The Dance Of Changes - Part 14 (Patreon)

OTHER PARTS | ALL STORY LIST

'It now looks as if you are going to have more dance costumes than I do,' she said, smiling.

'So it would seem.'

'And your mother seems to be really enthusiastic about the idea of your dancing.'

'Yes, as soon as she knew, she started to want to help me organize my wardrobe. I don't remember when she has seemed so positive about the future.'

We arrived at their house, and I began to help her to get out of the car.

'Thanks, Michelle, it has been an enjoyable afternoon and evening, and you made an excellent model. In fact, I think you make a lovely young woman.'

I blushed and looked away, not sure how to respond to her. She noticed my blushes.

'Are you still alright with all this?' she asked, seriously.

'It would be a bit late for me to be having second thoughts,' I said, smiling, 'especially after all the trouble that everyone has taken.'

'It is just that when I suggested the idea to you two weeks ago, I'd no idea of the extent that Michelle would take over your life.'

'Nor me,' I admitted. 'But Mum seems to be really happy with the change, Helen is more willing to be my friend at work, and of course, Joan would never forgive me if I were to back out now after all her hard work.'

'I suppose so, and it would let Alan down as well,' she added. 'But all that's not as important as whether it is the right thing for you.'

'I seem to be doing alright as Michelle, at least for the time being, so I'll keep to the plan. Also, I get to improve my dancing. So I'd better continue as we planned.'

'Alright, but when all the demonstrations are over, I want you to know that Rob and I will support you in whatever you decide to do.'

'What do you mean?'

'If you want to change back to Michael, we will make sure it happens and that you will still have a job. Equally, if you decide to continue as Michelle for a while, that will also be alright, as well.'

'Thanks, Sarah,' I said, not knowing what to think about what she'd just said to me.

I helped her to her front door, and just as she was about to enter, I came out with something that had been on my mind for a day or two.

'Sarah, I get the impression that you and Rob have trusted me more since I became Michelle.'

'It isn't a question of our not trusting you as Michael, but you do seem to have more self-confidence and are more mature as a young woman than you were as a young man.'

I sighed, knowing deep down that she was probably right.

After I got home, Mum helped me to try on my two costumes for the next Saturday once again. I was especially pleased with the cream dress, as it seemed to show off my new breasts without indicating that they were anything but genuine.

'So what do you think, Mum,' I asked as I was standing in front of the full-length mirror in the spare room.

'I think you look adorable, Michelle. I'm sure you'll be a credit to everyone who has helped you.'

'I hope so.'

She began to cry.

'What is it, Mum? What's the matter?'

'I'm so proud to have you as my daughter, even if it is only for a few weeks,' she said, sniffing.

I wanted to respond, 'And I'm proud that you see me as your daughter,' but was unable to do so for some reason. Instead, I just murmured my thanks.

'Why don't we begin to organize your costumes?' she asked.

'Alright,' I replied.

'I'm afraid that we're going to need to use the wardrobe in the spare room for your dresses. I suggest that you pack away all of Michael's clothes in a couple of the smaller suitcases for the time being. We can ask Alan to put them in the loft for us when he comes to collect us on Saturday.'

She seemed so enthused by the idea and so sure of herself that I didn't have the heart to object.

'The suitcases won't be too heavy; if you hold the step ladder for me, I expect I'll be able to stow them in the loft by myself.'

'Alright, but change into some jeans first and please take care on the steps; it would be disastrous if you had an accident like your friend.'

Alan and I met up again for another practice session on the Sunday afternoon and evening, where we pretty well perfected our Quickstep routine. However, we agreed to have a full dress rehearsal on the coming Thursday. We also met up again on the following Tuesday evening at the usual club meeting, where we went through the Viennese Waltz with the four other couples who would be dancing with us. They were all somewhat experienced with the dance, and so everyone felt quite satisfied with the result. In fact, Alan and I decided to add an extra fast spin at the end as a final flourish.

'Wow, you two are really impressive dancing together,' said Louise to Alan and me after the rehearsal. 'What else have you got planned for future weeks?'

'We haven't really thought very far ahead, but we are due to dance the Charleston and American Smooth at the end of October.'

'Do you have any thoughts about the Charleston, Michelle?' Alan asked me.

'How about 'Black Bottom Stomp'? It's a Jelly Roll Morton track, which would be ideal. There is a modern recording of it by Wynton Marsalis.'

'I'll have a lookout for it.'

'Do you have anything suitable to wear for the Charleston?' Louise asked me.

'Yes thanks, Mum has a lovely black beaded flapper dress that will be a lot of fun to dance in.'

'So what are we going to do for the American Smooth?' Alan asked me.

