Penny Martin was apartment hunting. She had recently landed a halfway decent job, and wanted out of the cramped slum in which she was currently living. The first four places she looked at were nowhere she could imagine living—not that her current slum fitted that bill either. Answering an ad for an apartment not far from where she worked, she met the agent there and was shown around. The place was nice, very nice. Two bedrooms, nice views out the windows, as opposed to the crumbling brick wall she saw out her own window. Here the front windows looked out over a street, and a little park. It even had nice carpeting and cheery colors on the walls. Penny really liked it, but the price was just a bit beyond her means.

“This is exactly what I want,” she told the agent, “but I’ll need to find a roommate.”

The agent understood, and wished her luck in that endeavor.

She impulsively put down a deposit, moved her few belongings in, and immediately advertised for a woman to share rent.

It happened that Gina Ransome was hoping to move out of her parents’ house. She was almost three years older than Penny, and had been out of university for a year or two. She was comfortable with her folks, but it seemed about time to be more independent, and she’d been putting this off. Working against inertia, she started looking at ads for apartments. Sharing seemed like a nice idea to her. So when she saw Penny’s ad, she responded, and when she met Penny at the new place, they kind of clicked. Penny seemed like a quiet person, but very nice, and she liked her right off, having a good feeling about her. She moved her things in as soon as she was able.

-o0o-

Penny had been presenting as a woman full-time for just over two years, and saw no reason for Gina to know about her past as a biological male. After all, they were apartment mates, not lovers. She had had a hard life, putting up with bullying most of her school career, and then being disowned by her parents when she told them she was Trans. All this combined to make her quiet, non-confrontational, and one to put on the most pleasant face she could, so as to keep under the radar.

She liked Gina too, and thought they could get along well.

It took a while to get used to each other’s rhythms and quirks, but soon enough they both adapted. As time went on, the two of them grew to be good friends, sharing meals sometimes, watching movies or shopping together. They’d sometimes go to dinner at Morton’s, a family restaurant a ten-minute walk from the apartment. There Penny introduced Gina to Fleur, whom she had met when they waited tables together at a different eatery. Fleur always seemed delighted to see Penny, and she took good care of them when they came there for dinner.

Gina was an enthusiastic sharer of information, revealing details of her sad love affairs (a string of men who cheated on her), her home life, and her work life. She found it difficult to get Penny to open up about anything other than her job. Reading between the lines, it became obvious there had been trauma in her life, so Gina didn’t push her.

She found Penny to be quite a generous person—other than sharing information. If Gina needed a lift, or something from the shops, or just a helping hand, Penny was happy to pitch in, and Gina appreciated that attribute. She always gracefully tried to accommodate Gina in whatever way she could. Penny also did the lion’s share of the apartment cleaning. She never realized it, but Penny didn’t want Gina to have anything to complain about concerning her. Gina would have liked to reciprocate all this help, but there seemed to be almost nothing she could do for Penny; she just didn’t appear to need much.

One thing she found a little strange about Penny was that every few days she would leave around 11:30 p.m. in her beat-up old car, a ten-year-old lime green VW Beetle she had gotten, used, in high school. She would return an hour or an hour-and-a-half later. When she asked once, Penny simply said she went for walks. Gina always heard her car drive away and wondered why she didn’t walk around the area where they lived. And why so late?

What really surprised her was Penny’s reaction when she once tried to set her up with a pal of Gina’s new boyfriend, Vance. Penny looked panicked, and turned her down.

“Thank you, Gina, for thinking of me,” she said carefully, “but I’m just not ready to date.” That led Gina to wonder if the past trauma was abuse from some man.

Penny didn’t appear to have many friends, which Gina found hard to understand, since she found her so kind and easy to get along with.

After she realized that Penny had nowhere to go for holidays, she convinced her to come to her parents’ home for Thanksgiving and Christmas and then many other occasions. Bill and Isabel Ransome welcomed her warmly and soon fell in love with her. They were happy Gina had such a nice person to share with, and told her she was welcome any time.

To be so well received was a shock to Penny’s system. Isabel hugged her when she left after that first visit, which almost made her cry. A mother figure treating her well; that was something she missed so much, even though at the same time she wondered how she might be treated if they knew her secret. Until that happened, she looked forward to the times she was invited over.

-o0o-

When Penny drove away late at night to walk, she would go to her old neighborhood, where her parents—presumably—still lived. She had always liked the area, with its tall trees, spacious lawns and nice homes. Even if she couldn’t live there anymore it was nice to be able to visit the community. It seemed safe at night, and there was a peaceful feeling there. She always went for her walks when she knew her parents would be in bed so she wouldn’t be spotted and yelled at.

On this particular nice summer night, close to three years after she started sharing living quarters with Gina, she was walking there once more. Near her old house she started smelling something. Smoke? It was too warm a night for a fire. As she came closer to her old home she was horrified to see smoke billowing out of the roof. Pulling her phone out of her purse, she called 911.

