Chapter 33

I continued to be very busy for the next several days. We wrapped up the shooting for my return episode late Friday. The makeup department had used some icky orange substance to make me look like I had been in the sun continuously for the past two months. I had never been this dark, but it all came off at the end of the day. I had managed to put a little time in on my schoolbooks between scenes but would have to spend part of the weekend to catch up. Carol was actually ahead on her assignments since she had little else to do while I was working. She had spent a lot of time in my dressing room or wandering around the studio while Mom was off running errands.

I was happy when we arrived home on Friday evening. I would have two whole days to relax. I had been given a script for next week's show but I promised myself not to even look at it until Sunday. After dinner I spent my evening trying to catch up on my schoolwork. I wanted to have as much time possible away from any work on Saturday and Sunday, and I managed to complete all of my assignments before I went to bed at 10 o'clock.

Once you get into the habit of rising early, your internal clock wakes you automatically and mine woke me before 6 o'clock. Rather then rushing to take my bath as I would have done on a work day, I put on my robe and slippers and went to the kitchen after washing my face and hands. Since I was the first one up I got the bacon from the refrigerator and began frying up a dozen pieces. As it was cooking I made some orange juice and a pot of tea. Mom came in just as I was about to make my egg, so I made one for her also. There was very little space in the tiny kitchen so she sat down at the table and we talked as I worked. I made a few pieces of toast and when everything was ready I carried the plates to the table and sat down to eat.

Carol came in as just as we started to eat. She said, in a pouty voice, "Well, I like this. I'm a few minutes late and I don't get any eggs."

We both knew that she was jesting so I said, "You have to come quick or we throw it to the hogs."

Mom said, "Breakfast is only served until 6:10 a.m. After that you have to cook your own."

Carol smiled and walked to the stove to cook her egg and make her toast. When she was done, she came and sat down to eat. "What are going to do today? Shopping or sightseeing?"

Mom said, "Business before pleasure, girls. We have work to do."

"What work?" I said.

"We have to search for a permanent address out here. We can't afford to stay in hotels or rental condos if you continue to get jobs here. This place is cheaper then the hotel where we stayed, but it is still costing us $700.00 a week."

"$700.00 a week? How much was the hotel?"

"That was $185.00 per night and it only had two bedrooms."

"Wow. So what do we do, find an apartment?"

"No. I think that we should find a condo to purchase."

"Buy one?"

"Sure. It would be a good investment. If we find that we have no need for it we can sell it. Real estate very rarely drops in price except during a recession. While we use it we can save about 60 percent off the cost of renting one. A condo is better than buying a house because maintenance is handled by a central staff, and security would be better for any extended absences."

"Sounds like we can't lose. How do we find one?"

"I spoke with the agency this week and they gave me an area where we should look based on the locations of the various studios. Then I spoke to a realtor and got a list of every available unit within that area with at least three bedrooms and two baths. I also spoke with a woman in the supermarket who told me that most complexes have a community bulletin board where owners post descriptions of units that are for sale or rent. So we ride around and look at the complexes first. Our considerations should be: ease of access to main roads, the age of the units, maintenance, security considerations, neighborhoods, parking, amenities such as pools, Jacuzzis, and tennis courts, and owner occupied ratios. We'll make a note of every complex that looks acceptable and then check their bulletin boards and the realtor list to find if they have any available units with our requirements."

"Sounds like a lot of work."

"Probably, but if we're going to buy we want to find the right place. All the effort will be worth it in the long run. We'll start 8 at o'clock. That will give us enough time to bathe and dress after we clean the kitchen."

We finished eating, cleaned up, and readied ourselves to leave. Although this was going to be work I decided to look upon it as an adventure. We would be outside, talking to people, and learning the layout of the town. It might even be fun. Before we left, Mom gave each of us a new cell phone. They were extremely compact and mine fit into the palm of my hand. I dropped it into my purse and we left.

