Part 2

Things were slightly strained between us for a few days, so I slept in the guest bed. As I'd had to do this periodically when getting up early for business trips or when my legs were acting up, the kids didn't comment on THAT. I guess, in retrospect, the twitching I'd had while sleeping for a few months wasn't all bad. Though, I think that our youngest, Hope, asking Shelly, "Why are you angry with Daddy?" did get her thinking. Because, that evening, she suggested I return to our bed.

The next few months, things seemed to gradually get better and return almost to what had been normal. Shelly and I had many long talks, and she came to believe, I think, that I was still the same person I'd been before. We even became intimate again, but not quite the same way. I think part of it was that I no longer felt like I had to pretend to be so macho with her.

About three months before the wedding, I got a call from Carol, saying she'd found a school that claimed to teach men how to act like ladies. A finishing school as it were, and she said she'd arranged for me to do a day there in the next two weeks with the caveat that they did nothing that was permanent and visible above the neck, so I didn't have to try explaining it at work. She also said that if the day worked out, she'd arranged for me to do a day a week until the fitting.

I explained what she'd done to Shelly, and she said that I should do the trial day, as I'd agreed to try anyway. We checked the place out together, and when they said spouses were welcome to join, she decided to come along, and see what was happening. Especially since Carol had already paid for it.

Needless to say, I was surprised at Shelly's reaction, but thrilled as well. On the appointed day, Mom took care of the kids, while Shelly and I went for a 'day in the city'. I don't really think it was the day mom was expecting, but she didn't need to know.

I'd wondered a lot of things about what was going to happen, based on my experiences from long ago. My eyebrows, my hands, fingers and nails, my beard; I thought they were all going to be challenges. My voice was something else. I'd been able to get laughs at parties doing a James Earl Jones – Darth Vader imitation, and didn't see how that would be worked. Shelly admitted to being curious about that as well. Okay, I don't normally talk that low, but that I even can...

The experience was both painful, and surprising. Some of the things we'd expected to be difficult, ended up being easy for them to manage, while others that hadn't occurred to us were more challenging. They also explained where they were doing things a little different due to the no visible long term changes when fully dressed constraint. Like, they didn't apply nail extensions, when I had my hands done. They still looked and felt very nice to me. And, I was surprised at how much that helped. The biggest surprise was that my voice wasn't unworkable. I mean, I obviously wouldn't do the Darth Vader impression while dressed, but it seems my ear that allowed me to do impressions at all, helped with talking too. For me—after the painful parts anyway—it was a pleasure, although I wasn't sure how Shelly was taking it.

On the way home she said, "Steve, from what I saw today, I think they can do it."

That came from left field. I mean, I expected to talk about what happened, but I expected us to agree that they couldn't do the job. As much as I'd enjoyed it and wished it could happen, I still saw a man, not a woman. "What do you mean?'

"I mean, I think they can do what they said, and teach you to be a woman and look like one too."

"I don't know. To be honest, except for the painful parts, I enjoyed it, but at the end of the day, I really didn't see anyone different in the mirror—I was still me."

"Oh, I could tell it was you too, but it was a different you."

"I'm sorry."

"No, don't be." She gave a sigh. "This means you will be a bridesmaid though."

"I can just tell Carol that it didn't work"

"No, Steve. You don't lie well. Maybe you can avoid telling the whole truth, but an outright lie? I don't think you have it in you."

I sighed, "I'm sorry. No, that's not right. I'm glad I can't lie, but I'm sorry it worked out."

"Well, maybe going through this will let you get all of this out of your system. Go ahead and give Carol a call when we get home, and tomorrow, call the school and let them know you'll be finishing the classes."

"Are you sure, honey?"

"Steve, we agreed that if you weren't going to make a fool out of yourself and disrupt her wedding you would do it." She paused. "Well, with the school's help, I think you'll be able to manage."

I called Carol when we got home, and as I expected, she was hyper. It took a good half hour talking to get her to settle down. Once she did though, her first question was for Shelly.

"No, she's the one who decided. I was convinced the school wouldn't work but she disagreed."

"I just hope I'm just as lucky with Jim. I think so, but..." her voice trailed off.

"Hey, nobody said you could worry out there," I said trying to lighten her mood. "I know he wants you to be happy." I just wondered what his reaction would be when he found out just what he'd been asking me to do. We chatted a few more minutes before ending the call. She seemed fine then.

Later that night, Shelly and I found that having a hairless body seemed to have some good side effects as well. I joked that we'd have to do our waxing together in the future, and she even smiled at it.

