Copyright 2004 by Robert Arnold - All Rights Reserved

If anyone reading this story discovers a typo or other error, please let me know. 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.

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/ .

Thanks to Lynn Jennings for editing and proofing assistance with this chapter. Any errors remaining are mine after a few last moment changes to the story.

 

Zapped

by Bob Arnold

Chapter 15 – The Hornet's Nest

 

Jennifer's Diary entries

Monday, January 20, 2003 -

 

The phone was ringing off the hook when I made it into the office after sleeping a bit late this morning. Barb was answering the lines while furiously scribbling notes. She looked up at me just after putting down the telephone from the most recent call. As the handset hit the phone the line started to ring again. She politely answered the phone and asked the caller if they would please hold for a few moments. She hit the hold button and turned toward me with a weary smile on her face.

"Well, Jen, you've really gone and done it now."

"Done WHAT?"

"Stirred up a hell of a hornet's nest you have. Here, look at these!" She shoved a large stack of telephone call slips into my hands then went back to the telephone lines.

The stack was arranged with the oldest call on top. The first group was from the casting people from each of the major evening and late night talk shows. Every one of them wanted me to come on and perform a few songs and talk about the radio show and anything else I was doing. The rest of the stack was from various entertainment publications and media shows requesting interview time. As I leafed through the pile Barb answered at least ten more calls. There was finally a momentary break in the activity and she hit a code on the phone that busied out all of the incoming lines temporarily. Callers would get a busy signal or our voice mail system until she released the lines. She seemed frazzled as she slumped back in her chair.

"I was wondering when you were gonna be able to come up for some air."

"It's been like this since eight this morning when I took off the auto answer function, Jen. Even the voice mail system can't handle it. The display on my phone says that it's full. I haven't had any time to check it yet."

"Why don't you let the lines stay busy for a while longer and take a break. I think you need one."

"But what about…"

"Them?" I pointed to the telephone with all the incoming lines blinking busy. She nodded with a worried look on her face. "Barb, if they want to talk to me that bad they'll keep trying to call, okay? If they give up because they get a busy signal for a few more minutes they really didn't want to talk to me did they?"

"Well, when you look at it like that, I guess you're right. Come on, then. I need CHOCOLATE!"

"Right! … To the kitchen!"

Barb followed me into the kitchen and waited patiently at the table while I made up two large mugs of hot chocolate with marshmallows and an extra-large dollop of chocolate syrup. I placed a mug in front of Barb.

"There you are, Barb, my own creation. I call it 'Chocolate Overload'. Drink up and relax! Take all the time you need." I nodded my head toward the office. "They'll wait." I took a long sip from my cup and smiled as the flavor saturated my taste buds.

Barb took a long sip from her cup and almost purred with enjoyment. "Oh… that's great, Jen. Just what I needed!"

We sat together in silence for a couple of minutes as we both relaxed. Barb put her cup on the table and wrapped her hands around it.

I pointed to her hands gripping the cup tightly. "Cold hands, Barb?"

"Just nerves I guess. I'm worried about the surgery next week."

"Whatever for? I thought you wanted it."

"I do but…" She paused with a confused look on her face.

"But what?"

"Well, there are things you don't know about me that maybe you should know, Jen. Like my background… I used to be…"

"A police officer that got a 'make-over' that he didn't want from a very nasty group of people?" Her jaw dropped wide open. "Yes, I know all about that, Barb."

"But how?"

"Like you, I have a few secrets of my own, Barb."

She took a long draw from her mug. "I didn't know."

"And, like your background, let's keep this between us, okay?" I used one hand to take a long sip from my own mug while I used the other one to squeeze Barb's hand.

"I can buy into that, Jen. I never would have suspected that of you. How did…?"

I raised a hand to cut off any more questions. "That's a long story best left mostly untold, Barb. No 'cloak and dagger' stuff or secret missions, I assure you. I can say that I detected and prevented a break-in attempt on some extremely sensitive data on some very private government computers. The hackers were trying to use the systems where I used to work to make the attempt. I shut them down and backtracked where they were. Because of that I have and still maintain contacts in a few government agencies that, for various reasons, have no names."

"So how did you find out about me?"

"It was as simple as a call to my friends in the police department to have them do a background check on your current name. A few things turned up that didn't sound quite right. A little more digging turned up the truth."

"But if you found out that means that THEY'LL find out!"

"No it doesn't. I know the old you still has a price on her head with a very pissed-off group of people. I didn't want my best office staffer have to keep looking over her shoulder all of the time. I had those friends of mine in the right places take care of the problem. It'll take more than an act of Congress to unlock your secrets now. You still need to be careful and probably always will, Barb. I'm not certain if anyone discovered your secret before I did but then I had help most people would never have."

"Thanks, Jen. I owe you for this."

"No, you don't. You just keep doing what you've been doing for me each day and try to enjoy life. You deserve it."

A few tears streamed down Barb's face as I pulled her close for a long hug. Her tears slowly subsided then I handed her a tissue to mop her streaked face.

"Well, what do you think? Have we kept 'em waiting long enough?" I nodded toward the office down the hallway.

"I think so. Let me clear the voice mail backlog and then I'll open up the lines again, that way anything I miss will at least get answered by the voice mail system."

"Sounds good to me. Now go fix your face and dive back into the chaos on the phones. I'll look over the pile I have already. Can you bring in the voice mail messages when you get them? If you can date and time them like you did with the messages this morning I'll start with the oldest ones first."

"What about anything affiliated with MouseWorld? You do have a contract with them."

"I'll give them priority of course. I owe them that much."

"All right. See you in the office in a few minutes. Umm… Can you make me another one of these?" Barb pointed to her empty mug.

"Sure! Overload again?"

"Is there something beyond Overload?"

"Think you can handle it?"

"Well, at least let me try it."

"All right. Be right there." Barb left for the office as I made two more mugs of Overload. I put about a dozen of the new OREO cookies with the chocolate cream in the middle on a couple of small plates and wrapped each of the plates in plastic wrap. I loaded everything on a tray and went back to the office.

Barb was busy copying down messages from the overloaded voicemail system as I put the tray on her desk. When she looked up I made the motion of taking a cookie and dunking it into the mug then eating it. She smiled and winked as I took my plate of cookies and mug into my office.

Around twenty minutes later Barb brought in another stack of message slips from Friday and the weekend. Many were the original calls made by the same people that had called this morning. Of course, over the weekend the booking staff at each of the nighttime talk shows had upped the ante and offered more and more to get me on their respective shows. I would give the show on the network run by MouseWorld the first right of refusal after telling them what the other shows had offered and that if they could at least match it I was theirs.

Since the booking person for the show on the MouseWorld network called at least once already this morning I assumed that their office in Los Angles was open at this hour despite the three-hour time difference. I found the call slip with the number on it and dialed it. It rang several times before someone answered.

"Thanks for calling Around Midnight. Normal office hours are eight AM to 6 PM Pacific time. You can leave…" The line clicked then a human voice came on. "Can I help you?"

"Yes. I'd like to speak with Tandy Martin please. I'm Jennifer Stevens."

"Good morning, Jennifer. I'm Tandy. Thanks for calling back. That was a great performance on Friday morning by the way. We'd love to have you as a guest on Around Midnight. Are you interested?"

"I might be, Tandy. The other shows have made better offers though. Because I have a contract with MouseWorld for another unrelated project I decided to contact your show first since you're on their network."

"I do appreciate that and I can work with you to reach some kind of an agreement."

We spent the next half an hour or so talking over an agreement for me to perform in March on the seventh. That was the first weekend that I didn't have to do the play. It turns out that I had guessed wrong when I thought that the last full weekend was totally in February. The last weekend of the play was on the last day of February and the first two days of March. The seventh was a Friday and to make the appearance I would have to do the radio show from Los Angeles on the following Saturday morning. Since the radio network affiliate in Los Angeles let me use their facilities a few times before, I was confident that I could make arrangements to broadcast from there again.

"Well, Tandy, I think we've about covered everything. I'm looking forward to seeing you on the sixth ahead of the show."

"Me too, Jennifer. Oh, I didn't think to ask before, will you need hotel arrangements for your band?"

"Band? I don't have a band, Tandy."

"No band? Isn't that kinda unusual for a singer?"

"I'm not really a singer, Tandy. That all happened recently."

"That's going to be something of a problem. I suppose you can send along some sheet music and I can arrange for you to perform with the studio band. It would be much better if you had your own band along with you."

I thought for a few moments. "Tandy, how long before you need to know about arrangements for a band to travel with me?"

"I need about a week's notice, Jennifer. Do you think you can find a band to work with you?

"Maybe. I used to do sound for a band but I haven't seen them for quite a while. I don't know what they're going to say about this if I ask them."

"Well, just let me know as soon as you can then. I'll see you in Los Angeles on March sixth one way or the other, right?"

"We have a deal, Tandy. Please draw up the agreement we talked about and fax it to me. I'll turn it around as quickly as I can."

"You'll have it later this morning, Jennifer. Thanks for calling! Bye!" The line clicked then went dead as I put the telephone down. I looked up to see Barb standing in the doorway.

"Another trip to LaLa land, eh?"

I shrugged then smiled back at her as she sat down in the chair next to my desk. "I guess. That was just the first of the late night shows. The one on the network MouseWorld owns."

"Well, before you make any other calls you might want to make this one." She put a call slip on my desk. It was from Jason Stockwell at the division of MouseWorld that handled the recording artists. "He really wants to talk with you and fast."

"All right, Barb. Where is he located anyway?"

"I think he's located at corporate in Florida so you can make the call right now, Jen. No procrastinating on this one, okay?"

"Can I at least go to the bathroom first, Momma?" I pouted like a little girl then looked at the floor as I squirmed slightly in my chair like a little kid trying hard not to do the pee-pee dance.

Barb giggled then shook her head at me. "I suppose but no dawdling young lady!" She waggled a finger at me.

