Boston T- Party

by Tanya Mazurek

 

The year was 2027. The nice-looking Bostonian sat in the waiting room of the huge office complex on Cambridge Street excited over the events of the last six weeks. Finally, after over 100 years, his beloved team finally beat the (in)famous Curse and won the World Championship. Okay it took over a century, but finally his town had a reason to celebrate. At the same time, he reflected on how something as insanely innocuous as trading a star pitcher (okay, erstwhile home run hitter) could set in motion a series of events that would change his town for a century. The hated rival team went on the fame and fortune and his own team languished as a near miss, an also ran, a "missed it by that much" entity.

And so it was with Terry O'Brian. He was nice looking, but not that good looking. He was smart, a college grad, but clearly not a brainiac. He was not short, not tall, not fast, not slow, he was just good enough to be almost good enough. He kind of laughed to himself as he thought of how he arrived at this moment.

Weeks ago, during the playoffs, he was watching the game at a Pub in Newton with friends from college. One of them, Kelly, was a college buddy who went on to fame and fortune in the new Ultra Definition industry that combined computer simulation and TV. In effect, using over 80 Gigs of RAM and four synchronized computers and projection Ultra Def TVs, watching "the tube", in effect, was like watching what used to be called holographic images.

Kelly was half drunk on brewskis that he inhaled while watching the game and was talking much too much. He has crossed over from trying to explain the techie crap to bragging. He excitedly mentioned that his employers were working on a new reality program that would blow away the competition. Mack Patton, our college frat sergeant of arms guffawed, "Kelly, you tech geek, reality shows went out of style in the early teens with gasoline engines and CDs." Kelly laughed, "Well, my oversized liberal arts dummy, the nerds have re-invented the wheel." That's throwing down the gauntlet, Terry thought.

Kelly, totally stoked and smashed, shouted as the Pub crowd's cheers rose when the local team got the coveted "W" and a chance at the World Championship, "We have combined the latest in computer science and the medical science and have a new reality show that is beyond anyone's wildest imagination." Kelly really started to brag, ramble, wave and shout, all at once, "We will do the unthinkable and have people talking for generations!" And then he slumped back in his chair, almost totally wiped. The other guys were focused on the game and Kelly mumbled in a low, slurred way, "And Terry, boy have I got a girl for YOU…." And he passed out.

The night went well with shouts of joy and cheer and old timers and younger fans went wild with the victory. Fact is, there were only a couple of Bostonians that were even alive when we won the last championship and no one alive was old enough to remember.

Kelly, recovering the next day at a hotel on Beck Avenue, flew in just for the Playoffs and the Championship games. He was living in LA now and part of the "in crowd". He was a bright guy and he and Terry shared a secret (well it used to be) in college. They were cross-dressers……..

The phone rang at Terry's tiny condo in Brookline. Kelly, obviously groggy, was nursing a nasty hang-over. He groaned, "Hey, Terry, time for a morning fizz?" Terry, not a big drinker, suggested breakfast and coffee at the cafeteria. Kelly grudgingly agreed. Terry reflected on his unspoken common interest with Kelly. Both had "reluctantly" agreed to play girls parts in a college musical and it was quite a hoot. Problem was that it was clear to both of them that, of all the guys doing drag in the show, they REALLY enjoyed it. Nothing weird happened. Both guys had girlfriends; both laughed off snide remarks by frat brothers and all was forgotten…except that they "reluctantly" agreed to do it the next year. Clearly, Terry has many fond memories of those days of booze, broads and bras.

Kelly showed up at the cafeteria with one of those hangovers that made him look 10 years older. He groaned as he sat down, "Hey, man, I just have a sec." LA talk thought Terry. Kelly, after downing three cups of coffee quickly, clearly was starting to wake up. He shook his head and looked around and lowered his voice and said, "I just did a profile for our new show and you are a dead central prototype." Terry laughed, "You are going to make me an actor?" Kelly slyly and slowly smiled and said, "No, I can make you an actress."

This is getting uncomfortable, thought Terry as he looked at his old Frat Brother who used to get into deep philosophical discussions on the ancient Boston MTA with the local winos. "What is the deal?", he finally said. Kelly explained, "We have a new techno reality series set for debut next fall on the networks. It's very hush-hush and if you say anything……. Anyway, we combine Ultra Def Technology and genetic plastic surgery to create new reality adventures and really "new" people allowing viewers vicarious thrills that no one has ever felt before." Hangover mumbo jumbo, thought Terry.

