As things return to normal after the Cross Dress for Red Cross ball a mother seeks help for her confused son and also for herself. University can be a trying place in both meanings of the word, a time for new things and stressful as well.

Paul was visiting the client site one Thursday when a woman came up to him and asked if she could talk to him in private, he remembered it was the same woman that had spoken to him about her son. Sue opened a door into a spare interview room with glass panels and offered Paul a seat as she put a folder on the table. Sue told Paul about her son again and asked if there was anyone he could talk to that would help him. Paul had assumed it was related to homosexuality but it turned out to be gender issues instead and her son was nearly twenty years old and studying at university. Sue had found him wearing her clothes one day and since then he had made no comment about it but had started being very secretive about where he was going and never seemed to have any money left. Paul remembered the pattern but had little ability in counselling anyone about being TG let alone a young person. Sue put several printed sheets from the internet on the table and slid them towards Paul. They included the typical TG medical comments from specialists and forum groups that she had found in the history folder of Internet Explorer on the family computer. Sue had a better than average understanding of the concepts but no contact with any TG people to ask for help until she saw the girls at work then at dinner on Wednesday night after the event, finally putting things together. Paul offered to talk with her son and her if they wanted but only if they both agreed. It was two days before she rang Paul’s mobile and asked about the next evening which was surprisingly free for Paul who asked if Kerry and Toni could come along.

As they drove up to the house the next night the girls had agreed to let Kerry take the lead and Toni would add help with questions. Sue answered the door and led the girls into the lounge where her son, Graham was sitting with his arms crossed until they walked in, clearly not happy to be there. Sue introduced the girls and Graham stood to shake their hands and then his face changed as he saw two very well presented girls instead of guys in dresses. Sue went off to make drinks while Graham offered them seats, Kerry saw that he had questions running through his head that were ready to burst out at any minute but suggested that he wait for Sue to come back so that they could all hear the same things.

After the drinks had been served Kerry asked Graham to just talk about how he was feeling about himself without asking questions. He found it slow going as Sue was listening but Kerry thought that without a father in the picture Sue needed to be present for their protection. Graham talked about being outside of the gang at school and never enjoying the typical guy things, having doubts about being a girl in the wrong body, then finding the soft touch of his mother’s clothes and the rest he said was history, albeit very recent history. Kerry and Toni recognised the pattern of limited male role modelling, relating with females more than males and the one that every TG seemed to come up with, the moment they touched the wrong side of the wardrobe. Graham then asked the girls how they had got started, it was a very similar story for Toni and Kerry except to current situation, Toni was transitioning Kerry wasn’t, yet.

Kerry took the lead again and asked Graham how far he had gone with dressing but got very little from Graham due to Sue’s presence. “Graham, it may be hard to talk about this but at the moment your mother has more fears due to the unknown, it would help to reduce her fears if you can let her know” said Kerry.

“How many clothes have you got” asked Kerry, “not many, just a few bits from the op-shop bag mum had meant to put out” started Graham. “What about underwear” asked Kerry.

“Just some undies and an old bra” Graham slowly said reluctant to mention the unmentionables. “I do have some nice shoes though and of course I bought some really nice pantyhose from Woollies last week” Graham’s tone lifting slightly.

“Have you thought about a suspender belt and stockings” asked Toni who just had to be involved. Sue wondered why men would want to wear something that she had gladly stopped wearing over twenty years ago when pantyhose became the norm. Graham’s face had lit up as Toni also mentioned the corset that Kerry had bought a few months ago at a very low price of $45 or so. Sue just sat here and listened as the three went through the types of clothing and underwear, shoes and hosiery, makeup and wigs.

Graham had taken all of the gear and moved them into a spare room at a university friend’s house where he had a key and opportunity to come and go as he pleased. The set up was far from good as the house held regular parties that were not his scene and he said so in front of his mum. Kerry wanted to find out how far Graham was thinking of going as the approach would change with the destination, so she asked outright “where do you think this will end?”

Graham thought for a while then looked at Sue as if wondering how she would take it. He only knew what he liked and not how it was working out, the secretive actions and not being able to talk with his mum. Sue moved closer and held his hand as his face lowered and he stared at her asking for help with the wet eyes that had filled his face.

Sue had a moment to think then said “You are my own flesh and blood, I gave birth to you as Graham but if you want to become a girl I would rather have a daughter than no one at all, it is all your choice I will love you whatever happens”

Her language was stilted but she had never thought of losing her son and was not sure how to say that she loved her son so much and had felt the pain of not being able to talk to him about a critical area of his life. The girls left them talking for a while then Toni’s phone rang, it was Jacky wanting to know how it had gone assuming that the talk would have been over by now. When Toni rejoined the group the mother and son were sitting very close together on the settee holding hands with a pile of tissues on the table. Kerry had gone into the kitchen and put the kettle on again to give them space, she was returning with fresh drinks for everyone.

