The plane landed and Matt and Kate made their way to the luggage station. After they grabbed their bags, they walked outside to look for their rides. Matt’s mom, dad, and his brothers stood beside Eric and Jess holding balloons that said “We Miss You”. Hand in hand, Matt and Kate made their way over to where they stood. Mark was the first to spot the couple.

“Look! It’s Matt and Kate!” Mark shouted as he waved frantically.

With a big grin, Matt embraced his family. “It’s so good to be home.”

Eric noticed Kate standing somewhat in the background and he immediately went to talk to her. He grabbed her by the shoulders and hugged her. “Kate, I’m so sorry, babe. Really, I’m really, really sorry. I promise I won’t hurt you again. Oh, Kate, I’m so, so sorry baby; so sorry.”

Just as she was about to respond, Eric kissed her, smashing his lips against hers, and Kate immediately pushed him back and slapped him.

“How dare you!” seethed Kate, as she wiped her lips with the back of her arm. “Urgh, you disgusting p-”

“Problem, Kate?” Matt asked as he put an arm around her shoulders.

“Yeah, this cousin of yours just kissed me,” Kate answered.

“I would prefer it if you could refrain from touching my girlfriend,” Matt said sternly. “Actually, I’m telling you to keep your hands off of Kate.”

Eric stared at Matt and Kate as if he could not believe his eyes. Smiling, Kate touched the necklace that Matt gave her on her birthday and watched as it glimmered in the sunlight. Matt gave Kate a kiss for emphasis as Eric scowled and stamped away.

“Three. Two. One,” Luke and John counted as Kate and Matt broke apart.

“Good timing you guys,” Mark patted his brothers on the back. “But you coulda dragged out the one longer . . . .”

“Guys,” their dad said.

“Sorry,” Luke said.

“Find any long lost sisters, Kate?” Mark asked hopefully.

“Yeah, but they’re all younger than all of you,” smiled Kate apologetically.

“Dude, give it up!” John punched Mark in the shoulder.

Mark made a face in reply.

“Found sisters?” Maya inquired as she slid next to her husband. “Do tell.”

On their way to the car, Kate retold the story of how she found out about her biological parents and her listeners were utterly captivated. Everyone interjected and asked questions except for Matt who already knew the whole story and Eric who was still scowling. Then Jess explained how she and Brad are hooking up and how he told her he wants to move down here with her soon.

Once they reached their cars, Matt went in the one with his family and Kate piled in the one with Jess and Eric. Jess was driving Kate to the dorms so she can unpack and the Wilksons were going to The Golden Cup for some family operation.

“So, are you happy with . . . Matt?” Eric asked Kate as they drove back to the dorms.

“Yeah. He’s like the perfect boyfriend,” sighed Kate. “Did you know that he loves me for me and not for my looks?”

“No, I didn’t,” grunted Eric as he rolled his eyes.

“He’s so open about himself, like, he tells me how he feels about everything,” smiled Kate, “and I tell him the same thing. Oh and when he tells me he loves me, he means it. I can see it in his eyes.”

“Wow, he sounds so mature,” Jess chucked with a glance over t her brother. “Sorta like Brad.”

“True, but I think that Brad’s a little more timid with his feelings because his last girlfriend cheated on him and didn’t even truly apologize,” answered Kate.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Jess said.

“Have you talked to James lately?” asked Kate in a weak attempt of changing the subject.

“Nope, so I’m assuming that the funeral is still going on tomorrow,” answered Jess. “I can’t wait to see her though.”

“Same here.”

Jess dropped Eric off first at their house since he did not live at the dorms, then she drove over to the campus. When they reached their suite, Jess helped Kate carry her bags upstairs, but when they opened the door, the smells of cooking food greeted them. Curious, Kate and Jess threw the bags in Kate’s room, crept by the kitchen door, and peered in.

Much to their surprise, they found a woman cooking lunch. She was wearing a jean mini skirt with a red tank top and her auburn hair covered her back. The lady was humming a tune very softly as the skillet continued to sizzle.