“911. What’s your emergency?”

“There’s a house on fire at 653 Talbot. Smoke is coming from the roof.”

“Is anyone in the house?”

“Sorry, I—I have no idea.”

“Are there any nearby structures, gas tanks, or power lines?”

“Just the garage, but it’s not too near. I don’t see the power lines.”

“Thank you. The fire department is notified and will be there as soon as possible. Stay a safe distance away.”

Although her parents had treated her awfully, she didn’t want them to die. Ignoring the 911 advice, she rushed around the back, found the hidden key under the fake rock, entered the house from the back door and started yelling, “THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE!!” There was no response. She grabbed a paper towel, and quickly dampened it in the kitchen sink to breathe through and started up the stairs, knowing this was probably a stupid idea.

On the second floor it was very smoky, hard to see, and although she could hear them crackling, she didn’t see any flames. Heading for her parents’ open bedroom she coughed and could vaguely make out their forms on the bed. Calling to them had no effect; they just didn’t respond at all. Turning around, she closed the door, then went and opened the two windows wide, to try and get some smoke to circulate out. Then, using all her strength she gently pulled on first her mother and then father, getting them both onto the floor, where there was less smoke.

She was about to check for pulses, but heard the sirens just outside. Pulling up the screen she stuck her head out and called out the window, between coughs. “Up here!” Then she remembered, “and the back door is open!” She saw a couple firemen run around back, and another two bring out an extension ladder. More were bringing out hoses and starting to fight the fire.

-o0o-

Once she had descended the ladder on her own, her parents were brought out and were on the front lawn, near the street, getting oxygen and still unconscious. She was still coughing a bit and also getting oxygen. She watched with mixed emotions as her parents were bundled into an ambulance. She hadn’t seen them in several years.

“You should go to the hospital too, young lady,” the EMT said.

“Oh, that’s okay; I’m feeling better already. I had my head out the window mostly, and I was breathing through a wet towel.”

“Those were good moves, but we’d like you to go in and be evaluated for smoke damage. It’s a serious thing.”

“Really, I’m feeling better now.” She took the oxygen mask off. “See? No problem,” holding in a cough. She did not have health coverage, and was sure a trip to the emergency room would result in a debt she’d be years in repaying.

“I can’t force you to go, but I highly recommend it.”

“Oh, all right. But I’ll drive myself. My car’s just down the street there.” She had no intention of going, but wanted the EMT off her back.

The EMT smiled. “Okay, I hope you do. You did a brave thing in there. I’m sure the people you saved will want to thank you.”

“Maybe I’ll see them at the hospital.” She waved and started for her car.

She had gotten five hundred feet away when the EMT remembered she hadn’t gotten Penny’s name. She called after her, but Penny didn’t turn around. She did see the beat-up car, though, and noted what details she could.

-o0o-

Penny got home around 1:30, reeking like smoke. Gina was still awake, sitting on the couch in her PJs, and could smell it from there.

“What happened to you? You stink. And there’s some soot on your face.”

“I stopped at a friend’s house where they were sitting around a fire pit. It seemed like no matter where I sat the smoke went in my direction! I know it smells bad. Sorry.” She scurried into her bedroom, removed her clothes and took a shower, only coughing a little bit. She hated lying to Gina, but she didn’t want to have to explain all the background story, which might result in Gina turning on her.

Gina thought that story stunk as much as the smoke. She knew Penny had almost no friends, and she smelled worse than someone just sitting by a fire pit. Plus, why would you have a fire pit going on a warm night like this? She sighed to herself, knowing Penny was a private person with things she just didn’t talk about.

-o0o-

As Penny lay in bed that night her thoughts ran back to the whole drama of the fire. As she recalled going into the house she started shaking, hardly believing she’d done that. She must’ve been crazy to go into a burning house, especially to help people who had treated her so poorly. Then she perversely started to wonder if her parents would have done the same for her if her house was on fire. With these troubling thoughts in her head she gradually fell asleep.

-o0o-

Elsewhere in the city her parents, Sally and Roger Jarrett, were recovering at the hospital. Once they were conscious and asked what had happened, the fire department representative, Jan Green, spoke to them.

“I thought I smelled smoke,” Roger said, and coughed, “but by the time I decided it might be inside the house I lost consciousness.”

“How did you know there was a fire?” Sally asked.

“A young woman called it in. Presumably she was the same person who entered your house and pulled you onto the floor, where there was far less smoke.”

“A young woman? She was in our house? I wonder how she got in,” Roger said.

“She told us the back door was open,” Ms. Green said.

“I distinctly remember locking that,” Roger said. “The only way it could be open is if someone had a key, or knew where the key was hidden."

“Well, no matter how she got in, there’s no doubt at all that she saved your lives.”

That hit both of them hard. But for the mysterious young woman, they’d be dead. “Who was she?”

