How I Spent My Summer Vacation

by C. Sprite

 

Chapter Ten

 

I waited in bed until Lizbeth came to release me from the sleeping corset, and then took a relaxing bath. She returned to lace me into my daytime corset as soon as I was out of the tub, dried off, and powdered. I stood there in bra, panties, and padded brief while she tugged on the laces and then tied them off. The daytime corset was much more comfortable than the sleeping corset, but that's like saying it hurts less to fall on dirt than to fall on concrete. The goal should be to not fall on either one.

Lizbeth allowed me to wear a robe down to breakfast instead of making me dress right away. During breakfast I told her that the station had arranged for me to visit a boutique downtown that would receive credit for my wardrobe during the credits roll in exchange for providing my clothes.

"I know that store. They have a branch at the Mall."

"The personnel manager said that I had to go to the downtown store. That's where the store owner works and she has to approve all selections."

"Okay. I guess it's worth putting up with the limited downtown parking to get free clothes to wear."

I was looking forward to visiting the store because it was a sure bet that the clothes would be more comfortable than the ones that Lizbeth had fitted to me. And since I wouldn't own them, Lizbeth couldn't alter them.

 

Parking wasn't a problem because Nicole picked us up at the house and dropped us off while she was running errands. She told us to call her on her cell number when we were through.

The owner of the store, Mrs. Livingston, greeted us warmly. The station had notified her that I'd be by today.

"Congratulations, Miss James. I saw your debut report last night and thought that you did an excellent job. I liked that red dress that you wore. Red is such a powerful color for a woman."

"Thank you. I hadn't really expected to go on. Mr. Lewiston sort of made that decision on his own. He said later that it was better to have gotten it over with, then to have me thinking about it all weekend."

"He has a point. It's better to get things that would cause you anxiety, over with quickly. But you needn't have worried. You did wonderfully." She took my arm to lead me towards the back of the store. "Let me show you some things that I thought might suit you, and that will complement that beautiful hair and face."

The clothes that Mrs. Livingston had selected for me were beautiful. They were tasteful, of excellent quality, and most importantly, they would allow me to walk normally. As she was holding a dress against me, Mrs. Livingston put her hand on my side. "You're wearing a corset?"

"Yes, uh, I injured my back a month ago and I need it for support while I heal."

"Oh, tell her the truth, Ashley," Lizbeth said. To Mrs. Livingston she said, "Ashley is trying to train her waist to twenty inches, without the corset. She has a real hourglass figure, and likes to show it off. She doesn't like to tell people that because it makes her sound vain."

"Now that you mention it, I was a little surprised at the way the red dress was cut. And that skirt and blouse that you're wearing now really hugs your figure as well. Confidentially, if I still had a figure like yours, I'd show it off also. A little vanity is not a bad thing, Ashley, when you work hard to accomplish something. I assume that you'd prefer to wear tight fitting clothes?"

I opened my mouth to speak but Lizbeth started talking first.

"Oh, yes. The more form fitting the better."

"Okay. Let's forget about these things. Come with me and I'll show you some things more in line with your taste."

She led us to a section with Miss and Junior Miss clothing. Going through clothing racks at an unbelievable speed, she pulled a dozen dresses out and handed them to Lizbeth.

"Start trying those on while I look for a few more," Mrs. Livingston said.

Lizbeth and I headed towards a changing room to the sound of hangers being slid on the chromed metal bars.

 

By the time I had to start getting ready to head to the station, I had a collection of twelve outfits. Most were dresses, but there were a couple of blouse/skirt outfits as well. Mrs. Livingston had them covered in plastic so that I could take them with me. She told me to come back in two weeks and she'd exchange them for another group. I thanked her and she told me that she'd appreciate my mentioning the shop whenever anyone complimented me on the clothes. I told her that I certainly would, and after saying good-bye, Lizbeth and I left the store. Lizbeth had called Nicole fifteen minutes earlier and she was waiting for us out front.

