

Truly you...

By Lindsey Schussman

Wednesday, December 16th 2015 (7:30AM)

She didn't think that she could have experienced any worse of a head tremor in her life. She was nowhere near being a morning person. The fact that her eyelids pulsated every painful beating heart palpitation fluctuating behind her eyes, drove her up a wall, placed perfectly in her dream.

Della Vash was a stubborn woman. Twisted inside by the fact that she also had to pee, her bedside movement became more sporadic. Della was going to fight it. She would not wake to pee, or to comfort her headache, she would merely wait until her alarm chimed. She figured her suffering would be better served when her eyes were opened, at the proper time.

Della's slumbering darkness became more and more hostile as she began to fight other ailments. Everything inside of her began to feel different, she began to feel heavy. She could feel her heartbeat change, and her muscles clench. And as she listened quietly inside of her head, she could hear the hair on her body grow.

It was an echoing sound, the creaking you would hear as an old, tall tree was hacked and slowly fell to its doom to the ground. And as one tree fell, another grew. Della had experienced many horrible mornings before. It was her usual weekends, spending her days as a zombie, only because she could not say no to a beer, nor cigarettes. It was the growth which protruded, the strange feeling between her legs, which finally prompted her to open her eyes.

The glare from the sun was unforgiving. And as soon as Della opened her eyes, they were quickly covered by her hands, bigger and coarser by the touch. As soon as she raised herself from the bed, the pounding overtook Della, causing her to fall to the floor.

There was a crash. Della had hit the corner of a dresser on her way down. "Holy fuck!" Della ranted as she, still blinded, felt about the room, trying to feel for the bathroom. It was the first doorknob that Della could grab within her palm, turning, losing her place, falling and catching the porcelain toilet on the way down. "Fuck you..." She said plainly, dazed and confused and too tired to start an argument with an inanimate object... At least at the moment.

She held herself there for a bit, trying to gather what little composure she had left. It wasn't until she felt the familiar rumblings of a nauseated sour stomach that she began to worry. When it began to rise like an angry volcano, when the fiery throat sauce began to saddle up to her uvula, Della opened her eyes.

The view was blurred and highly distorted. With the way Della was feeling, cleaning up her dirty upchuck was the last thing that she wanted to do. Before she spouted and became a dirty fire hydrant, Della forcefully crawled her way up to the toilet, and orally disemboweled herself of her acidic Niagara Falls. It was nowhere near the relief that Della had wished for. Her world was in a spin and she was an unhappy passenger.

Della, exhausted from the eruption, lay for a moment on the floor staring at the ceiling. The cool tiles comforting her aching back and the plush bath rug, cradling her head. Though things were blurred, Della felt a strange feeling. The hairs on her arms began to spike up as she remembered that she did not own a bath rug. And through her beer mugged vision, the bathroom was nowhere near to resembling that of hers.

Della, swallowing hard and beginning to feel her pulse race, pulled her hands over her face. The feeling was all wrong and Della's heart was tossed into a sway. She pulled herself together, picking herself up to reach the sink. Maybe some cold water splashed upon her face would do her some good.

It was a small struggle to the sink, but a journey indeed. Della struggled with the faucet as it too felt differently in her hands. She clenched her eyes closed tightly, for the air began to irritate and itch them. The water smoothly and coolly ran over her heated skin. Della pooled the water in her palms and splashed it all over her face, her ears, and completely overhauling her eyes. A hot unfamiliar scruffiness on Della's face aroused her curiosity more.

Della's main concern was her blindness. Never had she awoke to her eyes being in such a terrible state. She splashed her eyes profusely, not forgetting her other ailments... Pee was next, surly that was to fix the weird feeling she was having... Down there.

Minutes she spent at the sink, splashing. Della's fogginess seemed to quickly lift. Out of nowhere, her mind became clear. Della took her face from the cool waters of the sink as everyone does before they continue about their day, got that one, "you good lookin devil you!" glimpse in the mirror. Only it was not Della's face that she was looking at, it was that of a man's.

Wide eyed and opened jawed, she looked into the mirror. She raised her hand, only to see it clearly now, big, manly and not hers. Della swallowed hard, and watched as her adam's apple trailed itself down. Her eyes were in a trance. Della covered them quickly, hoping all would fade away. She took a deep breath and released. When she removed her hands and opened her eyes, Della Vash was still a man. Still staring at herself in the mirror, she shook her head and loudly screamed, "HOLY FUCK!!!!!"

Aracely Raygil was in the kitchen, doing her normal routine. She was a late nighter, and an early riser. She was everything and anything a husband would want out of a wife. Aracely was making breakfast, waiting for her sleepy husband to get up.

Aracely was an intelligent woman, needing no support, but old fashioned all the same. In Hungary, she married at seventeen to the neighborhood boy down the street. It was not out of love, but necessity. Aracely's parents, finding it a proper union in order for their daughter to grow properly.

Aracely had been always one step ahead of the game and at least two ahead of her husband. She had kept it quiet, never letting her husband know how far ahead of the game she truly was. Aracely had set the breakfast down on the table, healthy fruits and whole wheat toast, taking a moment to sit down and read the news feeds on her phone before she went to wake her husband.

Her house resided in that of Scottsdale, Arizona. Newly purchased, Aracely was a proud fancy home owner. She drank her coffee in the morning, loving, always how the sun flushed its way into the homestead. It was a gallant two story home, complete with a second story balcony in which Aracely, at times secretly relieved her stress by smoking a quick cigarette.

Aracely's patience was not wearing thin, but rather worrisome. Her husband needed no alarm and was usually awoken by the sun's rays. It was December and the sun did not raise until after 7:00 AM. Aracely glanced at the clock. It was ten after eight. Schedules was her husband's thing, but she thought that perhaps he was enjoying his vacation for once. Aracely shrugged it off and continued to scroll her feeds. The silence was always a friendly residence at the Raygil's house. The TV was only on when someone was watching it, and music was only played whilst snugly budded within someone's ears. As Aracely continued to soak up the current events, her ears perked at the shouting sound of, "Holy Fuck!"

Aracely slowly lowered her phone. Her brows arched by the fact that the words shouted were that of her husbands, but not truly his voice. She turned her head to shout, "David?" Swaying her mid back long brown hair. There was no answer. Aracely took the last few sips of her coffee before she left to head upstairs to check on her husband.

Her steps were slow and cautious as she slowly ascended up the stairs into the second story. "David?" Aracely called out again, but no answer heed her call. Nervous, her hand floated cautiously upon the banister. The steps she took were light in hopes her arrival was not noticed. Her husband was always secret in his health issues, none of which she could take lightly.

Aracely arrived in the second story hallway, and entered the master bedroom, all of which stood empty. "David?" She asked one more time, but no answer. The room was as she had left it, bed unmade, but husband not present. Swallowing, she turned to the bathroom door. She placed her hand onto the knob and turned, locked.

Della had thrown herself into the shower. She refused to believe what had happened to her and fetal positioned herself into the bottom corner, tightly balled up against the tiles. Her eyes were closed and she was dreadfully afraid of the protrusion in her underwear. Della was breaking apart, losing her mind. There was a commotion upon the door, Della holding her knees closer to her chest.

"David... jól vagy?" Aracely asked in Hungarian.

It was an unknown place, but Della heard a familiar voice. "Hello?" Della replied.

"David, Jól van?" The sound of her husband's voice had frightened her. Though it was only one word, it was different. "David, nyissa ki az ajtót. Kérjük, jól vagy? hadd lássalak." Aracely began to turn the knob this time, more forcefully. Her heart began to churn when David did not answer back.

Della heard the muffled pleas through the door, but understood nothing. Her headache was becoming more forceful and her patience was wearing thin. "Lady, I have no idea what you are saying, hablar en Inglés por favor!" She yelled back in Spanish, eyes wide shut and rocking herself.

Aracely stood back from the door. Now she was panicking. She was not quite at the point of calling the paramedics, yet. Aracely went for the night stand in the bedroom and grabbed for the key to the bathroom. Her heart was pounding. She took a deep breath before she opened the door. Aracely was afraid to see what was going on. She was aware that her husband occasionally dabbled in things other than cigars and booze, but this early in the morning? Whatever could have come over him?

Her teeth clenched as she slowly and quietly slid the key into the lock. Turning slowly, Aracely let go of her held on breath. "David?" She softly spoke.

Della released her hard shut eyes. Like a woman caught off guard in the shower, she grabbed the curtain and draped herself within it. "Who the fuck are you?! Where the fuck am I? Get the fuck out!!!" She screamed heretically.

Aracely had no idea what to make of it. She could only come to the conclusion that her husband had taken some serious narcotic. "David, kérem nyugodjon meg." She cautiously held out her hand and walked towards her husband.

Della was becoming tired of fighting, struggling. Her head would not stop pounding and her knees were beginning to buckle underneath her. She swallowed hard and sat back down in the shower. "Lady, please speak in English... I don't understand a goddamn thing you are saying."

Aracely slowly tread to the shower. Before she pulled back the curtain, she spoke, "David, please be calm. Whatever it is, I am your wife Aracely and we shall get through this together.

Della raised her head slowly from the darkness of her newly acquired, hairy man knees. She smiled as she spoke, forgetting her troubles. "Aracely... I knew an Aracely a few years ago. We worked together. Most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Kind and funny." Della sighed deeply. "Been a while since I'd seen her. Think about her every day."

"Can I see you then David?" Aracely asked cautiously.

Della took a moment to look herself over. Unfortunately, it was not a dream. Somehow, her 5'2, 120LB body had disappeared and her childhood dream of becoming a boy had come true. But that was a childhood dream. Della was in her thirty's and proud of the woman she had become. Della's current situation was plaid blue boxers and very long hairy legs. Perhaps the mystery person beyond the curtain could help shed some light on the situation.

Della took her long man arm and pulled the curtain aside. Her eyes widened. "It is you..." She said with a smile sprouting.

Aracely placed her hand upon her husband's forehead. "Istenem, akkor éget el." Before she could leave to get a wet cloth to put upon David's head, Della softly grabbed her arm.

"Lady, I told you... Please speak in English, I don't speak Hungarian babes."

"Oh David, how many times did you hit your head." Aracely said as she placed her hand upon Della's forehead.

Della smiled as she covered Aracely's hand with her much bigger one. "Lady bird... My name is not David... It's Della."

Aracely shook her head and laughed. "David, you are not fooling me, I told you about her." Aracely got up to grab a cloth to wet it for David's head.

Della could not explain it herself. But until she could get Aracely to believe, she was in it alone and to be deemed, crazy. She tried to think of something that only Aracely and Della would know. The perfect memory finally surfaced.

Aracely crouched next to the bathtub, shower combo and began to daub the bruised forehead of her extremely delusional husband. "It will be ok, David." She said reassuringly.

The coolness of the cloth were comforting for Della. As much as she enjoyed the pampering, she had to get Aracely to see the truth. "Do you remember when he hiked Camelback?"

She nodded. "Of course sweetie, we hiked it many times."

Della shook her head. "No, you and me... Della."

"Vaguely..."

Della slowly blinked, a tad frustrated. "Do you remember that it was my first time? And that you told me that it took you five times to get up there, but I, I hiked up that got damn hill, hung over as hell, fueled only on Tiger's Milk Bars and Slim Jims."

Aracely smiled. "I have told you that as well, David."

Della released a deep breath. "How about after the hike..."

Aracely's eyes grew.

"We went to Starbucks... I had, unexpectedly, but expectedly got my period. As I went to the bathroom to put on a pad, you bought a venti Tai Chi coffee for you and a grande vanilla bean Frappuccino and cheese Danish for me... We ate the Danish together. After that, we went outside, where you pulled out a pack of Paul Mall 100 lights. I had no idea you smoked, and apparently your husband didn't either."

Aracely's jaw dropped. Her hand slowly dropped from Della's face.

Della continued to smile, knowing the truth was flowing. "Sooo.... And while we were smoking... Sitting on a bench, that we both concluded was far enough away from sensitive cancer haters, we had a moment."

Aracely's pause was momentary, but curious. "What kind of moment?"

Della tried to re-adjust herself. The protruding statue had yet to dissipate between her legs, as well as her need to pee. She tried to focus on the truth. "We held our hands together. Placed palm onto palm... I was quite... Captivated as how big yours was to mine."

Aracely's eyes grew big as she unsteadily stood up, taking a few steps back. "Who... who are you?"

Della pulled back the shower curtain, standing up in the tub. She knew exactly what Aracely was going through. The sun was losing its velocity as it faintly washed through the single window in the bathroom. The day was growing older. Della, pounding head in all stepped slowly out of the bathtub.

Aracely began to shake her head. "Don't you dare come any closer! Who are you!?" The end of Aracely's sentence became a shout.