(I should perhaps explain that 'American Smooth' is a category of ballroom dances rather than an individual dance and can include steps from the Waltz, Viennese Waltz, Tango or Foxtrot, but without many of the usual restrictions traditionally imposed on those dances, with respect to maintaining body contact. The category, therefore, allows for more elaborate and creative routines and provides a chance to show off a little with lifts, lady's underarm turns, spins, side by side positions, parallel turns, dips, drops, and other variations that would never be allowed in traditional ballroom dancing.)

'Louise, I know that you are going to be responsible for the Latin dances, but would you mind if we danced the Tango in the American Style?'

'Please go ahead and do whatever you think is best, Michelle. I agreed to cover the Latin dances, but to be honest, I am rather dreading the prospect. I'd much prefer to be one of the supporting dancers.'

'What do you think, Alan?' I asked.

'Alright, an American Smooth Tango it is, so long as you are happy to do the choreography and choose the music.'

'Good, I've already had some ideas,' I replied.

I allowed myself the small vanity of wearing my dark red dress with the low-cut neckline and mum's pendant into work on Monday morning. It was just low enough to be noticeable but not so soft as to cause a riot in the High Street.

'Very nice, Michelle, your new boobs are just right,' commented Helen. 'Don't you agree, Rich?'

Richard looked distinctly embarrassed and muttered his agreement before getting on with his work. However, I did notice him peering down my cleavage at one point later on when we were supposed to be discussing the details of a new property.

When we were alone later, Sarah later whispered to me that I looked very smart and my boobs looked nice, but maybe I should avoid creating too much of a distraction at work. She said it in such a nice way that I didn't feel embarrassed but decided not to repeat the experiment all the same. In all other respects, I continued to do well at work and increasingly found that I was the one dealing with most of the customers who came through the door. One significant development also took place during that second week in October. It began with a suggestion made by Rob on Wednesday afternoon.

'Helen, would you be able to drive out to Harpenden tomorrow morning to measure up and take details of that new commission in Overstone Road, as Sarah is now unable to do so?' he asked.

(Harpenden is a small town about four miles south of Luton, which seemed to be becoming a useful source of new business for us.)

'Yes, of course, I could drive over first thing, if you like,' she replied.

'Sarah and I are planning to be in the office for most of the morning, so maybe you could take Michelle along with you to show her how it's done,' Rob continued.

'Fine, with two of us, it should only take an hour or so.'

'I should like that,' I replied, pleased to have another opportunity to get out of the office and to undertake a new task.

'Shall I collect you directly from your mother's house at 9.30 am tomorrow to save you the bus ride into work?' Helen asked.

'Yes, if that will be alright with you, Rob?'

'Yes, you go ahead; it will make more sense that way.

As a result of Helen's suggestion, I had an extra ninety minutes the following morning and used the opportunity to de-fuzz my legs, arms, and armpits and paint my toenails ready for the weekend. However, Helen arrived ten minutes earlier than she'd originally intended before I had time to finish putting on my makeup. I called out to Mum to answer the door for me and let her into my bedroom while I hurriedly finished putting on my mascara.

'Don't worry, Michelle, we've plenty of time; the traffic in the town wasn't as bad as I'd thought,' said Helen as she came in.

'I'm almost ready,' I said as I put the finishing touches to my eyes, brushed my hair, and did a final check in the mirror.

I was quite happy with the way I looked, so I put my lipstick, mascara, and powder compact into my handbag, together with my keys and some tissues, and went to get my coat.

'Your daughter's becoming quite an expert at getting herself ready, 'Helen commented to Mum as we went out the front door together.

'Yes, I'm very pleased with her progress,' replied Mum.

During the course of the morning, Helen showed me what had to be done when taking down the particulars of any house that was about to go on the market and what questions needed to be asked of the prospective vendors. We also took a number of digital photographs of each room. As she did so, she explained to me what to look out for and how to get the best possible pictures that would make the room seem larger or avoid highlighting any potential problems.

'There seem to be a number of these houses coming on the market recently,' said Helen. 'I suggest you ask Rob if you can deal with the next one on your own.'

'I should be happy to do so if they're willing to trust me,' I replied.

'I don't see why not. We all seem to have got busier over the last few weeks, especially since Sarah has been out of action.'

It occurred to me as we drove back to Dunstable that not once during the course of the morning had Helen made any reference to my past identity. As with Mum, it was almost as if Michael had never existed. She was simply showing her junior colleague how to do the job.

Helen and I arrived back at the office at about midday to find Rob and Sarah both looking quite pleased with themselves.

'Michelle, the Johnson's have made an offer on that house in Houghton Regis, thanks to your good work last week,' he said as I entered. 'As you know, they've already sold their existing house, so, it looks as if you've made your first house sale - congratulations!'

'That's wonderful,' I said, feeling really pleased with my day.

'May we both have a word with you in the back office?' he continued.

I followed them in and closed the door.