Jacky and Toni had already made some changes at the Manor and set aside a backroom as a wardrobe and dressing room, the bedrooms had been left intact with the older style furniture and artworks except for Toni’s room that contained his computer equipment and work area. As the four settled down with their new drinks Kerry asked how Sue felt if Graham moved his gear back home, would she let him dress around the house? Sue had only one child due to a failed teenage marriage and feared losing the only joy in her life so the choice was an easy one to make, today at least, Graham hugged her again. Toni asked Graham if he had read about Makeovers on the web and if he had thought of having one? Graham had read about people that included them in their biographies but hadn’t read about them in Australia.

Kerry suddenly realized where Toni was going, “how would you like to have one this weekend?” asked Toni.

“How, where, how much” was all Graham could get out, Toni told them about the Manor and the offer that Jacky had just made over the mobile phone. Sue and Graham could come up for the Saturday afternoon and stay for dinner if they wanted as test dummies for the new venture they had planned. Sue took the lead for once and said that she would love to come with Graham and be part of the action if Graham wanted her there. Graham would have to bring his own lingerie but apart from that the cost would be nothing, something a uni student appreciated.

Toni gave them the address and said that 2pm would be fine and could Graham have a really good shave before coming up to the Manor. Sue was still holding her son’s hand as they walked to the door to let the girls out; she thanked them both for helping them and closed the door. Kerry and Toni drove back to Toni’s unit in the city talking about the Manor and what had been planned, Kerry was invited but it would depend on Janet’s workload and calendar.

Sue and Graham spent the next day talking about so much as Graham moved his gear back into the home and into the spare bedroom. Sue looked at the sad collection of clothes he had and decided that two things had to happen, she took him into her room and sat him on the bed, “what do you like in my wardrobe?” she asked.

He liked the simpler designs but also the brighter multi layered effect that was becoming so common this year. Sue dragged out some clothes from a separate wardrobe, the one that she had outgrown and thought could still fit Graham who was smaller than her. “You can have all of these if you want” said Sue. Graham could not help but hug his mother and then started to go through the wardrobe, something he had done regularly while Sue was at work. He knew exactly what fitted and what looked good on him.

Sue then said that he needed to have some nice underwear if he was going to have a makeover and photo shoot. She asked about having a shopping day on Thursday, which was a rostered day off (RDO) for her, he was at the end of this year's exams so it was only his summer work that could make a difference. Graham asked how they could buy stuff without him trying it on or drawing attention to himself, Sue had thought about it and suggested that she do all of the talking and say that she was shopping for her twin daughter that was coming home after losing her belongings in a civil war in Africa, Graham was there just for size as his sister was the same build when she had left. Sue asked Graham what name he wanted to be called when he was en-femme, Graham had thought about this before and decided keeping the initials the same would help so he chose Grace since he thought he would also need some.

On Thursday Graham and Sue took time getting ready to shop, Graham had already started to think about the weekend and had made a list of things he wanted to buy including new shoes. The plan was to go to another suburb and find a department store for the basics and then try the local chain stores for some specials and then the specialist stores for the unusual things that Sue had planned without Graham knowing about. The department store had bulk underwear on special, 25% off, Sue’s concept of underwear and Graham’s was different but Graham kept quiet being too nervous to say anything.

Sue saw the lack of interest as being shyness until she walked over to the dresses when Graham suddenly chose a nice summer outfit and said “Grace would probably look good in this.”

Sue mentioned that it would be a good choice if Grace had some nice shoes to go with it, “and probably some nice underwear” said Graham.

Sue just looked at him and then decided to go back into the lingerie section, “what do you think Grace would like?” she asked. He reached into the pile of silk pants, bra and camisole sets and chose a nice pale pink set. Sue got the idea and selected a few more bits while Graham had walked off to look at nighties. As he returned he held up a set of baby dolls that had “Grace” written on them in sprinkles.

“I think Grace would look cute in these” he said as he smiled. By the end of an hour they had underwear and a summer outfit along with some basic makeup supplies and a set of stick on nails. The shoes section had not created any excitement for Grace, who was trying to get involved in the decision making so it would be off to a shoe store but more risk for Graham.

The shoe shop was empty but very visible from the main mall area and Graham froze as he recognized one of his uni classmates serving in the shop. Too late, Sue had already entered and was looking at shoes when the young girl came up and asked if she needed help.

Graham stepped up quickly and said “Hi Jen, this is my mum we are shopping for my sister, Grace”, yes it sounded corny but he was spooked. Sue covered and talked about Grace coming home from Africa and losing all of her clothes, just as they had discussed.