"I promise!" I headed for the bathroom in the office next door and quickly emptied out after drinking those two large mugs full of hot chocolate. A trip to the kitchen and I had a mug full of ice-cold milk with ice added to keep it cold in my office. I also grabbed the rest of the bag of chocolate cream OREOS.

I refilled Barb's cookie plate and watched for a few seconds as she efficiently dealt with the overloaded phone lines. I took the rest of the bag and headed for my office. The bag of cookies wound up on the corner of the desk as I picked the call sheet from the studio then dialed the number.

"Hello. MouseWorld Records… If you know the extension of..." I grimaced at the automated system then pressed the numbers for Jason's extension.

"Jason Stockwell, can I help you?"

"Hello, Jason, Jennifer Stevens returning your call."

"Jennifer! Thanks for calling! Do you know you've got the brass around here almost ready to bust? Everyone is so excited that you're going to do some recording for an album! I've been assigned to help you."

"All right, Jason. I hadn't expected to have to record something for a while yet though."

"Well, we'd really like to get started as soon as possible. Our test samples for your song 'The Future Is Now' are simply off the charts. If we had something to release right now we think it would go platinum as a single in a space of a few weeks. "

"I guess that I'll have to take planning for a recording session seriously then. What time frame did you have in mind?"

"The sooner the better as we see it. I'd be deliriously happy if you could start next week."

"Hmm… I can't make it happen that fast, Jason. How about around the middle of March after I get done with the play? It will have to be scheduled around my work with MouseWorld in Florida though."

"Is that the earliest you're available?"

"I'm afraid so, Jason." I heard him sigh softly to himself.

"Then that's what I'll have to work with. Is your band ready? How much time will you need to get ready?"

"Band? That's the second time today someone has asked me about a band."

"Really? Who asked first?"

"The folks at Around Midnight. I have a guest appearance scheduled on March seventh. They wanted to know if I was going to bring my own band with me."

"And you said…"

"That I didn't umm... don't have a band, Jason, at least not yet anyway. I do have a possibility in mind though."

"Please let me know as soon as you have something lined up. Otherwise, I'll find some studio musicians and we'll need a lineup of songs you might like to do so we can get arrangements done. Because of the time we need to get ready, I have to know by the end of this week."

"All right, Jason. I'll let you know as soon as I know anything. Okay?"

"Thanks, Jennifer. Gotta dash. The work of a studio manager is never done. Bye!" The line clicked as I put the phone down again.

The ice in my glass of milk had melted a bit leaving a film of milky water on top. I twirled the glass a little to get the water and milk to mix as I stuffed an OREO into my mouth and sipped a bit of milk. As the cookie began to disintegrate, I leaned back in my chair pondering the last two phone calls.

Both the Around Midnight folks and the recording studio seemed to expect me to have a backup band of my own. A backup band was, until now, something I never considered. Until now I had never even considered myself anything more than someone lucky enough to be doing a radio and a TV show. Now it appeared the rest of the world was starting to view me as a singer as well.

The guys in Pleasant Valley Sunday had always wanted me to perform with them. The one time they did try to set up a date for me to work with them I had to be elsewhere for a public appearance. The band seemed to be mad at me and as a result I hadn't heard much, if anything, from them in weeks. I wasn't certain how much they knew of my own activities either. I owed something to them and decided to give them first shot at being my backup band. I could afford to add four new employees to the payroll now so they could give up their day jobs if they wanted to pursue their music with me. It took a few minutes to find the CD that the band had recorded in my garage. I popped it into the bookshelf stereo system behind my desk then called Barb into the office.

"What's up, Jen?"

I pointed to a chair. "Take a seat and listen to this for a little while then give me your honest opinion. No bullshit on this one, Barb, just tell me the truth, okay?"

"If that's what you want, that's what you'll get, Jen. You know me well enough by now."

"Good! That's why I asked you in here." I pressed the button on the remote control to start the CD playing then turned my chair so my back was toward Barb and closed my eyes as the music started to play.

Somewhere around thirty minutes later the eighth song ended and I switched the player into the pause mode. "Well, I know you recognized my voice as the singer. What did you think of the band? Could they be good enough to record and perform with me?" I stayed with my back to her, as I didn't want her to read anything into her criticism from the expression on my face.

"It's going to take some work but, yes, I think that they just might be good enough to back you. Where was that recorded anyway?"

I turned my chair around to face her. "In my garage during the summer. The guys asked me to sing with them that day and didn't tell me the CD recorder in the sound rack was running. They intended that it be a demo CD of us so they could get some jobs with me singing with them. It never worked out that I could though."

"Why didn't you ever work with them, Jen? You sound pretty good."

"Time or at least lack of it, Barb. The band and I could never seem to get together to perform. I haven't heard anything from them lately."

"I guess that you have to find a band to back you pretty quickly, right?" I nodded in agreement. "Then you need to talk to them as soon as possible. Who's the most laid-back one in the group?"

"Tom Sutkoff, I guess. He's married and was always the most level-headed one."

"Then call him and find out what's happening with the band and sound him out about working for you."

"Thanks, Barb. You've been a big help."

"You're welcome. By the way, I loved the Overload hot chocolate and the OREO chocolate cookies. Quite a combination!"

I popped another OREO into my mouth and drained my mug of the remaining milk. By now it was about half water and half milk from the ice but it was still ice cold. I smiled as Barb stood up to return to her office. "I always loved chocolate before but now I find that I absolutely crave it quite frequently. At least it's a nice vice to have. I can think of many things that are a hundred times worse to be hooked on."

"I feel it too even though my body isn't fully female as yours is. Must be the hormones I think. I'm going to make another mug full, want one?"

"Pass, Barb. I'm saving room for lunch later." I patted my tummy gently. "Gotta watch the waistline these days. There's a clause buried somewhere in the MouseWorld contract."

"SHEESH! With your weird metabolism you have to worry?" She smiled as she left my office headed for the kitchen with her mug in her hand. I turned back to the CD player and started it again letting the rest of the CD play as I thought over what to say to Tom when I called.

The CD played the last two songs then cycled back to the start before I pushed the stop button. I put the CD back in the jewel case and put it away in the desk where I found it. My trusty Palm m105 PDA yielded Tom's work number and his home number. Tom's regular job was with one of the local TV stations as an engineer on the tech crew taking care of the all the equipment.

It was nearing lunchtime and I knew that Tom would be taking a break from the activities at the station. I picked up the phone and dialed the number then punched in Tom's extension into the system.

"Tom Sutkoff, Can I help you?"

"Hi, Tom, Jennifer Stevens calling. Do you have a few minutes to talk?"

"Jen! How are you? I always have some time to talk to you, darlin'" His Texas drawl sounded great since I hadn't talked to him in what seemed to me to be years.

"I'm doing fine, Tom. How are you and Darla? I know by now she's had the baby, right?"

"Yup. It was a girl like we hoped, almost 7 pounds too, and healthy. Darla had some problems with the delivery like we thought she would. The docs say she shouldn't have any more kids."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Tom. How did Darla take the news?"

"She took it just fine. According to her, delivering a baby is kinda like trying to pass a bowling ball through there so she's willing to pass on any more kids. She even had her tubes tied after the delivery. Strange thing is I'm having a hard time keeping up with her in bed now that she doesn't have to worry about getting pregnant again."

"Sounds like she's wearing you out at night."

He chuckled a bit. "Almost, Jen, almost. I have to take extra vitamins to keep up with her."

"I'm glad to hear she and the baby are doing well. I'll have to call her when I can get sometime free and go over for a visit."

"I heard you're really busy these days, Jen. We had quite a few requests to have you perform with us but we know your schedule is pretty busy these days."

"That's true, Tom. Just how much do you know about what I'm involved in?"

"Only what I read in the papers, why?"

"Well, there's more going on than most people know about. Something of interest possibly to you and the band is that I have a recording deal with MouseWorld and I'm scheduled to do a late night talk show tour next month."

"Really? And what made you think of calling me?"

"I need a backup band, Tom, and I thought of Pleasant Valley Sunday first. Do you think the guys might be interested?"

"You mean guys and gal don't you?"

"Did Jack go through with the plan to try living as a woman?"

"Yup. The rest of the band talked it over and it really doesn't matter to us. Jackie as she calls herself now is still a great drummer and her voice sounds more natural as a woman than it ever did as a man. She's doing fine. She looks so convincing that we have to beat the men away from her with a stick wherever we play."

"I'm glad to hear she's doing well. So is there any interest in talking to me about what I have in mind for the band?"

"I'm certainly willing to listen, Jen. Let me talk to the others and I'll let you know."

"I'm on a kind of tight schedule, Tom. Can everyone come over to my house tonight? I'd like to talk to everyone at the same time if you don't mind."

"Umm… I think I can arrange that."

Over the next few minutes we worked out the details of the time then said our goodbyes. Just as I put the phone down Barb came into the office.

"Lunch is ready, Jen. Just sandwiches today since we stuffed ourselves this morning. How about a nice bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich?"

"Sounds good to me, Barb. I think I'll just eat at my desk today though. There's still a lot of calls to return."

"All right but don't drive yourself too hard. You'll pay for it eventually if you do. Remember that you have to take better care of that body of yours than you did before."

I looked up at Barb and smiled. "Okay, Mom! I promise!" I made a crossing sign over my heart and then giggled as she shook her head at me.

"Keep working at it, Jen. You've almost got that ditzy blond act down right!" She spun on her heel and headed for the kitchen giggling quietly. I had to admit that Barb gives as good as she gets and giggled to myself.

Minutes later Barb returned with a sandwich and a tall glass full of diet soda for me. I turned on the television in my office and settled in to watch the noon news and eat. There wasn't much of interest on the news until the station did their short entertainment segment. I turned up the volume when the logo for Space Quest popped up on the screen.

