Chapter 6

After the salon I felt and looked like a star already. I thought that it would be a good time to see what sort of clothes the upper crust wore, so hailed a taxi to take me to the next destination. When we arrived, I saw that the dress shop and shoe shop were side by side. I say shop, but they were both more like fantasy lands. Nothing, in either window had a price shown.

Realising that the old adage ‘if you have to ask the price, you can’t afford it’ now applied to me, I suppressed a giggle and went through the front door into a world of high fashion. There, I was complimented on my sense of style, and then shown dresses that were out of this world.

I had to tell them that I wasn’t up for the Oscars just yet, but really needed every-day wear that was businesslike but classy. I also wanted some day dresses that looked good for travelling to the film set in Hawaii. I also wanted a couple of skirt suits. I showed them my card, and they asked if I had one for next door. After that, whenever there was something that I wanted to try on, a girl came in with shoes, in my size, that suited the outfit. When my bags were put into the taxi, I must have spent about six months’ salary as cabin crew. I had the main things I was looking for, along with perfect shoes to go with them, all without having to go into the shoe shop.

Rather than take the tube home, I got the driver to take me directly home. He was very good, and helped carry my bags to the lift, so I gave him a good cash tip to add to the debit card. It didn’t take long to carry my bags into the apartment. It was then that I stood there and wondered just what the hell was I thinking. Today, I had spent enough money to feed several families for a year and hadn’t batted a well mascaraed eyelash. I looked in my mirror, again, and giggled. You have to spend a bit to make a lot, and it looked like I was in line to make a lot. Given, I realised, a lot of work and a lot of luck.

I left the bags and just took my handbag with me as I went out again. I walked to a small Thai restaurant I had been to before, and ordered a nasi goreng with an extra egg, as well as a glass of white wine. I took my time to eat, only bothered by the odd man who wanted to strike up a conversation. I tried to say that I wasn’t interested, but nicely enough to let them leave without getting upset. I paid with my own card, then went home to undress, and cleanse my face. It was hard to remove the great work that had been done, but I had found that the girl had added a ‘how-to’ sheet with the new items.

That evening, I was in a nightie and dressing gown, hanging my new outfits and wondering where I would get a chance to wear them. While I was doing that, I thought of my Mum and then it struck me. If Roger was going to pick me up at eleven, but we were going to get Mum at three, what would we be doing for four hours?

In the morning, I still felt full after last night, so got by with just some toast that didn’t take much to tidy up. That left me longer to get prepared. I decided to wear a new skirt suit, with a silk blouse that went with it. It was, I was assured, in cerise and the shoes were the same colour. I thought about the colours I had to choose from last month, and, once again, thanked the gods that directed me in this new direction. It took a while to recreate the face, but I thought I had done pretty well by the time Roger knocked on the door. The look on his face told me that I hadn’t got it wrong.

With my tablet and phone in the shoulder bag, which he took charge of, I locked up and put my keys in my handbag. He offered his arm as we walked towards the lift and I put mine through his, making him give me one of his sunny smiles. He had a car outside, with a driver, and opened the back door for me to get in. He went around to the other side as the driver greeted me. Half an hour later, we stopped outside an Italian Restaurant that I had heard of.

Inside, a lovely woman came to us and enveloped him in her arms and kissed each of his cheeks.

“Roger, it’s been a couple of weeks since we saw you. Is that Jim chap working you too hard?”

“I was in New York for a few days, Mamma. Allow me to introduce Jamie, our latest signing and soon to be the leading lady with your two favourite actors.”

She gave me a hug and air kissed.

“Mama mia, you’ll be working with Kurt and Jack. Have you met them yet?”

“I certainly have, Mrs Alcone, on set in Hawaii. I had to slap Jack’s face and kiss Kurt. I’m not sure which was the most satisfying.”

“You have the right idea, young lady. Either can be very satisfying, in the right situation. Now, to what do we owe this visitation?”

“We need to do a little work, in a quiet place, Mamma. We also need a quiet lunch. Jamie has been busy for days, so needs a little time to come back to the real world.”

“All right, you take the table near the back. What do you want to drink?”

We both asked for a soft drink and made sure that the driver was looked after before we sat down. I sat, quietly, as Roger took out my tablet and phone and tapped buttons until he was happy.

