If anyone reading the story discovers a typo or other error, please let me know so I can correct it. You can send an email to: barnold@ralabs.com   Please let me know where you saw the story and what the error was. I'll attempt to get it corrected.
Special thanks to Misty Dawn for her editing and proofing efforts on this chapter.

This is a work of fiction, with a few real life experiences added in. All of the characters in this story are fictional, and any resemblance to anyone else living or dead is probably a coincidence. Please notify me if you are archiving this and the other chapters of the story on a web site. Permission specifically granted to Sapphire's Place and Crystal's Story Site to archive this. If you intend to publish this story in magazine or book (paper or electronic) format, please contact me for arrangements. Additional information on this story may be found at: http://www.ralabs.com/zapped/

 

Zapped

by Bob Arnold

Chapter 10 – "Holidays"

© 2002 - All Rights Reserved

 

Dear Diary,

I've been quite busy. This is the first chance I've had to sit down and catch up. So much has happened since… well, maybe I had better just pick up where I left off…

One week before Thanksgiving…

A long black limo pulled up alongside MegaComp's corporate jet as it rolled to a stop next to the hanger. Tammy and I watched as the driver helped the co-pilot unload our baggage into the trunk of the car. The captain came back a few moments later and escorted us out to the waiting car. The wind whistled across the tarmac driving a fine mist of snow with it chilling me to the bone. I briefly wondered if this was a sign of things to come. The limo pulled away from the jet then headed north toward my home.

"So what are you going to tell Adam, Jen?"

"The truth, Tammy, just the truth. I have no idea what it will do to our relationship if we even still have one. I'm so confused about who and what I am. How did I adapt to this so fast? How did I even change at all? By any normal reasoning, I should have died when the lightning hit. I have so many questions and no answers."

She reached out to hold my hand. "I wish I had those answers for you, Jen."

We rode in silence the rest of the way home until we pulled up to the curb in front of my house. The driver got out and started to carry the baggage up to the front porch as the cold November wind whipped the heavy dusting of snow into a fine mist. Just the sight of it chilled me to the bone again. I stepped out of the limo and headed for the front door. Moments later I was inside my nice warm house. I thanked the driver and offered a tip for his help then watched the car glide away into the darkening night.

We moved the baggage into the house dumping everything into the living room. The first thing I did when that task was complete was to kick off my shoes and get my favorite pair of big fluffy slippers and a pair of heavy cotton socks to warm my ice cold feet. Since Tammy had stowed some things she bought in the extra space in my luggage, I went to grab my bag. That was when I noticed two large boxes in the pile.

"Tammy, did you buy anything big in New York?"

"No. Not me, why?"

"Do you know anything about them, Tammy?" I pointed to a pair of mysterious boxes, each close to two feet long and over a foot high and wide. They were wrapped in expensive wrapping paper and each of them had an envelope and a big bow taped to the top of the box. One box had my name and the other had Tammy's.

"Nope. But, I know a way we can find out though." She took the envelopes off the boxes and handed me the one with my name. "Ready?" I nodded yes.

We opened our envelopes to find identical letters.

"To my two charming guests,

I enjoyed your stay in New York and thought this would be a good way of saying thanks for all you've done for MegaComp. I hope that you'll enjoy this little gift and visit us again soon under better circumstances.

Jeff Fuller - MegaComp"

Tammy and I looked at each other then raced to tear the wrapping paper from each box. We both opened the boxes at the same time, to be seduced by the wonderful aroma of chocolate! Jeff must have had the chocolate shop prepare a large box for each of us based on the assortments we had gotten. There must have been at least fifteen pounds of delightful decadence packed in each box. Tammy and I sampled a few chocolates from our own boxes and some from the other's box.

"You do know, Tammy," I admonished with a giggle, "that this is going straight to our hips, don't you?"

"I'll gladly work it all off. How about you, Jen"

"I think you're right. I'm going to stop now, though I'm extremely tempted to just keep going. I don't want to get myself sick on this stuff." I re-packed the box and closed the lid tightly. Then I carried it to the kitchen to find room for part of the goodies in my oversized fridge. Tammy took her box of goodies out to her car.

My head was stuck in the fridge when I heard a male voice behind me. "You look great bent over like that." My heart skipped a few beats as the fear swelled inside me. A hard hand suddenly touched me in the middle of my back. The events in my hotel room flashed across my memory magnifying my fear into a wave of sheer terror.

I was frightened beyond all reason and absolutely certain that I was going to be raped in my own home. NO! Not again! Not in my own home! Adrenaline, fueled by a sudden rage, flooded through me as I suddenly backed out of the fridge. Still in the bent forward attitude, instinctively forming my upper body into a "battering ram."

Screaming as loud as I could, I charged at the voice, head down, shoulder and neck muscles bunched for a "head butt" and running at full speed. I collided with the body in front of me and knocked it to the floor. Infuriated and unwilling to "go meekly" again, I began beating on it as hard as I could with my small fists. Large powerful hands tried to hold me and fend off my attack. Prompted by my growing terror, I bit one of the hands that tried to hold me and continued the assault.

Somehow, dimly, I heard the voice again. "JENNIFER, WHAT IN HELL ARE YOU DOING?"

I paused just long enough to look at the face of my would-be attacker and realized that I had just knocked Adam down and was beating him. The fear and panic instantly changed to shame as I collapsed on the floor next to him crying hysterically.

Tammy came running in. "Adam, I told you to be very careful around her. What did you do?"

"I walked into the kitchen while was she bent over to put stuff in the refrigerator. Then she screams at me, knocks me to the floor and starts beating on me. She even BIT me!" He pointed to the bite marks on his hand. I felt him lift me and carry me to the couch in the living room.

"Humph, MEN! I bet you came up behind her! Probably grabbed her, too, didn't you?" Tammy stood in front of Adam waving one hand in front of his face. "You idiot! I told you to be careful! You should have called to her from another room to let her know you were here. She had a very bad time in New York City."

Adam sat down beside me on the couch. I pulled away from him as he tried to console me then I jumped up off the couch wishing that I had died instead of being changed when the lightning hit me. Behind me, I heard him call my name as I ran to my bedroom, slamming and locking the door behind me. I threw my self across the bed as tears flowed freely. Everything seemed so out of my control!

A couple of minutes later I heard footsteps coming down the hall, a short pause, some urgent whispering, then a gentle knock on the door. "Come on, Jen. It's Tammy! Please, let me in. We need to talk. Adam said he'd stay in the living room until you're calmed down. He said he's really sorry, too."

"GO AWAY! I don't want to talk about it."

"Jen, I'm NOT LEAVING until we talk. Do I have Adam break this door down or are you going to open it now?"

Feeling I somehow had to restore order from the chaos, I unlocked the door and opened it slowly just enough to see that Tammy was alone in the hallway. I opened the door enough to pull her inside then closed and locked it again. I jumped on the bed and buried my face in the pillow; rivers of tears still flowing down my face.

"Ok, Jen. What happened?"

"He… and then I…. and…." I broke down again sobbing beyond control. Tammy hugged me tight until my sobs once again subsided.

"Feel better now, Jen?" I nodded slowly. "Well?"

"I'll never get used to these damned emotional outbursts, one moment I'm in complete control and then I'm almost a total basket case for a while. How do women live like this, Tammy?"

Tammy simply shrugged. "Now what happened?"

"I thought I was going to be attacked in my own home so I charged at him. If I had known it was Adam… I never would have…"

"It's all right, Jen. Adam doesn't understand fully what happened to you yet and he didn't understand how you'd react in that situation. Why don't you go and talk to him and tell him about it?"

"I can't face him right now. After what happened to me and what I just did… he probably… Oh, Tammy! He'll never want to see me again! And I can't blame him either." I buried my face in the tear soaked pillow. The emotions that flooded my brain overwhelmed any shred of my former male personality that was left sending me into another bout of tears and deep sobs.

"Look, if you won't tell him what really happened, do you mind if I do? The poor man is going crazy out there. Jen, he needs to know what went on in New York City."

I turned to look at her. "If he really wants to know, then tell him, and tell him everything, Tammy."

"If that's what you want, Jen."

"It's not what I WANT, Tammy… but its what HAS to be done… Adam deserves to know the truth," Oh God, he'll never want me again when he hears the truth! "not that sanitized crap… that'll be playing in the news… for the next week. I'll talk to him… if he still wants to talk to me… after he knows what REALLY happened," I managed to reply between soggy breaths

"All right, Jen." Shutting down my mind, I tried not to imagine my life without Adam as Tammy quietly left the room closing the door behind her.

I curled up into as tiny a ball as I could with my back to the door dreading the knock I hoped would come. Then I heard that knock on the bedroom door after nearly an hour. "Come in."

I heard the door pen slightly. "Ummm… Jen, is it ok to come in and talk to you?"

"Yes, Adam. Though I'm surprised you even want to talk to me after hearing the truth about what happened."

He sat down on the edge of the bed next to me. "Can I hold you, Jen?"

"No, not right now."

"Oh… " I could hear the disappointment in his voice. "I'm sorry, Jen. If I had known the full story before I came in I would never have startled you like that. Will you forgive me?"

I stretched out then rolled over to face Adam. "Yes, Adam. Will you forgive me for attacking you? I feel so foolish."

"No, I WON'T forgive you." The voice, normally so warm and gentle that it filled my heart with joy simply hearing it, now had a cold, steely edge that cut through me like a knife.

"WHAT?" His face looked clouded in thought with deep furrows on his forehead.

A soft, gently reassuring smile appeared on his face. "Jen, there's nothing to forgive you for. You were trying to protect yourself, that's all. Frankly, I wonder if I would have done as much myself, if I could have done so, if I had been attacked like you were."

Almost hesitantly, I reached out and held his hand. "Thanks, Adam. I… uh… that means an awful lot to me."

Adam bent down and gently kissed me on the forehead and hugged me. Helplessly unable to control it, I flinched briefly as he hugged me. I hoped he wouldn't notice.

"What was that all about, Jen?"

"What was what about?"

"For just a moment there you acted like you were scared when I hugged you."

"For a moment, Adam, I was. The memories of the attack are still too fresh in my mind that's all."

"Want me to cancel the Thanksgiving party then?"

"Sorry, Adam, I'd forgotten about that." Suddenly I sat up on the edge of the bed. "No, we'll have it anyway. It's only a week from now. It'll be too late to cancel it and have all your friends make other plans."

"Are you sure, Jen? I know how much work it's going to be for you."

With a nod, I realized I had to do it. Hosting the party would allow me to focus on something more enjoyable than the attack in New York.

