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Couples Therapy Belladonna & Caterpillar Girl [Author's Note: Based on a caption by Deementia, with her a blessing, first posted at her wonderful blog Deelusions of Grandeur (http://deelusionsofgrandeur.blogspot.com). Further, a traditional Belladonna style story (i.e., a, theoretically, possible in reality story) will follow latter this month.] "Could you just keep an open mind about this?" Lela pleaded. "We don't need therapy," Karl responded to his wife while they sat alone in Dr. Mentia's waiting room. "This could really help us," Lela countered. "We've only been married a year! This is supposed to be the happy time, the honey moon period!" "So, we should just give up?" "No. I love you. That's not what I meant, and you know it!" "Mrs. and Mr. Renneberg, I am ready for you, now," Dr. Mentia interjected while she showed a couple out of her office. "That was weird," Karl muttered to his wife. "Why?" "She called your name first." "Why's that so strange?" "You always put the man's name first." "Maybe she's just telling us to put our best foot forward," Lela countered with a smirk. "It's tradition," Karl muttered back before Dr. Mentia ordered Karl to close the door behind him. 'What a shock, the female quack is already giving me orders,' Karl thought while he closed the door behind him. Once the door was shut, Karl turned and sat down in the chair beside his wife. Dr. Mentia adjusted her glasses as she inquired, "So, what brings you two here?" "She thinks we need therapy," Karl answered with a shake of his head. "We do need therapy," Lela countered in a terse tone. "Why do you think you need therapy?" Dr. Mentia asked Lela. "Because we don't talk anymore. We've been married a year, and we're already becoming strangers. We used to be so in sync. Now, all he cares about is work and fucking Fantasy Football!" "It's about having fun," Karl interjected. "You scream and act like its real," Lela shouted. "There's money on it, so, it is," Karl explained as he threw up his hands. "You see, this what I'm talking about. We don't have anything in common anymore. Everything I say, he just sumps down my throat," Lela answered while Karl shook his head. "What do you think the problem is?" Dr. Mentia asked as she turned her attention to Karl. "Every thing I do I have to apologize for. I was wrong. I'm sorry. I'm an idiot, blah, blah, blah..." Lela rolled her eyes and shook her head as she listened to her husband's latest complaint about her. "I'm sensing a lot of hostility here," Dr. Mentia said as she looked at both of her patients. "Why don't you just cut to the chase," Karl demanded. "What do you think that is?" Dr. Mentia inquired. "You're going to do what every chick quack would say. It's all my fault. It's always the man's fault. Women are never wrong because you both have a pussy. Right? So, just get to it already!" "I'm sorry for my husband," Lela interjected with a disgusted shake of her head at his mocking tone and choice of words. "Karl, is that really what you think?" Dr. Mentia asked. Karl gave her a confused look before he answered with glare, "If you mean about therapy, then, yah. I did! I sure as hell didn't mean the rest of it!" "So, you don't think this weekend is really going to make a difference?" "I know that your brochure guarantees results after the first weekend, but, yes, I have my doubts that the 2 hours that we're sitting with you while we're here in the woods is going to make much of a fucking difference." "Karl, please give this chance," Lela pleaded. "Karl, I can't help you unless you're willing to be helped," Dr. Mentia responded. Karl looked at the tears forming in his wife's eyes and clenched his own. While he hated being there, he did not want to make her cry. Despite their recent marital strife, he still loved her. Opening his eyes, Karl glanced at Dr. Mentia and said in a monotone, "Tell me what you think we need to do." "That's not what this therapy is about," Dr. Mentia countered before she continued, "This is about understanding the give and take that a relationship requires." Lela nodded before Dr. Mentia added, "This is a no blame therapy. I don't tell you who is right or who is wrong. That's for you two to discover. More often than not, the answer isn't that black and white. I want you to understand that marriage is about sharing your gifts and offering yourselves to your significant other. Do you understand?" Karl and Lela nodded, prompting Dr. Mentia to ask for oral confirmation. Once they both complied with the request, she continued, "Now, we're going to do some swaps that will help to show you what a relationship is all about." Karl gave her his therapist a quizzical look that brought a smile to Dr. Mentia's face. Dr. Mentia pushed a cup of tea toward Karl and Lela and said, "I want each of you to take a sip." "Has anybody else drank from this today?" Karl asked as he took hold of the cup. Dr. Mentia responded with a shake of her head before Karl took a sip of the sweet tea like drink. The sweetness made Karl cringe before he handed the cup to his wife. Lela took a sip and smiled while she put the cup down on the coffee table. Dr. Mentia pulled the cup away from them before she leaned back in her chair as she said, "I want you to both close your eyes relax." The tone of her words put Karl strangely at ease while he closed his eyes. His body felt like it was gently rocking as if he was on a boat adrift on the calm seas he fished in when he was a child. "Open your eyes," Dr. Mentia ordered. Karl and Lela's opened their eyes in unison. Neither could focus on anything but the deck of cards that was in Dr. Mentia's hands. She shuffled the deck and told Karl to cut the deck. Karl felt no control of his body as he leaned forward. He cut the deck and placed the two halves on the tabletop. Dr. Mentia smiled at his familiar compliance. As Karl sat back in his seat, Dr. Mentia ordered, "Each of you take your half of the deck." Karl and Lela complied unthinkingly before Dr. Mentia continued, "Now, fan out your cards face down." Once they had done what she requested, Dr. Mentia explained what they were holding, "Each card in your hand represents a part of yourself. Some of it is your physical traits, while others represent your mental traits, habits, morals, your deepest wishes for yourself and each other. Everything that is you is in your hands." Karl and Lela were unable to process her words. They recognized them, but they were unable to dwell on them. Their minds could only fixate on what Dr. Mentia's next words would be. "Now, I want each of you to pull one random card out of the cards in your hand and place it on the table, face down." Once they finished complying with her order, Dr. Mentia continued, "Good, now, I want each of you to reach over and take one random card from your partner's hands and place it on the table next to your card, face down." Dr. Mentia nodded while they put the cards down and said as she stood up, "Now, hand the remaining cards in your hands to me." Dr. Mentia collected the remainder of the decks and put them on a shelf. Turning to face her clients, she advised, "The first card you took will be the one that you trade to the other, the second cards will be shared. Flip your cards." Despite the strange statements made by Dr. Mentia, both Karl and Lela felt at ease as they turned over their cards. Dr. Mentia grinned as she saw the cards they turned over. The seas that Karl felt as if he was adrift upon began to feel rocky. He clenched his eyes while he felt a stiff wind in his face before he heard a snap. Opening his eyes, Karl gazed at Dr. Mentia, certain that he had been drugged. He looked around the room before he looked at his wife who was giving his face a wide eyed stare." "What's wrong?" Karl asked her. "Nothing. It's all part of the