" … and producers announced today that Space Quest has been officially canceled by the network. The remaining episodes will be shown over the next several weeks until a replacement is found to put in the show's time slot. Moving on to other Entertainment News…"

After turning the volume down I continued eating my sandwich. At least I knew now that the offer of doing the two episodes of Space Quest was a moot point in any of my future plans. While I had been looking forward to the experience of working on a television show, it really didn't upset me that the chance was gone. I knew that I'd find something else to take the place of the missed opportunity.

My plate was now empty so I drained the last of the soda from my glass and took the dirty dishes back to the kitchen. After a stop in the bathroom to refresh myself, I went back to the office to dive back into the growing pile of call slips. Barb had added a couple more stacks through the morning hours.

The slips got sorted into piles based on priority. A few I had to handle myself while I could have Barb handle the rest with either a polite refusal or to set up an appointment time when someone could call and talk to me or visit me for an interview. Fortunately, most of the callers were willing to take a phone interview over a personal visit. The television folks, however, wanted to meet me in person.

It seemed that I was also now on the radar screens of a few of the larger tabloid newspapers. Several had called to ask about interviews. I decided for the time being to decline those interviews and concentrate on what appeared to be the more reputable publications and media outlets. It crossed my mind momentarily that the tabloids would make up stories about me anyway if I became a much larger media target. So far, with the news of my change of sex being public information, I had remained out of their slimy spotlights. Until now there had been little for anyone to speculate on and little information available for someone to twist into the type of story they seemed to like. I knew that wasn't going to last and that I would have to vigorously fight any incorrect information they published. I made a note to have Barb start picking up a few of the larger tabloid rags and keep watching for anything printed in them about me.

One of the call slips was a message from Mark at MouseWorld asking that I call him as soon as possible. It was in the last batch Barb brought in just before lunch. I hit the speed dial button on my phone and moments later Mark picked up the line.

"Hi, Mark, Jennifer Stevens calling. What's going on today?"

"Hi, Jen. I need to let you know that the Space Quest show has been cancelled."

"I already heard about that on the noon news here, Mark. It really wasn't much of a surprise."

"Sorry I couldn't get through before you heard the news another way. I really wanted to be the one that told you."

"Not a problem, Mark. Since you're on the phone do you want to solidify my schedule now for the attraction opening and the TV show? I really need to get something in place so I can plan around it."

Over the next hour we worked out a schedule up through the television show that would open the exhibit at MouseWorld. It seems that they had decided to call the exhibit "The Future Is Now" after the song I wrote. I was quite flattered and more than a little concerned that if the whole thing was a flop that I was being set up to take the blame. There wasn't time right now to worry about that though.

"Well, Jen, it looks like we have a workable schedule then. Is there anything else you want to change in it?"

"No, nothing at the moment, Mark. It might need a little fine-tuning here and there but overall I can handle it."

"Great! One other thing… umm… are you maybe up for doing a movie after the exhibit opens?"

"A movie? Hmm… tell me a bit more about what you have in mind?"

"Well, the network is looking to do a re-make of an old John Wayne film called 'Donvan's Reef' to air around Christmas time this year. We think you'd be great as the Amelia Dedham character. Are you familiar with the movie?"

"I am, Mark. I'm a big fan of many of John Wayne's films. I may be interested. Is there a script yet?"

"Yes. Want me to send a copy?"

"Sure. I'll look at it and get back to you as soon as possible."

"Thanks, Jen. Is there anything else we need to talk about on this call?"

"No, I think we've taken care of everything, Mark."

"Great. I've got to run. I have a call on another line. When are you coming down again?"

"Tomorrow, Mark. That's when I do the voice-over for the animation. I'll be there for a couple of days then I have to come back to do the play."

"See you tomorrow then! Bye!" The line clicked then went silent. I put the phone back on the desk then slumped in my chair.

The schedule I had just agreed to would have me in Orlando at least two or three days a week until the play was over then, after the round of nighttime show appearances, I would be in Orlando until the TV show was broadcast. The sole break would be the time needed to record an album for release unless the production was moved to facilities in Orlando to reduce my travel time.

The possibility of the Donovan's Reef re-make was intriguing too. I suspected that it would involve an on-location shoot in Hawaii since the original film was set on a South Pacific island in the late fifties. I wondered if they intended to update the film time-wise or to simply shoot it as originally scripted. Mark said he would send a script so I put it out of my mind until it arrived.

Before I had much time to dwell on what I had just gotten myself into Barb called from her office. "Jen, there's a Tom Sutkoff on line 2 for you. He says he's returning your call. Do you want to take it now?"

"I got it, Barb!" I picked up the phone again and hit the button for line 2.""Hi, Tom. What can I do for you?"

"I got in touch with everyone else and they can come over to meet with you around seven tonight. Is that all right, Jennifer?"

"That's good for me, Tom. No instruments are needed since we're just talking things over."

"All right, I'll see you at seven. I'll let the others know. Gotta get back to work now! Bye!"

"Bye, Tom, and thanks!" I put the phone down again then started to make some notes on a pad of paper of things I needed to talk over with the band. The list grew to three pages before I ran out of things to talk about. Anything on the last two pages wouldn't matter a bit if the big question weren't settled first. I wondered if they would be willing to be my backup band for both the album and the TV shows?

The rest of the afternoon was spent arranging several more talk show appearances up until I had to do the TV show from Orlando. When I glanced at the clock it was nearly half an hour past quitting time and the lights were still on in Barb's office.

I wearily slumped into the chair beside her desk. "Ah… Barb… GO HOME!"

"I know. I'm almost done. I'll be just a couple of minutes more."

"GO HOME, Barb. I have the excuse that I live here. YOU don't. This will all be here tomorrow morning. Now go home and get some test. I don't want you to get yourself all run down before your surgery."

"Thanks for worrying about me. Mom!" She started shutting down her computer and straightening her desk.

"It's been a heck of a day hasn't it? I thought that the phones were never going to stop ringing."

"They haven't yet. I just turned on the auto answer after I cleared out the voicemail system again. It'll be full again in the morning. Ready for round two?"

"Nope. Remember that I have to fly out in the morning for Orlando for the voice-over work. I'll be gone when you open the office in the morning."

'Damn! I was so busy I forgot all about that. Good thing I scheduled all of that last week wasn't it?"

"I'll say it was. Now GO HOME and get some rest. I'll be back on Thursday afternoon. I'll take my cell phone so you can reach me for the big stuff. Anything else can wait until I get back."

"I promise not to call unless it something real big, Jen. Do you want to check in with me at home each night?"

"Not really. I trust your judgment, Barb. You haven't let me down yet so go ahead and run with things. I'll be on the plane out of Orlando on Thursday so I should be back here in the afternoon."

Barb put on her coat and grabbed her purse from a drawer in her desk. "Then I'll see you then, Jen. I left a couple of sandwiches for you in the fridge and the dishwasher is loaded and all set to go when you're done."

I followed Barb to the door then locked it after I watched her car pull out of the driveway. The pile on my desk was still there and I decided that it would still be there but somewhat larger on Thursday when I got back. I grabbed the pad with my notes for the band and headed for the kitchen to have supper.

The sandwiches were great. I had both of them and then finished up with a slice of a Sara Lee Devil's Food Chocolate cake I found in the fridge. The dirty dishes were dumped into the washer for a cleaning run. A glance at the clock told me that there was almost an hour left until the band was supposed to arrive for our discussion. I headed for the living room and got comfortable on the couch to study and revise my notes.

The clock on the VCR read ten minutes before seven when the doorbell rang. When I answered it I saw a woman bundled up in a heavy parka wearing jeans and heavy boots. "Can I help you?"

"Well, I must be doing something right. You don't recognize me do you, Jennifer?"

"Jack, err… Jackie?" She nodded in agreement. "Come on in. It's freezing out there!"

She stepped inside and I closed the door behind her as another blast of frigid air hit the porch. She took off her parka and scarf letting her long hair flow down her back. "So how have you been, Jen?"

I took her coat and put it in the closet then hugged her tightly. "I've been busy, Jackie. I see you've been busy too!"

"I want to say something right now, Jen. Whatever happens tonight I want to thank you for making me realize that I had another option. I think I might have done something to myself if I'd gone on as I was. You made a big difference in my life and I wanted to see you in person to thank you." A few tears started to stream down her face.

I hugged her tightly as the tears subsided. I wanted to say more but as I was about to speak the doorbell rang again. When I opened the door it was the rest of the band. "Come on in, guys, Jackie got here a few minutes ago."

When their coats were tucked away in the closet they followed me into the living room and we all got comfortable on the couch. "So what have you all been up to in the past few weeks? I've been so busy I really couldn't follow what's been going on with the band."

Tom glanced at the others almost as if to ask their permission to speak. "Well, we've been lucky enough on our own to get an offer for a record deal of our own. It's with a local company but it's a start, Jen."

"Really?" Everyone nodded in agreement. "I hope it all works out for you. I do need to talk to you about something though."

Tom glanced nervously at the others again. "Go ahead, Jennifer."

"Here's the deal, folks. I have a recording contract with MouseWorld for an album based on the song I wrote plus other material. I really want Pleasant Valley Sunday to be my backup band on both the album and for a series of guest appearances on a few of the late night TV talk shows in a month or two."

Tom answered for the band again. "So what's the billing supposed to be if we went ahead with this, Jennifer?"

"I've gone around and around with the record company but they're adamant on this. They want the title to be 'Jennifer Stevens with Pleasant Valley Sunday' or something similar. They feel since I have the name recognition that my name should be in the group's title. To most people Pleasant Valley Sunday is the title of an old tune by the Monkees."

"What's in it for us?"

"All I can offer is fifty thousand dollars each for the duration of the guest appearances and the time it takes to record the album. Where my career goes beyond that I have no idea. While there's no guarantee that the album will get any kind of response from the public, I've had enough requests for a copy of "The Future Is Now" that the MouseWorld folks want to release something. I should also tell you that you'd most likely appear with me on the TV special in June when the new attraction at MouseWorld in Florida opens."

Tom looked at the other band members. I saw a few shrugs from them before Tome spoke again. "Can we have a few minutes alone to talk about this, Jennifer?"

