The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike) Part 1713 by Angharad Copyright © 2012 Angharad All Rights Reserved.

I didn’t really fancy trying to improve the minds of a roomful of adolescents, but that’s what I’m there to do, and in half an hour–just enough time to see the dean’s secretary.

“What’s happening with the student you sent to see me yesterday?” I asked.

She blushed, “Oh yeah, his nibs,” she nodded towards her boss’s door, “said you’ve dealt with transgender stuff before.”

“Yeah, so what’s the plan?”

“Nothing very much, he came to see us and asked us what the policy was towards transsexual students. We told him we had a policy of diversity, so were supportive of such people.”

“Did he say when he was planning on transitioning or anything?”

“Not directly but I assume if he’s come to see the boss, he must be thinking about it fairly soon. I told him to see student health as well, as they might be able to advise him.”

“Which course is he doing?”

“Information technology, I think. Didn’t he tell you?”

“He was so uptight I half expected him to have a stroke.”

“Oh, so what happened?”

“I explained my eldest daughter was transgender and invited him round for her to do a makeover on him–she’s into hairdressing and beauty. She did a really good job on him, loaned him some clothes and did his hair and makeup. He looked really good, or should I say, she did.”

“Ah, so you have some experience of transsexuals, then?”

“Yes, I have two transgender daughters.” I noticed the strange look as if she was thinking–two? “They’re both adopted, no one else was interested apparently.”

“Good job you were there then?”

“Possibly–I try to let people be themselves, especially children.”

“Quite.”

I looked at my watch and dashed off to my class. “Good morning, campers,” I started and got a few weak chuckles. “Okay, let’s talk about habitats, take a good look about you–what sort of life form could colonise and survive in here–notice I didn’t say, intelligent life form, so I don’t expect to see undergrads on your list. You’ve got five minutes to suggest anything and where it might live or colonise.”

I got my notes out, essentially, the answer was microbes, skin mites, various other arthropods including insects and spiders, up to possibly rats or mice. With a bit of prompting they got most of them and then we looked at how their colonisation might be linked. That made them think a little and I had to work to keep them at it. I set them a section of the text book to read and criticise for their first assignment, warning them that if they agreed with everything he said, they’d get very low marks.

I returned to my office and called Tom to ask if he minded if I got back to check on Sam, he was aware of how much work I did yesterday–I told him several times, and let me go home. I was home by twelve, just in time to see Sam emerge from the staircase.

“Hi, Lady Cameron, sorry, I overslept.” She was wearing her own clothes and looked down.

“Sam, here, you can call me Cathy, let’s grab some lunch and see what your fairy godmother can provide.”

“I–um–don’t feel very hungry.”

“Look here, young lady, I’m not supporting an eating disorder, so you’ll eat something even if it’s only a sandwich or some fruit.”

She nodded and sat down at the kitchen table as I directed. Stella, according to Jacquie had gone out with her two, so I quickly defrosted some soup I’d frozen a couple of weeks earlier, and played about with it for a few minutes to bulk it up with pasta and some cold chicken. In quarter of an hour we were all sitting down to a bowl of steaming soup.

I fed, Catherine, while the other two ate theirs, Sam’s eyes out on stalks as he watched the youngster suckle from me. Then, I fed her with some soup and bread and finally ate my own.

“You’re not planning to go out like that, are you?” I said to Sam.

“It’s all I have.”

“Didn’t Julie give you some stuff last night?”

“Yes, but I can’t accept it.”

“Why not, she’s got a roomful of clothes?”

“It’s not right.”

“What isn’t?”

“Accepting charity.”

“It isn’t charity per se, it might be charitable if she knew she wouldn’t be getting some new stuff to replace it, but as she does, it’s pure self interest–as a teenage girl, you should be well aware of it.”

“I wish I were,” she said.

“Course you are,” chipped in Jacquie, “You’re certainly not a boy–not from where I’m standing.”

I asked Jacquie to change Catherine and took Sam back up to her room. “What were you planning on doing?” I asked.

“Dunno really, go back to my room I s’pose.”

“You mean this one or your bedsit?”

“The bedsit.”

“Didn’t you enjoy it here last night?”

“It was the most wonderful night of my life–for the first time in my life–I was alive.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it, now tell me, young lady, what’s to stop you enjoying it again and again?”

The tears started, “I don’t know if I can do it–I need so many clothes and hormones and stuff, I don’t think I can do it by myself, an’ nobody I know is gonna like help me, are they?”

“Ah that’s why there are fairy godmothers on this earth, to help with such dilemmas, now, dry your eyes and put these on.” I handed her a bra, panties, a skirt and top. “What size shoes are you?”

“Six,” she replied taking the clothes from me.

“Good, you can borrow some of Julie’s flats. What did you use for boobs?”

“Socks.”

“Okay, wait here–well carry on changing, c’mon, I’ve children to collect and we’ve lots to do.” I went into Julie’s room but couldn’t find her breastforms–she hadn’t used them for ages, so might have dumped them. I’d dumped the ones I’d used as soon as I had enough to fill a bra by my own efforts. I grabbed an old pair of tights, cut the legs off and measured out two loads of rice and tied the ends to form a large knot. They’d look enough like nipples to hopefully fill the cups. Birdseed is probably better, but it wasn’t to hand.

I went back up to my protégé who was standing in a bra and panties and looking bewildered. “Right, get a move on girl.”

“This isn’t going to work is it?”

“Only if you don’t want it to.”

“But I do want it to, I just don’t think it will.”

“Here shove these in there,” I handed her the falsies.

She did but I had to help her get them to sit properly. “How did you make these?”

“It’s an old female impersonator trick, I read about it years ago. C’mon get yourself dressed.” She did with such torpor I’d swear I’ve seen a sloth move more quickly. Finally, she was dressed and I’d given her some of Julie’s ballet pump type shoes–she hardly ever wears them anyway.

I did her hair and some quick makeup. “Come on–we’ve got two hours before I have to collect the girls.”

“What are we doing?” she looked terrified.

“Going shopping, here use this bag,” I handed her a black handbag.

“I can’t go out like this.”

“If you’re planning on transitioning sometime, unless you join an enclosed order of nuns, you’ll have to go out. You look fine, trust me–I’m a biologist, I know about these things.”

“What?” she said and then burst out laughing. “You’re crazy.”

“You got it in one,” I said and dragged her out to the car.