Girlfriend Problems - A Transition Story - Part 6

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Christmas time is here.

Christmas day came, and I spent it alone in the apartment by myself. Denise took off on Christmas Eve with Bob, as they were going to be with his family for the holiday. The next day, Kiera was traveling down from Blairstown to spend a couple of days with me. I wasn’t hurt, and I didn’t complain that I was alone. I could have cared less about what Denise was doing. I was finally off from work at Starbucks for a couple of days.

I ordered some Chinese takeout and sat at home and watched movies.

The day after Christmas left me excited to see my sister so she could see the person I was becoming. Kiera was due there around 2 p.m., so I tidied up the house and found some extra linen and a pillow for her to sleep on. Soon the doorbell rang, and I went down to answer.

opened the door, and there she stood. “Kenny!” said Kiera, giving me a big bear hug that lasted way over a minute. It was an emotional hug.

“Hi, sis!” I answered, albeit muffled from my face being embedded in her shoulder.

“Back up, let me see you."

I took a step back. “You like?”

“Wow!” said Kiera. “You certainly have changed a lot.”

“I told you, Kiera,” I said, as I grabbed one of her bags and led her up the stairs. “Come on up! Let’s not stand out here in the cold.”

We walked up the stairs of our garden apartment. “Well, this is it. This is where I live.”

“Certainly, not what I expected. But it’s decorated nicely, and it’s clean,” noted Kiera.

“Well, I do all of the cleaning here. Denise demanded it if I was going to continue living here.”

“Oh no, don’t get me wrong. It’s just that the neighborhood has a little lower income.”

“Well, at the time, that’s all Denise and I could afford,” I said it defensively.

Kiera walked around the apartment, looking at it as if she were doing an inspection. After all, I was her younger sibling. And she was protective of me. I surmised that part of her visit was to see if I was okay and living decently.

“Come, let me put your bags in my room,” I said as I walked her down the hallway to my room.

I opened the door and put the bags in as Kiera followed.

“Kenny, you don’t have any furniture besides this twin bed,” said Kiera, looking at the makeshift vanity and the shelves where my clothes were.

“I know I haven’t been able to.”

Kiera cut me off. ”Kenny, these are just milk crates with pieces of wood as shelves!”

“Kiera, I can’t really afford any furniture right now. There’s a lot I have to save for.” I explained.

"Well, tomorrow we’re going shopping. I can’t stand to see you living like this.”

“Kiera, you don’t have to do that. I’m making do with what I have.”

“Can you just let me do something for you?” said Kiera firmly.

“Okay,” I answered. "Hey, are you hungry? I can make something for us for dinner.”

“You don’t have to do that. We can go out and get something to eat.”

“If you insist, I just avoid eating out so I can save money. I never know when Denise is going to have a change of heart and kick me out in the street.”

“Why would she do that?”

“Let’s talk about that over dinner,” I said. “And Kiera, can you please do me a favor?”

“Sure, what’s that?”

“Can you please call me Kathy and not Kenny?”

“I’m so sorry. I’m just so used to calling you Kenny.”

“I mean, I’m not looking like Kenny anymore.”

“You sure aren’t!” she laughed.

“I’ll get ready, and then we can leave. Is that okay?”

“Sure,”

I went to the bathroom and got myself together. I fixed my makeup and my hair, which was now down to my shoulders. When I was all done, I came out of the bathroom to find Kiera sitting in the living room looking at pictures of Denise in a photo album.

‘My God! You look beautiful!” exclaimed Kiera. “You’re right, you sure aren’t Kenny anymore! Let me see your hair!”

I let Kiera run her fingers through my hair, which had been dying a light brown, and I was still getting those blond highlights from Marisol pretty regularly.

“You don’t look like you were ever born a boy," she said, shaking her head.

“Are you ready? Let’s get out of here, sis.”

We walked to her car, and I was feeling quite content as I started to think back to when we were kids, and I was longing to be Kiera’s little sister. We decided to go to a local Chili restaurant not too far away from the house. Once we were inside and seated, the waitress came to take our orders. “How are you ladies this evening?” The young waitress asked about my age. “Can I start you off with a drink?”

Kiera was a little startled and put off when the waitress did not misgender me.

