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Exchange By Margaret Jeanette Ken and Mary Hitter were having supper. She was telling him about a new woman's wear store that had opened that day. She said they carried everything a woman could possibly need. Then she said, "Don't forget tomorrow night is when we go out with the Wilcox's, the Farmer's, and the Tolbrook's for supper and to see that country and western band afterwards." He told her he would be ready by five-thirty for the six o'clock meeting at the supper club. She reminded him that the last time they all got together he could have used a shave, and he said he would be shaved and ready to go on time. The next day he was telling his secretary, Terri, about a possible new customer that could really boost their business. He told her that the industrial cleaner business was so competitive it was hard to keep up sometimes. He wanted her to send out a price list and a flyer for what the new customer would probably use. She left his office and he called one of his suppliers to place an order for a customer. It was a good sized order, and when he was done talking to the expediter he sat back to rest for a minute. He got a pain in his stomach. It was a hard pain and it wouldn't go away. He called his doctor and talked with the nurse. She told him to come over right away. He did, and told the doctor that he'd had pains before but they always went away pretty fast. But this one wasn't going away. The doctor checked him over and told him it appeared he had an ulcer. The doctor told him he should try a diet to try to see if that helps. He left the doctor's office with a three page list of foods to eat and foods to avoid. When he got home the first thing he did was shave. He was ready at five thirty, but Mary was still in the bedroom getting ready. "Come on! We have to leave! What's taking you so long?" "I'll be right there. I just have to get my necklace on." When they were in the car on their way, he said, "Why does it always take you so long to get ready? You never seem to be ready when we're going anywhere." "All you have to do is shave. You don't have to put on make-up, choose what dress to wear, and put on your jewelry. It all takes time." "Have you ever considered starting earlier to get ready? "It doesn't make a lot of difference what time I start because it's just so hard to pick what goes best together to make up the complete ensemble. "All I'm saying is that it shouldn't take that long to get ready for a simple night out." They arrived at the supper club and had a couple of drinks, ordered, and were sitting and eating. Ken had ordered a broasted meal to avoid fried foods. He was talking to Harry Wilcox about how he always had to wait for Mary to get ready. Harry said he knew just what he was talking about. The other two men agreed with him about how long they waited for their wives all the time. Ginny Wilcox said, "You men don't realize all that is involved with getting ready. You should have to do it, then you wouldn't be so critical." Veronica Farmer chimed in, "We should have the men wear dresses and get ready like we have to. That would put an end to all of this complaining once and for all." Melissa Tolbrook said, "Why don't we make them wear dresses when we go out next month. Have them get ready like we do, with make-up and jewelry, the works." Mary said, "That's a great idea. Let's make a contest out of it. The two who look the worst have to clean house for the two who look the best, and they have to wear a dress while they are cleaning." Melissa said, "I think that is a great idea. We will do that next month." The men all argued that it would solve nothing, but the women became entrenched in the idea that the two who lost would clean the winners' houses in dresses. "Veronica added, "Are you men afraid you'll be the loser?" The men all said they weren't afraid of losing. Melissa then said that it was a deal, that for the next outing as a group the men would be dressed in dresses. Harry Wilcox said there was no way he was going to shave his moustache off and Ginny said if he didn't he wouldn't stand a chance at winning. Everyone laughed at the thought of Harry in a dress with a moustache. On the way home Ken told Mary he thought she should have stopped that silly talk in its tracks instead of supporting it. She told him she thought it was a great way for him to see what she had to go through. He said that it was just another way to make his ulcers worse. Mary told him if he put a little effort in it he would win hands down. He wasn't so sure about that. The only one he wouldn't have to worry about is Harry if he didn't shave his moustache off. Then he thought about how Ginny ruled the roost there and Harry probably would shave it off. When they got home all Mary could talk about was the contest. She said she was sure he would win. She knew he was very competitive and she told him she would help him, that all he had to do was as she instructed. He was thinking that this is getting more and more complicated all along. The next day he told Terri about the deal, about having to wear a dress. He said he would forfeit the contest except that if he did, he'd have to wear a dress to clean someone else's