But Kelly pressed on, "What if you can change your life and be something that you are not but never really change? What if you are financially set so that you can live a new life and still lead your old one, if you so choose?" Terry thought for a minute thinking that this was a loaded question, "Why me?" What the hell are you talking about?"

Kelly, now really sober, moved closer and whispered, "I'm giving you an address to a very secret research project. Go there and take a series of tests…mainly psychological, and let's see if we can talk further." Terry now annoyed, was staring at his own cold coffee cup, "Why me?" Kelly looked at his coldly and said, " I know how things have gone for you and I am trying to help a frat brother probably when I could get into a heck of a lot of trouble. I know about the "Boston Bobby Soxers."

Terry felt his face turn red. It was true. Terry was a member in good standing of a heterosexual cross-dressing society (ok, club) called the Boston Bobby Soxers. They had meetings once a month downtown at the Patriot Club on Merrimac Street and socials at the Boston Cotillion Terrace. It was a fun group and all the guys were very supportive. Many were married. There were at least 200 active members and they ranged in age from early 20s to late 70s. "Passing" was not a requirement, although being straight kinda was. About 60% were married and most of the rest had been married at least once. ALL had a story to tell and sharing makeup tips, wardrobe tips, adventures and their life's experience was what made Terry stay an active and dedicated member. None of which was Kelly's business.

"Hey, dahling, why don't you have your people call my people and we can do lunch and chat about it." Terry sarcastically spat out. Kelly, looking sheepish, stared at his coffee, "Look, no offense, but, I have a good feeling that we are about to break the 100 year Curse and win the Championship and I thought that you can break the Curse that seems to follow you around…I owe you, man." Indeed, thought Terry, you do "man." Terry never told a soul about the time that he found Kelly almost passed out after a frat Mardi Gras party, in the basement, wearing a bra, garter belt, wig, nylons and what was left of makeup and clearly the victim of non consensual anal sex. Terry got him cleaned up, dressed and sober all in secret. They speculated that someone slipped Kelly a "date rape" pill and it meant more to him than anything that Terry, only a casual frat brother friend, took care of him.

Terry reflected on the years since they graduated in 2015. He married and divorced twice. The first wife ditched him after she found his stash of TV pictures and clothes. She kind of knew that he liked to wear female clothes during sex but she was unaware that he was a Boston Bobby Soxer! He decided to be straightforward and tell all his serious women that he was a cross dresser…it killed his sexual/social life. He just never found the right girl who would love him for what he was. His second divorce hurt even more because he was truthful, she claimed that she was accepting, and she still left him.

Maybe she left because they were always in the hole financially, he thought. Terry, an "almost" guy who was almost handsome as a guy, almost pretty as a girl, almost really smart, was almost a decent wage earner. Since college, he found out that he was almost a good salesperson, almost a good accountant, almost a good whatever. It wasn't that he was bad, it was just that he a click or two way from being very good; always on the cusp; he wasn't a wheeler dealer and he wasn't bad guy; above average in everything but not great at anything. Terry, lost in thought, was brought back when Kelly, clearly serious, said, "I breached a serious protocol that just might,,,, just might change your life." In the din of the morning cafeteria noise, Terry realized that thanks to two well-publicized divorces and the Boston Bobby Soxers, all the guys knew that Terry was what he was.

Sadly, Terry looked down and asked for the information that would take him to this "hush hush" research think tank. Yeah, Secret Agent Terry in a dress? Terry the R & B Singer in a gown? The Twenty Million Dollar Drag Diva? All this seemed far fetched to Terry O'Brian, a good guy who was almost a good everything else, thought as they finished breakfast with little more conversation, maybe I'll almost make onto this new show.

Well, Boston won the Championship in seven games!! Terry's dad, a Boston Cop, never lived to see this day. All the guys actually went down to the graves of various family members as the October chill filled the Boston air with clear hints of winter and left pins, banners and various mementos in memory of over a century of almost wins, almost championships, almost victories. Kelly's dad was buried in Roxbury near Terry's'. They had watched the game along with the other Frat Brothers but went to the cemetery together alone. Kelly, again, drunk and staggering, turned to Terry as they were leaving the gravesites with very moist eyes, "See, the Curse is over, no more almost Championships. You can lift your own Curse and no more almosts." Terry, not nearly as snockered, laughed, "I don't have a Curse to lift." They did not speak another word until they got to Kelly's Hotel. Next day, Kelly took a plane back to LA LA Land and Terry went back to his job as a premium auditor that almost paid the bills and almost was not completely boring.

