As Carol had predicted, I’d arrived back on board the ship by 9.00pm, and found my way to the cabin that I’d be sharing with Maria on the coming voyage.

‘Hello Ally, I am pleased that you come back early; it will enable us to do a good job tomorrow,’ she said as I entered.

‘Thanks, Maria; what’s that parcel on my bunk?’

‘It came to you this morning.’

‘I expect it’s my breast forms,’ I said, picking it up.

I opened the box, and took out two lifelike silicone breasts.

‘What do you think?’ I asked. 'Will they be big enough for me?'

‘They look well to me but we’ll have to see how they appear when they are stuck in place. But first we need to discuss what I will to do tomorrow.’

‘Yes, what exactly do you have in mind?’ I asked, a little suspiciously.

‘We have plenty time to make your nails later. First I want to replace your hair extensions with more permanent ones with keratin tips. I have a set available made of human hair. They look more natural and will stay in place for the whole summer.’

‘I thought the existing ones were alright,’ I protested.

‘Maybe they look alright, as you say, but if you are to look really good I must be able to style your hair properly with extensions fixed in place.’

‘Alright; if you think it necessary.’

‘Please take out the extensions for me.’

I did as she asked and felt a little odd to be dressed as Ally but with shorter hair. Maria didn’t comment; she examined my head.

‘Your own hair is thick and long enough to be able to hide the joins. I will give it a better shape, and then I will need to lighten the colour to match the extensions. I think you will look good as a blonde.’

‘Goodness only knows what Mum is going to say when she next sees me on Skype – but what the hell! How many other times will I get such an opportunity?’ I thought to myself.

‘How long are they?’

‘The longest are sixty-five centimetres, from your head to your new breasts.’

‘I shall enjoy having long hair,’ I said, ‘but I’ll have to get used to having it all the time.’

‘If any fall out I can fix them back in again for you.’

‘But won’t new ones be expensive?’

‘Most of the expense will be for my time, which I am giving to you. I have been told to charge the cost of the materials that I use to the Entertainments Office who will pay.

‘Thank you.'

‘Also I have been told that I will spend one hour each evening helping the three of you to get ready.’

‘I trust they will be paying you overtime for this work.’

‘I will take a two hour lunch break as that is the quiet time. It will give me more time to learn my lessons.’

‘Maybe we can arrange a daily English lesson for you during the lunch break as I’m normally free then.’

‘Thank you, Ally. I would like to do that.’

'So will I,' I added with a smile.

‘So will you be happy to become a blonde?’ she asked.

‘Go ahead. I’ll have to trust your judgment,’ I replied.

Maria now looked at my short bare fingernails and frowned.

‘Tomorrow I give you manicure and then fix your finger nails. This time I use gel tips which are more natural looking, stronger and more flexible than the acrylic nails that you had before.’

‘I’ll have to leave any decisions regarding my appearance in your hands, at least for the time being.’

‘Maybe you should do that for a while, but you will gradually learn what for you is right. Then you will be able to decide for yourself.’

It took me some time to get to sleep that night as I was feeling a mixture of excitement and trepidation about the following day.

Maria insisted that I should not put on any makeup or wear any jewellery other than my Bunny studs when I went down to breakfast the following morning, but I was allowed to put in my existing hair extensions, as I didn’t feel confident enough to go out as Ally with short hair. I felt rather drab and underdressed and was glad that there were very few people in the staff dining room as most of those I knew were still ashore. At nine o’clock we made our way to the deserted salon. Over the next nine hours she got down to work on my appearance whilst we talked together and I corrected her grammar or suggested alternative terms to add to her vocabulary.

‘May I watch what you are doing in the mirror?’ I asked as soon as she finished cutting and colouring my own hair and I was sitting up once again.

‘I prefer you wait until I finished and then you see efecto global of my work.’

‘We would say ‘the overall effect’. But if I’m not allowed to see what you’re doing, you must try to explain it to me, in English. I will help you to say it properly.’

