The Dance Of Changes - Part 19

OTHER PARTS | ALL STORY LIST

Helen and I eventually finished our practice session at about eleven o’clock and had a quick cup of tea together before making our way to our respective bedrooms.

‘Thanks for everything, Helen; I’ve enjoyed myself tonight,’ I said as I was about to retire.

‘That’s alright, young lady; it’s been fun, hasn’t it? I trust you are looking forward to tomorrow night as well.’

‘Yes, so long as I pass ok as a girl dancer.’

‘You know perfectly well that you will pass ok as a girl,’ she scoffed. ‘It’s also clear that you are a natural dancer. So as long as you only copy the girls dancing and don’t try to dance like a bloke, I don’t see what it is for you to worry about.’

I smiled at the idea of me ‘dancing like a bloke’ while simultaneously wearing high heels and a short dress.

‘I suppose it is my being out in a social situation with people who are unaware of my true sex that makes me a little anxious.’

‘I am sure that Rich will keep an eye on you and make sure that you come to no harm. It’ll be up to you to encourage him if you want to take it any further.’

I made no reply other than blushing before going to my room.

The bedroom I was occupying was decorated in pink and filled with uncompromising girly furnishings, which accorded with and made me feel quite relaxed about my new identity. There was no doubt that I was enjoying my life as Michelle, even though it now took me more than half an hour to get myself ready to go to bed in terms of removing my makeup, moisturizing my face and hands, and tying up my hair. It usually took twice as long to get myself ready in the morning, but I didn’t mind because the results were worth the trouble. I then climbed into her pink floral sheets and fluffy pillows and fell asleep dreaming of electro dancing.

As usual, I woke at about 7.30am on Saturday morning needing to go to the toilet. There was no sound from Helen’s bedroom, and so I returned to my room and sat in front of the dressing table for a while to think about my situation. It had been a week since I’d allowed myself to be talked in to continue living as a girl until the end of the year, and already I was sure that I’d made the right decision. As Michelle, I was more confident than Michael, and I didn’t stammer. I also had more friends and a closer relationship with my mother. Michelle also got to do more exciting things at work, wore nicer clothes, and appeared to be able to earn more money. Above all, she was able to demonstrate her expertise as a ballroom dancer, a competence that Michael had barely been aware of as a young man. Since the first occasion I’d put on a dress, no one had challenged me in the street or at work. Maybe I had received a few odd looks at the dancing club on the first occasion I’d turned up, but these had been quickly overcome, and I was now accepted as one of the best dancers. So what was there for me to regret?

Yet the beginnings of a regret began to insinuate itself in my brain: ’if only I’d been born a girl, like Helen, how different my life would have been, how much happier I might have been.’ I attempted to squash that thought straight away before it did any damage. I was a young man, albeit not a particularly confident or well-developed one, and that was the end of the matter. I had to accept that fact. All the same, I had been presented with this opportunity to live and work as a girl for three months, and there was no reason why I shouldn’t take full advantage of all the fun offered to me during this period.

Having satisfied myself on that matter, I began to look forward to my day ahead and especially my date to go clubbing with Richard. What would it be like? How would I feel? Would anyone from my past life recognize me and, if so, what would they think? I could not possibly answer and would just have to wait and see and take things as they came. But this served only to create another anxiety: ’ What will I do and what will life be like for me once these three months are over? Had I sacrificed any credibility I might once have had as a young man?’ I simply didn’t know the answer, but the New Year was ten weeks away, and for the time being, I was determined to make the most of my new life as Michelle.

I, therefore, got up, showered, dressed, carefully put on some makeup, and fixed my hair. By the time I’d finished, Helen had emerged from her slumbers, showered, and was preparing some breakfast for us.

There is not much to say about our shopping trip later that day, except that it was great fun. We took the bus into Luton as there was a greater range of shops to choose from compared to Dunstable, and we headed straight for ‘the Mall’ shopping center. Helen tried on and bought herself a sparkly black and silver dress in ‘Monsoon,’ which was almost as revealing as the one she’d sold to me. She also bought a pair of black almond-toe five-inch heels with an ankle strap, in ‘Next.’ I bought myself a strapless bra in ‘Debenhams’ together with a pair of control pants to make sure there would be no visible bulges when I was dancing in my new dress. As I was queuing to pay for my bra, I found myself standing in front of a girl who used to be in my class at school and with whom I’d danced on a few occasions as a young teenager. I turned, and we smiled weakly and acknowledged one another. She looked as if she was frantically racking her brains, trying to think where we’d met previously. Fortunately, I was called forward to the next till, and she was called to another one, and so there was no need for any embarrassing explanations.

As we were about to leave the shop, Helen pointed out a set of twelve clip-in, shoulder-length natural hair extensions, in my color. They cost almost forty pounds.

‘I think you should go ahead and get them; they’ll do wonders to boost your confidence, tonight,’ she said.

‘But it says here that they are only guaranteed to last for three months?’ I said, reading the label.

‘Well, that should be just right for you then!’ she responded.

I couldn’t very well argue with that.

‘In any event, if you take as much care of them as you would your own hair, they will last you at least twice as long.’

