

  I smiled, and a moment later I heard Tim cry out; he rushed into the water just like I had, except this time aimed at me. I squealed as he splashed me, and while Tim laughed at me.

  “Tim, you’re way too small to make that big of a splash!” I reminded him.

  “But I’m not,” taunted Dad, who had climbed out of the pool. And in a great leap, Dad crashed into the water, dunking both Tim and me under the waves. We played in the pool for some time, and eventually my swimsuit became a non-issue. I lost myself in just being with my family, something that, to my time-displaced mind at least, hadn’t happened for decades. I missed this.

  Later as the sun was waning in the sky, we ate Grandpa’s famous ribs and brauts, and thankfully Uncle Trevor and Aunt Ariel kept their distance at another table before leaving early. It was sort of a relief to Grandma especially; he may have been her son but his choice in women was much to be desired, at least to her. Fortunately I rarely had to spend any time with them.

  When the visit was over, I simply wore the swimsuit home and pulled my shorts up over it. I guess it wasn’t such a big deal after all, and in an odd way it was nice to present as a girl. It was tiring having to continually explain to everyone we encountered what my situation was, but today I didn’t have to. I was just a girl spending an afternoon with her family. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.