Girl-e
by Paul1954
Part 1. Man On A Mission!
Part 2. A Wolf In Ewe's Clothing
Part 3. From Haven To Hell
Part 4. A Voice From The Past
Part 5. A Sheep in Sheep's Clothing
Part 6. Fools Rush In
Part 7. Where Angels Fear To Tread
* * * * * * *
(continued from Part 4)
Part 5. A Sheep in Sheep's Clothing
"Hiding in plain sight - what do you mean?" I answered her, not liking the
look on her face at all.
"Well, it seems obvious to me that you can't stay with anyone that you know
looking as you are now, not without putting both yourself and them in
danger".
"Yeah, well Phil's just said that so I'm going to have to go somewhere else
and try and get by somehow" I answered defiantly, although I had no real
plan of action in mind, I had hardly had time to form one yet.
"But that's not going to be easy. You may have got by within the confines of
the clinic and under the careful tutelage of the good Doctor Bradshaw, but
it'll be a different situation once you're outside in the real world. You've
got no qualifications as Amanda Bradshaw; no experience that you can use or
claim, and you'll have no friends to support you. Getting by with that sort
of handicap sounds like a pretty tall order if you ask me"!
Putting it like that I suppose she was right. More to the point, if I had to
go away I wouldn't be able to keep in touch with what was going on or be
able to help with the case, and that was probably the most important thing
to me right now. Not just for the fact that finding those that did this to
me was probably the only way that I was ever likely to get out of this mess
if that was ever a possibility, but I wanted justice. That had been the one
thing that had always been the over riding factor in what drove me
throughout my years in the Police. I wanted justice for those that had died
and especially Terry.
I leant back in the chair, exhausted from all the emotional turmoil and mind
games that I had been going through.
"Okay, so I'll listen to your 'idea' then. Spit it out".
A smile crept over Louise's face, knowing that she had won round one.
"Well, we've all agreed that trying to run isn't the best option for you so
what I'm suggesting is that we take the opposite route and that the best way
to hide you is out there in the open where they'll east expect you to be.
They know about your background, and the one thing that they won't expect is
for you to be on display"!
"I can buy that I suppose, but I still don't see where you're going with
this, or what I can do"!
"Hear me out. I think the best thing for you to do is to move back in with
me again. We know that they'll be watching for you so let's give them what
they want, except they'll never realise who you really are".
Louise still wasn't making any sense. She was over excited now and was
babbling incoherently as far as I was concerned, something that she soon
realised. Before I knew what was happening she strode over towards me and
pulled me to my feet, easily I hasten to add, and dragged me into Phil's
bathroom and made me look at myself.
"Here!" she said, as she pulled my shoulder length hair on top of my head
and fixed it with a slide that she pulled out of her own hair.
She then spun me around to face her and pulled her make up bag out of her
purse and started working on my eyes. I was powerless against her enthusiasm
as she plucked, prodded, painted and pulled my face every which way. It
didn't seem to take her long and just ten minutes later she was turning me
around once again to face the mirror.
"Holy cow! How did you do that?" I exclaimed as I looked back at my
reflection.
She had somehow done my hair so that it looked much shorter, my eyebrows had
been shaped into a thin arch, and my overall look was far more severe than
what I had become used to. In all I looked a fair bit older that I had done
before and almost like a different person entirely. I was beginning to
understand what Louise had meant by hiding me in front of their eyes but
surely, just changing myself like this was never going to be enough to fool
them for long, something I soon told her.
"I agree" she responded, "but I had something in mind far more drastic than
this".
I then had to sit and listen as she described her idea to pass me off as a
teenaged girl of about fifteen. It didn't quite sink in at first, for what
she was proposing seemed far too ridiculous for words to even consider but
when I looked across at Phil, expecting him to be as dismissive as myself, I
got a surprise. He seemed to be listening to her seriously and growing more
enthusiastic about her idea by the minute!
"Whoa! Just hold on there for a moment" I exclaimed as Louise finished and
looked to me for my reaction. "I'm supposed to be eighteen you know, old
enough to drink in pubs, fight for my country and all that. There is no way
that I'll pass as fifteen, even if I wanted to"!
"Nonsense. It's only your fake I.D. that states that you're fifteen - that
and the way that Doctor Bradshaw has obviously taught you to look and
behave. Biologically I'd say you're nearer sixteen, and with a little work I
could make you pass as fifteen quite comfortably. It's a lot easier for a
girl you know, changing her outlook and appearance to look older, every girl
can do that, and that's what you are now. I'm just going to take you the
other way a little that's all, and make you look younger".
"Forget it Lousie, I'm not going to do it and that's final. You're just
trying to get some sort of petty revenge on me for not getting in touch with
you. Well I'm sorry for that - maybe I was wrong, but nobody has ever had to
go through I what I have before and if I lost my faculties and sense of
judgement for a while well, can you blame me"?
I wasn't one for outbursts like that, I never had been. On the few occasions
though, in the past, when something had made me blow my top and dig my heels
in, I had sounded authoritative and decisive. That had usually been enough
to win the day for me. Now though, even I was aware that my voice carried no
authority whatsoever. Worse, I sounded petulant and slightly hysterical -
just like a young girl in fact.
"Oh come here love; don't go getting yourself all upset. I'm only doing my
best to protect you. I don't know what the future will bring between us but
I wouldn't see you come to any harm. Surely you believe that"!
I fought to hold back the moisture I could feel beginning to build in the
corner of my eyes whilst Phil chipped in.
"I don't know that you've got any choice Amanda, I really don't. You can't
stay here without putting us both in danger. At least this way you would be
back with Louise again and have a degree of security in your life. Nothing
else is going to give you that. Now I've seen what she can do in just the
short time that she worked on you and I'm confident that she can make it
that nobody will recognise you under almost any circumstance. Just give it a
try and stop being selfish".
"And you still haven't heard me out yet, I've got the perfect set up. You
know my sister Pauline!" Louise joined in.
I nodded, wondering what she was leading up to now. Louise had never really
gotten along with her younger sister and consequently, we had never really
seen much of her over the years.
"I think that you've only ever seen her once or twice, but you must remember
that she's got a daughter Fiona"!
I looked vague as I struggled to remember Louise's estranged family, which
seemed to irritate her.
"Oh really - I just don't believe this! Men are just so useless with
families. Still, I suppose it proves that deep down that you are still my
husband. Anyway, I won't bother to ask you whether you remember this because
I'd probably be wasting my time, but Pauline split up with her husband last
year and he returned to Australia. Well the snap is, he took Fiona with him.
She was always closer to him than she was to Pauline".
