Breaking In (Patreon)

Chapter 1

David Malpass couldn't believe what he was about to do.  He didn't want to do it.  At least he didn't think he wanted to do it, but he was going to do it anyway.  That was why he was out.  That was why he was walking in this direction.  There wasn't any other reason to be here or go in this direction.  He would have to walk three more blocks straight ahead.  Then he would make a left turn and cross the street and walk a little more than a block.  Then he would do what he had to do.  He didn't understand why he was doing it, but he knew he had to.  It just didn't make any sense.

David Malpass thought he was a typical man.  He was 32 years old, five-eleven and 183 pounds, brown hair, hazel eyes, no facial hair, and the rest of his features that were too ordinary to mention.  He wasn't fat and wasn't too thin and he had never thought of doing anything like what he was about to do before.  It was crazy for a whole host of reasons.

He didn't want to do it, but he was going to do it anyway.  That is what kept going through his head as he quickly closed on his destination.

A block closer, "I can't do this.  I have to turn back."  He didn't turn back.

He reached the corner where he had to make a left and cross the street.  "I can keep walking, I don't need to go that way."  But he crossed the street.  Now, he was less than two blocks away.

Another block later, he could see the house.  It was only a few doors down.  He tried to look normal.  Not that he didn't look around to see if anyone could see him.   If someone saw him, he would abort.  He would keep on going.  Maybe to circle the block and come back.  Maybe he could cancel it totally.  He didn't want to do it.  But he was doing it.

"Please, someone be here so I don't have to!" he begged to no one in particular.

There was someone across the street.  "If they look this way they will see me."  They were the only person on the block, but they weren't looking at him.  It might be enough though.

Unfortunately for David, the person on the street, some man, passed him before David approached the house.  The plan could go forward.

"Maybe someone will turn the corner."  The house was only two houses away.  There was still time.

It was the next house, "Please someone turn the corner or exit one of the other houses on the block.  Something.  Time was almost up."

But the coast was clear.  David turned quickly into the walkway of the house then scooted to the side of the house and entered the backyard.  No one could see him here.  David knew the house would be empty.  He knew that Mrs. Georgieva often left the back door open.  He didn't know how he knew either of those things, but he was sure about both.  Mrs. Georgieva wouldn't be home and the back door would be unlocked.  He could walk right in.

He turned the corner on the house and saw the back door.  He walked right to it.  This was his last chance to abort, but he wasn't going to.  He couldn't, he had to enter the house and do what he knew he must.

David grasped the door handle.  He tentatively tried to turn it.  It turned easily in his hand.  The door was indeed unlocked.  He pushed the door open and entered the house.  He could smell the house as he walked in.  It was the smell of cleaning products, older furniture, and aromas from the scores of meals prepared here.

To David's left was the kitchen, to his right was the living room.  The home looked as expected.  It was the home of an elderly woman who lived alone.    The kitchen had appliances that had been in use for at least a decade, maybe two or more.  There wasn't any need to buy newer appliances when the older ones still worked.

The living room was filled with furniture and nick-knacks that took a lifetime to collect.  Nothing was very impressive.  Nothing was worth a lot of money.  She didn't even have a  big screen TV as most people had these days.  She needed a digital TV as it was impossible to see anything with an old analog TV, but it still wasn't very impressive.  Not for the year 2021.

It didn't matter what she had, David wasn't here to steal.  That wasn't true.  What he meant was that he wasn't here to steal anything that he could make money from.  He wasn't looking for money itself or anything expensive like gold or silver jewelry.  What he was going to take was something much more personal.

David exited the living room, walked down the hall, and found the bedroom.  That is where what he had to get was.

The bedroom was as typical as any other part of the house.  A queen-sized bed dominated the room with end tables on either side.  Opposite the door was a large window, partially hidden behind curtains.  The curtains and the comforter on the bed matched as he would expect.  There was a bureau of drawers to the right of the open door and a closet beyond that.  It was in the drawers that David would find what he came here to get.

