“I looked myself over, the version of me across the table. I was a year younger then, but I was in rough shape. January was obviously only shaving once every few days. His face was covered in that awful black stubble. His hair was a mess. His eyes were tired and vacant behind the glasses. He slouched in the chair, thinking me over. He tapped his fingers on the table, the gears turning, trying to figure out what to say.
‘This doesn’t make sense,’ he said. ‘It’s not possible that we’re trans. It shouldn’t be possible.’
I nodded sympathetically. ‘I get what you’re saying. I understand. Yet here we are.'”
Enjoy this audio recording of “Be Here, Softly” by Claire Atkinson from Vol. 33:2 of CALYX Journal!
Claire Atkinson is an aerospace engineer and writer living in Corvallis, OR. “Be Here, Softly” is her first published short story. She enjoys bragging about how amazing her wife and three young kiddos are. Claire began transitioning to female in September 2021. claireatkinson.net