A Summer of Changes


by Louise Anne Smithson

Book 2 Chapter 2

‘Angela’

'So what's happened to our beautiful bridesmaid this morning?’ asked Sarah as she looked through Sue’s photographs of the wedding, at work the following morning.

‘She changed back into a young man yesterday afternoon, I tried to talk her out of it but I'm afraid she insisted. So we'll have to revert to using the male pronoun when discussing our colleague. Helen has given him permission to arrive an hour late and work through his lunch hour. I understand that there are a number of financial transactions that he needs to make, which would have been impossible for him to complete last week given his altered appearance.’

‘It's a pity that we have lost Denise, after all my efforts with the hair extensions. She looked lovely in those photographs and also fitted in well at work. I'll miss working with her.’

The others agreed.

‘Yes, I also believe that Denise enjoyed herself over the last ten days and that Denis will find that he misses her as well,’ said Sue.

‘In that case we'll have to look out for a reason to encourage him to resurrect her some time,’ suggested Mary.

‘I do have a plan which could result in us seeing some more of Denise, but would rather not discuss it yet, in case our colleague gets to hear. Can I suggest that we leave further references to the future of Denise until Jane gets back from her honeymoon,’ said Helen.

---

By the time Denis arrived at work most of the questions about Jane’s wedding had been answered, and Sue had already shown off her photographs. Nevertheless, he did receive a few brief congratulations from his workmates regarding his role in the proceedings. But things soon settled down and the rest of the day was spent catching up with the work he had missed whilst he'd been away. It was not until it was time to leave that he realised that the day had seemed strangely flat when compared with the excitement of the previous week.

Monday evening was spent catching up with various overdue cleaning jobs at home, but he had time to reflect upon the events of the previous ten days which increasingly seemed like a strange dream. For once in his life he had been the centre of attention, and had enjoyed being so, despite his fears and protestations. He had got to know better several of his colleagues and their friends. Above all he regretted the loss of Samantha’s company, she was the closest to him in age, and he'd felt that a bond had grown up between them — or at least between her and Denise. He realised that she'd probably been indulged as a child and liked to have her own way, but he also felt that she had probably grown up in her sister’s shadow, and without a mother during those difficult teenage years. She would now be facing the world on her own. He wanted to reach out to her but she had made it clear that she had no interest in meeting him as Denis. And then there was the matter of Samantha’s cousin John! He did not even want to think about that, as it put his thoughts into such turmoil. It was as if it had involved another person, and he did not know what to make of it.

---

It was during his second day back at work that it occurred to Denis that he was a bit of an outsider at work — something that had never struck him before. It was not that anyone was being deliberately rude or unkind, but he was no longer the focus of their attention. Now that he was dressed as a man once again no-one commented about how he looked or spoke or asked about his plans for the future. His workmates seemed to take less interest in Denis than they had done in Denise and did not automatically draw him into their conversations. Having once been accepted into the workplace sisterhood, he now missed the small attentions from his colleagues and reverted to being the shy young man getting on with his work at the corner desk. By the end of the day, he was feeling that life as Denis was just a little bit greyer than it had been as Denise.

---

That evening he went straight home after work and took a large load of washing to the local launderette including both his male and female attire. He also carefully hand washed the dress he'd been given by Jane and Samantha and hung it to dry in the shower cubicle in his room. He was just doing the ironing when there was a knock at his door. He hurriedly covered up all traces of the female clothing in his washing basket and opened the door. It was the young woman from the room along the corridor.

‘Hi, Denis! Where have you been for the last week? I’ve been wanting to tell you some important news,’ she said.

‘Hello, Angela. I'm sorry to have missed you but I've been away working and my mobile phone was out of action,’ he answered in a non-committal way. ‘So what is this news you have to tell me?’

‘Paul has been offered a job in Singapore and has asked me to marry him.’

‘Congratulations, and have you said yes?’

‘Not exactly, or at least not for the time being, but he has invited me to join him out there. He’s sure he can get me a job in the same company. He flew out last weekend, and I have handed in my notice at my work and on my bedsit. I'll be joining him there in three weeks,’ she said happily.

‘Congratulations! That’s quite a surprise! I hope you'll both be happy living out there. I'll miss having our talks from time to time,’ he replied.

‘Thanks,’ she said. ‘I know I've sometimes used you as someone to listen to my moans about him, but I do love him.’

‘I always realised that,’ he replied. ‘I’m happy you chose me as your confidant.’

‘Look, I've brought round a bottle of chilled champagne to celebrate, so if you get out some glasses I'll tell you the whole story’.

Angela was five or six years older than Denis, but they had been neighbours for several months and she liked to chat with him from time to time, particularly to use him as a sounding board. In the past he had been happy to enjoy her company and so he had no choice but to invite her in to his room. He quickly cleared away the ironing and spent the next half hour listening politely to her and her boyfriend’s stories and their plans for the future. Eventually, she asked whether she might use his toilet and, without thinking, he agreed. It was only when she went in to the bathroom that he remembered that there was a dress hanging to dry in the shower cubicle which would be clearly visible. When she emerged she looked a little puzzled.

