Wheels and wings 36
Chapter 36

Character List.

Jack Thomas Later AKA Ellie... Transvestite/intersexual and keen cyclist.
Amanda Thomas AKA Amie... Jack's sister.
Charlotte Dawson... Keen girl cyclist and Jack’s soon-to-be girlfriend.
Doctor Dawson... Charlotte's dad and also a cyclist.
Bob... Cycling club captain.
Mr Thomas Weston... School games master and keen rugby player.
Billy Davies... Rugby ‘jock’, kind to Jack, he fancies Charlotte.
Marjorie Spencer... Holder of unofficial ‘Prettiest-girl-in-the-school’ title.
Miss Elizabeth Postlethwaite... The English Mistress.
Aunty Olwen... Where Jack changes for school and leaves his bike.
Mandy... Olwen’s daughter, Jack’s older cousin.
Mr Griffiths... The County solicitor.
Cassandra... Charlotte’s maternal grandmother.

Chapter 36

Late one Friday afternoon as the shops were closing and the mall was shutting up its doors Charlotte’s grandmother Cassandra was out shopping with her oldest daughter, namely Charlotte’s oldest aunt.

Ellie was returning from an enjoyable ride where she had been out cycling with Charlotte all afternoon. Ellie found cycling excellent for clearing her head and that afternoon Charlotte had also come learn of its therapeutic effects. Whilst chatting at length during a long lazy ride, both girls had thrashed out the final minor details concerning their wedding. On two occasions they had stopped at CTC cafes to share a snack and a pot of tea whilst they had both snuggled up to each other as the visceral excitement of their approaching nuptials took them. Whilst tucked away in the darker corners of the cafe’, nobody had noticed or commented on their blissful snogging. Both girls were utterly besotted with each other and the day had been a blissful experience.
With the sun getting low, they had been forced to end their ride and Ellie had just finished escorting Charlotte safely to her father’s door.

After reluctantly separating from Charlotte by delivering her safely home, Ellie had decided on a furious sprint to relieve the excitement of the day’s delightful events. A good sprint home to blow away any lingering doubts (though there were none,) would achieve a satisfactory ending to what had been one of the most perfect days of Ellie’s life.

As the evening shadows were beginning to lengthen Ellie just kept pounding the pedals so as to reach home before darkness overtook her. She entered the town just as the streetlights were switching on and she was irritated when she discovered her rear red light batteries were getting low.

“Damn it! I’ll need some new ones.” She cursed as she changed course and steered towards the mall to buy some batteries before the shops closed.

In another part of the mall other events were conspiring to change the sad events surrounding Charlotte’s extended family rejecting Ellie and Charlotte’s marriage.

~o00o~

After shopping during that afternoon at the mall, Charlotte’s grandmother Cassandra and her oldest daughter Jacqueline were walking back to their car loaded with shopping. As Cassandra stopped to dig her keys from her handbag (Purse to our ‘cross-ponder sisters’.), a thug on a stunt bike rode up and thumped the older lady against the car as she fumbled for her keys. He snatched the opened bag from her hands and crowed victoriously as he sped away. Cassandra squealed in pain and fright as she slid to the floor and Jacqueline span around only to see the thug speeding off with her mother’s handbag.

The grandmother cried out to her daughter.

“Stop him! Everything’s in that bag, the money! my car keys, the house keys, my license with my address; even my mobile phone!”

It was too late; the thug was already pedalling furiously away and well clear of any capture by the ladies. In any case they would have been powerless to detain him even if they had by some miracle caught up with him; he was a large, well-built and fit young man whilst they were an elderly lady and a middle aged one. Jacqueline cursed despairingly as she dialled 999.

Unknown to either woman however, a stranger on another bicycle had seen the snatch and changed her course to power off after the thug. Ellie was already travelling at a considerable speed for she was in a hurry to get to the shop to buy batteries before the mall closed. The batteries in her high intensity rear light were rapidly growing weaker and she needed new batteries urgently.

