This is my first try at a bit of fiction. It is based in the UK, so no American football, no diners and DEFINITELY no prom nights.
It is about a young guy who had not had the best of boyhoods and discovers one morning that he is not exactly himself.
It's not particularly original, but maybe that's my choice.. It may seem long, but stick with it.. I like story background.
By the way. there is no graphic sex here, so if you're into that, you'll be disappointed.
This is a romantic, sweet transsexual story.
Improvements By Annie ---------------- PART ONE
It was summer 1980, and John was about to enter Fourth year: his most important. If he was to get the exam results he wanted, he would have to really try and concentrate, and shut out the bullying and rejection that had dogged him in his First, Second and Third years.
He had come from a primary school where his quiet attitude and weak frame and earmarked him for bullying. He spent a lot of time alone or with the few friends he had managed to make. All he wanted to do was keep away from the aggressive types and lead a quiet life. He always thought he would probably make a better girl than a boy, but didn't really think about it too much. Girls always seemed to be left alone to get on with things; to do their schoolwork, to play in peace with their friends. John's life was an endless tirade of name-calling, chases and beatings. It wasn't even as if he'd done anything to encourage them, like mincing around or acting particularly girly.
He had eventually gone to Secondary school and hoped the change of environment would help his situation and he could start again. But of course the very people he hated and made his life so trying went to the high school too, and so it started again.
Never mind, he thought, it was Fourth year next. He had spent two years taking shit from the others but had made some good friends too. John had also learned all the best places to hide and the best routes to go to avoid trouble. He hoped that maybe by keeping away from the others and buckling down to the work, he would get those passes and finally be free. He was either going in the direction of computers, which were rather clunky in those days, but interested him a hell of a lot, or acting and music, which gave him a lot of pleasure.
It was the Friday before he was due to start school, and John was determined to do as little as possible on his last day of freedom. He lay on a blanket on the grass listening to Radio 1 and thinking how idyllic the setting was. All he could hear was the radio and the birds in the trees. Although it was very warm, he still wore his shorts and T-shirt because he hated the way he looked, but left his feet bare; he loved the feeling of the grass on his feet. He was able to let his mind wander again and for the first time in a while, he thought about how his life may have been had his Mum had two daughters. He didn't so much fantasise as rather think of the differences or parallels his life may have taken.
"Suppertime", said his sister Louise, as she approached carrying a large tray. She went over and sat down on the blanket and gave John a nudge.
"Hey, come on then, Mum made this special"
"Mmmm", said John, as he sat up and got ready to eat. He was surprised to see that it was 6pm already. It was still sunny and hot however.
Louise had just turned nineteen and seemed quite happy with her lot in life, working as a sales assistant in a photo shop, since photography was her main hobby. She had just finished a week of holidays too and although we only bumped into each other in the evenings usually, we had spent a bit of time together over the past week, and had sort of gotten to know each other again.
"What are you doing tonight then?" she asked.
"Nothing", said John, pouring the Coke.
"Listen, you, you've got to go and do something.. You can't just spend the last day of the hols lazing about"
"Why not?? Isn't that what the summer's for?"
"Oh great", said Louise. "I tell you what. you could give me a hand getting my darkroom setup in the loft. Dad finished it this morning. how about it?"
"After supper, OK?" said John, who supposed it might be interesting enough, since he was never usually allowed near her photo stuff. They polished off the rest of the ham salad and went back indoors.
Their Mum took the tray and smiled at her children. "Nice supper?" she asked.
"Yeah Mum, thanks.", said John and gave her a little peck on the cheek as he left for his bedroom. His Mum was surprised at the unexpected gesture, but it pleased her nonetheless. She had been so worried about him recently.
John went to his wardrobe and put on a pair of trainers but kept his shorts on. it was too hot. He tended to keep mirrors turned to the wall, something which worried his parents a bit, but John did not particularly like his reflection and only used them in the morning getting ready for school. His body had embarrassed him for years, and no manner of exercise or training could put muscle on his frame. He seemed destined to be a weedy little thing forever.
When he got up to the loft, Louise was already unpacking her photo developing kit.
"Hey, Dad's done great here!", said John who had had to put up with sawing and banging for the last two weeks.
"Yeah", said Louise," Isn't it great? Get the enlarger out of the box and check it out will you.. I don't want sawdust all over it."
He went over and picked up the large box and groaned. God, it was heavy. John grinned at the name on the box. Durst.. sawDurst. hee hee.. That always made him smile. simple minds..
Louise was opening other boxes. He opened the box and lifted the enlarger out. It seemed to be OK, all it needed was a bit of a wipe.
"I'll get a cloth", he said, and he left the loft to go to the kitchen.
Louise looked towards the door and bit her lip. She wasn't stupid. John had lost weight recently and she knew what was wrong. Worry. He was so scared of that school, but was so determined to make something out of himself he was going to drive himself to the edge. She felt powerless but wanted to help in some way, but she had no idea how.
Her thoughts were broken by John's footsteps on the stairs, and she turned away quickly to carry on unpacking. But John had noticed the look on her face.
"Hey. it's OK", he said softly, "I'm going to be alright. I've just got some thinking to do. It'll work out."
Louise went over and hugged him.
"I just worry", she said, "you've lost weight and every time I see you you're lost in some kind of dream"
"It's just something I'm battling with inside, Louise. It's gotten a bit intense recently, but I'm not depressed or anything, so I won't be doing something stupid."
"Just tell me what's going on then", she said," Maybe I can help."
"I really don't think you can right now. It's just going to take time.. Anyway. let's get on with the darkroom!"
Louise smiled. "OK"
The small room was laid out perfectly for a darkroom and Dad had built in work surfaces to the walls. The ceiling had a strip light and a red lamp for darkroom work fitted. All in all it was perfect for Louise. She had an inkling to do some serious creative work and so this had been a birthday present from her Dad.
