As we are liberated
from our own fear,
our presence automatically
liberates others.

--Nelson Mandela
{1994 Inaugural Speech}

Thanks to those that have given me feedback as to formatting and improving the readability of my writing. We see our own faults rather dimly at times.

The next few weeks involved much work and some weekend work for both Janet and Paul but Kerry was happy being free to just be free. The Work that Paul had to do was mainly in the not for profit sector and this meant being involved in a lot of site work to understand the client's needs even when they had no idea what they were doing themselves. One of the clients that had been brought on board recently had paid for a six week period of site placement and Paul had been allocated to the client. The annual fundraiser was being worked on and was finally unrolled during the first week of placement, the theme was “cross dressing for red cross”. I know it sounds silly but someone had to be driving it from the inside who had more agendas than the United Nations. The local footy team had been co-opted to lend support and the media had even run with it. If you don't believe me just Google the words "Crossdress for Red Cross Australia" there are still some of the photos on the websites although the incriminating ones showing footballers in silk have been replaced

The plan was for the workplace to be transformed for the entire week of the campaign. Somehow most of the staff had embraced the plan prior to the release of the media information and many had elaborate plans to make it work and draw attention. Silently Kerry was skipping with excitement while Paul had to appear to object, macho garbage! When Paul reported back to his boss about the plans at the staff meeting they all laughed and were glad it was him rather than them and yes it would be expected of him to join in to some degree, more complaints for effect.

The event was only three weeks away and at the client site everyone was talking about it during coffee breaks, the committee had made plans to hold a formal dinner as part of the overall project after the Friday workday. It would take a whole week of clothes and many of the guys obviously had no understanding of the amount of clothing they would need to find or procure out of the organisations op-shops which could be returned for credit afterwards. Kerry thought about her wardrobe and how many combinations she could make which were far more than the number of days she had to dress up for. It would however allow her the chance to shop at really cheap rates in the op-shops with full support and in fact she was required to do this for work. Janet thought that it was typical of how Paul made things work for himself but handled the whole thing with more ease than she would have done a year ago. Only one stipulation, the budget was limited to $100.00 after all they had spent far too much lately so op-shopping was a good alternative knowing that Kerry never gave anything back.

Paul’s boss had been interested in how he was going to make an effort to fit in and not make too much of a ridicule of himself or the company. During one of the many phone calls back to the office he asked Paul to drop in and talk to clear up a few question about the site installation. He decided that the company should take an active role in the event as they did with all of the other not for profit clients they had. His idea was to sponsor a cocktails evening after work on Friday prior to the dinner, a prize for the best performer over the week. His creative mind kicked into gear and a plan had been hatched that could be claimed as advertising and sponsorship.

The next weeks staff meeting had all of the staff being told about the sponsorship and that they should consider helping out on the Friday as part of their “community involvement” which was always encouraged. You could have heard the proverbial pin drop as they considered what had just been said. Paul told them that the op-shops had made an agreement on returns and if any of them wanted to shop he would go with them as he needed to find some things. It was going to be a great time at the client’s site for the entire week but as the time approached it became obvious that Paul would have to still perform all of his normal work in his own office before attending on Monday morning. Back home Paul would have made a spreadsheet to compile a list of outfits and options but Kerry had a far simpler way of choosing, she emptied her wardrobe, laid all of the clothes out on her bed and then tried them all on to make sure it worked. Far more fun and it did show that every day was covered except for a silk blouse or two.

On the week before the event it was into the op-shops every lunch time hoping for the last items to be found, instead Paul picked up two pairs of shoes at only $5 each, a vintage long line girdle with garter straps and a very nice teal coloured silk blouse. The other great find was another wig, this one was very similar to the wig Kate used with her a few months earlier for only $35. Kerry had been looking at wigs on the web and the local price for a quality blonde shoulder length human hair wig was more like $350 so she took next to no time to make up her mind. The other consultants had opted for girl friends or mothers to help them and hence spare the embarrassment of shopping all together. By the Friday afternoon drinks on the fourth week everyone that would be involved had chosen an outfit and sheepishly talked about being men in tights and not drag queens, not sure how that made a difference as they all agreed they would look silly in anything they wore but it was for charity. Paul made suitable complaints at the number of days he had to do this and asked about penalty pay rates for having to endure the taunts that would obviously come, the boss making a companywide announcement that it would be seen as unacceptable to make fun of anyone that got involved in the event and that he had made sure he would be suitably dressed for the prize ceremony.