He came here to take one complete outfit of clothes that had belonged to Mrs. Georgieva.  That is what he risked everything to get.  He knew he was risking everything because if he was caught here there wasn't any way to explain what he was doing.  He would be arrested.  Eventually, everyone would find out: his girlfriend, his family, the people at work, his own neighbors.  They would all know and it would ruin his life.  All this to get a complete outfit that had been worn by some old lady that he really didn't know.

David knew what he was going to get.  Maybe not the complete details, but in broad strokes.  He started on the bottom drawer.  He knew that is where Mrs. Georgieva could keep her underwear.  He would start with that, he needed several things from that drawer.  The first thing would be a pair of panties.  they would have to be full-cut briefs.  He knew that, but they didn't have to be white.  It didn't matter the color, they would be granny panties.  They had to be, after all this was a granny house.

David opened the drawer and found scores of panties.  They were all neatly folded, stacked one on top of the other.  Most were white but there were also some pastel blues and pinks.  They were well worn, such that even the pastel colors had faded.  He pulled the drawer open some more to get a better look at the complete selection of panties.  (There were also bras in this drawer too, but he was concentrating on the panties first.)

David reached in and pulled out a pair.  He unfurled the garment so that he could see it better.  It was ordinary panties.  They were made of stretch cotton.  Maybe it really didn't have any stretch initially, but after being worn for who knows how many times and being hand washed the material had definitely become springy.  The waistband was thinner than any male brief that he had ever worn.  He opened the pantie to look at the crotch.  He saw the cotton gusset, then he notice that there was a slight yellowing stain there.  He wanted to put it back.  He didn't want to take anything.  He didn't want to be here, but he accepted the pantie instead.

Satisfied, if satisfy was the proper word, with the pantie selected.  He next looks for a bra.  These weren't the thin stylish bras that his girlfriend owned.  These bras were bigger and more supportive.  Like the panties, they were mostly in white.  They had thick shoulder straps.  Most were padded there.  They had full cups that could cover and support breasts that had become saggy with age.  He chose a random pair near the top.

David looked over the bra.  It was well worn like the panties.  It originally had been white, but now it was starting to yellow.  It had adjustable straps and a mesh floral print all over.  It hooked in the back with four hook 'n eye closures.  David's girlfriend's bras only had two closures typically.  David looked at the back to find that this was a Bali bra.  It was size C42.   3372 appeared to be the style.  It also listed that the bra was made up, mostly nylon with a bit of spandex.  "Made in Honduras" as if anyone really cared.

Now that David had his bra and panties, he would look for other lingerie.  He would select a shaper brief and a pair of pantyhose.  He knew he had to get these things although technically he didn't know what the shaper was called.  To him, it was just a pair of tight panties.

Those things weren't kept in the pantie drawer, they were in the next drawer higher up.  He opened that one and found not only shapers and hoses but other things such as slips, scarfs, handkerchiefs, and gloves.    He knew what he wanted, even though he had never seen one before.  It would be a high-waisted shaper short that extended down to the mid-thigh.  It was reinforced with a diamond shape that extended from above the belly button down to the lower crotch.  It looked very tight.  David selected it anyway.  He didn't look into the crotch or for the size or manufacturer of this garment.

As for the pantyhose, as long as it was flesh-colored (he didn't know that was called nude) it would be fine.  All of the pantyhose that Mrs. Georgieva owned were all control top.  The hose like the rest of her apparel was properly folded.  David made sure not to disturb the other pairs.

David didn't come for slips or scarves or anything like that so he didn't look through the assortment.

David had been in Mrs. Georgieva's house for ten minutes.  He knew she wouldn't be coming home anytime soon, but he wanted to get out of there.  He was an intruder in her house and stole her apparel.  It didn't matter that what he would steal might be worth a high maximum of forty dollars.  It might even be better if he was looking for money, at least he could explain that...sort of.

David moved from the drawers to the closet.  He knew the outerwear he would select could only be found hanging in a closet.  There were tops and bottoms in the other drawers, but not what he came here to select.

David slid back the sliding door and saw the garments.  There were more trousers than dresses and skirts combined, but he knew that he had to find a skirt with a top.  David looked through the selection and found a white knit midi-dress with a thick elastic waist and a slightly flared hem.  Since the waist was elasticated it could accommodate many waistlines.