Nicole headed straight for the station. For today, I would wear the skirt and blouse that I had left home wearing instead of putting on one of the new dresses.

 

After signing in and going to my desk, I wasn't sure what I should do, but I was assuming that I'd spend the afternoon practicing in the back-up studio. There was a note on my desk telling me to come see Mr. Graham when I arrived, so I put my purse in the file drawer and walked to his office, bringing the signed contract with me. He was in a meeting with half a dozen people and his secretary told me to have a seat.

The meeting broke up about twenty minutes later and I was told to go in. I walked in tentatively.

"Ashley, come in," he said. "Wonderful job last night. I knew that you were right for the job. I'm going to let you start tonight instead of waiting for Monday. Keith will show you how to pull up the weather script on your computer. Read through it so you'll be familiar with it, and be ready at six. And be sure to get a little makeup on tonight. You looked way too pale last night. Any problems?"

"No, sir. No problems. I brought the signed contract with me."

"Good girl," he said as he took the contract from me. "That's all."

I assumed that meant I was dismissed so I turned and left his office. I found Keith working in his office and told him what Mr. Graham had said.

"Yes, I told him that you were ready to start. Come over here and I'll show you how to pull up the script."

I watched as he clicked on different directory and file names in the computer. Today's script appeared on his computer monitor.

"Got it?"

"Got it. Do I need a password to get into the computer system?"

"Didn't Personnel give you one yesterday?"

"Not that I recall."

He picked up a phone and punched a few numbers. He explained what he wanted, wrote something down, and then hung up.

Handing me the piece of paper, he said, "Here's your password. It'll allow you read access to all the news and weather scripts."

"Thank you, Keith."

"My pleasure, Ashley. I'm delighted to have you here to relieve me of the nightly broadcast duties. I feel like I've been living here lately. It's been dark when I came in and dark when I left. I'm looking forward to leaving while it's still light out today."

I smiled. "Enjoy your early evening. I guess that I'd better get to work."

I was able to pull up the script on the computer on my desk and I reviewed it over and over and over until I could visualize the weather map that would be associated with it.

 

At five-thirty, Keith led me to a small makeup room just down the hall from the studio. It was in a hallway on the other side of the broadcast studio. The woman that had touched up my face during the interview, her name was Claire, was there, along with Don and Kay, who were being prepared for the first nightly broadcast.

"Hi Ashley," Don said. "We hear that you're going to replace Keith tonight."

"That's what I've been told," I said.

"Last night was the tough one," Kay said. "From here on out it'll seem easy."

"I hope so, because I've got giant butterflies in my stomach. Last night I was pulled into it so quickly that I didn't have time to think about it."

"You did great last night," Keith said. "There's nothing to worry about. Just do what I do and pretend that everyone at home is already asleep. Read the script, wave your arms a little, and turn it back over to Kay or Don, depending on what the control room says."

I giggled. "You pretend that everyone's asleep?"

"Why not?" Keith asked, smiling. "I've been told that if they're not asleep when I start, they certainly will be by the time that I finish."

I giggled again.

"He's not kidding," Don said, laughing good-naturedly. "I'm the one that told him."

It was clear that Keith didn't feel offended by the remark so I assumed there was a close bond of friendship between these two men. Kay seemed to be a bit more detached. Wanting to be friends, while still wanting to maintain a certain distance.

 

All kinds of thoughts ran through my head as I awaited my premier, my real premier since last night didn't really count. When the control room informed me it was my turn, and gave me the countdown following a commercial break, I waited one second and then read off the spiel that I had practiced in the office, all other thoughts not related to my presentation flying out of my head as I concentrated on coordinating my movements to the weather maps and the teleprompter script. At the conclusion, I turned towards Kay and said her name, which were the instructions that I was given by the control room. Kay thanked me and then continued with the news.

I took a deep breath, as deep as the corset allowed, and exhaled. I had made it through my first 'official' presentation. All I had to do for the rest of the broadcast was to stand around and look pretty, then walk to the anchor desk as the broadcast ended.

