Carol! I quickly start explaining that Hailey has a big sister and big brother now, and I see her mouth twitch at that last part. But I promise her that not all brothers are bad guys. To prove it, I first get Carol on a video call, and I introduce her to her new sister. It is the right thing, because if anyone can place herself in the mind of a twelve year old, it's Carol. I let the two girls chat, and get familiar, but eventually I tell her that Hailey hasn't had a very good experience with her own brother, and she's worried a bit about John.

Carol understands right away, and she chats with Hailey for another five minutes, telling some John stories, but overall comforting her, until she adds John to the call. As Sunny and I look at each other we realize how well we've raised our first two, as John genuinely shows his pleasure in having another sister, and he listens to Hailey talking about her interests. Just a day ago we had to pull teeth to get a word out of her, and now she chats away with her new brother and sister, like they know each other for years.

As the call eventually ends, I ask Hailey, okay? And she smiles. Very okay!

As we all realize she fits just in, I have to burst a bubble unfortunately. We have to talk about school, I explain. The way I understand it, school has started without you. For good reason of course, but we'll have to get you in, and you need to catch up.

I'm clearly hitting a sore point, as I can see her smile disappear, and she asks, do I have to? As I squat in front of her, I say, I'm afraid so, honey. Let me talk to the principal and see what she says. A soft wail escapes from her mouth, as she says, it's a new school. I'm afraid.

I suddenly understand. It's more than worrying about what people will say. They don't have a middle school here, and seventh grade means a new school. A new building. New teachers. A new way of teaching.

Don't worry, I say, I'll help you through it. I'm not really sure if I can keep that promise, but I sure as hell will try. I'll work in the cafeteria if I have to. That last comment brings a smile back on her face, and I suddenly realize what such a promise entails.

I look at Sunny and say, you'll have to go back home by yourself this weekend. I have to be here for Hailey. She nods. No problem. That goes with motherhood. I will take care of getting our stuff moved, and sell our old home. You stay here with Heather and Hailey.

I look at Heather, and ask her, we need to get settled in our ‘new’ home. Will you stick with us for a while? There's a lot of work to do, while Hailey needs to get in a normal rhythm, and having her grandmother around will help a lot. Heather smiles and says, I thought you'd never ask.

My appointment with the principal goes better than well, and I indeed get a job at the school. Not in the kitchen, but I'm a special counselor now, with a tiny office between two classrooms, but much closer to the kids than any administrative office. Three mornings per week, but every day next week, when Hailey goes back.

An unexpected side effect is that half of the school board members are also part of the community board, and this new position will help score points. If only I knew what to do…

I didn't study to be a counselor, I'm a software engineer, a web developer. But I know I'm making a difference already in Hailey's life. What if there are more kids in a difficult situation? I have to find them first, before I can try to help them. And just like that I know what to do.

I know how to make web pages, I know how to make surveys, how to collect data. The school has a web domain, but it says, under construction, please visit us later. It takes half an hour to find the person with the password, and another half hour to get approval to “fix it up”.

It takes me two more hours to have a very basic website, with addresses and phone numbers, as well as pictures of the school buildings. And a working menu to a series of informational pages, that we can slowly fill in. But most importantly, I have a hook into a survey I set up, with twelve questions, that should help identifying any kid that is not perfectly happy. Based on answers, the program will show my phone number in the building as well as my room number, with the promise I will handle personal issues confidential.

Then I use a database that has the email from every kid in the system, as they all have a Chromebook, provided by the school. I send out a message, that my basic website has gone live, and the request to fill out the anonymous survey. The first result comes in, in less than an hour.

By the next day, I have a quarter of responses, which by itself is a great return, although I hope for more of course. Unfortunately, five out of the hundred responses suggest problems in either school or their home, and that means there may be twenty kids like Hailey here, which is much more than I'd have thought.

As I share the first feedback with the principal, she approves of me making posters, to be hung in strategic spots, telling kids to find me, for a confidential conversation. By Friday I have two hundred responses and indeed ten problem kids. One kid knocks on my door.