"I still don't understand what you're leading up to!" I answered, getting
impatient now, and struggling to see why she was telling me this.
"Oh God help me. Don't you see - it's perfect! I can get access to her
records and anything about her that you might need".
Louise fumbled around in her handbag for a moment and as if it were Aladin's
cave, then pulled out the treasure that she had been seeking, a photograph.
"Look - this is Fiona" she said, holding the photograph in front of my face.
"She's fifteen, part of the family, and she's not even in the country. You
can become her, there's unlikely to be any complications at all. You can
become Fiona for a while".
I sat there feeling numb all over as Louise showed me the photograph of a
young girl, quite pretty, and with dark auburn hair that was cut into what I
believe is called a pageboy style.
"B..but she looks nothing like me!" I exclaimed, when I finally found my
voice.
"And that's the beauty of it - you look nothing like her, but you will dear
husband, you will. Nobody is going to associate a pretty and fair haired
adult woman called Amanda, with a fresh faced looking teenager called Fiona,
and nobody is really going to question why my niece is staying up in London
with her Aunt. It'll be perfect"!
* * * * * * *
"Jesus Lou, do I really have to go through with this!" I whined, knowing
even as I did so, that my petulant voice matched perfectly the image I was
supposed to be presenting.
"Now don't you go 'Lou'ing' me 'young lady', you know that I'm only doing
this for your own good!" she replied, doing her best to keep her face
straight as she brushed a few specks of cotton from the back of the blazer I
was wearing.
"I know, I know - but this!" I exclaimed as she led me over to a full-length
mirror.
"You look lovely and you'll fit in just fine. Just think of this as part of
your education".
"But I don't need any education! I finished all of that nearly thirty years
ago, at least I thought I had"!
"No, not that sort of education. I mean an education into the art of being a
woman. You've done pretty well so far, I have to admit that, but you've got
a long way to go and you'll thank me for making you do this one day, you
mark my words"!
It seemed pointless to argue. I had always found it hard to argue with her,
once Louise had set her mind to something, but now I had no chance. Ever
since that morning at Phil's, she had taken complete control of the
situation, and I had been swept along on her wave of enthusiasm. If only I
could have shared some of it.
"But a schoolgirl!" I groaned again, "I didn't think I'd actually have to
dress like one"!
"Oh just stop complaining - we must have been over this a thousand times in
the last few days and I'm fed up with it! You haven't been able to come up
with anything better, have you"!
She was right, to my everlasting shame. Once I had heard Louise's idea I had
offered up a few suggestions of my own, but I had to admit they were
half-hearted at best, and the fact that Phil supported her idea left me
without a leg to stand on much to my chagrin. Now I knew what she had meant
by hiding me in plain sigh, and I had to admit that no one would ever
recognise me as I was now, in either of my former identities. I didn't even
recognise myself!
At first, when she had suggested this disguise I had thought that I would be
staying with Louise and only making myself look like her niece. In fact, I
had almost gotten used to the idea of that until later, once we had returned
to her - our - house, she had told me that she intended to enrol me at the
local school. It seemed like her mind was working overtime as she told me
that it would look suspicious unless I acted the part of her niece
completely, and that meant going to school. I did put up what turned out to
be a feeble resistance but she easily brushed it aside and ignored my
protests.
And so here I stood, Fiona Edwards. Husband to niece in two easy stages.
Louise held my shoulders as I faced myself in the mirror, now wearing the
same style auburn page boy cut that the real Fiona had worn in that
photograph.
I was stunned. I still couldn't believe that I had let her talk me into this
but the evidence was inescapable; the disguise she had 'suggested' was
perfect. I looked just like the schoolgirl that I was now supposed to be and
in just thirty minutes time I would be making my way to the school where
Louise had enrolled me.
"Well I think that you look wonderful darling. I wouldn't put you a day over
fifteen and you could pass pretty well as my niece in most situations".
I only hoped that those looking for would think so as well. The subtle use
of makeup and the new hairstyle had served to change the shape of my face,
or had at least given the illusion of having done so. Closer scrutiny would
have probably shown that the resemblance I now had to Fiona was only
passing, but that would be enough to get by; that aligned with the fact that
I no longer looked anything like Amanda Bradshaw.
"Now you'd better get off - it won't look very good if you're late on your
first day" she said, and leant down slightly to kiss me on the forehead.
I had a brief flash of deja vu as I remembered my own - Bill's - childhood,
and my own mother sending me off to school in pretty much the same way. It
was like a bad dream to think that I would going through that whole routine
again, only this time in skirts. I didn't answer Louise and walked out of
the front door and into the street quickly, knowing that if I didn't go now
then I would probably turn and run away from here as far as I could manage.
I had been through a lot these last few weeks, more than any person should
have to endure in a lifetime, but those first few moments walking down the
road towards the school were amongst the worst of my life at the time. I
remembered back to how vulnerable I had felt when I had woken up and
discovered I had changed into a girl and again, how hard it had been
adapting into my new life at the clinic. My first time wearing a dress had
been particularly difficult, and even more so venturing outside on my own
for the first time and feeling that every eye was looking at me, knowing
that I had once been a man. All of that though, however hard it might have
appeared to me at the time, was nothing compared to this. At least before I
had been a participant in something that I could recognise as a part of my
world, albeit through the eyes of a woman. Now though I was about to enter
into a completely alien environment, an environment whose inhabitants would
be merciless and ruthless towards anything that appeared even slightly
outside of the usual as far as they were concerned. It was the world of
children.
I tried to get rid of my negative thoughts, knowing that they were bound to
manifest themselves in my attitude and demeanour, but it was difficult when
I felt so uncomfortable with myself and what I knew lay ahead of me. I stole
a glance at my reflection in a shop mirror as I walked along the high street
and received some minor comfort from the fact that I looked every inch the
schoolgirl I purported to be. That only meant though, that I wouldn't
visually being drawing attention to myself and that something else that I
did or said would expose me as a fraud, of that I was convinced.
A short while later I arrived at the school and could not stop myself from
taking a deep breath as I recognised the entrance. It was a school I had
given a talk to once, about a year and a half ago. It wasn't that though,
that caused my sharp intake of breath - it was the fact that for some reason
I had expected that I would be going to an all girl's school. From what I
could remember this was a mixed school and the group of boys that brushed
past me laughing together confirmed that was indeed the case. They only
looked to be about thirteen.
"Why don't you watch where you're going!" one of them turned around and
snarled at me before turning back to his friends and then joining in their
renewed laughter.
I think I could have cried at that point, if I'd let myself give in to the
mood of the moment, but before I could have done anything so stupid I felt a
hand on my arm.