Della tried to calm her down, slowly, holding her hands up in a surrender gesture. "Look, do you believe me now? My name is Della Vash... We worked together two years ago, and I know damn well you told your husband nothing of the moments we shared."

Aracely's eyes became glassed over with tears. She swallowed hard, shaking her head. "No... No I did not."

"Even when you got off the phone with your husband, you told me how you saw yourself more of like a mother to him." Della stopped for a moment to laugh at herself. "You told me you saw your husband as a child, always trying to encourage and make him do better..."

Aracely slowly backed up, pushing the bathroom door open, backing up until she reached the foot of the bed. Aracely Raygil, in a complete dazed state of mind, sat her six foot tall structured body comfortably, but uncomfortably at the bed's edge.

Della slowly walked from the bathroom, hands covering her man parts. "See... If your husband knew about that, you would never hear the end of it, huh?"

Aracely wiped a few stray tears from her cheeks. "No, I would not." She replied lightly sobbing. Her eyes drifted from the floor and slowly looked her "husband" up and down. Aracely's eyes narrowed and she faced quite the peculiar look. "Why are you holding my husbands... junk?" She said with a sly smile.

Della smiled sheepishly as her leg never stopped shaking. "Because, I am uncomfortable with the tightness down there... I have to pee... This... is... my first time having a dick." She said, borderline sarcastically.

"It's called morning wood."

Della loudly sighed. "I am aware of that. But... may I remind you that I am a lesbian and having a cock in my hands is not that comforting, so... Any tips whilst I pee are gratefully needed."

Aracely released a low laugh. "Well... since it is... erect... you must hold it firmly and aim it into the toilet, but please do not get pee all over my bathroom."

Della's face remained emotionless as she spoke. "I'm not touching that thing... I am going to take a shower and I am going to piss in there, ok?"

Aracely was a very clean woman. She liked her cleanliness, and she loved her house spotless... It did cross her mind as a dirty annoyance, but considering the circumstances, she would allow it. She nodded. "Very well... Do as you must, Della. I'll be downstairs with some coffee so that we may speak further about this... issue."

Aracely slowly walked downstairs. It was not until she sat back down at the kitchen table that she broke into tears. She could not determine if her husband had gone completely insane, or it was truly her former co-worker that animated his body. But either way, the things in which her husband... Della had told her were things she never told her husband. Aracely poured a warm cup of coffee, sitting back down at the table. She let her mind drift as she gazed out the kitchen window. The day continued to slither by.

Della's eyes never left the mirror. She kept looking into eyes that were not hers, but she was 100% there. She turned on the shower and waited till the cool water ran warm. Della visited the mirror once again. Her face was a brown carpet of possibility. It was her first time having a cock and her first time having a beard.

Out of curiosity, Della pulled off her shirt, revealing a fit and toned, but hairy body. She flexed whilst looking into the mirror. "Oohh, got me some muscles..." Della's mind began to flood with ideas and she flexed in front of the mirror. But first thing was first. She walked toward the shower and hesitated. She dreaded it, but had to overcome. Della had no idea how long she would be a guest in David's body, but she would have to learn how to cope. She ran her hand through her short brown hair, pulling hard at the ends. Making a little pain, just enough to remind her that she was not dreaming.

Della placed both her palms upon her pecs. She slowly lowered both her hands down her hairy torso until the met the edge of her boxers. "Moment of truth." She said to herself as she looked away while peeling off her boxer's and nearly catapulted herself into the shower.

Relieving was the first thing on her agenda and she did so while sighing loudly. Della took the bar of soap and found it easy to lather up due to the extreme amounts of hair all over her body. As she turned up the heat in the shower, she began to find a bit more comfort in her new body as she quickly cleaned. It was not until her eyes caught glimpse of a razor, that Della began to brainstorm. She had always wanted a beard... There were so many ways to landscape it. Della ran her hand through her thick beard and smiled... "Awww snap..."

Time had passed since Aracely last left Della. A tightness began to grow within her neck, Aracely, pulling down the collar of her pink buttoned-up polo shirt to relieve it. Aracely's brown eyes stared motionless into her empty coffee cup. She was 6'0, 150lbs, legs unable to stop fidgeting underneath her size and weight appropriate chairs she bought specially for her new house.

She was not a nail biter, but for this occasion, she would make an acceptation. As she slowly tore away at her manicured beauties, she continued to glance at the clock on her phone. Her husband usually took 10 minutes to take a shower. Even if it was Della in her husband's body, Aracely knew more than 10 would be overage... As much as she wanted to go back upstairs to inspect, Aracely refused to do so. When she got the urge, Aracely would dig her nails into her palm until the pain calmed her down again.

It wasn't until Aracely heard the soft pitter patters of bare feet slowly descending down the stairs. As much as she wanted to turn around, looking into her husband's eyes and to see if there was one speck of them left, she held her ground. She could feel the rush, even though it was far away and upstairs, Aracely could still feel the steamy, hot wetness releasing itself from the shower traveling through the air and placing itself on the back of her neck.

David and Aracely's eyes, the Della within her mind sat down across from her at the table. Aracely's eyes quickly dropped in her eyebrows raised. Her mouth slowly rolled open and her tongue would've fallen out if it were not for the bottom set of her teeth. Aracely's eyes glaring, she could not believe what she was saying, and very much expressed so in each word she spoke, staccato and very articulate. "What the hell... Have you done?" She asked very slowly and very boldly.

Della, so far was beginning to play the part. She just had to get around that, wiener thing. In fact, Della was somewhat disappointed. She had worked very hard on her new manicured body, her whole new body indeed. It was the first time Della had ever had hair over every part of her body, she figured she'd make a good time out of a bad situation, thus landscaping.

Della sarcastically looked herself up and down and then back at Aracely. "What, you don't like it?"

Aracely stood quite motionless. Her jaw continued to remain dropped. She started to shake her head, lifting both of her hands and waving them towards Della. "What is this? What did you do?"

Della got somewhat carried away. In her excitement of having facial hair, she decided to shave her face in the decoration of Tony Stark, a.k.a. the Ironman. Della smiled. "What, you don't know Tony Stark?"

Aracely shook her head.

"Ironman... Tony Stark... Robert Downey Junior, Ironman?" She continued to ask.

Aracely replied, somewhat short. "I do not watch movies as much as you do, so no, I do not know of this Ironman in which you speak of."

Della widened her eyes. "Okay, damn... No need to get butt hurt."

Aracely's anger only began to rise. "You had no right. That body does not belong to you. What else did you do?" She hastily asked.

Della dropped her lower lip and gritted her teeth. "Damn... I guess your husband is a bit smoother than usual."

Aracely placed her elbows upon the table, eyes narrowing angrily. "You did not."

Della raised her eyebrows, halfway smiling and tossing her left cheek to the side. "Whoops... I kind of did."

As Aracely's anger began to rise, she looked at the arms and chest of her husband, noticing that all hairs had been erased. In her mind, Della had absolutely no right. This was a strange and unfamiliar path that Aracely was traveling down. Her mind was a jumble and she could not think properly. She placed her head on the cusp of her elbow momentarily.

Della noticed the empty coffee cup which lay motionless in front of Aracely. She licked her lips, needing the support of caffeine. As she spoke, she motioned toward the unused cup. "So, how about a spot of blackness with mostly creamer?" She said as she lifted her right brow.

"Don't do that."

"Do what?" Della asked.

"That thing with your eyebrows... Stop moving them. My husband never moved his eyebrows, stop doing it."

Both of Della's eyebrows narrowed. "Ooooookay... My bad. Apparently I'm capable of obtaining a few more abilities than your husband did."

Without saying anything, Aracely removed herself from her appropriately sized, kitchen table chair. She went to the coffee maker, which contained at least two more cups of coffee. Before pouring, she first went to the fridge and pulled out her husband's creamer. Through their talks, Aracely remembered how Della enjoyed her coffee. Mostly creamer with a spot of blackness. And as Della watched, Aracely poured the coffee mug halfway up, filled with creamer. She filled the remainder with coffee and filled the last bits of pot into her cup. Putting the mug on the table and sliding it over to Della, she cupped her mug with both hands. Her eyes were narrowed, she was ready for business.

"So let's talk about this."

Della took her mostly creamer, coffee and took a big sip. "Let's talk about this." She replied tad sarcastically.

"I am being serious."

Della shrugged her shoulders. "So am I."

It was the craziest conversation that Aracely would ever start her life. She could not even believe that she was going to have it in the first place. All sorts of crazy things happen in the world. You get in car accidents, you fall off the edge of the Grand Canyon, you get hit hard in the head and you wake up with amnesia, but this? This was not something that Aracely could wrap her head around. She was a rational thinker. She believed in what she could see. And what she could see at the current time being, was her husband. The person before her, who looked like her husband, did not speak like him, and didn't smell like him. Apparently Della decided to use some of Aracely's own body spray. Needless to say, Aracely was very scared and very irritated. She had plans in her life, many plans in which included her husband, not Della.

As Aracely waited for Della to wade her way through, at least halfway through her coffee, she contemplated the next questions to come. Aracely was an intelligent woman not to be messed with. As much as she enjoyed Della's company in the past, the animation with her husband was a complete nuisance.

Aracely slowly blinked once, pulling her mug up to take slow sip. "Do you remember any of your last memories?" She asked.

Della, who was moving her fingers around in her new skin, heard the words, but hesitated. She took in a deep breath, letting her chest rise and placed both her hands upon her knees, feeling how smooth they were after the shave. "Well, not sure that I can."

"Try harder." Aracely said in a pressing voice.

Della's eyebrows arched. "Okay... I see that this is bringing you some serious heebie-jeebies." Della began to shake her head as she sucked in a deep breath and released it between her teeth. "However, perhaps you shouldn't be so pissed off, because it is not like I got online last night and got on Walmart and purchased your husband's Fucking body, so give me a bloody break, please..."

Aracely momentarily released a piercing eyes stare and sat back up straight in her chair. The morning had gone. The afternoon was quickly sweeping through the house and creating its noon shadows. "Della... You have to realize that this is not easy for me. It is one thing to see you at work and/or text you from, but this is a little bit hard to deal with." Aracely's deep Hungarian accent rolled with every R."

Della was never one to judge, nor to react too harshly on someone that was angry. She knew Aracely's anger was well-placed. It always depended on who it came from. Della always took every crazy situation and tried to laugh from it, but she knew that Aracely was from a different place in a different time. It was Christmas vacation and she knew that Aracely had something going on. So Della trying to think very hard on what she was doing before she woke up in the morning.

Della closed her eyes and swallowed hard. "Christ... My every day is the same." Della licked her lips. It was true. Della had lived the same life over and over again for the past 11 years. And as much as she wanted to break free, she couldn't. Della knew there were things in life that she wanted to do. There were places that she wanted to go, and worlds to breathe. The only problem was that she could never find the spirit to leave her family. Della knew the only way that she could find true happiness was to explore and to leave the world behind. But to do that, she would have to leave everything that she loved.

So out of a broken heart and forgetting who she truly was, Della continued on a daily to perform her everyday routine grind. As much as her heart was broken and as much as she was lost, she continued to move on miserably for it was her family she didn't want to lose. So without a doubt, it was Della, who would truly know the truth. And as she took the back of her head and looked into the ceiling in which she envisioned the sky, she tried to remember, at least to give Aracely's heart a bit of rest. "Okay, I got this..." It was a slow flash, but a flash nonetheless. It was a memory, a flashback, but the crash was in the back of her mind. Della concentrated and tried her best to remember her last memory as a woman.

Aracely's coffee was drained by then. She scooted her mug in front of her and placed both of her hands upon her chin, resting them upon her elbows. Her dark eyebrows narrowed. Aracely wanted to find some truth out of the chaos.

Della swallowed and tried to reminisce. "So... For the last two years after you had seen me, parted ways, I lost my job and got another. Still trying to maintain the same schedule. I rode my bike after work, regardless of heat." Della squinted her eyes. She shook her head and tried to remember more. She began to nod. "Okay, I got this. I was riding my bike. I was at the intersection across the Street from the high school... The light was green, I entered the street... It was a car, it was a car, I remember it... It was the front end of a white Ford focus, yes... I see it clearly..." Della's words were strong but began to fade. The ends of her eyes lowered and her lips became limp. Della looked directly into Aracely's eyes and remembered, tears. "I was hit by a car." She swallowed and her eyes drifted from Aracely into the grains of the table.

Aracely's expression never changed, her lips remained pursed. "Are you okay?" She asked.

Della's eyes, filled with tears, a strange emotion Aracely never saw from her husband, and Della's lips became uppity and frowned. "I... I don't know." Della looked back up at Aracely. "Can we find out?"

