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“I have decided that today shall be a beach day!” Mark exclaimed to the kitchen at large.
We all paused for a few seconds. Amy was the first to respond to his announcement. “What brought this on, Mark?”
Mark puffed up his chest. “Chica told me that she wishes to frolic in the waves, and I would be a bad puppy parent if I denied her request.”
I smiled to myself as I poured cereal into a bowl. That man and his dog were adorable together. Concentrating on not spilling any milk, I hoped my presence would go unnoticed until I had a chance to sneak away.
“Where do you think you’re goin’, huh? As our guest, you are definitely invited to a day of fun and frolicking on the coast!”
I turned around to see Mark beaming at me, obviously stoked about his plan. I tried to smile as normally as possible. “Sorry, Mark, but I didn’t pack anything to wear. Y’all have fun, though!”
Mark waved me off. “C’mon, I’m sure Amy or Kathryn have something you could borrow for the day!”
My heart fell into my stomach. “Uh, actually, let me go double-check my suitcase. I’ll be right back!” I scurried off to the guest room I was staying in. But instead of looking through my luggage like I said I would, I sank down onto the bed, burying my face in my hands. What was I going to do?
I don’t know how long I sat like that before I heard a soft knock at the door. “Um, hey…May I come in?”
I looked up to see Mark standing timidly in the doorway. I guess I had forgotten to shut the door. I rubbed my eyes quickly, hoping I hadn’t been crying. “Yeah, of course, Mark! This is your house! You should be allowed in any room!”
Mark frowned, but entered nonetheless. “As long as you’re staying here, this room is yours.” He looked down, sheepish. “I’m sorry about what I said earlier. It was out of line.”
I tried to smile. “It’s no problem, Mark. You were just trying to help.”
He shook his head. “You trusted us with your transgender identity, and—”
I interrupted him. “Mark, really, I know it’s gonna take some getting used to. Coming out…people are bound to make mistakes, as they often remind me, and I know you didn’t say it out of malice or something.”
Mark grimaced. “But that doesn’t mean it feels good, right? To be…” he searched for the right word, “misgendered?”
I chuckled. “No, it still sucks. But getting upset at people for making honest mistakes isn’t going to help anyone, including me.” I looked down at my hands in my lap. “The truth is, I did bring beach clothes. But I only brought swim trunks, and I can’t go in just those. I don’t wanna wear my binder because it’ll be hot and uncomfortable and not super safe. But I don’t want to wear something that will make me feel dysphoric the whole time either.” I sighed, at a loss for what to do.
I felt the bed dip slightly as Mark sat beside me. When I looked over, he seemed lost in thought. “Y’know, I bet someone here has a wetsuit thing if you wanna use that.”
I leaned into him affectionately. “That’s really sweet, Mark, but it would probably just make my boobs feel more obvious.”
“Ah,” Mark nodded in understanding, then lapsed back into silence.
Finally, I came up with what was hopefully a workable solution. “I think I’ll just wear a sports bra and a t-shirt. That way, I’ll have support and discretion.” I turned to face Mark again. “Thanks for checking on me, Mark. And apologizing, even though you didn’t need to. And trying to help me with my boob problem.” I smiled when he laughed, like I had hoped he would.
“No problem, dude. I’m always down for boob stuff.” He winked exaggeratedly, then became more serious. “I just want you to be as comfortable and have as much fun as possible. You’re my guest, and my friend, got it?”
I nodded, grateful I had him in my life, especially right now. “Yeah, I got it.”