“I’ve added all the contacts to your phone. If you call any of them, it will just show the name as Julia L. They will be able to call you and their names will come up on screen. Don’t go adding lots of friends. Every email or text sent to your phone will appear on the tablet. This is your working phone, you’ll find that you will be using it more than the other one you have, as you move away from your old friends. I’m sorry, but that’s the way things go. You may think that you will stay close to them, but you’ll be living in a different world in a month or so.”

“I’m beginning to understand that. The last couple of days have taken me into a whole new level of shopping. Those places you sent me to aren’t cheap, but they do make me feel as if I can beat the world. When you knocked on my door, this morning, I felt slightly ashamed at what you would see. I’m sure you get to visit much swankier places.”

“It isn’t the place, Jamie, it’s the quality of the person who lives there. I’ve met a few stars in fabulous houses, who aren’t as good as the dirt on your dainty new shoes. It wouldn’t matter where you live, you’ll always be more beautiful, and more likeable.”

I laughed and took another sip of my lemonade.

“Roger, you are becoming more interesting as the day goes on. Do you realise that, by the time you drop me back at home, I would have met you mother, and you would have met mine. All this inside two days.”

“What would you say if I told you that I didn’t want to drop you back at home. I could take you to my own place and keep you for myself.”

“Do you mean to tell me that you would put up with my whining, rather than taking your cut of my earnings?”

He smiled and we changed the subject, now that he had shown his hand, even in fun. His mother served us with garlic bread, fresh from the oven, and asked me if I liked tortellini. I told her that I loved everything Italian, and she laughed while Roger blushed.

We had a good meal and then the driver took us to a photography studio, where I was sat to get some pictures for my portfolio, that could be used to launch my career. Then we went to pick up my mother.

She was ready when we arrived, and it didn’t take long to get her in the car with her bag in the back. Roger was extremely kind with her, helping her to close up the house and sit in the back seat. I got in beside her, and Roger sat in the front, keeping up the chat. It took an hour to get to the clinic, in the north-east of London. It was an impressive place and Mum looked at it and gasped.

The driver carried her bag in, and we were greeted by a receptionist, who made a call that Mrs. Curtis was here. A guy in green scrubs came down to the reception and shook hands with us all.

“Mrs. Curtis, I will be assisting with your operation. What we want you to do now is to put your things in your room, then we will do all the tests that you went through before, but we will put you through an MRI machine to get a clear picture of your problem. If it’s not too bad, we should be able to sort it out with keyhole surgery, which will have you walking out of here in a few days. That would be the best we will hope for.”

We went, with Mum, to her room and I helped her put her things in the cupboard and drawers. She had brought enough for a week or more. The nurse came in with the usual backless outfit. Roger gave her a hug and wished her luck, then left the room. I gave her a hug; told her I loved her and wished her all the best.

“Jamie, sweetheart, I have the best, and you’ve got me the best care. It will be all right. Now, my girl, I know that he’s a bloke, like you, but that man of yours is a keeper, if ever I saw one. He’s sweet on you, and that matters more than whatever you both have hanging between your legs. Now go and make sure he doesn’t escape.”

I kissed her and left as the nurse came in to get her changed and onto a trolley. As we left the clinic, Roger took my arm and told me that the clinic had my new number and would be calling, or texting, me to let me know how things went. He took me home and we hugged,

I had a quiet night, making myself an omelette for my dinner, with some toast. I would need to shop for more food in the morning. Perhaps I should be a little more adventurous with things, some heat and eat meals, maybe. That night, it took me a while to go to sleep, worrying about Mum as well as thinking about what she had said to me. Did she really give me her permission to have a homosexual relationship? That night I had a weird dream where I was the one in hospital, but in the maternity ward, with Roger, Jack and Kurt arguing about who the father is. I ended up telling them that none of them were. I was about to reveal who the real father was when I woke up needing a pee.

About eleven, the next morning, I got my first text on the company phone. It was from the surgeon, who said that the operation was a success, and that I could come and see her after dinner, for a little while. I forwarded the text to Roger, and he texted back that he would pick me up, at four, take me to dinner, and then we would go and see my Mum. I texted back ‘Yes Please’. I went out to shop and took a while looking at the ready to eat meals selection in far greater detail that I had ever done before. I had a full freezer when I got home and was actually looking forward to trying some of them out.

