During the two weeks following Miss Pentecost and Miss Simms visit, Angelo had two meetings each week with a psychologist assigned to the child welfare department and two each week with a child welfare chosen private psychiatrist who specializes in serving teenagers.
The private psychiatrist, being that she didn't actually work for the county, was able to convince Angelo she was on his side. This allowed him to be more honest and open with her.
During the course of his visits, Angelo expressed to the psychiatrist how he didn't entirely trust the motives of the county psychologist. He told her he was afraid that the guy was just looking for a way to ensure Miss Pentecost could remove him from Mary Elizabeth's home. Which made it hard for him to open up with the guy.
The psychiatrist explained to Angelo that, whether he trusted the guy or not, he had to be honest with him or none of this would help his case. She assured him that if he was completely honest and open with the guy everything would work out because the two of them had to make a recommendation to the child welfare department together, on his behalf.
In the end, Angelo was brutally open and honest with both of them. Their questions and techniques may have been different, but both learned a lot of the same information from him.
He told them all his deepest, darkest desires. He shared with them how, every time he sees an attractive girl, he hurts on the inside from so desperately wishing he was just as pretty and feminine as her.
He revealed how he had never felt like a boy and how uncomfortable he had always felt, trying to live up to everyone's expectations.
He explained how he felt so inadequate, a complete failure at being a male, and how naturally comfortable he felt when he dressed in girl's clothes and was seen by others, as a female.
During Angelo's last session with the county psychologist, the conversation became quite different from anything Angelo had discussed in his sessions with the lady psychiatrist.
He began to ask Angelo if he remembered, as a young child, a time when anyone ever forced him to dress up as a girl and if he had ever been sexually abused.
He wanted to know if Angelo had anyone in his life, now or in the past, encouraging him to dress and act feminine in exchange for gifts and /or money or in exchange for better treatment.
Angelo didn't like these questions and they made him uncomfortable, but he remembered what the psychiatrist lady had told him and so he answered them all.
The truth was, he had never been sexually abused but he did have an older cousin, David, that had treated him badly. He was around eight at the time. Even though the questions brought up bad memories for him, he opened up and talked about it.
Angelo explained that he was eight and his cousin David was fifteen years old when they lived near each other and David frequently had to babysit him.
David was always picking on him, bullying him, and pointing out his delicate, feminine mannerisms. He always made fun of Angelo for the feminine ways he acted and was always telling him that if he kept acting like a girl, he was going to make Angelo into a girl.
Angelo told the psychiatrist that David gave him the name Suzy and would always address him as Sissy Suzy when no one else was around. He said that his cousin had this thing where he would kick him between the legs every time he felt Angelo was acting feminine. This, David had told him, would either convince him to man up or eventually would destroy his physical manhood.
As Angelo shared this information he began to tear up, for the memories were emotionally painful, not very much unlike the intense physical pain caused by the frequent groin kicks.
Angelo also shared with the psychiatrist how, after several months his cousin eventually grew bored with kicking him and said that he had something else that Angelo could do in place of the kicks. He decided that instead of trying to make Angelo stop acting like a girl, he was going to make him his secret girlfriend. So, from then on, every time he had to babysit Angelo, he made him put on one of David's stepsister Rachel's dresses, a pair of her tights and her flats.
He would then make Angelo pretend to be his girlfriend; forcing Angelo to hold his hand and snuggle with him while they watched movies. Frequently, Angelo said, he would feel David's aroused manhood being pressed against his rear end when they spooned, which made him very uncomfortably confused.
Angelo revealed that David would also make him go to the kitchen and fix him sandwiches and other snacks, explaining that he had to because that was a girlfriend's job.
Sometimes David would have Angelo sit, stand or lie and pose in different girly outfits he made Angelo wear so he could take "sexy" pictures of his girlfriend.
Angelo told the psychiatrist that every time David wanted him to do something that made him feel uncomfortable, David would tell Angelo that he had to because that's what women do. Angelo didn't want to do any of these things, but David would threaten to post the photos online if he didn't.
The psychiatrist, after hearing all of this, told Angelo it was good that he had opened up. He said it helped explain why Angelo felt the way he did now.
Angelo left that session, afraid. Afraid that the information he had just shared would really do him in. He feared that they would now try to say that he wasn't really transgendered, just confused by the psychological abuse he had endured from David.
