Change of Heart

by Jennifer White

  

Tom laid in the recovery room, glad to be alive. When his heart had failed, they had told him that there was almost no chance of finding a donor. But at the last moment, just when it looked like he was a goner, a heart showed up on the network that was a very close match. It was flown in, and after an incredibly long and complicated surgery, it was now beating in his chest. He was so thankful! But now he needed to rest. It would be a long recovery.

* * *

 

Tom was almost ready to resume his normal life. It had been a long hard process recovering from such a major surgery! The pain, the torment, the hard work. But now he was feeling much better, and was rapidly regaining his strength.

However, Tom was troubled by one thing. He had asked the doctors to tell him whose heart he now had, because he desperately wanted to thank the family, and do something for them.

"I'm sorry Tom, but that information is confidential. We cannot tell you who donated the heart, and we cannot tell her family who received it. That is part of the rules that the organ donation network puts in place. It protects both sides. It was enough losing their daughter in a car accident. It would be too painful for them to deal with. They are better off if you leave them alone. If you want to show your gratitude, you can give a donation to the organ network. And for god's sake, quit drinking and smoking, so that this heart has a chance."

"I already have quit. For life" said Tom.

It was true. He had resolved to quit many times, but never was able to go through with it. But now, after all these months of rehab, he was clean, and felt that he would never need to drink or smoke again.

He really did want to know where the heart came from though, and he smiled on the inside, because the doctor had let something slip. He had said 'her family'. So it was a woman who had donated her heart, which now beat inside his chest.

* * *

 

Before Tom could go back to work, he did some research on the internet. He looked up all car accidents across the entire country, but not near home. He knew they had flown in the heart, so it wasn't local. Then he narrowed down the list by eliminating ones where the person who died was male. That left 11 possible deaths that fit within the time frame where they could have brought the heart to him.

Digging in deeper, he found that 3 of them involved elderly people, whose hearts would not be good candidates for donation. And 5 were under the age of 10, again far too young to donate to an adult. That left only three more, that could be the one.

One of them was in Georgia, one in New York, and one in Illinois. Tom wondered if there was a way to narrow it down further, or if he would have to go there in person to investigate. He read each of the stories again, in full detail. He discovered that the New York accident involved a fire after the crash, and the victims had burned. That left only Illinois and Georgia. He vowed to find out which it was.

* * *

 

Tom had to concentrate on work for a while. He needed the money after such an expensive surgery. However, he had received donations, and that helped a little. But it was almost a year after his operation that he finally had enough money saved up in order to go on a trip.

He was feeling fine now, in better shape than he had been since he was a teenager. With a strong new heart, he was able to be athletic again. And without smoking and drinking, his health was *so* much better than before. He could hardly believe that he had ever done that to himself.

Tom drove to the airport feeling good. He was about to find out the truth, and find a way to repay the family of the woman that gave her heart to him. And the first stop was Illinois.

The flight to Chicago O'Hare was uneventful. Tom rented a car, and headed west, then south into the farm country of central Illinois. It was very flat land, but with rich soil that yielded a bountiful crop. He arrived at the little town where the woman had lived, and checked into a hotel. Actually, *the* hotel, since there was only one in the town. He had decided that he would pretend to be a reporter, and would start out by asking questions of the locals before he spoke to the family.

The next day, he started out poking around the town. The folks were friendly, and he sat around quite a gathering at the local bar, where the woman had worked. He wrote down notes as the waitresses told stories about her, and remembered her fondly. She seemed like such a wonderful person...the type that would have filled in an organ donor card. He was already rehearsing in his head what he would say when he met her folks.

"But it was so sad that they had to have a closed casket at the funeral" said the lady.

"Why was that?" he replied.

"Well, the body was crushed by the truck. It was the saddest thing I ever felt, knowing that she was lying in that box up on the table."

Tom almost cried himself. But now he knew something: that woman, as wonderful as she was, could not have been his donor. It must have been Georgia.

* * *

 

The next day, Tom was again flying, but this time to Atlanta. He sat next to a nice older lady, who was quite a talker. She talked the whole trip in fact, with her slow southern drawl. It sounded very melodic to him. And the funny thing was, that accent was almost addicting. Because as he said good-bye to her, he noticed that just a tinge of it had crept into his own voice.