"Don't mind them, they're just a bunch of silly little boys"!
I turned around at the touch and at hearing the sound of a female voice, and
saw a girl with sandy coloured hair who looked to be about the same age as
me - fifteen. God, listen to me - I'm even starting to think of myself that
way!
"Sorry?" I answered feebly as I tried to return her smile.
"That was just my brother and as you can see, he's a real pain in the arse,
but enough about him. You're new here aren't you - I haven't seen you
before, I would have remembered".
"Y..yes. This is my first day. I..I've just moved here to stay with my aunt
for a while".
"Well don't be so nervous, it's really not too bad here. Oh, and I'm Jackie
by the way".
"Am..Fiona, Fiona Edwards" I said, holding out my hand in the limp manner
that Julie had taught me.
"Charmed, I'm sure" she laughed. "Do you know what class you're going to be
in, or haven't they told you yet"?
"My aunt mentioned something to me before I left, but I really can't
remember. I think I'm supposed to report to the admin office. Do you know
where it is?"
"Over there, just past the car park" she said pointing over my shoulder.
"Anyway, I'd better get on. It was nice to meet you. Maybe I'll bump into
you again," she said, turning to walk away.
"Oh, yeah, and thanks" I answered her, and then turned to look towards where
she had been pointing.
My heart sunk for a moment as I looked at what seemed to be the vast expanse
of a schoolyard and various groups of schoolchildren scattered around. I
took my courage in my hands and set off across the yard, not knowing which
of the groups was the more daunting. The group of girls that were already
giving me the 'once over' and assessing me, or the boys who were also
looking at me, but from a completely different perspective, I was sure. That
walk seemed to take forever but I finally made it to the office a little
flushed but at least that first ordeal was over. I knew there would be many
more to come though.
* * * * * * *
"Darling - hello. So, I can see that you made it through your first day!"
"That's a matter of opinion!" I snapped as I threw down the bag of books I
had, had to carry home onto the hall floor and walked past Louise and into
the room.
"What's the matter Fiona - didn't it go well then?" she said, following me
and watching me flop down on the sofa and lean my head back in exasperation.
"There must have been something else we could have done other than me having
to go back to school, and as a girl as well" I groaned, still holding my
head backwards and then taking a deep breath.
"Don't you think that you might be over reacting somewhat. I was a girl once
you know, and I survived school with only a few minor scars to show for it.
Besides, we've been through this a thousand times since Saturday and we can
hardly go back now. There would be too many questions to answer".
"You might have gone through school as a girl Lou, but you were never a man
were you! You didn't have the years of baggage that I'm carrying and you
expected nothing else - you were brought up to it"!
"Okay, I'll give you that but it won't be so bad once you get used to it"
she said and then sat down next to me and held my hand.
I lowered my head and looked at her.
"Used to it! Lou, the girls are bitches. They were almost dissecting me - I
could feel it, and why didn't you tell me that there were going to be boys?
That moment when the headmaster took me into the class I've joined was the
worst moment of my life, I swear. They had already started as I was led in,
and then the teacher told me to introduce myself. It was so embarrassing.
The boys were openly leering at me, and it seemed as if the girls were all
whispering behind their hands. Hardly anyone spoke to me at all during the
rest of the day, unless you count the non-stop sexual innuendo's I received.
Comments about my tits, my arse - it was so demeaning; an absolute
nightmare, and on top of that every adult that I've spoken to has been so
patronising, talking down to me as if I was some third class citizen"!
Louise reached across and gave me a hug in an attempt to comfort me.
"Oh come here darling. You know what they say; that the first day is the
worst. It won't be so bad again tomorrow. Didn't you make any friends at all
then"?
"There! Don't you see? Even you're doing it now, even you're starting to
patronise me. Christ, I thought it was bad enough becoming a second class
citizen when I became female, at least that's how you've always told me that
women were treated, but this - well, this is something else. Lou - will you
just look at me for a moment - please, and remember who I am! I'm still your
husband Bill, Bill Cartwright - the man you have been married to for nearly
all you adult life. Please don't treat me like some silly girl - I don't
think I can stand it"!
I pulled away from her and ran out of the room and locked myself in the
bathroom. I wasn't even aware that I was crying until I felt my tears
running down my cheeks. I heard Louise's footsteps coming up the stairs but
I couldn't face her seeing me like this so I turned on the shower to drown
the sound of my sobbing and started to remove my clothes. I wanted to rid
myself of everything that might have reminded me of my day. As soon as I was
naked I stepped under the steaming water and prayed that it would wash away
my fears and that this would all turn out to be a bad dream.
Of course, it didn't and it wasn't, but I did feel better as I dried myself
afterwards despite myself. I put on my bathrobe and carried my school
clothes back to my room only to find Louise sitting on my bed waiting for
me. I stood there, not knowing what to say at first, but then she patted the
bed beside her and I sat down where she indicated. As soon as I had done so
she put her arms around me, just like she had before, but this time I didn't
fight it, I just let myself fall under her protection as she soothed me.
"Bill, I'm so sorry. I know this might sound stupid but I had gotten so
carried away with this whole disguise thing that it's almost been like an
elaborate game of dress up. Also, maybe you were right about harbouring some
resentment towards you. You keep telling me about your feelings and what
you're going through, but what do you think it's been like for me. Thinking
that my husband had been cheating on me and then finding out that he had
disappeared, and not knowing whether he was dead or alive. If you think that
this might have been some sort of payback for that treatment though, you're
wrong, or if it was then at least it wasn't intentional. I still think that
what we're doing here is your only option for the time being".
She made me feel so selfish for a moment and was partially correct in that I
had only been thinking of myself so far.
"I..I'm sorry Louise - I..I just didn't...".
"Sssshhhh" she said, and then reached down and kissed me on my head again.
I looked up and as our eyes met I felt a longing for her again. I could see
that she felt the same and I lifted my mouth towards her as she sat there,
transfixed, and kissed her lightly on her lips. There was a slight pause on
her behalf but then she returned it and within moments we were locked in a
passionate embrace. As our mouths moved against each other I lifted my hands
and rubbed the outline of her breasts through her blouse lightly, causing
her to gasp and, for a moment, I was scared that I had gone too far, too
soon. I had to do something to reassure her.
"God, I want you so very, very much" I sighed, and then kissed her again,
hoping that she would respond once again.
