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It has been said that there are three steps to happiness - step 1 find out who we are, step 2 - accept who we are and step 3 - be who we are. For many of us, this is straightforward but for some, the changes needed to complete each step are far reaching and life changing. It's then that we need Destiny to do her job. Destiny is a funny thing. For most of the time, we don't even notice her. It's as if she's sitting in the background, quietly minding her own business until she notices that things need a jolt here or a nudge there if they are to turn out how she intended. When we see a positive outcome in our life, we celebrate Destiny's involvement in getting us there but very rarely do we notice the little jolts and nudges which she has made to stop us from going off track. Step one - find out who you are. As he opened the envelope and looked at the card inside, Jody didn't know whether to punch the air or run and hide. He had two weeks left at junior high school and, in accordance with tradition, the boys all wrote down a challenge and sealed it in a blank envelope. The challenges were then mixed up and each boy then had to take one of the envelopes at random and then carry out the challenge accompanied by one of the other boys as proof that it had been carried out. At least Jody wouldn't be climbing onto the school roof and dropping his trousers at the teachers below which was a relief as the school had three floors and he was afraid of heights. At least he wouldn't be going up to the most popular girl in his class and inviting her to be his date for the prom - he knew she disliked him as did her boyfriend who was not afraid to protect her physically if needs be. And at least he wouldn't have to let the tyres down on his teacher's car which would almost certainly result in his mother being summoned to the school and him being banned from his beloved skateboard for the whole summer. As he read the card again, he wondered whether he should just dodge the challenge altogether. However, his thoughts quickly wandered back to the sight of one of last year's leavers running naked round the school frantically looking for his clothes which had been hidden in various places. No, there was no get out and he was going to have to carry out the challenge. He read the card again: "Spend the night in Jackson's department store dressed as a girl and provide photographic proof." ------ Jody was an awkward teenager who seemed to exist on the periphery of everything he was involved with. He wasn't popular at school and most of the class just ignored him. It was also increasingly becoming apparent how much of an outsider he was - most of his male classmates were growing up and pairing off with the girls; Jody, on the other hand, had yet to start puberty and his efforts to befriend the girls were just clumsy and frequently ended in ridicule. Perhaps if he'd cut his shoulder length hair and looked more like he cared about his appearance, things would have been different but, in the end, he decided the best course of action was just not to bother and spend all of his spare time on his skateboard where, at least, his developing skills did get some admiration from like-minded kids. He did have one friend in his class, though. In many respects Bruce Sweetman was very different to Jody; he was overweight whilst Jody was stick thin. His short hair contrasted with Jody's and his idea of recreation was to lie on his bed playing computer games which was almost certainly to blame for his excessive weight. Despite their differences, somehow they got on well together and it was Bruce that Jody asked to be his challenge "wingman." After Bruce had finished laughing at the thought of Jody dressed as a girl, and after he warned Jody that he was going to make sure that the challenge was completed properly with no dodging or corner cutting, he agreed to help and they started planning their strategy. ------ The boys worked out that they had three challenges to overcome. First, they had to come up for a plausible excuse for being away from home all night; each decided that they would say that they were sleeping over at the other's house and hope that their parents did not compare notes with each other. Second, they had to find a way of remaining in Jackson's all night without being discovered. This, they decided, was not as hard as it appeared as the night security guard there was well known for his poor eyesight and tendency to watch TV & sleep on the job. All they needed to do was to enter a few minutes before closing time and head for the furniture department where they could hide in a wardrobe until the guard had finished his rounds. Then the coast would be clear for the rest of the night. Third, Jody had to become a convincing girl. They started to make a list of what was needed and Jody started to feel that Bruce was becoming a little too enthusiastic with his planning: "Well, you're going to need a bra and panties," he started, "and I think you should go for a mini skirt and ankle boots, they're going to look really cute on you." "Whoa," interrupted Jody, "you're enjoying this a bit too much! Do I really need to go to all that trouble? Can't I just wear a tee shirt and jeans with my sneakers and put a ribbon in my hair?" "Not if you want to avoid the penalty, you can't," came the reply. "Now, where were we? Hair - yours is long enough and will just need a bit of styling - and a bit of makeup and I think you'll fool even