I debated and dithered for several days about taking the next step. Jo, to her credit didn’t push me. I racked my brains to find a reason why I shouldn’t do this. I did a lot of investigations on the internet. Some directions it took in me were frankly… odd to say the least.

I discovered the frankly weird case of one woman who was getting hypnosis to make herself dumber. Some were trying to make themselves look like the dolls that they played with as a child. There were more than a few WTF moments in those days. On the positive side, I got a lot of ideas from just clicking a link.

There really wasn’t one thing that said ‘Stop, go to Jail, do not pass Go’, apart from a small matter of citizenship. One evening I broached this with Jo.

“If I do this then there I have to do it properly or rather we have to do it properly. No going back. I'd suggest that we become British Citizens and give Uncle Sam the finger. That would save us from having to do that infernal IRS Tax Return every year. But my darling, the changes won’t be one sided. There are things that you are going to have to do for me. Are you clear on that?”

Jo cuddled up to me and after kissing me she said,

“That’s more like the old you. Thinking things through. Examining all the options.”

“And you deftly avoided answering my question.”

She kissed me again.

“I love it when you are like that.”

“Are you prepared to make some changes to yourself?”

Jo suddenly realised what I meant.

“What sort of changes?”

“I don’t know yet but there will be several.”

“I’m not sure if I like the sound of that,” replied Jo.

“Good. Now put yourself in my place. Then ask yourself the question about the next step you want me to take.”

“Ok, ok. I get it. I have put you in a bit of a spot, haven’t I?”

“You have indeed. That’s why I’m dithering a bit.”

Jo sat up any looked me in the eye.

“Why don’t I do something to show you that I’m with you on this?”

“You would?”

“Yes. We’ve done so much together and I don’t intend to stop now.”

“Ok.”

“So what it is to be?”

I smiled.

“Get your nipples pierced,” I responded without really thinking about it.

Jo burst out laughing. Then she saw my straight face.

“You are serious, aren’t you?”

“A little change to show that you are willing. That’s just the start though.”

“Very well, I’ll do it. We can go together and you can get your ears done.”

“That’s a date then. I’ll even wear one of those new outfits for you.”

A few days later, I put on one of the outfits that Jo had bought me, did my hair which really needed a visit to the hairdressers, but that could wait. I put on the ankle boots and joined Jo in the Volvo.

We went to a tattoo shop in Stratford that had been recommended by one of the people Jo worked with. Thankfully, we were able to park right outside. As Jo went to get out of the car, I held her wrist.

“It is not too late to back out you know?”

“I said I’d do this and I’m going to do it.”

I smiled and let her arm go.

Just over half an hour later, we emerged from the shop. I had four piercings in each ear and Jo had played her part and both her nipples were had been pierced. I’d spotted two items that would do perfectly for her upcoming birthday while I waited for her work to be done.

Despite me not actually saying I’d do it, I went ahead and started a more formal transition. We spent the evenings working on learning all the relevant facts for our Citizenship exam. It didn’t take long to realise that passing the exam was actually quite easy but we’d have to swear allegiance to the Crown at a formal ceremony once we’d cleared all the other hurdles.

With Jo’s help and a few items bought over the Internet, we got rid of what little facial hair that I had. Being a natural blonde sometimes has its advantages.

“I guess that the old me will have to stick around until then,” I said to Jo after I’d shown her the document that described the swearing in of the process.

“Can we make that the last time?”

“It might be fitting don’t you think?”

Jo kissed me.

“Then we have a plan then.”

We did but I still wasn’t sure about the future apart from one thing that was becoming increasingly evident to me and that was Daniel was looking more like a thing of the past and not the future.

---

We had remained in contact with a few people from America by email. A select few of them had our address and phone number. One morning, I got a phone call out of the blue from one such couple.

The greeting “Hey Danny Boy,” came down the phone.

My heart sank. I knew who it belonged to in an instant.

“Hello Horace,” I said trying to be cheerful.

Horace had been my book-keeper in the early days of my business. He always called me ‘Danny Boy’. I hated it but he was too good at his job to make an issue of it.

“Guess what Danny Boy,” he carried on.

“Guess what Horace?”

“June and I are at Heathrow. We just got in from Chicago.”

My heart sank. I knew what was coming.

“Good flight?”

“Pretty good. Far better than when I flew Hercules.”

He told just about everyone that he’d flown Hercules Transports in the US Air Force at every possible opportunity. He and his wife June were also our former next door neighbours in the early days.

