Our life was really pretty hectic, me at work sixty to seventy hours a week, both boys in swimming, soccer, basketball, scouting and music and Shelly, my wife in about every activity a young matron can get involved in. Shelly was not only heavily involved in the local charities, her children's activities, her part time job as a legal secretary, but seemed to have many other women friends as well and was always going to various functions with her female cronies.
I mean Shelly was a gregarious girl and always had a few special girl friends that seemed to even take precedence over her family. However, I felt that she really loved me and I knew I loved her.
But sometimes things just seem to go astray. You see there was this young engineer at work, Melissa Stromberg, about eight years younger than me at twenty-eight, the same age as Shelly.
Admittedly, Melissa was a good looking young lass and very bright and sharp mentally with a rapier like sense of humor. But we were just friends or really boss and subordinate and I tended to mentor her.
It was seven fifteen in the morning and Shelly and I were drinking a cup of coffee prior to my leaving for Motorola. The boys were getting ready for school and this was a ten minute period every day that Shelly and I could spend together.
"Jim, please try and be home before seven tonight. Remember, we are going to the Hansen's for bridge at eight."
"Oh no", I exclaimed, hitting my forehead in feigned anguish. "Tonight is the semi-annual suggestion awards dinner. Hey, call the Hansen's and beg off and join me at Allagretto's at six for the dinner. You must already have a baby sitter."
"Damn you Jim, you know we always play bridge on the first and third Tuesdays of the month. But I suppose I can cancel, as usual. You know, we will be dropped from the group if you keep reneging on the date."
"But you will join me for dinner?"
"God no, you know how I hate those Motorola get together's. It is so fake. Every one acts to nice and all most want to do is get the hell out of there. No, I will call either Susie or Cheryl and see if one of them wants some bridge. Don't worry about me, I will get along as usual."
I got up, gave her a peck on the cheek and said, "Love ya." and headed out the door for work.
And that day was the normal relentless rat race. Two critical material shortages, a sexual harassment incident, three major schedule changes, and to top it all off, my best foreman came and demanded a raise or she would quit and take the offer from GE communications.
By the end of the day, I was ready to relax but had that blasted dinner meeting. Arriving at Allagretto's, I went to the bar and ordered a double martini, easy on the vermouth, lo-ball glass with a lot of ice. And things started looking up about ten minutes later.
I was surrounded by my employees, each acting fairly natural, but always trying to butter up the boss just a little. That is all but Melissa and she really looked lovely tonight. At work it was usually jeans or slacks, a blouse and sweater or vest and always looked quite presentable, if not quite delightful. But tonight she had shed her work clothes for a short knit beige sweater dress that made her look more than delightful, quite adorable with her very womanly figure and long hair brushed down her back.
After we ate, I gave a short little speech, thanking all for their inspired efforts and tried to fill all with a sense of worth, and then the Director of Personnel made the actual awards. After it was all over, we adjourned to the bar for some serious drinking.
Hell I had three martini's before dinner, wine with dinner and two brandies afterwards and was now drinking straight scotch on the rocks. I know I can hold my liquor quite well, but this was getting just a bit out of hand. By the time I realized it, I had gone over the edge and didn't much care.
And slowly, the bar cleared out until it was just Melissa and I at a table, me giving her sage advise about enhancing her career. In the meantime, I found myself holding her hand and spending an inordinate amount of time just gazing into her eyes. God, was she beautiful. Shelly had disappeared from my thoughts and my entire essence was devoted to Melissa. And I was too far gone to either know or care.
Somehow, about an hour later, I found myself in her apartment, she having changed into a cute little teddy. At least I had dropped my suit coat and tie by that time. We were on the couch, listening to jazz on her CD unit and continuing to drink scotch and the next thing I realized that I was in her bedroom, nude and lying in bed with this voluptuous little tease.
But she wasn't a tease and we got right to the business at hand. The biggest mistake of my life.
And I don't remember much of anything about the night. I just recall starting to make love with Melissa and then I sort of blanked out.
But in the morning, boy do I remember that. I awoke feeling slightly hung over and felt squashed by heavy arm and leg pinning my body to the bed. My first thought was to get Melissa off of me, and then I realized I hadn't gone home the night before and panicked at the thought of Shelly. And I had to get up and get to work as I was probably already late to work. What the hell, I scheduled daily production meetings at eight each morning and sensed that I had already missed this one.
I pushed the leg away and lifted the arm off of my body and then got the first big shock. It was my arm and my leg as I saw my comatose body lying next to me. I brushed the long hair out of my eyes and then looking down, saw those mounds of flesh on my chest. I jumped out of bed and a step away was Melissa's dressing table with it's big mirror. And the second big shock hit. The face and body in the mirror was that of Melissa, disheveled hair, smeared makeup and completely nude.
Now normally, I am not one to panic or get hysterical, but at that moment, I certainly wasn't quite sane. I mean this was impossible, but the impossible had occurred. I took two steps back and flopped on the bed, breaking down into tears and crying like I hadn't done since I was five. This was beyond my ability to comprehend.
I just lay their sobbing for about ten or fifteen minutes when I finally started to regain some self control. I got up and looked at my 'other' body' and leaned over and started slapping the face of the man laying there with my face. He was breathing, but other than that, I couldn't get a response out of him.
I didn't know what to do, and in a befuddled daze, I padded out to the kitchen, put some coffee in the coffee maker and started it up. Sitting there at the kitchen table waiting for the coffee, I realized that I was completely nude and no matter what would happen, it would go better if I were dressed.
I walked back to the bedroom and into the bath and stood in front of the mirror, horrified by the image I saw in the mirror. Putting aside my feelings, I found a hair brush and pulled it a few times through my hair until it looked presentable, found some cold cream and cleaned my face (I had lived with Shelly long enough to realize to do this) and then hunted for some clothing.
Seeing the jeans and blouse that Melissa had worn yesterday to work lying on top of the clothes hamper, I put on the jeans and struggled with the blouse, troubled by the left side buttons of the shirt. But at least I was somewhat covered and felt slightly better.
Back in the kitchen, I poured myself a cup of coffee and sat at the table sipping the hot brew and thinking of my future. The problems seemed insurmountable. One, I had the comatose body of my former self lying on the bed. Two I somehow had to let Motorola know I wouldn't be there today. And for that matter, that Melissa wouldn't be in either. Boy would that get the gossip going full swing, I thought. Then there was Shelly. Obviously, I had to contact her and let her know that I was alive, something I just couldn't do at the moment. But she was my best bet for contacting my company.
I poured myself a second cup of coffee and finally decided on a plan. I got on the phone and called my home, waited for an interminable four rings when Shelly finally answered.
"Mrs. Nordstrom, this is Melissa Stromberg, one of Mr. Nordstrom's employee's and although this is very embarrassing, I thought I should call you. You see, last night Mr. Nordstrom got a little tight, and I wouldn't let him drive home and he begged me to let him sleep overnight as he was ashamed to come home. And right now he is in my bed completely passed out."
Shelly let out a little giggle and said, "Well, Melissa, I understand. This isn't the first time this has happened. I suppose I should call him in sick at work."