Once again I was congratulated by the studio staff after the broadcast ended and everyone went about their business. I walked back to the office with Keith, who had watched me from just off-camera.

"Excellent job, Ashley," he said. "You looked very natural on camera."

"I didn't feel that way. I was nervous-- but that stopped as soon as I started reading the script. I could never do it without the script and the teleprompter."

"Sure you could, it just takes a little more effort to do an impromptu report, but that will come with training and experience."

"Since the weather report doesn't change between six o'clock and ten, why don't we just tape the first nightly weather broadcast and play it at ten?"

"A lot of stations do. In fact many small stations just replay the entire evening news broadcast. But people are more demanding these days and the cable news networks have created an expectation that the broadcasts should all be live. People want up to the minute news, even though it usually half a day old anyway. When the weather is changing quickly, we do revise the report for every one of the four daily broadcasts. I don't get much rest during those days because I monitor the weather from my home lab and update the station scripts from there if necessary. And you'll have to be prepared for last minute changes. When we have quickly changing weather conditions, you'll be expected to do spot promos that will be broadcast during commercial breaks, telling people to stay tuned for the weather report."

"How much warning will I get for changes in the weather script?"

"I generally stop just before the broadcast begins so the weather person has a chance to read through it a couple of times."

"Just before the broadcast starts?!"

"After you've done this for a couple of weeks, that's all the time you'll need. It doesn't seem like very much time right now because you're still relying on rehearsing the scripts over and over. You'll do just fine."

Keith had more confidence in me than I had in myself. I couldn't imagine doing an impromptu weather report. He packed his briefcase and left for the night while I sat around looking at the continuous stream of national weather reports and advisories that filled the computer monitors.

 

The second broadcast of the night went like the first. I was nervous at first but that ended as soon as I started talking. Still, I was relieved when I spoke the final statement from the teleprompter, smiled, and sent the cameras to Don.

After the broadcast I returned to my desk and called the house. Nicole told me that Suzanne had already left for the studio, so I said goodnight to the few people left in the office and hurried out. Suzanne and Lizbeth were waiting at the curb in front of the entrance. I climbed into the back seat and Suzanne accelerated away.

"I'm so proud of you," Lizbeth said. "We watched both the six o'clock and ten o'clock broadcasts. You were great."

"Thanks. All I really do is read from the teleprompter though. It's not hard. You just have to concentrate on matching your movement to the superimposed weather map."

"I told all my patients today," Suzanne said, "that my cousin was the new weather girl. They were all going to tune in to watch."

"I'm glad that I didn't flub then."

"You did great. Lizbeth taped both segments. You can watch later if you want."

"Okay. Right now the only thing that I can think about is my stomach. I haven't eaten any dinner."

"Nicole cooked stuffed artichokes tonight. They're delicious."

"Great, I love artichokes. What are they stuffed with?"

"An egg and grated cheese mixture. She saved two for you."

"One," Lizbeth said. "Ashley has to watch her weight. She can have the other one for lunch tomorrow if she wants."

I groaned to myself as my stomach growled and rumbled at me. "But we have to cater the wedding tomorrow. We'll be working at lunchtime."

"Oh, right. I guess that you can have it for dinner tomorrow then."

I hoped that the one artichoke was going to fill me up, but I needn't have worried; they were enormous.

 

My dreams, or nightmares, were once again dominated with fabricated memories of me growing up as a girl, and of me living as a women. I pictured myself going to college as a woman, starting a career, and eventually getting married and raising a family. What should have been disturbing, had become commonplace, and I didn't even feel upset when I awoke. If my subconscious mind wanted to play this joke on my conscious mind, so be it. Once my two months were up, I'd become a boy again, and then I'd stop dreaming about being a girl.

We only took time for a quick breakfast because we had a lot to do. The day flew past and we were back at the house by the time that it was starting to get dark. I had envisioned a summer of swimming and playing, and instead found myself working seven days a week. After heating and eating my second artichoke, I started preparing for bed. I was really tired and we had to be up at five the next morning for our Sunday catering job.

