A Summer of Changes

by Louise Anne Smithson

Book 2 Chapter 3

Denise again!

As previously agreed with Angela, Saturday afternoon was spent helping her to pack two large trunks, mostly with books papers, computer equipment and odd furnishings that she particularly wanted to keep. Denis helped her to carry them downstairs to the garage where they were due to be collected by the shipping company on the following Monday morning. There were also several cardboard boxes of books and other items which she asked him to carry to local charity shops. Whilst he did so, she sorted her clothes into two categories, those she would be keeping, which she hung on a mobile clothes rail in the corner of her room, and those clothes she would be leaving behind. By the time he returned from his errands it was nearly 4.30 pm and the room was looking quite bare.

‘I've almost finished sorting my clothes Denis, and will need to dispose of quite a lot of them. Is there anything you'd like to keep for Denise’s wardrobe, I think they would probably fit her?’ she asked

‘What sort of things are there?’ he asked.

‘Have a look through those’ she said, indicating a large pile on her bed. ‘There are several dresses, skirts, blouses, tops, coats etc. It's mainly the clothes I wore to the office or else those that I wear during the winter months. There's some good quality stuff but they would be quite unsuitable for me to wear in Singapore.’

He hesitated for a moment, not sure what he should do.

‘Go on, at least have a look through them,’ she said.

‘Alright then, if you're sure,’ he replied.

‘By the way, what size shoes does Denise take?’

‘Size six’.

‘That's lucky, because there are also several pairs of shoes and boots which are in good condition, and which you'd be welcome to take’.

‘Are you sure?’ he repeated.

‘Yes of course I'm sure,' she replied. 'If you take them it will save us another journey to the Charity Shop. There are a few items of underwear that have hardly ever been worn but you will have to buy most of that for yourself. There's also a cardboard box containing some cheap jewellery and various odds and ends you might need next time you dress as Denise.’

Denis blushed at his friend's casual assumption that there would soon be a next time.

‘I’ll have a look through them in my room later,’ he said.

‘Look, why don’t you go and get changed into Denise for the evening, then I will be able to advise whether or not they fit and suit you?’

‘What about Mrs Clarke?’

‘I don’t think they would either fit or suit her,’ she replied smiling.

‘No, what if she should knock on your door?’

‘She likes to spend her Saturday evenings in front of the television set; I don’t think there's much danger of her coming to either of our rooms unless we make a lot of noise. If you're worried about meeting her in the corridor, you could always get changed in my room. I promise not to look.’

He thought for a moment.

‘Alright then; I’ll just go and collect your wig and my makeup from my room.’

An hour later Denise was putting the finishing touches to her makeup, having put on some underwear provided by Angela. In the meanwhile her friend had made them some tea and sandwiches.

‘Alright then, which of these dresses would you like to try first?’

‘I’ll leave you to decide for me, and also to advise me on what looks ok.’

---

By the end of the evening Denise had tried on every item from Angela’s unwanted wardrobe and had either decided on her own, or else had been encouraged, to keep virtually everything that was offered. As Angela had said, many of the items were for winter rather than summer wear, but there were also a few items that she could wear straight away if she chose to.

‘There's no way that I will be able to store all of these in the wardrobe in my room,’ commented Denise.

‘I know the problem; that's why I bought the mobile clothes rail. However, my reduced range of attire will now easily fit into my wardrobe, so you're welcome to take that as well.’

‘Are you sure that I cannot pay you for some of these clothes, there's so much here?’ she said.

‘No; I'll have no need for them in Singapore and so they would have only gone to a charity shop. I'm happy for you to have them, particularly as they look so nice on you,’ answered Angela.

‘Can I at least treat you to a farewell dinner in a restaurant before you leave?’

Angela thought for a moment before agreeing.

‘Alright, I will have a meal with you but only on condition that I go out with Denise, rather than Denis. I'd prefer not to be seen in the company of a young man by any of Paul’s old friends.’

‘Oh, I'd assumed it would be as Denis, but I suppose I could go out with you as Denise so long as you help me to avoid being seen by Mrs Clarke. Let’s make it next Thursday when she goes to bingo?’

‘Sorry, it would have to be next Friday evening. That is my only remaining free night next week.’

‘Alright but I'll have to work out a way to sneak past her room when I go out and come home dressed as Denise.’

‘I think you worry too much about her seeing you.’

‘That may be so, but remember I'll have to continue living here after you've left.’

---

The following day was a Sunday, Angela was going out to say goodbye to some friends, but she loaned Denis her door key so that he could collect the clothes and other items from her room. He therefore proceeded to re-arrange his own room. putting all of Denise’s female attire in his wardrobe, where it would be out of sight to any visitor, and hanging his own somewhat more limited range of clothes on the rail in the corner of his room.