Using the map that Mom had gotten from the agency we started scouting the condominium complexes. We made a list and categorized each complex that we looked at. By 1 p.m. we had completed a cursory examination of every condo complex in a three-mile radius from our center point, and we had eliminated about two-thirds based on our criteria. We stopped at a little restaurant with outside tables for lunch and worked on the list that we had made, matching up the list of available condos with the complexes that had passed our basic tests. We developed a list of eleven condos that we would look at, and we would stop and look at all of the bulletin boards in the complexes that had passed the first cut.

Before lunch arrived, Mom used her new cell phone to make contact with the realtor who had given her the list of available condos. While we ate, the agent was able to reach the owners of three of the condos that we wanted to look at, and made arrangements for us to view the condos this afternoon. When she called back we arranged to meet at the first complex.

Mrs. Flores, the realtor, was a pleasant woman who talked almost incessantly. She barely seemed to stop to catch her breath after pointing out one of the features of the complex before she launched into the next spiel in which she elaborated on another feature of the complex. Using the condo that we were renting for a comparison, we evaluated each of the three units. Taking our leave of Mrs. Flores after the last of the three, we promised to be in touch tomorrow. She was going to try to make arrangements for us to view the others on our list.

We spent the rest of the afternoon collecting information about available units at each of the complexes in which we might have an interest. Returning home at dinnertime, we had more than two dozen additional listings that were for-sale-by-owner. Over dinner we discussed the merits of each of the units that we had looked at. Mom kept notes as we talked, and after the dinner hour was past, she called the telephone numbers that we had collected and made more appointments to view condos on Sunday.

Sunday was another full day of condo hunting. Mrs. Flores had arranged four and Mom arranged 11 more on her own. The appointments were staggered at half hour intervals from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with several gaps that allowed us lunch and a couple of breaks. Having already spent a full day looking and a lot of time talking about our requirements, we were able to zip through the condos, picking up on the key points without wasting our time or that of the owners. After each stop we took a few minutes to write down our impressions because we knew that we would soon start confusing the features of each condo as we looked at more and more.

At dinner we discussed the condos that we had looked at today. It was good that we had made our notes as we went, and we were able to narrow our choices down to four. It was decided that Mom and Carol would continue to look tomorrow while I was at work. It would be better than just sitting around in my dressing room all day.

I spent the rest of the evening working on the new script in the privacy of my bedroom. The next episode had Oliver and I house-hunting. Sound familiar? I may not have had all of my lines down cold, but I felt good about them when I finally started getting ready for bed.

On Monday morning I was surprised to see that the vinyl nameplate on my dressing room door had been replaced with a large engraved brass nameplate. Toni dropped by early with some things for me to try on and the crewmember that had been getting our breakfast every morning stopped by and took our order, then returned with our food a short time later. After breakfast I sat with my script until I was notified that the cast meeting was about to start. Since everyone had had a chance to review the script this weekend, the Monday reading went much smoother than last week.

Mom and Carol had left earlier so I was alone when I returned to my dressing room at lunchtime. After I freshened up, I wandered over to the cafeteria. I bumped into Lisa, the actress friend that I had met last week and we struck up a conversation as we stood in line. She began to tell me about her career, continuing the story as we sat down with our food. Jill joined us a short time later, explaining that she had had to return to her desk and take care of her messages before she could go to lunch.

Lisa said, "That's the trouble with you management types. You've always got a phone stuck in your face, returning messages to people who aren’t there and then have to return messages back to you when you aren't there. Waste of time if you ask me."

Jill smiled and said, "Just doing my part to support the telephone industry. I shudder to think what would happen if we all stopped returning our messages. Speaking of which, Crystal, your mother called to say that they couldn't get back for lunch. They have an appointment to look at another condo. Are you moving out of the one that the agency picked?"

"Mom wants to buy one rather than paying rent. She estimates that we'll save 60 percent of the money that the rental unit costs. And if we spend more time here in California, then I can get more jobs."

