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"You must be effing mad!," I said harshly to Taran when we had reached the safety of the female loos," they're bound to find out who I am." "You'll be fine, Alun's positively drooling all over you, just keep your shoulders back and your boobs out," she said, laughing. "You are just so dead!," I hissed at her, on our way out, before resuming my painted smile as we walked back towards our two companions. |
Vol. 2.11
"I'll see you soon, Celyn, take care." she said and got up, carefully pushing the chair back under the table.
I turned to watch her make her elegant way out of the crowded cafe and through the concourse of the Millennium Centre*. She opened the door, looked back and, seeing my gaze, gave me a little wave before leaving and almost immediately disappearing into the throng of humanity milling around the bay area of the city.
I sat stunned by the contents of the conversation, just concluded. My reverie was interrupted by the familiar voice of my sister
"I can't believe it was her, what did she say?" said Taran as she sat down in the newly vacated seat.
I sat and stared at my sister, momentarily at a loss for words.
"Come on, tell me," said my sister," you were talking for ages, she must have told you something interesting."
"You won't believe it," I replied.
"I already don't believe it was her, why was she stalking you?" she asked.
"I would never have thought so in a million years," I responded.
"Thought what, Celyn? You're talking riddles." said my sister, beginning to sound a little annoyed with my lack of an explanation.
"I suppose lots of people don't look like one, well for that matter, how does one look?" I mused, still not completely focused on my sister's impatience," after all I'm one and I'm not sure if I look like one."
"CELYN!" hissed my sister as loud as she could without attracting too much attention to herself," WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"
I raised my head to look directly at Taran and answered with deliberate emphasis on each word," she's a transsexual."
My sister jerked back in her chair at the shock of the revelation and then opened her mouth to say something. It took her a few attempts of goldfish like gulping before she could recover her coherence.
"You mean like you?" she asked simply.
"Yep in a way," I replied," she had a sex change too, but unlike me it was her choice."
"But, how? When? I'd never have guessed and she taught me in year 8 as well and I never noticed her looking different, you know, like a man, before," Taran responded in a rather confused manner.
"You are such a div sometimes," I said to my rather befuddled sibling," obviously she had it a LONG TIME before she started working in our school."
My sister poked her tongue out at me, and then responded in the only way possible with her best 'Lauren' accent," Am I bovvered? Does my face look bovvered?**."
We both collapsed in laughter and it was few minutes before we could recover our senses to try and continue the conversation.
Suddenly, before I could say another word, Taran grabbed my arm," come on, let's go, Mum's back in thirty minutes and I still have to get you some clothes,"
"Oh yes, I suppose she's going to smell a big rat otherwise, but where?" I asked, before I got up and followed her out of the Millennium Centre.
"Um, there's not a lot of choice here but I think I saw a little shop round the corner, come on follow me," said my sister before leading us through one of the side streets that led off the main area of Cardiff Bay.
"I can't go in there," I said as I stared with horror at the flimsy, much too sexy clothes featured in the window.
Taran took hold of my arm.
"Come on Celyn, welcome to one of the advantages of girlhood, wearing beautiful clothes," she said.
"Do we have to?" I pleaded," I'm quite happy to let Mum or you buy my stuff."
"Now you're sounding like a boy, sorry you really have to learn how to do this," she said before guiding me through the door for my first experience of girl clothes shopping.
Almost thirty minutes later we were making our way as quickly as we could towards our rendezvous point. Well at least as fast as anyone could walk on two inch heels wearing a tight leather mini skirt. In the end I had succumbed to the expert sales technique of the shop assistant, ably reinforced by Taran's obvious desire to see me looking as sexy as possible.
"I must be mad, agreeing to wear this," I said, as I half walked, half hobbled along the street, while holding the shop plastic bag, containing my pevious outfit, in front of me to conceal as much of my skin as possible, not covered by the small black stretchy crop top.
"You look fantastic," she replied, smiling," it's a shame there wasn't more time to give you a proper makeover."
"Small mercies," I muttered to myself and concentrated on reaching the haven of the bus-stop and our escape from my humiliation as soon as possible.
