John’s Gift

by Prudence Walker

 

CHAPTER 15

 

Next morning, Brad and Sam helped us pack all the stuff we had decided to take to the new place. I winked at Cathy and whispered that men still had their uses, as they carried the suitcases of clothing, and the other boxes of personal items, out to Sam’s truck. They were eager to see the place for obvious reasons, namely a very private place to get intimate without the parents knowing. I had made sure we had our contraceptives with us. No need for us to take unnecessary risks of getting pregnant.

It took several hours to shift what we needed into the new place. Jose helped bring up the boxes and Misty gladly gave us a hand to unpack and shift everything into the closets and drawers. She admired everything and was envious of the wide variety of clothes we had. I mentioned, seeing she was about our size that if she wanted to borrow anything, just to ask. She looked shocked that we would offer to share clothes with one of the staff.

I laughed and said, " Look, its not like you’re a traditional maid, complete with uniform. You look like a normal teenager in your attire; just your job is different from ours. I want to be your friend, and friends share, don’t they?" I asked with an eyebrow raised questioningly.

"Oh thank you! Yes, I’d love to be your friend. About the clothes… well I’ll wait till I take my boyfriend out…" she said wistfully, as she caressed one of my LBD’s.

"Great," I replied, giving her a hug.

"Cathleen called us for lunch, and we all trooped into the dinning room. The table was only set for four; I frowned slightly as Misty looked on awkwardly before starting to pull the chairs out for us to sit. I turned and walked into the kitchen. Cathleen was busily filling plates with food as I accosted her.

"I’d like for all of us to eat together, if that’s ok?" I stated firmly. Cathleen jumped slightly at my tone and I softened it as I continued. "Please join us, and get a plate for both Misty and José, I’m not one for standing on ceremony."

"Of course, and thank you, we just assumed we would eat ours separately as we did with the former director, especially as you have guests."

"Guests? I laughed. No, these are our boyfriends. We are still training them in the niceties, so forgive them of any rudeness." I winked at her conspiratorially.

I helped Cathleen take out some of the plates and José was then called inside. Misty had been sent out for the three other settings as we moved the seating around. Lunch consisted of salmon and fresh garden salad with freshly baked bread rolls. We all hoed in, stuffing our faces with the delicious meal. Talk was limited to complimenting Cathleen and talking about favourite likes and dislikes regarding food preferences.

After lunch I wandered over to Lab Two, where I talked to the women in charge of the Gender Dysphoria studies. She was a striking woman about twenty-eight years old, with long wavy red hair. Her sapphire coloured eyes seem to look deep into my soul. She stood a little taller than me, probably about five, eight inches high. Her name was ironically, Sapphire. She said she was named that because of her eyes. She wasn’t wearing a lab coat, obviously preferring comfortable clothing, which certainly made the most of her curvy body. She seemed happy to talk about her work, and I could tell she was passionate about getting to the roots of her study. I asked if she had any patients suffering from GD in the facility. I was keen to talk with them.

"Yes, we have several here, a male and a female who both have desires to live as the opposite sex." She confirmed.

"Could I talk to them?" I asked her.

"Sure, let me put my coat on." She said, finally donning a short white lab coat.

We walked into an adjacent room, where I saw two people with sensors taped to their heads. They seemed to be undergoing some sort of feed back tests while being shown common images of objects. Several machines were recording the nervous impulses; they looked similar to ECG recorders. Sapphire explained that they were trying to determine any differences in the way their brains worked and they were being compared with results from normal heterosexual test subjects.

As we approached, Sapphire nodded to the technician there, to stop the test. As the two people were being unhooked, I looked them over carefully. The young man, maybe twenty-years-old had obviously started using hormones. His chest was puffy with the beginnings of breasts just showing. His hair was longish and his nails had been cared for, with their length, looking slightly longer than usual for a male

Of similar age, the girl had her hair cropped short and was dressed to minimize all indication of an obvious curvaceous figure. No makeup adorned her rather pretty face and no jewelry was evident. Sapphire motioned to the pair to follow me into the office next door. Standing at the doorway, Sapphire looked at me with an eyebrow raised in question. I shook my head and indicated that she could remain in the room, as what I was about to say, concerned her and her research.