"Oh Mrs. Nordstrom, I am sure he would appreciate that."
"Melissa, it was very thoughtful for you to have called me. Or should I thank Jim himself? I suppose you know just exactly what Jim is thinking about right now."
"Oh no, Jim is asleep and I can't seem to wake him up. But don't worry, I will have him home before very long."
I nearly panicked as I realized that the comatose body on the bed was really me. God, I couldn't let the body die or I would be stuck like this forever.
I called 911 after I had made one more attempt at waking up that man on the bed. Somehow, I couldn't think of him as Jim as I was Jim. And that little giggle of Shelly's was bothering me as was her comment that 'I knew exactly what Jim was thinking.
Remembering Melissa's responsibilities, I called in for her to personnel and told them I was taking the day off due to personal problems.
I was marveling at the new tone of my voice, a complete change of my own. But then it wasn't my voice, it was Melissa's.
The medics from Critical Rescue were knocking on my door and I let them in and took them back to the bedroom. They performed some immediate first aid and discovered that his heart rate and pulse were at about fifty percent and immediately administered oxygen. I answered a few questions and then they were gone with his body, still alive, and on to the hospital.
I flopped down on the couch, exhausted by the crisis I had managed to endure that morning when it really hit me. What in hell was I going to do. I seemed to be in the body of Melissa with none of her memories and only my experiences as a thirty six year old man to guide me. I didn't know squat about living as a woman, nor did I want to, but that looked like it was my temporary destiny.
I lay back, nearly dozing, when I thought of my youth and suddenly I had glimmering memories of Melissa's youth. I got excited and played around with this thinking process and slowly both my memories and her's started to separate out of the hodgepodge that was my mental state. I first recalled my life with my older sister and then brought up memories of her older brother and little sister. I followed through on that track and in a hour or so, I had a vague feeling for her early life. Her daddy's name was Peter Eric Stromberg and her mother's name was Helen Ann (Peabody) Stromberg. Her older brother was Craig and her younger sister was Ramona, known by family and friends as Missy. They were all raised in Hinsdale, IL, Melissa had graduated from Kellogg High and attended the University of Illinois majoring in Industrial Engineering. I couldn't get much detail about her life but that could wait. At least I knew something.
I felt the urge and went into the bath and realizing my new body, sat on the stool and let loose. It was weird this feeling of just leaking and not directing your stream with a little force. But no big deal. I wiped and turned on the shower, removed my jeans and shirt and got into the warm pelt of water, throughly enjoying the feeling of relaxation it gave me. And it was there I got to take a really close inventory of my new body.
The first thing I noticed as I always washed my hair when showering, that this might not be the case for a girl with long hair. The hair became inundated with water and fell down my back in a somewhat exotic feeling. Melissa didn't have a wash cloth or soap but one of those scrunching gauze things that sort of made a big ball and a plastic bottle of body lotion. I squeezed some lotion out on the gauze ball and noticed it lathered quite nicely and set to work on my body. The face, ears and neck were really no different, nor were the big breasts ballooning out from my chest. I had thought they would be somehow very tender, but they felt almost normal, just as any of my skin did. The nipples were just slightly sensitive, but nothing much different than my own. I washed my breasts, stomach, hips and legs, even my feet and toes, finally my arms. And then it was the part I was really scared to observe or really admit was part of me.
I slowly pulled apart the lips of my labia and tried to stuff a little of the gauze ball inside, but not much luck. I finally soaped my fingers and slowly pushed then up and around and tried to clean as much as possible and there were area's were I was quite sensitive. I bent over and discovered the clitoris and the little opening of the urethra and the larger opening of the vagina. It was an experience! I didn't fiddle around at all as I wanted to just clean myself and not discover any sensual hot spots.
I eschewed washing my hair as a figured I had enough trouble just wetting it all down and I was quite correct in this surmise. I got out and toweled down and took a second towel for my hair.
I walked up to the mirror above the bathroom sink and nearly cried as I observed myself. I mean I was beautiful and extremely sexy, but I didn't want to be beautiful and sexy. I just wanted my own body back and to resume my normal life. And then for the first time I wondered what had happened to Melissa. She definitely wasn't here with me and on reflection, determined that she must be comatose in my old body. God, I hoped she stayed that way until things worked out and we were normal again. She would probably go insane if she woke up in my body. Hell, I wasn't very stable being in her body and I had always prided myself as being very stable and accepting of life's little Vicissitudes. Well, maybe this one wasn't so little.
I picked up a brush and started on my hair. After about two or three minutes, I didn't seem to be making much headway. So I found a wide toothed comb and started trying to smooth out the snarls with this. But it hurt so bad until I learned to hold the hair at it's roots and then pull the comb through. Ten minutes of the comb and ten more with the brush and I finally got the stuff hanging down around my body in a fairly smooth fall. Then and there I determined to cut off most of the stuff. I mean I had always liked long hair on a girl, but not if it meant this much trouble.
I left the sink and went into her room looking for some clean clothing to wear. I knew what I had to look forward to, but was still abashed by the variety of her underwear. I searched through the drawer until I found a rather full bra with a front enclosure and a pair of panties that more than covered my genitals. I felt both weird and queer as I snapped on the bra and slipped my legs into the panties, but the panties were sort of like my own briefs and didn't feel that strange.
In her closet I discovered a pair of clean jeans, form fitting, but still fairly comfortable and a shirt that sort of had men's tailoring, at least it was a button down. White socks and loafers completed me and I felt just slightly presentable. I didn't even consider makeup, the thought appalled me. Besides, Melissa's face was quite acceptable just as it was naturally.
Due to diligent training of both my mother and Shelly, I cleaned up the bathroom and made the bed, then went out to the living room and picked up the glasses from last night and washed them. I looked around and everything looked quite nice and there was nothing else that needed doing. Damn it, at least when I was busy, my mind didn't dwell on my predicament.
I spotted her computer and decided that I would see what she used it for and immediately discovered the Internet link. I clicked the icon and was soon playing around in something that took my mind off the present.
I first checked into my stock program and saw with satisfaction that I had done quite well yesterday. I then checked Barron's and the WSJ and killed another hour or so. I was pleasantly pleased that I could still manipulate numbers in a manner that some thought was sort of scarey, but either Melissa had that ability or it had been transferred along with the rest of my mind. I checked into the Chat group of other manufacturing managers and joined in on the current discussion of 'sexual harassment in the work place'. This got my attention due to yesterdays problem.
I chimed in and gave them my experience. An fifty year old bachelor who always touched whoever he was talking to. Hell, I knew it was serious as I hated to be touched and evidentially the young girls that worked with him hated it also. I said that although I knew he meant nothing by it, it was unacceptable behavior and demoted him from his group leader's position. Hell, he cried and said that he didn't mean anything, but the four girls that complained all said it made them feel quite used and they wouldn't and couldn't work there anymore if he stayed in his present position.
I got various responses from the group, but most agreed with me and said they would have done the same thing. Well, it at least solved the immediate problem.
