Father And Mother Of A Bride free porn video

FATHER AND MOTHER OF A BRIDE by enduringshades A SPECIAL DAY I am sitting in my living room all dressed to the nines. The car is not due for another half hour, but I am very excited and I couldn't wait to get ready. I've been preparing for this special day for six months now. I have been dieting and exercising, learning how to dance and planning and deciding what to wear. I am really pleased with my outfit. Since my twenties, it is one that I often daydreamed about wearing if I was ever invited to a special occasion. And now, nearly three decades later, the opportunity has arrived. Let me describe what I am wearing. I'll skip over my intimates if you don't mind, other than to say they are new, they match, they weren't cheap and with my recently improved figure do not include shapewear or any other aids. And they make me feel special. I have always wanted to wear a white suit, not so fashionable these days, but I am old enough not to worry. My skirt is knee length and straight with a split on the side, I can show some thigh with modesty and without looking as if I am trying to look younger than I am. I do believe you should dress according to your age, but that doesn't mean looking frumpy! My short open jacket has three-quarter length sleeves and is collarless. Under the jacket I am wearing a light satin pink top with thin straps, not that you can see them but you never know, with a straight neck line just above my breasts. I have on light grey court shoes with four inch slender heels, rather high for my age but something I have got quite used to nowadays and I wonder why I had never worn such elegant heels before. My jewellery is understated. I have a thin gold strap watch on my left wrist and a loose matching bracelet on my right; I like the feel of the bracelet when I move my hand. I am wearing a diamond pendant on a thin gold chain with matching earrings given to me by my daughter. I am also wearing a diamond ring, but not on my ring finger, not anymore. On the table beside me is my handbag and a hat. The bag matches my shoes, deriguour as far as I am concerned, and the colour of my pillar box hat matches my top with netting covering part of my face, it is more like a fascinator from back in the day than a hat. MY STORY While waiting I reminisced about the day my long lost daughter got in touch. I hadn't seen or heard of her since my wife told me to leave home a decade ago. The phone had rang and I answered with my usual 'hello'. I never give my name anymore and I answer with a medium pitch, so the caller would assume I was either a man or a woman depending on whom they were expecting. Perhaps I should explain. I was born a boy; I am still a man but I look and live as a woman. When I reached puberty, I developed a compulsion to wear some of my mother's clothes with a mixed sense of shame and pleasure. Then one day, I was spending time with my best friend Charlotte when she sensed my fondness for girls' clothes. I am not sure how, she said it was female intuition. We were very close as friends, so I was not taken aback and I quickly admitted to my desires, relieved I now had somebody I could confide in. "Oh, fantastic, Eric," said Charlotte, "or should I call you Erica?" She did and the name stuck, I am now Eric Brown or Erica Brown according to circumstances. "Do you have your own clothes?" "No, I have just tried on some of my Mum's, that's all," I replied cautiously. "Well, Erica, why don't you come home with me and we can see what we can find. Mum and Dad won't be back for some time," said Charlotte with her characteristic mischievous smile. We went to her place and up to her room and we both had a wonderful afternoon. She enjoyed dressing me as much as I enjoyed dressing up as a girl. Over the years, we increased her wardrobe to include clothes for both of us. Hiding in plain sight! We often went out as girl friends, but never with the company of boys, not even for innocent flirting. We both were accepted for University, but in different parts of the country and we gradually lost contact. I was disappointed to lose my childhood friend, someone who I had shared so many secrets with. We were very fond of each other but never made a romantic connection, although I did find her very attractive as she blossomed into a young woman. When I returned from University I set up my own software company. Smaller companies were starting to identify the benefits of computerising some of their procedures and I built up a successful business developing and implementing bespoke software systems. It was during the early years that I met Debra. She was very much involved in her local church group and I was working long hours establishing my business, but one day, after successfully winning a prestigious contract, I decided to propose to her. "My dearest Debra," she liked me addressing her in such terms, "I would like us to get married, but before I propose I have a secret I need to tell you." I went on to tell her about my crossdressing, about Charlotte's role and former