In the Pink

“ Oh, please Chris, it will only be for one morning and it will help you get back to fitness.” pleaded Sue, one of my colleagues in the running club and who also worked with me at the telecoms company call centre, over a coffee break from work.

I am Chris Carter, 19 years old and have worked as a customer support assistant for a major broadband and phone company since leaving school. In my spare time I am a member of the local athletics club, but have recently been off the track since a severe pulled muscle meant that running was too painful. I had been brought back to being reasonably mobile by physiotherapy from my Mam, Janet, a Macmillan Cancer Support nurse.

(Macmillan Nurses are are UK charity giving emotional, physical and, if necessary, financial support to cancer patients through diagnosis, treatment and beyond.)

Although I am now fully mobile and fit to walk and work, I am still not up to competitive running alongside the other boys and men, but I am gradually doing casual jogs to try to get back to my previous standards. Other than that my only hobby is playing computer video games and much of my spare time is up in my room, I am not a great one for socialising, very rarely going out with friends

“You must have a go with us Chris, the 'Race for life’ is really just a fun run, only 10km which is nothing compared to what you were capable of before your injury. The race is in aid of charity, for Marie Curie Cancer Research, it started as a means to raise funds for Breast Cancer and only women were allowed, but now spreads it about to most cancer types. There are five of us doing it as a group, if you join in it will be a nice round six, making three pairs. You don’t have to worry about speed, the rest of the group are just casual fitness joggers and there is no time limit for completing the course.”

“Ok Sue, I’ll do it, but it’s this weekend, I won’t really have a chance to get much sponsorship, but I’ll see what I can do.”

“ Don’t bother with your running gear, just bring your shoes, as we are running as a group we have all agreed a common theme. I live near the start of the run, so just call round to my house at 10:00, ok.”

“Let’s get back to work before someone complains.”

Saturday morning I turned up at Sue’s and had a good giggle when I saw her running outfit.

“ You must be joking, you don’t expect me to run dressed like that do you?”

“ Of course, you are part of our group, we will all be dressed the same it should be fun, and a lot of other people will be wearing something similar. Your outfit is on the table next door just go in and get changed before the others get here”

Realising that she has me wrapped around her fingers and that I don’t have much choice other than to drop out, I decided to go along with her outfit and went next door to get stripped off and changed.

I was soon dressed in tight black calf-length leggings, a bright pink hip-length tee-shirt with a pink frilly ballet skirt around my waist, and pink fluffy bunny ears. Feeling a proper idiot I went back out to see Sue.”

“ Are you sure this is all right, I don’t look too stupid do I ?”

“ You look fine, you will blend in with the girls no bother, you are quite slim for a man, not much bigger than us anyway, and you still have nice smooth skin, not a lot of hair on your face. Now that I have seen you dressed can I be very pushy and make a couple of extra changes? You know that our fund-raising is primarily in support of breast cancer research because my mother had it and needed mastectomies but unfortunately she still passed away not long after. Can I talk you into wearing a bra and some of the breast forms she was given, so that you get into the spirit of things with us.”

“ I’m going to look ridiculous, what if some of my friends or work colleagues see me.”

“ I keep telling you not to worry, if you let me use a bit of eye makeup and lippy, and brush out your hair, which is quite long anyway, you will just look like all the other girls and nobody will recognise you. Just for today I have painted the blue flashes on your running shoes with pink nail polish, just to colour match the outfit, it will all clean off later”

By the time the others arrived, I was sporting my own stuck-on breasts, with a little bit of face makeup and with my hair brushed into a bob and when they all came in nobody made any comment about the way I looked.

Hi-everybody,” said Sue, let me introduce you all, “Carol, Jean, Meg, Nell and Chrissie, although you might know her better as Chris. However for today she is Chrissie and one of the girls.”

I felt like running out of the room and hiding, but one by one they all came over gave me a hug, telling me that they would never have recognised me or read me as a boy, and that I made a cute girl. I wasn’t sure whether to take that as a compliment or not, but decided that it was too late to back out now, and that I would just have to go along with it.

When they had all changed into their running outfits, we made our way down to the starting point where I hoped that we could get lost in the crowd, but we were stopped by a photographer for the local newspaper, who wanted a picture of ‘the beautiful colourful ladies’. and before I knew it we were all posing for him.

During the run we all kept together, despite my leg still not being right causing me to run with a bit of a bent leg action, and my breasts bouncing about causing my arm action and posture to be different, I managed to keep up with them all ok. The run with the girls was quite enjoyable chatting away as we were running and encouraging each other when anybody was feeling a bit tired or strained. They were a nice friendly bunch and after a few minutes, I forgot all about how I was dressed and just got on with having a pleasant run with some friends.

As it got near the finish we all bunched up and crossed the line together hand in hand in a chain, and who was there to greet us but our friendly photographer taking more snaps. This time he had a reporter with him who wanted to know our names and what made us do the run together and other bits of gossip about the run.

We were amongst the first to finish and stayed for a while to clap the others home, before setting off back to Sue’s to get changed.

Why don’t we stop for a quick drink,” suggested one of the group as we passed a pub, “we’ve all had a bit of fun together this morning, let’s just round off the day.”

In the enthusiasm of the day, I had totally got into the spirit with the girls and just automatically followed them in, without thinking about how I was dressed, and when they ordered wine spritzers I just had the same. I had never had one before and found it quite refreshing, in fact much more so than my normal beer. We chatted away about how we felt the run had gone, how much money we had raised, what a good time we were having and agreed that we would all meet up again later in the week. Sue got up to to go the loo and as the spritzers were taking effect I needed to go too, so I went over with her. Automatically I was going to go into the Gents, but she grabbed my arm and pulled me away. “ i think you had better come into the Ladies with me, the way you are dressed and made up, You had better not go into the Gents.”

It was a lot cleaner and fresher in there than most of the public toilets I had been into, and luckily there was nobody else in there. “ Don’t forget to sit down when you wee and wipe yourself when you have finished.” she shouted from the next cubicle, After washing our hands Sue started to refresh her lipstick and suggested that I needed to do mine too. “It’s a lot more fiddly being a girl isn’t it, having to take down your leggings and pants rather than just open up a zip and pull it all out, and then have to worry about how you are looking, you men have it easy.” She passed me her lipstick and I freshened up, but she gave me a look of disgust. “ You made a mess of that, wipe it off and have another go.” After my third attempt she was happy that I was presentable and we went back to join the others. Soon it was time to go and I went back to Sue’s to get my gear before heading home

“Are you coming in to get changed?”

“I really need a shower after the run, so I will just go home as I am, but thanks anyway, I’ll just collect my clothes and stuff and be off. I will wash out your clothes and things and bring them back into work on Monday. I really enjoyed myself with you all today, it was good fun, no macho competitiveness, and they are a great bunch of girls.”

When I got home, my Mam’s car was on the drive, i hadn’t expected her to be home for a couple of hours and had thought that I would have time to get cleaned up and changed first. I quietly opened the door and made my way to go upstairs when i heard Mum’s voice.

“Chris come on in and tell me all about it.”

“ In a minute Mam, I’m just going to have a shower.”

“ That can wait” she said as she came out into the hall to greet me, “Oh, look at you, is there something you are not telling me Christopher, or should it be Christine, you definitely have to come in now and tell me all about it.”

I told her the full story, not knowing what the group costume would be until I got there, and how Sue had talked me into sticking on the breasts and being made up.

“ It seems she stitched you up good and proper, I bet they all had a good laugh at you.”

