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Online form to follow The Observer by C. Sprite (c) 1999 For Tamara Prologue This is the story about a man and a woman who were in the wrong spot at the right time. Switched into each other's body by an alien visitor, they are ill-fated to remain that way for one year. Or possibly more? Chapter 1 "For crying out loud, will you give it a break? I'm not happy about it either." I yelled at the woman sitting next to me in the car. "If you hadn't turned onto this damn road, we'd be back at the motel by now, instead of driving around in the damn woods", she yelled back. "Do I have to remind you that we BOTH agreed to try this road, after looking at the map?", I said quietly. That shut her up, finally. God, how I had begun to despise this bitch. My name is Pete Hotaling. Peter Alan Hotaling to be precise. I'm an Associate Publisher for McCarthy Publishing Inc. The fancy title means that I negotiate to buy the rights to publish books and stories. It sounds better than Publisher's Agent. The woman beside me in the car is Kara Swenson. She holds the title of Editor with the same company. Why are driving around rural Arkansas, in a torrential rainstorm, with lightning and thunder crashing all around us? Put simply, we are looking for the home of a reclusive writer who has written a wonderful new story, but has so far delayed signing a contract with our company. Our boss has sent us on this mission to wrap up the deal. I have done this alone for years, and was upset that I had been ordered to drag along this miserable excuse for a woman. My boss said that she would be helpful in consummating the deal, since the writer was known to have an eye for the ladies. I thought to myself that he would have to be one desperate son-of-a-bitch to be attracted to Swenson. As I drove along in the worsening weather, I glanced over at Swenson. She could be attractive if she tried. She could get rid of those ugly eye glasses and get contacts, or at least get a better eyeglass frame. And those shoulder-pads had to go. They were out of fashion now anyway. The ones that she was wearing appeared to rival those of the kicker on my college football team. I estimated that she was about 5 foot, 4 inches tall, and about 23 or 24 years old. Her blond hair was tied into a bun. A bun, for Christ's sake. And this was the first time that I had ever seen her wearing a skirt. I didn't think that she owned one. Around the company's offices, I had only seen her wearing slacks or jeans. Her legs weren't too bad. Neither was the body. Too bad her personality was so poor. She hadn't stopped complaining and whining since we had left New York City. She complained all the way down on the aircraft about the slow ticket agents, poor seats, lousy food, slow flight attendants, etc, etc. etc. When we picked up the car that the company had rented for us, she started in again about choice of car, small trunk, uncomfortable seat belts, etc, etc, etc. Before beginning our hunt for Buck Marshall's log cabin, we stopped at the motel to put our bags in our room. Once back in the car, she started complaining about her motel room. She said the bed was uncomfortable and she would never be able to sleep. She complained that there was no tub in her room, only a shower stall. Etc, etc, etc. I was nearing the end of my patience, so when she started in about the road that we had mutually agreed to try, I put up with it for as long as I could, then yelled at the top of my lungs. My eruption lasted for just one sentence, but I felt better immediately. I had been wanting to do that for the last hour. Instead of being intimidated, she had yelled right back at me. My quiet statement about our predicament being half her fault had finally shut her up. And it really was a predicament. We had been driving on this road for over forty five minutes. I estimated that we must have driven at least ten miles. We had not seen another vehicle, human, or even a dwelling since we turned onto this road. I didn't think that it was possible to drive this long without seeing something. About a mile in from the highway, the gravel road had turned to dirt. We decided to turn around at the next crossroad or driveway, but had not encountered either. The rain was coming down in buckets, so I didn't want to risk trying to turn around without sufficient room. I feared that we might get stuck. And forget backing up all the way to the highway, it was way too far, and in the darkness, it would be impossible. The woods on either side of the narrow road had long ago closed in. The potholes were getting worse and I was getting nervous. The road had stated to resemble a foot path more than a road. But I didn't want to convey my fears to Swenson. Kara Swenson had leaned back into her chair after Peter Hotaling had yelled at her. She had tried to engage him in conversation ever since they had left New York City. He had said almost nothing until his sudden outburst a few minutes ago. It had completely taken her aback, and in response she had yelled back at him. She knew that their predicament wasn't his fault. She was just unhappy about going on this trip. She didn't understand why her boss had insisted on it. Was he trying to fix her up with Hotaling? It was true that Hotaling was tall, dark, and handsome. He stood about 6 foot, 6 inches tall, and had black wavy hair. He looked to be about 35 years old and obviously spent a lot of time working on his body and his tan. But he had bedded almost every unmarried woman at McCarthy Publishing, and possibly a few married ones, and she was not about to be added to that list. Besides, she preferred female companionship, although she had never announced it to anyone at work. "This isn't looking too good", I said to Swenson. Suddenly a flash of lightning and crack of thunder occurred almost simultaneously. The lightning had hit a tree alongside the road and it was falling into the path of the car. I hit the brakes and swerved the car to the right, away form the falling tree. The car ended up in a ditch as the tree fell across the hood and shattered the windshield. Our seatbelts saved us from injury, but the car was immobile with the tree resting on it, even though it didn't appear too badly damaged to use. I asked Swenson if she was OK. She said that she hadn't been injured, although she was still a bit shaken up from the near miss of the tree. The windshield had collapsed onto the dashboard, and the rain was blowing into the car now. We were getting soaked. We had two options. Stay where we were, or try to get help. After a quick discussion, we opted for the latter. It might be days, or even weeks before anyone came down this isolated road. Looking for my cellular phone, I remembered that I had left it in my suitcase. It was now dry and safe in my motel room. How I wish that I was there also. Swenson said that she had seen something that looked like a house not too long ago. She had only caught a glimpse during a lightning flash. We decided to see if we could find it. Even if it was deserted, it might offer us some shelter from the storm. I found a flashlight in the emergency kit in the trunk and we set off down the road. When we reached the point where she thought that she had seen the house, we left the road and walked through the bushes and undergrowth. The terrain climbed gently upwards. I began to feel sorry for Swenson. She was wearing a skirt and heels. It could not be pleasant for her. Every once in a while, she would let out a small string of curse words. Although I was a little better dressed for this kind of traveling, I was none-the-less cold, wet, and miserable. After about twenty minutes of climbing, we came to the 'house'. It turned out to be a small rocky outcropping. Our hopes of shelter disappeared in a heartbeat. As we were about to turn and return to the road, my flashlight played across an opening in the outcropping. I investigated the opening to see if it might be a cave. To