house. Terri told him he could have fun doing it. She thought he would make a pretty good looking woman if he just tried. He wasn't so sure about that. It was Friday and on Friday's he took Terri to lunch. They always met Mary and had an extended lunch break. Today they were to meet at Marston's Restaurant at noon. At Marston's, while they were eating Terri commented on how she had so much to get done yet today. She thought she had the hardest job there. Ken disagreed with her and said that his was the hardest. Mary asked, "Terri, do you think you could do Ken's job?" "I know I could. I've heard him on the phone with customers and suppliers. It would be a cinch to do his job." "Ken, when you started out you did all the work including what Terri does now. Why don't we do an experiment and have you two change places for a short time? Teri can do what you do and you surely can handle her job, can't you?" "I can handle her job but I don't think that is a good idea. I mean what would people think, talking to her after they've dealt with me for so long?" "People know there are changes in every company. You think you have the worst job and Terri thinks hers is hardest. This is the best way to settle it." "I suppose we can try it." "Good, then Monday Terri will take over your job and you'll do hers. If there's any problem you can switch back at any time." "That sounds OK to me. I know I can type as fast as just about anyone and it doesn't take a lot to be a secretary. At least when I did all the work it wasn't bad." "Good, it's settled. Now take a good look at Terri. If you are going to replace her you have to dress the part. " "What do you mean, dress the part?" "You see how nice her nails look and how nicely she is dressed. Well, you have to match her dress. All good secretaries dress well to show they are able to do a good job in a business setting. Besides, this will give you a chance to practice for that little contest we have coming up in three weeks. You will get a big jump on the other three men." "I am not sure that's necessary. I don't care for the idea of wearing a dress in the first place. Why would I want to dress up in a dress? Give me one good reason." "Well, Melissa Tolbrook told me she hoped you'll lose and have to clean their house. She said she has the perfect maid's outfit for you to wear while you cleaned." "Nothing was said about that when we set up the contest. When did that happen?" "This morning we four women talked on a conference call and set the rules. The loser has to wear what the winner decides. If Charlie Tolbrook loses and has to clean our house we know they have a maid's outfit for him to wear. How does that sound?" He pictured Charlie in a maid's outfit and laughed at the thought. He agreed to do whatever Mary suggested to win the contest. On the way back to the office Ken told Terri he liked her but wasn't sure she could do the job he did. Terri said if she ran into any problems she would surely let him know. He felt a lot better, hearing her say that. When he got home Mary was all excited and told him that she had gotten just about everything he would need to take Terri's place. He thanked her, commenting that he himself wouldn't know what to get or what sizes he needed. As they were eating she told him that tomorrow he would wear a dress, and he protested that he wasn't taking Terri's place until Monday. She told him he wouldn't want to look foolish Monday, and this way he would have two days to practice his moves. He wasn't so sure about that but couldn't think of any good reasons to dispute her. That night as he was going to take his shower Mary told him he had to rub a lotion all over his body. He asked why and she told him it would help him to be more like Terri. He had no idea what she was talking about, but he followed her instructions. It started to sting, and he quickly got into the shower. He was shocked to see all his body hair come off. He had never thought that could happen. When he came out of the shower Mary was there and had him rub another lotion on his body. It felt great, and he was enjoying the feeling when he realized that it smelled like roses. But he didn't mind because it felt so wonderful. Mary handed him a pair of fancy panties to put on. He said that he thought they weren't starting until tomorrow, but Mary said the sooner they start the better. He put them on and accepted the nylon nightgown she handed him. He liked the feel of the nightgown on his hairless body. The next morning he was eating breakfast wearing one of Mary's housecoats over his nightgown. Mary had also given him a pair of fuzzy slippers with a two inch heel, telling him it was so he got used to walking in heels. She told him that every little bit helps. After breakfast she had him go into the bedroom and strip down to his panties. Then she glued gel-filled weighted breast forms on his chest. He asked why they were glued on and she told him that was so he wouldn't have to bother with them every day. He was surprised at the weight of them, and she told him they were like the real thing and would jiggle when he walked. Then it was a pretty lace pink bra that matched his panties, followed by sheer black pantyhose which he thought felt sexy as she showed