After introductions, where I found out that the young man was Bob Arnold and the girl called herself, Donna Streisman. I opened the conversation with a question.

"Would you two consider becoming each other?" I waited, as they all looked at me in shocked disbelief, Sapphire included. I held up my hand to forestall the inevitable question of my sanity, and continued on.

"I’ve developed a way to swap minds. Using the equipment I’ve invented, you could take on each others lives, completely, and without surgery." I looked at Sapphire’s quizzical expression and shook my head negatively at her unspoken question. "It will take a few weeks to move the equipment here, so you have plenty of time to decide then. If you do agree, then you need to work together and swap all the information needed to take up the lives of the other." They looked at each other assessing the potential of the other’s body in terms of suitability. I told them to give it serious thought. I then explained the treatment would free of cost and left them talking excitedly together.

I walked out to my office and waited. A minute passed, and then a knock on the door preceded Sapphires voice asking admittance.

"Come in," I called.

Sapphire entered, along with Becky. Becky had a puzzled look on her face, while Sapphires was more serious looking.

"Why did you give those two that cock and bull story? There’s no machine that will do what you said. You have just set their hopes up, just to be dashed when they find out it can’t be done." Sapphire retorted angrily.

"Ah! But there will be, when we build it." I answered cryptically. I sat back with a faint smile on my face. Just then, Cathy entered unannounced. I waved her over to a seat near me, and offered the others seats facing us.

"We can do what I promised, but the machine is just a front for the real mind transfer." I offered.

"What transfer of minds is this?" Becky asked, looking from me to Sapphire.

Sapphire obviously hadn’t fully explained things to her when she had called her to this confrontation. I let Sapphire tell Becky what I’d promised the two-transgendered people in her care. Becky’s eyes widened and a worried look crossed her face. I could guess what was on her mind. Was I delusional? Or had the responsibility of the job already sent me over the edge?

"Okay, lets put all our cards on the table. That way, you’ll see I’m playing with a full deck. Cathy giggled at that, drawing looks from both Becky and Sapphire. "What I’m about to tell you remains between us, okay?" if word gets out everyone’s life will get complicated rather quickly.

Getting a promise of silence from them both, I told them the gift to switch minds Cathy and I possessed. Seeing their evident disbelief, I looked at Cathy.

"Want to do the honors?"

"Sure," Cathy replied, with a cheeky grin. I watched to see whom Cathy had decided to swap with. I noticed Sapphire flinch and then she winked at me, while Cathy’s body shook her head as if wondering where she was. I was curious to her reactions and decided to wait and see what she said.

"Hey!!! I’m in another body." She exclaimed, excitedly. Becky looked astonished, wondering if it was a trick. The next moment she shuddered and I knew Cathy had swapped with her, putting Becky’s mind in Sapphire’s body. I looked at Becky and nodded towards Sapphire in Cathy’s body. She got the hint and swapped back to her own body. This meant both Sapphire and Becky were in each other’s body.

Sitting there, we waited for their reactions to looking at themselves. Being women of taste, they didn’t start groping their bodies, but I noticed them looking at their new hair and at their new hands as they sat stunned.

"Wow!" Was their almost simultaneous comment?

"I can hardly believe it," Becky added, as she looked down at her attire.

"You can both do this?" Sapphire gasped. Looking at her new tan covered legs.

I winked at Cathy. I concentrated and popped into Sapphire’s body, putting Becky’s mind in mine. I then swapped with Becky’s body and from hers, back into my own, therefore putting everyone back where they belonged.

"I guess that answers that," Becky snorted in wonder.

"Is it genetic or a learned thing?" asked Sapphire, excitedly.

"Well it’s genetic…I think, but I’m not sure if it could be transferable, until we learn more." I offered. That’s the new project we’ll be starting. "Sapphire…what do you think about changing the direction of your research? To finding more gender dysphoria afflicted people and offering them a more suitable option. Maybe advertise on the web…discretely of course."