Then the Internet server I was on informed me that I had used me two hours and was being terminated. Back to reality.
Part 2
By then my hair was completely dry and I decided to bite the bullet and go see Shelly. I knew that after I had confessed all, she still wouldn't believe me. Heck, who would believe that her husband had suddenly been turned into am attractive girl that worked for him. But I had to try. What else could I do?
I looked around the apartment for some car keys and finally found both Melissa's and mine. I grabbed mine and tried to put them in my pocket, but the jeans were much to tight. The pockets seemed to be more for decoration than any utilitarian purpose. Feeling sort of stupid, I l continued looking around the apartment and found Melissa's small brown leather purse she usually carried to work. I opened it and found in addition to an array of cosmetics and a tampon, some tissue and finally her billfold. Pulling it out and opening it I saw her driver's licence and figured that would do for me, now that I looked identical to the girl in the photo. I dumped the keys in and went outside, trying to remember what I had done with my car.
No big bother, it was parked right in front of the apartment. I got in and started it up and drove back to Hoffman's Estates and on to my home. I nearly chickened out as I pulled into the driveway, but then I got my nerve up and walked up to the door and rang the bell.
Shelly came to the door, wearing a weird black turtle neck and mini skirt, black stockings and black makeup on her lips and around her eyes. I looked at her and her eyes seemed strange, the normal greenish grey but with little golden sparkles flashing around.
"Jim, so nice you could join us", she greeted me.
I was taken aback having planned my entrance as Melissa. But Shelly grabbed my hand and pulled inside to our living room. There were all her close friends, each looking about a eerie as Shelly.
"Welcome the meeting of our coven. We have all been looking forward to your arrival. And if you are very good and compatible with us, maybe we might even let you join our group."
I was speechless. All could do was stand there and gawk. Hell, she knew. Hell, was she somehow responsible for this weird metamorphosis. "Jim, or rather in your new guise, Melissa, sit down and let Madge here bring you a cup of coffee. And now, on to the good part."
"Melissa, all of us here, the coven, decided that we were tired of our men playing games with us. So we cast a spell just two days ago and you are the first to be taken. If any of our mates had an orgasm with another, he would trade places with that individual and the individual would be comatose for the duration."
"But Shelly, I was drunk, I didn't know what I was doing. You know I love you, desperately, as I love both out boys. You just have to consider what condition I was in. And besides, what about Melissa. It is very unfair that she should be comatose in my body. I mean she is a woman just as your are, why are you punishing her also?"
Then another of the woman started talking. It was Susie, a girl I had always liked and thought of as my friend.
"Melissa, you screwed up. And I for on applaud your punishment. You will live the next year of your life in this body, learning and feeling the role of a female in our society. You will have three month reviews by the council and if you are progressing, you will continue toward your eventual return to your original body. If not, we will just abandon you. At the end of the year if by unanimous vote, we all agree that you have learned your lesson, then your sentence will be done. And I hope you find this acceptable, because if you don't, well, tough nuggies."
And Shelly continued, "Now don't feel so sorry for the girl you knew as Melissa. She is having wonderful dreams and if you do pass our test and revert, she will be returned to her body with all of her old memories and your newly added ones. And just as we used to argue when you said you could do just as well as a woman as a man in the business world, now will be your chance to prove it. And Melissa will gain by any of your successes and will lose by any of your failures."
"Now get out of here and go about your business. I just wish I could be there when you have your first period. Oh, and please try and not get pregnant. If you do, you are stuck with that body for the rest of your natural life and Melissa will regain consciousness and continue on as you."
I was ushered to the door and led out. Tears were falling down on my cheeks and I realized that this emotion was typical of the girl I had become. But somehow, I didn't care. It felt right to be crying.
I walked out of the house and got in my car, started the engine and continued sobbing. My male mind was telling me that this was effeminate and weak but this had no effect on my emotions. I was crying and feeling better the longer I wept. And finally the male got back in charge and I drove back to Melissa's apartment, somewhat under control by the time I arrived.
Back inside, I again flopped on the couch and thought about the last hours events. OK, so I was stuck. I still couldn't believe in the magic that my wife had put on me, but it was seemingly very real. And, thank god, I still had my male mentality, but I also was well aware of the female emotions that were slowly taking charge of my subconscious. But whether I believed in magic or believed in this transformation, was irrelevant. The facts were, I was now in Melissa's body and stuck their for the foreseeable future.
And sitting there and trying to plan ahead, I realized that I had to go to work the next day or find a damn good reason to be absent. I decided on work. I pretty much knew what Melissa was working on, I knew all the people she knew, and l was hoping I could pull it off. Later in the day, I would try and relax and see if I could bring some of her more recent memories up into my mind. But first, I had some problems.
I was a man and would be expected to act like a girl. I knew that I knew nothing about the female when it came down to it. At least in the little things, how one sat, how one walked, how one reacted to others. I hadn't the foggiest. And then the hair and the makeup. Thank god that Melissa didn't seem to wear much in the way of makeup but somehow, she always was so perfectly groomed. Her hair; her face, it was always slightly different and always in the best of taste. I knew that was with some planning and design. And appearing in public as her was only sixteen hours away.
I went into the bedroom and sat down at her dressing table and started experimenting with those many colors of lipsticks, blushes and eye colors. It seemed nearly impossible. Thank goodness for the cold cream that was there. I must have played with myself for three hours and then gave up in disgust. I just couldn't do it in one sitting. But at least I learned to apply a little lipstick, touch my cheeks with blush, but the eyes were nearly impossible.
I finally gave up and decided that the next day, Melissa would go to work with very little makeup and my hair in a high pony tail, a style that I always had thought that Melissa looked quite sexy with and one which I was hoping I could manage.
Next I was in her closet looking at her shoes and selected some dressy pumps with about two inch heels. I pulled off my socks and slipped the pumps on my feet and went out and started walking back and forth in front of the bedroom mirror. It wasn't very convincing. I tried sitting down and crossing my legs and realized that girls always seemed to cross their legs at their ankles or raised one thigh across the other. Both ways felt unnatural to me, but not really uncomfortable.
Then I tried just standing in front of the mirror and discovered that I stood like a man. I have never really noticed that before and soon found that I looked much more natural with my feet and knees held together. And no matter what I did with my hands, they always looked sort of out of place. Well, I would just have to wing it, watching the other girls more carefully and try to mimic some of their actions. Besides, I was a female engineer working in a masculine factory environment and not a participant in a beauty contest.
I gave up for a while and went and made myself a peanut butter sandwich and got a glass of milk. It was now about eight in the evening and after this hectic day, I was extremely tired and decided to go to bed. I doffed my clothes, looked in the closet for some pajama's, but seeing nothing but a filmy nightgown, hit the sack nude. I may be female, but I wasn't about to do it twenty four hours a day.
