A Summer of Changes
by Louise Anne Smithson

Chapter 6

‘The Aftermath’

Sue and Alison’s flat was busy the next morning as the three girls had to shower and then get ready for work. Denise therefore took responsibility for getting herself dressed in her office clothes, putting on her own makeup and styling her hair, as Sue had shown her. In the end she felt quite pleased with the result. She packed the remainder of her female attire and other possessions neatly into a suitcase which Sue loaned to her and the two of them were just about to leave when Alison called her over.

‘OK Denise let me make a quick inspection of your hair and make-up before you leave,’ said Alison.

Denise smiled and allowed herself be scrutinised.

‘That's pretty good my girl, you're clearly a fast learner and have got the idea of what effect you need to achieve using cosmetics.’

‘Thanks for the compliment, but I'm afraid it will all be coming off as soon as I've seen Jane this morning,’ she replied.

‘What a pity after all that effort!’ commented Sue.

‘So when will we be meeting Denise again?’ asked Alison.

‘I don’t know. This last weekend has been a one-off. I'm not likely to be invited to a hen party again in a hurry.’

‘But it would be a shame if we didn't meet again as we've had a lot of fun together. Why don’t you come to stay with us for another weekend sometime?’

‘With me as Denise?’

‘Yes, of course I mean you as Denise.’

Denise shrugged her shoulders.

‘I don’t know Alison, in some respects it would be nice to do it again, but it wouldn't be very practicable. I'll have to think about your invitation,’ she replied.

Alison was about to offer some further persuasion, but Sue was looking at her watch in an obvious way.

‘OK then young lady, you'd better get off to work then, but don’t leave it too long before you come and see us again.’

---

By the time the pair arrived at the office several of their colleagues were already working at their desks.

‘I wasn’t expecting to see you at work again today Denise, what has happened to Denis?’ asked Helen.

‘He's still locked in that cupboard over there, we couldn't get in over the weekend to let him out,’ she answered, blushing a little.

‘What do you mean?’

Sue explained that it had been her fault, and how Denise had been forced to remain at her flat for the weekend.

‘Well Denise, I hope you've enjoyed your weekend as a young woman,’ said Helen laughing.

‘I've had a good time with Sue and her flatmate,’ she said, continuing to blush, ‘but I'm now looking forward to changing back into Denis this morning just as soon as Jane arrives.’

Sue again explained about Jane’s mysterious phone call the previous day.

‘That's odd, I wasn’t expecting Jane to come into work this week, but she telephoned earlier to say that she is driving down from Birmingham and will not be arriving before 11.00. In that case I think you had better defer your transition to Denis until the lunch break,’ said Helen.

‘Alright then, if my colleagues don’t object’ answered Denise.

‘Of course they won’t object. You look very smart dressed as you are and in any event the creation of Denise was our joint office project,’ said Sue.

‘I don’t mind whether it is Denis or Denise as long as your work gets done’, added Helen.

‘Alright then,’ answered Denise, 'I’ll wait for Jane. By the way Helen, I've brought back the party dress and shoes that you loaned to me on Friday. I'll get them cleaned, together with the ones I am wearing and let you have them back.’

‘The clothes were not intended to be a loan, they're yours to keep, you never know but they may come in useful to you some time,’ said Helen.

‘Thanks but I don’t think I'll have any further use for them.’

‘In that case you can either give them away or else keep them in your locker, just in case. All your workmates have received similar gifts of clothes as bonuses from time to time and there's no reason why you shouldn't do so,' added Helen and left them to get on with her own work.

---

Jane eventually arrived at 11.30 together with her sister. They came in to the office carrying a pink bridesmaid’s dress in a cellophane cover and a white shoe box. Jane first went over to Sue’s cubicle and handed over her set of keys and they exchanged a few words. Next she went into Helen’s office taking the clothes that she and her sister had been carrying. Denise saw them talking together through the office window, and wondered at what point her presence would be required. She did not notice that Samantha had made her way over to her desk.

