Chapter 4

So, that night, we made love as women again and I went to sleep with a smile on my face and the taste of woman on my tongue. Monday morning, I was all nerves again, but Josie helped me through it with the chicks and my mother was also supportive at breakfast.

My father just shrugged. “Do whatever you want, my child. Just remember that it will be you that will carry any consequences.”

I gave him a peck on the cheek and told him I loved him, too.

I followed Josie’s advice and didn’t glam up for school. The denim outfit with the fringed jacket and a new, longer, skirt just needed the boots I wore on stage to complete the look. She helped me apply my make-up -- but I did attempt to do a lot of it myself. I decided that my old backpack wasn’t right for the new me and went over to the house to ask my mother if she had a big bag I could use.

Fully equipped with my new look we went off to school. Except for one of the girls asking where Eddie was, we didn’t make any waves at all. I sat through the lectures, we had lunch in the school cafeteria, and, whenever I needed to go to the toilet, Josie came with me to the female ones, which were much nicer than the ones I went into the previous week. As we worked through the day, I became more and more settled in my mind that I was looking and acting like a girl.

The only sour point was when one of the known lesbians wanted to know if we would join the LGTBQ club and gave me a handout with the meeting times. I put it in my bag and said that we would think about it, and she told us that it may be very beneficial to our careers. With just having to get through to the end of the education year, I wondered just how much help it would be. Maybe, if we were in the first year, it may have been a help in fitting in but now, who needed it?

When I made my feelings known to Josie she chuckled. “You really don’t get it, sometimes. She thought that you were a girl, not a guy, and was only picking up on the bits of tomboy that still remain. Her gaydar was right but her interpretation was a mirror image of reality.”

I had to think about that for a few minutes.

She finally threw her hands up in the air. “Donna made a mistake with our hair color for the show; she should have made us all blondes.”

We had time to get to the costume shop and look at the witch outfits. Josie said that she would wear a red outfit and I would wear black, so the lady pulled a couple off the rack and gave them to us to try on. My black one fitted like a glove, probably because there wasn’t that much more material than a glove.

We both came out of the change rooms at the same time, and both said “Wow!”

The lady looked at us and told us that the boys would be drooling come the Halloween party. “Wait until they see six of us on stage,” Josie said. “The dancefloor may get a little slippery.”

I asked about the cost of the outfits and was told that these could be had cheap if we didn’t want to bring them back. They had been loaned out a number of times and really should be replaced. I asked about the ones for the other four girls and was told that they were also ready for sale. I paid for all six as I wanted to help the others out and repay them for some of the help, they had given me.

We left the shop with our costumes in bags and carrying our pointed hats. Josie sent a group text to the others to tell them that their costume would be theirs and were already paid for. They would come in handy if we did another Halloween show or went to work a street corner somewhere.

That afternoon, when we got home, we stripped down, showered, and dressed in the costume from the skin out. I had a black thong, black push-up strapless bra, black garter belt and stockings. The outfit fitted very closely, and the hat needed to be pinned to my hair so that it stayed in place. When I did up the black strappy sandals and looked in the mirror I almost came in my thong. Josie was still getting dressed and was looking at me with her mouth hanging open.

“Josie -- flies!”

After she was fully dressed in the red outfit, she made us both up and we went over to the house to show Mom.

She was taken aback. “If I didn’t know better, I would have said that you are two absolutely gorgeous babes who’ll attract the guys like moths to a flame. Actually, I do know better, and I still think you are guy magnets. You’d better go and put some clothes on for dinner or else we will have to call the paramedics for your father. Not to restart his heart but to put a splint on his stiffy.”

We went back to the stable and Josie took some pictures of us to show Donna. We got back into the daytime outfits for dinner, and then we went back to the bedroom where Josie used the solvent on a cotton bud to soften the glue.

It took about half an hour to free me from the prison. Weirdly, I felt a little astounded when it didn’t leap out but just hung there as if it was embarrassed to be out again. After she had undressed, and we started kissing it realized why it had been let loose and we fell on the bed so I could ravage my true love.

Tuesday, I found out about another part of being a woman. You don’t wear the same outfit two days in a row; nor do you wear it in the same week. This was going to get harder as things went on. I now knew why I had so many sets of underwear and was able to put together a skirt and top that Josie said looked good.

After our morning lecture we went off to a business area. I parked where Josie told me to and followed her into a shop where they sold things for artists such as me. I came out with a dozen gaffs, all matched to my skin color, eleven in a bag and one on. It was not quite as realistic as the glue method but was good enough. We decided that I would certainly need to be glued to wear the witch outfit.

That afternoon I was asked out by Charlie, one of the guys in our class but had to say that I was playing in a band on Saturday nights. He asked where and I said that this weekend we were at the Chuck Wagon. He said that he may come along and catch the show.

