Wheels and wings 38

This is the final chapter of Wheels and wings. I am retuning to my earlier novel 'The Angry mermaid'

Mermaid is not complete yet but there are 67 chapters written so far, consequently I have decided to resume posting the chapters about one every three or four days.

Wheels and wings 38

Chapter 38

Character List.

Jack Thomas Later AKA Ellie... Transvestite/intersexual and keen cyclist.
Amanda Thomas AKA Amie... Jack's sister.
Charlotte Dawson... Keen girl cyclist and Jack’s soon-to-be girlfriend.
Bob... Cycling club captain.
Mr Thomas Weston... School games master and keen rugby player.
Billy Davies... Rugby ‘jock’, kind to Jack, he fancies Charlotte.
Marjorie Spencer... Holder of unofficial ‘Prettiest-girl-in-the-school’ title.
Miss Elizabeth Postlethwaite... The English Mistress.
Aunty Olwen... Where Jack changes for school and leaves his bike.
Mandy... Olwen’s daughter, Jack’s older cousin.
Mr Griffiths... The County solicitor.
Cassandra... Charlotte’s maternal grandmother.

Chapter 38 (And final chapter.)

The following Saturday dawned gusty but reasonably warm and all importantly, sunny. In the Dawson household Charlotte had woken before sunrise and was being fussed over by her namesake grandmother and her maternal aunts. Doctor Dawson had been relegated to the downstairs where his mood was not calmed by the isolation. He could hear various noises that could have been shrieks of excitement or screams of despair, either way if did not serve to calm his own frayed nerves. It was obvious, even to Doctor Dawson downstairs, that the young bride’s-maids were proving to be a handful and the aunts had their hands full maintaining some sense of order.

His mood was not made any easier when he opened the morning paper to find that news of the ‘Lesbian, Tranny Wedding’ had reached the national press. He became angry as he read some hurtful, ill-informed articles that had completely misrepresented the facts. The wedding had even been briefly mentioned in a national television morning chat show yet none of the families or participants had once been interviewed or invited to comment. Doctor Dawson could understand the tension his daughter Charlotte and her partner Ellie were feeling. His own feelings were tense enough.

Fortunately, Ellie’s maternal cousin Mandy had come up trumps and offered to come from Manchester to give both brides their makeovers and hair-does. This kind act had circumvented the reticence that local hair-dressers had shown in being associated with ‘The Lesbian — Tranny Wedding’.

Once the wedding was completed and the girls off on their honeymoon, Doctor Dawson was determined to sue the press for misrepresenting the wedding as ‘A Lesbian Wedding’. The crucial point being that at that stage, Ellie was still technically and legally a man for she had not completed her transition. For all secular and canon law, the wedding was perfectly legal; - novel perhaps, but still legal.

In the Thomas household things were slightly calmer by dint of there only being two adults to get ready - Ellie and her sister Amie who was actually quite excited by events, Mandy had done her cousins first, realising that she would have her work cut out getting Charlotte and five excited little girls aged six to thirteen ready by eleven o’clock. By eight, Mandy had done Ellie and Amie and she left amidst wishes of ‘good luck with those little minxes’ as she left for Charlotte’s house.

Ellie and Amie completed dressing and were sitting in their living room carefully avoiding creasing their gowns whilst waiting for Billy to arrive to take them to the church for eleven.

Billy arrived on the dot in a smart morning suit ready to drive Ellie and Amie to his mother’s house where they would transfer to an open carriage and pair supplied and driven by Jane the older Parry twin. The other twin, Lucy was driving Charlotte and her father plus the bride’s-maids in the larger four-horse landau.

By arrangement, Ellie arrived first and her stomach had huge butterflies as her coach approached the church to meet the crowds. She turned nervously to Amie and Billy.

“I didn’t think there were that many people in Charlotte’s village.”

“A lot of them are the bloody media. Are you frightened?” Billy replied.

Ellie shrugged resignedly.

“Nervous but not frightened. I was half expecting some sort of interest but not all this!”

“They’ve bumped up the agenda by calling it a Lesbian - Tranny wedding.” Amie continued. “They must be having a bad news week; they’ve got nothing much to write about so they’ve pushed ‘The Lesbian Wedding’ up the agenda!”

“Well there’s not much we can do about it; we’re here.” Billy declared as he rose to step down first.