"I'm hoping that you'll get more work on THIS show. Don't write us off yet."

"Oh, Jill, I haven't. But I have to be realistic. My contract is only for 4 episodes. Even if the series continues I may not be picked up to continue with the show."

"Are you kidding? Right now you ARE the show. The episode that you were in got the highest rating of any episode in the series. And from what I saw of the taping, the new episode is going to be just as great. It's almost a cinch that your option will be picked up if the series survives. Renewal for the show will virtually guarantee you having your option picked up."

"What option?"

"In your contract. Didn't you read it."

"No. Mom and the agency takes care of that."

Lisa said, "Usually an option gives the right to the studio to renew your contract for a set number of weeks."

"I see. How many weeks?"

"I don't know. Every contract is different. Jill, do you know?"

Jill shrugged her shoulders. "No, I don't. I only remember hearing that there was an option in the contract."

"It doesn't matter. Any extension would be wonderful. I guess that we'll just have to wait and see what happens with the critics in a week and a half. In any event, we'll need a place to live while we are here, and it's much nicer to have your own home."

Lisa said, "What happens in a week and a half?"

Jill answered, "That's when the episode that Crystal just completed will be televised."

"In just a week and a half? They're pushing it."

"We're trying to get the ratings up before we get cancelled. We have to push it. So far we're been barely hanging on."

"Well, I wish you luck." Glancing at her watch, Lisa said, "I have to get going. Take care, Ladies."

We said goodbye and Lisa hurried off. Jill and I finished up and headed back towards our set.

I paused and then asked, "Do you know what the option in my contract is and just didn't want to speak about it in front of Lisa?"

"I'm really not sure. I would guess that it would allow the studio to have you for the rest of the season. That's another thirteen weeks after the end of your current four episodes."

"Thirteen weeks?"

"Yes. You look upset."

"No. Not upset. Just surprised. I just wasn't expecting to stay here for that long. We won't be going home until February."

"Possibly. Most of the shows will be on hiatus long before we are because they didn't have the interruption that we have. If we manage to integrate some of the footage that was already shot, and squeeze in some extra work each week, we could wrap up in January. Of course, these next few shows are critical so they won't try to squeeze in any of the extra shooting right now. All of our energies have to go to getting the best results possible right now."

Jill left me at my dressing room door. She had to go to her office to get some things done before the afternoon meeting started. I went inside, and sat down on the couch to watch the TV news. I was just starting to get depressed and bored with the news when someone knocked on my door. I told them to come in and Oliver stuck his head in.

"Hi Crystal. Busy?"

"No, Oliver, come in."

Oliver came in and closed the door behind him. Pointing to a chair, he said, "May I?"

"Of course. Please sit down. Would you like a cold soda, bottled water, or iced tea?"

"Iced tea sounds great."

I got up and went over to the small refrigerator. We had stocked it with an assortment of beverages and fruits last week. I took out a couple of Snapple Iced Teas and carried them, and two glasses, back to where Oliver was seating.

He said, "Thanks, " as I handed him a pint bottle of tea and one of the glasses.

I sat back down and opened my own bottle of tea. "I'm glad that you dropped by. We haven't had a chance to talk alone since we were dangling over the cliffs north of San Diego."

He smiled, "It was worth dangling there all day to be alone with you."

I giggled, "Alone? There were twenty-five crewmembers there."

"Yeah, but they were on the ground and might have well as been ten miles away."

"Where we were hanging, they still could have seen us from ten miles away."

"Well, it seemed to me that we were alone."

I said, "I think that you're a romantic."

"All men are romantics. It's our most endearing, and most frustrating, characteristic."

"I think that you are confusing romance with lust."

"Aren't they one and the same?"

"Noooo! Romance comes from the heart, while lust comes from the libido."

"Technically, both come from the mind. Your heart just pumps blood, and your libido is just another name for your psyche."

