Chapter Twenty-One

My name is Ken Clarke. Mackenzie Belle Clarke.

I was named after my father, Robert Mackenzie Clarke, and my stepmother, Isabella Offner. Isabella and my mother were lesbian partners. I was born and raised in an unconventional home. No father, only two mothers. But I was raised in a home full of love and respect.

Ever since I could remember, I never wore skirts nor blouses. I dressed the way my mother and Isabella dressed. Unisex clothes. Pants or shorts, T-shirts and jackets, boots or sneakers. No sandals, no flip-flops and most definitely, no stilettos.

I never had long hair. I liked wearing it short like that of a boy, the way Isabella wore her hair. But I was also taught to take care of my body as a girl should, the way my mom did. I would soak myself in bath oils, or apply masks on my face and hair. I would shave as often as required, shower at least two times a day to make sure no trace of sweat and sun would be left on my body.

In the world that I grew up in, gender didn’t make