Julie insisted on having a blow-by-blow account of my evening, over breakfast the next morning. I humoured her regarding the early part, describing the drunken antics of some of the idiots in my class. Of course I didn’t go into too much detail about what happened later on; she was only fifteen, after all, and I didn’t want her getting too many ideas, or to be accused of leading her astray. I was just trying to avoid saying anything incriminating when there was a loud knock at the door. Neither of us had noticed that the garden gate had been opened previously. It was a Saturday morning and so unlikely to be any official visitor, but I had this horror in case my parents should suddenly take it in their heads to call on us. I motioned Julie to go out of the kitchen and into the empty garage, before I went to see who was there. In fact, I needn’t have worried. It was only the postman who had several business letters plus a plain looking parcel addressed to Julie’s mother, which I had to sign for. I then called her back into the kitchen and handed over the post and the package.

‘I expect it’s my breast forms and the gaff. I ordered them via the Internet on Thursday morning,’ she said enthusiastically.

She opened a cardboard box and took out two oval artificial breasts, an aerosol can containing the adhesive, a plastic bottle containing a solvent together with an instruction booklet. She also unwrapped a small white elastic belt-like garment.

‘What’s that?’ I asked.

‘It’s called a gaff, it’s for tucking my ‘unwanted bits’ away out of sight, and so that I can wear tight clothes without giving the game away. They’re worn by professional female impersonators. I’ve recently learned how to push my testicles back into the cavity from which they descended and then to flatten my penis and fold it back between my legs.’

‘Doesn’t it hurt?’ I asked, somewhat bemused by the idea.

‘No, my penis has never really grown to be very large and I no longer get erections since I started taking those pills.’

Julian had truly been different from other young men, who appeared obsessed with enlarging their penises, if the contents of my email inbox was anything to go by.

‘If you like, I’ll put it on and show you how it works,’ my sister continued.

‘I’ve no particular wish for a demonstration, but you are clearly anxious to do so.’

She disappeared to her new bedroom room, whilst I read the instruction booklet for her new breasts, for want of anything else to do. Five minutes later she came back wearing crop top and a tight bikini bottom. There was no sign of any bulge underneath.

‘Isn’t that uncomfortable?

‘Not really, and you have to be prepared to suffer a little in the interests of looking good.’

‘Won’t there be any side effects to taking these pills?’ I asked.

‘They were all explained to me by the doctor, when I started. I won’t be able to father children, but I’m absolutely sure that I’ve no wish to.’

This was a topic I knew nothing about and could offer her no advice, but was glad that I hadn’t been around when she had taken that irrevocable decision.

No wonder my father was hoping to re-establish contact with me, I was his only chance of any grandchildren.

‘I suppose it’s your life and your body,’ I replied, trying not to sound shocked by her revelations.

She smiled ruefully at me and went back to examining her new breast forms.

Clearly my sister was having to make important sacrifices in order to achieve her object in life. I just hope they ultimately prove to have been worthwhile for her. However, she seemed such a sweet little thing and so enthusiastic about her new life, despite everything she had been through recently, that I couldn’t help but like her. There was an awkward silence for a little while, with no-one knowing what to say next. In the end Julie restarted the conversation.

‘Jenny, you know you offered to help me with my toe nails last night, would you mind helping with these instead?’

She said this in such a wide-eyed and endearing way, that I felt myself being wound round her little finger.

You really are learning fast young lady! I thought to myself.

‘Yet another thing that was never in my original job specification,’ I said in mock exasperation. ‘Come on then, let me have a look at the instructions.’

By the time we’d finished over an hour later Julie had two respectable sized silicone breasts stuck firmly to her chest with the joins disguised using a skin coloured foundation from her mother’s makeup drawer. Fortunately she’d been fairly restrained and had only ordered a ‘B’ size, which was about right for her age and height. Her new boobs would never have been mistaken for the real thing if she’d been topless, but the weight of them did have the effect of pulling down her own flesh and creating the semblance of a genuine cleavage. Once she’d put on a bra and I’d adjusted it properly, no-one looking would have known they were not real breasts. She would now be able to wear a fairly low-cut top or perhaps even her mother’s strapless dress without too much danger of discovery.

‘I must say they look like the real thing, but I’m afraid they will be a little difficult and painful for you to take off, each night’ I suggested.

‘I know, but they’re supposed to be alright to keep in place for up to a fortnight at a time,’ she replied. ‘So I’m not intending to take them off before I absolutely have to.’

‘I just hope that nobody comes looking for you in the meanwhile,’ I said shaking my head, and thinking how I might best prevent Mum and Dad from coming over.

She smiled.

‘I do too, but once I’m sixteen it’ll be up to me to dress how I like, and nobody will be able to stop me.’