"I promised, Adam, and I always do my best to keep the promises I make. I'll have Tammy over to help me anyway."

"All right. I'll let everyone know that the party is still on. I think you're taking on too much but only you know what you're capable of." He leaned closer and started to kiss me on my lips. I gently pushed him away.

"Adam, don't. At least not until the tests come back."

"Tests?"

"Yes. I'm…we're… the doctor and I… we're not certain what else that bastard may have given me… besides his sperm."

"When will you know?"

"It might take up to a month or more."

"I don't think I want to ask this, but… do you know if you're pregnant yet?"

"Pregnant. Now there's a term I never thought I would ever use in relation to my own body. I'd always thought I might make a woman pregnant, not BE made pregnant myself." I looked away, unwilling to witness the disgust I was sure would be in his features. "No, Adam, I don't know, yet. It'll be another few days before the home pregnancy tests are accurate enough."

"Did they give you the 'morning after' pill?"

"They did offer it. I refused. I WON'T make a baby pay for what that bastard did to me. If I'm pregnant, I intend to carry the baby to full term and raise it as my own. I may want to skin that bastard alive and serve his family jewels to him on a silver platter, but I refuse to take out my anger at him on an innocent child."

Adam paused for a few moments then shook his head. "I got a mental picture of what you just said. It'll remind me to never get you any more pissed at me than you were a little while ago." He chuckled softly. "I applaud your attitude, Jen. I want to make it very clear to you that if you are pregnant, it makes no difference to me in our relationship. I love you no mater what happens to you."

With those words, I broke down in tears again "Thank you, Adam." I didn't fully understand what I was thanking him for, but I let it go. "I'm going to need some time, but I think I'll come through this. It's getting late and I want to get to bed. I have to go to work again in the morning. I didn't take the whole week off. God, I wish I had, now."

"Just call in sick and stay home."

"No, I can't do that. There are things that only I can do there. The college has been good about letting me schedule time off for my own personal business and I do need to make sure that things there are in good working order."

"All right then. Sweet dreams, Jen." He leaned closer and hugged me tightly in those warm and powerful arms. In spite of everything that happened in the past couple of days, I almost melted on the spot.

"Goodnight, Adam." I walked him to the front door and watched as he got into the Mustang and pulled out of the driveway. I noticed Tammy's car still in the driveway.

"I walked back into the kitchen and was greeted with the aroma of a batch of brownies fresh from the oven. "Tammy, what are you doing?"

"I call it a chocolate brownie pig out. Whenever I get down, I go make a batch of brownies and pig out on them. Warm gooey brownies with a nice big glass of ice-cold milk are the best. Want to try it?"

"Oh, hell. I guess so. You do know where these are going don't you?"

"Then there'll be a bit more of you for Adam to love won't there? Besides, you eat like a bird when we're out doing appearances. Even when you DO put away the food, I've never seen you gain a pound. Well, here goes. Over the teeth and past the gums, look out hips cause here it comes!" She took a big bite of brownie and chewed for a few seconds then drank a big gulp of milk. She grinned like a Cheshire cat with a large milk moustache.

"You're right, I DON'T gain any weight, do I? I suppose that when the lightning changed me, I got that little gift too." I cut into the pan of brownies and lifted out a chunk. One bite and I was in heaven. "Where did you get the recipe to make these, Tammy?"

"It's an ancient secret recipe," she winked, "handed down through the ages to the women in my family. Want it?"

It got her the laugh she wanted to hear. "What do I have to do to get it?"

"Just ask. Next time I come over, I'll make another batch and show you how."

"Thanks, Tammy." I looked at the clock on the counter. "It's getting late. Did you call your mom when we got back?"

"Yup. She knows I'll be home late and she knows why I'm still here with you." A large belch escaped her lips.

"Tammy! That's not very ladylike!"

"Are there any guys here we need to act proper around? I sure don't see any. There are times when a girl needs to let down her hair and just be herself ya know. Didn't you ever do that when you were a guy, Jen?"

"Yeah," I admitted reluctantly. "I guess I did. Yeah, there were times when I had to ummm… adjust things down there or a number of other… things… guys do. But now," I shrugged, "I've traded that kind of discomfort for another kind of discomfort. I'd never thought I'd ever wind up thankful for pantyliners or having to use tampons or pads every month that's for sure. And I'm always readjusting my bra straps. They're either too tight or too loose. You'd think SOMEONE would make a bra that fits right."

"Jen, just operate under the assumption that most bras were designed by men for one of two purposes. Either as a device for torturing women, because we have breasts or as a device to purposely display our breasts in ways that turn the guys on." She used her hands to lift her breasts and shove them together making lots of cleavage. "See what I mean? You've seen those bras that make you look like you're a couple of sizes too big for the bra you're wearing, right?"

"You've got a point there, Tammy. Though one usually sees those bad-girl bras only when the woman wants to make a man's eyes, or something else, pop out." I giggled as I reached for yet another brownie.

We sat in silence for a few more minutes as we both pigged out on the brownies. I patted my tummy and sighed after I finished the last of the milk in my glass.

"I don't think I can move for a while. I really ate too much, but my attitude is definitely improved. Ahhh, the wonders of chocolate."

"I couldn't agree more, Jen. Wow! Look at the time! Jeese, I hafta get home or mom is going to have a fit when I walk in the door."

"She'll be mad at BOTH of us, you for being late and me for making you get home late. I'll clean up when I can move, you get going girlfriend. I'll see you Saturday morning at the station for the next show."

"G'night, Jen." Tammy hugged me, then took off for home. I waited about fifteen minutes then waddled around the kitchen, put the dishes, the brownie bowls and pan into, and then started the dishwasher. The brownies that were left went into a plastic bag and placed in the fridge for later. With an accompanying snap of the fingers, I remembered to fix a can of concentrated OJ for my breakfast bagel. Within a half-hour, I was in bed and asleep.

Friday morning dawned bright and clear and cold; usual for late November in central New York. The bedroom was a bit on the chilly side since I had forgotten to turn the heat up in it before I went to bed. Tossing aside the covers, I put my nice warm feet into the ice-cold slippers on the floor. They warmed up in a few seconds as I walked over to the thermostat on the wall and turned up the heat.

The bathroom was the next stop. I was glad the bathroom was set on a different thermostat as I stripped down to bare skin and jumped in the shower. I stuffed my hair under a shower cap and prayed that I could keep it dry. I really didn't want to go out in such weather with long hair such as mine if even a little damp and drying it would take almost an hour to do properly.

A giggle escaped me as I thought back to how easy it had been to maintain my old body; a quick run through the shower, a towel on the hair and a quick shave was all I had ever needed most days. Now it could take hours to get cleaned up and ready to go out.

As the pulsing water played over the more sensitive parts of my feminine anatomy I was forced to admit that, given a choice between life in my old body and this one there would be no contest. Why go back to driving the VW beetle when I was at the wheel of a Ferrari now?

The water hit the sensitive spot between my legs sending a jolt through me. I smiled and sighed thinking that I would have to reserve that pleasure for another time. I had important things to do at work today and I wanted to be sure I was at my desk in plenty of time to prepare for a meeting I had requested with my boss.

Reluctantly, I turned off the spray and stood in the shower for a minute or so dripping the last of the water from my body as I toweled off. I dumped the towel in the hamper and padded back to my bedroom to get dressed. Briefly, very briefly I considered dressing in a skirt and blouse, until I remembered what the cold Central New York wind would do to me as it blew its icy breath up under the skirt. With a shudder, I decided that a dark blue pantsuit was more in keeping with the current weather conditions. After the interminable struggle of putting on panty hose, I finished getting dressed. Though not my favorite item of clothing, I had gotten used to the silky feel of them against my smooth legs and seldom went out without them now.

I put on a pair of felt-lined shoe-boots and did my hair in my usual high ponytail style. Some jewelry, delicate little cameo ear studs and a matching cameo on a silver chain about my throat, and my usual scent finished the look. Setting the thermostat back a little, I restocked my purse with essential supplies and deemed me ready to face the world. The purse got dropped on the table next to the front door on my way to the kitchen.

The answering machine was blinking so I checked and made notes on about half a dozen messages. Some I could ignore, the always present sales people trying to sell me new windows or something, and a few that required a return call that I would make later in the day during one of my breaks. I cut a bagel in half and popped both halves in the toaster then grabbed the cream cheese and OJ from the refrigerator. I did have the presence of mind to buy some food that would keep in the fridge while I was gone on the New York trip.

I turned on the television and watched the morning news as I ate my breakfast. Fortunately, the furor over my little problem in New York City had been replaced by other news. I breathed a little sigh of relief when the newscast ended with no mention of me at all. I hit the remote button to kill the TV and set the dishes in the washer. There wasn't enough for a load yet, so I didn't start it. A glance at the clock told me that it was almost time to leave.

After one last check of the house, I headed for the front door, activated the security system, grabbed my purse and day bag, and then locked the door behind me. The walk to the truck chilled me as the icy wind whipped the light covering of snow into the air again. Sliding into the truck, shivering as the frigid cold of the seat seeped through my slacks, I turned the key to start the truck's engine. It grumbled a bit more than normal, but finally fired off. I waited until the engine warmed up slightly then pulled out into the morning rush hour traffic.

Looking around the cab of the truck as I made my way up to the college, I remembered that the truck was almost seven years old and had just over a hundred thousand miles on it. It was coming up for a few thousand in repairs and, even with those repairs, it only got around thirteen miles per gallon of gas. I had originally bought it because of all of the consulting and installation work I was doing. Now that I was involved in other activities, the consulting and installation work had reduced to almost nothing. I decided that I no longer needed to drive the 'Twister' truck and started thinking about what vehicle I wanted next. I still needed to haul things around occasionally so that left out a small car. I decided that a minivan would fill my needs nicely and made a few more mental notes on what I wanted to look for.

The usual parking spot in the lot was waiting and I made it into my office around an hour ahead of the time I was supposed to be there. I took a few minutes to run my usual network and server checks then set about preparing for the meeting with my boss set in my office for just after normal starting time. The time flew by quickly until I heard a knock on the office door.

I opened the door as my boss bustled into the room. "Man is it COLD out there, Jen! If it's this cold in November I wonder what February will be like."

"I know, Tony, that's why I wore the pants-suit today. I don't think I'll ever get used to the wind blowing up my skirt, especially in winter."

He made himself comfortable in a chair after pouring a cup of coffee from the pot I'd made earlier. "Well, you called this meeting. What's on your mind, Jen?"

