Sascha

CHAPTER 13

The next morning, Sascha jumped up when her mother knocked on the door, "Come on Sleepy. Time to get up and start cooking. Let's go!" It took her about 15 minutes to wash up, dress, and go downstairs. "Well, look who's awake," Allison commented as Sascha stumbled into the kitchen.

"Coffee?" She headed for the brew machine. After adding the milk and sugar she gulped down a mouthful. She gasped, "HOT, HOT, HOT!" And started fanning her mouth. Allison and Eric covered their mouths, trying not to laugh.

After the coffee cooled Sascha finished it and ate a toasted bagel. She sat back in her chair and brushed bagel crumbs off her placemat. "Okay Mom, I'm ready to start cooking." She looked around the kitchen, "You know, Mom, we forgot to do the turkey stock last night."

"I know Honey, but you looked so tired I didn't want to bother you with it. We can do it now."

Mother and daughter cooked for the rest of the morning and a fair part of the afternoon. When the broth finished simmering, they strained it and set it aside for later when they made stuffing and gravy. They sat down for a second cup of coffee, Sascha let it cool this time, and talked about her life in Boston. Sascha showed Allison pictures of her apartment.

"It's very nice. How can you afford it?"

"It belongs to Robert's company. They use it for visitors. Because of the debacle with the MIT dorm and everything that happened, he said I can use it at no cost until the end of the school year. Oh, and if I want it next year, I have to pay the rent and electricity bill.

"How can we afford it? Shouldn't you re-examine the dorm option?"

"Mom? The rent will be $250. Robert says it's something called 'Rent Control'. And it's a great location Mom. I'm right on a bus line and close to a subway station. I can get anywhere in Boston."

"$250? You're kidding, right?"

"Nope."

"Sascha does Robert live there with you?"

"What? No. He stops by when we go out. But I live there alone. I have no idea where Robert lives."

"What about during summer break?"

"Mom? Didn't I tell you? I've already been accepted into an accelerated summer program there at MIT--if I do it this summer and next summer I'll graduate in three years. Then, if I'm lucky I can start a Master's Program."

"Are you sure you're not taking on too much?"

Sascha smiled and patted her mother's hand, "Mom, I think as long as I don't get injured or end up homeless on the streets again, I can do the work. It will feel strange--after the last year, just having a regular schedule should be pretty simple."

"What about your...health?"

Sascha nodded, "I lost quite a bit of weight on the street. But I've gradually got it back. As long as the sky is clear I walk to and from school every day. I do a lot of stretching during study breaks at home...I mean the apartment. Sorry, this is home."

"But what about your...health?" Allison insisted.

"Oh." Sascha understood, "Every Thursday evening, I attend transition group therapy sessions. When I first started going, they didn't want me because they thought I wasn't transgender--they suspected I was a reporter or something. I took the most obnoxious person into the ladies' room and pulled down my panties. She apologized and when we went back to the meeting she said, 'Relax everyone she's one of us. I just had my six-month appointment with Dr. Lawrence. She said I'm doing great--better than almost all TG girls. At this meeting we decided...I mean I decided I won't be getting breast implants. That was quite a relief. In a couple weeks I have an appointment with a speech therapist to discuss my voice. I think it's too low."

"Your voice is fine. It is not too low. You shouldn't worry about it." Allison assured her as she finished her coffee. The temperature alarm on the probe thermometer sounded, alerting them that the turkey was nearly done. They cleaned off the table and started prepping their side dishes for the stove and oven.

They pulled the turkey out of the oven. Allison moved the probe around until she was convinced the bird was done. They started the casseroles, potatoes, and stuffing. Sascha started pulling out dishes and silverware and moving them to the dining room.

"ERIC!" Allison shouted, "Start getting washed up! Dinner in thirty!" She turned to Sascha, "Okay Honey, I've got this, go wash up and get dressed."

Sascha hurried upstairs. After showering she dug through her closet and found a nice dress and shoes. She joined her mother downstairs, where they got everything put out, ready to eat. Eric came into the kitchen. He kissed Allison and gave Sascha a hug. "Wait just a couple minutes, okay?" He said just as the doorbell rang, "I invited a couple guests. Sascha honey, would you get the door, please?"

"CARLA, CARRIE! HI!" She greeted them with hugs and invited them in.

"How are you kid?"

"I'm good Carla. How are you? Carrie how are you doing?"

"We're well. Thanks." Carla answered. Carrie fidgeted.

"Guess what?" She blurted, "I have a girlfriend! Can you believe it? Me!"