therapy," Dr. Mentia answered on Lela's behalf. "What is?" Karl asked as his wife looked at his face with astonishment. "The sharing and exchanging," Dr. Mentia responded. "What happened?" "Look at your cards." "What do they mean?" Karl inquired as he felt an odd pain in his feet, but no pain in his knees. "You've traded your aches and hobby interests." "She doesn't have any interests, other than romance novels and trash TV," Karl countered while his wife rubbed her knees, feeling the pain of Karl's old football injuries. "What did we share?" Karl asked. "Her ethnicity and your desire to keep your lover as feminine as possible in skirts, dresses and heels." "That's absurd," Karl replied before Dr. Mentia said, "You can look down now." Karl felt a rush run through him before he glanced down at his black, sheer hosiery clad legs that were poking out from beneath the hem of his A-line swing skirt dress. "What the hell?" Karl shrieked, fully regaining control of his body as he stared down at the button up bodice of the dress resting over his flat chest. "Relax, Karl. It's all part of the process of understanding one another." "But I look like a freak. You turned me into a transvestite! Did you dress me up when you ruffied me?" "There was no ruffie, Karl, and I guarantee you that the world will not see anything wrong with you. They all think that you've always been a Korean boy who just likes to dress up like a girl for his wife." "But..." "Nothing else in your life is different. You have the same job, the same friends and the same family." "But my family's not Asian!" "They adopted you, dear, but they love you just the same," Dr. Mentia said with a nod. "THIS IS CRAZY!" "I'm sorry, but your hour is up. I will see you tomorrow." Karl went to shout, but his mouth would not open. He turned with his wife and walked out, unable to control his body until they were fully outside of the cabin. Once they heard the door lock behind them as another couple took their place, Karl felt his self-control return. "Did you know about this?" Karl demanded to know as he walked beside his wife, unknowingly careful to step only on the slate steppingstones that comprised the walkway to Dr. Mentia's therapy cabin. Lela shook her head, loving the sight of her husband in an emerald colored dress that was decorated with a minimalist pink floral print. She wished that the dress was in her size, even as she wanted to take him at that moment. As she continued to look him over, taking in every detail of his appearance, she wondered if that was the way he felt about her when she dressed in something he liked. The sight of another couple walking towards them made Karl nervous. While they walked passed them, Karl's eyes veered towards the couple. The couple gave them a reciprocal nod as his heart raced. Karl shook his head as they passed them. Lela noticed his reaction and asked, "What's wrong?" "They didn't say anything about me." "Why would they?" "Look at me." "I think you look great," Lela replied as she watched his swing skirt moving with Karl's every step. "So, do I, but they shouldn't think that! I shouldn't think that!" "Dr. Mentia told you that it would all be okay," Lela replied, trying to calm her husband. "You think this would work outside of here?" Karl inquired, wondering if the others were aware of the magic and, thus, not concerned by anything they saw. Lela nodded before she headed up the two steps that led up to the porch of their cabin. Karl followed her up the steps, surprised to see his pump adorned feet instinctively mimicking his wife's landing of only the balls of her heeled feet on each step. Walking into the cabin, Lela said, "So, what do you want to do tonight?" "I have no idea," Karl said with a shake of his head. They had spent the morning fishing at his request before their late afternoon session with Dr. Mentia. It had seemed a trade off, but the prospect of smelling more fish made his stomach turn. "Well, let's see what you brought." "What do you mean?" Karl asked as Lela unzipped his bag. Karl's eyes opened wide before his jaw dropped at the sight of the collection of dresses, skirts, tops and heels that had replaced his clothes. Even his swimming trunks had been replaced by a skirted one- piece swimsuit. "Did you do that?" "I was with you," Lela reminded him. "How, did she do that?" "She told us. Everything has changed. If we go home right now, I bet everything in your closet is going to look like something of mine." Karl shook his head before he said, "We have to get her to fix this." "Why?" Lela asked as she moved next to her husband. "I can't go through a day as a tranny!" "But no one sees anything wrong with it. No one is going to judge you." "I'm judging me!" "Look, we're going back to see her tomorrow. You just got to make it through one day dressing like you want me to dress for you." "I don't make you dress like this. This is your style," Karl retorted as he pulled at the shoulders of the short-sleeved dress. "Look, I guess I dress you, now," Lela replied with a giggle. "This isn't funny." "It's just that you look so cute." "I look like a freak!" "I don't look like a freak!" "Of course, you don't! You can dress this way. I'm a fucking guy! That's why it is so fucked up! I shouldn't want to look sexy for you like this." "But you do look sexy for me. All I want to see you is dressed in a pretty dress to show off your feminine charms." "I don't have any," Karl rejoined. "That's not what I see," Lela said with a shake of her head before she said, "Come on, let's go out for dinner." "You don't want to eat with the group?" Karl inquired. "Nah, we're going to be having breakfast and lunch with them tomorrow. I want some alone time with my pretty boy." "You mean sissy," Karl rejoined. "You're way too pretty to be a sissy," Lela replied, trying to comfort him. Her praise of his appearance made him oddly feel better about himself. Karl nodded, wanting to have some alone time with his wife, even as he feared exposure beyond the campgrounds. He gave Lela a glance and said, "Where do you want to go?" "We passed a cute diner on the way..." "I don't know." "What's wrong?" "There could be rednecks in there. They don't like people like me." "Dr. Mentia said they're not going to see anything wrong with you," Lela reminded her husband. "That doesn't make it true." "After all this, you're going to doubt her," Lela responded, incredulous about his doubts. "I guess not," Karl responded. "Good, grab your pocketbook and let's go." 'My pocketbook,' Karl thought and mouthed while he took hold of it and swung it onto his shoulder. 'Holy fuck,' Karl thought while he followed his wife out of the cabin and to their car, realizing that he was mimicking the way she walked. Karl got into the driver's seat and was surprised by how adept he was at driving in heels. It seemed second nature to him, almost no different from when he drove in his normal shoes. Once they reached the diner, Karl felt a nervous sensation in his stomach. He fought through it and eyed out how he would make his retreat if anything went wrong. Karl walked into the diner and looked around. No one gave him a second glance while the owner greeted them before he seated the couple in a booth. Karl was shocked that no one was saying a word about his outfit. The people around him appeared to be local. Most of them were clearly involved in manual labor. He was sure that one of them would say something, but they were ignored. Karl and his wife ordered. Karl decided to keep his worries to himself, afraid that speaking them aloud would bring them to fruition. Midway through their meal, Karl excused himself to go the bathroom. He walked towards the urinal and rolled up the skirt of his dress to the orange sash that was tying the dress to his waist. He worked his manhood free from the control top of his sheer pantyhose and started to relieve himself. A man dressed in jeans, a flannel shirt and a trucker hat came in next to him. Karl heart began to race as he was standing in close quarters with a man who he figured was either a trucker or a farmer. 