‘I washed the man right out of my hair’
Chapter 2

By Julie D Cole
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We chatted for half an hour or so and she asked what I was writing and where she might buy one of my books. I was quite flattered so I gave her a signed copy of my first book ‘ All about women’ that received some publicity and some tributes but didn’t really take off. She promised to read it and give me her opinions. I’d really written it from a male perspective so I wondered what she might think.

I’d enjoyed the chat. Elena was an attractive girl who was half Italian and she’d grown up in Milan before leaving home to find a job in USA. She had qualified in literature and wanted to be a journalist that was why she’d expressed interest in reading some of my work.

It was strange because I’d felt so relaxed talking to her. We sat on stools at the breakfast bar and I had somehow quickly gotten into the habit of mimicking her. If she crossed her right leg over her left leg then so did I and the same if it was left over right.

I played with the strands of my hair like she did and we talked about the shampoo and my experience using it. Who would have ever expected a change in shampoo to suddenly change my personality and make me less irritable?

When I told her how soft and gentle the suds were when I’d washed my hair she said it was her mission to buy some for herself. I didn’t tell her that all my body hair had disappeared. But she said she could see a difference in me and my skin seemed softer and she noticed that I wasn’t wearing socks and I was dangling my canvas shoe on my big toe.

She commented on the bag that I was using and said it was better than the big old briefcase I normally carried. All in all she said I seemed relaxed and joked that maybe the floral essence had feminized me. I said it was impossible but had to admit that I had changed.

When I went back to my desk I was soon bashing away at a new book that I’d been trying to start for a long time. I wondered about publishing it as a woman writer because I felt I wanted to write a love story. I couldn’t understand why but I just wanted to do it.I thought about a title ‘Daydreams of a Girl.’

Elena’s colleague, Bella, interrupted my thoughts when she knocked on my door. She gave me some magazines that she’d finished with and suggested I read the edition of Vogue that had a story about someone who’d had a sex change and it had changed his life dramatically. I remember my reply was something like ‘I don’t need to go that far to change my life since I have my floral essence shampoo.

I never left my computer all afternoon since words and chapters were pouring out of me. Around 5 pm when I’d usually switch off and go home I was hungry since I hadn’t eaten all day. I invited Bella and Elena to dinner if they liked so we could have a chat and then I could bounce some ideas off them. It was strange that I felt the impulse to ask them and even stranger that they accepted.

So we took off for pasta and a salad at Armando’s that was just down the street from the office building.

As we passed department store I asked if they’d mind a slight detour whilst I bought some new deodorant that I’d seen advertised in the magazine. It was a new brand called Femboy that was supposed to be for men but the women could steal it. I never wore deodorant normally and relied on a good sponge down with soap to avoid body odour rather than a false spray. I found it easily since there was a special promotion according to the assistant.

We had a wonderful dinner and it wasn’t late when we waived to each other. I remember thinking I’d buy them both some flowers tomorrow to say thanks for looking after me when I was so grumpy and irritable. I shook my head since I’d never bought flowers for anybody before.

Then I thought I’d stop by the restaurant to see if Mel E was still working. It was unlikely but at least I might get her cell phone number. She wasn’t in and much to my annoyance nobody would give me her number. When I asked if Mike was in to give his approval they just looked at each other and said he was off work and nobody knew when he’d be back. Strange since he didn’t look like a slacker and he was the manager and part owner.

I took a left as I came out of the restaurant to walk down a small street that I always avoided so I could check out the price of a manicure and pedicure at a shop that Mel E used. I looked at my nails and I felt they needed treatment and set off. I didn’t like walking on small cobble stones and had a tendancy not to step on the cracks between paving stones so I surprised myself.

The shop wasn’t busy so I had the full works. The pedicure was fabulous. Absolutely fabulous.

What a day I’d had. I couldn’t believe it. How can a new shampoo have had such an effect on me? It seemed like I’d washed the grumpy man out of my hair and replaced him with a newman that people around me seemed to like.

I went upstairs to take a shower before I relaxed to play my piano and quickly stripped so that I could enjoy the shampoo. It wasn’t there. What had I done with it. I needed it or otherwise I might revert to a grumpy man with thinning hair. Where is it, where is it? Where is it?

Then suddenly I sat up in bed. Had all this been a dream? Surely not I’d been so happy all day. What was I doing in bed? OMG it’s 6-30 am and I have to go for breakfast or someone will sit in my seat.

As I entered the bathroom there was the shampoo. It was still sealed so had it all been a dream?

I turned on the shower and stripped naked. Aaaghhh. Where’s it gone? Oh relief it was tucked neatly between my legs. But when I looked sideways into the mirror I realized I had no body hair and my chest had sprouted. I rubbed gently and my nipples stood out. Boobs, boobs OMG. I moved over to the toilet to relieve myself and sat down. Just a minute this is ridiculous.

But this is who I want to be so here comes shampoo time. I enjoyed my dream if that’s what it was so into the shower. Let me wash that man right out of my hair and go see if Melanie E has some bran flakes and strawberries!!!

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Sorry for that. Hope you liked it.

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