Chapter 2 To Stand on Dry Land….

I did return to the world but it felt like I was halfway through a boxing match and losing badly. Someone was pounding my chest and another was kissing me, how weird was that! The next thing was that I was rolled onto my side just as I heaved up everything in my stomach as well as a lot of water out of my lungs.

I drew in great gasps of air and then I passed out again. When I did come to I was in a bunk, wrapped in blankets and not feeling very good at all. After a while someone came and looked at me and said “Oh! Thank goodness you are awake, Haley. You gave us all quite a worrying time. For a while we thought we had lost you and would be just taking a body back to port.” The guy spoke a type of Spanish but with a strange lilt to it. I just smiled and he asked me how many fingers he was holding up and then said “There was nothing we could salvage from your craft, lass, that whale took it down with it when it went under again. We nearly missed seeing you when you bobbed up but it must have taken you down as well.”

I just nodded and he helped me sit up and got me some broth to sip. It was wonderful having something hot pass my lips, even if it was a fish stew. I then lapsed into a fitful slumber again. The next time I woke I was a lot better and he came back, helping me out of the blankets and holding me up as he led me to the head. I was wearing some kind of long tee shirt and my underpants. I needed to sit to pee, being so dizzy, and when I did I saw that my penis was now very small, almost like a big clit. My balls had withdrawn into my body so I looked like a vagina-less girl down there. This was so weird and got weirder when I felt my breasts move under the tee. When I had finished and washed my hands he helped me through to a small galley where I was fed more broth.

That was when I found out that my passport had been sucked out of my pocket and the only identification I had when they pulled me out of the water was the bill-fold with Haley Garcia on it and the credit card with H. Garcia. I was not sure how to tell them that I was a guy but then realised that everything about me screamed girl. I had breasts, a slim waist, thin arm and legs and the water I had breathed in must have done something to my larynx as when I spoke it was with a high pitch squeak.

Never mind, I thought, I would work this out when I got to whatever port they hailed from. In the meantime they loaned me some guys underpants, a shirt and trousers and a deck-hands waterproof outfit. I helped out where I could while they continued fishing and slowly found out where I would be heading when we went back to port. They hailed from Rawson, in Patagonia, and I found that I had been drifting for several months as it was now into November. When we did get back to port I was taken to a boarding house, owned by a cousin of one of the crew, and was given a wonderful bath. My loaned clothes were taken away and the landlady said that she had some cast-offs from her eldest which would fit me like a glove.

After I had dried I found out that the glove referred to was a lady’s one as all the clothes laid out for me on the bed were for girls. I could not upset the kind people around me so managed to put it all on, from the bra and panties to the blouse and skirt and cardigan. The bra did actually fit me and held my new appendages. There were even some old sneakers and pink socks to finish me off. I was not sure about the pink nightie.

I offered the little money I had for the clothes but I was told that everything would be sent to the orphanage if I didn’t need it so it was all mine now. My landlady took me into the town and it was really strange to have buildings and people around me. I did find out about the odd lilt to their speaking when she told me that the town was originally a Welsh settlement and the vocal oddity had remained over the years. One thing that I did notice was that I was much calmer in myself, maybe the trip did work after all. At the bank I tried to use my credit card but the teller took it and cut it in half before I could complain, telling me that the account had been closed and that if I tried that sort of thing again he would call the police.

The next place we went to was a little salon where the landlady spun a tale of the shipwrecked lass who needed to be brought back into the real world. They agreed to work on me if they could take a before and after picture as I looked like a wreck. They got me to strip to my pants and bra and put a cloak over me and started by washing my hair. It was so soothing that I fell asleep and, when I woke, I was being given a pedicure. The girl working on me was full of sympathy at what she had been told I had been through and, when I got dressed again I found that I was hairless all over my body, my eyebrows had a new shape, my hair was now curled and bouncy and I sported long red fingernails. I looked in the mirror and thought that no-one would think I was a guy, now. They then gave me a quick make-up session and I was given a small bag with the samples that they had used.

I thanked everyone and then went to find the library where I may get onto a computer and find out what was cooking back home. When I did get into the newspaper website I found out that, as far as everyone at home was concerned, I no longer existed. I read the report of my radio silence after a huge storm and that no sign of me was discovered since then. I had been looked for by aircraft flying to and from South America but I was nowhere near the original route so they never had a chance of seeing me. Around the end of September they had decided that I could not have survived as my food and water would have run out so they held a memorial service for me and a small casket was buried. There was a picture of my parents looking stoic. No wonder my bank account was closed.