your own mother." "OK,l I get it but how are we going to get all of that stuff together?" "Duh, we'll be in a department store. You just take the stuff off the rails and put it back when you're finished." "No way!" said Jody emphatically. "The trespass we're planning is bad enough but there's no way I'm going to risk being caught for theft too." "Alright so what's Plan B?" "I don't know but I'll have a think. See you tomorrow." "See you," replied Bruce and they both set off to their respective houses. As Jody went through the front door, his mother called out to him "Jody, you still haven't taken that bag of old clothes to the thrift store and this is the fifth time I've asked you. Please can you take it now before they close?" Jody was trying to decide whether to ignore his mother's request or come up with a suitable excuse when destiny gave one of those little jolts. He looked inside the bag and there, clean and folded, was everything he'd need. Even better, as his mother was only 18 when he was born, the clothes were just about suitable, even if the fashions had changed a bit in the meantime. "OK, I'm going. See you later." And with that Jody set off to Bruce's house where they went through the bag together. 20 minutes later, they'd collected a pair of mid- heeled ankle boots, assorted underwear and jewellery, a mini skirt and a couple of tops. They put everything they were keeping into a spare bag to hide in Bruce's garage and Jody quickly ran to the thrift store with the rest, arriving just before it closed for the evening. They were now ready to undertake the challenge. ------ Three days later, it was time to put the plan into action. With each boy having told his parents that he was having a sleepover at the other's house, they arranged to meet outside Jackson's at 7:30pm. Bruce arrived first with a large bag containing the clothes and a few other bits he'd picked up; Jody was nowhere to be seen. After 10 minutes, just as Bruce started to think that Jody had got cold feet, Jody ran up, out of breath. "I thought you'd chickened out." "Sorry, my mom kept asking me to do things and it was hard to get away." "OK, you're here now. Hurry, let's go in." They made their way to the furniture department hoping to hide in a couple of the wardrobes on display but, as they entered the department the assistant approached them. "What can I do for you boys?" he asked sternly while looking at the large bag Bruce was carrying. "Er, er..." "I thought so. I've had enough of you kids hiding here overnight, get out before I call security. The boys walked away, frantically trying to think about an alternative plan. "I know what we can do," exclaimed Bruce "there's a store room here by the security office. I went there once when I got lost from my mom. We can hide in there." The boys made their way to the store room. Sure enough, as they passed the security office, the guard was engrossed in a football game on the TV and didn't notice them. They settled down and, at 7:55, heard the guard leave the office to lock the doors. He returned at around 8:15 and once they heard the TV turned back on, they set to work. "OK," said Bruce, starting to unpack the bag, "here are the clothes we collected and I took some of my sister's makeup while she was out. She's got so much, she'll never miss it. Time for you to get ready." Jody went ashen faced. "I..I..I can't do this." "You're going to have to. You remember what happened last year?" Memories of the naked boy came flooding back to Jody again. "OK but I need to do this in private so no watching." There were a couple of moveable screens in the store room which Jody positioned to keep Bruce from watching. Slowly, he removed his clothes and left them in a heap on the floor as he always did. He looked in horror at the black lacy panties he was about to put on; there was no going back now so he gingerly put one leg through, then the other and pulled them up. Next was the bra. However did girls manage to do them up at the back? After a lot of struggling, he managed to do the clips but then looked down at the empty cups. Finding his socks in the heap on the floor, he scrunched them up and put one in each cup which seemed to do the job. The tights were next. He'd watched his mother put her tights on when he was small so he knew how to gather them up before gradually feeding out the material as he pulled them up. As he was putting them on, he was struck with the smoothness of the nylon and took a moment to caress his legs enjoying the sensation as he did so. The skirt and top were next; again, Jody noticed the softness of the material and, as he looked down, was fascinated by the way his new breasts were preventing him from seeing his feet. Tying his hair back in a high ponytail, he opened the small makeup bag Bruce had packed. He'd seen his mother put on her eye makeup so he started with his eyes using a small hand mirror that Bruce had helpfully packed to see what he was doing. He decided to keep everything simple as he didn't really know what he was doing and there was therefore less chance of a screw up. In any event, that's what the girls in his class seem to do - just a bit of eyeshadow and then draw around the eyes in black eyeliner and lots of mascara to finish off. He then rooted around in the bag a bit more and pulled out a circular plastic case marked "E-Z Blush." "Ahh, so that's why the girls always have such rosy cheeks," he said to himself as he brushed a small amount onto each cheek. Lipstick was last and the