“I’ll just start with an iced tea,” said Kiera.

“I’ll just have water for now."

After the waitress left, Kiera said, “That girl thinks you’re a woman!”

I smiled and said, “That’s because I am!"

“That’s freaking amazing!” said Kiera. “I really have to get used to this!”

"Well, Kiera, I think secretly you always wanted a little sister.”

“Yeah but…”

“Here I am! I’m your little sister!” I laughed.

“” Stop it! Now you’re teasing me.” We both laughed.

The waitress came back with drinks, and we ordered our food. After she left, Kiera had questions.

“So tell me, are you going to go all the way?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“You know, have the surgery down there?” Kiera said, pointing at my crotch.

“You mean gender-affirming surgery? Or what they call bottom surgery?” I asked.

“Yes, you know,”

“I don’t know yet. Honestly, I have to see. There’s a lot of cost related to that. Right now, I’m more concerned with how I look every day. So that means a little plastic surgery on my face. It’s what they call facial feminization surgery. I want to make sure I pass as a woman at all times. It can be very dangerous for someone like myself to go through this transition. There are people out there who actually hate transgender people.”

“What does that all involve? What are you trying to get done?”

“To start with, I want to get my Adam’s apple removed. I can camouflage it in the winter with scarves and turtlenecks, but once spring hits, it’s a wrap. The other thing that was suggested is that I get some very slight changes to my forehead, lips, and cheekbones. All of that would be very minor, according to the surgeon.”

“Surgeon? You went to see a surgeon?”

“Yes, one of Denise's friends, Janelle, has a husband who’s a plastic surgeon. He saw me for a consultation for free.”

“Oh wow, I think Denise told me about her.”

“Yes, she’s very kind, and I think she felt sorry for me because of the way Denise treated me.”

“Very interesting,” said Kiera. “I wondered if you and Denise would work out. Honestly, I always worried about whether you would turn out to be gay. So did Mom and Dad. They thought that making you go to church every Sunday would stop it. They thought their prayers were answered when you and Denise started going out together. But I guess what was meant to be was meant to be.”

Just then, the food came, and we continued the conversation over the constant noise from the television that surrounded the restaurant. Every television was showing either the Philadelphia 76ers or a Flyers hockey game. We started to eat and talk, with Kiera noticing the games that were on. “Why didn’t you ever play sports?”

“Sports? Really? With my body? I could never run, throw a ball, or even understand the games, especially hockey. Yuck!”

"Yeah, I don’t ever remember you watching sports except figure skating. Oh, and gymnastics," said Kiera, slowing down her train of thought. "Oh my God! How did we not know? You used to love Kristi Yamaguchi! I remember now.”

I smiled and said, “Yep, she was my idol growing up. I loved her. Oh, how I wanted to be a figure skater. She and Michelle Kwan were my favorites."

“As I remember, those were the only sports you would watch. Dad would get pissed off because he never wanted to watch it and would change the channel if Mom wasn’t there.”

“Yes, I remember that! Dad was such a drag.”

There was a slight pause, and then Kiera’s face donned a more serious look. “So what are you going to tell Mom and Dad?”

I paused and looked down at the plate of half-eaten food. “I don’t know, Kiera,” I said with a worried look.

“You know they’re quite worried about you. They haven’t talked to you in months. Have you called them to even say hello?”

“No, not since I started my transition.”

“Why not?”

"Well, you hear my voice now? Right? I don’t think they would approve of who I am. You know how much they’ve both changed since they joined that church.”

"Yeah, but they’re still our parents. They need to know what’s going on, whether they approve or not. You’ve got to at least call them.” urged Kiera. “They think you’re going to school and still with Denise.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

“Why don’t you call Mom? I think she’ll be more understanding than Dad.”

“Okay, I will.”

“Why don’t we call them tomorrow while we’re together just so they know you’re not in any kind of trouble?”

“I suppose you’re right. But will you smooth things over with them once you get back to Blairstown?”

“Definitely,”

We finished our meal and headed back home in Kiera’s car. We settled in on the couch and continued talking. Kiera decided it was time to call our parents before it got too late. Kiera dialed the phone and put it on speaker. Soon I heard my mother’s voice say, “Hello?”

