Chapter 11

Revelations

‘Why does your mother need to be away for so long, Emily?’ Joyce asked as she drove me to my aunt’s house.

‘She's a clothing designer, who specialises in lingerie. She used to work for a large company but was made redundant and for the last six months or so has been working freelance. She's visiting various European manufacturers and buyers trying to interest them in her designs.’

‘Perhaps you could model some of them for her when she gets back,’ suggested Jenny trying to cheer me up from the back seat.

‘I don’t think so. Most of them never even get beyond the drawing board.’

Jenny and her mother dropped me outside my Aunt’s drive. I quickly checked that my hair and makeup were ok in the mirror of a powder compact and straightened my skirt.

‘You look fine, don’t worry,’ said Jenny in a re-assuring voice. ‘Good luck!’

‘Thanks for everything,’ I replied, waving as they drove away.

I walked down the drive feeling decidedly nervous. Rather than let myself in using the key that I had been given, I rang the doorbell. By chance it was opened by Aunt Carol.

‘Hello, it's Emily isn’t it,’ she said slightly surprised to see me again so soon. ‘Clare’s in the lounge if you want her.’

‘Yes please, but I'd also like to have a talk with you and your other daughters as well if I may?’ I replied.

‘Alright then, they’re all together,’ she said in a puzzled tone.

She invited me in, clearly still not realising whom I was. As we walked into the living room my cousins looked anxiously at me. Clare had obviously had a chance to warn them of my coming. I took a deep breath.

‘First of all Aunt Carol, I need to identify myself as your nephew, Chris, and then explain how I come to be dressed like this.’

There was a sharp intake of breath by my aunt, and she looked truly surprised. But she did not immediately respond and so I proceeded to explain the situation when I arrived on the previous Monday and what I had been doing ever since. I stressed that everything was my fault but it had not been done deliberately.

‘But surely someone could have loaned you the money to go out and buy yourself some more clothes on Tuesday? Why didn’t you tell me about your loss?’

‘I felt such an idiot, and, in any event, I always assumed that I'd get my suitcase back after a day or two. Then there came the unexpected opportunity for me to earn some of the money that I’d lost.’

‘But you're not working now, so why are you still wearing a dress and makeup today?’

This was a good point and one that would be tricky for me to explain.

‘Clare and Jenny went to such a lot of trouble yesterday to make me look nice for Anne’s birthday meal and I’m due to go to work as a waitress again tomorrow morning, and so I saw no point in changing back into Chris and wasting all their efforts,’ I replied.

Even I could tell that it did not sound entirely convincing.

‘Whose idea was it for you to go out last night dressed as a girl,’ snapped my aunt.

‘That was my suggestion mum,’ admitted Anne, ‘she looked so good dressed as a waitress that I thought it would be a good idea.’

‘She happens to be a young man whom you were supposed to be looking after,’ she said angrily and with deliberate emphasis. ‘You should have loaned him some money until he could get some from his mother.’

‘It was not just Anne’s fault; Jenny and I persuaded him to wear the evening dress that was left in his suitcase and we provided the hair extensions and helped him to get ready,’ added Clare.

‘And I provided the breast forms from my work,’ admitted Karen.

‘You all had no right to humiliate him in this way,’ Aunt Carol continued angrily.

‘Aunt Carol, nobody has humiliated me,’ I said quickly. ‘Nobody has forced me to do anything this week. I am sure my cousins would have loaned me some money if I had asked them for it, but I didn’t want to cause any further trouble to you or them or give my mum any more cause for worry. I agreed to the proposal on offer and had no regrets about doing so. No-one has noticed whilst I’ve been working that I was really a guy and I would not have agreed to go out for the meal dressed as Emily if I’d felt I was going to be laughed at. In fact, I had such an enjoyable time last night that it was I who decided to make an effort with my appearance this morning, as a way of saying thank-you to my cousins.’

She looked surprised by the vehemence of my answer and her anger softened a little, so I handed her the photographs of me wearing the evening dress and also one of the three of us dressed as waitresses.

‘Well Christopher you certainly looked the part last night, but I think it is now time for the game to end and for you to change back into a young man. You presumably still have the clothes you arrived in, and I will leave you some money to buy yourself some others tomorrow.’

‘Thank you, but I’ll be receiving my wages for my first week’s work tomorrow and so I will be able to buy some for myself,’ I replied.

I hesitated for a second or two before continuing.