easiest. He'd seen women putting on lipstick everywhere so he turned the case and up popped a bright red stick which he applied to his lips. Jody looked in the bag and found the items of jewellery including a necklace, clip on earrings and bracelets they'd saved from the thrift bag. He put them on before stepping into the ankle boots and zipping them up. He was as ready as he ever could be. He emerged from behind the screens and, rather shyly, asked Bruce how he looked. "Wow," came the response, "you look amazing. Have you seen yourself? Come over here and look in the mirror." Jody walked over to the mirror and gasped. Gone was the awkward looking boy and, in his place a cute girl looked back. Of course the makeup wasn't perfect but how many girls are proficient at that age? He turned sideways and looked at his silhouette. He had breasts, and his mid heeled ankle boots had given a feminine shape to his lower legs. He turned back to face his reflection "if only you were in my class," he said silently to the reflection experiencing sensations that he had never felt before. "You look really cute." Bruce's exclamation snapped Jody out of his daydream. "Thank you," said Jody instinctively, not realising the implications of what Bruce had just said. "But what do we do now?" "Let's go and have some fun," came the reply and quietly, they tiptoed past the security office and onto the shop floor. The first job, of course was to get photographic proof that the challenge had been met. They found a sign saying "Jackson's which Jody stood by while Bruce took a picture with his digital camera. Next stop was the computer department. Jackson's always had a few games loaded on the demonstration computers and the boys were relieved to see that everything was left turned on. They played for an hour or so before Bruce got up and asked Jody to follow him. They walked up the stairs to the clothing department and, leading the way, Bruce walked to the girls," section. Every instinct Jody had was telling him what was going on but his protestations were, at best, half-hearted and, deep down, he realised that, whatever Bruce was planning, he wanted to be a part of. They stopped at the far side of the department where there was a rail of prom dresses. Bruce went through the rails and found the most beautiful deep blue full length gown which he removed from its hanger and handed to Jody. "Why don't you try this one on?" he urged Jody. "Don't you think we're going a bit far?" replied Jody, trying to resolve the inner conflict he was now feeling. Boys don't wear dresses but he so wanted to wear that one. "It's just a bit of fun," replied Bruce. "OK then," agreed Jody who disappeared into the changing room with the dress and a pair of silver pumps with a four inch heel that Bruce had convinced him would look better than the ankle boots with the dress. A few minutes later, Jody emerged. He'd let his hair back down and it was now framing his face and gently falling onto his shoulders, the dress looked beautiful and fitted him perfectly and the increased height of his heels further enhanced his feminine shape. This time, Bruce was dumbstruck. Jody walked over to him, smiled and asked, "How do I look?" "Just, just, beautiful," Bruce stammered, blushing to a dark crimson colour. "Aren't you going to take a photo of me then?" asked Jody momentarily surprised at his own boldness. "Yes, yes please," came the reply and, trying hard to stop his hands shaking, Bruce duly obliged. Then Bruce hesitated. "Er, before you get changed, do you think we could have a photo together?" "I guess so," replied Jody, "but who's going to take it?" "We can put the camera on the counter and use the self-timer," replied Bruce so that's what they did. After Jody got changed, they put the gown and shoes back where they'd found them. "What now?" he asked. They looked at their watches - it was nearly midnight. "I'm getting tired," said Bruce, "let's sit down for a few minutes." They found a sofa and sat down. It was only meant to be a quick rest but Jody fell asleep first, his head flopping down onto Bruce's shoulder. Bruce moved his arm, placing it around Jody to make them both more comfortable but then he too nodded off. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO LOVEBIRDS DOING'? Both boys woke with a start to be confronted by the security guard shouting at them. They looked at their watches - it was 8:30am and the store would be opening soon. Bruce thought quickly. "I'm sorry sir, we did it as a dare, please let us leave now." "Not until you've given me your names and addresses. Your parents are going to find out about this." "Please sir, don't tell our parents," begged Jody, "they'll ground us for months." "You should have thought of that before running off and spending the night here shouldn't you?" Bruce reached into his bag. "Are you sure you have to tell our parents?" he asked before removing four bottles of beer and offering them to the guard. "Well, I suppose I could turn a blind eye this once. But you two need to get out now before someone else less sympathetic sees you," and he led them to the back door where they stepped into the outside world. "That was close," laughed Bruce. "Yes it certainly was," giggled Jody, "but my boy clothes are still in there what do I do?" "Oh, just go back in at 9:00 and get changed again. He'll be well into the beer by that stage and will never notice!" Both boys looked at each other and laughed till they cried. "Your mascara's running," said Bruce moving