A Change in Lifestyle
Chapter 6

Fran gave me a look as if she needed an answer and she wasn’t going to let it drop.

‘Fran, honestly I can’t be awful to Helen. She never did anything bad to me; she just thinks I’m not assertive enough.’
‘You mean she thinks you shouldn’t be assertive. She seems to like to be in charge. Don’t you ever feel she holds you back?’ Maybe she decided a long time ago that she will be the one who wears the trousers in your marriage. That’s how Jason has been with me but he doesn’t realize that I let him thinks he is the boss. Well at least that was the case until Beth came along. I have been sinking fast until you rescued me yesterday and gave me chance to sleep. At least today I could think straight. ’

‘You’re the second person today who said that Helen wears the trousers. She doesn’t. Nobody wears the trousers, we are equal.’

‘Put it this way, if she said she was going to show you how to be a man then she doesn’t think you are equal. She must have had a reason to say that. What do you think she meant?’

‘I don’t know because she was being unreasonable. She was in a bad temper.’

‘Well no need to take her bad temper out on you. You should let her know it’s not acceptable. I would have let Jason have it right between the eyes. Well more probably between the legs.’ She laughed and it made me laugh too because Jason is much bigger than her. Much bigger than me too.

‘I can’t imagine you hitting Jason. He is big and strong.’

‘Yes but he’s a man and he won’t hit a woman so I guess that gives me the advantage.’

‘Yes that’s my problem too I suppose.’

‘Well if you dress like a man I can agree but with my training you can be on equal terms with Helen. Ha-ha at least you can both at least have one leg in the trousers.’

Then she dis appeared and I sat and reflected she had said. Maybe I should stay to let Helen know that I was upset. I assumed she would arrive home late anyway and I didn’t want an argument. I thought that we both might need our own space.
When Fran re-appeared I told her that I’d stay. Well for a while at least. Possibly I’d stay over unless Helen came home early. I thought she’d be upset if she thought that anything had happened to me.

Fran smiled and said she’d been sure I’d follow her advice so she’d opened the windows in the spare bedroom to let in some fresh air.

I thanked her for helping me but just to be sure it was OK I decided to pop back next door to home to check to see if Helen had left a note or anything. She hadn’t so I just quickly scribbled one on the notepad at the side of the telephone and left on some lights so she knew I’d at least been home after she’d gone out.

I just wrote that I was staying over with a friend and she could call me if she liked when she was ready to apologies.
I must admit I almost went back to throw the note away but Fran pressed me not to weaken. So I didn’t.

As she said I could check anyway by looking out of the window to see if Helen was home if I had any doubts.
I think we’d both helped each other and she was very pleased that I’d come to her rescue and very impressed with her ‘new’ kitchen.

I guess I was a bit embarrassed by the accolades. I enjoyed myself and it had been a favor on my part rather than a task. We sat together over a coffee and then Fran decided we should make a more formal arrangement about me helping her and how many hours I’d work. She wanted to make a list of things for me to concentrate on and things I didn’t need to do.

Then we tried to talk about the level of payment I’d receive. That was the most difficult part because I had no idea what to charge and felt this might affect our blossoming friendship. But Fran was very persuasive.

Once we had compiled the agreement and ‘Fran’s rules’ we sat on the sofa to relax and watch some TV.

I told Fran about the programme I’d watched about the man who had entered the beauty pageant and who looked like a woman even when working as a man. She was intrigued so she checked her TV and found the programme was stored and could be down loaded.

So we watched it together and Fran was as amazed as I had been how beautiful this man was when dressed as a woman.

We both agreed that during the interview she/he was dressed as a woman and behaved completely as a woman would do with all the mannerisms and sitting properly with her legs crossed. I wasn’t sure that the presenter, Eamon Holmes, made of her/him since he does like to chat up ladies. He seemed strangely quiet and his partner asked most of the questions.
Fran said that I should experiment too and go a step further because she was sure that I would look just as attractive. I was embarrassed but I was also feeling I’d like to try.

‘What do you mean?’

‘Well if you like I could give you a make-over since I used to work on the make-up counter at Boots store. I felt the same feeling that came over me earlier in the day and I couldn’t stop myself from showing more and more interest in frans proposals. I was trying not to show that I’d like to accept and eventually she switched off the TV, grabbed my hand and pulled me onto my feet.

I meekly followed her as we went upstairs into her bedroom tip toeing past Beth who was still sound asleep.

I was as excited as I’ve been in many a day as we entered her room. Maybe I should have had the corage to do this with Helen when we were first married. She’d tried to put make-up on me one evening when we were relaxing in a hotel room away from the rain outside.

