My name Su Chen. I from China. My husband and his friends call me China. We live in cabin in Alaska. Too cold. Husband keep me warm though. He buy me many long dresses to wear. Socks and boots too. No pants. Men wear pants he say. Not woman. Dresses and boots keep me warm.

I live with four men. One my husband. Other men friends of him. We have small cabin. I'm too short, so I stand up in cabin. Roof too low. Men have to bend over. Maybe build bigger cabin next year.

I wake up in morning. Don't have clock. Husband have only clock. In winter, it dark all the time. Cold too. I go outside to pee. We have outhouse, but it too cold. Man can stand and pee in snow. Now I stand in deep snow. I pull dress and slips up to make sure I don't pee on them. I spread my leg as far as I can and then go. I can't see where pee go, but I can tell by sound that it go in snow. Then, no more sound. I finish pee. Now my leg cold. I step out of deep snow and let my dress fall.

I have five long dress. I wear all at same time. I wear three slip too. No underpants. Too hard to go pee and stink if I have to take off underpants. I wear three pair sock. One pair wool. It scratch me. I wear two pair under wool sock. I wear boots all the time. Even to bed. Blankets in bed keep me warm. Everything else don't do no good.

After I go pee I get big pot and full of snow. Go in cabin and put on stove. I chop wood and put in stove. I try to start fire. First, a lot of smoke come out. Then, a little flame. Maybe it will be good fire.

Husband not at home. He go get supplies. Do it twice a month in winter. Take two day. He walk to store and carry stuff back. He big man, but I afraid he get lost or freeze to death. We almost out of food. I know if he die we all die.

I go back to bed and wait for fire to warm cabin. When it hot, cabin feel like springtime. Still cold, but men can get up and fix breakfast. One man, Tom, cook for us. Al can help him. Jack my husband. He can't cook. Fled is old man. He don't cook. He always tired. But he nice to me. He don't let Tom and Al bother me when Jack gone.

"China, build a fire!" say Al.

"I already build fire!" I say from bed.

"It no good!" say Al.

"You build good fire, then," I say.

"It just needs more wood," say Tom. We have little wall up next to my bed. Only wall in house. I can't see Tom, but I think he stir fire to make it hotter. "China build good fire," he say. I smile.

Tom and Al fix breakfast of pancake and coffee. "Wish I knew what time it was," say Al.

"Why? You just stay in bed all day," I say.

"No work to do in winter," Al say.

"I do lot of work in winter. I work in dress. Don't wear pants. Pants are for work. Why don't you wear dress if you want to stay in bed?" I angry with him.

I hear door scrape open. I look. It Jack. He has lots of stuff on his back. He put stuff down on floor. I try to kiss but his face cold. "Jack, you too cold," I say.

"Have some pancakes, Jack," Tom say. Jack eat a few pancake then go to bed. I go with him to keep him warm. He take off his clothes except for underwear and crawl in bed. I afraid he freeze even in cabin. I get close to him and he hug me. He pat my butt and put arm around me.

"China," he say. "Thank you for being the only woman I could ever know who can live with me in cold cabin."

I not tell that I was born boy and had doctor make me into girl or woman.

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