Chapter 1 “All Aboard!”
Sheldon was happy the day he opened his mail to find the bomb his mother had sent. He had gained a good First in chemistry and had enjoyed his time at university. He was at a crossroads in his life but had not truly thought beyond the end of his study.
His tutors all thought he should go on to take further studies as they all had the idea that he could end up as a professor. Many of his fellow dramatic society friends had gone on a bigger stage and had made names for them-selves. Others, in the University rowing club, were in training to represent the country in the next Commonwealth Games. He could, given the desire, have taken any of these options but he had a niggling feeling that there must be something else in life so did absolutely nothing.
It was into this void that his mother, Jean, dropped her bomb. She sent him a registered letter to his digs in Cambridge. Inside was a ticket for a Mediterranean cruise, leaving Southampton the following week. There was also a note telling him that it was her present to him for being so clever. She wrote that because the ship would be sailing in warmer places, he didn’t need to pack much. He would be able to buy what he needed from the shops on board.
The thing that tempted him was that she hinted that she had a contact in Avian Industries, one of the biggest chemical laboratories around, who would consider him for employment when he got back home but not before. The note ended that she would explain further when she saw him next.
He made the decision that day that he needed a break from everything he was doing. He arranged to move out of his digs, told his girlfriend that he was taking some time off, and packed his old suitcase for a cruise. He didn’t have a lot as he had spent much of his normal time in a tee-shirt and jeans. All the party gear that he had worn over the past five years had come from the dramatic society wardrobe and the rowing kit didn’t take up a lot of room.
Two days before boarding he made his way south to a hotel near the Southampton docks and just wandered around the town while he waited. He was, for the first time, in a strange place, alone, and with nothing else to do so he just window-shopped, took in some of the tourist traps and cleared his mind of his past responsibilities. There were no classes, no experiments, no plays, no rowing and no girlfriend to please.
By the morning he was to set sail, he felt refreshed and free, ready to take in new experiences. In the taxi to the docks he wondered if he may even find himself a female companion who would be the icing on the cake. Perhaps he may start to live a normal life, unlike his childhood that had brought him to where he was now.
His father, Bradley Temple, had fathered three children during bouts of intense love-making after his more harrowing assignments as a career soldier. Two were twin girls, Angela and Maureen. The third was born some years later. Sheldon was, to Bradley, a disappointment.
Sheldon was not a chip off the old block, much to his father’s disgust. No, Sheldon was short, slim and blonde. Bradley sometimes wondered if the boy was not his until he looked into the cornflower blue eyes that matched his own. He did his best for his son, enrolling him in martial arts classes as soon as he was able and made sure that the sensei kept him up to date with the boy’s progress.
He had a surprise as time went on. Sheldon was a good student and slowly moved up, a belt at a time. The sensei reported that Sheldon had a very fluid movement that made for a difficult opponent. What Bradley didn’t know was that this was a result of the dance classes that his wife had also enrolled her son in.
Something neither of them knew was that the two girls, presented with a baby in the home when they turned seven, had thought that it was like having a live doll to play with.
Jean, his mother, was a well-respected psychiatrist, and worked in the field of older children and young adults with a special interest in gender problems. She had a very motherly manner with her clients and had helped many a teenager find their “true” selves.
She was a very busy woman, and was happy that her daughters volunteered to look after their baby brother while she worked in her study in the evenings. When the girls gave him back to be put down in his cot, he was always clean and smelled nice.
By the time the girls had turned thirteen and had found out about boys, young Sheldon had been dressed in bigger and bigger doll outfits most nights and, at the age of six, felt abandoned when left to his own devices in the evenings. As he grew older he had played along with his sisters and became the doll they had dressed him as. It was about this time that his two classes began, each complementing the other even if they were diametrically opposite.
Colonel Temple was sent to Syria to fight ISIS and had the misfortune to be captured in a fire-fight with them. Wounded, he was ceremonially beheaded and his head was paraded to the “true believers” on the end of the sword that had ended his life. Unfortunately for those believers, such a gathering could not be missed by the satellites and the drone that was close enough to send a missile into their midst, rather spoiling their party.
Sheldon was twelve when his father died and his sisters were nineteen. They were off at University in Portsmouth while he was in high school. Sheldon had grown to a reasonable height but had never added much to his physique. He looked like ‘bully-bait’ and had done all his school life. Anyone who picked on him, however, found out that he was not the cowardly boy he appeared.
By the time he was in fourth year he had seen off all those who would like to take advantage of him, and had also found out about girls. He was in much demand at social events because, by now, he was an accomplished dancer. That, and his inoffensive appearance, was his passport to a constant stream of casual girlfriends. He was a good person to be seen with, a good student, a pleasant companion and an accomplished actor.
The last was a by-product of his early childhood. He could put on any costume offered and become that person with uncanny effect. By the time he had been accepted for University he had a long acting CV and a glowing recommendation from his Drama Master. His dance teacher wanted him to continue professionally and the aging sensei pleaded with him to take up competition fighting.
Sheldon accepted a place at Cambridge to study chemistry. It was handy for him as it was a long way from either of his sisters, both now married, and also some distance from his mother. Sheldon had slowly come to the belief that his mother was a little way ‘off the rails’ since his father had died. His sisters hadn’t seen it because they were, by this time, living their own lives, but Sheldon had stayed with his mother for the six years until he left home.
He had been happy to be well looked after, fed, clothed and loved but sometimes his mother had been a little too clinging. He had taken it as her loneliness and had put up with her coming to every performance of every play he appeared in. He didn’t mind that she would interrogate every girl he dated. One thing that did upset him were the times his mother would take him shopping and he had to wait while she tried on outfits and she would always ask him for his opinion. At that, he discovered, he was quite good.
Jean was not happy when her pride and joy flew the nest. It had been a wrench to see her two girls go but, at least, they didn’t go too far once they married and she was on good terms with both their husbands, as well as their husband’s families.
In the five years her son was in Cambridge he had not come home, explaining that he had work experience during the holidays. They kept in touch by email. He was reasonably good with his communications and sent pictures every now and again. He had taken up rowing and was in a boat that he called a ‘coxless-four’ which she found hilarious. He was also well received in the drama group and took his parts in the various reviews they put on. Many of those parts were character or female roles, as he was so good in them.
One day she showed some of the pictures to Angela. She was visiting to show off her first-born. Angela then recounted all the times that she and Maureen had dressed Sheldon in dolls outfits and played with him as you would a living doll.
This brought out the psychiatrist in Jean and she started thinking about Sheldon as if he was a client. She had a standard check-list for gauging transgender boys and, when she looked at it, she discovered that he fitted most criteria.
He was slim; he was a good dancer; he was the right height for a girl but short for a boy; he never added muscle, no matter how hard he tried. He could imitate many of her women friends, getting their mannerisms and attitudes to a tee. She had pictures of him in various plays, almost from the time her husband had died, and he was often cast in effeminate roles and she now realised that he had been very good in all of them.
The thing that tipped her over the edge was a photo, sent by his latest girlfriend, of her Sheldon at a party. The text said it was a ‘Turnaround’ party and her son stood next to a guy while looking happy with the man’s arm over the shoulders of his cocktail dress, his blonde hair making him look like an actress with the very good make-up making Jean wonder if the picture wasn’t the girlfriend after all and it was a big joke.
Jean waited by the gangway to the ship with a great deal of patience and a little excitement. She was going to see her Sheldon for the first time in years and wondered about how much he may have changed. She fully expected to see a somewhat androgynous figure come on board but did not expect to see the slim, blonde and very good-looking person who approached her. When he saw her waiting he stopped dead.
“Mother, dear. How nice of you to come and see me off. I have to thank you for the ticket, I didn’t realise just how much I needed a holiday.”
“Sheldon, my son, I’m not seeing you off. I’m on the cruise with you. I know that you’ve deliberately stayed away but I thought that I just had to have some time with you. My contact at Avian Industries is looking forward to meeting you when we get back and she will be picking us up when we disembark here in six weeks. I’m sure you’re just what she’s looking for in her laboratory, the salary she mentioned was almost enough to make my eyes water.”
“I hope that you aren’t here to smother me. I’ve decided that I would have fun on this cruise before I went back to study. It’s the only way I can hide from all the people trying to get me to do things. I had an offer to train for the British Rowing Team and have an open invitation to join a television series as well as another to be on some dance show. I have to tell you that I’m not happy that you’re here but I’ll have to put up with it, seeing that you gave me the ticket. When I checked in at the office here they took it away. They gave me this strange pink folder.”
“That folder is your passport to shipboard fun. It contains all the information you need for the next six weeks. It should include a necklace tag which logs all the things you have done while you’re on board and the person who has had most fun gets their fare reimbursed. Come along, we can check in with the officer over there and then we can find our cabins. I booked for two alongside each other.”
