Part 12 - In Your Own Wright

Dee casually shook her hand and offered, “Nice to meet you, too.” He watched her curiously.

She stretched her arms over her head and asked, “So, have you two had an interesting evening?”

Dee looked over at Korri, who slumped in her chair. Korri shrugged. Her mom looked at her and asked, “So, being turned into a girl isn’t very interesting anymore, huh?”

Korri slouched. “Not particularly. I mean…it’s not like I suddenly became someone else.”

Regina held her hands. “I wonder some days...”

Korri rotated her shoulders and muttered, “Likewise, mom.”

She gave Korri a lingering look and asked, “So, mind if I sit a while?”

“What for, mom?”

Regina held her hands out innocently. “I’m just here to visit my child.”

“I’m working right now. Didn’t you say you had a class?”

Regina tugged one of the customer chairs over to the side of the counter and planted it so that she wasn’t behind the counter or blocking the way around it. She softly clapped her hands and noted, “Doesn’t look too busy at the moment. And I have enough time to chat.”

Korri gave the appearance of a smile and uttered, “Super…”

Regina caught the nuance and shook her head. “Don’t be like that. I’m just here because I love you. How was your day?”

Korri stretched her arms in a pose like she was a background presenter on a show, only she moved to gesture to herself. Regina waved her hands. “Okay. How did it happen this time?”

Dee leaned over a cluster of papers but listened.

Korri coughed and asked, “Why don’t I ask my partner to join our discussion?” Regina raised an eyebrow as she said ‘partner’.

Dee waved his hand like a casual mind trick. “That’s not necessary and I have some paperwork to do. Carry on.”

With a sigh, Korri noted, “My colleague has his particular quirks.”

Regina regarded them both and offered, “Ah…I see? Except for what this has to do with what I asked…”

Korri folded her arms just under her chest then moved them a little lower when Regina watched that too. Korri glanced at the hallway opening and began, “I tried to trick Dee into getting turned into a girl. As a consequence of my actions, I have to wear a uniform that keeps me in this form.”

Regina frowned. “Did they dock your pay?”

Korri sighed and shook her head. “No…well, at least the boss said she wouldn’t.”

Regina leaned against the counter. “Well, make sure they don’t dock you, if you can help it. Why would you do a dumb thing like that anyway?”

Korri leaned away in her chair. “Mom, it’s my life. I’m dealing with it. Work is almost over and then this is done.” She gestured over the scope of her body.

Dee kept to his papers while Regina leaned closer. “I am your mother. Your life matters to me.”

With her hand up, Korri responded, “Little note then. Asking why I did a ‘dumb thing’ is not helpful. And really…this is going nowhere.”

Regina bowed her head. “Fine. Why should I expect my youngest child to care about his mother?”

Korri pressed a hand to her forehead. “You’re not gonna guilt me. And, please, no more talk of stuff we've moved on from or how my brothers were this and that. I’m not them, mom.”

Regina swallowed and clutched her hands. “I know. And you know I love you. I know you’re different. I know I’m a terrible mother. But I know I want to be better.”

Korry curled her lips. “Mom…you’re not terrible. That’s just more guilt. But I don’t want you to come around like a pal and then have you judging me the next moment like a mother. You're not my pal. You’re my mother.”

As she turned away, Regina brushed quickly at her eyes and said, “I try…”

Korri relaxed her shoulders. “Please don’t cry, mom. I know you try. It’s just..arg…it feels like you want to be my buddy. You ask me such weird things. It’s that more than anything. And it's not even all that video game and anime stuff really bothers me. That’s your thing. But I need my mom.”

Regina kept her gaze on the wall with her hands under her eyes. “I am your mom. I’m just so lonely some days.”

Korri reached over for her mom’s shoulder. “I know. Treating me like a girlfriend on days I get turned into a girl doesn’t help…but…some of the stuff you said was helpful. Like the life stuff.”

Korri’s mother dropped her hands away from her eyes and slowly turned back. “You mean…” She gestured quickly between Korri and Dee. Korri’s back quickly straightened as she denounced, “Ack! Not that! And not…that. We’re professional co-workers.”

Korri’s last phrase was enough to attract Dee’s full attention. Regina folded her arms and noted, “Well…I’m glad I was able to help with that information.” Her voice, always small, seemed to shrink even more.

Korri touched her mother’s shoulder. “Ma…I just don’t want to think about…some of that stuff. Would anyone? But…I appreciate it.”

Regina nodded and leaned towards Korri. “Okay. Can we just talk a little then?”

Korri’s hand remained steady where it was. “About what, mom?”

“Just about our days.”