my delight, the opening was too deep for my flashlight to reach a back wall. We walked slowly inside, with me in the lead. My flashlight showed a cavern disappearing down into the blackness. As soon as we were inside, we felt better. Just being out of the driving rain was agreeable. I explored a little further in to see if there was any dried wood, or tinder that we could use to light a fire. Swenson had grabbed ahold of my suit-jacket with both hands and followed me. She was holding my coat on each side, near my waist, so she wasn't more than a foot behind me as I walked. After walking about a hundred feet, I came to the conclusion that we were not going to find anything burnable, so I turned to go back to the cave entrance. As I turned, a flash of lightning illuminated the mouth of the cave. Movement at the entrance froze me in my tracks. During the flash, I had seen a large black bear entering the cave. I turned again and resumed my walk away from the cave entrance. I didn't say anything to Swenson because I didn't want her to cry out. I walked as quickly as I could without appearing to be rushing. I heard noises behind me and was trying to ascertain if they came from Swenson or the bear. I was afraid to stop, so I kept leading us further in. Several times I had come to places where the cave split, and had selected whichever path seemed to offer the easiest walk. After we had traveled for about 15 minutes, I stopped. Swenson walked into my back since I hadn't signaled any intention to stop. I pried her hands off of my coat and found that she was trembling. I knew immediately that she had seen the bear also. As I turned to face her, she wrapped her arms around me and held on for all she was worth. My intense dislike for her began to lessen as I was exposed to this view of vulnerability. I didn't hear any noise from the way that we had come, so I guessed that it was alright to stand here until she got her nerves under control. I tried to soothe her by putting up a brave front. The truth was that I was plenty scared also. After several minutes, Swenson stopped trembling a little, and we resumed our walk. I was hoping that we could find another way out. We spent the next two hours picking our way through the cavern. We had been walking down a promising looking passage when we suddenly came to a solid wall. I was about to retrace our steps when I spotted writing on the wall. As it turned out, it wasn't writing, but rather symbols that had been cut into the stone. I couldn't relate them to anything that I had ever seen. I traced them with my finger hoping to get a clue to their origin. They may indicate a way out of the cavern. Without warning, we were bathed in a bluish- white light that shone down from the cavern roof. We were completely immobilized. The only thing that I could move was my eyeballs. I could see that Swenson was similarly frozen. The wall in front of us abruptly moved upwards reveling a lined tunnel entrance. An old man, wearing a robe, walked towards us slowly. As he stood in front of us, he examined us closely. He never uttered a word, but memories of my life started flashing through my mind. I saw myself, from the present, back to my days as a toddler. The blue light stopped and the cavern went black. I realized that I was sinking into the black void of unconsciousness. Chapter 2 Day 1 I awoke with the sun in my eyes. I was sitting in the car wearing the seatbelt. I thought, 'Oh, thank God. It was all a dream.' Then I realized that the windshield was missing and the car was severely damaged. I could see a busy highway about a hundred feet in front of us, but we were still on the side road. I became aware that I was sitting in the passenger seat and turned towards the drivers side as I heard a man scream. But it was not like any scream that I had ever heard from a man. My eyes widened in horror as I realized that I was doing the screaming. I was looking at my body and watching it scream. I closed my eyes. Was I having an out-of-body experience. No, I didn't feel dead, although I did feel very strange. I opened my eyes again. Yes, there was my body, sitting next to me. Now I was really afraid, and shut my eyes again. I was afraid to move, afraid to talk, and afraid to look at myself. I heard a voice say, "Peter?" I opened my eyes and looked at my body. I had recognized my voice from having heard it as I played back dictation notes over the years. The voice that others hear is never the same as what you hear in your head. I said, "Yes", and immediately put my hand to my throat. The voice that I heard emanate from my mouth was very high pitched, like a woman's. I pulled my hand away from my throat and looked at it. It was a woman's hand, and the nails had polish on them. I reached up and turned the rear view mirror towards me. As I adjusted it to face me, I saw Swenson's face in the mirror. I shut my eyes again. No, this wasn't happening. I was still in the cavern. The old man had done something to my mind. I jumped as somebody pinched my leg, hard. I opened my eyes and saw my body just withdrawing my, or rather, its hand. My body said, "Peter, look at me. It's Kara." I shook my head, refusing to acknowledge that fact, but knowing deep down inside that it was true. I finally looked at my body and said, "What happened?" "That old man did something to us. Somehow, he made me look like you, and made you look like me." "That's not possible." "You explain it then", my body said. I couldn't. I said, "I can't explain it yet. I think that we have been hypnotized someway and are still in the cavern." "We're not in the cavern any longer. Look, there's the highway ahead. What's this on the dashboard?" I watched as my body reached out its arm and picked up something that looked like a large marble. "It says, 'His.' Look, there's one in front of you also." I saw Kara's hand reach out and pick it up as I controlled it's movement. I said, in my new, weird voice, "It says, 'Hers.' Here, this must be for you." I turned to hand it to her when it suddenly started to vibrate. Before I could return it to the dashboard, it rose out of my hand. At the same time, the other one rose from my body's hand. The two marbles joined and formed one much larger sphere. Then it dissolved into an image which filled the area formerly occupied by the windshield. It was like watching a movie screen. The old man was on the screen talking to us. He said, "Good morning, my children. I hope that you are feeling better today. I am the 'Observer'. That is my role here. Millennia ago, my people came to this planet from our home in a distant galaxy. We found your world teaming with life, but none contained the intelligence required to shape its destiny. My people 'seeded' this planet with our own DNA as a way of perpetuating our species, and spreading our influence throughout the universe. For the past five hundred years we have maintained an outpost here to observe the development of our 'children'. You have been the first to find our station in this part of the world. In probing your minds, I discovered that your finding us was purely accidental. We have moved our station while you have slept, so that no one will be able to find us there again. This is for your protection as well as ours. Now on to your current situation. In probing your minds, we discovered how unhappy both of you were. Kara was so dissatisfied with her gender. She felt that it was responsible for her lack of success in life. She felt that men were holding her back because they were jealous of her talents. Peter felt alone and isolated. He used women in his search for fulfillment, hopping from one bed to the next in an attempt to find love and happiness, but never really finding either. We felt that a change might be just what you both need. To repay you for the three days that we had to keep you with us until our station was moved, we have transplanted your consciousness into each other's body. Normally we don't get involved, but this