Jaye Michael

PART ONE: EVOLUTION

Chapter Eight: Adaptation

There’s no use trying, one can’t believe impossible things.
– Lewis Carroll

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 5:10 P.M., FROM THE DIARY OF LYLE T. ABBOT, A GREAT CAMP NEAR TUPPER LAKE, NEW YORK

Busy week. Mornings for learning, afternoons for analysis, and evenings for learning about our new selves. One of the first things we agreed to was to exchange names. After all, we’d already established that we could easily pass for each other based upon our appearances. We’ve kept our real names for our diaries, but everywhere else we’ve taken the first letter of each of our real first names and used them as our new middle initials to make it easier to tell who it was we were talking to or about. Thus, while I am in this female body, I will call myself Eunice L. instead of Lyle and while Eunice is in a male body, she will call herself Lyle E. Similarly, since others have been doing it for a while and we’ve even done it ourselves in our thoughts, we will start to use pronouns in our speech that are consistent with our physical appearances. So, I now get to use “she” and “her” while Eunice will be using “he” and “him.” Oh joy! Oh frabjuous day!

I am convinced that we exchanged DNA during the lab accident. Our bodies somehow eliminated our old DNA. The only thing keeping the transition from being perfect was our skeletal structure which–while not that dissimilar–has not changed, or at least it hasn’t so far. It’s surprising how much fatty tissue redistribution compensates for skeletal differences. Lyle E. says my butt is slightly smaller and that it makes me look svelter, which is good–I guess. All I know is that her clothes fit.

Now I need to [1] make sure the virus responsible for all this is still active and culture some, [2] figure out how to safely re exchange our DNA and [3] make sure the virus then goes inert and remains that way. If I’m really lucky, I’ll be able to learn to control it. However, that’s the least of my worries.

Actually, the real problem is that, good as it is, the equipment we have here is just not good enough to do the quality of research needed. Eunice, or Lyle, rather, was right.

I mean Lyle E. was right. We need to return to “da City.”

It’s amazing what there is to learn about being female; the clothes, the make up, the gestures, the differences in grooming techniques and body hygiene. They’re just the external part. The thoughts...well I won’t talk about that, except to say that seems to be the hardest part for me.

Tonight is to be my first real test of being a woman in the real world, or at least in the Adirondacks. We’re going to a spaghetti dinner and dance at the Moose or VFW or some such Hall in Tupper Lake. I’ll add more when I get back.

EDITOR’S NOTE: There is no formal record of either of these individuals attending the above mentioned dinner and dance. The following information is the result of interviews with several individuals who apparently were in attendance that night, although it should be noted that these interviews are potentially contaminated by a gap of about a decade between the event and the interviews. As a result, the following is provided for color and to connect the various events for our protagonists; without significant assurances of its veracity.

They arrived at the dinner shortly after the serving line started, probably about 6:30 P.M. The girl seemed quiet and aloof, maybe even a bit macho while the guy was talking to everyone. There was something strange about the two of them. It wasn’t clear what, but they seemed almost uncomfortable, although that might just have been that they weren’t local to Tupper Lake and so weren’t mixing well. Or maybe it’s just that they were being ignored by most of the locals as would be usual. He danced, she didn’t. There was some type of confusion at the bathrooms but it is unclear if they were involved. They left early.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, FROM THE COMBINED LETTERS OF LYLE ABBOT AND EUNICE HARRIMAN, A GREAT CAMP NEAR TUPPER LAKE, NEW YORK

At the sound of voices, Lyle E. put away his diary and moved to the window. Looking through the curtains, he saw Eunice L. talking to someone sitting in the cab of an older model pickup truck. Try as he might Lyle E. could not hear anything so he moved to the door. Before it could be opened, he heard the sound of tires spinning on dirt and stones as the truck sped off. As Eunice L. came in the door she said, “That was the caretaker. I knew enough about who we’re supposed to be to convince him, of who I was. That’s twice. If we can convince strangers it’s time for friends and acquaintances.”

“Fair enough. Then, I guess it’s time for us to head back home. I was getting a bit tired of the peace and quiet anyway.

Putting it bluntly, with you in the lab most of the time and nowhere to go, even if I want to do something as simple as shopping, it’s boring,” Lyle E. grumbled.

“Sorry.” Eunice L. gave a sheepish shrug and then smiled. “First let me tell you what I’ve deduced and then we can plan out what to do next.” There was a brief delay and then she continued in a tentative manner, “Kay?”

“Good. You remembered the ‘Kay’, but I’d never use a word like ‘deduced.’ Girls want to let their men look smart, not look smart themselves. Now talk to me. What are you suggesting?” Lyle E. slouched down into a chair, legs askew, and stared intently at Eunice L.

Eunice L. blushed as Lyle E. stared at her. She smoothed her skirt and quickly sat. “I think its time to return to New York. We’ve each learned a lot, although not everything about each other. We can pass reasonably well for each other where no one knows us. I can do my own basic makeup and wear your clothes reasonably well, although I still appreciate your help with clothes and stuff. After all, I did remember to smooth my skirt, for example.

Eunice L. grinned, showing a dimple as she made her last point. “And the way that you’re sitting there staring at my breasts instead of my face speaks volumes for your progress.”

“And your proposal is?” Lyle E. interrupted.