---

After a week in which she'd seemed to be fairly pre-occupied, Sue was a little more talkative with Denis at work on Monday. Midway through the morning she approached him with a technical query about how to upload images to the new website, and the formats that would be required. Once he'd answered her question and shown her how to perform the various tasks, Sue suggested that they should stop to have a coffee together.

‘Does your question this morning mean that Helen is taking my proposals for developing the web site seriously?’ he asked.

‘I believe so. She wants to have a trial run as soon as Jane returns from her honeymoon next week and is able to do some modelling for us,’ she replied.

‘I'm glad and will be very happy to help in any way I can,’ he said.

‘Thank you, I’ll remember that you said that,’ replied Sue.

Their conversation then moved on to other subjects.

‘Did you do anything exciting over the weekend?’ he asked.

‘No, it was a bit of an anticlimax after the last two weekends,’ she replied. ‘Alison managed to go away with her boyfriend for a long week end. I stayed in and caught up with various domestic chores. How about yourself?’

At first he wasn't sure whether or not to mention to Sue about his weekend, but there seemed to be no point in keeping it a secret from her.

‘I spent Saturday afternoon helping one of my housemates sort out her belongings and taking stuff to the charity shop before she leaves for Singapore next week.' In return she has given to me quite a few of her winter clothes to keep for Denise’s wardrobe and also a long wig’ he answered. ‘So I had to stay in and re-organise my wardrobe on Sunday.’

‘Does your friend know about Denise then?’ asked Sue, a little surprised.

‘Yes, she noticed that there was something different about my appearance almost immediately and insisted on an explanation as to why I had a dress hanging up to dry in my bathroom and had shaped my eyebrows and pierced my ears. I had to tell her the whole story.’ he answered.

‘Oh I'm sorry if we landed you in trouble at home Denis,’ said Sue. ‘How did your friend react to the news?’

‘Don’t worry, it wasn’t my landlady. Angela was quite cool about it, in fact she was really friendly, and has promised to keep my secret. I think she was impressed when I showed her the photographs you took at the wedding. In fact she insisted that I dressed up just for her benefit and so we had a takeaway meal together in my room last Thursday evening.’

‘So you've dressed as Denise again. How did you look?’

‘Alright, I think, I wore that blue dress again. I did my makeup quite well and wore her long wig which looked quite realistic, but I wasn't very happy with my finger nails, as I couldn't get the extensions to stick on properly. I also tried on some of her clothes on Saturday evening.’

Sue smiled, thinking to herself ‘he really does enjoy dressing as Denise.’

‘You should have said something, I could have fixed them for you before you left work,’ she said out loud.

‘In that case I'd have to travel home wearing gloves in the middle of June,’ he replied.

‘What did you do about your boobs?’

‘I made my own out of an old pair of nylons filled with rice — they looked alright in that blue dress as the neckline is not cut too low.’

‘I'm sure Jane would not have minded if you'd borrowed her silicone breast forms again, after all you are the only person ever to have worn them.’

‘Do you think so? In that case I may borrow them once again on Friday night. I've promised to take my friend Angela out for a farewell meal. Having once met Denise she now insists that I do so as a girl. She doesn't want to be seen out in the company of a young man whilst her fiancé is overseas.’

‘I see’ said Sue. ‘I'm pleased to hear that you are keeping up with your feminine self. Would you like me to help you to get changed after work on Friday evening?’

‘It would certainly solve the problem of my nosey landlady finding out about Denise’ said Denis. ‘Do you think Helen would let me return into work and change back after the meal?’

‘I suppose so, but if you like, you could come and stay with me after your dinner and then sort yourself out on Saturday morning.’

‘Alright then, as long as Alison doesn't mind me staying again. This time I will be sure to take my work keys with me, so that I do not become marooned as Denise for the whole weekend,’ he said smiling.

‘I think Alison is planning to be out again next weekend but I'll telephone her to find out.’

Half an hour later Sue came back.

‘Alison will be away on Friday evening so you're very welcome to stay. However, she says she'll be back home on Saturday afternoon and particularly asks that you should also stay with us for Saturday evening as well so that we can have a meal together.’

‘She wants me to stay one more night as Denise?’

‘But of course, she has never met Denis.’

He shrugged.

‘Alright then, but why it is that one moment I'm offering to take a friend out for a farewell meal, and then suddenly I find myself spending the two nights as Denise?’

‘Maybe it is because her persona suits you.’

---

When Denis returned from lunch he found he'd received an email redirected from Denise’s new account.

Hi Denise,
I was so pleased to find your message when I checked my email this morning. I didn’t think to check earlier, but had been hoping you might telephone me. (I didn't want to risk phoning you in case Denis should answer!). Anyway, I'm now back in London and so am anxious to know when we can get together again. I have so much that I want to tell you! You seem to have made an impression on several of my relatives, and John is asking about you. May I give him your new email address?
See you soon, I hope.
Lot’s of love
Sam xx

He responded to her from Denise’s account writing in her name.