“Actually there was none of that, they were all ever so friendly and as Chrissie I had a good time with them when we went to the pub, they just treated me as another one of the girls. In fact they are all getting together on Wednesday and I have been invited to go along with them”

“ As Chris or as Chrissie?”

“ I never gave that a thought, I was just enjoying the company and thought it would be good to get together again.”

“ Tell you what. You have been out with the girls and had a good time, let’s you and me go out for a meal and a drink, as Chrissie, I would like to get to know my new temporary daughter. Go up and have a shower, use a shower cap so as not to ruin your hairstyle. it will just need a bit of a brush to get it looking presentable. When you are in there, you will find big tube of Nair in the cabinet, rub some on your legs after cleaning yourself and leave it for about 10 minutes before washing it off again and giving your legs a brisk rub with one of the rough towels. While you are doing that I will sort out some clothes for you.”

“ Don’t be daft Mam, it was just a laugh for the race with the girls, it’s not something I do.”

“ Do as you are told for a change, unless you want everyone to know how you looked when you came home.”

After my shower I watched with surprise at all the hair that washed away, and the rub with the towel finished off the job leaving my legs hairless and smooth. As I still had the breasts stuck to me, i wrapped the towel around me girl-style, covering my chest, rather than around my waist as normal and went back to my bedroom.

On the bed there lay a full set of clothes, bra, panties, tights, pale blue flared skirt ,white boat-necked camisole and a light over-shirt, matching the skirt, and on the floor next to the bed a pair of black ankle- boots with a kitten heel.

“ Put on the underwear and tights, and I will come in and sort out your hair and makeup before you get fully dressed, give me a shout when you are decent.” Mam called through the closed door.

I soon had on all my underwear, the bra was a bit of a struggle, it would have been a lot easier if the breast forms were just loose inserts rather than being stuck on, but I managed. I called in Mam, and she spent some time brushing out my hair telling me how she was styling it.

“You know Chrissie, the one thing I have missed about having a son rather than a daughter is brushing out hair like this, it is so relaxing for me and, if you let yourself go with it, for you too. Getting you hair styled and all the associated pampering at the hairdressers is one of the most calming experiences for a woman.

You don’t need much makeup, just a light foundation, blusher, mascara, and lipstick, but I can do you a bit more exotic if you wish We better do your nails as well, most girls your age wouldn’t go out of the house without polish on them.”

“ Just keep it simple, please I don’t want to look like a painted doll.

Fully dressed, with a light coat and shoulder bag, we drove out of town to a country pub that did a decent selection of bar meals. Although I had been with the girls all day, I was still worried that i would be recognised as a man, and cause all sorts of bother. However when we walked in, apart from some admiring glances, nobody took any notice of me, we were just seen as a typical mother and daughter out for a pleasant evening.

We found a table found a table with a view over the river , watching the swans and the boats go by before the waitress came over with the menus ready to take a drinks order from us. Taking the lead from the girls earlier, I ordered a white wine spritzer and Mum decided to follow me with the same, and we had a pleasant chat and drink while we waited for our food order to arrive. Normally I avoided going out for a meal with Mam, somehow a 19-year-old boy out with his mother never seemed right or good for street-cred.

After a tasty smoked salmon and prawn salad, followed by a portion of lemon cheesecake between us, coffee and another glass of wine it was soon time to go. On the way out I had no qualms about visiting the Ladies loos, the afternoon session with the girls in the pub had got me over my fears about going into the unchartered territory and I calmly walked in, did my business, and passed the time of day with another girl while I touched up my make-up.

Back at home, we put on a Rom-com movie, opened a box of chocolates and sat up late until it was time to get changed for bed. Mam gave me some cleansing cream to remove my make-up and I stripped off and hung up my clothes ( MY clothes?), cleaned my face, took of my bra and suddenly remembered that my breasts were stuck on and wouldn’t just pull off, Sue had used special glue to make sure they didn’t fall off when I was running.

“ Mam, I have a problem, my breasts won’t come off !”

“ Don't worry about it my don’t either, we’ll get something to sort you out tomorrow, but you’ll have to live with them tonight.” Mam said with a big smile on her face. “Lie on your back rather than on your side you’ll probably find it more comfortable. As you are not used to them, keep on your bra or if you prefer You can borrow a nightie with soft cups”

“I’ll just stick with the bra and panties and a tee-shirt, thank you very much.” I gave her a goodnight kiss and hug, the first in a while
.
“Thank you for today Chrissie, I really enjoyed the evening out with you, we’ll have to do it more often.”

I slept fitfully, not fully comfortable with the unusual heavy lumps on my chest, dreaming of going out with the girls next week.

I rose bright and early and as Mam was still asleep i decided to go for a short run to relax my muscles after yesterday. Realising that there was no way of concealing my breasts, I put on the leggings and top that Sue had given me, along with my still pink-striped running shoes and set off for the local park to do a few laps around the lake.

I soon heard someone coming up behind me and was joined by a very attractive fit-looking girl about my own age.

“ Hi. I’m Sarah, all my friends call me Sally, do you mind if I run with you for a bit, it is still early and there’s safety in numbers.”

“ I’m Chris..sie, yes let’s do that it will be nice to have some company.”

“ I sort of knew who you are anyway, I saw your photo on the front of last night’s paper, they seemed to pick out you and your friends for a bit of a feature, with the headline, ‘The Magnificent Six’.”

I almost fell over with shock. “ Say that again, we were on the front page?”

“Yes, didn’t you see it, there was a super photo of you all too, you ought to get a copy from them.”

I quickly recovered my composure and we carried on with our run, Sally was good company as well as a good pacemaker. I said couldn’t promise when I would next be out running, it all depended on work shifts, but I did hope to see her again.

When I got home, Mam was now up, so we looked at the report and photo in the paper. I couldn’t believe that they had printed my name in the caption as Chrissie Carter, it would not take much for people to look at the photo and the name and put two and two together.

“ Look Chrissie, it has happened, just go into work tomorrow as normal and brazen it out. If anybody makes a jokey comment just laugh at it, if anyone is nasty, report them to your bosses, most big companies are quite hot on discrimination nowadays.”

“ First thing is to get rid of these.” I said pointing at my chest, “You said yesterday that you could get something to get them off me.”

“I have some solvent at work for when we were dealing with mastectomy aftercare, do you want to come in with me or should I just go and get it.”

‘At the moment I just want to hide away from the world, you go, I’ll stay here.”

When she was away, the phone rang, i was in two minds about answering it but I did, and heard Sue’s voice.

“ Hi Chrissie, have you seen the report in the paper?”

“ I have, that’s why I am hiding at home on a lovely summers day.” I screamed back at her

“ “ I’m coming round now.” With a sharp click the phone went dead and ten minutes later there was a knock at the door. After checking through the spy hole I let her in.

“ What are you doing still dressed up, I thought that you were upset.”

“ I am upset, because I need special solvent to get these lumps off my chest, did you know that I couldn’t remove them.”

“ I’m so sorry, I didn’t realise, what can we do ?”

“ Mam’s gone to get some solvent from work and then I should be able to get back to being male again and hopefully that should be the end of this nightmare.”

At work tomorrow, i will watch your back and if anyone realises who Chrissie really is and causes trouble, i will be there for you.”

When Mam got back, we soon got me looking and dressed normal again, but while I was getting changed Mam told Sue about our evening out together with me as Chrissie and how we got on better and talked more than we had done for ages. Sue gave me a knowing look when I came back into the room.