I smiled and shook my head, "When you get technical, romance goes right out the window."

Oliver started laughing. "You're wonderful. You're the only girl I know that I can have a real conversation with. It's like you're a guy sometimes."

I was shocked at his statement, and I guess my face showed it.

"Whoa, what's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"

"No. Nothing's wrong." I smiled. "I just don't get called a guy every day."

"I didn't call you a guy." Thinking for a few seconds, he added, "I'm sorry. I guess it may have sounded that way, but it's not what I meant. I meant that I can talk to you like I talk to my guy friends. I told you once that I usually have trouble talking to girls. Hey. Nobody is going to confuse you with a guy. Even a blind man could see that you're a girl. But you're different. Nice, different."

"I think that you're nice also, and I've enjoyed working with you."

"Same here. It wasn't the same after you left. The scripts that they gave me were boring. Did you see the shows?"

"Yes. They weren't bad."

"I think that you're being kind. I thought that they stunk, and the critics thought so also. But it's going to be different now that you're back. Instead of a lonely and miserable widower, I am a happy newlywed again. That puts a whole new and better perspective on the show!"

We sat and talked like that until someone knocked on the door and announced that the afternoon meeting would start in five minutes. Oliver and I walked to the meeting together and he took my hand as we made our way to the conference room.

Mr. Landois saw us walking down the hall and smiled at us. I quickly let go of Oliver's hand, but we were greeted with "How are my love birds this afternoon. All ready for another go around?"

I nodded and Oliver said, "All ready."

We found our seats and started to look at the script revisions as everyone came in and took their places. The second session lasted all afternoon and we completed our work around 5 o'clock. Oliver walked me back to my dressing room and left me there as he continued on to his own. Mom and Carol were waiting inside and we were quickly ready to leave for the evening. On the trip home they told me about the condos that they had viewed today. I was a little glad that I didn’t have to spend a third day visiting potential homes. Two days were more than enough for me. Mom and Carol would be at it for the rest of the week.

The rest of the week passed in a similar manner. By Friday Mom and Carol had visited every complex in which we had an interest. Our final list consisted of five condos that met our criteria and were the best of all that had been visited. Mom had arranged for a second viewing of each during the weekend, and this time it was a more through viewing. We took a very close look at each condo and the complex that it was in. By Sunday evening we had settled on a unanimous choice. Mom would now take over and try to negotiate the purchase. I was glad that my part was over and I turned my attention to my new script.

On Wednesday we gathered in front of the television to watch the broadcast of the program about my return to Oliver On Board. The network had been promoting the show heavily during the past week. I guess that we're always our own worst critics, but I liked the show. I thought that the writers had done a wonderful job on the script, and the cast had brought the story to life. Oliver's performance was anything but 'wooden', as he had been described a few weeks earlier, and my own performance was fair. I went to bed happy that we had done a good job, and hoped that the critics and viewing audiences liked it.

The attitude on the set the next day was jubilant. Everyone was smiling and joking around. I quickly gathered that everyone was pleased with the broadcast and all shared renewed hope that the series would not be cancelled. The attitude continued to be in evidence as we spent the day taping.

The feelings on the set intensified on Friday. The numbers were out on the show and we came close to winning our time slot. People tuned in to watch the return of Oliver's bride and stayed tuned in for the entire show. I wondered if they thought that I was going to sail in on the morning wind and then sail off again at the end of the show. Now the pressure was on to keep the audience that we had gathered. The next episode had already been completed so there was nothing that we could do to improve that, but everyone threw themselves into the new taping with all of their energies. The friendly banter that took place between scenes had increased significantly during the past two days.

As taping wrapped up for the day, and I returned to my dressing room, I began to think about tomorrow's procedure with Dr. Roman. I had pushed all conscious thought of it out of my head while I concentrated on the show, but now the thoughts that I had suppressed came flooding back in. I was quiet all through dinner and Mom noticed my moody look.