About a week later during the allowed 15 minute coffee break, Terry took a piece of paper out of his wallet that had the number of this clandestine research facility (no doubt a front for Central Defense Agency, he laughed) and just made the call. A polite but impersonal female voice asked him to state his business. He gave a coded password. After about 15 seconds on hold, the voice gave him an address on Cambridge Street.

And so here he was, sitting in a huge, spacious waiting room waiting to find out why Kelly feels that this was one way to repay an old favor. The place was as open as open could be and not a single hint of secret goings on; of spies and famous actors or anything except a very large corporation maybe looking for an almost really good premium auditor (Terry loved private self deprecating humor even if it was only almost funny).

The striking receptionist finally asked Terry, the sole person in the waiting room to enter a private conference room. When he got there, he expected to meet some sort of interviewer. Instead, a no nonsense fellow in a research coat came in, handed Terry a stack of paper and told him to fill out all the forms, accurately, truthfully, and in the order that the tests were given to him. He was told to be straightforward so as not to waste anyone's time. Don't make up things about yourself and for Gosh Sakes ABSOLUTELY do not confuse the real world from fantasy. Don't bullshit us if you do not and have never worn crinolines, Mary Janes or pinafores. The screening process is so complete that we have fraud/fantasy alerts at every turn. Terry was told that the programs developed by the researchers were designed to screen just about every type of cross dresser.

Taken aback by the brutal honesty approach, Terry just answered truthfully. He even included the fact that as often as not, he enjoyed masturbating in female clothes and had done so many times since childhood. He admitted that the minute details of makeup and clothing that he had told his therapist were just were just fantasy to him. In truth, he had little recollection each individual time that he had dressed over the years, although some events were special and he named them and seemed to recall more as he gave it some thought. He did word associations, analogies, puzzles, and so on for eight hours.

Finally, as the chill of early winter and the first real snow flurries flew down across the Harbour, Terry O'Brian left the huge complex wondering as he walked to the MTA stop why he wasted a day off work to take a ridiculous test. No one thanked him and no one seemed to care until he got that call just before Thanksgiving from Kelly. Kelly sounded upbeat, "You made the cut. Come back to the office on Cambridge Street only this time the 20^th floor and ask for the 'Selection Committee'; I'm in town but don't tell any of the guys. Okay?" Terry kind of laughed and agreed wondering why and how he ever got into this silly cloak and dagger game.

And so Terry sat there waiting for something to happen. The minutes turned into two hours and Terry was becoming more than annoyed. It was freezing outside, he was losing a days pay as he is on contract as a temp and he was dreading the thought of discussing his personal stuff with a committee of Hollywood types. Just as he was contemplating bolting out of there, the pretty receptionist smiled sympathetically and asked him to follow her.

Terry entered a conference room with 6 people including Kelly. Kelly looked up and smiled but did clearly indicate that knew Terry. Introductions were made and Terry was sure that the only thing that he would remember is that there were three men and three women all of whom looked right out of central casting as Hollywood producer types (the "let's do lunch crowd"). Terry sat down and after a bit of small talk about the great Boston seafood and lousy weather, the interview began.

A fortyish looking female exec with retro rim glasses asked Terry, "Are you gay?" Startled, Terry, replied immediately "NO!". The man next to her smiled and asked, "Then why do you like to wear women's clothing?" Terry, on the defensive and not ready for the onslaught, stammered, "I don't know. It's really cost me a lot in my life so I must really want to. Wish I knew why" The man continued, "Would you stop?" Terry thought and said, "No, if I stopped, I would not be me. I don't want to." The questions came in waves. Finally, an older woman cleared her throat and handed Terry what looked like a contract.

The woman continued, "If you sign the contract, for $2500 all you have to do is listen and decide if you want in. If you don't want to participate, you keep the $2500 and your mouth shut or you will be in violation of the 2010 Insider Trading Secrets Act." Terry looked at the contract and noticed that he would be paid $2,500 in stocks that could be cashed immediately; yet, he would be subject to the Trade Secrets Act. I've come this far, he thought, I have to find out what the deal is. Without further delay, Terry signed and sat back in his chair.