She responded very much as I had hoped and this time didn't pull away so,
feeling bolder, I moved my small hands onto the centre of her breasts and
found her nipples, already hard with her arousal. I could feel her heart
beating quickly beneath her smooth, pale skin and then my own quickly raced
to match it as Louise's reached inside my robe and surrounded my own
sensitive breasts. I fought to control myself as her fingers lightly flicked
over my nipples. The air was laden with sexual tension and I stretched
backwards in a single feline movement as she slipped the robe from my
shoulders and pulled it down around my hips. I responded by reaching over to
unbutton her blouse and then moved behind her to loosen her bra. I could
barely contain myself as her breasts swung free - it seemed such along time
since I had last seen or caressed them - and I leant forward slowly to lick
them and tease them, anticipating how this would feel when she did likewise
to me.
I had been the only person to have explored my body in anything other than a
medical sense to date but that just didn't compare to what was happening to
me now, each subtle movement from Louise being a surprise to me. It left me
eager with anticipation as she cupped my breasts and lifted them slightly
away from my chest supporting their weight, whilst her thumbs continued to
kneed my nipples. As my body started to writhe and squirm I felt my legs
parting and could hear, as well as feel, the sticky moistness that was
emanating from deep within me, building to delicious a heat that soon
started to consume me.
I was no longer in control of what I was doing and before long we were both
naked and our bodies entwined. I was finding it hard to know where my body
began and hers ended as I felt the glorious sensation of her breasts pressed
firmly into my own, flattening and moving against them. I pressed my wet
mound into her knee, grinding against her as I unconsciously sought a
physical release for the hunger that was building from within me. Even as it
was happening a small part of my brain recognised it and marked it as
another indication of how my changed body was influencing me emotionally as
well as physically. It had been the first time I had ever craved and felt
the need to be filled. I tried to shrug it off as just a sign of how much I
desired Louise but, deep down, I knew that it wasn't that simple.
The part of me that was analysing this then shut up as I felt Louise's
fingers separate the folds of skin that surrounded my vagina and gently
entered inside of me, forming a circle around my hole.
"Uh - God Louise - stop it, STOP IT! PLEASE! It's too much for me - I don't
think I can take any more of this "!
"Just you be quiet - I haven't even started yet" she whispered to me as I
felt one of her fingers move towards the front of my pussy.
I almost exploded as it rubbed against something hard and as she continued
the movement I melted and would have quite happily died at that point, for I
must have surely found my heaven. I gripped my legs tighter around her hand
and tried to pull her deeper into me, and then lost all track of time as her
touch controlled and overwhelmed me, bringing me to a climax, yet again.
Eventually I grew tired and I just lay there as she lifted her body away
from my own, savouring what we had shared.
"Oh Lou, that was wonderful. If that's what being a woman is all about then
maybe this won't be so bad after all" I sighed and reached across to her,
taking her hand in mine.
"But it's not darling, and you've proved to me that there's still a lot of
the Bill I knew left somewhere inside your head".
"Huh - what do you mean?" I answered, turning my head to look at her.
"Well you enjoyed yourself, that much was obvious, but what about me? How
many climaxes do you think that I had"?
Suddenly, I realised what she was driving at. I had been so wrapped up in
what she was doing to me that I had almost ignored her own needs.
"Oh no, I'm so sorry! I.it was just that everything was so new and ... and..
look, let me see if..." I said awkwardly as I leant over to put matters
right.
Louise surprised me again though, by pulling away from me and reaching out
for her blouse.
"I..I can't - I just can't!" she said in a broken voice, on the verge of
tears as she pulled it around her and then ran out of the bedroom and into
the bathroom before I could stop her.
This sudden change of events threw me completely. Surely, the fact that I
might have been thoughtless couldn't have upset her this much. She was
tougher than that. I sat there for a few moments and then put my bathrobe
back on, feeling a sudden chill on my exposed skin. I then walked outside
into the hallway and called through the bathroom door.
"Louise - are you all right in there"?
"Y..yes - I'll be fine. Look, go downstairs and put the kettle on. I'll be
down in a minute".
I did as she asked and then took out two cups and some teabags and then
nervously waited for her to join me.
* * * * * * *
The two men waited for the young woman to enter, reading once again the
notes that she had sent to them. She seemed to be the prefect subject except
for one potential complication, the existence of a significant other. It
would have been better for them if there had been no ties, but time was not
on their side, and there had been a notable absence of suitable applicants.
A moment later they heard a knock on the door and the sandy haired man
called for her to enter. As she entered she looked around nervously and then
sat down once invited to, as the men took in her short brown hair and
clothing. She was wearing jeans and a buttoned down leather jacket that hid
what she had on underneath it as well as flattening her breasts. Those
items, along with a pair of flat shoes that would have looked at home on
either gender, gave her a suitably androgynous appearance, although there
was still no mistaking the fact that she was a female.
"So then Abigail, you're sure that this is what you want?" the sandy haired
man asked her, looking up from his notes and into her eyes.
"I'm sure" she nodded, twitching a little and twisting her hands together.
"And you know that this is not guaranteed 100% foolproof"!
"Yes, I know, but I'm willing to take the chance. I..I have never felt right
this way and besides, I want to be able to marry Charlotte and this is the
only way that will be possible".
"All right then, have you got the money?" the sandy haired man asked, and
then accepted the package that she passed across to him.
He passed it to his colleague without either opening or counting the money
inside, and then stood up and went over to a side door.
"If you come with me we can get on with it. It won't take very long to
administer the solution".
"W..what - now!" the girl asked incredulously.
"It takes only a few minutes to do and we have not got a lot of time. Now if
you'll just follow me...".
* * * * * * *
"I'm sorry about that Fiona, I shouldn't have reacted like that" Louise said
as she stirred the teabag in her cup and then picked it out.
"I wish you wouldn't call me Fiona Lou, not when we're on our own. I'm still
really Bill, when we're on our own at least "!
"But that's just it - that's the problem. You're not Bill are you, and for
one moment of madness I chose to forget that when we were upstairs together.
We..we shouldn't have done that - it was wrong"!
"But how could it be wrong - how can a married couple making love be wrong?"
I answered her, desperately wanting her to reassure me that everything was
still the same between us.
I jumped as she banged her hand down on the table, causing my cup to tipple
over and spill its contents all over the table.
"Oh, now look what you've made me do. Look, just stop deluding yourself -
this has got to stop. We're not a married couple, how can we be! You're a
fifteen-year old girl and I'm old enough to be your mother, damn you! Every
nerve and cell in your body is female now, and whether you like it or not
that is going to effect your outlook on life and the sooner you get used to
that idea the better it will be for us both"!
Her words were eating in to me and I went over to the cupboard under the
sink and took out a cloth to mop up the mess in a vain attempt to distract
myself. I would have done anything if it helped me to avoid her gaze. I
needed some time to take in what she was saying, feeling that familiar, by
now, sense of shock returning. She wasn't about to let me indulge myself
though.