"Of course, Tom. Is there anything I can get for you while I'm waiting in the kitchen?"

He glanced again at the others. "I don't think so, Jennifer."

"All right. Please come and get me when you're finished talking." I picked up my note pad and headed for the kitchen closing the door behind me.

The case of the shakes I had demanded that I apply some chocolate to try to calm my jangled nerves. I made a large mug full of hot chocolate, Overload style, and waited at the kitchen table. The minutes on the clock slowly ticked by and I had almost drained the mug when Tom stepped into the kitchen.

"We're ready."

"I'll be right there, Tom. Do you want anything? I have soda and …"

"No, thanks." He turned and went back to the living room leaving me wondering what had gone on in there.

The mug got rinsed out and deposited in the dishwasher before I headed back to the living room. When I looked around the room the expressions on the faces of the band didn't tell me a thing.

"Here's what we've decided, Jennifer. The band has voted to decline your offer. We all feel that we want to try this on our own. I… we… know that this could be a big mistake for us. What you've offered would certainly give the band an incredible boost. The down side is that we'd be riding on your coat tails and we don't want to do that. If we're good enough to make it as a band we want to do it under our own name, not someone else's."

At that moment it felt like someone had punched me in the gut. My thoughts drifted back to the phrase Adam had used several times when I offered to help him. "I DON'T want to be known as 'MISTER Jennifer Stevens', Jen. I want to make it on my OWN!" As much as it pained me to hear something similar coming from the band, I knew where they were coming from.

"All right, Tom. I do understand and I want to thank everyone for coming over to hear what I had to say tonight. There's no point in going on with the meeting since the rest of the items I had to talk about were based on the band working with me. Unless you have something else you want to talk about I don't think we need to take up each other's time tonight. I do want to stay in touch in the hope that maybe we can work together at some time in the future, Tom."

"I think we'd all like that, Jen. Sorry we couldn't come to an agreement tonight. We'll be going now." Tom and the rest of the male band members got up to leave. Jackie stayed on the couch. "Coming, Jackie?"

"No, I'm going to talk to Jen about some girl-stuff. You guys go ahead. I doubt that you'd be interested in our conversation, but you're welcome to stay."

Tom nodded then turned to leave. "See you later, Jackie. Don't forget the gig at the bar tomorrow night, okay?"

"I'll be there, Tom." We waited until the guys had collected their coats and departed.

"So what happened in here anyway, Jackie?"

"Just what Tom said, Jen. The guys aren't mad at you or anything like that. They just want to do it on their own. Typical male mindset." Jackie giggled softly. "Listen to me already. I've been living as a woman for less than two months and already I've adapted to the female viewpoint."

"It took me a while too even though I wound up completely feminine physically. I guess it's common no matter what the reason for the change." I turned the conversation away from the band and we spent the next half an hour or so catching up on what each of us had been doing and comparing notes on our changes. When Jackie started to yawn I suggested that we end the evening.

"Thanks, Jen, for taking the time to talk with me. It means so much to have you as a friend."

"I'll be there as much as my schedule will allow me to be, Jackie. Just call."

We hugged then she gathered up her coat and left. When I looked at the clock I realized that I had better get to sleep because I had to be up in another five hours to make it to the airport for my flight out to Orlando. A quick run through the shower and I literally fell into bed after setting the alarm for three AM.

Tuesday, January 21, 2003 -

I barely made it to the airport on time for the flight to Orlando. Security precautions were tight and it seemed like it took forever to get through check-in and board the plane. This time I had to use a commercial airline since the corporate jets owned by MouseWorld were all in use elsewhere. Barb was able to get me a seat in business class on the only flight directly from Syracuse to Orlando without a stop somewhere along the way.

I knew I should have worn some type of disguise when several passengers asked me for autographs as the rest of the passengers were boarding. I had hoped to get a little more sleep during the flight but a constant stream of people passing by and stopping to say hello prevented that. Several of the male passengers even left business cards if I wanted to consider going out on a date with them. I was pleased with myself that I had adapted well enough to be of interest to men but another part of me didn't quite know how to handle the situation. I guess I still had work to do when it came to dealing with most men from a woman's point of view.

The plane got in on time in Orlando and I had no trouble meeting the limo driver that was supposed to take me directly to the studio. At the studio I took a few minutes to let Mark know I arrived and then called the hotel and confirmed that they should hold my reservation for a room until I got there.

With my bags stored away at the studio temporarily, we got started. First I went to a wardrobe area where several costumes were fitted and some alterations were made. I learned that these were the costumes I would use to film the introduction that was to be a part of the exhibit. The same costumes would be used on the television special and my digital self would be wearing the same thing to tie it all together.

The first costume was a body-hugging lycra suit that looked almost like it was sprayed on me. When I looked at myself in the mirror there was a strong resemblance between the way I looked and the way the character Seven-Of-Nine looked in her duty uniform on the old Star Trek Voyager series. The look was very sleek and sexy without being completely revealing. I learned that my usual ponytail hairdo was to also be a part of the character.

After trying on several more outfits, including one composed of a very low cut midriff revealing tank top, an extremely short skirt and black, high heel, over-the-calf boots, I changed back into the original outfit and followed one of the production people to a large room. All of the walls in the room were covered with bright green background material. In the center sat a treadmill and around it were four TV cameras all pointed at the treadmill.

"Umm… what's all this for?" I looked over at the production person as he pushed the buttons on some equipment.

"We're going to tape you walking, jogging and running. It turns out you're got a gait that's quite difficult to animate properly."

I put my hands on my ample hips and scowled at the guy. "What's WRONG with the way I walk?"

He smiled and walked toward me with a handful of white dots on a sheet of paper. "Absolutely nothing! In fact we all find it quite stimulating and we want to make sure we get it right. I'm going to stick a few of these white dots on your outfit in strategic spots. Hold still."

I watched as he placed the white dots on each of my joints including my hips and shoulders. As he worked he explained that the video we were about to shoot would be fed into the computers and analyzed to add the proper gait to my digital character. The white dots were so the computer could find the appropriate joints in each frame of the video to properly follow the motion. He was going to place dots on my breasts over my nipples but hesitated and looked at me. I nodded for him to proceed.

His hands brushed my breasts as he applied the dots. He had to push a little harder to get them to stick because of the contours and the feeling that the pressure generated almost made my knees buckle. I must have been blushing as he motioned for me to get on the treadmill.

"Ready?" I nodded as I tried to get my heartbeat back to something approaching normal again. "Let's start you out at an easy walk, okay?"

"I'm ready." He started the video recorders rolling then set the treadmill in motion.

Over the next few minutes I went from a comfortable walk, to a slow jog, to running almost as fast as I could. When he had enough he slowed the treadmill to a stop. I stood there panting slightly while he removed the dots from the costume. I stopped him just before he started to remove the dots from my breasts and peeled them off myself. Now it was his turn to blush. I thought it looked cute to see this huge hunk of a man blush like a teenage girl.

The next stop was another room where I sat in front of a bank of scanners. They scanned my face from each side and from straight-on. I found out that it was to further refine my character in the computer generated graphics so she looked even more like me. When they were finished they would have a digital version of me that looked and moved almost exactly like I did in real life. The only thing that remained was to record my voice.

After changing out of the 'cat suit' costume and back into my street clothes I found that the morning was long gone. We agreed that things were to resume after lunch and ordered some pizza and sodas from a place close by. When the pizza arrived it looked wonderful and I proceeded to put away four slices and a large soda without even thinking about it. I realized that, in my haste to get to the airport, I'd forgotten to have any breakfast. When the pizza completely disappeared we cleaned up and headed for the recording studio.

First I worked on the sound track for the greeting that would be used at the attraction. It took the better part of two hours to finish that to the producer's satisfaction. Then we started on the dialog for the animated pilot. It seemed very strange to say my lines as if the other characters were there. I had to force myself to imagine they were actually there to get the proper mood and energy levels. It wasn't anywhere near as easy as I thought it would be.

Somewhere along the way I learned that Adam had won the part of the nasty villain in the story. His own recording session was scheduled for the following week. I was a bit mad at Adam that he hadn't said anything about it to me but then I wasn't around much to give him a chance to do it either.

We barely got a third of the way through the script when time came for me to leave and get settled in the hotel room for the night. I said goodbye to everyone with the promise that I would be back bright and early the following morning. The same limo that picked me up at the airport was waiting to take me to the hotel.

The hotel was one of the theme-based places on the MouseWorld grounds. Since I was working at MouseWorld's request they had arranged a top of the line room for me in the most luxurious hotel in the complex. Well, room wasn't quite the right word. Suite would be better. There were four separate bedrooms each with a king-sized bed and their own bathroom and a larger common bathroom with a huge hot tub. There was a small kitchen complete with restaurant quality appliances and a large living room area with a large screen television, DVD player and theater quality surround-sound system. I was about to call the hotel management to ask if the suite was an error when I heard someone knocking on the door. I left the security bar in place and cautiously opened the door.

Mark's smiling face peered around the edge of the door. He thrust a hand with a bouquet of flowers through the crack in the door. "These are for you, Jennifer."

I took the flowers and set then on a table next to the door. "Just a moment, Mark." He pulled his hand back so I could close the door and remove the security bar. I opened the door again and motioned for him to come inside.

"Thanks for the flowers, Mark. They're lovely." I picked up the bouquet and buried my nose in them inhaling the fragrance deeply. He followed me to the kitchen and watched as I found a small vase and placed the flowers in it. I brought them with me and put them on the coffee table in the living room then got comfortable on the couch.

"I have to ask, Mark. Is this suite an error? It seems an awful lot for just me for a couple of days."

"There's no error, Jen. This suite is yours for the duration of your contract with us. When you're not here it will remain empty so if you want to leave extra clothes or anything else here please feel free to do so. We thought it would make it easier for you since you'll be coming and going for several months. You won't have to find a place of your own unless you want to."

"That's great, Mark. I don't know what to say other than 'Thanks!' I really wasn't looking forward to condo hunting."

