Chapter 7

"That is not Crystal. That is Miss Prudy. The love of your life. Put all other thoughts out of your head. Fill your head and your heart with lust for the beautiful creature in your arms. You would die for her. Kill for her."

"But Mr. Tucker, it’s just that Crystal is..."

"I told you, that is not Crystal. It is Miss Prudy."

"Very well, it’s just that Miss Prudy is…."

"Is what, dear boy. Say it."

Miss Prudy is a minor. I can’t kiss a child."

"There are no children here. Only actors. And real actors transcend the boundaries of the physical world and exist on a metaphysical plane. Now take the love of your life in your arms and kiss her."

Captain Martin took hold of me and bent me over backwards, as Mr. Tucker had done, and kissed me. I heard clapping and supposed that it was Mr. Tucker simulating audience reaction. Captain Martin stayed with his lips pressed to mine until the clapping stopped. Then he slowly backed off and raised me up. I immediately went into character and we finished up the scene. Mr. Tucker was pleased with the initial attempt, but pointed out some flaws and had us practice it over and over again. After a dozen kissing scenes, Captain Martin had overcome his original hesitancies and treated me as if I was truly the love of his life. For my own part, I became more comfortable in the awkward position, having learned to trust that he was not going to drop me on my head. I also become more comfortable with being kissed by a man, telling myself that I was merely an actor touching my lips to those of another actor. I told myself that it was no more significant than shaking hands. We practiced the scene over and over until Mr. Tucker was satisfied with Captain Martin’s performance. My own performance was immaterial since I was not the actress filling this role, but Mr. Tucker spent as much time correcting and helping me, as he did with Captain Martin. The actress who was Miss Prudy would have to practice this over and over also, when her regular job allowed her to be here. But Mr. Tucker said that that would provide Captain Martin with more practice as well, and since Captain Martin really controlled the timing of the scene, he could always use the extra practice.

When we broke for the day, I went to the powder room to touch up my make-up. My lipstick was virtually gone and my face and hair were a mess. As I fixed myself, Debbie came in.

"Crystal, you were wonderful today. You’re so lucky to have all that time practicing with Rick. He’s so handsome. I think that he’s the perfect Captain Martin."

"He just about wore my lips out today. I’m surprised that I don’t have blisters on them."

"Oh stop it. You were having the time of your life. I could see it in your face. Don’t think that you could fool me."

"I was only acting. That’s what we’re supposed to be doing, you know."

"You’re not that good of an actress yet. I admit that you have an excellent sense of timing, and you always hit your marks, but I could tell that you were enjoying yourself. Now make yourself beautiful and I’ll give you a ride home."

I finished my repair work and picked up my purse. Debbie and I left the theatre and walked to her car. She let her hand stray to my knee several times as she drove to my house. I always picked it up and put it back on the shift knob. At my house, she leaned over and kissed me on the mouth. I pulled away quickly in case any neighbors were watching, and got out of the car.

She said, "I’ll pick you up around 7:30, Okay?"

"I’ll be ready."

I turned and walked to the house. Debbie was still watching me when I reached the door and turned the handle. I waved to her and she waved back before driving away. I went inside and sat down in the kitchen with Aunt Jess and Mom. Dinner was simmering on the stove and would be ready shortly. Mom asked me about my day.

"I spent it kissing a man at the theatre."

"You did what?", she said with a look of total surprise on her face.

I laughed and told her about my afternoon of acting with Rick, the actor portraying Captain Martin.

Aunt Jessica said, "Crystal, are you going to be in the play after all?"

"No, Aunt Jess. I was just standing in for the actress who plays Miss Prudy. She couldn’t get off from work today, and Mr. Tucker wanted Rick to get some practice with the third act because it’s so important. She should be there tomorrow."

"Why did they choose you to stand in?"

"I’m the assistant to the director. I know all of the dialogue and I cue the actors when they forget their next line. I also stand in for any of the actors that can’t be there when rehearsals are conducted. I have portrayed every part in the play so far."

"How do you like the job so far?"

"It’s been the most wonderful time of my life. I’ve learned so much and had so much fun. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world."

Mom and Aunt Jessica exchanged glances and I realized what I had just said.