From Della's statement, Aracely could only come to the conclusion that, somehow from the accident Della had passed into her husband's body, and perhaps her husband David went into Della's body. It was a long shot, but Aracely had to find David. Aracely could feel the need of a cigarette upon the tips of her lips. As much she wanted to go and smoke one, she held her ground. "That is a good question, Della. I think its best in both of our interests to start calling the hospitals. Do you have an idea of where we might start?"

Della did indeed. She gave any bit of information that she could to Aracely. She knew that Aracely was looking for her husband, and no doubt Della was looking for her body. Della sat stationary in her seat as Aracely picked up the phone and began to make calls.

It wasn't very long after Aracely made her first call that Della's body was found. Della's eyebrows lifted and wavered as she heard Aracely's voice negotiate with hospital admissions.

"Yes ma'am, yes, Della Vash, yes ma'am. Hold? Yes, I can hold." Aracely said as she held the receiving end of the phone, trying to cloud Della's ever-growing voice.

"Am I there? Am I there!?" Della said very impatiently.

Somewhat annoyed, Aracely waved Della off. She waited momentarily until the lady came back on the other line.

"Ma'am? Are you still there?" The lady on the other end asked.

Aracely's eyes raised up, looking directly into Della's. "Yes, I am."

"Okay, I have a Della Vash, who was admitted yesterday afternoon."

"Can I have the room number, please?" Aracely asked.

"And your relation?" Asked the lady.

Aracely's eyes widened. "My relation?" She said loudly.

Della quickly responded. "You're my sister, Stephanie Vash."

Aracely nodded, while waving Della off once again. "Yes, I am Stephanie Vash, Della's sister."

"Thank you Stephanie... Your sister is in room... 309, okay?"

Aracely blinked slowly, smiled and then nodded. "Thank you."

Della's eyes blinked twice and heavily. "You got it?"

Aracely nodded.

Della smiled. "Well, let's get your keys and go..."

Saturday, December 19th 2015

It was beginning to be a rough everything. Della was becoming impatient. The hospital visit on Wednesday was conclusive, but yet still uneventful. It had been confirmed, Della was hit by a car while riding her bike. Della's body was also responsive, but in a coma. Without being detected, Della ran into her mom and her sister. The room was consistently flooded with Della's family members and her, unable to grasp the full situation. It was an answer, but still a dead end. Della still had no idea why she animated the body of Aracely Raygil's husband.

Since their visit on Wednesday to the hospital, Della consumed most of her time in the living room of Aracely and David Raygil. She would often pace back and forth watching as the day aged, crossing its bright then fading yellow gleam across the carpet of the downstairs living room until its luminesce faded into nothingness, only to follow the same process over once again. Her anxiety and fear of being trapped in someone else's body caged her, limitless and without boundaries in someone else's house. For three days, Della continued on her unknown path, eating very little and living none at all.

Aracely was entwined inside all the same as well. Her relief came in the fact that both she and her husband were on Christmas vacation, but she too saw no light at the end of the tunnel. It was impossible to think of the future. Her three days since the departure of her husband were filled with lots of cigarettes, an upstairs that was completely clean and immaculate, and of course, pacing.

Aracely had spent little time with Della. She was having a hard time accepting, or even comprehending on what was going on.

Aracely's fingers shook at the butt of her cigarette as she ashed it, slowly bringing it to her lips as she took a deep drag. Her eyes rolled back, body accepting the calming nicotine, as she looked over a vast desert, upon her second story balcony, overlooking her backyard. Her mind was twisted and at the moment, despite the calming clouds and the welcoming lightheadedness, Aracely's mind was still in turmoil.

"Ahheem...."

The deep, soft throat clearing that was of her husband's startled her, causing her to throw the butt over the balcony. Aracely quickly looked behind her, seeing Della standing in the doorway, eyes tilted that of a lost puppy.

"Sorry, I did not mean to startle you." Della said as she took the lawn chair next to Aracely. Della then smiled as she picked up the box of cigarettes from the glass table that sat between them and lit one up like a pro.

Aracely watched, relieving herself with a smile. "I'm sorry..."

Della cut her off. "I know... I know, your husband does not know you smoke."

Aracely shook her head and pursed her lips. "Nor does he... Well, cigars, maybe."

Della enjoyed the long drag from her cigarette. The first exhale left her with a smile. "I am sorry... I thought the silence between us was getting a bit..."

"Weird?" Aracely added.

"Yeah." Della nodded as she exhaled once again. "We may want to talk about things... You know... I am not sure exactly how long I may be here."

Aracely nodded. "I am sorry if I have been distant, but I have no idea how to deal with this."

Della smiled. "That makes two of us babe. Soooo... what do you say... How about we work together, once again and get ourselves through this... What do you say, Cely?"

Della always had nicknames for everyone she worked with, and for Aracely, it was Cely. The two had worked at a manufacturing plant. It was a short span of only a year and a half, but the two girls had met each other and latched on quickly.

Della found Aracely as a very outgoing, caring person. Della was a 33 year old lesbian, and 5'2. It was Aracely's height at 6'0 stature that made her a bit uneasy at first, but the sheer caring and friendliness of Aracely is what lured Della in. Della was captivated by her kindness to her and her fellow coworkers.

Over the short span that they knew each other, Della found herself leaving her work area, just to see what Aracely was up to, and for a bit of conversation. Della never had as deep of conversations with anyone else like she had with Cely.

Aracely on the other hand had never met another lesbian before. She was intrigued by Della's story, and her path to become who she was.

For a while, Della and Aracely shared many text messages, and verbal conversations on a daily basis. Despite everything, the clear line drawn between straight and gay, Della knew exactly who she was dealing with, a straight woman, and as much as she respected the line and did not cross it, she continued the fall for Aracely.

As much as Della kept her cool, and she did, Aracely started to pull away. It was baffling to Della. She knew she had crossed no line, but Aracely continued to drift. The conversations had stopped and the text messages soon died as well. Della did not see it as a loss of a relationship opportunity, but rather the disappearance of a soul mate. Somehow, she found a complete stranger she had never met before, but in her heart, her soul, it felt like she had known Aracely for a very long time. In Della's heart, she felt as if she and Aracely had traveled the universe together.

Before they parted ways, after the shutdown of their plant, Della and Aracely said their goodbyes, always vowing to never change their phone number's just in case one needed to get ahold of the other.

And that was how it was for a few years after their separation. Della's line always remained silent. Every now and then, Della would send a text to Aracely, just to see how she was, or to just wish her a happy holiday, but nothing more. A few replies back and then no response. After a while, Della gave up, but never forgetting Aracely.

Aracely pulled another cigarette from the box, quickly lighting it, just as Della had finished hers. Della looked around, trying to find an ashtray to extinguish her butt, but no luck.

Aracely grabbed the nearly spent cigarette from Della's fingers and threw it over the balcony. Della looked at Aracely, jaw dropped.

"He does not know I smoke."

"But the..." Della tried to add.

Aracely cut in. "I pick them up before he notices."

The silence was cut as soon as Della pulled another cigarette from the pack, trying to keep up with Aracely. "So, move on with your life... Act as if I am not here." Della said as she lit up her smoke.

Aracely laughed to herself as she leaned forward in her chair, ashing her cigarette on the balcony floor. "Easy for you to say."

Della's eyes widened as she moved from Aracely's side to her front to look her in the eye. "And you think this is easy for me? I was a woman for 33 years... I am now a man. A man with hair coming out of every orifice of his body, a man with a..." Della looked left, than right, almost as if she was about to say was top secret. Della's eyes popped back to Aracely's. "A dick... I have a big hairy dick... You don't think this is hard for me, pun non intended..." Della said, half whispering.

Aracely chuckled underneath the biting of her fingernails. "Ahhh, don't flatter yourself, it's not that big."

Della's jaw dropped. "Did you tell him that?"

Aracely shook her head.

Della smiled as she looked David's body up and down. "Did you hear that David? You have a small cock!"

"Shhhhhh!" Aracely hissed back. "You don't need to tell the whole world!"

Della lifted her arms. "Well, you know me."

Aracely nodded. "Yes, I do... And speaking on the subject of moving on with our lives... My husband has a Christmas dinner with his boss he was supposed to attend tonight... We had hoped it was going to further his career..." Aracely finished one more puff from her cigarette before throwing it over the balcony. She stood up from her seat, looking eye to eye with Della. "Think you are up for it?"

Della raised one brow, mashing her lips together into a why not looking face.

"Stop that." Aracely said.

"Stop what?"

"Cocking your brows... My husband cannot move his brows like that.

Della smiled, arching one brow than the other. "You mean like this? And I love the way the word cocking rolls off your lips through your accent." Della was and would always be, the comic relief.

Throughout Della's life, she was plagued by an emotional heart. Her insides cried often as Della tried to mask the tears with laughter. She knew it was depression, but was unwilling to have to take a pill for the rest of her life simply to regulate it. On the outside, Della was a crust of thick silliness. It was on the insides of Della that were washing away, eroding slowly like some canyon wall out in the middle of nowhere. The void had widened too far for Della to jump across. Della was beginning to find, that if she did not deal with it, the only way would be down.

"Hey! Are you there?"

Della's eyes finally grazed back to Aracely's. "Earth to space?" Della smiled. "Yes, space is home."

"We need to start getting ready if we are going to make it on time."

Aracely used extreme selection while picking out Della's outfit. It was a black suit, with a dark green shirt, and multi green striped colored tie.

"I'm liking the colors... And a bit flattered you remembered my favorite color."

Aracely placed the suit on the bed. "Green is also David's favorite color."

"Oh." Della added.

Aracely pulled a black, leg length velvet dress with spaghetti straps from the closet. She tossed it on the bed, revealing a long slit up the left side.

Della's eyes widened. "Whoa... That's sexy."

"My husband never thought so." Aracely said as she sat on the bed, pulling off her shoes. "In fact, he despised it, telling me I looked like a whore in it." She tossed her shoes into the corner of the closet. Aracely walked into the bathroom, turning on the shower. As she walked back out, her shirt was half buttoned, breasts revealed snugly in the bra.

Della dropped her jaw. "Hold up lady! Not your husband, remember?"

Aracely quickly covered herself up. "Oh, right... Um, you shower up here, and I'll go downstairs." Aracely stopped at the doorway looking back at Della. "Let me know if you need help with the tie."

"Sweetie, I got that covered. There wasn't a suit that this soft butch did not like. I'll make it professional and give it the Windsor knot."

Aracely laughed on her way downstairs. "And that makes you a little more manly than my husband. Never could he tie a tie."

The house was nestled atop of a rugged desert mountain. The driveway was vast and decorated with diagonal mauve pavers. Saguaros danced upon the landscape, and the sun made is slow but glowing exit on the other side of the mountain. Even through the darkness, the house stood tall, light reflecting from the tinted windows.

Della pulled up in Aracely's dark charcoal, electric Honda Civic. She wanted to gather all of the sensations of the giant house's surroundings. But first thing was first. Della rushed over to Aracely's side, opening the door for her.

Aracely smiled as she placed her small black strapless purse underneath her arm. "Thank you Dee."

Della extended her arm. Aracely looked at her as Della raised her brows. "My love?"

Aracely laughed lightly, shaking her head. "My husband was not that proper."

Della interlocked Aracely's arm with hers, speaking as they both walked toward the vaulted door of the gigantic house, in the near twilight of the warmest night in December. "Chivalry is not dead, and no, I am not your husband."

The double doors to the gigantic house swung open, revealing a well-groomed man in a tux. He smiled as Della and Aracely approached. "Sir, your keys?"

Della pulled them from her coat pocket, tossing them to the young man, who caught them with one grip.

"Nice catch!" Della remarked.

"Thank you, sir." The man in the tux replied. His black goatee fluttered underneath his lip.

Della stopped when she reached the man, pulling and placing a five dollar bill into his coat pocket. "Now, if you drive her to Mexico, don't forget to charge the battery, yeah?"

The man in the tux smiled. "Yes, sir."

Aracely pulled Della closer as they approached the tall double doors, glazed with stained glass. "Really? Five dollars?"

Smiling, revealing teeth, Della replied. "For the first time I am being referred to as sir, and I am actually a sir!"

Inside of the house was a whole new world. It was a delicacy all on its own. Della had to take a moment just to soak it all in. It was like being at a fancy hotel, but it was just a house, a really big one. As they were escorted in further, they were greeted by the man, the main man, David's Boss, Percival Dwells.

AKA Percy. Della and Aracely went over extensively in the 45 minutes provided by the ride over to the Dwells establishment just what Della may need to know about David's life. Della tried to listen coherently, but her mind would always get the best of her. As Aracely asked if Della understood, Della would nod, knowing or not. With Della, her mind was always racing and things would just go in one ear and out the other.