"We're happy we could do it, Jen. Now, have you had supper yet?"

"No. Did you have something in mind?"

"How about another of those sandwiches you had last time you were here?"

"I'd like that, Mark. Give me a few minutes to get changed and I'll be ready to go." Mark nodded in agreement as I headed for my bedroom.

Since we were going out into the park, I changed into a skirt and blouse from the jeans and sweatshirt that I wore for the trip. I took a few moments to brush out my hair and sprayed on some lilac scent, then I put on a pair of low, wide heels since we'd probably be walking on the somewhat uneven ground in the park. Mark smiled as I walked back into the living room.

"All set?"

"Yes, let's go. Are we walking again?"

"We could but I have a cart waiting in the tunnel system below the hotel. It's the one we've reserved for you while you're here."

"Really? That's great. Thanks, Mark!"

"You'll also be interested to know that you have complete access to the entire park while you're working for us. We want you to be able to have some fun while you're here. Since you're one of our official ambassadors now it won't hurt for you to be seen in the park either. All of the park staff will help you with whatever you need. Just feel free to ask!"

"I don't know what to say, Mark It's all so wonderful!" This was really leaving me searching for something to say. I never expected to be treated like this.

"You don't need to say anything, Jen. Follow me!"

We left the suite and walked to an elevator at the end of the hallway. As we got in he pointed to a card slot. "Run your hotel room card through then press the 'B' key to go to the basement." I did as he asked then the elevator started for the trip four floors down.

The doors opened moments after the elevator stopped. In front of us was a large hallway with the golf cart parked in a special slot marked with my name. The cart also had my name emblazoned on it. I started to climb into the passenger side when Mark stopped me.

"Nope, YOU drive. You have to learn your way around here by yourself. I can't be around all the time to chauffer you. Just start off slowly and follow the map on the dash. You remember where we went the last time?"

"I think so, Mark." I pointed to a restaurant marked clearly on the map. "That's it, right?"

"Right. Let's go when you're ready."

I took a deep breath and slowly pressed down on the pedal to start the electric powered cart. Since we were between shift changes the tunnels were less crowded than normal. I was glad I didn't have to deal with the rush hour traffic. I made it to the underground parking area nearest the restaurant and left the cart in one of the reserved spaces. Mark gave me a small card with the lock and unlock codes on it for the cart. I tapped the lock code into the keypad and put the card in my purse after memorizing both codes. I took Mark's arm and we walked up the stairs to the ground level.

The meal was wonderful and after finishing Mark and I strolled along the area looking at the sights and sounds in this part of the park. Mark had turned on the charm from the start and I found it hard to resist. I did resist however with the knowledge of Mark's conquests that I learned from Rose on my previous visit. I simply enjoyed the attentive company and spent the next hour watching as the start of the nightly parade moved past us.

"Umm… Mark, is there another fireworks show tonight?"

"Sure. Want to go see it again?"

"I think I'd like that. Let's go." He offered his arm as we headed back to the underground parking garage to get the cart. I headed the cart around the end of the lake to the spot we had visited before then took the cart up the ramp and out onto a small hill overlooking the lake.

The night air had started to cool off considerably and Mark pulled a blanket out of a compartment on the cart to help me get warm. I wish I had remembered the last time I was here better. I should have remembered the cool night air and dressed differently. Mark and I huddled together under the blanket and waited for just a few minutes until the show started. I expected to be fending off advances from Mark but he was a complete gentleman and there were no problems with his hands roaming where they weren't welcome. I began to wonder just how much Rose told me about him was the truth and how much was fabrication. Until the facts presented themselves otherwise I decided to be cautious around Mark anyway.

When the fireworks show was over we headed back to the hotel. Mark made no move to come with me to the suite after I said goodbye to him in the basement. Instead he went to another cart and left. I went back to the suite and used the giant tub in my bathroom to get warm and relax in a sea of lilac scented bubbles.

After making sure the door was secure I literally fell into bed and snuggled under the satin sheets.

Wednesday, January 22, 2003 -

I had no problem getting up. In fact, I was looking forward to my time in the recording studio this morning. I found the voice over work yesterday quite challenging despite the time it took. In the studio they had set up a couple of video cameras to record my expressions and hand movements while I delivered the lines as they requested. I was told that they wanted to include as much of my mannerisms and personality into the computer generated character as they could in order to heighten the realism of the animation.

I got up early enough that I had time to eat breakfast in the hotel's restaurant. They had all kinds of fancy breakfast foods available but I went for the basic pancake, bacon strips and an egg. A couple of cups of coffee helped to chase the last of the cobwebs out of my head.

I waited patiently in the lobby for the limo to arrive. When it became clear to me that the limo was late I asked what happened at the front desk. It was then that I learned that instead of a limo the MouseWorld folks had arranged for a car for me to use instead. Of course, if I preferred, I could always request that a driver be provided. I decided that I could handle the driving myself since it meant that I could go where I pleased when my business for the day was over. The trip to the studio took just a few minutes and I pulled into the parking lot just a couple of minutes before I had agreed to be there.

The rest of the recording went about the same as yesterday. I had to repeat each line several times with different inflections and different timings. Since I knew what to expect this time, the session went much faster than yesterday. I finished the recording just after lunchtime and, since there was nothing left for me to do at the studio, I headed back to the hotel.

With several hours left before nighttime arrived I decided to go out exploring the park. The elevator ride to the basement of the hotel took just a few seconds and the golf cart was waiting right where I left it last night. The unlock code brought the cart to life. I picked a destination from the map and headed out.

The trip to the new attraction took several minutes to transverse the huge tunnel system. The cart and I popped up out of the tunnels on the ramp that ended inside the mechanical area of the new building. Sure enough, I found a spot marked with my name and a hard hat and work over-alls in a locker next to the spot for the cart. The crew working on the construction had changed a bit but many of the people there recognized me from my first visit. The welcome was incredible and I spent the afternoon learning all about the attraction from the worker's viewpoint. I even helped diagnose a few new problems that had been driving the crews crazy. It pleased me greatly to be able to help out and it felt good to know that my basic repair and service skills hadn't deserted me with my change in gender. I could truly say now if someone asked that I had a very small part in building the place apart from my job as hostess for the attraction.

The construction crew may have been on an extended schedule to be able to complete the building on time, but my body was on it's own normal schedule. My tummy growled indicating that I had probably waited too long to get something to eat for supper. I said goodbye to the crew, stashed the hardhat and the over-alls in the locker and left to try one of the other restaurants. I had my fill of fancy food and found a small hamburger place not far away from the hotel inside the park.

The hamburgers were positively huge and were loaded down with almost everything you could want. I just managed to put one away and finish my glass of soda before my tummy started complaining that I had eaten too much. The staff of the place knew whom I was when I set foot inside the door and they took care of everything I needed and then some. I didn't even have to pay the check since I was informed that the management had arranged for me to eat anywhere in the park for free. I promised to return whenever I was in the area to sample more of the excellent food there.

Since this was my last night in the hotel before I had to return home I decided that a session in the hot tub was in order. A growing hunger had been building up inside me and I knew that the right combination of bubbles and water jets could give me the stimulation my body was craving. I settled into the hot tub and started adjusting the jets, bubbles and water flows until I found the right combination. The next twenty minutes were shear heaven as orgasm after orgasm coursed through me. When the safety timer kicked the jets off I floated down slowly from the orgasm-induced overload in my brain. It took another twenty minutes before I had enough reliable control over my body to be able to carefully crawl out of the tub. The towels were warm and ever so soft as I patted myself dry. I managed to make it into the bedroom before I collapsed naked in a heap on the bed.

Thursday, January 23, 2003 -

Fortunately for me Barb had the presence of mind to schedule the flight out of Orlando for much later in the morning than the flight that brought me here. The sun was streaming in the window and right across my eyes. I brushed my hair out of the way and looked over at the clock on the nightstand. Three hours to go until the flight left.

There was just enough time to make a quick run through the shower and get myself ready for the mad dash through airport security. This time when I arrived in the hotel lobby there was a limo waiting for me. We got everything loaded and then sped off toward the airport.

It must have looked very strange as the huge limo pulled through the drive-through lane at that Burger King. My stomach had started to complain that it needed filling and the quickest way I knew was some fast food. The sausage, egg and cheese sandwiches served on a croissant at Burger King were always a favorite of mine. An order of hash browns and a large OJ completed the meal. I paid the bill and devoured everything as the limo worked its way through the morning rush hour traffic heading toward the airport.

It turned out that I was early and had to wait in the public waiting area for the flight to board. It wasn't long before someone recognized me then a crowd started to form around me asking for autographs and to just talk to me. That caused the airport security folks a bit of concern as they waded into the crowd to find out what was going on. After being 'rescued' from the mass of people I got escorted to the private waiting area. Even there a few people waiting with me struck up a conversation when they realized whom I was. The time passed quickly and the flight was finally called for boarding.

The flight crew gave me the royal treatment when they connected my face with my name on the passenger list. This flight was on a 747 aircraft so I wound up with a fairly secluded seat on the upper deck after the plane took off. I must have dozed off because the next thing I remember is someone gently shaking my shoulder and telling me to buckle up for landing in Syracuse.

The plane made a normal if somewhat bumpy landing then taxied over to an unloading ramp. It took almost an hour for me to work my way through the luggage pickup then haul everything out to my van in the parking garage. The garage wasn't heated but it did keep the freezing rain and snow off the windows so I had only to wait a few moments before I pulled out onto the access road to head for home.

The roads were glazed over with a layer of ice and hard packed snow from the latest blast of lake effect snow. The salt and sand they put down wasn't very effective since temperatures lingered in the single digits during the daytime. The all-wheel drive on the van paid for itself in just that trip back to my house, alone. It had cost a few thousand dollars above the normal front wheel drive Caravan but I was glad that I spent the extra money.

The driveway of my house was all shoveled out and the sidewalks clear. There was no sign of Barb's car as I pulled the van into the driveway. I piled the bags on the front porch then dug out my keys to open the front door.