"Worried about tomorrow, Honey?"

"A little."

"Well, don't be. I checked out Dr. Roman's credentials and they are legitimate. He has a good reputation in the medical community as well. I wouldn't let him touch you if I didn't have full confidence in his abilities."

"Thanks, Mom." Looking to change the subject I said, "Anything new on the condo?"

"Yes. We've agreed on a price. The condo has been empty and on the market for several months. The seller agreed to drop the price by about 15 percent, and I signed the purchase agreement papers today. We can have a closing as early as next week if I push it. I hired an attorney to represent us even though you can transfer property in California without their services."

"That was fast. I always thought that it takes a long time for banks to approve mortgages."

"Not when the applicant has a key role in a television show, and a significant down payment."

"Down payment?"

"Yes. The college fund provided that. Instead of having the money in the bank, we have it invested in the condo, which should continue to appreciate in value faster than the interest that the bank was paying."

"Did you use it all?"

"Not all, but most. Of course we haven't yet received any of the salary that you will be getting for the four episodes out here. Don't worry about money, Dear. We're fine."

"How will we pay Dr. Roman?"

"That will come from the new salary that we should begin to see very shortly. And I didn't give the lawyer any specifics but he indicated that cosmetic surgery for an actress is tax deductible since it is used to enhance your career and earnings capability."

We spent the next two hours discussing the condo which we had now come to think of as our own. Mom wanted to make some modifications right away. Our new kitchen was too small. Unlike some of the condo kitchens that we had seen, our new kitchen could accommodate more than one person at a time, but it was still tiny compared to the large kitchen that we had back home. We discussed plans for renovating it. There was a counter between the food preparation area and the dining room area that could be used like a lunch counter. It really seemed to be little more than a waste of space. We decided to eliminate that and change the arrangement of the appliances and cabinets. We drew layouts of the proposed kitchen as close to scale as we could. Before any changes were started, we would get true scale drawings done.

By nine o'clock I was feeling very sleepy so I started to get ready for bed. Alone in my room, I stood in front of the mirror and looked at my naked lower torso. This might the last time that I saw this sight for some time and I wanted to remember it. When I knew that I would never forget it, I dropped my nightgown and turned towards my bed. But before sliding beneath the sheets, I picked Miss Scarlett up from her perch on my dresser and brought her with me.

I was not hungry in the morning and was content to settle for only a cup of hot tea, as Doctor Roman's nurse had instructed me. People about to be anesthetized are not permitted to eat prior to the surgery because one could regurgitate the food and 'drown' in their own vomit. I dressed in loose fitting clothes and didn't wear the corset. That alone made me feel better. We arrived at the clinic early and a nurse led me to a disrobing room so that I could be prepped for the procedure. I was embarrassed about appearing naked in front of the nurse but it would pass. She had intended to shave my crotch, but I was already barren of hair because I took care of that on a regular basis since the hairs got pulled when I folded myself back between my legs. The nurse never raised an eyebrow at seeing both breasts and a penis on the same patient. I guess that the doctor had prepared her before we arrived.

As the time for the procedure approached, I was led into the surgery room and, after removing my gown, told to climb up onto the table where a sheet was placed over me. Dr. Roman and two others came in and approached the table.

Dr. Roman said, "Good morning, Crystal. All ready to begin?"

"I guess so, Dr. Roman," I said nervously.

He picked up on the tone in my voice and said, "There, there, nothing to be nervous about. This is a relatively simple procedure. Dr. Jennings is going to anesthetize you and you won't feel a thing. I'll see you when you wake up. Okay?"

"Okay, Dr. Roman."

The woman doctor had moved around to a position near my head and she now placed a mask, which had a hose attached to it, over my nose and mouth. She told me to breathe deeply and I did. Within a couple of minutes I started to feel drowsy and the sensation increased quickly until I couldn't focus my eyes anymore. The last thing that I remembered was a black curtain settling over my face as the anesthesia performed its role.