I opened my mouth to correct my last statement, but Mom said, "I think that the stew should be ready. Crystal, will you please set the table? Jess, will you slice the Italian bread please?"

Carol got home just as I finished setting the table. We sat down and ate dinner as soon as Mom had dished up the stew. During dinner, the topic of conversation became my role at the theatre again. None of the others had ever had any experience with theatre, so they paid close attention as I explained how things worked behind the scenes. When dinner was over, Carol and I cleared the table and cleaned up. Mom made a pot of tea and we sat back down to have our tea before I had to get ready to go out. Carol was going to the Mall with her friends and had invited me along. I thanked her for the invitation and told her that I had made plans to go over to a friend’s house tonight.

When we had finished our tea, Carol and I went upstairs to get ready to go out. I removed my dress and used the bathroom before getting dressed again. Carol came in and re-tightened my corset before I put my blouse and skirt on. The blouse was similar to the peasant blouse that I had worn on Wednesday. It was very low cut and barely covered my bra. The skirt was a black mini-skirt that was so tight that I could barely sit down in it. Carol put a pair of black, single strap heels on my feet. The four-inch heels would make me almost as tall as Debbie unless she was wearing heels as well. I fixed my face and hair, and went downstairs just as I heard a car horn outside. I looked out and saw Debbie’s Toyota out front. I walked out to the car after saying goodbye to Mom, Aunt Jessica, and Carol. Debbie pushed the door open to me as I approached, and she drove away as I adjusted the seat belt. We drove around the downtown for a while, then headed south out of the city. Debbie pulled into a driveway in a quiet residential neighborhood. Pressing a button on a remote control, the garage door rose up, and then closed again after Debbie drove inside. Debbie leaned over and kissed me on the lips.

She said, "Crystal, you look so hot tonight. I could just eat you up."

I said, "Thanks, you’re looking great too. Is this where you live?"

"No, this was my Gram’s house. She's in a nursing home now. My folks haven’t decided what to do with this house yet. I told them that I would love to have it as a graduation present when I graduate from college. My dad grew up here, so he is very sentimental about it."

We walked into the house and Debbie turned the stereo on. Then she led the way into the kitchen. She took out a couple of glasses, and poured some clear liquid into them from a glass decanter. She handed one to me and took the other for herself. I tasted it and it was good. It tasted liked peppermint.

She said, "It’s Peppermint Schnapps. Sip it slow cause it will hit you all of a sudden if you drink it too fast."

I had never had more than a small sip of liquor before. The Schnapps gave me a warm feeling in my stomach. We went into the living room. Debbie started moving to the music and I joined her. When a slow song came on, we put down our glasses. Debbie put her arms around my body and pulled me in close. I put my arms up around her neck. She had worn low heels so she was only a couple of inches taller that I was. As we danced she dropped her hands lower and lower until she was pulling me to her, with her hands under my tush. I had only had about an ounce of Schnapps but I was definitely feeling it. I had a warm glow all over. After the dance, we sat and drank a little more of our drinks.

I was sitting next to Debbie on the couch. She leaned me forward and turned me as she pushed me down so that I wound lying face up across her lap. She took my drink from hand and set it on the table. She began to stoke my hair and talk to me.

"I can’t tell you how jealous I was today. Watching you kiss Rick over and over. I wanted to run up onto the stage and pull you from his arms."

"Were you jealous of me, or of Rick?"

"Of Rick, of course. I wanted to be up there kissing you."

She bent over and kissed me. She cradled me in her arms and lifted me to her. I helped by putting my arms around her neck and helping to draw us together. I had never had much practice at kissing before today, but I felt like a practiced pro after hours with Rick. Debbie’s lips were soft and supple compared to his tight, firm lips. After several minutes, Debbie inserted her tongue into my mouth and started to rub my tongue and explore my mouth.

We kissed for a long time as the music played and the liquor warmed my stomach. Debbie was pretty, and apparently came from a family with money. I finally worked up the courage to ask an important question.

"Debbie, why me?"