'I've been in touch with the vendors, and they have accepted the offer. The Johnsons will be coming into our office on Monday morning to sign the relevant forms and let us know who will be handling the legal aspects of the sale for them.'

He now began to look a little awkward.

'Under normal circumstances, Sarah and I would have asked you to deal with them and then to liaise with the solicitors for both the buyers and sellers to ensure that the sale goes through without a hitch,'

'But not on this occasion?' I said, feeling a little disappointed not to be given yet another responsibility.

'Well, we haven't decided as yet,' said Rob.

I looked at him, puzzled.

'It usually takes about four to five weeks for sale to go through where there is no mortgage required, which could take you beyond your promise to remain as Michelle. There are also sometimes hold-ups, and in a few cases, the process can take two months or more. What would happen if you'd started dealing with the matter as Michelle, and then there proved to be a delay?' asked Sarah.

'It would be embarrassing for all concerned,' added Rob.

'If you were willing to trust me to take on the job, I would have to continue as I was until everything was satisfactorily completed,' I said.

'Are you sure about that?' said Sarah.

I was about to answer, but Rob spoke first.

'Before you say anything more, let me put to you a suggestion from Sarah. One reason I sent you both out this morning was that we needed to talk together about the business and sound out Richard's opinion. As you know, our business seems to have picked up quite well over the last few weeks, which is very good news, but it has coincided with the time when Sarah has been confined to the office because of her accident. We are going to need some extra help until the end of the year, but we are not in a position to make a permanent appointment. Sarah has suggested that we should offer you a temporary promotion for three months, as a trainee negotiator, and offer the two-weekend staff additional hours of work to take on some of your clerical duties. We would backdate the promotion to 1st October and pay you at the higher rate until the end of December. By that time, Sarah should be fully fit once again.'

'You are quite young for such a promotion, but we think that you have shown yourself capable of doing the job, and Richard agrees,' added Sarah. 'But it would be on the understanding that 'Michelle' is available until the end of the year.'

'So what do you think?' asked Rob.

'I'm not sure. I would like the work and the extra responsibility, but it would almost double the amount of time I was remaining as Michelle.'

'It would also mean that you get out of the office much more,' added Sarah.

'I'll need a little time to think about it and perhaps talk to Mum, as well.'

'Yes, of course. The Johnsons are not due to come in until Monday afternoon, so we have to decide what to do until Monday morning. See how you feel after Saturday's demonstration before making up your mind?' suggested Sarah.

There was no question that my life had become somewhat more interesting and eventful since the advent of Michelle just over two weeks ago, but I didn't know what to think about Rob and Sarah's offer. I didn't feel ready to discuss it with Helen until I'd had time to think it through, and so I was relieved to find that she had left for her lunch by the time I emerged from the office. I delayed going for my own lunch break until she had returned, and by the time I got back, the office was again quite busy, and so we had no time to talk.

As we were closing for the evening, Helen came up to me.

'I'm having a day off tomorrow, shopping in London with my sister so I won't be able to wish you good luck, but I'll see you dancing on Saturday afternoon. I am meeting up with Richard tonight, who will show me how to operate a second video camera.'

'Oh yes, I remember,' I replied.

'I doubt if I'll be much good, but he thinks I should be able to get some reasonable shots which he can mix in with his own to create a better video.'

'I hope you have a good time then, both tonight and tomorrow,' I replied.

I wasn't jealous of Helen, who'd been a good friend to me over the last two weeks. I was, however, surprised to discover that I felt just a touch of envy because she could go out clothes shopping with her sister and had plenty of boyfriends. I was also slightly sad that Richard had thought nothing about asking her out but would never do so to me.

During the ten days since Mum had known me as Michelle, she was true to her word and treated me as if I were her daughter, only ever referring to me by my new name and acting as if she'd never had a son. At first, this seemed a little strange, but I gradually got used to the idea. In some respects, I found that my relationship with her had become closer as a result of the change, and so I was happy enough to go along with the fiction. It wasn't that we hadn't got on well together before so much as we seemed better able to understand and relate to one another as mother and daughter. I wasn't sure whether it was me or Mum who had most altered or perhaps a combination of the two of us. She often made helpful suggestions about the clothes that I wore for work or how I might deal with my hair.

Mum seemed more than willing to take over the responsibility for my costumes and to groom at the forthcoming demonstrations, and Sarah was equally happy to leave the matter in her hands. Mum made sure that the dresses were clean and packed so that they would not become creased. On Thursday evening, she also helped me to wash and style my hair, ready for the dress rehearsal on Friday evening and the performance on Saturday. I had intended to mention the offer of temporary promotion to the end of December to her, but in the end, decided that my main preoccupation should be the dancing and that discussion of my future plans could wait until later after I'd had more time to consider the implications of the offer. I'd been having a great time as Michelle, but I was still unsure whether it would be right for me to remain living as a girl once I was no longer required to do so for my dancing.