Jen asked what size she was and what style would she need “she was a size 9 before she left so I guess that she hasn’t changed” said Sue. They bought a pair of white low heels, a pair of black 2” heels and a pair of sneakers that had yellow edging around the top.

Paying for them Sue headed for the car with their shopping bags and shoes., while Graham wanted to know if they had finished for the day. At the car Sue explained that they needed to try on the sizes before they bought some of the other things she had planned and after all it was lunchtime. As they got home Sue told Graham to go into the bedroom and try on one set of underwear and the dress and shoes, fancy being told by your mum to dress up, a dream come true for Graham. The bra was loose but then he would need padding, the nickers and camisole were about right, he stepped into the dress slid the zip up to the top as he looked in the mirror to see the effect of turning around. Then he slipped the black shoes on and felt the change in his calf muscles, the look was still of a guy in a dress but he could feel the excitement building up.

Sue knocked on the door and asked if she could come in, Graham had expected this at some time today but was he ready for it? Sue came in and checked the fit and length of the dress without comment, the shoes fitted well but the bra definitely needed something extra, and so did the legs.
Sue left the room and came back in with a blonde wig in her hands “this is something I bought for a party years ago and never thought it would be used again” she handed it to Graham. He put it on his head, she had also brought a pair of cheap foam breast forms and told Graham how to put them in place and left the room. The image in the mirror took another major change and his excitement climbed again.

Sue called to him to follow her into her bedroom and sit at her dressing table, she turned the makeup lights on and Graham had a fair idea what was about to happen, however Sue made him turn away from the mirror. She started with a coat of moisturiser to prepare the face and then a solid cover of foundation to make a blank canvas that would carry the masterpiece. Graham’s eyes were brown and with light eye brows they could be easily made to appear to be a different shape by using colour so the eye brows had a darker brown and given an arch. The eye liner made an outline that drew attention to the brown eyes and held the viewers attention. Sue gave Grace a coat of blusher on the cheek bones and then her lipstick, just a gentle colour to highlight the mouth. After around 30 minutes the face that looked back from the mirror was only slightly noticeable as Graham but Grace was by far the dominant feature.

Sue stepped out of the room to let her son come to terms with the new face that was obviously far more than he had done before. She made a cuppa and some sandwiches before calling to Grace that lunch was ready and to come out into the kitchen. As Grace stepped through the door Sue saw a complete change in her flesh and blood, she now had a daughter that looked very good and surprisingly confident. Sue got her to turn around and show off the outfit and shoes before sitting down with a thump, another thing to work on she thought.

Sue looked at her new daughter and the thoughts of the birth of Graham came easily to her mind, the feeling of disappointment when the doctor said about her healthy little boy. Her partner had left just before the birth saying that he had made a mistake and could not handle a family, since then she had not seen or heard from him. Bringing up her son was hard and they often had to go without but they had each other and that was the most important thing.

Lunch was over quickly and Sue asked about finishing the shopping episode, Grace stood up to get changed but Sue stopped her and said “there’s no need to change you look fine and it will make shopping easier.”

Panic attack, sweat, shaking and just about wetting himself, Graham stood hoping for his mum to say “just joking” but she wasn’t. “Do you want to do this or not, it’s your decision, in or out?” she told him, “you look every part like a normal young woman, even I would have trouble picking you.”

Grace wanted to go out but Graham wanted to stay safe, Sue grabbed her bag and a spare one for Grace and picked up the car keys, “come on you’ll be fine I’ll look after you” she said. If he could split in two it would have happened at that moment, Grace won the argument and they headed or the car.

As she drove back to the suburb where they had been shopping Sue told Grace all about the things she needed to watch and mimic, how to get out of the car, how to walk, how to carry the bag. The best advice she gave her was to copy the other girls and then she would just blend in, most people did not see others when they shopped. University was on summer break for the next 3 months but the schools still had a couple of weeks to go so floor traffic was still fairly low for the start of December. Sue parked the car in an area near the outside shops so they could walk around outside while Grace got her legs, so to speak. Grace opened the car door and stepped out just like Graham would, Sue resisted saying anything but would bring it up later. Looking around Grace could see several hundred people that she was sure were all looking directly at her, Sue saw a few dozen people walking around only looking in windows or talking to each other. She handed Grace the handbag that she had left in the car and took her by the arm to lead her towards the shops, her plan was to just walk and window shop and let Grace feel at ease before going inside the mall.

Over the next ten minutes Sue gave a running commentary on how to walk like a lady, made Grace look in the windows and check the reflections to prove that no one cared less. Grace began to relax and eventually started to look at what was in the window rather than just stare at the image on the glass. After several minutes Sue had steered them to one of the mall entrances, Grace had been talking about what she wanted to look at and didn’t notice until she was inside the mall.