She gave him a light hug and then turned to approach a ships officer holding a clipboard. She could sense Sheldon behind her and breathed a sigh of relief. When they stood in front of the officer he smiled. “Welcome aboard the Lillipilli. Your names?”
Doctor J. Temple and S. Temple.”
“Doctor Temple, I’m glad to see you aboard the Lillipilli today. Our admin girls saw your name and one of them remembered that you’ve sent us a lot of custom over the years. Head office ordered us to upgrade you and your companion. Instead of two cabins we have you now on ‘B’ Deck in one of our two- bedroom staterooms with thanks from the shipping line. I have your new key-cards and pendants here, if you’ll give me the ones from your pack, please. Sally will escort you to your rooms, Welcome aboard and enjoy the cruise.”
They exchanged the cards and pendants and then Sheldon almost swooned when a stunning blonde came over when beckoned. If this was the crew, what on earth would the passengers be like!
He saw his mother squint, and then smile.
“Sally, how lovely it is to see you again. How many years is it now?”
“Nearly four, Doctor Temple, after the cruise you prescribed for me I loved it so much I signed on as a crew member. Now, if you will follow me I’ll take you to the ‘B’ Deck rooms. They’re lovely, balcony included, and there are only six each side on ‘B’ Deck. There’re only a few occupied this cruise so, by the time you get back here, you’ll be friends with all the others around you, I’ve seen it happen a lot of times.”
Sheldon followed his mother and a very enticing pair of shorts on top of legs to die for and wondered just how his mother knew this girl. At ‘B’ Deck they were shown to the door and his mother swiped her card to open it. Sally followed them inside and pointed out all of the amenities. Sheldon took it all in and thought that there were guys in the university who would never leave a room like this. With its entertainment, computer connection, bar, coffee machine and huge, pink settee. The bedroom was very pink, he noticed, but didn’t worry as you only sleep there.
His bag was already on the bed and he left it there to wander out onto the balcony and gaze over the water to the hills on the other side. He heard his mother come out and she had two glasses of white wine. He sat on one sunbed and she handed him a glass before she sat on the other. He waited for the explanation he expected to come.
She sat and looked at the view and he finally broke.
“Mother, this is a complete mystery to me. I want to know why you’ve lured me onto this boat and how you even know one of the crew. I have one clue and that is the fact that all around I see pink.”
“Sheldon, I want to ask you some questions and I want you to give me the first things you think of and then I will explain everything.” When he nodded she took him through the standard questions one would give a ‘gender fluid’ boy of the type she saw almost every day. He knew that if he didn’t go through with this he would never know the full truth and answered as best he could. When she finished asking the questions she nodded and sighed.
“Your answers to those questions were not exactly as I expected. I’ve spoken to your sisters and they admitted to dressing you as a doll until you were six. I went to all of the school plays you were in and you often played a female role and very well, I must say. Your girlfriend sent me this picture a few months ago and I have to say that you look entirely at home in that dress with that guy with arm around your shoulder. I expected your answers to have been more towards a female gender bias but you didn’t answer them in a genuine male bias, either.”
He looked at the picture on her phone and snorted. “Mother, I make anything I wear look good. That’s how I’ve had so many good reviews. It doesn’t take me long to get into a female role, just give me a name and a dress and I can vamp with the rest of them. The guy in that photo is, I’m sorry to tell you, a girl called Jacquie who is a total lesbian and she loves these ‘turnaround’ parties because it allows her to exhibit her ‘bloke’ look.”
“Oh, my! I appear to have jumped to the wrong conclusion. Now, it’s time for your explanation. This particular cruise line has a range of small ships like this which specialise in ‘experience cruises’. There’s jazz ones, rock and roll ones, classical ones. There’re some that go to ports and they take you to museums or gardens, art galleries or adventure sports.”
“This one, the Lillipilli, has one cruise like this every year and it’s for women only. Sally, who I notice you drooled over, was one of my clients and this ship is one I use a lot as the final hurdle for my ‘girls’. It offers six weeks of total femininity. There are beauty classes, dressmaking classes, deportment classes, and, yes, even sex classes on how to please a man. When we hit port there are busses to dress shops, lingerie shops, jewellery shops, bazaars. In my office we call it the Lollipop because every wannabe girl we send on it comes back thinking they’re Shirley Temple. In fact, you’re on the passenger list as Shelly Temple.”
Sheldon started to laugh and it took him a while to stop. The thing that did make him stop was the fact that they were now moving and he realised that his chance of escape had disappeared.
“So what do you want me to do, Mum? Will this be a six-week stint playing a woman or do I get off at the first stop and go back to my girlfriend in Cambridge?”
“It would be a pity to waste the cruise, Shelly. We both have tickets which get us into all of the classes and all of the shore activities. I prepaid a thousand pounds onto both our accounts so we can shop until we drop. I have credit cards that we can use when we’re on shore and shopping. All our food and drink is included and we now have this wonderful suite to live in. What would you do in Cambridge that’s better than this?”
“Mum, I have to admit that this is heaven to where I normally live. If I can get through it I’ll probably be able to play the female roles even better than before. It’s just clothes and an attitude. If I’m Shelly for six weeks then so be it. As long as you don’t expect me to be your daughter when we dock again I can do it. I suppose we’d better get something nice for the first meal, I didn’t bring anything to wear!”
Marianne Gregory © 2022
Chapter 2 “All At Sea”
Jean looked at her information sheet. “Actually, there’s a note here that tells us that the first day out is ‘come as you are’. This allows those not fully into the role to take it slowly. I expect that we’ll see a few sights in the dining room tonight but these will become less as the cruise continues."
"I see here, that now we’re on ‘B’ Deck, we have our own dedicated salon and shop. I expect the dresses here would be a little more expensive than down in the lower decks but, at least, we’ll be able to take our time over our choices. I think that we have enough time this afternoon to make a statement.”
Her son looked at her, “In what way?”
“Well, you may as well start as you mean to go on. Comparatively few on the ship are transgender and many women come on board just for the experience. How about we make an appointment at our salon first, to tidy us both up, and then we can hit the dining room tonight as a couple of classy women. If you act as well as you do on stage we can get through the next six weeks with everyone thinking that you are, indeed, my daughter and it will make everything so much smoother.”
She smiled inwardly as Sheldon nodded, and went into the cabin to call the salon. When she came back she had another two glasses of wine and she sat on her sunbed, putting one into Shelly’s hand.
“We have an appointment for two. I have a short one so I’ll go and explore the shops while you get the full treatment. When I get back to you I’ll have some underwear and outer wear for you to change into and then we can walk about as a couple of women without drawing any snide remarks.”
“Why would I get snide remarks if I pass as good as you say I do?”
“I was actually talking about me, Shelly. I know that I’ve spent too much time working since your father died and let myself go. It took you leaving and not coming home to make me realise just what I’ve done with my life. I’m a good psychiatrist but, with you, I made a classic blunder of looking at the clues and getting the wrong answer. That proves that I needed this holiday if I don’t want to burn out before my retirement.”
They sat and watched the world go by as the ship sailed out through the Solent and then turned on a course that would take them to the first port of call. If he were asked, Sheldon would say that his world had turned on its head. He was in a situation with his mother that he could hardly believe. She was treating him like an adult, giving him her time and, best of all, was not smothering him the way she had done before he had left home.
They finished their drinks and went to their bedrooms to sort out their cases. Shelly found an ensuite with just about every lotion, potion soap and spray you could need. There was a vanity with a drawer full of cosmetics and, as a surprise, a towelling robe hanging in the wardrobe alongside a very colourful satin one. In the bedside drawer Shelly found a nightdress that went with it, something that had never graced his body, never acting in a bedroom farce. He looked at everything he had brought in the case, closed it up and put it on the shelf in the wardrobe.
At two they presented themselves at the salon and Sheldon started the biggest pre-show treatment he had ever experienced. The woman that worked on him had all the latest equipment and told him how and why it was being used as she removed much of the hair below his forehead. She glued breasts on him and did something with his testicles and penis that didn’t bear thinking about. When she finished she told him that everything was good until the end of the cruise but to make sure he made another appointment to be unstuck a couple of days before they docked. He was then given a robe to wear while he was made beautiful.
He knew that this would be successful because he had done it before but this time, with a whole new feeling around his groin, it felt different. By the time Jean arrived with some bags he was fully made up with extensions in his hair that took it past his shoulders and now sported studs in each ear.
Jean waited until she was finished and then handed Shelly the bags and told her to dress. Shelly went into a cubicle and came back out fifteen minutes later so definitely female both Jean and the salon lady gasped.
Julian stood behind his bar and looked out at the sea of faces around him. He had sailed with this ship for some years and thought that he had seen everything there was to see. Tonight he saw the usual crowd. About twenty were obviously guys in dresses who had come on the cruise hoping for a miracle. There were about a dozen who were still in their guy attire, no doubt plucking up the courage to leap that extra hurdle. These were the ones he had to watch out for as it was this group that would often get too drunk to even start the process. These were often the ones that left at the first port.