Both the kids were born in May, three years and three days apart by date, and it was John's birthday in two days; he wondered what his Dad would do for him. Dad was great. He wasn't the kind of Dad who expected great things of his kids; he just wanted them to be happy. Although he was not a high wage earner, he tried to make birthdays special, and this loft conversion was wonderful for Louise. Even though it was his sixteenth birthday this year, John didn't really want anything special that year. His mind was far too preoccupied.
After about half an hour of unpacking and laughing, the room was well and truly ready.
"Not bad, little brother", said Louise, "I guess I'd better take some photos"
She went down to her bedroom and got her camera
"Come on guys", she said as she ran into the garden", "I've got some piccies to take, and I want all of you out here"
John went into the kitchen, shrugged and he and his Mum went out into the garden while Louise got the camera ready.
"OK, just a few in front of the house", she yelled.
John and his Mum stood and smiled while Louise snapped away. John tried his best to sort of hide behind his Mum and found it hard to smile too hard. After about five pictures, Louise finished the film and went indoors to do some developing.
"I'm going to my room, Mum", said John, "I'm a bit tired. too much sun"
"Remember to get your stuff ready for school tomorrow, John", yelled his Mum.
"Yeah, yeah", said John.
He went inside and went up to his bedroom, hearing Louise working away in the loft. He looked out his school uniform and schoolbag and laid them out on his bedroom chair. He pulled off his trainers and shorts, turned on the television and lay down on the bed. After a while longer of thinking about his life, he fell asleep.
John awoke at 1am to the sound of static on the TV, so he got up and in the darkness crept over and switched it off. He could still hear the TV on downstairs, so he knew his Mum and Dad were still up. Louise was bound to be in bed by now. He went back to bed and sat on the edge for a minute or two, before bursting into tears. He lay down and hugged his pillow, crying inconsolably. He had just had quite a pleasant day today, and yet he knew that there was two years of hell ahead, upon which his whole life depended. What on earth had he done to deserve the treatment he received at school?? Again he found himself thinking that it might be different had be been born a girl.
At that point his bedroom door opened slowly and Louise poked her head in.
"John?"
John struggled to compose himself, but it was no use.
"I'm sorry, Louise, I don't want anyone to see this"
"Oh God, John, what on earth is wrong. please tell me!". She rushed over and hugged John tight and he held her close.
"It's just too much, Lou", he said, "I can't let Mum and Dad see this"
At that point he let everything out. The school problems, the weight loss, the way he felt about being a boy.
"Oh, John", said Louise, now crying herself, "I don't know what to say. I don't know how I can help!"
"You can't, Louise", John sniffed, "it's just something I have to live with. I don't know if I have the strength to get through the next two years."
They talked, quietly, for half an hour about this and that and John felt somehow relieved that he had told his sister, and was amazed and heartened by her support and love. They had never really been that close before, but knowing she knew about his situation helped him calm down.
"I'm going to bed now, John. Are you going to be all right tonight?", she said
"Yes, I'm OK. It's not the first time I've cried myself to sleep, but you don't advertise the fact"
Louise smiled. "See you in the morning then. We'll talk more on the way to school then, OK"; Louise always gave John a lift to school in the morning.
"Sure. Listen, thanks. "
"You get some sleep..". Louise closed the door.
John lay back on his bed, emotionally drained. This wasn't what he wanted, really. He figured it was his problem, and he didn't want his family involved. On the other hand, however, he now had someone who he could talk to about it, if it got too much again.
He changed into a clean white oversize T-shirt for the night and went back to bed. So tired was he that he fell straight asleep, but had some interesting dreams. Dreams where he was at his dreaded school, but he was enjoying it. He was popular with his school friends, he was on the school swim team and when he saw a reflection of himself in a mirror at the school, he was a girl.
John awoke to the sound of his clock radio going off at 7.30am. The breakfast show slowly brought him to consciousness and he opened his eyes. Then he remembered that today was school day. He groaned and turned over, but before he closed his eyes, he saw his walls. The decor was different. He sat up and looked around. It was his bedroom alright, but apart from the TV, the contents were all different. The carpet was a cream colour instead of brown, the walls pink instead of cream and his desk had been replaced by a dressing table.
In a state of confusion, he got up, pulled his T-shirt down, and went towards the bedroom door, brushing his hair out of his eyes while doing so. He grabbed his long towelling robe and looked out while putting it on. Everything seemed normal. He could hear his Dad in the kitchen making breakfast, Mum in her bedroom with the hairdryer going and Louise in the bathroom. She popped out at that moment, getting a bit of a fright.
"Oh, morning", she said ,nervously, "it's all yours"
She seemed to have forgotten our little tête-à-tête the previous evening and he was quite glad. He wasn't quite feeling up to it right now.
John went into the bathroom, locked the door, and went to the sink. The mirror was steamed up after Louise's bath, so he grabbed a towel and wiped it.
If you've ever got out of bed too quick, and found your head going dizzy, you'll know how John felt when he looked in the mirror.
Staring back at him, open-mouthed was the face of a fifteen year old girl, with long brown hair down to her shoulders.
John stared at the reflection for what seemed an hour, but was only 2 minutes, examining every inch, feature and freckle. It was still him. He could see that. But it was definitely a young girl that stared back at him. After he pulled himself together, he realised there was more to being a girl than a face and looked down. He took off his robe, hung it up on the door hook and steeled himself for what came next. He lifted his T-shirt and saw white cotton pants underneath, and yes, it was smooth. He pulled the T-shirt over his head and there staring back were two smallish but perfect breasts. He collapsed on the floor with a bump, head spinning. His Mum's voice came from the bedroom next door.
"Joanne, are you OK?", she asked
Joanne??
"er.. Yeah, Mum, just slipped", he yelled and caught his breath. His voice had changed too.
"Well get into that bath. You've got 45 minutes to get ready and out to school"
John's mind took over and he got up and ran the bath. While it was filling up, he wiped the mirror again and, yes, there she was; Joanne. It seemed to be true. It was like a dream, but it was all too real. He could not believe it. A dream come true. At that moment, everything clicked into place and he knew he had to do everything as normal and just "go with the flow". He tied up his hair, somehow instinctively, jumped into the bath, washed quickly, noticing the new parts he had been given with some interest, got out of the bath and dried off. He put his bath robe on and, pausing to take a breath, opened the bathroom door and Joanne left the bathroom, leaving John behind, metaphorically.