Saturday afternoon came around and Janet had booked Paul into the local hair salon and nail parlour on the excuse that it was a work requirement and besides that it was for charity. After reading a few accounts of others making the “Beauty Parlour” transition they decided that an androgynous look with basic makeup would be fine for going there but Janet arranged for Paul to use a back room for changing during the session. The salon was nearly empty as Paul/Kerry arrived but several women gave him funny looks, maybe it would have been better to come totally en-femme and just leave them guessing. The hair stylist made a comment about the charity event and most of the women just laughed and went back to getting their hair done. By now Paul's hair was long enough to be styled without a wig and together they had decided to give the stylist a chance at using his own hair. Paul sat down to get his hair washed and unzipped his tracksuit top revealing a white low cut tank top and the outline of a bra as well as clear bra straps to the stylist. She just carried on as if nothing had happened.

As they went to work on the hair a nail technician came and checked out the nails, surprisingly well kept for a man and could have just used a good coat of nail polish. Instead they had opted for a full set of white tipped acrylic nails, the type Paul had always liked but afraid to ask for. Another person came over and suggested that an eye brow wax and shaping would help but they had to be careful so that after a week it could be vague enough for Paul to return. A slight cut and then some red tints through the black hair and a simple blow dry style that could be done each day and changed at the end of the week was done with minimal effort and time.

Paul asked for the back room as the attention was getting fairly loud and they wanted to make the most of the charity opportunity. They stood up and went through to the back of the salon where a bag of clothes had been deposited on Friday afternoon by Janet. Kerry was already wearing most of the clothes under the tracksuit and it would only take a few minutes to insert the breast forms and put on the short denim skirt and platform shoes. Her legs were smooth again and with a pair of shiny pantyhose, breast forms causing the tank top to jiggle around and the short skirt the look was quite different to the male image that most of the customers had in mind. A quick flick of the hair and Kerry was ready to emerge back into the salon and finish off her nails and eyebrows.

She picked up a small a-frame poster and sponsorship book and walked back to her chair, the ladies now silenced after seeing the before and after. Kerry did a lap of the salon and placed the poster and book in a prominent place before sitting down to the applause of the salon. The salon owner made a short note that the cost of the treatment today was being donated back to the charity as their contribution and encouraged others to support the event. An hour later and Kerry had new eyebrows, long nails, a great hairstyle and several donations in her book as many of the salon clients had stayed around waiting for the final showing. They were not disappointed at the final result and Kerry had a very appreciative crowd as she walked to her car.

Arriving home at 5pm the neighbours were out sharing a beer as usual so Kerry just parked the car, waved and entered the house without letting them see too much. Janet was out finishing the shopping so Kerry went to the mirror and checked out her new style, would it really be easy to hide after the week of fun? As Janet pulled into the driveway she sounded the car horn, which was her way of asking for help, forgetting that Kerry would be waiting inside. So when Kerry came out to help, Janet made very quick steps to get inside away from the viewing eyes across the road.

“Oh well, that’ll keep them guessing” said Janet as she started to laugh, then seeing Kerry and the hair style and nails she stood up to take a full look, the eyebrows made her gasp a little as they were more severe than she had expected.

“I know, they went a tad too far” said Kerry although silently she was very happy with the new look in every detail even the eyes.

Kerry flicked her hair and asked if dinner out was in order and where could they go to without having made a booking. Several minutes later and a night at a nearby small theatre had been booked with late supper to follow in an adjoining suburb.

Janet ran towards the bathroom as she told Kerry to put everything away in the cupboards and help her to choose a suitable outfit to wear. Kerry started to look through Janet’s side of the wardrobe and had a slight problem finding anything that really looked suitable so she turned to her own side and selected the black skirt, red jumper and then added Janet’s black jacket and laid it out on the bed, before heading into the bathroom to start her own makeup. A solid eye liner, shadow and bright lipstick made a stunning change to Kerry’s face and even she had to admit that it was hard to see Paul in the mirror anymore. Janet looked at the pile of clothes on the bed and the lingerie that Kerry had chosen for her to wear and the first instinct was to turn and get something less flamboyant for the night out. Kerry stepped up and told her to try it on and see what she looked like rather than make a quick decision. Kerry swapped the denim for the much longer grey skirt and sapphire jumper, this was one of her favourite outfits and made her feel so natural. As they both finished dressing they looked like a pair of friends ready for a night out so Janet agreed to go with Kerry’s suggestions. The matching jewellery came out of the safety box and together they clipped on earrings and ankle chains.