‘But I wouldn’t know how to put them in!’

‘We’ll have plenty of time after lunch. I’ll show you how to do it.’

‘I had saved myself some money through not having to buy a new dress, so why not?’ I asked myself.

‘Alright then,’ I said with a smile and went ahead and made my purchase.

We had some lunch in a café in town before returning to Helen’s house at 3.00pm. I quickly rang Mum at home to check that she was alright and assure her I was fine. I told her about our shopping trip. She sounded happy herself and wanted to know what I’d bought.

‘I’ve bought an almost brand new red dress from my friend Helen to go dancing in tonight, but I needed a strapless bra and some knickers to go with it: I expect they’ll be useful for me to wear with some of your dance costumes,’ I said.

‘Is that all you have got yourself?’

‘No, I did get myself some hair extensions.’

‘Well, a girl needs a little bit of extravagance from time to time.’

As promised, Helen demonstrated to me how to clip in my new hair extensions, doing the first couple for me and then leaving me to finish the remainder. Afterward, she explained how to brush and style my somewhat bulkier head of hair. I’d enjoyed having longer hair ever since Joyce had first sewn in a set, but these added even more body and length and felt great.

‘Is there any danger of them coming out when we dance?’ I queried.

‘I don’t think so, but if you like, we can have another practice session before tea, just to make sure.’

Joe was the first of our two escorts to arrive on Saturday evening, and Helen entertained him for a few minutes while I made the finishing touches to my hair and makeup in her sister’s bedroom. I then came downstairs, ready to be introduced.

‘This is Michelle, my friend from work,’ said Helen as I entered the room.

I smiled shyly.

‘Wow, you look really hot in that dress,’ was his spontaneous reaction.

I was not sure whether to be pleased by his comment or a little put out by his lack of gallantry towards his own escort, who looked pretty good herself in her new black and silver dress. If anything, I felt quite the opposite as it was quite alarmingly short and with a low neckline. I’d also been advised against wearing any tights. But I knew he wasn’t talking about my temperature, and so I blushed and murmured my thanks while averting my gaze.

‘Michelle already has a dance partner for tonight, so you can just put your eyeballs back in their sockets,’ commented Helen.

I suspected that she was not lacking in confidence and, when the time came, was quite capable of dealing with guys by herself without any concern on my part.

‘Sorry, Babes,’ said Joe. It was an unconscious reaction on my part; you both look great,’ he responded.

‘Michelle is a champion dancer,’ added Helen,’ apparently unconcerned by his comment to me.

‘But I’m afraid that it’s for ballroom dancing, not what we are doing tonight,’ I replied.

The doorbell rang, and Helen left us to go answer it while I sat in a chair next to Joe.

‘I must say you have a nice pair of dancer’s legs,’ he said with a cheeky grin and patting me on the knee.

I wasn’t sure how to react to his actions. In some ways, it was quite a pleasant sensation to feel his hand on my bare knee, but it was also a cheek on his part. Who did he think he was? I certainly had no wish to upset my friend, so I consciously moved my legs away from him just as Helen returned to the room, bringing Richard with her. This was a good opportunity for me to move away.

‘Hi Richard, great to see you,’ I said, getting up and giving him a welcoming kiss on the cheek. I then joined him on the sofa, just to reinforce the point that he was going to be my escort for the evening.

Joe accepted the inevitable and started talking to Helen. Richard seemed a little surprised by the warmth of my greeting but apparently wasn’t unhappy. I then noticed that I’d left a small lipstick mark on his cheek, which I ostentatiously wiped away with a tissue.

‘I do like your new hairstyle, Michelle,’ he said. ‘It really suits you.’

I smiled.

‘Thanks, much of it was purchased over the counter at Debenhams this morning, but it is good fun to have plenty of hair to work with.’

Joe motioned Helen to come and sit with him.

‘Richard has offered to drive the four of us tonight to save having to park two cars,’ suggested Helen.

‘That’s fine by me; at least I’ll be able to have a drink or two during the evening,’ said Joe.

‘I’ve packed my weekend case, so perhaps we can take it with us, and then you can drop me home afterward,’ I said.

‘Yes, of course, I’ll bring these two back here first of all and then run you home,’ he said.

Helen gave me a knowing smile as he said this.

We parked in the Central Car Park in Luton who had the advantage of being open all night and free of charge after 6.00pm. From there, it was only a five-minute walk to the club. It had been a fine cloudless day, and as a result, it had turned into a chilly late October night. There were goose-bumps on my bare legs, but I wasn't sure whether this was due to a combination of my revealing dress and the temperature outside or to my trepidation about how I would get on during the following night. Other couples were also making their way towards the club, and I was pretty relieved to notice that both Helen and my outfits with our short skirts and high heels were not particularly daring. In fact, there were plenty of other girls dressed in similar styles. Some wore leggings and fancy tops, but most wore heels. As usual, the guys wore a variety of non-descript casual wear. Once again, it struck me how much I'd enjoyed spending time with Helen getting ourselves ready and how much more fun girls have with their appearance.