She walked towards her bedroom and opened the door. Louise popped her head out her bedroom.
"How are you feeling this morning then?", she asked, "Ready for school?"
"Oh, alright", said Joanne (that voice again!)
"OK, see you downstairs, then. Toast and juice?"
"er.Yeah, OK"
She closed her door and Joanne closed hers. Wow!.. It was actually real. Her name was Joanne and she was Mum and Dad's daughter! She threw herself on her bed and giggled madly with joy.
Pulling herself together, she knew she had to get ready for school and so went over to the dressing table. She opened a drawer and found a pair of pants, bra and tights. Pulling them on, she got her uniform and put it on too. It was the same uniform as before, but with a blouse and skirt instead of trousers and shirt. Joanne picked up the hairbrush from the dressing table, sat down and brushed out her long shoulder length hair. She opened the makeup box on the table and applied a very few touches to her face then applied lipstick, finishing off by putting on a locket.
She straightened her clothes out and looked in the full-length mirror on the wardrobe, and realised she had just dressed herself and made-up for the first time and it had been completely instinctive. She felt as if she had done it all before a thousand times. The figure in the mirror was now a pretty 15 year old schoolgirl. The one she had seen in her dreams the previous night!
She grabbed her blazer and schoolbag and headed for the door. She had only had half an hour to come to terms with this, but everything seemed to fit together normally. The feeling of her new clothes and the gravity of it all made Joanne feel quite light-headed as she went downstairs to breakfast.
She dumped her blazer and bag down on the kitchen chair and sat down at the table to see her Mum, Dad and sister for the first time, as it were. No effect. Dad was reading the paper, Louise was reading another, and Mum was taking toast out of the toaster. Dad looked up and smiled. "Hi Jo". It was the warmest smile she had ever seen from him.
"Hi Jo", said her Mum
"Hi", beamed Joanne.
"Why are you so happy?", she asked, with a puzzled look on her face, "I thought summer was over"
"Oh, just glad to be going back", said Joanne.
"Well, eat your breakfast if you want a lift, 'cos I don't want to be late", said Louise, not looking up.
Jo sat quietly and munched toast and orange juice, her mind racing. She got her timetable out of her bag and saw her name written on the front; Joanne Palmer, and read that her first lesson was swimming.
Oh God, she thought, talk about being thrown in at the deep end, literally! She looked in her bag and saw that she had remembered to pack her swim kit.
Remembered?
Finished off her toast, she saw it was 8.30am. time to go.
"Come on then, kiddo", said Louise, "Let's go"
She grabbed her blazer, put it on and got her bag.
"Don't forget, Joanne", said her Mum, "Be prompt home, it's your birthday meal tonight"
She then remembered; it was her birthday the next day, and the family were going out for dinner at a hotel.
"OK, Mum", said Joanne. She crossed the kitchen and kissed her Dad and then her Mum.
"Bye"
"Bye, darling"
She went to the front door where Louise was waiting and they left together. Louise's car was a little white Peugeot and they got in started the car. As they moved off, Louise turned to Joanne and said
"What the fuck is happening???"
Joanne's blood turned cold; Louise knew.
"Last night, I was hugging you while you told me that you would have rather been born a girl, and today I wake up early, go into your bedroom and everything's different!", she exclaimed.
"You got up early?", said Joanne
"Yeah, I was worried for you, so I got up about 6am, and your carpet had changed, your wallpaper and then, on the bed, was YOU! I went to bed thinking I was hallucinating"
"To top it all", continued Louise , "Mum and Dad get up and act is if you've been Joanne all your life, and then I get the same thoughts"
"How do you mean?", Joanne asked.
"Well, I still remember you as John, right? But now, I can remember Joanne too, and John is getting harder to remember!"
"I don't know what else to do. I'm just following my instincts", said Joanne. They were approaching the school.
" Look, just try and get through the day and we'll talk tonight", said Louise.
"OK"
The car drew up to the school and Louise leaned over and hugged Joanne.
"Look, I'm totally at a loss here, I can't make sense of this, but I still love you and if it's a little sister I've got. well. that's great". She smiled and we laughed through tears together. Joanne got out of the car and waved goodbye, wiping her eyes carefully so as not to make them too red.
Ahead stood the school gates . As she walked towards them two girls she recognised from her class approached her and smiled.
"Hi Jo", said the smaller one, Cathy.
"Hi Cathy", said Joanne, "What's up?"
"Nothing", said Cathy, "Just meeting you as normal"
"Oh, yeah, right"
They walked across to the doors and the taller girl, Susan, asked:
"What was that with your sister, Jo?"
"Oh, It's my birthday tomorrow and she's doing something special for me."
"Aw. That's sweet of her. You two have always been close haven't you?"
"Yeah. She's my best friend too."
"Oh, thanks", said Cathy
Joanne smiled. "Apart from you two", she said, hugging Cathy and Susan's shoulders . They all broke into laughter as they entered the school. It was 8.55am and nearly start time.
"Better get a move on girls", said Susan, "the pool's the other side of the school"
The three of them broke into a light jog and Joanne noticed her breasts for the first time. She smiled.
When they reached the pool, on time, they made for the changing rooms and each took a cubicle. Joanne felt suddenly totally terrified. It was all right being naked in her own house, but this was PUBLIC. She stripped off her uniform and got out her swim kit. Her costume was in the school's colours; blue with a read and white stripe. She pulled it on and tied her hair up. The cubicle curtain was pulled back.
"Come on, Jo", said Cathy, "we're depending on you this week!"
What could she mean, thought Joanne?. This was one surprise after another. She went out into the pool area and sat down beside her friends. There were about ten girls altogether, and Joanne was still feeling nervous and exposed. The teacher came out then and started calling names. It was odd, she thought. The boys had their surname called out, but girls had their first names called.