Roll on that day, I thought, but suspected I might miss her when it was time to go.

Julie went to her room to put on the bikini top that correspond with the bottom that she was already wearing.

‘How do I look?’ she asked when she returned.

She was a little lacking in feminine curves around her waist and hips, but from the chest upwards she definitely looked like a pretty young girl.

‘You look fine.’

‘I expect once you start taking female hormones things will begin to change down below as well.

‘Would it be safe for us to go sunbathing in the back garden this morning?’ she asked.

I smiled and shook my head at her enthusiasm for all things girly.

‘Alright, but we’ll have to put on some sun block. I’ll go and change myself, and then I’ll paint your toenails for you if you like.’

‘Oh, yes please,’ she replied enthusiastically.

Joe telephoned me during the course of the morning, whilst we were both sunbathing. He rang for no particular reason, just to say that he’d really enjoyed the previous evening and was looking forwards to seeing me next week. I work on the assumption that guys are only after one thing and will usually ‘do a runner’ once they’ve achieved their object, so it is always gratifying when they phone the next day. At first we were a little awkward talking together, but I managed to break the ice between us by cracking a couple of jokes at his expense and thereafter we chatted happily for ten minutes or so. He even asked me what I was doing over the weekend. I liked him a lot but didn’t want him to think I was desperate, so I said that I might be going out shopping with my sister that afternoon and that we were going over to see my friend Susie in Bracknell tomorrow to get our nails done. I did however offer him a ‘window’ in my social calendar on Sunday evening, if he was free, but it turned out that he was involved in some family gathering, and I wasn’t ready to ‘meet the parents’. In the end we simply confirmed our original arrangements that he would pick me up on Tuesday evening, but it was nice to be asked.

‘I trust you’re planning on taking me somewhere nice on Tuesday,’ I said.

‘I will do if you look as good as you did last night,’ he replied.

‘You’ll just have to wait and see,’ I replied laughing, and rang off.

So he had noticed the difference!

‘Oh goody, so we’re going out shopping again, this afternoon,’ said Julie, who’d been listening to my conversation whilst pretending to read one of her magazines.

I sighed.

‘As long as you’re careful not to give yourself away. You may look and sound the part most of the time, but I’m still anxious in case someone should recognise you.’

‘I’m doing my best,’ she replied, just a little deflated.

‘I know you are, and you’re doing very well, but please just take it steady.’

‘So what do you need to buy this afternoon?’ asked Julie changing the subject.

‘Nothing really, but I’d better decide what I’m going to wear when I go out with Joe again on Tuesday evening.’

I knew this was a topic which would enthuse her.

‘Why don’t you have another look at those dresses of my mother’s that I gave to you, otherwise we’ll have to go out and buy you something?’

Whereas two weeks ago I’d have dismissed any thought of wearing a dress on a date, on this occasion I didn’t argue. My sister, despite her age and lack of experience, seemed to know what she was talking about. I’d noticed a light blue summer dress amongst those that she’d passed to me which I liked. I decided to try it on and we both agreed that it suited me quite well.

‘Do you have any suitable shoes to go with it?’ she asked.

‘Not really, I could wear my sandals I suppose,’ I suggested.

I tried them on, but could tell that they didn’t really look right and in any event had flat heels, which meant I would just about come up to the level of Joe’s arm-pit.

‘My mother’s shoes will all be too small for you. Why don’t you buy yourself a new pair?‘ she asked.

I had been earning good money and not spending very much recently, so I couldn’t very well argue.

‘Alright we’ll try and find me some shoes,’

‘I’d also like to buy a couple of new bras to fit my newly enhanced breasts,’ she said in a matter of fact way - as if they were the most natural thing in the world for her to be purchasing.

‘OK’

‘So where shall we go shopping? Bracknell?’

Bracknell was the last place I wanted to go, as I had visions of running into my mother or one of my former school friends or neighbours. and then having to explain who the young girl accompanying me was. It was even a slight possibility I would do so in Reading

‘How about Maidenhead?’ I suggested. There are some decent shoe shops there.

She didn’t argue, just pleased to be let out of the house one more time.

‘Should I put a dress on to go out?’ she asked.

‘That’s up to you, but I’m going in jeans and a top,’ I replied.

I might have guessed, she did put on a flowery summer dress that showed just a hint of her new cleavage without there being any danger of it being recognised. She also put on a little makeup, and succeeded in making me look a little dowdy in comparison; but I was not going to be influenced too much by my sister. After all, we were only going out shopping, not on the look out for talent.