friendship, but more importantly that I hadn't dressed or bought any clothing since before I went to University. I stressed I was not a practising transvestite, the term I used in those days. "I need to seek guidance from the church elders, and if they agree I would be happy to accept your proposal," said Charlotte. The next day she called me at work. "Eric, the elders advised that provided you are celibate as far as you dressing in women's clothing is concerned and you never speak about it, they would bless my marriage to you." "That is good news! I have been 'celibate', as they describe it, for over five years now and you are the first and only person I have spoken about it since Charlotte. I am happy to accept their stipulation, if I can be with you," I replied. We got married, her church conducted the service. The following year Debra gave birth to our daughter Dorothy, meaning a gift from God, but I called her Dotty. The day before Dotty's 8th birthday, Debra came home from church looking very serious and to some extent disgusted. "Eric, I have to ask you to leave home today for my daughter's sake," she said in an accusing manner. "The elders remember that you confessed to being a transvestite. But with my child now reaching the age of eight it is not acceptable for a pervert to be in contact with her let alone live under the same roof. A hotel room has been booked for you for tonight, but otherwise you are on your own." I hadn't recovered from what I had just heard, before she continued her tirade. "I will gather together your belongings and you can arrange for someone to collect them in a week's time. If I find any women's things or porn, I will take that as evidence that you are breaking your vow and I will divorce you. Please do not contact me or Dorothy again." Debra turned and left my study. I never saw her again. I took a short-term furnished let while I looked for something permanent and hoping that all the time it was all a misunderstanding, or that she would stand up to the church elders for the sake of our marriage and our daughter. I bought a nice cottage within easy driving distance of my office and moved in. I sent her a change of address card but didn't hear anything until a year later when divorce papers came through. I was already depressed, it was only the business that had kept me going. Debra was demanding half of the company as part of the settlement and offered to buy the rest. I am not sure how she financed it, but I sold her my share and retreated to my cottage looking to enjoy an earlier retirement. My business had done very well. I was wealthy and didn't need to work. Now with time on my hands I discovered that Debra, intentionally or otherwise, had favoured her friends and family over mine and I had now lost contact with most of them. Those who knew both Debra and I, did not return my calls or were always busy. I wondered if Debra had been telling them I was a pervert or even worse that I had been abusing Dotty. Then I had an inspiration. If I was being punished for my sins then I might as well be sinful. I lived alone and I now had time to indulge in my suppressed desire to crossdress and I could do so openly. I started small, as a crossdresser does, but with no other interests other than the cottage garden I soon built up a wardrobe. I sought professional help from a dressing service and eventually felt confident to go out. I had decided to be open about my dressing and it was not long before I was presenting as a woman full time. I went to the hairdressers and to a beauty salon, I kept my body hair at bay, but too many people were reading me for my comfort. My neighbours were polite, but generally shunned me. I was not seeking a relationship, but with so little social opportunities I was lonely. I decided I needed to be more convincing, so upped my feminisation. I had my beard and body hair removed and I started taking hormones. Over time and with improvements in my wardrobe and in the way I carried myself, I became more convincing and confident and only the experienced eye, or peep under my skirt, could tell that I was a man inside. But I was still lonely. I did volunteer for one day a week at the local charity shop. The volunteers were able to buy items before offered to the public and I found myself wearing more and more of the donations instead of buying new clothes. My style deteriorated into a mismatched dowdy look. I became even more depressed spending much of my time at home. The other day I was reading the business news when I spotted an editorial about my old company becoming bankrupt. The commentator lamented about another highly successful company being driven into the ground by new owners ignorant of the strengths of the business and relying on their own self beliefs. Reading on I discovered that the owners were my ex-wife's church group, 'so that was where the money for my share came from' I thought. The church group believed prayer and divine guidance would provide them with revenue to support their activities. Of course, they were soon in conflict with the