Sue had made a mental list of the things Grace would need over the next few months of Uni holidays, more underwear, shoes, skirts, tops, a pair of jeans, this was going to be fun for her as well as Grace. They went back to the department store and headed back to the lingerie section and selected some more bits that Grace liked. The skirts were more mature than Grace wanted and said as much but the variety of tops and her total lack of anything made shopping easy. A quick look at the longer dresses and Grace chose a really nice pale blue and dark blue splashes that made her look thinner due to the belt that created a tighter waste. Sue chose a sweater and cardigan that would go with it and Grace selected another much shorter black dress with halter neck top and plunging back, everyone needs an LBD. By the time they got to the checkouts they had a substantial pile of clothes and Sue’s credit card was about to take a battering but her joy at finally seeing her daughter was outweighing the cost.

They had several bags and Sue suggested that they drop them off into the car before continuing their shopping day. Several minutes later they had returned and started walking down the mall, Grace entered Westcoast, a shop that sold far more modern clothing, jeans and tops. Sue told the assistant that they just wanted to look for a while so they could talk about the choices Grace made, denim short skirt, tight t-shirt, a pair of jeans that would sit on her hips and loose long sleeved top with ties that would go just under her bust. Grace headed for the change rooms with Sue nearby asking to see them on her, the rooms had individual doors and a common area for walking around in so Grace felt fairly safe.

The denim skirt and T-shirt were the first she wanted to try on so she carefully took off the dress making sure she didn’t smudge her makeup of knock the wig off. Opening the changing room door and stepping into the common area Sue saw a young girl that would have to be watched, good legs and nice shape, even if most of it was padding. The smile of Grace’s face showed she liked the outfit so Sue told her to try on the other bits, another few minutes and then a stunning young girl appeared again. With the right shoes both outfits would be fantastic so while Grace finished getting dressed and checking her makeup Sue made the purchases and waited for her daughter.

There were several shoe shops in the centre so they avoided the one that Jen worked in and headed for another one, different names same shoes, better prices. Grace was getting the hang of shopping and had relaxed enough to just go and look at anything she was interested in buying rather than wait for Sue to choose stuff. Grace wanted a pair of 3” heeled strappy shoes that would make her look good in the jeans as well as a pair of boots to wear on his bike with the jeans. A young girl came up asking if she could be of any help, she looked at Grace as if something was not quite right.

“Sorry to stare but did you go to the local high school a few years ago?” she asked Grace. It was then that the penny dropped for Graham, this was a girl that he had gone out with once or twice. Sue heard the dialogue and waited to see how Grace would react.

“I’ve only just arrived here, you must be thinking of someone else, sorry” Grace said only half convincingly.

The girl dropped the question and asked what size she needed and if there was any particular design that caught her fancy. Sue breathed again, her daughter had survived a full frontal assault and kept her calm. Grace pointed out the boots she wanted to try on and the girl went off to get them out of the storeroom as Sue sat down next to Grace and took hold of her shaking arm.

“Just keep going, you look fine” Sue told her and kept hold of her arm as Grace slipped the white shoes off ready for the boots. The boots came halfway up the leg and with a dress on looked off but the fit was good and when she stood up the extra heel height made her legs stretch and she felt herself leaning backwards to balance. Sue asked the young shop assistant to get Grace a pair of black 3.5” patent shoes to match the LBD that Grace had bought earlier.

Grace stood up again and walked around carefully, it became easier and she gained her footings but the look was not good. Grace asked if she could go and get changed into the jeans and top so that she could try on the boots, she grabbed the clothes bag and headed off to the toilets. She found the family toilet that was also the disabled toilet and chose to use it rather than risk the ladies. Once inside she quickly changed into the jeans and loose top, checked her hair and returned to the shoe shop. Sue was amazed at the growing confidence level of Grace and how quickly she was making the change. The boots looked much better with the jeans and top so this was an easy choice, the black heels also looked good with jeans but she still wanted a pair of wedges or sandals with heels that would show off her polished toes. Still wearing the black shoes she went for a walk around the shop looking but not quite finding what she wanted, they still had another four shops to try so it wasn’t the end of the world.

Sue paid for the boots and black pair while Grace opted to keep them on for the rest of the shopping trip little knowing how much her legs and feet would be hurting by the time they got home. Across the aisle was another shop with similar designs and after a quick look they left still looking for the elusive pair of sandals. Sue asked Grace about earrings since she had one it would look better with two in each ear or at least one in each ear. Grace had no problems with the suggestion and so headed into one of the smaller accessory shops that had piercing on offer. Grace had always wanted more than a single stud but had wondered about being seen as gay, which he wasn’t, just slightly confused in his gender.