'He's going to kill me,' Karl thought with a tremble as images from Deliverance filled his mind. The man said not a single word as he walked away from the urinal and headed back out of the restroom. Karl let out a sigh of relief before he snapped the control top of his pantyhose back against his waist and let his dress down. Karl washed his hands and stared at his makeup less face. Even with the short hair, and the unmistakable masculine sounds of his voice, the dress and t-strap pumps he was wearing did not merit a mention from anyone in the place, other than a passing compliment from their elderly waitress. Settling back down at the table, Karl finished eating with Lela before he asked for the bill. As the waitress came back, Lela inquired about what the locals in the area did for fun. "Well, there's two bars. One's a full on sports bar, the other's Country Western." "Okay," Lela said, more intrigued by the former rather than the latter option. "What's the Country Western bar do?" Karl asked. "Tonight's line dancing. Then again, most nights are, except bull riding night," the waitress said with a laugh as she put the bill down and told them to have a nice night. Karl and Lela reciprocated the comment before Karl said, "That sounds like fun." "Bull riding?" Lela asked with raised eyebrows. "No! Line dancing," Karl said while he gave his wife a smile. Lela gave Karl a shake of her head at his evident interest in the idea of going to the Country Western bar before she said, "Neither one of us has ever liked Country music. You couldn't have gotten that from me." "It's not about the music. It'll be fun to go dancing. You never want to go," Karl replied, echoing his wife's normal complaints. "I never want to go," Lela replied with an exasperated laugh and a shake of her head, hoping that she had not received Karl's phobia about dancing in public. "Do you think you lost your rhythm," Karl asked as he shimmied in his seat. Lela smiled at Karl's movements before she thought about how to dance. The smile left her face as she noted with a grimace, "I know I did." "It doesn't matter. You just got to cut loose," Karl replied as he left the tip. "Well, talk about it," Lela said before Karl got up to pay the bill. Lela followed Karl away from the table before they went back to their car. The two chatted in the car until they arrived back at the camp. They headed back into their cabin and Lela turned on the television. "Holy shit," Lela exclaimed. "What?" "They've got the game." "What game?" Karl asked as his stomach sank. "Alabama." "You've never even been to Alabama. Why do you care?" Karl countered. "They're always one of the best teams," Lela responded. "Don't settle in," Karl chided. "Oh, come on, baby. We've got to watch this." "They're not even your team. Trust me, I know," Karl replied. "Honey, we can go line dancing any day. This game is a once year thing," Lela retorted. Karl shook his head as he thought, 'That's what you say every Saturday and Sunday and Monday night, and Thursday night...oh, dear God.' Karl realized that he was thinking exactly what his wife most of have thought when he zoned out in front of the game. He decided not to push her while he decided to see if he could still find interest in the game. Karl mimicked his wife's cheering and upset reactions as she watched game. He was always a half step behind her. The game seemed overly long to him, as if it would not end. The only joy he got out of it was the occasional comment that Lela would direct his way. Once the game was over, they decided to turn into bed. Lela smiled as she watched Karl dress in his black chemise with a lacy racerback. As Karl snuggled up beside her, she started to put the moves on him. "Not now," Karl replied, tired from feigning interest for four hours on something that had been putting him to sleep. "Come on," Lela responded. "Maybe tomorrow," Karl replied before he fell to sleep. The following morning, the two got up and ate breakfast with the other couples. Karl and Lela talked with them and began to talk about their results with Dr. Mentia. Karl watched Lela's excited look as the couples that had been there for more than one session talked about how it brought them closer together. Far from telling them to run, Karl was concerned as they seemed to be pushing his wife to take it further. After breakfast, they walked around the campgrounds before Karl asked, "So, what do you want to do before we go back?" "I was thinking we could play some golf. We drove past a public course on the way up here." Karl shook his head. "Why not? You always wanted to play." "I don't have any interest," Karl admitted, remembering how he used to tell his wife to take up the game if she wanted to spend more with him. 'Jesus, this how she must have felt,' Karl thought while he rubbed his smooth chin. "Well, how about we go to the range?" "I'd rather go for a walk along the lake," Karl replied. "Why don't we split it then?" "Okay." With that decision made, they went back to their cabin and took off their heels and pantyhose. Karl took hold of the black t-strap sandals that this version of him had packed to go along with his swimsuit. Once they changed into the only flat shoes either of them had in their bags, they headed for the lake. The two chatted while they walked around the lake hand in hand. They both enjoyed the sight of a fish breaching the water and birds landing and bathing in the ripples. "Where do you think this lake is fed from?" Karl asked as they looked around for a visible stream. "There's probably underground streams all around here," Karl added, answering his own question while they continued around the lake. They walked fully around it, pausing only to look into the shallow portions of the murky lake to get a good look at the fish and turtles that could be seen along the shorelines. As they finished their walk, Karl said, "See, that was nice." "It was," Lela admitted, enjoying the walk and the sights of nature. They walked back into their cabins to get the keys to the car and their pocketbooks before they headed to the range. Once they got into the clubhouse, Lela inquired if they could rent clubs for the range. The manager told them they could before he took the payment and asked for their licenses as collateral for the clubs. Karl reached into his handbag and removed the license. He froze for a moment as he gazed at the picture and information that matched the image he had seen in the mirror identically. The Korean face, short hair and unmistakably feminine, figure hugging floral top with a scoop neckline showed him again that the magic was as powerful as Dr. Mentia claimed. With a trembling hand he handed over his license before they were each given a set of clubs and tokens to retrieve a bucket of balls each from the machine. "Jesus, do you know how old this system has to be," Lela whispered to Karl as they walked past a few other people at the range. Karl shrugged as he admitted, "I probably would have a better idea yesterday." Lela laughed as she hugged him, jostling both sets of clubs on their shoulders in the process. Once Lela retrieved buckets of balls for both of them, they set up in adjacent stalls. Karl watched Lela set up a ball on the tee before she took a few practice swings. Karl tried to imitate her as he set up his ball and took a few awkward swings. 