managers and replaced them with church elders. The news just added to my depression, although I didn't suffer it is dismal news to read that something I put so much of my life into being destroyed by those who broke up my family. But there was some good news, a leading company was close to buying the business from the receivers and would be keeping on the staff." A DAY OF SURPRISES Now you know my story, I'll get back to the phone call. "Daddy?" the person on the other end asked. "I'm afraid you must have the wrong number," I replied. "It's Dotty," she replied. I thought I misheard and said nothing. "Daddy it's me, your daughter Dorothy." All I could say was, "I don't believe it, is it truly you?" "Yes, it is really me. I'm outside, can I come in? Don't worry, Mum said so many things about you I'm ready for anything!" said Dotty. "Er... yes," I replied. I was so keen to see my daughter that I didn't care what I looked like. It wasn't my daughter seeing me dressed as a woman, it was her seeing me in my current drab and untidy state. The doorbell rang almost immediately, she really was outside, and I opened the door. And there was this young attractive woman with the biggest smile you could imagine. She wasn't even eight when I last saw her, "Dotty..." I sighed. I knew it was her. Without even noticing how I looked she rushed in and threw her arms around me, "Dad, I have missed you so much!" she said. We both started crying, but after a while I managed to close the door and take her into the sitting room where we sat down. I was now conscious of how awful I looked. "I didn't know what to suspect. From Mother's ranting I expected either an overtop queen with grotesque makeup and a bizarre costume, or maybe a simpering sissy in frills and petticoats or perhaps a smooth talking pedo. But, Dad, I'm disappointed to see a frumpy middle aged woman who has let herself go, but I don't care, I'm just so happy to see you again," her huge smile having returned now she had dried her tears. "I never expected to hold you again Dotty, or should I call you Dot now you are no longer a child?" I said. "My friends call me Dot," she replied. "For the time being I'll call you Dotty, as I had always done," I said, "How did you find me? Why are you here? How are you? What are you doing?" I fired off in quick succession. "I'm fine, thank you. I'll tell you why I am here later," she replied, "but how I found you was planned long ago. Some years ago, I was looking for something and I came across Mother's old address book and slipped inside it was your change of address card. I have kept it ever since." She told me about her life. How the church group had dominated her as a child, so much so she had no other social contact outside school. How when she turned fourteen the son of another church member was matched with her for marriage on her sixteenth birthday, but how instead she fell in love with the boy's sister, Andrea. "Dotty, I did try to be there for you, but your mother, supported by her church, made it more or less impossible for me. But then I had no idea the church group had such a destiny planned for you. You should have come to me," I replied. "That was my plan, I had taken your change of address card when I left home. But as I was nearly sixteen and given the accusations that had been made of you, I decided to wait until I was eighteen and responsible for myself." ""But why today, you are now 24," I said, having made a quick calculation in my head. "Because, Daddy, I am getting married," she beamed, showing me her engagement ring. I was so absorbed in seeing my daughter all grown up I hadn't noticed. "That's wonderful," I said tearfully, "congratulations, who's the lucky man?" We were now hugging each other. "Oh, Daddy, I am surprised with you, jumping to conclusions!" she chided me. "It's a she, it's Andrea. We are still very much in love and we want to spend our lives together." "I bet your mother is not at all pleased, she threw me out just because I had admitted to wearing girl's clothing as a teenager," I said. "I have not seen or heard from her since I left home," said Dot, "Andrea told me that her parents and the church elders were furious, that I was declared an agent of Satan and an aphrodite and banished. No one was to have contact with me, including Mother." I thought, 'Why are they mixing up the gods?' "Are you having a traditional wedding, other than the same sex bit of course?" I asked, getting back to her wonderful news. "You bet we are. It will be a civil ceremony, neither of us want anything to do with the church, even the good old C of E. And there will be two brides in the most glamorous of dresses," replied Dot. "Well I hope it all goes well," I said quietly. "Daddy, I'm not here just to tell you I'm getting married. I want you to be in my life again and I want you to give me away. You are my father after all!" said my excited daughter. "Of course I will be delighted to give you away. But what would your mother say, surely she would not want this 'pervert' at her daughter's wedding," I said pointing at myself. "I