"Crystal, you’re special. You combine the best of both boys and girls. You can be both a lover, and a girlfriend. I’ve been excited since I first saw you in the restaurant last Sunday. And you haven’t disappointed me. You are as gentle, tender, and patient, as a woman is. You’re wonderful. I’m so happy that we've been brought together."

We talked for a long time and then we went into the bathroom, washed up, and fixed our makeup. Afterwards, Debbie drove me home. In front of my house, we kissed before I got out and walked to the door. As always, Debbie waited until I entered the house before driving away. The downstairs was dark, but Carol was still awake. She came into my bedroom when I turned the light on. She wanted to know what we did, but I told her that I was too tired to talk about it. I said that I would tell her in the morning. She loosened my corset and returned to her room. I readied myself for bed as quickly as I could and then climbed under the sheet. I think that I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

The next morning, I arose early and went downstairs to start breakfast. Carol came in as I began cutting up ingredients for omelets. She helped me by dicing the cheeses.

"Crystal, what did you and Debbie do last night?"

"We drove around downtown for a while, then we went to her Grandmother’s house and listened to music. It was just a relaxing evening. Did you go to the Mall as you had planned?"

"Yes. We ran into Pete & Sean there. I wish that you had come, but we’ll see them tonight. We all shared a pizza and talked for a couple of hours. I think that Heather is interested in Sean. Sis, if you’re not careful, you’ll lose him."

I didn’t want to say that I wasn’t worried about losing him. Carol wanted this relationship to blossom, and I wanted her to be happy. So I played along and said, "If Heather can turn his head away from me, then he wasn’t really interested in me in the first place. We’ll see how he feels after tonight."

Mom and Aunt Jessica had came in just as I spoke. They sat down at the table and I took the omelet orders. While I cooked, Carol made a pot of tea. When the first two omelets were ready, I put them onto plates and brought them to the table. Then I cooked the omelets for Carol and myself, and when they were ready, I brought them to the table and sat down to eat.

As we ate, Mom inquired about our plans for this evening. I let Carol answer the questions about Pete and Sean. Mom said that she remembered them from the fireman’s fair on Monday, and that they had seemed like nice boys. When I finished my omelet, I poured a cup of tea for myself. I again complained about the bitter taste of the tea and Mom said that she had something for that. She got up and left the room. When she returned, she had a small bottle of pills, which she handed to me.

She said, "Alicia gave these to me yesterday. They are antibiotics, which should counteract any effect of the adhesive to your system. She said that you should take one each morning. They may alleviate the problem that you have been having with your taste buds for the past week."

I took the bottle and removed one of the capsules. Taking a sip of tea first, I popped it into my mouth and swallowed it. It didn’t have any particular taste in itself. I added another teaspoon of sugar to my tea. Maybe the capsule would have an effect by tonight and I could go back to enjoying my tea the way that I always had.

After I had finished my tea, I got up and cleared the table. I rinsed the dishes and put them into the dishwasher. The dishwasher was full, so I added the detergent but didn’t turn it on. It made a lot of noise and would disturb conversation at the table. I turned the little indicator, which was stuck on the front of the machine, to the sign which said ‘All ready to wash’. The last one leaving the kitchen could turn the washer on. Then I went upstairs and ran my bath.

Carol came in shortly and helped me to remove the corset. I had managed to untie the laces by myself, but I couldn’t get it to relax its grip. With her assistance, I was free in seconds. I finished undressing while she went to her bedroom. One naked, I scratched and rubbed my torso before climbing into the soothing warmth of my bubble bath. I had rushed my bath yesterday because of the doctor’s appointment, so today I relaxed and enjoyed it until the water started to cool. I even considered adding some more hot water, but refrained because I did have to get to the theatre. After I had dried and powered myself, I knocked on Carol’s door to notify her that the bathroom was free. As I started to dress, I could hear the bathtub again being filled.

