I stared at the note, wondering what my Uncle was going to say, or perhaps do to me.

‘Oh well.’ I thought, ‘it can’t be much worse than what dirty Roger had in mind’

I got myself a quick cup of mud from the alleged coffee machine; drank it, shuddering as the glutinous liquid trickled down my throat and then girded my loins for the ordeal ahead.

As I shot up in the lift, leaving my stomach several floors below, I gripped the handrail in tense anticipation of my meeting with Uncle Peter.

He hadn’t been around much lately. The rumour was that he had been out of the country for some reason.

The lift came to a halt with a slight stomach wobbling lurch and the doors opened silently.

I got out of the lift and bravely went down the corridor to meet my fate, abruptly turning left into the loo when I realised that I was dying to go wee wee. I always want to go when I’m nervous.

After doing my stuff, washing my hands, checking that my skirt wasn’t in my knickers and that I didn’t have lipstick on my teeth, I was ready to face the firing squad.

I knocked on the door and went into his outer office.

Sasha was there. As usual, she looked impeccable with, as usual, sun glasses perched on top of her head. The clothes she wore could have paid for several years’ food for a family in some third world country and her hair had been brushed to impeccableness.

She was typing something on the keyboard, concentrating with some intensity as she was the original one finger typist and obviously didn’t want to tie her fingers in knots over the big words.

She stopped and pressed enter.

‘Bugger, I’ve deleted it again, ah well.’

She looked up and gave me an expensive; I’ve had my teeth straightened and whitened smile’.

‘Hi Toni. Can I help?’

‘Um, Peter wanted to see me?’

Sasha looked at the desk diary open in front of her.

‘Ah yes, it says urgent. Don’t know what you’ve done but it must be something. He rarely puts urgent on appointments. Anyhoo, he’s on the jellybone at the minute, take a seat and I’ll let you know when he’s finished. OK ya?’

‘Ya, I mean yes, OK.’

I walked over to a settee and carefully sat down; surprised that it didn’t fart at me. Everything I sat on lately seemed to.

Sasha didn’t seem over inclined to work and wanted to chat.

‘So, Toni, did you here about that rat Roger?’

She didn’t give me a chance to answer.

‘Well, I heard that the police are after him. What a rat eh? He tried it on with me once, but I told him that he wasn’t my type. I mean I only go after chaps with at least half a mill a year salaries, like my Duncan.’

‘Duncan?’

‘Yes, he owns half of Shropshire, or is that Essex. I don’t know, anyway, he’s a sweetie.’

I looked at her feeling a bit envious. She was the type of girl whose toast always falls butter side up.

I sighed; will I ever meet someone who would love me for what I was? You know, a transgendered unsnipped person who doesn’t know whether to finish off the job and go full time, in your face girl or stay as I am as a sort of half way house. If truth were told, my encounter with Roger had left me somewhat bleak in attitude towards men in general. The only men I liked were Ronald and Derek and they had the hots for each other and I wasn’t their type anyway.

Then I remembered that hunk that had moved in to our flats. Now that would be something, going out with him. Dinner perhaps, followed by a romantic walk down by the river. Then we would return back to the flats He would ask me into his room, fold me in his arms and kiss me passionately. We would end up in bed. I would strip him, slowly and then he would do the same to me…and then he would scream blue murder when he saw Percy and that would be that.

‘He’ll see you now.’

I jumped as Sasha spoke, coming back to reality with a start.

I stood up and went over to Peter’s door; knocking timidly I heard a mumbled, ‘come in.’

I opened the door and after quietly closing it behind me, heart in my mouth, I walked across the ten acres of carpet until I reached his desk.

He was writing something down, probably signing my letter of dismissal. Why did I get so involved with that freak Roger? I bet he’s to blame for all this. Perhaps his last bit of spite before he left in humiliation was to tell my uncle about me.

Peter looked up and smiled. Hmm would he smile if I was getting the chop? Psychopath-executioner type smile maybe?

‘Sit down Toni.’

I sat, only trembling a teensy bit.

‘Now, I am sorry I haven’t been around, I have been in Australia.’

‘Australia?’

‘You know, wallabies, kangaroos, Castlemaine XXXX, lost to us in the rugby?’

‘Yes, I get the picture.’

‘And, I have to apologise about that scumbag Roger Pilkington. I must have been blind, deaf and dumb not to realise what he was like. I thought that he was an OK guy. Just goes to show.’

I sat sort of mute, just nodding and shaking my head, as required. I still didn’t know why I had been summoned to the august presence.

‘Now, back to business. I would like for you to work with Pippa in HR. I know your forte is computers and I realise that you haven’t any experience in that line, but Pippa has needed help for quite sometime and I think that you will like working for her. Would that be OK?’

I liked Pippa, she was a bit scatty but I was sure that I could work with her and hopefully not make too many mistakes.

‘Yes, I’d love to work in HR.’

‘Great. Now the other thing I need to talk to you about is David, your step-father.’

‘My step-father? What about him?’

‘Well. You probably don’t know this, what with all that has happened to you lately, but David skipped bail in the UK and went back to Australia. I had a local private investigator trace him. The fool thought that he could retrieve some ill gotten money that he had hidden somewhere and then run off to a country that didn’t have extradition.’