told you I haven't heard from her since I left home, you haven't been listening. So she will not be there," she explained. "I'm sorry, love. I am listening but seeing you and hearing your news is overwhelming me. I have the emotions of a woman now, no doubt I will cry throughout the ceremony," I said. "Seeing you I have just had an idea! You can be both the Father and the Mother of the Bride, one of the brides that is. I won't even take no for an answer! If you had a makeover and bought some decent clothes, you will be the most glamorous lady there, well of your generation at least!" Dot was getting even more excited. "I'm not sure about the 'your generation' bit, but your wedding is going to be the best day of your life and I want to play a full part, it is also going to be the best day of my life too!" I said. "I've been amiss, I haven't offered you a drink. And would you like to stay for a meal?" Dot said she would love to. I cooked us a meal, remembering to double the quantities, and she brought me up to date all the nice things that had happened to her since I last saw her. "When am I going to meet your intended?" I asked. "I was thinking of next Sunday, if it is not too soon," replied Dot. "That's good for me. Why don't you also invite her family? The sooner we meet each other the better," I suggested. Dot was silent for a while before answering. "I think that will be a good idea, but, Dad, you must not jump to conclusions. And I will ask Andrea to tell her family the same. There will be four of them, including her brother." As I saw Dot off, I wondered what next Sunday would bring. Then it occurred to me that I have a lot to do before then. As I lay in bed that night with my depression lifted; my daughter was back in my life. I thought about the tasks ahead of me. Tonight was the first time I had cooked for more than one and there were going to be the six of us next Sunday. And I need to make appointments to get my hair and nails done as well as a makeover. And I will need a new dress, new shoes, new hat... MY NEW DAUGHTER-IN-LAW Sunday came and I was ready. Well it is not everyday that your daughter brings home their sweetheart. I had prepared a traditional roast lunch of lamb; everything was ready and just needed serving. The doorbell rang and there was Dot. "Dad, you look great. I love your dress, it really suits you. I hope I am seeing the real you, and not that dour woman I met last week, I think you make a better woman than a man! And I am proud to be your daughter!" I am pleased she liked the dress. I thought I should dress respectably. I had chosen a blue woollen mid-length dress with three-quarter length sleeves and a round neck. I wore a thin belt, to highlight my waist, and a three-strand pearl necklace. I found the dress during my first visit to an independent upmarket dress shop in the high street. It was owned by two wives of well-off bankers and was more of a hobby for them to pursue their interests in good quality fashion for us mature ladies. I was so impressed I thought I might visit them again. Before I could answer Dot, the doorbell rang again. She opened the door and hugged a girl, who I took to be Andrea, then a man and a woman, the parents, but with less passion, and then a boy, Simon. She then stood back and said with that prideful look "Please come in, this is my Dad, Eric," then her face dropped. "Oh, I'm sorry Dad, I should have asked if you have changed your name, you are Dad to me. I'm so embarrassed!" "No need to be. My name is still Eric, but I also go by Erica." I turned to our guests. "Please call me Eric or Erica, whatever you are most comfortable with." "I can only see a beautiful woman," said Andrea's mother, "it's going to be easier to call you Erica!" "Erica, it is then," I said with a smile. I've had so little contact as a woman, only Charlotte had ever called me Erica all those years ago, and I was Miss Brown at the charity shop. "Dad, I'm not calling you Erica. I'm sticking to Dad," laughed Dot and then said excitedly, "This is Andrea your future daughter-in-law." "Nice to meet you Andrea," I said, "I've only just used to getting my daughter back and now I'm getting two." They all laughed, genuinely but not raucously. Andea smiled sweetly and gave me a hug. "Please call me Andy, everybody does, and I'm going to call you Mum!" "This is Andy's dad, Tom," Dot introduced. "Hello Tom," I said as I gave him a firm manly handshake. He looked surprised. "Hi Erica," replied Tom, "we have been looking forward to meeting you." "And this is Claire," said Dot. "Hello Claire, I can see where Andrea gets her looks!" A bit of a cliche but in this case I meant it. I stepped forward and gave her an air kiss on both cheeks. "And finally, this fine specimen of manhood is Simon," said Dot as she finished the introductions. "Welcome all of you," I said, "why don't we sit down for lunch and we can get to know each other. Everything is ready, I'll bring out the dishes and you can help yourselves. I have lamb, but if you prefer I have alternatives." "We eat anything, well nearly