The house was warm and the lingering scent of fresh baked bread drifted toward me from the kitchen. I left the bags in my bedroom then followed my nose. There, setting on the kitchen table, was a loaf of bread wrapped in aluminum foil with a note under it. The note simply read, "Be back soon. Out on errands. Until then, enjoy! Hugs, Barb."

The loaf was still quite warm to the touch. I hurried to the fridge and got out a tub of soft margarine and a gallon of milk. I got a bread knife, butter knife and a glass from the drawers and cupboard then sat down at the table. I was working on my second slice of bread when I heard the outside door to the office open the close again. "Is that you, Barb?"

A voice drifted out to me from the office. "It sure is. Be there in a moment!" I heard some scuffling like she was changing out of her boots into shoes then she walked into the kitchen. "I see you found the bread!"

"Barb, you couldn't have given me a nicer welcome back present. This brought back some happy memories of my childhood at least forty years ago. My grandma used to make fresh bread every few days and we'd get a phone call for one of us to go over to my grandparent's house to pick up a fresh loaf or two. Since we lived about a quarter of a mile away from them at the time, either my sister or I would go running as fast as our feet could carry us to get it and bring it back hot. The smell and taste of fresh, hot bread with butter or margarine on it will always bring back memories of those carefree days of my youth."

"I didn't know, Jen, but I'll remember that. I just wanted some good bread for sandwiches later. I'm glad I made more than one loaf." She opened the bread keeper and pointed to two other loaves all wrapped up tightly in foil.

"Thanks! I hope you're going to take at least one of them home with you. I don't think I can eat all of those by myself."

"I was going to do just that." She plunked down in a chair at the table and cut off a slice of bread for herself. "So how was the trip anyway? You didn't say much when you called in."

"It went okay, Barb. It seems that I won't have to go condo hunting unless I want. MouseWorld set aside a suite in one of their hotels for me for the duration. Four bedrooms with a bathroom each, a huge hot tub and a kitchen and living room area, I couldn't ask for anything better. I also have the complete run of the park. I did a little exploring last night and found an incredible hamburger joint down there. You've got to try one when you go down with me, Barb."

"I'd like that. How did the voice-over work go?"

"Fine. It was a lot more complex that I thought it would be. It took longer than I thought it would for just twenty-two minutes of actual running time. From all the pictures and video they took, they're going to put a lot of me into the character's appearance and mannerisms too."

"Well it IS supposed to be a digital version of you, Jen. Forgive me for asking but were the any problems with umm… HIM… while you were there?"

"No, no problems at all. I thought Mark was really going to go to work on me again but he was a gentleman every time we were together. I'm still going to be careful around him though. Well, enough about the trip. What went on around here while I was gone?"

"The script for the movie came. I hope you don't mind but I looked it over."

"I don't mind a bit. In fact I was going to have you look at it anyway. What's your take on it?" I finished my second slice of bread and cut one final slice.

Barb smiled then shook her head. "My take on it is that if you have much more bread you aren't going to want any supper tonight."

"That's probably true but I was talking about Donovan's Reef."

"Oh… that! The script seems to follow the original movie pretty closely. To be politically correct, all the smoking has been taken out but otherwise everything is pretty close. The lead male character smokes a cigar now and then where the script needs it, like the scene on the beach where he asks her for a match, that kind of thing. The female lead doesn't smoke at all."

"No nudity?"

"None that I could find. Remember the time frame the movie is set in."

"That doesn't stop them from slipping it in these days, Barb. I at least expected a bikini instead of the one-piece suit in the scene where she challenges him to a swimming race back to shore."

"Oh, they DID go that route. A small red bikini if I remember it right. Does that bother you?"

I thought for several moments. "No, not especially; it would if they try to make me wear a sting bikini with postage stamp sized bra cups but that wasn't the style at the time when the movie is set. The one-piece would be better but I know that's NOT what people want to see."

"True. Skin sells these days. Let's see, what else… oh, yes! The stream of phone calls has trickled back down to normal. Nothing really new to add to the list of people that called. I left the call slips on your desk."

"Thanks, Barb." A big yawn worked its way out of my mouth. "I think I'm going to call it a day and go take a nap. I'm going to suggest that you close up and take the rest of the day off. The roads are getting a little slick out there. I was almost ready to move to Orlando when I heard the weather forecast for here last night."

A visible shiver ran up Barb's spine. "I haven't been able to get warm all day long. I think I'll take you up on that, Jen. Thanks!"

She got up to leave. "Hold on a minute, Barb!" I went to my stash of hot chocolate mix and got out a new box of at least a dozen packets and grabbed a bag of the marshmallows I used. I stuffed them into a paper bag and added a new bottle of the chocolate syrup I used to make Chocolate Overload.

I walked back over to Barb and felt her forehead. "Hmmm… you DO feel a little warm to me, Barb. I prescribe frequent applications of Chocolate Overload as needed to lift your spirits. If you still feel like this in the morning I DON'T want you ANYWHERE near this place, do you understand me?" I waggled a finger in her face as I handed the bag to her. "You need to be healthy for your surgery next week!"

"Thanks, Jen. I'll remember that."

"And if the Overload doesn't fully help add a little vodka to it. After enough of them you won't care how bad you feel!" I swatted her on her rear and led her back to the office. I watched as she shut her computer down and tidied up a few things before putting on her coat and leaving. The taillights of her car faded off into the growing whiteout as I closed and locked the office door.

The stacks of call slips on my desk were ordered into neat piles. I glanced through them noting the Barb had set things up so that I wouldn't have to return any calls today. I switched off the office lights as I headed for my bedroom.

It took about half an hour to unpack the bags and put the clean clothes away. The used stuff wound up in the laundry hampers. I decided that a session in the bathtub would help warm me up considerably since I was still shaking a little from the cold. I got the water as hot as I thought I could stand it and then eased into the steaming tub.

When I finally managed to get out, my skin looked very much like a prune or raisin. The wrinkles were nearly everywhere, even on my fingers and toes. I dried off, then wrapped myself in a thick terrycloth robe. My favorite 'bunny' slippers were on my cold feet. I know they looked a bit silly on a grown woman of twenty-five or so but they were the warmest shoes to wear in the house. Only my ski boots were warmer but I hardly wanted to clomp around the house in them for the rest of the night.

A glance at the clock in the bedroom told me that it was nearly suppertime so I made my way into the kitchen. The fridge yielded some roast beef that Barb must have cooked yesterday. I sliced some in rather thick chunks and went about making two huge sandwiches using the fresh bread. Instead of cold milk I made a large mug of hot chocolate and then took my supper into the living room.

The evening news was coming on as I plunked down on the couch. By the time the evening national news was over I finished the sandwiches and almost drained the mug. The thick ceramic mug still held a little of the heat from the hot chocolate and I wrapped my hands around it trying to get warm again. Little shivers kept running up and down my spine as I sat there on the couch. The last time I felt like this was almost a year ago when I was a man. Back then when I felt this way it was almost certain that within a day or two I'd have a serious cold raging in my body. I inwardly prayed that it wasn't the case in my 'new' body. I hoped that it was only the bone-chilling cold outside and not some bug trying its best to make me sick.

The dirty dishes got deposited in the kitchen sink to be dealt with later. Another huge mug of hot chocolate traveled with me back to my bedroom after I got the script from my desk in the office. One of the very few pieces of my old male clothing that I kept were some socks. While my feet were a couple of sizes smaller now, the old socks were very thick and much warmer than the type I now used as a woman. I found two pair and put both pair on my freezing feet. It made my feet feel quite a bit more comfy as I got in bed under two thick comforters. I propped a pillow behind me and sipped at the steaming liquid in the mug as I started in reading the script for Donovan's Reef.

I think I managed to make it most of the way through the script. At least when I woke up a few hours later it was open to the last three pages. I lifted it off my lap. The clock read nearly two in the morning. The bathroom beckoned to me and I had to give in. I barely made it back to the bed before I fell asleep again.

Friday, January 24, 2003 -

It was hard to tell if the pounding was coming from the bedroom door or the inside of my head. It felt like a couple of football teams were trying to do their practice tackling in there while my nose and sinuses felt like they were blocked with quick setting concrete. The room took a few strange twists and turns as I tried to stand up to open the bedroom door. I didn't even make it off the bed.

"Jen, are you all right?" Barb opened the door only to find me sprawled out on the bed holding my aching head.

"Do I LOOK all right?" Just that little bit of effort made my head feel like it was spinning. "I feel like I wanna die. What scares me is that I know I won't. Why do I have to get sick NOW?" I pulled a pillow up over my head to shield my eyes from the lights that Barb just turned on. Light DOES hurt when everything else in your body does.

"Think you can eat something, Jen? It's almost ten in the morning."

"Just the thought of food turns my stomach right now. Maybe a cuppa hot chocolate? No marshmallows, just plain?"

"You sure?"

I tried nodding my head yes but it hurt too much to move. "I'm sure, Barb, and can you cancel anything I had scheduled for today? I need to try to feel better for the performance tonight. There's still no understudy available for my role."

"I'll take care of it. Be right back…" She quietly closed the bedroom door as she left.

The room was spinning as I wobbled my way to the bathroom. I made it safely despite the world spinning around me and got seated on the toilet moments before I could hold it no longer. I put my hands over my ears because the noise I made sounded like Niagara Falls in the tiled bathroom. Sound, like light, DOES hurt when everything else in your body hurts.

As I was finishing up, I turned on the water to fill the tub. I got it just as hot as I could stand it then eased myself into the steaming water. I even turned on the showerhead as hot as I could stand to provide some additional humidity in the room. After about five minutes I started sneezing. That blew big gobs of green-tinged mucous out of my nose. I still felt like crap but at least I could breathe a little easier. I heard a knock at the bathroom door.

"Come on in, Barb."

"You decent in there?"