As Della shook Percival Dwell's hand, she grasped it firmly. She always knew a firm handshake meant strength. "David... Thank you for coming." Percy dropped Della's hand and placed his feasting eyes upon Aracely. Steadily, he grasped her hand, slowly bringing it to his lips. "My, your wife sure looks lovely tonight."

"Thank you, sir." Della said shortly, eyes a bit pursed.

"Please, call me Percy. Come in, have some drinks, mingle. Dinner will be served shortly. Then we will have time to talk."

With eyes narrowed, Della watched as Percy slithered away.

The room was loud and filled with chatter and laughter. The only way Della could fully communicate with Aracely was if she was to put her lips close the Cely's ears. "I think he has got a thing for you."

Aracely turned her head, planting words into Della's ears. "You noticed huh? David won't give it a second thought.

Della shook her head. "If I was your husband, that man wouldn't come anywhere near you."

Aracely laughed. It was low, but light and floated above and throughout the crowds chatter. "I'm going to hold you to that." Aracely said as she took Della's arm in hers and held it there snugly. "Stay close. I do not know anything of these people."

Della began to laugh herself. "You and me both, babes."

It was a dinner party, a holiday party filled with expensive suits and dresses, high heels and firmly pressed hair. The essence of the house was enveloped with straight liquors and cigar fumes. The lights were dimmed, but brightly spotted with Christmas lights, decorative Garland and as many Christmas trees as the winter wonderland itself.

Della's eyes were completely glazed over by the decorations. She couldn't keep her eyes off of them, and she couldn't keep her eyes off of Aracely either. As they walked throughout the house, they finally found a safe quiet spot in the corner of the backyard, overlooking the crystal glowing waters of the pool, and a very big buffet with a very smoked, full pig.

As much as Della could feel her stomach grumbling, she stared at the pig shaking her head. "I am not eating that."

Aracely held Della's arm tighter and hers. "You and me both, babes."

"So, you do have a sense of humor, don't you?" Della said as she looked into Aracely's eyes, the glorious smile revealing her beautiful pearly whites.

Aracely glanced back at Della, batting her lashes. "I have my moments, David." She replied with a light snickering smile.

It was Della and Aracely's hope that they could both get through the evening without having to speak a word to anyone else. It wasn't until one of the servants found them, somewhat hiding in the darkness that he asked the question, and that question would cause Della to wave her silence. "Sir, ma'am, is there any need for refreshments, tonight?"

"No thank you..."

"Yes please..." Della said, with a great need in her voice.

"Absolutely sir, and what will we be drinking tonight?" The finally dressed man said, doused in a white tux with a very black tie. His mustache overshadowing his top lip, his white eyebrows nearly the edge of a cliff.

"I'll take a beer in a 64 ounce cup if you've got." Della said hastily.

The servant tipped his oversized eyebrow. "Perhaps something smaller sir?"

Della shrugged. "Two beers, please."

As the servant walked off, Aracely nudged Della harshly in her side.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"Really, you know I don't drink."

Della raised her eyebrows, lowering her jaw. "I know. Both of them are for me. You're just going to hold one for me so I don't look like an alcoholic. I mean, come on, it took him an hour to get over here."

Aracely shook her head. "Really?"

"Look, if I go to the bar, and I have to walk through that group of people and probably mingle. I may work with some of these people, and I have not yet got this accent down. So if you don't want me to blow our cover... Mostly mine, and I think it wise we just sit over here and drink in the corner."

"You mean to stand here while you drink in the corner." Aracely added with a hint of irritation.

Della let out a deep breath. "Yes. We stand here while I drink. Sorry, Aracely. I realize this is very selfish on my part, I promise you, it's for the better."

"I don't think alcohol betters anything."

Della raised her brows. "Well, you got a point. But if I am spoken to, I might be able to nail that Hungarian accent a little bit better."

It didn't take long before Della drained her two beers. Her empty stomach was creating a wry buzz within her head. She began to feel the need for drunken socializing. As she realized it was a hunger for dangerous activity, the booze had weakened her will. That, and the alcohol made her crave a cigarette. Della could be classified as a light smoker, but the booze always set her off like a chimney.

Aracely could feel the tension rising within Della. She herself became nervous. She knew that it was only going to get crazier.

After all the beers, Della was beginning to feel like a withheld Niagara Falls. And as a woman, it was easy to hold her pee, but as a man she could not hold it.

"Why are you shaking?" Aracely asked.

Della's eyes were wide, mindless, staring off into the pool. "I've got to pee, bad."

"Well, let's go find the bathroom."

Della shook her head. "Have a seat babe. I can tell you're getting tired of standing." Della pointed toward the poolside dining set. "Take a seat, and I'm going to find the pisser."

"You sure it is wise for you to be wandering the halls in your condition?" Aracely asked. She grasped Della's hand, gripping it firmly. "You won't get lost?"

Della smiled. "Cely, I promise I will be on my best behavior. Just sit, relax and enjoy your evening. Stop worrying about me, I'm a big girl..." Della took her hands and smoothed them over the front of her tux. "Or big man, I should say."

The last Aracely saw of Della was a big cheesy smile through her so-called husband's new Tony stark a.k.a. Ironman's beard.

Della's mind was filled with the happiness of the beer Buzz. She felt she had traveled from a complete zero, to now, a hero. Her main goal at the moment was to find the bathroom. As she fished through a sea of human beings, who waved at her and told her hello, beings whom she had never met before, but apparently knew her, she began finding herself, taking the place of David Raygil, a much happier version of course.

Finally, throughout Della's mingling and searching, the bathroom was discovered. A lot like the house, it too was huge and equipped with urinals. Della had never seen a house equipped with its own urinals. And upon entering the lush, used specifically to flush human waste, bathroom, Della couldn't help but take a moment and soak in the insanity.

The bathroom consisted of two sinks, two urinals and a man handing out hot towels. Its brightness, of course, was unmatched by anything Della had seen in a Shit house dwelling. Also, the real green foliage that decorated the walls and corners were quite refreshing.

There was another man at the urinal. And at the moment, Della's penis control was still a bit rusty. She tried her best to hesitate, but didn't want to seem shady. Della walked up to the urinal and unzipped. Even with the multitude of beers impacting her esteem, Della fumbled with her penis.

As the man next to her, without flaw, relieved himself. He looked over at Della as she had a hard time with control. He lifted his brow, speaking in a voice of humor. "First time using your cock?" The man said jokingly.

Della nodded as she finally got it out, relieving herself, with an out-of-control spray. "Actually, I've had my penis now for about three days. I am still trying to get used to it. I guess, after having the vagina for 33 years, and being an avid muff diver, handling a cock does not come naturally." Della said as she looked the man, eyes squinted as she tried not to look at his.

The man looked back with peculiar eyes, narrowed. "David, right?"

Drunk and without thought, Della removed her hand from the control of her penis, letting it spray about as she offered it to the man for handshake.

The man smiled and laughed. "David... I had no idea you were a funny guy."

Della removed her hand, remembering to control her urine. "Yeah, that's me, David."

Della waited until the man left. She then delicately tucked her new man parts into her pants and washed her hands.

"You seriously used to be a girl?" The towel man asked.

Della shook the wetness from her hands as she looked at him. A young man, a curious man with short dark hair and blue eyes. She took a hot towel. "No, my name is David." Della used the hot towel and dabbed it upon her face. "It's just a joke I do in the bathroom. I'm comedian."

The dark-haired towel man smiled. "You could've fooled me. It seriously looked as if you've never been in the men's bathroom before."

Della tried to buff her upper chest as she stretched her arm muscles beneath her pressed tux. "Naa, bra, been a dude my whole life. Check out the beard." She said as she pointed out.

The towel man laughed. "Nice, work on that all-night?"

Della smiled and shook her head. "Nope, just all morning."

As Della left the bathroom, she tried to smooth her hand over her face and into her hair. Apparently, her female attributes, the way she moved, everything was pointing toward the feline direction. Della tried to stop. In her drunken bliss, Della knew she had to act more like a man. She was after all dealing, affecting another man's life. She knew the beer was a bad idea, alcohol consumption was always a bad idea, but she needed it. As Della left the bathroom, she noticed the great halls of the gigantic house were emptied. And as she arched a brow, she realized dinner was served.

As Della traveled back outside, there were several roundtables, littered with a multitude of well-dressed well-mannered people. Della desperately tried to find Aracely. She grazed the outside for her face, until she heard his name.

"David!"

Della turned, proud of herself as she caught it, but turned. She saw in the house, dimmed light, and slightly glowing by multiple strands of white Christmas lights, the main table. Around the main table was Aracely, Percival dwells, many unknown faces and an empty seat. Trying to not make such a scene, Della sat next to Aracely.

The quiet banter resumed at the main table. The main table which was delicately littered with flutes of expensive champagne, the remaining chopped up smoked pig, and expensive China.

Della quickly took the glass of champagne in front of her and guzzled it like water.

"Do you seriously need to drink any more alcohol?"

As Della finished the last drop, she shrugged and then looked Aracely. "If you just had the moment that I had in the bathroom, then yes, I need as much alcohol as possible to continue on with this night."

Aracely closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "You are seriously not my husband."

Della raised her hand, motioning for another glass of champagne. She relieved herself of breath and looked at Aracely. "Don't take this the wrong way, but no Shit Sherlock." She took another chug, halfway clearing her newly filled glass of champagne, looking at Aracely, whispering quietly, close to her ear. "Dude, I am very sorry, but this Shit is getting too real. I know I am supposed to be David, and everybody thinks I am David, but, everybody sees me as a fucking girl because I cannot fucking pee right."

Aracely narrowed her brows, voice low. "Then maybe we should leave. At least we made an appearance?"

Della was in complete compliance with that. The unfortunate thing was that David was now in the center of conversation. A bad on Della's part, for conversation was nowhere near she wanted to be.

Percival dwells, high and mighty in the center, at the end of the elongated table, decorated in dishes of defeated smoked pig, raised his glass high, his glass of champagne. Percival dwells, with his light flowing white beard covering his face and his extremely bushy eyebrows. Percival dwells, with his glowing green eyes and flourishing white hairs from the top of his forehead, was proposing a toast. His wide gloating extensive mouth, littered with his finely trimmed beard hairs, tipped his eyebrows and bellowed out a short, "attention everyone."

Della looked at him, eyes wide, feeling the fear beyond his yellowed old teeth. Della took another swig from her flute of champagne and waited for the mayhem.

"I would like to propose a toast for those all in competition to the newly developed IT position." Percival dwells held his glass high. His eyes sparkled amongst the light fully gleaming Christmas strands. "All those in running, Jacob, Tim, David, Wrigley, and Bryce. Good luck to you all." He said as he took the flute to his mouth and downed his glass of champagne.

Percival dwells inhaled his precious alcohol and smiled after the downing. "Now, comes the tricky part. Telling me in front of everybody why you are worth this position."

Even with the alcohol coursing through her veins, Della was stricken with fear. She was not prepared nor aware of the competition at hand. Without thinking, she went for Aracely's hand and held it tightly. Della relieved herself of a few light gassy silent burps, before looking Aracely into the eyes. "What the Fuck is this?" She quietly lipped.

Aracely, unknown to the situation, eyes fearful, shook her head. "I had no idea." She quietly worded back.

It was a shooting competition, with words and not bullets. Della held herself hard. Della listened as Percival listened to each and every persons spiel. She swallowed hard, trying to think of how she could be the top IT person at a top company that she had no idea where she worked.

As Della listened to each and every one of her competitors, she swallowed flute after flute of champagne. She still could not compile any reason she should get the job. Percival dwells finally came to her, asking her for an action plan. Della's eyes bugged. She placed her empty glass upon the table. She took a deep breath and looked once again at Aracely before she spoke words of things that meant nothing to her. She felt bad because she knew that every word meant everything to Aracely. Unsure and shy, at first, Della spoke quietly, looking down at the table, making eye contact with no one. It was not until she received a few murmured complaints of needing to speak up, before she reminded herself that she was a karaoke singer, and a damn good one at that. Chiming in with loud pipes of fury so that everyone could hear was her job.

Della Vash could not think of anything valid except for an excerpt taken from the movie Bedazzled. She lifted her head, almost as if suddenly receiving a revelation. Her voice was loud, full and echoed throughout the house. "So, you go in there and you give it 110%, and you want to do good, and you hope you do good, and I'm pretty sure I'll do pretty good." Della choked on her last few words, realizing how awful what she just said was. She looked back at Aracely. Her face was blank, but white. She then looked back at Percy.

Percy put his empty glass back down on the table. His jaw dropped open wide, as was that of everyone else. He smiled big. "God damn! I had no idea you had a sense of humor on you boy! Funny Shit!"

"Was it that bad?" Della asked, trying to cut a ripple within the silenced car ride.

Aracely was behind the wheel. She had been silent ever since they had left the Dwell's establishment. "Were you really that drunk, or were you just being you?"