It would have been nice if I could have slipped into bed without the sleeping corset, but Lizbeth followed me to my room and stayed around until I was tightly laced. I hadn't dared say anything about undoing the laces since the first time.

When she was finished, she said, "Wonderful, the corset is closed down to its smallest size. Now you only have to get used to that size. Isn't that wonderful?"

"Yeah, wonderful," I wheezed.

Lizbeth giggled. "Stop pretending that you aren't pleased. I know different. I saw the way that you were admiring yourself at the dress shop yesterday."

"I was just evaluating the way that the dresses looked on me."

"Sure, Ashley. You can lie to yourself, but not to me. Goodnight, cuz."

"Goodnight."

After Lizbeth left I thought about her words as I finished preparing for bed, and again after I had turned off the light and fallen onto bed. I had to fall because the long corset kept me from bending. Could Lizbeth be right? Was I admiring the shape that the constant wearing of a corset was giving my body? No, that was silly, I thought. It was only my subconscious mind that was thinking like that, wasn't it?

 

Five a.m. came all too quickly but at least it interrupted my dreams. I awoke to the sound of the clock radio and found that I was clutching a pillow. I had just been dreaming that I was with George. He had been kissing me and I had been kissing him, passionately. I tossed the pillow angrily to the side, turned off the alarm, and struggled to get out of bed.

Rolling to the edge, and using the iron headpiece of the bed to get to my feet, I put on my dressing gown and walked downstairs. I was the first one down but I could hear the water running in an upstairs bath. I heated a bagel and ate it while I waited. As soon as Lizbeth came down, she released me from my tormentor and I hurried to take a bath.

 

We were finished and back home by five o'clock in the afternoon. Lizbeth released me from my corset and I soaked away my aching muscles in a warm bath. After getting out, I dried myself and walked into my bedroom. I was shocked when I looked at myself in the mirror after putting on my panties and control brief. The extremely tight corsets were having a profound effect on my body and I stared at my shrinking waistline and hourglass shape. I wondered how long it would take for my body to return to its normal shape once I didn't have to wear one anymore. Lizbeth came in while I was still staring at myself.

"Don't deny that you were staring at your shape this time. I saw you. Are you ready to put your corset on?"

"One minute," I said as I quickly put on my bra and a slip, then stood in front of her so that she could wrap the corset around me.

When my body had once again been forced into the only shape permitted by the corset, Lizbeth said, "Larry and George will be here at seven. You only have an hour to fix your hair and get ready." She walked to my closet and began looking through my clothes.

"They'll be here for what?" I asked.

"We're all going to the movies."

"I'm tired."

"Okay, you and George can stay here. You two will have the basement all to yourself. Just don't get too carried away."

I backpedaled quickly. "On second thought, I'd like to go to the movies."

"Make up your mind. Okay, be ready by seven."

As soon as Lizbeth left I started working on my hair. I unwrapped the towel that was holding the damp hair and combed it out, then put it up in curlers. I hoped that it would be dry in time, or I'd be forced to blow it dry. I spent the rest of my hour fixing my face and then getting dressed in the skirt and blouse that Lizbeth had selected. The last ten minutes was spent in taking down my hair and finishing up. As it was, Larry and George had already arrived by the time I came out of my room.

George whistled at me as I entered the living room and I smiled. Walking over to me, he wrapped his arms around me. "How's my little slave girl tonight?" he asked jokingly.

"Happy at seeing her Lord and Master again," I answered in the same joking vein.

George lowered his head towards me, and without even thinking I leaned my head back and closed my eyes while wrapping my arms around his neck. It was an automatic reaction that I had seen myself perform a hundred, maybe a thousand times in my dreams. As his tongue pushed between my lips, I realized what I had just done. I was mortified that I had greeted him as if I was his female lover. I was already committed so I couldn't stop now, so I ran my tongue around his as he explored my mouth, but when I realized that my hands were stroking his head and ears, I forced myself to stop that much.