So here I was, in Patagonia, a new person without a past, or even a future yet. I was sat in the library, in girls clothes, looking at the reports of my demise. The next thing that I thought of was why I had changed so much and, after much clicking and typing, I found a website that told me some of what I wanted to know. It seemed that the ship that had sunk with all the flax and soy on board was my catalyst to woman-hood. It had been found that the estrogen in these sorts of seeds would, if eaten by fish, actually change their gender. I had eaten a lot of raw fish over the past six months that may have eaten a lot of flax that was drifting in the same current I was caught in..

I went back to the boarding house and, over the next week, I helped out around the place to pay my way. Then the landlady said that her brother was going to go to Mar del Plata the next day and had offered to take me. She said that he had a daughter a little older than me and she had offered to give me some of her cast-offs to expand my wardrobe. When they turned up the girl brought in a bag of things and when we left I was in a good set of underwear, a nice blouse and a straight skirt that I had to think very carefully about before I went anywhere. I dragged up all the memories of all the girls I had ever known and tried to emulate their movements. It must have worked as the brother, Emilio, gave me a kiss on the cheek when he saw me and told me that I must be one very brave young lady to have survived the shipwreck.

On the journey north we chatted and they asked me if I was from Argentina or Brazil with my darkish skin and Moorish face. I told them that I was from Brazil as it was unlikely they would ever go there looking for me in future. I found out that Emilio, Gabriella and Sofia, the younger sister, were going to Mar del Plata in Argentina proper for their usual summer holiday and that I was welcome to join them few a few days while I found my feet.

The distance was over twelve hundred kilometres so we were in for a long drive and had plenty of time to chat, seeing that for much of our first day driving was across an endless grassy plain; the Pampas. Asked about my own recent experience I told them that I had been testing a cross-ocean rowing boat out of Salvador and had been swept south by the current after a big storm had rolled me over. They were far enough away that there would be no mention of a lost rower in their news so I thought I was pretty safe. Emilio had been a fisherman who had a bad accident on a voyage and had retired, taking over a business that supplied the fishing boats and had done very well with it.

Gabriella worked with him in his office and was well on her way to spinsterhood, while Sofia was a bright and pretty eighteen year old who was still wondering about what she would like to do in life, as long as it wasn’t working with her sister. Their mother was not mentioned and I didn’t ask.

We stopped overnight in a little cottage just north of Villalonga and the next day was a much better trip as the roads were not converted cart tracks but proper roads to suit the bigger population. A bit before six in the afternoon we were in Mar del Plata and parked outside a dinky little house that looked as if it was lifted from an English village. Emilio saw me look at it in wonder and explained that the single storey chalet was a fashion that had developed to house the huge number of visitors to the seaside destination. It certainly looked lovely with its stone façade and the tiled, gable roof and the porch. We took the easy way out for dinner as Sofia had insisted that she wanted something different to fish so we unpacked and got into the car again and ate at a place called Don Joe that sold pizza.

Marianne G 2021

Chapter 3 Make a Few Changes….

The next morning we all went to the beach, the others to swim and me just to walk. I had enough of water to last me a lifetime. I told them I would meet for lunch and we pinpointed a meeting place on the promenade and I went off to explore.

My real reason was that I needed to find work and a seaside resort is one where there are a lot of seasonal places. I had done a lot of toilet cleaning and even a bit of waiting back home so was no stranger to the menial tasks that needed to be done. I was prepared to take as long as it took because there was no way I would be going back to Rawson with them and end up working in a fish factory. It all came together a lot quicker than I expected.

There was a huge, old hotel facing the main beach, with its frontage on the main road on the inland side. The road, the Avienda Maritimo Patricio Peralta Ramos, was even longer than its name, running all the way around the small bay. As I walked through the main doors I went up to the reception of the Gran Hotel Provincial and asked if they had any job vacancies. The receptionist rang someone and sent me down a corridor to the administration office. I was shown into the office of the HR manager who asked me if I was serious about working with them because they did need a few people who were prepared to last the whole season. He explained that so many came down from Buenos Aires for a few weeks to make a little money but mainly find a boy or girl to have fun with.

I told him that I was, indeed, serious and was here to find a good paying job as I was very short on cash. When he asked why I told him that I had arrived yesterday with some friends from Rawson, way down south. I told him that my parents had died when I was younger and that I had gone to live with my last remaining relative, my Uncle Moralis. He had promised that he would leave me the house and his money when he died so I had been his nurse until he died recently. I explained that the problem was that when he died, I found out the house was not his and that he had gambled away all his money years ago so I was left with nothing.

