In another, more familiar, reality ...
Jon had woken up to the sound of the alarm clock, but still thought he was dreaming, or having some kind of nightmare. Obviously, he expected to wake up next to his wife Sarah, but instead, he found himself in a bedroom that kind of reminded him of the one he had back when he was living with his parents. Except this one looked like it belonged to a girl, lots of blue and gray in the color scheme, no vanity, and a collection of far too many video games and mindless action movies.
If the room was shocking to him, then what he was wearing should have put him into a coma. Where was his baby-doll nightie? Instead, he was wearing a T-shirt (no bra!), what felt like underpants, and pajama bottoms. It was like something a girl would wear!
He got out of bed and rushed to the closet, opening it. No! Everything in the closet was for a girl! T-shirts, pants, shorts, sweatshirts. But something was odd about them. Inspecting them closer, he saw that while they were undoubtedly girl's clothes, they were tailored to fit a boy's body. Was that weird, or what?
A knock at the door caught his attention. "Are you up, Jon? I made breakfast. Come on down and have some." It was his mother's voice. But his mother never made breakfast. It was always his father who did that. One of the typical duties of a house-husband, Jon supposed. Maybe whatever happened to him happened to other people as well. Cautiously, he left his bedroom, then made his way downstairs, where he got yet another shock. His mother (Linda) was dressed like a man! And his sister Zoe was dressed like a boy, and his brother Mikey was dressed like a girl! But no one was freaking out about any of it!
"Jon? Is ... is that you?" came the voice of his mother, breaking him out of his shock. "Why do you look ... older? And why is your hair so long?" she asked, not quite understanding.
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Sarah was having about the same type of morning. She woke up, expecting to be next to her husband Jon, but instead found herself in a very boysie-looking bed, in a room that reminded her of her bedroom from her childhood home, but never did her bedroom look so masculine. Pink was everywhere. And there was a vast assortment of stuffed animals, not to mention a vanity, and a collection of romantic comedy movies. If this really was her childhood bedroom, then where was her collection of video games or action movies? She felt like if she remained there much longer, she'd catch cooties, or something.
Getting out of bed, she nearly freaked out at what she was wearing. Instead her usual boxer shorts (and nothing else), she was wearing a sheer nightgown that would probably look hot on a man, but on a woman? No way! That was just weird. Then a thought occurred to her. She ran to the closet and opened it. She stared. There was nothing but boy's clothing in there! Dresses, blouses, halter tops, tank tops, skirts, miniskirts, and a vast collection of shoes. What woman would have that many shoes? Of course, they were all men's shoes, most of them heels.
Taking a few steps back, she looked at her reflection in the bedroom mirror. Physically, she didn't look any different, even having her normal short haircut. She hadn't gotten younger, so it wasn't like she had somehow become herself from the past. But even in the past, her life wasn't like this. Something else was going on.
Then something caught her attention. Why she didn't notice it before, she had no idea. In the mirror, she saw that she was wearing a bra. A bra? But why? She was a woman. Women didn't wear bras. Men did. She was about to take it off, along with the nightgown, but before she could even make a move, her bedroom door opened.
Sarah freaked, not wanting anyone to see her wearing this, but there was nowhere to hide.
"Oh, you're up," her mother (Susan) said. Then she looked at her daughter oddly. "Sarah, what did you do to your hair?" Then, after a pause, she asked "Why are you staring at me?"
Sarah wasn't sure how to respond. Her mom was dressed like a man!
