NINETEEN FIFTY
Tim really loved to read all about what it was like for men long ago
when they were the strong ones, the ones in charge. Not like today. He
was particularly fascinated by those now banned books that told of men
seducing women, making passionate love to them and women doing
everything to please their men. Knowing their place, it was called.
The classics which were available today had been completely re-written;
there were no more heroes, only heroines. His friend Peter explained
that books such as Pride and Prejudice originally had a Mr Darcy and a
Miss Bennet but had been changed to a Miss Darcy and a Master Bennet,
Oliver Twist was now Olivia Twist. It did not really make a lot of
sense to Tim but Peter said it was like that with all books published
years earlier.
In little more than 150 years women had managed to subjugate men,
reducing them to where they had become the weaker sex. It used to be a
man's world, but with the help of a microchip inserted into the back of
their necks at birth everything altered. Most men today had never heard
of the expression "a man's world".
The first early edition of the chip was used by pet owners who wished to
control their animals but when seen how effective they were and of
course with updates they were inserted in the back of the neck as a
compulsory part of sentencing of violent criminals to stop re-offending
which proved very successful.
Soon a push to insert the chip into the male population began with a
women's movement which was predominately made up of those involved in
the medical profession. These women saw the damage some men were
inflicting on not just women, but on children and even on themselves and
decided to do something about it. The movement began to gain traction
with some men who if they had known where it would eventually lead may
not have given their support.
Advances in science played a huge role in the development of the
microchip and with further updates that showed when inserted was proving
it could change behaviour completely. Some men actually volunteered to
have the chip attached unwittingly. When it was seen what was possible
a programme was begun where a chip was to be inserted in new born male
children.
Men did not just lie down and give into the idea of being chipped and
some fought very hard to try and stop the process but as their
generation died out and with new born males being chipped the resistance
died with them. Just how quickly it became the norm was amazing and
over a generation roles had changed completely.
These chips with even more modifications curbed the amount of
testosterone males could produce and men became a mere shadow of what
they once were. They could alter moods, feelings and influence
thoughts; in fact whatever a woman wanted her man to do was becoming
possible.
Today it was unusual to see a husband, even when wearing heels, who was
taller than his wife. In fact Tim's wife, Hilda, was a good six inches
taller than he was. Men were weaker both physically and emotionally.
It took a while but eventually women found it unnecessary to use the
chip to take advantage of males, they soon became very compliant. In
fact most were content to allow women to just take over what had once
been the male role in society and wives seldom had to discipline their
husbands.
The chip also enabled women to track the male members of their family
with a simple app on their wrist watch; this ensured that they always
knew where they were at any time, day or night. Women now had the upper
hand and their men seemed happy to stay in what was now considered was
"their place".
Tim, like most men, was a stay at home husband and homemaker but this
did not stop him dreaming and yearning and wishing to have been born
years earlier.
He was particularly fascinated by what he read of what it was like in
the 1950's, only 250 years earlier. What a life it must have been. If
what he read was true, and it must be said that other than the illegal
books that he got from his friend, Peter, there was no proof available
that men were fully in charge then.
When they got together for coffee mornings while their wives were at
work and the kids at school their discussions always ended up at that
somehow magical time when men could do as they liked, just like women
could do now, when women were the homemaker just as men are now. What a
time it must have been.
Peter was sometimes accompanied by their other friend, Michael. Peter
and Michael worked as night cleaners at the public library. This time
Michael brought with him old newspapers that he got from the abandoned
and long forgotten basement in the library. Michael explained that this
part of the library had been closed up a long time ago and in there is
where he had discovered the many old unaltered books and also the ones
that Peter often handed on to him.
The books Tim got from Peter, under the banner of Mills and Boon, were
always romances with the man as the hero. Even though he knew they were
fiction he loved reading them in secret. Tim was sure if his wife,
Hilda, ever found out about them he would be in a lot of trouble. Being
the breadwinner and boss, Hilda could be a stickler for doing the right
thing and would not appreciate him breaking rules.
But this time the newspapers that Michael and Peter brought around to
the coffee morning made interesting reading. They came from Tim's
favourite period in history, the mid twentieth century. In them he read
about a world recovering from a world war, how it was going to be a
better and fairer society, how soon rationing would end, how they would
all be driving bigger and faster automobiles, air travel would be
cheaper and everyone would be able to afford it.
There did not appear to be much mention of women other than one or two
pages that was solely aimed at them, and even had a heading saying "The
Women's Page", which only seemed to feature cooking recipes and fashion.
There were no stories about women doing well in the world of politics or
business which seemed to fill every news screen these days. Back then
there were pages and pages all about men's sport which once again was
unlike today's sports news. No one watched men playing sport, it just
did not compete with women's sport for skill, speed or aggression.
There newspapers also contained some darker news with the fear of
communism and the spread of socialism which appeared to worry those in
power. But it was the advertising in the woman's page which grabbed
Tim's attention. For some reason the advertisements of women's
fashions, especially underwear, really got his interest. The corsets
reminded him that Hilda, who liked him to appear trim, insisting he wear
a panty girdle when they went out together, but they were nothing like
the corsets in the advertisements. The corsets in the newspapers looked
like something worn as a punishment.
He expressed a desire to both men that he would love to go back to that
period and was really surprised when Michael told him that there maybe
could be a way, well sort of. The abandoned basement at the library had
a machine that could demonstrate what things were like long ago.
The machine had a programme where through a form of virtual reality a
person could set a period in time and a scenario with which to work in
and visit that time. He had read the instruction manual and although it
probably had not been used by anyone in a long time he had turned it on
and as far as he could tell was still OK.
I'm not sure if I would be game to try it, Michael said of himself, but
then again what could happen? If it worked, great and if it didn't,
well no harm done. He said it could be arranged. It would be difficult
to organise. Somehow he would have to sneak him into the library after
hours, but he thought perhaps the best way would be for Tim to get a
part-time cleaners job and that way there would be no problems with
security, which with surveillance cameras it would be impossible to get
in unnoticed.