anything," said Claire, "but you have been thoughtful, thank you." Off to good start I thought. Dot started the conversation. "Dad, what I haven't told you is my relationship to this family," she said waving her arm towards the four of them. "Before you say anything, Dot, I need to tell your dad something," said Tom. "Erica, we knew your ex-wife, Debra. We are ashamed to say that as a family we were willing members of the same church." I looked surprised, but before I could say anything Claire spoke up. "We were told by the elders that you were a danger to Dot; a homosexual pervert and paedophile. They quoted scripture and your wife said it was all true. We believed them, there was no reason not to." Tom continued on from Claire's revelation. "We agreed to an elders' order, they said it was a commandant from God, that Dot should be betrothed to our son on her fourteen birthday. Simon was the same age. We were happy for the two of them, knowing that their place in our spiritual community was assured. They were to be married on Dot's sixteenth birthday. We, of course, got to know Dot as she spent more time with us and Simon. We never rarely saw your wife and then only at church gatherings." "With Simon's support and collusion, Dot was spending more time with me, we also were at school together," said Andrea. "We were falling in love with each other and with the betrothal we could pretend to behave as future sisters-in-law. Simon came with us if we went out, the three of us got on well together." "That's right," said Simon, "I am fond of Dot, but I do not love her. I am very close to my sister, so it was only natural that I helped them both." "Claire and I suspected nothing of the true feelings of our children," said Tom. "The time for the marriage was approaching when they requested a family meeting with Dot to discuss the future. Of course we thought they wanted to talk about the wedding." "Andy dropped a bombshell," continued Claire, "and we were shocked. We argued in favour of the elders' decision, and then Dot spoke up. She said that she loved both Andrea and Simon, but it was Andrea she wanted to spend the rest of her life with." "I then told them about you Dad and why you left," said Dot. "I told them that you had been a kind and loving father and I had no idea where the accusations came from and that I didn't trust my mother or the elders." "As the day of the wedding got closer, I decided to run away from home. I may have been young but I was old enough to understand what I was doing. I, of course, told Andrea and Simon," explained Dot. "Andrea told her parents of my plan. By then they had called off the wedding but were dismayed I had not been told. They were worried about me and a few days later insisted that I came and stayed with them if I left home. I refused at first, thinking it may be a ruse, but I knew them to be sincere and they told me they were no longer in contact with the church group so in the end I agreed. So I didn't end up homeless or working on the streets!" "I need to tell you something which would explain why I look and dress like this," I interjected, "I have always had the desire to crossdress. As a teenager, I had a very good friend and I used to dress in her clothes. I lost contact with her when I went to university." Dot looked rather smugly at me. "And I never dressed again. Before I asked Dot's mother to marry me, I told her about my earlier crossdressing, I couldn't keep any secrets from her. She spoke to the church elders and said she would marry me so long I never dressed or talked about it again. I only started dressing after she threw me out, I thought if I was being punished I might as well succumb to my desires. Later, when I became even more depressed after the divorce and the loss of my business, I compensated by taking hormones." Tom cleared his throat as if was calling our attention. "Erica, I don't know if you know about the background to the loss of your business. It was common knowledge in the church at the time that the elders looked to your wife's share of the business as a means to provide funds to support them. Claire and I were rather blind to what was going on. The elders enjoyed a rather extravagant lifestyle which they claimed was their divine right, as if they were medieval bishops. But the church was in financial trouble and instead of cutting back they cajoled your wife into donating her share of your business to them. But they wanted control." "Recently, I had read in the paper that the church owned my business and had driven it into the ground," I remarked. "Up to then I thought my ex owned it." "Yes that's right," commented Tom. "On your divorce her share went straight to the elders, which they used as collateral to finance the buying out of your share. When Dot moved out from your old home, your ex also donated the house to the church." "I had no idea. I left the house to her to provide a home for Dot. Where does Debra live now?" I asked. "She moved into a room at the back of the church hall," said Claire, "she had also lost her job as she was