"I'm ALWAYS decent, Barb." As she stepped into the bathroom her mouth dropped open in shock. There were no bubbles in the tub to hide my lower regions. "Don't worry about it, Barb. Next week you're going to look just like I do down there." She slowly handed me the mug of hot chocolate. I took a big sip and let the hot liquid melt the glob of stuff at the back of my throat. "I needed this! Thanks!"

She smiled then shrugged. "I'll NEVER look like you do down there, not exactly anyway. I'd give anything to have hips and thighs like those." She sighed. "I better get back to the office, I have to make a bunch of calls to clear your schedule today." She closed the door behind her.

The water in the tub was starting to cool by the time I finished the mug of hot chocolate. Between the hot liquid in the tub and the hot chocolate in the mug, most of the congestion in my head and throat had cleared. Not completely, but enough that I felt much better. This time when I stood up to towel off, the world remained steady instead of whirling around me. Since my bathrobe and slippers were back in the bedroom I went back there naked.

The bra I put on helped to keep the cool bedroom air off my tingling nipples while the silky panties I put on tenderly caressed my more sensitive parts. I'd gotten used to and even appreciated the sensual nature of the undergarments I now had to wear. The bathrobe was thick and warm as I tied it around my slim waist. The bunny slippers on my feet looked strange but I didn't really care. They were warm and soft and felt great against the smooth skin of my feet.

Barb found me nearly twenty minutes later sitting at the kitchen table nibbling at a bowl full of Saltine crackers and milk. "Is that an old family remedy? Crackers and milk?"

"Not exactly. If I can keep this down then I'm ready to ease into more solid food. This isn't as bad if it comes back up again."

'I never thought of it like that, Jen. I made the calls, you're clear of everything you had scheduled today. Everyone said to get well soon. Seems there's a nasty flu bug going around."

"Thanks, Barb. I'm feeling better now."

"I think you should go see your Doctor, Jen. Maybe he can give something to you to help with the symptoms while you're performing tonight."

"But I'm feeling better…"

"What if you start feeling bad during the play? Are you going to be able to handle it?"

"Good point. His number is in the Rolodex on my desk, Barb. Can you call and see if I can get in today? I'm going to get dressed."

The bowl and spoon found their way into the dishwasher after I put the crackers and milk away in the fridge. By the time I was finished dressing in a pair of my warmest jeans, a wool shirt and a sweater, Barb came back into the bedroom.

"The office got through to him at the hospital. He's seeing some of his post-op patients today. They told me to tell you that he'd see you in the emergency room in an hour or so. Are you ready to go yet?"

"Almost, Barb. Can you drive me? I don't think I should try it myself."

"I was going to fight you if you had insisted on driving there yourself. We'll even take the van. It's got a better heater than my car. I have it warming up in the driveway now."

"That's great! Can you give me a few minutes? I'll be right here." I pointed toward the bed,

"All right. Ten minutes, no more. You need to get that looked at!"

I stretched out on the bed for a few minutes thinking that I'd just rest a few moments. The next thing I remembered was a hand shaking my shoulder.

"Time to go, Jen. I gave you a half an hour. We've GOT to go now."

I sat up quickly and swung my feet of the bed. The world took a little spin and I saw what looked like fireworks on the ceiling. "WOW! Who set off the fireworks show in here?"

"What fireworks show? I don't see any fireworks show!"

"You do when you sit up quickly in my condition!" I wobbled quite a bit as I stood up.

"Here, lean on me. We'd better get moving. I think you're sicker than you think, Jen."

"I'm NOT going to argue the point with you right now, Barb. Just lead me and I'll try to follow." I staggered out into the hallway with Barb's help. She helped me put on my heavy parka and bundle up as much as I could.

The wind howled as we walked to the waiting van. The coldness seemed to creep into every pore of my skin no matter if it was covered or not. I managed to get into the passenger seat of the van and get the belt buckled before I drifted off again.

When I woke up again the van was parked close to the emergency room entrance at the hospital. Barb's hand was gently shaking my shoulder. "Jen, are you okay?"

"I'm here, Barb. I can't say I'm okay though."

"Can you make it inside or should I get someone to help?"

I stretched a little feeling the sluggishness leave my aching muscles. "I think I can make it. Let's go." I opened the door and stepped out into the howling wind and shuffled over to the entrance. The door popped open and I hurried inside as fast as I could manage with Barb right behind me. I plopped down in a chair in a small waiting area while Barb talked to someone at the desk. She plopped down beside me when she came back.

"The Doctor will be here in a couple of minutes, Jen. How are you doing?"

"I'm okay so far. I just feel very light-headed and a bit disoriented, that's all." Another sneezing fit prompted Barb to hand me a wad of tissues from her purse. More green tinged mucus wound up in the tissues as the fit subsided.

"Better hang onto that to show the doctor, Jen."

"I think you're right, Barb. Green stuff isn't normal. It's a sign of an infection, if I remember things right. My mind is kinda fuzzy though."

A few minutes later a nurse came to take me into one of the examining rooms. She poked and prodded me for a few minutes then left. Another few minutes went by until my doctor came in.

"You've got it bad."

"Got what bad?"

"The flu. At least with that enhanced body of yours you should shake it off in a few days or so instead of a couple of weeks like everyone else."

"Fat lotta help THAT is, doc. I have to perform this weekend, remember?" I blew my sore nose into a tissue and sniffled some more.

"About the only thing I can do is to give you something to help relieve the symptoms on a short term basis, there's no direct cure for the flu other than to let it run its course."

"I'll take any improvement in the way I feel as a blessing, if you can help."

He took out a pad and wrote a prescription then tore it off the pad and handed it to me. "This should help, Jen. Get it filled on the way home and try to take it as easy as possible, okay?"

"I'll try, doc, I'll try." The world started to spin a little as I hopped off the examining table. I held on for a few moments until the world stopped spinning.

"Want a ride out, Jen?"

"I think I can make it. Where's Barb?" The doctor returned a few moments later with Barb following him. With me supported between them I just made it outside to the van. Unfortunately, while I was inside the emergency room, a couple of newspaper reporters and at least one TV news crew had turned up following an injured person from a roll-over on one of the local highways. As soon as I was recognized I became the focus of their attention.

The questions bombarded me faster than my muddled mind could handle them. Fortunately Barb and the Doctor were able to answer most of them without me getting involved with anything more than a shake of my head yes or no.

I remember very little of the trip back to the house other than Barb going into a drugstore to get the prescription filled. I do remember being stripped naked and tucked into my bed after being given a pill and a glass of orange juice to drink.

Saturday, January 25, 2003 –

When I drifted back to the conscious world again the room was almost black. As I looked around the dimly lit room I saw Tammy curled up in a chair they must have brought in from the living room. I managed to make a bathroom trip to relieve my nearly overflowing bladder without waking her up. I padded quietly back into the bedroom wrapped in my bathrobe and gently shook Tammy's shoulder.

Her eyes blinked a few times as she woke up. "Hi, Jen. Feeling better?"

"I don't know about better. Different, yes, but better? I'm not certain." I sat down on the edge of the bed. "Umm… how long have I been out?"

She glanced at her watch after hitting the backlight button. "Well, it's about five AM on Saturday morning."

"That long, eh? I missed the performance last night didn't I? What did Greg say?"

"He said what everyone in the cast said, 'Your health is more important than the play at the moment.' With everything that's happened so far to fill the bank account missing a few more performances isn't the disaster it might have been. They all want you back but ONLY when you're feeling up to it, Jen."

"Thanks, Tammy. Umm… Do I have a computer show to do this morning?"

"No. I called the station and told them to make an announcement that you had the flu that's going around and then run the emergency tape we made for things like this. The network isn't very happy. Seems as though over half of the hosts of their various shows are feeling just like you. What sealed it was when I told them you went to see a doctor yesterday and gave them his number if they wanted to check."

"I'll have to talk to them next week I guess. Tammy, why don't you head home? I think the worst part is over now. You really don't need to keep an eye on me."

"I think so too, Jen. Besides, Barb said she was coming over this morning around nine AM to take over from me."

"WHAT?"

"You heard me."

"I said I can get along by myself now."

"Ya, SURE! Like you could yesterday?"

"But yesterday I was…"

"So you're NOT sick today?"

"But I'm feeling…"

"Go back to bed and don't fight it, Jen. You can't win you know."

The tone of Tammy's voice told me that the ONLY answer she was going to accept was me getting back in bed and staying there. "All right. I give up. I doubt that I could do the play anyway with the way my throat feels. It's like I've been gargling with ground glass or sand. It feels all scratchy." The strange feeling made me start coughing again.

Tammy disappeared for a few moments then returned with a large glass of orange juice and some ice. "Here, sip some of this. It should help to cut the mucus in your throat."

The juice was really cold and the chill helped to reduce the soreness I felt. I put the glass on the nightstand and slipped back into bed after taking off my robe. "I won't fight it any more, Tammy. The way I feel I don't think I want to. You run along home and spend some time with your mom. I'll see Barb around nine, okay?"

"That's just what I wanted to hear, Jen. I'll see you later." She turned out the lights and closed the door of my bedroom behind her. A couple of minutes later I heard the engine of her car start then fade out as she headed home. I briefly contemplated getting up and staying up but before I could reason out why I should do that, sleep overcame me again.

Several hours later the sunshine was streaming in the window right across my pillow. The bright light turned my eyelids a brilliant pink as I drifted back to reality. The wonderful smell of sausage cooking along with an unmistakable aroma of fresh bread called to my now rumbling tummy. It had been more than a day since I even remotely felt like eating anything and now I thought I might be able to eat everything in the fridge in a single sitting.

The room did tilt just a little as I sat up on the edge of the bed. I made my way to the bathroom and took care of the usual morning ritual, then walked naked back to the bedroom. The robe was just where I left it along with my fuzzy slippers. I wrapped myself in the robe and then slid my still cold feet into the slippers. I followed my nose to the kitchen. I coughed a few times in the hallway. As I stepped into the kitchen Barb handed me a glass of orange juice.