‘Denis, I didn't know you had a girlfriend.’

There seemed to be no point in lying.

‘I haven’t.’

'In that case whatever have you been getting up to over the last couple of weeks?’

‘What do you mean?’ he answered feigning innocence, but blushing at the same time.

‘Well there’s a rather nice blue dress hanging up to dry in your shower, and also you seem to look a little different from the last time I saw you. You have done something to your eyebrows,’ she said looking more closely. ‘You also seem to have pierced your ears recently. What is it all about?’

Denis blushed even more.

‘Angela, if I tell you, will you promise me not to mention it to anyone else in the house?’

‘Yes of course,’ she said suddenly taking more interest. ‘Who is there to tell? I hardly see any of the other tenants and have now given notice to Mrs Clarke.’

Denis poured two further glasses of wine and related the story of Denise.

‘You’re having me on, aren’t you?’ was her initial reaction.

Therefore he showed her the photographs of the wedding on his computer, and finally brought out the bridesmaid’s dress from his wardrobe.

‘Goodness, you mean you actually managed to fill in as a bridesmaid at a posh society wedding and convince all the guests that you were really a woman.’

He nodded, ‘I believe so. That is everyone other than the bride, the other bridesmaid and two of the guests who already knew me.’

‘What about the bride’s family or the groom?’

‘They still don’t know. The bride saw no reason to trouble them with the information.’

She looked again at the computer.

‘You know you look beautiful in these photographs. I would have loved to have seen you when you were dressed as Denise.

‘Sorry, but there was no way that I could come home dressed like that in case Mrs Clarke saw me’.

‘Why didn’t you phone me, we could've met somewhere and had lunch together?’ she said sounding genuinely disappointed.

‘Oh yes! With me dressed as a bridesmaid!’

‘No, I suppose not, but I would've been happy to meet Denise in her ordinary working clothes’ she answered.

‘I am sorry, Angela, I suppose I could have contacted you but I didn't know how you would react. In any event it was difficult for me last week. During the early part of the week I was busy at work and staying on the other side of London each night, and then for the last two days I was staying in Birmingham.’

‘So what about the dress hanging in the shower cubicle?’

‘That was given to me by the bride and the other bridesmaid, as a 'thank-you' present for standing in at the last moment.’

‘Do you have any other women’s clothes?’

‘Yes, I was given some shoes and underclothes to go with the dress, and of course I still have my bridesmaid’s outfit,’ he answered.

‘I’ll forgive you for not telling me, but only on condition that you dress up as Denise for me one evening before I leave,’ she said.

‘I no longer have the hair extensions, and in any event, I wouldn't be capable of fixing them by myself’.

‘Wait a minute! I’ve got an idea,’ she said and got up and went back to her room. She returned two minutes later holding a long dark brown wig on a wig block.

‘I bought this a few years ago before I grew my hair to its current length, you're welcome to borrow it, and so there can be no excuse for refusing my request.’

Denis sighed before answering.

‘Alright then, if you're free on Friday evening I'll dress up as Denise especially for you. Mrs Clarke usually goes out to bingo on that night and so there's less chance of her seeing me.’

‘Agreed, why don’t you come round to my room at about 7.30 pm, and if you like I'll order a takeaway meal for us to be delivered at 8.00 pm,’ said Angela.

‘I'll wear my blue dress for you but you mustn't blame me if I don't look as good as in the photographs — after all I had a lot a specialised help in getting ready.’

---

The next two days at work followed the same pattern as the Tuesday with Denis feeling slightly as if he were the odd one out. Even the friendship that had grown up between him and Sue during the weekend before last no longer appeared to be there; her mind now seemed to be on other things. He went out alone window shopping on Wednesday lunchtime and recalled the previous week living and working as Denise, and wondered what Samantha was doing. In the afternoon he set up a new email account in Denise’s name, arranging for any messages to be forwarded to his own account. He then sent her an email announcing the new address, but did not expect a quick reply as he knew she was still staying with her father and neither of them were regular computer users.

---

In his bed/sitting room on Wednesday evening he again felt lonely especially as the house appeared to be empty. His thoughts turned to how it had felt to be Denise, and so he decided to wear his suspender belt and nylon stockings underneath his trousers. Once again he enjoyed the sensation on his still largely hairless legs but at the end of the evening he discovered that he'd laddered one of the stockings. He therefore decided to go out on the following lunchtime and buy another pair and then to try on his female outfits in the evening.

The silicone breast forms that he'd borrowed from Jane were still at work and so he created his own breasts using the laddered stockings with the toes filled with rice. These created a convincing shape to pop into a bra which worked well under the blue dress, but they did not feel like the real thing and certainly would have been visible if he'd been wearing the bridesmaid’s dress. After 10 p.m., on Thursday evening, once he was certain that there would be no visitors, he put on some makeup and inserted his earrings to become Denise once again. Somewhat to his surprise, he found that he did not look bad as a woman even, with short hair, but once he put on Angela’s wig he truly felt like Denise again. The only thing that did not feel quite right this time was his short boyish fingernails.