‘If you insist. I begin at the back. I comb the hair up to create a parting and insert several strands of your hair in to this plastic guide. I take a swatch of the new hairs and soften the keratin tip using a heated iron. When it is warm I wrap the tip around the roots of your own hair and roll them together until they are permanently bonded.'

‘How many swatches are there?’

‘I have three hundred, if I am going to do a good job. It will take me several hours but your hair will look and feel good when it is finished.’

Having previously worked in her parents’ salon, Maria already knew much of the specialised English technical vocabulary relating to hair and beauty treatments which was often quite similar to the Spanish equivalents. It was in other areas that she needed to improve, just as she occasionally made grammatical mistakes. As with any language learner, she needed to gain confidence and experience by using English in many different situations. This was one area that I could help her, especially as we were going to share a cabin.

At one point I was trying to explain to her the difference between curly hair and wavy hair.

‘So many different words meaning the same thing!’ she exclaimed in exasperation ‘Why cannot English be more like Spanish!’ she complained.

‘I don’t know, I guess it is because the British are such mongrels.’

‘Mongrels?’ she asked.

‘Mestizo?’ I replied, but not sure whether this was the right word.

‘Ah, you mean Chuchos.’

I could gradually feel the weight of so much extra hair and caught sight of the strands resting on my shoulders.

‘How do I look as a blonde?’ I asked once she had attached the final swatch of hair over two hours later.

She looked at me and smiled.

‘You will have to wait to see. I will now cut and style your new hair and put it in to rollers ready for your performance this evening.

‘What will I need to do with my hair when I go to bed?’ I asked.

‘You should brush it and tie it in a ponytail so that it does not tangle and then brush it carefully again in the morning. Tonight I will show you what to do.’

‘It sounds like a lot of effort.’

‘Of course, but that is necessary if you wish to look beautiful.’

We briefly stopped for a cup of coffee once she had finished with my hair and placed me under a dryer.

‘Alright Ally, I will now make your nails and give you a cera de cuerpo entero, before I stick on your breasts. If we have time, I will also make your eyelashes grow longer.'

‘What is Cera de cuerpo entero?’ I asked, unsure of the term and knowing only that it related in some way to bodies.

‘You will see,’ she said smiling.

After coffee Maria cleaned off the last traces of acrylic from my finger nails, checked that the cuticles had been pushed back and filed the tips with an emery board. She surrounded each nail with flexible metallic forms and placed a small blob of gel onto the end of each in turn. Using a spatula, she slowly smoothed it out to form the shape of the new nail. She could not prevent me from seeing the results of her work.

‘When I have finished they will look just like your own nails, but you should continue to use nail varnish to protect them.’

‘I’ve been doing so over the last fortnight. I like to wear nail varnish even if it does take a long time to dry.’

‘Good. It is important to look after the nails.’

‘Is this hand ready now?’ I asked examining my left hand whilst she continued working on the right.

‘Not until we put it under ultra-violet light to set them permanently. Afterwards I will buff and shape them and apply the nail polish. What colour will you wear tonight?’ she asked.

‘Our new Bunny outfits are black and white, but they have long gloves.’

‘Good, the colour will not matter. I recommend a light pink, such as this?’ she said holding up a small bottle.

‘Please go ahead,’ I replied.

‘It will go well with your new blonde hair.

By one o’clock my hair and finger nails were dry and so I suggested a break for some lunch in the staff canteen.

‘We have no time for lunch,’ Maria said definitely. ‘We still have much work to do. You must be prepared to suffer a little discomfort for the sake of your beauty regime.’

I was allowed a short break with a coffee and some sandwiches from the canteen, but only on condition that I promised not to get up from the dryer and look at myself in one of the mirrors, the nearest of which had been covered over by a towel. I must admit that I was tempted to do so whilst she was away but in the end I decided not to spoil Maria's fun as she was clearly enjoying herself. Once we had finished eating Maria returned to the job in hand.