seemed like a perfect solution to both of your needs. Certain fundamental memories concerning the maintenance and care of your new bodies have been left intact in each of you. These will help you adjust to living as a different gender. We hope that you will be happier with your new identities, but should you wish to be returned to your former selves, we will accommodate you. In one years time, return to this spot. You will have a seven day 'window' during which time we shall look for you. If only one of you wish to switch back, then both of you must do so. But it is only necessary that one of you show up here to accomplish that. We will do the rest. Goodbye my children, and good luck with your new lives." The image dissolved, along with any trace of the marbles, or sphere. My former body and I looked at one another, our mouths agape. We were to be trapped like this for a full year. My body said to me, "Well Kara, it looks like we shall have to wait a year to get back to normal." I said, "Don't call me that. My name is Peter, regardless of how I look at the moment." "Listen to yourself, and look in the mirror. If you go around telling people that you are Peter Hotaling, they'll have you in the loony bin within a day. I, for one, don't intend to spend my future in a rubber room. For the next year, 'I' am Peter Hotaling and 'you' are Kara Jeanette Swenson. Get used to it or I'll have you committed myself, you crazy bitch." I sat and stared at her, or rather I sat and stared at my former body. I realized that she was right. People who went around telling such crazy tales usually wound up in the Bellevue Hospital Psychiatric Ward. I would have to go along or be judged 'crazy'. Especially since she would act as witness against me. I said meekly, "OK..... Peter." My body grinned evilly at me and said, "Now you're being smart. Let's get back to our motel. I need a bath, and a meal. I'm starving." 'Peter' started the car and we drove down the road to the highway. As we rode back to the motel, I started to think about what my life would be like for the next year. I would have to live as a female. Worse yet, I would have to live as Kara Swenson. I knew that she was not well liked in the office. She lorded over the few employees in her charge, bullying them into submission with threats of dismissal. I had never seen her in the company of a single person outside of business duties. Following business meetings, as other people paired up to talk as we returned to our offices, she always walked back alone. At night, She would always leave the building alone, as well. It appeared that nobody wanted to share her companionship. I, on the other hand, was always surrounded by friends. I spent a lot of time cultivating those friendships. I could now look forward to long lonely days while I was stuck in this body. And when we were finally changed back, would she have alienated every friend that I had? This was definitely a lose- lose situation for me. My life was ruined. I felt like crying. Crying? Why did I feel like crying? That was not something that I ever did. Not since I was a child. Little boys are always taught to suppress their emotions and must never cry. Their parents are always telling them, "Don't cry Peter, big boys don't cry. Big boys don't let little things like a cut knee make them cry. Now dry your tears or everybody will think that you are a sissy." Little girls, on the other hand, are hugged and comforted. They are told, "That's OK honey, it's not a bad cut. Here, I'll kiss it and make it better. There now, doesn't that feel better." Never a word about hiding their feelings. So I must feel like crying because of Kara's subconscious memories. Oh no, this was going to be difficult. It would be a struggle between my conscious and subconscious until we could get switched back. I settled down with my thoughts and tried to make sense of all this as 'Peter' drove. 'Peter was also lost in thought. 'He' looked on this as an opportunity to learn what it would be like to be 'Peter Hotaling'. He might even be able to write a best seller after they were switched back. He had no regrets about being in this new body. He felt strong and powerful. Peter was well liked at the company. He would have instant friendship when they got back. He didn't fear that Kara could do any damage to her life or reputation. There was nothing there to damage. This was beginning to look like a win-win situation. 'Peter' even began to work on titles for her new book. As we drove into the parking lot of 'Cleary's Motel', the manager 'hurried' over as quickly as his old legs could carry him. "I'm sure glad to see you folks are back. We were beginning to worry. Your company has been calling every hour for the past two days. They want you to call them immediately." Looking at the car, he added, "Did you folks get into an accident?" Peter said, "Yes. A tree fell on top of us as we negotiated one of your wonderful roads. Don't you people believe in filling pot-holes, and paving?" I said, "I'm sorry for Peter's outburst Mr. Cleary. We've been stuck in the woods for three days. We're a bit tired and edgy. Thank you for delivering the message. We'll call them as soon as we have a chance to clean up. If they call again, please relay that to them." "I understand. I'd be upset too. We have some pretty remote areas down here compared to New York City." He turned and walked back to the office. I just sat there in the car. I couldn't will myself to get out. Peter got out and starting walking towards 'his' room. Then he turned and looked at me. He came over to my side of the car and opened my door. "Come on. Get your fat, lazy ass out of there. We have a lot to do, and a lot to discuss." He extended his hand to me. I took it and swung my legs out without thinking. Then when I was on my feet, I realized what I had done. It must be the subconscious mind thing that the 'Observer' had talked about. I never would have exited a car like that as 'Peter'. When we reached my room 'Peter' reached into his pocket and extracted his key. He unlocked his door and walked in. I started to follow, until he held up his hand. "Go to your own room, stupid. I have to bathe and think a bit. Be back over here in two hours." His abrupt remarks brought me out of my daze. "Where's my key, Kara?" "How many times do I have to tell you, you're Kara, you dumb bitch. Look in your purse. I saw it on the floor of the car." Then he slammed the door in my face. I walked back to the car and retrieved the purse. I opened it and found the key, then went to 'my' room. Once I was inside, I kicked off my shoes and sat on the bed to think. I couldn't hold them back anymore. The tears began to roll down my cheeks. In seconds, I was bawling like a baby. My life was ruined. Why had the 'Observer' done this to me. I cried like that for maybe five minutes. When I was able to control my emotions again, I got up and washed my face. I looked at my reflection in the mirror above the sink. The face that stared back at me looked small and frightened. Well, that much was accurate. How was I ever going to survive for a year in this body? I removed my clothes. They were pretty much ruined from the trek through the woods, but I hung them up anyway. I got in the shower and ran it as hot as I could stand. I had showered with women many times over the years but this was a unique experience. As I scrubbed up for the first time in days, I began to feel better. I shampooed my hair twice and used a packet of conditioner that I found in the bathroom. When I stepped from the shower, I felt clean, if not relaxed. I toweled off and powered my new body. I went out into the bedroom and opened the suitcase. A hodgepodge of clothing was crammed into the suitcase. Kara appeared to be a bit of a slob. I found a bra and panties and put them on. Putting on the bra was more difficult than I could have imagined. I had never had a problem with them before, but that was taking them off of women, not putting