James knew that he was born in the wrong body. Though his biggest dream was to be a girl, he was a clever enough child to understand that some people wouldn’t be fond of that idea. He had two lives. The society and the family saw him as a kind-hearted, artistic, and extremely gifted child, a wonderful example of a well-educated boy. James saw himself as a girl. The problem was that he was afraid to admit it even to himself. Just like many other people in that situation, he believed that he was defected and needed to be cured.
So, he did everything he could to find a way to get rid of that obsessive idea of turning into a woman. College, new friends, music, and journeys helped him to get distracted. James started dating women, hoping that their love would cure. He got lucky and met Grace, the biggest love of his life. It seemed that everything was going to be alright. He got married, found a wonderful position at Colby, and even achieved some success as a writer. He was friends with the most interesting people and was loved by everyone.
Later on, Grace gave birth to Luke and then to Patrick. James’ life seemed to be perfect but he couldn’t lie to himself. The man didn’t want to be a male. One day – in his forties – he understood that there were only two options for him: live a life of pretense or do something about it and solve the problem. James told Grace everything, hoping that she would understand. Though it wasn’t an easy decision, Grace accepted him and offered her support. However, not everyone was as accepting as Grace was. Some people – for instance, Rick Russo – didn’t know how to react.
No matter what people thought of her, Jennifer – ex-James- refused to give up on her dream. Sex reassignment surgery became a turning point for both Jennifer and her family. Jennifer could finally be herself. As soon as euphoria passed, she saw that a life of a woman wasn’t that easy but she loved every minute of it. Colleagues at Colby, the majority of his relatives, and friends accepted Jennifer too. Jennifer looked differently but her sense of humor, kindness, and wit were the same. People learned to love her as much as they loved James. Jennifer’s life was a story about courage and love. Her fears had proved to be wrong and she managed to build a happy life as a female.