The show started at 7:30 and that gave them a good hour to drive to the theatre and have a short walk around the beach foreshore before the show. The evening breeze had started to freshen up and the wind blew through their skirts as they walked along the esplanade talking about the week ahead and how it would take longer in the morning to get ready. This would really be a challenge as the 5 o’clock shadow would actually turn up by 4pm every day since the day started at 7am each day. There was nothing that could be done about it and would add to the CD aspect of the charity event. The show was a local production put together with a small group of musicians for backing effects and hand painted scenery but the overall quality was better than either of them had expected. The intermission provided a time to stretch their legs and get a glass of wine before being herded back inside for the second half. The second half was a different format with some very funny comedy mixed with slapstick humour and pantomime. There was the obligatory “Panto Dame” in large frilly pants, hairy chin and facial mole for effect along with false boobs and wig. Janet and Kerry just roared with thoughts of next week and the possible looks that the guys would create without much insight into passing in public but I guess the intent was to be obvious rather than credible.

Supper was nearby and the café had a mix of light meals and drinks to cater for the theatre and movie crowds that spilled out after each show. They chose a small table and selected a plate of Turkish breads and dip along with Caesar salad Coffees and mud cake, not bad for a quick night out. Janet was getting quite used to having Kerry along and hardly made any signs of being on edge or scared about being spotted out with a guy in a dress, there again Kerry had changed so much in the last few months that even close friends found it hard to tell who she was. They just chatted like two mature girls after a night at the theatre before heading back to the car and a short drive home along the beach front. Kerry stopped in a small parking area overlooking the moon lit beach and let Janet just enjoy the scenery, water always made her feel at peace and especially when it was a good view of water and waves. Neither of them had realised that even as Kerry the driving was her job and not Janet’s, some things just seemed better that way.

The next day was Sunday and a leisurely day around the house catching up on reading and watching a movie at night aware that the next day would be full on. Paul had arranged with his boss, Bill, to arrive later than normal and get introduced as a temp worker as Paul had to leave the state on urgent family business. Bill had no idea how good Paul would look but played along with the plans they had agreed upon as he wanted to be seen as supporting the charity event. So the next morning it was an early start, shower, shave all over, makeup and then a very comfortable grey skirt and jumper with shiny nude pantyhose and modest heels. A handbag and plain stud earrings for the office look along with watch and of course the special K necklace that was Kerry’s favourite. The makeup was simple but very well done in light colours to match the general style worn by the girls in the office. The freeway traffic was heavy as usual and took Kerry longer than she had planned to get to work. As she entered the building she took several deep breaths to calm her nerves, this would be the first time anyone other than the girls had seen her.

Kerry stepped into the reception area and waited at the front desk until the office girl approached, Kerry asked for Bill by name while she stood there with her bag slung over her shoulder and back turned to the board room where she knew Bill would be coming from. As she heard Bill coming down the passage she turned to greet him with an out stretched hand, she could have knocked him over with the proverbial feather as his jaw hit the ground. Bill had expected a good try from Paul but not this good, he had to adjust his mind trying to find the face of one of his staff members and finding nothing of similarity to latch onto.

“Lets meet the team” he said escorting Kerry into the board room and offering her a chair near his. “This is Kerry and she will be helping us with a few things while Paul is out of the state” he said as each of the team introduced themselves to her.

A full 30 minutes later in the middle of the implementation review stage it was time for the status report on Paul’s client site. Kerry shifted forward and started giving the report as to progress and work that was planned for the week ahead and as she came to a close she produced the same poster and sponsorship book that she had at the salon.

“Not forgetting the charity event you can all put some money in for me” she said and leaned back in her chair. It was only then that the guys stared and made funny noises in their mouths like choking on too much drool.

Only one of the girls in the team had spotted Kerry and picked up the telltale signs, mainly because she had lived in Sydney and was aware of the TG scene and how they blended in. The receptionist came in when Bill told her the truth and she could not believe it was the same person she spoke to every single day at work. “You really have tried hard to make a statement” said one of the guys and others sheepishly said things about how they had been making plans for Kerry that would definitely have to be put on hold now that they knew it was Paul. Bill mentioned that the weekly client duties had to be completed as normal and that everyone was expected to make an effort for the Friday drinks and the charity event. Kerry had set a very high bar for them to hit. The room cleared with many shaking their head as they took another look at Kerry and tried to spot Paul. Bill wanted to say a few things before Kerry went off to the client site and he reiterated that the charity event was for fun and that Paul could enjoy himself as long as the work was being done. He had little understanding of how much fun Kerry was having. A quick visit to his desk and it was on the road to the next showing, the client’s staff would be ready for morning tea by the time Kerry arrived and a fashion parade had been planned from each section.

