Alex and Jeremy Pt. 02

Finally! After two years, Part 2 is here. I apologize that it took so long and hope that you enjoy the story. If you haven't, please read Alex and Jeremy, first. Of course, you don't have to do that, but the background it provides will make Part 2 better for you.

XXX

The next seven months just seemed to slip by. I never thought I'd be this happy again after my wife died years ago. Jeri completed my life and cemented herself in it over those months. There was no one thing that made her so wonderful for me; it was the total sum of her becoming Jeri more and more each day.

We'd start each day together at the breakfast table and end it on the deck watching the Sun disappear before we had dinner. In between there was work. Jeri still worked for the landscaping company as a designer, but now she was freelancing from home. Sure, she had to attend meetings a couple of times a month but they were done via teleconference. She was still a bit protected from seeing them face to face. Jeri always wondered if they would accept her as the woman she was becoming.

Actually, I was able to see that they more than accepted Jeri; they cared for and about her. They knew Jeremy was struggling with life trying to give his all to work while hiding Jeri from everyone. Once the team met Jeri, even via teleconference, and began working with her and seeing a woman who was intelligent, caring, creative and beautiful without being pretentious, they gravitated to her even if it was by teleconference.

Now, Jeri looks forward to going into the office, but it didn't start that way. I remember watching her be so nervous and almost sick to her stomach starting two days before she went in the first time.

"What if they don't like me," she asked. "What if they think I am some sort of freak or pervert? What if they won't talk to me? Or, what if they are cold to me?" Her imagination was running wild and there were tears coming to her eyes. She was trembling she was so scared.

I picked up my phone and called Annie, the wife of the majority owner of the business, who I found out the evening I introduced them to Jeri was a transsexual woman. Annie had been spending a couple of days a week helping Jeri to be the woman Jeri wanted to be. She coached Jeri on how to walk, sit, eat, dress, makeup...everything a genetic woman might learn from her mother. Annie was Jeri's most trusted friend, and Jeri was becoming Annie's most trusted friend. In fact, Annie had taken Jeri to her doctor early in the coaching sessions and Jeri was put on low dose hormones. Those pills did great things for Jeri's skin and she had begun to develop breasts.

I spoke to Annie, who has had a special place in my heart for years, for a few minutes and then handed the phone to a very upset Jeri. Jeri just looked at me with a question in her eyes.

"Here, talk with Annie. She's been around these folks for years. I am sure Annie has felt the same things you are feeling and maybe she can help." I handed the phone to Jeri and walked away to give her privacy. My heart was breaking for Jeri but there was nothing I could do for her.

The next day at work I was on pins and needles all morning. And, as the time for Jeri to be there got closer, I only became more nervous. What if I didn't know these folks as well as I thought I did? What am I going to do if someone insults her? Should I meet her at the door when she comes in? I loved Jeri and wanted to protect her, but what was the right thing for me to do?

Since I was one of the partners in the firm, I thought I had to balance my love for Jeri with the productivity of the teams. I know. I know that my love for Jeri should be more important than how the teams work, but we have responsibilities to our clients to give them our very best. Please don't be angry with me for having this inner battle going on. Even now, years later, I get nervous just thinking about it.

Have you ever taken your first child to their first day of school? Do you remember how nervous you were for them? You wanted to protect them from getting hurt. Do you remember how they didn't want to go? Did you think about turning the car around and taking them home vowing that you would home-school them just to keep them safe? Well, that was me on the morning of Jeri's first visit to the office. As the time for her arrival grew closer, I was looking at the front door every few minutes through the window of my office.

Then, right on time Jeri walked in through the door and stopped in her tracks. She looked so great, and at the same time she looked like a deer in headlights. Unsure of what to do and waiting for a reaction. Then out of seemingly nowhere, Annie walked up to her, smiled and gave her a hug. I didn't even know Annie was in the office! It was as if Jeri drew strength from Annie in that hug, and when they broke the hug, Jeri was smiling and confident. Annie took the time to walk Jeri around the office re-introducing her to everyone. Every single person had a smile for Jeri and a kind word to say.

I was so proud of Jeri...and so grateful for Annie.