“Mom? It’s Kiera,”

“Oh! Hello Kiera, How are you? Did you make it down to Kenny’s?” asked my mom

"Yes, Mom, I’m at his place now. I have you on speaker. Kenny’s here with me," said Kiera.

“Oh, wonderful! Kenny? How are you?” asked my mom

“I’m fine, Mom. Merry Christmas.” I answered, trying to lower my voice to where it was before I started my speech therapy.

“Merry Christmas to you, honey. What’s wrong with your voice?” My mom asked.

“Nothing Mom. I have a bit of a cold,” I answered, smiling at Kiera.

“Kenny, why haven’t you called us? We’ve been worried sick about you," my mom said.

‘Sorry about that, Mom. I’ve started a new job, which takes up a lot of my time.”

“New job? Where? What about school?” My mom asked frantically.

“Well, I started a job at Starbucks. I’m the assistant manager there.” I said, looking at Kiera and smiling, knowing that the assistant manager was a lie. I just said that to make her feel a little more comfortable.

“And what about school?”

“I had to take this year off until I made enough money. I wasn’t able to secure financial aid this year.”

“Oh no, dear. You must go back to school.”

“I will, Mom,” I said in frustration.

“And how is Denise? Have you all made plans to get married?” she asked.

“No Mom. Not yet.” I answered, looking at Kiera and rolling my eyes.

“You know, son, you can’t continue to live in sin. God’s law is very strict. This is what I’ve been trying to tell your sister. You both can’t continue to do this live-in boyfriend-girlfriend thing. Have you managed to go to church every Sunday?”

“Umm, no, Mom,” I said, my voice getting more and more frustrated.

“I want you to think about what you all are doing. You must have sexual relations before you’re married," my mom warned.

Just then, Kiera butted in, “Mom! Stop. You promised if I called, you wouldn’t go into the religious dogma and rhetoric.”

“Okay, okay. I just want to make sure you all are alright.” Mom said. She continued, “Kenny, when are you going to come home to visit?”

“I don’t know, Mom. My work schedule is pretty intense,” I said, making excuses. “There’s a lot of change going on with me right now, and I need to keep my job. I haven’t worked there long enough to get more than a day or two off at a time.”

“Kenny, we’re only two and a half hours away from you. Surely you can find the time to come and see your mother and father.”

"Well, without a car, it would take all day to get there and all day to get back. Surely, it wouldn’t be worth the trip.” I reasoned.

“Then I think your father and I should come and make a trip down there. We haven’t seen you in over a year! Surely you can take a day or two off to spend with your parents," my mom insisted.

“Okay, well, let me know so I can prepare and get the day off, Mom. Maybe you should wait until springtime. You know how dangerous it can be driving in the winter weather.” I said, trying to stall their plans to visit.

“That sounds good, son. In the meantime, I hope you feel better. That voice you have sounds awfully high. You don’t sound like yourself. You make me worried.”

“Okay, Mom, I will. Here’s Kiera.”

I handed the phone to my sister and went into the kitchen as she turned off the speaker to talk privately with our mother. I overheard Kiera say, “Yes, everything is alright, Mom. Just things are a little different, which I’ll explain to you when I get back home."

Kiera came into the kitchen and said, “You know you’re going to have to tell them eventually.”

“I know. I just don’t know how. I don’t want them to reject me.” I said this to Kiera with concern.

“Listen, I’ll break it to them slowly at first, but eventually you’re going to have to face them.”

“You’d do that for me, sis?”

“Sure, they’ll be upset at first, but they won’t disown you. It’s hard to get used to at first. I mean, I’m having trouble getting used to it. I’ve only been here a couple of hours, but what’s helping is seeing you happy. You’re so much more relaxed and confident than you were before.” remarked Kiera

“At first, I was distraught about losing Denise. But the more she explained herself and her reasons, the more it made sense. I just wish she wasn’t so mean to me. It was as if she wanted to humiliate me.”

“Yeah, she called me, you know. And she was really upset. I had to calm her down. I told her about your childhood. Just so she could have some context. I didn’t know she was going to use that against you.”