That same evening he put dinner on the table in front of Hilda and the
kids, and then he got them off to bed, after allowing them some screen
time. Returning he went and got Hilda a glass of wine. He then sat
down on a rug at her feet and began to give them a rub. He then slyly
brought up the subject of a part-time job at the library. He explained
the hours, 7pm to 12pm, two nights a week.
Hilda, he could tell, was not happy with the idea of her husband
working. For a start she said how much she would miss evenings like
this and that they did not need the money. But if she was being honest
she did not like the thought that she would have to get the kids ready
for bed, for as far as she was concerned that was his job and was she
now going to be expected to do the dishes and prepare lunches for the
whole family.
Tim persisted saying he could do dishes and make lunches before going to
bed and still be up early enough to get everyone's breakfast. Later
that night after making sure Hilda was well and truly satisfied sexually
she reluctantly agreed to give it a trial. Tim was more than happy with
that and fell asleep making plans for his journey back to the 1950's.
After securing the job at the library he made sure that he just did the
cleaning for the first month. This was just in case Hilda checked up on
him. He knew she would check firstly to see what his job entailed and
maybe a couple more times just to make sure all was well. He also knew
she would get bored of listening to the sound of a vacuum and would not
bother anymore.
Finally one evening Michael took him down to the area where the machine
was, he showed him the helmet he would wear which was wired to a small
machine about the size of a briefcase. There was a screen on one side
with a few dials and a keyboard just below. This Michael explained was
where you set the year, age, sex and then you typed in a destination and
a storyline of the journey you wanted to take. He also explained that
according to the manual every hour under the helmet would equate to one
month of the journey. So the three hour trip would seem like three
months to him.
He then told Tim the bit he had been keeping back and pointed to the
straight backed chair with straps and broke it to him that the process
required him to be strapped so that no movement was possible and that
included his head. The chair resembled something from an old horror
movie that was used years ago to electrocute convicts. Not being the
bravest, Tim now began to have doubts about the whole plan.
That night in bed snuggled up to Hilda, Tim, who was worried about being
strapped to the chair, decided he had to be brave and convinced himself
to try it out on his next shift. The thought of being a 1950's male was
too enticing. He was sure if he changed his mind either Michael or
Peter could unstrap him.
The next evening Tim once again put dinner on the table for his family.
Being a bit preoccupied about what he was about to do later that night
he did not notice that he hurried everyone so he could get the dishes
finished before heading off to work. Hilda did notice that he was
acting oddly and asked him if everything was all right. He just made an
excuse about making sure he was in work on time.
Finishing the dishes he rushed upstairs to do his face and change into
his work uniform. Unlike a lot of men Tim did not wear much makeup
other than a bit of lipstick, eye shadow and mascara. He then got the
kids off to bed ignoring their usual protests about being too old to go
to bed this early and then got Hilda a glass of wine. Hilda, putting on
a worried look asked if he was on a diet again as he did not eat very
much at dinner time. He said he was as he had put on a few pounds
lately.
He grabbed his hand bag, kissed Hilda on the cheek and said he had to
hurry or he would miss his lift and then headed for the door. She
watched him as he walked away with a smile on her face, looking at his
skinny little bottom she wondered where he was putting on weight. What
were men coming to, she thought. As she watched him leave she
remembered that tomorrow he would turn 40 and she had already decided
she would take him shopping and get him that red dress he was so keen
on. She intended to make his day special.
She loved Tim dearly, enjoyed his sense of humour, he was never moody
like some men were when they did not get their own way and was always up
for any adventure. He was probably a bit cheeky at times. But he also
was a good housekeeper and kept the kids in line. Although she knew he
was not happy about how their two younger daughters teased their older
but smaller brother and forced him to do their chores.
She did not like the short skirt that was a part of his uniform, she
much preferred him in skirts that came to his knees. He was a very good
looking man and she did not trust other women when they were around him.
He was a pushover and she knew it. He was not averse to a bit of
flirting and there had been a few times Hilda had to save him when panic
set in because some woman or other came on to him a bit strong.
She was proud of her husband, especially for the fact that he had
managed to get her pregnant three times without any medical help which
most men seemed to require these days. Their equipment in that area had
shrunk quite considerably, but somehow her husband had achieved almost
the impossible. She also knew he was more than full of himself with his
achievements. But after three children she insisted it was time to get
him fixed, three children were more than enough.
She had asked him when she first seen him in uniform if there were any
women there at night. He assured her there were none, and just as Tim
had predicted she did call him regularly for the first couple of weeks.
But seeing he was only with Peter or Michael reassured her that he would
be safe and as he predicted she did get bored and soon gave up checking
on him.
Hilda had known both Peter and Michael for some time and knew that they
were both reliable; Peter was married to June, who was an associate at
the law firm where they both worked. They had no children as of yet so
it was fine for him to have his cleaning job.
Michael lived with his mother and his three sons, she knew his wife had
left him and gone to live with another woman, something that was not
unusual as there were many women who felt a relationship with a man was
not very fulfilling.
When Michael's wife left, he and the boys moved in with his widowed
mother who spoiled her grandsons terribly, forever buying them pretty
clothes and generally allowed them to do as they wished. Michael, being
a fuss pot, disapproved as he believed it could spoil their chances of
attracting a wife if they grew up too independent. But Hilda approved
of them being friends of her husband.
Tim finally arrived at the library just as Michael was opening the rear
entrance door. Peter was just behind him and they both looked
expectantly at him. He grinned and nodded a yes to them and then
hurried off to the cleaner's room where their equipment was kept. They
discussed how they would handle the operation as they began to call
Tim's upcoming journey. Sort of like a secret mission.
Tim, as he normally did, would clean the toilets first, which would take
him approximately 45 minutes, then he, Michael and Peter would get into
the abandoned basement, strap Tim in the chair, set the machine to the
proper co-ordinance and then he would be on his way. Michael made it
all sound so simple.
The entrance to the basement was behind a thick heavy curtain and the
door to the basement was set further back in an arch. Michael who had
always wondered what was behind the door found a set of keys one day
while cleaning behind the curtain in a small hole beneath a loose tile
just in front of the door and low and behold the key fit the lock.
Since then he had made regular trips into the basement, discovering a
wealth of information from the books that were still there of how things
were in the old days.