"Unfortunately the m/f is far more common than the f/m type." Sapphire sighed. "I would love to help though."

"Okay, what about sounding out the lesbian community. Surely there maybe a few that would want to try it?" I asked.

"Yes, I suppose it’s worth a try. Are we going to set a fee for this?

"Well… I want you to fix up some fancy looking equipment with plenty of flashing lights. I know that people eat that stuff up; it doesn’t need to be expensive, just impressive. Once the costs of that are worked out, we can see about charging a small fee. I’ll leave you to decide what they can afford. But no profit is to be unfairly made, just running costs and for our time. That’s all we need for now, unless there’s a millionaire out there." I grinned.

I stood up and asked if they wanted a stiff drink. Becky shook her head, saying she didn’t touch alcohol. I offered her a glass of ginger ale from the well-stocked fridge. Sapphire asked for a scotch on the rocks, while I indulged in a vodka, lime, and lemonade. Cathy got a coke much to her disgust although when she tasted it, she smiled, as I’d added a splash of bourbon to it.

We talked more on the possibilities of our gifts, and their ramifications to the world at large. I realized I’d blundered badly with the multiple swaps of Nick’s gang and their girlfriends. I just hoped that any leaks of their changes to the media would be passed off as hysteria, or mass hallucination. I didn’t think that the boys would deliberately blab about their new status, due to their misguided macho opinions. They would see it as being diminished, until they learnt the error that they were still people. Maybe they would even get to enjoy being girls, another reason to keep quiet. I doubted they would mix together to discuss makeup and dress styles. The thought of them exchanging feminine tips, made me chuckle.

Cathy looked at me strangely with one eyebrow raised and I’d realized I had been daydreaming. I said I’d had a funny thought and that I’d tell her later. Becky promised to have something mocked up for the transfers early next week. Sapphire said she’d better get back and give the two candidates a few tips on how to handle the swap. I said I’d be gone for a while and gave them both my new cell phone number, should they feel a need to contact me.

"Where are you going?" Cathy asked curiously, following me as I walked back to the house.

"Where are, we going you mean," I smiled, enigmatically.

"Shopping," was my one word reply.

"Ah my favourite four letter words."

I looked at her and sighed. "Okay. I give… four letters words?"

" SHOP… PING," she answered with a grin, emphasizing the words.

"Oh boy," I grimaced at her quip. "Misty will be coming with us, if that’s okay? I want her to feel like part of the family seeing she’s our age." I added.

"Great, she seems really cool. I can see us having a great time together. I wonder what her boyfriend’s like?" Cathy speculated.

I laughed, saying, we would find out soon enough. Brad and Sam had left, by the time we got to the house. I knew that they had said they would be back later to sample more of Cathleen’s cooking. José came out at my call, as did Misty. I told her we were all going off downtown to check out the shops. She raced back to get her purse from her room and was back in moments almost skipping in her delight.

José tooled the limo sedately along the streets, seeming to know exactly where to turn to avoid the worst of the traffic. I hadn’t given him exact directions, being new to the area. "Clothes shopping," seemed to be enough for him and I let him pick out a suitable area. I watched him, as he maneuvered the awkwardly long vehicle among the tight traffic. He pulled along a parked vehicle and stopped, double-parking unconcernedly as he moved to open the curbside doors to let us out. I wondered how we could meet up again, until he said to ring him on the car phone. He pressed a card with the phone number on it, before climbing back in the limo and driving off.

I looked around. The reason José had stopped here soon became obvious. Facing me was Victoria Secrets. Next to that on one side was Gloria’s Fashion Boutique and on the other, Glamour Footwear. ‘Oh boy,’ I thought, ‘maxing out on the credit card again,’ I could almost sense it cringing in my purse. I sent calming thoughts at it, then giggled out loud at the silly thoughts I was having.

