Caught in Transition by Virginia May Read Free Book Online Page B

Did anyone give you a hard time?  

    SHEELAGH: No, actually the people were kinder and more connecting with me than they had ever actually been before. One of the men came over and was going to give me the big speech. He said I was going to give you a big speech and tell you what I originally thought about this big change of yours. When I first heard about your change it shocked me and I was put off by it, but I thought about you and how you would have treated anyone else who was in the same situation, and I realized that you, being such a kind person, were worthy of consideration and I considered that. That ’ s when I cut him off and I said I just wanted a normal day. I didn ’ t want any approbation. I didn ’ t want any highs, I didn ’ t want any lows, I just wanted it to be a regular workday.  

    ME: So this was a person who knew you as Steve in the past and was treating you with a lot of respect.  

    SHEELAGH: Yes I was impressed by it. I hadn ’ t really worked with him all that much but we ’ d talked a few times and got along. I thought it was really cool but I just didn ’ t want a big speech about it, especially when some of it was him not being okay with me. I work a seven hour day and I just wanted to get through that one and I didn ’ t want to hear about how enlightened you are because you ’ re okay with me. Honestly I don ’ t need anybody to be okay with me, do your job, I ’ ll do my job and then the day is done. Actually the biggest thing that made a difference that day was that there was a general section meeting and Bob came over to me as the meeting was ending. He put his hand on my shoulder and said you look good. That made my day. Especially since I knew I didn ’ t look that good.  

    ME: You were still swollen, but you did look good.  

    SHEELAGH: I looked very good for the bride of Frankenstein.  

    ME: No, that’s not right.  

    SHEELAGH: The good thing was I didn ’ t have hair with bands of black and white in it and it wasn ’ t frizzy and tall.  

    ME: That’s just silly.  

    SHEELAGH: I had to go and get a new ID picture taken and when I look at that picture it makes me shudder.  

    ME: I think you’re being too hard on yourself. You looked better than just Steve in a dress; you were still swollen that’s all.  

    SHEELAGH: Well yes, it takes months and months before that kind of surgery settles down.  

    ME: So going back to when you started working again, was it stressful or not stressful?  

    SHEELAGH: Well, it definitely was stressful. I went in the there expecting the worst and I was prepared for the worst because when I left I was one person and when I came back I was another person and I wasn’t sure whether that was going to fly or not going to fly. I ’ d worked there for four years and I was hoping I wouldn ’ t have to deal with something extremely negative which could have happened, but it didn ’ t. When I was done that day I didn ’ t feel like I ’ d been through the wars, I actually felt like I was blessed because it could have been so much worse. As far as an environment to transition in I probably had the crème de la crème of it.  

    ME: Any problems going back the second day?  

    SHEELAGH: No I didn ’ t have any problems going back, I guess that ’ s one of the good things about living in an enlightened part of the world. One of the things I want to say is that every day you were there for me. You were massaging my forehead and my nose, and my jaw and you were almost in tears because you didn ’ t want me to be in pain but you knew that it was helping me.  

    ME: For me that was so stressful!  

    SHEELAGH: I can imagine. You were taking care of me and the dogs and the bills and the food and all that kind of thing and I was just sleeping a lot.  

    ME: You were healing.  

    SHEELAGH: Yes I was, and I love you for everything you did for me back then.  

    ME: Awwww. You’re welcome. At any point did you think you’d made a