Sheila winked at me, screamed and fainted!

The policeman who was frisking me immediately stopped what he was doing and ran around to the other side of the car.

'What did you do Mick?'

'I didn't do anything, Dave, she just sort of dropped!'

While the two policemen tried to revive Sheila, I had time to get my act together.

I went over to them, trying not to fall over in my bloody shoes and in my best, concerned girly type voice said, 'What did you do to my friend?'

'Sorry Miss, she just fainted on me.'

Sheila was showing signs of revival, moaning for all she was worth and struggling to get up.

Both policemen helped her shakily to her feet.

'Are you OK miss?'

'Y..yes thank you. I'm sorry, it was the shock of you running your hands up and down me. I'm not used to that sort of thing.'

'Sorry, miss we have a job to do.'

'Why did you stop us,' said I, all brave and flashing my eyelashes.

'A car answering the description of your one was reported leaving the scene of a robbery. We had to check it out. Also your offside break light was out, so we had good reason to stop you.'

Sheila was, by now, back to her usual self, 'Why the hell did you start body searching us. Do we look like desperate criminals or are you just pervy?'

Just then the police radio sounded. Mick went over to the car and then after a few moments came back.

'It's OK, the robbers have been caught.'

'Well,' sad Sheila, 'thank God for that. Can we go now?'

'Yes miss, but please get your light seen to or you will be stopped again.'

With that, the policemen ran to their car and left us in a hurry to go and stop more innocent people going about their lawful way.

I slumped into the passenger seat of Sheila's car, smoothing down my skirt with one hand and wiping my fevered brow with the other.

'Sheila you should win an Oscar for that performance.'

'Not bad was it. I knew that there could be awkward questions if he found the little surprise in your panties. It was the best I could think of at the spur of the moment.'

'Well that's it. I've had enough. First we go to McDonalds and I slip on some brats' dinner. Then I get stopped by the police and almost strip-searched. I am a nervous wreck. I can't go through with it. I won't go through with it. I've aged ten years today.’

Sheila said nothing as we drove home. She almost spoke several times, but thought better of it.

In the mood I was in I wouldn't have listened anyway.

All of a sudden there was a bang from the back of the car and it lurched drunkenly to the side of the road.

‘Oh shit, what now!’ I shouted desperately.

Sheila got out of the car and went around the back.

‘We’ve had a puncture, you have to get out of the car’.

‘I can’t get out, someone will see me’

‘Toni, I am not going to fix this with you in the car. You have to get out. The jack won’t take your weight as well as the car.’

‘I’m not fat.’

Even to me, my voice sounded a bit squeaky and hysterical.

Sheila walked over to my side, wrenched the door open and said, ‘go sit on that wall, it won’t take a minute’.

Reluctantly I got out of the car after looking everywhere to make sure that no one was about.

I sat on the wall, wincing as my bum felt the slight shock of the cold wall on my scantily clad rear end.

Just then I heard the noise of a big engine. I glanced up and saw that it was a bus coming up the road.

I shrunk down a bit, in the vain hope that I wouldn’t be noticed. What I didn’t realise was that the bus stop was right by where we had broken down!

Of course it stopped next to us and out came about a hundred people. My face must have looked as red as the bus, cos that’s how it felt. I had nowhere to hide.

Just then a snotty nosed boy of about 10 and his anaemic looking mum came up to me. The boy was picking his nose with the intensity of an expert and eating whatever he found up there. From being red, I now felt green, after looking at the nasally challenged brat.

‘Hello Dear, are you all right?’ Said the Mum.

‘Erm, yes thanks. Um my friend is fixing a puncture , then we’ll be on our way.’

‘Mum’, said the brat, ‘why does her face look red and green’?

‘Don’t be rude Damien.’

‘You do look a bit peaky, Dear, will you be OK?’

‘Err Umm yes thanks. I er think that I’m coming down with a cold.’

‘Well, you should wrap up warm, dear. You young girls think you can dress up in next to nothing. No wonder you catch all those nasty bugs. Come on Damien, lets get you home.’

With that, The lady and brat walked off down the street. As they went, the kid turned round and poked his tongue out at me. I returned the gesture and put my finger up in a very unladylike manner. It was crude, but it helped.

I looked at Sheila. She was struggling to change the wheel. I was just about to offer my help, when I heard the sound of two motorbikes coming up and screeching to a stop.

I looked around and there they were.

‘Oh my God’ I thought.

The vision in front of us were two bikers covered in leather, chains and hair. Both over six feet tall.

They went over to Sheila and one said, ‘Ullo love, got problems wiv yer wheel then?’

‘Erm yes, the nuts stuck.’ Said Sheila with a slight quaver in her voice.

I don’t know if she was scared, but I was nearly wetting myself.

‘Shove over luv, let me and Ronald do it.’

(Ronald!)

I giggled slightly hysterically as they bent over and I saw what was written on the back of their leather jackets. One said ‘I luv my Mum’ and the other one said ‘I luv his Mum too’.

In less time than it takes to tell, the wheel was changed and after our profound thanks, Ronald and Derek (I kid you not) were off down the road, in a haze of blue smoke and burning rubber.

We got back in the car and were off again. I was about twenty years older by now and twitching slightly. Today had not been a very normal day and would take years of intensive therapy to rectify.

Finally, we arrived home. We stopped outside our house and I got out.

It was funny, I was so used to wearing those clothes that it was second nature for me to get out of the car, smooth my skirt down and go up to the front door. I was so wrapped up in myself, I didn't even look to check if anyone could see me get out of the car.