"Stop that - they're more important things to sort out first. Just sit
down".
Still avoiding her gaze I did as she told me, focusing on the spilled tea as
a way of getting myself together again. She was getting irritated with me
now, I could sense it, and she grabbed my hand and twisted it, forcing me to
look up at her before she'd let go.
"Owww - what was that for?" I asked, feeling angry myself now.
"Just leave that - it can wait, and stop trying to avoid me 'Fiona'. Just
face up to the facts. Try and deny that wh..when we were making 'love' that
you didn't want something more from me, something that I couldn't give you".
I wondered what she was talking about at first, and then remembered how I
had spread my legs and ground myself against her and then later, when she
was touching me down there, trying to pull her deeper into me. I knew that
she could see that I had recognised what she was alluding to and she let go
of me at last, satisfied that I was starting 'face up' to something I would
have rather forgot.
"That's right - admit it to yourself Fiona. You wanted more than just my
fingers inside of you whether you realised it at the time or not. Don't
forget - I'm a woman and I know exactly how you felt because I still feel
like that myself and that's why I had to leave you when you started coming
on to me again. You're the same as me now - a female - and I'm not into
girls"!
My head was spinning from what she was saying. I had never even considered
the fact that what we had 'enjoyed' might have been classified as a lesbian
activity - she was my wife, damn it! Nor could I admit to myself what she
was alluding to when she had said that I had wanted more than just her
fingers inside of me. Had she been trying to say that I wanted a man's
cock - his penis instead? The very idea made me feel nauseous, but I
couldn't forget the feeling of hunger I had felt at the time. Despite my
reluctance to accept it, I had to admit that if I had been in that same
aroused state and a man had been there with us, then there was more than the
possibility that I just might have given myself to him. In my half-crazed
condition anything might have been possible. The significance of everything
that Louise had been saying suddenly hit me.
"Wh..what are you telling me then Lou, that you want me to go - that you
can't stand me being here - is that it?" I said, my voice breaking with
emotion.
She stood up and came across to me and held me in her arms.
"No, you stupid goose, that's not it at all. That's not what I'm telling
you. You can stay here as long as you like - forever as far as I'm
concerned. If you do though it can't be as my husband - I just can't think
of you that way at the moment. If you ever find a way to change back then we
can maybe think again. For now though, you'll have to be Fiona - my niece,
and that's the only name I'll call you from now on".
"Christ Lou, you really know how to him home don't you"!
"And stop calling me Lou. You'd better start calling me 'aunt' I suppose.
The sooner we get into role the better. We just cannot afford to have either
of us slipping up - it might cost us both our lives".
This was all too much for me, there was too much to take in all at once and
I was so confused. Me - a female - just like her. Calling my own wife aunt.
No longer married. What had I done to deserve this, to have my whole life
turned upside down in this way? I needed time, time to think this out for
myself.
"I..I think I'm going to go upstairs for a while - I..I feel tired" I said,
standing and moving to walk past Louise.
I was just about to go past her when she grabbed me again, although this
time it was far gentler. I turned to face her and saw the sadness in her
eyes as they started to water.
"I'm sorry to have been so brutal dear, but you had to face up to things. It
can never be the same again, not whilst you're like this. I still love you
but in a different way now, I suppose. Please forgive me"!
I didn't trust myself to speak but managed a shy smile as she let me go. It
was forced though, for smiling was the last thing I felt like doing at the
moment.
* * * * * * *
"Damn - what a mess! I was so sure that we had it worked out this time"!
"Yes, me too," sandy replied as he turned his nose up with distaste as he
watched his colleague clean of the goop that had once been Abigail.
"It was progress though. Her vagina sealed completely and she even had a
small penis before the reaction set in. That's the furthest that we've got
yet. More than that though, I'm sure that I know how to perfect to formula
now. I need a couple of days to make some adjustments to the helix and we
can then try it again".
The sandy haired man nodded as he felt inside of his jacket pocket and
pulled out the think wad of money the girl had given him.
"Still, I suppose that this is some compensation at least. The girl did say
that no one knew that she was here didn't she"?
"Yes - not even her 'friend', Charlotte. It was going to be a surprise".
"Good, good. Then let's get this mess disposed of and get out of here. I
suppose we'll just have to find somewhere else to operate now".
An hour later, the only evidence that anybody had been inside the old and
musty small office suite they had occupied was the scrupulously clean
interior and the smell of disinfectant.
* * * * * * *
I opened the front door with the old key that I still had, and let myself
inside. I dropped my bag in the hallway as had become my habit and went into
the kitchen where Louise or 'aunt' as she had insisted I call her, was
peeling some carrots for our dinner.
"Oh hello darling! Put the kettle on and make us a pot of tea" she said as
she scraped the last of the peel and started cutting it before putting it in
a pot to join the others she had already prepared.
Sharing a cup of tea when I came home from school had become something of a
ritual these last two days as she quizzed me about my day. Three minutes we
were sitting down together as Louise pulled off the rubber gloves she had
been wearing and lifted the cup to her mouth and took a sip of the prepared
brew.
It looked to be a typically cosy domestic scene, the type that any family
might share, but the reality was far from that for me.
"I'll bet you're glad that it's Friday," she said, in a master of
understatement.
"Yes, you could say that" I said trying not to sound too sarcastic in my
reply.
"Still, if today went anything like yesterday then the novelty of you being
the new kid on the block should be dying off by now. By the time that Monday
arrives I'll bet you that you'll be fitting in like any other pupil, just
like the other girls".
"But I don't want to fit in just like any other pupil 'aunt', and I don't
want to be like the other girls. I want to be a man again"!
Louise ignored me, probably reasoning that if she didn't react to my
outbursts then eventually, I just might give up and accept my situation. It
would be a long before I did that though.
"And did that girl Jackie, the one you told me about yesterday, talk to you
again?" she asked casually.
I grunted my reply.
"Yeah - she asked me if I wanted to hang out with her over the weekend. She
said she could show me some of the sights around here. I told her no though,
I said I had things to do".
"Oh that's a shame. It might have done you some good you know, and maybe
would have taken your mind off of things for a while, to have had some
different company"!
"A shame! I really don't need anyone to show me some of the sights, as she
put it. I've lived here all of my life - I've seen them all, both good and
bad".
"No silly, I mean it's a shame that you're spurning her attempts to make
friends with you. Whether you like it or not you should make an effort. It
would make your cover a lot more convincing if you started acting like any
other girl your age".
"I don't believe this! I can't believe what you're saying. If you ...".