She cursed her own stupidity as she remembered she had given her spares to another cyclist just before breaking up from university a couple of days earlier and she had forgotten to replace them.

When she saw the attack, Ellie had no idea who the two old biddies were but any act of robbery needed to be averted if it was possible and to Ellie it seemed easily possible. She was a fast, experienced cyclist and she was on her racing bike. The thug was riding a stunt bike and not making much speed. Provided he did not realise he was being stalked, the thug would probably remain on the tarmaced road. However, if he realised he had a pursuer he could easily bounce his stunt bike up onto the pavement (sidewalk to cross-ponders.) then take off down some rough track. His heavy treaded tyres would give him an advantage and Ellie would be hard-pressed to follow on her thin-wheeled racer.

Fortune remained with Ellie however, and the thug did not realise he was being stalked. Within two blocks Ellie was already drawing level with the unsuspecting thug who was still clutching the snatched handbag in one hand and gloating as he steered the bike with the other hand. This made him very unstable because he was standing on his pedals as he made as much speed as the bike allowed.
Ellie smiled to herself as she realised the thief had no idea of his approaching nemesis. After two blocks he had already slowed down as he deemed himself far enough away from the scene of the crime. Ellie gathered herself as the thug ceased pedalling and carefully applied his brake ‘one-handed’ as he slowed to a stop at the kerb. He was now at his most vulnerable and unstable and nobody knew this better than Ellie, for she was an experienced cyclist.

Ellie carefully picked her moment just when the thug was wobbling precariously as he slowed to stop next to a large tree. His plan was that the tree would give him cover as he searched the bag for its most valuable contents.
Timing her impact to perfection, Ellie slammed her rigid arm straight into his shoulder and sent him crashing into the tree. With a shocked howl the thug slammed head-first into the tree-trunk and fell unconscious to the kerb. Ellie jammed her own brakes and span around to recover the stolen hand-bag that lay on the verge at the base of the tree. It was all over in a couple of seconds and Ellie stood astride her bicycle as she telephoned the police. Her message conveyed enough sense of danger to have a police-car wailing to the crash within seconds because the police station was only a few hundred yards away, just two blocks further down the street.

Ellie was amazed that the thug had the sheer audacity to search the bag on a main street only two blocks from the police station. It demonstrated just how confident and self assured he was. This time however, his cockyness had betrayed him and he lay still for several seconds, long enough for Ellie to get herself prepared for flight if he recovered before the police arrived.

As the thug regained consciousness and came to his senses, he saw Ellie briefly securing the contents of the bag as she struggled to stop her bike rolling backwards whilst simultaneously closing the bag before escaping. She just managed to squeeze the bag shut and loop the strap over her shoulder as he staggered to his feet bent on revenge. It was too late however; the police were arriving at the scene even as the thug staggered forward to confront his attacker. Ellie simply stood hard on her pedal and propelled herself out of reach to evade the thug even as the police grabbed him to restrain him. Her efforts nearly caused the handbag to fall off her shoulder and she happily dumped the overstuffed accessory into the hands of the lady police officer

A brief inspection of the handbag by the lady police office determined the identity of the rightful owner but she did not reveal the name to Ellie. Consequently, Ellie did not make any immediate connection between the robbed woman and Charlotte’s grandmother. Ellie simply explained briefly. .

“It belongs to a little old lady, I saw him steal it as she was crossing the car-park by the mall. She’s down the street probably wondering how she’s going to call you guys. I saw her mobile phone in there before I closed it.”

While the male police officer handcuffed the thief, the lady police officer dug deeper into the bag and examined the contents as

Ellie explained further.

“I think I heard her car keys rattling around in there as well so she won’t have gone far. She’s most probably still in or around the car-park by the Mall. She’ll be stranded.”

“Would you recognise her Miss Uuhm?”