Lizbeth entered the room and said, "Okay you two, save it for later. We have to get going. I heard that the lines at the theatre have been extra long all weekend."

George pulled back his tongue and we separated, a string of spittle stretching out almost a foot before breaking. I hurried over to a mirror to repair my lipstick and George followed. He wrapped his arms around my waist, and nuzzled at my hair and neck.

"George," I said, "stop it and be a good boy."

"I can't help it. Your perfume drives me wild."

"I won't wear it anymore if you can't control yourself," I said giggling.

"Okay, I'll be good," he said as he let me go.

 

The line at the theatre extended well into the parking lot. We joined the queue and were happy that it at least seemed to be moving well. George and I were standing in front of Lizbeth and Larry, and although George had his right arm around my shoulders, I was just standing with my arms at my sides. I was lost in thought, thinking about my reaction when greeting George, when I suddenly felt somebody grab my left arm. I immediately realized that it was Lizbeth as she wrapped my arm around George's waist and pushed my hand closed around his left hip. As she let go, I moved my hand slightly, but left my arm around George. Thinking that I had initiated the display of affection, he squeezed my shoulder and pulled me more tightly to his side. I took a glance back towards Lizbeth and saw that she and Larry were both grinning like fools. I continued to hold George as the line moved forward but I also continued to worry over my reaction at the house. In just a week's time I had developed the automatic reactions of a young girl greeting her male lover. My subconscious must be working overtime to have brought me this far so quickly. With all the outside stimulation driving me towards womanhood, I knew I had to start fighting the takeover before I lost myself completely. My problem was that I didn't know how to completely immerse myself 24/7 in the persona of girl, necessary to maintain a flawless masquerade, while still maintaining my grip on reality that I wasn't a real girl.

In the theatre, I wound up holding the popcorn on my lap so that George could wrap his free left arm around me, while eating with his right hand. The seats had cup holders, freeing me from having to hold them as well. As the movie played, I found a comfortable place for my head on his shoulder and that's how I watched the show. Twice, his arm 'accidentally' slipped onto my left breast, but I pushed it back onto my arm.

I would have been satisfied if the end of the show was the end of our night out, but Larry and George came back to the house after the movies. I again felt that I had very little control as we wound up in the basement with the lights turned down to the absolute minimum. It was like one of my dreams as George and I shared one sofa while Larry and Lizbeth shared another on the other side of the large room, but because tomorrow was a workday, Larry and George had to leave at midnight. As Lizbeth tightly laced me into my sleeping corset later, I knew that my subconscious had new material to work with.

 

Despite my conscious wish to not completely loose my male identity, my dreams were again filled with visions of George and myself in various intimate situations. I awoke early and washed the sleep from my eyes before deciding to go downstairs instead of returning to bed.

I didn't know if it was the sensation of constriction from the corset, or something else, but I had begun feeling really bloated during the past couple of days. My legs and thighs seemed to be a little swollen. Suzanne and Nicole were having breakfast when I arrived downstairs so I mentioned it.

"Maybe it's that time of the month," Nicole jested. "I always swell up for a few days each month.

I didn't really catch the meaning at first. I guess that I was still a little asleep.

"You look fine," Suzanne said as she felt my legs. "It's probably one of the tablets that you're taking each morning. You were a little dehydrated so the doctor prescribed something that will cause you to retain a little more water. I can understand that you're feeling a little bloated, but it's just correcting a deficiency. You'll get used to it soon and it'll seem normal. You're looking much better than when you arrived two weeks ago. Come to the hospital Thursday afternoon and I'll give you another quick checkup." Suzanne was a nurse, so I naturally accepted her medical opinion.

Lizbeth was just coming down the stairs when Suzanne said to me, "You do make a beautiful woman, Ashley. Nature goofed when it didn't complete the job."

