I was universally recognized as a woman. It was maybe ironic that I had not been playing a role; I had truly collapsed in the face of that brutal reminder that I could never be what I so longed to be. Moncho had set me up for it, but I had not seen it coming. I lacked the devious cunning of a living lawyer. We resumed our ordinary life. When we went shopping, as I insisted on doing because it was the woman thing, the local women quietly caught my eye and smiled before moving on. It was as if I had won a battle for my gender as well as my person. Maybe I had. The men just nodded. They all wished me well. Mona, to my regret, moved on. She had courses to take as she studied for her future legal career. I wished her well there, but was sad to lose her company. Banner liked her? So did I. My programming was not adept at dealing with any triangle situation, but consciously I would have preferred to share Banner with her if that meant she would remain with us. I had several things on my agenda.