I closed my eyes and let my mind drift and eventually I was remembering my youth again. I recalled when my voice started changing and sort of was amused by my thought at that time. First, nearly ashamed to speak for fear of embarrassing myself and secondly, quite pleased with this new grown up male aspect of my life. And then I thought nearly the same thing regarding the development of my breasts as a young teenage girl, a funny mixture of embarrassment and pride when my mother bought me my first training bra. And my first period, preceded by an upset stomach and then the blood. Mom had tried to prepare me for this, but I was still somewhat upset. I remembered going crying to Mom, wishing I were a boy so I didn't have to go through this awful thing. But Mom sort of comforted me and said it was only for a couple of days and then I would feel better than ever.
Smiling as I thought of the first time I had a hard on in public. I was attending a dance class with a bunch of other teenagers and dancing close with Nancy, I felt myself get hard and nearly panicked with embarrassment. And then the attendant thought of feeling a wet warmness in my groin dancing with my teenage heart throb, Jackson.
Well, at least no one could see through my dress and realize that I was getting all hot and bothered.
The longer I lay there and let my mind wander, the more of Melissa's past came to mind. I recalled my years in high school and how I excelled at math and science, my many dates with the young boys in school, playing on the varsity volley ball and basketball teams and running track in the spring. And then college in Urbana, joining the Chi Omega sorority, my choice of Industrial Engineering as a major which meant classes that were largely made up of males. And again my many dates and the first time I got screwed on a fraternity blanket party held in the woods at night. It wasn't very satisfactory but I was glad I had finally done it as I was nearly twenty and all of my girl friends seemed to have done it much earlier. And subsequent episodes kept getting better and better.
And then the memories started flooding back including the emotions and thoughts of the previous evening. And as Jim, I blushed to recall sitting with him in the bar last night, seeing him dote on me and my determination to take this guy to bed that night. I finally fell asleep only to be bothered by amorphous dreams first in one body, then the other, and sometimes a mixture of the two.
I had set the alarm for six and when it went off, at first I was confused about my whereabouts, but as I rolled over to shut off the alarm, my hair fell across my eyes and my arms brushed my breasts and suddenly the nightmare had returned.
Getting out of bed, I quickly made it up and went into the bath and found the stool and thought about the image I had noticed as I passed the mirror. The reflection of a very pretty girl, but a girl, not the male face and body I half way expected.
Before I got in the shower, I wound my hair on top of my head and rummaged through the drawers under the sink until I found some hair clips. And the shower was much like yesterdays, but this time I hurried as I wasn't sure how long it would take to get this body looking decent for work. And I made sure to keep my head dry. I just didn't have time to spend a half hour untangling it and then would still have a mop of damp heavy hair down my back.
Out of the shower and dressed in the same underwear and jeans I had worn yesterday plus clean blouse, I sat down at the vanity and looked in the mirror. Not too bad, I thought and started on my hair. I had imagined that a pony tail would be quite easy, but it turned out to be a real bother. I first pulled all the hair to the crown of my head and attached a squiggly around it and it looked awful. I started over, this time brushing it out fairly nicely and then started brushing it back. God, if I only had four hands! After about ten or fifteen attempts and thirty minutes later, I was satisfied with the smooth and sleek look of my face with the hair tied at the crown of my head in a secure band.
Again peering into the mirror I saw that I was wearing silver ear studs so I found a small silver chain necklace and somehow managed to get it fastened around my neck. A small silver watch was it for the body adornments. I carefully applied a light coat of rose lipstick and just a touch of blush on my cheekbones and called it quits. I looked at myself in the mirror and nearly took the lipstick back off, but then Melissa always wore just a little so I let it remain.
It was now after seven and I was due at work at 7:30 and it was a twenty minute trip in good traffic. I quickly put on the white socks and the loafers I had worn the day before and went into the kitchen for at least a glass of juice. After downing a quick glass of tomato juice, I looked for Melissa's car keys and found them right where I had left them, next to her purse on the little table by the door. I checked her bill fold and saw that there was over forty dollars, closed the purse and picked up the keys and headed outside. Her car was next to mine, got in and started on the trip to Motorola.
Walking from the parking lot into the main factory, I felt relatively normal, just the pony tail hitting my neck and the bound feeling on my chest where the bra was holding and supporting those rather large breasts. But all and all, it wasn't too bad so far. But I was dreading those next few minutes when I would have to interact with my fellow workers.
Walking into the door I greeted the guard who gave me a cheery "Good Morning, Melissa" and walked thru the plant until I came to the I.E. offices. Inside, Patricia, the office secretary, file clerk and general do everything girl, greeted me.
"Melissa, when you get a moment, lets hit the john. I have something I want to tell you."
"OK, Patricia, just give me a moment and I'll be right back."
I walked to my desk, both out of Melissa's deep ingrained habit and my male mind remembering where it was. I wasn't sure, but I thought I just might get by on my latent memories of Melissa's mind. Pete, my cell mate (he shared the cubicle with me) looked up and greeted me.
"Melissa, too much to drink at the awards banquet. I saw you and the boss mooning over each other. And Jim wasn't here yesterday either. Do I smell something fishy?"
"Oh Pete, just shut up. And yes, I did drink to much the other night and figured I could use a day off. But Jim and me, nothing, nothing at all. I mean I like him, but he's my boss and I should like him. Nothing more!"
Pete just smiled and continued, "Nothing really meant, it just was one hell of a coincidence. Forget I said anything."
I smiled and said, "I will", and turned on my computer to check my E- mail for messages or memo's. Damn, I was thinking, if Pete connected me, maybe every one will and my life will be hell today. Shit, it was bad enough to be stuck in Melissa's body without putting up with that meaningless office gossip also.
While I was waiting for the computer to get up and going, I pulled open my desk and brought out the folder of the project I was working on knowing I had better check on the progress I had been making. I dimly recalled it going quite well, but the specifics just weren't coming though. As I leafed through the folder, I saw the schedule and it had me giving a computer training session at nine that morning. We had been having difficulties getting our production personnel into using the computer for the daily schedules and I had undertaken the task of bring all of the group leaders up to speed.
I set the folder aside and checked my mail and saw that nothing much was waiting, just so updates on projects I was slightly involved with and not much more. I picked up my purse and walked by Pat's desk, motioning her to follow me in to the ladies rest room. As I walked through the doors into the rest room, I felt like an intruder into a Arab's harem, much out of place. But at least I had made it to the women's and not the men's. I assumed that girls usually went to the mirror to check out their appearance so I did just that. I opened my purse and took out the lipstick when Pat walked in. I knew I was in for another chapter of her unending saga about sex with her current boy friend. And I was correct. Pat came in and was just bubbling over with enthusiasm. Melissa, last night was just wonderful. God, I came three times the first go and twice more on the second. Isn't that just great!" I smiled at her, holding the lipstick in my hand, and replied, "I am so happy for you Patricia. But do you think he will propose?" "Oh, I am sure of it, he even hinted last night, sort of mentioning the possibility of children. I think he just wants to be assured that I won't turn him down. And Oooh, I would never turn him down. Jesus, those man and their fragile ego's. Why can't we just ask them and get it over with?"
"I guess because we just don't. As you said, their fragile ego's. The male has to be the aggressor and the female his helpless little slave. Men seem to be programmed that way. Why? Your guess is as good as mine."