“We are going to Oxford the day after tomorrow once we have seen London. We are off to Berlin the day after that. We’d like to see where you are living. I expect you have a real fancy place eh? How many acres is it? Fifty or even a Hundred?”

“I’ll have to see what Jo says,” I said slightly desperately.

“Letting the little woman boss you around now eh? I’d never let June boss me around.”
I managed to stifle a laugh. His wife June knew how to make it appear that he made all the decisions. She made them all but he just didn’t know it.

“No Horace. Jo is working and I don’t know when she will be able to get free.”

I knew perfectly well that Jo had the next day off.

“Working? Why? You guys left here with a pretty penny and that’s fer sure.”

“Yes Horace, she has a job. She got bored so she went out and got a job.”

“June will awful be sad to miss Jo but we’ll be in Stow around 4pm. See you then good buddy.”

He didn’t wait for an answer as he hung up the phone there and then.

I stood by the phone for several minutes wondering what I could do. Absolutely nothing came to my mind. In the end, I realised that I’d have to wait until Jo came home. At the very least, we could go to somewhere just to get away from home. Thankfully Horace and June were only going to be here for a few days. Once their ‘See Europe in a week’ or whatever package they were on was over they’d on their way home to Wisconsin again and we’d be free to get on with our lives.

---

When Jo came home that evening, she took one look at my face and knew in an instant that something was wrong.

“Ok darling out with it? You haven’t decided on a name, have you?”

“No I haven’t even given it much thought.”

“So, what is it that has got you looking like the world is about to end?”

“I got a phone call from Horace earlier.”

“Really? How is he and June?”

“They are fine. At the moment, they are doing London in a day. Tomorrow it is Oxford. You know what that means don’t you?”

“Oh shit!”

“Yes. Shit.”

“Did he say what time they would be here?"

“He said around four but it could be anytime. You know how bad June’s legs are. It would not put it beyond the possibility that they skip Oxford altogether and come here first thing.”

“Yes, June’s legs. Most certainly not made for walking. Do you know how they are getting here?”

“By car I expect. Remember that Horace is supposed to have done a stint at Upper Heyford back in the day. How far away is that? Not very far really. I’m sure he’d want to show June where he was stationed. Then coming on here is not that much of a leap is it. Add that to the fact that he’s driven on the left before and I think we will be getting a visit from them tomorrow lunchtime.”

Jo didn’t object to my reasoning.

“What do you suggest we do?”

“I think we need to make ourselves scarce. The plucking that you gave my eyebrows at the weekend is going to be a dead give-away. You know how eagle-eyed June is.”

Jo nodded.

“Add to the fact that I’m not working tomorrow so, I think we should to get out of here tonight. Why don’t I go pack a bag for both of us while you book us a room somewhere out of the way. How about… where those funny cars made out of wood come from? We had more than a dozen of them at the hotel only last week for some rally or something.”

“Morgan’s? That would be in Malvern. About forty miles away at most.”

“That’s it.”

Jo didn’t argue. The last thing we wanted was a meeting with people from ‘hicksville’. I felt bad saying that but the places we’d been and the sights we had seen since we left our former home had given us a totally new outlook on the world. Given my state of dress at this moment, I regretted ever keeping in touch with anyone from our former lives. But it was done with good intentions at the time so there was little either of us could do about it now. We’d both moved on with our lives since we’d left.

---

Thanks to the Internet, I soon found us a room in a pub that by the reviews had a fairly decent restaurant attached. We were about an hour and a bit away so we wouldn’t be late getting something to eat.

Jo came bounding down the stairs carrying our overnight bags and then visibly winced.

“What’s up?”

“One of those barbells in my nipples keeps getting caught in my bra.”

I grinned.

“What’s so funny?”

“Are you wearing a lacy bra?”

“Yes? Oh, I get it.”

“Remember what the piercer said, plain bra’s only for the first month.”

I fished in the pocket of my dress and bought out a clean handkerchief.

“Here put this inside your bra. That should solve it for the time being.”

Jo gave me a long and passionate kiss. As she did, I remarked at how different our relationship was now when compared to when we were Stateside. That part of my life was definitely an improvement.

---

A little before 7pm, I parked the car at the rear of the pub where we were staying. As I went to get out of the car, Jo leaned over and kissed me.

“Sorry for getting angry with you about my piercing. You even put out a plain bra for me this morning so it is my fault.”

“Don’t worry my darling. I still love you every more each day.”