him how to put them on properly. She told him with a laugh that the pantyhose were control top so he wouldn't have to worry about anything sticking out. As she dropped the pink slip on him he made a remark about getting a pink slip. They both laughed about that. She helped him into the pink dress with white lace trim and zipped the back up. Then she had him put on a pair of pink pumps with a three inch heel. She had him walk around the room and saw he was walking with a bit of a sway in his rear. Satisfied he wouldn't break an ankle she had him sit at her vanity. She applied a light coat of frosted pink lipstick to his lips, telling him that would be all until Lisa got there. He asked who Lisa was and she told him Lisa was the girl who does her hair and sometimes her make-up. She told him Lisa was going to do his make-up unless he would rather go to a beauty parlor. He said he didn't want to go anywhere dressed like this. She topped him off with a shoulder length light brown wig with what seemed to him to have a lot of curls. He looked in the mirror and thought it didn't look like him at all. He went to read the morning paper and as he was sitting down Mary told him he was doing it all wrong. She told him to fold his skirt as he sat down. He sat down four times before she told him he'd done it right. He was just finishing reading the business news when Lisa arrived. He heard Mary thanking her for coming to their home. He was then told to sit on one of the dining room chairs so Lisa could work on him. She started on his eyebrows and he let out a cry when she removed the wax strips. Then she slowly explained how to apply eye liner, mascara and eye shadow, making sure he understood how to do it. She told him his lipstick was all wrong for his coloring and applied a bright red lip liner and lipstick. Then she showed him how to get the maximum out of his foundation and how to blend the blush in. She did a minor adjustment to his wig and then proceeded to pierce his ears in two places and put studs in. She finished by putting false overlap curved nails on him and painting them red to match his lipstick. He had been watching in a mirror and thought he could do everything she'd shown him. She told him he made a good-looking woman, she'd be surprised if anyone saw him as a man, he looked so good. Mary paid her and gave her a generous tip. She said she was happy to help out, and told them she knew he'd be a winner of the contest Mary had told her about. He couldn't believe how he looked. He kept looking at himself in any mirror he passed by. Late in the afternoon Mary told him they were going out to eat. He protested that he wasn't ready to go out but she told him it was go or starve. He decided he would go. At the supper club he was surprised that everyone took him for a woman. No one seemed to know he was a man. He began to feel quite secure that he was getting it down. He did mention that all the other women looked like they had fancier dresses than he was wearing. Mary said they would take care of that tomorrow. Sunday they went shopping. He was wearing a border print skirt with a white blouse. At the first store they stopped at he tried on a royal blue one -- he liked the color. They both agreed it wasn't him once he had it on. At the next store he tried on a pink off the shoulder gown and a black and white one with rhinestone trim. Both of them looked great on him. They ended up getting both of them. At an aisle counter they were having a sale on handbags and he picked up a pink one and a black one to accessorize the gowns. Then in the shoe department he got shoes to go with the gowns. Back at home they had a talk about who to choose to clean their house. He said he thought Charlie was a good choice if he won, because Charlie always laid it on him when Charlie happened to win at golf. Mary agreed that it would be fun to have him do the cleaning. Monday morning as he as getting ready to go to work he still had reservations about the exchange of jobs. He knew he could do Terri's job but he wondered if she really could do his. He really liked her, and decided to trust that she would surely let him know when she ran into something she couldn't handle. He put on a white lace trimmed blouse and a black pencil skirt along with two inch black heels, and was surprised it took him forty-five minutes to do his make-up. He was also surprised when he arrived at work and saw Terri was already there wearing a black pantsuit. She smiled at him and told him she had already reorganized his desk, so she knew where everything was. She did ask him where the price sheet was for one of their suppliers. He told her they were supposed to get a new one any day now and the supplier knew they weren't going to order anything until they got the new one. He said that would make the supplier hurry it up with the new prices. He settled in at her desk and quickly got into the job. It brought back memories of when he once did it all. He was cruising along when she brought out a transcription tape of letters and instructions for him to type up. He started, and noticed the orders were the standard ones until he came to Harley Industries. That one was much larger than usual, and they were ordering some things