I put on clean underwear, and my other corset. I pulled it as tight as I could, then settled down to work on my face until Carol was done with her bath. Carol came into my room as soon as she had dried off and put on her underwear. She tightened my corset down until I could barely breathe and then she went to finish getting dressed. I walked around trying to adjust to the newer corset. It was a lot more uncomfortable than my original. Carol came back ten minutes later and tightened it again and tied off the laces. Then she helped me to get dressed. When I was dressed, she brushed and combed my hair. She put my hair into a ponytail for me when she was done. We talked the whole time about our double date set for tonight. I said that I would be home by five so that we could start getting ready, and the boys would pick us up at seven. When Carol was done with my hair, I brushed hers and put it into a ponytail like mine. Carol had dressed me in another tight skirt, with a light blouse, and 4-inch heels. It had become my regular attire of late. I sure wished that Mom would let me wear a pair of jeans, even if they were Carol’s jeans. But she had steadfastly refused.

I kissed Carol as I left to go downstairs and thanked her for her help. Downstairs, I got bus and lunch money from Mom before kissing both her and Aunt Jessica, and leaving to catch the bus for downtown. I arrived at the bus stop and sat on the bench to wait. A couple of times, boys had driven by and honked their horns or whistled at me, but none had stopped and accosted me. Still, I was relieved when the bus finally came. I remembered, all too well, the incident with Joey Barton. Everybody on the bus watched me as I found an empty seat and sat down. I avoided their eyes but knew that they were watching.

Arriving at the street where the theatre was, I exited the bus at the front door. I knew that the bus driver was watching me as I walked away because I had not heard the doors close, and because I had seen him watching other women walk away from the bus. Feeling a little silly, I wiggled my hips and tush for his amusement. I was at least thirty feet away before I heard the bus’s doors finally close. I marveled at the effect that women could have over men’s sexual imaginations.

Entering the theatre, I saw that I was among the first to arrive, and I immediately made a pot of coffee for Mr. Tucker. With that started, I went to put my purse away in the makeup room. Then I returned to the backstage area and fired up the computer. I entered and then printed out Mr. Tucker’s notes, and updated his three-ring workbook. When he arrived, I poured him a cup of coffee and brought it, and his notebook, to him.

"Ah, the beautiful Crystal brings me the essentials of my life. How are you today my dear?"

"Good morning, Mr. Tucker. I’m fine. How are you?"

"Absolutely wonderful. It’s a wonderful day to be alive. Crystal, my winsome beauty, would you post a notice that rehearsals will start at nine o’clock sharp. We will have a full run though of the entire play. Then we shall review the scenes that require the most work. Also post a reminder that full dress rehearsals begin Monday evening at seven o’clock. All cast members should try to be here by 5:30 for makeup and dressing. Crew should be here by 5 o’clock if possible."

"Right away Mr. Tucker."

"Thank you, love."

I hurried away to create the notices and post them on all three of the bulletin boards. At 8:50, Marge took a call from Pam, the girl that was playing Miss Prudy. She had been called in to work the morning shift at the hospital and would not be able to get to the theatre until after 1 PM. She was the only cast member not available, and Mr. Tucker decided not to hold up everybody else. I was again asked to stand-in for her until she arrived.

At 9 o’clock, we began with Act 1, Scene 1. Although Mr. Tucker had said that we would have a full run through, and then work on review, he couldn’t resist stopping the actors and then correcting their movements, or timing, and then have us restart the scene. Although I was only the stand-in, Mr. Tucker corrected my performance just as if I was a regular cast member. When it came time for the kissing scene, Rick, the actor who was playing Captain Martin, didn’t hesitate at all. He bent me back over his arm and kissed me with ardent passion. Mr. Tucker clapped for several minutes. When he stopped, Rick stopped and straightened me up. It took me a few seconds to catch my breath, before I could properly continue. Mr. Tucker said that my hesitation seemed delightful and that we should leave it in.

It was after 1 o’clock when we completed the final scene. Mr. Tucker called for a half-hour lunch break, and everyone headed for the exits. We all hurried to the restaurant, enjoyed a quick lunch, and we were back at the theatre in 30 minutes. While we were out, Pam had arrived. I was relieved of my acting chores and again became the ‘assistant to the director’. The rehearsals continued with most of the work going to the more complicated scenes that had not gone smoothly in the morning’s run-through. At 4:30 I excused myself from the rehearsals and left to catch the bus. I managed to get home by 5 o’clock, as I had promised Carol.