“Oh you!”

And she punched me on the arm and grinned at the same time.

We booked a table in the restaurant when we checked in. Just before 8pm and we were scanning the menu when suddenly, another woman appeared and sat at our table.

“I’m not too late, am I?” she said slightly breathlessly.

“Er? I think you must be mistaken,” said Jo.

“I was told to expect to find two women at a table for four,” said the other woman.

“That’s not us I’m afraid but you are more than welcome to join us,” said Jo.

The other woman looked around and at that moment, two further women entered the restaurant and sat at an empty table.

“I’m so sorry. I think that those are the people I was to meet. Please accept my apologies for barging in like that.”

“Don’t worry. It was a mistake that anyone could make,” replied Jo.

“Thanks for being so understanding,” said the other woman as she made an exit and headed for the other table.

“I wonder what that was all about? Her face seemed a bit familiar,” I said to Jo.

“It looks like we are going to find out,” she replied.

One of the other women had got up from their table and was coming towards us.

“Hello, I want to apologise for my friend. If you are in the bar after your meal, please come and join us.”

“Thank you,” replied Jo.

“We may well just do that.”

“Great. Having two Americans around would give us something other than the horrible men in our lives to talk about,” remarked the woman before returning to her friends.

“What do you make of that?” I asked quietly when we were alone again.

“Do you want to meet them?”

“I guess you do. But I’ll give the game away the moment I open my mouth.”

“So? It might be nice to talk to some strangers for a change.”

I could not argue with that.

---

We had a very nice meal with some equally good beer so we were in quite a good mood when we went into the bar after our meal.

“Do you want a nightcap darling?”

“Yes, that would be nice. I’ll go and get them. Your usual?”

“Please.”

I went and sat down at an empty table. Jo fetching the drinks was something that was just not done in our previous life. There, women had a role to play and they almost never stepped outside that role. I watched Jo at the bar and saw how much more confident and assertive she’d become since we came to England. I liked that a lot.

Jo soon returned with two glasses of scotch and a jug of water.

“They had your favourite, Cardhu.”

I picked up the glass and took a taste. Glorious.

“What did you get?”

“I thought I’d try an Islay Malt. This one is very popular at the hotel.”

I waited for Jo to try the peaty malt.

Sure enough, she grimaced as she tasted it.

“Ugh! How can anyone drink that? Moose Pederson’s moonshine tasted better than that.”

I remembered the moonshine. It could double as a paint stripper on a good day.

“Here, I’ll take yours. Mine should be more to your liking.”

“Gladly,” replied Jo.

I added a good amount of water to the scotch and drank some. It wasn’t too bad. An acquired taste though.

Just then the three other women emerged from the Restaurant. They came over to our table.

“Do you mind if we join you?” asked the woman who’d sat at our table earlier.

“No, please do,” said Jo.

“Can I get you another drink?” she asked.

I looked at Jo hoping to convey the word ‘No’ to her.

“I think we are fine for the moment,” she replied.

There was a bit of a pregnant silence as the other two waited for their drinks to arrive.

“Here you go,” said the first woman.

“Right, I’m Julie O’Connell, this is Ann-Marie Glenister and on my left, is Samantha Goddard.”

“Pleased to meet you all,” said Jo.

“I’m Jo and this is my husband Danny or when he’s dressed like this Daniella.”

Ann-Marie grinned.

“I wondered if that was the case.”

“If me being here is a problem, then I’ll leave you alone,” I said quietly.

“You stay right where you are Daniella,” said Samantha.

Their names suddenly made sense. All of them had recently been in the news for all the wrong reasons.

“Thank you for being so understanding,” I said.

“So, what brings two Americans to this neck of the woods?” asked Julie.

“We live here now. Jo was actually born here but grew up in the USA.”

“That explains it,” said Julie.

“No self-respecting American tourist would find this place. It does not have room service for starters,” she replied jokingly.

I grinned back at her.

“We aren’t all like that you know but yes. This place is a bit… what is the word… Rustic, yes, rustic for most of them. Besides, the food is good and so is the beer.”

“What about you then Ladies?” asked Jo.

“Men,” replied Julie

“Present company,” said Samantha looking at me,
“excepted but none of us has had a very good experience with men in recent times. We have been hauled over the coals in the press and social media. None of us strayed but we got portrayed as being the evil witches and other nasty stuff.”