Parking the car in the undercover parking area Kerry walked carefully while listening to the click of her heels on the hard surface enjoying the thrill of the show. The boss had quickly created a new company ID tag just before she left this morning to wear on the client site so as she approached the security desk she was waved through with no trouble, the guards standing there in uniform dresses and blonde wigs while trying to look tough. The lift to the main computer area opened straight into the staff area where morning tea was well underway. Kerry spotted the project manager and headed for him to introduce herself as the temporary employee for the week. Gary was dressed in a simple short skirt and blouse but had used two bags of birdseed for boobs and they just hung there, his face was more like a clown with red blusher and lipstick framed in a blonde wig in the Shirley Temple style.

Kerry stretched out her hand as she approached and said “My name is Kerry I believe that you have been told about Paul not being here this week”. Gary smiled as he shook her hand and being divorced for the last four years, several thoughts went through his head in less than a millisecond none of them contained the word Paul.

It had been decided that those people not participating in the dressing had to either wear a badge or T-Shirt to show support and also give some indication of who was so Gary asked Kerry if she had picked up one of the badges. Kerry thought for a moment do I say yes or no, such an opportunity, to go Dressed or hidden, there really was only one choice as the boss knew about it and would drop in just to see the spectacle.

“Thanks Gary I won’t need a badge, what do you think of my outfit?” she said as Gary’s mouth open wide just before he shouted “No way is that really you Paul”

Gary had spoken so loudly that the staff area suddenly stopped and everyone turned around to see what had caused the trouble. Standing in the centre of their stares was Kerry who simply twirled around to show off her skirt and legs to the shocked group. Then as they say it all broke loose as they wanted to know how she had done it all, several of the girls came to check her out, the nails, the eyes and yes the chest did look so good. Several of the guys had obvious problems assimilating the image with their own thoughts and sexuality so they stood there like stunned mullets. Ten minutes later the break had finished and they all went back to their jobs as Kerry found her cubicle area and setup her laptop and connected into the server ready to continue testing the reports she had written last week.

During the morning several of the corporate types from upstairs came around to chat with the staff and also to check out the quality of the outfits, but Kerry was always pointed out by Gary as if he had something to do with her performance. The challenge this week was going to be related to getting serious answers from people dressed in skirts or clown outfits while they looked at her. Relating to the girls was always easy and they only made small changes to how they talked with Kerry, more touchy feely as if she was now one of them.

Lunchtime came around and while Kerry was finishing a report for printing a fairly attractive girl wearing a nametag of Sarah came up to her desk. “Were you thinking of going out for lunch today?” she said and stretched out her hand “my male name is Sean.”

Kerry stood and gently shook her hand suddenly both of the girls realising they had more in common than just a good week ahead of them. Sarah mentioned a lunch bar just down the road that did great sandwiches and had enough room for people to sit down. Kerry grabbed her purse and they headed for the lift, as they headed for the main door the only people going outside were wearing the badges, the dressers had all brought their lunches for some strange reason. The lunch bar was starting to get busy but they ordered lunch and found a table and ate their things fairly quickly. Sarah had medium length red hair that was obviously her natural colour and very light eye brows that had been trimmed only slightly to form an arch. Her makeup worked very well and the freckles made a child like image that could have put her at mid twenties. Kerry wanted to know how she had known about her and why she had invited her to lunch. It seems that the word was going around as to who made the most impact and one from each floor was being selected each day for the contest. Kerry’s name had made the list today as had Sarah and a few others.

“How long have you been dressing” asked Kerry assuming the thought they both had about the other.

Sarah told a very similar story to most of the TG community, a life of doubt followed by years of collecting clothes and makeup then purging, being found out and rejected, deciding on life in the closet, then finally having no alternative but to embrace the feelings and then find some relief from the constant pressure from within. Sarah’s wife had allowed her to go so far but was not happy even being seen with her outside the house or the TG club rooms. Sarah hoped that this week they could go to the dinner on Friday night and she would feel safe to come along. Kerry told her story and how much she had grown in the last three months since being let out of prison. Sarah asked if Janet could call her wife and invite her along to the dinner on Friday. As they walked back towards the building the lunchtime crowd would not have seen anything unusual just a couple of girls returning from lunch. The rest of the day went quickly and as they left for home several of the guys said that they had to try harder on Tuesday, after all it was their organisation and they needed to support it fully.