they had never ordered before. Also on the tape were instructions to send certain price lists out to three places he had never talked to before. Terri was contacting places he had never thought of and evidently getting some positive responses. The last order to type up was for Stromberg, Inc., one of the town's largest employers and one of the places he had tried to get as a customer. He wondered how Terri got that order. It was a sizable one and he knew it meant the business was growing. He managed to get them done just before the afternoon mailman came to collect the mail. He asked Terri how she got the Stromberg order and she told him she had a contact in requisitions there, and she'd called him and asked if he wanted a good deal on some cleaning supplies. She said that when she told him the prices on brands they were already using, the prices were better than those Stromberg's was paying. She said that he'd given her a list of products to get prices on and that she was already halfway through the list. He told her she was doing a great job, and went back to work. When he got home Mary wanted to know how the day went. He told her everything, including how Terri was doing. She said she knew Terri would do a great job. He told her he didn't have any problems doing Terri's job and that it was fun in a way. Tuesday he wore a denim blue dress with fine white lace trim. It had red and white trim around the neckline, sleeves and hem. He wore a pair of two inch red heels and when he looked into the mirror he thought he looked pretty nice. When he came out for breakfast Mary told him he'd overdone it on the make-up. She said it was probably all right but for daytime you didn't need all that make-up. She was wearing her tennis outfit, so he knew she had an early date with Melissa Tolbrook for tennis. He asked her not to say anything to Melissa about how he was already wearing a dress. She laughed and said she wouldn't tell Melissa. At work things went very well. He did notice that Baldwin's had placed a pretty sizable order. They had been his first customer when he started, and he never remembered an order from them this large. He saw Terri was wearing a pink pantsuit that he told her looked great on her. She told him he also looked great. They talked about their job exchange and both of them thought their present jobs were easier. Terri told him she was working on two new customers and that both had promised an answer by the end of the week. By the middle of the afternoon he was caught up, and decided to move some of the office equipment around for better access. The biggest thing was that he moved the printer closer to the desk so he wouldn't have to get up to retrieve whatever had been printed out. That night after supper Mary gave him a present. She gave him four rings to wear, telling him most women wore more than their wedding rings. He put them on and thanked her for remembering little things like that. It was routine at work until Friday when he saw that one of the price lists he had mailed on Monday had produced an order, a very sizable one. He wondered how Terri was getting these great orders. He thought maybe he should promote her to saleswoman or something. She surely was doing a great job. On the way home he had to stop at the hardware store to get some faucet washers for a dripping faucet. He passed the window of a woman's wear store next to the hardware store, and an evening gown there caught his eye. It was azure blue with soft pink rhinestone trim. He thought it looked beautiful. He quickly found the washers, but while he was checking out he couldn't get the evening gown out of his mind. He intended to walk right past the door, but found himself instead turning into the store. A saleslady asked him if she could help. He asked about the gown in the window and she asked his size. He told her and she led him to the rack where that gown hung in different sizes. She pulled one in his size and told him to follow her to the changing area. He followed and five minutes later was standing at the three mirror set- up, admiring the gown on him. The saleslady said they had the shoes, a purse, and jewelry to match the gown. He left after spending three hundred dollars for the gown and all of his accessories. Back in his car he was wondering why he had bought the gown and all of the accessories. Then he thought, it was perfect for the contest. At home he hung the garment bag with the gown in his closet and put he shoes on the floor and the jewelry in with his cuff links. Mary hadn't seen him come in and when she asked him why he was late he told her he had to stop at the hardware store. They had agreed to eat out that evening and when he had the black and white evening dress on Mary said she thought he would wear that one for the contest. He told her not to worry about it, that he had everything under control. At the supper club Mary couldn't help but notice how he had acquired feminine mannerisms. He was taking small bites of food and commenting on what women around them were wearing. She smiled to herself to think how he was really getting into it. She had no doubt he would win the contest. As they ate he was telling her what a great job Terri was doing. He said he never