one on myself. I took the rest of the things out and spread them out on the bed. I found two pairs of slacks, a skirt, three blouses, a pair of jeans, a T shirt, and a robe. After putting on the robe and hanging the other articles in the closet, I separated the underwear and other items. I found a blow dryer and finished drying my hair. When I was through, I examined my new 'shell'. Kara was pretty and had a lot of potential. She was a bit out of shape, but the shape wasn't bad. If I had to go through this, I could have done a lot worse. Suddenly, somebody was pounding on the door. I asked who it was and heard my old voice tell me to open up right away. When I unlocked the door, Peter barged in. "Mr. Jacobs is on the phone. I told the manager to hold him a minute and then put him through to here. What do we tell him?" "Tell him the same thing that we told the manager. We had an accident and it took us three days to get back. That's the truth after all." The phone rang and Peter picked it up. I heard him tell the manager to put the call through. Mr. Jacobs said, "Peter, what the hell is happening down there. I saw Bill Wilson from Wilson & Wilson at lunch and he said that Buck Marshall was going to sign with them. He expected to have the contracts in a couple of days. What does Marshall want to stay with us?" Peter said, "We haven't been able to talk with him yet. We had a car accident the day that we arrived. While we were searching for his house, a tree fell on our car. It took us until now to get back. We spent the last three days in the woods down here." "Yeah, I've heard it all before. You probably spent the last three days shagging that broad that we sent with you. Now get out bed and get over to Marshall's house pronto. We're counting on you to get that book contract, boy. Don't let us down. Call me back as soon as you see Marshall, and I want to hear some good news. Now get going, son." He rang off. Peter turned to me and said, "He said that we have to get over to Marshall's right away. Marshall is going to sign with Wilson & Wilson. What are we going to do?" "Simple, you'll have to talk Marshall into signing with us." "I've never done this before. I don't know where to start. Help me, please." "You're asking for help from a 'dumb bitch'. I should just sit here on my 'lazy, fat ass' and wait for you to screw up the deal." "Please, Kara, help me. I'll call you Peter if you want. If we don't get this book deal, we'll both be in trouble." "I'm already in trouble. I'm stuck in your body with little to look forward to over the next year." "In a year you'll have your body back. You need this deal to help your career. By helping me, you'll be helping yourself." She had me there. Maybe I could use this to steer my career while she occupied my body. "OK. I'll do it. You go talk to the manager while I get ready. Get exact directions to Marshall's house. Tell him about that road that we went down. It can't be the one on the map that we were following." Peter left and I hurried to get ready. I put on a pair of pantyhose that I found in the suitcase. I hated the things. Didn't she have any stockings? I found a full slip, and put on one of her blouses and the skirt that I had found with the slacks. I put on a pair of black heels with a small strap, and I looked at myself in the mirror. So far so good. I found Kara's makeup bag and started on my face. The subconscious memories allowed me to make up my face without thinking about it. Thank God that the 'Observer' had left me those memories. I brushed and combed my hair into passable shape, then checked myself in the mirror. Not too bad, I thought. I grabbed my purse and went to Peter's room. He was just coming out. He had shaved and showered, and was wearing my new pin-stripped suit. His face had a number of nicks covered with little pieces of toilet paper. I said, "Welcome to the wonderful world of facial hair." He scowled. We walked to the car and he held the passenger door open for me. I was surprised by his suddenly chivalrous manner. I also was surprised to be escorted to the passenger side. I always drove until now. I had to remind myself of my change in status. Peter closed the door after I got in, and went around to the driver's side. He handed me the directions to Marshall's house so that I could act as navigator. As we left the motel parking lot, the missing windshield started to play havoc with my hair. I told Peter to slow down as much as possible so that we looked presentable when we got there. Peter told me that the manager had been very surprised when he learned where we had gotten stuck. He had said that we were lucky to have gotten out by ourselves. Nobody would be using that road until hunting season opened in two months. The road that we should have used is the next one after the one that we took. The one that we took is not on the map. That explained our error. In the clear, daytime weather, we were able to find Marshall's home within twenty minutes. It was one of the log cabin replicas that had been so popular 20 years ago. When we knocked on the door, a portly, middle-aged man answered. I recognized him from the pictures on his book jackets, but that picture must have been taken twenty years ago. I introduced myself and Peter. He said, "I'm sorry. I was expecting you people three days ago. When you didn't show, I signed with Wilson & Wilson." I said, "Mr. Marshall, I'm terribly sorry that we were not here as we had expected. Three days ago, we turned onto the wrong road while searching for your house. I believe that the road is called Grave's End. Anyway, it was during that terrible storm. We were unable to turn around after we had started down that road and drove about 10 miles before having a tree fall on our car. We spent the last 3 days in the woods, trying to get back here. We only got out about 2 hours ago. You can see the damage to the car yourself."" He looked at car from where we were standing in his doorway. "My Lord, you people are lucky to be alive. Please come in, I'll make some fresh coffee. I want to hear all about your ordeal." He showed us to the living room and left to put on a pot of coffee. As we waited, I formulated a story about our 'survival'. I knew that a writer can never resist a good 'yarn' and I had told him about our problem figuring that he would invite us in to tell him about it. For the next hour, I related our fictional experience for Marshall. My years in the publishing business and especially my years of dealing with writers served me well. I managed to spin a convincing tale. He all but ignored Peter, to Peter's relief. When I was done, I said, "So tell me Buck, may I call you Buck?" He nodded. "Thank you. Please call me Kara. Tell me Buck, how long ago did you send the contracts to Wilson & Wilson?" "I haven't actually sent them yet. I signed them yesterday but the FedEx guy hasn't arrived yet to pick them up." "Since you haven't sent them yet, then you aren't really obligated. Would you allow us to talk to you about our proposal? I mean, we have been your publisher for many years." I smiled as pleasantly as I could. "I don't think that would be right. I told them that I intended to sign with them." "Well, it can't hurt to talk about it. If I can show you why it would be in your best interest to sign with us, would you entertain that idea at all? It could mean a great deal of money to you?" I smiled again. He didn't answer right away so I gestured to Peter to give my the contracts. "Could you get a copy of the contracts that Wilson & Wilson sent to you. I'd like you to compare the offers." Over the next two hours we went over the contracts point by point. When the FedEx guy came, Marshall sent him away without the contracts. I showed him how much better our offer was. Wilson & Wilson were offering more up front money, we were offering a bigger percentage from the sales. I explained that we all felt that his new book would make the best seller list. We were so excited about