After this teams were chosen and for some reason everybody wanted to be on Joanne's team. It was to be a relay race with the team captain doing the first and last sections. Her rival captain was Julie Higgins. Jo knew Julie was an excellent swimmer from "before" and thought her own chances were nil; she was not a good swimmer at all. The whistle blew and off they went. Joanne powered on as fast as she could and found herself in the lead! Not only that, but she was beating Julie hands down!! On the return she was clearly winning and when Jo touched for the next swimmer to take over, they were going great guns. The captains climbed out of the pool to await their final section, and Julie looked at Joanne as if she wanted to kill her. Uh, oh, she thought, trouble. It was getting close now because one of the girls had lost the lead Joanne had built up. Once again Julie and Joanne took off. It was closer this time because she had a three second start. The two captains sped down the pool. On the return Julie was still in the lead, but Joanne was closing. As they finished the race, they both hit the end wall at the same time. a draw. Julie stood up and rushed over to Joanne. Jo was scared of what she would do. Julie then broke into a huge smile and said, "Put it there, girl!", and held her hand up for a high five. Joanne returned it happily and they both started giggling, with the other girls yelling and cheering.
"That was some race, Jo!", said Julie, " What a team!"
"Yeah, well done Julie", said Joanne
"I'm sure we'll get the district cup this year!"
"er.. I guess so", said Joanne, a little unsure of what she meant.
After a bit more messing about and playing they left the pool and headed for the changing rooms. Joanne now seemed relaxed when naked, but was still finding things a little odd, so she ran into the showers first, followed by the others. She came out towelling her hair dry and quickly changed back into her uniform. Cathy pulled the curtain back again and grinned.
"That was great, Jo! Julie and you are the best!"
After blowing her hair dry, brushing it and re-applying make- up, Joanne left the pool hall, pausing only in the entrance to see the photos of the swim teams on the walls. There on the wall was this year's girls team, and yes, there was Joanne and Julie; Sprint and Relay Cup Winners 1979. Joanne's memory of the event flooded into her mind where it had not been before. She remembered the race, the excitement and the awards. Her heart filled with pride at her achievement, before Cathy and Susan pulled her away to her next class, English, double period!
"Come on, bighead", laughed Cathy, "we know you're a star!"
Improvements By Annie ---------------- PART TWO
The three friends walked down the corridor towards a couple of guys that I knew and then Cathy nudged Joanne.
"Here's David", she sang.
It was David Burns. Mr Popular; 16 years old, Prefect and just entered Fifth year for his A Levels. As he got closer, Cathy and Susan walked on ahead and Jo noticed "David + Joanne" on the book he was carrying! She didn't know what to do. she was terrified. Before, John had not been attracted to guys, but then he had not been attracted to girls; so what now?
"Hi Jo", said David with a smile.
Joanne had never noticed how nice his smile was. She shook her head.
"er. hi", she said, and smiled back.
"Been swimming then?"
"Well spotted"
"I've got you a little surprise for your birthday tomorrow"
Oh God, thought Joanne, how well does he know me? How deep does this go?
"Oh, thanks. What is it?"
"Ahh... ", he said, smiling, "You'll have to wait and see! Must dash, see you at break, OK?"
"Er. OK. Tuck shop?"
"Where else? See ya babe"
Joanne was really shaken at this. How did she know about the tuck shop? BABE?
Another memory or two popped into Joanne's head. David holding her hand walking home from school. David dancing with her at the Christmas dance. David kissing her... She pulled herself together and joined her friends who were all smiles.
"OK, OK, lets get going", she said.
After English, which Joanne always enjoyed anyway, break time arrived and she found herself hurrying towards the tuck shop. Cathy and Susan disappeared off to the cloakrooms. She joined the queue and was joined by David minutes later.
"Hi"
"Hi"
There was an embarrassed silence while they bought their food from the shop and walked together towards the park behind the school.
They found a quiet spot where no-one could see them and sat down on the grass in the warm late-summer sunshine.
"Have I done something, Jo?", he asked. David was clearly worried about Joanne's silence and preoccupation.
Joanne felt terrible. She reached out and held his hand.
"Oh God, no.", she said, " It's me. I'm just. having a hard time right now, OK?"
"Can I help?"
"Not really. I've had a bit of a shock today, but I think it'll settle down."
He leaned across and kissed her tenderly. Joanne felt a warmth flow through her.
"If there's anything I can do.."
"No, no. it's alright, I'm not ill or anything. Just bear with me. I'll be fine"
"OK. So long as you're OK"
"Yeah"
He kissed her again. This time she responded, holding him tight and kissing him.
They stopped kissing after five minutes and David held her close, stroking her hair. Joanne felt like she never had before. She felt vulnerable, scared, yet comforted and loved. She held his hand for a while and they talked about little things; her morning, his morning. They finally stood up and kissed again before walking back to the school, hand in hand.
She knew that her memories had not lied. She really did love this boy. They must have been dating for months, if she could remember the Christmas dance. wait a minute. that's where she met him!
They arrived back at school and kissed goodbye.
"I'll see you tomorrow, OK?", said Joanne
"OK, enjoy your night out, and remember, I'm here for you". He said. There was that smile again. She could melt for that smile.
"Bye"
She wandered around the school looking for Cathy and Susan and found them in the Girls' sorting their hair. Joanne joined them and tidied herself up a bit.
"How's David?", said Susan
"Just fine", said Joanne
"You lucky bitch!", said Cathy, laughing
"I can't understand what he sees in me", Jo said, "There a lot of other girls far better looking than me"
"Rubbish", said Cathy, "Anyway, you know he goes for the sweet ones, not the sex bombs."
"Me? Sweet? Ugh", Joanne laughed
"You are too. Miss Sugar and Spice 1980"
"Yeah", said Susan," Sweet Sixteen tomorrow and never been. well. you know!!!"
The three giggled like crazy and left the Girls' for the next classes
The rest of the day passed uneventfully for Joanne, and she found herself actually enjoying her classes and with no distractions, her schoolwork was really going well.