“We met up on social media some months ago and decided that a girls-only evening in a very out of the way place would help our morale. A place so out of the way that those bastard paparazzi won’t be here with their long lenses recording everything we say and do,” added Ann-Marie.

“Did it?” asked Jo.

“Did what?” replied Ann-Marie.

“Sometimes Ann-Marie, you really are as thick as two short planks,” said Samantha.

“We are here to give each other some support, aren’t we?”

“I suppose so,” replied Ann-Marie.

She was down in the dumps all right.

“Don’t you go getting soft on him,” said Julie in quite a stern voice.

“You didn’t get caught with your trousers round your ankles and bonking the maid of honour at your sisters wedding, now did you eh?” replied Samantha.

“No, I didn’t,” came her reply.

“So, don’t you forget it,”

“Sorry about that,” said Julie

“Its ok. Some men deserve all they get and that includes a kick in the balls,” I said.

Julie looked at Jo and said,

“If you ever want rid of Daniella, give me a call. I’ll take her off your hands,” she said jokingly.

“I will but she’s all mine understand,” said Jo as she put her hand on mine and grinned.

---

Much later, I got into bed and gave Jo a kiss.

“That was an evening with a difference, wasn’t it?” I said.

“It darn sure was pardner,” came her reply with extra American accents.

I kissed her lovingly.

“What do you make of them?”

“An interesting mix of characters,” replied Jo

“Could you imagine three so very different women from so very different backgrounds getting together like that back home?”

Jo didn’t respond right away.

“I really don’t think they could. Back home those three would not have mixed unless they were in the same sorority or something to do with their husbands. The more things like this I see, the more I am glad we decided to stay here. I’m not sure if I could ever go back.”

“I think you are right my darling. I think we fit right in here with all these somewhat odd people. If I walked down Main St dressed like I was tonight, I’d be lucky to get away with a tarring and a feathering,” I replied half jokingly.

Then I said,

“The big difference is that this is a small island really. There was a programme on the radio a while back about this American who came over here and wrote a series of books about his experiences. One of his books was called ‘Notes from a Small Island’. Didn’t Mary-Jo Samuels describe Washington as being in a different country? Well compared to where we lived before out in the boonies of the Mid-West, it might as well be. London is just ninety minutes away from us on the train. It is far easier for people to connect here than in say Texas where it can take you a day just to drive across it.”

“What are you trying to say?” asked Jo.

“I’m trying to say that it isn’t really out of the ordinary for three women like that to get to meet up even if they are from different parts of the country. A few hours by car or train and there you are. Nowhere in England is more than half a days’ drive away from here is it?”

---

We’d just finished breakfast the following morning when Ann-Marie wandered into the Restaurant.

“Hello you two. I want to say sorry for last night.”

“Sorry, whatever for?” I asked.

“Well, I have a habit of putting my foot into my mouth and biting hard at time. One drink and I lose most of what little self-control I have left.”

Then I did something very much out of character. I stepped forward and hugged Ann-Marie.

“You didn’t do anything you know so you don’t have anything to apologise for.”

“Thank you Daniella.”

She hesitated for a second.

“Here’s my card. I’d like to keep in touch if you don’t mind. I may have to move soon but my mobile number won’t change.”

I looked at Jo who responded with a brief nod of her head.

“Have you another card?” she asked.

“I’ll put my email address on it.”

Five minutes later we were in the Volvo.

“Where to now M’Lady?” I asked.

“How about Hereford? They have a copy of the ‘Mappa Mundi’ on display. There was a party in the hotel last week that went to see it. They all raved about the place.”

“Sounds like a plan. Please programme the Satnav navigator,” I replied smiling.

“Aye-aye Captain Miss!”

It was dark by the time we arrived home. I did a drive past our house just in case our ‘visitors’ were waiting for us. They weren’t so we breathed a sigh of relief and returned to our home feeling happy.

---

There was a note from them waiting for us. The tone was not that good. Not only were they disappointed that we were not there to greet them but they are amazed at how small our home was when compared to our old home in the USA. They clearly had expected more from us. Perhaps the old us maybe but not the people we are now.

“What do you think?” I asked Jo as we prepared something to eat.

“I think we have burned our last bridges with the old place. Or, we will have when they tell the story of their trip to anyone who will listen when they get home.”

“Do you mind?”

“Not in the slightest. Hopefully, now we can get on with our lives.”

“I love you Mistress Jo,” I said jokingly.

“Me? Mistress? You gotta be joking!”

Then we both fell about laughing.

[Continued in part 4]