‘Good morning Denise, it's nice to see you again,’ she said in a friendly tone which betrayed no evidence that she had now been let in to her secret.

‘Hi Samantha, I assume you got Jane home ok on Friday evening,’ said Denise feeling slightly embarrassed.

‘Yes, we were fine thanks.’

She still gave no indication of knowing the truth about her.

Denise thought to herself, ‘so that’s why Jane wanted me to stay as Denise, she still does not want her sister to know about me.’

‘By the way, I enjoyed our chat on Friday evening,’ continued Samantha.

‘Me too,’ answered Denise, now feeling a little awkward.

‘So you meant what you said about our having lunch together some time?’ said Samantha.

‘Yes of course,’ answered Denise, not knowing what else to say.

She was now feeling alarmed and wondering how long she might be able to keep up the deception. However, before Samantha could say any more, Jane had called them both over to join her in Helen’s office.

‘My sister confirms that she was entirely taken-in by you on Friday night, and as a reward for discovering about her baby pink knickers we're going to give you the opportunity of trying on one of my bridesmaid’s dresses,’ she announced to Denise.

Denise found the situation a little odd, but before she could answer she found that Jane and her sister were helping her to take off the suit and blouse.

'I'm afraid you'll have to take off the camisole and change your bra as well, as the dress is a strapless one,' said Jane handing her a white replacement bra.

‘I thought the underwear was supposed to be pink,’ said Denise trying to make light of what was happening to her.

‘Oh that can wait until the big day — we're just here to see whether the dress and shoes fit you,’ said Jane in a matter of fact way.

Denise felt a little embarrassed to be topless in front of her colleagues and was glad once she was covered up once more. Jane and Samantha then helped her step into the new dress, zipped it up and tied the bow. Finally they instructed her to put on a matching pair of shoes with 4 inch heels.

‘What's all this about?’ asked Denise.

Her question was ignored, as Jane, Samantha, Helen and Sue all stood back and examined her.

‘Are her false boobs visible?’ asked Jane.

‘No, I think they are probably alright,’ replied Samantha.

‘The dress might have been made just for her and it also suits her colouring, but how will she get on wearing those high heels?’ said Helen.

‘With difficulty, I've already tried wearing mine,’ said Samantha, ‘but she'd have a week to practice’.

By this time the word about Jane’s arrival had got round the office and the other employees had crammed in to Helen’s office to admire the dress.

‘Will someone please explain to me what this is all about!’ said Denise.

‘Alright then, the real prize for doing so well last Friday is that you get to stand in as my second bridesmaid on Saturday,’ said Jane.

‘I beg your pardon?’ said Denise not sure that she heard correctly.

‘I'm afraid that I'm going to need your services as Denise once again next weekend, since my cousin has just broken her leg and you're the only suitable replacement I can think of.’

‘I'm sorry Jane, but there's absolutely no way that I'm going to act as a bridesmaid at your wedding,’ said Denise vehemently. ‘You'll have to find someone else.’

‘But it is now too late for me to find anyone else who is the right size. You're absolutely right and you look so lovely wearing that dress,’ said Jane.

‘Forget it! I agreed to allow you and Sue dress me up for one evening only, and already I've been conned into spending the whole of the weekend as a girl. Now you're expecting me to do the same thing again next weekend.’

‘Your decision to spend last weekend dressed as a girl had nothing to do with me,’ said Jane.

‘I know but it wasn’t my fault either,’ answered Denise.

‘On Friday you told me that you'd always wanted to be a bridesmaid, otherwise I'd have never suggested your name to Jane,’ said Samantha.

‘But that was only an act, to gain your confidence,’ said Denise.

‘So everything you said to me on Friday was all a part of an elaborate hoax.’

Denise blushed, and didn't respond immediately.

‘I'm sorry Samantha; I did enjoy chatting to you. But if I agreed with this idea I would be so frightened of giving myself away and spoiling your sister’s wedding.’