When I next opened my eyes, I was in a different room. A nurse approached the bed that I was lying in.

"Where am I?"

"Relax, Dear. You're in the recovery room. The procedure was successful and the doctor will be in to see you shortly. How does your head feel?"

"It's throbbing."

"That's a result of the anesthesia. It affects some patients like that. I'll get you some Tylenol. Be right back."

She left and returned a couple of minutes later. I spent the time trying to get my eyes to focus properly, and pull myself up out of the drug induced sleep. The nurse raised the bed so that I was almost sitting and then gave me two tablets, and a paper cup of water. I popped the tablets into my mouth and drank the water to ease their path down my throat. My mouth was so dry that I probably could not have swallowed the tablets without the water.

"May I have another cup of water please. A large cup."

She took the cup and filled it from a pitcher on a table. "Here's another cup. That's all that I can give you until the doctor talks to you."

As if that was his cue, Dr. Roman came into the room. He was dressed in a suit now, and it was obvious that his work for the day was almost over.

"Crystal, how are you feeling?"

"Fine, except for a slight headache and an incredible thirst."

"They will both pass quickly. You have to go easy on the liquids for the next couple of days because of the procedure. Urinating may be slightly painful for a couple of days since the area is going to be tender. Are you able to focus your eyes yet?"

"Yes. I can see you clearly."

"It's not me that I want you to see." Turning to the nurse he said, "Marjorie, would you excuse us for a few minutes?"

She nodded and left the room as Dr. Roman went to the table and picked up a hand mirror. Returning to the bed he pulled back the sheet and pulled the front of my hospital gown up to my waist. Then standing next to me he angled the mirror over my crotch so that I could see myself.

There, between my legs, was a female vagina. Or at least what looked like a female vagina. I had never examined one up close but I had seen Carol naked many times since I had become Crystal. Now, we looked a lot more alike. There was no vestige of my penis or testicle sack in evidence. There was nothing to have to push back each morning as I got dressed. I just sat there with my mouth hanging open.

Dr. Roman was smiling and said, "It turned out quite well. No one will ever suspect that you are not a genetic female without a close inspection. Your pubic hair will begin to grow shortly and you won't have to shave it any more unless you want to. Peeing will be a little awkward at first until you get used to it but that will come quickly. I have given your mother a prescription for the medication that you will have to take. Be sure to take it religiously."

"Okay. What does it do?"

"It replaces the anti-androgen medication that you were taking. It also prevents complications arising from sexual arousal."

"Complications?"

"Well… yes. I didn't remove your penis or testicles. They are still intact, just pushed up inside of you. If you were to become sexually aroused and your penis reacted, you would suffer great pain as it tried to break free of its confines. Do you understand?"

"Yes. I do."

"Good. The medication will block your ability to have an erection while suppressing all of your natural male hormones and continuing to enhance your female characteristics. You will have to wait until your eighteenth birthday before you can undergo the full surgical procedure. You will be a little sore for a while as the skin stretches around your 'vagina' to accommodate the modifications that I have made. You're young and your skin is highly elastic, so you should adapt quickly."

"How long will I have to stay here?"

"I'd say that you should rest for at least another half-hour. We want the anesthesia to wear off fully before you leave. Your mother and sister are waiting to see you. I'll send them in. I want to see you at the end of next week. My nurse will make an appointment."

"Okay, Dr. Roman. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'll look forward to seeing your performances."

"Thank you."

Mom and Carol came in a few seconds after Dr. Roman left the room.

Mom said, "Hi baby, how are you feeling?"

Carol said, "Hi, sis."

"Hi. I'm feeling okay. Just a little sore. Dr. Roman says that it will wear off in a couple of days."

Mom said, "Dr. Roman said that we should just talk to you for a while as the effects of the anesthesia wear off and then we can leave. Your clothes are in the closet."