“James!” Kate squealed as she ran and gave her friend a hug. Jess soon joined in and there was a lot of squealing and “I miss yous” and “I’m so glad you’re backs”.

“Look at you,” Jess smiled as she looked James over. “You’ve changed.”

“Yeah I know,” James said. “I even go by ‘Joan’ now.”

“Are you . . . .” Kate trailed off.

“Me and my boyfriend have been going strong for two months now,” Joan smiled. “I have his picture in my cell if you want to see what he looks like.”

“So you’re not a lesbian?” asked Jess.

“Not anymore. I thought I was one, but I really wasn’t,” answered Joan. “I wanted to be a lesbian as an act of rebellion towards my parents but it took Ann’s death to make me realize that.”

“What else triggered your change—I mean besides Ann?” asked Kate.

James took a quick moment to finish fixing their sandwiches, she brought their food over to the table, and pored each of them a glass of orange juice before she sat down and began to answer Kate’s question. “You two did.” Joan answered.

Jess and Kate exchanged curious glances and went back to listening to Joan.

“Well, you guys all know how empty I felt when Ann left us . . . well you got a glimpse of it anyways. So, one day, I was taking a walk downtown and I watched this can get ran over by a car. I though of that can as being me and the car as life. In a sense, Ann’s death was the wind that caused me—the can—to fall into the street and get ran over by the car, but in another sense, the death of Ann blew me back onto the side walk. You two were the one’s who picked me up and took me to the recycling plant so that I can be made anew. You two, by watching you two, you showed me where I should be in life.

“You two look so complete knowing that you have Christ in your lives and I knew that I wasn’t anywhere near complete, especially after loosing the one person I though I love with my whole heart. I love her still, but now I know that I could never have loved her as a lover should. Anyways, I wanted to be whole like you two are, and so did Ann. Difference is, though, is that Ann thought she could be complete by killing herself and I knew t hat I could only be whole by knowing, believing, and having a personal relationship with Jesus. Watching you guys told me that.

“Like I said before, I became a lesbian out of rebellion to my parents. I wanted to piss them off so badly and I knew that becoming a dyke would push them over the edge. So I did it. I forced myself to become attracted to girls and to believe that I was born to be like this. I tried to make myself desire to grope and have sex with other women, but I couldn’t because way back in my mind; I’d rather feel a guy . . . entering me and not someone else’s finger or object of some kind. And that was always a turn off in every relationship I have tried to have. Others wanted more than holding hands and talking; I couldn’t even bring myself to kiss them. Sure I could snuggle but anything further than that was off limits and that was one other reason why Ann broke up with me. That’s the reason why all of my girlfriends broke up with me. They wanted more than I was willing to give.

“Anyways, I was lost. It took Ann’s death for me to realize that I got lost while I was busy running from my parents, from God, and from myself. But Kate and Jess, God used you two to point me to the right path by just being my friends and by living as Christ would,” Joan smiled and sipped at her orange juice before continuing. “I knew that being anywhere near Ann would throw me off of the track of finding myself and that it might have caused me to kill myself. So I enrolled in the University of Oregon in Salem to get a fresh start. First thing I did after settling my things at school was to find a church home. I sought God harder than I ever did before. I read the Bible, participated in devotions, and whatever else the church had to offer until I fell on my knees and begged God for His forgiveness and asked Him to be my savior.

“It took me a while, but I was finding myself again. After I became a Christian, I went to visit my parents in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and asked them for their forgiveness. Surprisingly, they accepted me, forgave me, and then I told them my life’s story—well the parts they did not know anyways. It felt good to be talking to them again, especially since I moved out freshman year of high school and came back our sophomore year of college.

“So when I got back to campus again, I felt like I was on my way to feeling complete and new. Everyone only knew me as Joan there and not as James; as a woman, and not as a woman pretending to be a man. Most importantly though, I had God again. He gave me a reason for living and a purpose for my life. Jeremiah chapter thirty-nine and verse eighteen says ‘For I will certainly rescue you, and you will not fall by the sword; but you will have your own life as booty, because you have trusted in Me’ declares the Lord.