Just then the doorbell rang and we both looked at each other nervously. We
didn't get too many callers and we weren't expecting anyone. Louise stood up
hesitantly at first, and then walked towards the door.
"You stay here" she said, "and keep in the kitchen, out of sight".
Ignoring her again, I peeked around the corner and saw the silhouette of man
behind the doors glass panel. I walked quietly over to the worktop and took
a carving knife from its wooden stand and tensed myself as I heard the door
open.
I could swear that timed stood still at that point, and I tensed myself as I
heard footsteps approaching as whoever it was walked towards me.
"Phil!" I had exclaimed with relief as I saw my old colleague walk into the
kitchen with Louise.
I had thought that the voice at the door was familiar when I had heard
Louise greet whoever it was, but my sense of relief was indescribable,
especially when I saw the determined look on his face as he sat down at the
table. I then became aware that he was staring at me in a strange way and
then looked down at myself, and realised that I was still holding the knife
I had picked up a few moments ago. I almost gave a nervous laugh as I put
the knife back in its holder but then saw that he was still looking at me
strangely. Looking down again I could see that one of my boobs was creeping
outside of the bathrobe where the top had come loose. I quickly tied the
bathrobe together and just caught Louise smiling to herself as she saw me
blushing with embarrassment.
"Fiona, why don't you go and change into something a little more appropriate
while I make Phil a cup of tea" she suggested.
"Uh okay, I think I will" I answered her and gratefully left the room and
went into my bedroom, cursing my indiscretion because I suddenly realised
that I was completely naked under my bathrobe.
It proved to me though, that I couldn't afford to let slip my concentration
for a moment in my so far, successful attempts to pass as what my body
appeared to be, because I wasn't all the way there yet. I thought back to
how I had seen other girls before, with their arms either covering, or
supporting, their breasts and knew that doing so was still not instinctive
for me. Maybe Lousie had been right, I ruefully admitted. Maybe being around
other girls would help me pick up their habits, at least until I regained my
manhood. I just hoped that I wouldn't have such a hard time adjusting to
being a man again!
* * * * * * *
"I think it's probably better that I give you an update while Fiona's out of
the way for a few moments".
Louise passed him the cup of tea she had been making for him and he took a
quick gulp and then mopped his brow.
"Bloody hell, it's really hard to think of Bill as Fiona, I had only just
got used to thinking of him as Amanda"!
"Yes I know, tell me about it!" she answered sardonically as she sat down
opposite him.
He looked at her surprised for a moment and then nodded knowingly. Of
course, however hard it was for him accepting his former superior as a
teenage girl, it was ten times worse for her.
"Anyway, while we've got time. They've started again. There's been another
two deaths of the type that started when they first came on the scene".
Louise paused for a moment, shocked a little, but wanting to take in this
new piece of information before answering him.
"I'm sorry Phil, and I know that this probably sounds callous, but that's
good news for you though isn't it - for us? If they're active again, then it
means that you've got a better chance of catching them, surely"!
"Yeah - that's true, although it just means that there are more poor buggers
out there getting slaughtered as a consequence of them being active".
"Oh, I'm sorry Phil. Yes, of course I know that. I...it's just that anything
that gives us hope... Hey, wait a minute! Why are people dying again? I
thought that they must have perfected the formula when they changed Bill,
but that can't be the case can it - not if they're still dying. Why doesn't
it seem to be working"?
"I was going to get to that. It's because there's a twist to what they're
doing now, it's not the same. We're pretty sure that the remains we've found
are those of a female; a female trying to change into a man we're presuming.
There's not a lot of the victims left for our guys to work on but forensics
seem pretty certain that both victims were originally completely female".
Louise's face went ashen as Phil paused and took another drink from his cup.
The ramifications of what she had heard were overwhelming, and she knew that
Bill - Fiona - would want to try anything that meant he could become a man
again. Her overriding emotion was one of fear though; fear for him. After
all both, of what she presumed had been Guinea Pigs, had died and she didn't
want the same thing happening to Bill - not when she had only just found him
again! She'd rather he stayed as he was than be dead!
"Look, Phil - I really don't think we should tell Fiona yet. I'm scared
about what she might try to do if she found out".
He nodded.
"I know - I thought the same thing. That was why I wanted to tell you this
quickly and on your own, before she comes down again. She's bound to find
out about the deaths though. I presume that she's still interested in the
news"?
"Yes Phil, even 'girls' are interested in current affairs. We don't just
read the fashion supplements and watch daytime TV!" she replied, acidly.
He realised that he had slipped up and offended her but didn't have the time
or the patience to try and mollify her so just nodded again.
"Right, then let's just mention that the gang is active again and leave out
the details of what we know".
* * * * * * *
I changed into a pair of black slacks that I had found in Louise's wardrobe
and looked at myself in the mirror, feeling more comfortable now that my
legs were once again covered. They were a little too large for me, to my
embarrassment, but I really didn't want to have Phil staring at my legs, not
after what he had seen earlier, and they were stretchy anyway, so I was
happy I didn't look silly. Putting on a bra and a large jumper I then went
downstairs, satisfied that I had hidden as best I could, what I considered
to be, my unwanted charms.
I began to become intrigued about why Phil was here, something that I hadn't
given much thought to in my eagerness to make myself decent, but as soon as
I walked into the kitchen though, it all went quiet for a moment. I had a
fleeting feeling of paranoia for a moment, and then Phil told me about the
latest development in the case and I had something else to worry about.
"So what happens now? Are they going to put more resource on this?" I asked
him, almost shaking with the mixed feelings I was experiencing.
Another two dead and another two families who have lost a loved one, or the
opportunity to make their peace with a former loved one.
"I don't know, I really don't Fi. All I know is that I'm still on the case
for now, but I have heard rumours that there's going to a change of team if
the deaths continue and if we don't get better results from our
investigations".
"I'll bet that's down to Waters. She won't allow herself to be associated
with failure!" I said bitterly.
"Oh yeah - another Fiona!" Phil said, a wry smile appearing on his face.
"Not funny, I need you there on the job, so to speak. I'll never find out
what's going on otherwise" I retorted, and giving him a look that indicated
to him exactly how I felt about his little wisecrack.
He looked unnerved for a moment, seemingly surprised at the tone of
authority that I had assumed, and then looked at his watch.
"Anyway, time and tide wait for no man, and I've a lot to be getting on with
so I'd best be on my way" he said, moving his chair away from the table and
standing up.
"Thanks for keeping us in the picture Phil" Louise said gratefully, and I
gave him a weak conciliatory smile as he looked back me before turning to
walk towards the hallway.
"Yes - I'm sorry Phil. It's just that...that".