“No idea. She was supposed to come to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation, but never showed up. The EMT didn’t get her name."

Sally turned to Roger and said, “We should offer a reward.”

He agreed, but his mind was now on the house, if it was livable, if it could be salvaged.

Sally couldn’t imagine who might be walking along in their neighborhood at such a late hour, and do something so heroic.

-o0o-

Once they had recovered and were in temporary housing while their house was being renovated, they asked to be put in touch with the EMT who had talked with Penny. After thanking her for her service, they posed their questions.

“Can you tell us anything about the young woman who saved us?”

“Well, only that she was about 5’6”, sort of pretty and very slim, with dark brunette hair with a bit of curl to it. I didn’t remember to get her name until after she had walked away.”

“Oh,” Sally said, deflated.

“I did see the car she got into, if that helps.”

“Oh, you got the license number?”

“No, I just saw the car; it was an old, dented, lime-green VW Beetle.”

The blood drained from both Sally and Roger’s faces as they turned to look at each other.

“Thank you,” Roger said shakily. “I think maybe we know who it was.”

“Glad to help.”

They drove home silently. Somehow, after everything they had done to their child, he… no, apparently she, still cared enough to save them, like a guardian angel. They had no idea she lived nearby. Both felt tremendous guilt, and resolved to change their attitudes. They had felt awful when they disowned her. It fractured their small family in ways that had still not healed. The issue which had put them at odds didn’t seem quite so important now. Maybe this fire would help start things moving on the road to wholeness.

-o0o-

On one of their visits to see how progress was coming along in rehabbing the house, their neighbor, Glenn, was outside watering his garden.

“Hey there Roger, Sally. Glad to see you again. I take it the damage is being taken care of? I’ve seen some workmen.”

“Yes. We were lucky it wasn’t any worse. A rebuild wasn’t necessary.”

“That’s a good thing! By the way, during the fire I took some shots and video of what was going on, if you’re interested.”

The two looked at each other. “Yes, Glenn, we would be very interested in anything like that.”

“Great, I’ll e-mail them later today.”

-o0o-

That evening they sat down together in front of a newly-purchased laptop and downloaded the material from their neighbor. They saw video of a young woman in shorts climbing down the ladder from their bedroom window on her own, and then waiting anxiously on the grass, looking up. They saw themselves being carried down the ladder over firemen’s shoulders, which was a bit eerie. When the young woman turned around and started walking towards the EMTs, Roger froze the video and enlarged it so they could see her face. They both got chills. They hadn’t seen their child in some years, but there was little doubt it was her. By unspoken agreement, and though it wasn’t easy for them, they had decided to use the proper pronouns.

“My god, it is…her,” breathed Sally. “She looks like your sister, Elaine.”

“Yeah, only a lot thinner.”

Sally examined the picture. “The EMT was right – she is rather pretty. I… I never saw it before. I only saw someone disobeying us.”

“I wonder if we can undo some of the damage we’ve done to her,” Roger mused. “I just can’t figure what on earth she could have been doing on our street at that hour?”

They just looked at each other. It was a mystery.

But as a start to their atonement, they began research into why someone would change their sex, and throw away a secure future. They slowly began to understand just how badly they had treated her, that it was not a choice as far as she was concerned.

-o0o-

Between Penny and Gina the fire-pit incident, with its fishy story, wasn’t mentioned again. Gina thought she would never know the facts, and Penny was trying to forget the whole thing. It was a few weeks later when Penny, who had been on HRT for some time, had stripped and was doing a periodic examination of her body one evening. She was in her bedroom and standing in front of a full-length mirror next to the bedroom door. She liked what she was seeing, for the most part, as long as her gaze didn’t drift too far down. There were now sensuous curves, the bust now up to a B cup, and nice smooth skin. These things made her happy, and she took her time looking.

Gina was out on a date, and wasn’t expected back for at least another hour or two, so Penny was startled to hear footsteps. Suddenly her door was flung open, and there was Gina, who only got out, “Penny! You won’t believe what…” before she noticed her roommate was nude. Her eye traveled downward until it stopped at a distinctly unfeminine appendage. Her eyes widened as its meaning hit her.

“What the–. You’re a damned man?!”

Penny said nothing, fear and sadness gripping her heart. She hid her penis with her hands and started slowly backing up. The emotions were all too familiar from past hurts. Why were people always so focussed on the sexual organs? She snatched her robe from the bed and shakily got into it, while Gina continued to stare.

“I—I can’t believe this! What in the hell is wrong with you?! I mean… I thought you were my friend! But you’ve been lying this whole time!”

Penny said nothing. She sat down on her bed slowly and tears started dripping down her cheeks while Gina continued to hurl insults at her. “I just found out that Vance, a MAN!” she spat, “has been cheating on me! You damn men are all alike! A bunch of lying, cheating assholes.”

Penny flinched from the anger, but still said nothing.