Della's eyes saddened as her jaw dropped in the darkness of the car. "What do you mean, being me?"

"You know what I mean!" Aracely's voice began to rise.

"There is nothing wrong with a little humor..." Della began to state.

Aracely cut her off quickly and with anger. "It is when it involves our lives!" Her hands gripped tightly against the cars steering wheel.

"Sorry... "

Aracely took her eyes off the road, quickly looking at Della. "How did you do that to your hand?"

"Wow, you must have supervision. You glanced over here and in the thickness of dark, noticed my hand."

Aracely pushed out a short sigh. "I saw it as you walked out to the car. You seemed a bit shaken, what exactly happened in there?"

Percy had caught Della as she was off to the bathroom once again. The night was moving on into the early hours and most of the guests were leaving.

"Have a moment? I would like to talk to you."

Della, uncomfortable, pinched herself down there lightly to ward off the need to pee. "Ummm, yeah, sure... Let me go get Aracely."

Percy grabbed her arm before Della could start off. "Just you and me... Man to man." Percy pointed out the double French doors leading out to his back yard. "Outback... Let's have a cigar."

As Percy lead her out, Della looked into the ceiling of the house and worded silently between her lips, "thank god." Della had been waiting all night for something to smoke.

"Pretty funny stuff you said in there." Percival dwells said as he pulled out two cigars, snipping the butt while handing the other to Della.

Della waved off the butt snip and put the cigar into her mouth. Barely clenching with the backs of her molars, she crunched off the end quickly and spat it out.

Percy let out a low chuckle and shook his head. "Full of surprises, aren't you?"

Della released a low laugh, entwined with small swirls of cigar smoke. "Oh, you have no idea." She said underneath a mild smile. "This wouldn't have anything to do about the job, would it?"

Percy smiled as he lit his cigar while lightly nudging the cushy wet grass with his expensive loafer. "Yeah, about that. How about you and I make a deal?" He asked.

Della raised her right brow. The manner in which he spoke the sentence was somewhat odd, hinted with a tint of menace. She felt it important to rely on a bit of mischief herself. Della casually raised her hand as if semi-stretching, letting her arm rest and her hand reach into her pocket.

David had owned an iPhone, as well as Della. She was quite fond of them, and became quite fond of his. Della thumbed it, hoping she swiped and activated the right application. As she found herself ready, Percy began to speak and relieve himself of his proposition.

"I find you to be a very interesting person David, more so now than ever. So if we are to continue our professional relationship..."

Della took another puff from her cigar, inhaling lightly and exhaling the rest. She scratched her head and tilted it as she spoke. "What exactly did you have in mind?" She asked.

"Your wife is quite the gorgeous creature. If you were to, maybe give us some time together, I may be persuaded to give you the job hands down."

Della swallowed hard. She felt a tingling bead of angry sweat rolling down the top of her forehead. Della's anger began to overwhelm her, but she held on momentarily. "No questions asked, huh?"

Percy smiled as he felt Della was going to agree with his proposal. "Just a little time, I would like to get to know that young vivacious body of hers, if you know what I mean. You get the job and with many bonuses attached."

Della clenched her teeth. She began to narrow her brows and her nostrils began to flare. The incidence of violence was never her thing, but she figured she would make an exception for the now vile and repellent man. Fuming, and without further hesitation, Della clenched up her right fist and struck forward.

The old man's face lost all control, as he fell backwards and onto his butt. As everyone had left the party, a select few in the man's study for harder liquors, Percival Dwell's man servants came to his aid, Della keeping her dukes up.

"Sir, do you want me to call the police?" One of the servants asked.

Just as Percival could answer with a firm yes, Della pulled out her plan B. She waved her phone above her head, hoping everyone would see.

Percy, nose bleeding by now, squinted as he strained to see the mobile device. "What the hell is that?"

"This is my policy bitch. You call the police or you threaten me and my wife in any way, and this will be all over the company and all over the news." She went to push the playback button. Della crossed imaginary fingers hoping it recorded everything. The conversation between the two was in its entirety and Della waved a sigh of relief.

As Percy's servants pick him up off the ground and helped brush him off, he shooed them away somewhat embarrassed of the current transaction. "What do you want David?" He asked.

Della smiled. "Good, now that I have your full attention. You will not go near my wife, ever. You can take your job and you can go Fuck yourself. I can't believe David would even fathom working with a piece of Shit like you."

Percival Dwells raised his white eyebrows and watched as David stormed off, both arms raised and both middle fingers giving full salute.

"Jesus Christ Della, I can't believe you did that." Aracely said astonished behind the cars wheel.

"Sorry, I wouldn't be called a human being if I had anything to do with that disgusting excuse for a man. It seems the more money one owns, the less grip on reality they have. Money is not going to buy my wife."

Aracely choked back, relieving herself of a happy tear.

Della carefully reached over and slowly wiped away the tear with her index finger. "I'm sorry, I don't want you to cry, your man's a smart guy and I know he can have any job he wants."

Aracely momentarily took her hand and put it over Della's. She held it there firmly and smiled. "It's not that. I'm overwhelmed with happiness. I think my husband would have gone with the deal. I can't help but think that you're here for a reason. I'm not super religious, but God or the universe or whatever it was put you here in my life. I don't care about the job Della, I'm just happy not to be anywhere near that position. I don't wanna be owned by anyone."

The night continued to press on into the early hours of the morning. Della with the TV on quietly, and removed her shoes. The effect of the alcohol was wearing off and she felt a small headache lingering. As she walked into the downstairs bathroom, she removed her fancy clothes, soaked in cigars and lightly splattered with alcohol. She had a fresh pair of boxers and a white tee, waiting for her in the closet of the downstairs bathroom.

Dressed in her pajamas, mind heavy with sleep, Della washed her hands and cleaned the blood away from her knuckles. She pooled the water within her Palms and splashed it over her face. Her gaze in the mirror was quite a long one, as she looked into a stranger's eyes, nowhere near that of her own. She took a deep breath and longed for home. It wasn't the usual home, constructed of four walls, bricks and stucco. It was far from that. Della Vash missed her body. She missed being her and most of all she missed being a woman.

Della walked her tired and aching man body to the couch, letting her knees buckle underneath her and falling to the soft cushions below. She wasn't anywhere near interested in what was on TV. In fact, Della stared at it blankly, mind nowhere near a probable thought. Della's eyes longed for sleep, but her mind was nowhere achieving it. The day had torn a hole through her heart. And for the time being, Della concluded to remain in a stationary vegetative state, staring into nothingness.

"You don't have to sleep on the couch tonight if you don't want to." Aracely's voice, quiet and light drifted through the darkness.

Della turned her head slowly, trying to clear her head and process a thought. As her eyes reached Aracely's, she lost her breath. Aracely's hair was down and loose, dark Brown reaching past the middle of her back and curled up at the ends. Her nightgown was light and old-fashioned of sorts. It had short sleeves, but it was almost like a very oversized shirt, constructed of fine lace. It had a very elongated dipping V-neck, with the option of lacing it up. Aracely's was laced halfway up, revealing the top of her very ample smooth tender breasts.

As Della was caught off guard, she tried to regain her wits. It was very nice on Aracely's part to offer her a comfortable bed to sleep in, though Della thought it to be a bad idea. "As much as I appreciate the notion, I would have to politely decline. As I am still learning the craft of my new body, I may end up poking you with something in the morning."

"It is nothing I haven't been poked with before." Aracely added too cutely. She, within her mind after saying such a thing was somewhat beside herself. In front of her, was a man, a man whom she had been married to for 12 years. Aracely and her husband had been quite distant for some time. And for a long time in the making, Aracely herself was missing and/or lacking that needed companionship, the love. She was conflicted and torn apart on both sides. Her heart kept telling her it was cheating, but her mind screamed to do it. Aracely's heart pulsed within her chest, her breath fluttered underneath the very words she spoke. She knew much of Della and adored her greatly, Della's laughter would bring her back to life. As much as Aracely wanted, she knew that out of respect, out of responsibility, Della was to shut her down.

Della couldn't help but notice how Aracely's body vibrantly glowed in the moonlight. And as much as her mouth watered and her body craved to be with her, she tried her best to ward off any feelings of need. A woman wants what a woman wants, and so forth for a man. Della found herself as neither man nor woman, but at the moment possessed the best of both worlds. She felt it her duty to keep the lines neutral. Della laughed as she stood up, trying to reply to Aracely in a respectful manner.

"I thank you for the offer, but I must insist on the polite decline."

Aracely smiled, revealing a moonlit glow emitting from her tooth filled smile. "Sleep well tonight my friend, for we have much to do tomorrow. Your parents will be arriving shortly from Hungary. It is the holiday and they will be sharing Christmas Eve dinner with us."

Still standing, Della's jaw dropped, slowly. All thoughts of beauty were removed and replaced with the scary thoughts of having to entertain parents. Della's heart raced all night and sleep would be extremely hard to achieve.

Wednesday, December 23 2015

Aracely had many conversations with Della about her in-laws. The biggest emphasis on David's mother. In Della's eyes, Aracely would often draw her out to be an icy, vicious and morose human being. She was always nitpicking everything Aracely did. Never happy. In her years of being a daughter-in-law, Aracely was stripped of her pride and removed in her mind of any capabilities that were performed daily tasks. Graciella Hragyl, David's mom would often combat with Aracely's frugality. Though David often draped Aracely in lavish things, Aracely continued to remain humble. She would try to save money anywhere possible and often buy generic brands. This was always a hot topic for Graciella as she put down Aracely often.

Since the Saturday night party, after Della had punched David's boss and completely lost his job, Aracely and Della were slowly becoming a pair. They were more comfortable with each other and Della was slowly smoothing more into her new skin. But her anxiety continued to plague her slowly, and as Christmas Eve's dinner continued to creep up, Della's anxiety began to expand.

"So what's on the dinner menu?" Della asked.

Aracely continued to thumb through her phone, looking at hot topics on the news feed as she sipped her morning coffee. Without even looking up, she replied. "I'll be making some traditional Hungarian food."

"Do you always cook on Christmas?" Della asked.

"No, David does. His mother is quite particular about what she eats."

"So, maybe I should cook then." Della replied.

Aracely shook her head, removed herself from her phone and looked into Della's eyes. "Probably not a good idea. I don't want my mother-in-law to hate me more than she already does." Aracely R's were rolling and quite articulate underneath her thick accent.

"Well then." Della said as she lifted her eyebrows and gave off a mischievous look. "Maybe we should think outside the box. I have been telling you this since I met you. Mix it up. Let's just shock her, after all it will be her loving son who is making all the chaos in the kitchen." Della ended her statement with a sly smile.

Aracely thought about it for a moment and thought about the repercussions. David was a mama's boy. Anything that Graciella's son did was always in the right. And though David was there in body, he was most definitely not in mind. The gears within Aracely's head began to move. She knew she was up against it all, and she also knew that Della would refuse to put out the perfect Hungarian accent even though she was truly capable of it.

Aracely continued to think of the Saturday night party, where Della had saved her from the sexual proposition, and reminisced on how Della may have been there for reason to better her life.

Aracely, smug and smiling to herself looked back into Della's eyes. "So what's on the dinner menu?" She casually asked.

Della looked back, lips at cheeks end. "Why my beautiful wife, I am so grateful you asked. We will be having a wonderful honey mustard roasted ham, complete with the traditional green bean casserole, and extremely creamy homemade macaroni and cheese dish with fiber pasta and to top it off, a wonderfully mashed sweet yam casserole crusted in sugary granola."

Aracely giggled to herself. It was different, it was a change. She hoped this turn would liberate her from Graciella's sternness.

As Della looked into her phone for more recipes, she momentarily looked at Aracely. "And considering our past discussions about your parents-in-law, I have one last surprise."

"Perhaps the American dinner would be enough?" Aracely said concerned. She was a bit apprehensive towards the fact that she knew Della was quite eccentric and took things a little too far sometimes.

"As my dear friend Robert Frost once said, and I quote, I took the path lest traveled by, and that has made all the difference in the world." Della said as she took the last few sips of her mostly creamer coffee.

As Aracely could feel the butterflies of anxiety looming within her bowels, she replied. "That is what I am a little afraid of."

Della replied in an assuring voice." Need not worry my friend, tomorrow night shall change all of our lives."

The store was filled with the hectic bustle and crowds that usually occupied holidays. People were out, running last-minute errands, picking up gifts, shopping for Christmas dinner or shopping for forgotten ingredients.

Aracely was blindly following Della around as she gathered ingredients for her All-American Christmas dinner. And as Della shopped, hands firmly gripped upon the grocery basket, she couldn't help but to feel a peculiar set of eyes upon her.