The guy then asked if I was prepared to live in-house and work odd shifts and I said that it would be wonderful. I said that I could do cleaning, waitressing or whatever they needed. He asked for identification and I said that I did not have any. I had never worked in a paying job so had never needed one. I had no driving license, no passport and that the only thing I owned was my old bill-fold with my name on. He said that it was not a great problem and that they were used to employees over the season who were trying to avoid paying tax so he would set up a file in my name as a new tax-payer, starting on the twenty-five percent level.

He then showed me where I would sleep. It was an attic room no bigger than a shoe-box but had a single bed, wash basin, wardrobe and dresser. I was told that I would have all meals provided in the kitchens and that I could start the next day if I wanted to bring my belongings this afternoon. Before I left he took me to the laundry where I was measured for my uniform. I was to get a couple of simple shifts to wear when I worked in room cleaning; as well as a black dress with the white apron and cap for when I did waitressing or room service. Luckily a pair of the shoes I had been given were black flats so I did not need to buy any.

That all sorted I walked some more before meeting my companions for lunch and told them that I was starting work at the big hotel tomorrow so needed to bring my belongings down this afternoon as I would be sleeping there tonight. Emilio kissed my cheek and told me that he was glad for me and Gabriella looked relieved that I was no longer going to be hanging around as I was sure she thought that her father had his eye on me.

So Emilio took us all to the La Marina seafood restaurant and then we went back to the chalet where I packed up all my meagre belongings. At the hotel I kissed them all and thanked them for their friendship and help and went through the main doors to my new life as Haley. I checked with HR and was given the key to my room and told to get acquainted with the hotel layout this afternoon and that I would get my uniforms in the evening. He gave me a map of the place and sent me on my way, saying that I needed to report to the room cleaning office at eight in the morning but that I could get breakfast in the kitchen from six.

That afternoon I walked the entire hotel, past every room in the place. I found the kitchen, the dining rooms, the lounges, the bars, the pool, the gym and the business centre. It was a huge place and looked, in places, if it needed a make-over. It was certainly grand but that grandness that comes with age. I made sure that I found the room cleaners office and had a chat with the lady there who asked me if I had any problems with changing beds and cleaning up guests’ rubbish. I told her that I had done a stint cleaning railway station toilets so that made her smile and she said that there were very few who came to work here who were as prepared to do what was needed.

Next morning I joined a crew of ten, cleaning out fifty rooms, two of us to a room, taking ten rooms each. I had a portable vacuum strapped on my back and cleaned the floors while my partner stripped and remade the bed. We then both cleaned the bathroom and toilet and finally restocked the lotions, soaps and towels. We had a big bag on a trolley which took the old sheets, pillowcases and towels. It was not arduous work and we finished about half past eleven. I was then told to go and put on my waitress uniform and report to the dining room.

I served on the tables until three when I was told that I had a couple of free hours but to report back at five for the dinner seating. It was harder than the room cleaning as many of the men wanted to touch me or chat me up and it was something I had never known before. I did, however, draw on my own memories of rejection and managed to finish the day without slapping anyone. I was dragging my feet when I went to bed and the next day we did it all again.

At the end of the Friday dinner I was told that Saturday and Sunday I was not needed in the dining room over the weekend as I would be working on room service from five to after midnight. When we finished with the room cleaning on Saturday morning I was given a small can of pepper spray in case any of the guests got extra frisky.

That evening I was delivering trays to rooms and was glad I had explored the place fully before I started. It was a case of take the tray to the room, be friendly and lay out the meals if required, then go back to the kitchen, picking up any trays left outside rooms on the way. It was a lot of walking between short bouts of being sociable and I found that a little of my old hyperactivity was showing itself, not in a bad way but in a way that kept me going back and forth all evening.

I then realised that I was working more hours than I had ever done before and was, strangely, enjoying working as a woman as it gave me much more leeway with my interactions with customers and my fellow workers. I was getting used to wearing dresses and skirts; had already bought myself some hose, and was now using the small supply of make-up I had been given in Rawson. No-one had pegged me for a guy and, as time wore on, I was becoming one of the girls with both the cleaning and the dining room crews.

One Monday I was waiting on tables in the dining room when I took a tray of drinks to a table where three suited gentlemen were about to order. One looked at me and asked me if I was local and I said that I was currently living in the hotel. “Excellent” he cried “we need someone to make up numbers next weekend at the Fiesta. I will talk to the hotel management and I am sure they will allow you to join us.” I was at a total loss as I had no idea what he was talking about so I just smiled and said “That would be lovely, sir; thank you.” He wrote my name on a notepad and said that he looked forward to seeing me.