it, that we had traveled down here to visit him, unlike Wilson & Wilson who had not left New York City. If your book does as well as expected, you could earn an extra hundred thousand dollars above what Wilson & Wilson would be paying you. Even if it doesn't, you will still make as much, if not more, with our deal." That clinched it. He went and retrieved the FedEx package, and cut it in half with a pair of scissors. Then he signed our contracts. I said, "I'm sorry that we didn't bring along a bottle of champagne to celebrate with. I like to offer a toast to one of the next books on the best seller list." "Give me just a moment. I may have some." He disappeared into the kitchen and returned with three glasses and a bottle in record time. He was clearly excited. He popped the plastic 'cork' and poured three drinks. We stood as I proposed a toast to the new novel, and then drank the wine. After several glasses, I was starting to feel dizzy. I don't know how long it was since I had eaten, and I had forgotten that this new body was not able to take liquor like my former self. Peter suggested that we should leave. I tried to rise, but couldn't get my legs under me. Buck helped me up and groped me while he was doing so. I was so drunk that it didn't register. He invited me to stay, but Peter interceded and said that after the ordeal of the last three days, we really needed to get some rest. Seeing the disappointment on his face, I mumbled, "Perhaps another time Buck." He brightened considerably. At the door, I extended my hand to him. Instead, he grabbed me and kissed me while groping me again. Peter helped me to the car. I was surprised at the strength of my former body. I had never felt it from this side before. As we drove back to the motel, Peter said, "That was very well done. You're good. I can see why they sent you down here. I still don't understand why I'm here, or rather, why I was here as Kara." "Didn't you see the way that Buck was looking at your former body. I doubt that I could have convinced him as quickly if I was still Peter. He was hoping to get me in the sack. You noticed how fast he got that bottle of champagne?" "Yeah. He set a new world record in the refrigerator sprint event. Your telling me that you used my body to wrap the deal." "To close a major deal, I always use whatever I have. That's the name of the game. You don't get any silver medals for being second best in this business. Second best go home losers." "Would you have gone to bed with him to get him to sign?", Peter asked. "He wouldn't be the first client that I slept with. I've never slept with a man though. Usually, I just arrange for a professional's services for the night." "You hire prostitutes?" "Sure, why not? Working girls have to make a living too." "I think it's disgusting. You're disgusting. You men are all alike. You're all pigs." "Well, that's an encouraging statement", I said. "What do you mean, 'encouraging statement'. You like being called a pig?" I meant that when I get my body back, I won't be plagued with snickers behind my back from co-workers who suspect that I am gay. As a man-hater, you won't be dating men." Peter scowled, but said nothing. When we arrived back at the motel, he helped me into the room. I couldn't believe how drunk I was. I said, "I normally have three martinis for lunch. All I had was three small glasses of wine. I guess that you don't drink much?" "Just sparkling water, or a little fruit juice." Peter sat me on the bed. I never would have made it on my own. He began to remove my clothes. "Hey. Did I say that you could do that?" "Shut up. I've been looking at this body, naked, for twenty-four years.' When I was fully undressed, he laid me on the bed. Then he went over and sat in the chair and called the office. When Mr. Jacobs was on the line he said, "Mr. Jacobs, Peter Hotaling here. I just wanted to let you know that we have wrapped things up down here...... Yes, Marshall signed with us....... Yes, we have all the signed contracts in our possession....... Yes, I couldn't have done it without her...... No, we're going to stay over a day or two. We really were stuck in the woods for three days. We're going to sleep until we're fully rested.....OK, I'll tell her. See you when we get back." He rang off at that point. "Mr. Jacobs told me to congratulate you for assisting me with the contracts." "Wonderful. Now I'm the assistant." "Don't forget, You'll have the credit when we change back." "Yeah, I was forgetting. Write it off to being drunk. Is the room spinning, or only just the bed?" "Just the bed. The room's fine." "Very funny...." I drifted off into sleep. Chapter 3 Day 2 I awoke the next morning, feeling awful. My mouth felt like an old pair of soiled gym socks, and my head was throbbing. I staggered, with my eyes only half open, to the toilet. I lifted the lid and reached for my penis. Grabbing only open air, I panicked before realizing that the body switch had not been a bad dream. I put the seat back down and sat to pee. God, how humiliating. That I was reduced to this. Me. Peter Alan Hotaling, star quarterback of my college team. The man that had been on a one-man quest to win the heart of every woman in New York. Now I was one of them. A woman. I finished peeing and stood to wash my hands and face. I looked at the face that stared back at me. This was only the second day. How was I going to last for another 364 more. I decided that if I spent every day feeling sorry for myself, I would either go crazy, or commit suicide before the year was up. So I determined that I would accept my fate and move on. I brushed my teeth to get the awful taste from my mouth. Then I showered, and shampooed my hair. I saw that stubble was appearing on my legs, so I shaved them and my arm pits. Feeling much better, I dressed. I put on the pair of comfortable looking jeans and a T-shirt. I brushed my hair and applied some basic makeup. When I was finished, I stood in front of the mirror and approved of what I saw. When I got back to New York City, I would join a health club and start getting this body into shape. I went to the motel's office to inquire about local eating places. I felt like I hadn't eaten in a week. And that probably wasn't too far from the truth. Mr. Cleary, the manager and owner, suggested several good places to eat. I went to see if Peter was up. I knocked on his door several times before he opened it. He looked terrible. He told me that he had partied all night and needed some more sleep. Looking past him, I saw that he had company. I hoped that he was being careful with my body, but I didn't say anything. Apparently, he was 'off' sparkling water and fruit juice. At least the unfermented kind. I decided to walk to a nearby restaurant for breakfast by myself, so I got my purse and started off. About halfway there, a car full of teenage boys pulled up next to me and they asked if I wanted a ride. I told them that I was just out for my morning walk, and no thank you. As I walked, they drove slowly along side me, getting more crude and vulgar as we progressed down the road. Finally I just stopped responding to them at all. I just ignored them and continued walking. This infuriated them, and one of them jumped out when the car stopped. Now I will admit to being afraid of big, black bears, but an acne faced teenager does not frighten me regardless of how big he was. When he put his hand on me, I spun on my heel and kicked him in his manhood with all my strength. He screamed and dropped to the ground. I stepped back and assumed a self defense position. The other teens piled out of the car, and picked up their friend. After looking at me, they apparently decided to find easier pickings and they sped off. Peter's year of karate classes had finally come in handy. I got to the restaurant without any further encounters. After a filling breakfast of flapjacks, with sausages, I leisurely returned to the motel. I selected a lounge chair next to the pool and sat down to