Carla & Julian - Chapter 5

By Julie D Cole

As I expected Carla called as soon as she was awakened by her alarm. She was due to shower then meet her cousin and the other two bridesmaids in her cousins suite where they’d be eating a light breakfast then they would be having hair and make-up done. They had to be dressed and ready for the 11 am ceremony and Carla couldn’t believe it would take 4 hours to prepare. But she was under the control of a wedding planner so for once she was following instructions.

Mum was earwigging to our conversation and spoke to Carla since she was excited for her and she said that she would have loved to be involved and envied the mother of the bride. It seemed that Carla’s mum was as equally excited as her sister and that the wedding was costing an absolute fortune. The call had to end when mum insisted that Carla got moving and I was reminded that Rosa was due anytime.

Rosa arrived and outlined our suggested schedule that received mums immediate approval despite picking up my signs showing I was not so enthusiastic. The morning was a visit to the Palacio De Bellas Artes so more walking and lots of photos. It was a massive place and whilst it was truly beautiful I knew it would be very hot in the sunshine but Rosa just countered saying we would use umbrellas as sun shades. Mum suggested I wore flat comfortable shoes like her and she selected a pair that matched my outfit.

Rosa had a venue and a table booked for a light lunch and in the afternoon we were due to relax and visit a Spa and Wellness Centre. As long as the venue had a good wi-fi connection I was quite happy so that I could keep in contact with Carla and see what she looked like.
Walking around the Palacio was amazing but tiring in the heat and I was glad I was wearing shorts and that we visited before the temperatures peaked for the day. I was aware that I received a lot of attention and whilst I’d always stood out being of Asian descent in Mexico these were more showing interest or being slightly confused. Rosa said it was not surprising since my look was androgynous and I was appearing as both effeminate young man and attractive young Asian woman. I was slightly embarrassed but at the same time I liked the attention as long as it wasn’t aggressive.

By the time we reached the restaurant I found myself copying Rosa’s mannerisms and her walk taking smaller steps. She was tall and beautiful with long curly black hair cascading over her shoulders and she could easily of been a model. No doubt she was the one causing heads to turn and then passers-by would more than likely be looking at me to wonder why we were together. Mum was usually ahead of us taking photos of anything and everything. Rosa pointed out the interesting architecture and soon we were linking arms as we chatted.

Lunch was light and mum and I just shared a burrito whilst Rosa tucked into chicken fajitas. We had drunk lots of water walking around and even more with our lunch so we needed a comfort break before we left the restaurant. When we reached the rest room area the male facilities were being cleaned and Rosa tugged my arm and just said to follow them into the ladies. I stopped and shook my head but she insisted and said I looked cute enough not to cause offence and that ladies had privacy anyway. I was bursting so I didn’t need any persuading. Two other visitors didn’t seem to give me a second look.

We then headed to the spa where we were booked for body massages and then mum was having a facial and a pedicure. I would be free to enjoy the facilities and Rosa recommended I visit the sauna and then relax in the jacuzzi. She would meet us in two hours in the coffee shop since she had a few things to do. Before she left she introduced us to the assistant manager who checked our bookings and gave us an introduction to the layout using a leaflet. We were booked in and then split up since no way was I going to be allowed to enter a female locker room or embarrass myself undressing.

‘Rosa what am I going to do now. People have been looking at me and questioning my sexuality all morning and if I go into the mens locker rooms like this it might cause a fuss or even a confrontation.’

‘Don’t worry Juliana I selected this spa because it has a better class of guest. Nobody will confront you or complain. You won’t be the first member with dual sexuality or dressing as the opposite sex. I’ve never had any problems and I’ve been a member for 5 years.’

‘Well if you think it’s OK but I don’t have a swim suit and I just have the towels and the gown.’

‘You don’t need them since the facilities are segregated and you enter the sauna and the jacuzzi as you were born so no covers needed. You only need a swim-suit if you go into the pool. I can buy you one if you want to swim.’

‘No it’s OK I’ll just have to hope for the best and follow what other people do. I don’t want to stand out.’

