Ellie

17

The sun rose and everything fell. Today was the day my life turned upside-down. Yawning, I walked into my mom and dad’s room to see what they were doing. The moment I walked through the doorway, I saw my dad (not my mom) squatting on the floor, painting his toenails in dazzling red. I rubbed my eyes, trying to awake from my fantasy-like dreams. But it was not a dream. It was real. My own dad, an Olympian in his golden days, was actually crouching down on his bum, polishing and drying his own nails in scarlet red.
Then, during breakfast, while dad was scooping up his cheerios with a hand bombarded by red fingernails, he abruptly declared out of nowhere that he was going to transform into a chick! Sixty-five years of living as a man, but why now all of a sudden? My sisters and I simultaneously dropped our spoons into our cereal bowls, splashing milk all over. 
 “What? Are you crazy, dad?”
“Yeah, I’m dead-serious, hon. Since the moment I was born, I have behaved, thought, and desired as a woman. Now, I’m sick of hiding my true identity and I ain’t gonna care of how people think of me, young lady. Don’t you dare call me crazy. You darn don’t even have a single idea of what I gotta go through for the past six decades!”
“But Dad… I seriously think you’re just in mid-life crisis. Maybe you’ll get over it in a few weeks. But changing yourself into a woman… I think you’re outta your mind, insane, for god’s sake!”
“Whatevaaa, girl. You hush your mouth, miss. I’m gonna live my life.”
With his strong black accent, my dad defied strongly. My sisters and I were paralyzed in complete shock.
“Is it April Fool’s Day, today?” My six-year-old younger sister innocently asked.
“No, honey, it’s July.”
My dad was as stubborn as a bull, or maybe I should now say, a cow . He was completely obstinate about transforming into a woman. He had even made appointments with the doctor. He seemed to have probed about the issue for quite a while and no matter what we said, or how strongly we persuaded him, he would not change his mind.
“So dad! ” I asked nonchalantly, “When is the big d-day for your metamorphosis?”
“Next week Friday,” he replied, while brushing his hair in a very feminine manner.
Did I just hear correctly? Next week… that was so soon, no, that was way too soon! Not only was I not at all ready for this, but I just wanted to put my dad into a coma so that he would stop spurting his wild and unrealistic thoughts.
I stomped back up to my room, sat down, and began to roll the wheels in my head. After about an hour or so, the light bulb finally turned on, and I came up with the perfect plan. I rummaged like a wildcat through my closet and fervently fetched out a barbie doll’s wig of silver blond hair, (this one I got for my high school play) two bra cups, (size C, I suppose) some make-up tools, (my favs) seven-inch shiny silver high heels, (ones I bought from Steve Madden, but I barely wear because I can’t even walk in them) and a pink dress (the one I wore for high school prom, uggh). With these, I rushed back down the stairs to where my dad was. This time, he was watching one of his favorite TV shows, Drop Dead Diva.
Blocking the TV screen, I blurted out,
 “Dad! I challenge you to a diva mission. If you pass this test, I will grant you the permission of transforming from Alex into Alexandria.”
“What are you tryin’ to do, honey?”
“You have to live life as a complete woman without getting caught for a day.”
“K, kay~”
Dad didn’t even look up at me.
“Dad. Put these on and walk around Hollywood like you own it.”
When my dad saw the wig, make-up, dress, high heels, and bra cups in my hands, his face instantly lit up. 
 “OH. MY, GOSH. You are totally a doll. Come on, gimme those. I wanna try them on right now!” My dad was as excited as a kid getting his birthday presents. 
He eagerly put his wig on his head, stuffed the bra cups into his top, applied full make-up, (where in the world did he learn how to do that) and twirled in the shiny pink dress. Finally, he slipped on the pair of Steve Madden 7-inch heels and stood up. Woah, a giant woman was in front of me!
 “Hey gurl, now I’m ready. Let’s go out and have the time of our lives. But first, let me take a selfie.”