What he chose next was a vanilla colored blouse with 3/4 blouson sleeves (not that David knew what blouson sleeves were) with a short v-neck and a partial loop-button front.  If worn it would cover the elastic waist of the skirt.

There were only two things left for David to choose.  He looked on the floor of the closet and found a pair of slingback pumps with a small heel that David could fit his foot into and a pair of cheap clip-on earrings that might have cost $3 max.

David had been in the house for fifteen minutes.  He wanted to leave, but instead of heading straight out, he went into the bathroom.  He was done selecting apparel, but he had to get a tube of lipstick and a little blush to give cheeks some color.  There were several tubes of lipstick in the medicine cabinet.  David selected one without looking at the color along with a small container of blush that included an applicator brush.

David didn't have to get anything else.  He was grateful to just leave without being caught.  He made sure the rest of the apparel didn't show any signs of being tampered with, he took the garments in his arm and prepared to leave the house.

He didn't know what he was going to do with this stuff once he got home, but he would be happy to be there.  Then he realized, he couldn't walk the ten blocks back to his out carrying this stuff in the open.  He needed something to carry it in.  How would he explain it to his neighbors if one saw him what he was carrying?  There was no reason he could give as to why he had women's shoes as well as the blouse and skirt.

David searched the house for a container, he found a Macy's bag and put the apparel inside. Macy's sold male clothing too, no one should notice anything amiss.  Certainly, he wouldn't let anyone look inside.

He folded the apparel and put them into the bag.  He couldn't just stuff them in willy-nilly.  He wasn't totally in control of his actions, not even at this point.  That was clearly evident as he was still in the house of an old lady.

David exited the house.  Looked to see no one was coming and then dashed to the sidewalk.  He walked home as quickly as he could.  He never considered getting rid of anything he stole.

He entered his apartment building without talking to anyway.  He took the elevator to his floor and then used the key to open the door of his apartment.  Inside he was surprised.  His girlfriend, Courtney was already there.  She saw the Macy's bag in David's hand and asked, "What do you have there?"

Chapter 2.

David tried to bluff his way out of his situation.

"Nothing important.  Just some stuff."

"You got some new clothes from Macy's?" Courtney inquired.

"No."

"Then what is it?"

"Nothing."

"Let me see."

"I don't want to?"

"Are you hiding stuff from me?"

No, it's just."

"Then what is it?"

David had to think of an excuse.  "It's my costume for Halloween."

"It is?"

"Yeah."

"What are you going as?"

"A secret."

"Tell me."

"Why?"

"So my costume will match yours."

"We don't have to match.'

"Just give me a sneak peek."

David tried to hold out, but he couldn't.  Courtney had moved closer to look in the back.  Finally, he had to relent.  Inside the Macy's bag lying on top were the low-heel pumps and the blouse underneath, as well as the lipstick tube and the container with the blush.  They were clearly feminine items.

An expression of shock appeared on Courtney's face.  "What are you going as?"

"Umm, an old lady?"

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"I want to see you all dressed up."

"No, wait."  David would have to think of a reason not to wear these items on Halloween, but he would figure out an excuse by then.

"Come on, you went to all the trouble, let me see you in your costume."

David held out a little while longer, but he had to give in.

"OK, OK, Whatever you want.  I'll go change."

"Great, I can't wait to see you."

David went into the bedroom with his bag and closed the door.  He would have to put on  Mrs. Georgieva's clothes and call it a costume.  He didn't have an excuse anymore.  He would just put them on, show Courtney and take them off.

David put the bad down on his bed and got undressed.  He kicked off his sneakers first, the pulled his t-shirt over his neck.  He pulled off his pants, next he removed his underwear, and finally sat down to pull off his socks.  He was not completely naked.

David took out the items in the bag.  The shoes on top went onto the floor.  He carefully placed the lipstick and blush down making sure not to get any on the bed.  Then one by one removed the items from the bag.  Soon his bed was covered with the various bits of apparel: panties, bra, shaper, pantyhose, shirt, and blouse.  He looked them over.  He had to put them on.  He couldn't admit that he stole them.  The costume story was his best option.