“It’s okay; I was hoping that being with Denise would kind of cure me. I thought maybe if I had a girlfriend, it would stop me from wanting to dress up and have these kinds of feelings. But after a couple of days of Denise giving me the freedom to explore myself, I saw that she was right. Since then, it’s been over 8 months, and I’m deeply indebted to her for showing me that I needed to stop trying to be a man and accept the fact that I’m a woman inside. Kiera, I’ve never felt better about myself. My biggest hurdle now is how to take care of myself and become independent.”

“That’s beautiful, Kenny. I mean Kathy. I’ll support you. Just give me some time to get used to this. I promise to try to learn a little more about what you’re going through. Come here, give me a hug.” Kiera said, reaching out her arms and snuggling her face against mine in a long hug.

The rest of the evening, we relaxed and watched a movie together on the couch. I let her stay in my bedroom, and I crashed on the couch. The next morning, we relaxed as I fixed breakfast and got ready to go shopping. Kiera and I went to Ikea, and she bought me a dresser and a small vanity. It was fun to spend time together. She even helped me figure out how to put the furniture together. I fixed her a wonderful meal, and we sat and talked. Suddenly, Denise came through the door.

“Kiera!” Denise exclaimed.

“Hi Denise,” the two of them hugged.

“I see you’re getting to know my new roommate, Kathy,” she said as a dig.

“Oh yes, I’m quite enjoying my time with him. I mean her.”

"Oh, you haven't gotten used to calling Miss Kathy by her correct pronouns. As you can see, I’m helping turn this little sissy into a real woman.”

“Yes, but you don’t have to be that harsh, Denise.” Kiera clapped back.

“Why not? I wasted almost a year of my life thinking I was dating a man. In fact, I was dating a little girl," said Denise.

“Denise! Stop it.” said Kiera, “You don’t have to rub it in.”

“I know. I’m still a little angry that no one would tell me that Kenny was really gay. I was wondering why he stopped making love to me. He really needed a man. Did Kathy tell you she’s been dating?” Denise said it emphatically.

“No,” Kiera said, surprised, looking at me. “You’ve been dating men?”

“Yes, Kiera. I went on one date. Just one.” I said.

“Oh my. I didn’t think about that aspect of this.” Kiera said, looking at me. “I hope you’re going to be careful.”

“I will,” I answered. I then got up and went into my room. I felt attacked by Denise. Why was she being so mean? I left the two of them to talk in the living room. As it turns out, Denise was really angry at the fact that I had a date earlier that week.

After a few minutes, Denise knocked on the door to let me know she was leaving to go back to stay with Bob. She had to come back home to get a fresh set of scrubs since she had to work. The next morning, I kissed my sister goodbye as she left back to Blairstown, and she promised she would talk to our parents and let them know what was going on.

A new chapter starts.

After my sister’s visit, I felt good about myself. I was so happy to have some connection with a family member. It made me feel grounded somehow. I continued to work at Starbucks. I was finished with laser hair removal, except for a few maintenance sessions. I continued with my hormone therapy as Denise continued to bring me shots, pills, and testosterone blockers. My insurance finally kicked in, and eventually, I was able to go to the doctor and get them covered. Because of this, I was able to stockpile my estradiol and T-blockers. Denise was spending almost every night at Bob's, which allowed me to have Bill come over every once in a while. The feeling of having a partner, however infrequent, left me less lonely. I was enthralled by having sex with him. He was muscular and a great lover. He showed me things that I would have never known in terms of having sex as a pre-operative trans woman. But yet, every now and then, I would get “spooked” by someone in the street or in my daily grind. One day, some guy who looked like he hauled hay for a living came into the Starbucks where I worked wearing a plaid shirt and a John Deere hat. I waited for him.

“Can I have a Grande Dark Roast?”

“Sure,” I answered.

He answered, “Thank you, sir.”

I was so angry, that I wanted to poison his coffee. It made me feel belittled and unrecognized. I felt that no matter how many hormones I took, it wouldn’t stop me from getting “read”. From that moment on, I was determined to get back to Dr. Levine’s for my facial feminization surgery.

One day I came home from working my shift, and Denise was there. She was in her room, organizing her clothes.

“Hey, Denise. What are you doing at home so early?”