‘The only problem is that I have just been offered a further week’s work as a waitress. If I spend the next three hours removing my hair, fingernails and false breasts, and then have to go shopping tomorrow morning, I will not be able to do that job any more. It would also waste all the time and effort put in by Clare and Jenny yesterday. The reason why I decided to tell you everything now is because I was hoping to remain working as Emily until your return next week — that is if you don’t object.’ I said.

‘Please say yes mum, Emily makes an excellent waitress and the three of us have been having lots of fun working together and earning good money as well,’ added Clare.

‘I am sure there will be other temporary jobs he can find,’ answered Carol.

‘I know, but I am really enjoying this one. I did not plan any of this - nobody did, but I’ve been having a great time, just the same,’ I answered blushing.

I noticed Clare glance across to Anne and smile, as if to say ‘I told you so.’ Aunt Carol did not notice, but thought for a moment before responding.

‘I can’t possibly give you permission to do so without the knowledge and agreement of your mother. I think the time has come for you to contact her and tell her exactly what has been going on during the last week,’ she replied.

My heart sank, but I knew she was right.

‘Alright then, but I would rather not tell her by telephone. If I were to email her now and attach digital copies of these photographs, may I remain as I am until she responds?’

‘How often does she check her email?’

‘Most evenings, but if you like I will also send her a text message reminding her to check today.’

Aunt Carol thought for a while before answering, not sure what to do as she could not stay around for much longer.

‘Very well, as long as I can see your email before you send it, and that you all promise to follow her instructions exactly when you receive her reply. In fact, I would also like your mother to copy her reply to me,’ said Carol. ‘She’ll probably telephone me on Tuesday evening, and will be bound to ask about you so I don’t intend to keep any secrets from her.’

‘Thanks Aunt, Carol, I will show you the email before you leave this afternoon.’

Two hours later the email to my mother had been drafted, approved by Aunt Carol, and dispatched. It told the story of the last week, and sought to explain that I was now earning good money, keeping out of trouble and, above all, enjoying myself in my new role. In my first draft I asked for her permission to continue working as Emily for the next week, but then decided I might as well seek permission to remain so even longer, if she were agreeable. As promised, I attached the two digital photographs, one of myself as a waitress and the other of me wearing the outfit from last night. I had thought about signing my message as ‘Emily’, but then thought it might be less of a shock for me to sign it as Chris (Emily).

Aunt Carol read my message and agreed that it told the story accurately. She queried my request to stay as Emily beyond next week, but I said that now she knew, and if she and mum were agreeable, I might be able to work as a waitress throughout my stay. Eventually she agreed that if my mum did not object then she would not do so. The message was sent and Aunt Carol was anxious to drive back to Sheffield to check up on her mother.

‘Now promise me girls that you will make sure your cousin changes back into Chris immediately, if his mother tells him to do so. If necessary, one of you must also take him shopping for some more clothes first thing tomorrow morning,’ she said to her three daughters.

‘In the meanwhile, young lady,’ she said addressing me, ‘I suppose you may as well stay dressed as you are until your get an answer.’ Then, as an afterthought, she added, ‘I must say that you did look lovely in that long dress and I wish I had seen you last night.’

I blushed, not expecting such a compliment.

‘Thank you Aunt Carol. If mum is agreeable for me to continue then I will find an opportunity to show it you next week,’ I said.

She drove off without answering.

‘Well done Emily, I think you handled that pretty well,’ said Karen, and my cousins murmured their agreement.

Clare telephoned Jenny to tell her everything that had happened since she had left me and that I was now waiting for the verdict of my mother. Jenny asked to speak to me.

‘I am sure you have done the right thing Emm, I’ll keep my fingers crossed for your mother’s response. Please will you let me know as soon as you have any news,’ she replied.

‘Yes of course, and I’ll also need to let your mother know whether I can work for her next week.’

Later that evening I received a hurried reply from my mother, which had also been copied to my aunt.

Dear Chris (Emily).

I was surprised by your message and amazed by the two pictures that you attached. I will need a little time to think about my response to you and also I will need to talk to Carol and ask her opinion about what has happened. I will therefore contact you again in a few days' time. In the meanwhile, as long as you can promise me that you are not getting into any trouble, I will not try and stop you from continuing with your new job.

Love Mum xx.

As soon as I read the email I showed it to Clare and sent a text message to Jenny. I then telephoned Joyce to confirm that I had now told both my mother and aunt what I was doing and that I’d be available to work for her, at least for the next few days.