"No wonder they all talk like that down here, its so easy to pick up" he thought.

Tom rented another car, and drove towards the small southern town where Jolene Henderson had grown up, and lived all 26 years of her life. He was sure that she had to be the one who had donated her heart. But just as in the little town in Illinois, he would do some legwork first, to confirm it.

 

Tom checked into the motel, and unpacked his bags. He hung up his clothes, so they wouldn't get too wrinkled. He was unsatisfied at how most of them looked, so he got out the ironing board and iron from the closet, and went to work. He hadn't ironed since he could remember, but he felt a lot better once his clothes looked neat and clean.

Next, Tom drove around the town to get a feel for this place. Something about the town seemed very familiar, but he couldn't put a finger on it. It was like seeing a place that you had visited in a dream. It was elusive, but he had the strongest sense of Deja Vu, that he had been there before. Perhaps it was the smell of the air. Perhaps it was the way one small town looked like the next. But Tom could not shake the feeling that he had been there before.

He parked his car at the diner, knowing that it was the spot where the best gossip would be going down. He took a seat at the counter, and looked up to see a pretty young girl, with long hair. He immediately knew that her name was Lisa.

"How did I know that?" he thought, but then he saw the name tag on her shirt. He must have glimpsed that before. How would he have known her name otherwise?

"Hi Lisa. I'd like a cup of coffee, black" he said.

"I'm sorry, I don't know your name" she replied. "You sound like you're from around these here parts, but I don't know you."

Had that southern drawl crept into his voice that much? He hadn't even noticed.

"My name is Tom. I am a reporter, and I'm here to do a story on Jolene Henderson. You knew her, didn't you?"

It was a hunch, but one that turned out to be spot on.

"Yes, she was my best friend. We haven't talked about Jolene around here in quite some time. Her folks are still really shook up about it."

"I can understand" said Tom, taking out his notepad. "Tell me what you know about her."

"Well, she was the nicest kindest person I have ever met. She took in stray animals, and nursed them back to health. She donated her time to help children, like helping tutor at the school, or volunteering to be a lifeguard at the pool in the summer."

Tom wrote notes as Lisa spoke.

"And she would never hurt a flea. She helped people, even in death. Did you know that she donated her organs, so that someone could have a new heart or a new liver?"

Tom put a star next to Jolene's name, and circled it. Bingo, he had found his donor. His heart (her heart really) was beating rapidly with excitement.

"I've got to go wait on some other customers. Why don't we meet for dinner, say 8:00 at Jimmy's? Its the best restaurant in town, and it was Jolene's favorite. Do you know where it is?"

"Sure, 5th and Elm. I'll see you there at 8:00" said Tom. He must have passed the restaurant when he drove around, because he could picture its location in his mind. Spending a dinner with Lisa also sounded inviting. He would spend the rest of the day exploring the town, and meet up for his dinner date later on.

* * *

 

Tom changed into a clean shirt for dinner. He had walked around the streets of the town, and was somewhat sweaty from the heat and humidity. He showered, shaved, and put on one of the clean shirts he had ironed. It was just five blocks to Jimmy's, so Tom walked it.

The cleaners must have put too much starch into his shirt or something, because as he walked, his chest itched. He scratched it several times, but the itching didn't stop. He would just have to ignore it.

When he arrived at Jimmy's, he asked if he could sit at the table in the corner, which looked to be the best seat in the place. A few minutes later, Lisa arrived, looking much prettier, now that she was in her own clothes, rather than a uniform at a diner.

"This was Jolene's favorite table too, you know" she said. "Its so funny that you picked this one. Did you ask the waiter?"

"No, I just asked for this one."

"Well, that's perfect Tom. Now lets order, I'm starving."

They looked at the menus, and put in their orders. Tom was tired of the usual food you got when traveling, so he deiced to get something local, that was a little different.

"I'll have the catfish, hushpuppies, and cole slaw" he said.