“Welcome back Chris, you look more comfortable and at ease now, just relax. We’ll deal with tomorrow as it happens ok.Now I know you are ok I better be off home. Nice to meet you Janet, Bye Chrissie, see you in the morning.”

Monday morning, I entered the office with a lot of worries, not knowing whether to expect a lot of sarcastic comments or abuse, but everything was fairly normal, except I seemed to be a popular chat target, particularly with the women.

Mid-morning I went for a coffee break and met Sue in the kitchen.

“ Everything seems ok there have been no problems yet.”

“ There has been a bit of gossip. Do you know that you still have some mascara on your lashes and a bit of nail polish on the edges, where you haven’t cleaned them ptoperly. The girls soon noticed, that is why you have been Mr Popular with them all this morning, they’ve all been around to check you out.”

When I got back to my desk, I had trouble restarting my computer, it wouldn’t accept my login name ChrisC. I called over to Sue for help and she came over, pressed a few keys and the machine started to power up.

“That was quick, well done, what did you do?”

“ Don’t go mad and shout, but when you were having a break someone changed your login to ChrissieC. I have heard a few people referring to you as Chrissie and just took a wild guess.”

We then noticed that my home screen wallpaper had been changed too, it now displayed the photo from the paper with me in my pink running gear and with quite obvious breasts. I just wanted to crawl under my desk and hide. It wasn’t helped when a few of the girls came over with a bunch of flowers ”Welcome to our world Chrissie”. They all went away giggling back to their desks to deal with calls, leaving me totally embarrassed and almost ready to burst into tears.

i managed to struggle through the rest of the day without anything further happening, other than a few jokey comments and a few funny looks. I decided that the only way to deal with this was to brazen it out and laugh along with with them, although I was really hurting inside. At the end of our shift I was ready to run out of the office and hide away at home to think about whether I could still work there, when Samantha, who worked in the next cubicle to me, said that a few of them were going for a quick drink and would I like to join them. This was unusual as normally I would be dashing off to the athletics club and wasn’t really in the office social scene, but I thought things could not get any worse and decided to join her.

When we walked into the pub, I saw a crowd of girls/women waving us over and realised that I had been set up to be interrogated. We ordered drinks and sat down with them, and then all the expected questions and comments came across;

“Do you often dress up in women’s clothes?”

“ Is that your first time?”

“ What did it feel like running with breasts bouncing about?”

“ Isn’t putting on make-up a lot of bother?”

“Are you gay?”

“ You did look quite convincing.”

“ It would have been hard to tell which one was you, even with your shorter hair, if the paper hadn’t listed your names underneath the photo .”

After I gave them the full story and I had convinced them that I was talked into it as fun for charity and even told them how Mam had convinced me to have an evening out with her as Chrissie
they were happy to drop the subject and move on to other things.

Actually, once I had got over the initial embarrassment, they were a very sociable crowd to be with. When they had finished with me the rest of the time was gossiping about various colleagues and their boyfriends/girlfriends or who was wearing especially nice or awful outfits with very little mention of actual work matters.

When it was time to go we all said our goodbyes with a quick cheek kiss and hug, and I was included in this girly ritual., I walked Samantha home as she lived not too far from me, generally getting to know a bit more about each other.

“ That wasn’t too bad was it, a drink out with the girls, you fitted in well and they all liked you and hoped that you will join us again. Don’t worry about what the chaps in the office get up to or say to you, most of them are pigs anyway, and there is no way we would invite them for a drink with us.”

“ Mam was sitting waiting for me when I got home and wanted to know how my day had been, so I just took off my jacket and threw it on the spare chair, hearing a bit of a rattle when it landed.
i quickly looked in my pockets and found a couple of lipsticks, lipliner, mascara, eye liner, an eyebrow pencil and small bottles of concealer and foundation, the girls had obviously slipped them in when we were having our goodbye hugs.”

I told her all that had happened, how seeing my photo in the paper had been reinforced by the remaining traces of mascara and nail polish, how that led to the changes on my computer, and my after-work drink with some of the girls.

“Despite the idiots in the office, It looks like Chrissie is a popular girl, I hope it was a friendly gesture and not having a go at you.”

“ I think the worst is over, they all think they know about me now, there are only so many jokes they can play or comments that they can make, I’ll just play it all by ear and smile back at them.”

Tuesday morning I met Sue on the way in to work. “ I hear that you were out with the girls last night and enjoyed yourself in their company. Don’t forget that tomorrow we are meeting in the pub with the others from the ‘Race for Life’, are you just going to go as you are, as Chris, or will Chrissie make another appearance.”

“ With everything that has happened, I totally forgot about that. Despite what everybody thinks, I am not into cross-dressing, so I will just go as Chris.”

“ I think they will all be disappointed, it is supposed to be a get-together to the Magnificent Six girls from the fun-run. Have a think about it, if you go with it, I will help with clothes and makeup and stuff.”

It was on the back of my mind all day and unconsciously I was sending out email replies or answering phone calls as Chrissie, and surprisingly none of the callers even picked up on it, they must have just assumed that they were speaking to a girl with a slightly hoarse deep voice
“ Have you made your mind up about tomorrow, Chris or Chrissie?”

“ I don’t know yet, I want to think about it. I don’t want to look the odd one out or stifle their conversation, but equally I was very comfortable in their company just being accepted as another one of the girls and being included in their conversations. I’ll have a talk with Mam and let you know.”

“ What do you think Mam, do you find it all a bit weird?”

“ It’s up to you, if you feel comfortable doing it, what harm is there? If you go out in a crowd of girls, people will look at you and wonder about you anyway. You make an attractive girl, and will just blend in with the others in the pub. Besides, getting dressed up and ready for a night out is one of the fun things about being a girl. As a boy, it’s just a quick wash, brush the hair, throw on a shirt and trousers and you are ready in five minutes, as a girl there is a lot more preparation. When you were out with them before, you were just in the running kit, I’m sure that they would just love to see you properly dressed and made up. If you want to do it, I will give you some help with your hair and make-up, and the skirt and top you wore on Saturday looked very smart on you and you could wear that outfit again.”

“ You are right, what am I worrying about, I’ll give Sue a call now and tell her that Chrissie will be joining her and the others tomorrow night. Rather than go to hers to get ready,I’ll get her to call round to pick me up, I don’t think I will be comfortable getting the bus to the pub on my own.”

“ That is another thing you will notice is different, girls often do not feel safe alone in strange company, you will get a lot of looks from men, which can sometimes be flattering and good, but sometimes a bit spooky and frightening. There is a price to pay for my going along with this, every time you meet with the girls, the following night Chrissie and I have a night out together, I really enjoyed Saturday.”

“ Ok, I look forward to that too.”

“ You need to think about getting ready for tomorrow, strip off and let me check that you are still hairless, and then I can shape your fingernails and clean up your eyebrows a bit. I don’t imagine that you want your nails polished tonight, it might look bit odd at work, but we can do your toenails, it will save time tomorrow.”

We spent the next half hour with Mam giving my eyebrows a light trim and shape, my fingernails shaped and covered in a clear gloss coat, and with my toenails painted a frosty dark pink.”

I gave myself a quick check in the morning to make sure that none of what she had done was too obvious, got dressed and went to work. The morning quickly went, I was very busy with customer calls and emails and, as I still hadn’t found out how to change my login details, everything was dealt with by Chrissie which passed unnoticed by all the callers. At lunchtime Sue came over to ask me if I wanted to go to the local sandwich bar with her, and Samantha, overhearing us, invited herself along too.