‘But you were fine on Friday night; nobody had any idea about you. Why shouldn't you be just as convincing again next Saturday?’ said Sue, joining the conversation.

‘I wouldn’t even ask you unless I was confident that you wouldn't be recognised,’ added Jane.

‘There's quite a difference between pretending to be a woman in front of a group of tipsy girls for a few hours one evening, compared with having to be on display in front of all your friends and family for an entire day. In any event, I'm not used to wearing such high-heels and would be bound to trip over as you walked down the aisle.’

‘Come on now Denise,’ said Sue, ‘you managed to convince my flatmate that you were a girl and nobody suspected you when we went out shopping in Oxford Street or had lunch at Covent Garden market on Sunday. With a little more practice wearing high heels, no-one will ever know. Also, your hair and make up for the wedding would be done professionally.’

‘In fact you could continue to keep the hair extensions and my breast formes and spend the rest of this week getting some more practice. I’ll loan you some of my clothes to wear at work,’ said Jane.

‘We can also help to train you with your speech and deportment, there are just a few minor things I have noticed,’ said Mary.

‘I'll be there to show you exactly what to do on the day,’ said Samantha.

‘Sue and I will also keep an eye on you at the reception,’ said Helen.

Denise sighed. Everyone seemed to be in favour of the idea except her.

‘Jane, I would like to help but you must understand there would be some insuperable logistical problems. For example, if I were to remain as Denise I have only two sets of clothes, one of which is a party dress. In any event, I would not be able to return to my flat dressed as a woman each night.’

‘That's not a problem’ she answered smiling, clearly having thought about the matter beforehand. ‘My bedroom in the flat that I share with Samantha will be empty from tonight onwards, as I'll be staying at my father’s house in Birmingham until the wedding. You could stay there for the next week and so you won't need to go back to your flat. Samantha and I have already sorted out some of my clothes for you to wear during that time.’

‘You have masses of annual leave owing to you and so you could take a few days off to get yourself prepared,’ said Helen.

Denise seemed to be bombarded with helpful suggestions from her colleagues which were difficult to counter.

‘I don’t know Jane, you're asking rather a lot of me,’ said Denise still unconvinced, but less adamantly against the idea than before.

Samantha now joined in again, this time speaking quite forcefully

‘Look Denise, I was the one who suggested to Jane that you would be a suitable replacement as a bridesmaid, and it was only then that she told me the truth about your little project on Friday night. I was really upset by the way that you both had tricked me, but at least it showed me that you would make a convincing stand in. Although I was annoyed with Jane, I have forgiven her and want everything to go well next Saturday. If you were clever enough to fool me last Friday then you won't easily give yourself away. So if you want to redeem yourself in my eyes and retain my friendship you will agree to help us out, otherwise I'll assume that you're just a coward.’

Denise blushed again and looked abashed.

‘Oh Denise please help me out here,’ said Jane in more pleading tones. ‘This is going to be the most important day of my life and I'm so busy with the preparations for the wedding that I simply don't have time to find another bridesmaid. If you will agree to do this for me I can leave you in Samantha’s capable hands and worry about other things.’

Denise sighed

‘Are you sure that there's no-one else who would be suitable?’ she asked.

‘Believe me, we've both racked our brains and can think of nobody else,’ answered Jane.

‘If I were to agree to your plan, then who, exactly, will know about my true identity?’

‘Only those who really need to know will be told. I won't even tell the groom or his parents, or the best man, or even my father, and as you know my mother is dead,’ said Jane. ‘We will probably have to explain the situation to the hair stylist, though, and also to my cousin John, as he will be escorting you at the reception, but I promise you he will be alright about it’.

Samantha nodded in agreement.

‘I must be absolutely insane,’ said Denise ‘but I'll do my best to help you. However, don’t blame me if something disastrous happens at the wedding’.

‘Oh you're lovely girl.’ said Jane hugging and kissing her. ‘I promise that I won't forget this’.

‘Neither will I,’ answered Denise, still unsure as to what she'd just let herself be talked into.