enjoy the sun. About an hour later, Peter came out of his room with his guest. They climbed into the rented car and left. He was back, alone, in 15 minutes. I followed him into his room and asked him if he was ready to return to New York City. When he said that he was, I called the airline and booked two tickets. We packed, paid the motel bill, and drove to the airport. At the car rental agency, I smiled as Peter tried to explain what had happened to the car. Fortunately, I had bought ALL of the insurance options, and there was nothing that the clerk could do but verify that we had returned the car. On the plane, we discussed our situation. I would go to live as Kara, while she would live as Peter. I briefed Peter about my life, and he briefed me about his/hers. He would have the more difficult time since I couldn't begin to list my friends and acquaintances. We shared a cab to our homes from Kennedy Airport. Peter dropped me off in Brooklyn, then proceeded to my former residence in Manhattan. I climbed the steps to the large brownstone. My apartment was on the first floor. The apartment was spacious and I spent the rest of the day exploring every nook and cranny. Kara wasn't much of a housekeeper. I found myself organizing as I looked at everything. By the time that I was done, I had filled three garbage bags with trash. I then made notes of all the messages on the answering machine so that I could discuss them with Peter. I started to open the mail, and was surprised to learn that Kara owned this building. She had a hefty mortgage payment due with the bank each month, but the rents that she collected easily covered that. I found that she had a sizable nest egg in the bank and a small portfolio of quality stocks. Things were looking up. She would not have any problems in my former identity either. I owned the condo in mid-town outright. Her only expense would be monthly commons charges. My salary was considerably more than hers, so she would be comfortable until we can switch back. After cleaning and organizing the apartment, I decided to check out her clothes closet. My own was fully stocked with quality suits and clothes. I hoped that she had a decent wardrobe. I was disappointed as soon as I opened the doors. Apparently, personal appearance didn't rank very high on her list of priorities. A look through the dresser drawers reveled the same fact. I had spent a great deal of time in women's bedrooms over the years, so I knew what the closet of a well dressed woman looked like. Well, it appeared that I would have some shopping to do. Since tomorrow was Friday, I would take one more day off from work and do some shopping. I sat down on the bed and looked around the room. Something didn't feel right. The layout of the apartment seemed wrong. I walked around all of the rooms again. There appeared to be area that was not accessible. At least there was no visible door. I spent the next hour trying to figure out what could be in that area. It wasn't an air shaft or elevator shaft. I finally discovered a hidden door at the back of a closet. When I figured out how to open it, I found another bedroom. And what a bedroom. A large four poster bed with eye bolts in each post occupied the center of the room. Dresser drawers opened to reveal bondage restraints, and related paraphernalia & sex toys. A closet full of sexy clothing, mostly in leather, along with a selection of whips and paddles, occupied one wall. This was a side to Kara that I had not suspected. I wondered if she was a 'dominant' or a 'submissive'. I found a couple of leather outfits that I liked, and took them to my bedroom after sealing the 'hidden' bedroom again. Both outfits could be used as regular clothing. I had begun to feel tired, so I readied myself for bed. I started to plan tomorrow's activities and drifted off to sleep. I knew that I had a lot to learn about being a woman. Chapter 4 Day 3 After calling into work to inform them of my absence, I went shopping. First stop was at a hairdresser. Appointments were normally required, but several cancellations allowed me to be taken immediately. I asked for a total make-over and told the hair stylist what I wanted, then left myself in her hands. When she was done, I looked like a different person, which is exactly what I wanted to achieve. Kara's natural beauty was now being emphasized instead of hidden. I had carefully watched as makeup was applied, so that I would be able to do it as well. After leaving the salon, I went to several fashionable clothing stores and purchased several outfits, along with a good supply of lingerie. A stop at a shoe store added six pair of new shoes to my packages. Finally, I finished up at a sports shop where I purchased two pair of quality running shoes and several sets of 'sweats', socks, and headbands. With my arms full, I took a cab home and put everything away. I checked the telephone directory and was very pleased to find several workout centers within walking distance, so I went out again and visited each, finally selecting the one that appealed most to me. As a former 'jock', I couldn't wait to begin training, so I had brought along one of the new sweat sets. I went to the locker room and changed. I removed the makeup and scrubbed my face before starting my workout. I spent the next two hours pushing my new body to it's limits. When I was done, I was exhausted but happy. Except for the breasts, which did not lend themselves to a physical workout, I was very satisfied with Kara's body. The eleven years difference between our ages showed me how much stamina I had lost as Peter. Although my original body was in excellent physical condition, the youth of this body made it every bit as resilient. I showered, dressed, and returned home. As I climbed the steps in front of my house, a pretty, young woman greeted me at the top. Thinking that she might be one of my tenants, I smiled at her. As I reached the top step she threw her arms around me and gave me a passionate kiss. She stepped back and said, "Darling, welcome home. How was your trip? Was it too awful having to travel with that old man from your office?" I was surprised to say the least. 'Darling?' 'Old man?' I said, "No, Peter was wonderful. I learned so much from him about contract negotiations." "Well, lets go inside. You can tell me all about it. I love your hair. And your new outfit. What's going on?" I opened the door and led the way in. As soon as I put down my gym bag, she was all over me. I was still thinking like a man, and when an attractive young woman throws herself at you, you respond. She knew Kara's body well and was pushing all the right buttons. In ten minutes, I was panting for breath and trembling with anticipation. She took my hand and led me to the 'secret' bedroom. Once inside, she took me to the bed and shoved me down. She started to undress me. When I tried to help, she slapped my hands away. She went to the dresser and returned with some leather restraints. After locking my hands to the top bed posts using the leather cuffs and short lengths of chain, she attached my legs to the bottom posts in a similar manner. I was now spread-eagled on the bed. She locked a wide leather collar around my neck, then began a seductive strip show in front of me. When she was naked, she came over to the bed and began to lick me from head to toe. Then she turned around and sat on my face. She said, "Eat me, darling." As I began to lick, suck and nibble on her clit she bent over and did the same for me. We reached orgasm at almost the same time. After several minutes of lying on top of me, she got up and went to the dresser. She returned with a blindfold, which she put on me and buckled on the side of my head. I began to ask her why, but as soon as I opened my mouth to speak, she popped a ball gag into it, and buckled that as well. I tried to push it out of my mouth with my tongue, but couldn't move it. Then I felt her insert something in my pussy. She put some kind of a belt