There was a loud beep as Taran received a text. She took her phone out of her bag and read the message. I carried on walking, knowing that she would easily be able to catch me up.
"Wait Celyn!" she shouted, before hurrying towards me.
I stopped in my tracks and turned towards her.
" What is it Taran?" I asked.
"It's Mum," she responded, holding up the phone," she can't make it until two, she has to sort something out for Dad at work."
"Damn, what are we going to do for an hour and a half," I asked.
Taran thought for a moment and then suggested," we could have some lunch?"
"OK," I said.
"Oh, yes and another thing we could do," she said, looking a little sly.
"And what's that sis?" I asked, wondering what other unpleasant experiences she might have up her sleeve.
She looked down at my shoes.
"You've got plenty of time to practice walking in your new shoes," she explained.
"NO WAY!," I said, angrily," the first thing I'm doing is to changing back to my other stuff, I'm not wandering around Cardiff looking as exposed as this."
Ten minutes later my sister had finished using all her powers of persuasion to convince me of the need to accept every possible opportunity to make up on the fifteen years being a girl I hadn't had.
We started towards the vegetarian restaurant in the quieter of the corner of the Millennium Centre. This time our progress was much more measured and by the time we had traversed the concourse I was finding the heels a little easier to walk in.
We made our way to the counter and looked at the appetising but expensive items on sale. I was just about to decide between Falafel and salad or a roasted vegetable wrap when I heard a familiar voice behind me. Taran recognised it at the same time and turned.
"Hey Harri!" she said and gave her fellow member of the upper sixth, the only out gay boy in school, a big hug.
"Hey Taran," responded the tall, extremely un-camp looking fellow pupil, " you're down here early the party's not till tonight, oh you know my brother Alun, of course."
"Hi Alun," said Taran to Harri's tall, younger brother, who was a year older than me and definitely not gay from the stories that Taran had sometimes told me.
"Hi Taran," responded Alun, pleasantly, while quickly letting his eyes wander over Taran's body and smiling as if in appreciation of her attractiveness.
I was suddenly aware I was the centre of attention of the three sixth formers.
"Oh, Harri and Alun, this is my si...... cousin.............Eifiona," she said by way of hurried introduction," I'm showing her round the bay, she's staying the weekend."
"Nice to meet you Eifiona," said Harri without much interest before turning back to continue his gossip with my sister while Alun's greeting was rather warmer.
Soon we had bought our food and were sitting down on the sofas in the corner around two low tables. Unfortunately for me, before I could ensure I was under Taran's protection for the duration of the meal, Harri quickly secured the seat next to my sister.
"You know what Pricey said to me yesterday?" he asked her.
"What?" she replied.
I quickly tuned myself out of their chat about their mutual friends, who were mostly just names to me apart from the few who were in the sports teams who trained with me sometimes. I concentrated on eating my Falafel and salad while trying to avoid sitting too close to Alun.
"So are you enjoying your trip to the Bay?" he asked after had turned a little towards me.
I was aware of his gaze on my exposed enhanced breasts and raised my plate to cover them with my arm. The only good thing about being so exposed, I thought to myself, was I was highly unlikely to be recognised as my male alter-ego.
"It's very nice," I responded as politely and as curtly as possible.
"Yes it is, especially on a sunny day like to today," he commented.
I didn't respond and hoped the conversation would die a quick death.
After a few minutes silent eating he looked at me again.
"So where are you from, Eifiona?" he asked.
"Pontypridd," I responded tersely.
"What school?" he persisted in his questioning.
I realised I'd better engage in conversation otherwise I would be getting the third degree and I knew little enough about my cousin to continue a successful deception for long. I turned towards him, smiled and asked," do you go to the same school as Taran?"
"Yes, but in a year below her," he replied, returning my smile.
For the next fifteen minutes I kept the conversation on a topic I knew plenty about and could ask intelligent sounding questions on. Alun soon warmed towards me and I found him to be pleasant enough company. Although I almost choked on my food when he described the me he knew in school as, "Celyn, Taran's brother, the wonderful football player."