"I knew you would. Who is it?"

"Do you remember Sally Jennings?"

Sascha had to think, "Oh yeah. Pretty girl, brunette, shorter than you? Wasn't she in the Math Club?"

"She's the captain of the math team! She's so smart it's scary."

Eric came into the entryway, "Hi Carla. Welcome. Is this Carrie? It's nice to meet you. Come on everyone, it's time to eat." He led everyone to the dining room where Allison waited.

"Come on folks, let's eat while the food's hot." They all sat down and the women talked while Eric carved the turkey. Dinner was delicious. Eric caught a break this time, Carla and Carrie insisted on helping Allison and Sascha with the after-dinner clean-up. Carrie and Sascha started washing and drying. Carla and Allison wrapped and put away leftovers and handed the dirty dishes to the girls.

When it was all done they gathered in the family room. They turned on a football game and, sort of, watched but the conversations continued until Eric decided he'd waited long enough for a turkey sandwich. Everyone followed his lead.

That night after Carrie and Carla left, Eric, Allison, and Sascha sat in the living room watching whatever movie was on. "I wish Steph had been here," Sascha said quietly.

"I know Sweetie, we do too, but as you get older sometimes responsibilities and commitments you've made have to come first. By the way, when do you have to go back?"

"My train leaves Saturday morning at eight from the same place you picked me up. Tomorrow I have a ton of stuff to do: I need a new driver's license, a new debit card, and finally I need to find the city's 'tourist board'.

"The tourist board?"

"Yeah. Do you want the long story or short?"

"You decide."

"Okay. You know that when I was living on the street, I lost everything. I had no phone, no access to cash, no ID, nothing. Robert tracked me down after one of my professors warned him I was about to be kicked out. He found me my apartment. We had hoped to spend Thanksgiving together, but a week ago his company dispatched him to Europe for business. So I called you and asked if I could come home. Remember?"

"Of course I remember. Dad and I were very happy to hear from you."

"Thanks. Wait a minute, I'll be right back." She ran upstairs and grabbed her purse.

When she got back, she stopped to catch her breath, "Anyway I started looking at ways to get home, and guess what? No ID, no travel. Planes, trains, and buses all require a photo ID--which I didn't have. So? How to solve it?"

"I'm sure you're going to tell me--soon?"

Sascha smiled and handed her passport to Allison.

"What the heck is this?"

"I told Robert I had no ID and couldn't travel. Two hours later he told me to meet him outside my building. We went to some strip mall and got passport photos. Then we went to the ******* consulate in Boston. Robert called in a favor from the Consul General and an hour later I had a '30-day Special Diplomatic Passport' but in return I have to bring them some travel brochures for their library. That's how I was able to get home."

"I see. It sounds like you'll be busy tomorrow."

The next morning Sascha was all ready to get going, grabbed her keys, and then realized she had no driver's license. "MOM!" She yelled. She begged and pleaded and finally Allison agreed to drive her to the license bureau. She was first in line. It took about an hour. The clerk wasn't thrilled about a diplomatic passport from another country as a form of ID, but with the birth certificate, the clerk finally checked with a supervisor and agreed to re-issue the license. Sascha stood in front of the camera while the clerk snapped the picture. "You take a nice picture, you're a lucky girl," The clerk commented as she ran the license. Sascha got her temporary license, the clerk promised the real license in 7-10 days.

They returned home and Sascha got her own car. The bank was more understanding--they pulled a printout of her account, didn't find any suspicious activity, and 20 minutes later she had her new 'PIN only' debit card--after insisting on a new PIN.

After lunch Sascha found the address for the tourist board and drove over. They welcomed her with open arms when she explained her reason for visiting. An hour later she left carrying a cardboard box filled with 15-pounds of brochures, pamphlets, guidebooks, and maps.

She got home and found the house empty. She looked around and decided she could still smell turkey. A turkey sandwich and glass of milk later Sascha went upstairs. She did a load of her laundry and cleaned her room. She went back down and found Eric sitting at the kitchen table with a turkey sandwich of his own. He waved, his mouth too full to speak. Sascha sat down, "Hey Dad, good sandwich?" He nodded enthusiastically and gave a thumbs-up, allowing a chunk of turkey to fall on the table. Sascha grabbed it before he could and popped it in her mouth.

"You did that on purpose," He sulked.

"Finders Keepers." She taunted him.

Eric finished his sandwich. "Still hungry. Someone stole my turkey."

"Uh huh."