"That was Jo's favorite dinner here!" said Lisa. "You're just fitting right in, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I guess so" said Tom. It was scary how often he was starting to see these coincidences. But Lisa was talking, and in no time, it was like being with an old friend. They mostly talked about Jolene, but sometimes they'd talk about Lisa too, and what she was doing.

Suddenly, Lisa stopped, and stared at Tom's face.

"You're not putting me on about being a reporter, are you?" she said, making him feel his heart in his throat.

"Why would you say that?" he asked.

"Well, its two things. First of all, there's your face. Something about your face looks familiar. I didn't notice it at the diner, but now I'm sure I can see a resemblance. Something in your eyes, or your nose. You're not related to Jolene, are you?"

"No.." he said. He didn't want to mention his heart yet though.

"And then there's the way you look at me. I don't mean to sound conceited, but men always make eyes at me. They stare at my boobs because they're so big. But you look me in the eye. You talk to me like a friend, not a man who's trying to get me into bed with him. And I feel like I know you already, even though you're a stranger. Oh, now you're going to think I sound stupid. I shouldn't have said that."

"Lisa, you are a very honest person. That is a good thing. I think *more* of you because you said something like that."

"That's what Jo used to tell me. You act just like her, you know. Look, I'm really tired, after being on my feet all day. Why don't we talk some more tomorrow?"

"Okay" said Tom. "I'll call you."

"You do that" said Lisa.

Tom realized that he forgot to ask for her number, but he decided that it was a small town, and there couldn't be that many names in the phone book. He'd find her.

He walked back to the motel, and went into his room. He double locked the door, and got ready for bed. He kept his T-shirt on, instead of sleeping in just his boxers as he normally did. Perhaps it was because his chest still itched, but he didn't feel comfortable sleeping without a shirt on for some reason.

* * *

 

In the morning, when Tom showered, he looked at his chest as he itched it. It was funny how it keep feeling like it did. There was definitely something wrong with it; not only did it itch, but there was definitely some swelling, particularly around the nipples. He would try harder not to itch it, if irritating it was making it swell up.

Tom put on his pants, and was pleased to find that they were a little loose on him. His diet was finally paying off. He had to tighten up his belt a notch more than normal to keep it snug. He was going to head down to the county records office to look up what information he could find on Jolene and her family.

After hours of research, he found that her parents, Jack and Lillian had her, then a year later they had a second daughter named Amanda. Jack and Lillian had a small farm, and Amanda still lived with them, being 19 years old. Jolene would have been 20 if she was still alive today, which made him feel sad.

Everything he found about Jack and Lillian made them sound like wonderful people. It was so unfair that something terrible like Jolene's car accident had to happen to a nice family like that. He shook his head. The world was a very unfair place sometimes.

Tom got back to his room, and decided to call Lisa. He picked up the phone, and dialed her number. It was one of those easy to remember numbers, and his fingers flew, as if he had dialed it a million times before.

"Hey Lis, what's up?" he said.

"Who is this?"

"It's Tom"

"Oh, Tom, sorry, your voice sounds so much different on the phone I guess. So, do you want to meet for dinner again tonight?"

"I'd love to" he replied. "I would offer to cook myself, but I'm at a motel here..."

"Then lets hit PJ's for some barbecue."

"Deal" said Tom, already tasting the ribs.

 

At 5:30, there was a wait for the few tables that PJs had, so Tom and Lisa stood outside as they waited.

"How's Pete doing?" asked Tom.

"Pete? I haven't been going out with him for ten months. How do you know about Pete?"

"Didn't you say something about him?" asked Tom. How else would he have known Lisa's boyfriend's name?

"I don't think I told you about him. He's old news anyway. I'm with Charlie now" she said.

"Charlie?" said Tom in a skeptical voice.

"Yes, Charlie. He's not as bad as you all think. Its not his fault he got laid off. He'll get a job soon."

"You're not paying for him when you go out, are you?" asked Tom. It was like Charlie to freeload off of others.

"Yes, but it's not what you think."

"I can't tell you how to live your life Lisa, but there are a lot of better choices for you out there than Charlie Peterson."