With a shrug, David picked up the panties gingerly with his thumb and index fingers of both hands.  They were smooth and soft in his fingertips.  They weren't like his own briefs in several ways.  They were not only much softer but they were shaped for a woman and didn't have a fly in the front.  He stepped into them and pulled them up his legs to his waist.  They felt different than any other pair of underwear he had ever worn.  He had never worn anything so soft and smooth, the product of its thinner material and the scores of times it had been hand washed and then left to dry on the shower curtain rod in Mrs. Georgieva's bathroom.  They felt good against his body.

David didn't dawdle, the next thing he would put on would be the bra  He put his arms through the straps and then tried to fasten the hooks in the back.  That didn't work very well.  He had never done that before.  After a couple of minutes of struggling, David decided to fasten the hooks before he put the bra on and then pull it over his head somewhat as he would pull on a t-shirt.  The bra rolled up in the back and the front as he pulled it down.  he had to smooth it out in the front and then pull it down in the back until it sat properly into place.  he looked down.  The cups weren't exactly padded, but they slightly distended from his chest because of the added support built into the garment.  He would need real breasts or put something in the cups to get them out the way they were intended.

David next debated, was he supposed to put on the pantyhose first or the shaper?  The hose seemed to be the right choice, but David wasn't a hundred percent sure.  David had seen Courtney put on her hose and so he had some idea how to do it himself.  He rolled the hose over the fingers of his left hand and then unrolled them up his legs starting on his left.  David found the hose to be tight as he pulled them up.  They were support hose.  He pulled them into place. They actually extended past the top of the panties.  He debated whether to not pull them so high, but decided to go for it.  He was going to wear the shaper over them which would go to the bottom of his bra.

The shaper came next.  It was in its way tighter than even the support hose.  Although it glided smoothly up his legs aided by the sheer material of the hose.  It couldn't give him a feminine shape, but it did lessen the bulge of his penis.  Although he felt the pressure on his penis from the tight materials on his lower half and penis, David didn't feel uncomfortable.

With his lingerie in place, David finished up my pulled the skirt up his legs to his natural waist.  With the elastic waist, it stayed in place easily.  On Mrs. Georgieva, the skirt reached several inches below her knees.  But David was taller, so it ended just below his knees.  he could see his pantyhosed legs underneath.  The material of the hose was so thick, he couldn't see the hair on his legs.  Then he pulled the blouse over his head and let it drape over his skirt.  Like the skirt, the blouse didn't reach as low as it should, but it still fit him fine.

Putting on the little makeup he had, lipstick and blush were pretty easy.  He simply coated his lips with the lipstick and puckered them to get the lipstick into place.  It wasn't perfect, but it didn't have to be, it was a costume of an old lady, who didn't worry about these things as much as a younger woman with smoother skin would.  Then he brushed on some blush following the contour of his cheekbones.  This seemed good enough.

The final two items, the accessories, he put on last.  The clip-on earrings hurt his earlobes a little bit.  The backstrap of the sling-back pumps had to be extended to his farther to get them on his feet, but he managed.  He was completely dressed in  Mrs. Georgieva's apparel.

He took a final look at himself in a mirror, took a deep breath, and the exited bedroom to show Courtney.

David didn't have any trouble walking, the heels were very low.

"OK, you've seen it.  Can I change back now?"

"What's the rush.  Turn around, let me see all of you."

David rotated himself slowly for Courtney.

"Happy?"

"You know," Courtney said.  "You need to stuff your bra to give it the proper size."

"Maybe next time."

"You also should have gotten a slip."

"A slip?"

"Yeah, your skirt is semi-see-through.  I can see your underwear underneath."

David had seen several slips (both full and half slips) but they weren't on his list of things to get so he didn't give them a second thought.  There wasn't any way for David to know that Mrs. Georgieva always wore a half-slip with this skirt.

"Anything else?"

"Your earrings are nice, but they don't go with your outfit."

"Stop criticizing.  I didn't want to show you in the first place."

"It's a good thing you did. "

"Can I get out of this now?"

"Not yet, you are starting to remind me of someone."

David was expecting Courtney to make a joke about his appearance, but what she said next stopped David in his tracks.