By the time Kerry got home, the thrill of the day was only matched by the pain of the feet from the shoes she bought at the op-shop. Janet was there to greet her with questions about the others and how it went at work with the other team members. Over a cuppa Kerry talked about the different outfits that the guys had on and the ways that they choked when she was revealed. Then she spoke about the lunch meeting with Sarah and the request to invite her wife to the Friday dinner, Janet was a bit taken back by this but agreed to have a look at it over the next few days. It would be a big step to actually have another CD’s wife to talk to and could bring up more pain for herself. The story about Bill and the team meeting was the highlight of the stories and Kerry told Janet about all of the comments and funny looks she got before breaking the news. Janet could tell how much fun Kerry had during the day by how much detail she had remembered and wanted to talk about especially the way she got away without being ribbed about it. Dinner was late and as Kerry removed all of her makeup she found that looking back into the mirror was a face that was still very feminine and not at all the normal face she had grown up with. Tuesday’s outfit was going to be a slightly tighter skirt and blouse with jacket and more jewellery and earrings. It was an early night as Kerry was feeling tired and needed to get up early the next day.

Tuesday, the chance to flash some leg and see how far she could push the boundary, well at least make a dent in the fence. The shower shave and preparation time was much longer than Paul took especially when it came to the makeup, a touch more eye liner and shadow, more lipstick and gloss, then a waft of perfume. Of course the special K necklace that made a kind of statement that she was special and had to keep reminding herself of the facts. Kerry had chosen the red shoes to match her red blouse and although her feet would probably regret the choice her ego would definitely not. They made her legs look tighter and longer, the hairless surface and shiny stockings also helped and yes they were stockings today but no one was expected to see them yet.

The drive in was just like any normal day, watch the traffic, park the car, and then the walk through the car park, click clack of the heels. It was a sound that made her feel like a woman the right to wear heels and make a noise that drew attention to the legs. As Kerry got to the lift she was joined by Sarah, she had also lifted her game a bit and cleavage was the only word to describe her outfit.

“What did your wife think about this” asked Kerry as they entered the lift.

“Not much she was still in bed when I left today” said Sarah.

Sarah wanted to know what Janet had thought about the invite on Friday and if she was going to make the call as it was starting to bother Sarah but Kerry had no answer yet. The morning tea fashion parade was better today and the guys had all tried harder, on other floors the response had also been better but on one floor, Toni had really come out of the closet so to speak. Sarah brought her down at lunchtime and they all went back to the same lunch bar as yesterday.

Tony had been very cautious about being seen and had opted for the support badge on Monday until he had seen the fun that others had and especially Sarah and Kerry. Toni had been hurt previously at work and was aware of the cost to being tagged as TG in a not so understanding state. The response of management to encourage the fun helped her come out of the closet to some degree, and that she had done. Her clothes all spoke of quality and careful choice, they all fitted perfectly and matched in every way her hair had been done since Monday, her nails and makeup were perfect. Over lunch she shared her story of hurt at work and home and how the only place she went was to an understanding sister that had never married but kept a very nice house near the hills with a room just for Toni to visit. So last night she had raced up there and got the help she needed as well as the peace to dress properly before work. Her sister was going to attend the dinner on Friday with her as well. She wanted to know about Sarah and Kerry but time only allowed for a couple of quick comments before having to return to work. The walk back to work was quite quick as they had missed the clock, this would cause some comments about girls talking.

During the afternoon Kerry got an urgent email about some system errors that had occurred due to the latest upgrade she had installed at her client sites over the weekend. The only way to fix them was a site visit and roll back of two files and reset the permissions before reinstalling the files. Yes it had to be done quickly before too much data was lost. Kerry did the changes at the site and excused herself for the rest of the afternoon. How was she going to explain the clothes she thought as she left the car park and headed down the road to the first site, Bold and Beautiful, was the only way to go. Parking nearby she gathered up her laptop, poster and sponsorship book and headed into the office. No one in the foyer, electronic security swipe card to get into the admin floor and still no challenge, then her project manager for this site met her in the corridor.

“Can I help you with something?” said Bruce, more like an accountant than a person looking to help you.

“You sure can Bruce, place this on the front desk for me please” she said handing him the poster and sponsorship book.

He was stunned as he read the poster and looked back at Kerry until he had put two and two together and made more confusion than his little mind could take. By this time one of the accounting staff had come out of the office, saw the poster and screamed out for the others to come and see. Kerry waited for a full audience then twirled around for all to see and waved the sponsorship book. As she left to do the rollback and changes the floor had come to an entire stop, they had heard about the bold fundraiser that was going on but had assumed it would flop and they had no concept of how good a man cold look in a dress.

The second site was more industrial with a full time receptionist and sign in procedures, and escorts to various parts of the plant. As Kerry arrive she walked up to the receptionist and addressed her directly by name, Susan was taken aback as she was certain she had not met the person before. Kerry signed the visitors book and asked for her usual escort also by name.

“Sorry miss but I have no record of seeing you before” she said looking at Kerry.

“Yes you have Susan, read the log book” replied Kerry.

