Betrayed Chapter 9

This is one of those little joys women never tell men; only each other. There had been a few occasions – becoming more frequent with time – I had walked past some guy in the office or on the street, traveling in the other direction. In a second or two, I heard a thump or clang as he walked into a wall, file cabinet or light pole because he wasn't watching where he was going. If any woman tells you that doesn't bring a smile to her face, she is lying to you.

The physical transition was surprisingly easy. The mental transition – with the understanding I would not be changing back – was much harder. It took a while to get beyond the angst and anguish. How could I abandon all that I had been? I came to realize I hadn't. Intellectually, I was still the same person, doing much the same routine. The packaging was different. The perceptions, both internal and external, were different. The emotions also were different; in part, due to the hormones. Over time, my perception on a whole was one of gain, not loss. Remember that hot fudge sundae? What if you could eat from it every day, never lose your taste for it, and never gain an ounce?

Upon returning from Post-Op, I surprised even myself how quickly I wrapped my mind around work. I had watched CNN and CNBC while I was recuperating. I had seen some report or other about the continuing drought in the western U.S. and Canada. As soon as I was up and around, I booked a flight west to talk to some of the farm groups that had appeared on television.

I heard first-hand from them how bad the situation really was, minus the candy-coated coverage the corporate-owned networks had given the story. I called the office immediately and ordered STG to gobble up Winter Wheat futures like Pac-Man. About a month later, the Department of Agriculture announced the harvest would be down about twenty percent, due to the drought. Harvest gold turned into real gold for us as the price of Winter Wheat skyrocketed.

Most people had not anticipated how bad the Asian Bird Flu epidemic would be, nor how it would affect poultry prices here.