“ Have you shaped your eyebrows Chris, they look a lot neater., they make your face look a lot softer” asked Sam, who was never the one to hold back with things.

Automatically I went to brush the eyebrows with my fingers and then her eyes lit up. “You’ve done your fingernails as well, you are really getting into this aren’t you Chrissie.” she said changing my name.

Embarrassed, Sue and I told her about our plans for tonight and how I would be looking. “It’s a shame I am not invited, I would love to see how you look, I’m sure that you will be lovely.”

“ Sam, can you please keep quiet about this, if it gets around the office, my life will not be worth living. I am getting enough funny comments as it is.”

“ Your secret is safe with me, but you need to be more careful, I have been told a couple of times that you look somehow different this morning.”

Sam was right, I had a few people come around to my desk in the afternoon , and I was convinced that they were all inspecting me for any signs of ‘girl’, but I made it through the rest of the day and went home to get ready for my night out.

“Go and have a shower, use my body scrub and make sure you don’t get your hair wet, we haven’t got time to fix it properly. I bought you some new panties and bra sets today, and have left them on the bed for you, it’s always nice to have new clean clothes on when you have a special night out.”

“ Mam, I’m all dried off and dressed in my undies now, and am ready for you to do your magic with the hair and make up.”

“ I’m glad you chose the pink set I thought that you would, it’s very feminine, but you haven’t put your breasts in the bra, it doesn’t look right, if we are going to do this we will do it properly. Do you want to just put them in the bra, or should we really make you feel girly and use the adhesive, i have still got some of the solvent so there will be no problems later. It will look a lot more natural if they are fixed.”

“ As long as they will come off again, let’s fix them on, I then won’t have to worry about them falling out of the bra.”

“ Pass me the makeup the girls at work gave you, it will be better if you use your own rather than mine, the colouring is different”

A half-hour later I was fully made up for an evening out, she had done my eyes with a very dramatic evening look, and along with the other things, my face was totally changed, I was now looking like an attractive young woman. She fluffed out my hair to give it a bit of body and sprayed it to hold it in place, painted my nails a bright pink and I was soon dressed and ready and waiting for Sue to call for me.

As i was going out to the taxi my Mam gave me a hug. “ Enjoy yourself pet, you are looking gorgeous, the other girls will be jealous of you.’

Sue’s eyes popped wide in amazement when she saw me walking out to the taxi. “You are looking wonderful, I would never have recognised you if I passed you in the street, the others will love you.”

We met the others in the bar, and after the normal for them, but a rarity for me, of compliments passing all around on how we were all dressed and made-up, we ordered some wine and food and settled in for the evening. We were having an enjoyable time, and I soon relaxed, joining in the chat about all sorts, what we had been up to since the weekend and it inevitably turned to the photo and article in the paper.

“ Did anybody recognise you Chrissie, or say anything about it?

I told them about my computer at work being messed about and how I had been the subject of a lot of jokes, which now seemed to have died down, and they all had a good giggle when I told them all about my taking calls as Chrissie with nobody questioning it at all. Sue said there had been a few comments in the office about traces of makeup, but nothing too nasty

“You are good, your voice is quite natural, a little throaty, but it sounds quite sultry. I have noticed tonight that you are picking up a lot of our vocal mannerisms and ways of talking too, I can understand why people do not question that Chrissie is a girl.”

“ Hello Sue, sorry to interrupt, but I saw you and your friends having a good time and wondered whether you want your photo taken.” Looking up I saw Samantha standing next to me, she didn’t say anything about recognising me, but she gave me a good look over. The others all liked the idea so we put on our best smiles and she took a few of snaps with Sue’s phone, and handed it back.

“ Nice to meet you girls, enjoy the rest of your evening, see you in the office tomorrow Sue.” and she went back to who I assumed was her boyfriend

I was worried that a description of me would be all over the office in the morning, but at least the photos were on Sue’s phone, not Samantha’s. Later I noticed her going to the Ladies, and picking up my bag I quickly followed her in.

“ What are you playing at Sam, did you come here to embarrass me.”

“ Don’t be silly, but when you told me earlier what you were doing I just had to come and have a look, so i phoned up my brother to come out for a drink. You are looking gorgeous by the way, and just so natural. Don’t worry, I am not going to tell anyone, I like you as you are and wouldn’t want to upset you. Actually I was hoping that it would be someone else come in here, I need to scrounge a sanitary pad as I have come on suddenly, but obviously you won’t have one, can you ask Sue or one of the girls for me.”

“As a matter of fact I have got a couple of pads in my bag you can have, it is one of Mam’s little jokes ‘A girl has to be ready for anything.’ At least my embarrassment at you seeing me is now matched with yours at me giving you these. You better go in the cubicle before you have a problem.” While I was in there I took the opportunity to sit down to have a wee, and then started to refresh my lipstick and give my hair a quick brush.

“ You are really adjusting to life on the fair side aren’t you, you don’t need to do too much you are fine as you are. See you at work tomorrow Chrissie.”

When I went back to the girls it was soon time to go. We all promised to meet again the following Wednesday, said our goodbyes with kisses and hugs and Sue and I got a taxi home, dropping her off first. For the next few minutes on the drive to my house the driver was chatting away about how it was a nice change to have two lovely young girls in the car. He said nothing suggestive or nasty and was quite friendly and pleasant, but I still felt very vulnerable alone in the car with him, and quickly paid him and rushed into the house.

Mam obviously wanted a full report of the nights activities so we sat down with a glass of wine for an hour, before bedtime. She had a good laugh when I told her about Samatha turning up and my conversation with her in the Ladies.

“ I told you that girls have to be ready for anything, I think you will find that she really appreciated your help and will be a good friend to you now. “My phone made a noise and opening it up I saw that Sue had sent me copies of the photos, which I showed to Mam. “ They are delightful, when we are next out we will have to get someone to take some of the pair of us.”

I went up to the bathroom and cleaned off my makeup, taking extra care this time to not leave any traces and took of and hung up my clothes. I noticed that Mam had left out a nightie for me, nothing fancy, just plain cotton with a scooped neck and short puffed sleeves. Keeping on my breasts and my panties I climbed into bed and went off in a deep sleep after the excitement of the day.

The next morning, still half-asleep, I got up and went down to the kitchen to have my cereal and coffee breakfast before getting dressed for work, and found Mam already there eating toast and jam.

“Morning Chrissie, did you sleep well? I see you found the nightie ok, you were obviously comfortable in it and you didn’t even notice that you had it on.”

I suddenly realised what I was wearing and my face blushed a bright red. “I er, i mean to say….”

“ Relax, it’s only you and me here, I don’t mind and you do look cute. Let me have a good look at you to make sure you have not left on any make-up. Your face and eyes are clean but you have totally forgotten about your fingernails, Unless you want to show off your lovely nails, it might be best to use the remover and make sure you get it all, and it will save a lot of embarrassment if you take off the breasts too.”

Feeling like I had just failed an exam I went back upstairs to sort myself out and get ready for work.

I had just settled in at my desk when Samantha stuck her head over the partition between us.
you look bright and happy this morning, you seemed to be enjoying yourself last night, and, whisper it, you looked fantastic. Let's get together after work and you can tell me all about it.”

“ Sorry Sam, can’t make it tonight, but we can meet for lunch if you wish.”

After a busy morning on calls I was ready for a quiet lunch with Sam and was glad that she hadn’t invited the other girls from the office.

