Chapter 10

An appointment with the hair stylist

My new breasts were the inevitable topic of conversation and some teasing by Suzanne and Debbie over dinner that evening. I was warned about the potential pitfalls of having two such projections; the effect they might have on the opposite sex and the care I’d need to take in future. I took it all in good part and enjoyed the meal and the conversation.

‘You’d better show me how to take these off before you leave tonight Debbie,’ I said.

‘I’m afraid that it’ll inevitably be a prolonged and slightly uncomfortable business as they’re stuck on so well that you’ll have to use a special solvent to remove the adhesive without damaging the breasts or hurting yourself, she answered.

Debbie paused for a moment and looked at Suzanne before she continued speaking.

‘However, we were both hoping that you might be prepared to keep them in place for a little while,’

Before I could respond, Suzanne took over.

‘Clare, I want us both to look our best when we go out together on Christmas Day, and so in addition to having my hair done and getting myself a manicure, I would like to pay for you to have professional hair extensions fitted and for your hair to be styled properly rather than rely on the wig. I’ve spoken about you to my friends in the local salon, and they’re quite cool about the idea, but the only time they could fit us both in before Christmas would be tomorrow afternoon, and so I’ve taken the liberty of booking us both an appointment. That’s why I wanted you here dressed as Clare again this weekend.’

‘But how will I be able to take hair extensions off when I need to change back to being Tom?’ I asked.

‘They can be removed at any time but it’s going to be a little fiddly and it’ll cost almost as much as having them fitted in the first place. So we were rather hoping that you might be willing to stay here living as Clare until after Debbie’s party.’

‘But that’s more than a fortnight away! I only agreed to stay as Clare for this weekend and then again from Christmas Eve.’

‘I know, but this Saturday is the only time that they can fit us both in. I hope you’ll humour me,’ she said in a pleading voice.

‘Whenever I agree to something Suzanne, you always want to stretch it that little bit further, and I don’t like the way you two have cooked this plan up behind my back,’ I said beginning to feel a little annoyed with my friends.

Suzanne began to look a little downcast.

‘I’m sorry if you think we have gone too far. It was just that I knew that you won’t need to go into work during that period, and in any event, you have already agreed to stay here for a week,’ she answered.

‘I know, but that was my decision,’ I replied irritably.

‘Sorry, I could always cancel your hair appointment tomorrow morning, if you insist.’

I didn’t answer.

‘Is there anything that Tom needs to do, or anyone that he needs to visit over the next week?’ asked Debbie in a conciliatory tone.

‘I suppose not. I was planning to do some shopping for one or two Christmas gifts and was also going to offer to help Suzanne to decorate her flat,’ I replied.

‘Surely Clare could do those things just as easily as Tom.’

‘Maybe so, but I only agreed to stay as Clare for a week over the Christmas period,’ I continued irritably.

‘Wouldn’t you be more comfortable staying in this nice flat with Suzanne than in Tom’s dreary bedsit?’ asked Debbie.

Again, I didn’t answer; but she did have a point. Suzanne now took up the task of trying to persuade me.

‘As far as I’m concerned you’ll need only to remain as Clare until Boxing day, and you could then revert to being Tom until Debbie’s party a week later, but it would be a nonsense to waste all that money and effort to make you look attractive, only to take it off a few days before you go to a party,’ she replied.

‘Will they be expensive?’ I asked.

‘Yes, they will be quite costly, but I can afford it, and so I was hoping you might agree to my request on this occasion, as it is for Christmas,’ she answered.

‘How do you know I’ll look so good with hair extensions?’

‘Clare, believe me, with your face, those new boobs, genuine long hair and manicured nails, you’ll not just look like a convincing young woman, but a beautiful one as well,’ said Debbie. ‘I’ve done a pretty good job with your new boobs tonight so please leave them in place for the weekend at least, and also let Suzanne go ahead with your hair appointment tomorrow. We’ll see how you feel about it then.’

‘If I agree to your plan, it’ll mean that I’ll be stuck with the hair extensions and these false breasts for the next two and a half weeks, whether I like it or not,’ I said. ‘Once you leave this flat tonight I won’t see you again until your party,’ I said to Debbie.

‘That's not necessarily so: if you wish, I’ll call round on Sunday to admire your new hair style. If you’re still unhappy about the boobs, I promise that I’ll take them off for you straight away, with no questions asked.’

‘And what if I decide I don’t like the hair extensions?’ I asked Suzanne.

‘I could cut them off whenever you want to, if necessary, but I hope you’ll leave them in place at least until after Christmas Day,’ said Suzanne.

‘You mean New Year’s Day,’ contradicted Debbie.

I thought for some time before answering

‘I’ll see how I feel about things on Sunday, but I can’t help feeling that I’ve been the victim of a conspiracy between the two of you.’