thought someone else would be able to get new customers as she did. When he said he may just make her a saleswoman when this deal was over, Mary said she thought that was a good idea. The following week things settled into place until Thursday. When he got into work there was a message from Terri saying that her mother had fallen and broke her leg and that she'd been at the emergency room from eleven at night until five that morning. She would not be in today. He handled both jobs and was thankful it was a relatively slow day. On Friday Terri told him the doctors were going to operate on her mother the following Wednesday, to do repair work after the swelling had gone down. She said she wouldn't be in that Wednesday. The following Monday he processed an order from Stromberg's that had to be the biggest order they had ever processed. He was thinking about how the business had grown in the last week and a half. On Wednesday he convinced Mary to let him wear his men's clothes to work because he was all alone at work. At ten he got those painful stomach cramps again. They were harder than he had ever gotten them before. By ten-thirty he was on the phone to the doctor. The nurse put him through immediately. The doctor asked if he was avoiding alcohol and caffeine. He told him he was. The doctor told him he would phone in a prescription and meanwhile to try eating some ice cream to settle his stomach. He left to get some ice cream but even after eating it he still had cramps. They weren't as bad, but still very uncomfortable. By one- thirty he decided to close up shop, setting the answering machine to answer any incoming calls to be dealt with tomorrow. On his way home he decided to stop at the hospital to see how Terri's mother was doing. He found Terri standing outside the door to her mother's room. She said the nurses were attending her mother and that she'd come through the surgery with flying colors. He told her about his stomach cramps, and that he was going to pick up a prescription and then going home to rest. As he drove to the pharmacy he thought about the contest tomorrow night. He wondered if he was kidding himself about winning the contest. At home he took the two pills and sat in his recliner. He called the recliner his sleeping chair because he always seemed to fall asleep in it. Sure enough, ten minutes later he dozed off in the chair. He slept for a half hour, and when he awoke the cramps were gone. He sat there thinking about how he'd gotten the cramps and what could be causing them. He wondered if the stress of the office caused them, realized that the whole time he'd worn a dress, he didn't have them. He wondered if there was a connection. He did know that doing the secretary's job wasn't as stressful as getting the orders and checking for new customers. The next day Terri told him her mother was greatly improved and would get out of the hospital about Monday. She said that last night the nurses had gotten her up and shown her how to walk with crutches, and had told her some tips to deal with the cast on her leg. All day, tonight's contest ran through his head. He wondered if he should really go through with it or not. Then he thought about how he had been wearing a dress for so long that he might as well go through with it. At lunch he stopped at a full service drug store and bought some frosted pink nail polish and lipstick with a contrasting lip liner. During a quiet time in the afternoon he applied the nail polish. He loved how it looked so shiny. At home he started to get ready. The rules were that they had to do their own make-up and everything. He got dressed in the new azure blue dress with the pink rhinestone trim then went to do his make-up. He was surprised at how adept he had become in putting make-up on. He was ready to go right on time, and let Mary know that he was ready and that it was right on time. She asked where he got the dress and he told her he didn't really know why he had bought it but it had seemed to draw him to it. She said she understood about that, and that he looked wonderful. They were the first to arrive at the supper club. When the Tolbrook's arrived, they didn't see Mary and didn't recognize Ken. He went up to Melissa and told her where they were seated. She couldn't believe how wonderful he looked. She questioned whether he had really done everything and he assured her that he had. She said he surely looked better than Charlie. When Charlie Tolbrook saw him he said he didn't realize that Ken was going all out to win. He had on a black sleeveless dress on and you could tell he wasn't wearing a bra, as he was flat-chested. The other two couples arrived and Harry Wilcox still had his moustache, on with no make-up. He said he thought it was going to be judged just on the dress. Marvin Farmer was wearing lipstick and jewelry but was wearing a nondescript dress. They all agreed that Ken had won first place and then argued over who came in second. They finally agreed that Marv Farmer took second. Mary chose Charlie Tolbrook to clean her house on Saturday, saying she expected him to be wearing a maid's outfit and high heels. As they were eating everyone commented on how they couldn't believe how nice Ken looked. Melissa asked