I shouldn't have been surprised at how great Jeri looked, either. She was every bit the professional woman. Heels, tailored slacks, white blouse complimented with just the right jewelry. Her hair was pulled back into a pony-tail that had a nice curl in it. And the way she moved! Sensual without being too much.

I watched that scene play out and I have never been more proud of anyone in my life than I was of Jeri at that moment. Jeri had to have the strength to walk through the door, and Annie was there to grab her hand. I would be in debt to Annie for the rest of my life for that act of kindness. After they toured the office, Jeri went in to her meeting full of confidence and smiling ready to help them solve design problems which is what she had always done for International Landscaping. Annie stopped in my office.

"Jeri will be fine," Annie told me. "In fact," as she turned to watch the meeting through the conference room window, "she's going to be better than fine. Jeri can come back to work whenever she wants."

I got up from my desk and hugged Annie. I felt like this emotional dam burst inside of me and I began to tear. Annie took a moment to just stroke my cheek twice and smiled.

"You love her. I saw you happy before; now you are complete and happy again," Annie softly said. It took a moment or two, but I regained my composure.

"Annie, thank you," I began. "I don't know how I will ever thank you, but I am deeply indebted to you. I don't think I will ever be able to repay you."

"Don't be silly, now. This business wouldn't be the success it is if it weren't for you. If anything, I have just begun to repay you."

I just shook my head slowly and smiled.

"Just love our girl and take care of her." All I could do was nod. The ringing of my phone broke off my response. I answered and then began to listen. Annie started to turn away and I motioned her to stay. The call ended in two more minutes.

"That was Henry. The Mustang is done!" I was so pleased that it was finally completed I couldn't stand still. Annie was beaming. "Can you and Sam be at our house at 5:30? I'd love for you to be there when the car is delivered at 6:00. Sunset won't be until after 7:00, so there will be plenty of day light. In fact, why don't you come over for dinner to celebrate Jeri's first day coming into the office?"

"We wouldn't miss it! See you then." With that, Annie left my office and went in to see her husband, Sam.

After Annie left my office, and knowing that Jeri would be in her meeting for another two hours, I went to Henry's Garage to inspect the car and pay for the restoration. I didn't want anything to interfere with the car being brought to Jeri.

I was able to get back to the office just before Jeri's meeting was over. Just as I expected she stopped to let me know how the meeting went. Have you ever seen anyone who was so happy and excited they literally vibrated? That was Jeri as she walked in beaming and crying happy tears at the same time. As I stood up, she just ran into my arms and hugged me so tightly as she whispered that she was so happy.

"They like me. They really like me," she said softly between her happy tears.

At that moment my only job was to hold her. Of course, the whole office could see us as Jeri and I enjoyed the moment. Then, I heard clapping, whistles and whoops. When I opened my eyes, I saw every person in the office on their feet celebrating Jeri and crowding toward my office door. Releasing Jeri from our hug, I told her to turn around if she had any questions about how people felt about her.

Jeri saw about 35 people slowly coming toward my office literally cheering for her. It was an honest-to-God spontaneous outpouring of affection for her. Jeri slowly walked into the people saying thank you over and over as she glanced back at me overcome by their reaction. I was so proud of the folks who worked at our landscaping company as I was at that moment. Sam and I always hired based on two criteria: their knowledge and what we saw in a person's heart. That moment proved how right we had been to follow those principles.

After a few minutes Jeri came back into my office as the rest of the folks slowly got back to work and collapsed on the couch. She was drained, but felt so good. I handed her an open bottle of water and she nearly drained it before putting it down. Then she looked at me a bit sheepishly.

"Not very lady-like, huh" she commented.

"Honey, every person here knows you are a lady; a woman," I told her.

Jeri closed her eyes for a few moments and took a deep breath before opening them.

"This is the best day of my life," she said softly. "I never expected anything like this; how everyone responded to me; how they accept me for being me." Then she looked directly into my eyes, "And, I have you to thank for this day."

"You have nothing to thank me for. This is all you and being true to yourself."

"We both know that isn't quite true. You gave me the space, encouragement, and opportunity to be the woman I have been in my heart."

"You made it pretty easy," I responded as I smiled. "Besides, I happen to love you, Jeri."