Pat was quickly brushing out her hair and when she started on her lips, I quickly touched up my own. They didn't seem to need anything, but I guessed women did this for their fragile ego's also.
As we walked back to the office I offered, "Just stay with it Pat. He will come around eventually. Heck, where else could he find a body like yours?"
"With you maybe?"
"Pat, how could you think that. I don't even know the guy and if I did, he belongs to you. I'm your friend, not your competition."
"I know Melissa, just kidding."
Back at my desk, I got back into the folder and found the outline of today's lesson plan. As Jim I was quite familiar with the software, and continue dreading over the plan, Melissa's own approach to the subject started to form in my mind. By a quarter to nine I was ready and went to the training room, turned on all the computers and waited for the students to show.
They were all sort of friends, more than acquaintances and less than social buddies. All were between twenty-five and forty, three guys and five gals, all manufacturing group leaders. I sat them down, made a couple of opening remarks and we got right into the demonstration. An hour and a half later, I was done and asked for additional questions. None came so I dismissed the group.
Sherry, one of the younger girls, came up and asked me, "Hey Melissa, is something wrong?"
"No, why Sherry?"
"Well, usually you seem a lot more relaxed and not so business like, no joking and adding your usual frivolous comments. You almost reminded me of a session with the big boss, Jim Nordstrom. You aren't bucking for promotion or something?"
I laughed and said, "No, my mind was just on a personal problem and gee, I'm sorry if I didn't have you rolling in the aisles. You know I can't tell a joke worth a darn as I usually muck up the punch line. So today, I just didn't try. You'll forgive me?"
Sherry smiled and answered, "Forgiven. I'll be see'n you around."
As I walked back to my cubicle, I was worried that maybe other's would notice the change in my personality. I hadn't realized that Melissa was such a cut up. Although I had many times been impressed with her dry sense of humor, I hadn't know about the ribald in her. Must relax and try to be more outgoing, I decided.
I had to pee and stopped by the women's on the way back and was appalled at the effort just to lose a little water. So much easier as a man. Hell, if I was wearing the full compliment of women's clothing, panties, garter belt, hose, skirt, et al., this could become a major task. And I had a year to go. Damn!
I left the women's room but not before I inadvertently checked my appearance in the mirror as I washed my hands. Was I becoming vain or something? Normally, I didn't even notice myself in the mirror. And then, what mirror, men's rooms don't normally have a mirror over the sinks.
I somehow got through the day, had lunch with the guys in the cafeteria, and spent the afternoon working on a fit problem that was slowing down the production of the tuning mech on a radio. Nothing really much, but I noticed the different way I was treated than when I was male. Sort of a condescending respect. It made me feel both good and bad. The respect I loved but the condescending aspect I hated. Did I treat my female employees the same way? I thought of Melissa and I knew that I admired both her mind and her looks. Then their was Nichole, a very black girl who was also quite bright and one of my best engineers. Nichole and I rarely said a word to each other that didn't have some hidden meaning, usually slightly derogative. But I knew she admired me and I definitely admired Nichole. And in retrospect, I knew I treated both Melissa and Nichole differently than my other employees. At times I asked more and usually got more from both of them and suddenly I realized I was using this gender difference to take advantage of them both. However, at raise time, they got about the same as the others. I would have to speak with Nichole tomorrow.
Riding back to my apartment, I suddenly turned and went to the Holy Hearts Hospital where they had taken my body. Asking at the desk to see James Nordstrom, I was told that he was in intensive care and wasn't allowed visitors. Pressing I found out he was still in a coma with a much reduced heartbeat and pulse, was breathing rather slowly but very steady and the doctors weren't worried about his survival but didn't know how long the coma would last.
Walking back to my car, I ran into Sherry, my wife and the witch that had done this to me.
"Melissa," she cooed, "You look quite chipper today. Fucked anyone lately?"
"Sherry, that's not fair. I'd swore that I would get even with you for what you did to me, but more importantly, I would like to see my sons. You may hate me, but my boys still love their father. Even if it is in this guise, couldn't we meet under some pretext so I could talk with them? Erick is just nine and Greg only six and I miss them. And Sherry, I miss you also. Undo this abomination you performed and let's get things back to normal."
"Well, maybe I can arrange to have you over for a tea some afternoon, but as far as getting things back to normal, well 364 days are left, at the minimum. Enjoy your life as a girl, Melissa. I think this is an excellent experience for you."
With that she turned and walked toward the hospital and I went on to my car.
I got home about six, made a supper of pork chops and rice with a lettuce salad and ice tea, turned on the news and watched the nightly national broadcast. I was lonely, scared and bewildered. Three hundred sixty four days of this hell was more than I could easily comprehend.
After the news, I thought of the next day and what I would wear. Melissa usually came to work with a slightly different hair style most days so I pondered two pony tails, one on each side and a orange pant suit in the closet. I went and picked out the clothing, found a bra and panties for the next day and chose a pair of sandals with one inch heels. Looking thought Melissa's dresser, I found some knee high nylons and threw them on top of the pantsuit. An orange lipstick and no blush or eye make up with the same jewelry I was wearing today would do. And tomorrow it wasn't going to take me sixty minutes to get dressed.
I read the paper and at nine, went to bed and turned on the TV and fell asleep during the Dateline news program. Thank god I didn't dream that night.
I awoke at a quarter to six and as I got up on my elbow to turn off the alarm, my current predicament became very evident. With a sigh, I fell back and with out planning, felt my hands on my breasts. I felt their fullness and then tweaked one of my nipples and was immediately somewhat aroused. I continued and felt the warmth and moisture growing in my groin, and intrigued, I continued with this form of self amusement. Then one hand was down there, lifting up the folds of the labia and reaching inside, searching for the little clitoris I had seen in the shower. Finding it, I started twiddling it, ever so carefully, and then I started to feel something wondrous happening.
I continued on the clit and it felt something like my penis on my old body, and then keeping my thumb in place, stuck two fingers down inside my vagina and slowly felt around. With my right hand on my left breast and my left hand immersed in my groin, I was out of hands, but wished for more. It was just about the greatest feeling I had ever experienced. I could feel it from my toes to the roots of my hair follicles, this warmth, this overbearing excitement, this truly fantastic feeling throbbing through my entire body. God, who needed a man, this was just great.
I slowly relaxed but the feelings kept surging through out my body for another five or six minutes. I was thinking if it felt this good by myself, how about with a real man and that would be something, if better, that would make any woman into a nympho. And my first reaction was that I have to find a guy to do this with. Then remembering Sherry's warning about getting pregnant, I had sudden second thoughts. No man was going to be in my future. The possibility of giving birth scared the hell out of me.
Whatever, I had to get up and get ready for work, it was a quarter past six, but I thought I could improve on yesterdays time. Into the bathroom, first the pot, then the shower, and finally the clothing. And the two pony tails on each side of my face was much easier than the one on the back of the head. And looking through her jewelry box, I spied ear rings shaped like cows and on a lark, managed to undue the clips from the ear studs and fasten the little dangling heifer's to my ears. They looked cute I sort of giggled to myself. I slowly pulled on the knee highs and slipped me feet into the pumps and found that it wasn't a bit difficult walking in them. A touch of the orange lipstick and I was ready for another day at Motorola.
