~BUSTED~

Let me set the stage just a bit: The year is 2010, living & working as a male, ready to start my transition, yet I feel I need to complete the security contract I have with the Dept of Commerce working to keep secure the 2010 Census Data that is being gathered.  This is the best and longest "temp" job I'd ever had since I retired from being a full time peace officer in 2004.  I felt this would be my last "job" in the Criminal Justice Career Field, as either a private contractor in the private sector or serving the community in the public sector.  I'd been in the job since July 2009, I have approx 150 security officers contracted under me and we have approx 2 months left in the contract before the entire operation is completed.  As the regular employees are being reduced in numbers, the overall facility function slowing down and being completed, my security staff also needed reductions in incremental time frames.  Ohhh, we were contracted of course for 24/7 coverage in three shifts.  As I said, I was about ready to start my full time transition; under going electrolysis, growing out my "high & tight" haircut that I had sported almost 30 years, counseling and the beginning of HRT.  I (Denise) had a FB profile as well as "the guy" profile, of which I was slowly letting fade away, yet somehow it was linked to my female page.  I still don't know how that happened, but, as I am not a 'puter guru or even then a FB guru, I'm sure I had a security setting messed up somehow.

I purposely didn't friend on FB any of the persons I worked with or managed, as I was so terrified of being discovered and fired from my contract-which would've meant loosing the contract completion bonus as well as a few other "severance packages", in all about 25k.

As the regular security staffed was reduced, it came time to start reducing some of the "more senior" of the staff, ones who were contracted at the beginning of the project.  Of course, all of them thought that they would be the ones "closing the project" with me, but I just couldn't keep them all-and they all knew that.

Two days after I let a few of them go, I received a letter at the facility (strange-I never got mail there) and as all mail went through all of the screening processes still, someone brought my mail to me as opposed to the "regular mail" process we had at the facility.  I opened the letter and was IMMEDIATELY SHOCKED!  It was my FB profile picture (YES-Denise!) with the type written words saying that the government had a closeted TRANSVESTITE working for them, then gave all of the details of how to find my profile.  I was soooooo friggin pissed, my face was beet red, I was shaking I was so mad!  I asked the person who brought me the mail if anyone else had a similar looking letter, in which they replied YES, the Facility Manager (my boss!) as well as two of my partners!  O.M.G. was all I could think.  I immediately secured the mail addressed to my partners, then hot-footed it to my bosses office.  When I arrived I held up the envelope I had received and asked him if he had gotten anything like this.  My eyes were blood red, red face, I was seething I was so mad......he had one look at me, opened his desk drawer, pulled out the folded picture of me, asked me if that was what I was talking about then asked if that was me, he hesitated while looking at the picture again then he said "Yea, it's you."  Man-o-man, what do I say and/or do.  I waited briefly waiting to see what he was gonna say, then I managed to get out "What I do in my own time is none of your business, I've never let you down on this job and this is just some pissed off shift supervisors I dismissed the other day trying to get me out."  He (surprisingly) immediately agreed with me, handed me the letter and envelope he had received then asked if I was able to intercept any of the other letters.  I showed him the others I had "intercepted", with him replying that I should do whatever I wanted with the whole lot of them!  Now, this was a retired Master Gunnery Sergeant from the US Marines, heavy heavy Puerto Rico accent, with a bit of a "napoleon complex" I always thought.  I quickly said "thanks" and went back to my office.

I wondered if I had missed a letter to someone.  I decided to go see the HR Manager and ask a few questions about what it takes to be "fired" so late into the contract and skirted my reasons for asking her.  The minute I said anything about a "letter" then I was sure that would open up even more questions and may cause her or her office to go snooping about on there own.  I didn't need that either.  I told her it was a personal issue and that a few of my officers that had been dismissed where trying to cause me troubles, and that I had already talked to my Manager about the situation with him telling me not to worry.  She could absolutely tell I was troubled and continued to express her desire to help and that everything said in her office would be confidential.  I had just the past few weeks ago sent out my "Coming Out Letter" to all of my immediate family and pondered sharing it with her.  I told her I would ponder her offer a day or so then let her know.  I spend the rest of the day and most of the evening pondering my best course of action.  I decided to give my HR Manager a copy of the letter I wrote to my family.  I knew the company she was with had gender identity in their discrimination protections, so I figured I would test her on that.  After all, I was contracted via the Federal Government and they too have the same discrimination protections, so I felt I was "mostly safe".  The next day was a Friday, her and her office didn't work over the weekends (I usually popped in sometime over the weekend just to check my staff) so I waited until the almost close of business day and went to her office.  I gave her the sealed envelope and asked her to read it once she had finished for the day and left the facility.  Then she had the entire weekend to ponder things herself.  I again reminded her of our earlier conversation about this being highly personal to me and that our conversations were strictly confidential, she immediately agreeing.  I gave her the envelope, then went to the Security Control room and monitored the folks leaving for the weekend over the CCTV.  I saw her exit the facility a few minutes later, watched her get to her car, then sat down and opened the letter.....just as I had asked.  I waited ever so patiently watching for expressions on her face via the cameras.  My CCTV operator was soooooo confused as to why I was watching the HR Manager so closely on the cameras, I just told them I was working something and they need to focus on the rest of the facility.  My instructions went without further question or discussion.

Nothing further happened that day, after several minutes I watched her drive away.  Monday morning arrives, I was so nervous to know what she thought.  I missed her entry into the facility as I had been called somewhere else that morning.  I waited until mid morning, walked into the HR Section and saw her door was closed.  I knew she had entered the facility and was still here because I tracked her Employee Badge entering all the different doors.....yes, it was good to be the boss, that I could do such things....lol

That afternoon, I get a call via dispatch advising the HR Manager was looking me and if I had time to go see her, which of course I replied to the affirmative.

Once I arrived to her office, she invited me in and closed the door.  She immediately started crying and gave me the biggest hug!  Man-what a shock!  She told me she had done nothing but ponder my situation the entire weekend, thinking about her Son and Daughter and wondering what she would do if this had happened to her life.  Man, I started crying, pouring out my guts to her, scared, worried and relieved all at the same time!  I was in her office for 2 hours answering questions, explaining things, all in a genuine desire from her to help me!

Two months later, the contract was completed, the facility was closed.  We all bid a fare well to each other, promising to all get together the next time the US Census was undertaken (it'll start in 2019-with the Census being conducted in 2020).  Yes, I got my Bonus and full severance packages too.

Writing this reminded me of another story, but that'll have to wait until my literary genius brain cells grow back-I used them all in this adventure-lol