"Well, boss, I've been thinking about this for the last few weeks. I've spent more time away from here, working on the radio show and personal appearances, than I've actually been here. It doesn't seem fair to me that the college has to do without their networking person so much."

"We've gotten by, Jen, sometimes just gotten by, but your job is safe."

"Oh, I know that, Tony and that's why I want to submit my resignation now, to take effect just before the Christmas break. I'm willing to extend a little, should the college be able to get someone to fill the position and my replacement needs some training before I leave."

A big frown swept across his face. "Jen, we had a hell of a time finding you years ago. You know what it was like," he commented darkly. "Damn it! You were on the committee to fill the spot you have now. We couldn't find anyone with the same talent-set you had so that's why you were offered the job. I'm not certain that we can easily replace you."

"I'm sure you can now, Tony. There are loads of people now that have the needed skill sets that I had back then. I only had the skill sets that I did have and still have because of all the things I've done."

"And where else are we going to find someone with over thirty years of skills that wants to work for the pay you do? Do you know what the headhunters would do with you if you were to go into the job market right now?"

"I've always known, Tony. I've been refusing the headhunters for the last three years. I've been told many times that I could almost double my earnings if I went into the business job market. I was happy here and didn't want to make the change."

"Then why leave us?"

"Since this…" I pointed at my new body as I talked "…happened to me, I've been extremely lucky. Ah hell, Tony, I have been awarded another chance at life and I want to try to head in a much different direction than my old life was. Just look at me, Tony! I'm young again and I want to try to enjoy my life this time around."

"Ah, Jennifer, if only there was a lightning bolt with my name on it that could take me back almost twenty-five years I'd join you."

"It's been a strange and wonderful ride so far, Tony. Would I do it all again if I had the option? Yes, I think I would. I feel so alive like this. I have a state of inner peace that's very hard to describe. I felt so out of place before." Except for the events of this past trip, I really did have a much better outlook on life now than before the accident.

He sighed and stood up. "Well, were there any other little bombshells you wanted to drop on us today?"

"Nope. That was the only one, Tony."

"I don't like saying this, but I officially accept your notification, Jennifer. We'll all miss you around here. Is it all right if I let the department know?"

"Sure, Tony. That's no problem."

"I guess that wraps it up then. I'll get the paperwork started on this and catch up with you later." Moments later he was gone. I closed the office door and dropped back into the chair at my desk.

I survived the rest of the day by tending to the network and reviewing the documentation for the network to be sure that it was as current as I could make it. As I was putting the finishing touches on the paperwork I heard a knock on the office door.

"Jen, it's after four thirty. Are you going home tonight?"

I looked away from the monitor screen to see Bill standing there. "Yup. I sort of lost track of the time."

"Ok then. I'll see you next week. I'll miss you when you're gone."

"You heard already, huh?"

"Yes. I got an email earlier today. The campus is buzzing about it."

"I thought the word would get out quickly. Let me close down here and I'll walk out with you."

After doing a final network check for the weekend I shutdown the desktop PC. The lights were the last thing I turned off as I locked the door behind me.

Listening intently to the clicking of my heels on the concrete steps, I climbed up out of the basement of the building where my office was located. I realized that now I could count the days until I would be doing this for one last time. I knew I would miss working at the college, but the future should be much more interesting if the job weren't in the way.

Stepping outside through the loading dock door, I was immediately reminded of why I had decided on the pantsuit today. The wind was from the north, bringing with it low, intense, gray clouds. I nudged Bill as we walked together across the parking lot.

"Snow clouds, Bill." I glanced skyward and shuddered. "I used to feel more comfortable in wintertime with all the extra padding I had. Now, even in pants and a heavy coat, I'm freezing my tits off."

"You'll warm up at home, Jen. That's what those long hot soaks in bathtub girls love so much are for."

Understanding exactly what he meant, I smiled at him. "I think you're right. It sounds like a wonderful idea. Bill, I must confess that as a man I loved to take long, hot baths, but for vastly different reasons. They used to help with the arthritis I had then." I did a couple of dance steps. "That's all gone now though."

"Were those dance steps from the show?" I nodded yes. "How's that doing anyway?"

"We're coming along fine. The lights and sound are working without problems and Greg is doing his best to get the cast whipped into shape. There are just a few weeks of rehearsals left until we open on the first weekend in January."

"Well, I'm looking forward to seeing it. But then, I do have an interest in the basic premise."

"Yes, you do don't you. Do you have tickets yet, Bill?"

"Not yet. The box office hasn't opened for advance sales."

"I'll let you know when it will be open. I have to get home, Bill. I'm so cold my teeth are starting to chatter, and it isn't even really winter yet."

"Take care of yourself, Jen. I'll see you next week." He hugged me and, after I returned the hug, he assisted me in getting into the truck.

A moment later I got the engine fired up and soon pulled out of the lot, heading for home by way of the grocery store. After a not so quick stop, forty dollars was liberated from my purse in exchange for about a bag and a half of groceries. I could remember two twenty-dollar bills being worth a lot more in the past. I wondered how many other twenty-four year old women could remember twenty-four-cents-a-quart milk and other things like that and giggled to myself.

Mild surprise enveloped me on discovering Tammy's car in my driveway as I pulled in and saw that the house lights were on. It wasn't unusual for Tammy to come over and use my ham station, so I thought nothing of her being there or in my house on her own. After all, I had given her a key. But I found her setting quietly in the living room with a concerned look on her face.

"Ok, Tammy, let's have it. What's the scowl for?"

"I got a letter in the mail today, Jen. I asked the doctor to send me your test results and she agreed I should see them first. We didn't know how you'd react when you saw them yourself."

I flopped down on the couch. "Ok, Tammy, read it to me. I'd rather hear the bad news from a friendly voice."

Closing my eyes, I heard sheets of paper unfold, then she began to read. "The results of the tests on your attack all came back negative for sexually transmitted diseases. At this time, we feel there is little danger of the common diseases. However, I feel that you should be tested at three-month intervals to ensure that no other diseases develop. I've enclosed a better pregnancy test kit that should provide reasonably accurate results now. Please follow the package directions and let me know the results."

I sighed loudly at the thought that I was probably disease free. The pregnancy test kit would resolve the last big question tonight. "Where's the kit, Tammy?"

"Right here, Jen. It says to collect a urine sample first in this sterile cup. If you want to go do that, I'll do the rest."

Accepting the cup, I headed for the bathroom. In the past I had to provide urine samples for various medical tests, but the one test I'd thought I'd never have to supply a sample for had to be a pregnancy test. Not EVER! My smug attitude came back to haunt me as I carefully placed the cup in about the right spot and let loose the flow. A few dribbles came out and appeared to be enough as I looked at the red line on the side of the cup. I left it on the sink, cleaned up and headed back into the living room to await the test results from Tammy. She headed into the bathroom with the rest of the test kit as I headed out.

By the time Tammy returned with the test results I was curled up again in a tiny ball on the couch with my knees tucked up under my chin, a position the old me would never have been able to master. I looked up to see her standing there. "Well?"

"Jen, you're NOT pregnant. I ran the test twice with the same results both times. I want to run it again in a couple of days to be sure."

Tears, virtual cascades of joy, flowed in rivulets down my cheeks. Had I been pregnant I would have gladly had the baby and cared for it as my own quite willingly. Yet, the relief I felt at not being with child was almost overwhelming. I really wasn't ready for that aspect of my new life. I knew that some day I would want to bear a child and become a mommy. But until then, I wanted to experience everything else my new life had to offer.

"Thanks, Tammy. Thanks so much for being here for me during all of this."

"And thanks to you for helping me so much. It's been great to have a big sister. I don't feel so alone any more." Tammy gave me a huge hug as she sat next to me on the couch.

We stayed that way for several minutes until a deep growl from my tummy made us giggle. "No supper yet, Jen?"

"Nope. I don't know what I want to eat. Any suggestions?"

"Want to go out to eat?"

"No way. I'm frozen to the bone already and it isn't technically winter yet. How about something we can have here?"

"How about spaghetti? I know you have some and a bottle of sauce. You go take a good hot bath and I'll get it started."

"That sounds wonderful, Tammy. Let me know when it's almost ready and I'll get out of the tub." Tammy headed for the kitchen as I headed for my bedroom.

Within a very few minutes I was stretched out in a tub of water as hot as I could stand it, scented with my favorite bath oil. Within moments I felt the tension of the last week drain away as the warm water soaked into every pore. Some time later I heard a gentle knocking on the bathroom door and snapped fully awake, a momentary fear filling me. "Tammy?"

"Yes, Jen. The spaghetti is almost ready. Now haul yourself outa that tub."

"OK, mom. I'm coming." I heard her giggle as she headed back to the kitchen. I got dressed in jeans and a blouse then headed to supper.

Tammy did a great job with the spaghetti and we both had to force ourselves away from the table to leave room for the goodies we had gotten in New York City. I decided that a chocolate pig out was what I needed and got several boxes out of the refrigerator then headed for the living room.

I stood in front of the videotape and DVD collection pondering which movies to watch. Before the accident my tastes ran toward older war movies like "The Longest Day" and "Battle of the Bulge". As more time progressed after my change I found myself watching different movies. I decided on "The Sting" and told Tammy to pick one of her own. She selected "Shrek" on DVD.

I put the tape for "The Sting" in the VCR and fed it into the large screen TV. We watched it to the end, shoved it into the rewinder, and then started "Shrek". The time was nearing midnight when that finished.

"Better let your mom know where you are, Tammy."

"All taken care of on a bathroom break, Jen. I told her I was staying the night. Is that all right with you?"

"It fine with me, Tammy. You can use the guest room for what may be the last time."

"Last time?"

"Yup. I'm turning it into a home office with a connecting door to the computer room next door. The computer room will be my office and I'm going to hire an assistant."

"An assistant?"

"What is it with you, Tammy. You in parrot mode today?" I giggled at the mock look of shock on her face. "Yes, I'm going to hire an office assistant. Have you seen the stacks of stuff in the computer room? Between the fan mail and the stuff people send to review I just can't handle it myself any more. And you're NOT taking time away from college to help me, Tammy. Your education is important."

"I didn't even suggest it, did I? I'm having more than enough fun with other things, as they are, Jen. Have you started looking yet?" The way she enunciated "other" made me wonder. Perhaps Tammy had discovered boys?

"Not really. I only made the decision after I told my boss I was leaving the college just before Christmas. I gave my official notice today."

"So you went and did it, huh? Well I suppose it's right for you. The radio show is going pretty good now."