spending too much time with the church. She cleaned and looked after the hall and prepared for meetings, in return for her room. She survived on donations from members, the elders said it was the congregation's sacred duty to provide for her. She is a shadow of her former self, but believes it was God's retribution for marrying a pervert and bringing another one into the world." "Of course, we did not know your story at the time," said Tom holding Claire's hand. "But now we believe that the break up of your marriage was part of a plan to take over your business. But with its collapse, the church is now bankrupt and has closed. The elders have been arrested and are to go to trial for financial mismanagement, deception and modern day slavery." "What happened to Dot's mother, my ex?" I asked. "We have no idea, Dad," answered Dot. "After seeing you last week I have been trying to trace her. Neither, the police investigating her case, she is being treated as a victim, or social services, she is now one of their clients, know of her whereabouts. I thought I should tell her I was getting married." We were all silent for a while, I was digesting what I had just heard, when Simon spoke up. "I have something to tell you all and now is as good as time as any. When I went out with Andy and Dot, I often dressed in Andy's clothes. Sorry Mum, sorry Dad." "We always knew," said Claire, smiling at her son, "it is what brought us to our senses. When Dot told us she was going to leave home, after much discussion and soul searching we decided to leave the church and offered to take her in. You have a lovely daughter, Erica, and we love her dearly. Dot and Andy now want a place of their own, we gave them our blessing provided they got married, not that we could insist." "I'm pleased that Simon's crossdressing is out in the open. Dot and I want him to be a bridesmaid, and now he can!" said Andrea. They all laughed. Simon blushed with a mixture of embarrassment and excitement. "I discovered a wonderful shop and dressmakers in the high street," I told them. "I insist that I take you all there, except Tom of course. We have two wedding dresses, a bridesmaid's dress and two mother-of-the- bride outfits to order. My treat!" From that day I was a new woman. I took proper care in my appearance and reentered society, socialising with my reunited daughter and Andrea and her family. Tom and Claire even reconnected me with some old friends, who had also moved away from the church group, and who were now upset that they abandoned me based on the lies of the elders and Debra Simon, as Simone, through his sister made new acquaintances with crossdressers and trans women from the local LBGT community. But over the months he gradually looked to me as his mentor and was soon calling me Auntie Erica, which I found rather touching. We became close, as aunt and nephew/niece, and I grew fond of him/her. I was delighted to treat Simon to a bridal lingerie and corset set to wear under his bridesmaid dress, so he could feel extra special on the day. THE DAY Ah, there's the doorbell. It must be the driver. The ceremony is being held in a country house not so far away. There aren't many guests. There is only me and Dot on my side, having lost contact with relatives and former family friends who had sided with Debra and her church. Who wants to stand by a pervert? And somehow I had lost contact with my older friends. Andrea's family kept their invites to close family and friends, they didn't want to test the waters. A wedding party with two brides and two crossdressers could be too much for some. I arrived at the venue to be greeted by Tom in a smart morning suit, well if only he had worn a dress like the rest of us! We offered in jest, but he had politely declined. "Hi, Eric," said Tom. He addressed me as Eric, with a smile, because the first function for both of us was to escort our daughters down the aisle. I was the father of a bride after all. The brides soon arrived, separately of course, Simon accompanied Dot and Claire, her daughter. The girls had identical off-the-shoulder taffeta dresses with tight bodices and full skirts, with veils and trains. Simone wore a dress in a similar style, but in rose pink but no veil or train of course. All three in the highest of heels. What a sight! The smiles were as wide as you can get. The brides were stunning, but the real surprise was Simone, she made a very pretty bridesmaid and wore the dress well and with grace, and she floated around on those heels as if she had been born wearing them! Maybe it was the bridal lingerie and corset I had treated her to. The three of them were wearing matching bracelets given to them by Tom and Claire. Later when Simone posed between his sister and new sister-in-law arm-in- arm, pink between white, it was Simone who was the belle of the ball. Not to say Simone was prettier than Dot or Andrea, she wasn't. After the ceremony, having signed the marriage register as Dot's father, I took the chance to have a look round at the guests. I noticed two other 'ladies', they were chatting