Not getting any response, finally Gina turned away in disgust. “I am OUT of here!”

And soon Penny heard the apartment door slam shut. She lay down on the bed and abandoned herself to tears. She had really liked Gina, maybe even loved her. That love was nothing she would ever act on, but just sharing the apartment with her was so nice, just having her in her life. So much better than living alone.

-o0o-

Penny got very little sleep that night, wondering what steps Gina would take. Would she out her to everyone? Would she spoil what little happiness Penny enjoyed?

In the morning she got ready for work, tried to hide the dark circles under her red eyes, and felt she could only manage a coffee. She skipped lunch too, instead taking a walk around her work neighborhood, wondering when her world might come crashing down on her. It was hard to keep her mind on work, and the strain was telling. Her female workmates noticed she wasn’t her usual self, but other than the odd encouraging comment, no one approached her. To their way of thinking, she hadn’t made much effort in becoming friendly with them. She was polite, and smiled, but was too reserved. They didn’t realize she hadn’t the confidence to make friends.

When she arrived home that evening, all Gina’s things had been removed. She stood there at Gina’s bedroom door, heaved a sigh, and asked no one, “Am I really such a terrible person?”

-o0o-

Penny would have to find another roommate or risk losing the apartment. She advertised again, but this time there was not one bite. She thought sadly that it was a good thing the lease was up in another month and a half; there was no way she could afford the full rent all by herself. It would be a pity to give up such a nice place, but there was no sense going into debt for it. She informed the landlord she would be moving out, and started looking for a place for one. Sharing could lead to problems you couldn’t predict.

What she ended up with was a one-room efficiency, not very well-maintained. It had a month-to-month lease and was not in the safest neighborhood. In fact it wasn’t far from the slum she had started in, making her feel like she had lost any ground she had gained. It seemed as though all the decent places were owned by absentee landlords, probably all rich as Croesus, and charging monthly rents you’d expect to pay for a palace.

She let her phone plan lapse. The extra $150 was more than she could afford. Besides, with Gina out of the picture, who was there to call?

Her life had resumed its former loneliness. She went to work; she came home. If she wanted to go for a walk, she would now drive to a safer area, not having been back to her parents’ neighborhood since the fire. As bad as it was, at least this new place had an underground garage, so there was less exposure coming and going. She had never been very big or strong, and did not want to be put in the position of defending herself physically.

-o0o-

Gina had moved back to her parents’. She didn’t feel she could tell them—or anyone else—why she had left Penny, and they couldn’t understand what could cause such a break.

Her mother, Isabel, asked what had happened.

“I just can’t talk about it, Mom, sorry.”

Isabel didn’t press, but she wondered what could be so terrible.

At first Gina just put the whole thing behind her, refusing to think about the betrayal. But as the weeks went by she finally allowed herself to mull over the situation with a lot less emotion. Now, so much later, she couldn’t understand why she had been so angry. It probably had something to do with Vance cheating on her. She left him feeling angry, took that rage home to get some sympathy, and instead found out something about Penny she hadn’t been meant to find out. So she let loose on her. Even having seen what she did, she couldn’t think of Penny as anything other than a woman. As she thought about it, Penny was more girly than she was. She wore skirts and dresses far more often than Gina did, and was low-key in a very feminine way. And she was even a bit shorter than Gina, for crying out loud!

Penny really hadn’t deserved all that anger and vitriol. She remembered her sitting on her bed in tears, and flinching, as if she would hit her. That was certainly not a typical male reaction. It hurt her to think of that scene now.

Really, she couldn’t think of one thing that seemed male about Penny. She had been a wonderful housemate and good girl friend, always willing to go the extra mile for her. Hmmm. Gina missed her friendliness, the warmth of her smile and the good times they’d shared. Now that she really thought about it, why did Penny do so much for her?

She finally felt like she could talk to her mother about this. They sat down together in the kitchen, and she drew a deep breath.

“So, that day I discovered Vance had been cheating on me, I rushed home to tell Penny, and I burst into her bedroom without knocking. She was naked.”

Isabel looked at her expectantly, quietly waiting for the next part.

“The thing is… she had a…a penis.”

Her mother’s eyebrows went up, but she didn’t say anything.

“And I, kind of, got really angry at her and said some pretty nasty things,” she said, feeling embarrassed.

“Did she defend herself?”

“No, she didn’t say a word; she just sat on her bed and cried. I felt bad about it even as I was doing it.”

“And then you instantly moved out. Just because of that one piece of flesh.”

“Well, like, she’d been lying to me all this time,” she said, with some discomfort.

“Do you really think that, Gina? What was she lying about?”

“She was pretending to be a woman.”

“Honey, she was not pretending. Where it counts she is a woman, and I think you know that.” She let that sink in.

“Let me ask you this: what did her body look like?”

Looking back, Gina thought about the brief view she’d had. It was actually a pretty nice figure. “She had curves and boobs… except for that one thing it was a woman’s body.”