Hi Sam,
I too have missed your company. I shall be staying with Sue and her flatmate on Saturday night, and could come out to see you after lunch on Sunday, if that is convenient, but I won’t be able to stay too long as I have change back ready for work on Monday. You do not need to worry about telephoning me — I have allocated you a special ringtone and if it is not convenient for Denise to speak to you I will send a busy signal and return your call later. As to John, the answer is a definite no. My life is quite complicated enough already, and in any event we live more than 120 miles from one another.
Let me know if Sunday pm is ok.
Love
Denise xx

Fifteen minutes later she emailed back.

‘Hi Denise, I'm looking forward to seeing you on Sunday, but are you sure you can’t stay the night? The flat is so lonely now that Jane has left. I could make us both a dinner, and then we could both leave together early on Monday morning?
Love Sam xx

He thought for some time before answering. He was pleased at the prospect of seeing his friend again, but once again it seemed that he was being sucked into spending yet another long weekend as Denise. It was not exactly against his will, but it certainly was without his active planning. He could of course refuse to co-operate, and spend the evening at home, but that prospect didn't appeal. Denise had more social engagements in two weekends than Denis had had during the previous six months. After giving the matter a little thought he again emailed back from Denise’s account to accept her proposition.

---

That night he went through Denise’s now fairly extensive wardrobe and planned exactly what she would wear between Friday evening and Monday morning. The only thing she was short of was underclothing, and so he decided that Denise should go shopping for some more at the first available opportunity. Angela arrived home at about 10.00 pm and called in to see him briefly before going to bed. He explained his plans for the following Friday evening and she agreed that they could meet in central London after work, rather than back at the flat. She also confirmed that she would have no difficulty in making her way home alone after their meal.

---

By the Thursday afternoon word had got round the office that Denis was intending to go out as Denise again the following evening and then stay with Sue, and later with Jane’s sister. His other workmates expressed an interest in meeting her once again, and as Denis was still owed several hours of leave, Helen suggested that he should take a half day’s leave and get changed after lunch time so Denise would have plenty of time to get herself ready. Sue agreed to help him fix Jane’s breast forms and the nail extensions during her lunch break but this time Denise was going to look after all the other preparations, on her own. Thus the following morning Denis arrived at work armed with a medium sized suitcase containing the clothes, wig and jewellery that he and his alter ego would need for the next four days, having again ensured the night before that his arms and legs were smooth and hairless.

---

As promised, Sue helped him to fix the breast formes and false nails at lunchtime.

‘I'll have to get back to my work now. You can put on your own nail varnish and manage the remainder of the transition by yourself,’ said Sue.

‘That’s alright thank you, I think that I should now be ok,’ answered Denis.

Midway through the afternoon Denise emerged from the store-room which they used as a changing room fully made up and wearing one of Angela’s dresses, together with matching shoes, earrings and beads. She was just in time to join her colleagues for their afternoon tea break. It was noticeable that they all took notice of her once again.

‘So how do I look ladies?’ she asked.

‘You know perfectly well that you look lovely, so there is no need to go fishing for compliments,’ said Sarah.

‘Come on, don’t be mean to our young novice, she deserves to be congratulated for learning how to use makeup so well and style her wig, if nothing else,’ said Mary.

‘Alright, you've done very well. So where are you off to tonight, and who with?’ asked Sarah.

Denise was pleased to be asked about her plans and explained how her original limited scheme had grown to encompass the whole weekend.

‘So it now looks as if you will not be changing back to Denis until Monday morning,’ said Sarah.

‘Yes I’ll come into work at about eight and get myself changed. I'll try and un-glue my boobs on Sunday night, and then without the problem of removing the hair extensions I should be able to change back into Denis in time for work.’

‘Jane will be disappointed to have missed you, she's going to be back from her honeymoon on Monday morning,’ said Helen.

‘I think Jane saw enough of me as Denise the weekend before last,’ answered Denise.

‘Oh come on now, surely you could delay changing back until Monday afternoon and do it at a more leisurely pace. That way Jane will get to see you again and it will also use up the last of your outstanding leave from last year,’ she said.

‘Also it will be safer for you to have some help when removing those false boobs in case you should damage them,’ added Sue.

Denise sighed, but then smiled.

‘Oh alright then, it is just as well that there is another outfit hanging in my locker’.

---

Denise still had a couple of hours free in the afternoon and so used the time to go out and buy herself two more sets of underwear for the weekend from a department store. This time she was more confident than before, and once again chose some feminine styles. She returned to the office just as the others were on the point of leaving for the day. Sue handed her the spare key for her flat.

‘The camp bed will be made up for you, if you arrive back after I've gone to bed,’ she said.

‘Thanks but I don’t expect to be back late tonight.’

‘Would you like me to take your suitcase home with me now?’ she said.

‘Oh yes please that would be great. I’ll just put my shopping inside,’ answered Denise.

‘I’ll leave it next to your bed,’ said Sue.

(Next time Denise receives an offer of some new accommodation.)