‘So you’ll agree to have the hair extensions put in tomorrow,’ said Suzanne.

‘I suppose so.’

‘So I can also fix your finger nails as well this evening.’

‘Alright then, if you must,’ I replied a little sourly.

‘Clare, we just want you to look good and have some fun over the Christmas Holiday’ added Suzanne.

‘I know and I am grateful, but please let me make my own decisions next time, both of you.’

Over the next two hours Suzanne provided manicures and nail extensions to both Debbie and myself. Afterwards Debbie had to leave to take her train home and so I walked with her to the tube station this time wearing one of Suzanne's outdoor coats. By this time my mood had softened somewhat.

‘I’m so glad that you’re going along with our plan Clare. I’m sure that you won’t regret it, and in fact will probably find that you’ve had a good time once you get used to the idea.’

‘We’ll have to see,’ I replied without committing myself. ‘But thanks for the boobs, even if I do ask you to take them off on Sunday.’

‘I hope you won’t. I’m looking forward to seeing how you look on Sunday,’ said Debbie, giving me a kiss on the cheek, and leaving to enter the station.

That night I discovered that it would now be difficult for me to sleep on my front or my side as I’d usually done in the past, because of the size and weight of my new breasts which were a fixture on my chest. Instead I had to get used to sleeping on my back.

It took me longer than usual to get ready the following morning. I had no real difficulty with my new breasts in the shower: they remained firmly attached and I only needed to disguise the join with some skin toner afterwards. Also I was now quite adept about tucking my penis out of sight and didn’t feel any discomfort when it was hidden in this way. Most of the extra time was spent relearning how to put on and adjust my bra now that I’d something more substantial to fill each cup, and then getting used to the new feelings and appearance. The presence of a couple of extra pounds on my chest was quite noticeable and made me move differently. Likewise, I discovered that several of the dresses that Suzanne had given to me now seemed to fit better than before. As I had a final look at myself in the full-length mirror before emerging from the spare bedroom I decided that actually I quite enjoyed having the new breasts, for the time being at least.

Suzanne was clearly still a little anxious that she’d upset me the previous evening, so I did my best to put her mind at ease.

‘You’d better tell me what you’ve said about me to the manageress of the hair salon, Suzanne.’ I said when we were both ready.

‘At first I wondered whether I needed to say anything at all, but guessed that they might notice as you had a rather boyish hairstyle to begin with,’ answered Suzanne. ‘I therefore explained to her that I’d a young male friend who wanted to spend the next few weeks living as a young woman and needed to have longer hair in order to complete the transformation.’

‘What did she say?’

‘She didn’t seem to be particularly surprised by my request, and I got the impression she has done the same thing before. She did ask me whether you were very convincing when dressed as a woman. Fortunately I’d remembered to take in a photograph of you dressed as Clare when I made the appointment. As soon as she saw that she was quite relaxed about the whole thing. They’ve promised to treat you as if you were any other of their customers.’

‘What will they do to my hair, Suzanne?’

‘They’ll begin by tidying up your existing hair style and making sure that the back of your neck and sideburns are clear. Then they’ll add the extensions, which consist of little swatches of hair bonded to keratin tips. The hairdresser will attach them to tufts of your own hair by means of a heat sealer. These will be done close to your scalp, so the joins will not be visible. After a few seconds your hair and the extension tip fuse together and they should remain quite secure. You’ll then be able to brush the extension as if it were your own hair, but using a special brush.’

‘How many extensions and how long will they be.’

‘Your new hair will be about 14 inches or so, otherwise there’d be no point in using them. I guess you’ll need about thirty or so to give your new hair plenty of body. Once they’re in place, the hairdresser will cut your newly extended hair into a suitable style. The extensions won’t be noticeable and will normally remain securely in place for between six weeks and three months before they need to be adjusted or re-affixed.’

‘I’ve no intention of keeping them for that long,’ I replied Clare quickly.

‘I realise that; but don’t worry, it’ll be entirely up to you how long you keep them in place.’

‘But what if I were to change my mind about the hair extensions and wanted to change back into Tom before Christmas?’

‘I suppose I’d be disappointed at wasting the money, and embarrassed about having to explain your absence to my friends, but I’d respect your wishes. I can’t force you to remain as Clare against your will, and in any event I wouldn’t want to do so.’

‘Thank you for everything but I’ve no idea of what sort of hair style I should ask for.’

‘I guessed that would probably be the case, and so I should like to make a suggestion as to what I think would suit you, based on the wig that you’ve been wearing.’ she said handing over a photograph. ‘You’re going to need a style which is relatively easy to deal with for most of the time, but can also be pinned up when we need you to look really glamorous.’

The picture she showed me was of a girl with long dark brown hair with no fringe, parted on the right side of her face and with the bottom of the hair curled.

‘Yes that style looks nice, if you think it would suit me.’