Cathy and Susan were in almost all of her classes, so they kind of kept her right. If she got lost she just checked her timetable and she was able to find her way from class to class.
At the end of the day, she said goodbye to Cathy and Susan and saw her Dad waiting for her in the car. "Hi, Jo, good day?", he said.
"Oh. Just normal", she giggled
"What was that for?"
"Nothing, really", said Joanne, pulling herself together. It had been the most un-normal day in all her life. But the most wonderful.
"Well, it's good to see you in good mood tonight, because the table is booked for 7pm"
"Great", she said, looking forward to a night out. Then a thought hit her. What would she wear? School uniform was one thing, but going for a night out with her family?? Maybe Louise would help.
When they got home, it was 4.30pm and her Mum was just home from her part-time job.
"Hi darling, how are you?", she said
"Oh just fine Mum", said Joanne
"Looking forward to tonight then?"
"You bet"
"Well off you go and do your homework and we'll start getting ready about 5.30pm, OK"
"OK"
The first thing she did was go to her room and do her homework she had always done this, even before. Oasis was playing on her hifi and she finished around 5.30pm. She lay down on her bed, propped herself up on her elbows and turned the TV on. Just then she heard the front door go as Louise came home from work. Joanne sat up on her bed biting her lip.. what now, she thought.
She heard Louise's feet coming up the stairs and then the door opened.
"Well?", she said, closing the door behind her, and looking worried.
"er. well what"
"How did the day go?"
"Better than I could even imagine", said Joanne, smiling as she remembered her wonderful day. Louise broke into a huge smile, ran over and hugged her sister.
"Oh, I was so worried for you. I thought you would have breakdown or something!"
Joanne told Louise all about her day , the swim team, David and everything else.
"Yeah, I know.. I've always known.. It's weird I've two sets of memories about you and it doesn't make sense"
"I've got the same, Louise, but John's now seem kind of distant."
"Yeah, me too. I guess its you and me, kid, our problem", she smiled. "Anyway, lets go get ready.. Dinner for the birthday girl!"
"It was your birthday last week!", laughed Joanne, "I suppose I'm having two!" They both fell about laughing.
"OK.OK..!! Enough!", giggled Louise, "Let's get ready"
Louise left for her bedroom and Joanne started to undress. As she undressed she saw herself naked in the mirror yet again, and marvelled at how she had changed. She wondered how she would look when she was a few years older. Oh God. Periods! Had she started them, or what? If she had when was the next one due? She searched her dressing table drawers and found a pack of panty liners. Oh well.. she'd started. She smiled to herself.. she was going to be a mother one day! How wonderful!
She put on her towelling robe and went to the bathroom. She bathed herself and washed her hair and returned to her bedroom as Louise took her turn in the bathroom.
For the first time, Joanne opened her wardrobe and gasped at the clothes inside. they were gorgeous. Her tastes were for the classic styles. Nothing too frilly or fancy. She nearly jumped out of her skin as her Mum tapped on her shoulder.
"What'll it be tonight, darling?, she said.
"I've no idea, Mum", Joanne said, honestly.
"You'll find something"
"Yeah. Mum?"
"Yes darling"
"Do I seem any different to you at all today?
Joanne's Mum squinted her eyes for a minute, drew in a breath and said "Yes, quite frankly."
"In what way?", asked Jo, worried.
"You've seemed happier today than I've seen my little girl look for a long time", she said
Joanne burst into tears and hugged her Mum.
"I am, Mum. I can't explain it but I think things are going to be just fine now"
Mum smiled and hugged her daughter tight.
"Good.. I've been a bit worried about you recently"
"Group hug!", said Louise coming into the room. So they did.
"Come on then. let's go, let's go", said Louise, "We've got an hour!"
Their Mum went out and Louise turned to Joanne.
"Come on then, sis, let's get something together for you"
"No Louise. I'm going to do this myself"
"OK.. Good Luck" and she left the room.
Using her half-memory, she closed her eyes for a moment and went quickly over to the wardrobe. Joanne picked out a short black silk mini-dress and matching jacket and silk camisole and picked up a pair of heeled court shoes. She thought this would look classy but sexy.
She towelled her hair and blew it dry and then got out her best undies, again using her intuition. She brushed her hair out again and got dressed, avoiding the mirror. She slipped into her shoes and put her jacket on. Turning round to the mirror, she gasped. She was a pretty girl, yes, but was this classy woman in the mirror herself? Joanne went over to her dressing table and, slipping her jacket off, made herself up with a bit more care than she had that morning and putting on her locket again. Out of curiosity, she opened the locket and stared at the photo. It was herself and David. It must have been a present from him. It was very recent because her hair was the same. They were holding each other looking very happy. The feeling of love for him flowed through her again.
Louise came to the door as Joanne was looking at the locket. She was dressed and ready in a smart red skirt suit.
"Lover boy, huh?", said Louise
"I guess so", blushed Joanne
"You look fabulous", said Louise, "It doesn't surprise me, but also it does, if you know what I mean. Of course you do!!"
They fell about again.
"I've got something for you", said Louise, taking a photo out of her bag. It was the photo she'd taken in the garden the day before. But instead of Mum, Louise and John it was Mum, Louise and Joanne.
"I didn't understand it last night when I developed it, but guess it makes sense now!"
"Thank you", said Joanne, "I'll keep it forever"
Joanne applied some perfume and a few final touches and went downstairs with Louise.
"Here's our girls", said Mum.
Peter, Louise's boyfriend had also arrived. He worked for the same shop as Louise and they seemed to be getting semi-serious lately.
Dad got up from the sofa and crossed to the girls. He kissed each one on the cheek and stood back.
"My little girls. You've certainly grown up. And where's my little tomboy, Jo? Eh?"
Joanne blushed. This scene could not have been dreamed about the previous evening.
"OK gang, let's go", said Dad, opening the front door.
They all got into Dad's car and left for the hotel.
The evening went well for the most part and the food was exceptional. They laughed and joked and occasionally Louise passed knowing glances to Joanne.