“Eleanor; Eleanor Thomas. Everybody calls me Ellie. Yes, she was wearing a light blue, gabardine, anorak and cream coloured slacks. She’s got a tight, blue rinse perm and glasses. There was another woman in a dark coat but it all happened so fast I didn’t have time to stop. I had to catch this toe-rag.”

“Well yes indeed miss. Nice bit of work. We’ve been after this one for a while. He’s been using the same M.O. for a few weeks as the night closes in. He strikes just as dusk is falling and races off into the shadows. I can only say well done. You’ll have to come down to the station to make a statement.”

“Hadn’t we better first find the old lady and re-unite her with her bag?”

“We’re onto that. The friend who was with her called it in on her phone. There’s another patrol car already going to the mall car-park as we speak. Shall we go to the police station?”

“I’ll cycle there; it’s just the next block as I remember.”

“Oh local girl are you?”

Ellie nodded and sped off hoping the police woman wouldn’t pull her about her dimmed rear light. She turned to look but the police woman, smiled and waved Ellie off as she rejoined her colleague in arresting the thief. When Ellie arrived at the station she met the desk sergeant and identified herself to him.

“Ah yes, the lady cyclist who stopped the mugger; well done girl.”

He grinned then nodded as he rustled up a cup of tea while Ellie waited for the arresting officers to return. It wasn’t long before they appeared with the hand-cuffed thief looking thoroughly pissed off. After they had booked him into the cells, they invited her to join them in a side room to make her statement. Later, as she emerged after finishing her statement, the police woman told her.

“The two ladies would like to thank you. Her name’s Cassandra Charlotte Peterson; there was a lot of money in that bag ... over three thousand pounds!”

Ellie frowned as the name tinkled a vaguely distant bell but she couldn’t put her finger on the exact issue. She thought it had something to do with the large amount of money in the bag and she replied somewhat defensively.

“I thought there was a lot. She’s a stupid woman for carrying that much cash around. He had the bag open as I snatched it from him. Honestly, I didn’t touch anything but I saw it wrapped in those bank cellophane wrapper envelopes. If there’s anything missing, I didn’t touch it; I just stuffed it tighter so as to close the bag.”

The police-woman smiled.

“No Ellie, no-one’s accusing you, it’s all been accounted for; you did an excellent job; yes she was a stupid woman to carry that amount of cash in her bag, apparently it was for some sort of surprise wedding present or something.”

Ellie shrugged disinterestedly. She had been so stressed by the evening’s events that she still wasn’t thinking straight. She was more concerned about her light. Consequently, she still hadn’t made the connection via the names. She took the second cup of tea proffered by the desk sergeant and slumped onto a handy arm-chair.

The two ladies emerged from their interview room and approached Ellie as she was drinking her tea and lounging with her legs apart as she spread herself comfortably in the arm chair. Spread-eagled thus; her skin-tight Lycra hid nothing and a tiny tell-tale ‘bud’ was clearly visible. She had long ago stopped worrying about ‘What people might think!’ concerning the small but noticeable, incongruous little bulge that betrayed the last vestiges of her evanescent masculinity. She glanced up disinterestedly as the older lady approached her. She smiled a little censoriously at Ellie’s casual wide-legged slouch.

“So you’re the lady who” ... then her gaze fell to Ellie’s crotch and her smile faded as her eyes widened ... “sorry; gentleman who caught him”

“Uuuuhhm; it’s lady miss,” Ellie corrected her. “I’m a lady or will be someday soon, Eleanor Thomas at your service. My friends call me Ellie.”

The woman’s smile froze momentarily as realisation hit her.

“Oh my God! You, you’re the one! You’re the fre-“She quickly corrected herself as she realised this was the cyclist who had rescued her handbag and a considerable chunk of her precious savings. “You’re the person who’s marrying my grand-daughter Charlotte!”

Finally the penny dropped for Ellie as she eventually realised who Cassandra Charlotte Peterson was. Ellie’s fiancé had been named after her maternal grandmother. Ellie let out an involuntary oath.

