In The Family

“I am glad I booked the Auto Train,” Joe said to himself as the train started to pull out of the station at Sanford, FL headed on an overnight trip to Lorton, VA. The next day Joe would still have a few hours to drive to his home near Boston however he knew from experience that a night of travel in one of the train’s roomettes would give him a good rest, time to think and time to draft up the thank-you notes he had to write. It would also allow him to by-pass the hottest and worst part of travel on I-95.

Joe hadn’t planned to spend the last two weeks in Florida. Three winter months were enough for him but his dad’s passing caused a sudden change of plans. Now two weeks of learning about the dad he didn’t really know were probably going to change Joe’s life forever. Joe and his dad had never been really close. The senior Joe was away a lot and when he was home he was often moody with his wife and with the children. Once when his mother found some lipstick and other make-up in his traveling bag Joe heard her accusing his dad of having an affair. He denied it but that went on for a few hours until suddenly the two parents got quiet. Whatever his dad had said young Joe believes it convinced his mom there was no ‘other woman’.

Joe, or ‘Joe junior’ was one of four children, three boys and a girl, born to Joe Thomas, senior and his first wife. Joe junior, was the second born behind James and ahead of two others. Their names don’t really matter. James was named after an uncle who did not return from the Viet Nam War. So Joe, also known as Joey, Joseph, lil’ Joe, JT and a number of other combinations inherited his father’s name. But between you and me Joe had another name he had given himself and which he by far preferred.

James had passed away ten years earlier. The two younger siblings were pretty well useless for anything but taking up space. It was no surprise that Joe senior had chosen Junior to be executor of his estate. The others will be just happy to grab their share and run, Joe predicted. The property and belongings were to be liquidated and then divided. Senior had made that pretty easy by selling his house in Florida and moving in with his latest girlfriend, Nora, in a retirement community called ‘The Villages’. I bet you have heard of it.

Nora, a fairly rich widow herself, had no desire for any of their dad’s money so Joe junior found the nest egg had grown considerably in the last ten years.

As soon as Nora called to tell Joe that his dad was near the end Joe had jumped in his mini-van and started driving. His siblings begged off. “Thank-you,” Joe said in a rare salutation to his Lord.

Joe did not make it in time but he was able to view the body before the cremation. The service was beautifully arranged by Nora and well-attended. Besides his golf buddies and Villages neighbors, church friends and others Joe noticed one small group that pretty well kept to themselves. “Some of those women look like men,” Joe thought to himself but thought no more about it. As you will learn later Joe had an eye for that sort of thing but at the time he assumed that under Nora’s influence his dad had become somewhat liberal in his political views and friendships.

As soon as the service was over Joe and Nora got busy wrapping up his dad’s affairs. They agreed to split the ashes. Nora wrote a check for Joe senior’s share of their joint bank account. She also gave him letters about an insurance policy payout that would be coming to him and about his dad’s investments that were going to transition to him via the IRS. In short, Joe junior but not his siblings was going to be very well-off.

The house and furnishings were already Nora’s and they agreed the clothes could go to Goodwill. And that was it . . . almost.

“There are a couple of things I’d like you to have,” said Nora as she produce a large suitcase and a similar sized box, “Your dad had asked me to not show you these but I think you should know your dad and know why he was not open with you and your family. He had a secret. He led a secret life.”

“A secret life?” asked Joe.

“Yes, but before you open these know that your dad was a kind and considerate person. He would have loved to have you all know the real him but he was so afraid of losing you completely. He felt he had to keep himself to himself and then of course to me,” counseled Nora.

By then Joe was getting a hunch. Perhaps he was hoping he knew what it would be.

“But first,” Nora continued, “I would like to hear what you remember of your dad, what you heard about why he left and had so little contact with you. Did that hurt you?”

“Hurt?” replied Joe, “It nearly killed me! I remember him being a great father and husband. James, my older brother and I adored him. He did all the great fatherly things and then in the end he sort of drifted away. He and our mother started arguing a lot and then he was gone, moved to New York or Philadelphia or somewhere.

“We were fortunate to have Uncle Charlie come into mom’s life and to adopt us kids as his own. We always thought it was pretty low of dad to leave mom when she was pregnant with the twins.

“Even when dad came back into James’ and my lives and sent us money for college we never met or talked with him.”

Nora took over, “Your dad knew you would not know the full story and he preferred it that way. He knew there would be some good memories and he did not want those spoiled. Because you were so young you did not hear the details but your dad and mom had a very ugly divorce and it hurt him greatly.

“Do you know what a crossdresser is?” Nora asked.

Joe perked up instantly but said calmly, “yes, I’ve heard of them.”