She's about fourteen. With a crush on a fifteen year old. Her problem? What if her crush turns out to be a boy, like herself? In my minimal experience a problem that only in Amazonia can occur. I ask a few simple questions.

What if her crush is born a girl? That would be great, because I'm a boy.

What if her crush only likes girls? No problem, I can be a girl too.

What if her crush is really a boy that only likes girls? Eh, I told you, I can be a girl.

So, it doesn't really matter if she's a boy or girl, you will adapt, right? Didn't I just say that?

Right. Just one tiny possibility that she is really a boy, and likes boys? My god, what kind of counselor are you? Didn't I just say I can adapt to what she likes?

You're right, sorry… Why don't you buy her some ice cream, and tell her that you like her? Now, that's the advice I expected. Thank you!

At “home”, in the meantime, we work on totally redoing Hailey’s room first. Everything has to go. Then we paint the walls in pink and orange and look for matching curtains and wall covers. There are only so many shops in Amazonia, and not to her taste. But Hailey is scared to leave town. What if she runs into her old family?

Sunny tries to go by herself, but it doesn't feel right. The curtains she finds are not good and need to be returned. Then on Friday, just after lunchtime, after I put my morning hours in at school, I receive a call. Luna, it's Maddy.

Maddy? Oh sorry. It’s Judge Baumeister. Can you three come over right now, and sign all the paperwork? Oh my god! We're on our way…

Hailey forgets all about not wanting to leave town. And Heather comes as well. And half an hour later we are in Maddy’s office, who makes it clear that in her private offices we don't need to call her Judge. I think we just made another friend, and I invite her over to see us in Amazonia.

Before we sign the papers, only one question needs to be answered. Does Hailey want to keep her current last name or… I want to be Hailey Young, just like my new parents. I'm so proud of her!

Fifteen minutes later she's officially ours. And, as a bonus, thanks to the fact we have a judge as a friend, I am officially Luna now, and female as my gender. She even walks with me next door, to get my new driver's license, although it will take a week before I get it in the mail.

We celebrate with ice cream in the mall. And that's where we find her curtains. And wall covers. And dozens more things. We even find her bed, but it will take a week before they can deliver it. No problem.

Back home, Gemma holds us back. We are officially accepted as the newest residents of Amazonia, and we need to sign more paperwork. Another major change in our lives, and we all cheer as we sign to honor Amazonian rule.

On Saturday we take Sunny to the airport, and we hug her goodbye. I hold Hailey’s hand as she waves, going through security. It's just us now for the next couple of weeks.

As I try to keep the rental longer, like for another month at least, I learn it's not possible. But, if I don't mind a small truck, they have one that hasn't been rented for more than two months now. We get it for a monthly price that is less than we paid for the SUV we just returned. Just what we need!

On our way back we pick up Hailey's new bed, now that we have our own truck, and we do some late back-to-school shopping. I can feel her clinging to me, and in a way, with Sunny gone for a while, she's all I've got now as well. As we share a pizza together in the mall I bring it up. I ask her if she can help me buy another dress, as I'm still learning how to be a woman. And although she has always been a girl, she's heading into becoming a woman too, so maybe I can help her in return.

She's looking at me like I'm telling her a fairytale. Then she asks, you want me to help you? And as I wonder if I asked too much from her, she explains that her biological mother never asked her for anything in her entire life. Other than “be quiet”, and that didn't seem like asking.

Well, I conclude, things will change a bit then for you. We all give and take some. Ask and receive. As a matter of fact, I was going to ask you if you want to come with me to yoga. I have a mandatory class twice a week now, and I'm totally clueless in what to do. Will you help me?

She jumps up and hugs me. Yes! Oh yes! I'd love that! We will need matching yoga outfits. As I simply enjoy this girl's love, I realize how quickly I accepted being her mother. Sunny always had a closer relationship with Carol, but Hailey is all mine right now.

Hailey can't wait to go back shopping. She saw a yoga outfit in one of the shops earlier this week, and she's sure it's right for me. And right she is. I marvel at the tight fit on me, and how sexy I feel, and how undeniable feminine it is. And the best part? They have a kids version as well. She looks great in it, and I can tell she is going to become a beautiful woman. But thank God, she's still a kid right now.