“Oh my god! Bugger me! It’s you! You’re THAT Cassandra! You’re Charlie’s gran!”

An embarrassed silence prevailed for several seconds as each wondered what to say next. Elli had initially been prepared to accept the old lady’s thanks and then make her way home but now she remembered the old lady’s earlier remark- ‘you’re the fre’ ... !

For a brief moment Ellie wondered what else the old lady had meant to say before correcting herself, then, Ellie realised ... freak! The old bitch had actually had the gall to call her a freak - even after Ellie had chased down the thief and recovered the handbag.

Initially, Ellie wasn’t angered or upset by the realisation that the woman had meant to call her a freak. She had long ago become inured to callous and insensitive remarks. Instead she simply turned resignedly on her heel and stepped towards the door.
‘Some people will never change,’ she concluded silently. ‘It just wasn’t worth causing a scene or a row. Least-ways, not here, not in the police station.’

At Ellie’s first step towards the door Cassandra Peterson called out.

“No! No! Don’t go.”

Ellie paused, made to turn around then concluded she might say something she regretted. She stepped towards the door again and the old lady called louder.

“No. No! I’m ordering you” ... then Cassandra realised she had no right to order anybody and she changed her manner, “no, no, I mean I’m begging you. Please!”

Ellie hesitated again. The old woman’s demeanour had totally changed. But her original hurtful remark had wounded Ellie; she turned with her eyes blazing.

“What! What more d’you want? You’ve got your bloody bag back.” She snapped.

Cassandra Paterson stopped in mid word as remorse took hold.

“I wanted to than...”

Then she fell silent as she recognised the anger and pain in Ellie’s glare. The embarrassed silence returned but this time Ellie managed to bite her tongue as she recovered her composure.

The woman was in effect a total stranger to Ellie. She only knew of her by word of mouth through her fiancée Charlotte. Ellie had never actually met the woman; she’d never even seen her until that evening. Ellie remained silent and allowed the conversational impasse to endure for it served only to embarrass Cassandra Peterson. Ellie quickly started to get impatient but she did not betray her feelings as she waited for the old woman to finish her sentence.

Charlotte Peterson recognised the issue. Just by apologising; simply by speaking again to Ellie, she was somehow illustrating her perceived superiority; somehow suggesting that Ellie, a transgendered freak was somehow a lesser being, a child of a lesser god and therefore expected to wait in submissive silence whilst the older woman composed her thoughts.

Speaking first would somehow demonstrate her right to choose what to say and how to say it. Just by finishing her ‘thank you’ she was implying her absolute right to speak to Ellie as and when she wished ... to exercise some supposedly primordial right to broach whatever issue she wished ... to set the conversational agenda ... to comment upon Ellie’s condition, to invade Ellie’s privacy.

This sudden and blinding realisation silenced Cassandra Peterson. It stopped her dead in her tracks for the home truth had forced her to recognise her own bigotry.

Ellie’s silence continued, it was Ellie’s best weapon, the most powerful element between them and it gnawed at Cassandra’s resolve. As the grandmother’s remorse sapped at her confidence she saw the hurtful hate in Ellie’s eyes turn to contempt. It compelled the old lady to respond and there was only one word that would serve.

“Sorry Eleanor ... Ellie.”

“Are you? Are you really?” Ellie sighed.

For Ellie it was a wearisome, rhetorical question and she was preparing to turn again but Cassandra’s next words compelled her to stay.

“Yes. Truly, I’m sorry.”

Ellie’s natural ‘good manners’ compelled her to hesitate, to consider accepting the old lady’s apology. Reluctantly, she found herself being sucked into further conversation. She hadn’t wanted to but she remembered the image of her fiancé Charlotte’s despair at her grandmother’s intransigence. The memory compelled Ellie to respond angrily.