It was almost 11pm when they left and it had been wonderful. Joanne felt she was on a cloud, when they got home, Mum reminded her she had school the next day and to go to bed.
Joanne went upstairs while Mum and Dad went into the lounge and Louise said goodbye to Peter on the doorstep.
Joanne opened her door and collapsed onto her bed and lay there, her mind a fabulous whirl. Louise come into the room a few minutes later and sat down in Joanne's chair.
"Well, honeypie", she said, "You've arrived!"
" I guess I have", said Joanne, "But what if it all disappears as quickly as it came?"
"Oh yeah, sure. it's very nearly midnight. Are you scared that your dress will turn into rags and a pumpkin appear from somewhere? Jo, nothing's going anywhere"
"Wait till midnight, Lou, please.. It may sound silly, but, well, please."
"OK, You've got two minutes", she said, looking at her watch.
Joanne bit her nail nervously as the clock counted down.
Midnight!
The room went into darkness and when the lights faded up, very slowly, Joanne, in terror, thought she saw John's wallpaper and the brown carpet coming back.
Suddenly the lights snapped back on and Louise was standing at the door. Everything looked fine.
Joanne was breathing heavily and was a bit shocked at the sudden power failure.
"Night then", said Louise, "see you tomorrow"
"Lou!"
"What?"
"Is John gone forever then?"
"John who?"
"You know.."
"What? Peter? Sorry Jo, I don't know what you're on about, it's been a long day"
"But what about your brother?"
"Brother? You've been at the champagne! Don't let Dad catch you! I'm tired. Night sis"
Joanne stared at the closing door. Louise had forgotten.. Joanne could still remember John, but no-one else... she smiled and started to undress. There was magic in the air that day and a miracle had come to her house the previous night and finished its work tonight. As she went through to the bathroom to wash, she bumped into her Mum who smiled and wished her goodnight.
As she made her way back to her room, her mind was filled with images of that day and of so much more. things she had done, yet not done.
She took off her robe and took a clean nightie from the cupboard. Pulling it over her head, she wondered how so much could happen in such a short space of time. Her life was perfect, from misery to magic, in a few hours.
The bed looked inviting as she slid between the sheets. She didn't know how tired she was. Memories of events past that John had no part in were now filling her mind. As she reached over to switch her bedside light off, she wondered just what surprise David had for her birthday the next day.
Improvements By Annie ---------------- PART THREE
Once again, the breakfast news woke Joanne up slowly and she sat up in bed to rub her eyes. Nervously, she checked herself. Yes, she thought, still there.
She remembered it was her birthday today; sweet sixteen years old. Before this week she did not care whether it was her birthday or not, but now she could think of a dozen things she wanted. Well, she would wait and see what the day brought, both at home and school. Good, she thought, she'd remembered to set her alarm for 6am so she could open her cards and stuff. She pulled off her nightie and pulled on her bath robe. She bent down to pick up her dress from the night before, brushing her hair back as she stood up and heard her sister leaving the bathroom. Joanne rushed the door and opened it, catching Louise before she closed hers.
"Lou", she said, "How's things this morning?"
"Fine. How's the birthday girl?" said Louise, distractedly.
"You really don't remember then?"
"What are you talking about Jo? Last night? Of course I remember, it was a great night, now get ready for school, 'cos I'm not being late.". Louise closed her door.
Joanne went to the bathroom and ran her bath. It was true then. Louise's memory of John had gone totally, leaving only Jo remembering anything of her previous life.
Good, she thought, it's my own secret, and now it's time to get on with my life.
After bathing and dressing, she went downstairs for breakfast.
"Morning", she said "Hi Jo", said her Dad, smiling another of his wonderful smiles.
"Hi darling", said her Mum, and handed her a plate of toast. She also handed Joanne a pile of birthday mail which had arrived that morning.
Suddenly, the family broke into "Happy Birthday", making Joanne blush slightly.
She started opening her cards. There were cards from her family as well as her friends but the biggest one was from David. Oh God, she thought, what an embarrassment. Inside it read, "To my darling Joanne, Happy birthday, best wishes and all my love on your special day, xxxx"
"Let me see David's", said her Mum.
"Yeah, Jo, let's view the mush", said Louise, laughing.
"Aw, Mum.. It's personal", said Joanne
"Come on sweetheart, please?"
Joanne handed her the card and busied herself opening the others.
"That's so sweet, darling", said her Mum, "He's a real catch. You two are going out tonight aren't you?"
Joanne looked surprised. Her erratic memory had not reminded her of that!
"Er. I guess so", she stammered
"Well you've been looking forward to it for a week now"
"I know", lied Joanne, "We'll see"
After opening her cards and putting them up on the table, she got a row of parcels out in front of her. Joanne was delighted and didn't know where to start. Her family were watching her eagerly and so she started to open them.
The first was from her Dad and Mum. It was a box containing a set of matching gold earrings and necklace with diamond insets. Probably worth a fortune and absolutely gorgeous, she thought. She hugged her parents and kissed them both, tears welling up in her eyes. Mum and Dad beamed happily. It was Louise's parcel next. A bigger box with shiny paper. The box contained a velvet off-the-shoulder dress which reached to her knees and had a deep neckline. Very classy, and beautiful. Joanne hugged Louise and packed her on the cheek.
"That's for tonight", said Louise, "with David"
Joanne knew that she would love David to see her in this, and was getting a little excited about her evening out. She continued to open her remaining parcels, whilst watching her time for school; underwear from Aunt Sylvia, perfume from Uncle Mike, money from various relatives. It was all wonderful, but she would have time to ring her relatives up later when she got home. She also couldn't wait to try that dress on.
"OK, Jo", said Louise, "Let's make a move"
"OK"
Joanne put her blazer on and picked up her bag, giving her Mum and Dad an extra kiss and hug for her special breakfast.
"Bye sweetheart", said her Mum, "see you tonight"
The two sisters left and went into the car. Louise started the car and they drove out of the driveway.
"Lou?", said Joanne.
"Yeah?"
"How old were you when you first had sex?"
"I told you that night, remember? I was fifteen. Remember Gary?"
