Son, I'm Bi

By Rebecca Flannery

Son, I'm Bi continues the lives of several characters in Mom, I'm Gay and Mom, I'm Trans, while introducing some new twists. Friendship, family and faith are central to this LGBTQ+ Christian Romance story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rebecca Flannery
• Release date: Sep 26, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215997871

Rebecca Flannery

I have been active in promoting LGBTQI equality for many years. I grew up in upstate New York, but have been a resident of Indiana for over forty years. I actively campaigned for marriage equality and I regularly sent emails and letters to legislators on this topic. I was embarrassed by the legislators who supported RFRA in my state, and I hope to bring a message of loving all our neighbors without judgment through my books.September 2023I am more concerned about equality now than I was when I published Mom, I'm Gay in 2013. We must continue to work for protections for all members of the LGBTQI+ community. I continue to work and fight for equality for all. I published my second book, Mom, I'm Trans, in 2019. I have finished writing Son, I'm Bi September 2023. These books continue with many of the same characters found in Mom, I'm Gay, as well as introducing new ones. I have also developed a keen interest in swans, and have completed a book entitled The Swans of Midland Trace Trail. I am hoping to publish it here on Smashwords over the winter.

Book preview

Son, I’m Bi

Rebecca Diehl Flannery

Copyright 2023

Rebecca Diehl Flannery Smashwords Edition

Cover image by Alicia_mb on Freepik

License Notes

Thank you for downloading this free e-book. Although this is a free book, it remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. These books are all works of fiction. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com. Thank you for your support.

Forward

It’s been five years since I published Mom, I’m Trans, and eleven years since I published

Mom, I’m Gay. Some of the characters in this story appeared in the previous books, and some are new. I’ve tried to create stories that foster acceptance and understanding of the LGBTQ+ community.

My support for writing these books has come from my faith, my husband, my family, and my friends. I’m grateful for those who shared their stories with me, which helped me create authentic characters. I thank you all for your encouragement, acceptance, and feedback. My motivation is to promote acceptance for others who might be dealing with this subject. It is not meant to offend, just to offer a view that might be different from your own experience.

If, after reading these books, you are so moved, please consider donating to the Human Rights Campaign, FreedHearts, TREES, or another organization that promotes acceptance.

Son, I’m Bi

Chapter 1

Alex made his way from work to Mara and Jim’s, where his son, five-year-old Bo, was spending his afterschool time today. He hopped on the bus that picked him up in front of the hospital and would deposit him two blocks from their place. He wasn’t sure what made him think about it at the moment – perhaps it was the advertisement for fish tacos that he noticed when he took his seat on the bus, but as he sat down, he recalled the wonderful party he’d been given to celebrate his graduation from the X-ray technician program. It had been amazing to see all the people who had supported him for the years since Bo was born and Alex had worked his way through school, not to mention their support of his transition. Marshall and Bob, who were two friends from church as well as Jim’s son and son-in-law, had hosted the party. Between Bob’s home cooked contributions and the food catered by Our Place, which had included fish tacos, it had been an amazing spread. When Tony and Rose Marie, the owners of Tony’s Pizza and Alex’s former employers, showed up with half a dozen pizzas, Alex’s younger brothers, Cameron and Riley, had made a beeline to them. Unlike most of the guests, his brothers weren’t so keen on coconut shrimp or fish tacos, and they thought Bob’s amazing beef brisket was just okay, but they sure loved pizza!

The party was a real celebration, and it had been a little uncomfortable for Alex to be at the center of it all, but what wonderful memories he had! He didn’t know if he’d ever be able to show his appreciation, not only to Marshall and Bob for hosting it, but to Juanita, Mara and Jim, Andrea, Lilly and the rest of the folks at the Center, and Connie, the pastor of his church, Heaven’s Haven. They had all insisted it was not necessary to thank them at all, and the best thing Alex could do was pay it forward

Two years had passed since his graduation. He’d been hired by the same hospital where he had worked as a receptionist in the radiology department while he attended school to become an X-ray technician. He recalled that Lilly had shown him the application was friendly to non-binary folks, and had encouraged him to apply for a position there. Now he was working 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. three days a week as an X-ray technician. Occasionally, he was asked to work a fourth day, and he rarely turned it down. The salary he was earning enabled him to rent a two-bedroom condo a little closer to the hospital, but still not far from Mara and Jim, who had been incredibly supportive. He hoped to be able to purchase the condo, or buy one like it someday. Bo was in kindergarten now, and Alex dropped him off at school at the before school program when he was scheduled for work on school days, and either Mara and Jim, or Andrea, who was a good friend to Alex and Bo and a former neighbor of Mara’s, helped with him afterschool and on weekends when he worked. On occasion, Ellen, Alex’s mother, and Alex’s brothers, or Aunt Kim, Ellen’s sister, came for the weekend and helped with Bo, too. Uncle Rich, who just didn’t understand the transgender ‘thing’ and didn’t seem interested in trying, never came. Grandpa didn’t come very often. His dementia was getting worse, and traveling just caused him too much confusion, so he stayed back home with Uncle Rich.