“ If you are going to keep this up Chrissie, you just need to finish off your appearance by growing your hair out or getting a decent longer wig, it’s the only bit of you that’s not 100%, although it is passable. Of course you need to get your ears pierced too, everybody has them done these days., and your hair sits over your ears anyway, so nothing would show when you are in Chis mode.”

“ Funny that you mentioned the ear piercing, one of the girls said the same last night. I will let my hair grow a bit but it will take ages, you might be right about getting a decent wig, but the good ones are very expensive.”

“ It will be worth it if Chrissie is going to be around regularly, do you think she will, have a long serious think about it. I know you said that you didn’t have time to go for a drink tonight, but we have got time now to get your ears done if you want, lets forget the sandwiches and go shopping, but before we do have you got a copy of the photos I took last night, I would so love to see them.”

“ Ok you can see them, it’s only fair after all.”

“They are good photos of you all, and all I see is group of happy smiling girls, not only do you look good, but you take a good photo as well, they are definitely ones to go in your album. I don’t suppose I can have a copy?”

“ I don’t think that is a good idea, it was good of you to take them, but i think I will keep them locked away.”

After a quick visit to an accessory store I went back to the office with a small discreet gold stud in each ear lobe, making sure my hair was brushed over them, and with two sets of more decorative imitation diamond teardrops for evening wear.

All afternoon I noticed people walking past my cubicle smiling and it was only when Sue mentioned to me at the coffee machine that the phone headset I used pushed my hair back and exposed the gold studs, that I realised that I had given them something else to gossip about. On the basis that most people had already seen the studs, i tucked my hair back behind my ears for the rest of my shift, leaving them on full view, I had given up on being embarrassed.

When I got home Mam noticed the studs right away. “ I see that you have had your ears pierced, I was going to suggest that to you, but I didn’t think you would go along with it. If you are still in a girly mood why not go and get changed before dinner, and put on your skirt, I bought you a few new tops to go with it, just basic, nothing fancy. We can have our meal and then watch a weepy on TV with a glass of wine. You can count it as the mother/daughter night you promised me, we don’t have to go out.”

It didn’t take long for me to get changed, brush out my hair into what was now my Chrissie style, put on a lick of mascara and lipstick and settle down with Mam for the night.

The whole mood in the house was different when I was in Chrissie mode, we chatted a lot more and got on a lot easier. Mam had quite a stressful job as a Macmillan nurse dealing with very worried cancer patients, many of them terminally ill, and often found it difficult to relax when she got home, but she seemed to unwind more when I was with her as Chrissie.

We had just finished dinner and we about to start a film when there was a knock at the door.

“ Go and see who it is please pet, I’m whacked, if it’s anybody for me tell them I am tired and have gone to bed for an early night,”

I looked through the spy-hole, and seeing it was Samantha, I decided to invite her in, after all she had already seen me dressed so what was there to worry about.

“ Hi Chrissie, sorry to just call without asking. I’m glad you are dressed as you are as I have brought a few things around for you but wasn’t sure if you would be offended.”

“Mam, this is Sam from work that I have told you about, Sam this is my Mam, Janet.”

“ Come in and sit down dear, and please call me Jan, Janet is what’s on my name badge and it reminds me of work. Did I hear you say that you have brought some things around for Chrissie, let’s have a look.”

“ Yes, I have been having a bit of a clear out of some stuff I don’t wear anymore that should fit her, er sorry him, er sorry her, whatever ! There are a few skirts, a couple of dresses for going out in, some dress trousers, some casual trousers and leggings for around the house, and some tops and jumpers. There also some shoes, I have a wardrobe full of them and won’t miss a few pairs, I hope they fit ok, they are wide-fitting and are too loose on me. It should all help to start a wardrobe anyway. The clothes are all clean but you might want to wash them to freshen them up, if any don’t fit or you don’t like them, give them to a charity shop, I’m sure that you can find a home for them somewhere.”

“ That’s ever so kind of you Sam, we’ll have a good look through them all later. We are just about to start ‘Sleepless in Seattle’, do you want to join us and have a glass of wine.”

“ That’s always been one of my favourites, I would love to if you are sure you don’t mind.”

“ Of course we don’t mind you are more than welcome. Give us half an hour to let our dinners settled and we’ll dig out some popcorn and chocolate to go with it.”

We all enjoyed the film and there were a few tears of happiness at the closing scene. We had all had a really relaxing pleasant time, particularly Mam who was glad of the company and the opportunity to have a more girly talk rather than the practical ‘how was your day’ conversations she normally had with me. As it was now getting late I walked Sam home, I might have been dressed as a girl, but i still had the male protective instincts.

“ Thanks for walking me home Chrissie and for letting me spend the evening with you. I have separated from my partner and evenings get a bit lonely sometimes, it was a really lovely change.”

“ Thanks to you for thinking about me and bringing the clothes around, I really appreciate it, the one skirt and a few tops that I had doesn’t give a lot of variety of choice. If you are ever a bit lonely and feeling down in the evenings feel free to pop round, you are always welcome. Goodnight and I’ll see you at work, bye.”

“ Hold on a minute girl, don’t I even get a goodnight hug” Sam said with a smile.

“ Sorry, I’m still not used to all this female contact thing, it’s not something that men do a lot.”

A long hug, a quick kiss and a warm friendly feeling and I was soon back home.

Mam had already gone to bed, so I quickly cleaned my face, and put on my nightie and was soon fast asleep dreaming about everything that had gone on during the day.

I woke early the next morning and rather than just lie dozing in bed I decided to go for a run before breakfast. My ‘Run for Life’ gear had not been put away, so after a quick brush of my hair, and a bit of lipstick, was soon running around the lake in the park when I saw Sally coming towards me.

“ Hi Chrissie, I haven’t seen you for a few days, want to run with me for a while?”

“ I am only doing a couple of quick laps before going to work, but I would love to join you, it can get a bit boring on your own.”

“ I like your running shoes with the pink flashes, where did you get them?” chatted Sally as we ran.

“ To be honest they were pale blue stripes, but were coloured with nail polish to match the outfit for the fun run, I just haven’t got round to cleaning them yet.”

“ If I were you I would just leave them as they are they look quite cute.”

“ Are you out running every morning, I might try and join you more often.”

“ Yes, I put a bit of weight on and am trying to lose it again, it’s unfair on us girls, put on a few pounds or go up a dress size and everyone makes comments about ‘letting yourself go’, you must know what it is like”

“ Anyway I better be getting home to get changed for work, it’s been nice seeing you again Sally, maybe again over the weekend.”

It was beginning to feel strange getting dressed as a boy again, I was getting used to the soft feel of the clothes, and even to my breasts bouncing as I walked or ran. As it was dress-down-Friday I just put on a pair of skinny jeans, a sloppy jumper and my trainers, which were all a lot more comfortable than what I normally wore

“ Sam was very happy when I walked into the office. “Thanks for last night Chrissie, it was really pleasant to have some company.”

“ Thanks for all the clothes. I’ve had a quick look but did not have time to try anything on, but somehow, I don’t think anything will be going to the charity shops.”

“ Are you coming for a drink with the girls after work to finish off the week, They would love for you to join us.”

“Ok, but only for a while, Mam and I are going out for a meal tonight.”

Just before we left, Sam peeked over the partition. “ Chrissie I have been thinking, what you have on today is all quite neutral, give your hair a brush , put on some lipstick and mascara and you will easily pass as a girl, and fit in with the group better, have you got your makeup with you.”

