…my sister Pam.
“Joey!” she exclaimed.
“Come on in,” I said.
“Thanks,” she said. She carried two large grocery bags in her arms. “I’ve been carrying these things too
long.” She walked right into the kitchen and set the bags on the table. “I hate to be rude, but I’ve gotta
take care of something.” With that she ran in the direction of the bathroom.
Rachel looked at me and asked, “Did she even see me?”
“Uh, probably not,” I said. “That’s Pam.”
“Flaky?” Rachel asked.
“No, I wouldn’t say that,” I replied as I emptied the bags. “She just gets so caught up in her own world that
she comes off a little…obtuse. She’s really nice, though she’s been a bit of a man-hater.”
“One problem solved,” she said.
I whispered to her, “I think she’s a lesbian, but I don’t know for sure.”
Rachel shrugged. “Everyone’s going to be one now,” she said.
Pam walked back into the kitchen. “This is embarrassing, but what can I do with this?” she asked. We looked
up to see that she held a bra in her hand. “I just…don’t feel like wearing it.”
“Um,” I said. “I’ll take it. Why don’t you and Rachel introduce yourselves?”
I took the bra from my sister who suddenly realized Rachel’s presence. “Oh, my god,” she said. “I am so
sorry, I didn’t even see you.” I ran down the hall and tossed the bra into my room and then ran back into the
kitchen. When I returned to the kitchen Pam said, “Oh, OK, I’ve heard Joey mention your name before.”
I assumed that names had been exchanged at this point. “Only good things, I hope,” said Rachel.
“Oh, yea,” said Pam. “He described you as pretty and sweet. So are you two…seeing each other?”
“We are,” Rachel answered.
“Wow,” said Pam. “When did that happen?”
Rachel chuckled. “This morning, actually,” she said. Pam looked surprised. “It’s a long story, but we can
get into that later.”
“Yea,” I finally chimed in. “There’s going to be more important things to talk about.”
We continued to unload the bags Pam brought with her. Luckily she brought a lot of different things. “You
said ‘make a night of it,’” she said. “So I figured I should bring a lot. Good thing I got to the store when
I did. They closed right after I left.”
“So what do you think about all of the news today?” Rachel asked her.
“Just unreal,” Pam answered. “Who would ever think these things could happen? I don’t know what makes me
happier. World peace is great, but to stop aging is pretty awesome. And I’m sure the world will be better
without men.”
“Really?” I asked. “What if humans can’t reproduce anymore because of it?”
Pam’s smile changed to a frown. “I didn’t think of that,” she said. “Maybe someone will figure it out.”
“I would hope so,” I said to her in a scolding tone. “I’d like for us to survive if these changes are going
to be so great.”
“Well, like I said,” Pam continued. “Without men screwing things up, it should be.”
Rachel asked, “Pam, are you a lesbian?” I almost collapsed out of shock. I couldn’t believe Rachel asked her
that not five minutes after meeting her.
Pam looked nervous. She looked at me specifically. “Yes,” she said. “But…I thought you knew, Joey.”
“I suspected,” I said. “It wasn’t my business. I figured you’d tell me if you wanted to. Anyway, like
Rachel told me a few minutes ago, everyone is going to be a lesbian now.”
“So are you OK with becoming a woman?” Pam asked. “So far I haven’t heard anyone who is upset by this.”
“I’m cool with it,” I said. “I don’t think it’s going to really change who I am.”
“It just seems so weird,” Pam said. “You guys say you just got together, and now all this happens. Don’t you
feel cheated?”
“Why should we?” asked Rachel. “We can still be lovers.”
“You’re not a lesbian, are you?” Pam asked her.
“No,” Rachel replied. “I’ve always been attracted to men and women. You might call that ‘bi’ but I don’t
like labels.”
“Neither do I,” said Pam. “I think we’ll get along fine.”
“Glad to hear that,” I said.
We engaged in further small talk for the next few minutes. It was interesting to compare the two of them.
Rachel was four years older than Pam. Rachel was better looking than Pam, but Pam was my sister so of course
that would be my opinion. Rachel had larger breasts and a curvier figure than Pam. Pam’s hair was light
blonde but didn’t possess any remarkable qualities. On the other hand Rachel’s black hair stood out and
grabbed your attention. Pam was still pretty, though. I wondered, now that I knew her sexual preference, if
she’d had any serious relationships yet. Or if she was even in one now.
We just finished unpacking Pam’s purchases when there was another knock on the door.