Awkward questions are asked...but by whom?

Easy As Falling Off A Bike.
by Angharad.
part 85.

Clutching the envelope with the name change in it, I walked to the biology department and to Professor Agnew's office. I had spoken briefly with his secretary yesterday who gave me a knowing smile, told me how nice I looked and waved me in. I knocked on his door and entered.

"Ah Catherine, how nice to see you again." He shook my hand warmly and smiled, his whole face lighting up. "You look better than ever my dear."

"Thank you Professor, you look pretty good yourself."

"Me, I'm a fat old git, who drinks too much, eats to much, farts too much and exercises too little, apart from that I'm fine."

"Well I'm glad I know you."

He blushed at me and smiled a thank you. "So what brings you into my lair, and how is your father?"

"He makes slow progress but is at least improving a little. I have to dash back this morning for a meeting with his bank."

"Is this going to compromise your further research?"

"I hope not. The fact that some of it will involve Bristol might be an advantage, if I can organise borrowing some facilities there."

"I'll have a word with them, it shouldn't be a problem. On the other hand if you want to take time off to look after your father, I'll understand although once the project gets underway, I won't be able to keep a place open indefinitely without risking losing our funding."

"I know that Professor, which is why I hesitate a little, but feel that my first loyalty lies with you and the department."

"What, over that to your family?"

"Until he had no one else, my father had practically disowned me. When I told him I was transgendered his response was violence. I feel guilty because he has no one else, but I'll have to try and cope with it. This is a great chance to protect dormice as well as learn a great deal more about them. It's also a Godsend, with the government funding it."

"Not to mention a potential doctorate," added my mentor.

"That seems way down the pile."

"Catherine, don't become too self effacing just because you're female. As your future career may depend upon it, I'd put it somewhere near the top just after coming to dinner with me the next time you're in Portsmouth."

"Professor, you are too kind. I'd be delighted to come to dinner but I'll have to come back to you on dates."

"Okay, talking of dates you got the one for the interview on your dissertation?"

"Yes sir, it's next week."

"Everything okay for then?"

"I think so. I'm hoping I can also show how I want to develop the work I've done to incorporate the sort of stuff I suspect you're going to want me to do."

"Sounds good, if you can give me a broad outline of that, I can see how we might incorporate it in our business plan for the Minister."

"When do you need it?"

"By friday, I'm afraid. I have a meeting in Bristol on tuesday and we're putting together the proposal and then meet with the Minister the following week. This could be up and running after Christmas for the feasibility studies and then officially after April, when the money becomes available. I'm already using some stuff from your dissertation in my appendices. I hope that is okay with you?"

"I'm pleased to be of help." Crikey, my name appearing in the bibliography of a research proposal, I felt a warm glow inside me.

"I have a copy of my statutory declaration of my change of name, do you mind if I do some photocopies of it."

"I think the budget will stand it, don't forget to leave one with us, will you?"

"I won't."

"When are you going to show your face in the department and squash all the rumours?"

"What rumours?"

"About your 'sister'."

"What are they saying?"

"Exactly what has happened, that you've had a sex change."

"That's a work in progress, sir."

"I know that Catherine, but the sooner they see you and realise how beautiful you are, the gossip will hopefully end."

"Beautiful, me?"

"Yes you silly girl, take my word as an experienced and expert judge of totty, you are a beautiful girl. So go down the labs, reintroduce yourself and make them all randy or jealous. I'd take you myself but I have a meeting in ten minutes."

"I don't know, I erm.."

"That was an instruction, now go woman." He stood up and pointed at the door, which was also the direction of the laboratories. There was a photocopier down there, so I shrugged, thanked him and left.

The labs are at the other end of the block from the admin area, three floors of them. The one I used was on the ground floor, just as well, my legs were like jelly. I glanced at my watch, it was nearly ten o'clock. I had a maximum of an hour before I needed to drive back to Bristol.

Boy, that corridor seemed much longer in heels, and I clicked my way towards my next ordeal. Why do I have to explain anything? It's only the wrapping that's different and the way I will act and respond and think and speak! Oh shit! Forget it.

Eventually, some two hundred years after setting off from the prof's office I walked through the first door of the labs. They require a code on the lock and I had to think for a moment before inserting it. Thankfully, the door opened and I walked in.

I got a 'who are you?' look from one of the technicians, "Can I help you love?"

"Not really Neal."

"Do I know you?"

"Sort of, I'm Cathy Watts."

"Cathy Watts?" He paused for a moment. "Any relation to Charlie?"

"Neal, I was Charlie, I thought the grape vine had told you that much?"

"Jeez-us-aitch-Kerr-ist!" He walked towards me and then around me, "F'kin 'ell," he said under his breath. "Nah you're not Charlie, no bloke even one as small as 'im could turn into a babe like you. It's a joke like, innit?"

"I have a statutory declaration about my change of name here," I said waving the envelope, "I was Charlie but now I'm Cathy, okay?"

"It's okay with me love, want me to introduce you to the rest?"

"I don't have long, I have to dash back to Bristol, my dad's had a stroke."

"Didn't you lose your mother not so long back?"

"Yes, hence having to get back to Dad."

"Wait 'ere, I'll round up some of the troops." He went off to bring in one or two technicians and whichever students were around.

While I waited I did twenty copies of the stat dec and remembering to take the original out of the machine, put them all in the envelope and that into my shoulder bag.

"Right boys 'n' girls, Cathy 'ere has somethin' to share with us." Neal gave a minimal intro to the seven bodies who stood around.

"Hi, I erm.." nervously began, I felt quite sick and was as hot as hell, "I might look familiar to some of you, if I do, it's because I am. I was Charlie Watts, the dormouse man, I'm now Cathy Watts, dormouse woman. I hope you'll respect my privacy and not broadcast this all over the uni or the town. The university are supportive of my changeover and I hope you will be too. If you have any questions, urgent ones, because I have to dash back to Bristol in a few minutes. Otherwise I'll be happy to talk to you when I'm back in the department."

One of the boys at the back put up his hand, "You free for a date sometime?" This was accompanied by laughter, which I shared although I blushed profusely.

"Have you had surgery yet, I um mean while you've been away?" asked a young woman who I think was called Jo, she wasn't in any of my classes.

"Do you need to know that?" I asked feeling a little irritated.

"I was thinking about toilets, not sure I want someone with boy bits in the ladies."

"I can assure you you won't see any boy bits."

" 'Ere Jo, don't your muvver n' favver use the same bog at 'ome?"

"That's not the point," she snapped back blushing, "I'm happy for Cathy to use the toilets once she's a proper woman."

"She looks pretty okay to me, I don't have a problem," offered Louise a student a year below me.

"There is a disabled toilet." Someone else suggested.

"I'm not disabled," I returned smiling although my internal dialogue was wanting to separate their head and body.

This went on for another few minutes before I withdrew and Neal accompanied me back to the admin end. "Don't take too much notice of the dissenters, they'll come round in time. I think you make a cracking woman."

I thanked him and left Portsmouth to head back to Bristol.