“I need to talk to you, Kathy,” she said in a serious tone.

“What about?”

“Kathy, I’m moving out.”

“Moving out? When?”

“I’m moving out today. I’m going to live with Bob. From now on, you’ll be in charge of paying the rent on your own. It doesn’t make sense for me to keep paying rent for this place. Your name is on the lease by yourself. I talked to the landlord already and had my name taken off of the lease. He will issue you a new lease, and you’ll have to go into the leasing office and bring your pay stubs to provide proof of income.”

“But Denise, I don’t know if I can afford this place on my own."

“What do you want me to say? I can’t take care of you and pay over half your rent. You’ll just have to work more hours or get a second job.”

“If you knew you were going to do this, why did you wait so long to tell me?”

“If you knew you were a transgender woman, why did you wait so long to tell me?” Denise snapped back.

“Fair enough,” I said despondently.

“Don’t look so sad. This is the best for both of us. Plus, you’re well on your way to becoming a woman now. You don’t need me to help you anymore.”

“But I’m going to miss you.”

“You’re not going to miss me, my dear. You’re going to have plenty of things to do soon. Plus, I’m in love with Bob. We’re moving to a house in Phoenixville. Bob and I are getting married."

“Married?!”

“Don’t you think that’s awfully fast?”

“Look, I’m not getting any younger. Bob has done a great job, and so have I. I want to go and live my life, and so you should live yours.”

I looked down at the floor silently, in disbelief. I had to face the facts of life—that everything changes.

“Now come help me bring these clothes down to my car.”

It wasn’t a complete surprise that Denise was moving out. I should have been more aware of this. Due to my focus on my transition, I never paid attention to what Denise might have been going through. In the next couple of weeks, Denise and Bob came and got the bedroom furniture, the couch, and the television in her room. She let me keep the television in the living room, I suppose as a gift. The apartment seemed so empty all of a sudden. It was just me, by myself.

Working at Starbucks wasn’t going to cut it, so I began my search for another job. I would come home from my shift and spend most evenings looking online for something that would pay me a little more than what Starbucks paid. I also needed a job that would offer health insurance as well. Janelle and I would still go together to get our hair done at Marisol’s every 3 weeks or so. The following week, Janelle picked me up to take me to Marisol’s.

“Did you hear? Denise moved out.”

“I heard. She told me. That’s too bad. But now I need to find another job, Janelle, or at least a second job.”

“Honey, everything happens for a reason. I was kind of waiting for this to happen.”

“How so?” I asked.

“First of all, you and Denise are going in opposite directions. She’s getting ready to get married, and you’re getting ready to become a woman. You need your space so you can develop into the woman you were meant to be.”

“That may be true, but why would she leave me high and dry without any support?”

“Don’t you worry about that? I have a few suggestions for you.”

“Suggestions? Like what?”

“Remember I told you I needed someone like you to help me start my business?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I’m ready to do that, and I need you to build a website for me. Of course, I’m going to pay you good money. I’ll pay you $5,000 to start. That will help you with your bills for a while. Do you think you can do that?”

“Sure!”

“That’s just to start you off. I’ve been talking to Richard about you. Ever since you fixed the problem with the computers at his office, he’s been raving about you. He wants to offer you a job at his practice.”

“Really? I would love that. But doing what?”

“You would start as an IT person. He wants to totally revamp the system.”

“Yeah, it’s old and outdated.”

“Then you can move into other roles once you understand how the business works. But only on one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“That you have your facial feminization surgery first.”

“But how will I do that? I don’t have any money. I can barely pay my bills now!”

“Don’t worry about that. He can take it out of your salary; as time goes on, you’ll be finished paying in no time.”

I was so stunned, I started crying.

"Oh, don’t cry, Miss Kathy. I told you I was here to help you.”

We pulled up to Marisol’s salon. I was so excited, I couldn’t help feeling a sense of euphoria. Marisol did our hair, and Janelle, as usual, insisted on paying for it.

After we got in the car, Janelle said, “Let’s go shopping!”

“I don’t have any money.”

“Did I ask you if you had money, girl?”

“No.”

“We’re going out tonight. I want to take you someplace. And you’re going to need something to wear that fits where we’re going.”