I noticed from the corner of my eye that Lizbeth was listening intently for my response. She was probably hoping that I'd start complaining about being forced to become a woman, so I decided to not only deprive her of this pleasure, but to totally frustrate her. "Yes, it's too bad. When I think of all the years I spent as a boy when I could have been girl, I want to scream."

"Really?" Nicole asked.

"Absolutely!" I said with dramatic effect. "Being a girl is infinitely better than being a boy. I'm delighted to be a woman now, and I feel so cheated by not being born this way. I'm so glad that I lost the bet to Lizbeth. I think that I've found myself at last."

Lizbeth's mouth twitched ever so slightly, but I caught the movement, while Suzanne and Nicole exchanged surprised glances. I knew that their extended punishment for my taking Nicole's pills was just one more in a lifelong series of pranks on their younger cousin. I wanted to laugh out loud but I completely suppressed the elation that I was feeling for the small victory that I had scored. It was the first time that I had felt the flush of victory since the bet with Lizbeth began. She may have won the bet and succeeded in turning me into a woman, but I would have the last laugh. Nicole finished eating and stood to leave, prompting Suzanne to finish quickly and follow her upstairs.

"What started that conversation?" Lizbeth asked.

"I mentioned to Suzanne that I was feeling a little bloated. She said that the vitamins must be causing me to retain a little water."

Lizbeth felt my arms, then bent and felt my legs. "They look fine to me. In fact they look better than fine because they're normal for a teenage girl. They were much too skinny before and it looked like you didn't have any subcutaneous fat at all."

"Sub what?"

"It's the fat layer below the epidermis. It helps give the female body its form. It gives us our rounder shapes and makes us feel softer than males. Your legs look great now. They look like a woman's should, instead of having the muscular look of a male."

"I feel fat. I've never felt this way before."

"It's all in your head. You look wonderful. As soon as you're through eating, I'll loosen your sleeping corset and you can go bathe. And when you're done we can finish altering the rest of your clothes."

I groaned silently. I knew that altering them meant making them more form fitting. I secretly longed for the old days when I could just throw on a baggy tee shirt and a pair of loose fitting jeans.

 

After my bath, I examined myself thoroughly in the mirror before getting dressed. There was no mistaking that my body was fuller and softer now. When I pushed a finger against my thigh, it felt soft and spongy instead of hard and muscular. As Lizbeth had said, they looked more like a woman's legs than the male matchsticks that I was a used to seeing down there. 'Even my body is conspiring against me to make me a woman', I thought as put on my bra and panties.

 

We spent the rest of the morning working on my wardrobe. Lizbeth altered the clothes until they showed off my enforced curves to the best advantage, but the skirts allowed me little freedom and required me to take twice as many steps as everyone else.

During the afternoon we practiced walking, sitting, standing, gesturing, and general comportment. I listened closely and followed all of Lizbeth's instructions. A lot of what she related to me reinforced mannerisms that I'd observed in watching my friends in high school, and which I'd struggled not pick up, but I knew that I had to use them now. I still had two months left on my sentence and the mannerisms would help me continue the charade. I only hoped that I would be able to unlearn them later.

 

Nicole picked me up later in the afternoon and drove me out to the station. Entering the lobby, my attention was immediately drawn to the large picture of me hanging among those of the station's on air personalities facing the entrance from behind the receptionist's desk. The red dress that I had worn that day, and my flowing blond hair, pulled my eyes to the picture, which would have been lost otherwise among the fifteen images of anchors, reporters, and weathercasters dressed in more conservative attire. The framed picture was enough to slow me, but what really brought me up short was the life-sized cutout of me that stood against a side wall, introducing me as KBXF's newest news team member, and encouraging people to tune in each weekday evening to watch me. I felt my cheeks getting as red as the dress in the picture as I logged in, smiled at the receptionist, and walked to my desk at the rear of the building.

"Good afternoon, Ashley," Keith said as he emerged from his office.

"Hi, Keith. Did you have a nice weekend?"