Josie told me that I had done the right thing, not refusing but still keeping him interested.

“But I don’t want him to be interested!” I argued.

She reminded me of what my mother had said last night.

“I hope he brings along a hunky friend,” she added.

Tuesday evening, the girls all turned up for our studio session. We were pretty well set with what we would be playing on the Saturday evenings so worked on the Halloween set, seeing that it was now just three weeks away. Pet had some new lyrics for her own songs so the instrumental parts were not a problem and when we tried the words out, they were not that far removed from the originals. The two of us played electric violin and played about with an effects box until we were happy with a spooky setting.

Thursday evening, I put a clock on the wall and set it to ten fifteen and we played the set as if it was live. At midnight, Pet played the opening part of the Danse Macabre final section, and I joined her with the main tune.

She had given Emily sheet music to follow on the keyboard, set to orchestral output, and I must say it worked well. It was only a three-minute piece and we hit our straps with The Devil Came Down to Goergia after that. We ran it out as a long piece with plenty of solos for everyone, finishing the set at half past midnight according to the clock. These girls were really good and great to be playing with.

Donna said that she wanted us to do a full-dress rehearsal the next Thursday. We should repeat tonight’s set on Tuesday but to think about an encore, should everyone ask for one.

I said that they should change in my room on Thursday because being out in the outfit may lead to an arrest if they broke down and stood by the side of the road. Josie showed them the pictures she had taken of us, and Janet had to sit down, overcome with the prospect of what she is going to look like at the show, being a girl from a very upright family down south.

We decided that Saturday night at the Chuck Wagon would dress in black leather. Josie said that I would be all right with a gaff. She asked Donna to bring some of the glue next week, so that we could ready me at home.

Saturday we were back in the city for me to look for more everyday outfits, cheap enough that I could get a few but not so cheap as to be throw-away. In the afternoon, we dressed in our stage outfit. I was getting more and more used to putting on a garter and stockings and walked in the three-inch heels as if I had been born this tall. Mom came over and took a couple of pictures of us for her scrapbook and we were off to our fame and fortune in a cowboy bar.

We met up with the others at an Italian place for a meal together and then went to the Chuck Wagon for our gig. We created a little bit of mayhem, playing our stuff in short skirts. We posed provocatively. Even I leaned forward a lot while I was playing. At one point Pet and I were on a roll, and we backed into each other while bending forward, much to the enjoyment of the guys in the crowd, including the guys from my class and, I noticed, at least three others that I knew.

We had a ball, and everyone had fun, drank and ate a lot and put a smile on the bar owner. He apologized when he paid us, saying that our last appearance in two weeks would have a bonus payment for being such good sports and that he was sorry that he had already booked another band for the following three months. We had some help from a group of six guys when we went to load up the van.

I was about to get in my car to go home when they asked if they could take us out for a drink. Donna said that it would be nice and approved of the bar they suggested. They led the way in their cars, and we followed along behind, me getting more worried with each passing mile. There were plenty of parking spots at the bar and we all went in.

The guys asked us what we wanted, and Donna said we would all have bourbon on ice.

Two drinks further on I found myself dancing with Charlie to a slow song on the jukebox, in a crowd of us all dancing with guys.

My pal seemed to like the feel of my butt through my leather skirt, and I really didn’t want to make a scene, even when he started kissing my neck. Passing a doorway, I was suddenly pulled through it into a passageway and he then really kissed me on my lips. I responded in kind and the kiss became steamy with his hands roaming over my body. One part of him had decided it had found home as it was pushed against my groin.

The fact that I was woman enough to turn him on was something new – and felt too good. Unlike my previous kisses with girls, his kisses were firm and strong, and I didn’t mind as his tongue began to explore my tonsils.

When our lips parted, he said. “Come home with me tonight.”

I came to my senses. “Sorry; no can do. Actually, Josie and I need to get going, it’s almost time for my father’s medicine. Last time I forgot, he went outside with a carving knife, and it took me ages to find all the bits and get rid of the body.”

I gave him a soft kiss on his lips. “See you in class next week.” I left him to find Josie being pushed up against a wall with Charlie’s mate, Bruce, ravishing her lips. I tapped him on the shoulder. “You had better unhand Josie; she needs to be taken home before her policeman husband gets off his shift.”

He stepped back.

Josie smiled and we both said “Goodnight,” picked up our coats and bags, and then left the bar.

We got in the car and Josie laughed. “Hells bells, Edie, you even bullshit like a woman. Thanks for stepping in; I was starting to wonder where the nearest motel was. How did you get on?”

I grinned. “Would you believe that I may have been in the next room, if it had gotten any further. My father was right; the consequences need to be considered.”

