I remember when I was young I would kind of slowly saunter past the dress shops and shoe shops, pausing as long as I could without being suspicious, pretending not to be looking at the gorgeous dresses or the elegant high heels inside. It was not done for a boy to be interested in those things, let alone enthralled, but I couldn’t help myself.

The years went by and I got married to a wonderful girl, who I loved with all my heart. I never told her of my deepest, darkest secret, which was that I wished I had been born a girl.

We would go shopping and she always thought that I was just indulging her when she was choosing clothes or shoes and helping her to find the right outfits. Well, I was, but I was sitting waiting while she tried things on and wishing it was me coming out of the dressing room wearing something fabulous.

I did advise her what looked good on her and she thought I had an unusually good eye for women’s fashions. I just told her that she had such good taste that I had an easy job. She thought that I was very patient to sit and wait for her, while actually I was admiring everything on the racks and wishing some of it could be mine.

We were walking through a mall one day when she spotted this Arabian lamp in an Op Shop. You know, the ones from Aladdin. She also loved odd trinkets and space-filler decorations for our rooms, so she declared that she must have it. Naturally I indulged her, so we bought it. At $50 it was not a steal but it kept her happy.

When we got home, as women do, she had to polish it, and, you’re not going to believe this, but out popped a genie or a djinn. It looked around and asked who released it. It had a kind of androgynous appearance and did not seem at all worried about being in our living room.

We, of course, were both in a state of shock. I mean, who believes in fairy stories and magical beings?

“Well,” said the djinn, “Who released me?”

“I suppose I did,” stammered my wife.

“OK, then you’re entitled to one wish,” replied the djinn.

There followed a lengthy silence, probably a few minutes.

The djinn started to get agitated and tapped its toes and drummed its fingers.

“Make your mind up. I haven’t got all day.”

My wife looked at me and gave a sad smile. I must have been giving off some kind of vibes that indicated that I wasn’t totally happy.

“We’ll fix things,” she said and turned to the djinn.

“I wish for my husband to be happy,” she commanded.

“Done,” said the djinn, and instantly I became a woman.

My dream was fulfilled because of my wife’s unselfish wish.

The only downside was the look on her face. Clearly she had not expected this. This would mark a huge turn in our relationship. I knew that she was totally heterosexual, so how was she going to cope with me as a female partner. I didn’t think a lesbian partnership was on the cards.

The djinn was beginning to fade when I grabbed the lamp and rubbed it.

“What now?’ asked the djinn. “I’ve fulfilled the wish. I can go.”

“No you can’t. I’ve rubbed your lamp. You owe me a wish too. I’ve also released you.”

“Bloody humans, never satisfied. All right, what’s your wish?”

“I’ll need a little while to think about that.”

“Don’t take all day. I’ve got places to be and people to see.”

I looked at my wife and she was in a state of shock, but definitely not happy with my transformation into a woman. Wishes with a djinn do not guarantee satisfaction.

So I thought long and hard about my wish. She had wished for me to be happy and I was. What could I do for her?

It came to me, and I hoped I was not going to fall into that trap where the djinn turns your wish into a curse.

“I’m ready,” I told the djinn.

“About time. What is it?”

“I wish for my wife to be happy with the way that I am now. I want us to be soulmates.”

“Done. Can I go now?”

I looked at my wife and the love was back in her eyes.

From that day to this, our love has never failed. It’s not lesbian or anything sexual, although we do enjoy our bodies occasionally, and it’s definitely not platonic. I think the word for it is agape. It is a love that transcends all bounds.

The lamp is the centre on our mantelpiece.

When we go shopping these days I don’t have to feel jealous.