Amie stood carefully as the carriage rocked slightly and the paparazzi surged forward, cameras flashing furiously. Jane cursed them loudly as the horses lurched nervously causing the carriage to jerk and Amie flopped back into her seat. Billy swung around angrily and smashed one camera out of a photographer’s hand then called to the village policeman.

“Can’t you control these idiots they’re terrifying the horses with their stupid flashes?”

The officer had already seen enough after noting Jane having trouble calming the horses, and he promptly seized the cameraman with the broken camera as he attempted to threaten Billy.

“You’ve done enough damage here matey. Those horses nearly bolted then with your thoughtless behaviour. Now kindly leave the area before I arrest you for causing a breach of the peace.”

“I didn’t cause the breach officer, he did!” The cameraman protested as he pointed at Billy.

The police officer rolled his eyes and explained with a soft, menacing voice.

“No. You caused the breach by startling the horses. They were quite peaceful until you and your cronies frightened them with all that stupid flash malarkey.”

“They should be better trained. Surely they’ve seen cameras before.”

The bobby became impatient so he repeated himself slowly and deliberately.

“Listen Sir! I’ve seen those horses and these carriages come to this church a dozen times without any incident. Now you idiots arrive and cause pandemonium so I suggest you leave now before I arrest you! You’ve already caused the bride’s-maid to fall!”

The cameraman muttered under his breath but left before any more cause could be given. The rest of the Paparazzi became substantially more subdued then stepped back as Ellie finally descended from the carriage and joined Amie alongside Billy. She giggled shyly.

“How do we do this?”

“I’ll take your right arm cos’ we’ll be on the right at the altar so I’ll be outside you. That way, you and Charlotte will be together. Amie can attend your train and if necessary, help with Charlotte’s train at the altar; I don’t suppose Charlotte’s young cousins will have much clue. It’s a good job both your trains are not too long and rather classy... quite nice actually.”

Ellie savoured the compliment and felt a surge of contentment as she pecked Billy affectionately on the cheek.

“Thank you, you’re just too sweet.”

Billy grinned and felt a surge of pleasure when he realised he hadn’t blushed when Ellie kissed him.

‘This wedding was doing wonders for his self confidence as well.’

Thus emboldened, he took charge of Ellie’s right arm while Amie took Ellie’s train in hand. Such was their ease, they almost sauntered up the churchyard path stopping to say hello and thank-you to those villagers who had turned out to support them. The butterflies in Ellie’s stomach stopped fluttering as she realised there was nobody waiting to shout any abuse or ruin her day. By the time the three of them had reached the church door she was almost crying with relief and happiness. Vicar Jane raised a questioning eyebrow as she noticed the single glistening tear. Ellie explained through a tight smile.

‘It must be the hormones,' she concluded as Vicar Jane embraced her at the door.

“Nervous?” She whispered to Ellie.

“You bet! Oh my God, the church is packed.”

“Don’t worry girl, I haven’t spotted any objectors. When I read your bands out I explained the situation from my pulpit and the villagers seem to have accepted things. Come on, I’ll lead you to the altar then collect Charlotte and her dad.”
Ellie found herself, Amie and Billy being led down the aisle by Vicar Jane who stopped frequently so that Ellie could chat to old friends who Vicar Jane had discreetly sounded out. After checking that these members of the congregation were genuinely friendly, Vicar Jane had placed them strategically down the aisle.

Finally they arrived at the altar and Vicar Jane placed them on the right of the altar before returning to welcome Charlotte. Ellie and Billy waited nervously and she turned to him as Amie leaned in to listen.

“What are you thinking of?”

“I’m thinking how lucky you are!”

A warm surge overtook Ellie and she surreptitiously squeezed her thighs under her gown.

“Why d’you envy me, you’ll be marrying Amie sometime in the future won’t you?”

Billy was about to reply when the organist struck up softly and he glanced towards the church door.

“Hist darling here she is. She looks lovely.”

Ellie wasn’t sure how to react. If she had been a groom in groom’s clothes she could have turned and smiled as Charlotte approached but as a bride everything was new. Then she threw caution to the wind and turned to follow Billy’s gaze. The sight warmed and reassured her so she reached out and gave Billy’s hand a squeeze. Billy turned, grinned and returned the squeeze and Ellie knew from that moment, she would always have an ally in her future brother-in-law

In the aisle, Charlotte had now paused to stop and thank some of the villagers who had been kind about her partnership with Ellie even though they could not understand the inexplicable divergences of gender and sexuality. After several minutes with the organ sounding mutedly in the background, Vicar Jane decided to move things along for she could see Ellie getting fretful. She nodded discreetly to the organist’s mirror and he raised the volume as a signal to Charlotte to get a move on.