Then there were the ladies. This cruise did attract many middle-aged doyens of society looking for a recharge and, he had to admit, by the end of the cruise it usually worked. Then he looked at the door as two women walked in that made him blink. One was mature but really quite beautiful while the other must be her daughter who needed nothing that this cruise offered. He served drinks as he watched them wander towards the bar and then they were in front of him and ordering two dry whites.
The younger one smiled at him as she looked at his name-badge, “Julian, I hope you have plenty of this on board. It’s a lovely wine.”
“It’s an Italian product, madam. We’ll be picking up some more when we dock, later on. It does go to the head quite quickly if you let it.”
“Lovely, that’s all I need to help me sleep. I hope they serve it with dinner tonight.”
He watched as the two of them wandered off and he wondered if he had just fallen in love. He would have to ask her name when she came up to the bar next time.
When the dinner was over she came back to his bar and he poured her a dry white without waiting for her to order.
“Alone madam?”
“My mother is feeling a little tired. Maybe she had too much wine with her Dover Sole. I’ve just finished university so have a better head for alcohol.”
“May I be so bold to ask your name? I think that you and I may be having more of these conversations before the cruise ends?”
“I’m Shelly, Shelly Temple. Don’t laugh, that’s my name and my mother is Doctor Jean Temple, who has sent a lot of girls on this cruise. She thought that I needed a break after my studies and also thought that a cruise would do her good as well. I am quite looking forward to learning things as we sail, it doesn’t do any harm to be shown new things.”
“I have to say, Shelly, that there’s nothing here on this ship that would improve your beauty. I am smitten but I think my husband would disapprove if I went straight.”
“Oh, you sweet boy. I’ll do my best to steer you off the straight and narrow before we part. Thank you for the compliment and for this wonderful wine. I must go now, I’ll see you tomorrow. I haven’t yet found out what we have in store.”
“Goodnight, Shelly. Make sure you wear your ‘fun’ necklace tomorrow. I have a premonition that you will amass enough points to win the first prize when we’re sailing back.”
Next morning a speaker in the bedroom woke Shelly with some soothing music before telling her that breakfast will be starting in half an hour and there was to be a range of classes after. She was directed to look in her brochure and not forget her ‘fun’ necklace.
She got out of bed, wondering about the very good sleep she had enjoyed, and also why she had dreams about being chased by a gay barman. As she sat on the edge of the bed in her nightdress she could feel the touch of the satin on her body and the feel of her hair across her shoulders. She whispered “Time for Act Two, Shelly” to herself and stood to go into the ensuite.
It wasn’t the first time she had sat to pee since yesterday in the salon but it still made her wonder at the sheer femininity of the act. After a shower she hung the shower cap on a hook, brushed her teeth and contemplated all of the powders and scents she had to choose from. In the cold light of morning she noticed something that she had missed before. Most of the products had ‘Avian Laboratories’ in small writing on the label. Wasn’t that the company her mother had spoken about yesterday?
Looking harder she saw that the cleansing products she had used last night were similarly branded and, back in the bedroom, she found that many of the cosmetics had originated from the same company. Her sharp brain took it all in and she realised how they could afford salaries that had amazed her mother. The value of the cosmetic industry almost outweighed that of weapons and certainly more than was spent on general health.
Jean had bought more than just her dress from last night. In her wardrobe she had a small range of skirts and tops and a couple of summery shifts. It wouldn’t be enough for the whole trip but was enough to get by for a few days. She quickly dressed in one of the shifts and gave herself a daytime face at the vanity, something she had done many times before a show. After teasing her hair into a reasonable look and putting on the necklace she went out to find Jean sitting at a table in their lounge, poring over the cruise brochure.
“Good morning, Mummy, dear.”
“Well, good morning, darling daughter. I had a wonderful sleep last night. That wine worked so well I may use it again. Did you stay up late?”
“No, I just sat in the bar for a short while and came back to clean my face and get some sleep as well. I believe that today we have to wear this necklace. Have you seen anything we can do this morning after breakfast?”
“Yes, today there are a few basic classes before we dock at Oporto. They look as if they run these for almost a week so everyone can do all of them before they move to more advanced classes. You can do basic make-up, basic dressing or basic hair-styles. Angel, from our salon, runs the first and Sally does the dressing. She is one of my successes, I won’t tell you what she was like before coming to me but I think I went a long way towards saving her life.”
They went off to get breakfast, a buffet style affair. When they had their trays full they found a table and sat to eat. As Shelly looked around she saw that most of the dining room was set up with small tables for two. She wondered how long it would be before groups emerged from this assortment of individuals. One of the crew was wandering around, going from table to table with what looked like a point-of-sale reader. At their table she asked them to put their pendant against the reader while she punched in a number and Shelly was curious.
“How does this work? I thought that you were just noting who was here but you look like you are adding something?”
“You’re very observant, young lady. The reader takes your name and passenger number from the pendant and I add a number that is my estimation of your beauty, or lack of it. I do this every morning. The reader then adds that back to the chip in the pendant. I won’t tell you what I have input but, so far, you do have the highest number this morning. It all goes towards your ‘fun’ points. Enjoy your first full day on board.”
After breakfast Jean went off to learn what she had been doing wrong with her face for the last forty years while Shelly went to learn something new about clothes. She really just wanted to gaze at Sally but found that there was an awful lot she didn’t know and her desire to learn took over. She was told the names of the different styles, the names of the different cuts, the way you wore things and the why and when of fashion. She became fascinated by the complexity of it all and, when it got to the demonstrations, she found herself picked as a model.
The first time they were in a changing booth, Sally whispered, “You’re certainly better looking than yesterday when you arrived. Your mother used to show me pictures of you on stage to encourage me when I saw her. I chose you because of your acting and I hope you’ve not lost any of your actor’s quick-change ability because, together, we may be able to show off all the items I had planned this morning.”
Shelly pushed her feelings towards Sally to the back of her mind and brought all of her stage skills to the party. Together they went through a whole range of outfits for every day, every evening and every occasion. At the end of the three hour class she had learned so much that she felt her head would burst. They had imparted a lot of knowledge to the assembled students of dress along with an appreciation of the wonders of looking fabulous. Sally took her pendant and smiled when she input the number before asking, “Can you come back the next two days? I can ask the others to fit you in for one-on-one sittings so you don’t miss out.”
When Shelly nodded Sally gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. When they went back out on deck, Shelly saw that they were now moored in Oporto Harbour and the speakers announced that the boats to the city would start after lunch and continue until seven.
At lunch they compared experiences. Jean was amazed at all the things her own mother hadn’t told her and the mistakes she had made most of her life. The fact that she looked radiant and a few years younger was all the proof that was needed to show that the class was a success. Shelly related her own time and told her mother that there was so much she had never known and it had opened up a whole new world of fashion looks. When she said that Sally wanted her to be at the next two days class Jean lifted one eyebrow and asked her about missing the other classes. Shelly explained that Sally was going to organise it so she didn’t miss out.
As they were finishing lunch Sally came by their table with the pendant reader. “The tour of Porto is mainly a tourist spot route today. We don’t get into the fashion visits until later on in the cruise. If you want, Shelly, I can get Angel to give you the make-up class this afternoon in her salon. Jean, you may like to have a refresher to make sure you look as good as you do now for some time to come.”
They both agreed that it would be nice so, that afternoon, they walked to the salon on their deck where Angel cleaned off both their faces and then went through the entire process with one watching her work on the other and then swapping places, all the while telling them what she was doing and why she was doing it. By five they were almost ankle deep in smeared tissues and had made each other up several times as well as learning to make themselves truly beautiful for every occasion. Shelly was now almost an expert after her original training for the stage.
They then walked into the dress shop and tried a few things on before deciding on a pair of dresses to wear tonight. This evening, as they sailed south, there was to be entertainment after dinner and they both knew, instinctively, that they should look as good as they could. Jean and Shelly were becoming closer than Jean and Sheldon had ever been.
As they left their cabin that evening they met another couple of women leaving one of the other staterooms. Greetings were exchanged and the four of them walked into the dining room to ask for a table for four. Jean and Shelly chatted with Veronica and Jasmin as they ate. The two were sisters who had married young, had families and were now back on their own after both their husbands had died. Between them, they owned the majority stock of a publishing house in New York and were taking this trip as a gift to themselves as well as to see if they could recharge their batteries. Both had been at the dress class that morning.
“You were wonderful in that class, this morning. I was saying to Veronica that you must be a crew member but she told me that she had seen you two at breakfast. You were very quick with the changes; you must have had a lot of practice?”
“I’ve had a bit of previous experience. I’ve been in several plays over my school time and have been in several Cambridge Reviews in the last few years. I must say that it was hard work this morning but Sally has persuaded me to be her model again for the class tomorrow.”