Allison walked in, "Who stole who's turkey?" Eric pointed an accusing finger at Sascha, as he went to get more sandwich fixings.

"Jeez. Ratted out by my own father. What's the world coming too?" Sascha complained.

"Honey," Allison asked, "Make me a sandwich too?"

The train ride back to Boston wasn't as much fun as the ride home. Sascha didn't feel the same excitement she'd felt returning to see her family. After about an hour a young man approached. Handsome, well-dressed--self-assured. He took the seat facing her.

"Hi." He greeted her. "Where you headed?"

"Boston. MIT." Sascha replied, then turned to look out the window.

"I'm headed to Boston too. Did you say MIT? Good school. I'm second year Harvard Law."

"Oh. That's very nice." Sascha continued to stare out the window.

"What are you stu..." Sascha's ringing phone interrupted his attempt at conversation.

"Hello?"

"Hi Sascha, it's me."

"Robert! I'm glad you called. I miss you so much."

"I'm back in Boston. Just got in this morning. How was your holiday?"

"It was nice. Mom and Dad fussed over me. I got all my ID issues taken care of. Thanksgiving dinner was wonderful. I helped Mom cook everything. Dad invited over one of my best friends from high school and her mother. God, Robert, I missed you so much. When can I see you?"

"What time does your train get in?"

"7:15 into South Station."

"How about 7:16?"

"Huh? Oh! That's perfect." Sascha looked up and saw the Harvard guy walking away. "Whew!"

"What?"

"Sorry. Didn't mean to say that out loud. Some guy was sitting across from me and trying to get friendly and start a conversation. While you and I talked he walked away. Thanks for calling when you did."

"That's what boyfriends are for. I have to go now. I'll see you at the station. I Love you."

"I love you too, Robert. Bye."

After changing trains in Philadelphia, the trip to Boston got held up by a couple long freight trains clogging the lines. Sascha arrived in Boston roughly a half hour late. She spotted Robert on the platform as the train pulled into the station. She flew out the door and into his arms. "Hi Baby. Welcome back." Robert managed to get out between kisses. They gathered her bags. "Did you get the stuff for the Consul General?"

Sascha tapped the heavy box in his left hand. "Did you leave some literature for anyone else?" He joked.

"A few things I wanted wouldn't fit in the box," She shot back, "Oh! My poor baby, is it too heavy for you?" She teased. Robert gave her a fearsome frown but leaned over and kissed her cheek. "My girlfriend is a smartass," He concluded with a smile as they flagged down a taxi and climbed into the back.

Even at this hour of the evening Boston traffic was snarled. They pulled up to the building at 9:00. Robert helped Sascha carry all her stuff up to her apartment and waited while she dug out her keys and unlocked the door. Inside, Sascha dropped her bag and backpack and fiddled with the thermostat to warm the room.

She turned just as Robert moved close, hugged her and lifted her off the floor. He kissed her. Hard. Sascha got her arms around his neck and hung on. She felt herself starting to slip, but he tightened his grasp and tossed her into the air to resecure his hold. They never broke their kiss. Sascha wrapped her legs around Robert's waist. He slid his hands down, cupped her bottom, and started walking into the living area.

Robert sat down on the sofa and Sascha released her leg lock. She kneeled and straddled him. Robert reached up and ran his fingers through her hair before pulling her back into another kiss. Sascha didn't struggle.

'Is this it?' Sascha thought as they continued kissing. 'God! He's a wonderful kisser. Maybe just a little more.' Sascha wrapped her arms around Robert, pulled herself as close as possible, and caressed his back and shoulders. She shimmied herself around to get more comfortable and felt Robert growing hard.

'Oh my God! He's getting an erection. What do I do?' She wriggled a little more and found she enjoyed the sensation of his hardness pressing against her. She kissed him harder and accidentally smacked their teeth together. She pulled back laughing at her clumsiness. She reached out and began to unbutton Robert's shirt.

"Sascha, honey, you don't..."

"Hush." She demanded as she untucked his shirt. "I know what I'm doing." 'I wish.' She laughed to herself. She suddenly remembered a couple things suggested by the web site Dr. Lawrence recommended.

"I'll be right back. Don't you dare move," She ordered as she got up and ran to the bathroom. She peed, wiped herself, washed her hands, wet a washcloth and grabbed a towel before returning to the living room. Sascha dropped the towel and washcloth and jumped back onto Robert's lap. She gave him a fierce kiss before she started to massage Robert's hairy chest. Robert relaxed a bit and leaned back on the couch. She twirled her fingers through the course black hair and then leaned forward and kissed each of his nipples.