I immediately hurried upstairs to my bedroom and stripped off my clothes. I started to run a bath and then went to Carol’s room so that she could help me remove the corset. With my tormentor removed, I jumped into the tub and washed, pausing only briefly to relax. I stepped out, dried myself off, and powdered my body. Then I put on my clean underwear, and my more comfortable corset. Carol came in and tightened it for me. She had bathed already, and she had only to get dressed. We then sat and did our nails, and our hair. Carol tightened the corset again, taking up the slack, and then helped me to get dressed. I helped her into her dress and zipped it closed. We applied our makeup, put on our jewelry, and then examined each other’s appearance. Satisfied that we looked as good as we could, we went downstairs. Mom insisted that we have something to eat before we go. I was so nervous that I didn’t feel hungry, so I settled for a piece of toast.

Just before the boys arrived, Mom got out her camera and snapped several pictures of her ‘girls’. When Pete and Sean arrived, Mom insisted that they come in so that she could meet them. She didn’t embarrass us though. They merely exchanged greetings and a few pleasantries, and then she allowed us to hurry along on our way, using the excuse that we would be late for the movie. Pete drove, with Carol sitting next to him, while I was in the back seat with Sean. We drove straight to the cine-plex at the Mall. Having lived only as a girl for the past week, I no longer felt uneasy walking about in a tight skirt and high heels. I had studied every young girl with whom I had had contact during the past week and had adopted her speech, mannerisms, and walks. Carol and I almost looked, and acted, like twins. Even holding a boy’s hand seemed almost natural after having spent hours kissing Rick on the stage at the theatre. Outwardly, I appeared like an average 17 or 18 year old girl. The makeup, and the size of my bosom, being responsible for that appearance. With the right makeup, I knew that I could even appear much older. I had learned a lot from Marge.

Arriving at the movie theatre, we discussed the various offerings and decided what we would see. There were in fact eight mini-theatres, all showing different movies. Pete and Sean purchased the tickets, and we all walked inside. It would be twenty minutes before the feature started so we stopped at the snack bar before going into the small theatre. Sean bought a small lemon soda for me, large cola for himself, and we would share a large popcorn.

We walked into the mini-theatre and found seats in the brightly illuminated room. I found myself sitting between Sean and Pete. We spent the time before the movie started, discussing the movie’s reviews. At the appropriate time, the lights began to dim, and music started. When the theatre had gone totally dark, the screen jumped to life. I felt Sean find my hand and intertwine his fingers with mine. About halfway through the movie, Sean released my hand, and put his arm around my shoulders. I looked over and saw that Pete had put his arm on Carol’s shoulders. She had settled back against Pete’s arm and nestled herself with her head against his shoulder. I did the same with Sean, using his shoulder for a pillow. A short time later I felt his hand slip from my shoulder and rest against my breast. I lifted it back into place lest he get any wrong ideas. This was, after all, just a first date.

When the movie ended, the boys suggested that we get something to eat, so we headed to a pizza restaurant. I wasn’t really hungry, but I could eat a slice. Since I had started wearing the corset, I hadn’t had much of an appetite.

As soon as we had gotten into the back seat of Pete’s car, Sean put his arm on my shoulders and pulled me to him. I saw Carol slide over to be next to Pete in the front seat. Pete parked in the lot behind the restaurant and we walked around to the front entrance. Upon entering the pizza place, Pete and Sean met some friends who invited us to join them. Sean grabbed a couple of chairs from a nearby empty table and we sat down after introductions had been made. The waitress came over and took our order, and we settled down into conversations. At first we all talked on a single topic, but slowly we split into smaller conversations. The boys all talked about cars, while Carol and I talked about women’s topics with the other girls. When the pies came, we again engaged in single topic talk while we ate. We stayed at the restaurant for a couple of hours. It was after midnight when we said goodnight to the others and returned to the car.