“I have to agree with Jasmin, you were up there with some of the best we’ve worked with. We have a few fashion and women’s magazines in our stable and have met many professional models. I think that you would give most of them a run for their money.”
“Thank you, kind ladies. That really is a compliment, considering that it was the first time I had done so many changes in a short time. I hoped that I did the outfits justice.”
They all drank the dry white that evening after Jean recommended it and they were all very cheerful as they walked into the theatre, having to present the pendant at the door reader before they entered. The theatre was big enough for all of the passengers and Shelly noted that it was very well built with a good slope to the stage and plenty of lighting. When the passengers that attended were all comfortable the compere strolled onto the stage. It was one of the male members of the crew in a fetching tux and looked very handsome. He welcomed the audience to the first night of fun and laughter and then the show started.
It was fairly typical for anyone who had seen a sea-side variety show and Shelly thought that they did it very well. There was a lot of laughter and finished with a session of sing-a-longs that just about everyone joined in with. To Shelly’s tuned ears some should have kept their mouths shut but they did have fun and that’s all that counted on this ship.
At the end of the show the compere came back on stage. “Ladies and ladies, we have done our best and the crew thanks you for your appreciation. Now, it’s your turn.” He turned as a karaoke machine was wheeled onto the stage. “Do we have any volunteers?”
There was a deathly silence and a muted titter when a few hands went up. “Thank you, ladies. I’m sure that you won’t regret it, until after!”
Jean nudged Shelly and whispered “Go on, I’ve heard you on stage before in that version of Oklahoma, you’ll do well.” Jasmin, on the other side of her, said “If you go up, so will I!”
Shelly nodded and put her hand up and the two of them made their way to the stage. There was a line of the five volunteers and five seats were put on stage for them. They were all given a list of songs, separated by genre. Shelly immediately looked at the listing for female pop stars and saw several that she knew would suit her voice. She then looked at the shows section and saw a number of songs from Oklahoma. Jasmin pointed them out as well and whispered, “These may be good if we do a duet.”
The compere announced that the five of them would be competing for ‘fun’ points with the last one left winning. One by one the other three went up, chose their song and took a microphone. Two out of the first three, were only in it for the fun. Shelly went up and chose an Amy Whitehouse number and made it her own, with much applause. Jasmin chose a Madonna standard and nailed it. With the second round Shelly chose Adele while Jasmin sang another Madonna number. Both were way ahead of the other remaining contestant, who had chosen something far too adventurous.
The compere got them to sit while the other three were ushered off the stage with their pendants now having added points for being part of the fun. Jasmin and Shelly conferred and they asked the compere if they could do I’m just a Girl who cain’t say No, followed by Many a New Day from the Oklahoma set and he nodded and smiled. “If you girls do that we’ll end the evening with Oklahoma and I’ll get the others out on stage with you. It’s something we’ve done before on a cowboy cruise.
He went off backstage as Shelly went and pressed the right button and then did her best ‘little girl in a gingham dress’ impression as she sang the song with a lot of laughter from the audience. She pressed the correct button for Jasmin as she handed over the microphone and Jasmin nailed the wistful, Many a New Day. There was more applause and Jasmin hit the button for the title number and they shared the microphone with a karaoke duet, the rest of the cast coming back on stage behind them and joining in as they raced to the rousing conclusion. Everyone was laughing, the audience were on their feet and Sally came over and gave them both a big hug.
As the noise died down the compere announced the competition was a dead heat and they had to pause at a pendant reader as they left the stage. The audience was now making their way to bed or the bar and Jean hugged Shelly while Veronica hugged Jasmin. They made their way to the bar themselves, a slow process due to so many of the passengers congratulating the two of them.
A glass of dry white later they had all calmed down. Jasmin declared that she had so much fun it had been worth the cost of the trip already. Jean congratulated her on her singing and she told them she had sung in church for many years and had also sung in a few musicals with her local dramatic society. They finally weaved their way back to the staterooms where they had a hugging session before going off to their beds.
In the lounge Jean turned to Shelly and held her close in a loving embrace. “I’m so proud of you. That was a wonderful finale to the evening. It looked as if you had all planned it.”
“The compere said that they had done the musical for one of the cowboy cruises they do so I suppose it came as second nature. I’m starting to get an appreciation of just how good this crew are at a lot of things. I wonder what they’ll come up with as we sail. Tonight, though, I’m bushed so I’ll wish you goodnight, Mum. That was more fun than I’ve had in ages.”
Marianne Gregory © 2022
Chapter 3 “Monkeying Around”
The following morning there was a table for four and they sat to eat a solid breakfast. Jasmin was still on a high after last night and hoped that there would be other evenings where the two of them could grace the stage. Shelly wasn’t so sure, thinking that every moment was already mapped out and that last night had been a one-off.
Today they would moor off Gibraltar for a couple of days. The brochure told them that there were plenty of things to see and do and that they would think that they had been dropped into one of the bigger British cities but with duty-free. Before that was the set of classes to do.
Shelly had put on a loose top and skirt because she now knew what to expect later. Jean joined her in the class. Sally went through the same as before and then beckoned Shelly to come forward. She told the others that Shelly would be the model for today. Between them they filled the rest of the class time and filled the student’s minds with knowledge.
They emerged onto the deck to see the sight of the Rock of Gibraltar looming above them. The brochure told them that they needed to put their names down for a visit to the town as space was very tight in the narrow streets. There would be a system of busses today and more tomorrow before they left to sail on into the Mediterranean. While they were having lunch and comparing notes, Sally came up to their table and told them that, if they went ashore this afternoon, she would organise a small session with the hairdresser tomorrow afternoon. None of the four had seen that presentation yet so Veronica asked if the four of them could be fitted in. She told Sally that she and Jasmin wanted to come back to the dress presentation again in the morning as there was just so much to take in.
In the afternoon, as they waited to go ashore, they could see some of the passengers leaving with their luggage. Shelly watched and wondered if Sheldon wanted to go back home tomorrow and then decided that Shelly was having too much fun to leave now.
The trip ashore was everything they could wish for. On Sally’s advice they took the cable car up to the Rock first and had an ice cream gazing across to Morocco while making sure that the monkeys didn’t make off with their bags. Back down in the town they raided the shops that the brochure had suggested. Gibraltar was duty free and VAT free with several shops you would find in the UK. They spent some time in Mango and even Marks and Spencers before Jean dragged Shelly into Boux Avenue to stock up with lingerie and sleepwear for the rest of the cruise.
Back on the ship Shelly put her new things away and wondered, not for the first time, why she was enjoying it so much. Today was a case in point. Never one to shop much she had thrown herself into the task with a passion that was only surpassed by her mother and the two Americans. Jean had declared that the operation had been a success and then went into a branch of her bank to top up the credit cards. Shelly pulled the last thing she had bought out of her bag and put it on the vanity. It was a small bottle of scent from SM Seruya that she just loved but didn’t know why.
In the chemistry studies she had taken several weeks looking into what makes a flower smell. It was a lot to do with the chemical make-up of the plant and the various pheromones it put out. It had been a very interesting few weeks of study that had shown her that there was far more to the smell of a rose than met the nose. This scent intrigued her because she couldn’t figure out how it worked so well for her.
That evening she wore some her new clothes and put a dab of the scent on the correct zones of the body. When they met in the lounge Jean smiled. “You smell wonderful. I may have to pop back ashore tomorrow to get some for myself.”
That evening, at dinner, they were sat at a larger table and were joined by four more of the staterooms guests. Two were middle-aged ladies from the West Country who had come on the trip to look after their sons as they tried to become their daughters. Both were clients of Jean who had suggested the trip. The two boys had taken a couple of days looking on before they had finally taken the plunge. Their mothers had taken them to both the dressing and make-up presentations and one asked if Shelly was going to be at the hairdressing one tomorrow.
She told her that she was booked to be the model for the dressing class again but would catch up with the hairdressing one later. Both youngsters were obviously trying hard to be lady-like but there were still some sharp edges to rub off before they started to absorb the ways of womanhood. Their mothers told Shelly that they had resisted the transition long enough. If the two friends could walk off the ship when they docked in Southampton again, looking and acting like girls, they would fund the rest of the process.
The entertainment that evening was a band that was based in Gibraltar. They played a curious mixture of Brit-Pop and Spanish music, including a session with a couple of ladies in the typical Spanish dress and clacking their castanets. It was very pleasant and Shelly was very interested in the dance moves.
After the show they spent more time in the bar and Shelly chatted to Julian for a while. She found out that the number that left the ship today was pretty usual for this cruise and that those that were left would likely blossom as they sailed on.
“Of course, they would have to blossom a lot more to come close to you, Shelly.”
“You old smoothie, there are a lot of ladies here that are far more beautiful and feminine. I’ve a long way to go to catch up with them.”
