Shoshone Station: The Galactic Consortium season 2

Episode 7: Homecoming #7

 Sophie awoke in her childhood bed in the room she had shared with Brevick. She was facing the wall. As she looked back to see what had woken her, she saw her brother's retreating back as he left the room. She waited long enough to see if he would return, and when he did not, she climbed out of bed and dressed quickly.

Brevick, wet from the shower, had obviously beaten her to the kitchen by only a few minutes, judging from the conversation as she came down the hall. "Why is there a girl in my bedroom?"

"That's not a girl. That's your brother, Zach. Came home last night," Mom replied.

"No way," Brevick said. Sophie appeared at the end of the hallway, and he turned toward her. "You look like a girl," he said. "Is that because you're one of them gays now? Drag queen? One of them he-she people?"

Sophia just stared at him, angry and unsure how to answer.

"Brevick!" His mother snapped. "Is that any way to talk? Zach is back. I would think you'd be happy."

"Yeah, whatever," he replied dismissively. "I'm going to be late for work. And you know how Dad feels about that." He headed for the door, but turned just as he got there and added, "And I'm not sharing a room with that."

"I'm just back to visit Mom," Sophia snapped. "So don't worry. I'll be out of your hair soon enough."

"Good." He slammed the door as he left.

Sophia sighed and gathered her composure. "He's really starting to look like Dad," she said.

"And act like him," Shaelynn added from the hallway. She came over and gave Sophia a hug. "I'm sorry. I'm still glad that you're here, even if it's just for a visit."

Sophia let go of her sister and turned toward her mom. "We really need to talk about that," she said.

"What?" Mom's tone was soft, a little too innocent.

"Why I'm here," Sophia said. Her mom looked away. "Mom. Talk to me. I want to know what's going on."

"Let's get you guys some breakfast."

"I'll get the breakfast. You two talk," Shaelynn said, her voice firm. When Mom gave her a look, Shaelynn shook her head. "No. That worked last night. Not this morning."

Mom looked back and forth between the two of them. "God, you're both stubborn. And you to look so much alike. Did you always look this much alike?"

Sophia took her mom by the arm and guided her to the kitchen table. "I'll make you a deal. You tell me everything Dr. Brigham said, and I will explain why we look so much alike."

They sat, and mom talked dutifully. "I found a lump." Her voice was cold and clinical, but her eyes betrayed her fear. "At first I thought, hoped, it would just go away. Dr. Brigham did some x-rays. That's all there really is to tell. She wants me to see some specialist in Fort Collins. But we can't afford that."

"Meaning Dad doesn't want to afford that," Shaelynn added, her voice bitter. She set plates in front of them filled with eggs, bacon, and pancakes.

"We can't afford it," mom repeated. "Besides, the specialist isn't even Mormon, let alone of our sect. I can't just let some outsider poke and prod at my private bits. So that's that. It's the will of God."

"Is it malignant? How bad is it? How long has this been going on?" The questions spilled out of Sophia.

"That isn't all there is to tell," Shaelynn said in a stern voice. "Tell Zach the other part."

"We don't know if it's malignant or not." Shaelynn stared at her mother, who blushed and looked down. "It's gotten bigger though."

"How long?" Sophia asked.

"I noticed it first a couple months ago."

Sophia stared at her in shock. "A couple months ago? And you've already noticed it's bigger?"

Mom gave the tiniest of nods.

"It's malignant," Shaelynn said. "It has to be if it's bigger already. And Dr. Brigham thinks so too. She said a lot of those big medical words. But I understood some of it, like 'malignant' and 'invasive.' She wanted to send her straightaway to the guy in Fort Collins. Like, that day."

"Well, I didn't go," Mom said, crossing her arms in front of her. "And I'm not going to. I prayed on it."

"With the elders," Shaelynn muttered.

"And they gave me some books and stuff." She got up, went to the bookshelf, and came back with three books. Sophia read the titles: The Power of Prayer, Miracles of Healing, and Accepting God's Will in Your Life.

"This is their solution?" Sophia spluttered. "The power of prayer?"

"Don't you believe in the power of prayer?" Mom demanded. "Or have you forsaken your faith?"

Something Charles had once said came to Sophia just then, and before she could stop herself, the words shot out of her mouth. "If you want to be healed through the power of prayer, pray for a good doctor."

Shaelynn dropped her fork and stared at Sophia. Then a laugh came bubbling up out of her, and she dissolved into a fit of giggling. Mom had the same reaction just a few beats later. "You will be a good doctor someday," Mom said when she'd recovered. "I can see that. You are always so caring, so passionate. You're going to have to watch your tongue around Dad. Fine, I'll pray for a good doctor. But a wife must be subservient to her husband and to the elders. So, unless they change their mind, I had better pray that Dr. Brigham is a miracle healer. Now, you had something to tell me?"

And so, Sophia talked. She used the Consortium term "saras prakrita," rather than "transgender," hoping to avoid the knee-jerk reaction to that term. She emphasized again and again that the healers on the station had said her body itself had little "push" for being masculine, that what she had undergone was more than just wanting to be female. Her mom's eyes narrowed suspiciously, but she held her tongue until Sophia was finished.

There was silence for a moment, then her mom said, "So, you have forsaken your faith."

"If the elders can't see that this condition is real, that this was the only way for me to move forward with my life," Sophia replied, "then the faith forsook me."

Mom closed her eyes, and a tear slid down her cheek. "I don't know what to say to that. But I don't want to fight. I don't want to drive you away again."

It was a far cry from acceptance, but in the moment, it was enough. Sophia came across the table and hugged her mom while they both cried. Shaelynn joined them.

Sophia promised them both that she would not just up and run away ever again.