Chapter 4 Showtime

We all met for breakfast in our hotel before setting off, and the boys couldn’t believe how I had been transformed, they even said that they had been out with a lot worse lookers than me, and that they might have to provide a bit of muscle to protect me on our travels.

John, who was a couple of years older, drove us in his Triumph 2000, which was bit of a tight squeeze getting all our costumes and clothes and things in the boot, but as we were only away for a few days we didn’t need much personal stuff, at least the boys didn’t.

At the hotel in Exeter we were given two twin rooms, Gina and I sharing one and Bob and John in the other. As far as anyone else was concerned I was Maria and was totally accepted as such by the hotel staff. We set up our sound equipment in the concert room, and ran through a couple of the songs to check the acoustics, and had the rest of the day free before we had to get ready for our show.

We had always thought of Truro as the big city, but Exeter was something else, about four or five times the size, the cathedral was massive in comparison, the shops made Truro look like a village store, and there were throngs of people everywhere rushing about their business, it was a bit overwhelming. After wandering down to the quayside of the river Exe and visiting the cathedral Gina and I hit the shops.

We weren’t particularly intending to buy anything but we were both really taken by a couple of ‘little-black dresses’ in a window display that Gina thought could be easily accessorised differently to change their appearance for different occasions. I didn’t see the need for me to have another dress, but with Gina’s encouragement that every girl needs a LBD, and after trying it on, it was a must-have, I loved the way it flattered my figure. Again according to Gina, a new dress needs a different pair of shoes to set it off, and one thing led to another, and so we ended up back at the hotel with a collection of shopping bags.

“We need to start getting ready for the show, get out of your day clothes, take off all your make-up as we need a totally different look for the show, shave off what little facial hair you have, and I’ll help you with your get ready to be Anni-Frid.” ordered Gina taking charge. Our rooms were near the concert hall so we just got ready there in private rather than using the glorified cupboard that served a s dressing room

She was definitely right about getting a different appearance. she talked me through the process of applying a glossier, and more dramatic foundation and much heavier eye-liner, shiny eye-shadow and mascara. I had become quite good with my normal daytime make-up and managed by myself, but different effects for different occasions were still beyond me, and poking around my eyes with an eyeliner and mascara wand still made me shiver with fear.

We did two sessions that night, as we were no longer just a novelty staff entertainment but were looked on as a proper act, and when we ended up, as usual, with ‘Dancing Queen’ a lot of the audience got up and danced around the tables. It was a successful night.

After the show we all got cleaned up and changed, and at Gina’s insistence wiped off the heavy make-up off and refreshed our normal day look, it’s definitely a lot of work being a girl.

Relaxing in the bar afterwards a lot of the audience came over and told us they really enjoyed the show and that we had made they holiday more memorable, which was really appreciated. Although we have quite a tiring stage dancing routine we still managed to get up to dance when asked by a couple of young men. Dancing in heels and with boobs took a bit of getting used to, the whole balance and posture is completely different, but copying Gina’s moves I soon learned to move gracefully but still move around and have a good time. Gina was enjoying herself but my partner started to get a bit hands-on and I was getting a bit worried, but luckily John seen what was going on and came over to the rescue with a polite “excuse me, I think it’s my turn now.”

“If you are going to look that attractive and swing your hips about like that on the dance floor, you’ll have to get used to a bit of unwanted attention,” advised John “you need to get some tips from your sister on how to politely but firmly deal with wandering hands, she must have learned to deal with things over the years” Attractive ?

I discussed this with Gina afterwards and with a smile on her face she told me that wandering hands were a problem girls always have to put up with, and as long as it didn’t get too aggressive or personal just to sit back, smile, and enjoy it, rather than make an embarrassing big issue out of it. It wasn’t exactly what I wanted to hear, but she said just go with the flow and have a good time.

Saturday in Exeter was pretty much the same, we did a slightly different routine with a few changes in the songs, and although some in the room were also there the previous night, Saturday is a big change-over day in hotels, so the audience was still fresh and appreciative.

As we were leaving to go home the next morning, the manager asked if we were interested in a regular booking. The others were all for it, but Maggie would soon be back on the scene and I would be going off to university, so I told them that it was up to them, but that I would continue for the next few weeks.

We were booked for a couple of shows midweek and weekend for the rest of the main season, travelling to most of the big resorts in Cornwall and over the border into Devon.

I stayed as Maria to save the bother of changing back and to several times a week. Most of the time that we were not doing shows I was working reception at the hotel, dressed in a smart business skirt suit, heels and tights and full make up and it soon became routine and I began to not even think about how I looked. Even when not working all my casual gear was female, mainly leggings with long tunic tops to cover my lack of hips and bottom and It was just becoming natural for me to be a full-time girl and I was beginning to talk, walk and make gestures in a very feminine manner without realising what I was doing.

The shows went down well everywhere and by the time Maggie was back on the team, they were travelling three or four days a week around the County for the rest of the high season. I was glad to give up Maria and return to life as a boy, although the money I had earned doing the shows would help me settle in at University. The main things about being a girl that I would not miss was as we mingled with the guests after the shows there was an occasional pat on the bottom or an accidental brush of a breast and a lot of cheesy chat-up, but following Gina’s advice I just smiled sweetly, pretended it had never happened and moved on.

It was a bit of a culture shock getting rid of my boobs and feminine clothes and returning to life as a boy, even though i had lived as a boy for eighteen years, it still felt strange, the clothes were rougher and heavier, I felt naked without make-up, the only thing not a problem was my hair. The soft perm I had would take a while to grow out, , but with a slight trim and a change in brushed style, it looked a bit ‘surfer boy‘ which would fit in ok at University

To be continued.