Rosa giggled and escorted me to the door wishing me luck as she held it open. I’d never been nervous before entering male changing rooms at school or college even though I was slightly built compared to most students. Nobody bullied me or made fun even though I was quiet and an immigrant. There were several of us anyway.

Fortunately, the changing rooms were empty and I could undress in privacy without any disturbance, strange looks or any challenge. I suppose I would have just appeared gay anyway that wouldn’t have concerned me too much in view of what Rosa said. I used one of the private cubicles and put my belongings in a locker but there was nowhere to keep the key other than the pocket of a dressing gown and nowhere for my mobile phone. Since I’d be unable to keep a contact with Carla I sent a message to let her know I was in the Spa for a while.

I started with a shower and headed to the sauna. It was my first visit to a spa so I had to follow the guidelines and instructions on the posters. My intention was to relax in the sauna and then jump into the plunge pool followed by a long soak in the jacuzzi. I wasn’t surprised to find that we were segregated, male and female in view of the nudity and on this side of the division walls the men who were around didn’t seem to care whereas I felt embarrassed. All the other male guests seemed to have excessive body hair whereas I was almost hairless and it was a bit intimidating at first.

They seemed happy to display their assets walking about but in contrast I used the gown and towels to restrict my exposure. I just had a small bush of hair that I trimmed occasionally as mum had taught me to do ever since it thickened in my early teen years. It seemed strange to me that everybody was expected to enter the sauna and jacuzzi without swimwear I would never have expected that the lady visitors would agree. At least men and women were separated. It seemed like this was common practice so I had little choice but to do the same.

I hesitated as I crossed to where the sauna’s were located and both seemed to be occupied as best I could see. Luckily the main swimming pool was separated and not visible through the glass folding doors that were locked in position and constructed from heavy frosted glass.

I selected the sauna which had 2 people inside and hung my towels and gown on one of the hooks on the wall. I was completely naked save from the band on my wrist holding my locker key. I stopped and covered myself as best I could with my hands. The two men were sitting quite brazenly with legs wide apart facing the door and I felt their eyes on my body as they looked me up and down. My own eyes almost popped out of my head. They both had monsters and they were obviously quite proud. Their bodies were covered in hair and the had thick moustaches and thick heads of hair. I’d tied my own back after showering and then I moved one hand to cover my chest area since one hand was enough lower down.

Both seemed quite a bit older than me so I felt like a young schoolboy in comparison. Carla had complemented me on my smooth soft skin and hairless body but right now I wished I looked more masculine. Both men smiled as if one had quietly commented on my body so I tried to ignore them as I sat down and I crossed one knee over the other as some form of protection so that I was not on full display like they were.

I tried to look through the glass door to avoid eye contact and wiped so of the condensation away to help. I hoped they’d leave or at least cover up but every time I looked their way it was hard to focus anywhere except towards their upper thigh regions. They didn’t seem to be in any hurry to leave and neither seem affected by the heat coming from the coals. Finally, they acknowledged me nodding in my direction and then turned to each other to continue talking. It was a relief and seemingly they were focused on business discussion assuming I was a visitor to Mexico who didn’t speak the language. I didn’t do anymore but nod in their direction. They ignored me sometimes getting excited and waving their arms about with raised voices but not anger or anything for me to worry about.

I decided it was best not to hang around and to leave them to continue their chat in privacy. I was still quite shocked with what I’d seen between their legs. I wondered how they managed to tuck themselves into shorts and pants without discomfort and I was so small by comparison. How could I ever satisfy Carla if that was normal for Mexican and American men. I reflected on our intimacy during Spring Break and somehow Carla did reach a climax several times and wasn’t put off. I had never been in a situation like this before where I had a full on view of the male body even at college since we all took care to be discreet. This was a new experience for me and I wondered if Carla had ever seen other men undressed to make a comparison. What if she did some time in the future.

