Libra (College Me): Hey Mom?

Mom (Present Me): Yes Libra?

Libra: Do you remember how we used to confuse our parents so much? They knew we were smart, but couldn’t understand why we wouldn’t apply ourselves.

Mom: Yeah, it made us feel like a failure a lot of the time. Anything that was good enough was just evidence of what we were really capable of, and wouldn’t it be better if we could do that all the time?

Libra: Yeah, that. And sometimes the simplest things escape us, and everyone wonders how someone so smart could miss something so simple. But sometimes we’re really clever! Sometimes we figure things out faster than anyone else, or see things other people thought were hidden.

Mom: Yup. We still do that.

Libra: I think I’ve come to terms with that… I see the world differently from most people. It’s not better or worse; just different. And different viewpoints are important.

Mom: I remember coming to that conclusion when I was your age. I take it you have a question about it.

Libra (nervous): Yeah… Is there… Something wrong with us? Is this like the trans thing?

Mom (pensive): I remember being you. You were desperate to avoid isolation, and terrified that you’d never find someone who loves you.

Libra (upset): I feel like I wasted so many opportunities. What was I even doing?

Mom: You were doing your best, dear. You didn’t even know trans was a thing that existed yet.

Libra: So is this something all trans people deal with?

Mom: Well… It’s complicated. I don’t think it’s something we all deal with, but a lot of us seem to. I think I’m neurodiverse. I’ve never been clinically diagnosed, but the experiences of other neurodiverse trans women resonate with me a lot, and vice versa.

Libra: Wait… You found other people just like us?

Mom: Not exactly like us — we still seem to be different in subtle ways. But so is everyone around us, and it feels like we have more in common than not.

Libra (tearfully): So… You don’t feel… Alone anymore?

Mom: Not like you did, no.

Libra (crying): I tried so hard, Mom! I found other people to relate to, but I still kind of felt like an outsider, you know? I was still the quirky girl that didn’t quite fit in, even among the other kids who didn’t fit in.

(I move to comfort my younger self, wrapping her in a big hug.)

Mom: It’s okay, sweetheart. You did great. You got us though college.

Libra (still crying): I thought being outsiders together was the best I could ever hope for. I never thought… I never imagined I’d meet other people like me.

Mom (tearfully smiling): And now we’re surrounded by them. We made it, Libra. We found our people.

(We embrace and cry together for a while.)

Libra: Hey Mom?

Mom: Yes dear?

Libra: I like my nickname. It’s useful when I’m around Bloom, and I really like the way it sounds, honest. But… When we’re together, and it’s just the two of us… Could you still call me Daphne?

(I give my younger self a kiss on the forehead.)

Mom: Of course, Daphne.