The meal came to an end and to my disappointment Taran suggested Harri and Alun should join us while we wandered around the bay again waiting for our Mum.
"You must be effing mad!," I said harshly to Taran when we had reached the safety of the female loos," they're bound to find out who I am."
"You'll be fine, Alun's positively drooling all over you, just keep your shoulders back and your boobs out," she said, laughing.
"You are just so dead!," I hissed at her, on our way out, before resuming my painted smile as we walked back towards our two companions.
@@@@@@@@@@
An hour and a half later as we finally reached our pick-up point I felt completely and utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally. We had decided, in the end, to go to the ten pin bowling alley. At least that had given me some temporary relief from the heels but trying to bowl in a tight skirt and skimpy top was altogether a strange experience.
At least the noise of the place had meant much further conversation hadn't been possible.
At last my Mother's rescue vehicle pulled into the bus-stop.
Taran and I bade our farewells to the brothers and made our way towards the car.
I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder, I turned to see Alun's hand resting lightly there, I felt a strange tingle.
"Eifiona this has been fun today," he said a little hesitantly," I was sort of wondering if you're free later on?"
I stared at him and hoped that the Rift*** would open then and there and swallow me up.
@@@@@@@@@@
* http://www.wmc.org.uk/index.cfm?alias=aboutus
** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Catherine_Tate_Show#Catchph...
*** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiff_Rift
End of Vol. 2.11
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Comments
Now wait a minute!
You are saying the still-unidentified text harasser is an adult and a teacher at their school? That makes her behavior even more reprehensible. First, she had to get access to a student's records to get the phone number. That is the type of information not normally made available to teachers around here. Hardly an ethical act.
And then to send those anonymous text messages speaks to a very poor level of maturity. As an adult she is supposed to have better judgment. Those messages would be mean coming from another student, from an adult teacher? Wrong, wrong, WRONG!! I'm sure if reported to the school authorities this teacher would soon be practicing saying "Would you like fries (chips) with that?". Not for being TS, but for being so monumentally cruel and stupid.
KJT
"Being a girl is wonderful and to torture someone into that would be like the exact opposite of what it's like. I don’t know how anyone could act that way." College Girl - poetheather
“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king. The palace becomes a circus.” - Turkish Proverb
Price To Pay-Skirts
Well, this teacher being a trans-woman, show the signs that Celyn had changed. And was being secretive because she not wanting to be outed. May Your Light Forever Shine
May Your Light Forever Shine
This is one of a few stories
I don't mind keeping my stuff off the top of the votes. The TS teacher was unfortunate, however, the rest of the story is very enjoyable. Despite it being my home town, I haven't been back to see Cardiff Bay since I fell through the rift twenty five years ago, and ended up in Dorset.
Cofleidiau,
Angharad.
Angharad
If you like.......................
To quote the administrator's suggestion which appears before the comments:-
"If you liked this post, please remember to vote and comment. Thanks."
Karen if you dislike what I've written there is no need to comment, I think that is clear.
Two other points you raise that I should respond to:-
1. There was no need to access anything to get Celyn's mobile since she has broadcast it to everyone in her immediate vicinity in chapter 2.05.
2. Apart from the first ambiguous message, the contacts have been benign and supportive.
Sorry for the mystery not resolved, all to be revealed in 4 or 5 more episodes.
Otherwise I was just going to apologise for the gap between this and previous episodes. Work and family have been hectic. I hope I'll have more time in the near future to bring this volume to a satisfactory conclusion and to write more in the other series.
Hugs,
Alys
If you can't stand the heat
I made a comment on the character in the story, not about you. Go ahead and complain to Erin, and let's see if she feels I was wrong to post that comment.
About accessing the mobile, at least on AT&T in the U.S., you have to accept and approve the sender first, you can't just open it up to everybody. And unless both parties are close enough to link direct, the message has to be sent to an address (ie the phone number). I could get into details about how cellular communications systems work, but that's neither here nor there.
K
“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king. The palace becomes a circus.” - Turkish Proverb
Mobile 'phones.