closer to wipe it with a tissue. They both looked into each other's eyes for a few seconds before Bruce held Jody and closed in to kiss him. "NO!" shouted Jody pulling away quickly. "I can't do this. We're two boys and I'm not gay." "But I thought.." protested Bruce. "You thought what? Whatever you thought, you were wrong because I'm a boy and I'm not gay. Just go home. Shocked and crestfallen, Bruce went home leaving Jody to sneak back in and change back into his normal clothes. ------ At school the following Monday, it was as if nothing had happened. Bruce handed Jody a USB stick with the three photos they had taken, the first of which provided the evidence that the challenge had been met. Jody was back to his normal monosyllabic self and, for the remainder of the week until the summer break, there was a great amount of unease between them. It was apparent that things between the two of them were never going to be the same again. ------ Step two - accept who you are Five years had passed since Jody & Bruce had spent the night in Jacksons." As far as Jody was concerned, it wasn't an easy five years. Firstly, Jody and Bruce's friendship never properly recovered and after just a year in senior high school, Bruce's family had moved to the other side of town meaning a new school and new friends for Bruce. In the end, they were sad to part company, particularly Jody as Bruce was really the only proper friend he'd ever had. But Jody had much bigger things to wrestle with. He couldn't shake off the memories of how he'd felt dressed as a girl and how close he'd come to kissing Bruce but he was in denial. The problem was that the more he tried to convince himself that he wasn't gay by trying to date girls, the more desperate and clumsy his attempts became. It was therefore no surprise that, as he neared his 20th birthday, his only experience of intimacy was what nearly happened with Bruce five years earlier. However, his inner turmoil had more far-reaching consequences. He was generally disliked by the other kids at school, his schoolwork suffered and he failed almost all of his exams. Instead of fulfilling his parent's hopes for a college education, he was now working as a caretaker at a local office with little chance of finding anything better in the foreseeable future. In fact, the only thing about him that hadn't got any worse was his appearance - he was still stick thin with long hair and whilst he did try to take a little bit more care with his appearance, he still had a long way to go. The other workers in the office - six in total - were all female which only added to Jody's frustration; three of them he would have loved to have asked out on a date but, as they actively ignored him whenever his work took him near them, he knew there was no point in even asking. In fact, of the other three who were definitely "Plain Janes," only one ever managed to speak to him and, even then, it was only a quick "hi" in the morning and "bye" at night. Otherwise, he was well and truly on his own. But not quite on his own, of course. Destiny was there, quietly simmering in the background and one day in mid-October, Destiny decided it was time for a prod. Jody was just finishing emptying the bin in the ladies restroom when the "hi and bye" woman came up to him. "Have you got any plans for Halloween?" she asked. "Er no," he mumbled in response. "Good. The other girls and I are going out in fancy dress. Do you want to come along?" "Er OK. What sort of fancy dress?" "Oh, don't worry about that, we'll get that organised for you. Just make sure you're ready to go at 5:00 on the 31st." "Thanks, er, I don't even know your name." "It's Di and don't mention it. We're going to have some fun." ------- The 31st arrived and, at 5:00 on the dot, Jody went to "Hi & Bye," Di's desk. "Great, you're here. We're getting changed upstairs so let's go." When they arrived in the empty office, the other five women were already nearly ready. Jody's jaw dropped. Gone were the conservative office clothes and, in their place were low cut tops, miniskirts, high heels and plenty of makeup. "Hi Jody," they called out in unison "are you ready for your night out?" "Er not quite," he mumbled, "I haven't got a costume." "Ours are over here," replied Di, "come on and we'll get you ready." Di led Jody to the far side of the room where he saw, to his horror, two sets of costumes similar to those being worn by the other five laid out in front of him. "These are ours," giggled Di. Jody looked at what he was expected to wear - a mini dress with high heeled stiletto pumps and a selection of lingerie including tights, panties and a bra. "IS THIS YOUR IDEA OF A JOKE," he shouted "WHAT POSSESSED YOU TO THINK THAT I WOULD BE HAPPY WEARING THESE?" "It's only a bit of fun," said Di, trying to calm him down "FUN FOR WHO? YOU LOT AT MY EXPENSE I SUPPOSE," came the reply at which point Jody started walking to the door. "JODY. WAIT," shouted Di and as he neared the door, he found the other women blocking his way. "Look, Jody," one of the others started, all of a sudden becoming serious, "we admit that we did look on it as a bit of fun but we wanted to find something to bring you out of your shell. You seem like a nice guy but you never manage anything more than a grunt to any of us." "But why this?" asked Jody, slowly calming down again. "Well, Di commented how envious she was of your long hair and how she thought you'd look good as a girl. As Halloween was coming up, it seemed like the obvious way of