Robert hissed in pleasure but hadn't completely abandoned his reservations. "Sascha, please, we don't have to do this. I don't..."

"Robert, if I want to stop I will. Now relax, you're making me nervous." She continued kissing his nipples and toying with his chest hair. Robert's erection was becoming uncomfortable for both of them. Sascha leaned up and gave Robert a gentle kiss. She rolled to the side, her mind made up.

'Okay, here goes nothing!" She reached over and began to unbuckle Robert's belt.

"Sascha...baby," Robert pleaded. But Sascha reached up and put a finger to his lips, "Shhh." She whispered. She finished with the belt, released the top button, and slid down the zipper.

'Well, Sascha girl, here's your last chance to chicken out!' She tugged on Robert's shorts and trousers, "Lift up," She commanded. She slid everything down, but gasped when Robert's erection sprang free. 'Oh my God, it's beautiful. But cripes, it's as big as Steph's vibrator. What have I gotten myself into?' To give herself a second, she sat back on the floor and carefully untied and removed Robert's shoes, then his socks. She slid off and folded his trousers and shorts and set them aside. She stared at his hard, beautifully muscled body.

Sascha rose from the floor and sat next to Robert. She rolled slightly to her left and they shared another soft wet kiss. She let her hand trail down Robert's abdomen until she grazed his erection. Robert shivered. Sascha kissed her way down until she was an inch from his throbbing erection. She kissed the tip a couple times, trying to build her courage but finally pulled back. 'Nope. Can't do that yet.'

Instead, she wrapped her fingers around him and stroked him slowly. She kissed her way back up. While she continued to kiss and stroke him, Robert slid his arm around her back and cupped his hand around her right breast.

"Mmmm," She purred into his mouth without missing a stroke. He tried to loosen her blouse buttons but she stopped him, "Not this time Robert. Later." She gripped him a little firmer and lengthened her strokes.

Suddenly Robert grunted and his hips jerked. Jet after jet of his goo spurted onto his chest and Sascha's hand. She was astounded at the violence of Robert's climax. She stared at the mess on Robert's chest and began to laugh.

"What?" Robert lifted his head.

"God! What a mess. I can't believe how far you shot that stuff."

"Worth it. It was wonderful. What about you?"

"I'm good. Oh, you mean did I...you know. No. I never have. I didn't know what to expect."

She examined the stuff on her hand. Sniffed it. Took a small taste. "Not horrible. Not great." She reached down and grabbed the washcloth and towel and began to clean him carefully. When she reached his groin Robert jumped when she tried to hold him. "Careful Sascha, after I climax, I'm very sensitive down there."

"Sorry." She gently wiped him. Finally satisfied, she leaned over and kissed the tip again. She climbed up and sat next to him. He gathered her into his arms and held tight.

"Was that okay?" Sascha asked quietly. "I've never done anything like that before."

"It was wonderful. I couldn't believe it when you bent down and kissed it."

"Yeah. I had big plans when I got down there, but I chickened out when I saw how big you are. One of these days though I'll work up the courage and finish what I start. I promise."

"I can't wait."

"Well, you're gonna have to. Sorry." They laughed together as Sascha snuggled into Robert's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.

They kissed and explored for a while before Robert gently eased Sascha away, "Sascha, do you have any plans for December 15th?"

"Not really. I used up my discretionary funds on the train trip home. I told my parents I'm going to stay here over the Christmas and New Year's break."

"I was wondering if you'd like to join me for the consulate's Christmas Ball? I'd be honored to have you accompany me."

"Really? Do you think I'll fit in? I'd hate to do or say something stupid and embarrass you--or me."

"Of course you'll fit in. You're polite, you'll probably be the smartest person in the room, and you're beautiful. Not to mention you'll have a handsome and dashing escort."

"Oh? I won't be with you?" Sascha grinned.

"Hey!"

"Sorry. Couldn't resist." Sascha leaned in for another kiss, "Forgive me?"

Robert pulled her to him and kissed her firmly, then smiled, "Forgiven. For this event, you'll probably need a new dress. Something like a long formal cocktail-style dress."

Sascha's eyes went wide, "I don't know what that is. Where do I find one?"

"Ah. Here's what we can do. I have an etiquette and protocol expert, Mrs. Watkins, on my...I mean on the consulate staff. I'll schedule you and her to meet. She can explain everything you'll want to know. I'll also ask her to take you shopping to find an appropriate outfit."