“It’s not me you should apologise to; it’s your name-sake, your youngest grand-daughter. She’s the one you’ve hurt, she’s the one who’s had her wedding ruined ... one of the most important joys of her life destroyed by you bigotry. She’s the one who you should be apologising to.”

“I will be doing so, as soon as I’ve apologised to you.”

Ellie shrugged then sighed.

“Then do it, I’ve got to go.”

“Please! Can’t you wait, we’ve got to talk. That was a very brave thing you did. Have you seen the size of that thug? He could have murdered you.”

Ellie shrugged. It was all water under the bridge now and she had not realised how big the mugger was until after she had thumped him off his bike. He had been crouched over his stunt bike and his appearance had been deceptive until he stood up. Fortunately he had been still dizzy from the blow to his head after he struck the tree. Ellie had been truly frightened when he finally stood and revealed his stature. She snapped back peevishly.”

“Well he didn’t, the police arrived in time to stop him doing anything serious and all’s well, thank God!”

“Amen to that young lady. Now, please, can we talk?”

“What about?”

Cassandra Peterson hesitated uncertainly.

“Well ... you for starters; you ... and my grand-daughter Charlotte Dawson.”

“There’s nothing left to talk about. You’ve made your feelings abundantly clear.”

The old lady bit her lip thoughtfully as she hazarded her next sentence.

“People can change ... Ellie. Perhaps I’ve been a bit hasty in judging you.”

“Yes. I think you have but it’s really Charlotte you should be telling, not me. She’s the one you’ve really hurt. Was it you who persuaded all her maternal cousins ... your grand-children to refuse to be bride’s-maids?”

The old lady’s throat tightened with guilt as she managed to force a squeaky ‘Yes’

Ellie simply wagged her head. She still felt angry and It seemed there was little more to be said or done. If she did say any more it was likely to be something unpleasant and might exacerbate the already tense situation. She heaved a deep breath and forced herself to leave before the tear on her cheek betrayed her. Outside she discovered her back light batteries had finally given up the ghost and she cursed until the lady police officer stopped to ask her what was wrong.

“Got a problem?”

“Yeah. All this delay and now my light is finally dead. I forgot to switch the damned thing off when I came in. Where’s the nearest ‘twenty-four-hour’?”

“We’ll drive you home love. Can you dismantle the bike? It’ll fit easily into the back of the motorway patrol car. They’ll be going your way and it’s a Volvo estate.”

Almost before the police-woman had finished the question, Ellie had the front wheel off and was releasing the rear chain cassette. Within minutes she was on her way home, grateful for the ride. Whilst she had been in the police station it had started to rain and as Ellie was driven home through the rain, she was grateful to be away from Cassandra Peterson.

She had hardly crossed the threshold before her sister Amie accosted her.

“Chaz phoned. She wants you to call her.”

“Did she say what about?”

“Her gran or something, that’s all she’d tell me.”

“I’ll call her in the morning. I’m a bit tired after my ride and everything.”

“It sounded important.” Amie persisted.

Ellie sighed and reluctantly picked up the phone. An excited Charlotte answered.

“Grandma’s changed her mind!”

Ellie remained silent and Charlotte pressed her.

“Aren’t you glad? She wants to come to the wedding.”

“The thing is, are you glad?” Ellie countered. “You’re in charge of the guest list.”

There was a slight pause before Charlotte corrected Ellie’s misapprehension.

“Uuhm, No love. Your mum has done most of the organising; she’s in charge of the guest list. After all, it was her who pitched in to help dad and me after my family turned away.”

After a brief pause Ellie ventured her feelings.

“Yeah because of me. Are you sure you really want them there?”

“It was gran who was to blame for that. Most of my little cousins are desperate to be bride’s maids. The problem is things are well along with all the arrangements can I speak to your mum?”

“She’s not home yet. She works late on Fridays.”

“Oh. Okay, I’ll speak to her tomorrow, we’re going shopping anyway. Now about the other thing.”

