writing

“I will continue to return to you if you are on stage.” This was the phrase my father said to me the first time he came to me in my dreams after his transition. I was only twenty-four. In hindsight I was still a kid, yet I thought I was so grown. I thought I wanted to be a singer, so I took his advice quite literally, and I bought myself a ticket to China and got on stage with a childhood friend, having a blast the whole time. There are still times where I think singing is my

"We'd like to offer you the position." The phone line goes silent and I take a big gulp of air. The silence crackles with expectation, and the pause seems to stretch out for an eternity. This is exactly where a younger Gia would rush in with a thousand grateful expressions - eager to please, I would have assured them I was thrilled about the offer, and accepted on the spot. This time, with a monumental effort in self restraint, I force my mouth to move slowly. "That's fantast