All three of them made their way behind the curtain and got the door
open and proceeded down the steep stairs. Switching on the lamps which
Michael and Peter carried they made their way past piles of old books
and what could only have been old films on plastic discs. They would
have liked to see those films but there was no possible way to access
them.
Michael put a lamp as close as possible to the machine so they could see
what they were doing and began to proceed with the operation.
Encouraged by both Peter and Michael they got Tim into the chair but
could sense his reluctance as they began to strap him in.
Then Michael moved to the machine and they heard a soft purr as he
switched it on. He then began setting the dials; first the time limit
was set for 3 hours, secondly the year - 1950, then Male on the
male/female dial, Age 40 years. His fingers began typing and on the
screen could be seen "New York - Happily Married Man". Walking back he
picked up the helmet and placed it over Tim's head. He was very glad
not having to see Tim anymore as the look of fright on his face was
making Michael nervous and unsure if they should continue.
Finally he walked back to the machine and pressed the green button to
set it in motion. The soft purr suddenly turned into a loud racket and
the machine began to rock on the table. Michael and Peter did not know
what was happening but they saw before their eyes the dials begin to
move of their own accord. The time limit of 3 hours did not alter and
the year stayed at 1950, but male switched to female and the age was now
pointing to 16 years. On the screen "New York - Happily Married Man"
had disappeared and in its place they could read "Ireland - Pregnant".
Peter almost crying said we have to get him out, but Michael held him
back as he was about to lift the helmet telling him that they could
cause Tim permanent brain damage if they do not let the machine run the
full three hours. He picked up the manual and showed Peter a whole page
with a warning notice printed in red. It clearly said never in any
circumstances should the machine be turned off while a subject was
attached to it. All this printed in large red type convinced Peter.
There is nothing they could do; they prayed he would be himself when the
time is up. They had to get back upstairs to the cleaning; there were
only two of them to do three men's work. They decided they would come
down every half hour to check up on him.
Tim knew immediately something was wrong. He had heard the roar of the
machine and then all went dark.
He was lying in a single bed; in the dim light sneaking in from the
windows he could see other beds along beside him and opposite him. He
was in some kind of dormitory. The bed was uncomfortable or maybe he
could not get comfortable. He stomach felt full and he put his hand
down to rub it. His first taught was what is going on, his belly was
bulging and as he brought his other hand down they touched what felt
like breasts.
He froze; both hands then came up and rested on what was definitely
breasts. He could not help himself as he sneaked his hand down to his
groin. Nothing. He had to pull up a night shirt and slid his hand into
his underwear, the elastic at the waist told him he was wearing women's
underwear similar to what he had seen in the newspaper advertisements,
and he was certain now, he had a woman's body. He had a vagina.
He wanted to scream, but told himself to stay calm. Somehow he knew
bringing attention to him here was not the thing to do. It was coming
to him, where he was, who he was and why he was here. His name was not
Tim here, it was Mary. Once again he placed his hand on his belly, he
was now Mary and Mary was pregnant.
Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he was Tim and he knew where
he was. He was in the basement of the library. But he was feeling
everything Mary was feeling, the cold dampness of the dormitory, he
could also hear the quite snoring and the tossing and turning sounds
coming from some of the other beds and suddenly felt the need to pee.
He felt all of these things. Mary's thoughts were now his. He climbed
out of bed and pulled a basin from underneath, realising he would have
to squat he lowered his knickers and peed into the basin.
As he was about to climb back in he could hear Alice in the bed to his
left sobbing. He took Alice's hand and led her out of her bed and took
her into his own. He held Alice close until she stopped crying and
finally fell asleep. They lay together until dawn and then in Mary's
soft voice whispered to Alice to get into her own bed before the Sister
came to wake up the dormitory or else they would get in trouble.
Alice was 14 years old and like Mary was pregnant. She was due around
the same time as Mary and despite her own predicament her heart went out
to her. She did not know the circumstances and did not ask. Every girl
in the dormitory had a story and every girl in the dormitory was
pregnant.
Tim now stopped thinking of himself as Tim, he was Mary, even though he
knew he was Tim, it was all so strange and getting more and more
confusing.
Mary was well used to taking her younger sisters into her bed at
weekends back home, especially evenings after their father had been out
drinking. He had climbed in beside her a few times when he was drunk so
this was her way of trying to make sure that nothing would to happen to
her younger sisters. Safety in numbers.
She was not sure how her younger brothers faired in the room next to
theirs, but occasionally she heard her father falling about in there.
When she brought her fears about her father up in conversation to her
mother for her trouble she got a slap across her ear and was told never
to talk about her father like that.
Tim realised he was not only living in the moment with Mary, but he
could also feel her thoughts as if her thoughts were now his. Through
Mary he knew he was in the year 1950, he knew this was not New York, it
was Ireland, and he was in a convent run by nuns and in a place called a
"Mother and Child Home".
Mary began to look at the reasons she ended up here, firstly, she should
never have had anything to do with John Mortgage, secondly, she should
never have given in and told his name to her father, and lastly, never
believe a priest again.
She let Johnny Boy, as he was called, have intercourse with her, not
once but a few times. He was 18, tall, handsome and every girl in the
village chased after him. His family were wealthy and lived in what was
known locally as "The Big House". Mary remembered how he had promised
everything would be fine. All lies.
When her mother told her father that she was with child he beat her
until she told him who was responsible. That very evening he was around
at the Mortgage house demanding that John do the honourable thing or
else his next stop was the police station. Mary at the time was 15
years old, which meant John, could be prosecuted.
Later leaving the Mortgage house with a wad of cash and a belly full of
good whiskey her father's next stop was the presbytery. There her
future was all arranged. The next day John Mortgage was on a boat
headed for Liverpool.
Almost before she had time to pack a case she was on a bus with my
mother heading for the monastery. When she arrived she saw before her
young eyes a massive building easily the length of her village main
street and three stories high in parts. Her mother said it was best
that she stay here until the baby was born. That way there would be no
prying eyes or busybodies to see the shame that she had brought upon her
and her father.
Tim desperately tried to understand all of this. He was finding it
impossible to believe parents could do this to their own child.