It was only a quarter to seven so I went and made coffee and toast and had a slight bit of breakfast this morning as I watched the morning news on the TV. Just after seven, it was time for work again. And this time walking into the plant, I somehow felt more feminine, what with the ear rings dangling from my lobes, the inch heels on my feet and the silky feel of the rayon pantsuit with the rather full legs swishing on my body. And surprisingly, I sort of like the feeling.
Part 3
That day I had two more training sessions and various other sundry assembly problems but I managed to have coffee with Nichole at the morning break.
She first brought up the subject of Jim saying, "You know that Jim is in a coma at the Holy Hearts Hospital, didn't you?"
"Yes, I had heard, in fact I went to try and see him last evening and they said that he wasn't taking visitors but he was in a pretty deep coma. I am sort of worried about him."
"So am I," Nichole added. "Jim and I were pretty close I guess, but in sort of a weird way. It was always like who could put on over on the other first. Gosh, I hope he never really took offence, I know that I didn't take his kidding very seriously."
"I know, Jim kidded around with me just a bit also. And I really believe he liked us about as much as he could like anyone. And I don't believe it was just because we are women. I like to believe he actually admired us a little."
"Yeh, but I am not just female, I am a coal black mama, the unwed mother of a little black boy. And he would tease me about it but always with a smile and a sense of humor. But boy, at times he would really get me going, I admit."
"But in the meantime," I continued, "We have a new boss and I suspect it will be Harold the wimp. Hal and I never really did get along too well. I mean, nothing overt, just no feeling with him."
As we picked up our cups and carried them to the tub for dishes, Nichole said, "What Hal, why I am dating him now and then. I think he will be a pretty good boss."
"Oh, Nichole, I am so sorry, I didn't mean anything by calling Hal a wimp. It is just that he isn't very forceful."
Nichole couldn't help her self and started laughing, "Melissa, got you. I've never even seen Hal outside of the plant and besides, I would never date a white guy anyway."
I sort of blushed and responded, "And just is what with us white people?"
"Nothing much, just no soul, absolutely no soul.", she said with a smile as we walked back to our desks.
Just as I was leaving for the day, Pat called me over and spoke, "Melissa, how about joining a bunch of us at Butch's around nine tonight. Hell, it is Friday night and I don't have a date, Nichole doesn't and a few of the guys might come. Just put on something sexy and show up. OK?"
"I'll think about it. Believe it or not, I had planned on washing my hair tonight, but maybe I can put that off until tomorrow. We'll see."
Walking back out to my car, I had enjoyed doing that bit about my hair having heard it as the lame excuse from more than one girl who didn't want to go out with me in my youth.
I got home, checked my stocks on the Internet, read the headlines of the WSJ, then turned off the computer and scrounged around the kitchen for something for supper. I found the makings of taco's so I spent the next half hour preparing them for supper and eating them in front of the TV with the national news again.
And this I found was boring. I needed to be around people, especially now in my new body. I just didn't know what to do with myself and after ten years of marriage with two dynamic little boys, the quiet was killing me. Damn, I missed those little tykes.
At seven the news was over and I wondered back into the bedroom and started looking through the closet for something to wear that evening. It seems that I had unconsciously decided to join Patricia and Nichole after all. I quickly found a denim mini skirt and went and matched it with a red sleeveless jersey from my dresser. Two drawers down I came across a pair of red panty hose and pulled them out also. What the hell, if I was going to be a girl for the next year, I just as well learn how to do it.
I shucked off my orange pant suit, shoes and knee hi's, and rolled up the panty hose and slowly and carefully pulled them over my smooth legs. After I pulled the jersey over my head and smoothed it over my bust, I put on the miniskirt and zipped up the back. As I sat down at the vanity, I was feeling somewhat like a teenage slut and enjoying the feeling immensely.
I removed the bands from those two pony tails and brushed out my hair quite thoroughly, ten minutes of exercise. Then carefully parting the hair just above my right ear, I brushed the top part back and did the same on the left side. And again, I wished I had another hand or two. But I finally managed to get all of the top portion of my hair in a clump at the crown of my head and quickly fastened it with another band. Looking around the drawers, I picked out a large leather clip and carefully secured it around the hair I had just banded. Again I brushed out the long hair down my back, first pulling it over my right shoulder and then the left one. Then flipping it back, I tried to get a brush on the portions down my back, but that seemed nearly impossible.
I picked up the hand mirror and turned and saw that it looked pretty good, a pony tail of off the top of my head, falling down over the mass of hair down my back. I was satisfied.
I knew I was going to a rather dark bar and figured now was the time to try my hand at a complete face job. I settled a brown motif and slowly applied a little eye shadow to my upper eye lids. I rubbed it around and added a touch more of a lighter shade both above and below the first application. Then the mascara. This was a bitch. On my first attempt, it was all over. I wiped it off and did it a second time and was pleasantly surprised with the result. My eyes did look larger and more intense. A little brownish rose blush on the cheeks and the final was the lipstick, also a creamy shade of brown.
Looking at the vanity to see what else I could do, I discovered a lip pencil, an eye pencil and an eyebrow pencil. I hadn't even considered using any of these. I picked up the eye brow pencil and carefully smoothed out my brows. The color didn't add much but the wax in the pencil sort of calmed down the bushiness and made me look just a little more vampy.
Hell, that was going to be it. I already felt like a guy in drag and was actually surprised that I had gone this far.
I put on the three inch heels, sort of strapped sandals, I had chosen earlier and tried walking around the room. Not good! But standing in front of the mirror, I had to admit the heels did do something for my legs and ankles. It was just eight and I would try these damn things for an hour around the apartment before I left to meet Nichole and Pat. If I still couldn't balance on them, it would be back to flats.
Walking or should I say, stumbling out into the living room, I continued in the shoes and the more I wore them, the easier they got to be on my feet. And I quickly deduced that I should essentially forget about my heels and walk mainly on my toes. And even that moderated after a bit.
I sat on the couch and read the even newspaper and got up once for a glass of wine and a second time to go to the john.
I left the apartment at nine having transferred the brown makeup into the one purse I had been using. I sort of liked the purse as it was medium sized, brown leather and not a bit garish. I had to admit that Melissa had rather nice conservative tastes in both accessories and clothing.
Going down the stairs outside of the apartment was quite an experience, but I managed, feeling my nylon clad legs brushing against the mini skirt and trying my best to get down the stairs without falling. Outside, I found myself walking with little mincing steps, both due to the heels on my feet and the tight skirt around my waist and thighs. Really felt sort of sexy.
And getting into the car was no bother. I sort of naturally went in butt first and then pulled my legs in afterwards. But driving was an experience. I could feel the cool air on my thighs and legs and the high heels were obviously not meant to manipulate a gas pedal. And that damn seat belt fell right over my breasts and was extremely irritating.
I drove to the bar, Butch's, and parked the car. I started mincing my way to the door but by the time I arrived at the door, I was walking somewhat normally. I could handle these damn shoes after all.