"Yes, I did. I relaxed and enjoyed myself. The weather cooperated by remaining predictable so I didn't have to worry about any last minute changes. I even went to the movies on Sunday. Was that your boyfriend I saw you with?"

"Uh, possibly. I went to the movies with George, but I didn't see you."

"I'm not surprised. I had gone to an earlier show and was getting into my car when I spotted that fabulous blond mane of yours from across the parking lot. I was too far away to call out without making myself look like an old fool. I suspected that he was your beau, considering the way you were holding onto each other. There are going to be a lot of broken hearts at the station and in this town when they learn that you're spoken for."

"What? I don't understand."

"Haven't you been watching the station's broadcast today?"

"Uh, no. Was I supposed to?"

"No, it's not required, but most of us tend to look in during the day to see what's going on. The advertising department has been promoting you all day in ten second spots."

"Promoting me?"

"Yes. They've been running clips of your Thursday broadcast, while telling people to tune in and see the new weathercaster on KBXF-TV. You'll probably also see the announcement in the newspaper, but the clips of you in the red dress are infinitely more enticing.

"I don't know what to say. Is this normal?"

"Yes. Whenever a new person joins the team, they send out a press release and run some promo spots, hoping to bring new viewers. Of course, when we get a new news team member who's also a beautiful young woman, they tend to promote quite a bit heavier. This is an entertainment business after all. Kay Peterson is likely to be jealous for a few days, but don't let her attitude get to you. She likes to believe that she's the main draw, and doesn't suffer usurpers lightly."

"I'm not trying to usurp her position. I'm only a weather girl."

"I know, but Kay can be a little paranoid at times. She's been energetically striving to move up to a network job, or at least a major station in a big city, but hasn't had any offers yet. She's constantly sending demo tapes out."

"I'm only here for the summer and then I go back to high school. She doesn't have to worry about me."

"I know. So does she, deep down. It's just that her paranoia might cloud her judgment a little, so don't take anything she might say too seriously."

"Okay, Keith. Thanks."

"Sure thing. I finished the weather script so you can start working on it whenever you're ready. I don't anticipate any changes."

 

I studied the script and planned my movements until I felt ready and then I walked to the makeup room. Neither Don nor Kay was there yet so Claire was able to start on me immediately. I was almost finished when Kay came in. Her face displayed impatience when Claire chose to finish me before starting on her. There was still a lot of time before the broadcast.

"I see they've been running your promo all day," Kay said. "Every time a new person joins the crew, they go crazy with promos. Don't let it go to your head. You're only the weather girl here."

"Oh, I won't," I said. "I'm only here for twelve weeks and then it's back to high school for me. I'm sure that the person replacing me will get as much, or more, publicity. I know they're only showing my picture because I'm the new face at the station."

My frank acknowledgment of the situation seemed to defuse her attitude. At least she didn't say anything more about it until Don came in.

"Hi Ashley," Don said, "your promo clip looks great. I understand that the office has been deluged with calls for publicity stills."

"I thought that a press announcement was sent out?"

"It was, but that that was just an email letter. The callers want pictures to run with the press release."

"Isn't that unusual?"

"Not where women are concerned. The papers know the value of running the picture of a pretty young girl."

Kay muttered something about "bunch of male chauvinists looking to elevate their vicarious sexual aggrandizements", followed by an "ouch" as Claire pulled an errant eyebrow hair. Claire smiled when Kay couldn't see her face.

Don grinned. "Got your script all set?"

"Yes, unless Keith has changed it on me since I came in here."

"Don't sweat it. You did so well last week that I'm sure you could handle a last minute change with ease. Just stay relaxed and roll with the punches. You're a natural for this job."

"Thanks, Don. Mr. Graham suggested that I consider journalism for a major in college."

"It's a great field, with lots of opportunity for somebody with your ease in front of a camera. Perhaps next summer a news reporting position will be open. It would be great experience for someone intending to make broadcasting into a career."