Mary knew she had committed a sin in the eyes of God but did not believe
her mother could be so cruel. Who was going to look after her younger
brothers and sisters if she was not at home with them? As she was led
by her mother through the gates, past the gatehouse and walked down the
long gravel driveway she began to shake and tears welled up in her eyes.
Tim felt tears rolling down his cheeks.
Her mother left her at the main door and never looked back as Mary was
taken inside by a nun. Her name was Sister Clair and she told Mary that
she was her Dorm Sister. She was then taken to the office of the Mother
Superior, Sister Bernadette. When asked her name she told the Sister it
was Mary, the nun almost had a stroke, you will not be called Mary here
you little harlot, she yelled, how dear you call yourself after Christ's
mother.
Take her out of my sight, she told Sister Clair who had brought her to
the office, and get her into a proper uniform. Mary was then taken to
another nun who told her to strip. She was too frightened not to do as
was told. As she stood there naked the nun produced a grey smock, a
dark blue blouse, a pair of large knickers, one size fits all, smirked
the nun. She then found a pair of well darned socks and a pair of
workmen's boots several of sizes too big.
All of the clothing was well worn and Mary could not believe that she
was going to be told to put on clothing that she thought looked as if
they had just been collected from the town dump.
As she began to pull up the knickers the nun insisted on helping her
dress. Mary felt rough hands on her swelling belly that slowly moved
down to her vagina. She jumped back a little but was once again too
afraid to make a sound. The nun just smiled and told her to hurry up
and to let her get her dressed. There was more fondling of her breasts
as her blouse was being buttoned up. Mary was being introduced to
Sister Imelda who was known by the other girls as "Hairy Spider".
Sister Imelda then filled an old sack with two nightdresses and extra
clothing. Mary took them thinking she had given better to the rag an'
bone man when he was passing their door back home.
Completely confused, frightened and unable to focus on what was
happening Mary was taken to the dormitory and shown where she would be
sleeping. Sister Clair continued to give instructions but Mary was not
able to take anything in as she was too upset. Finally alone she looked
around for her suitcase and realised that she did not know what had
happened to it. Her few possessions were gone. She then lay curled up
on the bed and cried for what seemed hours until the dorm began to fill
up with others.
None of the girls who walked in took the slightest notice of Mary; they
just walked in and made for their beds. A few clustered together in
small groups whispering. Sister Clair soon arrived ordering them to get
cleaned up and then head down to the dining room now or else they would
get nothing to eat. Someone down the end was heard to say - it will be
next to nothing anyway so what is the point in hurrying.
Sister Clair marched to the end of the room and out of nowhere came a
cane with which she used to whack one of the girls across the back of
the legs. Sheela O'Neill you can stay behind while everyone else get a
move on, the Sister yelled. Unfortunately for Sheela it was not her who
spoke.
As the rest moved out the only two left in the dorm were Sheela and
Mary. Sheela walked down and sat on the bed opposite Mary. Feckin
bitches, she said, rubbing her legs, and then she introduced herself.
She told Mary what she could expect here, and that would be nothing but
abuse and hard labour. And watch out for that bitch, Sister Clair, as
she enjoys beating us, Sheela told her, and I'm sure she wets her
knickers doing it.
Sheela told her that as well as taking in pregnant girls the convent was
also an orphanage. There were about 20 girls, who like us, are
expecting and something like 40 girls who were orphans. If the truth be
told, she said, we are all unpaid skivvies. The whole place is a huge
laundry; we wash sheets, towels, priest's clothes and vestments, the
nun's clothes and whatever other business the clergy can drum up. Then
there's the housework. Avoid scrubbing floors if you can, somehow, she
said, she was sure that was going to be her job tomorrow, they are
vindictive bitches. The best jobs are in the kitchen, but you have to
get on your back for the priest when he visits for that job.
One half of the building was run by the nuns and the other half by the
Christian Brothers. Their half was supposed to be a school for orphan
boys and boys sent here by the State for God knew what reason. But
there is no schooling; the boys spend their days out in the fields
planting vegetables, picking potatoes, and whatever, as long they are
making more money for the church. Just watch out for them Brothers,
Sheela warned, some will try to have their way with you and do not care
if you are pregnant or not.
Mary told Sheela about Sister Bernadette not being very happy when she
told her what her name was. Feck her, she told Mary, I'll tell everyone
to call you Mary and with that she went back to her own bed.
Tim just thought this was all wrong. His stomach felt weak. How were
they getting away with it, how come it was not stopped. He did not know
if Mary would survive and then he remembered he was now Mary and Mary
was tough, tougher than him, he knew that she would be making plans
about getting out of there.
Mary did get a job in the kitchen. She found out that the Mortgage
family had their own plans for her unborn child. With John being their
only child and no prospect of another sibling they wanted to be sure
that their son's child was cared for even if he or she was to be a
bastard. This news she heard accidentally while overhearing a
conversation between Sister Clair and the cook, Mrs Smart. It seemed
Mary was to get special treatment, at least until her baby was born.
After hearing this Mary was adamant that she was going to be the one to
look after her own baby.
She would later discover that the special treatment did not apply when
it came to Father O'Brien.
Mary and Sheela became friendly, they shared a lot in common, both from
small rural areas and their getting pregnant stories were almost
identical. Sheela supplied Mary with extra socks from the laundry
telling her to always wear two pairs and it would make the boots fit
better. Mary pinched food whenever she could from the kitchen and
passed it on to Sheela, who would then share it if there was enough with
some of the other girls.
Mary had never been in such a dismal place in her short life. The work
was never ending, scrubbing pots and pans, washing dishes, peeling
spuds, cleaning vegetables, and then it would all begin over again. The
only bit she took any pleasure was making bread. She had learned how to
make soda bread from her own mother so Mrs Smart always called upon her
to help. She was the only girl from her dormitory working in the
kitchen; the others came from the orphanage.
The orphanage girls fared no better and it was obvious they were not a
very happy group. Most worked in the laundry, which could be anything
up to 12 hours a day and the really unfortunate ones got the job of
cleaners. That was a back breaking job, sweeping up, cleaning
furniture, and worst of all scrubbing floors. The only day the girls
did not work was Sunday. Mary considered herself lucky to be in the
kitchen despite having to work that day.