"Good", she said, "and now please understand that the secrecy is necessary to make this show a success. We are looking for 10 heterosexual men who are willing to undergo complete makeovers so that their secondary sex characteristics are female, yet, they are completely men on the inside." Terry looked at her incredulously; "Huh?" was all he could muster. The group kind of snickered. The woman went on, "Plastic surgery and genetic manipulation have come a long way as has television. Ultra-Def is essentially, a very realistic holographic image that makes the audience able to see the images up close and personal. We have the technology to make you over so completely on the outside that you would appear to be a woman, however, your hormones would be male, your sex drive would be male and we will not touch your chemical makeup one bit." Terry was just numb. He mumbled, "How will I function?" The women replied, "Like any biological male." Terry growled, "No! How will I survive? Make a living?"

An older male member of the staff jumped in, "All 10 finalists who are part of the show and as many as four alternates, will each get a permanent annuity of $1,000,000 paid at 8% for life. That's $80,000 per year plus medical coverage paid for by the company for life. The Top Five get additional prizes and the winner(s) get special secret prizes."

Terry laughed, "And I suppose you would need that money to live on because you could never find a job." The man replied, "Not really. Most of the surgery is reversible and our staff believes that while it will change lives it is likely going to be for the better. Besides, we are looking for genuine cross dressers who have certain physical attributes to pull this off." Terry asked, "What do you mean?" Continuing, the man added, "We want straight guys under six feet, in good health, nice looking but not pretty, not big boned or prone to excessive weight gain, married or not and physically and psychologically suited to this unique life style. We can make the changes dramatic but not ruin lives."

The room was silent, waiting for Terry to reply. He slowly asked, "Why?" One of the younger execs replied, "Our research shows that this is an area of great curiosity to the public and could garner the highest ratings in reality TV history. With Ultra Def the world can see you evolve through the process and compete." Terry stopped him, "Compete?" The exec grinned, "Sure. The beauty contest; the evening gown competition; meeting real women in social situations; the list goes on and on. People are ready for it. The technology is there and we expect it to be the most profitable show in years."

The questions continued for a while. "Interested?" asked one of the women in the group rather suddenly. Terry replied, "Do I have to make up my mind now? This minute?" The woman answered, "No and we haven't either. This is part of the process. We will keep between 40 and 60 possible candidates and bring them back in a bit. They will be given and additional $25,000 just to come back and do a final interview and see how the process works. The actual finalists will receive an additional $25,000 spending money and a salary commensurate with their lifestyle through the end of the show."

The interview was clearly over and Kelly had barely made eye contact. Terry decided that there was a reason and did not act as if he knew Kelly personally. Terry thought over his life and what he could do with the additional $25,000 just for showing up again and blurted out, "Yes, I am interested. Thank you for your time." The retro looking fortyish female with the glasses, smiled and said, " We'll be in touch." And all the interviewers stood up as a signal that it was time for Terry to leave. As he left the building, Terry wondered why Boston….why him? What would his ex wives think? And what would he look like? He laughed literally out loud thinking of the possibilities. Anyway, the $2,500 will come in real handy as Terry had bills to pay and the temp job as a premium auditor may be coming to an end. And it was real cold outside as winter started to set in.

About two weeks later, a voice on his answering machine announced that there was a round trip ticket waiting for him to Los Angeles and to call immediately. Terry knew that meant a week in LA all expenses paid and $25,000 and that all he really needed was just to come to LA and say no. He called immediately and made arrangements flying from Boston to LA non stop. When he got off the plan, it struck him that two weeks before the Holidays and it was actually warm. A limo driver holding a sign with the name Terry O'Brian was waiting for him, took his bags and they drove about two hours north towards Santa Barbara. Terry sat back and enjoyed the scenery, watching people in convertibles drive by with the top down wearing short sleeve shirts in December.

They finally arrived at an imposing facility in the Santa Ynez Mountains that seemed very isolated. The imposing gate signaled a closely guarded facility (jail, Terry thought) with security everywhere. He entered through the main building lobby and checked in while his bags were unpacked. A friendly staff smiled and seemed very attentive to his needs. Terry was told that all his needs including meals were taken care of and all he needed was to unpack and freshen up.