"Well, I've decided that since circumstances have given me a new chance at life that I am going to try to make the most of it. If that means doing the radio show and other things that come along, then I'm quite willing to give it a try. I have twenty years to live over again and I want them to be very different from the way they were before the change."

"Umm… Jen, I think I know of someone that would be perfect to help you. Do you want me to let her know about the job opening?"

"Sure. Give her one of our business cards and have her call me tomorrow night if she's available. What I really need is a great assistant that can take charge and keep the business on track when I'm out doing other things. Sort of like an office manager."

"Then this works out pretty good. Her company merged with a larger one and the office staff at her company is being let go in a week or so. So far she hasn't found another job yet and she really needs one."

"Sounds good to me, Tammy. Like I said, have her call me tomorrow night. Now I think it's time for bed since we both need to get up and do the show then hit the theater tomorrow."

"Oh, look at the clock. You're right, Jen. I'll see you in the morning then." She leaned over and hugged me then headed off for the guestroom. I made a final sweep of the house turning off lights and locking the doors and then slipped into my own bed a few minutes later.

Sunshine was streaming in the window as I opened my eyes and brushed the soft waves of golden hair out of my eyes again. If my hair didn't look as nice as it did I'd chop it off into a much shorter, more manageable style. I knew that, as much as I wanted to chop it off, I couldn't get away from wearing it in a ponytail in public or when I made an appearance somewhere. It was what the public expected me to look like now.

This morning I just ran the brush through it several times to work out some snarls leaving my hair hanging down well past my shoulders. I made my usual bathroom trip, and then headed toward the wonderful smells coming from the kitchen.

Tammy, as usual, had been up long before me and already started to prepare our breakfast. The delightful smells of bacon, hash browns and eggs greeted me as I entered the kitchen. "Morning, Tammy. You don't have to cook all this you know. I'd settle for a bagel and cream cheese like most mornings."

"I know YOU would, but I like to have a better breakfast than that. We've got a LOT of running around to do today between the show, the rehearsal and shopping for the party next week… or have you forgotten about the shopping?"

"Oh, God, the shopping. I did forget, Tammy. Thanks for the reminder. Let's take my truck today, since we'll need the space to get the groceries and supplies for the party."

"So what are you fixing for this little football bash of his anyway? I thought you HATED football."

"I do, Tammy. But, Adam wanted to have his usual Thanksgiving football party here, because I have the large screen TV set. I decided I'd let him. I'm tired of being alone on the holidays and I wanted the company for the day, even if it is a bunch of guys setting around watching football."

"Did you tell him to invite the wives and girlfriends of his buddies? I'll bet you could get some additional company for yourself, too."

"I didn't think of that, but I really do like the idea. I'll talk to him about it at rehearsal. There's still a few days left for him to ask everyone else. You're coming to help me with the food, right?" I had a helpless look in my eyes as I stared at her.

"Ok, STOP those doe eyes. Sheesh, you've got this helpless female thing down pretty good, Jen. Yes, I'll be here, and my mom wanted to come too, if that's ok."

"I had a good teacher on the doe eyes thing." I grinned as I pointed to her. "As for your mom, I'd love to have her over again! Does she have any knockout recipes we can make? Maybe candied yams?"

"She makes the most gorgeous pumpkin pie I've ever tasted. Do you want the recipe?"

"Well, how about we pick up the fixings and she makes one here?"

"I'll ask her. So what are you making special?"

"I think I'll do one of my Chocolate Overload pudding pies. It's a chocolate graham cracker crust with chocolate pudding filling and a chocolate flavored whipped cream topping."

"Sounds like too much chocolate for me, Jen"

"Too much chocolate! And this is from the girl that went through almost a whole POUND of those expensive chocolates on the way back from New York City a few days ago!" A big goofy smile spread across her face.

"Ok, so you got me there. We'll ALL be stuffed anyway from the turkey and stuffing. Are you doing yams or mashed potatoes?"

"Both I think. Some people like the yams but I'll stay with some nice sour cream and chive mashed 'taters' for myself."

We sat there debating the menu for another half-hour making up a list of what we needed to get. As the time to leave for the station rolled around we both placed out breakfast dishes in the washer and cleaned up the table. In a few more minutes we were ready and out of the front door heading for the station.

The old truck rumbled to life complaining bitterly about being rather rudely woken up from a sound sleep to haul us to the station. I noticed some louder than usual noise coming from under the hood and decided that within the next week I would be driving another vehicle. As a man I could tolerate the chance that the truck would leave me stranded somewhere in a less than safe situation. Now, as a woman having recently had an upsetting personal experience, I didn't know if I wanted to accept that risk. The more I thought about it on the way to the station the more I realized that I no longer felt safe in this monster of a truck. I didn't have the brute strength to change a tire on the beast any more or even crawl under it to loosen any of the hardware used to hold the thing together. My days of fixing my own vehicles would come to an end with this truck. The newer vans and cars were way beyond what most shade-tree mechanics including my former self were willing to attempt to repair.

"JEN! Are you listening to me? You almost missed the exit!"

"Sorry, Tammy, my fault. I was thinking about buying a new car or van to replace the "'Twister' truck here." I patted the dash gently a little concerned that it would not respond kindly to my words. Tammy looked at me and shook her head. "Tam, these things DO have an on-board intelligence all their own you know. How else do you explain how they know EXACTLY when the original warranty has expired to have a major break down?"

We made it into the station parking lot and hustled inside. An hour and a half later the radio show was over and we were headed for the grocery store to do the T-day shopping. I was never one for power shopping, so I was glad Tammy had offered to help me. Together we filled two shopping carts to overflowing in a very short time then headed for the checkout line. The checkout girl groaned slightly as we pushed the carts into line.

Honestly, I don't believe I've ever spent that much before for groceries. I could have bought the parts to put together another PC for what those two baskets full of goodies cost me. I really hoped that Adam appreciated all we were going through to make his Thanksgiving Day football party a success. Otherwise, he and I were going to have a major disagreement after the party.

The bags filled the back end of the truck almost completely. I hoped that I had the storage space to keep everything refrigerated until the party on Thursday. I remembered that the chest type freezer was almost empty so the frozen food shouldn't be a problem. The rest I would have to fit into the fridge as I could. The stuff that didn't need to be kept cold could go in the pantry of the kitchen. It took Tammy and I almost half an hour to unload the truck and get everything put away. We collapsed on the couch in the living room when we finished.

"Have we got everything, Tammy? Even the stuff you and your mom need for what you're making?"

"I think so, Jen. It's gotta be in there somewhere. If we haven't got it, we can always make a quick trip on Thursday morning to get it. What about the beer Adam wanted?"

"That's where I draw the line, Tammy. I told Adam no beer in this house. He grumbled a bit, but went along with it. I did get some nice wine to serve with the turkey as a surprise. I was even planning to add some to the gravy for flavor. I hope they like it."

"They'd better or we'll BOTH kill them."

"Well, I think we'd better get moving for the theater. We'll just make the rehearsal if we leave now."

"Then let's get moving. I'll follow in my car so I can go home right after we get out."

We made it just in time to get things ready for the rehearsal. "I'll be very happy when this thing is over and I can go back to a more normal schedule on the weekends," I grumbled under my breath at one point. This double activity was really getting to me and I wondered how long I could keep it up without a break. Fortunately, the play would only run through the month of January. Since I was leaving work for good around Christmas, I wouldn't have to deal with that too. The time I needed to recover could come from the weekdays instead of the weekends. I just didn't have the stamina that I used to have before the change. I found that I now needed a few more hours of sleep a day than before. I used to be able to function on five hours of sleep, now I felt better with at least eight hours a day of sleep.

I was able to function better when I was doing things, but I tended to crash much sooner and much harder when I needed to get some rest. It took longer for me to recover than before when I overdid things. I even found out that I had to take much better care of myself when I was active. Not that I got real sick or anything. I just tended to run out of steam sooner unless I got the proper food and fluid into me.

As Tammy and I were putting the finishing touches on the set-up for the sound systems Greg wandered over to us.

"Jen, we have a bit of a problem. Our leading lady and her understudy are both working today. They couldn't get anyone to substitute for them at their jobs. Can you do stand-in duties for us as Victoria?"

"Tammy, can you handle things today. Looks like I have to go play onstage for Greg."

"Sure, Jen. Go for it. It's a mystery to me why you didn't try out for the lead anyway."

"Let's NOT start that again. I said I'd do stand-ins as needed. I'll leave the live performances to the folks that have the talent for it. I like being behind the scenes way too much to give it up. Come on, Greg. Let's go."

It turned out that they were up to the part in the play where Victoria, now famous as Victor, returns to the very same nightclub in Paris that she had attempted to get a job in a few months before. Toddie and King accompany her to the club where she goes unrecognized as Victoria by the club's owner. The scene started with a dance number by several cast members, then Victor is asked to sing something for the audience.

The number required a little singing and dancing and even some snappy repartee between the Toddie character and me. I had never done this number, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I did remember the movie well enough to try to do justice to the scene. The script was complete for the scene and I remembered every word of it. I hoped that the actor playing Toddie did as well.

The scene started as expected and progressed up to our song. Toddie pulled me to the stage of the club and we began the number. Like the movie, the number started off a little rough but picked up steam as we got into it. I was able to loosen up and really got into the scene. Toddie winked at me as he tossed out a line that wasn't in the script. From then on we both threw away the script dialog and improvised while keeping the direction of the show intact. I have to say that it was one of the most enjoyable moments I've had since I changed. The stage audience and the rest of the cast out in the real audience roared with applause as we finished the song.

The King character and I made our escape from a fight in the club after Toddie's old boyfriend showed up. As the stage crew was making the set change, Adam pulled me aside.

"Jen, is it ok to kiss you? I remember what happened that night at your house when you came back from New York City."

"Yes, Adam, it's ok to kiss me. The tests came back negative. I won't pass anything along to you. I'm not pregnant either."

His face brightened considerably. "That's a relief. Is it REALLY okay to kiss you?"

"I just told you, I'm fine. I won't give you anything, if that's what you're worried about."

"I'm not worried about that, Jen. I never was. What I'm worried about is YOU. How do YOU feel about kissing me out there now?"

"Adam, it's only a stage kiss. What's the big deal?

"Are you SURE, Jen?"

"Yes, I'm sure. It's JUST a stage kiss, Adam."

The stage lights dimmed indicating that the scene was starting after the set change. Adam and I slipped into the bed just before the curtains opened.