There was one big bathroom where all the girls washed themselves daily
with cold water and once a week they got to have a bath. The room had
five baths and hot water was carried in large pots from the kitchen.
The lucky girls were the ones who had their bath first as the water was
not changed, only topped up occasionally. This meant that whoever was
last to have their bath was most likely the tenth to be shearing the
same water, which by that time was almost cold.
Bath time was supervised by Sister Imelda, who was not averse to using a
scrubbing brush on some of the girls and took too much satisfaction
drying off some.
The girls did not see much of the boys other than looking out at them
working in the fields or grounds through a window, but Patrick, once an
orphan here himself, but now working for the orphanage lived in the
gatehouse and also supervised the younger boys. He was a regular
visitor to the kitchen. He was a bit of a joker and Mrs Smart had a
soft spot for him. Mary thought with all the bits and pieces he
received from the kitchen courtesy of the cook he should not have been
so skinny.
He always had a funny story to tell and he was one of the only people
who seemed to be always in a good humour. He teased Mary about the size
of her boots and called her the kitchen penguin after the way she
wobbled about. It was Patrick who warned her about Father O'Brien.
He came to the home every Friday and Sunday to hear confessions and say
mass and stayed the rest of Sunday. He had a room of his own and
received his meals there. Patrick had warned her that he liked to meet
the new intakes and he liked to fondle them. He told her girls who did
not do what he wanted them to do would usually get a visit from Sister
Bernadette or Sister Clair.
Mary understood what he meant and her first Sunday delivering dinner to
Father O'Brien she was not completely sure what would be expected of
her. He accepted his dinner and she was told to wait as he finished it,
he then told her to take his plate back to the kitchen and ask Mrs Smart
for a bottle of stout and return.
Mary got the shock of her life when she came back to find the priest
sitting in an armchair by the fireside with his cassock up exposing
himself. He ordered Mary to leave the bottle on the table and to get
over to him. Mary who moved too slowly for his liking received a slap
when she was close enough for him to administer one.
Mary who had seen a penis before was not surprised when he told her to
take it in her hands. She knew what she was required to do and set to
it in the hope that playing with it was all he would want. He came
quickly and Mary was very happy when he told her she was a very good
girl and dismissed her. She rushed out and made her way to the toilet
block to wash her hands.
Tim who had never considered touching another man felt himself aroused
by the whole episode. He had seen other men naked in the showers after
playing for his netball team but for the life of him he had never seen a
penis that big. He could not get over at how small it made his hands
seem, or did he mean Mary's hands. He knew he should not be feeling the
way he did but could not help himself.
He felt a pang of guilt knowing that Mary after her initial surprise did
not enjoy the experience.
Later she confided to Sheela about what had happened in Father O'Brien's
private room and Sheela let her know that she would be a regular visitor
to that room every Sunday from now on. Father O'Brien's demands would
become even more demanding.
One night she was woken by someone climbing into her bed. Believing it
was Alice she put her arm about the intruders shoulder. She knew
immediately it was someone else and before she could complain a hand was
clamped to her mouth. Nobody had warned her about the possibility of
Sister Imelda climbing into her bed. Mary was forced into of an hour of
pawing and when Sister Imelda planted her lips on hers the touch of
stubble from her upper lip made the revulsion complete. Mary knew where
the hairy part of her nickname came and now knew the spider part was
about feeling like she had eight hands.
Some of the other girls knew what was happening but knew well enough to
say nothing.
Why she told Patrick about her meetings with Father O'Brian and the
night with Sister Imelda she was not sure. He did not criticise her as
he knew from his own experiences with the brothers that not doing as
told usually led to a beating. He just gave her one of his grins and
said that he wished he had someone do it for him. That grin of his was
infectious and smiling back she said if he played his cards right he
just might get lucky.
And lucky he did get. Patrick and Mary regularly snuck out to the
fields together where Mary was a willing participant in putting a smile
on Patrick's face.
Tim was also smiling despite feeling embarrassed. He felt that it was
him playing with Patrick's massive penis.
So the weeks went by and Mary got bigger and bigger. Some of the girls
had already left and new girls arrived. Not all the girls who left were
leaving with their child. With three weeks left to her due date she was
no longer required to bring Father O'Brien his dinner but her and
Patrick had grown closer and were now putting together plans.
Now when Mary kissed Patrick, Tim felt that it was him doing the
kissing, and when she held his penis, Tim felt he was getting used to
playing with it. And every time he knew what he was feeling was wrong
but could not help be aroused by it.
Sometimes when they talked Patrick could not hold back his anger when
telling her that he had been abused by the brothers while in the
orphanage and told her that it still happened to the boys now.
He told her that on Friday nights a group of men visited the home and in
a room all prepared for them with food and drink some of the boys would
be introduced. These men were supposed to be pillars of the
neighbourhood, land owners, bankers, lawyers and businessmen. He said
he did not know what they called their club, probably the Buggers Club.
The head brother, he said, was a leading member and Patrick believed he
got donations for his trouble which never got back to the church.
He said it did not pay to be a good looking boy in the orphanage.
One day as they walked in the grounds together they passed two brothers
who they caught holding hands. Patrick in his usual jaunty manner said
hello sisters to them but she noticed that despite his cheek he was the
one who blushed.
Mary protested that they were two of the nicer brothers and were always
helpful to the girls in the laundry. Patrick informed her that was
because they were not interested in girls but instead liked only each
other. He told her that he had been in the orphanage since he was six
years old and that those two had had been carrying on like an old
married couple since then.
He then told her that Brother Thomas was not as young as he looked and
that most likely he was wearing a bra and frilly knickers under his
habit. He said he knew he liked to wear women's clothing as he had seen
him in women's underwear when he had been forced by Brother Jack, into
giving him a blow job.
What he did not tell her was that the same time he was giving Brother
Jack his blow job, Brother Thomas had his penis up Patrick's rear.
Patrick had been a regular visitor to the brother's rooms over the
years. The thought caused him to shake his head and for once he lost
his smile and got serious and told her that this place was pure evil.