on me and ran a wide strap from the back of it, up through my legs and pulled it tight when fastening it on the front of the belt. I heard the 'snick' of a lock closing. I felt her bend over me and kiss me on the cheek. She said, "Good night, my love. Sleep well.... when you can." I heard her leave the room and close the hidden door. I thought that she must be kidding so I lay quiet for what seemed like ten minutes. Then I began to realize that she was serious. She intended to leave me like this. I started to make as much noise as I could, but I knew that the sound wasn't carrying more than a few feet. I was just drifting off to sleep when the thing that she had put inside me came to life. It vibrated for I don't know how long, but I was aroused and headed for a climax when it shut off. I wanted it back on. I mewled through my gag thinking that maybe the mystery girl had come back into the room while I was 'occupied' with other thoughts. But the room was totally quiet. I had just calmed down and drifted into sleep when the thing came alive again. For the rest of the night, that was the pattern. I woke up when I felt the belt being removed. My 'lover' said, "Good morning, my love. I'll just remove this and let you get a few more hours sleep. It's 7 AM. I'll wake you at noon. Sleep well." She kissed me and left again. I was exhausted and fell asleep immediately. A few minutes later she was waking me up and telling me that it was noon and time to get up. She detached my wrists from the bed posts and removed the restraints from my ankles. Before helping me up, she attached my wrists together. I was very stiff from having slept like that all night so she helped me to the bathroom. She stood and watched as I relieved myself. She briefly unlocked the cuffs so that I could wipe myself. She removed the blindfold and mixed the water in the shower to the right temperature. She pushed me into the shower spray and attached my wrists to the shower head. She removed her robe and got into the shower with me. As I stood there, she washed both of our bodies, and shampooed and conditioned our hair. When we were washed, she toweled us dry and powered us. Then she put on my panties and bra, and dried my hair with a blow dryer. Except for the restraints, I was beginning to enjoy the care that I was receiving. She brushed my hair and then led me back to the secret bedroom. I didn't want to be restrained again, but I let her lead me there because I was hoping that she would make love to me as she had last night. I had learned quite a bit about her because she had talked as she cleaned me. I was still gagged so I couldn't say a thing. I knew that her name was Carol and that she and Kara had been 'close' friends for at least a year. Once inside the bedroom, she led me to the closet and took a corset out. She wrapped it around me and attached it in the front. Then she stepped behind me and started to close it. When she had closed it as far as she could, and I could barely breathe, she tied it off. She unlocked my wrists and removed the leather restraints. I rubbed the area that they had covered while she dressed me in a floor length black slip, and then a floor length black leather sheath dress. When she closed the rear zipper, I saw that it would never have closed if I had not been wearing the corset. She put black leather gloves on my hands, then put the leather cuffs back on my wrists. She locked my wrists behind my back and led me to the bed. After pushing me down, she retrieved a pair of black boots from the closet and laced them onto my legs after raising the side zipper on my dress all the way to my hips. The boots came up to about 6 inches above my knees. When they were laced up, she put the leather cuffs back on my ankles, and locked them together. Then she pulled the side zipper down. This time she closed it all the way to the bottom, where before it had only been closed to my upper thighs. When it was fully closed, the cuffs on my ankles were redundant. There was no way that I could walk anywhere. The dress held my legs together like they were tied that way. The heels on the boots were at least 6 inches and were surely not designed for walking. I was fully encased in leather from neck to toes. Once again I was fully helpless on the bed. She reached behind me and removed the ball gag. My jaw was so sore when she removed it that I couldn't even talk. She took a tooth brush and brushed my teeth having me spit in a small basin. Then she had me rinse my mouth with mouth wash. She gave me some fruit juice to drink. I didn't believe how parched my throat was. I said, "Please don't put that thing back in." "Please don't put that thing back in, MISTRESS" "Please don't put that thing back in, Mistress" "That's better. OK, I have something different for you anyway." She reached behind me on the bed and put a piece of leather over my face. As she adjusted it I saw that it was a hood. She laced it up the back, pulling it tight and molding it to my face as she went. It forced my mouth to be held firmly closed, but it was better than the gag. When she was done, she went to the closet and donned a leather cat suit like the one that Catwoman wore in the Batman movie. When she was dressed, she came back to me and clipped a leash on my collar. She unlocked the leather cuffs on my ankles so that I could walk, and raised the side zipper to my calves. Then pulling me up from the bed by pulling on the leash, she led me out of the room. I was afraid that she was going to take me outside, but instead we only went to the living room. I could barely walk in the six inch heels, but somehow I made it with out falling. She sat me in a straight backed chair facing the couch and relocked my ankles and pulled the zipper back down. Using other lengths of chain that she had brought, she firmly secured me to the chair. Then she put the blindfold back over my eyes. I had a picture of myself sitting there without a bit of flesh showing, just black leather. I couldn't talk and could barely move. I decided that this wasn't worth the great sex that I had experienced and resolved to change this relationship as soon as I was able. I wondered if Carol was ever the one to be subjugated. It was early evening when Carol removed my blindfold. She unlocked me from the living-room chair and re-secured me in a dining room chair. As I watched, she enjoyed a leisurely evening meal. When she had finished, and had her desert, she relaxed and sat there talking to me. I was dying to eat something. Anything. Even a bread stick. But I had no choice but to sit there and suffer. Finally, she came over to me after retrieving a dish of food from the kitchen. She removed the hood from my head and proceeded to feed me after putting the blindfold on me. It was the best meal that I ever had. Being hungry really makes you appreciate food. I hadn't eaten since lunchtime yesterday, and I appreciated every morsel. Carol was really enjoying my helplessness. The corset kept me from eating too much. When I was full, Carol put the hood back on me and then the blindfold. She left me sitting there until bedtime. I heard her cleaning the table and washing the dishes. Carol watched the evening news and then 'Saturday Night Live'. When that was over, well after midnight, she unchained me from the dining room chair and led me to the bedroom. I stumbled along as she tugged on my collar and leash. I was still wearing the blindfold and hood, so I was literally blind and mute. She chained my leash to the headboard of the bed and unzipped my dress up to my hip. After pulling my panties down, she worked her way between my legs and began to arouse my passion. All the misery of the day began to melt away as Carol worked on my clit. I began to moan in my hood as she expertly used her mouth to bring me to climax. When I reached the top, my body shuddered for a few seconds, then all my muscles relaxed as I sank back down onto the bed. Carol reinserted the vibrator from last night