what his secret was, and he told her he had been wearing a dress for over two weeks and practicing his make-up every day. Charlie said they never did stand a chance against him and everyone laughed. Marv Farmer said he was never going to bet against Ken again. He said some people you don't bet against. Charlie asked him how it was, wearing a dress every day. Ken told them all that it wasn't bad at all, that in fact it was pleasant to look at yourself and know that is the best you can do. On the way home he told Mary he thought Charlie Tolbrook would swallow his tongue when he saw him. He laughed and said it was the first time he'd ever seen Charlie without some smart remark to make. The next day being Friday, he, Mary, and Terri had lunch together. They were having a friendly conversation, laughing about Ken's victory last night. Then Ken got real serious. "Terri, tell me, do you think you can continue doing the job you are doing right now?" "I am sure I would do my best. I can't promise anything but I will promise you that I'd give it my best shot." "That's good enough for me. My stomach has been acting up and I am thinking of taking some time off. Call it an extended vacation or whatever. Anyway how would you like to be chief executive officer?" "Are you talking on a permanent basis?" "Yes, that is exactly what I am talking about. I may come back but just as a salesman, though don't count on it. I don't want those severe cramps I've been getting. You can either get a temp for a secretary or hire a full time one. I suggest you pay her what I paid you. By the way, last year you made twenty-two thousand dollars. I did some checking, and we can afford to pay you one thousand dollars a week or fifty-two thousand dollars a year. Do you want the job?" "You better believe I want the job! I can still call on you for advice can't I?" "Sure, I'll probably stop in a couple of times a week at first at least to see how things are going. I have been following the diet the doctor gave me but I'm still getting cramps. The doctor said to try reducing my stress. This way the only stress I will have is Mary." "Thanks a lot. I'll give you stress! However I think you are making a great move in promoting Terri. Congratulations Terri! Are we still going to meet every Friday for lunch?" "Oh yes, I think that will be a great idea. That's when I can let you know how the company is doing. I really want to thank you for having confidence in me to do the job. I have to tell you, this past time has been really enjoyable to me. I still think this job is easier than my job as secretary." "Remember, you are in charge. Every decision is up to you. I am sure you can handle it, from what I've seen of you lately. Remember, if you have any questions or doubts just call and I'll give you my best advice." The meal was over and Terri gave both of them a big hug. Ken went back to the office and packed the few personal things he had there. When he was ready to leave he said good-by to Terri, who gave him a hug and kiss on his cheek. She jokingly told him that if he ever needed a secretary's job to call her and she would give him a great recommendation. The next morning he was dressed in his men's clothes and had a golf date. He was playing a great game, but on the sixth hole he started to get cramps. They weren't real bad but enough to bother him somewhat. After the game the cramps were a little worse. He had some ice cream, and that helped ease them a bit. When he got home and entered the house he had the best laugh he had had in months. He saw Charlie Tolbrook in his maid's outfit cleaning the house. He was still laughing when he went out on the patio to Mary. He told her Charlie was the funniest thing he had seen in years. He took another pill, and it settled things down. He then began having a serious talk with Mary, telling her that the whole time he was in a dress he never had cramps, but every time he was in his shirt and slacks he got cramps to some degree. She said he should talk to the doctor to see if there was a connection. He agreed to ask the doctor. When he thought about it, he didn't think there was a connection, but why did he have to take double the pills the doctor had prescribed? On Monday he got into the doctor at two in the afternoon. Mary went with him and he asked the doctor whether it was possible for the clothes to make a difference. The doctor thought about it for a couple of minutes. Ken was in shirt and slacks, and even then was getting slight cramps. "It is entirely possible that the clothes can make a difference. When you are in a dress your sub-consciousness tells you that you are a different person. Probably a person who doesn't have the stress you relate to a shirt and slacks. What I would suggest is, if possible, to wear the dresses for at least a month or so and let your stomach heal. I am going to prescribe a strong relaxant for you to take. After you take it I don't think you should drive, not for at least four hours, until you find out how it affects you. If you have any bad side effects call me and I'll change the medication." Mary asked the doctor how long it would take for his stomach to heal. The doctor guessed probably two to three months if he was lucky. They left