I was amazed at all the beauty products on display on Fran’s dressing table. She must have raided the store when she left.
She sat me down and picked up a hairbrush starting by brushing out my hair to liven it up. I liked it.

The more she brushed it the better it felt and she parted it from the right hand side and then decided to trim the ends curling them under a little bit with the brush. As I sat in the chair looking into the dressing mirror it was as if I was unable to move. With the eyeliner and the touch of lipstick I’d used I saw my sister and maybe a younger version of mum looking back at me. I was smiling as Fran fussed around. Then she set to work with my face. First she used a cleanser to remove some of the foundation I’d applied earlier and said it was also to clean the pores of my skin. The more she worked on me the softer my features seemed to become. She used a beauty oil to finish and then took out the biggest make-up palette I’d ever seen to find the right color to match my skin tone.

She showed me how to properly apply under base mousse and then hide the dark patches and perhaps the most amazing thing she did was to use the various shades of foundation to make my nose thinner and my cheekbones more prominent.
She worked hard on my eyes and added false lashes that she thickened with mascara. The result was that I wanted to flick my eyes as fast as I could like a butterfly with new wings. It was the most wonderful sensation.

Finally she used a lip maximiser to pump up my lips so that they appeared much fuller after she applied the lipstick.
I wanted to reach forward and kiss the mirror. Who was this new girl staring back at me. I stood up and hugged her jumping up and down slightly with excitement.

‘Wait a minute.’

She opened a wardrobe door and took out a soft silky black dress and insisted that I try it on. As it hung from my shoulders and over my chest my nipples became aroused and were obvious through the dress.

Ah-Ah you’re enjoying this Robyn. I think I’ll have to find you a bra or they’ll be jutting out for the rest of the evening.
She fitted me out OK and even insisted I work some hold up stockings.

I just wanted to dance and Fran was smiling at me as I jigged about.

I suppose the excitement caused Beth to stir and so that put a stop to us dancing around.

I went downstairs to warm a bottle of milk whilst Fran changed Beth.

We sat together as Beth hungrily searched for food. Fran then opened her shirt front and allowed Beth to search for her breast. Fran was wincing a little as Beth was clearly biting a little.

For a few minutes I sat mesmorised as mother and daughter bonded and held the bottle that was the reserve supply.

Fran moved Beth across and then said she was almost empty and would I like to hold Beth and feed her.

Without thinking I just said ‘But I don’t have any milk.’

Fran cracked out laughing and so did I when I realized how silly I’d been. “I meant the bottle.’

I guess I realized how nice it would be if Helen and I could have a baby. I had to talk to her and make amends. A baby might just soften Helen and bring us together.

I put Beth over my shoulder to release the trapped wind and looked at Fran as she was still smiling about what I’d said. ‘It was such a natural reply. I think you were disappointed.’

In truth I was because I did want to experience the feeling but for now it was good enough to join in.

Beth was ready to be bathed by now so that was another first for me as Fran showed me how to prepare everything so that Beth could be immersed safely in the water. I had baby powder all over me as we put Beth into her sleep suit. But I’d enjoyed myself.

I cleared up whilst Fran put Beth to bed and I looked across at my house to see if there was any sign of Helens return.
When Fran came downstairs she said she was whacked out and asked if I minded if she went to bed. We both went up and Fran showed me into the guestroom where I changed out of the dress and removed the make-up using cleansing products that Fran provided.

On the bed was a silk nighty that was cut to my knee. It had thin straps that I carefully lifted over my shoulders and again the silk material had a dramatic effect on my nipples.

I picked up 2 magasines from the side table and slipped under the duvee.

I think that Fran must have been sound asleep before I finished removing the make-up.

I read for about half an hour before I heard Beth starting to cry. Maybe she had had an accident in her nappy so I shot out of bed to look before Fran was disturbed.

She was dry so I concluded that her gums were hurting.

I let her bite my knuckles and she bit quite hard. No wonder Fran had winced.

I took her to my room and sat on the edge of the bed. At least she’d stopped crying so that Fran could sleep. I cuddled her back to sleep but all the time I had an aching feeling in my chest. Aching to hold Beth to me as Fran had done but not daring to even risk doing it. If Beth belonged to Helen and I no doubt I’d have tried.

I put her back in her cot and as I washed my hands I heard a car in my drive. I opened the window. It was Helen being dropped off by Emma. Helen seemed to bend and kiss her as she got out of the car but I couldn’t be certain.

I leaned forward as much as I could to watch the car disappear and Helen go through the front door.
OMG should I go home and face her or let her worry about me?

To be continued …………………..