In the UK the only difference between a mobile and a 'phone on a land line is that the mobile is just that ... mobile (my network is Orange, perhaps other colours are different :) ). I have the cheapest, pay-as-you-go, mobile 'phone I could buy and use it rarely but if I do receive a call it rings, I answer it. Just like my 'phone at home. Anyone who has my number can use it just as anyone who has my home number can use it.
In this case if the mystery caller had Celyn's number she could use it. The number wasn't a well-kept secret apparently so it's hardly surprising the caller managed to acquire it.
I also find it frustrating that Alys has kept us guessing as to the identity of the caller but that's fine; it's how Alys chooses to tease her readers and without a tease stories would be boring. My only complaint is the delay in posting episodes and I guess that's a complaint shared by all her fans.
Geoff
Picky Picky Picky
Jeese, great way to encourage a writer when she finally posts a chapter, is it really that important to flay her for other issues that had not occured to her?
Nice chapter, you continue to tease us but I like it
Alys,
as to how cell phones work in Great Britain or elsewhere I am all but clueless. I don't have one and rarely ever use one. I imagine I will have to get one as payphones are increasingly rare in the US as they are nearly all coin fed and thus temping to thieves.
Hum, Karen_J, maybe they have a kind of voluntary on-line directory for cell phones in England? That or they have a chat number for the school and that is where she left her, um his number?
Maybe I misread things but I thought the mysterious callers messages were always a bit suspect but then I’m reading from Celyn’s perspective and she must by nature be careful as she is in a vulnerable position.. It is now clear that *Whover The Caller Is* – sneaky aren’t we Alys, keeping her name a secret after leaking it’s an adult female and a teacher ACK , which one? – means Celyn no harm. It’s just the not knowing and the initial comments cast a shadow of doubt in their intentions.
Heck, under the right set of circumstances the closing song from, Mr Rogers Neighborhood could sound ominous. The last lines are,
>>
“You’ll have things you want to talk about
I will too.â€
>>
Innocent when sung by the children’s show host, twisted and evil if sung by an integration officer of WWII Germany’s SS.
Okay, a bit over-the-top as an example but it was not difficult for Celyn to be fearful of the mystery caller.
Understand the delays, RL has it’s demands.
John in Wauwtosa
P.S. That people have strong feelings about how your chacters act is a sign of how much us readers have invested emotionally in your sagas. Bravo.
John in Wauwatosa
'Phones
Most phones released in the past few years have a feature called "Bluetooth", which allows them to send information to others also incorporating the feature - it's a bit like a very low powered WiFi. Although it's normally point-to-point, as the phone can display the SSID of all other Bluetooth phones within range (typically about 10m), it's presumably possible to push your number out to the lot.
Of course, a sign of how things change so quickly is that now, barely two years later, most pupils would probably just publish their current mobile number on their Facebook / MySpace / Bebo profile rather than using Bluetooth to send it. Or if they're using a certain product by a fruity-sounding company, there's (probably) "an app for that".
-oOo-
So Alys has survived two close encounters with others - including (nerve wrackingly) someone from her school who (mercifully) doesn't recognise her alter ego. It certainly can't help her acclimatise in that she's having to live a pretty schizophrenic existence - pretending to be the same as a few months ago at school, while at home being pushed down a path of ultra femininity. And as her body reshapes itself under the influence of the hormones in the treatment, it's going to get increasingly hard to pass as male.
Oh well, hopefully when she eventually goes full time, she'll be allowed to develop her own sense of style, rather than having one vision forced upon her.
There are 10 kinds of people in the world - those who understand binary and those who don't...
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
Perfectly Reasonable
I really liked this chapter. Taran was perfectly reasonable and helped Celyn delve into the world of girls in a much better way than their mum has.
I can see how Celyn had become so well-adjusted in the stories that cover her later years. :)
Thanks and please keep writing. Please?
- Terry
I'm not sure what the problem is
But then again, I am not very bright. I continue to enjoy this story. I usually take what is written as the way it is. It's difficult to psychoanalyze the characters in any story. As a past member of one of the most dictatorial organizations in existance I recall a saying we used to kick around: "You may think that you understood what you thought I said; however, what I said is not what I meant." Someday I want to be able to read all these episodes in chronological order:) Portia
Portia
Wow. Amazing...