Terry unpacked in a room was the size of a junior 1 bedroom and was decorated in a floral motif. Well, Terry laughed to himself, are they trying to get me in the "mood". He half expected to see a frilly nightgown laid out on the bed. But no, it was just a very feminine but regular room with no lace nighties. The phone rang and it was Kelly. "Meet you in the bar", Kelly said and hung up. Terry washed up and changed and catching a second wind before jet lag overtook him, walked down to the bar. The bar reminded him of an old-fashioned disco style bar. There was a bar tender and it was large but virtually no customers. Actually, Terry wondered who could patronize this bar given all the security getting on to the facility.

Terry sat down and Kelly brought drinks to the table. They sat for a moment, each lost in thought. Finally, Kelly, commented, "Yeah. Tomorrow you get the tour of the place and all your questions will be answered. This place used to be a trendy retreat for the rich and famous. No Paparazzi, no fans, no prying eyes. Just peace and quiet. The rich and famous need a place to go to unwind, ya know." Terry thought, we all have problems, as he looked around at all the opulence.

Kelly added, "I know that you have been through a lot. This will be just the ticket to get you out of hock." Kelly knew that he had struck a cord. Terry, kind if irritated, asked, "And just how do you know how much in hock I am." Kelly, now very defensive and serious said, "Let's just say that financial records are a matter of public record as are credit ratings." Terry virtually shouted, "Bullshit, man, my private stuff is private. What the …..!!!!" Kelly shrugged and knowing that he had screwed up was secretly hoping that Terry would never mention that the credit checks to anyone, least of all, his bosses. The men just sat in stone silence for awhile. Finally Terry said, "Maybe I'm just bushed. Gotta get some Z's." He got up, the two men nodded and Terry went to bed.

The next day, Terry received an unsolicited wake-up call at 7 AM. After breakfast alone in a large almost empty cruise ship style dining room, a man approached the table with a note. He was to go to the main conference room. Arriving at 9 AM, Terry was met by four people (two of whom he remembered from the first meeting). They brought a large satchel of papers; a large portfolio and Terry noticed an overhead slide show.

The same fortyish looking female with the rimmed glasses from the first interview greeted him with as if he was her long lost cousin. "Oh Terry, so good of you to come and visit us." Oh brother, Terry thought. She introduced him around the table, however, Terry never great with names, forgot most of them. The way she introduced them, however, it was clear that Terry was supposed to be impressed.

As they sat down, one of the entourage asked, "Are you in?" Terry was dumbstruck. He just looked at the man who added, "We are prepared to pay you $25,000 just for coming here. However, you must sign this confidentiality form that makes you subject to the 2010 Trades Secrets Act. You will be paid in stocks that you can cash within 24 hours or you can hold onto your stocks. In any case, sign where noted so we may continue." Terry had been down this road before and briefly scanned the document and signed.

The man went on, "Now we can tell you what is really going on. Ultra Def has developed a new secret reality series for the new holographic technology combining all state of the art science and technology. Essentially, we are going to take 10 straight males (actually fourteen including alternates) and turn them into women…" Terry just laughed, "Hey, don't know what you guys are smoking, but I am not a woman trapped in a man's body. I like Terry junior and he stays with me until I die or the tax man takes him." All four of the interviewers smiled a knowing smile. The fortyish female in glasses spoke, "We knew that you would say that and we assure you that you get to keep Mr. Winky (giggle)." I want my $25,000 and I am so outta here, thought Terry.

The other older woman present had kept silent. Finally, she put her hand out and commented, "Do you know what secondary sex characteristics are?" Terry, nodded although he was sure that she was going to go into detail to make her point. She continued, " Secondary sex characteristics on a female are her breasts, soft skin, round firm ass and so on. We have combined genetics with plastic surgery and new hi tech prosthetics to create awesome results. The working title of our show is the 'Boston T- Party' and we're doing makeovers on 10 straight contestants and four alternatives and giving them the outward appearance of women but leaving their male essence intact." Terry just was numb.