In fact Jenny, Clare and I continued to work as waitresses throughout the next week and were again complimented on how effectively we worked together as a team. Joyce was the caterer for a large conference in the town centre and therefore had five days of more-or-less continuous work for the three of us. We worked split shifts beginning each day before lunch-time and then returning later to serve and clear away after dinner. As a result we had very little time to do much other than the basic chores such as our laundry and to get ourselves ready for work. I preferred to change out of my working clothes as soon as I returned home after lunch and again in the evening, and so by the end of that week I had worn most of the clothes from the American girl’s suitcase, and would not have been able to manage without them. I was now certain that the owner would not bother to contact either of the lost property offices, and I regarded the use of her clothes as a fair exchange for the loss of my own clothes and money.

Late on the Monday evening, after I returned from work, I took a bath and soaked off the sticking plaster holding back my penis, just to check that everything was still ok. The task took some time and was a little painful to perform, but all seemed to be well. Afterwards, I tried to replace the adhesive plaster but was unable to do such a good job as before and eventually gave up, deciding that for the time being I would keep it out of the way using a pair of control pants I found in the case. I also found that I was becoming quite adept at dealing with my long hair and was able to pin it up for work unaided each day.

As a result of our being so busy, the events of the previous weekend went out of my mind and for the time being I forgot that I was still waiting for my mother’s final verdict on Emily. I also forgot about Chris and his problems and immersed myself in learning how to live and work as a girl. Joyce gave me the remainder of my first week’s pay and I now had sufficient money to buy anything I might need. At this rate I would have enough to replace all my missing holiday money and, if I had to, buy Chris some more clothes by the end of the week. During those days we saw very little of Karen and Anne who were either at work themselves or else out with their boyfriends. Once Aunt Carol had left us at tea time on Sunday, nobody seemed to want to discuss her unexpected visit.

It was not until Thursday morning, when Joyce began asking us whether we would be available to work during the following week, that I remembered that I had not heard from my mother.

‘I would like to continue working for you for the whole summer, if I am allowed to do so, but Aunt Carol has only agreed for this week. I think that she and mum were planning to discuss it and come back to me. Perhaps I should ring her to ask if she has yet spoken to mum,’ I said.

‘It might be better for you to wait for your mum to decide without trying to put any pressure on her. Clare has already confirmed to me that she’ll be working, I am sure that I can wait until tomorrow with respect to you,’ answered Joyce.

There was still no word from mum in my email that evening, and I again wondered whether I should contact her, but this time Clare again advised me to wait, at least until the following morning. The expected message eventually arrived early on Friday. I read it with eager anticipation.

My dear Emily,

Since last Sunday I have spoken on the telephone to your aunt, to each of your three cousins and also to your employer. Everyone agrees that you make a lovely and convincing young woman when you are dressed as Emily. Your cousins tell me that you are enjoying yourself at Shrewsbury, and assure me that you are being sensible and are unlikely to get yourself into serious trouble. In my last email I said I was surprised to hear what had happened. However, on reflection, perhaps I am not so surprised that you seem to be having a good time working as a waitress - but we can discuss this at a later date. Your aunt is understandably anxious about your future (as indeed I am), but she is prepared to let you continue as you are for the time being. I am therefore giving you my permission to wear whatever clothes you choose, as long as you do not cause any embarrassment to your Aunt Carol, your cousins or to myself.

It seems that I was at least partly responsible for the loss of your clothes by not keeping a closer eye on your suitcase for you, and so I shall be transferring £300 to your Aunt Carol’s account so that you can buy yourself some new ones and do not need to keep borrowing from your cousins. I will leave it up to you and Carol to decide whether these new clothes are for Chris or Emily. Fortunately my trip has been going well and I have already sold one set of designs, which are currently being manufactured, and I have hopes of another sale. I have also been given several new important commissions for next year.

I am going to be in England briefly when I change planes at Birmingham airport on Monday week and will have to stay overnight at the airport hotel before flying out again the next morning. I hope we can meet and have dinner together then, and that `you can stay in my hotel room for the night. I do not mind whether I meet Chris or Emily on that occasion, but I should like to know in advance which one it will be.

By the way, I have printed out that lovely photograph of you wearing the evening dress and have bought myself a double picture frame so I now have photos of both my son and my new daughter on my dressing table.

With love from.

Mum xx.