finding out. It was really stupid of us and unfair to try to humiliate you in this way and if you want to call it off, we'll understand. But let me tell you one thing - there's nothing better than a girl's night out to cheer you up when you're down." Jody sat silent and thought for what seemed like an eternity. He remembered the feelings he'd experienced in Jackson's five years earlier, the feelings he'd been trying to suppress ever since, and realised that his reaction was not anger at his potential humiliation but frustration and fear that his "little secret" would be found out. Whilst his head was telling him that he really should carry on walking to the door, his heart had other ideas and, without thinking, he heard himself quietly say, "OK, I'll do it." The girls led him back to the pile of clothing and Di helped him get ready admitting that now, as well as being envious of his hair, she now wished she had his legs too. Meanwhile, Jody was bathing in the sensuality of his transformation, reliving the feelings that he'd last experienced five years earlier. 10 minutes, Jody slipped his feet into the high heeled pumps and stood up, teetering for a moment as he got used to the slender heels and the increased height they gave him. "I'm ready," he mumbled. "Not yet, you aren't," came the reply, "we've not done your hair and makeup yet." After getting Jody to sit down, the girls started work on lightly curling his hair and applying his makeup. With no mirrors around, Jody could only wonder what he looked like and, when they were finished 30 minutes later, he started to understand why getting into the bathroom at home was always a challenge. "OK, we can go now," said Di. "But what do I look like?" asked Jody. "Oh, don't worry, you'll find out soon enough." As they walked down the stairs, Jody felt a sense of relief that his heels, at three inches, were not nearly as high as the others were wearing and just about manageable. As they got into the main lobby, he caught sight of himself in the full height mirror and what he saw took his breath away. There in the reflection were seven girls on their way for a fun evening out. In fact, so incredible was his transformation that he took a moment to recognise himself amongst all of the other girls in the reflection. Gone was the awkward, scruffy teenage boy and, in his place was a slim, attractive young woman with legs to die for and, thanks to the efforts of the girls, all traces of the man underneath completely obliterated. Jody stepped towards the mirror and, as he gazed at his own reflection, the realisation that he may have been wrong to be in denial for so long started to dawn on him. But now wasn't the time for deep thought. Now was the time for having fun and as they climbed into the waiting taxis, Jody started to become giddy with excitement at what lay ahead. ------ Several hours later and having said their goodbyes to the other girls, Jody and Di walked back in the direction of their apartments, arm in arm. At the point where their routes diverged, Di turned to Jody and asked him if he'd like to go out with them all again on another girls," night out. Jody thought for a moment, well aware that the answer he gave would probably determine the path his life took from this point on. "I think I'd like that," he replied quietly but clearly and without the mumbling that had been a feature of his speech earlier. "Good, I'll let you know when the next night out is and we can go shopping to get you a suitable outfit - it's not all miniskirts and towering heels, you know!" And then she added, "You know, I think you were born for this." Di's comment floored Jody and he blushed. "How did you... I mean... what makes you think that?" "Oh, let's just say it was a lucky guess with a bit of feminine intuition thrown in." And after kissing each other on the cheek, they went their separate ways. ------ Step 3 - be who you are As Jody had realised on his night out, his decision to join the girls nights out "en femme," was life changing. Thanks to Di's help, he quickly became proficient at applying makeup and choosing women's," styles that suited him and the girls accepted him as part of their group no matter whether he was presenting as male at work or female socially. About a year after the first night out, Jody decided that he wanted to start his transition to female and the hormones he was prescribed soon started his physical transformation to female. Thanks to his youth, breast development and the softening of his features was quick and he was finding it increasingly difficult to hide the changes when he presented as male at work. However, his transition was impeded by lack of funds until, on a whim, he bought a ticket for the state lottery and won $100,000. Destiny had once again intervened and, with his winnings, Jody was able to pay for all of his gender reassignment surgeries including breast enlargement, voice & facial feminisation and genital reassignment with one of the top surgeons in the country. By the time the transformation was complete, the confident woman that emerged was unrecognisable from the awkward teenage boy Jody had once been. Things improved at work as well. As Jody's transition progressed and the hormones took hold, it became apparent that he was losing the strength he needed for his job as caretaker. He was therefore delighted when a vacancy occurred in the office with the other girls and used this as the opportunity to socially transition at work. Finally, on Friday 22 June, Jody Lee