The female exec continued, "We have a working budget of $350,000 per contestant for surgery, $50,000 for therapy (if needed), $50,000 to reverse some of the surgery at a later date if requested and $50,000 for miscellaneous expenses. There is a list of mandatory surgery, optional surgery, timetables, alternatives, options, etc. Confidentiality is essential at this time and any attempt to leak this will result in forfeiture or pay and benefits. Is that clear?" She paused and Terry was still trying to digest the magnitude of what she said.

Finally, Terry somewhat recovered, said, "How can you pull this off? What would you do to me?" The woman smiled and said, "Actually, only a few things are mandatory. We will use modern laser-genetics to remove all your body hair, probably within one week except for your beard that may take an additional few days. We then have a new laser-genetic technique that will re-define the outer layer of skin permanently along with a genetically formulated chemical that targets the unique signature of your epidermis creating the aura of beautiful skin. And then there is the modern plastic surgery that is based on computer models of your ideal female physical reconfiguration of your face. In other words, we do our best to make your face as beautiful as it can be. Then, we target the possible male baldness gene, eliminate it and genetically engineer the growth of luxurious hair. We can even prevent it from becoming gray…ever. We can even play with the shades of your hair and the speed at which it grows. Most of the other enhancements are optional and can be fine tuned to taste."

Terry's jaw must've dropped three inches as he listened. Finally, absorbing it all, he asked, "What other optional enhancements?" The woman kind of sighed and added, "Okay, breast implants, cheek implants, rib surgery, fat reconfiguration, butt implants, and so on. Most are reversible except things such as voice box surgery." Terry finally composed commented, "Won't we look like weird freaks?" The woman went on, "No, you won't. Take away the makeup and other feminine add-ons and routine activities such as grocery shopping, going to a ball game or anything else you've been doing can still be done without any fanfare. True, you will have a far more feminine face, skin, etc, but a lot of the look is how you carry yourself. Even with implants, loose clothing will hide just about anything. Wiggle around in a mini and heels and everyone will notice, otherwise, no problem."

Waiting for it all to sink in the room was silent for a minute. Finally, Kelly spoke, "And you will never have to work again in your life unless you choose to. The annuity and benefits are enough to live on even for the non finalists and we would consider you employees who could be earn additional income or you can find other jobs that suit your fancy. It would be your choice. But before you make up you mind, meet our staff, the doctors, tour the facility and see how this could be the opportunity of a lifetime. Our research and focus groups has shown us that many women really would enjoy this type of man. Kind of like a girlfriend with something extra when you need it. And our demographic research indicates that a huge chunk of the 21 to 50 market finds this subject fascinating and will tune in. We expect to have a huge audience and create a buzz that people will be talking about for many years."

The meeting continued on, however, Terry was starting to drift. The impact of the presentation was just starting to set in. His mind was a blur as he listened but had trouble taking it all in. Finally, Kelly finished by saying, "Okay, let's take the tour. If you have any questions we can answer them along the way. . Naturally, this project is a work in progress and there will be changes, I suspect, but you are being offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to solve all you money problems, never have to work again just to wear a dress on TV." Terry did not like being patronized, but the idea of never having to get up at 5 AM and take public transportation in the dead of the Boston winter was a powerful elixir. Terry just walked with the others who seemed anxious to cater to his every whim.

The tour included a visit to a "hospital room" that looked more like a research lab, a couple of surgery rooms, the workout gyms(s), pools, exercise rooms, walking trails, the three dining rooms, kitchen, pharmacy, guest rooms and cottages, meditation pond, bonsai garden, etc.. Boy, this ain't Boston thought Terry as he took it all in asking what he hoped were good questions. "What kind of drugs are involved?" Answer: No hormones. We do not want to block the manufacture of testosterone or reduce your natural sex drive. Of course, pain pills and vitamins and anti-biotics are going to be necessary. "Would we be allowed visitors?" Answer: This is a secure facility. Married contestants will have their spouses and on a case-by-case basis, we may allow visitors. "Can I leave?" Answer: Sure, anytime, but you risk forfeiture of pay, annuities, and a breach of contract lawsuit among other things. "How will I handle inquiring family and friend? Not that I have a huge family but I do have two ex wives." Answer: Let us handle that. You are on special assignment for our parent company and by contract, cannot compromise the operation. It will be clear that you are in no danger, but you must keep contacts restricted to email, phone calls etc. We don't mean to sound like a prison, but the contract allows us to the right to censor all correspondence and activity at this secure facility. That is why we chose such a remote location. "How will you guys make any profit?" Answer: True our budget exceeds $45 million in total expenditures; however, we know that the venture will be profitable. By the time Terry was escorted back to his room to prepare for dinner, his head was spinning.