"You remind me of Mrs. Georgieva.  She had a blouse just like that.  Do you know her?"

"I don't think so."

"Mrs. Georgieva, I mean Pauline, is a wonderful person.  I like her very much.  I met her about three years ago.  She doesn't live too far from here.  I was in the grocery store..."  Courtney told the story of how she met Mrs. Georgieva.  The story was so vivid and detailed that David could see in his mind how the entire event happened.  It was as though he was remembering what was happening himself.

Courtney was smiling as she relayed the tail.  There was obvious affection in her voice for  Mrs. Georgieva, Pauline.  After describing her meeting with Pauline, she described what a nice, decent, caring person that Pauline is.

"Pauline is in the hospital now.  She is very sick," Courtney told him.

"I'm sorry.  What is wrong with her?"

"She fell down and hit her head.  They don't expect her to live.  I tell you when she goes, the world will be a worse place.  She is truly one of the good ones."

Even though it wasn't his fault, David started to feel back at what he had done.

"It's not fair that good people like that have to go so soon."

"No, it's not."

"She is so good, so open.  She is genuine in every way.  Every time I saw her, she was always the same happy person.  I didn't have to know her for a long time to know her true colors.   As of late, Courtney was seeing the true colors of David by contrast.  At first, he seemed like a wonderful person, but as of late, she found out he wasn't as nice as he appeared to be.  He was controlling and manipulative.  It took Courtney a while to realize the true David Malpass.  But now that she had, she didn't like what she saw.

This is when David forgot who he was.  He wasn't David anymore, he was Pauline.  He was here to see his good friend Courtney.

The conversation shifted.  "I'm sorry Pauline, but I can't be with you today.  I just heard some bad news."

"What happened?" David asked with real concern.

"My boyfriend.  He's hurt.  I just heard from the police.  he's in the hospital.  They don't think he is going to make it."

"Oh goodness gracious."

"I've got to call his family and let them know.  They don't think that there is much time."

"I'm so sorry."

"I'll drive you back home and then go to the hospital.  It's a long walk here.  I don't want you to have to walk back."

"It's not a problem."

"I insist.  I'll only take a few minutes."

"You really don't have to."

"I want to."

Courtney and David got into Courtney's car and drove David back to Pauline's house.  Courtney escorted David to the front door and made sure that he got in safely.

"Let me know what happens," David said.

"I surely will."

Once inside the house for a second time, David found Pauline's favorite chair in front of the TV and used the remote to turn it on.  He turned the channel to watch Monk, a show he would never watch.

David looked at the living room with new eyes.  Everything in it now had meaning for him.  he saw the framed picture of Pauline's deceased husband on the mantle place.  It brought warmth to his heart.  He remembered loving him.  He still loved him, even though he died four years ago.  He saw pictures of other people in Pauline's life.  He remembered them all.  he loved them all.  He knew every stick of furniture.  He remembers when he bought them and who was with him.  It felt like this was his home now.  It was his home.  He was completely comfortable and secure here.

David had seen this episode dozens of times.  He didn't need to pay strict attention to enjoy it.

He looked at the nick-knacks.  They were all special to him.  It was a house of memories and they flooded back into his consciousness.  Most memories made him smile.  Some broke his heart.  Others filled him with pride.  He experienced emotions one after the other.  Then he wondered about how Courtney's boyfriend was doing.  he hoped that he would pull through.

Chapter 3.

Courtney called David's family.  She told them the horrible news.

Calling David's mom, "This is Courtney, I have some very bad news.  There's been an accident."

"David?"

"Yes, he's hurt bad."

"What happened?"

"I don't know all the details.  he was walking and apparently, he fell.  He hit his head.  They rushed him to the hospital.  I was told that it was very serious.  He's in a coma.  I'm on my way right now."

"Which hospital?"

"Fair Lawn hospital.  Do you know where that is?"

"Yes.  I'm coming right now."

"You should tell the rest of the family.  From what I was told, he might not make it.  Come quick."

No one was allowed to see 'David' when they got to the hospital.  They were informed that he is in surgery.

"How could this happen?" David's mother asked.  he was so young.