And this same kid finds me a dress. Much sexier than what I have, and less Stepfordish. I just need to get my ears pierced, according to her. And of course I can't deny her own ear piercing. I buy her diamond studs and she cries from happiness, then she points at a set of drapes that are perfect for me. I drop a tear myself as I slowly see the style she has in mind for me.

As we drive home she asks if I've seen the dresses in her father's walk-in closet. He'd left them all behind, most never touched. She thinks they may fit me, and they're definitely sexy. We've been too busy this week for us to notice, as we have concentrated on Hailey’s room, and the downstairs area, and we still slept at Heather's.

We get permission to drive our car into town, with roads just wide enough for two golf carts to pass. Most homes have turned their driveway into a play or sports area, lots of basketball, volleyball and badminton courts. We have just a hoop, but for now it makes it easy to unload the truck. Did I say easy? It's hell!

I had no idea how heavy the different boxes were, when two guys back at the shop loaded them in our car. But, in a dress and three inch heels, with a twelve year old to help, we can't even move the smallest box. Then suddenly someone starts screaming.

We hadn't seen our closest neighbor yet this week, where Hailey's best friend Emma lives. She said they had been in Europe for the past month. But apparently they came back today. I see a girl hugging Hailey, so I assume it's Emma. And behind her must be Liz, the mother, who shows quite some muscles in her tank top.

It takes over half an hour to explain everything that has happened in the past weeks, and in the way both Liz and Emma apologize for not having been there for Hailey, when her world came tumbling down, tells me they really care. Likewise, I hear a few things about Hailey's previous parents, not trying to build any relationship since they moved in, and how often Liz took care of Hailey, and my brand-new mother instinct recognizes another mother who cares. I know right away she and I will be very good friends, just like our daughters.

It's funny how I'm the girly one, next to Liz, as she takes control over the unloading of the bed. The four of us get everything upstairs, where Emma loves the new look. As Liz and I get some tools from her workshop she tells me some about her life.

Before Amazonia, she and Emma lived with her husband about a hundred miles away. When she found out he was cheating on her, and she confronted him about it, he molested her so badly, she spent a month in the hospital recovering. The husband was arrested and spent three years in jail, as she and Emma moved to Amazonia after the divorce, where they built a new life. She worked in a salon here in town, and took ownership of it about two years ago.

One of her resolutions was to never be hurt again by a man, and she had taken strength training and martial arts, and become very confident in her body, but she knew already she'd never leave Amazonia, other than for shopping in the city, or for vacation, or visiting family.

She had taken all her husband's tools, and as girly as I may be right now, I know how to use tools. I make my pick and she and I put the bed together. She's already inquiring if I can help with a few problems in her home, and I'm pretty sure I can handle them all.

The queen sized bed is very comfortable, and Hailey wants to know if she can sleep in it tonight. Of course, I answer. Then she wants to know from Liz and me if Emma can sleep over. I have no problem with that either, but it's really Liz's decision. She looks at me in wonder, as in Hailey's previous life that would have never been an option. Of course she agrees, but she herself wants to stay over as well.

She grills burgers on her patio, and we all eat together. But we settle on our deck, my first time, with a bottle of wine, as the girls settle in Hailey's new room. I get Sunny on a video call, and tell everything that happened since she left this morning, then introduce Liz to her.

It clicks right away between them, and at some point Liz literally asks if Sunny has a problem if Liz sleeps in my bed tonight. It's the first time for me as well, sleeping in our new home, and it would be easier on me to have some company. I know for sure that Sunny will never allow me to sleep with another woman, but apparently that rule was linked to me being a man, as I hear Sunny negotiate that she will get her share with Liz as well. This is a new reality, as Liz gets the assignment to teach me the ropes of being a woman.

When the wine is done and we check on the girls, both are sleeping in the big bed, with a smile on their faces. I hope that Hailey can regain her innocence for many more years, as I wonder what's in store for me myself.