The time before the fitting seemed to both crawl and fly. I loved most of the lessons I was getting at the finishing school, and had a lot of work, which, luckily, was not requiring lots of travel for a change. Shelly no longer attended the sessions with me, but that didn't stop her from asking about my progress. About a week before I was due to head out to California, she arranged for us to have an evening out. Not just dinner, but a hotel room as well. Her mom was staying with the kids for the night, and thought it was very romantic that we were doing this.

"Steve, I need to meet Stevie before you go out there."

"What?"

"Bring your stuff, and after we check into the hotel, I'll go read for a while. I want you to join me in the lobby, as Stevie."

I was shocked a little. "Are you sure, honey?"

"Yes, I need to. Let me know how long you need, and I'll make the dinner reservations."

Wow, she was really going all out. I just hoped I didn't embarrass her. I'd been out quite a number of times as part of my training; I just wasn't sure how she'd take it.

I needn't have worried. While she wasn't affectionate or anything, she seemed to be doing well. Later back in the room, we talked a long while. She didn't let me change back into my guy outfit until time to go to sleep.

"Steve. No, you're definitely Stevie tonight. There is no question, but I had to know."

"I know. You'll never have to worry about me competing in any beauty pageants though."

"No, but, there's no doubt that you're a woman when I look at you; a handsome one at that."

The last surprised me a little, but it was a pleasant one.

"Stevie, when you get ready, get your nails done with tips for the trip. You can cut and file them off when you return."

"I don't need to honey. Don't you think that will make traveling more difficult?"

"No, Stevie can travel as well as Steve. There's no law against what you're doing."

I couldn't believe my ears. But, she was serious, and wouldn't stop until I agreed. I hoped that I could manage with the longer nails. What was I worried about? That was the LEAST of my concerns.

As it turned out, the only place I had ANY difficulty at all, was when I went through security at the airport, on my way to California. They compared my ID picture with the tickets, and, in retrospect it wasn't surprising, but they had problems with the discrepancy. I ended up talking with the travel security guys supervisor for a bit, but I'd given myself an extra hour anyway.

"You know, you're really amazing. I don't think there's ANY way I would have believed you and the person in the photo were the same one."

"It's taken a lot of work."

"I dunno, I don't think I'd have been willing to go through that for my sister, let alone a friend. I won't say she's strange for wanting you to be in her wedding party, but this is extreme."

I nodded, letting him assume that I didn't like this at all. "My wife and I were against the idea for a long time, but agreed in the end, if she could arrange for me to be passable. Well, we figured that would be the end of that. But, as you can see, she found a way, and as I'd agreed, I couldn't well back out."

"No, I guess you couldn't welch out on the agreement. You're a stronger man than me for that. However, this will help me remember that just because I don't believe something can happen I shouldn't bet on it."

We both laughed at that.

"You can get along now. I'll take you through the X-rays so you don't get any more issues, and this note should help on your return flight."

I thanked him, and security went as expected now. There were no further issues traveling, for which I was thankful.

Carol and Stacy were waiting for me at the airport, and it was a statement to what I'd learned that neither recognized me until I walked up.

"Hello Carol. Hi Stacy."

"Yes, STEVIE." I figured my ears would recover, and I did succeed in catching Carol as she launched herself at me. Stacy just stood there with a shocked expression on her face.

After a bit, Carol calmed down, and we were able to get Stacy to come out of her daze. To say I was pleased by their reaction would be putting it mildly. I know I'd 'graduated' from the finishing school, but until now, I really didn't have that much confidence I could pull this off.

We collected my bag, and went out to Stacy's car.

"Steve. No, Stevie, I really don't know how you did it, but you did."

"It WAS a lot of work, but your sister found someone that could teach me. I just hope I can manage to meet your expectations and do what I need to."

Carol was holding my hand as if I were a lifesaver. Which told me she was way more stressed than she'd let on when we talked.

"Carol, did you ever tell Jim what you asked me to do?"

She was quiet a minute. "No."

"I didn't think so. Do you want me to?"

"Not now, okay?"

"Okay, Carol."

"Is, is Shelly really okay with this?"

"Some of it anyway. She'll be here for the wedding. We've arranged to come out the week before, sorta as a vacation. Our parents will keep the kids."

"Oh, that's great. I know she was invited to the reception too, but I had no idea whether she'd be willing to come."

"You're bouncing," I said, as I'd said any number of times over the years. It had the usual affect of getting her to settle down.

"Damn, Stevie, I've NEVER seen anyone else do that to her. How do you do it?"

