Mike and Eva walked side by side down the sidewalk, for the six block walk over to the Dairy Sweet, the local ice cream shop. They were silent for the first couple blocks, both trying to make sense of their new world and their new dynamic.

"This is pretty weird, isn't it?" Mike finally said.

"It sure is. I'm really happy, but I'm real scared too."

"What are you scared of?"

"Well, you and me... I mean we were real good friends right?"

"ARE real good friends, Eva. That doesn't have to change."

"I know. I don't want it to. But I feel different now."

"Like how?"

"Like, I don't know how to act around you, cuz you're a boy. And I ought to know all about being a boy, but you're kind of like this mystery now."

Mike chuckled. "I see what you mean. You're kind of mysterious to me too. But it's not that weird - I never did really understand girls anyway."

Eva chuckled back. "Yeah, I guess I didn't really get how to be a boy either."

"You're really sure you're happier this way?"

"I've never been so sure of anything. It's just right for me. I'm just sorry I almost tried to stop you."

"I pretty much knew deep down you'd come around. I just had a feeling about it."

"But Mickie, I mean Mike, we'll still be friends right? This isn't gonna make us too weird around each other? Cuz I really like being your friend."

"That will never change. It'll feel kinda different I guess, but I told you, I'm always gonna take care of you."

Eva felt a swoon coming on. "Well you know ladies can take care of themselves nowadays. It is the 1970s after all."

Mike smiled at her. "You aren't one of those women's libbers are you?"

"Well you kinda were."

"Yeah it's true. And I agree, you can do anything you set your mind to. But I still wanna take care of you. Like I feel kinda responsible. I got you into this."

"You don't have to feel that way, I wanted it. But it's nice anyway. It makes me feel safe."

"So when did the final change happen for you? Did you wake up like this?"

"Yep. Went to bed with boy parts, woke up with girl parts!"

"Same here. Well, I mean... other way around," he chuckled. "It sure is different, I mean having stuff between your legs like that."

"Yeah, it's different alright..." They both felt suddenly awkward talking about such things, and just dropped the topic.

Soon they arrived at the Dairy Sweet and ordered their ice cream cones. Mike got chocolate chip and Eva chose cherry vanilla. Mike fished some coins out of his pocket to pay for it, and they took their cones back outside to the picnic table out front.

"I'm supposed to babysit for the Bremers on Wednesday," Eva said. "The Reverend asked me today after church."

"Oh wow. Have you ever babysat before?"

"No! I have no idea what to do!"

"Well I think you'll be a natural at it."

"I sure hope so! This morning I braided Rosey's hair for her, and I just kinda already knew how to do it."

"I saw her braid, you did that? It looked fancy! Anyway, Laura said we'll just kinda know stuff automatically."

"I do hope that's true. You'll be fine, you already do lots of boy type stuff like sports. But I was always too shy to try out anything girly."

"It's going to be fine. I can tell just by watching you," Mike assured her.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you're just already so.... girl. The way you walk, the way you move your head, the way you smile, the way you bat your eyelashes..."

"I bat my eyelashes?" she asked, involuntarily batting her eyelashes.

Mike smiled. "Yes and it's so cute. I... I almost feel nervous being around a girl as pretty as you. It's a weird new feeling."

They both averted their eyes. "I don't want to feel weird around you but it's pretty hard," Eva admitted. "But knowing you feel sorta nervous makes me feel better about me being nervous."

"We'll figure it out. We can be nervous together."

"Yeah," she smiled at him sweetly. "We've always done things together. This will just be our next new adventure."

"I think it will be our most exciting one yet." His eyebrows went up. "Oh, I almost forgot! I have something for you." He dug around in his pocket, and pulled out the talisman. "Here. This needs to be with you now," he said, placing it in her palm.

Eva was perplexed. "I thought it was all done? Is there still something left we have to do?"

"Not for us. But there's still something you need to do. Laura said when it's all done, it's the responsibility of the girl to pass it on."

"Pass it on?"

"Yeah you need to find the next person who will use it, and teach them what to do. Just like Laura taught me."

Eva wasn't too thrilled. "How will I know if someone needs it? I can't read people's minds!"

"You'll just know. Laura said that too, like she didn't know what to do, but then when she met me, she pretty much knew right away it was going to be me. Just hold on to it until the time is right."

Eva stared at the talisman, this little piece of stone that had reordered her life completely. Now she had to find someone else, and reorder their whole life? It seemed like a heavy burden.

"I don't know, Mike, that's a lot to ask..."

"Look, Laura helped us, and now you'll be helping someone else. You'll be setting things right for somebody."

"Yeah I guess you're right. It's scary, but kinda cool..."

"I know you'll do the right thing when it's time."

After finishing their ice cream, they started walking back. "You wanna do something tomorrow?" Mike asked. "Maybe go hang out at Paradise?"

"I don't know," Eva responded, "Paradise sorta feels like Mickie and Eddie's place..."

Mike looked a bit pained. "Well that's still us, there's no reason we can't still do all the stuff we used to do."

"I know but... I don't know, it doesn't sound as fun."

"Oh boy. Are you gonna be all prissy now? You don't hafta just do girly stuff now, you know."

"I know, I know, I don't mean that. But some of the boy stuff I used to do, well... it was sorta like, I felt like I oughta want to do that, so maybe I tried to pretend I liked it."

"So you didn't really like it at Paradise?"

"I did, I liked it a lot. But mostly because... well, because you were there."

"OK I think I'm starting to get it now. You know what? You're a really sweet girl. So where should we go?"

"Maybe back out to Grady's Ford? I really liked it when we were walking back from our hike."

"Ok you got it. I hope riding bikes isn't too boyish for you," he joked.