When we got home it didn’t take us long before we were rolling around in the bed relieving the tensions we had built. It was a memorable bit of outright lust the first time but much slower and more loving the second. As we cuddled afterwards, I whispered, “I love you, Josie.”

She whispered back. “I love you too, Edie.”

Sunday, we put on jeans, boots and blouses and went into the city to just stroll in the public park, hand in hand, and talked about where the Pixies could be heading. We both wanted it to be as good as we could make it but wondered how long it would be before we made it to the big time, or even if we would.

Donna, we knew, was serious but we weren’t too sure about Janet and Emily. We already knew that Pet was looking at a steady job. It was a given that, if Josie and I remained an item, she would have a future at my side. The following couple of weeks were pretty straight forward if you discounted a certain classmate trying to get me to go out with him. Josie thought it was a hoot as I came up with every excuse under the sun to put him off.

We went through our Halloween set on Tuesday and Thursday with Thursday a full-dress rehearsal. That was fun seeing the other girls all having difficulties coping with the very skimpy outfit and trying to keep the hats on.

We decided that we would go on stage with the pointy hats but would get rid of them as soon as we could. If we played as freely as we had done on Saturday, our hair would be flying around anyway. After the Tuesday session, I discovered that the other four girls had, indeed, had a good time with their boys on Saturday and Donna had a dreamy look when she said that she’d had a very good night.

Saturday, the Dude Ranch was packed, and we really enjoyed the night. We did that one in darker denim with short skirts and the place was jumping. The two nights in the studio that week we took a break from being witches and worked on a few more new songs that Pet had come up with. When we were sitting in my lounge area after the Thursday session, I suggested that we had enough original material for an album, which made everyone stop and think.

That Saturday night was our last at the Chuck Wagon. I, for one, was not unhappy to see the end of it. We took our bonus with gratitude and gave the boss a kiss on the cheek. It had been good to us, but I had the feeling that the Pixies needed to be in front of bigger crowds and the coming Friday night would see if I was right.

Tuesday and Thursday evening we did the full set to the clock and in the costumes. We found new ways to be sexy and spooky at the same time. Whatever happened on Friday, we had put in the work to make it as good as possible.

Friday, we got home as soon as we could and dived into the shower. I was then on my back with my legs apart, thinking calm thoughts, as Josie recreated my captive penis and the girlish slit without ending up with her fingers stuck to my groin.

We then dressed in our costume underwear, she in the red; me in the black. I had my costume and shoes in a bag and the hat ready to go. When she had finished dressing, Josie took some care to do our make-up and hair. We had put on conservative shift dresses and could have been going out to dinner when we left home with our instruments in the trunk.

We met up with the others at the pizza place -- but we were all too wired to eat much. We stayed off the drinks because there would be no time for a toilet break once we were on stage. At seven we got to the back entrance of the hall where we were welcomed and led to the dressing room that had been allocated to us. It took a few trips to get everything from the cars and van into the building. The instruments went to the side of the stage ready for the change-over and our outfits and make-up boxes went down to the changing room.

The other band was already set up and in the next room getting ready. Before they went on, a bit after eight, we all wished them luck. They were a four-piece called “The Ramrods” and were all about our age.

We took our time getting ready, making sure that none of us would have a “wardrobe malfunction” during the set. Our beauticians gave us witch-like faces with a heavy dose of glamour. There was a speaker in the room, and we could hear the guys up on stage. As their set went on, Pet looked at me. “It’s just their normal stuff with a few specials thrown in.”

I had to agree. They were playing standard songs and I picked out odd ones like Mack the Knife, Monster Mash, and one that I hadn’t heard before about Jack the Ripper.

All too soon their time drew to a close and it was our turn. As they played their last song and the curtains closed, we were at the side of the stage looking fabulous and ready to take our kit on once theirs was off the other side.

The management had provided a couple of guys to do the heavy work, but they needed to be reminded to stop looking at us as we took our gear on stage. I asked one if he could tell me the time and asked him to make sure we were in place by twelve minutes past ten. It was a close call, but we were ready.

Donna gave the signal to pull the curtains just on a quarter past ten.

A cheer rose as we were revealed with the first song being a duet between me and Josie, one of our originals, with the others playing accompaniment. As we moved into the set we got moving and shaking and the dancefloor was a throbbing mass of bodies. I tried to look for my parents but there were several Dracula costumes and when you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.

The big venue and huge crowd brought out the performers in us. I was having a ball dancing around the stage flashing my garter and stocking tops and having an epic battle with Pet to see who could play better. I had become a girl fiddle player in an all-girl group and loved every minute of it. As we approached midnight, we timed our last song of the day to finish with just five seconds in hand. Donna had arranged for recorded chimes at midnight, and, on cue, a bell tolled twelve over the PA.