Bo had played T-ball in the summer, and as he had hoped would be possible one day, Alex was one of his coaches. When Bo had games, he often had the biggest crowd cheering for him. Bo felt like one of the pros he watched on TV with his dad, with all the hollering his fans did when he came up to bat or tried to make a play in the outfield. Mara and Jim came to nearly every game. Juanita often came, too, as did Marshall, Bob and Andrea. When Ellen was in town, of course she came, and one Saturday, Bo’s Sunday School teacher from Heaven’s Haven had come. Bo loved all these fans and he loved playing baseball. In high school, before his transition, Alex had played on the girls’ softball team.

Following his dream to transition, Alex was taking hormones, and with his deeper voice, now nearly nonexistent breasts, and a good deal of facial hair, no one who met him these days guessed he had been born female or had given birth to Bo. Nowadays he sported a very tight crew cut and a well-trimmed goatee, and Alex exuded all-male. He was Bo’s dad, that was clear. He had a weight set at home, and the time he spent working out after Bo was in bed showed in his muscular build. He had begun to date on occasion, but had stuck to trans websites. He had decided not to pursue bottom surgery until later in life. He was confident he would have a partner in the future, but also dedicated to making Bo’s life the best he could right now

He hopped off the bus and jogged the two blocks to Jim and Mara’s. When he rang the doorbell, Bo opened the door.

Dad! Guess what? Look at the new book Jim gave me! And he held up a book about baseball. Alex was barely in the door and Bo was thrusting the book in front of his face as Jim walked up behind him.

Hey, Alex! How was work? Sorry about the book – I found it at the bookstore the other day and I thought it was perfect for Bo.

Want to read it, Dad? Bo, who had no memory of calling his father Dama – a word that was a combination of dad and mom that Alex and Juanita had created, was ready to plop down right there in the foyer, but Alex stopped him.

Bo, buddy, can we read it for your bedtime story?

I thought you would say that! Bo was disappointed, but Mara was walking into the foyer now with a plastic bag of what looked like freshly baked peanut butter kisses, Bo and Alex’s favorite cookies.

Mara! You didn’t bake those for us, did you?

Before she had a chance to answer, Bo said, "I helped make them with her, Dad! And Mara says I’m a very good cooker."

Everyone smiled as the little boy, who already looked a lot like his uncles Cameron and Riley, earnestly proclaimed his ability.

Knowing that they would be leaving shortly, Mara handed Alex Bo’s backpack after she slid the bag of cookies in the outside pocket and told him Bo had no homework, but he had brought home a permission slip for Alex to sign about an upcoming field trip.

As they headed home, another short walk just a few blocks away from the condo where they had lived when Alex was going to school, Bo explained to his father that the class was going to visit a pumpkin patch. It was late September.

Today Ms. M read a story about pumpkins, Bo talked the entire way home. She says she’ll read a pumpkin story every day from now until our field trip.

Do you remember the jack-o-lantern we made last year? Alex asked.

Bo nodded. Yeppers, Dad! It had one big tooth and a big smile. I think this year, we should make it one a little scarier.

Alex smiled at that, remembering how uninterested Bo had been when he showed him some pictures of scary looking carved pumpkins on the computer last Halloween. He had wanted a happy jack-o-lantern!

This night wasn’t very different than any of the nights Jim or Mara picked Bo up after school. As they walked home, Bo told Alex all about dinner and making cookies, and confessed that Jim had read the book once to him already, but it was a really good story and he wanted to read it again. After he had showered and put on his pajamas, Alex did just that. Then he said good night and headed for the kitchen to make his own dinner.

As he opened the refrigerator door, Alex couldn’t help thinking that the refrigerator in this condo was much different than the first one he had when moving here right after high school. Actually, his first place had been a room was over Tony’s pizza shop, and it didn’t even have a refrigerator. The next place, a small studio apartment across the hall from Juanita, had an ancient refrigerator with a very small freezer. This one was stainless steel and side by side, and had plenty in it, which had not ever been the case at the studio, both because there was no space and because money was tight.