I looked at Carol, and we said together "Do what?"

"You two are impossible. One would almost think you were related or something."

"No, Stacy. I'm nobody. Carol said so."

"Huh. I don't think I've heard THAT story."

"No, don't tell it, please."

"She's your sister, Carol, and it has been a LONG time."

She sighed, "Okay."

It goes back to our time at the University. I was visiting her dorm room and we were probably solving the problems of the world, or maybe she was telling me about the latest guy she'd failed to have a second date with or something."

I could feel her squeezing my hand tighter, so I returned the pressure and she relaxed some.

"The phone rang, and it was a guy she'd wanted to date for ages calling to see if she wanted to go out. I didn't hear his end of the call, but she said 'No, I'm not busy. nobody's here right now.' while at the same time holding my hand to keep from screaming and not letting me get up to leave."

"You're kidding. She talked to a potential boy friend, with you sitting right there, as if you weren't there?"

"That pretty much sums it up. Carol, how long did I sign my names 'nobody' after that?"

"At least five years. You stopped after visiting me that time before Shelly had that accident."

"I thought that was it, so it was more than five years after we graduated," I said chuckling.

"I can't believe you were holding one guy's hand while talking to another."

"I wasn't, Stace. I was holding Stevie's hand."

"I don't get it. But you will explain it later tonight!"

Carol looked at me, and I nodded. "You did sorta make a strange statement there, you know. It doesn't hurt if you tell her."

"I'll muck it up somehow, Stevie."

I could see she needed help again. "Okay, if we have time when we get to my hotel, I'll explain what you meant. Will that do, Stacy?"

"I guess. I can't see why my own sister is so confusing."

We were quieter the last bit of the ride. I did find out that the other out-of-town bridesmaids were also staying in the same hotel, at which point, I asked, "How many of us ARE there?"

"Carol, you did tell him, didn't you?"

"I, uh, no..."

"Carol! You asked him to go through all this, and didn't tell him there were five other bridesmaids?"

"No, she didn't Stacy. I'll deal with it, but, I need to ask you to refer to me as her or she, if you can. Otherwise, we all may be embarrassed."

"Sorry, you're right. I was just a bit angry at sis for leaving that detail out, and I'm wondering how much else she didn't tell you."

"Perhaps we should go over everything at the same time I explain her statement?"

"I think that'd be a good idea."

"Hey, I am here, you two." Carol finally chimed in.

"Don't worry, we couldn't forget you. We'd not be here otherwise, you know." I squeezed her hand at the same time, to let her know I understood.

We parked at the hotel, and the clerk did a double take as I checked in. But that was it.

"You'll be on the eighth floor, ma'am. Do you need a bell hop?"

"No thank you."

"All right then, the elevators to your tower are across the lobby to the left." He indicated the direction.

I thanked him, and we headed up to the room.

I guess both Stacy and I got a few surprises that evening; she'd run into one or two transsexuals in the course of her job, but had never had much of an opportunity to REALLY talk to them. I promised to answer anything I could.

"If Carol had already known then, I could almost understand what happened with the 'Nobody', but she didn't know then, did she?"

"No, I don't think so. You didn't, did you?"

"No, I just found you comfortable to be around, Stevie. We could talk about anything and you never seemed interested in being more than a friend, nor did you act threatened by me. I guess it was a miracle we got along. I'm glad though."

I laughed. "You're a good friend, and you've never been judgmental of me."

"Now, Stacy, what ELSE might I have missed hearing about?"

"Hmmm. Well, we all have a party tomorrow night, after the fitting."

"Yes, it's a shower, isn't it?"

"That's part of it."

"Okay, she said there was a shower you were throwing, and Shelly said I should bring a gift for the wedding night."

"You did!"

I nodded. "I'm not letting you see it until the party. You can both wait."

"I wonder what Shelly picked out," commented Stacy.

"Nothing, but when I explained it to her, she said I'd 'done good'. I think you'll appreciate it, Carol."

"Now you've got me anxious again." She stood up and started pacing.

"Sit down, Carol, and think."

She turned to me. "You didn't?"

"You'll have to wait and see. But, I think you'll be okay."

"You're not supposed to wind me up, Stevie."

"Let's not worry about that. Is there anything else?" I changed the topic, thinking that would probably not get her mind off the gift, but would distract Stacy and having to concentrate on things tended to focus Carol which helped her stabilize. If I had to, I had some hints to remind her of a conversation we'd had about her dreams of her wedding night while still in college.

"What do you know about the fitting itself?" queried Stacy.

--- Continued