‘Yes it would look alright with the oval shape of your face, but you’ll have to learn how to put your hair up in rollers after you’ve washed it, if you’re going to keep it looking alright.’

‘Alright then I’ll go ahead on that basis, but please explain to me why are you spending so much money and effort in trying to turn me into a woman?’

Suzanne shrugged her shoulders.

‘The money isn’t really a problem for me, particularly as I’ll not be around this time next year, so I might as well spend it on things that I enjoy doing. I suppose I see the development of Clare as a kind of project - someone that I’ve helped to create. It takes my mind off my rather bleak future. However, I don’t think I would have pushed it this far if I didn’t get the distinct impression that you’re also enjoying it.’

‘I suppose you are right. So far I have enjoyed myself as Clare, at least for most of the time, but it’s quite a commitment that you’re now expecting from me and sometimes I get anxious about where it all might be leading.’

‘What do you mean?’ asked Suzanne.

‘Well it’s almost as if you and Debbie are trying to push me into becoming Clare full-time.’

‘How would you feel about that prospect?’

‘I don’t know! I’m feeling confused about everything. In some respects the idea appalls me, but there are also some aspects of being Clare that I really enjoy.

‘Ultimately it’ll be up to you to decide how to live your life, but so far nobody has done anything to you that can’t easily be reversed. Debbie and I are only suggesting that you should give Clare a fair opportunity to enjoy herself and grow in confidence over the Christmas holidays to see how you get on. After all, Tom has had twenty years of your life to develop.’

‘Alright then Suzanne, I’ll go ahead with your plans, at least until Boxing Day, and then decide what to do after that.’

‘Thanks, and I hope you’ll have a good time as Clare over the next week or two,’ said Suzanne.

Our afternoon visit to the hairdresser proved not to be as embarrassing or as stressful as I’d feared. Suzanne gave me the picture and provided instructions as to what I should ask for. The staff treated me in a business-like and respectful manner and got on with their respective jobs without any odd looks, impertinent questions or funny comments. The only reference to my true gender was after the hairdresser had trimmed and shaped my own hair.

‘You’re going to look nice with longer hair, but with your looks you could probably have gotten away with having it short, if you wished,’ she commented.

‘Perhaps so, but if I’m to go out as Clare then I would feel more confident with longer hair.’

‘Alright then let us see what we can do for you.’

Over the next couple of hours Jean, the stylist, chatted away to me about my plans for Christmas as she might have done with any other customer, and I responded as necessary.

‘Perhaps Suzanne is right and I’m not the first young man that they have had to deal with in this way’, I thought to myself.

In no time I’d lost any sense of self-consciousness or embarrassment, as I sat back and began to enjoy the experience of having my hair done by an expert.

‘So madam, what do you think of your new hair style?’ asked Jean once she’d finished and taken out the rollers.

There was no hint of irony or sarcasm in her voice as she said so; it was merely a hairdresser enquiring what her customer thought.

‘I think it looks lovely,’ I answered turning my head in each direction to look at the sides.

As I did so I felt the pleasant sensation of the long hair on my shoulders. Jean then held up a mirror so that I could look at the back. There was absolutely no sign of where the extensions had been attached; it just looked like natural long hair.

‘Just what I wanted, thank you very much’ I replied.

‘You’ll need to have the extensions checked in about eight weeks in case any of the hair pieces have begun to slip,’ said Jean as I was paying the bill. ‘Would you like to make an appointment to have it done?’

‘No thanks, I’d better wait to have a look at my financial situation in the New Year,’ I replied.

Suzanne had told me to pay my bill (which came to £130.00) using the debit card in Clare’s name, and I left respectable a tip out of my own money. I then went to join my friend, who was waiting for me in the salon, having had her own hair cut and styled, and her finger nails manicured and polished.

‘Suzanne, your hair looks lovely,’ I said before she had a chance to pass comment on my own appearance.

‘Thank you, you look pretty good yourself young lady. That style really suits you.’

I smiled and blushed a little but I said nothing.

‘Do you need me to pay your bill using the debit card?’

‘No it’s ok, I’ve already done so using another one in my name.’

As we were leaving I caught sight of myself in a full-length mirror and felt pleased with the way I looked.

‘Thank you Suzanne for persuading me to get my hair done, I’m now glad that you did so and am happy with the results,’

‘Does that mean you are willing to stay with me until after Christmas?’ she asked.

‘Yes I suppose it does,’ I replied.

Suzanne smiled and squeezed my hand.

That evening Suzanne showed me how to look after my new hair style, how to brush it in the morning and evening and how to put it in rollers after it had been washed. She also gave me various hair care products. In future it would be a time consuming process to look after, but the results were probably worth the trouble. Nothing more was said between us about how long I might be willing to keep the extensions in place. Suzanne just acted as if they were going to be long-term fixtures, and I made no commitment one way or the other.