“God did rescue me and gave my life back to me and all because He led me to trust in Him. I listened to you guys praying to God for me, and even Ann and I noticed how you guys didn’t judge us because of our orientations and how you guys showered us with the same love you showed everyone else. So I knew I needed God.

“Ann started my transformation and you two guided me to Christ; Christ made me complete and happy and he led me to Dane, my Christian boyfriend. So all glory goes to God, but I want to thank you two for being a part of his marvelous plan.”

“Wow,” whispered Jess. “Wow. Congratulations. I’m so happy for you.”

“Same here,” added Kate.

Joan smiled. “Thanks.”

“So, how long are you here for?” asked Kate as she meekly interrupted the period of silence.

“Till Wednesday.”

“Three days?” Jess asked. “You’re going back to Salem?”

“Yeah, I like it there,” Joan smiled as she cleared the table. “It feels like a place I could call home . . . what God wants me to call home.”

“Wow, James—I mean Joan, sorry,” blushed Kate. “You really went the whole one-eighty degrees, and I’m proud and happy for you.”

“Thanks,” Joan winked. “Like I like to say ‘Change is inevitable—except from a vending machine’.”

“You got that right!” agreed Jess as she high-fived Joan

The trio got up from the small oak table and shared a group hug filled with so much love. They stayed like so for a long time, crying on one another’s shoulders and telling each other how much they missed each other. It was just like old times except James was now Joan and Ann was gone, but they knew that no matter what happened next that they had God and each other to lean on for support.

Eric angrily popped jelly bean after jelly bean into his mouth as he aimlessly flicked through the channels on the TV screen. Jess was painting her toe nails an odd lavender color as she propped her back against their father’s chair. She had just left the dorms to come over to visit her parents but found out that they had left out on their date. They said that “dating” each other kept their marriage spry. The silence was starting to eat away at Eric’s conscience. He could not stop thinking about Kate . . . about Matt and Kate. She has been on his mind since they broke up and now she is going out with his cousin.

“If you weren’t my sister, would you say that I’m a highly attractive man?” Eric asked his sister.

Stretching out her legs and admiring her handiwork, Jess took out a moment to look at her baby brother. Muscular body, broad shoulders, nicely cut jet black hair, unnerving hazel eyes . . . “Nope.”

“Oh, C’mon!” he pouted as he struck a pose. “How about now?”

“Sorry.”

“From this angle?”

“Wait. I think I see it . . . oh, my bad. I don’t.”

“Jess!”

Laughing, Jess began to paint her finger nails. “Is this about Kate?”

“No . . . .” lied Eric as his face flushed.

“I think it is. Or is it because Matt actually fought—sorta—for a chick that you both wanted and got her to go out with him?”

Eric opened up his mouth to speak but nothing came out, so he reluctantly closed it again.

“Aww, Eric,” cooed Jess as she blew on her nails. “You’re not jealous are you?”

“You know that’s against my policy,” Eric responded trying to avoid answering the question as he just became redder.

“Well, good, because odds are you won’t get her back, even if Matt screws this up; which he can’t by the way.”

“Way to give a guy hope, sis.”

“Sorry, but right now, I’m cheering for Matt. You blew your chance, remember?”

“Jess!”

“That’s why mom always said be careful of what you say because you never know who’s listening.”

“Urgh. I get your point.”

“Good. Now what are you going to do about it?”

“Correct it.”

“Error. Wrong answer. Try again.”

“Whatever.”

Jess did not like the seriousness she saw in her brother’s face. “You’re supposed to learn from it, do what is right whether it is apologizing or whatever, and move on.”

“Sure. Move on. You’re funny sis.”

Rolling her eyes, Jess sighed. Oh brother. “I’m going back to the dorm.”