Janelle took me to the mall, and we first visited a lingerie shop. We perused through the aisles, looking at bras and pants. Of course, I went to a section that had everyday underwear. After a couple of minutes, Janelle came back with black lace garter stockings, and a matching bra. She also had several others in her hands. “I think you’re probably past an A cup by now, so this is a B cup and has a little push-up in the bra.” She said it, holding it up to me. "Yeah, I think this will do fine. Do you like it?”

“Yes, but I’ve never worn anything like this.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll give you lessons. You’re going to be a real lady after I’m finished with you.”

Janelle brought the garters and stockings, along with a few other silk and lace bra and panty sets, to the checkout counter. The clerk rang it up, and we were out the door as fast as we came in.

"Okay, now for something to wear. We’ve got to find you something to wear tonight.”

Janelle took me by the hand and walked me into a store called “Lulu’s”. It was a store that mainly featured party dresses of all shapes and sizes. I looked at the dresses with Janelle following her down the aisle, one after another catching my eye. Janelle picked up a pink abstract print mini-dress with an asymmetric strap.

“This will look good on you,” she said, holding it up to my body. She continued to peruse through the dresses, holding one dress up to me at a time. One I especially liked was a silver minidress with sequins. There was so much to choose from that I was getting dizzy. After about 20 minutes of looking, she told me, “Go try these on,” pointing to the fitting room.

I tried on each dress, modeling them for her one by one. Her discerning eye could tell which one would work with my body type. I hadn’t gained any weight in the past nine months. As a matter of fact, I lost a couple of pounds as I was down to 108.

“Girl, you would make a great model,” Janelle said as I sat in front of the fitting room. It made me feel very feminine to try on these dresses and look in the mirrors.

"Okay, that’s it. Let’s go.” Janelle said. In the end, Janelle bought me five dresses. Three of them were of the party dress variety. The other two were more for formal wear.

Janelle talked to me as we walked to the car. “Now I’m going to take you back home so you can get some things. You’re going to spend the night with me tonight.”

“But I have to go to work in the morning,” I pleaded.

"Oh, you’ll make it to work. I want you to bring your work clothes with you. But I want you to give them your two-week notice that you’re leaving. You have another job to do.”

“We’ll leave my house. This way, I can help you get dressed and do your makeup. This is no slight. You do your everyday makeup pretty well, but for where we’re going, you’re going to need flawless makeup.”

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

Janelle brought me to my apartment. I ran upstairs and got my work clothes, my toothbrush, my cosmetic bag, and a nightie to sleep in, then quickly ran back down to her car. We drove into the Chestnut Hill area of Philadelphia. The houses got bigger and bigger. I wondered, as we drove, what it would be like to live there. Soon we drove through a gate that opened by itself and up a long driveway to a sprawling mansion. The lawn had been perfectly landscaped with flowers and beautifully trimmed bushes along the side of the home. We pulled into the 4-car garage. Inside, there were 3 other cars parked: Janelle’s BMW that she drove before, a Bentley, and a Porsche, which seemed more fitting for Dr. Levine. Probably one of his toys.

“Welcome to my home, Miss Kathy.”

“Wow! This is amazing.”

“Pretty nice, huh?” said Janelle.

Once inside, a middle-aged Filipino woman greeted us and said, “Flora, this is my friend Kathy. Can you help her take these packages up to the guest room, please?”

"Yes, Mrs. Levine,” she said, half-bowing.

I stood staring at the sheer massiveness of the house. The house was immaculately clean. The main staircase was in a half-circular pattern with a wooden banister. The main living area had off-white or eggshell-colored carpeting with a huge white couch. There was no clutter to be found anywhere. The kitchen, which we had just walked through, was huge, with a large island in the middle.

“Kathy, let me give you a tour," said Janelle as she led through the home. On the far end was a study where books lined the walls and portraits of older white men hung on the wall, which I assumed were some of Dr. Levine’s family. Then they had a sunroom with plants of all types that were well taken care of, wicker chairs, and a small bar. Upstairs was a master bedroom with a bath, sunken tub, and jacuzzi. There were other bedrooms, which I assumed were guest rooms since they had no children. Janelle led me down the upstairs hallway to a room on the opposite end of where the master bedroom was. It also had its own bathroom.