Joanne did. He was a nasty piece of work and Louise was well shot of him.
"Did you love him at the time?"
"Not really. It was Christmas time, I was drunk, he was there. ba ba boom. Wait a minute!! Are you thinking about doing something tonight???"
"No, no ,no! I just wondered."
"Well there's nothing to stop you now, you know. You've been Miss Virginity for the last year and before that you were a tomboy. Maybe it's time you had a bit of fun now you're 'legal'"
They burst out laughing and continued until they reached the school gates.
"OK, Lou, see you tonight"
"Bye sweet sixteen!"
"Stop it!", laughed Jo, closing the car door.
Cathy and Susan were waiting beside the gate as per usual and they started to sing the Neil Sedaka song too. Joanne groaned.
Her two friends made a big fuss of her and they chattered about the night before and David's night out for her. They arrived at their first class of the day, Maths, and settled down for the morning's work.
By breaktime, her brain was buzzing. She seem to be absorbing the information so easily. If it kept up like this her exams next year would be a breeze. Cathy and Susan were good students too and when in the class they worked well together, saving their fun for outside the class.
She made her way to the tuck shop, where David was waiting with their usual sandwiches. Joanne was delighted to see him.
"Hi babe", he grinned, "How's my sweet sixteen then? Feeling better?"
Joanne groaned. How many more times?
"Oh yes", she said, "Everything's fine. Let's go to the park"
They went to their usual spot and kissed each other passionately.
"Wow", said David, "You've certainly cheered up!"
"Yeah, I said it would all blow over."
"How did last night go then?"
"Really well. Lovely meal and everything." Joanne decided to come to the point.
" So, what are you planning in that evil little mind of yours for tonight??"
David laughed. "Just something a bit special; wait and see"
They embraced and spent the next five minutes in each other's arms.
When they parted, Joanne looked into his eyes. How could she be so lucky? This boy was so special to her. She was experiencing feelings she had never felt before, and had to remind herself she was in a public park. She giggled.
"What's up?", said David
"Oh nothing", said Joanne, "I'm just happy"
He hugged her again. Eventually they got up and started walking towards the school again.
"I'm up for head boy this year", said David
"Wow! Well, you've got my vote!"
"You need to be a prefect to have a say, and even then the head has the last word"
"Well, if I improve as well as I think I can this year, I could be joining you in the prefects room!"
"That would be great! Look, We'd better split, I'll see you round at your house tonight at 8pm, OK?
"Fine."
They made it back to the front doors just in time before the first bell went and they kissed each other quickly and said goodbye. Cathy and Susan were waiting outside the science department for Joanne.
That afternoon comprised Physics, History and French, her worst subject.. Even that, however ,seemed easier than before.
Her Mum picked her up from school this time. Joanne said her goodbyes to Cathy and Susan, who couldn't resist teasing her about the night ahead and jumped into the car.
"Hi, sweetheart", said her Mum, "Good day?"
"Not bad, Mum"
"Still got the birthday bug?"
"I guess so. It feels a bit weird being sixteen", said Joanne, "I feel more adult for some reason"
"Well, it certainly is one of those landmark birthdays. Do you remember Louise's a few years ago?"
"I certainly do". Louise had had a rather raucous party at the house and John had ended up having a crap time, being ignored by everybody and being rather ill; someone had spiked his bottle of cola for a laugh. Strangely, she also remembered Joanne having a whale of a time. This double-memory bit was getting tiring. Jo almost stopped being a tomboy just then, after getting some unexpected attention. She used to wear her hair short and tended to wear a lot of jeans and sweaters, but she rather blossomed after that party. She grew her hair long and started to dress pretty. It's amazing what a bit of self-confidence can do.
"You slowly started to turn into a young lady after that", said her Mum, "Something nice must've happened!"
The memory flooded into Joanne's mind. His name was Brian, he was thirteen, the same as Joanne, and he'd come to the party with his older brother. Joanne had spent most of the time eating nibbles and drinking orange juice. She'd even let Louise do a make-over on her for the party and was wearing a short black skirt, heels, a white bodysuit and a jacket. She'd met some nice people here who thought she was cute, but Brian had called her beautiful, and this was a new word to Joanne. They'd gotten talking about this and that and ended up in Joanne's bedroom with two plates of food. They both seemed have an interest in swimming, which was taking up more of Joanne's leisure time, as she trained quite often. He went to the other main secondary school where he was now their Front Crawl speed champion. They still bumped into each other at swim meets from time to time. That evening he'd made a move on Joanne, and she drew, back, very scared, but he'd made her feel safe, but promising not to go too far. They'd kissed and touched, and Joanne had felt things she'd never felt before. They ended up on the bed, but Brian was true to his word. Although they made out for a while, he never tried to take advantage of her. After about an hour, they decided they had probably been missed and so made their way downstairs after straightening themselves out a bit. If anyone had noticed her disappearance, no-one seemed to say so, although Louise did grab her sister and ask her excitedly what had happened.
Yes, she remembered Louise's night alright.
"When's David coming over?", asked her Mum
"About 8pm", said Joanne
"Good."
They got home and Joanne went upstairs to do her homework again. She finished around 5.30pm tied her hair back and got changed into jeans and a sweatshirt. She then went downstairs for supper as Louise arrive home from work, giving her sister a wink as she climbed the stairs. Joanne had a fair idea what she meant.
She sat down in the lounge on the sofa beside her Dad who was watching the news.
"Hi Jo", he said
"Hi Dad. I don't want much to eat since I'm going out later, OK?"
"Sure. I made some chicken sandwiches for you. They're in the fridge.
Joanne crossed to the kitchen where her Mum was getting the rest of the supper ready. She got her sandwiches and a can of Coke from the fridge and went back to the lounge.
Her Dad turned to her.
"You will be careful tonight, won't you Jo?"
"Dad, I'm not going to do anything stupid", said Joanne, knowing what he was meaning.
"You're sixteen now, but that doesn't mean you have to do anything you don't want to."