"Don't get her hopes up, Don," Kay said. "She's only done three live broadcasts so far. She'll need a lot more on air experience before she'd even be considered for a reporter position."

"Oh, I don't know," Don responded. "I think that Ashley has what it takes. She's obviously intelligent, a quick learner, and comfortable in front of a camera. Those are the three major requirements for this business. Add in her natural beauty and charm and she could make it really big. Perhaps one day we'll see her at the anchor desk of a major network news operation."

I knew that the last comment was a deliberate dig at Kay. It was Don's way of trying to bring her back down to Earth. Claire finished with Kay and moved to begin work on Don. Kay stood up and left without another word.

Don said, "Don't let her get to you, Ashley. She's just a little upset because you're getting all the attention right now. She'll calm down in a few days and become almost human again." He smiled and closed his eyes as Claire got down to work.

 

The first broadcast of the evening went well. There weren't any technical glitches and the script remained as it was when I studied it. The exaggerated motions that I made in front of the blue screen to indicate movement of weather fronts were already becoming automatic to me and I breezed through my short time in front of the camera.

Still, the feeling that I always had after the light on the camera winked out told me that I was tense while I was on the air. I hoped that it continued to appear that I was perfectly at ease.

Following the broadcast I returned to my part of the news office. Keith was gone, but his office, the station's weather center, was open and lighted. I spent some time watching the displays and trying to figure out how Keith did what it was that he does. With three hours between broadcasts, I would have to find something to kill time each evening.

 

The ten o'clock broadcast went as smoothly as the first and I was ready to leave the station at 11:30 when Suzanne arrived.

"I got a copy of my test broadcasts, and last week's three on-air broadcasts," I said. "One of the techs made it for me, just before he asked me out for a date."

"What did you say?"

"I told him that he was cute, and that I would be tempted if I didn't already have a steady boyfriend. Keith, the station's meteorologist, saw me at the movie theater with George on Sunday night so I'm sure that the word has gotten around that I'm unavailable. It'll make things a lot easier if I'm not getting hit on constantly."

"That's the price that you have to pay for being a beautiful woman, Ashley dear. Some guys won't come near you, figuring that you couldn't possibly be interested, and others will never leave you alone, figuring that you couldn't possibly not be interested in them. And some guys will hit on you simply because you’re unavailable."

"I thought that I had life pretty much figured out before becoming a woman."

Suzanne giggled. "The older you get the more you learn how much you don't know."

"At least you've had your entire life learning how to be a woman. I've spent my life in anticipation of being a man."

"Which do you prefer?"

"It's infinitely easier being a man. You don't have to worry about clothes, shoes, makeup, hair, nails, and a million other small details." Not forgetting my previous statements about how much I loved being a woman, I added, "But being a woman has changed my life. As a male I never felt sexy and no one paid much attention to me. Now I can't go anyplace without being stared at and lusted after. Guys at the station are always trying to help me, and do things for me."

"And you enjoy that?"

"I didn't at first because I wasn't used to it, but now I love all the attention."

"You'll have lots of time to enjoy the limelight. September is still almost three months away."

"But I only have two months left on my sentence."

"But you signed a contract to be a weather girl with KBXF until Labor Day."

"Only at night."

"And on weekends, if you want to continue working for Nicole and Powder-Puff Caterers."

"Okay, on weekends also."

"Do you really think that you can switch back and forth that easily?"

That had been my initial thought. After all, drag performers do it all the time; but thinking it through now I realized that it would be unworkable. It would take hours just to remove all outward traces of Ashley, such as painted toenails and fingernails, and then hours to prepare myself again. And I was not just performing on stage a couple of times each night. I had to be Ashley from the minute I arrived at the station, until the minute I left, and wherever I went out in public. The same was true with the catering job. "I guess not."

"So I guess that Ashley is here to stay until September."

I surrendered to the inevitable. I was Ashley full-time for the next twelve weeks, and Jimmy would have to fade into the background until it was time to return home.

(continued)

  

  

  

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