Lisa glared at him angrily. How dare he tell her that? She didn't even really know him, and he was talking to her like her friends did. And what did he know about Charlie Peterson? He wasn't even from around here! Jolene had always hated Charlie, and Lisa knew that she would have been upset at her too. Perhaps this Tom had really known her, and wasn't telling her everything.

"Tom, table for two" said the waitress, breaking the uneasy silence.

They went in, and took their seats. They ordered their dinners right away, since they were so hungry. They didn't even need menus. Tom ordered the half slab, with the spicy sauce. Lisa ordered the same.

"Tom, I get the feeling that you're not telling me something" she said. "You say you're a stranger here, but you seem to know things that only a local would, like what's the best thing on the menu at the restaurant, or how Charlie acts, or other things. You're holding back on me."

"Lisa, I'm sorry, I don't want to make you feel bad. Yes, there is something I'm not telling you, but I want you to know that I never meant in any way to hurt you or upset you. I am here in town because of Jolene. I want to find out about her, and get to know who she was. I have a personal reason that I'll tell you soon, but for now, I just want your help. I want to really *know* her."

The waitress brought out their orders, and they ate as they talked more about Jolene. After they were done, the headed over to the bar for a beer, and more talk. They went until closing time.

"Let me walk you home" said Tom. "Just to be safe."

"I can drive" said Lisa.

"Yes, but we've both drank too much. Its only five blocks anyway!"

Lisa wondered how Tom would know where she lived. But then she realized that he must have looked it up in the phone book. She took him up on his offer. A girl can't be too careful.

They walked to Lisa's house, and Tom seemed to know the way, including the shortcut through Miller's Park. Lisa really doubted that we wasn't a local. He was really hiding something. But she wasn't sure what.

 

After they said good night to each other, Tom walked back to the motel. He was tired, and went right to sleep.

* * *

 

In the morning, Tom showered. He normally shaved too, but he really didn't need to today, so it wasn't worth doing. He looked in the mirror, and noticed that his chest was even more swollen than the day before. He was going to have to see a doctor for sure. This wasn't right. There was almost an inch of swelling now, and it was a wider area than yesterday. His nipples were inflamed too, looking larger than normal, and they really itched.

He put on his shirt, and was embarrassed that you could see the outline of his nipples through the fabric of the shirt. So he put on an undershirt too, but you could still see something if you knew where to look.

When he put on his pants, it was strange how he had to go *two* notches tighter than usual. Perhaps he had been a little too loose yesterday? But when he pulled his belt tight, it almost looked in the mirror like his hips were wider than his waist. That made his butt look big he thought.

Why was he so cranky this morning? He just felt grouchy. He decided that he needed a cup of coffee, to wake up a bit. He went to the restaurant across the road, to get a quick bite and some coffee.

As Tom sat and ate his omelet, he felt several people staring at him. They would turn away when he glanced up. He caught wisps of several whispered conversations. Why were they talking about him like that, afraid to let him hear?

Perhaps he was just being paranoid. He went back to his room. He felt very very tired, which was unusual for him. He normally had a lot of energy. But he was just rundown today. Perhaps it was a good day to just rest, and read a book. He went down the street to a local bookstore, and looked through the piles of books. None of them looked too exciting, until he saw 'Bridget Jones Diary'. That sounded really good, so he bought it, and went back to the room to read it.

The book was very funny and entertaining, and Tom really enjoyed it. The time flew as he read through page after page. He felt like he could really relate to her life, and all that she had to go through.

Refreshed from reading, he was ready to go out now. But as he looked in the mirror, he shook is head. His enlarged nipples could clearly be seen under his shirt, and he was embarrassed. He decided to go over to the drugstore, and get something to hide them. He couldn't let people see him like that!

At the drugstore, he bought an Ace bandage. It also bothered him a little that he had let his hair grow out too long. He needed a haircut after all this time on the road, but he hadn't found the time to get to a barber. He grabbed a scrunchie, so that he could pull it tight in the back and keep it out of his face.

Back at the hotel, he put the scrunchie in his hair, and wrapped the Ace tight around his chest. Now his nipples wouldn't be an embarrassment to him. He was now ready to go out and do a few other things. He wanted to find out more about Jolene, and he remembered something that Lisa had told him: Jolene's parents weren't rich, and they had to sell some of her things to raise money after the accident. Lisa said that some of it was still on sale at the antique store on Main street, so Tom went to check it out.