Davies left his little store room for the last time and, on Monday 25 June, Jodie Leigh Davies took up her new duties in the main office and quickly fitted in. In every respect, she was now just one of the girls. Now in her mid-20s, Jodie's social life had matured and the rowdy outings with the girls had been replaced with calmer evenings out. She was blissfully happy with how things had turned out but there was still one thing missing from her life. She knew that, by transitioning to female, the majority of women would be heterosexual and not interested in her. She tried visiting gay bars for a while but she felt that none of the women there were her "type," although she struggled to visualise what her type actually was. In the end, Jodie felt that if, by transitioning, she was destined not to find a soul mate, it was a small price to pay for the happiness she was now experiencing. But, of course, Destiny was still hanging around in the shadows, waiting to give a helping hand. ------ Ellen was a relative newcomer to the office but quickly fitted in with the other girls and was soon joining them on their nights out. As she had joined after Jodie's transition was complete, she was completely unaware of her past, not that she would probably have minded if she had known. Apart from Jodie, she was the only single girl in the office as the others had either got married or were in long term stable relationships by now and they naturally formed a close friendship. One Friday afternoon, Ellen went over to Jodie's desk "I'm having a few friends over for dinner tomorrow. Would you like to join us?" "I'd love to, thank you." "That's great. Is 7:00 OK? I'll give you my address and see you then." ------ At half past six, Jodie checked herself in the mirror. She'd decided to play it safe with a smart pair of trousers teamed with a plain white blouse and pointed stiletto pumps with a four inch heel. Smart enough not to feel out of place if the other women were wearing dresses and casual enough if they were dressed down. Her makeup these days was toned down from the days of the girls," nights out but even so, with her dark smouldering eyes and deep red lips, she felt sexy and quietly hoped that tonight would be the night. Was Ellen "The One," or would it be one of the others? At that moment, the taxi arrived and sounded its horn. Grabbing her coat and bag, she made her way outside and got in. The drive to Ellen's house on the other side of town took about half an hour and she arrived at Ellen's on time. Thanking and paying the driver, she made her way to Ellen's front door just as a car with three other guests - two guys and a woman - got out. Ellen invited them all in and, as she was about to start the introductions, the final guest, another guy, arrived by car and was invited in. "Everyone, this is Jodie," she started, "and Jodie, this is Ashley, Mike, Ryan and Bruce." Jodie smiled at each of them in turn and quickly got into a conversation with Ashley who, although she'd arrived with Mike and Ryan, seemed quite keen not to spend any time talking to them. It quickly became apparent why not as Jodie was sat between the two of them at dinner bored rigid as they dominated the conversation, each trying to outdo the other with boasts about their success. When they'd finally run out of things to talk about, Ryan turned to Bruce and said, "So, Mr Sweetman, how is the computer games industry these days?" Jodie nearly fell off her chair. It was Brian Sweetman, her overweight and lazy friend from school only he wasn't overweight any more. He was tall, handsome and quite obviously very successful. As admitting that she knew him would mean her secret would be revealed, she quickly regained her composure and the rest of the meal was uneventful. When the meal was finished the girls moved into the kitchen leaving Ryan and Mike to carry on trying to score points over each other and Bruce to sit and do his best to get a word in edgeways. The conversation in the kitchen was only marginally less boring and after about ten minutes, Jodie finally managed to excusedherself to go to the bathroom but, as she was passing the lounge door, Bruce emerged. "I'm sorry about Mike & Ryan," he started, "they're harmless really but they do like talking about how great they are. But, anyway, I'm Bruce and tell me a bit about you." "Well, there's not much to tell, really, I work with Ellen and live on my own." "Is that it?! How can someone as beautiful as you be on her own?" Jodie blushed. It was apparent that whilst she knew who Bruce was, Bruce hadn't a clue about her. "I'm afraid that is it and I guess the right person hasn't come along yet. Anyway, enough about me. You're in the computer games business aren't you?" "Yes," replied Bruce, "I used to play a lot of computer games as a kid and, when I was about 18, I developed a game which sold quite well so I used the proceeds to set up a company to develop more games. It's nothing special but it earns me a living. Otherwise, like you there's not much to report as I seem to spend far too much time working." While Bruce was talking, Jodie felt an increasing attraction to him. This perplexed her as, despite her transition, she was still attracted to women, or so she'd convinced herself. Despite the fact that neither of them had much of a life outside work, they just seemed to click and Jodie was transfixed as Bruce talked about the computer games industry and his plans for his next game. Finally, Bruce turned to Jodie and said "look, it's