“My proposal is that we return to the city. I can’t get the job done with the equipment I have to work with here and you’re bored to tears. If I can use your fa–” Eunice L. stammered a bit and blushed a little. “If I can use Daddy’s lab, things will go much faster. And you can help. No one will question either of us being there if Daddy assigns you as his new research assistant. You don’t even have to go to classes since I’m supposed to be ABD. In fact, you can spend the evenings dancing, partying, or what ever else you’d like to do. Kay?” she smiled.

“Fine,” Lyle E. agreed. “But I have one additional suggestion. We both have one more major learning experience that needs to occur for both of us, and I think we better be both students and teachers for each other. I don’t know about you, but I was sexually active. Even if you do nothing else I did, you’re going to need to know how to behave sexually.

“I suggest that I also live in my...I mean your condo.”

Lyle E. stopped with a bewildered look for a moment. “No. I don’t care how confusing this gets. I’m going to say it right.

“We’ll move my clothes out of...my apartment and into your condo. It may even give you an argument for avoiding sex if you can claim you have a live in boyfriend...although this me would probably be a bit below your normal standards.” Lyle E. paused to think briefly. “I guess you could say that as Daddy’s research assistant I was just too tempting a target. Actually, that might also explain some of the changes people might notice in me if I was suddenly dating a party-person like you.”

Eunice L. sat quietly for such a long time that Lyle E. began fidgeting as he wondered what she would say. Finally, she spoke. “Everything you’ve suggested makes very good sense. Being together, we can help each other to adjust for as long as it is needed. Certainly, it is becoming clear to me that this is a long-term problem. I’m not going to be finding a solution anytime real soon, especially as long as we stay here in nowhere land. And, as you’ve noted, we will need to have something to explain the changes people are guaranteed to observe in our behavior.”

Her voice cracked a bit and the mother of all blushes began as Eunice L. continued. “But I’m not comfortable with the idea of sex as a woman. To put it painfully bluntly, I barely understand sex as a man, let alone as a woman.”

Eunice L. sat with her eyes down staring at her hands in her lap while Lyle E. gaped in shock. Trying to choose his words carefully Lyle began, “This is clearly an uncomfortable subject for you, one we haven’t discussed before. I’ll apologize in advance if I’m embarrassing you, but I think I had better know.

Kay?” Lyle E. looked annoyed at himself for his verbal slip and continued. “Are you–excuse me–am I a virgin?”

Eunice L. glumly nodded without looking up.

“Oh great!” Lyle E. groaned and rolled his eyes.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 7:15 A.M., FROM THE DIARY OF EUNICE (LYLE E.) BRANCA, A GREAT CAMP NEAR TUPPER LAKE, NEW YORK

We packed most of the rest of Sunday, stopping briefly to order out for pizza. The pizza delivery boy was staring at Eunice L. It was funny but I didn’t know whether to be proud that my ex body could get that response from others or annoyed that he was staring at “my woman.”

The trip back to the city was just as boring as the trip up. We stopped in Albany for lunch. There’s this stretch of road there with a bunch of strip plazas just off the interstate with all sorts of shopping and restaurants. We ended up at this very nice Chinese restaurant with a lunch buffet. The food was very good and I still find it amazing how much more I seem to want to eat. I really enjoyed “pigging out.” I have to admit that I felt sorry for Eunice L. and her bowl of Wonton soup without noodles and small plate of Szechwan style Vegetarian Delight.

After the meal, I made Eunice L. stop at the mall, Colony or something it was called, for some more pantyhose. While we were there, I saw a Victoria’s Secret and brought her in to get some new bras and panties. She’s actually a bit larger than I used to be. I was a 34 C and she’s a 36 C. Eunice L. says it’s probably because she started out with a larger rib cage and the bones don’t seem to have changed as much, or maybe just not as rapidly, as everything else.

Anyway, it was fun watching her. First, she was embarrassed to be buying lingerie. Then, she was amazed at the variety of colors, shapes and styles. She almost went into a daze, unable to decide what to do or how to do it, so I suggested she buy lingerie that would be what she would like to see on a woman.

For a moment I thought she would walk out of the store on me, but after turning the deepest scarlet I’ve ever seen–and staying that way until several minutes after we left the store–she did it.

I don’t think she got to the point of enjoying it, but she did buy several in different styles and colors with limited prompting from me. The funny thing is that at least two of the items she bought were even sexier than I normally buy. One was a lacy, see though bra and panty set in red that had a crotchless panty and a push up bra that almost exposed her nipples. The other was a wispy, black, knee length nightgown and panty set, also see through, with spaghetti straps and an equally filmy, floor length peignoir.

Once again, I had a difficult time maintaining a comfortable position due to changes about the crotch as I watched her modeling the outfits, even though she was only laying them on top of her street clothes. Damn, “sometimes it’s hard to be a man” too.

Anyway, between an accident, or something else that backed up traffic enough to make a six hour drive into an eight and a half hour drive, and a long evening of unpacking and shopping, we were both so tired we just dropped off to sleep against each other on the couch. Neither of us even took much needed showers, but it was kind of fun waking up together with the sun streaming in the living room picture window and a warm body snuggled up against me.

Today we’ll be working in Daddy’s lab and tonight I expect things to be very interesting.