Angelo talked about this fear at his last visit with the lady psychologist and she assured him that she wouldn't let the guy use that information against him.
It was another week and a half after his last sessions before Angelo and his foster mother heard anything more from the agency.
Two days before Halloween Anna Simms called Mary Elizabeth to let her know the results.
"Hello, Mary. Hi, it's Anna. How are you doing today?"
"I'm doing okay, Anna. I hope you have good news for us."
"Well, I have news. It's up to you two to decide whether it's good or not. Is Angelo home?"
"He is. I'll get him."
"Yes, please do, and could you put me on speaker?"
Mary Elizabeth called Angelo into the living room." Okay, Anna, he's here. "
"Hello Angelo," Anna began, "How have you been?"
"Okay, I guess."
"You excited for Halloween?"
"Not really. It's kinda depressing actually."
In your situation, I could see how that might be. Maybe I could change that for you, though."
"Oh really," Angelo asked as a smile spread across his face.
"We'll Angelo. The reports from both the psychologist and the psychiatrist were sent to a panel at the state level and their diagnosis was delivered to us this morning. After discussing it with Miss Pentecost and one other person, we have come to a decision."
"And what is the decision, Miss Simms?"
"Angelo, we have decided that you can continue to live with Mary Elizabeth and that if Mary still desires to do so, she can start the process of formally adopting you."
At that point, Angelo squealed in a high, pitched girly voice. Anna could feel Angelo's excitement through the phone.
"Miss Simms? If I can stay and be adopted, does that also mean . . ."
"I'm getting there, hang on sweetheart."
Mary Elizabeth cut in, "Just let Miss Simms talk, honey. You can ask questions when she's done."
"Yes, ma'am. Sorry, Miss Simms."
"That's okay, I know you are excited. Anyway, the specialists concluded in their report that, well, here I'll read it to you . . . 'In all respects, we feel Angelo Davies has true feelings of being female. We believe that he would be better served by being allowed to explore his feminine identity. He understands his anatomy is that of a male, but he has shown no interest in pursuing normally male activities nor does he have any interest in pursuing a masculine life. His interests are indicative of a normal young female'. . . Let's see, there's another part I wanted to read to you . . . Ah yes, here it is, '. . . and his physique is small-boned, comparable with a feminine body. The results of the psychological test administered by the psychiatrist put him in the middle of the range of a normal female. His emotional responses to the tests indicate he responds to emotional stimulus the same as an average girl. It is of our professional opinion that if he wishes to consider transitioning to female in the fullest sense, we feel he would find success in such a transition."
"YES, YES! I want that more than anything," Angelo blurted out, once again interrupting Anna.
"Angelo, I know you're excited. I am too, but what did I tell you," Anna could hear Mary Elizabeth scold Angelo.
"Sorry, Miss Simms. Please continue."
"I just have one more part to read you and then I can answer your questions. . . It says, 'However, because he is only thirteen, we cannot recommend any overt action be taken at this time that would make irreversible changes to his anatomy. We recommend that he be permitted to practice cosmetic actions to achieve femininity, as far as his desires go. We also recommend he be allowed to explore his feminine desires as much as possible for the next twelve months. At the end of that time, if he desires to do so, we may, after more consultation, recommend he see a doctor about starting hormone blockers, but he should remain physically a male until he reaches at least sixteen, at which time he may consider taking further actions i.e. female hormones, that would put him on the path to becoming a woman. No surgery will be recommended any sooner than six months prior to his eighteenth birthday."
Miss Simms paused before adding, "The recommendation of the state panel is that you continue to see the psychologist once a month, just to give you an outlet to talk to a professional about your feelings. She, in turn, will keep us updated on how you're doing."
By this point, the news was more than Angelo was ready to emotionally handle. He knew that his life had just completely changed. He knew that, at this moment, he could now begin living. He was no longer waiting in limbo and could finally be himself.
Overcome with emotion, Angelo sat there and cried.
Deep heaving sobs began to come forth from within Angelo as Mary Elizabeth embraced him. Anna could hear the sobbing, so she sat silently, her own eyes beginning to tear up.
Angelo nor Mary said anything either, for several moments as the reality of what this all meant, began to sink in.