I let Cathy and Misty take the lead, content to let them pick the first target. Being summer, I noticed the fall fashions on sale in Gloria’s. Cathy was already checking out the racks. Misty was looking at a skirt in a light earthy tone. I spotted a nice knit top that would go well with the skirt that Misty was holding against herself checking it for length. I handed the top to her and she grinned her appreciation. I wandered over to the coats and tried a few on. I wasn’t particularly interested in buying a lot of clothes; I hadn’t quite fully developed that mindset yet. I didn’t mind the trying on of clothes in a social situation where everyone got excited and said how pretty I looked, or this or that suited me. It made me feel closer to my sister and the rest of my female friends, plus I could lose myself to the moment and just enjoy myself as well as pick up valuable tips.

Time flew by, as we tore though the three shops in turn leaving a trail of chaos and bemused assistants. Cathy had the power-shopping thing down pat, with Misty a little reluctant at first, until I insisted that it was all on me. All told, we took three hours to finish, before Cathy had sated her thirst. I must have tried on twenty outfits, but ended up with two complete business suits suitable for my new position. Cathy had bought more lingerie from V.C. a very nice bra and panty set in red satin, with a matching half-slip. She also picked out several tops for the summer and a pair of leather boots.

Misty managed to get several skirts, the top I had found for her and several pairs of shoes. A nice new handbag was added to her list. It was real leather, hand embossed with fancy curlicues.

I made a call to José while we were still in the process of paying at the last stop we had made. I had no sooner ended the call, when in through the shops door, walked José. He had a grin on his face, which told me that he had managed to bully or bribe someone out of their precious parking slot outside the shop. Without asking, he took hold of the colourfully decorated bags with their feminine products brand names blazoned across them, without any hesitation. Obviously so secure in his masculinity, that carrying bags containing women’s clothing, some of an intimate nature, had no effect on his willingness to help.

Amazingly, he had secured a parking spot right outside the shop. He remotely unlocked the car doors, allowing us to sit while he went and opened the trunk and placed the bags inside. Soon we were on our way back, making small talk about fashions. Misty mentioned that she had enjoyed herself immensely.

"My pleasure," I said, smiling warmly.

"It was so cool, being with you guys. Thanks for the clothes and the rest, I feel a bit guilty spending your money like that." She chattered.

I laughed. "Money is to be spent having fun, not left in banks to get covered in dust," I said metaphorically.

"Well I suppose it depends on whether you have the money in the bank to start off with," replied misty, with a note of wistfulness.

"True, I guess one tends to forget that money isn’t everything, sometimes the things that are of most value don’t cost a lot, like friendship."

We hugged each other, savoring the closeness that the three of us had felt had developed that afternoon. Soon, we were back home and we took charge of our purchases to the chagrin of José, who I think wanted to carry them into our bedroom. I wondered if he hoped to get a little fashion show from us, which gave me an evilly delicious thought. A whispered word to the girls brought a smile to their faces, as we planned our little tease of José.

Misty left us to go help Cathleen with dinner, while we went and refreshed ourselves with a hot shower. Cathy came in with me and we acted just like sisters, washing each other’s backs and helping with the hair. Even though the essential part of me that had once made up the person John had been male in nature, I didn’t feel the arousal a male would, seeing a naked female within touching distance. My female brain, in which I now inhabited, and containing my original totality of John and his memories, was now wired differently. The hormones, which now flowed through my body, and triggered responses in my brain, controlled the way I reacted to a large degree. Sure, I still saw my sister as attractive, just as I did when I checked out my body in the mirror, it just didn’t trigger that part of me that got my juices flowing.

We helped select each other’s clothes, a testimony to the lessons I’d learned under Cathy’s tutelage. Once our hair had been dried, brushed, and styled. We dressed in dressy, but comfortable clothes for the evening meal. A delicious aroma was making our stomachs rumble and we hurried to get ready.

I heard the sounds of males talking together, and a peek out the door, confirmed that Sam and Brad had just arrived. I checked quickly in my mirror, making sure I looked perfect, before Cathy and I made our entrance. The boys were happy to see us, but I noticed they seemed more concerned about the meal they saw being served up by Cathleen. ‘Typical men,’ I thought, with a shrug. ‘Always thinking of their stomachs first.’