Pet started the last part of Danse Macabre where the devil violinist calls for the dead to rise. As we finished that short piece and the crowd got their breath we moved into our last number, a stretched version of The Devil Came Down to Georgia, finishing up at just before half past. Pet and I may have been half the size of Charlie Daniels, but we fiddled just as hard.

The crowd roared as we faded from view behind the curtain and Harry came on to the stage with us and pleaded for us to carry on for a while. Still wired we said “Yes.” As the curtains opened again, we started playing some of our other material with Donna calling the songs as we went.

We finished the second time an hour later and could play no more. It was just as well as the crowd had fallen by the wayside by that time as well. We took a bow as the curtains closed with applause ringing in our ears. It had been intoxicating and I wanted more.

Harry was effusive in his praise and told us that his guys would carry our stuff out to our van, so Janet got him the keys. We went down to the dressing room to change out of our witch outfits but first, lined up for a pee.

As we were stripping, we were hugging each other and smiling a lot. It had been an amazing evening and I was bushed. When we were all back in our normal outfits and the costumes bagged up, we left the dressing room, walking out to find a number of people waiting for us to emerge.

Harry had a wad of bills for Donna to hide in her bag. He introduced us to two guys who were from one of the TV stations who wanted to talk about a spot on one of the local shows. Donna pleaded exhaustion and told them that concentrating on anything else tonight would be impossible. She took their cards to call them the following week.

Janet got the van keys back, we double-checked that we had everything and went out to our vehicles, saying that we would meet, tomorrow evening, at the Italian place we’d eaten at before our show. We didn’t say much on the way home. When we arrived, we found lights on in the house. My mother came out in her dressing gown and asked us to have a cup of cocoa with her. We sat in the kitchen with welcome mugs, and she told us about her night from the perspective of one of the dancers.

She said that my father had been shocked by our costumes but had really liked our take on the music. They had left after the first set, and she told me that he would look after the chicks in the morning so we could sleep in. As we stood to go to bed, she hugged us both.

“It was a wonderful night out, you girls were all fantastic and I’m so proud of you, my daughters.”

In the stable we cleaned our faces, undressed, and dived into bed after turning the alarm clock off. We were woken by the sound of Josie’s phone telling her she had a text. I looked at the clock. It was after eleven and I didn’t feel too bad.

She looked at her phone while I gazed lovingly at her, and she gave a little squeal. “Get moving, sister, there’s things to do, people to see and a show tonight to get ready for.” Whatever was in the text had certainly galvanized her.

While she was in the shower, I took a sneak peek at her phone and read, “Watch Saturday Local today. Harry rang and we’re on it. Meet at Italian place an hour earlier tonight.”

Well, it didn’t use so many words but if you hadn’t read Donna’s messages before you wouldn’t make head or tail of the text.

Saturday Local went on the air after the midday news, so I followed Josie through the cycle of toilet, shower, face cream, and powdering. All of which had become a natural way to start the day. Then I wondered why I was doing it today as the show was over.

Josie was like a whirlwind, sorting out outfits and underwear for the two of us and we walked over to the main house looking like a couple of well-dressed ladies who had been in a salon all morning. I had to say that this was one thing I did love about my time as a girl, the way you can look so good, and then, ten minutes later, with a good wardrobe, look totally different, something a guy could never do.

My mother expected us for lunch or else she always made extra in case we turned up on the weekends. There was a TV in the kitchen and Josie turned it on and found the right channel. We all sat and ate our lunch as the news of the day was shown: all doom, gloom, war, and disaster that seemed to be the way of the world.

When Saturday Local came on the announcer said. “We have a packed show for you today and we lead off with our gal about town, Shirley Gordon, who went to a Halloween party last night and wants to tell us about it. You don’t usually tell us what you do at parties, Shirley. What was so different about this one?”

The shot went to a ravishing blonde. “Yes, Hal, there are things that happen at my parties that would make you blush. The Halloween party last night was in the dance hall behind me, and everyone was blown away by a local group of girls who looked, and sounded, like they were international stars who had dropped in from outer space to brighten our night. Have a look at this.”

They played a clip, obviously taken by the fixed cameras, of us on stage doing our thing. It ran for a good thirty seconds, and I had to say that I was entranced by us, as witches, and the energy we were putting out. When she came back on, she was in the hall with Harry and asked him what he thought of the Pixies.

Harry complimented us by saying that we had been a surprise for everyone with the show we had put on. Almost every song had been in the spooky vein.

He then said that he had been getting calls all morning from patrons wanting to know when our next show would be and that a rival TV executive had been there last night, but he didn’t think we had signed anything yet.

“I had a call this morning from a record producer friend who also had been here last night. He asked me how to get in touch with these six lovely ladies because he wants to get them into a studio to cut an album.”

I sat there with a stunned look on my face.

Marianne Gregory © 2022