the doctor's office and on the way home stopped for some ice cream. Ken was having a banana split and Mary had a hot fudge sundae. Mary told him he was lucky to have enough dresses to wear. He agreed but told her that he was going to try men's clothing from time to time to see if he was healed. Mary said she had the perfect name for him when he was wearing a dress. She said she was going to call him Kyra, and that maybe would give him a more feminine personality. He said he didn't think it was necessary, but she stuck to her guns and he finally accepted it. He enjoyed his new leisure time, working in his shop building a purple martin house with twelve compartments. He had started it six months ago and now he would get it finished. He got the roof fastened on and took a break before painting it. He looked through his paints on the shelf and didn't see any that caught his eye. He decided to go to the hardware store to get some different colors. He asked Mary if she wanted to ride along and she agreed. He went into the hardware store and quickly found the paint he wanted, put it in the car, and then went into the women's wear store to find Mary. He quickly spotted her, and on his way over to her he saw a dress that caught his eye. It was a rainbow of pastel colors in a swirl pattern on a white background. He saw one in his size and grabbed it. "I see you found a new dress! That's the difference between us --you find things quickly and I look for things forever. That is a pretty dress, and I'm sure it will look great on you. Are you in a hurry or can I look some more?" "Take your time; I don't have any place to be now." He browsed through the store and found a matching purse and pair of heels. When they checked out, Mary commented on how he always seemed to find something to buy. She thought about how he was showing a very definite feminine side. Back at home he started painting the birdhouse. As he was letting the first coat dry he decided to see if Mary wanted to go for lunch somewhere. She said that sounded like a winner to her and they left. They were enjoying lunch when Mary said, "It seems like you are enjoying your feminine side. I see you shopping for dresses, and I see how you put on make-up every day. I think that is wonderful." "It's only until my stomach settles down. I don't have a high threshold of pain and those stomach cramps leave me sometimes not knowing what is going on around me, they hurt so much." "Well, at least you are not fighting your feminine side. I think it is wonderful that you are embracing it." They talked about what they planned to do in the near future. Back at home he worked on getting the rest of the bird house painted. He finished, and knew that in a couple of hours he would be putting it up. In the house he put on a shirt and slacks, relaxed for a couple of hours, then went to put up the birdhouse. He was putting it into the hole when the first cramp hit. It wasn't unbearable but he definitely felt it. He got the birdhouse in and the hole back-filled after putting some quick-set cement into the hole. He stepped back to inspect his work. It looked great to him. He changed into a dress and then sat reading the daily newspaper. He saw a new hardware store had opened, and wondered if he should visit it to see what they had that was unique. At supper Mary commented on how the three bird houses that had been there before were basic blue, green and red. This new one was pastel blue and pink, painted in feminine colors. She kidded him that he was changing quite a lot. He told her the color of a bird house just depends on his mood when he gets the paint. She just sat with a smug look on her face. They were relaxing after supper when the doorbell rang. It was Mrs. Johnson, their next door neighbor. She wanted to talk to Ken. She told him she noticed the new birdhouse and wanted to know if he could build one just like it for her. She said it was so pretty she just had to have one. He agreed and she told him she would pay him for his time plus materials. He told her to pay just for the materials he would have to buy for it, telling her he had a lot of scrap pieces that would work for parts of it. She insisted he keep track of what he used and she would pay him for it. He told her he would start on it tomorrow. After she left they talked about the fact she had never said a word about him being in a dress. Mary said Mrs. Johnson only sees what she wants to see. He wasn't so sure about that. The next day he was cutting the partitions out of scrap wood and got an idea. He cut up all the scrap wood into pieces he knew would be part of a birdhouse. He decided he would build a lot of birdhouses and sell them. He finished Mrs. Johnson's birdhouse in two days and took it over to see where she wanted it, then handed her the bill for the pole and wood he'd had to purchase. She told him there was no bill for paint or labor and he must have used more wood than that. He told her he'd used scrap woodhe already had, and that he had the paint left over from the other bird house. She wouldn't hear of that. "That bird house is worth at least fifty dollars not the fifteen you've got written here. I am going to pay you fifty and I know it is worth at least that! Never