and locked my ankles together before zipping my dress down to the bottom. She chained my ankles to the foot- board and took up the slack on my leash. She kissed me and wished me good-night as she had done last night. I heard her leave the room and close the door before the vibrator swung into action. She must have changed the timer on the vibrator because it stayed on longer this time. I managed to orgasm so many times during the night that I lost count. In the morning, Carol came in, as she did yesterday, and removed the vibrator. She then reattached me to the bed, and she left, letting me sleep until after noon. When she woke me up again, she took me into the bathroom to let me relieve myself, and get cleaned up. She removed my clothes and chained me to the shower head. Although I had resolved to get my freedom, I was so sore that I couldn't offer much resistance, especially while wearing the hood and blindfold. She washed me and dressed me. All the time I was wearing the hood and blindfold. She cuffed me hands in front of me at least. I was laced into boots again but they were only knee length, and my dress was only down to my knees as well. But it was so tight that my legs were held tightly together. She led me through the apartment and I felt her secure my ankles to the floor somehow. My legs was spread as far as my dress allowed. She took hold of my hands and forced my arms over my head. She attached something to my wrists and when she let go, I could not drop them down. A few seconds later, she started to winch my arms up. She raised them up until they felt as though they would be pulled from their sockets. Being secured to the floor, I felt like I was being stretched on a rack. I started screaming as loud as the hood allowed, and she relaxed the winch a little. She left me hanging there for the rest of the afternoon. As the sun was going down, she released me and removed the hood. My arms hurt so much, all I could do was cry. Carol cradled me in her arms as I cried. As I cried she started crying with me. She sobbed, "Oh Mistress, I'm so sorry. I followed your orders exactly. I thought that the suspension might be too much for you since this was your first time, but that is what you told me to do. You wanted to experience the life that I love. Please, Mistress. I deserve to be punished for hurting you. Please punish me." As she spoke I began to understand Kara and this situation a bit better. She was really the dominant. And she had asked Carol to let her experience life as a bondage submissive. Carol had tortured me because that's what Kara had asked her to do. Kara dressed as she did at work because of her lifestyle. She didn't want any attention from male co-workers. And her attitude towards the employees that she supervised must be the result of her 'dominant' personality. That's why her co-workers called her 'Der Kommandant' behind her back. She must have laughed all weekend for not having warned me about this pre-arranged adventure. I said, "Slave Carol, how do you feel that you should be punished?" "Oh Mistress, I think that you should chain this slave up as she did you last night. But you should paddle her ten, no, twenty times before you plug in the vibrator and leave her for the night." "You feel that that is sufficient for what you put me through this weekend?" "This slave will accept whatever punishment you feel is right. She was only suggesting one possibility." "Very well, go start getting ready. I'll join you in a minute." She carefully extracted herself from me and ran excitedly to the 'secret' bedroom. I joined her, and laced her into a corset. My arms were aching as I pulled the laces and tied them off when I felt that I could pull no more. I dressed her in full slip and the same black leather sheath dress that I had worn. We were almost the same size. I noticed that she had cleaned everything. She had also changed the bed linens. I laced the thigh-high boots on her legs and fastened the leather cuffs on her arms and ankles, then locked the wrist cuffs behind her back. I steered her to the bed and sat her down. As she watched, I stripped off all my clothes and left them in a pile on the floor. I took the paddle that she had taken from the closet and positioned her over my naked legs. I pulled her hands out of the way, and started to administer the punishment. She jumped with the first few hits then started to calm down and moan. Only a sharp intake of breath were proof that she felt the last several. Having administered the twenty hits that she had wanted, I positioned her on the bed and mounted her face. I had come to love the way that she serviced me with her tongue. As she worked on me, I serviced her. Once again we reached climax at almost the same time. I gushed all over her face and she licked it up as best she could, and also cleaned me while I cleaned her. Then I inserted the vibrator device and locked her ankles together. I pulled down her slip and dress and tugged the zipper all the way to the bottom. I attached the chain from her ankles to the foot-board and put a collar around her neck. Before I chained her collar to the head-board, I laced the hood onto her head and put the blindfold on her. Just before I had put the hood on her, she said, "I love you Mistress." I told her that I love my little slave, and then I finished readying her for her night of bondage. As I picked up the clothes that I had dumped on the floor, the vibrator came alive for the first time. I watched in fascination as Carol's body stiffened and convulsed as the vibrator worked it's magic. I hung the clothes in the closet and went to take a shower. The hot water pelting my body was the magic that I needed just then. When I was finished, I toweled off and went to bed. Within minutes I was fast asleep. I'm sure that Carol did not have such a restful night, but it was after all, her choice. Chapter 5 Day 6 I had set the alarm for 6 AM and arose as soon as it sounded. I hurried to check on Carol. She was bucking and convulsing as I entered. The vibrator was humming away. I waited until she had peaked and then unplugged the insidious little device. I unlocked her chains and cuffs and began to strip her clothes off. When I removed the hood, she smiled up at me and said, "Good morning Mistress. Wasn't it a wonderful night." I chuckled to myself at how much she really loved this stuff. No wonder that Kara had wanted to try it. She wanted to know what she was missing. Not much from my point of view, although the sex had been great. I slapped her on the bottom and said that I had to take a shower and get ready for work. She jumped up and came with me. We showered together, but I had to stop her from getting too playful. After all, today was a work day. After we were finished and had dried off, Carol returned to bed to get some sleep. I dressed in some of the new clothes that I had purchased on Friday. I hated pantyhose so I had purchased several garter belts and a dozen pair of stockings. I put on a white satin blouse and gray business suit. The three inch heels gave me a little of my former height but still left me 11 inches shorter. My makeup had turned out very good, and I had done my nails before I went to bed last evening. I brushed my hair and it fell back into place from the perm. I stood in front of the mirror and examined myself. To my way of thinking, Kara had never looked this hot at the office before. At lunchtime I was going to see if I could get contacts. I grabbed my gym bag and purse and hurried out the door. I intended to stop at the gym on the way home. I hurried to the 'El' two blocks ago and arrived on the platform just as a train pulled in. I arrived at the office 30 minutes early because I had been unsure of the train schedules. As I walked to my office I greeted everybody by name. I received a lot of surprised looks and even got a few responses. Kara never greeted anybody, so it would take a while for people to get used to her having talked to them. As I en