“Don’t talk yourself down, Shelly. There’re rumours among the crew that the entertainment manager is thinking about asking you to join the crew in more shows. You’re a natural entertainer and I do believe you may have more to dazzle us with. There are some long sailing days further on where we sometimes put together a show which includes guests. You and your American friend are certain to be asked to contribute.”
“That’s something to look forward to, I’m sure. I came on the cruise to wind down from my studies and now I’m wondering if I’ll have the strength to get through to Southampton. Anyway, talking of getting through; I need to get some beauty sleep so I can let Sally run me ragged as her model again tomorrow. Goodnight, Julian.”
“Goodnight Shelly, sleep well.”
Next day the two youngsters were trying harder and their mothers had decided to stand back and let them develop at their own pace. They had been surprised to find their children’s psychiatrist on board and wisely left the two teens in her charge. The four had become six and the two mothers then spent much of the cruise sitting on sunbeds, chatting while they knitted and taking the sight-seeing tours.
Shelly did her final modelling stint with Sally who told her that these three classes had been the best she had run and that attendance of the third one was well above the usual from previous cruises.
After lunch the six of them went off to the ‘B’ Deck salon where the hairdresser was waiting for them. Neena smiled as they entered.
“Ah, my special ladies, here for your personal class. I’ve heard all about you modelling with Sally. My own classes were very sparse in the two later ones. I think every woman on the ship has seen the dressing class. That’s a first for Sally. This gives me a wonderful opportunity to make all of you even more beautiful when you leave here today.”
She sat them down and went through pictures of all the styles that could be achieved and how they differed with different colours. She then showed them pictures of a girl with black hair, blonde hair, red, green and white hair. Then it was the same girl with streaks of different colours and she explained how every difference alters the appearance. After that she ran them through all the processes to look after hair so that you keep it soft and shiny into your old age.
Finally they were sat in six chairs and Neena welcomed five assistants to help her work on the six subjects. She took before and then after photos to show what had been done. The two youngsters were given extensions and a youthful curl. It immediately doubled their femininity. The two Americans were given treatment that brought the shine out in their hair with styles that took years off their look. Jean had a similar treatment with a colour change that made her look like Shelly’s older sister.
Shelly stood up and looked at herself in the mirror. She had been given a showgirl style and her already light hair had been given darker streaks that highlighted her corn-blue eyes. She could hardly speak and Jean just stood behind her and hugged her,
“What do you think, ladies?”
“Neena, you and your team are miracle workers. All of us look a million dollars. I’ve been to some of the best salons in New York and so has Veronica. They’re not a patch on what you’ve done this morning. Thank you so much.”
“You and Shelly will be able to knock ‘em dead next time you’re on stage. Just use these hair nets at night and, if you think they’re losing body, just pop back and I’ll refresh them.”
That evening they all had extra points added to their ‘fun’ pendants for looking fabulous. The ship left Gibraltar and started sailing east again, staying close to the African coast. Tomorrow would find them off the coast of Algiers. The brochure told them that it was only a short stop and to put names on a list if you wanted to go on a tour of the Casbah and other sights. The brochure had an advertisement here for their historical cruises.
After Algiers they would be stopping at Tunis where there would be busses to take them on a ‘Souk Tour.’ The three that were noted were the Souk El Berka for jewellery; the Souk El Altarine for spices and perfumes; and the Souk Es Sarragine for leather goods.
For those that wanted to stay on board until Tunis there would be dance classes in the ballroom. The morning session would be for old-time dances and the afternoon was set aside for the group dances, such as square dancing and modern styles like the Madison.
When the six of them walked into the ballroom the next morning they were greeted by a group of instructors and another group of male members of the crew, all decked out in smart suits. The passengers that wanted to do the old-time dances were not as many as Shelly would have thought so there were plenty of partners for everyone to get some practice with.
Over the next three hours they were shown the most basic dances to get by with. The waltz and foxtrot, the Gay Gordons and the Quickstep were today’s offerings and Shelly found herself dancing backwards in heels for the first time. She knew she could have done better than most of her partners when it came to leading but, today, she was led and loved it. The fact that she was doing it with a man holding her tight was not lost on her.
The teenagers and their American friends had a lovely time and Jean realised that she hadn’t had a man holding her since Bradley died. That morning was a watershed moment for her. She decided that she was back ‘in the market’ for another man in her life.
After lunch they were back again and line dancing, square dancing and learning the basic steps of a number of odd dances, usually performed by women at drunken parties. The three hours went very quickly for Shelly, far too quickly as it was a lot of fun with all of the women there making the most of it. The main instructor announced that the next morning they would be teaching some advanced dances with the Tango, Rumba and Samba being the ones that they would be shown so only the fittest should attend.
They had a little while before dinner so gravitated to the bar. Jean and the Americans opted for coffee and Shelly found herself at the bar with the two teens by her side. Julian set a white wine in front of her and then turned to the teens.
“What can I get you, ladies?”
“Can we have two glasses of that wine, please?
“Certainly, madam. Just remember not to overdo it. This wine can be very quick to make you giddy if you’re not used to it.
“That’s good, I think that we’re at the stage where being giddy may be a good thing.”
When they had their glasses, Shelly led the two over to a quieter corner where they all sat daintily and sipped their wine.
“How are you two getting along now? You were slow in joining us at the start of the cruise.”
“I think we may be all right now, Miss Temple. It was a relief to see your mother here because it made our own mothers realise that hanging around our necks may smother us. That would have been awful. Since we started hanging around you, though, it’s been totally fab. I’ve had so much fun. I never thought that I would be on the dance floor with a guy and this morning showed me that I shouldn’t be scared of things any more. We both used to get bullied at school and we’re so glad that’s finished. I’ve decided that I’m going to give myself a new and totally feminine name that never could be a boy name but I haven’t thought of one yet.”
“Well, when you do I’ll stop calling you Roberta. You can both call me Shelly, seeing that we’re on holiday and I’m not your teacher. How about you Michelle? You’re very quiet.”
“I’m in a delayed shock, Shelly. I’ve just realised that I’ve spent a lot of the morning learning to dance with a guy. I spent all afternoon being totally girly and a bit silly. I’m sitting here in a dress with a glass of wine in front of me and when I look at my reflection all I see is a teenage girl. I wonder if I’m dreaming but I never want to wake up. Will you mind if we shadow you, there’s so much you can teach us?”
“Look, girls. I’m learning a lot as we go on as well. There’s so much about the clothes, the cosmetics and the life that I never truly knew before. If you want to join me on my own voyage of discovery then we had better drink to it. Raise your glasses to three intrepid girls on a mission of discovery!”
Shelly restricted her wine intake that evening to keep the others from overindulging and, after dinner, the three of them left the older ladies and went down to the ship’s disco where they danced with a crowd of younger passengers. They danced and they laughed and it was a very tired trio that strolled back to ‘B’ Deck and their beds.
After breakfast the next day, the three of them walked into the ballroom to find a very small group of younger girls waiting to learn the next lot of dances. The Rumba and the Samba were pretty straight forward but the Tango was, to Shelly’s eye, the sex act on a dance floor and the handsome crew member who chose her as his partner made it all the better.
With her earlier dancing experience she didn’t take too many demonstrations to pick up the moves -- and the sexual overtones of the moves. Her partner must have done the dance a thousand times as he knew exactly when she should vamp it up and whispered directions as they warmed up. Before the class finished, the instructors matched up the best dancers and it was a small group of six couples that had the final dance of the morning. Shelly gave it her all and her partner was finding it difficult to keep his professional attitude.
When they came out on deck they saw the city of Tunis. Shelly and the teens stood and took in the sight and Michelle whispered to Roberta. Shelly looked at them and raised an eyebrow, schoolmarm style.
“I was just telling Roberta that I think my tablets aren’t working. As you were dancing I felt something stirring that I haven’t felt in months. I don’t know if it was the sight of you in some of those moves or the sight of the obvious bulge in your partner’s trousers. I’ll let you know when I’ve worked it out.”
Laughing, they went off for lunch.
That afternoon they were ferried to the shore and put in mini-busses to do a tour of the old city before ending up at the souks. Angel and Sally joined them to show them around. At the El Berka Shelly found some glorious earrings in gold and enamel and Sally helped her barter a good price. At the El Altarine Angel wandered with her while she tried various scents and they discussed the differences and pondered the ingredient mixes to give the different aromas. Shelly didn’t find one that bettered her Seruya scent but did get some very nice powders and bath salts.
At the Es Sarragine she was entranced with the leather products. She took a slim skirt and jacket outfit into the change room and when she came out Jean just went “Wow!” Shelly looked at her reflection and then stood still for a moment.
“What’s wrong, Shelly, you look like you’ve seen a ghost?”
“Not a ghost, Mum. I’m looking at another person but it’s me. I haven’t realised the ramifications of what I’m doing here before. I was thinking that this would be a great outfit for a Saturday night on the town and then it struck me that I’m thinking like a girl. I’m not playing a role any more. With the clothes, the make-up and the hair I’ve gone over the top. I love being Shelly. If I buy this outfit in black I’ve seen a similar one in red and there’s just a glorious soft leather coat there that almost makes me weep. It’s just so beautiful. Do you think I’m being silly?”