“ No i didn’t think i would need it, it’s in my handbag at home.”

“ That’s ok, come in to the Ladies with me and we will soon have you looking presentable.”

On the way to the pub we passed an accessories shop that had a sale on handbags and Sam took me in and selected a smart tan shoulder bag that was a real bargain. “ First thing is to get your wallet and keys and stuff out of your trouser pockets and into the bag, pockets on girls’ clothes are decorative not for putting bulky stuff in, you still have a lot to learn.”

We settled in with the others for a couple of drinks, at first they were surprised that I had arrived as Chrissie, but that was soon forgotten and I just joined in the chat like the other girls and they soon forgot about Chris.

Sam and I soon got up to leave to get our bus home and luckily she reminded me to pick up my bag or I would have left it in the bar, it was not second nature to me yet to carry one.

When I got home Mam was upstairs getting ready to go out, so i popped my head around the door to say hello, before getting changed.

I see you have already started to get ready Chrissie, you didn’t wear your makeup at the office today did you?”

“ No, just to go for a drink with Sam and some of the girls, and I got a new bag, what do you think?”

“ A girl never has too many handbags.”

I had a quick shower to freshen up, stuck on my breasts, put on a new set of clean underwear and looked through the stuff that Sam had given me.”

“ It’s not too dressy tonight is it Mam.”

“ No, just smart casual, nothing too fancy.”

I chose a blue denim mid thigh skirt, a pale blue peasant top and some strappy white sandals with a wedge heel, and decided to go bare-legged rather than wear tights as it was a mild warm evening. I remembered to pick up my new bag and filled it with essentials and was soon ready to go.

“ You look lovely tonight Pet, good choice, is that all from what Sam brought round? She has good taste.”

Mam drove across town to a lovely little family-run Italian restaurant that had been recommended to her and we were impressed when we went in, green, white and red colouring everywhere, white linen, silver cutlery and crystal wine glasses on the tables. It was very popular and was almost full but not overcrowded.

“ Good evening ladies there is a nice table for two over there by the window, take a seat and I will bring over the menus and wine list for you.” said the beaming waiter.

We ordered two glasses of refreshing Prosecco and some olive and cheese antipasto, while our main meal was cooking. I had ordered a seafood pasta bake with a side salad and some fried zucchini sticks, and Mam had gone for the chicken pasta bake.

Our meal soon arrived and we had ordered a bottle of Soave to go with it, and we enjoyed it all, it was delicious and well cooked.

“Would you like anything else to follow,” the waiter offered when he was clearing the plates away, “ we have a delicious home-made Tiramisu.”

“ Thank you but no thanks, we have to look after our figures. Just two cappuccinos please.” Mam replied.

“ I’m sure you two beautiful ladies have nothing to worry about. It is nice to see such attractive customers.”

I blushed a bit until Mam brought me down to earth, “ These waiters are all the same, a bit of flattery hoping to get a better tip, but at least he was pleasant about it.”

Before we settled the bill, Mam passed her phone to the waiter and asked him to take a few photos for us to remind us of the delicious meal in such a pleasant place, and he took great delight in getting us to stand against some of the plants and pose while he snapped away, and he left us, with a good tip and a big smile on his face.

At home we looked at the photos which had turned out really well.

Chrissie, why don’t you send the photos to Sam, so she can see how you look in the clothes she gave you, I’m sure she will be happy that they all fit you so well.

Five minutes later i got a text reply from her. “ Hi, you and your Mam are both looking gorgeous, good choice of outfit, I have worn that combination myself. Glad you enjoyed your night out together. Thanks for trusting me with the photos, I promise that nobody else will see them, see you at work tomorrow, bye.”

“ Chrissie, I am not working this weekend why not just stay as you are until you have to change back for work, we can go out for the day, drive around and find somewhere nice to have a walk, and maybe even fit in a bit of shopping.” Mam suggested.

“ I’ve nothing planned just maybe a meet-up with Sally for a run, but I can do that first thing in the morning, and then there’s nothing else that has to be done, why not?”

As I was now going to effectively be a girl for the full weekend, i didn’t bother removing the breasts, just wearing my briefs under the nightie, not bothering keeping on my bra.

In the morning, I dressed in my running outfit and went to the park looking for Sally, i was already on my second lap of the lake when she joined me. Except when I was in serious training at the athletics club, I normally just ran alone, it was a lot more enjoyable, and time seemed to pass more quickly, having someone to talk with. Sally was good company and I thought that maybe I ought to meet her sometime in a social setting rather than just running in the park,

Back at home, I showered, got rid of the few body and leg hairs that had appeared, dried and dusted myself, put on my undies and a dressing gown and started preparing my hair and makeup for my first full-time weekend as Chrissie.

When i went down for breakfast Mam was still getting ready so I prepared my own version of muesli, bran flakes blueberries raspberries and bananas, and put on some toast and coffee.

“I’ve been thinking Chrissie, why not pack an overnight bag and a change of clothes and we can go over to the Lake District and book into a hotel and stay for the weekend.”

I quickly went online and found and booked a room a small hotel just outside Ambleside, Mam had said that it is always cheaper to pre-book rather than just turn up at reception.

As it was expected to be a warm weekend, I dressed in my denim skirt a sleeveless scoop-necked cornflower camisole top and sandals, packed a change of clothes and a few essentials, and we soon on our way.

We had an amazing weekend, taking in the sights of Ambleside and Waterside, going for a cruise on the ‘Queen of the Lake’ with the wonderful views of the majestic mountains and lovely lakeside villages and houses, visiting the home of the famous author Beatrix Potter, and generally driving around taking in the views, every corner turned brought another fantastic sight of mountains fells and lakes.

In the hotel and everywhere we went, I was just seen as and accepted as another young woman, never once was my true gender questioned.

Back home I felt disappointed that this would all end the following day, and that I would have to go back to being Chris, It had only been a week since I first dressed as a girl, but I was already feeling very comfortable in the clothes and with the friends I had made.

“ I really enjoyed the weekend with you Mam, our relationship as Mother and Daughter was just so relaxing and natural and everyone treated us so well, it’s a shame that it has to end and Chris has to go to work tomorrow.”

“ I enjoyed it too Pet, but don’t rush into things, take it slowly, it’s all new and exciting, the novelty might wear off, just keep doing what you are doing for a few weeks , and we’’ll talk about it again.”

My routine continued for the next month, working dressed as Chris, at home dressed as Chrissie, out with the girls usually as Chrissie but sometimes as Chris, and I had started meeting up for drinks and meals with Sally. I felt I owed it to her to tell her about myself before we became close friends.

“ I can’t believe it Chrissie, you are just so naturally feminine, I would never have guessed. Have you always struggled with your gender, wanting to be a girl?”

“ Not at all, this has all happened like a whirlwind over the last few weeks since the fun run, it had never entered my head before.’

“ Well it has been a good thing too, being a girl suits you. I met you as a girl, and that is the way I see you. It makes no difference to me I like you anyway you want to be.”

Most of my life now was as Chrissie I was beginning to resent changing back and forth, and was beginning to wonder ‘why bother, just live as Chrissie’.

“ Mam, I am thinking of staying as Chrissie full-time, I know it is not how you will have seen my life, but do you think you can live with it?”

“Look pet, it is up to you, only you can decide how you want to live your life, I will back you whatever you decide, I will always love you no matter what. It has been fun having you as a daughter but if you want to stop and go back to being Chris, I will be happy with that too. Before you decide to do anything, have a word with your HR people at work to see how they would react. You need to keep working to bring money in, and it will be a lot easier to stay where you are, doing a good job, and are appreciated, rather than trying to get a new job somewhere else.”