"It's cool, Dad. I'm a big girl now. I can handle myself"
She was right, too. Her swimming had toned her muscles up and she was stronger than she looked. To anyone who didn't know her, she looked quite pretty and vulnerable, but her toned muscles meant that anyone trying it on with her would get a shock. That was when the tomboy in her would tend to reappear. She remembered punching out Tom Kidd last Christmas when he grabbed her and tried it on. The John in her also remembered that before he changing into Joanne, he had never punched anyone. Rather it was he who was the punchbag.
She sat and munched sandwiches, grateful for the food, since she was starving and wouldn't eat again until 9pm. Joanne then noticed her Dad looking at her and smiling.
"What is it, Dad?"
He laughed. "It used to be Louise who was the feminine one but even in that outfit with your hair back you're such a lady these days."
Joanne blushed. "Well, I guess nature takes it's course, whatever", she said. And how, she thought, ironically!!!
Louise came into the room catching a bit of the conversation and laughed. She was wearing jogging bottoms and a T-shirt.
"That's our Jo!"
"Oh, not you too, Lou", Joanne smiled
Louise sat on the sofa beside her sister and giggled. She leaned across and whispered in Joanne's ear.
"Just as well your period was two weeks ago!"
"Louise!", yelled Joanne, laughing. Well, she thought, at least I now know where I am in my cycle!
"What was that all about", said their Dad
"Girl stuff Dad" said Louise
"Ah"
Joanne decided to call her relatives and friends to thank them for her presents, after which she felt kind of tired and so went upstairs for a lie down. She put some music on her hifi. As she lay on her bed, her mind tried to cope with all this new information and experiences filling her mind. One thing was for sure, when David was around, all such thoughts disappeared. All she did was think of him at those times. She smiled to herself. Would she do "it" later. The thought scared her a bit, but excited her too. She fell into a nap.
"Joanne!". Louise woke her up with a shake, "It's 7pm! I thought David was coming at 8pm?"
"Shit!", said Joanne, sitting up with a start, "Run me a bath will you?"
Louise disappeared into the bathroom and Joanne stripped of and put her robe on. The nap had refreshed her a bit, but now she was pushed to be ready in time. She took off her jewellery and went to the bathroom. She bathed and washed her hair and came back into her room. She towelled her hair and looked out her outfit for the night. Her present from her sister, the little black dress, was on her chair and so looked out black tights, black heels and some sexy undies.. Just in case! She chose a strapless bra because of the dress's design. She sat down at her dressing table and brushed her hair out. She decided to curl it that night and so looked out her large curlers. She put them in and decided she looked ridiculous! Two days ago, this would have been unimaginable, but with Joanne's body and memories of things past she had never physically done, the whole process of pampering herself and getting ready came to her totally naturally. She just took a guess and the guess was always right. Feminine intuition at it's best! After subjecting her hair to a blast or two from the dryer, Joanne took the curlers out and her hair fell about her shoulders in big, soft curls. She gaped. It seemed to make her look older and sexier at the same time. Time to get dressed. She dressed quickly and stood in from of the mirror. The dress was a perfect fit and she had to admit to herself; she was a knockout tonight. It was already 7.45pm, so she quickly applied a little makeup and then, removing her normal pierced sleepers, she put on the earrings and necklace her parents had bought her, a final squirt of LouLou and a quick brush of her hair and she was done. She crossed to her wardrobe and pulled out a black coat and grabbed her handbag, pausing one last time at the mirror. She could just not get over it. Unbelievable. She looked at least eighteen and drop-dead gorgeous. She went downstairs where her Mum and Dad and Louise were watching TV. Joanne hung her coat and bag up in the hall. She prepared herself and went into the lounge.
"Well? Will I do?", she said.
Her family turned and with one very comical motion all three dropped their jaws.
"Oh, Jo!"
"You look fabulous, kiddo"
"Oh darling, I can't believe it"
"OK.OK. Thanks. It's still me under this, OK?", said Joanne
Her family all laughed and Jo crossed over and hugged them all again, thanking them for her birthday gifts.
"Come on, Jo", said Louise, "You don't want to be down here when David arrives. You want to make a grand entrance down the stairs!"
"Good idea, Lou, come with me"
"OK"
The two sisters went upstairs to Joanne's room, leaving her Mum and Dad still slightly shell shocked.
"It's terrific", said her Dad to her Mum, "To think we couldn't get her out of jeans a couple of years ago! She would never have worn something like that back then"
"She wasn't a young woman back then, Scott", said Mum," she was just a little girl who was interested in sports and school."
"I guess so, but I'm worried in case she leaves her studies and sports behind to concentrate on boys and stuff"
"She's too level-headed for that. Tonight is very special to her. She's entitled to make a special effort. The last time she got dolled up was Christmas, remember, when she met David?"
"Yeah, I guess so. But she is a knockout, isn't she?"
"She certainly is"
Back upstairs, Louise was looking out the window for the taxi while Joanne say on her bed, biting her nail, which was now a dark red colour. She was getting scared again. This was new ground for John AND Joanne and she didn't have any "refresher" memories to help her this time.
"I don't know what you're so scared of, Jo", said Louise, "and stop biting your nail! Oh my God, he's here! Stay here until you're called!"
Joanne's heart was trying to hammer its way out of her chest, which was looking very good thanks to her strapless Wonderbra!
The front doorbell went. A couple of minutes later, she heard her Mum's voice call her down.
Joanne stood up, checked herself in the mirror again and turned the door handle....No going back.
She went out and started down the stairs. Then she saw David wearing the same expression that she'd seen her father wear just ten minutes previously. He was wearing a well-fitting black suit, shirt and tie. His broad chest filled the jacket well and Joanne realised she, too was gaping! She ran down the last few steps into his arms and kissed him on the cheek.
"Jo, you.. you're . Oh, God, I'm speechless"
"You're not so bad yourself, Dave", she grinned
"Here dear". Her Mum was handing her her coat and bag. She slipped on the coat and said her goodbyes to the family, promising not to be too late, waved, and got into the back of the taxi with David. The night lay ahead.
END OF PART THREE