Once I left them I jumped straight into the cold plunge pool and almost exited just as quickly. I had felt their eyes looking at my naked body as I opened the door and the plunge pool was my escape. If I felt small in the sauna and needing to hide my masculinity there was no problem any more after the cold water surrounded me. I didn’t need two hands to cover my embarrassment.

I gathered my towels and gown and walked over to the jacuzzi and found another hook. It was a relief to enter the jacuzzi and enjoy the warm jets and lay back to relax and my thoughts turned to Carla and her wedding. By now she’d be laughing and joking and mixing with friends and family. I wished I’d been able to join her. Maybe one day I’d get to the States but I wasn’t sure I needed to rush into anything and follow dads idea of a quick marriage and a stable job for Carla through his organisation. I closed my eyes for 20 minutes whilst the jets were on full power massaging myself gently trying to think what Carla would think of me and my family with such a plan.

I could see unclear images through a large glass screen that separated the sauna and jacuzzi area from the main mixed swimming pool. At least everybody appeared to be wearing swimming costumes and I just hoped the screens were one way. I was pretty sure it was.

I reflected on my experiences these last two days with mum. She seemed to encourage me to express my femininity and she had been treating me more like a daughter rather than her son. It was awkward at first but I felt more of a bond with her this last 24 hours that I hoped brought her some joy after the life her family had endured leaving China and their family history. If I could bring her more happiness by being Juliana sometimes I was willing to try. It was a discussion I needed to have but I was fearful Carla might drop me like a stone.

I looked around for an opportunity to leave the water without anybody looking on and gathered my towel and gown and scurried to the changing rooms to shower and shampoo my hair to remove the chemicals in the water that had stung my eyes. I dressed in a cubicle then dried my hair as best I could but as I left I had a few strange looks from a few new customers in view of my outfit and the fact that my hair was almost shoulder length and hanging loose.

Once outside the changing rooms I found the coffee shop and immediately messaged Carla, Rosa was chatting to a friend of hers and she waved as I entered. He complemented me on my appearance and he clearly assumed that I was female. To add to the confusion Rosa then introduced me as Juliana and winked at me. After he reached to shake hand he bent forward and kissed me on my cheek and I wasn’t sure how to react. Then he held out a chair whilst I sat down and asked if he could organise some coffee for both of us. We accepted so he left us to arrange it.

Rosa smiled but I told her that I felt awkward since he probably saw me coming out of the male changing rooms. She said not to worry since they were chatting and even if he was looking my way he was unlikely to have taken notice of the signs on the doors since Jose was more focused on my body. He was also too busy trying to persuade Rosa to have dinner with him and men can only do one thing at once. I responded of course trying to defend us.

She smiled and said she’d agreed to meet him for a drink later and it might lead to dinner but she was always careful because of her history. I didn’t pry and thought she might tell me later if she trusted me enough. I hardly knew her, but it made me wonder what she meant and I hoped it wasn’t anything awful. She seemed so nice.

Jose arrived back with one of his female colleagues carrying coffees on a tray and then he excused himself since he was on duty. As Rosa poured our coffee my phone buzzed and Carla’s number flashed. It was exciting and Rosa smiled and told me not to worry and to answer it. I found a quiet seat and Rosa brought over my coffee. Carla was taking a break and said she was feeling in a good mood after drinking quite a bit of sparkling wine. She asked if I’d enjoyed my spa and I laughed and told her of my experience in the sauna. She said that she hoped I didn’t get too excited and then laughed out loud.

She’d felt awkward in her bridesmaids dress but everything had passed smoothly without her embarrassing herself. She’d wanted to change into something more casual after the speeches but her mum had insisted she didn’t or she’d offend her cousin.

She sent me some images of the ceremony and she certainly looked beautiful with the professional make-up and her hair up in a bun. I told her that I wished I’d been with her to see her up close and personal and she agreed and said we could have danced and then cuddled up later. After a long chat most of my coffee had gone cold and then she gave me some good news to say her father had arranged a flight to Mexico City for her the following day and she hoped to see me in the afternoon sometime.

She needed to ask me something and she had to do it face to face rather than over the phone.