She stopped slowly while rounding the corner, catching the eyes of a short blonde haired overly blue eye shadowed woman. She stopped momentarily in her tracks as the blonde haired woman quickly disappeared.

"What are you doing?" Aracely sharply asked.

As Della finished looking around her, she continued to push the basket. "Somebody is watching me." Della finished, paranoid.

Aracely looked around, seeing nothing but human faces, looking at product and talking to other loved ones. "Don't be silly, David and I go here every weekend, but we always talk to no one."

As the remainder of the shopping was done, Della and Aracely were homebound. The groceries were brought in and dispersed amongst the refrigerator and pantry. As Della emptied all the bags, she relieved herself of a disappointing gasp. "Damn, I forgot the bloody ice cream."

As Aracely put the ham into the refrigerator, as she replied. "That's okay, we don't need ice cream."

Della began to shake her head. "Oh no, no, no, we do. I cannot serve apple pie ala mode without the ice cream. Nothing will be open tomorrow. This retrieval must be done today."

Aracely released herself of a short chuckle. "All right, but be quick. We have much to do in preparation for tomorrow."

Della, with the classic tunes of old rock ringing loudly within the speakers of the car, drove back to the nearest Walmart. As she was in a good mood and excited to cook a meal in good old American dissent, to complete foreigners she might also add, she lightly hummed to the Doors, LA Woman.

Aracely was in complete a clean mode, no dust left unturned, as Della walked through the front door. "Did you get the ice cream?" She happily asked.

Della's reply was a bit constrained and somewhat short. "I did."

Aracely pulled her cup of coffee from the kitchen countertop and sat back down at the table as Della put the ice cream into the freezer. She watched Della, white faced and pale, slump into the chair at the kitchen table, and remained motionless, expressionless. Aracely knew Della and her many personalities. She thought perhaps that this was one, kiddingly. She poured another cup of coffee for Della, mostly creamer and then slid it across the table. Because, of course, coffee was all they drank all day. But Della received the coffee warily. Aracely still bright eyed, spoke. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Della continued with her meaningless stare into space. Her lips were slightly pursed and quivered relentlessly at the ends. Della looked into Aracely's eyes.

Aracely, felt the energy drained from Della's eyes. Her senses touched, she knew something was wrong. Losing her smile, she asked once again more serious this time. "What is it?"

Della swallowed hard, bile had reached her throat, burning it. The words she was about to speak were the hardest words she would ever have to tell someone. She licked her lips, opening her mouth slightly revealing teeth, trying to spit the words out but losing ground. Della took her hand and smoothed over hair and over her face. She shook her head and swallowed once again. It was something that had to be said. It was her duty as Aracely's friend to tell her the truth. Della Vash removed her eyes from the emptiness and fixed them on Aracely's once again. "Your husband is cheating on you." She said point blank.

Aracely's mouth dropped. Her eyes, which were round and vibrant slowly slipped at the edges and lost their life. Her energy, her breath, it was if she had been punched in the stomach. She had heard the statement clearly, but just had to ask once again because she needed to hear it. "What, how...?"

Della, not moving one body part but her lips, slowly parted and spoke once again. "Your husband is cheating on you."

"How do you know?"

Della pulled the French vanilla ice cream from the freezer. It wasn't the generic brand. Della wanted to make sure that Bryers, and all its somewhat non-processed worthiness was served. She smiled at her decision, happily walked and paid with David's debit card of course. Perhaps her suspicions earlier were a bit over noted. At Della's second visit to Walmart, she felt less spied upon. There was an anxiety dwelling within her, but of course that was to be expected when serving unknown people new food. Della was pleased with the fact that Aracely was with her on her recipe selection. It was going to be the weirdest Christmas she had ever experienced.

Della's walk was upbeat, and she continued to whistle all the way back to the car. She had to remember what kind of car she drove, for she knew her Chevy Cruze was not in use. Della found the charcoal colored Honda, remote unlocked it and crawled into the driver seat, throwing the ice cream in the back. Her smile was upon her and her happiness gathered, she put the key into the ignition. Just as she turned the key, the passenger side door flew open and the blonde haired overly eye shadowed woman slithered in like the snake of Eden.

"Where have you been baby? I didn't see you this weekend." Her overly manicured hands slithered over Della's leg and into her groin. "You know I need me some loving." The woman said in a southern voice.

Della, shocked and caught off guard grabbed the woman's hand as it swayed upon her man parts and tossed it back at her. "Who the Fuck are you!?" She said wide-eyed and shocked.

The woman, cool and slutty in her nature looked back at Della, arms coming towards her to pull Della in. "Baby, you want to play that game with me? Let's take this car in the back and you can show me how much of a stranger you think I am." The blonde woman, arms around Della's neck began to pull Della towards her.

"Back the Fuck up!" Della said harshly as she pushed the unknown woman's hands away from her. "Get the Fuck away from me!"

The blonde haired woman stood there, stunned. Her eyes were brown, wide and near on the verge that Della was speaking truthful. "Baby?" were all the words that she could mutter.

Della nearly snarled as she pointed towards the passenger door. "Get the fuck out." She plainly stated.

The blonde haired woman remained stationary, still under the impression that it was a game.

Della, louder this time yelled. "Get the fuck out hoe!"

The blonde haired lady removed herself from the car, hollering back. "Don't come back! You ain't ever getting any more of this sweet..."

Della leaned over, a short, lean due to her height and slammed shut the car door before the woman could even finish her sentence. She drove back to Aracely's, blank, shocked and most of all saddened.

Somewhere during the explanation, Aracely's mouth had dropped. Her eyes squinted, mouth somewhat sneered. She felt violated, raped. The sanctity of marriage had been stained, easily burned by worthless needs of lust. Years of loyalty and hard work were for nothing, and appreciated none the less.

Della could see the fire ignited within Aracely's eyes. Her pain was causing her eyes to crust over with an enhanced fury. Della released herself of breath, awaiting the only removal of pain from Aracely as she knew fit. Della braced herself, awaiting the relief from it all.

Aracely stood up quickly, fists balled. Between her gritted teeth, her sneering expression, she relieved herself of her pain with words, before the physical part. "You fucking piece of shit! I loved you relentlessly, on edge of my own life, gave you all I had, and you?" Aracely took steps closer the Della. "You have not touched me for two years, why?" Aracely edged in, fangs clearly glistening in the late afternoon sun that was slowly seeping in through the windows. "Because you were fucking a common whore!"

The words were violent and spoken without remorse. As Aracely marched to Della, Della stood up quickly, blocking in preparation. It was a good move on Della's part, for as Aracely inched closer, she began thrusting balled up fists.

Della remained motionless at first, allowing Aracely to land every hit. It was not an easy thing on her part, for the strikes were hard and painful. But Della felt it right in her heart for Aracely to relieve herself of her pain on the very thing that caused it, though Della was not the cause.

"Fuck you, you fucking bastard!" Aracely yelled heartily as she continued to pound Della with closed fists.

Della allowed the battering to continue until she felt she could take no more. Her nose spilled blood as well as the sides of her head and she began to feel the fury of David's punishment take hold in a woozy distant detachment. As Aracely came in for two more pounding blows, Della grabbed both of her hands and spoke softly, holding her wrists in her hands, wincing all the same. "Remember, I am not your husband." Della held her hard. She kept her eyes wide and looked deep into Aracely's. "Look into my eyes, and you will see I am not him."

There were a few soft jerks on Aracely's part, as she quickly pulled her arms away from Della's grasp. Her frown covered her face and she shook her head, tears streaming. "I know, I know, but it's hard..."

Aracely took a seat on the couch in the living room. She placed her palms upon her face and began to cry. What she had in the back of her mind, what she had always been fearful of, finally became true. And she would have never known unless her friend had told her.

Della took her two palms and passed them across her face. Feeling wetness, she pulled them back finding them to be spattered in blood. Della went to the bathroom for a quick patch up. She felt the pain, and past it off. It was worth it. Her friend finally knew the truth, Della was disgusted that she had discovered it. Before Della dried her face off, she looked into the mirror and saw the bloody sad shambles of a man.

Fate brought truth, but fate also brought sadness. Della tried to compose herself the best that she could in the downstairs bathroom. Tomorrow would be a new day, the eve of Christmas. Della knew that David's parents were coming in, and she also knew that she would have to answer for her pain. But she didn't care. Della knew she would figure it out. In her heart, she was happy that Aracely finally found out her demons, but finally found her freedom.

As Aracely continued to pour her eyes out, Della composed herself and searched the tops of the cupboards usually reserved for alcohol. And in her searches, Della become victorious. Smiling, she pulled a bottle of brandy from the top shelf.

Della quietly moved herself toward Aracely, eyes still covered within her palms, motionless on the couch. She held the bottle of brandy firmly and gently shook Aracely upon the shoulder. "I know you don't drink, but you and I both need this."

Aracely gave no hesitation as she grabbed Della's hand and was led upstairs, bottle and glasses with Della.

The night was crisp, the stars were bold and planting their marks everywhere. The day ahead was worrisome and fulfilled, but Della tried to keep on the brighter side. The brandy was poured and the sips were taken. Cigarettes were smoked and laughs became the both of them. At one point, Aracely took Della's face into her hands and looked deeply.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry caused you pain. You are my friend, from the moment I met you, you've always been my friend." She said solemnly as she pulled her hands away from Della's bruised cheeks.

Two years ago, left a vexing mark within Della's mind. At the height of their friendship, Della and Aracely spoke and texted daily. It seemed however to slowly fizzle out and words were only spoken at work for professional matters. Since the two had parted from their plant shutdown, Della always questioned herself as to why? The silence shared between them was an opportunity to ask, and seeing how alcohol was now involved and often acted as a truth serum, Della thought that there was no better time than now.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" Della asked softly.

"Sure."

"Two years ago, I texted you asking why we don't talk anymore." Della shifted in her seat, drinking a gulp of her brandy. "I asked you if I had done and or said anything wrong to offend you, and if I did, then I was truly sorry." Della turned to look at Aracely, who was now staring off into the stars.

"And I told you that it was not you, it was me." Aracely turned to look at Della.

Della shook her head, reliving herself of a sigh. "I still don't believe you." Her eyebrows lifted as she spoke.

"I went home every night... After seeing you, laughing with you, talking with you about things that I would never talk about with anyone else." Aracely's eyes drifted, glazed. Her lips trembled at the ends. "I realized that I was falling in love with you and I told myself that this could not be." She smiled as she finished her glass of brandy, then, lighting up a cigarette, she exhaled, turning her eyes to Della once again. "I thought I was the perfect wife... Lived the good life... I seriously thought I knew who I truly was, but come to find out... It took one person to reveal all."

Aracely stood, uneasy and stumbling with drink. Della rushed into balance her, a bit off herself, but not as far off as Aracely.

Aracely hoisted her arm around Della, faces close as Della stabilized her. They were in close proximity of each other as Aracely put the near spent cigarette into Della's lips.

Della took a long drag, eyes never leaving Aracely's, blowing the smoke out of the side of her lip.

"Speak.' Aracely said, nearly whimpering at the end. Her hand came to touch Della's face, but never made contact. "I don't dare touch you now, for he is all I see, but the longer I look, I can see you in his eyes... Oh Della, speak! Did you feel the same?" Her question was filled with more hunger this time, more demanding.

Della knew she was drunk, but also knew she was telling the truth. She gathered the more than fragile Aracely as she spoke. "Did you have to ask? My heart burned for you." And as Aracely was safely planted back into her chair, Della saw that she had fallen asleep.

Della smiled. She had lips on cheek ends, as she pulled another drag from her cigarette. Arizona nights in the month of December had a way of transfixing your mind. There was always the cool, clean briskness of the air, followed by the scented releases of rooftop chimneys. The black sky, star filled and full of adventure, was enough for anyone to get lost into.

And soon enough Della lost her mind. Time passes when silence blankets all, and as Della came to, out of a dazed trance, she removed her shot glass of the last bits of liquid flames. Her eyes were heavy with sleep and slightly burning from the liquid fire. Della stared up into the nighttime sky, for some time, contemplating, wondering if Aracely heard her last words before passing out. In a tired Frankenstein move, Della turned her head to the right to see Aracely passed out in the chair breathing quietly.

In Della's short friendship with Aracely, they had never once had a drink together, and Della smiled to herself as she picked up Aracely in her arms and carried her to her bed. Quietly and with lights dimmed, Della gently placed Aracely onto the bed, removing her shoes, and gently pulling off her jacket. Della smiled as she looked over Aracely's motionless sleeping body. "Sweet dreams, my friend." She said.

Aracely smiled, rolling over and mumbling sweet nothings. As Della reached the door to turn the lights off, finger on the switch, Aracely's voice became clearer. "Sleep with me tonight."