It is probably time, he said, to leave this hell hole. Mary said,
together, we will leave together as soon as her baby is born just as
they had talked about.
Mary witnessed Sheela being taken away one night after her water broke,
two days later she was back working in the laundry. Three days later
she was informed that her daughter had died and she would be leaving the
home in the morning. They spend that night in Sheela's bed together
crying.
Alice, who Mary had looked out for since arriving was also taken away to
what they called "the screaming room" where the babies were delivered.
She and her baby never survived the ordeal. What was happening was
horrible and Mary began to feel very afraid as her time drew near.
Then it was Mary's turn, while in the kitchen her waters broke and it
was now her who was being led to the "screaming room". She had never
gone through such pain as she did that day and when her son was finally
born she had never been so exhausted in all her life. But after the
cord was cut and the child cleaned and then placed in her arms and was
suckling her breast she also never felt such happiness in all her life.
Tim also felt everything that Mary went through in the five hours it
took until the birth, he felt every contraction as they came closer
together, and the agony of the push and just like Mary when it was all
over being covered in sweat as if it was him who had produced the child.
He knew that just like Mary, he had not known he knew so many swear
words.
Mary was allowed to look after her baby in what was termed the nursery
for the first two days but then was told that it was time to get back to
the kitchen and Mrs Smart. The following three days she was called upon
by Sister Clair when it was necessary for her child to be fed. But as
soon as she had fed and settled the baby she was ushered back to the
kitchen. This was making Mary angry and she knew she needed to get to
Patrick in the hope that he had thought of a way of getting them out of
there.
They agreed to meet at the back of the kitchen where the slops were left
for the boys to pick up for the pigs. After a hurried conversation and
instructions for Mary to find Brother Thomas's room and be there during
dinner time at 6.30. There she would be able to get clothing and they
would have more time to finalise their plan to leave. He told her that
Brother Thomas had been away for a few days so the room would be vacant.
Mary did not go down for dinner as she had just looked after her baby,
instead she made her way into the boy's side of the mansion and as they
were also in their dining room having dinner she was able to make her
way to where Patrick had told her to be unseen. He was waiting by the
door and they quickly got in and closed the door behind them.
The room was far fancier then Mary had thought it would be. Patrick had
a suitcase laid out on the double bed and told her that was where the
brothers slept together. He told her that Brother Thomas was in Dublin
attending Brother Jack's court case. He was arrested and charged with
sodomy after being caught fucking the police sergeant in the toilets out
the back of the O'Leary's pub in the village.
Mary was not really concerned for him but asked what would happen.
Patrick told her that he was already thrown out of the brotherhood and
was most likely to spend the next two years in prison. Mary said that
will be hard on him and he said that it was going to be a lot harder on
the sergeant as he no doubt had put some of the inmates inside.
Homosexual men were not treated well, but a homosexual policeman was not
going to have a lot of fun in prison.
Getting back to the clothes available to Mary, Patrick brought her into
a walk-in wardrobe and Mary could not believe what she was looking at.
There were more women's things there than in the main store in her
village. Some of the dresses were just too outrageous to be seen in as
far as she was concerned so she settled on a couple of plain grey
skirts, she also found some blouses for herself and a maroon cardigan.
She carried them out and put them into the suitcase on the bed.
There was a complete rack of shoes which once again Mary felt were not
suitable for her, she had never worn high heels and this was not the
time to start. She found a pair of flat lace up boots, although too
big, that would do her. Patrick then led her to a set of drawers and
inside these was some of the fanciest lingerie she had ever seen and
could not believe that such items existed. Patrick was able to point
out several pair of plain cotton knickers which also went into the
suitcase.
As you can see Brother Thomas has a thing about ladies clothing, Patrick
informed her with a grin. He then led her to the makeup table and
grabbing a handbag out of the wardrobe began to fill it with lipstick,
nail varnish, a compact, a small bottle of perfume and anything else he
thought she would need and put that in the case. He said next all you
need is a coat and carrying the suitcase into the wardrobe found a warm
black coat and as he shoved that into the case told her that she was now
all set.
Just then the door open and they heard someone cough. Patrick knew
immediately it was Brother Thomas. He put his finger to his lips
indicating for Mary to be quite. He walked out of the wardrobe and said
hello to Thomas just as he was turning from closing the door.
Oh, Holy Mary, he exclaimed, Patrick you nearly gave me a heart attack.
Patrick apologised.
So, Brother Thomas continued, you have come back to me. I can tell by
your face that I have also given you a surprise being back early. You
probably know that Brother Jack has left us and will not return; alas my
true love has gone. He will spend the next two and a half years behind
bars, but with a few goodwill blow jobs to the prison guards I'm sure he
will be out in sixteen months and most likely have a pleasant stay.
As for his accomplice, the police sergeant, he got five years and
judging from the wolf whistles and blown kisses he received while been
taken down, I do not believe his stay behind bars will be as pleasant.
I feel strangely betrayed to think that after all these years of Jack
being my almost my wife, he had been having his way with another man,
Thomas sighed.
But I cannot but feel sorry for his poor sergeant's wife and children,
they have lost their home which came with the job and I would not be
surprised if the orphanage were to get a few more unwilling slaves if
she cannot find a fitting place for the children, he said.
I can tell you have been rummaging about Patrick, but come and sit with
me here on the bed and let's talk, Brother Thomas said. Mary could not
hear what was said from her hiding place but was sure between the
whispering she could distinguish kissing sounds. Eventually she moved
closer to the open door of the wardrobe and from the large mirror that
was hung on the back of the door she could see them.
Patrick was in Brother Thomas's embrace, despite the tears Mary could
see in his eyes, he was giving every sign of returning the embrace.
Then Brother Thomas broke away and jumping up clapped his hands and said
that it was time to turn his boy into a princess. He stood Patrick up
and began undoing his clothes. Mary looked on amazed as Patrick let him
undress him. Mary saw that Patrick's huge penis stuck straight out and
heard Brother Thomas laugh and say that he was glad that he still could
have such an effect on him. Now, let's get you dressed, he said.