The scene went exactly as in the script until the script called for the first kiss. The script called for a rather passionate kiss lasting several seconds. I let Adam wrap his arms around me as he started the kiss. Within moments the kiss turned into much more than the stage kiss it was supposed to be. His warm lips split slightly and the tip of his tongue slipped between my own lips. My body betrayed me as the hand that couldn't be seen from the audience side gently caressed my nipples under the blanket. At that point I very nearly lost control as the feelings of incredible passion built up inside me. It took every shred of what little emotional control remained to remember where I was and what I was doing. The kiss must have lasted almost thirty seconds and, as we broke, I was panting for breath and slightly dizzy from the feelings racing through me. I knew then exactly women meant when they said "it just turned me into pudding!"

The people in the audience were silent for a few moments then they broke out in a huge wave of applause as the curtain closed. It took a few more seconds for me to recover enough to get out of the bed and get ready for the next scene. My head was still spinning; my muscles felt like rubber and my inside was like melted butter as the curtain opened.

The song was a short ballad called "Crazy World". It was about the feelings that Victoria had for King and the crazy roller coaster ride she was on in her own life at the moment. I realized as I thought about the lyrics that it was oh so close to what I was feeling at that moment. It mirrored my own feelings for Adam and the roller coaster ride that was my life after my change.

The stage was black with a single spotlight focused tightly on a single rose in a vase setting on a black piano. The spot widened to show me standing next to the piano near the vase. I could see out of the corner of my eye that Greg had taken the seat at the piano for this scene. Besides being the director, he was an excellent musician and the piano was his specialty.

As he started, I could tell there was something extra in his playing. It was that extra something when he and whomever he was playing for had connected. I had only heard it a few times before. I had known Greg for nearly thirty years and I knew as he looked at me and slightly nodded his head that he knew what I was feeling. I simply let myself go, putting my emotions into the music as I started the vocal.

"Crazy word, full of crazy contradictions like a child…

First, you drive me wild and then you win my heart with your wicked art…"

As the last notes of the song ended, the theater was eerily quiet. There was no background babble as there normally was during rehearsals, no idle chat, not even the noise of the stagehands dragging sets around. The applause from all around me was overpowering as it built to a roar. As in the movie, I picked up the single rose out of the vase, sniffed it then tossed it to a smiling Adam. I bowed as the applause continued for over a minute. It finally died down when the stage and house lights went on.

Greg was the first to give me a huge hug. Many of the rest of the cast and crew followed. The general consensus was that I should be asked on the spot to take the role of Victoria Grant otherwise the cast and crew would quit. I finally had to get the cast and crew's attention to make a little speech.

"Thanks everyone. I do appreciate your support but I don't want the role. I'm much happier being one of the technical people working on the lighting and sound. That's where my real talents are. You have two wonderful people that can do the role much better than I can and they have that responsibility already. Please help them be the best that they can be in the role and we'll all be proud of the play when it opens in January."

There was quite a bit of grumbling about my refusal to take the role but they really didn't have any other way to force me to do it. Greg then took a few minutes to go over his notes and let everyone go for the day. He came over to Tammy and I as we were putting away the sound console.

"You know they were right. You just blow the others away in the role. It really should be yours. There's chemistry between you and Adam that isn't there with anyone else. We can all feel it, Jen."

I sighed deeply. "I know, Greg, I do know. I feel it too. That still doesn't change my mind though. You have two people already that are capable of playing that role. What do you need me for?"

"Because even at your worst, you're at least an order of magnitude better than those two. Is it wrong of me to want the best for the play?"

"No, and you already have the best. You have the best lighting and sound expert you can afford since I'm doing this for free, Greg. I have no interest in getting up on stage in front of a thousand people a night to make a complete fool of myself."

Greg jumped up to take a seat on the edge of the stage. "But you get on the radio ever Saturday morning in front of MILLIONS of people with your show. You can't tell me THAT doesn't scare you."

I jumped up to sit down on the edge of the stage next to Greg. "To be completely honest, Greg, it scares me every weekend, but only for the first few minutes. Also I only have a very few people in the studio with me at any one time."

"So how come you seem to be comfortable doing stand-in duty? There must have been over a hundred people here tonight. All of them heard you act and sing. You were perfect up there!"

"Who said I was comfortable? I'm a bundle of raw nerves up there. I do it because it's a job to be done. I have to do it, not because I want to do it."

"You don't show it. How come you're so perfect up there then?"

"Well, I have had quite a bit of experience with the whole gender switching thing these past few months except I don't have to pretend ANYTHING. I live with it every day. As for not showing that I'm nervous, I've had lots of experience with hiding my emotions. It's a LOT harder to do now than before but I can still do it when I need to."

"You're sure there's no way I can talk you into this then?"

"Completely sure, Greg. The two people you have will just have to step up to the challenge. I'm certain they'll do just fine from what I've seen of their performances."

Greg simply grunted then slid off the stage and walked away shaking his head.

Tammy jumped up on the stage beside me. "Umm... Jen, is he ok?"

"He will be, Tammy. He really did want me to do the play as Victoria. I just had to say no. It wouldn't be fair to the two that have been rehearsing this long for the role and I really don't want to go up there in front of a whole room full of people."

"I still think you're the one for that role, but I won't try to talk you into it any more. Now let's get this stuff put away so we both can go home." We stashed the console in its normal storage spot then went out to the parking lot. Adam was leaning against my truck waiting for me.

Tammy had a worried look on her face as we walked toward my truck. "Do you want me to stay around for a bit, Jen?"

"No, Tammy, I'll be fine. I trust Adam. I'm just not ready to do what I think he wants me to do yet. It's still way to close to the problems in New York. I need more time."

"Ok, Jen. I'll see you for rehearsal tomorrow afternoon then. Have a good night." She hugged me, then waved to Adam, got into her own car and left.

I leaned on the truck next to Adam. We were both shivering in the cold. "Shall we get in? I can start the engine and get some heat going if you want to talk a bit."

"After what happened in there, I think we do have to talk, Jen." He took my keys and unlocked the door, then helped me get in. I accepted lift up, took the keys and started the truck as he went around to the passenger side and climbed in.

As the heat started to build in the truck, I let the engine idle then I turned toward Adam. "So?"

"Is that all you have to say? Jen, I KNOW how you reacted when I kissed you. You can't tell me that was all an act, can you?"

I blushed a deep red. "No, Adam, that was no act. That was all female biology. My body reacted to the kiss just like you knew it would. It took every shred of control I had to keep going with the play. Despite the fact I'm basically a guy stuck in a woman's body, I do care for you, Adam. I care for you more then I have the ability to put into words. Like I told you a few days ago, I need time to work my way past what happened… before. I'm not certain of anything right now. And I don't trust my own feelings completely. Especially after what I've been through the last few days."

He shook his head. "I don't really understand, Jen, but if it takes you some time to figure out what is normal for you, I can wait. It took me this long to find you and I don't want to lose you over something like this. Take as much time as you need. I'll be here when you're ready." He leaned over and hugged me tightly. For the first time since the attack I didn't flinch or pull away from him. I think he sensed it and hugged me for several minutes. It felt wonderful to be held in those strong arms again. My heart raced a bit faster because of his warm embrace.

"Thanks for understanding, Adam." Rather slowly, I pulled away from him. He reluctantly let me go. "Tammy and I got all the stuff for the party. We'll start in on the food on Wednesday night. Remember, no beer at the party, ok?"

"I remember, no beer. As long as you're there, that's all the stimulation I want." He kissed me on the cheek then opened the door of the truck. "I'll see you at the rehearsal tomorrow. Go home and get some sleep, Jen. I love you."

"I love you too, Adam. Give me a call after about eight tonight if you can. I'll wait until you get your car started before I pull out."

He walked over to his car, a couple of parking places away from my truck, and got in. It complained a bit but it did start. I followed him out of the parking lot, then lost him in traffic as I turned off to head to my home.

On the way I stopped at a favorite sandwich shop and picked up half a roast beef sub. The rumbling in my tummy intensified the fact that I felt like I could eat half a cow and said I had better have something to eat. It only took a few more minutes after I stopped for the sub until I was safely in my driveway. The truck was nice and warm and I reluctantly left the cozy confines of the cab to head for my front door.

The house was warm and cozy too as I opened the door and reset the alarm system after I entered to the night mode. Once again, the first thing I did was to change into the fuzzy slippers and cotton socks to warm my cold feet. The purse got left on the table by the front door but the bag with the sub went with me to the kitchen. I raided the fridge for a glass of ice-cold milk and some of the leftover brownies from yesterday. The sub looked positively huge so I cut it in half and wrapped one of the pieces to stash away in the fridge when I was done.

The sub tasted great. The brownies were good too but I decided to go easy on them. Only a small piece made it into my tummy. I saw no sense in tempting fate again. I made myself fat before eating beyond way I needed and had health problems because it of. It was always a battle to keep my weight down before. In this new body, I wanted to treat myself better and stay healthy. I still enjoyed the "forbidden foods" just not as much of them. It was a bit curious that I hadn't gained a single pound since my change despite my sometimes overindulging way too much. I decided that I really didn't need to worry about my weight too much, as long as I continued to watch what I ate.

It took just a few minutes to put everything away and clean up the kitchen when I finished eating. A glance at the clock told me the time was nearly eleven PM. I headed for the bathroom and after getting undressed hopped into the shower. I contemplated a little stimulation, then decided against it since I was so tired. I found out that having a little fun wasn't as enjoyable when I was as tired as I was now. There would be loads of time for that later.

By the time eleven-thirty rolled around I was snuggled in bed with the lights out. The satin sheets felt great against my naked body. I found that it was much more relaxing for me to sleep in the buff now than it had ever been before. Unless I had a guest, I rarely slept with anything on in my own house.

The rehearsal went fine on Sunday with all of the cast members available for practice. Luckily I didn't have to do stand-in duties again although there was some grumbling by a few of the cast members when the woman playing Victoria blew most of her lines in the same scene I had done yesterday. A group of the cast and crew took me aside and tried once again to get me to go on in the role. I held my ground and politely refused. I had to confess to myself however that she did leave much to be desired in the role. I hoped that with another month of practice she would improve to the point that her performance wouldn't seem as wooden and forced as it did now.

Both the Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving were full days but Wednesday was a half-day. I took the option of using some comp time so that I had the whole Wednesday off. With a house full of guests coming on Thursday, I needed the time to clean and prepare the food.

It seemed like it took forever for Wednesday to come. When it finally did arrive I threw myself into the task of cleaning the kitchen and all of the other areas of the house except the computer room and the garage. That took most of the morning to accomplish since I was working alone. Tammy and her mom arrived just after lunchtime. We started cooking everything we could prepare ahead of time. The pies and a cake were the main things that we could fix ahead and would store well. Tammy even made another batch of brownies and this time showed me how she did it.