"I guess it was a freak accident.  But that doesn't matter, all we can do is pray for him and hope he makes it through."

The family came one by one and waited.  No one saw 'David', he was continually in surgery.  'David' never regained consciousness.  He died in the recovery room after surgery.  His family never had an opportunity to see him.

It was a great loss for the entire family.  The entire family was distraught.  For Courtney not so much.  She had decided that she was going to break up with David very soon.  But she would never tell his family this.  There wasn't any reason to.

The doctor came out to talk to the family.  "I'm sorry."

David's mother and several other family members broke out into a fresh set of tears.

"I was hoping he would pull through, but we couldn't save him.  We did the best we could."

The doctor explained for a little while longer, but there wasn't much to say.  David was dead.

Would you like his effects?"

"Effects."

"Well, it was just the clothes he was wearing where he got here."

"Yes."

"A nurse will bring them to you in a few minutes."

It was decided that Courtney would see the body to confirm identity.  But everyone was sure it was David.

A short while later, a nurse brought a plastic bag with David's effects.  She gave it to Courtney who was viewing the body to give to the family.  Before returning, Courtney made a quick swap of these items.  She replaced the wallet and keys in the purse with David's wallet and keys but left the rest of the apparel unaltered.

"Are you sure you want these things?" Courtney asked.

"Yes."

Courtney gave David's family the plastic bag.

"What is this?  These can't be his."

"David had a secret.  I'm sorry you found out like this.

Inside the plastic bag was the aforementioned purse with David's wallet inside, but there were also other obviously feminine items.  On top was the purse, of course,  Courtney placed it there.  It was a brown leather bag   It had a knotted crossbody strap and top handles and a magnetic closure for easy opening and closing.  Next to the purse were matching brown leather shoes with a buckle across the toe.  There was a linen blend paisley print midi skirt. It had a sarong-inspired twist at one hip.  With a small slit in the front, it has a wrap look without showing off too much leg, perfect for an older woman.  Under that a square neck ivory tee that no man would ever wear, it was made for women who wanted to show a little bit of cleavage not too much.  Next were the bra, pantie, pantyhose, and pantie-girdle where were similar to the lingerie that the 'real David' was wearing at this moment.  Although, the hose was in more of a taupe color instead of the nude color that David had selected.  At the bottom of the bag were brass tapered hoop earrings and a bar motif statement ring.  These were the items that anyone would expect a woman to wear.

"I don't understand."

"David liked to dress up as a woman.  I told him to tell you, but he was being stubborn."

"I don't believe it."

"Look in the purse."

David's mother did as requested and found David's ID in there.  But the rest of the items, lipstick, tissues, cards from the grocery store, and whatnot were Pauline's. Not that anything else had her name on it.

"I'm sorry you had to find out like this."

"Do others know?"

"I don't think he told many people.  I know no one at the place where he worked knew."

"I don't think I'll tell anyone."  David's mother looked around at the family.  They weren't inclined to spread David's secret either.

"This is who David was.  This is the real David."

"I hadn't a clue."

"He told me, and you can do what you want, that he wanted to be buried in his favorite outfit.  I know which is it.  I can get it for you."

"I'll have to think about that."

"Let me know."

"We'll discuss funeral arrangements tomorrow now.  Come to my house tomorrow night, say around 6, and we'll work out the details."

"I'll be there."

Chapter 4.

Pauline's memories flooded into David.  Every time he looked around, the item he saw reminded him of this or that.  The memories could be of something recent or something that happened decades ago..  He remembered going to the ice cream parlor with his dad when he was a little girl.  He remembered how sad he was when his dad died.  He remembered his first real date with a guy and when he married the love of his life.  All these memories seemed perfectly normal to him.  He remembered friends of the past he no longer sees as well as people who weren't nice to him.  He remembered the times he was a housewife and the times he worked for someone.  He was developing a whole lifetime of memories.  A lifetime that was in fact more than double his actual life.

When one of the episodes of Monk was over, David went into the kitchen mad made himself something to eat.  Not only did he enjoy cooking which he never had before, but he had a lifetime of remembered recipes in his head.  Those he couldn't remember, he could find on a scrap of paper or a cookbook.