to each other presumably about their common interest. One of them was the same age as Dot and the other of my generation. The younger one was wearing a white and yellow floral sleeveless dress which came to mid knee. The dress hugged her slim boyish figure and the mounds of her small breasts. Favouring delicate breasts flattered her, she knew her craft. She teamed the dress with a white fascinator and strappy sandals with slim four inch heels in white. The older one had chosen a matching bolero jacket and dress in navy blue with white piping with a wide brimmed hat in white with a navy ribbon. Her court shoes, with two inch heels, complemented her more conservative and mature look. She had a matching handbag on her arm. She presented as an elegant stout mature woman and was quite convincing. I had to go over and greet them. "Hello, I'm Erica, I'm also Eric, Dorothy's father. I had to come over and introduce myself. I hadn't noticed at first, both of you ladies are very convincing, but I do have an expert eye!" "Hi Erica," replied the older one, "I'm Rose. I am here with my wife. We are old friends of Andrea's parents. When we heard that Dot's father was going to be here as one of the mothers of the bride and Simon as a bridesmaid, my wife encouraged me to dress. I normally only dress at home and we occasionally go out for a walk. But this is like a dream come true, an opportunity to dress up and enjoy a social occasion." A woman joined us and Rose introduced her, "This is my wife, June." "Hello, I'm Erica. I am so glad to meet you and pleased that you brought Rose with you." "I am pleased to meet you too. I think it was wonderful that you here to support Dot both as her father and as a mother and I'm proud to be here with my Rose," replied June. The younger one then gently interrupted. "I feel I'm missing out! I'm Sharon. I am here with my boyfriend, Luke, we are friends of the brides. We think it is marvelous how everybody here is being so supportive, so much so that we decided also to get married!" Looking more closely I noticed that her shoulder length hair was her own and her brows were neatly shaped. We all said congratulations at the same time and while we were laughing I looked up and I noticed a vaguely familiar middle-aged woman on the other side of the room standing there grinning at me. On looking more closely, my heart leapt. It was Charlotte! She may now be middle aged, but I would recognise her anywhere. We rushed towards each other and then just stood and hugged. I looked up and saw Dot and Andy grinning at us. "Surprise!" said Charlotte with tears in her eyes. "I've been looking forward to this ever since Dot told me that she had found you and you were coming to the wedding." "Oh, Charlie, how?" encapsulating loads of questions into one word. "I'm a lesbian, silly, and I have known Dot socially for sometime now," replied Charlotte. I had never expected Charlotte was a lesbian, she was just my best childhood and innocent friend. "I always regretted losing contact, you were a very special friend," she continued. "And my, don't you look amazing! I have a lot to answer for! Anyway, I met and fell in love with a fellow student at University. But over time she became jealous of my friends and became controlling and I lost contact with all my old friends, but you were always on my mind. I came back home for a visit and to reconnect. Away from her, I realised I didn't love her anymore, maybe I never did, and I didn't go back to her." "By then, I heard you were married to a member of a church group who were hostile to alternative lifestyles. I was surprised and never got round to contacting you, I was always worried that I would cause problems for you," she explained. "I had known Dot for some time, before I connected the dots and realised she was your daughter." She then laughed. "I said ?dots?!" "I have always wondered what happened to you," I said, "but what about now?" "I live alone and there is no one special. I am a librarian with the County Council," she replied. "Dot has told me all about you and it seems you could do with having your old childhood friend room back? I think it is going to be even more fun than before, Erica!" "I would like that very much! These last six months have been amazing. I was a depressed man living alone as a woman and now I have my daughter back, a new daughter-in-law, her family have become good supportive friends and now I have my best friend ever back in my life." "You bet! I may be a lesbian, but a girl friend with something extra will be interesting!" smirked Charlotte. EPILOGUE Charlotte retired from her job and moved in with me. As perhaps it should always have been, but then I would never have had my Dot. I lost a quarter of a century of my life, but I was wealthy. My life is now as a woman, enjoying the fruits of my labour and living a full life with Charlotte. I have many new friends. Charlotte and I would regularly meet up with Rose, who had come out with a vengeance, June, Tom and Claire. And there was my new daughter-in-law Andrea and my ?niece? Simone.