'I really don't know how to play,' Karl thought with alarm. While he knew he should not have been surprised given what he knew instead, the realization was disheartening to him. He sensed that swinging the club was far more alien to his body than the feeling of the air swishing under the flare skirt of his dress with each swing. He had every memory of playing and his hard-fought 3 handicap, but his body had no muscle memory and his mind was devoid of any recollection of how to swing a club. Karl lined up at the tee and swung. Karl watched as the ball trickled off the tee and rolled slightly more than two feet onto the rocks in front of the tee boxes, stopping inches short of the grass beyond the rock line. Lela laughed at the sight, while other golfers tried not to look at his futile efforts with his herky-jerky swing. Lela walked over as she said, "Hold up. Let me show you a few things." While Karl enjoyed the feelings of his wife's soft hands on his body as she repositioned his body, he struggled to put her advice into practice as he swung the club. He missed the ball a few times and hooked the ball whenever he connected with one. Karl cringed at every feeble drive he took while Lela grew impatient as she gave him advice from the next stall. As Karl put down his driver to try to hit his irons, he watched his wife driving the ball with ease. It was not as far as he knew he could drive it, but with ladies balls, he figured she could hit it a similar distance. Lela got a few compliments from two golfers leaving as Karl lined up his shot, feeling inadequate next to his wife. He wondered if those leaving were thinking the same thing while he swung his club as hard as he could only to have his club swing completely over the ball. Karl nearly fell over as he completed his swing. "Don't try to murder the ball," Lela said as she put down her club. Karl shook his head, wanting to defile the grave of whoever invented the game of golf instead. His wife gave him more advice until their bucket of balls was empty. "Thank, God," Karl muttered as his last ball stop rolling about 10 yards from where he swung. Karl's shoulders felt tight as he put the bag onto his shoulder and walked with Lela back into the clubhouse. They turned in their clubs and received their identifications back before they returned to the campgrounds. They went to the group lunch shortly thereafter. They made small talk with the other patients before they went back to their cabin. They both took of their sandals and reached for the pantyhose they had taken off for their walk. They gave each other smiles, each knowing that they were compelled to wear it to make the other excited. As their eyes and smiles turned away from each other, Lela turned on the television. "Don't tell me you're going to veg. out in front of that thing again," Karl whined. "The game is on." "Again?" "This is my team, baby. You know I can't miss this game." "Ugh," Karl groaned before he took off his shoes to settle in. He reached into his bag and retrieved one of the trashy novels that his wife used to enjoy reading. Karl propped himself up against the headboard and read in bed while Lela cheered and screamed at the television, periodically pausing to check her phone every five minutes for updates regarding the players on her fantasy team. Lela's animated behavior made it a struggle for Karl to concentrate on the novel. He shook his head as he thought, 'I didn't marry a shut in.' He cringed at the thought, wondering if it was another that he had inherited from his wife. He tried to focus on the book instead. The more he got into it, the more he fantasized that he had an attentive woman eager to be taken by an equally attentive man. The coming of their evening session with Dr. Mentia was a welcome respite for Karl since it got him away from the sounds of blathering NFL commentators. Karl and Lela put on their shoes and headed out the door together. Shortly after they walked into the cabin, Dr. Mentia's office door opened to let them in. Karl glanced at the slate faced couple that walked out. Karl realized that they had the same look that the first couple he saw emerge from the room had. At that moment, he was certain that was how he looked the day before when the will to fight anything Dr. Mentia did was taken from him. "Dr. Mentia, we need to be fixed," Karl demanded as he sat down. "Fixed how?" "I can't go on like this. She just spent the whole day watching football and checking for updates on her phone to see what her fantasy team was doing." "So, you're a football widow now," Dr. Mentia replied with a smirk. "It's not funny." "It's kind of funny," Lela countered, remembering feeling just as he had. "Do you know that I was daydreaming about someone paying attention to me?" Karl asked. "Somebody who will swoop you up in their arms and all that crap?" Lela retorted before she added, "Yah, I know that one well." Karl hung his head for a moment before he replied, "Is that how I make you feel?" "Like a make believe team is more important than me, yes, but I see why it's fun now," Lela admitted. Karl's jaw dropped while he glanced over at Dr. Mentia and inquired, "What do we do to fix this?" "Now, that you've both felt it, you both need to learn from what you're feeling. You know how the other feels. You need to find some happy middle where you both can be okay with things." "How do we get there?" "You need to get to know each other deeper," Dr. Mentia answered as she walked over to the bookshelf to take hold of their deck of cards. Her words made familiar feelings of tranquility overtake Karl and Lela. After shuffling the cards, Dr. Mentia asked Lela, "Please cut the deck." Lela cut the deck before the top half was handed to Karl. Once Lela and Karl fanned out their cards as they had done the day before, they instinctively drew one card each from each half of the deck and placed them face down on the table. As they stared at their cards, Dr. Mentia said, "Tonight, we're only going to share one thing and trade one thing. Close your eyes." They both closed their eyes while Dr. Mentia moved around the two cards and said, "Karl, you're going to pick which trait you share and which one you trade. Whichever card you pickup, you'll share. The other card will be what you trade. Now, open your eyes and pick a card." Karl's eyes opened in unison with his wife's before his body lurched towards the table. He grabbed the card and tuned it over. Dr. Mentia smiled at his wife's card showing hair. Karl and Lela watched as the image of the hair that quite matched Lela's began to glow. A familiar feeling came over Karl before Dr. Mentia flipped the other card and the feeling came over Lela as well. With a blink of their eyes, the trance broke and Karl's eyes fixated on the long, smooth, dyed light brown hair that was now in his side vision. His fingers reached for it before he shrieked at their size. Karl's head jerked towards his wife who gazed down at her the body that had grown 10 inches in an instant. "No," Karl muttered while he stared at the card that had trade their body sizes. "Oh, my God, you look so cute," Lela said as she moved towards her husband and hugged him closely. Karl felt stunned as his body was enveloped in his wife's arms that now wrapped around his body with ease. Karl shook his head while Lela ceased her embrace. She could see the anxiety on Karl's face and brushed his hair as she said, "Don't worry, I'll protect you." The words calmed Karl far more than he ever imagined they could, but he felt vulnerable knowing that he stood barely 5 feet in height. Karl wanted to protest further, but another couple was waiting. His lips sealed as he felt his body forced from the room. As they exited the cabin, his freewill returned while he looked up at Lela. Lela put her arm around his narrow shoulders. She smiled as she said, "I want to go to that sports bar tonight." "You know I don't want to do that." "You're the one who said we should share these interests," Lela reminded Karl, using his words against him again. Remembering how he felt earlier, Karl decided to give