Samantha also smiled and gave her a hug, ‘I think it is going to be good fun as bridesmaids together,’ she added.

There was a collective sigh of relief among all the workmates and Denise again received their congratulations. For the first time she took a good look at herself in the pink dress, and had to admit that she did look rather nice.

---

After she had changed back into her office clothes Denise joined Jane and her sister for an early lunch where they finalised the arrangements before the bride to be drove back to Birmingham. It was agreed that Denise would continue at work until Wednesday afternoon, and during this time she would stay with Samantha who had finished her last exam the previous Friday and had plenty of free time over the next week whilst she awaited her results. Denise would take the coming Thursday and Friday as annual leave to get ready for the wedding, and the two bridesmaids would travel to Birmingham together and stay in Jane’s father’s house until the day after the wedding. Denise would then return to London and the much delayed transition back to Denis would take place with Sue’s help on the Sunday afternoon.

After lunch Denise telephoned her landlady, Mrs Clarke, who lived in the same house. She spoke as if she were Denis and explained that he had had to travel to Scotland for his work and would not be home for the rest of the week. However, before leaving, he had left his room keys and a cheque to cover his next month’s rent, with a colleague who would be travelling up the following day. His colleague Samantha would therefore call in during the afternoon to pay his rent and to collect a few personal items. He would therefore be grateful if she would show her to his room. The landlady agreed and Denise drew up some directions and a list of items for Samantha to collect.

---

When she got back to work after lunch Denise found that Helen had found her a pair of shoes with 4 1/2 inch heels to wear.

‘If you wear these around the office for the next few days, you will find that the 4 inch heels will give you no problems at the wedding,’ she said.

Denise had to admit to herself that they did make her legs look better.

‘Alright, as long as it is only around the office and I'm not expected to go home in them tonight,’ she replied.

---

Samantha called on Mrs Clarke, as arranged, and returned to the office at five o’clock. Denise then changed into some more practical shoes and accompanied her new friend home. Upon arrival Samantha showed her Jane’s bedroom and showed her the clothes, cosmetics and jewellery they'd chosen for her to wear over the next few days.

‘I also have a very feminine nightdress which I've never worn, which you are welcome to use,’ said Samantha.

‘I suppose I may as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb,’ answered Denise wearily.

‘It is more a question of immersing yourself in the relevant detail so that you're less likely to give yourself away accidentally,’ she said.

‘Yes, alright then, I suppose it's better to go over the top with girlie clothes than to be unmasked at the wedding.’

‘Exactly, so why don’t we both get changed and then we can prepare a meal together,’ she said. ‘Now that I know your secret there are lots of questions I'd like to ask and we can get to know one another a little better’.

‘I should like that,’ said Denise. ‘But I also need to apologise for not being completely honest with you on Friday evening. I enjoyed talking to you and afterwards felt rather guilty about it, but I wasn't deliberately trying to trick you or make you look foolish’.

‘Yes I now realise that. But don’t worry, if you help us out next weekend then I promise that all will be forgiven,’ she replied.

‘If I'd been dressed as Denis when we were introduced, I would probably have been too shy to talk to you.’

‘In that case I'm glad that I was introduced to Denise,” she answered smiling.

---

That evening Denise told the story of her transition and of the previous weekend and answered questions about her own background as a young man.

‘So you had never thought about dressing as a woman before last week?’

‘No,' she replied decisively.

‘That's odd because you seem to fit in to the role so well. When Jane told me that you were really a man I assumed that you must be a transsexual who had been living as a woman for some time and was planning to undergo a sex change operation.’

‘Nothing so drastic has ever crossed my mind’.

‘Maybe you should give it some thought once the wedding is over,’ added Samantha with tongue in cheek.

Denise blushed but did not answer, so Samantha changed the topic of conversation.

‘OK, I now know all I need or want to about Denis. From this point onwards until after the wedding there must be no more reference to anyone except an attractive young lady called Denise.’

'Alright then.'

---

(Next week - Denise and Samantha prepare for the ‘Big Day’)