“What you’re telling me is that she’s probably transitioning; she’s not just some man dressing like a woman. It’s a serious move for a person to take those steps. And to be fair, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that she was born that way, with both sexes.”

Gina was not exactly expecting her mother to take Penny’s side of this issue. At the same time, she knew her mother was a fair and unbiased person, and would give her something to think about.

“I refuse to believe that in your whole life you have never heard of a man who feels like a woman inside,” Isabel said.

“Well, yeah, I have. But that’s different than actually knowing one.”

“Are you aware, Gina, that people like her many times lead very difficult lives? You’ve told me that she never talks about her parents. Consider that they may have kicked her out, possibly injured her. The likelihood is that she has had a hard life.”

Gina did think about it now, and felt bad about her attitude. “I never gave much thought to people like her.”

“Well now that you know one, you have the opportunity to show some kindness. You have never had a bad word to say about Penny. I thought you two got along very well, in fact.”

“Yes, we did, and I really liked her. It’s just difficult to ignore what I know now.”

Her mother sighed. “Gina, it’s the person inside that counts, not the outer trappings. You liked her for herself, not for her physical body. Nothing has changed except your attitude.”

“You’re right; I know you’re right. I wish I hadn’t treated her so badly, and that none of this had happened,” Gina said sadly.

Isabel patted her hand and smiled. “Maybe you can try apologizing to her.”

“Yeah…”

-o0o-

Gina went to her bedroom, took a breath and called Penny’s number. She got the message that the number had been disconnected. That was a surprise.

When she had a little time in the next several days, she took herself back to the old apartment, but before she pushed the doorbell she saw someone else’s name on the mailbox. Now she remembered Penny had needed her in order to afford the rent. So thanks to her, Penny had to move out. Something else to feel guilty about; she knew how much Penny had liked that place.

How was she supposed to find her now? The two of them worked the same hours, so she couldn’t just show up at Penny’s job. She could send a letter there, although sending personal letters to someone at their business address didn’t seem like a great idea.

There was a mall not far from either of their jobs, and Gina knew Penny sometimes had lunch there. She started going there for her lunch and hanging around the food court.

Penny indeed had eaten lunch there on occasion, but with the rent she was paying, she now brought her lunch more often than not.

-o0o-

Three weeks into Gina’s quest to find her Penny did go to the mall for lunch, a little treat she was allowing herself. As she came closer to the food court she spotted Gina sitting across the way, eating her lunch, and stopped dead. Trembling, she quickly turned around and hurried out. She couldn’t stomach the idea of being yelled at in public.

Gina had seen Penny appear, look scared and then spin on her heel. She felt awful that just the sight of her could make Penny frightened. All the same, her heart picked up a beat. It was just so nice to see Penny’s face again. She hurriedly picked up the remains of her meal and tossed it out on her way to where she’d seen Penny. By the time she reached the area, Penny was nowhere in sight. Her shoulders slumped and she sighed. This was going to be tougher than she’d imagined.

-o0o-

That night she brainstormed about anyone she knew who also knew Penny. That seemed like it would be an easy job, since Penny hardly seemed to know anyone. But it was two days before she remembered Fleur, the waitress. At her earliest opportunity she went to Morton’s and requested Fleur as her server.

“It’s Gina, right? Penny’s friend.”

“Well, not a very good friend. I moved out of our apartment and lost track of her. I was hoping maybe you’d be able to tell me where to find her.”

“I’m sorry, I haven’t seen her in quite a while. We never traded numbers like that. We were friends, yes, but just worked together.”

Gina sighed. “Thanks anyway. Oh, maybe if you do see her you could tell her I’d like to speak to her?”

“Sure, I’d be happy to pass on the message.”

“Thanks! So, could I get the fish tacos?”

Fleur smiled. “Of course. Let me go put your order in.”

Gina sat there wondering how she could make things right. The way the search was going the odds didn’t look good. Penny would probably avoid the mall now. It seemed like this situation would leave showing up at Penny’s workplace as the best option.

As she thought more about Penny, she reflected on how much she liked her, and how sorry she was to have yelled at her. The only thing Penny had ever said no to was that blind date. In retrospect it was maybe understandable why she had done that. And her whole life seemed a little sad. No family, few friends, no love… Love. When she thought about Penny she thought about her with love. Realizing that, she wondered if it was friendship love, or something more. Could she actually be attracted to another woman?

‘I really do miss her,’ she thought.

-o0o-

A few weeks later there was one of the periodic afternoon staff meetings at Gina’s job, and everyone was let go an hour early. This would be her opportunity.

She took an Uber to Penny’s workplace, arriving ten minutes before the workday was over, and then she waited. She made sure to take a position out of sight of the door, in case Penny saw her and did another one-eighty.

