We Happy Few

You hurry to your car and zip home as fast as afternoon traffic would let you. As you pull up to the house you notice Aunt Peg's expensive grey coupe parked out front. You knew your mom had said she was talking to Peg today, hopefully you'd find out if she had been serious about that procedure she could do to you. You park and grab your pack and rush to the front door.

As you enter you call out. "I'm home!"

You see El round the corner from the kitchen, a big pretty smile on her face. You grin from ear to ear at the sight of her. The pair of you rush together and take each other by the hands.

"Hi El."

"Hi Jesse."

You rub noses and stare into each other's eyes.

"I missed you."

"I missed you too."

You beam at each other like lovesick fools, just happy to be together once more. You just somehow felt more...complete when she was around.

You hear your mother laugh to your left. "Those two...peas in a pod..."

Turning you notice your mom and aunt sitting together in the living room watching the pair of you. You laugh. "Sorry...hello Aunt Peg. Hi Mom." Just the way they were sitting together you could tell that your mother had confessed her feelings for Peg already.

Your mother waves you over. She and Peg make room for you between them. "Come here my girl. We need to talk."

Taking off your shoes and setting down your pack you make your way over and sit between them. El takes up a seat on the chair to the right.

Your mother pats you on the knee. "Good news. Peggy said if we're pregnant she can help us out."

You smile at your aunt.

Your Aunt nods. "Yeah, no problem. I hear there was something else that you wanted to ask me too."

You look to Elsie then around to your mother, they both look at you supportively. Turning back to Peg you nod. "Yes. I, um, I want to be like you guys. I want to be a normal Bailey. Mom said you could do that."

Peg has a gentle smile across her striking face. She actually laughs lightly. "I'm surprised it took you so long to ask."

You tilt your head and look at her, puzzled. "You are?"

She nods. "Jesse, surely you've noticed that you are the only...well to put it bluntly...the only normal person in the family."

You weren't sure how 'normal' you were but you understood her point.

She continues. "The thing is, given our family's mutation, you are an aberration. Believe it or not, in this family, being normal is abnormal. A little wrinkle in our otherwise perfectly impervious mutation. How can I say this?" She thinks a moment. "Jesse, I think you are quite literally a woman inside a man's body. A Bailey woman that is. You just came out different." You nod vigorously. That is exactly how you felt. She is happy that you seemed to be following along. "Your mind is instinctively reaching for what it knows to be right and natural. It must have been hard for you all this time." She places her hand on your shoulder and gives you a loving look. "I can help you Jesse. I am happy to help you."

You give her a big hug as both El and your mother grin and share in your joy.

Peggy hugs you back. After a long time you finally let her go with a big happy grin on your face.

Your aunt looks around. "We few, we happy few, we band of sisters. We are the vanguard."

El looks at her. "What do you mean?"

"I...I am less and less convinced this is just some random mutation. I mean it was a random mutation, no doubt, but...I think this is the beginning of a new evolution." Your aunt looks around at the three of you. "Let me put it this way. Our genes will always produce women like us with the occasional...wrinkle...like Jesse here and there. First there was your great grandma. One. Then there was your grandma. One. Then there was your mother and I. Two. Now there are Chloe and you three and maybe another one on the way. That's five." You could see her mind was excited by the possibility. "Now what happens in the next generation? In two? In ten? In a hundred?"

The room is dead quiet except for a ticking clock on the wall as Peg's point starts to take root in your mind. A hundred generations? There might be thousands, possibly even millions, of people like your family!

Your aunt then says. "Theoretically, given enough time, eventually everyone will become like us. This might sound overly dramatic but...I think we are the beginnings of the next step of human evolution."

You were all stunned, unsure of what to say next. El just gasps. "Wow!"

Peg then laughs. "But...in the meantime it's just us. We happy few." She takes you around the shoulder and pulls you close once more. "We happy few. Let me know when you want this Jesse and we will get it done."

You lay your head on her shoulder. "As soon as possible Aunt Peg, as soon as possible."