Carol said, "Uh…Crys? Can I see what he did?"

I hesitated for a second and then said, "Okay," as I pulled the hospital gown up to expose my new faux vagina.

"Wow. Looks just like any other girl's."

Mom added, "Yes. He did a good job, Dear. His reputation is well deserved."

I dropped the hospital gown back down and we continued to talk about the procedure and other things until the nurse came back in to tell us that it was okay to get dressed now. As I started to move around I began to experience the soreness that Dr. Roman had mentioned. Putting on my panties generated a different sensation. They fit properly and I didn't have to work to hide my maleness any more. I ran my hand over the almost flat area with two vertical folds of skin that had, until recently, bore the last reminder of my former identity. I was beginning to feel that I would never become Cary again. No, that was ridiculous. This was only until I got the money that we needed for college and to undo the changes to my body. Wasn't it?

I finished getting dressed and we left the clinic after setting up a tentative time for my next exam. Because I was unsure of the taping schedule I might not be able to make it. The nurse said that she understood completely since they have dealt with a number of actors and actresses.

It was only 2 o'clock in the afternoon when we arrived home. The first thing that I did was to go straight to the kitchen and pour myself a large glass of juice. And then another. With my thirst quenched at last, I excused myself and went to lie down. All of the moving around had made the area very tender and I was beginning to get another headache. Mom came in shortly afterwards.

"Are you okay, Honey?"

"Sure, Mom. Doctor Roman told me that I would be sore for a while. The area will heal faster if I don't move around too much."

"Okay, Dear. Carol and I are going to do a little shopping. You stay here and rest up. We'll be back by dinnertime."

I got up and took another Tylenol tablet after they left and then lay back down again. My body must have still been feeling the effects of the anesthesia because I fell asleep and didn't wake up until after Mom and Carol had returned. I was feeling a little better by this time and I got up to join them, but first I needed to use the bathroom. The juice that I had drunk earlier had worked its way through my system as I had slept and it was now ready to come out.

Going to the bathroom that I shared with Carol, I raised my skirt and pulled down my panties. Sitting down on the toilet set, I used my right hand to spread open the two folds of skin that covered the place from which I now had to pee. As I allowed my bladder to release the flow of urine, I promptly peed all over my hand. I tried to move my hand out of the way as the warm liquid continued to thwart my efforts to direct its flow. It had been so easy with a penis. It had been like holding a garden hose that could be aimed anywhere. Now it was like trying to release the water from an overfilled water balloon. No matter how hard you try, it almost never squirts where you want it to.

When the stream finally ended I wiped myself thoroughly. The pee had splashed all over my inner thighs and I had to use several small wads of paper to clean up. When I was dry I stood up and pulled up my panties and dropped my skirt. I was lucky not to have drenched them as well as myself. I washed my hands thoroughly and then joined Mom and Carol in the dining area, still feeling uncomfortable, and sore. I helped them to separate the groceries that they had carried in and then we stored them in the kitchen cabinets. It was dinnertime so they immediately began to prepare supper. The small kitchen didn't permit all of us to be in it at the same time so I sat at the table while they worked.

Carol said, "What are we going to do tomorrow? This is out third weekend here and we haven't done anything except work every weekend. Now that we've finished the 'Great Condo Hunt' can we do something that's fun for a change?"

Mom said, "Yes, we can do something fun, as long as it's not too physical. Your sister still has to heal, you know?"

"Okay, what can we do? The beach is out, as are the amusement parks. What's left?"

I said, "How about if we just take a ride along the coast highway. We can stop at a restaurant somewhere where we can look at the ocean. We haven't seen the Pacific since we flew over it on the way to LAX. Or we could go for a boat ride. I heard about an island called Catalina or something like that. It is quite a ways off shore so there must be a boat that goes there."