When the employees started to trickle out the door, Gina was on the alert. She saw Penny emerge. As she was about to pass by where Gina was hiding, Gina stepped out and linked her arm with Penny’s. Penny froze and made a little shriek.

“Relax, Penny. I’m not here to make trouble for you; I’m here to offer an apology.”

When her brain unfroze and she realized who it was, she asked, “You want to apologize… to me?”

“Yes, you. I said some awful things to you that I wish I could take back. I was really horrible to you, and you didn’t deserve it.”

Penny didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone had apologized to her for anything.

Gina pulled on her arm and got them walking again. She glanced at Penny.

“I’m really happy to see you again, Penny. I’ve missed you.”

Penny, although happy Gina was being nice to her, was still a bit confused. She thought Gina was disgusted by her, and now she had missed her?

“I’m sorry, but didn’t you say I was a lying, cheating asshole?” she said in a low voice.

“No, I said MEN were lying, cheating assholes. You obviously are not a man,” Gina said with a small grin.

Penny was silent for several steps, and then quietly said, “no, I’m not.”

“I was so awful to you because I was mad at Vance. I know, I know—misplaced anger. I was being superficial and just… too emotional about it. Instead of being mad I should have been happy to be rid of him. I’m very sorry for all the things I said.”

There was silence while Penny digested this. She had missed Gina too.

“Okay. Apology accepted.”

“So, Penny, if you’re not too busy I’d like to take you to dinner.” Gina looked at her hopefully.

“You don’t need to do that, Gina.”

“Look. It’s always been impossible to find something I can do for you, and today this is going to be it! Got it?”

“Um, yes Ma’am. Thanks?”

They walked to Penny’s beat-up old VW and got in.

“Where to, Ma’am?”

Gina smiled. “Why Morton’s, of course!”

“Morton’s it is,” smiled Penny. She was relieved and happy to be friends with Gina again. She felt like a burden had been removed from her.

-o0o-

Fleur was happy to see the two reunited. She took their orders and left the table.

Gina looked across at her friend closely. No, no trace of man. “So, would you be willing to talk about your past with me?”

Penny looked at her hands, considering her answer.

“I really don’t enjoy thinking about that part of my life, Gina. None of it was fun or rewarding. Besides, why do you want to know?” the last said in a mildly challenging way.

“Penny, I like you. A lot. I want to know more about you and you’ve hardly ever said anything. You’re also the first Trans person I’ve ever known, and I’m curious what your life was like.”

Penny looked up. “You think I’m the first.”

“What do you mean?”

“You could be surrounded by Trans people. You didn’t learn my secret until after we’d known each other for three years, and that wasn’t because you guessed.”

“Okay, I see your point.”

“I’m just a person, Gina, with ups and downs, like any other.”

Gina sat up straighter. “I disagree. I think you’re better than most people. You’re one of the kindest people I know, generous, and I’ve never heard you say a bad word about anyone.”

Penny blushed and took a breath. “Gina, I… I don’t want to make waves, or become the center of attention. I’m just trying to survive in the best way I know how.”

Gina reached across the table, grasped Penny’s hands, and smiled at her.

“What?”

“Nothing. I’m just happy to see you.”

Penny raised an eyebrow. “Okay, you’re starting to freak me out.”

Brushing that aside, Gina said, “I had a lot of time to think about the awful way I treated you, especially after you never, ever gave me cause for complaint, and did so much for me. I just want you to know that… I love you.”

Love was a word Penny hadn’t heard applied to herself for a very long time. It had the impact of a punch, and it brought tears to her eyes. She pulled one hand away and wiped at her eyes with the napkin.

When she could speak she quietly said, “Thank you. I love you too, Gina.”

-o0o-

When the meal was over Gina asked for a ride to her parents’ house.

“Why don’t you come in and say hi to my folks? They haven’t seen you for a long time.”

“Oh, I don’t want to bother them.”

“Penny, they adore you! They’ll be thrilled to see you. Come on!”

They entered the house and Gina yelled out a hello, which was returned from somewhere on the floor. The two young women wandered into the den, where Isabel and Bill were watching TV. When they saw Penny with Gina, Bill turned the TV off.

“Well, look who’s here! Hi stranger!” he said.

Isabel got up and gave Penny a long, affectionate hug.

“It’s good to see you, Honey. I’m so happy you and Gina worked out your problems,” she said.

“So am I,” Penny replied. She half wondered how much Gina had told her.

After a bit of inconsequential chatting, Gina wanted to get Penny alone, so she could bring up the subject that had been on her mind for days.

“Penny, come on up to my room,” Gina said.

The two went upstairs and into the room, which, in its décor, still bore signs of the high school girl she had been. Gina closed the door.

Penny looked around and said, almost to herself, “Wish I’d had a room like this growing up.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Have a seat,” Gina offered. There was one desk chair and the bed, and Gina made for the chair.

Penny looked at Gina, expecting there was some reason she brought her up here. She wasn’t wrong.