Della remained frozen in the frame of the door, finger still lightly hovering over the switch. Della turned her head, looking behind her but never quite achieving a complete turn back. "You know I can do that."

Aracely let out a low sigh, making a putting sound with the end of her lips. "Not like that... Could you just lay with me please? I don't want to be alone."

"I am probably the last person you would want to lay next to." Della softly replied back. Even though the alcohol was doing its part, Della could still feel the lingering aches.

"Him no... You... Yes."

Della smiled, removing her hooded jacket, sitting on the side of the bed removing her shoes. She released a deep breath as she lay next to Aracely, body softly tremulous due to her close proximity.

Aracely rolled over, facing Della as she gently placed her hand upon Della's battered cheek. "I see it now... Your eyes within him. Your expressions, your body language. I took me a while to figure it out, but I see you there. Aracely's black eyes glowed in the darkness as she pulled her hand softly through Della's hair. "An angel in disguise."

"I thank you for the notion, but I am no angel." Della said as she placed her hand over Aracely's.

Thursday, December 24th 2015

There was a southerly wind that swept through the valley that night. With it, at the tail end, followed thickened, rain looming clouds. The purple hues of the massive clouds were quickly dissolved as the sun had risen, but their threat of rain had remained.

The early hours of the morning passed and Aracely found herself waking up close to the crack of the afternoon. Groggy and head heavy, laying on her stomach, she lifted her head to see the other side of the bed empty. When the urgency of lost time had plagued her mind, she quickly sprang from the bed and hopped into the shower.

As Aracely descended the stairs of her second story home, she was greeted with the most homely of smells. Holding her head, she sat down at the table, greeted with the happy smile of Della.

"Rough night?" Della asked as she placed a cup of black coffee in front of Aracely.

"You would know." Aracely said as she took her first sip.

"Just thought you needed to remove the edge."

"Oh, it's removed all right... Right into a flaming heap." Aracely placed the tips of her fingers to her temples, trying to relieve pressure.

Della smiled as she brought over a white pill and a shot glass filled with clear greenish liquid.

Aracely examined the shot closely, lifting both of her brows. "I get the aspirin, but what's in the shot?"

Della sat down at the table, placing a plate of scrambled eggs with buttered toast in front of Aracely. "It is pickle juice... Helps with the hangover."

Aracely plugged her nose as she downed the shot. She shook her head as she squirmed at the lips. "Well, I guess there is a first for everything... Hey, how come you are not hungover?" She asked, making an observation.

"Well, as much as I'd like to say I have had experience in the matter, this is not my body... and that half full bottle of brandy did belong to someone."

Aracely nodded as she took the aspirin with her coffee. "So, what do we have left on the big list of chores to do before your, err, David's parents come over."

"All is done... Food had been prepped and ready to cook." Della went back to the kitchen, pulling her cup from the counter and taking a long sip, savoring its creamer goodness. "All you have to do now is just... relax and nurse your hangover."

"How is you Hungarian coming along...? Your accent?"

Della shook her head. "No time. I'll just wing it... Show my parents how well my English has progressed."

Aracely released a slightly disturbed sigh. "David's mother will prosecute me... She will accuse me of putting a spell on you."

Della slowly reached for Aracely's hand, and squeezed it firmly, reassuringly. "Let her... This year it is time you stepped outside of the box. Freedom is at hand. And besides..." Della smiled, winking at Aracely, remembering all that she had said last night. "You have put a spell on me so, how long will my loving parents be staying?"

Aracely, sleepily rubbed her eyes. "A week... A whole week. My endless persecution will last a week."

Della said nothing. She just grinned slyly.

"What?" Aracely's eyes became concerned.

"I told you I had a surprise, didn't I?"

"Yes, and I have been worried about it ever since." Aracely replied cautiously.

"You need not worry about it, my loving wife... For hear no, speak no, and see no evil." Della's voice was deep and hoarse from the night's cigarettes, but it held a chord of sincerity, and underneath that was a true affection for Aracely. "By the way... Merry Christmas Eve." Della said as she raised her coffee mug for a toast.

Aracely laughed lightly within her inside, grateful for Della's company.

The afternoon quickly aged into that of the latter. Both sat upon the couch, waiting patiently, as well as stomachs filled with butterflies.

The ham was basting well in its honey mustard glaze as its scent filled the house. As soon as the ham was done, Della would work quickly to get the remainder of the meal done.

Della worked hastily in the kitchen dreading the knock and or ring from the doorbell. As soon as she did hear the chimes, Della winced, looking into the ceiling as if she were looking into the blue skies themselves, and lipped an, "oh help me god."

Della was nowhere near religious, but she felt that the enhancement of a needed blessing may aid her in her new plight. Steadily and with great apprehension, Della met Aracely by the door to meet and greet David's parents.

As the front door opened, both Della and Aracely towered over the elderly pair. Della was a bit taken off guard as she was hugged by and what almost felt like a 4 year old.

"Az én nagy fiam, hogy vagy?" Graciella said as she hugged her son, arms tight around the waist.

Milan, David's father came around the back of Della as he smiled warmly to Aracely. "És hogy van az én egyetlen fiam?" He said as he laid a firm hand upon Della's shoulder.

Della's eyes widened as she understood not one word that had been spoken. Stricken with fear, she turned to Aracely in hopes of some relief.

"Graciella, Millian... Why don't you have a seat on the couch while David prepares us for Christmas Eve dinner?" Aracely said as she led David's parents into the living room.

Della caught the sneerfull look Graciella laid upon Aracely behind her back as she led the short pair to the couch.

As Della hustled with dinner, she was not completely masked from beaming eyes, for the kitchen was openly connected to the dining room and on to the living. She was lucky as to not having to reveal one word yet... Aracely and David's parents were quietly having a conversation in Hungarian. And though Della spoke not a lick, she could tell Graciella's tone was quite menacing towards Aracely.

Both parents were aged finely and into their 60's. Both parents seemd to be suffering from a case of dwarfism... As David was a towering six foot plus, his parents barley rounded the five foot five plateau. Della wondered where David's gigantism came from.

As the Hungarian banter began to elevate, more comfort was created by time spent. Aracely became a bit more comfortable, but still, Della could hear a quiet heckle within Graciella's voice towards Aracely.

"Illata csodálatos, fiam! Van meggyőződve én töltött káposzta?" It was a stray statement on Graciella's part, Della knowing it was geared toward her, but understood nothing. She stood in the kitchen motionless, jaw dropped and trying to think of something to say.

Quickly Aracely was on her feet, gathering the two somewhat empty glasses of wine from David's parents. She picked them up into the kitchen, quickly whispering into Della's ear as she passed to the refrigerator to gather more wine. "Your mother says, that it smells good and are you making her favorite dish, stuffed cabbage."

"Muchas Gracias." Della said. "And no, tonight will be having a traditional American Christmas dinner." As Della had tried all might not to talk, she unfortunately relieved herself of her voice. She held back on her behalf, for if she were sober, the slip up would not have happened. Unfortunately, Della was relishing in the last remnants of the brandy. She felt that she needed a little liquid courage, unfortunately the courage was coming a little too easy.

Graciella's eyes widened as well as Millian's. As Aracely dropped off the two full glasses of wine, Graciella in her language of heritage spoke once again. "A fiam ... Mi is történt a hangsúlyt?"

Della was stumped. And with Aracely having no glasses of wine to fill, Della was backed further into a corner. She could only put clues together and think to the best of her knowledge, that since she spoke and was clear American, it was perhaps David's mother's concern that there was no accent.

Della smiled as she replied back, hoping she was answering right. "So, I have been taking an English class to further myself in my career. I have noticed these few years that I have lived out here, that most business people don't take a person with an accent seriously. So, before I left my English class, my assignment was to speak English, and answer only in English, and learn English well. I have been doing so for the last couple months and shall continue. I'm sorry if this is difficult, but it is for my own good." Della said with a lasting gasp at the end. She was relieved to remove herself of it, and hoping that it was the question in general.

"Very well then, my son." The short elderly woman replied back. "We shall do it for you."

Della tilted her head as she heard David's mother speak English for the first time. She was somewhat impressed since it was not as choppy as she would have thought. Della continued to cook, letting the ham rest before she cut it, working hard on the side dishes. She kept her ears open as she listened to Aracely and David's parents chat.

"I don't really like this house. It is much bigger than the old one. Why did you need to stories?" Graciella asked.

Della watched as Aracely sank lower and lower into oblivion because of Graciella's inquisitions. Her dissatisfaction with everything Aracely did, was becoming apparent within her words. Della watched as Aracely kept her head held high, despite the plummeting downs that were continuously thrown at her by the mother bee, Graciella. As a good wife, Aracely would try to answer back in a pleasing tone, hoping to answer the question gracefully.

As Della continued to work, David's father Millan slowly snuck his way over to the kitchen, startling Della as he spoke. "Son, your face... Did you get into a fight?"

Della had prepared for it, smiling as she relieved herself of words. She lowered the heat on one of her side dishes and turned around planting both elbows upon the counter, hoping to have a man to man conversation with her so-called father. "As a matter of fact, yes I did." Frowning, and a near-perfect English as well, Millian replied shaking his head. "I did not take you to be a fighter, son. You were more of a negotiator."

Della relieved herself of breath. "Yes, but in this matter, negotiating would have put my wife into a compromise, that is why I had to defend her honor."

"And it had the lead up to fists, huh?"

Della smiled as she took a gulp of wine from Millan's glass. "To defend thy ladies honor, yes."

"Never thought my son to be a chivalrous one." Millan said laughing underneath his breath.

Della smiled. "Yes, chivalry nowadays, maybe just a word to most, but to me it is an action. An action that must be followed through."

Millian stared at Della through his thin framed glasses. His lips curved underneath his white mustache and chin wobbled through his thick beard. His dark eyes never left Della's. He tilted his head and swallowed hard. "Son you have changed." He said sternly.

Della half smiled. "You have no idea." She said, revealing teeth.

The late afternoon had faded quickly. The darkness had washed its way throughout the house, covering every inch. The moon had disappeared, for the clouds enveloped all releasing tiny drops of life. The ground was wet, saturated, releasing it smells of life upon earth. The lights were cascading their crystalline luminescence, blanketing the dining room table, creating a serene atmosphere.

All four ate at the table in silence, Graciella slowly poking her ham with her fork. "Son, was this your idea of an Americanized meal? Or did your wife tell you to do so?"

Della somewhat choked on her dinner. She looked up from her plate, raising a brow. "Are you unsatisfied with the meal, mother?" She asked.

Graciella pursed the ends of her wrinkled lips. Her eyes squinted and her glasses slid down her narrowed nose. "No, I just thought it would be more, traditional."

Della nodded, raising a brow as she locked eyes with Aracely. "No mom, my wife has not possessed me to do so. I thought for once that perhaps we could all think outside the box." Della replied.

Graciella's eyes, still affixed onto Della's face, a comment, a question which dwelled within her the first moment that she saw her son, she relieved herself. "And what of your face? What happened to you?"

Millan began to speak as Della cut him off. "If you must know..."

Aracely's eyes grew big. She knew not the answer to which was to come out of Della's mouth, but for the moment feared it.

"My boss, made a sexual proposition toward my wife. I found it my duty to defend her honor. So I got into it with them."

"That job that you have been wanting? That job that you have been talking about for so long, the promotion?" Her voice lifted to a higher octave.

Della nodded. "Yes a job in which I know longer have."

The old woman sneered. Her lips curled back and she showed her fangs, looking directly at Aracely.

Della took a deep breath. She was losing her cool and looking at the hour, felt it was time for the surprise. She fixed her eyes on Millan, and despite David's mother's crude remarks about dinner, Millian was nearly through with his. His first conquer upon the dish was the sweet mashed potatoes topped with granola. Della laughed to herself, revealing a sly grin. It wasn't something coldhearted that she was going to do, more of thinking outside of the box. Della kept thinking of that tree that Robert Frost had taken. That one path that made all the difference in the world. And as Aracely pulled herself up from her meal, patted her mouth dry with napkins and let her hand fall to her lap, Della grinned as she lightly grasped for Aracely's hand.

"So let's get down to brass tacks, shall we?" Della spoke sarcastically. Her voice was loud, non-menacing, but more instructive for safety matters. Her eyes quickly lowered from the ceiling and planted, locked into Graciella's. "Mom, I realize that since I am a Mama's boy, Aracely will never be enough for you. Hell, nobody will ever be perfect for you. Nobody can ever take care of your little boy as perfectly as you did." Della said smiling, but between her teeth. She had time to think about it, but then again she had little. It wasn't until she met David's mom face-to-face, heard her remarks, and saw her interaction with Aracely that she truly felt Aracely's pain.