“Well your dad was a crossdresser. He loved transforming himself into a female form. He had a name for himself, Jennifer, and he was like an artist.”

“An artist?” asked Joe, trying to suppress his huge new interest.

“Yes, it is hard to explain but try this analogy. In the Arts you have painters, musicians, dancers and other crafts. Some people are really good at their craft and they become professionals, full time painters and musicians, etcetera. Many others love creating paintings and playing music but for a variety of reasons they keep it a part-time hobby or avocation. They can be very good at their craft but they still let other aspects of their life dominate. Think of a successful business person or teacher or lawyer who earns a good living Monday to Friday but evenings or weekends he sits in with the local community orchestra or goes off to the mountains to paint landscapes.

“Your dad was like that but he was his own canvas and crossdressing was his art form.”

Joe was flabbergasted. “I never knew. I never even suspected.”

“Your mom knew and went along with it for a while but then it all became too much for her. That and she and your ‘Uncle Charlie’ started having an affair.”

“What? No way! Uncle Charlie was my dad’s best friend!”

“They were but apparently your dad’s passion for his art form eventually tipped a scale for your mom. She and Charlie got together and eventually she became pregnant.”

“The twins were Charlie’s?”

Nora just nodded. “But it became worse for your dad. The divorce proceedings did not go well. Even though with minors involved the proceedings were out of the public eye your dad’s ‘hobby’ was well-exposed to the Court. It was a different time. He was denied any right to visit and had a court order to stay away from you kids and your mother. He was a really kind, gentle man but he was portrayed as a monster.”

“I never knew,” Joe said again.

Nora motioned to the two packages. Joe opened the suitcase first. Inside, neatly arranged, were lingerie, high heels, a bag containing make up, dresses, skirts and blouses, a purse, two wigs, a padded panty, breast forms and a box that contained some jewelry. ‘All that was needed for a crossdresser on the go,’ thought Joe to himself. But “why are you showing me this?” is what he said to Nora.

“This is your dad’s,” she replied. “He didn’t think any of you knew it but Joe — Jennifer — had been a crossdresser pretty well all his adult life. He often told me that there were so many times he wanted to tell you children but just could not risk getting your derision. So he stayed away from your lives. That plus the Court order.

“Jennifer had an extensive wardrobe. She was quite a collector. I kept a few things just to show you that she was a classy dresser and would have fit in anywhere.” Joe noted that Nora had switched to now calling his dad by his femme name.

“Do you mind if I call her Jennifer?”

“No, not at all. If that is what she would be comfortable with then let it be,” Joe replied.

“Oh, good for you. Your dad would be so happy if he could have heard that.”

‘You don’t know the half,’ Joe thought to himself. “What’s in the box?” he asked, trying not to seem too anxious.

“Open it and see.” The box opened easily for Joe only to reveal more clothing on top and then piles of old newspapers, magazines and boxes of letters and photos. It seems Jennifer was a hoarder but a neat hoarder. Joe looked through some of the material before his eyes were drawn to one particular photo in a gold frame.

“Who is that?” He asked about the two ladies in the photo, both wearing sequined dresses and sporting the big hair style of the 1980s. The sign in the background read Queen Mary Show Lounge. Joe knew of it.

“That’s your dad, Jennifer, and I on our first trip to Los Angeles,” replied Nora, “We became lovers on that trip and we moved in together soon after. We got married as soon as my surgery was finished and my paperwork was in order.”

“Surgery?”

“Yes, this beautiful Nora used to be known as Norman.”

“Well, I’ll be. . . .” Joe said as his voice trailed off thinking of what he was learning.

“Look,” he continued, “I’m interested in what I am learning but I’m not going to have time to go through all this before I head back north. Would it be okay if I took this with me?”

“Yes, of course,” said Nora, “so long as I can keep this photo. I’ll scan it and send a copy if you want.”

“That would be nice,” he replied eagerly. Truth is that what he had just learned about his dad and Nora had excited Joe greatly. He was thinking how nice it would be to go to bed with Nora.

Nora had the senses of an old queen. She noticed his face becoming a bit flushed. She looked for and saw a bit of a bulge in his pants. “I think I know what you are thinking,” she said to Joe. “I’m sorry but it just can’t happen.”

It didn’t happen. They soon went to their separate beds. Joe had trouble sleeping as he lay awake wondering what he would do with Jennifer’s clothes and souvenirs. One thing for sure, he decided, he was not going to share this information with his siblings.

Now, as the Auto Train sped through the Florida countryside and as the inevitable afternoon rain continued to fall outside Joe decided that he would enact the plan he had been considering.

END OF PART I

To be continued.

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Category: Fiction