Reluctantly Charlotte turned, smiled at her bride’s-maids and set off purposefully on her father’s arm. She had wanted to demonstrate to her grandmother that the nicer, kinder residents of the village were supportive and non-censorious but a brief glance down the aisle told her that her grandmother had truly learned that lesson. Charlotte arrived at the altar with perfect timing as the last bars of the organ faded. She turned to Ellie and the pair lifted their veils to get wedded.

Vicar Jane smiled as the service progressed and the simple modifications she had organised for the ceremony served only to enhance its sincerity. After signing the registry the Wedding March crashed out as loud as the organist could make it. Vicar Jane had obviously instructed the organist to ‘Make a clear statement!’ and to the accompaniment of organ and church bells, Ellie and Charlotte stepped ecstatically down the aisle!

Outside the wedded pair turned and kissed but it was impossible to speak above the campanological ecstasy that crashed out over the church and the whole village. For Ellie and Charlotte however, there was little need to speak. It had all been said and done during their shared years of growing.

As they paused in front of the church porch, their handclasp changed to an embrace which brought the villagers to a cheer that matched the bells. Whilst tightly embraced they were totally impervious to the deluge of light from paparazzi cameras that competed with the sun for a brief instant. Vicar Jane then signalled to the campanologists and the bells were finally brought to silence. The photographer eventually brought the celebrating villagers to some semblance of order and the traditional photo-shoot began. Finally, as the pair led the procession down the churchyard path to the waiting landau, the bells erupted again as the carriage bore the pair to the wedding breakfast at the local village inn. Once they reached the sanctuary of the inn and the guests were safely ensconced, the doors were closed and the paparazzi excluded for the first time. Charlotte and Ellie were free to celebrate in privacy.

As the afternoon shadows lengthened and the married pair had completed their round of thank-yous to the guests, Billy’s well-oiled escape plan was activated and the pair departed secretly from the reception while the paparazzi were left fuming with frustration.
Billy drove in the anonymous, unmarked van for several miles to the pre-arranged rendezvous point where he decanted the giggling pair into a hired car.

“Nobody’s followed us!” He grinned. “You can change in the van; I’ll keep an eye out.”

“No peeping now.” Ellie giggled.

Billy grinned again.

“Come off it Ellie. There’s nothing you’ve got that I haven’t seen in the showers when we were at school.”

“Oh but there is,” Ellie smirked, “you’ve never seen these.”

She pushed her bra up with her hands and thrust out her girlish chest while Charlotte just wagged her head in amusement then scolded her gently.

“You can’t get over those can you darling? For a moment I thought you were going to flash them to Billy.”

“They feel soo-oo good.” Ellie replied.

“Yeah, well get in that van and hurry up and change before I’m tempted to grope those little puppies, you’re behaving like a tart!” Billy advised. “I can’t be a hundred percent certain we weren’t followed.”

Ellie and Charlotte’s smile faded as they realised the risks and they hurriedly clambered back into the van to change. It was impossible to undress and dress whilst the van had been moving during their escape. Finally, just as Billy was relieving himself in the bushes, the pair emerged to find the van seemingly unguarded and Billy nowhere in sight.

“Where the hell’s he gone?” Charlotte demanded. "I hope this sin't one of his pranks."

Ellie shrugged nervously as she cast around.

“Dunno’ he was supposed to be keeping guard.”

As the pair fumed momentarily, Billy emerged from the woods fastening up his fly.

“Sorry, had to pee,” he confessed with a grin. “You won’t be able to do it like this once you’ve had the op Ellie.”

“Too much information Billy, you just look after my sister Amie!”

Finally with hugs and kisses of thanks shared by all three, they parted. Billy went back to the reception to join Amie whilst Charlotte and Ellie drove north on their secretly arranged honeymoon.

As the evening shadows lengthened, the car crested the brow of a hill in Scotland and the pair were stunned by the beauty of the sunset. Ellie stopped the car and invited Charlotte to join her.

“What are we stopping here for?” Charlotte wondered.

“Well firstly, it’s your turn to drive but just look at that view!”

Charlotte savoured the view then smiled contentedly. Ellie stepped up to her and the pair stood with their arms around each other's waists.

“Get the camera.” Ellie replied. “We are going to walk off into that sunset.”

THE END.

~~~ ooo 000 ooo ~~~