"So I give you this, a Christmas present from your son... Something that I think you've been needing for a very long time." And as Della and inhaled, she turned her head to Millan. He was quite warm. Unfortunately, he was being led on a short chain by his wife. Unfortunately for him, the catalyst for destruction, and/or possibly pleasure, was placed within his grub. "I apologize for this Millan, for I truly think you to be a cool dude." Della stated as Della herself, turning her attention back to Graciella. "My Christmas present to you, mother, will be that of infinite. That is if my father can perform."

Millan's eyes widened as Della turned her attention back to him. "What did you do son?" He asked with great concern.

Della took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair. Quite smugly, she looked and replied. "You have about a half-hour before the Viagra kicks in."

Millan's eyes dropped and Graciella's gasped.

But Della continued as she produced a plastic key card from her pocket. "I have here a key to the Phoenician. A most wonderful vacation spot here in the great state of Arizona. It's not too far from this house, I bet you'll get there on time." She said as she licked her lips.

Graciella, jaw dropped and trying to become furious, but fury just was not placed well within a small body like hers. "This is disgusting." She said angrily.

Della shook her head sliding the card in front of David's father. "You can get there in a half an hour. Bang, whatever funk you can out of this woman." Della said as she pointed at Graciella with her thumb. "I'm sorry you must miss desert, but I think you'll like this dessert better." Della said as she winked at Millan many times.

Without hesitation Millan stood up. And in the middle of Graciella's protest, he grabbed her by the arm, and quietly pulled her out of the house.

Aracely's eyes remained wide and her body motionless. She said nothing, and stared into nothingness, jaw dropped. Della extended her arm and out of silliness, placed her hand beneath Aracely's chin and closed her mouth for her. Eyes still wide, Aracely turned her head to Della. "I can't believe you just did that." She said hoarsely.

"I told you I had a surprise." Della replied back.

Aracely shook her head and complete astonishment.

Della smiled. "Do you want dessert? I did have to go through quite a pain to get the ice cream." She said lowly chuckling underneath her breath.

The Apple pie was homemade. Honey crisp apples were the main ingredient. Della wasn't the best baker, but she did make a few pies in her past. The ice cream, melting over the hot pie, drizzled and oozed over the sides. Aracely enjoyed every bite to its last.

"You should get to bed. I think I hear Santa's sleigh on top of the roof?" Della said kiddingly.

Aracely looked around. "And why would Santa come in such a non-decorated house?"

"Decorated or not, you shall receive the gift." Della replied sternly.

With the plate clean, Aracely lifted herself and took the dish to the sink, washing it. Della came up behind her, closely and placed her hands upon her arms, speaking softly into her ears. "You don't need to do the dishes. I will do them. I want you to go upstairs and relax, get some sleep."

Aracely turned to see the warm face of Della Vash. It was a face no longer covered by her husband's skin, but rather a face of a bold, beautiful loving woman. She smiled graciously returning her thanks, and Aracely Hragyl disappeared up the stairs, finally sound of mind, smiling and happy.

Della had a moment with herself downstairs. Though the dishes, the dirty dishes were vast, she felt no strain in doing them, for her mission was complete. On Christmas Eve, Aracely would sleep tightly. Lightly, Della hummed to herself as she rinsed off the dishes and placed them into the dishwasher. She felt bad for Millan, but she knew he knew what would have to be done. She knew something that Graciella needed. Any old woman of her age that continued to complain just needed a good shagging.

Della continued to rinse the dishes into the night, and as soon as the counter was clean, she rolled back the sleeves of her manly dress shirt and pulled herself into the downstairs bathroom. She was tired and washed her tender and bruised face off in the sink. She brushed her teeth with the toothbrush that Aracely had provided. It was a long day and Della removing her shoes set down the couch and began to watch Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol. It was her always go to Christmas show. She loved the black and white, the seriousness and the lessons learned. And in the moment, alone and feeling the Christmas spirit, she couldn't help but to release herself of tears. They were tears of happiness, contentment. She enjoyed living with Aracely, but she missed being her. Della wished she could love Aracely as Della.

Della continued to watch TV as her eyes heavily drooped with sleep. It was the only way she could sleep. It would never come on its own, it had to be with her staring at the TV and her still eyes, lids like lead slowly dropping. And as she swallowed hard, eyes nearly reaching their goal, she saw in her peripherals, an angelic creature descending from the staircase.

In a sleepy stupor, Della blinked once. Eyelids heavy, head heavy, body caked and stiff with sleep, she took a second look, widening her eyes. The angel was no angel, but pure angelic as she saw her truly. Della swallowed hard as Aracely came close to her, dressed in a white laced nighty, see-through and revealing all.

Aracely's dark hair was released once again, flowing like a never-ending ocean. Her eyes were black, but glowing. Her lips were luscious and wet at the tips. She floated as she came closer to Della.

Della took a deep breath as she felt the insides of her body trembling. Sitting on the couch, Della released a heavy shudder. "My God...." Della said as Aracely bent down close to her, their lips nearly touching, brushed. "I don't think I have ever seen anything so gorgeous."

Aracely took her finger and placed upon Della's lips. "Shhh..." Aracely said as she spoke softly. "Tonight I see you as you truly are. A beautiful woman with big heart. You have given me my freedom." Aracely took Della's hand and placed it upon her chest. "Can you feel that? That is my heart beating solely for you." Aracely took Della by the hand and lifted her from the couch that they could see eye to eye. She placed her arms around Della's waist, pulling her in closer. Aracely planted small kisses upon Della's neck until she finally reached her lips, kissing deeply and soaking in all that was Della.

Aracely placed both her hands firmly upon Della's cheeks. Pulling away enough just to catch each other's eyes. She slowly kissed the bottom of Della's lips, speaking softly as she pulled away. "Come with me upstairs."

Della swallowed, releasing herself of an anxious breath. "I have never, I don't think I can... But... I love you..."

Aracely pressed her fingers against Della's lips once again. "Shhh... It's not my first time at the rodeo." She said smiling, placing more kisses upon Della's face. "I will take the lead."

And it was Aracely's lead that Della followed. Her heart was pounding inside her chest. She wanted nothing more than to please Aracely, but being in a man's body, she knew not how. Stiffly, Della followed Aracely up.

As they entered the room, Aracely backed Della up until the back of her calves touched the bed. Aracely undid her nightgown and revealed herself and all of her entirety, smooth skin, hard nipples and all.

Della stood for a moment in shock and awe. She wanted to breathe Aracely in, give her all the pleasures in the world, make her feel like a truly loved woman, but for the moment, Della was truly mesmerized.

It was Aracely who took the first initiative. She raised her finely manicured fingers and placed them upon Della shirt, unbuttoning slowly while never leaving her eye contact. Aracely placed her fingers over Della's chest, smoothing over her hard nipples. As soon as Aracely relieved Della of her shirt, she pushed her back onto the bed, straddling her as she removed her belt, ready to remove her pants.

As her pants became looser, Della grabbed Aracely's hands once again. "I really don't know what I'm doing, I mean I would really like to know, but I don't.

Aracely smiled as she towered over Della, slowly kissing her on the lips once again, hair flowing. Aracely's hand slid from Della's chest and down into her groin where she lightly caressed.

Della's eyes bugged out and she gasped. "Holy God!" She said as she rolled her eyes back.

Aracely, with her naked body glowing in the lamp light, breasts beautiful and hanging, pressed her lips against Della's once again, deep and inhaling all, smiled as she softly whispered. "I see you truly there. I love you and I shall take you in as I hope that you shall take me as well."

Della extended herself from the bed, trying to inch herself closer to Aracely. She placed her hands around Aracely's face and replied. "I shall take you for whom you are, for I have always loved you. I will love you now in his body as I will love you now in the next." Della leaned in and kissed Aracely, exchanging souls, giving life.

Friday December 24th 2016

(One Year Later)

Della inched herself upright into a seated position on the bed. Her body was stiff and nearly immobile. She rubbed from her heavy eyes what could only be explained as years of sleep. Everything was stiff, especially her neck.

As Della's eyes became more adjusted to the light, she looked about the room finding it to be a strange, but familiar place. Small strips of sunlight were peaking in through the nearly closed vertical blinds and accenting small spots on the mauve colored concrete floor. There was a TV hanging in the corner of the room and Della's bedside visitor was an array of heart monitoring devices.

Della released herself of breath as she lifted her hands, examining all the tubes and wires that were protruding from her extremities. She swallowed down a harsh dryness, and moved her tongue back and forth trying to promote wetness.

As she did so, a small memory flashed with in the back of Della's mind... "Was it a dream?" She asked, speaking softly to herself, remembering the last moments of passion that she and Aracely had shared. Looking around, Della saw her cell phone charging and sitting upon the night stand.

To the best of her ability's, she grabbed the phone and looked for her last text to Aracely. As she unlocked the phone, she realized the date was a year past. It was now 2016. Della's jaw dropped as she shook her head, also feeling another change.

Della's hands, planted to the top of her head, slowly drifted downward, revealing shoulder length hair. "Jesus Christ." She once again softly whispered. Eyes wide and mind in complete disbelief, she ran her hand through her soft dirty blonde hair. "I can't believe this shit."

Della had come to the conclusion that she had been in a coma for a year. She was also sadden by the fact that what she shared with Aracely was a dream. But she needed resolution... She looked at the phone once again, seeing that her last text to Aracely was over two years ago, asking how she was doing, and no reply from her. Needing to know the truth, and just for shits and giggles, Della sent Aracely a text, asking, "Is it you?"

Many moments had passed but Della received nothing. At that point she wasn't sure what to do. She wasn't even sure she could get up and walk around. Either way, she was content being by herself and wrapped within her own thoughts.

Della laid back into the bed and stared at the ceiling. Her eyes were wide, trying to regain their consciences of focus, as she counted every squiggly line and every dot amongst the ceiling panels. As she slowly began to drift into sleep, she felt hunger, but was not wavered by it. She would sleep her own sleep, and not that forced injury.

Just as her eyes slowly began to close, the door to the right of her opened and a familiar figure emerged. Aracely smiling, hair down and flowing, sat down next to Della and smiled. "Good to see you've woken up!"

Della, eyes wide with bewilderment was curious as to if she was actually coherent and seeing the truthful figure before her. "Is it truly you?" She softly asked.

Aracely smiled and placed one hand upon Della's. "I assure you, I am but in true human form."

Della was curious if Aracely was truly there for reason, or she was purely there out of coincidence. She knew not if what she remembered was a dream. She didn't want to blurt things out, for fear should be deemed crazy. Della smoothed her hand over her face and slowly licked her lips. "So... How have things been?" She tiptoed in the subject, hoping not to scare Aracely off.

Aracely warmly smiled, looking into Della's eyes through her dark irises. "I've had a baby..."

Della cut her off before she could continue. "Good for you! Despite what the doctors told you, you beat all odds! I am pleased for you and your husband." Della's dream quickly resonated once again within the back of her mind. A flash of Aracely in her most vulnerable moment reflected within Della and she shuddered.

Aracely firmed her grip upon Della's as she spoke. "Are you ok?"

Della shook her head. "I'm ok... I just had a flash back."

Aracely continued. "My husband has left me."

"What?"

Aracely nodded. "He accused me of cheating on him, seeing how we hadn't made love in quite a while."

"Oh?" Della was a bit confused. Somehow the story was continuing where she and Aracely had left on in her dream.

"Della, the baby is yours." Aracely's eyes were stern, serious.

Della dropped her jaw, swallowing hard. "So it wasn't a dream?" Della spoke through her pursed lips.

"The first couple of weeks after you had left were completely devastating. David's life had fallen apart and I was completely blamed for it all." Small tears were beginning to form at the corners of her eyes. "Before I knew it, three weeks had passed, and I completely swallowed up in my misery found out I was pregnant."

Della was motionless. She was engrossed in Aracely's words.

"It was your seed that gave me my baby girl... Vasha.

Della smiled as the baby girls name rolled off of her lips quietly.

"As soon as I found you had left, I rushed to the hospital to see if you had actually woken... You were not. For a whole year, you slumbered and I waited... When I got your text, I was on my way here."

"And where is the baby now?" Della asked.

"With your mother."

"My mom?"

Aracely smiled. "We met in the cafeteria one day... She has become quite fond of little Vasha."

Della placed both of her hands up to her face, rubbing her eyes. "So it was not a dream."

Aracely slowly gripped Della's wrist, pulling to hold Della's hand and to grasp it firmly into hers. "It was not... Do you still feel the same? Do you still remember those words you spoke to me on our last night together?"

Della smiled and nodded, slowly pulling her not so functioning legs over the side of the bed so that she could cradle Aracely's face. "I remember it like it was last night." Gently, Della held Aracely's face within her palms, softly speaking. "Is it truly you? I can hold you now, feel you within my own skin."

Aracely placed her hands over Della's, softly squeezing. "I am forever yours..."