I was amazed as my face probably showed and the fact that I knew nothing of this made it something of a shock. Then I considered that things had been a bit fraught for me and I hadn’t had much time to look at the news.

‘Anyway, he was recaptured and is at this moment on his way back to the UK. Now, this may upset you, but you need to know.’

My heart sort of flipped. What was he going to tell me?

‘The police are very suspicious of the, ah, circumstances of your mothers’ death. They think it’s possible that it may not have been an accident. Also, what I told you before about David committing bigamy was true. This means that he had no legal right to your mothers’ estate. Your mothers’ house and all her property and cash will, almost certainly revert to her only living close relative…you. ‘

I must have looked like a fish. My mouth was gaping open and closed at what I had heard. I couldn’t speak. My gob was well and truly smacked.

‘Your house was put on the market by David and in fact, he had a buyer. I assume that you want that to be stopped?

I nodded, still mute and in shock.

‘I see that you are a bit stunned. I understand that. It appears that the police have quite a strong case against David. He will almost certainly be charged with murder. They will probably contact you as a potential witness. Now, I want you to take the rest of the week off, now go on home. You can start with HR on Monday. That is if you still want to work with us?’

I nodded.

‘OK, off you go then. Here is my card with my mobile and home number on it. Ring me if you need me. I still consider that I am your uncle even if not officially and I hope you do as well.’

‘Yes, you have been so kind and I suppose that you are as close I can get to family, now.’

‘That’s exactly how I feel. Now, buzz off and if I don’t hear from you before, I’ll see you on Monday.’

I got up and walked over to the door.

‘Oh, Toni.’

‘Yes Uncle?’

‘If you have any problems with the police, or you have any questions about your inheritance, I will give you the number of the solicitor that’s dealing with your case. OK?’

‘OK, and thanks again.’

I left my uncle and quietly shut the door behind me. I think that Phillipa said something but I didn’t hear her.

I was in a bit of a daze and without realising it, somehow, having got my coat and handbag, I found myself on the street.

I walked aimlessly for a while and then realised vaguely that I was down by the river.

Sitting down on a bench, ignoring the greedy ducks that wanted to mug me for bread that I didn’t possess; I was in a world of my own, pretty well oblivious to my surroundings.

I was thinking about my mother. I missed her now more than ever. It was bad enough loosing my lovely dad, but I was always close to my mum. I pictured her smile and the way she looked at me, lovingly when I had done something nice for her like picking flowers from the garden or trying to help or hinder her with the housework.

I remember how we cuddled for hours after we heard that my father had died in the plane crash and how strong she was for me after that, even though I knew that she was in so much pain herself from the loss of the one she loved.

Leaning forward elbows on knees, I covered my face with my hands and was crying quietly to myself when I felt an arm go around my shoulder.

‘It’s OK, Toni, I’m here.’

It was Sheila.

I looked at her through bleary eyes.

‘How… how did you know I was here?’

‘Your uncle rang me, he was worried and I know you come here to think.’

‘Oh, Sheila, my mum was murdered!’

‘I know, honey but at least they have got the miserable sod that did it.’

I cried some more and Sheila was there, holding me and telling me, that everything would be OK.

In the end, I dried up, stopped crying and realised that it was getting dark.

I tried to pull myself together.

‘Here,’ said Sheila handing me a hanky.

I wiped my eyes, blew my nose and offered the hanky back to Sheila.

‘No that’s OK; keep it now it’s got your snot on it.’

I laughed at her crudity and stuck it in my handbag.

‘Hungry?’

Yes, I suppose I was. At least having a good cry had cleared my head and made me feel a bit better.

‘Mmm.’

‘OK, let’s go eat.’

Sheila’s car was parked close by and in no time we were off to get a Big Mac.

As we walked into the self same McDonalds where I had had that infamous pickle incident, I realised how I had changed in such a short time. No more was I the terrified cross dresser desperate to get a job. So desperate I had dressed as a girl, just to get an interview. Now I was a reasonably good looking and confidant woman, with a job and prospects and I was probably not short of money. This was a different Toni; I actually amounted to something.

I still needed to see the shrink that Sheila wanted me to go to. What with everything that had happened, that had been shoved into the background.

It was obvious, to me anyway, that I had made a decision to go the whole route and become a girl permanently. Whether that meant saying goodbye to Percy and hello to Percette, I wasn’t sure. I would need a lot of help and advice along the way. Looking at Sheila, I thought that at least I had a strong and friendly shoulder to lean on when times got rough. What with her, Derek and Ronald and not forgetting my friendly, if ernest police chums, I wasn’t short of people who would look out for me.

Then there was my sort of Uncle Peter, I wish he was my real uncle and not an ex one due to bigamy, if you know what I mean.

Perhaps he could sort of adopt my as a niece or something. Can you do that? I don’t know, but it would be nice to have a real relation.

With that new found assurance and the knowledge that I had at last made a defining decision in my life, I took a deep breath and walked purposefully across to the spotty youth behind the counter and said, ‘Two Big Macs please and don’t spare the pickles.’

The End?