Before I arranged anything with HR, I talked it through with Sue and Samantha, in a bar after work over a drink.

“ About time too,” replied Samantha, “ You are becoming increasingly feminine in the way you look, talk and move, and most people already see you as one of the girls, I don’t think anyone would be too surprised if you turned up for work wearing a skirt or dress.”

“I agree, you are doing a good job, you are well liked, particularly by the girls and women, the men might take a bit of time to come around to the idea.” added Sue. “Think it through for a few days before arranging anything. I for one will be glad to have you among my circle of girl friends, and I even think that you will have no problem down at the athletics club, although you will not be allowed to compete as Chrissie in competitions due to rules and checks on hormone levels.”

A few days later I made an appointment with the head of HR, without saying why and went in to see her, with a lot of worries about how to have the conversation and how she would react, but decided not to beat about the bush and just come straight out with it.

“Good morning Mrs Chambers, this may be embarrassing, but I am considering presenting myself as woman at work, as most of my life socially and at home now is as a female. What is the company’s policy, will it be allowed or will I have to leave.”

“Hi Chrissie, and note what I just called you, I have been expecting this meeting. Some of your colleagues came to see me yesterday and asked the same question without telling me who it applied to, but you were the obvious choice. You have become increasingly feminine in a very short period of time, you mix with the women, talk like the women and have a lot of female mannerisms and gestures, your hair style is growing and becoming difficult to see as a man’s style, and you are wearing gold stud earrings. You are well thought of and are doing excellent work. we will have no problems with your change in lifestyle and will support you all we can.”

I wasn’t expecting it to be so easy, I was half-expecting to have to leave.”

“ Corporate attitudes are changing very quickly about transgenderism, but you may have a few problems on a personal level. I will be very glad to welcome you as Chrissie, but give me a few days, perhaps leave it to Monday, come in an hour later than normal and come here to my office rather than going directly to your desk. you know how the other girls dress, just match their styles, practical and smart, don’t go over-the-top girly with lots of frills or too much makeup or too dressy.”

‘Thank you for being so understanding and tolerant Mrs. Chambers, I promise not to make you regret this.”

“ I’m sure of that, and when we are one-to-one like this please call me Amanda, all the other girls do.”

I quickly found Sue and Sam and we signed off for a five-minute break and went well away from the office.

“ I take it that it was you two who spoke to Amanda yesterday, she was so well prepared and there was no shock reaction, thank you both so much. As of Monday, Chrissie is officially on the staff.”

“Let’s meet up after work, we have a lot to do in a few days and need to get you organised. We need to get you booked in for a hair and beauty session over the weekend, you need some decent office wear, not the second-hand stuff I gave you, and a few more accessories and bits and pieces, you are in for a fun weekend girl. No disrespect to your Mam, but I think you should spend Sunday night at mine, you need a 20year-old style of makeup , not a 40year-old hark back to the millennium, and the same goes for making sure that your outfit is right.” Sam suggested.

Later after I had been home and changed into Chrissie the three of us arrived at the local shopping centre and headed straight for the clothes shops. “ First off most of us wear trousers at work rather than skirts or dresses. Monday you should wear a skirt to prove a point, but after that it should normally be trousers or leggings but, don’t be insulted, you haven’t got the hips and bum to wear tight things and look right, you need some shape-wear.”

“ What on earth to you mean by shape-wear?”

“ The same as you have padding or artificial breasts in your bra, you need padded briefs to add to your thighs and hips and a give bit more flesh on your backside, a lot of us used them when we hadn’t fully developed and they can look quite natural. When we get you some of those you can try on some trousers and we can see how well they improve the fit.”

The girls rushed me round the shops for the next two hours trying on about 5 times as many items as I bought, and the shape wear which I was now wearing definitely made everything fit better and show off my improved shape. when they were satisfied that I had enough to keep me going ’for a few weeks’, I was carrying half a dozen bags of trousers, skirts tops and shoes, as well as more basic underwear and costume jewellery. “You need a full set of makeup as well, but we’ll leave that until the beautician has worked her magic on Saturday. Did I tell you that I have made an appointment for you at 9 o’clock, you will be having the full works, so allow to be there all morning and maybe early afternoon as well”

I had phoned Mam to let her know what I was doing and would be late home and when I went in she was very keen to know how my meeting with Amanda had gone, although she guessed the outcome by the number of bags I carried in.

“ Times are definitely changing, not all that many years ago what you are doing would have been met with horror and disgust and you would have been out of the door before you could even blink, count yourself lucky that you have a tolerant company and supportive friends.”

“ Talking about supportive friends, Sam has booked me in for a full hair and beauty session on Saturday, and i will be staying with her on Sunday night so that she can help me get ready for work on Monday. I thought that If I am going to be all glammed up maybe we should go out Saturday night all dressed up in our finery, i think that even after all this that I still have a bit of spare capacity on my credit card.

The next few days were bit of a daze , my mind was constantly focussed on the changes to come. Although nothing medical was on the cards yet, it would be a major change in my life.

Saturday morning Sam took me to the beauty salon and introduced me to Sharon, her regular hairdresser, and left me in her hands.

“ Don’t worry, Samantha has explained your situation and given me clear instructions on what she thinks you need, but I’m sure that it will all change once I get started, and by the way, since this is so special as it is your first time for all this, it’’s all at no cost to you, Sam and I have done a deal to cover it. As I go along I will explain exactly what I am doing and why. Pay attention because you will have to do most of it yourself in future, you can’t afford to come in her every week for a top-up.”

My hair was washed, tidied, streaked with highlights and pinned up in rollers. While it was drying all the parts of my body, that hadn’t already been made hairless were waxed and stripped, my eyebrows thinned and completely reshaped, and my fingernails extended, shaped and painted. I was then passed over to her colleague Tiffany for a full makeover, before being passed back to Sharon to remove the rollers and brush out my hair. I was amazed at what they had done, there was very little of the original me left and instead I saw in the mirror a very attractive, almost classically beautiful, young woman. I was speechless and breathless for a few minutes until I regained my composure.

After thanking them for their wonderful work, I called Sam to come to meet me, got dressed again and walked out feeling much more confident and happy than i had been when I arrived. I saw Sam down the street and walked towards her and she almost passed me by before she did a double-take, recognised me and gave me a big hug.

“That’s amazing, you look gorgeous, I’m so jealous, I’ll have to take some photos so that I can try to repeat all this look on Monday morning, let’s get you home so that your Mam can have a good look at her lovely new daughter.”

Mam was delighted and almost burst into tears. “ Thank you so much Sam for arranging all this, it is definitely a lot better than I would have managed. We are going out for a celebration meal tonight, why not join us as a thank you treat. We are going to the Royal Lodge Hotel in town it’s a bit posh, so you will want to go home and get yourself ready and changed, We’ll pick you at 7 o‘clock, if that’s ok. Obviously I only needed to get changed, there was no way I was going to interfere with the wonderful job that Sharon and Tiffany had done,

I chose to wear a scarlet sleeveless sheath dress that Sam had given me, which showed off my newly acquired curves wonderfully, along with matching 4” stilettos and a silver diamanté evening shawl accessorised by a small silver evening clutch bag. I felt so feminine and a million miles away from my previous life as Chris.