“Silly? No. Beautiful, funny, clever and talented, yes. You’re a natural girl, my daughter. You are becoming more female as we go further. That’s what this cruise is all about for most of the passengers. I think that the answers you give to my questionnaire would be a lot different if I asked you now. Buy the outfits and the coat, my girl; you’ll make them stand out in a crowd.”
“All right! It’s time I took some advice from my mother. Lord knows I never did before! There was also a soft blue-suede dress I saw on a rack. I think I’ll try that on as well.”
Two hours, two handbags and some suede pixie boots to match the dress later, Shelly carried her bags to ‘B’ Deck and hung them in her wardrobe. She wore the dress and boots to dinner and the waitress smiled as she input the number on the pendant reader.
After dinner there was another show in the theatre. As they walked in Sally pulled Shelly to one side.
“Shelly, tonight we plan to do a cabaret style show, a bit of singing and a bit of dancing. Would you please join us and sing a few songs? It will be just like karaoke except the audience won’t see the machine. If you tell us the songs we can play the backing. There’ll be a screen prompt in the footlights for you. I know you can do it, almost in your sleep. I’ve watched you and you are more of an entertainer than any-one I’ve had on this cruise before.”
“If you’re sure about this I’ll let Jean know so she won’t wonder where I’ve disappeared to. Hold on, I see her over there, be back in a jiffy.”
During the show that evening, Shelly appeared in a long dress and festooned with mock diamonds and sung three Adele songs so well some thought she may be lip-syncing. Later she came on stage with her dance partner and they gave a demonstration tango that made many in the audience pant and have lewd thoughts. They were dressed in full Spanish outfits and Shelly loved the feel of the skirts as they flowed around her legs. When they were back in the wings her partner kissed her passionately and whispered that he had wanted to do that since the morning.
When she had changed back into her own clothes and had been hugged by most of the cast she found the Entertainment Manager waiting for her.
“Two things, Shelly. The first is that I saw Rupert kiss you backstage after your dance. It’s not permitted for the crew to take advantage of a passenger. I will speak to him if you want me to.”
“That’s all right, sir. It was the effect of the dance. I think that if he hadn’t kissed me he may have exploded and that would have been terrible to clean up. You said two things, what else have I done wrong?”
“Wrong? Nothing wrong, young lady, nothing at all. Everything that I’ve seen you perform has been more than right. We have a longish voyage later on. In a few days we sail from Egypt, across to the northern coast and the Greek Islands. We normally put on a stage show and we were thinking of a variation South Pacific with the main songs. Would you join the crew for that? It would mean that you’ll have to attend a couple of rehearsal sessions instead of having fun. The first will be on a rest day off Tripoli, the day after tomorrow. The second will be two days later while we’re in Alexandria Harbour. It would mean that you’ll miss a class on deportment but I can tell you there’s nothing there you’re not doing already.”
“If you think I’m up to it, sir, I’ll be happy to. I’ve been in a few plays and things over the years and my friends from Uni want me to join them on their TV show but I never thought of myself as talented, just passable. I would be happy to do my bit for the crew of the Lillipilli.”
She met up with the others in the bar and the teens hugged her and told her she was a star. Her mother hugged her and told her she was so proud of her baby girl. Both the Americans hugged her and then excused themselves, telling her that they needed to retire to their stateroom for a cold shower and to rinse out their panties.
Shelly sat on a stool at the bar with the teens beside her.
“White wine all round, ladies? I hear you wowed the crowd tonight.”
“Thank you Julian, it was a lot of fun but I think I’ve got Rupert into trouble.”
“Ha! Rupert’s always in trouble. He’s the ship’s joker as well as the ship’s cad. I already heard that he kissed you backstage, was it good?”
“A lady doesn’t kiss and tell, Julian. If you’d seen the dance we had performed on stage, a kiss was the least he could’ve done. The officer wanted to have a word with him but I hope I cut that one off at the pass.”
“From what I’ve heard about Rupert, there’s something else that should be cut off at the pass.”
“You’d better believe it, Julian, it was there for the world to see and I think it may have turned these two heads. They’ve had a glazed look since we came out of the theatre.”
The two teens giggled and took a good swig of the wine and then said goodnight and weaved their way back to the staterooms.
“A couple of good girls there in the making, Shelly. I’ve seen their type many times; late blooming but stunners when they set their minds to it. Those two will go far. When are you next on stage?”
“I’ve been asked to appear in South Pacific in a few days. I need to do a couple of rehearsals first. I must say that the system with the karaoke machine is brilliant, I’ve never felt so at home on a stage before.”
“I’ll see you there, then. I’m down as one of the sailors. There’s a long voyage down the Italian coast and we’re thinking about doing West Side Story. You’ll be a shoe-in for that.”
“We’ll see, Julian. Nice talking to you. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Shelly. Sweet dreams.”
Marianne Gregory © 2022
Chapter 4 “Some Enchanted Evening”
The following morning they arrived off of Tripoli. The tours today would be in small groups, spaced over the two days they were moored. The groups would be closely looked after by some of the male crew members. Tripoli was not dangerous, usually, but the cruise line took no chances, especially with so many women. There would be a tour of the historical places and one to the bazaar for shopping.
Jean and the Americans wanted to take the tours on the first day but Shelly, Roberta and Michelle had other things in mind. The previous night, when Shelly went into her bedroom, there had been an envelope on her pillow. It told her that there was a very special, and very private, class in Sexual Methods, just for those in transition. She supposed that all these passengers had been noted for special treatment.
After breakfast the three of them met up with a small group at a one of the classrooms and Sally welcomed them all. Shelly looked around and saw only a few who still had some male looks showing. It surprised her that the few she had picked out easily before now blended in with the rest of the girls. It brought home just how effective this immersion therapy worked.
There were three crew members there, Sally and two of the males. Of course, everyone in the room had seen a penis before as they all had had one of their own but the morning was no less enlightening for it. Sally, and the very well hung males, took them through the methods to make oral sex enjoyable and successful. A few held back, thinking that it would be a homosexual act. These, clearly, had not gone far enough down the feminine path.
Shelly was unsure, at first. She had the barrier in her mind which had a big sign on it that read ‘What about when you’re Sheldon again’ but, as some of her classmates went forward for ‘hands-on training’ the barrier slowly crumbled. The crew members must have been in one of those male reviews because they took everything the girls could throw at them without exploding. Sally held Shelly and another quite beautiful girl back until the end and, as she led them for their turn, whispered “You get the full treatment, minus points if you spit it out.”
When they both were sucking on the cocks presented to them they received the release of some pent up pressure with the crew members finally getting their satisfaction. Shelly left the room with the taste of cum in her mouth and the other girl was smiling broadly.
At the bar Julian put three dry whites in front of them.
“I’m not sure, today, Julian.”
“Did you go last this morning, Shelly?”
“Yes. It was a very odd experience and I’m not sure if a white goes well with it.”
“Did the crew member have a tattooed heart below his navel?”
“He did, you couldn’t miss it when you’re at eye level.”
“Right! I have a nice chardonnay here that I think you’ll find acceptable. After that I will get you some ice water and then the dry white will be perfect.”
“How did you know, Julian?”
“Between you and me, Shelly; that’s my husband and I’ve tasted him many times.”
“That’s a very strange way for us to be linked, Julian. Did he perform with some review, he was very controlled? I don’t think any normal man would be able to be sucked by a half a dozen girls and not cum.”
“He had five years touring before we met. I managed to get him to join the cruise and he says he doesn’t regret it. He’s also part of our show team who you’ll meet tomorrow at the first rehearsal. I’ve been told that the First Mate has now decided that we’ll be doing a selection from various musicals and has you pencilled in for a couple of duets with Rupert.”
“That’ll be a first for me. I’ve never been on stage with a guy I’ve kissed and another I’ve given a blow-job before. I think that after lunch I may just spend the afternoon lazing by the pool, I deserve a rest.”
After lunch Shelly went to the shop and found a one-piece with a short skirt that was perfect and the six of them lazed by the pool, swam a little and dozed in the sun. All the time being looked after by stewards bringing snacks and drinks around. They almost had no room for the dinner but did their best.
The entertainment that evening was another shore-based musical group who played a mixture of African pop and traditional music with three appropriately dressed girls dancing alongside them. Shelly was absorbing the dance moves and knew, that if she remained living this way, she would try to learn more of this style of dancing.
Next morning she, Jasmin and the teens presented themselves at the theatre. They were welcomed by the crew that were there and Rupert gave all four a hug and a kiss. The director had worked out a list of songs. There were solos, duets and ensemble numbers that filled out about an hour and a half.