With a nice pair of earrings in place and studs in the second pair of holes they left the shop with some small items of jewellery and a belt that would match the jeans and one of the tops they had bought in the morning. Sue was quite pleased with the type of clothes Grace had chosen, they would all mix and match, except for that very very short denim skirt. Sue asked if it was time for a cuppa yet as they had been out for over two hours so they found a small coffee shop and ordered Latte’s and sat at a table. Sue asked Grace how she was going with everything; the smile on her face said far more than Sue heard. Grace told her that this was something she had wanted to do for over six years since she had understood the situation with her feelings of needing to dress up. Sue just listened as Grace talked about her love of clothes and shoes that was now being released since the girls had come around and talked to both of them about being TG and coping with the feelings. Sue was really enjoying her time out with Grace and said so, that made Grace feel happier as she was unsure of how her mum was handling seeing her son change so much.

They finished their drinks and were about to stand up to continue shopping as Jen came into the coffee shop for a take away coffee and spotted them both. Jen stopped and said hello to Sue and was about to say hello to Grace, “are you Graham’s sister?” she asked Grace.

The change on her face made Graham freeze, she had seen straight through the makeup and clothes, “Graham, what are you doing, why, what” she had to sit down.

Jen was a good friend at Uni and would be going back next year to the same classes as Graham, there was no choice but to talk to her and try to get her onside. They talked for a few minutes then asked when she would be finished today and would she like to come around for dinner after work and they could talk without being overheard.

As Jen stood to leave she kissed Grace and said “it’s alright I won’t tell anyone, see you tonight at seven” and then she left.

Grace sat down heavily and slumped onto the table, Sue ordered another coffee for each of them so they could talk about Jen and how to handle it. The decision was to be upfront and let Jen ask questions afterwards, it would be a hard time but better handled in private than at Uni where Graham would be embarrassed.

The rest of the afternoon was mainly window shopping except Sue went to her hair salon and asked about nails for Grace, it would be around $80 for them and Sue wanted to know how long Grace would be able to keep them on but it would look good for the makeover on Saturday afternoon at the Manor. An hour later Grace had a set of Acrylics that were painted with bright pink and so were her toes, a matching set that would look good with the sandals if she ever found them.

On the way out they walked past Jen’s shop and spotted her looking out of the shop, she waved them into the shop to talk. Jen took hold of Grace’s hand and said how she loved the new nails, then asked her what sort of shoes she was looking for. Jen then disappeared out back and came out with a pair of gold trimmed wedges that had ankle straps and about 3” heels, she made Grace sit down and fitted the shoes on her feet and did up the straps just like any other female client. The jeans sat just on the top of the shoes and Grace had the look she wanted, the price was around $99 but Jen told her not to think about the price as she had managers discount privileges. As Sue paid for the shoes Jen said that she was looking forward to dinner with Grace and waved goodbye. Grace felt much better as they left the shopping centre for the car park and a trip home.

Sue went via one of the smaller shopping areas because she knew that a specialist shop had opened a few years back but one that she hoped she would ever have to use. The shop was in a medical area and dealt with the needs of ladies that had been treated for breast surgery and provided breast forms that could be used fulltime. Pulling up outside she asked Grace if she wanted to come in but she declined the offer, too much too soon she thought. Sue went into the shop and talked with the sales staff, several minutes later she came out carrying a bag that was sealed, she put it into the backseat and drove home.

They pulled into their parking garage and slowly carried all of the bags into the house, making a decision not to add up the dockets was very smart thinking for Sue. Grace took all of the bags into the spare room that was now set aside for her use, the wardrobe was slowly filling up and the dresser drawers starting to fill up with all sorts of frilly and silky items. She laid out the makeup and jewellery things on the dresser top and had to keep reminding herself about being careful with the nails she now had, as they would cause runs in the new pantyhose she had in the drawers. When everything had been unpacked and put out on the bed the only thing she felt was a sense of joy, the shoes, skirts, dresses and tops had been her choices and she knew that they would get plenty of wear.

Sue came into the room just in time to see Grace wiping away the tears from her face, Sue gave her a hug and they just stood there both crying tears of joy and release. Sue had started to pour a bath and told Grace to strip off everything and go into his bathroom and wait for her. With the wig off and only makeup existing Sue showed how to remove makeup and then handed over a bottle of hair removal cream, Graham had never been hairy and with very fair hair it wouldn’t show anyway. The instruction said apply to the hairy part, leave for ten minutes then stand under the shower, so he did just as it said. When he finally looked down at the plug hole it was clogged with fine blonde hair from all over his body and only his pubic area was sort of intact, he had gone too close and it looked more like a Mohawk than a triangle.