I forgot all about it until I had a memo given to me when I finished the room cleaning that Wednesday. It said that I was to report to HR before I started my waitressing shift. The HR manager was all smiles and he told me that the hotel was very happy that I had been asked for on the weekend as it was a good public relations coup for them. I just had to ask what it was all about and was told that it was the Fiesta Nacional de Mar weekend – the sea festival - and I had been chosen to appear as one of the entrants in the beauty contest to pick the Sea Queen and her Princesses. My first thought was so girly it made me giggle, “But have nothing to wear!” I cried.

Marianne G (C) 2021

Chapter 4 Or Make a Few Waves….

My weekend started after the room cleaning finished on Friday. I was to present myself at the hotel salon for the full treatment and, after that I would be taken to the hotel womens’ dress shop to be given my costumes for the Fiesta. Before I went to the salon I took a safety razor with me into the communal showers and gave myself a Brazilian. There was no way I would allow anyone to see how I was built down there.

For the second time in my life I found myself down to a bra and panties, sitting with my head back in a salon chair with people working to make me beautiful. I thought that I could get used to this. This time, however, it was no provincial make-over but a very professional big city salon and when I was allowed to redress I could not believe the sight I saw in the mirror. The lass in charge told me that I had been given a semi-permanent make-up so that nothing would mar my looks over the weekend. My hair now gleamed auburn with red highlights, and I had lips to match the red in my hair and also on all my nails.

With my eyes now highlighted with deep black lining and extra length lashes, my own mother would never recognise me now. Actually, I thought, if she did she would die of fright as, to her; I would be the ghost of her ne’er-do-well son. Well, I thought, now I am the devils daughter I had better go and get dressed to suit the occasion.

There was to be a party in the hotel that evening and my first outfit was a beautiful long dress with heels and jewellery that I would need to take back Saturday morning. The lady in the shop was very angry that I did not have pierced ears yet and refused to carry on until I had been done. So when I got back with a couple of hoops dangling from my lobes she was much happier.

Saturday, during the day, was very simple. I had three bikinis that I would wear, and was able to keep; one in the morning for the parade through town, one for the catwalk part of the Fiesta, and one for the presentation ceremony with an open wrap. With a bikini on I never had felt as vulnerable as I did at that moment. I just wanted the earth to open up and swallow me but the lady and her assistant clapped their hands and told me I looked fabulous. There was another outfit that may be needed on Saturday evening but that one depended on whether I was placed in the contest. We did pick one that I would use if I was not placed.

So that Friday evening I left my attic and made my way to the function room. I was dressed to the nines and as I looked at myself in the mirrors as I passed by, I wondered at just what I was doing. Here I was, looking like a movie star and heading to take part in a beauty pageant. I took the long way there as the more I got to walk in these heels the better I felt with them. In the function room I got to meet the hotel manager, who walked me around and introduced me to the city dignitaries and Fiesta organisers. I also met up with the real girls who all looked stunning. I felt that it was a good job they all looked so good because I did not want to do any more than go along with the fun.

I tried to make small talk as much as I could, as well as moving away from wandering hands and staying off the drink. One guy, from a local photographic studio, was very interested in me and wanted me to pose for him at various places around the town so that he could put together a tourist calendar and brochure. He was, to be honest, the nicest guy I had ever met in my life and we chatted away quite happily. All of us entrants were gathered together and we had some pictures taken, all smiling nicely.

When I was back in my room and in my bed, I thought about the evening and realised that I had been flirting with the photographer and he with me. He had got very close to me a couple of times and had even taken my arm to lead me to the buffet and I had not complained once. In fact, I realised that I liked it; also that I quite liked Lucca Gimenez.

Saturday morning I was ‘dressed’ in a bright yellow bikini with pale pink spots that barely covered my private parts. I knew that I would have to move very slowly and carefully this morning if I was to keep my modesty. After I had my breakfast I took my evening gown and jewellery back and then I was taken to the starting point of the parade where I was shown the float that I would be riding on. It had a throne which the retiring Queen would sit in today. I was told that there would be another parade tomorrow and that the throne would have the new Sea Queen; with the Princesses at her side and the rest of the entrants at each side of the float, waving.