"Alex, you...," she paused for a moment, "I love you. It's just that simple."

I moved over and sat on the couch next to her. Taking her hand, I gently kissed it and then looked into her eyes.

"I can't imagine my life without you in it," I softly told her. "I want to spend the rest of my days with you."

My quiet declaration produced new tears.

"Are you proposing to me," she asked between tears. "Like Sam and Annie?"

"Yes, like Sam and Annie. Can we be together the rest of our lives?"

"Yes," she exclaimed. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

Our lips touched as she said the last yes. It was a kiss I will never forget. Our kiss was gentle and deep. Passionate and intimate. Caring and loving. If a kiss could launch a thousand ships, our kiss would have been the one. If a kiss were to celebrate peace and an end to war, our kiss would have been one. Our kiss, performed on the couch in front of my office window in full view of everyone, was life. When we broke the kiss, we were greeted with another round of applause.

"Don't you guys have some work to do, or something," I called out as I looked through the window. As folks sat down at their desks and went back to work grudgingly, I saw Sam and Annie standing across the office smiling with their arms around one another. I just gave them a small nod and a silent thank you.

"I invited Sam and Annie to dinner tonight," I told Jeri once she calmed down hoping it would be okay.

"Thank you. That would be the perfect ending to the day," Jeri told me. "Well, there will be another ending to the day which will really be perfect after they leave," she said with a wicked and sexy grin. "I better get going if we are serving dinner."

"Keep dinner simple, Love. I can fix chicken on the grill, and we can have pasta as a side, salad, and something for a light dessert. Wait! I just remembered that we have some left-over chili in the fridge. Sam and Annie love it. Just pull it out when you get home," I suggested as I gave her a hug. With that, she walked out of my office talking to folks as she worked her way to the front door. Then, just as she reached the front door, she turned and almost ran to where Sam and Annie were standing. Do the words 'group hug' mean anything to you?

I got home at about 4:30 that afternoon to find Jeri in the kitchen taking fresh cornbread out of the oven. She knew that our chili just wasn't quite right without cornbread. I stopped at the entrance to our kitchen to watch her for a moment. God, she was so beautiful!

She had taken time to change from her work clothes when she got home earlier into a pair of jeans that fit her perfectly, an old t-shirt and she had on a full apron. She had a few stray hairs hanging down by her face, but her hair was still back in a pony tail. Once she put the hot cornbread down, we hugged one another tightly. Once again, I felt how she fit into me so very well. I never wanted to let her go and she felt me becoming aroused, but she needed to get the salad done and playfully pushed me away.

"There will be time for that later," she told me.

"Promise," I asked her.

"Pinky promise," she softly exclaimed as she held out her little finger.

"You've had a long day. Let me take care of the salad," I told her as I moved to get the ingredients. "Sam and Annie will be here about 5:30 so why don't you get yourself a glass of wine and watch me work?"

Well, instead of doing that, she mixed up another pan of cornbread and got it ready to put in the oven. Once it was ready, she just put it on the counter. Her idea was that Sam and Annie would come into the scent of cornbread cooking, which I thought was a great idea.

After finishing the salad, I checked the time and saw that I had enough to take a quick shower and get dressed before they arrived if I hurried. Jeri and I walked into the Master Bedroom together. She wanted to freshen her makeup, fix her hair, and change into a nicer shirt while I showered.

At 5:25 we were ready and waiting. I slipped in the cornbread so it would be warm for dinner. Sam's favorite beer was open and ready for him; Annie's wine was poured and waiting. And, at 5:30 they were driving up our driveway. Jeri couldn't contain herself and ran out to greet them. Sam came in first and we hugged one another as we do when not in the office. Jeri and Annie were talking on the front porch and it looked so serious. Sam and I talked about the business and the next time we might be able to get away for some fly-fishing. Yeah, I know, it all sounds so male!

When Annie and Jeri walked-in they looked like they were deep in thought. I again was taken aback by how lovely they both looked seemingly without effort. They were dressed in a similar fashion and if I didn't know better, I would have thought they were Mother and Daughter. They were two of the most beautiful women I have ever seen and hoped I would never get used to seeing them together. I gave Annie her hug and handed her a glass of wine.