it another try. They headed to the car together. Lela smiled at how far Karl had to move his seat up to reach the pedals he had touched earlier that day with a much larger foot. They headed to the bar together and got out in front of it. Lela held Karl by the hand as they made their way inside and grabbed a small table since the bar was full. A waitress brought them their drink order before she gave them menus. Karl stared around the bar and took it all in while Lela focused on the Sunday night game. The time he got to spend eating and talking with Lela at halftime was the only part of the game he truly enjoyed. Everything else seemed different to him. He was used to being at or above eyelevel with most people, but, now, he was looking up at nearly everyone except for a few girls who were near his size. Having to look up at everyone was fostering a sense of weakness in him. Karl could tell that Lela was enjoying every second of every inch she had gained. He could sense her amusement at getting to look down at people for a change. People seemed to take her more seriously due to his size, while he was just an after thought. Given his stature and dress, however, Karl was happy enough with that. As the game neared its end, a scuffle started at the bar. Karl wanted to protect Lela from any wayward barstool or punch that was thrown. He knew, however, that he could not as Lela stepped in front of him. Karl felt even weaker as he hid behind the skirt of his wife's dress, feeling the need to be protected by her while the fight was broken up and the participants tossed from the bar. Karl's heart raced as the fight ended. He shook his head as he looked at Lela and said, "This has to end." "I've been there," Lela said as he hugged him closely, enjoying the feeling of confidence and being the one to comfort him for a change. After the game, Lela took the keys from Karl, sensing that he was still shook up about the incident. Coming back into the camp, Lela parked the car before she put her arm around Karl and led him back towards their cabin. "You two look happy," Dr. Mentia said as she sauntered through the middle of the courtyard that rested between all of the patient cabins. Lela could not stop laughing as she talked about protecting her "little lady." Karl blushed at her every description of the way she set about protecting him. Dr. Mentia nodded at their reactions before she excused herself and said, "Have a good night. I'll see you next week." "Isn't she going to change us back?" Karl asked as she walked away into the darkness on the way to her home. "No. We have to get to know each other better." "I CAN'T SPEND A WEEK AS A 5' TALL LADY BOY," Karl exclaimed. "She told us that everything will be fine. You have to trust the process." "What are people going to say?" "Everyone thinks this is who we are but us. We're the only ones who know that we were ever any different. That's something that only we share." "And her," Karl said as he pointed to Dr. Mentia's Victorian style home atop a nearby hill. Boxing her husband's narrow shoulders, Lela said, "I promise that nothing bad will happen to you." Karl felt slightly at ease by her words before they started back inside the cabin. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The drive home to go to work on Monday morning was stressful for Karl. Part of him did not believe that Dr. Mentia could be right. It seemed unbelievable to him that no one he knew would see anything wrong with how he looked. The minute he stepped into work and was warmly greeted by the receptionist, Karl realized that he was wrong. The clicks of his heels brought no criticism of him while he walked around his office dressed in a mint green dress. As the week progressed, Karl was perplexed about how he still held his engineering job. Everyone around him saw him as a diminutive, flat chested transvestite, but no one appeared to care. It did not make sense to him. It seemed that ordinary social expectations did not apply to him while he walked around protected by Dr. Mentia's magic. When he asked one of the assistants about why they were so accepting of him, she noted, "Everyone knows that Asians are gender fluid." Karl gave her a shocked look. He soon realized that everyone seemed to treat his cross-dressing as acceptable because of his ethnicity and how convincing he looked dressed as a girl, even without makeup. He could not wait to get back to Dr. Mentia, hoping that a weekend of more changes would get their relationship to the point where they could be changed back. He could not stand having to look up to his wife, while hiding behind her skirt at the sight of trouble was becoming more humiliating by the day. He knew that he was supposed to be her protector, regardless of how much that she seemed to relish the role. Despite his enjoyment of it, her dominance in bed was emasculating him as well. When the weekend came, Lela drove them back to Dr. Mentia's couple's therapy camp. They put their belongings in their cabin before they had lunch and went to her office cabin to wait for their early afternoon session. Once the couple scheduled before them emerged from her office, Karl and Lela went in and sat down on Dr. Mentia's couch. Dr. Mentia asked about their week. Karl was hardly surprised to hear how excited Lela was by her week as an uncommonly tall and strong woman. She enjoyed using her new size to reach things without a stepstool for the first time in her life. Her size made her far more visible at her salon as well. Karl groused when he had to talk about needing stepstools to grab things at home, having people get things for him at work, letting Lela do the heavy lifting and everyone he knew thinking he was a transvestite. Dr. Mentia and Lela shook their heads at his complaints while he spoke them. "Most of what you just noted are things that Lela has to deal with everyday." "I know that, but..." "Do you understand what she goes through?" "That's right, shortie, do you?" Lela chimed in with a grin. "I think I do." "But what are you going to do to change?" "Huh?" "Do you still not know what you have to do?" "Could you just tell me?" Karl pleaded. "I can't make you reach that break through," Dr. Mentia answered with a shake of her head. She stood up and reached for the cards and said, "I want each of you to take one card each. You're only going to change two things today." "Are we sharing or trading?" Karl asked. "That's your choice." "Okay, I'll trade," Karl replied as he pulled a card. "I'm more into sharing," Lela replied with a shake of her head at her husband while she took a card and put it next to Karl's. "Lela, no judgment. Just relax and close your eyes." They both closed their eyes and felt a sudden rumble before Dr. Mentia let them open their eyes. "I don't feel any different," Karl replied as he looked down at his body before his jaw dropped at the b cup breasts that were hugged by the top of his sleeveless shift dress. "I can guess you both know what you two now share," Dr. Mentia said with a smile as Lela laughed. Karl cupped the breasts and felt a strange feeling as his hands rested upon them. His eyes veered to Dr. Mentia before she asked, "Do you know what you traded?" Karl shook his head before she said, "Workout routines." "What does she do?" Karl thought before images of the clothing in her closet reminded him. "I can't wait to see him in a leotard," Lela said with a laugh. "I dance ballet?" Karl thought before he realized that he knew every movement that his wife must have once known to go along with the rhythm that he had already been gifted from her. "OH, MY GOD I DANCE BALLET," Karl yelled with a sick feeling in his stomach. "It's okay," Dr. Mentia said. "I can't wait to hit the weights," Lela said as she flexed her muscles. "IT'S NOT OKAY. YOU'VE TURNED ME INTO A SHE-MALE BALLERINA!" "No one sees