Sean put his arm around me as soon as we were outside, and again pulled me to him when we had climbed into the back seat. Pete didn’t start the car right away. Instead, we sat in the car, in the darkened lot, and talked. At least for a short time. I saw Pete lean over and kiss Carol. She was receptive and moved around slightly to accommodate him. Sean immediately followed suit and leaned over me. As he pulled me tighter and pressed his lips to mine, I went limp as I had onstage with Rick, and let him kiss me. He slowly maneuvered me until I was lying back on the seat with him on top of me. I knew that it was expected of me, so I put my arms around his neck and kissed him back. As we kissed I started to enjoy the sensation. When he put his tongue in my mouth, I sucked on it. I felt his manhood begin to enlarge. At first he had been content with just kissing, but now he started to move his hands about my body. I reached down each time that his hands wandered and took ahold of them. He would stop, return my arms to around his neck, then start again. After numerous attempts to bypass my defense, he finally gave up and concentrated only on kissing me. I lost myself in his embrace and returned the passion that I found in his kisses.

I lay in the back seat with Sean on top of me until I heard Carol say that we had to get home. It was almost 1 o’clock. We had been in the car for almost an hour. Pete started the engine and I felt the car began to move while Sean continued to kiss me. He had renewed his attempts to explore my body, and I was kept busy corralling his hands. He didn’t let up until we were in front of my house. Sean walked me to the door and took time for one last passionate kiss. I thanked him for the movie and the pizza. He asked me if I would like to go out again tomorrow. I said that he should call me tomorrow because I didn’t know if the family had any plans, and he answered that he would. We waited until Carol and Pete came up for air, and then while the boys left, we went into the house.

Mom and Aunt Jessica were waiting up for us. Mom’s first comment was, ‘I hope that you girls didn’t let anybody see you looking like that."

Carol and I walked over to a mirror and we burst out in a fit of giggles. Our makeup was a complete mess.

Carol said, "Don’t worry Mom, nobody saw us since we got mussed up."

Mom said, "Crystal, did you enjoy your date?"

"Yes. We had a nice time. We went to the show and afterwards we went to that pizza place on Collier Street. You know, the one where they toss the pizzas in the front window."

"Yes, I know where you mean."

Aunt Jessica said, "Crystal, was that handsome date of yours a good kisser?"

I blushed a little. "I haven’t had a lot of experience Aunt Jess."

"He’s not the first boy that you’ve kissed. You told us about kissing Rick at the theatre."

"That was just stage kissing. Two actors putting their lips together. Not really boy and girl kissing."

Mom said, "It’s late, girls. Time for bed. We can talk in the morning."

Carol and I said goodnight and we went upstairs. Carol came into my room after she had put her purse away, and taken off her heels and jewelry. As usual, I needed her to help me with my clothes and corset.

Carol said, "What did you think of Sean?"

"He sure is persistent. I must have stopped him from feeling me up a hundred times. For once, I’m glad that my skirt was so tight. He would have had it up around my waist if it could have been raised that far."

Carol giggled. "He and Pete must be related. I slapped Pete’s hand so many times that he can probably still see my fingerprints in his skin."

"I would have sworn that Sean had grown extra arms while we were in the car."

"Pete had enough arms with just two. But they never stopped moving."

We both laughed and hugged each other before Carol left for her bedroom. I finished getting ready for bed. I continued to think about the date as I hung up my clothes and removed my makeup. By the time that I had washed my under-things and put on my sleepwear, I was yawning every few seconds.

I continued to think about Sean as I lay in bed. When I had been with him tonight, I had totally become Crystal, and forgotten all about my alter ego. 'Was I becoming so wrapped up in the role that I am losing touch with my true identity? Would Cary resurface when my breasts were removed? Was I beginning to really think of myself as a woman?' When I had been with Debbie, I had felt like a woman kissing another woman rather that as a man kissing her. 'Had it really only been a week since the accident? Since I was no longer ‘consciously’ acting like a woman, could I ever be ‘just’ Cary again?' I felt very confused as I explored my thoughts and feelings. I began to weep silently into my pillow until I thought, 'I shouldn’t be crying. Boys don’t cry over silly things like this.' I tried to suppress the crying until I reasoned, 'But I’m not a boy. Right now, I’m a girl and I’ll cry if I want to.' And so I cried myself to sleep in a fit of confusion and doubt brought on by my exhaustion and the release of tension from having completed my ‘first’ date as a woman.

 

(Continued in Chapter 8)

 

 

 

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