“What other thing?”

“The mugging silly and your rescue of the handbag!”

“Oh that. All I did was knock him off his bike; no heroics or anything. The police were there in less than a couple of ticks.”

“But you still saved her bag. She was well impressed ... and grateful.”

“She bloody would be, with all that money!”

“What money?”

Ellie cursed silently as she realised the grandmother might not have mentioned the money, all three thousand pounds of it. Her hesitation caused Charlotte to repeat.

“What money?”

Ellie lied quickly.

“Oh there was a bundle of notes in her bag, I didn’t see how much. Few hundred I suppose. Anyway, she got it back after they’d photographed the contents. The police kept her handbag as evidence but they gave her back the essential contents in a polythene evidence thing like those big, transparent, plastic wallets you see in court.”

This satisfied Charlotte and she went on to talk of the wedding. Explaining that if her maternal relations were to accept invitations it would double the numbers. They might have to change the reception venue. Ellie could see all her mum’s hard work going up in smoke. Having had the wedding arrangements unexpectedly thrust upon her, she had pulled in a few favours from friends to find an affordable venue at very short notice. It was a modest friendly pub on the outskirts of the village and they had booked the upstairs hall. It only held about thirty people. Furthermore, the gay landlord had been the only local person prepared to accept the couple as bride and bride. After putting down the phone Ellie frowned at the idea of having to tell her mum. As she joined Amie in preparing supper ready for their mum, Amie sensed her mood.

“Problems sis?”

“Dunno' yet. Charlotte’s maternals have relented, now they want to attend the wedding.”

Amie gasped.

“They can’t just do that. Mum’s worked her guts out organising things. It took her a day persuading Charlie to let us use the meeting room in the Crown and Anchor. He was worried about all the press and things; he only helped out because he’s gay and sympathetic. He just likes to run a quiet country pub on the outskirts of the village. How many are there?”

“Dunno’; Charlotte reckons it’ll double the numbers.”

“Jeeze! Mum’s not going to be happy. The Crown’s too small; she’ll have to find another venue.”

“Maybe we can set up a marquee in the paddock behind the Crown.” Ellie suggested.

Amie paused thoughtfully.

“That could work. The paddock still belongs to Old Jack Parry. He kept it for his twin daughters’ horses when he sold the farm fields. They run a riding school from the farm now.”

“You used to be friendly with Jane and Lucy Parry didn’t you?”

Amie shrugged then smiled. The Parry sisters had been Amie’s classmates.

“I still am. They’re coming to the evening bash before you and Charlotte take off on your honeymoon. They’d have been my guests at the reception if there had been room.”

“Can you get them to work on their dad?”

Amie grinned a wider smile and nodded.

“Leave it to me. They’ll be at their riding school early tomorrow morning; I’ll pop up first thing before we go shopping.”

“Okay thanks Amie, you’re a brick.”

Ellie hugged her younger sister and they resumed preparing dinner in a much happier frame of mind. They were serving the food as their mum came home. Over the meal they discussed the developments and they were deeply relieved to realise that their mother was truly pleased about their ideas. The following morning turned into a round of frantic re-ordering and re-organising coupled with the inevitable quantum leap in expense. Fortunately, Charlotte’s dad was dealing with most of that.

The first ‘result’ was that Jack Parry proved to be totally agreeable to letting the paddock for the new marquee and before the Saturday afternoon was through he was to be seen driving his ‘JCB’ back-hoe tractor grubbing up a section of the stone wall that separated the pub’s back yard from his paddock. After checking for costs with Charlotte’s father who, being a doctor was not short of a bob or two, the three parties agreed to split the costs of sharing for the new gate and short extension of hard concrete standing to accommodate wedding guests in pretty shoes and smart suites. On the following Tuesday, Charlotte, Ellie and Amie found themselves standing with their two parents in the back yard of the Crown and Anchor pub as they breathed a sigh of relief. The logistics were solved. The marquee was due to arrive the following Thursday and Charlie the landlord chatted amiably as they ate a ‘pub-lunch’ in the bar.

