Discuss terms

"Hi Honey"

You offer sheepishly as you creep out of the basement.

"Good morning Penny"

That name again... She had her back turned to you and didn't look over immediately, she was transferring pancakes to a plate from a hot frying pan. You look for your suitcase which isn't where you left it.

"Where's my suitcase?"

"I threw it out."

She said this so matter-of-factly that you felt a little dumb asking the obvious follow up question, like it was a trap.

"Uh, why?"

You saw her shoulders visibly drop as she sighed and turned around to look at you.

"Those are boy clothes Penny. Me and the girls picked out some better things for you last night. At least until we can get you measured and a proper shopping session in."

She indicated a half dozen shopping bags on the kitchen table.

You had talked around it but it seemed like pretending that yesterday hadn't happened wasn't an option.

"I guess we should just get around to the terms you were talking about. I've decided to stay, at least for now."

"At least for now?"

"Yeah, I will try... try doing it your way... but if it's not for me I can always leave."

Most people wouldn't have noticed her reaction when you mentioned that you could leave but you knew her almost as well as yourself. She was putting on a firm exterior but the idea of you leaving hurt her too. She didn't say anything in response to your hedge and just launched into a list of terms she had obviously work shopped with her friends last night.

"Alright, the terms. You're Penny now, you don't answer to Trevor anymore. We're in an open marriage, no negotiations on that one. In fact to the wider world we're just really close friends and roommates."

She paused to let you respond if you dared. You didn't.

"As Penny you're going to put a good faith effort into living as a woman. You're going to dress like a woman, you're going to walk like a woman, you're going to talk like a woman, you're going to sit to pee like a woman. In fact the first thing I need you to do is put on the outfit in the pink and blue bag and throw out your last set of boy clothes."

As if an afterthought.

"Oh yeah, and shower with this lotion first, you smell like the airport."

She points to an unlabeled bottle next to the bags.