Honey, I'm Home!

"Honey, I'm home!" John's voice squeaked. He'd thought long and hard on his bus trip about what to say when he got home. Should he enter quietly and slowly reintroduce himself into home life? Should he call ahead from a neutral location and warn his family of his arrival? Having no idea about what news had gotten to his family, what they knew about his new life, his new looks, John decided to just jump into the pool, announcing himself the way he used to, back before the Great Shift.

Of course, his new voice didn't quite carry the same tone his old voice did. Gone was his baritone bellow, replaced by a soprano squeak. John's new voice had a slightly nasal quality, almost to the edge of whiny. In his time away, John had gotten used to it, a familiar tone in his ears. Hearing those familiar words, though, brought a tinge of sadness, of loss, which John immediately shoved away from himself. The Great Shift was nothing but a win for him! He'd gained years to his life! His health! John fully embraced the Great Shift, and wouldn't allow himself to feel sad over a silly thing like his new voice.

So relieved was John when his wife, Mina, came to the front door and met him that he began to cry. Mina was still Mina! It was better than he could have imagined! Sure, he knew that some people hadn't changed, but his wife? So much of the world had been turned upside down. To have the woman he loved still the same woman, unchanged, was like a gift from God. All the anxiety he had been carrying about the reunification that he hadn't acknowledged began to wash off his back, leaving him a blubbering mess.

"Are you...?" Mina said, staring at him with confusion in her eyes. Then, after what felt like an eternity, clarity, "John?!"

"Mina! Baby!" John squealed, wiping his eyes. His mascara must be a mess! After getting off of the bus, and before he got in the taxi, John had made sure to stop and get himself presentable. Since he'd decided to embrace the Great Shift, which he was sure would be what his family would have done (they were, after all, HIS family!), he wore his fanciest dress (a short black number that showed off his spectacular legs), do his hair (a braid that Justine had shown him how to do), and, of course, make-up. John wanted to look good for his family. He hadn't anticipated crying, though. Before he inhabited Starla's body, John hadn't cried in years. He was, after all, a middle aged man! Crying wasn't an acceptable practice for someone like him.

Mina stared at him with an expression in her eyes that he hadn't seen there before. Was she in shock? Was she upset? Horrified?

John didn't care. It would take time to adjust. The whole planet was doing it.

"I'm so glad to see you!" He rushed into her arms, standing on his tiptoes to reach her lips for a kiss, hoping she liked the taste of his lipstick, while making a mental note to try to wear higher heels. It wouldn't do to always have a husband have to make his wife bend down like this whenever they wanted to kiss.