“Penny, are you attracted to guys?”

This was not what Penny had expected. But she considered.

“No, I don’t think so.”

“How about girls?”

“Not sure.”

Gina looked at her for a while, a little confused by these answers, thinking it would be one or the other. She considered her next question.

“Well, did you ever date in high school?”

Penny scoffed. “Are you kidding? No girl there ever took me seriously, if they even looked at me. Besides, I was too busy trying not to get beaten up.”

Gina looked at her with sympathy. Then, “Wait, does this mean you’ve never been on a date?”

“Ah, no… never,” Penny said, looking down and feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Gina came over to the bed and sat down next to Penny, putting her arm around her.

“I feel bad for you. You deserve to have love in your life.”

Feeling very comfortable with her, Penny put her head down on Gina’s shoulder, and her arm around Gina’s waist. The two sat side by side, not talking, for several minutes.

Gina was feeling a tremendous amount of empathy for her friend. She wanted her to know what love was like, and she liked the feeling of holding her.

“Would you mind if I kissed you?” Gina whispered, almost startled to have said it out loud.

Penny’s eyebrows rose and her eyes widened, not believing what she just heard. She brought her head up and turned to look at Gina, her eyes searching Gina’s face for a clue as to what this was really about.

Gina took that as an invitation, and softly kissed her.

The kiss, brief as it was, sparked something within Penny, and she suddenly wanted more. She looked at Gina’s lips, sending the message that she wanted another kiss. This time the kiss was much longer and more intimate.

When it finally ended, Gina, who discovered to her surprise that she had not only immensely enjoyed kissing another woman, but had liked being the one in charge for a change, asked, “So, what did you think?”

Penny smiled warmly. “It was… wonderful. I had no idea what I’ve been missing.”

Gina smiled back. “Well, then let’s do it some more.”

-o0o-

On her way home that evening, Penny went over the scene in her head. She had no idea it would feel so good. Yes, she had yearned to be kissed like that, but hardly had any expectation of it ever happening. It made her feel good, and just the physicality of hugging another body was kind of amazing. Not that she’d never hugged anyone before–she had, but this was different, more satisfying.

She arrived home in a completely different mood than the somber one in which she had left that morning. She was experiencing something that could probably be called Happiness. She wondered if Gina would like to share an apartment again.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” she said out loud. Nevertheless, she went to bed in a very good mood.

-o0o-

By the time Penny’s monthly lease was up, she and Gina had decided to live together again, and found a likely place. It was the lower floor of a house in decent condition. In a way it felt more homey than their previous apartment, perhaps because it was more like a house. At any rate, they both liked it and had settled in.

They still had separate bedrooms; Gina realized it might take Penny time to acclimate to their new relationship. In order to get Penny used to this relationship, she touched, hugged and kissed her often. She could feel Penny was slowly loosening up and enjoying this. When they talked she sometimes even let things slip about her troubled past. The painful high school years, the intolerance at home, trying to make her way on her own with no one to help.

-o0o-

Sally and Roger didn’t know how to go about finding their daughter. They asked around for ideas.

One evening they were kicking around ideas at the kitchen table. “I wonder if she has the same license number,” Sally said. “If there’s a way to find out an address from that—well, there must be; the cops do it all the time on TV.”

“That’s a good idea. But I’m not sure where we would have any record of that. If we do, I hope it didn’t burn up in the fire.”

Eventually they came across an undamaged photograph that showed the car, and they could just make out the plate number.

Once they found out the method for getting an address for a plate number, it was associated with more than one address, since Penny had moved several times. But they did find out their daughter’s name was Penny Martin. Internet searches for that name brought up nothing useful. It took some time, but once all the searching was over they finally had a new address they thought they could trust.

-o0o-

After a month at the new house there was a knock at the front door. Penny was in her room, resting after a very full day at work, so Gina went to answer. She found an older couple there. The man was tall, fit, and had a gray beard. The woman’s blonde hair was graying and she was dressed casually. They seemed surprised to see her.

“Hello, can I help you?”

“We’re Sally and Roger Jarrett. We’re looking for… Penny Martin. And before you ask, no, she was not expecting us.”

Gina didn’t know quite what to think, but she invited them in, and to have a seat.

“I’m Gina. Let me go get her,” she said. She went and knocked on Penny’s bedroom door.

“Come in, Gina.”

Opening the door she saw Penny lying on her bed, still in her work clothes, legs crossed, staring at the ceiling.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I was just thinking is all; it was a long day. What’s up?”

“Umm, there’s a couple here who’re looking for you.”

“For me? I can’t imagine who would be looking for me. Did they say who they were?”

“Oh, yeah, a Sally and Robert?, I think.”

Penny paled. What on earth would her parents be doing here, and how did they even find her?

“Is something wrong, Penny?”

“I don’t know,” she said, but she was very shaken. She got up and slowly went to the living room to see what these people wanted. Gina followed.