anything wrong with that," Dr. Mentia explained. "I DO!" Karl retorted. "You're not a ballerina," Lela chided before she added, "You just take it for exercise." "But I don't want to...," Karl whined. "Then, don't," Lela retorted. "But I want to. It's so much fun. I like it, but I know that I shouldn't...that's the problem," Karl tried to explain himself as he fought off tears of frustration. "Don't' fight it. Just accept it as part of who you are," Lela advised while Dr. Mentia nodded in agreement with her sentiment before she sent them out her door. As their freewill returned, he looked up at Lela and said, "It's too late to exercise today. Thank God!" "I'm not worrying about that until we get back home," Lela responded with a nod. Karl nodded in agreement while they walked. Lela wanted to give him a treat. Lela asked, "What do you the rest of the day?" Karl shrugged in response prompting her to say, "I know what I used to like to do?" "What?" "Shop," Lela said with a smile. "I don't know," Karl said as he was nervous about doing it. "I know that you want to. I used to love getting some pretty to show off my curves." "That actually sounds like fun," Karl admitted with a smile. "So, let's do it," Lela encouraged. Karl agreed and they headed to their cabin. After taking hold of their pocketbooks, they made their way past the crumbling main street. Karl felt saddened as he saw the largely derelict remnants of what must have been bustling town. After making their way to the highway, Karl drove the car a few exits to a regional mall. The parking lot was half-full as they pulled into it and found a spot. They went inside and began perusing through the stores. Karl looked at some of the familiar chains, but it was the stores that did not have names he recognized that intrigued him. "We're going in there?" Lela asked while she looked at the store name she did not recognize either. A smile came to her face as she thought about how she used to like to find unique items that made her conventional shopping friends jealous. Karl headed towards the racks and started to look them over, looking for designs that caught his eye. If he found one he liked, he pulled out the item to look it over. Whenever he thought one might work, he turned to Lela and asked for her opinion. Lela's opinions seemed far more generic than when she used to analyze his choices in men's clothes Karl thought while he continued to look around. He wondered if she was upset about it, but she appeared to be fine. Finally, after another generic statement that a dress looked nice, Karl asked, "What's wrong?" "Nothing," Lela replied, squirming while she did so. "Then, why are you saying everything looks nice or okay? You haven't said a word about the design or looked at the stitching. What gives?" "I just don't see that stuff anymore. It either looks good or it doesn't," she replied with a shrug and a dejected look. Karl's eyes widened before he asked, "How are you going to shop for yourself?" She shrugged before she sheepishly admitted, "You've got the eye now. I guess, I'm kind of dependent on you..." "You're going to let your husband dress you," Karl inquired with a laugh. "You got that trait now," Lela responded with a shake of her head. "It's okay," Karl said as he hugged her, realizing that she was unhappy that she could no longer avoid the truth that she must have lost her interest in clothes when their interests and hobbies were swapped. "Don't worry; I'm going to dress you just as well as you dressed me. You're going to look super cute. I promise," Karl added, trying to put her mind at ease. As Karl released her, he went back to shopping. He picked out two dresses and a pair of shoes before he said, "The girls at work are going to love these." Lela laughed slightly as he reminded her of her old self. She shook her head as she said, "So, this is what it looks like from the outside." "Do I seem a little over eager to show off?" Karl inquired with a smirk. Lela nodded with a grin as Karl added, "Good." Karl then walked his purchases towards the cashier and paid for them. After that they walked through the rest of the mall and did some window-shopping, they went back to their car. With their shopping excursion finished, Karl and Lela headed back to the campgrounds. Karl carried in his new belongings and packed them in his bag to bring home. Shortly after they arrived, they went to grab dinner with most of the rest of the couples at the dining cabin before they went back to their cabin to watch the sunset. Karl snuggled up close to Lela as he put his head on her shoulders. Lela kissed the top of his head as the sun went down over the mountains. With the sun down, the moon started to come clearer into view as they talked before they retired to their cabin for the evening. While his wife put on Sports Center, Karl slinked up towards the bed with his new breasts nearly spilling out of his chemise. Catching Lela's attention, Karl said, "Are you're sure that there's nothing here you'd rather look at than a bald, pasty white guy and a half a hipster?" Lela turned the television off and turned her full attention to Karl as he got under the covers with her. Karl tried to reassert his old dominance as Lela let him get on top. Lela smiled at his struggling efforts to set the pace while she easily held his body in place with her stronger, larger form. The feeling of her dominance made Karl feel the need to make sure that she was pleased as he took his time with foreplay. He was determined to make her climax before he did. Her needs were the only ones that mattered to him at that moment. His small fingers caressed her before rubbing her pussy with increasing and decreasing pressure to tease her. Karl smiled at the moans his wife was letting out. He struggled to remember the last time she had made sounds of pleasure that were so unforced with him. Karl felt his nipples hardening to match Lela's as he dragged his tits across down her body as he paused to kiss Lela's neck and manipulate one of her breasts before he penetrated her with his finger. Lela laughed causing Karl's eyes to widen before Lela said, "I'm not laughing at you, Karl." Karl did not believe her as he pushed in a second finger to try to make up for their reduced size. Lela moaned before she laughed again. "What?" Karl pleaded to know, feeling self-conscious. "I'm really not laughing at you," Lela replied as she continued to smile. Lela's words only made Karl redouble his efforts as he began to pull in and out of her as he manipulated her clitoris. He went to pull his fingers out, but Lela's hand clutched his and forced his fingers in deeper. While Karl tried to pull back, he realized anew that he was no longer any match for his wife's strength. Lela's other hand reached for Karl's manhood and began to yank up on it. Karl yelped, feeling that she did not know her own strength. Lela got the idea and gave him a gentler stroke while she pushed up her hips and continued to force his fingers to keep toying with her clitoris. Karl's eyes widened while Lela released him with both hands. "Did you come?" Karl asked. Lela responded with only a smile and a shake of her head before she guided his manhood into her. Karl thrust a few times, sensing how primed she was beneath him. On the sixth thrust, Karl heard her scream out like never before. The sound of her screams of pleasure made Karl beam before he rolled off her and told her he loved her. She reciprocated before she fell quickly to sleep, while Karl thought, 'Yah, I can be that good, baby!' After having breakfast the following morning, Karl and Lela took a walk through a trail through the forest. Once they finished, they head back to the camp for lunch before they returned to Dr. Mentia's office for another session. Soon after she finished discussing what they experienced during their