***
Minutes later, I found myself in the mall being dragged around my dad, or Miss Alex. I was soo embarrassed that I kept a distance from him the whole time. I was afraid that people would look at dad weirdly and talk behind his back. Then, what if they think weird about me? That’s even worse. Technically, I was shopping with my dad, a drag queen. But, at the same time I felt like I was here with one of my best girlfriends. He used all his knowledge from Cosmopolitan and Instyle to choose the best fashion items for me, I mean, us. To my surprise, most other people did not even recognize my dad as a man, but instead, viewed him as an ordinary woman. Some people even told me that I had a gorgeous mother.
“Dad, what do you think of this shirt?”
“Umm… I don’t think you look good in orange. That orange is ugly and it’s hard to pull off, especially with your skin tone. Speaking of which, why don’t you try this on?”
He chose me a white shirt instead, and I loved how it looked on me. In the end, our hands were full of the latest shopping items. I was in fact, happier to shop with my dad, and slowly my thoughts about him started to change.
Our next stop was Cheesecake Factory.
“Could we have a red velvet cake, two cups of coffee, and a small vanilla pudding?” My dad ordered.
“Sure, maam. Would you like some sugar in your coffee? By the way, I love your nails. Where did you get those colors?” The waitress asked, peering into his bright red nails. 
 “Oh, thanks. I just did them myself.” My dad answered proudly, with a grand smile on his face. While we were enjoying our dessert, my dad asked me an unexpected question.
“So… do you have a boyfriend, hon?”
“Why do you ask…?”
“Well… I’m just curious about my daughter’s sweet love stories,” my dad said in a teasing way.
“Umm… I do actually, but I don’t think he likes me. He doesn’t reply to my texts right away, and he never makes the first move. But I really like him. Do you have any tips for me?”
“Oh, poor honey. Here’s what you should do. First, don’t explicitly show that you like him. Don’t text him first all the time, don’t ask him out, and don’t flirt with him too much. Play hard to get. Guys love challenge. Make him want you. Make him desire you. You are my daughter, and you have the pretty genes. You can get any guy you want. Oh, and please do something with your hair, darling. I think it would look much better if you trimmed it a bit, and maybe get a perm.”
Although I just nodded my head as I took a sip of my coffee, inside, I was actually persuaded. I was slowly starting to accept my father’s new sexual identity, and to be honest, I did not hate it. 
 On our way home, my dad suddenly started to sing.
“If I were a girl, even just for a day, I’d roll out of bed in the morning and put on all my make up and go. Shop with the girls and get my nails done. I would chase after boys and never get confronted for it.”
***
For a whole day, my dad was my perfect best girl friend, and I had the time of my life. I slowly began to understand how hard it must have been for my dad to live inside a shell for sixty-five years as someone who he really wasn’t. I decided that it was now time for him to emerge into the world as a colorful, shining, and confident butterfly.
“Dad, you know what? You have officially passed the mission.”
Dad looked into my eyes with sincerity.
“Thank you for understanding sweetie. And thank you for giving me a chance and accepting me as who I am.” Just as I was about to burst into tears, my younger sister ran in.
“Daddy! Let’s play with my Barbie dolls!” exclaimed my youngest sister. 
 “Sure! Let’s go!”
“Daddy’s the best!”
The two ran into the playroom with their favorite barbie dolls. While watching them, I had never seen my dad look so happy. He didn’t even look that exuberant when he won the gold medal. Now, I could understand my dad’s true feelings and how important it was to love oneself and the people around you.
***
Finally, it was d-day. My mom, sisters, and I were waiting anxiously at home for my dad, I mean, my second mom. It was time for her to arrive. It was time for her to awake and live a new life. We heard the car pull into the driveway, and footsteps approaching the door. My hands were pressed against my sweaty palms, my heart beating rapidly.
Then Alex, or Alexandria, slowly turned the knob.