“Here’s where you’ll stay the night,” said Janelle. “We’ll eat dinner first and then get ready.”

Janelle left me in the room for a moment while she had Flora bring my overnight bag up to me. I never in my life could have imagined living or even staying in a place like this. It was a bit overwhelming.

Janelle had slipped into a robe and then came into my room to get me. We ate dinner that Flora had cooked and then went directly upstairs to get ready. Janelle and I went through the clothes she had just bought, and she thought the silver mini-dress would look best on me.

“Yes, this one is good for tonight. You’ll stand out!” said Janelle. “Now with this dress, you won’t be able to wear the garters and bra. But I did get you a strapless bra that you should wear.”

Janelle pulled out a nude strapless bra and panty set. “Go see how this fits you, Kathy," she said, handing me the bra and pants set. I started to go into the bathroom when Janelle said, “Oh girl, stop with the modesty with me. It ain’t nothing I haven’t seen before.” I still felt kind of funny about changing in front of her. “Listen, we're both girls. And I used to have one of those too!” she laughed.

I tried them on and then put on the dress. “Perfect! Janelle said. “Now let’s get your hair and makeup done. Come down the hall with me.” She said this as she led me down the hall to her own personal bathroom. She sat me down and went to work on my face. She pulled my hair back with an elastic headband and started. She had every brush you could imagine and every makeup brand known to humankind in there! (or at least it seemed). Janelle went in on my face, starting with some concealer and then some contouring. Then she went in with the foundation, telling me to close my eyes, then to open them. She was fast and swift. She then did my eyes: eyeliner, eyeshadow, and false eyelashes. She outlined my brows, which I had been getting threaded regularly, and then my lips. All of this took about half an hour. Then she said, "Now turn around.”

I turned and looked in the mirror, and my transformation was amazing!

“Wow! I almost don’t recognize myself!” I said. It made me excited, almost giddy.

“I’m going to teach you how to do this yourself. You stick with me, kiddo. You’re in good hands.”

said Janelle.

Undoubtedly, I was in good hands. I’ve never thought in a million years I would ever look as I did. Janelle led me down the hall with a plastic bag in her hand.

“Go get your dress, sweetie," she said to me while holding the bag and standing there in my bra and pants.

I brought the dress out of the closet. “Now what I want you to do is put this bag over your head, but hold it with your hands away from your face. I’m going to help you slip this dress over you so you don’t get makeup on your new dress.”

Janelle carefully slipped the dress over the top of my head, only to my shoulders. “Okay, now you're okay. You can take the bag off of your head. Now pull your dress down. Let me see," said Janelle as she backed up. “Perfecto! Gorgeous!”

I looked in the full-length mirror and was astounded. “Now I have some silver shoes you should wear. I think they’ll fit you since we wear close to the same size. Now go do your hair while I get ready."

I teased out my hair a little by brushing it softly to not get the little curl out that Marisol put in it. I stood there, admiring myself. I loved the way I looked. I stood there admiring myself, thinking, “I really look hot!”. It was a newfound love for myself. My dress accentuated my waistline, and the push-up bra, although strapless, still made my breasts pop out of the dress and gave me cleavage. I looked like a movie star in my eyes. I also thought, "I want to look like this all the time," a classic beauty.”

In what seemed like 5 minutes (but actually longer), Janelle appeared in my room wearing a blue sequined dress with blue shoes. Her face was done perfectly. She handed me a pair of silver Jimmy Choo stilettos and a silver clutch purse.

“Here, put your things in there. All you need in there is your ID, some lipstick, and a compact.”

I did as she instructed.

We went downstairs together. I didn’t realize that night had fallen and darkness was about. Janelle handed me a black fur coat. “You’ll need something besides that mini dress. After all, it’s still technically winter.” She turned and said, “Flora, tell Richard I’ll be back a little late. We’re going out. It’s Girls Night tonight.”

“Yes, Mrs. Levine,” answered Flora.

We went through the kitchen to the garage and got into the Mercedes. As we walked, Janelle shook her head and said, “You look fabulous, Kathy.”

We got into the car and drove off into the night. Where I was headed, I didn’t have a clue.

.