I had got something quick while I was at the shopping centre, so I just needed to dress for dinner and a hospital visit. As it was a cooler day, soon to be a much cooler evening, I opted for my red mini, a top and a sweater, with black tights and a pair of calf boots that I wanted to try. I left the tablet on charge and put both phones in my handbag. I knew that I would have to put both on charge overnight. I was standing outside, with my Burberry on, when Roger pulled up in a nice Alfa Romeo, which I expected was his own car.

He got out and came around to my side, gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek, told me I looked lovely, the opened the passenger door for me to lower myself into it. He closed the door as I settled into the leather seat and found the seatbelt. He got in and we travelled out of the city, going east, until we arrived at a fish restaurant in Whitstable. A bit far for fish and chips, I thought, but this could be just the crazy lifestyle I was joining.

It turned out that this place was run by his father, as his parents had separated some years ago. The father was a large, friendly bear of a man who gave both of us huge hugs and cheek kisses when we walked in. What we ate was not your usual fish and chips, more a Fisherman’s Basket, with the majority of the dish being oysters, the seafood that the area is famous for. The chips were made from sweet potato, something I had never eaten before, and a taste sensation, as far as I was concerned.

Luigi sat with us for a while, and winked at me when he told Roger that oysters didn’t start working their magic until you had eaten at least a dozen. I really warmed to the man, with his easy-going manner and his obvious impression that we were a couple, rather that two work-mates. Hell, who was I kidding, we looked and acted like a couple, except that we hadn’t even kissed.

We left Luigi with the promise that Roger would bring me back again, and then went back into London, taking the Dartford Bridge to get to the Northeast suburb where the clinic was. On the way, I got him to stop at a flower shop so that I could take them to Mum. That would be a first, but, as they say, there’s a first time for everything.

Mum was sitting up in bed, with a half-eaten dinner on a tray beside her bed. I gave her a kiss and asked how she felt. When she said that she never felt better, I gave her the flowers. She had a smell of them and told me that I was wonderful. There was a handy vase in the room, so I put some water in it and added the flowers. While I was doing that, Roger was talking to Mum and asking the questions I didn’t dare to. She told us that the operation was a total success and that the original prognosis had been given by a pessimist. It was a great relief for all of us.

We chatted for a while and then she looked tired, so I gave her a kiss and told her I would be back tomorrow afternoon. As I turned to leave, she held her arm out to Roger, who bent and gave her a kiss on the cheek and told her that he would be back. We left the clinic, arm in arm, and he took me home, full of joy that Mum had looked so good. I could hardly believe that I had only known him a couple of days and that he had only met Mum yesterday.

He escorted me to my door, and I unlocked it, to hear his voice, behind me.

“I won’t come in, Jamie, as I know it’s very early in our relationship. I’ll be there when you’re ready.”

I turned around and put my hand behind his head and drew him to me in a kiss that beat every kiss I had received. It kicked Kurt into the next field. It was tender, loving, yet extremely exciting. It made me tingle, it made me shiver, it made me want to be a complete woman for him and that made me sad. When we pulled back, I whispered the most profound words I had ever spoken.

“Roger, I think I’m falling for you. Mum told me that you are a keeper and to not let you get away. If you can have a little patience, I don’t want to go beyond kissing until I can be a complete woman for you. I can’t bring myself to do anything else. Please be patient.”

His answer was another loving kiss, and I could feel his manhood against my stomach. That was, I was now certain, something that I would strive to be able to take into me, sometime in the future. He held me tight and kissed me again.

“Goodnight, sweetheart, I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon to go and see your mother. Don’t worry about my job, as Jim told me that my job was to make you happy. Little did he know that it would make me even happier.”

I watched him walk towards the lift. He waved as he got in and the doors closed. I went into my apartment and sat down in the lounge and bawled my eyes out. I was happy that I had a man who wanted me, yet sad that we would have to wait years, maybe. I couldn’t figure out what I wanted in life. It wasn’t so long ago I was making love to Belle, although I had been on the bottom and dreaming that my penis was inverted, and it was me being ploughed. Had I been queer, all my life? I didn’t think so, in fact I didn’t feel that I was queer, now. As far as I was concerned, I was now a woman, a woman about to become a film star, a woman who had a man go hard when we kissed.