First there's the implication that the text messager is someone they know well (teacher it sounded like), respected and liked. What a surprise there. (Still not telling us who - oooo. Sneeky of you!)
Then, Taran pushing her around shopping. The outfit seems a bit "over the top" but, that could easily be Celyn's over reaction. I thought the extra time was going to be done in a salon... LOL. You surprised me.
The bit at the end with the two guys from her school - and then one describing herself to her. That WAS a lark.
I'm looking forward to the scenes that make Taren an even better friend - that she can look to talk to in the "later" timeframe story.
Thanks,
Annette
Phones
The USA is the strangest place in the world for mobile/cell phones. I travel quite a lot and I can use my mobile anywhere from New Zealand to Ireland without much bother as long as I pay whatever charges are involved. Anyone can get my number either by contacting the local network or just asking any acquaintance, or, of course, looking at my business card. It is only in America that none of this works, or, at least on my last visit in 2000 it didn't. I found then that the only way to remain in effective contact with the rest of the world was to purchase a phone card and use public phones. Maybe it's changed since then. I don't know.
But that would go a long way to answering Karen J's objections to the way that Celyn's number was obtained. Karen, I'm sorry but I have found that many Americans are pretty ignorant about the way that the rest of the world functions. If you want to discuss this I am happy to do so.
Now, back to the story. Alys, you are a rotten tease. All that lead-up and you still keep us in suspense. Grrr, woman.
However, you continue to make Celyn's transition into girlhood a fascinating experience. Do I smell her first date coming on? Dragged into it by Taran, but much more effectively than Mum's clumsy efforts. Hee Hee,
Joanne
Why not just say the US is a strange place?
But then, it's not just one place.
The average american rarely leaves his or her own state, and a significant percentage their own county or even town. This is amazing to me, in a land where transportation has been sooo easy for so many.
On the other hand, visit New York City (or many others)... And you can find neighborhoods speaking different languages blocks appart.
I've yet to find ANY place on the plannet that was perfect, in every way (despite claims to the contrary). I've found things I REALLY liked about everywhere I've been. And something (at least) that I didn't. (Okay, I've never been to Australia or Antarctica... So I've missed two continents... Give me time. I've at least corresponded with folks from Australia... And talked to folks that have visited Antarctica.)
Note: These are the opinions of the author, and do not reflect the opinions of this web site or it's management, except perhaps by coincidence.
Annette
It's big!!
In the US cell numbers are always unlisted. This goes back to the days when every call to a cell, including in coming ones, was charged for. They still are on some plans. Of course most people are not shy about giving the number to acquaintances.
And all cells do not work all places. It is better now, because the carriers have reciprocal agreements and are much larger but, if you travel across the country, you would enter areas where you carrier doesn't operate. I think this is good; small and independent, is better than the mega-corps.
But when you complain about the difference with the us, compared to the places you mentioned, I think you are forgetting about the distances involved. It is much further from New York to Los Angles, than it is from London to Moscow (3944k v. 2498k [2451m v. 1552]). You could start in Moscow, go to London, turn around and be back in Warsaw, before you had covered the distance between NY and LA. (That's why our trains are so bad.) If you took that trip in Europe, wouldn't you have to change cell carriers etc a few times?
As long As You're "Roaming"
Most phone companies outside the USA have reciprocal arrangements. My mobile phone works just about wherever I go. If I travel , for instance, from Hong kong to Dubai I just switch it on and Voila! it works. The same if I go across a dozen countries in Europe. It just gives a little beep when I cross a border and a different carrier switches in. It seems that competition or something prevented this in America.
Distances? Huh! I'll give you distances. The state I live in, when I'm home, is twice the size of Texas. It takes two hours in a jet to fly from our capital city to the largest North-Western mining town and you're still in our state, and we're not even the largest state. Our grasshoppers stand six feet tall and are known locally as kangaroos. So there!
Joanne
I'm getting confused.
Why are folks arguing?
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