Tonight, he took out some lunch meat and made a sandwich for himself, and one for Bo’s lunch the next day. He carefully wrapped it, put it in the refrigerator. Then he retrieved Bo’s lunchbox from his backpack. He removed the ice pack and placed it in the freezer, knowing he would put it in the lunchbox in the morning when he packed Bo up for school. He added some grapes and left the rest of the bunch out to enjoy with his sandwich. Next, he packed a small bag with two of the cookies Bo had made with Mara, and left two out for himself. As he did every evening, he put a short note to Bo – Love You, Bo! to put inside the lunchbox. Sometimes, Bo left that day’s note in his lunchbox, and Alex reused it. But today called for a fresh note. He put the lunchbox in the fridge and brought his sandwich to the computer on the small built-in desk in the corner of the kitchen. It was time to catch up with some of the members from the trans group from church. Nowadays, instead of attending one of the classes as a participant, Alex was a mentor to younger members who needed support. It was a small way for him to pay it forward. He started a group chat, just asking, How are my peeps doing this fine evening? Church was a big part of Alex’s life. In addition to the trans support group, he and Bo went to church every Sunday. Bo just loved the Sunday school songs and activities, while Alex enjoyed the Sunday service. They saw Bob and Marshall nearly every week, who were in the process of having a baby of their own through a surrogate. Recently, it seemed that every Sunday, one of them sought out Alex after service to ask for his ‘expert’ advice on a question they had about parenting. It always made Alex smile to be looked at as an expert. He’d barely turned 18 and was stuck in between being female and planning to transition to male when the rape happened. It had resulted in Bo.

It had been a horrible and shocking experience, but Alex never considered anything other than having the baby and raising him. Not wanting to add any more stress to his (back then as a ‘her’) already fractured relationship with his mother, Alex had managed to conceal the pregnancy and disappeared from town right after graduating from high school. It had been a scary decision, to come to a new town to try to make a life with a baby on the way, but Alex was resolute that it was the right thing to do. Looking back now, he had to admit to himself he had done a pretty awesome job of caring for Bo as such a young parent, and in part because he had plenty of support from Juanita, his wonderful and coincidentally, transgender neighbor, along with the Center for young parents, and many others from Heaven’s Haven church. He regretted that his mother hadn’t been part of that, but she was back in his life now. His mom had worked hard to find him, and they had reunited, although Alex chose to stay here and not return home, as Ellen had hoped. He knew she understood why, now.

In his early teen years, their relationship had been rocky, and not in a small part because Alex was transgender. His mother had never, ever brought the subject up, although it was clear Alex struggled with gender identity. After he left, his mother was forced to face reality, and she had grown to understand Alex for who he was. Her sister, Aunt Kim, had played a role in that, Alex knew. Now they were reunited, had a good relationship, and Ellen loved her grandson fiercely.

Each Sunday, when he saw them at church, Alex promised Marshall and Bob he would come over when their baby arrived. This Sunday, Bob and Marshall had invited Alex and Bo to dinner the following Saturday, before they had their baby. They admitted it was to pick his brain, since the baby was supposed to arrive in the next few weeks, and Alex gladly accepted. He made a mental note to pack a lot of activities to help keep Bo busy

Do you think Juanita would be able to join you? Marshall had asked after Alex had accepted the invitation.

Alex didn’t know whether they wanted Juanita to come to pick her brain, or because she was so amazing with Bo. He had answered them honestly.

She usually works at the nightclub on Saturday nights, but if we ate early enough, she might be able to come. Would you like me to ask?

That would be awesome! We know how great she is with Bo, and we thought she would be another good resource for us, Bob said honestly.

Recalling the conversation as he finished his sandwich, Alex picked up his phone and called Juanita. A quick look at the computer showed him the responses to the group question he had asked were coming in slowly, and so far, all were positive.

Hey, Alex! Juanita answered in her throaty, sing-song voice. Alex could hear the TV in the background, and pictured Juanita sitting in one of her frilly, overstuffed chairs, watching a TV game show as she did her nails.

Hi, Juanita. I have a question for you. Would you like to join me for dinner at Bob and Marshall’s on Saturday? They’re fine with having it early if you have to work.

Are you asking me as your date, Alex? You know I’m too old for you! Juanita was a terrible flirt, and she knew this wasn’t a date. She and Alex were more like best friends, even though they were ten