And inside, I soon found both Patricia and Nichole, my two friends who had already picked up about four guys, all from Motorola. I was greeted with both kisses and hugs, somewhat strange for me, but nice, and returned the greetings warmly. I quickly got into the swing of things and marveled at how much fun these people were when away from their boss, namely me, Jim. They were all laughing and telling stories, mostly about others from the company who weren't there and I joined in as well. I sometimes winced as they would mention Jim and give off some little remark, but then, I wasn't Jim anymore. Tonight I was Melissa and going to enjoy myself. Pete showed up with his wife, Sandie and soon Sandie and I were gossiping about the great demands Motorola made on her husband. Hell, I agreed with everyone and even added more disparaging remarks myself. I really knew that most liked their work but it was fun to sit back and ridicule your job and the company. I mean, really, there is a lot of nonsense that occurs in any large company and Motorola was no exception.
I had about six beers by midnight and found myself dancing with Alfred or Big Al as he liked to be called. Big Al was only about six two at 200 pounds, but he was quite a hunk and a very intelligent engineer. At first it was a bit awkward, but as I seeped back into Melissa's mind, the dancing became quite natural, even with the three inch heels. Heels which incidentally brought be nearly up to his eyes as I as five foot nine in my stocking feet.
But when he leaned over to kiss me, at first I drew back and then thought, what the heck, and moved my lips to his. And this touch brought a plethora of images to my mind. First those of Jim and his first kisses and then those of Melissa and her many kisses. But I felt his tongue in my mouth and my nearly instinctively met it. After about thirty seconds of this, I felt that warm and wet feeling in my groin, the same feeling that I had remembered last night as I was thinking about Melissa's early years. This was definitely disconcerting, especially as I could feel his member hard and pressing up against my crotch.
And of course, Big Al tried to follow up on the dance with him, but I kidded him and laughed it all off. No way was I going to get involved with some man, no matter how much I was attracted, and attracted I was. It was very strange feeling sexy thoughts about a man, but I still felt the warmth in my groin that occurred when I was dancing with him.
The next morning, I was awake as usual about six, but rolled over and slept past seven. Finally, knowing that I wouldn't sleep any longer, it was up, the john and the shower and dressing in some white shorts and a pink top over my rather plain underclothing. Breakfast, the morning news and I got on the phone and tried the hospital seeking some information on Jim.
Much to my surprise, I was informed that Mr. Nordstrom was doing quite well and gave signs of coming out of his coma. I thanked the woman and sank back into the cushions on the couch. 'God', I thought, 'I better get down to the hospital and try to be there for Melissa as she comes out of her coma. She'll be completely petrified to find herself in a male body.'
I grabbed my purse and quickly drove to the hospital, rehearsing my excuse to see Jim as I drove. Not being family, I figured that the best bet was that I was the person that called in the rapid response team and I was a close co- worker.
And much to my surprise, the hospital bought this line of reasoning and soon I was sitting at Jim's side. I noticed that his eyes occasionally opened for a moment a opened for a moment then closed again. I softly starting saying, "Melissa, Melissa, this is your friend. Can you hear me Melissa?"
After about fifteen minutes of my talking to her, she opened her eyes for more than a moment, saw me and managed to mumble, "Who are you? God, you look familiar, nearly like me."
"Yes Melissa, I do. You see, something sort of strange happened a couple of nights ago."
She nodded understanding but as I tried to continue, she fell back asleep or back into her coma. I didn't know which I was hoping had happened.
I sat there for another hour and then left, first checking with a nurse to see when I could come back.
It was two in the afternoon when I returned and was greeted by a very upset individual. "You son of a bitch, what did you do to me?"
"Nothing, Melissa, at least nothing that I did. I really don't understand what happened my self."
And Melissa starting crying, the somewhat pitiful sight of seeing a grown man cry and sob. "Who are you, are you Jim? Hell, you look like me and I seem to have the body of Jim Nordstrom, my old boss."
"Yes, Melissa, I am Jim. And Melissa, I don't like it any more than you do. Just when did you discover your change?"
"Hell, you bastard, the first time I had to pee. I was out of bed and taken two or three steps when I realized that I had somehow changed. And what a shock when I saw myself in the mirror and realized that I was now you."
"Melissa, who have you told this too? Just how far has this gone?" "Damn it you fucker, I didn't say anything to anyone. I was too ashamed. And too humiliated. Hell, man, I don't want to spend the rest of my life in an insane asylum."
"Great girl, just keep doing the same. Maybe you'll get out of here in a day or so and then we can get together and find out what happened to us. Just keep your mouth shut and we'll tackle this conundrum together."
She just gave me a dubious look and closed her eyes. I sort of gave up and left her room, determined to be back in the morning.
I was back at ten the next morning and as I walked into the room, saw my wife Shelly there with clothing for Melissa to wear for her trip home. I immediately became incensed and in a subdued yet very definite female voice I said, "Shelly, get the hell out of here, you bitch. You caused this to occur and neither Melissa or I want anything to do with you. Melissa is coming with me and you can go to hell."
Melissa who was dressed in my old clothes by this time had the ability to determine what she was going to do. She looked at Shelly and then she looked at me and finally spoke.
"Mrs. Nordstrom, I may look like your husband, but I'm not. I am going to leave with Melissa here. I don't understand what happened, but it also happened to Jim and I want to be with him."
With that, she grabbed my arm and we walked down to the desk, got permission to leave the hospital and walked to her car.
I started driving back to Melissa's apartment when she tearfully said, "I don't know what to call you. You look like I used to look but are you really Jim?"
"Yes, I am Jim, but now I just have to think of myself as you. For the last three days I have answered to the name of Melissa and I suppose I we should continue in this same vein. What the hell Melissa, calling me that should be easy. The hard part will be getting used to answering to the name Jim. Heck, I never really knew what I looked like before, that is from another's perspective, and I will have no trouble calling you Jim. So from now on, I am Melissa and you are Jim. Just get used to it. I'll be damned if I know when or if we can switch back."
Now Melissa was a very bright girl, or person or actually now, a man. She understood what I was trying to impart and continued, "Melissa, what do we do now?"
"Shit, I have no idea except just continue. I am you and you are me, something that is beyond human imagination, but unfortunately, a fact."
We rode back to her or now my apartment, got out and walked inside. The new 'Jim' sat down and started weeping again. I went over to him and sat very close next to him and held him in my arms, trying to make this as easy as possible on his emotions.
Later on I figured that he felt his head on my breasts, but somehow the male hormones made their appearance and suddenly he reached up, put his arm around my neck and pulled me down and we started kissing. At first it was just tender and caring but then it got more and more sexual.
I couldn't help myself either and the next thing I knew, I was kissing my old body as a girl, our tongues intertwined and my groin starting to get slightly damp. God, I couldn't believe it, me getting turned on by my old body, but that feeling deep inside of me wasn't just my imagination.