Susan’s face was motionless as she read the name, Paul, in the log book. John had been called to the foyer and introduced to Kerry, John was now very interested in the woman that needed his attention not realising that they had installed most of the accounting system together and even spent time at the pub drinking on Friday night after work.

Kerry just leaned closer and said “come on John its only me, Paul” and walked into the accounting department ahead of him.

Again the poster and sponsorship book was placed on the front area as the IT guys and admin staff came to look and ultimately to pay the price of a good show. The third site was closer to home and another not for profit client but in a different sector of the community. Likewise they had heard of the campaign and thought it was going to be a minor success given the number of sporting stars that had been co-opted to help in promoting the dinner on Friday night. Different site but same responses from people that Paul had worked with for over 15 weeks, they had to come and look and of course the price was made clear.

During the afternoon Kerry got a call from Sarah wanting to know about going out after work on Wednesday so they could all talk, Toni had offered her sisters place to freshen up and change if we wanted to. Just a small local café in the hills a few drinks and finish by nine so that it would mean home before 9:30pm, still early enough. Kerry called Janet to make sure that she was OK with the idea, it turned out she had been invited to one of those horrible party plans and now had no excuse to decline the invite and promised to get Kerry back for it. When Kerry got home it was the same questions, how did it go and who won the floor votes for best dressed. Kerry talked about Toni and how she had been hurt at her previous workplace, ostracised by family but ultimately made a great effort at work today. It was another early night after putting her hair into curlers and sitting in the lounge in her nightie and reading a book for a few hours. Quiet music and no TV, that’s television not transvestite.

Kerry had planned Wednesday as a black slacks, jacket and semi transparent blouse day, with her corset underneath to make an hourglass figure and accentuate the bust line. After all a girl has to put her best options forward. The competition was getting better each day as guys and girls engaged the help of family members to make a noticeable difference. Wednesday was half way in to the event so totals for sponsorships had started to be displayed, this was not a winnable event for Kerry as she saw it as far more fun than financial. Still the figures were looking very good for most of the people involved and the goal post was closer than last years event.

The local footy team had been on national TV wearing dresses and talking about player review nights etc, this had added to the media interest and they had booked a live cross just before the mid day news segment. Just before the crew arrived the PR manager came around and chose a few people to be part of the crowd scene. Along with five others, Toni, Sarah and Kerry had been selected and found no way to get out of the act. It would be local and lunchtime so minimal risk they thought, and it was for charity etc. The camera crew came along and the talking head was made-up and told where to stand. The lighting and camera team worked around her until it was time to start, then the PR manager called everyone to their places as backdrops. The camera guys were moving around looking for a good shot for the news reader to use as an intro frame. Then they found the three of the girls and the rest as they say is news. Lunch was provided and the staff all stood around and compared how each floor was going, who was trying the hardest and who was holding the most votes for Friday night. Somehow the three girls had all been glossed over as they tried to blend into the background and just enjoy the fun of leaving the closet for a week.

After work Toni had given them instruction to her sisters place in the hills, a short drive and then they arrived at a stunning country house with large gardens surrounded by hedges and rose gardens. The ideal place to retreat to when life got too hard or noisy, Toni’s sister Jacky, met each of the girls with the offer of cold drink or tea, very proper for the setting. Jacky had never married but loved her peace and quiet along with her brother Tony, or as she was known around her Toni. This was a safe zone where the outside was actually that, outside the hedge, far enough away that it could be dismissed. The house was larger than first impressions and had six double bedrooms and an ensuite, a large dining room and outdoor tennis and BBQ area behind another high hedge.

“Quite the country retreat” she said showing us around the place with our drinks in our hands, “it used to be a B&B before I bought it” said Jacky.

Toni excused herself first and went off to get changed as we finished our drinks and chatted with Jacky. Kerry was eager to find out why she was so supportive of her brother and allowed him free run of the place. It turns out that she had seen the hurt caused by the workplace disagreement and the rejection he had endured that brought him to the point of suicide before he finally spoke out to her one night. Jacky had moved quickly and placed injunctions on the company on the grounds of mental hardship and unfair treatment under the sexual discrimination acts. The out of court settlement was enough for Tony to settle down and regain some life before having to go back to work. Although it was never at the same salary level due to the impact on his professional standing, that’s why the n-f-p sector had snapped him up, the price was right and the pressure would be much less as well. Only one of his new bosses had any knowledge of the situation and promised not to disclose the facts since it made no difference on his working standard.