Sue called to see if she could come into the bathroom, he hung a towel around his waist as she entered, she had finished pouring a bath in her bathroom and told him to go and get into the warn water and relax for a while. The smell was Rose and the candles around the room gave a sense of the feminine nature she was adopting so Grace slipped back and relaxed n the water. Sue had added bubble bath lotion into the water and scented oil to the candles, the glass of wine Sue had left for him just completed the feelings. About half an hour later and the water was getting cold so Sue said that it was time to get out, dry and come into the spare room.

Sue had put a pair of pants in the bathroom for Grace to put on after the bath and to wear a bathrobe instead of the towel. As Grace came into the spare room she could see the surprise that Sue had bought for her at the specialist shop, a set of high quality breast forms and medical glue. Sue told her to lay down on the bed and open the bathrobe, she applied glue to the forms and very carefully placed the forms on Grace’s very smooth chest and told her not to move for 2 minutes. The glue would last for several days and even without a bra they would hold in place. Grace stood up and then felt the weight pull down her chest muscles and then bounce as she moved around. Sue told her to cover herself up and handed her a bra from the matching set, Graham had a basic idea about getting them off but not putting them on without a heap of effort so Sue gave her daughter advice. Sue handed her a small waist cincher from her own drawers and left the room reminding Grace to tuck everything away properly, which she knew about from the web.

Sue returned a few minutes later carrying her own makeup kit as Grace was looking in the mirror holding her new breasts, “nice girls don’t play with them dear” she laughed.

“But I have only just got them mum” said Grace and blushed slightly.

“Alright, what do you want to wear tonight when Jen comes around for dinner?” asked Sue. Grace had been thinking about the denim skirt but thought better of it she didn’t want to scare Jen away.

“How about a dress and the wedges, nice and comfortable and not over the top” suggested Sue.

“OK I’ll save the denim for another day” laughed Grace.

It took a full hour for Sue to tell Grace about applying makeup and how to hide basic male aspects of her face, then the wig was placed on her head and the earrings back into the ears. Grace wanted Sue to make her eyes more pronounced than during the day, then a final styling of the wig to suit her face and Sue thought it was time to reveal the new look and removed the cover from the mirror. Grace stood up and looked at herself in the full-length mirror, the legs looked longer the waist thinner, the face brighter, Grace abounded.

Sue had prepared a simple dinner for them and Jen, it included pasta and salad followed by a light cheesecake and some ginger biscuits with coffee. Jen arrived just before seven and knocked at the front door, Grace went and let her in still quite apprehensive about the night. Jen handed over a bottle of wine to Sue and thanked her for the invite for dinner, it was always a long day on Thursday and food was the last thing she took care of so an evening out was good. Over dinner they talked generally about Uni and the course they both were doing, what they expected for end of year grades and what they had planned after Uni. The job market was very good and they could make serious money in the right sector if they were prepared to fly in on a roster basis.

When dessert had been finished Grace felt she had to start the talk about the elephant in the room, her being in a dress. She started at the beginning and slowly covered the last six years and then the last week in detail and especially today. Jen just sat there and listened taking it all in without comment until Grace stopped and asked her what she thought about what was said. Jen grew up in a country school and had a friend that was gay and had been the brunt of many bad jokes during school until she finally committed suicide after too much pain. The school had kept it quiet and the media had been convinced to stay silent on the matter in an attempt to help the family come to terms with the loss and for the school to create policies that could help those in need of counselling. Jen was not put off by Grace and in fact related so well with Graham that the difference was only the clothes, somehow the clothes became a non-event. Jen said that she would love to have a friend that she could take shopping and go out for movies or dinner with especially one that looked as good as Grace.

Jen had only one question for Grace, “are you going to stay as Grace all summer break?” and “what about next year at Uni?” Neither Sue nor Grace had spoken about this even if Grace had silently made several plans today.

“What do you think, mum?” asked Grace.

Sue had dreaded this question but suddenly the look on her daughters face, the joy of the days shopping and seeing her come out of her shell the decision became easier.

“I am happy for Grace or Graham to live here, it is totally up to you dear” she said, “”you are free to choose, what about Grace until Uni goes back then you can decide how much Grace Time you have after that.” If the amount of joy in a person could be measured the scale would have been blown out as Grace hugged her mum.

Even Jen was effected and wanted desperately to hug Grace and show her support, she would have someone to go out with and talk with over the summer break without being hit on. Grace turned around to see Jen sitting there looking lost and naturally opened her arms to give Jen a hug, the tears flowed for many minutes as the pain of losing her friend came back and poured out. She had not really come to a point of letting go of all that happened at school since it was squashed so quickly and now it just flowed.

Over coffee they all talked about what Christmas had in store for them, Jen had to work both sides of Christmas day so travelling 1200km back to home was out of the question and she would probably just find a movie and eat at home. The noise of protest was nearly as loud as the sound of the joy metre being smashed earlier on, Sue would not hear of it and there would be a place at the table for her and a gift under the tree, she was expected to attend and that was that.