She playfully punched him on the shoulder. "I still ride a bike, you dummy. I'm not quite a princess. Yet."

They traded good natured barbs the rest of the walk back to Eva's house, and said their goodbyes, with a plan to meet up the next day at 1:00. Eva stood on the stoop and watched him walk off before going back into the house.

+++++

After supper Eva helped her mother clean up, as usual, and Marian couldn't help herself from pressing her daughter for details.

"I wanna hear all about your ice cream date with Mike, sweet peach," she said conspiratorially.

"Mom! It wasn't a date. We're just friends."

"Ok dear," she smiled. "So how was it?"

"It was very nice," she admitted, "Mike's a real gentleman." She wasn't even really sure what she meant by that, but it felt right.

"Well, it's very sweet to see you two together. And it's always nice to make a new friend."

New friend? Eva thought to herself. She and Mickie had been friends for ages. But now that everything had been shifted around, was that not how it was anymore?

She reflected on it as she dried off a plate with a towel. It kinda made sense. Maybe what drew Eddie and Mickie together was their shared out-of-placeness. And now that Eva had apparently grown up as a girl, and Mike had grown up as a boy, probably they had fit in with their natural peers more easily, and maybe wouldn't have gravitated toward each other. And it was only now, that puberty was bringing kids together in different ways, that they were connecting.

"Honey, I wanted to ask you," Marian said, suddenly more serious, "today in the chapel, you seemed afraid of Rev. Bremer. Is there any reason you would feel that way? I mean, I hope he's never..."

Eva gulped a little - she had hoped that would be swept under the rug. "No Mom, it's nothing, I'm not scared of him like... that. It's just... well, Mom," she looked directly at her. "Mom, do you remember Eddie?"

She regretted it as soon as it escaped her mouth, but some part of her had to know. Rosemary seemed to have some inkling - did anyone else?

"Eddie? Who is Eddie?"

"You've never known anyone named Eddie?"

Marian gave her a puzzled look. "Not that I can recall. Your father had an Uncle Edward, but I didn't really know him. Your dad was quite fond of him, in fact if you had been a boy, that was a name we had picked out. But no, I don't really know any Eddies. Now what is this about, you're making me nervous!"

"Well, it's about how Daddy's been acting all weird lately, and about when we went to see the Reverend the other night." Eva let out a troubled sigh, knowing she'd just talked herself into a corner she wasn't sure how to get out of.

"Acting weird? Did something happen? Your father said you went to talk about your confirmation classes coming up." Marian looked really concerned now.

Eva had to come up with something believable quick. "Well I just was feeling like I want to wait another year before confirmation. I just don't know if I'm ready. And Daddy and Rev. Bremer didn't like that, so it was uncomfortable. But you know what, I'm just going to go ahead and do it. I don't want them to be upset. Please don't say anything to them about it."

"Well ok honey, I guess I won't, but what brought this on? You don't want to be confirmed in the church?"

"I don't know, Mom, I just think... well I'm learning this is a mysterious world. I don't know if the church has an explanation for everything."

"Who's putting these silly ideas in your head?!"

"No one, Mom, I have my own ideas!"

"Well this is serious, we're going to have to talk with your father about this..."

"No Mom, please!" She pulled her mother into a hug. "I'm sorry, I'll do confirmation. I'm just a little mixed up. I really don't want to talk with them about it." Eva felt herself start to cry, worried that she was going to unravel everything by being too frank about things. She didn't want to disrupt her new life, and making her parents suspicious felt dangerous. It was pretty obvious now that they didn't remember, and it seemed best to keep it that way.

"Sweetheart, you're really upset! That must have been some meeting! Don't you worry, it'll all be alright."

"Mom, tell me stories about what I was like," she said, changing the subject. "When I was a little girl, I mean."

"Well you're still my baby girl," she smiled. "But you were just about the most adorable creature that ever crawled the earth. So sweet and so happy. And you just played with your dollies for hours and hours. Even at that very young age, you already wanted to be a mommy."

Eva ignored the 'being a mommy' bit - that certainly wasn't something she wanted to think about yet. "And Daddy? He was ok that you had a little girl, and not a little boy?"

"Why of course! He was tickled pink. I don't think I'd ever seen him so happy as he was those first few years. Now where are all these questions coming from?"

"I don't know, I guess I'm growing up now, and part of me wants to relive that time. I don't really remember it."

"Well part of me wants to relive it too. Giving birth to you was the happiest day of my life."

"And the happiest day of my life is today."

"Today? What's so special about today?" She got a twinkle in her eye. "Ok, what really happened on that ice cream date?"

"It's not that Mom, it's just... well life just gets better each day, I guess. And I'm just so happy to be your daughter."

"You know, you are acting very strange today! But also very sweet. So I'll take it!"

They shared another tight hug, and then Eva excused herself to go up to bed. It was time to escape before she said anything else suspicious.

Back in her room, Eva changed into her nightgown and sat down to brush her hair. The luxurious and meditative feeling it evoked helped to settle down her brain, which was jumping all over the place. With a little time to finally catch her breath, the full import of what had happened washed over her in a wave of bliss. She was really a girl! It truly was the happiest day of her life.

And that wasn't all. As momentous as becoming her true self was, there was still something else on her mind. She couldn't stop thinking about Mike. His voice was looping in her head: "I'm always gonna take care of you." Even with her conservative rural upbringing, she knew she should aspire to more than that - she wouldn't need a man to take care of her. But the idea of him putting his strong arms around her to protect her - well, it was just too delicious not to dream about. She turned off the light, crawled into bed, and drifted off with a smile, as Mike fought off lions and tigers and bears to keep her safe.