week with their partner's traits, Dr. Mentia put them under and explained that they were going to share one of his traits and trade another. She had them pull a card each from each others' decks before they placed them on the table. Karl felt a stiff wind in his face again, but, this time, it blew into his ears before she told them open his eyes. As Karl looked at his wife he saw nothing different. He glanced down at himself and saw nothing changed as well. "What happened?" Karl inquired. "All your changes are up here," Dr. Mentia noted while she tapped her right temple. "What did we change?" Karl asked as he looked at the cards, which were ceasing their glow. "You traded your resolve and you shared your musical tastes." "How do we know that?" "I finally get Pink Floyd," Lela exclaimed before she added, "Led Zeppelin too!" "Okay, this may not all be bad," Karl said with a nervous laugh before he was compelled to leave the cabin with his wife. Regaining control of his body, Karl shook his head as they walked away from Dr. Mentia's office cabin. He wondered what good the latest trade would do. He did not think that the change really even mattered anymore. His ordinary doggedness had been impinged the moment he went into skirts, and he felt that it had been eradicated when he shrunk nearly a foot. "So, what do you want to do?" Karl asked, testing his wife. "One of the girls from the shop told me about this nice little town a few exits over." Karl nodded in response to his wife before she added, "I want to take you there." "Okay," Karl replied, offering no resistance, unsure if it was his true feelings. As they reached the cabin, they each grabbed their pocketbooks before they started towards the car. Coming near the car, Karl reached for the keys. Lela held out her hands expectantly. Karl knew what she wanted. He wanted to protest that he should drive. Until recently, he always drove them unless he was drunk or injured. Once they reached the vehicle, however, Karl felt the need to turn them over. He figured that it was not worth fighting about. Lela got into the car and adjusted the seat and mirrors before she pulled the car out of the spot. Karl felt nervous while his wife drove far faster than he could recall her driving before. 'God, I hope I don't drive like an old lady,' Karl thought, wondering if all the traits he traded to Lela would take away his confidence about driving. Karl tried to shift his focus to something that would calm him. He turned on the Radio and heard a song by Rush. "Turn it up," Lela said. Karl grinned as he turned up the radio and sang along with his wife. As they continued to ride along, Karl enjoyed listening to the rock music that played inside the car instead of the Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Justin Timberlake and Lady Gaga songs that Lela had always played before on the rare occasions when she drove them. Karl discussed the music with her while they drove. He was astonished that the magic had seen to it that she knew everything he knew about the subject matter. Once they reached the Town, they got out of the car and stared down the bricked sidewalks that lined the streets. Karl liked the look of the quaint small downtown that only spanned a little over 8 blocks before giving way to a few turn of the 20th Century homes that separated it from the wilderness and farmland. The shopping was not unlike the day before. Karl looked for shops that struck his interest, while he moved around the downtown with Lela. Lela admired the architecture while Karl glanced into the shops, periodically stepping into ones that caught his fancy. Once they finished shopping, Lela pointed Karl to a small restaurant to see if he wanted dinner. Karl was enamored with the idea as he was tired of the food that the camp had to offer. Karl walked into the restaurant and watched as Lela asked the hostess if they had a table for two. While Karl usually took the initiative, he felt a little shy and was afraid that the woman might say no. Karl was relieved when the woman said there was room for them before they were seated. Karl found the place to be well decorated and was happy to share a nice dinner with his wife. After dinner, Karl started towards their car. Lela started to drive them back before she veered off an exit before the exit for the campgrounds. Karl gave a curious look before his wife said, "There's a place just off the main road I've heard about from some of the other couples." "Are we getting a dessert?" "A type of dessert," Lela answered while with a smile she continued to drive. Karl inquired what she meant. Lela, however, remained evasive before she parked her car in front of a stand-alone building. Karl found the name suggestive, but Lela assured him that there was nothing over the top inside. 'I hope this isn't a strip club,' Karl thought while he walked towards the building before he paused to fret, 'I really hope I didn't just think that.' Karl walked in and winced as he looked around the sex shop. He closed his eyes as he thought about his wife's role-playing kink. He enjoyed it himself, but he had not felt an increase in his desire to partake in it. Lela smiled as she said, "I want to get you a costume." "Why?" Karl inquired. "It'll be so hot," Lela answered. "You think?" Karl responded, somewhat hopefully before catching himself. 'Oh, dear God! I am so screwed,' Karl thought as he realized that he was just as willing to bend to his wife's whims as she had been to his. Karl thought about what his wife looked like in her costumes at home. Wearing one himself did not seem like much of a stretch. He figured it might even be fun to be on the dress up side for once. As he warmed to the idea, Karl inquired, "So, what were you thinking?" "Surprise me," Lela answered. Karl's eyes gazed at the small array of costumes that the adult store had to offer. Karl knew that none of the outfits could be conceivable considered to be in good taste, but he knew that was the fun. It was the whore for a night routine that Lela was going to enjoy. Karl looked through the few different costumes the store had. They were all similar to ones that Lela had. As Karl perused the four French Maid costumes the store carried, he was drawn to one that was just like the one his wife had. He picked up the black, sheer babydoll costume and held it to his chest and asked, "What do you think?" "Oh, you're going look so hot in it," Lela whispered with raised eyebrows while she clutched at the white lace-up front. "That's the most I've gotten out from you about clothing lately," Karl responded with a laugh. "At least, the last few days," Lela added. "Are you going with that?" Lela then inquired after a pause. "You don't like it?" "No. I love it," Lela responded, eager to see her husband in the revealing, open back costume. "Do I need anything else, Mademoiselle?" Karl replied with a faux French accent and curtsy. "A maid always needs a duster," Lela answered while she walked towards a black duster with white feathers. "Do you think anybody ever thought this was functional?" Karl inquired as he looked at it. Lela shook her head, knowing the answer to be true before Karl's eyes were caught by a pair of black sheer stockings that were topped with white chiffon ruffles and one satin bow each. "Oh, those are naughty," Lela teased while she put her arms around Karl's waist. "I like being bad," Karl said with a smirk. "Then, you might need a spanking." Karl felt his member stiffen while she playfully threatened him. He was intrigued by his submissive reaction. Karl then grabbed a pair of white satin pumps with black lace trim and said, "I think these will be a nice touch." "A slutty touch is more like it," Lela countered. Karl slapped her arm before Lela grabbed him by the waist and said, "I didn't say I didn't like it." "You called me a