"Yeah - I know, and it's okay. I understand how it is. If anything else
comes up you'll be the first to know. Take care - both of you, and watch
yourself".
I didn't feel like talking any further so I called out to Louise that I was
going upstairs for a while and took myself off into the spare room that had
been made up for me. Louise had told me that it would be better that way, at
least until things had returned back to normal.
It was still a shock to me every time I entered it, being made up like a
typical teenage girl's room, although I was slowly beginning to get used to
it. Louise had insisted that it must be that way in case I invited any
'friends' up to my room, despite my protestations that I wasn't intending to
make friends of either gender.
That thought led me to consider her comments of earlier on though, and I
began to see the logic of her suggesting that I made some friends soon.
Although the last caller had been Phil it could just have easily been
anyone, and I would imagine that the ones looking for me would be eager to
track me down with even more vigour than had been shown previously now that
they were active again. I knew now that I really had to immerse myself in
the role I had been forced into, and completely, otherwise it wouldn't be
just myself I would be putting at risk, it would be Louise.
I made a decision and then acted quickly I case I changed my mind, going
over to my blazer and taking a crumpled piece of paper out from where I had
screwed it into a ball and put it in my pocket. A moment later I was
dialling out the number that had been written on it and waiting for an
answer. Eventually, a small boy voice was asking whom I wanted to talk to
and when I told him let the phone drop. I could hear a disembodied voice
calling out "Sis!" and then a few seconds later a rattling sound as the
phone was picked up again.
"Hello!" I heard, and recognised the voice as Jackie's.
"Jackie - hi! It's Fiona here. I was thinking; you asked me whether I wanted
to meet up this weekend, and I said no, that I'd things to do. Well I
haven't now and I've got some time free. I..I would really like to meet up
with you now, if that's okay"!
I cannot remember feeling so nervous for a long time as I waited for her
answer. It was almost like the feeling I used to have when I asked a girl
out on a date before I met Louise. The fear of rejection was still as great,
because I still couldn't accept that I was asking someone who saw me as a
peer, not a potential mate. I needn't have worried though.
"Oh great!" she answered excitedly, "then how about meeting up tomorrow
morning with me and a few others. We're going window shopping and it would
be fun if you could make it as well. You'd get to know some of the crowd
then"!
"Oh, eh..yeah! All right then - what time?" I replied, trying to sound
enthusiastic, but dreading the thoughts of it all the same.
"About ten o'clock. I know where you live and it's on the way so we'll meet
you then at your house".
I hung up shortly after that and considered what I had just agreed to before
lying back down on the bed, once more overwhelmed by this new turn of
events, and just hoped that I had done the right thing.
* * * * * * *
"Oh come on Lou, I really need your help here. I really don't know what to
wear!" I whined pathetically, standing in front of the open wardrobe door,
and leaning on one hip.
It seemed as if I had spent half the night worrying about what to put on,
not wanting to look out of place with the girls. I didn't want to appear as
an outsider. It was just that I had no frame of reference. The last time
that I noticed whatever 'uniform' that teenagers wore was well, when I was a
teenager myself, and that was a long time ago!
"Well then maybe you should have thought of that before you agreed to go out
with your 'friends' - and DON'T call me Lou - it's aunt now!" she said,
smiling caustically at me, no doubt fed up with me asking her the same
question for the umpteenth time.
"That's not fair, and you know it 'aunt'. You suggested that I should try to
make friends and when I try and make an effort you just make fun of me"!
Even as I was saying it I knew how childlike I sounded, but it was how I
felt.
"All right then, let's try it again, but you've really got to try and think
these things through for yourself. You can't come running to me for advice
on every occasion and a girl your age should really know these things so
you'd better start learning".
I bridled a little at her words, a girl my age! She was really being
awkward, I thought.
"You're talking as if I'm always going to be like this Lou and anyway,
you've been female all of your life and it has never stopped you complaining
that you've haven't got anything to wear. It's never helped you to decide
what to put on when we've been out either, in fact ...".
"In fact nothing, young lady. If you want my help then you'd better stop
lipping back and button it. You don't know how long you're going to be like
this. It could be months; years or forever, so just accept what is until
something can be done about it".
I was about to say something back to her but then stopped as I looked at the
time. It was half past nine now, and I only had thirty minutes until they
arrived so I decided to do as she advised and 'buttoned it'.
"So think about it then, just what do young girls do when they're out
together, at the shopping centre".
"I don't know 'aunt', I really don't know"!
"God, men are so useless. Even when they're girls they're useless! When
girls go out together there's usually three things on their mind. What their
friends are wearing, what things they might buy if they cold afford it,
and - yes, of course - boys"!
"Boys!" I screamed my face a picture of abject horror!
"Yes boys. Even if you're not interested, the other girls will be and that's
whom they'll be dressing for and if you don't want to stand out then so will
you".
"Oh no Lou, no. I've changed my mind. There's no way that I'm going out
there dressed up like some dog's dinner to fuel some adolescent boy's
fantasy. There is only so far I'm going to take this"!
"Oh come on, I think you're over-reacting. You're going to be no different
from any of the other girls that'll be there. Now come on, else you're going
to be an outcast for the rest of your life" she chivvied me along, refusing
to let me sink into the well of despair I seemed determined to,
understandably I thought, make for myself.
Other girls - other girls! That was twice in the last few seconds that she
had used that phrase. She was right though. At the moment I was a girl -
just a girl - not even a woman any more.
"Come on - didn't you hear me? Here, try these" she said, tossing me a
handful of things that she had selected for me from the wardrobe.
I picked up the sports trousers and light top, grateful that she hadn't
selected a short skirt for me as I had half suspected that she might. I
started to put them on quickly before she changed their mind and had just
finished putting on just a light coating of makeup when I heard the doorbell
ring. I made one last check of myself in the wall mirror behind the bedroom
door and then went downstairs, only to see Louise talking to Jackie.
"Oh, here she is Mrs Edwards" Jackie said, only to be interrupted by Louise.
"Cartwright, Mrs Cartwright. Fiona here, is my niece - my sister's daughter.
She's here in London staying with me for the foreseeable future".
I managed to force out a smile, despite the fact that I was cringing inside.
I could already see a whole host of unanswered questions leaping into
Jackie's head as I grabbed a jacket of Louise's and put it over my shoulders
and looked at what she was wearing. My heart sunk a little as I saw that
what she was wearing was far dressier than what I had on. I could see that
fact had already registered with her and I started to feel nervous until
Louise stepped in to 'rescue' me. She must have had this all prepared, just
in case.