Adam stopped by after he got off work to borrow my truck. We needed a couple of tables and some additional chairs since the house would be overflowing with guests for lunch. When some of the wives learned they, too were invited, I received several phone calls with offers of dishes to pass around. I gratefully accepted the offer, and crossed off several things on the list of foods we had to prepare tomorrow. The offers of help would certainly reduce the load we faced in the kitchen tomorrow.

About an hour after Adam borrowed the truck he returned with two large folding tables and at least a dozen chairs. We got them stored away in the garage then collapsed on the couch in the living room.

"So, Jan, everything coming along for tomorrow?"

"I think so, Adam. Want a sample of the apple pie? We made a couple of extras. They're still warm."

"I'd like that, yes, and a class of cold milk too."

Tammy jumped up. "Does everyone want a slice?" We all nodded yes. Tammy left for the kitchen returning moments later with a whole apple pie, some paper plates, plastic forks, some cups and the jug of milk from the fridge. She set the pie on the coffee table then cut it into several slices with a knife she brought. "Well, help yourselves, folks!"

We all took a slice and a glass of milk. All I heard over the next few minutes were happy sounds as the pie disappeared. "Well, I'm glad that we made extras, Tammy."

"Yup, Jen, that was one of the pies that you adjusted the spices to your taste. I gotta admit that it was good. The cold milk goes great with it."

"It's good to know I haven't lost my taste buds through all of this. I'll need 'em when I make the stuffing tomorrow morning."

"You did get an awfully large bird, Jen."

"Yup. It's nearly thirty pounds. I'll have to get it in the oven around five AM to get it done in the afternoon for lunch."

Adam leaned a little closer to me. "Umm… Jen, can't you just turn the heat up on it and cook it faster?"

"I could, Adam, if you wanted a dried out tough turkey. Trust me, I've done this before. Not often, mind you, but I DO know how to prepare a turkey."

"Ok, I'll stay out of your way then." He wrapped an arm around me and hugged me close. I snuggled a little closer; feeling a bit more relaxed.

Tammy looked over at her mom. "Well, mom, I think we need to get moving toward home. We need to be back here on the morning." They got up to leave. Reluctantly, Adam let go of me and I walked everyone to the front door.

Adam stayed behind as Tammy and her mom left.

We waved as their car pulled out of the driveway. Adam turned to me as they went around the corner at the end of the street. "Jen, are you really sure you want to go through with this?"

"Yup, I'm certain, Adam. It's way too late now to cancel it even if I did want to get out of it, which I don't, because I've got way too much stuff I bought, and if I don't use it, it will all go to waste because I've got nowhere to store it. Do you understand?"

"I think I did. That scares me some too. Anyway, I'll be back in the morning around ten or so. My friends will be here around eleven for the start of the pre-game shows."

"I'll see you in the morning then, Adam." He leaned forward, and then suddenly stopped short, looked at me with a questioning glance. When I nodded and he scooped me up in his arms and kissed me. It was no simple kiss either. This one melted me all the way to my toes. If I hadn't had so much to do tomorrow, I was extremely tempted to give in to my body's demands and invite him to stay for the night. It was quite an effort, but finally I gently pushed away, breaking the kiss.

"Good night, Adam. I have to close down and get to bed. I'll see you in the morning." It was almost too much to speak, as I was so flushed and breathless.

Quivering inside like a bowl full of Jell-O, I watched as he pulled his car out into the cold night. I stayed at the front door until his car turned the corner at the end of the street. It took about an hour of fumbling to put things away in the kitchen and make sure everything was ready for the major food preparation in the morning.

Once again I traveled through the house turning off lights and making sure that the windows and doors were locked tight. Another quick shower followed then I headed for the bed. This time I set my clock for around five AM just before my head hit the pillow.

The alarm was buzzing as I regained consciousness. Being late November the sun wasn't even anywhere near rising at this hour. The world outside my window was completely black dotted here and there with the glow of streetlights and lights on houses. Since the house was quite chilly I put on my warmest robe and my fuzzy slippers then headed for the kitchen.

The turkey was a fresh one so I didn't have to deal with thawing it out. After a quick cleaning I put it in the roasting pan and added a couple of cups of water to the pan. It got popped into the over and the heat adjusted just right. Since the bird was so large I decided to prepare the dressing separately. The bird would cook much faster empty than stuffed.

With the bird out of the way, I took another apple pie out of storage and cut a slice for myself. A big glass of cold milk went great with the pie again. I knew it wasn't the best thing to eat in the morning, but figured that I'd be snacking and sampling all day long anyway, since I had to cook for my guests. I told my self; After all, Thanksgiving is a pig-out kind of day.

After cleaning up the kitchen, I then headed for the bathroom. This morning I wanted to give myself the luxury of a long hot bath. I started the tub filling and added a handful of my favorite bath beads, then watched, mesmerized, as the bubbles started to form in the tub. I kept the water just as hot as I could stand it. When the tub was sufficiently full, I turned off the water then slipped out of the robe and slippers and then carefully eased myself into the inviting water.

I felt a need to release the sexual tension still within me from Adam's impressive kiss last night. I managed two orgasms then decided that was enough. My whole body tingled and I had a wonderful warm glow inside, quite different from how I felt before the change. I stayed in the tub until my fingers started to look like prunes then decided I had better get moving. There were still loads of things to do this morning with all of the guests coming.

I selected a soft denim knee-length A-line skirt and a similarly colored cotton blouse from the closet. A bra, panties, panty hose and a pair of comfy flats went with me into the bedroom. I got dressed then sat down at the makeup table to do my hair and face. The hair went into the usual ponytail style that had become my signature style. I went easy on the makeup since I would be in the kitchen cooking most of the morning. Satisfied with my appearance I headed for the kitchen again.

I basted the turkey that, by now, had been in the oven almost two hours. I started the coffee maker then popped a sliced bagel into the toaster. A few minutes later the bagel popped out of the toaster. I spread a big glob of cream cheese with bacon bits in it over the hot bagel then started munching. I turned on the television and watched the morning news programs and a little of one of the network morning shows.

The show's Gadget Guru was talking about some neat high-tech Christmas presents and the newest software coming out in the video game area. At the end of the segment, they made a big deal about the Gadget Guru leaving to get married and follow some other interests with his new bride to be. In the back of my mind I remembered a phone message from earlier in the week from someone identifying herself as a producer from the very same TV show. They wanted to talk to me about appearing on the show as the Gadget Guru. Thinking it was someone pulling a joke, I never returned the call. Now I found myself dashing madly to the computer room to locate the note I had made with her phone number.

I found it under a pile of other paperwork and nervously dialed the phone. It rang twice then a female voice answered.

"Morning show production office. Can I help you?"

"Yes, I'd like to speak to Mary Stone please. I'm Jennifer Stevens returning her call."

"Just a moment, I'll find Miss Stone for you. Please hold." I heard a few clicks then the sound from the show came on the line. I listened for a couple of minutes then heard another click then silence followed by a voice. "Hi, this is Mary Stone."

"Hi Mary, Jennifer Stevens returning your call. Sorry about the delay in getting back to you."

"Than heavens we finally connected with you. We were about to go looking elsewhere tomorrow. I think you saw the show this morning?

"I did. I thought when you called before it was someone trying to play a joke on me. I get that pretty often these days. When I saw the show this morning I realized the call was for real."

I heard her sigh over the phone. "Yeah, we get that a lot too. I'm glad you did find out in time and called us back. So I assume you're interested?"

"I am. What does it involve?"

"Well, we'd need you here in New York about once a month to do the segment live. A few times a year during the big computer and technology shows you'd be doing a live or taped segment from there. Of course, you'll be doing several taped segments in the event you're ill or something else happens."

"When is this all supposed to start?"

"Well, we just had a segment today so the next one is in about two weeks. We'd like to get you down here before then to do some publicity stuff and meet the crew and our hosts."

"Hmmm… how about tomorrow? Can we work something out that fast?"

"Sure. Give me your number again and I'll give you a call back after the show is off the air. I'll have the staff start working on the details now. Can you stay overnight and come back on Saturday morning?"

I knew that Greg had skipped any practice on the play for this weekend since so many people were traveling. There was one other problem I had to face.

"Probably not, Mary. I don't think that I can make the arrangements for my Saturday morning radio show to originate out of New York in the time that we have left. Since today is a holiday I'm surprised I got through to you at all."

"If the show is on the air live then I'm generally here. It comes with the territory."

"I know all about that from my own radio show. Give me a couple of contact numbers there and I'll work on the remote broadcast from my end. Plan a single day trip just in case things don't work out."

"OK, do the best you can and I'll start working on the arrangements on this end. Oh, by the way, Jeff from MegaComp said to say hello. I had dinner with him over the weekend. When he learned our present Gadget Guru was leaving the show he suggested you were perfect for the spot. When I checked you out I had to agree."

"Thanks, Mary, and say hi to Jeff for me if you see him before I do. I'll call you back as soon as I know about the studio arrangements."

I hung up the phone and slumped back in the chair. The radio deal was something I had fought to get. To have something like this just fall out of the sky into my lap overwhelmed me. I decided to keep it quiet from most of the people at the party today until I knew more details. I had to tell Tammy since she might be going with me to New York again if we could work out the studio arrangements. There was a network affiliate in New York that I had used to do the show on the last trip. They had all the equipment and could link into the network to uplink the show to the satellite for distribution. I made a couple of phone calls and found out that the studio was available if I needed it. The uplink would be no problem. All that remained now was to ask Tammy if she could travel with me and do the show out of New York on Saturday.

The clock was quickly approaching eight thirty when I heard a car pull into the driveway. I opened the front door to see Tammy and her mom walking toward the front steps with a couple of bags of groceries.

"Hey! What's all this? I thought we got everything already?"

Tammy headed past me into the kitchen. "We just got extras of a few things in case we had problems. Besides that apple pie was so good last night mom and I want to see what you did with the spices. We're going to make a couple more of them this morning."

"This afternoon maybe. Right now, the oven is full of turkey. I don't think even one more pie is going to fit in there."

"All right, we'll make 'em this afternoon after we eat. It'll keep us out of the way of the guys in the living room."

"Works for me. You two had better have a seat. I got some news this morning that I need to talk to you about."

A look of concern washed over Tammy's face. "You're pregnant aren't you? You used the test again and it came back positive didn't it?" She started to shake.

"Tammy, I'm NOT pregnant. The news is that I've been asked to take over as the Gadget Guru on one of The Network Morning Show." The look on Tammy's face changed to a big grin. She launched herself toward me and hugged me tight.