Jen had to work the next morning as did Sue so they cleared the table and Jen left by ten o’clock. It had been a long day for them all so Grace went and cleaned her makeup off and hung up all of her new clothes in the spare room. The baby dolls were the only things left out as she got ready for bed, Sue came into the room and found Grace minus makeup standing there in the nightwear and her new chest, she kissed her good night and went off to bed. Sleep comes easier when you are either exhausted or at peace, both applied tonight and Grace fell asleep very quickly. It wasn’t until Sue knocked on the door and said that she was on her way to work that Grace stirred and looked at the clock.

Summer break was meant for work experience but this year they had only vacancies for limited numbers in the town as all work had gone to the country sites. Graham had tried but found it easier to commit to extra studies instead based on home and Uni library work plans and it would give him the credits he needed to finish ahead of time. Around 9am Grace surfaced and went to look into the mirror to make sure the dream was real, the boobs still sat there and jiggled as she moved, the nails hurt as she scratched her male parts, no it wasn’t a dream just a dream come true.

A shower and shave then makeup time, after 30 minutes the face was a bad look and she decided to remove it and start again, three attempts and she finally had a face that was half real. The wig helped and when she went to the wardrobe it was the denim skirt that cried out for attention, tight t-shirt and boots made a very interesting image. The image was more like a young boys wet dream than a young woman, not really what she felt comfortable in if she had to answer the door. Grace changed into the jeans and a coloured top and the belt around her waist, black heels and earrings and she thought she was ready to do the housework. It was the agreement with Sue that every Friday was housework day and that meant Grace had to clean the house, do the washing and the shopping. The first two parts were easy and finished within four hours so after lunch Grace had a decision to make, change or shop by herself. Grace won out as Graham was slowly being tied up and left at home.

Instead of choosing the normal shopping centre Grace drove over to where Jen worked intending on dropping in to see her. It was Jen’s meal break as Grace arrived so they went off to the coffee shop and she ordered a sandwich and juice while Grace ordered coffee. Jen was obviously very happy to see Grace and said that she had trouble sleeping last night after all the things she had heard about Graham’s life and the birth of Grace. Jen wanted to thank Sue for inviting her to share Christmas with them and had sent a card in the post this morning before work.

“Who did your makeup today” she asked Grace, surprised that it was Grace’s first real attempt and told her that it was very subtle and made her look good. Grace had always enjoyed talking with Jen as she had a way of making people feel welcome and at ease, she would make a good production manager one day. Jen only had a short break but would finish work at 6pm and wanted to go out for drinks and a meal if Grace was game for it. Grace said that Jen would have to look after her if they got into trouble but agreed that it would be good to go out somewhere not too loud. Jen planned on wearing a short skirt, blouse, and heels and would pick up Grace at around 7pm she reminded her to change her makeup for evening wear as they might go out to a club afterwards.

Then Grace was on her own to do the food shopping and pay some bills at the post office. What to wear out was nagging her all the afternoon until she found herself looking into the window of a shop trying to see if they had anything worth buying. They had a mannequin dressed in a short black skirt and black semi translucent silk blouse that looked her size but it had no colour. Grace found herself inside just browsing around the racks and touching the clothes half dreaming and half looking at the clothes. An older sales person came up and asked if she saw anything she liked, it shook Grace out of the dream state and it took a few seconds to answer.

After a few trials she had chosen the black skirt a metallic one piece that looked like a pair of bathers but felt so good and a light grey cardigan and metallic belt. The look was very modern and Grace felt so totally female in it the only thing missing was matching handbag. As the sales staff finished adding it all up and packing it into the bag she asked for Grace’s credit card. Problem time, it was in the name of Graham and Grace hadn’t stopped to think about it until it was too late. The woman looked at the card then at Grace not sure if she should ask but decided that proper process was to ask. Grace went red and panicked, she looked as guilty as sin, as her mother would say. The only choice was to tell the truth and live another day, she said that her real name was Graham and the only way she could prove it was if the woman asked Jen in the shoe shop next door. Security could be there in two minutes if she was telling lies so she asked Grace to follow her next door to Jen’s shop.

When Jen saw Grace being almost escorted into her shop she knew something was up, the sales person explained that there had been an identity concern and could she confirm who the person was. Jen quietly said "that it was either Graham or Grace depending on what was being asked for and that she had known him for nearly two years at Uni."

The older woman just shook her head and said thank you and walked back next door with Grace following behind her. The docket was finalised and the card handed back. Grace was just a little shaken but had enough sense to ask if she could come back again without causing the same amount of trouble. The sale person looked at the docket value and decided that her commission on the sale was well worth the trouble and said to ask for her if she wanted to use that credit card again. Grace left carrying her first shopping purchases.