Morning arrived, bringing with it the promise of a new day and the thought of Ann’s funeral. All three of the women were solemn as they prepared themselves for today’s main event. Kate was wearing the black dress she and Matt bought with a matching purse, hat, heels, and beaded necklace. Jess wore a black and red striped dress with a corresponding purse, black heels, and a red hat. The only person wearing a cream skirt suit with a white tank top underneath was Joan. She had her hair in curls in a frame around her face.

“I don’t feel hungry this morning,” Joan mumbled as she stood in the kitchen.

“Me either,” agreed Jess.

“So everyone’s feeling . . . full?” asked Kate as they nodded. “Well then, I guess we should head out.”

“The car is here?” Joan inquired.

“For like, ten minutes,” replied Kate.

“Shall we?”

The three friends left the dorm and went to the hearse. They loaded in silence, leaving each other to their own thoughts as they started out of the window. Inside the funeral home, they all held hands, said a quick prayer for strength, and walked over to Ann’s Casket.

Ann’s adopted parents were already in the parlor standing beside her casket and shedding no tears. Joan, Kate, and Jess all walked over beside then and said their grievances.

“It is sad,” Mr. Lane, Ann’s adopted father said. “If only she would have allowed us to get to know her.”

“You mean you didn’t know your own daughter?” Joan asked.

Mrs. Lane shook her head. “She wouldn’t let us. I didn’t even know what her favorite thing was.”

All three of the dorm mates reflected back to their night of pizza and a movie after Jess set a towel on fire. Suddenly, they felt as if they were the only people who genuinely cared about Ann; they felt as if they were Ann’s only family because they all thought of each other as sisters. After all, in order to get to know anyone, you yourself had to put forth an effort too; you also had to be friendly.

Jess glanced at the emotionless couple and vowed to get to know her kids. Joan looked at Ann’s parents and tried to rid herself of the malice she was beginning to feel towards them, and Kate wondered if this was how Dave and Katelyn would act if she died.

The thoughtful silence was slowly being filled with the sounds of people coming in. Many of Ann’s classmates showed up looking slightly pale with tears still rolling down their faces; the people from her séances also showed up looking detached and drained. Small crowds were beginning to show up around Ann’s caskets, her collogues, and the picture Kate drew of Ann. All around people were comforting each other with hugs, tissues, and soothing words. Joan was beginning to start crying because of all the reminiscing and emotion going around, so Kate and Jess supplied her with a non stop flow of tissue and comfort. Other students took a moment to stop by Kate, Joan, Jess, and Ann’s parents to say their grievances, and in return, they received thanks and some comforting gesture. Just as they were about to start the program, Matt and Maya snuck in and took a seat in the midst of everyone else.

Jess stepped up and behind the podium, turned the mike on, and began to speak. “Good morning, everyone,” she started. “I know you guys are all probably used to the singing of church songs and the pastor’s preaching during a funeral, but we’re going to do things a little different. It’s all explained in your bulletins.”

Mrs. Lane took Jess’s place at the podium, spread some note cards on the stand, and gazed into the crowd. “Mary Ann Lane was born an orphan and her biological parents were unknown, but my husband and I adopted her when she was two. Mary had a pleasant childhood, successful in school, and had a lot of friends, and she started going by the name of Ann in the fifth grade.

“When she became a freshman in high school, she moved out and we only heard about her through friends, because she wanted nothing to do with us for some reason,” tears started to roll down Mrs. Lane’s face. “Maybe it was because we were always working, I don’t know. Anyways, we heard that she was doing fine and created a comfortable life for herself.

“Needless to say, I never got to know my daughter very well, and visa versa. I would give anything to go back and get to know Ann, to be the mother she needed—I hope I was already the mother she wanted—but . . . oh Ann. I miss you. I miss you a lot. I-” Mrs. Lane’s words were severely choked, by the sobs racking her frail frame. “I-I love you Ann.”

Everyone was quiet as Mrs. Lane hurriedly walked from the podium and into her husband’s arms. With a sick feeling in her stomach, Jess walked up to the podium.