Sarah and Kerry were shown to areas where they could shower, shave and change before going out for dinner. The rooms had large dressing tables with makeup lights and space to layout their clothes, a room for each of them and a large double bed made up with quilts and pillows as if the owners had just stepped out for a moment. Kerry started to dream about the possibilities of the place and a midsummer night’s ball. Sarah knocked on the door and entered wearing a stunning red dress and black patent shoes and handbag, the evening was just warm enough to get away without a jumper she thought. Toni had changed into a short black dress with a slit up the back and panels of lace down the sides and a halter neck tied into a large bow that flowed down her back. She had put on stockings that had heels and seams sewn into them, Kerry made a note to get some as soon as she could. Kerry had chosen a dark brown handkerchief style of skirt with cream coloured flowing blouse and wrap around woollen shawl, not as glamorous but very country or peasant looking. With brown boots and a brown handbag she was still very ready to stand her ground. As the three of them came back into the lounge area Jacky made them stand and get photographed. It was at that moment that Sarah noticed the news report and their three faces large as life on the screen. The evening presenter had a few comments from other management people at the charity and more footage of the fashion styles followed by the sports stars and the information about tickets for the Friday dinner.

As they drove to the restaurant the concern was about how many people would put the faces together with knowing where they worked and make the connection. Kerry told them about meeting two friends at the cinema and not being read even after two minutes of close chatting and that was before the hair and nails. Sarah relaxed but could only think of her wife back home. Kerry’s mobile phone rang and Janet congratulated them on being news stars for 15 seconds, she wanted to know which one was the red head as she looked so good. Sarah was impressed and thanked her for the compliment hoping her wife would be so understanding.

The mid week crowd was very small so finding a table out of the way was easy as they sat down to order their drinks and meals. The background music was soft enough that Kerry could hear properly what was being said without having to strain or ask for it to be repeated. The drinks came with the garlic bread and Tapas plate so they had plenty of time to chat about their life stories and how they felt about being controlled or corrected by others that had no understanding of their special gifts. Toni started to talk about the feelings of suicide and the absolute lack of any hope for the future that had driven her to the edge. Sarah and Kerry understood where she had been and confessed that without help any of us could end up there. The need for support and people to talk with about our feelings without ridicule was essential, the concept of stop it now or else did nothing for the person fighting to come to grips with the issues in their own life.

Toni had a very supportive sister and Kerry mentioned how lucky she was, after all most siblings took delight in sticking it to the others with little mercy. Sarah wanted to know if something had helped Jacky become so helpful to Toni. Toni said that it was really her story and we should ask her directly one day as we would find it very interesting and she would be happy to share it with us. The dinner arrived along with more drinks and time between each course to allow for talking, the art of culinary delight is best served with time and we had plenty of things to talk about. It was as if each person had to get their story out onto the table before the chance was gone, before the clock struck twelve and the coach turned back into the pumpkin. Kerry was the first to mention how long it had been since she knew that she needed a special person to talk to, one that knew exactly what was going on in her head. Sarah and Toni just nodded and a small tear formed in Toni’s eyes as she spoke about the loneliness of being TG in a very harsh world.

The drinks got refilled as dessert came around on a wooden trolley that had four levels of cakes and pastries, tempting for any one that wasn’t watching her figure. Each of the girls thanked the waiter but declined as they had eaten enough to fill two people. As they drove back to Jacky’s place the mood was very relaxed, possibly due to the amount of wine or the amount of release they each felt after being able to talk about themselves to another person that understood. They thanked Jacky for her hospitality, who made it very clear that they could come up at anytime even if Toni was not going to be there or even stay overnight one day.

The drive back home for Sarah and Kerry was probably the same, Kerry mulled over the things she had said or heard and wished she had more time to chat. There was a sadness about the evening that could only be described as being out of sorts with your circumstances. The constant struggles and doubts, the comments by friends when anything about cross dressing or sex changes came on the tele, snide comments from people that did not know you were TG when a person of different sexual orientation walked along the street, they all ganged up on the individual to pull them down and break their resolve.

Thursday was a new day; Kerry had breakfast with Janet and caught up with the events of last night before getting ready to go to work. A quick check of her work email and she found a calendar reminder about the suppliers marketing web-cast at the office around lunch time, Sarah and Toni would have to go alone today. By this time Kerry had already gotten dressed and had no time to change into less provocative clothes. The very short and tight black skirt and partially see through white blouse with black lingerie and 4” heels was strictly show off material, not for street wear. She had planned on making the most of this week and didn’t want to miss anytime at all. Well, nothing for it they would just have to stare and try to concentrate on the web-cast.