When he walked into the store, his eyes were immediately drawn to a ring that was sitting in a glass case in the front of the store. He asked the clerk about the ring, and about its origins. It was a simple gold ring, somewhat tarnished with age. It had a red stone in it, but it didn't look brilliant enough to be a valuable ruby or anything. Tom was no jeweler, but even he could tell that this ring had more value in sentiment, then in price.

"This ring belonged to a poor young woman who was killed in a tragic accident. It is an antique, but her family is selling it here on consignment, because they need the cash."

"So if someone buys it, you get a percentage, and they get the rest of the money?"

"Exactly" said the clerk.

Tom didn't need to think long. If he bought this ring, and a few of her other belonging, he would be directly helping her family. It was a no-brainer.

"I'll take the ring" he said. "What else of hers do you have? This is such a good bargain, and if someone has to make money, it might as well be the poor family. They must really be suffering."

"Yes they are" said the clerk. "They hated having to sell her things, but they had no choice."

Tom decided that he would buy the lot of it, and when he went to meet them, he would give it all back to them, as his way of saying 'thanks'. He looked over Jolene's other belongings that were on sale. There were a couple of books, an old beat up acoustic guitar, a necklace, ear rings, and several items of clothes.

He bought it all on the spot, paying on his credit card. The clerk was very exciting. Business was slow in such a small town, and there had been very few visitors lately. The locals were reluctant to buy something of Jolene's, thinking it was too creepy, or that it would cause bad luck. She thought how happy Jolene's folks would be to get a cash payment that afternoon. She would close the store as soon as this nice man left, and bring them the money right away.

 

Back at the room, Tom looked at Jolene's things. He decided to hang her clothes up in the closet, to keep them looking nice. The undergarments he put into one of the dresser drawers. Then he put the books on the shelf, next to his other newly purchased volume. The jewelry he laid on the desk for now, and he stared at it.

Tom grabbed at the Ace bandage below his shirt again, and pulled it up. It kept slipping down on him, not wanting to stay in place. He was getting frustrated at how uncomfortable it was too. He needed something that stayed in place, and wouldn't keep slipping down. And something that was more comfortable against his skin, which was too tender to have an athletic wrap around it.

An idea flashed into Tom's mind, but he immediately rejected it. But after trying to think of something else for nearly twenty minutes, he decided that there was no other alternative. He removed his shirt, then undid the bandage. His chest felt better already, being allowed to sit in place naturally, instead of being pressed in tight by a bandage. He didn't think he had applied it too tight when he put it on, so it must have just gotten tighter to constrict him on its own.

Tom walked over to the dresser, opened the drawer holding Jolene's things. He pulled out a bra. It had straps that would keep in from slipping off his chest. It was made of a comfortable material that wouldn't irritate is sensitive chest area. And it was thick enough that it would hide his enflamed nipples. It was perfect, if somewhat embarrassing to think about.

He put his arms into the loops, and pulled the bra up to his chest. It felt cool, smooth and silky. Unlike the rough athletic wrap, it seemed to caress his sensitive chest with it's creamy fabric, providing gentle support as well as smoothing out his front. He was surprised how much of the cups seemed full. His chest had swollen more than he had realized. Perhaps it was because he had wrapped it too tight, and now it was even more inflamed. He really needed to see a doctor about this condition, quickly. It wasn't getting any better. But as most men do, he though of himself as invulnerable, so he didn't go right away, but delayed further, making an excuse in his mind.

Tom put his shirt back on, and tightened his belt. His diet was really paying off now. He had lost quite a bit of weight since he had arrived in town. In fact, his clothes felt too loose on him. Perhaps it was time to reward himself with a new outfit. He went onto main street, and into a clothing shop.

Tom first tried on several pairs of jeans, but nothing fit him well. They just weren't cut right. He asked the salesgirl if she would measure him, and help him pick out a pair. She used the tape measure, thought a bit, then returned with a pair of jeans from the back.