“Ann. There’s so much you could say about the chick, how she always found the time to help you with your homework or your own personal problems, how her smile seemed to make everything all right, how she got so excited about the simplest things, the way she made it easy for you to spill your guts, and her beliefs.

“We were good friends—best friends—but we always seemed to butt heads when it came to our religions. I am a devout Christian and Ann, Ann was a devout channeler, and we were always trying to persuade the other to convert. She would always say that her guide was just as powerful as Jesus and I’d always combat her comments with scripture. We went back and forth for ages until we taught each other how to express our religious beliefs without scaring each other away or making each other mad.

“I’m going to miss Ann, I’m going to miss our little arguments, and the plentiful happy moments we had together, but I’m really going to miss Ann. I already do. Ann, I love you as much as God loves you and I’ll miss you as if you were my own sister . . . you are my sister. Goodbye, Ann”

Crying, Jess walked back to her seat and laid her head on Joan’s shoulder as Kate took Jess’s spot by the podium.

“Jess pretty much said everything. I too think of Ann as my sister. She was quite the feminist, always talking about women’s rights and such, and yeah, she was a zealous channeler. She always would say, ‘Don’t let Eric keep you in that ‘women’s role’. You’re too strong for that. Be a man! Take charge and set the dates and the tone of the relationship.’ And I would just look at her as if she was crazy, but now that I look back on it, she was right. Sometimes you have to be the man and take charge of not only your relationships but also the situations we find ourselves in.

“Ann taught me to live life without being afraid; to take charge without being afraid of getting run over and that change . . . that change was good. Thanks a bunch, Ann. I’ll never forget you or the many things you taught me. I love you, sis. Goodbye.”

Practically choking on her sob, Kate sat down as Joan went up. She set her notes on the podium, flicked her hair behind her shoulders, wiped her tears off her face, and began.

“Out of everyone here today, I probably know Ann the best. We both knew each other better than we knew ourselves. We could sense each others’ desires, fears, hopes, and thoughts. It was almost as if we were connected by some invisible bond. Perhaps that was because we were partners for two years, but as close as we were I could never predict that this—that Ann’s death was going to happen.

“When we broke up, Ann told me it was because she was changing—that she was trying to change the old Ann into someone else that she would feel comfortable with. I, on the other side, never adjusted to change very well, so when she broke the news to me that we were over, I fell into mass depression. I felt as if half of me died, as if I—a can—was run over by a car—which was life. I was almost broken beyond repair, but Ann’s leaving me made me start re-evaluating myself.

“Ann once told me that change is inevitable, and it is, but it is how we deal with it that makes the difference. When I found out that Ann ha died, I hated God with every fiber of my being. I had already hated Him, but taking Ann away from me made me loathe Him. Nevertheless, I began my own metamorphosis. I went from being a lesbian to being straight; I moved into another state, I became a Christian; I practically reinvented myself inside and out, but I probably would not have done that if it was not for Ann.

“One day, I was reading my Bible and I stumbled on a verse that caught my attention. James chapter four, verse three states that: ‘Or when you ask do you not receive because the reason you ask is wrong? You want things so you can use it for your own pleasures’. Believe me, I prayed, begged, and petitioned God to save Ann and spare her life, but it did not happen.

“I was selfish. I wanted Ann back so we could be lifelong companions. I was going to ask her to marry me and she would be my first, since I refused to give up my virginity until my wedding night. I thought that she would complete me and make me feel whole. So my whole reason for asking God to save her was wrong. It was not because I wanted her to live and finish her change and possibly end up with someone else; it was all for me. Ann was a pretty selfless gal, but when it came to matters of her heart, she made sure that was her top priority.

“The whole point of this is for us to see that we should not stay the same now that Ann is gone, but that we should be changed—in a good way—because of what happened to Ann. We should re-evaluate ourselves and see how we need to change. Trust me, that is how Ann would have wanted it.

“It takes both sunshine and rain to make a rainbow. Ann was my rain; God was my sunshine and all of the other good choices, people, and changes that I have encountered and made are the various colors in my rainbow.