getting late. I need to be up early tomorrow but can I give you a lift home?" "Oh, you don't have to. It's a half hour drive home and I'm sure you need to get some sleep." "Sleep is for wimps," laughed Bruce parodying Michael Douglas, "famous line from Wall Street "so is that a yes then?" "OK, I accept, thanks very much." Having said their goodbyes, Bruce and Jodie walked to Bruce's car, a new top of the range Audi. Apparently his "nothing special," computer games business was doing rather well. Bruce opened the door for Jodie and as she got in she couldn't help be impressed with the sumptuous leather interior. They were soon on their way and Jodie then turned to Bruce. "I don't get it. You're obviously very successful in what you do and you're a good looking guy. You must have girls lining up to go out with you so how come you're still single." Bruce took a deep breath. "Well, the short answer is that I guess I've never met the right person." "What about Ellen or Ashley?" "Well, they're both very nice. I dated Ellen for a month or so but we realised that we were destined to be friends not lovers. Ashley's very nice, if a little dull but Mike & Ryan are currently fighting it out over her and, even if I was interested, I'm not sure I've got the energy to join the fight. Anyway I spend too much time working." "But you came out tonight, so you obviously do get out from time to time. I think you're just making excuses." "OK, you're not buying that so I'd better give you the long answer. You're right, I do get girls flirting with me but that's all it is, just flirting. It always just seems that they're after my success, not me. But I think there's a much deeper reason. I fell in love once when I was a teenager. Everything seemed just right and I would have gladly spent the rest of my life with that person but it was complicated and I haven't seen them for nearly 10 years. I should be over it by now but the whole thing just plays on my mind and stops me getting close to anyone else." "Complicated? In what way?" "I'm sorry but I'd really not talk about it. I know that I need to move on and just hope that, one day, I can meet someone I can really love." The realisation that Bruce was probably talking about her, or at least Jody as a boy started to sink in. But even stronger was the realisation that she now found Bruce incredibly attractive and the reason that she was still single was probably that, instead of looking for a female soul mate, she should probably have been looking for a male. They were soon pulling up outside Jodie's flat and Bruce stopped the car and turned to Jodie. "Jodie," started Bruce, "if I don't say this now, I never will. You're the most beautiful and engaging woman I've ever met. I've loved every minute I've spent with you tonight. Please can I buy you dinner sometime?" "That would be very nice. Here's my number - please call me soon." Jodie scribbled down her name and number on a piece of paper from her bag and handed it to Bruce. Bruce looked at the paper on which Jodie had written her full name - Jodie Davies - and then her number. "Jodie Davies? That's a coincidence. My best friend at school was called Jody Davies but I lost touch with him after my family moved away." Jodie saw that, as he talked about his friendship with Jody, Bruce became quite sad. "Was he your lost love?" she asked. Bruce felt that he had been backed into a corner. Tell the truth and Jodie would probably never want to see him again. Lie and she'd almost certainly see through him and never want to see him again. He knew it was time to be honest. "Yes, but as I said before, it's complicated," and he started to tell the story about the night in Jacksons. He finished the story and then added, "The sad thing is that I've only got one photograph of us together and, as it was all make believe 'she' doesn't really exist at all." Bruce took his smartphone, opened what looked like a calculator app, tapped in a few numbers and then a secret photographic vault opened. He tapped on the photo of the two of them they'd taken when Jody was wearing the prom dress and passed it to Jodie. Jodie also knew it was time to be honest. She looked him straight in the eyes and said "Bruce, it's me." "No way. You're nothing like him. Apart from the obvious gender differences, your personalities are completely different." "Bruce, I'm telling the truth." Jodie reached into her bag, took out her mobile phone and after a bit of tapping, passed the phone to Bruce where he saw the same photo on the screen. "My god! It is you. What happened?" "Well, the short answer is that, having realised who I really was and accepted who I really was, I transitioned to female and have never been happier." Bruce looked shocked. Jodie continued. "After that night, I spent the next five years trying to convince myself that I wasn't gay and that I wasn't transgender but I could never shake off the feeling that, when dressed as a girl that night, everything felt right for the first time in my life. Before that night, I'd felt different but never knew why and that's why I could never relate to anyone else; I was just too wrapped up in my own problems. I loved girls and desperately wanted to be friends with them but I just could not find a way to be in their world. The problem was that afterwards, I was ashamed about the way I felt and put what energy I had into trying to forget that it ever happened and convince myself that I was normal." Jodie then went on to tell Bruce about how she had been tricked