He put them on, and they fit wonderfully. Instead of being tight in the hips but overly loose in the waist, these flared out somewhat at the hips, then tapered at the top. They were somewhat shorter than most jeans he had owned, but they seemed so right for him that he decided to take them.

Next, he found a couple of tops that weren't nearly as loose as the one had had been wearing. He picked out a white tank top, and a black shirt with long sleeves. He paid the girl, took them back to the hotel, and took off his clothes so that he could put them on.

Tom first put on the white tank top, then took off his own jeans. He removed the tags from the new ones, and was about to put them on. But there was a problem with his underwear. Just like his jeans, they were too loose in the waist, but snug at the hips. He looked at the panties in the drawer of Jolene's clothes, and noticed how they were cut with a line that would fit him better. He slipped on a pair of the pink ones, and felt the smooth fabric against his skin. The elastic at the top was just the right tightness now, instead of being loose like his own boxers. They were so much more comfortable!

Now he pulled on his new jeans. They fit perfectly. He looked in the mirror to admire his new outfit, and gasped. The jeans accentuated his narrow waist but wide hips, making him look almost like a.....girl. And with his inflamed chest, and the tight tank top, it almost looked like he had....breasts. Also like a girl.

In a panic, Tom looked at the tag for the jeans. How had he missed the fact before that they were *girl's* jeans? He was now wearing a bra, panties, and girl's jeans! He looked at himself in profile. His chest was sticking out away from his body. It *did* look like he had breasts. And longer hair, pulled into a ponytail.

Tom looked down at the jewelry laying on the counter in front of him. Without really thinking, something made him pick up the ring, and slip it onto his little finger. To his great surprise, it fit perfectly. He would have thought that Jolene would have had smaller hands than he did. But this ring fit perfectly. He just knew somehow that she had worn it on her pinkie.

Now he picked up the necklace, and put that on too. If he was going to wear some of her clothes, and her jewelry, then he might as well put on the necklace too. It dangled down low enough that it fell into the gap between his breasts.

Something now stirred within Tom, driving him on. If he had gone this far, then he might as well go all the way. He took off his new girl's jeans, and his tank top. We went into the closet, and took out one of Jolene's white tops. It was made of a soft thin white material. It felt wonderful against his skin, but you could clearly see the bra underneath it. If he wore this, there would be no doubt in anyone's mind that he was wearing a bra, and that he had breasts. It even made it almost look like the cups of the bra were completely full now, which he knew couldn't be true.

Then Tom put on Jolene's skirt. It was black, and form fitting. He had never worn a skirt before, but it made him feel...special. He looked in the mirror.

"I'm pretty" he whispered in amazement. He really was. Dressed in her things, he looked more like a girl, then he did a guy. He touched his soft face, which he hadn't needed to shave in days now. He cupped his hands over his enlarged breasts. Had they felt so full this morning even? It was like they continued to swell, minute by minute. He was terrified over what was happening to him, but instead of taking everything off, he felt driven to continue, even further.

Tom put on a pair of Jolene's shoes which had come with her clothes. He felt so wonderful dressed up in all this fancy gear! He had never realized that women were so lucky to be able to wear such wonderful clothes! It was a shame that he would never be able to dress like this himself. At least in public. It felt so good to have his body surrounded by these lovely things. He felt giddy.

 

The phone rang, interrupting Tom's train of thought.

"Hey Tom, it's Lisa. I'm in the lobby. I'll be right up."

Tom hung up, and hurried to straighten up the room. There were clothes everywhere on the floor and on the bed. He didn't want her to think that he lived like a pig, so he had to clean it up quickly. Just as he finished, there was a knock on the door. He unhooked the chain, turned the dead bolt, and opened the door to let Lisa in.

"Oh my god!" said Lisa, as she looked at Tom. "Tom?"

"Yes, of course. Don't you recognize me?" he replied. It was only then that it hit him that he was still dressed up in Jolene's clothes. She must think that he was a total freak, dressing in girls clothes.

Lisa put her hands over her mouth, and gasped. Tears welled up in her eyes. She looked like she was going to faint. She let go of the door, and it closed on its own.

Lisa staggered to the side of the bed, and sat down. Her knees were like rubber, and she was having trouble keeping herself steady.