"That's wonderful, Jen. When does it start?"

"Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. They want me in New York tomorrow for a visit. They want me to stay overnight. I've arranged to use the studio again in the affiliate station and I was wondering if you'd like to come with me, Tammy? I have to let them know later this morning so they can make all the arrangements for the trip. I can go for one day by myself or two if you come along to do the show with me down there."

Tammy's face changed to a pout this time. "Darn, mom and I have some company coming in tomorrow for the weekend. Some relatives we haven't seen in almost two years are visiting. I really wanted to see them."

"That's ok, Tammy. I understand. I'll do a day trip and be back later tomorrow night so we can do the show in the normal studio on Saturday morning. Bring the family along if you think they would be interested in seeing how we do it."

"Thanks, Jen. I wish I could go. Maybe next time."

"If this all works out, I'll be going there about every two weeks. You'll have lots of chances, Tammy." The phone started ringing. "OOPS! Be right back!"

I headed into the computer room to answer it. "Hello?"

"Jen? This is Mary Stone."

"Hi, Mary. What's the update?"

"We've got a seat for you on a flight out of Syracuse tonight at around eight PM. Does that time work out for you?"

"Yup. I can make it no problem. It's going to have to be a single day trip though. My program producer can't make it with me this time, so I'll have to come back to Syracuse to do the radio show on Saturday morning."

"Ok. Single day then, Jen. I have some more news too. The Executive Producer flipped out when he found out you were coming down. They'd like you to appear on show tomorrow morning a guest. We're in a ratings battle with the show on that other network. They think having you on will draw a few more viewers. They want to do an interview with you about your change and how you're adapting to it. They'll introduce you as the new Gadget Guru then, too."

"I promised my first interview to a local reporter, Mary. Here's what we can do. I'll give you her name and the station phone number. They're a network affiliate of yours anyway. She has loads of video on me and can probably put together a background piece if you ask her. I know she'd love to get something on national TV. That should smooth things over with her about not getting the first televised interview with me. I'm not certain that you can reach her today but it's worth a try."

"That's a great idea, Jen. We really don't have much on you in the files here. The local station supplied all the info we have anyway. In fact, I think I might have talked to her already. Let me have her name again."

I gave her the contact information I had on Doreen, then we talked for a few more minutes working out the last of the details on the travel plan. I would have to leave tonight on an eight PM flight out of Syracuse to be in New York at JFK by ten PM. A limousine would meet me at the airport to take me to the hotel. After an overnight stay I'd pack up my things and take them with me to the studio in the morning. By about one PM I would be back on another plane headed back home. A very quick trip but one that I felt I had to make if I was going to accept the job of the new gadget "goddess".

Positively floating, I walked back into the kitchen. Tammy and her mom were busy working on the veggies to go with the turkey. I grabbed a knife and started chopping as we talked. "That was the show in New York. I leave tonight at around eight PM from the airport. Doesn't leave me much time to enjoy the day does it?"

"That's the price of fame, Jen. Would you rather not have the chance at this?"

I stopped chopping, lost in thought. "You know, Tammy, I don't have an answer for that? I want to try it but I'm not certain that I'll be any good at it. They must have some faith in me to ask me about it though. I guess I'll just have to try it and see."

"Jen, in the short time I've known you, the one outstanding thing I have learned about you is that YOU can do anything as long as YOU want to do it. Don't worry about it, just let that inner light of yours shine through and you'll do fine."

I just looked at Tammy for a few moments then went back to chopping the veggies. I chopped for a while but my mind kept wandering back to the question of if I really wanted to do the Gadget Guru bit on The Morning Show. I jumped a little when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Jen, why don't you go take a break. I know you're mind isn't on this."

"What…?"

"Jen, look at what you're doing." I looked down to where Tammy was pointing to find that I had chopped a stalk of celery into a pulpy mess. Instead of nice chunks, it was almost like a paste.

"I guess I did screw up didn't I?"

"Now go and take the time you need to think this through. You need to have ALL of your fingers. Mom and I will handle the cooking." I looked over at Tammy's mom. She was gently nodding as Tammy shooed me out of my own kitchen.

I wandered around the house for a few minutes then finally settled down in the computer room. Even now, after everything that had happened to me, it was the one place that I was most comfortable. Computers weren't like people. They were predictable, most of the time, and did exactly what I told them to. If a computer screwed up in here, it was because I very likely told it to do something wrong. There was no one to blame but me.

I launched myself into doing research on the TV network and the web site of the outgoing Gadget Guru. It gave me a lot to think about, which was exactly what I was doing when I heard the front doorbell ring. I turned the monitor off on the workstation, then went to get the door.

Easing it open, I saw Adam standing on the porch with a few of his friends grinning at me right behind him. He leaned forward and hugged me tight planting a kiss on my lips. Biology took over again and I nearly melted in his arms. One of these days I've got to find a defense for that. I felt just a little light-headed as he broke the embrace.

"Hi, Adam. Come on in. Everything is all set in the living room." He motioned for his friends to come in and introduced them as they entered. A few had brought wives or girlfriends. There was a growing group of women collecting around the kitchen table since none of them were interested in the football action that would be going on in the living room all day.

I wasn't certain where I belonged. I had no interest in football at all. I will never understand what the attraction is to a game where a group of men divide into two teams with the sole intent of killing or maiming each other chasing a leather covered inflated pig bladder across a muddy rain soaked field. Except for certain motor sports, I cared little for most of the male oriented sports. Football, baseball, basketball and golf were among the myriad things I had absolutely no interest in doing or even watching.

I wandered into the kitchen and was warmly greeted by the group around the table. The talk soon turned to my change and the questions were flying furiously. Everyone wanted to know how it felt to be female after being a male for most of my life. I answered their questions honestly while trying to stay away from revealing some of the more personal information they seemed to be pressing for. They eventually gave up and the conversation turned towards clothes, hair salons and men in general.

I listened to all of it as much as I could then excused myself to make a trip to the bathroom. I did have to go but, when I finished, I headed for the computer room instead of returning to the kitchen. Once back into the relative safety of my little world I continued on doing the research on the network. It must have been almost an hour later when I heard a gentle knock on the door.

"Come in?" Tammy poked her head in around the door.

"There you are, Jen. How come you didn't come back to the kitchen?"

"I don't know, Tammy. I don't feel as though I have anything in common with either group out there. If I hang out with the guys, the girlfriends and husbands would probably think I'm flirting with them. I have very little in common with men any more. I have even less in common with the women around the kitchen table. I don't have any of their experiences so I don't know what they're talking about and they have little in common with me other than a set of tits and …"

"A monthly visitor?" I nodded. "Jen, I understand, really I do. I used to feel the same way, until I met you. You showed me that it was all right to be a female geek." I frowned at Tammy. "No, I mean that in a good way, Jen. The common conception of a woman seems to be that she can't or shouldn't do anything that a man can do especially in a technical field. You showed me that it was all right to have a love of science and technology."

"But I wasn't always like this, Tammy, you know that."

"And it doesn't make a damned bit of difference to me. In case you haven't noticed, Jen, you've become increasingly feminine with every passing day. When I first met you, I saw a few things that didn't look feminine. Now when I look at you it's hard to believe that you used to be a man. You act and think completely like a woman now at least from what I've been able to see."

"Well THAT'S a load off my mind." I grimaced after I said it. "Sorry, Tammy. It's just that I don't feel that way inside. I'm still all mixed up about who and what I am. The problems in New York City started it and today hasn't helped it any."

"Jen, you're a role model to a lot of women. You've shown them that it's OK to have a brain and use it."

"Some role model I am. I can't even pull my own life together and now others want to be like me?" I buried my head in my hands for a few moments. The room was eerily quiet. "Why did you come in here anyway, Tammy?"

"I was showing the photo album of our trips to the group out there and they were quite interested in digital photography. They started asking me all kinds of tech questions. I told them I didn't have the answers, but I knew someone that did. I came to get you. So are you going to come answer their questions or not?"

I thought about it for a few moments then decided. "Ok, I'll try. It's better to have them come in here though, since everything I need is in here. I think the room can handle the whole group. Go and get 'em and I'll get things set up."

A few minutes later the women from the kitchen came trooping into the computer room. I got bombarded with questions until I got everyone's attention. When the babble finally settled down, I started describing digital photography in simple terms. I sensed that the group was very quickly absorbing what I was telling them as the conversation progressed. Their questions soon became so much more focused and several women were asking tough questions about things that I hadn't intended covering. It was obvious that they had some digital equipment already and most had some idea about how it was used.

I passed out both of my digital cameras to the group then sent them on their way to shoot some pictures around the house. In about half an hour they returned and I showed them how to download the pictures to a computer then print them. I was amazed at the creativity and imagination of the group. Several had even raided my clothes closet and taken a few suggestive pictures for later use on their husbands or boyfriends. From some of the pictures it looked like a few couples would have a Thanksgiving party of their own when they got home later.

I made sure the pictures were deleted from the cameras and from the hard drive. Of course, I prepared some floppy disks and a few CD's with the images the women had shot if they wanted copies of the digital files for their own use. The pictures we printed were on glossy inkjet paper and looked just like a photo from a drugstore photo-processing center. The women were positively glowing over their newfound abilities and knowledge. Watching them gave me an incredible feeling. I decided on the spot that I really did want to do the Gadget Guru thing on the morning show.

By now things were nearly ready in the kitchen so we all trooped back there to complete the preparations for lunch. The football pre-game shows were just coming on so the men set up the tables in the living room while the rest of us got the food ready.

I had the men turn the television off so that we could eat in peace. We said grace then dug into one of the best Thanksgiving meals I've ever had. The turkey turned out great and the stuffing, while not my own mix of spices, was excellent too. Everyone had a great time and we all had way too much to eat. The general agreement was to wait on the desserts until later in the afternoon.

As soon as the dishes and table was cleared away the television was turned on again and the men settled down to watch an afternoon of football. The rest of us headed for the kitchen again and put away the food and cleaned up the dishes from all of the cooking. This time when the chatter started up again I felt more at ease listening to the conversation.