“What about you? What is your sunshine, your rain, and your rainbow? Here’s a suggestion; since all of your problems are your rain, why not let God—Jesus Christ—be your sunshine? He makes everything better in due time, and He makes everything work out to your benefit.

“‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whosoever shall believe in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him may have eternal life.’ Repent your sins, and ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior. You can not have a better friend than Jesus. He was who Ann was searching for, and whether she found Him or not is uncertain, but she would want you to believe in Him. Sure she was a zealous channeler—once upon a time—but when she started to change, she started to search for Him too.

“Ann, thank you for helping me find myself; for helping me find God. I’m sorry for all of the times I have wronged you and I forgive you for all of the times you have wronged me. I miss you so much and you will always have a place in my heart, regardless of what may happen to me in the future. I love you just like Jess, Kate and everyone else does. But thanks for everything you taught and gave me. I will never forget that or you. Goodbye Ann. Goodbye.”

Everyone was stunned to silence as they watched Joan take her seat until someone stood up and started to clap. Soon, applause was wide spread throughout the room as everyone clapped for Ann, for Joan, and for the memories that Ann left them with. People clapped until they could not clap anymore, then they all left as silently as they came until it was just Joan, Jess, Maya, Kate, and Matt left. Joan went over to the casket and closed the lid, then they watched as the pole bearers carried Ann’s casket to the hearse. The quintet buried Ann in a silence so deep that they could hear their own tears fall. Matt and Maya went back home while Jess, Kate, and Joan went back to the dorm to help Joan pack.

“What time is your flight?” Jess asked as she rolled one of the suitcases by the door.

“Five in the morning,” Joan answered as she placed her suit bag on top of the suitcase.

“We should totally go out to dinner tonight,” suggested Kate as she dropped Joan’s luggage bag right by the suit bag, “for old time’s sake.”

“Actually, I was hoping that we could have our annual Friday night at the movies,” Joan said shyly, “even though it’s a Tuesday.”

“Pizza’s on me!” Jess declared as the women laughed.

“I got the movie,” Kate claimed.

“And I got the orange juice,” smiled Joan. “This is going to be great.”

“I know,” Kate smiled. “Let’s meet back here in fifteen to twenty minutes. What kind of movie are we looking for?”

“Action,” stated Jess.

“With a touch of romance,” added Joan.

The trio of friends split up to go get their acclaimed task, each trying to hurry so they can get back to that dorm to have their movie night. Kate hurried to Block Buster to get the movie Transformers, Joan bought two gallons of orange juice and a six-pack of coca cola, and Jess bought two meat-lovers and one vegetarian pizzas. And in less than twenty minutes, all three of the ladies were seated around the little coffee table in front of the TV in the living room. Kate popped in the movie and they all began to eat and drink. Laughter and small talk occurred every now and then as they watched the movie and once it was over, they leaned back against the couch with full bellies and happiness in their hearts.

“I can feel her, can you?” Joan asked as she closed her eyes and sighed.

“Yeah, it’s almost as if she’s right here,” Jess said as she did likewise.

“Eating the vegetarian pizza and drinking an extra small cup of oj . . . I mean orange juice,” Kate added as they all chuckled.

“I remember the first time we actually ate breakfast together, and Ann made you give her the oj so she could pour everyone a moderate amount,” Jess giggled.

“Your face was so priceless, I even sketched it. I’ll go get it,” Kate said as she went to get her sketch pad. “See?”

“I so did not look like that,” Joan said. “My cheeks were not that fat.”

“You’re right,” confessed Jess. “They were bigger.”

“Jessica Neandre!” Joan said as she attacked Jess with a pillow, thus beginning the pillow fight.

Back together at last, the three friends spent the night laughing, crying, reminiscing, playing games, watching movies, and being . . . college women. They cherished this night, vowing to keep in touch since they did not know when they were going to see each other again. Best friends they were, and best friends they will remain.