"Oh, and I think it's about time that you did something about your wardrobe,
you could really do with a few new things" she said, handing me an envelope
and telling me to put it into the handbag she had leant me.
She had refused to let me wear, or own, anything that I had accumulated as
Amanda, just in case someone recognised it. All I really had at the moment
was the school uniform and a few loose things like I was wearing now. That,
and a couple of old things of hers that I hadn't looked too bad in.
"She had to leave most of her other clothes up North, before she came down
to stay with me, and we haven't had a lot of time to do anything about it.
This seems as good a time as any" she explained to Jackie, but only served
to fuel the fire of curiosity that was building up inside of her.
"Oh excellent!" Jackie exclaimed, looking genuinely excited at the prospect
of my actually having money to buy something on this 'window' shopping trip,
to my surprise.
I couldn't fathom out why though! What pleasure could she possibly get from
me buying clothes for myself? The workings of the female mind were still a
mystery to me! I didn't have time to ponder this much further though, as
Jackie grabbed me by the arm and through the door, pausing only I turned to
look helplessly at Louise.
"W..what time should I be back aunt?" I pleaded.
"Oh, there's no rush. Whenever you've finished whatever it you're going to
do. Don't be any later than seven tonight though, not without letting me
know, anyway".
And so I was led outside to meet the rest of Jackie's friends, like a lamb
to the slaughter, having no idea what to expect, or what would be expected
of me. I had the feeling that if I could survive through today relatively
unscathed then I could survive just about anything.
* * * * * * *
It was a rather different looking girl that Louise opened the door to some
six hours later when I arrived back home. I felt extremely foolish, not
because of how I looked because I looked like a million dollars, but because
it looked as if I had thrown myself in to this teenage girl thing
wholeheartedly, wearing all new clothes and having had a makeover.
"Wow darling, you look fabulous! I think it was worth every penny of what
you spent, getting results like that. I've been telling her that she needs
to update her wardrobe ever since she's been here, and she's certainly done
that all right" she said, now looking at the other girls behind me.
"Yeah - we had a great time" Jackie replied, standing behind me and
endorsing Louise's comments. "You can't beat helping an ugly duckling become
a swan".
I spun around to look at Jackie, surprised at what she had just said, but
then realised that she was only joking as she hugged me and then laughed.
"Don't look so shocked Fi, I didn't mean it. We just helped you reach your
full potential. You should have seen the boys looking at when we'd finished
with her Mrs Cartwright. If we weren't so hot ourselves we would have been
really jealous"!
Even the foundation that I had on couldn't hide the flush that rose to my
cheeks as I turned and looked back at Louise. She seemed to be enjoying
every moment of my discomfort but I couldn't get annoyed with her, for there
was no malicious intent there, I was sure of that.
"Here - let me take those, they look heavy" she said, and took the bags that
I was struggling with, much to my relief.
She then looked back at the girls outside.
"Would you like to come in for a drink of something?" she asked them, but to
my relief they refused.
"No, it's okay, but thanks all the same. We're going out tonight and we'll
have to start getting ready soon" Jackie replied for them.
I couldn't believe what they were saying. Getting ready for tonight! But
they had only just finished a six-hour marathon shopping session, and it was
only five o'clock. Just where did they get their energy?
"Oh, that's nice. Are you going with them Fiona"?
"Uh, no aunt. I've got an early start tomorrow and all this shopping has
tired me out. I thought that I'd take a bath and go to bed early tonight".
A frustrated look passed across Louise's face, but she quickly disguised it,
calling out to the girls as they started to walk away.
"Oh, and thanks helping Fiona out. Drop by whenever you like".
"We will Mrs Cartwright, and see you Monday Fi!" Jackie shouted and waved
before walking away.
Louise closed the door behind me and looked at me with a puzzled expression.
"Why didn't you go with them tonight - it might have been fun? They seem
like a nice bunch of girls, and what was all this about an early start"?
"Just give me a break for a moment 'aunt', I need to sit down" I groaned,
and walked into the kitchen and kicked off the low heels that the girls had
'forced' to wear, and gave a heavy sigh.
Louise decided to hold back on probing what had happened and the reasons why
I wasn't meeting up with them later, and instead put the kettle on to make a
much needed pot of tea. Five minutes later she was placing the cup down in
front of me and pulling a chair up. We hadn't spoken once since the time I
had sat down I was grateful of the space she had given me.
"Okay, I think that I've shown amazing sensitivity and understanding since
you got in but now I want you to spill the beans. I want to know what you've
been doing all day, and I want it now" she said, trying to sound firm but
failing, dismally.
I knew that I was about to undergo an intense interrogation and that I could
try and fight it all the way or I could surrender gracefully. As a man I
could most probably have stonewalled it out, but as a girl it seemed
pointless. She would get her own way, one way or another. I knew that. So
why fight?
"That was a lot of money you gave me Lou. You really shouldn't have. You
can't afford it".
"I know what I can and what I can't afford and besides, a girl needs a
decent wardrobe. You couldn't have carried on with just wearing a school
uniform and a couple of pairs of slacks. Anyway, looking at you now I can
only repeat what I told you earlier. It was worth every penny. I want my
girl to have the best"!
I felt so guilty about bursting her bubble, because I hadn't seen her so
excited for a long time. I wasn't her girl though - I wasn't anybody's girl
and I didn't want her to start thinking of me in that way.
"Lou, don't call me that. I appreciate everything that you've done -
honest - but I'm not your girl am I, and I'll be changing back just as soon
as I possibly can"!
"I know, I know. You're my niece, not my daughter, but just indulge me for a
while. It's every woman's dream to have a daughter and I'm no different.
You're the nearest I'm ever likely to get to that so just go with it will
you, just until you change back".
The sadness in her eyes reached through to me, but I really didn't want to
'indulge' her, as she put it. I did not consider it as any sort of progress
for her to admit to me that I was her niece as a sort of concession. It had
already become increasingly clear to me that she had started to stop
regarding me as Bill, her husband. Her banishing me from our bedroom and her
frank admittance, just then, that she was indulging in some sort of wish
fulfilment at the moment was proof enough. I had already had my suspicions
that she was accepting my changes just a little too easily for my liking but
now she seemed to be almost revelling in it. I was scared that if this
carried on to much longer then she would not even want me to change back and
I did not want to live out the rest of my days as her pseudo daughter!
"Lou, honestly - I.. don't th..".
"Please darling, I wish things were as they used to be, or maybe as they
could have been. They're not though are they? You've got to fit in so it'll
help you if you can just be the girl that you are for now - just for the
time being".
I didn't know how to react to her last, ambiguous statement so I just sat
there while she stared at me for a momen