Mary's eyes had found Patrick's and they stared at each other through
the mirror.
Brother Thomas went to the set of drawers and after careful
consideration came back with what looked to be a bra, knickers,
suspender belt and a what looked like a slip to Mary. They were all
matching colours, mainly black with a red lace trim.
Brother Thomas took great delight in what he was doing as he almost
danced around Patrick, first getting him to but his arms forward as he
but slipped bra on and then was quickly around the back to fasten the
bra. Next were the knickers which he made a huge joke pretending to
pull them up too high on Patrick? The suspender belt brought a lot of
laughter as he continually brushed against the tent in Patrick's
knickers. If we don't do something about that Patrick, I can see I am
going to have to relieve you, he laughed. Finally he got Patrick to
hold up his arms and put the slip over his head.
Now, it will be best if you sit on the edge of the bed for the nylons
and it would help if you pull up your slip, he instructed Patrick. One
by one the nylons were rolled up Patrick's legs and clipped onto the
suspenders. Now stand, he ordered. Kneeling behind, Brother Thomas
fixed the back of the nylons to the suspender belt and then made a great
fuss about making sure the seams were straight running the palms of his
hands along the full length of Patrick's legs.
Mary's and Patrick's eyes were still locked through the mirror.
He went to the shoe rack and selected a pair of white high heels and
told Patrick to go and sit at the makeup table. Mary had to shift again
to enable her to see what was happening. Brother Thomas proved to be an
expert makeup artist and in a matter of minutes had Patrick looking
like, if not a beautiful young woman then at least a passable one.
Mary now knew what was to come next and pushed herself behind the row of
coats as Brother Thomas came into the walk-in wardrobe to find Patrick a
suitable dress. Mary felt relieved that he had known exactly what he
was looking for and was in and out so quickly.
She got back to where she could continue to watch as Brother Thomas had
Patrick twirl for him then have him walk up and down in what looked like
a ball gown. Mary could tell that it was not the first time that he had
walked in heels; she knew she would have broken an ankle. Brother
Thomas then really surprised her when he produced a ring and slipped on
Patrick's finger. You now belong to me he informed him, that ring had
been Brother Jack's. He then kissed him on the lips.
Mary got the fright of her life as the next thing she heard was Brother
Thomas saying that she could come out now, he knew she was there. She
froze and the brother had to go into the wardrobe and lead her out. It
is time you went back and fed your baby before getting back to your
dorm, he told her, also Patrick will not be leaving with you tomorrow,
you will be leaving alone. I care not what you are stealing from me in
that suitcase but you can collect it tomorrow at the gatehouse. Now,
the show is over, so goodnight, he finished.
Patrick looked away from the pleading expression on Mary's face. He
could no longer look her in the eye. He knew he was weak and had
betrayed her. As she left she heard Brother Thomas tell Patrick that it
was now time for a stroll around the grounds.
After Mary fed her baby she went to the dorm and had a disturbed night.
She was still determined to take her child from this place the next day
and no one was going to stop her. At six in the morning as the other
girls were going down for breakfast Mary had already been up an hour
assisting Mrs Smart preparing the food.
After serving she grabbed a slice of bread for herself and once again
went off to feed and comfort her child. She had finally picked a name
for him; he would be called Sean, which was the Irish for John, the
father's name. She returned to the kitchen and began washing the
breakfast things. Normally she left the kitchen at eleven to go back to
feed the child but today Mrs Smart seemed to want to keep her busy.
Feeling something was not right and making an excuse to go to the toilet
she headed for the nursery. There was no Sean; her baby was missing
from his cot. When she started yelling and throwing things about the
Mother Superior was called for. She was told that her baby had been
adopted and it was a good thing too. The child would be better off by
not being brought by prostitute such as herself, Sister Bernadette told
her.
Mary screamed and ran towards the main door and down the steps onto the
gravel driveway as a black Rover pulled away. She recognised the car and
she knew who was taking her child. She dropped to her knees and
screamed until she lost her voice. Sister Claire came out and dragged
her back inside.
She left the home later that day and passing the gatehouse Patrick was
waiting. He handed her the suitcase they had packed the previous night.
They were both crying and Patrick was trying hard to explain to her that
after twelve years never having been outside that gate he would not cope
in the world beyond them because he was damaged.
Mary replied that she was too and before she picked up the suitcase and
walked through the gates she told him that it would be a good idea if he
was to wear a coat before he came out of the house as she could make out
the outline of his bra through the blouse he was wearing. Despite the
tears he blushed and then his smile came back. Mary smiled back through
her own tears and asked him if he had on the frilly knickers too. He
nodded a yes as he handed her an envelope with some money. That's all I
have, he told her. They hugged one last time and then she was out the
gate walking down the road for the bus to Dublin.
It's finished, Peter shouted to Michael, we have 30 minutes to get him
cleaned up and changed before the supervisor, Mrs Turner, gets here to
take us home. They had been in a state of panic for the last three
hours that Tim had been under the helmet. They could not come to a
decision about whether to get Mrs Turner to come in and help them or not
and were now very scared.
They had watched as he went from crying to screaming; wetting himself,
not once but twice, then back to swearing, screaming and crying again.
They had done very little cleaning as they had taken turns for one of
them to stay in the basement with Tim the whole night. Now as they
turned off the machine and lifted the helmet they saw that he was
silently crying.
He was completely soaked, covered in a sweat and seemed to be in a daze.
He was not answering any of their questions but they had already decided
that they would get him up to the changing rooms, into the shower and
into a clean uniform. They worked fast and soon had him out of the
shower and dressed in one of Michael's spare uniforms.
As they were dry blowing his hair a look at the clock told them they had
five minutes before the supervisor got there to drop them home. She
normally arrived about five minutes early. Their plan was to tell her
that Tim had taken ill, most likely something he had eaten and that they
had to look after him after he had been sick. They felt that would
explain why there had not been much work done and also the reason for
Tim's wet uniform, now in the laundry basket.