Sheila locked the car and opened the door. She followed me up to my room and came in after me.

I knew that she was going to try to persuade me to change my mind I was adamant that I wouldn't.

'Look Toni..'

'Don't Tony me, I have been through hell and back these past few hours. I don't want to know. Thanks for trying. I really appreciate it, but my mind is made up. I wont go to the interview.'

’But you will get away with it. You have to admit that at times you forgot you were a boy and you sounded, looked and acted like a girl.'

'I suppose so, but that is different from trying to get a job where I have to be a girl all the time at work.'

'Look Toni, you have only been a girl for a few hours and look at you, you're a natural. If I didn't know different I would think you were a girl. Its all a question of confidence.'

'Yes, and I haven't got any.'

Sheila looked at her watch.

'Look honey, I have to go to work, I've got no more time to argue with you. It's up to you. I'll be back at 6, if you change your mind, then I'll help you. It would be the difference between you having enough to live on or getting chucked out on the street. It's up to you. Bye.'

Sheila went out and closed the door behind her.

I went over to the mirror and looked at myself. I was so full of doubts and conflicting feelings. I knew my confidence was low and who’s wouldn’t be after the day I had just experienced! However, looking at the girl in the mirror, I also knew that I liked what I was seeing.

My heart was beating like a drum and I hate to think what my blood pressure was right then.

I looked at the image of myself for ages and imagined what it would be like to live as a girl. It looked as if the prospect of it happening was almost inevitable. It was so unfair. Why couldn't I make it as a boy.

I knew, call it sado-female intuition if you like, but I just knew that things were going to go pear shaped for me in a big way . I would never get away with being a girl. Hell, I had lived my life as a boy and Sheila expected me to act like a real girl after just a few disastrous hours of practice.

Then my hand brushed against the silkiness of my blouse. Almost without thinking, I slid my hands down my skirt. I experienced a thrill at the feel of my feminine clothes. I never felt like this, wearing jeans and a tee shirt! It was strange, weird, kinky and downright eerie, but I couldn’t deny it, I liked the way I looked and felt.

Perhaps I should have been born a girl. I know that some people feel that way. But until now, I thought I was 100% male. Now I didn't know.

'Oh God,' I thought with alarm, 'I'm actually enjoying looking like this. I must be turning into a pervert.'

Just then there was a knock at the door. 'It must be Sheila,' I thought, 'I wonder what she wants now?'

I opened the door, not thinking about what I looked like.

I jumped as I saw it was Mr Davis, the landlord!

He looked past me and said, 'Sorry Miss. Erm is Tony in, I need to see him urgently.'

I had to think on my stockinged feet.

'Ummm, he's out at the moment.'

'Are you a friend?'

'Err, sort of. He's ah my cousin.'

I cringed as Mr Davis looked at me closely and then smiled.

'Yes, I can see the resemblance. But you're much prettier.'

'Er thank you.'

'Can you tell him, sorry but I need the back rent sooner than I thought. I need the money by Friday at the latest, otherwise he has to go.’

I gasped. Friday. No way could I get him the money by then.

'I… I mean Tony said that you gave him until next week to pay.'

'That's before I found out that he had no job. I have someone who will take the room quickly. The new tenant has a job and I can’t afford to take a chance of not getting paid by Tony.'

Just then my mouth became disengaged from my brain. In mitigation, you have to understand that I had been through some pretty traumatic times, in the last few hours. Call it delayed shock or something.

Anyway, I don't know why, but I heard myself say. 'You don't need to worry about Tony getting a job. I'm living here with him now and I'm a secretary. I don't get paid til the end of the month, but I promise that you will be paid then.’

I smiled, batted my eyelashes so much, that I could feel the draught. I tried to myself appear like what I thought a coy, nice girl would look like in this improbable situation.

'I don't know. I should really let the new man have it.'

'Pleeeaase.'

He looked undecided and then smiled. 'OK honey. On two conditions.'

(Oh God!).

'One. That you are the named tenant.'

'That's OK.' I said.

'And two, because I like to vet all my tenants for suitability, I take you out for a meal tonight..On me.'

(Oh shit!!)

'Er I can't. I'm washing my hair tonight.'

'Well, this other guy wants an answer tomorrow. If I can't vet you tonight I may have to let him have the room.'

'Can't you vet me now?'

'No I have to go to the bank and then chuck out... I mean assist some other tenants who can’t or wont pay. That's the deal, take it or leave it.'

I looked at his mottled, lined face. He had beads of sweat on his forehead. I think he was smiling, but it appeared to be more of a leer. I could see his discoloured teeth behind his cracked lips. His deodorant smelt strongly of B.O. He was wearing a dirty mac with strange stains on it. Perhaps he was one of those people who went to seedy places, where mac's were considered de rigueur. In short, he was not my type (as a girl or boy).

But, I had no choice. It was a far far better thing etc……

'OK,' I said reluctantly, ‘what time?'

’I'll pick you up at 8 p.m.,' bye.'

With that, he looked me up and down, licked his lips, leered at me and left.

I closed the door and sat on the bed.

My heart sank. I was in the effluent up to my neck again. What the hell did I say that for! I don't have a job. I have no money and yet I opened my big gob and crap spewed out!

I had pushed myself into a corner, I knew that. I hadn't though out the consequences and now I was going to pay for it.

I looked at my watch. It was 2 p.m. Sheila would be back at 6. Perhaps she would help me to get ready for my first (and I sincerely hoped, only!) date as a girl.

Oh God what had I let myself in for now!!

<To be continued>

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Copyright Susan Brown 2005