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Korri shrugged. “You can talk about your day. Mine was just…life. We worked through customer complaints. And there was someone with a plunger stuck to them and…someone else trapped by a vacuum.”

Regina softly smiled and said, “That’s what I’d like to talk about…”

“Okay…there’s my day. And what about yours?” Korri’s hand carefully slipped away from her mother’s shoulder.

Adjusting her shirt a little, Regina relayed the sum of her day. She spoke about her filing work and the pregnancy of a co-worker. She mentioned a new game she installed on her laptop. Korri restrained her eyes from glossing over. She just felt so tired.

She could hear the words coming out of her mother’s mouth and she heard the enthusiasm but couldn't relate. She didn’t feel tired in a way that sleep would help, she felt worn out.

Culminating her statement by connecting it to her arrival at Newid's, Regina smiled and gave Korri a glance. She added, “You okay?”

With a sigh, Korri pressed a finger into her forehead. “No…err…yeah. It’s fine. I’m…listening.”

Regina leaned closer. “Can you clock out early? You sound beat. I could drive you home.”

Korri half-heartedly waved her hand. “It’ll just be a pain to leave my car here and then have no means of driving until I’m back the day after tomorrow.”

Propping her head up with her hands, Regina asked, “I’d like to do something…”

Korri cupped her mouth and slid her hands down. Dee made a noisy pen sound. With a sigh, Korri shook her head. “That’s just it, mom. You don’t need to do anything for me. I’m happy as I am.”

Regina’s gaze kept on Korri. She returned Korri’s words slowly, “You’re happy…as you are?”

A grimace worked its way onto Korri’s face when she realized the implication. “Well…not in every single way. But I’m managing.”

Regina leaned closer. “Do you have to manage alone?”

The words hung in the air. Korri kept herself from looking over at Dee or her mother. She didn’t know if Dee was looking and she didn’t want to know. Looking ahead, she said, “I’m not managing alone, mom. I just don’t want to depend on everyone else for things. I’m not like that.”

Brushing back a lock of her hair, Regina said, “But you work together here. You act as part of a play at school. You’ve always loved teams, since you were little.”

Korri set her hands on the counter. “That’s different, mom. That’s different.”

“How?”

Korri firmed up her mouth. “It just is.”

Regina pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed. “You didn’t always use to be like this. I’d figure becoming a girl every so often would make you more open.”

Korri straightened herself. “I just am who I am. Just because my gender gets changed doesn’t mean it turns me into the daughter you want to chat up and do mother-daughter junk with. My name is Jeffrey Adam Morrey. I am your son.” Korri mentally fought the fact that her words felt deflated by her girlish tone of voice.

Regina said softly, “Of course you are. But you’re also Korri right now. You were Jessica last week. You used Cindi a couple of times with shifting, alliterative last names. Personally, I liked when you used Minerva. It’s a pretty name.”

Korri closed her hands at first but she soon relaxed them. She thought about what Bruce had said as well. She felt hesitant to agree with her mother but her mouth twisted between a contrary word and quiet acceptance. Eventually, both negated the other and out slipped, “I don’t know. I just don’t.”

She thought about how much she fought every notion since her mother arrived. Why was she fighting? A quick memory of her dream fed into her thoughts. She couldn’t hold back a shiver. Regina’s hand moved closer.

Korri clutched her hands in front of her. “I just know that I don’t want to lose myself in all this girl stuff. I have an order to things. Stuff happens but I can manage it because I’m still me.”

Dee’s gaze turned full-force on Korri. She edged away. Regina almost shook her head as she said, “I’m not sure what you mean, sweetie.”

“I mean…I don’t want to act like how a girl is supposed to act and all that. I feel bothered by some of the stuff that happened today with this….and I don’t want to talk about it further. It happened but it’s just pretend…acting. Or my imagination.”

Regina’s mouth and eyes widened. “Did…do you feel…something about…someone?”

Korri reiterated that she didn’t want to talk about it further but Regina could read she was right all over Korri’s expression. She glanced at Dee. Korri waved her hand in front of her and resolved, “It doesn’t matter!”

Regina bowed her head. “Okay, sweetie. But I hope everything works out.”

Korri gave a non-committal nod and said, “It’s okay, mom.”

After a quiet moment, Regina stood up from her chair and said, “I should head off…to leave you to what you need to deal with. See ya soon.”

Carefully, Korri stood too. Before Korri could react, Regina gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek and a gentle hug. The closeness reminded her how much she shared her mother’s smell, despite the dry sweat.

Korri responded only, “May the Triforce be with ya, ma.” Regina smirked.