"So I see you're still alive. Feeling better?"

"Marginally, Barb. Better than yesterday anyway. I'm feeling hungry too. It smells wonderful in here right now!"

"That's MY breakfast. I thought I'd start you out on something a bit safer than sausage and French toast."

I pouted and stomped my foot almost instantly regretting the jarring motion that sent to my head. "I shouldn't have done that." I wobbled over to the table and dropped into a chair. "That HURT!"

Barb put a plate in front of me. A couple of slices of lightly buttered toast and some dry scrambled eggs apparently were my breakfast this morning. "If you can keep that down, I'll roast a chicken for lunch. That shouldn't be too hard for you to digest."

Between the toast, the eggs and the orange juice, I managed to fill up enough so that I didn't want any more to eat. A few scraps of egg and a bit of toast remained on the plate as I pushed it away.

"Had enough, Jen?"

"Yup. Don't want to push my luck. Right now I feel fine. I didn't want to get too full."

"Go crawl back in bed, Jen. I'm going to roast that chicken, then clean up and head back home. I think you can handle things on your own now. I'll leave the chicken in the fridge. You can microwave it when you're ready to eat it."

"Thanks, Barb. I think you're right. The best thing I can do is to sleep it off. See you Monday?"

"Yes, but not the rest of the week. I have my surgery scheduled, remember?"

"Of course I remember. In view of what I'm going through and what you're going to go through I don't think I'm going to try visiting you. I don't want to expose you to this any more than you have been already."

"That's okay, Jen. I have to admit that I've been lucky so far. Hopefully my luck will hold until well after the surgery. Now off to bed with you!"

Reluctantly I made my way back to the bedroom. Sleep must have been what my body wanted because for most of the next two days that's pretty much what I did. Other than the occasional trips to the bathroom and kitchen I spent the rest of my time in a darkened room with my eyes closed.

Sunday, January 26, 2003 –

Finally just after lunchtime on Sunday I woke up and felt completely rejuvenated. I still had a slight stuffy feeling and a bit of a cough but the overall malaise that had gripped me for the past few days seemed to be gone. After deciding to stay up the rest of the day I wound up in the kitchen fixing myself a meal of spaghetti with sauce and meatballs along with fresh baked bread. I found some frozen dough in the freezer earlier in the morning and took a loaf out to thaw and rise before I put it in the oven.

It was sort of a combination lunch and supper because I really overdid it and stuffed myself far beyond my normal limits. After putting the leftovers away I literally waddled back into the living room to watch the DVD of Donovan's Reef again while comparing it with the script for the remake. By the time the movie was finished, I made the decision to go ahead with the project. I saw a wonderful opportunity to do something different and, for once, nothing related to my change from male to female.

The script wound up on my desk in my office. The pile of call slips was still where I left it on Friday so I picked them up and looked through them again. I made a few notes on each slip then returned the pile to the desk to go through on Monday morning. The message light on the phone was blinking so I listened to the voice mail and did a call slip for each one. Most were from fellow cast members wondering how I was doing with one of the last messages being from Greg.

Greg's number was programmed into the phone system so I hit the dial button. A few moments later the line was ringing then I heard a male voice. "Hello?"

"Hi, Greg!"

"Jen? Is that you? Your voice sounds a little different."

"Yes, it's Jen, Greg. I guess all that coughing took out my voice more than I thought it did. Good thing I didn't try to perform last night or today I guess, huh?"

"I'd have to agree. With the way you sound right now you could probably break that glass with your voice but it wouldn't be all that pretty to listen to. Are you feeling better?"

"Mostly, yes. I wanted to tell you that I think I'll be back for next weekend's shows, Greg. Um… just how much did the theater group loose this past weekend anyway by my being sick?"

"Jen, don't worry about that. We…"

"Greg. Don't evade the question. How much?"

"I told you not to…"

"GREG! Don't try to Bullshit me. We go too far back for that crap. How much?"

 

"Okay, no bullshit" I felt myself get a little light-headed as Greg quoted me the figures over the phone.

"Greg, I didn't realize that it was that much! Since it was my fault that you had to cancel this weekend I want to make a donation to the group to make up the shortfall."

"Jen, it's NOT your fault. You don't have to do this."

"What do you mean it's not my fault? I'm the one that couldn't be replaced."

"Like I said, it's not your fault, well not your fault totally anyway."

"Greg, you're babbling again. Not totally my fault? What the hell does THAT mean?"

"Look, Jen, you were just one of almost half the cast and crew that came down with that damn flu bug this weekend. Even if you were well I doubt that we would have had enough people or replacements for key people anyway to go on this weekend. Haven't you been watching any TV this weekend? The outbreak is all over the news. So much stuff has been cancelled that the whole city is almost shut down." He sniffled several times then coughed a bit.

"Sorry, Greg. I've been sleeping it off most of the weekend. I've only felt good enough to stay up a while for just a few hours." I heard Greg try to stifle a cough then he started in on a coughing fit that lasted almost twenty seconds. It left him gasping for breath. "DAMN! Not you too?"

"Me too, Jen. Now if you don't mind I'm going to go back to bed. Like I said, this isn't your problem. Just remember that if everyone else felt like this just how much of an audience would we have had this weekend anyway?"

"I guess there's something to that line of thought, Greg. You crawl back into bed and I'll talk to you later in the week. Right now, if I continue to feel better, I'm a go for next weekend."

"Thanks, Jen. Catch up with you later." Just before the line went dead I heard him start in on another coughing fit.

After that I spent the rest of the day puttering around in my office with the servers. After supper, which was leftover spaghetti, I dozed off in front of the TV on the living room couch. When I woke up a few hours later it was almost midnight. I had to leave for Orlando in the morning again so I took a shower then went to bed.

Monday, January 27, 2003 –

As usual the pressure in my bladder was what woke me up out a very sound sleep. Most days I enjoyed the body I now inhabited, other times like this morning I cursed it. I always had to use the bathroom at the wrong time. Why couldn't it have waited another hour anyway?

With the morning ritual completed, I dressed in jeans and a warm flannel shirt. Of course I wore my usual panty hose, soft, silky panties and a bra to support my ample breasts. This time when I packed my suitcase, I traveled lighter than normal. Since I had the suite at the hotel at my disposal I had sent several boxes of clothing and other essentials ahead when I got back on Thursday last week. They would be waiting for me in the room when I arrived. I only packed what I would need for the colder weather of the return trip and enough just in case the boxes weren't there yet. Instead of three suitcases this trip it would only be one carry-on bag.

Barb was in the office when I walked in. "Morning, Barb!"

"You seem pretty happy this morning, Jen."

"Any time I can get out of upstate New York and head for a warmer climate I'm happy, especially after my change. I just don't handle the cold weather like I used to. All my 'extra padding' is gone."

"Well, what little remains is arranged very nicely, Jen. Don't ever try to change that."

"I couldn't change it even if I wanted to, Barb. I didn't ask to look like this but I'm learning to accept it and even enjoy it. I have a life now that I could never have had before."

"That's great, Jen." Barb looked at the clock built into the phone on the desk. "Umm… shouldn't you get moving for the airport?"

"I think so. Checking through takes longer each time, partly because of the security and partly because I keep getting recognized. I'm not certain that I'll ever get used to that."

Barb smiled and shook her head. "Fame does have its price, Jen. Now get moving or you're going to miss your flight."

"I ought to miss it anyway. I really wanted to be here when you had your surgery, Barb. I'm so sorry I can't be with you."

"I know. Just come and visit when you get back if the schedule will allow it. I know that your time isn't always your own to do the things you want to any more. If I don't see you I should be back in about two weeks. That's the earliest they said I should be ready to resume work on a light schedule again."

"Okay, Barb. I'll see you as soon as I can." I hugged her as hard as I could. With a bit of a tear in my eye I trudged through the snow to the van and left for the airport.

The taxi ride to the airport was uneventful as was the flight to Orlando. Once again, when the flight crew matched my face to the name on the passenger list, I was given a semi-private seat and the best service they could muster despite the fact that I didn't expect it or ask for it. Another one of the little perks of my growing fame that partially offset the down side of being recognized all the time.

The warming effect of the sunshine and the eighty plus degree air gently blowing across my face made me smile. For a few days I was free of the gloom and doom that was central New York in winter. Others living there may look at it as a winter wonderland but since my transformation it had become a forbidding place where I was almost never completely warm. The cold winter winds sucked the moisture out of my skin and made my lips dry and cracked no matter what I tried. The constant battle to exist in the ice and snow takes its toll on anyone living there.

The limo delivered me to the doorstep of the hotel in just a few minutes. After checking in I headed for my suite and settled in. The boxes I sent ahead were stacked neatly in the center of the living room area. I decided to leave the un-packing for tonight. I then changed into the shorts and modest tank top I had packed in my single suitcase. In a matter of minutes I was out the door headed for the waiting golf cart in the basement.

My destination was the attraction. On my previous visits I was warmly welcomed by the construction crews and given every courtesy as I toured the building. When the crew found out who I was and the abilities I had, I got conscripted into helping solve the many problems that the groundbreaking work involved in building the place. Much of the electronic, electrical and mechanical systems were unique creations never tried before. That meant a lot of problems that no one had ever seen before.

I quickly fell into a routine of visiting the job site to see how things were going and help resolve any problems that the crews were having. When I wasn't occupied in meetings, voice-over work or anything else that was needed I spent a great deal of my time working side by side with the technical crews working on the building. It brought back great memories of working on other construction jobs years and years ago. The feeling of satisfaction in bringing the various systems online and seeing the building take shape was quite gratifying.

The sense of bonding with the crew was so great that I was quickly accepted as just another one of the 'guys' and was accorded the normal amount of ribbing and having practical jokes played on me. I gave as good as I got and looked forward to my weekly visits to Orlando. Each Thursday I had my favorite burger joint in the park supply us with lunch. I know the crew appreciated it and it just brought us together even more.

The days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into a month rather quickly. I was having a great time until the last week in February.

  

  

  

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