Following this successful trial run Denise carefully undressed and removed the wig. Denis then had a shower to wash off all traces of the makeup. Whilst doing so he inspected his arms and legs which had been de-fuzzed the previous Friday night. They were still fairly smooth, but were beginning to show early signs of re-growth, and so he quickly shaved them again to ensure that they would again be smooth for the next day.

---

Friday was a busy day at work because Jane was away and Sue seemed to be involved in planning some special project for Helen. Denis had hardly spoken to her since his return as she was either ensconced with Helen or else out of the office. In fact the whole office seemed far more business-like than it had been in the run up to Jane's wedding. Denis worked through his lunch time so that he could leave early. He therefore carried on and made the finishing touches to the new website, of which he was increasingly proud. When he eventually had a chance to show it to Helen she said she liked it, and was considering the implications of his proposed online ordering system but could not commit herself further. As he was leaving work he remembered that the small case containing the acrylic fingernail extensions and some adhesive, which were still in his locker. He slipped them into his pocket and made his way home, arriving at about 5.45 pm.

---

As soon as he was home Denis had a quick shower before getting changed. Over the last fortnight Denise had developed some expertise in putting on her makeup and knew exactly what suited her. As soon as she had finished her face she put in some earrings and then put on Angela’s wig and brushed it into place. Finally she attempted to fix the false fingernails but could not make them stick properly, and so eventually abandoned them in favour of some clear nail varnish hurriedly applied. As she was waiting for her nails to dry she slipped into a pair of high-heels and quickly inspected herself in the full-length mirror. She did not look as glamorous as the previous week, but made a passable and attractive woman nevertheless even if she was disappointed by her hands. They didn't look like a man’s hands, but were plain and rather non-descript compared with the elegantly manicured and polished nails she'd the previous week.

At about seven fifteen she heard Mrs Clarke leave the house and so as soon as her nails were dry she made her way to Angela’s room, keeping her fingers crossed that she would not come across any of the other housemates.

‘Wow!’ said Angela looking at her ‘I'm most impressed, you look very convincing. Did you put on your own make up?’

‘Yes, of course,’ said Denise, once again enjoying the glow of receiving compliments about her appearance.

‘My wig suits you too.’

‘Thanks, it is surprisingly easy to style and looks convincing — I guess it's made of human hair and so must have been expensive when you bought it.’

‘No it's artificial hair, but it was quite expensive. I haven’t worn it since I've grown my own hair and I won’t be taking it to Singapore. You may keep it if you wish,’ said Angela.

‘Oh no, I couldn't accept it as a gift, but I’ll pay you something for it,’ said Denise.

‘I tell you what,’ she said, ‘are you doing anything on tomorrow afternoon?’

‘Are you referring to Denis or Denise?’

‘I think Denis would be more use to me as I need help moving some stuff.’

‘I believe he could be free,’ said Denise, careful to refer to her male self in the third person.

‘If he were able to give me a hand for a couple of hours I will let you keep the wig in recompense.’

‘What would you like him to do?’

‘I have been packing those of my belongings that I will be taking with me to Singapore into two trunks and I'll need to take them downstairs ready for collection on Monday by the shipping agent. Then I'll need to take most of the rest of my things to local charity shops, unless there's anything that you or Denis wants to keep.’

‘I thought you weren’t leaving for another three weeks?’

‘It is now only two and a half weeks before I leave, and I shall be taking a long weekend to say goodbye to my parents next weekend so I'll need to sort out my stuff this weekend.’

‘How will you manage in the meanwhile?’ asked Denise.

‘I'll be taking a suitcase full of those clothes that I'll be keeping with me on the ’plane. It will be a good excuse to buy some more when I get there. Fortunately it is now June and so I'll be able to wear summer dresses in the meanwhile. Many of my other clothes will be too hot for a tropical climate and so I will be giving them away.’

‘Alright then I'm sure Denis will be happy to help you,’ said Denise.

The takeaway meal arrived and the couple spent an enjoyable evening chatting together. Denise found no difficulty in slotting back into her role once again and adopting her female voice. Angela showed no sign of awkwardness and accepted Denise as she might any other female friend.

‘You know I wish I had known about Denise a little earlier, there have been plenty of times when I would have loved to share a meal with a girlfriend like this,’ said Angela.

‘You forget that I've only known about her for a couple of weeks myself, but I agree it has been fun to have a chat with you girl to girl,’ she answered smiling.

‘How about letting me see you dressed as a bridesmaid?’

‘I'm sorry Angela, Mrs Clarke will be arriving back pretty soon, and in any event the dress would not look as good without the proper false breasts and a more elaborate hair style,’ Denise answered.

‘All right I'd better let you go back to your own room now,’ she said.

‘But I am determined to see you as a bridesmaid sometime before I leave,’ she added to herself.

(Next time - Denise acquires a new wardrobe and is soon presented with several opportunities of showing it off.)