Grace quickly stepped into Jen’s store before going straight home, they would have to solve the card issue quickly before the police got called. By the time Sue arrived home from work her dinner was on the table, the house clean and Grace sitting in the bath soaking. Sue poured a drink from the fridge and knocked on the door to her own bathroom, Grace said she could come in as the bubbles covered everything real. It was an unusual sight to see Grace in the bath, boobs sticking out of the bubbles, makeup on but the wig sitting near the bath. The face that only a mother could love and Sue did love her son and daughter in whatever form they came.

Sue asked about how Grace had filled the day and listened to the story of the credit card and being rescued by Jen, and oh yeah, they had made plans for the night but would be home before it was too late. Sue went back into the kitchen and ate her dinner and waited for Grace to come out. She had time to eat, do the dishes and even listen to the evening news before Grace had finished getting ready. Sue’s jaw dropped as Grace came out in the short black skirt, the silver one piece, the grey cardigan, black high-heeled shoes and seemed stockings. The makeup was perfect and she had obviously been practicing today, the metallic belt and dangly earrings finished the look, ready for any young man, but that hopefully wasn’t the plan.

Jen arrived just before 7 pm and Sue let her come inside as Grace was just getting a bag to match the outfit, Grace had chosen one of Sue’s, emptied the contents, tissues, tampons, more tissues etc, five pens, one notebook, more tissues. No wonder they said this was a place that men should not go. Instead she put in a small packet of tissues, some change, one of her lipsticks, some powder, wallet and the mobile phone, much neater and less weight. Jen and Sue were chatting when Grace came out to the lounge room but Jen stopped dead in her tracks but then so did Grace, Jen was stunning in her own black skirt and gold top. Sue just thought of how damaging they could be together if she didn’t know her son but still felt like she had to warn them about being good.

They left in Jen’s car and headed for a local café that was close to a few popular nightclubs in the area. As they parked the car and walked up the road the occasional toot of a car horn made them giggle like schoolgirls out on the town. The café was only just filling so finding a table was no trouble, they chose one near the alfresco area and placed their orders. The cars rolling past was one of the reasons people came to this part of town, they came to either see or be seen, in this case the girls came to be seen but neither admitted it. The meal was served really quickly which suited them as they had thought about some drinks at a local club up the road.

Just before 9 pm they got up and walked around to the club hoping to find it less than busy due to the early hour. The place was only just open and around 60 people had gone inside to dance or drink but mainly to see who they could pickup. Jen had only been here once but found the place very exciting as long as you kept away from the front bar area. Grace ordered some drinks and Jen found a table, but by the time Grace had come back with the drinks Jen had someone standing very close asking about a dance. She had no intention of dancing with anyone except maybe Grace. They politely declined and sat down to listen to the music and drink their drinks without hassle.

By ten o’clock the dancing was in full swing and Jen wanted to dance, she grabbed Grace by the hand and pulled her onto the dance floor. The style was easy and Grace could at least handle herself on the dance floor, they had no idea how much attention they were getting though, two very sexy girls dancing together. Grace had made some moves that more matched Graham and the impact was not missed on Jen or the crowd watching them. Few dances later and the mood changed to a slow dance and naturally they just hugged and danced very closely, Grace forgot herself and kissed Jen not realizing that others were watching as Jen returned the kiss the music finished and they left the floor.

It was getting late and Jen had to work on Saturday so they walked out of the club and found the car parked safely in a bright area. On the way home they both said how much fun it was and they would like to do it again. Jen asked Grace if she saw how many people had been watching them during the slow dance and then the kissing, Grace had no idea she was being watched and nearly choked on the thought.

“Did you know what was happening when I kissed you?” Grace asked Jen.

“Of course I did why do you think I was so passionate about returning it.”

“I thought it was because you liked it or me” said Grace slightly hurt that she had been used.

Jen stopped the car just before Grace’s house, “I didn’t mean to hurt you, this is the most fun I have had for nearly two years since leaving high school."

She leaned over and kissed Grace again, this time Grace returned the kiss in a way that left no doubt what was happening. Graham had never been this close to Jen before and wondered why it had all changed, but then who cared she was a great looking girl, yet so was he, she, whatever. The trouble with being analytical is that you can create road blocks where none are meant to be and stuff up a great trip. They stopped before anything happened and Grace knew that some of her makeup would need repairing before going inside and being questioned by her mum. Grace kissed Jen again and said she would call on Sunday after the makeover and let her see some of the photos after work.

Jen had the fun of Christmas shopping, 28 days of trading and she was the only person allowed to do the banking. Sue had gone to bed so Grace cleaned her face, put on her baby dolls and would have gone straight to sleep if it wasn’t for the lump in her pants; maybe Graham was still there.

To be Continued... Grace shines and has the photos to prove.