I took off the Burberry and went into the bathroom to examine my destroyed make-up. I stood there, in a mini-skirt and boots, with a typical female figure. I cleansed my face of all the smeared mascara and completed the cleansing and hydration that had become so natural. I stood in front of the mirror and did a striptease, just for me, until I was down to bra and pants. That’s when I knew, deep in my heart, that I wasn’t queer, just that I wasn’t a boy any longer. I still hadn’t bought those garbags, that would be the first thing on the list, tomorrow.

I took the bra and pants off, didn’t look at my groin as I reached for a nightie, pulled on my gown, and started hanging my things. I hummed a popular song that I had heard on the radio when I was younger, on the classic rock station. I stopped when I realised that it was Abba’s ‘Gimme a Man (After Midnight)’. Then I started singing it, quietly, knowing that it was now truly meant for me. It would be my mantra as I went further.

I had a dreamless sleep, for which I was glad. I couldn’t have been able to bear any more emotion. I still woke, feeling as if I needed another eight hours. That was chased away with a good shower. Today, I would see Mum again, and we would work towards getting her home again. I would also see Roger again, and wondered how that would go, after last night.

About ten, my new phone chirruped, and I answered it. Jim told me that I was needed in the office, to sign some papers in regard to my name change. He also told me that I would be going to Hawaii, as soon as my new papers and passport came through, to go through the new script with Kurt and Kym. He was sending a car for me, as Roger had been called away to look after another client, so wasn’t available. I wondered if that had been on purpose, with Jim guessing that Roger was getting too personal with me.

I wondered what Kym had to do with the new script, but that couldn’t be answered until I saw them. At last, things were starting to happen, where I would have to earn the silly money that they were paying. My only worry was leaving Roger behind for I didn’t know how long.

I got myself ready for a trip to the city. The driver was waiting when I went down, and he gave me a smile as he opened the back door for me. Other than cabs, I didn’t sit in the back, and this was a sign of my new status. At the office, Jim was there to greet me.

“Good Morning, Jamie, or should I say Julia, now. We have your applications for you to sign and then we have to wait for the wheels of bureaucracy to turn, which may be a couple of weeks, if we’re lucky. That will give you some time to read the script which Kym will send to you. She’s a part-time scriptwriter, and has doctored some of Kurts scripts, as well as her own. He sometimes spends time directing and is quite good at getting the effects that enhance a scene. We have both on our books, but Jack is with someone else.”

We went into an office where Horatio was sitting, papers stacked all around him. He stood and gave me a hug and then sat me at a side table with some papers on it, then showed me where I needed to sign my real name, and the others where I had to sign my stage name. One was an application to join Actors Equity. Before I signed, I took a piece of blank paper and tried different ways of signing as Julia Leigh, before I decided on one, then repeated it a half a dozen times to prove that I could duplicate it in the future.

After that, Jim told me that my driver would take me to a studio where I would be doing indoor scenes that would be spliced into the final cut. These would include scenes with my movie ‘friends’. He told me that two had passed a screen test with flying colours already, and that we should have enough to start the filming in a couple of weeks.

My tablet had pinged while I was signing, and it had an email from Kym, with several attached pages of the script, from the first scene, up to the point where I come into the action. This was so I could get a grip on the story, so I could have an input on any problems, especially the aircraft scenes.

The driver took me to the studio, where I met with one of the set designers and a bunch of other people who would be shooting the movie. They were all very welcoming and I felt at home with them very quickly. They showed me the various sets that they had already built, with a few being slated for dismantling, now some of the storyline had changed. I asked if that was a problem and was told that it happened all the time, even while the film was being shot.

I found out that Cynthia and Moyra had both come in and had done their screen test. I had to laugh when the director told me that Cynthia, being a bit older, was going to play the Co-pilot on the flight deck. I could just see her, in a pilot’s outfit. I was to be the leader of the cabin crew, which allowed the story to take a few liberties with my spending time with a couple of special passengers.

The set designer took me to lunch at a nearby café, and he told me that he had seen both the screen tests I had done, in both the raw state and Cecil’s edited version. He smiled and asked me to keep up the good work, as he was sure that the picture would be in line for an Oscar. I told him that I could only do my best.

We worked on the early scenes for an hour, and then the car took me home again. I freshened up and then went to see my Mum.

Marianne Gregory © 2024