When they were all given the list, Shelly found that she had some duets with Rupert, several, in fact. The show would open with him going on stage at the beginning and welcoming the audience and then singing ‘Somethings Coming’ from West Side Story. Then a group of the girls, including the teens, hit the stage as a female version of ‘The Jets,’ followed by Rupert and Shelly singing ‘Tonight.’ That section finished with Jasmine and some of the other girls singing ‘America’.
Moving on to ‘The Sound of Music’ Shelly sang ‘My Favourite Things’ as a solo then Rupert came back with the teens and a large group for ‘Edelweiss.’ Jasmin was back with Julian’s husband for ‘Anything You Can Do’ from ‘Annie Get your Gun’ and then Rupert sang ‘Music of the Night’ from ‘The Phantom of the Opera’. Shelly was solo with ‘Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again’ and she and a, now mask-less Rupert, joined forces with ‘All I Ask of You’.
Julian and some other crewmen came on after to start a ‘South Pacific’ set with ‘There is Nothing Like a Dame’ and then Rupert and Shelly were back again with ‘Some Enchanted Evening.’ The evening started to wind up with Jasmin, Julian and some of the crew singing ‘Bali Ha’i’.
Shelly was to sing ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’ and Rupert then joined her for the final three numbers. The first was ‘We’re Just a Couple of Swells’ from 'Easter Parade’, followed by Shelly singing to Rupert and the audience with ‘Til There was You’ from ‘Music Man’ and they were then joined by the whole cast for a big finish with ’76 Trombones’.
The list was chosen so that everyone could change to suit their song. The final four had Shelly in a big gown and Rupert in a striped jacket and straw hat. Shelly realised that this, for her, was a big performance. She would have to be in the right costume but she could see that there was plenty of time to change. She also saw that between her and Rupert, there were love duets which needed the right amount of feeling, along with some serious acting and dance moves.
The area behind the stage was well set up and the director took the two of them to a separate rehearsal room while the others rehearsed on stage. They worked through the morning with all of their songs, a choreographer helping with the movements and then working with them to sing while moving. Shelly hoped that the other three were having as much fun as she was.
They broke for lunch and the four friends went up to the dining room. Jasmin declared that she was feeling ten years younger and the teens told her that they felt more adult. In the afternoon they had a full show rehearsal to iron out any of the bugs with people moving on and off the stage. It also allowed the tech man to set up the timing of the lights and the music. Then they did the show a second time to totally smooth it out.
As they had dinner they left Tripoli to sail to the port of Alexandria for another two day stop. The evening was left open for individual pursuits and Shelly and the teens hit the disco again.
In the morning they were moored in the harbour of Alexandria. This time there were excursions to Cairo and the Pyramids and it was something everyone wanted to see. The shopping part of this port of call was mainly a visit to the Khan el-Khalili for the gold merchants. The rest of the two days were tours of Alexandria and the other historic sites around Cairo. They were all advised to wear slacks ashore and carry a scarf to wear when they were not in the bus.
The six of them went to Cairo on the first day, having lunch with the pyramids on the horizon was magical. The stop for browsing among the gold merchants was very profitable for the merchants as all six of them returned to the ship with gold necklaces, rings and earrings. That evening, after dinner, the entertainment was an Egyptian group.
The following day they took the Alexandria tour and marvelled at all of the ancient places that they had read about. That evening, after dinner, the crew put on a one-act bedroom farce which was well acted and very funny.
While this was playing, the ship slid away from its moorings and sailed north, to the other side of the Mediterranean and the next stop at the island of Rhodes. This would take about twenty-four hours at an easy pace that conserved fuel.
The show cast had a full dress rehearsal after breakfast. They then had lunch and an afternoon to sit around the pool and enjoy the sun. After dinner the show was ready to go. The four of them went directly to the theatre to dress and get made up for the first numbers and the theatre filled with passengers, all wondering what they would see tonight.
When the crowd had settled, Rupert went out on stage and welcomed them to an evening with the musicals, starting with West Side Story. The music swelled and he sang ‘Somethings Coming’. Then they moved along from song to song with the ‘Tonight’ duet getting applause. Jasmin was great in the ‘America’ song and that got a lot of laughs. Shelly changed from her sixties flared skirt to a long gingham for ‘My Favourite Things’ and then to a Victorian dress for the ‘Phantom’ set, Rupert looking good in the half-mask.
The ‘South Pacific’ set went down well and her duet with Rupert was as close to a love scene as was possible on stage. They made ‘Some Enchanted Evening’ their own. Shelly came on after ‘Bali Ha’i’ to sing ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ and then Rupert joined her, looking like a member of the twenties sailing-yacht set for the last three numbers. After the whole cast had finished off with ’76 Trombones’ they were all hot, tired and jubilant as they took their bows in front of a standing audience.
That evening Shelly and the others retired to the bar for a nightcap. Jean was very quiet while Roberta and Michelle were bubbly, comparing notes with Jasmin, who was tired but very happy.
“What’s up, Mum? You’re quiet tonight.”
“Oh, Shelly, it’s just that I’ve never been so happy. I’ve seen you in other plays and even seen you sing before but tonight was something different. Tonight you and Rupert carried that show from start to finish and it was so beautiful when you sang the duets. You really had an aura that sucked us into the songs. If I didn’t know better I would have said you were lovers in real life.”
“That’s a bit unlikely, Mum. I admit that he’s one very handsome guy and I admit that he kissed me after our tango presentation. I also have to admit that I liked it, for some weird reason, and the line between me and my former self blurred a little in those few seconds.”
They all finished their drinks and headed for the staterooms. Shelly watched the teens as they walked in front of the group and, for the life of her, she couldn’t see any sign of their former selves.
Come to think of it, whenever she passed a mirror she couldn’t see any sign of Sheldon.
The ship had arrived at the port of Rhodes as the show was on and the next day was an easy one. There were excursions ashore if anyone wanted them and just time to enjoy the pool or the other amenities if you didn’t. For those who still wanted to learn something there was a class on deportment and the teens nagged Shelly to join them.
This led to another invitation from Sally as the next big presentation was to occur during the trip around the tip of Greece from the port of Athens to the port of Dubrovnik in about a week. This was to be a fashion show and the three of them were roped in to walk the catwalk. Sally promised that it would be easy and that they would all get extra ‘fun’ points.
From Rhodes it was a short overnight trip to Lesbos, then on to Lemnos. They all had trips ashore and the evening entertainment was groups from the ports they were moored at. Shelly took the opportunity to see Angel in her salon for a check-up. Angel unglued her and looked over her face and body closely, zapping any new growth with a laser. Then she rubbed soothing oils all over. A trim of the eyebrows, a repaint to the nails and a quick hair-do and she then reglued the breasts back on. Shelly was in a real quandary while all this was happening. Her penis had been freed but unresponsive to a very nice woman working on her body. When it was resecured she felt almost a sense of relief.
After four days in the Greek Islands they arrived at Athens for a three day stop. There were historic tours and shopping tours. There were enough ancient sites to last a week or more if you wanted and every day could be filled with just the historical visits. There were most of the big stores that you would find anywhere in a big city. The particular destination for most of the passengers was the Folli Follie store to buy a watch from the source; Shelly and Jean among them. Jean took the visit here to again top up their credit cards at her bank outlet.
The nights were different here. The cruise had a standing arrangement with local entertainment venues and the passengers were taken, by coach, to a different show every evening. The evening they sailed from Athens, heading for Dubrovnik, Shelly and the teens were measured up for the fashion show outfits that would take place the following afternoon.
That night they sailed around the tip of Greece and headed north along the western shore. In the morning Shelly and the teens went off for a rehearsal and, after lunch, they walked the catwalk set up in the ballroom with rows of chairs either side. The three of them had fun and looked good. Not only that, it further hardened the resolve of all three to be as good as they could be in their transition. Shelly was learning so much about being a woman she was almost giddy at the onslaught of information that came her way.
The one thing she learned from the fashion show was that she looked good when wearing just about anything and Sally took advantage of that by making sure she was in high rotation during the event. Afterwards Jean told her that she looked fantastic.
At dinner, that evening, the teens had announcements. Roberta had decided that she wanted to be called Ava in future because someone in the audience that afternoon had said that she looked like Ava Gardner. Michelle wanted to be known as Natalie because she had been likened to Natalie Wood. Neither knew who both these women were but they liked the names. They all toasted the newly christened girls.
The next day in Dubrovnik they had tours. There was a long list of historical sites and also a shopping tour. The six of them did a morning tour of the old walls, went back on board for lunch and hit the shops in the afternoon. The main stop was the DOC at Lapad which had several of the big name chains so everyone tried on a lot of items and only bought a few.
That evening the ship sailed on to a place they all wanted to see, Venice, arriving there in the early morning. They would be here for three full days and there were tours that included gondola rides, a tour to the Murano Glass outlet and two full-day shopping tours. One was to the Le Mercerie area where they were promised a number of high-end designer brand shops.