Before we left we were again lined up and had more photos taken. I saw Lucca and he came over and gave me a kiss on the cheek and told me that I ‘had it in the bag’ and I had to laugh at that one. We started out with the parade, wandering around the streets of the city, waving at all of the cheering public until my arms felt as if they would fall off. At last we arrived at the Las Toscas Beach where I saw Emilio, Gabriela and Sofia in the crowd. I waved to them but they didn’t seem to recognise me in my new hair and face. I did see Gabriela start when I was introduced to the crowd before the pageant began.

There was food, there was dancing and there was a lot of fun being had by one and all. As someone who was central to the festivities I had an absolute ball and didn’t mind when men wanted to give me a hug; even less when Lucca came over and gave me a kiss as well. I felt female and brazen in the bikini. It was not as frightening as I thought and even gave me a position of power. Today I was a beautiful girl to be feted and loved by everyone. A very strange concept as I was a good five years older than any of the other contestants; as well as being a guy.

In the afternoon I had another bikini to wear. This was a plain red one that matched my lips and highlights. We had to walk up and down on a catwalk and were interviewed by the compere. When he asked what I most wanted out of life I told him that I just wanted to be the best I could at whatever I did but that I had not yet decided what that would be. That got a laugh.

I had kept my eyes and ears open on Friday evening and today so, before the contest was over I knew who the three prize-winners would be. It is one thing to have a competition where you give out the prize and everyone goes home; it is another where the winner is the ‘face’ of the town for a year. This is why all the entrants had to be local. One girl stood out as being the perfect winner; she was beautiful, busty and bright. On top of that she was a niece of one of the city dignitaries and already worked for the tourism office, having left school early. The Princesses would, of course, be her two besties who were both heading for the local university. Only, one of them fell off her heels when doing her turn on the catwalk and fell into the first row, needing to be taken away to be looked after.

That left the rest of us to share third place as one of the two Princesses. I was sure that one of the other six entrants would be equal to the task. In any way, I was having a lot of fun and was being as sociable as I could, posing for pictures whenever a camera was pointed my way. I had never been the centre of attention except the award ceremonies for the rowing competitions, and then that was usually the number one oarsman and the team coach who hogged all the limelight. Today, I was Haley and loving it.

My last bikini for the day was a royal blue with white fur trim, matched with an almost sheer royal blue robe and heels. When I looked in the mirror I was amazed at the girl who looked back at me. When I came out of the change area Lucca immediately had me posing and must have filled up a whole memory card of me. We were all called to line up on the stage and the award ceremony began with the speeches by the dignitaries and one from the reigning Queen telling everyone what a wonderful year she had experienced. She then removed the crown she was wearing and held it so she could put it on the head of the new Queen.

As I expected, it was Bianca that I had picked and the ceremony was a bit crazy for a while as we all clustered around her to congratulate her before the actual crowning happened. Once she was sat on her throne we got to the second and third places. The First Princess was, of course, her bestie, Melina and the third place was me!

To say that I was truly flustered was not an overstatement. I shed tears and waved to everyone as I was given my Princess robe and tiara to wear before I went to stand beside the throne. Then there was an absolute barrage of flashguns as we were consigned to history as the Sea Queen and her Princesses.

I saw Lucca among the throng and he had a woman beside him, carrying his bag for him. That evening there was a big public party at the beach and we three were taken to the change area where we were fitted out with suitable gowns and jewellery, as befitting the new royalty. We were dressed in white for the Queen and a light blue for us Princesses so, standing in our proper sequence we looked like the town flag. I had a chance to get to chat with Bianca and Melina and when we walked out, arm in arm; it was as companions for the year ahead, if not friends yet.

Marianne G 2021

Chapter 5 Go with the Flow….

I was now no longer someone who rushed about needlessly, no; I now carefully listened and put things together for myself. I realised that, as Melina would be off at university during the week, I would be the one called on for ‘Royal Activities’ in the near future, being the older one who could look after the young Queen.

In the meantime we had this evening to get through. We were instructed to stay together during the night and to be very careful with any questions that may be sent our way, especially the personal ones. The evening was a formal sit-down meal with more speeches and a timetable for Queenly activities over the summer months. I expected that we would be going a little further afield in the off season to promote the town.

The three of us were on the top table with the dignitaries. The hotel manager sat next to me and was very nice. He told me that having the hotel with a reigning Princess was very good and that I was to report to HR on Monday morning at eight, as my duties would now to be adjusted as befitting my new status. I gathered that it was as much of a shock to him as it was to me that I got picked, no doubt the organisers had the other friend already pencilled in and he had never expected the result. No wonder the guy last week had said that I was needed ‘to make up the numbers’.