‘As you came back early there will be time for your depilacíon con cera de cuerpo entero,’ she said taking a large tub of a light brown substance out of the cupboard, removing the lid and placing it in a microwave oven with the lid placed loosely on top.

‘I think the English phrase is ‘body waxing,’ I said, now realising what it was she had in mind to do.

‘Ah yes! I will remember that next time. Go behind the screens and undress as far as your panties, and remove your existing breasts.’

I did as she instructed and felt self-conscious as she had not seen me flat chested before. She did not seem to worry though.

‘Now, Ally, lay down on the bench.’

‘It should be lie down. ‘To lay’ is a transitive verb which describes an action that is done to something – but don’t worry lots of English speakers get that one wrong.’

‘But I thought that lie was an untruth.’

‘It is but it is also an intransitive verb meaning ‘to rest,’ or to be in a horizontal position.’

Maria shook her head and sighed in disbelief.

‘I want you in a horizontal position,’ she said.

I followed her instructions not wishing to add to her grief.

‘I won’t be able to see what you are doing, so you must explain it to me,’ I said.

‘I think the wax has reached the right temperature now – it should be a mixture between the solid and the liquid with a soft crust on the top. I test a small quantity on the inside of my arm to make sure that I do not burn you.’

‘I’m glad about that.’

‘The temperature is fine so now I spread a long strip about two inches wide, on to your arm. Once it has set, after a few seconds, I flick up one end with a spatula like this.

As Maria spoke she performed each action that she was describing. It was not an unpleasant sensation.

‘Now I quickly pull off the wax strip with my right hand whilst holding down your skin with the fingers of my left hand.’

I felt a slight tingling feeling on my arm but no real pain.

‘Any hairs will be removed,’ she said showing me the tiny hairs stuck on to the strip. This will last you much longer than shaving them.’

Maria had clearly given full-body waxes before as she was methodical and fast in spreading the strips of wax and then pulling them off. In most areas of my body the process hardly hurt at all, just created a tingling feeling which I soon got used to. The two areas where it did hurt a little were my armpits and the back and sides of my neck, both of which were a little sore for a while so she cooled them with a water spray before continuing with her task.

‘Those areas will hurt for a little while but in an hour you will have forgotten,’ she stated.

‘Are you spreading wax on to my eyebrows?’ I asked at one point, a little anxiously.

‘Yes but I am only tidying around the edges. Most of each brow will be left intacto. Fuller eyebrows are now fashionable for girls,’ she announced.

‘That’s a relief to know,’ I thought.

As soon as Maria had finished I sat up and she stood back to look at her handiwork.

‘Yes, that is a great improvement.’

‘Thank you, but how long will it be before I need it done again?’ I asked.

‘Four maybe five weeks, we will see how quickly they grow again. But now we must fix your new breasts before you get dressed again.’

Maria read the instructions on the package and carefully placed each breast in order to get an idea where the edges would come. She made a tiny mark in felt tip pen on each breast and on my skin so that she would be able to place them exactly when the time came. She then took the aerosol containing the medical adhesive which came with the forms and sprayed in two circles around my own breasts where the forms would be placed.

‘Please use your fingers to spread the glue where I have just sprayed, Ally. It will be better that I do not get glue on my fingers.’

‘Don’t you need to put glue on to the middle of the form?’ I asked.

‘No. It says to use glue only on the edges, suction should hold them in place.’

I did as she instructed and afterwards she handed me a tissue containing adhesive remover.

‘The instructions say to wait at least seven minutes until the glue is ready to stick. Is there anything you want me to do whilst we wait?’

I was about to ask Maria to replace the Bunny studs with the drop earrings loaned to me by Carol, but then I had an idea. Both Beth and Carol had twin ear piercings and so were able to wear both the Bunnies and some more glamorous earrings at the same time.