"You look like you've seen a ghost" said Tom.

"I think I have" said Lisa.

"What do you mean?"

"Have you ever seen a picture of Jolene?" she asked.

"No" he replied.

Lisa opened her purse, and pulled out a smaller wallet inside. She opened the snap, and dug through a stack of family photos. She came across one of her and Jolene, and handed it over to Tom.

"She's pretty" he said. "You two look so happy together."

"That was from the night when our volleyball team won the county tournament. We were so happy!"

Tom nodded his head. Both girls in the picture were just beaming.

"Now Tom, go look in the mirror" said Lisa.

Tom stood up, and walked to the mirror. He looked at his reflection, and it was still a shock to his system to see himself dressed up in female garb. It made him look very pretty. He then looked at the photo of Lisa and Jolene. Now it was Tom's turn to gasp.

The image of Jolene in the picture and the image in the mirror were nearly identical. The eyes, the nose, the hair, the chin....all the same. Perhaps Tom's shoulders were a little broader than Jolene's, and perhaps her bust was slightly fuller than his. But they were so close in appearance, that he could easily pass as her sister.

How could he have not noticed changes like this? His very face had changed dramatically in the past few days since he reached town. He remembered someone saying how he looked like he could be related to Jolene after he arrived here. But his own face was so different from the one he now beheld in the mirror, he knew that it must have started morphing into her face, as soon as he arrived in town here.

"I bought Jolene's things in the store" he said, almost to himself. "And I felt so driving to put them on. And now I seem to look just like her."

"You were much taller than me when you arrived" said Lisa. "But look now: you're only a few inches taller. Jolene's size."

He hadn't realized either how he had shrunk in stature.

"Its almost as if.....I'm becoming her" he said, not wanting to believe it.

"You've got her face" said Lisa. "I can't believe I'm seeing Jo's face when I look at you. And you've got boobs! You look like a girl now. I hate to ask this, but what do you have between your legs?"

Tom reached down there, but he couldn't feel anything through his tight skirt. He undid it, and took it off. Looking in the mirror, it was clear from how his panties laid flat against him in front, that he no longer had anything poking out. Now he had different plumbing; something that went *in*.

"I'm a girl..." he said breathlessly.

"Not just any girl. You're Jolene" said Lisa.

"I'm Jolene?" he said, not wanting to believe it. But it was true. The mirror didn't lie. And he had changed further, just in the past hour. His bra was tight on his boobs now, and their weight pulled downward on the straps. He could feel them digging into his shoulders now.

Everything about him was feminine, his skin, his curves, his bust, his face, his crotch. He was a girl now, in every way. Jolene.

 

"I want to see Papa and Ma" he said.

That shocked Lisa, even more. The voice was much closer to Jolene's now, than Tom's. But he also somehow knew the same names that Jo had used to call her folks. Ever since she was little, there were Papa and Ma. Nobody else called their folks that way. It had to be her. Not only was Tom becoming her in body, but in mind too. She wondered if he even realized it.

"Are you sure you want to do that? Maybe you should go away from this place."

"No. Are you going to drive me there, or do I have to call Billy Johnson to come pick me up?"

So this Tom knew about Billy too. He really *did* have Jolene's memories, it seemed. Lisa didn't want Jo riding with that scummy boy, so she agreed to drive.

"Very well. I'll take you. But we need to wait for dark. If people in this town see you walking around like that..."

"Then what?" asked Tom.

"They'll think you are Jolene. I don't even know what they would do."

* * *

 

Two hours later, Lisa decided that the coast was clear. She was parked outside the door of the motel, so she made sure the coast was clear, then hurried Tom into her car. The drove out of town, then down a country road towards the farm where the Henderson farm was located.

They made a left at the old silo, and Tom lit up.

"I remember this place. You and I went into the barn across the field to get out of the rain, and we saw all those cats. Then we hid because we thought that the old farmer had seen us."

"You were the one who was scared. *I* wanted to stay, but you made us go out in the rain."

"I did not! I wanted to go up in the loft, remember? But you said it was too dark, and you were afraid there would be mice or spiders up there."