slut." "No. I said they were slutty." Karl gave her a peeved glance before Lela said, "But you are my slut." "Maybe my kitchens closed," Karl replied. "You can't close it to me," Lela countered. "You've got me there," Karl admitted after a pause. Soon after, they took their purchases to the woman behind the counter. Karl thought the woman looked sketchy, but he knew that he could not expect a high-class employee in an adult shop. With the purchases in hand, the two walked out of the shop hand in hand. They moved towards their car quickly and Lela drove them hastily towards the campgrounds. After they parked, they rushed towards the cabins. Karl hurried up the steps to their cabin with the maid's outfit in hand. Before he could step inside, he heard Dr. Mentia's voice. Karl froze before he pushed himself into the cabin, embarrassed about the prospect of her seeing his fetish outfit that they had bought. As Lela chatted with Dr. Mentia, Karl wondered if he should put on the costume. He was sure that she would enjoy it, even if he did not have much to tidy up before she undressed him. The idea of doing it made his manhood stiffen. He wanted to please her more than anything. With that thought in mind, Karl decided to not wait to ask. He would change out of it if she wanted, but he was sure that he read her right. After taking off his shoes, Karl swayed his hips as he slipped out of his high banded, red, stretchy pencil skirt. Once he freed his legs from the tight skirt, Karl's hands reached under his off the shoulder top. Karl removed his arms from the three-quartered sleeves while he pulled the top over his head. Karl then wiggled his hips while he rolled the black tights down his legs before he sat on the toilet seat and pulled them off his feet. As he stood up, he pushed his warm, crumpled clothing to the side with his foot while he pulled the lingerie costume over his head. Once Karl poked his head through the dress, he worked the figure hugging sheer mesh over his curves. Karl smiled as his manhood swelled at the sight beneath his neck that reminded him so much of the woman he had fallen in love with. Karl hoped that she loved the way it looked on him as much as he did while he reached back to tie the white straps behind his neck to make the piece a halter-top. After resituating his pert breasts in the piece, he clutched at the small, frilly white apron and white lace that trimmed the bottom of the babydoll. Karl then reached for the matching black and white headpiece. He put the headband portion on his head and straightened it before he heard Lela coming towards the door. Karl hurried into the bathroom with his new stockings, heels and duster. He tore open the package of stockings and worked one up his right leg as Lela called out, "Where are you, Karl?" "In the bathroom," Karl called out. "Well, don't take too long," Lela purred. Karl smiled and decided not to respond, wanting to make her wait for him for once. He worked the second stocking up his legs before he slipped his feet into the heels and stood up. Drawing the bathroom door open, Karl sashayed out to Lela. Lela's eyes widened while he did a spin and grabbed at the bottom of his babydoll as it flew up. Lela reached behind him and lifted him off the ground. She brought his lips to hers before she tossed him onto the bed. Karl laughed as Lela descended upon him. They shared kisses before Lela climbed on top of him. While Karl had fought her first efforts to use her new size to take the lead, there was no question in his mind that Lela was in charge. He let her dictate the pace as she road his shaft until she climaxed. "Baby, that was so awesome," Lela said through a moan while she climbed off him. "It was," Karl said with a racing heart. "I can't wait to take you home, and we can really get you more into the act. Mademoiselle's going to love watching her little maid clean," Lela said before she kissed him and pulled him close to her. As Karl's head came to a rest on his wife's breasts, his eyes widened. He stared at the ceiling, realizing that he was going to be going even deeper into the changes than he ever thought. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The week that followed their second departure from Dr. Mentia's camp seemed at turns exciting and surreal to Karl. He returned to the office as a she-male engineer without anyone seeing anything amiss about his status. He was always referred to as a man, despite his natural breasts, long hair and skirted attire. The way they addressed him seemed more incongruous with his appearance than ever to Karl. Nothing in the way anyone treated him changed though. All of his friends and family talked to him the same too. To Karl, it was as if he had been born a she-male. Karl, however, noticed that he had changed. He was eager to please his bosses and coworkers, which only served to make him more popular in the workplace. While his workday had changed little, his workouts were radically different. Each morning, he attended either a spinning class or aerobics class before heading to work. Three days a week, he also found himself taking an evening ballet class for exercise. Each exercise came naturally to him, as if he had been doing them for years. Karl was relieved that he went to women's only gym. He could only imagine how much he would be hit on if he did not. The looks he got on the street were enough to turn his head and stomach at times. Lela's life had changed as well. While she still worked the same job, she was more assertive in the workplace and even more successful as a hairdresser. She had more clients than she remembered having before the therapy while she moved around them as a statuesque girl. She fended off more than a few flirts everyday she hit Karl's old gym. She never once thought of straying, however. She felt that Karl was growing closer to perfect for her with each passing day. That Karl was submitting to her at every opportunity only made it easier for her to handle him. He let her control the remote. They watched the shows she liked, even though Karl hated many of them, and he took to reading to kill the time until something they liked both came on. Lela loved being the bigger, stronger partner who opened the tight jars and fetched things from the top shelf for her lover. It was a total reversal of what their life had been like before. While she, more often than not, got her way through subtle manipulation of her husband, now, she had him practically at her beck and call. She was not going to give up that for any chiseled man. Lela's outward dominance at home was frustrating for Karl. While he enjoyed it, he felt that he should hate it. He tried to talk himself out of his excitement every time Lela made some showing of her brute strength or size. He wanted it to repulse him, but it only served to arouse him. By the time that they returned to Dr. Mentia's campgrounds the following weekend, Karl was sure that they had learned everything they needed to know about the other. Karl felt that he would never be the man he had been after the experiences. He knew too much about how Lela felt and had to deal with to not try to find some common ground with her again. Karl told Dr. Mentia how he felt. She nodded along before she asked Lela if she felt the same. Lela shook her head as she said, "I think we're both getting there, but we need to go a little further. We almost understand each other like I want, but I think if we stop here, we'll fall right back into our old routines." Karl pleaded that he was a changed man, but Lela resisted his pleas and said, "Baby, I think this is for the best." Not wanting to displease Lela, Karl nodded as he forced himself to say, "You're right. I'm sorry." "It's okay," Lela said as she hugged him tightly. Dr. Mentia nodded before she told them, "This weekend, we're only going do swaps,