The evening was long and full of hot air but the food was good and I learned more about Bianca as the evening progressed. There were lots of candid photos but we did have to go and stand in front of a backdrop to have the official portrait taken by Lucca. This time he gave me a hug and then introduced me to his assistant “My wife, Daniela”. There goes that dream ending. I still liked him, though.

Eventually the celebrations ground to a halt and I was able to head towards my little room and get out of these heels. We were told to be back in these dresses at nine the next day, prepared for the parade and that day of festivities at the beach where we were supposed to smile a lot and be nice, even if we were hugged by smelly holidaymakers. I slept like a log and was still a bit groggy when my alarm woke me. I lay for a few minutes to gather my thoughts and realised that I was here, in this town, for the whole year until the next Fiesta. For some reason that felt comforting.

The next morning I was having an early breakfast when one of the salon ladies told me I was to go to the salon for a ‘touch up’ before I got dressed and they reworked the make-up and hair before I went up to my room and dressed in the light blue gown. Looking good and feeling better, I went out to where the parade started and met up with the other girls. Most of them looked a bit tired and I realised that I may well be the only one with an in-house beauty parlour.

The parade was better for the three of us as we had seats this time and did not have to wave madly all the time. We were all giggling at our regal arm movements but it was much easier on the muscles and also fitted our status. At the beach there was food, sideshows, booths with all those things one needs at the seaside and more booths from the bigger hotels offering discounted forward booking for next season. The whole thing was about making money and I had no problem with that as long as I earned enough to see me right for a while.

I did catch up with my earlier friends and stood with them while photos were taken to take back to Rawson so they could tell the story of the drowned piece of flotsam who became a princess. I told them that I would give them a call and let them know how I was getting on and also told them that I should be contactable at the hotel for the foreseeable future. As we parted, Emilio held me close and kissed my cheek, saying “You are so wonderful, Haley, I will remember you for ever.”

That afternoon I found that we had a full diary of appointments for the whole summer. There were appearances in shopping centres, hotel social evenings, welcoming duty at the airport, railway and bus station. It was like the old adage – if someone opened an envelope we would be there. Everything was on a tight schedule and most days would start with a salon touch up and a fitting of the clothes we would be wearing. I would not have to buy a thing for the next three months or so and I couldn’t see me being a chambermaid during this time. We did have a couple of days to reorganise our lives.

The Monday morning I didn’t know what I would be doing so just put on my cleaners shift dress and went down to HR to see what fate had brought me. The HR manager was all smiles as he laid out my new duties. As I would be on call for ‘princess work’ I would not have any set jobs in the hotel. Instead, I would be issued with some new uniforms befitting of my new status and would, when I wasn’t off doing the other job, be expected to base myself near reception and to be a hostess, helper and guide but on top of everything – smile a lot. He had allocated me a new bedroom on the ‘staff’ level which was bigger and had an ensuite and more hanging space. My pay had increased a little bit and he made sure that I understood that the arrangements were based on me staying with them until next summer, at least.

He had noted that Lucca wanted me to do modelling for the brochure and calendar and said that if I worked hard being nice to everyone there would be a chance of a Christmas bonus. Talk about showing the carrot! I assured him of my undying loyalty and took my new room key to go and move my slightly larger range of clothes. I moved it all into my new room and changed into something smart but casual and returned my shifts and waitress uniform to the lady in the laundry. As I was walking down one of the corridors I came across my old cleaning crew and they all curtsied before giving me hugs and congratulating me on my elevation to front-of-house.

My first job was to introduce myself to all the front-of-house staff and get to know them. It would be an odd situation for them as well so I did need to tread carefully. I had chats with the doormen, receptionists, dining room manager, bar manager, pool manager and anyone else I came across who had official name badges. I suppose I would get my own name badge in a day or so.

I did get one the next day that read ‘Princess Haley, Hotel Ambassador. Gran Hotel Provincial.’ as well as three new dresses, all in light blue; with an embroidered name on the left chest that said the same. I was expected to wear these all the time, in or out of the hotel, and to only take them off if I was supplied with clothing for a special occasion. I was also given a pack of hose in a dark taupe that I was to wear every day. I also had a standing reservation at the salon every other day. If this lot didn’t make me a total girl, nothing would! I took a little time at the hotel lingerie shop where I was fitted with a good bra and pant set at house discount, bought another three sets in different colours, and set up an account.

So, the light blue go-to girl was created. When I was not out with the Queen I was in the reception area looking happy and dispensing a helping hand to anyone with a problem. I developed a real rapport with the various managers as I was able to shortcut problems before they blew up into a proper complaint and also was there to look after any important guests. It was hard work and long hours but I loved it. I had my board and meals provided, my clothes regularly cleaned and I hardly had to spend any money that I was earning.