Mind you, I didn’t blame them much, the food looked and smelled incredible. There was a large roast of lamb, which seemed to have been boned and then stuffed. It was sitting on a large platter surrounded by a huge amount of roast potatoes and roast pumpkin. Other vegetables like green beans and snow peas and carrots were contained in glass heatproof covered bowls. Several gravy boats were filled with tasty smelling brown gravy, obviously made from the meat juices.

"It’s called colonial goose," Cathleen answered to Brad, who’d asked what the meat was. "It’s actually New Zealand lamb stuffed with a sage and onion stuffing. I have a friend on the Internet that I chat with, from there. Her name is Prue and she sent me the recipe for this and the desert, you’ll be having."

"Well, if it tastes anything like it smells, you’d better get all the recipes you can," I urged. Sam came and held my chair for me, which I thought was rather sweet and deserved something for later. I sat, allowing him to push the chair closer to the table. I noticed Brad had seen and duplicated the same courtesy for Cathy, which boded well for their future relations. We all got stuck in, José did the honours with the meat, carving it and helping share it around. Knowing there was dessert of some kind, I didn’t pig out… well not too much. It was absolutely delicious. Cathleen beamed as the food disappeared. I felt lucky she was such a great cook, and I sent a mental thanks to Prue, so very far away in New Zealand.

Desert was something else; if I thought the meal was great… this was heaven on a plate. Cathleen told us it was called Pavlova, a sweet desert mainly made from egg whites and sugar then cooked. Apparently the origins of it were disputed with both New Zealand and Australia claiming to be the country of origin. Whatever… it was delicious. It looked a bit like meringue only bigger. It was crispy on the outside with a soft marshmallow like center. It was covered in freshly whipped and sweetened cream with strawberries and sliced kiwi fruit interspaced on top. Needless to say it was gone in moments with plenty of takers to clean up the plate it had been on. I knew one thing. I was going to get the recipe, if I had to fly to New Zealand myself.

Cathleen went to bring in coffee for those that wanted it, amid a chorus of appreciation for both the meal and the desert. I swear she was near floating from the praise heaped upon her cooking skills. I rose, excusing myself from the table, saying I needed to walk the meal off. I looked invitingly to Sam and he got the hint right away, excusing himself as well. A few glances from the others and a grin from Cathy, told me they understood my need to be alone with Sam for a while.

Sam took my hand and we walked outside into the twilight of the evening. We walked aimlessly around the grounds of the research facility with our arms around each other’s waists. We talked of plans for the future and what I was going to do with this place my father had dropped in my hands. We found a bench seat near the house by a fishpond and sat. We kissed and cuddled for a while. I loved the way my body reacted to Sam’s caresses. I felt my body rouse sexually and I wished we were more than just girl/boy friends. I felt that I needed something more. I was eager to take the relationship with Sam a lot further, but unless he felt the same way, I didn’t want to force the issue with my demands. I looked deep into Sam’s eyes as if searching for the answer. Did he feel the same way about me? He looked back into my eyes, smiling a little as if he was reading my thoughts.

I saw something flash in his eyes, as if he suddenly saw something of my love reflected there. He pulled back and fumbled in his pocket for a moment, before bringing out a small jewelry case covered in white velvet. My heart leapt, was this going to be a ring of significance or just a friendship ring? I held my breath as he passed to me and got down on one knee.

"I wanted to give this to you before, but I wasn’t sure until tonight, if you felt the same way as I did about you." He said, looking at me hopefully.

I opened it, saying nothing as I looked at the ring nestled inside. It was a solitaire diamond on a gold band that split where it cupped the diamond. I felt my heart thudding as I looked at every girl’s dream. The ring symbolized the love and commitment he intended to give me all my life.

"Will you marry me and be my wife?" he asked, waiting expectantly.

 

To be continued.

 

 

 

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© 2002 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, compilation design) may printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without express written consent of the copyright holder.