The morning fashion parade was again ever increasing in quality and several new “girls” had stepped up to the mark, there must have been some serious pressure from home to make this work. The new ”guys” also had adopted facial hair, stuffed pillow wadding and even bad breath to make a point and lets not forget the obligatory rolled socks in the jocks trick. All up a very convincing group of people at all levels of the organization trying to have fun and make money for the charity. As far as we could tell no other t-girls came out of their closets but we watched very closely as we worked on each level of the building. Lunchtime approached so Kerry left messages about being away for two hours and left the building wearing a black jacket to cover the see through blouse.

Walking out of the lift at the main office she bumped into Bill coming out from the kitchen and made him spill his tea down his trousers, not a good thing to do to your boss. Kerry apologized but it was too late for his appearance given the timing of the web-cast and every staff member being present as they walked back into the office together. One of the guys who was not present on Monday asked why he had wet himself and looked at Kerry as if to ask who she was before stopping himself and thinking better of it. The web-cast seemed to go on forever and the air-conditioning was not coping with all the staff in one room so they became hot and sleepy at the same time. That was until Kerry took her jacket off without thinking and every guy sat up as did the girls who had been paying little attention to the technical discussion on data base design theory and the speed of processing. Suddenly Kerry was the centre of attention and even Bill had to remind them to focus on the web-cast and not Kerry’s breasts.

As soon as the meeting was finished Kerry stood up to leave but two of the girls pulled her back into the room, they had to know her secrets. The cleavage was too good for just padding and her waistline made them look fat, how had she done it without a lot of help. Kerry was concerned that they would twig to something that could cause a great mountain of pain for her and was not willing to go there. Kerry told them about her friend at the theatre group and special effects latex that could be moulded into any shape they needed, faces, scars, even boobs. The hair and nails had been a sponsorship that Janet had arranged and the clothes came from Janet’s wardrobe or the op-shops quality section. Since the girls had never been op-shopping before they could not argue with her so they just said how good she looked and could they have the boobs afterwards. Kerry just hedged that one she had no intention of giving away $450 worth of breast forms just to hide her secret hobby.

The rest of the day flashed by as everyone was getting excited about the dinner and talking about what they had bought or hired to wear. Kerry just kept quiet about her dress and so did Sarah and Toni, a girl has to have some secrets to surprise the guys with. On the way home Kerry dropped into the salon to get her hair set ready for the next day, the owner could not believe how good she looked, I guess the blouse made impressions everywhere. A quick check of the nails and she was ready to go home, this time no one had laughed or even taken any notice of her, just another girl getting a trim and tidy up. Janet was late home since she had to pick up her new gown for the dinner dance and get Kerry’s from the dry cleaners. They prepared dinner, talked about the daily activities and finally crashed into bed around 9 pm, Friday was going to be a major event and create pressure to get there on time.

The next morning Kerry rose early, showered, shaved and put on her makeup ready for work before Janet was even out of bed. She had chosen the slacks again today but with the red jumper and red high heels this would make sure she did not get too many votes at work, Bill had told her to make sure she did not win. Janet had agreed to book an overnight room in the hotel and save driving home after work or risking a fine for DUI, it was going to be a long night and they wanted to enjoy it. Toni also asked if she could use the hotel room as well just to get ready and Janet had accepted after knowing about her loneliness and the great host her sister had been. Sarah and her wife had made plans to get there by taxi and they would all share a table rather than sit with the other people we worked with. When you find someone that understands you want to spend time with them. Jacky was coming in after work and would be slightly later so she could have the room to herself to get ready while the rest went to the cocktail party. Janet was planning on taking the gowns and bags containing the essentials such as makeup to the hotel ready for their arrival later in the day.

As each person entered the office they received a special award from the CEO to show his appreciation for being good sports and joining in with the fun along with some special vouchers from places like Price Attack and Bras n Things, offers from Witchery and Katie's for discount and a special one for high quality makeup at trade price for the first order. Kerry put those straight into her bag, Janet was not going to get those offers after the effort she had put it. The morning fashion parade was even better than any other day with little snacks and drinks being served by wait staff in costumes, nice little French Maids outfit thought Kerry. The workload was never going to be great today but several items had to be finished ready for Monday morning testing so Kerry had to really push herself. The lunchtime was a working lunch as many sections had agreed to finish half an hour earlier to allow more time for preparation for the nights activities.

So by four in the afternoon everyone was getting a little bit too excited and going from desk to desk asking what everyone had planned to wear etc. The bosses decided to close the office earlier than agreed and let everyone go home to prepare for the nights activities. Toni and Kerry drove over to the hotel and Kerry booked into her room under the name of Paul since the credit card was in his name, he should have thought about that. The counter staff had been briefed that they may see some right sights tonight but Kerry and Toni were hard to believe as they looked so good.