We had a delicious, if overpriced, meal in a beautifully decorated and adorned restaurant in the hotel, but This was effectively the birthday of the new me, so it was a bit of a special party and I did not mind the cost. Sam really fitted in with Mam and me, and by the time we left we all knew virtually the full life story of each other, she was turning out to be a close family friend.

It was a bit of a shame to get out of my delightful outfit and clean off the makeup and get ready for bed, but it was something that I was beginning to getting used to and was now part of my ‘going to bed’ routine.

I spent a quiet Sunday at home with Mam, helping her with the normal weekend chores of tidying and cleaning the house, before going round to Sam’s to get organised for the office tomorrow. Although I was happy with my nails as they had been done yesterday, she insisted on cleaning them off and re-doing them with a dramatic bright red polish. I didn’t really have a lot of facial hair, but she made me have a very close shave, before spreading on a facial scrub and exfoliator, followed by a cleansing mask to leave on overnight. We then had an early night as she said that I needed to be up early to prepare myself for the office.

I was up bright and early, had a shower with some scented body wash I had bought, and towelled and powdered myself dry. I wanted to feel particularly feminine today to give me confidence so I selected a new lovely lacy undie set, put on my padded briefs and a dressing gown and was ready for Sam to get me looking presentable.

The hair was easy it was just a case of refreshing the style that Sharon had done yesterday. Although Sam basically copied the make up that Tiffany had done , it was all toned down and a lot lighter for a day at the office, rather than yesterday’s more dramatic look.

I was soon dressed in a plain white sleeveless blouse and black just-above-the-knee skirt looking very smart and professional. Sam was right most of the girls wore trousers, but today was special and it had to be obvious the Chrissie was now around and Chris had left.

Sam went in to the office as normal, but as agreed I went to Amanda’s office in HR.

“ Amanda is in the main office talking to the staff, she said for me to take you in in a few minutes, she will buzz me a text when she is ready for you.” Tracey, her secretary, told me and soon I was about to go in when Tracy held me back and told me to listen at the door .

“ That’s most things covered for the weekly briefing meeting, but there are a couple more things.

Firstly we have done the monthly review of the Trust Pilot ratings and comments and the ampler of the month, way ahead of any others is ….Chrissie Carter, or before one of you changed the computer Login, Chris Carter. Normally there would be a ripple of applause but as it was obvious that I was not in the room it was quickly over.

Secondly, the reason that Chrissie is not here is that they have taken on board the way they have been treated recently and i would like to present to you , officially now, Miss Chrissie Carter.”

Tracey opened the door and nudged me in and I was met with a raucous lot of comments, wolf-whistles, clapping and cheers, mainly from the females, the men were a bit more subdued. Sue and Sam came over gave me a big group hug and walked me through the crowd back to my desk.

All morning a lot of the women, and a few men came over to wish me well, compliment me on how i looked and was dressed, and say that they were comfortable with the new me, and would look on me and treat me just the same as the other girls. Some of the men gave me sneering looks as they passed but said nothing as they knew there would be consequences if they did. I soon settled in and continued very much as previously, but found that my longer nails were a problem on the computer keyboards and I had to adjust my wrist action to use my fingers flat rather than pointed.

Sue, Sam and I went for a coffee after work and said they were delighted at how I had settled in and not to hesitate to ask for their help if I had any trouble. It was comforting to know that I had friends that I could rely on.

“ It was me who started you off on all this,” said Sue, “insisting you wear that stupid costume for the fun run, I hope that you don’t resent me for it.”

“ Don't be silly Sue, That was all just a bit of fun, after that I easily went along with all the suggestions about going out dressed, they were all my decisions. You might have touched the trigger, but I pointed the gun, I am content as I am now and thank you both for your understanding and help.

Sam and I went back to collect my gear from her house, and with a reminder to dress a bit more casually tomorrow, I made my way home.

Mam was still at work so i got changed into some leggings and a tunic top and prepared Lasagne for our tea, and when she came in she was delighted that she could just get changed, flop down
and be served her meal.

“ How did today go then, everything alright.?”

“ Couldn’t be better, no nasty comments, and by the end of the day to be honest I don’t think anyone really noticed me. I had a surprise in that I was rated as employee of the month by our customers, so I will get a little bonus next week. Sue took couple of photos of me in my first-day outfit which she said you would probably like to see, tomorrow I am just going to wear trousers and a light top, like all the other girls so will just blend in even more.”

I had an early start, this was the first time for me to get ready on my own and I wanted to have plenty time to correct any mistakes. I was soon tidy and dressed in black skinny trousers and a similar top as yesterday, only in lemon,.I added a couple of dress rings and wrist bangles, grabbed a coffee and slice of toast and set off for work.

Other than the normal pleasantries, nobody took any particular note of me. The only time I was concerned was when i went to the Ladies and one of the older women who had a reputation as being very strait-laced was in there. I was expecting some comment from her but she was very pleasant and she just chatted away, I was just another one of the young girls in the office to her.

Over the next few weeks I settled into a routine and didn’t even think about how I was dressed or made up, it was all just automatic, it just was me putting on MY clothes and MY makeup, doing MY hair and getting MYSELF ready, it became the new normal.

“Mam, you know that it’s the Macmillan charity coffee morning this coming Saturday. I have never been involved with it with you before, but this year I think we should join in and invite people round to us. I will help with getting the food ready and the place tidied up. I can invite all the girls that have been so welcoming to me and you can invite some of your friends and our neighbours.”

“ That’s a good idea, but i will need your help, it could be fun, a pleasant social gathering and it is to raise money for a good cause for a good cause. We’ll need cakes, nibbles, sandwiches, some savouries, some things can be done in advance, but some things will need done on the day, meaning an early start.”

We asked around and soon had enough people promising to come to make it worth the effort, not even allowing for people to just turn up on the day.

I left work early on Friday night, changed into casual leggings and top and Mam and I gave the house a good tidy up and clean and beavered away in the kitchen, until it was time to go to bed. We had gone a bit over the top, several varieties of sponge cake, muffins, mini fruit pies, quiche, sausage rolls and savouries, shortbread and biscuits, and fillings ready to go into the sandwiches in the morning.

We were not expecting people until 10:30, so there was plenty of time in the morning to set everything out, and get ourselves ready. Sam was the first to arrive at 9:00. “ I’ve come early to see if you need a hand with anything, what do you want me to do?” We set her up making the sandwiches and when that was done she was a big help in completing the finishing touches to everything.

There was a gradual trickle of people coming and going for the rest of the morning, many of the people we were expecting, Sue and lots of the women from work, some of the girls from the running club, Sally, some friends of Mam from work, but a lot of others just came out of the blue, neighbours and friends of friends. We were rushed off our feet, keeping everybody happy, socialising and keeping the coffee, tea and food in plentiful supply. Luckily Sam, Sally and Sue stepped in to help with the hostessing otherwise we could not have coped.

Early afternoon it was all over, all the guests had left and there was only Sam, Sue and Sally left with us to help tidy up. Extremely tired, we all sat down for a dink, wine this time we had seen more than enough tea and coffee that morning to last us a lifetime, and relaxed together.

“ Thank you all girls, we have made over £500 this morning which will be much appreciated. Thank you all for your help today, it wouldn’t have gone so well without your input. I would also like to thank you for the kindness and understanding you have shown to Chrissie, without you she would not have become the kind helpful sweet daughter that I now have. As well as gaining a daughter, I have found you all as friends, and look on you as almost family, you are welcome here anytime. I propose a toast, “ wishing you a long and happy life my wonderful Chrissie.”.

“ To Chrissie .”

The end