The couple’s eyes instantly found her as she entered, taking in her skirt suit and hose. They simply saw an attractive young woman. She stopped just inside the doorway, trying to gauge the atmosphere. They didn’t seem hostile. They even looked kind of hopeful.

Her mother rose. “Penny…”

That was a bit unexpected, using her real name.

Her mother’s eyes hungrily devoured her form. She took a step toward Penny, who stepped back.

Screwing up her courage, she asked, “Is there something I can help you with, Mrs. Jarrett?”

“I…we…” she faltered. If she had been expecting Penny to instantly fall into her arms, she was very much mistaken.

Roger spoke for her. “Penny, we came not only to thank you for saving our lives, but to apologize for the cruel way we treated you.”

Gina was in the dark. “Who are they?” she asked quietly.

“They… used to be my parents,” she replied, feeling kind of numb, but noting the pained expression that flitted across their faces.

“Oh…” Gina wasn’t sure what to think. “What about the life-saving thing?”

“Oh, that was nothing.” She hadn’t taken her eyes off her parents during this mini conversation.

“It was definitely not nothing, Penny.” Roger looked at Gina and said, “She called 911 and then entered a burning house to pull us out of our beds to the floor, where there was less smoke. And that was in spite of the horrible things we did to her in the past. If that isn’t heroic, nothing is.”

Gina looked at her, things now adding up. “Was that the night you came back stinking like smoke? When you told me it was a firepit?”

Penny nodded.

“Why didn’t you tell me the truth?”

“I would’ve had to explain who they were, and about my little secret, and you… you might have hated me.”

Gina put her arms around her from the side. “You silly girl. You’re a heroine, and I love you.”

This helped her feel a bit more normal and grounded, and made her smile a little smile.

“Well, I’m, um, glad to see you survived okay.”

“Thanks to you,” said Sally. She couldn’t help adding, “You wouldn’t believe how much you look like your aunt Elaine. Especially when you smiled just now.”

“Oh! Well, thank you.” This was nice to hear. Elaine was attractive.

“Penny, why don’t you sit down,” Gina said, steering her to a seat opposite her parents. She sat down next to her. Sally sat back down.

“So, I take it you’ve had a change of heart about your daughter,” said Gina.

“We were thunderstruck when we found out who saved us from a certain death,” Sally said. “It jolted us into realizing that the only way we could thank her would be to come see her and apologize. The things we had objected to just no longer seemed important.” Addressing her daughter, she asked, “Penny, what were you doing on our street at that hour?”

She squirmed a little. She wasn’t going to tell them the whole truth. “I was just going for a walk.”

“That late?”

She shrugged. “I’m a night owl; what can I say.” Changing the subject, she asked, “So what are you really here for?”

Roger said, “We would like to make amends, if you’ll allow us. We don’t know how to make it up to you, but we’d like to try.”

Penny didn’t really know what to think. This was something she couldn’t have imagined ever happening. Had they been good parents? It was difficult to extricate her gender issues from the rest of her life with them. When she needed them the most they had turned their backs on her.

Gina put her hand on Penny’s. She knew she was thinking about the problems she had experienced with her parents. “Don’t hold on to the past,” she said quietly.

That released the tension and Penny’s eyes filled with tears. She was so lucky to have Gina as a friend.

Gina stood up and pulled Penny up to give her a comforting hug. Then she said, “Go. Let her hug you.”

She slowly moved toward her mother, who rose and stepped forward, wrapping her in a big hug. She was startled to realize she remembered her mother’s scent, which did bring back more pleasant memories. Then her father got up and joined the hug. This seemed like such an unbelievable thing to happen. All three of them were leaking tears.

Gina observed for a bit and was then going to give them some privacy. Penny saw her move and said, “Oh, no you don’t! Get back here, Gina!”

They made room for her in the hug, while Penny said, “Gina is my best friend.”

After the typical amount of time a group hug takes, and before people started to feel weird about it, they pulled back from each other.

“My dear girl, thank you. And thank you too, Gina,” Sally said. “We’re going to try our best to cherish you and make up for how we treated you, and the years we lost. You really opened our eyes with your selfless act.”

“Oh, that reminds me, was the house salvageable?”

“Yes, again thanks to you. It’s still being worked on, but we hope to move back in by the end of the month. Then we’ll have you two over for dinner.”

-o0o-

And that’s what happened. They slowly regained Penny’s trust. To her they seemed like different people, and in a way they were. They had dropped their intolerant views on gender, and were proud of their daughter. They weren’t trying to buy her love, but they did give her generous cash gifts on her birthday and Christmas, and offered to foot the bill if she wished to take university courses. They were very good to Gina too, and it wasn’t too long before the Jarretts and the Ransomes were attending dinners and barbecues at each other’s houses.

-o0o-

So did they live happily ever after? I don’t know – they’re still living.

THE END.