As the discussion swerved from dating to clothes and a thousand and one other topics, somehow this time I didn't feel so out of place like I did earlier in the day. I realized that they were making an effort to draw me into the conversation and actively seeking anything I had to contribute. It generally wasn't much but, when I did have something to say, it generally got a pretty good laugh and that was exactly what I was going for. I learned that my time in a woman's body had given me some rather different and humorous view of the differences between man and women. I told the tale of how I had come to understand the woman's desire to always have the toilet seat down. One morning I hadn't fully roused out of sleep mode and stumbled to the bathroom with a full to nearly overflowing bladder. I forgot the night before to close the seat and lid after scrubbing the toilet bowl and as a result plopped down on ice-cold porcelain. The resulting stimulus to my sensitive bottom woke me up and I jumped about a foot as I realized what I had done. I barely managed to get the seat down before the floodgate opened and a waterfall thundered into the bowl. At that moment, I truly knew the value of always leaving the seat down.

Then there was the time in downtown Syracuse when I was trying to climb into the truck cab. The wind was blowing rather hard and I was distracted by something just as I opened the door. My male habits must have kicked in because I hoisted my right leg into the cab and parked my button the seat. At that moment, a wind gust hit me blowing my skirt up revealing my panties to a crew of construction workers across the street. The whistles and noises coming from the crew jolted me back to my senses and I quickly pulled the skirt down then pulled the door closed as much as possible to use as a screen while I got the rest of the way into the truck. My face was a brilliant red as I looked in the rear view mirror at the oncoming traffic to pull out of the parking space.

The giggles coming from the group were infectious and I started giggling like a little schoolgirl too. The stories started flying around the table about other embarrassing moments including some very personal stories about the sex-capades of the group. I, of course, took a blood oath never to reveal any of the stories as I laughed myself silly. As the conversation wound down near the time everyone had to leave I came to the conclusion that we are all absolutely equal at birth. Only the developing differences in the biology of the body you're born with and the way you are raised determine the final result.

As each of my guests left, I gave everyone a hug and thanked them for coming. I watched as the last of the cars pulled out of the driveway. There was just my truck and Tammy's, and Adam's cars left. We returned to the kitchen to found Adam cleaning the last of the dessert plates and placing then in the dishwasher. He closed the door then hit the button to start the cycle.

"Thanks, Adam, that helps a lot. Did you get the tables all out away?"

"I got them as far as the garage. I'll get them back to the rental place tomorrow if I can borrow the truck again."

"Sure you can." I tossed him the spare house key. "This'll get you into the house and let you get the truck keys. I'll leave them on the kitchen table. Just lock up everything when you're done. You know the alarm code right?" He nodded. "Then you're all set. There's one condition though."

"What's that, Jen?"

"You have to pick me up at the airport tomorrow night."

"Damn, sorry, Jen, can't make it. Tomorrow is the start of the Christmas sales season and I have to be at the mall." The look on his face resembled the look that a little puppy gets when just after you yell at it for peeing on the floor.

I walked over to Adam and snuggled up against him. "It's okay, Adam. I understand. Tammy, can you pick me up instead?"

"What time, Jen?"

"About eight tomorrow night. Call the house first before you go to the airport though. I'll take a taxi back here if they get me back on an early flight."

"Eight it is, Jen. I gotta get going to home. May I take one of the extra apple pies with me?"

"Sure, Tammy, and Adam can take one too. We made lots of extra today. I can't eat them all." The smiles on their faces made me feel good. "Adam, can you take me to the airport tonight. I have an eight PM flight I have to catch to New York City. I managed to pack what I needed a little earlier in the day so I think I can make it. I need to change clothes again then I'll be ready to go."

"Sure, Jen. Go ahead and change and I'll get the car loaded."

With that I headed for the bedroom and changed into a denim shirt and a pair of comfortable jeans. If I was going to travel at night I might as well be warm and comfortable doing it. I combed and brushed my hair and put it into the ponytail style that was my usual look. The whole process took around half an hour. I glanced at the clock and found that it was time to go.

By the time I was finished, Adam had loaded his car. I closed up the house and set the alarm. It took almost half an hour to get to the private aviation building on the south side of the airport where I was supposed to meet the plane. As we pulled into the parking lot, I saw a small business jet setting on the tarmac. It had the TV network's corporate logo on the tail. I was surprised that they had sent the jet just for me. I was under the impression that I was going to be on a standard commuter flight.

Grinning like a schoolboy while watching all the planes on the flight line, Adam managed to help me get the baggage inside the small terminal area, then hugged me goodbye. I kissed him on the cheek and told him that I would see him on the weekend. Since Greg had not scheduled a rehearsal because of the holiday, Adam and I could have some time together, though I dared not think of what we might do in that time together.

Even though this was a private flight, we went through the security procedures brought on by the events of September 11^th just over a year ago. My bags were fully inspected and sealed before being placed on board the jet. I watched out the window as the plane was refueled and the pilot made a last walk-around of the plane inspecting for any problems. I watched as the beam from his flashlight probed into several nooks and crannies on the underside of the plane and into the two engines mounted at the tail of the plane.

Minutes later he poked his head inside the terminal door to let me know that they were ready to go. He escorted me to the plane as a cold wind swept a dusting of snow across the tarmac. I shivered visibly as I boarded the plane, even though I was wearing a heavy winter coat.

The pilot shook his head and smiled at me. "Don't worry, Miss Stevens. We'll have the heat going in here in just a couple of minutes. It'll be toasty warm by the time we take off."

"Please call me Jen or Jennifer. And you're…?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Jason Brown. But please, Jason will be just fine. Let's get this door closed so we can get the engines started. I'll be back after we level off at altitude." He pulled the door closed then latched it tightly. I had taken a seat and put on the seat belt and checked that it was tight. He stopped to check the belt. "I see you've traveled a lot. Nice job, most people don't get it tight enough."

"Lately I've spent almost as much time in the air as I have on the ground. I've heard the lecture about seat belts so much I can give it myself now."

Jason smiled again. "Well, just sit tight. When you see the seat belt light go off you can unbuckle and move around. There's some hot chocolate in a thermos in the galley and some snacks. Help yourself if you want some, after we're at flight level. We'll be going as soon as we're cleared to start up." He left for the cabin.

It was another five minutes until I heard the one of the rear engines start then after another minute or so the other engine came to life. The plane sat for another two minutes as the engines were checked and the plane's systems brought up to full operation. I looked out the window as the plane was pushed backwards by a small truck. We stopped as the push arm was removed and a final check made of the plane by the ground crew. The engines revved up and we started to move out onto the taxiway. The lights along the taxiway poked holes every fifty feet or so in the inky darkness that had descended over the airport. The plane stopped at the end of the runway and sat for a few seconds with the engines revving at what I thought was full power.

I heard the engines throttle back then the plane started to slowly move forward. The engines revved up again and the jet surged forward down the runway. The lights at the side of the runway were flashing by so fast that I could no longer count them. The plane seemed to leap into the air pushing me back and down into the seat as the jet headed upwards at what seemed to be a forty-five degree angle.

The climb to altitude didn't take very long and the seat belt light went out after only around fifteen minutes. I unbuckled the belt and walked forward to the small galley area behind the flight deck. The thermos with the hot chocolate and some heavy ceramic mugs with the network logo on them were on the counter top. I poured a cup of the steaming hot liquid and added a few marshmallows from a small covered bowl. The heat was warming the cup so I wrapped my still cold fingers around the cup and let the warmth seep into my hands as I sipped at the thick brown liquid. It was excellent hot chocolate and I carefully made my way back to the seat so I wouldn't spill any in the slight turbulence we were experiencing.

Jason came back and poured himself a cup of the hot chocolate then took a seat beside me. "So how do you like the chocolate? Word is you're a chocolate lover of the first class."

"It's great chocolate. Even the marshmallows are great. How did you know?"

"Mary Stone suggested it. How she knew is a question you'll have to ask her."

I sighed. "She probably found out from the president of MegaComp." I sipped at the hot liquid again and smiled.

"I take it you travel in some high circles then?"

"Not really, Jason. This is only the second time I've been on a corporate jet. The first was a trip to New York City for MegaComp. All of my other travel has usually been in first class on the normal airlines."

"I guess the radio show business doesn't pay much then?"

"You know what I do for a living, eh? You're right; the travel plans are terrible sometimes. So I guess you're a fan of the show?"

Jason nodded. "I listen to it whenever I'm home. I even get to listen sometimes when we're on a flight. You helped me with my computers a lot, Jen. Thank you."

The conversation turned into a session with Jason on a couple of his nagging computer problems. We must have talked for almost an hour until a chime sounded.

"OOPS! That's Billy, my co-pilot. Looks like we'll be landing in about twenty minutes. Thanks, Jen, you've been a big help."

"No problem, Jason. Send me an email and let me know if it works for you. Do you have my email address?"

"Right next to the monitor, Jen. I copied it down the first time you gave it out on the show. I never sent you anything though."

"Well, send me email any time and don't be afraid to ask those questions. You know… the ONLY dumb question is the one you DON'T ask. If you want an answer, chances are someone else wants the same answer. Now you can answer a question for me. I'll probably be making a trip like this every couple of weeks. Does the network handle the travel arrangements like this or do I have to make my own plans?"

"Well, this is just a short hop for us. Sometimes it's cheaper to use the company jet than it is to try to arrange travel on such short notice. Billy and I get paid even if we're just siting at home waiting for a call. I'd much rather be flying than waiting any time."

"I'll ask Mary if we can arrange something then. I like not having to fight the airport crowds to get through the check-in and security lines."

"I look forward to out next visit. Be sure to buckle up tight. I think it's going to be a bumpy ride down to the surface. There's a line of storms between us and the airport."

I tightened the seat belt as Jason left for the cabin. I was glad I did because a few minutes later the jet started to buck and dive like a wild bull as we dropped through the storm front. My heart felt like it leapt into my throat as the wild ride continued for several more minutes. Mercifully, the wild gyrations stopped almost as suddenly as they had started. I looked out the window next to me to see the lights of the city and the runway lights stretched out before the plane. I looked down to find my fingers buried deeply in the soft padding on the arms of the seat. I forced my hands to relax as the plane gently touched down on the runway and taxied to a hanger at the end.

As we neared the hanger the door opened and the plane stopped just short of entering. A small vehicle drove out of the building and pulled the jet inside after the engines stopped. I could see a limo waiting off to one side in the bright lights inside the cavernous hanger. Jason and Billy stepped out of the flight deck and escorted me off the plane. I watched as a couple of men from the ground crew placed my bags in the limo.

Jason tugged at my elbow. "Umm… Thanks for flying Air Jason and Billy. We'll see you tomorrow afternoon to take you back home. Sorry about the turbulence, Jen, it should be much better tomorrow."

"Thanks, fellas. I enjoyed the ride except for the last few minutes. I guess the bumpy ride is just a part of flying. I'll see you tomorrow." I gave each of them a hug and a kiss on the cheek them headed for the waiting limo.

  

  

  

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