"Just what I need right now," Annie told me.

I handed Jeri her wine and we all toasted one another. The smiles from Annie and Jeri were sincere, but there was something happening between them.

"You want to tell me what's going on," I asked Annie.

"Hey, why don't we sit down," suggested Jeri, the ever-thoughtful hostess.

"What smells so good," Sam asked as we moved into the living area of the great room.

"Fresh cornbread," Jeri responded.

"We must be having my favorite chili for dinner," Sam smiled as he sat down on one of two couches. Jeri and I just nodded.

"So, Annie, what's going on," I asked after we got settled.

"You know about the charity gala we put on every year," she asked me.

"Of course, I do. A couple of hundred people show up. You skillfully get them to part with some serious money to support scholarships and a couple of food banks. The company has been sponsoring it for years," I responded.

"Well, you know I asked Jeri to help me with it this year. Actually, she is co-chairing the event with me. We thought we had the place. The same hotel we've been using for the last five years, right? Well, I received a call from them today telling me that even after giving them a deposit last month, I was told they didn't have the room available for us. Some group that was renting out the entire hotel needed it the same night we did. Guess who got bumped? Now, we have to find a space for the same day. I called everyone this afternoon. Nothing. Nothing is available. This has been such a great day," as she looked over at Jeri, "and now this."

"When is the gala," I asked Annie.

"In about four months," Annie and Jeri said together, which made Sam and I chuckle.

"You just have a problem in search of a solution," I told them with a smile. After a pause to think, I asked if they would excuse me for a minute. I went out onto the back deck and looked around. You have to remember that our house sits on three acres and there is a very large area near the detached three-car garage. Well, it looks like a three-car garage, but there's room for six cars parked in tandem. Maybe, I thought. I went back in and sat down.

"How many people and who are they," I asked Annie.

"About 275 of the wealthiest people in the county," she told me. "Some of them are our clients." I nodded.

"If you want," I began, "you can have the gala here." The two women almost squealed they were so happy.

"We can put a tent near the garage for dining and bar service. We can put a second tent for the silent auction and more bar service in front of the garage. If it's a nice night, guests can walk around outside. You might want to make it more casual than your usual black-tie affair. What do you think?" I could see Annie and Jeri thinking and then they talked quietly.

"Yes. Yes. It could work," Annie responded as she thought a bit more. "Are you sure? It's a lot of work, you know."

"Jeri, is it okay with you," I asked. The smile on her face gave me the answer.

"We're sure. Let's plan on reviewing the details next week so we can develop a project plan, okay? Jeri can develop the plan and we can all talk about it maybe early next week." Glancing out the front window, I saw Henry's tow truck making the turn into the driveway. "You folks might want to come out front with me."

The cornbread! I suddenly remembered it was in the oven. Damn. I went into the kitchen, checked it and breathed a sigh of relief and I took it out of the oven. I got lucky once again.

The others were already out front and Jeri was crying, again. There on the flat bed with a big bow on the hood was her old Mustang that had been restored and improved.

"Is that my old car," Jeri asked as she looked at it in disbelief.

"Mostly," I told her as I went to greet Henry. I couldn't believe he brought it out himself! He got busy and began getting the car off of the tow truck. Once it was on the ground, Jeri walked around it again and again looking and touching it. In fact, it looked like she was caressing her old car.

"New engine. Much better brakes. Air conditioning that works. New interior. Additional safety equipment. Excellent sound system. It's better than new," I told Jeri as I opened the driver's door for her. After she sat there for a few minutes, Henry went over and began telling her about the changes to the car that were made. All of the changes improved reliability, dependability, and safety. He had saved all of the old parts and would keep them in storage for Jeri if she would ever want them.

Sam and Annie went over to talk with Jeri when Henry finished with her. That gave me a few moments to chat with Henry and to let him know how very pleased I was with the finished product. Then I told him about the gala and asked if he would like to put a few cars on display, with appropriate signage. He agreed immediately. Then I asked him to find a car, finish it and put it in the silent auction. I told him I would cover his costs for the car, but no profit, and that he could claim credit for donating it to the auction. Again, there was immediate agreement. He then got up in his truck and drove away after a last check with Jeri to make sure everything was okay.