‘‘Hi Marianne, I couldn’t find the phone again,’’ she said when her friend picked up.
‘‘How’s it going with the boy?’’
‘‘It’s okay, I suppose. I really wish he’d been a girl though; life would be so much easier.’’
‘‘I already told you, you’ve time on your side. You could get him to understand that his life would be better if he lived it as a girl.’’
‘‘I don’t know if I dare. What would his father say?’’
‘‘If you handle it right, you could be the really sympathetic one, looking after his poor confused child.You could get them both on your side.’’
‘‘You make it sound so simple.’’
‘‘It could be if you listen to your best friend,’’
‘‘Okay, let’s say that you’ve convinced me. How could I go about it?’’
‘‘You have the services of an expert here,’’ Marianne said. ‘‘Remember, I’m a trained psychologist
and counsellor. I do a lot of work with transsexuals and I think with a careful programme, you could work some magic on Jude.’’
‘‘He’s not shown any sign of wanting to be a girl.’’
‘‘That doesn’t matter. From what you’ve told me, he isn’t dating anyone and he looks as if he could be a convincing girl. All you have to do is seduce him into thinking that it’s what he wants.’’
‘‘If only it was as simple as you make it sound.’’
‘‘It is simple. Each step along the road is simple. Don’t think about it as a huge problem. It’s about building on small changes.’’