undersell yourself!" "Building birdhouses is just a hobby for me, not really work. It relaxes me and hopefully is helping to heal my ulcer." "I heard you have an ulcer. I hope you heal real soon. When Jim had his it took six months to get his healed and he was in a lot of pain for quite a while. I can't remember how many quarts of cream he drank but it was a lot. He lived on baby food for four months straight. Any regular food made him sick. Until it healed -- then he made up for it," she said laughing. The quick-crete had set and he back-filled the hole. As they were talking a purple martin landed on a perch and went inside one compartment. Mrs. Johnson was delighted to see that. Then she shocked him, saying, "That dress looks real nice on you. Are you going to continue wearing dresses?" "Just until my ulcer heals. I don't know why but when I wear a shirt and slacks I get cramps but when I am wearing a dress I don't. I don't know what that has to do with it, but if it works then so be it." "Maybe when you are in a dress mentally you don't feel the pressure you feel when you are wearing slacks. I agree you have to go with what works." "Well, it can't heal too fast for me. I am looking forward to wearing slacks again, and the sooner the better." He went back and continued working on his birdhouses. It was going great and he soon had five in various stages of development. He was building martin houses, bluebird houses, and regular standard birdhouses. He went to the hardware store and worked out a deal on the price of the poles and hardware he needed for the birdhouses. Then a block from the hardware store he saw an empty small commercial building. He wrote down the telephone number and thought that would be a good location for selling his houses. After two weeks he had over thirty houses ready to go. He called and made arrangements to rent the building he had seen, went to the hardware store, and made arrangements to sell birdseed provided by the store. He was all set to open next Monday morning. On Thursday before the big opening he went to see how Terri was doing. She told him they had a lot of new customers and she was considering hiring another office worker. She jokingly offered him the job. He told her about his new store and said she was doing such a great job he could see no reason he should cramp her style. Monday he dressed in a shirt and slacks for the opening. He had three customers and two sales by noon. The third customer wanted a birdhouse in a different color combination and he said he would have it the following Monday for her. Early in the afternoon Terri walked in and told him he would be needing cleaning supplies, and she could provide them at a reasonable cost. He was impressed with her sales approach. She told him she hit every new business and had great success getting people on board. By the end of the day he had sold eight birdhouses and had orders for two more. He was ecstatic over how well everything was going. He sang all the way home. At supper all he could talk about was how enjoyable the day was. When Mary asked him if he'd had any cramps, he told her he didn't. He hadn't even thought about them. The next day he got two more orders for special color schemes on birdhouses, and told them they would be ready by next Monday. He was surprised at how well the birdseed was selling. Twice the hardware store had to make a delivery of birdseed. He was starting out small but could see where he could expand. He was open Mondays and Tuesdays from nine to five and Fridays from nine to twelve and one-thirty to six. On Saturdays he was open from nine to two. That left him with Wednesdays and Thursdays to build special orders, and in any time left he could build more birdhouses. Business boomed and he added birdhouse kits he bought from three different suppliers. He started to order birdseed from the manufacturer and added bird feeders to his line of products. He had filled the space in his little store. After three weeks he hired a store clerk to help out. The young man was a natural at selling, and soon he was full-time. Things were going great. After a month in business at supper Mary said, "Well, you have gone a month without cramps, so you must be healed." "I haven't even thought about that. You must be right. I am enjoying the way things are going so much I haven't really thought about it. It sure is great not to have that pain anymore." "Now, we can get rid of your dresses." "Don't be in such a hurry to get rid of them. I may get a relapse." "A relapse! A relapse! What are you saying?" "Well, I think you shouldn't be in such a hurry to get rid of them. They all fit so well and you never know if I might want to wear one now and then. They did feel awful nice, and I did look pretty in them." "I think you liked them more than I thought. Would you like to wear one tomorrow afternoon, and we can go shopping?" "That sounds good to me. Where do you want to go shopping?" "We can hit all the women's wear stores. Do you think you will find a new outfit if we go?" "I am sure I can find something, maybe even two outfits." They both laughed, and knew their love for one another had grown even through the setbacks they had experienced. (c) 2006 by Margaret Jeanette