“I’ve sorted the catering; it’s going to be a grand do. That marquee idea was a splendid move. I’ll be able to cater for lots of events now. Jack was more than pleased to find an alternative use for the paddock and it earns him a few bob.”

Doctor Dawson smiled enigmatically.

“Aye, he’s not cheap but then, I never met a farmer yet who couldn’t spot a bob or two. The main thing is, my daughter’s happy and it’s only once in a lifetime.” Doctor Dawson grinned then added. “The only thing now is the weather.”

Charlie grinned again.

“It shouldn’t matter, when they were measuring up the Marquee area they offered to throw in the cost of a cover for the new walkway provided I guaranteed them exclusive rights for a few years. I spoke to Jack about it and he’s okay with it. The guests will have dry cover from bar to marquee and back.”

A general feeling of relief and contentment spread around the table then, under the table Ellie felt Charlotte’s hand sneak into hers and give an excited squeeze. She gently returned the affection then Charlotte dragged Ellie’s hand to her tummy and pressed it to the side. Ellie felt the little kick and could not restrain an excited squeal.

“She moved! One of the babies moved! Mummy! Doctor Dawson, quickly, come and feel your granddaughter!”

The whole group turned then stood up as one as they queued up to feel the babies kicking. An excited Charlotte relished the attention and even Charlie the landlord availed himself of the privilege. After completing the new arrangements for the reception, the group left for town to finalise the re-arrangements for five extra bride’s-maids dresses for five very excited girls. Charlotte’s maternal cousins were now to indulge their greatest wish to be bride’s maids for their cousin Charlotte and her funny new husband. They met the aunts with Charlotte’s grandmother in the Mall and a general girly session ensued as fittings and designs were arranged at very short notice. For the young bride’s-maids the real novelty was seeing Ellie have her final fitting. As Ellie broke with all traditions and posed in front of the mirror to compared her dress with Charlotte’s, one of the bride’s maid’s sidled up

“Are you really a man then?” Asked Wendy the oldest cousin who, at aged thirteen, spoke for all her younger cousins.

Ellie bent down and smiled as she hugged Wendy then whispered.

“Yes darling but not for long. I’ve given your Auntie Charlotte twin daughters so I’ll be changing into a woman in a couple more years after I’ve finished my medical training.”

This explanation sufficed as Wendy dashed excitedly to her cousins to confirm the stories that had caused so many ructions amidst the family. Ellie watched indulgently as the younger girls whispered feverishly then Wendy returned with a final question.

“What are we to call you?”

Ellie grinned. “What would you like to call me?”

Wendy frowned and sucked her finger thoughtfully.

“Can we call you Auntie Ellie?”

Charlotte joined them and explained.

“That would be just perfect. Once Ellie’s qualified, you can call her Doctor Ellie, but Auntie will do just as well.”

With that, Wendy was called in to be measured and the maternal Grandmother, Cassandra Charlotte Peterson approached Charlotte and Ellie as they compared their almost identical dresses except for Charlotte’s bulge.

“Not trying to upstage each other then?”

Charlotte turned and frowned.

“We’re partners in every respect Gran, equal partners. Mine has got a tiny pink bow where the bust gathers and Ellie has a blue bow. That’s the only noticeable concession to Ellie’s status.”

“Beside’s,” Ellie added, “I can never compete with what’s in there.”

She patted Charlotte’s bulge affectionately and they exchanged contented smiles.

The grandmother turned and peered curiously as she seized the opportunity to check out Ellie’s cleavage. Then she drew back and compared the pair as she wagged her head.

“It’s amazing, you both look beautiful. I’m so sorry for the hurt I’ve caused you.”