If Tim had not looked so pale Mrs Turner would not have believed a word
of their story. They were both fidgety and not their usual happy
selves. She still was not sure she believed them but she was certain
getting Tim home was a priority. Tim who had finally found his voice
thanked Mrs Turner, but said that he had let everyone down and felt that
he should resign. Mrs Turner told him to sleep on it and let her know
before his next shift as good cleaners were hard to find.
With that compliment he went quietly into his home and straight away was
about to begin making lunches when he remembered that the next day was
Saturday, in fact it was already Saturday, his 40th, and there was no
school so no need to make lunches. He climbed the stairs and after
looking in at the children slipped into bed next to Hilda without
putting on his nightdress.
He lay restlessly for a while, his head spinning from all that he had
experienced. He had a new respect for the woman beside him who had
delivered not one but three children. He then turned sideways and
spooned into Hilda and despite what he had been through felt himself
becoming aroused. Hilda, who he had already woken, could feel his
little penis scratching between her bum cheeks. She reached behind her
and gave him a resounding smack on his bottom telling him to behave.
Tim really wanted to tell her about his night, but he was afraid to.
Maybe another time, he thought.
But not put off he began to talk but Hilda told him to go to sleep,
still not shutting up he continued to talk and it finally registered
with her that he was telling her that that was his last night at the
library. She turned onto her back and listened as he told her he had
informed Mrs Turner that he was finishing up and that as she had said
they did not need the money and of course there was also two evenings
that he was missing her company.
She turned her head and kissed him and then pulled him on top of her,
practically clamping him to her as she wrapped her legs around him.
Then she could feel his little thingy enter her as he wiggled about.
She was about to ask him to fit on his attachment but decided against
it, instead she reached down and gently pushed his small testicles
inside her virgina. She then put her finger into his bottom and began
imitating the movement of his penis. Happy birthday, little man, she
whispered in his ear, give it all you've got, and he did.
Later lying with her arm around him and his head on her shoulder she
asked if he had earned enough in the six weeks working to be able to buy
that red dress and jacket he wanted so much. He told her that not only
could he afford the outfit but he also saw a pair of heels that would go
so well with it. She knew that he was fishing for her to buy them also.
Well it looks like we will be going shopping in the morning, she said;
also try finding us a babysitter as I'm taking the birthday boy out
tonight.
After fixing breakfast the next day Tim called up Michael to firstly to
let him know he was OK and for him to let Peter know he was now fine,
and then to ask if his mother would be willing to look after the
children that evening as he was hoping he could have a night out with
Hilda. Michael's mother was a regular babysitter for Hilda and Tim and
was particularly fond of their son.
So with a sitter organised the family went shopping. The girls were not
too happy when they discovered that they were shopping for an outfit for
their father. After they had had more than enough at the outfitters and
the shoe shop, when Hilda brought them all into the lingerie shop to get
Tim some sexy underwear they were completely grossed out. Their day was
about to get even worse when Tim told them that Mrs Barns was coming to
babysit and was bringing her three grandsons over to play.
After lunch Hilda went off to play a round of golf with a few work
colleagues and Tim went to the saloon to get his hair done and Mrs Barns
was now in charge of the children. She had brought some clothes that no
longer fit her grandsons and the boys were busy playing dress up. Not
forgetting the girls she had bought the latest Combat screen game so
they were now in their room fighting as usual. Dinner would be a
delivery.
Later that evening as Mrs Barns and the children were sitting down to
eat and Hilda was helping herself to a shot of whiskey they heard a
slight cough and all conversation stopped as they all turned to watch
Tim descend the staircase. Mrs Barns was first to recover her voice and
went into raptures about how stunning he looked, soon all four boys were
oohing and awing while Hilda but down her glass and walked over to her
husband and taking his hand twirled him around not once but twice before
whispering in his ear how magnificent he looked.
She then produced a pearl necklace and clasped it on his throat before
once again wishing him a happy birthday planted a kiss on his lips which
made the two girls make pretend vomiting sounds.
Their evening out was a great success with a candlelit dinner and later
to a small club where they danced the night away. The wine that he had
consumed went to Tim's head when they finally left the club and stepped
into the night air as they walked to their transport and he was glad he
had Hilda's arm to lean on. Hilda just said "home" when they were
inside and seated and in no time they were in their parking space
outside their home.
All was dark and quite as they made their way up to their rooms and it
was obvious what was on Hilda's mind as soon as she had the door closed.
In a way Tim felt a bit sad as she began undressing him as he had felt
really attractive in his new red dress and felt that taking it off would
somehow end that wonderful feeling.
Stripped down to just his knickers with his little penis making a tiny
tent he could not help but remember how big Patrick had looked in his
knickers in Brother Thomas's room. Hilda brought him back when she gave
his thingy a little flick and told him to go and fit the attachment
little man as it was after twelve and it was no longer his birthday.
When he came out of the bathroom still wearing his knickers over his
attachment he noted that the tenting was a bit more respectable. He
soon found himself being lifted and carried to the bed by Hilda. She
pulled off his underwear and proceeded to sit on top of him. The sex
was good and Tim always loved watching her breasts giggle as she fucked
him.
When she was satisfied she then worked herself up until she had her
pussy on his mouth where he got busy with his tongue. She was never
sure if Tim enjoyed this part of their love making but he in fact loved
that he was helpless with her knees pressing down on his arms making it
impossible for him to get out from under. It was a wonderful turn on
for him being under Hilda's complete control. He liked to think it was
part of "knowing his place" in their marriage.
Back in the bathroom removing the attachment, cleaning himself up and
taking off what remained of his makeup off he began to remember his
journey back to 1950 and came to the conclusion that he was more than
happy to be a man in this day and age. He thought of the men in his
journey, the father, the priests and brothers and poor Patrick and was
convinced he did not like 1950's men.
He was perfectly happy with his life, his marvellous loving wife and his
wonderful children. Although he could not wait for the next coffee
morning so he could tell Peter and Michael all about his time on the
machine. He would wait for a while before he told his tale to Hilda,
that was if he ever got the courage to tell her.
After brushing out his hair he came out of the bathroom and went to his
drawer and got a clean pair of knickers and put them on and then pulled
a nightie over his head. He then slipped between the sheets and
snuggled up to Hilda who was already asleep and gently snoring.