This was a reoccurring argument that Lisa had with Jo many times. The would never settle it. It dawned on her that this person who had been Tom was now talking with Jolene's voice, and remembered things that only Jolene would remember. Was he even Tom anymore?

"Take a left, up here" said Tom.

"I know where your house is Jo! I've been here what? Ten thousand times?"

"I'm sorry Lis, I was just all excited to be home again."

The car pulled into the driveway. There were no lights on in the house, and the old Buick was nowhere to be seen. Jolene's parents must have been out at someone's house for dinner. Lisa and Tom got out of the car, and started to walk over to the barn. They smelled the sweet hay, gave sugar cubes to the horses, then sat down to talk until the Hendersons returned.

"Am I talking to Tom now? Or Jolene?" said Lisa.

"Lis! It's me! Jolene!"

"I can tell. Only you would blame me for getting scared at the old barn..."

"Don't go there! I can't take any arguments right now."

She said it with a smile of course, being as much a mutual joke as a true point of disagreement between the two girls.

"How is this possible?" asked Lisa, still in shock that her girlfriend had returned from the dead.

"Well, I remember being in the car. Then there was a bang!, and everything went black. Then I saw a bright light, and I went towards it. The closer I got, the brighter it was. Soon, I was surrounded by only the purest white, and this shining light. I was floating, but still moving towards it."

Lisa nodded her head. It sounded like a near-death experience that she had read about in a book once.

"When I was close enough that I felt like I could touch the light, I knew I was in a holy place. I knew who it was I was seeing."

"God?" asked Lisa.

Jolene nodded her head.

"Then she spoke to me."

"She?"

"Yes. She. She spoke to me, and told me that it was an act of evil that had caused me to die, and it wasn't my time yet. I had good work left to perform on earth. She said that I was going to be sent back, and to make the most of my time."

It was yet another big surprise for Lisa today. It really was Jolene that was back. Sent by God herself.

"Then I moved away from the light. The next thing I knew, I was in a man's body. I could hear his thoughts. They were so loud, pounding in my head! I could barely think anything on my own. And I had no control over what I did. His body just did whatever *he* wanted. It was like I was just along for the ride."

"That must have been awful" said Lisa.

"I don't know what was worse: being a man, or not having any control over myself. But over time, I started to grow stronger. I could start to think again, and soon, my thoughts were almost as loud as his. Then one day, I thought something, and he did it! For the first time, *he* responded to what *I* wanted to do."

"So you started to take control?"

"I never thought of it that way. But yes, bit by bit, I started to make him do what *I* wanted. He never noticed that it was me putting thoughts into his head. Even up to the very end, he barely noticed that he was turning into me. I just sort of imagined myself being back in my old body, and bit by bit, it started to change into this."

She waved her hands gracefully over her body as she said 'this'.

"How did you get him to dress up in your clothes?"

"Well, after I bought my old clothes, and took them back to the room, he wasn't happy with the Ace bandage he had wrapped around his chest, trying to hide his titties. So I put the idea into his head to wear my bra, because it would be softer, and not slip off like the bandage. Once he did that, I was more in control. I think he *liked* being pretty."

"You think?"

"Yes, because he started to get quieter and quieter. By the time we got in sight of home here, I couldn't hear him anymore. I think he's still inside me, unable to do anything. Just like how I was when I first came back here to earth."

"So he's just along for the ride, hearing your thoughts and feeling your feelings?" said Lisa.

"Yes, I think so."

"What was heaven like" asked Lisa.

"It was more like a feeling than a place. It was pure love, light and happiness. It was perfect, except for one thing: my family is here. My friends are here. You are here. This is where I belong for now. One day, I'll return there, but I have work to do here first, to make the world a better place. And I want to have children of my own. And find love. I want to live a full life first."

"It's great to have you back Jo" said Lisa, giving her a big hug. The girls were smiling and crying at the same time.

 

The beep of a car horn sounded. Jolene immediately recognized the distinctive sound as the horn of her father's old Buick. The ran out of the barn, her arms outstretched, her long hair flying behind her, as she raced to be reunited with her beloved Ma and Papa....

  

  

  

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