Both Ellie and Charlotte felt tears arriving and the dress designer quickly spotted the development. She snatched a handful of tissues from the large dispenser she kept handy and quickly handed them out. She then turned and mildly censured Cassandra Peterson.

“This is a very sensitive moment. I appreciate your kindness in apologising to my customers but please try to avoid distressing them. I don’t want tear stains on the gowns. We’re pressed as it is with the sudden order for five new bride’s-maid’s dresses; we can’t get involved in a cleaning issue so close to the wedding.”

“Sorry,” mumbled the grandmother, “I only meant to make amends.”

The designer nodded then turned to the pair.

“Now girls, off with the gowns before they get stained.”

Reluctantly they started to unfasten each other’s dresses and stepped out of them to stand unconcernedly in front of Ellie’s mother and Charlotte’s relations. Naturally all the relations could not stop themselves from checking out Ellie’s knickers. Ellie grinned to Charlotte as she sensed the confusion amongst the aunts. Her flesh-toned gaff had enabled a perfect ‘transition’ and ‘it’ was completely invisible under her pretty white cotton knickers. There was not the slightest suggestion of masculinity.

After the fitting session was finally completed the whole family joined Charlotte’s dad at a pre-arranged cafe.

As they entered Both Charlotte and Ellie were surprised to find Doctor Dawson talking to Billy Davies, Ellie’s only male friend remaining from her school days as Jack.

As the girls and women entered, Billy turned to study the group and eventually he determined which one was Ellie by a process of elimination. He stepped forward and stared disbelievingly.

“My God! Jack! Is that really you? Sorry, I mean Ellie. Doctor Dawson told me you’ve changed your name.”

Ellie felt a pleasant but peculiar flush overtake her as she savoured Billy’s obvious lust. She was also pleased that he had remembered to use her female name. By now, Ellie had been a woman long enough to recognise the signs and Billy’s were all friendly. She smiled coquettishly and lowered her eye-lids shyly. A move guaranteed to bring any man to heel like a love-sick puppy.

“Yes Billy, It’s me Ellie. Are you still enjoying your rugby?”

Billy Davies simply nodded as his jaw sagged and his tongue started to slacken and fall over his bottom lip. Finally he found his voice again and replied.

“Yes, yes Ellie, I play for the Buffaloes, semi professional now. But never mind me; what about you!!? Doctor Dawson has just told me about you and Charlotte, you’re back together.

Ellie still adopted the female ploy of getting a guy to talk about himself. It was her final test to see if Billy really was sincere about her transition. She mentioned the rugby again.

“So you’re playing for the Buffs! Oh that’s excellent; you always were a damned good centre.”

Ellie congratulated Billy whilst completely ignoring Billy’s other remark. Billy was not to be diverted though and he pursued the other topic.

“Never mind about me; what about you? Just look at you! So you two have got over your differences. Are you really getting married?”

Charlotte nodded whilst Ellie replied.

“Yes.”

Billy’s eyes widened with genuine delight.

“Why that’s incredible news, I’m so happy for the both of you. Congratulations! I’m just so-oo glad!”

“And congratulations to you on making the Buffaloes.”

Billy basked momentarily in the praise then remembered his manners.

“Please let me get all of you a round of drinks, we have so much to talk about. Doctor Dawson tells me both of you also graduated this year.”

Ellie nodded and indicated a seat at the end of the long table that the waiters were fixing up from a series of smaller, square, four-seaters. Billy smiled approvingly, he had been dying to meet his old school-friend and see what he looked like as a girl. The news of the wedding added an extra dimension. Ellie’s appearance impressed him and he couldn’t wait to finish the order at the
bar. He returned grateful to see that Ellie had reserved the end seats for Charlotte, Amie, herself and Billy. Their conversation would be more private with less people to eves-drop.

He sat down opposite Ellie and the four of them started chatting as though they had never been apart; ‘Which was some achievement’, Ellie thought, ‘considering they had not seen each other for nearly four years’.

~~~ooo000ooo~~~