The Princess business was all about being happy and smiling when your feet hurt, your back ached, or, in Biancas’ and Melinas’ cases, your period cramps just made you want to curl up and die. My ‘unspoken’ duties included keeping the two younger girls on the straight and narrow. We three pressed the flesh in all of the shopping centres, toured the beaches, and greeted holiday makers getting off busses, trains and planes. One funny moment was when we were greeting a flight from America and one Spanish speaking woman screeched “You freaking drag me all the freaking way here and the freaking first people I see are freaking extras from freaking Disneyland!”

Generally, the Queenly events were afternoons so I was in the hotel in the mornings being cheerful and helpful. We did have a few evening events but, in the main, it was not overly exhausting. I had my breakfasts in the hotel kitchen and my lunches there as well, often before walking the dining room and chatting to guests. If my outside duties finished early, I often helped with the serving at the hotel dinner time. By the end of February I was a well-known sight around the front-of-house and loving every minute of it.

While we had the three of us together, Lucca took the advantage to get us to pose at various holiday spots around the town. We did the beaches, the Sea Lion statue, the better facades of various buildings and other beauty spots. The calendar was printed up and was in the shops in December, along with the new brochure advertising the next year activities and contact details. There were also posters in shop windows showing us all looking fit, healthy and, above all, incredibly sexy. I spent a lot of time in a bikini.

Marianne G 2021

Chapter 6 Then to Reach Shore.

One thing in my favour during this period was the remnants of my hyperactivity. It now showed up as me being a workaholic. This became evident to the Sea Queen organisers and, in January, I was asked if I would like to sit on the committee for the next event.

One of the important parts of this committee was to go around the city and get sponsors as nothing happens without a cash flow. As the summer drew to a close the HR manager took me aside and told me that I was to continue my work in the hotel as it had created an atmosphere of friendliness that the guests liked and the various managers absolutely loved. Most of the time I was able to divert anger into normal conversation by not being the person responsible but by being the person who could get things fixed.

We had fewer guests in the off season but often they were people who did not like crowds and they seemed to gravitate towards me as being non-confrontational. Bianca and I did have several trips during the winter period, appearing at holiday shows around the country to push for more tourists come the next season. The brochures were given out with abandon and the calendar sold well. We often had to stand with the buyer while he held it up in front of him, no doubt to prove that he had met the girls that graced its pages.

During the winter I was given the task to cement the deals with old sponsors and to find new ones. This took me to just about every business in town and I met just about everyone who counted, sometimes taking the person to dinner to finalise an agreement but also sometimes being taken to dinner myself to further a friendship. It was seen as a good thing to be seen out to dinner with the Queen or one of the Princesses and I was never one to knock back a free meal. Bianca met her future husband this way, a very handsome, older businessman who had a chain of fashion shops in this, and other cities. I guess she may have been seen as arm candy by many but I could tell it was the real thing.

Melina was away at university for much of this time and when we saw her she was changing from the fun-loving teen into a seriously good student. Their other pal, who had fallen off her heels, had proved that the event was no unusual occasion as she dropped out of university and ended up as a full-blown addict. It was a good job things happened the way they did.

In the course of my quest to find new sponsors I made an appointment to see the marketing manager of PCBox, a local company that made computers, tablets and smart phones. I had the idea that if you screen printed the back cover of a smart phone with pictures of Mar del Plata they may sell well to the tourists. What I had not counted on was that when I was introduced to him I fell hopelessly in love.

Over the course of a few meetings Alejandro decided to take the idea to his father, the owner of the company, and when the father agreed to give it a trial, he took me out for dinner. I played hard to get for several weeks before I plucked up my courage to relieve him orally and after that he started talking about marriage. I told him a little white lie in that I was all girl, except in one way; I had been born without a vagina and had never missed it until now. He took it in his stride and the following week gave me the contact details of the best surgeon in Buenos Aires so that I could make an appointment.

In the meantime the committee was powering forward for the next Fiesta. One day the chairman took me aside and told me that he had been approached by one of the other big hotels to see if they could have one of their girls as a Princess. They had noted the changes that had been made at the Gran Hotel Provincial and was sure that they could do the same. I took this to my own HR manager and we set up a meeting with my hotel manager, the manager of the other hotel and the committee chairman. It looked like a get-together of some old friends but it was to change the outcome of the Fiesta for some time to come.