The other was to the Coin shopping centre in Cannaregio. The six chose the latter one first and Shelly came back with an Alexander McQueen dress and two pairs of Jimmy Choo shoes. It was all totally frivolous but she felt so good in them she couldn’t help herself. They did the scenic tour and also went to the Murano outlet where Jean bought a glorious vase to put on her desk in the clinic. The entertainment both evenings were Italian bands who played Euro-pop.
During the third evening the ship left Venice and sailed down the east coast of Italy to arrive in the harbour of Bari the next morning. There were no tours organised here but some passengers were taken ashore to have a look around and get some exercise. Shelly, Ava and Natalie were joined by Sally for a stroll in the shops and it was here that they were attacked.
Afterwards, if asked, they couldn’t say if it was a robbery or abduction attempt but the upshot was that they emerged from the alley-way they had been pulled into a few minutes later, all a little dishevelled. Behind them were three attackers who were worse for wear. Sally was competent, having been trained by the shipping line, and took care of one thug who grabbed her, while Shelly took the other two down with some karate moves she had never been allowed to use on a human being before. One of the thugs had grabbed her while another had thought that he could easily control the two teens.
They didn’t stop to see if they’d done too much damage and quickly made their way into a shopping complex and the toilets to repair their make-up. Shelly had to find a nail bar because she had broken two nails. She told the attendant that she had slipped on some stairs.
They vowed not to say anything about the venture and went back on board. That evening the ship sailed on and around the toe of Italy to arrive in Palermo. While there the three girls stayed on board and Sally organised a visit to the ship’s doctor to check them over and put salve on the few scratches they had sustained. Sally told him they had all slipped on a wet cobblestone walkway.
The teens were keen to learn some self-defence so Sally announced a small class that would run in the mornings for the next few days. They had a dozen who signed on and both Sally and Shelly imparted their knowledge with the basic moves to disable a larger opponent, using methods that took no prisoners, as they didn’t have the years needed to study the basics and the history of the martial art.
That meant that they only took afternoon trips in Naples, Rome and Genoa. By then, their students could look after themselves quite well and Sally had gained an even higher appreciation of Shelly and her range of skills.
Shelly really didn’t mind missing out on shopping trips for a while. She had a pretty good wardrobe by now and an inversely proportional bank balance. She took the teens under her wing for the rest of the stops on the cruise. Jean was also shopped out but joined them for excursions in Nice, Marseille and Barcelona.
The final stops would be in Valencia before they went past Gibraltar again for the last stop in Lisbon. Shelly went to see Angel to get her body bits unglued between Barcelona and Valencia. She dressed in items from her original suitcase and hated the reflection in the mirror.
When Jean heard her crying she comforted her and told her that Shelly could work with her in the clinic for a while. She could see what she felt after some time back in normal life as a woman. . She went back to get the glue treatment again the next day. It was just too different being back in male form.
A representative from the cruise line joined the ship when they arrived in Lisbon. She invited Shelly to join her and Sally in one of the empty state-rooms. They were joined by the First Officer who had been the entertainment manager.
Shelly was told that she had exceeded all records when it came to ‘Fun’ points and, as such, would have her cruise cost refunded. She thought that Jean would be happy with that. She was then told that the karaoke sessions, the musical evening, the fashion show and her general input to the cruise was such that they wanted her on board next summer, as a crew member. She would be given other cruise details to see if she wanted to sign on as a full-time employee or just take the six weeks every year.
Shelly was truly at a cross-road that last day on board. She discussed her options with Jean and then Jean threw another at her. She took Shelly to the salon and Angel told her that she, herself, only took this cruise as a summer break from her real job. Her real job was as Managing Director of Avian Laboratories.
Angel then offered Shelly a job with her for the rest of the year with the cruise period guaranteed as a holiday. She said that she had been impressed with Shelly’s knowledge of the chemistry of cosmetics, especially her nose for scents. The salary was the turning point for Shelly. It was more than she could have earned as a full professor and she could stay in dresses.
Before the ship sailed from Lisbon she had agreed to join Angel at Avian and they had both gone to the lady from Head Office to assure her that Shelly would be joining the ship next year.
Shelly went to the shop on board and purchased two cases that better suited her new wardrobe. Later on, she went into the bar for a final nightcap.
“Julian, are all these cruises so hectic?”
“No, Shelly. It was you that brought life to this one and, I think, learned a lot about yourself along the way.”
“You’re right there. I’ve had so much fun I’ll be back next summer as one of the crew.”
“That’ll please Rupert. He’s been very quiet these last few days. If I had to say why, I would say that he’s acting like a guy in love.”
“It was so good singing with him. I felt as if we had been doing that for longer than a few days. I’d like to say bye to him but I suppose he’s busy doing his duty.”
“Actually, he just walked in and is heading this way. If I were you, I’d finish that wine and find out what he tastes like. See you next summer, Shelly. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
Shelly turned as Rupert approached her.
“I’ve just heard that you’re joining us next summer.”
“Yes, I’m afraid that you’ll have to put up with me for another six weeks.”
“Shelly, my heart, I would put up with you for a life-time if you’ll let me.”
“How about we take a stroll on deck and test our compatibility first and then you’ll have to wait until summer unless you visit me at home.”
They went out on the aft deck and watched the sparkle of the wake and then kissed. They kissed a lot and talked about the future. Shelly gave him her mother’s address and he promised to call first to tell her when he was ashore.
When they finally parted she went back to the stateroom to ponder the enormity of the day. She would be using her chemistry skills at Avian and getting paid well. She would be using her acting, singing and womanly skills for the next tour. The only skill she hadn’t used in the last few weeks had been her rowing but, as they would have to sink for her to show that, she was glad it wasn’t needed.
On top of all that, she had connected with her mother in so many ways that Sheldon had never been able to. She had a very good wardrobe and would be able to afford to add to it. She realised that she was, at least for the moment, in love and was loved in return.
She had a good look in her old case then pulled out any personal effects before taking it out on deck and dropping it over the side. Sheldon finally sank to the bottom of the ocean that night and Shelly sailed on into a new; and better, life.
Next morning, at breakfast before they docked; Jasmin and Veronica hugged her and told her that she had brightened their lives and that she was welcome to call on them in New York any time. They also offered her some modelling there if she came over. They guaranteed she would have a spread in one of their magazines.
She was thanked by Ava and Natalie for helping them find their inner girl. The mothers told her that she had been instrumental in bringing the two out of their shells and that both of them now had strong and lively daughters instead of moody boys.
When they were alone Jean told her that this was another facet that had come to the fore. She would put it to the cruise line that Shelly could be a contact for all those transitioning on board. She could be an official representative of the clinic which would give her a bit of work but a lot of satisfaction.
As she watched the coast of the Solent slide by, Shelly understood one simple fact. She was not beholden to those in academic life who wanted her to keep learning. She had no need to join her stage friends who wanted her, or, she corrected, him, in their show. She did not need to fight in competitions but could keep that skill aside for any further incidents on foreign soil. As Sheldon he was pulled backwards and forwards by others. As Shelly, she was now her own person.
She could now do all of the things that made her the Shelly she had become. There was only one other thing to be done before the cruise began next summer. That was to fully transition so that Rupert could take her as his if he was still interested.
Now, that was something to really look forward to and the thought stayed with her as she followed her mother down the gangway to shore, making little Shirley Temple dance steps as she went.
Epilogue
Six years later Rupert and Shelly, now husband and wife, boarded the Lillipilli for another six week cruise. Today, they were greeted by the Captain and escorted to their usual stateroom on ‘B’ Deck. They unpacked and went down to the crew quarters to see who was already on board.
This year would be the fifth year that they both sailed as crew and the fourth year they had done it as a married couple. They had been joint Entertainment Managers for three years and the cruise line was happy to see them. This particular cruise was always booked out with an overflow list.
The reason for the popularity was simple. They were both now TV stars and both had songs in the charts, either as individuals or as a couple. They had played a couple in a stage musical and had won ‘Dancing with the Stars’. Shelly had contacted her university friends and had joined them on their TV show and her career took off from there. Rupert had joined her some months later, their duets becoming a ‘must-watch’ occasion.
She still had her job with Angel, as a lead developer for new scents with Avian but her team was well picked, well trained and able to operate without her for short periods. Angel still took her own holiday on board and they would be meeting for lunch the next day.
With their success came opportunities for others in the entertainment business. This trip they had three other stars on board, two singers and one comedienne. The shows they put on were always packed.
Jean and Angel boarded the next day. Jean had taken up an offer by the cruise line of a free cruise with a small office where she could council the ‘girls’ that she had booked for the cruise. Most, these days, were dropped off by a parent to be left in her charge for the trip.
It was a big impetus to her ‘girls’ to be in close proximity to well-known TV stars, led by the fabulous Shelly Temple - role-model, idol, goddess and, usually by the final berthing, friend.
Marianne Gregory © 2022