into the Halloween outing by her colleagues and how it had finally convinced her to live an authentic life. Then she looked at Bruce. "Your turn to tell all!" Bruce nodded and started to tell his story. "About three weeks before we opened the challenge envelopes, I saw a programme on TV about men who wanted to change into women. I was fascinated about how ordinary looking men became beautiful women and spent a lot of time afterwards watching YouTube videos of guys transforming themselves into girls using makeup and, I admit, I found it exciting." "So you're attracted to transwomen?" interrupted Jodie. "Maybe I am but not just because they're transwomen. Whilst I admit that, as a 15 year old, I found the idea of an average looking guy turning into a beautiful woman a bit of a turn-on, it went much deeper than that. Most of the girls I knew at the time were tomboys but here were women in beautiful clothes and high heels, immaculately made up and looking stunning. To be honest, I didn't care whether they were born as girls or boys - they just looked fantastic." Jodie started to understand but wondered how the Jackson's challenge come about? Bruce continued, "When we started talking about the challenge at school, I thought it would be fun to see one of the boys dressed as a girl so I wrote the card you picked. At the time, I didn't really care who picked out the card, and if I didn't get to be their wingman on the challenge, at least I would get to see photos afterwards. I couldn't believe my luck when you opened your envelope and it was my challenge as it meant I would now get to play a part rather than just seeing photographs afterwards." "During that night in Jacksons, you were so different but I don't think you realised. Gone was the awkward boy who rarely smiled and spoke in grunts and, in his place, was the loveliest girl I'd ever seen who was bright and happy. It felt that you were my girlfriend and it felt so right. I never wanted that night to end and I so badly wanted to kiss you. I was devastated when you came to your senses and pulled away. I could never get you as the girl in Jacksons, or my feelings for you, out of my head and I hoped that, one day, you'd want to do it again but what happened ruined our friendship and it was not to be. Until tonight, no one I've ever met since has made me feel the way I did when I saw you as a girl that night but, even before you told me who you were, I started to think you might be different, you might be The One. Like you, I spent years repeating "I'm not gay," over and over to myself and trying to overcome the shame I felt having a crush on my best friend and trying to kiss him. In the end, it prevented me from having a relationship with anyone else as I was always terrified that my secret would come out." Jodie felt and understood his sadness & pain. She too had been in denial for so long but at least she had finally been able to confront her problems and fix them. How do you get over your love for someone who, you know, doesn't really exist with just a photograph to remember them by? How do you live each day hoping that that person is real and will come back but knowing in your heart that they never will? "Now you know everything. I hope I can see you again but, if you'd rather not, I'll understand and try to move on. I should go now but please phone me as I really don't want to lose you for a second time." "Oh Bruce, don't be silly, of course I'll phone you. It's funny isn't it, we both spent all of these years trying to convince ourselves that we weren't gay when we didn't have to?" "How do you mean?" asked Bruce, a little confused. "Well, you're a guy and I was a girl all along - we just didn't realise it at the time so that makes us both straight. Do you think it was destiny that brought us back together?" Bruce laughed. "I'm not sure I believe in guiding forces. It could just have been coincidence." "Coincidence that you watched that TV programme about transsexuals and hatched a plan to get one of your classmates to dress up as a girl? Coincidence that I drew your envelope in the challenge? Coincidence that my workmates played a trick on me that ultimately enabled me to realise who I really was? Coincidence that I won the lottery prize that paid for everything? Coincidence that I work with Ellen who you'd dated and who brought us back together? Coincidence that we both ended up at the same boring dinner party and started talking to each other to avoid the other guests?" Then she added sarcastically, "Yes, I suppose it could have been coincidence." "Or destiny," conceded Bruce, "anyway, I should really let you get some sleep now." "Do you remember what you said to me earlier?" asked Jodie with a smile "Er... I said a lot of things. What do you mean?" "You said sleep is for wimps so I think you should come inside as we've got such a lot to catch up on." Jodie and Bruce started to walk up the front path but then Jodie stopped and turned to Bruce. "I also think we've got some unfinished business to complete." "What do you mean?" asked Bruce, a little puzzled. "This," replied Jodie as she moved closer to him and looked into his eyes. As her lips touched his, he took her into his arms and held her tight As their tongues playfully danced, they closed their eyes and melted into the passion that was now engulfing them. Meanwhile, in the shadows, Destiny was packing her bags; it had been a long journey and she'd worked particularly hard tonight but now her work was done and it was time to move on.