Mom said, "No I don't think that a boat trip would be a good idea yet. Let's keep it a little more relaxed. The drive up the coast sounds nice. I've also wanted to get a tan. How about if we go to a tanning salon in the morning, and then we could go for the drive afterwards?"

Carol said, "Why do we have to go to a tanning salon? The sun shines almost every day, and it's free."

"The tanning salon will give us a more controlled and uniform tan ALL over. That's something that we can't get out by the pool. Crystal needs a nice tan the most so that she doesn't have to wear that awful makeup for the show, and it's time that we started to look more like Californians."

"Are you saying that we should tan without any bathing suits on?"

"Yes. We'll go to a salon with private booths. That way we won't get any tan lines."

I spoke up and said, "There's one problem, Mom."

"What's that, Dear."

"My breasts won't tan. Right now they match the color of the surrounding skin because Marge used the permanent makeup to make them look that way."

"That IS a problem," Mom said, a look of concern coming over her face. "Keep working on dinner while I make a call."

I finished preparing the chicken that Mom had been working on, while Carol washed and scrubbed some potatoes. We popped them into the oven when it reached the pre-heat point and we sat down at the table in the dining area. Mom came back from her bedroom and sat with us.

She said, "It's all set. I called Marge and she told me that she has a couple of friends that are in the business out here. She's going to call and find out if one of them can handle the problem. The story is that you use the false breasts to enhance your own size because you are not old enough to have implants yet. They won't be told anything else."

I said, "So after we tan, they can color the breasts with the permanent makeup to match the rest of me?"

"Yes. Just like Marge did when she matched your original skin color. We'll tan in the morning, then go for our drive, and then visit Marge's friend if she can make the arrangements."

"Will our skin tan that quickly? I didn't think that tanning salons made any difference with tan time."

"No, it takes the same amount of time, I think, but the breasts can be colored slightly so that the match will be close when your skin color changes. Then we can return when the tan color stabilizes and have it adjusted."

"But it takes days for that to happen. First you're red, and then you slowly brown. And you have to go several times to get a proper tan. It going to be a lot of work to keep things matched."

"We'll do whatever it takes, Dear, and go back as many times as necessary."

As usual, I just gave in and trusted to Mom's judgement. It would be nice to get a little sun. I had spent almost all of my time indoors since coming out here. If I had a tan, then I could go swimming and maybe even go to the beach before we went back home.

After dinner Marge called back and gave Mom the name and address of her friend who would help out with the makeup. After Mom had talked for a while I got on the phone. It was wonderful to talk with one of my 'step-moms'. Marge said that they were getting ready to hold auditions for the new play that the community theatre would be producing. I told her how I wished that I could be there, but I knew that fate had already decided that that my place was here for now. Of course, next week would be the last episode that I was under contract for so I might wind up back home unless other work came my way. As I said good-bye to Marge, I asked her to give my love to Barbara when she saw her next.

In spite of all of the time that I had slept, I still started to feel sleepy around 9 o'clock so I went to get ready for bed. I was still feeling sore but felt the urge to pee again so I went into the bathroom and sat down. This time I did much better, but I still wound up with a wet hand. I cleaned up and went back into my bedroom, taking time to stop in front of the mirror to take another look at my new 'front'. I decided that it wasn't so bad, even if I did wind up with a wet hand every time I tried to pee. At least one good thing had happened as a result of the procedure. I had enjoyed a full day without the corset, and I would enjoy another one tomorrow. The pain that I was feeling offset the benefit a little, but it was a good trade off, and I would also no longer have to wear the panty-girdle. I had forgotten about that because I had become so accustomed to wearing one every day. That in itself was worth all of the pain. My only reason for wearing it had been to hold my maleness out of sight since my boney posterior was gone and I didn't need the padding anymore. Standing in front of the mirror, I didn't see anything that would give a hint as to my original identity. My naked figure looked like that of a teenage-age girl in all respects, even if my upper and lower equipment was faked.

 

(continued in Chapter 34)

 

 

 

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