The meeting was cordial but serious and the result was ideal for me. The two hotels agreed that they could both do with a Princess of their own to smooth things with the customers and a sponsorship figure was put forward and accepted. I was given the task of finding two girls who would fit the mould. They both would need to be good looking enough as well as bright and personable. I suggested we look at university leavers who would have enough ability to take on the job but would also be old enough to look after any crazy child Queen that was chosen.

We put up notices on the university notice board as well as on their web site. We said we wanted suitable girls to work in public relations in a high pressure environment. We weeded out most of the applicants by looks alone until we were down to four who looked good enough to work. We had a couple of recruitment guys do the actual interviews with me looking on, acting as a steno in a wig and plain glasses. When we had the two we wanted we called them in for a final interview. One we brought to our hotel and the public relations job was described as being to replace myself as being the person who would be leaving. When the girl was told that one of the facets of the job was to be an entrant in the Fiesta beauty contest she was almost overcome that we would think that she stood a chance.

She agreed to take on the job and I would be training her. The other girl was interviewed at the other hotel and agreed to start with them. They decided that they would do their own training. I expected that this system would remain in place for some years, other hotels coming on board to supply Princesses while the retiring ones just continued doing PR until they left to do something else. It was amazing with the contacts you could make being in such a public position. It would also be something I could monitor on the committee.

The Queen was already on the list. She was the daughter of a friend of a committee member. She was bright and very pretty and just finding her ability to influence men to her own advantage. I was happy that someone else would be looking after her and doubly glad that both Princesses would be full time.

So we got closer to the next summer season. I still wore my light blue Princess dresses at the hotel and the new girl, Ivana, was given light red ones. Together we smoothed things over and she got the methods I used and copied me. In a month she was able to handle things herself and, although I still lived in the hotel, I spent much of my time with the Fiesta organisation. Other times I spent with Alejandro, either in good restaurants or, sometimes, at the factory where my ‘guy’ past experienced allowed me to pick up much of what they were doing. He told me that, although he had always thought that his wife would stay at home; my marketing and PR experience would be better used in working with him. I already had one win as the Telefone Inteligente del Plata range was already selling well locally and we had not even tapped the tourist market yet.

We had advertised for entrants in the beauty competition and had finally picked seven sacrificial lambs, all of who would be ideal Queens or Princesses. The day finally came around when I wore my uniform for the last time. I could, by now, afford to buy some outfits of my own and it was even better that Bianca had made an arrangement with her fiancé to give us Princesses a big discount in his stores.

The weekend of the Fiesta was the culmination of a lot of hard work and dedication of all the committee. It was to be that last time for a few and we had some feelers out for new blood. The stages were set, the stalls were erected; the floats were cleaned and repainted. It was a great day for me that Friday evening at the opening social. I was attending with my own fiancé, Bianca with hers and Melina with a very dishy boyfriend from the university. The ten entrants were there, all dressed like stars and having a wonderful, if a little frightening, time. Ivana was being led around by the hotel manager and she gave me a little wave as she passed by.

The Saturday parade went well, us retiring Princesses going straight to the beach to mingle with the holiday makers, me to check out the stalls. I was greeted very well at all of them, having organised most to be there. They all reported good sales, even at this early stage. The PCBox stall was doing quite well, although the phones were being sold in large numbers already in the various hotel shops and this would just be icing on the cake. Alejandro caught up with me and we strolled in the sunshine and stopping in the shade sometimes for a kiss.

Eventually the system worked itself through and the expected new Queen and her new Princesses were selected. Bianca made a small speech saying what a wonderful year she had been through and that, strangely enough, was the last we saw of her. Her fiancé spirited her away to his big spread on the Pampas to prepare her for her marriage and the only time I heard of her after that was if I read the gossip columns or saw pictures of her at some gala or whatever. She did give him a couple of sons to carry on the family business so I suppose that all ended well.

I left the hotel to live in an apartment that my fiancé owned and the hotel gave me a going away party. Once I was able to I got myself an appointment with the surgeon in Buenos Aires and told him some of how I looked like a girl but still had some boy bits. He did keep the secret and ended up giving me the most magnificent present any girl could have. Two months later I loaned it to my husband to use and we both enjoyed it immensely.

We now live in a grand house near the ocean and I still work on the committee, taking over from the chairman a couple of years later. We have moved the company towards compatibility with streaming services and are doing very well. Alejandro, not being the eldest, is not likely to take over the business, but we live well and happily. I am able to dress well, live well and certainly love well. I had reached the shore; it may not the one I started out for; but is a wonderful one for all that.

Marianne G © 2021