Once inside the club, we paid our entrance fees and deposited our coats in the cloakroom. Helen and I made our way to the Ladies to check on our hair and makeup, while Richard found us a table and Joe organized a round of drinks. This was another new experience for me as a group of girls crowded around the available mirrors, chatting to one another while touching up their lipstick or mascara or brushing their hair.

'Are you all set, Michelle?' Helen asked as soon as she'd finished.

'A little bit nervous, but I think so,' I replied as I brushed a few strands of my now somewhat longer hair into place.

'Believe me, girl, you have nothing to be nervous about. You look great, so let's go and join the guys.'

I'd asked for an orange juice and was determined to stick with soft drinks for the night as I didn't want to lose control. Richard had a half pint of beer as he too needed to moderate his drinking as the 'designated driver' for our party. Helen and Joe had vodka and tonic water. We stayed sitting for a little while, and I studied those dancers who were already on the floor. Our escorts didn't seem particularly inclined to begin dancing, but I was anxious to practice my newly acquired skills as an EDM dancer. Helen appeared to sense my feelings.

'What do you think, Michelle? Shall we show everyone how it's done before it gets too crowded?' she suggested.

'Go on then,' I said, and we made our way onto the dance floor with me feeling pleased but also a little self-conscious.

Fortunately, the next track to be played was a 'Techno,' which I'd already practiced and was not too different from 'Disco' that I'd occasionally danced before. I kept an eye on the other dancers and sometimes copied their moves, while at other times, I improvised my own based on my ballroom experience. Unlike some of the other dancers, I was not trying to show off or attract attention to myself, but all the same, I soon found that I was achieving a respectable standard.

'You are doing fine, I'm most impressed,' mouthed Helen to me during a momentary break in the music, but my response was soon drowned by the wall of sound.

From Techno, we moved on to Hip Hop with its cool, exaggerated movements reminiscent of the boy-bands and girl groups of the nineteen nineties; from there, we moved on to UK Garage (or UKG) with its 4/4 percussive rhythm, followed by Acid House with its characteristic electronic 'squelching' sound. However, two girls dancing together for some time can seem like an open invitation to any guys who were out 'on the pull' for the evening, and a couple started hovering around us, ready to make their swoop once the music stopped. Helen and I exchanged glances, and as soon as the fourth number was over, we went over to the table and dragged our respective escorts onto the dance floor without further ado. With that, our potential suitors disappeared into the undergrowth, looking for other possible conquests.

Joe was a pretty good dancer, bordering on the flashy, and he and Helen made an attractive-looking couple on the dance floor. On the other hand, Rich was not a natural dancer and proved to be a bit stiff and awkward in his movements, even though he'd been clubbing several times before. All the same, he was cheerful and willing to have a go, so it was fun dancing together. In fact, it was not too long before he was copying me rather than the other way round.

What I hadn't expected, though, was how hot it would become in the club, and so I was glad to have taken Helen's advice and not put on any tights. After six or seven more dances, I was happy to accept Richard's sign-language offer to get away from the noise to sit down with another cool drink.

'So what do you think of clubbing, Michelle?' he asked.

'This is good fun and has been a great learning experience for me.'

'What do you mean?'

'The loud, repetitive music, the flashing light effects, and the general air of freedom to 'do your own thing' are quite different from anything I've experienced in the ballroom.'

'But I thought you liked ballroom dancing.'

'I do, but the whole ambiance here seems to be young and alive. This isn't going to supplant my appreciation of the discipline, glamour, and decorousness that goes with ballroom dancing, but it does provide an entirely new avenue for exploring my love of music and movement.'

'So would you like to come again next Saturday?'

'That depends on who asks me,' I replied.

'Me, of course,' he replied smiling.

'Alright then, but let's go as a twosome next time; it'll be less complicated.'

'That's a deal,' he replied, smiling.

'Alan and I'll be giving our next demonstration during Saturday afternoon, but there is no reason why I shouldn't go out again in the evening.'

'I know, I'll be filming you once again.'

'Of course, I'll have to go home to change as I can hardly go clubbing in one of my dance costumes, but there will be plenty of time for me to get myself ready.'

'So shall I pick you up from your home next time?'

'I suppose so; Mum seems to be coming to terms with having a daughter, at least for a while.'

He looked at me as if he was about to say something in reply but then thought better of it.

'Are you ready for some more dancing?' he asked by way of changing the subject.

'Why not,' I replied, and we returned to the dance floor, just as Joe was leading Helen to have a drink together.

Helen offered a knowing smile to me as we passed one another. She also seemed to be enjoying her evening.

It was after 3.00am when the club closed, and nearly 4.00am by the time that Richard had dropped off Helen and Joe in Dunstable. He then drove back to Luton and pulled up in the street outside our house. I noticed the beginnings of a frost outside, and the car windows were beginning to mist over.

'Thanks a lot, Rich; I've had a great time tonight; I'd no idea that I would have so much fun,' I said, beginning to un-hitch my seat belt.

'Me too! Are you still happy to go clubbing next Saturday again?' he asked.

'I guess so,' I replied.

'Well, good night then, Michelle, and thank you for coming.'

I smiled in reply and moved my hand to the door latch, unsure of what was going to happen next.