Maidenhead is a medium-sized town, also on the river Thames, about nine miles from Woodley. It’s a little bit ‘stuck up’ compared to Reading or Bracknell, but is not nearly as bad as Henley in that respect, and doesn’t have so many tourists as Windsor. It’s not really in the same league as Reading as a shopping centre but I suppose it comes a reasonable second, and is nowhere near as busy. The main thing was that we were both unlikely to meet anyone we knew there.

We had an enjoyable afternoon visiting various shoe shops and also a couple of department stores. We both tried on several pairs of shoes and eventually I found exactly the right ones to go with the blue dress — some matching ‘peep toe’ court shoes with leather uppers and a platform sole. At  £35.00 they were quite a bargain. Perhaps the heels were a little on the high side for everyday wear, but Joe was a big bloke, and I’d need all the height I could get. Julie also bought several items of underwear, without spending too much money, conscious that she would be spending quite a bit the following day on her nails and hair extensions.

During all this time I did my best to look at my sister’s demeanour to assess whether or not she would be likely to be ‘read’ by anyone she met. At first sight, she certainly looked like a girl, but knowing she was wearing a wig made me extra conscious of the fact — although lots of girls wear wigs. Then there was the question of her voice and her mannerisms. She didn’t sound or act like a guy, but on the other hand she didn’t really seem to act entirely naturally as a girl would. Perhaps this too would come with a little more practice, after all it was only just over a week since she’d become Julie. Maybe I was being a bit paranoid and looking at her far more critically than anyone else would. I wasn’t sure. In the end I decided that I had no worries about her giving herself away just by walking down the street or purchasing something in a shop, but I would still be a little anxious if it came to her having prolonged contact. I just hoped that things would be ok by the time I had to leave her to her own devices in September.

‘Julie, I know it’s my turn to cook tonight, but I don’t feel like. If I agree to pay for us both, would you mind if we went to a pizza and pasta restaurant instead?’ I asked.

‘That would be fine by me,’ she replied, happy for any excuse to show herself to the world.

We ended up in the ‘Pizza Hut’ next to the cinema in King Street, but Julie must be watching her waistline as, like me, she went for the pasta dish and loads of salad rather than a slice of pizza. I noticed a couple of young guys ‘eyeing us up’ as we were eating our meal. They seemed a little young for my taste and, in any event, I’m fixed up for the time being and I certainly didn’t want any additional complications as far as my sister was concerned. I gave them my ‘don’t even think about it,’ look and eventually they left. Julie seemed blissfully unaware of the incident and of her ability to attract members of the opposite sex. That is one more set of lessons she’ll have to learn in due course if she’s going to live successfully as a girl.

When we returned to Woodley I tried on my new outfit and received the approval of my new charge. She even loaned me a necklace and some earrings with stones to match, out of her mother’s jewel box. I’m looking quite the lady recently, I only hope that Joe doesn’t get the wrong idea about me and thinks that I dress like this all the time.

Whilst she was looking through her mother’s dressing table drawers Julie came across a large tub of face pack.

‘Do you know how to use this stuff?’ she asked.

‘I expect the instructions are on the jar,’

‘It’ll be difficult to put it on evenly by myself,’ she commented as she read the jar, why don’t we both try it out on each other?’

‘You really are determined to immerse yourself in ‘girlyness’, I commented.

‘Yes, I know, but it is such fun, isn’t it. Please try it out with me?’ she asked.

I gave an audible sigh to express my disdain.

‘Alright, I suppose anything for a quiet life,’ I said wearily.

I’d never tried a face pack before, and had always been a little bit put off by all the goo. Yet once it is on, it feels surprisingly comfortable, even if I did end up looking like a marble statue. We took it in turns to spread it over one another’s faces, trying to make the other one laugh, whilst attempting to keep straight faces ourselves. We then each placed a slice of cucumber over each eye and lay back and relaxed for half an hour. Once the goo had dried and then been cleaned off my skin felt really good. We both decided we would not mind repeating the process some time in the future.

Afterwards we both took a shower and used the opportunity wash our hair. For once I put some rollers in mine. I also tried to help Julie do something with her natural hair. It didn’t look too bad but was not quite long enough to style effectively and I could see why she was anxious to have the extensions.

In bed that night I had a look at my sister’s new blog for the first time. It certainly pulls no punches in dealing with her wish to become a woman as soon as possible, but at the same time it was far funnier and more perceptive than the diaries that I used to write when I was her age, and also somewhat more grammatical. Her last entry spoke of how much she was looking forward to getting her hair and nail extensions on Sunday. There were even a couple of flattering references to me, not by name, but once as her ‘Big Sis’ and another time as her ‘Fairy Godmother’. I suppose I was gratified, but at the same time I’m not sure that I'm ready to be anyone’s ‘Fairy Godmother’. I also noticed that she has already gained herself one or two regular readers, I just hope that she never gives away her identity, or at least not whilst I’m responsible for her.