‘Maria, would you be able to give me a second ear piercing for the studs that I have?’ I asked.

‘No problem but they will have to stay in place until the holes heal.

‘I understand.’

The piercing was completed with a minimum of discomfort and in future I could wear drop earrings as well as the studs.

By this time the required wait for the glue to cure was over. I lay back again whilst Maria carefully placed each one and stretched and stuck down the delicate edges to my own skin. She then removed her guide marks. By the time she had finished the joins were barely noticeable so any casual observer would think that my breasts were natural.

‘I show you how to use some foundation to disguise the joins in case they are visible. After you shower you should learn to do this for yourself.’

‘How long can they stay in place before I need to take them off?’ I asked.

‘We will have to see; at least a week, and perhaps longer.’

I sat up and allowed my new breasts to hang unsupported.

'I do not think they are too small. They are just the right size for you,' commented my friend and I was inclined to agree.

Maria handed me my new push-up bra and helped me to adjust it to my new shape. Suddenly I’d acquired a respectable and entirely convincing cleavage.

‘As long as you don’t try to wear a very low-cut dress nobody will ever know.’

‘Thank you for your help.’

‘You may get yourself dressed now.

By this time, I’d perfected the art of pushing my testicles back into my body cavity and tucking my penis between my legs without causing myself any discomfort, and then holding everything in place using a home-made gaff, so that I could wear any garment without giving any hint of my manhood. As I put on my tights and my new dress, I noticed that the skin of my arms and legs now felt silky and smooth, so I guess that the waxing had been worth the minor discomfort involved. Also, with my new breasts in place my dress seemed to fit me better and I felt more confident about the way I looked.

‘You are now beginning to look like a real woman,’ Maria commented when I’d finished dressing.

‘Thank you, I’m beginning to feel like one as well.’

It was now four o’clock and Maria allowed me the luxury of another cup of coffee, followed by a visit to the ladies' loo but only on condition that I promised not to look at myself in the mirrors.

‘What time do you need to be ready for your singing this evening?’ she asked, when I returned.

‘I told Carol and Beth that I would meet them at 6.00pm to try on our new costumes and begin the rehearsal, but that is quite early as we do not start until nine o’clock. I could send them a text message to say I will need an extra half an hour, if you wish’ I replied.

‘Yes, please do so. That will give me enough time to finish your hair and lengthen your eyelashes.’

‘What are you intending to do to my eyelashes?’ I asked.

‘I will glue on extensions to make them longer and fuller,’ she said.

‘Will I be able to remove them?’

‘No, not once they are in place, but they will fall out naturally after four or five weeks. Unfortunately they do not last as long as the hair extensions.’

'I don’t think I will be able to avoid my mother’s gaze for four or five weeks, but it is now too late for me to go back,’ I thought to myself.

Once again Maria gave me a commentary on what she was doing and I corrected her grammar or suggested the most appropriate word when necessary.

‘First we clean your eyes to ensure that there is no mascara on them. Next I stick these silk shields over each eyelid and over the lower lashes using medical tape.’

She performed each action as she spoke.

‘Now I carefully separate each of your lashes and place a tiny lump of glue on to each artificial lash.’

She held one up with a pair of tweezers for me to see.

‘I think it may be better to say a tiny piece or spot of glue,’ I corrected.

‘Now I stick each one on to your natural lash.’

‘You have done this before, Maria?’ I questioned.

‘Yes, of course, plenty of time.’

‘Many times,’ I corrected.

Maria continued with her task whilst I lay back and enjoyed the sensation until I eventually emerged with long, thick and dark eyelashes that I could feel but still wasn't allowed to look at.

'How do they look?' I asked.

Maria shrugged her shoulders and then smiled and nodded.

'Pretty good,' as you say.

In spite of the time and trouble involved, I could now see why girls enjoyed having such beauty treatments. Without being able to see the results of her work, I nevertheless felt great.