Not only did he prepare the meal, but he cleaned up after himself without thinking about it.

As the day wound to a close, he ended it as Pauline would have.  He took a quick hot shower.  It was nothing special.  He took off all his clothes and placed them in the hamper.  His pajamas and a fresh pair of panties were laying under his pillow to be worn after the shower.  He used a shower cap to prevent his hair from getting wet.  He didn't wash his hair every day.  It didn't take long, maybe fifteen minutes, then he toweled off, got dressed, and got into bed.  He was just about to doze off when he bolted upright.  He looked around, he didn't know where he was or what he was doing here.  The room looked a little familiar then he realized where he was.  He didn't know why he was here.

But before he could get out of bed, the real Pauline Georgieva died.  She had reclaimed all of David's memories, personality, and identity when she left this world, taking all of them with her.  They were gone forever, leaving David to believe that he is now and always had been  Pauline Georgieva.

Pauline, the one who was still living, looked around the room again.  Nothing seemed amiss.  She didn't know what had startled her.  She settled back into bed and fell into a peaceful sleep.

In the morning, Pauline got out of bed. she made herself a cheese omelet and ate it with toast and coffee.

She wondered whatever happened to Courtney's friend.  She hoped it would all work out.  She hated to see people die, especially before their own time.

After breakfast, Pauline returned to her room to select clothes for the next day.  When she looked through her lingerie drawer, it didn't seem right.  It looked a little bit like her things had been rifled through.  Some of the apparel's foldings didn't seem to look like she did them.  But that was impossible.  No one had been in her house.  She did all the housework herself.  She looked in the other drawers. It didn't look exactly right in the drawer where she kept her hose and scarves.    The other two drawers over that looked OK.  She looked around the room to see if anything was missing, but she couldn't tell.  She had lots of clothes, some of the items could be in the hamper or she might have thrown them out before.  She put the problem out of her mind and got on with her day.

Chapter 5

Pauline didn't have anything planned for the day, but she felt like going out.  She felt better than she had in years.  She felt like she could run miles although she hadn't run in decades.  She felt invigorated.  She decided to put on a colorful outfit she hadn't worn in a long time.  

She was getting ready to leave when she heard a knock at the door.

"Courtney, what are you doing here?  How is your friend."

"I'm afraid he is gone."

"I'm so sorry is there anything I can do?"

"No, but you left some things are my apartment.  I wanted to bring them back."

"What?"

"These."

Courtney gave Pauline her wallet with her identification and her keys.

"I forgot those?"

"Yeah, you did.  You must have put them down before you left."

"I'm so sorry."

"It's no problem.  I knew you would need them so I brought them right over."

"Thank you."

"I have some errands to run, you want to go with me?"

"Sure.  I'll be ready in a few minutes."

Courtney needed to buy some 'new clothes' for 'David' to be buried in.  His mother decided if that is what he wanted, then he should be buried in women's clothing.  The casket would be closed, but David's entire family would know that he was buried in women's apparel.  Courtney was asked to select the appropriate outfit.  But Courtney obviously didn't have those things, she would buy them now.  Pauline could help her pick them out.

In the car, Pauline and Courtney got to talking about the fragility of life.  That you could go in an instant.  They both agreed that you had to live while you have time.

"I have something to tell you," Pauline told Courtney.

"What?"

"You know that growth between my legs.  The one that I should have removed years ago but haven't."  Pauline didn't know she meant her penis.  To her, it was just a benign growth.

"Yeah."

"I've decided to do something about it.  I'm going to have it removed."

"That's wonderful."

"And you know what else?"

"What else."

"I'm going to have my boobs reconstructed.  I'll be having surgery anyway.  I might as well."

"That is fantastic.  What has gotten into you?"

"I just feel so energized and I don't want to miss out on the rest of my life.  I'm going to get out there.  I'm going to meet people.  I'm going to live.  I only have a few years left, I'm going to live it."  With David's body, Pauline would live at least forty more years, not that she knows it."

"Anything else?"

"No, except I'm going to dye my hair gray.  I'm old, I'm not going to hide from that or from life.  I'm going to be the best me I can be."

"I'm happy for you.

End.