I will never know if it was my male mind in my female body or her female mind in her male body, but the next thing we knew we were again nude in our bedroom making out like two dogs in heat. And after one tremendous orgasm by Jim and a couple of just super ones by myself, I sort of curled up next to him with my head on his chest, our arms and legs intertwined and we both fell to sleep.
I awoke at after four in the afternoon by the time on the bedroom clock, pulled myself away and went into the bath. After relieving myself, I brushed out my hair and got dressed again, this time in clean under things, some jeans and a sweatshirt. Somehow, I was accepting my new physical body and emotions and unbelievably, I felt quite comfortable and seemed to be enjoying them.
I walked out into the little kitchenette, made a light supper of a leafy salad, cold plate of cold cuts and cheese, and then made us both a stiff drink of scotch. I knew I had always like scotch and assumed that the new Jim would also like the same drink. Or at least I hoped so.
As I was moving around the kitchen, I was especially enchanted with my new feminine body. A moments contemplation and I knew it was due to the previous session with Jim, or Melissa in my former body. I liked sex and this sex in this new form was about as good as I had ever experienced. That feeling I had at the top of my ecstacy a few hours ago was unbelievable in the way it seemed to envelop my entire body. I had never experienced anything like that before.
Melissa, or the new Jim, soon came and joined me, dressed in the only clothes he had, those which he had put on at the hospital. I handed him the scotch and water and we sat down at the table I had set up with the little supper prepared.
"Well Jim, I guess our first task is to get you some more clothing. Do you want to run back and make a raid on Shelly or just buy new?", I said, sipping on my drink.
She responded, "Maybe we should try both. Let's go get your old clothes for lounging but I'd prefer buying my own for more dressier occasions. Not to be critical, but my tastes in clothing aren't quite the same as yours were."
"Jim, you aren't going to go and get all prissy on me I hope. You are supposed to act like a male executive and can't go wimping around in pink shirts and ruffled pants."
"I agree, but at least I can buy something that doesn't look like a male manufacturing nerd. I mean, Jim.."
"Don't call me Jim, You're Jim and I am Melissa, understand?"
"Ok then, Lisa honey, just try to understand that as a female, I had much better taste in clothing than you and I still have it now that I am in this rather impressive male body. It is just that you were such a fuddy duddy and I have my refined tastes."
We continued arguing about our respective tastes in clothing while we finished our light supper and then I suggested she call Shelly and make arrangements to pick up some of my old clothing.
It felt weird knocking on the door of the place I had known as my home for the last five years, but when Shelly answered, it was all business. Shelly just said, "You know where your stuff is, just go and get what you want. Anything you don't take is going to the Salvation Army anyway.
We quickly went upstairs to Shelly's and my room, found a couple of suitcases and Jim picked out what he wanted of my clothing. We left carrying three suitcases, me with one and Jim with two, and walked downstairs and out the door. But before we got out the door, Shelly stopped us to say, "Melissa, my dear, I think you just may be pregnant or how else would Jim come out of his coma. You do remember that I told you to play it like a nun as you would be permanently in that body if you got with child. And Jim would come out of his coma, equally permanently bound to his new physique. So let me be the first to offer my congratulations.", she finished with a self satisfied smirk on her face.
Neither Jim or I gave Shelly the satisfaction of a comment, but continued out to our car. I had just opened my door when Erick and Greg both ran out and attacked their father. Hell, I thought, how will Melissa handle this? But Melissa as Jim did just fine, giving each of the boys a little horseplay, planted a kiss and a hug on each of them and then said he has to run, but would soon be seeing them for a longer time. "If you have any questions kids, just ask your mother and she can explain. OK and I love you both."
As we drove away, big tears were in his eyes as he said, "Lisa, they are soo cute, I could just eat them both. How can you bare to just leave them with that witch of a woman?"
"Jimmy, I can't bare it but I have to anyway. Maybe we can work something out very soon. I love those boys and they need me, just as much as they need their mother."
Well, that was Saturday, Sunday passed and it was time for Monday, the first day of work for Jim or Melissa in her new guise. I had to force her to 'take the bull by the horns' and go to work the next day. "Jim, there is no choice. If you don't show up for work pretty quickly, you will be replaced by another. And I know you can do it. I have spent too much time bring you along and trying to teach you the ways of production management to think you will fail. Beside, I am your employee and one of your favorites. Just keep you mouth shut if you don't know what to do and consult with me. I know we can make this work. What the fuck girl, we have to make this work. So just relax and do what you know I would do."
And my Jim clone did just as I had suggested. She saved my job or should I say her job and soon promoted me to her special assistant. But much to both my delight and also my dismay soon Jim didn't really need me by her side all day. In some ways my ego was hurt to be replaced so easily, but I really felt quite good as I had trained her for the last four years.
We just seemed to barely survive the next week, but somehow each night, we were in each others arms and as you can guess, it usually got a bit hot. If I had thought I had been in love with Shelly, this was completely different and even more pervasive. I was falling totally in love with my old male body as Melissa and couldn't even look at him without getting sort of a female sexual glow. And we slowly fell into a new routine. I joined Jim at his health club and started a reduced cycle of weight training and Jim joined me at mine and took up aerobics along with the rest of the class, mainly female.
Jim fell my easily into that male morning ritual of shit, shower and shave than I did into the female requirements of trying to present myself as a well groomed young female engineer. And just as I helped Jim acquire the male facade of stance and body language, Jim more than made it equal in teaching me the feminine graces along with the rather lengthily ritual of hair grooming, dress and facial makeup.
At the end of a week, both Jim and I found a lawyer friend of Jim's and arranged for Jim to divorce Shelly and try for custody of both Erick and Greg. And surprisingly, no opposition was met. Shelly had gone full time with her work as a legal assistant and was getting deeply involved with one of her divorced female friends. She got the house and half of my assets and I got the kids as long as she got them at Christmas, occasional weekends and a month in the summer. It was agreed and in two months Jim would be free of the bitch.
But I hadn't forgotten the final warning of Shelly, that Jim was out of the coma because I had become pregnant. And after a month with no period and Shelly had said that I should have been due about two weeks earlier, I brought a pregnancy testing kit and used it that very evening.
My reaction to the results could fill a book. I was pleased, terrified, elated, and miserable, all at the same time. But I sat there a moment and then went out and found Jim.
"Honey, I have some news for you. I don't know if you will find it good news or a terrible disaster, but Jimmy, I am pregnant.
Jim looked at me, first with a look of total incomprehension, then a look which I assumed was one of disgust, and then I finally realized it was the look of love.
Epilogue:
We were married, me in a white long gown with Nichole as my bridesmaid, Patricia and Missy, my ostensible sister, as the female portion of the wedding party, given away by my 'new' father, Peter and Jim had Big Al as his best man and both Pete and Butch as his grooms men. It was lovely.
The boys moved in with us and we bought a new house, similar to my old house in Hoffman's Estates and four months later I gave birth to a beautiful girl.
And now it is ten years after that interesting night. Both my boys are in college, young Melissa is a very cute little ten year old with a eight year old little brother and her father and I are very much in love. Admittedly, I had to quit my position at Motorola, but now Jim is a VP of Communications Products. God, I am one hell of a mentor!