A whole day has gone by. The sleeping arrangements were uncomfortable, Jamie looked like a girl dressing in boy drag, and the twins were both uncomfortably quiet. Matt has decided it’s time for a good old-fashioned night out.

“I’m not sure… it’s been a long day. And I’ve got practice in the morning.” Jamie moans. They are already headed out to the driveway even as she tries to talk them out of it. The only places worth going to in Dilly were Danny’s Diner, and Caitlyn’s bar.

The bar didn’t actually have a name. They just called it Caitlyn’s because that was the owner’s name. Technically, it was known as “No-Name Bar”, and that’s where they were planning on heading.

“Come on, it’ll be fun. Just drink soda and pretend it’s beer.” Daniel coaxes.

“That’s even worse…” Jamie grumbles.

Patrick’s purplish pick-up rolls up the long drive of the Shawford Ranch, and parks just in front of the Shawford boys. Well, Shawford boys and one horridly dressed girl.

“Alright, I got four open seats in the cab, but one of y’all is going to have to take the back.” Patrick says. Daniel immediately volunteers to take back, and no one argues with him. And no one argues when Matt takes the passenger seat next to Patrick.

Ryan and Andy pile in the back after a quick sign language scuffle about who sits in the middle seat, and then Jamie is left standing in the driveway. She looks from Matt to Daniel, and then seems to make up her mind. If she’s going out, she isn’t going to look like some tomboy. She tells the boys to wait and goes inside to grab something out of one of her suitcases.

She comes out moments later in a short, pink floral dress. Even with her hair hidden in the messy bun, the brothers had to admit she looked nice.

“Okay, I’m ready.” Jamie piles into the back seat. Andy notices the t-shirt and pants Jamie was wearing earlier still in her hand. She carefully stows them away under the seat. It’s pretty clear that she plans on changing before coming back home.

“If you’re just nervous, you shouldn’t be.” Ryan signs to his brother. Andy tries to ignore him. Tries. And fails.

“I’m not just nervous!” Andy quickly signs back. Matt notices and frowns. The twins are about to get the ‘out loud conversations’ scolding again, but Patrick chatters on about something, and Matt shifts his attention back forward.

In a more discrete manner, Andy signs again. “It’s just not natural.” It’s a half truth. If Andy were being honest with his brother, he’d explain all of the varied reasons he felt uncomfortable around Jamie as a girl, but he wasn’t being honest. And he didn’t want to be honest either.

“Do I look like a moron to you?” Ryan uses a very outlandish flailing of the hands to accentuate his point. He always has a flair for the dramatic. Andy doesn’t bother to answer. Jamie is paying attention to them now, and even though Andy knows she doesn’t speak ASL, he isn’t going to risk getting caught.

“I haven’t been to Caitlyn’s bar in years!” Jamie exclaims excitedly. Matt turns in his seat to speak.

“Right? They are even calling it ‘Casey’s’ Bar now. Apparently, Caitlyn has a little brother.” Matt tells her. It’s a normal conversation, but Andy still feels uncomfortable. How can Jamie be a guy but be so pretty in a dress? Does she date men or women? Why would any guy in their right mind want to be a woman? All these things swirled around in Andy’s head like a sack of heavy bricks. It’s not like he could just ask. That would be insane.

“Caitlyn’s moved up in the world. Started her own practice and everything. Guess she got sick of just dueling out therapy across a bar counter.” Patrick says. The conversation moves smoothly, even without Andy intervening.

“Oh, and they started doing performances at night. There’s probably one going on tonight, even.” Matt adds.

Jamie laughs. Andy admits that it does sound like a girl's laughter more than a boys. “Wow, sounds like you guys are frequent customers!” She giggles. Matt and Patrick both agree. They do go there a lot. There isn’t much else in this town for nightly entertainment.

Andy wants to join in the conversation. Laugh just like his brother and sister… but how? It wouldn’t be natural. Especially after the super cold shoulder he’s been giving Jamie all day. How would he explain it in a way that Jamie would understand?

Ryan hands Andy his smartphone with a pre-written text on it, addressed to Jamie. Andy squints at it. It read: “I’m sorry for being so rude since you got back. I didn’t know how to explain that I felt uncomfortable about having a sister without hurting your feelings. I don’t know much about transgender people, but I’d like to learn. ~Andy”

The first thought Andy had was “This is entirely correct, how did Ryan guess all of this?” and the second was “There is no way I can send this!”. He expressed this second thought with Ryan through sign language, and Ryan rolls his eyes.

“That’s ridiculous. Just send it already so I can play games on my phone again.” Ryan signs back.

Andy thinks about it for a moment. So much has happened. His dad died, and suddenly all of his siblings have suddenly returned home. He remembers the small commitment he had made to try and understand Jamie. If he sent this, maybe it’d get easier. He missed his big brother… no, big sister.

So Andy, with reckless abandon, smashed the send key on Ryan’s phone. The small “Shwoop” sound of a sent message sounded from the phone.

And the “ping” of Jamie’s phone chirped from her purse, meaning that the message had arrived.