That evening Terry met Kelly for dinner in the main dining room. He noticed that the place was nearly empty. They had a drink and a salad and Kelly eventually asked, "So what do you think?" Terry took a sip of wine and slowly replied, "That was some presentation. I have a lot to consider. Sounds like a life-altering event. At least my privates are not up for bid." Kelly replied, "And the best part is that you never have to work again if you choose not to." Terry answered, "Aah, $80k a year is good but not all that great." Kelly laughed and shook his head, "Actually, you could make a lot more and I know a lot of guys who would trade for an income like that for life plus benefits and possible employment." Terry lowered his voice, "Is this all legit?" Kelly sighed, "Yeah and guaranteed by the annuity company a highly rated independent outfit. Terry, take the tour again tomorrow and decide. If you don't grab it someone else will and I want you to be financially independent." Terry looked at him and concluded, "Okay, I'll take the tour….again."

The next day, Terry went through the facility yet again. It was almost empty except for security and after a full review of the place and reflecting on his life and his expectations, Terry decided to meet with the fortyish female with the rimmed glasses one more time at her administrative office in the main building. "If I sign, what do I have to do?" She replied, "Pack up, come here for the duration until at least the filming is complete and keep quiet about all that s going on. That is it." Terry paused, "No, what are you going to do to me?" She looked at him and replied, "Well, you would have to have the new almost painless electrolysis which is actually laser-genetic and a complete facelift. Most of the rest is optional." Terry asked, "Is this reversible?" The exec smiled and said, "Well, the first surgeries are really not reversible. Most of the optional stuff is easily removed or reduced these days. Kind of out patient procedures, as far as I know." Terry pressed on, "Are all the guys from Boston?" The woman really paused this time and kind of stammered, "Terry, the show is a work in progress and we are constantly revising things. However, you get the $80k per year for life, the benefits and the surgery allowances including reversals and a chance to compete for bigger prizes and what more can I tell you." Terry sat back and asked to look at the contract, the exec replied, "Not so fast. We need to have the Freudmeister give you a final okay.

"The Freudmeister" turned out to be a psychiatrist named Walter Weiss who ran the think tank state of the art research facility and was responsible for clearing all applicants for final approval. Terry entered Dr. Weiss' office in the Admin Building and was greeted by a kindly older man who offered him a soda and a large assortment of candy. Terry took the soda and passed on the candy.

Q. Terry are you straight?

A. Of course.

Q. Then why do you want to dress in women's clothing?

A. Doctor, if I knew, I would make a million dollars and not have worry in the world.

Hey, I am making a million dollars (laughter)

Q. Tell me a little about yourself.

A. Well, I am a college grad and….

Q. No. I mean about your cross-dressing.

A. Well, I must have started at a very early age. I can remember my parents not liking it

And they were embarrassed. I learned to do it in secret. I really enjoyed the clothes,

The makeup, all of it. I continued in secret all through my teens until college and

Started to dress in public. I was divorced twice by unaccepting wives and…..

Q. Does the lack of acceptance bother you?

A. Yeah, it sure does. I joined the Boston Bobby Soxers a support group for hetero

Cross dressers for support.

Q. What is your goal here?

A. Financial security and…I don't know

Q. Does the lack of acceptance by your wives hurt.

A. Yeah, an awful lot. Especially the second one, Pam; she and I were soulmates I

Thought. And I was upfront with her and she was supportive.

Q. What changed?

A. Well, we had financial woes and her mother thought that I was a freak of nature….I

Remember one time when………

Q. Want to take a break before we go on?

A. Yeah, sure, Doctor

 

And so it went as the doctor probed and probed. Terry saw many events flash by and he was candid in his reply. Finally, Dr. Weiss said, "Terry, I am not the Nominating Committee, however, I will submit my findings and they will be contacting you. Have you made any decision?" Terry looked at the Doctor and simply said, "Yes."

Terry O'Brian was lying in bed waiting for the bandages to come off reflecting on all the events of the past few months looking out the window towards the Santa Ynez Mountains on this balmy day in February, 2028.

 

(end part one)

  

  

  

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